A quadrature demodulation device effectively utilizes the result of quadrature detection in order to improve demodulation efficiency. The quadrature modulation device includes a quadrature detector DT which performs quadrature detection on a reception signal obtained by receiving a radio wave from a radio frequency identification tag, to generate an in-phase signal and a quadrature-phase signal, and a demodulation circuit DM which detects a preamble of a particular transition pattern in at least one of the in-phase signal and the quadrature-phase signal and which decodes the at least one of the in-phase signal and the quadrature-phase signal to obtain data succeeding the preamble, the demodulation circuit DM further performing error detection on a decoding result to check for errors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a quadrature demodulation device that performs quadrature detection on a reception signal obtained by receiving a radio wave from, for example, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags have been utilized in various fields. The RFID tag is a kind of responder that makes short distance radio communications with an interrogator. The interrogator transmits a carrier modulated for "interrogation" and a succeeding radio wave that is an unmodulated carrier. The RFID tag responds to the interrogation from the interrogator and performs backscatter modulation to superimpose reply data on the unmodulated carrier. The RFID tag then transmits a radio wave resulting from the modulation to the interrogator. The reply data is a data signal comprising a synchronization signal portion and a succeeding data signal portion which are encoded at a predetermined bit rate. The synchronization signal portion contains a preamble having a particular transition pattern that can be detected by bit synchronization, and the succeeding data signal portion contains data of an identification code.
The interrogator receives the radio wave transmitted by the RFID tag as a reception signal. The interrogator then performs quadrature detection on the reception signal to reproduce the reply data. The quadrature detection is a scheme that enables direct conversion of a reception signal from an antenna into a base band. The quadrature detection involves mixing a local carrier signal having a frequency set equal to the carrier frequency of the reception signal, with the reception signal to generate an in-phase (I) signal with the base band and mixing a signal obtained by shifting the phase of the local carrier signal by 90 degrees with the reception signal to generate a quadrature-phase (Q) signal with the base band. The amplitude of the I signal and the amplitude of the Q signal depend on the difference between the phase of the reception signal and the phase of the local carrier signal. The amplitude of the Q signal is minimized by maximizing the amplitude of the I signal. The amplitude of the Q signal is maximized by minimizing the amplitude of the I signal. Each of the I and Q signals contains a signal component equivalent to the above reply data together with a noise component involved in radio transmission.
The following interrogator has been known. The interrogator compares each of the I and Q signals with a particular transition pattern provided for preamble detection. Upon detecting that both the I and Q signals have a preamble matching the particular transition pattern, the interrogator decodes the I and Q signals in order to obtain data succeeding the preamble (for example, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,807 B1).
The preamble may be incorrectly detected. Consequently, the interrogator described in the above publication is configured to avoid performing the decoding if the interrogator has failed to detect the preamble in one of the I and Q signals. Thus, if only the preamble of the I signal is detected, even if the I signal can be correctly decoded, the I signal is discarded without being decoded.

Quadrature demodulation device, quadrature demodulation method, and quadrature demodulation program


Methods, systems, and apparatuses related to computational storage are described. For example, storage accessible to an accelerator may be shared between and, accessible to either of, a host and the accelerator. A computational storage system may include storage providing a portion of a shared file system accessible by a host and by accelerator logic of the computational storage system. Host interface logic may be configured to receive a storage command from the host to store data on the storage at a time the data is created. The host interface logic may be further configured to receive a storage command from the host for the accelerator logic to perform a computational task using the stored data on the storage. The accelerator logic can perform the computational task using the stored data on the storage.

Heterogeneous computing units, often called accelerators, typically have architectures and instruction sets different from general CPUs. Some accelerators may have floating point compute cores working in parallel and some accelerators may have customized compute logic to accelerate certain applications. To incorporate accelerators in an application, a programmer may profile the application and identify the compute intensive tasks, then partition the application into host code and accelerator code. During execution, the host application transfers input data to the accelerators, and the accelerators are programmed to perform operations on the input data and then write the results back to the host.

Computational storage and networked based system


The composition may be used therapeutically or prophylactically and is directed toward a cluster of diarrhea-causing pathogens which cause illness or death in animals, including dogs and cats. It is prepared from a powdered egg preparation and powdered protein matrix, such as bovine colostrum. The eggs are collected from hens which have been immunized with the relevant pathogens or toxins. When the matrix includes colostrum, the powdered colostrum is derived from non-hyperimmune cattle. The vaccination strategy includes the use of antibody cross-reactivity between toxins or pathogens which cause diarrhea. For some diseases, including canine parvo, the clinical improvement using this therapeutic exceeds the standard of care. Instead of a pharmaceutical product, this composition is an orally administered food product with the same safety profile as eggs and milk.

Antibodies, both naturally occurring and their synthetic analogues, are known therapeutic agents in animals. Antibodies bind a portion of the antigen (the antigenic determinant or epitope) with the antigen combining site on the antibody. Antibodies are capable of high degrees of specificity enabling targeted application to specific pathogens. However, this high specificity can lead to excessively limited binding attributes, where agents or antigens that are functionally identical (for example, cause the same disease or symptoms) do not react identically with the immunoreagent or immunotherapeutic. Cross-reactivity on the other hand is the reaction between an antigen and an antibody that was generated against a similar but different antigen. Controlled cross-reactivity may constructively be used to broaden the binding range of the antibody, enabling broad spectrum protection against pathogens other than those specifically targeted.
In mammalian species, immunity to pathogens is transferred from mother to offspring via maternal antibodies provided by the placenta or colostrum. The mother is able to transfer only those antibodies that were built up by her body due to natural exposure or vaccinations. However, her level of transfer of antibodies is influenced by how recently exposure to specific pathogens occurred. If the maternal colostrum contains an insufficient quantity of antibodies specific for certain pathogens, the neonate will have a deficient level of immunity for those diseases.
Colostrum has evolved naturally in mammals specifically to deliver its components to neonates into and through the gastrointestinal tract in a very concentrated low-volume form. Colostrum is known to contain antibodies including IgA, IgG, and IgM. Other components of colostrum include lactoferrin, lysozyme, lactoperoxidase, complement, and proline-rich polypeptides (PRP). Other components in colostrum have been shown to protect and support the antibody activity in the gastrointestinal tract.
The antibodies and cofactors in colostrum can provide a passive immunity to the recipient. Normally, antibodies and cofactors are passed to the neonate from the mother and provide the first protection against pathogens. Growth factors in colostrum also stimulate the development and repair of the gut. Other components in colostrum help protect maternal antibodies on their journey through the digestive system and support antibody activity in the intestine. This is a particularly important function in bovine species which have a more extensive gastrointestinal tract than many other mammals.
Colostrum is naturally designed to serve as a protective/reactive matrix within a gastrointestinal environment. It helps to regulate the intestinal environment, rendering it hostile to foreign pathogens. As an example, colostrum contains lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein that prevents bacteria and viruses from obtaining iron necessary for replication. Colostrum also selectively fertilizes certain probiotic species that, in turn, help to ward off infection. Colostrum is a source of two major growth factors, Transforming Growth Factors (TGF) alpha and beta, as well as a source of Insulin-Growth Factors 1 and 2. These factors promote tissue repair and development. Colostrum is also a source of Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF, also known as "scatter factor"), which stimulates the growth and expansion of intestinal wall cells.
Specific antibody production via immunization of an avian species, for example, chickens, is well documented. When immunized with an appropriate antigen, the hen responds by producing IgY antibodies which are concentrated in the egg yolk for use by the chick during the first weeks of life. Transfer of IgY antibodies from the yolk to the developing chick substitutes for the mammal delivering antibodies to the neonate in the form of colostrum.
IgY antibodies from avian eggs have been shown to be effective against pathogens residing in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals. Unfortunately, orally delivered antibody therapeutic effectiveness is diminished by passage through the stomach and exposure to gastric acid and digestion enzymes.
Attempts have been made to deliver therapeutic antibodies to treat human gastrointestinal infections by providing either bovine colostrum or avian antibodies individually. These attempts resulted in poor or inconsistent clinical outcomes. However, the combination of avian-produced antibodies using bovine colostrum as a protective/reactive matrix has been demonstrated to be a reliably effective therapy for diarrhea and enteric infections in humans.
Members of the Canidae and Felidae families share many characteristics with humans and bovine species. In particular, they utilize maternal passive immunity to protect neonates, are subject to infectious diarrhea and other enteric diseases, and suffer from a lack of effective treatment for common diarrhea infections. The standard of care for dog or cat diarrhea is fasting or a bland diet and a course of antibiotics, even if the pathogen is a virus.
For some infections, this is can be deadly. For example, canine parvovirus is a highly contagious viral disease that can produce a life-threatening illness. The virus attacks rapidly dividing cells in a dog's body, most severely affecting the intestinal tract. Parvovirus also attacks the white blood cells, and when young animals are infected, the virus can damage the heart muscle and cause lifelong cardiac problems. Parvovirus is a widespread canine infection that attacks young and unvaccinated dogs.
There are no drugs or treatments generally available that can kill parvovirus. Treatment consists of aggressive supportive care to control symptoms. Dogs infected with parvovirus need intensive treatment in a veterinary hospital, where they receive antibiotics (which has no effect on the parvovirus), drugs to control the vomiting, intravenous fluids, and other supportive therapies. This entails considerable expense; the average hospital stay is about 5-7 days. Even with medical support, canine parvo mortality rates range from 20%-50%, depending upon the level of palliative care.
There are currently 90 million dogs and 80 million cats in the U.S., each averaging 2 to 3 diarrhea episodes per year. Approximately 20% of 220 million veterinarian visits in the U.S. are related to canine or feline diarrhea. There is currently no "first line" treatment available that provides timely relief of diarrhea sequalae and neutralization of the underlying infection at a nominal cost.

