A first inverter includes a plurality of first gate elements having first gate electrodes which extend in a first direction. A second inverter includes a plurality of second gate elements having second gate electrodes which extend in the first direction. A gate length of the first gate electrodes is the same as a gate length of the second gate electrodes, and a gate width of the first gate electrodes which is defined by a first active region, is the same as a gate width of the second gate electrodes which is defined by a second active region.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amplification circuit amplifying a pulse signal (e.g., a clock pulse signal), and more particularly to the amplification circuit which will be useful when an oscillation circuit is constituted by combining the amplification circuit with an oscillator (e.g., a quartz oscillator, a ceramic oscillator).
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional oscillation circuit which is constituted by combining an amplification circuit with an oscillator, is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication: HEI02-010869, published on Jan. 16, 1990, and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication: HEI05-267935, published on Oct. 15, 1993. Such a conventional oscillation circuit includes a first inverter circuit, a feedback resistor which is parallel connected to the first inverter circuit, a second inverter circuit which adjusts a waveform of an output signal of the first inverter circuit, and an oscillator which is connected in parallel to the first inverter circuit.
The first and second inverters consist of, for example, a complementary MOS circuit (CMOS circuit) which includes a P-channel gate element serially connecting to an N-channel gate element. Such gate elements consist of, for example, a MOS type field effect transistor. The first inverter receives a pulse signal from an oscillator, and compares the received pulse signal with a threshold voltage Vt1 of the first inverter, and then outputs an alternating signal which alternately changes amplitude between plus and minus on the basis of the threshold voltage Vt1. The second inverter compares the alternating signal with a threshold voltage Vt2 of the second inverter and shapes the alternating signal to have a rectangular pulse waveform.
A gate length L and a gate width W of the gate element of the first and second inverters are designed so that the first and second inverters have desired electrical properties. And, a pattern size of the first inverter is different from that of the second inverter. The threshold voltages Vt1 and Vt2 of the first and second inverters are decided on the basis of dimensions of the P type and N type gate elements of the first and second inverters, respectively. Specifically, the threshold voltages Vt1 and Vt2 are decided on the basis of a ratio (a dimension ratio) between the dimension of the P type gate element and that of the N type gate element.
Such dimension is indicated as W/L, whereby L and W denote the gate length and gate width of a transistor, respectively. Similarly, the above mentioned dimension ratio is indicated as Wp/Lp:Wn/Ln, whereby Lp and Wp respectively denote the gate length and gate width of the PMOS transistor, and Ln and Wn respectively denote the gate length and gate width of the NMOS transistor.
In this specification, a MOS transistor is used as the gate element. And, specifically, while the gate length L of the MOS transistor is a length between source and drain regions of the MOS transistor, in this specification, the gate length L of the MOS transistor is explained as a length of a gate electrode along a channel region between the source and drain regions of the MOS transistor.
When the gate element is a MOS transistor having an offset structure, the gate length L of the MOS transistor is equal to a length between source and drain regions of the MOS transistor. And, when the gate element is a MIS transistor, the gate length L of the MIS transistor is equal to a length between source and drain electrodes of the MIS transistor.
When a gap exists or there is a difference between the threshold voltages Vt1 and Vt2 of the first and second inverters, a pulse width of the amplified pulse signal waveform is different from a pulse separation of the amplified pulse signal waveform. As a result, a distortion of the amplified pulse signal occurs. The P type and N type gate elements of the first and second inverters are designed in consideration of the dimensions (Wp/Lp and Wn/Ln) of the gate elements.
However, when the gate electrode of the first inverter extends along a direction which is different from an extending direction of the gate electrode of the second inverter, the gate length and/or the gate width of the gate element of each of the inverters varies, due to expansion and contraction of a semiconductor substrate which occurs because of warping of the semiconductor substrate. Such a variation of one of the inverters in the warp direction of the semiconductor substrate varies the dimensions (Wp/Lp and Wn/Ln). Specifically, since the dimension ratio (Wp/Lp Wn/Ln) of the first and second inverters varies, the threshold voltages Vt1 and Vt2 reciprocally vary. Similarly, such variation also occurs, due to a difference between coefficients of linear thermal expansion of the first and second inverters in response to a crystal orientation of the semiconductor substrate.
And, when the gate length and the gate width of the gate elements of the first inverter are different from those of the second inverter, even if the variation of the dimension of the first inverter is equal to that of the second inverter, the dimension ratio (Wp/Lp:Wn/Ln) between the first and second inverters varies. Such a variation of the dimension ratio (Wp/Lp:Wn/Ln) between the first and second inverters is called to a dimension gap.
The electrical properties of the amplification circuit and the oscillation circuit having the amplification circuit degrades, due to a gap between the threshold voltages Vt1 and Vt2 of the first and second inverters corresponding to the above mentioned dimension gap between the first and second inverters. As a result, the ability of the power supply to provide power without noise is reduced.

Amplification circuit and oscillation circuit including inverter circuits having a same threshold voltage


A communications network wherein first and second optical signals can be launched into an optical fiber in respective first and second regions of a transmission window such that controllable filters can be used to selectively recover the first and second optical signals. This partitioning of the transmission window allows two incompatible optical signals to coexist in the same optical fiber.

Conventional optical communication networks operate by sending light pulses of a predetermined period, for example such that a pulse represents a '1' and no pulse represents a '0'. This technique enables signals to be sent at data rates of up to 10 Gb/s and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) techniques can be used to send multiple signals over a single fiber. Dense WDM (DWDM) enables up to 160 wavelengths to be used such that a single fiber can potentially carry 1.6 Tb/s of data. In order to enable compatibility between network components from different vendors, the ITU has specified a grid of wavelengths that are used in DWDM systems (see ITU-T G.694.1). One of the transmission phenomena present in optical fibers is chromatic dispersion, which causes the transmitted pulse to spread out, such that it becomes difficult to recover the transmitted signal at the receiver. The effects of dispersion can be mitigated by installing dispersion compensating modules (DCMs) into the network, but this adds to the cost and the complexity of the network.
Coherent optical transmission systems are thought to provide the best option for transmitting data at a rate in excess of 40 Gb/s. Coherent optical transmission systems are similar to the transmission systems used in wireless systems. Rather than turning an optical transmitter on and off to generate a pulse, an optical signal is modulated, for example in terms of phase or frequency, with a data signal. When the optical signal is received it is then recovered using a local oscillator and the transmitted data can be obtained by demodulating the optical signal. Dispersion is less of a problem and can be compensated for electronically during the demodulation of the optical signal, so it will be seen that coherent optical transmission systems do not require DCMs to be installed in the network, and in fact they work better without.
As data transmission rates increase further, for example beyond 100 Gb/s, then the optical signals required to transmit such data rates may not fit into the grid of wavelengths that are defined in the DWDM specifications. It is preferred, for reasons of flexibility and spectral efficiency, that for such high data rates, network operators are able to determine which regions of the optical transmission window are used to transmit specific signals. For example, one signal may extend across the space in the window that is reserved for multiple DWDM wavelengths.

BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY


The invention provides a device for detecting FABP in a blood sample from a patient, methods for analyzing blood on the presence of FABP, as well as methods and kits for the detection of FABP in a blood sample from a patient.

Blood tests can be used to identify deviations from normal blood pictures, by virtue of which the presence of a pathological anomaly or a risk factor can, for example, be established, or it may at least indicate that further investigation is necessary or advisable. Of course, also a healthy blood picture can be established.
U.S. 2003/0175167 describes a device by which a quantity of blood can be taken up into a chamber, wherein the blood is diluted and then at least in part pressed through a filter. The filter is selected such that at least the blood plasma from the blood can pass the filter and be collected in a collection space, while at least the blood cells from the blood can not pass through the filter and remain in the chamber. Subsequently, a seal is provided in the passage between the chamber and said collection space, in order to prevent exchange of plasma and cells. The device is then send to a laboratory by mail, in order to carry out an analysis on the plasma. It is particularly important that the separation between the plasma and red blood cells is maintained, because otherwise the plasma is useless for many tests thereafter. The analysis of the blood plasma is done, for example, by spectral analysis.
U.S. 2004/0133146 describes a device, whereby blood is drawn using a thin tube, which blood is then delivered in a chamber, after which it is pressed against a filter with the help of a plunger, such that at least the blood plasma is forced through the filter and at least the red blood cells are left behind in the chamber. The separated blood plasma can then be examined, for example, by spectral analysis.
Compared to whole blood analysis, these devices provide the benefit that the blood does not need to be centrifuged. With this, it suffices to draw less blood and tests can be performed more quickly.
These prior art devices, and the methods in which they are used, have the disadvantage that they still require relatively long periods of time before a test result is known to the patient whose blood has been drawn or to the therapist. After all, while only small amounts of blood need to be drawn and while centrifugation is no longer required, the analysis must be carried out in a laboratory, so that relatively long periods of time are required for shipping and processing. Moreover, it may be experience as a disadvantage to the patient that others can become aware of the test results, even earlier than the patient himself.
Furthermore, a device is for example known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,575 wherein use is made of reagents, whereby a drop of blood is deposited on top of a filter. Driven by capillary action and/or gravity blood plasma is guided through a filter layer while the red blood cells are left behind on the filter. In or around the filtering layer a reagent is provided which can react with a substance in the blood plasma. Thereafter, a visual inspection of the visible surface of the device it can be established (through discoloration or emerging lines) whether or not the analyte is present in the blood. DE 29 22 958 describes multi-layer filters having different reagents for different pathological or otherwise indicative factors in blood.
Such a device offers the advantage that the test can be performed by a patient or in his or her presence, so that the time for obtaining the test results can be significantly shortened.
However such tests still require several tens of minutes or longer, which is undesirable in many cases. In addition, these tests have the disadvantage that they are very susceptible to, for example, contamination from outside, since the device is open, while in addition the degree of separation and thus the amount of blood plasma obtained cannot not be determined with sufficient precision. In particular when multi-layer filters are used with different reagents, this disadvantage is exacerbated because it is unclear how much blood plasma is provided to which layer of the filter and the runtime, and thus the time until result of the test, increases with the number of filter layers.
The invention aims to provide a device and/or process for analyzing blood for the presence of an analyte.
In particular, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a process and/or device for the relatively rapid separation of at least plasma and red blood cells from whole blood and then analyze at least the blood plasma. A further objective of the invention is to provide a process and/or device with which a user can perform a blood test autonomously and relatively fast.
It is another objective of the invention to provide a device and/or process for the separation and analysis of blood, which gives indications on thresholds or values of one or more analytes present in blood, in particular FABP.

