A compact catcher assembly (20) for an abrasive waterjet having a nozzle assembly (22) and a jewel orifice (not shown) for producing a high velocity fluid jet (26) to cut a workpiece within a small area in which to receive the catcher assembly, such as between the upper and lower flanges (28) and (30) of an I-beam (32). The catcher assembly includes a deflector block (42) having an upper surface (62) defining a perimeter, a lower surface (64), and a cylindrical side surface (60) vertically spacing the upper surface from the lower surface. The upper surface has a vertically extending first inlet port (68), while the side surface defines a first exhaust port (74) extending horizontally through the side surface. The deflector block includes an inlet channel (66) extending normally from said entry port to a predetermined distance within the deflector block to define a bottom surface (70) opposite the entry port. The deflector block also includes a first exit channel (72) extending from the exit port and intersecting the inlet channel at a predetermined distance from the bottom of the inlet channel to define a cushion cavity (76) between the intersection and the bottom to dissipate the kinetic energy of the fluid.

Cutting by means of a high velocity fluid jet is well known in the art. Typically, a fluid, such as water, is forced through a jewel orifice to generate a jet having a pressure from 35,000 to 55,000 psi and a velocity of up to three times the speed of sound. Such a jet may be utilized to cut through a variety of nonmetallic materials such as rubber, plastic, wood, or cloth. The cutting power of the fluid jet may be enhanced by the addition of abrasive particles into the high pressure stream to produce an abrasive waterjet. Abrasive waterjets are effective at cutting a wide variety of metals, such as steel, aluminum and titanium, hard non-metallics, such as rock and concrete, and exceptionally hard materials, such as armor plate, certain ceramics, and tool steel. Typically, abrasive materials used in an abrasive waterjet include garnet, silica, and aluminum oxide.
Abrasive waterjets are also effective at cutting graphite-epoxy composite materials, such as composite panels and I-beam stringers for airplane components. Currently, stringers are cut with an extrusion mill having high speed routers to cut the desired profile of the stringers. Although extrusion mills are effective at cutting I-beam stringers, the resulting cut quality is sometimes poor and each stringer must be reworked to smooth the edges. Because of the high cut quality associated with abrasive waterjets, there is no need to rework the workpiece and, therefore, abrasive waterjets have proven to be a very effective cutting tool for composites, such as panels and I-beam stringers.
In the past, a significant limitation of abrasive waterjets was the size of the catcher to catch or stop the waterjet stream after it has cut through the workpiece. Because of the high fluid pressure associated with waterjets, the waterjet cutting stream is a danger to persons or equipment that may accidentally be impinged by the waterjet. Accordingly, waterjet cutting systems have included an energy dissipating receptacle for receiving the high velocity jet of fluid.
Energy dissipating receptacles, or catchers, currently known in the art suffer from three basic problems. First, conventional catchers, particularly those used with abrasive waterjets, have experienced short useful lives because of the cutting force of the jet and have required relatively expensive wear components. Thus, catchers currently available are usually expensive and require frequent replacements.
Second, the catcher housing has typically been expensive because of the quality and quantity of material from which it is fabricated. Thick metallic walls are required to ensure against penetration by the fluid jet, particularly where abrasive waterjets are utilized. Thirdly, the catcher is typically too large to fit within workpieces having relatively small spacing in which the catcher may be received, such as the vertical spacing between the upper and lower flanges of some I-beam stringers. For example, conventional catchers, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,651,476 issued to Marx et al., range in length from 4 inches up to 36 inches in the direction of the jet travel. Thus, waterjets cannot be used to cut a workpiece having an available space in which the catcher may be received that is smaller than 4 inches because currently available catchers are too large. In summary, catchers currently available in the art not only have short useful lives, but also are relatively large and expensive.
Thus, there exists a need for a catcher that is both inexpensive and durable to deflect and dissipate the energy from an abrasive waterjet stream, while being sized to fit within a relatively small cutting area. The present invention addresses these issues and other issues to overcome the limitations currently encountered by providing a compact catcher that includes an angled channel to dissipate the energy associated with a high pressure waterjet within a predetermined area.


In some embodiments, a module may have a slot for an input/output card. While cables may be connected to the card in the module, external forces acting on the cable and/or module may result in the cable pulling the card out of the module, damaging the connector or card. In some embodiments, a strain-relieving device may be used to counter these forces on the cable. In some embodiments, a positioning strip may be coupled to a base placed over the card in the module. In some embodiments, a cable grip may be coupled to the positioning strip through a bracket. In some embodiments, the cable grip may include two plates that are coupled to the bracket through fasteners. As the fasteners are tightened, a distance between the two plates may decrease, and a cable between the plates may be at least partially secured between the plates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to computer hardware and, more specifically, to strain-relieving devices for cables and cable connectors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Instruments for collecting data or information from an environment or unit under test may be coupled to and controlled by computer systems (e.g., through a cable between the instrument and the computer system). Examples of various types of instruments include oscilloscopes, digital multimeters, pressure sensors, etc., and the types of information that might be collected by respective instruments include voltage, resistance, distance, velocity, pressure, frequency of oscillation, humidity or temperature, among others. Data collected by these instruments may be used to control units being tested (e.g., an overheated unit may be shutdown) or an environment (e.g., ventilation systems may be activated if a certain chemical is detected in the air). Data may also be displayed to a user responsible for control and/or may be monitored for experimental purposes (e.g., to better design the unit being tested). Instruments and/or computer systems may also perform various data analysis and data processing on collected data prior to controlling a unit and/or displaying data to the user.
Instrumentation systems may run on a platform such as PXI (Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) eXtensions for Instrumentation). PXI may combine a high-speed PCI bus with integrated timing and triggering designed for measurement and automation applications to deliver performance improvements over other architectures. PXI may be built on a modular and scalable CompactPCI specification and the high-speed PCI bus architecture. As a result, PXI products may maintain interoperability with CompactPCI, offering increased mechanical integrity, easier systems integration, and additional expansion slots than desktop computers.
While PXI may offer substantially improvements, it may also pose several challenges. For example, cables used between a PXI module and an external system (e.g., an instrumentation system) may be coupled to the PXI module by an Input/Output (I/O) card in a slot on the PXI module. Various rugged environments may put strain on the cable and, correspondingly, on the I/O card and card connection to the PXI module. This strain may detach the cable from the I/O card and/or detach the I/O card from the PXI module, possibly resulting in a loss of data, loss of time (to reattach the I/O card and cable to the PXI module), and/or damage.

Strain-relieving device for card connected cables


In a radiation image storage panel having a phosphor layer which is produced by gas phase deposition and composed of prismatic phosphors, the phosphor layer has a relative density higher or same on a lower side than or as on a upper side, and the prismatic phosphors have a diameter which is larger on a upper side than on a lower side.

When the stimulable phosphor is exposed to radiation such as X-rays, it absorbs and stores a portion of the radiation energy. The stimulable phosphor then emits stimulated emission according to the level of the stored energy when the phosphor is exposed to electromagnetic wave such as visible light or infrared rays (i.e, stimulating light).
A radiation image recording and reproducing method utilizing the stimulable phosphor has been widely employed in practice. The method employs a radiation image storage panel comprising the stimulable phosphor, and comprises the steps of causing the stimulable phosphor of the storage panel to absorb radiation energy having passed through an object or having radiated from an object; sequentially exciting the stimulable phosphor with a stimulating light to emit stimulated light; and photo-electrically detecting the emitted light to obtain electric signals giving a visible radiation image. The storage panel thus treated is subjected to a step for erasing radiation energy remaining therein, and then stored for the use in the next recording and reproducing procedure. Thus, the radiation image storage panel can be repeatedly used.
The radiation image storage panel (often referred to as stimulable phosphor sheet) has a basic structure comprising a substrate (i.e., support) and a stimulable phosphor layer provided thereon. However, if the stimulable phosphor layer is self-supporting, no substrate may be attached. The phosphor layer generally has a protective layer on its upper surface (surface not facing the substrate) to keep the phosphor layer from chemical denaturation and physical damage.
There are known a number of stimulable phosphor layers. A representative phosphor layer is formed by coating a dispersion of phosphor particles in a binder solution on the substrate and drying the coated dispersion on the substrate, and therefore comprises a binder and phosphor particles dispersed therein. Also known is a stimulable phosphor layer formed by vapor deposition and comprises prismatic phosphors in which a polymer binder is placed.
It is desired that radiation image storage panels have sensitivity as high as possible and further can give a reproduced radiation image of high quality (in regard of sharpness and graininess).
It is known that a radiation image storage panel have on a substrate a stimulable phosphor layer prepared by gas phase deposition such as vapor deposition or sputtering has a stimulable phosphor layer comprising multiple prismatic (or pillar-shaped) stimulable phosphor crystals standing on the substrate, and gives a reproduced radiation image with high sensitivity as well as high sharpness. This is because that the stimulable phosphor layer comprising multiple prismatic stimulable phosphor crystals has cracks between the adjoining prismatic phosphor crystals which favorably serve to efficiently receive a stimulating light and to efficiently release an emitted light and further serve to keep the stimulating light from scattering in a plane direction on the radiation image storage panel.
JP-A-2001-255610 describes a radiation image storage panel having a phosphor layer which is produced by gas phase deposition in which the phosphor layer has a thickness of 300 to 700 μm and a relative density (a ratio of the volume of the phosphor per the whole volume of the phosphor layer) in the range of 0.85 to 0.97.
JP-B-3070940 describes a method for depositing a stimulable phosphor layer on a substrate by decreasing a temperature of the substrate. It is stated that the method enables to produce a phosphor layer comprising prismatic phosphor crystals in which the prismatic phosphor crystals have no thick diameter even in the case that the thickness of the phosphor layer increases and the cracks are produced in the whole length in the depth direction. The resulting radiation image storage panel is stated to have an increased sharpness.
It is known that the phosphor layer in the radiation image storage panel which is produced by gas phase deposition should have a well-shaped prismatic structure extending in the depth direction to provide the phosphor layer with appropriate cracks, if a radiation image storage panel capable of providing a reproduced radiation image with a high sharpness is manufactured. If the volume of cracks is not enough, the reflection and scattering of the stimulating light as well as the emitted light decrease and the sharpness of the reproduced radiation image lowers. Particularly, in the case that the reproduction of the radiation image is carried out by line-detection, the sharpness of the reproduced image extremely lowers because of spreading of the emitted light. On the other hand, the phosphor layer should have a relative density as high as possible when it is desired to impart a higher sensitivity to a radiation image storage panel.
Nevertheless, a radiation image storage panel having a well balanced relationship between the image quality (such as sharpness) and the sensitivity is required particularly in the field of art of clinical test.


