A method of fabricating a tag includes the steps of applying a first patterned adhesive to the surface of the substrate and applying a first electrically conductive foil to the first patterned adhesive. A portion of the first electrically conductive foil not adhered to the first patterned adhesive is removed and a second patterned adhesive is applied to a portion of a surface area of the tag. A preformed second electrically conductive foil is applied to the second patterned adhesive to adhere the second electrically conductive foil to the surface of the substrate and portions of the first and second electrically conductive foils are electrically coupled to each other to form a tag circuit. A second patterned adhesive can be disposed between the first and second electrically conductive foils.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to security tags and, more particularly, to a process for making an electrical circuit for use in a security tag.
2. Description of Related Art
Security tags are tags that are adapted to reflect electromagnetic energy in order to indicate their presence within a detection zone. They can be associated with an item in order to monitor the item. Two common types of security tags are resonant inductor/capacitor (LC) circuit based tags and dipole antenna based tags. Both of these types of tags respond to an electromagnetic scanning signal by providing a response signal. The response signal is detectable by suitable signal detection equipment for indicating the presence of a security tag within a scanned detection region or interrogation zone (sometimes referred to as an "interrogator"). In particular, the tag provides a response signal when stimulated by the electromagnetic field at a predetermined tag frequency. A disturbance of the electromagnetic field caused by the response signal is detectable by the signal detection equipment that is tuned to a predetermined detection frequency and is located in the detection region or zone. The signal detection equipment can be adapted to provide an alarm when an un-deactivated security tag is detected, such as commonly accomplished in Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) applications.
LC Security Tags
LC resonant tags commonly operate in the RF range. The LC circuits of such tags provide a response signal by resonating in response to the electromagnetic energy applied to them at their resonant frequency. In order to detect the presence of an LC based tag in a detection region or zone, the frequency of the electromagnetic energy applied to that region or zone is swept through a range of frequencies that includes the predetermined tag frequency. The LC circuit of the tag resonates when the swept frequency of the applied energy reaches the predetermined tag frequency. A security tag of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,809, entitled "Deactivateable Resonant Circuit," issued on Jan. 19, 1999 to Eckstein, et al. (Eckstein).
Typically, the LC circuits of LC-based resonant tags are generally planar circuits formed of conductor layers and dielectric layers. One of the conductor layers includes one plate of a capacitor and a spiral conductor coil forming an inductor disposed upon a surface of a dielectric layer. One plate of the capacitor is connected to a proximal end of the coil. A second conductor layer is formed on the opposing surface of the substrate to serve as the second plate of the capacitor. The substrate thus serves as the dielectric of the capacitor. A through connection between the second plate and the distal end of the coil completes the fabrication of the inductor/capacitor (LC) resonant circuit. The two conductor layers can be formed using well known photo-etching techniques. Alternately, the conductor layers can be formed by laser cutting or arc cutting techniques as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,290, entitled "Resonant Tag Labels and Method of Making the Same," issued to McDonough on Jul. 6, 1999.
Other patents disclosing similar technology include U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,214,444, 6,383,616 and 6,458,465 assigned to Kabushiki Kaisha Miyake (Miyake) which teach a method for making resonant tags in which a circuit-like metallic foil pattern was adhered to a dielectric film prepared from a liquid resin by a coating process. A circuit-like metal foil pattern on one side of the dielectric film is aligned with a circuit-like pattern on the other side of the dielectric film so as to form a capacitor. The dielectric film had openings configured similarly to and aligned with openings in the circuit-like metal foil, wherein the configuration of the circuit-like metal foil pattern and the dielectric film was generally spiral in configuration.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,618,939 and Publication No. US 2004/0025324, also assigned to Miyake, teach a method for making resonant tags wherein a metal foil having a thermal adhesive applied to at least one face is stamped out into a circuit-like shape and adhered to a base sheet. The metal foil is stamped onto a metal foil portion having a predetermined shape while being passed through a die roll having a stamping blade with a predetermined shape. A transfer roll is in contact with the die roll to function as a die back-up roll and to hold the metal foil portion obtained by the stamping operation onto the surface of the transfer roll by suction holes formed in the transfer roll. The stamped out metal foil portion is thermally adhered to the base sheet in contact with the transfer roll by an adhesive roll in contact with the transfer foil through the base sheet.
Another patent assigned to Miyake, U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,932, teaches a method for making resonant tags in which a laminate was fabricated by adhering a metal foil coated with hot-melt adhesive resin film to a carrier sheet such as paper. The metal foil of the laminate was stamped out using a stamping die to provide a predetermined circuit-like pattern. The metallic foil side of the laminate was superposed on a support such as a plastic film. The circuit-like metallic foil was then transferred to the surface of the support by heating the circuit-like pattern from the support side of the carrier sheet side.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,095 (the '095 Patent), assigned to Durgo A G, teaches a method of producing a plurality of equal printed circuits on a common, planar insulating carrier having an electrically conducting layer on at least one of its surfaces. The electrical circuits have a spirally arranged conductor trace forming at least one induction coil and at least one capacitor.
In the '095 Patent, a plurality of reference perforations are applied to the insulating carrier using a laser and a conducting layer is applied to at least one side of the carrier. A portion of the conductive layer having the rough contours of a circuit element is removed. The circuit element can be an inductive coil and the remaining portion of the conductive layer can have a shape and size approximating the outside dimensions of the coil. Computer controlled lasers are then used to remove further portions of the conductive layer to provide conductive tracks which form the electrical circuit. The electrical values of the circuit are determined and compared with design values. The electrical values can be corrected using the lasers if necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,386, also assigned to Durgo A G, teaches a method for producing labels incorporating electrical oscillating circuits wherein parts of the circuits are initially punched out of a center area of a metal web covered by an adhesive. The center area is then covered by an insulating material web for handling stability in order to punch out the part of the circuit to be located at the outer web area. A covering foil is laminated onto the metal web and the parts of the Cortez to be located on the reverse side are applied onto the insulating material web and connected electrical to the remainder of the circuit.
This method of fabricating the elements of an LC-based tag has several problems. One particularly significant problem is the cost of the substrate itself and the design limitations placed on the tag by various substrate requirements. Since the substrate is a structural element that must provide most of the structural integrity of the tag, there are minimum requirements on the mechanical strength of the materials that can be used to form the substrate. This limits the number of different kinds of materials that can be used to form substrates. U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,270, entitled "Stabilized Resonant Tag Circuit and Deactivator," issued to Appalucci et al. on Aug. 25, 1992, discloses selected considerations with respect to substrate strength.
Additionally, the requirement that the substrate provide sufficient mechanical strength to the response circuit imposes a requirement that the substrate be formed with a minimum thickness. This limits the amount of capacitance that can be provided on a unit area of substrate surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,814, entitled "Apparatus for Manufacturing Resonant Tag," issued to Imaichi, et al. on Nov. 4, 1997, discloses the relationship between dielectric thickness and capacitance. The material of the substrate must also be capable of withstanding the photo-etch baths required to form the elements of the LC circuit. This factor places additional limitations on the materials that can be used in the design of substrates.
Under these circumstances, it may not be possible to optimize the dielectric properties of the substrate when selecting a dielectric material or a dielectric thickness for use as a component of a security tag. The inability to optimize the dielectric properties of the dielectric materials results in many problems, such as increased capacitor size, lower tag yields and hence, increased costs for the fabrication of security tags.
Other problems encountered in forming the elements of an LC-based tag arise from the photo-etching process. For example, the photo-etching process can be slow and quite expensive. An example of a system attempting to obtain high speed printing of security tags using a photo-etch process is U.S. Pat. No. 3,913,219, entitled "Planar Circuit Fabrication Process," issued to Lichtblau on Oct. 25, 1975. Fine tuning of the capacitance within an LC-based tag, by adjusting the amount of conductive material forming a capacitor plate after the initial fabrication step thereof, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,557, entitled "Process for Fabricating Resonant Tag Circuit Construction," issued to Vandebult on Jan. 25, 1983.
In addition to the high cost of the photo-etching process itself, the fact that the process requires environmentally unsafe chemicals creates disposal problems for the spent materials. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the procedures required to safely dispose of spent photo-etching materials significantly increase the costs of producing security tags. Furthermore, substantial amounts of conductive material must be removed by the etching process when forming the conductor layers of the tag. This further increases the costs of the fabrication process as a result of the waste of conductive material and/or the complications of performing various recovery processes, such as recovering aluminum, when forming the tags.
An additional area of difficulty encountered when using the prior art methods for forming security tags is accurate control of the amount of the capacitance in the tags. Inaccurate capacitance can result from variations in the dielectric constant, variations in the thickness of the dielectric material and variations in the alignment of the capacitor plates. The dielectric constant of the material can normally be specified and accurately provided for the materials used in the fabrication of tags. Additionally, the dielectric constant of a material can be tested prior to the fabrication process. Furthermore, the thickness of the dielectric material can normally be controlled by conventional coating technology and tested prior to the fabrication process.
