SOI wafers are manufactured to have very thin device layers of high surface quality. The layer is ≦20 nm in thickness, has an HF density of ≦0.1/cm2, and a surface roughness of 0.2 nm RMS.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a film or layer of semi-conducting material and to a process for producing the film or layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
What are known as SOI (silicon on insulator) wafers have a layer structure generally comprising a carrier, for example a silicon wafer, a layer of oxide which is buried just below the surface and a thin layer of silicon on top of the layer of oxide. For the fabrication of electronic components (e.g. memories and microprocessors), this layer structure has significant advantages over the silicon wafers which are customarily used:
A better characteristic of the electronic functions is achieved, in combination with high switching speeds and a lower power consumption on the part of the component. Moreover, components which are fabricated on the basis of SOI wafers are more suitable for operation at relatively low voltages than conventional components.
For these reasons, in future generations of components, the use of SOI wafers will increase significantly. The quality demands imposed on the SOI wafers are high, in particular with regard to the layer thickness homogeneity and the defect densities in the thin layer of silicon and in the oxide layer. In this context, the various production processes and products in accordance with the prior art also differ:
For example, in the case of what is known as the SIMOX process, a layer with a high oxygen content is produced by implantation of oxygen ions through the surface of a silicon wafer over a defined depth which is determined by the energy of the oxygen ions (Izumi et al., Electron Lett. 14 (18) (1978), p. 593). In a subsequent heat treatment, this layer is converted into a layer of silicon oxide which separates the thin layer of silicon above it from the remainder of the silicon wafer, which lies below it. However, the implantation of the oxygen ions produces crystal defects (damage) in the thin layer of silicon, and this damage has adverse effects on the SOI wafer during subsequent fabrication of electronic components.
Generally, however, SOI wafers are produced by transferring a thin layer of silicon from a first wafer, the substrate wafer, to a second wafer, the carrier wafer. Generally, both wafers consist of silicon. The thin layer of silicon is joined to the carrier wafer for example via an insulating silicon oxide layer. A number of processes which can be used to transfer thin layers of silicon from a first wafer to a second wafer and therefore produce an SOI wafer are known:
In what is known as the SMARTCut process (U.S. Pat. No. 5,374,564; Weldon et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technolo., B 15 (4) (1997), pp. 1065-1073), the separating layer is produced by means of hydrogen implantation, and after the bonding of the two wafers the separation (splitting) is carried out by means of a heat treatment. The result is a relatively rough surface with a large number of defects, which then has to be smoothed by polishing or heat treatment (annealing). In the process, irreparable defects (holes), known as HF defects, are also formed in the thin, upper layer of silicon, with a density of 0.1/cm2-0.5/cm2. Furthermore, the implantation, the separating layer used and the separating process give rise to the formation of defects in the upper layer of silicon, which become visible after a Secco etching step (Secco etch defects) of an order of magnitude of 1·102/cm2 to approximately 1·104/cm2 (J. G. Park, "Nature of Surface Defects in SOI wafers: SIMOX vs. Bonded SOI", JSPS, 3. International Symposium on Advanced Science and Technology of Silicon Material, 2000, Kona, USA).
In what is known as the ELTRAN process (U.S. Pat. No. 5,854,123; Yonehara et al., Electrochem. Soc. Proc. 99-3 (1999) pp. 111-116), the separating layer is produced by means of an anodic etching process, with a porous surface layer being formed. This layer forms the separating layer. Then, an epitaxial layer, which forms the subsequent thin layer of silicon, is deposited on this porous layer. The separation is carried out thermally or mechanically, with defects once again being formed in the surface and in the upper layer of silicon. Furthermore, the epitaxial layer cannot grow on the porous surface without any defects at all. The HF defect density (holes in the thin layer of silicon) is 0.1/cm2-0.3/cm2, the density of Secco etch defects is 5·102/cm2-1·105/cm2, depending on the layer thickness of the silicon layer. The surface roughness after splitting is high, at 5 nm rms (scanning area 1 μm×1 μm) and requires subsequent smoothing processes (Sakaguchi et al., Solid State Technology 43 (6)·(2000) pp. 88-92).
A further process is known as the Nano-cleave process developed by SiGen, USA (Current et al., European Semiconductor, 22(2) (2000) pp. 25-27). This process requires an additional smoothing step after the separation in order to produce roughness values of below 0.2 nm rms (Thilderkvist et al., IEEE SOI Symposium, 2000, Wakefield, USA).

Film or layer of semiconducting material, and process for producing the film or layer


A method for achieving optimum selection of machining parameters and tool inserts for finish turning operations is provided. The method allows for the simultaneous consideration of the various machining performance criteria which are highly interactive and need to be taken into consideration when defining optimum cutting conditions or selecting optimum tool inserts. The method broadly includes the steps of (1) developing a process model relating performance variables for said operation with process parameters for said operation; (2) applying multiple criteria optimization techniques to construct a utility function relating the tool life and material removal rate for optimization, using surface roughness, cutting power, and chip breakability as constraints; (3) applying non-linear programming techniques to the process model so that optimum cutting conditions may be selected for given machining performance requirements. This method may also take into account the progressive wear state of the tool being used.

The demands of modern manufacturing technology require that machining operations be performed in a manner so as to efficiently enhance economic, time and equipment aspects of the manufacturing process. Recent trends toward "near net shape" manufacturing have significantly reduced the need for multipass rough machining operations while placing more emphasis on single pass finish machining. Therefore, it is important to consider the finish machining requirements in process planning for machining operations.
Generally, the overall machining performance can be qualitatively described by the surface roughness, machining accuracy, cutting force/power, tool wear/tool life and chip breakability. Key factors which are known to effect machining performance include the machine tool, cutting tool, cutting parameters, work material, and cutting fluid. The various machining performance criteria are highly interactive and the relationships describing the interaction are very complex. Therefore, due to these complexities, many of these highly desirable features are very difficult to achieve in combinations as the trade off in achieving one normally results in significant loss in others. For example, in finish turning operations, increasing productivity through higher material removal rates requires that cutting tools be provided which are capable of longer tool life while still being capable of maintaining the required surface finish level and acceptable chip-forms/shapes or chip breakability. In addition, increased cutting speeds impose a power constraint.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,617 to Wang discloses a method for modeling an adaptive feed rate control for numerically controlled machining. This method takes into consideration such operating parameters as material removal rate, cutting force and tool deflection. However, there are numerous other operating parameters, as described above, which if taken into consideration would increase the accuracy of the modeling method.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,309 to Wu et al. discloses a method that utilizes artificial intelligence for adaptive machining control of surface finish in a machining operation. The Wu et al. method takes into consideration a variety of operating parameters, such as, tool wear, depth of cut, work material hardness and material removal rate. Again, however, only a limited number of operating parameters and machining performance criteria are taken into consideration, thus significantly limiting the reliability and overall accuracy provided by this method.
The Wang and Wu et al. patents are representative of the prior art which typically rely upon a limited number of operating parameters and consider limited number of machining performance criteria. In other words, the prior art has essentially ignored important machinability criteria and key factors which form the machining performance. This may be attributed to the limited availability of quantitatively reliable machining performance models relating the surface finish, dimensional accuracy, chip breakability, and other machining performance variables to the cutting or process parameters. More specifically, currently available metal cutting theories are unable to explicitly present all relationships between input variables and machining behavior, especially for complex grooved tools which are primarily used in finish turning operations today. While there have been many attempts to build phenomenological models of metal cutting processes, these theories are not yet able to solve all the problems which currently exist during the machining operation. Moreover, the large number of variables involved in the machining process results in the need for considering an almost infinite number of machining combinations.
Also, all past research on machining optimization is based on the critical assumption that the machining process occurs with fresh or unworn cutting tools. Of course, in actual machining, the performance may vary significantly with the progression of overall tool wear during the process.
Accordingly, while much is known and much work has been done towards improving the machining process and its efficiency for finish turning operations, a need is identified for further improving the machining process through the selection of the most suitable cutting conditions and/or tool insert types for given quality requirements. Such an optimization method would be able to take all machinability parameters simultaneously into consideration. Furthermore, such an optimization method would be able to take into account the varying tool wear state during the machining process.

