A system and method is described herein for providing FDD and TDD modes of operation for a wireless communications device. The system includes a clock signal for FDD mode operation, a separate clock signal for TDD mode operation, where the TDD mode clock is twice the frequency of the FDD clock. Additionally, a counter is provided for counting bit times during a transmission or receive frame. The clock counter is reloaded after a pre-specified count is achieved. The pre-specified count is twice as great in TDD mode operation than in FDD mode operation to account for the fact that the bit periods are twice as long in FDD operation than during TDD operation since transmit and receive are at different frequencies and are not sharing the same channel.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and method of providing FDD and TDD modes of operation for a wireless communications device.
2. Discussion of Related Technology
Many wireless telephones today utilize only a time division duplex (TDD) mode of operation. In a typical TDD operation, a wireless telephone unit and a base unit each transmit for about one millisecond and receive for about one millisecond, thereby sharing the same radio channel. This presents certain disadvantages, for example, in TDD, communication must be at a higher bit rate since a transmitter and receiver are on the same channel. Communication cannot be continuous, since transmit and receive modes have interleaved time slots preassigned. Also, the higher bit rate implies lower energy, so the bit energy to noise ratio is worse than for a frequency division duplex (FDD) mode of operation. The increased noise ratio shortens the useful range of a TDD system.
Thus, the need arises for a wireless communications system which provides operation in both the TDD mode and the FDD mode, allowing for higher energy operation, with increased range and continuous operation over different channels for receive and transmit.

System and method for providing FDD and TDD modes of operation for a wireless communications device


A host providing system includes a physical host managing node which controls one or more physical servers and can manage a usage state of a physical host formed in the physical server, and thus the physical server for forming a physical host can be controlled in the system. In addition, a single physical host managing node is selected depending on instance type information included in an instance starting request from a user terminal, and the instance starting request is sent to the selected physical host managing node. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a physical instance complying with a user's request as a physical host.

In recent years, a service has been conducted in which resources which are required to build and operate an information system are provided via the Internet. This service is called, for example, Infrastructure as a Service (Iaas). A technique is known in which a plurality of virtual instances are formed in a single physical server, and the virtual instances are provided to users as virtual host computers (for example, refer to Non-Patent Literature 1). In this technique, each physical server has a function of selecting, starting, and managing a virtual instance which has a performance complying with a request from a user. In addition, the instance refers to a set of resources such as a CPU, a memory, and a storage.

Host providing system and host providing method


A nozzle for both types of gas stove of liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas includes a nozzle and an adjustable member. The nozzle member includes a gas channel, a receiving portion communicated with the gas channel. The adjustable member is received in the receiving portion, which has a plurality of apertures thereon. The adjustable member is moved to various positions to have the predetermined apertures communicated with the gas channel respectively to provide different gas supplies for the gas stove of liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a gas stove, and more particularly to a nozzle of a gas stove.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional gas stove includes a gas switch and a nozzle connected to the gas switch. The gas switch controls the gas mixing with air for burning. Conventional gas stove incorporates liquefied petroleum gas or natural gas to supply gas. The liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas have different pressure and output, such that the nozzles of gas stoves for liquefied petroleum gas and for natural gas are different. Typically, the nozzle for liquefied petroleum gas has a smaller hole, and the nozzle for natural gas has a greater hole. Manufacturers of gas stove have to prepare both types of the nozzles for different gas stoves, and that increases the cost of manufacture.
To fix this problem, there was a nozzle for both liquefied petroleum gas and natural gas. Such nozzle is provided with an adjustable member on the nozzle. The adjustable member is moved proximal or distal to the nozzle that could control the output of gas. In practice, when the adjustable member is moved against the nozzle, the nozzle has only one hole jetting gas out. In such condition, the nozzle is suitable to the gas stove of liquefied petroleum gas. On the contrary, when the adjustable member is moved away from the nozzle, the nozzle has plenty of holes jetting gas for the gas stove of natural gas.
Such nozzle may be suitable for both types of gas stove. But the inventor found the nozzle having air turbulence when the adjustable keeps a predetermined distance from the nozzle, and that makes the gas out unstable.


A foot operated actuator is provided for actuating a cable operated vehicle parking brake. The actuator comprises an input lever pivotally mounted on a support for movement to a plurality of brake applied positions where it is held by a pawl-and-sector latch. The lever is standardized and is adapted to receive a plurality of different interchangeable sectors. The sectors have outer peripheral cable-receiving grooves which can have a variety of outer profiles which determine the constant or variable output/input ratio of output cable travel per unit of input lever travel. The lever has a hub having an arcuate surface which receives a mating arcuate surface on the sectors. The sectors each have a radially inwardly depending lobed tab that is axially received in an axially open mating slot on the hub to lock the sectors to the hub.

This invention relates generally to parking brake vehicle actuators and, more particularly, to parking brake actuators having a variable ratio capability.
Many different types of actuators have been developed to operate vehicle parking brakes. Manual actuators utilizing both hand-operated and foot-operated input levers which actuate the parking brake through movement of a flexible cable are the most popular type in current use. In these actuators, the force exerted by the vehicle operator's hand or foot on the input lever is translated into an output force on the cable to apply the parking brake. A releasable latch, usually in the form of a pawl and sector, automatically latches the lever in the selected brake applied position.
In these manual parking brake actuators, the relationship of operator input movement to parking brake cable output movement (i.e. mechanical advantage) is dependent on several factors comprising the environment of the actuator lever relative to the operator. Some of these factors are lever arm size, hand or foot operation, lever travel space available, amount of input effort required to apply the parking brake, and operator positioning relative to the lever.
As a result of differing environments, some of these actuators utilize constant ratios of input lever movement to output cable movement. In others, a variable ratio of input lever movement to output lever movement is utilized to provide for relatively constant input effort as the output force requirements to further apply the parking brake increase. The input/output ratio will therefore vary depending on the requirements of a particular vehicle environment. Different vehicle environments dictate that different constant or variable ratios be utilized.
Heretofore, each different vehicle environment dictated use of a different actuator, which was usually developed specifically for a particular environment. As a result, scores of different parking brake actuators have been designed and are manufactured and in use.
It would be desirable to reduce the number of different parking brake actuators needed for the variety of different vehicle environments by developing a parking brake actuator which utilizes predominately standard parts common to all actuators.
It would also be desirable to develop a parking brake actuator that utilizes a standard basic actuator and a plurality of interchangeable inserts which adapt the actuator to the variety of constant and variable input/output ratio environments.

Parking brake actuator with variable ratios


Embodiments of the invention provide for low density flexible polyurethane foams are reaction products of reaction systems including at least one polyol and at least one isocyanate including at least 50% by weight of an MDI based isocyanate. The flexible polyurethane foam has a density of less than about 33 kg/m3 as determined according to ASTM D 3574-01, a tear strength of more than about 160 N/m as determined according to NBR 8515:2003 and a resiliency of at least 45% as measured according to ASTM D-3574-H.

Flexible polyurethane foams are well recognized articles of commerce. Flexible polyurethane foams are used in a wide variety of applications, ranging from cushioning (such as mattresses, pillows and seat cushions) to packaging to thermal insulation. Polyurethane foams are typically prepared by the reaction of a polyol component with an isocyanate, in the presence of a blowing agent, catalysts and other additives. Two commonly used isocyanates are TDI (toluene diisocyanate) and MDI (Methylene diphenyl diisocyanate) type isocyanates. Foams made using MDI based isocyanates are known to cure faster, thus resulting in a better density distribution, than foams made using TDI based isocyanates. A higher curing rate is particularly useful in discontinuous foaming processes where higher through put is required and when the foams are high (such as about two meters or higher). However, it is difficult to make low density (for example less than 33 kg/m3) foams with MDI based isocyanates that have acceptable resiliencies and compression sets while also maintaining acceptable tensile strength, elongation to break, and tear strength without the use of any auxiliary blowing agent. There is a tradeoff that is typically observed between the mechanical properties of tensile strength, tear strength, elongation to break on one side with resiliency and compression set on the other side. Furthermore, such low density flexible foams may have uneven density distributions at various heights of the foams.
Therefore, there is a need for low density polyurethane flexible foams which have acceptable density distributions and acceptable balances between the mechanical properties of tensile strength, tear strength, elongation to break on one side with resiliency and compression set on the other side.


The technology described herein relates to a pair of long pants garment panel comprising a pattern of a durable water-repellant (DWR) coating that is selectively applied on to the pant legs of the pair of long pants. The pattern is comprised of a plurality of discrete shapes that are isolated from one another. In other words, the textile material surrounding each discrete shape in the plurality of discrete shapes is not coated by the DWR coating. A size of the plurality of discrete shapes in the pattern is gradually decreased moving up the pant legs starting from a hemmed edge up to a knee area. The pattern is visible during wet conditions and not visible during dry conditions.

