A peak hold circuit includes an input transistor, which is provided with an input signal, and a first hold capacitor, which holds a maximum or minimum value of the input signal. A correction circuit, which corrects the hold voltage held by the first hold capacitor, includes an operational amplifier, which is supplied with the hold voltage, and a correction transistor, which is provided with an output signal of the operational amplifier. A source/emitter of the correction transistor is coupled to the operational amplifier. The peak hold circuit also includes a current detection circuit, which detects current flowing to the input transistor, and a peak current hold circuit, which holds the peak value of the current detected by the current detection circuit as a peak current and supplies the peak current to the correction transistor.

A peak hold circuit shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and known in the art is used for generating an output signal that is in accordance with a peak value (maximum value) of an input signal.
In a peak hold circuit 150 shown in FIG. 1, an input signal Vin, which is a voltage signal, is provided to an inversion input terminal of an operational amplifier 151. An output terminal of the operational amplifier 151 is coupled to a gate of a P-channel MOS transistor Q30 functioning as a charge pump.
The source of the transistor Q30 is coupled to a high potential power supply VDD, and the drain of the transistor Q30 is coupled to ground via a capacitor C serving as a hold capacitor. A current source 152, which controls the droop rate (reduction rate) of the hold voltage for the capacitor C, is coupled in parallel to the capacitor C. A node N between the transistor Q30 and the capacitor C is coupled to an output terminal of the peak hold circuit 150 via a buffer circuit 153. The peak value of the input signal Vin held in the capacitor C is output from the output terminal as the output signal Vout.
In the peak hold circuit 150, the transistor Q30 is activated when the input signal Vin becomes higher than the hold voltage of the capacitor C (potential of the node N), and the capacitor C is charged by the charging current flowing to the capacitor C. The charging of the capacitor C is stopped when the hold voltage of the capacitor C becomes equal to the voltage of the input signal Vin. When the voltage of the input signal Vin becomes lower than the voltage of the capacitor C, the transistor Q30 is inactivated and the capacitor C is uncoupled from the operational amplifier 151. This holds the present hold voltage of the capacitor C, that is, the peak value of the input signal Vin, and the peak voltage is output from the output terminal as the output signal Vout. When the input signal Vin again becomes higher than the hold voltage of the capacitor C, the transistor Q30 is activated, the capacitor C is charged, and the peak value is updated. Therefore, the operational amplifier 151 and the transistor Q30 form a feedback loop in the peak hold circuit 150, and the input signal Vin and the output signal Vout (hold voltage of the capacitor C) are constantly compared. The accuracy of the peak detection is thus high. The hold voltage of the capacitor C is gradually discharged by a droop current Id of the current source 152 during the hold period.
In a peak hold circuit 160 shown in FIG. 2, the input signal Vin, which is a voltage signal, is provided to a base of an input transistor Q31, which is an NPN transistor. The collector of the input transistor Q31 is coupled to a high potential power supply VDD, and the emitter is coupled to ground via a capacitor C1 serving as a hold capacitor A current source 161 for controlling the droop rate of the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 is coupled in parallel to the capacitor C1. A node N1 between the input transistor Q31 and the capacitor C1 is coupled to a non-inversion input terminal of an operational amplifier 166.
The output signal of the operational amplifier 166 is provided to a base of a correction transistor Q32, which is an NPN transistor, and also output from the output terminal of the peak hold circuit 160 to an external circuit (not shown) as the output signal Vout. The collector of the correction transistor Q32 is coupled to the high potential power supply VDD, and the emitter is coupled to ground via a current source 167. A node N2 between the correction transistor Q32 and the current source 167 is coupled to the inversion input terminal of the operational amplifier 166. The operational amplifier 166, the correction transistor Q32, and the current source 167 function as a correction circuit 165 for correcting the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 to substantially the same potential as the peak value of the input signal Vin.
In the peak hold circuit 160, when the input signal Vin is input to the input transistor Q31, the capacitor C1 is charged to a potential lower than the voltage of the input signal Vin by an amount corresponding to a forward voltage of a diode (formed between base-emitter of the input transistor Q31). The diode is inactivated when the potential difference between the input signal Vin and the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 (potential of the node N1) becomes lower than the forward voltage of the diode. In this case, the capacitor C1 is not charged, and the capacitor C1 is uncoupled from the input transistor Q31. This holds the present voltage of the capacitor C1 as the hold voltage. However, the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 is lower than the peak value of the input signal Vin by an amount corresponding to the forward voltage of the diode. Therefore, a correction circuit 165 corrects the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 to be substantially the same potential as the peak value of the input signal Vin and then outputs the corrected voltage as the output signal Vout. In other words, a node N1 and a node N2 are controlled to have the same potential by the feedback loop, which is formed by the correction transistor Q32 having the same element size as the input transistor Q31 and the operational amplifier 166. The base voltage of the transistor Q32 then becomes higher than the voltage of the node N2 (voltage of the node N1) by an amount corresponding to the forward voltage of the diode. As a result, the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 is corrected to have substantially the same potential as the peak value of the input signal Vin and is output as the output voltage Vout.
In this manner, in an analog circuit in which the amplitude of the input signal is not constant, the peak hold circuits 150 and 160 detect the envelope of the input signal or optimize the gain of the amplification circuit by detecting the peak value of the input signal. Thus, the peak hold circuit is used in various types of circuits. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-126869 describes such a peak hold circuit.
However, the peak hold circuits 150 and 160 have the shortcomings described below.
To detect a peak, the peak hold circuit 150 shown in FIG. 1 needs to compare the input signal Vin and the previous peak value (hold voltage of the capacitor C) and activate the transistor Q30 with a signal that is in accordance with the comparison result. Thus, such feedback loop requires a relatively long time to charge the capacitor C. Such feedback loop limits the response characteristics (e.g., of the operational amplifier 151). Thus, the peak value cannot be held in an ensured manner if the input signal Vin is a high-speed signal. Specifically, if the input signal Vin is a high-speed signal, the period in which the input signal Vin becomes greater than the hold voltage of the capacitor C, that is, the ON period of the transistor Q30 becomes relatively short. In this case, if the timing for activating the transistor Q30 is delayed due to the feedback loop, the charging time of the capacitor C is shortened, and the peak detection operation ends before holding the peak value of the input voltage Vin. As a result, the peak value of the input signal Vin cannot be held in an ensured manner.
In the peak hold circuit 160 shown in FIG. 2, the response speed is fast since the peak is detected by a simple circuit configuration formed by the transistor Q31 and the capacitor C1. Therefore, the peak hold circuit 160 is suitable for high-speed operations However, since the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 is lower than the peak value of the actual input signal Vin by an amount corresponding to the forward voltage of the diode of the transistor Q31, the accuracy of peak detection is low. To improve the accuracy, the correction circuit 165 shown in FIG. 2 corrects the hold voltage of the capacitor C1 by compensating for the difference of the amount corresponding to the forward voltage of the diode. However, in the peak hold circuit 160, a difference occurs in the base-emitter voltages of the transistors Q31 and Q32 since the bias conditions are not the same in the input transistor Q31 and the correction transistor Q32. This lowers the accuracy of the hold voltage corrected by the correction circuit 165. This directly affects the output signal Vout and consequently lowers the accuracy of peak detection.
Such problems are not limited to a peak hold circuit that holds the maximum value of the input signal Vin and also arise in a peak hold circuit that holds the minimum value (peak value) of an input signal.


A wet processing apparatus and method that takes advantage of a fluid meniscus to process at least a portion of a surface of an object. After one surface of the object has been processed another side or surface of the object can be similarly processed. This processing can be coating, etching, plating, to name a few. An application of the apparatus and method is in the semiconductor processing industry, especially, the processing of wafers and substrates. The method and apparatus also allows the processing of multiple surfaces of an electronic component.

Wet processing (i.e. the exposure of a surface or surfaces to a fluid or fluids) is an essential part of many technologies. In particular, semiconductor and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS, also known as micro systems, among other names) technologies rely heavily on wet processes for the manufacturing of devices. Processes such as etching, resist developing, patterning, stripping, release, electroplating, and thinning are all usually performed by the exposure of surfaces to liquids; i.e. wet processing.
One of the main drawbacks of all prior art is the reliance of wet processes on immersion of the parts in a liquid, on some form of spraying, or in a combination of liquid delivery and substrate spinning, to accomplish the exposure of the surface to the liquid. These methods, and their many variants, usually expose, at least to a relevant extent, other surfaces that would be desirable to protect from the fluid. To prevent unwanted exposure of surfaces. The prior art has usually relied on the application of protective layers, or resists.
As fabrication technologies advance and higher functionality and feature densities are a major driver of systems performance and lower prices; a true single sided wet process would provide additional process flexibility and allow a higher level of integration. In particular, features or devices could be in a finished state on one side while wet processing could continue on the other side without jeopardizing its integrity by wetting it or otherwise exposing it to the fluid or its vapors, using resists, masks or other forms of protection.
There are wet processing systems that attempt to perform single sided wet processing, that is, even though the exposure takes place primarily on one side, it usually exposes the other side to relevant levels of mist or vapor. Such exposure is sufficient to either disqualify such systems for single sided processing, or merit the use of resists or other forms of protection to prevent damage to the side not being processed.
However, the present invention is capable of single-sided processing without exposing the backside of the surface in process, thus enabling a great variety of novel processes and new levels of device integration, among other things. It is clear that all applications and implications of the present invention are not all listed here, but, nevertheless, are also a part of this invention.