Optimization of machining with progressively worn cutting tools

University of Kentucky Research Foundation


A data retrieval method and system are provided that include providing, in a device, a replaceable unit, storing usage data of the device in a database based on information stored in a CRUM used in the replaceable unit, providing access to the database to a user, and providing the usage data to the user. The user data is based on the device performing an operation and the information stored in the CRUM reflecting at least one data point reflecting the performed operation.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to the utilization of commonly replaced system parts. The invention relates in particular to Customer Replaceable Units (CRU) and Customer Replaceable Unit Monitors (CRUM) used to track device usage data.
2. Description of Related Art
Many machines have replaceable sub-assemblies. Printing machines, for example, may have a number of replaceable sub-assemblies, such as a fuser print cartridge, a toner cartridge, or an automatic document handler. These subassemblies may be arranged as a unit called a cartridge, and if intended for replacement by the customer or machine owner, may be referred to as a Customer Replaceable Unit or CRU. Examples of CRUs may include a printer cartridge, a toner cartridge, or a transfer assembly unit. It may be desirable for a CRU design to vary over the course of time due to manufacturing changes or to solve post-launch problems with either the machine, the CRU, or an interaction between the CRU and the machine. Further, design optimizations may be recognized subsequent to design launch and machine sale, for example, that a relatively simple code update might realize. However, solving these problems, or providing optimization updates, generally requires a service call.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,237 to Schron discloses a reproduction machine having a non-volatile memory for storing indications of machine consumable usage such as photoreceptor, exposure lamp and developer, and an alphanumeric display for displaying indications of such usage. In operation, a menu of categories of machine components is first scrolled on the alphanumeric display. Scrolling is provided by repetitive actuation of a scrolling switch. Having selected a desired category of components to be monitored by appropriate keyboard entry, the sub-components of the selected category can be scrolled on the display. In this manner, the status of various consumables can be monitored and appropriate instructions can be displayed for determining replacement. The same information on the alphanumeric display can be remotely transmitted.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,088 to Gilliland et al. discloses a monitor/warranty system for electrostatographic reproducing machines in which replaceable cartridges providing a predetermined number of images are used. Each cartridge has an EEPROM programmed with a cartridge identification number that, when matched with a cartridge identification number in the machine, enables machine operation, a cartridge replacement warning count, and a termination count at which the cartridge is disabled from further use. The EEPROM stores updated counts of the remaining number of images left on the cartridge after each print run.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,503 to LeSueur et al. discloses a printing machine having operating parameters associated therewith. The printing machine includes a controller for controlling the operating parameters and an operator replaceable sub-assembly adapted to serve as a processing station in the printing machine. The operator replaceable sub-assembly includes a memory device, that communicates with the controller when the replaceable sub-assembly is coupled with the printing machine, for storing a value which varies as a function of the usage of the replaceable subassembly. The controller adjusts a selected one of the operating parameters in accordance with the stored value for maintaining printing quality of the printing machine.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,016,409 to Beard et al. discloses a fuser module comprising a fuser subsystem installable in a xerographic printing apparatus, which includes an electronically-readable memory permanently associated therewith. The control system of the printing apparatus reads out codes from the electronically-readable memory when installed to obtain parameters for operating the module, such as maximum web use, voltage and temperature requirements, and thermistor calibration parameters.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0215247 to Silence et al. describes a method for operating a machine using at least a first replaceable sub-assembly and at least a second replaceable sub-assembly. The method described comprises providing the first replaceable sub-assembly with a memory, the memory having stored within it a software code upgrade of executable instructions relating to the utilization of the second replaceable sub-assembly. The first replaceable sub-assembly is subsequently placed into the machine, the memory is used and a stored software code upgrade of executable instructions is placed into the machine as new machine software code. Then, the machine is operated with the second replaceable sub-assembly in accordance with the new machine software code.
All of the references indicated above are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for their teaching.


The present disclosure relates to non-ignitable gaseous compositions comprising difluoromethane and tetrafluoroethylene. When the pressure is at least 150 psig, the molar percentage of tetrafluoroethylene in the non-ignitable gaseous composition is no more than 111.6−0.124X. When the pressure is less than 150 psig, the molar percentage of tetrafluoroethylene in the non-ignitable gaseous composition is no more than 102−0.06X. X is the pressure in the unit of psig.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates in general to a non-ignitable gaseous composition comprising difluoromethane (HFC-32) and tetrafluoroethylene (TFE). The present disclosure also relates in general to the processes for making non-ignitable gaseous compositions comprising HFC-32 and TFE.
2. Description of Related Art
Halogenated compounds, especially fluorinated compounds, such as fluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons, have been widely used in the industry as refrigerants, solvents, cleaning agents, foam blowing agents, aerosol propellants, heat transfer media, dielectrics, fire extinguishing agents, sterilants and power cycle working fluids, et al.
TFE (CF2═CF2) can be used as a starting material for making various fluorinated compounds, such as 1,1,1,2,2,3-hexafluoropropane (HFC-236cb). However, TFE is ignitable and explosive under certain conditions and poses danger towards industrial manufacturing processes utilizing TFE.
There is a need for a non-ignitable composition comprising TFE.

Non-ignitable gaseous composition comprising difluoromethane and tetrafluoroethylene

Abstract: The present disclosure also provides processes for making such non-ignitable gaseous compositions.

Abstract: Also disclosed are azeotropic compositions of TFE and HFC-32.


In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a wall brace apparatus for use in supporting a damaged wall from the interior of a building basement is disclosed. The wall brace apparatus includes an alignment brace positioned between a floor bracket, which is secured to a floor and a pushing rod bracket, which is secured to an overhead floor joist and aligned with the floor bracket. The wall brace is further attached to brace holders which are secured between the pushing rod bracket and the wall surface. The wall brace apparatus includes a jack mechanism positioned between the pushing rod bracket and the alignment brace with holding brackets positioned between the pushing rod bracket and the overhead floor joists. A method of supporting a wall from the interior of a building basement having overhead floor joists is also disclosed.

Various wall bracing systems are known for securing and straightening cracked or bowed basement walls in residential applications. Prior art systems generally include those which utilize soil anchored mechanisms which pull the shifted wall from the exterior of the structure and conventional systems which are used to push the shifted wall from the interior surface. Exterior systems are generally anchored separately from the structure containing the damaged wall, require excavation and tend to be unreliable under varied soil conditions. Interior systems address this need by providing an applied straightening force that is anchored from the structure containing the damaged wall and reduces the need for exterior excavation. As interior systems develop, further improvements may be realized in practice.
As is known in the art, prior art systems utilized in interior applications tend to secure a brace against a fractured or shifting wall, anchoring the bottom portion of a brace to the floor, anchoring the top portion of the brace to an overhead floor joist and utilizing a jack mechanism to adjustably apply force to the brace. Although such systems may prevent further shifting or perhaps straighten the damage to the wall, most of them are designed with a jack mechanism providing only a limited range of adjustment, lack the structural means necessary to apply increased force to straighten a bowed wall in commercial applications and are configurable for limited interior construction configurations. Other mechanisms are designed only for vertical floor joint applications.
Generally accepted in the art is a means to attach holding brackets to one side of overhead floor joists that are oriented perpendicular to the wall surface. Such systems further comprise a jack mechanism to hold the top of the brace vertical along side the floor joist and adjustably apply pressure to the brace which is transferred to the surface of the wall. The bottom portion of the brace in such designs are generally secured to the floor. These designs have a limited range of applied force due to the holding brackets being secured to one side of a single overhead floor joist such that increased force causes floor joists to twist. Such designs further require longer braces which will have a limited range of motion of the jack mechanism and are more likely to deflect than shorter braces. As is known in the art, common configurations of jack mechanisms include a screw jack, lever jack, etc. Additionally, increased force requires further improvements to prevent shifting of the brace from a vertical position and a different approach in order to set the brace at a greater angle of incidence from the wall surface.
Other prior art designs include a bracing configuration with a jack mechanism that fits floor joists running parallel to the surface of the wall. In such designs, a threaded rod pierces the mounting floor joist closest to the holding bracket and further utilizes floor joist supports to distribute the pressure. In such designs, a threaded nut is placed against the floor joist holding bracket and is not able to hold the pushing rod straight which causes some difficulty in lining up the alignment brace properly while holding it straight. This configuration is designed to secure the wall fracture and not intended for subsequent adjustment nor designed to force the shifted wall back into a vertical position. This approach fails to address other overhead construction configurations such as cases where duct work resides between the floor joists, thereby preventing the ability to utilize the space between the floor joists. Therefore, such designs lack the range of motion needed for subsequent adjustments to the brace position, lack the applied force necessary to return a shifted wall back into position and fail to address further overhead bracing configuration needs.
There is therefore an unmet need to increase perpendicularly applied force for interior applications of straightening and supporting damaged walls in a wide range of motion, under overhead floors of different configurations.

Wall bracing system and method of supporting a wall


A method and system separates components in individual signals, such as time series data streams. A single sensor acquires concurrently multiple individual signals. Each individual signal is generated by a different source. An input non-negative matrix representing the individual signals is constructed. The columns of the input non-negative matrix represent features of the individual signals at different instances in time. The input non-negative matrix is factored into a set of non-negative bases matrices and a non-negative weight matrix. The set of bases matrices and the weight matrix represent the individual signals at the different instances of time.

Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) has been described as a positive matrix factorization, see Paatero, "Least Squares Formulation of Robust Non-Negative Factor Analysis," Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems 37, pp. 23-35, 1997. Since its inception, NMF has been applied successfully in a variety of applications, despite a less than rigorous statistical underpinning.
Lee, et al, in "Learning the parts of objects by non-negative matrix factorization," Nature, Volume 401, pp. 788-791, 1999, describe NMF as an alternative technique for dimensionality reduction. There, non-negativity constraints are enforced during matrix construction in order to determine parts of human faces from a single image.
However, that system is restricted within the spatial confines of a single image. That is, the signal is strictly stationary. It is desired to extend NMF for time series data streams. Then, it would be possible to apply NMF to the problem of source separation for single channel inputs.
Non-Negative Matrix Factorization
The conventional formulation of NMF is defined as follows. Starting with a complex non-negative M×N matrix Vε≧0,M×N, the goal is to approximate the matrix V as a product of two simple non-negative matrices Wε≧0,M×R and Hε≧0,M×N, where R≦M, and an error is minimized when the matrix V is reconstructed approximately by W·H.
The error of the reconstruction can be measured using a variety of cost functions. Lee et al., use a cost function:
                              D          =                                                                                    V                  ⊗                                      ln                                                              (                                              V                                                  W                          ·                          H                                                                    )                                                                      -                V                +                                  W                  ·                  H                                                                    F                          ,                            (        1        )            where ∥·∥F is the Frobenius norm, and {circle around (×)} is the Hadamard product, i.e., an element-wise multiplication. The division is also element-wise.
Lee et al., in "Algorithms for Non-Negative Matrix Factorization," Neural Information Processing Systems 2000, pp. 556-562, 2000, describe an efficient multiplicative update process for optimizing the cost function without a need for constraints to enforce non-negativity:
                              H          =                      H            ⊗                                                            W                  ⊤                                ·                                  V                                      W                    ·                    H                                                                                W                  ⊤                                ·                1                                                    ,                  W          =                      W            ⊗                                                            V                                      W                    ·                    H                                                  ·                                  H                  ⊤                                                            1                ·                                  H                  ⊤                                                                    ,                            (        2        )            where 1 is an M×N matrix with all its elements set to unity, and the divisions are again element-wise. The variable R corresponds to the number of basis functions to extract. The variable R is usually set to a small number so that the NMF results into a low-rank approximation.
NMF for Sound Object Extraction
It has been shown that sequentially applying principle component analysis (PCA) and independent component analysis (ICA) on magnitude short-time spectra results in decompositions that enable the extraction of multiple sounds from single-channel inputs, see Casey et al., "Separation of Mixed Audio Sources by Independent Subspace Analysis," Proceedings of the International Computer Music Conference, August, 2000, and Smaragdis, "Redundancy Reduction for Computational Audition, a Unifying Approach," Doctoral Dissertation, MAS Dept., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge Mass., USA, 2001.
It is desired to provide a similar formulation using NMF.
Consider a sound scene s(t), and its short-time Fourier transform arranged into an M×N matrix:
                              F          =                      DFT                                      [                                                                                s                                                                    (                                                  t                          1                                                )                                                                                s                                                                    (                                                  t                          2                                                )                                                                                s                                                                    (                                                  t                          N                                                )                                                                                ⋮                                                        ⋮                                                        ⋯                                                        ⋮                                                                                s                                                                    (                                                                              t                            1                                                    +                          M                          -                          1                                                )                                                                                s                                                                    (                                                                              t                            2                                                    +                          M                          -                          1                                                )                                                                                s                                                                    (                                                                              t                            N                                                    +                          M                          -                          1                                                )                                                                                ]                                      ,                            (        3        )            where M is a size of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT), and N is a total number of frames processed. Ideally, some window function is applied to the input sound signal to improve the spectral estimation. However, because the window function is not a crucial addition, it is omitted for notational simplicity.
From the matrix FεM×R, the magnitude of the transform V=|F|, i.e., Vε≧0,M×R can be extracted, and then, the NMF can be applied.
To better understand this operation, consider the plots 100 of a spectrogram 101, spectral bases 102 and corresponding time weights 103 in FIG. 1. The plot 101 on the lower right is the input magnitude spectrogram. The plot 101 represents two sinusoidal signals with randomly gated amplitudes. Note, that the signals are from a single source, or monophonic signal.
The two columns of the matrix W 102, interpreted as spectral bases, are shown in the lower left. The rows of H 103, depicted in the top, are the time weights corresponding to the two spectral bases of the matrix W. There is one row of weights for each column of bases.
It can be seen that this spectrogram defines an acoustic scene that is composed of sinusoids of two frequencies 'beeping' in and out in some random manner. By applying a two-component NMF to this signal, the two factors W and H can be obtained as shown in FIG. 1.
The two columns of W, shown in the lower left plot 102, only have energy at the two frequencies that are present in the input spectrogram 101. These two columns can be interpreted as basis functions for the spectra contained in the spectrogram.
Likewise the rows of H, shown in the top plot 103, only have energy at the time points where the two sinusoids have energy. The rows of H can be interpreted as the weights of the spectral bases at each time instance. The bases and the weights have a one-to-one correspondence. The first basis describes the spectrum of one of the sinusoids, and the first weight vector describes the time envelope of the spectrum. Likewise, the second sinusoid is described in both time and frequency by the second bases and second weight vector.
In effect, the spectrogram of FIG. 1 provides a rudimentary description of the input sound scene. Although the example in FIG. 1 is simplistic, the general method is powerful enough to dissect even a piece of complex piano music to a set of weights and spectral bases describing each note played and its position in time for that note, effectively performing musical transcription, see Smaragdis et al., "Non-Negative Matrix Factorization for Polyphonic Music Transcription," IEEE Workshop on Applications of Signal Processing to Audio and Acoustics, October 2003, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/626,456, filed on Jul. 23, 2003, titled "Method and System for Detecting and Temporally Relating Components in Non-Stationary Signals," incorporated herein by reference.
The above described method works well for many audio tasks. However, that method does not take into account relative positions of each spectrum, thereby discarding temporal information. Therefore, it is desired to extend the conventional NMF so that it can be applied to multiple time series data streams so that source separation is possible from single channel input signals.

System for separating multiple sound sources from monophonic input with non-negative matrix factor deconvolution

Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.


The pole handler attachment includes a base frame that is pivotally attached to an arm of an earth moving machine for pivotal movement about a transverse horizontal axis. A trunnion is fixed to the base frame. A sleeve is journaled on the trunnion for pivotal movement about a trunnion axis that is normal to the transverse horizontal axis. A fixed clamp assembly is fixed to the sleeve. A movable clamp assembly is pivotally attached to the sleeve. A clamp cylinder pivots the movable clamp assembly to hold a pole against first and second clamp surfaces on the fixed clamp assembly. The first clamp surface is perpendicular to the second clamp surface. A tilt linear actuator pivots the sleeve on the trunnion.