A wearer of, for example, a full length lower body garment may not always be aware of the amount of moisture present in, for example, a grass field. By the time he/she is done walking through the field, the lower body garment may become heavy and uncomfortable close to the bottom edge portion of the lower body garment due to the absorption of large amounts of moisture. Garments in accordance with aspects herein remedy the shortcomings of conventional garments by providing moisture protection as well as a wetness visual indicator that signals the wearer and others in proximity to the wearer, that there is moisture present on the ground.


A non-invasive electronic patient monitor tracks one or more physiological parameters of a patient, such as intravascular volume index (IVI), extravascular volume index (EVI), total hemoglobin (SpHb), impedance, and/or weight. The patient monitor determines if one or more of the physiological parameters are within a predetermined range. The patient monitor activates an alarm if one or more of the physiological parameters are outside the predetermined range and indicates a patient can be experiencing edema and/or heart failure, or sepsis.

Generally described, heart failure is the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. Heart failure can significantly reduce the quality of life of a patient and lead to death. Generally, heart failure is the result of the weakening or hardening of one or both ventricles of the heart. Whether weakened or hardened, one or both ventricles do not pump sufficient amounts of blood and fluids through the body. As a result, excessive fluid can build up in different locations within the body depending on which ventricle is affected. This build up of liquids can lead to serious side effects, such as dyspnea (shortness of breath), impaired liver function, ascites (fluid accumulation in the abdominal cavity), pulmonary edema (excessive fluid in the lungs), dependent peripheral edema (excessive fluid in the organs and extremities), pleural effusion (fluid collection between the lung and chest wall), coagulopathy, and can be life threatening.
Generally described, sepsis is a serious medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state (systemic inflammatory response syndrome or SIRS) in response to an infection. The immune system's reaction to the infection may injure the body tissues far from the original infection. As sepsis progresses, it begins to affect organ function and eventually can lead to septic shock—a sometimes fatal drop in blood pressure. For certain individuals with other medical conditions, the fatality rate for sepsis can be as high as 60%. Thus, diagnosing and treating sepsis early and accurately is extremely important to improve the survivability of the patient.
In addition, treating sepsis can be extremely expensive because a patient is often treated in an intensive care unit (ICU) for several days or weeks. Sepsis can often be diagnosed using blood culture, analyzing blood gases, kidney function tests that are abnormal, platelet counts that are lower than normal, and/or white blood cell counts that are lower or higher than normal. Other tests may include urine tests, wound secretions, cerebrospinal fluid tests, X-rays, computerized tomography (CT) scans, ultrasounds, and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Patients diagnosed with or suspected of having sepsis are often admitted to the ICU for treatment. Treatment typically involves intravenous antibiotic therapy, as well as oxygen, intravenous fluids and medications that increase blood pressure, and can last several days or even weeks. Additional treatment may include draining any abscesses, breathing machine, and/or dialysis.

Non-invasive intravascular volume index monitor


A device or system for use in vehicles, such as jeeps, having soft tops. The device or system may include a bow top clip which is configured to engage with, mount on, or secure to a portion of the vehicle, such as the roll bar cage. To help prevent the vehicle soft top from flapping, the vehicle bow top clip is configured to receive and hold a crossbar member.

Off road vehicles, such as jeeps, are popular vehicles for riding in off-road terrains and on traditional modern, paved streets. Such jeeps have the advantage of being made with a soft top or hard top. While hard tops may have the advantage of being more secure and more durable, one of the main advantages of a soft top is the ease of removal, allowing the user to have an open air top when the weather is nice. In addition, since soft tops are easily removable and foldable, large items may be transported with ease.
One of the disadvantages of soft tops is that, due to lack of support, they are subjectable to some form of top flapping at high speeds, such as highway speeds of 55 MPH or greater. While factory installed soft tops tend to experience less top flapping, all soft tops will experience this phenomenon. Many aftermarket soft tops experience this effect more so than factory installed soft tops. The flapping effect may also be more pronounced with "bikini" tops, those covers having materials to cover the top only, no sides. As such, there exists a need to prevent or minimize top flapping for vehicles, such as jeeps, that use soft tops.


The present invention provides a bicycle comprising front and rear wheels, a frame supported on the front and rear wheels and including a front fork. The front fork comprises a steerer tube defining a steering axis, a fork blade coupled to and extending downward relative to the steerer tube, and a fork tip coupled between the fork blade and the front wheel. The fork tip includes a first arm extending at an angle of 40-85 degrees relative to the steering axis, a second arm extending at an angle of 70-120 degrees relative to the steering axis, and an axle support coupled between the second arm and the front wheel. In one embodiment, the first arm and second arm define a gap, and the fork tip further includes a resilient member positioned in the gap.

The present invention relates generally to the field of bicycles and specifically to front suspensions for bicycles.
Many bicycles have rigid frames that provide little shock absorbing capabilities and instead rely on pneumatic tires to smooth out the bumps on the riding surface. Mountain bikes are specifically designed for off-road riding and are often equipped with front and/or rear shock absorbers to cushion impact on the wheels. These shock absorbers typically have spring-biased and damped telescoping members that will absorb impacts on the wheels.
Bicycle shock absorbers can be heavy and can also have a considerable amount of unsprung weight. Both of these features can be a significant disadvantage on a road bicycle, for which light weight and precise handling are considered very important.


A method and apparatus for simultaneously polishing the inner and outer surfaces of an unpolished polymeric stent using a heat process. The unpolished stent can be mounted, for example, on a “spiral-mandrel,” a tubular helical structure with gaps in between a series of coils of the structure. Heat from a heat source can then applied to the spiral-mandrel at a range between the glass transition temperature and melting temperature of the polymer of the stent.

The present invention relates generally to methods of and apparatuses for polishing radially expandable endoprothesis adapted to be implanted in a lumen of a tubular organ. A "lumen" refers to a cavity of a tubular organ such as a blood vessel. Endoprostheses correspond to artificial implantable medical devices that are placed inside the body, and stents are examples of these endoprostheses. Stents are generally cylindrically shaped devices which function to hold open and sometimes expand a segment of a blood vessel or other anatomical lumens such as urinary tracts and bile ducts. Stents are often used in the treatment of atherosclerotic stenosis in blood vessels. "Stenosis" refers to a narrowing or constriction of the diameter of a body passage or orifice. In such treatments, stents reinforce vessels and prevent restenosis following angioplasty in the vascular system. "Restenosis" refers to the reoccurrence of stenosis in a blood vessel or heart valve after it has been treated (as by balloon angioplasty or valvuloplasty) with apparent success.
A treatment involving a stent includes both delivery and deployment of the stent. "Delivery" refers to introducing and transporting the stent through a lumen of a tubular organ to a region requiring treatment. "Deployment" corresponds to the expanding of the stent within the lumen at the treatment region. Delivery and deployment of a stent may be accomplished by positioning the stent about one end of a catheter, inserting the end of the catheter through the skin into the lumen, advancing the catheter in the lumen to a desired treatment location, expanding the stent at the treatment location, and then removing the catheter from the lumen.
In the case of a balloon-expandable stent, the stent is mounted about a balloon disposed on the catheter. Mounting the stent typically involves compressing, or crimping, the stent onto the balloon. The stent is then expanded by inflating the balloon. The balloon may then be deflated and the catheter withdrawn. In the case of a self-expanding stent, the stent may be secured to the catheter via a retractable sheath or a sock. When the stent is in a desired body location, the sheath may be withdrawn allowing the stent to self-expand.
Stents have been made of many materials including metals and polymers. Polymer materials include both nonbioerodable and bioerodable plastic materials. In some applications, a polymeric bioerodable stent may be more advantageous than a metal stent due to its biodegradeability and greater flexibility relative to the metal stent. The cylindrical structure of a stent is typically composed of a scaffolding that includes a pattern or network of interconnecting structural elements or struts. The scaffolding can be formed from wires, tubes, or planar films of material rolled into a cylindrical shape. In addition, a medicated stent may be fabricated by coating the surface of either a metallic or polymeric scaffolding with a polymeric carrier. The polymeric carrier can include an active agent or drug. Furthermore, the pattern that makes up the stent allows the stent to be radially expandable and longitudinally flexible. Longitudinal flexibility facilitates delivery of the stent and rigidity functions to hold open a lumen of a tubular organ. Generally, the pattern should be designed to maintain the longitudinal flexibility and rigidity required of the stent. The stent should also have adequate strength in the circumferential direction.
A number of techniques have been suggested for the fabrication of stents from tubes and planar films or sheets. Examples of such techniques include laser cutting or etching a pattern onto a material. Laser cutting may be performed on a planar film of a material which is then rolled into a tubular configuration. Alternatively, a desired pattern may be etched directly onto a tube. Other techniques involve cutting a desired pattern into a sheet or a tube via chemical etching or electrical discharge machining. Laser cutting of stents has been described in a number of publications including U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,807 to Saunders, U.S. Pat. No. 5,922,005 to Richter and U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,759 to Richter.
With respect to polymeric stents, a number of manufacturing methods have been employed. In one method, the polymeric stent may be formed by laser cutting a flat polymeric sheet in the form of rings and links, subsequently rolling the pattern into the shape of the cylindrical stent and then providing a longitudinal weld to form the stent. In another method, a flat polymeric sheet may be chemically etched and then subsequently rolled and welded to form the polymeric stent. Additionally, a polymeric wire may be coiled to form a polymeric stent. In yet another method, a polymeric stent may be formed from a tube by laser cutting a pattern of cylindrical rings and connecting rings in the tube itself. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,585,755 to Jackson et al.
In the manufacturing processes previously described, a resultant "rough" stent will be produced. That is, the struts forming the stent will typically have an approximate "square" cross-section with four distinct surfaces as a result of the cutting or etching process. A typical stent is then polished to "round out" the sharp corners in addition to smoothing out the surface of the stent.
Various methods exist for polishing metal stents. Typical polishing methods include electropolishing using an electrolyte solution or laser polishing using a laser, described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,425 to Sawyer, U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,980 to Andreacchi, U.S. Pat. No. 6,375,826 to Wang et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,615 to Flanagan. The use of abrasives to polish stents is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,691 to Frantzen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,788,558 to Klein and U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,455 to Frantzen.
Polymeric stents may undergo polishing as well. A polymeric stent may be polished using solvents. Solvent polishing smoothes out the surfaces and rounds out "sharp corners" of the struts and connecting elements of a polymeric stent; however, adequately removing the solvent and minimizing the residual solvent are problems associated with this method. Accordingly, methods are needed for polishing polymeric stents.

