Wireless signal processing may be improved by using a configurable baseband filter (BBF) in the receive path of a transceiver. A configurable BBF may accommodate processing of different wireless signals in a single integrated circuit (IC) chip. For example, a single IC may support processing of 5G mmWave RF signals and 5G sub-7 GHz RF signals by reconfiguring the BBF with settings appropriate for the different wireless signals. The reconfiguring of the BBF may include adjusting a bandwidth of the BBF and/or adjusting a filter order of the BBF. The reconfiguring of the BBF may be performed in response to detection of jammer signals to improve rejection of the jammer signals.

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Such networks may be multiple access networks that support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources.
A wireless communication network may include several components. These components may include wireless communication devices, such as base stations (or node Bs) that may support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.
A base station may transmit data and control information on a downlink to a UE or may receive data and control information on an uplink from the UE. On the downlink, a transmission from the base station may encounter interference due to transmissions from neighbor base stations or from other wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, a transmission from the UE may encounter interference from uplink transmissions of other UEs communicating with the neighbor base stations or from other wireless RF transmitters. This interference may degrade performance on both the downlink and uplink.
As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, the possibilities of interference and congested networks grows with more UEs accessing the long-range wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems being deployed in communities. Research and development continue to advance wireless technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications.
Signals in a wireless network are received at a UE over an antenna and downconverted from the RF signal received at the antenna to a baseband signal at approximately zero hertz. The baseband signal is then processed and decoded to obtain information embedded in the wireless signal that was received at the antenna. Processing of the baseband signal may include filtering the baseband signal to eliminate undesired frequencies in the baseband signal. FIG. 1 shows one conventional signal processing path with a baseband filter. Circuit 100 includes an amplifier 102 coupled to a mixer 104. The output of the mixer 104 is a bandpass signal that is filtered through pairs 106A and 106B of inductors (L) and capacitors (C), referred to as a LC filter. LC filters have shortcomings that make them undesirable for wireless communications in certain circumstances. For example, LC filters may have limited configurability because the inductor (L) may be difficult to tune. Thus, the bandwidth of the baseband filter may have limited range, resulting in processing with an analog-to-digital converter (e.g., coupled to an output of 106B) at a higher sampling rate that increases power consumption. Power consumption in wireless networks reduces mobile device usability and cost of operating base stations. Further, a passive filter, such as the LC filters shown in pairs 106A and 106B, may lose a portion of the signal strength and is not able to provide gain.
Shortcomings mentioned here are only representative and are included to highlight problems that the inventors have identified with respect to existing devices and sought to improve upon. Aspects of devices described below may address some or all of the shortcomings as well as others known in the art. Aspects of the improved devices described below may present other benefits than, and be used in other applications than, those described above.


A new and improved trailer coupler which is spring loaded, and connected to the hitch ball of a towing vehicle is provided. Moreover, the new and improved trailer coupler has a latch activated from the top of the trailer coupler that is connected to a means for grasping and securing the hitch ball on a tow vehicle such that the trailer coupler does not unhitch from the ball of the tow vehicle. Further, the present invention provides a new and improved trailer coupler having a latch apparatus that facilitates engagement and disengagement of the trailer coupler to the hitch ball of the tow vehicle wherein the latch apparatus has a secondary locking mechanism in the form of a locking pin wherein the locking pin is placed in a position within the latch apparatus wherein the locking pin penetrates an opening within the latch such that the latch apparatus may not be manually or accidentally unlatched without prior removal of the locking pin.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of trailer couplers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device that couples a trailer to a hitch ball of a towing vehicle. Further, the invention relates to an improved device that allows for the coupling of a towed trailer to a hitch ball on a towing vehicle. The present invention relates to an improved trailer coupler with a unique latching system and a unique locking system that secures the towed trailer and that prevents accidental and unintentional disengagement of the trailer from the hitch ball of a towing vehicle. Moreover, the present invention relates to a trailer coupler that may not disengage from the hitch ball of a tow vehicle without completely unlocking the trailer coupler.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Applicant incorporates by reference herein U.S. application Ser. No. 11/186,195. The numbers of trailers that are currently towed behind vehicles has greatly increased with the acceptance and increase of Sport Utility Vehicles and recreation vehicles. This allows greater vacation and leisure choices to consumers. The amount of recreation vehicles such as motorcycles, small boats, large boats, jet skis, and other types of recreation vehicles and the like have become relatively commonplace in today's leisure based atmosphere. Many people take these recreation vehicles and/or sport vehicles to a destination for vacations, on weekends, or holidays. However, most of these recreational vehicles must be towed to their point of destination before they may be utilized for their intended purpose. Many individuals have acquired towing vehicles that allow them to tow their recreational devices to their point of destination. Many of these vehicles such as trucks or sport utility vehicles, have built-in towing balls and/or hitches straight from the manufacturer. However, in order to connect the towing vehicles to the device to be transported, it is necessary to coupler the towing vehicle to the transported device. A common type of coupling system that has evolved includes a hitch ball on the towing vehicle and a coupler on the trailer with jaws gripping the ball. However, a problem with this gripping system is that the individual can never be quite sure that the gripping system has properly engaged the hitch ball and that the system will not disengage from the hitch ball.
Another method that has been used to couple a towing vehicle to the desired towed device has been mating a socket receiver to a hitch ball. A popular variety uses a long, vertical sheathing attached to a female portion of the coupler, often referred to as gooseneck couplers. These types of couplers are often mated to a hitch ball mounted to a towing vehicle. In operation, a trailer with a gooseneck attachment is positioned over the ball and lowered onto the ball. The socket receiver should have a slightly larger diameter than the ball so that the receiver fully engages or mates with the ball. Generally, once the trailer is mated to the vehicle, a separate manual operation must be performed to ensure that the ball is locked into the receiving socket so that the receiver is no longer free to disengage from the ball.
A problem with this type of prior art coupler is that it involves multiple steps to ensure proper engagement, and even then the coupler may not be adequately locked about the ball, which leads to potentially dangerous situations where the trailer disengages while being towed.
Furthermore, in the prior art standard trailer hitches that use a similar mating system of a hitch ball attached to the rear of a vehicle, such as behind or on the rear bumper, these vehicles require the locking mechanism to also act as a support mechanism and often also a pulling function. These prior art trailer couplers are often difficult to lock and unlock and securing the absolute locking position is tenuous at best.
To solve this problem, many trailer couplers have a secondary locking system that requires the user to use a separate manual operation to lock the device when the ball and coupler have been latched together. If a person fails to lock the device, then a potentially dangerous situation of disengagement of the coupler may occur.
Thus, a need therefore exists for an improved trailer coupler that has a locking mechanism that ensures proper locking of the hitch ball before the latch may be secured. Moreover, a need exists for an improved trailer coupler that has an efficient, sleek design, but still incorporates a latching and locking system to secure a trailer to a towing vehicle.


The invention relates to a device for generating a steering signal for controlling an actuating drive for an adjustment of steerable wheels on motor vehicles, in particular passenger vehicles. The device comprises a non-rotatable frame having an axis of symmetry and curved guiding portions, as well as a pair of handles intended for transmitting actuating forces and being coupled with each other. The handles are mounted on the guiding portions so as to be displaceable in same direction and are able to be displaced along the guiding portions and relative to the axis of symmetry to a limited extent. The device further comprises a measurement transducer for generating one of an electrical and electronic signal for determining a position of the handles relative to the frame.

The invention relates to a device for generating a steering signal for controlling an actuating drive for an adjustment of steerable wheels on motor vehicles, in particular passenger vehicles.
For reasons of safety and comfort, endeavors have been made for some time, apart from the actuation for the horn contact, to arrange more and more devices for actuation of the most varied of vehicle functions (lamp switches, windscreen wipers, window lifters, radio, heating, telephone) directly in the steering wheel, so that the driver is no longer forced to take one hand from the steering wheel to switch on such functions. It is immediately clear that the transmission of electrical signals generated on a rotatable steering wheel to the adjusting members fixedly arranged in the bodywork of the motor vehicle is not without problems, in particular when a plurality of different signals has to be transmitted. Therefore, already fixed or substantially fixed steering devices were proposed, in which the mechanical coupling between steering device and steering linkage has been replaced by a measurement transducer on the steering device and an actuating drive on the steering linkage. With such steering devices, one can dispense with the conventional maximum 2 to 4 revolutions to achieve the maximum steering angle of the wheels and one can limit the actual adjustment distance for the actuation of the steerable wheels to a rotation angle of 30 degrees or less. Thereby, the transmission of a plurality of signals is not a problem, because the actuating devices are either arranged on parts of the steering device which are constructed so as to be fixed relative to the bodywork, or else on parts of the steering device which are only able to be moved by a small rotation angle relative to the bodywork, so that one manages with simple lead loops in order to be able to produce an electrical connection between rotating and fixed parts.
A mechanical uncoupling and an electrical transmission of the steering command to the steerable wheels is also necessary if one wishes to achieve a driver-independent vehicle stabilizing by means of modern safety systems and in so doing also wishes to influence the adjustment angle of the steerable wheels.
The development of such steering devices is still at its beginnings and the proposals made hitherto still do not satisfy all requirements.
The invention provides a steering device which is of simple construction and which, vis-a-vis conventional steering wheels, demands from the driver only little effort to get into the way of it. This is achieved in a device which comprises a non-rotatable frame having an axis of symmetry and curved guiding portions, as well as a pair of handles intended for transmitting actuating forces and being coupled with each other. The handles are mounted on the guiding portions so as to be displaceable in same direction and are able to be displaced along the guiding portions and relative to the axis of symmetry to a limited extent. The device further comprises a measurement transducer for generating one of an electrical and electronic signal for determining a position of the handles relative to the frame.
The proposed steering device has the advantage that it can readily take the place of conventional steering wheels, without the driver having to assume a completely different steering-and sitting position. The steering commands are also introduced through an accustomed movement of the handles which are coupled with each other, and owing to the comparatively short adjustment distance, no alteration of the position of the hands is necessary as in conventional steering wheels, which is to be regarded as advantageous with regard to safety and comfort.