An assembly according to some embodiments of the disclosure includes an enclosure having a housing and door hingedly attached to the housing and a door stop mechanism which holds the door in an open position. The mechanism includes a link member pivotally connected to the door and to the housing. The link member has an elongated slot which extends along a portion of the link member. The slot has a linear portion and an enlarged opening at an end thereof which is offset from the linear portion. When the door is opened, a fastener, which is either mounted to the housing or to the door, slides along the slot until the fastener is positioned in the enlarged opening to hold the door open.

Enclosures used in outdoor applications often require a positive mechanical stop for holding a door of the enclosure open. If the door is not balanced or if it is outside and subject to wind, the door may swing shut unless the door is held open. The interior of the enclosure should be easily accessible for maintenance, repair or other work that requires the door to be positively held open for extended periods of time. This allows worker to access the interior of the enclosure without having to hold the door open, thereby allowing the worker greater flexibility and improved safety and efficiency.

Door stop mechanism for holding a door of an enclosure in an open position


An alignment device and applications thereof are disclosed. The device comprises a dam structure disposed on a first substrate, and a post disposed on a second substrate at a position corresponding to the dam structure. The dam structure comprises a groove. The post is disposed in the groove of the dam structure when bonding the first and second substrates.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to semiconductor technology and more particularly to a light sensing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In WO 2004/027880 A2, a spacer wafer between two lens wafers to maintain a gap therebetween is disclosed. It is critical to align the substrates because alignment errors therebetween may negatively affect the optical performance of the final light sensing device.
The lenses on the lens wafers are typically formed of transparent polymer cured by illumination of ultraviolet (UV) light or heating. The lens substrates are usually deformed and thus have serious warpage during the lens replication process or substrate bonding process. The spacer and lens substrates typically comprise alignment marks at either side thereof. Due to warpage of the substrates, even if the alignment marks are accurately aligned, and then the substrates are bonded, the corresponding lenses and the spacers of the substrate cannot be accurately aligned.

Alignment device and application thereof


The present invention provides a method for producing a highly corrosion resistant organic composite-plated steel sheet which is inhibited from liberation of chromium, which comprises forming a chromate film comprising a composition of the following (A) as a first layer at a coating amount of 5-150 mg/m.sup.2 as a solid film on the surface of a zinc or zinc alloy plated or zinc composite alloy plated steel sheet and then, coating on the first layer an organic solvent coating composition of the following (B) as a second layer at a thickness of 0.3-5 .mu.m as a solid film.. (A) coating type chromate bath composition PA0 (B) organic solvent coating composition. 1 Cr.sup.6+ : 1-30 g/l, PA1 2 Cr.sup.3+ : 1-30 g/l, PA1 3 Cr.sup.6+ /Cr.sup.3+ weight ratio: 0.2-2.0, PA1 4 HF+H.sub.3 PO.sub.4 : 1-60 g/l, PA1 5 HF+H.sub.3 PO.sub.4 /Cr.sup.3+ weight ratio: 0.5-3.5, and PA1 6 silane coupling agent/Cr.sup.6+ molar ratio: 0.05-0.3 PA1 (a) a bisphenol epoxy resin having a number-average molecular weight of 300-100,000 in an amount of 30% by weight or more based on the solid content of the coating composition; PA1 (b) at least one curing agent selected from the group consisting of polyisocyanate compounds and blocked polyisocyanate compounds at 1/10-20/10 in a weight ratio to solid content of the epoxy resin; PA1 (c) fumed silica of 0.1-100 m.mu. in an average particle size in an amount of 5-50% by weight based on the solid content of the coating composition; PA1 (d) a ketone type organic solvent in an amount of 40% by weight or more based on the weight of the coating composition; and the solid content of the coating composition being in the range of 10-50% by weight.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic composite-plated steel sheet provided with a thin film coating thereon, more particularly to a method for producing the organic composite-plated steel sheet prevented from liberation of chromium and high in corrosion resistance.
2. Description of Related Art
Recently, reduction of cost and enhancement of the rust resistance of zinc- or zinc alloy-plated steel sheets (hereinafter referred to as "zinc alloy-plated steel sheets") has been highly desired by the fields of automobiles and appliances, and researches for the development of new products have been increasingly conducted.
In the production of the organic composite-plated steel sheets by applying a thin film coating on the above-mentioned zinc plated steel sheet which has been chromated, the chromating has been required to be carried out by coating.
In order to meet this requirement, it is necessary to develop a hardly soluble chromate coating type treatment technique which inhibits chromium from liberation from the coated chromate film.
A proposal to make the chromate film hardly soluble has been reported in JP-A-50-158535.
This patent application discloses a chromating solution of a chromic anhydride--phosphoric acid--water-soluble or water-dispersible polymer compound type, in which at least 70% of hexavalent chromium ions have been reduced with a reducing agent such as ethylene glycol. However, the chromate film produced by this technique contains polymers and so, is inferior in weldability though superior in hard-solubility, corrosion resistance and coatability.
The chromate solution disclosed in JP-B-61-58552 is of a chromic acid--chromic acid reduction product--silica sol type. However, there is the problem that when the surface-treated steel sheet having the chromate film formed thereon is worked and coated, mainly hexavalent chromium ions in the chromate film are readily liberated by washing with water before the coating, resulting in reduction of the corrosion resistance of the film.
Furthermore, use of silane coupling agents for reduction of hexavalent chromium ions in the chromating solution is disclosed in JP-A-58-22383 and 62-83478. Films formed by the processes mentioned therein are all excellent in adhesion, but the chromate films formed by the process mentioned in the former patent application are inferior in the alkali resistance, because they are formed with chromating solution containing no phosphoric acid and the chromate films formed by the process mentioned in the latter patent application are also inferior in the alkali resistance.
Properties of respective components in the above-mentioned conventional chromating processes were examined to find that organic polymers and silica have tendencies to enhance the corrosion resistance but deteriorate the alkali resistance, and silane coupling agents have a tendency to reduce hexavalent chromium ions in the chromating solution to cause transient decrease in the hexavalent chromium ion concentration of the chromating solution and to make the corrosion resistance of the chromate film unstable.
As mentioned above, various processes have been disclosed, but in all of them, the properties of the chromate films depend greatly upon drying conditions in the chromating process
Furthermore, it has been proposed in JP-B-55-51032 and JP-A-59-162278 and 61-584 to increase the rust resistance by coating an aqueous solution of a mixture of a water-dispersible emulsion resin with chromic acid or a chromate compound of a high rust resistance on the surface of zinc-plated or zinc alloy-plated steel sheets. However, all of the resulting films are high in rust resistance, but sweating or liberation of chromium with an aqueous treating solution are seen. Thus, there are some practical problems. Moreover, JP-A-60-50181 and 60-149786 propose to carry out the thin film coating of a blend of a water-dispersible emulsion resin and an organic composite silicate (silica sol, a silane coupling agent or the like). These processes do not offer the problems of the liberation of chromium, but they have problems in the properties of the coated film, especially water resistance, because the film contains silica in the form of stable colloid and so alkali ions or ammonium ions. Furthermore, solvent type coating compositions containing fine silica is very high in the viscosity owing to their structural viscosity, and coating of a uniform thin film is impossible. It can be considered to rupture the structural viscosity by the hydrogen bond of alcohols to reduce the viscosity, but this cannot be applied to systems using a polyisocyanate compound as a curing agent.
As mentioned above, the thin film coated rustprevented steel sheets require 1 higher corrosion resistance, 2 further improvement in adhesion to a coating (especially, cationically electrodeposited film) formed on the steel sheets, and 3 reduction of baking temperatures (140.degree.-170.degree. C.) for improvement of the working strength of the steel sheets. Various coating compositions have been proposed in order to meet such requirements. The above requirements are especially important to the coating systems using polyisocyanate compounds as curing agents. Since the proposed coating compositions have the problem of thixotropy, there have not yet been obtained any practically usable, organic solvent-soluble epoxy resin coating compositions as the solvent-type compositions or coating compositions containing polyisocyanate compounds or silica powders for the thin film type rust-prevented steel sheets.