Wet processing using a fluid meniscus, apparatus and method


A resin-molded unit (1) includes a semiconductor bear chip (2) arranged inside and sealed in an epoxy resin mold (3). The resin-molded unit is entirely covered with a magnetic loss film (5) as a high-frequency current suppressor. It is preferable that the magnetic loss film is made of a granular magnetic material. A plurality of lead frames (4) may be extended from the semiconductor bear chip to the outside through the epoxy resin mold.

This invention relates to a resin-molded unit comprising an electronic circuit component, such as a semiconductor chip, sealed in a resin mold. In the present specification, the term xe2x80x9cresin-molded unitxe2x80x9d is used in a broad sense including a resin case and a resin housing also.
In recent years, highly integrated semiconductor devices operable at a high speed are remarkably wide spread and more and more increasingly used. As active devices using the semiconductor devices, there are known a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a microprocessor (MPU), a central processing unit (CPU), an image processor arithmetic logic unit (IPALU), and so on. The above-mentioned active devices are improved every minute so that an operation speed and/or a signal processing speed is rapidly increased. Under the circumstances, an electric signal propagated at a high speed is accompanied with drastic changes in electric voltage or electric current. Such changes constitute a main factor in generation of a high-frequency noise.
On the other hand, the reduction in weight, thickness, and size of electronic components or electronic apparatuses is endlessly making a rapid progress. This results in a remarkable increase in degree of integration of the semiconductor devices and in density of mounting the electronic components to a printed wiring board. In this event, electronic devices and signal lines densely integrated or mounted are very close to one another. Such high-density arrangement, in combination with the increase in signal processing speed mentioned above, will cause the high-frequency noise to be readily induced.
As one example of the electronic components or the electronic apparatuses, there is known a resin-molded unit comprising an electronic circuit component, such as a semiconductor chip, sealed in a resin mold. It is pointed out that such resin-molded unit has a problem of undesired radiation produced from a power supply line. In order to avoid the problem, various countermeasures have been taken. For example, a lumped constant component such as a decoupling capacitor is inserted into the power supply line.
However, in the resin-molded unit including the electronic circuit component operable at a high speed, the noise generated as mentioned above will contain a harmonic component. In this event, a signal path exhibits the behavior as a distributed constant circuit. Therefore, the conventional technique of preventing the noise is not effective because such technique assumes a lumped constant circuit.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a resin-molded unit capable of effectively reducing undesired radiation produced from an electronic circuit component operable at a high speed.
Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a resin-molded unit comprising an electronic circuit component, a resin molding the electronic circuit component therein, and a high-frequency current suppressor covering at least one part of the resin, the high-frequency current suppressor being made of a magnetic loss film.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a resin-molded unit comprising an electronic circuit component, a resin molding the electronic circuit component therein, and a high-frequency current suppressor covering at least one part of the resin, the high-frequency current suppressor being made of a magnetic loss film which serves to attenuate a high-frequency current flowing through the electronic circuit component and having a frequency within a frequency band between several tens MHz and several GHz.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a resin-molded unit comprising an electronic circuit component, a resin molding the electronic circuit component therein, and a high-frequency current suppressor covering at least one part of the resin, the high-frequency current suppressor being made of a magnetic loss film which is made of a magnetic substance of a magnetic composition comprising M, X and Y, where M is a metallic magnetic material consisting of Fe, Co, and/or Ni, X being element or elements other than M and Y, and Y being F, N, and/or O, the M-X-Y magnetic composition having a concentration of M in the composition so that the M-X-Y magnetic composition has a saturation magnetization of 35-80% of that of the metallic bulk of magnetic material comprising M alone, the magnetic composition having the maximum value xcexcxe2x80x3max of an imaginary part xcexcxe2x80x3 of relative permeability in a frequency range of 0.1-10 gigahertz (GHz).

Resin-molded unit including an electronic circuit component


A device is provided for the management of multiple lines attached to a bar, of the type used in power kites for kiteboarding. The device is formed of an elongate body having a shaft region, a spool region adjacent the shaft region and distal thereto, and a line retaining region distal to the spool region. The shaft region has a hollow body having a longitudinal groove running from a proximal opening to a distal end point, and a bar retaining means for retaining a bar against rotational or axial movement. The spool region has a spool shaft defined by proximal and distal containment means for retaining spooled lines wound about the spool shaft. A line retaining region has a means for separately retaining one or more lines of a plurality of lines.

The present invention relates to a device for managing the lines of an object having multiple lines. Specifically, the device is directed toward line management of a multiple line kite, particularly those kites and related apparatus used in the sport of kiteboarding or kitesurfing. The device of the invention aids in storing the multiple lines and attached control bar in a manner which allows for the lines to be separated and clearly marked for easy attachment to a kite prior to use, all within a reduced deployment area. Upon deployment of the kite in the wind, the device further aids in managing the lines in a controlled unwinding and automatic disengagement from the device.
The sport of kiteboarding or kitesurfing has been rapidly gaining in popularity over the last few years. Relatively large wing-like traction kites, some versions being inflatable, are controlled by multiple lines attached to a control bar. In a common version, four lines are present, with two attached to the front or leading edge of the kite on either later side, and two to the rear or trailing edge. Kites of this type are shown in US 2003/0154898; US 2003/0154898, US 2002/0088385 and US 2002/84384. However, some kites may have from 2 up to 5 or more lines. The user grasps the control bar, which may be further attached to a harness worn by the user. The user's feet are engaged in a board for skimming or 'surfing' along the surface of the water as the kite and user are pulled by the wind.
Because of the high speeds and force generated by the wind in conjunction with the kite, the activity can be dangerous. Particularly difficult is the beginning stage, when the user must deploy the kite into the wind. It is quite difficult to keep the kite and its four or more lines (up to about 50 meters in length) from prematurely deploying in the wind, or from tangling prior to or during deployment. Furthermore, once the activity is completed, it is difficult to detach the lines from the kite and thereafter store and manage the lines in a manner which avoids tangling and disorientation, wherein the proper lines can not be easily matched with the proper kite position for attachment.
There is a need for a device which can improve management and storage of multiple lines for power kites, and improve the ability to reattach the lines to a kite. There is a further need for a device which can assist in maintaining the lines organized and tangle-free during deployment of the kite, while also permitting deployment in a relatively small area. Thus, there is a need for a device which will allow for launch of a kite with only a relatively short length of the full lines deployed, which is particularly useful in crowded areas of the water or beach, in short launch areas, or in connection with launch from a boat.


An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a plurality of ports, a battery, a control circuit configured to control charging of the battery using power from a plurality of charging devices connected to the plurality of ports, a charging circuit configured to charge the battery using power supplied from the plurality of charging devices, and a plurality of communication circuits configured to communicate with the plurality of charging devices. The control circuit is configured to be electrically connected with the plurality of communication circuits and the charging circuit and set charging power level of each of the plurality of charging devices and battery charging power capacity of the charging circuit.

Recently, the distribution of various types of portable electronic devices, such as smartphones and tablet personal computers (PCs), has been expanded. Each of such portable electronic devices may include a battery. The battery may have a charging and discharging function. Thus, if the remaining capacity of the battery is less than or equal to a predetermined level, the charging of the battery may be needed.

Charging control method and electronic device for supporting the same


A performance diagnosis device performs data collection of operation data of an air conditioner, and a model database indicates performance corresponding to each operating condition of the air conditioner. The device uses the operation data and the model database to obtain reference data that is a combination of a plurality of operating conditions and a reference value. A performance evaluation unit compares the reference data and evaluation data that is to be evaluated, and evaluates the performance of the air conditioner. A reference data update unit compares the reference data and the evaluation data when the operating conditions match with each other, and updates the reference data. As a result, the deterioration diagnosis technology can update unique reference values that reflect the dimensional errors of each device, differences in installation conditions, and differences in operating conditions to appropriate values with respect to the deterioration of the performance of air conditioners.