The invention is in an attachment, for small loaders, that can grip a long pole, lift the pole, move the pole between a horizontal position and a vertical position and move the pole vertically while it is in a vertical position.
Buildings commonly referred to as pole barns are used on farms and in other locations for storage buildings as well as for enclosed workspace. These buildings are constructed using long poles with a lower end embedded in the ground. The poles generally have a square or rectangular cross section. Normal cross section sizes are 4 inches by 4 inches, 4 inches by 6 inches, or 6 inches by 6 inches. The length of the poles vary from about 14 feet to well over 20 feet. The poles are inserted into holes bored in the ground. Normally the holes are sufficiently deep to place the bottom of each pole on soil that does not freeze in the winter. Generally the holes for the poles are 4 to 6 feet deep. Buildings that are used for storing farm machinery such as grain harvesters, require 12 feet or so of vertical space plus space for an overhead door. For many such buildings the poles are 18 to 24 feet long. The walls are constructed by attaching horizontal beams to the poles. Sheet metal panels are attached to the beams to form side walls. Roof trusses are supported by the poles. Purlins and sheet metal panels are attached to the trusses to completely enclose the interior space.
The poles that are used for pole barns are treated with wood preservatives to reduce rot and insect damage. The preservatives penetrate into the wood and may increase the weight of the poles somewhat. A 4 inch by 4 inch pole 24 feet long can easily be lifted and moved manually by two people. Such a pole can most likely be lifted by one person but is somewhat difficult to move around due to its length. It is also difficult to manually move such a pole to a vertical position due to the extended distance between the center of gravity of the pole and the upper end of the pole from the lower end of the pole where it can be held by an individual. Once a 24 foot wood pole is in a vertical position it can be difficult to manually hold the pole in a vertical position. Lowering a pole 8 feet long into a small diameter hole 4 feet or so deep is difficult if the pole cannot be easily held in one hand.
Machines are available for handling logs and utility poles. These machines are usually large and expensive units that are capable of moving large diameter logs and utility poles. Some of the machines can move multiple poles simultaneously.
Logs are severed from their roots where they grew and placed horizontally on the ground. Once logs are in a horizontal position, they often remain generally horizontal for storage, transport and for sawing into lumber. Machines for handling logs generally do not require the capability of moving a log from a horizontal position to a vertical position.
Logs are initially covered by bark. The bark provides protection for the underlying wood. Grapples can, as a result of the protection provided by the bark, apply substantial gripping force on a log. Utility poles have rough outer surfaces and do not require flat surfaces for the attachment of wall supports or other structure. As a result utility poles can generally be handled by grapples with a minimum number of grasping arms that squeeze their outer surface. Lumber on the other hand must be handled with some care to prevent damage to flat surfaces.
The pole handler attachment has a base frame that is adapted to be pivotally attached to a boom of an earth moving tractor for pivotal movement about a transverse horizontal axis. A trunnion is fixed to the base frame, extends forward from the base frame and has a trunnion axis that is perpendicular to the transverse horizontal axis. The trunnion axis is horizontal when the base frame is in a vertical position. A sleeve is telescopically received on the trunnion and axially retained on the trunnion. A fixed clamp assembly is secured to the sleeve and has a first pole clamp member and a second pole clamp member that cooperate to position one pole in a position that is generally transverse to the trunnion axis. A movable clamp assembly is pivotally attached to the sleeve for pivotal movement about a hinge axis that is perpendicular to the trunnion axis. A hydraulic clamping cylinder is pivotally attached to the sleeve and to the movable clamp assembly. The clamping cylinder is operable to pivot the movable clamp assembly about the hinge axis, and move the third pole clamp member toward the first pole clamp member and the second pole clamp member. A tilt hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected to the base frame and to the sleeve is operable to pivot the sleeve about the trunnion axis to move one pole held by the fixed clamp assembly and the movable clamp assembly between a horizontal position and a vertical position when the trunnion axis is horizontal.


An optical diffusion device applied in a backlight module includes a plate. Multiple light sources are disposed on one side of the plate. Multiple optical microstructures provided with a longer axis and a shorter axis are disposed on the plate. The longer axis of each optical microstructure is approximately arranged in parallel with a direction extending from the light source, or, in other words, the shorter axis is arranged approximately crossing the direction extending from the light source. A diffusion effect is provided to each light source through the shorter axis of the optical microstructure to increase optical radiant energy among the light sources and to eliminate the dim and dark regions among the light sources for increasing general luminance of the backlight module.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an optical diffusion device, and more particularly, to one applied in a backlight module to effectively distribute streams of light from light source for increasing luminance of the entire backlight module.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
A backlight module is generally referred to a component that provides a back light source to a product and is currently applied in various types of information, communication, and consumer products, e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCD), negative scanners, sliders, or light panels for slides. Depending on the location of the light from its source to enter, the backlight module is available in edge lighting and bottom lighting. The edge lighting backlight module is usually applied in products, e.g., portable computers that require power-saving and that are thinner and lighter in construction. To meet the requirements, a light source is usually provided on an edge of the backlight module, and a light guide plate is disposed to guide streams of light emitted from the light source to a display panel.
The bottom light backlight module is usually applied in a product that requires higher brightness, e.g. a TV set. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a bottom light backlight module 1 is comprised of a frame 11. A reflective coating is applied or a reflection film 12 is attached on an inner side of the frame 11. Multiple light sources 13 are arranged and spaced at intervals in sequence. A diffuser 14 is disposed over those light sources 13. One or a plurality of optical diffusion films 15 and one or a plurality of brightness enhancing films (BEF) 16 are disposed on the diffuser 14. Finally, a display panel 17 is placed on top of the BEF to form a TFT-LCD.
Although the purpose of the optical diffusion device including the diffuser or diffusion film is only to permit uniform diffusion of the light passing through, it improves a phenomenon of dim and dark regions found with the liquid crystal module. Therefore, an improvement attempted to narrow down the dim and dark regions by extending a gap between those light sources 13 and the diffuser 14 for admitting more streams of light emitted from those light sources 13 into the diffuser 14. However, the structural design of the improvement for providing limited effect and causing the backlight module to get thicker defies the purpose of having a compact design for the liquid crystal module.
There are two types of processes for manufacturing an optical diffusion device. One process involves formation of microstructures for diffusion on a surface of a substrate, and another process is to coat micro-particles on the surface of the substrate or mix them in the substrate. The process of coating those micro-particles usually fails to provide high uniformity and high yield. The limited number of micro-particles to be coated fails to upgrade diffusion efficiency. Also, the micro-particles could easily scratch other devices. The diffusion efficiency may be upgraded by mixing those micro-particles with the substrate, but the light permeability remains low.
The microstructure formed on the surface of the substrate indicates either an irregularly fluctuating frosted glass structure or a regular lens array. The frosted glass type of structure was earlier used in the light diffusion structure. However, its diffusion rate is low, and its diffusion direction is random, thereby failing to provide diffusion in a given direction for a device including a fluorescent tube. A cylindrical lens array effectively controls diffusion direction and is currently designed in a form of a continuous arc, a sine wave, a triangle, or a square. The lens array is applied in a bottom lighting backlight module 1 in an LCD as disclosed in US2003/0184993A1 and Japanese 2000-75102. The former applies the lens array in a bottom lighting backlight module 1 in an LCD to achieve diffusion effect, and the latter applies a sine wave lens array in a collector. The design of continuous arcs, each with greater than a semicircle, achieves the best optical diffusion. As illustrated in FIGS. 2(A) and 2(B), multiple cylindrical lenses 18, each in a sine wave form or any other form, however, fail to deliver uniform diffusion of streams of light emitted from the light source (the arrow indicates the incident beams). Therefore, those optical diffusion devices fail to solve the problem of dim and dark regions found with a backlight module of the prior art.


A memory device is so adapted that data processing time is not prolonged even when there is little bus width. A DRAM is connected to first to third buffer circuits by buses, which have a bus width of 128 bits, via a selector. The first to third buffer circuits are connected to a circuit such as a signal processing circuit by buses having a bit width of 32 bits. Since part of the circuitry is connected by buses having a bit width of 32 bits, the wiring is simple. By executing various processing in parallel, it is possible to prevent prolongation of the time required to record image data on a memory card.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a memory device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to shorten write time for writing data to a memory and read-out time for reading data out of the memory, it will suffice to enlarge the bus width of the data bus connected to the memory. Enlarging the bus width, however, may result in more complicated wiring.
Data processing time may be shortened by accessing a memory more efficiently, as disclosed in, e.g., the specification of Japanese Patent Application No. 10-53083. However, such processing is comparatively complicated.


A method for determining the orientation of the axis of a borehole with respect to an Earth-fixed reference coordinate system at a selected series of locations in the borehole, the borehole having a trajectory, and adapted to receive a drill string, comprising defining a model for the influence of magnetic interference from elements of the drill string on the measurement of components of the Earth's magnetic field in the borehole in terms of an unknown vector, a measurement vector, and a measurement matrix relating the unknown vector and the measurement vector; measuring at two or more selected locations along the borehole trajectory at least one of two cross-borehole components of the Earth's gravity field at the selected locations in the borehole, and two cross-borehole components and an along-borehole component of the Earth's gravity field at the selected locations in the borehole; two cross-borehole components and an along-borehole component of the Earth's magnetic field at the selected locations; computing the elements of the measurement vector and measurement matrix from the measured Earth's gravity and magnetic field components for the selected locations; solving for the unknown vector; computing corrected values for the Earth's magnetic field components using the unknown vector, the model, and the measured Earth's magnetic field components; and determining a value for the azimuthal orientation of the borehole axis using the corrected values for the Earth's magnetic field components and the measured gravity components.

