A device has a closed position and at least first and second open positions. The device includes a base. A hinge assembly is engaged with the base. The hinge assembly has first and second axes. A hinged portion is engaged with the hinge assembly. The hinged portion is individually pivotable with respect to the base about each of the first and second axes of the hinge assembly. Pivoting of the hinged portion about the first axis moves the device between the closed position and at least the first open position. Relative pivoting of the hinged portion about the second axis moves the device between the closed position and at least the second open position.

This invention generally relates to hinges and, more particularly, to bi-directionally operating hinges for use in electronic devices, including wireless phones, personal digital assistants, notebook computers, and the like.
In certain hinge applications, it is desirable to provide a hinge which can maintain a hinged member in an open position or a closed position. When the hinged member is in the open position, in certain applications, such as clamshell-style phones and notebook computers, it is desirable that the hinged member be held stably in position. It is also desirable in such applications that the hinge maintain the hinged member in a closed position relative to the device housing for storage and transport. Generally in such applications, the open position is set at a fixed, predetermined angle.
One known, relatively inexpensive, preassembled, self-contained, two-position hinge can hold a hinged member in a first, open position or a second, closed position relative to a device housing without imparting an axial load on the hinged member or the device housing, thereby resulting in a longer operating life. The hinge uses a cam surface and a cam follower urged toward the cam surface by a spring to hold either a closed position or an opened position between 130 degrees and 160 degrees relative to the device housing. The hinge pivots the hinged member about a single axis. Although extensively used in clamshell-style phones, this type of hinge has limited usefulness in applications which prefer a different minimum amount of torque for closing a device than for opening a device.
In another known hinge, a higher torque is required to pivot a hinged member in one direction than is required to pivot the hinged member in the other direction. The hinge, primarily used in notebook computers, pivots the hinged member about a single axis.
It is desirable to provide a hinge that stably maintains a hinged member in opened and closed positions and requires a higher torque to pivot in one direction than the other direction, the hinge also providing for bi-directional opening of the hinged member.

Bi-directionally operating hinge assembly


The quickly-detachable protective cover unit of a table sawing machine includes a protective cover, a non-return plate, a protective plate, a combining plate and an extending plate. The extending plate positioned at one side of the saw blade of a table sawing machine has its inner end fixed with a quickly-detachable handle unit for positioning the combining plate thereon. The protective plate is inserted through the saw blade and the combining plate, positioned on the table-sawing machine. The non-return plate and the protective cover are respectively provided with a quickly detachable device to fit in the positioning hole of the combining plate. The components of the quickly detachable protective cover unit are combined by quickly detachable mechanism so they can be disassembled or assembled quickly, needing no tool for carrying out disassembling work.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a quickly detachable protective cover unit of a table-sawing machine, particularly to one able to be assembled and disassembled easily and quickly, needless to employ any tool for carrying out disassembling work.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a table-sawing machine is provided with a protective cover unit covered around its saw blade for the sake of protection of a user. The conventional protective cover unit of a table sawing machine, as shown in FIG. 1, includes an extending rod 1, a combining plate 2 and a protective cover 3, which are firmly combined together by bolts to prevent them from loosening or falling off.
However, to detach the conventional protective cover unit from the table sawing machine, the locking bolts of the components have to be unscrewed one by one by means of special hand tools, thus wasting much time and resulting in much trouble.

Quickly detachable protective cover unit of a table sawing machine


A projection exposure apparatus performs focus adjustment to correct variations in the focal position of a projection optical system which are caused by absorption of exposure light by a refraction system in the projection optical system. The projection optical system arranged in this projection exposure apparatus includes a refraction system having a positive refracting power, and a reflecting mirror positioned to be coaxial with the refraction system. The projection exposure apparatus includes a photodetection device for detecting light, of light emitted from an illumination optical system and transmitted through a first substrate, which is transmitted through the reflecting mirror, and an adjustment device for adjusting the in-focus state between the first substrate, a second substrate, and the projection optical system in accordance with an output from the photodetection device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a projection exposure apparatus and, more particularly, to focus adjustment with respect to variations in the focal position of a projection optical system having a refraction system.
2. Related Background Art
An integral scanning exposure apparatus using a one-to-one projection optical system including a refraction system and a plane mirror is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-35453. In the projection exposure apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-57986, a projection optical system is constituted by a plurality of one-to-one erect projection optical units each consisting of two partial optical systems each including a refraction system and a concave reflecting mirror. A mask and a plate are moved relatively to this projection optical system to perform full-wafer scanning exposure.
In the above conventional technique, a lens as a part of each refraction system in the projection optical system absorbs exposure light during an exposure process. As a result, the temperature of the lens rises, and the focal position of the projection optical system varies. When a projection optical system constituted by a plurality of projection optical units is to be used, in particular, since the pattern densities (average transmittances) of mask pattern regions corresponding to the respective projection optical units differ from each other, the densities of energy passing through the respective projection optical units differ from each other. For this reason, the temperatures of the refraction systems of the respective projection optical units rise differently, and the focal positions of the respective projection optical units differ from each other.


A roll off container hoist with a front retractable loading frame includes a hoist with a break or discontinuity of the loadable frame structure at a forward end of the hoist. The roll off container hoist is mounted on a vehicle having hydraulic circuits for operating the hoist. The hoist includes a main hoist frame pivoted to a vehicle frame at a rear pivot point. The hoist includes a main lift cylinder attached to the vehicle frame and the main hoist frame for pivoting the main hoist frame to the loading/unloading position. The hoist includes an extension frame slidably coupled to the main hoist frame and extendable there-from that is loadable at any dump angle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to roll off container hoists, also called roll off hoists, and more particularly, directed toward a roll off container hoists accommodating low overhead clearance or obstructions, e.g. tree branches, wires, buildings and the like, will full roll off capabilities.
2. Background Information
In general, transportable containers are utilized for a great variety of materials including solid and liquid waste products. The containers are adapted to be picked up and set off by a transport vehicle such as a truck, or a trailer for larger containers, with a suitable lift device known as a "roll-off hoist" or a "roll off container hoist".
Containers for freight, bulk materials, and other products come in numerous sizes and load capacities. Open Top Containers are generally available from about 10 Cubic Yard to 60 Cubic Yard capacity depending on the individual need. Containers typically have a ¼″ floor or 3/16″ floor. Side material ranges from 12 gauge to 3/16″. Containers can have conventional side stake style sides or "T" sidewall style that eliminates side posts.
It has been a common practice to pull each container, regardless of its size and loading, aboard the transport vehicle with its forward end abutting a fixed stop on the vehicle. It has been proposed that with such a system, the center of gravity of the container may often be located in an unfavorable position on the transport vehicle, imposing unnecessarily high loading upon a weaker area of the vehicle frame and imparting unnecessarily heavy loading to the hoist during loading and unloading of the hoist. Additionally the conventional roll off container hoist designs do not accommodate normal operation in height restricted areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,875 addressed the problem of designing a hoist to accommodate very large containers that create undesirable stress problems. The solution provided was a more complicated and costlier frame design. Specifically the roll-off hoist of the '875 patent included a trailer main frame, a roll-off hoist frame hingedly connected to the rearward end of the main frame with the hoist frame defining a second pair of tracks which align with the first pair of tracks when the hoist frame is in the horizontal transport position, and a trolley mounted to slide within the first and second pair of tracks, and actuator means interposed between the trolley and the hoist frame for moving the trolley within the first and second pairs of tracks and moving a container connected to the trolley forwardly of the hoist frame.
The '875 patent included structure to prevent the trolley, or carriage, from being extended until the hoist frame was in the horizontal position. The structure incorporated several separate hydraulic circuits to accommodate the various separately movable components, and a system to prevent the premature movement of the trolley. The hoist of the '875 patent did not provide full functioning roll off capabilities. Specifically, the trolley could not be extended in the elevated condition, the trolley could not absorb the loading in the elevated condition, a separate hydraulic mechanism is required for moving the trolley and a separate stopping mechanism is required to prevent the premature moving of the trolley. Finally the '875 patent is essentially limited to trailer applications.
Other roll off hoist designs are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,332,746, 6,068,440, 5,088,875, 4,986,719, 4,934,898, 4,840,186, and 4,529,349 which together with the '875 patent are incorporated herein by reference.

Roll off hoist with front retractable loading frame


A steel wire self-locking mechanism and a lifting device are provided. The steel wire self-locking mechanism includes a surrounding plate and a self-locking gear and a locking device arranged in the surrounding plate, and uses a friction force of a threaded sleeve to lock the lifting device. The lifting device includes a lifting assembly and a beam assembly. The steel wire self-locking mechanism is arranged in the beam assembly, and the locking of the lifting device is realized by the steel wire self-locking mechanism. The steel wire self-locking mechanism and the lifting device have good adaptability. Due to a smaller volume, the steel wire self-locking mechanism is applicable to lifting tables in various sizes.

