A phase modulation control apparatus is taught in combination with an interferometer excited by a coherent light source providing a light beam to the interferometer having first and second optical paths. The interferometer senses a physical quantity such as pressure. The interferometer is coupled to provide an optical signal containing information providing a measure of the physical quantity via first and second interfering beams to a detector. The detector provides a composite output signal. The invention phase modulation control apparatus has a modulation means responsive to a modulating frequency signal and a phase modulation control signal to provide a frequency modulating factor signal for frequency modulating at least a portion of the light beam to provide a phase modulation between the first and second interfering beams at a carrier frequency. The composite output signal has at least four harmonic signals referenced to the carrier frequency. A synchronous detection means responsive to the carrier frequency signal and to the composite output signal provides a pair of even harmonic filtered signals and a pair of odd harmonic filtered signals. A reference channel means and quadrature channel means each respond to the even and odd harmonic pairs of filtered signals and respectively provide first and second integrator input error signals which have null values in response to their respective harmonic pairs having a predetermined ratio. An integration means combines and integrates the first and second integrator input error signals to provide the phase modulation control signal to the modulation means.

This invention pertains to a means for controlling the carrier phase modulation amplitude of a coherent optical signal output of an optical interferometer sensor system which employs a coherent optical source such as a solid state laser.
The interferometer sensor system may be fabricated using optical fibers and couplers, but the invention is not limited to such an arrangement. For example, the carrier phase modulation for a bulk optic interferometer configuration or an electrical mixing system can be controlled by the technique of this invention.
The quantity which is to be measured is called herein the "physical quantity." It includes, in part, such quantities as acceleration, pressure, magnetic field intensity, temperature and sonic waves. The apparatus may be used, for example, as a fluid pressure sensor in open water.
An example of such a sensor is described in an article, "Homodyne Demodulation Scheme for Fiber optic Sensors Using Phase Generated Carrier" by Anthony Dandridge, Alan B. Tveten, and Thomas G. Giallorenzi.which was published in the IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, Volume QE-18, No. 10, October 1982.
In a first topology, an optical source, such as a laser drives an interferometer. The optical source is frequency modulated to provide an input to the arms of the interferometer from a coupler. The interferometer fiber arms' lengths might be typically two or three centimeters. The actual difference in length to be used will depend on the particular design application. The actual difference in length will be functionally related to the maximum frequency excursion of the optical source as it is driven through a frequency excursion by the modulator.
As an alternative to frequency modulating the optical source, a phase modulator can be interposed in one of the arms of the interferometer and driven by the modulator source. A modulator of this type might typically comprise a PZT bobbin on which several turns of fiber from the respective arm of the interferometer is wound. The modulator voltage applied to the PZT increases and decreases the circumference of the PZT (fiber spool on the bobbin) thereby increasing and decreasing the respective optical path length of the arm.
The light exiting the two arms is combined in a second coupler, and the combined light from the second coupler is then focused on a photodetector. The combined light exiting the second coupler is the summation of the light from the first and second arms, each of which is being phase modulated, with respect to each other, as a result of the frequency modulation imposed on the optical source and the difference in lengths of the respective arms of the interferometer.
The fibers may be extended or they may be otherwise configured. For example, they could be coiled and potted. The length of each fiber can be made sensitive to changes in the measured physical quantity; or it can be made substantially insensitive to such physical quantity. The apparatus may be operated with one fiber sensitive and the other fiber insensitive to the physical quantity to be measured (such as pressure); or it may be made with both fibers sensitive to the physical quantity to be measured, with the two fibers connected in a push-pull arrangement wherein one fiber length increases while the other decreases for a given change in the physical quantity. The sensitivities of the two fibers may differ.
The measured physical quantity may be "pressure" and may be so-described herein with the understanding that any other quantity which can affect the fiber length may similarly be measured.
Although the invention is described as controlling the alternating component of current delivered to a laser diode, it is possible that a different coherent optical source could be used, and it could be frequency modulated by controlling a parameter different from the delivered current. For example, the optical source output could be passed through an integrated-optic phase modulator to provide the optical frequency modulation. (The optical frequency change is the time derivative of the optical phase change).
It is intended that this invention include control of other parameters by calling the modulation current more generally the "modulation factor" and by calling the laser diode a "coherent optical source".
The quiescent phase difference of the interferometer can drift many (even tens of thousands) of wavelengths due to pressure and temperature changes. The phase differences in the detected signal caused by slowly changing acoustic pressure or temperature can usually be separated from phase differences in the detected signal resulting from the sensed physical quantity because the phase difference in the detected signal resulting from the sensed physical quantity occur at a sufficiently higher frequency than the frequency of the phase difference in the detected signal resulting from drifting pressure and temperature variations.
Changes in fiber length difference between the arms of the interferometer change the phase, .phi., between the interfering beams, producing signal amplitudes that are unipolar sinusoidal functions of the phase difference.
A change in fiber length produces a much smaller change in instantaneous phase amplitude when operating at an average phase corresponding to the peak or trough of a sine wave than it produces when operating at the maximum sine wave slope. To make the apparatus more stable, i.e. less sensitive to quiescent phase shift or change between the two light beams, the optical source is frequency modulated at a frequency that is more than twice the highest phase modulation frequency component produced by the expected sensed physical parameter. In a preferred example, the modulation frequency is on the order of 10 to 100 khz. When a frequency modulated optical signal is input to an unbalanced path length interferometer, the phase difference between the interfering beams is phase modulated. The phase modulated signal may be considered a carrier for the signal produced by changes in the measured physical quantity, and the signal phase difference is superimposed upon the oscillating phase modulated signal.
The phase modulation amplitude between the optical signal exiting one arm with respect to the optical signal exiting the second arm is contained in and characterized by the amplitudes of the harmonics in the detected output signal and the ratios of the amplitudes of the harmonics in the detected output signals.
The relative amplitudes of the harmonics or the ratios of the amplitudes of the harmonics in the detected output signal inherently correspond with Bessel's Functions of the first kind having an argument (X) equal to the peak carrier phase modulation (measured in radians) between the interfering light beams at the detector. The odd and even frequency harmonics in the interferometer photodetected signal are in quadrature. The odds (1,3, . . . ) are in quadrature with the evens (0,2, . . . )at all times. By way of clarification, the first odd harmonic corresponds in amplitude to the J.sub.1 (X) coefficient. The amplitude of the second odd harmonic corresponds to the J.sub.3 (X) coefficient. Excluding the dc or J.sub.0 (X) for this application, the first even harmonic amplitude corresponds to the J.sub.2 (X) term. The Bessel Coefficients corresponding to the required values are available in published tables.
The output optical signal of a laser diode may be frequency modulated by changing the current delivered to the diode. The current delivered to the laser diode has both a d.c. component and an a.c. component. The a.c. component produces the phase modulation in the interferometer output, and it is the amplitude of the current delivered to the laser diode that is controlled by the apparatus of this invention.
The amplitude of the phase modulation of the interfering optical beams is controlled to control the sensitivity or scale factor of the demodulated output relative to a change in the phase angle between the interfering beams. As the amplitude of the ac component of the current modulating the laser frequency varies, the optical frequency of the laser output varies. As stated above, the detected interferometer output signal has a frequency spectrum wherein the coefficients of the various frequency terms are Bessel's Functions of the first kind.
The a.c. current for the laser diode is its modulation factor, and the invention will be described as controlling that current. The amplitude of that current or factor is substantially sinusoidal. Bessel's functions of the first kind of an argument, "x" appear in the coefficient expressions for the sine and cosine terms of the interferometer output phase angle, .phi.. The argument, "x" corresponds to the interferometer peak phase modulation in radians. The interferometer output signal can be sensed and its spectrum analyzed. When analyzed, it is found that as the length difference of the two fibers changes, the frequencies corresponding to the even and odd carrier multiples fade in quadrature so that when the amplitudes of the even carrier multiples fade out, the odd carrier multiples peak, and vice versa.
The amplitudes of the various Bessel's functions are known for the different values of the argument, X. Therefore, the ratios of the variously numbered Bessel's functions to each other are also known for each value of their argument, x. According to this invention, the ratios of the coefficient amplitudes of the various frequency terms sensed by the sensor are controlled to conform to the known ratios of the Bessel's Functions. For convenience, values of x wherein J.sub.1 (x) should equal J.sub.2 (x), (x=2.63), and wherein J.sub.2 (x) should equal J.sub.3 (x), (x=3.77), are chosen for controlled amplitudes of the value of x. The modulation factor is driven at an amplitude to produce the desired Bessel function amplitude ratios of the coefficients of the carrier harmonics for the chosen value or x. Previously, an operator monitored the detected interferometer output carrier signal levels (corresponding to the selected Bessel orders) on a spectrum analyzer while the interferometer phase slowly drifted. The operator adjusted the amplitude of the current to the laser optical source to cause the coefficient of the peaked value of the carrier frequency component, fo, in the interferometer output signal to equal the peaked value of the coefficient of the 2fo frequency component when the desired operating peak phase modulation (x) was 2.63 radians. If the selected operating peak phase modulation was 3.77 radians, the operator adjusted the laser a.c. driving current to equalize the peak output signal amplitudes of the quadrature components at the frequencies 2fo and 3fo.

