The present invention provides a system and method of enhanced magnetic preparation in MR imaging. An imaging technique is disclosed such that k-space is segmented into a number of partitions, wherein the central regions of k-space is acquired prior to the periphery of k-space. The imaging technique also includes the application of magnetic preparation pulses at a variable rate. In this regard, the rate of application of magnetic preparations pulses is varied as a function of the distance from the center of k-space. The amplitude of the magnetic preparation pulses is also varied based on the incremental distance of a partition from the center of k-space.

The present invention relates generally to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for enhanced magnetic preparation in MR imaging. The present invention is further related to variable rate suppression with elliptical centric phase ordered acquisition of MR data. Additionally, the present invention is directed to an imaging sequence that supports fat suppressed contrast enhanced abdominal scans with improved delineation of vessels in structures as well as a high degree of fat suppression without compromising temporal resolution in contrast enhanced first pass breast imaging applications. The present invention is also applicable to other magnetization preparation schemes such as IR preparation, T2 separation, magnetization transfer, and the like, as well as signal suppression in other targeted tissues.
When a substance such as human tissue is subjected to a uniform magnetic field (polarizing field B0), the individual magnetic moments of the spins in the tissue attempt to align with this polarizing field, but precess about it in random order at their characteristic Larmor frequency. If the substance, or tissue, is subjected to a magnetic field (excitation field B1) which is in the x-y plane and which is near the Larmor frequency, the net aligned moment, or "longitudinal magnetization", MZ, may be rotated, or "tipped", into the x-y plane to produce a net transverse magnetic moment Mt. A signal is emitted by the excited spins after the excitation signal B1 is terminated and this signal may be received and processed to form an image.
When utilizing these signals to produce images, magnetic field gradients (Gx, Gy, and Gz) are employed. Typically, the region to be imaged is scanned by a sequence of measurement cycles in which these gradients vary according to the particular localization method being used. The resulting set of received MR signals are digitized and processed to reconstruct the image using one of many well-known reconstruction techniques.
Angiography is the imaging of flowing blood in the arteries and the veins of a patient. MR angiography (MRA) is an imaging modality that produces images of flowing blood that may be analyzed in the identification and diagnosis of tissue abnormalities and pathologies. Elliptical centric phase ordered acquisition is a widely used MRA imaging technique that is used for the suppression of venous signal as well as increasing immunity to breathing artifacts. In elliptical centric ordering, k-space is reordered such that data is acquired in the order of increasing k-space radial distance. That is, data for the central region of k-space is acquired before the periphery of k-space is acquired. Since a significant contribution to the power spectrum of the acquired signal comes from the central region of k-space, the center of k-space is a major determinant of image contrast. As a result, for contrast enhanced acquisition, the acquisition of the central region at the time of contrast bolus arrival after injection is critical for delineation of the arteries without contamination from venous signal in angiographic applications.
Magnetization preparation is commonly employed in MRI to obtain variable contrast weighting like inversion-recovery preparation, fat suppression, and the like. Typically, a preparation sequence is played out every TR or once every N TRs. One proposed MR angiographic imaging technique with elliptical centric acquisition utilizes uniform, periodic application of magnetic preparation pulses. That is, magnetic preparation pulses are played out once every 15 TRs, 30 TRs, 60 TRs, 120 TRs, 240 TRs, or 480 TRs. It has been suggested that playing out magnetic preparation or fat saturation pulses every 480 TRs or twice per acquisition is optimal. However, images reconstructed from acquisitions with bi-application of fat saturation pulses have shown to have considerable residual fat signal as well as observable ghosting artifacts. Further, it has been shown that playing out fat saturation pulses at a uniform rate even as often as every 20 TRs results in non-uniform fat suppression and ghosting. This non-uniformity in fat suppression and ghosting is particularly problematic for those applications that require a high degree of uniform fat suppression such as breast imaging where it is important for detection of small tumor masses.
Moreover, the acquisition of the center of k-space is also important in a number of applications where a magnetization preparation pulse is required for effectiveness. For example, centric ordering of k-space is important when there is a need for fat suppression with a constraint of minimizing acquisition time. In this case, intermittent fat suppression or magnetization preparation pulses may be used rather than a conventional approach of one magnetization preparation pulse per RF excitation pulse. Some MR applications require fat saturation for improved visualization of vessels and structures. For example, in abdominal imaging, an elliptical centric acquisition enables depiction of the arteries without venous contamination during the first pass of a contrast media injection as well as minimizes motion artifacts. Visualization of small vessels may also be improved by suppressing peritoneal fat signal and signal from fat surrounding the kidneys.
Similarly, in breast imaging applications, suppressing signal from fat considerably improves visualization of small tumors. It is generally well known that upon injection of a contrast media, tumors enhance. Depending on the contrast media washout characteristics, the tumor is either classified as benign or malignant. To improve sensitivity (detection of small tumors) and specificity (ability to classify tissue as normal and lesions as benign or malignant), a high spatial resolution time-resolved sequence with good fat suppression is typically required. A conventional method of effecting fat suppression is to apply a spectrally selective saturation pulse, which is repeated every TR. A drawback of this conventional method is that the scan time is prohibitively increased which negatively affects patient throughput, increases scan time and patient discomfort, and increases the likelihood of patient motion-induced artifacts. Alternatively, k-space acquisitions may be segmented such that fat saturation pulses are applied every N TRs instead of every TR. However, with this technique, it has been shown that steady state effects and differential weighting of the center of k-space due to T1 recovery of the fat signal negatively affects image quality. Further, the effectiveness of fat suppression is also compromised.
It would therefore be desirable to have a system and method capable of tissue suppression with elliptical centric phase ordered acquisition of MR data without negatively affecting patient throughput as well as improving image quality.

Method and apparatus for enhanced magnetic preparation in MR imaging


A disposable liposuction device and method. A piston is caused to reciprocate by operating a single valve. The electrical energy for operating the valve is provided by an electric timing circuit that is powered by a battery. The energy provided by the battery is predetermined so that the energy is depleted after about the time required for one liposuction procedure.

The present invention relates to a disposable liposuction device and method. Liposuction is a procedure for removing fatty tissue from the body. A cannula is inserted into the body and moved back and forth to break-up the fatty tissue. The cannula may be attached to a hand-held liposuction device which reciprocates the cannula for this purpose. The device is coupled to a vacuum pump to provide suction for removing the tissue once it is broken up by the reciprocating action of the cannula. For reciprocating the cannula, a rotating device may be employed in the liposuction device wherein rotary motion is converted to reciprocating motion by a crankshaft. A simpler alternative, however, is to employ a two-sided piston operated by a fluid under pressure, e.g., air, applied alternately to each side of the piston through respective valves. The valves add complexity to the device and require a power source for their operation. Such a power source should be capable of powering the device for up to about 12 hours for one liposuction procedure and typically must be provided externally of the device due to the weight and size of the power source required. In addition, fluid applied to one side of the piston, to force the piston in one direction, typically must be exhausted so that fluid applied to the other side of the piston can be effective to force the piston in the opposite direction, representing a consumption of the compressed or pressurized fluid which it would be desirable to minimize.
Liposuction devices are typically designed to be autoclaved so that they can be reused for many procedures. However, to adapt the liposuction device for multiple uses, including to adapt the device for the autoclave, greatly increases its cost. The present inventor has recognized that it would be desirable to reduce the cost of the liposuction device sufficiently to justify disposing it at the end of the procedure.
However, even if this were accomplished, the concept introduces the problem of ensuring that such disposal will occur.
Another problem with the prior art that the suction conduit used for carrying off the fatty tissue from the body is attached to the device so that it reciprocates with the cannula. This makes the device more difficult for the surgeon to handle and control during use.
Accordingly, there is a need for a disposable liposuction device and method that provides for the decreased cost of fabrication necessary to justify using the device for just one procedure, that provides for ensuring that the device will be used for only one procedure, and that provides for increased ease of use.
The disposable liposuction device and method of the present invention solves the aforementioned problems and meets the aforementioned needs by providing a reciprocating member operated by a single valve member. The reciprocating member has two opposite surfaces. One of the surfaces is in constant fluid communication with a pressurized fluid supply and the other surface is in fluid communication with a pressurized fluid supply through the valve member. The valve member has a normal position, either open or closed, and can be switched to move to the alternate of these two positions by providing power, wherein the valve member returns to its normal position when power is no longer being provided.
The power for switching the valve member is provided by an electric timing circuit that is powered by a battery. The battery is preferably incorporated in a housing provided for housing the device, the housing being adapted to be held by an operator of the device. The electrical timing circuit and battery are adapted so that the battery provides enough energy to power the device during the time required for one procedure, and that this energy is substantially depleted after such time.
The reciprocating member reciprocates relative to the housing. A chamber is preferably provided in the housing, the reciprocating member being adapted to move back and forth within the chamber over the length of its stroke. The chamber provides a seal that maintains fluid pressure on the reciprocating member and decouples the reciprocating member from a suction lumen provided in the apparatus for carrying the fatty tissue out of the device.
The device also preferably includes alignment members for preventing the reciprocating member from rotating axially.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved disposable liposuction device and method.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disposable liposuction device and method that provides for the decreased cost of fabrication necessary to justify using the device for just one procedure.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a disposable liposuction device and method that provides for exhaustion of the device after one procedure, to ensure that the device will not be reused.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a disposable liposuction device and method that provides for increased ease of use.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the following drawings.

