A processing system includes microcomputers A, B. A rewrite program for the microcomputer A includes a transfer routine for transferring a rewrite program for the microcomputer B. When a program rewrite unit outputs the rewrite program for the microcomputer B, the microcomputer A executes the transfer routine to transfer the rewrite program for the microcomputer B. A boot program of each microcomputer thereby need not be modified even when a flash memory storing the boot program of the microcomputer B is replaced with a mask ROM or the like. This enables the processing system to flexibly meet various applications.

An electronic unit is well-known that operates according to an operation program stored in a non-volatile memory of the electronic unit itself. In this electronic unit, the operation program stored in the non-volatile memory can be rewritten (or updated), using an external unit that is separately prepared, for version upgrade of the program.
In detail, a boot program is previously stored in a non-volatile memory, for communicating with an external unit and downloading a rewrite program (software) for rewriting. As the rewrite program is downloaded using the boot program, the processing sequence is handed over to the rewrite program. The rewrite program retrieves an operation program for rewriting and stores it in the non-volatile memory.
Recently, a processing system having multiple electronic units becomes available. In this processing system, when individual operation programs of the electronic units are rewritten, a boot program of a primary electronic unit of the multiple electronic units is used for downloading the rewrite programs of the primary electronic unit and other secondary electronic units.
However, this processing system includes various conditions. For instance, a given processing system has no secondary electronic unit, while a certain processing system has a secondary electronic unit prohibiting the rewriting of its operation program. Therefore, the boot program stored in the primary electronic unit needs to be prepared and appropriately applied for each of the various conditions.

System and method for transferring rewrite programs to two computers in a processing system


Disclosed are a driving method including: acquiring a first preset scanning driving signal, a second preset scanning driving signal and a preset data driving signal, and shortening the driving time of the second preset scanning driving signal so as to shorten the driving time of the second preset scanning driving signal compared to the driving time of the preset data driving signal. The even-numbered column pixels in the first row and the odd-numbered column pixels in the second row in the driving period are driven by a first preset scanning driving signal, and the odd-numbered column pixels in the first row and the even-numbered column pixels in the second row in the driving period are driven by a second preset scanning driving signal.

The statements herein merely provide background information related to the present application and do not necessarily constitute prior art.
The existed large-size liquid crystal display panels mostly use negative Vertical Alignment (VA) liquid crystals or In-Plane Switching (IPS) liquid crystals.
It has been found that VA liquid crystal technology has higher production efficiency and lower manufacturing cost, compared with IPS liquid crystal technology, but its performance in optical properties is inferior to IPS liquid crystal technology and has obvious optical property defects.
The defects happen especially when the large-sized display panels are applied. If the display panel is viewed in a relatively small viewing angle in the driving process of the VA liquid crystal, for example, in front view, the pixel brightness will linearly change along with the voltage. If the display panel is viewed in a relatively larger viewing angle, the pixel brightness will rapidly saturate along with the voltage, severely deteriorating the image quality in the viewing angle. Obviously, there is no little difference between the ideal curve and the actual curve, which makes a serious change in the gray scale that should have been presented in a larger viewing angle because of the deterioration, resulting in color shift.
To improve the color shift regarding the VA liquid crystal, a general solution is to further divide subpixels into main pixels and sub-pixels. As such, the change in pixel brightness along with the voltage at a larger viewing angle is close to that at a smaller viewing angle.
However, the manner of division of the main pixel and the sub-pixel will solve the color shift by spatially providing a difference in driving voltages to the main pixel and the sub-pixel, but may also bring about the requirement of redesigning the metal traces or Thin Film Transistor (TFT) elements to drive the sub-pixel. The transparent opening area has to be sacrificed and the panel transmittance has been further affected.
For above, it is believed that the current solution for improving the color shift may not be a perfect one because of its negative influence on panel transmittance.

Driving method for display panel, driving device of display panel, and display apparatus


A nonwoven lap of very fine continuous filaments, crimped or not, obtained by means of a controlled direct spinning process, with a weight between 5 g/m.sup.2 and 600 g/m.sup.2, and formed, after napping, of composite filaments separable in the direction of their length, characterized in that said composite filaments have a filament number between 0.3 dTex and 10 dTex and are formed, each, of at least three elementary filaments of at least two different materials and comprising between them at least one plane of separation or cleavage, each elementary filament having a filament number between 0.005 dTex and 2 dTex, the ratio between the cross-sectional area of each elementary filament and the total cross-sectional area of the unitary filament being between 0.5% and 90%.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the domain of textile products and their applications, and its object is a nonwoven lap of very fine continuous filaments or microfilaments.
The present invention is especially intended to broaden the traditional field of application of nonwovens by conferring upon them physical properties and characteristics, more particularly textile and mechanical, similar to those of woven and knit textile products, while preserving the advantageous properties and characteristics of continuous filament nonwovens.
2. Description of Related Art
Synthetic textile fibers exist, generally designated by the term "Shin-Gosen," whose feel and appearance are very similar to natural fibers.
These known fibers are obtained by spinning techniques that can be used to obtain ultrafine fibers or microfibers of various thickness and of variable polymeric makeup. After spinning, these fibers are transformed by known techniques of weaving or knitting and are treated by more or less complex techniques of dyeing and finishing.

Nonwoven lap formed of very fine continuous filaments


The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a thermoplastic resin composite comprising conducting polycondensation of a monomer material in a solution of an organic solvent containing an organic solvent soluble polymer to form an aromatic condensation polymer which is insoluble in said organic solvent and a thermoplastic resin composite prepared by the process.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermoplastic resin composite containing an aromatic condensation polymer and a process for preparing the thermoplastic resin composite.
More particularly, the invention relates to a thermoplastic resin composite comprising an aromatic condensation polymer including an aromatic polyester or an aromatic polyamide obtained by conducting polycondensation of the corresponding monomer materials in a solution of an organic solvent containing an organic solvent soluble high molecular weight compound, and to a process for the preparation of the thermoplastic resin composite.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Aromatic condensation polymers such as aromatic polyesters or aromatic polyamides (hereinafter referred to as rigid polymers) have been utilized as heat resistant resins for various applications.
These rigid polymers, however, generally have disadvantages such as a high softening point, insolubility in common solvents and poor processability. On the other hand, there are various resins having drawbacks in such properties as heat resistance, rigidity, dimensional stability and water absorption.
Consequently, it is important to eliminate these disadvantages and drawbacks by improving the properties of the resins and enhancing the processability of the rigid polymers. This will provide a new resin having an extended field of application.
It is difficult to fill such demand with a single resin. Yet, various kinds of blended resins have already been proposed. That is, the rigid polymer has been mixed with other species of resins to eliminate the disadvantages and to utilize the advantages of the resins in the blend.
In these proposals, the resins are blended by (1) a fusion kneading method wherein two or more of resins are physically fused and mixed by various types of kneaders, (2) a method for mixing the resins in a common solvent by previously dissolving the resins in the solvent, (3) a method for polymerizing one monomer in another resin used as a base polymer, and (4) a method for grafting one polymer on another base polymer.
However, both aromatic polyesters and aromatic polyamides are extremely rigid, have relatively high crystallinity and very high plasticizing temperatures, and hence are quite difficult to blend with other resins, particularly polymers having a low plasticizing temperature and melt viscosity. These properties lead to a serious problem in preparing the blend.
As a result of the problem, satisfactory effects cannot be expected on the improvement of physical properties of the blended resin, even though the aromatic condensation polymer is prepared by conducting polycondensation of the monomer materials without using the solvent in a polymer matrix to be blended. In other words, the method has caused a problem that severe polycondensation conditions are required for preparing the aromatic condensation polymer. Hence the matrix polymer is decomposed, or the molecular weight of the resulting aromatic condensation polymer is too low to exhibit the improved physical properties.
On the contrary, a method for conducting polymerization of a matrix polymer in a solvent capable of dissolving the aromatic condensation polymer requires a specific and expensive solvent, and almost no effect can be expected for the improvement of physical properties.

Preparation process of thermoplastic resin composite


A composition comprising an aqueous phosphate-buffered balanced salt solution including glucose, an antioxidant, and ketone bodies and/or precursors thereof is disclosed. The disclosed composition is particularly useful as an ophthalmic irrigation solution which may be used in ocular surgery, although other uses, for example, ophthalmic topical application and surgeries in general, are also contemplated.

