A circuit board structure including a dielectric layer, a fine circuit pattern and a patterned conductive layer is provided, wherein the fine circuit pattern is embedded in a surface of the dielectric layer, and the patterned conductive layer is disposed on another surface of the dielectric layer and protrudes therefrom.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a circuit structure and a manufacturing process for a circuit board. More particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit structure and manufacturing process for a circuit board having higher wiring density.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional circuit board is mainly formed by alternately stacking a plurality of patterned conductive layers and a plurality of dielectric layers, wherein the patterned conductive layers are electrically connected through a plurality of conductive vias. Discriminated based on fabrication processes of the circuit boards, the fabrication processes mainly include a laminating process and a build-up process. Generally, the circuit boards with lower wiring density are mainly fabricated based on the laminating process, and the circuit boards with higher wiring density are mainly fabricated based on the build-up process.
FIGS. 1A-1G are profile flowcharts illustrating a conventional fabrication process for a circuit board. Referring to FIG. 1A, conductive layers 110a and 110b are respectively disposed on two opposite surfaces of a dielectric layer 100, wherein material of the dielectric layer 100 can be epoxy resin or epoxy resin containing glass fiber, and material of the conductive layers 110a and 110b is copper.
Referring to FIG. 1B, a plurality of through holes 112 (only one is illustrated) is formed in the dielectric layer 100 and the conductive layers 110a and 110b, and the way of forming the through holes 112 can be mechanical drilling or laser ablating.
Referring to FIG. 1C, a conductive wall is formed on the surface of the through holes 112 by electroplating, so as to form a conductive through via 114, and meanwhile an electroplating layer is respectively formed on the surfaces of the conductive layers 110a and 110b, and the two electroplating layers are respectively belonged to the conductive layers 110a and 110b.
Referring to FIG. 1D, the conductive layers 110a and 110b are patterned by a photolithography and etching process, so as to form the circuit patterns.
Referring to FIG. 1E, dielectric layers 120a and 120b are respectively formed on the patterned conductive layers 110a and 110b, and openings 116a and 116b are fabricated on the dielectric layers 120a and 120b by mechanical drilling or laser ablating.
Referring to FIG. 1F, conductive material is filled in the openings 116a and 116b by electroplating, so as to form a plurality of conductive micro via 118a and 118b, and meanwhile conductive layers 130a and 130b are respectively formed on the dielectric layers 120a and 120b, wherein the conductive micro via 118a and 118b, and the un-patterned conductive layers 130a and 130b are formed by electroplating.
Referring to FIG. 1G, the un-patterned conductive layers 130a and 130b are patterned by the photolithography and etching process. Next, a patterned solder mask 140a is formed on the patterned conductive layer 130a, and a plurality of joint pads 142 of the patterned conductive layer 130a is exposed. Moreover, a patterned solder mask 140b is formed on the patterned conductive layer 130b, and a plurality of joint pads 143 of the patterned conductive layer 130b is exposed. Finally, fabrication of a circuit board structure 150 is finished.
According to the above conventional fabrication process of the circuit board, the circuit board is formed by alternately stacking a plurality of the patterned conductive layers and a plurality of the dielectric layers. However, due to limitation of the conventional fabrication process for the circuit board, i.e. limitation of line width and spacing of a fine circuit, a wiring density of the circuit board fabricated based on the aforementioned method cannot be increased. Moreover, during fabrication of the circuit board, the wiring density of the circuit board is directly related to a possible arranging density of the joint pads provided by the circuit board, wherein function of the joint pads is to lap joint pins of chips, and function as a medium for signal transmission and power supply. Therefore, with gradually increasing trend for number and density of the pins of an integrated circuit (IC) chip, how to provide a higher wiring density on the circuit board has become one of the major R&D directions in fabrication of the circuit boards.


An apparatus for winding lengths of flexible material into rolls has a drawing roller, and a shiftable friction roller which frictionally winds the material onto a growing roll. The rolls are wound on cores and the apparatus further comprises an application unit for initiating the winding of a fresh core. The application unit has a winding roller, and a plate which flanks and is spaced from the winding roller and extends along a portion of the circumference thereof. To initiate winding of a fresh core, the friction roller and the growing roll are moved away from the drawing roller to form a gap which is spanned by a taut section of the material. The application unit is in a retracted position. The fresh core is held against the taut section adjacent to the drawing roller which then rotates the core. The taut section is subsequently severed and the leading end of the resulting upstream segment of the material falls onto the plate of the application unit. The latter is now rotated from the retracted position to an advanced position in the direction of rotation of the core. In the advanced position, the upstream segment is wrapped around a major part of the core and the edge of the plate which faces the drawing roller is spaced from both the core and the drawing roller by a distance equal to at least 0.3 times the diameter of the winding roller. The winding roller now causes a fold to develop in the leading end of the upstream segment. The fold enters the nip defined by the core and the drawing roller to initiate winding of the fresh core.

The invention relates to a device for initiating the winding of a new, empty winding core, which replaces a fully wound bolt, with a continuous length of flexible material fed in by a draw-in roller that, in the winding-on position, is at axial distance to the fully wound bolt. The device has: a core feed, by means of which a new empty core is brought into a winding-on position in peripheral and driving contact with the draw-in roller, in which it is partially wrapped round by the section of the length of material that is fed tautly between the draw-in roller and the fully wound bolt; an application guide, on which a freely turning winding-on roller is mounted axially parallel to the draw-in roller and which, in its advance direction, on the side of the length of material that is fed tautly over a gap and is turned away from the empty core, is moved in the direction of rotation of the empty core taking with it the length of material, whereby the angle of wrap of the length of material round the new core is increased to more than 180 degrees; a cutting mechanism, by means of which the length of material that is tautly fed over the space between the winding-on roller and the fully wound bolt is cut, and means by which the new section of the length of material, under continuation of wrapping of the empty core and preceded by a fold as start of the first layer of the new bolt, is fed from the top into the gap that opens upwards between the winding-on roller and the full core and which, due to the rotation of the draw-in roller that is set for drawing-in, is drawn into the gap.
With such devices, it is important that the new start of the length of material is applied to the new core onto which it is to be wound without having to interrupt the continuous feed of the length of material. The lengths of material in question can be woven or knitted materials and fabrics and the like, as well as latticed webs of synthetic materials and foam rubber.
In the case of a device of this kind disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,863, there is a turning arrangement, whereby the start of the new length of material is folded round its front edge. The turning arrangement is then driven into and wedged in the gap between the draw-in roller and the empty core to be wound. Hereby the start of the length of material, which is preceded by the fold caused by the turned over edge, is driven into the gap by the turning arrangement until being engaged between the draw-in roller and the new core. Once this has happened, the turning arrangement is then withdrawn from the fold of the length of material and, thus, also out of the gap.
In the case of the disclosed device, the turning arrangement necessarily requires the guiding of the start of the new length of material until it is jammed in between the draw-in roller and the empty core and engages.

Device for attaching a flexible web to a new empty web-roll


An apparatus and method for faster recovery of validated continuous data protection time images. In one embodiment of the method, an image validation process is initiated. In response, a first write transaction is generated for writing first new data to a first image of a data object that existed at prior time T1. The first new data is written to a first storage. Thereafter data contents of the first storage are copied to a first memory object. Finally, the first memory object is linked with the first image.

Businesses or other entities store production data (e.g., customer lists, financial transaction data, business documents, etc.) in memory systems. This data is susceptible to corruption. Programming errors unwittingly added into a poorly developed software application may lead to inadvertent corruption of production data. Data corruption can also occur when users unwittingly delete or overwrite production data.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Faster recovery mechanism of validated continuous data protection (CDP) time image


A display control device executes different types of control according to a case wherein a screen region has been set with a display device and a case wherein a screen region has not been set with the display device using a predetermined command. Also, a configuration is provided wherein control information does not overlap a predetermined screen region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control device and control method for controlling a display device which is capable of displaying multiple screens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known examples of display devices include CRT devices, liquid crystal devices, plasma display devices, projection display devices, and so forth. These display devices have display regions, where multiple screens can be displayed. Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication 2001-94900 discloses a configuration regarding multiple remote controls being used and multiple screens being viewed, wherein aspect ratios and display positions are changed according to the positions of users.
However, with conventional configurations, each viewer could not perform separate control including electric power source control according to the screen display state, with predetermined commands from input devices. More specifically, as an example, let us say that a viewer is viewing a screen on a display device, but another screen is also being displayed on the same display device either due to another viewer requesting the second screen or the display device itself displaying the second screen. In the event that the viewer viewing the first screen finishes viewing and presses the power button, this would turn off the electric power for the display device itself, meaning that the second screen would go off as well.
The present Inventor has also noticed that displaying control information while viewing a screen results in the control information being displayed upon the screen being displayed in some cases, obstructing viewing of the screen.

Display control device and method, and display system


A computer-implemented method for managing data objects stored in a data repository and displaying elements associated with data objects on a graphical user interface is presented. The method includes using reusable logic to provide at least one displayed input element associated with a first data object stored in the data repository. In response to user input associated with the displayed input element, the method includes generating a second data object stored in the data repository, and linking the second data object with one or more related data objects in the data repository automatically based on the data object associated with the displayed element.