Disposable liposuction device and method


A compression ignition rotating cylinder engine (CIRC), provides a design that has several distinct advantages over conventional internal combustion engines. Rotating cylinder blocks and a fixed header plate provide a more fuel-efficient engine with constant positive torque and reduced vibration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more specifically, to a compression ignition rotating cylinder engine comprising two opposing cylinder blocks having piston assemblies, cam plates, a header plate and drive shaft. The cylinder blocks are cylindrical in shape and sandwich the header plate. The cylinder blocks rotate with the drive shaft which connects the cylinder blocks through the header plate. The drive shaft also connects the engine to the load and any auxiliary equipment. Each cylinder block contains multiple bores for a plurality of piston assemblies in a circular pattern around their axis. Each piston assembly comprises a piston head, a piston rod with a slider groove, a slider pin disposed within said slider groove for maintaining alignment of the piston during reciprocation, a spring and a cam roller. The reciprocating motion of the piston assemblies are controlled by the movement of the cam rollers along the cam plates which contain tracks for the cam rollers. The spring urges the cam roller towards the cam plate. The header plate contains a combustion chamber, intake and exhaust channels as well as flat portions for the piston to compress and expand gases against.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are other internal combustion engines designed to provide continuous power output. Typical of these is U.S. Pat. No. 349,775 issued to Wood on Sep. 28, 1886.
Another patent was issued to Gould on Sep. 4, 1900 as U.S. Pat. No. 657,409. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 1,145,820 was issued to Summeril on Jul. 6, 1915 and still yet another was issued on Mar. 9, 1920 to Murphy as U.S. Pat. No. 1,332,948.
Another patent was issued to Woolson on Jan. 6, 1931 as U.S. Pat. No. 1,788,140. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 1,808,083 was issued to Tibbetts on Jun. 2, 1931 and still yet another was issued on May 9, 1961 to Herrmann as U.S. Pat. No. 2,983,264.
Another patent was issued to Buck on Mar. 5, 1991 as U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,953. Yet another U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,195 was issued to Lowi, Jr. on Jul. 18, 2000 and still yet another was issued on Jun. 10, 2003 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,125 to Ryan et al.
Another patent was issued to Aswani on Aug. 24, 2004 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,494. Yet another U.K. Patent No. GB390,263 was issued to Whyte on Apr. 6, 1933 and still yet another patent application was published on Sep. 24, 1998 as International Patent Application WO98/41734 to Bahnev et al.

Compression ignition rotating cylinder engine


A camera module with a hinge mechanism is installed on an electronic device. The camera module housing has two hollow cylinder-shaped shafts at two opposite ends. Two hollow cylinder-shaped shafts are pivotally connected with the electronic device. A camera is disposed in the housing. A hinge portion is configured inside at least one of the two hollow cylinder-shaped shafts. Two ends of the hinge portion are first and second brackets, which are respectively secured to ground terminals of the camera module and the electronic device. A first cam is secured to the first bracket. A connection shaft, of which one end is secured to the second bracket, goes through a spring, through holes of a second cam, the first cam and the first bracket. When the housing rotates, interactions among the spring, the first cam and the second cam provide regional positioning and regional automatic rotation functionalities.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a camera module of an electronic device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a camera module with a hinge mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
As the manufacturing of CMOS image sensors rapidly advances, they are being more widely used in camera modules on cell phones, notebook computers and PDAs.
In order to equip a CMOS camera module with rotational functionality, every portable electronic device supplier is demanding a hinge mechanism with a variety of specified functions.


A method of recycling refrigerant or the like tanks to construct animal feeders. The animal feeders include the tanks as feed hoppers and provide a feeding dispensing mechanism which permits adjusting the amount of feed dispensed from the hopper. The tanks can also be recycled by making guards for the animal feeders to prevent small animals such as squirrels or the like from gaining access to feed in the feeders.

Disposal and waste management of used containers for goods and chemicals have become important problems today. Most waste management programs are directed to essentially chemical processes which treat, e.g., sterilize, a used container to make it suitable for ultimate disposal in a landfill, melt or reprocess the material of the containers so that new containers or the like can be made from the old, or simply incinerate the container. Few, if any, approaches to waste management are directed to reuse of the container "as is" for another use or use of components or parts of the container for another use.
In the United States alone, it is estimated, for example, that about 10-16 million Freon.TM. or other refrigerant tanks are used and disposed of annually. While such tanks do not require any sterilization or other sanitizing treatment, they often contain, perhaps, one to two pounds of refrigerant remaining in the tank which must be removed prior to disposal in a landfill. It would be especially desirable to find a use for these and similar tanks, which has a low energy requirement, utilizes the remaining gas, e.g., refrigerant, and produces a novel product.

Method of recycling liquified gas tanks and animal feeder made thereby


An integrated circuit including a pipeline and a method of operating the pipeline. Each stage of the pipeline is triggered by one or more triggering events and are individually, and selectively, stalled by a stall signal. For each stage a stall signal, delayed with respect to the stall signal of a downstream stage, is generated and used to select whether the pipeline stage in question is triggered. A data valid signal propagating with valid data adds further selection, such that only stages with valid data are stalled.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to integrated circuits and more particularly to controlling data propagation in a pipeline circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor technology and chip manufacturing advances have resulted in a steady increase of on-chip clock frequencies, the number of transistors on a single chip and the die size itself accompanied by a corresponding decrease in chip supply voltage. Generally, the power consumed by a given clocked unit (e.g., latch, register, register file, functional unit and etc.) increases linearly with the frequency of switching within the unit. Thus, not withstanding the decrease of chip supply voltage, chip power consumption has increased as well. In current microprocessor designs, over 70% of the power consumed is attributable to the clock alone. Typically, over 90% of this power is consumed in local clock splitters/drivers and latches.
Both at the chip and system levels cooling and packaging costs have escalated as a natural result of this increase in chip power. It is crucial for low end systems (e.g., handhelds, portable and mobile systems) to reduce net energy consumption to extend battery life but, without degrading performance to unacceptable levels. Thus, the increase in microprocessor power dissipation has become a major stumbling block for future performance gains.
Accordingly, clock gating techniques that selectively stop functional unit clocks have become the primary approach to reducing clock power. Typically, clock gating is applied in an ad hoc fashion, which makes verification and clock skew management difficult. This is not expected to abate with ever larger and more complex designs unless a clearly defined and structured clock gating approach is developed.
A typical state of the art synchronous pipeline includes multiple stages, at least some of which may be separated by logic, each stage including an N latch register, at least one latch for each data bit propagating down the pipeline and, all of the stages synchronously clocked by a single global clock. A simple example of a pipeline is a first-in first-out (FIFO) register. A FIFO is an M stage by N bit register file, typically used as an M-clock cycle delay. Each cycle the FIFO receives an N-bit word from input logic and it passes an M-cycle old, N-bit word to output logic. On each clock cycle (i.e., every other leading or falling clock edge) each N-bit word in the FIFO advances one stage. Typical examples of much more complex synchronous pipelines include state of the art microprocessors or functional units (e.g., an I-unit or an E-unit) within a state of the art microprocessor.
Traditionally, synchronous pipelines have been stalled globally, where all stages of either the entire pipeline, or a multistage unit, are stalled at the same time. However, cycle time and switching current constraints limit the number of stages that can be stalled during the same cycle. A difficulty with progressively stalling synchronous pipelines is that data is lost at stall boundaries. Further, as wire delays increase and become a concern, propagating a stall signal throughout a unit or between units, for example, may cause excessive signal delay, both from long wires and signal buffering requirements. Heretofore, achieving local clock gating based on stall conditions has not been possible because stalled data may be overwritten by data progressing through the pipeline from an earlier stage.
FIG. 1A shows an example of a four portion of a synchronous pipeline 10 (e.g., in the middle of a FIFO or in a microprocessor) at stages 12, 14, 16, 18 holding data items D, C, B, A, respectively. A stall boundary 20 indicates a point in the pipeline 10 where, because of placement and cycle time constraints, the next clock edge arrives at upstream stages before stall signal 22, thus providing insufficient time to disable the clock at those upstream stages. While the stall signal 22 reaches downstream stage 16 and subsequent stages (not shown) with sufficient disable time and correctly halt; because stages 12, 14 and stages upstream of the boundary 20 do not receive the stall signal in time, they therefore latch new data on the clock edge incorrectly, potentially losing data that should be held there. So, in this example stages 16 and 18 are stalled, trapping data items B and A, respectively. Stages 12, 14 however, do not see the stall signal in time and therefore, latch data items E and D in the next clock cycle. Consequently, data item C is overwritten and lost, instead of being trapped in stalled stage 14.
FIG. 1B shows a traditional approach to handling progressive stalls wherein buffer stages 23 (often referred to as staging latches) are inserted in parallel to the pipeline at selected stall boundaries, e.g., 20. During a stall the staging latches 23 temporarily store data that would otherwise be overwritten. Unfortunately, because staging latches 23 add area, power, and delay overhead, stalls have traditionally been performed at a coarse level, i.e., staging latches are only at predicted stall boundaries. However, as noted above for globally propagated stall signals, increased wire delays, increased load on the stall signal from increasing the number of latches to achieve deeper pipelines (more stages) and demand for shorter cycle time combine to restrict how far the stall signal can propagate before it impacts cycle time. So, providing staging latches at a finer granularity, e.g., for stalling stage by stage, introduces extra buffer stages to double the number of latches in a pipeline. Clearly, the added staging latch area and power as well as increased chip complexity renders this solution impractical at other than a very coarse granularity.
Thus, there exists a need for fine grained pipeline stage level clock gating for synchronous pipelines and where the decision to or not to gate the clock can be made local to each stage rather than at the global level, while avoiding costly extra buffers.