TRW Automotive Safety Systems GmbH and Co. KG


An intervertebral disc endoprosthesis for implantation in the spinal column, with an upper end plate and a lower end plate for securing respectively to the bones of the vertebral body, and with a slide bearing which is arranged between the end plates and is composed of slide bodies that are designed to slide on each other. both end plates are made of plastic and the slide bodies are made of ceramic, the slide bodies are encapsulated by the plastic of the end plates and the surface areas of the slide bodies encapsulated by the plastic of the end plates have surface area enlargements by comparison with flat surfaces. To ensure that the slide bodies are connected fixedly to the end plates in a manner secure against twisting, it is proposed that the surface area enlargements are elevations or depressions on the slide bodies.

Intervertebral disc endoprostheses (total disc replacements) which exist at present are composed of two metal end plates which are intended to allow ingrowth of the adjacent bone of the vertebral bodies owing to their macroscopic and microscopic surface texture and any additional bioactive coatings (e.g. hydroxyapatite). Into each of these end plates are integrated, in the so-called "fixed ball and socket" principle, a hood-shaped and a cap-shaped sliding surface made of metal, plastic or ceramic which by their sliding on each other preserves or reconstructs the mobility of the segment operated on. All metal end plates have the disadvantage of more or less pronounced undesired artefacts in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which impairs the quality of the images produced.
US 2007/0135923 A1 discloses an intervertebral disc endoprosthesis for implantation in the spinal column, with an upper end plate and a lower end plate for securing respectively to the bones of the vertebral bodies, and with a sliding bearing which is arranged between the end plates and is composed of sliding bodies that are designed to slide on each other, both end plates being made of plastic and the sliding bodies being made of ceramic, the sliding bodies being encapsulated by the plastic of the end plates, and the surface regions of the sliding bodies encapsulated by the plastic of the end plates having surface-area enlargements by comparison with flat surfaces.


Systems for cooling semiconductor devices that can comprise a heatsink and a cleaning element for the heatsink. The heatsink can have fins spaced apart from each other by channels. The cleaning element can have a base and one or more arms extending from the base. The cleaning element can be positioned with respect to the heatsink such that each arm is aligned with a corresponding channel between the fins, and the arms are moveable between a flow configuration in which the arms are in the channels and a cleaning configuration in which the arms are outside of the channels.

High performance semiconductor devices, such as central processing units, graphics processors, memory devices, high-power transistors, lasers and light emitting diodes, often generate a significant amount of heat. If the temperature of a component is too high, the heat can impair the speed, capacity, output, life span, or other performance parameter and even lead to failure. High performance semiconductor devices often include a heatsink thermally coupled to the component to dissipate the heat to a fluid medium, such as air.
Heatsinks are designed to maximize the surface area in contact with the fluid medium. Conventional heatsinks are generally formed form a thermally conductive metal, such as copper, aluminum, or aluminum alloys, and they include a plate connected to the electronic component and fins that extend away from the plate. The fins are generally planar panels or pins. During operation, heat from the component flows through the plate to the fins, and the fluid medium removes the heat from the system as the fluid medium passes through the fins.
A common challenge for electronic systems is that dust and other particulates accumulate on the fins over time. For example, many electronic systems include fans that direct an airflow through the spaces between the fins of the heatsink and dust and other particulates in the airflow tend to accumulate on the surfaces of the fins. This can eventually form a deposit with low thermal conductivity on and/or between the fins that reduces the heat transfer rate from the fins to the air flow. Over time, the components can overheat, which can impair the performance of the devices and lead to failure.

Self-cleaning heatsink for electronic components


The present invention provides methods of identifying an agent that inhibits an activity of a lentiviral Vif protein. The present invention provides methods of identifying an agent that increases the level of active APOBEC3G in a cell. The present invention provides agents identified by a subject screening method; and further provides methods for treating lentivirus infections.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the etiologic agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). HIV infection leads to depletion of CD4+ T lymphocytes. AIDS is characterized by various pathological conditions, including immune incompetence, opportunistic infections, neurological dysfunctions, and neoplastic growth.
HIV-1 relies on Vif (virion infectivity factor), a protein encoded by HIV-1 and many related primate lentiviruses, to evade the potent innate antiviral function of APOBEC3G (apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like 3G, also known as CEM15). APOBEC3G is a DNA cytidine deaminase that is incorporated into virions and produces extensive hypermutation in newly synthesized viral DNA formed during reverse transcription.
Several drugs have been approved for treatment of AIDS, including azidovudine (AZT), didanosine (dideoxyinosine, ddI), d4T, zalcitabine (dideoxycytosine, ddC), nevirapine, lamivudine (epivir, 3TC), saquinavir (Invirase), ritonavir (Norvir), indinavir (Crixivan), and delavirdine (Rescriptor). However, none of the available drugs used to combat HIV is completely effective, and treatment frequently gives rise to drug-resistant virus.
Despite the availability of a number of drugs to combat HIV infections, there is a need in the art for additional drugs that inhibit HIV replication, and which are suitable for treating HIV and other lentiviral infections. The present invention addresses this need by providing methods for identifying agents that target the HIV Vif protein, as well as agents that interfere with Vif action in a manner that preserves the potent innate anti-lentiviral properties of APOBEC3G.
Literature
Fisher et al. (1987) Science 237, 888-893; von Schwedler et al. (1993) J Virol 67, 4945-4955; Desrosiers et al. (1998) J Virol 72, 1431-1437; Gabuzda et al. (1992) J Virol 66, 6489-6495; Sova and Volsky (1993) J Virol 67, 6322-6326; Harris et al. (2003) (2003) Cell 113:803-809; Harris et al. (2004) Cell 116:629; Lecossier et al. (2003) Science 300:1112; Mangeat et al. (2003) Nature 424:99-103; Zhang et al. (2003) Nature 424:94-98.