Composition and methods for treating acute diarrhea and enteric infections in animals


Methods are disclosed for the pressure-based determining of a product parameter in a freeze dryer, in particular a product temperature. At a point in time tSTART, a closing element as an intermediate valve between an ice chamber and a drying chamber of the freeze dryer is closed. Then, during a pressure rise occurring due to the sublimation pressure values (P1, P2, . . . ) are measured in the drying chamber. At a point in time tEND then the closing element is opened. From the measured pressure values (P1, P2, . . . ) an approximation of a product parameter, in particular a product temperature TAPPROX, is determined. The point in time tEND is determined specifically for the measured pressure values (P1, P2, . . . ) such that the time span for which the closing element is closed depends on the determined pressure values and such that the time span is variable during a drying process.

During freeze drying in common freeze dryers the product temperature (in particular the temperature of the drying good in the region of a sublimation front of the drying good during the main drying process and/or during a post drying process) is an important parameter for controlling and evaluating the freeze drying process.
Commonly temperature sensors are used for measuring the product temperature. Common temperature sensors are wirelessly or wire-based supplied with power and transmit the measurement signal wirelessly or wire-based. These temperature sensors can be arranged in some of the drying vessels in a drying chamber of the freeze dryer. In this way, it is possible to selectively measure single temperatures in these drying vessels (as much as possible representatively for all of the drying vessels arranged in the drying chamber). However, in some cases the temperature sensors already change the process conditions in the drying vessels when compared to the drying vessels wherein no temperature sensor is arranged. It is e.g. possible that there is a changed crystallization behavior due to the presence of the sensor in the drying vessel. Furthermore, the temperature sensors measure the temperature in the drying vessel at a specific measurement position which (dependent on the position of the temperature sensor and/or the progression of the drying process) can be arranged in the region of the frozen drying good or in the region of an already dried so-called cake of the drying good. Accordingly, the temperature sensor does not exactly measure the temperature at the sublimation front. However, when using the temperature sensor in the drying vessel care has to be taken that the measured temperature is representative for the drying process which is only possible to a limited extent. The reason for this is that the temperatures of the drying good in the different drying vessels of a batch might differ from each other. The temperature might e.g. depend on a drying vessel being arranged more internally or more externally in a drying chamber of the freeze dryer.
Alternatively, an indirect measurement of the product temperature via a pressure in the drying chamber is known. For this purpose, a valve between the drying chamber and an ice chamber is closed during the drying process so that in the ideal case the drying chamber forms a closed system. Despite of the closure of the valve the sublimation continues. Due to the fact that because of the closed system the sublimated vapor is neither absorbed by the ice condenser nor removed in another way, the pressure in the drying chamber rises. It is possible to deduce the product temperature at the sublimation front from the pressure rise in the drying chamber.
A pressure-based indirect determination of the product temperature is proposed in the patent publication DE 1 038 988 B. In the patent publication at first the two drying phases in a freeze drying process are explained: in the so-called main drying the ice being present in the drying good sublimates. With continued drying a dried part (so-called cake) of increasing size covers the ice core which becomes smaller. When the ice has completely sublimated, the main drying is finished and a post drying follows. During the post drying a removal of the solvent which is bound in an absorptive way results in the desired further reduced residual humidity which might e.g. defined by the desired expiration term of the drying good and/or which might depend on the type of drying good. Then, the patent publication describes that for a good result of the freeze drying process it is important to maintain predefined temperature limits: during the main drying the temperature of the ice core should not exceed a specific value which in the most cases is considerably below 0° C. This is the case because otherwise the properties of the drying good strived for after the drying process cannot be provided. On this background the patent publication describes the conflict of objectives that on the one hand from the before mentioned reason the lowest possible temperature should be chosen whereas on the other hand due to the physical principles the freeze drying process might be run through in a faster way the higher the temperature of the drying good is and the larger the temperature dependent vapor pressure difference between the drying good and the surface of the ice condenser is. For the optimized solution of the conflict of objectives accordingly the largest possible pressure difference between the drying good and the ice condenser surface has to be provided which means that the drying good should be held as close as possible to the admissible temperature limit at which its inner core embedded into ice is not damaged. On this background the patent publication DE 1 038 988 B proposes that during the main drying the drying chamber is repeatedly (almost or at least for 90% with respect to the stream of water vapor) closed for a predefined time duration (preferably in the region of 2 to 10 seconds) by a closing means. At the end of the closing time the pressure in the chamber is measured which should then be nearly the same as the saturation vapor pressure of the ice included in the drying good. Due to the temperature of the ice determined from the pressure measurement with the help of the known vapor pressure curve over ice, it is then possible to control the temperature during the freeze drying process in a way such that as much as possible the product temperature does not exceed the admissible limit where the core of the drying good still included into ice is not damaged. A transition from the main drying to the post drying should then be detected if the measurement of the pressure leads to the result that after the closing the measured saturation vapor pressure remains approximately constant. Then, during the post drying after a longer predetermined closing time of e.g. 2 minutes the residual humidity of the drying good can be determined from the then establishing saturation vapor pressure on the basis of the known sorption isotherms. The patent publication proposes a correction of any defect values on the basis of correction measures not further specified wherein as one error source an unavoidable leakage of the drying chamber is mentioned.
It has shown that the influence of the product temperature and any remaining leakage of the drying chamber during the freeze drying process and during the temporarily (almost) closed drying chamber in a complex way influence the pressure rise. Furthermore, other influencing parameters as a heat input by a supporting surface on which the drying vessels are arranged and the volume of a dried cake of the drying good covering the ice of the drying good have an influence on the pressure rise. A modeling of these dependencies is e.g. known from    Milton, N., et al., Evaluation of manometric temperature measurement as a method of monitoring product temperature during lyophilization. PDA Journal of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, 1997. 51(1): S. 7-16.
Applications of the pressure based determination of the product temperature are e.g. disclosed in    Tang, X. L., S. L. Nail, and M. J. Pikal, Evaluation of manometric temperature measurement, a process analytical technology tool for freeze-drying: Part I, product temperature measurement. Aaps Pharmscitech, 2006. 7(1),    Pikal, M. J., X. Tang, and S. L. Nail, Automated process control using manometric temperature measurement. 2005, University of Connecticut; Purdue Research Foundation,    Tang, X. L. C., S. L. Nail, and M. J. Pikal, Evaluation of manometric temperature measurement, a process analytical technology tool for freeze-drying: Part II Measurement of dry-layer resistance. Aaps Pharmscitech, 2006. 7(4),    Tang, X. L. C., S. L. Nail, and M. J. Pikal, Evaluation of manometric temperature measurement (MTM), a process analytical technology tool in freeze drying, Part III: Heat and mass transfer measurement. Aaps Pharmscitech, 2006. 7(4),    Gieseler, H., T. Kramer, and M. J. Pikal, Use of manometric temperature measurement (MTM) and SMART (TM) freeze dryer technology for development of an optimized freeze-drying cycle. Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2007. 96(12): S. 3402-3418 and    Velardi, S. A. and A. A. Barresi, Method and system for controlling a freeze drying process, 2008.
In the patent literature, a pressure-based determination of a product temperature during a freeze drying process as well as the use of the product temperature determined in this way for a process control in a freeze dryer is e.g. disclosed in the publications EP 2 156 124 B1, EP 1 903 291 A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,187 B1.
The publication    Tang, X. L., S. L. Nail, and M. J. Pikal, Freeze-drying process design by manometric temperature measurement: Design of a smart freeze-dryer. Pharmaceutical Research, 2005. 22(4): S. 685-700,
discloses the use of a manometric temperature measurement for the choice of the optimal temperature of the supporting surfaces, for the determination of the time for an end of the drying process, for an evaluation of a residual humidity in real time and for an evaluation of the transfer rates with respect to material and heat. Here, it has been acknowledged that a resistance of the dried layer of the product determined on the basis of the manometric temperature measurement is sufficiently accurate until approximately ⅔ of the whole duration of the primary drying whereas the product temperature determined by the manometric temperature measurement is usually sufficiently accurate up to the end of the primary drying if the thermal insulation being effective during the freeze drying process is sufficiently good. Here, it is possible to estimate the primary drying duration sufficiently accurate on the basis of the material transfer rates that are calculated respectively The results of the manometric temperature measurement are taken as outstanding indicator for the determination of an end of the primary drying. Furthermore, it is possible to measure the rate of the desorption of water during the secondary drying with a sufficient accuracy by a variation of the manometric temperature measurement method. At tests upon which the publication bases pressure data was recorded during the primary drying with a sampling rate of four measurement points per second in intervals of an hour or half of an hour. Here, data has been recorded during a closure of a closing flap for 25 seconds. The publication investigates influencing parameters for the reliability of the manometric temperature measurement. Here, the influence of the heterogeneity of the drying of the single vials, the volume of the chamber, the fluid which has to be removed, the progress of the primary drying, the pattern of arrangement of the vials as well as the distance of one vial from another vial and from an edge of the supporting surfaces has been proven by experiments.
Further prior art is known from US 2008/0172902 A1.

