A drawing apparatus includes: plural charged particle optical systems arrayed at a pitch in a first direction, each configured to irradiate a substrate with charged particle beams; a stage configured to hold the substrate and be moved relative to the charged particle optical systems in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a controller configured to determine charged particle beams for the drawing with respect to each charged particle optical system so as to satisfy a relation given by SW=Pc/α=Ps/(β where Ps is an array pitch of shot regions in the first direction, SW is a width, in the first direction, of each drawing region by each charged particle optical system, Pc be an array pitch of drawing regions in the first direction, and α and β are natural numbers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus for performing drawing on a substrate with a plurality of charged particle beams, and a method of manufacturing an article.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a drawing apparatus used to manufacture a device such as a semiconductor integrate circuit, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-144323 proposes a drawing apparatus that performs drawing simultaneously on a plurality of shot regions of a substrate using a plurality of electron optical systems (charged particle optical systems) to increase the productivity. When simultaneously performing drawing using a plurality of electron optical systems, the total quantity of drawing pattern data held and handled by the electron optical systems increases in accordance with the number of electron optical systems. In many cases, however, patterns having the same shape are drawn on the plurality of shot regions.
In the drawing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-144323, drawing data used by the plurality of electron optical systems are shared by the plurality of shot regions. The drawing is performed simultaneously on the plurality of shot regions using the same drawing data, thereby reducing the scale of drawing data to be held and handled. Additionally, in the drawing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-144323, a plurality of electron optical systems each including an independent correction device are periodically arranged. When performing overlay drawing on an already drawn underlayer pattern, the position of the drawing pattern to be overlaid is corrected for each electron optical system based on the shape of the underlayer pattern.
FIG. 1 shows a state in which drawing is performed simultaneously on a plurality of shot regions of a wafer using a plurality of such electron optical systems. In FIG. 1, drawing is performed on 5 (rows)×5 (columns)=25 shot regions on a wafer 10 using three electron optical systems. Each of three electron optical systems Col_1, Col_2, and Col_3 can project a plurality of or 5 (rows)×5 (columns) electron beams to the wafer 10.
When the wafer 10 is moved to the upper side of FIG. 1 with respect to the electron optical systems Col_1, Col_2, and Col_3 by a stage (not shown) on which the wafer 10 is placed, the electron optical systems Col_1 to Col_3 draw stripe regions S1 to S3, respectively. In this stripe drawing, multiple drawing is performed on the wafer 10 by the plurality of electron beams of the electron optical systems which are arrayed in the moving direction of the wafer 10 (column direction). The irradiating doses of the electron beams on the wafer 10 are controlled by on/off-controlling irradiation of the electron beams.
The irradiating doses of the electron beams are controlled repetitively using drawing data generated from design data in advance. Drawing data necessary for the electron optical systems Col_1 to Col_3 to simultaneously perform drawing is drawing data for the widths of the stripe regions S1 to S3. Since the drawing position changes between the shot regions, as shown in FIG. 1, the drawing data changes between the electron optical systems. It is therefore necessary to redundantly generate drawing data that changes between the electron optical systems in advance and hold the data, resulting in an increase in the total quantity of drawing data.
To solve this problem, Japanese Patent No. 4308504 describes electron beam drawing capable of mechanically adjusting the distances between the optical axes of a plurality of electron optical systems.
However, the method described in Japanese Patent No. 4308504 which mechanically adjusts the distances between the optical axes of electron optical systems to shared drawing data by the electron optical systems has a problem of mechanical adjustment precision and drawing precision.

Drawing apparatus and method of manufacturing article


A system and method that includes scoring logic for handling errors in a data storage environment by employing risk scoring. Architecture for handling errors with scoring logic is provided. A program product enabled for carrying out methodology described herein is also provided. An apparatus for handling errors using risk scoring is provided.

As is known in the art, computer systems generally include a central processing unit (CPU), a memory subsystem, and a data storage subsystem. According to a network or enterprise model of the computer system, the data storage system associated with or in addition to a local computer system, may include a large number of independent storage devices or disks housed in a single enclosure or cabinet. This array of storage devices is typically connected to several computers over a network or via dedicated cabling. Such a model allows for the centralization of data that is to be shared among many users and also allows for a single point of maintenance for the storage functions associated with the many host processors.
The data storage system stores critical information for an enterprise that must be available for use substantially all of the time. If an error occurs on such a data storage system it must be fixed as soon as possible because such information is at the heart of the commercial operations of many major businesses. A recent economic survey from the University of Minnesota and known as Bush-Kugel study indicates a pattern that after just a few days (2 to 6) without access to their critical data many businesses are devastated. The survey showed that 25% of such businesses were immediately bankrupt after such a critical interruption and less than 7% remained in the marketplace after 5 years.
Recent innovations by EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass. provide business continuity solutions that are at the heart of many enterprises data storage infrastructure. Nevertheless, the systems (including devices and software) being implemented are complex and vulnerable to errors that must be quickly serviced for the continuity to be maintained.
EMC has been using a technique for responding to errors as they occur by "calling home" to report the errors. The data storage system is equipped with a modem and a service processor (typically a laptop computer) for error response. Sensors that are built into its storage systems monitor things such as temperature, vibration, and tiny fluctuations in power, as well as unusual patterns in the way data is being stored and retrieved—over 1,000 diagnostics in all. Periodically (about every two hours), an EMC data storage system checks its own state of health. If an error is noted, a machine-implemented "call home" is made to customer service over a line dedicated for that purpose. Every day, thousands of such calls home for help reach EMC's customer service center in Hopkinton. About one-third of the calls from EMC's machines trigger the dispatch of a customer engineer to fix some problem, but clearly not all calls can be handled right away. Nor are all errors necessarily caught by the reporting system. At risk is the data storage system owner's data, but even when not at risk, if the owner is dissatisfied with how long it is taking to get the problem resolved then that reflects poorly on the company that sold the data storage system to the owner.
Companies that sell data storage systems are very concerned with protecting the customer's data and with the customer's satisfaction with the overall ownership experience because they would like to have a mutually satisfactory business relationship. But the volume of calls and errors in general and the overall complexity of problems make it extremely difficult to have quick resolutions. But rushing to fix every problem as it comes in stretches resources undesirably and is costly.
What is needed is a way to handle errors and service problems in a way that fixes the problem in a reasonably timely fashion while ensuring that the owner stays satisfied with the experience.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Architecture for handling errors in accordance with a risk score factor


A fresenel zoned microstructured optical fiber is described. The fiber is constructed of concentric zones, each zone being defined by discontinuities in the refractive index. The refractive index within each zone may either be constant or may vary, for example each zone being a section of a parabola or hyperbola. The fiber may be used as a lens, for example for coupling light between fibers with different core sizes.

Optic fibres are used to guide light over meters to many kilometers. They work by confining the light to a central core. Examples of known structures for optic fibres are briefly described below.
In the commonly used single mode optic fibre, the core that carries the light is surrounded by a layer of cladding, as may be seen in FIG. 1a. Both the core and cladding are typically glass but the core is made of a high refractive index material whilst the cladding has a lower refractive index, so that light in the core undergoes total internal reflection at the interface between the two layers and so is confined to the core. FIG. 1b is an example of the refractive index variation.
In recent years, photonic waveguiding structures have been proposed, such as the so-called "OmniGuide" fibre (see FIG. 2), which has been described at M. Ibanescu et al, Physical Review E, Vol. 67(4), article number 046608, 2003. In this, alternate concentric layers of high and low refractive index surround a core, the structure being periodic in the radius. The periodicity acts as a bandgap to exclude certain wavelengths and thus confine them to the core.
Another proposal has been to radially grade the refractive index from a high value at the centre of the fibre to a low value. This serves to refract the light rays at the boundary between each layer (which can be considered infinitesimally thin if the refractive index variation is continuous). This serves to bend rays on trajectories away from the axis of the fibre back towards that axis. A graded index or "GRIN" fibre is illustrated in FIG. 3a. Typically, the refractive index variation is parabolic as shown in FIG. 3b.
Another problem that has been under consideration in the area of photonics is the coupling of light between waveguides of different width. Single mode glass optic fibres and also polymer waveguides have relatively low refractive index, making the core width relatively large (to obtain the single mode operation), whereas silicon waveguides (silicon being used because photonic devices are often manufactured in silicon) have a relatively high refractive index, and so have a relatively small waveguide width. There is, therefore, a difficulty in efficiently transferring light from optic fibres and polymer waveguides into silicon waveguides.
FIG. 4 shows one proposal to overcome this. Instead of simply abutting the end of, in this example a polymer waveguide to the end of a silicon waveguide, a tapered section of the silicon waveguide is extended into the polymer core over some distance. The taper collects more of the light from the polymer core and transmits it into the silicon core. The device is further described at T Shoji et al, 15th LEOS Conf. Proc., Vol. 1, TuU3, p289–290, 2002.
Another proposal is to use a short section of graded index fibre as a lens to concentrate light from the wide exit aperture of the fibre or polymer waveguide into the smaller aperture at the end of the silicon waveguide. The action of such a lens is illustrated in FIG. 5, which shows the rays from the wide glass optic fibre aperture being converged by the index variation to a focus, which is where the input aperture to the silicon waveguide is placed.