Method of producing organic composite-plated steel sheet


A cache method and a cache system for storing file's data in memory blocks divided from a cache memory are disclosed. The cache method for storing data of a file in memory blocks divided from a cache memory includes: receiving a request command for first data of a first file from an application; retrieving a memory block that stores the first data; setting reference information which indicates that the memory block storing the first data is referred to by the application; transmitting the first data stored in the memory block to the application; and resetting the reference information for the memory block that stores the first data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cache memory of a server system that provides mass storage files, and more particularly to a cache method and a cache system for storing file's data in memory blocks divided from a cache memory.
2. Description of the Prior Art
With the increase of multimedia streaming service, a server that provides mass storage files in real time requires efficient loading of the files in a memory. Such loading serves as a main factor that determines performance of the server. Particularly, multimedia service that increases network load is essentially required to reduce processing time of the server so as to reduce delay due to a high volume of network load. To this end, a part of files for streaming is loaded in the memory and the loaded data continues to be maintained so that the time required to read files from a file storage could be reduced. Such a memory is called a cache memory.
FIG. 1 illustrates a structure of a cache system in a conventional streaming server. In FIG. 1, the cache system 30 includes a cache memory 10, a file data reader 11, a cache management module 12, and a memory allocation module 20. The memory allocation module 20 allocates memory constituting a cache from a memory of the system and provides access information on the allocated memory to the cache management module 12.
If data is requested from an application 15, the cache management module 12 identifies whether the requested data is stored in the cache memory 10. If so, the cache management module 12 copies the data and provides the copied data to the application 15. If not so, the cache management module 12 reads the data from the file data reader 11, stores the data in the cache memory 10, and provides the data to the application 15.
The cache memory 10 has access information on the allocated memory and information on which files data is stored and which part of the files the data is stored, in addition to the data read from the file data reader. The cache memory 10 sequentially stores the data provided from the cache management module 12, and if the data requested from the application 15 exists in the previously stored data, the cache memory 10 provides the corresponding data to the application 15. The file data reader 11 reads the data from a file memory 50 and provides the read data to the cache management module 12.
The case where the data is read from the file memory 50 will now be described. First, the memory allocation module 20 generates an available memory and provides the generated memory to the cache memory 10 (a in FIG. 1). Then, the application 15 requests data of a specific file (b). In this case, the file data reader 11 reads desired data from the file memory 50 and then provides the read data to the cache management module 12 (c). The cache management module 12 provides the read cache data to the cache memory 10 (d) and transmits the data to the application 15 (f).
In an instance where the requested data is read from the cache memory 10, the application 15 initially requests the cache management module 12 to provide data of a specific file so as to read the data stored in the cache memory (b). The cache management module 12 reads the requested data from the cache memory (e). The read data is provided to the application 15.
Therefore, since the cached data is read through the cache management module 12 and the cache memory 10 without having to go through the file memory 50 and the file data reader 11, the reading speed is faster than in the case where the data is read from the file memory 50.
FIG. 2 illustrates the state in which the files are stored in the conventional cache memory. A reference block 61 denotes the memory state before caching the data. If a file 1 is to be cached, data is sequentially stored in the cache memory as shown in a reference block 62. If a file 2 is to be cached, contents of the file 1 are deleted and data of the file 2 are stored in the memory. Thus, only the file 2 exists in the cache memory as shown in a reference block 63. Subsequently, if another file stored in the memory is to be cached in a random access mode, the existing data of file 2 is deleted from the cache and the new file data is stored, as shown in a reference block 64.
As such, the conventional cache system has several problems. That is, if the cache randomly accesses the file or multiple applications each requests a different part of the file, it is necessary to delete the existing cache data and load the cache with new data. Also, since data that is not a memory pointer within the cache is transmitted to the application, its performance may deteriorate. Moreover, in the case where a plurality of applications access the cache, the memory in use may be erased without backup.

Cache method and cache system for storing file's data in memory blocks divided from cache memory


A utility wafer is used to mechanically condition and chemically stabilize a polishing pad and ready the pad for chemical-mechanical polishing of semiconductor production wafers. The utility wafer is fabricated from a high-purity ceramic material, such as quartz (SiO.sub.2), or a high-purity metal, such as tungsten. Because there are no dielectric coatings to be maintained on the utility wafer, the utility wafer can be used much longer and at greatly reduced cost than other types of utility wafers. In one embodiment, a light reflective coating may be applied to one side of a ceramic utility wafer to ensure process machinery will detect the presence of the wafer. In another embodiment, a silicon wafer is bonded to the utility wafer to provide structural support to the utility wafer as the utility wafer is thinned by the abrasive action of the polishing pad.

The fabrication of integrated circuitry on a semiconductor substrate involves many intricate and complex processes. One such process, known as chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), is used to mechanically and chemically planarize the devices that are formed on the semiconductor substrate. Materials deposited onto the substrate are often concentrated at particular points along the surface of the substrate, producing what are commonly referred to as peaks and valleys in the deposited materials. Chemical-mechanical polishing is typically performed at various stages of fabrication to smooth out these peaks and valleys and planarize each layer of depositions to some desired degree before the fabricated devices are eventually diced and separated one from another.
Chemical-mechanical polishing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,790 to Jerbic, the entire contents of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. During Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), a polishing pad is brought into abrasive contact with a product wafer. An abrasive slurry, which is usually comprised of a ceramic material such as silicon dioxide or alumina, is applied to the pad as the pad and product wafer are moved relative to one another. The slurry acts upon the wafer to chemically etch and mechanically wear the devices. The abrasive action between the pad and wafer uniformly removes the superfluous material to create a more planar surface for the next deposition of material.
Occasionally, material that is removed from the production wafers will accumulate on the pad and reduce the pad's ability to properly erode the wafer. Great care must be taken during CMP to ensure that the devices are properly eroded, so when clogging occurs, the pad must be removed from production and reconditioned. Clogged pads are typically reconditioned, or cleaned by drawing a rough implement across the pad surface to remove the excess material and contaminants from the pad.
To minimize the potential for damage to product wafers during CMP, new and reconditioned pads are operated for a period of time with the use of a utility wafer, sometimes referred to in the art as a "dummy" wafer. Utility wafers emulate production wafers and act to stimulate, smooth and condition the pad before the pad is applied to a production wafer. The utility wafer also functions to alert process personnel of any deficiencies in pad performance. If a pad fails to erode the utility wafer with uniformity and consistency, or if the pad introduces impurities into the utility wafer, process personnel can determine that the pad is need of reconditioning or possible disposal.
Prior art utility wafers are comprised of a silicon wafer having a thin coating of a dielectric material, such as silicon dioxide, on the working surface of the wafer. The dielectric coating is relatively thin, typically about 10,000 angstroms in thickness. Due to the abrasive action between the pad and utility wafer, the silicon dioxide coating wears quickly so that the coated wafer can be used only once for a relatively short period of time. The silicon utility wafer can be re-used, but only after it has been etched and stripped of the old coating and re-deposited with a new coating of material. Maintenance of such prior art utility wafers is therefore expensive and lowers productivity by occupying equipment that would otherwise be utilized for other necessary processes, such as manufacturing production wafers.
What is needed, therefore, is a low-cost, low-maintenance utility wafer that closely emulates production wafers for the purpose of conditioning a CMP polishing pad. An object of the present invention is to provide such a wafer.

Utility wafer for chemical-mechanical planarization


A method for fractionating a solution into two or more fractions. More particularly the invention relates to a method for fractionating a solution by a chromatographic simulated moving bed (SMB) process in which the dissolved substances present in the feedstock are separated in the partial packed beds, and the formed separation profile is circulated more than once or less than once through the chromatographic separation loop during one cycle.