Interlocked synchronous pipeline clock gating

International Business Machines Corporation


A video server includes a plurality of input/output devices coupled to a plurality of memory arrays via a commutator. Within each memory array, a buffer is operative to collect data for transfer to and/or from an array controller. Each memory array includes an error correction system providing parity-based RAID type error correction. A plurality of disk controllers each having a FIFO buffer and respective pluralities of disk memories are commonly coupled to a communication bus which in turn is coupled to the error correction system by a FIFO buffer. A segment buffer having a plurality of low cost memory devices which are configured to provide a plurality of ring buffers is coupled to the data bus. An access logic circuit controls the data flow through the FIFO buffer and a central processing unit is operative to provide address sequence upon the communication bus for controlling data transfer to and from the segment buffer. An arbitrator is operative to resolve contentions between the FIFO buffer, the central processing unit, and the disk controllers for access to the segment buffer. The arbitrator utilizes an overall contention resolution priority which includes a rotating subpriority for resolving contentions among the plural disk controllers.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to multi-user information systems and particularly to systems having mass information storage media formed of one or more arrays of individual memory units such as disk drives which service real time applications such as video on demand.
2. Description of the Related Art
The rapid advances in information system technologies have facilitated great improvement in the distribution of information and entertainment material. Such distribution has been aided by the development and rapid increase of information networks such as those provided by cable television systems or the like. One of the most promising information system developments in the entertainment industry is the availability of so-called "video on demand" for television viewers. The basic concept of video on demand is relatively simple and clearly attractive to consumers. The basic idea of video on demand provides that individual consumers or viewers are able to independently access the stored data source of a plurality of stored entertainment programs such as movies or the like. This independent access frees the individual consumers from the restrictive nature of scheduled network distribution of present day cable systems. Thus, the viewer in a video on demand system is able to simply "dial up" the media storage and distribution facility through the cable network and view the desired program at any time.
While the basic concept of video on demand is simple, its implementation in a practical environment is extremely difficult and complex. In essence, the system must be capable of providing each viewer with independent access to the stored entertainment material. In a typical cable system environment, thousands and perhaps tens of thousands of viewers are serviced. To provide each with independent access to the plurality of program materials within the massive media inventory is a daunting task. To further exacerbate the problem, the nature of entertainment material, namely video and audio information, represents a large amount of information to be communicated. Thus, an effective video on demand system requires that an immense quantity of program information be stored within the mass media and a great number of subscribers be able to access the stored mass media simultaneously or nearly simultaneously.
The need for high volume, high speed access to large media storage systems is not, however, unique to video on demand operations. In related uses of such information systems such as interactive video, the rapid storage and retrieval of data and/or information from the mass media is necessary. In addition, other such systems are applicable to interactive television and television broadcasting operations. Further movie industry uses such as special effects production and post-production processes also require rapid storage and/or retrieval of large amounts of data.
Powerful computing systems also require high speed access to large data storage systems. Despite their similar need for high speed, high bandwidth access to large media storage systems, video on demand systems and video servers operate in a substantially more demanding and difficult environment than other computing systems. Video servers must provide simultaneous access to a large number of viewers or users. In addition, this access must be rapid and provide speed and continuity approaching real-time access and real-time data flow. Unlike computer systems which are able to wait for data, video on demand and video servers "crash" if data is not timely available. In other words, video servers must provide predictable or, so-called, "deterministic" bandwidths within each data channel. The provision of this deterministic bandwidth within video servers and the continuous supply of timely data is a crucial element of system performance.
In attempting to provide the necessary bandwidth, information storage and information retrieval at high speed to multiple users, practitioners in the video server arts have resorted to ever faster processors and parallel processing with somewhat limited success. However, faster processors and parallel processing alone have not provided a complete solution to the specialized problems of video servers. Certain limitations in system performance arise out of the characteristics of memory devices themselves.
Most, if not all, systems requiring storage and retrieval of large amounts of data, utilize one or more randomly accessible memory devices such as disk drive memories. Disk drives are highly effective in such applications due to the speed with which they operate and substantial storage capacity which they exhibit. Thus, disk drives provide random access, substantial capacity and relatively rapid storage or retrieval of information. Typically, to provide greater memory, disk drives are arranged in large arrays which operate under the coordination and interface of one or more so-called disk controllers. As good as such disk arrays and disk controllers are, their operating characteristics do impose limitations on system performance.
System response speed and ability to maintain continuous, reliable and deterministic channel bandwidths is determined, in part, by the speed with which the system disk drives themselves operate.
Basically, to retrieve data, the disk drive must first locate it. Thus, a time interval is required for the disk drive head to locate the particular portion of the disk upon which data is stored. This process essentially involves moving the disk drive head to the appropriate disk radius (usually called "seek") and thereafter rotating the disk until the desired disk portion is proximate to the drive head (usually called "latency"). The actual time of this interval is a characteristic of the particular disk drive fabrication and varies between disk drive designs. However, all disk drives exhibit a data location time interval characteristic. This data location time interval represents "lost time" in systems such as video servers in that no data is retrieved or stored during this interval. The overall effect of such lost time is cumulative and directly reduces system bandwidth and speed.
There remains therefore a continuing need in the art for improved video server systems which maintain continuous, reliable and deterministic channel bandwidths while using plural arrays of disk memories and disk controllers as for data storage. There remains a further need for improved video server systems which reduce the effect of disk drive data location time on system bandwidths.