An automatic lifting table generally takes electricity as a power source. A mechanical device is controlled by a motor to adjust the height of the lifting table. Alternatively, a pneumatic bar or a hydraulic bar may be controlled by a compressor to adjust the height of the lifting table.
A traditional lifting table usually uses double lifting gas springs to realize a lifting function, which mainly has the following defects: 1) The synchronism is poor: since a gas spring is installed within each of table legs, and the stretching rates of the gas springs are not exactly the same, a lifting process of the lifting table is prone to jam and unsmooth. 2) The adaptability is poor: an adjusting mechanism or a locking mechanism is usually arranged under a table top of a common lifting table to maintain the lifting height, and traditionally, a gas spring is arranged, but it has a large volume and is long, which results that the final stroke of each of the table legs is short, and a small lifting table cannot be manufactured. 3) The economic benefits are poor: since the traditional lifting table uses at least two gas springs as a power source for its lifting power or locking power, more materials are needed. 4) Since the gas springs themselves stretch faster, after the lifting table is unlocked, if a load is separated from the table top, the gas springs will push the table top to move up rapidly, which will generate huge impact and noise under the action of inertia, and will damage the lifting table in severe cases. The height of an existing pneumatic lifting table on the market is locked by gas springs themselves, which are complicated in structure and high in cost. After standing, when the gas springs are used for the first time, there will be defects such as large starting force, delayed starting time and large elastic ratio, so that the comfort of use of the lifting table is affected, the pressing force is large, and the user experience is reduced.

Steel wire self-locking mechanism and lifting device


Provided is a compound which has strong intraocular pressure lowering action and has no side effect on eyes such as ocular stimulating property, humor protein rise etc.

Glaucoma is an ocular disease having the characteristic of a visual functional disorder which causes a transient or permanent visual field defect and decreased vision. This is derived from that since an aqueous humor is accumulated by a circulatory disorder of an aqueous humor, and an intraocular pressure is continuously increased, an optic nerve is compressed. Decrease in an intraocular pressure is effective for treatment of glaucoma and, in order to decrease an intraocular pressure, for example, drug treatment (eye drops, internal remedy, infusion treatment), laser treatment, or operation treatment is performed.
Previously, among prostaglandins (PGs) which are physiologically active substances, as those that decrease an intraocular pressure, PGFs and PGIs are known. Development of a drug for treating glaucoma or ocular hypertension is being progressed using derivatives of them, and there are some drugs which are actually sold (e.g. latanoprost etc.). However, the existing glaucoma treating drug alone is insufficient in intraocular pressure lowering action and, in at site of glaucoma treatment, since administration at a high concentration, or therapy of joint use of drugs having different mechanisms of action are being performed seeking stronger intraocular pressure lowering action, manifestation of side effects is feared. For this reason, drugs having stronger intraocular pressure lowering action, and high safety are desired.
Meanwhile, as the prior art of the present invention compound, the following PG derivatives are exemplified.
As a PG derivative having a bicyclic skeleton, for example, a compound represented by the formula (a):
(wherein a ring Aa represents
(wherein
represents α-configuration, β-configuration or a mixture thereof) etc., a ring Ba represents
(wherein, ra represents 0, 1 or 2) etc., Ya represents an ethylene group, a vinylene group or an ethynylene group, Za represents —(CH2)ma— (wherein ma represents 3, 4 or 5) etc., R1a represents —COOR8a (wherein R8a represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group of a C1-12 alkyl group etc.) etc., R2a represents a hydrogen atom etc., R3a represents a single bond or a C1-5 alkylene group etc., R4a represents a C1-8 alkoxy group, a halogen atom, a trifluoromethyl group, a phenoxy group optionally substituted with a C1-8 alkyl group, etc., and R5a represents a hydrogen atom etc.) is disclosed as a PGI1 analogue, and described to be useful for contraception or menstruation control (see Patent Literature 1).
In addition, a compound represented by the formula (b):
(wherein Lb represents —(CH2)db— (wherein db represents 1 to 5) etc., Q2b represents 0 etc., R1b represents —COOR19b (wherein R19b represents a C1-12 alkyl group or a hydrogen atom etc.) etc., a ring R22b represents
(wherein R4b represents a hydrogen atom etc.) etc., R25b represents
(wherein R5b and R6b represent a hydrogen atom etc., Zb represents —O— etc., Tb represents a C1-4 alkyl group, fluorine, chlorine, trifluoromethyl or —OR7b— (wherein R7b represents a C1-4 alkyl), sb represents 0, 1, 2 or 3, and Xb represents
(a part of definitions of groups was extracted)) (see Patent Literature 2) is known.
Further, a compound represented by the formula (c):
(wherein Rc is selected from (a) a free carboxy group and an esterified carboxy group, etc., Z1c is hydrogen or a halogen, pc is 0 or an integer of 1 to 7, qc is 1 or 2, R1c is hydrogen, hydroxy, etc., Yc is selected from —CH2—CH2—,
(wherein Z2c is hydrogen or a halogen) etc., one of R2c and R5c is hydrogen, a C1-6 alkyl, etc., and the other is hydroxy, etc., R3c and R4c are the same or different and each are hydrogen, a C1-6 alkyl or fluorine, n1c and n2c are the same or different and each are 0 or an integer of 1 to 6, Xc is selected from the group consisting of —O—, —S— and —(CH2)mc— (wherein mc is 0 or 1), and R6c is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, a C1-4 alkyl, and an aryl unsubstituted or substituted with one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of a halogen and a C1-6 alkyl, etc.) is known (see Patent Literature 3).
Meanwhile, it has been reported that agonistic activity on an IP receptor among PG receptors causes hyperemia and rise in an aqueous humor protein, and inducement of stimulation on eyes has been feared (see Non-Patent Literatures 1 and 2). For this reason, since the compounds described in Patent Literatures 1, 2 and 3 which are PGI2 derivatives have agonistic activity on an IP receptor, there is a probability that property of stimulating eyes etc. are induced.
In addition, agonistic activity on EP2 and EP4 receptors is known to be involved in inflammatory response of eyes (see Non-Patent Literature 3).
The present invention compound is a compound which has low agonistic activity on an IP receptor and EP2 and EP4 receptors, and has selective agonistic activity on an FP receptor, but there is neither the description nor the suggestion regarding such a characteristic (selectivity) in any prior arts.

Bicyclic compound and use thereof for medical purposes

Abstract: Since a compound represented by the formula (I):

Abstract: (wherein definition of each group is as described in the specification), or a salt thereof, a solvate thereof, or a prodrug thereof has strong intraocular pressure lowering activity and, further, has no side effect on eyes such as ocular stimulating property (hyperemia, corneal clouding etc.), aqueous humor protein rise etc., it has high safety, and can be an excellent agent for preventing and/or treating glaucoma etc.


A composite electroactive material having a plurality of particle cores, each particle core surrounded by a polymer covering having one or more strands of an electroactive polymer. In one embodiment, the particle cores have a relatively small size, e.g., between about 10 and 50 nm, and include a material having a relatively large dielectric constant, e.g., greater than about 30. Each polymer strand includes an electroactive elastomer that is bonded to the surface of the corresponding particle core by a linker. Representative examples of the particle core material, elastomer, and linker are titanium dioxide, polybutadiene, and a phosphonate group, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electromechanical actuators, materials for electromechanical actuators, and methods of making electromechanical actuators.
2. Description of the Related Art
High-performance actuator materials capable of converting electrical energy into mechanical energy are needed for a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, mini- and micro-robots, micro air vehicles, flat-panel loudspeakers, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and micro-fluidic devices. Actuator-material development goals include achieving a large range of motion with high precision and speed for meeting application requirements, high elastic energy density for robustness, and a low fatigue rate for durability and reliability. Although there are several actuator materials that are currently available, there are few, if any, that come close to meeting all of these goals.
Electroactive polymers (EAPs) attract much attention in the field of high-performance actuator materials because of their relatively low cost and ability to be tailored to particular applications. In particular, EAPs that are controlled by external electrical fields (generally referred to as field-type EAPs) have been demonstrated to exhibit relatively fast response speeds, low hysteresis, and high strain levels (e.g., greater than about 100%) that are far above those of traditional piezoelectric materials (e.g., piezoceramics). However, prior-art field-type EAPs also require relatively high electric fields, e.g., on the order of 100 V/μm, to generate usable elastic energy densities.
The elastic energy density is a key parameter, related to both the stress and strain generation capability of an actuator material. For example, for a material having linear dielectric and elastic properties, the stored elastic energy density, Us, can be expressed as follows:
                              U          s                =                                            1              2                                                  YS              2                                =                                                    (                                  K                                                                                ɛ                    0                                                                          E                    2                                                  )                            2                                      2                            Y                                                          (        1        )            where Y is the Young's modulus, S is the strain, K is the material's dielectric constant, E is the electric field, and ε0 is the vacuum dielectric permittivity (=8.85×10−12 F/m). Since, for most EAPs, the dielectric constant K is relatively small (typically less than about 10), relatively high electric fields are required for the generation of desirable elastic energy densities.