The continuous simulated moving bed process has been disclosed already in U.S. Pat. No. 2,985,589 (Broughton et al.). In accordance with this process the mixture to be fractionated is introduced into one partial packed bed and eluant is introduced into another partial packed bed, and two product fractions are withdrawn substantially simultaneously. There are at least four partial packed beds, forming a single loop with continuous circulation of a dry substance profile, and the feed and product withdrawal points are shifted continuously stepwise in the downstream direction in the loop of packing material beds essentially by the speed of the circulation of the dry substance profile in the loop.
For simulated moving bed chromatographic separation processes two or more loop and two or more profile modes have been developed in order to better utilise the chromatographic separation resin bed to achieve increased separation capacity, increased yields and fraction purities and fraction dry substance concentrations.
A sequential simulated moving bed process applied to the recovery of betaine and sucrose from beet molasses is described in the Applicants' Finnish Patent 86 416. In this method, one complete or essentially complete dry solids profile is circulated in a partial packing material loop. Also the Applicants' publications U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,326 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,225 relate to a simulated moving bed method, the first applied to the fractionation of molasses and the latter to the fractionation of sulphite cooking liquor. As is described in these patents, the simulated moving bed method may include multiple loops; and dry solids profile(s) is circulated in each loop.
Finnish Patent 86 416 referred to above discloses a method for recovering betaine and sucrose from beet molasses employing a simulated moving bed process. The chromatographic system comprises at least 3 chromatographic partial packed beds in series. In the method, betaine and sucrose are separated during the same sequence comprising a molasses feeding phase wherein the molasses feedstock is supplied to one of said partial packed beds and eluant water is supplied substantially simultaneously to another of said partial packed beds, an eluant feeding phase, and a circulating phase. These phases are repeated either once or several times during the sequence.
In the method disclosed in the above-stated U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,326, the liquid flow is effected in a system comprising at least two partial packed beds, and the product or products are recovered during a multistep sequence. A sequence comprises feeding, eluting and circulation phases. During the circulation phase, the liquid present in the partial packed beds with its dry solids profile is circulated in two or more loops comprising one, two or more partial packed beds. A loop may be closed or "open", in other words, when liquid is circulated in one loop, eluant can be introduced into the other loop and a product fraction can be withdrawn therefrom. During the feed and elution, the flow through the packing material beds may take place between successive loops, loops, wherein the flows carry material from one loop to another. During the circulating phase, column or columns form closed loop and are separated from the other loops. Essentially complete dry solids profile is circulated in each loop.
Publication WO 97/45185 discloses a method for fractionating a solution into two or more fractions by a chromatographic simulated moving bed process wherein the separation system comprises at least two separation profiles in the same loop. The method can be used for fractionating a sulphite cooking liquor to give a fraction rich in monosaccharides and/or a fraction rich in lignosulphonates. Furthermore, molasses or vinasse can be fractionated in that way to obtain fractions rich in sugar, such as sucrose, and/or betaine. In the method of the above mentioned publication, there are at least two separation profiles in the same loop. The minimum required bed length for the method is at least the length of two separation profiles without excess overlapping.
One of the problems associated with the above arrangements is that in order to get good separation result, high yields, purities and product fraction dry substance concentration, long chromatographic separation beds have to be used.
Another problem with the earlier arrangements is also that the dry substance profile(s) in the chromatographic separation beds do not necessarily fill the whole bed length or they may overfill the bed. As a rule, the dry substance profile should be formed so that high product fraction yields, purities, concentrations and high separation capacities are achieved. This means that chromatographic column load has to be high, e.g. the feed volume has to be large, in order to achieve high product fraction dry substance concentration and high separation capacities. High dry substance concentration means that the concentration is at least close to the partial concentration of the component(s) in the feed.
On the other hand, chromatographic separation bed(s) height has to be long to contain high enough number of theoretical plates in order to achieve high product purities and product yields.L=N·HETP  (1)N=16·(Ve/W)2  (2)
wherein L=length of the resin bed                N=number of the theoretical plates        HETP=height equivalent of the theoretical plate        Ve=elution volume        W=peak width.
In one situation the separation profile is narrow and chromatographic separation bed is long which may lead to a situation where part of the chromatographic separation column is not loaded with the separation profile causing poor utilisation of the bed.
Alternatively, if in another situation the dry substance profile is long and chromatographic separation bed needed for good separation is short leading to the overlapping of the dry substance profile from both ends of the profile occurs causing low purities and low yields.
In the above mentioned situations more advanced methods are required and the present invention provides a solution to the problems associated with both situations.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


At a transmitting end, transmission signals corresponding to more than one channel are allocated different microwave frequencies and carriers of the microwave frequencies are modulated with the transmission signals in modulators. A filter is placed in the preceding or succeeding stage of a respective modulator to band-limit a corresponding transmission signal before or after modulation. The band-limited and modulated transmission signals are combined to produce a microwave frequency-division multiplexed signal. The multiplexed signal modulates an optical frequency modulator to produce an optical modulated signal. The optical modulated signal is transmitted to the receiving end. At the receiving end, the optical signal transmitted from the transmitting end is detected and converted to an electrical signal. The channel components are extracted from the electrical signal by bandpass filters and then demodulated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical communication system based on optical modulation using a microwave frequency-division multiplexed signal and, more particularly, to an SCM (subcarrier multiplexed) optical communication system.
The SCM optical communication system has an excellent feature in that all kinds of signals in either analog or digital form can be transmitted at the same time and in large quantities using only a single optical carrier. The present invention employs FM modulation based on direct modulation by a semiconductor laser, etc., as the optical modulation in the SCM optical communication system. The present invention can be applied to all types of information communication networks including a conventional optical communication network, an optical CATV network, a broadband distribution network mainly handling image information, and future ISDN (integrated services digital network).
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, wavelength-division multiplexed transmission has been used mainly for multiplexing transmitting signals in optical communication (such as large-capacity signal multiplexed transmission, in particular). This is intended for multi-channel transmission with optical waves of different wavelengths (or frequencies) used as carriers. In the case of an intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DM) system, the wavelength-division multiplexing transmission requires a channel spacing of the order of several nanometers in wavelength so that channels can be distinguished from each other by optical filters. In the case of a coherent optical communication system, a channel spacing is presently required which is of the order of ten and several times the bit rate because the ability to control crosstalk between adjacent channels is limited. In the case of, for example, high-speed multiplexed transmission at a bit rate in the order of gigabits, the channel spacing is about 20 GHz. A receiver which can detect all of the channels simultaneously cannot be realized. However, the number of channels to be multiplexed may be increased at the sending end. Therefore, only one channel can be received at a time.
On the other hand, the conventional SCM optical communication system uses mainly an intensity modulation system based on the direct modulation of a semiconductor laser as its optical modulation system, and a direct detection system using a PIN photodiode or APD as its receiving system.
By way of example, a conventional FDM (frequency-division multiplexed) optical transmission system and a conventional TDM (time-division multiplexed) optical transmission system are illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, respectively. In both systems, coherent transmission of four-channel, 622 Mb/s signals is made, and the optical transmission capacity is 2.5 Gb/s.
In the optical FDM system, as can be seen from FIG. 1, optical modulators 1--1 to 1-4, which correspond in number (four in this example) to channels and have optical carriers of different frequencies fs1 to fs4, each produce a modulated optical signal. These modulated signals from the optical modulators are mixed in an optical coupler 2 to produce a frequency-division multiplexed optical signal which, in turn, is transmitted through an optical fiber 3. At the receiving end, the optical signal transmitted through the optical fiber is mixed with a local light source (semiconductor laser) and heterodyne detected by means of a local oscillator, an optical receiver 5 and an amplifier 6, whereby it is converted to an electric intermediate frequency signal. The resulting electric signal is then filtered by a bandpass filter 7 to allow only the signal on a desired channel to pass. The signal is then demodulated by a demodulator 8.
In the TDM optical transmission system, as can be seen from FIG. 2, signals transmitted on channels are time-division multiplexed by a multiplexer (MUX) 11 to produce a time-division multiplexed signal which, in turn, modulates an optical modulator 12. The modulated signal is transmitted through an optical transmission fiber 13. At the receiving end, the optical signal transmitted from the transmitting end is optical-heterodyne detected by the use of a local light source (semiconductor laser) 14, an optical receiver 15 and an amplifier 16 for conversion to an electric signal. The resulting electric signal is filtered by a bandpass filter 17 to pass intermediate frequency signals of all the channels (bandwidth is about 25 GHz.times.2). These signals are demodulated by a demodulator 18 and then separated by a demultiplexer (DEMUX) 19 into the signals for the respective channels.
A problem with such a conventional optical frequency-division multiplex transmission system as shown in FIG. 1 is that, since the channel spacing at the time of signal multiplexing must be large, of the order of ten and several times the bit rate, multiplexed signals cannot be detected simultaneously at the receiving end. However, the number of channels to be multiplexed may be increased at the transmitting end, but a limited number of channels that can actually be detected. In the case of high-speed transmission of digital data (gigabit transmission) in particular, only one channel can be detected at a time by a receiver. Also, the number of channels which can be multiplexed is limited by the band of frequencies over which a semiconductor laser serving as a local light source is tunable.
An optical time-division multiplex transmission system such as that shown in FIG. 2 requires a multiplexer for time-division multiplexing and a demultiplexer for separating the components in a time-division multiplexed signal transmitted over an optical transmission line. These circuits are very expensive. The use of these circuits will lead to an increase of cost of the whole system. Moreover, the heterodyne detector requires a demodulation bandwidth which is wide enough to cover all the channels that are multiplexed.
The conventional SCM optical communication system described above requires that the light output be linear with the intensity modulation of the semiconductor laser. This sets a limit to the bandwidth for modulation. Under the present circumstances, the bandwidth is in the order of 1 to 2 GHz at best. Thus, the wideband transmission is apt to be influenced by signal distortion, thus limiting the capacity of transmission information. This makes it difficult to meet the requirements of future large capacity communications. Moreover, since the direct detection system alone can be used as the detection system, it is difficult to achieve a sufficient receiver sensitivity. Therefore, there are limits to transmission distance and the number of signals to be distributed.
If, therefore, optical angular modulation could be used as the optical modulation in the SCM optical communication system, such technical problems would be solved. In this case, however, to achieve a high receiver sensitivity, the coherent optical transmission system must be used, which requires an optical heterodyne receiver or an optical homodyne receiver, which have complex structures. It also requires countermeasures against degradation of the receiver sensitivity due to fluctuations in the state of polarization of signal light and local light. This will make the receiver very expensive. It is difficult to use such an expensive receiver in subscriber systems.


A method of provisioning a subordinate trusted security zone in a processor having a trusted security zone. The method comprises receiving by a master trusted application executing in a master trusted security zone of the processor a request to provision a subordinate trusted security zone in the processor, wherein the request comprises a master trusted security zone key, wherein the request designates the subordinate trusted security zone, and wherein the request defines an independent key. The method further comprises provisioning by the master trusted application the subordinate trusted security zone to be accessible based on the independent key.