An ophthalmic irrigation solution is used for the application on the external surface of the eyes topically and in ocular surgeries to rinse, as well as to keep the operated ocular tissues moist. Replacement of the aqueous and/or vitreous humors with the irrigation solution occurs as the consequence of ocular surgeries including corneal transplant (penetrating keratoplasty), cataract extraction, intraocular lens implantation and vitrectomy. In these instances, the irrigation solution remains in the eyes after surgery until the components are either deprived by the surrounding tissues or the solution is eventually equilibrated with body fluids, with subsequent clearance through the circulation. Thus, the irrigation solution used should not only be physiologically compatible, including tonicity and pH, but it should also contain components enabling the cells to sustain their viability and capability to perform physiological functions, at least until a full equilibration of the anterior chamber and the vitreous with the physiological body fluids is reached.
The irrigation solution is of particular importance to the cornea and the lens. Both organs are avascular. The cornea obtains its nourishment mainly from the fluid in the anterior chamber, and to a lesser extent, from the tear. The lens obtains its nourishment from fluids, both in the anterior chamber and in the vitreous. The retina, ciliary body and iris are vascularized tissues; they obtain their nourishment through the circulating plasma of the blood vessel network. Therefore, the components of the irrigation solution may not exert an effect on these tissues as significant as that on the cornea and the lens.
In the cornea, the monolayer endothelium lining the posterior surface contains ion transport sites which help maintain the cornea deturgescense and thereby the transparency. In the lens, the ion transport sites are located in the epithelium underneath the capsule. In general, the Na.sup.+ -K.sup.+ ATPase is located in the cytoplasmic membrane which helps maintain cellular Na.sup.+ and K.sup.+ contents at approximately 10 and 100 mM, respectively, and facilitates the transport against the extracellular salt concentration gradients of about 120 mM Na.sup.+ and 10 mM K.sup.+. Adequate energy is needed for the cells (and tissues) to perform the ion transport activity.
Glucose is the major energy source for mammalian cells. The cornea, lens and retina are very active glycolysing tissues which utilize glucose and produce lactic acid, even under aerobic conditions. When the isolated cornea is stored in a medium containing glucose, excess lactic acid is formed and accumulated, resulting in an acidity that subsequently inhibits the metabolic activity of the tissue. In vivo, lactic acid formed in the vascularized tissue is cleared through the circulation, whereas that formed in the avascular cornea and lens is released into the anterior chamber and removed via the clearance mechanism of the circulation. In humans, lactic acid in the anterior chamber is maintained at a steady, low level of approximately 4.0 to 4.5 mM.
Glucose is an important and useful energy source for ocular tissues when it is present in an irrigation solution for in vivo application. Utilization of glucose via glycolysis produces ATP at a high rate and is independent of O.sub.2 ; however, it is not an effective energy-generating pathway, as only 2 moles of ATP are formed per mole of glucose utilized. Two moles of lactic acid are also formed. When the clearance mechanism of the operated ocular tissues is not sufficiently effective, lactic acid will be accumulated, resulting in a lower pH which, in turn, inhibits the metabolic activity of the tissues. In contrast, in tissues with a high mitochondrial population, a complete oxidation of glucose to CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O may occur, via mitochondria, generating as much as 38 moles of ATP per mole of glucose utilized, including the oxidation of two moles of NADH formed in the glycolysis. Therefore, it is evident that utilization of substrates via oxidation in mitochondria is an effective energy-generating pathway when oxygen is available. Under this condition, there is no lactic acid accumulation. In addition, lactic acid accumulation may be diminished or minimized when anaerobic glycolysis is inhibited by an enhanced respiration via the Pasteur effect.
Glucose cannot be used directly as a substrate in the mitochondria; it has to be converted first to pyruvate via glycolysis. Ketone bodies (a collective term for acetone, acetoacetate and .beta.-hydroxybutyrate) and precursors thereof (such as short chain fatty acids and ketogenic amino acids) are readily oxidized in the mitochondria, producing 32 molecules of ATP per acetyl moiety utilized. Therefore, ketone bodies and precursors thereof are energy-rich or energy-efficient molecules. Furthermore, oxidation of ketone bodies and precursors thereof results in an enhanced respiration which, in turn, inhibits anaerobic glycolysis via the Pasteur effect. In humans and most other mammals, ketone bodies are formed in the liver from oxidation of fatty acids and ketogenic amino acids (including leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan). Ketone bodies are not oxidized further in the liver but are transported by the circulating blood to the peripheral tissues. There they are oxidized to CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O via acetyl CoA and citric acid cycle, yielding a rich energy for the peripheral tissues. Ketone bodies are known to be the preferred fuel for the brain, muscle, and kidney during starvation. (R. E. Olson, Nature, 195, 597, 1962; E. Bassenge et al, Am. J. Physiol., 208, 162, 1965; O. E. Owen et al, J. Clin. Invest., 46, 1589, 1967; and R. A. Howkins et al, Biochem. J., 122, 13, 1971 and 125, 541, 1971). Ketone bodies are also utilized in the cornea.
In addition, complete oxidation of ketone bodies and precursors thereof yields CO.sub.2 and H.sub.2 O, with accumulation of no other metabolic wastes. Carbon dioxide formed is subsequently hydrated to form carbonic acid, which is further dissociated to form bicarbonate at pH 7.4. Bicarbonate has been suggested as necessary for the ion transport process across the corneal endothelium (S. Hodson et al., J. Physiol., 263, 563, 1976).
Pathways for the formation of ketone bodies from fatty acids and ketogenic amino acids are illustrated in FIG. 1.

Effective ophthalmic irrigation solution


The present invention discloses the construction of dengue virus subgenomic replicons containing large deletions in the structural region (C-preM-E) of the genome, which replicons are useful as vaccines to protect against dengue virus infection.

The mosquito-borne flavivirus, dengue, is estimated to cause in each year 100 million cases of dengue fever (DF), 500,000 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and 25,000 deaths, with 2.5 billion people at risk (Monath, T. P. 1994 PNAS USA 91:2395-2400). Although a successful vaccine against the prototypical flavivirus, yellow fever (YF) virus, has been in use since the 1930s and vaccines to two other flaviviruses, Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus are currently available, there is as yet no dengue vaccine approved for use (Cardosa, M. J. 1998 Brit Med Bull 54:395-405).
Dengue virus has a typical flavivirus genome structure, as described in FIG. 2A. The structural proteins, C, prM (M) and E, are involved in packaging, export and subsequent entry. The non-structural proteins, NS1, NS2A, NS2B, NS3, NS4A, NS4B and NS5 include an RNA-directed RNA polymerase, and a protease function involved in cleaving certain positions of the long viral polyprotein which contains all the viral genes (Chambers, T. J. et al. 1990 Ann Rev Microbiol 44:649-88; Rice, C. M. 1996 In: Fields Virology, 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Lippincott-Raven Publishers, p. 931-996).
The four serotypes of dengue virus ("1" through "4") share approximately 60%-74% amino acid residue identity with one another in the E gene (Thomas, C. J. et al. 1990 Ann Rev Microbiol 44:649-88) and induce cross-reacting antibodies (Heinz, F. X. 1986 Adv Vims Res 31:103-168). However, neutralizing antibodies to the structural proteins of one serotype of dengue typically not only fail to provide protection against other serotypes, but appear to cause the enhanced replication of virus seen in dengue hemorrhagic fever, which is generally seen upon reinfection by dengue virus of a different serotype. This antibody-dependent enhancement of infection (ADE), which is believed to be mediated by enhancement of viral uptake by macrophages (Morens, D. M. 1994 Clin Infect Dis 19:500-512) complicates dengue vaccine development, since an inadequate or modified immunogen may contribute to disease, rather than prevent infection (Halstead, S. B. 1988 Science 239:476-481).
Two strategies suggest themselves for circumventing the problems caused by cross reacting antibodies against the major structural proteins, prM and E. One strategy is to immunize with multiple strains of dengue virus to elicit high affinity, neutralizing antibodies against the multiple dengue serotypes. At least one vaccine to do this (using dengue vaccine candidates DEN-1 PDK13, DEN-2 PDK53, DEN-3 PGMK 30/F3, and DEN-4 PDK48) has been in clinical trials (Bhamarapravati, N. and Sutee, Y. 2000 Vaccine 18 Suppl 2:4447; Kanesa-thasan, N. et al. 2001 Vaccine 19:3179-3188). A second strategy is to induce immunity only to viral proteins other than prM and E. Several studies have shown that the nonstructural glycoprotein NS1 can play an important role in protection against dengue. Mice immunized with purified dengue-2 NS1 protein injected intramuscularly and boosted after 3 days and two weeks were protected from developing lethal dengue encephalitis upon subsequent challenge with dengue-2 virus (Schlesinger, J. J. et al. 1987 J Gen Virol 68:853-857). Similarly, mice immunized with recombinant vaccinia virus expressing authentic NS1 (Falgout, B. et al. 1990 J Virol 64:4356-4363) were protected against the development of dengue-4 virus encephalitis when challenged by intracerebral injection. Inoculation of mice with specific combinations of MAbs directed against dengue-2 NS1 (Henchal, E. A. et al. 1988 J Gen Virol 69:2101-2107) also protects against lethal virus encephalitis upon intracerebral dengue-2 challenge. Other nonstructural proteins are also immunogenic and may participate in eliciting protection (Brinton, M. A. et al. 1998 Clin Diagn Virol 10:129-39).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Subgenomic replicons of the flavivirus dengue

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services


A tunable fiber grating comprises a temperature-sensitive body secured to a fiber having a fiber grating region for transmitting thermally-induced strain to the grating. The amount of strain and hence the degree of wavelength tuning are controlled by adjusting the temperature of the temperature-sensitive body, wherein the extent of adjustment is preferably pre-determined according to feedback from a wavelength detector. Large thermal strains obtainable with the present invention allow a wide range of wavelength tuning with a relatively small and convenient temperature change near ambient temperature. In a preferred embodiment, the temperature-sensitive body is cylindrical and comprised of a nickel-titanium alloy bonded to the grating. In alternative arrangements, the thermal strain effect can be amplified. An add/drop multiplexer employing the tunable gratings is also described.