Fresnel zoned microstructured fibre and lens


An equipment rack has a strengthened base and folded side members to provide Zone 4 earthquake protection. When the rack is mounted on a support surface, the mounting bolts securing the rack are overtightened so as to distort the base member and thus prestress the structure. This improves rigidity when the rack is subjected to earthquake vibration.

There is an increasing need for ruggedised racking for the installation of telecommunication equipment, e.g. switching equipment, in zones that are potentially subject to earthquake damage. These earthquake zones are classified according to the potential risk and the magnitude of earthquake damage, the most severe damage being expected in zone 4. There is a requirement that, in the event of an earthquake, the equipment supported in the rack will be protected from damage so that a communication service can be maintained without interruption. To meet this objective, an equipment rack must provide effective damping of the earthquake induced vibrations so as to minimise the forces that are transferred to the equipment mounted in the rack. The requirements for earthquake resistance are described in a test procedure detailed in the Bellcore NEBS standard entitled GR-63-CORE, Network Equipment Building System (NEBS) which recommends applied forces and wave forms which the rack should be able to resist.
One approach to this problem is described in specification number U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,107 which describes a rack in which the base portion is reinforced with metal gussets to provide a strong box-like structure which braces the rack against applied forces. While this provides an effective rugged structure which is resistant to applied forces resulting from an earthquake, the box-like base section occupies a significant proportion of the rack volume and limits the quantity of equipment that can be supported on the rack. Thus a larger number of racks are required to house a given volume of equipment than would be the case with conventional racking systems. This can limit the use of such a rack in confined situations where space is at a premium.
The object of the invention is to minimise or to overcome this disadvantage.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved earthquake resistant rack construction.


The present disclosure relates generally connectors for interconnecting a conduit of a fluid pressure device to an interface configured to deliver a fluid of the fluid pressure device to a patient. A connector includes a body portion configured for fluid connection to the conduit of the fluid pressure device; and a first branch and a second branch each extending from and fluidly connected to the body portion, wherein each branch is configured for fluid connection to the interface. A concavity is formed at an interface between each of the body portions, the first branch and the second branch.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of respiratory therapy and, more particularly, to a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) interfaces and the like.
2. Background of Related Art
Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (commonly referred to as obstructive sleep apnea, sleep apnea syndrome, and/or sleep apnea) is a medical condition that includes repeated, prolonged episodes of cessation of breathing during sleep. During a period of wakefulness, the muscles of the upper part of the throat passage of an individual keep the passage open, thereby permitting an adequate amount of oxygen to flow into the lungs. However, during sleep, the throat passage tends to narrow due to the relaxation of the muscles.
In those individuals having a relatively normal-sized throat passage, the narrowed throat passage remains open enough to permit the adequate amount of oxygen to flow into the lungs. However, in those individuals having a relatively smaller-sized throat passage, the narrowed throat passage prohibits the adequate amount of oxygen from flowing into the lungs. Additionally, a nasal obstruction, such as a relatively large tongue, and/or certain shapes of the palate and/or the jaw of the individual, further prohibit the adequate amount of oxygen from flowing into the lungs.
Other medical conditions can also prevent individuals, including adults and infants, from receiving the adequate amount of oxygen into the lungs. For example, an infant who is born prematurely can have lungs that are not developed to an extent necessary to receive an adequate amount of oxygen. Further, prior to, during, and/or subsequent to certain medical procedures and/or medical treatments, an individual can be unable to receive an adequate amount of oxygen. Under these circumstances, it is known to use a ventilation interface to apply a positive pressure to the throat of the individual, thereby permitting the adequate amount of oxygen to flow into the lungs.
In the known ventilation interface, oxygen and/or room air containing oxygen is delivered through the mouth and/or nose of the individual. Existing types of positive pressure applied by the known ventilation interface include continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), in which a positive pressure is maintained in the throat passage throughout a respiratory cycle, bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP), in which a relatively high positive pressure is maintained during inspiration and a relatively low positive pressure is maintained during expiration, and intermittent mechanical positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) in which a positive pressure is applied when apnea is sensed (i.e., the positive airway pressure is applied intermittently or non-continuously).
Typical prior art ventilation masks may be worn in such a manner that fluid conduits thereof extend down to lie on or against a patients chest or may be worn in such a manner that the fluid conduits thereof extend over the patients head. These ventilation masks incorporate the use of various fixed dimensioned Y-connector or ventilation interfaces such as, for example, a 0° Y-connector for ventilation masks which include fluid conduits which overlie the chest, and a 60°-75° Y-connector for ventilation masks which include fluid conduits which extend over the patients head. These fixed dimensioned Y-connector or ventilation interfaces contribute to the patient's inability to adjust the mask and harness as needed or desired in order to achieve a sufficient level of comfort.
A patient's most common complaint regarding prior art ventilation masks is that they cause claustrophobia. Such masks have tubing or mask components that go directly over the eyes or mouth of the patient. Therefore, the user feels as if they are in a tunnel, which feeling is uncomfortable to the user.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a breathing mask that reduces the feeling of claustrophobia, improves the fit and comfort, and provides an economical and sanitary solution to problems with conventional breathing masks
Accordingly, a need also exists for a ventilation interface which may have a variable angle so that the patient may alter the wearing position as needed and or desired without effecting the transmission of air therethrough.


Continuity of coordinates between areas of a coordinate input surface which is divided into a plurality of areas is maintained. In inputting "A, B, C" on a coordinate input plate, when an input operation is started from an initial point, area is determined as an input area, and vibration delay times are measured by using sensors, thereby calculating a coordinate value. When the input operation is continued up to a terminal point, the input point shifts to area. However, vibrations are detected by using the same sensors to calculate a coordinate value as long as the input operation is continuously performed. With this operation, since sensors are not changed for the respective areas, discontinuity of lines at the boundaries between the areas can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coordinate input apparatus and, more particularly, to a coordinate input apparatus for determining the coordinates of a point indicated by a pen.
2. Related Background Art
In a conventional coordinate input apparatus having a vibration input pen using ultrasonic waves as an input device, a delay time taken for vibrations caused by the vibration input pen to reach a vibration detection point is counted, and a distance is calculated by a controller on the basis of the delay time. Coordinates are then calculated and output on the basis of the distance. The size of a vibration transfer plate capable of inputting a vibration with the vibration input pen is decided by the detection gain at the vibration detection point or the output level at the vibration detection point. In contrast to this, the gain at the vibration detection point or the output level of the vibration input pen is sometimes changed in accordance with the size of the vibration transfer plate. The number of vibration detection points is set in consideration of coordinate calculation precision. For example, three or four points are arranged on an A4 size plate or the like.
When a vibration transfer plate larger than an A4 size plate is to be used, three or more vibration detection points are generally arranged in the longitudinal direction of the plate, and three or more points in its widthwise direction.
FIG. 9 is a view for explaining a conventional technique. The coordinate input apparatus shown in FIG. 9 has a vibration transfer plate and eight vibration sensors which are arranged on the plate at the positions in FIG. 9. A vibration input pen is used to indicate a position in one of areas 1 to 4. Different vibration sensors are used in the respective areas. Sensors 6a, 6b, and 6d are used in area 1; the sensor 6b and sensors 6c and 6e, in area 2; the sensor 6d and sensors 6f and 6g, in area 3; and the sensors 6e and 6g and a sensor 6h, in area 4. Switching of the vibration sensors in the respective areas is executed by a controller.
In the above conventional technique, however, since the different sensors are used to calculate coordinates in the respective areas, coordinate calculation errors are caused owing to variations in the vibration sensors constituting a coordinate input apparatus, the respective vibration detectors, and the like, the position precision of each vibration sensor, and the like.
As shown in FIG. 9, therefore, when letters "A", "B", and "C" are to be drawn, the character portions are shifted from each other at the boundaries between the respective areas, resulting in poor readability.

Coordinate input apparatus and control method therefor


A printed wiring board is formed from two or more layers, one of which has circuit lines formed thereon, and wherein the surfaces of the circuit lines are roughened only in areas that require good copper to laminate adhesion. The remainder of the circuit line surfaces are smooth. Thus, those areas for propagation of the signal on signal lines have the circuit lines smooth to maximize the signal propagation effect, while those areas where the signal propagation is not critical are rough, which improves the adhesion of one layer to another. On the voltage planes, the surface in those regions opposite the smooth surfaces of the signal planes is smooth. Thus, these areas of the voltage planes can be maintained smooth while the other areas of the surface of the voltage planes can be roughened, providing good adhesion to the adjoining dielectric material.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to printed wiring boards and, more particularly, to a technique and the resultant product for forming printed wiring boards wherein the technique includes laminating at least two layers together to form the printed wiring board.
2. Background of the Invention
High frequency applications in the field of printed wiring boards, i.e. one GHz and above, are driving the need for smooth copper features on the surfaces of the signal lines. This need is due to the so-called skin effect where, as frequency increases, the path of the electrical signal tends toward the outer surface of the conductor. Hence, roughness on the surface of the copper in high frequency applications will result in higher surface resistivity and longer effective line length, both of which contribute to higher conductive losses for the signal. Also, signal integrity can be affected by the roughness in the ground or voltage planes that are referenced by a signal line in a composite board structure.
However, conventional printed wiring board processes, such as lamination, depend on roughened copper surfaces in order to provide adequate adhesion of the copper to dielectric laminate in the composite laminated structure. Typically, the exposed surfaces of internal wiring planes and voltage planes of a layer prior to lamination are initially smooth, and then are roughened to promote adhesion. Techniques for roughening the copper include the oxide and oxide replacement processes, as well as the application of brass, or zinc and/or nickel on the copper surface. Conventionally, the roughening treatment is applied to all the exposed copper surfaces prior to, as well as after, personalization of the copper plane. Thus, the two competing problems require different surface roughnesses for optimum benefit; i.e., a very smooth surface of the conductive material is desired for a most efficient signal propagation, while a roughened surface is desired for optimum adhesion of copper to the dielectric material.