Device and method for separating and analyzing blood


The present invention includes a method for converting renewable energy source electricity and a hydrocarbon feedstock into a liquid fuel by providing a source of renewable electrical energy in communication with a synthesis gas generation unit and an air separation unit. Oxygen from the air separation unit and a hydrocarbon feedstock is provided to the synthesis gas generation unit, thereby causing partial oxidation reactions in the synthesis gas generation unit in a process that converts the hydrocarbon feedstock into synthesis gas. The synthesis gas is then converted into a liquid fuel.

Wind and solar power can provide important new sources of electricity that are renewable and do not contribute to greenhouse gas generation. However, these sources provide the electricity in a highly variable manner. This makes it difficult to match the electricity production to the needs of the electrical utilities that consume it. In addition, the electrical transmission system capability will need to be increased in order to move the electricity from where it is generated to where it is consumed. A further issue is that electricity does not provide a means to make a substantial reduction in petroleum use in the near term since it cannot be used to directly replace petroleum use in present cars and trucks. A major switch to plug in hybrids and electric vehicles would be required.
Various forms of storage of renewable electricity have been proposed to deal with the variability of production. They include pumped water and compressed air. However, these approaches have substantial cost and scale issues, and are limited in location. Another approach that has been suggested is to use the electricity to manufacture hydrogen as discussed below. None of these approaches provide easily substituted fuels for petroleum based transportation fuels.
There is a substantial literature on concepts for the use of electricity from renewable sources for the generation of hydrogen including [M. Hsu, Renewable Energy operated Hydrogen Reforming System, International Patent WO 2004/071947; Levene, J. I., M. K. Mann, R. Margolis, and A. Milbrandt, An Analysis of Hydrogen Production from Renewable Electricity Sources, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Presented at ISES 2005 Solar World Congress, Orlando, Fla., Aug. 6-12, 2005, NREL/CP-560-37612 (2005); Bartholomy, O., Renewable Hydrogen From Wind In California, Proceedings, National Hydrogen Association, March 2005.
Some of these processes are electrolysis based. However, the purpose of these concepts is for a hydrogen-based economy. There are problems with distribution, storage, use of hydrogen that in most cases are not acknowledged by the authors, and the common usage of electrolysis releases the oxygen generated in the process rather than utilizing it in a beneficial way.
Use of renewable electricity to produce liquid fuels for transportation can provide a means to both address the issue of the variability from wind and solar energy and also convert it into an energy form which has greatest near term impact for reducing use of petroleum. The problem of the highly variable nature of electricity generation can be more easily addressed when the electricity is used in this manufacturing application rather than when it has to be matched to the needs of the electrical grid.
Plasma technology offers a way for using electricity for conversion of natural gas and other hydrocarbon fuels into synthesis gas (syngas). Synthesis gas can then be used to make a variety of fuels. Conventional thermal plasmas have been used. [CORMIER, J. M., RUSU I., Syngas production via methane steam reforming with oxygen: plasma reactors versus chemical reactors: The future of technological plasmas, Journal of physics. D, Applied physics vol. 34, no 18, pp. 2798-2803 (2001); see also Chun, Y. N., Kim, S. C., Production of hydrogen-rich gas from methane by thermal plasma reform, Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, v 57, n 12, December, 2007, p 1447-1451]. Also, nonthermal plasma have been used [Nozaki, T., Tsukijihara, H., Fukui, W., Okazaki, K., Kinetic analysis of the catalyst and nonthermal plasma hybrid reaction for methane steam reforming, Energy and Fuels, v 21, n 5, September/October, 2007, p 2525-2530; also, Ouni, F., Khacef, A. Cormier, J. M., Effect of oxygen on methane steam reforming in a sliding discharge reactor, Chemical Engineering and Technology, v 29, n 5, May, 2006, p 604-609]. Microwave discharges have also been suggested [Jasinski, M., Dora, M., Mizeraczyk, J., Production of hydrogen via methane reforming using atmospheric pressure microwave plasma, Journal of Power Sources, v 181, n 1, Jun. 15, 2008, p 41-45]. The present invention overcomes these drawbacks of these approaches.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Renewable electricity conversion of liquid fuels from hydrocarbon feedstocks