Methods for treating lentivirus infections


An optical manifold for efficiently combining a plurality of blue LED outputs to illuminate a phosphor for a single, substantially homogeneous output, in a small, cost-effective package. Embodiments are disclosed that use a single or multiple LEDs and a remote phosphor, and an intermediate wavelength-selective filter arranged so that backscattered photoluminescence is recycled to boost the luminance and flux of the output aperture. A further aperture mask is used to boost phosphor luminance with only modest loss of luminosity. Alternative non-recycling embodiments provide blue and yellow light in collimated beams, either separately or combined into white.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and more particularly to light collection/distribution systems that utilize one or more LEDs.
2. Description of Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are a widely available, inexpensive, and efficient light source. For low light uses such as camping headlamps, one or two LEDs provide adequate light. However, to utilize LEDs for applications that require more light, such as automobile headlamps, it is necessary to combine the outputs of a plurality of LEDs. The LED prior art is less than satisfactory regarding the combination of the luminous outputs of a plurality of emitter-chips. Physical chip-adjacency can indeed produce a larger light source, but heat-removal limitations reduce the total luminance. Also, there is little continuity of illuminance between the adjacent emitters, leaving dark zones between the individual emitters. LEDs are available from a wide variety of suppliers, and in commercially available LEDs the emitters themselves have pronounced variations in luminance. For example, some suppliers (e.g., the OSRAM Corporation of San Jose, Calif. and the Cree Corporation of Santa Barbara, Calif.) manufacture high-power LEDs with wires and bonding pads that block light from the top of the emitting chip. In contrast, high-power LEDs from the Lumileds Corporation of San Jose, Calif. exemplify flip-chips, which have no wires or bonds that would otherwise block light emission in front. Even these, however, show great luminance variations across the emitter. The Luxeon I and Luxeon III LEDs by Lumileds, for example, can vary in luminance by a factor of ten from center to edge, with random patterns in between that differ from one chip to the next. Such undesirable patterning, whether on flip-chips or front-wired chips, can cause detrimental artifacts in the beams of collimating or condensing lenses. Although diffusers can be placed over such lenses, diffusers lose 15% of the light and give the beam a fuzzy edge. A more efficient method of source homogenizing, one that preserves sharp edges, would be a significant advance in illumination optics. Although thin-film LEDs have greatly improved uniformity over conventional on-substrate LEDs, there are fundamental reasons why they will always have nonuniform illuminance, because of inherently nonuniform current distribution downward through the active, light-generating layer. Using larger soldered electrodes causes more useless surface recombination at their juncture with the LED, so that electrodes must be kept small. In contrast, the optical transformer described herein places a premium on a corner location for the current-feed, amplifying the nonuniformity. Because the untreated sawed edges of the LED chip will cause surface recombination, current cannot be allowed to reach them, so that the LED cannot be illuminated all the way to its edge. It would be an advantage to provide an optical transformer that alleviates luminance inhomogeneities inherent to LEDs.
Beyond making a single source uniform, a better optical method is needed for combining the outputs of spatially separate LED chips, which are easier to cool than when closely packed. Such an optical source-combination device should optimally produce a uniform luminance with sharp edges. Besides easier thermal management, optical source-combination is needed that makes unnoticeable the individual variations or even failures of any of the LEDs.
The LED prior art is also less than satisfactory regarding the geometry of phosphor utilization in LEDs, such as for LEDs that generate white light. A phosphor coating of a quarter-millimeter (250 microns) or more directly onto a one-mm blue chip will necessarily increase source area, sometimes by a factor of four, and thus reduce luminance. The application of phosphor to such small chips necessarily results in color-temperature variations across each chip and between them as well. Also, much of the phosphor output backscatters; that is, it shines wastefully back into the chip, which is relatively absorptive. Finally, the phosphor must withstand the chip's high operating temperature, and differential thermal expansion poses adhesion problems, greatly reducing output if the phosphor should work loose. Although a thinner phosphor layer would have less problem with stress, as well as more luminance, only one manufacturer, Lumileds Corporation, for example, has the advanced phosphor deposition technology for the conformal 25-micron coating of their white LEDs, ten times thinner than the rest. (Laboratory samples from other companies have been exhibited but the processes have not been proven to be commercially viable at this time.) Even these devices vary in color-temperature, across their faces as well as from chip to chip.
It would be an advantage if the phosphor could be situated away from the LED; particularly, it would be an advantage if the phosphor layer in a LED device was positioned remotely enough to be unaffected by the temperature variations of the LED itself. Such a phosphor target could then be as small as the combined area of the separate LED chips, to maximize luminance. Conventional arrays of white LEDs suffer from variations in color temperature. In order to overcome this problem manufacturers employ expensive binning procedures. However, with the current state-of-the-art LEDs, there is still considerable variation in the color temperature, even using tight bins. Further, since an array of close-packed LEDs in practice has a spacing that is typically one or more chip widths between chips, simple application of phosphor over the entire array would result in a diluted, highly uneven luminance.
Achieving higher white luminance from an LED, with uniformity and color-consistency, is critical for LED market penetration into general lighting uses, where the lower power consumption and longer life of LEDs can greatly contribute to energy conservation. Larger and more efficient phosphor coatings can be utilized if they can be separate from their blue-light sources. Such an advance could particularly benefit automotive headlamps, where current white LEDs are marginal at best in luminance. In fact, color temperature variations across a beam could lead to excess blue light, which is ophthalmologically hazardous.
In some applications it is advantageous to produce a number of smaller size sources from a single larger source. This is useful for example when an optical design is difficult to mold because the optical component would be too thick and/or too large. If such a large single source is separated into a number of smaller size sources of the same total area, the same lens design can be used for each such source, just scaled down to a moldable size. It would also be desirable that these smaller sources are more uniform than the larger parent source, or that they have a prescribed luminance output.
In other applications it would be useful to change the shape of a single source or multiple sources to another shape, such as from a square to a rectangle of a substantially equal area or vice versa. This is useful for such applications as LED headlamps where it is desirable to generate rectangular sources with aspect ratios (length to width) of between two to one to six to one. Such a method must, of course, preserve source luminance as much as possible.
Finally, it is desirable to have a highly efficient means of producing white LED light sources without the use of phosphors, by combining two or more LEDs of a different wavelength into a single homogeneous source. Traditionally, the approach has been to use three different colored LEDs to make white light, commonly a red, a green, and a blue LED. However, the traditional optical approaches do not produce a rectangular or square uniform light source using such RGB light sources. It would be beneficial to have means of producing a light source combining more than three LED wavelengths. Additionally, it would be useful to have a means of producing such light sources where the chromaticity of the light source is adjustable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Optical manifold for light-emitting diodes


An optical disk drive includes a body, a tray, a first fastening structure, and a second fastening structure. The body has an opening. The tray is coupled to the body and movable at the opening. The first fastening structure is disposed at the body, and the second fastening structure is disposed at the tray. When the tray is situated in the body, the first fastening structure and second fastening structure are correspondingly fastened to each other to restrict the displacement of the tray along the vertical direction in the body.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an optical disk drive and, more particularly, to an optical drive which can restrict the displacement of a tray in a body along the vertical direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a structural schematic diagram showing a part of a conventional optical disk drive. The optical disk drive 100 includes a tray 110, a body 120 and two protrudent blocks B1 and B2. The body 120 includes a raiser 120a and a traverse 120b which are coupled to each other. The traverse 120b further includes a principal axis motor 120b1 and an optical reading head 120b2. The protrudent block B1 is provided at the back of the tray 110 (which is shown by the dotted line), and the protrudent block B2 is provided at the raiser 120a.
The tray 110 is used to carry the optical disk (not shown) putted by the user and can enter in the body 120 or be ejected from the body 120 along a parallel direction (which is parallel to the y axis) shown by the double-arrow symbol A in FIG. 1. In addition, the relative driving mechanism is used, and then the raiser 120a can cooperate with the movement of the tray 110 to move transversely right and left synchronously (that is, parallel to the x axis). At that moment, the side of the traverse 120b which is coupled to the raiser 120a can correspondingly move up or move down via the guiding track design of the raiser 120a. When the tray 110 shown in FIG. 1 enters in the body 120 toward the +y direction, the raiser 120a moves toward −x direction to make the protrudent block B2 move to the position whose x axis coordinate is same with that of the protrudent block B1 and abut against the protrudent block B1 when the tray 110 is in the body 120.
Please refer to FIG. 2A, which is a schematic diagram showing that the tray in FIG. 1 is situated in the body. As shown in FIG. 2A, the protrudent blocks B1 and B2 abut against each other and are at the same x axis position, and then a fastening relation can be generated to protect the tray 110 from ejecting from the body 120 toward the −y direction to assure the safety of the optical disk and the normal operation of the principal axis motor 120b1, the optical reading head 120b2 and other relative mechanisms when the optical disk is read.
However, if an improper overlarge external force (for example, the optical disk explodes) is applied to the tray 110, the protrudent block B1 may be given a force to push against the protrudent block B2, and the protrudent block B2 or the raiser 120a may have displacement or deformation (for example, the raiser 120a may slope towards the −y direction), or even the tray 110 is given an acting force along +z direction, all the above may cause the protrudent block B1 to get over the protrudent block B2 and to be separated from the body 120.
Please refer to FIG. 2B, which is a schematic diagram showing the situation that the two protrudent blocks shown in FIG. 2A are separated from each other along the z axis. In the FIG. 2B, if an acting force F along +z direction is applied to the tray 110, compared with the FIG. 2A, the protrudent block B1 and the protrudent block B2 are separated from each other along the z axis, and the fastening range is greatly decreased, so that the protrudent block B1 can easily get over the protrudent block B2.
In addition, the protrudent block B2 also can be provided at the traverse 120b to achieve the design of fastening with the protrudent block B1, but the above problem also exists.


The tool holding cartridge is male and the second cartridge holding part is female and defines a cylindrical bore with diametrically opposed apertures near the forward face of the bore, the apertures carrying ball bearings, biased, so that a substantial portion of the ball bearing intersects and projects into the cylindrical bore. Those portions of the ball bearings that do so, act as a guide and locking means for the tool holding cartridge which has a cylindrical shaft which extends into a tool holding portion into which a tool may be anchored or secured, as may be required. The tool holding cartridge has, along the outer walls of the cylindrical portion thereof, near the proximate end of the cylindrical portion, a circumferential race that intersects with the proximate ends of two diametrically opposed axially oriented lead raceways defined in the outer perimeter of the cylindrical portion and that terminate at the outer shoulder and peripheral wall at distal end of the cylindrical portion.

