A particulate trap for use in a diesel engine which is inexpensive, and which is high in particulate trapping efficiency, regeneration properties and durability, and low in pressure loss due to particulates trapped. An even number of flat filters made from a non-woven fabric of heat-resistant metallic fiber are laminated alternately with the same number of corrugated sheets made of a heat-resistant metal. The laminate thus formed are rolled into a columnar shape. Each space between the adjacent flat filters in which every other corrugated sheet is inserted is closed at one end of the filter element by a closure member. The other spaces between the adjacent flat filters are closed at the other end of the filter element.

The present invention relates to a particulate trap for trapping and removing particulates such as carbon contained in diesel engine exhausts and for removing any noxious components in exhausts.
Exhaust gases from automobiles are a major cause of air pollution. It is therefore of extreme importance to develop a technique for removing noxious components in exhausts.
In particular, the development of a technique for removing particulate components in diesel engine emissions, which are mainly made up of NOx and carbon is urgently required.
To remove such noxious components in exhausts, Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication 58-51235 proposes to provide an exhaust trap in an exhaust line to trap any noxious components and remove them by after-treatment Other conventional exhaust purifying means include various improvements in the engine itself such as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems and improved fuel injection systems. But none of them has proved to be an effective solution. After-treatment methods are currently considered more practical as exhaust purifying means. Thus, rigorous efforts are now being made to develop after-treatment type exhaust purifying systems.
It is required that particulate traps for trapping particulates contained in diesel engine emissions satisfy all of the following requirements.
1) Particulate trapping capability
A particulate trap must be capable of trapping particulates with high efficiency and so that exhausts are satisfactorily purified. It is considered necessary to trap an average of at least 60% of the particulates contained in diesel engine emissions, even though the amount of particulates contained in exhausts depends upon the displacement of the diesel engine and the load applied.
Airborne particulates 2 .mu.m or less in diameter can enter human alveoli and reportedly trigger lung cancer. It is thus necessary that particulate traps be capable of efficiently trapping even these small suspended particulates.
2) Pressure loss
The particulate trap must be capable of keeping the pressure loss in exhaust gases to a minimum If it causes a large pressure loss, a back pressure will act on the engine, aggravating the engine performance in various ways. Thus, it is necessary to keep the pressure loss to less than 30 kPa in a normal state. For this purpose, the particulate trap has to have a sufficiently small initial exhaust pressure loss, and also be capable of keeping the pressure loss to a minimum even after it has trapped a large amount of particulates.
3) Regeneration
The third requirement is that the trap can be regenerated at low energy cost. This is because the particulate trap has to be regenerated or recycled many times for repeated use by burning trapped particulates. An electric heater or a light oil burner is considered a feasible means for burning off particulates.
4) Durability
Fourthly, the trap must be sufficiently durable. It must be highly resistant to corrosion when exposed to hot exhaust gases and to heat shocks produced while burning particulates.
5) Integration with a catalytic converter
Furthers it is necessary to provide a catalytic converter integral with the trap. In order to remove noxious gas components in exhausts, a catalytic converter carrying a noxious gas removing catalyst may be provided in an engine exhaust line. If it is desired to further provide a separate particulate trap in the same exhaust lines there may be no available mounting space in the exhaust line. Also, the cost for separately providing these two different after-treatment type exhaust purifying systems tends to be rather high.
Among the existing filter element materials that satisfy the above-listed requirements, a wall-flow type, honeycomb porous member made of cordierite ceramics is considered the most practical. But this filter has several problems. One problem is that particulates tend to collect locally. Another problem is that, because of low thermal conductivity of cordierite ceramic, this filter tends to develop heat spots during regeneration. As a result, the filter may melt or crack due to thermal stress. Such a filter is not durable enough. A ceramic fiber trap made by forming ceramic fibers into a candle shape is gaining much attention recently. But this trap is not sufficiently durable either. The fibers forming the trap tend to break due to reduced strength when exposed to high-temperature exhaust gases.
Metal traps (as disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Publications 6-257422, 6-294313, 7-731 and 7-51522) are now considered more promising, because they are high in thermal conductivity, less likely to develop heat spots and cracks and highly corrosion-resistant in high-temperature exhausts.
The problems of conventional metal traps in connection with the abovementioned requirements 1)-5) will now be discussed.
Conventional metal traps basically satisfy the requirements 1) and 3). But as to the capacity of trapping suspended particulates 2 .mu.m or less in diameter in the requirement 1), higher performance is desired.
As to the requirement 2), conventional metal traps can cause a marked pressure loss after trapping particulates. If an especially low engine back pressure is required, these traps will be unsatisfactory.
In order to minimize the pressure loss even after the filter element has trapped a large amount of particulates, the filter element must have a large surface area (filtering area). But in order to increase the filtering area of a conventional metal trap filter element, it is necessary to use an extremely large trap.
In connection with the requirement 4): the filter element of a conventional metal trap is deformed microscopically due to the pressure of exhausts introduced, and can-be destroyed due to stresses resulting from the microscopic deformation. Also, since the trap is mounted in the exhaust line, its filter element is vibrated together with the traps which may result in the destruction of the filter element. These problems are observed in harsh endurance tests.
As to the requirement 5), it is sometimes necessary to integrally provide a catalytic converter on a conventional metal trap. For example, a catalyst may be integrally carried on a wall-flow type, honeycomb porous member made of a cordierite ceramic, which was originally developed as a DPF (diesel particulate filter). In such a case, it may be difficult to heat the catalyst to an operational temperature because the honeycomb porous member, having a large heat capacity, is slow to heat up.
An object of the present invention is to provide a particulate trap which is free of all the above problems and which satisfies all the requirements 1)-5).
One way to increase the filtering area of such a metal trap without unduly increasing the size of the entire trap is to weld both sides of all the filter elements to side plates with high accuracy while keeping the filter elements spaced from each other at small intervals. But such accurate welding is technically so difficult that its feasibility is doubtful Even if possible, such welding method would incur prohibitive costs.