An integrated semi-parabolic antenna/down converter MMDS receiving system wherein the support boom of a semi-parabolic antenna contains the down converter electronics. Located at the focal area of the semi-parabolic antenna are a pair of driven feed elements which are directly connected to the printed circuit board carrying the down converter electronics. The down converter is formed in an elongated shape to fit entirely within the formed hollow interior of the support boom. The down converter comprises a first printed circuit board which contains an RF filter located at the input end of the printed circuit board. The input of the RF filter circuit is directly connected to the pair of driven feed elements by soldering the legs of the driven feed elements directly to the input of the RF filter stage on the first printed circuit board. The RF filter is surrounded by an input ground shield which covers the RF filter circuit. The shield is soldered to the top and bottom ground planes of the printed circuit board. At the opposite end of the printed circuit board is an output amplifier whose output is connected to a coax output lead. A coax ground shield engages the opposite end of the first printed circuit board in a perpendicular orientation so as to position the opposite end of the printed circuit board within the hollow interior. The reference oscillator for the down converter is mounted on a second printed circuit board which is spaced from the first printed circuit board and is oriented to have its bottom ground plane facing the bottom ground plane of the first printed circuit board.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to down converters for semi-parabolic antennas for use in multichannel multipoint distribution systems (MMDS) (also termed `wireless cable`) and, in particular, to integrating the down converter into the feed boom or support for semi-parabolic antennas.
2. Statement of the Problem
Wireless cable is competing with cable to offer programming to the public. Wireless cable utilizes a semi-parabolic reflector which is mounted on the rooftop of a consumer's house. Multiple channels are delivered to this semi-parabolic reflector from a remote location. Conventional microwave semi-parabolic antenna systems utilize an antenna with a separate down converter mounted on the backside with coaxial cable and connectors interconnecting the two elements.
A need exists to integrate the separate down converter into the semi-parabolic reflector in order to reduce wind load of the overall antenna and down converter receiving system, to provide a system which can be installed by the consumer with a minimum of installation time, to eliminate the need for a separate down converter housing (thus reducing the material and labor costs of the system), to eliminate the coaxial cable and connectors interconnecting the antenna and the down converter in order to reduce the signal loss between the antenna and the down converter thereby improving the overall system signal to noise ratio at a significantly lower materials cost, and to improve the impedance matching between the antenna and the down converter which allows for an optimum signal transfer.
3. Results of a Patentability Search
A patentability search was conducted on the teachings of the present invention with respect to a solution to the above problem. The following patents were uncovered in this search:
______________________________________ Patent No. Inventor Issue Date ______________________________________ 3,162,858 Cutler 12-22-64 4,290,068 Bogner 9-15-81 1,149,931 Thomas (Canada) 7-12-83 ______________________________________
The 1964 patent to Cutler sets forth a ring focus antenna feed for a parabolic dish antenna. Cutler discloses a feed connected to a circular waveguide which in turn is connected to an amplifier. The amplifier and the circular waveguide are contained within a supporting pedestal. The amplifier is then interconnected through a second circular waveguide to the transceiver. The second circular waveguide and the transceiver are located behind the parabolic dish. The amplifier and the first circular waveguide are located in the pedestal which supports the feed.
The 1981 patent to Bogner sets forth a multipoint distribution system (MDS) disk-on-rod type antenna. To the rear of the spaced-apart disk is located a waveguide which includes a cylindrical container having a closed back and sidewalls with an open mouth. Bogner incorporates the down converter into the waveguide in order to reduce wind load and to reduce transmission loss. In implementing the down converter into the waveguide, Bogner requires that it must be contained in less than fifty percent of the volume of the waveguide cavity. Bogner houses his down converter in a separate metal structure within the waveguide. Because the down converter is located in a waveguide, the waveguide must have precise dimensions based upon the wavelength of the signal being sensed. Bogner requires that the metal structure containing the down converter electronics must not touch the sidewalls of the waveguide since to do so would change the waveguide and wavelength. The Bogner approach is critically designed for a frequency of 2153 MHz.
The 1983 Canadian patent to Thomas also relates to an MDS antenna suitable for receiving a single microwave transmission in the 2.15 gigahertz range. Thomas utilizes a semi-parabolic antenna having its feed supported by a hollow tubular support in which Thomas integrates the down converter or a portion of the down converter. Thomas connects the feed elements through a matching network to a coaxial cable which interconnects the matching network to a mixer located within the tubular support. The mixer carries the input RF signal from the feed elements to a signal from the local oscillator and the difference of the input signal (2154.75 MHz) and the local oscillator frequency (2216.0 MHz) is delivered into a set of IF amplifiers whose output is connected to a standard coax cable. The circuit board carrying the electronics contained within the tubular support is grounded to the tubular support by means of an arcuate metal conductor. The conductor electrically connects the printed overlay of the board with the inside metallic surfaces of the support arm. The outer sheath of the coaxial cable which interconnects the mixer with the matching network is also connected to the copper overlay of the circuit board. Likewise, the outer sheath of the coaxial cable interconnecting the outputs of the IF amplifiers and the customer's television set is also grounded to the copper overlay.
Of the three patents found in the search, only the Thomas patent is pertinent. The Bogner approach utilizes a critically designed waveguide having disposed within the waveguide the down converter electronics. The package for the down converter electronics is critically designed and is electrically insulated from the waveguide. Cutler places the amplifier within the feed support but requires a waveguide to extend the signal from the feed to the amplifier. Thomas, like the present invention, utilizes a semi-parabolic antenna and places the down converter or a portion thereof into the tubular support arm which supports the feed. Thomas, while solving the problem with respect to minimizing windload and reducing the number of separate parts and components, does not provide a system for providing MMDS programming. Hence, a need still exists when implementing the down converter into the tubular support arm to provide RF filtering in order to minimize IF and image type interference, to provide circuit shielding to prevent unwanted signals from radiating past input filtering, to provide multiple grounding connections between the circuit board and the inside of the support boom to maintain the integrity of RF filtering and shielding, to utilize an RF amplifier stage to establish low noise performance, to provide broad band mixing performance with high signal handling characteristics, to reference a stabilized oscillator, and to provide an integrated down converter/antenna system which is compatible with encryption/addressable systems. The Thomas approach was only concerned with processing a single microwave TV channel and was not concerned with the interference potential of other channels in an MMDS configuration. Furthermore, Thomas did not fully eliminate the coaxial cable interconnections.
4. Solution to the Problem
The present invention provides a solution to the above stated problem, a solution which is not met by the above three patents.
The integrated antenna/down converter of the present invention provides a one-piece concept to MMDS receive antennas. By integrating all the necessary components in the antenna, installation times are kept to a minimum and there is a reduction in inventory parts used by the MMDS operator. The integrated antenna/down converter unit of the present invention can be packaged for consumer installations to allow for more cost savings by the system operator. All necessary cables and connectors are provided for consumer installation. The semi-parabolic reflector of the present invention mounts the down converter in the feed support boom.
The integrated antenna/down converter of the present invention also provides significant RF filtering so as to minimize IF and image type interference. This is accomplished by providing circuit shielding at the input from the feed which prevents signals from radiating past the input filtering and at the output grounding connections exist between the circuit board and the inside of the support boom at the input and output ends. Furthermore, an RF amplifier stage is provided to obtain low noise performance. Broad band mixing performance with high signal handling characteristics are also provided. The circuit of the present invention utilizes a stabilized reference oscillator physically isolated from the main portion of the electronics which also minimizes signal interference. The integrated down converter/antenna system of the present invention is compatible with encryption/addressable systems. Finally, the circuit of the present invention fully eliminates all coaxial cable interconnections between the down converter and the driven feed elements.

Integrated MMDS antenna and down converter


A high frequency, current mode, single-ended-to-differential signal converter with low input impedance constant to very high frequencies and a balanced output signal even for large signals. A wide range of input voltages may be accommodated and a d.c. offset correction added. A circuit for achieving a precise fifty percent duty cycle digital signal is disclosed. A circuit for ensuring a 90.degree. phase differential between two signals needed for quadrature multiplication is disclosed. Unusual precision in phase control of the quadrature signals needed for modulation and demodulation of wireless signals is obtained by the use of feedback circuits in both the duty cycle generator and phase shifter.

The present invention relates to the generation of quadrature signals and more particularly to precision controlled signals for use in very high frequency wireless communication systems in the quadrature modulation and demodulation circuits thereof.
A circuit for achieving a precise fifty percent duty cycle digital signal is disclosed in which a differential ground referenced sine wave is level shifted, and then amplified and limited to provide two approximately square waves of equal amplitude but 180.degree. out of phase. The sum of the two waves is a square wave which differs from an average amplitude of zero by the error in duty cycle and used to either modulate the input sine wave or delay one of the two output signals. This circuit may use the converter.
A circuit for ensuring a 90.degree. phase differential between two signals needed for quadrature multiplication is disclosed in which the error in phase differential is filtered and amplified and used to either delay one of the two signals or to adjust the input signal.
The feedback signal from the 90.degree. phase shifter may be used to either modulate the input sine wave or delay one of the two output signals of the 50% duty cycle generator.
Unusual precision in phase control of the quadrature signals needed for modulation and demodulation of wireless signals is obtained by the use of feedback circuits in both the duty cycle generator and phase shifter.
In one aspect, the present invention achieves precision by the use of feedback loops to control both the phase differential between the quadrature signals and the generation of the 50% duty cycle signals used as input signals from which the quadrature signals are generated. The use of feedback loops for control of a 50% duty cycle generator is known (e.g., Zbinden U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,075), as is the use of feedback loops to control the phase difference between two signals (e.g., Fitzsimmons U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,124), but the combination is not. Nor is it known to use a feedback signal from the phase differential circuit to control phase shift by control of the generation of the 50% duty cycle signal generator.
In another aspect, the present invention uses the phase difference error signal as the signal which controls the operation of the 50% duty cycle generator.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel quadrature signal generator and method with multiple feedback loops and/or a feedback loop from the output all the way back to the input of the 50% duty cycle generator.
In another aspect of the present invention, it is another object of the present invention to provide a novel method and feedback circuit within the duty cycle generator.
In still another aspect of the present invention, it is an object to provide a novel method and single-ended-to-differential generator.
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Single ended to differential converter and 50% duty cycle signal generator and method


Provided is a method for forming a multilayer coating film including the following steps (1) to (4): (1) applying a base paint (X) to a substrate to form a base coating film; (2) applying a specific effect pigment dispersion (Y) to the base coating film formed in step (1) to form an effect coating film with a specific dry film thickness; (3) applying a clear paint (Z) to the effect coating film formed in step (2) to form a clear coating film; and (4) heating the uncured base coating film, the uncured effect coating film, and the uncured clear coating film formed in steps (1) to (3) to simultaneously cure these three coating films.

The main purpose of applying paint is to protect materials, and to impart an excellent appearance to materials. In industrial commodities, great value is placed on excellent appearance, in particular "texture," to enhance product appeal.
Although the texture of industrial commodities desired by consumers varies, metallic or pearlescent luster has been in demand in fields such as automobile exterior panels, auto parts, and home appliances ("metallic luster" below).
Metallic luster refers to a texture that has no surficial graininess, like the surface of a mirror; and that shines brilliantly when viewed in a direction practically perpendicular to a painted plate (highlight). In particular, a texture called "white metallic luster" is demanded. White metallic luster refers to a texture of metallic luster that has a high lightness in the highlight region and that has a lower lightness in a region (bottom) when a coating film is viewed in an oblique direction, than in the highlight region; while also exhibiting perceivable whiteness.
PTL 1 discloses a method for forming a metallic coating film that includes applying a metallic paint containing a flake-effect aluminum powder and a titanium oxide powder with a particle size (diameter) of 0.01 to 0.08 μm, and subsequently applying a clear paint. PTL 2 discloses a pearlescent film structure formed such that a color-base coating layer containing a pigment component that is a mixture of an aluminum powder pigment with an average particle size of 10 to 25 μm and a titanium oxide pigment in a specific ratio, with the amount of the aluminum powder pigment being 2 to 15 PHR, is formed on a substrate; and a clear coating layer is stacked on the color-base coating layer.
However, the methods for forming a metallic coating film disclosed in PTL 1 and PTL 2 may result in poor white metallic luster due to low lightness in the highlight, and insufficient water resistance and adhesion.