Thus, the most common problem in accurately controlling the capacitance is the alignment of the circuit elements making up the tag. For example, when the second plate of the capacitor is disposed on the second surface of the substrate or over the first plate, much care must be taken to make certain that the second plate is correctly aligned with the first plate. Failure to align the plates correctly results in inaccuracies in the amount of capacitance produced since the actual area of overlap of the plates determines the capacitance. This causes inaccuracies in the frequency at which the tag resonates. Often this results in an upward shift in resonant frequency.
This problem can limit the speed of the fabrication process, increase the costs of the fabrication equipment and significantly lower the yield of the tag fabrication process, for example, by causing tolerance buildup quality control issues in the fabrication process. Furthermore, it is the nature of the capacitor structures formed during the tag fabrication process that small amounts of plate misalignment produce large variations in the capacitance produced and concomitant large variations in the resonant frequency of the resulting tags. This problem tends to be worse for stamped circuits than for etched circuits due to the nature of the substrate and dielectrics involved in the processes. Another problem is that when foil is die cut into a pattern the shearing action may create beveled geometry rather than a planar geometry near the edge of the cut. That is, the shearing action used to cut the foil may create sharp edges on the foil that may cut into the substrate thereby altering capacitance.
Dipole Security Tags
Dipole-based security tags are adapted for operation in the UHF range. The dipole making up such a security tag basically comprises one or more conductive strips, or stubs, that function as an antenna for receiving energy from an applied electromagnetic field. When the received field energy has a predetermined dipole frequency the antenna applies the energy to an associated system (e.g., circuitry) in the security tag to energize that circuitry. The circuitry energized in this manner can be an integrated circuit chip that is wire bonded to the conductive, dipole strips. U.S. Pat. No. 5,708,419, entitled "Method of Wire Bonding an Integrated Circuit to an Ultraflexible Substrate," issued to Isaacson et al. on Jan. 13, 1998, discloses the use of antenna to energize a system at a predetermined tag frequency that is primarily dependent on the antenna length.
When the circuitry within a dipole-based security tag is energized by way of the dipole antenna, the circuitry responds by providing a reflected signal. The reflected signal from the security tag is transmitted by the antenna thereby disturbing the applied field. Thus, a dipole-based security tag in a detection region can be detected by sweeping the frequency of the electromagnetic energy applied to the region through a range of frequencies that includes the predetermined dipole frequency. Suitable detection equipment detects the disturbance of the field when the frequency of the applied energy reaches the predetermined dipole frequency.
It is known to fabricate dipoles for security tags from copper and silver. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,780 entitled, "Method of Manufacturing an Enclosed Transceiver," issued to Tuttle on Apr. 23, 2002, teaches forming security tag dipoles from copper and silver ink. U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,286, entitled "Surveillance and Identification System Antennas," issued to Williamson on Jan. 18, 1994, teaches etching copper foil to form security tag dipoles. However, the use of copper and silver for security tag dipoles is very expensive.
Security tags can be used in many applications. In one of many examples, security tags can be attached to an item sold in a retail sales establishment to monitor the location of item and deter theft. In the retail establishment application, equipment, e.g., a transmitter, for applying an electromagnetic field to a detection region and detection equipment, e.g., a receiver, for detecting disturbances of the field caused by the presence of security tags can be located at or around points of exit from the establishment. Such transmitters and receivers can be combined X into a single unit, sometimes referred to as an "interrogator." Additionally, detection equipment for security tags in retail establishments can be disposed in many other locations on the premises in order to monitor movement of the item within the establishment. Security tags are especially useful in cases where very large numbers of items must be monitored.
In another example, security tags can be attached to an inventoried item in a warehouse or an item being shipped from one location to another in commerce. The use of a security tag in this manner can be especially useful in providing inventory control for very large numbers of items. The use of security tags for inventory control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,006, entitled "Inventory System Using Articles with RFID Tags," issued to Bowers et al. on Feb. 27, 2001. Furthermore, security tags can be attached to books, periodicals, audio tapes and like items located in libraries and other institutions that make such items available for access by the public.
Many methods for attaching a security tag to an item are known. One method is to clip a security tag to the material of the item to be monitored. The security tag can also be adhered to the material of the item to be monitored. Additionally, the tag can be clipped onto or adhered to materials associated with the item to be monitored, such as packaging, advertising or informational materials. However, all of the known methods for attaching a security tag to an item are costly and error-prone. The costs of these methods must be borne by the retailers and/or the providers of the goods or services. These costs are in addition to whatever costs are incurred in packaging, identifying or maintaining the items, and providing the required promotional or informational materials for the items.
Many LC security tags must be activated when they are ready for use. Furthermore, they must be deactivated when a sale of an item is consummated or when they are legitimately removed from an item. For example, an LC security tag which is not removed from an item or deactivated at a point of sale in one establishment may set off an alarm from detection equipment located at a second establishment. This can result in an innocent customer being questioned by personnel at the second establishment.
In general, LC security tags are activated and deactivated by shifting their resonant frequency into and out of the frequency range to which the detection equipment is tuned. The resonant frequency can be shifted for the purpose of activation and deactivation by changing the amount of capacitance in the resonant circuits of the tag. U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,780, entitled "RFID Tags Which Are Virtually Activated And/or Deactivated and Apparatus and Methods of Using Same in an Electronic Security System," issued to Bowers on Feb. 15, 2002 discloses such a system. Another system for shifting resonant frequencies in this manner is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,210, entitled "Activatable/Deactivatable Security Tag for Use with an Electronic Security System," issued to Rode on Apr. 7, 1992. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,555, issued to Durgo A G, teaches a method for carrying out deactivation using a continuous hole which can be formed by means of a needle roll and is disposed in the insulating layer of a resonant label in the region between two conducting layers.
One method for changing the amount of capacitance in a security tag involves creating a weakened area between the two plates of a capacitor during the tag fabrication process. The weakened area creates a higher electromagnetic field in its vicinity when electromagnetic energy is applied to the tag at the predetermined frequency. U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,809 (Eckstein) discloses another method for changing the frequency in a security tag. An inductor taught in this patent is formed with a discontinuity, or gap, causing an electrical open circuit. The open circuit is closed with a fuse which is secured near the gap and wire bonded to portions of the inductor near the gap. The fuse is melted by a current greater than a predetermined level flowing through it in order to deactivate the tag. A current level which is high enough to melt the fuse can be induced by an external electromagnetic field. Melting of the fuse causes an open circuit condition, which alters the resonant frequency of the tag.
In another example of changing capacitance to alter the resonant frequency of a security tag, one of the capacitor plates can be formed with a dimple protruding from its surface. The dimple provides a shorter distance between the tip of the dimple and the opposing plate, than between the remaining surfaces of the two plates. When a high level of electromagnetic energy is applied to the tag, a voltage in excess of the breakdown voltage can be created between the tip of the dimple and the opposing plate. This causes the dielectric material to break down, thereby substantially short circuiting the two plates to each other. When the capacitor shorts out in the weakened area, its capacitance goes substantially to zero and the resonant frequency of the tag is moved out of the range of frequencies being swept by the detection equipment. Such a dimple for deactivating a resonant tag is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,270, entitled "Stabilized Resonant Tag Circuit and Deactivator," issued to Appalucci et al. on Jul. 8, 1992.
One problem with the known methods for deactivating tags is that a tag may spontaneously reactivate at a later time. It is believed that one reason why tags reactivate may be that the short circuit between the plates of the capacitor is formed by fragile dendritic structures created by the breakdown of the dielectric. The structures providing the short circuit between the plates can therefore break at a later time, for example, due to flexing of the tag, and restore the high resistance path between the plates. When this occurs, a security tag that is deactivated after a legitimate purchase can set off an alarm if an innocent bearer of the tag inadvertently brings it into a detection region.
It is sometimes desirable to activate or deactivate a large number of security tags at the same time using bulk activation or bulk deactivation techniques. For example, a manufacturer of security tags can manufacture a large number of activated tags. If a container of the activated tags is sold to a retail establishment that is not using a corresponding detection system, they must be deactivated. In another example, an entire container of items having individual security tags can be legitimately purchased at the same time. It is not uncommon for such containers to have dimensions of four feet by eight feet. In each case, large numbers of tags at varying distances and orientations must be activated or deactivated at the same time. Thus, problems may occur when activation or deactivation energy is applied in these examples and tags may not be effectively processed.
Additional references pertinent to the field of security tags include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,215,342; 4,260,990; 4,356,477; 4,429,302; 4,498,076; 4,560,445; 4,567,473; 5,108,822; 5,119,070; 5,142,270; 5,142,292; 5,201,988; 5,218,189; 5,241,299; 5,300,922; 5,442,334; 5,447,779; 5,463,376; 5,510,770; 5,589,251; 5,660,663; 5,682,814; 5,695,860; 5,751,256; 5,841,350; 5,861,809; 5,864,301; 5,877,728; 5,902,437; 5,920,290; 5,926,093; 5,955,950; 5,959,531; 6,025,780; 6,031,458; 6,034,604; 6,072,383; 6,087,940; 6,089,453; 6,166,706; 6,208,235; 6,214,444; 6,304,169; 6,458,465; 6,618,939. All references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Method of fabricating a security tag in an integrated surface processing system