It is generally well known that magnetic survey tools are disturbed in varying ways by anomalous magnetic fields associated with fixed or induced magnetic fields in elements of the drill string. It is further well known that the predominant error component lies along the axis of the drill string. This latter fact is the basis for several patented procedures, to eliminate the along-axis field errors in 3-magnetometer survey tools. Among these are U.S. Pat. Nos:
4,163,324 to Russell et al. PA0 4,433,491 to Ott et al. PA0 4,510,696 to Roeslet PA0 4,709,486 to Walters PA0 4,682,421 to Van Dongen et al. PA0 4,761,889 to Cobern et al. PA0 4,819,336 to Russel PA0 5,155,916 to Engebretson PA0 U.K. patents 2,138,141A to Russell et al. and 2,185,580 to Russell.
Engebretson U.S. Pat. No. 5,155,916 provides a method for error reduction in compensation for magnetic interference.
All of these methods, in effect, ignore the output of the along-axis magnetometer, except perhaps for selecting a sign for a square root computation. They provide an azimuth result by computation of a synthetic solution, either:
1) by using only the two cross-axis magnetometers and known characteristics of the Earth field, or
2) by using the cross-axis components and an along-axis component computed from the cross-axis components and known characteristics of the Earth's field.
Most of these require, as the known characteristics of the Earth field, one or more of the following:
1) field magnitude
2) dip angle
3) horizontal component
4) vertical component.
The Walters method requires, as known characteristics of the Earth field, only that:
1) the field magnitude is constant in the survey area;
2) the dip angle is constant in the survey area.
The fact that these quantities are constant is all that is required. The value of the constant is not needed but is derived within the correction algorithm.
Since all of these compensation methods use, in effect, a computed along-axis component, all of them break down for cases of borehole high inclination angles in a generally East/West direction. This is because the cross-axis measurement plane for such condition tends to be aligned so as to contain both the gravity and Earth field vectors, and thus measurements in this plane provide a poor measure of the cross product of the Earth field and gravity vectors. The cross product vector of the two reference vectors is the vector that actually contains the directional reference information.
The actual degradation of accuracy at high inclinations in the East/West direction for the previously cited methods depends both on the inherent accuracy of the sensors in the survey tool and on the accuracy of the required knowledge of the Earth field characteristics.
To provide a mechanization for a magnetometer survey tool that does not seriously degrade in accuracy at borehole higher inclination angles near the East/West direction, it is found to be necessary to provide a method and means to calibrate the errors in the along-axis magnetometer so that accurate measurements can be made with it. This is in direct contrast with existing methods that substitute computed values for along-axis measurements.
There is, therefore, need to provide a calibration method for an along-axis magnetometer in a magnetic survey tool to correct anomalous magnetic effects in a drill string and thereby to permit accurate measurements of the along-axis component of the Earth magnetic field. Such accurate measurement of the along-axis component then permits accurate computation of azimuthal direction independent of inclination and direction.

Calibration correction method for magnetic survey tools


A microwave heating sheet includes a substrate and a heating layer disposed on a first surface of the substrate. The heating layer includes a polar solvent that has a boiling point of not less than 100° C. and a polyelectrolyte that is dissolved in the polar solvent.

Popularization of microwave ovens has driven various innovations in microwave heating of frozen food. Despite the frozen food being heated in a relatively convenient manner, mere microwave heating is still ineffective in removing water moisture that causes surface softness (i.e., non-crispy texture) of the heated food. Thus, a microwave heating package, known as a microwave susceptor, is usually utilized to solve this problem.
The microwave heating package assists in microwave heating of food by absorbing microwave energy and then converting the absorbed microwave energy to thermal energy, and thereafter transferring the thermal energy to the food by means of conduction and/or convection. The microwave heating package may be manufactured as a food wrapper with a microwave heating material being embedded or coated therein, so that the surface of the food wrapper may reach a temperature ranging from 120° C. to 200° C. during microwave heating, thereby making the heated food crispy in texture. This type of microwave heating package, which is divided into metalized and non-metalized ones, has been commercialized as a food packaging product, and thus can enable microwave ovens to cook foods once thought to require a conventional oven such as popcorn and pizza.
The metalized type microwave heating package refers to a microwave heating package with an entire or partial surface thereof embedded with a very thin metal material that generally has a thickness less than a nanometer range, which allows the metal material to absorb microwave energy and to produce induced electrical current so as to generate thermal energy. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,005 discloses a food receptacle for use in microwave cooking, in which a microwave energy-absorbing thin film of aluminum is incorporated onto a surface of a flexible substrate by vacuum vapor deposition, and then the substrate is integrally formed into a receptacle that conforms to the configuration of the to-be-heated food.
On the other hand, the non-metalized type microwave heating package refers to a microwave heating package that utilizes double bond resonance of graphite or ion polarization to generate thermal energy. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,266 discloses a food packaging having a pattern of microwave susceptor that utilizes a mixture of graphite, nitrocellulose and a solvent-based ink vehicle as a coating for absorbing microwave energy, and investigates the effect of different component ratios on temperature rise. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,144 discloses a microwave oven susceptor packaging that utilizes graphite dispersed in a sodium silicate solution as an aqueous-based coating for absorbing microwave energy.
Since the aforesaid microwave heating packages are unsatisfactory, there is still a need to improve the composition of the microwave heating package and even to develop a novel heating mechanism thereof, so that a more efficient cooking of food by microwave heating can be achieved.

Food Industry Research and Development Institute


The present disclosure is concerned with 2-pyrimidone compounds that are capable of inhibiting a viral infection and methods of treating alphavirus viral infections such as, for example, chikungunya, Eastern equine encephalitis (EEEV), Western equine encephalitis (WEEV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis using these compounds. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.

Arthropod borne viruses have developed a complex life cycle adapted to alternate between insect and vertebrate hosts. These arthropod-borne viruses belong mainly to the families Togaviridae, Flaviviridae, and Bunyaviridae. Alphavirus is a genus of the family Togaviridae. This genus includes such viral infections as chikungunya virus (CHIKV), Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis virus (VEEV), Western Equine Encephalitis virus (WEEV), and Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus (EEEV).
Originally isolated in Tanzania, sporadic outbreaks of CHIKV have continued to plague Asia and Africa. In 2007, the first outbreak in Europe was documented with over 200 confirmed cases. To date, CHIKV has been identified in over 40 countries including the United States of America. The symptoms of CHIKV include fever, rash, and severe joint pain. While most patients usually recover after days to weeks, some may develop chronic arthritis. Additionally, death related to Chikungunya infection has been reported in older patients or patients with weakened immune systems.
VEEV, which was originally isolated from the brains of dead horses, emerges during epizootic outbreaks to infect horses and humans via bridge vectors such as Aedes taeniorhynchus. Epidemics typically occur in northern South America but have extended as far north as Mexico and Texas. During an outbreak in Venezuela and Colombia in 1995, approximately 3000 cases of neurologic disease were reported, resulting in 300 deaths.
WEEV causes asymptomatic or mild infections in humans, with non-specific symptoms such as sudden onset of fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and malaise. In rare cases, WEEV infection may also cause encephalitis or encephalomyelitis. Fifteen to fifty percent of the encephalitis survivors, especially young children, suffer from permanent neurological damage (mental retardation, emotional instability, and spastic paresis). WEEV has a mortality range of three to seven percent.
EEEV is the most severe of the arboviral encephalitides and has a mortality of 50 to 75%. Symptoms of this disease include fever, headache, vomiting, respiratory symptoms, leucocytosis, dizziness, decreasing level of consciousness, tremors, seizures, and focal neurological signs. Death can occur within 3 to 5 days of infection. Those who survive suffer from neurological sequel, including convulsions, paralysis, and mental retardation.
Currently, there are no approved treatments for CHIKV, VEEV, WEEEV, or EEEV. Despite the widespread distribution and severity of the effects of these viral infections, a treatment for alphaviruses has remained elusive. Thus, there remains a need for antiviral agents capable of targeting these viruses and methods of making and using same.

2-pyrimidone analogs as potent antiviral agents against alphaviruses


The invention includes a trailer light kit. The kit comprises: a bracket for mounting a light to a trailer, the bracket including an extension holder; an extension, insertable into the extension holder; and a light mechanism, comprising a light and a light harness for attaching the light into a trailer receptacle.

One problem that drivers face when driving an auto or truck with a trailer, such as a flatbed trailer is that the lights on the trailer are mounted very low to the ground. As a consequence, the lights are difficult for other drivers to see because of their position and because they tend to become covered with dirt. The visibility problem is worsened by inclement weather.


