The present invention is a composite layered protective fabric having an outer primary layer composed of an abrasive material and an inner primary layer composed of an inherently cut-resistant material positioned below the outer primary layer and when assembled into a garment is positioned proximate to the wearer's skin. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a secondary layer is added to the inner and outer layer framework. The secondary layer is composed of a material that provides additional protection against potential threats other than cuts, that increases comfort or that improves aesthetics. The invented composite fabric is continuously manufactured in a one-step process which plates the layers of yarn. Thus formed, the invented composite fabric can be formed into cut-resistant apparel and articles that provide a high level of protection against sharp objects.

Protective fabrics are used in numerous applications. For example, highly cut-resistant fabrics are used to manufacture article such as gloves, aprons, arm guards, leg covers and other protective apparel. Currently, a wide variety of techniques are employed to create those highly cut-resistant protective fabrics. Those fabrics are typically knitted with specially engineered yarns. Those yarns typically contain several fibers or strands, some or all of which exhibit cut-resistant properties. Those yarns are knitted into a single layer of fabric used to form an article.
Generally, those yarns incorporate at least two different cut-resistant materials. For example, a common yarn is constructed of a core member which is made from an abrasive material combined with another fibrous material. The abrasive core is wrapped with cover members made from a selected inherently cut-resistant material, typically those having a high lubricity. High performance lubricious materials are very expensive. Naturally, the performance of those yarns is directly affected by the choice of yarn components and by the structure of the yarn.
In addition to the lubricious material, the yarns may incorporate outer cover wraps made from materials that provide enhanced comfort, improve the yarn surface for the application of coatings, increase the bulk level of the composite yarn, and/or increase the abrasion resistance of the fabrics made from those yarns. Furthermore, the outer covers may be incorporated solely for aesthetic reasons such as visibility and product identification.
In operation, an article made with those highly engineered yarns, such as a protective glove, utilizes the abrasive core material to dull the cutting edge of a sharp object such as a knife. The exterior portion of the covers wrapped around the abrasive core, however, provides only minimal protection from the sharp edge of the knife. It is only after the sharp edge of the knife is dulled by the abrasive core that the highly lubricious cover material can effectively provide cut-resistance. Thus, only the interior portion of the lubricious material optimally performs its intended functions while the exterior portion of the lubricious material is under-utilized.
Other existing fabric, and the protective apparel made therefrom, is inefficient in providing protection because the cutting edge of the sharp object passes through half of the cover material before encountering the abrasive core which dulls the cutting edge so that the remaining lubricious material can optimally perform its intended functions. In a typical specially engineered yarn, the cutting edge of the sharp object passes through approximately fifty percent of the expensive highly lubricious material located in the exterior portion of the outer cover wraps before reaching the abrasive core. Only the remaining portion of the cover is useful in resisting a cut threat. Therefore, the cut resistance of existing engineered yarns do not perform at an optimal level because the exterior portion of the lubricious cover is not used and is therefore wasted.
Existing protective fabrics are made by machines equipped with a standard plating attachment used to add a liner of materials for aesthetic and comfort reasons to a layer of cut-resistant material. For example, gloves are manufactured with this equipment using the plating attachment to apply a more comfortable inner material to the glove fabric or to apply a less expensive material to the glove fabric. In particular, a spun aramid glove has been created which contains a cotton lining plated onto an aramid cover.
Therefore, while it is known to use a plating yarn in knitting protective fabrics, no existing fabric is composed of multiple layers of distinct yarns to perform the functions of cut resistance. Furthermore, no existing fabric has two layers of distinct cut-resistant materials and a third layer of non-cut resistant material which is capable of performing yet a third function.
A need, therefore, exists for a fabric that efficiently utilizes abrasive material and an inherently cut-resistant material to optimally resist a cut threat.

Layered composite high performance fabric


A method for encoding video is disclosed wherein information representative of pixels in an image frame is received, and a spatial statistical measure of said information is calculated for groups of neighbouring pixels to form a group value for each group of pixels. A set of available quantization steps is determined comprising a first predetermined quantization step. For a first group of neighbouring pixels, the method comprises: for each available quantization step calculating a remainder after division of the group value of the first group of pixels by the respective available quantization step. The quantization step of the set that results in the smallest remainder is selected as selected quantization step. The first group of pixels is encoded using the selected quantization step. A method of encoding differences between image frames is also disclosed, as well as encoding systems.

In digital video systems, such as network camera monitoring systems, video sequences are compressed before transmission using various video encoding methods. In many digital video encoding systems, two main modes are used for compressing video frames of a sequence of video frames: intra mode and inter mode. In the intra mode, the luminance and chrominance channels are encoded by exploiting the spatial redundancy of the pixels in a given channel of a single frame via prediction, transform, and entropy coding. The encoded frames are called intra-frames, and may also be referred to as I-frames. Within an intra-frame, blocks of pixels, also referred to as macroblocks, coding units or coding tree units, are encoded in intra-mode, meaning that they are encoded with reference to a similar block within the same image frame, or raw coded with no reference at all. The inter mode instead exploits the temporal redundancy between separate frames, and relies on a motion-compensation prediction technique that predicts parts of a frame from one or more previous frames by encoding the motion in pixels from one frame to another for selected blocks of pixels. The encoded frames are called inter-frames, and may be referred to as P-frames (forward-predicted frames), which can refer to previous frames in decoding order, or B-frames (bi-directionally predicted frames), which can refer to two or more previously decoded frames, and can have any arbitrary display-order relationship of the frames used for the prediction. Within an inter-frame, blocks of pixels, also referred to as macroblocks, may be encoded either in inter-mode, meaning that they are encoded with reference to a similar block in a previously decoded image, or in intra-mode, meaning that they are encoded with reference to a similar block within the same image frame, or raw-coded with no reference at all.
In both encoding modes, a quantization is usually performed. Generally, the pixel values of a macroblock are subjected to a discrete cosine transform (DCT), thereby transforming the pixel values of the macroblock to the frequency domain. The DCT coefficients are then quantized. Quantization implies mapping input values, which may take a wide range of values, to a countable number of discrete values or levels, so called quantization levels. The size of a step from one level to the next in the quantization may be referred to as a quantization step. By the performance of quantization, the quantized data can be represented using fewer bits than would be required for representing the non-quantized input values. In codecs compliant with the H.264 standard, for instance, the quantization is controlled by a compression value called the quantization parameter, or QP for short.
If the input values are mapped to only a few quantization levels, i.e. large quantization steps, fewer bits will be required for representing the quantized data than if more quantization levels are used. Therefore, when seeking to lower output bitrate of a video encoder, the number of quantization levels may be lowered by choosing a suitable compression value. In other words, the size of the quantization steps may be increased. However, since quantization is irreversible, the compression is lossy, and more information is lost the fewer quantization levels are used. Thus, the quality of the encoded video will generally be lower if high compression values, implying few quantization levels, are used.
Encoding is often controlled by a rate controller, which may employ a constant bitrate (CBR), a maximum bitrate (MBR), or a variable bitrate (VBR). CBR means that the encoder will strive to always output the same bitrate, regardless of what happens in the captured scene. If bandwidth is limited, this may lead to low quality images when there is a motion in the scene, but high quality images when the image is static. In a surveillance or monitoring situation, this is generally not useful, as a scene with motion is normally of more interest than a static scene. With MBR, the bitrate is allowed to vary, as long as it does not exceed the bitrate limit set. The problems related to this approach are similar to the ones associated with CBR. If the MBR limit is set too low, images of a scene with motion may be of low quality. However, if the limit is set higher, in order to accommodate the motion, the output bitrate may be unnecessarily high when encoding images of a static scene. VBR may also be referred to as constant quality bitrate, meaning that the quality of the encoded images should be kept constant, but the output bitrate is allowed to vary depending on what is happening in the scene. This approach may lead to high output bitrate when there is motion in the scene. This is particularly problematic if bandwidth is limited, such as when transmitting encoded images over a mobile network. Similarly, it is problematic if storage is limited, such as when storing images on board the camera, e.g., on an SD card. High output bitrates may also be problematic in large systems of cameras if several cameras transmit images of scenes with motion simultaneously.
Regardless of the bitrate control scheme used by the rate controller, one of the parameters that the encoder can adjust in order to comply with the bitrate set by the rate controller is the compression value, or in other words the quantization step. As already mentioned, a high compression value, i.e. a large quantization step, is expected to give a low output bitrate from the encoder. However, the inventors of the present invention have discovered that this is not always true. In some instances, increasing the compression value from an already high compression value may in fact increase output bitrate. This is detrimental in that bandwidth requirement may become unnecessarily high, while at the same time image quality is low. Hence, there is a need for an improved encoding method.