Interferometer phase modulation controller apparatus using ratios of two pairs of harmonic signals


Disclosed are pressure sensitive adhesive compositions having enhanced water resistance and adhesion properties, which compositions include 70-99 wt % of an acrylic polymer dispersion and 1-30 wt % of a polyolefin dispersion. The acrylic polymer dispersion includes (1) one or more acrylic acid ester or (meth)acrylate acid ester(s), (2) one or more hydrocarbon monomer(s), (3) one or more ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid(s), (4) one or more nitrile(s) or amide(s) of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid(s), (5) one or more vinyl ester(s) of a carboxylic acid(s), optionally (6) one or more nitrogen containing acetoacetoxy functional compound(s), and optionally (7) one or more mercaptan chain transfer agent(s), and the polyolefin dispersion includes one or more polyolefins, which may or may not contain acid functionality.

Acrylic PSAs are utilized in many applications for bonding a flexible material to a surface, and are used, for example, in the tape and label industry due to their high solids content, low volatile organic content, good UV/thermal stability, and high coating speed. Traditional acrylic emulsions incorporate tackifier dispersions to enhance their adhesion to low energy surfaces. However, use of such tackifiers has the disadvantages of poor water resistance, yellowing, and decreased cohesive strength.
Acrylic PSAs are typically produced by emulsion or solution polymerization, with emulsion polymerization being preferred. The adhesion properties of acrylic emulsion PSAs are influenced by the type and relative amounts of the monomers employed in the polymerization process.
Accordingly, there is a need for acrylic emulsion PSAs having enhanced shear strength while maintaining good adhesion to low energy surfaces, such as polyethylene or polypropylene, without the use of a tackifier dispersion.

Pressure sensitive adhesive compositions


A method is presented for identifying a first wheel on a vehicle, the vehicle including a wireless receiver. The method comprising receiving a plurality of wheel identifiers at the wireless receiver and selecting one of the plurality of wheel identifiers that corresponds to the first wheel based on the number of times that the selected one of the plurality of wheel identifiers is received at the wireless receiver.

A variety of systems exist for detecting the status (e.g., the pressure, the temperature, etc.) of a wheel on a vehicle. As used herein, the word "wheel" whether singular or plural is intended to refer to both the tire and the hub or rim upon which the tire is mounted. In one such system, each of the vehicle's wheels is equipped with at least one wheel sensor for generating data regarding the status of the wheel. An RF transmitter transmits that data to the vehicle. The vehicle includes an RF receiver for receiving, and a processor for analyzing, the data from each of the wheels. Remote wheel monitoring systems such as these provide a mechanism for monitoring a wheel and addressing potential problems, such as low tire pressure, in order to improve the wheel's operation and durability.
During routine operation of the remote wheel monitoring system, each wheel transmits wheel sensor data and a unique wheel identifier. The processor utilizes the wheel identifier to determine the origin of the data. Thus, the processor must know the wheel identifier for each of the vehicle's wheels, including the spare wheel, in order to determine the status of a particular wheel. In addition, if the processor knows the wheel identifier for the spare wheel, it can determine when one of the rolling wheels is replaced with a spare wheel.
Wheel identifiers for each of the rolling wheels may be programmed into the processor during vehicle production. It is also known to place a transmitter in each of the vehicle's wheel wells. Each transmitter sends its position to the wheel that is installed in its wheel well, thus allowing the rolling wheel to determine its wheel position on the vehicle and communicate that information to the processor.
However, while these methods are suitable for identifying the rolling wheels, they are often inadequate for identifying the spare wheel. The spare wheel is often installed, or perhaps changed, during the late stages of production. Thus, it is not practical for the wheel identifier for the spare wheel to be programmed into the processor during the production process. Further, the spare wheel may be stored at a location on the vehicle that does not include a wheel well transmitter. In this case, the spare wheel cannot determine its location and transmit that information to the processor.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a method for identifying a spare wheel on a vehicle after the vehicle leaves the production plant and dealership environment. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.

System and method for identifying a spare wheel


Systems, methods, and apparatus for delivering content are provided. A request for desired content may be received by a content management server from a customer device associated with a customer. The content management server may include one or more computers. Additionally, the content management server may determine whether the customer device is in communication with one or more additional devices associated with the customer. Based at least in part upon the communication determination, the content management server may determine whether the customer device is located within a subscription area for the customer. Based at least in part upon the determination of whether the customer device is located within the subscription area, the content management server may determine access rights to the desired content.

A wide variety of service providers, such as cable providers and satellite providers, provide broadband communications services, such as television services, to customers. In a typical distribution of content, a service provider outputs content that is received and processed by an authenticated access device, such as a cable set-top box, a satellite set-top box, or a cable modem. A service provider can infer with relatively high certainty that these authenticated access devices are situated within a household or other location tied to a customer account. These inferences allow the service provider to satisfy distribution requirements of various content providers.
However, with the introduction of additional types of devices that may be configured to receive content, such as tablets, mobile devices, and/or personal computers, it becomes more difficult for a service provider to infer that a device is situated within a household. The service provider may wish to allow customers to use a wide variety of different device types within a household, thereby enhancing the customer experience and improving customer satisfaction. However, for various reasons, such as content distribution requirements, the service provider may desire to limit content access for customer devices situated outside of the household. Accordingly, improved systems, methods, and apparatus for delivering content based upon a determined location or likely location of customer device are desirable.


A method for increasing coverage of subresolution assist features (SRAFs) in a layout. A set of possible SRAF placement and sizing rules for a given pitch is provided, ranked according to some figure of merit. During SRAF placement, the fit of a plurality of different SRAF solutions is successively evaluated to find the SRAF solution, or combinations thereof, which most improves lithographic performance while avoiding manufacturability problems. In general, the method comprises: obtaining a plurality of SRAF configurations for the layout; ranking the SRAF configurations based on a figure of merit; applying a highest ranked SRAF configuration to the layout; applying a predetermined number of lower ranked SRAF configurations to the layout; and selecting SRAF features from at least one of the applied SRAF configurations to provide the optimal SRAF configuration for the layout.