There are many industrial processes and processing steps, particularly in machining and testing, that require the use a single tool or plurality of tools to operate either passively; or, as dynamically and active tool elements upon a workpiece. As an example of a passive tool application, consider a testing step subsequent to the cast fabrication of that portion of an internal combustion engine or engine block of a four-cycle reciprocating gasoline (petro) fuelled engine, which housing defines a plurality of cylindrical bores in which a combustion piston reciprocatingly travels during engine operation; and, as well, coolant chambers networking as the surrounding cooling water jacket for the passage of a coolant to keep the engine block cool.
When an engine block is cast in a casting furnace, either in steel, aluminum, or another metal or alloys thereof, after sand is removed from the casting and the outside surfaces, which will act as the bearing or sealing surfaces are machine ground smooth, it has been customary to test the engine block to see whether sand holes exist between cylinder bores, or between any one cylinder and the water jacket; the plurality of interconnected apertures, which of course are not supposed to communicate with any one of the cylinder bores. Typically, the "base" engine block is placed on a cradle and moved into a hydraulic press area which carries two or more plates, each with a plurality of passive seal holding tools, whose active surface is a resilient elastomer, acting as an elastomeric seal on each tool. The elastomeric seals are moved, by the hydraulic press, so as to overcover all the exposed apertures of the water jacket or the coolant chambers of the engine block; save and except for one inflow port to the water jacket system; or, alternatively save and except the outflow port thereof. Syr, under pressure, is injected into the engine block water jacket through one of these flow ports and elevated to a given pressure and sustained there for a period of time, normally 10 to 15 seconds and the pressure is monitored. If the pressure does not remain static, then there are pin holes in the water jacket structure allowing the bleeding of air out from the water jacket. The water jacket does not have integrity, and the engine block is sent back to the casting operation for re-melting and re-casting.
Similarly, each of the plurality of piston cylinder chambers is checked in subsequent testing steps.
Heretofore, when there is "leakage" at each or any one of the testing steps, it is really not known, with any true accuracy, whether the "leak" is as a result of pinholes through the casting walls or as a result of air leakage around the elastomeric membrane or seal when it is engaged, by the hydraulic press or ram, to overcover the orifices.
The reason for this is the simple tediousness of seal removal from the testing hydraulic press. The worker must contort his body to place himself beneath the plate holding the plurality of tool carrying seals in order to pry these seals out with a screwdriver. When one considers that in some instances, up to 55 or more elastomeric seals must be popped or pried out of the tool seal holder plate, the possibility of back injury for the worker is rather high. Further, the down time for the hydraulic press can be up to 18 to 30 hours to remove and replace all the seals in the machine. There are other applications where a tool holder, if easily removable, would have great application; namely, in polishing and grinding applications; in machine drilling operations; in tapping operations where a thread is tapped into an aperture.
It is therefore a general object of the invention to eliminate the stress of worker in replacing the tool holder element whether holding seals or drills or other tools, and to reduce substantially the down time in taking the tool holding elements out and replacing them with new tool holding elements which carry replacement tools whereby the required operation may be performed again with little or no down time for a press or other machine carrying the plurality of tool holding elements.
The invention therefore contemplates a two-part tool holding fixture wherein a first part is a removable tool holding cartridge that is simplistically removably secured into a mating relationship with another or second part of the fixture. One part of the fixture preferably is a male part, the other part a female part.
When the tool holding cartridge is the male part, the cartridge at one end has a tool holding portion into which the tool is affixed. The cartridge is then slid and turned to fit in, to lock, and to secure itself within the second or cartridge carrying part.


An integrated three-dimensional magnetic or any field sensing device and a method to fabricate an integrated three-dimensional magnetic sensing device is presented. An integrated three-dimensional magnetic sensing device comprises an apparatus that defines at least a first surface area and at least one sloped surface which is sloped with respect to the first surface area. Two magnetic sensing units could be arranged on the first surface area to provide first and second orthogonal sensing directions, and a third magnetic sensing unit could be arranged on the at least one sloped surface to provide sensing in at least a third sensing direction which is orthogonal to the first and second orthogonal sensing directions. Bias could be applied to the third magnetic sensing unit to cancel a component of the magnetic field sensed by the third magnetic sensing unit so that the third magnetic sensor unit only provides sensing in the third direction.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to magnetic sensing devices, and more particularly to the arrangement of magnetic sensor units in a magnetic sensing device.
2. Description of Related Art
Magnetic sensing devices facilitate the measurement of a magnetic field (i.e. one or more magnetic fields) for a variety of applications by using one or more magnetic sensor units to sense the magnetic field, and to provide output signals that represent the magnetic field. Navigation applications that determine a heading determination are popular applications for magnetic sensing devices. A heading determination may indicate a direction, such as North or North-East. Other applications for magnetic sensing devices, such as proximity detection, are also possible.
The one or more magnetic sensor units in a magnetic sensing device may be arranged in a manner that provides sensing of particular components of a magnetic field. For example, a first magnetic sensor unit may be arranged to sense a component of a magnetic field in a direction defined as the x-axis direction, and a second magnetic sensor unit may be arranged to sense a component of the magnetic field in a direction defined as the y-axis direction. In this example, the magnetic sensing device could have a first output to provide an output signal that represents components of the magnetic field in the x-axis direction and a second output to provide an output signal that represents components of the magnetic field in the y-axis direction.
A wide variety of magnetic sensor unit types are available such as reed switches, variable reluctance sensors, flux-gate magnetometers, magneto-inductor sensors, spin-tunnel device sensors, and Hall-Effect sensors. Another magnetic sensor unit type is a magnetic sensor unit that comprises magnetoresistive material. Examples of magnetic sensors comprising magnetoresistive material include giant magneto-resistive sensors and giant magneto-impedance sensors. Other examples are also possible.
Magnetoresistive material is a material with a variable resistance value that varies depending in part on a magnetic field in proximity to the magnetoresistive material. The sensitivity of magnetoresistive material to change its resistance value when exposed to a magnetic field depends in part on the characteristics of a particular magnetoresistive material. Common magnetoresistive materials include anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) materials and giant magnetoresistive (GMR) materials which are both described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,544 and colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) materials described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,178.
One type of AMR material is a nickel-iron material known as Permalloy. AMR-type magnetic sensor units may include thin films of Permalloy deposited on a silicon wafer and patterned as a resistor. Multiple resistors made of Permalloy may be coupled together to form an electrical circuit. The electrical circuit could take the form of a bridge configuration, such as a Wheatstone bridge configuration.
FIG. 1 illustrates a magnetic sensor unit 10 that includes a first resistor 12, a second resistor 14, a third resistor 16, and a fourth resistor 18 coupled together in a Wheatstone bridge configuration. First ends of the first and second resistors 12 and 14 are connected to a common power source 20, such as a voltage source supplying a positive voltage. First ends of the third and fourth resistors 16 and 18 are connected to a common ground source 22. Second ends of the first and third resistors 12 and 16 are connected to a first input of an amplifier 24 and second ends of the second and fourth resistors 14 and 18 are connected to a second input of the amplifier 24. The amplifier 24 produces an output (V out) which is an amplified differential signal.
The resistance values of the first, second, third, and fourth resistors 12, 14, 16, 18 are typically chosen to be equivalent resistance values. The first, second, third, and fourth resistors 12, 14, 16, 18 could be made with a magnetoresistive material.
During fabrication of AMR-type magnetic sensor units, the AMR magnetoresistive material is deposited on a silicon substrate in the presence of a strong magnetic field. This strong magnetic field sets a magnetization vector in the AMR magnetoresistive material resistor to be parallel to the length of the resistor by aligning the magnetic domains of the AMR magnetoresistive material in the same direction. Magnetic domains are clusters of atoms within the AMR magnetoresistive material with their magnetic moment pointing in the same direction.
FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of a strip of AMR magnetoresistive material 40 having a magnetization vector 42 in a first direction. A current 43 could pass through the strip 40, from a first side 44 of strip 40 to a second side 45 of strip 40, at an angle 46 in relation to the magnetization vector 42 when no magnetic field is applied to the strip 40, by placing conductive straps, such as conductive straps 47, 48, across the strip 40 at an angle 49. The angle between the current 43 and the magnetization vector 42 occurs, in part, because of the angle 49 formed by the conductive straps 47, 48 placed across strip 40. Angle 46 is preferably about 45° when there is no magnetic field applied to the strip 40.
For the current 43 to pass through strip 40 at the preferred angle 46 of about 45°, angle 49 is also 45°. Angle 49 is formed between each of the conductive straps 47, 48 and a side 50 of the magnetoresistive strip 40 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The current 43 passes through strip 40 in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the conductive straps 47, 48. The number of conductive straps placed across strip 40 could be greater than or less than the two straps shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
Conductive strap 47 is an example of one of the conductive straps across strip 40. U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,584 describes the placement of conductive straps on magnetoresistive material.
FIG. 3 illustrates a plan view of strip 40 when a magnetic field 52 is applied normal (perpendicular) to a side 50 of strip 40. The current 43 continues to pass through the strip 40 in the same direction as the current 43 in FIG. 2 due to the orientation of the conductive strap 48 and others conductive straps similarly placed across the strip 40. However, the magnetic field 52 causes the magnetization vector 54 to rotate.
The rotation of the magnetization vector 54, in this case, causes the size of angle 56 formed between the current 43 and the magnetization vector 54 to decrease with respect to the size of angle 46. As the size of angle 56 decreases the resistance of the strip 40 increases. Other arrangements of the strip 40 and the conductive straps 47, 48 could cause the size of angle 56 to increase which decreases the resistance of the strip 40.
Magnetic sensing devices are available in a variety of one-axis and two-axis configurations. The number of axes in a magnetic sensing device refers to the number of sensitive axes or sensing directions for measuring a magnetic field. Magnetic sensing devices with more than one axis typically arrange the multiple axes to be mutually orthogonal. Some forms of three-axis magnetic sensing devices are available but not in the integrated form as described below.