Method for a pressure-based determining of a product parameter in a freeze dryer, freeze dryer and software product

MARTIN CHRIST GEFRIERTROCKNUNGSANLAGEN GMBH


The invention relates to a bi-polar power supply for a plasma chamber including an adjustable DC power supply having a positive output terminal and a negative output terminal. A transistor bridge circuit having two input bridge terminals is coupled to the positive and negative output terminals. Two bridge output terminals of the transistor bridge are coupled to the plasma chamber. A current detector is coupled to the two bridge output terminals for detecting the current flowing to the plasma chamber and controlling the transistor bridge circuit to provide a bi-polar power supply to the plasma chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply for a plasma chamber. More specifically, it relates to a bipolar power supply having a MOSFET bridge circuit and a current detector to control the MOSFET bridge circuit.
2. The Prior Art
In plasma technology, technical processes are known which have electric gas discharges in a vessel. These dry discharges are capable of changing, activating or coating a surface without contacting the workpiece. In such processes, the desired effects are brought about physically with physical vapor deposition (PVD) or, for example, chemically with chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
The electric discharges for producing the plasma are created by high-frequency generators. These high-frequency (HF) generators may operate, for example, at a frequency of 13.65 Mhz, which is costly in high-energy applications. In addition, extensive safety requirements are necessary for the operators.

Low frequency, pulsed, bipolar power supply for a plasma chamber

Magtron Magneto Elektronische Gerate GmbH


A de-spooler apparatus for paying out fine wire from a spool of wire, for use in wire bonding machines, maintains a relatively constant slack length of wire within the apparatus, thereby allowing wire to be drawn from the machine as needed with a minimum amount of tension exerted on the wire. The apparatus includes a spool drive motor for paying out wire from a spool, a hairpin-shaped bail for containing a slack length of wire, and a nozzle for directing a stream of pressurized gas downwards into the open end of the bail, causing wire within the bail to form a curved slack length. The apparatus also includes a proximity-type feed sensor for detecting when the slack length straightens and shortens a pre-determined amount, bringing the slack length into the detection range of the feed sensor, which outputs an electrical signal that causes the drive motor to rotate in a forward sense, paying off wire from the supply spool and increasing the slack length. The preferred embodiment also includes an end-of-spool sensor for producing a status signal indicating that nearly all of the wire on a spool has been paid out.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for use with wire bonding machines, of the type used to bond fine conductive wires to miniature electronic devices, such as integrated and hybrid micro-circuit chips. More particularly, the invention relates to an automatic wire de-spooler apparatus for paying out wire for use by such bonding machines.
B. Description of Background Art
Miniature electronic circuits, or micro-circuits are used in vast quantities, in a wide variety of consumer, commercial, industrial and military apparatus. The majority of such micro-circuits are of a type referred to as integrated circuits. Integrated circuits contain a large number of active circuit elements such as transistors, and passive elements such as resistors and capacitors. In semiconductor integrated circuits, conductive paths between circuit elements on a semiconductor substrate are formed by selectively etching the substrate. In hybrid micro-circuits, circuit elements mounted on a ceramic substrate are usually interconnected, typically by conductive ink paths on the substrate.
The functional portions of integrated circuits are typically in the form of very small, rectangular-shaped chips, ranging in size from 0.025 inch to 0.200 inch or more on a side. Input connections to integrated circuit chips are often made by bonding a very fine wire to conductive pads on the chips, the other end of each wire being bonded to a conductive terminal that is sufficiently large and robust to be inserted into a printed circuit board and soldered to conductors on the board.
Typically, bonding wire used to interconnect the pads of a semiconductor chip to terminals of a package containing the chip is made of aluminum or gold, and is quite fine, having a diameter of about 1 mil. (0.001 inch). This wire must be bonded to small, typically rectangular-shaped, integrated circuit pads a few mils on a side.
The most common method of interconnecting wires between semiconductor chip pads and external terminals is to form a weld or bond at each end of a conducting wire. The bonds are formed by the application of heat, ultrasonic energy, or a combination of both. To form such bonds, the free end of a length of bonding wire is placed in contact with a pad. Then the tip of an ultrasonic transducer is pressed against the wire, and energized with ultrasonic energy for a short time interval, welding the wire to the pad. The unbonded length of wire is then moved to other pads, and bonded thereto by the same process. After the last bond in a series of bonds has been thus formed, the wire is severed near the last bond.
Typical wire bonding machines used for ultrasonic welding of wires to micro-circuit pads include an elongated, vertically disposed, force-applying member or "tool." The tool is connected at the upper end thereof to a source of ultrasonic energy, such as a piezoelectric transducer connected to an electrical energy source alternating at an ultrasonic frequency. Usually, the tool is connected to the transducer through a tapered horn structure that matches the acoustic input impedance of the small tool to the output impedance of the larger transducer.
Ultrasonic bonding tools used to bond wires to microcircuit pads generally have a flat lower working face adapted to press a bonding wire into contact with a pad, while ultrasonic energy is applied through the tool to the wire to form an ultrasonic weld. This working face is usually quite small, typically having a rectangular shape only about a few mils along a side. The working face must be quite small to permit bonding to small micro-circuit pads, without contacting adjacent circuit elements. Typically, this is done while viewing the pad and tool tip in a stereo microscope.
In most wire bonding machines, the bonding tool is adapted to manipulate bonding wire over a pad, prior to performing the bonding operation. Such bonding tools may include an upwardly angled lower face rearward of the working face, and a generally vertically disposed rear face. An angled bore or guide hole having an entrance aperture in the rear face and an exit aperture in the angled lower face permit bonding wire from a spool mounted upward and rearward of the tool to be paid out through the exit aperture of the angled lower face. Typically, a remotely actuable clamp located rearward of the guide hole entrance and movable with the tool is used to feed bonding wire through the guide hole of the tool.
The clamp used to effect movement of wire through the guide hole of a bonding tool usually consists of a pair of jaws that may be closed to grip the wire, or opened to allow free travel of the wire. Generally, such clamps may be moved toward and away from the guide hole entrance, typically on a line of movement which coincides with the axis of the guide hole. To feed wire through the guide hole, the jaws of the clamp are first opened, and the clamp then moved away from the guide hole. The jaws are then closed to grip the wire, and then moved towards the guide hole, thus feeding wire through the guide hole.
In wire bonding machines of the type just described, the machine is used to move the bonding tool to the proper position to bond wire to a pad, feed wire out through the guide hole exit aperture, move the tool to another pad and form another bond. In this manner, any desired number of pads or other elements of a circuit can be connected together, in a procedure referred to a "stitch" bonding. After the last bond in a series of bonds has been made, the wire must be severed, to permit making other, unconnected bonds. Oftentimes, the bonding tool itself is utilized to sever the bonding wire.
The bonding machines described above are often referred to a "wedge bonding bonders," owing to the shape of the ultrasonic tool tip used to make bonds. Another type of bonding machine uses a fine wire, usually made of gold, that protrudes through a capillary tube and is melted with a miniature torch to form a bond consisting of a fused ball at the end of the wire.
Both wedge bonding and capillary ball bonding operations require that the bonding wire be supplied to the tip of the bonding tool with very little drag or tension. Even a small amount of drag can make the "tail," or length of wire at a bond site to be too short, resulting in a bond of insufficient strength. Too much drag can also result in loops between bonds that are too short. Excessive drag can even result in wire breakage.
From the discussion above, it should be evident that it is desirable to provide sufficient slack in the wire supply of wire bonding machines to ensure that minimum drag is placed on the wire. One prior art approach to maintaining slack in wire supplied to bonding machine uses helical loops of wire paid axially off the end of a stationary spool, similar to the operation of a spinning reel used for fishing. This method of paying out wire, sometimes referred to as "ballooning," has the disadvantage of imposing a torsion on wire paid out, causing the wire to pick up a twist. Point-to-point connections made with wire twisted in this manner tends to bend away from a vertical plane normal to the horizontal plane containing a microcircuit substrate and conductive pads, a condition referred to variously as "sweeping" or "dog-legging." This condition is undesirable, since wire sweep or dog-legging can degrade bond strength, and if sufficiently large, cause bonding loops to short out against one another or even against the microcircuit itself. Another prior art method of providing slack in the wire supplied to a wire bonder uses a motor-driven spool. In this type of device, the motor receives pre-programmed signals causing it to rotate intermittently in controlled increments. The present invention was conceived of to provide an improved means for supplying wire to wire bonding machines, while maintaining a precisely controlled amount of slack in the wire.