Optical fibers are key components in modern telecommunications systems. Optical fibers comprise strands of glass capable of transmitting an optical signal containing a large amount of information over long distances with very low loss. In essence, an optical fiber is a small diameter waveguide characterized by a core with a first index of refraction surrounded by a cladding having a second (lower) index of refraction. Typical optical fibers are made of high purity silica with minor concentrations of dopants to control the index of refraction.
Optical fiber Bragg gratings are important elements for selectively controlling specific wavelengths of light within an optical fiber. A typical Bragg grating comprises a length of optical fiber including a plurality of perturbations in the index of refraction substantially equally spaced along the fiber length. These perturbations selectively reflect light of wavelength .lambda. equal to twice the spacing .LAMBDA. between successive perturbations, i.e. .lambda.=2n.sub.eff .LAMBDA., where .lambda. is the vacuum wavelength and n.sub.eff is the effective refractive index of the propagating mode. Light of the selected wavelength .lambda. is reflected back to point of origin, and the remaining wavelengths pass essentially unimpeded. Such Bragg gratings are useful in a variety of applications including filtering, stabilizing semiconductor lasers, reflecting fiber amplifier pump energy, and compensating for fiber dispersion.
Bragg gratings in optical fibers are conveniently fabricated by providing a fiber having a core doped with one or more materials sensitive to ultraviolet light, such as a fiber having a core doped with germanium oxide, and then exposing the fiber at periodic intervals to high intensity ultraviolet light from an excimer laser. The ultraviolet light interacts with the photosensitive dopant to produce perturbations in the index of refraction. The appropriate periodic spacing of the perturbations to achieve a conventional grating can be obtained by use of a physical mask, a phase mask, or a pair of interfering beams.
A difficulty with conventional fiber Bragg gratings is that they filter only a fixed wavelength. Each grating selectively reflects light in only a narrow bandwidth centered around .lambda.=2n.sub.eff .LAMBDA.. However, in many applications, such as multiplexing, it is desirable to have a grating whose wavelength response can be tuned, that is, controllably altered.
A further difficulty with fiber grating devices relates to the sensitivity of the fiber gratings to temperature changes. Temperature-compensating packages have been designed to address this drawback. See e.g. Morey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,898, issued Aug. 27, 1991, and Yoffe et al., "Passive Temperature Compensating Package for Optical Fiber Gratings," Applied Optics, Vol. 34, p. 6859, Oct. 20, 1995.
A tunable fiber grating has been attempted with use of a piezoelectric element to strain the grating. See Quetel et al., 1996 Technical Digest Series, Conf on Optical Fiber Communication, San Jose, Calif., Feb. 25-Mar. 1, 1996, Vol. 2, p. 120, paper No. WF6. However, the strain produced by piezoelectric actuation is relatively small, limiting the tuning range of the device. Moreover, piezoelectric activation requires a continuous application of relatively high voltage, e.g., approximately 100 volts for 1 nm strain.
The present invention provides a device and method for tuning optical fiber gratings involving the use of thermally-induced strain on the fiber. The device has an enhanced tuning range and does not require continuous power, as compared with previous devices relying upon piezoelectric elements. Additionally, temperature controls are incorporated into the device, hence, the sensitivity of the grating to temperature changes can be incorporated into the programming of the wavelength tuning, avoiding the need for temperature-compensating packages.

Device for tuning wavelength response of an optical fiber grating


A method for placing fluorescent single molecules on a surface of a substrate includes dropping a sample solution in which fluorescent molecules are dissolved in a predetermined concentration in a volatile, organic solvent, onto a slip of paper placed on the substrate and pulling the slip of paper so as to make the dropped sample solution traverse the surface of the substrate before the organic solvent evaporates. Since a single molecular layer of fluorescent molecules with high uniformity can be placed readily on the surface of the substrate, measurement of fluorescence and measurement of scattered light can be carried out accurately and structural defects of the surface of substrate can be visualized from luminous spots of fluorescence and from luminous spots of scattered light.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for placing fluorescent single molecules on a surface of a substrate and, more particularly, to a method for placing fluorescent single molecules on a surface of a substrate such as a silicon wafer and a method for visualizing a structural defect of the surface of substrate.
2. Related Background Art
Recent advance in single molecule imaging methods based on detection of fluorescence has been realizing observations of position, orientation, motion, photochemical reaction, enzyme reaction, and relaxation process of excited state of individual pigment molecules at room temperature. Particularly, the success in determining orientations of individual pigment molecules by scanning near-field microscopy and scanning confocal microscopy is owing to fixation of pigment molecules. In this case, the pigment molecules are doped in a polymer. In contrast to it, use of an ordinary optical microscope provided with a television camera enables us to simultaneously observe a plurality of individual molecules without mechanical scanning.
A conventional, simple arraying method of single molecules is the spin coating method, by which the pigment molecules are uniformly dispersed by spreading them on a substrate by use of a polymer. It is noted here that a "single molecule" means not only one molecule, but also a group of plural molecules as long as groups can be counted one by one separately (which is also the case in the following description).
It is, however, very hard to uniformly disperse the pigment molecules by the spin coating method unless the pigment molecules are spread with a nonvolatile material of high viscosity such as the polymer. With intervention of the nonvolatile material such as the polymer, the material would readily take contamination in from the outside. In particular, when excitation light was of a short wavelength, for example, in the ultraviolet region, there was the problem that fluorescence from impurities taken in from the outside or fluorescence of the polymer itself in some cases, may obstruct measurement of fluorescence of single molecule at a high possibility.
Incidentally, to decrease defects and particles of the submicron or smaller order on a surface of a semiconductor wafer typified by a silicon wafer is important to realizing high integration of semiconductor memory, for example. Some methods for efficiently recognizing actual states of defects and particles on the surface of semiconductor wafer were proposed and are under practical use. For example, there are reports on the light-scattering method or on a method for combining the light-scattering method with atomic force microscope (hereinafter referred to as AFM) (for example, Fujino et al., Oyo Buturi Vol. 66, No. 7 1997, PP 723-733). The former method allows us to detect the particles and defects in sizes ranging from approximately the wavelength of light used to approximately one tenth thereof. The latter method also allows us not only to detect the particles and defects, but also to evaluate the sizes thereof.
A feature of the light-scattering method is the capability of readily detecting presence or absence of defects or particles scattered in a wide area (50 to 100 micron square) as compared with the sizes (of the submicron or less) of defects and particles. However, when the particles and defects have the sizes of below the diffraction limit of light, presence thereof can be detected, but the exact sizes thereof cannot be measured. It is difficult to distinguish the defects from adhering particles and it is not possible to determine whether a defect is convex or concave with respect to the surrounding surface. On the other hand, the AFM permits us to measure the exact sizes of particles and defects, even the sizes of below the diffraction limit of light which are impossible to measure by the light-scattering method. The AFM, however, has a drawback that a long measuring time is necessary for finding out the particles and defects which are scattered in the wide area as described above and locations of which are unknown.
Further, the combination of the light-scattering method with the AFM partly enables to make up for their drawbacks and make use of their advantages; but when the AFM taking the long measuring time is combined with the light-scattering method taking the measuring time not so long, the measuring time is after all determined by the measuring time of AFM. In addition, the AMF is not advantageous in terms of the cost of apparatus itself.
As described previously, the spin coating method had the problem that it had the high possibility that the fluorescence from the impurities taken in from the outside or the fluorescence of the polymer itself obstructed the measurement of fluorescence of single molecule.
Desires existed for measuring means for attaining information about distinction between particle and defect and, in the case of a defect, about whether it is convex or concave with respect to the surrounding surface in a simple manner and within a short measuring time equivalent to that by the light-scattering method.

Method for placing fluorescent single molecules on surface of substrate and method for visualizing structural defect of surface of substrate


A system includes an electronic control system for an agricultural system, including a controller configured to receive a first signal indicative of a mission of a work vehicle of the agricultural system. The controller is configured to determine a first desired path of travel of the work vehicle based on the mission. The controller is configured to output a second signal to the work vehicle indicative of the first desired path of travel, to receive a third signal indicative of a change event from the work vehicle or from an operator, to determine a response to the change event that facilitates completion of the mission, and to output a fourth signal indicative of the response to the work vehicle.

The invention relates generally to agricultural systems and, more particularly, to a control system for autonomous vehicle within an agricultural system.
Generally, autonomous vehicles follow a specified path, which is predetermined by an automated system (e.g., with input from an operator), to conduct tillage, fertilizing, planting, spraying, harvesting, mowing, baling, and/or planting operations. For example, the operator may specify a desired mission, and the automated system may establish a path through an agricultural field, e.g., using a GPS system to guide the vehicle through the agricultural field. However, it may be difficult to restart tillage, fertilizing, and/or planting operations if a stoppage occurs. For example, a sprayer may run low on liquid fertilizer and leave the field to refill storage tanks. When the sprayer returns to the field, it may be difficult to accurately realign with vehicle with the previous stopping point. As a result, product may be wasted as portions of the field are refertilized, or fertilizer may not be properly delivered to portions of the field.