Integrated three-dimensional magnetic sensing device and method to fabricate an integrated three-dimensional magnetic sensing device


A skin testing and imaging station and corresponding method for capturing, displaying and analyzing images of a person and for testing the skin using a variety of probes includes a digital camera, a light source capable of providing at least two different wavelengths of light, a plurality of probes for conducting skin tests, a touch-screen display and a computer for controlling the components of the station. The apparatus selectively captures and displays a plurality of digital images using different wavelengths of illuminating light, e.g., using a plurality of flashes and filters, some of which may be adjustable to adjust the angle of incidence of the illuminating light on the subject. In video mode, the camera displays a real time image on the display facilitating a user to position a probe for testing any specific area of the skin. Preferably, the apparatus is self-serve, allowing any person to capture, review and analyze the images and skin data. Verbal and/or graphic instructions to a user aid in use of the station. An intuitive graphic user interface with thumbnail images is employed. Focus control, zoom and synchronized side-by side comparison of images are available.

In order to promote skin care products, many cosmetic companies ask their potential customers questions regarding perception of their skin. Based on the answers to these questions, cosmetic companies are able to better suggest cosmetic and therapeutic products to these people. Examples of such promotions can be found on the Internet WebPages of Neutrogena® (www.neutrogena.com), L'Oreal® (www.lorealparisusa.com), and Lancome® (www.lancome.com). These questions, however, are only based upon the subject's perception of their skin under visible light. Many skin problems, however, are not always visible under such conditions.
Various types of photography have been developed to enhance the visualization of the skin. In visible light photography, or standard photography, the most common arrangement includes a camera and one or more flash units to deliver visible light to the skin by direct illumination, diffuse illumination, or a combination thereof. Angled lighting has also been used to generate a gradient of the illuminating field on the skin in order to enhance the visualization of wrinkles and fine lines. Depending on the direction of the gradient (vertical or horizontal), different sets of wrinkles and fine lines may be visually enhanced.
Polarized light photography has also been developed to selectively enhance either surface or subsurface features of the skin. These results are accomplished by placing a polarizing filter (typically a linear polarizing filter) both in front of the flash unit, and in front of the camera. When the polarizing filters are in the same orientation with each other, surface features of the skin such as scales, wrinkles, fine lines, pores, and hairs are visually enhanced. When the polarizing filters are aligned perpendicular to each other, subsurface features of the skin such as erythema, pigmentation, blood vessels, and hair, are visually enhanced.
Ultraviolet photography, where the flash unit is filtered to produce ultraviolet A light and the camera is filtered so that only visible light enters the lens, has been used to visually enhance the appearance of pigmentation, the bacteria p. acnes, and horns. A variation of ultraviolet photography has been termed the "sun camera" where ultraviolet A light is used to illuminate the skin and an ultraviolet A sensitive film or a digital camera is used to record the reflected ultraviolet light from the skin. In this arrangement, both the pigment distribution and the surface features of the skin are visually enhanced.
In addition to apparatus for enhanced visualization of the skin, i.e., by viewing images captured by photography/videography, there are several other apparatus and methods known for testing various measurable parameters indicative of skin condition/attributes. For example, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is known for use in determining the concentration of skin chromophores, melanin, oxy-hemoglobin and deoxy-hemoglobin, porphyrins and bilirubin viz., by observing the absorption spectra. Fluorescence spectroscopy is similarly useful for ascertaining the presence of tryptophan, collagen cross-links, elastin cross-links and keratin. The elasticity of the skin can be measured by an apparatus commercially known as a Reviscometer®. Skin surface hydration can be measured by an apparatus commercially known as a Corneometer® and the conductivity of the skin can be measured by a NovaMeter®. Typically, these known apparatus for measuring skin attributes are provided for use by professionals and are not intended for consumer use.
The present invention provides people with access to one or more of these improved means of viewing and testing their skin, in order to provide them additional insight into the condition of their skin. Such insight allows them to make more informed decisions regarding the purchase of skin care products. In addition, skin care products can be suggested to such potential customers by retailers or professionals based upon such customer's enhanced perception of their skin.

Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, inc.


An information processing apparatus comprising a memory; a non-volatile memory; and a processor coupled to the memory and the non-volatile memory, the processor configured to: store a rectification history for a result of character recognition processing in association with items and item values; compare, for the respective items, a newly input result of the character recognition processing with the item values stored in the non-volatile memory; select a set of the item values stored in the non-volatile memory based on a result of the comparison; and correct the newly input result of the character recognition processing by using the selected set of the item values.

For example, JP 2006-244518 A discloses an input rectifying method of rectifying data of a plurality of input items per item, the method including a certainty calculation means for calculating certainty with respect to a content of each of the items and an updating means for updating the content of the item by using the certainty calculated by the certainty calculation means.
Additionally, JP H4-267492 A discloses a method of rectifying recognition data of a business card, where a business card recognition apparatus recognizes characters from an image of the business card scanned by a scanner and generates business card data in a format to classify respective items such as a company name, a name, and an address in the business card. The business card recognition apparatus is provided with a business card data file in which the business card data is sequentially stored and a rectified data file in which rectified business card data that has been checked and rectified by a user is sequentially stored. The method includes determining whether a business card previously rectified and the business card to be rectified thereafter are business cards of the same company by comparing partial items of the business card data and copying, when both of them are the business cards of the same company, only the items that have the same contents between both of them out of the rectified data of the business card previously rectified to the business card data of the business card to be rectified thereafter.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and non-transitory computer readable medium for correcting character recognition result


The effects of optical impairments on optical signal transmission are substantially reduced in a lightwave transmission system by positioning optical amplifiers and network elements in respective upstream-downstream combinations. By placing an optical amplifier at a position upstream from its corresponding network element, sufficient amplification can be provided by the optical amplifier to compensate for losses introduced by its corresponding network element. Advantageously, the corresponding downstream network element provides sufficient attenuation of the forward travelling lightwave signals so that power-dependent nonlinear effects in the optical fiber do not significantly distort the lightwave signals. Moreover, because of the downstream location of the network element in relation to its corresponding network element, the network element substantially suppresses backward travelling optical signal components such as those caused by Rayleigh backscattering, Stimulated Brillioun Scattering (SBS), and the like. As such, the network element prevents unwanted back reflections and back scattered signals from affecting operation of its corresponding optical amplifier.