An opto-electric hybrid board which is capable of significantly reducing stresses applied to a bent portion thereof is provided. The opto-electric hybrid board includes a stacked electric circuit board and an optical waveguide. The electric circuit board includes an insulative layer having front and back surfaces, electrical interconnect lines formed on the front surface of the insulative layer, and an insulative coverlay formed on the front surface of the insulative layer and for covering and protecting the electrical interconnect lines. The optical waveguide includes a first cladding layer having a front surface, cores formed in a pattern on the front surface of the first cladding layer, and a second cladding layer covering the cores. Part of the opto-electric hybrid board is defined as a to-be-bent portion in which the coverlay and the optical waveguide are disposed in non-overlapping relation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an opto-electric hybrid board including an electric circuit board and an optical waveguide which are stacked together.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the increase in the amount of transmission information, optical interconnection in addition to electrical interconnection has been used in recent electronic devices and the like. As an example of such a technique, an opto-electric hybrid board as shown in FIG. 7 has been proposed (as disclosed in International Publication No. WO 2010/058476, for example). This opto-electric hybrid board includes: an electric circuit board E0 including an insulative flexible substrate (insulative layer) 51, electrical interconnect lines 52 formed on the front surface of the flexible substrate 51, and an insulative coverlay (interconnect line cover layer) 53 formed on the front surface of the flexible substrate 51 and for covering and protecting the electrical interconnect lines 52; and an optical waveguide (an optical interconnect line) W0 (including an under cladding layer 56, cores 57 and an over cladding layer 58) made of epoxy resin and the like and stacked on the back surface (a surface opposite from the surface with the electrical interconnect lines 52 formed thereon) of the flexible substrate 51 of the electric circuit board E0. Both of the electric circuit board E0 and the optical waveguide W0 in the opto-electric hybrid board are thin and accordingly flexible. To meet the requirement for the size reduction of recent electronic devices and the like, the opto-electric hybrid board has been used in a small space when in a bent position, and used in a movable section such as a hinge.
In the aforementioned opto-electric hybrid board, the coverlay 53 which covers and protects the electrical interconnect lines 52 and the optical waveguide W0 are in general disposed in stacked relation (in vertically stacked relation as seen in FIG. 7). Thus, the thickness of the aforementioned opto-electric hybrid board is the sum of the thickness of the electric circuit board E0 and the thickness of the optical waveguide W0. When such an opto-electric hybrid board is bent, stresses are applied to the bent portion of the opto-electric hybrid board due to the thickness thereof. As a result, there is a danger that a break or a crack occurs in the bent portion to impair the achievement of proper information transmission.


A computer graphics subsystem according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention has a video digital signal processor (VDSP) that normally requires a plurality of discrete field and line memories, but, instead, is adapted to use multiple-port ring buffers (MPRBs) in an internal memory and/or an external display memory. Each MPRB comprises a plurality of addressable storage location holding video data and linked in a logical ring configuration. In addition, each MPRB has at least three ports, selected from write ports for writing to the addresses of the storage locations and read ports for reading from the addresses. Each read port in the MPRB is disposed a certain distance, or number of storage locations, behind a write port. This distance defines the size of the memory emulated by the MPRB. By positioning multiple read ports at different distances from the write ports, a single MPRB can emulate several different memories of different sizes. Since a write port needs to write the video data to the MPRB only once and the data need not be moved within the MPRB, the memory bandwidth consumed by the MPRB is substantially less than that required by the discrete memories.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains in general to digital signal processing and in particular to data structures for storing portions of the digital video signal during processing.
2. Description of Background Art
Modern computer systems have graphics processing subsystems capable of processing video signals as well as graphics commands. Video signals contain many frames of video data and are typically generated by devices like television tuners and Motion Pictures Expert Group (MPEG) decoders. Graphics commands, in contrast, are data specifying drawing instructions and typically arrive from the central processing unit of the computer system.
Video signals undergo a large amount of processing before display. First, the video signals are converted from either the NTSC or PAL formats into the format used by the video processor. Then, the video signals are processed to improve the picture quality. For example, television signals are interlaced and typically of a much lower resolution than that supported by the computer system display and must be de-interlaced by replicating vertical lines to make the picture appear to keep a normal aspect ratio on the display. Complex digital signal processing (DSP) techniques are used to replicate lines without generating undesirable display artifacts.
In order to perform this DSP, a graphics processing subsystem of a computer system usually has an engine dedicated to video DSP (VDSP). The engine has a number of sub-units, with each sub-unit performing one or more of the various VDSP functions. Many of the sub-units use discrete line memories, each holding a line of video data, and discrete field memories, each holding one-half of a frame of video data.
Implementing a VDSP in a graphics processing subsystem is difficult because the discrete memories require high memory capacity and wide printed circuit board space. Moreover, the data interface between the discrete memories requires more pins than can be implemented in a single VLSI circuit. As a result, there is a desire to allocate the discrete memories into the display memory already present in the graphics processing subsystem and implement the VDSP in a very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuit.
However, the bandwidth required by the combined memories is prohibitively high. For example, the FAROUDJA VP250/LD200 VDSP system manufactured by FAROUDJA LABORATORIES of Sunnyvale, Calif., requires five discrete field memories and 17 discrete line memories. The total capacity of these memories is approximately 1.3 megabytes (MB). Since each memory has a read port and a write port, there are 44 total input and output ports and the total memory data interface bus is 208 bits in this example. In addition, the operating clock frequency is 13.5 Megahertz (MHz) for the five field memories and 13 line memories and 27 MHz for four line memories. Accordingly, the total memory bandwidth is 715 MB/second. This bandwidth exceeds the maximum speed of the graphics processing subsystem display memory.
Accordingly, there is a need for a way to replace the multiple discrete memories required by the VDSP with a local internal memory and an external general purpose memory while reducing the total required bandwidth to achievable levels. The local internal memory would be located within the VDSP for performance reasons and the external general purpose memory would be incorporated into the inexpensive, fast, external display memory already present in the graphics processing subsystem.


A double-sealant tube structure for a caulking gun includes a container (10), a first feeder (20), a second feeder (30), and a pushing member (40). The container has an interior provided with a separation plate (12). The pushing member is provided with two first thrust portions (42) corresponding to the first feeder and a second thrust portion (41) corresponding to the second feeder. The pushing member is further provided with two cutting blades (43) each intersecting the separation plate of the container. Thus, when the pushing member pushes the first feeder and the second feeder, the separation plate is cut by the cutting blades to allow the pushing member to move forward.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealant tube structure and, more particularly, to a double-sealant tube structure for a caulking gun.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional double-sealant tube structure comprises a first tube, a second tube separated from the first tube, and a common spout located and connected between the first tube and the second tube. The first tube contains a main sealant (such as a synthetic resin), and the second tube contains a secondary sealant (such as a hardening agent). The conventional double-sealant tube structure is placed in a caulking gun. When the caulking gun is started, the piston release of the caulking gun gradually pushes the first tube and the second tube to compress the main sealant and the secondary sealant, so that the main sealant and the secondary sealant are compressed toward and squeezed outward from the common spout. However, it is necessary to provide a specially designed caulking gun to operate the conventional double-sealant tube structure so that the conventional double-sealant tube structure is not available for a traditional silicone caulking gun, thereby limiting the versatility of the conventional double-sealant tube structure.

Double-sealant tube structure for caulking gun


A resistive element array circuit includes word lines, bit lines, resistive elements, a selector, a differential amplifier, and a ground terminal. The word lines are coupled to a power supply. The resistive elements are each disposed at an intersection of corresponding one of the word lines and corresponding one of the bit lines. The selector is configured to select one word line and one bit line. The differential amplifier includes a positive input terminal configured to be coupled to the selected one of the bit lines which is selected by the selector, a negative input terminal configured to be coupled to non-selected one of the bit lines which is not selected by the selector and to non-selected one of the word lines which is not selected by the selector, an output terminal being coupled to the negative input terminal. The ground terminal is coupled to the positive input terminal.

The disclosure relates to a resistive element array circuit having a resistive element array in which a plurality of resistive elements is arranged, a resistive element array circuit unit including the resistive element array circuit, and an infrared sensor including the resistive element array circuit.
A resistive element array circuit having a plurality of resistive elements arranged in a matrix has been proposed. Such a resistive element array circuit is used as, for example, an infrared detection circuit. For example, reference is made to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H08-94443. Such an infrared detection circuit has a plurality of infrared-sensitive resistors arranged therein. Non-limiting examples of the infrared-sensitive resistor include a thermistor that changes its resistance value depending on a temperature.

Resistive element array circuit, resistive element array circuit unit, and infrared sensor


An anchoring system for mounting volleyball nets, basketball goals and the like to the deck of a pool is disclosed that includes metal support poles having a diameter in the range of about 1.85 to 1.95 inches for receipt in corresponding built-in anchors mounted flush with the deck of the pool. The anchors and support poles match those of other non-netted pool accessories so that the volleyball nets and basketball goals are interchangeable with pre-existing anchors to eliminate retrofit and/or drilling or casting of new anchors in the pool deck. The support poles can be received at a fixed height supported clamped by the anchor or can include adjustable means for adjusting the height of the volleyball net or basketball goal. Also disclosed is a reinforced volleyball net and adjustable telescoping attachment means particularly suited for poolside volleyball.