Polymeric stent polishing method and apparatus


A method of operating a distributed MIMO system is disclosed. The distributed MIMO system is configured to serve a plurality of wireless communication devices (u1, . . . , uN). The distributed MIMO system comprises a number of access points (A1, . . . , AK), each comprising a time circuit (180) configured to keep track of a local time of the access point (A1, . . . , AK). The method comprises performing (210) an intra-group synchronization procedure for a group (G1) of at least three access points (A1-A3). The intra-group synchronization procedure comprises, for each access point (Ai) in the group (G1), transmitting (Ti), from that access point (Ai), a synchronization signal and obtaining (Oi) a transmission time indicator indicating a transmission time of that synchronization signal in the local time of that access point (Ai). Furthermore, the intra-group synchronization procedure comprises receiving (Rim, Rin), by each of the other access points (Am, An) in the group, the synchronization signal and obtaining (Oim, Oin) reception time indicators indicating reception times, in the local times of the other access points (Am, An), when the synchronization signal was received by the other access points (Am, An) in the group.

As cellular networks are densified, the inter-cell interference become a major issue and the topology of the network may have to be changed; a conventional cellular architecture with co-located antennas is not necessarily optimal. Cell-free massive MIMO (also known as "distributed antenna system" or "distributed massive MIMO") technology can be applied to this situation. In such a system, many physically separated access points can be deployed within a conventional cell and there might be no explicit cell boundaries. Each user is served by phase-coherent transmission from a subset of such access points, typically the ones that provide a sufficiently high SNR to the user.


The invention relates to an apparatus including: at least one processing module and at least one auxiliary processing module, the at least one processing module and the at least one auxiliary processing module being coupled by at least one splitter, the at least one splitter configured to convey data to be processed to the at least one processing module and at least one auxiliary processing module simultaneously enough for providing coordinated multi-point processing of the data.

The following description of background art may include insights, discoveries, understandings or disclosures, or associations together with disclosures not known to the relevant art prior to the present invention but provided by the invention. Some such contributions of the invention may be specifically pointed out below, whereas other such contributions of the invention will be apparent from their context.
Modern multimedia devices enable providing users with more services. The usage of multimedia services increases the demand for rapid data transfer which in turn requires investments in radio networks. This has brought cost-effective technologies and network and/or node architectures, which also support sustainable development, into the beam of light.


An illumination unit comprising an LED light source is disclosed, which has a first optical element disposed downstream of the LED light source in an emission direction, an electronic control unit, and a second optical element disposed downstream of the first optical element. The LED light source, the first optical element and the electronic control unit are arranged in a common housing, and the housing is covered by the second optical element.

LED light sources are distinguished by a high efficiency, a long lifetime, a fast response time and a comparatively low sensitivity to impacts and vibrations. For this reason, LED light sources can be used in illumination units in which incandescent lamps have often been used heretofore, in particular in luminaires for general lighting or in motor vehicle headlights. On account of their high luminosity, LED light sources are now also suitable for use in traffic signal systems or projection light sources.
In order to obtain a desired emission characteristic, LED light sources often involve the use of optical elements specifically coordinated with the LED light source. By way of example, the document DE 102005019375 A1 discloses an LED array in which a respective beam shaping element in the form of an optical concentrator is disposed downstream of a plurality of LED chips arranged on a common carrier.
For the use of such LED light sources for illumination purposes, in particular in luminaires for general lighting which are produced in large numbers, it is desirable to integrate the LED light source with the associated optical and electronic components into a compact overall system which is protected against environmental influences, in particular dirt, moisture or mechanical damage.
One object of the invention is to provide an improved illumination unit comprising an LED light source which has optical components provided for beam shaping, in particular, and is fitted with an electronic control unit into a compact housing which affords protection against external influences.
An illumination unit according to an embodiment of the invention contains an LED light source, a first optical element disposed downstream of the LED light source in an emission direction, an electronic control unit, and a second optical element disposed downstream of the first optical element, wherein the LED light source, the first optical element and the electronic control unit are arranged in a common housing, and the housing is covered by the second optical element.
Therefore, besides the LED light source, at least a first and a second optical element for beam shaping of the radiation emitted by the LED light source and also an electronic control unit are integrated into the housing of the illumination unit. Besides its optical function, the second optical element advantageously simultaneously functions as a covering of the housing. The illumination unit is thus distinguished by a compact design.
The housing is preferably a metal housing. A high mechanical stability of the housing and a good heat dissipation of the heat emitted by the LED light source are obtained in this way.
The housing of the illumination unit preferably has lateral openings in order, in particular, to improve the dissipation of the heat generated by the LED light source. By way of example, a side wall of the housing can contain between 15 and 25 openings inclusive.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the lateral openings of the housing serve not only for heat dissipation of the heat generated by the LED light source, but at the same time also for fixing the second optical element to the housing. In particular, fixing elements which latch in lateral openings of the housing can be provided at the second optical element. Moreover, in addition to the openings provided for heat dissipation, it is also possible to form further openings for fixing the second optical element in the side wall of the housing. Furthermore, it is also possible for the fixing elements of the second optical element to latch into a cutout at the inner wall of the housing. In this case, the fixing elements are advantageously not visible from the outside. The second optical element, which simultaneously constitutes the housing covering, is therefore advantageously connected to the housing without screw or adhesive bonding connections and can thus be connected to the housing or separated from the housing in a comparatively simple manner.
The electronic control unit for the LED light source is preferably arranged on a circuit board mounted in the housing. In particular, the electronic control unit can be applied to a printed circuit board (PCB).
The circuit board of the electronic control unit preferably has a cutout through which the radiation emitted by the LED light source passes. The cutout can be arranged in particular in the centre of the circuit board. In this way, the circuit board can advantageously be arranged in a space-saving manner above the LED light source as seen in the emission direction. In particular, it is not necessary in this case to fit the electronic control unit together with the LED light source on a base area of the housing opposite the housing covering. The base area of the housing can therefore be advantageously reduced in this way.
The electronic components of the electronic control unit are preferably arranged on a side of the circuit board which is remote from the second optical element. This has the advantage that the electronic components are not visible when viewing the illumination unit through the housing covering formed by the second optical element. Rather, that surface of the circuit board which faces the second optical element is preferably free of electronic components and can be adapted in terms of colour to the light emitted by the LED light source, for example white light.
For positioning and fixing the circuit board in the housing, at least one positioning and fixing element for the circuit board is formed at an inner wall of the housing. In particular, a clamping device can be provided at an inner wall of the housing in order to fix the circuit board in the housing in a comparatively simple manner.
The circuit board can adjoin an inner wall of the housing, in particular, that is to say that the outer contour of the circuit board is preferably adapted to the housing. By way of example, the housing can be a round housing, the external diameter of the circuit board matching an internal diameter of the housing.
Cutouts for the fixing elements of the second optical element are preferably formed at an edge of the circuit board which faces the housing. In particular, the second optical element can have snap-action feet which are led through the cutout of the circuit board to the lateral openings of the housing, where they latch in place for fixing the second optical element. In this way, the housing, the circuit board and the second optical element are advantageously mechanically connected to one another without adhesive bonding connection or screw connection, and, in particular, cannot be rotated with respect to one another relative to a principal axis of the housing.
The second optical element is preferably a lens. The lens is preferably curved convexly at the surface remote from the LED light source.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the lens has a surface structure composed of cushion-type elevations at the surface facing the LED light source. The cushion-type elevations can have for example an ellipsoidal or spherical convex curvature. The base area of the cushion-type elevations is preferably a polygonal area, in particular a hexagonal or octagonal area.
The cushion-type surface structure facing the LED light source acts as a diffuser for the light emitted by the LED light source, while the convexly curved surface of the second optical element opposite the cushion-type elevations serves for collimating the diffuse light bundle generated in this way. In particular the colour homogeneity of the emitted light is improved in this way. This is advantageous in particular when the LED light source contains at least one LED chip which emits blue or ultraviolet light which is converted into white light by means of a luminescence conversion layer. This principle of generating white light is based on the fact that part of the blue or ultraviolet light emitted by the LED light source is converted into light of a complementary colour having a higher wavelength, for example yellow light, by the luminescence conversion materials, with the result that the complementary colours are superimposed on one another to form white light. Depending on the arrangement of the LED chips and the conversion material, however, it can happen here that the superimposition of the two complementary colour components is not completely homogeneous spatially and, consequently, for example the blue colour component of the LEDs and/or the complementary colour generated by means of luminescence conversion becomes visible to an observer. Undesirable colour deviations of this type are reduced by the diffuser formed by the cushion-type surface structure produced on the inner side of the second optical element.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the LED light source contains a plurality of LED chips. In particular, the plurality of LED chips can be arranged on a common carrier, for example in the form of an LED array.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the first optical element is an optical concentrator, in particular a compound parabolic concentrator (CPC). The optical concentrator advantageously reduces the beam divergence of the LED light source before the radiation impinges on the second optical element.
In a further advantageous configuration, the housing has a housing base fitting with an integrated heat sink. This improves the heat dissipation from the LED light source.
The housing base fitting is preferably a housing base fitting having standardized dimensions, for example a housing base fitting of the GU 5.3 type. Such a standardized housing base fitting is known per se and is used for example in the case of low-voltage halogen light sources. By means of such a housing base fitting, the LED illumination unit according to the invention can be integrated into existing luminaire systems in a simple manner.