Automatic wire de-spooler for wire bonding machines


An auger assembly suitable for use with a food separator is provided with a removable brush. The auger assembly includes an auger defining a channel around the crest thereof. A brush is received in the channel and defining a flange at each end thereof. First and second retaining clips are removably attached to opposite ends of the auger, with each retaining clip defining an opening therethrough that receives a respective flange to secure the brush within the channel.

The present disclosure relates generally to waste disposal systems that are used to separate liquids from solids.
Food waste disposal systems are well known. One type of food waste disposal system includes a separator for separating food waste solids from liquids. The separator includes an auger surrounded by a cylindrical perforated screen. The waste conveyed by the auger and the liquid is extracted through the holes in the screen. During the separation process the perforated screen has a tendency to plug with solid waste. In some separators, the auger includes brush bristles attached to the auger so that when the auger rotates inside the screen, the brush cleans the screen. In known separators of this type, a metal-backed brush is glued to the auger, or bristles are inserted into holes along the perimeter of the auger, similar to the manner in which a hair brush is assembled.
A brush glued to the auger often does not stay attached to the auger during use, and if the bristles become worn or clogged, the brush is not easily replaceable. Similarly, with bristles inserted into holes in the auger, the bristles generally are not replaceable. Further, waste material tends to get trapped between the bristle bundles and cannot be removed.


A network system includes devices connected to a network each of which is assigned an ordinal rank in the system, in which a device of the highest ordinal rank functions as a master device and devices of the other ordinal ranks function as general devices. In the network system, each device includes: a master device checking unit configured to operate when the device is functioning as a general device to check that a device functioning as the master device exists in the system; an ordinal rank judging unit configured to judge the ordinal rank of the device when no device functioning as the master device exists; and a first control unit configured to control the device to function as the master device when the ordinal rank of the device is judged to be the highest by the ordinal rank judging unit.

In a technique proposed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. HEI11-249839 for a network system including devices (network printers, etc.) connected to a network, the user of the system connecting a new device to the network specifies a device that has already joined the network and the specified device transmits prescribed information to the new device, by which the device newly connected to the network acquires the prescribed information.
In the above conventional technique, the user has to specify the device as the sender of the prescribed information each time a new device is connected to the network, and that is troublesome to the user.
Meanwhile, it is possible to realize such transfer of prescribed information by previously specifying a device as a master device and letting the master device transmit the prescribed information to the new device each time a new device is connected to the network. By employing such a scheme, the prescribed information is expected to be transmitted from the master device to the new device on every connection of a new device to the network, without the need of specifying a device as the sender of the prescribed information every time.
However, in the above scheme previously specifying a device as the master device, there is a possibility that a new device is connected to the network while the master device is not in operation. In such cases, the prescribed information can not be supplied to the new device since the device as the sender (source) of information does not exist on the network when the new device is connected.
It is also possible to employ another scheme in which a new master device is dynamically selected from devices on the network when the original master device is not in operation. By employing such a scheme, the state with no information source device existing on the network can be eliminated.
However, a network system generally includes various types of devices from a device highly suitable as the master device to a device unsuitable as the master device, and thus there are cases where a device unsuitable as the master device is selected as the new master device. In such cases, the high performance of the devices highly suitable as the master device can not be utilized efficiently.
Incidentally, while the system in which the master device functions as the sender (source) of information and another device functions as the receiver (destination) of the information has been taken as an example in the above explanation, the scheme selecting one master device from devices existing on a network can be employed for various systems other than the above system. For example, in a system in which a master device collects information from other devices, the master device functions as the receiver of the information and the other devices function as the senders of information. Further, there are various other cases (other than such information transmission between a master device and other devices) where a master device has to be selected from devices.


A new variety of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Magical’, having a domed canopy of white quilled decorative flowers and round habit.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum botanically known as Chrysanthemum morifolium, and referred to by the cultivar name 'Magical'.
'Magical', identified as 31700-0 originated from a cross made in a controlled breeding program in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom. The female parent of the new variety is an undistributed, unpatented seedling identified as '30325-0' and the male parent is the unpatented variety known as 'Syllabub'. The new variety 'Magical' has been asexually reproduced by vegetative cuttings in Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom and the distinguishing characteristics are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.


A method and apparatus for light emitting diode (LED) lighting power conversion including a full bridge rectifier circuit coupled to a first half-bridge rectifier circuit and a resonant tank circuit supplying AC power to a LED circuit and forming a first port to the LED circuit. The apparatus further includes a second half-bridge rectifier circuit and energy storage device receiving and supplying DC power to the LED circuit as determined by a controller to form a second port of the LED circuit, wherein the LED circuit further comprises a rectifier circuit for the LED circuit, and at least one LED.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to power conversion and, in particular, for converting power for LED lighting.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LEDs) provide many advantages over other types of artificial lighting (e.g., incandescent, compact cold-cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs), fluorescent, and the like). Such advantages may include low power consumption, compact size, low heat generation, and long operating lifetime.
LED lighting requires consistent direct current (DC) power to operate, and is typically generated by converting alternating current (AC) that is generally available from a conventional power grid. AC to direct current (DC) conversion may require expensive and complex multistage conversion components to prevent deterioration of LEDs. In addition, after a sufficient forward voltage (e.g., 3 volts), LEDs may be viewed as current driven devices such that the luminosity of a LED is directly determined by the amount of applied current. But as a by-product of AC conversion, a residual ripple voltage and current contributes to inconsistent DC power and a perceptible visual flicker of LEDs. The flicker is most noticeable during movement of objects in the generated light causing a stroboscopic effect.
Thus, there is a need for a circuit capable of generating consistent DC power for LED lighting with reduced ripple current and voltage.


A protective device releasably mounted to an upper end portion of a ladder for protecting a surface on which the ladder rests includes a flexible body formed of a fabric material and having a bag-like shape with an opening formed therein receiving the upper end of the ladder and an associated ladder cover. An elastic band attached to the body extends at least partially about the opening to reduce a size of said opening and is attached to the body by stitching.

The present invention relates generally to protective covers for ladders.
The following patents provide background in the field of protective devices for ladders:
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,856 entitled "Easy Ladder Safety Protector" shows a flexible foam body formed of a plurality of resilient gas filled cells and having a receptacle for receiving the end of a ladder side rail.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,993,163 entitled "Ladder Socks" shows a pad of resilient polyurethane foam that is wrapped about the upper end of a ladder side rail and secured by a strap.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,446 entitled "Protection Cover for Ladder" show an inverted box-shape vinyl plastic cover that extends over and between the upper ends of a pair of ladder side rails.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,862 entitled "Ladder Guards" shows a cup-shaped member made of soft rubber-like plastic that fits over the upper end of a ladder side rail.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,848 entitled "Guard for Upper End of Ladder Side Rail" shows a rigid body that fits over the upper end of a ladder side rail and a replaceable resilient pad attached to the body.


A surgical filament which has a surface coated with at least one N-long chain monoacylated basic amino acid having an aliphatic acyl group of from 6 to 22 carbon atoms or with a composition containing at least one of said N-long chain monoacylated basic amino acid, and has improved surface-slipping characteristics such as the ability to be passed through tissue and tie down property.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surgical filament such as a surgical suture or ligature having improved surface-slipping characteristics, for example, having the ability to pass through the tissue and be tied.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various surgical filament's such as sutures and ligatures are used in surgery for the suturing, fixation and ligation of tissues including the internal organs, skin, muscles, bones, joints and blood vessels.
These surgical filaments are sometimes used for sutures and ligatures in the form of a monofilament. However, these filaments are often used in the form of multifilament or as a braided or twisted structure.
Even in the case of a monofilament having relatively good surface-slipping characteristics, untreated surfaces of the monofilament often exhibit insufficient smoothness. Consequently, tissue is sometimes damaged in the course of suturing or fixation by non-negligible friction between the filament and tissue. In order to prevent such trouble or to slide a knot of the suture to a desired position, various coatings are applied to the surgical filaments.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication SHO 60-25974(1985) discloses a synthetic multifilament suture covered with a mixture composed of a metal salt of a higher fatty acid and a bioabsorbable polymer. Japanese Laid-Open Patent SHO 61-76163(1986) describes a surgical filament dry-coated with a metal salt of a higher fatty acid.
The surgical filaments are, in the course of surgery, usually exposed to body fluids or passed through wet tissue from once to several times before making a knot.
When a conventionally known coating agent, for example, calcium stearate is coated on a bioabsorbable suture, a certain extent of the lubricating effect can be observed in the dry state. On the other hand, the surface-slipping characteristics are sometimes impaired in the wet state and thus it becomes difficult to slide a knot of the suture to the desired position. Additionally, there is a problem that passing the filament through the tissue is unsatisfactory.