Selectively roughening conductors for high frequency printed wiring boards

International Business Machines Corporation


A network comprises a power manager with a network agent in communication over a network with an network manager. The power manager is connected to control several intelligent power modules each able to independently control the power on/off status of several network appliances. Power-on and load sensors within each intelligent power module are able to report the power status of each network appliance to the network manager with variables in response to commands. Each intelligent power module is equipped with an output that is connected to cause an interrupt signal to the network appliance being controlled. The network manager is able to test which network appliance is actually responding before any cycling of the power to the corresponding appliance is tried.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to automatic power control and more particularly to remote control methods and devices to reboot computer-based appliances that have frozen, locked-up, crashed, or otherwise become inoperable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Anthony Coppola describes a computer power management system in U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,289, issued Sep. 9, 1986. A uninterruptable power supply with a limited power storage is connected to supply one or more computers with operating power. A power manager implemented with a microprocessor is connected to signal the computers when power reserves are running short and a graceful shut-down should be executed. This allows data to be saved to disk for use later. The power manager also signals the computers when power conditions have been restored to normal. The computers can signal the power manager to tell it when backup power can safely be cut off.
If such computers were located at some remote site and they shut down, some other means would be necessary to find out why. And if these remote computers were to crash or lock-up due to some software fault, the power manager described by Coppola has no way to be commanded to power cycle the power to any of the computers.
By at least 1991, American Power Conversion (APC) (West Kingston, RI) marketed CALL-UPS, which was a telephone-actuated remote UPS turn-on accessory. The CALL-UPS was intended to work with the APC SMART-UPS to protect computers from brownouts and power outages. Such CALL-UPS connected between a remote computer's modem and the telco subscriber line outlet. When an incoming call was detected by its ring or loop current, the CALL-UPS would command the SMART-UPS to turn on. This, in turn, would cause the computer to boot-up, load application software, and take the call. The power would stay up a few minutes after the call terminated so call-backs could be handled without the reboot delay. Serial data communication only progressed after the computer booted up, loaded the application software, and finished the modem handshaking. The so-called CALL-UPS-IL was introduced about February of 1994 and it enabled a locked-up LAN service to be remotely corrected by rebooting crashed devices through an out-of-band modem link.
A very similar but much earlier arrangement is described by Guido Badagnani, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,326, issued Sep. 27, 1977. A call ring signal is used to turn on a data terminal. Once the data terminal completes its initialization, it sends a ready-to-receive signal and a data conversation can begin. Another telephone-activated power controller is described by Vincent Busam, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,721, issued Mar. 3, 1987.
Another one like these is described by Arthur P. Ferlan, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,206,444, issued Jun. 3, 1980, and titled REMOTE POWER CONTROLLER UTILIZING COMMUNICATION LINES. The stated objective is to allow remote computers to turn off and be powered up only when needed. For example, when another computer calls in and wants service. But here encoded messages are used on dedicated telephone lines, e.g., Dataphone Service. The remote verifies who is calling, and allows access only if authorized. If authorized, the remote computer is powered up.
A kind of alarm clock was added to this basic configuration by Raymond A. Oliva, et al., their device for controlling the application of power to a computer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,946, issued Oct. 20, 1987. The alarm clock can turn the remote computer on and off according to a preset schedule.
Two of the present inventors, Carrel Ewing and Andrew Cleveland, described technology along these general lines in PCT International Publication Number WO 93/10615, published May 27, 1993. This is a system for protecting and restarting computers and peripherals at remote sites which are accessible by telephone communication. They also filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/061,197, on May 13, 1993, and now abandoned, for a REMOTE POWER CONTROL SYSTEM FOR COMPUTER AND PERIPHERAL EQUIPMENT. Such specifically described power-cycling to reset a remote computer that had become hung up.
Things have changed quite a lot since then. Computer-based appliances are now required to be on all the time. Any down-time is costly. But computers being what they are, they lock up occasionally and a power-on reset is about the only way to generate a reboot. When such computer-based appliances are network servers, routers, and bridges located at telco modem-farm locations, it isn't practical to send a technician to the site to force the operating power on-off-on. Much more than a simple phone call to a dial-up number is needed too, an accidental reboot could cause serious damage to user's data and the service provider's goodwill.
Enterprise networks exist to support large world-wide organizations and depend on a combination of technologies, e.g., data communications, inter-networking equipment (frame relay controllers, asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switches, routers, integrated services digital network (ISDN) controllers, application servers), and network management application software. Such enterprise networks can be used to support a large company's branch offices throughout the world, and, as such, these networks have become mission critical to the functioning of such organizations. Masses of information are routinely expected to be exchanged, and such information exchanges are necessary to carry on the daily business of modern organizations. For example, some international banks have thousands of branch offices placed throughout Europe, Asia and the United States that each critically depend on their ability to communicate banking transactions quickly and efficiently with one another and headquarters.
A typical enterprise network uses building blocks of router and frame relay network appliances mounted in equipment racks. Such equipment racks are distributed to remote point of presence (POP) locations in the particular network. Each equipment rack can include frame relay controllers, routers, ISDN controllers, servers and modems, etc., each of which are connected to one or more power sources. The value of POP equipment can range from $200,000 to $500,000, and the number of individual devices can exceed a thousand.
Many enterprises rely on an uninterruptable power supply (UPS) to keep their network appliances operational. Many network appliances are typically connected to a single UPS, and this sets up a problem. When an individual router locks up, the router's power cannot be individually cycled on and off externally at the UPS because it is connected to a multiple power outlet. The recovery action choices available to the network control center operator thus do not include being able to reinitialize the individual equipment through a power interruption reset. The network operator could command the UPS to power cycle, but that would reset all the other attached devices that were ostensibly operating normally and carrying other network traffic. Another option is to dispatch someone to the remote location to reset the locked-up device. Neither choice is an attractive solution.
In large organizations that have come to depend heavily on enterprise networks, there is great pressure to develop ways to control costs and thus to improve profits. Organizational down-sizing has been used throughout the corporate world to reduce non-network costs, and that usually translates to fewer technical people available in the right places to support large and complex in-house global networks. Such reduced repair staffs now rely on a combination of centralized network management tools and third-party maintenance organizations to service their remote POP sites. The costs associated with dispatching third-party maintenance technicians is very high, and the dispatch and travel delay times can humble the business operations over a wide area for what seems an eternity.
Global communication network operators, located at a few centralized network management centers, are relying more and more on automated network management applications to analyze, process, display and support their networks. An increasing number of network management software applications are being marketed that use open-system standardized protocols. Particular network application tool software is possible to report lists of the network appliances, by location, and can issue trouble lists and keep track of software versions and releases. Simple network management protocol (SNMP) applications are conventionally used to issue alarms to central management consoles when remote network appliances fail.
SNMP is conventionally used to send messages between management client nodes and agent nodes. Management information blocks (MIBs) are used for statistic counters, port status, and other information about routers and other network devices. GET and SET commands are issued from management consoles and operate on particular MIB variables for the equipment nodes. Such commands allow network management functions to be carried out between client equipment nodes and management agent nodes. The agent nodes can issue alert or TRAP messages to the management center to report special events.
SNMP is an application protocol for network management services in the internet protocol suite. SNMP has been adopted by numerous network equipment vendors as their main or secondary management interface. SNMP defines a client/server relationship, wherein the client program, a "network manager", makes virtual connections to a server program, an "SNMP agent", on a remote network device. The data base controlled by the SNMP agent is the SNMP management information base, and is a standard set of statistical and control values. SNMP and private MIBs allow the extension of standard values with values specific to a particular agent. Directives issued by the network manager client to an SNMP agent comprise SNMP variable identifiers, e.g., MIB object identifiers or MIB variables, and instructions to either GET the value for the identifier, or SET the identifier to a new value. Thus private MIB variables allow SNMP agents to be customized for specific devices, e.g., network bridges, gateways, and routers. The definitions of MIB variables being supported by particular agents are located in descriptor files, typically written in abstract syntax notation (ASN.1) format. The definitions are available to network management client programs.
SNMP-based network management systems (NMS) can be implemented with Compaq INSIGHT MANAGER, Novell NETWARE, Hewlett-Packard OPENVIEW, Castlerock SNMPC, Banyan VINES, Artisoft LANTASTIC, Microsoft WINDOWS, SunNet MANAGER, IBM AS/400, etc. Specific control of an agent is traditionally afforded by hardware manufacturers by supplying MIB extensions to the standardized SNMP MIB library by way of source-text files on floppy disks or compact disks (CD's). These MIB extensions load on the NMS, and an assigned IP-address for the agent is entered-in by a user at the NMS. Connecting the agent and the NMS to a properly configured network is usually enough to establish communications and control.
In 1994, American Power Conversion (West Kingston, RI) marketed a combination of their SMART-UPS, POWERNET SNMP ADAPTER, MEASURE-UPS, and an SNMP-based management station. POWERNET SNMP agents were used to generate traps or alarms for attention by the management station. The SNMP agents were described as being able to supply real-time UPS status and power-quality information, e.g., UPS run-time, utility-line voltage, and UPS current load.
In 1996, American Power Conversion was marketing their MASTERSWITCH embodiment that comprises a single rack-mountable box with eight relay-controlled power outlets on the back apron. A built-in 10 Base-T networking plug allows connection to a LAN. It further includes an embedded SNMP agent responsive to the networking plug that can control individual power outlets. A Telnet agent was also included. Revisions of the MASTERSWITCH that appeared by 2000 further included a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) agent that can generate information and control webpages on a logged-in web browser. SNMP traps were relied on to generate unsolicited alarm inputs. Automatic IP-address assignment is provided by a Bootup process.
By at least 1998, American Power Conversion began marketing a "complete enterprise power management system". A POWERNET manager controls SMART-UPS devices over a network using SNMP. An SNMP agent is associated with each controlled SMART-UPS and a graphical user interface (GUI) on the manager allows a user to see the power status of each SMART-UPS. Shutdowns and reboots of individual SMART-UPS sites are initiated from the GUI. The POWERNET EVENT ADAPTER converts SNMP traps into events that are reported in a GUI, e.g., the TIVOLI ENTERPRISE CONSOLE (TEC). In 1998, voltage, current, temperature, and relative humidity were being reported, e.g., by MEASURE-UPS, and displayed in the POWERNET MANAGER GUI.
All such patents and patent applications mentioned herein are incorporated by reference.