A method and apparatus are provided for exchanging information between a cordless telephone application and physical hardware of a cordless telephone system. The method includes the steps of intercepting information exchanged between the application and the physical hardware, processing the intercepted information in order to ascertain whether the exchange requires at least one API macro and translating between the at least one API macro and a telephone command to be executed by the physical hardware of the cordless telephone system.

This invention relates to an interface which enables communication to an embedded processor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for enabling cordless telephone applications to utilize an Application Programming Interface (xe2x80x9cAPIxe2x80x9d) in order to program cordless telephone processor functionality.
A cordless telephone system architecture commonly includes a programmable embedded processor that controls the operation of the telephone. Programming of the embedded processor is required to enable the processor to perform telephone functions. For example, locating a misplaced cordless telephone handset often involves programming the embedded processor to establish a radio link from the base to the handset, initializing the radio link, sending data to the handset, receiving data from the handset, and releasing the radio link. Programming the processor to perform these functions can involve software code development specific to the requirements of the processor. However, there are many different embedded processors that are used in cordless telephone system architectures and the type of processor used in the telephone determines the telephone""s functional aspects.
For example, consider the case of a cordless telephone system. Typically, one company manufactures the embedded processor and another company utilizes the processor to develop the cordless telephone product sold to consumers. In such a case, the company that manufactures the embedded processor may provide a cordless telephone processor with many features, such as a telephone answering device, speakerphone, multiple-line interface capability, and caller identification. All of these features may or may not be included in the cordless telephone product that is sold to the consumer.
The manufacturer of the cordless telephone product programs the cordless telephone processor to include the features that the manufacturer would like to include in the consumer""s cordless telephone.
Programming the cordless telephone processor requires understanding the specific architecture of the processor and often requires the manufacturer of the cordless telephone to tailor the development process to the specific cordless telephone processor. For example, establishing a radio link from the base to the handset often involves invoking a hardware command that is defined by an identifier followed by a 16-bit data string having a number of characters. If the manufacturer of the cordless telephone decides to utilize a different cordless telephone processor, e.g. a newly, released processor with an improved RF link protocol, then the process of programming the new cordless telephone processor must necessarily be different since the cordless telephone processor""s architecture has changed. For example, establishing a radio link from the base to the handset may involve invoking a hardware command that is defined by an identifier followed by a 32-bit data string having a number of characters.
The effect of changing the embedded cordless telephone processor often necessitates the manufacturer of the cordless telephone product to develop a new cordless telephone application. As a common interface, an embodiment of the present invention will facilitate new inventions and applications that expand the functionality and use of cordless telephones.
While the existing method of programming an embedded processor in a cordless telephone system is relatively satisfactory, it requires a programmer to develop cordless telephone applications specifically for a cordless telephone processor. This process is inefficient when cordless telephone processors, and thereby cordless telephones, change frequently. As a consequence, the manufacturer of a cordless telephone may waste a lot of time having to redevelop applications every few months. Accordingly, a need exists for a better method and apparatus for establishing compatibility between telephone applications and an embedded telephone processor.
A method and apparatus are described for exchanging information between a cordless telephone application and physical hardware of a cordless telephone system. The method includes the steps of (1) intercepting information exchanged between the application and the physical hardware; (2) processing the intercepted information in order to ascertain whether the exchange requires at least one API macro; and (3) translating between the at least one API macro and a telephone command to be executed by the physical hardware of the cordless telephone system. The apparatus includes a task which identifies an API macro and passes the API macro to the physical hardware transparent to the cordless telephone application. Further, the apparatus reads the API macro and logically translates the API macro into a telephone command to be executed on the cordless telephone system. The apparatus operates in a bi-directional manner so that the application interface receives telephone command codes and thereafter, translates the result code into a status message readable by the application.
An embodiment of the present invention is also achieved by providing API macros whereby when a cordless telephone application wants to perform a telephone command, the application invokes an application programming interface macro. Further, the API macros remain constant regardless of changes in the physical hardware of the cordless telephone system.

Method and apparatus for establishing compatibility between cordless telephone applications and physical hardware of the cordless telephone


A dielectric resonator antenna having a dielectric resonator element and a substrate assembly attached to the dielectric resonator element. The substrate assembly includes a feeding network arranged to: feed the dielectric resonator element to produce a first linearly-polarized omnidirectional radiation pattern at a first resonant mode, and feed the dielectric resonator element to produce a second linearly-polarized omnidirectional radiation pattern at a second resonant mode different from the first resonant mode.

In field of telecommunications, the use of antennas (single or multiple) to transmit/receive/transceive signals is known as antenna diversity. Antenna diversity can improve wireless communication links by mitigating multipath effect and deep fading effect, and improving channel capacity.
Various types of antenna diversity have been proposed. Examples of these include spatial diversity and polarization diversity.
In spatial diversity, multiple antennas, usually of the same characteristics, are separated by a certain distance that is preferably commensurate with the wavelength.
The antennas can use the same operation mode. This arrangement, while useful is some applications, is rather bulky and suffers from high correlation and high cost.
In polarization diversity, a dual-polarized antenna with different polarizations of is generally used, and the signals are processed independently. This arrangement offers potential for diversity combining, and can mitigate polarization mismatches that would otherwise cause signal fade.
There is a need to provide an improved or alternative antenna that can be used for (but not limited to) polarization diversity.


A polarization modulation photoreflectance technique has been developed for optical characterization of semiconductor electronic interfaces. By using a laser source in conjunction with polarization state modulation, a polarization modulation spectroscopy technique may be used to characterize the optical response of semiconductor materials and structures. Disclosed methods and instruments are suitable for characterization of optical signatures of electronic interfaces, including characterization of electric fields at semiconductor interfaces.