A server device may be configured to determine a first measure of throughput associated with a cellular wireless network, determine a second measure of throughput associated with a wireless local area network (“WLAN”), compare the first measure of throughput to the second measure of throughput; select, based on the comparing, a particular one of the cellular wireless network or the WLAN, and send an instruction to a user device that is in range of the cellular wireless network and the WLAN, the instruction instructing the user device to connect to the particular selected wireless network.

Smart phones are becoming increasingly popular, and associated data usage is increasing rapidly. The user experience is the decisive measure of how users of a cellular network perceive the performance of the network and its services. A poor user experience may cause customer dissatisfaction and churn. Wireless network local area networks ("WLANs"), such as "Wi-Fi" networks, may be deployed by cellular operators to offload their cellular networks, and to create a better experience for end users. A user may typically switch to a Wi-Fi network manually, or the user's mobile device may automatically switch to a Wi-Fi network in situations in which the user has previously connected to the Wi-Fi network.

Dynamic load balancing based on network performance


Aspects of the present invention define different boundary dimension values for different respective areas relative to a reference geographic location as a function of values of attributes of an event occurring at the location and of a user of an augmented reality device. Aspects thus render the area within a display of the reference geographic location by a display device of the user augmented reality device in a display format that visually distinguishes the visually rendered areas from each other within display of the reference geographic location, the format conveys different values of use permission determined for the user for each of the areas as a function of event and user attribute values; dynamically revise one of the boundary dimension values in response to a change in attribute value of the location and the event; and revise the area rendering as a function of the revised boundary dimension value.

Augmented reality (AR) refers to the interaction of visual data or perception of environmental surroundings with "augmented" image information projected from camera feeds or other sources wherein the visual representation of the real-world surrounding a user includes the overlaid, augmented image information. Augmented reality imagery may be referred to as "constructive" when additive to the visible natural environment (for example projecting translucent walking directions over the viewpoint of a sidewalk, wherein the sidewalk surface texture remains visible through the directions), or "destructive" when it occludes or masks portions of the environment. When effectively interwoven with the physical world imagery, augmented image information may be perceived as another aspect or attribute of a real-world environment, for example transforming non-visual environmental data such as ambient temperature, wind speed, etc., into displayed objective values, icons, etc., that convey values or qualities of the environment to the user.

Dynamic partition of augmented reality region

International Business Machines Corporation


A camera array and method are disclosed for capturing and processing images of an area of terrain. For each of a plurality of time-steps within a time period, using each of a plurality of cameras in a camera array, an exemplary method includes: generating an image of a respective portion of terrain, wherein the cameras in the camera array have substantially fixed positions relative to each other, and the portions of terrain are such that the whole of the area of terrain has been imaged by the end of the time period; selecting a subset of the images such that the whole of the terrain is covered by the portions of the terrain in the images in the subset; and for an image not in the subset, if an object of interest is in that image, extracting a sub-image containing the object from that image.

Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) are commonly used in surveillance operations.
Typically, UAVs tend to use gimballed cameras (i.e. cameras mounted on movable turrets) for reconnaissance.
However, only a small area of interest can be observed at any moment in time using such an approach. Furthermore, gimballed cameras tend to adversely affect the aerodynamic profile of an aircraft upon which it is mounted, e.g. by increasing drag.


An overlay for covering the writing surface of an electronic writing tablet includes (a) an LCD touch screen adapted to (i) initially display an image drawn or written upon the upper surface by application of pressure on the upper surface without requiring a transfer of matter to the upper surface and (ii) continue display of the image without the consumption of electrical power; (b) a source of electrical power; and (c) a reversible attaching mechanism for reversibly attaching the LCD touch screen over the writing surface of the writing tablet.

Electronic writing tablets have become very common, especially those adapted for use as signature tablets. A problem arises with the use of such electronic writing tablets because their writing surfaces are vulnerable to being scratched, accidentally written on by an inking pen, or otherwise damaged, and the cost of replacing such writing surfaces can be a significant factor in the overall life-cycle cost of the product.
Attempts have been made to protect the writing surface of an electronic writing tablet with a transparent overlay. Unfortunately however, such transparent overlay tends to mask the image that is shown on the surface beneath the protective overlay, or on an underlaid pixel-driven LCD display that corresponds to the writing on the writing surface, making it difficult to read. This is especially true with the passage of time. In addition, underlaid pixel-driven LCD displays which show the written image inherently display a lower-resolution than the actual writing and can exhibit mis-registration between the pen tip and the displayed ink dots, thus making the use of the product less like true ink-on-paper.
Accordingly, there is a need for a device which protects the writing surfaces of an electronic writing tablet without masking the written image, while at the same time providing a higher resolution image of the writing and providing excellent pen to image registration.


A hydroformylation process for unsaturated compounds such as monoolefins and diolefins is carried out in an ionic medium in which the catalytic species is dissolved, but in which the reaction products (aldehydes) formed are only slightly soluble or are insoluble. The ionic medium is liquid at a temperature below 90.degree. C. and comprises at least one quaternary ammonium and/or phosphonium cation and at least one anion which is preferably selected from the group formed by tetrafluoroborate when the cation is ammonium, hexafluorophosphate, hexafluoroantimonate, hexafluoroarsenate, perfluoroalkylsulphonates, fluorosulphonate, bis-perfluoroalkylsulphonyl amides or dichlorocuprate, tetrachlorocuprate, tetrachloroaluminate, or trichlorozincate. At the end of the reaction, the organic phase is separated out and the polar phase containing the catalyst is used again.

The present invention concerns a novel hydroformylation process for olefinically unsaturated compounds using carbon monoxide and hydrogen, in which the catalytic system is a solution of at least one transition metal compound in a non-aqueous organic-inorganic ionic salt which is liquid at the reaction temperature, and in which the products of the hydroformylation reaction are slightly soluble or insoluble.
Hydroformylation of olefinic compounds is a reaction which is industrially very important. The majority of processes use catalysts which are dissolved in an organic phase constituted by the reactants, products and possibly excess ligands, even though there are difficulties in separating and recovering the catalyst, in particular when the latter is a noble metal such as rhodium.
One mode of resolving this problem has been described in French patent FR-A-2 314 910. It consists of carrying out hydroformylation in the presence of an aqueous solution containing a rhodium complex which is rendered water-soluble by the presence of a sulphonated phosphine ligand which is itself water-soluble, such as the sodium salt of trisulphonated triphenylphosphine. In this way, the organic phase containing the aldehydes is readily separated from the aqueous phase containing the catalyst. This technique has formed the subject matter of a considerable number of studies which were discussed in an article by W. A. Hermann in "Angewandte Chemie International" in 1993, volume 32, page 1524 ff. Despite the great industrial importance of this technique for propylene hydroformylation, such a two-phase system suffers from a lack of solubility in water of the olefins, leading to relatively low reaction rates which renders it inapplicable to long chain olefins.
United States patent US-A-3 565 823 describes a technique consisting of dispersing a transition metal compound in a salt of tin or germanium and a quaternary ammonium or phosphonium with formula (R.sub.1 R.sub.2 R.sub.3 R.sub.4 Z)YX.sub.3 where R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3, R.sub.4 are hydrocarbyl residues containing up to 18 carbon atoms, Z is nitrogen or phosphorous, Y is tin or germanium and X is a halogen, chlorine or bromine, the non-aqueous medium with ionic nature constituting a "molten salt". US-A-3 657 368 describes a process for hydrogenating olefins and US-A-3 919 271 describes a process for hydrogenating nitrites each using the above tin and germanium based composition. US-A-3 832 391 claims an olefin carbonylation process using the same composition.
European patent application EP-A-0 107 430 describes a hydroformylation process using a ruthenium catalyst dispersed in a quaternary phosphonium or ammonium salt or base with a melting point which is lower than the reaction temperature.
The anions of the salt used are the halides, nitrate, acetate, chromate or hydroxide. Tetrabutylphosphonium tetrafluoroborate can also be used.
All those salts have melting points of at least 100.degree. C., more generally at least 120.degree. C. The solid ruthenium catalyst is mixed with the solid salt and, in the presence of the reactant, is heated in its entirety to the reaction temperature at which the medium is liquid. The compositions described above have the disadvantage of having a relatively high melting point, the hydroformylation reaction thus being carried out at at least 90.degree. C., or generally 160.degree.-180.degree. C. in EP-A-0 107 430.