This invention relates to the field of lightwave communication systems and, more particularly, to overcoming optical impairments in short haul lightwave communication systems employing optical amplifiers.
To meet the increasing demands for more bandwidth and higher data rates, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) is being used extensively in long haul optical transmission systems and is being contemplated for use in ,short haul applications, such as metropolitan area networks and the like. As is well known, WDM combines many optical channels of different wavelengths for simultaneous transmission as a composite optical signal in an optical fiber.
Optical amplifiers are commonly used in lightwave communication systems as in-line amplifiers for boosting signal levels to compensate for losses in a transmission path, as power amplifiers for increasing transmitter power, and as pre-amplifiers for boosting signal levels before receivers. In WDM systems, optical amplifiers are particularly useful because of their ability to amplify many optical channels simultaneously. Although rare earth-doped fiber optical amplifiers, e.g., erbium-doped fiber amplifiers, are commonly used in WDM systems, semiconductor optical amplifiers are being contemplated for use in WDM short haul applications like metropolitan area networks and so on. In particular, semiconductor optical amplifiers appear to be a viable alternative to the more costly erbium-doped fiber amplifiers. A typical short- haul WDM network includes a plurality of network elements interconnected by optical fiber. It is common to include optical amplifiers in the network elements in order to boost the lightwave signal power of signals traversing the optical fiber between network elements. However, the amount of amplification must be properly controlled because of optical impairments that are dependent upon signal power. In addition to affecting the transmission of optical signals, these optical impairments can also adversely affect the operation of optical components in the transmission path.
For example, Rayleigh backscattering is a well-known problem in which unwanted reflections are produced as an optical signal propagates through an optical fiber. In Rayleigh backscattering, the power level of the backscattered signals can be especially detrimental to the operation of optical amplifiers, such as semiconductor optical amplifiers, causing instabilities in operation, adding noise, and so on.
Non-linear effects can also cause problems in optical transmission. For example, Stimulated Brillioun Scattering (SBS) is a known phenomena which occurs when the power level of optical signals exceeds a certain threshold referred to as the SBS threshold. Briefly, SBS is a stimulated scattering process which converts a forward travelling optical signal into a backward travelling component of the optical signal which is also shifted in frequency. Among other problems, SBS results in increased backward coupling into optical components in the optical fiber path, which can affect operation of the components. For example, a backward travelling component can cause instabilities in optical amplifier operation. Other fiber non-linearities, e.g., four wave mixing, cross-phase modulation, self-phase modulation, Raman effect, and so on, are also well-known and can also be problematic in optical signal transmission. The network environment and topology are significant factors in determining when and to what extent the aforementioned problems will arise. Accordingly, proper design of a system is required in order to operate in the presence of such conditions. For example, long haul optical line systems typically have fiber spans of 80-120 kilometers between optical amplifiers without any intervening network elements. In these systems, optical isolators are typically employed to block unwanted back reflections of optical signals that would otherwise enter back through the output of the optical amplifiers. Moreover, the length of fiber spans serves to attenuate both forward propagating signals as well as backward travelling components, thereby reducing the occurrences of the aforementioned optical impairments.
By contrast, short haul optical systems, such as metropolitan area networks, have much shorter fiber spans. These short haul networks therefore cannot rely solely on the length of fiber spans to provide the necessary attenuation. Furthermore, these short haul networks typically have a higher density of network elements in a more geographically confined area, e.g., more closely-spaced optical amplifiers and network elements. Placing optical isolators at each network element location is very costly and highly undesirable in the cost-sensitive, short haul environment.
The challenges associated with operating optically amplified short haul networks in the presence of the aforementioned optical impairments are further complicated by the dynamic nature of short haul networks. For example, short haul WDM networks generally include a plurality of network elements capable of adding/dropping, routing, and cross-connecting optical signals. Losses introduced by these network elements can be significant. However, boosting gain of optical amplifiers to compensate for these losses can cause the system to be even more susceptible to the aforementioned optical impairments, e.g., exceeding SBS thresholds, causing higher intensity back reflections, and so on.
The effects of optical impairments on optical signal transmission in a lightwave transmission system are substantially reduced according to the principles of the invention by positioning optical amplifiers and network elements in respective upstream-downstream combinations. More specifically, by placing an optical amplifier at a position upstream from its corresponding network element, sufficient amplification can be provided by the optical amplifier to compensate for losses introduced by its corresponding network element. Advantageously, the corresponding downstream network element provides sufficient attenuation of the forward travelling lightwave signals so that power-dependent nonlinear effects in the optical fiber do not significantly distort the lightwave signals. Moreover, because of the downstream location of the network element in relation to its corresponding network element, the network element substantially suppresses backward travelling optical signal components such as those caused by Rayleigh backscattering, Stimulated Brillioun Scattering (SBS), and the like. As such, the network element prevents unwanted back reflections and back scattered signals from affecting operation of its corresponding optical amplifier.
Costs associated with installing and operating lightwave transmission systems are also substantially reduced according to the principles of the invention. In particular, costly optical isolator components are no longer needed at the output of every optical amplifier because the respective downstream network elements effectively perform an isolation function. Less expensive semiconductor optical amplifiers can also be used to further reduce system cost. These cost savings can be especially advantageous in the cost-sensitive short haul WDM network environment.

System and method for reducing effects of optical impairments in optically amplified lightwave communication systems


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor memory apparatus may include forming a channel region and a gate region through a self-alignment etching process on a cell region; and forming a three-dimensional multi-channel region through an etching process using a first multi-channel mask on a core region and a peripheral region and forming a gate region through an etching process using a second multi-channel mask, thereby preventing mis-arrangement of gates.

The present invention generally relates to a method for manufacturing a high-integrated semiconductor apparatus, and more specifically, to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor apparatus with plural transistors such as a saddle-fin transistor and a multi-channel transistor.
A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) as a representative example of semiconductor apparatus includes a plurality of unit cells each including a capacitor and a transistor. A capacitor is used to temporarily store data, and a transistor is used to transmit data between a bit line and the capacitor in response to a control signal (word line) using a semiconductor property that is the electric conductivity changing depending on environment. The transistor includes a gate, a source and a drain, and charges move between the source and the drain in response to the control signal inputted into the gate. The movement of charges between the source and the drain is performed through a channel region using the semiconductor property. The source and the drain have first ends connected to a bit line, and second ends connected to the capacitor.
Due to increase in the data capacity and integration of the semiconductor memory apparatus, the size of each unit cell is required to be smaller. That is, the design rule of the capacitor and the transistor included in the unit cell is decreased, so that the channel length of the cell transistor is reduced to cause a short channel effect and a drain induced barrier lower (DIBL) effect in the transistor. Moreover, the junction resistance is increased by reduction of the junction area to reduce a driving current of the transistor, thereby degrading the reliability of the operation. By using a three-dimensional cell transistor, it is possible to secure the channel length of the cell transistor in a vertical direction although the design rule is reduced. When the channel length of the cell transistor is secured, the doping concentration in the channel region can be reduced, thereby preventing degradation of a refresh characteristic. Furthermore, in order to increase a driving current in the three-dimensional cell transistor, a saddle-fin transistor has been used.

Method for manufacturing semiconductor apparatus having saddle-fin transistor and semiconductor apparatus fabricated thereby


An inorganic fertilizer composition that flows freely and resists caking comprising at least one beneficial agent and an anti-caking agent in an amount sufficient to reduce the caking tendency of the beneficial agent wherein the anti-caking agent is tripotassium phosphate. In a preferred embodiment, the anti-caking agent is added in amount in the range of 0.25% to 5.0% by weight.

Chemical inorganic fertilizers such as ammonium phosphates, ammonium nitrates, potassium nitrates, potassium chlorides, potassium sulfates and many others are well known fertilizers. Methods of manufacturing these inorganic fertilizers as well as methods of processing the fertilizers into particles are also well known in the fertilizer art. The resulting fertilizer particles, however, exhibit at least one undesirable characteristic. The caking of various types of fertilizers interferes with the handling of fertilizers in bulk form at the factory and by the end user.
Caking is believed to be caused by several factors, e.g., the formation of crystalline bridges according to which solid connections are formed at the points of contact among the granules. Alternatively, there may be capillary adhesion or bonding between the granules with a significant force often being necessary to break this adhesion or bonding. The cohesive forces will vary depending upon the storage conditions and other variables. The hygroscopic nature of the fertilizers also results in undesirable caking. In all cases however, the caking causes a serious problem to which a completely satisfactory solution is lacking.
Several prior art methods have been proposed to decrease fertilizer caking which involve the use of additives to the fertilizer composition. Typical additives include the use of finely divided powders which must cover the fertilizer substantially uniformly such as for example talc, kaolin and diatomaceous earth. Surfactants may also be used, e.g., non-ionic surfactants, such as polyoxylenes and anionic surfactants, e.g., alkyl-aryl-sulfonates and in particular the sulfonates derived from benzene and naphthalene. Cationic surfactants have also been used, especially the amines derived from long chain fatty acids. These additives form a hydrophobic film around the fertilizer granules and simultaneously reduce the surface tension of the intergranular solution, lower the angle of contact and thereby exert a beneficial effect on the caking problem. Further additives include compounds that also tend to form a hydrophobic film around the fertilizer granules such as paraffin wax, polyolefin wax and mineral oils. However, it has been found that the compositions used heretofore are not entirely effective in eliminating the caking problem. Moreover, many of these additives are not desirable in the fertilizer composition, others are expensive and require relatively large amounts thereof.
Various types of anti-caking additives include those disclosed in the following references.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,041,153, 5,032,164 and 4,846,871 disclose the use of lignosulfonate to treat inorganic chemical fertilizers to harden the particles to provide anti-caking and anti-dusting properties by adding up to about 5.0% by weight of lignosulfonate to the fertilizer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,308 discloses an anti-caking composition for nitrogen-containing material consisting essentially of ammonium salts useful as an ingredient of fertilizer, e.g., sodium alkyl sulfates, potassium alkyl sulfates or monoethanolammonium alkyl sulfate, diethanolammonium alkyl sulfate and triethanolammonium alkyl sulfate.
Heretofore, the use of tripotassium phosphate as an anti-caking agent for fertilizers has not been achieved, although tripotassium phosphate has been used for other purposes, as set forth in the following exemplary references.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,809 discloses a method of strengthening glass articles using powdered salts as the ion exchange medium, e.g., tripotassium phosphate, and utilizes cornstarch and flocculent silica as anti-caking agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,609,089 discloses the use of tripotassium phosphate as an alkaline builder in a process and composition for cleaning road vehicles, while silicate, silica gel and similar materials provide a non-caking function.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,390 discloses the use of tripotassium phosphate as a pH buffer.
Therefore, a need exists for an anti-caking agent to be used in inorganic fertilizers.

Water soluble potassium phosphate caking inhibitor for fertilizer


A method for determining a length of a pile which includes the steps of affixing a plurality of sound sensors in a vertical array adjacent to the pile, generating an elastic wave adjacent the pile such that the elastic wave propagates through or from the pile, radiating the elastic wave from the pile such that the sound sensors receive the radiated elastic wave, and analyzing the radiated elastic wave so as to determine the length of the pile. The elastic wave can be radiated so as to create upwardly propagating waves and downwardly propagating waves within the pile. The radiated elastic waves can also produce refracted elastic waves along a length of the pile and diffracted elastic waves at a bottom of the pile. The data from the radiated elastic waves is analyzed so as to be determinative of the length of the pile.