Data buffering system for plural data memory arrays


In color ink-jet recording, even if a black image is recorded adjacent to a color image, the present invention prevents bleeding between black ink and color ink to achieve a high recording grade. In a divided recording method, as division patterns used to allot image data to each recording scan, different division patterns are provided for black image data and for color image data. The division patterns for black and another color used during the same scan have different allotment rates so that the amount of image data allotted to the same scan varies between black and the other colors. As a result, the amount of image data recorded during the same scan also varies between black and the other colors. This reduces the frequency with which the black ink and the color ink are provided adjacent to each other during the same scan.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color ink-jet recording apparatus that can clearly and densely record color images, and more specifically, to a color ink-jet recording apparatus and method using color ink such as yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C) ink or green (G), red (R), and blue (B) ink as well as black (Bk) ink. The present invention further relates to a method of processing image data used in a color ink-jet recording apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention is applicable to every equipment using recording media such as paper, cloths, and OHP sheets. Specific applied equipment includes, for example, printers, copiers, and facsimile terminal equipment.
Ink-jet recording apparatuses are widely used for printers, copiers, and facsimile terminal equipment because they can be driven with low noise and low running costs and because they allow their sizes to be easily reduced and also allow color ink to be easily introduced.
In general, these color ink-jet recording apparatuses executes color recording using three types of color ink including cyan, magenta, and yellow ink. Alternatively, four types of color ink, that is, the above three types of ink plus black ink may used for color recording.
A conventional ink-jet recording method requires the use of exclusive paper having an ink absorbing layer in order to obtain color images with good coloring and no ink bleeding. However, ink has recently been improved to provide methods adapted for ordinary paper that is used for printers, copiers, and the like in large quantity. However, the grade of recording on ordinary paper still remains at an insufficient level. The greatest factor concerning this situation is the compatibility between the prevention of bleeding between a plurality of ink colors and the grade of black recording (particularly recording of black characters and thin lines).
Typically, if color images are recorded on ordinary paper using an ink-jet recording method, quickly drying ink is used which permeates through ordinary paper at high speed. The use of such ink provides a high-grade image without any ink color bleeding, but in this case, the density of the image is generally low, and what is called feathering is prone to occur in which ink bleeds slightly around each color image along fibers of the paper.
Feathering is relatively unnoticeable in color image areas, whereas it is noticeable in black image areas, thereby reducing the recording grade. In particular, if the black image is a character or a thin line, it will be dull and unclear and thus has a significantly reduced grade.
Thus, to record a black image with reduced feathering and increased density and high quality, black ink must be used which permeates through ordinary paper at a relatively low speed. However, in this case, when the black ink contacts with color ink other than the black ink on a recording medium, bleeding occurs at the boundary between the two types of ink to significantly reduce the recording grade. Thus, the prevention of bleeding between the black ink and the color ink is inconsistent with the improvement of the color image grade achieved by reducing the feathering of the black image. It is now very difficult to make these two requirements compatible. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-158049 (1992) proposes a method comprising a plurality of heads for ink that permeates through paper at a relatively high speed for color recording and a head for ink that permeates through paper at a relatively low speed for character recording, wherein the color recording heads and the character recording head are switched depending on a recorded image. However, with this method, the character recording head must be provided separately from the conventional color recording heads, thereby increasing costs and the size of the apparatus.
What is called a divided recording method is known in which an image is formed by causing recording heads to scan the same recording area a plurality of times and in which during a recording process, the number of adjacent dots is reduced to lessen differences between nozzles in the accuracy with which ink from each nozzle impacts a recording media. This divided recording method has been known to be effective in reducing the bleeding. However, even with this divided recording method, bleeding may occur between adjacent images if the images require a relatively large mount of ink to be ejected to a recording medium.

Color ink-jet recording apparatus and method and method of processing image data


A virtual electronic pet and a pet-type robot that changes emotional state and instinct state according to surrounding information and internal information. The electronic pet behaves according to the emotional state and the instinct state. Transmission/reception of the internal state of the electronic pet (pet characteristic information) is made possible among the virtual electronic pet, the pet-type robot, and a personal computer. Thus, the action of the electronic pet is implemented by each device in accordance with the internal state of the electronic pet affected by other equipment.

Recently, so-called electronic pet devices (or breeding simulation game machines) have been popular because of the easiness in comparison with breeding of real animals as pets.
In an electronic pet device, an object of a virtual living body is displayed as an electronic pet and a keeper (user of the electronic pet device) is notified of the state of the electronic pet such as the degree of starvation (hunger) or fatigue by an image or a sound. The keeper (user) feeds or plays with the electronic pet by operating the electronic pet device in accordance with the state of the electronic pet. Thus, the electronic pet has its state (state of the electronic pet) changed on the basis of the keeper's actions and is thus bred. The electronic pet grows with the lapse of time and therefore the state of the electronic pet is also changed with the lapse of time.
Meanwhile, since the electronic pet device only displays the electronic pet on the display screen, the displayed electronic pet is a so-called virtual existence.
In the case where the electronic pet is realized by means of, for example, a robot, which exists as a substance, the robot as the electronic pet actually exists in the real world. In such a case, with respect to the robot as the electronic pet, the keeper (user) will have a feeling closer to the feeling in the case of actually breeding a pet, than with the electronic pet displayed in the electronic pet device.
However, in the case where the electronic pet is realized by means of a robot, it is inconvenient to carry the robot in traveling or the like. Therefore, it is more convenient if the electronic pet can be realized as an actually existing robot in a certain case and can be realized as a virtual existence in a portable electronic pet device in another case.
Since the electronic pet realized in the conventional electronic pet device generally has its state changed in accordance with an input from the user or with the lapse of time and thus takes an action, it lacks reality in comparison with the case of breeding a real animal as a pet.
Specifically, for example, in the case where a dog as a real animal is bred as a pet, when the dog wants the keeper to play with him, the dog barks or wags his tail to draw the keeper's attention. In this case, if the keeper keeps ignoring, the dog gets tired and stops barking or wagging his tail and then takes an action such as falling asleep. The real pet animal may be in high spirits after sleeping.
On the other hand, the electronic pet realized in the conventional electronic pet device (for example, an electronic pet dog) continues barking or wagging its tail when wanting the keeper to play, or stops such an action due to the lapse of time. Unlike the real pet animal (for example, a dog), the electronic pet does not get tired and fall asleep through barking or wagging its tail. That is, in the electronic pet realized in the conventional electronic pet device, the state of the electronic pet is not changed in accordance with the action of the electronic pet itself, and therefore does not take any action in accordance with such a change of the state due to the action of the electronic pet itself. For these reasons, it is demanded to provide an electronic pet with more reality.

Electronic pet system, network system, robot, and storage medium


The present invention provides a family of dendrimers that are useful as supports, vectors, carriers or delivery vehicles for a variety of compounds in biomedical and technological applications. In particular, the macromolecules may be used for the delivery of drugs, genetic material, imaging components or other functional molecule to which they can be conjugated. An additional feature of the macromolecules is their ability to be targeted for certain organs, tumors, or types of tissues.

Dendrimers are polymers of spherical or other three-dimensional shapes that have precisely defined compositions and that possess a precisely defined molecular weight. Dendrimers can be synthesized as water-soluble macromolecules through appropriate selection of internal and external moieties. See, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,507,466 and 4,568,737, incorporated by reference herein. The first well-defined, symmetrical, dendrimer family were the polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers, which are manufactured by the Dow Chemical Company. Since the synthesis and characterization of the first dendrimers, a large array of dendrimers of diverse sizes and compositions has been prepared. See, for example, Newkome, G R, Moorefield, C N and Voegtle, F. "Dendritic Molecules" VCH, Weinheim, 1996; and Liu M. and Frechet J. M. J., Pharm. Sci. Tech. Today 2(11):393 (1999).
Dendritic macromolecules are characterized by a highly branched, layered structure with a multitude of chain ends. Dendrimers are particularly well defined with a very regular and almost size monodisperse structure, while hyperbranched polymers are less well defined and have a broader polydispersity. Dendritic macromolecules are usually constructed from ABx monomers. Hyperbranched polymers are generally obtained via a polymerization reaction that generally takes place in a single series of propagation steps. Dendrimers are generally obtained by multistep iterative syntheses using either a divergent (Tomalia et al, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,435,548; 4,507,466, 4,558,120; 4,568,737; 5,338,532) or a convergent growth approach (Hawker et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,516).
Dendrimers have been conjugated with various pharmaceutical materials as well as with various targeting molecules that may function to direct the conjugates to selected body locations for diagnostic or therapeutic applications. See, for example, WO 8801178, incorporated by reference herein, see also a review by Liu M. and Frechet J. M. J., Pharm. Sci. Tech. Today 2(11):393 (1999) Dendrimers have been used to covalently couple synthetic porphyrins (e.g., hemes, chlorophyll) to antibody molecules as a means for increasing the specific activity of radiolabeled antibodies for tumor therapy and diagnosis. Roberts et al., Bioconjug. Chemistry 1:305–308 (1990); Tomalia et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,166.
Rehnberg et al. (WO 99/00439) describe a method of preparing polyester dendrimers from an acetal protected 1,3-diol carboxylic acid monomer. The disclosed method relies on a carbodiimide mediated coupling of the monomer to a hydroxyl-containing initiator molecule. Ester formation via carbodiimide coupling of the monomer to the initiator molecule produces N-acyl urea-containing side products as well as the desired dendrimer. In addition the reaction with dicyclohexyl carbodiimide produces a very large amount of dicyclohexyl urea which is very difficult to remove from the desired dendrimer product. The formation of the side products is particularly problematic for the multistep synthesis of a polymeric species such as a dendrimer; the N-acyl urea side product formed in a first step reacts in a subsequent step adding a new generation to both the desired dendrimer core and to the side product. The similarity in properties between the side product and the desired dendrimer makes separation of the species difficult, and economically unfeasible for the large-scale preparation of dendrimers. As dendrimers are under intense evaluation as delivery vehicles for therapeutic and diagnostic agents, the presence of the N-acyl urea side products as well as any dicyclohexylurea impurity is seen as a serious impediment to understanding the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of these important agents, and will surely hamper their progress towards regulatory approval.
In view of the above, a method of preparing polyester dendrimers and related dendritic polymers free of urea side products, and conjugates of these dendrimers with diagnostic, therapeutic and analytic agents would represent a significant advance in the development of dendrimer-based pharmaceutical and analytical agents. Surprisingly, the present invention provides such a method and compounds produced by the method.