Mobile communication devices in the future are expected to store or embody a variety of applications that may interact with confidential information such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, authentication numbers, personal data, medical information, and the like. Additionally, mobile communication devices may promote users installing after market applications that may be infiltrated by malware such as viruses, Trojans, screen scrapers, keyboard monitors, and other nefarious software and/or firmware.

Systems and methods for provisioning and using multiple trusted security zones on an electronic device


A method for performing mobile communications may include receiving a first multimedia broadcast or multicast stream from a serving cell; determining whether or not a neighbor cell is capable of providing the first multimedia broadcast or multicast stream to generate a first determination result; and initiating neighbor cell protocol operations with the neighbor cell according to a first set of threshold criteria if the first determination result is negative and initiating neighbor cell protocol operations with the neighbor cell according to a second set of threshold criteria if the first determination result is positive. The neighbor cell protocol operations are cell measurements of the neighbor cell or cell reselection to the neighbor cell.

Recent additions to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard include provisions directed towards Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Services (MBMS) and Enhanced MBMS (eMBMS). The MBMS and eMBMS protocols are intended for a variety of broadcast and multicast services, such as mobile TV and radio broadcasting to be delivered to users with existing 3GPP network wireless resources. As these services use wireless network resources, the reception quality of MBMS and eMBMS is dependent on the radio link quality that a User Equipment (UE) with a serving cell. UEs experiencing poor radio link conditions may correspondingly experience a low quality of eMBMS reception.
The geographic placement of eMBMS-enabled cells may be non-uniform, and accordingly the service area of eMBMS may vary significantly. For example, eMBMS may only be available in specific geographic locations, and accordingly may only be available to nearby users. Furthermore, the availability of eMBMS may vary over time, as specific eMBMS-enabled cells may only provide eMBMS transmissions during certain times, such as e.g. during a particular event. Additionally, different geographic groups of eMBMS-enabled cells may provide different eMBMS streams. Consequently, a user may only be able to access specific eMBMS streams in certain areas dependent on whether the nearby eMBMS-enabled cells are broadcasting the specific eMBMS stream.
A user may therefore experience geographic regions where a particular desired eMBMS stream is not available. Additionally, a user may experience geographic regions where no eMBMS service is available at all. A user who is engaged in an eMBMS session (i.e. receiving a specific eMBMS stream) and subsequently leaves the eMBMS service area may thus experience a significant decrease in the reception quality of the eMBMS stream or even have the active eMBMS session terminated completely. A user who is leaving the eMBMS service area may therefore wish to maintain an existing eMBMS connection at high quality for as long as possible. In other words, a user may desire to stay continue receiving a desired eMBMS stream by maintaining a connection to the respective transmitting eMBMS-enabled cell instead of performing cell reselection to a cell that does not provide the desired eMBMS stream (i.e. a non-eMBMS cell or an eMBMS cell that is not providing the desired eMBMS stream). A user may thus wish to maintain reception of an existing eMBMS stream even if an incompatible cell (i.e. a non-eMBMS cell or an eMBMS cell that is not providing the desired eMBMS stream, as will be referred to hereafter) may be able to provide a higher level of conventional cellular service (such as e.g. voice or data). A user may additionally desire to forego measurement gaps due to the negative effects these measurement gaps may have on the reception quality of the desired eMBMS stream.
However, the current 3GPP standard does not consider active eMBMS sessions in the decision to perform neighbor cell measurements or cell reselection from a UE in idle mode. For example, the current Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard dictates that a UE in idle mode is to initiate neighbor cell measurements and/or cell reselection based on serving cell signal power and signal quality measurements. The LTE standard specifies periodic measurements of the Reference Signal Receive Power (RSRP, i.e. signal power) and Reference Signal Receive Quality (RSRQ, i.e. signal quality) of a reference signal received at a UE from the serving cell. The UE may then compare the measured RSRP and/or RSRQ values to network-provided thresholds to determine if neighbor cell measurements and/or cell reselection is necessary. A UE may be instructed by the network to perform neighbor cell measurements of nearby cells or cell reselection if the measured serving cell RSRP and/or measured serving cell RSRQ falls below the network-defined thresholds, which may indicate a reduced quality of service for the user. The thresholds may be network-provided, and the cell reselection thresholds may be lower than the neighbor cell measurement threshold to ensure neighbor cell measurements will typically be performed prior to reselection.
The standard thus does not consider the presence of active eMBMS streams when determining if neighbor cell measurements and/or cell reselection is appropriate. The standard also does not consider whether nearby candidate cells (e.g. for cell measurement and/or reselection) are capable of providing the active eMBMS stream. A user may therefore be engaged in an eMBMS session and may be leaving the serving area of the current cell and entering the service of area of a nearby incompatible cell (i.e. a cell that does not provide eMBMS or is not providing the active eMBMS stream). As the user is leaving the service area of the serving cell, cell measurements may be triggered on nearby candidate cells, including the nearby incompatible cell. Consequently, the user may experience a drop in eMBMS stream quality due to the performance of standard-dictated measurement gaps required to measure nearby candidate cells. The measurement gaps may even be used to search and measure incompatible cells (i.e. non-eMBMS cells or eMBMS cells that do not provide the desired eMBMS stream), such as the incompatible cell which the user is entering the service area thereof. In addition to a reduction in eMBMS stream quality, the UE may select the incompatible cell as the new serving cell, thereby terminating the active eMBMS session. A user may thus not wish to perform measurements on incompatible cells if an eMBMS session is active, or may wish to wait until absolutely necessary to consider incompatible cells for measurement. Furthermore, a user may wish to not perform reselection to an incompatible cell if an eMBMS session is active, or may wish to wait until reselection is absolutely necessary to consider incompatible cells for reselection. It therefore may be advantageous for a UE to consider whether or not an eMBMS session is active as well as the eMBMS capabilities in the decision to initiate cell measurements and cell reselection.

Method for performing mobile communications and mobile radio communication terminal device


In a pair of glasses, in particular industrial safety glasses, comprising a frame with side pieces which are articulated thereto by a side-piece projection; and two eyeholes with encircling grooves and sight pieces inserted in the grooves; the frame being divided in the vicinity of the eyeholes for expansion and exchange of the sight pieces and lockable in the closed position; and the frame being divided in the vicinity of the side-piece projection; it is provided that the side-piece projection, in prolongation of the divided area of the frame, is divided into a top projection of the top frame member and a bottom projection; and that a pivoted locking device is pivotably mounted on the top projection of the frame member and lockable in place by the bottom projection.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pair of glasses, in particular industrial safety glasses, comprising a frame with side pieces which are articulated thereto by a projection, and two eyeholes with encircling grooves and sight pieces inserted therein, the frame being divided in the vicinity of the eyeholes for expansion and exchange of the sight pieces and lockable in the closed position by means of a locking device, the frame being divided in the vicinity of the side-piece projection, and the side-piece projection being divided in prolongation of the divided area of the frame into a top projection of the top frame part and into a bottom projection.
2. Background Art
Glasses of the generic type are known from EP 1 460 470 A1. A drawback of these glasses resides in the job of unlocking being rather complicated.
For durably optimal optical quality of the sight pieces, it is advantageous if they can be replaced after a certain time. Furthermore, possible replacement of the sight pieces enables the sight pieces to be adapted to the individual requirements of a certain user or to certain surroundings. For example, it is possible in this context to insert optically treated sight pieces, colored sight pieces or sight pieces with special surface properties. This possibility is especially important in sports glasses and industrial safety glasses where the frame design is comparatively complicated, owing to the required protection against bombardment.
To this end, the frame has been known to be divided and flexibly expanded for exchange of the sight pieces and for insertion of other sight pieces, after which the divided area is again bridged by a locking mechanism.