Composite electroactive material for electromechanical actuators


A method of controlling a receiving operation includes, receiving a transmission frame into a wireless device, and decoding the transmission frame. A header information in the transmission frame is analyzed. Then, the receiving operation is suspended in response to the header information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling a receiving operation which is used for wireless LAN(Local Area Network).
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless LAN terminals are increasingly a part of modern life. The wireless LAN terminals do not need a network cable. Therefore, in the wireless LAN terminal which is driven by a battery, the terminal can be used as a mobile device in a communication area. For making a communication between the wireless LAN terminals and an accessing point, CSMA/CA(Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) is used as a wireless LAN standard. The CSMA/CA is used by a 2.4-GHz band wireless LAN standard such as an IEEE(Institute of Electrical and Electrical Engineers) 802.11b standard and an IEEE 802.11g standard.
A maximum transmission speed of the IEEE 802.11g is 54-Mbps and a maximum transmission speed of the IEEE 802.11b is 11-Mbps. The IEEE 802.11g has an upward compatibility to the IEEE 802.11b. Therefore, a device which uses the IEEE 802.11g can communicate to a device which uses the IEEE 802.11g and the IEEE 802.11b. Both of the IEEE 802.11b and the IEEE 802.11g adopt DSSS(Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum) and OFDM(orthogonal frequency division multiplexing). A synchronizing portion and a header portion of a transmission frame are modulated by a DBPSK of 1 Mbps mode or a QPSK of 2 Mbps mode for making the compatibility of these standards. The IEEE 802.11b and an IEEE 802.11a are described in reference 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-299141.
In the mobile terminal of the wireless LAN system, low power consumption is desired. A technique for achieving the low power consumption is described in reference 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open 8-195754. In reference 2, a standby period is extended by receiving a beacon signal for reducing the power consumption during waiting time. The mobile terminal may be called a mobile station or simply called a wireless LAN station in this invention.
The beacon signal is transmitted from the access point every 100 msec. Therefore, the mobile station which has a power saving mode can be changed between an awake mode and a doze mode in response to the beacon signal from an access point. The access point changes the condition of the mobile station to the awake mode or the doze mode by checking whether the mobile station is in a power consumption mode or not. An information which indicates an interval of the transmitting operation of the beacon signal is included in a frame body which is next to a MAC header portion.
In the wireless LAN station, further low power consumption has been desired. In particular, the device which is driven by a battery desires the low power consumption. In the CSMA/CA, the mobile station receives carriers continually for checking a data sending timing. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce the power consumption in such device.
For example, when the access point and one mobile station communicate using the IEEE 802.11b, and the other mobile station which uses the IEEE 802.11b and a mobile station which uses the IEEE 802.11g are located in the same communication area, a radio wave of the IEEE 802.11b is transferred to each station in the communication area. The station of the IEEE 802.11g waiting to send a signal may wait until the communication which is performed by the IEEE 802.11b is completed. Therefore, the station which uses the IEEE 802.11g and is waiting to send the signal, consumes powers receiving the unneeded signal.
Also, when a plurality of mobile stations which use the IEEE 801.11g make a communication link to the access point, the stations waiting to send the signal may wait while receiving the unneeded signal until the communication by the other station is completed. Therefore, it is difficult to reduce power consumption.

Method of controlling a receiving operation


A secure one-way network gateway for transmitting data from a source network to a destination network is disclosed. An input circuit is for coupling to a source network and an output circuit is for coupling to an output network. A memory stores configuration data. Either a single field-programmable device or a pair of field-programmable devices coupled via a one-way link are inserted between the input circuit and the output circuit. The configuration data is loaded into the device(s) to program the device(s) to pass data from the input circuit to the output circuit, to optionally filter the data, and to prevent any data from passing from the output circuit to the input circuit. A processor is coupled to only the memory and a separate management interface. The processor receives updated configuration data via the management interface and replaces the configuration data in the memory with the updated configuration memory.

Many organizations have processing and communication environments which include different networks subject to differing levels of security. Such environments may include a highly secure network used to communicate confidential or secret information, and one or more less secure networks that do not process confidential or secret information. Such highly secure networks may have strict limitations on the type of data that can be imported thereto or exported therefrom. In addition, the data within a highly secure network may be subject to differing security requirements.
In some cases, a one-way network gateway is used to transfer data from a highly secure network (the source network) to a less secure network (the destination network), or vice versa. A one-way network gateway is preferably hardware-based in order to ensure that data may only pass from the source network to the destination network and to prevent data or any signal whatsoever from passing from the destination network to the source network. The one-way network gateway may receive information at the input via a particular protocol, e.g., User Datagram Protocol (UDP). The one-way network gateway may include a filter that filters the files or other data received at the input to prevent any malware or other harmful files from passing to the destination network and/or to ensure that only approved files received at the input on the source network are passed to the output on the destination network. A typical one-way network gateway includes a source-side server coupled to a destination-side server only via a hardware-enforced one-way link. The hardware-enforced one-way link may comprise a fiber optic link, with the fiber coupled only to a transmitter in the source side server at a first end thereof and to a receiver in the destination-side server at a second end thereof. This one-way link architecture ensures that nothing can be transferred from the destination-side server to the source-side server because there is no data path at all in the reverse direction. One drawback of this type of one-way network gateway is that two servers are required, which can be costly.
Field configurable devices, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), may be substituted for servers in a one-way network gateway to provide a less expensive solution. However, FPGAs are typically configured using data that is supplied to the FPGA device after the FPGA device is installed in a system. For example, the configuration data is typically loaded into the FPGA device from an external memory each time the system is powered on. Because the processing performed by each FPGA device may need to be updated from time to time (e.g., to update filter parameters), external access is required to each such external memory. However, this external access path must be kept completely isolated from the data path to ensure that there is on ability to gain access to any data passing from the source network to the destination network and to ensure that there is no ability to insert malware of any type into the data path via this external access path.
Accordingly, there is a need for a secure one-way network gateway based on field-programmable devices which isolates the data path from the external access path.
The features, functions, and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure or may be combined in yet other embodiments in which further details can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.


A power transmission device is disclosed which is capable of easily, swiftly and appropriately altering the distance between the axes of a pair of transmission wheels such as pulleys, enabling an endless belt to be kept under constant and appropriate tension without necessitating a tension roller. This power transmission device comprises an endless belt wound around a pair of transmission wheels; and a cam-type adjusting mechanism which is interposed between a driving side supporting member and a driven side supporting member and configured to adjust a distance between the axes of the wheels. This cam-type adjusting mechanism comprises a supporting shaft secured to either the driving side supporting member or the driven side supporting member and disposed parallel to the rotational axes of the wheels; and a cam rotatably secured via a manipulating boss member to the supporting shaft.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power transmission device, and to a portable power working machine such as a concrete cutter, which is provided with such a power transmission device. In particular, the present invention relates to a power transmission device configured to perform the power transmission by means of a power transmission member such as an endless belt or an endless chain wound around a pair of transmission wheels such as pulleys or sprocket wheels to thereby interconnect the transmission wheels. The present invention also relates to a portable power working machine such as a concrete cutter, which is provided with the above-mentioned power transmission device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case of a portable power working machine such as a concrete cutter, a winding transmission type power working machine has been widely employed as a power transmission device for transmitting the power of a prime mover (internal combustion engine or electric motor) to a working member such as a cutter, wherein the power is transmitted by means of a power transmission member (such as a V-belt) which is disposed between and wound around a pair of transmission wheels (such as V-pulleys).
In the power transmission device of this type, the belt is required to be kept under a predetermined tension in order to minimize any loss in the transmission of motive power. For the purpose of meeting such a requirement, a belt structure with a tension roller has been proposed. However, in the case of portable power working machines where it is strongly desired to miniaturize and lighten the machine as much as possible, it may not be possible to install such a tension roller due to the limited space available in the machine. Further, since the initially set tension of the belt generally would gradually loosen due to the elongation or wear of the belt, depending on the duration or environments of use, the employment of only the aforementioned tension roller may not be sufficient in many cases.
With a view toward solving this problem, it has also been proposed to make the distance between the axes of a pair of pulleys (the distance of separation between rotational axes) adjustable to thereby enable the belt to be kept under a constant predetermined tension. As for the method of adjusting the distance between the axes of a pair of pulleys, movement of a supporting member supporting one of the pulleys in a direction orthogonal to the rotational axis of the pulley by way of so-called screw feeding using a threaded rod (bolt and the like) has been used in the past.
However, the aforementioned power transmission device where the distance between the axes of a pair of pulleys is made adjustable by way of the screw feeding using a threaded rod is problematic when exchanging the belt or adjusting the distance between the axes (the adjustment of the tension of the belt). Specifically, it takes a lot of time and trouble to loosen the number of bolts employed for fixing the supporting member as well as to suitably clamp or loosen the aforementioned threaded rod, etc. In particular, in a situation where a V-belt having a relatively large thickness is employed, one of the pulleys (or the supporting member) must be moved a fairly large amount (generally, 10 mm or so in distance) when exchanging the belt. In this example, according to the aforementioned screw feeding, even if the threaded rod is turned one revolution, the pulley can be moved by a small distance corresponding to only one pitch of the screw (1 mm or so, in general), so that the threaded rod must be rotated many revolutions when exchanging the used belt with a new belt. Moreover, the rotation of the threaded rod requires employment of tools such as a spanner or wrench. These tools can rotate only 90° at most in each rotating manipulation thereof as the further rotation of these tools is obstructed by the presence of, among other things, the aforementioned supporting member. Due to the limited rotating angle of these tools as mentioned above, these tools must be usually removed from the threaded rod before finishing the needed rotation of the threaded rod, thus requiring time-consuming manipulations of tools when exchanging the belt as well as taking a lot of time and trouble in the adjustment of the distance between the pair of axes as mentioned above.
Additionally, since the belt is mounted under a great amount of tension, a very large force is needed to rotate the threaded rod when making the aforementioned adjustment of the distance between the axes. At the same time, because the determination as to whether the degree of tension of the belt is appropriate is based largely on the operator's perception, the tension of the belt is liable to be either insufficient or excessive, thus making the operation of adjusting the distance between a pair of the axes difficult or troublesome.