High sensitivity optical measurement techniques are required in the fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices. The manufacture of semiconductor devices typically begins with a large substrate wafer of semiconductor material, and a large number of semiconductor devices are formed in each wafer. Because the device manufacturing steps are time consuming and expensive, it is important to the manufacturing process of such semiconductor devices that the physical characteristics of semiconductor device structures only vary within a small process window. In order to attain the earliest possible feedback during production, it is necessary to non-destructively characterize the physical properties of device structures before the device is complete. Importantly, the physical phenomena which governs electronic and optoelectronic device operation often occurs at interfaces. For example, the transistor structure generally comprises a "channel" region near a semiconductor-insulator interface, wherein the electrical properties of the channel are controlled by an externally applied voltage. In production, it is also necessary that the measurement be entirely non-destructive, a requirement which strongly favors the use of optical techniques. The optical signatures of interfacial electric fields occur in the vicinity of strong interband transition features such as the band gap, and typically have small amplitudes, in some cases as small as one part in 106. Typical values of the photo-reflectance signal from semiconductor electronic interfaces range in amplitude from ˜10−2−10−5 (Pollack, 1994; Shay 1970). Unfortunately, widely available optical techniques such as ellipsometry or reflectance do not have the sensitivity required to observe signatures of electronic interfaces. However, these signatures necessarily occur in the optical wavelength range, since semiconductor interband transitions occur in the ˜1-5 eV range. Thus, high sensitivity optical techniques are needed in the extraction of semiconductor interfacial electronic signatures.
The requirement for high sensitivity may be met by a proven class of optical techniques known as modulation spectroscopy techniques. Modulation spectroscopy techniques such as "electro-reflectance" and "photo-reflectance" have exhibited sensitivity to differential changes in reflectivity as small as 10−7. Of the modulation spectroscopy techniques, photo-reflectance is best suited for use in the fabrication of electronic and optoelectronic devices, as it is nondestructive and only requires the sample have a reflecting surface (Aspnes, 1980). The conventional photo-reflectance configuration employs a diode laser pump beam to induce small periodic changes in electron-hole populations. Amplitude modulation of the pump beam is conventionally accomplished with an optical chopper, or by fixturing a polarizer at the output of a phase modulator. A second optical beam, coincident with the modulated pump beam is then used to monitor small sample reflectivity changes using phase locked detection. Thus, the conventional photo-reflectance configuration is a realization of electro-modulation, wherein the electric field is induced by the space charge separation field of the electrons and holes (Pollack, 1996).
A primary problem with conventional photo-reflectometers is that they do not use a probe beam containing wavelengths suitable for characterization of electric fields at semiconductor interfaces. Importantly, modulation of internal electric fields produces sharp derivative-like spectral features near strong interband transitions, known as "critical points," in the semiconductor band structure (Pollack, 1994). Thus, by using a probe beam with wavelength nearby to at least one critical point in the band structure of the semiconductor structure, photo-reflectance information may be used to characterize the signatures of electronic interfaces.
Another problem with conventional photo-reflectometers is that they do not employ a polarization modulation technique to induce changes in the optical response of the electronic interface. Generally, the optical response of a semiconductor electronic interface is anisotropic with respect to polarization vector. In particular, the optical response depends on the amplitude and direction of the induced electric field (Keldysh, 1970). For example, light polarized in the plane of an electronic interface can accelerate free carriers, producing a sharp third-derivative photoreflectance lineshape, whereas light polarized normal to the plane of a quantum cannot accelerate carriers and typically results in a first-derivative lineshape (Aspnes, 1980). Thus, by using polarization state modulation of the pump beam, and introducing the laser beam at a non-zero angle with respect to the surface normal, an anisotropic optical response may be induced at the electronic interface.
Another problem with common photo-reflectometers is they lack a spectroscopic probe beam (Rosencwaig, 1985, Borden, 2000). Since the photoreflectance signal is obtained at only a single wavelength, the spectral position of critical points, such as those associated with internal electric fields and/or semiconductor band structures, cannot be determined. Thus, while commercial photo-reflectometers may be useful in correlation to electronic carrier densities or thermal effects, these cannot usefully determine internal electric fields or semiconductor band structures.
Thus, while conventional photo-reflectometers and optical spectrometers may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not well suited for the characterization of the optical response of semiconductor electronic interfaces. In particular, they do not use a probe beam containing wavelengths suitable for characterization of electric fields at semiconductor interfaces. Moreover, although conventional photo-reflectometers may use a laser pump beam with sufficient power and focusing to create electric field modulation inside the sample, this pump is not polarization modulated so as to induce anisotropic optical responses associated with semiconductor electronic interfaces. The polarization modulation feature of the technique also allows ellipsometric characterization of the semiconductor film structure. Additionally, although conventional reflectance difference spectroscopy has been accomplished using polarization modulation, it has been implemented at normal incidence, providing minimal sensitivity to electronic interfaces. Also, conventional reflectance difference spectroscopy uses lower laser powers.
In these respects, the polarization modulation photo-reflectometer according to the present disclosure substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing, provides an apparatus primarily developed for the characterization of optical signatures of electronic interfaces, including photo-reflectance features at the band edge or other direct or indirect critical points in the band structure.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Polarization modulation photoreflectance characterization of semiconductor electronic interfaces


An image forming apparatus composes an input image and a form image and generates a composite image, determines whether the image composition processing is designated, and determines whether the maximum amount of applied toner of the form image is not less than a predetermined threshold. Then, the apparatus sets an amount of applied toner of the form image as the amount of applied toner of the composite image if the image composition processing is designated and the maximum amount of applied toner of the form image is not less than the predetermined threshold, and controls, based on a fixing temperature that is determined based on the amount of applied toner, the fixing temperature when performing fixing processing for a printing medium with a toner image that is formed based on the composite image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control of fixing an image formed by an electrophotographic method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus that thermally fixes, on transfer paper, a toner image formed by an electrophotographic method, in general, the fixing temperature of a fixing device is determined in accordance with the amount of applied toner per unit area on the transfer paper. For example, the maximum value of the amount of applied toner per unit area is determined in advance, and the temperature of the fixing device is adjusted so as to obtain a fixing temperature capable of reliably fixing an image having the maximum value. Recently, however, power consumption is required to be lower because of growing environmental awareness. When the amount of applied toner changes depending on the image of the page to be output, it is necessary to perform energy-saving fixing temperature control capable of adjustment to a temperature at which reliable fixing can be performed on a page basis.
The image forming apparatus may use an image composition function (to be referred to as image composition hereinafter) of composing an image with a form image stored in advance and outputting a composite image. The form image is generated in advance by, for example, scanning an image printed on paper and stored in a storage device such as an HDD in advance. When such image composition is performed for read data of an original, the amount of applied toner of the image after image composition is different from the amount of applied toner calculated from the read data. Hence, to perform more appropriate fixing temperature control, the image composition needs to be taken into consideration. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-110354 (patent literature 1) discloses a technique that prepares two fixing units of different set temperatures, and when using image composition, performs fixing using the fixing unit of the higher set temperature.
However, employing the arrangement including two fixing units to obtain an appropriate fixing temperature, as described in patent literature 1, leads to an increase in the size or cost of the image forming apparatus. For this reason, when performing image composition, it is preferable to detect the amount of applied toner of the image after image composition and control the temperature of the fixing unit. In general, however, the load of applied toner amount calculation processing is heavy, and performance is expected to be low when the processing is implemented by software processing.

Image forming apparatus, control apparatus, and control methods thereof


A system is described for identifying key lock contention issues in computing devices. A computing device is executed and lock contention information relating to operations during execution of the computing device is recorded. The data is parsed and analyzed to determine blocking relationships between operations due to lock contention. Algorithms are implemented to analyze dependencies between operations based on the data and to identify key areas of optimization for performance improvement. Algorithms can be based on the Hyperlink-Induced Topic Search algorithm or the PageRank algorithm.

Optimizing complex software-based systems presents one of the biggest challenges for computer engineers today. As programs and computer systems become more and more sophisticated, identifying the key areas of inefficiencies for improving performance becomes a formidable challenge. Particularly in network environments, where multiple machines may be interconnected and various interactions take place between different software, identifying inefficiencies can require complex analysis of enormous volumes of data. Furthermore, as the limits of processing power and network bandwidth in computing systems are reached, inefficiencies can result in significantly degraded user experience, often manifested through slow or interrupted operation.
For example, in a computing system, when a process blocks other processes from completing by locking a resource that is required by the other processes, known as lock contention, significant inefficiencies can result. Lock contention can have wide-spreading effects in a computing system when multiple processes have interdependencies. Hence, identifying and improving processes that cause inefficiencies due to lock contention is a vital task for improving system efficiency. However, particularly in complex systems, identifying the key processes that cause inefficiencies can be a daunting task involving sophisticated analysis of large numbers of processes, complicated interdependencies, and lock contention events. A more efficient approach is desirable for identifying lock contention-related issues in computing systems.

Using pagerank algorithm-based lock analysis to identify key processes for improving computing system efficiency


In first, second, and third embodiments of the invention the dog lead is formed from a cord and has a first loop and a second loop at one end and a handle at the other end. The handle and a portion of the cord are passed through the first loop to form a collar. The handle and an additional portion of the cord are then passed under the dog's chest and through the second loop to form a chest band. In a fourth embodiment of the invention, a stop is mounted snugly on the cord and a washer is mounted to the cord. In a fifth embodiment of the invention, an inner stop and a outer stop are provided on both sides of a ring to keep the collar from becoming tight or loose, making the dog lead virtually escape proof.