As a device for cooling a relatively large space such as various factories and buildings, a heat-driven chiller or an electric chiller is used. Since the primary energy consumption of the chiller accounts for about 20% to 30% of the entire building, promotion of energy saving has been particularly required in recent years.
Generally, the chiller controls a cooling output according to a required cooling load, and the output changes in a complicated manner, such as high output during the midsummer period of July and August, and low output during the middle period such as May and October.
Further, since it is assumed that a chiller is used for a long period of time, it is important not only to select high-efficiency equipment at the time of installation but also to maintain system performance after aging for energy saving. The above-mentioned chiller has a water circuit that carries cold heat from the chiller to the space to be cooled, and a cooling water circuit that radiates heat to the chiller and heat of the space to be cooled. Scale adheres to pipes over time, and the device itself is deteriorated. In order to maintain a predetermined system performance, it is necessary to eliminate the performance degradation by regular maintenance.
PTL 1 discloses a chiller deterioration diagnosis device and a chiller deterioration diagnosis method for the purpose of accurately separating tube cleaning and overhaul as maintenance contents to be performed for performance deterioration of a chiller. In the technique, an evaluation actual COP and an evaluation actual LTD indicating actual performance under an evaluation operating condition based on evaluation operating situation data are calculated, a COP change amount indicating a difference between the evaluation actual COP and an evaluation reference COP and an LTD change amount indicating a difference between the evaluation actual LTD and an evaluation reference LTD are calculated, and it is determined whether a change amount ratio R between the COP change amount and the LTD change amount at an evaluation time is within a predetermined determination region Q. Here, LTD is an abbreviation of Leaving Temperature Difference, which is one of the indexes indicating the cooling efficiency of a chiller. PTL 1 also describes a reference COP estimation model represented as a band-shaped curved surface in a three-dimensional space.

Performance diagnosis device and performance diagnosis method for air conditioner


The present disclosure discloses an iris lens assembly. The iris lens assembly comprises sequentially a first lens, a second lens, a third lens and a filter from an object side to an image plane along an optical axis. An aperture diaphragm is arranged between the first lens and the second lens. The first lens has a positive refractive power, an object side surface of the first lens is a convex surface and an image side surface of the first lens is a concave surface. The second lens has a negative refractive power. The third lens has a positive refractive power or a negative refractive power. The filter is an infrared (IR) filter, and a bandpass wave band of the filter ranges from 750 nm to 900 nm.

In recent years, with the development of science and technology, portable electronic products are gradually emerging, and portable electronic products having camera function are increasingly liked by people. Therefore, market demands for camera lens assemblies suitable for the portable electronic products are gradually increasing. Currently, an often used photosensitive element in a camera lens assembly is generally a CCD (charge-coupled device) or a CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor). With the improvement of semiconductor processing technology, optical systems tend to have higher pixels, and pixel sizes on the chips become smaller and smaller. Accordingly, higher requirements on high image quality and the miniaturization of the lens assemblies used in combination have been brought forward.
In the biometric field in particular, with the development of the biometric technology, requirements on iris lens assemblies also become higher and higher, to correspond with the application in different products. The iris lens assembly applied in this technology not only needs to ensure a compact structure, but also needs to have a higher brightness and resolution, to improve the recognition accuracy of the lens assembly.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an iris lens assembly having a compact structure, high image quality and high recognition accuracy.


A chain tensioner is in sliding contact with each cam chains in a pair of banks and each of cylinder heads of the pair of banks includes a tensioner lifter that abuts on a corresponding one of the two chain tensioners from a side opposite to the cam chains. Of the two tensioner lifters, a first tensioner lifter is disposed on a cylinder head of a first bank at a portion corresponding to an outside of two banks. A second tensioner lifter is disposed on a cylinder head of a second bank at a portion corresponding to an inside of the two banks. A distance between an upper end connection surface of the cylinder head of the first bank and the tensioner lifter is set to be smaller than a distance between an upper end connection surface of the cylinder head of the second bank and the other tensioner lifter.

A V-engine is known as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-199434. This V-engine has an arrangement, in which chain tensioners make a sliding contact with corresponding ones of a pair of cam chains for transmitting power to corresponding ones of the camshafts of a pair of banks set at an angle to form the letter V that are urged toward a side of the cam chains by tensioner lifters included in cylinder heads of the two banks.
The V-engine disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-199434 includes the following arrangements. More specifically, one tensioner lifter is disposed on the cylinder head of one bank at a portion corresponding to an outside of both banks. The other tensioner lifter is disposed on the cylinder head of the other bank at a portion corresponding to an inside of both banks. Each of the two tensioner lifter is disposed on the corresponding one of the cylinder heads at a position equally spaced away from an upper end connection surface of the corresponding one of the cylinder heads. In these arrangements, the tensioner lifter disposed on the cylinder head of the other bank at the portion corresponding to the inside of the two banks is located on a relatively higher level between the two banks. This results in a dead space occupying a relatively large ratio of a space between the two banks.

Tensioner lifter mounting structure for V-engine


A wireless router applying an antenna control method includes a number of antennas and communicates with a number of terminal devices via the antennas. The antenna control method includes detecting a current bandwidth Bcur of each terminal device communicating with the wireless router and determining a maximum bandwidth Bmax of each of the terminal devices, computing a weighted sum SUMB of the bandwidths of the terminal devices according to the detected current bandwidth Bcur and the maximum bandwidth Bmax of each terminal device, comparing the weighted sum SUMB of the bandwidths with a first preset value, and turning on or turning off at least one of the antennas according to the compared result. A wireless router is also provided.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to antenna control systems applied in wireless routers, and particularly to an antenna control system and method applied in a wireless router.
2. Description of Related Art
Wireless routers can communicate with a number of terminal devices. Wireless routers can employ a number of antennas to enhance communication efficiency. However, if a terminal device is close to the wireless router, it would be a waste of resources to turn on all the antennas.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an antenna control system and method to power a necessary number of antennas.


Metal complexes useful as olefin polymerization catalysts corresponding to the formula: ##STR1## or a dimer, solvated adduct, chelated derivative or mixture thereof, wherein:. Q is a cyclic group or Y*, that is bound to M by means of a delocalized .pi.-bond, said group containing up to 50 nonhydrogen atoms; PA1 M is a metal of Group 3, 4 or the Lanthanide series of the Periodic Table of the Elements; PA1 Z is a covalently bound, divalent substituent of up to 50 non-hydrogen atoms having the formula, --(ER.sub.2).sub.m --, wherein E independently each occurrence is carbon, silicon or germanium, R independently each occurrence is selected from the group consisting of hydrocarbyl, hydrocarbyloxy, silyl, and germyl of up to 20 atoms other than hydrogen, and m is an integer from 1 to 3; PA1 Y* is an allyl or a hydrocarbyl-, silyl- or germyl-substituted allyl group containing up to 20 nonhydrogen atoms bonded to Z and bonded via an .eta..sup.3 -.pi. bond to M; PA1 L is a neutral confugated diene ligand having up to 20 non-hydrogen atoms; PA1 X" independently each occurrence is a monovalent, anionic moiety selected from hydride, halo, hydrocarbyl, silyl, germyl, hydrocarbyloxy, amide, siloxy, halohydrocarbyl, halosilyl, silylhydrocarbyl, and aminohydrocarbyl having up to 20 non-hydrogen atoms, or two X" groups together form a divalent hydrocarbadiyl group; PA1 n is a number from 0 to 3; and PA1 p is an inteaer from 0 to 2.

This invention relates to metal complexes and to addition polymerization catalysts formed therefrom that have improved catalytic performance. More particularly the present invention relates to an addition polymerization catalyst composition comprising a Group 3, 4, or Lanthanide metal complex containing an allyl group bonded via an .eta..sup.3 -.pi. bond to the metal. In addition, the present invention relates to certain of the foregoing complexes possessing a novel bridged structure. Finally, the invention relates to a method of using the foregoing catalyst compositions in an addition polymerization process for polymerizing addition polymerizable monomers.
In U.S. Ser. No. 07/545,403, filed Jul. 3, 1990, (published in equivalent form Mar. 13, 1991 as EP-A-416,815) (pending), there are disclosed certain constrained geometry metal complexes and catalysts derived by reacting the metal complex with activating cocatalysts. Supported derivatives of such catalysts were prepared by contacting them with a support such as alumina, silica or MgCl.sub.2. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,064,802 (published Mar. 20, 1991 in equivalent form as EP-A-418,044) there are disclosed certain further catalysts formed by reacting metal complexes with ion forming activating cocatalysts that are salts of Bronsted acids containing a noncoordinating compatible anion. The reference discloses the fact that such complexes are usefully employed as catalysts in addition polymerizations. In U.S. Ser. No. 07/876,268, filed May 1, 1992 (published in equivalent form Dec. 30, 1992 as EP-A-520,732) (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,185), an alternative technique for preparing cationic constrained geometry catalysts using borane activators is disclosed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,851 there are disclosed biscyclopentadienyl Group 4 metal complexes, especially complexes of zirconium or hafnium that are usefully employed with alumoxane activating cocatalysts for use in addition polymerizations, especially the polymerization of aliphatic .alpha.-olefins. In a series of patents, W. Spaleck has disclosed certain ring substituted stereorigid bisindenyl complexes and their use as olefin polymerization catalysts. The bridging group of such complexes generically includes silicon, germanium or tin containing divalent groups containing hydride, halogen, C.sub.1-10 alkyl, C.sub.1-10 fluoroalkyl, C.sub.6-10 aryl, C.sub.6-10 fluoroaryl, C.sub.1-10 alkoxy, C.sub.2-10 alkenyl, C.sub.7-40 aralkyl, C.sub.8-40 aralkenyl or C.sub.7-40 alkaryl groups or ring forming combinations thereof. Such disclosure may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,001, U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,819, U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,614, U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,817, among others. For the teachings contained therein, the foregoing United States patents and applications are herein incorporated by reference.
It would be desirable if there were provided an improved catalyst system that is readily adaptable to forming improved catalyst systems as well as an improved addition polymerization process utilizing such catalyst systems.