Mission control system and method for an agricultural system


Probe and stop probe messages associated with an ingress access point are processed at an egress label switched router. The ingress access point may consist of an identifier of an ingress network element, in combination with a LSP identifier provided by the ingress network element. Auto-registration is performed upon receipt of a probe message indicating an ingress access point not currently being tracked. In the event that a probe message is received indicating an ingress access point not currently being tracked, the egress label switched router adds an entry to a tracking data structure, and a central processor is notified. Each entry within the tracking data structure stores information for a corresponding ingress access point, including knowledge digests from probe messages and an indication of the time a last previous probe message was received. As probe and stop probe messages are received, the knowledge digests they include are compared with the knowledge digests stored in the corresponding tracking table entries. In the event of a conflict between a received knowledge digest and a stored knowledge digest, a predetermined action is taken, such as generation of a misbranching alarm. The knowledge digests may, for example, be Bloom Filters. In the event a stop probe message is received for an ingress access point associated with one of the entries in the tracking table, the corresponding tracking entry is removed.

In order to charge their customers properly, and generally for purposes of effective network administration, network service providers have a strong interest in accurately determining the presence of connectivity within their networks. This is true for many specific types of networks, including networks using Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS). MPLS is a standard technique for routing packets over label switched paths (LSPs) in an internet protocol (IP) network, using labels that are attached to IP (Internet Protocol) packets. Traffic in MPLS networks is organized into forwarding equivalence classes (FECs). A given label switched path may carry traffic associated with one or more FECs. The routers forwarding packets within an MPLS network are referred to as label switched routers (LSRs).
A number of challenges exist in determining the presence of connectivity between LSRs in an MPLS network. For example, it would be desirable to monitor connectivity over a path between an ingress LSR and an egress LSR, with respect to the ingress LSR in combination with identification of the LSP at the ingress LSR. For purposes herein, the combination of an identifier of such an ingress LSR and a local identification of the LSP at that LSR is referred to as an ingress access point of the LSP. A system that addresses this need should be designed to accommodate the fact that an egress LSR for an LSP has no a priori knowledge of the set of relevant ingress access points for a given FEC. Additionally, over time, the set of ingress access points, or the egress LSR for a label switched path (LSP) may change. Further complications result from the fact that LSRs at the edge of a network may use multiple interfaces to forward traffic for a given FEC, in order to provide load balancing.
These and other conditions result in a need for a new system for measuring connectivity between LSRs in an MPLS network.

Connectivity assessment for label distribution protocol (LDP) networks


A multiple charged developing gun provides a multiple charged electrode portion comprising a body and a flow path that is formed in an inner portion of the body and through which powder flows; an entrance, which is formed on one side of the body, connected to the flow path, and in which the powder flows through a powder supply line by being connected to a powder supply apparatus; an exit that is formed on the other side of the body, which is connected to the flow path that becomes gradually narrow; a multiple charged electrode portion that is disposed in an inner portion the body, which is near to the exit; and a cable, which connects the multiple charged electrode portion to a power supply apparatus. The multiple charged electrode portion comprises an electrode supply assembly, which is disposed in an inner portion of the body; a multiple electrode on which plural strip type electrodes is arranged at the electrode support assembly in forming a line toward the longitudinal direction of the body and the multiple electrode is connected to a power supply apparatus through the cable.

The present invention relates to a multiple charged developing gun which applies an electrical charge by forming a multiple charged electrode portion that is made of plural electrodes.
In the prior art, the process for forming a phosphor face on CRT panels includes the applying of a black matrix which entails the steps of washing panel, application polymeric conductor and photoconductor layer, charging, exposure, black matrix developer, and fuser. Next, the process for forming a phosphor face includes the following steps for applying a phosphor material: P.C. charging, G exposure, G developer, fuser, P.C. charger, B exposure, B developer, fuser, R exposure, R developer, fuser. In this way, phosphor material comes to be applied through a method of electrophotographically manufacturing a screen assembly.
In the above process of forming a black matrix and each of the R, G, B phosphor materials through a method of electrophotographically manufacturing a screen assembly, the developing apparatus of the prior art includes: a body; a panel fixing portion placed on the upper part of the body; a developing gun that is a cylinder shaped and a strip type electrode is placed in the middle of the exit; a powder supply line which supplies powder for black matrix or R, G, B phosphor material (hereinafter referred to as just powder); a powder supply apparatus, connected to the powder supply line; an air supply line that supplies air to the developing gun and is installed separately from the powder supply line; an air supply apparatus connected to the air supply line; and an electric supply apparatus which supplies electricity to the strip type electrode inside the developing gun. The structure of the above panel fixing portion is formed so that it grounds the panel it secures.
In the above formation of the prior art developing apparatus, when the CRT panel, which is positively charged and is exposed, is fixed to the panel fixing portion, the powder supply apparatus and the air supply apparatus start operating, and through the powder supply line and the air supply line, powder and air is supplied to the developing gun and the electricity supply apparatus provides electricity to the electrodes of the developing gun.
The powder, which by following the flow of the air that is supplied to the developing gun gets sprayed out from the developing gun. While being forced out, the powder is electrically charged (to the same positive pole as the panel) by the corona discharge of the electrode fixed to the exit of the developing gun.
The panel fixed to the panel fixing portion has formed, an electrical line through the charged and un-charged portion. This is realized because the charged portion and the un-charged portion are formed in a determined pattern by the operations of charging and exposure, and because the conduction layer is grounded by the panel fixing portion. As a result, the powder, which is charged to the same pole as the panel and shot out of the developing gun, follows the electrical line and adheres to the un-charged portion and is developed in a determined pattern.
When using the prior art developing apparatus composed as in the above, because the powder sprayed through the developing gun is charged by the strip type electrode, the charged efficiency is diminished and an electric pole opposite to the electric pole charged on the panel exists. The powder having the opposite electric pole is adhered to a charged portion which developing is not necessary. Hence, it causes mixed colors and indistinct pictures. Namely, when developing the phosphors in the order of G--B--R, when G phosphor is developed, the mixed colors appear on the portion developing G or R phosphor because of adherence of G phosphor thereon. Furthermore, when developing the black matrix, it causes indistinct pictures that the powder is adhered on the portion which each phosphor is developed. In addition, powder charged to the opposite pole on the panel cohere with the powder charged to the same pole on the panel. Accordingly, because the size of the powder cohered is about 100 .mu.m and they are adhered on the surface of the panel, the phosphor surface is not equal.


A projector includes a solid-state light source, a diffuser member, an excitation light source, a phosphor, a light modulator, a projection system, a first and a second light blocking members. When the area, viewed in the direction of the optical axis of diffused light, of an opening of the first light blocking member and the area of a portion over which the first light blocking member blocks the diffused light are defined as A1 and A2, respectively; the area, viewed in the direction of the optical axis of fluorescence, of an opening of the second light blocking member and the area of a portion over which the second light blocking member blocks the fluorescence are defined as B1 and B2, respectively, the ratio A2/A1 is greater than the ratio B2/B1.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a projector.
2. Related Art
There is a known configuration having a diaphragm provided in an illumination system for improvement in contrast. For example, in the projector described in JP-A-2004-361856, a diaphragm is disposed on the light incident side of a light valve and blocks obliquely incident light that lowers the contrast. To display a full-color image, a diaphragm may be provided for each of three light valves for RGB light fluxes.
In a three-panel projector, light outputted from a white light source is divided into three color light fluxes or RGB light fluxes, which are then guided to three light valves for the RGB light fluxes. When a diaphragm is disposed on the light incident side of each of the light valves, it is preferable that the sizes of the diaphragms are set to be equal to one another so that the white balance does not deteriorate.
On the other hand, a projector using a combination of a solid-state light source and a phosphor has been developed in recent years. As a projector of this type, there is a known projector including a first light source unit that is a combination of a solid-state light source and a phosphor and a second light source unit that is a combination of a solid-state light source and a diffusion member. For example, the first light source unit produces R and G light fluxes, and the second light source unit produces a B light flux. Then, thus produced light fluxes are separated from each other and guided to three light valves for the RGB light fluxes.
In a projector of this type as well, diaphragms can be used to improve contrast. However, the present inventor has conducted a study and found that setting the sizes of the RGB diaphragms to be equal to one another as in a typical three-panel projector undesirably results in a bluish displayed image and the white balance greatly deteriorates.