The description relates to managing and automatically linking data objects in a scalable object oriented database system.
Conventional data entry systems have been realized as Web applications, such that a user is allowed to generate new objects by clicking on a link. Such a link may direct the user to a web page listing the types of objects that could be generated. The user would then select a link for the type of object and be taken to an editor for a newly generated, empty object. The user would then fill in the necessary information about the new object, including links to existing objects. Setting these links to existing objects often required extensive navigation to find the link target or looking through a long list of existing objects.
Custom applications built within Lotus Notes are similar at least in terms of defining a custom interface where new objects ("documents") are generated, and sometimes linked to other documents. A discussion forum interface would be another example where a new object or a response is generated from and linked to a previously existing object, the previous message.

Managing and automatically linking data objects


A superconducting ceramic composition which is free of thallium, the composition having a unit cell containing two perovskite structure copper-oxygen planes and a rocksalt structure layer having a single plane containing cadmium.

The invention relates to superconducting ceramic compositions. More particularly, the invention relates to superconducting ceramic materials of the kind termed 1212 with a unit cell containing two perovskite structure copper-oxygen planes (within which the supercurrent is confined) which are positioned between non-superconducting rocksalt structure layers comprising single planes of metal and oxygen ions (which supply the charge carriers necessary for the supercurrent).
The strong coupling of the charge carrier wavefunctions across the single planes of metal and oxygen ions means that superconducting ceramic materials with the 1212 structure exhibit stronger pinning of the magnetic flux lines in liquid nitrogen than materials with thicker rocksalt structure layers containing two or more planes of metal and oxygen ions.
A series of layered superconducting materials with 1212 structure are already known in which the cation composition of the insulating rocksalt structure layer is (Tl.sub.1-x Bi.sub.x), (Tl.sub.1-x Pb.sub.x) or (Pb.sub.1-x Cu.sub.x). Examples of known compositions are: EQU (Tl.sub.0.5 Bi.sub.0.5) Sr.sub.2 CaCu.sub.2 O.sub.7, EQU (Tl.sub.0.5 Pb.sub.0.5) Sr.sub.2 (Y.sub.0.2 Ca.sub.0.8) Cu.sub.2 O.sub.7, EQU (Pb.sub.0.5 Cu.sub.0.5) Sr.sub.2 (Y.sub.0.5 Ca.sub.0.5) Cu.sub.2 O.sub.7,
The prior art ceramic oxides pose the following problems:
(1) Although the thallium-containing ceramics exhibit the highest critical temperatures, the toxicity of thallium is a major problem in their large-scale utilisation.
(2) Due to thallium's high reactivity, thallium-containing ceramics are subject to degradation. A more chemically-stable substitute which maintains the desired superconducting properties has been the subject of intense research.
(3) With a lead-copper mixture in the rocksalt structure layer, the oxygen stoichiometry is difficult to control with the result that the optimum superconducting properties are not achieved. Examples of such elaborate techniques employed to achieve the optimum critical temperature in these materials are the use of high-pressure oxygen annealing in specialist furnaces or the quenching of samples f rom temperatures above 800.degree. C. in air. Such procedures are not viable for industrial production.

Superconducting ceramic composition comprising (Pb,Cd)-Sr-(Y,Q)-Cu-O wherein Q is Ca or Sr


A dynamic and flexible architecture and methods for demodulation of high data-rate streams with high symbol-rates, such as in satellite communications systems or computer network communications systems, is provided. A data stream of a data transmission is received, the data stream corresponding to a plurality of data symbols. A plurality of data samples corresponding to each of the data symbols is generated. Further, one or more representative data samples, corresponding each of the data symbols, are generated based at least in part on timing control signals and the generated data samples for the respective data symbol. The generated data samples corresponding to each of the data symbols other than the representative data samples are dropped. The timing control signals are then adjusted based at least in part on the generated representative data samples.

The overall capacities of broadband satellites are increasing exponentially, and such capacity increases present unique challenges in the associated ground system and network designs. The goal of the system designers, system operators, and service providers is to support and provide efficient, robust, reliable and flexible services, in a shared bandwidth network environment, utilizing such high capacity satellite systems. Accordingly, current systems fail to adequately support efficient, robust, reliable and flexible broadband services, in such shared bandwidth network environments, in relation to demodulation of data streams with high symbol rates in high capacity satellite systems.
Examples of demodulation in satellite communications systems are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,985,523 to Sims et al., titled "Method and System for Adaptive Equalization for Receivers in a Wide-Band Satellite Communications System," and in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0131528 to Clewer et al., titled "System and Method of Parallel Partitioning a Satellite Communications Modem," the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further an example of automatic gain control and demodulation in satellite communications systems is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,904,273 to Steber et al., titled "Method and System for Automatic Gain Control in a Satellite Communications System," the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. However, known systems, such as those disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0131528, were directed to burst, or bursty, modes of data transmission, and, as such, were not specifically directed to dealing with data streams with high symbol rates for symbol timing recovery in a continuous mode of transmission.
However, when a burst modem is used for signal processing, there is typically not a significant degree of continuity between a first burst to the next burst, etc. from burst to burst. Therefore, where signals are received and processed in a continuous mode problems to be address are typically different from those addressed in a discrete burst mode of signal transmission, as well as differences are typically present in the underlying the parallelization are different in the continuous burst mode.
Therefore, to parallelize the functions of a demodulator to process continuous bursts, i.e. particularly for continuous mode data transmission, as opposed to intermittent, or bursty, data transmission in the burst mode of data transmission, typically requires a different solution from that in processing discrete bursts, so that the signal processing modules are different for continuous mode processing than in the burst mode processing. Also, the carrier recovery loop for processing data received in a burst mode from that received in a continuous mode is likewise typically different, such as related to the carrier recovery function. While the equalizer function is a burst mode and in the continuous mode can be similar, the functions in the continuous mode are typically more complex than in the burst mode, and the symbol timing recovery is also likely different.
Also, while a parallel finite impulse response (FIR) implementation is known in relation to DVB-S2 demodulation, deficiencies can be present as to the symbol timing interpolation and carrier recovery for demodulation. For example, one significant drawback in current designs of a wide-band DVB-S2 modem for processing data streams with high symbol rates for symbol timing recovery is that the maximum clock speeds for processing data are limited by the maximum clock speeds of known application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for implementing DVB-S2 type demodulation. Also, parallel designs for feed-forward linear systems, such as FIR filters, are known, but problems still are present as to processing high data rate streams for symbol timing recovery.
Receivers require that signals be sampled at the rate of at least twice the symbol-rate. This typically requires that all front-end signal processing be performed at least at twice the symbol-rate, including that for the symbol timing recovery loop. In a traditional modem this requirement typically forces the processing clock frequency to be at least twice the maximum symbol-rate being processed. But, for high throughput systems that deploy high symbol-rates, such processing requirement places a difficult design constraint on the modem forcing it to use a high frequency processing clock. The high frequency processing clock adds tighter timing constraints on the physical design of the modem and, thus, makes it more expensive to design and manufacture.
While use of a parallel architecture can assist with high frequency processing, such as by processing N samples in parallel in each clock, theoretically it can be possible to achieve the such processing throughput by using a clock that is N times slower than the one used for the traditional serial design. However, symbol timing recovery loops use the temporal dependency between neighboring samples to process information and determine the ideal sampling point. And parallel designs have a drawback in that they break the temporal dependency between neighboring samples.
In this regard, a known approach to processing data streams with high symbol rates for symbol timing recovery is to utilize two narrow band demodulators, such as by attaching or channel bonding them together multiplex them. However such combination of two narrow band filters has significant drawbacks in that processing is not done as a single wideband filter. Another significant drawback is that combining the two narrow band filters in effect utilizes two narrow-band demodulators. As such, efficient and effective use of the channel or spectrum of the channel typically is degraded, particularly with respect to use of bandwidth capacity, bandwidth capacity being a commercially important consideration, as to cost considerations.
Achieving efficient, robust, flexible and fast broadband services, in such a high capacity, shared bandwidth, satellite system network, as to demodulation of data streams with high symbol rates, however, poses unique challenges to system designers and operators. For instance, receivers of data streams require the signals to be sampled at the rate of at least twice the symbol-rate. This typically requires that all front-end signal processing be performed at twice the symbol-rate (in-phase quadrature (I/Q) imbalance correction, gain correction, decimation, symbol timing recovery, and channel-equalization). In addition, the DVB-S2 carrier-recovery for pilot-on mode typically requires that the data segment be buffered and the certificate revocation list (CRL) runs at least once backward and once forward and combine the phase estimates from the two runs. In order to maintain adequate throughput, this also typically requires that the CRL be processed at least twice as fast as the symbol-rate. For high data-rate systems with high symbol-rates, such as in satellite communications systems, this typically requires a very fast clock. For example, a maximum symbol-rate of 225 Msps, for example, would require a modem processing clock of at least 450 MHz. Such a high clock speed would not be desirable in that it would impose severe timing constraints on any modem ASIC design for demodulation.
What is needed is a system design that employs a dynamic and flexible architecture and methods for demodulation of high data-rate streams with high symbol-rates, such as satellite communications systems, or for high capacity computer network systems, that reduces the speed requirement of the clock to be slightly greater than the symbol-rate instead of twice the symbol-rate. What is further needed is a parallel design for the symbol timing recovery loop that preserves the temporal dependency between neighboring samples.
What is also needed is architecture and methods for DVB-S2 type demodulators to process high data-rate streams with high symbol-rates, with samples coming in at a much faster rate than the system clock is able to run. Therefore, what is further needed is architecture and methods for DVB-S2 type demodulators that are capable of receiving and processing DVB-S2 streams with high symbol-rates at or below the clock-rate of a modem.
What is additionally needed is architecture and methods that substantially ease the timing constraints on ASIC design for demodulation, and provide for adequate throughput for such data streams, as well as would meet various requirements and desires associated with efficient, robust, reliable and flexible broadband services in a high capacity, shared bandwidth, satellite network, and that would be relatively efficient and automated from a network management standpoint.