Process for hydroformylation of olefinic compounds


A connecting tape for interconnecting wiring lines on a liquid crystal display panel and those on a driver IC is constituted by an insulating tape having wiring layers provided thereon. The wiring layers have a plurality of first pitch group wiring layers on an upper surface of one of end sides of the insulating tape and a plurality of second pitch group wiring layers on an upper surface of the other of the end sides of the insulating tape, with the second pitch group having pitches different from those of the first pitch group wiring layers. The first pitch group wiring layers are adapted to be aligned and connected with wiring lines of the liquid crystal display panel which lines are arranged in the same pitches as those of the first pitch group wiring layers, and the second pitch group wiring layers are adapted to be aligned and connected with wiring lines of the driver IC. There can be a number of different pitch group wiring layers and of different pitch group wiring lines. It is possible to connect one given kind of film carrier type liquid crystal display driver IC with a number of liquid crystal display panels having wiring lines whose pitches are different from those in the liquid crystal display driver IC. This can save costs and time in the fabrication of the product concerned.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connecting tape, a film carrier type IC and a method for making wiring connections, and more particularly to a connecting tape for connecting a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel with a film carrier type IC, a film carrier type IC for driving a liquid crystal display panel, and method for making wiring connections between the liquid crystal display panel and the film carrier type IC.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, the pitches of output wiring lines in a polyimide film carrier type IC for driving a liquid crystal display mounted with a liquid crystal display driver IC have been designed in accordance with pitches of particular picture element wiring lines with which the output wiring lines of such IC are connected. Such a conventional arrangement is first explained with reference to FIGS. 1A-1C. The polyimide film carrier type IC 40 has a number of wiring lines 42 formed on a polyimide film 41, and an IC chip 43 for driving a liquid crystal display is connected to an end of an inner side of the wiring lines 42 having pitches P.sub.0 at an end of an outer side of the wiring lines 42 (as illustrated in FIG. 1B). On the other hand, a liquid crystal display panel 30 has a number of picture element wiring lines 32 formed on the substrate 31 in the same pitches P.sub.0 as those on the polyimide film 41 (as illustrated in FIG. 1A). As shown in FIG. 1C, both the wiring lines 32 and 42 are electrically connected together by electrically conductive resin 45. In these drawings, the plurality of wiring lines 32 and 42 are illustrated simply in lines by omitting the showing of actual widths of such lines.
In the case of the conventional connecting tape as explained above, it is not possible to connect a specifically designed liquid crystal display driver IC with a liquid crystal display panel having picture element wiring lines whose pitches are different from those in the liquid crystal display driver IC. In such a case, it is necessary to design newly a polyimide film carrier in which the pitches of the output wiring lines are changed.
Therefore, when the conventional technology is used, there is a problem in that the required new designing and fabrication of a polyimide film carrier type liquid crystal display driver IC unavoidably involves additional costs and time, which is uneconomical and has been a barrier to an efficient development of the product concerned. This is a problem to be solved by the invention, in the conventional technology.

Connecting tape, film carrier type IC for driving a liquid crystal display panel and method for making wiring interconnections


A light-emitting device includes a substrate, a light-emissive layer disposed over the substrate, and a grating for aligning the light-emissive layer. The grating aligns molecules of the emissive layer, so that the device emits polarised. The grating also reduces wave guiding effects in the device, so increasing the useful light output of the device. The light-emitting device may be an organic light-emitting device (OLED). The grating may align substantially the entire area of the light-emissive layer in a first direction. In this case, substantially the entire emissive area of the device will emit layer of a single polarisation. Alternatively, the grating may align a first region of the light-emissive layer in a first direction and may align a second region of the light-emissive layer in a second direction different from the first direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-emitting device such as, for example, an organic light-emitting device. It particularly relates to an organic light-emitting device that is able to emit light having a degree of polarisation. The invention may be applied to an organic electroluminescent device (OLED).
2. Description of the Related Art
Many OLEDs are known, but currently available OLEDs generally emit light that is substantially unpolarised. It would be desirable to manufacture an OLED that is able to emit polarised light, for example plane-polarised light. (The term "polarised light" as used herein includes light that is partially polarised, and is not limited to light that is completely polarised.)
For example, one use of an OLED is as a light source for a liquid crystal (LC) display device. A transmissive liquid crystal display device consists essentially of a layer of addressable liquid crystal material disposed between a front polariser and a rear polariser. The display device is illuminated by a light source which is disposed behind the rear polariser and so is known as a "backlight". An OLED that emits polarised light would be particularly useful for a backlight for a conventional liquid crystal display device, because it could make the rear polariser unnecessary and so would allow the rear polariser, and its associated cost, weight and power-inefficient absorptive loss, to be eliminated.
An OLED contains a light-emissive layer, which emits light by the phenomenon of electroluminescence. Polarised electroluminescence (EL) has been achieved by aligning the molecules of the emissive layer within the device and several approaches have been used to achieve this alignment as described by M. Grell et al. in "Adv. Mat." 11(11) pp895-905 (1999). The degree of polarisation of the emitted light can be expressed as the "dichroic ratio" (D), which is defined as the ratio of the intensity of the emitted light polarised parallel to the alignment direction of the emitter molecules to the intensity of the emitted light polarised perpendicular to the alignment direction of the emitter molecules. Depending upon the intended use of the OLED, the dichroic ratio is normally required to be in the range D≈12-200.
One conventional approach obtaining polarised electroluminescence is to align the molecules of the emitter layer by stretching the emitter layer. Polarised electroluminescence, with D≈2.4, has been reported for a stretched polythiophene film by P. Dyreklev et al., in "Adv. Mat." 7(1) pp43-4.5 (1995). However, with this method it is not possible to set an exact thickness for the stretched light-emissive layer. Furthermore, inhomogeneities and cracks can occur in the emissive layer as a result of the mechanical stretching process.
A different prior approach is that of rubbing a conjugated polymer film to define a preferred alignment direction for molecules of the polymer film. M. Hamaguchi et al. have reported, in "Appl. Phys. Lett." 67, pp3381 (1995), photoluminescence (PL) with a dichroic ratio D≈5 for alkoxy substituted poly(phenylenevinylene) (NO-PPV). However, the rubbing process leads to scratches in the polymer film, and these shorten the lifetime of the device.
Another method for aligning molecules of an emitter layer is that of Langmuir Blodgett (LB) deposition. G. Wegner describes, in "Thin Solid Films" 216, 105 (1992), stiff-chain polymers having solubilising alkyl side chains, such as phthalocyanines or poly(p-phenylenes), as a new class of substances which form LB films. In such polymer films, the polymer molecules are aligned parallel to the substrate and display anisotropic behaviour in respect of various physical properties. The surfaces of such LB films are very homogeneous and the thickness of the layers can be set very accurately. EP 0 081 581 describes EL with D≈4 for a device fabricated by direct build up conjugate stiff chain polymers using the LB technique. The LB technique is however unsuitable for device manufacture on a commercial scale.
Many organic EL materials possess liquid crystalline (LC) phases. LC self-organisation is a very effective method of achieving high degrees of alignment, because of the high order parameters of liquid crystal materials. The EL material can be either a low molecular weight (LMW) LC material where hole-conducting or electron-conducting groups, for example, are attached to a LC backbone or an LC polymer such as one of the substituted poly-phenylenevinylenes (PPVs) or one of the polyfluorenes (which are well-characterised EL polymers).