Glasses, in particular industrial safety glasses


There is provided a display apparatus comprising: a display panel having a display screen in which scan electrodes and information electrodes are arranged in a matrix shape; first driving circuit for driving the scan electrodes and for selecting the number of channels of an outputting operation to the scan electrodes; and second driving circuit for driving the information electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to display apparatus and, more particularly, to a display apparatus using a display panel having a memory performance such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal display panel.
2. Related Background Art
In a CRT (cathode ray tube) which forms an image by using a decay characteristic of a fluorescent material or a TN (twisted nematic) type LCD (liquid crystal device) which forms an image by using a transmission light amount characteristic according to an effective value of a driving voltage, it is necessary to keep a frame frequency as one picture plane forming frequency to predetermined value or more from a viewpoint of the display principle. Generally, it is held to 30 Hz or higher. The frame frequency can be expressed by an inverse number of the product of the number of scanning lines constructing a display section and a horizontal scan time to scan the scanning lines. In the present situation, an interlacing method (jumping scan of every other scanning lines) and a non-interlacing method (non-jumping scan) have been known as scanning methods. A pairing method, a simultaneous parallel scanning method whereby the screen is divided into a plurality of display areas and the areas are simultaneously scanned in parallel although such a method is limited to the LCD, and the like have been put into practical use as another methods. In the NTSC standard, there is used the interlacing method of two fields/frame having a frame frequency of 30 Hz, in which the horizontal scan time is set to about 63.5 .mu. sec and the number of scanning lines is set to about 480 (the number of effective display lines). In the case of the TN type LCD, there is used the non-interlacing method in which the number of scanning lines is set to a value within a range from 200 to 400 and the frame frequency is set to 30 Hz or higher. In the CRT, separately from the NTSC standard, the non-interlacing method of a frame frequency of about 40 to 60 Hz is also used and the number of scanning lines is set to a value within a range from about 200 to 1000.
The cases of driving the CRT and the TN type LCD each of which is constructed by 1920 pixels in the vertical direction (scanning lines) .times.2560 pixels in the lateral direction (data lines) will now be considered. In the case of using the interlacing method of a frame frequency of 30 Hz, the horizontal scan time is equal to about 17.5 .mu.sec and the horizontal dot clock frequency is equal to about 147 MHz (no consideration is made with respect to the horizontal blanking time in the CRT). In the case of the CRT, the horizontal dot clock frequency of 147 MHz needs a very high beam scanning speed and fairly exceeds the maximum electron beam modulating frequency of the electron gun in the present image receiving tube. Even if the electron beam is scanned at a speed of 17.5 .mu.sec, a video image cannot be accurately displayed. In the case of the TN type LCD, the driving of 1920 scanning lines corresponds to a duty ratio of 1920. Such a duty ratio is fairly larger than the present maximum duty ratio of about 400, so that an image cannot be displayed. Therefore, when considering the case of driving by setting the horizontal scan time as an actual value, the frame frequency is smaller than 30 Hz, so that the scanning state is visually recognized or a flickering occurs and the display quality is remarkably deteriorated. As mentioned above, it is a present situation that there are limitations in the realization of a large screen and a high density of the CRT and the TN type LCD because the number of scanning lines cannot be increased due to the display principle and the limitation of the drive elements or the like.
In recent years, Clerk and Lagerwell have proposed a ferroelectric liquid crystal device having a high response speed and a memory performance (bistability) by U.S. Pat. Ser. No. 4,367,924 or the like.
The ferroelectric liquid crystal device generally has a Chiral smectic C phase (SmC*) or H phase (SmH*) in a special temperature range. In this state, the ferroelectric temperature range. In this state, the ferroelectric liquid crystal device is set into either one of the first and second optical stable states in response to an electric field which is applied and has a characteristic, namely, a bistability such that the state is maintained when no electric field is applied. In addition, a response speed for a change in electric field is also high. Therefore, a wide use of such a device is expected as a high speed display device of the memory type.
However, generally, it is difficult that the ferroelectric liquid crystal device has the bistability as proposed by Clerk et al. and there is a large tendency such that the device has a monostable state. To realize the permanent bistability, Clerk et al. have used an orientation control method by applying a shearing force by sharing or by applying a magnetic field or the like. However, a method whereby a uniaxial orientation process such as rubbing process, oblique evaporation depositing process, or the like is executed to a substrate is advantageous as an orientation control method from a viewpoint of the production technique. There is a case where a permanent bistability is not obtained in the ferroelectric liquid crystal device whose orientation has been controlled by executing such a uniaxial orientation process to the substrate. The orientation state such that the permanent bistability doesn't occur, that is, what is called a monostable orientation state has a nature such that a biaxial orientation when the electric field has been applied is changed to the uniaxial orientation within a range from a few msec to several hours when no electric field is applied. Therefore, the display apparatus using the monostable ferroelectric liquid crystal device has a problem such that the image which has once been written is extinguished by cancelling the supply of the electric field. Particularly, upon multiplexing driving, there is a problem such that the writing states of the pixels on the scanning lines which are not accessed are gradually extinguished.
Therefore, to solve the above problem, there is considered a driving method (refreshing drive) whereby a voltage signal to cause "black" in the pixels on the selected scanning line and a voltage signal to cause "white" are selectively applied and, when it is assumed that a period to sequentially select the scanning lines is set to one frame or a plurality of fields, by repeating such a period, the writing process is executed. By using such a refreshing driving method, a fluctuation of the transmission light amount of the non-selected pixel is very small. Moreover, even at a frame frequency lower than 30 Hz, the visual recognition of the writing scanning line (phenomenon such that the scan writing line has a luminance higher than those of the other lines and can be also visually easily discriminated) and the occurrence of the flickering can be eliminated. In this case, by the examinations by the inventors of the present invention, it could be confirmed that a similar effect can be obtained even at a frame frequency of about 5 Hz.
The above fact is effective to solve in a lump the problems in the realization of a large screen and a high precision which occur from the inevitable condition such that the device must be driven at a frame frequency of 30 Hz or higher as a limit frequency in the CRT and then TN type LCD mentioned above.
However, in the case of refresh-driving at such a low frame frequency as mentioned above, there is a problem such that a processing speed at such a low frequency is slow for what is called a moving image display such as smooth scroll, cursor movement, or the like upon character edition or on a graphic screen, or the like and the display performance is deteriorated. In recent years, the developments of computers, peripheral circuits, and a software are remarkable. Particularly, for the display of a large screen and a high precision, a display method called a multi-window in which a plurality of screens are overlappingly displayed in the display area has widely been used. The display apparatus using the ferroelectric liquid crystal device can realize a large screen and a high precision which are extremely superior to those of the conventional display apparatuses (CRT, TN type LCD, and the like). However, there is a problem such that the frame frequency becomes low in association with the realization of the large screen and high precision, so that the speeds of the smooth scroll and the cursor movement become more and more slow.


A mapping catheter assembly 10 including a flexible lead body 12 and a deformable lead body 14. A lumen 22 is provided to accept a reference catheter 18 which includes a distal tip electrode assembly 29. In use an array 16 of electrode sites are deformed into a spherical shape after the assembly is placed in a heart chamber. The reference electrode assembly 29 is advanced into contact with the heart wall to provide calibration information for the array 16.

Cardiac arrhythmias can be treated pharmacologically, surgically, or by the implantation of a medical device. In the case of a tachycardia it is now common to perform endocardial mapping to determine the origin and mechanism of the arrythmia prior to selecting a therapeutic approach. Endocardial mapping can also be used to monitor or assess the efficacy of a therapy once selected and delivered.
Traditionally endocardial mapping techniques involve the introduction of one or more catheters into the patient, advancing the catheters through a blood vessel and placing the catheters in a heart chamber. Once located in the heart, the electrode or electrodes of the catheters are pressed against the endocardial surface to record the electrical potential of the cardiac tissue at that electrode site. Single electrode contact systems are tedious to use but they do not interfere with the normal blood flow through the heart. Multiple electrode contact systems are also available to permit simultaneous mapping of potentials from several electrode sites. However some of these systems block blood flow through the heart. Multiple electrode systems which do not interfere with the blood flow, and which do not contact the surface of the heart are also known, although these systems do not permit a high resolution map of the endocardial surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,924 to Taccardi teaches a catheter which is inserted into the heart chamber. The distal end of this catheter is formed into an elliptical shape which is much smaller than the heart chamber. The multiple electrodes on the surface of this ellipsoid may be used to detect the electrical potential produced by the area of the endocardial surface proximate each individual electrode. Accurate measurements require that the electrodes do not touch the endocardial surface. This type of catheter floats freely in the heart chamber but will typically touch the walls of the beating heart. The constant motion of the catheter and contact with the walls frustrates accurate measurement of the cardiac potentials. Therefore these prior non-contact mapping and in-contact mapping catheters compromise the accuracy of the resultant map with the ease of use. Therefore there is a need for a catheter which can be used to develop an accurate representation of the electrical activity of the heart.


Disclosed is an apparatus and a control method of an automatic working system, and the control method comprises the following steps: generating a boundary signal by a signal generating apparatus; generating an electromagnetic field as the boundary signal flows by the boundary wire; detecting the electromagnetic field by an automatic moving device to at least generate a first detection signal and a second detection signal, and multiplying the first detection signal and the second detection signal to generate a product signal; determining a first signal point and a second signal point by the product signal; generating characteristic values based on parameters of the first signal point and the second signal point, comparing the characteristic values with preset thresholds, and judging whether the first detection signal is interfered by noise, thereby effectively removing an interference signal. Also disclosed is an automatic working system executing the above control method.