Method and apparatus for parallel demodulation of high symbol rate data streams in a communications system


Process, voltage, and temperature variations affect the noise generation of an output buffer. Controlling the switching speed of the buffer over these variations also controls the buffer noise, which may be due to ground bounce or other reasons. In one prior-art technique, the current flow behavior of a static circuit is used to control the rise and/or fall times of the output buffer. However, accounting for all possible variations in the factors that influence the switching speed is difficult with a static control circuit. In the inventive technique, the AC switching behavior of a scaled-down buffer that is driven by a periodic signal generates the control voltage. In this manner, the factors that influence buffer switching speed, including process, voltage, and temperature variations, may be more accurately accounted for.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit having one or more buffers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An integrated circuit (IC) typically communicates to external devices through electrical conductors driven by output buffers. Another type of buffer, referred to as a "clock driver", is used to distribute clock signals. The clock driver in some cases is located on the same integrated circuit as the circuitry that receives the clock signals. For either on-chip or off-chip drive applications, a buffer is designed to provide adequate current drive capability to charge and discharge the capacitive load presented by the driven conductors (and driven circuitry) at a sufficiently fast rate to allow signals to be sent at the desired speed. The speed at which a buffer can raise a voltage from a low logic level (typically 0 volts) to a high logic level (typically 3 or 5 volts) is referred to as the "rise time". Similarly, the speed at which the buffer can reduce the voltage from high to low levels is the "fall time". With CMOS integrated circuits, the speed of data communications to external devices presently ranges up to several tens of million bits per second, with increases to over one hundred million bits per second likely in the near future. Therefore, the rise and fall times are typically required to be less than about 10 nanoseconds at present, with significant reductions required for the future.
One problem associated with signals having rapid rise and fall times is the electrical noise they produce in other parts of the integrated circuit. That is, stray capacitance and inductance cause some of the signal energy to couple to other portions of the integrated circuit, or to other conductors external to the IC. In addition, inductance in the ground path causes voltage spikes to appear due to rapid current variations caused by the switching of large buffers. These problems generally become more severe as the rise and fall times become shorter. In most cases, integrated circuit buffers are designed so that the rise and fall times are sufficiently fast to drive the load under worst case conditions. For CMOS integrated circuits, the worst case conditions are slower than nominal process speeds, low power supply voltages, and high operating temperatures. However, under the best case conditions, the rise and fall times may then be so short as to generate excessive noise. The "process speed" refers to the fact that due to the tolerances for a given IC production process, some IC's turn out to be "fast", and others "slow", as compared to IC's produced by an average or nominal process. That is, a given production run may produce devices that switch signals more quickly than average, being referred to as a "fast" process, and vice-versa for a "slow" process. Hence, a buffer design that satisfies the speed requirements may violate the noise requirements, and vice-versa.
It is desirable to have an integrated circuit that generates low noise while having the ability to communicate at a sufficiently high data rate over conductors and other circuitry presenting a significant capacitive load. One technique for controlling buffer switching speed, and hence the noise produced, is shown in FIG. 1. The pre-driver transistors 102 and 103 supply a drive signal to pull-up output transistor 100, whereas pre-driver transistors 106 and 107 supply a drive signal to pull-down output transistor 101. A control voltage VCP increases when factors such as process speed, temperature, and power supply voltage (for example) tend to increase the switching speed. This increase of VCP reduces the gate-to-source voltage, and hence the conductivity, of the p-channel transistor 105, thereby reducing the drive signal to output transistor 101, which controls the buffer fall time. Inversely, the voltage VCP decreases, so as to increase the conductivity of transistor 105, when these factors tend to decrease the switching speed. (The control voltage VCN is generated so as to similarly affect the conductivity of the n-channel transistor 104, thereby controlling the drive to the output transistor 100, and hence the buffer rise time.) In this manner, the buffer switching speed, and hence noise, is held more constant with respect to variations in these factors. The output load driven by this buffer is shown as capacitance C.sub.load.
One method of generating the control voltages VCP and VCN is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,823,029, co-assigned herewith. The type of static circuits for generating the control voltages as shown in FIGS. 2 through 5 therein are successful in many applications. However, accounting for all possible variations in the factors that influence the switching speed is difficult when a static circuit is used to generate the DC control voltage. Another method of controlling an output buffer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,378, wherein the buffer output signal is compared to the output of a ramp generator. If the output signal rises or falls faster than the ramp signal, then a feedback signal adjusts the speed of the buffer to more closely correspond to the ramp signal. However, that technique monitors the output signal at each buffer, which requires extra monitor circuitry for each buffer, and ramp circuitry for each buffer.

Integrated circuit buffer with controlled rise/fall time


A method is disclosed for creating a user interface for a spreadsheet-based software application. The method includes providing a spreadsheet having a plurality of standard cells displayable as standard spreadsheet cells, and a plurality of user interface cells displayable only as a window superimposed upon the standard spreadsheet cells; and providing at least one control function adapted to create the window superimposed upon the standard spreadsheet cells. Also disclosed is a user interface for a spreadsheet-based software application that includes a spreadsheet having a plurality of standard cells displayable as standard spreadsheet cells; and at least one custom view control function adapted to create a window superimposed upon the standard spreadsheet cells, the window displaying a subset of the standard cells. This invention substantially simplifies the task of programming a user interface using a spreadsheet environment. All standard spreadsheet functionality is available for use in the user interface creation process.

Known spreadsheet user interfaces typically expose all or most of the cells that are contained in a spreadsheet. However, for a variety of reasons it is sometimes desirable to restrict users' access to only those cells of the spreadsheet containing formulas that the user needs to verify or change. There are several reasons for this, including: to protect proprietary formulas, to restrict modifications to values contained in selected cells, to allow for positioning of cell content to be grouped according to functionality, and to simplify novice users' view of a spreadsheet.
Existing PC-based spreadsheet software typically does too little to facilitate creation or customization of a user interface, or requires too much of the user to solve this problem. The spreadsheet author can arrange the cells to very carefully expose selected regions of the spreadsheet to the user. The remainder of the spreadsheet (rows and or columns) can then be hidden. But this makes modifying the spreadsheet very tedious. Furthermore, unrelated cells may need to be placed adjacent to each other in the spreadsheet so that they are visible at the same time, which can create a confusing interface. Also, using this approach, it is not possible to guide a person through a step-by-step process to enter data.
Another approach is to utilize a scripting or programming language to construct a form, or template, for entering data by a user. This technique allows for complete control and customization of the interface that the user sees, but it requires the spreadsheet designer or the spreadsheet user to perform actual programming in a language such as Visual Basic or Java. An application developer most likely is not a software programmer. Therefore, coordination with a software developer is needed to create the interface for the spreadsheet.
Another problem with current solutions to custom interface creation is that they are difficult and prone to redesign. A simple addition to a requirement can cause a major rework to the spreadsheet front-end or lay out. Likewise, if a software developer is involved, further coordination is necessary to effect appropriate modifications to the programming code.

Spreadsheet-based user interface creation


The advent of new and sophisticated web services provided by Service Providers to users, services that individually require authentication of user and authorization of access, brings the needs for a new service to facilitate such authentication and access, a service referred to as Single Sign-On (SSO). The basic principle behind SSO is that users are authenticated once at a particular level, and then access all their subscribed services accepting that level of authentication.