A specific problem for polarised electroluminescent devices based on liquid crystal-material is that such devices require an alignment layer to align the liquid crystal material, and this applies to both LMW and polymeric LC materials. Conventional alignment layers, such as polyimides, are electrical insulators and would therefore strongly hinder the device performance. G. Luissem et al. describe, in "Liquid Crystals" 21(6) pp903-907 (1996), the alignment of LC polymers consisting of isolated phenylenevinylene units separated by flexible spacers on a rubbed polyimide alignment layer. The described current-voltage characteristics show that the device turn-on voltage is around 15V, which is too high for the device to be of practical use. Furthermore, the observed dichroic ratio D≈7 lies below that typically required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,271 describes a layer that combines alignment of an LC material with another device function. For example, rubbed layers of the hole injection material poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) or polyanilene (PANI) have been shown to align reactive mesogen/perylene blends with a dichroic ratio D≈2. However, LMW LCs can be aligned more easily than polymers, so it is not at all certain that rubbed PEDOT or PANI will align a conjugated LC polymer.
Moderate alignment of LC polymers (copolymers of polyfluorene) was obtained by M. Grell et al., in "Liquid Crystals" 26(9) pp1403-1407 (1999) using a rubbed film of the precursor of PPV in conjunction with an active material that emits at a wavelength far enough towards the red end of the spectrum (λ>550 nm) for precursor PPV to appear transparent to the emitted light. Anisotropy in the absorption was observed with a maximum dichroic ratio D≈10. Photoluminescence or electroluminescence were not recorded. Generally, alignment using rubbed active layers is not particularly good and the anisotropy possible is much less than for a standard rubbed polyimide alignment layer.
One particular application for light emitting elements is in a stereoscopic display device. A stereoscopic display, where the viewer has to wear, for example, polarising or colour-filter glasses to obtain a 3D image effect, are well-known, and are described in, for example, "Stereo computer graphics and other true 3D technologies" edited by D. F. McAllister, pp90-115, Princeton University Press (1993). Essentially, a stereoscopic display device displays an image for the left eye of an observer and another image for the right eye of the observer. The two images may be displayed time-sequentially, or they may be displayed simultaneously on different parts of the display. The two images are in different wavelength ranges or have different polarisations, and the observer must wear polarising or colour-filter glasses that allow the observer's left eye to see only the left eye image while allowing the observer's right eye to see only the right eye image. The use of images having different polarisations is today more common.
A stereoscopic display device may be a passive device, in which the polarisers or colour filters provided on the display device and the polarisers or colour filters in the observer's glasses are passive devices—i.e., they have fixed transmission properties such as fixed transmission axes (in the case of polarisers) or transmit over fixed wavelength ranges (in the case of colour filters).
Alternatively, a stereoscopic display device may be an active device, in which the transmission properties of the polarisers or colour filters provided in the observer's glasses are controllable and so can be changed.
Stereoscopic displays often use a conventional spatial light modulator (SLM), such as a liquid crystal display device, with additional internal or external optics attached to the display to generate the initial conditions for stereoscopic viewing. These additional optics can add to the bulk, complexity and cost of the display device, and often cause display contrast degradation (for example where neighbouring columns in the SLM are operating in normally black and normally white mode as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,964).
Where the image forming element is a conventional cathode ray tube (CRT) with either active or passive polarising optics attached to the face-plate, the resulting 3-D image often suffers from high cross-talk. Cross-talk is the ratio of one eye image perceived by the second eye, and results in this case from CRT phosphor persistence as described by D. F. McAllister (above). This problem occurs, for example, when the left eye image and right eye image are displayed in a time-sequential manner. Further, there is often a perceived brightness variation down the CRT screen caused by low liquid crystal switching speeds in the polarising optics and CRT phosphor persistence. It is generally desirable for a stereoscopic display device to be able to function as a conventional 2-D display device. This can be done, irrespective of whether a LCD or CRT is used as the image-forming element, by displaying conventional 2-D images and having the user remove their polarising or colour-filter glasses. However, conventional stereoscopic viewing systems require the provision of the external permanent polarising optics on the display, and the polarising optics normally reduces the inherent brightness of the display. For example, in a device having a CRT display screen the CRT phosphors emit nominally unpolarised light, and polarising optics are mounted on the face-plate to polarise the light emitted by the CRT phosphors. The inherent brightness of the CRT display is reduced owing to absorption of light in the polarising optics.
One prior art approach to the problems of variations in brightness down the screen and high display cross-talk, for a passive stereoscopic display system, is to partition the liquid crystal switch attached to the image forming element. However, this approach adds cost and complexity to the LC switch drive circuitry. Furthermore, this solution cannot be adopted for active stereoscopic systems, as described D. F. McAllister (above).
As discussed above, high cross-talk and brightness variations down the screen are often perceived with CRT-based stereoscopic systems owing to image persistence resulting from the long radiative decay times of the CRT phosphors. This problem can be avoided when using emissive displays with shorter radiative decay times. One example of this type of display is organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).
It has been suggested, in "Advanced Materials", Vol. 14(20), pp1477-1480 (2002) to use a conventional unpolarised OLED as the display screen in a passive stereoscopic 3D display system, working in co-operation with a permanent patterned polariser. This addresses the problem of image persistence, but has the disadvantage that the inherent brightness of the OLED display is significantly reduced due to the analysing affect of the patterned polariser.
At best, 50% of the inherent display brightness would be transmitted through the patterned polariser. Increasing the OLED current density can increase the intensity of the output from the OLED and compensate for the intensity loss caused by the polariser, but this severely degrades the OLED lifetime. Further, this prior art suffers from the need for correct registration between the patterned polariser and the pixels of the OLED display. Without correct registration, Moire effects would be observed (degrading the image quality in display of a 2-D image) and parallax problems would result in high cross-talk when the device is used to display a 3D image. The need for correct registration means that the patterned polariser and the OLED display must be manufactured to strict tolerances, thereby increasing the manufacturing costs.
To avoid the decrease in inherent display brightness, it would be advantageous if emissive displays with short radiative relaxation times could be used, where the light emission from the image-forming display elements was inherently polarised (with a high polarisation purity). This would avoid the brightness reduction, cost, complexity and bulk of adding external polarising optics.
Methods to achieved polarised emission from an aligned conjugated polymer (that could be used for an OLED display) have been disclosed in a conventional 2-D display in Chem. Phys. Lett. 341, pp219-224 (2001). This prior art used a highly birefringent emissive polymer sandwiched between a dielectric Bragg-stack mirror and a metallic mirror in a microcavity. The birefringence of the polymer affects the resonance modes of the cavity, allowing one polarisation to resonate constructively within the cavity whereas the modes of the other polarisation destructively interfere. Although not demonstrated for electrically driven light emission, photo-excitation showed that polarisation purity ratios exceeding 300:1 were obtained. However, the use of microcavities is complex and costly, they suppress the inherent brightness of the OLED (and thus affect OLED lifetime owing to the need to increase the drive current to compensate), and they are expected to show significant colour and brightness variations when viewed in directions away from normal incidence. Further, there may also be light leakage of the wrong polarisation state at a different colour during emission of the desired polarisation state. This would lead to cross-talk and colour artefacts if used in stereoscopic display device operating in the 3-D mode, and the colour artefacts would also be present when operating in the 2D mode.
GB-A-2 344 691 discloses an electroluminescent device in which the emitter molecules of the light-emissive layer are aligned along a pre-determined direction so that the emissive layer emits polarised light. The emissive molecules are aligned either by applying an external electric or magnetic field and fixing the direction of the emissive molecules while the external field is applied or by a separate alignment layer provided in the device specifically to align the molecules of the emissive layer.
EP-A-1 081 774 discloses an organic light-emitting device in which a conventional rubbed alignment layer is provided in the device specifically to align the molecules of the emissive layer thereby to obtain emission of polarised light.