In recent years, it has become increasingly necessary to rehabilitate the superstructures of highway bridges. In order to properly rehabilitate the superstructures of various constructions, decisions must be made concerning the adequacy of the existing foundations. This is particularly true for older structures for which as-built records are missing and for which foundation deterioration may have occurred. Visual inspection of foundations is virtually impossible. As such, a need has developed so as to provide procedures for evaluating the capacity of existing foundations. In particular, a need has developed to provide a procedure for determining the length of a pile in such foundations. A "pile" is defined as a member with a small cross-sectional area (in comparison with its length) used to provide adequate support for a column or wall resting on soil which is too weak or too compressible to support the structure with a spread footer. As used herein, the term "bent" includes piers or other structures above the foundation.
There is a serious need to rehabilitate the aging highway system. Within the United States, over 35% of the 575,410 bridges in the 1992 National Bridge Inventory were classified as needing to be replaced or rehabilitated. It has been estimated that over the next 20 years approximately $165 billion must be invested to address the tremendous rehabilitation backlog and to improve accruing bridge deficiencies. The economic value of the foundations for many bridges can be up to 25% of the cost of the bridge. This makes foundations a major economic component in the rehabilitation/repair effort. Inadequate foundations can, of course, jeopardize the entire superstructure of any rehabilitated bridges.
Bridge safety issues are foremost among the considerations for rehabilitation. Foundation failures, or excessive foundation movements, mostly from the application of extreme event loads, have occurred too frequently in recent years, exposing the public to risks that can be reduced by evaluation of the adequacy of existing foundations. Examples of major fatal catastrophes are the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Florida (35 deaths), the Schoharie Creek Bridge in New York (15 deaths), the collapse of the Nimitz Freeway viaduct during the Loma Prieta earthquake (67 deaths), and a barge impact of a bridge in New Orleans (1 death). Clearly, upgrading of structures without appropriate knowledge of the adequacy of the foundations increases this vulnerability.
The traditional approach for evaluating such structures is to examine the as-built records. The as-built records include information on number, depth and width of the foundation elements, the soil characteristics at the bridge site and the recorded observations of the inspector during construction (concerning the potential for structural defects in the foundations). If necessary, as-built conditions can be confirmed by probing the exterior of the foundation and/or coring concrete piles or drilled shafts, if appropriate equipment can be positioned for the task. Once the loads for the rehabilitated structure are known, the capacity of these foundations can be evaluated in light of modern geotechnic design methods and the adequacy of the foundation determined. In the event that serious difficulties were noted during the installation of one or more foundation elements, or if probes and cores reveal defects, judgment must be exercised whether to exclude the questionable foundation element from consideration as a load-bearing pile or shaft. On occasions where the superstructure load can be taken off the foundation during the rehabilitation process, representative piles or shafts can be subjected to load tests, which is the most definitive way to evaluate the adequacy of the foundation. New geometrically identical "sister" piles or shafts can be installed immediately adjacent to the foundation of interest and subjected to load tests.
If as-built records are not available, or if they are incomplete, the traditional approach is not always appropriate because destructive probing and coring necessary to completely identify the foundation must be very extensive. In this case, nondestructive testing methods can be employed. Appropriate types of nondestructive tests for this purpose include pulse-echo and impulse-response testing, steady-state vibration testing, ambient vibration surveys, and shear-wave seismic reflection profiling. Various other techniques, such as casting sensors, or access tubes for sensors, into the pile or shaft, are not practical for evaluating existing foundations.
The pulse-echo and impulse-responsive testing involves the application of low-amplitude, impulse-type elastic waves directly to the head of an element of the foundation (pile or drilled shaft) with measurement of the reflected compression waves (P-waves) or shear waves (S-waves) from the bottom of the element or from a significant defect within the element, if such a defect exists. The input signal (load time history from an impulse source, for example a hammer, that creates the elastic wave in the foundation) can be measured along with the reflected signal (velocity or acceleration time history on the element near its top), or only the strain time history signal at the head of the pile may be measured, and the data processed in several ways. If a time history graph of the strain signal is displayed, peaks in the signal of a sensor on the element at known times can sometimes be interpreted as representing points of reflection if the compression or shear wave velocity of the pile material can be estimated. This so-called "pulse-echo" method has been applied mostly to piles and drilled shafts that are directly accessible (so that instruments can be attached directly to the pile or shaft and not to a cap, bent, column, or abutment) and has been applied to the investigation of both structural integrity and as-built depths of foundations.
Impulse-response testing (sometimes referred to as transient response testing) can be used for the same purpose, although it is somewhat more complex. With this method, both the input (elastic impulse source) and output (sensor) signals are recorded and processed in the frequency domain by a computer to develop a "mobility" function, which varies with frequency. In an ideal foundation, the mobility-frequency diagram makes it much more straightforward to interpret depths to major defects or pile/shaft lengths where defects do not occur. However, the presence of multiple defects in the foundation, reverberations from the superstructure, and other factors make this method difficult to use in evaluating existing foundations.
A disadvantage of the pulse-echo and impulse-response (mobility function) tests are that they appear to require that the sensor be placed on the foundation element (pile or shaft) itself, which may be difficult in some bridge foundations.
A well-established method for the characterization of the dynamic behavior of a structure is the steady-state vibration test. The superstructure is excited by a mechanism that generates a steady sinusoidal force in time. After a short period of time, the structure settles into a periodic steady-state mode of response at the exciting frequency. The force generator can be a small electromagnetic device, a mechanical device with a pair of counter-rotating masses, or a large mass driven by a linear actuator. The structural response can be monitored by displacement, velocity or acceleration sensors. By exciting the structure at several frequencies, a frequency response curve is obtained for a given point on the structure, from which modal frequencies and damping ratios are derived. This method has been rather widely applied to buildings, bridges, nuclear power plant structures and dams. When applied to bridges, it is mainly used to study the vibration of the superstructure. This forced vibration method can conceivably be used to infer foundation performance at low strain levels, but it is not likely to be useful in this respect because the overall system response of the structure depends very little on the foundation contribution. That is, any foundation behavior is masked, perhaps totally, by the superstructure behavior and cannot be separated from the system response, as the entire superstructure-foundation system is responding to the single frequency of the exciting force.
An ambient vibration survey records the vibration of a structure caused by ambient forces, such as wind, microtremors, traffic or any other forms of excitation that tend to be random and sustained, but small in amplitude. This method is most useful for characterizing the overall behavior of the structure, and when applied to a bridge, it is again limited in terms of characterizing foundation response because the dominant response will be from the superstructure.
Another technique that has been utilized is a technique for imaging shear-wave diffractions from pile terminations. This technique was described in an article by Ebrom et al. as published in the Society of Exploration Geophysics Convention Abstracts, 1994. This method is used to determine the subsurface lengths of terminations for a shaft or pile. In this method, it is necessary to perform a shear-wave survey in the immediate proximity of the pier and to infer the depth from the two-way travel time. This survey is aimed at delineating a terminating vertical unit, such as the shaft or pile. The goal of this method is to enhance diffracted seismic waves from the base of the shaft or pile. These diffractions are created when the shear-wave seismic wave field encounters the abrupt termination of the shaft or pile. The diffraction event is proportional in amplitude to the incident wave and the shear modulus contrast between the soil and the shaft or pile. The diffractions from the terminus of the shaft or pile possessing large modulus contrasts are easily detectable. In a typical highway environment, the shear-wave modulus contrast between near-surface soils and concrete are quite large, generally far exceeding a factor of 10:1. In this method, a horizontal array of sound sensors is provided in an area surrounding the bent or pier. A horizontal or vertical hammer blow is applied to the bent or pier. The elastic wave sensors will receive the diffracted waves from the bottom of the shaft or pile so that calculations can be carried out as to the length of the shaft or pile. This method includes a Kirchhoff migration by summing together the amplitudes that lie along the diffraction hyperbola (as calculated from the velocity field of the medium), and placing the summed amplitudes at the apex of the hyperbola. The apex of the diffraction hyperbola corresponds geometrically to the position of the diffracting point. After migration, diffracting points are imaged as high-amplitude events. Unfortunately, this method is often difficult to apply in areas in which space is limited. If it is not possible to arrange a large horizontal array of sensors in a location adjacent to the bent or pier, then this method cannot be effectively used.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method which effectively determines the length of a shaft or pile.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for determining the length of a shaft or pile which is non-destructive.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for the determination of a shaft or pile which is easy to use, easy to implement, and relatively inexpensive.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for the determination of the length of a shaft or pile which can be utilized in a relatively limited physical area.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.

Method of determining the length of a pile


A liquid developer contains a carrier liquid and a toner particle which contains a binder resin, wherein the toner particles have a content of aluminum measured by fluorescent X-ray analysis in a range of from 0.04% by weight to 0.1% by weight of total elements.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid developer, a developer cartridge, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
A method of visualizing image information through an electrostatic charge image such as an electrophotography method is currently used in many fields. In the electrophotography method, a latent image (electrostatic latent image) is formed on an image holding member in charging and exposing processes (latent image forming process), and the latent image is visualized by developing an electrostatic latent image with a developer for developing an electrostatic charge image (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "developer") including a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a "toner") (developing process), and performing a transfer process and a fixing process. As a developer used in a dry development method, a two-component developer made with a toner and a carrier, and a single component developer in which a magnetic toner or a non-magnetic toner is singly used are included.
Meanwhile, a liquid developer used in a wet development method is obtained by dispersing toner particles in an insulating carrier liquid. A type in which toner particles including a thermoplastic resin are dispersed in a volatile carrier liquid, a type in which toner particles including a thermoplastic resin are dispersed in a hardly volatile carrier liquid, and the like are known.