The advent of web services has brought with them a new service that allows users to access said web services in an easy and convenient manner, the so-called Single Sign-On (SSO). The current SSO principle states that users shall be able to authenticate once and shall be given access to all their subscribed services that accept such level of authentication. This principle focuses on end-user convenience while leaving open the capabilities of terminals and networks when implementing the SSO. Thus, the current trends address two approaches for carrying out the SSO principle.
In a first approach, namely a "terminal-centric" approach, the user authenticates once to the terminal that in turn automatically tracks a service-oriented network access and transparently presents, that is, without further user involvement, the appropriate credentials to the service-oriented network that requests such credentials.
In a second approach, namely a "network-centric" approach, the user authenticates once to an Authentication Provider (AP) in a network that in turn handles the appropriate credentials for the services.
The so-called "network-centric" approach is suitable when domain trust relationships exist among authentication providers and service providers, whereas the terminal-centric approach is useful when such relationships do not exist and the terminal can track the authentication towards disparate domains or services.
It is also possible to combine both approaches. A network operator may issue credentials such as digital certificates, short-time certificates, or temporary tickets or tokens that may be stored in the terminal or in an accessible read/write card. These are further used by the user upon authentication or authorization procedures.
Conventional cellular operators use authentication services to grant subscribers accesses to voice and data services provided by such operators. As cellular operators move up in the value chain, they could leverage their mutual trust relationship with their own subscribers in order to play a new role of Authentication Providers for their respective subscriber population in emerging business models in which service domain and authentication services belong to different administrative entities. In this respect, an operator that is able to provide both accesses, namely IP connectivity and services, might additionally offer to its subscribers an "access authentication SSO" so that an authentication performed at the access level might be valid as authentication in a service domain. This is a relevant starting point for further disclosing the objects of the present invention.
More precisely, the relationship between a service domain and an authentication provider, as well as the services that a user may be offered, must be taken into account for discussing advantages and disadvantages of the above approaches. Generally speaking, an Authentication Provider may belong to the same administrative domain as the Service Provider offering the service, or may be delegated to an external trusted party or to a distributed federation.
A primary object of the present invention is the support of Single Sign-On (SSO) services for subscribers of a Federation of Mobile Network Operators (MNO), subscribers who are users of different Service Providers (SP). Said SSO services are supported in such a manner that users, Federation of Mobile Network Operators, and Service Providers holding agreements with at least one member of such Federation, all get additional advantages and value added services from a given architectural and business reference model in accordance with this invention.
More specifically, the users have the advantage of the SSO service for accessing any service at any Service Provider (SP) within the reference model agreement. The Mobile Network Operators (MNO) may obtain revenues by offering SSO services, in particular authentication and authorization, to third parties as well as keeping subscribers loyalty by adding value to their respective mobile subscriptions. Eventually, the Service Providers may experience an increase of potential users, namely mobile subscribers, with a simpler and much safer authentication and authorization mechanisms minimizing the support for different such mechanisms depending on the different nature of users. In this scenario Authentication Provider and Service Provider belong to different administrative domains. At the same time, these distributed advantages favor an increase of a so-called mobile commerce (m-commerce), which can be regarded as a further object of the present invention.

System, method and apparatus for federated single sign-on services

Abstract: The present invention provides a system, method and apparatus wherein a cellular Federation of mobile network operators becomes an SSO authentication authority for subscribers of this Federation accessing Service Providers having such agreement with a mobile network operator of the Federation. In accordance with this invention, mobile network operators can leverage their operator-subscriber trust relationship in order to act as SSO authentication authority for those subscribers accessing Service Providers in a service domain other than the mobile network domain.


Method and system are provided for a quick connector for coupling conduits. The quick connector comprises a first piece including a radial slot and a first protrusion group, a second piece including a first slot group and a second slot group angled in a same direction, the first slot group is counterpart to the first protrusion group, and a third piece including a second protrusion group counterpart to the second slot group, where each slot of the first slot group faces a first side, and each slot of the second slot group faces an opposing, second side. In one example, the quick connector may include a locking mechanism and a feedback system.

Various systems use ducts to route gases. As an example, an automotive internal combustion engine uses an air intake system to provide airflow to the engine. The air induction system may use connectors to couple air inlet ducts or other conduits configured to supply air, e.g. a connector may couple an inlet duct to a charged air cooler. Likewise, connectors may also be used to join conduits in the exhaust gas circulation system of a vehicle.
One connector system is shown by Hartmann in U.S. Pat. No. 9,657,878. Therein, a plug connection assembly is described to connect lines for pressurized liquids or gases. A locking mechanism includes a first plug connector, a second plug connector, and a spring fastened to the first plug connector that engages in a groove of the second plug connector. Another connector system is shown by Saunders et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 9,541,226. Therein a clamp is described to connect conduits. A circular band configured to have a bolt and a bolt housing is used to clamp a conduit.
However, the inventors herein have identified potential problems in the approaches such as those noted above. As one example, a custom machine is required in order to assemble plug connectors to each conduit correctly. This not only implicates extra costs but also increases complexity on the supplier's facilities since machinery need trained personnel, designated floor area and increments in the number of operations. Clamps need a flexible material or a cuff placed between two rigid conduits in order to seal properly. Nonetheless, clamps require additional tools for their assembly that adds operations and leads to complicated packaging. Moreover, poorly connected clamps and plug connectors may deflect the orientation or the original position of the conduit. Also, without sufficient feedback designed to indicate to the operator whether the clamp or plug connector is properly locked, misconnections may occur. Furthermore, plug connectors can create rattle noises that affect NVH targets and customer perception.
The inventors herein have recognized the above issues, and others, and have developed an example coupler which comprises a first piece including a radial slot and a first protrusion group, a second piece including a first slot group and a second slot group both angled in a same direction, the first slot group is counterpart to the first protrusion group, and a third piece including a second protrusion group counterpart to the second slot group, where each slot of the first slot group faces a first side, and each slot of the second slot group faces an opposing, second side.
In an example, a quick connector configuration may include a locking mechanism and a feedback system.
The quick connector may comprise a first cylindrical piece, a second cylindrical piece, and a third cylindrical piece, with each optionally made of two sections that are circumferentially offset from each other. The second cylindrical piece has a first and second groups of multiple external latching slots facing opposite sides of the cylinder. The first cylindrical piece has internal flanges corresponding to the first group of latching slots such that the first and second pieces may be pushed against each other to create a partial overlapping assembly. The third cylindrical piece has internal flanges corresponding to the second group of latching slots such that the third piece may be assembled onto the second piece to create a full assembly. In a fully assembled quick connector, the second cylindrical piece is completely overlapped by the first and third cylindrical pieces. Additionally, a section of the third cylindrical piece also overlaps a region of the first cylindrical piece comprising an external radial slot. This provides a sealing interface.
The second cylindrical piece is configured in a way such that it is forced to rotate when engaging with the first cylindrical piece and the third cylindrical piece to lock/unlock in order to provide serviceability, without requiring rotation of the first and third pieces. In the example where the first and third pieces are already coupled with hose sections (e.g., of an air induction system of the vehicle), the connection is thus provided without requiring those hose section to rotate (e.g., if they are already installed in a system such as in the vehicle).
Further still, a "click" sound and/or feel provides feedback that the quick connector is properly locked. According to the present disclosure, the assembly of the three cylindrical pieces of the quick connector does not require any special tools or custom machine. Therefore, it is a fast, easy, simple, and reliable assembly process with reduced costs. Additionally, the haptic feedback in the form of a "click" sound and/or feel indicates that the connection was successful.
In an air induction system, the quick connector may be applied to both low pressure and high pressure systems. In one example, the first and the third cylindrical pieces of the quick connector may be integrally molded into air induction conduits to reduce the number of parts. The quick connector of the present disclosure may also be able to replace clamps and various other connectors in systems and/or commodities or even outside of the automotive industry. For example, the present disclosure may be applied to home HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


A common voltage adjusting circuit (200) includes a delta adder (21), a sigma adder (22), a sigma latch (23), and a quantization circuit (24). The delta adder includes a first input terminal configured for receiving a binary signal, a second input terminal, and an output terminal. The sigma adder includes a first input terminal connected to the output terminal of the delta adder, a second input terminal, and an output terminal. The sigma latch includes a first input terminal connected to the output terminal of the sigma adder, and an output terminal connected to the second input terminal of the delta adder and the second input terminal of the sigma adder. The quantization circuit includes a first input terminal connected to the output of the sigma latch, and an output terminal connected to a common electrode of a TFT-LCD.