Dendrimeric support or carrier macromolecule

The Regents of the University of California


An intelligent warehousing system, a material fetching and placing method and a processing terminal thereof, where the intelligent warehousing system includes a first warehousing robot and a second warehousing robot, the first warehousing robot is configured to receive a first scheduling instruction, move to a fixed shelf to fetch and place a material box according to the first scheduling instruction, and handle the material box to a first target position; and the second warehousing robot is configured to receive a second scheduling instruction, move to a portable shelf according to the second scheduling instruction, and handle the portable shelf to a second target position. Through the technical solution of the present application, compatibility of the intelligent warehousing system is improved, which may be applied to a warehouse with different shelves, thus improving the utilization rate of the warehouse.

With the rise and development of e-commerce and online shopping, it has brought great development opportunities to the intelligentization of warehousing logistics of materials. In recent years, technologies of moving a material based on a warehousing robot have become increasingly mature. In the prior art, a warehousing robot may lift a rack containing a material through a lift round plate on a top of the warehousing robot, and move by scanning a two-dimensional code on the ground, so that a rack where an ordered material is located can be moved to a manual processing area.
In a process of implementing the present application, the inventor finds that the related technologies have the following defects: since a moving object of the warehousing robot is a rack with a material stored, there is a certain limit on the height of the rack; otherwise, there is a risk of dumping. At the same time, due to the limited height of the rack, space of the warehouse cannot be fully utilized, resulting in a low utilization rate of the warehouse.

Intelligent warehousing system, method for fetching and placing material and background processing terminal thereof


A wiper apparatus includes: a wiper blade driven by a motor; and a wiper blade driven by a motor. The motors are drive-controlled by control microcomputers, respectively. The control microcomputers are connected to each other through a communication line. While exchanging position information of the wiper blades through the communication line, the control microcomputers synchronously drive the motors on the basis of a position relationship between both of the wiper blades. In the case where a communication abnormality occurs when the position relationship between the wiper blades is in a normal state, the wiper blade is stopped after reaching a lower turning position. In the case where the communication abnormality occurs in a state where the position relationship between the blades is inverted, the blade is stopped after reaching an upper turning position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control technology for a vehicle wiper apparatus, and more particularly, to a control technology when communication abnormality between motors occurs in an opposite-wiping type wiper apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, in a vehicle wiper apparatus of an automobile or the like, in particular, in an opposite-wiping type (opposite type) wiper apparatus, a mode has been adopted as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 11-301409, in which respective wiper arms on a driver's seat side and a passenger's seat side are individually driven by motors. In such a wiper apparatus as described above, in order that left and right wiper blades (hereinafter, abbreviated as blades as appropriate) cannot interfere with each other on a wiped surface, the motors are individually controlled while confirming position angles of the respective blades. For example, in the apparatus of the above-mentioned publication, the position angles of the left and right blades are always monitored by a wiper control system. A target angle difference is previously set between both of the blades, and while the position angles of the blades are being mutually referred to, speeds of the left and right motors are individually controlled so that a difference between the target angle difference and an actually measured angle difference can become small.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view illustrating a system configuration of the wiper apparatus as described above. A wiper apparatus 51 of FIG. 5 has a so-called opposite-wiping type configuration in which wiper blades on the driver's seat side and the passenger's seat side are arranged opposite to each other. A blade 52a on the driver's seat side (hereinafter, abbreviated as DR side) and a blade 52b on the passenger's seat side (hereinafter, abbreviated as AS side) perform wiping operations in an opposite manner to each other between upper turning positions set on both end sides of a windshield and lower turning positions set on lower-end center portions of the windshield. A DR-side motor 53a and an AS-side motor 53b are separately provided on the DR side and the AS side, respectively.
The motors 53a and 53b are housed in motor units 54a and 54b, respectively. In the units 54a and 54b, sensors are provided, which output relative position signals (rotation signals) proportional to motor rotation angles and indicating blade movement amounts, and output absolute position signals indicating blade positions. In the units 54a and 54b, control microcomputers 55a and 55b are further provided. The microcomputers 55a and 55b calculate position information (current positions) of the blades 52a and 52b on the basis of the signals output by the sensors in the units. Each of the microcomputers 55a and 55b counts the number of pulses of the relative position signal after the absolute position signal is obtained, whereby the microcomputers 55a and 55b recognize the current positions of the blades 52a and 52b.
The unit 54a on the DR side is connected to an ECU 56 serving as a control device on a vehicle body side. Switch information such as ON/OFF of a wiper switch and LO, HI, and INT thereof are input from the ECU 56 to the unit 54a through an in-vehicle LAN 58. The units 54a and 54b are connected to each other by a communication line 57. Through an intermediation of the communication line 57, the microcomputers 55a and 55b of both of the units 54a and 54b exchange the information regarding the blade positions with each other. The microcomputers 55a and 55b control the motors 53a and 53b to rotate positively and reversely at the upper and lower turning positions, and thereby allow the blades 52a and 52b to perform the reciprocative wiping operations. Further, on the basis of the mutual blade position information of the blades 52a and 52b, the microcomputers 55a and 55b control the motors 53a and 53b to operate synchronously so that both of the blades 52a and 52b cannot interfere with each other and that the angle difference cannot be increased.
Meanwhile, when the communication between the microcomputers 55a and 55b is stopped because a problem occurs in the communication line 57, and the counterpart blade position information of each of the blades 52a and 52b is not input to the microcomputers 55a and 55b, respectively. Therefore, the microcomputers 55a and 55b become incapable of confirming a position relationship between both of the blades, causing a fear in that the blades may interfere with each other at a portion where paths of the wipers overlap each other. As a result, in the system as illustrated in FIG. 5, when the communication between the motors is stopped, the AS-side blade 52b located below the DR-side blade 52a is retreated in the lower reversing direction, whereby a collision between the blades is avoided.
However, in the wiper apparatus 51 of FIG. 5, there is a case in which the position relationship between the left and right blades 52a and 52b is inverted because of any reason. When abnormality occurs in the communication between the motors in this state, there is a fear in that the blades may interfere with each other. Specifically, in the opposite-wiping type wiper apparatus, there is a case in which, owing to an obstacle, an artificial cause, and the like, the AS-side blade 52b usually located below the DR-side blade 52a comes to be located above the DR-side blade 52a, and the position relationship therebetween becomes inverted. Then, when the abnormality occurs in the communication between the motors in this state, and the AS-side blade 52b is retreated in the lower reversing direction as described above, there has been a problem in that the blades may interfere with each other as, illustrated in FIG. 6.

Wiper apparatus control method and wiper control system


A composition in the form of an aqueous solution made by combining (i) an alkyltrialkoxysilane with C.sub.1 to C.sub.10 alkyl groups on silicon; (ii) a silane coupling agent which is an amino organofunctional trialkoxysilane or a quaternary ammonium organofunctional trialkoxysilane; (iii) a blend of petroleum and synthetic hydrocarbon waxes; and (iv) an aqueous silicone resin emulsion. The composition is used in the treatment of cellulosic and masonry surfaces to render the surface water repellent.