A two-component system for forming a sealing composition for bonding to unsanded, polymer-coated fiberglass surfaces. The system includes a resin component containing a major amount of epoxy resin, glycidoxy silane (0-2.5 wt. %) and hydrophilic-modified polyolefin fiber (0.5-10 wt. %), and a curing agent component having a major amount of amine curing agent and which may also contain amino silane (0-5 wt. %). The resin component may also contain alpha-phase alumina (20-80 wt. %), ceramic fiber (2-25 wt. %), and mica (2-20 wt. %). In another formulation, the resin component contains glycidoxy silane (0-2.5 wt. %), hydrophilic-modified polyolefin fiber (0.5-10 wt. %), ceramic fiber (2-25 wt. %), anti-foam material (0.2-1.0 wt. %), and epoxy novolac resin to 100 wt. %. The curing agent component contains amino silane (0-5 wt. %) and amine curing agent to 100 wt. %.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to two-component epoxy resin and amine hardener compositions and, more particularly, to two-component compositions for sealing the circumferential joint between pairs of polymer-coated fiberglass fume duct sections with unsanded mating surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ductwork for corrosive vapor exhaust systems is used extensively in industries which utilize hazardous chemicals to process raw materials or perform manufacturing procedures. Such ductwork also is required in research and development laboratories which use highly reactive, toxic or otherwise hazardous chemicals in conducting experiments. Pat. No. 5,549,949 ("'949") is directed to sealant compositions for sealing the circumferential joint between pairs of dual-laminate fume duct sections, and to a joint sealing method which provides strong bonding between the sealant and phenolic/glass and vinyl ester surfaces without first preparing the mating surfaces by sanding them. As discussed therein, ducts are fabricated as sections which are transported to a job site and assembled there. Since a leak-proof joint is required between each pair of contiguous sections, even the smallest installation requires a considerable number of such joints. Because mechanical interfacing of section ends cannot by itself prevent leakage, a sealant must be applied circumferentially to each interface. The most time-consuming step in joining dual-laminate sections has been preparing the resin-impregnated surfaces to which the sealant must bond in order to effect a leak-proof seal. Unless the surfaces to be mated are sanded, the interposing sealant layer will not uniformly adhere to the surfaces, resulting in porosities in the hardened sealant through which fumes can leak. Joints must not only prevent fumes from escaping in day-to-day operation, but must also maintain integrity after prolonged exposure to corrosive or otherwise reactive chemicals. Also, joints must not fail catastrophically in the event a flame propagates through the ductwork or, if exposed directly to heat, become a source of smoke particulates or other contaminants.
Because of the wide diversity of chemicals used in industrial and research applications, it has been extremely difficult to provide a single material for fabricating ductwork which can withstand all the chemicals to which duct interiors may be exposed. Over the past forty years the trend in materials has been away from bare and coated metals and toward the use of plastics, particularly fiberglass reinforced plastics (FRP's) which incorporate various types of resins which provide desirable properties. U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,299 to L. E. Shea is directed to a dual-laminate tubular duct section having both good chemical resistance and good fire resistance. An inner laminate is formed by coating a mylar wrapped mandrel with a chemically resistant resin such as a halogenated vinyl ester and then wrapping the mandrel with successive layers of FRP fabric material saturated with the resin. An outer laminate is then formed directly over the inner laminate by applying successive layers of FRP fabric material saturated with a resorcinol or phenol/resorcinol type fire-retardant resin.
The three resin compositions disclosed in the '949 patent are mixtures of resins of several types, including epoxy novolac resin, aromatic epoxide resin and aliphatic trifunctional epoxy resin, to which is added a minor amount of glycidoxy silane. Both curing agent compositions include two types of cycloaliphatic amines and an aromatic tertiary amine, and one composition further includes a minor amount of amino silane. Adhesive shear strength tests were conducted for the resultant six sealant combinations to compare bonding of sanded vis-a-vis unsanded surfaces of phenolic resin-impregnated laminates and vinyl resin-impregnated dual-laminates. The test results identified one especially preferred sealant combination for phenolic laminates, and one especially preferred sealant combination for vinyl laminates. In both cases, the ratio of mean adhesive shear strength for unsanded compared to sanded surfaces was 0.97.
In contrast, the present invention is directed to two-component systems whose resin composition contains organic and inorganic filler materials, and whose curing agent composition is either totally a single type of amine, or the amine and a minor amount of amino silane.
Adding fillers to epoxy resin compositions to improve thixotropic and mechanical properties is well known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,797 to S. Tahara discloses epoxy resin compositions for sealing liquid crystal display cells which include at least one organic and/or inorganic filler. Suitable organic fillers include powders of polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, polyvinylacetate, polystyrene-polyvinylacetate copolymer, polymethacrylate, polyurethane, polyester, urea resin, phenol resin and epoxy resin. Suitable inorganic fillers include carbonates such as calcium carbonate and magneisum carbonate, sulfates such as barium sulfate and magnesium sulfate, silicates such as aluminum silicate and zirconium silicate, oxides such as iron oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide (alumina), silicon oxide (silica) and zinc oxide, and kaolon, talc, asbestos powder, quartz powder, mica and glass fiber. U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,612 to W. G. Kim et al. provides an epoxy novolac resin composition for sealing semiconductor elements which includes an inorganic filler such as high purity fused silica micro-particles in an amount by weight of 65 to 85 percent. U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,175 to B. Schreiber et al. discloses epoxide resin molding materials whose composition contains organic and/or inorganic fillers. Suitable organic fillers include cellulose, polyamide, polyester and polyacrylonitrile fibers. Suitable inorganic fillers include quartz flour, ground shale, calcined kaolin, powdered chalk, wollastonite, mica, aluminum oxide trihydrate, diopside, ground dolomite, talcum, barium sulfate, graphite and wood flour.
Using a mixture of amines as the curing agent for epoxide resin compositions is well known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,300 to U. Gruber teaches that impregnating a fiber composite with a curable, liquid, solvent-free epoxide resin matrix containing as the curing agent a specific mixture of amines based on monoamines results in a moderately viscous composition which fully cures at relatively low temperature, viz., below 120.degree. C. The matrix contains: (a) a liquid epoxide resin or a liquid mixture of epoxide resins; (b) an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic primary monoamine and/or a disecondary diamine; and (c) a tertiary amine which cures by catalysis or (d) a cycloaliphatic diamine or polyamine.
Combining epoxy resins and amino silanes is known. U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,206 to E. D. Dickens, Jr. et al. is directed to coating compositions which when applied to rare earth magnets reduce oxidiation and/or inhibit corrosion. The compositions are formed by combining (a) an amino silane and (b) either an epoxy silane and/or an epoxy resin.

Epoxy system for bonding to unsanded polymer-coated fiberglass surfaces


An apparatus comprising a wall of a drawer adapted to secure a set of cables at a first end, the set of cables can be housed in a cable housing, the wall coupled to a roller and a flattening appendage. In some implementations, the apparatus can include a deck including a plate adapted to secure the set of cables at a second end, the plate located at a midpoint of the deck. Alternatively, a drawer is adapted to slide along the deck, a shelf attached to the drawer. The flattening appendage presses down on the first end of the set of cables and the roller presses down on the second end of the set of cables as the drawer is opened and closed such that the set of cables is stored neatly under the drawer.

Cables used in connecting hardware on a server (e.g., hard drives, motherboard, etc.) to a server chassis are prone to being tangled when the server or hard disk drawer is pulled out and pushed back into the chassis. Conventionally, a cable support mechanism is used for solving this problem. For example, a cable arm positioned at the back of the chassis is adapted to extend and retract along with the server or hard disk drawer while also supporting the cables. The cables are attached to the cable arm, which comprises a foldable set of bars. However, cable arms require a lot of space and also obstruct heat dissipation from the server blade out of the chassis.


The invention relates to bleaching granules containing a solid, water-insoluble peroxy acid and a hydratable inorganic material. The bleaching granules are made by a process wherein the constituents to be used are mixed to form a powder at low temperature and granules are formed from the powder as the temperature is increased to at least the hydration temperature of the hydratable inorganic material. The invention also relates to bleaching compositions and detergent compositions comprised of such bleaching granules.

The invention relates to bleaching granules contain water-insoluble organic peroxy acid, a hydratable inorganic material, and, optionally, a water-insoluble organic compound and a surface-active compound. The bleaching agents according to the invention may be used alone or as additives in all the usual fields of application for bleaching agents. Preferably, they are employed in detergent and bleaching compositions for textile laundering processes.
The chemical instability of the peroxy acid, which in the pure form is liable to exothermic decomposition, requires that special steps be taken for the preparation of bleaching granules. In addition to the chemical stability of the peroxy acid, which is enhanced by preparing bleaching granules to a level sufficient for prolonged storage, the bleaching granules, especially when used in the detergents industry, must be more or less dust-free, display a favourable solubility in water, and form free-flowing mixtures, preferably with a granule size distribution of about 0.1-5 mm.
A known method for stabilizing peroxy acids is the addition of a hydratable inorganic material which, by taking up the crystallization water at a temperature below the hydration temperature of the hydratable material, will protect the hydratable material from moisture, but will also, upon reaching critical temperatures for the decomposition of the peroxy acid, which are above the hydration temperature of the hydratable material, release hydration water and inhibit exothermic decomposition. On the other hand, the water content of the granules should not be too high, since this would affect the mechanical stability of the granules.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,544 a process is described for the preparation of bleaching granules containing a non-hydratable peroxy acid material and a hydratable material, in which a water-wet, plastic composition is prepared at a temperature above the hydration temperature of the hydratable material. This composition is extruded into smaller units, which units are chilled, resulting in the hydration of the hydratable material, and then subjected to a subsequent drying step. The uptake of the hydration water by the hydratable material as a result of the rapid decrease in temperature leads to the fixation of the formed granules. This four-step process makes it possible to prepare stable, free-flowing bleaching granules. In actual practice, however, such a process is found to be very time-consuming and costly, since the successive steps of heating, size reduction, rapid chilling, and drying are energy intensive and different equipment is needed for each individual step. Moreover, the process requires a relatively large amount of water to form the plastic composition.
Described in EP-A-200 163 is another method for the preparation of bleaching granules which, in addition to a peroxy acid and a hydratable inorganic salt, contain an alkali-soluble organic polymer compound as granulation aid. For the preparation of the granules, granulation processes are mentioned which do not employ strong mechanical and thermal loads that might lead to decomposition of the peracid. The granulate may be prepared by accretion granulation in a mixing granulation process, in which the solid peracid or a peracid premix is premixed with the remaining constituents in a mixer, whereupon water or an aqueous solution of the granulation aid is introduced and stirred until the desired granule size distribution has been obtained. This mixing granulation process is carried out at a temperature in the range of ambient temperature to 45.degree. C. However, there is no teaching of the temperature rise scheme of the present invention. If needed, there may be a subsequent drying step. The mechanical stability of the granules obtained by this process is attributed to the polymeric granulation aid.
The present invention has for its object to develop a cost and energy-saving process for the preparation of bleaching granules having a very low water content, which contain at least a water-insoluble organic peroxy acid compound and a hydratable material and which are mechanically stable, chemically stable and free-flowing. The granulates of the present invention do not need to include a polymeric granulation aid.
The bleaching granules prepared by the process according to the invention display excellent mechanical and chemical stability, prolonged storage stability and enhanced water solubility. They also are dust-free, have a low water content, and exhibit a controllable granule size distribution. The bleaching granules prepared by the process according to the invention have higher densities than the known bleaching granules, a characteristic which is becoming increasingly important to the detergent and bleaching agent industries.
The favourable mechanical stability of the granules obtained according to the invention is highly surprising in that in the present process, since neither of the polymeric granulation aid according to EP-A-200 163 nor the rapid chilling step in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4 091 544 is necessary.
Drying steps may either be omitted or, optionally, such drying process may be employed if low water content bleaching granules are needed. The mechanical stability of the granules is also of advantage here due to restricted attrition and a higher product yield during the drying process.