Power transmission device and portable power working machine provided with the same


A method for non-repudiable translation of documents is disclosed, whereby a computer application determines a storage location for a first document, generates a first digital signature for the first document, determines a storage location for a plurality of translation instructions, generates a second digital signature for the plurality of translation instructions, translates the first document, assembles a second document including the storage location for the first document, the storage location for the plurality of translation instructions, the first digital signature, the second digital signature, the translation, and at least one encryption key associated with the first document and the plurality of translation instructions, and digitally signs the second document. The signed document includes sufficient information to demonstrate non-repudiable translation of the first document.

Electronic-business (e-business) is the process of using Internet-related and computer technologies to improve business operations. An important e-business function is the secure and efficient transfer of documents between entities in electronic form. In this regard, an established component of e-business operations is the computer-implemented translation of electronic documents being sent and received.
The computer applications that undergrid e-business operations are capable of producing and accepting electronic documents in accordance with agreed upon standards, conventions, and protocols. However, in most business environments there are no universal formats to which all such documents may adhere. Consequently, before electronic documents may be transferred from one application to another, the documents are translated from a form acceptable to the first application to another form acceptable to the second application.
For a practical example, in the health-care industry, care providers (e.g., physicians, medical clinics, hospitals, etc,) are required to send certain information to insurance companies about the health-care services provided to insured patients. However, in order to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in health insurance and health care delivery, the Federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 sets forth the U.S. Government's guidelines for the administration of health insurance and health-care services. In particular, HIPAA specifies how medical documents including patient information are to be handled. Basically, HIPAA specifies that all patient information must not be made public. Consequently, in providing health insurance and health-care services, the privacy of patient information included in documents has to be maintained.
If, for example, patient information is to be conveyed from a care provider to an insurer in electronic form, the care provider typically has to translate the data format of the electronic document to be conveyed to the data format used by the insurer. The translation process changes the data format and/or syntax of the first application's (original) document to that of the second application's (resulting) document. Since HIPAA specifies that the privacy of the conveyed information is to be maintained, it is important to track how the document was handled during the translation process. In other words, an audit trail including the translation process should be maintained. For audit purposes (e.g., if a question arises about the validity of the health-care information in the translated document), the original document and the map (set of instructions used by translator program) for translating the original document to the resulting document may be maintained. Nevertheless, a significant problem with previous electronic document translation techniques is that they do not assure a recipient of a translated document that it can be non-repudiably tied to the original document and/or to the map used for the original document's translation (i.e., "non-repudiable" in the sense that the recipient may not deny ownership of the resulting document). Consequently, there is no way for a recipient (e.g., e-business partner, auditor, etc.) to explicitly or legally tie the original and resulting documents together, or otherwise demonstrate the validity of the translation process.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Non-repudiable translation of electronic documents


An fusing apparatus for correcting process variation is provided. The fusing apparatus for correcting the process variation of the semiconductor device includes a fusing part including a fusing resistor fused by a current penetrating; a current driving transistor for fusing the fusing resistor by driving a fusing current according to a fusing enable signal applied; a current path part for building a current path by connecting to the fusing part, and controlling a first node voltage according to a fusing state of the fusing resistor; and a latch part for latching a second node signal inversely amplified from the first node voltage, and outputting the latch value when a power-on reset part operates in a normal mode. Using the fusing cell, the test time can be reduced and the current consumption can be greatly decreased in the fusing process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an fusing apparatus for correcting process variation. More particularly, the present invention relates to an fusing apparatus for correcting process variation, which can reduce a test time and a consumed current when the process variation of the semiconductor device is corrected.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a fabrication process of a semiconductor device is completed, a semiconductor device test is applied to semiconductor devices formed on semiconductor substrates to measure their characteristics. In a semiconductor manufacturing company, FAB characteristics vary in a production line per foundry service provider and the process variation occurring in the production process is the main cause which increases the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor manufacturers. In particular, the cost required to add various circuits and blocks to correct the process variation considerably affects the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device. Thus, various techniques are under process to lower the manufacturing cost of the semiconductor device. Particularly, a technique for decreasing the manufacturing cost by correcting the process variation is demanded.

Fusing apparatus for correcting process variation


The invention relates to a wafer level package for chips with chip edge protection, comprising individual chips, which can in each case be mounted on a suitable carrier board, and to a method for producing such a wafer level package. Aspects of the invention can be achieved by the chip being thinned extremely from the back side and bonded onto a fiber reinforced synthetic resin sheet, forming a solidly bonded assembly that cannot come apart in the customary temperature range, and the edges of the assembly being at least partly coated with a polymer.