A TFT-LCD has the advantages of portability, low power consumption, and low radiation, and has been widely used in various portable information products such as notebooks, personal digital assistants (PDAs), video cameras and the like. Furthermore, the TFT-LCD is considered by many to have the potential to completely replace CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors and televisions.
The TFT-LCD usually includes a color filter (CF) substrate, a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate, and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the two substrates. The TFT array substrate includes a plurality of gate lines that are parallel to each other and extend along a first direction, and a plurality of data line that are parallel to each other and extend along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The smallest rectangular area formed by any two adjacent gate lines together with any two adjacent data lines defines a pixel region thereat.
In each pixel region, a TFT is provided in the vicinity of a respective point of intersection of one of the gate lines and one of the data lines. The TFT functions as a switching element. A pixel electrode is connected to the TFT. The CF substrate includes a plurality of common electrodes, each common electrode corresponding to a respective one of the pixel electrodes on the TFT array substrate.
When the TFT-LCD works, gradation voltages are applied to the pixel electrodes and a common voltage is applied to the common electrodes. Thus an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer. At least some of the liquid crystal molecules change their orientations, whereby the liquid crystal layer provides anisotropic transmittance of light therethrough. Thus the amount of the light penetrating the CF substrate is adjusted by controlling the strength of the electric field. In this way, desired pixel colors are obtained at the CF substrate, and the arrayed combination of the pixel colors provides an image viewed on a display screen of the TFT-LCD.
If an electric field between the pixel electrodes and the common electrodes continues to be applied to the liquid crystal material in one direction, the liquid crystal material may deteriorate. Therefore, in order to avoid this problem, gradation voltages that are provided to the pixel electrode are switched from a positive value to a negative value with respect to the common voltage. This technique is referred to as an inversion drive method.
However, the common voltage may vary in different environmental temperatures. But the inversion drive method needs the common voltage to be a predetermined constant value in order to prevent appearing flicker on the screen of the TFT-LCD. Thus a common voltage adjusting circuit is needed.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a typical common voltage adjusting circuit of a TFT-LCD. The common voltage adjusting circuit 100 includes a power supply V1, an output terminal V0, a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, a sixth resistor R6, a seventh resistor R7, an eighth resistor R8, a ninth resistor R9, a tenth resistor R10, a first switch S1, a second switch S2, a third switch S3, a fourth switch S4, and a comparator 10. Each of the switches S1, S2, S3, S4 includes a first terminal 1, a second terminal 2, and a third terminal 3.
The ninth resistor R9 is connected between the power supply V1 and ground. The fourth resistor R4, the first resistor R1, the second resistor R2, and the third resistor R3 are connected in series between ground and the power supply V1, wherein the fourth resistor R4 is connected directly to ground.
A connecting node between the first resistor R1 and the fourth resistor R4 is connected to the third terminal 3 of the first switch S1 via the fifth resistor R5. A connecting node between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 is connected to the third terminal 3 of the second switch S2 via the sixth resistor R6. A connecting node between the second resistor R2 and the third resistor R3 is connected to the third terminal 3 of the third switch S3 via the seventh resistor R7. The power supply V1 is connected to the third terminal 3 of the fourth switch S4 via the eighth resistor R8. The second terminals 2 of the switches S1, S2, S3, S4 are connected to ground. The first terminals 1 of the switches S1, S2, S3, S4 are connected to a noninverting input of the comparator 10. An inverting input of the comparator 10 is connected to ground. The output of the comparator 10 is connected to the output terminal V0. The third terminals 3 of the switches S1, S2, S3, S4 are used to receive four binary signals B0, B1, B2, B3 respectively.
Resistances of the first resistor R1, the second resistor R2, and the third resistor R3 are equivalent to each other. Resistances of the fourth resistor R4, the fifth resistor R5, the sixth resistor R6, the seventh resistor R7, the eighth resistor R8, and the ninth resistor R9 are equivalent to each other.
When four binary signals B0, B1, B2, B3 are equal to "1" respectively, the third terminal 3 and the first terminal 1 of each switch S1, S2, S3, S4 is electrically connected. The output of the comparator 10 provides the maximal adjusting voltage to the output terminal V0. The potential of the maximal adjusting voltage is approximately equal to that of the power supply V1.
When the four binary signals B0, B1, B2, B3 are equal to "0" respectively, the third terminal 3 and the second terminal 2 of each switch S1, S2, S3, S4 are electrically connected. The output of the comparator 10 provides a minimal adjusting voltage to the output terminal V0. The potential of the minimal adjusting voltage is approximately equal to zero volts.
When the four binary signals B0, B1, B2, B3 are different values respectively such as "0" or "1", the output of the comparator 10 provides a middle adjusting voltage to the output terminal V0. The potential of the middle adjusting voltage is in the range of 0-V1. Thus the common voltage adjusting circuit 100 transforms different binary signals B0, B1, B2, B3 therein, for respectively adjusting voltages and providing the adjusting voltages to control the common voltage of the TFT-LCD.
However, the parameters of the elements of the common voltage adjusting circuit 100, such as the first resistor R1, the second resistor R2, the third resistor R3, and the fourth resistor R4, vary in different environmental temperatures. Therefore voltages respectively at the connecting node between the first resistor R1 and the fourth resistor R4, the connecting node between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2, and the connecting node between the second resistor R2 and the third resistor R3 vary with different environmental temperatures. Thus, a voltage provided to the noninverting input of the comparator 10 cannot be accurately controlled, and the adjusting voltage generated by the comparator 10 cannot be accurately controlled.
What is needed, therefore, is a common voltage adjusting circuit of a TFT-LCD that can overcome the above-described deficiencies.

Common voltage adjusting circuit for liquid crystal display


A seal member is attached to a cover which occludes a gear case as a housing unit. The seal member is formed of elastomer and integrally formed with: a plate-shaped portion formed into a disc shape which covers the inner surface of the cover; an inner seal portion which is positioned on the inner peripheral edge of a through-hole, and comes into sliding contact with the outer peripheral surface of an output member; an outer seal portion which is positioned on the periphery of the cover, and comes into contact with the opening end of the housing unit; and anchor portions which latch onto the front surface of the cover via mounting holes provided to the cover. The boundary between the seal member and the cover extends only to the outside of the gear case, and does not extend to the inside of the gear case.

As a driving source for power-window device, wiper device, sunroof device, and the like, each of which is provided to a vehicle such as automotive vehicle, an electric motor, which is operated by a power supply such as a battery installed in the vehicle, is used in most cases.
In order to adapt the electric motor to these devices, it is necessary to reduce the revolution number of this motor to a predetermined revolution number. For this reason, as the electric motor for use in such applications, conventionally, a motor with speed reduction mechanism (motor apparatus) in which a speed reduction mechanism is attached to an electric motor main body, and which is constituted as one unit, is used.
In the motor with speed reduction mechanism, a gear case is secured to a motor case (yoke) of a motor main body, and the speed reduction mechanism is housed in a bathtub-shaped housing unit formed in a gear case. As the speed reduction mechanism, a worm gear mechanism, which provides a great reduction ratio by using a small-size device, is used in most cases, the rotation of a motor shaft (rotational shaft) is reduced to a predetermined revolution number by the speed reduction mechanism, and transmitted to an output gear. Furthermore, the opening of the housing unit is occluded with a cover, and the output gear protrudes the outside of the gear case via a through hole of the cover.
In this motor with speed reduction mechanism, a sealing structure for occluding the housing unit is provided to a cover so as to prevent water such as rainwater, dusts, and the like from intruding into the gear case.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-146594 discloses a motor with speed reduction mechanism in which a ring-shaped seal member, which is held in sliding contact with an outer peripheral surface of an output gear, is attached to an inner peripheral edge of a through hole of the cover, and a seal member (O-ring) is placed between an outer peripheral portion of the cover and an opening end of the gear case.

Motor apparatus and manufacturing method thereof


A fluorinated polyoxyalkylene glycol diamide surfactant of formula 1B—X—COCH2O—[—CpH2pO—]n—CH2CO—X—Ra  (1)wherein                B is M or Ra,        M is an ionizable hydrogen, ammonium, alkali metal, or alkaline earth metal,        p is from about 2 to about 4,        n is from about 5 about 43,        each X is independently NR, SCH2CH2NR, SO2NRCH2CH2NR, or SO2CH2CH2NR;        R is hydrogen, or a linear or branched alkyl group CbH(2b+1) wherein b is 1 to about 18,        Ra is Rf(CH2CF2)d—(CgH2g)—; Rf(OCF2CF2)r—(CgH2g)—; RfOY—; Rf(CH2)h[(CF2CF2)i(CH2CH2)j]k—; Rf(CgH2g)—; or H(CcF2c)—(CgH2g)—;        Y is CFHCF2O(CwH2w)—; or CF(CF3)CONH—(CgH2g)—; and        each Rf is independently CcF(2c+1) wherein c is 1 to about 6.

Most commercially available fluorinated surfactants are produced through electrochemical fluorination or telomerization. Electrochemical fluorination utilizes anhydrous hydrofluoric acid as the fluorine source. However, industrially produced hydrofluoric acid contains impurities; which requires use of further complicated processes to remove these impurities.
Telomerization processes use tetrafluoroethylene as the starting material. However, tetrafluoroethylene is a hazardous and expensive intermediate with limited availability. The telomerization products contain a mixture of homologs which contain a distribution of different carbon chain lengths, typically containing chain lengths of from about 4 to about 20 carbons. Therefore, in order to produce fluorinated surfactants which contain a fluorinated carbon chain of fixed length, and not a mixture of various lengths, some sequential separation of telomerization products is required, as described by Erik Kissa in "Fluorinated Surfactants, Synthesis-Properties-Applications". For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,537,662 discloses a fluorochemical which may be incorporated into a soil-resistant spin finish composition as one of the optional additives. The fluorochemical additive includes fluorochemical polyoxyethylene diamides.
There is disadvantage of using such fluorinated surfactants containing longer perfluoroalkyl chains. For example, Koji Honda et al., in "Molecular Aggregation Structure and Surface Properties of Poly(fluoroalkylacrylate) Thin Films" Macromolecules (2005), 38(13), 5699-5705, teach that the orientation of the perfluoroalkyl chains of at least 8 carbons is maintained in a parallel configuration, while for such perfluoroalkyl chains containing less than 6 carbons, reorientation occurs. This reorientation decreases performance effects for altering surface behaviors. Further, the price of fluorinated surfactant is primarily determined by the amount of fluorine incorporated in compound. Therefore, it is desirable to obtain fluorinated surfactants which can be prepared from fluorinated chemicals other than telomers. It is further desired to obtain fluorinated surfactants which contain shorter fluorinated chains or fluorinated groups and still provide essentially the same or even superior performance for altering surface behaviors. Especially desirable is lowering surface tension, and providing to liquids low surface tension, low interfacial surface tension values, and low critical micelle concentrations. The present invention provides such fluorinated surfactants.