Network-connecting power manager for remote appliances


An oil spill cleanup device is described. The device includes a container and at least one flexible hollow elongated member extending from the container. The device floats in water and can be used to collect and separate oil from the contaminated water. Water is collected by the elongated member, which has several exterior one-way valves that allow contaminated water to enter the member. The contaminated water is pushed towards and into the container by the wave motions of the surrounding water. The elongated member has internal one-way valves that help to direct the contaminated water towards the container. Once in the container, the contaminated water can separate into water and oil due to differences in specific gravity. Multiple devices can be connected together to form a barrier for containing the contaminated water within a limited area.

The damage caused by ocean oil spills is well known. Oil spills can have a devastating effect on ecological systems and a long lasting impact on the environment. Great effort has been spent on developing effective cleanup methods and devices for oil spills.
One approach is to contain the oil using a barrier, such as nets, booms, and tents. See for example: U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,460, US20110253642, US20110293373, US20110293376, US20110297621, US20110299931, US20110309006, US20110311310, WO2011139650, WO2011152836, and WO2011163383. However, even if the oil is effectively contained, it must still be removed from the water.
One known method for removing surface oil from water is by using a special vessel called a "skimmer," which is specifically designed to collect and separate oil from the surface of water. Examples of skimmers include: U.S. Pat. No. 8,048,300, US20110297608, US20110303613, US20110303616, US20110309031, WO2011150043, and WO2011158773. While skimmers are useful in some aspects, various disadvantages remain. First, many skimmers do not operate well in choppy water. Second, some skimmers do not collect oil if the oil is too thin. Third, skimmers require significant energy and human-time since the vessel must be constantly driven or towed through the water in order to collect oil. Fourth, skimmers are expensive, limited in number, and difficult to transport to a cleanup site.
Another known approach to removing oil from water is to place oil-absorbent materials in the contaminated water. See, for example, US20110284450, US20110287929, US20110293373, WO2011139475, WO2011146656, WO2011150504, and WO2011159968. While absorbent materials have some useful aspects, this method does not provide a way to recover the oil for use. Rather, the sorbent materials are thrown away in a landfill, creating additional harm to the environment. Moreover, some absorbent pads break down if left in water too long.
Yet another approach is to draw contaminated water into a floating container using a suction mechanism and allow the oil to separate from the water due to their differences in specific gravity. GB2480858 to Peck, for example, describes a floating collection device that has an engine and a suction mechanism. The suction mechanism brings water and oil into the separator, and the oil is allowed to rise to the top of the container while the water drops down and out the open bottom of the container. Similarly, US20110266200 to Day describes a floating container that includes a motor and a fan. The fan draws water into the container so that oil can be removed. While these approaches advantageously allow for passive (i.e., minimal human involvement) collection and separation of oil, they require a significant amount of energy to run the motors/engines for the suction mechanisms. Furthermore, the suction systems can clog and breakdown from debris.
These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
It has yet to be appreciated that oil can be contained in one area and separated from water using a passive and low-energy approach. Thus, there is still a need for improved methods and devices for containing and removing oil from the surface of water.


The amplifying optical fiber comprises a single-mode core and a multimode core surrounding the single-mode core, the multimode core containing a doped layer referred to as a “doped ring” and having a certain concentration of active rare earth ions to perform amplification by active rare earth ions on at least one optical signal for injection into the amplifying fiber. The fiber is dimensioned so that the product of its length multiplied by its Raman efficiency is greater than or equal to 0.5 W−1. In addition, the fiber presents absorption defined by an absorption coefficient expressed in dB/m, which absorption presents, at a certain wavelength, a maximum value referred to as the “absorption maximum”, the fiber presents accumulated absorption, corresponding to the product of its length multiplied by the absorption maximum, that is greater than or equal to 100 dB. The invention also provides an amplifier including such a fiber, a single-mode pump, and a multimode pump.