The present invention relates in general to manufacturing processes that require lithography and, in particular, to methods of designing photomasks and optimizing lithographic and etch processes used in microelectronics manufacturing.
There is a continuing effort to reduce the dimensions of integrated circuit (IC) devices, and this has required greater precision in the tools used to manufacture IC devices. IC devices are designed using computer-aided design (CAD) or technology-computer-aided design (TCAD) layout tools which allow designers and manufacturers to plan the layout of circuits on a semiconductor wafer. The finished designs must be transferred to the wafer in a manner that allows device features to be produced by various processes of etching, depositing, implanting, and the like. This is done by applying a photoresist (also known as resist) layer to the surface of the wafer and then exposing the photoresist to radiation transmitted through a mask or reticle having patterns of transparent and opaque areas according to the feature or features to be formed on the wafer. The exposed photoresist is developed to provide openings in the photoresist layer through which the surface of the wafer is exposed for the process desired. This process of transferring the pattern to the wafer is generally referred to as photolithography. The finished product typically includes a number of patterned layers formed on the wafer, in which the patterns in different layers (or levels) are aligned to allow the formation of IC devices and circuit interconnection. Each patterned level or layer is typically formed using a separate mask or reticle layout pattern designed to form the desired pattern for that patterned level or layer.
The overall resolution of a photolithographic process refers to the minimum feature size (i.e., typically a critical dimension, or CD) that can be adequately printed, or "resolved," within specifications. This overall resolution limit depends on the resolution of the optical lithographic system, the properties of the resist as well as the subsequent etch processes. The resolution of the lithography (optical) system, that is, the ability to form a resolvable image pattern on the wafer, is critical to the overall process, and can be improved by resolution enhancement techniques (RETs), including modifications of the mask or reticle, as discussed in more detail below.
The resolution R of an optical lithography system is defined to be the smallest feature size of a grating that is resolvable as a function of illumination wavelength λ and a numerical aperture NA, as expressed as R=k1λ/NA, where k1 is a process constant. For conventional optical lithography, the ultimate resolution limit is reached at k1=0.5, the state at which only one set of diffracted orders can pass through the imaging optical system. Even as exposure wavelengths continue to decrease, and numerical apertures continue to increase, conventional optical lithography is still challenged by resolution below k1=0.5. Approaching k1=0.5 imposes formidable problems due to image quality degradation associated with the loss of increasing numbers of diffracted orders.
At low k1 imaging, significant modifications to mask designs are required to print features in the desired fashion on the wafer. Due to the extreme sensitivity of many of these features to errors on the mask, in the stepper lens or in the lithography process (e.g., focus and dose), it is critical that these mask design modifications, or resolution enhancement techniques (RETs), be done properly. Resolution enhancement techniques such as optical proximity correction (OPC), subresolution assist feature enhancement (SRAF) lithography and phase-shifted-mask-enhanced (PSM) lithography have become increasingly important as resolution has increased beyond the quarter-micron level. In addition, RETs have been combined with the use of off-axis illumination (OAI) and advanced resist processing to bring the k1 value closer to 0.25.
Off-axis illumination (OAI) provides resolution enhancement by modifying the illumination direction incident on the mask so as to eliminate or reduce on-axis illumination. For on-axis (i.e., propagation along the optical axis) light incident on a grating having pitch P, the mth diffracted order will propagate at an angle □m=sin−1(mλ/P). However, only non-zero diffracted orders contain information about the grating, so at least one non-zero order must be collected in order to form an image. In other words, the projection lens must be large enough to collect at least the first order diffracted beams as well as the zero order beam. For the case of on-axis illumination, the first order diffracted beams m=−1 and m=+1 will propagate at angles □m=sin−1(λ/P) relative to the optical axis, and thus the smallest pitch will be limited by the ability of the optical system to collect at least 3 beams (i.e., m=−1, 0, and +1), that is, a projection lens capable of collecting orders subtending an angle 2□1. For a grating having equal lines and spaces having pitch P and line widths (CD) equal to P/2, the minimum feature size resolvable by such a lithographic system is d=0.5□/NA, where sin(□1)=NA, and thus k1=0.5 as discussed above.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an optical projection lithographic system 10 in which illumination light (actinic energy) is provided through the aperture of pupil 12, and collected by a condenser lens 14. An illumination beam 16 is directed to a mask or reticle 18. The light is diffracted by the mask 18, creating diffracted orders m=0, ±1, ±2, . . . , which are then collected by a projection lens 20, and projected to the wafer 22. In the case of off-axis illumination (OAI), the zeroth order beam will propagate undiffracted at an angle □0 from the optical axis 24, but only one of the +1 or −1 diffracted orders, propagating at angle □1, need be collected in order to form an image on the wafer 22. Thus, OAI provides resolution enhancement because the angle collected by the lithographic system will allow a correspondingly smaller grating pitch P to be used. The angle of propagation can be optimized for a primary or target pitch. In addition, if the angle of off-axis illumination is chosen so that zero order and one of the first orders are at the same distance from the center of the pupil of the projection lens 20, the relative phase difference between the zeroth order and that first order will be zero, making the image less subject to defocus, and thus increasing the depth of focus (DOF) for an associated pitch.
The drawback of OAI is that pitches other than the primary pitch will print with degraded process windows. In addition, since there are no discrete diffracted orders for isolated lines, there is little improvement of resolution for isolated lines as compared to densely pitched lines and spaces. The use of sub-resolution assist features provides a means of recovering the process window for pitches that are not enhanced by OAI. By creating nonprinting (non-resolved or sub-resolution) supplementary patterns next to the primary patterns on the mask in such a way that the combined layout approximately reproduces the primary pitch, thus producing the required interference effects, the overall process window can be improved.
Sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs), also known as scattering bars or intensity leveling bars, that are incorporated in photomask layouts, can provide significant lithographic benefit (e.g., improved process window) in the imaging of very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit patterns when used in conjunction with OAI (e.g., annular illumination). The reason for this is because the SRAFs are designed to optically mimic a dense pattern, but print an isolated one. Methods for selecting size and placement of SRAFs have been discussed in the prior art.
The rules for laying out SRAFs, however, are determined only for grating structures; that is, the sizes and relative placements of the SRAFs are applicable only to geometries consisting of simple lines and spaces (i.e., 1D geometry). Real layouts, however, are more complicated and consist of features that may have finite length, corners, or T-junctions (i.e., 2D geometry). As it is very difficult to enumerate all the possible combination of geometries that may occur in a real layout, SRAF placement rules are not currently derived specially for any of these cases. Instead, the simple rules corresponding to the 1D geometry are applied, and termination of the SRAFs are determined by intersections or manufacturing constraints; such constraints typically dictate the maximum distance between features to be placed on a photomask, the minimum length of features, etc. It is expected that many SRAFs will not meet these constraints; those that do not are typically discarded. Unfortunately, the "cleanup" of an SRAF design containing un-manufacturable SRAF solutions may negatively impact lithographic performance (e.g., reduce process window, reduce yield, etc.).
A layout 30 of features to be printed, including an example of a "raw" SRAF layout prior to cleanup, is illustrated in FIG. 2. In the layout 30, the solid features 32 represent the main features to be printed on a wafer, and the cross-hatched features 34 represent SRAFs. The layout 30 was generated strictly according to a rules table (prior art) with no cleanup. That is, the single "best" SRAF solution that optimized some figure of merit (e.g., process window area) was used to place the SRAFs.
An illustrative 1D SRAF rules table 36 is illustrated in FIG. 3. The SRAF rules table 36 includes columns 38, 40, 42, 44, and 46, labeled as "#A," "Pitch," "Line Bias," "Assist Width," and "Loc1," respectively. Here, "#A" refers to the number of assist features used per space (i.e., the distance between two adjacent main features), "pitch" refers to the distance between the center of neighboring main features, "line bias" refers to the width of a main feature on the mask, "assist width" refers to the width of an assist feature on the mask, and "Loc1" refers to the placement of the center of an assist feature relative to the center of a main feature. It is assumed for the purposes of this description that the reader has an understanding of SRAF rules table generation commensurate with one skilled in the art. Accordingly, a detailed description of how SRAF rules tables are provided is not presented herein. A description may be found, for example, in Patent Application Publication No. US 2002/0091985 A1 to Liebmann et al., published Jul. 11, 2002, entitled "Method to Determine Optical Proximity Correction and Assist Feature Rules which Account for Variations in Mask Dimensions," incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 4 illustrates the layout 30 of FIG. 2 after cleanup of SRAF features that violate manufacturing criteria (e.g., minimum space between SRAFs and features, minimum SRAF length, etc.). Comparing the regions 48 and 50 in FIGS. 2 and 4, it can be seen that the SRAFs 34 on the left-hand side of FIG. 2 that have touching corners have been shortened to meet minimum spacing constraints, while the SRAFs 34 immediately above the three vertically-oriented features 32 on the right-hand side of FIG. 2 have been removed to meet minimum spacing constraints and minimum feature lengths. Note that, after deleting the violating SRAFs 34, a significant amount of SRAF coverage has been sacrificed. Those areas not covered may suffer a decreased process window and can potentially reduce yield.
The effect of discarding the SRAFs that violate the manufacturing constraints is clear: incorrect line bias and an increase in sensitivity to focus error. The former problem is corrected by a simple re-biasing of the line in order to produce the correct printed linewidth on the wafer for the given nominal exposure dose; this is accomplished by applying Model-Based OPC (MBOPC) and is well known in the art. The latter problem, however, is not easily correctable. Even though MBOPC will correct the linewidth near a missing SRAF at nominal exposure dose and in focus, the local behavior of the linewidth out of focus will change. Because such out-of-focus conditions can be reached simply through imaging on a non-flat surface (i.e., over topography defined by lower layers), the linewidth change through focus is an important consideration.

Pliant SRAF for improved performance and manufacturability

International Business Machines Corporation


A sheet cutting apparatus comprising a sheet feeding table, a cutting table and a take-up table. A blower draws air from the cutting table through filters and also blows air to each of the sheet feeding tables and sheet take-up tables. Sensors are provided to detect air pressure and if a difference in air pressure of a specific level is detected an alarm is sounded. The blower is reversible so that air can be blown through the filters and switching means is provided to switch the reversed air away from the cutting table. Thus, the filters can be cleaned after a certain amount of dust, etc., has been collected.