The present invention relates to the method for manufacturing high quality graphene by heating carbon-based self-assembly monolayers, comprising the steps of: forming carbon source layers which are convertible into the graphene layer on the substrate; forming a metal catalyst layer on the carbon source layer; converting the carbon source layers into the graphene layer by heating the first part of the substrate using a local heating source, wherein the carbon source layers and the metal catalyst layers are formed; converting the carbon source layers into graphene by moving the local heating source and then heating the second part which is different from the first part; and removing the metal catalyst layer. The present invention also provides a substrate comprising a graphene layer manufactured by the above method and provides applications in semiconductor devices and electronic materials using the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing high quality graphene by heating carbon-based self-assembly monolayers, and more particularly, relates to a method for manufacturing high quality large-area single-layered graphene by locally heating carbon source layers which can be convertible into graphene successively on a large area substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphene is a conductive material which is formed into a 2-dimensional honeycomb-shaped array of carbon atoms with a thickness of one atomic layer. When the combination structure of carbon atoms is piled up in 3-dimension, it becomes a graphite. When it is rolled up in one dimension, it transforms to a carbon nanotube. When it is formed into a ball shape, it becomes a fullerene. The 2-dimensional plane-structured graphene is interested to many researchers due to the 2-dimensional nano-scale phenomena and various applications.
In addition, the graphene is chemically and structurally very stable and it is a highly outstanding conductor transferring electrons 100 times faster than that of silicon and flowing electrical current 100 times more than that of copper. Its thermal conductivity is more than 2 times than that of diamond, its high mechanical strength is more than 200 times than that of steel, and it has transparency. Furthermore, it does not lose electrical conductivity even when stretching or folding because it has elasticity due to empty spaces in hexagonal honeycomb-shaped structures connected like a net. Recently, these unusual structures and physical properties of the graphene have been studied actively for replacement of ITO which is a primary material of transparent electrode and silicon which is a main material of semiconductor.
There are a number of manufacturing methods of the graphene such as pulling off it using a Scotch tape, an epitaxial growth method, separating the layers by oxidation of graphite and a chemical vapor deposition method. Above the rest, the best and well-known method is pulling off the graphene layer from graphite using the Scotch tape. This manufacturing method is simple and able to preserve unique characteristics of graphene, however, it also has disadvantages of difficulty in application to display or electronic device because it has a difficulty in large-area synthesis and it may not be clearly separated into graphene layer.
Meanwhile, the chemical vapor deposition can be used for manufacturing graphene by large area scale. Since the method heats an entire catalyst layer, carbon nuclei are created randomly on the surface of the catalyst layer and graphene can be grown around the center of the carbon nucleus. When a graphene grain grown around the center of the carbon nucleus butts another graphene grain, a grain boundary is formed. If each graphene grain does not match each other, defects are formed in grain boundary, and degrade electrical transport properties of the graphene. Defects within the graphene are known to accelerate reaction to surrounding environment. Moreover, a specific resistance of the grain boundary become greater from two times to ten times than that of a crystal graphene due to the grain boundary acting as a defect and thus, the chemical vapor deposition method may have a disadvantage in fabrication.
Korean registered patent No. 10-1174670 discloses a patterned fabrication method of graphene and Korean published patent No. 10-2012-0012271 discloses a manufacturing method of graphene which forms graphene by providing reaction gases including carbon sources and heating for the reaction of the gases. A transfer method for graphene on a substrate, contamination can occur from the solution for etching metal catalyst.
Therefore, a method for manufacturing the large area graphene without transferring process is required in order to maximize the advantages of the graphene by growing a large size of the graphene grain.

Method for manufacturing high quality graphene by heating carbon-based self-assembly monolayers

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


An insertion device is provided for inserting a spinal device such as an intervertebral implant within a spinal joint. The implant includes at least first and second members, with the first having a convex articulation surface and the second member having a concave articulation surface. The two articulation surfaces provide an articulation interface to substantially mimic natural kinetic motion of the spine. The insertion device can be attached to at least one of the first and second members. In one form, the insertion device is configured such that the first and second members are movable relative to one another while being held to allow the members to form a compact wedge configuration. The insertion device is configured to actively pivot the implant about the implant gripping end of the device and to allow manipulation and release of the implant members in any pivoted orientation from approximately 0 to 90 degrees.

In the field of orthopedic surgery, in particular minimally invasive orthopedic surgery, the physician often works through a very small incision, a small cannulated tube or a retractor. Since the working space for the surgeon is a small confined channel, specialized instruments are necessary to safely navigate the distance from outside the skin of the patient to adjacent the surgical site within the body of the patient. These specialized instruments, depending on the type of surgery, may include custom rongeurs, rasps, curettes and spinal device insertion instruments.
When performing an orthopedic joint replacement surgery, in particular intervertebral disc or nucleus replacement surgery, it is often difficult to properly and confidently position an implant in the position desired by the surgeon. It is desirable to utilize an implant insertion instrument that firmly holds the implant, while allowing the surgeon to release the instrument to safely perform fluoroscopy. It is also desirable, after fluoroscopy, to be able to redirect, manipulate and release the implant percutaneously once the desired position of the implant has been achieved.
When performing an intervertebral disc or a nucleus replacement surgery, the surgeon may have a preference for, or patient anatomy may dictate, the origin and direction of entry into the body of the patient including anterior, lateral, or posterior approaches. Each method of entry presents the surgeon with specific challenges that are typically met with instruments corresponding to the decided method of entry. It would be desirable to have a spinal implant insertion instrument that would meet the specific surgeon challenges of anterior, lateral and posterior methods of entry.
Manipulating and steering a multiple piece implant presents additional challenges. It is desirable to be able to both steer a multiple piece implant, such as a two-piece motion preserving nucleus replacement device (NRD), while allowing for independent movement between the various pieces for promoting ease of insertion of the device. Thus, an implant and corresponding insertion instrument capable of reliably, safely, and simply gripping, steering, and releasing an implant, while allowing for the implant to be configured in a compact orientation is desirable.
Another problem in the art is the cleanability of surgical tools. In some circumstances, blood, tissue, or other matter may find its way into difficult-to-access portions of the instrument. While the tool may be sterilized using an autoclave, blood and other foreign matter may still remain within the instrument. Accordingly, it is desirable that an insertion instrument be configured to be cleanable, such as by using hand methods to clean, brush, wash or scrub any foreign matter from the interior of the instrument.

Systems and methods for inserting a spinal device


A tap dispenser assembly for use with a fluid container including a tap body, a spring button, and a valve. The tap body includes an attachment portion, a dispensing portion, and a fluid channel with an upper wall and a lower wall. The dispensing portion includes a valve stem guide and a guide support. The guide support is above the lower wall and/or the upper wall. The valve is connected to the spring button and is slidingly inserted into the valve stem guide. The tap dispenser assembly has a closed position where the spring button is not depressed and the valve seals the dispensing portion and an open position where the spring button is depressed and the seal between the valve and dispensing portion is broken, allowing fluid to flow from the tap dispenser assembly.

The present disclosure relates to tap dispensers for fluid containers, and more particularly to a tap dispenser with a flexible button connected to a movable stem of a valve to selectively allow or prevent flow of liquid out of the tap dispenser.
Generally, tap dispensers with flexible buttons are used with disposable fluid containers. These containers may be a rigid container, a flexible container, or a bag in box container. These containers can hold various types of liquids with different viscosities. It is generally desirable to increase the flow rate out of the tap dispenser for highly viscous fluids while still being able to stop the flow out of the tap once the dispensing is complete.

High flow tap for dispensing fluids from a container and related applications


A counterbalanced control stick system for a vehicle comprising: a shaft (2) rotationally mounted in a casing (22) and a joystick (1). Said joystick (1) is pivotably mounted and has a handgrip section (23). The opposed section of said joystick (1) is linked by said resilient means (10, 10.2) to adjustable fixing points (11.1). A plate (11) is provided offset from the joystick (1) is movable relative to said casing (22). The adjustable fixing points (11.1) are controlled by said movable plate (11). An angle sensor (7) is provided for detection of any angular moves of the shaft (2). Electronics (25) are provided to which signals generated by the rotation angle sensors are supplied. The signals are digitized and differing detected values are harmonized.