The present invention relates to the field of optical fiber telecommunications. More precisely, the invention relates to a doped-ring amplifying optical fiber and to an amplifier containing such a fiber.
In known manner, it is desired to increase the performance of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), which amplifiers are generally used on long-distance optical links in order to amplify wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) signals.
The fibers are designed to obtain the most efficient amplification possible over a wavelength band that is as broad as possible or over a plurality of bands such as band C (1530 nanometers (nm) to 1565 nm) or band L (1565 nm to 1625 nm).
The document entitled "30% power conversion efficiency from a ring-doped all-silica octagonal Yb-free double-clad fiber for WDM applications in C-band" by P. Bousselet et al., in Optical Amplifiers and Their Applications Conference, PD1, 2001 Technical Digest, Optical Society of American, pp. 2-4, discloses an EDFA amplifier incorporating a silica-based amplifying optical fiber. More precisely, the optical fiber presents the following structure:                a single-mode core, having a central region with a diameter equal to 7 micrometers (μm);        a multimode core, being an intermediate region surrounding the central region and having an outer diameter equal to 44 μm, the multimode core containing a layer doped in active erbium ions, referred to as a "doped ring"; and        cladding, an outer region surrounding the intermediate region and having an outer diameter equal to about 150 μm.
The EDFA also includes a multimode pump of power equal to 2.3 watts (W), delivering a pump wave at a wavelength equal to 980 nm, and coupled to the amplifying fiber by a single-mode fiber and a wavelength multiplexer. In order to be amplified, multiplexed optical signals of wavelengths in band C are injected into the amplifying fiber.
The EDFA disclosed possesses gain in band C that is greater than that of conventional EDFAs because of better conversion efficiency in said erbium-doped ring amplifying fiber.
The object of the present invention is to devise a compact and integrated fiber amplifier of low cost and having performance that is further improved in terms of efficiency, amplification level, number of channels (enlarging band C and/or L or new gain ranges . . . ), and amplified signal quality (low noise level, low dependency on variations in pumping power, . . . ).
To do this, the invention seeks to make it possible to make a hybrid amplifier making effective use both of the Raman effect and of the amplifying properties of active rare earth ions such as erbium ions. The amplifier then benefits from the combined advantages of both amplification techniques.
A few definitions of parameters involved in the invention are initially recalled.
To a first approximation, the Raman efficiency Cr of a fiber is defined by the equation:Log(Pon/Poff)=Cr.Pp.L
in which Log is the Napierian logarithm, L is the length of the fiber, Pp is the power of a Raman pump wave injected into the fiber, Pon is the optical power at the outlet of the fiber of an optical signal that has traveled along the fiber in the presence of the pump wave, and Poff is the optical power at the outlet of the fiber of the same optical signal that has traveled along the fiber in the absence of the pump wave.
Another way of expressing the above relationship involves the Raman "on/off" gain, Gonoff, which, expressed in decibels (dB), can be estimated by the formula given below, which applies to an amplifier of short length and providing the attenuation of the Raman pump is weak (less than 2 decibels per kilometer (dB/km):Gonoff=10 log(Pon/Poff)=4.34 Cr.Pp.L
in which log is the base 10 logarithm.
Raman efficiency Cr is expressed per watt and per kilometer (W−1km−1) and can lie in the range 0.5 W−1km−1 to 5 W−1km−1, for example.
In addition, the presence of active rare earth ions in a fiber implies that the fiber absorbs an injected optical signal traveling along it. If an appropriate pump wave is injected, the fiber is also the seat of stimulated emission, and the difference between emission and absorption constitutes the gain of the doped fiber. This absorption is defined by an absorption coefficient expressed in decibels per meter (dB/m) which presents a maximum value as a function of signal wavelength known as the absorption maximum. This absorption maximum is also expressed in dB/m and is defined as the absorption peak. The absorption peak is obtained for a wavelength that also corresponds to the emission maximum and lies around 1530 nm for erbium, for example.
Thus, the present invention provides a doped ring amplifying optical fiber comprising:                a single-mode core of given diameter; and        a multimode core surrounding the single-mode core and containing a doped layer referred to as a "doped ring", having a certain concentration of active rare earth ions, the fiber being suitable, because of the active rare earth ions, for amplifying an optical signal for injection into the amplifying fiber;
the fiber being characterized in that it is of a length and has Raman efficiency such that the product of said length multiplied by said Raman efficiency is greater than or equal to 0.5 W−1, and in that, for said fiber presenting absorption for an injected optical signal due to the presence of active rare earth ions, said absorption being defined by an absorption coefficient expressed in dB/m and presenting a maximum value as a function of the wavelength of said signal, which value is referred to as the absorption maximum, said fiber presents accumulated absorption, corresponding to the product of said length multiplied by said absorption maximum, which is greater than or equal to 100 dB.
For a given Raman efficiency, the invention amounts to selecting a wavelength that is long enough to obtain appreciable Raman gain, at limited Raman pump power, and accumulated absorption adapted to the desired level of rare earth ion amplification gain. The accumulated absorption condition also implicitly gives a limiting value on the length of fiber that allows rare earth ion gain to exist, it being understood that such gain diminishes and then disappears if the length of the fiber is increased beyond a certain limit.
Thus, the absorption maximum, the length of the fiber, and the Raman efficiency are parameters that are interrelated, and they are judiciously selected to make both types of amplification effective.
It is appropriate at least for the length of fiber to be selected to be short enough to ensure that amplification by active rare earth ions provides gain of not less than 1 dB. Naturally, it is preferable to select a length that provides gain that is much greater, it being understood, for example, that erbium ion amplification makes it possible under such conditions to achieve gain of about 60 dB, by providing sufficient erbium pump power.
The two types of gain are cumulative in the sense that they can add when they act on a common range of wavelengths or they can enable optical signals to be amplified in two distinct ranges that do not overlap.
For example, the Raman gain may correspond to at least 10% of the erbium gain.
An accumulated absorption of about 100 dB at 1530 nm makes it possible, for example, to obtain erbium amplification gain of about 20 dB over band C.
In addition, to obtain 2 dB of Raman gain, for example, with a 1 W pump, it is necessary to have a fiber that is about 1 km long for the least efficient fiber and about 100 m long for the most efficient. Naturally, a greater length enables greater Raman gain to be obtained without requiring greater pump power.
In a first embodiment of the invention, fiber length is greater than or equal to 100 m, and the absorption maximum is less than or equal to 1 dB/m.
The length is adjusted, and more precisely increased, relative to that of prior art doped-ring amplifying fibers, in order to favor the Raman effect. conversely, the absorption maximum is adjusted, and more precisely decreased compared with that of prior art doped-ring amplifying fibers.
Nevertheless, Raman amplification of the invention is discrete since it refers to the Raman effect that occurs over a relatively short length in an amplifying fiber of an amplifier. This amplification differs from Raman amplification of the kind that is commonly referred to as being "distributed" as is obtained directly in a line fiber and relates to the Raman effect implemented over a longer amplification length.
Preferably, Raman efficiency may be greater than or equal to 3 W−1km−1 so as to obtain a fiber that is relatively short.
According to a characteristic, the inner radius of the doped ring may be greater than 1.5 μm so as to adjust the absorption maximum to lie in the desired range of values.
According to another characteristic, the concentration of active rare earth ions is selected to be less than or equal to 1000 parts per million (ppm), and when the rare earth ions are erbium ions, less than or equal to 300 ppm, with concentration in these ranges also making it possible to adjust the absorption maximum to lie in the desired range of values.
The concentration in active rare earth ions is lower than the concentration that is usual in prior art doped-ring amplifying fibers.
The selected concentration for active rare earth ions depends on the selected rare earth and on the position of the doped ring. For example, by selecting ytterbium, the maximum acceptable concentration of active rare earth ions is greater than that of erbium. In addition, this concentration also depends on the selected length: the greater the length the smaller the concentration.
Furthermore, the refractive indices selected for the single-mode core and the multimode core also have some influence. More precisely, for the single-mode core having at least a first refractive index and for the multimode core having at least a second refractive index, the difference between the first and second refractive indices is preferably greater than or equal to 0.01. In addition, the diameter of the single-mode core may be selected to lie in the range 3 μm to 5 μm.
A refractive index difference that is sufficiently large and a small core diameter serve to reinforce the single-mode nature of the central core and thus to achieve greater confinement of the fundamental mode of the Raman pump wave and of the multiplexed signals injected into the fiber, thereby increasing Raman efficiency.
In a preferred embodiment, the single-mode core is based on silica or on fluoride glass and it is doped by dopants selected from phosphorous, germanium, tellurium, aluminum, and boron. These dopants contribute to high Raman efficiency.
In a preferred embodiment, the rare earth doped ring is based on silica or on fluoride glass and is doped by additional dopants selected from the following compounds: Li2O, Na2O, K2O, Rb2O, Cs2O, BeO, MgO, CaO, SrO, and BaO. These additional dopants increase amplification by rare earth ions.
When the ring is made of fluoride glass, the active rare earth ions are preferably thulium ions.
Naturally, the present invention also provides an amplifier for amplifying an optical signal, the amplifier comprising:                a doped ring amplifying optical fiber; and        a multimode pump coupled to said fiber perform amplification by active rare earth ions,
characterized in that the amplifying optical fiber is as defined above, and in that it includes at least one single-mode pump coupled to the amplifying optical fiber to perform Raman amplification in addition to said amplification by the active rare earth ions.
In a preferred embodiment, the wavelength of the single-mode pump can be selected to broaden the spectrum of the gain obtained by the active rare earth ions.
In another preferred embodiment, the wavelength of the single-mode pump is selected to lie in the range of wavelengths in which gain is obtained by the active rare earth ions. In this manner, the wavelength of the single-mode pump can benefit from amplification by the active rare earth ions, for example it can be selected to be around 1560 nm for erbium. This amplification of the Raman pump compensates for its loss of energy and enables the Raman gain to be increased.
Depending on the configuration, the Raman gain is involved in a range of wavelengths having a zone in common with the gain range obtained by the rare earth ions, or else situated outside the gain range obtained by the rare earth ions. For example, the Raman gain may occur around 1600 nm associated with amplification by erbium in band C.
Naturally, in this last-mentioned configuration, if optical signals presenting wavelengths in the amplification range are also injected into the fiber, then the wavelength of the single-mode pump is selected to lie between two of these channels.
FIG. 1 is a diagram in a preferred embodiment of the invention showing an amplifier 100 for amplifying WDM optical signals su, e.g. in an enlarged band C extending from 1500 nm to 1565 nm.
The amplifier comprises an amplifying optical fiber 1 in accordance with the invention, having a doped ring with active rare earth ions which are preferably erbium ions. The amplifying optical fiber 1 of structure that is described in greater detail below, is in a glass matrix and is preferably based on silica, possessing a single-mode core and a multimode core. It is long enough to ensure effective discrete Raman amplification.
The amplifier 100 also comprises:                a multimode pump 2 for erbium amplification, of power in the range 1 W to 10 W, and delivering a first pump wave sp of wavelength equal to 980 nm; and        a single-mode pump 3 for Raman amplification, of power approximately 100 milliwatts (mW) to 5 W, and delivering a second pump wave s′p of wavelength equal to about 1428 nm, for example, in order to obtain Raman amplification at the beginning of band C.
The multimode pump 2 is coupled to a multimode fiber 4 which is itself coupled near the inlet 1a of the fiber 1. In addition, the single-mode pump 3 is coupled to a single-mode fiber 4′ which is itself coupled near the outlet 1b of the fiber 1.
In the amplifying fiber 1, the signals su and the first pump wave sp are co-propagating (along the axis in the X direction), whereas the second pump wave s′p is contra-propagating (along the axis in the opposite direction X′).
In addition, the signals su and the second pump wave s′p are guided in the single-mode core.
The amplifier 100 is compact since only a single amplifying fiber is used for the two amplification techniques. The amplifier 100 is also economic in Raman pump power.
In FIG. 2, curves a and b show gain profile as function of wavelength respectively for a conventional doped-ring EDFA provided with a multimode pump analogous to the pump 2, and for the amplifier 100.
The gain of the amplifier 100 is clearly greater in the range 1500 nm to 1600 nm, and it also enables optical signals to be amplified over a broader range of wavelengths by selecting the single-mode pump to have a wavelength of 1428 nm.
FIG. 3a is a fragmentary longitudinal and perspective view of the amplifying optical fiber 1. FIG. 3a is diagrammatic and not to scale.
The amplifying optical fiber 1 is of cylindrical geometry, for example, and comprises:                a single-mode core 10 of small diameter d1, preferably equal to 3 μm, and having a first refractive index n1;        a multimode core 20 surrounding the single-mode core 10 and having a second refractive index n2 that varies, with an outer diameter d2 equal to about 30 μm, for example; and        cladding 30 surrounding the multimode core, with an outer diameter lying in the range 150 μm to 200 μm, and having a third refractive index ng, where n1>n2>ng.
The single-mode core 10 contains germanium dopants 5 increasing the conventional Raman gain obtained by the silica.
Raman efficiency is equal to about 4 W−1km−1.
The multimode core 20 contains a "ring" layer 21 which is doped with erbium ions 6 at a concentration c1. This layer of substantially circular circumference presents an inner radius ri and an outer radius re.
The concentration and the position of the ring are adjusted to obtain an absorption maximum of less than 1 dB/m.
Preferably, the length of the fiber is equal to 500 m, the absorption maximum is equal to 0.2 dB/m, and the accumulated absorption is equal to 100 dB.
Thus, the concentration c1 is lower than 300 ppm and preferably about 100 ppm for Raman amplification. The conversion efficiency for erbium amplification is high because of the distribution of erbium 6 in the doped ring.
In addition, the inner radius ri is equal to approximately 4.25 μm while the outer radius re is equal to approximately 6.5 μm.
In FIG. 3b, curve C shows the profile of the first and second refractive indices n1 and n2 as a function of distance x from the center of the fiber (in microns). More exactly, the ordinate corresponds to the difference n−ng between the first refractive index n1 and the third refractive index ng and to the difference between the second refractive index n2 and the third refractive index ng.
The diameters d1 and d2 and the inner and outer radii ri and re of the doped ring are referenced on curve C.
The second refractive index n2 decreases between the inside and the outside of the multimode core. More precisely, the second refractive index n2 remains substantially constant out to about 6 μm, and then decreases going out to 15 μm. The difference between the first and second refractive indices n1 and n2 is always greater than 0.01.
Naturally, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above.
In a variant, the single-mode core 10 contains phosphorous dopants instead of (or in addition to) germanium dopants in order to increase Raman gain, in particular at the bottom margin of band C. In this variant, the wavelength of a Raman pump selected accordingly is equal to about 1305 nm.
In another variant, the wavelength of a Raman pump is not only distinct from a wavelength of any optical signal for amplifying, but is also selected to lie in the gain range obtained by the active rare earth ions so as to amplify the Raman single-mode pump wave.
The cross-section of the fiber may present a multimode core of geometry that is cylindrical, substantially polygonal, or multi-lobed, so as to encourage better absorption of light power by the rare earth doped ring.
The invention is also applicable to band L or any other band.
The fiber may also be made on the basis of fluoride glass.
The erbium-doped ring may contain additional dopants selected from the following: Li2O, Na2O, K2O, Rb2O, Cs2O, BeO, MgO, CaO, SrO, and BaO.
Finally, any means may be replaced by equivalent means without going beyond the ambit of the invention.