An image processing apparatus includes a first display control unit that causes a display unit to display a first 3D image, a receiving unit that receives, from a user, a message indicating whether an amount of parallax of the first 3D image being displayed on the display unit is within an allowable range, a determining unit that determines an estimated allowable range on the basis of the message received by the receiving unit so that if the message indicates that the amount of parallax of the 3D image being displayed is not within the allowable range, the amount of parallax is not included in the estimated allowable range; and a second display control unit that causes the display unit to display a second 3D image on the basis of the estimated allowable range.

The present disclosure relates to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program and, in particular, to an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, and a program capable of displaying 3D images suitable for individual users.
In recent years, 3D images have garnered a significant amount of attention and, thus, display apparatuses capable of displaying 3D images have been developed (refer to, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-211036). The amount of parallax of a 3D image displayed on such display apparatuses is set so as to be suitable for general users.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program


The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for polishing semiconductor substrates with improved throughput. Embodiments of the present invention eliminate load cups from a polishing system, hence improve throughput by reducing system footprint and substrate hand off. One embodiment provides an apparatus for polishing a substrate. The apparatus comprises a platen having a polishing pad supported thereon, a carrier head configured to hold the substrate and press the substrate against the polishing pad, and a retaining ring adapted to be attached to and detached from the carrier head, wherein the retaining ring is configured to receive the substrate while positioned on the polishing pad and detached from the carrier head.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention generally relate to an apparatus and method for polishing or planarization of semiconductor substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sub-micron multi-level metallization is one of the key technologies for the next generation of ultra large-scale integration (ULSI). The multilevel interconnects that lie at the heart of this technology require planarization of interconnect features formed in high aspect ratio apertures, including contacts, vias, trenches and other features. Reliable formation of these interconnect features is very important to the success of ULSI and to the continued effort to increase circuit density and quality on individual substrates and die.
In the fabrication of integrated circuits and other electronic devices, multiple layers of conductive, semiconductive, and dielectric materials are deposited on or removed from a surface of a substrate. Thin layers of conductive, semiconductive, and dielectric materials may be deposited by a number of deposition techniques. Common deposition techniques in modern processing include physical vapor deposition (PVD), also known as sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and electro-chemical plating (ECP).
As layers of materials are sequentially deposited and removed, the uppermost surface of the substrate may become non-planar across its surface and require planarization. An example of non-planar process is the deposition of copper films with the ECP process in which the copper topography simply follows the already existing non-planar topography of the wafer surface, especially for lines wider than 10 microns. Planarizing a surface, or "polishing" a surface, is a process where material is removed from the surface of the substrate to form a generally even, planar surface. Planarization is useful in removing undesired surface topography and surface defects, such as rough surfaces, agglomerated materials, crystal lattice damage, scratches, and contaminated layers or materials. Planarization is also useful in forming features on a substrate by removing excess deposited material used to fill the features and to provide an even surface for subsequent levels of metallization and processing.
Planarization is generally performed using Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) and/or Electro-Chemical Mechanical Deposition (ECMP). A planarization method typically requires that the substrate be mounted in a carrier head, with the surface of the substrate to be polished exposed. The substrate supported by the head is then placed against a rotating polishing pad. The head holding the substrate may also rotate, to provide additional motion between the substrate and the polishing pad surface. Further, a polishing composition is supplied to the pad to provide an chemical solution at the interface between the pad and the substrate.
Existing polishing tools generally include loading stations configured for robots and polishing heads to drop off and pick up substrates. There are several disadvantages for the loading stations. First, the loading stations increase overall footprint for the polishing tool, therefore, require extra space in a cleanroom which is expensive to maintain. Second, since the polishing heads are dependent on the loading stations, system flexibility is greatly weakened, especially in polishing systems with multiple polishing heads. Third, using loading stations increases substrate hand off which is a source of particle contamination.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method to eliminate loading stations.


A method for applying a modified Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) in a protective relaying system involves five basic steps: The first step, S1, comprises measuring voltage and current time-domain samples v(k), i(k). The next step, S2, involves the computation of the DFT of the DC component(s) (V.sub.DC (k), I.sub.DC (k)) of the voltage and current samples. The next step, S3, comprises the computation of the regular DFT (V(k), I(k)). Next, in step S4, the modified DFTs are computed as, V.sub.m (k)=V(k)-V.sub.DC (k), and I.sub.m (k)=I(k)-I.sub.DC (k). In step S5 the modified DFT values representing the desired phasors are employed to carry out various protective relaying functions.

Electrical transmission lines and power generation equipment must be protected against faults and consequent short circuits, which could cause a collapse of the power system, equipment damage, and personal injury. It is the function of the protective relays, which monitor AC voltages and currents, to locate line faults and initiate isolation by the tripping of circuit breakers. Protective relays generally perform one or more of the following functions: (a) monitoring the system to ascertain whether it is in a normal or abnormal state; (b) metering, which involves measuring certain electrical quantities for operational control; (c) protection, which typically involves tripping a circuit breaker in response to the detection of a short-circuit condition; and (d) alarming, which provides a warning of some impending problem. Fault location, e.g., is associated with the protection function and involves measuring critical system parameters and, when a fault occurs, quickly making a rough estimate of the fault location and of certain characteristics of the fault so that the power source can be isolated from the faulted line; thereafter, the system makes a comprehensive evaluation of the nature of the fault.
Modern protective relays employ microprocessors and/or digital signal processors (DSPs) to process the voltage and current waveforms measured on the protected transmission line (the term "transmission line" as employed herein is intended to cover any type of electrical conductor, including high power conductors, feeders, and transformer windings). Such processing may include the computation of a DFT. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,393, Jan. 7, 1997, titled "Method and System for Providing Protective Relay Functions," describes a system that uses the DFT function to compute instantaneous values of fundamental, second harmonic and fifth harmonic components. U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,329, Dec. 15, 1992, "Microprocessor Digital Protective Relay for Power Transformers," describes a system that uses the DFT function to compute voltage and current phasors.
The conventional DFT exhibits poor performance if the input signal contains a decaying DC component having a continuous frequency spectrum. Therefore, the DC signal component, or offset, is typically filtered out of the input signal before the DFT function is carried out. There are a number of the methods to deal with such DC offset, including the use of: (1) a digital mimic circuit, (2) half-cycle and full-cycle compensation, (3) a parallel filter, and (4) a cosine filter. However, certain problems are associated with each of these methods. The digital mimic circuit is very sensitive to noise and degrades the response of the DFT in the presence of noise. The half-cycle and full-cycle compensation techniques are similar, and both cause computational problems when the decaying DC component is very small. The disadvantages of the parallel filter method are that line time constant is needed for an integration filter and the computation burden is high. The cosine filter exhibits poor performance in attenuating harmonics, and also may involve a quarter-cycle delay in obtaining an orthogonal part of the DFT. The latter may be a significant disadvantage in applications in which speed is crucial.

Protective relay with improved DFT function


A dynamic random access memory comprises a p-type semiconductor substrate and a plurality of first n-type diffused regions embedded in the substrate so that they extend along a first axis of the substrate parallel with first and second, opposed major surfaces of the substrate to form parallel bit lines. A matrix array of insulated gate electrodes extend along a second axis of the substrate normal to the first axis from the first major surface into the first n-type diffused regions, so that those of the insulated gate electrodes which are arranged along rows of the matrix are connected together by the parallel bit lines. Second n-type diffused regions are embedded in the substrate adjacent to the first major surface as well as to corresponding ones of the insulated gate electrodes. Parallel conductors extend along a third axis of the substrate for electrically connecting those of the gate electrodes which are arranged along columns of the matrix array to respective word lines, the third axis being perpendicular to both of the first and second axes. Capacitors are stacked on the insulated gate electrodes, respectively. Each of the capacitors has a cell electrode coupled to one of the second n-type diffused regions, a common electrode and a charge storage layer interposed therebetween.