It has been found that the wafer level package (WLP) is currently the least expensive package of all. The reason for this is that the chips are contacted directly on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and the wire bonding, the critical leadframe and the encapsulation are no longer needed. The wafer level package has extremely small dimensions combined with extremely good electrical properties. In addition, all possibilities for testing and reworking are retained, and customary pick-and-place machines for printed circuit boards can be used.
"Wafer level package" is to be understood as meaning that the entire packaging and all the interconnections on the wafer as well as other processing steps are carried out before the singulation (dicing) into chips (dies). These singulated chips are then mounted directly on a substrate.
Furthermore, chips require an enclosure of a synthetic material, for example a polymer. This enclosure has the task of protecting the chip from corrosive environmental influences, in particular at the sawn edge in the region of the sequence of layers, and also, on a micromechanical level, protecting the fine bonding wires from damage and, on a macromechanical level, protecting the hard but brittle silicon from rupture.
This protection is brought about in the case of most chips or packages by enclosure in a synthetic material, known as a mold cap. For this purpose, the package together with the leadframe or some other carrier element, is completely encapsulated in a thermocuring epoxy resin (molding compound) in a mold. In this operation, the sawn edges, the bonding wires and the silicon are protected and, at the same time, the leadframe or the carrier element is incorporated.
In the case of the less expensive WLP, the task of protecting the bonding wires and the incorporation of the leadframe are no longer needed. In the case of the WLP, all that is necessary is to protect the sawn edges in the region of the layers from corrosive environmental influences and to protect the brittle silicon from the back side. To achieve this, the chips are singulated from the wafer assembly and respectively mounted on a board, for example in a way corresponding to flip-chip technology, and the back side of the chip and the sawn edges of the chip are subsequently encapsulated in a thermocuring epoxy resin.
However, the WLP has the disadvantage that it can only be used for small chips with an edge length of up to at most 2.5 mm. The reason for this is that larger chips have longer displacements under expansion (great DNP), which, in combination with the very different coefficients of expansion of 2.3 ppm/K in the case of the chip and 20 ppm/K in the case of the printed circuit board (PCB, glass-fiber reinforced epoxy resin), bring about a gradual detachment of the external soldered connections under the unavoidable temperature changes taking place. This means that the chips may fail prematurely in the thermal cycling test on the board (PCB), in that soldered connections develop cracks.
To circumvent this problem, two basic possibilities have so far become known.
The first possibility is to bring about a kind of "constrained securement" of the chip and printed circuit board. This can be achieved for example by an "underfill" between the chip and the printed circuit board, or a "polymer collar," which partly encloses the solder balls on the chip.
However, the "constrained securement" in the case of the "underfill," that is the introduction of a molding material between the chip and the printed circuit board by using capillary action, has the disadvantage that a repair (reworking) is only possible with difficulty. In addition, the "underfill" requires an additional working step. Furthermore, in the case of very large chips, such as DRAMs, the "underfill" is not adequately reliable in the long term.
The use of a "collar" has only a limited effect and is not adequate in the case of large chips, such as DRAMs.
The second possibility is that of a "free securement" of the chip and the printed circuit board. This can be achieved for example by "microsprings" (connecting elements designed in the manner of springs), "soft bumps" (elastic or compliant contact bumps), the use of a chip mounting film (tape), or a "double ball redistribution" (wiring interposer with in each case two contact balls one above the other, the lower contact ball being embedded in epoxy resin).
However, it can be stated that all the "free securements" have a major disadvantage in common. If the distance (H) between the chip and the printed circuit board is small (the shearing force at the solder ball is proportional to DNP divided by H), the "gain in freedom," and consequently the "gain in reliability," is also small. If the distance (H) between the chip and the printed circuit board is great, the "gain in freedom," and consequently the "gain in reliability," is indeed great, but at the same time the construction becomes thicker, which is at odds with increasing miniaturization.
This relationship can be expressed by a general formula:γ=ΔT(CTEdie−CTEboard)DNP/H where                y=shearing force        CTE=coefficient of thermal expansion of the die or of the board        ΔT=temperature range of the stress cycle        DNP=distance to the neutral point of the soldered connections        H=distance between die (chip) and board
It is evident from this formula that the shearing force depends in particular on H and decreases with increasing H.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,845 discloses a method for the packaging of a semiconductor chip. This method is based on the problem that, in the chip-on-board mounting of an unpackaged chip on a printed circuit board, a thermally induced stress occurs. This thermal stress is produced by the mismatch between the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the chip and the printed circuit board.
The method therefore provides that a thinned chip in the wafer assembly is mounted on a substrate with a compliant adhesive layer interposed. The compliant adhesive layer has the task of absorbing thermally induced stress. Silicon, ceramic or else glass-fiber reinforced epoxy resin (e.g. FR-4) may be used as the substrate material. Polyimide, epoxy resin, silicone or the like come into consideration for example for the compliant adhesive layer. After singulation, the correspondingly equipped chip can then be mounted on printed circuit boards.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Publication No. 2002/197771 A1 discloses a method for thinning a wafer by means of CMP (chemical mechanical polishing) and also an arrangement for protecting the thinned chips. To protect the chip from damage or rupture, a reinforcing means is applied to its back side. A flat sheet or a polyimide or polysilicone coating is used here as the reinforcing means. The invention is therefore based on the object of presenting a wafer level package which eliminates the disadvantages of the prior art. Problems of thermal mismatch and of board level reliability are eliminated, the accomplishment of adequately thin structures is allowed and dependable protection of the chip edges is allowed. Furthermore, methods by which such a wafer level package can be accomplished are to be presented.
This is achieved by the chip being thinned extremely from the back side and bonded onto a fiber reinforced synthetic resin sheet, forming a solidly bonded assembly that cannot come apart in the customary temperature range, and the edges of the assembly being at least partly coated with a polymer.
The synthetic resin sheet may in this case be mounted on the back side or the front side of the chip.
In continuation of the invention, the synthetic resin sheet on the front side of the chip is provided with via holes at the same pitch as the solder balls which are mounted on the side of the synthetic resin sheet that is opposite from the chip, the chip being mounted "face-down" on the synthetic resin sheet and electrically connected by the via holes.
The thickness of the thinned chips is around 10 μm to 100 μm and the thickness of the synthetic resin sheet is around 100–2000 μm.
The chips are preferably equipped with an M3-RDL system and with solder balls in a square 0.5 mm pitch.

Wafer level packages for chips with sawn edge protection


A method and apparatus of video coding using adaptive Inter prediction are disclosed. A selected Inter prediction process is determined, wherein the selected Inter prediction process selects an Inter prediction filter from multiple Inter prediction filters for the current block depending on first pixel data comprising neighbouring reconstructed pixels (NRP) of the current block. The selected Inter prediction process may be further determined depending on extra motion compensated pixels (EMCP) around a motion-compensated reference block corresponding to the current block. Distortion between the NRP and EMCP can be used to determine the selected Inter prediction filter. The distortion can be calculated using a sum of absolute differences or squared differences between the NRP and the EMCP.

Video data requires a lot of storage space to store or a wide bandwidth to transmit. Along with the growing high resolution and higher frame rates, the storage or transmission bandwidth requirements would be formidable if the video data is stored or transmitted in an uncompressed form. Therefore, video data is often stored or transmitted in a compressed format using video coding techniques. The coding efficiency has been substantially improved using newer video compression formats such as H.264/AVC and the emerging HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary adaptive Inter/Intra video coding system incorporating loop processing. For Inter-prediction, Motion Estimation (ME)/Motion Compensation (MC) 112 is used to provide prediction data based on video data from other picture or pictures. Switch 114 selects Intra Prediction 110 or Inter-prediction data and the selected prediction data is supplied to Adder 116 to form prediction errors, also called residues. The prediction error is then processed by Transform (T) 118 followed by Quantization (Q) 120. The transformed and quantized residues are then coded by Entropy Encoder 122 to be included in a video bitstream corresponding to the compressed video data. When an Inter-prediction mode is used, a reference picture or pictures have to be reconstructed at the encoder end as well. Consequently, the transformed and quantized residues are processed by Inverse Quantization (IQ) 124 and Inverse Transformation (IT) 126 to recover the residues. The residues are then added back to prediction data 136 at Reconstruction (REC) 128 to reconstruct video data. The reconstructed video data are stored in Reference Picture Buffer 134 and used for prediction of other frames. However, loop filter 130 (e.g. deblocking filter and/or sample adaptive offset, SAO) may be applied to the reconstructed video data before the video data are stored in the reference picture buffer.
FIG. 2 illustrates a system block diagram of a corresponding video decoder for the encoder system in FIG. 1. Since the encoder also contains a local decoder for reconstructing the video data, some decoder components are already used in the encoder except for the entropy decoder 210. Furthermore, only motion compensation 220 is required for the decoder side. The switch 146 selects Intra-prediction or Inter-prediction and the selected prediction data are supplied to reconstruction (REC) 128 to be combined with recovered residues. Besides performing entropy decoding on compressed residues, entropy decoding 210 is also responsible for entropy decoding of side information and provides the side information to respective blocks. For example, Intra mode information is provided to Intra-prediction 110, Inter mode information is provided to motion compensation 220, loop filter information is provided to loop filter 130 and residues are provided to inverse quantization 124. The residues are processed by IQ 124, IT 126 and subsequent reconstruction process to reconstruct the video data. Again, reconstructed video data from REC 128 undergo a series of processing including IQ 124 and IT 126 as shown in FIG. 2 and are subject to coding artefacts. The reconstructed video data are further processed by Loop filter 130.
In the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) system, the fixed-size macroblock of H.264/AVC is replaced by a flexible block, named coding unit (CU). Pixels in the CU share the same coding parameters to improve coding efficiency. A CU may begin with a largest CU (LCU), which is also referred as coded tree unit (CTU) in HEVC. Each CU is a 2N×2N square block and can be recursively split into four smaller CUs until the predefined minimum size is reached. Once the splitting of CU hierarchical tree is done, each leaf CU is further split into one or more prediction units (PUs) according to prediction type and PU partition. Furthermore, the basic unit for transform coding is square size named Transform Unit (TU).
In HEVC, Intra and Inter predictions are applied to each block (i.e., PU). Intra prediction modes use the spatial neighbouring reconstructed pixels to generate the directional predictors. On the other hand, Inter prediction modes use the temporal reconstructed reference frames to generate motion compensated predictors. The prediction residuals are coded using transform, quantization and entropy coding. More accurate predictors will lead to smaller prediction residual, which in turn will lead to less compressed data (i.e., higher compression ratio).
Inter predictions will explore the correlations of pixels between frames and will be efficient if the scene are stationary or the motion is translational. In such case, motion estimation can easily find similar blocks with similar pixel values in the temporal neighbouring frames. For Inter prediction in HEVC, the Inter prediction can be uni-prediction or bi-prediction. For uni-prediction, a current block is predicted by one reference block in a previous coded picture. For bi-prediction, a current block is predicted by two reference blocks in two previous coded pictures. The prediction from two reference blocks is averaged to form a final predictor for bi-prediction.
In many video coding standards, fractional motion vectors are also supported. For example, in the HEVC standard, the fractional motion compensation is implemented using a pre-defined 8-tap interpolation filter for the luma component and a pre-defined 4-tap interpolation filter for the chroma component, respectively. However, the process of Inter prediction in HEVC is fixed. For example, weighting factors (i.e., 0.5 and 0.5) in bi-directional prediction or filter coefficients in fractional motion compensation are fixed. Therefore, the conventional Inter prediction cannot adapt to the local characteristics of blocks well. Therefore, in order to further improve the compression efficiency of Inter prediction, it is desirable to develop adaptive Inter prediction method.