Dogs that are not well leash trained or anxious, or are being walked by an unfamiliar person, are frequently difficult to control. Using a conventional collar and leash is not adequate as the dog may slip out of the collar and escape. A known solution to this problem is to use a slip collar, also known as a choke collar. The slip collar is a length of cord or chain with a loop at a first end and the second end passing through the loop. The second end of the collar is either attached to a lead or may be formed integral with the lead. When a dog pulls on the collar, the collar tightens, and the dog cannot slip out.
The above described condition of unruly or anxious dogs occurs more often in an animal shelter setting where the dogs are from unknown backgrounds and the people caring for the dogs must walk many different dogs every day. Dog shelter workers regularly use a slip collar or a slip lead. While use of the slip collar, i.e. choke collar, on a particularly difficult dog accomplishes the main objective of keeping the collar and lead on the dog, the dog may pull so hard to cause himself or herself choking, pain or injury.
An improved dog handling device that has become popular is the dog harness. A dog harness consists of several straps, one passing around the dog's neck and another passing around the dog's chest, the two straps being connected across the shoulders. The harness provides good control, does not afford the dog the chance of escaping, and does not hurt the dog because the force of pulling is largely applied to the chest area rather than the neck.
While the harness solves the basic problem of controlling a dog during walking, this solution is not practical for people who walk shelter dogs. Putting a harness on an unruly or anxious dog and taking it off at the end of the walk can be difficult and time consuming. If a harness is left on the dog for the time between walks, the dog may attempt to chew it off. Therefore, a dog handling device is needed to provide the security of a slip collar with the comfort of a harness and is quick and easy to put on and take off of the dog.


A density-adjusting method of a liquid-discharging apparatus having a head including a plurality of juxtaposed liquid-discharging units having respective nozzles, forming dots by landing droplets discharged from the nozzles onto a droplet-landing object, and providing half tones by arranging a dot array is provided. A density-measuring pattern including all pixel trains lying in the main scanning direction with a constant density is formed, the density of the pattern is scanned so as to obtain density information and the relationship between the number and the density of droplets with respect to each pixel train. Upon receipt of a discharge command signal, based on the obtained data with respect to each pixel train, the density of the pixel train corresponding to the discharge command signal is adjusted by making the number of droplets to be actually discharged from the nozzles different from that of droplets discharged according to the discharge command signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid-discharging apparatus including a head equipped with a plurality of juxtaposed liquid-discharging units having respective nozzles, forming dots by landing droplets discharged from the nozzles onto a droplet-landing object, and providing half tones by arranging a dot array, and also relates to a density adjusting method and a density adjusting system for adjusting the density of the dots. More particularly, the present invention is relates to a technique for adjusting density unevenness when the unevenness occurs due to a variation in discharging characteristics of the liquid-discharging units.
2. Description of the Related Art
An inkjet printer is known as one of conventional liquid-discharging apparatuses. The inkjet printer is equipped with a head including a large number of juxtaposed liquid-discharging units having respective nozzles, forms dots on a sheet of printing paper by discharging ink droplets from the nozzles, and forms an image by arranging arrays of the dots.
Also, a serial-type inkjet printer performs printing in the main scanning direction (in a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of a sheet of printing paper by using a known method (see, for example, Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 56-6033) for providing half tones by superimposing dots by reciprocating the head more than once, that is, by applying so-called overprinting. To be specific, according to the method, at every movement of the head in the main scanning directions the first recording is performed with a dot pitch greater than the diameter of a dot, and the second recording is performed by arranging a dot so as to cover the space between adjacent dots generated in the first recording.
With the above-mentioned overprinting for providing half tones, discharging characteristics of the liquid-discharging units are made more uniform, thereby making density unevenness indistinctive. Meanwhile, when the head has a plurality of liquid-discharging units juxtaposed side by side therein, a variation in discharging characteristics of the liquid-discharging units, for example, a variation in discharge amounts of ink droplets occur. Unfortunately, the head of the inkjet printer, for example, including thermal liquid-discharging units, can discharge only a constant amount of ink droplet from each nozzle during one discharging operation, except for a special head including a special discharging mechanism formed by utilizing the piezo technology. In other words, a discharge amount of an ink droplet during one discharging operation cannot be controlled.
As a countermeasure for solving the above disadvantage, overprinting is applied so a to make density unevenness substantially indistinctive even when a part of the liquid-discharging units have poor discharging characteristics, for example, discharging an insufficient amount or no amount of ink droplet due to clogging of the corresponding nozzles or the like.
Unfortunately, according to the above-mentioned overprinting method, problems such as density unevenness caused by a variation in discharging characteristics of the liquid-discharging units can not be completely solved.
Firstly, a problem arises from a certain limitation of an ink-absorbing amount of a sheet of printing paper. That is, when a dot is superimposed beyond the limitation of an ink-absorbing amount of a sheet of printing paper, the dot is unlikely dried, and also, to make matters worse, ink of the dot spreads over the adjacent dots and generates color mixture with that of the adjacent dots, thereby leading to a failure in achieving an expected density gradation characteristic.
Secondly, when high image quality, for example equivalent to that of a photographic image is required, existence of even a small part of the liquid-discharging units of the head which do not normally discharge ink droplets makes a streak or the like distinctive. For example, when a color other than black is printed in a pupil area in the case of printing an image such as a facial portrait, or when a color other than red is printed in an apple or flower area in the case of expressing such an object, the foregoing color becomes distinctive even when its printed area is tiny.
In order to solve such density unevenness, a thermal sublimination printer or the like normally having a line head structure has an example countermeasure incorporated therein as described below.
FIG. 21 illustrates a general method for correcting density unevenness by image processing. A density measuring-pattern (test pattern) providing a uniform and constant density is first printed so as to measure a state of density unevenness with respect to each color across the full sheet of paper. Then, the printed result with respect to each color is scanned by an image-scanning apparatus. Since the scanned data includes density information and unevenness information, the average density and coefficients of unevenness over the all pixels are computed. In addition, a data table obtained by multiplying all positions corresponding to the pixels of an input image by the reciprocals of coefficients of unevenness corresponding to the positions (that is, obtained by computation with an inverse function) is produced and stored.
When an image is inputted, multiplication process is performed on the basis of the data table before image processing so as to produce a corrected image file, and a printing operation is performed on the basis of information of the corrected image file, whereby density unevenness peculiar to the head is canceled.
Meanwhile, this method is presently used for printers other than an inkjet printer, and it will be appreciated that it is also applicable to an inkjet printer.
Unfortunately, the foregoing known method for correcting density unevenness is needed to process an input image, and, especially when an input image including a large amount of data is required to be processed, a longer period of time for processing the input image is needed before printing, thereby resulting in a reduced printing speed.
Improvement in the printing speed incurs an increase in hardware, memory, and the like, and hence causes a larger size of the printer.

Liquid-discharging apparatus, and density adjusting method and system of the same


An image generation apparatus that renders a target pixel in a target scene by using Z-buffering, comprising: a unit that calculates a statistical value indicating distribution characteristics of Z depth values in a predetermined scene; a unit that, by using the statistical value, converts a Z depth value for the target pixel into a converted Z depth value; a unit that generates a first Z depth value for the target pixel by using the converted Z depth value and generates a second Z depth value for the target pixel by using the converted Z depth value or the Z depth value for the target pixel; and a unit that performs a first comparison using the first Z depth value as one comparison subject and, only when the first comparison cannot be successfully performed, performs a second comparison using the second Z depth value as one comparison subject.

Conventional technology offers an image generation apparatus that performs high-speed rendering of objects such as polygon models by using Z-buffering. Z-buffering is one method for hidden surface removal (or in other words, visible surface determination). When Z-buffering is performed, a comparison of depths is performed between a depth of an already-rendered object and a depth of a rendering-target object, and when certain results are yielded through the comparison, rendering of the rendering-target object is not performed. Here, according to Z-buffering, values indicating depths of already-rendered objects are stored to a memory region as "Z depth values". Further, the memory region to which such Z depth values are stored is commonly referred to as a "Z buffer".
One problem with Z-buffering is that, when Z-buffering is performed, much access is made to the Z buffer. Hence, methods are sought for which reduce access made to the Z buffer.
For instance, Patent Literature 1 discloses one method for reducing access made to the Z buffer. In specific, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method where high order bits and low order bits of a Z depth value, which is stored to the Z buffer according to conventional technology, are separately stored to different memory regions. Further, according to the method disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a comparison of depths by using low order bits of the Z depth values is performed only when the determination of visible surface cannot be successfully performed by comparing high order bits of the Z depth values, or that is, only when a comparison of the Z depth values by using high order bits of the Z depth values cannot be successfully performed. According to this method, access is mainly restricted to that made to the memory region storing the high order bits of Z depth values, and accordingly, access made to the Z buffer is reduced. Note that in the following, a state where access is mainly made to only a specific memory region as described above is also referred to as the "localization of memory access".