This invention is directed to the treatment of cellulosic and masonry surfaces, and more particularly to the use of certain organosilicon compounds and combinations thereof, in order to render such surfaces water repellent.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,195, issued Dec. 17, 1991, there is disclosed an aqueous solution formed by combining water, a silane coupling agent, and an alkyltrialkoxysilane. The solution is used as a treating agent for cellulosic and masonry surfaces for rendering such surfaces water repellent. The present invention is an improvement on the '195 patent, in which these type of aqueous solutions have been found to exhibit better water exclusion when combined with certain waxes. Thus, the addition of a wax to an aqueous treating solution of the type described in the '195 patent, has been found to result in better water repellency properties, than can be obtained with either the aqueous treating solution alone or with the wax alone.
In a prior copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/839,419, filed Feb. 21, 1992, now abandoned, entitled "Method of Producing Aqueous Silicone Resin Emulsions", and assigned to the same assignee as the present application, there is described certain emulsified silicone resins. It has been found that these emulsified silicone resins can be combined with the aqueous treating solution and the wax noted above, to provide improved even better water exclusion and repellency, than can be obtained with either the aqueous treating solution of the '195 patent alone, with the wax alone, or with the emulsified silicone resin of the '419 application alone.
With the advent of various federal and state environmental constraints on volatile organic content, these water based systems have significant advantage and value in the market place, especially in construction and architectural applications.

Water repellent organosilicon compositions


A plastic container that is designed for optimal strength and lightweighting characteristics includes a finish portion, a bottom portion that has a plurality of support feet and a corresponding number of grooves defined between the support feet, and a main body portion. According to one feature of the container, the main body portion has at least one groove defined in its smooth label area that is oriented so as to have an axial component and so as to extend to near a bottom of the label portion for permitting condensate to drain from the label portion. This reduces the potential for condensation-induced label delamination. According to another feature of the container, the main body portion further has a tapered neck portion that has a plurality of undulating grooves defined therein to provide structural reinforcement. The main body of the container also has a lower end that is configured so as to have a number of generally axially extending channels that extend toward the bottom portion. Some of these channels merge into the grooves, and others terminate before reaching the bottom portion. The channels provide a structural reinforcement effect, whereby enhanced structural reinforcement of said lower end is achieved without increasing the number of support feet and grooves.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates broadly to the field of container making, and more specifically to blow molded plastic bottles, such as the PET bottles that are in common use today for packaging soft drinks such as soda.
2. Description of the Related Technology
During the last twenty-five years or so, there has been a dramatic shift in the packaging of beverages, such as bottled water and soft drinks, away from glass containers and toward plastic containers. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is in wide use throughout the world for such containers because it exhibits such preferred characteristics as high toughness, light weight, high transparency, high pressure resistance and acts as a good gas barrier.
The packaging industry is highly competitive, and economic pressure exists to encourage lightweighting (e.g. minimizing the amount of plastic material that is used) the container as much as possible. As a practical matter, the amount of lightweighting that can be achieved is limited by the necessary design strength of the container. In particular, each container must have a certain minimum axial strength, which refers to strength against forces that may be applied in a direction that is parallel to the axis of the container, and a minimum hoop strength, which is defined as strength against forces that may be applied circumferentially against the outer wall of the container. Another factor that is important is the rigidity that the container exhibits against deformation as a result of being gripped or squeezed.
Typically, such containers have a central smooth label area to which a label is pasted or applied by means of a pressure sensitive adhesive. One problem that sometimes exists is that condensation can collect between the container and the label, thereby acting to weaken the bond and delaminate the label from the container. Any improvement that will tend to reduce or eliminate this problem should be well received in the industry.
In general, containers tend to be stabilized against rocking and tipping if they have support feet that provide a large foot surface area for supporting the container on an underlying surface. It is easier to provide for a large amount of foot surface area by minimizing the number of support feet, because this also minimizes the number of grooves that separate the feet on the bottom of the container. Unfortunately, minimizing the number of support feet and associated grooves also tends to reduce the axial strength and hoop strength of the container wall in the area that is immediately above the support feet.
A need exists for an improved container design that optimizes strength and lightweighting potential, that reduces the potential for condensate to collect between the container and a label, and that maximizes foot surface area without materially reducing the axial strength and hoop strength of the container wall in the area that is immediately above the support feet.

Plastic container having improved rigidity

Crown Cork & Seal Technologies Corporation


In a storage server on a storage area network, a media unit manager manages disk space in a manner transparent to the host computers. The media unit manager uses media units corresponding to the physical storage devices on the storage area network to build higher-level media units. The higher level media units can have the attributes of being sliced, concatenated, mirrored, striped, etc. Thus, the host computers need not be aware of the specific physical storage devices themselves, reducing the management and reconfiguration burden on the host computers when storage devices are added to or removed from the storage area network.

The present invention relates to storage area networks and network attached storage. In particular, the present invention relates to a storage server that uses blocks of storage address space to virtualize different types of storage.
Storage virtualization describes the process of representing, to a user, a number of discrete physical storage devices as a single storage pool having a single set of characteristics. For example, in a storage area network connecting host computers with storage devices, the user perceives a single block of disk space with a defined reliability (e.g., 100 GB at RAID1); however, the user's host computer is configured to access the storage devices such that 100 GB at RAID1 is provided, regardless of whether the data is stored on a single RAID1 disk array or is split across multiple, separate disks.
In the above situation, each host computer must be aware of the storage devices connected to the storage area network because each host computer manages the storage virtualization that is presented to its users. When the storage devices connected to the storage area network are modified (such as a new device being added or an existing device being removed), each host computer must be reconfigured to accommodate the modification. Such reconfiguration involves work by network administrators and ensures that changes in the network are not seamless.
The present invention is directed toward improvements in this and other areas.

Storage virtualization and storage management to provide higher level storage services


A process for preparing a uniform aqueous dispersion of titanium dioxide, gelatin, polymer beads and other components of a reflective binder layer for a photographic paper is disclosed. The process comprises combining all the components without regard to the creation of aggregates and then passing the entire mixture through a media mill to form a uniform dispersion.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an improved process for preparing a uniform dispersion of titanium dioxide for forming a reflective layer for photographic paper.
2. Information Disclosure
Photographic base paper is used as an image-receiving base for prints produced by a number of different photographic processing systems, including chemical transfer offset, instant photography, and, in particular, the conventional negative-positive process system. The resulting print essentially consists of coated base paper and an image-containing layer which is adhered to the base. In the negative-positive process where the image-containing layer is referred to as the emulsion coating, a binder is usually employed under the emulsion coating to effect its adhesion to the base. Conventionally gelatin is used as the binder although alternative synthetic materials are used. A white pigment is generally incorporated in the gelatin. It is known that the sharpness of a photographic image depends on the extent of reflection of the impinging light off the white pigment. Therefore, it is an important object of all reflective binders to improve the reflection of the impinging light. This is achieved by employing white pigments with the highest indices of refraction, such as titanium dioxide, and by maintaining as high as possible a content of pigment in the gelatin. A very good dispersion generates a dense pigment packing in the support near the surface. Pigment agglomerates must not be generated in the gel, since they decrease the total light reflection, and they can result in disturbances and interferences during the casting of the coated support with light-sensitive emulsions.
In addition to titanium dioxide, the reflective binder layer, or "white pad" usually contains surfactants or dispersants, optical brighteners, and a very small amount of cyan dye to correct the whiteness of the TiO.sub.2. The formulation also includes an emulsion of polymer beads to provide improved surface texture, and may include antiseptics to retard the growth of microorganisms in the gel.
Conventional processes for the preparation of uniform fine particle dispersions of titanium dioxide in gelatin are time consuming and subject to periodic losses. The dispersions are made in three steps and all three steps must be executed with very tight tolerances. Dry titanium dioxide is wetted with water and two surfactants at a concentration of about 70%. The slurry is then run through a media mill and stored until the next step in the process is ready. In a second step in a large temperature-controlled vessel, the titanium dioxide slurry, distilled water, optical brighteners, polymeric bead emulsion, and a very small amount of a cyan dye are mixed for at least sixty minutes and heated to 40.degree. C. In a separate, large vessel a 12% solution of gelatin in water is prepared at 40.degree. C. The pH of the gelatin solution is matched to the pH of the titanium dioxide slurry and the two are mixed together. The mixing and rate of addition must be controlled properly to avoid the formation of foam and to avoid the formation of agglomerates. If agglomerates form, the dispersion must be filtered to remove them or if there are too many agglomerates, the dispersion must be discarded. Thus, there are several shortcomings with the process of the art: (1) three large temperature-control vessels are required, (2) if agglomerates are formed there are no corrective measures that can be taken to save the dispersion, and (3) the process is a three-step process.
There is thus a need for a single-step process which could be carried out in one vessel and which would avoid the problem of agglomerates in the final dispersion.
Known processes for making a reflective binder or "white pad" have employed a media mill to grind the solid component, TiO.sub.2, to produce fine particles, and then have combined the finely divided TiO.sub.2 with the liquid components to form the suspension for the white pad. It has now been surprisingly found that the entire formulation, containing both solids and liquid and including agglomerates, can be converted to a uniform dispersion by media milling. This is particularly unexpected because the agglomerates, which inevitably form when the ingredients are simply dumped together, contain not just titanium dioxide, which is known to be grindable, but also gelatin. Moreover, the volume of material passing through the media mill is greatly increased and the solids content is significantly diminished.