Illumination unit comprising an LED light source

OSRAM Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung


An interconnectable panel has a pair of surfaces on a lateral edge that adjoins a second pair of surfaces on a complementary lateral edge of another panel when the two panels are interconnected. The edge profiles are such that the first pair of adjoined surfaces has a cross-sectional contour in the shape of a segment of a circle. The circle has a center lying in the upper sections of the connected lateral edges. The circle also has a radius measured from the center to the first pair of adjoined surfaces. The second pair of adjoined surfaces is spaced away from the center of the circle by a distance greater than the radius. That distance increases in a direction away from the first pair of adjoined surfaces.

This invention relates to an interconnectable panel that can be mechanically connected to other interconnectable panels. Such panels are used primarily as a floor covering (e.g., parquet or laminate flooring), but can alternatively be used as wall and ceiling coverings.
Individual panels that can be connected together to form a large, flat surface are known. Many such panels connect together mechanically without adhesives or separate mounting fasteners (e.g., screws or nails). This is advantageous because such panels can be installed more quickly and removed more easily.
These panels may be manufactured from laminate flooring panels made of a wood material. These panels may also be made of wood products in the form of parquet strips or panels or may alternatively be made of a plastic material.
Lateral (i.e., side edge) profile geometries of interconnectable panels having a tongue-and-groove connection for vertically interlocking panels are known. Lateral profile geometries of interconnectable panels having a pair of interlocking surfaces for horizontally interlocking panels are also known. These horizontal interlocking surfaces are usually obliquely aligned with respect to the top and side of the panels and usually engage one another via a "snap-action" or "snap-in" connection as the panels are interconnected.
The terms "snap-action" and "snap-in" connection refer to the manner in which the horizontal interlocking elements of a first panel lateral edge engage the complementary horizontal interlocking surfaces of a second panel lateral edge. Typically, this contact causes at least one element of the connection to bend or deflect during the interlocking process. Such connections, therefore, can only be made by overcoming a mechanical resistance, regardless of, whether the panels are pushed toward one another horizontally or connected via a pivoting motion.
Moreover, if the bent or deflected element remains bent or deflected after the connection is complete, that connection is referred to as "non-positive." This means that the interlocking elements are at least partially bent or deflected in the connected state and consequently exert a reactive/contracting force.
Other panel connections are known to exhibit a "positive" connection. This means that the connecting elements are not bent or deflected after the panels are connected together. However, such connections may still result in the horizontal connection elements/surfaces contacting each other and being bent or deflected during the interconnection process.
A very precise fit between interconnection elements is very important, particularly with respect to the tongue and groove vertical interlock as well as the horizontal connection. However, this fit is typically impaired by forces resulting from the joining of known panels. These forces may, in particular, cause the connecting elements of the horizontal connection to deform, which can result in an inferior fit.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to be able to provide an interconnectable panel in which the fitting accuracy of the vertical interlock and horizontal connection are improved.

Interconnectable panel for use primarily as flooring


Provided is an electronic curtain moving device. Thus device can comprise: a pulley operably connected to a motor, the pulley having a groove through which a cord of a curtain travels, wherein the pulley can move in clockwise and counter-clockwise directions; a head capable of movement from a first and a second position; Wherein movement of the pulley in the clockwise direction makes the head move to the first position and make contact with the cord, and movement of the pulley in the counter-clockwise direction makes the head move to the second position and make contact with the cord at a different location than contact at the first position.

There is generally a need for moving curtains automatically without manual effort. Curtains for example can be heavy, inaccessible and also can be inconvenient to open and close manually.
The art proposes several devices to automatically move curtains. These devices have multiple drawbacks.
First, most of these devices are expensive and need special rods and meant to be installed by a professional with special tools. They also need costly periodical service and maintenance. Second, most of these devices rely on physical means (such as limit switches) to limit the range of travel for the device. A user has to constantly adjust these physical means since limit switches will not be in the correct position in order to operate correctly after a while. In case of obstacle in the traveling course of the curtain rod, these devices cannot stop operation, which will damage curtain, curtain rod and the device itself. Third, the art lacks a device that can adjust itself automatically overtime as the cord of the curtain loses its length integrity and stretches with each day passing, resulting in loss of tight grip needed between cord and pulley for consistence operation.
Fourth, the devices of the art can be noisy, lack intelligence, rely on materials for the cord of a curtain that are expensive, and prone to break, and be difficult to install and operate.
There is a need in the art for a device for electronically and intelligently moving a curtain without the drawbacks present in the art.


A semiconductor device has a p-type metal oxide semiconductor layer; a source electrode connected with the p-type metal oxide semiconductor layer; a drain electrode connected with the p-type metal oxide semiconductor layer; and a gate electrode arranged to oppose to a part of the p-type metal oxide semiconductor layer. The gate electrode and the drain electrode are separated from each other in a top view.

As an active wiring line device by a technique of forming a transistor in a wiring layer, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide The semiconductor) inverter is sometimes formed. By using the CMOS inverter, a pass-through current can be restrained and power saving can be achieved, compared with a case where only a NMOS transistor or a PMOS transistor is used. In order to realize the CMOS inverter, a p-type metal oxide transistor is required in addition to an n-type metal oxide transistor. Also, it is desirable that the process in which they are formed does not have an influence on a wiring layer.
In relation to the p-type metal oxide transistor, Patent Literature 1 and Non-Patent Literature 1 discloses a transistor which has a tin oxide (SnO) film formed on an YSZ substrate by an epitaxial growth method in a channel layer. Also, Non-Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique of forming a polycrystalline SnO film on a SiO2 substrate by a sputtering method, to use it as a channel. In addition, it discloses a technique of obtaining a polycrystalline SnO film by carrying out post-deposition anneal (PDA).
On the other hand, as for the structure of a transistor, a semiconductor device is disclosed in Patent Literature 2. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; an insulating layer formed on the semiconductor substrate; a first wiring layer having a first wiring line embedded in a surface portion of the insulating layer; a semiconductor layer provided on the first wiring layer; a gate insulating film provided on or under the semiconductor layer; and a gate electrode provided to oppose to the semiconductor layer through the gate insulating film.

Semiconductor device and semiconductor device manufacturing method


An electrically controlled multiple ratio transmission for an automotive vehicle powertrain having a hydrokinetic torque converter with a bypass clutch, solenoid operated shift valves under the control of an electronic microprocessor that receives signals from an output shaft speed sensor, an engine speed sensor, a driver controlled drive range selector position, an engine throttle position sensor, and other powertrain operating variables, the solenoid shift valves forming a part of a simplified control valve circuit having a minimum number of shift valve elements and simplified circuit pressure modifier elements for effecting optimum pressures in fluid pressure operated servos for the transmission clutches and brakes during ratio changes, the bypass clutch having a controlled slip characteristic.