The present invention relates generally to metal-oxide semiconductor dynamic random-access memories, and more specifically to a one-transistor dynamic memory cell structure.
In a prior art one-transistor dynamic MOS memory, memory cells are defined on a major surface of a p-type silicon substrate 101, as shown in FIG. 1, by separator 102, and n.sup.+ -type regions 106 are formed in the substrate to act as source and drain electrodes of a MOS structure. Insulators 103 are deposited on the substrate and a gate electrode 104 is formed on each insulator 103. A capacitor, which is formed in a first interlayer insulator 108 by a cell electrode 109, a tantalum oxide charge storage layer 111 and a common electrode 110, is located side-by-side with the gate insulator 103, while making an electrical contact with one of the n.sup.+ regions. The other n.sup.+ -type region is coupled to the n.sup.+ -type regions of other memory cells by a bit-line conductor 105 which is formed in the first and second interlayer insulators 108 and 112. On the bit line 105 is a third interlayer insulator 113 on which a wiring layer is formed.
Because of the side-by-side arrangement of the cell capacitors, gate electrodes and the contact portions of the bit line, it is difficult to reduce the horizontal dimensions of the memory without reducing the mechanical strength of the memory to withstand punch-through pressure. Another shortcoming of the prior art lies in the difficulty to provide a sufficient amount of storage capacity for each memory cell partly because an increased vertical dimension of the capacitors makes it difficult to machine contact holes for the bit line and partly because the heat-vulnerable tantalum oxide layers must be subjected to repeated annealing processes.

Semiconductor memory having stacked capacitors and MOS transistors


A computer-implemented method includes grouping video title items into clusters based on video title characteristics. A system processor identifies a connecting characteristic of the video title characteristics that associates a first cluster of video title items and a second cluster of video title items. The system creates a user profile associated with a video content account based at least in part on a history of streamed/downloaded video title items by identifying a video title characteristic associated with two or more video content items streamed/downloaded by the video content account, and grouping the two or more video content items based at least in part on the first cluster of video title items and the second cluster of video title items. The system provides a system-generated user profile that identifies user specific video content from an account having multiple users streaming content in association with the account.

An online video content provider may supply online videos such as movies, television shows, user-created content, etc., to multiple users of a single account. For example, a single household may include adults, children, and teens, who each have individual preferences for content of interest. When multiple users stream the various titles using a single account, heuristics for recommending titles based on viewer history may not be effective. For example, if a family of five individuals all access streamed content via the Internet using a single account, where that account does not include multiple profiles, conventional algorithms that predict user interests based on records of titles that were streamed may not be effective because there is not a single individual identified in the account. Instead, the recommendations may be based on the combined interests of all five individuals in the family, as opposed to the recommendations being specific to each individual family member. As a result, the recommendations may apply to some, but not all, of the individuals.

Automatic user profiling using video streaming history


A camera (210) for providing an adjusted image (214) of a scene (12) includes an apparatus frame (224), an optical assembly (222), a capturing system (226), and a control system (232). The optical assembly (222) is adjustable to alternatively be focused on a first focal area (356A) and a second focal area (356B) that is different than the first focal area (356A). The capturing system (226) captures a first captured image (360A) when the optical assembly (222) is focused at the first focal area (356A) and captures a second captured image (360B) when the optical assembly (222) is focused at the second focal area (356B). The control system (232) provides the adjusted image (214) of the scene (12) based upon the first captured image (360A) and the second captured image (360B). Additionally, the control system (232) can perform object depth extraction of one or more objects (16) (18) (20) in the scene (12). Alternatively, the multiple captured images (360A) (360B) can be adjusted by a separate adjustment system (680).

Cameras are commonly used to capture an image of a scene. Some scenes often contain multiple objects which are located at different distances from the camera. For example, a scene may include one or more primary object(s) that are the primary focal point, and one or more objects that are in the foreground or the background. Unfortunately, most inexpensive point and shoot cameras use a relatively inexpensive lens. As a result thereof, for a typical captured image all of the objects in the captured image have approximately the same level of resolution even though the objects are at different distances from the camera.

Depth layer extraction and image synthesis from focus varied multiple images


A pressure transmitter having a pressure sensor includes a first half cell and a second half cell. The first half cell includes a first recess formed therein filled with brittle material and having a first sensor surface formed thereon. The second half cell is coupled to the first half cell and includes a second recess formed therein which opposes the first recess and is filled with brittle material having a second sensor surface formed thereon. A diaphragm is positioned between the first and second sensor surfaces. The diaphragm deflects in response to applied pressure. The first and second sensor surfaces comprise heated surfaces.

The present invention relates to pressure transmitters of the type used in industrial process control systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pressure sensor for use in a pressure transmitter.
Pressure transmitters are used in industrial process control systems to monitor pressures of process fluids. A pressure transmitter includes a pressure sensor which is coupled to a process fluid and provides an output in response to pressure applied by the process fluid. Two well known types of pressure transmitters are the Model 3095 and Model 1151 pressure transmitters available from Rosemount Inc. of Eden Prairie, Minn. Pressure transmitters are also shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,109, for example.
Inaccuracies in the pressure sensor limit the ability of the pressure transmitter to accurately measure a pressure. In turn, this limits the accuracy of a control system which relies upon the pressure measurement from the pressure sensor. There is an ongoing desire in pressure transmitters to improve the accuracy and longevity of the pressure sensor.

Method of making a pressure transmitter having pressure sensor having cohered surfaces


Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for dividing packet content for transmission over diverse wireless links. In a particular embodiment, a method provides generating a packet for transmission to a destination and examining the packet to determine if content within the packet qualifies for transmission over diverse wireless links comprising a first wireless link and a second wireless link. The method further provides, if the content qualifies for transmission over the diverse wireless links, generating a first alternate packet that contains a first portion of the content and a second alternate packet that contains a second portion of the content. The method further provides transferring the first alternate packet over the first wireless link for delivery to the destination and transferring the second alternate packet over the second wireless link for delivery to the destination.

Many modern communication networks are capable of exchanging packet based communications with other communication networks and communication devices. Some of these networks may employ deep packet inspection (DPI) equipment on some or all of the packets that travel through each respective network. DPI equipment allows a network to inspect the payload contents of packets that pass through the network. This packet inspection capability allows a network to gather information about the packets that the network is transporting in order to better manage the network.
While DPI equipment may have beneficial uses, such as for network management, the use of DPI may also raise privacy concerns. For example, DPI equipment may allow a network to obtain information from a user's packet traffic, such as usernames, passwords, and web addresses, which the user would want to keep private. While encrypting packet traffic that is transferred from a communication device may be a way to overcome DPI privacy concerns, the system or device that is receiving that packet traffic must also be equipped with the ability to decrypt the transferred packets. Thus, encrypting data may not always be available to protect private information from capture by DPI equipment.
Overview
Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for dividing packet content for transmission over diverse wireless links. In a particular embodiment, a method provides generating a packet for transmission to a destination and examining the packet to determine if content within the packet qualifies for transmission over diverse wireless links comprising a first wireless link and a second wireless link. The method further provides, if the content qualifies for transmission over the diverse wireless links, generating a first alternate packet that contains a first portion of the content and a second alternate packet that contains a second portion of the content. The method further provides transferring the first alternate packet over the first wireless link for delivery to the destination and transferring the second alternate packet over the second wireless link for delivery to the destination.


Use of forscarnet in the prophylaxis and/or treatment of Kaposi's sarcoma.