(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a counterbalanced control stick system for a vehicle, particularly to a control stick system for an air vehicle with the features of the preamble of claim 1, such control stick systems being related to proportional joysticks for the control of powered movers and, more particularly, to comprehensive systems and methods for providing an operator with feedback related to the actual control of the object(s) being moved. Some aspects of the invention also relate to applications, components and methods associated with such control stick systems of air vehicles, particularly helicopters.
(2) Description of Related Art
Powered movers can be found in a huge variety in air vehicles and many of said powered movers use proportional controls in the form of a joystick or an equivalent type of lever or knob that controls actuators to do the powered moving. Actuators are often hydraulic but may also come in other forms such as electric, pneumatic, electro-magnetic or some combination thereof.
It is a problem to control the actuators to actuate the movers to desired positions without overshooting and/or correcting. Overshooting an intended position can be hazardous for the air vehicle. Without sophisticated controls that are common today, powered movers can be very jerky.
The document WO 9503213 A1 discloses a method for operating aircraft, in which two aircrafts are controlled by a common control arrangement to fly parallel courses within a common ATC slot.
The document WO 9503566 A1 discloses a control device with a control stick, wherein the control stick is moved by an irreversible actuator controlled by a computer and the computer controls the position of the actuator and thus the movement of the control stick and slaves the control column position to the force applied, in accordance with force data and position data by means of a force/position law entered in the computer.
The document DE 20 2008 015 384 U1 discloses a device for controlling vehicles having a manual control unit configured to influence the direction of movement of a vehicle. The manual control unit provides, in a neutral position of the manual control unit, a trim point to determine a preferred direction of movement. The device further includes a force generating device, generating at least one force acting in the direction of the neutral position of the manual control unit; a trim coupling operable to reduce the at least one force acting on the manual control unit; and a trim control unit configured to store and retain the trim point existing prior to an operation of the trim coupling.
The document US 2008079381 A1 discloses an active user interface assembly with a user interface and one or more feedback motors coupled to the user interface. The one or more feedback motors, when energized, supply a feedback force to the user interface that opposes user interface movement. One of the feedback motors is disposed such that its center of gravity is located at a position relative to the user interface to mass balance the user interface when it is in the null position. The configurations allow for the center of gravity of a feedback motor to be positioned in a manner that alleviates the need for counterbalance weights.
The document US 2010123045 A1 discloses a device for controlling vehicles having a manual control unit configured to influence the direction of movement of a vehicle. The manual control unit provides, in a neutral position of the manual control unit, a trim point to determine a preferred direction of movement. The device further includes a force generating device, generating at least one force acting in the direction of the neutral position of the manual control unit; a trim coupling operable to reduce the at least one force acting on the manual control unit; and a trim control unit configured to store and retain the trim point existing prior to an operation of the trim coupling.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,043 A discloses an improvement to an aircraft control stick. Movement of an aircraft may generate a force which undesirably causes the aircraft pilot to deflect the aircraft's control stick, which thereby results in the aircraft deviating from the desired flight path. A processor-based system employs an algorithm that generates a signal for causing the control stick to resist such forces. A spring and damper are connected to the control stick so that the spring constant and damping ratio may be varied.
The document US2009230252 A1 discloses an aircraft flight control including a control stick with a handle and a root that are interconnected by an intermediate segment of the control stick. The flight control includes a pitch shaft and a roll shaft that are mutually perpendicular, the control stick passing through an oblong orifice formed in the pitch shaft, the root being mechanically connected to the roll shaft by a mechanical connection, while the intermediate segment is connected to the pitch shaft via a connection pin that passes through the intermediate segment and that is arranged axially in the oblong orifice.
The document U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,241 A discloses a device for controlling elements of a machine, comprising a stick intended to be actuated by a single hand of an operator and mounted for tilting about at least one axis transversal to said stick, said stick being associated with at least one position sensor and delivering an electric signal representative of tilting of said stick about said axis, on each side of a neutral position, said electric signal controlling at least one actuator which controls at least one of said elements of the machine. This device is characterized in that said stick is mounted for rotation on itself about its longitudinal axis and in that it comprises at least one other position sensor delivering another electric signal representative of rotation of said stick about itself, on each side of a neutral position, said other electric signal controlling at least one other actuator which controls at least one other element of said machine.
The document US2009189024 A1 discloses a device for remotely controlling the control surfaces of an aircraft, the device comprising: an actuator member pivotable about an axis and entraining a rotary shaft; a stationary finger parallel to the shaft and supported at a radial distance from the shaft; a moving finger secured to the shaft and supported at a radial distance therefrom, both fingers being parallel to the shaft; a first slab supported at a radial distance from the shaft beside the two fingers on one side thereof and suitable for turning about the axis of the shaft; a second slab supported at a radial distance from the shaft beside the two fingers on their side opposite from the first slab, and suitable for turning about the axis of the shaft; a third slab supported at a radial distance from the shaft beside the second slab at an angular distance therefrom and suitable for turning about the axis of the shaft; a first spring between the first and second slabs; and a second spring between the first and third slabs.
The solutions of the cited state of the art are generally conceived to deal with specific needs of control.


A universal DC power adaptor for a PRC-148 radio, a PRC-152 radio, and a Handheld ISR Transceiver, and a method of using same, is disclosed. The presently disclosed universal DC power adaptor includes mounting and locking features that are common to both the PRC-148 radio and the PRC-152 radio. The universal DC power adaptor further includes certain mounting and locking features that are unique to the PRC-148 radio and other mounting and locking features that are unique to the PRC-152 radio. The universal DC power adaptor also provides an output voltage suitable for both the PRC-148 and PRC-152 radios. Such features also are compatible with the Handheld ISR Transceiver, making the universal DC power adaptor compatible with the ISR Transceiver as well. Additionally, the universal DC power adaptor includes programmable control electronics.

The military uses various types of portable battery-operated radios and handheld digital devices for reconnaissance. The handheld ISR Transceiver, such as those manufactured by, for example, L3 Communications, Raytheon Company, Harris Corporation, and Coastal Defense, Inc., is one example of such handheld digital devices. The PRC-148 radio and the PRC-152 radio are examples of military-spec portable battery-operated radios. The battery for the PRC-148 has certain unique features for mounting and locking the base of the radio to the battery. The battery for the PRC-152 has certain other unique features for mounting and locking the base of the radio to the battery. The battery for the Handheld ISR Transceiver has certain other unique features for mounting and locking the base of the device to the battery. There may be circumstances in which it may be beneficial to replace the battery of either type of radio, or the Handheld ISR Transceiver, with a DC power adaptor. In this case, the PRC-148 radio would require a DC power adaptor having a first set of features and providing a certain output voltage. Similarly, the PRC-152 radio would require a DC power adaptor having a second set of features and providing a different output voltage. Further still, the Handheld ISR Transceiver would require a DC power adaptor having a third set of features and providing a different output voltage. Consequently, because all three types of devices exist in the field, military personnel could be required to carry three types of DC power adaptors.


An Improved target for surveying has a body including a connector member, a stem member connecting the connector member to the body, a spirit level member connected to a surface of the body, a rod member extending vertically from a top side of the body, and a horizontal line drawn on a vertical surface of the body; and a bracket adapted to be rigidly affixed to a wall or post member, the bracket including a receptacle member adapted to receive and rigidly hold the connector member in a chosen position.

Land surveying has been around for centuries and although many new improvements in satellite and GPS technologies have made the task much easier and accurate, there is still a need for land based surveying. This method still relies on lining up with a reference point, also known as a target. The problem with conventional targets is that they are flat and that their range is rather limited because they cannot reflect back enough light for the measuring instrument to get a proper reading.


A memory controller monitors requests from one or more computer subsystems and issues one or more prefetch commands if the memory controller detects that the memory system is idle after a period of activity, or if a prefetch buffer read hit occurs. In some embodiments, results of a prefetching operations are stored in a prefetch buffer configured to provide an automatic aging mechanism, which evicts prefetched data from time to time. The prefetched data in the prefetch buffer is released and sent back to the requester in order with respect to previous memory access requests.

As processing speeds continue to outpace memory speeds, memory access latencies continue to become more of a bottleneck to improving system performance. One solution for reducing memory access latencies is to prefetch and store requested data before it is needed by the requester. Prefetching is a mechanism that has been employed by central processing units (CPUs) to gather data into CPU caches before the data is needed by the CPU. Since the data resides locally in the CPU cache, the CPU need not wait for the data to be fetched from memory. Thus, incorporating prefetching into the CPU can dramatically increase system performance if the hit rate in the cache is high (i.e., if prefetching substantially increases the frequency with which data needed by the CPU is found in the CPU's cache).
While CPU prefetching has advantages, it has drawbacks as well. For example, when a CPU issues a prefetch command, it typically does not know if other subsystems are concurrently accessing the same memory. For this reason, prefetches issued by a CPU can interfere with memory access requests from other subsystems, delaying these and subsequent memory access requests.

Memory controller with prefetching capability


A laser scanner for reading a bar code having a plurality of bar code elements. The laser scanner includes a digitizer which receives as an input an analog signal from photodetector circuitry and digitizes the analog signal to produce a digital bar code pattern (DBP) signal representative of the bar code. The DBP signal is input to a decoder which reads and decodes the DBP signal thereby decoding the bar code. The digitizer imposes a short duration correction impulse on the DBP signal whenever successive edges of the same polarity are sensed wherein both of the edges are above a threshold level and further wherein the second edge is of greater magnitude than the first edge. When a correction impulse is received on the DBP signal by the decoder, the decoder corrects the DBP signal by removing the first edge and toggling on the second edge.