Our invention relates to automatic controls for effecting ratio changes in a hydrokinetic power transmission mechanism of the kind disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,216, which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The transmission of the '216 patent includes a hydrokinetic torque converter having an impeller and a turbine situated between an engine crankshaft and a compound planetary gear system, the latter having torque input elements adapted to be clutched to the turbine of the torque converter and output elements adapted to be connected to the traction wheels through a differential and axle mechanism. The transmission of the '216 patent is adapted particularly to be used in a vehicle driveline having a forward engine and rearward traction wheels. It is contemplated, however, that the principles of the present invention can be applied to a transaxle transmission of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,886, which also is assigned to the assignee of this invention.
Other examples of prior art transmissions capable of being adapted to incorporate the improvements of our invention are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,328 and 5,083,481. These also are assigned to the assignee of this invention.
The transmission of the present invention comprises fluid pressure operated clutch and brake servos that control the relative motion of the elements of the planetary gearing to establish four forward driving ratios, including an overdrive ratio and a single reverse ratio. A hydrokinetic torque
converter, which forms a hydrokinetic torque flow path from the engine crankshaft to the input elements of the gearing, includes a turbine and an impeller arranged in a toroidal fluid flow circuit. It includes also a friction bypass clutch adapted to
connect the impeller to the turbine to establish a mechanical torque flow path in parallel with respect to the hydrokinetic torque flow path of the converter.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 583,921, filed Sep. 7, 1990, discloses an automatic transmission shift control strategy wherein ratio changes in the transmission are under the control of an electronic microprocessor which responds to driveline variables received from sensors that detect engine throttle position, vehicle speed, oil temperature, engine speed and other inputs. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 583,614, filed Sep. 14, 1990, discloses an automatic transmission pressure control system under the control of an electronic microprocessor. Both of these patent applications are assigned to the assignee of this invention.
The shift control strategy and the pressure control strategy disclosed in the patent applications identified above have features that are common to the control system of the present invention. Reference may be made to those patent applications to supplement the present disclosure.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,087 discloses an electronic control strategy for effecting a controlled slip in a torque converter bypass clutch whereby the bypass clutch is actuated by modulated converter clutch solenoid pressure from a clutch solenoid valve to effect varying clutch capacity so that the resulting controlled slip results in an actual slip that approaches a target slip determined by the operating parameters of the driveline. That controlled slip strategy has features that are common to the control strategy for the bypass clutch of the present invention, as will be explained.
In that prior art bypass clutch design, the actual converter slip is continuously monitored by the processor as the engine speed and the turbine speed are detected by engine speed and turbine speed sensors. A desired slip is calculated by the processor during each background control loop and that value is subtracted from the actual slip to detect a slip error. The slip error, in turn, is used to calculate a duty cycle for the clutch solenoid valve so that the error is reduced and the desired slip, together with the actual slip, approach a target value. The magnitude of the target value is a value stored in computer memory. The target slip that is fetched from memory depends upon the operating variables of the driveline. In this manner, the desired slip and the actual slip approach the target value asymptotically.
The bypass clutch strategy of such prior art designs will provide for a continuous slip to eliminate transient torque fluctuations and noise, vibration and harshness during steady-state operation. The non-conformance of the desired slip to the target value due to the asymptotic approach of the desired slip with respect to the target value fetched from memory tends to make calibration of the driveline, particularly the bypass clutch, more difficult. The precise desired slip that is required by the processor to satisfy a particular driveline condition is not available because the desired slip versus time relationship will float relative to the target value during its asymptotic approach to the target. Furthermore, the continuous slipping that is characteristic of such bypass clutch strategy during steady state operation may cause bypass clutch friction surface durability concerns.
The control system of prior art patents such as those described above also have a relatively complex valve system in cooperation with solenoid operated valve actuators. The actuators respond to control signals from an electronic microprocessor. The change in state of the solenoid operators will result in a shift valve response as the transmission is conditioned for varying ratios as vehicle operating conditions demand. The solenoid operators must be operated in sequence as the solenoids change state to effect a given ratio change. Thus, each actuator must be carefully calibrated to avoid variations in the responses of the valve system. Consistency and reliability of the solenoid operators and the variation in response time for one solenoid operator relative to another solenoid operator tend to be other shortcoming of these prior art designs.


A clock signal outputting method in which either a clock signal based on a signal from the outside or an alternative clock signal from a fixed oscillator is selected and outputted, wherein, when the clock signal is selected to be outputted, the fixed oscillator is put into non-operating state, and when any error occurs in the clock signal, the fixed oscillator is operated to output the alternative clock signal.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a clock signal outputting method, a clock shaper and electronic equipment using the clock shaper, and more particularly relates to a clock signal outputting method, a clock shaper and electronic equipment using the clock shaper specifying the operation of a fixed oscillator provided in the clock shaper.
2. Related Art
A network clock signal distributes a common frequency into the network and synchronizes the network. A reference clock signal is distributed to each slave station from a master station or quasi-master station of the network. Transmission and reception are performed in each slave station based on a received clock signal timing-extracted from data received from the transmission path of the network.
Incidentally, when a line fault occurs in the network, a slave station cannot normally receive data from the transmission path, and cannot reproduce the received clock signal. In this case, the slave station cannot transmit and receive until the line fault recovers. In order to prevent this, a clock supply device is provided in the slave station to synchronize with the reference clock signal outputted from the master station, and transmission and reception are performed based on a standby clock signal outputted from this clock supply device. In addition, when a clock signal is lost (missing) within a certain time from the received clock signal or a standby clock signal, transmission and reception are performed based on a clock signal outputted from a fixed oscillator provided in the slave station.
A clock shaper using a Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuit is used in a transmission device constituting a network communication system. Two selecting parts are provided on a pre-stage of the clock shaper. One selecting part receives inputs of a received clock signal and a standby clock signal, and selects either clock signal. The other selecting part receives inputs of a received clock signal or a standby clock signal and a clock signal outputted from the fixed oscillator, and selects either clock signal.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-65536 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-244812 disclose a device receiving inputs of two clock signals and outputting either clock signal to a PLL circuit. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-65536 discloses suppression of frequency variation in the output from a PPL circuit in a clock signal switching operation by outputting a self-running clock that is always synchronized with a selected clock outputted from the clock signal switching circuit to the PLL circuit from a self-running control circuit provided between the clock signal switching circuit and the PLL circuit when switching the clock signal due to a short break. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-244812 discloses that, when switching from a first clock signal to a second clock signal, a switching device provided on an input side of the PLL circuit switches a clock signal in phase with the first clock signal outputted from an oscillator, and then switches from the clock signal to the second clock signal when the difference in phase between the clock signal outputted from this oscillator and the second clock signal becomes lower than a predetermined value.
In the clock shaper according to the above-mentioned art, if a fixed oscillator is provided against a line fault, when the fixed oscillator is always kept oscillating, the received clock signal or standby clock signal (input signal) and the clock signal outputted from the fixed oscillator are inputted into the selecting part. As such, there is a problem in that phase noise is generated in the signal outputted from the selecting part when the frequency of the input signal differs from that of the clock signal outputted from the fixed oscillator.
The present invention has been achieved to solve the above problem, and one object is to provide a control method, a clock shaper and electronic equipment using the clock shaper, that are capable of performing quick synchronized compensation without generating any phase noise in a signal outputted from the selecting part and even when synchronization is not performed by occurrence of a fault in the input signal.

Clock signal outputting method, clock shaper and electronic equipment using the clock shaper


A corrugated knife fixture is provided for cutting vegetable products or the like particularly such as potatoes, wherein the knife fixture includes one or more knife blades each having a cutting edge with a variable pitch and variable amplitude geometry. The knife fixture is particularly adapted for cutting whole potatoes into a plurality of wedge-shaped pieces each including a pair of wave-shaped cut surfaces which angularly intersect at a narrow cut tip located generally at a longitudinal centerline of the potato and diverge radially outwardly to an enlarged heel corresponding with the external surface of the potato which may remain unpeeled. The knife fixture, and the resultant wave-shaped cut surfaces of the potato wedges, is defined by the variable pitch and variable amplitude cutting edge wherein the pitch and amplitude increases from the cut tip of the wedge toward the heel or external surface thereof.