Method and encoder system for encoding video


Disclosed are polypeptides that are analogs of urocortin 2 that have pharmacological activity similar to urocortin 2 but have improved water solubility compared to urocortin 2, and pharmaceutical compositions of the polypeptides of the present invention. Also disclosed are polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides, and methods of treating pathophysiological states employing pharmaceutical compositions of the polypeptides and polynucleotides of the present invention. In addition, disclosed are vectors and host cells that include a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide of the present invention, and kits that include pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of protein chemistry, molecular biology, pharmaceutical compositions, and therapeutics. More particularly, the invention concerns methods, compositions concerning urocortin-2 analogs, and nucleic acids encoding urocortin-2 analogs.
2. Description of Related Art
Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a 41-amino acid peptide best known for its indispensable role in initiating pituitary-adrenal responses to stress, an effect mediated by type 1 CRF receptors. In addition, corticotropin-releasing factor is widely distributed in brain, and participates in the mobilization of complementary autonomic and behavioral adjustments to a variety of threatening circumstances. Corticotropin releasing factor and its related family of peptides play important roles in regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) under basal and stress conditions. It is also believed that corticotropin-releasing factor is also involved in other neuroendocrine and paracrine responses in many tissues. Members of the CRF family integrate endocrine, autonomic and behavioral responses to stressors. These peptides may also be implicated in the control of appetite, arousal, and cognitive functions. Severe psychological and physiological consequences can occur as a result of the long term effects of stress, such as anxiety disorders, anorexia nervosa and melancholic depression.
Corticotropin-releasing factor family members mediate their biological actions by specifically binding to CRF receptors with high affinities. CRF receptors are G-protein coupled receptors that act through adenylate cyclase and are structurally related to the secretin family. This family also includes GRF, VIP, PTH, and the Calcitonin receptor. CRF-R1 receptor is distributed throughout the brain and is found in sensory and motor relay sites. The CRF-R2α is distributed in lateral septum, ventral medial hypothalamus, nucleus of the solitary tract and the dorsal raphe nucleus, which are areas where CRF-R1 is expressed very little or not at all. The CRF-R2β is found mostly in peripheral sites including the heart, blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, epididymis, lung and skin. The pharmacology of the two types of receptors differs in that corticotropin-releasing factor has a low affinity for CRF-R2 but a high affinity for CRF-R1. Other related peptides such as carp urotensin, frog sauvagine, and urocortin have a high affinity for CRF-R2. CRF-R2 knockout mice demonstrate an increased anxiety-like behavior caused by hypersensitivity to stressors.
A mammalian CRF-related neuropeptide, urocortin (Ucn), binds with high affinity to both known CRF receptor types, whereas CRF is bound in a highly preferential manner by CRF-R1. Centrally administered urocortin is more potent than CRF in suppressing appetite but less so in generating acute anxiety-like effects and generalized behavioral activation. This has been taken to indicate that urocortin might mediate some stress-related effects attributed initially to CRF, at least in part by serving as an endogenous ligand for CRF-R2. Urocortin has been proposed as a therapeutic agent in heart disease (see, e.g., Raddino et al., 2007; Davidson et al., 2009).
Urocortin 2 (Ucn 2), one of the CRF peptide family members, is thought to be an endogenous ligand for CRF type 2 receptor (CRF-R2). The roles of urocortin 2 in the body are diverse, and include involvement in affective disorders, stimulation of the immune system, and cardioprotection (Lawrence and Latchman, 2006). Therapeutic application of urocortin 2 is limited because of the limited water solubility of the urocortin 2 peptide. Therefore, there is the need for active urocortin 2 analogs that have improved water solubility.


A regulator and a method for regulating a current through a load. The regulator may include, for example, a first circuit portion configured to alternately apply and remove a voltage across the load in accordance with a first signal, the voltage causing a current to flow, and a second circuit portion configured to generate the first signal so as to have a duty cycle that depends upon an amount of the current and a second signal when the amount of current is below a threshold amount, and to generate the first signal so as to have a duty cycle that depends upon the amount of the current but not the second signal when the amount of current exceeds the threshold amount.

In order to regulate a current through an inductive load, it is known practice to apply a pulse-width-modulated voltage to the load and to set the duty ratio (duty cycle) of the voltage on the basis of an error signal which represents a difference between the current flowing through the load and a desired value.
Inductive loads whose current flow is intended to be regulated include, for example, solenoid valves in hydraulic systems, for example automatic shift transmissions, in motor vehicles. A current which is as constant as possible is intended to flow through the solenoid valves in such a system between individual switching operations, the desired value for this current changing during a switching operation. In order to prevent stopping of mechanical components in such a system, for example when a switching operation does not take place over a relatively long period of time, it is known practice to superimpose a radio-frequency (RF) periodic signal on the desired value. The current flowing through the load then fluctuates periodically in the steady state around a current value predefined by the desired value. The valve position then differs periodically from a position predefined by the desired current value and thus prevents stopping of the valve, the frequency of the radio-frequency signal being higher, however, than the so-called cut-off frequency of the fluid system inside the entire hydraulic system, with the result that the fluctuations in the valve position do not affect the position of the parts controlled by the hydraulic system.
There is a need for a current regulator and a method for regulating current, which provide that, after a change in the desired value, the current is quickly regulated to the changed desired value.

Current regulator with current threshold dependent duty cycle


An internal combustion engine valve mechanism including a rocker arm, which includes a bearing section and a rocker roller, and an HLA. The HLA has a pivot, which is to be inserted into the bearing section, and supports one end of the rocker arm. The pivot has a spherically curved surface, whereas the bearing section has a shell-shaped dent. A swing arm rotates in synchronism with camshaft rotation and gives roller pressure force to the rocker roller. The direction in which the swing arm presses the rocker roller shifts toward the HLA when the lift of a valve disc increases. An osculating circle is inclined by inclining the axis of the bearing section at an angle of α° relative to the axis of the HLA.

A known valve mechanism disclosed, for instance, by Japanese Patent JP-A-2003-239712 uses a rocker arm having a rocker roller to drive a valve disc. In this conventional valve mechanism, the rocker arm has a bearing section at one of its ends and is in contact with the valve disc at the other end. The rocker roller is positioned between these two ends.
A lash adjuster has a pivot at its leading end. The pivot is pivotally supported by a bearing of the rocker arm. When the rocker roller is pressed, the configuration described above causes the rocker arm to turn on the pivot, thereby pushing the valve disc in a valve opening direction. Therefore, when the rocker roller periodically swings, the valve disc can be periodically opened/closed.
In the conventional valve mechanism described above, a variable valve mechanism is positioned over the rocker roller. The variable valve mechanism includes a swing arm, which is in contact with the rocker roller, and a conversion mechanism, which is positioned between the swing arm and a camshaft. The conversion mechanism is capable of converting the rotary motion of the camshaft to a swinging motion of the swing arm and changing a basic posture of the swing arm in accordance with external instructions.
When the basic posture of the swing arm changes, a change occurs in the swing angle between the swing start position at which swing arm operation is started and the pressure start position at which the swing arm starts to push the rocker roller. When the swing angle changes, a maximum displacement amount of the rocker roller changes, as a result, a maximum lift amount of the valve disc changes. In this manner, the conventional valve mechanism described above can change the maximum lift amount of the valve disc.
With regard to the present invention, the applicant is aware of the following document as a related art.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent JP-A-2003-239712

Internal combustion engine valve mechanism


Disclosed herein are methods of treating conditions of the eye comprising delivering an effective amount of a composition comprising tobramycin or a tobramycin derivative exhibiting similar properties complexed to an agent which facilitates improved permeation of corneal cells, retention in corneal cells, or both. In aspects, such compositions further comprise, or such methods further comprise associated administration of (e.g., as a combined product or via co-administration), one or more additional active agents capable of supporting the treatment of the indication for which the compounds of the invention are directed, such as additional antibacterial compounds, anti-inflammatory agents (e.g., steroids), and the like.