The present invention relates to an apparatus which is available for cutting off a sheet like a textile fabric by applying an effectively connected pipe arrangement.
Normally, an automatically controlled sheet cutting apparatus is made available for cutting off a soft sheet like a textile fabric into a predetermined shape. Conventionally, a sheet feeding table, a cutting table, and a sheet take-out table, are sequentially disposed on the plane surface of any conventional sheet cutting apparatus. Typically, such a conventional sheet cutting apparatus incorporates an air absorber and a filtering unit, which are respectively connected to the sheet feeding table, the sheet cutting table, and the sheet take-out table via a number of pipes. Normally, any conventional sheet cutting apparatus is furnished with an endless conveyer unit and an air-absorbing cleaner so that the conveyer unit can be prevented from being clogged with dust.
In order to convey a fabric forward in slightly afloat condition, those conventional feeding tables and take-out tables externally blow air via a number of through holes provided on the surface of these tables. Furthermore, in order to secure the fabric, the fabric is absorbed against the surfaces of these tables provided for the cutting apparatus. The air-absorbing cleaner removes fibrous dust from the endless conveyer by means of absorption.
An air compressing source is provided for the sheet feeding table and also for the sheet take-out table. On the other hand, the cutter unit and the cleaner are respectively provided with an air absorber and a filter.
To solve those technical problems cited above, typically, there is such a proposal to commonly make use of part of air-absorbing units and filtering units to save provision of the air-absorbing unit and the filtering unit for each cleaner so that spacewise and costwise problems can be eliminated.
For example, the Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-50280 of 1987 discloses such a structure in which an air-absorbing unit provided for a cutting unit is concurrently made available for a cleaner unit except for a pneumatic source which is discretely provided for a feeding table. Nevertheless, this prior art does not disclose such a specific technical thought for concurrently availing of the air-absorbing unit as the pneumatic source.
Since any of those conventional sheet cutting apparatuses including the one proposed by the above-cited Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-50280 of 1987 cannot concurrently make use of components in common with each other beyond the proposed scope, spacewise and costwise problems adversely affect operating efficiency of these conventional apparatuses.
In order to improve operating efficiency, if there were such a trial to concurrently use the air-absorbing unit as the pneumatic source, it will not only result in the need to invert the flow of air, but it will also generate an excessive flow rate when the flow rate of absorbed air applicable to the cutting unit is introduced to the pneumatic source available for the feeding table.
On the other hand, if each blower were provided with a constant capacity, absorptive force may excessively be intensified according to the condition to execute the cutting process. In order to adjust pressure, typically, the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60-52299 of 1985 discloses provision of valves. Nevertheless, this art cannot properly maintain energetic efficiency.
Therefore, in order to reasonably solve those technical problems inherent in conventional cutting apparatuses, the invention hereby provides a novel sheet cutting apparatus which concurrently makes use of an air-absorbing unit for the cutting unit by way of sharing it with the cleaning unit, and yet, the invention also makes use of this air-absorbing unit as the pneumatic source of the sheet feeding table. To securely materialize this, the invention provides a special pipe arrangement and a control system.


A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus reduces limitation on operation position due to the layout of a factory, and enables an operator to check data in a working position upon maintenance of the apparatus, thus realizing efficient operation. A console having a display unit to display wafer information, recipe information, apparatus status and the like, and an input unit to input data and information, is removably fixed in any of a plurality of attachment positions provided on the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus main body, via a console attachment member. The height of the display unit and that of the input unit can be adjusted by height adjustment means having band members and fixing members.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly, to a comparatively large semiconductor manufacturing apparatus installed in a clean room or the like.
Semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses such as a projection exposure apparatus and a coater developer include a console having a display unit which displays an operation status of the apparatus, wafer information on a wafer to be processed, recipe information and the like, and an input unit which inputs data and information necessary for the apparatus. General operation and maintenance work are made by inputting data and information necessary for operation and maintenance with the input unit while checking various data on the display unit.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show structures of the conventional console of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatuses. That is, in the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, a console 110 is integrated with an apparatus main body 101. The console 110 is provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 101. Reference numeral 120 denotes a power switch panel; 130, a controller rack. In the apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the console 110 is separately provided from the apparatus main body 101. The power switch panel 120 is provided on the apparatus main body 101, however, the console 110 and the controller rack 130 are separately provided from the apparatus main body 101, in appropriate positions adjacent to the apparatus main body 101.
However, in the above conventional arts, in a case where the console is integrated with the apparatus main body as shown in FIG. 4, although the footprint of the entire apparatus can be reduced, operation can be performed only at one portion of the front surface of the apparatus where the console is provided. For this reason, when maintenance work is made on the rear side of the apparatus, to check the result of the work, the apparatus data and the like, the operator must go to the front of the apparatus where the console is provided. Further, in a case where the front area of the apparatus is small due to limitation of the layout of a factory, or there is a track of an unmanned conveyance robot such as an automated guided vehicle (AGV) in front of the apparatus, layout freedom is limited, which disturbs operability of the apparatus.
Further, in the apparatus where the console is separately set from the apparatus main body as shown in FIG. 5, installation freedom for the console can be increased to a certain degree. However, as the console cannot be easily moved, the operator must go to the console to check information, similarly to the former case. Further, the footprint of the apparatus is larger, and the layout is limited due to prolonged connection codes, and further, the connection code may catch the operator""s foot.
Further, in the conventional apparatuses as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, as the height and the inclination of the console cannot be changed, if the apparatus main body is positioned higher or lower than the floor level due to the limitation of installation, the height of the operation surface changes in accordance with the height of the apparatus, which forces the operator to work in an unnatural position.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation, and has as its object to provide a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus which enables appropriate setting of an attachment position of an operation unit in accordance with the layout of a factory or clean environment, and enables efficient operation and maintenance work.
According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus comprising: a main body which performs semiconductor manufacturing processing; an operation unit which allows a user to operate the main body; and operation-unit attachment means having a plurality of attachment members to removably attach the operation unit to the main body, in a plurality of positions of the main body.
In accordance with the present invention as described above, by providing a plurality of attachment members for the console of the semiconductor manufacturing apparatus such as a projection exposure apparatus, the console can be attached to an appropriate position in accordance with the layout of the factory or clean environment. This reduces the limitation on operation position in the layout of the factory, and enables a,user to quickly check data from the work position upon maintenance of the apparatus main body.
Further, another object of the present invention is to facilitate electrical connection, in connection with positional change of the operation unit, by providing a connection portion in each of the plurality of attachment members provided on the main body to electrically connect the operation unit to the main body.
Further, another object of the present invention is to facilitate attachment of the operation unit to a position more suitable to the layout of the factory by providing a plurality of attachment members on a plurality of different surfaces of the main body.
Further, another object of the present invention is to adjust the height of the operation unit in accordance with the height of the installed apparatus or operability for the operator, so as to realize efficient operation and work such as maintenance.
Further, another object of the present invention is to change the attachment position of the operation unit in each of the plurality of attachment members in a lateral direction, so as to adjust the position of the operation unit in the respective attachment positions.
Further, another object of the present invention is to adjust the elevation angle of the display unit in the operation unit, so as to enable efficient operation and work such as maintenance.
Further, another object of the present invention is to enable general operation or work such as maintenance without moving the operation unit and the operator, by attaching a plurality of operation units to the apparatus main body.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same name or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.


Method of re-routing mail traffic exchanged with a messaging system in a data transmission system in which at least one user connected to an IP transport network such as the Internet can transmit requests to and receive data from a plurality of servers through a load balancer, wherein at least one of the servers being a mail server in charge of mail exchange with the user through the IP transport network. This method comprises the steps of forwarding a routing context to an external service infrastructure partner (SIP) device when the system is triggered by an event A, reconfiguring the load balancer in order to be able to send a mail protocol to the SIP device when receiving the mail traffic to be re-routed to the SIP device, and forwarding a user context to the SIP device.

The primary goal of most Information Technology (IT) systems is to meet required performance and service availability levels for managed applications at the lowest possible cost and risk, while maintaining the highest customer satisfaction. In trying to achieve this goal, the management processes of traditional systems have over-provisioned their data center, particularly when the Internet network has workload levels that vary from relatively predictable to unpredictable (e.g., spiky). Such an over-provisioning includes the dedication of sufficient computing capacity to support each application during its highest potential user demand.
Until now, the reality of over-provisioning has resulted in high costs accompanied with unpredictable service levels, while today's business environment is fast paced and demanding. To be successful and competitive, IT systems must meet business demands by delivering what is needed, where it is needed, and when it is needed. As such, in a dynamic and fluctuating marketplace, new on-demand processes and technologies are required. In today's economy, companies, and in a general way, IT organizations, cannot afford to maintain a server capacity for just-in-case situations, but need optimized and flexible infrastructures.
Different products already exist that constantly monitor service levels, anticipate resource requirements for peak workloads, and then automatically implement the needed services. For example, IBM's Tivoli Intelligent ThinkDynamic Orchestrator can be used to create, customize, and store workflow, personalized with specific policies and procedures, to automate processes in testing and data centers. The execution of these processes can be gradually implemented in a manual, semi-automatic, and finally automatic mode. This allows a company to progress at its own evolutionary pace to become a dynamic and automated on-demand business. However, these products are currently centered on resources they own (resources that have been assigned) and more importantly do not include definitions (workflow) for mail service provisioning.
In a data center, computing resources are finite and the business importance of each application varies. For this reason, such products as IBM's Tivoli Intelligent ThinkDynamic Orchestrator only help optimize resource allocation based on the relative importance of each application. For example, a lower priority application such as mail may be temporarily shut down while waiting for a higher priority application to be run according to its agreed service levels, until the load falls below a required threshold.

System and method for re-routing messaging traffic to external resources


The method and system of the invention provide a variety of techniques for using a selected alias and a selected personal identification entry (PIE) in conjunction with use of a transaction card, such as a credit card, debit card or stored value card, for example. A suitable number or other identification parameter is selected by the account-holder as an alias. The account-holder is then required to choose a PIE for security purposes. The alias is linked to the account-holder's credit card number via a database. When the account-holder enters into a transaction with a merchant, the physical card need not be present. The account-holder simply provides his or her alias and then the PIE. This can be done at any point of sale such as a store, catalog telephone order, or over the Internet. The alias and PIE are entered and authorization is returned from the credit card company.