This invention relates generally to a knife fixture of the type having at least one knife blade with a corrugated or wavy cutting edge for use in cutting a vegetable product particularly such as a potato to form a correspondingly shaped corrugated or wavy cut surface. More particularly, this invention relates to a corrugated style knife fixture for cutting wedge-shaped potato pieces or the like, wherein the corrugated cut surface contributes to improved product characteristics such as reduced fragility and breakage during subsequent processing, and improved crispness and/or batter pick-up for enhanced consumer acceptance.
Production cutting systems and related knife fixtures are generally well known in the art for cutting vegetable products such as potatoes into smaller pieces of selected size and shape, preparatory to further production processing such as blanching and parfrying. In this regard, a variety of different knife fixtures are known and commonly used to cut whole potatoes, in a peeled or unpeeled state, into a variety of different specific shapes such as elongated French fry strips having a straight-cut or crinkle-cut configuration, cross-cut slices, wedge-shaped pieces and the like. The cut potato pieces are commonly processed by preliminary blanching in hot water or steam, followed by one or more parfrying steps in hot oil prior to final freezing and packaging. In one common production process, the cut potato pieces are also coated with a batter containing selected flavoring and other ingredients, typically prior to parfrying, wherein the batter contributes desirable taste and texture characteristics to the potato pieces when finish prepared, for example, by finish frying or oven heating.
In one typical production configuration, the knife fixture comprises a so-called water knife fixture having one or more knife elements or blades mounted along the length of an elongated tubular conduit. A pumping device is provided to entrain the vegetable product such as a potato within a propelling water flume for cutting engagement with the knife blades. The vegetable product is pumped one at a time in relatively rapid single file succession into and through the conduit with a velocity and kinetic energy sufficient to carry the vegetable product through the knife fixture which severs the product into a plurality of smaller elongated strips at a relatively high production rate. The particular size and shape of the cut product strips is dictated by the geometry of the knife blades, and these cut strips are carried further by the flow stream through a discharge conduit which guides the strips to subsequent processing equipment for size grading, cooking, freezing, packaging, and the like. Examples of such hydraulic cutting systems and related water knife constructions are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,109,468; 3,116,772; 3,208,625; 4,082,024; 4,135,002; 4,372,184; and 4,423,652.
Cut potato pieces having a corrugated or wave-shaped configuration have enjoyed a high measure of consumer approval. In this regard, potato pieces having a corrugated or crinkle-cut shape are characterized by cut surfaces of larger overall surface area having an increased number of relatively thin edges, in comparison with traditional straight-cut potato pieces. As a result, such corrugated cut potato shapes normally exhibit a comparatively enhanced crispy texture when subjected to subsequent parfrying and/or finish frying in hot oil. In addition, when subjected to a batter coating process, such corrugated cut potato pieces also tend to pick up and retain a comparatively greater quantity of the batter, in comparison with straight-cut potato pieces, to result in a relatively enhanced flavor and texture attributable to the batter.
Wedge-shaped potato pieces, herein referred to a potato wedges, have become a popular specialty item served at many restaurant facilities as an alternative to traditional straight-cut or crinkle-cut French fry strips. Such products are cut from whole potatoes into elongated wedge-shaped pieces each having a pair of cut surfaces which angularly intersect at a narrow cut tip located generally at a longitudinal centerline of the potato, and which diverge radially outwardly at an acute angle to an enlarged heel corresponding with the external surface of the potato which may remain unpeeled. Attempts to provide an improved potato wedge product wherein the cut surfaces have a corrugated or wave-shaped configuration, however, have met with limited success. In particular, in a traditional corrugated profile, the wave-shaped cut surfaces are sufficiently reduced in thickness in localized regions at the narrow cut tip to form an undesirably thin and fragile structure which tends to break in the course of subsequent processing and handling steps. The presence of any significant proportion of broken potato pieces provides a substantial negative impact upon product appearance and perceived product quality.
The present invention provides an improved knife fixture particularly for use in cutting vegetable products such as potatoes into wedge-shaped pieces, and the resultant cut potato wedges, having corrugated cut surfaces of a modified geometry for substantially minimizing and eliminating undesirable product breakage in the course of production and handling.

Corrugated knife fixture with variable pitch and amplitude


Various implementations described herein are directed to an integrated circuit having an array of bitcells. The integrated circuit may include latch circuitry having a latch for each row of bitcells that latches valid match data into the latch for each row of bitcells. The integrated circuit may include priority encoding circuitry that receives the valid match data from the latch for each row of bitcells. The integrated circuit may include first logic circuitry coupled between the array of bitcells and the priority encoding circuitry to assist with providing the valid match data to the latch circuitry.

This section is intended to provide information relevant to understanding various technologies described herein. As the section's title implies, this is a discussion of related art that should in no way imply that it is prior art. Generally, related art may or may not be considered prior art. It should therefore be understood that any statement in this section should be read in this light, and not as any admission of prior art.
In conventional semiconductor fabrication designs, soft errors refer to a growing concern among memory designers, and error detection/correction codes are often used to mitigate these soft errors. However, the hardware overhead used to implement various error detection/correction schemes may limit the implementation of the same within some small area due to constraints placed on memory macros, which may be pushed to shared register transfer logic (RTL) within the system-on-a-chip (SoC). Conventional approaches of error correction codes (ECC) may use static random access memory (SRAM), wherein the ECC is performed only when data is read from memory. However, such a scheme may not be used in other types of memory structures, when data is used for searches. Memory design has included dedicated hardware to provide ECC, but this may unfortunately increase significant hardware overhead and may often result in performance penalties under normal operation.

Error detection and correction circuitry


[Object] To lead a user to various types of information easily with an electronic book as a starting point. [Solving Means] A server apparatus includes a storage, a communication section, and a controller. The storage stores an electronic book obtained by digitizing a book having at least one page in which at least one information item is represented, and associated information that is associated with the information item. The communication section communicates with an external electronic apparatus. The controller generates, when the electronic book is displayed by the external electronic apparatus and the information item of the electronic book is designated, an electronic book unit by adding first metadata to the information item so that display processing of the associated information is executed on the external electronic apparatus, and controls the communication section to transmit the generated electronic book unit to the external electronic apparatus.

From the past, there are electronic books (digital books) in which books such as printed magazines published by publishers are digitized to enable them to be browsed in electronic apparatuses such as PCs (Personal Computers) and cellular phones. The electronic books have a merit that publishers can provide contents of the books to readers at lower costs than in the case of providing printed publications, and are therefore prevailing increasingly.
When browsing such an electronic book on a display apparatus, for example, a user can turn a page or add a bookmark by performing various operations on the electronic book displayed on the display apparatus. For example, Patent Document 1 below discloses an electronic book display apparatus capable of putting, when an arbitrary element out of a plurality of elements constituting contents of a book is designated via an input means, a mark for emphasizing the designated element in accordance with a designated position in an area displaying the designated element.

Within an electronic book environment, retrieving and displaying content associated with images or text in the electronic book


A working vehicle, including: an engine housed inside a bonnet of a front part of a vehicle-body; a purification processing device which performs purification processing of exhaust gas that is discharged from the engine; and an exhaust member which discharges the exhaust gas that is discharged from the purification processing device, to an atmosphere, wherein the exhaust member has: a first exhaust part which protrudes from the bonnet to one side in a vehicle-width direction; a second exhaust part which communicates with an end part of the first exhaust part, and is disposed in an up-and-down direction of the vehicle-body; and a third exhaust part which communicates with an end part of the second exhaust part, and protrudes to the one side in the vehicle-width direction, and a height of an exhaust port of the third exhaust part is lower than a height of a floor of an operator seat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a working vehicle.
2. Related Art of the Invention
Known is a conventional working vehicle such that a cabin is installed on the driving part, and that a muffler main-body is installed inside the bonnet of the vehicle-body front part (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-078547). For this working vehicle the exhaust gas pipe, which discharges exhaust from the muffler main-body to the vehicle-body outer part, is disposed in a standing manner in the neighborhood of the pole of the cabin.