A high value is placed on vision and eye health. As such, considerable time and resources are spent on ophthalmic product development. Such products can be divided into two categories by the location within the eye they aim to target: the anterior and posterior segments. The anterior portion comprises about one-third of the eye and consists of anatomy including the conjunctiva, cornea. The posterior portion comprises anatomy all residing behind the lens. Products targeting differing portions of the eye require different considerations, as the challenges presented by the biological environments, barriers, and natural ocular defenses vary between the two.
Common broadly categorized disorders of the anterior portion of the eye include cataracts, infection, and inflammation, inflammation sometimes resulting from infection and other times present independent from infection, resulting from other etiologies such as allergy. Such afflictions, especially infection and inflammation, can vary and can affect humans of all ages (e.g., from infants to the very young and the elderly) as well as other species. The efficacy of topical applications such as those attempting to treat eye conditions such as conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva), or other external ocular infections often hinge on their ability to maintain contact with the afflicted eye anatomy or be retained by the eye, e.g., permeate and be held within, the cornea.
Tobramycin is an aminoglycoside that has been used in ophthalmological and other settings as an antibiotic. Several other aminoglycosides are known, and several such antibiotics have been shown to be useful in ophthalmological treatments. However, aminoglycosides can vary significantly in terms of their structure, effectiveness in different settings, and other attributes. Tobramycin, for example, is unique among major aminoglycoside antibiotics in binding the 50s ribosome in addition to the 30s ribosome typically only bound by other aminoglycosides.
Not long after the patenting of tobramycin in the mid-1960s and the receipt of approval of tobramycin for medical use in 1974, Novartis, a leading global pharmaceutical company ranked as one of the top five global pharmaceutical innovators, developed the first ophthalmological tobramycin product, TOBREX®, receiving FDA approval for the product in late 1980. The specific approved indication for TOBREX® is the treatment of external infections of the eye and its adnexa by susceptible bacteria. TOBREX® tobramycin ophthalmic solution provides tobramycin in a 0.3% w/v concentration. Due to the many sensitivities of the eye, for example relating to pH and tonicity, concerns related to irritation made delivering higher concentrations of tobramycin challenging and products having higher concentrations of tobramycin have not been approved to date. Due to the limited concentration, as well as tobramycin's low corneal permeability and hence limited ability to be effectively taken up by corneal cells (e.g., before being swept away by natural eye defense mechanisms such as nasolacrimal flushing), frequent, repeated dosing of the product is required. In fact, recommended dosing of TOBREX® in adults and children above the age of one year is the application of one-two drops into the affected eye(s) every four hours (at least six times a day). In severe infections, recommended dosing of TOBREX® in adults and children above the age of one year is the application of two drops into the affected eye(s) hourly.
The introduction of TOBRADEX® by Novartis followed in 1988. TOBRADEX® further incorporates the steroid dexamethasone with tobramycin in an effort to address the inflammation commonly associated with ocular infections and use of products such as TOBREX®. Unfortunately, the introduction of the steroid to the formulation also introduced new concerns, specifically an increased risk of increased intraocular pressure and glaucoma, with associated risk of damage to the optic nerve and defects in visual acuity and fields of vision. Further warnings related to cataract development, delayed post-surgical healing, secondary infection due to suppressed host response, exacerbation of viral infections, development of fungal infection, and use by pregnant and nursing women as they relate to fetal anomalies and mortality are provided on the TOBRADEX® label. At the same time as introducing new safety concerns, the concentration of tobramycin remained the same at 0.3% w/v. As such, the dosing regimen remained essentially unchanged, with administration prescribed as one drop administered every 4-6 hours, optionally the initial 24-48-hour dosing being increased to one drop every 2 hours.
It took nearly another 20 years before another product comprising tobramycin was introduced into the market. Specifically, in 2004, Bausch & Lomb launched a product like TOBRADEX® called Zylet®, a formulation of tobramycin at a concentration of 0.3% and a steroid, in this case the corticosteroid loteprednol etabonate, at a concentration of 0.5%.
Over the course of the following decade and a half, many more attempts were made by formulators to develop tobramycin products and other ophthalmic interventions utilizing a variety of technologies to address the well-known drug availability and/or bioavailability limitations, e.g., drug permeability and retention limitations, and intervention side effect vulnerabilities presented by the eye.
For example, an attempt to develop a twice-a-day tobramycin formulation reportedly used viscosity enhancers, as exemplified in the 2005 European Journal of Ophthalmology paper by Kernt et. al. titled, "A Clinical Comparison of Two Formulations of Tobramycin 0.3% Eyedrops in the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Conjunctivitis." This work reflected results from a large, multi-center clinical trial. However, despite such significant use of resources, this study and other, similar efforts led to no new marketed product. While the fate of such efforts is difficult to ascertain from public records, given the effort and the outcome, such facts suggest that such product candidates may have been associated with an issue or shortcoming in terms of product efficacy, safety, or both.
In 2009, a modified TOBRADEX® formulation, TOBRADEX ST®, was introduced. TOBRADEX ST® comprises tobramycin at the previously marketed concentration of 0.3% w/v (as present in both TOBREX® and TOBRADEX®) and maintains the presence of the steroid dexamethasone (as in TOBRADEX®); however, the formulation is modified such that the concentration of dexamethasone is decreased from 0.1% in TOBRADEX® to 0.05% in TOBRADEX ST®. While reducing the steroid exposure and hence attempting to address the risks associated with such steroid use, the concentration of the antimicrobial tobramycin in the new formulation remained unchanged as compared to earlier products, with dosing remaining at a regimen of 1 drop every 4-6 hours and optionally a drop every 2 hours during the initial 24-48-hour treatment period.
Despite significant investigation in these and a multitude of formulation approaches reported in the art, and the proposed development of tobramycin derivatives with allegedly improved properties reported several times in patent documents and scientific literature, no tobramycin or tobramycin derivative product addressing the limitations associated with on-market tobramycin products, such as dosing and dosage amount, has yet materialized. As a result, earlier developed formulations continue to dominate the market and the most significant recent introductions are primarily targeted at reducing the side effects associated with such formulations. In fact, in the nearly forty years since the approval of TOBREX®, no approved product has adequately addressed the limitations associated with tobramycin products. The disappointing progress of tobramycin product research and development demonstrates that inventiveness is required to make tobramycin products that can effectively address the limitations associated with current on-market products.
Perhaps one factor complicating such research efforts is the numerous options available for seeking to develop improved ophthalmological products. For example, mucoadhesive formulations, ocular/conjunctival inserts, the use of aqueous gels, dendrimers, liposomes, and nanotechnology, among others have been used for developing ophthalmological products. These approaches have been combined with numerous types of formulations including solutions, emulsions, suspensions, ointments, and the like. Means of addressing drug transport via, e.g., solute carriers and ATP-binding cassettes have been introduced; use of prodrugs, iontophoresis, and cyclodextrins have each been subjects of research and development efforts. These and numerous other approaches available to the development of such products are described in, e.g., Souto, in "Advanced Formulation Approaches for Ocular Drug Delivery: State-Of-The-Art and Recent Patents," published in Pharmaceutics in 2019 which provides a review of the numerous techniques available for developing ocular formulations. The number of available options, and the complexities of making suitable products for treating conditions of the eye given its sensitive and unique physiological nature, further reflects that an inventive approach is required to develop a tobramycin composition addressing limitations of currently marketed tobramycin ophthalmological products which have reflected the state of the art for four decades.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods of treating eye disease with tobramycin-related compositions


The present disclosure provides techniques for commissioning a light switch and a control device. A wireless light system implementing such techniques includes a light switch comprising a first microcontroller, a first wireless transceiver, and a first magnetic reed switch. The wireless light system further includes a control device comprising a second microcontroller, a second wireless transceiver, and a second magnetic reed switch. When the second magnetic reed switch is closed, the control device transmits via the second wireless transceiver a second unique address to the first wireless transceiver. When the first magnetic reed switch is closed and when the first wireless transceiver receives the second unique address, the first wireless transceiver transmits to the second wireless transceiver a first unique address.

Wireless lighting fixtures have become prevalent in today's lighting systems. There are a wide range of control devices available to control wireless lighting fixtures, including mobile and fixed, which can be either line powered or battery powered. For example, a wireless lighting fixture can be controlled by a single (battery or line powered) occupancy sensor or by multiple occupancy sensors placed at various entry points to a building. The process of associating a sensor, such as an occupancy sensor, with a switch to control a wireless light fixture is called commissioning. Because the sensor and the switch typically communicate via radio frequency, it is important that the sensor be associated or commissioned with the correct switch. The process of commissioning wireless lighting fixtures to work with control devices can be a critical step in installing wireless light fixtures. For example, in a large installation there can be thousands of wireless lighting fixtures that need to be commissioned so that they can be controlled properly.
One current approach to commissioning wireless light fixtures involves assigning a MAC address to each light fixture. The MAC address is entered into a database. A computer communicates with each wireless light fixture via a wireless network and associates the MAC address in the database with the wireless light fixture. Additionally, a technician manually activates each wireless light fixture by flashing each device with an infrared signal which places the fixture in the join mode allowing it to be associated with a control device, such as an occupancy sensor. This can be a tedious and cumbersome process that is subject to operator error.

Systems and methods for commissioning a wireless lighting device with a magnetic reed switch


There is provided a method of processing an oxygen-containing workpiece. The method of processing an oxygen-containing workpiece includes controlling a fluorine concentration in the oxygen-containing workpiece based on at least one of a kind of a fluorine-containing processing gas, a processing temperature and a processing pressure used for processing the oxygen-containing workpiece.

Non-Patent Document 1 discloses that a defect in a silicon dioxide (SiO2) film can be improved by adding fluorine (F) to the SiO2 film (Non-Patent Document 1: Mitani Yuichiro et al., "Reexamination of Fluorine Incorporation into SiO2—Significant Improvement of Charge-to-Breakdown Distribution Tail", International Reliability Physics Symposium proceedings, IEEE, 1999, p93-98).
Patent Document 1 discloses that ultraviolet light transmission is improved when fluorine is added to quartz glass (Patent Document 1: JP Patent Publication 2009-203142).

Method and apparatus for processing oxygen-containing workpiece


A method for evaluating portions of a reservoir includes classifying producing reservoir portions in the reservoir into multiple classifications based on production data associated with the producing reservoir portions. Each classification corresponds to a range of the production data. The method further includes generating a correlation between the classifications of the producing reservoir portions to a petrophysical property and elastic property of the subterranean formation, generating, based on the correlation, a spatial distribution function of reservoir quality to represent predicted classifications as a function of physical locations in the reservoir, and evaluating, using the spatial distribution function, a physical location in the reservoir for reservoir quality.