Doped-ring amplifying optical fiber, and an amplifier containing such a fiber


Presented herein are techniques for enhancing pre-equalization operations in a telecommunications network. In one example, a cable modem termination system (CMTS) determines the coherent bandwidth for pre-equalization coefficients associated with upstream transmissions received from a cable modem. The CMTS uses the coherent bandwidth of the pre-equalization coefficients to calculate a time constant for a time domain filter that may be applied to the pre-equalization coefficients. The CMTS also calculates, based on the time constant, filter coefficients for the time domain filter and applies the time domain filter to the pre-equalization coefficients to generate signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)-enhanced pre-equalization coefficients. The CMTS then sends the SNR-enhanced pre-equalization coefficients to the cable modem.

A Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) network is a telecommunications network that uses optical fiber cables and coaxial cables in different portions of the network to carry content (e.g., video, data, voice, etc.). For example, a system operator may install (or have installed) fiber optic cable from the distribution center (head-end facility) to intermediate nodes located close to a large number of users. From these intermediate nodes, coaxial cable may extend to individual businesses, residences, or other locations. A HFC network may be advantageous in that features of fiber optic cable (e.g., high bandwidth, low noise/interference susceptibility, etc.) can be utilized to reach points close to the users without having to install fiber optic cables to individual locations.
The Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) is a telecommunications standard that has been widely used by network operators to provide high-speed data services to customers. For example, DOCSIS is employed by many cable television operators to provide Internet access over their existing HFC infrastructure.

Pre-equalization enhancement for telecommunication networks


A piezoelectric device including: a substrate; a lower electrode formed over the substrate; a piezoelectric layer formed over the lower electrode and including lead zirconate titanate; and an upper electrode formed over the piezoelectric layer, the lead zirconate titanate having a half-width of a peak of a (100) plane measured by an X-ray diffraction rocking curve method of 10 degrees or more and 25 degrees or less.

The present invention relates to a piezoelectric device and a liquid jet head.
A piezoelectric device used for a liquid jet head or the like includes a piezoelectric layer. A typical material for the piezoelectric layer is lead zirconate titanate (Pb(Zr,Ti)O3: PZT) or the like. For example, S. E. Park and T. R. Shrout, J. Appl. Phys., 82 (4), 1804 (1997) discloses that piezoelectric characteristics differ to a large extent depending on the electric field application direction with respect to the polarization axis of a PZT crystal. In a piezoelectric device having a stacked structure in which a piezoelectric layer is placed between a lower electrode and an upper electrode, since the electric field application direction is constant, piezoelectric characteristics may vary to a large extent depending on the orientation state of the crystal forming the piezoelectric layer.

Piezoelectric device and liquid jet head


An engine is provided which, in at least one cylinder or combustion area, is provided with a hydrocarbon rich fuel which produces upon combustion an exhaust gas containing unburned hydrocarbons, water vapor and carbon monoxide. The exhaust gas is treated in a catalytic converter and the reaction process that occurs therein produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide which is mixed with air to form a hydrocarbon lean, hydrogen enriched mixture. The mixture is subsequently ignited in other cylinders or combustion areas of the engine to produce power.

Attempts have been made in the past to produce engines which utilize a portion of the cylinders for generating a hydrogen rich exhaust gas which is then combined with hydrocarbon fuel in a carburetor and delivered to the remaining cylinders of the engine for combustion. One such system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,041,910, issued to John Houseman on Aug. 16, 1977. A similar system is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,108,114, issued to Katuaki Kosaka, et al. on Aug. 22, 1978. In each of the above patents, the exhaust gas is virtually untreated and is returned to the cylinder for the complete combustion of the unburned hydrocarbons and any free hydrogen that may be contained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,076 issued to Katuaki Kosaka, et al. on Nov. 22, 1977, illustrates use of a separate engine for generating a hydrogen rich exhaust gas which is subsequently burned in the main power engine. In the system described in the '076 patent, the exhaust gas is mixed with hydrocarbon fuel and then passed through a catalytic converter prior to being delivered to the main power engine.
An object of this invention is to provide an improved fuel system and combustion process for use with both reciprocating and gas turbine engines wherein hydrogen rich exhaust gas is generated in the engine, passed through a water-gas shift catalyst to further increase its hydrogen content, then mixed with a lean hydrocarbon fuel for burning in the remainder of the engine.

Fuel supply systems for engines and combustion processes therefor


A hooked dust scraper for ball screw unit includes a plurality of tooth portions and corresponding number of hook portions. It is characterized that the scraper is hooked on the nut of the ball screw unit without employing screw engagement so that the ball screw unit associated with this scraper is easy to fabricate, assemble, and detach thereby saving the production and assembly cost.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved structure for a scraper to be used with the screw mechanism, in particular, a hooked dust scraper for ball screw unit to effectively prevent possible foreign materials such as dust, culls and adulterates from infringing into the spiral passage of the ball screw unit by removing them in advance ahead of the moving screw nut so as to protect the balls screw unit from excessive abrasion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A screw mechanism has been applied in the mechanical engineering field for a long time. Basically the rotating motion of a screw bolt is converted to the linear motion of a nut so as to transmit a working piece. Among the existing screw mechanism the ball screw unit is the best efficient one because the traveling of the nut on the screw bolt is carried out by a plurality of balls rolling along the spiral grooves formed therebetween.
However, if the above mentioned foreign materials are stuck on the screw bolt, they might enter the passage of the rolling balls so as to retard the movement of the bolt or even seriously damage the ball screw unit by excessively abrasing the spiral grooves formed between the screw bolt and nut serving as a rolling passage for the balls. Therefore, installation of a scraper to remove the dust to clean the rolling passage is absolutely necessary.
A perspective view of conventional a scraper for a ball screw unit is shown in FIG. 10 in which a screw bolt 1 is couple with a nut 23. In this structure a scraper 60 is provided for equipping between the contact surface of the screw bolt 1 and the nut 23 at both ends of the nut 23. The scraper 60 is fixed to the nut 23 with a fixing screw 70 screwed into screw hole 231. The construction of the scraper 60 formed as such has to undergo a tedious and time consuming machining process by at first drill a screw hole 231 on the nut 23, then rotating the scraper 60 into the nut 23 on the bolt 1, then drill a hole on the scraper 60 at the positions corresponding to the screw hole 231 for screw combing the scraper 60 with the nut 23 by a fixing screw 70. During such tedious machining process, it is probability to happen the defective operations, for example, forgetting to apply one or two screws, piercing accidentally the screw bolt when drilling the screw hole, and unstable installation of the scraper due to its insufficient thickness, etc.
For these defects noticeable on the prior art, an improvement is seriously required.
The inventor has dedicated great efforts for years to studying and improving these defects and come up with a novel hooked dust scraper for ball screw unit as provided in this invention to eliminate the defects mentioned above.