There are four different types of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS): Classic KS, endemic African KS, KS associated with immunosuppressive therapy, and epidemic/HIV-AIDS related KS.
KS is the most common AIDS-related neoplasia and contributes to morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients. The majority of cases of epidemic KS is seen in homosexual males with immunodeficiency of clinical significance. KS is currently afflicting approximately 20 000 AIDS patients annually in the United States (AIDS Weekly, Sep. 12, 1994). Up to 40 per cent of homosexual men with AIDS eventually develop KS.
The cause of KS is not yet known. Epidemiological studies indicate that a sexually transmissible agent is a factor of pathogenetic importance (Beral, V. et al: Kaposi's sarcoma among persons with AIDS: a sexually transmitted infection?, Lancet 335: 123-128, 1990, and Elford, J. et al: Kaposi's sarcoma as a sexually transmissible infection: an analysis of Australian AIDS surveillance data. AIDS 7: 1667-1671, 1993).
KS appears as reddish or purple lesions preferentially on the skin and mucous membranes of he gastrointestinal tract. About 50 per cent of cases exhibit lesions in the mouth. In advanced cases of KS lymph nodes and parenchymatous organs such as lungs and liver are frequently involved.
The KS lesions are often the only visible sign of AIDS and lead to severe psycho-social problems for the patient. During the course of KS the cutaneous lesions may become painful and secondary oedema from lymph node involvement may cause grotesque swelling of different parts of the body. Bleedings or obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract or the lungs occurs in advanced cases of KS.
Characteristic histopathological features of KS tumors include interweaving bands of "spindle cells" and vascular structures embedded in a network of collagen and reticular fibers. The presence of extravasated blood cells and hemosiderin is also characteristic. Whether or not KS is a true malignancy or merely a hyperplasia of certain tissues has been debated for quite some time. The isolation of KS cells from a patient exhibiting all the characteristics of a true malignancy has now been reported. At the same time it was claimed that a transmissible agent is not necessary for the pathogenesis of KS (Gallo, R. C. at The International Conference on AIDS in Yokohama, August, 1994).
Spindle cells characteristic of KS have been isolated from blood of HIV-infected patients with KS and, remarkedly, spindle cells have been isolated from a substantial proportion of HIV-infected homosexual men without any signs of KS (Gallo, R. C., ibid.). It might, therefore, be that KS can be diagnosed by the detection of markers in blood or secretions before visible lesions of KS appear in patients.
At present, there is no cure for KS or the immunodeficiency of HIV infection. The patients suffering from KS are currently offered chemotherapy, interferons, irradiation or different kinds of local treatment for palliation. Short remission and considerable side-effects limit the benefit of these therapeutic regimens. Continuous therapy is most often needed. Hair loss, nausea, vomiting, granulocytopenia with risk for bacterial infections, peripheral neuropathies and pulmonary problems are negative side-effects which significantly impair the quality of life of the patient.
Several studies have failed to show any significant anti-KS effect attributable to zidovudine, commonly known as AZT, which is an antiviral drug widely used against HIV-infection (Lane, HC et al.: Zidovudine in Patients with Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection and Kaposi sarcoma, Ann Int Med 111, 41-50, 1989; de Wit et al.: Lack of activity of zidovudine in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma, AIDS 3: 847-850, 1989).
Foscarnet is an antiviral drug, which is presently being used in the treatment of patients infected with herpes simplex virus or cytomegalovirus. Foscarnet inhibits replication of herpesviruses in vitro including cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) as well as certain retroviruses, including the Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
Foscarnet causes relatively few negative side-effects in patients as compared to cytostatics or interferons, the drugs presently being used in cases of KS.


Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a static random-access memory (SRAM) implemented using both a gate-all-around (GAA)-type transistor and a fin field-effect transistor (FinFET). For example, certain aspects are directed to an SRAM memory cell having a flip-flop (FF) having a pull-up (PU) transistor and a pull-down (PD) transistor, and a pass-gate (PG) transistor coupled between a bit line of the SRAM memory cell and the FF, a gate of the PG transistor being coupled to a word line (WL) of the SRAM memory cell. In certain aspects, at least one of the PU transistor, the PD transistor, or the PG transistor comprises a GAA transistor, and at least another one of the PU transistor, the PD transistor, or the PG transistor comprises a FinFET.

Transistors are essential components in modern electronic devices. Large numbers of transistors are employed in integrated circuits (ICs) in many modern electronic devices. For example, components such as central processing units (CPUs) and memory systems each employ a large quantity of transistors for logic circuits and memory devices.
As electronic devices become more complex in functionality, so does the need to include a greater number of transistors in such devices. However, as electronic devices are provided in increasingly smaller packages, such as in mobile devices, for example, a greater number of transistors may be provided in a smaller IC chip. This increase in the number of transistors is achieved in part through continued efforts to miniaturize transistors in ICs.

Gate-all-around (GAA) and fin field-effect transistor (FinFet) hybrid static random-access memory (SRAM)


A communication system that permits the coexistent of a plurality of ultrawide band (UWB) radio communication networks that use different signal systems is achieved by using the same beacon signal and specifying the format of part of the control command among a plurality of UWB radio communication networks that use different signal systems, as defined, for example, by impulse period, impulse width, spreading ratio, and spreading code. When one UWB network receives a beacon signal from another UWB network, it grasps, judging from the received beacon signal, the transmission parameter that is used by another party and performs time-division on the transmission frame period for its own system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radio communication system for communications between a plurality of radio stations, and also to an apparatus, method, and computer program for said radio communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a radio communication system having a network constructed under control of a specific control station and also to an apparatus, method, and computer program for radio communication for transmission of information within such a wireless network.
To be more specific, the present invention relates to a radio communication system in which there exist a plurality of networks which compete with one another and also to an apparatus, method, and computer program for such a radio communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a radio communication system to solve competition among a plurality of wireless networks which use different signal systems and also to an apparatus, method, and computer program for such a radio communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
By constructing a local area network (LAN) from a plurality of computers connected to one another, it is possible to share information (such as file and data) and peripherals (such as printer) and to transmit and exchange information (such as e-mail and data contents).
It has been common practice to construct a LAN by wiring with optical fibers, coaxial cables, or twisted pair cables. This conventional LAN has the disadvantage of requiring troublesome wiring works, which prevents easy construction of a network. In addition, a wired LAN inconveniently limits the movement of apparatuses within the cable length. The wireless LAN, which has appeared as a new system to remove inconvenience from the conventional wired LAN, is now attracting attention. The wireless LAN of this kind eliminates most cables in an office and permits communication terminals, such as personal computers (PC), to be moved comparatively easily.
There is a rapidly increasing demand for the wireless LAN system as it achieves a greater speed and decreases in price. Nowadays, many users are considering the introduction of a personal area network (PAN), which is a small-scale wireless network for information exchange between a plurality of electronic apparatuses present around individual users. There are different radio communication systems based on specific frequency bands (such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz band) which do not need any license from supervisory offices.
The high-speed personal area network is being standardized in IEEE 802.15.3, which is based on the PHY (physical) layer utilizing signals in the 2.4 GHz band.
According to this IEEE 802.15.3, the MAC (medium access control) sublayer specified therein can be used as another PHY layer other than the PHY layer that uses signals in the 2.4 GHz band. The MAC sublayer has a contention access period (CAP) and a contention-free period (CFP). Asynchronous communications are performed by using the contention access period in which short data and command information are exchanged. On the other hand, stream communications are performed within the contention-free period in which slots called guaranteed time slot (GTS) are allocated for bandwidth reserve transmission.
Recently, standardization is going on to use the PHY layer specified in IEEE 802.15.3 for other PHY layers than those which use signals in the 2.4 GHz band.
Among systems for the high-speed wireless personal area network is UWB (ultra-wide-band). This radio communication system is designed to realize high-speed data transmission in which data is spread over an extremely wide frequency band, say, 2 to 6 GHz.
The UWB radio communication system sends a signal by repeating an impulse string, which has a prescribed pulse width, within a prescribed pulse period. The signal transmitted in this way is a signal string constructed of information bits. There are several possible ways of representing the signal string. In other words, one signal string may have a varied frequency band and a spread signal band width.
This signal string may be modulated in various ways. For example, it is possible to express the bit values of 0 and 1 by changing the phase of the pulse, and it is also possible to express multiple values by subtly changing the position of the pulse.
In the recent communication environment in which information equipment has come into general use, a variety of apparatuses are present in an office, and apparatuses are connected to one another through a wireless network, there occurs an undesirable instance in which wireless networks become congested in a limited area and a plurality of wireless networks use the same frequency band.
In such a case there is no means to exclude signals coming from another wireless networks. It is only permissible for one wireless network to begin transmission after confirming a period of time in which another wireless network remains idle. For example, the control station of a network decodes the beacon information coming from another network to obtain the band allocation information, then, based on such information, it excludes the band allocation region being used by another network and re-establishes the band allocation region to be used by its own network.
In the case of the above-mentioned UWB wireless communication network, data to be transmitted is spread over an extremely wide band width. This leads to a great possibility that one wireless communication network competes with its adjacent ones.
Because of its inherent properties, the UWB radio communication system employs signals which have been spread over the entire wide frequency band. This poses difficulties in operating the system by switching the frequency as in the conventional radio system.
In addition, the UWB radio communication system may use various signal strings and modulation schemes (which are collectively referred to as "signal system" hereinafter) depending on the signal aspect, impulse period, impulse width, spread ratio, and spreading code. The problem with the UWB radio communication networks which employ different signal systems is that signals from one network to another cause interference and the beacon signal from another network cannot be decoded because of non-interchangeability of signal expressions. The consequence is that it is impossible to mutually confirm the presence of networks or it is impossible to detect the region which is being used for communication by another network.