Operations, such as geophysical surveying, drilling, logging, well completion, and production, may be performed to locate and gather valuable downhole fluids. Surveys are often performed using acquisition methodologies, such as seismic mapping, resistivity mapping, etc. to generate images of underground formations. These formations are often analyzed to determine the presence of subterranean assets, such as valuable fluids or minerals, or to determine if the formations have characteristics suitable for storing fluids. Although the subterranean assets are not limited to hydrocarbons such as oil, throughout this document, the terms "oilfield" and "oilfield operation" may be used interchangeably with the terms "field" and "field operation" to refer to a site where any types of valuable fluids or minerals can be found and the activities for extracting them. The terms may also refer to sites where substances are deposited or stored by injecting them into the surface using boreholes and the operations associated with this process. Further, the term "field operation" refers to a field operation associated with a field, including activities related to field planning, wellbore drilling, wellbore completion, and/or production using the wellbore.
A common approach used by engineers, petrophysicists, and some earth scientists to determine drilling sites is based on Poisson's ratio of the rock. The common belief is that a low Poisson's ratio corresponds to rocks that are easily hydraulically fractured and, therefore, is a good indication of a potentially productive wellsite where hydraulic stimulation treatment is relatively efficient.

Predicting three dimensional distribution of reservoir production capacity


In a mobile communication system, a base station of a cell transmits neighboring cell information to a mobile station located in the cell. The mobile station monitors signals of neighboring cells based on the information. The neighboring cell information includes identification information on the cell in which the mobile station is located and on the neighboring cells thereof; and ranks for monitoring the respective cells. When a reception signal level of a signal transmitted by the base station of the cell in which the mobile station is located becomes equal to or below a given threshold value, the mobile station monitors a signal of a corresponding neighboring cell. The neighboring cell information may include specific reception signal levels for the respective neighboring cells instead of the ranks.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication system, a mobile communication method, and a mobile communication terminal. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique to monitor neighboring cells of a cell in which a mobile communication terminal (that is, a mobile station) is located.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile communication system applying the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA) technology, a mobile station always monitors reception levels of a currently located cell and neighboring cells thereof so as to execute handover and cell reselection. However, when the mobile station always monitors the neighboring cells, operation rate of the mobile station becomes higher and power consumption thereof increases. Accordingly, there is proposed a mobile communication system which does not monitor signals of neighboring cells when a reception signal level of a signal received from a base station of the cell in which the mobile station is currently located is sufficiently large. This system is described in 3GPP TS25.304 v5.3.0 (2003-06) pages 18-24 and in 3GPP TS 25.301 v5.5.0 (2003-06) pages 408-412, for example. However, when the mobile station moves at high speed, speed of a decline of the reception signal level is greater than an operation cycle for monitoring the neighboring cells. Cell reselection of the mobile station is delayed as a result. When the cell reselection is delayed, the mobile station cannot send and receive a call.

Mobile communication system, mobile communication method, and mobile station


A Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine is used in conjunction with a hybrid powertrain. Power production from the HCCI engine in operation may be decoupled from, or assisted in, responding to driver power demand. In this manner, the HCCI engine: (i) is relieved from the need to quickly adapt to changes in driver power demand, and/or (ii) is allowed to more slowly transition between power levels reflective of the vehicle power demands, with a secondary power source providing the more immediate power response to driver demands. In addition, driver power demand greater than what can be provided by the HCCI engine may preferably be met through the addition of power from the powertrain's reversible secondary power source (e.g. one or more reversible electric motor/generator(s) or reversible hydraulic pump/motor(s)), thereby avoiding the need for full load operation by the HCCI engine. In this manner, driver power demand may be met by the vehicle with commercially acceptable responsiveness, while simultaneously enabling the use of a highly efficient low emission HCCI engine.

Over the years there has been much research and development effort focused on the potential for developing a commercially viable Homogenous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) internal combustion engine for motor vehicles. A primary interest in developing a commercially viable HCCI engine for motor vehicles is that such an engine would theoretically have comparable efficiency to a conventional diesel engine (i.e. greater than a conventional gasoline engine), but with near zero production of harmful NOx and PM emissions. As of today, development of a commercially viable HCCI engine has never been successful because of (i) the difficulty in effectively controlling the initiation of combustion in a multicylinder HCCI engine over the changing speed and load conditions that would be involved in normal operation of a motor vehicle, and (ii) the difficulty in controlling initiation of combustion in an HCCI engine at full load.
Unlike with conventional gasoline engines (with combustion triggered by spark ignition), or diesel engines (with combustion triggered by late cylinder fuel injection), the start of ignition in HCCI engines is very hard to predict when the various operative parameters for combustion are in flux (e.g. intake charge-air temperature, cylinder wall temperature, boost pressure, charge-air oxygen concentration, fuel quantity, etc), and (in the case of cylinder wall temperature) even vary cylinder to cylinder.
As a result, HCCI research engines are only now beginning to be able to operate in multicylinder conditions, generally at steady state conditions and partial load conditions (e.g. with a maximum of about 75% of full load), with some minimal capability for slowly transitioning HCCI operation from one steady state condition to another for a change in power demand from the engine. Such transient ability for HCCI engines is currently far too slow (on the order of ten to one hundred times too long) for a commercially acceptable response the for use in a conventional motor vehicle. For example, for commercially acceptable responsiveness in a conventional vehicle, the time allowed for an engine to adjust from low power output to a relatively high power output would be a fraction of a second, whereas (without a major breakthrough) the best current HCCI engines would take multiple seconds to successfully make such a significant upward power transition in HCCI mode.
In addition, HCCI engines currently preferably use some time (e.g. 20–30 seconds) after the engine is turned on to operate in a non-HCCI mode (e.g. in spark Ignition mode), until the various operative parameters for successful HCCI combustion stabilize to desired levels, before HCCI combustion is initiated. Alternatively, the engine may be made to start quickly in HCCI mode if the engine is already warm (e.g. coolant and oil temperature are above 50° C.), such as through non-HCCI operation or external warming.
For at least these reasons, HCCI engines are currently far from being considered a viable option as a power plant for conventional motor vehicles.
Given the above limitations of HCCI engines, use of an HCCI-engine in conjunction with a hybrid powertrain (e.g. internal combustion engine/electric or internal combustion engine/hydraulic) motor vehicle would at first seem to only exacerbate the complications and shortcomings of an HCCI engine. This is because virtually all hybrid powertrain methods of operation not only operate the engine through rapid transients, but also rely on frequent cycling off of the internal combustion engine (or individual cylinders thereof) in order to avoid fuel consumption when the vehicle may instead operate through the secondary (e.g. electric or hydraulic) power source. However, as discussed above, rapid transients and rapidly cycling of an HCCI engine off and on during motor vehicle use would not be conducive to use with present HCCI technology (e.g. because of the delays for the engine to be able to transition between engine operating states or into HCCI mode), and thus an HCCI engine would appear to be an illogical match for a potential hybrid vehicle.

Hybrid powertrain motor vehicle with homogenous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engine, and method of operation thereof

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency


An interface cell for a programmable integrated circuit includes a pad, an input buffer, a first routing conductor, a plurality of second routing conductors, and a plurality of antifuses. The input of the input buffer is coupled to the pad and the output of the input buffer is coupled to the first routing conductor so that an input signal from the pad can be supplied onto the first routing conductor without passing through any programmed antifuses. The second routing conductors extend parallel to one another in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the first routing conductor extends. The second routing conductors cross the first routing conductor and then pass out of the interface cell and into a routing channel of the programmable integrated circuit. One of the antifuses is disposed at each location where one of the second routing conductors crosses the first routing conductor. Accordingly, an input signal from the pad can be supplied onto any desired one of the second routing conductors of the routing channel by programming only one antifuse. The interface cell contains an enablable register, the control inputs of which can be independently driven from any conductor in the adjacent routing channel. Combinatorial and registered outputs of the interface cell can be simultaneously routed to the routing channel and some interface cell outputs have 2.times. drive strength.