Liquid developer, developer cartridge, and image forming apparatus


Methods and systems for starting an aircraft propulsion engine are described herein. Operation of the engine is controlled by an engine controller having a first channel and a second channel. An engine start request is received on the second channel while the first channel is inactive. It is determined which one of the first channel and the second channel was used to conduct a last successful engine start. Responsive to determining that the last successful engine start was conducted on the second channel, a predetermined time period is waited to elapse and for the first channel to reinitialize before commanding, via the first channel, an engine start based on the engine start request.

An electronic engine controller having two channels may be used for starting an aircraft engine. At the time of starting the engine, if one of the channels is not powered, the other channel may be used to start the engine. Still, if the same channel is consistently used to start the engine, there could be defects with the other channel or with the components connected to the other channel.
As such, there is need for improvement.

Method and system for starting an engine


A system and method for grouping and organizing structured responses in a communication application at a computing device. A structured question in a plurality of messages can be detected based on a structured question model trained via machine learning. A structured question can be a question predicted by the structured question model to have a number of possible answers fewer than a threshold. A user interface element, corresponding to the structured question, can include a structured summarization that includes one or more answers to the structured question present in the plurality of messages from the plurality of users, and/or a structured response template in which at least a subset of possible answers are presented and are selectable. A command to include the generated graphical user interface element in a record of the communication session in a graphical user interface corresponding to the communication application.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In typical communication applications, text-based messages in a communication session (such as an instant message, short message service message, email message, or social network message/posting) are presented chronologically in a list in a graphical user interface of the communication application displayed by a computing device. A communication session may include many messages that were sent over a long period of time (days, weeks, etc.). In order for a user to find a previously sent message of interest, the user may have to scroll through the list of messages, and scan the contents of each of the messages to locate the desired message (or collection of messages). In some situations, the user may remember an approximate date/time of the message of interest, which may be used to narrow the possible locations of the message of interest for the user. Nonetheless, even when the user has a general idea of the approximate date and time of a message of interest, locating the specific message of interest may be a time consuming and bothersome process.
A user may utilize a communication application to perform collaborative tasks with a group of people, such as event planning, sharing and discussing certain topics, or asking for advice or guidance with respect to a certain topic. In such situations, a question may be asked, and an answer may be given by each user. Due to the chronological presentation of text-based messages in typical communication applications, it may be difficult for a user to quickly find the answers of the users, or even keep track of whether each user has responded to a question.

Structured response summarization of electronic messages


A method for performing a shuttle shift with a transmission of a work vehicle is disclosed, wherein the transmission includes an input shaft, a counter shaft and a plurality of driven shafts extending generally parallel to the input and counter shafts. The method may include disengaging a clutch associated with a first directional gear of a directional shaft of the plurality of driven shafts. The first directional gear may be configured to rotate the directional shaft in a first direction. Additionally, the method may include engaging clutches associated with at least two gears of at least one secondary driven shaft of the plurality of driven shafts to reduce a rotational speed of the directional shaft and, after the rotational speed of the directional shaft is reduced, engaging a clutch associated with a second directional gear of the directional shaft such that the directional shaft rotates in a second direction.

Work vehicles, such as agricultural vehicles, earth-moving vehicles, off-road vehicles, loaders and/or the like, often include power shift transmissions equipped with the capability to perform shuttle shifts, wherein the direction of travel of the work vehicle may be reversed without requiring the operator to change gears or use the clutch. For example, to change the direction of travel from forward to reverse, an operator may be simply required to move a shuttle lever disposed within the operator's cab from a forward position to a reverse position.
To increase the productivity and efficiency of work vehicles, efforts have been made to reduce the amount of time required for the transmission to perform a shuttle shift. However, to reduce the time required to perform a shuttle shift, the magnitude of the loads transmitted through the transmission must be increased. For example, to quickly perform a shuttle shift, the inertia of the high speed components of the transmission, as well as the momentum of the work vehicle, must be overcome by the clutches of the transmission within a short period time. This results in significant thermal loads and torque loads being transmitted through the clutches, which can significantly damage the clutches and/or other components of the transmission.
Currently, conventional shuttle methods utilize the clutches associated with the directional gears of the transmission to slow down and reverse the direction of the shafts of the transmission. For example, if a work vehicle is initially traveling in a forward direction, the clutch associated with the forward gear may be disengaged at the initiation of the shuttle shift. The clutch associated with the reverse gear may then be engaged to slow down or stop one or more of the transmission shafts as well as to speed up such shaft(s) in the opposite direction. However, the shaft(s) associated with the forward and reverse gears is typically a high speed shaft(s) that is configured to be driven directly (or indirectly via a counter shaft) by the input shaft. Thus, the clutches for the forward and reverse gears are typically configured to transmit lower torque loads than the clutches associated with the other, lower-speed shafts of the transmission. Specifically, the clutches for the forward and reverse gears are often relatively small and have low torque carrying capacities. As a result, the use of such clutches in performing shuttle shifts can lead to substantial damage to the clutches and/or other components of the transmission.
Accordingly, a system and method for performing shuttle shifts that reduces likelihood of damage occurring to one or more of the components of a work vehicle's transmission would be welcomed in the technology.

System and method for performing shuttle shifts with a transmission of a work vehicle


A magnetic brake unit includes an operation unit, a rotating plate placed below the operation unit and coaxially rotating with the operation unit in conjunction with an operation of the operation unit, and an electromagnetic brake that is placed to be in contact with the rotating plate and can magnetically adsorb the rotating plate, in which the rotating plate includes an adsorbed surface in contact with the electromagnetic brake, the electromagnetic brake includes an adsorbing surface in contact with the rotating plate, the electromagnetic brake applies a braking force against a pivoting to the rotating plate when the electromagnetic brake magnetically adsorbs the rotating plate, the rotating plate is pivotable in a state of being in contact with the electromagnetic brake when the electromagnetic brake does not magnetically adsorb the rotating plate, and a polymer material section is formed at least one of the adsorbed surface and the adsorbing surface.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an electromagnetic brake unit and, more particularly, to an electromagnetic brake unit that can maintain a good operation feeling.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, instruments provided with input devices, mounted on vehicles and the like, and operable to fit various modes for in-vehicle temperature setting, car audio volume adjustment, car navigation and the like are available. Some of the input devices have an electromagnetic brake unit so that an operation range of an operator can be limited in response to input details of the various modes. It is required for the input devices that have such an electromagnetic brake unit to be capable of maintaining a sufficient braking force exceeding an operating force of the operator when a brake is applied by the electromagnetic brake unit and, moreover, to be capable of operating smoothly without a feeling of being caught at a time of non-braking. The applicant has filed an electromagnetic brake unit using a rotary input device according to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-38806 as such electromagnetic brake unit. Also known as a similar technique is an electromagnetic brake unit used in a rotary input device according to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-62075.
The electromagnetic brake unit used in a rotary input device 900 according to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-38806 will be described referring to FIG. 12. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the rotary input device 900 according to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-38806.
In the rotary input device 900 according to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-38806, a friction plate 908 that is disposed to be connected to an operation unit 902, which is rotation-operated is magnetically adsorbed by an electromagnetic brake 909 so that a braking force is applied and the rotating operation is limited. The friction plate 908 and the electromagnetic brake 909 are always in contact with each other. However, at a time of non-braking without the magnetic adsorption, the friction plate 908 is pivotable in conjunction with an operation that is added to the operation unit 902 and a good operation feeling is provided. Also, at a time of braking with the magnetic adsorption, the electromagnetic brake 909 magnetically adsorbs the friction plate 908 with an electromagnetic force, the friction plate 908 and the electromagnetic brake 909 are in closer contact with each other, and frictional resistance increases so that the braking force is exerted and the rotating operation is limited. In order to maintain the good operation feeling at a time of non-braking and generate the braking force with reliability at a time of braking, a metallic material is used in a friction surface and a surface of the electromagnetic brake 909 that is in contact with the friction surface and a smooth and hard thin film layer is formed on the contact surface by a physical vapor deposition method (PVD method).
It is assumed that the rotary input device 900 according to Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-38806 is forcibly operated by an operator against the braking even at a time of braking. The forcible operation against the braking results in wear debris on the smooth and hard thin film layer formed by the PVD method, which is caused by wear due to sliding and micro-vibration. The hard wear debris acts as a grindstone to accelerate sliding wear, and a scratch is likely on the contact surface between the friction plate 908 and the electromagnetic brake 909. It is concerned that the scratch may exacerbate the operation feeling during the rotating operation by generating the feeling of being caught.