Along with the development of science and technology, people have known various types of intelligent automatic moving device very well, since the automatic moving device can execute a preset relevant task according to an automatically preset program without manual operation and intervention, the automatic moving device is very widely applied to industrial application and household products. The automatic moving device applied to the industrial application comprises for example robots executing various functions, and the automatic moving device applied to the household products comprises a mower, a dust collector, etc., these automatic moving devices greatly save time for people, and bring great convenience to industrial production and household living.
Such automatic moving device generally automatically moves in a preset working region without departing from the preset working region. The outer boundary of the preset working region is usually determined by adopting an electrical boundary wire. The boundary wire is usually a common electric wire.
A current flows by the boundary wire marked by the outer boundary of the working region. The generated electric field or magnetic field can be detected by a proper sensor in the automatic moving device, the detected signal is then transmitted to a controller in the automatic moving device, and the controller compares the obtained signal with a preset judging condition in a memory, to obtain the conclusion whether the automatic moving device is in the working region.
As shown in FIG. 1, in one simple prior art implementation, an automatic working system comprises a signal generating apparatus 80′, a boundary wire 50′ electrically connected to the signal generating device and an automatic moving device 10′; the boundary wire 50′ defines a working region 30′ surrounded by the boundary wire 50′ and a non-working region 70′ outside the boundary wire 50′. The signal generating apparatus 80′ generates a periodical current signal SS as shown in FIG. 2. The current signal SS generates an electromagnetic field 90′ changed with the boundary wire 50′ as a center when flowing by the boundary wire 50′. At any moment, the polarity of the electromagnetic field 90′ in the working region 30′ is opposite to that of the electromagnetic field 90′ in the non-working region 70′.
The automatic moving device 10′ further comprises a signal detection apparatus 20′ and a controller 190′ (not shown in the drawing). The signal detection apparatus 20′ usually is a sensing coil, which senses the changed electromagnetic field 90′ to generate a detection signal SJ′, such as alternating-current voltage or alternating-current current. The controller 190′ receives the signal detection signal SJ′ and compares the detection signal SJ′ with a preset threshold, and when the amplitude value of the voltage or current exceeds the threshold, the controller 190′ indicates the automatic moving device 10′ to depart from the boundary wire 50′ of the working region. When the automatic working device crosses over the boundary 50′ and enters the non-working region 70′, since the polarity of the magnetic field 90′ is inverted, the phase of the detection signal SJ′ sensed by the signal detection apparatus 110′ is also inverted accordingly. The controller 190′ judges that the automatic moving device is in the non-working region 70′ by identifying that the phase of the detection signal SJ′ is different from the preset phase in direction.
In an actual working scene, the automatic working device 10′ is necessarily provided with a motor driving the automatic moving device to move, for example a motor driving the automatic moving device to mow grass or collect dust or other working parts to work, and the operation of the motor generates an electromagnetic field. The electromagnetic field is also sensed by the signal detection apparatus 110′ and a voltage or current signal is generated. Therefore, the detection signal SJ′ received by the controller 190′ actually contains an interference signal brought by the motor. When the controller 190′ adopts the interfered detection signal SJ′ to judge and control, a wrong judgment on inside and outside often occurs and a control command not according with an actual condition is sent.
In the actual working scene, when different adjacent working regions exist, the electromagnetic fields generated by the boundary lines of different working regions cross with each other. Therefore, the detection signals sensed by the automatic moving devices in respective working regions necessarily contain the interference brought by the adjacent electromagnetic field. Therefore, the detection signal SJ′ received by each controller 190′ actually contains the interference signal brought by the electromagnetic field in the adjacent working region. When the controller 190′ adopts the interfered detection signal SJ′ to judge and control, a wrong judgment on inside and outside often occurs and a control command not according with an actual condition is sent.
In the actual working region, the automatic moving device 10′ necessarily works in a free space, and various electromagnetic waves sent from all kinds of radio devices or other types of devices exist in the free space. At certain moment, certain specific electromagnetic signal may be detected by the signal detection apparatus 110′. Therefore, the detection signal SJ′ received by each controller 190′ actually contains the interference signal brought by the electromagnetic waves in the free space. When the controller 190′ adopts the interfered detection signal SJ′ to judge and control, a wrong judgment on inside and outside often occurs and a control command not according with an actual condition is sent.
Therefore, in order to avoid the wrong judgment problem caused by noise interference and enable the controller to send a more correct control command, it is required to design a control method capable of effectively eliminating or reducing above various interference noises and an automatic working system applying the control method.

Automatic working system and control method thereof and automatic moving device


Virtualization software installed in a standalone host is remediated according to a desired state model using a desired image of a virtualization software that is used to remediate virtualization software running in hosts which are logically grouped as a cluster of hosts not including the standalone host. The method of remediating the virtualization software installed in the standalone host includes the steps of generating a desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host from a desired image of the virtualization software of the hosts in the cluster, and upon detecting a difference between an image of the virtualization software currently running in the standalone host and the desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host, instructing the standalone host to remediate the image of the virtualization software currently running therein to match the desired image of the virtualization software of the standalone host.

A virtual storage solution known as VSAN (virtual storage area network) provisions a virtual storage device for a cluster of host computers using local disks of the host computers. The host computers represent data nodes of the VSAN and may be located in different availability zones to support redundant data availability for mission-critical applications. In the virtual storage device, data are stored as objects (referred to herein as VSAN objects) instead of files or blocks and the VSAN objects are backed by components that are replicated across the cluster. In a VSAN configuration with two availability zones, a standalone host referred to as a witness node, is used to host witness components for VSAN objects. The witness components are used to determine if the VSAN objects have a quorum in the event of a split-brain situation. In general, the witness node does not run user workloads and cannot be a data node.
The witness node and the data nodes are managed as a VSAN cluster, and each has a VSAN module running on top of virtualization software to enable the VSAN solution. The lifecycles of the virtualization software installed in the witness node and the virtualization software installed in the data nodes, are however, managed separately. Techniques have been developed to manage the lifecycle of the virtualization software installed in a cluster of host computers, such as the data nodes, which are managed together by a virtual machine management server for resource pooling (e.g., to provide high availability and distributed resource management), and are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/939,117, filed on Jul. 27, 2020, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. These techniques do not apply to a host that the virtual machine management server manages as a standalone host, such as a witness node, and thus are not applicable to a VSAN cluster that has both data nodes and a witness node.
Consequently, any upgrades to the virtualization software installed in the data nodes that are carried out in accordance with the techniques described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/939,117 will need to be tracked, and separately replicated on the witness node so that the VSAN modules running in the data nodes and the witness node can remain compatible and continue to communicate to enable the VSAN solution.

Managing lifecycle of virtualization software running in a standalone host


The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to an energy recovery apparatus of a plasma display panel and method thereof. The energy recovery apparatus includes a capacitive load equivalently formed between a scan electrode and a sustain electrode, an energy recovery unit for recovering energy charged in the capacitive load and again supplying the recovered energy to the capacitive load, an energy supply unit disposed between the energy recovery unit and the capacitive load, wherein the energy supply unit relays energy between the energy recovery unit and the capacitive load and supplying a reference voltage to the capacitive load so that stabilized discharging can be generated in the capacitive load, and an energy relay unit disposed between the energy recovery unit and the energy supply unit, for relaying energy between the energy recovery unit and the energy supply unit. According to the present invention, energy is relayed between a source capacitor and a panel capacitor through a transformer. Therefore, diodes need not to be used and manufacturing cost is thus reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display panel, and more particularly, to an energy recovery apparatus of a plasma display panel and method thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
A plasma display panel (hereinafter, referred to as a 'PDP') is adapted to display an image including characters or graphics by light-emitting phosphors with ultraviolet having a wavelength of 147 nm generated during the discharge of an inert mixed gas such as He+Xe, Ne+Xe or He+Ne+Xe. This PDP can be easily made thin and large, and it can provide greatly increased image quality with the recent development of the relevant technology. Particularly, a three-electrode AC surface discharge type PDP has advantages of lower driving voltage and longer product lifespan as a wall charge is accumulated on a surface in discharging and electrodes are protected from sputtering caused by discharging.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a discharge cell of a conventional plasma display panel. Referring now to FIG. 1, the discharge cell of the conventional plasma display panel includes a scan electrode Y and a sustain electrode Z which are formed on the bottom surface of an upper substrate 10, and an address electrode X formed on a lower substrate 18. Each of the scan electrode Y and the sustain electrode Z includes transparent electrodes 12Y and 12Z, and metal bus electrodes 13Y and 13Z which have a line width smaller than that of the transparent electrodes 12Y and 12Z and are respectively disposed at one side edges of the transparent electrodes.
The transparent electrodes 12Y and 12Z are typically formed using indium-tin-oxide (hereinafter, referred to as 'ITO') on the upper substrate 10. The metal bus electrodes 13Y and 13Z are formed on the transparent electrodes 12Y and 12Z usually using a metal such as chromium (Cr) and serve to reduce a voltage drop by the transparent electrodes 12Y and 12Z having high resistance. An upper dielectric layer 14 and a protection film 16 are laminated on the upper substrate 10 in which the scan electrode Y and the sustain electrode Z are formed in parallel. Wall charges generated upon the plasma discharge are accumulated on the upper dielectric layer 14. The protection film 16 serves to prevent damage of the upper dielectric layer 14 due to sputtering occurred upon the plasma discharge and to increase emission efficiency of secondary electrons. The protection film 16 is typically formed using magnesium oxide (MgO).
A lower dielectric layer 22 and barrier ribs 24 are formed on the lower substrate 18 in which the address electrode X is formed. A fluorescent material layer 26 is covered on the lower dielectric layer 22 and the barrier ribs 24. The address electrode X is formed in the direction to intersect the scan electrode Y and the sustain electrode Z. The barrier ribs 24 are formed in a stripe or lattice type and serve to prevent ultraviolet rays and a visible ray generated due to the discharge from leaking toward neighboring discharge cells. The fluorescent material layer 26 is excited by ultraviolet rays generated upon the plasma discharge to generate any one visible ray of red, green and blue lights. Inert mixed gases are inserted into a discharge space defined between the upper/lower substrates 10 and 18 and the barrier ribs 24.
This three-electrode AC surface discharge type PDP is divided into a plurality of sub-fields and is driven. In the period of each of the sub-fields, lights are emitted by the number proportional to a weighted value of video data, thereby displaying the gray level. The plurality of sub-fields are sub-divided into a reset period, an address period, a sustain period and a blanking period, and are driven.
In the above, the reset period is a period for forming an uniform wall charge on the discharge cell, the address period is a period for generating an selective address discharge according to a logical value of the video data, and the sustain period is a period for maintaining discharge in the discharge cell from which the address discharge is generated.
An address discharge and a sustain discharge of the AC surface discharge type PDP driven thus require high voltage of more than several hundreds of volts. Thus, in order to minimize the driving power necessary for the address discharge and the sustain discharge, an energy recovery apparatus is used. The energy recovery apparatus is adapted to recover a voltage between the scan electrode Y and the sustain electrode Z and to use the recovered voltage as a driving voltage for a subsequent discharge.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an energy recovery apparatus formed on the scan electrode Y for recovering a voltage of the sustain discharge. Practically, the energy recovery apparatus is placed symmetrically to the sustain electrode Z with respect to a central panel capacitor (Cp).
Referring to FIG. 2, a conventional energy recovery apparatus includes an inductor L connected between a panel capacitor Cp and a source capacitor Cs, a first switch S1 and a third switch S3 which are connected in parallel between the source capacitor Cs and the inductor L, diodes D5 and D6 which are disposed between the first and third switches S1, S3 and the inductor L, and a second switch S2 and the fourth switch S4 which are connected in parallel between the inductor L and the panel capacitor Cp.
The panel capacitor Cp represents equivalent capacitance formed between the scan electrode Y and the sustain electrode Z. The second switch S2 is connected to a reference voltage source Vs, and the fourth switch S4 is connected to a ground voltage source GND. The source capacitor Cs recovers and charges the voltage which is charged in the panel capacitor Cp during sustain discharging, and provides again the charged voltage to the panel capacitor cp.
To this end, the source capacitor Cs has a capacitance capable of charging the voltage of Vs/2 that corresponds to a half of the reference voltage source Vs. The inductor L forms a resonant circuit together with the panel capacitor Cp. The first to fourth switches S1 to S4 control the flow of current. The fifth diode D5 and the sixth diode D6 both prevent the flow of electric current from reversing. Further, the internal diodes D1 to D4 each disposed within the first to fourth switches S1 to S4 also prevent the flow of electric current from reversing.
FIG. 3 is a timing showing ON/OFF timings of the switches and a waveform diagram showing output waveforms of the panel capacitors of FIG. 2.
The operation procedure will now be explained on the assumption that the panel capacitor Cp is charged with a voltage of 0 volt and the source capacitor Cs is charged with a voltage of Vs/2 before a period of T1.
In a period of T1, the first switch S1 is turned on, so that an electric current path is formed from the source capacitor Cs to the panel capacitor Cp through the first switch S1 and the inductor L. When the electric current path is formed, the voltage of Vs/2 charged in the source capacitor Cs is supplied to the panel capacitor Cp. In this time, the inductor L and the panel capacitor Cp form a serial resonant circuit, so that the panel capacitor Cp is charged with the voltage of Vs that is twice the voltage of the source capacitor Cs.
In a period of T2, the second switch S2 is turned on. When the second switch S2 is turned on, the panel capacitor Cp is provided with the voltage of the reference voltage source Vs. That is, when the second switch S2 is turned on, the voltage of the reference voltage source Vs is supplied to the panel capacitor Cp, which prevents that the voltage value of the panel capacitor Cp falls below that of the reference voltage source Vs, thereby generating a stable sustain discharge. At this time, since the voltage of the panel capacitor Cp rises up to Vs during the period of T1, the voltage value that is supplied from the outside during the period of T2 can be minimized. That is, it is possible to reduce power consumption.
In a period of T3, the first switch S1 is turned off. In this time, the panel capacitor Cp maintains the voltage of the reference voltage source Vs. In a period of T4, the second switch S2 is turned off and the third switch S3 is turned on. When the third switch S3 is turned on, an electrical current path is formed from the panel capacitor Cp to the source capacitor Cs through the inductor L and the third switch S3, and the source capacitor Cs recovers the voltage that is charged in the panel capacitor Cp. In this time, the source capacitor Cs is charged with a voltage of Vs/2.
In a period of T5, the third switch S3 is turned off and the fourth switch S4 is turned on. When the fourth switch S4 is turned on, an electric current path is formed between the panel capacitor Cp and the ground voltage source GND, and the voltage of the panel capacitor Cp drops to 0 volt. In a period of T6, a state of T5 remains for a given time period. Practically, an AC driving pulse that is supplied to the scan electrode Y and the sustain electrode Z may be obtained as the periods of T1 to T6 are periodically cycled.
However, a large amount of manufacturing cost is required in order to fabricate this conventional energy recovery apparatus. That is, elements (a diode, a switching element, etc.) used in the conventional energy recovery apparatus should have an internal voltage that can withstand the voltage value of the reference voltage source Vs. Further, the fifth and sixth diodes D5 and D6 must have a rapid response speed. Therefore, since lots of elements having a rapid response speed and a high internal voltage are employed in a prior art, manufacturing cost is high.