Techniques related to optical devices are described herein. In an example, an optical device includes (a) an input optical channel and a corresponding output optical channel, and (b) an assembly of sub-wavelength grating layers aligned to optically couple the input optical channel to the output optical channel.

Multiple applications rely on optical interconnections. For example, transmission of high-resolution videos over the internet demands a high network bandwidth. Optical fibers may be used for transmitting data over vast distances providing high network bandwidth. Further, supplying data with an optical fiber facilitates maintaining high bandwidth all the way to the end-user without compromising power consumption. In order to serve a high number of users, data may be transmitted using a multiple terminal (MT) optical communication system. One approach to implement a MT optical communication system is to use bundles of optical fibers. Each optical fiber may carry signals for transmitting data to multiple users (e.g., 64 end-users). Another approach is to use multicore optical fiber, in which an optical fiber includes a plurality of cores, each core carrying signals for transmitting data to multiple users. For example, a multicore design may include seven cores; one core may carry a signal to 64 end-users so that the multicore can carry signals for 448 end-users.
Optical fiber connectors may be used where a connect/disconnect capability is required in an optical communication system. Optical connectors may be used to, for example, connect equipment, interconnect optical fibers, or cross-connect optical cables within a system. In an optical connector, mating ferrules may receive fibers in fixed positions such that two optical fibers mate in coaxial alignment to effect an interconnection. Such connectors may require point-to-point contact of optical fibers or implementing optical alignment using additional optical components (e.g., lenses). Optical connectors may be designed for MT optical communication systems. For example, MT optical connectors may be designed to interconnect multicore optical fibers, bundles of optical fibers, or MT optical equipment.
Optical connectors may be susceptible to environmental conditions or mechanical instabilities. Further, at least some types of optical connectors may be relatively expensive to manufacture in particular if they include additional optical elements such as lenses. Moreover, in order to assure high interconnection precision, a connector may require a number of high-precision components to be assembled together. Optical connectors may be susceptible to contamination, in particular when implementing optical alignment using lenses. MT optical connectors are generally more prone to these issues than single terminal connectors.
In the drawings, the dimensions of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity of illustration.

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


An electronic device which comprises a first housing part (2, 3), provided with a first inner surface (2a, 3a) and a first outer surface (2b, 3b), a second housing part (2, 3), provided with a second inner surface (2a, 3a) and a second outer surface (2b, 3b), hinge means (4) for moving the housing parts (2, 3) to a closed position (S) and to a opened position (A), a first user interface (5a, 5b, 6a, 6b), which is at least partly located on the inner surface (2a, 3a) of one or more housing parts (2, 3), and a second user interface (5a, 5b, 6a, 6b), which is at least partly located on the outer surface (2b, 3b) of one or more housing parts (2, 3). The first housing part (2, 3), the second housing part (2, 3) or both housing parts (2, 3) comprise a control means (7) extending through the housing part (2, 3).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electronic device according to the preamble of the appended claim 1. This invention also relates to a control means according to the preamble of the appended claim 7.
2. Prior Art
In wireless communication devices of prior art, their functions are primarily controlled by using a keyboard. Furthermore, a wireless communication device, such as a mobile station, comprises a display, by means of which it is possible to display information for the user of the mobile phone. The user can, for example, set and activate mobile phone functions, for example select different ringing tones, with a so-called menu function. Usually, there is a variety of such options connected to the menu function, wherein all alternatives cannot be presented at the same time on the display. Such mobile phones are usually provided with particular browser keys as control means, with which the user can scan the options forward and backward. These forward and backward browser keys are usually implemented as mechanical keys, which can be pressed to select the following or the preceding alternative. In a corresponding fashion, it is possible to select a desired number from telephone numbers stored in the mobile phone, usually by retrieving the number on the display of the mobile phone with these browser keys.
In connection with PC (Personal Computer) devices, portable computers, and wireless communication devices, different control means have become known for controlling the functions of these devices. Such control means include, for example, one or more keys located by the display, wherein a keystroke selects the desired control function indicated by providing the command of the function in writing, or a symbol illustrating the same, in the display in the vicinity of the key. In different situations, the control function selectable at a time is illustrated in such a way that the command representing the function is output to the display by the control program of the device, wherein the same key can be used to select different functions. The keyboards of PC devices typically also contain keys for moving the cursor up, down, to the left, or to the right on the display. One known control device is a mouse which can be connected to a PC device, and which comprises a control means, such as a track ball, for moving the cursor on the display of the PC device, and one or more control means, typically control buttons, for the purpose of e.g. selecting functions from the menu on the display, or for activating the menu itself. In connection with portable computers, a track ball and control buttons placed in connection with the keyboard and corresponding to the functions of a mouse have also become known, as well as a touch screen for controlling the cursor.
In connection with mobile phones, a known control means, disclosed in publication EP 0 755 142 A2, is a rotary discoidal control roll, placed on the side of a mobile phone, by means of which it is possible to move in a telephone directory displayed on the display of the mobile phone, and which control roll is pressed to select a desired telephone number. With the help of the control roll, it is also possible to move in menus and to select a desired alternative by pressing the control roll. According to the publication EP 0 715 441 A1, in a foldable mobile phone, a cylindrical control roll, rotatable around its longitudinal axis, can also be placed in connection with a hinge, substantially parallel to and on the same axis with the hinge. Thus, it is also possible to place a control button in the vicinity of the control roll, for example for the purpose of selecting and activating a function retrieved from the menu by means of the control roll. From publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,954 it is also known that a control roll placed on a hinge, can be moved at least a short distance in the direction of its longitudinal axis, wherein the control roll also functions as a control button.
Furthermore, in connection with portable laptop PC devices, a control device is known which functions in a similar way as the aforementioned mouse, wherein one control means, i.e. a joystick-type control lever, a control stick, or the like, corresponding to the track ball of the mouse, is placed next to the display located on one side of the housing part of the device, and the side opposite to the housing part is equipped with control means, i.e. buttons, corresponding to the two control buttons of the mouse. The above-described control device is used for example in such a way that the control lever is controlled with the thumb, the first control button is pressed with the forefinger, and the second control button with the middle finger. With this control lever the cursor can be moved consirerably faster than in solutions in which the cursor is moved with separate keys. The cursor can even be moved with one finger simultaneously both in direction x and y.
The features of wireless communication devices, such as mobile phones, increase constantly, and typically include functions for storing e.g. telephone numbers of persons and firms. In a known manner, there are also devices available, which contain two different user interfaces combined, for example the user interfaces of a wireless communication device and a PDA device. One such device of prior art is Nokia Communicator 9000, i.e. a communicator which has a first user interface, i.e. the PDA interface, whereby it is possible to store various data in the device, to have a wireless connection to the Internet network, and to receive for example telecopier messages, and which has a second user interface, i.e. the CMT user interface (Cellular Mobile Telephone), whereby it is possible to perform conventional mobile phone functions, such as receiving a call and selecting a phone number. The communicator described above comprises separate keypads and displays for the two user interfaces; the PDA user interface is arranged to be used in the opened position of the device, and the CMT user interface is arranged to be used in the closed position of the device.
In devices of prior art, which comprise various user interfaces, such as a PDA user interface and a CMT user interface, for each user interface, control means separate from other user interfaces are used, such as select buttons or keys for controlling the cursor. However, these control means increase the need for space, especially in cases when smaller and lighter versions of the devices are manufactured. The situation is problematic in devices, in which different user interfaces are used in different positions, for example in the opened and closed position of the above presented communicator.
The purpose of this invention is to provide an improvement in the prior art and to introduce a new control means type to enhance the usability of electronic devices. An electronic device according to the invention is characterized in what will be presented in the characterizing part of the appended claim 1. A control means according to the invention is characterized in what will be presented in the characterizing part of the appended claim 7. The invention is based on the idea that the control means is used in connection with the electronic device at least from two, for example substantially opposite directions.
With the present invention, several significant advantages are achieved. A particular advantage of the invention is that the same control means can be used in connection with two or more separate user interfaces of a device. Thus, the need for several separate control means decreases, and at the same time, the space used by the control means is diminished, compared with prior art. Another advantage of the invention is that the manufacturing costs of the device are reduced, because the number of control means can be decreased more than is possible in solutions of prior art, and a simpler structure of the device is attained.
Moreover, a particular advantage of the invention is that the same control means can now be used from at least two different directions, which increases the possibilities to use the control means also in devices with only one user interface. The user can select the method for handling the control means more freely than in connection with control means and control devices of prior art, which can usually be handled from only one direction, substantially perpendicular to the surface of the device. With the invention, a particular advantage with respect to usability is achieved, especially when the device is provided with at least two separate user interfaces, which are used in two different positions of the device.
Thanks to the use of a control means according to the invention, the advantage achieved with devices containing one or more user interfaces is that it is now easy to control and move the control means with a pressing hold of two fingers, for example with the thumb and the forefinger, wherein the movement can be controlled more accurately than when controlling with one finger.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control function of the control means for the user interface used at a time is selected automatically on the basis of the position of the housing part of the device. Thus, the user does not need to select the control function, whereby malfunctions decrease in comparison with such a situation that the user has to select this control function of the control means separately for each user interface. It is, of course, obvious that the control function can be substantially similar in connection with different user interfaces, or that the control function can be changed when using only one user interface.
Furthermore, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control means is also arranged like a control button, to move substantially perpendicularly with respect to the surface of the device, wherein several different functions can be connected to the same control means. A function corresponding to the control button can also be arranged by placing at least one control button in a stick-like or joystick-type control means, for example on one end of the pin, wherein it is possible both to move the control means and to press the control button simultaneously with one finger at the desired moment.