Allyl containing metal complexes and olefin polymerization process


Perspective distortion in an imaged scene is corrected by identifying a group of points in the imaged scene such that the group of points define a shape. Two vanishing points are determined based on the group of points in the imaged scene. The process determines a first set of reference points within the shape defined by the group of points and transforms the first set of reference points into a second set of reference points. An aspect ratio associated with the first set of reference points is adjusted and the imaged scene is transformed to reduce perspective distortion in the imaged scene.

When a real-life three-dimensional object is imaged onto two dimensions, the object undergoes perspective distortion. For example, perspective distortion occurs when photographing an object onto film or into a digital camera. This perspective distortion includes effects such as foreshortening, where identically sized objects become smaller the further they are from the camera and receding railroad tracks become narrower with increasing distance and appear to converge.
Another aspect of the distortion is referred to as keystoning. Keystoning can be seen in the progressive narrowing of the width of a skyscraper with height when it is photographed from sidewalk level. When the camera is not centered on the object the same keystone effect also occurs laterally. For example when the camera is pointed at an external vertical corner of a building, the adjacent sides decrease in size with distance from the corner. The perspective distortion of an object or image is governed by three orthogonally disposed vanishing points, as shown in FIG. 1. In the example of FIG. 1, the perspective distortion of object 100 is governed by three vanishing points 102, 104, and 106, each of which is orthogonal to the other two vanishing points.
Frequently, because of limitations on the physical location of the camera, perspective distortion cannot be avoided during image capture. When photographing architecture, for example, the arrangement of the surrounding buildings, streets and traffic, as well as the inability to access a vantage point of suitable height can constrain the position of the camera in a manner that causes significant perspective distortion. While it is possible to compensate for such difficulties with shift and tilt lenses, this specialized and expensive equipment is not usually possessed by a typical photographer. Moreover, these types of lenses often suffer from disadvantages of their own, such as vignetting, lack of autofocus and complexity of use.
Thus, it is common for images to be acquired with perspective distortion that the photographer seeks to correct or reduce by digital editing means.

Method and apparatus for correction of perspective distortion


A fluid meter counter assembly includes a one-way clutch with an input hub drivingly releasable and connectable to a clutch shaft for unidirectional rotation of the clutch shaft and, in turn, a register in response to a reciprocating force coupled eccentrically to the input hub from outside of its rotational plane. A tubular support fixedly connected to the input hub extends along the clutch shaft and includes a distal end with an integral reaction surface spaced from the rotational plane of the hub and in bearing engagement with the outside of the clutch shaft to react against tilting of the hub within its rotational plane and binding relative to the clutch shaft under side load.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a counter assembly for use in conjunction with a fluid meter to provide flow volume information corrected to a standard. In particular, the invention is concerned with an improvement in the arrangement for mounting a clutch on an output shaft connected between a mechanical computer utilized in correcting a measure of actual flow and a register providing corrected flow volume information.
2. Background Information
Gas meters include counters with mechanical computers for correcting a measured volume of gas which flows through the meter to accommodate for volumetric differences from a standard volume at a standard set of conditions. One form of prior meter counter including a mechanical computer for making corrections due to the temperature differences from a standard temperature is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,581,566. As disclosed in that patent, a compensating device includes a temperature sensitive transducer including a cam which serves to limit travel of the end of a driven arm. A one-way clutch translates arcuate advance and return strokes of the driven arm into rotation of an output shaft which, in turn, is connected to a meter register. The driven arm is moved by an eccentric mechanism which is connected to a shaft rotated in proportion to the actual volume of flow through the meter. The position of the cam and hence the travel of the driven arm is variable dependent upon temperature. Within the mechanism connecting the driven arm to the meter is an overtravel spring which acts between parts of the mechanism to provide for relative differences in travel between the corrected rotational output and the uncorrected rotational input when the driven arm engages the temperature cam. During overtravel, the overtravel spring functions to return parts to an initial setting, acting at least partially against an input hub of the clutch to maintain contact of the driven arm against the cam and to maintain disengagement of the input hub from the output shaft of the mechanical computer except when the driven arm is moved away from the cam. Thus, the driven arm acting through the one-way clutch produces a temperature corrected rotational output from an uncorrected rotational input.
Space limitations in meter counters may dictate that an input hub of the one-way clutch be drivingly connected to the output shaft and loaded from the side, that is to say from outside of the plane of rotation of the input hub. With clutches which utilize spring biased rollers for one-way gripping, this side loading can sometimes cause the hub to twist and the rollers to bind and possibly stick between the hub and the output shaft. As a result, the hub will not free wheel relative to the output shaft and return to its start position. This results in the introduction of measurement inaccuracies into the output of the mechanical computer.
In prior meter counters which utilize an overtravel spring between parts of the counter to provide for relative differences in travel between corrected rotational output and uncorrected rotational input, a stronger overtravel spring may be utilized to overcome clutch binding. However, the strength of the overtravel spring has a direct effect on the drag of the meter rotor, the stronger the spring the greater the drag, and an attendant reduction in the accuracy of the measured volume of flow through the meter particularly at low volume flow rates.


An electronic device includes a main body and a thermoelectric conversion module. The main body has a heat generating element therein. The thermoelectric conversion module includes a shell and a thermoelectric conversion element. The shell is assembled to the main body. The thermoelectric conversion element is pivoted on the shell and has an operation surface and a back surface opposite to each other. The thermoelectric conversion element is adapted to rotate between a first state and a second state relatively to the shell. When the thermoelectric conversion element is in the first state, the operation surface faces the main body and receives heat from the heat generating element, for the thermoelectric conversion element to generate electricity. When the thermoelectric conversion element is in the second state, the back surface faces the main body and the operation surface receives heat from external environment, for the thermoelectric conversion element to generate electricity.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic device, and relates particularly to an electronic device having a thermoelectric conversion module.
2. Description of Related Art
Benefiting from advances in semiconductor devices and display technology, electronic devices are continuing to be developed to be smaller and multifunctional as well as portably convenient. Commonly seen portable electronic devices include tablet PCs, smart phones, notebook computers and the like.
In terms of smart phones, the functions of smart phones are expanding day by day and may provide a user with information, multimedia, document, gaming, navigation, internet surfing and such services, however consequently due to the operation of these services the power consumption increases greatly, and lowers the endurance of a smart phone. In current designs of smart phones, battery capacity is increased or set to power saving mode to improve the problem of large power consumption, however the thin design trend of smart phones limits the housing space of batteries, and setting the smart phone to power saving mode lowers the brightness of the screen and closing partial phone functions results in inconvenience to the user. In addition, although using a portable power source to charge a smart phone is a solution to the above problem, however carrying an extra power source is an inconvenience for the user.

Electronic device having thermoelectric conversion module


An ambiance channel produces an ambiance audio signal as a reference threshold such as from a noise microphone located away from the program microphones. Variable gain amplifiers in a plurality of program channels selectively gate open those program channels that have audio present exceeding the ambiance threshold. When the program channels are below the noise threshold and hence inactive, they are gated off and the background noise in the ambiance channel is shunted around the program channel to the output. A control function circuit adjusts the gain of each of the program channels that have been opened as an inverse function of the number of open mics (called NOM). In another disclosed embodiment, a programmed microcomputer receives as inputs the status signals that represent the gated open or gated off conditions of the program channels. These status signals are processed by a software program in the microcomputer that performs both the functions of gating open individual program channels relative to the background noise level, and setting the gain of each of the program channels according to the NOM function.

This invention relates to electronic devices and systems for automatically controlling the relative levels of multiple audio signal sources, particularly from microphones used by different participants in a meeting, performance or the like, and for controlling the underlying background noise signal (ambiance).
There is an ongoing effort to improve the performance of automatic level control and audio mixer systems for multiple microphone channels so as to minimize feedback from loudspeakers that causes mic "squeal", and unnecessary amplification of background noise (ambiance) as the number of mics in use varies. In a typical automatic mic mixing installation, two or more program microphones may be placed in different locations in a auditorium or meeting room for use by the participants. A background pick-up (ambiance microphone) may be placed at a location away from the speakers and from other direct sound sources for gathering indirect background noise. A level controller, which may also include a mixer, receives these various microphone inputs and attempts to automatically establish relative gain levels that adjust to the number of active (open) program microphones. The gain in the individual program microphone channels and the ambiance level are relatively increased and decreased in response to microphone usage so that the participants or performers are heard without unnatural or unpleasant modulation of the program sources, such as the speaker's voices, or of the noise level, and without allowing the overall system gain to reach a point where feedback oscillations cause "squeal".
A number of systems have been conceived and developed with these general or similar objectives in mind. The following list of prior patents of more recent design are cited as representative: U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,584 (Dugan); U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,032 (Peters); U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,300 (Panto); U.S. Pat. No. 4,489,442 (Anderson); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,627 (Dugan).
The foregoing prior systems and others previously proposed have various advantages over a signal combining system in which the levels of the background and program microphones are unprocessed and summed without relative gain adjustment. However, the prior systems have various drawbacks that this invention overcomes in providing a novel and more reliable automatic mixing system that is less costly to manufacture and service than has been afforded by prior systems.