A reinforced pultruded profile having a top edge, a bottom edge spaced along a vertical axis extending between the top edge and the bottom edge, a transverse axis oriented perpendicular to the vertical axis, and a machine axis oriented along a length of the profile. The pultruded profile includes a first reinforcing layer spaced along the vertical axis and oriented along the transverse axis, a second reinforcing layer spaced along the vertical axis and oriented along the transverse axis, and a first structural layer located between the first reinforcing layer and the second reinforcing layer, the first structural layer having a modulus of elasticity of at least 175 GPa.

Pultrusion is a known technique in which longitudinally continuous fibrous elements, which can include reinforcing fibers and/or a reinforcing mat, are combined into a resin-based structure. The process generally involves pulling the reinforcing fibers through a bath of thermoset resin and then into a heated forming die. The heat of the die cures the resin as the part is pulled through the die on a continuous basis.

Reinforced pultrusion member and method of making


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a substrate processing system. In one embodiment, the system includes a chamber, a target disposed within the chamber, a magnetron disposed proximate the target, a pedestal disposed within the chamber, and a first gas injector disposed at a sidewall of the chamber, the first gas injector having a movable gas outlet.

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) is a process used for deposition of materials atop a substrate. A conventional PVD process may include bombarding a target, which contains a source material to be deposited on the substrate, with ions from a plasma of an inert gas. This bombardment causes the source material to be sputtered from the target and deposited onto the substrate. During the PVD process, a magnetron may be rotated near a backside of the target to facilitate sputtering.
Arcing between the plasma and the substrate, chamber component, or target in the PVD process can cause significant substrate damage and defect contamination which limits wafer yields. Some PVD chambers may have a mechanism to interrupt the process when arcing is detected. However, such interruption reduces yields and adds significant cost, and therefore, is not entirely satisfactory.

Film forming apparatus and method for reducing arcing

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LTD.


An audio system is disclosed and includes a semiconductor device having an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system and includes a controller and a programmable control register coupled to the controller. The ADC system also includes a plurality of channels coupled to the controller, each channel having an associated schedule bit within the programmable control register, an associated request bit within the programmable control register, and an associated interrupt request bit within the programmable control register. The ADC system also includes a scheduler coupled to the controller and to the programmable control register, the scheduler comprising logic to monitor a plurality of request bits to detect when any of the schedule request bits are set. Further, the semiconductor device includes a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) system coupled to the analog-to-digital converter system.

Most portable electronic devices require one or more batteries. The batteries can be rechargeable or disposable. Regardless of the type of battery, prolonging the life of the battery life is very important to consumers. A primary reason for decreased battery life is inefficient processor and component usage. For example, if a processor must continually poll individual components for signals, time and resources are wasted. Further, if an analog-to-digital controller having a plurality of channels must continually poll those channels to determine if a conversion is required for any of the channels time and resources are wasted.
As such, an improved system and method for testing scheduling access to an analog-to-digital converter and a microprocessor.

System and method for scheduling access to an analog-to-digital converter and a microprocessor


The duty of a PWM signal in a power converter is extracted to feed forward to modulate the slope of a linear oscillating ramp signal or the voltage level of an error signal, so as to modulate the duty of the PWM signal, by which the transient response of the power converter and the stability of the PWM loop both are improved.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a typical PWM power converter 100, an error amplifier 102 compares a feedback signal Vfb derived from an output voltage Vout with a reference signal Vref to produce an error signal EO, a PWM modulator 106 compares the error signal EO with a constant slope linear oscillating ramp signal RAMP provided by a ramp generator 104 to produce a PWM signal, the PWM signal switches two transistors M1 and M2 with a gate driver 108, and the duty of the PWM signal determines the ON time and OFF time of the transistors M1 and M2, so as to regulate the output voltage Vout. The ratio of the supply voltage Vin to the amplitude of the ramp signal RAMP, i.e. Vin/Vramp, is called modulation gain of the PWM loop, and is closely related to the response speed and the stability of the PWM loop. Besides, the loop gain of the power converter 100 is proportional to the product of the feedback factor of a compensation circuit composed of resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4 and capacitors C1, C2 and C3, the gain of the error amplifier 102, and the modulation gain, i.e. (Vref/Vout)×(Vin/Vramp), so the modulation gain also influences the transient response of the power converter 100.
FIG. 2 shows various signals in the circuit of FIG. 1. At time t1, the feedback signal Vfb drops down due to some reasons such as a sudden decrease of the input voltage Vin and a decrease of the output voltage Vout caused by a rapid current draining by the load, and causes the difference between the feedback signal Vfb and the reference voltage Vref lager, so the error signal EO rises up obviously after time t1. At time t2, the error signal EO keeps increasing and becomes higher than the ramp signal RAMP, so the PWM signal changes from low to high. When the PWM signal is high, the transistor M1 is on while the transistor M2 is off, so the output Vout is charged by the power source Vin. At time t3, the feedback signal Vfb rises up again toward the original level with the increasing output voltage Vout. This waveform diagram substantially shows the process of the transient response of the power converter 100.
Several arts have been proposed to improve the stability of the modulation gain. U.S. Pat. No. 6,522,115 to Greitschus provides a non-linear ramp signal to replace the linear ramp signal for the comparator; however, it requires one more pin for the controller chip to monitor the inductor current, and the PWM loop is more difficult to design and modify. U.S. Pat. No. 6,593,725 to Gallagher et al. proposes a pulse generator to control the ramp signal and the PWM signal, but it needs to monitor the supply voltage and has complex circuit. U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,473 to Jang et al. not only controls a non-linear ramp generator by the PWM signal, but also monitors the supply voltage.
Therefore, it is desired a method and apparatus without monitoring the supply voltage in order to improve the stability and response speed of the PWM loop.

Duty feed forward method and apparatus for modulating a duty of a PWM signal and power converting method and power converter using the same


A female coaxial cable electrical connector includes an electrically conductive barrel or shell enclosing a contact carrier assembly. The contact carrier assembly consists of a cap member enclosing a subassembly that includes an elastomeric sleeve or tubing compressively but yieldably mounted over the contact receiving arms of a base member with an electrical contact secured between opposing ones of the two contact receiving arms. The electrical contact is formed from electrically conductive material, and includes two opposing half-sections that are mounted between the contact receiving arms of the base, and have side wing portions contacting one another, with opposing longitudinal semicircular grooves of the half-sections of the contact together forming a circular pathway for receiving a male electrical pin or the center conductor of a coaxial cable. When such a pin or center conductor is inserted into the electrical contact, the elastomeric sleeve initially yields on inward pressure to permit insertion of the pin, while maintaining sufficient inward pressure to force the semicircular grooves of the electrical contact to mechanically contact and surround the circumference of the male pin or center conductor, for substantially the full length of its insertion, thereby insuring a low resistance electrical contact therebetween.

Substantial research and development have been conducted for many years to provide electrical connectors for use with coaxial cables that insure reliable electrical and mechanical connection between the coaxial cable and the connector. Although many improvements have been made, there is still a need in the art to provide an electrical connector of extreme reliability for insuring ease of mechanical interconnection with the coaxial cable, in addition to the maintenance of an extremely low impedance electrical connection between the center conductor of the coaxial cable and the connector.

Coaxial connector with maximized surface contact and method


A method for forming a self-aligned, dual silicon nitride liner for CMOS devices includes forming a first type nitride layer over a first polarity type device and a second polarity type device, and forming a topographic layer over the first type nitride layer. Portions of the first type nitride layer and the topographic layer over the second polarity type device are patterned and removed. A second type nitride layer is formed over the second polarity type device, and over remaining portions of the topographic layer over the first polarity type device so as to define a vertical pillar of second type nitride material along a sidewall of the topographic layer, the second type nitride layer in contact with a sidewall of the first type nitride layer. The topographic layer is removed and the vertical pillar is removed.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor device processing techniques, and, more particularly, to a method for improving CMOS device performance by forming a self-aligned, dual silicon nitride liner.
Dual liner techniques have been introduced in order to provide different stresses in P-type MOS devices with respect to N-type MOS devices. For example, a nitride liner of a first type is formed over PFETs of a CMOS device, while a nitride liner of a second type is formed over the NFETs of the CMOS device. More specifically, it has been discovered that the application of a compressive stress in a PFET channel improves carrier mobility therein, while the application of a tensile stress in an NFET channel improves carrier mobility therein. Thus, the first type nitride liner over the PFET devices is formed in a manner so as to achieve a compressive stress, while the second type nitride liner over the NFET devices is formed in a manner so as to achieve a tensile stress.
For such CMOS devices employing dual liners, the conventional approach has been to form the two different nitrides using separate lithographic patterning steps. In other words, for example, the first type nitride liner is formed over both PFET and NFET devices, with the portions of the first type nitride liner over the NFET devices being thereafter patterned and removed. After an optional formation of an oxide layer, the second type nitride liner is formed over both regions, with a second patterning step being used to subsequently remove the portions of the second type nitride liner over the PFET devices. Unfortunately, due to inherent inaccuracies associated with aligning lithographic levels to previous levels, the formation of the two liners could result in a gap there between. This would in turn expose the underlying device layer to mobile ion degradation.
On the other hand, the two liners could also be formed in a manner such that one liner overlaps the other. In fact, the reticles used for the two separate patterning steps are typically designed to ensure an overlap such that there is no gap between the two liner materials. However, having certain regions with overlapping nitride liners creates other problems with subsequent processing due to issues such as reliability and layout inefficiencies. For example, a reactive ion etch (RIE) process for subsequent contact formation may have to accommodate for a single-thickness liner in some areas of the circuit, while also accommodating for a double-thickness (overlapping) liner in the interface areas. Moreover, if such overlapping areas are excluded from contact formation, a restriction results in terms of available layout area and critical dimension (CD) tolerances.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to implement the formation of a dual liner CMOS device in a self-aligned manner that does not result in a gap between different liner types and/or an overlap thereof.