A field programmable gate array (FPGA) is a versatile integrated circuit, the internal circuitry of which may be configured by an individual user to realize a user-specific circuit. To configure an FPGA, the user configures an on-chip interconnect structure of the FPGA so that selected inputs and selected outputs of selected on-chip logic elements are connected together in such a way that the resulting circuit is the user-specific circuit desired by the user.
FIG. 1 (Prior Art) is a simplified diagram illustrating an integrated circuit 1, including a plurality of interface cells 2-7, two logic modules 8-9, and four routing channels. A first routing channel extends horizontally adjacent to the top side of integrated circuit 1, a second routing channel extends horizontally adjacent to the bottom side of integrated adjacent to the left side of integrated circuit 1 and intersects with the first and second routing channels, and a fourth routing channel extends vertically adjacent to the right side of integrated circuit 1 and intersects with the first and second routing channels. The logic modules 8 and 9 can be coupled together as desired and coupled to the interface cells 2-7 as desired via interconnect in the routing channels.
It is seen that a portion (a "macrocell") of the routing channel and logic module structure of FIG. 1 is repeated. Macrocell 10 is one such portion and macrocell 11 is another such portion. Macrocell 10, for example, contains the third routing channel, the left-most portion of the first and second routing channels, and a plurality of "antifuses" for connecting selected routing conductors together within the macrocell.
Interface cells 2-7 function to receive incoming data into integrated circuit 1 or to transmit outgoing data from integrated circuit 1. It may be desired that data received into integrated circuit 1 is captured in a register ("registered") first before being processed by other circuitry in the logic modules of the integrated circuit. Alternatively, it may be desired that the data is not registered but rather only goes through combinatorial logic on its way to the logic modules. Because interface cells 2-7 do not include registers, one conventional way to register incoming data is to use registers in logic modules to capture the data. Such use of logic module registers as input registers can, however, cause timing problems due to long propagation delays through the integrated circuit and to the registers inside the logic modules.
Another drawback of using logic module registers as input registers is that the logic modules used for this purpose may not be fully utilized and result in inefficient logic use. It may not be possible to use the other logic elements of a logic module for another purpose once the register is used as an input register. Thus, an entire logic module may be consumed for the purpose of serving as an input register. In situations where multiple bits of data from a bus are to be registered, a large number of logic modules may have to be dedicated to the task of registering the incoming data. This may drastically reduce the number of logic modules available for implementing additional logic.
Each of the small square symbols in FIG. 1 represents a connection element referred to as a "cross antifuse". Cross antifuse 12, for example, can be programmed to form a low impedance connection between horizontally extending routing conductor 13 in the second routing channel and vertically extending routing conductor 14 in the fourth routing channel. Each of the small "X" shaped symbols represents another type of antifuse called a "pass antifuse". Pass antifuse 15, for example, can be programmed to form a low impedance connection between horizontally extending routing conductor 16 and collinearly extending horizontal routing conductor 17. To realize a user-specific circuit on integrated circuit 1, selected ones of these cross and pass antifuses are "programmed" to connect selected routing conductors together. Which antifuses are programmed and which antifuses are left unprogrammed determines how the logic elements in the logic modules are interconnected and therefore determines the resulting circuit.
For background information on field programmable gate arrays employing antifuses, the reader is referred to: the 1994 QuickLogic Data Book, 1994, pages 2-10 through 2-15; the 1995 Actel FPGA Data Book and Design Guide, 1995, pages 1-109 through 1-139, 1-160 through 1-202, 1-229 through 1-269, and 3-17 through 3-41. The contents of these documents are incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 2 (Prior Art) illustrates an interface cell 18 of an integrated circuit employing antifuses. Interface cell 18 is connectable to a switch box 19 through "pass" antifuses 20-23. Interface cell 18 contains a bonding pad 24, an input buffer 25, an output buffer 26, and a two-input OR gate 27.
A shortcoming of this interface cell structure is that if input buffer 25 is to be coupled to a horizontally extending routing conductor other than routing conductor 28, then more than one antifuse will have to be programmed. Assume that routing conductor 28 is a short segmented routing conductor (one type of routing conductor) and that routing conductor 30 is a relatively long unsegmented routing conductor (another type of routing conductor). If it were desired to couple input buffer 25 to the long type of routing conductor to transmit an incoming signal across the integrated circuit efficiently, then more than one antifuse would have to be programmed.
For example, to connect the output lead of input buffer 25 to routing conductor 30 (the desired type of routing conductor in this example), pass antifuse 20, cross antifuse 32, and cross antifuse 33 are programmed. Conductor 34 is therefore connected to horizontal routing conductor 28, which is connected to vertical routing conductor 35, which is in turn connected to horizontal routing conductor 30. As a result, the structure of FIG. 2 requires three antifuses to be programmed in order to supply an incoming signal onto the desired type of horizontally extending routing conductor.
Moreover, horizontally extending routing conductor 28 is coupled to horizontally extending routing conductor 30 even though it is not the desired horizontal routing conductor. Horizontally extending routing resources are therefore also wasted.
An improved interface cell and interconnect structure is therefore desired.

Interface cell for a programmable integrated circuit employing antifuses


An improved manufacturing method for the hole-punching assembly of a hole-punching unit is disclosed. The method of the present invention comprises the following steps: (1) forming a plurality of aluminum balancing pieces with a rectangular shape by extrusion, and forming an indentation area on one side of each balancing piece; (2) forming an elongated slot by an application of stamping on the indentation area of each balancing piece; (3) obtaining a plurality of rectangular pieces (the number of which equals that of the balancing pieces), made of iron, and forming a row of holes by a single application of stamping on each rectangular piece; and (4) fitting each of the rectangular pieces onto the indentation area of a balancing piece, and connecting the balancing pieces together by screws or bolts. The manufacturing method can lower the production cost and simplify the production process of the hole-punching assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to an improved manufacturing method for the hole-punching assembly of a hole-punching unit. More particularly, the invention relates to an improved manufacturing method that can simplify the production process and lower the production cost and is different from the prior art manufacturing method, which is characterized with a more difficult production process and results in a higher production cost. Therefore, the method of the present invention has a higher level of economic value and usefulness.
2. Description of the Related Art
Multiple-hole punching devices have been used to punch holes on a stack of paper so that the paper may be bound into a book through the holes. Because such a device has a plurality of punching pieces, it needs additional components that can hold a stack of paper and set it into a neat condition so that the punching operation may be carried out smoothly.
Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of the hole-punching unit of the prior art. FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing the hole-punching unit of the prior art.
The hole-punching unit 20 of the prior art has a row of slots 21, two retaining plates 211 and 212, a grip portion 23, two rods 24, a positioning piece 25, two elastic elements 241 and a plurality of punching pieces 30, A gap 22 for the insertion of a stack of paper is transversely disposed. The slots 21 are separated by a row of ribs. The two retaining plates 211 and 212 are fitted on by bolts. The grip portion 23 is provided on one side of the hole-punching unit 20 so that a user may use the grip portion 23 to fit the unit 20 into a hole-punching machine or take it out from such machine. The two rods 24 are disposed in the two sides of a rear portion of the unit 20. The positioning piece 25 is fitted on the unit 20 with the two rods 24. Each rod goes through an elastic element 241; the proximal ends of the elastic elements 241 press against the unit 20, and the distal ends of the elastic elements 241 press against the positioning piece 25.
The punching pieces 30 may go through and be held in the row of slots 21. A retaining plate 251 is also provided so as to hold the punching pieces 30 in place. If a different number of holes is wanted, a user may unfasten the retaining plate 251 and then take out or add one or more of the punching pieces 30. If the slots 21 have a rectangular shape, the punching pieces 30 should have a rectangular shape. The punching pieces 30 may have different shapes—rectangular, triangular, circular, etc.
The hole-punching unit 20 of the prior art has the following eight disadvantages:
1. The hole-punching unit 20 of the prior art is made of iron and is relatively bulky, hence, more material is needed in its production.
2. The hole-punching unit 20 of the prior art is made of iron, therefore, it is quite heavy. This causes inconvenience in the production process and transport.
3. Because the unit 20 is larger in size and heavier in weight after it is integrally formed, the processing of its gap 22 and slots 21 requires a bigger machine and is relatively more difficult to carry out and more time-consuming. Therefore, the processing cost is higher.
4. Such manufacturing method can only allow the shapes of the slots to be rectangular, triangular or diamond shape (not circular).
5. To cover and protect the slots 21, the two retaining plates 211 and 212 are provided. Hence, the production cost of such unit 20 is high and such a unit 20 has a lower economic value.
6. In the prior art, to make the production process easier to carry out, the unit 20 comprises two halves, which are joined together by screws or bolts. Even so, the disadvantages (such as heavy weight and the processing of the slots 21 being difficult to carry out) still remain.
7. Though there are different types (as according to the shapes of the punching pieces) of the unit 20, their production cost and hence their selling prices are relatively high due to said disadvantages.
8. Because the unit 20 of the prior art is integrally formed and its slots 21 and paper gap 22 require processing, a higher degree of precision in the production and processing is needed; if any of its part is slightly imperfect or imprecise, the operation of the whole unit 20 would be greatly affected and sometimes the whole unit 20 has to be discarded. This constitutes a waste.
Therefore, the disadvantages (such as the high production cost and the difficult production process) of the hole-punching unit 20 of the prior art need to be overcome and its manufacturing method improved. The method of the present invention may be used to overcome these disadvantages as well as to bring up the efficiency in production and enhance the economic value.
To eliminate the disadvantages of the prior art, the inventor has put in a lot of effort in the subject and has successfully come up with the improved manufacturing method for the hole-punching assembly of a hole-punching unit of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the present invention can lower the production cost and simplify the production process of the hole-punching assembly as well as enhance the efficiency in production.

Manufacturing method for the hole-punching assembly of a hole-punching unit


A communications device may include a first transmit path having a first band pass filter operating at a first frequency band having a first bandwidth, and a second transmit path having a second band pass filter operating at a second frequency band having a second bandwidth. The second frequency band may be adjacent the first frequency band and the second bandwidth may be less than the first bandwidth. The communications device may include a third receive path operating at a third frequency band having a third bandwidth, and a fourth receive path operating at a fourth frequency band having a fourth bandwidth. The fourth frequency band may be adjacent the third frequency band, and the fourth bandwidth may be less than the third bandwidth.