Method and apparatus of adaptive inter prediction in video coding


The bicycle seat pack comprises a clam shell structure wherein a top portion includes a releasably locking bicycle seat engaging assembly including a release lever. A zipper extending almost completely around a periphery of the pack allows for a drop down bottom portion to drop away from the top portion, allowing for easy access to the interior space, with enhanced accessibility allowing for compartmentalization of the inner space, if desired.

The present invention relates to a storage pack which is suspended from a bicycle seat. More particularly, the pack is made of a firm semirigid molded material, includes structure for releasably locking the pack to rails of the seat and, because of enhanced interior accessibility, if desired, may be compartmentalized.


The present invention relates to a method of efficiently managing dynamic multicast groups. In the method of efficiently managing dynamic multicast groups a hierarchical structure is used as a network structure for a multicast service. Accordingly, there are advantages in that groups can be merged or divided efficiently and overload depending on group management can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of efficiently managing dynamic multicast groups, and more particularly, to a method of efficiently managing dynamic multicast groups, which is capable of providing efficient group management, such as the extension or reduction of groups, through a hierarchical structure when multicast service is provided to a specific group in network environment.
2. Background of the Related Art
Multicast schemes have recently been applied to transmit digital information over a public network, such as paid TV, paid video service, and secret teleconference based on the Internet. In multicast communication, a group message is transmitted to all members belonging to a group. In general, in order to control access rights to information in a multicast group, data is encrypted using a group key (a session key). The group key is known to only the members within the group, and only member who know the key can decrypt messages. Multicast communication is excellent in terms of efficiency because messages are transmitted to each of n group members n times, but the messages have only to be sent to all members only once. The multicast communication however requires improvement in the stability of privacy resulting from a change in groups and the efficiency of a key update task because of the addition or deletion of members.
In the prior art, in the case where a new member joins a group or the existing member secedes from a group, problems arise in normal service and in the extension of groups because a group key update has to be frequently performed so as to update a group key and a session key used by members.

Method of managing group of dynamic multicast efficiently


A thin-film magnetic head comprises at least one of an electromagnetic transducer and a magnetoresistive device, and a heater member adapted to generate heat upon energization. The heater member contains NiCu or NiCr.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thin-film magnetic head, a head gimbal assembly, and a hard disk drive.
2. Related Background Art
A thin-film magnetic head provided with an electromagnetic transducer for writing and a magnetoresistive device for reproducing is configured so as to float up from a hard disk, which is a recording medium, at the time of recording/reproducing with respect to a hard disk drive. Specifically, the thin-film magnetic head is mounted to a gimbal, which is attached to a leading end part of a flexible suspension arm, so as to construct a head gimbal assembly (HGA). As an airflow accompanying the rotation of the hard disk runs under the thin-film magnetic head, the suspension arm flexes, whereby the head floats up.
As hard disks have been achieving a higher density, the gap between the thin-film magnetic head and a hard disk, i.e., the head flying height, has been decreasing from 20 nm to 15 nm, and further to 10 nm, thereby approaching its limit.

Thin-film magnetic head, head gimbal assembly, and hard disk drive incorporating a heater


A signal transmission cable driver apparatus for transmitting an input signal through a transmission cable performs frequency compensation without using a peaking coil. The signal transmission cable driver apparatus includes a transmission driver for receiving the input signal and driving the transmission cable to transmit the input signal therethrough, and transition signal drive means having a capacitor circuit for detecting transition of the input signal by charge/discharge in the capacitor circuit and amplifying currents in said charge/discharge of the capacitor circuit, wherein the currents amplified by the transition signal drive means are superimposed on the input signal driven by the transmission driver at an input of the transmission cable.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a signal transmission cable driver apparatus which is able to compensate waveform deteriorations at a receiving point of a transmission cable for accurately transmitting signal waveforms of high speed logic signals and the like.
2. Background Art
In transmitting a high-speed logic signal through a long transmission line, it is not easy, at a receiving end (reproduction port), to accurately reproduce the signal waveforms originally provided to a sending end (transmission port). Examples of transmission lines or cables for use in such high speed logic signal transmission include coaxial cables, twist pair cables, and printed circuit board pattern wiring. The transmission cables involve transmission loss which deteriorates the waveforms of the logic signals propagating therethrough.
The transmission loss in such a transmission line is frequency dependent such that a power level of the signal in the line is decreased typically by a root of the frequency (1/2 root) of the signal. The transmission loss also varies depending on the types of transmission medium, typically insulation materials surrounding the cable cores. Major factors of the transmission loss includes a skin effect of transmission line, dielectric loss of insulation material of the transmission line, and the like.
As a result of the transmission loss, the signal waveform is impaired by the time when it reached the receiving port because high frequency components thereof, such as amplitudes of sharp edges, are reduced through the transmission line. Thus, it is not possible to accurately reproduce the original waveforms and/or the original timings of the logic signal at the receiving end.
In case where a logic signal of a narrow pulse width is transmitted through the transmission line, a received signal will be further deteriorate as shown in FIG. 8. In addition to the reduction of the signal amplitude, the reproduced signal at the receiving end may have a pulse width R.sub.w2 which is smaller than a pulse width R.sub.w1 at the sending end. This means that the timing accuracy of the logic signals is also adversely affected by the transmission loss. When the pulse width of the logic signal is too narrow, such a signal may even disappear during the travel through the transmission line.
FIG. 6 shows an example of signal transmission cable driver in the conventional technology which is a differential transmission circuit having a frequency compensation circuit. This circuit has a structure in which a transmission port transmits a differential signal through two coaxial cables or a pair of twist cables and a receiving port receives the differential signal with no reflection by connecting a terminal resistor at the receiving end. As shown in FIG. 6, frequency compensation circuits are provided at both the transmission port and the receiving port to compensate the high frequency components that are lost because of the transmission loss in the transmission cables when traveling through the cables. Each of the frequency compensation circuits is formed with coils and resistors.
The differential transmission circuit of FIG. 6 includes a transmission driver 70, a pair of transmission cables 90, and a transmission signal receiver circuit 80. The transmission driver 70 is formed of a differential driver circuit 72, sending port pull-up resistors 74, and a frequency compensation circuit 75. The transmission signal receiver circuit 80 is formed of a differential receiver circuit 82, terminal resistors 84, and a frequency compensation circuit 85.
FIG. 7 shows waveforms at several points of this transmission circuit. FIG. 7a shows an input transmission signal 100 which is a differential pulse signal of rectangular waveforms provided to a pair of input terminals of the transmission driver 70. FIG. 7b shows a pulse wave 91.sub.WAV at an output of the transmission driver 70. The pulse wave 91.sub.WAV has a high frequency compensated waveform as shown by the shaded portions of FIG. 7b. The high frequency compensated waveform is created by adding a peak current I.sub.peak produced by the frequency compensation circuit 75 to the output of the transmission driver 70.
FIG. 7d shows a waveform 93.sub.WAV received by the transmission receiver circuit 80 at the end of the transmission cable 90. The received waveform 93.sub.WAV has a high frequency compensated waveform shown by the shaded portions which is formed by the peak current produced by the frequency compensation circuit 75 mentioned above as well as a peak current produced by the frequency compensation circuit 85. FIG. 7c shows a logic waveform 81.sub.out that is reproduced by the differential receiver circuit 82. When the frequency compensation circuit 85 is not present, the logic signal 81.sub.out tends to become a signal with an unstable range such as shown in the shaded portions of FIG. 7c, or with timing fluctuations or variations, or jitters.
By utilizing the frequency compensation circuits, such problems of signal waveform deterioration can be avoided. Thus, more accurate reproduction of transmission signals is achieved by maintaining a predetermined relationship, i.e., compensating the transmission loss in the high frequency range between the input transmission signal 100 and the output logic signal 81.sub.out.
For a transmission circuit that requires high timing accuracy, the output logic signal 81.sub.out is required to have an accurate timing reproduction that corresponds to the timing of the input transmission signal 100. The frequency compensation circuits 75 and 85 are effective to achieve this goal. The frequency compensation circuit 75 in the sending port includes coils 76 and resistors 78 for peaking the input logic signal 100 to be transmitted. The frequency compensation circuit 85 of the receiving port includes coils 86 and resistors 88 in series with the terminal resistor 84 for peaking the received logic signal. The example of FIG. 6 is a case wherein both the sending port and the receiving port include the frequency compensation circuits. However, another configuration is possible in which only one of the ports has a frequency compensation circuit. The above circuit configuration is used for transmission of high-speed, high timing accuracy signals through a plurality of transmission cables such as between a main frame of a semiconductor test system and a test head.
In the foregoing transmission circuit, all of the circuit components, with the exception of the peaking coils 76 and 86, can be integrated into an LSI circuit relatively easily through a monolithic IC process. However, the peaking coils 76 and 86 need to have a winding structure. Thus, although means for miniaturizing coils by chip inductor, etc. has been developed, further drastic miniaturization is difficult. In particular, integration of the coils into a monolithic IC such as an LSI is practically impossible. Thus, coils are major factors in the high speed logic transmission that prevent further improvement of the mounting density in the transmission apparatus. This mounting density problem will be especially serious in semiconductor test apparatuses, super high-speed computers, and automatic switching systems which require high-speed logic signal transmission through multiple channels.