Method for forming self-aligned, dual silicon nitride liner for CMOS devices

International Business Machines Corporation


An example method and system for display of out-of-window status indicators in a virtual shelf of a diagram window. A diagram framework displays a first portion of a diagram within a diagram window of a display device. The diagram comprises a set of shapes and a set of connectors representing a corresponding set of relationships between a set of objects. The framework detects that a first shape of the set of shapes at a first position of the first shape and a first status indicator associated with the first shape at a first position of the first status indicator are at least partially outside a first visible portion of the diagram within the diagram window. The diagram framework determines a second position of the first status indicator within the diagram window. The first status indicator at the second position of the first status indicator is displayed within the diagram window.

Diagrams can be an efficient way to display and interact with a complex set of objects of a model. Shapes in a diagram may represent objects of the model, and connectors between the shapes may represent the relationships between the objects that they represent. Diagrams can be presented for users in a diagram window of a diagram user interface on a display device. A model may be built using the diagram user interface to add, edit, and remove shapes and connectors representing the underlying objects and relationships between them.
Errors may be found in portions of the model during the process of building or executing the model, and can be presented to users viewing the diagram.

Display of out-of-window status indicators in a virtual shelf of a diagram window


A single use syringe assembly includes a barrel having a chamber for retaining fluid, an open proximal end and a distal end including an elongate tip extending distally therefrom having a passageway therethrough in fluid communication with the chamber. A needle cannula having a lumen therethrough is connected to the elongate tip so that the lumen is in fluid communication with the passageway. An elongate needle shield having a longitudinal opening therein is hingedly connected to the barrel. A needle shield is capable of pivoting from an open position or a closed needle protecting position. The plunger including an elongate body portion and a stopper is slidably positioned in fluid-tight engagement with the inside surface of the barrel. Structure is provided for locking the plunger in the barrel by applying distally directed force to the plunger after fluid has been delivered from the chamber.

The present invention relates generally to single use syringes having safety features and more specifically to a single use syringe having a plunger locking mechanism and safety shield.
In the United States and throughout the world, the multiple use of hypodermic syringe products that are intended for single use only, is instrumental in drug abuse and more particularly in the transfer of diseases. Intravenous drug users who routinely share and reuse syringes are a high-risk group with respect to the bloodborne pathogens including HIV and AIDS. Also the effects of multiple use are a major concern in under-developed countries where repeated use of syringe products may be responsible for the spread of many diseases. Reuse of single use hypodermic syringe assemblies is instrumental in the spread of drug abuse even in the absence of infection or disease.
Many attempts have been made to remedy this problem. Some of these attempts have required a specific act to destroy the syringe after use either by using a destructive device or providing a syringe assembly with frangible zones so that the syringe could be rendered inoperable by application of force. Other attempts have involved the inclusion of structure which would allow the destruction or defeating of the syringe function through a conscious act by the syringe user. Although many of these devices work quite well, they do require the specific intent of the user followed by the actual act to destroy or render the syringe inoperable.
Furthermore, in the medical arts, a syringe assembly typically includes a sharp pointed needle for administering fluids to patients either directly or into intravenous apparatus, and in various blood drawing applications either with syringes or with specialized holders for filling evacuated tubes. Since needles are widely used for medical procedures, many people can be exposed to needles in the routine course of their work.
Accidental needle sticks from used hypodermic needles can transmit disease. Accordingly, various types of needle shields such as hinged needle shields, have been designed to reduce the possibility of accidental sticks.
Various means have been provided for locking a hinged needle shield in the closed (needle protecting) position. Needles are available in a number of gauges and lengths so that they can be used for different purposes. Where a needle shield having a deflectable locking member is used to entrap a needle, it is important that the needle displace the locking member or members as it enters the needle shield cavity. It is also important that, since the needle is entrapped by the deflectable locking member or members, it cannot easily be displaced from the cavity. A relatively large diameter needle can more easily displace a deflectable locking member than a small diameter needle, both entering the needle shield cavity and exiting the cavity. As a needle shield should preferably be usable to protect needles of various sizes, the deflectable locking member or members should be designed such that it is sufficiently flexible to allow even a relatively small diameter needle to deflect it as it enters the needle shield cavity, but provides sufficient resistance to prevent the needle from being re-exposed through the opening of the cavity.


A wheel with an asymmetrical cross-section for use with a roller skate. The wheel also has a tread portion that can be easily and inexpensively replaced. An apparatus for multi-line roller skates that has two or three lines of wheels. The wheels in the center line have a coefficient of friction that is lower than the coefficients of friction of either of the outer lines of wheels. The wheels in the outer lines have asymmetrical cross-sections, while the wheels in the center line have symmetrical cross-sections. A multi-line roller skate that employs these technologies is disclosed. Also disclosed is a method for improving roller skate performance employing the aforementioned technologies.

Roller skating, specifically in-line and multi-line skating, has witnessed a boom in popularity in recent years. Aside from being a wonderful recreational and exercise activity, in-line and multi-line skating is frequently used by athletes as a cross-training activity for ice skating (i.e., figure skating, speed skating, short track skating, hockey, etc.) as well as for cross-country skiing. Many of the leg, and arm, motions in both ice skating and in-line and multi-line skating are similar. Thus, in-line and multi-line roller skating offers a wonderful dry land training activity for many athletes in the aforementioned sports, as well as others. Because of the cross training benefit of in-line and multi-line skating, ice skaters can improve their ice skating skills by using in-line or multi-line skates. Similarly, proficient roller skaters can more easily learn and improve their ice skating skills.
In-line and multi-line skating has some advantages over ice skating, such as the ability to skate in many more locations (i.e., roadways, parking lots, bike paths, gymnasiums, hard surfaces, etc.). With ice skating however one, obviously, is limited to only being able to skate where there is ice. Another advantage of in-line and multi-line skating, especially for the beginner, is that balancing is easier on the in-line and multi-line skate than with an ice skate.
Unfortunately, in-line and multi-line skates have some disadvantages when compared with ice skates, as well. With in-line and multi-line skates, it is much more difficult to learn how to stop effectively, if at all, on the pavement.
Further, to effectively complete a "hockey stop", where one quickly places one, or both, skates transverse to the path of travel in order to stop quickly, it is close to impossible on a roller skate without falling. Currently, in order to change directions or stop, roller skaters employ a skating loop, use a heel-mounted rubber bumper, or transversely drag the trailing skate, in lieu of a hockey stop. None of these techniques allow for as quick a stop and change of direction as a hockey stop.
Additionally, one cannot complete as small a radius turn on roller skates as one can with ice skates.
Additionally, some roller skates are employing a wheel with a hybrid composition; that is multiple materials (i.e., composite) within the cross-section of the tread area. These hybrid composition wheels have very high manufacturing and replacement costs.
Additionally, the current designs of roller skates and their wheels do not simulate the ideal leg motions made during skating and stopping. Thus, while cross-training between ice skating and roller skating is feasible because the two activities are not dissimilar, there is room for improvement in increasing the similarity between the two activities thereby enhancing cross training efforts.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved roller skate and wheel which makes improvements over both the above mentioned and other disadvantages of the in-line and multi-line skate.

Hockey stop multi-line roller skate and wheels for use therewith


Antialiased vectors, composed of a plurality of pixels along the vector minor axis for each major axis step, are rendered such that consecutively rendered pixels are always adjacent. For each major axis step, pixels are rendered along the minor axis in an order that reverses with each major axis step.