Automatic level control of multiple audio signal sources


A method and instrument for thermal phacoemulsification includes, in one aspect, a process for introducing high temperature water into the lens capsule of the eye for emulsification purposes. The invention provides a mechanism for heating water to the desired temperature at the point of delivery, whereby the cannula that enters the eye is maintained at a temperature sufficiently low to avoid thermal damage to surrounding eye tissue. The invention provides an isenthalpic device for delivering heated water to the lens capsule for phacoemulsification. The device includes a intraocular cannula for delivering high pressure water, and a throttling mechanism at the point of delivery for converting the energy in the water stream from pressure to heat. The throttling mechanism may comprise a capillary passage, or a porous plug, or a micro-orifice which directs the fluid stream to strike a target in the cannula bore, after which the fluid is discharged from the cannula. In a further aspect, the invention comprises a fluid pressure intensifier generating high pressure fluid pulses that are delivered through the cannula to the throttling mechanism. The use of a fluid pressure intensifier minimizes the length of tubing that must carry high pressure fluid, and the use of a throttling mechanism to heat the fluid stream assures that the tubular cannula remains within a tolerable temperature range. Moreover, the risk of a catastrophic malfunction is held to an absolute minimum.

The present invention generally relates to excision and removal of tissue in surgical procedures, and more specifically to the use of fluid means for excising and removing tissue. In particular, the invention is directed toward the emulsification and removal of the lens of the eye to treat cataracts and similar disorders.
One state of the art technique for phacoemulsification involves the use of a pulsed fluid jet delivered through a small diameter cannula. An exemplary device for this purpose is disclosed in patent applications noted above and filed by the present inventor.
It has been determined that the application of hot water to a cataractus lens will more easily emulsify the lens, making it easier to aspirate the tissue through a small cannula. The optimum temperature for this purpose is in a range just below the boiling point of water. The introduction of hot water into the capsule containing the lens is a difficult and problematic task. The quantity of water must be very small, generally less than one milliliter, and well-controlled. Moreover, hot tubing or other structures for delivering heated water may damage eye tissue at any point of contact. Thus, it would seem prudent to heat the water at the point of delivery, thereby avoiding the potential for thermal damage to adjacent eye structures.
Likewise, temperature control of the heated water is critically important, particularly when operating in a temperature range that approaches the boiling point. If the water is heated at the point of delivery, the heat added to the mass of water must be proportional to the flow rate, so that a constant temperature is maintained. It is critical that this process be accurately controlled to avoid the generation of live steam at the point of delivery, which would be very damaging to the eye.
Thus, the restrictions for a heated water phacoemulsification instrument, include limited volume, constant elevated water temperature, and a cool delivery cannula. There is no device known in the prior art that is designed to emulsify and aspirate a lens using heated water, nor is there any device that is capable of meeting these stringent design criteria.

Method and apparatus for thermal phacoemulsification by fluid throttling


A wire harness routing structural part reduces the number of components for routing a wire harness within a door. The wire harness routing structural part includes a wire harness incorporating a main path wire and a different path wire, a portion of the wire harness being fixated to a body, and a protector placed on an interior of the door. The protector includes an accommodation part and a different path guide portion, the accommodation part having an extraction opening for extracting the wire harness to the interior of the door and accommodating the wire harness with a space enabling the wire harness to be redirected. The different path guide part guides the different path wire of the wire harness extracted through the extraction opening on a path different from that of the main path wire of the wire harness and following an outer surface of the accommodation part.

A wire harness is routed between a body and a door in order to supply electric power or transmit a signal to electrical devices and the like mounted in the door of an automobile,
In Patent Literature 1, a routing structure is disclosed in which a door harness routed in a door is routed into a vehicle body panel. In the routing structure, a guide portion of a wire harness is provided to a door module panel of the door. The guide portion includes an access opening on a vehicle body-side end and, on a bottom end, an opening for extraction to a door interior. The guide portion also includes a straight line-shaped space for sliding having an access opening on a forefront end and a large-area extra length absorption space spanning from the space for sliding to the opening for extraction.
In addition to guiding the wire harness in a straight line with the space for sliding, extra length of the wire harness is accommodated in the extra length absorption space so as to be capable of displacement between a bent state and an inclined state.


An adaptable method for facilitating user interaction with digital media objects. Representations of substantially-reduced data size of each of the digital media objects are transferred before the transfer of copies of the original data size of each of the digital media objects so as to enable earlier user interaction. The user interaction includes, for example, requesting modifications to the object. The method provides feedback of any requested action from the user interaction with the substantially-reduced data size representations and in response thereto, determines as a function of the requested action whether to reprioritize transfer of untransferred original data size copies of the corresponding digital media object. The method provides for modification of copies that are to be transferred according to modifications requested by the user with respect to the transferred substantially-reduced data size representations. The method can be used for audio, video, image, and other digital media objects.