Signal transmission cable driver apparatus without a peaking coil


A method of conveying information to a nervous system of a person has the steps of disintegrating an initial information into separate streams; coding each of the streams as a sequence of signals; transmitting the signals of each of the streams to separate fixed areas of a tactile sensitivity of a person which areas together form a total information zone; and cyclically changing a function of coding to ensure integration of a perceived information by a person, within limits of the cycle by choosing parameters of the function and a law changing the function in time.

The present invention relates to methods of conveying information to nervous system of a person. Such methods can be used by people with affected sensing organs, for example by blind or deaf people.
Methods of the above mentioned general type are known in the art. One of such well known methods is disclosed in the patent document WO 96/33481 of Oct. 24, 1996. The method disclosed in this reference deals with conveyor information to the nervous system of a person, which includes disintegration of an initial information into separate streams, coating each stream as a sequence of signals, and transmitting each stream signals to separate fixed points situated on the integument of a person formed in total tactile information zone. The above described method has a disadvantage that during transmission of signals to the sensitive skin information zone the receptors adapt to coming influences, and as a result their sensitivity reduces. Another disadvantage of the existing method is that strong signals not only activated receptors of the areas of the skin sensitive zone to which they are being transmitted, but also the receptors of adjacent points. As a result, the perception of relatively weak signals is suppressed by strong ones. Therefore the application of this method is accompanied by reducing discernibility of the signals perception and loss of information being sent to the skin sensitive zone.

Method of conveying information to nervous system of a person

Kosmodiamianskay nab., d. 4/22, korp. 5 kv. 164


A high-sensity infrared detector system includes circuitry for summing the luminance values of flux received by the photosensitive cells in a detection matrix, these values being read in succession by a CCD read circuit at a frame rate and then converted to select adding operations applied to match the characteristics of a detector scan. An accumulator consists of an integrator having a multiplier connected to a memory containing sets of coefficients, each coefficient having two possible values and each value indicating a type of addition--with or without a cell shift. Secondly, an accumulator is provided to sum the luminance values following a defined scheme. A scanning system outputs data concerning the scan characteristics to detector selection circuits to select a set of coefficients from memory.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention applies to target acquisition involving location of a target followed by target tracking using infrared imagery; more specifically, the invention is a high-sensitivity infrared detector and an infrared camera using such a detector to fulfil, in particular, target acquisition functions.
Conventionally, infrared cameras include a detector in the form of a strip or mosaic of photosensitive cells arranged, respectively, either in a row of a small number of cells or in a matrix of rows and columns. This detector is placed on the cold face of a cryostat and analyzes an image of the scene received through a lens. An opto-mechanical system scans this image on the detector to generate a signal proportional to the luminous flux received from the scene observed. Examples are the 288.times.4-pixel strip and the 32.times.32-pixel matrix developed by SOFRADIR. These cameras produce a video signal by converting, between two read operations, the charges accumulated in storage sinks which are directly proportional to the flux received by each pixel. The conversion is done by devices known as CCDs (Charge-Coupled Devices). These devices are controlled by an addressing circuit and allow selective access to the storage sinks; they multiplex the charges stored to form the video signal.
Matrix detectors with a considerably higher number of cells have been developed recently. These detectors analyze the image directly without needing a scan system and then form veritable electronic-scan retinas. For example, LIR have developed a 128.times.128-pixel electronic retina.
Generally, infrared cameras are used in homing heads capable of searching for a target and then tracking it, depending on the mission phase.
In the search mode, the camera must scan all or part of the accessible surrounding space. The camera must, therefore, be used with an opto-mechanical scanning system located at input to the homing head, for example a panoramic mirror with a variable line of sight. The scene contents can then vary quickly in time.
In the tracking mode, once the camera has identified or "locked onto" the target, the line of sight varies little since the image processing resources allow it to be slaved to the target direction. The contents of the scene seen then vary little during this second phase.
Regardless of the mode in which the camera is used, high sensitivity is required to correctly analyze the signal output. In fact, the continuous component of the signal, representing the scene background, forms a very large part of the signal compared to the variable component which represents the useful information. For example, in conventional 3-5 .mu.m and 8-12 .mu.m infrared spectrum windows, a difference of 1.degree. in temperature between the scene and the background only changes the video signal 1% compared to the continuous component.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general terms, to improve the sensitivity, it is essential to increase the signal level detected for each unit surface area in the image of the scene observed, generally referred to as the picture element or pixel.
One solution is to increase the period over which the charges in the storage sinks are accumulated but saturation of the sinks considerably limits the efficiency of this method.
Another solution is to increase the number of photosensitive cells for each pixel: it is known that the sensitivity of a detector is proportional to the square root of the number of photosensitive cells used to form a given pixel. However, the image resolution decreases quickly.
These two general methods therefore offer very limited possibilities of improving the sensitivity.
A specific technique has therefore been developed, for each mode of infrared camera use, to further increase the sensitivity of the detectors; this improvement is obtained by following each pixel in time and accumulating the successive charges received for the same pixel.
In the search mode, the image changes quickly in time and the most suitable method of improving sensitivity uses the TDI technique (Time-Delay Integration). TDI involves adding the charges stored, in succession, by the various individual photosensitive cells which receive, at different times, the light flux corresponding to a given point in the scene observed. The processing may be applied at the detector itself (when it is known as internal TDI) or outside the detector (external TDI), using a digital operator and a memory dedicated to this function. TDI can only be applied to scanning detectors whose photosensitive cells "see" the same point in the scene as successive instants and is not, therefore, suitable for static electronic retinas or matrix detectors.
In the tracking mode, sensitivity is improved by a technique known as post-integration. This technique is based on the fact that, because the scene observed varies very little in time, a given individual cell sees the same pixel at different instants. Post-integration then involves summing, pixel by pixel, n successive charges corresponding to n successive images. For a given pixel, the equivalent time over which the charges stored are accumulated is thus increased without saturating the storage sinks. To implement this function requires the use, after digitization, of an image memory and a dedicated operator. Post integration is only applicable to detector retinas or, possibly, detectors used statically, i.e. with no scan.
Consequently, it is only possible to improve the sensitivity of the detectors described above in one homing head operating mode to the exclusion of the other, i.e. by using scanning detectors in the target location mode and static detectors in the target tracking mode.
The problem is to obtain a signal whose sensitivity remains high for both these main phases in a conventional target acquisition function, i.e. during both the search phase and then, after locking onto an identified target, in the target tracking phase.

High-sensitivity infrared detector and an infrared camera using such a detector


An insert for a downdraft extractor includes a removable filter element for filtering a stream of cooking fumes, and a removable collecting element for receiving liquids. The collecting element has at least one wall which serves as a flow directing surface for deflecting the stream of cooking fumes.

DE 10 2007 002 241 A1 discloses a fume extractor system by means of which cooking fumes are extracted downward. Systems of this type are also referred to as downdraft extractors or downdraft systems.
DE 20 2013 010 646 U1 discloses a grease filter insert.
There is a constant need to improve downdraft extractors, in particular in respect of the degree of grease removal and/or their cleaning.


A method of fabricating a light emitting device includes modulating a crystal growth parameter to grow a quantum well layer that is inhomogeneous and that has a non-random composition fluctuation across the quantum well layer.