Cellular communication systems continue to grow in popularity and have become an integral part of both personal and business communications. Cellular telephones allow users to place and receive phone calls most anywhere they travel. Moreover, as cellular telephone technology is advanced, so too has the functionality of cellular devices. For example, many cellular devices now incorporate Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) features such as calendars, address books, task lists, calculators, memo and writing programs, etc. These multi-function devices usually allow users to wirelessly send and receive electronic mail (email) messages and access the internet via a cellular network and/or a wireless local area network (WLAN), for example.
Cellular devices have radio frequency (RF) processing circuits and receive or transmit radio communications signals typically using modulation schemes. The typical cellular device may have multiple transmit and receive pathways from the antenna to a digital signal processor (DSP). In particular, each signal pathway may comprise a filter to help isolate the desired frequency band from extraneous electromagnetic signals, for example, noise and interference.
Nevertheless, as frequency bands change because of regulatory reasons, expansion, etc., it may be problematic to change the components of the cellular device to utilize the new bandwidth. For example, redesigning filters and power amplifiers to use the new bandwidth may incur greater complexity and cost.

Communications device with multiple receive and transmit paths and related methods


The invention relates to inflatable kayaks, and more particularly, to hull designs for inflatable kayaks. The improved inflatable kayak of the invention includes a streamlined hull with no edges or corners which has three sections--a flat middle section, and two gradually curved end sections. The inflatable kayak of this hull design has improved speed, maneuverability, and tracking when compared to conventional inflatable kayaks.

The present invention generally relates to inflatable ships. More particularly, the invention relates to an inflatable kayak with a novel shape which provides improved performance. In particular, the improved inflatable kayak of the present invention provides superior performance in terms of maneuverability, tracking and speed over conventional inflatable kayak designs.
Inflatable kayaks provide several benefits over noninflatable kayaks made from wood or fiberglass. In particular, inflatable kayaks are more portable than noninflatable kayaks and are safer to use. These advantages of inflatable kayaks result from several design differences between inflatable and noninflatable kayaks.
For example, noninflatable kayaks have a solid shell which cannot be collapsed or folded for portability. While noninflatable kayaks are relatively lightweight their size makes transporting them difficult. In contrast, inflatable kayaks can be deflated and folded up to a relatively compact size for portability.
Further, noninflatable kayaks have a deck which completely covers the kayak except for a hole through which the user fits. The user's legs extend into the space between the hull of the kayak and the deck, and the user wears a tight fitting apron which is secured around the edge of the hole in the kayak deck. In contrast, an inflatable kayak has no deck. The user simply sits in the inflatable kayak with his legs extended forward. Consequently, inflatable kayaks are safer to use than noninflatable kayaks because the user is not enclosed within the body of the kayak if the kayak turns over in the water.
Nevertheless, conventional inflatable kayaks suffer from several disadvantages. Conventional inflatable kayaks are made from pieces of plastic material which are sealed together to form the body of the kayak. Generally, the pieces of plastic material are sealed by welding or gluing. Once assembled, the inflatable kayak includes one or more chambers which can be inflated to provide buoyancy.
Until recently, however, manufacturing technology limited the shape of inflatable kayaks due to limitations on the ability to form the various pieces of plastic material into certain shapes. In particular, the sealing technology used to make the seams between the plastic panels used to form inflatable kayaks was limited to butt welds, and butt welds could not be used to make seams which came to a sharp point. Consequently, the inflatable portions of these kayaks were cylindrical in shape with slightly rounded ends, and did not taper.
As a result of these limitations in manufacturing technology conventional inflatable kayaks had a three section hull design--a relatively long, straight middle section which was parallel to the long axis of the kayak, and two triangular end sections which angled upwards from the middle section. Consequently, conventional inflatable kayaks included two corners and an angled interface where each triangular end section intersected with the straight middle section. This nonstreamlined design impaired the performance of the inflatable kayak. In particular, the corners and angle at the intersection between the end sections and middle section of the kayak decreased its speed and maneuverability due to the drag created by the corners and angle.
Due to these disadvantages associated with conventional inflatable kayaks, a need exists for an inflatable kayak with performance comparable to noninflatable kayaks. In particular, the speed and maneuverability of inflatable kayaks should be improved without decreasing the portability or safety of inflatable kayaks.


A system is for sensing a property of a material mat from a construction vehicle. The system includes a sensor for sensing the material property and a positioning mechanism connected with the vehicle and with the sensor. The mechanism displaces the sensor between first and second positions with respect to the vehicle as the vehicle displaces with respect to the material mat. The first sensor position is spaced a substantial distance above the mat upper surface. The second sensor position is located proximal to or on the mat surface such that the sensor is able to sense the material property in the second position. A controller operates the mechanism to sequentially displace the sensor from the first to second positions, permit the sensor to remain disposed at the second position for a period of time, and displace the sensor from the second to first positions after the period of time.

The present invention relates to construction vehicles, and more particularly to systems for measuring material properties used with construction vehicles.
Certain construction vehicles, such as pavers and compactors, are used to form mats of asphalt, concrete or similar materials for such applications as roadways, airport runways, parking lots, etc. The finished material mats are typically required to have certain properties (e.g., density) that have a measured value within a specified range, such as for the purpose of meeting state highway regulations. Often, it is necessary for vehicle operators to measure these material properties during the construction process, for example during compaction operations, in order to gauge their progress toward meeting these material requirements.
With presently known systems for measuring certain material properties, it is typically necessary to hold the sensor device(s) stationary upon or proximal to a portion of the material mat being evaluated. In most cases, the sensor is an independent unit or is mounted on its own frame or carrier, but certain sensing systems are mounted on a construction vehicle. When using such vehicle-mounted sensing systems, the vehicle must typically be stopped at a particular location on the mat for a period of time necessary to take accurate measurements of the material properties. Therefore, the construction process being performed by the vehicle, such as a compaction operation, must be interrupted for this period of time.
In view of the limitations of presently know sensing systems as discussed above, it would be desirable to have a sensing system for construction vehicles that can operate without the need to interrupt the construction process.

System for measuring material properties from a moving construction vehicle


A spindle motor for a hard disk drive includes a base and a bearing assembly coupled to the base. The bearing assembly includes a sleeve configured to rotatably support a shaft therein. A rotor hub is affixed to the shaft so as to be rotatable with the shaft about a rotational axis. A stator is arranged in between the rotor hub and the base. A first magnet is arranged over the stator and on a bottom surface of the rotor hub. In particular, the rotor hub includes a body portion, a peripheral wall portion extending from the body portion in a direction towards the base, and a flange portion having a disk seating surface configured for supporting one or more disks thereon. The peripheral wall portion is configured to at least partially surround the stator in a radial direction. There is also provided a method of fabricating the spindle motor and a hard disk drive incorporating the spindle motor.

The pervasive quest for ever-increasing data capacity for an ultra-small form factor hard drive (e.g. sub-7 mm) is conventionally limited to a single disk configuration. In order to accommodate an additional disk such as to increase data capacity within the same form factor height or vertical confinement (Z-height), it would require (i) physically lowering of the disk seating surface and (ii) additional electromagnetic force to shoulder the increased rotating load.
For the former, conventional axial field spindle designs usually require the coil or magnet polarity to be contained within the inner rotor hub periphery. The accommodation of another disk media within the same form factor height entails increasing height spacing (disk headroom) either on stator or rotor dimensions. However, this is not possible in a conventional axial field spindle motor due to the presence of the stator directly under the disk seating surface which would block the disk seating surface from being lowered. For ease of understanding, FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional axial field spindle motor 100 for a small form factor HDD and FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional deposited-on-coil substrate (stator) 110. From FIG. 1A, it can be seen that the disk seating surface 102 cannot be lowered in order to accommodate an additional disk due to the presence of an outer part of the stator 110 being in the way. In particular, the conventional stator 110 has a tab extension 120 protruding from the circular periphery (outer circumference) of the stator 110 on which contact pads for connecting with power lines are formed as shown in FIG. 1B. This tab extension 120 increases the span of the stator 120 in the radial direction and thus presents problems for the conventional axial field spindle 100 to accommodate additional disk(s) as explained above.
For the latter, the added load from the additional disk(s) and spacer(s) leads to a higher torque being required to rotate the entire assembly, thereby warranting more coil layers or turns but would be limited by magnetic flux leakage due to air gap penalty.

Spindle motor for hard disk drive and method of fabrication thereof


The present disclosure provides a semiconductor memory device and a manufacturing method thereof, and relates to the technical field of semiconductors. The semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, a source structure, a laminated structure, a floating body, a trench region, a drain structure and a gate structure. The source structure is formed on the substrate. The laminated structure includes a nitride layer and an oxide layer that are alternately laminated on the source structure. The floating body is formed in the oxide layer, and a through hole is formed in the floating body along a lamination direction of the laminated structure. The trench region is formed inside the floating body, a through hole is also formed in the trench region along the lamination direction, and the trench region is in contact with the source structure.