Online publishing generally refers to putting digital content online, typically at a website. The digital content can include digital visual and aural media objects including, but not limited to, video, audio, and still image content. The online publisher typically enables a user who requested transfer of the digital media objects for publication and other authorized users to interact with published digital media objects via a user interface. For example, an authorized user may modify a digital media object, e.g., deletion. The quality of the user experience is lessened considerably if there are unreasonably delays between the request for transfer and the time that the user is allowed to interact with transferred digital media objects.
The online publishing of digital media objects is increasing rapidly. The largest photo sharing service, for example, has over two hundred million digital photo images accessible online. The largest online music service has over two million digital audio objects accessible online. Video content is increasingly being published on websites to enable online access.
Digital media objects are growing larger and larger as higher resolution digital devices and storage media become available to the average consumer. The size of a digital photo or digital video objects varies depending on the camera's megapixel resolution and the compression format used to generate the digital object. For example, digital photo cameras rated at 8 megapixel resolution capability or above are commonly available for consumers. An 8 megapixel digital photo camera typically enables selection of several different resolutions, e.g., 640×480 up to 3264×2448 (3264×2448=7,990,272 pixels). The size of a digital video file depends on various factors including the time duration, number of frames per second, resolution and amount of compression. High resolution digital video cameras are available to consumers, thus enabling creation of even larger digital media files.
For images and video, resolution directly affects quality in that the higher the resolution, the more picture detail is captured in each image or frame and the closer the result can resemble the original source. The size of a digital audio object is a function of the length of the audio segment and the digital encoding format. Lossy or lossless compression are typically used for encoding audio objects to reduce storage requirements and transfer time.
Conventional online publishing services typically enable a user to transfer, i.e., upload, digital media objects and make them a part of collections that can be shared with the public or designated individuals. The known services also offer the options to do some editing as part of the interaction with the uploaded content, e.g., adding captions to further identify the object or rotating a photo.
The conventional uploading of digital media objects to a website, for example, is time consuming especially for uploading a large number of large digital media objects. Upload time can vary from a few seconds up to several minutes or hours, depending on the speed of the connection and the size and number of the objects. Many users have slow dial-up connections which cause uploads to take considerable time using conventional methods. Many users are migrating from slower dial-up connections to faster broadband connections. Although broadband connections provide faster download times of several megabits per second, the upload speed for broadband connections is typically limited to a much slower speed, e.g., about 125 Kilobytes per second for a cable modem. A typical online digital photo album has approximately fifty pictures. Assuming eight megapixels per image with a compressed file size in JPG format of just over 2 MB and the upload transfer rate of 125 KBytes/second, the transfer of the fifty digital photos could take more than fifteen minutes. The transfer time may be even longer when a wireless protocol, such as BLUETOOTH, cellular, etc., is used to transfer the digital media object.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a system 10 illustrating digital media object transfer and publishing aspects according to a conventional method. The system 10 includes a client device 20 connecting via a connection 30 to a device 40. The client device 20 is a computing device, e.g., a personal computer, handheld device having network capability, or the like. The connection 30 is typically via the Internet, although other suitable connections for connecting computing devices, e.g., BLUETOOTH, cellular, etc. are used. The device 40 is typically any computing device capable of publishing content for distribution over a network, such as a server, as shown.
In the exemplary scenario for the system illustrated in FIG. 1, a request is made to transfer two digital media objects I1L, identified as 22, and I2L, identified as 24, from client device 20 to the server 40. The objects 22 and 24 have an original file size which is also referred to as the large size and noted by the superscript "L". The digital media objects may be images, video, or audio objects. The digital media objects 22 and 24 are typically published at the server 40 such that a user can access them via the connection 30 from either the client device 20 or another similar device (not shown). A typical server 40, such as at a photo sharing site, for example, enables a user to access the original size image and one or more smaller sized copies, including a display size (also referred to as medium) and thumbnail size (also referred to herein as small) copies. Multiple sizes are typically published to enhance the user's experience by enabling the user to, for example, view thumbnail photos to see more of the contents of photos collected into an album, view larger display size photos to see more details of the image, etc.
FIG. 2 illustrates sets 60 and 70 of exemplary reduced file sized copies and the original file size copies of the two digital media objects 22 and 24. Set 60 includes for image I1 a small size copy 62, shown also I1S, a medium sized copy, shown also I1M, and a large size copy, shown as I1L. Similarly, set 70 includes for image I2 a small size copy 72, shown also I2S, a medium sized copy, shown also I2M, and a large size copy, shown also as I2L. It should be appreciated that original size is referred to in FIG. 2 as the large size in comparison to the other reduced sizes shown. In the example in FIG. 2, the three sizes are generated typically using software on the local client device 20, and then transferred to the server 40.
FIG. 1 shows the order 50 in which the different sized copies in sets 60 and 70 are sent to the server 40 from the client device 20 via the connection 30, according to a conventional method. The conventional method, shown in the example in FIG. 1, transfers the small size I1S, followed by the medium size I1M, followed by the large size, I1L copy of the first object I1. The small size copy of object I2, I2S, is only transferred using the conventional method after the largest copy of the previous object, I1L, has been transferred. As shown at 50, the order of the transfer for the copies of object I2 is the small size I2S, followed by the medium size I2M, and followed by the large size, I2L. The prior art system 10 makes the transfer in a non-adaptable way such that the transfer always follows the order shown at 50 independently of any actions requested by a user who is viewing published copies of the transferred copies via the server 40.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary diagram of a plurality of small size objects, I1S to I30S, that were transferred and published. An average online photo album contains more images, fifty, with each original sized image potentially originating from an 8 megapixel camera. A drawback of the convention method illustrated in FIG. 1 is that the delay from the moment the user requests an upload of the 50 images from the local client device 20 to the time all sizes are transferred in order, following the order shown at 50, published for display, and available for selection is usually more than fifteen minutes. The known method of FIG. 1 also only enable the user to select a transferred object and requests editing or some other action for the selected object after all the smallest size and other size copies are transferred in order from small to large size as shown at 50. Consequently, a user starts the upload using the conventional method of FIG. 1 and then must wait several minutes before being able to view all thumbnail copies of the image. Moreover, according to some known methods, only after all images are transferred, i.e., after the last thumbnail is viewable and its corresponding copies have been transferred, is the user enabled to selectively request action for any of the transferred objects.
One known method described in U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 transfers lower-resolution copies of digital images to a central server using relatively low-bandwidth communication and subsequently transfer higher-resolution copies of the digital images to the central server using relatively high-bandwidth communication. This known method is sensitive to bandwidth and has the drawback of not being adaptable. That is, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 determines the transfer sequence based on resolution and bandwidth, and does not provide adaptability for controlling the transfer sequence as a function of actions requested by a user who is accessing transferred digital images. For example, if the user views one or more of the transferred lower-resolution copies and decides that he/she wants to delete or otherwise modify one or more of the images for some reason, and the corresponding higher-resolution copies has not yet been transferred, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 does not provide a method to determine whether to reprioritize the transfer of the untransferred higher-resolution copies of the corresponding digital images as a function of the requested modification. Thus, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 has a drawback of having no feedback of the users request for deletion, for example, in order to halt the transfer of unneeded larger high-resolution copies, so time is wasted transferring the corresponding higher-resolution copies of images even though the user has already indicated he/she wants those images deleted, in this example. Thus, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 has a drawback of not being adaptable to user demands and thereby lessening the user experience by wasting valuable transfer time transferring large higher-resolution copies that are not needed. As a result of the wasted time in this example, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 takes more time than necessary to transfer needed images, causing the user to experience needless delays in viewing the images.
For another example, if the user views one or more of the transferred lower-resolution copies and decides that he/she wants to view a corresponding higher-resolution copy and the corresponding higher-resolution copies has not yet been transferred, the method of U.S. Published Application No. 2002/0135794 does not provide a method to reprioritize the transfer of the desired untransferred higher-resolution copy as a function of the user interaction with the lower-resolution copy. That is, for the known methods, the requested higher-resolution copy is not sent earlier based on the user request. Consequently, for the known methods there are unnecessary delays before the user can view the requested larger image and thus, the user experience is diminished.
What is needed therefore is an adaptable method that can reprioritize transfer of an untransferred copy of a digital media object as a function of user requests for action regarding an already transferred smaller size representations of the same digital media object.
The following scenario further illustrates a drawback of the known methods. During the uploading of a 50 image photo album, for example, the user at the webpage viewing the thumbnail images that have been transferred and published for display might realize upon viewing a particular thumbnail image that she wishes to delete an image that is cutoff, poorly lit, or otherwise undesirable. According to a known method, the user must wait for all the images in all sizes to be transferred and published before being allowed to request deletion of the undesirable image. That is, the user viewing the published undesirable thumbnail image is unable to halt the transfer of other sizes of the undesirable image even though he/she wishes to delete all copies in all sizes of the image. As a result, the user's experience is diminished due to the delays and time is wasted transferring large sized copies corresponding to the poor quality thumbnail image that the user wishes to delete.
The drawback of known methods is further compounded when there is a slower connection from device 20, e.g., a dial-up connection, slow wireless connection. Use of those slower connections can cause a delay of a half hour to an hour or more before all photos, in the example above, are transferred. There is therefore a need for a method that adapts to user interaction with a published representation of a digital media object so as to enable more rapid access by a user to the published object and more efficiently transfers multiple sizes of a digital media object.
It should be appreciated that there are drawbacks described above apply similarly to audio, video, and image and other digital media objects. It is desirable to transfer smaller file size copies of an audio file or a video file, for example, to provide a preview to a user along with the full original sized object. Moreover, the drawback of known methods is compounded for video files which are much larger on average than the average image or audio file.
There is also thus also a need for an adaptable method that enables more efficient transfer and publication based on user interaction with published transferred representations of digital media objects so as to avoid wasting time transferring objects when the user may have already decided to delete or otherwise alter the object based on a published smaller version of the objects. Known systems allow a user to request that other modifications be performed on a published digital media object. For example, a user typically can request rotation of a selected image or video object, adding a caption to a selected image or video object, or placing a copy of the digital media object, i.e., image, audio, or video objects, into a collection. Typically, collections such as collections 1 and 2, identified as 42 and 44 respectively in FIG. 1 are created and made selectively shareable with other users having access to the server 40. Known sharing websites also allow a user to selectively authorize another user to access and cause an action to be taken on shared digital media objects. For example, the authorization might restrict another user to viewing the image or video object or listening to the audio object. Alternatively, the user may select to authorize another user to alter shared objects. The user experience is lessened if needless delays occur in known systems by not reprioritizing transfer based on user actions, for example, if the user views a transferred and published thumbnail image object and requested deletion of the object such that transfer of other untransferred copies of the corresponding digital media object are not needed. What is needed therefore is a method that, in response to the action requested by the user, determines as a function of the requested action whether to reprioritize transfer of any and all untransferred copies of the corresponding digital media objects.

Adaptable transfer and publication of digital media


Disclosed are tinted, abrasion resistant coating compositions comprising polymer-enclosed color-imparting particles. Also disclosed are methods for making such a composition and substrates at least partially coated with a hard coat deposited from such a composition.

Coating compositions used to form durable, i.e., abrasion and chemically resistant coatings are often deposited from sol-gel, i.e., solution-gelation, compositions. Such coatings are often deposited on plastic substrates, including transparent plastic substrates, which are often desired for a variety of applications, such as windshields, lenses, consumer electronic devices, among other things. To minimize scratching, as well as other forms of degradation, clear "hard coats," as these coatings are often called, are often applied as protective layers to the substrate.
"Colored" or "tinted" hard coats are desired in some applications for aesthetic and other reasons. Such hard coats can be produced by imbibition of a colorant into a coated substrate by immersion of the substrate in a hot solution of the colorant or by depositing the colorant on the surface of the substrate and thermally transferring the colorant into the substrate. Depending upon the substrate material, however, such a process can result in an inconsistent color appearance and may impact the mechanical and/or chemical properties of the substrate. In addition, such a process can be complicated and can involve additional equipment, time and material.
It would be advantageous to provide tinted, abrasion resistant coating compositions suitable for produced a transparent tinted hard coat on a substrate. Moreover, it would also be desirable to provide such coating compositions that adhere directly to a plastic substrate, without the need of a primer layer, and which are stable, i.e., they do not solidify upon standing for a reasonable period of time.