Laser scanners are widely used for reading bar codes, including one dimensional and two dimensional bar codes. In a laser scanner, a laser generates a beam, the beam is scanned or rapidly moved across a bar code or a portion of a bar code. Typically, the laser beam is focused by a lens and repetitively scanned by means of an oscillating or rotating mirror. Essentially, the beam generates a beam spot that moves across a target bar code.
The space elements of the bar code reflect the laser beam illumination and the dark or black bar elements of the bar code absorb the laser beam. The reflected light from the bar code is focused by scanner light-receiving optics through a bandpass filter and onto a photodetector circuitry, such as a photodiode. The pattern of reflected light, as received by the photodiode of the laser scanner, is a representation of the pattern of the bar code. That is, a sequence of time when the photodiode is receiving reflected light represents the laser beam spot moving across a space of the bar code, while a sequence of time when the photodiode is not receiving reflected light represents the laser moving across a dark bar. Since the scanning speed or velocity of the laser is known, the elapsed time of the photodiode receiving reflected light can be converted into a width of a bar code element corresponding to a space, while the elapsed time of the photodiode not receiving reflected light can be converted into a width of a bar code element corresponding to a bar.
The photodiode is part of photodiode circuitry which converts the reflected light into an analog signal. The laser scanner includes a digitizer to digitize the analog signal generated by the photodiode. The digitizer outputs a digital bar code pattern (DPB) signal representative of the bar code pattern. A decoder of the laser scanner inputs the DPB signal and decodes the bar code. The decoded bar code typically includes payload information about the product that the bar code is affixed to. Upon successful decoding of the scanned bar code, the scanner may provide an audio and/or visual signal to an operator of the scanner to indicate a successful read and decode of the bar code. The scanner typically includes a display to display payload information to the operator and a memory to store information decoded from the bar code.
To successfully read and decode a bar code, the digitizer must accurately interpret the analog signal output by the photodiode circuitry and determine where the edges, that is, the transition points of successive bar code elements are. Noise makes the digitization process problematic. Noise can include optical noise such as ambient light, paper grain or speckle noise, printing defects. Noise may also include electrical sources of noise such as radiated (EMI) or conducted (scanner circuitry induced noise). A digitizer must differentiate the signal representative of the bar code pattern from various sources of noise. Typically, digitizers use an edge detection process wherein an edge transition (black to white (bar to space) or white to black (space to bar)) between bar code elements is deemed to have been detected only if the level of the differentiated signal is above a specified or predetermined threshold. Additional criteria that may be used include amount of signal drop from its pick value or changing of direction of the differentiated signal. Such features give the digitizer a degree of noise immunity, that is, reducing the possibility that edge detection was triggered by noise rather than the bar code element edge transition.
The edge detection process of the digitizer also requires that the edge polarities have to alternate. Edge polarity tells whether the edge marks a transition from space to a bar (positive-going edge or positive edge) or a transition from bar to a space (negative-going edge or negative edge). By requiring alternating edges, the edge detection process ensures that the resulting DBP signal represent a sequence of bar code elements that are properly ordered as: bar-space-bar-space-bar-space, etc.
Alternating polarity edge detection is suitable when the analog bar code signal from the photodiode is not noisy. However, noise and the convolution effect of the laser beam may cause a distortion of the photodiode analog signal such that two or more consecutive edges of the signal may have the same polarity. Empirical evidence suggests that when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the analog signal drops below a certain value, the probability of such a situation increases significantly and at SNR<=8 dB consecutive edges having the same polarity becomes very likely.
FIG. 1 illustrates the problem with alternating edge polarity edge detection. FIG. 1 is a plot of analog voltage output of photodiode circuitry (including voltage control circuitry and a differentiator) versus time. Typically, the analog voltage output 30 is the first derivative of the photodiode current. A negative polarity edge labeled A is below a predetermined edge detection threshold −T. (The edge detection threshold −T may be a static value or a dynamic value which changes based on various scanning parameters.) Thus, a digitizer utilizing alternating edge polarity will toggle the DBP line low at the location of point A, signaling the beginning of a space of the bar code pattern. The next edge B is above a positive edge threshold +T and would cause the digitizer to toggle the DBP line high. However, edge B is caused by noise and, in fact, edge C should be the proper transition point between bar code elements E1 and E2 rather than point B. However, since the transition of the DBP signal has already occurred at edge B, it can not be reversed at edge C since edges B and C are of the same polarity. The digitizer will toggle the DBP line low next at edge D, an edge with negative polarity marking the end of the bar representing element E2.
What this means is that the decoder receiving the DBP signal as an input will calculate a width of both successive bar code elements E1, E2 improperly. The DBP signal output by the digitizer will result in the decoder calculating the width of bar code element E1 as corresponding to the elapsed time (where elapsed time is the surrogate of distance or element width) between edges A and B, when element E1 should correctly have a width corresponding to the elapsed time between edges A and C. Thus, the calculated width of element E1 will be too short. Similarly, the DBP signal output by the digitizer will result in the decoder calculating the width of bar code element E2 as corresponding to the elapsed time between edges B and D, when element E2 should correctly have a width corresponding to the elapsed time between edges C and D. Thus, the calculated width of element E1 will be too long. If the width error of element E1 exceeds the narrowest element width for the bar code, the decoder will incorrectly read the bar width of point B to point D as including one extra bar code element width. Another similar case is marked as points X, Y, Z. In both situations, the digitizer error leads to an error in bar code element width. This has disastrous consequences for the scanner decoder. In case of symbologies, which use all element combinations, like UPC such situation leads to character misclassification. That results in a failure to decode, however if more than one such error occurs for a single symbol, then that may result in symbol misdecode. The danger of misdecode is increased, if a symbol is decoded using fragments of a bar code coming from separate scans, like it is in case of block decoding or even more often in the case of half block stitching.
What is needed is a digitizer which mitigates DBP distortion resulting from receiving an analog signal having two successive edges of the same polarity.

Laser scanner having analog digitizer with increased noise immunity


An embodiment provides a lighting device comprising: a body having a first opening at a central part thereof; a light source member, which is disposed on the body and includes a circuit board having a plurality of light-emitting elements arranged thereon; and a cover disposed on the light source member and coupled to the body, wherein the circuit board comprises at least one second opening vertically overlapping the first opening and at least one first protrusion protruding toward the inside of the second opening from a side surface of the second opening, and at least one of the light-emitting elements is mounted on the first protrusion.

A light emitting diode (LED) is a kind of semiconductor element configured to convert electric energy into light. LEDs have advantages of low power consumption, semi-permanent lifetime, fast response speed, safety, and environmental friendliness compared to conventional light sources such as fluorescent lamps and incandescent lamps. Accordingly, studies for replacing the conventional light sources with LEDs are widely being conducted. Recently, the LEDs have been increasingly used as light sources for lighting devices such as various liquid crystal displays, electric sign boards, and street lamps used indoors and outdoors.
The lighting device using the LED as a light source includes a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the LED is mounted. However, the PCB is formed such that a central portion thereof is opened in order to fix the lighting device to a socket.
Accordingly, a central portion of a lighting device is darker than a peripheral portion, and thus a luminance uniformity of the lighting device is reduced.

Lighting device and LED circuit board with a center opening with a protrusion


Disclosed is a voltage generating circuit which steps down a voltage to output a stepped down voltage. The voltage generating circuit includes first and second transistors. The drains of the first and second transistors are connected to a higher voltage power supply. The gate of the first transistor is connected to the gate of the second transistor. The voltage of the gate of the first transistor is controlled by a control circuit such that a voltage of the source of the first transistor can reach a predetermined voltage. A stepped down voltage is outputted from the source of the second transistor.

Voltage generating circuits are widely used in semiconductor memory devices, SoC devices, and the like. In accordance with the progress of the micro-fabrication, low voltage operation and high integration of semiconductor elements, a voltage generating circuit is mounted together with such a device on a semiconductor chip to generate a voltage of a different level from that of a power supply voltage, which is supplied from the outside. The generated voltage, serving as an internal power supply voltage, is supplied to other circuits in the semiconductor chip.
Such a voltage generating circuit includes a step-down circuit that steps down the power supply voltage supplied from the outside, and a booster circuit that boosts the power supply voltage supplied from the outside.
As a step-down circuit, a voltage generating circuit such as a series regulator is known for use in a standby mode, for example, where current is less supplied. In addition, as another kind of step-down circuit, a source follower type voltage generating circuit is known. The source follower type voltage generating circuit is used in a mode for flowing current, for example, an active mode.
A source follower type voltage generating circuit is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-178584 (Page 8, FIG. 10). The source follower type a voltage generating circuit is provided with an output transistor and a mirror transistor. The mirror transistor is of the same type as the output transistor, and is provided at the preceding stage of the output transistor.
The mirror transistor and the output transistor are supplied with a voltage of an outer power supply VDD. The outer power supply VDD is supplied to the drain of the output transistor. The gate of the mirror transistor is connected to the drain of the mirror transistor. The gates of the output transistor and the mirror transistor are connected to each other. The gate voltage of the mirror transistor is maintained at a constant level. The circuit structure allows the output transistor to output a stepped-down internal power supply voltage.
The source follower type voltage generating circuit is configured to equalize the internal power supply voltage stepped down by the output transistor with the source voltage of the mirror transistor.
However, as will be described below, the output transistor and the mirror transistor show different characteristics in the case the voltage of the outer power supply VDD is high. Accordingly, a problem arises that a difference occurs in current amount per unit width between the output transistor and the mirror transistor.
The phenomenon of showing the different characteristics will be specifically described with reference to FIG. 10.
FIG. 10 is load curves showing a relationship between a current value which flows through a source follower type voltage generating circuit and a gate-source voltage VGS of an output transistor and a mirror transistor. FIG. 10 shows the relationship when a voltage of an outer power supply VDD is high. A curve 10 shows a load characteristic of the mirror transistor. A curve 11 shows a load characteristic of the output transistor. In FIG. 10A, current value 20 shows the maximum load current value. A current value 21 shows the minimum load current value. A point 22 shows a current of the mirror transistor and a gate-source voltage VGS in a standby state respectively.
Thus, when the voltage of the voltage power supply VDD is high, a difference in load characteristics occurs between the mirror transistor and the output transistor, which outputs a voltage stepped-down from the voltage of the power supply VDD.
Accordingly, a relationship between a load current Ifk1 of the mirror transistor in a standby state and a load current Ifk2 of the output transistor to step down the voltage VDD is defined as follows:Ifk2>Ifk1  (1)
Moreover, in order to obtain a gate-source voltage VGS in a load current maximum region which is in an active state, a relationship between a load current Ifk1a of the mirror transistor and a load current Ifk2a of the output transistor that steps down the power supply voltage is defined as follows:Ifk2a>Ifk1a  (2)
Thus, a difference in the current amount per unit width occurs between the mirror transistor and the output transistor. The difference becomes remarkable with increase of a current amount of the voltage of the voltage power supply VDD.
As a result, the difference makes it difficult to maintain the source voltage of the mirror transistor at a predetermined value by controlling the gate voltage of the mirror transistor.