Process for preparing a dispersion from an agglomerated mixture


The present invention relates to a method in which an upper layer entity allocates resources to a plurality of access points (APs) in a wireless access system, including the plurality of APs and the upper layer entity for managing the plurality of APs, the method comprising the step of: sensing a change in minimum guaranteed resource amount allocated to each of the APs; acquiring, from each of the APs, AP-level topology information according to a degree of interference with adjacent APs and AP weight information given to each AP by a service provider; determining a minimum guaranteed resource amount for each of the APs based on the acquired AP-level topology information and AP weight information; and transmitting the determined minimum guaranteed resource amount to each of the APs.

There are various methods available for preventing performance degradation due to inter-cell interference in an environment where a single network service provider operates multiple cells by using multiple access points (APs).
Methods for managing inter-cell interference can be divided largely into two groups: methods dividing neighboring cells and frequency bands so that separate frequency bands having no interference upon each other are allocated to the respective cells and those methods using the same frequency bands but reducing interference on the neighboring cells by reducing power consumed in a cell affecting large interference on its neighboring cells through appropriate power control.
It is well known that in case a method for controlling inter-cell interference through power control employs only one channel (or carrier), an optimal form of power control controls only the minimum and maximum power rather than increase or decrease the power in an appropriate manner. Such kind of control is usually called bang-bang control, and the on-off state of each wireless infrastructure can be defined as a pattern.
FIG. 1 illustrates one form of pattern control for controlling inter-cell interference in the case of two cells.
With reference to FIG. 1, in the case of two wireless infrastructures, a total of three patterns are possible, consisting of 'pattern 1' employing both of the two infrastructure, 'pattern 2' employing only first infrastructure, and 'pattern 3' employing only second infrastructure.
In the case of 'pattern 1', two wireless infrastructures are activated at the same time and inter-cell interference is caused; however, in the case of 'pattern 2' or 'pattern 3', only one infrastructure is deactivated, thus interference in the remaining cells can have a channel state. One disadvantage should be noted that the number of data that can be sent at the same time is reduced from two to one for 'pattern 2' and 'pattern 3'.
In the conventional method, one service provider operates multiple wireless infrastructures and applies various means to avoid performance degradation due to interference among cells constructed by each wireless infrastructure. In this case, the inter-cell interference control is implemented through determining activation and deactivation of each wireless infrastructure at each time slot, namely through determining a pattern for each time slot.
In what follows, briefly introduced will be a method for controlling interference among cells constituting each wireless infrastructure according to the pattern method.
First, the following terms are defined for the convenience of description.
N: a set of wireless infrastructures or cells, may also means the number of the set of wireless infrastructures or cells.
S: a set of users, may also means the number of the set of users.
Sn: a set of users serviced in a wireless infrastructure n, may also means the number of the set of users serviced in a wireless infrastructure n.
P: a set of patterns, may also means the number of the set of patterns.
NP: a set of wireless infrastructures activated according to pattern P.
RS(t): average transmission rate obtained by a user S up to time t.
RS,P(t): instantaneous transmission rate allowed for a user S at time t in the case of pattern P.
α: parameter meant for adjusting network efficiency and fairness among users.
β: constant required at the time of updating average transmission rate.
Algorithm for pattern selection and scheduling of users (terminals) within an AP region
1. The AP measures an instantaneous transmission rate RS,P(t) of the user for each pattern at the start of each time slot. And the AP informs a central node (CN) of the measured instantaneous transmission rate RS,P(t) or transmits RS,P(t) to the central node. It is common that the central node and AP are connected to each other wired but can also be connected to each other wirelessly.
2. The central node determines an optimal pattern p* through the following equation 1 among the patterns indicating on-off states of individual APs based on the instantaneous transmission rate of the user at each time slot.
                              p          *                =                  argmax                                              ∑                              n                ∈                                  N                  p                                                                                [                                                max                                      s                    ∈                                          S                      n                                                                                r                                              s                        ,                        p                                                                                (                      t                      )                                                                                [                                                                        R                          s                                                                                (                                                      t                            -                            1                                                    )                                                                    ]                                        α                                                              ]                                                          [                  Eq          .                                                    1                ]
3. In the wireless infrastructure n∈Np activated according to pattern p*(t) determined through step 2, the user (or terminal) to be serviced is determined by the following equation 2.
                              S          n          *                =                  arg                                              max                              s                ∈                                  S                  n                                                                                r                                      s                    ,                    p                                                                                (                  t                  )                                                                              [                                                            R                      s                                                                                (                                              t                        -                        1                                            )                                                        ]                                α                                                                        [                  Eq                                                    .                                                    2                ]
4. Based on the result of step 3, average transmission rate Rs(t) is updated according to the following equation 3.
                                          R            s                                          (                          t              +              1                        )                          =                  {                                                                                (                                                      1                            -                            β                                                    )                                                                                R                            s                                                                                (                            t                            )                                                                                +                                              β                                                                                R                            s                                                                                (                            t                            )                                                                                if                                                                                s                                            =                                                                        s                          n                          *                                                                                (                          t                          )                                                                                (                                                  1                          -                          β                                                )                                                                                R                          s                                                                                (                          t                          )                                                                                if                                                                                s                                            =                                                                        s                          n                          *                                                                                (                          t                          )                                                                                for                                                                                ∀                  s                                                                  ∈                                      S                    n                                                                        ,                          ∀                              n                ∈                N                                                                        [                  Eq                                                    .                                                    3                ]
5. After t=t+1, step 1 is resumed.
As retention of Wi-Fi networks is regarded to be strong competitiveness, APs for Wi-Fi networks are being installed competitively by wireless communication service providers such as SKT, KT, and LGT. Installation of APs is also getting much attention by wireless communication service providers since the existing cellular infrastructure alone cannot accommodate explosion of mobile traffic along with widespread of smart phones. Accordingly, many of mobile communication service providers have started installing a large number of APs, where APs are installed being overlapped in such areas as important hot spots.
Therefore, in those areas where radio coverage of APs overlaps with each other, performance degradation due to inter-cell interference in WLAN has come to the fore. In view of service providers, costs incurred due to thoughtless deployment of APs can be described by the situation where radio resources are scarcely available due to interference from neighboring APs in spite of costly installation of APs. In particular, it can be a problem if newly introduced APs installed by other service providers cause the aforementioned situation.

Method and apparatus for allocating minimum guaranteed resource amount to access point in wireless access system

Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation Yonsei University


An apparatus in the form of a bed or chair for providing relaxation therapy and prevention of decubitis sores is distinguished by the use of flexible beams of the nature of leaf springs. Instead of being lifted up and down by rather complex apparatus only a single shaft carrying cams is provided which acts on the leaf spring-like beams to flex them upwardly and/downwardly to provide the required action. Preferred cams provide no lifting action but only intermitted depressing action of these beams which reduces vertigo and nausea effects and can be slid onto a cam shaft in any one of a multiple alternative angular positions. This enables selection of the travelling wave action for relaxation therapy and of the decubitis preventing action.

1. Field of the Invention
Bed sores, also called decubitis ulcers or pressure sores are an area of disintegrating skin and underlying tissue or ulcer resulting from decreased blood supply to that area and affecting persons who have been bedridden for a long period of time.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Specially designed beds are intended to mitigate this problem. U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,861 and Italian patent 122 0502 are examples of the art in this field. The present invention may also be applied to chairs, e.g. wheelchairs for paraplegics, and divans.
Apparatuses of this kind have suffered from undue complexity in mechanical construction and arrangements. This disadvantage leads in general to a high cost for the apparatus thus imposing a severe limitation on the generality of its potential application.
The art also has reported adverse effects from the application of treatment using these kinds of apparatus. These effects have been reported as a fatigue, vertigo and even nausea resulting from long periods of treatment with the apparatus. These adverse side effects naturally discourage use of the apparatus in the treatment of decubitis ulcers or the reduction of their incidence.