Semiconductor light-emitting devices such as Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes typically utilize an active layer, where electrons and holes combine to emit light. Table 1, which is presented below, describes the epitaxial layer structure of an LED that emits light at a wavelength of 345 nm. The structure utilizes multiple quantum well active layers with homogeneous composition. In Table 1, the layers are numbered in order from 1 to 426, with 1 being the top most layer and 426 the layer closest to the substrate. In order to save space, in situations where a specific sequence of layers is merely repeated a number of times, the number of times that the original sequence repeats is indicated in the "repetition" column of Table 1. For example, although layers 4-43 are not specified, the sequence of layers 2 and 3 is repeated 20 times. Thus, all even layers between 2 and 44 (layers 4, 6, 8, 10, . . . , 38, 40, 42) are the same as layer 2, while all odd layers between 3 and 45 (5, 7, 9, . . . , 39, 41, 43) are the same as layer 3.
The "composition" column of Table 1 is self-explanatory, as is the "thickness" column. Some layers are indicated as having a dopant, for example, layer 2 (Al0.30Ga0.70N: Si) is doped with silicon. The "comments" column of Table 1 provides additional descriptive information about the layer or group of layers. For example, layers 49 and 53 are the quantum well layers and have a relatively low band gap, while layers 46-48, 50-52, and 54-56 serve as the barriers and have a relatively high band gap compared to the quantum well layers.
TABLE 1ThicknessLayerComposition(nm)RepetitionComments1GaN:Mg20p-contact2Al.30Ga.70N:Si3.0620p-cladding,3Al.28Ga.72N:Si3.82144.48 nm total44Al.26Ga.74N:Mg66.96p-waveguide45Al.48Ga.52N:Mg21.88tunnel barrierlayer46InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N4.06barrier47InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N:Si2.3248InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N4.0649InxAl(.15−x)Ga.85N5.25quantum well50InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N4.06barrier51InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N:Si2.3252InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N4.0653InxAl(.15−x)Ga.85N5.25quantum well54InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N4.06barrier55InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N:Si2.3256InxAl(.18−x)Ga.82N4.0657InxAl(.26−x)Ga.74N:Si70.56n-waveguide58Al.28Ga.72N:Si3.16100n-cladding,59Al.30Ga.70N:Si2.33555.22 nm total260Al.30Ga.70N:Si0.728261Al.31Ga.69N:Si1198.35n-contact layer262Al.31Ga.69N159.78interface layer tolow Al263GaN0.2540strain relief layer264AlN0.38345GaN0.2539346AlN1.0425AlN28.8surfaceconditioning layer426Al.83Ga.27N1200AlGaN templateSapphire substrate
The active region of the 345 nm LED described above in Table 1 are layers 46-56. These layers include three barrier layers and two 5.25 nm-thick quantum wells composed of InxAl(0.15−x)Ga0.85N with x—the indium component—nominally at 1%.
Table 2, which is presented below, summarizes the Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) gas flow conditions for each of the quantum wells (layers 49 and 53) of Table 1. A constant flow rate of 0.9 cc/min of tri-methyl gallium (TMG), 0.4 cc/min of tri-methyl aluminum (TMA), and 80 cc/min of tri-methyl indium (TMI) is employed during the 120 second growth time of each quantum well.
TABLE 2Time (sec)TMG (cc/min)TMA (cc/min)TMI (cc/min)0-1200.90.480
Most light-emitting semiconductor devices such as LEDs and laser diodes employ quantum wells with uniform material compositions, such as the quantum wells described above in Table 1. Thus, conventional quantum well designs employ very uniform material and require the crystal grower to go to great lengths to ensure that the quantum well material is as homogeneous as possible.
While such active layers are well suited for many applications, they may not be optimal for some material systems, including those necessary for accessing the green and deep UltraViolet (UV) wavelength regions. The green wavelength region may be considered to be from about 470 nanometers (nm) to about 550 nm, while the deep UV wavelength region may be considered to be from about 200 nm to about 365 nm. For example, with InxGa1−xN, the high In component needed to attain a bandgap for green emission usually leads to uncontrollable segregation of InN or GaN during material growth. For the deep UV wavelength range, it becomes increasingly difficult to grow high quality quantum wells with the high Al-containing AlGaN. Example embodiments address these and other disadvantages of the conventional art.
FIG. 1 is a graph 100 illustrating the L-I (light vs. current) characteristics of 300 μm×300 μm deep UV LEDs that employs conventional quantum well active layers having uniform material composition. FIG. 2 is a graph 200 illustrating the L-I characteristics of 200 μm×200 μm deep UV LEDs that employ conventional quantum well active layers having uniform material composition. Graphs 100 and 200 are referenced in the description of the example embodiments below for comparison purposes.

Light emitting devices with inhomogeneous quantum well active regions


In a surface acoustic wave device, an excitation electrode 5 in a surface acoustic wave element is provided on a lower surface of a piezoelectric substrate 3, and the lower surface of the piezoelectric substrate 3 is disposed in a state where it is opposed to an upper surface of a mounting base member 2. The surface acoustic wave device comprises a through hole 9 penetrating between the upper surface and a lower surface of the mounting base member 2, a lead electrode 10 closing the through hole 9 and formed so as to extend to the lower surface of the mounting base member 2, and an insulator 11 covering the lead electrode 10 so as to expose its partial area 16. When the surface acoustic wave device is mounted on a circuit board or the like, therefore, the through hole 9 is closed by the insulator 11, so that no bubbles are produced in the through hole 9, and cracks can be prevented from appearing, thereby making it possible to provide a highly reliable surface acoustic wave device having no inferior connection or the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface acoustic wave device having a so-called face down structure comprising a base member and a piezoelectric substrate having a surface acoustic wave element formed on its one main surface and configured by opposing the one main surface of the piezoelectric substrate to an upper surface of the base member, and an electronic circuit device in which the surface acoustic wave device is disposed on a circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, surface acoustic wave filters have been widely utilized in a communication field, and particularly are frequently used for mobile communication apparatuses. The mobile communication apparatus has evolved to a multifunctional apparatus also having functions serving as a digital camera and a radio receiver and further the function of remotely controlling home electric appliances.
In such flow, the number of devices employed for mobile communication apparatuses tends to be increased. However, the size of the mobile communication apparatus is difficult to increase from a request of the market. Therefore, it is required to reduce the size and the height of a device employed for the mobile communication apparatus.
Surface acoustic wave filters so far used for mobile communication apparatuses generally have a so-called CSP (Chip Size Package) structure mounted on ceramic substrates in a face down structure. In recent years, CSP structures using resin substrates have been proposed from reasons such as the reason that fabrication is easy.
An example of a surface acoustic wave device 1′ having a CSP structure using such a resin substrate is illustrated in FIG. 16. Here, "2" denotes a mounting base member composed of a resin substrate having a through hole 9 formed therein. A lead electrode 10 having a via conductor formed in the through hole 9 is provided on a lower surface of the mounting base member 2. A connecting pad 8 and a solder bump 7 are formed in an area, where the through hole 9 is positioned, on an upper surface of the mounting base member 2, and are connected to an excitation electrode 5 formed on a lower surface of a piezoelectric substrate 3 comprising a surface acoustic wave element and a signal electrode 6 electrically connected thereto.
The surface acoustic wave element is thus mounted on the mounting base member 2 in a face down bonding structure, thereby configuring the surface acoustic wave device 1′. In the drawings, "11" denotes an insulator (a solder resist film) for preventing, when the surface acoustic wave device 1′ is mounted on a circuit board, described later, through a solder, lead electrodes 10 from being short-circuited by the solder.
FIGS. 17 and 18 are cross-sectional views showing the steps of mounting the surface acoustic wave device 1′ on a circuit board 15 in an electronic circuit device.
A connecting pad 12 for connection is formed on an upper surface of the circuit board 15. A solder bump 13 is formed on the connecting pad 12.
When the surface acoustic wave device 1′ is mounted on the circuit board 15, portions, just below the signal electrode 6 and the connecting pad 8, of the lead electrode 10 on the lower surface of the mounting base member 2 must be positioned just above the solder bump 13, the positions where conductors on the side of the surface acoustic wave device 1′, i.e., the signal electrode 6 and the connecting pad 8 are formed are limited.
When an attempt to connect the surface acoustic wave device 1′ to the circuit board 15 in a state where a recess exists in the lead electrode 10 formed within the through hole 9 in the surface acoustic wave device 1′, as shown in FIG. 17, the thickness of the solder bump 13 cannot be accurately controlled in mounting the surface acoustic wave device 1′, so that a clearance W may easily occur on a lower surface of the insulator 11, as shown in FIG. 18. A solder in the solder bump 13 flows into the clearance W, so that the solder may be brought into contact with the other lead electrode 10 and the connecting pad 12 and short-circuited. If such short occurs, the excitation electrodes 5 are electrically connected to one another.
Furthermore, in the case of the connection by the solder bump 13, bubbles V may remain within the recess of the via conductor, as shown in FIG. 18. If water is included in the bubbles V, the water vaporizes by heat at the time of solder reflow and heat generated from the surface acoustic wave device itself at the time of application of a high power so that the bubbles V rapidly expand, which may cause some phenomena (hereinafter referred to as popcorn phenomena). For example, separation occurs between the mounting base member 2 and the piezoelectric substrate 3, and cracks appear in the lead electrode 10 and the solder bump 13 by a shock due to such rapid expansion of the bubbles V.
Consequently, the reliabilities of the surface acoustic wave device and the electronic circuit device using the same are reduced.
Furthermore, in a surface acoustic wave device comprising a plurality of surface acoustic wave elements having passbands of different frequencies, a device for preventing electromagnetic interference between the surface acoustic wave elements has been required.
An object of the present invention is to provide a versatile surface acoustic wave device having a large degree of freedom of the position where a conductor is formed and an electronic circuit device using the same.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a highly reliable surface acoustic wave device which prevents the flow of a solder to the utmost and has no problems such as inferior connection and an electronic device using the same.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide, in a surface acoustic wave device comprising a plurality of surface acoustic wave elements having passbands of different frequencies, a surface acoustic wave device being small in size and superior in isolation properties between the surface acoustic wave elements and reliability and an electronic circuit device using the same.

Surface acoustic wave device and electronic circuit device