Fluorinated polyoxyalkylene glycol diamide surfactants


A CCD solid state imaging module comprises a CCD area sensor, a substrate bias voltage setting device formed on said CCD area sensor for outputting a voltage, and a substrate bias voltage outputting device formed on a chip other than said CCD area sensor for outputting a substrate bias voltage of said CCD area sensor by selecting one voltage level from a plurality of voltages based on the voltage output by said substrate bias voltage setting device. A solid state imaging module suitable for a CCD area sensor having multiple driving modes can be provided.

A) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a solid state imaging module and more specifically relates to a CCD area sensor for a digital still camera and a cellular phone.
B) Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a CCD area sensor for a digital still camera and a cellular phone generally uses a substrate drain type electronic shutter for setting an exposure time.
That type of the CCD area sensor has photodiodes (photo electronic conversion elements) and transfer channels made of n-type regions formed in a p-well formed in an n-type substrate NSUB. The maximum (saturation) amount of electric charges stored in the photodiode is defined by an electrical potential of the substrate NSUB (n-type substrate). That is, if the electrical potential of the substrate NSUB is low, then the saturation electric charge amount is large, and when the electrical potential of the substrate NSUB gets higher, the saturation electric charge amount becomes small. When the electrical potential of the substrate NSUB gets extremely higher, all the electric charges accumulated in the photodiode are drained to the substrate.
By using the above-described property, the electronic shutter for starting electric charge accumulation in the photodiode is performed by impressing a high voltage to the substrate NSUB at the initial state of the exposure to drain the electric charges accumulated in the photodiode, and then returning the electrical potential of the substrate NSUB to the original voltage.
The electrical potential of the substrate NSUB is defined by the saturation electric charge amount of the photodiode during the exposure, and it is set to about 10V. Moreover, an impressing voltage for draining excessive electric charges to the substrate is generated by multiplying an amplitude pulse at about 20V to the voltage for the above-described operation.
FIG. 7 shows a circuit for supplying a NSUB voltage according to the prior art. As shown in the drawing, the circuit is consisted of bleeder resistors R1 and R2 and a diode D1 for generating DC bias, a condenser C1 for AC coupling and a clock driver 10.
During the exposure, a DC voltage (about 10V) defined by the resistors R1 and R2 is impressed to the NSUB. At this time, an output of the clock driver 10 is at a low level. The output of the clock driver 10 becomes a high level just before the next exposure is started after the electric charges accumulated in the photodiodes are read-out, the NSUB potential becomes high (for example, 32.5V) by the amplitude (for example, 22.5V) of the clock driver by C-coupling, and the excessive electric charges which have been accumulated just before that are drained to the NSUB. At this time, the diode D1 is turned off by reverse bias so that the bleeder resistors and the NUSB are electrically disconnected.
Although the DC voltage level impressed to the NUSB during the exposure defines the saturation output electric charge amount of the photodiode, the relationship between them varies according to unevenness of manufacturing processes; therefore, a recent CCD area sensor has built-in bleeder resistors and a fuse and is set to output a unique DC voltage by adjusting it at the time of shipping inspection.
The saturation level of the photodiode of CCD area sensor to date does not have to be changed according to image capturing modes because all pixel reading out has been a premises for a still picture and a movie. However, it becomes difficult to capture a movie with reading out all the pixels due to increase in the number of the pixels. Therefore, thinning out the number of pixels is performed by not reading out electric charges from a certain number of pixels to a transfer channel or mixing (the adding) outputs of two pixels in the transfer channel is performed at the time of taking a movie.
When the output electric charges of the pixels are added in the transfer channel, the electric charges may be overflow from the transfer channel if the saturation output level is high because the transfer channel has to deal with the electric charges of two pixels. Therefore, when the pixel output electric charges are added in the transfer channel, the saturation level of the photodiode has to be low.
Therefore, it has been suggested in the Japanese Laid-open Patent No. 2002-26186 that the NSUB voltage level is switched according to an imaging mode. When the pixel output electric charges are added in the transfer channel, a barrier formed by the p-well is lowered by increasing the NSUB electric potential to lower the saturation output level of the photodiode. When the pixel output electric charges are not added in the transfer channel (i.e., in an all pixel mode), the NSUB electric potential is lowered to increase the saturation output level of the photodiode.
FIG. 8 shows a circuit for switching the NSUB voltage levels according to the prior art. In the circuit shown in the drawing, an external resistor R3 is equipped, and connection and disconnection of the resistor R3 is switched by a mode signal "Mod" to switch between two levels of the DC voltage.
If the bleeder resistor is simply consisted of the resistors R1 and R2, the DC bias is defined only by a resistance ratio not depending on absolute value of the resistance of each resistor. However, if the external resistor R3 is added as in the above-described circuit for switching the NSUB voltage levels, the absolute value of each resistor is required to be precise for defining two voltage levels exactly, and therefore, a production output may be lowered.
Moreover, when all the resistors R1, R2 and R3 are not made of the same material, the DC bias may be changed due to differences in temperature coefficients of the resistors, and therefore to avoid that, all the resistors R1, R2 and R3 have to be built in the CCD module.
Further, it is possible to remove the circuit for generating the bias voltage from the CCD area sensor and to equip the circuit with a peripheral circuit. In this case, a manufacturing cost will increase because it becomes necessary to execute adjustment for absorb individual difference of the CCD area sensor after the CCD area sensor is assembled.
When a power source is turned on or turned off, the NSUB electrical potential may be negative. Normally. The CCD area sensor is formed in the p-well of the n-type substrate, and the p-well is grounded. When the n-type substrate becomes negative potential, a pn-junction is forward biased, and excessive current may cause damage in reliability or in an extreme case break down of the CCD area sensor.


A bandwidth-adaptive method for synchronizing a consumer node representation of a dynamic data set and the source node representation of the dynamic data includes the step of receiving, from a source node, metadata information identifying a plurality of data packets that represent a state of at least a portion of a changing data set at a point in time. At least one of the identified data packets is received from the source node and at least one of the received data packets is selected responsive to the received metadata information. The metadata information and the selected at least one data packet are transmitted to a consumer node.

The promise of using the global computer network, colloquially referred to as the Internet, to allow many different individuals from disparate geographic and temporal regions to communicate and collaborate in real-time or near real-time remain largely unfulfilled. Differing bandwidths of different connections result in difficulties sharing time-sensitive information. The simplest example of this effect is "screen sharing," that is, updating the screens of multiple clients such that each one mirrors a server's screen as closely as possible. Either screen updates are limited to the speed of the slowest connection, or users communicating over lower-bandwidth connections are "left behind" by those with higher-bandwidth connections. Further, in order to be useful, a system should support several simultaneous information sources and many information consumers, e.g., one or more screen broadcasts to hundreds of viewers. Additionally, a system should allow information consumers to "join late," that is, to begin receiving information from the information source at a point in time later than the beginning of the information flow.
Some attempts at solving this problem rely on a central server to analyze the information traffic and route traffic between information sources and information consumers. Although these techniques are moderately successful, use of a central server to make decisions based on the content of the routed information destroys the confidentiality of the routed information, which is unacceptable.

Methods and apparatus for synchronization of data set representations in a bandwidth-adaptive manner


A method, apparatus, and system are provided for a visual administrator providing Java management bean (MBean) support. According to one embodiment, a representation of a plurality of MBeans is displayed on a graphical user interface of a computing device. One of the plurality of MBeans may be selected with the graphical user interface. In an embodiment, an attribute of the selected MBean is accessed with the graphical user interface. In an embodiment, an operation of the selected MBean is invoked with the graphical user interface.

Many businesses are providing access to their products and services through computer networks. The Java 2 Enterprise Edition Specification v1.3, published on Jul. 27, 2001 (the J2EE Standard) defines an increasingly popular architecture for the server-side of enterprise computer networks. As these computer networks become more complex, there is an increased need for improved administration, monitoring, and management of enterprise computer networks.
An emerging standard, JSR-000003 Java Management eXtensions (JMX), version 1.2 (hereinafter, the JMX Specification), provides a standardized way to manage arbitrary Java resources in enterprise computer networks. The JMX Specification describes a management architecture, an Application Program Interface (API), and a number of services for Java enabled applications. Together, these elements provide a standardized way to manage arbitrary Java resources.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of selected elements of the management architecture defined by the JMX Specification. The JMX management architecture primarily consists of instrumentation level 110 and agent level 120. Instrumentation level 110 includes Java management beans (or simply, MBeans) 112 and 114. An MBean is a Java object that represents a manageable resource, such as an application, a service, a component, or a device. An MBean provides a management interface that consists of attributes and operations that are exposed for management purposes. The term "attribute" refers to a value (or characteristic) of an object. The term "operation" refers to a process that an object performs.
Agent level 120 includes MBean server 124. MBean server 124 provides a registry for MBeans 112 and 114 and also an interface between registered MBeans and distributed services level 130. Management applications (e.g., in distributed services level 130) may access services provided by MBean server 124 to manipulate MBeans 112 and 114. The services provided by MBean server 124 may be defined by the JMX Specification and may include a monitoring service, a timer service, and a relation service for registered MBeans. Non-java objects may also register with MBean server 124 if they have a Java wrapper. The term "Java wrapper" refers to data that proceeds or frames a non-Java resource so that the non-Java resource can interface with a Java resource.
Distributed services level 130 provides an interface between management applications (not shown) and MBean server 124. Management applications may connect to MBean server 124 through a variety of means including connector 132 and protocol adaptor 134. Connector 132 may provide an interface to management applications that complies with the JMX Specification or it may provide an interface for proprietary management applications. Protocol adaptor 134 translates operations between MBean server 124 and well-known protocols such as, Request For Comments (RFC) 2617 entitled, "HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP) Authentication: Basic and Digest Access Authentication," June 1999 (Hereinafter, the HTTP Protocol). The JMX Specification, however, does not provide a mechanism to change attributes and/or execute operations on MBeans with a graphical user interface.