Radio communication system, and apparatus, method, and computer program for said radio communication system


A data base for permanent data has a first memory from which date is written into a buffer. Data is transferred from the buffer store into at least two permanent memories.

The invention relates to a data base for permanent data.
Embedded systems for controlling electronic devices must have high reliability. As a rule, their response times to instructions supplied from outside must be very short. In most cases they are also subject to severe hardware restrictions. To ensure data integrity, the data must be stored with buffer power supply and permanently. It is therefore necessary to use appropriate data bases comprising permanent stores.
Using hard-disk stores as permanent stores presents problems for reasons of reliability because of their relatively short service life and the sensitivity to temperature fluctuations.


A surface heating system consists of a support and a heating layer that contains an electrically conductive plastic. The heating layer is formed by a flexible film. A heatable object made as such a surface heating system. A method for producing a surface heating system, where a heating layer containing an electrically conductive plastic bonded to a support, and where the heating layer is formed by initially applying an electrically conductive, especially a foam plastic material onto the support and then hardening the plastic material on the support. Alternatively, the method produces a surface heating system with a heating layer of an electrically conductive plastic is bonded to a support. The heating layer is produced from an electrically conductive, especially a foam plastic material, and then arranged on the support. Another alternative of the method consists of bonding a heating layer with an electrically conductive plastic to a support. A fabric is produced as the support. Contact terminals from power supply wires are woven into the fabric when it is made or afterwards, and then a heating layer is applied to the support and the contact terminals.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a novel surface heating system, a heatable object with the novel surface heating system and a method for producing the novel surface heating system. More particularly, this invention relates to a seat heating system, a heated seat and a method for producing it. Preferably, the invention additionally relates to a heating system for side panels and floor coverings, in particular in motor vehicles, side panels and floor coverings outfitted with such heating system in particular in motor vehicles and a method for producing them. Furthermore, this invention relates in particular to a mattress heating system, a heated mattress and a method for producing it.
2. Prior Art
Seat heating systems are known from practice, for example, for motor vehicles; these systems in the sense of the invention are a surface heating system and are formed by current-carrying metallic conductors as heating wires that are arranged between cushion layers. This necessitates not only a costly construction of an appropriately designed seat, but it also has disadvantages in particular in operation. For instance, because of the stronger heating of surrounding layers in the immediate vicinity of the heating wires there is a danger of overheating, which can lead to damage to the cushion layers and/or the heating wires and even cause a fire. Furthermore, the heat distribution over the area is not optimum, since the temperature is always higher in the region of the heating wires than at a distance from them. Also disadvantageous with this known style is the mechanical stress to which the heating wires are subjected when a passenger uses the seat, since the conducting wires can break because of this, which can lead to failure of operation and/or can have as a consequence another source of fire.
A composite heating element that provides a directed heat radiation and is formed of a plastic laminate with incorporation of a semiconducting layer is known from DT 26 16 771 A1. This laminate consists of a hard plastic laminate structure that is formed of at least one layer of a reinforced substrate base material and a resin coating on this material, a semiconducting carbon containing a pyropolymer, which is bonded to a heat resistant inorganic oxide support with large surface area, which is incorporated as a layer on at least one side of the layer of the substrate material, a heat reflecting layer incorporated on the substrate material in a position on one side of the pyropolymer, and power supply devices to spaced parts of the layer of conductive carbon-containing pyropolymer, and which produces electrical resistance heating in the laminate, which is reflected and radiated by the heat reflecting layer of the laminated element. Such heating panels are intended to be used as part of a wall of a living space or office.
With this prior art the incorporation of the semiconducting layer into the laminate can take place by mixing finely divided carbon-containing pyropolymer in the form of small particles or as powder with a suitable carrier or vehicle, which can be brushed, spread or otherwise applied to the surface of a resin coated glass cloth of paper, felt, cardboard and the like as laminate substrate or to a wood veneer that is used in the laminate panel. Instead of this, the finely divided carbon-containing pyropolymer can also be mixed with the resin or polymer material with which a particular reinforcing base material is to be impregnated or that is to be applied to this base material as a coating, where this base material provides at least one substrate material of the laminate. The resulting mixture is applied into or onto the substrate by immersion or coating, and the resulting coated substrate is subjected to a semi-hardening such that the semiconducting pyropolymer produces a uniform impregnation and coating over the resulting semi-hardened laminate sheet.
DE 33 16 182 A1 concerns the use of molded articles like films, or panels or three dimensionally shaped articles from the class of the pyrrole polymers that are complexed with anions, as electrical heating elements in particular for heating corroding liquids or gases. The molded articles can also be coated with organic plastics.
A polymer composite heating element is described in DE 35 24 631 A1 and has the form of a film, tube or rod. Such polymer composite heating elements can be used as heating elements as such or can be laminated with traditional plastic films in order to improve the strength of the material.
The use of electrically conductive thermoplastic polyurethanes and their preparation are known from DE 33 21 516 A1. The corresponding products are suitable, among other things, for the preparation of 1–2 mm thick films for surface heating elements.
Thus, heating elements with electrically conductive plastic are indeed known, but in all of the prior art there is no data or hints of how such heating elements are to be designed and produced in order to be able to use them in practice.
Surface heating systems that have a layer of electrically conductive plastics are illustrated in a number of other publications of the international patent classes H05B 3/36 and 3/84 using the outside mirrors of motor vehicles as examples. Essentially, films of electrically conductive plastics on solid supports are used in this case. The use of a film of electrically conductive plastics on the support structure of a vehicle seat, however, is not possible, since all the cushion layers lying on top, etc., would have to be heated for the heat to reach a sitting passenger, which would involve a great deal of energy.
In particular for sitting or reclining supports there are no known usable surface heating systems with electrically conductive plastics. However, simple, inexpensive and safe heating systems would be desired, for example, for vehicle seats or mattresses.

Surface heating system and method for producing it and a heatable object


An operational amplifier is equipped at its input stage with a folded cascode type differential amplifier and at its downstream stage with pre-buffers, which include a differential amplification stage of PMOS input and a differential amplification stage of NMOS input, as level shifters. A MOS resistor having its gate terminal fed with an intermediate bias potential between a supply voltage V.sub.DD and an earth potential is connected between every one of the drain terminals of current-mirror connected load MOSFETs in the pre-buffers. As a result, the gains of the pre-buffers in the steady state can be suppressed to about 10 dB or less. The individual MOSFETs of the push-pull output stage are individually driven by the pre-buffers of low gains.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit technology and, more particularly, to a technology which is especially effective when applied to an AB grade operational amplifier including MOSFETs, such as a technology which is effective when utilized in a transmitting buffer amplifier for driving loads of low impedance such as the subscriber's lines of the ISDN communications net (i.e., Integrated Services Digital Network).
In recent years, the transmitting buffer amplifier for driving the low-impedance loads such as subscriber's lines has been packaged in a communications LSI such as the CODEC. Since this communications LSI is required to have a low power consumption, there is frequently used an AB grade amplifier which has a push-pull operation. In the AB grade amplifier, however, the steady current, which is to be suppressed as much as possible, is liable to be fluctuated by the process dispersion, and the stabilization of the steady current is an important target.
Thus, there has been proposed an invention (as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 68308/1987). According to this disclosure, some of which is shown in FIG. 12, there is interposed between a folded cascode type differential input stage 1 and a complementary type push-pull output stage 3 a level shift stage 2 for level-shifting the output of a differential amplitude stage, so that the amplifier may perform the AB grade operation having a high driving ability while suppressing the steady current by increasing the voltage to be applied to the output stage 3.
In order to realize an AB grade amplifier having a low power consumption and a high driving ability, it is a key point that the variable range of the output of the differential input stage 1 is wide. In the above-specified invention, therefore, the potential of a well region to be formed with differential MOSFETs M13 and M14 is made negative, and MOSFETs M15 and M16 used in a cascode portion are those which have their threshold voltages raised to an extent corresponding to the band gap of silicon by doping the gate electrodes with an impurity of conduction type opposed to that of the drain regions. As a result, the variable range of the output of the differential input stage 1 is increased and is level-shifted to drive output MOSFETs MO1 and MO2 to provide an amplifier of high driving ability, which can drive the loads of low impedance with the small-sized MOSFETs.