There are literally thousands of different credit cards, funds cards or other personal cards available which provide an account-holder with a variety of capabilities. Some provide frequent flier miles, others give a user free gas. Still other credit cards offer low interest rates and even insurance for purchases. Out of all the transaction cards that exist, none of them offer the ability to go to a store and make purchases, without the actual card, by utilizing convenient identifying information that is selected by the account-holder.
Further, conventional known techniques do not provide for conducting business over the Internet without using the transaction card number, for example, or some other mandated number. That is, the conventional techniques do not provide for an account-holder to select convenient identifying information by which to access and use that account-holder's account.
To explain, it is highly desirable to use easy to remember numbers or other information to effect transactions. Illustratively, while it is possible to place an order over the phone to a catalog company, it is burdensome to have a physical card in your hand to read the card number to the sales person and provide some additional information such as the expiration date. Perhaps a trivial number of people have memorized their transaction card number and expiration date, but most people have yet to commit these seldom used 20-digits, for example, to memory, i.e., the 20-digit number including a 16 digit card number and a four digit expiration date.
Additionally, those with an active lifestyle often find it burdensome to carry many cards with them during their everyday lives. The risk of losing one's wallet or purse, or having it stolen is an ongoing problem. The replacement process for most credit cards, a particular type of transaction card, for example, is long and burdensome. If a credit card is stolen and unauthorized charges are discovered on the account, the process to rectify the situation is both time consuming and exhausting, often involving sworn affidavits by the cardholder.
These drawbacks, as well as others, exist with current transaction cards and the techniques utilized in conjunction with such current transaction cards.


A computer system of this invention includes a power input terminal which is provided outside a personal computer, and an external fuel cell assembly connected to the power input terminal. Hence, a computer system in which water produced from the fuel cell assembly is prevented from entering the computer can be provided. A personal computer for which an operation mode for deriving the personal computer by a fuel cell assembly is prepared to prevent any trouble due to user's misunderstanding can be provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relate to a computer system using a fuel cell assembly as a power supply and, more particularly, to a personal computer using a fuel cell assembly of type which directly oxidizes methanol.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various personal computers using a fuel cell assembly have been devised. In a conventional personal computer using a fuel cell assembly, the fuel cell assembly is set in the personal computer main body.
Such a personal computer is disclosed in, e.g., Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-213359. The fuel cell assembly disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 9-213359 uses a hydrogen-absorbing metal.
A fuel cell assembly inevitably produces water. This water is normally vaporized using heat generated in the computer. In some cases, however, the vapor liquefies in the housing of the personal computer under various environmental conditions. A design for preventing the water from entering the personal computer conflicts required conditions for heat dissipation, ventilation, and the like.
That is, in the conventional personal computer, the fuel cell assembly is set in the personal computer, and when water produced from the fuel cell assembly enters the personal computer, the personal computer malfunctions.
In addition to a fuel cell assembly with a hydrogen storage unit using a hydrogen-absorbing alloy, a DMFC (Direct Method Fuel Cell) has been devised. Such a DMFC is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Patent Application No. 10-278759 filed by the present applicant. The DMFC does not require so-called auxiliary equipment for pumping fuel and hence has no movable mechanical portion. For this reason, the DMFC is readily made compact and lightweight and therefore is suitable as a power supply of a notebook personal computer.
If, however, a DMFC is designed not to have a stacked cell structure so as to manufacture the cell at a low cost, air supplied to the cell relies on diffusion and convection. As a consequence, to supply power required for a current notebook PC, the DMFC has an excessively large area. Even if the performance of a DMFC improves to, for example, 45 mW/cm2, the cell needs to have an area of 1,000 cm2 to supply 45 W.
The biggest merit in using a fuel cell assembly for a portable apparatus is that the apparatus can be used substantially unlimited time period in the AC power less embodiment, as long as a fuel is carried. When the fuel cell assembly is used, it is required to restrict a performance and function of the personal computer.
While being out as long as a fuel is carried. However, the power that can be extracted from the fuel cell assembly is limited. If a high priority is to be given to the long-term use of a personal computer even at the expense of performance, the personal computer needs to be operated with a great restriction on power consumption. However, present notebook PCs are not designed to operate on the power that can be extracted from a fuel cell assembly.
Many current notebook personal computers are designed assuming, as a main power supply, an Li ion cell charged using a dedicated AC adapter. In this case, for the viewpoint of efficiency and the like, it is supposed to be optimum to design a secondary cell with a terminal voltage of about 10V by connecting three cells in series in a battery pack.
The cell output voltage of a fuel cell assembly is about 0.5V in operation. A fuel cell assembly having a number of cells stacked (this type is hard to manufacture and be inexpensive) is generally designed to obtain such an output voltage, though it is expensive and difficult to use.
For cost reduction, a personal computer operable by a low-level voltage, which can easily be obtained by segmenting a grid into a plurality of portions in an integrated fuel cell assembly and connecting those portions in series, is necessary.
However, with the low power obtained by such a fuel cell assembly, the conventional computer system cannot normally operate when a power-consuming application is executed.

System including a computer and a fuel cell that communicates with the computer and supplies power to the computer


A method for removing biofilm from a lumen of a medical implant is disclosed. The method includes the steps of inserting a plasma applicator into a lumen defined in a medical implant, the lumen having a proximal end portion and a distal end portion having an opening therein, positioning the plasma applicator adjacent a biofilm formation, generating a selectively reactive plasma effluent at the plasma applicator and directing the selectively reactive plasma effluent at the biofilm formation.

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to plasma devices and processes for surface processing and tissue removal. More particularly, the disclosure relates to a system and method for generating and directing chemically reactive, plasma-generated species in a plasma device along with excited-state species (e.g., energetic photons) that are specific to the supplied feedstocks for treating tissue.
Background of Related Art
Electrical discharges in dense media, such as liquids and gases at or near atmospheric pressure, can, under appropriate conditions, result in plasma formation. Plasmas have the unique ability to create large amounts of chemical species, such as ions, radicals, electrons, excited-state (e.g., metastable) species, molecular fragments, photons, and the like. The plasma species may be generated in a variety of internal energy states or external kinetic energy distributions by tailoring plasma electron temperature and electron density. In addition, adjusting spatial, temporal and temperature properties of the plasma creates specific changes to the material being irradiated by the plasma species and associated photon fluxes. Plasmas are also capable of generating photons including energetic ultraviolet photons that have sufficient energy to initiate photochemical and photocatalytic reaction paths in biological and other materials that are irradiated by the plasma photons.

System and method for biofilm remediation


Methods of selecting a population of human cells containing quiescent pluripotent hematopoietic progenitor cells substantially free of mature, human myeloid and lymphoid cells, the quiescent pluripotent progenitor cells obtained by these methods, and methods of using the pluripotent progenitor cells are described.

Hematopoietic stem cells are a population of cells capable of both self renewal and of differentiation into a variety of hematopoietic lineages. (S. Huang and L. Terstappen, Nature, 360:745-749 (1992)). The definition of the hematopoietic stem cell is functional and based upon the ability of transplanted cells to repopulate the hematopoietic system of a recipient who has undergone myeloablative treatment. The prevailing view is that stem cells represent perhaps 0.01 percent of bone marrow cells, that they can self-renew and that they can be assayed by their ability to regenerate the bone marrow and to give rise to long-term lympho- and myelopoiesis. (M. Dexter and T. Allen, Nature, 360:709-710 (1992)).
The differentiation of hematopoietic cells from primitive multipotent progenitors to mature blood elements involves a series of lineage commitment steps accompanied by the acquisition of specific phenotypic characteristics. Cells gain or lose antigenic features and responsiveness to specific cytokines based on their lineage and stage of differentiation.
The efficient isolation of hematopoietic stem cells would enhance both the investigation of the processes of lineage commitment and self-renewal and the clinical strategies of bone marrow transplantation and hematopoietic cell gene therapy. However, identification of such primitive cells is challenging because of their apparent low frequency and their lack of identifiable morphologic features.
Several methods of enrichment have been developed based on immunologic and certain functional properties of primitive hematopoietic cells. For example, antibodies have been generated which recognize cell surface antigens associated with hematopoietic cells at various stages of lineage differentiation. Immunophenotypes which are enriched for fractions of human bone marrow cells with more primitive phenotypes are CD34+, CD33-, CD38-, HLA DR-, Thy-1.sup.lo and negative staining for lineage specific antigens (W. Craig, et al., J. Exp. Med. 177:1331 (1993); C. I. Civin et al., J. Immunol. 133:157 (1994); C. I. Civin, et al., Exp. Hematol. 15:10 (1987); L. W. M. M. Terstappen, et al., Blood 77:1218 (1991)). In addition, it has been recognized that low intensity of staining with the dye, Rhodamine.sub.123 (Rho), is associated with a fraction of bone marrow cells enriched for repopulating stem cells (R. E. Ploemacher, N. H. C. Brons, Exp. Hematol. 16:903 (1988); N. S. Wolf, et al., Exp. Hematol. 21:614 (1993); G. J. Spangrude, G. R. Johnson, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87:7433 (1990)).
These methods, however, depend upon technically demanding cell sorting which involves considerable mechanical manipulation of the cells. Further, antibody binding to cell surface structures may theoretically be capable of inducing perturbations of the cells' physiology.
Enrichment methods have been developed which exploit the observations that soy-bean agglutinin binding is uncommon in primitive bone marrow cells (Y. Reisner, et al., Blood 59:360 (1992); W. Ebell, et al., Blood 65:1105 (1985)) and that stem cells are relatively resistant to the toxic effects of the alkylating agent, 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide (4-HC) (M. Y. Gordon, et al., Leukemia Res. 9:1017 (1985); C. Smith, et al., Blood 77:2122 (1991)). The anti-metabolite, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), when added to short-term bone marrow cultures was noted to enrich for early hematopoietic cells, presumably due to the relative quiescence of more primitive cells (C. Lemer, D. Harrison, Exp. Hematol. 18:114 (1990); M. F. Stewart et al., Blood 81, 2283 (1993)). However, these methods also suffer from limited selectivity, yielding relatively heterogeneous populations of precursor cells. Thus, a need still exists for an efficient method of isolating hematopoietic stem cells.