A method for constructing a progressive varifocal lens having a far vision area, a near vision area and an intermediate progression area. the method comprises the steps of a) determining the x- and y-coordinates of a first point in the closed interval between the far vision reference point of the far vision area and the center point; b) determining the x and y coordinates of a second point as the near vision reference point of the near vision area; c) determining a mathematical function D(y) which obeys the following conditions: it contains the first and second points as local extrema and comprises exactly one point of inflection in the open interval between the two points; distributing the addition according to the said function along a principal meridian of progression connecting the first and second points; and d) forming the varifocal lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns generally progressive varifocal lenses, which during the last years have mainly replaced so called bi-focal lenses having a clearly zoned near vision area and a area which otherwise is dedicated for the far vision. Especially, the invention concerns so called individual varifocal lenses, but is not limited thereto.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Progressive varifocal lenses are known for several years and comprise in usual manner an area dedicated to the far vision in the above section of the lens, and an area dedicated for the near vision, for example for reading, in the lower section of the lens. Between these two areas, there is the so-called progression zone, in which the mean sphere varies. Both, when designing as well as when describing such lenses, reference is usually made to a far vision reference point, situated in the far vision area, as well as to a near vision reference point or control point, wherein at the said points the respective optical effect in diopters for correcting the ametropia of the wearer is dominant. The two reference points or points of reference are positioned on a so-called main progression meridian, along which the increase of addition takes place. The principal meridian of progression is usually defined based on surface properties as a line proceeding approximately between the 0.5 iso-astigmatism lines of a non-prescription progressive surface. Sporadically, it is also called umbilical line or line of main view, and therefore practically usually coincides with the respective penetration points of the view of a wearer, when he moves his eyes when changing from near vision to far vision and vice versa. At least this is intended when designing varifocal lenses.
In case of the varifocal lenses which are presently available on the market, either in a first step, a surface design is developed, and based on specific surface properties a whole lens family having respective matches of bases and addition values is produced. The optician then chooses the most suitable lens for the wearer, depending on the prescription, and if necessary, carries out a respective adaptation of the lens for the specific needs of the wearer.
As an alternative to the before mentioned varifocal lens families, increasingly frequently so-called individual varifocal lenses are used, which means as much as that for each respective one wearer of lenses, according to physiological data, a varifocal lens is designed and manufactured.
In both cases, it is possible to use one of the surfaces for the provision of the progressive or varifocal surface, and the other surface, for the provision of the spherical and/or torical correction, wherein it alternatively is also possible to provide both corrections at one and the same side, or to distribute the progression to both surfaces, or to combine a progressive surface with a regressive one.
Irrespective the fact, whether the design and manufacturing of a complete lens family or an individual varifocal lens is concerned, extremely complex mathematical calculations, especially calculations of surfaces, are necessary. Details concerning this context may especially be found in the work of Heinz Diepes and Ralf Blendowske "Optik und Technik der Brille", published in 2002 by the Optische, Fachveröffentlichung GmbH, Heidelberg. There, besides others, is described the common practice for the design and structuring' of varifocal lenses, whereupon the x and y coordinates of a first point are determined in the closed interval between the far vision reference point of the far, vision area and the so-called center point or control point of the lens, whereafter/whereupon the x and y coordinates of a second point are determined as the near vision reference points of the near vision area. As soon as these two points have been defined, one tries to determine a mathematical function to determine a preferably linearly ascending means sphere value, wherein the transition to the respective far vision area(s) and near vision area(s), in which the surface related refractive power or mean sphere does not change anymore, should be effected preferably in a most harmonical manner. Stated differently, one tries to determine a mathematical function which comprises the respective end points as local extremas, and preferably only possesses one single point of inflection between the two points. This approach usually, and as described in the above named work, is approximated by a polynom of third order, which is determined by defining boundary conditions.
Alternatively to the mathematical description, but with adequate result, so-called spline functions may be used as well. In each case, every variation of the lens, i.e. when designing a complete family of varifocal lenses or when providing an individualized varifocal lens requires a considerable demand of calculation to be able to calculate the complete free surfaces, in order to be able to provide, as is common, a preferably homogeneous distribution of the surface's astigmatism or cylinder and of respective vision fields in the vicinity of the" intermediate area and in the far vision area, after setting respective weights or evaluations.
In order to reduce the above named amount of calculation, in Patent EP-B1 0969309 was further proposed to base the proceeding of the principal meridian of progression on an approximation formula, when designing varifocal lenses. According to the disclosure of this patent pamphlet, for the offset X0 of the main line projected into the x/y plane is defined: x0(y)=b″+a″−a″:(1+ec(y+d)), wherein for the coefficients is: 2≦a″≦4.3 mm; 0.03≦b″≦0 mm; −0.4≦c≦−0.3 mm−1; 4.5≦d≦5.1 mm.


An optical two-channel rotary joint that is also suitable for coupling of single-mode fibers comprises two housing parts that are rotatable relative to each other. Each of these housing parts accommodates a light-waveguide for supplying light and a light-waveguide for withdrawing light. The arrangement has two optical paths adapted to operate in opposite directions, with each light-waveguide for supplying light being coupled with a light-waveguide for withdrawing light. Furthermore, one focuser is disposed on each of the light-waveguides for supplying light, which focuses the light of the light-waveguide for supplying light onto the corresponding light-waveguide for withdrawing light.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a single-mode rotary joint for optical signals, having two channels, with which the signals can be simultaneously transmitted in opposite directions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Because of their greater flexibility and robustness, optical bus systems are frequently used instead of cable-bound bus systems. With bus systems of this kind, signals or information are regularly transmitted in two opposite directions of the bus system, in order to make possible a bidirectional communication between different subscribers.
Optical rotary joints are known for transmission of optical signals between units that are rotatable relative to each other.
An optical rotary joint for a plurality of channels, having a Dove prism, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,578. With a rotary joint of this kind, substantially more than two channels may be transmitted. It thus offers an excellent flexibility. However, the high costs of the elaborate mechanical arrangement render an optical joint of this kind of no interest for many applications.
A rotary joint having two channels is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,077. In all embodiments, one beam path (channel B) is widened by a pair of lenses, and then again narrowed, the optical elements of the other beam path (channel A) being disposed therein. Complex lens systems are needed with this device in which, in particular, a widening of the channel B must be effected to the extent that the optical elements of the channel A have an only insignificant effect. Furthermore, this device cannot be constructed to have rotational symmetry, because at least two light guides must be inserted into the beam path radially from the outside. This non-symmetry leads to an attenuation that is dependent upon an angle of rotation.
Another two-channel rotary joint is disclosed in DE 20018842. With this, light is coupled from a light-guiding fiber disposed to be inclined to the axis of rotation into another light-guiding fiber which is rotatable relative thereto and disposed on the rotation axis. Another corresponding coupling means is provided for the opposite beam path. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that the attenuation is very large with single-mode fibers.


The efficacy of cardiac resynchronization therapy applied to a patient's heart by an implantable device are improved by obtaining acute hemodynamic feedback during implantation of a pacing device. A first and a second transducer are temporarily placed proximate to a portion of the patient's heart during device implant, and a distance between the transducers is monitored as the therapy is applied. A parameter (e.g. lead location, biventricular pacing, pacing rate, or the like) of the cardiac therapy is adjusted in response to the distance between the transducers until a desired result is obtained, after which the first and second transducers can be removed from the patient.

Pacemakers and other implantable medical devices (IMDs) are becoming increasingly common. A conventional IMD is a battery-powered device that applies electrical impulses to a patient's heart to rectify arrhythmias. Typically, one or more electrodes are attached to the heart and coupled to the IMD via conductive leads. The electrodes and leads allow detection of electrical activity and also enables the delivery of electrical stimulus to the heart as appropriate.
As medical and computing technologies have progressed, IMDs have become increasingly capable of applying highly sophisticated and elaborate therapies, including pacing of multiple chambers of the heart. Such therapies can often be uniquely tailored to the particular needs of the patient, provided that adequate information about the patient is available while the device is being implanted and/or configured. The current state of the art is such that the techniques used for acutely identifying potential responders to cardiac therapy, at the time that the device is implanted in the patient, need substantial improvement.
In particular, the impact of atrial or ventricular lead placement can be difficult to evaluate while the device is being implanted. Early passive fixation leads typically required that leads be placed in specific regions of the ventricles in order to assure lead stability and long term performance. The advent of active fixation leads and left ventricular leads for cardiac resynchronization therapy now allows lead placement regions of the atria and ventricle that previously were not practical. Recent medical literature has described potential advantages of alternate site pacing lead placements in both the atrium and ventricles, including suppression of atrial and ventricular tachyarrhythmias, and improved symptoms of congestive heart failure. Despite this increased lead placement utility, however, few techniques are presently available to discriminate the relative advantage of various pacing lead sites.
It is therefore desirable to create a system and/or technique that is capable of identifying therapy responders during device implantation so that such information can be used to improve the effectiveness of applied therapy. Moreover, it is desirable to create a technique for optimizing lead placement or other parameters using hemodynamic information obtained at the time of implant. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background section.

System and method for improving pacing parameters using acute hemodynamic feedback during device implant


A facility is provided for allocating a constrained common resource among a plurality of demands, in which a recommended solution to such an allocation is achieved by employing partial solutions priorly generated and stored in a database as a result of allocating the common resource among a plurality of prior, and possibly different, demands for the common resource.

The term "resource allocation" problem applies to those problems, which have as a common characteristic, a need to allocate a constrained common resource among a plurality of demands for the resource. One prior arrangement generates a recommended solution to an allocation problem in accord with an algorithm comprising the steps of (a) generating a set of patterns as candidates for a recommended solution; (b) setting goals for a pattern to meet before the pattern becomes a candidate for the recommended solution; (c) searching the set of patterns and identifying those patterns that meet the goals; and (d) appending those patterns that meet the goals to the recommended solution. It can be appreciated from the foregoing that an appreciable amount of processing time may be expended to generate a recommended solution--a problem that is generally applicable to most resource allocation arrangements.
Moreover, such prior arrangements typically treat each resource allocation problem as though it were unique and, therefore, follow each step of their respective algorithms, in generating a recommended solution, even though the allocation problem may be similar to, or possibly the same as, an allocation problem that has been solved in the past.