To meet consumer demands for excellent performance and low price, the semiconductor memory devices are required to have high integrity. In general, the integrity is determined by an area occupied by a unit memory cell.
To improve the integrity, a capacitor-free memory cell capable of greatly decreasing the area occupied by the memory cell is provided on the basis of a traditional memory cell with a transistor and a capacitor.
It should be noted that information disclosed in the above background section is used merely for a better understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore may include information that does not constitute the prior art known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

Semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof


A swivel seal assembly is defined for providing sealed high pressure fluid communication between relatively rotatable generally coaxial conduits where dynamic runout and static misalignment may occur to one conduit relative to the other. A generally tubular washpipe is mounted in pivotally articulating relation to one conduit, and a generally tubular seal housing is telescoped over the washpipe and mounted in pivotally articulating relation to the other conduit. High pressure, staged rotary seals are supported by the seal housing and maintain bearing and sealing engagement with the washpipe so that the seal housing and washpipe articulate in unison in response to said static misalignment and dynamic runout, thereby virtually eliminating relative lateral motion between the seal housing and washpipe and minimizing rotary seal extrusion damage. The seal housing and washpipe are hydraulic force balanced regardless of the pressure to which they are subjected, and thus are not subject to pressure induced loads which might otherwise interfere with articulation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to swivel assemblies which are intended to conduct a pressurized fluid such as a liquid or gas between a first conduit and a second conduit which is approximately coaxial with the first conduit and has relative rotation with respect to the first conduit, and which may have dynamic runout relative to the first conduit and may have static offset relative to the first conduit. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a swivel assembly incorporating a unique sealing mechanism which accomplishes hydrodynamic lubricant pumping activity and permits the swivel mechanism to control the flow of high pressure abrasive fluids and to maintain efficient lubrication at the various sealing interfaces thereof and to thus significantly enhance the service life of the swivel mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional drilling rig swivels use a stack of redundant rotary seals which are typically of a reinforced elastcmeric chevron type. These seals run against the relatively rotating hardened surface coating of a washpipe. In most designs the washpipe is stationary, and the seals and their housing rotate. The stack of seals is exposed to the high pressure drilling fluid on one side, and to atmospheric pressure on the other. The stack of seals provides redundancy, but since only one seal at a time is exposed to the high pressure differential between the drilling fluid and atmosphere, the pressure capacity of the unit is limited to that of the weakest link, which is the rotary seal. The high differential pressure causes the seal adjacent to the high pressure to grab tightly against the rotating washpipe, and the high interfacial contact pressure causes a high degree of wear on the washpipe and the seal. The high differential pressure and dynamic runout of the application, and the relatively large clearances required to accommodate the dynamic runout, also cause extrusion damage to the seal which contributes significantly to it's ultimate failure. the Once the first seal fails, the next one in the stack is exposed to the high pressure drilling fluid, and so on until all seals have been consumed by the severe operating conditions. Because of the trend toward higher pressure in oilfield drilling (in some cases 7,500 psi or more), the pressure capacity and service life of conventional swivels is in many instances no longer satisfactory. The majority of drilling swivel failures in the field are the direct result of rotary seal failure, and the non-drilling time required to repair the swivel inflates overall drilling costs.


A point of sale device (20) is provided comprising a base unit (22) and a cover unit (34) connected to one another by a hinge mechanism (38). The base unit has a front surface (24) and an exterior casing (25) which define an interior volume. Transaction appliances, for example, a card reader (26), receivables storage drawer (28), a currency storage drawer (30), and a bar code scanner (32), are mounted in the interior volume and accessible from the front surface of the base unit. The cover unit includes a display screen (36) mounted on one side. The cover unit can be moved between a closed configuration and an open configuration. In the closed configuration, the cover unit is positioned with the display screen facing and directly in front of the front surface of the base unit such that the display screen is not visible and access to the transaction appliances in the base unit is blocked by the cover unit. In the open configuration, the user can access the display screen and the transaction appliances. A control unit (40) and input unit are provided to facilitate communications between the user and the POS device to facilitate the performance of desired transactions. The device can operate on internal batteries (64) to allow portable operation.

A point of sale device, as used in this application is a device for performing, recording, or otherwise facilitating transactions associated with the on-site sale or transfer of goods or services. The current invention relates particularly, although not exclusively, to a point of sale device adapted for use onboard transportation means, for example aircraft, ships, trains, ferries, buses, etc.
Many transportation providers seek to offer their passengers a higher class of service by providing desired services en route. These services can include currency exchange services and the sale of liquor, food, and destination-related items (e.g., maps, event tickets). In addition, most international flights and ship passages now offer sales of duty-free items (e.g., liquor, perfume, watches) to passengers inflight or en route.
Conventionally, the services just described are performed manually by the attendants or crew of the vehicle. For example, money for liquor sales or duty-free sales may be collected by an airline flight attendant who makes change from money in a small pouch or even from a pocket in the clothing. Credit card transactions may require a customer to relinquish the card to an attendant who takes the card to another part of the vehicle for processing. These manual transactions are time-consuming, error prone, and often times do not provide a desirable professional image for the service provider. In addition, duty-free sales are governed by Customs' rules and regulations which make it essential to maintain proper inventory and sales records of duty-free items.
Many attempts have been made to provide a point of sale device to facilitate the service transactions associated with onboard sales. A point of sale device for use on transportation means must, however, be adapted to address certain circumstances characteristic to the onboard environment. These circumstances include the relative immobility of the passengers (i.e., potential customers), limited space for movement and storage, and the prevalence of multi-currency transactions, especially during international travel.
To a great extent on aircraft, and to a somewhat lesser extent on other forms of transportation, the passengers are largely confined to their assigned seats or areas. Therefore, it is advantageous for the point of sale device to be portable so that it can be transported through the vehicle cabin by an attendant rather than requiring the passengers to travel to a certain part of the vehicle in order to use the device. In addition, since electrical power may not be conveniently available at every point in the onboard environment, it is desirable that the point of sale device include a self-contained power supply. A need therefore exists for a point of sale device which can be easily moved through a vehicle cabin and which has a self-contained power supply.
The crowded conditions typically encountered in the onboard environment raise security issues in connection with the use of a point of sale device. For example, if the point of sale device stores currency or other valuable objects, it is an unfortunate fact that some passengers may take the opportunity to pilfer the point of sale device when the attendant is not looking, for example while engaged in another transaction or other cabin duties. The security of currency or other valuables is also of concern if the point of sale device is unattended or in storage on the vehicle, such as during the takeoff and landing of a commercial aircraft. A need therefore exists, for a point of sale device which can securely store currency and other valuable objects so as to permit ready access by authorized persons while, at the same time, discouraging any pilferage or theft of the contents by unauthorized persons.
On all forms of transportation, and especially on international transportation, passengers are increasingly likely to request multi-currency transactions. For example, a customer may wish to purchase a product or service which is denominated in one currency by paying with one or more different currencies. In other cases, passengers may wish to exchange their existing currency for a different currency such as the currency of their destination. In both cases, completing the transaction will require the ability to quickly determine the appropriate exchange rate between the currencies involved, calculate the amounts of each currency which are involved, securely store the currencies received from the customer, and efficiently dispense the currencies which have been purchased (if a currency exchange transaction) or the change due (if a sales transaction). Further, it is becoming increasingly common for customers to conduct portions of the transaction using a credit card or smart card, for example, purchasing duty-free items or currency exchange using a credit card or smart card. In such cases, it is necessary to collect and process credit card or smart card information and to record the transaction such that appropriate billing can be arranged. A need therefore exists, for a point of sale device which can perform currency exchange calculations, securely store currencies received from customers, and efficiently dispense currencies of other countries or denominations to the customers. A need also exists for a point of sale device which can process and record credit card and smart card transactions.
When transactions relate to the sale of duty-free goods on board an aircraft or ship, Customs' regulations typically require full and detailed records to be maintained regarding the stock of goods held on the vehicle, the extent of sales made during a flight, and any additions to stock made during stopovers. This accounting of duty-free items can be further complicated by the vehicle calling at several airports or ports of call during a trip, or experiencing changes in the crew responsible for duty-free sales between Customs' reports. Crew members responsible for duty-free sales must often spend significant time in preparing Customs' reports detailing the changes to inventory in the duty-free goods and reconciling any discrepancies which appear in the records. A need therefore exists, for a point of sale device which can maintain an inventory of the duty-free goods on board a vehicle, adjust the inventory to reflect duty-free sales transactions which have occurred, and to prepare on demand a Customs' report providing the required Customs' information in the formats required by a specific country.
Since customers may change their mind during a transaction, after a transaction, or even after subsequent transactions have been performed, it is also advantageous for a point of sale device to have the capacity of nullifying or reversing a previous transaction. This can involve facilitating a variety of actions, for example, receiving back a previously dispensed currency, refunding a previously received currency, reversing a credit card or smart card transaction, and adjusting the appropriate inventories, databases, Customs' records and the like to reflect the updated circumstances. A need therefore exists, for a point of sale device which can facilitate the reversal of any previous transaction, including the return of previously dispensed currencies to secure storage.
Numerous prior art devices have attempted to provide a point of sale device adapted for onboard use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,768 discloses a vehicle mounted cash dispensing machine suitable for use on transportation facilities. International Publication No. WO 95/23390 discloses a system for performing and recording transactions in connection with vending of articles onboard transportation means. International Publication No. WO 95/03595 discloses a hand-held point of sale system for controlling, selling and replenishing of duty-free items onboard commercial aircraft. International Publication No. WO 90/01199 discloses a transaction recording apparatus for use in duty-free sales and other transactions on an aircraft. U.K. Patent Application No. GB 2,205,428 discloses a stock and cash control system particularly suitable for in flight sales to air passengers.
Each of the above-referenced prior art documents discloses a device or system relating to point of sale transactions aboard transportation means. None, however, effectively addresses all of the problems present in the onboard environment. For example, while some of these devices can assist in the management of information relating to duty-free sales, they have no provision for the secure storage of receivables or currency. Other devices include provisions for currency storage, but have no provisions for duty-free sales management. And few, if any, of the disclosed devices can facilitate the reversal of a previous transaction including the return of dispensed currency to secure storage.