Image generation apparatus, image generation method, image generation program, and integrated circuit for rendering a target pixel in a target scene by using Z-buffering

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A communication data controller is provided which is capable of correctly retransmitting transmission data even if a block of the transmission data exceeding a FIFO (First-In First-Out) memory is written in an overwriting manner to the FIFO memory. The memory stores transmission data to be transmitted to a communication device. Transmission data stored in the memory is written and read to and from the FIFO memory by a CPU (Central Processing Unit). A DMAC (Direct Memory Access Controller) driver, when a request for retransmission of a block is made in the case where the block of transmission data exceeding a capacity of the FIFO memory is written to the FIFO memory, drives the DMAC and transfers the block being stored in the memory to the communication data controller.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication data controller, and particularly to a communication data controller to carry out communication by writing transmission data on a FIFO (First-In First-Out) memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication devices or the like have a communication data controller being equipped with a FIFO memory to control receiving and transmitting of data. The communication data controller, when receiving transmission data from a controlling device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, transmits the transmission data independently from the controlling device to a party with which communication is carried out. This enables decrease in a processing load on the controlling device.
Moreover, in the communication data controller, since transmission data is written on the FIFO memory, when an error or the like occurs during data transmission, by controlling an address of the transmission data stored in the FIFO memory, the transmission data can be retransmitted without rewriting of the transmission data (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2000-10758 and Hei 5-257847).
FIG. 6 shows an example of a circuit of a conventional communication data controller. As shown in FIG. 6, the communication data controller 101 is connected to a CPU 121 via a bus 122. Also, the communication data controller 101 is connected to a transmitting circuit 131 to transmit data and to a receiving circuit 132 used to receive data. A foldover wiring 133 is connected between the transmitting circuit 131 and the receiving circuit 132 so that transmission data output from the communication data controller 101 to the transmitting circuit 131 can be monitored. The transmitting circuit 131 and receiving circuit 132 are further connected to other communication device being a party with which communication is carried out.
The CPU 121, when transmitting transmission data to the communication device being the party with which communication is carried out, writes the transmission data on a buffer 102 in the communication data controller 101. The buffer 102 writes the written data on the FIFO memory 104. The write pointer 105 generates an address of the FIFO memory 104. The write pointer controller 106 controls the address generation to be performed by the write pointer 105. For example, the write pointer controller 106, when the transmission data stored in the buffer 102, exercises control so as to increment the address generated by the write pointer 105. Also, the write pointer controller 106, when the address generated by the write pointer 105 becomes a last one, exercises control so as to make the last address become a head address. The read pointer 107 generates an address used to read out transmission data from the FIFO memory 104. The read pointer controller 108 controls the address generation to be performed by the read pointer 107. For example, the read pointer controller 108, when transmission data is read out from the FIFO memory 104, controls so as to increment the address generated by the read pointer 107. Also, the read pointer controller 106, when the address generated by the read pointer 107 becomes a last one, exercises control so as to make the last address become a head address. Moreover, the write pointer controller 106 and the read pointer controller 108 control the address of the FIFO memory 104 so that the transmission data is written or read according to the FIFO method. The transmission data read from the FIFO memory 104 is transmitted to a communication device through the buffer 103 and the transmitting circuit 131. The reload pointer 109 stores an address of the transmission data to be retransmitted when transmission of data fails. The address of the reload pointer 109 is controlled by the CPU 121 (In FIG. 6, a line between the CPU 121 and the reload pointer 109 is omitted).
The CPU 121, when writing a block of transmission data on the FIFO memory 104, controls so as to store an address of the FIFO memory 104 on which a head of the block has been written in the reload pointer 109. Therefore, when a request for retransmission of transmission data is made, by setting an address of the reload pointer 109 to the read pointer 107, a block containing transmission data which has been requested to be retransmitted is retransmitted from the FIFO memory 104. Moreover, transmission data has a certain size and is, for example, one byte of data. The block is a collection of data and, for example, the block is delimited appropriately so that one block makes up one piece of data. How the block is delimited is judged by the CPU 121.
The receiving controller 110 judges whether or not retransmission of data is necessary. For example, the receiving controller 110 judges that the transmission of data is necessary when an error occurs in communications from a communication device being a party with which communication is carried out or when transmission data being monitored by the foldover wiring 133 is different from the transmission data or the like. The receiving controller 110, when judging that the retransmission of data is required, transmits a retransmission trigger signal RT to the read pointer controller 108.
The read pointer controller 108, when receiving the retransmission trigger signal RT from the receiving controller 110, controls the reload pointer 109 so as to set an address of the reload pointer 109 to the read pointer 107. As a result, a block of transmission data being stored in the FIFO memory 104 is read out, beginning with its head of the block, and is retransmitted to a communication device.
The receiving circuit 132 receives receiving data from the communication device being a party with which communication is carried out. The receiving circuit 132 writes received data on the buffer 114. The buffer 114 writes the written data on the FIFO memory 111.
The write pointer 115 generates an address used to write the received data on the FIFO memory 111. The read pointer 113 generates an address used to read out the received data written on the FIFO memory 111. The received data read out from the FIFO memory 111 is output to the CPU 121 through the buffer 112 and the bus 122. Moreover, in FIG. 6, a pointer controller to control address generation to be performed by the read pointer 113 and write pointer 115 is omitted. The pointer controller controls the address of the FIFO memory 111 so that the transmission data is written or read according to the FIFO method.
However, when a block of transmission data to be transmitted to a party with which communication is carried out exceeds a capacity of the FIFO memory, transmission data exceeding the capacity of the FIFO memory must be overwritten on an area in which transmission of data has already been completed. Therefore, there is a problem that, if necessity of the retransmission of a block arises, the transmission data has been partially lost in the FIFO memory, thus making it impossible to correctly retransmit the data stored in the FIFO memory.
FIG. 7 shows a diagram explaining a state of a FIFO memory occurring when a block of transmission data exceeds a capacity of the FIFO memory. In FIG. 7, a block 141 of transmission data to be transmitted to a communication device of a party with which communication is carried out is shown. The double-headed arrow A101 shows a capacity of the FIFO memory of the transmission data controller 101. As shown in FIG. 7, since the capacity of the block 141 exceeds the capacity of the FIFO memory, a portion of the block 141 that exceeds the capacity of the FIFO memory, that is, a portion shown by the double-headed arrow is overwritten on a FIFO memory area in which transmission of data has been already completed. Therefore, if necessity of retransmission of the block 141 arises, the transmission data has been partially lost and, as a result, it is impossible to retransmit correct transmission data from the FIFO memory.
Moreover, when the transmission of a block of transmission block has not yet been completed, if a subsequent block is written on the FIFO memory, an address of the subsequent block is stored in the reload pointer. Therefore, a problem arises that, if necessity of retransmission of a block existing before a newest block arises, an address of the block to be retransmitted has been lost and the retransmission is made impossible.
FIG. 8 shows a diagram explaining a state of a read pointer occurring when a block of transmission data is written on a plurality of FIFO memories. In FIG. 8, a plurality of blocks 151 to 153 written on the FIFO memory is shown. Now let it be assumed that, during transmission of the block 151, the blocks 152 and 153 are written, without being overwritten, on the FIFO memory. In this case, an address of the FIFO memory in which a head of the block 153 has been stored is stored in the reload pointer 109. Therefore, during the transmission of the block 151 or the block 152, if a request for the retransmission of transmission data is made, since the address of the reload pointer 109 has been changed, which makes it impossible to retransmit the data.


By monitoring pressure transients in a liquid within a liquid distribution system using only a single sensor, events such as the opening and closing of valves at specific fixtures are readily detected. The sensor, which can readily be coupled to a faucet bib, transmits an output signal to a computing device. Each such event can be identified by the device based by comparing characteristic features of the pressure transient waveform with previously observed characteristic features for events in the system. These characteristic features, which can include the varying pressure, derivative, and real Cepstrum of the pressure transient waveform, can be used to select a specific fixture where a valve open or close event has occurred. Flow to each fixture and leaks in the system can also be determined from the pressure transient signal. A second sensor disposed at a point disparate from the first sensor provides further event information.