An electrical connector defines an insulative housing defining a mating portion having a plurality of passageways therein, a plurality of terminals separated into two distinct groups and received in the housing, and a spacer assembled to back side of the housing for fixing the leg portions of the terminals. The terminal defines a contacting portion received in the passageways, a body portion extending rearward from an end of the contacting portion and a leg portion extending downward from an end of the body portion, the body portion and the leg portion are exposed outside of the housing. The spacer has an inner face defining a pressing platform having a bottom face at least pressing the body portion of the one group of terminals.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to an electrical connector having a spacer engaging with terminals which assembled to a housing of the electrical connector.
2. Description of Related Arts
Parallel ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) and parallel SCSI are two dominant hard disk (HD) interfaces technologies today. The parallel ATA disks are widely used in desktop PCs and portable PCs, and the parallel SCSI disks are mainly used in high-volume servers and subsystems. As disk interconnect speeds continue to rise, existing parallel ATA and parallel SCSI buses are reaching their performance limits because that parallel transmissions are susceptible to crosstalk across multiple streams of wide ribbon cable that adds line noise and can cause signal errors—a pitfall that has been remedied by slowing the signal, limiting cable length or both. Therefore, new interconnect technologies are needed to meet performance requirements going forward. The serial technology is emerging as a solution to the problem. The main advantage of serial technology is that while it does move data in a single point-to-point stream, it does so much faster than parallel technology because it is not tired to a particular clock speed.
Serial ATA (SATA) is a serial version of ATA, which is expected to be a replacement for parallel ATA. U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,122 discloses a type of SATA receptacle connector for being mounted on a printed circuit board. The receptacle connector has two receiving cavities defined in an insulative housing thereof and two sets of conductive terminals respectively used for power and signal transmission installed in the insulative housing. Another U.S. Pat. No. D469,407 discloses an electrical connector assembly with a SATA plug connector as a part thereof. The plug connector has two generally L-shaped tongue plates receiving two sets of terminals for electrically connecting the conductive terminals as the tongue plates are inserted into the respective receiving cavities of the receptacle connector.
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is a successor to the parallel SCSI and is also based on serial technology. Besides the advantage of higher speed signal transmission, another most significant advantage is the SAS interface will also be compatible with SATA drives. In other words, the SATA plug connector can plug directly into an SAS receptacle connector if supported in the system. By this way, the system builders are flexible to integrate either SAS or SATA devices and slash the costs associated with supporting two separate interfaces.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,709 issued to George discloses a kind of SAS receptacle connector which has generally the same configuration as the SATA receptacle connector. The SAS receptacle connector has two sets of terminals conformable with SATA signal provision in the receptacle connector. A third set of signal terminals is further arranged to a second side wall opposing to a first side wall where said two sets of terminals are arranged. Each terminal defines a planar portion having a mating portion exposed in the cavity and a vertical leg portion extending downwardly from the planar portion. For protecting the terminal, the receptacle connector further defines a spacer for fixing the lower end of the vertical leg portion of the terminal. However, the spacer limits the terminals in the transverse direction only but not in the vertical direction, therefore the planar portion of terminal may be broken when the connector is mounted to a print circuit board.
Hence, a new electrical connector is desired.

Electrical connector with positioning spacer engaging with terminals thereon


A known device for increasing the functional reliability for a hydraulic circuit of a hydraulic clutch having a pressure reservoir (25) and a release cylinder (5) which comprises a primary piston (14) and a secondary piston (16). A compensation volume is developed in the sense that when the vehicle is at a standstill and the parking brake released, an unintentional release of the clutch is prevented. A pressure-monitoring/pressure-supply device (28) is used for determining a reference operating pressure and establishes a static pressure which, in case of any system error, only allows displacement of the secondary piston (16) such that the contact pressure of the clutch discs, against one another, is still sufficient to maintain the vehicle at a standstill.

An increase of the functional reliability of the hydraulic circuit of a hydraulically operable clutch generally aims at maintaining the existing shifting state of the clutch and obtaining between the shifting states a defined transition characteristic which can be reproduced and thus effectively controlled by the driver of the vehicle concerned.
To meet the requirements, pressure intensifiers are known from the prior art from which a sufficient feedback goes to the clutch pedal so that the engagement and disengagement ratios sought by the driver can be adapted to the existing situation. It is very important here to implement play and wear compensation in order to ensure a coincident response characteristic during the service life of the clutch.
Release cylinders thus are known from the prior art in which automatic wear compensation is implemented. In that case, the release cylinder can have two pistons; the axial spacing between which is determined by the volume of a liquid located between the pistons; there resulting an adaptation of the volume depending on the wear state of the clutch.
However, when the vehicle is stopped, there is the danger that in case the working valve is not sealed, hydraulic liquid flows into the intermediate space between primary and secondary pistons, via a bleeding hole and, due to the volume increase, moves the secondary piston so that a slow opening of the clutch cannot be ruled out with certainty whereby the vehicle, when the parking brake is open, could unintentionally set itself in motion.
In DE 197 17 486 C2 is described a pneumatic pressure intensifier for a hydraulic clutch operation for motor vehicles. In the pressure intensifier, a pneumatic working space is provided which can be loaded with pressurized air for pressure intensification of a hydraulic working space. One control piston, coordinated with the pneumatic working space and serving for engaging and disengaging the pressure intensification source, is activated by a working piston located in the hydraulic circuit so that a leakage, due to pressure increase in the release cylinder, does not occur.
However, the described pneumatic intensifier of the device has a complicated construction and, to that extent, is susceptible to noise and comparatively costly to produce.
Therefore, the invention is based on the problem of increasing the functional reliability of an operation in the hydraulic circuit of hydraulic clutch by comparatively simple means.

Device for increasing the functional reliability of a hydraulic circuit of a hydraulically operable clutch


Embodiments of the present disclosure describe a call recording system and a call recording method for automatically recording, i.e. storing, a call candidate when an active call is detected. The call recording system comprises a sound receiver to receive sound data and to convert sound data to audio representations of sound, a buffer to buffer the audio representations of sound for a predetermined time duration, a call candidate determination unit to determine if the buffered audio representations comprise a call candidate, a call analyzer to analyze the call candidate, wherein the call analyzer determines if the call candidate is a call to be stored, and a storage to store the call candidate as a call. Hence, a reliable system can be provided for automatically storing a call.

The present invention relates to automatically recording of a call candidate when an active call is detected. In particular, the present invention relates to a call recording system and a call recording method for automatically recording, i.e. the storing, of a call candidate when an active call is detected.
Recording calls over a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network is for example essential in a call center environment, medical, legal, health, or finance industries. In this matter, for functions that require a high volume of calls, automatically recording of calls is preferred to reduce human error and labor.
Automatically recording, i.e. storing, of calls when a call is detected over the VoIP network, typically involves 1) integration of a recording function with a VoIP provider; 2) third party Application Programming Interface (API) integration into the VoIP system which usually is performed through port mirroring or hosted services which sniffs the data that passes by; 3) browser-based communication methods; or 4) local recording of clients which are tailored to a specific VoIP service.
However, there are several drawbacks to these existing solutions. One drawback of integrating the recording function with the VoIP provider is that this integration may be quite expensive and may require high barriers to integration and infrastructure. Additionally, the VoIP provider may record at a middle point between multiple calls resulting in a call recording quality reduced to the lowest quality denominator of the multiple calls. In more detail, if one call on the VoIP network has a High Definition (HD) quality connection, but another call has a lower quality connection, the call will be recorded in the lower quality format.
A drawback for third party API integration is that it may be expensive, as it needs to be integrated into a VoIP network. Port mirroring or hosted services may have similar drawbacks to the VoIP integration in having high barriers for installing and configuring the network for recording due to a need on premise hardware for sniffing the packets of data.
Browser-based communication methods may be recorded by a browser provider (e.g. WebRTC) which is limited to only recording the one browser method without being able to record across platforms and integrate all recordings into one place.
Local recording clients that are tailored to specific VoIP services, like Skype, have similar drawbacks compared to the browser-based communication methods, as they are limited to only recording the one service and at an additional cost.
Moreover, all of these methods mentioned above consume an increased load of bandwidth as communication with a server is required for recording.
Other methods for automatically detecting and recording calls which are described in the prior art include speech analysis methods where keywords are detected to trigger a recording. This requires analyzing all calls by using a transcription service with the drawback of a large amount of processing power to transcribe and then to analyze the individual words of a text. Local systems without sufficient processing capabilities may not be able to automatically detect and record calls with speech analysis methods, such that communication with an external server may be needed resulting in the usage of large bandwidth.
Therefore, it is a challenge to automatically detect a possible call, a candidate for a call, on the VoIP network and then to automatically record, i.e. store, the call candidate if the call candidate is a call to be stored. Moreover, it is a challenge to provide a call recording system and method which can run locally on a system, i.e. machine, without much processing power. Accordingly, it is desired to provide a call recording system and method which does not need to be integrated with any other third-party software, while it shall be avoided to generate extra load on the bandwidth of the data being sent from the local machine to the server.

Call recording system for automatically storing a call candidate and call recording method