An integrated circuit (IC) has logic and timing circuits that are coupled to discrete circuitry to provide protection and indications whenever an AC adapter that is faulty or has improper voltage levels or polarity are plugged into a system. In particular, the IC device provides over-voltage, under-voltage, and reversed-polarity protections to an electronic system to keep the electronic system from being damaged by an alternating current (AC) adapter having an improper voltage range or voltage polarity. It also provides a protection that prevents an adapter from powering a host system that has a short-circuit fault.

There are many types of electronic systems powered by AC to direct current (DC) adapters including, printers, scanners, liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, personal computer (PC) speakers, digital subscriber line (DSL) modems, etc. There are also many types of portable electronic systems that may be powered by either internal batteries or AC adapters, such as cellular phones, digital cameras, compact disc (CD) players, portable computers, and pocket computers.
There is a substantial likelihood that an adapter designed for one system having a particular voltage level may be accidentally plugged into another system with a different voltage level. An adapter with a high voltage level or a reversed polarity connector could cause severe damage if it is used to power a non-compatible host system. In certain cases, it may also result in safety hazards to a user.
Many prior art protection circuits that were designed to prevent powering a system with an incompatible adapter used a myriad of discrete components including diodes, fuses, zener diodes, and solid-state relays to provide a system protection from receiving power from incompatible voltage levels or voltage polarities. In addition, most prior art protection schemes lacked reliable anti-bounce circuitry. Intermittent contact or bouncing contacts during the initial plug-in period often leads to false triggering of the protection circuitry. Furthermore, the prior art protection schemes generally do not provide a proper interface that prevents a host system from being coupled to an adapter with incompatible voltage levels or polarities. The prior protection devices or circuits simply disable or electrically disconnect the adapter from the host system. A system user is not informed that they are using an incompatible type of adapter. There is, therefore, a need for an active protection device that can inform the host system in the event a user plugs an incompatible AC adapter into the system.

Power adapter interface circuitry for protecting a battery operated system


A system for coupling a variety of circuit cards to a circuit board, each circuit card having a respective function, the system comprising: a sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board, each connector in the sequence of connectors having a respective function; and, one or more connectors mounted on a circuit card for mating with respective ones of the sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board to thereby couple the circuit card to the circuit board, the respective function of the circuit card determining which ones of the sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board that the one or more connectors mounted on the circuit card mates with; whereby space on the circuit card opposite ones of the sequence of connectors mounted on the circuit board that the one or more connectors mounted on the circuit card do not mate with is available for mounting components.

Complex telecommunications systems are often of a modular design. Such systems may have an enclosure housing a base or fixed circuit board into which a number of differently configured or variant circuit cards may be inserted in a pluggable manner. The fixed circuit board typically has one or more multi-contact receptacle connectors into each of which a multi-contact plug connector on a variant circuit card may be inserted.
In some systems, the base or fixed circuit board may be provided with rear wiring which connects all the mating plug-in cards, and may be configured as a cable harness, as a winding bridge, or as a backplane. To allow a free choice of position or slot for any desired card, contacts of the same type on the base circuit board may be connected to one another to form a parallel bus. In such systems, the configuration of contacts on each card is identical and matches that of the base circuit board.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,386 to Fredberg provides an apparatus adapted for coaction with a number of circuit boards. The apparatus has a backplane adapted for coaction with a number of circuit boards arranged in side-by-side relationship and including a number of mutually adjacent and mutually spaced elongated, narrow backplane-related connector fields, each of which is adapted for firm but easily removed mechanical and electrical coaction with a corresponding connector field related to an edge-part of respective circuit boards. A number of first selected backplane-related connector fields are connected electrically to a first bus, and a number of second selected backplane related connector fields are connected electrically to a second bus. The backplane-related connector fields are divided into a predetermined number of groups wherein each group is allotted a part-section of the backplane and wherein the first connector fields of respective groups are joined together and connect to the first bus. Each backplane-related group is allocated the same number of connector fields and each second connector field of each group are mutually joined and connect to the second bus. Also see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,896,473 and 6,855,001 to Kaspari and Goers et al., respectively.
One problem with such systems is that they restrict the flexibility of card design. In particular, cards having different contact requirements must still mate with the standard contact arrangement on the base or fixed circuit board. This is wasteful as it causes an increase in the number of necessary contacts on each card and the complexity of the backplane wiring. In addition, the overall size of the connector on each card increases with the number of contacts required.
A need therefore exists for an improved connector system for mating variant circuit cards to a fixed circuit board. Accordingly, a solution that addresses, at least in part, the above and other shortcomings is desired.

Connector system for mating multiple variant circuit cards with a fixed circuit board


An alignment check pattern formed by a first insulating film; a first dummy pattern formed on a surface of said first insulating film; a second insulating film formed on a composite surface of said first insulating film and said first dummy pattern; a second dummy pattern formed on said second film, and positioned directly over said first dummy pattern in plan view; a third insulating film formed on a composite surface of said second insulating film and said second dummy pattern; a regular scale pattern formed on said third insulating film, and positioned directly over said second dummy pattern; fourth insulating film formed on a composite surface of said third insulating film and said regular scale pattern; and a vernier scale pattern formed on a surface of said fourth insulating film and positioned directly over said regular scale pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
Present invention relates to an alignment check pattern, more particularly to an alignment check pattern for a multi-level interconnection of more than three levels.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Typically, the complexity of a multi-level interconnection structure used is in proportion to the degree of complexity of the integrated circuits. In a multi-level interconnection structure, it is necessary to improve alignment accuracy for certain connection between upper and lower level wirings via through holes which are formed in a interlayer insulating film. Because the through holes are provided for the interlayer insulating film in accordance with the location of lower level wirings, and the upper level wirings are patterned in accordance with the location of the through holes, it is necessary to raise the alignment accuracy of the horizontal direction with reference to each of the wirings and the through holes.
Alignment check patterns are formed on the surface of a substrate on which the multi-level interconnection structure is formed to confirm whether the alignment is as expected. The alignment check pattern may be called a vernier caliper.
An alignment check pattern to inspect the alignment between certain level wirings and a through hole provided in an interlayer insulating film which is formed between the wirings comprises a regular scale patterns formed at the same time as the patterning of the lower wirings and made of same material, and vernier scale patterns formed at the same time as the forming of openings at a photoresist film which is formed on the interlayer insulating film to provide through holes in the interlayer insulating film. The regular scale patterns are made up of a plurality of rectangular shape patterns arranged at the regular intervals. The vernier scale patterns are made up of a plurality of openings each having a rectangular shape formed at the photoresist film and arranged at the regular intervals which is not the same as the intervals of the regular scale patterns.
Detection of a misalignment amount at an alignment exposure is performed by observing the misalignment amount between the regular scale patterns and the vernier scale patterns using an optical microscope or the like.
According to the detection result, after adjusting the location where the mask pattern for forming contact holes is formed, openings are provided in the interlayer insulating film using the mask pattern as an etching mask. After removing the mask pattern, the upper level wirings are formed on a surface of the interlayer insulating film to fill in the openings. In this way, connections between the upper level wirings and the lower level wirings can be performed for at least a two level interconnection structure.
Due to an increase in the scale of semiconductor integrated circuit devices, a one or two level interconnection may be insufficient and a highly integrated, multi-level interconnection of at least three levels may become necessary. In the case of forming peripheral marks such as the alignment check patterns, accompanying the increase in the number of levels in multi-level interconnection, a step difference between an inside part of the integrated circuit and the peripheral mark part (such as the alignment check pattern) occur as a result of the absence of a lower metallic wiring formed below the regular scale patterns of the previous processing step. As the result of the step difference, the alignment exposure may become out of focus. Therefore, a problem is presented in that it is difficult to accurately expose both the inside integrated circuit part of the photoresist and the peripheral mark part of it at the same time.

Alignment check pattern for multi-level interconnection