This invention relates generally to anchoring systems for netted poolside water sport game pieces and, more particularly, to a netted game piece such as a volleyball net or basketball goal mounted to a rigid support member that is specifically constructed and sized for receipt in a built-in adjustable anchor installed flush with the deck of a pool.
As swimming pools have become more popularly used for netted water sports such as volleyball, basketball and water polo, the need for an improved anchoring system has developed for supporting the volleyball and water polo nets and basketball goals from the deck of the pool. In many cases, near constant depth activity pools dedicated to netted water sports have replaced the traditional shallow end/diving end pools for new family dwellings. As such, greater demand has been placed for a poolside netted water sport game piece and anchoring system that can resist the rigors of near constant use, rather than the mere occasional use as was previously the case.
Present support systems, such as that disclosed in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,093, employ an adjustable anchor embedded in concrete which is typically deeper than the concrete making up the surrounding sidewalk or deck. Although such an anchor provides a rigid support for an installed basketball goal as disclosed, the anchor is nevertheless difficult to install and, because it is raised from the concrete to provide access to the adjusting means, also poses an obstruction to poolside traffic when the basketball goal is removed.
Simple flush mounted plastic tubing is known for use as a poolside anchor; however, the tubing does not include means for clamping to and/or adjusting the netted game piece relative to the anchor. As a result, the outer diameter of the game piece support pole must be sized very near to the inner diameter of the anchor tubing to provide a rigid support for the netted game piece. However, it is difficult to find such a close fitting relationship among the limited standard sizes of plastic and metal tubing readily available. As such, specially sized and matched tubing is required to provide a rigid support system for the netted game piece, further increasing the cost and difficulty of its installation as well as detracting from its interchangability with other anchors and/or netted game pieces.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved poolside netted water sport game piece and anchoring system that overcomes the above-noted deficiencies and meets the rigorous demands imposed by water sport activity pools. Preferably, the anchoring system should be flush mounted and include clamping means, as well as be sized having a common diameter to promote interchangability with other game pieces. Further, it is also desirable that the netted game piece be specifically sized for use with existing adjustable flush-mounted anchors presently used to support non-netted pool accessories such as ladders, lane markers and the like.


A red palm weevil control system for retaining and exterminating red palm weevils in palm trees is disclosed. The control system may include one or more light detection systems, one or more light emitting devices positioned such that light emitted from the light emitting device can be detected by the light detection system, and one or more red palm weevil food materials that is configured to block light emitted from the light emitting device from being sensed by the light detection system. In use, once a red palm weevil has eaten the food, the light detection system senses the light emitted from the light emitting device, signifying the presence of red palm weevils. The red palm weevil food material may also include a magnetic material and an antimicrobial material.

Red palm weevils, which has a scientific name of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, are the most dangerous insect that attacks date palm trees and have been causing serious economic consequences in commercial date palm tree farms. Red palm weevils survives with a symbiotic association of a variety of microflora including protozoa in the hind gut and ligo-cellulose digestive tracts. The mutualistic associations of these microbes help the red palm weevils to be able to degrade wood and wood constituents, such as cellulose and hemi-cellulose, which is plant-derived biomass.

Red palm weevil sensing and control system


A power plant having a system for converting coal to power in a gas turbine comprises a coal fed pressurized circulating bed for converting coal to pressurized gases, a gas turbine having a compressor for pressurizing air for the pressurized circulating bed and expander for receiving and expanding hot combustion gases for powering a generator, a first fast acting valve for controlling the pressurized air, a second fast acting valve means for controlling pressurized gas from the compressor to the expander.

The present invention relates to coal fed power plants, and pertains particularly to an improved control system for a power plant having pressurized combustion or gasification of coal for powering a gas turbine to generate electric power.
There always exists in the power generating industry a need for more efficient power plants for converting fossil fuels to electrical power. The most efficient commercially available technology for power generation systems is the combined cycle gas/steam turbine operating on premium fuels. However, the cost and uncertainty the availability of premium fuels make premium fuel combined cycle power generating plants impractical. Therefore, there exists an even greater need for power plants capable of efficiently handling lower grades of fuels, particularly solid fuels, such as coal, that exist in abundance in many regions of the world for powering gas turbines.
Gas turbines can be operated from either pressurized combustion or gasification of coal or a combination of the the two. Thus, the pressurized combustion or gasification of coal allows the integration of a gas turbine for generating electrical power. One major problem of these systems is the safe shutdown of the turbine in case of malfunction of the turbine, such as a loss of load or balance of the turbine.
The prior art approach is to use a fast acting valve to shutoff or partially shutoff the flow of hot gases or fuel to the turbine, similar to shutdown systems used in natural gas fired combined cycle plants. The purpose of this fast acting valve is to allow rapid shutoff of the gas flow from the pressurized gasifier and/or combustor (PG/C) to the expander inlet in the event of loss of load on the gas turbine's generator or other malfunction. A major problem with this approach is that a complex and costly fast acting, high temperature valve must be used to allow an emergency shutdown of the system. The valve must operate under very high temperature, must close very quickly (on the order of less than 0.3-1.0 seconds), and must be very effective and reliable. In order for the valve to be effectively rapid or fast acting, a butterfly valve is typically used. This valve technology is generally considered to have a high degree of risk. Such fast acting butterfly valves cannot typically provide a tight seal, so some of the gas will leak through the valve when it is closed. This can pose two problems:
1. If too much hot gas leaks through the valve during a shutdown, the gas turbine may continue to accelerate, resulting in damage to the turbine and a potential safety hazard. PA1 2. During a start-up of the plant, the first step is to start-up the gas turbine, firing oil or natural gas in a start-up burner. This occurs before any of the components in the PG/C have been exposed to hot gases. If the subject valve does not provide a tight seal, hot gases from the gas turbine's start-up burner can leak back into the PG/C and could cause damage to components that have not been preheated.
Thus, the start-up and shutdown of such an integrated coal fired combined cycle facility could be greatly simplified by having a valve arrangement and an approach which uses a valve which provides a tight seal, but is not required to be fast acting.
An example of the traditional prior art approach to the problem of shutdown is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,212 wherein the turbine is shutdown first by valves in the hot gas conduit between the bed vessel of the plant and the turbine. This patent also points up the problem of hot gas flow to the turbine being leakage flow through the valve in the hot gas conduit.
Another example of the prior art is disclosed in Kreij U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,285 and Brannstrom et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,498,286, which are companion cases issued Feb. 12, 1985. The Kreij patent is directed primarily to a special valving arrangement of a blow off valve for rapidly releasing the pressure in the combustion chamber when there is a sudden load drop on the turbine.
The Brannstrom et al patent discloses a valve arrangement and method for short-circuiting the fluidized bed so that it collapses. This stops the combustion in the fluidized bed. The problem of hot gas to the turbine is also pointed out by Brannstrom et al in their patent at column 2, lines 26-33.
The problem is achieving a rapid and complete shutdown of the turbine to prevent over speed in the case of loss of load or other problems. In the case of a loss of load, a turbine can accelerate to dangerous over speed conditions in about 0.3-2.0 seconds. Also, a partial leakage of hot gases to the turbine in the case of a loss of load on the turbine can result in the turbine continuing to accelerate to dangerous speed levels. Thus, an effective shutoff or interruption of the hot gas to the turbine must be achieved rapidly.
Accordingly, an improved power plant to overcome these problems of the prior art would be desirable.