Method of screening a compound for hematopoietic activity

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Inc.


Systems and methods employing a small guage steerable catheter (30) including a locatable guide (32) with a sheath (40), particularly as an enhancement to a bronchoscope (14). A typical procedure is as follows. The location of a target in a reference coordinate system is detected or imported. The catheter (30) is navigated to the target which tracking the distal tip (34) of the guide (32) in the reference coordinate system. Insertion of the catheter is typically via a working channel of a convention bronchoscope. Once the tip of the catheter is positioned at the target, the guide (32) is withdrawn, leaving the sheath (40) secured in place. The sheath (40) is then used as a guide channel to direct a medical tool to target.

The present invention relates to endoscopes and, in particular, it concerns endoscope structures and techniques for navigating to a target in branched structure, such as the human lungs, and for bringing a medical tool to the target.
Biopsy taken from suspected malignant tissue inside the bronchial tree is conventionally performed using a bronchoscope. The bronchoscope, which is a type of endoscope, is a flexible tube having a miniature camera at its tip. Actuated from a handle at its proximal end, its tip has the ability to deflect in two opposite directions, allowing it to be steered inside the bronchial tree. The bronchoscope also has a working channel, typically of internal diameter about 2.8 mm, allowing a tool such as a biopsy forceps to be inserted and driven ahead of its distal tip.
Once unidentified lung mass is discovered in a CT scan, a biopsy of this mass should be taken. The patient is positioned on an operating table, a bronchoscope is inserted into the bronchial tree and directed towards the mass. Once the tip of the bronchoscope is placed in contact with the mass, as validated by direct viewing of the mass in the bronchoscope image, a forceps is pushed via the working channel into the mass and biopsy is taken.
While this technique is straightforward in principle, the practical application is often highly problematic. The air paths of the bronchial tree get progressively narrower as they branch with increasing depth into the bronchial tree. A typical bronchoscope is a two- or three-lumen structure (including fiber bundles for imaging and illumination and working channel for suction and/or tools) and is typically around 5 or 6 millimeters in diameter. In consequence, a bronchoscope can reach only the third, or at most the fourth, bifurcation level of the tree (indicated by a dashed circle in FIG. 24). If the mass is at the periphery of the tree, the biopsy forceps must be pushed further ahead of the tip of the bronchoscope in the estimated direction of the mass. The biopsy itself is then taken blindly. X-ray fluoroscopic imaging is often used as a visual aid, but this is only of any value for relatively large masses visible under a fluoroscope, and the two-dimensional images produced are a poor navigation aid, lacking depth perception. For these and other reasons, it is estimated that more than 60% of the total number of bronchial biopsies are taken mistakenly in a wrong location.
Various devices have been proposed in order to try to ameliorate the limitations of bronchoscopes. Of particular interest is U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,491 to Carpenter which discloses a bronchoscope with a small gauge viewing attachment. The viewing attachment is selectively advanced past the end of the bronchoscope to view tissue beyond the reach of the main bronchoscope shaft.
Although the device of Carpenter allows viewing of tissue within passageways too narrow for the bronchoscope to enter, it is very limited in its usefulness. Firstly, the viewing attachment is not steerable, relying instead on the pointing direction of the end of the bronchoscope. As a result, the viewing attachment is limited in its capabilities to reach target tissue. Secondly, the system provides no location information to facilitate navigation to the target tissue. Finally, the device is of little or no use for navigating a medical tool to the target location. If the viewing attachment is removed to allow introduction of a tool to the working channel, manipulation of the tool must again be performed "blindly" without any guarantee that the correct target tissue has been reached.
There is therefore a need for endoscopes and corresponding methods which facilitate navigation to a target within a branched structure such as the bronchial tree, and which allows a medical tool to be brought accurately to the target.

Endoscope structures and techniques for navigating to a target in branched structure


A switching device of a multifunctional shower head is integrated into the cavity of the shower head, which mainly includes a switching button, a radius bar, a swing arm, a coupled gear, a shaft for the coupled gear, a division gear, and a shaft for the division gear; wherein one end of said radius bar extends out of the shower head via a through-hole to fix with a switching button, and the end has a pivot pin; one end of said swing arm is fixed onto the shaft of the coupled gear, while a slot guide is disposed on the other end for connecting with said pivot pin of said radius bar; said gearing coupled and division gears are located in the cavity of the shower head via their shaft respectively; said division gear closing on the outlet of the main body has several dividing holes coordinating to the outlet of the main body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multifunctional shower head, and more particularly to a switching device of a multifunctional shower head.
2. Description of Prior Art
In conventional technology, most of multifunctional shower heads work in a similar way, i.e. the water spraying mode is operated manually by turning the switching collar to make the water divider to rotate relative to the shower head main body. Accordingly, said shifting collar is disposed between the spray panel and the main body for the switching collar to coordinate to the spray panel.
The structure of most conventional shower heads mentioned above is in general limited to a shower head of a small diameter, simply because it is more user-friendly to operate a switch of a small-sized shower head than otherwise. The present invention provides a user-friendly switching device for a shower head to overcome the above disadvantage.


A device for determining the aerobic biodegradability in a composting installation of at least one product includes at least two reactors, a temperature device for maintaining the reactors at a temperature above the ambient temperature, a device for passing gas which contains oxygen through the reactors, a device for separately collecting outflowing gas from each of the reactors, a measuring/calculating device for determining the amount of CO.sub.2 in the outflowing gas of each reactor and a calculating device for determining the aerobic biodegradability of the at least one product based on the measured/calculated amount of CO.sub.2 in the outflowing gas of each reactor.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for the determination of the aerobic biodegradability in a composting device of at least one product.
2. Description of the Related Art
Aerobic composting has already been utilized for a considerable time for biologically transforming organic waste products into a stabilized end product, namely compost. This composting is performed by aerating the organic waste products at a controlled degree of moisture. Bacteria and fungi are going to transform the waste products into water, CO.sub.2, and compost, whereby great quantities of heat are released. For household refuse the composting normally requires 8 to 20 weeks but for difficultly degradable substances the composting can require 1 to 2 years.
Because of the increasingly stringent environmental standards and the growing environmental awareness of consumers, many producers of all sorts of consumer goods, packaging materials, chemical products etc. are forced to make more environmentally friendly products. That is why it is necessary to be able to verify how these products, after use by the consumer, can be processed in the refuse chain. If the product is considerably biodegraded in a composting device, this product is biodegradable or compostable.
Several methods are known for determining biodegradability. The known methods are especially directed towards determining the biodegradability of the products in a water purification device. Such a known method is the so-called STURM-test whereby the production of CO.sub.2 by bacteria is measured in a wet environment. Since the microbiota, the temperature (10 to 20 degrees Centigrade) and other factors differ considerably in the wet conditions with less than 1% dry substance of a water purification device in relation to these factors in the dry conditions with at least 30 to 40% dry substance and a temperature above 50 degrees Centigrade of a composting device, this method is not suitable for determining the degradability in a composting device. According to other known methods the product such as plastic of which the degradability has to be measured is, together with other material placed in a composting tank and after 6 to 8 weeks again removed and subjected to tests, such as the measurement of the ductility. These methods are indirect measurements and no proof is given that the product is actually microbiodegraded.

Device for the determination of aerobic biodegradability

Organic Waste Systems, naamloze vennootschap


One embodiment provides a graphics processor comprising a hardware graphics rendering pipeline configured to perform multisample anti-aliasing, the hardware graphics rendering pipeline including pixel processing logic to determine that each sample location of a pixel of a multisample surface is associated with a clear value and resolve a color value for the pixel to a non-multisample surface via a write of metadata to indicate that the pixel has the clear value. The resolve can be a stenciled resolve that automatically bypasses execution of a pixel shader for pixels having clear color data.