Tinted, abrasion resistant coating compositions and coated articles


Disclosed are a hologram unit of an optical pickup which has a main hologram and auxiliary alignment holograms around the main hologram thereof and a method of attaching a hologram plate of the optical pickup comprising the steps of: illuminating an object with an LD; forming an LD radiant point on a monitor through a microscopic lens, and a plurality of radiant points around the LD radiant point by auxiliary alignment holograms; and aligning the LD with the hologram plate by moving the hologram plate so as to form the LD radiant point in the center of the plurality of radiant points.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical pickup which is a device for recording and regenerating light information and, more particularly to a hologram unit of an optical pickup whose hologram plate is attachable thereto in a precise and prompt manner and a method of attaching the hologram plate by using the hologram unit.
2. Discussion of Related Art
An optical pickup is generally used as a device for reading out light information from an optical disk. Among various optical pickups of such a performance, a hologram unit which employs a hologram plate is illustrated in FIG. 1. The hologram unit largely includes a light source for reading out light information recorded on an optical disk 1 and an output device for providing a servo signal and a light information signal which drives an object lens 2 so as to read out the light information in a more accurate manner.
FIG. 2 shows a detailed construction of the hologram unit, which comprises a laser diode 3 (hereinafter, referred to as an "LD") for regularly generating a given front and back light, a monitor photodiode 4 (hereinafter, referred to as an "MPD") receiving the back light of the LD 3 and controlling the LD 3 to regularly emit a light beam, a multi-split photodiode 5 (hereinafter, referred to as a "PD") receiving the light information from the optical disk 1 and processing its corresponding signal, a stem 6 for supporting these photoelectric elements 3, 4 and 5, a protective cap 7 for safely covering the photoelectric elements, and a hologram plate 8 provided on the top surface of the cap 7 so as to transmit and diffract the light of the LD 3.
In the operation of this optical pickup, a driving section (not shown) drives the LD 3 to generate a front light to the hologram plate 8 and a back light to the PD 5.
The light beam launched on the hologram plate 8 is transmitted to the optical disk 1 via the object lens 2 so as to read out the light information of the optical disk 1. In addition, the light beam transmitted to the MPD 4 is converted to an electric signal, which is then used in the driving section (not shown) for controlling the LD 3 to regularly generate a light. The light information reflected from the optical disk 1 is fed back to the hologram plate 8 and refracted to the PD 5, where the refracted light is properly processed and reproduced.
The performance of this optical pickup depends on the precise attachment of the hologram plate 8, and as shown in FIG. 3, the hologram plate 8 forms a hologram 9 in the center of a perfect square thereon and, at the edges of the hologram 9, has four marks 10 whose extension lines altogether form a right cross mark.
According to the prior art, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the radiant point 3a of the LD 3 is focused on the central point of the cross mark of a monitor 12 preadjusted by an observation microscopic lens 11, and the microscopic lens 11 is then moved right over the cross mark 10 on the hologram plate 8.
After the right cross mark (+) shown through the microscopic lens 11 is adjusted to the cross mark 10 on the hologram plate 8, the hologram plate 8 is attached to a predetermined region of the cap 7. In other words, the right cross mark (+) indicated by the radiant point 3a of the LD 3 is adjusted to the mark 10 on the hologram plate 8 by moving the microscopic lens 11 up and down. Then, the hologram plate 8 is attached at the point where the two marks meet.
Such an adjustment of the two marks and the subsequent attachment of the hologram plate 8 is attainable when the optical axis 8a passing the radiant point 3a of the LD 3 and the central point of the hologram plate 8 is in accordance with the optical axis 11a of the microscopic lens 11, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
In a reverse bias, if the LD 3 is not accurately aligned with the hologram plate 8, the optical axis 11a cannot meet the connection line of the radiant point 3 of the LD 3 and the optical axis 8a only by moving the microscopic lens 11 up and down, as shown in FIG. 5. Therefore, there may occur an error in the arrangement of components because the reality is different from the correlation between the image 3a' of the LD radiant point 3a shown on the predetermined cross mark (+) of the monitor 12 and the images 9' and 10' of the marks displayed on the hologram plate 8, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B.
In the prior art, the hologram plate can be precisely attached by moving the microscopic lens 11 up and down once or more when the above two light axes perfectly meet each other. However, a problem may be encountered with a false alignment of the two axes, so that it is necessary to additionally adjust the axes to be in accordance with each other and it leads to the deterioration of the hologram.

Hologram unit of optical pickup and method of attaching hologram plate using the same


A treadmill comprises a base, a pair of spaced rollers, an endless belt, a control panel, and a forward post. The rollers are journalled in the base. One of the rollers constitutes a rear roller and the other roller constitutes a forward roller spaced forward of the rear roller. The belt is entrained around the rollers. The belt includes an upper reach extending between the rollers and adapted to enable a user to walk or run thereon. The forward post is configured for at least in part supporting the control panel. The post has a lower end margin and an upper end margin The lower end margin is operatively connected to the base and is spaced forward of the forward roller. The upper end margin of the post is configured for supporting the control panel. The post has an arcuately shaped bend extending from its lower end margin to its upper end margin. The bend of the post has a concave surface portion facing generally rearwardly and extending from the lower end margin of the post to the upper end margin of the post.

This invention relates to treadmills.
A typical treadmill generally has a base, a pair of parallel, spaced rollers journalled in the base, and an endless belt entrained around the rollers. An upper reach of the belt extends between the rollers. One of the rollers is powered by a suitable motor to rotate the roller, thereby moving the belt with the rollers. The moving upper reach provides a running/walking surface upon which a user may walk or run. A forward post extends up from the base for supporting a control panel. The control panel typically has controls for turning the treadmill on and off and for varying the speed of the belt. The control panel also often has indicators for selectively displaying operational information such as speed, distance traveled, time, etc. The user may press a suitable button on the control panel to toggle between two or more different displays.
A disadvantage of conventional treadmills is that users wishing to access the control panel must run or walk on the forward-most portion of the upper reach. If the user's foot inadvertently strikes the stationary base while the user is walking or running on the upper reach, then the user may lose his or her balance.


A damping force control type hydraulic shock absorber of the present invention includes a cylindrical valve member. One end of the cylinder valve member is closed. Also, the shock absorber includes annular inner and outer seal portions, and a valve seat provided there-between, all of which project from an inner wall of a bottom portion of the valve member and are concentric with one another. A disk valve is secured at an inner peripheral portion thereof to the inner seal portion and abuts at an outer peripheral portion thereof on the valve seat. A retainer disk stacks on the disk valve. An annular seal ring abuts at an inner peripheral portion thereof of an outer peripheral edge portion of the retainer disk, and is secured at an outer peripheral portion thereof to the outer seal portion. A blocking member is connected to an open end of the valve member so that a pilot chamber is formed by the retainer disk, the seal ring and the blocking member.

The present invention relates to a damping force control type hydraulic shock absorber provided in a suspension system of a vehicle, such as an automobile.
Hydraulic shock absorbers provided in suspension systems of automobiles or other vehicles include damping force control type hydraulic shock absorbers. These shock absorbers can control the damping force level in accordance with road surface conditions, vehicle running conditions, etc. This improves ride quality and steering stability.
In general, a hydraulic shock absorber includes a cylinder in which a hydraulic fluid is sealed. A piston, which has a piston rod connected thereto to constitute a piston assembly, is slidably fitted into the cylinder to divide the inside of the cylinder into two chambers. The piston assembly is provided with a main hydraulic fluid passage and a bypass passage, which provide communication between the two chambers in the cylinder. The main hydraulic fluid passage is provided with a damping mechanism which includes an orifice and a disk valve. The bypass passage is provided with a damping force control valve for controlling opening size of the bypass passage. A reservoir is connected, through a base valve, to one of the chambers in the cylinder to compensate for a volumetric change in the cylinder. The volumetric changes in the cylinder are caused by the extension and retraction of the piston rod by the compression and expansion of a gas sealed in the reservoir.
With the above arrangement, when the bypass passage is opened by the damping force control valve, resistance to the hydraulic fluid flowing between the two chambers in the cylinder is reduced. This reduces a damping force. When the bypass passage is closed, resistance to the hydraulic fluid flowing between the two chambers is increased, and thereby increasing the damping force. Thus, the damping force can be appropriately controlled by opening and closing the damping force control valve.
However, the above-described arrangement creates a problem. Although the damping force can be changed considerably at low piston speeds because the force is dependent on the orifice area of the bypass passage, the damping force cannot be greatly changed at intermediate and high speeds. At these speeds the damping force depends on the damping force generating mechanism in the main hydraulic fluid passage (which includes the disk valve at a predetermined valve opening pressure).
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a damping force control type hydraulic shock absorber in which a pressure chamber is formed at the back of a main valve has been proposed. The main valve serves as a damping force generating mechanism in a main hydraulic fluid passage provided in a piston assembly. The pressure chamber communicates with a cylinder chamber which is upstream from the main valve through a fixed orifice. Also, the pressure chamber communicates with a cylinder chamber which is downstream from the main valve through a variable orifice (as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Public Disclosure (KOKAI) No. 62-155242).
In the above-mentioned shock absorber, the opening size of the passage between the two chambers in the cylinder can be controlled by opening and closing the variable orifice. A valve opening pressure of the main valve can be initially changed by changing the pressure in the pressure chamber. Thus, it is possible to control not only orifice characteristics (in which a damping force is approximately proportional to the piston speed squared), but also valve characteristics (in which a damping force is approximately proportional to the piston speed). Thus, it is possible to widen the control range for the damping.
However, in the shock absorber disclosed in KOKAI No. 62-155242, the pressure chamber is formed by slidably fitting the main valve into a valve guide. Hydraulic fluid leaks from the area between the valve guide and the main valve. This makes it difficult to obtain a stable damping force. In particular, leakage from this area is greatly affected by changes in viscosity of hydraulic fluid due to temperature changes. Variations in damping force due to temperature changes can be undesirably large. Further, machining of the sliding portions requires high accuracy which results in higher production costs.