Apparatus for use in preventing decubitis ulcers and in relaxation therapy


A method for preparing a transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample for electron holography includes forming a sacrificial material over an area of interest on the sample, and polishing the sample to a desired thickness, wherein the area of interest is protected from rounding during the polishing. The sacrificial material is removed from the sample following the polishing.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor device manufacturing, and, more particularly, to a method for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation for electron holography.
Advancements in Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) technology enable materials to be analyzed at near atomic resolution by providing high-magnification, high-resolution imaging and analysis capabilities. TEM enables scientists to gather information relating to a material's physical properties, such as its microstructure, crystalline orientation and elemental composition. This information has become increasingly important as the need for advanced materials for use in areas such as microelectronics and optoelectronics, biomedical technology, aerospace, transportation systems and alternative energy sources, among others, increases.
TEM is accomplished by examining material specimens under a transmission electron microscope. In a transmission electron microscope, a series of electromagnetic lenses direct and focus an accelerated beam of electrons, emitted from an electron gun contained within the microscope, at the surface of a specimen. Electrons transmitted through the specimen yield an image of the specimen's structure, which provides information regarding its properties. In addition, elemental and chemical information is provided by both the transmitted electrons and the x-rays that are emitted from the specimen's surface as a result of electron interaction with the specimen.
In 1947, a Hungarian-British physicist named Dennis Gabor sought to find a way to sharpen the resolution of the images initially produced in transmission electron microscopes, which were in their infancy at the time. He proposed electron holography, a method of interference imaging in which the phase and amplitude components of the electron beam are separated to correct the spherical aberration of the microscope. In this regard, the electron beam source is split into the incident, undeviated electron wave (i.e., the reference wave) and the image wave (or object wave) diffracted by the specimen and exiting the bottom surface thereof. Assuming the electron optical geometry is correctly set up, these two waves can be made to interfere. The resulting interference pattern is then processed using optical techniques to form the holograms (images).
Unfortunately, the electron microscopes of Gabor's era did not produce an electron wave with sufficient coherence to permit the proper degree of interference required to make a useful hologram. More recently however, the development of TEMs using highly coherent field-emission electron sources has made electron holography a more effective undertaking. This technique has been shown to be particularly valuable for two-dimensional, p-n junction potential mapping of semiconductor devices with high spatial resolution. Such information is valuable for semiconductor device development and yield improvement.
Before a specimen can be analyzed using TEM (including electron holography), it must be prepared using various techniques to achieve the necessary electron transparency as it is necessary for the electron beam to transmit through the specimen. This electron transparency is accomplished by thinning a defined area of the specimen. For equal resolution, the required thickness of the specimen is dependent on the accelerating voltage of the transmission electron microscope. For example, using a 120 kV microscope, the specimen thickness should be on the order of about 100 to about 2000 angstroms (Å). In contrast, A 1,000 kV microscope can tolerate a specimen thickness of up to about 5,000 Å.
Specimens are prepared through several well-known methods, including, but not limited to, electrolytic thinning, mechanical polishing, ultramicrotomy, crushing, and ion milling. Often times, multiple methods are utilized to prepare a single specimen. Normal TEM sample preparation utilizes a deposited material such as tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) on top of the sample in order to protect it from cracking and rounding during a subsequent polishing operation. If the sample becomes rounded, then subsequent ion milling may cause re-deposition of material on the shadow region near the top surface. This in turn results in a rough surface formed on the sample and leads to a noisy phase map for electron holography.
However, for electron holography, any protective material formed over the sample would need to be removed prior to the imaging, due to the requirement of having a vacuum region near the area of interest for a reference electron wave to pass. A conventionally deposited material such as TEOS cannot be removed (i.e., etched away) without attacking the sample itself. Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to provide a protective layer during electron holography sample preparation in a manner that also allows for the removal of the protective layer prior to imaging.

Transmission electron microscopy sample preparation method for electron holography


Chips requiring high temperature reflow for attachment to a module substrate are attached first and then a eutectic water soluble solder paste and/or water soluble flux is dispensed on both the TSOP and the PBGA chip pads instead of using the paste screening techniques. The dispensing is done by injecting solder on the solder sites individually. Characteristics of the solder paste used is that it must be fluid enough to be injected onto the individual sites yet have enough body that it remains in place and does not run from site to site once dispensed. A paste capable of providing such characteristics is one having: a ) a very fine particle size in the range of 400 to 500 mesh and preferably between 400 and 450 mesh; b) a low viscosity (below 500 k centerpoise and preferably between 425 to 375 cps); and c) a solid content of 86% or lower and preferably between 84 and 80%. The chips to be joined to the module using low temperature module joining are then placed on the module substrate surface and then put in an oven for reflow to attach these chips to the surface. After the joining process, the modules are cleaned by spraying deionized water on them to remove any flux or solder residues and the modules are electrically tested to determine if the joining process has resulted in connection with the proper mechanical and electrical characteristics.

The present invention relates to the soldering of different types of chips to multi-chip module substrates and more particularly to joining to the same substrate of both chips requiring high temperature reflow and materials and/or techniques and those requiring low temperature reflow materials and/or techniques.
The joining to the same ceramic module substrate both chips using high temperature reflow techniques, such as CMOS 7S ASIC, C4 flip-chips, and those chips, such as the thin small outline package (TSOP) chips and plastic ball grid array (PBGA) chips, using low temperature reflow techniques is difficult and expensive. First of all, the chip joining of the variuous chips cannot be performed at the very same time because the use of the high temperature reflow techniques for C4 chips would destroy TSOP and/or PBGA chips. In addition, when the high temperature C4 joining process is performed first, upon completion of that process, the chip carrier surface is no longer flat interfering with the use of conventional paste screening processes on TSOP pads. Furthermore, the space between the various chips on the substrate surface is close (in some cases less than 1.5 mm) making paste screening of the eutectic paste with acceptable yields virtually impossible using present pastes.
The modules are expensive and the correction of errors occurring in post C4 chip processing without damaging the module during rework is a serious problem with present rework techniques. First of all, the above mentioned close spacing makes removal of a chip without damaging the chip site and/or adjacent chips or their connections difficult using present chip removal tools and techniques. In addition, solder sucking types of tools are ineffective to remove the solder because of heat that the ceramic absorbs, and traditional copper block dressing techniques do not dress the chip site properly because they do not have enough mass to apply constant pressure to the chip site during the copper dress operation in the furnace.
Therefore, is it an object of the present invention to provide a new method and apparatus of joining different types of chips with different physical characteristics to a common chip carrier surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new method and apparatus for reworking modules populated chips with different physical characteristics.
In accordance with the present invention, the chips requiring high temperature reflow for attachment to a module substrate are attached first and then a eutectic water soluble solder paste and/or water soluble flux is dispensed on both the TSOP and the PBGA chip pads instead of using the paste screening techniques. The dispensing is done by injecting solder paste on the solder sites individually. Characteristics of the solder paste used is that it must be fluid enough to be injected onto the individual sites yet have enough body that it remains in place and does not run from site to site once dispensed. A paste capable of providing such characteristics is one having: a) a very fine particle size in the range of 400 to 500 mesh and preferably between 400 and 450 mesh; b) a low viscosity (below 500 k centipoise and preferably between 425 to 375 cps); and c) a solid content of 86% or lower and preferably between 84 and 80%. The chips to be joined to the module using low temperature module joining are then placed on the module substrate surface and then put in an oven for reflow to attach these chips to the surface. After the joining process, the modules are cleaned by spraying deionized water on them to remove any flux or solder residues and the modules are electrically tested to determine if the joining process has resulted in connection with the proper mechanical and electrical characteristics.
When errors are detected during testing in any of the chips mounted on the module with the low temperature joining process, those chips can be removed by attaching a magnetically attracted element to their surface, suspending a magnetic over the chip and the element and then reheating the module to cause reflow of the solder. Upon reflow of the solder, the magnetic lifts the chip with the magnetically attracted element off the surface of the module allowing redressing of the chip site and reuse of the module with a replacement chip.
The use of this magnetic pulling technique eliminates spacing concerns normally encountered with a pulling device. The magnetic pull forces produced are predictable and create a smooth acceleration during separation of the chip from the substrate. This device can also be applied to removing xe2x80x9cfine pitchxe2x80x9d C4 devices at higher temperatures. As chip footprints increase in size, so does the force that is required to remove the chips. The magnetic pulling has the advantage of a ever-present shearing force which acts on the interconnection only when the solder liquefies. This process can be adapted to present manufacturing auer boats (multiple substrate holders or other reflow fixturing).
Once certain chips, such as PBGA chips, have been removed, a large residual solder volume is left on the ceramic surface. To remove this solder, spring pressure is applied to the top of a copper block to allow the block to fully dress the site. The spring forces are used to assure proper contact between the copper block and the residual solder balls though the solder balls may vary in height to guarantee reducing solder on the module surface to an acceptable level.

Assembly of multi-chip modules using eutectic solders

International Business Machines Corporation