3D APIs includes common operations to resolve a multisample anti-aliased (MSAA) texture, copy resource, initialize a texture and generate mipmaps and perform other operations. In all such operations, graphics driver logic in control of a graphics processor can program a pixel shader to sample from source texture and write to a destination as render target. For texture initialization, the source is simply written to destination. For MSAA resolve and mipmap generation the graphics processor can output a simple average of the samples color into the non-MSAA destination or the next mip level. This approach enables color compression when writing to destination render target but does not utilize any cleared status that may be set for the source texture.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Leveraging control surface fast clears to optimize 3D operations


Systems and methods are provided for determining an address for a private function. A start address for a public function of a software program in a data file associated with the software program is determined. Instruction data for the public function is identified in the data file based on the start address of the public function. First data of a predetermined size is read from a beginning of the instruction data for the public function. A signature for a private function of the software program is identified in the first data. A relative address for the private function in the data file based on the identified signature is stored in memory.

In computer programming, the term hooking generally refers to various techniques that are used to intercept function calls (or messages, events, etc.) passed between computer executables. The computer code that handles the interception is called a hook. Such interception can be used to augment the behavior of operating systems, applications, and/or other software components through separate software programs. For example, a software program can hook to a function call in a separate software program so that when the function call is executed, the software program can prevent the function from executing during run time, change the behavior of the function (e.g., by augmenting the function with additional code), or replace the function with a new function.
Various libraries and products have been developed to hook to public functions and/or events defined through application programmer interfaces ("APIs"). However, such products often only can hook to publicly exported functions (e.g., well-defined API functions). For example, library data files (e.g., byte code) often include export tables that define the public functions and provide address information for the public functions in the file. The hooking programs can use the export tables to identify the addresses of the publicly exported functions (which are, in turn, used to hook to the functions). However, internal functions are not defined in the export tables, so conventional hooking methods often have no easy way to determine the start addresses of the internal functions (or private functions) in the byte code. Further, because internal functions are not easily identifiable, the addresses of such internal functions may not be known at compile time of the program that needs to hook to the internal functions. It is often required for such programs to know the addresses of the internal functions at compile time for the programs to hook to the function.

Systems and methods for determining an address for a private function


A system is for determining a position on a golf course. The system has a master unit and at least one slave unit. The master unit and the at least one slave unit are adapted to communicate through a telecommunications network. The master unit comprises a receiver for a satellite navigation system, the receiver being operable at a fixed position on the golf course. The master unit is configured to: obtain a position determined by the receiver; process the displacement between the obtained position and the fixed position; and make the processed displacement available to the at least one slave unit through the telecommunications network. A slave unit then makes use of the processed displacement to improve positions determined by itself.

A golf course is an area comprising a series of holes, in which the game of golf is played. Typically, a golf course with 18 holes occupies as much as 60 hectares (approximately 150 acres) of land and has an average of 30 hectares (approximately 74 acres) of maintained turf. Determining a position on a golf course is useful in several circumstances. One example is providing an autonomous vehicle to perform a maintenance task on the golf course, such as cutting grass, picking up trash, or removing dew. The ability to determine the current position allows the autonomous vehicle to, for example, process a trajectory, move along an appropriate path on the golf course, or decide which movement to perform next. Another example is a golf player deciding on how to perform a stroke during a round of golf. When making that decision, an important information to consider is the distance from the position of the ball being played to the target hole. The distance can be obtained if the player knows the position of the hole before-hand and is able to determine his/her position on the golf course.
However, there are challenges in determining a position with accuracy on the golf course. A significant error can sabotage the action that is performed based on the determined position. For example, an autonomous lawn mower will require accurate positions to be determined when cutting the grass on a putting green, otherwise the resulting putting green may differ from the planned design. Or the autonomous lawn mower will require accurate positions to be determined when circumventing hazards, such as bunkers or water streams, otherwise it may move into a location that will block it from moving further or even damage it. Another example, is a player selecting an incorrect club when performing a stroke, the selection being performed based on an incorrect determination of his/her position, of the position of the ball, and/or of the position of a hole on the golf course.
A known solution for determining a position on a golf course is a receiver for a satellite navigation system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the GLONASS (Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema), or the Galileo system. However, in practice it is observed that the determined position will present an error approximately between 5 and 15 meters. With such an error, it is not safe, for example, for an autonomous lawn mower to move on a path that is 3 meters wide. A player will also determine his/her position with a significant error, which renders this solution insufficient in many situations.

System for determining a position on a golf course


A method and system for assessing a software generation environment (SGE). The SGE has a plurality of SGE characteristics. At least one query is generated for each SGE characteristic. Each query has a plurality of response choices and each response choice has a numerical score. A selected response choice is received for each query. A SGE score is computed and displayed for each SGE characteristic. The SGE score for each SGE characteristic is equal to a summation of the numerical scores associated with the selected response choices for the SGE characteristic. A total score is computed and displayed, wherein the total score is equal to a summation of the SGE scores.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and system for assessing a software generation environment.
2. Related Art
Current practice for assessing a software generation environment is inefficient and requires a considerable length of time to generate useful results. Thus, there is a need for a method and system for more efficiently assessing a software generation environment.

Method and system for assessing a software generation environment


A surface-reinforced article includes a core assembly (12) comprising a foam core (20) with a surface region (22) that includes fine inner fibrous material intimately surround by foam that is integral with foam of the core, and an outer reinforcing covering (14) which includes an outer layer (32) of fibrous material and a resin (30) surrounding the outer layer of fibrous material and covering the primarily foam core assembly. The fine inner fibrous material (91-94) includes coupling fibers (100) with inner ends (102) embedded in the foam and outer ends (106) embedded in the resin, to better hold the resin to the foam. The primarily foam core assembly is molded within a first mold cavity (64) formed between spacers (60, 62) that lie within a second mold cavity (50). After the core assembly is molded, the spacers are removed, the core assembly is wrapped in the outer fibrous material, and the wrapped core assembly (120) is placed in the second mold cavity that is formed by the original mold but without the spacers. When resin is injected into the second mold cavity it forms an outer reinforcing covering of largely uniform thickness. The fine fiber reinforcement of the core assembly prevents it from being deformed at the pressure of the injected resin.

My earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,974 describes a lightweight article formed by foam with fibers embedded in a surface region of the foam article to strengthen the surface region and produce a stronger article with almost the same weight as one solely of foam.
Such surface-reinforced foam article is suitable for surfboards and a variety of other articles of light weight compared to their size. There are other applications where a light weight article is required which is of much greater strength than the article of foam with embedded fibers at the surface. Such article and a method for efficiently producing it would be of value.

Foam core-surface reinforced article and method


In an injection molding tool including at least one hot channel nozzle to which a melt is supplied via a hot channel structure which at its end remote from the hot channel nozzle includes an inlet opening which can be closed by a closure element which is axially movably supported in the inlet part of the hot channel adjacent the inlet opening, the hot channel is angled and the closure element extends in sealed relationship through an angled wall area of the hot channel structure for actuating the closure member, the inlet area and an operating device for actuating the closure member being disposed in a separate unit removably connected to the injection molding tool.

The invention relates to an injection molding tool including at least one hot channel nozzle to which melt is supplied via a hot channel which, at its end remote from the hot channel nozzle, includes an inlet opening which can be closed by a closure element which extends axially through an inlet part of the hot channel adjacent the supply opening wherein, at its end remote from the inlet opening, the hot channel is angled and the closure element extends through the wall of the hot channel for actuation of the closure element by an operating element disposed outside the hot channel.
Such an injection molding tool is well-known in the state of the art and is manufactured and sold for example by the Assignee of the present application with great success. However, in the known injection molding tool, the melt is always conducted from an injection molding machine arranged at the side of the injection molding tool via an admission opening into an inlet part of a hot channel which extends into the interior of the injection molding tool. At its end remote from the inlet opening the inlet part of the hot channel is angled. By means of the hot channel structure, the melt is distributed to the respective hot channel nozzles.
For the transfer of the melt, the supply nozzle of the injection molding machine is placed in tight contact with the input part of the hot channel. Since the supply nozzle has to be removed from the injection molding tool during operation, for example, during the removal of the manufactured injection molding parts from the injection molding tool, the supply nozzle is not disposed on the inlet opening for a certain period so that melt can flow out of the supply nozzle because of a backflow of melt.
Melt flowing out of the nozzle however can result in large manufacturing problems. It is therefore advantageous if also the supply opening can be closed by a closure member like the outlet opening of the hot channel nozzle. The closure member is for example a valve needle which extends about axially through the inlet part of the hot channel and protrudes through the angled wall of the inlet part of the hot channel. At the end of the closure needle, which projects from the hot channel, an operating device is provided which comprises generally a pneumatic or hydraulic operating cylinder. Because of the high pressure prevalent in the hot channel the seals at the penetration area of the valve needle through the wall must comply with high sealing requirements. Leakages could result in a breakdown of manufacturing operations.
Since the inlet part of the hot channel extends into the interior of the injection molding tool, the place where the closure needle extends through the wall of the hot channel and the operating element are disposed in the interior of the injection molding tool. This is highly disadvantageous since, consequently, the penetration seals and the operating device are not easily accessible from the outside. As a result, maintenance or repair work for eliminating a defect by an exchange of faulty components is generally only possible upon disassembly of the injection molding tool. This however results often in undesirably long downtimes of the injection molding tool for servicing or repair work. Furthermore, the known arrangement is of a relatively complicated design.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide an injection molding tool of the type as described above, wherein however servicing and/or repair of the closure elements for the melt admission opening are facilitated.