Damping force control type hydraulic shock absorber


A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a TSV (Through Silicon Via) extending through a substrate, a first well in the substrate adjacent a first surface of the substrate, a gate of an active device on the first well, a charging protection well, and a charging protection gate on the charging protection well. The charging protection well is disposed in the substrate adjacent the first surface of the substrate, is interposed between the TSV hole and the first well, and surrounds the TSV hole. The charging protection gate prevents the gate of the active device from being damaged when the TSV is formed especially when using a plasma etch process to form a TSV hole in the substrate.

1. Field
The inventive concept relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device, a method of fabricating the same, and a semiconductor package including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
TSV (Through-Silicon-Via) technology has been recognized as very important to the development of three-dimensional (3D) packages in which semiconductor integrated circuit devices are stacked. In this respect, TSV technology includes forming TSVs (through-silicon-vias) vertically through a substrate or a die of each integrated circuit device to provide for an electrical connection in the 3D package. Thus, the performance and reliability of a 3D package hinges on the ability to form stable TSVs without degrading the performance of other components of the package, especially as 3D packages are scaled down.

Semiconductor integrated circuit, method for fabricating the same, and semiconductor package


Files are mirrored between a desktop device and a mobile device in a seamless manner so that a user may work on the mirrored files on either device without having to save or send files beforehand. The user may interact with a mirrored file on a desktop, physically leave the desktop, and take a mobile device that has the mirrored file with him or her and continue interacting with the file.

The proliferation of mobile computing devices has, in many ways, extended the user experience from desktop and laptop computers (collectively referred to herein as "desktops" or "desktop computers") to more easily transportable devices, such as smart phones, computer tablets, mobile tablets, smart watches, smart phones or glasses, and other mobile devices (collectively referred to herein as "mobile devices"). Many software programs that were once solely used on desktops are accessible on numerous mobile devices, providing users the freedom to work either at a desktop computer, or on the go. But switching between a desktop and mobile device is not without user friction. Users typically cannot just work on a desktop and then pick up their mobile device and continue working.
Some existing solutions require that the use first saves a document on a removable drive, plug the removable drive into the mobile device, and then open the saved document from the removable drive on the mobile device. Or the user may need to log into a particular program from the mobile device to continue working on a project or view a specific program opened on the desktop. These additional steps often deter the user from using their mobile devices to continue the user experience of the desktop. Additionally, not all mobile devices are able to accommodate removable drives, or other external drives to transfer files. These existing solutions lack the portability that users associate with mobile devices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Embodiments related to recognizing speech inputs are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment provides a method for recognizing a speech input including receiving depth information of a physical space from a depth camera, determining an identity of a user in the physical space based on the depth information, receiving audio information from one or more microphones, and determining a speech input from the audio input. If the speech input comprises an ambiguous term, the ambiguous term in the speech input is compared to one or more of depth image data received from the depth image sensor and digital content consumption information for the user to identify an unambiguous term corresponding to the ambiguous term. After identifying the unambiguous term, an action is taken on the computing device based on the speech input and the unambiguous term.

Computer speech recognition systems may receive ambiguous speech commands. Sources of ambiguity may include imperfect speech recognition technology, inconsistent usage of grammar, and statements that may be ambiguous in nature (e.g., the term "bank" may refer to a river bank or a financial institution). In light of such issues, current speech recognition systems may address ambiguities by asking a speaker to repeat his or her request or by guessing and allowing the speaker to retroactively correct any errors.

Using visual cues to disambiguate speech inputs


Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power transfer to an electronic circuit including a wireless charging receive antenna comprising a first loop of an energy receiving conductor and at least another loop of said energy receiving conductor electrically coupled to the first loop. The loops form a multi-turn loop antenna to resonate at a wireless charging frequency and provide wirelessly received power to the electronic device. The multi-turn loop antenna is configured for affixing to a housing of the wireless device.

Approaches to the wireless power transfer field include use of induction such as an inductive charging pad, where an induction coupling takes place between the pad and the device to be charged. This approach, however, does not effectively reduce the need for the wires that transfer the power except for the last couple of inches between the recipient of power (receive site) and the patch that is hardwired to the power sources (outlet).
Another approach for wireless power transfer recommends using the power transmitted to the far field of a transmit antenna. However, the efficiency of this approach is very low since transmitted power decays proportional to the square of the distance from the transmit antenna to the receive site.
Another approach for wireless power transfer uses a generated near-field in transferring electric power from one resonant antenna to another in a system of two closely coupled antennas. This approach, however, requires antennas too large to fit into most portable devices in the receiving end of the power transfer system such as a laptop, a PDA, or a wireless handset. For example, in one wireless power transfer experiment between a transmit antenna and a receive antenna similarly shaped with a radius of 300 mm and a height of 200 mm and about 2 meters apart, the energy transfer efficiency was around 40 percent. The efficiency is further reduced when one of the antennas is substantially smaller than the other. The efficiency due to such size mismatch results in a decrease in energy transfer efficiency significantly below 10 percent.
Furthermore, location of the receive antenna over an electrically shielded or ferrite-based region also results in reduced efficiencies. Specifically, ferrite materials are lossy materials resulting in lower efficiencies for wireless power transfer. Accordingly, there is a need for a receive antenna and devices attached thereto that extend the efficiency of power transfer to a smaller dimensioned receive antenna.

Receive antenna for wireless power transfer


A fixing device includes a heating body, a pressuring body, a heat source and a detecting mechanism. The detecting mechanism is not in contact with the heating body and including an infrared detecting element which detects infrared rays radiated from an outer circumferential face of the heating body. A longitudinal direction of the heating body is a second direction which crosses a first direction as a conveying direction of a recording medium. A detected area is arranged on the outer circumferential face of the heating body so that the infrared rays radiated from the detected area is detected by the infrared detecting element. The detecting mechanism is arranged in a posture inclined to another posture facing the outer circumferential face of the heating body so that a width in the second direction of the detected area is wider than a width in the first direction of the detected area.

The present disclosure relates to a fixing device configured to fix a toner image onto a recording medium and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device.
Conventionally, an electrographic image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine or a printer, includes a fixing device configured to fix a toner image onto a recording medium, such as a sheet.
For example, there is a fixing device including a heating body, a pressuring body configured to come into pressure contact with the heating body so as to form a fixing nip, a heat source configured to heat the heating body and a detecting mechanism configured to be not in contact with the heating body.
There is a case that the above-mentioned detecting mechanism includes an infrared detecting element, such as a thermopile. In such a case, the infrared detecting element detects infrared rays radiated from an outer circumferential face of the heating body, and a temperature of the heating body is calculated on a basis of a detecting value thereof or the like.
In the fixing device with above-mentioned configuration, temperature distribution of the heat source is normally not uniform, so that temperature distribution of the heating body heated by the heat source is not uniform, either.
Accordingly, there is fear that detecting accuracy of the infrared detecting element is deteriorated, because a detecting value of the infrared detecting element in a case where the infrared detecting element detects infrared rays radiated from the hottest part in the outer circumferential face of the heating body is greatly different from a detecting value of the infrared detecting element in another case where the infrared detecting element detects infrared rays radiated from the coldest part in the outer circumferential face of the heating body.
Further, in the fixing device with above-mentioned configuration, there is fear that it becomes difficult to dispose the detecting mechanism in a case where the detecting mechanism is greatly protruded toward an outer diameter side of the heating body.

Fixing device including detecting mechanism which detects infrared rays radiated from heating body and image forming apparatus including same


A device for identifying types of sheet materials has a detecting unit for detecting information regarding moisture of a sheet material; external force applicator for applying an external force to the sheet material; information obtaining unit for obtaining information according to a force that is attenuated by the presence of the sheet material when the external force is applied to the sheet material by the external force applicator; and a judging unit for identifying the type of the sheet material based on the information obtained from the detecting unit and the information obtained from the information obtaining unit.

Information detecting devices for detecting information of sheet materials have recently been attracting attention in various technical fields.
An example of those devices is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,097,497, in which a sheet material is marked in advance with a number code or symbol (hereinafter the method is referred to as marking method) and a sensor provided in a printer reads the number code and other information to set the optimum printing mode.
In this marking method, information that sheet materials can carry is limited to the kind that will not change after marking, such as the name of the manufacturer of the sheet material and the sheet material size.
Sheet materials in general are changed in water content by an environmental change (a change in humidity of atmospheric gas), and properties (for example, Young's modulus and other mechanical properties) of individual sheet material are varied depending on its water content. The marking method is incapable of detecting the water content of sheet materials and therefore cannot detect accurate sheet material information.
Also, it is impossible to obtain information from an unmarked sheet material with the marking method to begin with.

Device for identifying types of sheet materials