Water is essential to many home activities (e.g., washing, cleaning, cooking, drinking, gardening). In 2008, it was estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that 36 states will face serious water shortages in the next five years. Furthermore, in 2001, the American Water Works Association indicated that only a 15% reduction in water usage across US households would save an estimated 2.7 billion gallons/day and more than $2 billion/year. Adding to the problem is a more recent estimate by the EPA that more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from the water systems in U.S. homes each year, which accounts for about 10% of the average home's water usage. The leaks can be in worn faucet and toilet valves, as well as leaks in the water lines installed in living structures. Most consumers have no mechanism to accurately measure their household water usage other than total consumption indicated on a monthly (or bi-monthly) water bill, which are based on periodic water meter readings. Further, the leaks occurring in household water systems often go undetected, since they are not evident to residents in a home. In order to better conserve water and stop leaks, it will be necessary to provide residents with information related to the water consumed with each type of water consumption activity, from washing a load of clothes in a washer, to taking a shower or flushing a toilet.
Previous work that was directed toward monitoring home water usage created an approach that has several drawbacks. For example, this earlier approach used microphones pressed against an exterior of specific water pipes in a residence, including a cold water inlet, a hot water inlet, and a waste water exit, to demonstrate recognition of several important activities based on patterns of water use, such as the series of fill cycles associated with a dishwasher. This earlier technique was unable to reliably differentiate among multiple instances of water usage by similar fixtures (e.g., the opening or closing of valves at each of multiple sinks or the flushing of multiple toilets within a home), could not reliably identify concurrent activities (e.g., a toilet flush while a person is showering), and did not attempt to estimate the volume of water being used by the water system during water consuming activities. There are also significant difficulties in using the audio-based sensors due to ambient noise (e.g., noise produced by an air conditioning unit that is installed in close proximity to a sensor placed on a home's hot water heater). In addition, this prior approach did not enable leaks to be detected at specific fixtures.
In several industrial applications, such as irrigation systems, sensors providing high-granularity flow rate monitoring have been used, but these prior art approaches are either prohibitively expensive for residential use (e.g., from about $2,000 to about $8,000 for a single ultrasonic or laser Doppler velocimetry sensor) or require a professional installation by a plumber of multiple inline flow sensors. An inline flow sensor is installed for each fixture of interest by cutting into existing pipes. It has also been shown in a laboratory environment that accelerometers mounted on the exterior of water pipes produce a signal having a strong deterministic relationship to water flow rate, but this effect is highly sensitive to pipe diameter, material, and configuration. Others have proposed using a home's existing aggregate water flow meter together with a network of accelerometers on pipes to infer flow rates throughout a home. However, all of these prior art approaches require placement of multiple sensors along or in water pipe pathways that are uniquely associated with each fixture of interest (i.e., they are distributed direct sensing methods that cannot use a single sensor to monitor all of the fixtures in a structure water system).
It is therefore evident that it would be desirable to employ a better method and system for monitoring water flow to each of a plurality of different fixtures in a residence or multi-living unit structure that is low in cost and easily installed without using a plumber. Such a system and method should enable water usage or volumetric flow occurring at each fixture to be readily determined. In addition, it would also be desirable to employ such a system and method to detect water leakage at specific fixtures or points in a water system of a structure, so that a location of at least certain types of the leaks can be identified, to facilitate correcting the condition that has caused the leak.

Sensing events affecting liquid flow in a liquid distribution system


A casting (52) for a support housing (50), including: a fuel manifold (56) comprising an a-stage gas gallery (80) and a b-stage gas gallery (82); a-stage and a b-stage rocket bases (60) integrally cast with the fuel manifold (56), the a-stage gas gallery (80) in fluid communication with the a-stage stage rocket bases and the b-stage gas gallery (82) in fluid communication with the b-stage rocket bases; and one oil tube passageway (64) for each fuel rocket base (60), each oil tube passageway (64) spanning from an upstream end (66) of the fuel manifold (56) to an interior (68) of a respective fuel rocket base (60). Each oil tube passageway (64) is disposed radially inward of an inner perimeter (102) of the b-stage gas gallery (82).

Dry Low NOx (DLN) gas turbine engines include a can annular combustion arrangement where each can combustor includes a pilot burner and several main premix burners disposed circumferentially about the pilot burner. For each can combustor there is a main fuel nozzle that supplies one or more fuels to the main premix burners, and a pilot nozzle that supplies one or more fuels to the pilot burner. DLN engines produce 25 parts per million (PPM) NOx, or less. Ultra Low NOx (ULN) engines are an emerging class of engines that produce even lower levels of NOx than DLN engines.
DLN gas turbine engines are a result of an evolution of gas turbine engines where unwanted emissions have been reduced and efficiency increased by engine designs where the firing temperatures and operating pressures are ever increasing. The main burner fuel nozzle (a.k.a. support housing) is disposed in the compressed air manifold at an inlet end of the combustor where compressed air is at its greatest pressure, greatest temperature, and where the compressed air is undergoing a reversal of flow direction at the inlet end of the combustor. The high temperature and high pressure of the operating environment, as well as corrosive fuels, are known to cause stress corrosion cracking in the main fuel nozzle, which leads to limited life for the fuel manifold.
Concurrent with the need to survive in the relatively harsh DLN (as well as ultra low NOx (ULN) operating environment is a requirement that a fuel manifold of the main burner fuel nozzle be able to receive one or more fuel supplies and distribute them to several different fuel rockets, where there is one rocket for each premix main burner. The fuel rockets may further be divided into more than one stage. Further complicating the fuel manifold's design, in some embodiments the fuel manifold must be able to receive a second, different fuel and also distribute the second fuel to each rocket, also perhaps in more than one stage.
Conventionally, due to the complication of the fuel manifold, the required passages were machined into the fuel manifold. Milling, drilling, and welding-together the fuel manifold parts in order to create the complex channels resulted in stress risers where sharp corners were created, or where welds were located in regions of relatively high stress within the finished fuel manifold etc. In order to provide a fuel manifold that was strong enough to resist stress corrosion cracking long enough to provide a support housing with a viable lifespan, designers have used forged sub components and joined them together to form the fuel manifold. The fuel rockets were then welded to the forged fuel manifold. This technique has provided great flexibility in design, but it has a cost because the forged parts are more expensive, and machining it likewise expensive.
Complicating the matter still further is a need to provide for an expansion element on the main burner fuel nozzle to accommodate the relative thermal expansion of the internal fuel circuits. For example, in a dual fuel main burner nozzle, a fuel gas may be directed to an interior of the fuel rocket via one or more stages of fuel gas circuits. A fuel oil may also be directed through the fuel rocket and be ejected from the fuel rocket at a location proximate where the fuel gas is ejected. The fuel oil tube may be secured to the main burner nozzle and the fuel rocket ejection location, but the fuel rocket and the fuel oil tube often experience differential thermal expansion. Previously, this has been accommodated using a bellows type compensator built into the base of the fuel rocket. However, the thin plies of the bellows are highly susceptible to a number of failure modes, including stress corrosion cracking, cyclic failure, and rupture.
To overcome the foregoing problems and yet provide a main fuel nozzle having a reasonable service life designers have continued to seek stronger and stronger materials for the fuel manifold, and with this comes the attendant higher cost. Consequently, there remains room for improvement in the art.

Cast manifold for dry low NOx gas turbine engine


The present disclosure provides a method, apparatus and system for displaying search results, an apparatus and a computer storage medium. On the one hand, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the key word is sent to the server so that the server performs a search according to the key word to obtain at least two page files, each of the page files including at least one search result matching the key word, thereby receiving the at least two page files sent by the server; thereby, according to the page style and the special display effect corresponding to each of the page files, rendering each of said page files to display the search result matching the key word. Hence, the technical solutions provided by embodiments of the present disclosure solve the problem in the prior art that the form of displaying the search result page is relatively single and exhibits lower interactivity and flexibility.

A search result page is a set of several search results. When a user inputs a key word in a browser or client, a server may perform a search according to the key word and obtain search results matching the key word, then generate a page file according to these search results, then send the page file and a page style to the client or browser, and the client or browser displays the search results in the page file according to the page style.
In the prior art, the page style configured by the server for the client is with respect to the whole search result page. Furthermore, the user can only perform interactive operation for the whole search result, and seldom perform interactive operation for a single or several search results. Hence, the form of displaying the search result page in the prior art is relatively single and exhibits lower interactivity and flexibility.

Method, apparatus and system for displaying search results, apparatus and computer storage medium

BAIDU ONLINE NETWORK TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.


A belt sander includes a base, a sanding device, a worktable, a tipping drive device, and a swinging device. The swinging device includes a cylindrical roller, a central shaft, a toothed ring, a drive gear, a cam, and a fixing rod. The swinging device drives the sanding device to produce a slightly reciprocally swinging action during operation of the sanding device. Thus, the grinding path and area of the sand belt are increased largely by the reciprocally and successively swinging action of the swinging device and the sanding device, so that the sand belt can be used to grind the wooden material exactly and efficiently, thereby greatly enhancing the grinding and finishing effect of the belt sander.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a belt sander, and more particularly to a belt sander having a reciprocally swinging effect.
2. Description of the Related Art
A belt sander is used to grind and finish a wooden material. However, the sand belt of the belt sander has a surface formed with particles arranged in an irregular manner, so that the surface of the wooden material is easily scratched by the sand belt, thereby decreasing the finishing effect of the belt sander. In addition, the sand belt of the belt sander has a rough surface, so that the wooden chips produced during the grinding process are easily attached to the surface of the sand belt. Thus, the worker has to clear the surface of the sand belt frequently, thereby decreasing the working efficiency of the belt sander.
A conventional belt sander in accordance with the prior art was disclosed in his U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,841-B1.