Control methods and valve arrangement for start-up and shutdown of pressurized combustion and gasification systems integrated with a gas turbine


A method of processing a received OFDM symbol is disclosed. The received OFDM symbol has a symbol portion and a zero suffix portion. An information bearing portion of the zero suffix portion that is likely to contain information is determined and is combined with the symbol portion.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is a technique in which data is simultaneously transmitted over multiple sub-carriers separated (in frequency) by a multiple of the inverse of the symbol period. Due to the long symbol period, any frequency selective channel appears to be a flat channel which could be compensated by using a single frequency domain equalizer (FEQ) instead of using a complex time domain equalizer or multi-tap frequency domain equalizer. OFDM relies on the properties of the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT)/Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and orthogonality between the sub-carriers to achieve a 1 tap FEQ. Inter symbol interference (ISI) and Inter Carrier Interference (ICI) are two common factors which destroy orthogonality between the sub-carriers. Guard times (of durations equal to or greater than the maximum channel delay spread) are inserted between consecutive OFDM symbols to avoid ISI. The guard times may be in the form of some part of the end of the OFDM symbol which is added as a prefix to the OFDM symbol (commonly referred to as a cyclic prefix) or as zeros which are appended to the OFDM symbol (commonly referred to as a zero suffix). The length of the cyclic prefix or zero suffix is normally a fraction of the total OFDM symbol length. At the receiver, in a system employing a cyclic prefix, the prefix is discarded and the rest of the OFDM symbol is processed whereas in a system employing a zero suffix, the suffix samples are added to the beginning of the OFDM symbol in order to preserve the orthogonality between the sub-carriers. Suffix addition is a technique that may be employed in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication systems. Zero suffix addition has been suggested in connection with Multiband Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (MB-OFDM) systems. Using OFDM symbols, MB-OFDM systems implement Ultra Wideband (UWB) wireless communication under the regulations recently propagated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
As stated above, separating transmitted OFDM symbols with a zero suffix helps to deal with potential multipath problems (such as ISI). At the receiver, a signal received during a zero suffix period may be added to a signal received during the preceding OFDM symbol period to simplify the demodulation implementation at the receiver (i.e., 1 tap FEQ). However, this addition process tends to add noise to the resulting summed signal that is further processed by the receiver. The zero suffix length is designed to accommodate the worst case multipath channel so that all the energy is captured and hence used in the demodulation of the signal. However, not all channels exhibit such strong multipath (e.g., AWGN channel which exhibits no multipath at all) and adding the entire zero suffix adds noise in the system with no added benefit. An improved method of processing received signals which are transmitted with a zero suffix would be useful.


A circuit is disclosed that compensates for the non-linearity of a current mode real pole producing circuit used to generate poles and zeros in complex filter circuits. The non-linearity of the prior art is compensated by driving one end of the primary pole producing capacitor with a signal derived from the drain current and fed back so as to counteract the non-linearity factors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to current mode circuitry employed for creation of poles and zeros that are combined with feedback to create complex filter functions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a cell structure having a current mirror and a capacitor to create a single real pole with which virtually any filter function can be realized using scale factors, summers, feedback and feedforward circuits. The term "real" as used herein references the "real" axis in the complex plane.
2. Background Information
Current mode signal processing is common due to its advantages in low voltage applications and where high speed and/or small size are important compared to voltage mode circuitry. Diode connected devices exhibit such characteristics in current mirror configurations. Diode connected circuits also exhibit few internal nodes with parasitic poles thus increasing operating frequencies.
Diode connected devices compared to voltage mode circuits, however, generally have higher noise and distortion for a given device size and bias current (power dissipation).
FIG. 1 illustrates known MOS current mirror operation. The PMOS devices M5 to M8 provide bias current while NMOS devices M1 to M4 comprise the current mirror. As known to those skilled in the art, the cascade configuration illustrated by FIG. 1 generally reduces the gain error implicit when the output of a first current source drives the input of a second. If g1 is the output conductance of the first and g2 the input conductance of the second, a gain error of g1/(g1+g2) is introduced. Using the cascode g1 is made small reducing this error.
The drain current of M1 is IB1+id1, where IB1 is the output from the PMOS current source, M5 and M7. The time varying component of the drain current through M1, also referred to as the small signal, is id1, which equals i(in). Also, the small signal current through M2 is id2 which equals −i(out) (as illustrated). The current id2 is a current mirror of id1, and the gain A of a current mirror is normally the width ratio of the MOS devices in the output leg compared to that in the input leg, with corresponding lengths being equal. So considering the mirrors forming Ib1 and Ib2, A is equal to the width of M8 and M6 compared to the widths of M7 and M5, with equal lengths. In practical applications, the gain A is used to provide gain, attenuations and scale factors for current used in feedback or feed forward applications. Thus id2=(A)id1, and i(out)=−(A)i(in), and with A=1, i(out)=−i(in). In the following discussions, A=1, but other values may be used to advantage.
It is well known that the basic current mirror is very linear of a wide signal dynamic range relative to its bias current. If M1 and M2, of FIG. 1, have equal gate to source and drain to source voltages, Vgs and Vds, respectively, and the substrates are biased to eliminate body effects, the mirrors will demonstrate a very linear current transfer ratio. This also is a benefit of the cascade structure. In practical applications, it is possible to have up to 80 db (four decades, or 10,000/1) THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) where the small signal current may run up to 70% of the bias current. Careful design will require that the drain to source voltage of the mirrors is significantly above the Veff of the MOS device, where Veff=Vgs−VT. VT is the threshold voltage of the device.
Using the basic current mirror of FIG. 1, FIG. 2A illustrates adding a capacitor, C, to realize a single real pole circuit. FIG. 2B is a small signal equivalent circuit representation of the circuit of FIG. 2A. FIG. 2A is a single ended circuit where the capacitor C provides a single pole structure. M1 is a diode connected MOS with the cascode M3 structure that may be used to set a DC level. M2 is a current mirror of M1 and provides an output current i(o) via the drain of the cascode M4.
The prior art circuits of FIGS. 2A and B are more fully described in a paper by Sterling L. Smith and Edgar Sanchez-Sinencio, entitle "Low voltage integrators for High-Frequency CMOS Filters Using Current Mode Techniques", published in IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems—II: Analog and Digital signal Processing, Vol. 43, No. 1, January 1996. This paper is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Please note that this paper and the present invention describe practical embodiments using differential inputs and outputs, but the present invention will find advantageous application as a single circuit. Obviously, differential applications double the physical size of the circuitry and the power dissipated, so single ended use is preferred in some applications. The following descriptions of single ended circuits are directly applicable to differential circuits by simple replicating the single ended circuits.
Poles and zeros are well known in the electronic arts and a basic working understanding of how they operate follows. Typically poles and zero are defined with respect to transfer functions (out/in) in the complex s or LaPlacian plane. Transient responses are included in the s plane whereas in the jω plane, that is often used, only the gain/phase characteristics of a transfer function are illustrated. A series low pass RC (resistor in series with a capacitor), with the voltage signal taken across the capacitor, and an input voltage signal coupled to the distal side of the resistor from the capacitor will demonstrate a one pole voltage gain/frequency transfer function.
Many papers and text exist describing such poles and zeros and those skilled in the art will understand their use as described in the present invention.
As mentioned above, the more practical circuit of FIG. 1B is described below in more detail. A time varying current signal i(in) is input to the capacitor C and a time varying signal i(o) is output from the drain of M4. This circuit represents the one pole fundamental cell mentioned above. This circuit is incorporated into feedback/feedforward designs to create complex poles and zeros pairs useful in complex filter functions.
By inspection of FIG. 2B,i(in)=id1+ic; and  Eq. 1i(out)=−id2=−id1.  Eq. 2
The small signal voltage across the capacitor of FIG. 2B is (id1/gm), and so the current ic through the capacitor is (id1/gm)Cs. So, from Eq. 1,
i(in)=id1+(id1/gm)Cs=id1(1+Cs/gm). Or,
id1=i(in)/(1+Cs/gm). Substituting this into Eq. 2, we have:
id1=−i(out)=i(in)/(1+Cs/gm), or the transfer function of the output divided by the input yields:i(out)/i(in)=−1/(1+Cs/gm)=−(gm/C)/(s+gm/C).   Eq. 3
By inspection there is a single real pole in Eq. 3 at s=−gm/C. The dimensions for s are radian/sec.
Distortion
Since the input signal current divides between the capacitor and the diode connected MOS device, and the capacitor voltage is the gate to source voltage Vgs of M1 in FIG. 2A, which introduces the major distortion factor. Generally, for a MOS device the Vgs can be represented by the threshold voltage VT plus the square root of the drain current divided by a constant, B. The constant B equal u(Cox)W/2L, where Cox is a capacitor factor of the oxide that forms the dielectric, u is a mobility factor and W is the effective channel width and L the length. Considering on the small signal of time varying portion of the Vc=Vgs=Veff=(id/B)½.
Thus, i(in)=ic+id1, where, i(c)=C(dVeff/dt)=C(d(id1/B)½/dt). Carrying out the operations, we have:i(in)=id1(id1)½+C/2(B)½  Eq. 4
The conversion from i(in) to i(out) involves, first a conversion of i(in) to id1, and then from id1 to id2 and from id2 to i(out). With A=1, and other conditions described above, in on embodiment, i(out)=−id1. From Eq. 4 the relationship of i(in) to id1 is non-linear, so the relationship from i(in) to i(out) is non-linear.
It is an objective of the present invention to reduce this non-linearity.
The present invention improves linearity of the current prior art circuits. By improving linearity, the present invention advantageously improves noise for a given distortion level. Moreover, the present invention improves high frequency performance by using smaller devices and therefore lower parasitic capacitors, lower bias currents (and thus lower power dissipation) and use of less chip area and thus lower cost.

Linearization technique for current mode filters