Automated resource allocation method employing a learning arrangement


An apparatus and a method for the superheating of steam is used, in particular, for converting saturated steam into hot steam in the field of nuclear energy generation. As a result of at least partial conversion of pressure energy of the steam into kinetic energy, in particular into kinetic energy of a rotational flow, the steam cools and condensate and residual steam are generated. After the condensate has been separated from the residual steam, the latter is superheated as a result of a reduction of its kinetic energy and is converted into hot steam.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the superheating of steam, which may be used, for example, in the field of energy generation, in order to convert saturated steam generated in a power station into hot steam.
Light water nuclear reactors, which include boiling water and pressurized water reactors, are used, inter alia, as power stations for energy generation. As a result of the development of heat in a reactor core, wet steam is generated in a reactor pressure vessel in the case of boiling water reactors and in steam generators in the case of pressurized water reactors. In order to reduce the moisture content of the wet steam which is initially present, steam driers are disposed in the reactor pressure vessel or in the steam generator. The saturated steam that is generated in the reactor pressure vessel has a pressure of approximately 70 bar and a temperature of approximately 286 .degree. C. and is supplied to a turbine which drives a generator for generating electric energy. As a rule an intermediate superheater is disposed downstream of the high pressure turbine since appreciable quantities of steam condense in the turbine during depressurization. The condensate which has occurred is separated in the superheater and the remaining steam is heated slightly. That process step can be avoided if superheated steam is available from the outset.
German Published, Non-Prosecuted Patent Application DE 38 36 461 A1 discloses a low temperature steam generator having a vertical cylindrical casing which is subdivided into an upper chamber and a lower chamber through the use of a horizontal partition. A hot liquid, which contains steam if appropriate, flows into the upper chamber to form a rotational flow. The liquid flows through an orifice in the partition into the lower chamber and at the same time is accelerated. As a result of the acceleration, the pressure in the liquid decreases, and steam is generated, which is discharged vertically upward from the upper chamber. The liquid leaves the chamber out of the lower chamber. However, the generated steam is not present as hot steam.
German Patent 151 464 discloses an apparatus for converting saturated steam into superheated steam. In that apparatus, steam is set in a rotational flow with the aid of a screw disposed in a casing. In that instance, condensate is generated, which flows off downward on the screw threads as the result of gravity. The screw has a hollow cylinder inside it, into which the steam can enter through slits. The steam flows vertically upward in the hollow cylinder and leaves the apparatus as superheated steam through a slide.

Method and apparatus for the superheating of steam


A bread slicing device designed specifically for use with cylindrical shaped loaves produced by home automatic bread baking machines. Consists of two parts: a clear cover with built in knife holder and a bread slicing holder. The bread slicing holder is rigid, monolithic in construction, featuring two opposing parallel slicing guide side walls which extend vertically from the base of the unit along two lateral outside edges. The lower two-thirds of the side walls interior surfaces are concave forming with the concave bottom a tapered sharply textured cylindrical cavity. Bread is inserted into slicing holder by way of a wedged shaped entry chute. The chute momentarily compresses the bread as it is inserted into the top of the bread slicing holder. Bread loaf then expands, firmly securing it into the cylindrical cavity. The slicing guide side walls are divided by a series of evenly spaced parallel vertical slots. These slots guide the cutting implement permitting accurate and consistent slices to be produced.

1. Field of the invention
This invention relates to a bread slicing and storage unit to be used for slicing cylindrical shaped loaves of bread, such as those produced by certain automated home bread bakingmachines. The device also doubles as a bread storage unit and knife holder.
2. Prior art
There are numerous patented devices designed to efficiently slice traditionally made, home baked bread. However, the advent and growing popularity of household automated breadmaking machines, many of which produce generally cylindrical shaped loaves rather than conventional rectangular ones, have created a need for a bread slicer specifically designed for use with these machines. Although some devices designed to cut rectangular loaves of bread could theoretically be employed to cut cylindrical loaves, the tendency of these curved loaf shapes to slide and rotate during slicing makes the use of these devices impractical. In addition many of these devices feature adjustment mechanisms allowing them to accommodate different sizes of bread. Since automated home bread bakers produce identical loaves this degree of complexity is unnecessary. It is therefore the object of this invention to present a device that will allow straight even slices to be cut simply and efficiently from a cylindrical loaf of bread, and also allow storage of same bread and a cutting utensil within the unit.

Bread slicing and storage device for cylindrical shaped loaves


There is provided a wiring board. The wiring board includes: a semiconductor substrate having a through hole and covered with an insulating film; a through electrode formed in the through hole; a first wiring connected to one end of the through electrode; and a second wiring connected to the other end of the through electrode. The semiconductor substrate includes: a semiconductor element and a first guard ring formed to surround the through hole. The semiconductor element includes a first conductivity-type impurity diffusion layer having a different conductivity-type from that of the semiconductor substrate and is electrically connected to the first wiring and the second wiring.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a wiring board including a through electrode passing through a semiconductor substrate and being insulated from the semiconductor substrate and a wiring connected to one end of the through electrode and being electrically connected to an electronic component.
2. Related Art
A wiring board 200 shown in FIG. 1 has hitherto been used as a re-wiring board (an interposer) for electrically connecting a semiconductor chip to a mounting board such as a mother board.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wiring board in the related-art.
By reference to FIG. 1, the related-art wiring board 200 includes a semiconductor substrate 206 corresponding to a base-body, an insulating film 207, through electrodes 208, and wirings 211 and 212.
The semiconductor substrate 206 is a plate-like silicon substrate having through holes 215. Specifically, an n-type silicon substrate or a p-type silicon substrate is used as the semiconductor substrate 206. The insulating film 207 is provided so as to cover almost the overall surface of the semiconductor substrate 206 including an upper surface 206A, a lower surface 206B, and portions of the semiconductor substrate 206 exposed from the through holes 215.
The through electrodes 208 are electrodes for electrically connecting the wirings 211 to the wirings 212 and provided so as to fill the through holes 215 on which the insulating film 207 is formed. Cu may be used as a material for the through electrodes 208, for example. The wirings 211 are provided so as to extend from upper ends of the respective through electrodes 208 to the insulating film 207 formed on the upper surface 206A of the semiconductor substrate 206. The wirings 211 are wirings electrically connected to an electronic component 201 (e.g., a semiconductor chip).
The wirings 212 are provided so as to extend from lower ends of the respective through electrodes 208 to a lower surface of the insulating film 207 formed on the lower surfaces 206B of the semiconductor substrate 206. The wirings 212 are wires electrically connected to pads 203 of a mounting board 202 (e.g., a mother board) (see e.g., JP-A-2007-42741).
In the wiring board 200 configured as mentioned above, when the semiconductor substrate 206 is made of silicon, a semiconductor element such as a diode or a transistor can be readily formed in the semiconductor substrate 206 by forming a p-type impurity diffusion layer and an n-type impurity diffusion layer therein. Further, when the impurity diffusion layers formed in the semiconductor substrate 206 and the electronic component 201 are electrically connected together, it is possible to protect the electronic component 201 and adjust characteristics of the electronic component 201 by the elements formed in the semiconductor substrate 206.
The wiring board 200 is different from a common semiconductor device in that the through holes 215 and the through electrodes 208 are formed in the semiconductor substrate 206. For this reason, in the related-art wiring board 200, there in a problem in that characteristics of elements formed in the semiconductor substrate 206 are deteriorated due to the through holes 215 and the through electrodes 208, more specifically, an increase in leakage current.
Specifically, for instance, when impurity concentration of the semiconductor substrate 206 is low (e.g., in case of impurity concentration being less than 1.0×1017 ions/cm3), an inversion layer is likely to be formed in the areas (hereinafter called "sidewalls") of the semiconductor substrate 206 corresponding to side surfaces of the through holes 215 on which the insulating film 207 is formed and areas (hereinafter called "sidewall areas") of the semiconductor substrate 206 located near the sidewalls. Thus, when the inversion layer is inductively formed in the sidewall areas surrounding the respective through electrodes 208 by a potential difference between the semiconductor substrate 206 and the through electrodes 208, the inversion layer is linked to the impurity diffusion layer, thus to increase an equivalent junction area between the impurity diffusion layer and the semiconductor substrate 206. This leads to an increase in a leakage current of the element.
The through holes 215 are generally formed by dry etching such as RIE. When the through holes 215 are formed by dry etching, it is known that a layer (a layer called a plasma-damaged layer or an etching-damaged layer) whose lattice structure is destroyed is formed in the sidewall areas surrounding the through holes 215. Further, when the through holes 215 are formed by dry etching, it is also known that a by-product such as Fluorocarbon adheres to the sidewalls surrounding the through holes 215. The damaged layer and the byproducts are naturally removed after dry etching. However, if they are insufficiently removed, the insulating film 207, which is to be formed in the through holes 215, is deteriorated as compared with the other areas in terms of insulation characteristics. As a result, if other factors, such as diffusion and intrusion of Cu from the through electrodes 208 or intrusion of contaminants (e.g., Fe, Na, K and the like) from the outside, further combines with deterioration of the insulation characteristics of the insulating film 207, a leak current is generated in an area of the insulating film 207 subjected to diffusion of Cu or intrusion of contaminants (e.g., Fe, Na, K, and the like) from the outside. This leads to an increase in the leakage current of the element.