A motor vehicle having: prime mover means; at least first and second groups of one or more wheels; and a driveline to connect the prime mover means to the first and second groups of one or more wheels such that the first group of one or more wheels may be driven by the prime mover means when the driveline is in a first mode of operation and the second group of one or more wheels may additionally be driven by the prime mover means when the driveline is in a second mode of operation, the driveline including an auxiliary portion comprising releasable torque transmitting means operable to connect the second group of one or more wheels to a torque transmission path from the prime mover means when the driveline transitions between the first mode and the second mode, the vehicle comprising control means operable automatically to control the driveline to transition from the first mode to the second mode and from the second mode to the first mode, the control means being operable to prevent a transition from the first mode to the second mode and/or from the second mode to the first mode in dependence on a value of a prescribed vehicle operating temperature.

It is known to provide a motor vehicle having a four wheel drive mode of operation in which motive power is supplied to each of two pairs of wheels of the vehicle. Motive power is supplied to the wheels by means of a driveline.
Some known vehicles are arranged such that motive power is permanently supplied to both pairs of wheels. Some other vehicles are arranged such that motive power is selectively supplied to either only one pair or to both pairs of wheels. A driver operable selector may be provided to allow the driver to select two wheel or four wheel operation. Some driveline systems require the vehicle to be stationary when transitioning between two and four wheel drive modes. Such systems may be referred to as static disconnect/reconnect systems.
GB2407804 discloses a dynamic driveline reconnect arrangement in which reconnection of two of the wheels to the driveline following disconnection of the wheels from the driveline may be undertaken when the vehicle is moving. The system disclosed in GB2407804 employs clutch arrangements to enable dynamic driveline reconnection.
In some known dynamic driveline reconnect systems the vehicle is operable automatically to connect the driveline such that both pairs of wheels are driven by the engine when a prescribed condition is met so that the vehicle operates in a four wheel drive mode. The system automatically disconnects the driveline from one of the pairs to enable two wheel drive operation when the prescribed condition is not met.
It is an aim of embodiments of the present invention to provide an improved dynamic driveline system.

Vehicle and method of controlling a vehicle


In accordance with an embodiment, described herein is a system and method for supporting dynamic security configuration in a multitenant application server environment. Common configuration changes required for partition level security can be made without requiring a server restart, such as for example, adding a new security realm for a partition; deleting an existing realm; changing the configuration on an existing realm; adding or removing a security provider to a realm; or changing the configuration of a security provider. In accordance with an embodiment, also described herein is a system and method for supporting dynamic reconfiguration in a multitenant application server environment. Attributes of partition management components, for example managed beans (MBeans) and child MBeans contained within a partition, can be made dynamic and annotated accordingly, so that a restart of servers is not required for configuration changes to those attributes for a particular partition.

Application servers generally provide a managed computing environment within which software applications can be deployed and run. Cloud-based computing environments allow applications to run within and take advantage of the distributed resources provided by a cloud. Such environments can support large numbers of users or tenants, some of which may have specific requirements that are particular to that user or tenant. Configuration changes that may be associated with a particular tenant should be made with minimal affect or downtime to other tenants. These are some examples of the type of environments in which embodiments of the present invention can be used.

System and method for dynamic reconfiguration in a multitenant application server environment


An absorbent article may define a front region, a rear region, and a crotch region intermediate the front and rear regions. The article may include an outercover, a liner and an absorbent assembly front portion disposed intermediate the outercover and the liner in the front region. The article may also include an absorbent assembly rear portion disposed intermediate the outercover and the liner in the rear region and at least partially spaced from the absorbent assembly front portion to provide a first gap. The article further includes a temperature change member disposed in the first gap.

Absorbent articles such as disposable diapers and training pants are useful to absorb and contain body wastes. These products have developed to the extent that urine is quickly drawn and retained away from the wearer's skin so that the wearer remains relatively dry and comfortable. Although improved performance of disposable absorbent products enhances wearer dryness and comfort, it can reduce the wearer's ability to notice or recognize when urination occurs, especially if the wearer's attention is distracted by an activity. This is not conducive to toilet training because an important step in the early stages of toilet training is the ability to recognize when urination occurs.
In an attempt to enhance a child's recognition of when urination occurs, training pants have been designed with temperature change members that provide a temperature change sensation upon urination. For example, a temperature change substance, such as endothermic particles, may be contained within a liquid permeable cover that is strategically located on the absorbent article. Upon urination, urine flows through the liquid permeable cover, contacts the temperature change substance and cools down.
Unfortunately, in certain circumstances where the temperature change substance generally is located above the main absorbent assembly, the temperature change substance may not be fully effective as the urine can rinse through the temperature change member and be quickly absorbed into the absorbent assembly. As such, in those instances there may not be a distinct indication of urination.
Further, in configurations where the temperature change member is disposed above the absorbent assembly it can render the article relatively bulky.
Thus, there is a need or desire for an absorbent article with a temperature change member that is arranged to contact urine effectively during urination so as to provide a wearer with a distinct temperature change sensation, and hence a distinct signal that urination has occurred.
It is also desirable for such an absorbent article to be relatively thin so as to enhance the underwear-like perception of the garment.

Absorbent article with temperature change member disposed on the outer cover and between absorbent assembly portions


A clamping system for clamping a video signal, wherein the clamping system uses a charge-pump unit in company with a digital clamping controller to clamp the potential of the video signal, prior to the video signal being input to a programmable gain amplifier and an A/D converter, so as to reach a desired level. The charge-pump unit provides two charge-pump circuits, wherein one charge-pump circuit supplies a strong burst to boost the potential of the video signal while the video signal is below a threshold value. Otherwise, the other charge-pump circuit supplies a weak burst to fine tune the potential of the video signal when the video signal has reached the threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamping system for clamping a video signal, more particularly, to a clamping system that uses a charge-pump unit in association with a digital control mode to clamp the voltage level of the video signal, prior to the video signal being input to a programmable gain amplifier and an A/D converter, so as to reach a desired level.
2. Description of Related Art
When converting an analog video signal to a digital signal, the analog video signal is clamped to a desired level before being input to a programmable gain amplifier (PGA) and an analog/digital converter, because the analog video signal is usually far away from the required threshold level of the PGA and A/D converter. For example, such clamping technique is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,166 issued to Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha and U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,864 issued to Sony Corporation and Sony Electronics, Inc.
With reference to FIG. 8, which is a preferred embodiment of a clamping circuit taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,166, the clamping circuit comprises a direct current electrical potential correcting circuit (100), a first processing circuit (200) and a second processing circuit (300). The DC electrical potential correcting circuit (100) has a non-inverted input terminal into which an analog video signal is input, an inverted input terminal connected to a capacitor (15) with a sample hold electrical potential, and an output terminal connected to the first processing circuit (200) and the second processing circuit (300).
Either of the first processing circuit (200) and the second processing circuit (300) has a first input node, a second input node and an output node. Their first input nodes are connected to the output terminal of the DC electrical potential correcting circuit (100). Their second input nodes are individually connected to a respective reference voltage Vsync and Vped, wherein both the Vsync and Vped are set based on the DC electrical potential in the composite video signal. The output nodes of the two processing circuits (200 and 300) are connected to the capacitor (15) with the sample hold electrical potential. The second processing circuit (200) is activated by receiving a clamp pulse input into a clamp pulse input node, whereby the capacitor (15) is alternately charged or discharged.
Based on the direct current electrical potential of the capacitor (15), the DC electrical potential correcting circuit (100) clamps the direct current electrical potential of the analog composite video signal.
Although the clamping circuit is able to clamp the direct current electrical potential of the analog composite video signal, the circuit does not consider the variation of the analog composite video signal so that the control flexibility is quite poor.

Clamping system for clamping a video signal by using a charge-pump circuit