Energy recovery apparatus and method of a plasma display panel


A voice circuit is arranged on a chassis member. The voice circuit comprises a voice output amplifier and a high-frequency bypass unit. An output terminal of the voice output amplifier is connected to one end of a voice coil in a speaker through an interconnection, and is grounded through a high-frequency bypass unit. The voice output amplifier supplies a voice current to the voice coil through an interconnection. The resonance frequency of the high-frequency bypass unit is set to the same frequency as that of a discharge current flowing in the chassis member. A high-frequency induced current generated in the voice circuit due to the discharge current flowing in the chassis member flows to a ground terminal through the high-frequency bypass unit.

Plasma display devices using plasma display panels (hereinafter abbreviated as PDPs) serving as self-emission video displays have the advantages that thinning and larger screens are possible. In the plasma display devices, videos are displayed by utilizing light emission in discharging discharge cells composing pixels.
In the plasma display device, the PDP comprising electrodes on a pair of transparent glass substrates, a chassis member for holding the PDP, and a display driving circuit block mounted on the chassis member constitute a PDP module (see Patent Document 1, for example).
FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a part of a conventional AC-type PDP. FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A shown in FIG. 15, and FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line B-B shown in FIG. 15.
As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, a plurality of display electrodes 4 each comprising a scanning electrode SCN and a sustain electrode SUS are formed in a stripe shape on a first glass substrate 1. A light-shielding layer 5 is formed between the adjacent display electrodes 4. A dielectric layer 6 is formed so as to cover the scanning electrode SCN, the sustain electrode SUS, and the light-shielding layer 5 on the first glass substrate 1, and a protective film 7 is further formed on the dielectric layer 6.
The scanning electrode SCN comprises a transparent electrode 2a (see FIG. 16), and a bus 2b (see FIG. 16) composed of silver or the like electrically connected to the transparent electrode 2a. The sustain electrode SUS comprises a transparent electrode 3a (see FIG. 16), and a bus 3b (see FIG. 16) composed of silver or the like electrically connected to the transparent electrode 3a.
A plurality of data electrodes D, which are covered with an insulating layer 9, are formed in a stripe shape on a second glass substrate 8. Bulkheads 11 are formed parallel to the data electrodes D on the insulating layer 9 between the data electrodes D. Red, green, and blue fluorescent layers 12 are formed so as to cover a surface of the insulating layer 9 and side surfaces of the bulkheads 11.
The first glass substrate 1 and the second glass substrate 8 are arranged opposite to each other such that the display electrode 4 and the data electrode D are perpendicular to each other. A discharge cell 13 is formed at an intersection of the data electrode D and the display electrode 4. Rare gas that is at least one of helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), and xenon (Xe) is sealed as discharge gas into the discharge cell 13. The red, green, and blue fluorescent layers 12 respectively cause the discharge cells 13 to emit light in red, green, and blue.
Then, FIG. 18 is a diagram of an arrangement of electrodes in the PDP. As shown in FIG. 18, M scanning electrodes SCN1 to SCNM and M sustain electrodes SUS1 to SUSM are arranged in a horizontal direction, and N data electrodes D1 to DN are arranged in a vertical direction. M and N are respectively arbitrary natural numbers.
As an example of gray scale expression driving method for the PDP, an ADS (Address Display-Period Separation) system will be then described. FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the ADS system. In the ADS system, one field ( 1/60 seconds or 1/50 seconds) is divided into a plurality of sub-fields on a time basis. In an example shown in FIG. 19, one field is composed of eight sub-fields.
Each of the first to eighth sub-fields comprises an initialization period T1, a writing period T2, a sustain period T3, and an erasure period T4
In the initialization period T1, an initial setup pulse Pset is simultaneously applied to all the scanning electrodes SCN1 to SCNM. Thereafter, in the address period T2, a write pulse Pw is sequentially applied to the scanning electrodes SCN1 to SCNM and a data pulse Pda is applied to the selected data electrodes D1 to DN in synchronization with the write pulse Pw. Thus, sequential address discharges are induced in the selected discharge cell 13.
Then, in the sustain period T3, a sustain pulse Psc is applied to all the scanning electrodes SCN1 to SCNM and a sustain pulse Psu is applied to all the sustain electrodes SUS1 to SUSM. The phase of the sustain pulse Psu is shifted by 180° from the phase of the sustain pulse Psc. Thus, sustain discharges are induced in the discharge cell 13 that has been subjected to address discharges in the address period T2.
Thereafter, in the erasure period T4, an erasure pulse Pe is applied to all the sustain electrodes SUS1 to SUSM. Thus, erasure discharges are induced in the discharge cell 13 that has been subjected to sustain discharges in the sustain period T3, so that the sustain discharges are stopped.
The operation is performed over all the sub-fields. Here, the respective numbers of sustain pulses Psu and Psc differ depending on the sub-field. The luminance of the discharge cell 13 displayed in each of the sub-fields is determined by the respective numbers of the sustain pulses Psu and Psc. Consequently, gray scale expression can be made by appropriately setting the respective numbers of sustain pulses Psu and Psc in each of the sub-fields.
[Patent Document] JP 2807672 B