Operational amplifier for stably driving a low impedance load of low power consumption


The smart pet feeder includes a housing, and a grain storage component arranged in an upper part of the housing, a driving component arranged in a middle part of the housing and a throwing component arranged in a lower part of the housing; a rotating component is arranged in the housing, and the rotating component has a supporting column, the upper part of the supporting column is provided with a wheel, the lower part of the supporting column is provided with a driving gear, the bottom end of the supporting column is provided with a cam; the upper part is extended into the grain storage component, and the wheel is contained in the grain storage component; the driving gear is rotatably connected with the driving component, the cam is connected with the throwing component in the housing.

With the increasing number of pets, the rational and safe feeding of pets, monitoring and interaction have become an urgent problem. There are many kinds of pets accompanying smart robots in the market. Most of them includes a housing, control device, feeding device, launcher and linkage. The control device controls the linkage, therefore convenient controlling the launcher and the feeding device. Users can interact with their pets remotely when they are out. In the smart robots, some of the linkage use variable speed motor and gear to push piston to feed, others use variable speed motor to drive pull rod to feed. But this kind of linkage leads to the unreasonable configuration of the smart robot for pet company, the problem of feeding and feeding process, and the poor effect of feeding.


The invention provides compositions of chloroprene rubbers having improved vibration-damping properties under low temperature conditions without deterioration of mechanical properties, permanent compression set and tension fatigue in the final product. The chloroprene rubbers of the invention contain a xanthogen-modified chloroprene rubber and/or a mercaptan-modified chloroprene rubber in an amount of 100 parts by mass, a carbon black having an average particle diameter of 70 mn to 600 mn and a DBP oil absorption (as determined by Absorption A method of JIS-K6221) of 15 ml/100 g in an amount of 15 to 150 parts by mass, and a plasticizer represented by the chemical formula R1COO—(CH2)8—COOR2 wherein R1 and R2 each represent an alkyl group having 1 to 7 carbons.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chloroprene rubber composition. More specifically, it relates to a chloroprene rubber composition comprising a particular chloroprene rubber, a particular carbon black at a particular rate, and a plasticizer having a particular structure at a particular rate, a vulcanized rubber prepared by vulcanizing the chloroprene rubber composition as well as a rubber molded product, a vibration-damping rubber member, an engine mount, and a hose prepared using the vulcanized rubber.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chloroprene rubbers that are superior for example in mechanical properties, weather resistance, and flame resistance have been used widely as materials for industrial rubber products. The properties required for such industrial rubber products are becoming severer drastically and thus, there is a need for chloroprene rubbers showing improved vibration-damping properties under low-temperature environment, while preserving the properties such as mechanical properties, weather resistance, and flame resistance.
Known as a means of producing a high damping material composition with smaller change over time that contains chloroprene as the base polymer is a method of blending a compound having ester bonds with a base polymer (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The method of Patent Document 1 is a method permitting cost-effective production of a high damping material composition that shows favorable damping properties in a wide range of temperature and smaller change over time by blending a compound having two or more ester bonds in the molecule with a base polymer having polar groups or polar side chains.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Chloroprene rubber composition and vulcanized rubber thereof, and rubber molded product, vibration-damping rubber member, engine mount, and hose using vulcanized rubber


A transportable, diagnostic and surgical procedure patient support board (10) compatible for use with CT, X-ray and MRI machines includes a rectangular board to which the patient is secured, tracks (21) along the head end and partially along the sides of the board, and clamps (22) made of a non-ferromagnetic material mounted adjustably on the tracks which support traction gear and immobilization rods (45-48) that extend to a halo on the head of the patient. Various configurations of rods and adjustable clamps are disclosed.

Cervical spine instability can cause permanent spinal cord damage. Trauma victims, as well as other patients with suspected cervical spine injury, should be immobilized during examination and diagnostic testing to reduce the risk of exacerbating a cervical spine injury. If cervical spine instability is confirmed on exam, the management of such injury depends on rapid realignment and rigid immobilization of the neck. Placing the patient in cervical traction may be necessary to reduce a fracture of the cervical spine. Once reduced, the fracture or other instability should be continuously immobilized to prevent further injury until a course of treatment can be completed. Often treatment will require a surgical procedure to fuse the unstable portion of the cervical spine.
A heightened awareness of, and a greater attention to, the maintenance of cervical immobilization has vastly improved patient care. Neck immobilization devices are currently available for each step of the management of cervical spine injuries, from initial immobilization to diagnostic tests, to the surgical fusion and the long-term immobilization often needed to promote effective healing. However, known devices are each limited in their application to only a portion of the diagnostic and treatment process. For example, the devices shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,027,833; 5,016,620; 4,566,445; 4,529,106; 4,519,106 and 4,473,912 all relate to spinal boards which are applied at the scene of a traumatic injury, often in conjunction with a cervical collar or other head immobilization device, to facilitate the transport of the accident victim to a hospital. Some of these devices are designed to be radiolucent, but none provide an integrated system for placing the patient in rigid cervical immobilization once cervical instability is diagnosed. Additionally, none of these devices is designed to immobilize the patient during surgical procedures. U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,305 describes a transportable, radiolucent board that includes a traction device. However, this device does not offer the ability to place the patient in rigid cervical immobilization and is not designed for use during surgery.
When cervical instability is diagnosed, it should be reduced under radiographic guidance. Once the cervical fracture has been reduced, halo fixator devices are commonly used to rigidly immobilize the cervical spine until treatment is complete. In general, a halo device consists of a metal circlet (the halo) which surrounds the patient's head and is attached directly to the skull by a number of screws. The halo is fixedly attached to a rigid plastic vest on the patient's torso by metal bars, which run from the vest to a "head block" that is attached to the halo. The patient's head is thus immobilized relative to his or her torso, so that no cervical spine movement is possible. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,156,588; 5,063,920; 5,010,881; 4,913,135; 4,735,196; 4,620,530; and 4,541,421 all describe various halo fixation devices. Such devices provide a transportable system for cervical immobilization, but their use is often impractical in the acute situation because halo vests have a size specification that should match the individual patient, and thus a proper vest may not be readily available. Furthermore, the vest should only be applied by a physician experienced in its use, and its placement limits health care workers' access to the patient's back, chest and abdomen. These issues are important in connection with the trauma patient, whose treatment must be expeditious and who also often has associated injuries that require medical access to the entire body. Additionally, if cervical immobilization is obtained by using a halo vest, it may be compromised during surgical procedures, because the vest must often be removed to allow greater surgical access to the patient's torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,920 describes a device that immobilizes a patient wearing a halo vest by attaching the posterior halo support rods to the patient's bed. The anterior support rods remain attached to the anterior section of the halo vest, but the posterior portion of the vest can be removed. However, this device does not allow for patient transport, is not radiolucent, does not provide unimpeded access to the patient's body, is not intended for use in surgical procedures and does not provide a means of cervical traction.
Numerous devices also exist which are designed to impart traction to the cervical spine. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,195,947; 5,067,483; 4,890,605; 4,489,715; 4,539,979 each describe a type of traction device. Some of these are meant to be transportable and/or radiolucent, but none is designed as a part of an integrated system that allows traction, immobilization, transport and surgical access, as provided by the present invention.
The above-described devices may all be useful during certain stages of the acute management of a patient suspected of having a cervical spine injury, but the interruptions in immobilization resulting from limitations on their use can pose dangers to the patient. Especially in trauma patients, who may have multiple injuries, extensive diagnostic testing is often required. Such testing often requires patient transportation to several different locations, which can present difficulties if the patient requires cervical traction to maintain alignment of a cervical fracture. The traction device is usually attached to the patient's stretcher or some other traction bed, and removal of the traction is often necessary to move the patient onto the diagnostic testing machine.
Therefore, it is often necessary to repeatedly move patients among stretchers, dollies, testing tables, operating tables, and so forth, without adequate cervical support. During such moves, cervical immobilization is often lost or compromised, which can result in the loss of cervical alignment of the unstable spine and lead to further spinal cord damage and permanent neurologic injury.
The need for continuous cervical immobilization continues beyond the diagnostic testing phase because cervical instability often requires surgical treatment to fuse the spine. Halo fixation devices are often used during such surgery to maintain cervical immobilization. However, these devices restrict surgical access to the patient's body, complicating the harvest of bone needed for fusion and other procedures. In addition, in the trauma patient who often has significant life-threatening injuries in addition to cervical instability, a halo fixation system can be an impractical cervical immobilization device because it may prevent surgical access to the site of emergent injuries, which often are located on the abdomen, chest and back of the patient.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved transportable cervical immobilization device that obviates each of the problems in prior devices noted above.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved immobilization device of the type described that eliminates dangerous periods of cervical instability occasioned in moving the patient by providing an adjustable, transportable cervical immobilization device that can be used in each stage of the acute management of cervical instability, allowing rapid and secure transport from the emergency room, to the radiology department, to the operating room, and finally to the patient's recovery room.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved device of the type described that provides rigid cervical immobilization during surgery, while providing unimpeded surgical access to the patient's torso and the option of using radiographic guidance intra-operatively.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved immobilization device that includes a means of attaching and/or removing cervical traction without having to remove the patient's cervical immobilization supports to do so.