Visual administrator providing java management bean support


A sandwich ARC structure for preventing metal to contact from shifting, the sandwich ARC structure comprising a first Ti layer formed on a metal laer and a first TiN layer formed on the first Ti layer. A second Ti layer is formed on the first TiN layer and a second TiN layer is formed on the second Ti layer. Wherein the sandwich ARC structure formed of first Ti/first TiN/second Ti/second TiN will reduces the tress between said metal layer and a dielectric layer formed below the metal layer.

The metal to contact alignment is also an important parameter for the manufacture of flash memory. The shift between the metal and contact can be observed by SEM and AEI REG data. Please refer to FIG. 1. This Figure shows the top view of a wafer 10 having a plurality of sub-area defined thereon. The device or circuits will be formed on the wafer. Please also refer to FIG. 2a to FIG. 2f. A metal layer 26 is formed over a dielectric layer 20 with a contact hole 22 filled with conductive material 24. The profile of the metal layer 26 will be changed by the stress between the metal 26 and the dielectric layer 20. Subsequently, a photoresist for patterning pattern will be formed over the metal layer 6. However, the lithography uses the metal profile for the alignment during the lithography procedure. The shifted metal profile provides incorrect information, thereby causing the photoresist pattern to shift from the predetermined location as shown in FIG. 2e. After the etching of the metal layer, the metal pattern will not be at the correct position as can be seen in FIG. 2f. Referencing the FIG. 1, from the SEM of the left and right side area, the contact is almost exposed by the metal pattern. This means that the shift caused by the stress between thereof is very serious. The issue will degrade the performance of the device. Therefore, what is required is a method for solving the problem.

Sandwich arc structure for preventing metal to contact from shifting


A prosthetic device for interposition in a space left by one or more excised vertebral posterior structures. The prosthetic device comprises a lamina bridge having an inferior portion for replacing an excised lamina; at least one inferior facet replacement device, connected to the inferior portion of the lamina bridge, to replace an excised inferior articular process; and at least one superior facet replacement device to replace an excised superior articular process. The at least one superior facet replacement device articulates with the at least one inferior facet replacement device.

A variety of injuries and deformities can cause damage to the posterior structures of a vertebrae, which include pedicles, laminae, and articular and spinous processes. To remedy the pain and incapacitation that can be associated with these injuries and deformities, one or more of the posterior vertebral structures may be surgically excised and replaced with a prosthetic device. For example, age, disease or injury, may cause an intervertebral disc to collapse and vertebral bodies to actually make contact. This in turn can cause increased load, wear, damage and resulting pain to one or more joints, such as the facet joints, or to the laminae which may result in the surgical removal of the facets, a facetectomy and/or the laminae, a laminectomy.
Current prosthetic devices used to replace structures removed in a facetectomy or laminectomy can result in either the immobilization at the facet joints or in the alternative extreme, hypermobility in the vertebral column. Therefore, a device is needed to restore more natural motion to the vertebral column after a facetectomy or laminectomy.

Posterior elements motion restoring device


Reactive treatment cells (RTCs) are described in combination with sediment capping systems as a means for environmental remediation. RTCs include an impermeable housing defining an interior, a permeable ceiling and floor typically including filtration materials such as geotextiles, and at least one interior compartment for treatment reagents. One RTC includes a gabion-like cage structure retaining a geomembrane-supported geosynthetic clay liner (GM-GCL) housing, while a second embodiment includes a hard, cylindrical shell as a replaceable reagent cartridge. RTCs may be employed in initial capping system installations or retrofitted into existing capping systems. RTCs may include optional baffles, flow restrictors, floating discs, sensor probes, and two or more serial reagent zones or compartments.

This invention generally relates to a reactive treatment cell (RTC) for environmental remediation, including remediation, or the removal of, contaminants from environmental media, non-limiting examples of which include sediment, groundwater, and/or vapors or gasses. In particular, this invention relates to combining the reactive treatment cell, which may be equipped with exchangeable reagent cartridges, with new or preexisting sediment capping systems.
Sediment capping remediation systems mitigate the migration of contaminants through sediments where they may negatively impact water quality, which may have significant adverse affects on human health, a wide variety of aquatic organisms including those subsisting at the sediment-water interface, wildlife and the environment. Here, through a variety of uptake mechanisms, contaminants may enter the base of the food chain, which has many implied ecological receptor and human health risks. Contaminants include organic pollutants (e.g., pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) including chlorinated compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), organic solvents, and/or non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL)) and inorganic pollutants (e.g., heavy metals such a mercury and arsenic, ammonia, nitrates, and/or phosphates).
The specific sediment capping strategy that is ultimately deployed depends on many factors. Currently, both passive (impermeable) and active (reactive) sediment capping systems are being developed to accommodate a wide variety of site-specific issues, demands and conditions.
A non-limiting example of a common site issue includes addressing the potential for upwelling of contaminated groundwater and/or NAPLs and ebullition gasses through a layer of sediment and into the overlying water column or surface water. Such upwelling may be caused by a variety of forces, including advective flows, excess pore water generated by sediment consolidation and/or gas production as a result of biological degradation or chemical reactions. Positive pore water pressures associated with excessive geotechnical overburden pressures, and the upwelling of contaminated groundwater and/or NAPL and gasses have the ability to destabilize impermeable sediment caps and lower the geotechnical stability thereof. Facilitating the dissipation of positive pore water pressures may correspond to an increased localized advective flow, or horizontal transport, of contaminated groundwater and/or NAPL through a non-preferred flow path, which may substantially diminish the efficiency and/or effective design life of reactive sediment capping remediation systems.
A situation may therefore arise where the reactive sediment capping remediation system is over-designed in order to avoid labor and costs associated with the removal and replacement thereof, as well as delays in time associated with obtaining government environmental permits and approvals. A further complication may arise where significant quantities of expensive treatment reagents that are used in reactive sediment capping remediation systems are bypassed and never contacted, potentially resulting in the daylighting of untreated contaminated groundwater into surface water.
A further problem may arise when the waterway or environmental area is of limited depth and/or width, such as a canal, slough, or channel, thus limiting the effective area over which laterally flowing contaminated groundwater and/or NAPL may flow along a preferred or remedial path prior to daylighting.
Accordingly, there exists a need to integrate reactive treatment cells into new and pre-existing, passive and active sediment capping systems in order to address various issues that may be associated therewith, as well as to extend the life, increase the efficiency, and/or broaden the range of applications of such sediment capping systems.
Currently, at least two main active/reactive sediment capping systems are commercially available for sediment capping remediation: (1) the REACTIVE CORE MAT® sediment capping system commercially sold by CETCO and others; and (2) the AquaBlok®/AquaGate™ or Blended Barrier™/AquaGate™ (AB/AG or BB/AG) sediment capping systems commercially sold by AquaBlok, Ltd.
The REACTIVE CORE MAT® (RCM) is a generic treatment reagent delivery platform in the form of a permeable composite mat that is primarily composed of at least one reactive filler material sandwiched between two non-woven fabric geotextile materials and typically furnished in standard roll widths of 15 feet. Non-limiting examples of the reactive filler material include granular porous treatment reagents, activated carbon, apatite, organoclay, organoclay montmorillonite, and combinations thereof. An organoclay (OC) treatment reagent is frequently used as the reactive filler material and is reported to be effective at NAPL immobilization and eliminating organic sheens while allowing the passage of water. Non-limiting examples of the geotextile materials include polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and combinations or copolymers thereof. An advantage of the RCM is that its porous nature allows for the dissipation of positive pore water pressures associated with upwelling groundwater over its entire surface, unless its ability to transmit water is reduced due to swelling/ingress of NAPL or due to clogging by fines or biofilms. An additional advantage of the RCM is that its thin, lightweight profile minimizes overburden pressures on soft underlying sediments while maximizing the available water column thickness in shallow waters, such as canals. Multiple RCM layers, of the same or different composition, can be positioned at or near the sediment surface to accommodate a variety of contaminant loading scenarios. The RCM may be used in combination with a protecting or "armoring" layer, such as a TRITON® marine mattress.
A TRITON® marine mattress (MM) system is traditionally composed of a planar rock-filled reinforced geogrid material. The TRITON® MM system can be lined with a geotextile fabric material and also filled with at least one reactive filler material. Non-limiting examples of the reinforced geogrid material and/or the geotextile fabric material include materials polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), and combinations or copolymers thereof. Traditional designs of the Triton® MM system use natural quarried aggregates or natural river-rock of up to several inches in diameter, and it is understood that various industrial by-products, recycled and/or composite particles of similar size could be likewise incorporated. Non-limiting examples of the reactive filler material include granular materials (such as crushed apatite, limestone, slags, and crushed concrete, etc) and/or composite porous treatment reagents, activated carbon, apatite, organoclay, organoclay montmorillonite, and combinations thereof, either in bulk or as amendments to AquaBlok® or Blended Barrier™ materials. The TRITON® MM system can be used as a ballast layer and/or an armoring layer for armoring passive or active sediment caps and structures associated therewith. For example, a traditional rock-filled TRITON® MM system may be placed above a RCM, and optionally affixed thereto with fasteners, to serve as an armoring layer for protecting the RCM against damage and erosion.
FIG. 1 illustrates a body of water 10 supported by ground 12, the ground forming shorelines 14L, 14R at the margins of the body of water 10. A base layer of sediment 16 may collect between the body of water 10 and the ground 12. In situations of contamination, contaminated pore fluids may enter the sediment (shown by plume arrows 18 on the right hand side near the shoreline) and, under upwelling hydrostatic forces, the plume of contamination migrates upward toward the sediment surface. The figure further depicts a "funnel and gate" active sediment capping system 20, having a permeable layer 24 such as AquaGate™, mostly covered by an impermeable layer 22, such as AB, thus comprising an AB/AG capping system. An alternative capping system (not shown) is a Blended Barrier™/AquaGate™ (BB/AG) active/reactive sediment capping system. At some distance from the shoreline 14L (left-hand side), the sediment is no longer impacted by contaminated groundwater and a capping system 20 is no longer required.
The AB/AG and BB/AG systems typically contain at least two different sets of a plurality of composite particles having different properties, each composite particle comprising a core and a sealant layer at least partially encapsulating the core. For example, the AB (passive capping) layer 22 may comprise a set of a plurality of composite particles that form an impermeable barrier, while the AG layer 24 (whether with active treatment or simply drainage blanket) may comprise a different set of a plurality of composite particles that form a permeable and/or filtering layer. See, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,386,796, which issued to Hull on May 14, 2002, U.S. Pat. No. 6,558,081, which issued to Hull on May 6, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,766, which issued to Hull on Mar. 14, 2006, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,500, which issued to Hull on Oct. 21, 2008, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. These active (reactive) sediment capping systems are discussed in more detail herein.