Light-emitting device having grating for aligning light-emissive layer


An air control system which is connected to the conventional air supply on a truck is continuously connected to the truck tires and provides equal pressure to all of the tires through a regulator. The air connection between the regulator and each tire is through a rotatable joint in the truck axles for allowing rotation of the wheels while connected to the air control system.

The present invention is directed to an air control system for controlling the inflation pressure of tires on a vehicle, such as a truck-trailer. It is known that tires should be properly inflated for ease of control of the vehicle and consequently its safety, and to provide even wear and long life of the expensive tires. While the truck drivers may periodically check their tires, they frequently do not take the time or effort to insure that the tires are properly inflated and they are frequently unaware when an inflation problem occurs. In some instances, even a blowout on an 18 wheeler may remain unnoticed until the adjacent tire is ruined.
The present invention is directed to an air control system for pneumatic tires on a vehicle which is continuously connected to the conventional air supply on the vehicle for supplying equal pressure to all of the tires and providing an indication of a problem.

Air control system for pneumatic tires on a vehicle


An image input system includes: an image pickup device movable at least from side to side; an image pickup direction designating device for designating the direction of movement at least from side to side of the image pickup device; a display form switching device for switching a display form for an image picked up by the image pickup device between two display forms: a real image display form in which the image is displayed as it is and a mirror image display form in which the image is displayed reversed left to right; and a control direction changing device which, when the display form is switched by the display form switching device, changes the correspondence of the designation regarding the direction of movement from side to side, given by the image pickup direction designating device, and the direction of movement from side to side effected in response to the designation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image input system suitable for use in an image communications system for transmitting and receiving images over a distance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, as a result of the development of image compression/encoding techniques and the spread of high-speed/high-quality digital lines (such as ISDN (integrated services digital network)), there are various specific recommendations intended for video/audio services, such as a videoconference system, and various image communications systems that are in conformity with such recommendations are being developed.
Among such image communications systems is an image input apparatus (system) having a means for controlling or adjusting the image pickup direction of a moving image pickup apparatus such as a camera. In this system, an image pickup direction control key, provided on an operation panel, is used to send a control command to a system unit to cause the moving image pickup apparatus to rotate by an angle corresponding to the input control command. By this system, it is possible to control the image pickup direction of not only the image pickup apparatus at the user's end of the line but also the image pickup direction the image pickup apparatus at the other end of the line. The image pickup magnification of the image pickup apparatus can also be controlled in the same way.
When the orientation of the image pickup apparatus is adjusted, an image obtained by this image pickup apparatus is displayed on a display device, and the user operates image pickup direction control keys while watching the displayed image so as to orient the image pickup apparatus in a desired image pickup direction.
In a videoconference system, which is an example of such an image communications systems, the received image may be displayed as it is. However, when displaying a self-image of the user, a mirror image display (which is reversed left to right) is preferable since it is closer to the actual image that the user usually sees. Thus, a display device provided at a terminal of a videoconference system is equipped with a real image display form (mode) for displaying an image unreversed from left to right and a mirror image display form (mode) for displaying an image reversed from left to right.
Thus, when adjusting or controlling the orientation of the image pickup apparatus while watching the taken image displayed on an image display system which is equipped with a real image display form and a mirror image display form, the operation of an image pickup direction control key and the direction of swinging of the image pickup apparatus in response thereto are in a one-to-one correspondence. Thus, the reaction of the displayed image to the operation of an image pickup direction control key when the image is being displayed in the real image display form is reverse to the reaction of the displayed image to the operation of the same image pickup direction control key when the image is being displayed in the mirror image display form.
In more detail, the depression of an image pickup direction control key and the reaction of the image to the depression is in a one-to-one correspondence, as stated above. For example, when the RIGHT key of the image pickup direction control keys is depressed, the image pickup direction is changed to the right, and, when the LEFT key is depressed, the image pickup direction is changed to the left. This leads to a problem in the case of a self-image of the user displayed in the mirror image display form. For example, when the image pickup direction is to be changed to the right as seen from the user while displaying a self image of the user in the mirror image pickup form, the camera, which is directed to the user, has to be turned to the right as seen from the user. To effect this, the camera has to be swung to the left (as seen from the camera), so the user must depress the LEFT key of the image pickup direction control keys. However, the user often erroneously operates the RIGHT key, instead of the LEFT key, since the change to be effected in this case is "to the right" when seen from the user.
This will be specifically explained with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram for illustrating such swinging control in the prior art. FIG. 15(A) shows the control when the image is displayed in the real image display form, and FIG. 15(B) shows the control when the image is displayed in the mirror image display form. In either case, a camera 100 takes an image of the same person 102. The image of the person photographed by the camera 100 is displayed as it is on a screen 104 for real image display of FIG. 15(A), whereas the image displayed on a screen 106 for mirror image display (FIG. 15(B)) is reversed from left to right.
In the real image display form, when the image of the person is to be moved toward the center of the screen, a "LEFT" key 110 of image pickup direction control keys 108 is depressed, whereby the camera 100 is swung in the direction indicated by an arrow 114 to thereby cause the image of the person 102 to move toward the center of the screen. This swinging control, effected by the user while watching the image displayed on the screen 104, is well matched with the actual feeling of the user.
Things are different when the image is displayed in the mirror image display form. For example, to move the image of the person 102 which is at the right-hand end of the screen 106 toward the center of the screen, the user is inclined to depress a "RIGHT" key 112 of the image pickup direction control keys 108 since that is closer to the actual feeling of the user. However, if the "RIGHT" key 112 is depressed, the camera 100 is swung to the right (as seen from the camera 100), that is, in the direction indicated by the arrow 116, with the result that the image of the person is further shifted to the right in the screen 106, that is, pushed off the screen 106.
Thus, the control of the image pickup direction of the image pickup apparatus in the prior is not always matched with the actual feeling of the operator, and often leads to confusion.

Image input system having image pickup device capable of mirror-direction panning


These teachings facilitate the administration of therapeutic radiation to a heterogeneous patient volume using a radiation beam source. More particularly, these teachings provide for determining a cross-sectional size of a radiation beam as corresponds to that radiation beam source and also for determining density information corresponding to the aforementioned heterogeneous body. These teachings then provide for generating a three-dimensional radiation dose calculation for the heterogeneous body using a control circuit configured as a convolution/superposition based dose calculator using a three-dimensional energy-spreading kernel. By one approach, these teachings provide for the calculator scaling total energy released per mass as a function of the cross-sectional size and energy of the radiation beam and the aforementioned density information.

The use of radiation to treat medical conditions comprises a known area of prior art endeavor. For example, radiation therapy comprises an important component of many treatment plans for reducing or eliminating unwanted tumors. Unfortunately, applied radiation does not inherently discriminate between unwanted materials and adjacent tissues, organs, or the like that are desired or even critical to continued survival of the patient. As a result, radiation is ordinarily applied in a carefully administered manner to at least attempt to restrict the radiation to a given target volume. A so-called radiation treatment plan often serves in the foregoing regards.
A radiation treatment plan typically comprises specified values for each of a variety of treatment-platform parameters during each of a plurality of sequential fields. Treatment plans for radiation treatment sessions are often generated through a so-called optimization process. As used herein, "optimization" will be understood to refer to improving a candidate treatment plan without necessarily ensuring that the optimized result is, in fact, the singular best solution. Such optimization often includes automatically adjusting one or more treatment parameters (often while observing one or more corresponding limits in these regards) and mathematically calculating a likely corresponding treatment result to identify a given set of treatment parameters that represent a good compromise between the desired therapeutic result and avoidance of undesired collateral effects.
Formulating a radiation treatment plan typically includes determining a dose. A Fourier transform dose calculator often serves to provide such dose information. Unfortunately, when dealing with a heterogeneous body (such as lung tissue or other bodies containing air cavities), the dose calculated by existing dose calculation methods (such as convolution/superposition based dose calculation methods including but not limited to kernel-based dose calculation methods such as Fourier transform dose calculation methods) is typically overestimated. A dose can be more accurately calculated using other approaches, but those other approaches can require considerably more time to achieve the desired calculation. By contrast, convolution/superposition based dose calculation methods are much faster and hence more desirable in a practical application setting.
Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present teachings. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present teachings. Certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. The word "or" when used herein shall be interpreted as having a disjunctive construction rather than a conjunctive construction unless otherwise specifically indicated.

Method and apparatus to facilitate administering therapeutic radiation to a heterogeneous body


A set-up basket style article carrier has a bottom panel, first and second opposed sidewalls attached to the bottom panel, riser panels, a handle attached to the riser panels, transverse partition straps extending between the riser panels and sidewalls, and tapered end panels attached to the riser panels. A blank for the article carrier has a bottom panel, a sidewall joined to the bottom panel along a horizontal fold line, a handle assembly panel joined to the sidewall along a horizontal fold line, a tapered end panel joined to the sidewall along a vertical fold line and to the handle assembly panel along horizontally extending fold lines, and a riser panel joined to the end panel along a fold line offset from vertical to accommodate taper in the tapered end panel. Tapering the end panels permits slanting of the sidewalls so that the bottoms of the sidewalls are closer to the center riser panels than the top of the sidewalls, and the bottom area between the sidewalls, riser panels and transverse partition straps is smaller than the top area between the sidewalls, riser panels and transverse partition straps. A container traveling easily through the top area is grasped in the bottom area by a sidewall, riser panel and partition strap or end panel to reduce pressure exerted on the bottom panel and sagging thereby allowing thinner material to be used for the carrier.

Basket style carriers are commonly used for carrying beverage bottles. A conventional beverage bottle is typically the same diameter at its base and its midsection which tapers into a smaller neck. Some contemporary beverage bottles tend to have a larger midsection that tapers to a smaller base. While increasing aesthetic appeal, tapered bottles are also easier to insert into basket style carriers. Unfortunately, when a carrier is loaded with tapered bottles, there is an undesirable tendency for the bottom and other portions of the carrier to sag due to the weight of the bottles. Sagging can be prevented by using thicker material to construct the carrier, but using thicker material increases cost which is undesirable. Therefore, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to have a basket style carrier constructed of thin stock but which does not sag when loaded.

Basket style article carrier with tapered end panels and separator straps


The invention provides a method and system for maintaining a module type definition table in a computer processing environment. The method includes dynamically creating a module type definition. The method further includes updating a module type definition table to include the module type definition at the direction of the static operating system kernel. A system and article of manufacture for maintaining a module type definition table are also described.

Certain computer operating systems and applications are designed to load modules that are internally requested by the operating system, internally requested by an application, or externally requested by a supported process. Such modules may include, for example, a procedure, a function, a script, a plug-in module, a driver, or a portion of an executable application.
In some computer operating systems and/or applications, modules that can be loaded are classified according to a module type. For example, in an operating system, the module type may be used to determine how to properly support the module. In some cases, a sub-system of the operating system, such as a dynamically loadable kernel module ("DLKM") sub-system, for example, may be used to support modules of different types.
FIG. 1 illustrates a prior operating system configuration 100 for handling dynamically loadable modules. A table 110 of defined module types and associated type-specific support module identifiers are included in a statically configured operating system kernel 105. Support module identifiers may refer to support modules, such as support module 120, that contain, for example, pre-loading logic, post-loading logic, pre-registration logic, post-registration logic and registration logic.
When the operating system 105 receives a request to load a module 115, the operating system uses the module type definition table 110 to determine whether the module type is supported. Upon locating the correct module type entry in the table, the operating system utilizes the support modules (e.g., support module 120) identified in the table 110 to properly support the requested module 115.
The operating system 105 may provide module type-specific support for only the module types defined by the table within the statically configured kernel. This type of operating system configuration is unable to dynamically load modules of types that have not been previously defined in the statically configured portion of the operating system kernel.
Accordingly, whenever a new module type is to be defined, the statically configured kernel must be reconfigured to include a definition of the new module type. The statically configured kernel must be reloaded to accommodate the newly added module type definition. The reconfiguration of the statically configured kernel results in an increased kernel size and a reloading or rebooting of the operating system.

Method and system for maintaining a module type definition table

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.