Transportable cervical immobilization device


A architecture is provided to enable a client web browser to conduct and manage a multilevel search. The browser includes an application layer interface. The application layer interface is for coupling to network via a protocol stack. The browser also includes a markup language parser. The parser receives information from the application layer interface. The browser also includes a graphical user interface for interacting with a user. The graphical user interface allows a user to specify a set of multilevel search parameters. The browser also includes a markup language processor that receives input from the markup language parser and multilevel search parameters from the graphical user interface. The markup language processor conducts and manages a multilevel search to find specified information on a current web page or a web page referenced by the current web page in accordance with a parameterized search tree. The present invention also enables an automatic processes to print sets of linked web pages and to generate sitemaps, filtered sitemaps, filtered results pages in accordance with user specifications.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to network client devices and programs. More particularly, the invention relates to a web browser that provides automated multilevel-search-related functions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet enables companies and individuals to post information using an interconnected set of web pages. A first web page is connected to a second web page using a hyperlink. The HTTP protocol is used to transfer data across the Internet from one machine to another so that when a user clicks on a hyperlink in a web page, the web page referenced by the hyperlink is accessed. The action of a user clicking on a sequence of links to move from one web page to another is known as "surfing the web" or "web browsing." Typically a client software system known as a "web browser" is used to this end. Search engines are provided to help a user find web pages related to a specific topic. Typically a search engine maintains a database of web pages and performs searches based on keywords found in the web pages. In most cases the search engine is implemented within a web server as opposed to a client device.
While web browsers are very useful, prior art web browsers are in many ways limited. For example, most browsers contain a search mechanism known as "find in page." In the Microsoft Internet Explorer, the "find in page" feature works by having a use activate the "edit" menu and then the "Find (on this page)" submenu. Alternatively the user may select CRTL+F in order to activate the "find in page" menu. When the user selects "find in page" a dialog box appears. A user is able to enter a word into this dialog box. If the word is in the markup file currently loaded into the web browser, the word will be highlighted to the user.
While the "find in page" feature found in prior art web browsers is useful it lacks desirable functionality. For example, a current web page loaded into a browser usually includes one or more hyperlinks. If the desired word is on a page pointed to by any of the hyperlinks of the currently loaded page, the "find in page" feature would turn up a negative result. This forces the user to select each hyperlink and then perform a separate "find in page" search on each page referenced by the current page. In some cases this can be most distressing to the user, for example when the current page contains very many hyperlinks or has a richly link-nested structure. In such cases the user is forced to spend undue time searching for the desired word. It would be desirable to have a browser or a browser plug-in that would facilitate word and concept searches through multilevel document structures. Such a browser would increase the productivity of network users. It would also be desirable to allow a user to print pages linked to a given base level document or perform other page-specific functions to a nested structure of linked pages without needing to manually access and specify operations for each page.
Another area where a more powerful web browser is needed is caused by poor server systems. For example, when visiting a certain company's web site user may be presented with a search engine specific to that web site. In some cases these search engines produce a lot of results that are irrelevant. In many cases the keywords requested in the search do not even appear in the returned web pages. For example a user may run a search and receive 450 results, but only three of these are of interest. To process such an output, the user must spend undue time hunting for the three documents of interest among the 450 results. For example these 450 results are displayed 20 per results page. The user then views each results page, clicks on each link that may be of interest, and views the contents thereof. When each page is accessed, the user uses a "find-in-page" search to determine whether the keyword is actually found in the document and if so, the context of its use. It is also problematic that the user has to select a "next" link to get another page of 20 page titles to view. Sometimes it can take tens of seconds or more to access the next set of titles. It would be desirable to have a web browser with built-in intelligence that could automate the process of wading through irrelevant search results. Other related client-side search acceleration techniques are also needed to allow a user control over searching instead of being limited by the abilities of a distant server's search facilities.


The present invention discloses a design method of wavelength dispersion compensation of a desired link that is extracted from an optical network, the link including two or more spans, and two or more nodes (N1, N4) that are equipped with an add/drop function, as shown in FIG. 2. All residual dispersion ranges of paths that reach corresponding nodes are adjusted to fall within predetermined tolerable residual dispersion ranges that are set up for all the paths of the link by adjusting wavelength dispersion compensators provided to each of the spans.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wavelength dispersion compensation design method, and a system thereof; and especially relates to a wavelength dispersion compensation design method for compensating for a wavelength dispersion generated in an optical transmission system, and a design system thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
When planning a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical transmission system with a transmission speed of 10 Gbps, it is required that an optical network be designed at low cost in a short period, the importance of which will increase with a WDM optical transmission system with 40 Gbps of transmission speed, or even higher.
Generally, a wavelength dispersion compensator is used by a relay section (span) of the WDM transmission system such that degradation of a waveform due to wavelength dispersion in the transmission line is compensated for. Amounts of wavelength dispersion compensation differ from system to system.
In an optical transmission system where the transmission speed is 10 Gbps or higher per wavelength, the wavelength dispersion compensator is used in the span of the system such that degradation of signal properties due to the wavelength dispersion generated in the transmission line may be compensated for.
When designing wavelength dispersion compensation, a predetermined amount of transmission degradation is tolerated in each span, and an amount of wavelength dispersion compensation is set up so that waveform degradation due to wavelength dispersion may fall within the predetermined transmission degradation. For example, a Q value is defined as an index of a transmission characteristic, and 1 dB of degradation is tolerated in terms of the Q value.
Here, the amount of wavelength dispersion compensation has a tolerance in a transmission section (path) of each transmission signal, and the difference between the amount of wavelength dispersion of the transmission section and the amount of wavelength dispersion compensation that is within the tolerance is made into a tolerable residual dispersion range. That is, a signal transmission at a guaranteed transmission characteristic is attained by designing the network so that wavelength dispersion may fall within the tolerable residual dispersion range (the amount of wavelength dispersion is compensated for so as to be within the tolerable residual dispersion range).
Here, there is a point that should be taken into consideration in designing the wavelength dispersion compensation. In the case of a point-to-point system that does not include an optical add/drop (OADM) function, wherein a signal is input only from a transmitting station and is output to a receiving station, what is necessary is to adjust the amount of wavelength dispersion compensation at the last transmission section on the side of the receiving station so that the amount of wavelength dispersion may fall within the tolerable residual dispersion range of the system.
However, in the case of a system including the OADM function, the amount of wavelength dispersion compensation in each relay section has to be arranged such that an adequate signal transmission may be attained within the tolerable residual dispersion range in every path of the link that is the design target section, given that the signal may be added/dropped in a node having the OADM function in the system.
Further, in order to determine the amount of wavelength dispersion compensation for each relay section at this time, the fact that the tolerable residual dispersion range varies with a self-phase modulation (SPM) generated by the optical input power to the transmission line has to be taken into consideration. That is, even if transmission lines have the same relay section length and the same amount of wavelength dispersions, the tolerable residual dispersion ranges may differ if optical input power is different.
Conventional technologies disclose methods of optimizing the amount of wavelength dispersion compensation of a certain given system in consideration of the above described problems. For example, Patent Reference 1 discloses a method of designing the amount of wavelength dispersion compensation of all spans concerning a point-to-point system equipped with the OADM function.
Further, Patent Reference 2 and Patent Reference 3 disclose point-to-point system configurations.
Patent reference 1 JPA 2002-117422
Patent reference 2 JPA 11-344768
Patent reference 3 JPA 2000-261376
However, the Patent References disclose an application only to a given point-to-point long-distance WDM transmission system. That is, a method of optimizing the amount of the wavelength dispersion compensation for any desired point-to-point transmission systems and metro systems of a ring structure is not available in a commonly applicable and formulized manner. For this reason, when designing an optical network, various design methods have to be used depending on link form, making it difficult to design the network in a short period.

Wavelength dispersion compensation design method and a system thereof