The field of computer graphics concerns the creation, storage, manipulation and display of pictures and models of objects by a digital processor. Interactive computer graphics is the subclass of computer graphics in which a user dynamically controls the picture's content, format, size or color on a display surface by means of an interaction device such as a keyboard, lever or joystick. see Fundamentals of Interactive Computer Graphics, by J. D. Foley and A. Van Dam, ISBN: 0-201-14468-9. The creation of synthetic images (i.e., images which exist as abstract collections of lines, points, curves, etc., in the computer's memory) is the usual domain of interactive computer graphics. This is in contrast to the creation of images of real objects, which come directly or indirectly from a scanning device of some sort, e.g., a film scanner, TV scanner, ultrasound scanner, etc.
There are two primary classes of interactive computer graphics systems: random-scan and raster-scan systems. Images displayed by a random-scan system are encoded as commands to draw each output primitive (i.e., point, line or polygon) by plotting individual points or drawing connecting lines between specified starting and ending coordinates of line segments. Polygons are simply treated as a closed series of line segments. Encoding for a raster-scan system is much simpler: output primitives are broken up into their constituent points for display. The major difference between a simple point-plotting random-scan system and a raster-scan system is in the organization of the stored data used to drive the display. (As explained below, the data is stored in a frame buffer or refresh buffer.) In the random-scan display system, the component points of each successive output primitive are stored sequentially in memory and are plotted in that order, one point at a time. This is because the beam may be moved randomly on the screen. In the raster-scan display system, the refresh memory is arranged as a 2-dimensional array of data. The entry or value stored at a particular row and column encodes an intensity and/or color value of a corresponding display element on the screen. By convention, the location of each display element is specified by a unique (X,Y) coordinate. Z conventionally represents the depth ordinate.
Since each memory location defines a single point-sized element of an image, both the display screen location and its corresponding memory location are often called a "pixel, short for the image processing term "picture element." Hereinafter, to avoid confusion, the term "display pixel" will be used to indicate picture elements of a display device, and "storage pixel" to indicate memory locations corresponding to the display pixels.
FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a typical prior art raster-scan graphic system. Such a system includes an image creation system 12, an image storage system 14 (such as a refresh buffer or frame buffer), an image display system 16, a raster display 18 and an interaction device 20. The image creation system 12 converts output primitives into the data stored in the refresh buffer or frame buffer of the image storage system 14. The instruction set processing speed of the image creation system 12 establishes most of the characteristics of the raster-scan system 10. Moreover, the image creation system 12 is particularly malleable because it is typically implemented with a microprocessor. See Chapter 12 of Fundamentals of Interactive Computer Graphics, referenced above.
The overall speed with which all or part of the image storage data can be changed is dependent upon:
(i) how fast the application program operates; PA0 (ii) how fast the computer prepares instructions to the display; PA0 (ii) how fast the instructions are conveyed to the display; and PA0 (iv) how fast the image creation system executes instructions.
It is the last process (the image creation system's execution of instructions) which is often the slowest, because the scan conversion algorithm typically requires many iterations. Usually the faster this process, the faster the overall system response time to user commands. Moreover, it is well known that response time is critical to user satisfaction.
There is a fundamental mismatch between the two dimensional array of pixel values used to drive a raster-scan display and the lines, points, and areas used to represent images by the image creation system 12. The process of converting a line, point, and area representation to the pixel data array of the image storage system 14 is called "scan conversion." Such scan conversion algorithms are universally needed in an interactive raster-scan graphics system, and are usually incorporated into the image creation system 12.
The scan conversion algorithm used in a raster-scan graphics system will be invoked quite often, typically hundreds or even thousandths of times each time an image is created or modified. Hence, it must not only create visually satisfactory images, but must also execute as rapidly as possible. Indeed speed versus image quality is the basic tradeoff in selecting a scan conversion algorithm. Some are fast and give jagged edges, while others are slower but give smoother edges. However, it can generally be said that faster is better for a given image quality.
FIG. 2 depicts an exemplary line, y =mx +b, along with a vector 22 as it might be rendered (i.e., stored) in the frame buffer of the image storage system 14 (and thus displayed on the display 18). (It should be noted that the term "render" is used herein to refer to the process of storing pixel data in the frame buffer and /or displaying data stored in the frame buffer on the display device.) Vector 22 is composed of a set of display and corresponding storage pixels P.sub.0, P.sub.1, P.sub.2, . . . P.sub.N. The vector is rendered by stepping along the major axis, in this case the X-axis, and computing the corresponding minor axis (Y-axis) ordinate values. These (X,Y) coordinates define the storage and display pixels composing the vector 22. The basic task of a scan conversion algorithm for lines is to compute the integer coordinates of the display pixels lying nearest the line.
As can be seen from vector 22 depicted in FIG. 2, the limited resolution of the frame buffer 14 and display 18 causes the vector to become jagged, or "aliased." Techniques for generating antialiased (i.e., smooth) vectors are known in the art. See, for example, Chapter 11.2.3 of Fundamentals of Interactive Computer Graphics, referenced above, and references cited therein for details of known antialiasing techniques. These known antialiasing techniques however, while producing visually acceptable images, are too slow for many applications. The object of the present invention is therefore to provide an efficient and rapid method and apparatus for rendering antialiased vectors.

Serpentine rendering of antialiased vectors in a computer graphics system


A Smartserv platform system and methods are provided. When a restaurant item order is placed via a smart device app interface, the order is transmitted to computer server which notifies a preparer. The order is also transmitted to a Smartserv platform, which generates a user identifiable area, such as a color-coded area of a Smartserv platform surface within which an ordered restaurant item will be distributed, thereby enabling simpler and more organized restaurant item ordering and distribution. The computer server may also notify the customer that the customer's order is ready for pickup at the area designated by the appropriately colored lights. This improves known customer-notification methods.

Presently, placing an order and receiving food and restaurant items at a crowded retail food and drink establishment (sometimes referred to herein as a "restaurant") may be a frustrating experience for patrons and a logistical challenge for establishment personnel.
In addition to the difficulties associated with ordering a restaurant item (especially at crowded establishments that involve physical interaction, such as pushing and bodily displacement to reach a service area, such as a bar), distributing an ordered item may be difficult due to a volume of items prepared for consumption in the establishment as a whole. Prepared items may be confused or delivered to a wrong patron. In some establishments, patron names are regularly misspelled on prepared items and items are prepared according to erroneous instructions. Moreover, innovative solutions suitable for a restaurant setting may be limited due to the aesthetic considerations involved.

Methods and apparatus for smart distribution of restaurant items and notification of order readiness


It is disclosed herein an innovative concept for in-space propulsion for future Air Force, NASA and commercial systems having mass and power scalability over a wide range and using easily-handled advanced propellants. The invention combines the fields of microdischarge physics and nonequilibrium plasmadynamics to reduce dramatically the size of electric thrusters by 1-2 orders of magnitude, which when coupled with micronozzles that are electrically conducting or electrically insulating result in high thrust and high thruster efficiency, and will enable scalable, low-cost, long-life distributable propulsion for control of femtosats, picosats, nanosats, microsats, and space structures. The concept is scalable from power levels of 1 W to several kilowatts with thrust efficiency approaching 60%.

The Air Force, DoD, NASA, and commercial spacecraft manufacturers all have a growing interest in replacing small chemical thrusters, reaction wheels, and magnetic torque rods with more advanced, lighter weight, lower power, more controllable micro-propulsion alternatives. In addition to this need, propulsion systems having mass and power scalability over a wide range that achieve large changes in satellite velocity are highly desirable, thus opening up a wide range of orbital maneuvering applications for micro-, nano-, pico-, and femto-satellites, and the control of flexible structures. Furthermore, ultra-compact packaging and extremely low mass of the propulsion system, coupled with dense, easily-handled solid or liquid propellants, are highly desirable to achieve high thrust impulse and optimal thruster placement on the spacecraft, to maximize control without adversely impacting fields-of-view, and to minimize the exposure of sensors to exhaust plume impingement.