Reactive treatment cell and systems for environmental remediation


Edges in a block of a digital image are detected by determining an entropy of a histogram of the block.

The present invention relates to digital images. More specifically, the present invention relates to edge detection in blocks of digital images.
Compound documents may contain text, drawings and photo regions (sometimes overlaid), complex backgrounds (e.g., text boxes), watermarks and gradients. For example, magazines, journals and textbooks usually contain two or more of these features.
A single compression algorithm is usually not suitable for compressing compound documents. Compression algorithms such as JPEG are suitable for compressing photo regions of the compound color documents, but they are not suitable for not compressing text regions of the compound color documents and other regions containing edges. These lossy compression algorithms are based on linear transforms (e.g., discrete cosine transform, discrete wavelet transform) and do not compress edges efficiently. They require too many bits, and may produce very objectionable artifacts around text.
Compression algorithms such as CCITT, G4 and JBIG are suitable for compressing black and white text regions and other regions containing edges. However, compression algorithms such as CCITT, G4 and JBIG are not suitable for compressing photo regions.
A typical solution is to pre-process the documents, separating the regions according to the type of information they contain. For instance, regions containing edges (e.g., regions containing text, line-art, graphics) and regions containing natural features (e.g., regions containing photos, color backgrounds and gradients) are separated and compressed according to different algorithms.
However, algorithms for separating the regions tend to be very complex, requiring large amounts of memory and high bandwidth. The complexity, high bandwidth and large memory requirements make many algorithms unsuitable for embedded applications such as printers, scanners and other hardcopy devices.

Image block classification based on entropy of differences

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Tanks of a first heat exchanger have plane sections perpendicular to bottoms having a plurality of tube insertion holes formed therein. Tanks of a second heat exchanger with circular cross sections have bottoms having a plurality of tube insertion holes formed therein. The axes of the tube insertion holes of the first and second heat exchangers are held in parallel with each other. The second heat exchanger is in contact with the plane sections of the first heat exchanger tank.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integral-type heat exchanger comprising two-types of heat exchangers which are connected together or disposed adjacent to each other prior to mount on an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
So-called integral heat exchangers have been recently developed, wherein a condenser for cooling purposes is connected to the front face of a radiator. An example of the integral heat exchangers is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 1-224163.
FIG. 38 illustrates an integral-type heat exchanger as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 1-247990. This heat exchanger comprises a first heat exchanger 1 to be used as a radiator and a second heat exchanger 3 to be used as a cooling condenser, both of which are positioned in parallel with each other.
The first heat exchanger 1 comprises an aluminum upper tank 5 which is opposite to and spaced a given distance from a lower aluminum tank 7, and an aluminum tube 9 connecting together the upper and lower tanks 5 and 7. The second heat exchanger 3 comprises an upper aluminum tank 11 which is opposite to and spaced a given distance from a lower aluminum tank 13, and an aluminum tube 15 connecting together the upper and lower tanks 11 and 13.
As illustrated in FIG. 39, the aluminum tubes 9 and 15 of the first and second heat exchangers 1 and 3 are in contact with an aluminum fin 17 spreading across the aluminum tubes. The first and second heat exchangers 1 and 3 form a heat radiation section (a core) 19 by means of the common fin 17.
The first and second heat exchangers 1 and 3, and the heat dissipation section (the core) 19 are integrally bonded together by brazing.
In this conventional integral-type heat exchanger, all of the upper tanks 5, 11 and the lower tanks 7 and 13 of the first and second heat exchangers 1 and 3 are formed so as to have a circular cross section, thereby presenting the following problems.
Normally, the first heat exchanger 1 to be use as the radiator is larger than the second heat exchanger 3 to be used as the cooling condenser, and the reason is as follows. Generally, the amount of coolant flowing in the radiator is larger than that in the cooling condenser. Therefore, it should be necessary to decrease the resistance of the tank of the radiator to the coolant flowing therein as compared with the tank of the cooling condenser. Further, it should be necessary to increase the capacity of the tank of the radiator as compared with the tank of the cooling condenser. Accordingly, the radiator becomes larger than the cooling condenser.
Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 40, the distance (or a tubing pitch La) between the tubes 9 and 15 becomes large because of the difference in diameter between the upper tanks 5 and 11, as well as between the lower tanks 7 and 13, thereby increasing the thickness Wa of the heat radiation section (core) 19. The area 16 between the tubes 9 and 15 becomes a dead space.
As illustrated in FIG. 41, with the purpose of reducing the thickness of the heat radiation section (core) 19, a tube hole 20 formed in the upper and lower tanks 5 and 7 of the first heat exchanger 1 could be moved so as to become closer to the second heat exchanger 3. However, such a modification requires a difficult boring operation, and hence this idea is not suitable in view of practicality.


This invention relates to a switch mat with key switches. In previously disclosed switch mats, switch chambers located under dome-shaped key caps were jointly vented. This affected key operation, and allowed soiling by dust and moisture. Here, each switch chamber has a ventilating channel with a filter layer that is permeable to air, for venting to and from the outside. In this design, the filter layer is formed by a filter matting that is dust and moisture-repellent. Because each switch chamber is separately vented to and from the outside, there is no mutual influence on operating forces of the key switches.

This invention relates to switch mats of a type having several key switches, each of which has a dome-shaped key cap for being pressed toward a contact sheet by a key to complete a contact with a contact lug, with switch chambers under the respective key caps being connected to atmosphere by a ventilating channel. Switch mats of this type comprise individual or multiple adjacent key switches arranged as a keyboard, and are used in electrical control panels or in data entry keyboards.
A dome-shaped key cap is placed over an actuating element of each key switch; for keyboards, the key cap may be designed as a mat. Venting air out of and into a switch chamber inside the key cap is absolutely essential when the key cap is pressed. This can be accomplished by releasing the air directly to atmosphere, or by venting the air into and out of other switch chambers, with an equalizing of pressure.
German patent document (DE-38 09 770 C2) discloses a key switch of this type. A disadvantage of this system is that when air is vented directly outside, dust and moisture are drawn back into a switch chamber with an ensuing air intake.
By contrast, if the air is vented into and out of other switch chambers, as disclosed in German patent document (DE 29 45 707 C2), no dust or moisture can come in. However, because of an air cushion and a resulting change in pressure, an operating force of a key switch is modified for a switch chamber of this type, which may result in incorrect key operation.
German patent document (DE 42 12 562 A1) discloses a contact-sheet keypad with snap keys. Ventilation holes are located next to the keys to allow air to be vented out and in during keying. Air under the snap keys is not removed; rather, it remains there to act as a pneumatic spring, generating return force.
In one embodiment of German patent document (DE 90 12 407.3 U1), a minimum of two outlets must be provided in a support layer to permit pressure equalization for a press switch element. In this design, air ventilation for a gap in a contact area takes place through a filter material and the outlets. To prevent destruction by corrosion of a switching matrix, it is recommended either that an insulating break in an electrically conductive layer be provided at a periphery of a contact area, with a center contact, or that an additional desiccating agent, e.g. silica gel, be used. This is very expensive, and cannot be used for key switches of a switch mat.
It is an object of this invention to provide such a switch mat that does not allow dust and moisture to penetrate in during ventilation, while also not influencing a switching procedure.