Tube bending apparatus comprising a lower support carrying a mandrel having a bending groove providing a bend axis, and an upper support mounted on the lower support for rotation about the bend axis and carrying a forming member for urging a tube between the mandrel and forming member into the bending groove on rotation of the upper support relative to the lower support. The upper support is adapted to be rotated relative to the lower support through a drive shaft arrangement extending downwardly from the lower support and coupled with a drive unit having an output coupling coaxial with the drive shaft and transverse to the axis of the drive motor of the drive unit. A stand supports the bending apparatus and drive unit relative to an underlying support surface during operation of the bending apparatus. The lower support is provided with angularly spaced apart abutment surfaces corresponding to different bend angles for a tube to be bent, and the upper support member is provided with a stop member which is selectively adjustable to engage any one of the abutment surfaces to provide the corresponding bend angle as well as a selectable degree of overbend of the tube relative to the bend angle.

The present invention relates to the art of tube bending apparatus and, more particularly, to improvements in connection with bending a tube to a desired bend angle.
While the present invention finds particular utility in connection with portable, motor driven tube benders and, accordingly, will be described in detail hereinafter in conjunction therewith, it will be appreciated that the invention is applicable to bending other workpieces such as rods for example and is likewise applicable to bending apparatus which is either manually operated or motor driven and not necessarily portable in character.
Tube bending apparatus of the character to which the present invention is directed is well known and, basically, is comprised of mandrel and shoe or forming member components supported for relative angular displacement about a bending axis. The mandrel has a bending groove extending about the bending axis and a tube positioned between the mandrel and forming member is adapted to be bent to a desired bend angle during relative angular displacement of the mandrel and forming member about the bending axis. Relative angular displacement between the mandrel and forming member can be achieved in a number of different ways. In a hand held bender, for example, the mandrel is mounted on one handle and the forming member is pivotally supported relative to the mandrel and associated with a second handle by which the forming member is displaced relative to the mandrel. In other hand operated and in some motor driven benders, the mandrel is mounted on a support and the forming member is mounted on the support for angular displacement relative to the mandrel and is so displaced by a manually actuated handle or through a motorized drive arrangement. In yet other motor operated benders, the forming member is supported against displacement and the mandrel is angularly displaced relative thereto such as by a drive motor.
Tube benders of the foregoing character are generally adapted to be operable to selectively bend a tube to a bend angle of up to 180.degree.. Most frequently, the bend angle is 45.degree., 90.degree. or 180.degree.. In any event, it is extremely difficult to obtain accuracy with respect to bending a tube to a given bend angle. In this respect, tube benders heretofore available most often rely on indicia provided on the apparatus to visually indicate the angular degree of a bend to the operator. Regardless of whether or not the apparatus is manually operated or motor driven, considerable care must be taken to control the relative displacement between the mandrel and forming member in order to obtain an accurate bend as well as accuracy with respect to successive bends to the same or different bend angles. Further adding to the difficulty in connection with achieving accurate bends is the fact that the inherent resilience of the tube material can provide a spring-back effect, whereby overbending relative to a desired bend angle is necessary in connection with obtaining the desired bend angle. The degree of spring-back varies with the diameter of the tube, the wall thickness of the tube and/or the tube material. Therefore, even if a degree of overbending is taken into account in connection with providing the bend angle indicia on the apparatus, inaccuracy with respect to a given bend angle is likely to result from the foregoing variables, whereby more time and effort can be required on the part of the operator in an effort to obtain an accurate bend angle.
Manually adjustable stop arrangements have also been provided in connection with tube bending apparatus in an effort to obtain accurate bends. Such stop arrangements are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,236,082 to Beck et al and 3,417,590 to Ensley. However, such adjustable stops rely in part on the accuracy of positioning of one of the stop components by the operator and, while positively terminating a bending operation after a predetermined and fixed angular displacement between the mandrel and forming member, do not assure accuracy with respect to obtaining a given bend angle when the adjustable stop member is moved from one setting to another and then back to the one setting. Moreover, such adjustable stops do not compensate for the different degrees of overbending required as a result of the variances in tube diameter, wall thickness and tube material referred to above. Accordingly, the operator must either guess at the amount of overbend required and position the adjustable stop member accordingly, or attempt a number of overbends by trial and error in order to ultimately obtain the desired bend angle. In either event, an undesirable amount of time and effort on the part of the operator is required and, Moreover, there is no assurance of being able to obtain the necessary degree of overbend from one bending operation to another if the required degree of overbend changes as a result of the foregoing variable factors.


A color switch setting data processing apparatus for a multi-needle embroidery machine is provided by a personal computer or other data processing device. The apparatus causes a display unit to display a stitching sequence and needle bar numbers for color switch setting data. If an insert instruction is produced by indicating the place of insertion by using a cursor and a needle bar number to be inserted is inputted to the place, then the color switch setting data is rewritten by shifting the needle bar number data from the place of insertion and the subsequent places in the stitching sequence, by one place to a later side in the stitching sequence. If a deletion instruction is produced by indicating the place of deletion by using the cursor, the color switch setting data is rewritten by shifting the needle bar number data in the places subsequent, on the later side, to the place of deletion, by one place to an earlier side in the stitching sequence. Thus, the apparatus enables easy insertion of a needle bar number into any place in the stitching sequence and easy deletion of a needle bar number from any place in the stitching sequence in the color switch setting data prepared for a multi-needle embroidery machine.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a color switch setting data processing apparatus for a multi-needle embroidery machine, and a stitching system employing the apparatus and, more particularly, to a color switch setting data processing apparatus making it possible to easily change the color switch setting data, and a stitching system employing the apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
A multi-needle embroidery machine has a needle bar case that is provided with a plurality of needle bars and needles, a needle bar selector mechanism for moving the needle bar case so as to set a needle bar to be used for stitching, at a stitching position, and a spool table provided with a plurality of upper threads of different colors that are led to and carried by different needles. A typical embroidery design is made up of a plurality of different component color design parts. Each component color design part is formed by the corresponding color thread. The stitch data for forming an embroidery design is stored in the order of the stitch data regarding the first component color design part to be formed, the stitch data regarding the second component color design part to be formed, the stitch data regarding the third component color design part to be formed, the stitch data regarding the fourth component color design part to be formed, the stitch data regarding the fifth component color design part to be formed, and so on.
In order to form a plurality of component color design parts of each embroidery design, it is necessary to designate a needle bar (that is, an upper thread) for each component color design part and precisely select the designated needle bars during an actual embroidery operation. The correspondence between the needle bars and the thread colors may well change, if spools on the spool table are replaced. Therefore, in preparation for an embroidery operation, an operator, while checking the needle bar ID numbers in the needle bar case and the thread colors to be used, prepares a color switch setting data card in which the stitching sequence for forming a plurality of component color design parts of each embroidery design and the needle bar ID numbers of the needle bars used for the respective component color design parts are set. The color switch setting data in the card is inputted and stored into a color switch setting data processing apparatus formed by, for example, a personal computer or the like.
During a stitch data editing operation, color switch codes for instructing a color switch and needle bar codes (or needle bar ID number data) for designating a needle bar to be used for each component color design part are written into a leading area of the stitch data about each component color design part stored in a memory. Therefore, the stitching of the component color design parts of the embroidery design is performed in a predetermined sequence based on the stitch data stored in the memory. The stitching of each component color design part is started after the needle bar (thread color) corresponding to the component color design part is selected.
The color switch setting data can be inputted from the card into the color switch setting data processing apparatus while the color switch setting data is displayed in the form of a table on a display. If there occurs a need to insert a needle bar ID number into or delete one from the color switch setting data while the color switch setting data table is displayed, the conventional color switch setting data processing apparatus does not allow an operator to insert or delete a needle bar ID number. In order to make such a change in the needle bar ID number data, the operator must also delete and re-input all the needle bar ID number data listed after the place of the number data to be inserted or deleted.
Such a data changing operation may not be very hard if the number of component color design parts is small as in a case where the embroidery design is small in size. However, in the case of a complicated embroidery design that requires several dozens of color switch operations, the re-inputting of needle bar ID number data due to the insertion or deletion of a needle bar ID number consumes considerable amounts of labor and time, thereby reducing the operation efficiency. Moreover, because there is a possibility of a mistake in re-inputting needle bar ID number data, the reliability of color switch setting data deteriorates, and it becomes necessary to re-check the needle bar ID number data after the data is re-inputted.

Color switch setting data processing apparatus for multi-needle embroidery machine and sewing system employing the apparatus