Space thruster using robust microcavity discharge and advanced propellants


The present invention concerns a process and an apparatus for the detection of obstacles. The apparatus includes a video camera (2) for the viewing of the scene, a range apparatus (3) to measure the distance d of obstacles, the range apparatus (3) being coupled to an assembly (6, 7) for the deflection of the pulsed radiation emitted by the telemetric apparatus (3), and signal conditioner (16) designed to produce, from the synchronization signals of the field (ST) and the line (SL) of a video signal of the camera (2), signals making it possible to cause, in the same uneven field, the emission of pulsed radiation and the horizontal scanning movement of a mirror. The conditioner (16) further makes possible the synchronous recording, on a standard video tape recorder, conventional video signals and digitally coded range signals.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a process for the detection of obstacles and, in particular, the detection of obstacles in front of an automotive vehicle, together with an apparatus to carry out the process.
2) Discussion of Related Art
Processes for detecting obstacles with a video camera on board vehicles and producing a video image of the scene in front of the vehicle, are known.
However, in order to ascertain the position of a point within the space of the scene with a single camera, it is necessary to introduce models of the environment for comparison. With such a process it is not possible to determine the distances of potentially dangerous obstacles.
Another process for the detection of obstacles uses two or more video cameras thus permitting the acquisition of more complete information on the scene facing the vehicle, in a zone relatively close to the vehicle up to about 20 meters. However, this process does not make it possible to determine precisely the distances of obstacles, due to the fact that the error in the distance detection, in the viewing direction, is proportional to the square of the distance.
It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the disadvantages of the known processes mentioned above by providing a process for the detection of obstacles present in front of an automotive vehicle, the process making it possible to determine with precision the position of a point in space relative to a reference associated with the vehicle and to allocate different points in space to an obstacle and to ascertain their position in a zone extending, for example, from 5 to 85 meters.
For this, the process for the detection of obstacles present in front of, in particular, an automotive vehicle, includes providing, by means of a video camera on board the vehicle, a composite video signal representative of a video image of a scene in front of the vehicle, measuring the distances of the obstacles in the scene relative to the vehicle by means of a ranging apparatus also present on board the vehicle, the pulsed incident waves of which sweep the scene by successive horizontal telemetric lines, and synchronizing the pulsed emission of the incident waves and their scan by scanning field synchronization signals and the line signals extracted from the video signal.
According to a characteristic of the invention, the telemetric data of the telemetric apparatus, which are representative of the measured distances of the obstacles and the coordinates of the points of impact of the incident pulsed waves, are entered in or overlaid on the video image in a synchronized manner.
Advantageously, the pulsed emission of the aforementioned incident waves is effected during the uneven field of each video image and the telemetric data are entered during the following even field of the video image.
According to another characteristic of the invention, the pulsed emission of the incident waves is carried out at a first, predetermined clock frequency, obtained from the frequency of the line synchronization signal. At least the telemetric data relative to the distances of the impact points measured are digitalized during the uneven field of the emission of the pulsed waves at a sampling frequency equal to the first clock frequency. Further, the digitalized telemetric data are stored during said uneven field with a combination of the first clock frequency and a second clock frequency. In order to avoid data conflicts, the inscription of the digitalized data occurs during the following even field onto a certain number of consecutive video lines of the even field at a third clock frequency obtained from the frequency of the line synchronization frequency, said third clock frequency being higher than the first and second clock frequency.
The aforementioned pulsed waves horizontally scan a telemetric line of the scene during an uneven frame at the first clock frequency. Then, the beam of pulsed waves is deflected vertically and horizontally during the even field according to an initial scanning position of a following telemetric line, the scan being effected during the uneven field of a following video image.
Preferably, only the values in the coordinates x, y of the initial position of each scan of a range line are digitalized and placed into memory at the end of the even fields and the positions of the different impact points of consecutive pulsed waves are automatically reconstituted from a pre-established scanning curve, preferably a ramp.
According to another characteristic of the invention, a signal of the selection of the number of the aforecited video lines upon which the range data are inscribed is produced at the onset of each even field, and shortly after the selection signal, a signal of the validation of the entry of the range data on the video lines selected is produced.
Advantageously, the aforementioned video lines upon which the range data are inscribed are located in the upper part of the video image after several forced black lines and a forced white general starting line, and they comprise a line for the identification number of the video image and the lines proper for the inscription of the range data.
The range data and the video image signal are recorded on a recording device, such as a video tape recorder, or else the range data and the video image are processed in real time.
The points of impact of the pulsed incident waves are disposed in zigzag by the temporary dislocation of one range line in two at the onset of each horizontal scan.
The invention also proposes an apparatus for the detection of obstacles to carry out the above-described process.
The apparatus according to the invention comprises a video camera on board of the vehicle for viewing a scene in front of the vehicle, a range apparatus to measure the distance of the obstacles in the scene relative to the vehicle, an assembly for the deflection of the pulsed radiation emitted by the range apparatus with at least one controlled mobile deflection mirror to cause the radiation to carry out a scanning movement of successive horizontal telemetric lines on the scene, and a signal conditioner to produce, from the synchronization signals of the line pattern and the video signal of the camera, signals making it possible to command, in the same uneven field, the emission of pulsed radiation and the horizontal scanning movement of the mirror and the production of signals to inscribe, during the following even field onto successive lines of the video image, the range data relative to the coordinates of the points of impact of the pulsed radiation on the obstacles of the scene and the distance measured of each impact point relative to the vehicle.
Preferably, the apparatus comprises two mobile deflection mirrors for horizontal and vertical scanning. The displacement of the horizontal deflection mirror scans along a range line. A loop circuit locked in phase and a certain number of dividing circuits controlled by the line synchronization signals produce a first clock frequency to command the emission of pulsed radiation and the digitalization of the range data, a second clock frequency, preferably at a frequency double that of the first clock frequency places the range data into a memory and a third clock frequency causes the inscription of the range data onto the video image.
The conditioner includes electronic circuits capable of producing a first signal which appears prior to the onset of an uneven field and ending with said uneven field to define a window permitting the measurement of data relative to the initial positions of the vertical and horizontal deflection mirrors prior to the scanning of a range line, i.e., the horizontal scanning, the emission of pulsed radiation and the incrementation of the vertical scanning mirror to a subsequent range line, with a second signal emitted after the start of each pair of frames making possible the selection of the number of video lines onto which the range data are inscribed, and a third signal emitted shortly after the appearance of the second signal, to validate the inscription of the range data onto the video lines selected.
The conditioner further contains a locking or clamping stage making it possible to produce so-called clamping pulses for the correct alignment of the video and range signals.
Advantageously, the apparatus comprises decoupling means, such as a cover in the form of a plate, for decoupling the emission or the reception of the pulsed radiation to the level of the aforementioned mirrors.
Preferably, the above-mentioned range apparatus is of the laser type.
The apparatus may further comprise a computer on board the vehicle for processing the range and video data and for producing signals intended to control the safety devices of the vehicle.

Process for detection of obstacles present, in particular, in front of an automotive vehicle


Lupine plants comprising a homozygous recessive mutant allele that produces a dwarf plant height characteristic (or dwarf plant height phenotype or trait) are disclosed. One embodiment relates to the seeds of said dwarf lupine plants, to the plants of said dwarf lupine plants, to plant parts of said dwarf lupine plants, and to methods for producing a lupine plant produced by crossing said dwarf lupine plant with itself or with another lupine plant. Another embodiment also relates to methods for producing a lupine plant having a dwarf plant height characteristic (or dwarf plant height phenotype or trait) and to the dwarf plant height characteristic (or dwarf plant height phenotype or trait) lupine plants and plant parts produced by those methods. Another embodiment relates to producing interspecific lupine dwarf plants having a dwarf plant height characteristic (or dwarf plant height phenotype or trait).

All publications cited in this application are herein incorporated by reference. Lupinus, commonly known as lupin or lupine, is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. The genus includes over 200 species, including polyphyllus, arboreus, sulphureus, and nootkatensis. Lupinus polyphyllus (also known as large-leaved lupine, or, primarily in cultivation, garden lupine) is a species of lupine (lupin) native to western North America from southern Alaska and British Columbia east to Alberta and western Wyoming, and south to Utah and California and commonly grows along streams and creeks, preferring moist habitats.
Lupine can be propagated from seed, cuttings, and tissue culture. Seed, cuttings and tissue culture germination protocols for Lupine are well-known in the art.
Lupine is an important and valuable ornamental plant. Thus, a continuing goal of ornamental plant breeders is to develop plants with novel characteristics, such as color, growth habit, and hardiness. To accomplish this goal, the breeder must select and develop plants that have traits that result in superior Lupine varieties.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification.


The invention relates to a method for controlling output power of a radio transmitter, the radio transmitter operating on a radio channel. The method includes determining requested output power level, and deriving output power, which is to be used, on the basis of a power control algorithm having at least a first and a second power control area, maximum output power of the first area being derived at least on the basis of theoretical minimum attenuation to adjacent receivers, and maximum output power of the second area being derived at least on the basis of actual minimum attenuation to adjacent receivers, wherein an adjacent receiver is a receiver operating on an adjacent channel with respect to the operating channel of said radio transmitter.

Maximum link range of a mobile device operating in a mobile communication network is strongly dependent on the maximum available output power of such device. Typically, the maximum available output power of mobile device has an effect on the base station density in the network and also on the network's operating expenses and capital expenses.
The maximum output power of a mobile device is dependent on the maximum available DC power, signal waveforms, and minimum possible link distance to adjacent base stations operating on adjacent channels. The minimum distance to the base stations operating on adjacent channels is important because power amplifiers (PA) are non-linear elements and thereby generate so-called adjacent channel power (ACP). RF (Radio Frequency) specifications of systems typically set restrictions to the power that is radiated on the adjacent channels. The reason for setting such restrictions is that ACP interferes with reception of the adjacent base stations if the ACP level is too high.
The restrictions of the specifications are conventionally derived on the basis of the minimum attenuation from the mobile device to the adjacent base stations and on the basis of integrated noise+noise figure over the channel bandwidth. That is, the restrictions are derived on the basis of the worst-case scenario.
Especially in systems, which use signals with high PAPR (Peak-to-Average-Power Ratio), ACPR (Adjacent Channel Power Ratio) requirements of specifications restrict the maximum transmission power level of the mobile devices and PAs of the mobile devices have to continuously operate with high backoff and with very small efficiency in order to maintain sufficient linearity. For example, in OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) PA backoff can be almost 8 dB.
PA backoff is defined as follows: backoff is the ratio of power that is transmitted from the PA to the −1 dB compression point of the PA in dBs.
Because the ACPR requirements are derived on the basis of the worst-case scenario, the whole system is actually operating with low power efficiency and the idle and operation times or ranges of the system remain small.
Typically the upper bound of the output power is determined so that it is possible to implement required TX (transmission) spectrum mask with reasonable power consumption. If the requested output power is less than the available maximum, it is possible to save DC power by tuning for example the supply voltage with DC-DC converters and reducing the output power this way. Current specifications do not allow higher values of ACP than the value derived from the minimum attenuation to receivers operating on adjacent channels. Typically, power control is designed to take into account only in-band power or SINR (Signal-to-Interference and Noise Ratio) requirements.
PAPR reduction techniques can be used for reducing the power amplifier backoff. A technique that is called narrow band or soft clipping reduces probability of high amplitude peaks and in this way reduces the PA backoff one to two dBs. It is possible to clip the signal even more if the required signal quality is not high.
In addition to these measures, there is a need to develop more efficient power control algorithms.


An embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for quickly responding to a signal, where the method includes: generating a frame synchronization signal; pre-reading image data, and saving the image data after processing the image data; and receiving a TE signal, and outputting the processed image data according to the TE signal. An embodiment of the present invention further discloses an apparatus for quickly responding to a signal. Using the present invention may improve a rate for responding to a signal and reduce an instantaneous bandwidth pressure on a transmission line.

In a display system, there are two modes for an image engine to output image data to a display screen: a video mode and a command mode. When the video mode is selected, the image engine controls a time sequence of display and a display screen controller displays received image data on the screen. A display screen that supports the command mode, however, has one or more memories. The image engine first writes image data into a memory of the display screen, and the display screen controller reads image data in the memory and provides the read data for the display screen. When image data in a memory of the display screen is updated, an image displayed on the display screen is updated accordingly. When a rate for updating data in a memory, that is, a rate for the image engine to write data into a memory of the display screen, does not match a rate for the display screen controller to read data, tearing occurs on the screen. That is, content of two or more frames is simultaneously displayed on the screen. To achieve matching between a read rate and a write rate, the screen that supports the command mode usually uses an output pin tearing effect (Tearing Effect, TE) signal to indicate current time sequence information of the display screen, such as frame idleness information or row idleness information, to the image engine. In addition, for a display screen that supports a display serial interface (Display Serial Interface, DSI) command mode of the Mobile Industry Processor Interface (Mobile Industry Processor Interface, MIPI) organization, TE information may also be indicated by using an MIPI (Display Command Set, DCS) command. The image engine may determine, according to received TE information, an opportunity for updating a memory of the display screen.
In the prior art, a method for responding to a TE signal includes two modes: a manual mode and an automatic mode. In the manual mode, after 1 is written into a corresponding register TE_MANUAL in an image engine, the image engine transmits image data to a display screen. In this case, an opportunity for configuring the register TE_MANUAL needs to be determined by software. In the automatic mode, after receiving a TE signal, the image engine reads image data from a memory, processes raw image data according to an application requirement, and outputs the processed image data to the display screen through a display interface. In the automatic mode, image data is read from a memory and output only after a TE signal is received, which causes a slow rate for responding to a TE signal. In an extreme case, for example, a valid level of a TE signal sent by the display screen only lasts time of 4 rows, if time for the image engine to read a memory plus time for image processing is larger than the time of 4 rows, a tearing effect may be caused on the display screen. When a TE signal arrives, especially when other data is transmitted on a bus, the image engine obtains image data and processes the image data, which increases an instantaneous bandwidth pressure on the bus used for data transmission. In addition, only two response modes, manual and automatic, exist. In the automatic mode, the image engine responds to all TE signals. In this way, for a specific scenario where a requirement for a refresh frame rate is not high, power consumption is quite high and a performance waste exists; if the manual mode is used to reduce an output frame rate, software intervention, such as interrupt processing, is required, and therefore efficiency is low.

Method and apparatus for quickly responding to signal


Described is a mixer for a chromatography system. The mixer includes an inlet manifold channel, an outlet manifold channel and a plurality of transfer channels. The inlet manifold channel has an inlet at a proximal end of the inlet manifold channel for receiving an inlet flow. The transfer channels are fluidly connected between the inlet and outlet manifold channels. The respective fluid connections are distributed along each of the inlet and outlet manifolds channels. The transfer channels have different volumes. The mixer may be formed of a plurality of layer and the layers may be diffusion bonded to each other.

Chromatography is a set of techniques for separating a mixture into its constituents. Generally, in a liquid chromatography analysis, a pump takes in and delivers a composition of liquid solvents at high pressure to a sample manager, where a sample (i.e., material under analysis) awaits injection into the mixture. From the sample manager, the resulting composition comprised of the mixture of liquid solvents and injected sample moves to a point of use, such as a chromatography column filled with stationary phase. By passing the composition through the column, the various components in the sample separate from each other at different rates and thus elute from the column at different times. A detector receives the elution from the column and produces an output from which the identity and quantity of the analytes may be determined.
There is a requirement to periodically qualify the components of the chromatography apparatus (and to recalibrate and requalify the components as necessary). A known method of qualification is Systems Qualification Technology (SystemsQT), provided by Waters Corporation, MA, USA, which allows a user to conduct Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ), system performance testing and data management.
Known qualification methods use a chromatographic column to measure the chromatography system's performance. This exploits chromatographic data processing and regression analysis to substantially automate the collection and qualification of test results. A key benefit of using a chromatographic column is predictable control of the shape of the peaks used for the qualification measurements. Moreover, it is beneficial to qualify an instrument using all the same components that will be used during an analysis.
A problem with using a chromatographic column is that a user must wait for the column to equilibrate before qualification can reliably be performed, to fully flush through any fluids from previous analyses and/or to reach thermal stability. Existing qualification methods can take between 3 to 24 hours, which is undesirable because the instrument will be unusable during that time.
Further, no two chromatographic columns may be the same, even when made to substantially the same specifications. For example, there may be variations in the way in which the stationary phase has been packed in the column, causing the chromatographic columns to exhibit different behaviour during an analysis, which undermines the accuracy of the qualification.
It has been proposed to replace the column with tubing during the qualification, which is connected to the detector. However, the use of tubing does not afford any control of the peak shape and there is no separation. Also, the tubing may not itself provide a suitable back-pressure to apply a load to the system.
There is a need to ensure that the solvent(s) and sample entering the column/tubing are a substantially homogenous composition. The known use of tubing during qualification does not allow any mixing of the composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,511,889 discloses a mixer which seeks to output a substantially mixed composition. The mixer comprises a plurality of flow channels. Each flow channel comprises a first flow section, offering a hydraulic resistance. A fluid distributor provides for the simultaneous arrival of a fluid at all of the first flow sections, which are disclosed as being of the same length and cross section, so that each first flow section has the same hydraulic resistance. There is a second flow section downstream of the first flow section, which acts to mix the composition conveyed within the respective second flow section. The second flow sections are of differing volumes to delay fluid propagation to a corresponding extent. All the second flow sections combine at a single point (the flow combiner).
A problem with the mixer of U.S. Pat. No. 8,511,889 is that whilst it may promote mixing of the fluid being conveyed within each flow channel, the operation of the single flow distributer may not adequately distribute the fluid into the first flow sections. Accordingly, although some smoothing of any compositional variations may be carried out a local level within each flow channel, any compositional variations over the fluid flow as a whole will still be present when the flow channels are recombined.
The present invention seeks to address at least some of the aforementioned problems.


The invention relates to an imaging system and a method for three-dimensional imaging of the interior of an object. The imaging system comprises illumination means (10), detection means (11) and reconstruction means. The illumination means is adapted to illuminate the interior of the object with light, wherein the illumination means (10) is capable of generating different spatial light intensity distributions on the interior of the object. The detection means (11) is adapted to detect the different spatial light intensity distributions, and the reconstruction means is adapted to reconstruct a three-dimensional image from the detected different spatial light intensity distributions. The invention relates further to an optical fiber system comprising a transfer mechanism to transfer the optical fiber system from a first condition, in which optical fibers diverge from each other, to a second condition, in which optical fibers are parallel to each other, and vice versa.

The invention relates to an imaging system for three-dimensional imaging of the interior of an object. The invention relates further to an optical fiber system for the use in the imaging system, and to a method for three-dimensional imaging of the interior of an object.
In particular in the field of minimally invasive surgery, it is important that high quality images of the interior of an object which has to be treated, e.g. bladder, are provided for the surgeon to ensure that surgical instruments can be advanced and used within the object accurately.
It is known that an image of the interior of the object is transferred via an optical fiber from the tip of an endoscope to a monitor on which the surgeon can observe the interior of the object during a surgical procedure. But this image is only a two-dimensional image which does not comprise depth information which is important for an accurate advancement and use of surgical instruments within the object.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,066,090 discloses a branched endoscope system wherein each branch of the endoscope is adapted to acquire an image of the interior of the object and to transfer it to a monitor on which the surgeon can simultaneously view the images of the different branches. Also by using this branched endoscope system only two-dimensional images are shown, and a depth information of the interior of the object is not provided.
The U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,991 discloses an endoscope having two cameras. Based on the parallax difference from the two images a three-dimensional reconstruction of the image is created. This endoscope provides depth information, but it is bulky limiting the usefulness for imaging in the interior of an object.

Imaging system for three-dimensional imaging of the interior of an object