A radio frequency identification (RFID) system includes an RFID reader and an RFID tag. The RFID reader is coupled to transmit first electromagnetic signal via an off-chip winding section of a hybrid on-chip-off-chip transformer. The RFID tag is coupled to receive the first electromagnetic signal via an on-chip winding section of the hybrid on-chip-off-chip transformer, wherein the on-chip winding section derives a second electromagnetic signal from the first electromagnetic signal when the on-chip winding section is within a proximal coupling distance of the off-chip winding section.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to communication systems and more particularly to a transformer that may be used in such communication systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication systems are known to support wireless and wire lined communications between wireless and/or wire lined communication devices. Such communication systems range from national and/or international cellular telephone systems to the Internet to point-to-point in-home wireless networks. Each type of communication system is constructed, and hence operates, in accordance with one or more communication standards. For instance, wireless communication systems may operate in accordance with one or more standards including, but not limited to, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, advanced mobile phone services (AMPS), digital AMPS, global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), local multi-point distribution systems (LMDS), multi-channel-multi-point distribution systems (MMDS), radio frequency identification (RFID), and/or variations thereof.
Depending on the type of wireless communication system, a wireless communication device, such as a cellular telephone, two-way radio, personal digital assistant (PDA), personal computer (PC), laptop computer, home entertainment equipment, RFID reader, RFID tag, et cetera communicates directly or indirectly with other wireless communication devices. For direct communications (also known as point-to-point communications), the participating wireless communication devices tune their receivers and transmitters to the same channel or channels (e.g., one of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) carriers of the wireless communication system or a particular RF frequency for some systems) and communicate over that channel(s). For indirect wireless communications, each wireless communication device communicates directly with an associated base station (e.g., for cellular services) and/or an associated access point (e.g., for an in-home or in-building wireless network) via an assigned channel. To complete a communication connection between the wireless communication devices, the associated base stations and/or associated access points communicate with each other directly, via a system controller, via the public switch telephone network, via the Internet, and/or via some other wide area network.
For each wireless communication device to participate in wireless communications, it includes a built-in radio transceiver (i.e., receiver and transmitter) or is coupled to an associated radio transceiver (e.g., a station for in-home and/or in-building wireless communication networks, RF modem, etc.). As is known, the receiver is coupled to the antenna and includes a low noise amplifier, one or more intermediate frequency stages, a filtering stage, and a data recovery stage. The low noise amplifier receives inbound RF signals via the antenna and amplifies then. The one or more intermediate frequency stages mix the amplified RF signals with one or more local oscillations to convert the amplified RF signal into baseband signals or intermediate frequency (IF) signals. The filtering stage filters the baseband signals or the IF signals to attenuate unwanted out of band signals to produce filtered signals. The data recovery stage recovers raw data from the filtered signals in accordance with the particular wireless communication standard.
As is also known, the transmitter includes a data modulation stage, one or more intermediate frequency stages, and a power amplifier. The data modulation stage converts raw data into baseband signals in accordance with a particular wireless communication standard. The one or more intermediate frequency stages mix the baseband signals with one or more local oscillations to produce RF signals. The power amplifier amplifies the RF signals prior to transmission via an antenna.
In many wireless communication devices, the transmitter and/or receiver is coupled to antenna, or antennas, by one or more transformers. Such a transformer typically includes a single-ended winding that is coupled to the antenna and a differential winding that is coupled to a low noise amplifier of a receiver section and/or to a power amplifier of a transmitter section. The transformer may be implemented in a variety of ways. For instance, the transformer may be implemented on-chip with the receiver and/or transmitter section. While an on-chip transformer provides the convenience of not requiring an external transformer, the on-chip transformer's power capabilities are limited due to its size.
Another known implementation of a transformer is a marginal type transformer that is fabricated on a printed circuit board (PCB). A marginal type transformer includes two parallel traces that each is approximately one-quarter wavelength in length. As such, a margin type transformer consumes a significant amount of PCB real estate, but does provide significant power in comparison to the on-chip transformer. As with any transformer, impedance matching between the antenna and receiver or transmitter section is an important design criterion.
In addition to the above uses, transformers are used in a multitude of applications that require an AC voltage to be converted from one level to another with an electrical isolation between the windings. For example, almost all power converters (AC to DC, DC to DC, and DC to AC) include a transformer for a voltage level shift. Typically, the transformer includes a primary winding wrapped around a ferrite core with a secondary winding wrapped around another part of the ferrite core or over the primary winding.
In all of the transformers discussed above, i.e., on-chip transformers, on-PCB transformers, ferrite core transformers, and other types of transformers (e.g., air core), they have a similar construction technique for the primary and secondary windings. For example, the on-chip transformers have both windings fabricated on a die of an integrated circuit. While such transformers offer a wide variety of applications, there are emerging applications that would benefit from a transformer having one of its winding implemented on a die of an integrated circuit while the other winding is implemented off of the die.
Therefore a need exists for a transformer that has one winding implemented on a die of an integrated circuit and another winding implemented off of the die.

RFID using an hybrid on-chip-off-chip transformer


A working gas circulation engine includes a combustion chamber that can expand a working gas, which has a specific heat ratio higher than that of the air, with the combustion between an oxidizing agent and a fuel; a circulation path that can allow the working gas to circulate from a suction side to an exhaust side of the combustion chamber and can supply the same again to the combustion chamber; a feed means that can feed the gas in a pressure-reduction target section, which is the section whose pressure is to be reduced, to the outside, and a control means that operates the feed means for feeding the gas in the pressure-reduction target section, when the pressure in the pressure-reduction target section is higher than a predetermined pressure that is set in advance.

There has been known a working gas circulation engine that is so-called a closed-cycle engine as a conventional engine. In the working gas circulation engine, working gas contained in exhaust gas is allowed to circulate from an exhaust side to a suction side of a combustion chamber, and again can be supplied to the combustion chamber. The working gas circulation engine of this type includes a combustion chamber to which oxygen serving as an oxidizing agent and hydrogen serving as a fuel that is burned by the oxygen are supplied as a reacted product, and to which a working gas having a specific heat ratio higher than that of air is supplied, and a circulation path into which the working gas is circulated from an exhaust side to a suction side of the combustion chamber and again can be supplied to the combustion chamber. The working gas is caused to expand due to the combustion of the oxygen and hydrogen in the combustion chamber, whereby power is generated. Further, the working gas is basically circulated back to the combustion chamber through the circulation path without being released into the atmosphere.
As the conventional working gas circulation engine, a hydrogen engine disclosed in Patent Document 1 described below has been known, for example. In the hydrogen engine disclosed in the Patent Document 1, oxygen and hydrogen are supplied to the combustion chamber, and argon composed of a monoatomic molecule having a specific heat ratio higher than that of air is supplied into the combustion chamber as a working gas in order to enhance thermal efficiency. In the working gas circulation engine, argon is thermally expanded due to the combustion of hydrogen in the combustion chamber, which pushes down a piston to generate power.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 11-93681


An audio preamplifier includes a first stage including a first triode of a first vacuum tube in a common cathode configuration configured to perform a first gain function favoring one of low frequencies and mid-range frequencies in response to user input; a second stage including a second triode of the first vacuum tube in a common cathode configuration configured to perform a second gain function favoring one of low frequencies and mid-range frequencies in response to user input; a third stage including a first triode of a second vacuum tube in a common cathode configuration configured to perform a tone-shaping function favoring one of low frequencies and mid-range frequencies in response to user input; and a fourth stage including a second triode of the second vacuum tube in a follower configuration configured to perform a tone stack function in response to user input.

A musical instrument amplifier (or amp) is an electrical or electronic device or system that strengthens the weak electrical signal output from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or other instruments that can be amplified so that it can drive the sound signals through one or more loudspeakers. An amplifier typically has a preamplifier stage and a power amplifier stage that may be housed separately as two independent units or together in one cabinet. Amplifiers not only magnify the sound of the instrument, but may also emphasize or de-emphasize certain frequencies and change the tonal characteristics of the sound. For some electric guitar players, their choice of guitar amplifier and the amplifier settings they use are a significant contribution to their signature sound.