A knife coater for the application of one or more magnetizable dispersions located one on top of the other to a moving flexible substrate by means of a plurality of coater slots which are arranged essentially horizontally and parallel to one another in a multipart block and are fed from reservoirs is described, the outlet orifices of the coater slots being essentially opposite the summit of a concave support surface for the substrate, the substrate transporting the applied layers, the outlet surfaces of the coater block which are opposite the support surface being adapted to the radius of the roll and the inflow gap being larger than the outflow gap.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for applying a plurality of layers, which are located one on top of the other and at least one of which is magnetizable, to a moving flexible substrate by means of a plurality of coater slots arranged in a block and fed from reservoirs, and magnetic recording media thus produced.
For the production of recording media which nowadays consist in general of a plurality of layers located one on top of the other, there is a large number of different coating processes which differ very greatly depending on the structure of the recording medium and on the part-layers required for producing such recording media. Thus, photographic recording media which may consist of more than ten layers are for the most part produced by means of cascade coaters or otherwise curtain coaters. In the case of a cascade coater, which is shown schematically in FIG. 1, a plurality of dispersions flowing one above the other run simultaneously over a downward-sloping surface to the run-off edge and are taken up by a substrate moving past vertically upward, the fluid bridge formed from the layers being stabilized by slightly reduced pressure below the run-off edge. In the case of a curtain coater, the individual dispersions extruded from a coater orifice fall individually in a curtain onto the substrate moving horizontally past and are thus applied one on top of the other.
There is a plurality of methods for the application of magnetizable layers whose dispersions generally have a substantially higher viscosity. A dispersion containing the finely divided magnetic pigments, which are finely distributed in a polymeric binder matrix, can be applied to the substrate by means of knife coaters, doctor blade coaters, gravure coaters, reverse roll coaters or extruder coaters. An extruder coater for simultaneous application of a plurality of layers located one on top of the other is disclosed in PCT application EP 93/02017. The dispersions are applied to a flexible substrate from at least two coater slots, the upper edge of the upper outlet orifice arranged in the direction of transport of the substrate being recessed with respect to the lower edge of the lower outlet orifice, and a right parallelepiped magnet whose upper edge is opposite the common outlet orifice of the coater slots and from 0.1 to 5 mm away being arranged behind the substrate and parallel thereto, and a stripper plate which is extended from the extruder edge toward the material web being mounted at the two coating edges in order to avoid thickening of the edges. FIG. 2 schematically shows the structure of such a coater, which in particular has the advantage that the applied amounts of dispersion are substantially independent of the distance of the outlet slots from the material web. Magnetic recording media produced using such coaters are disclosed in DE-A 42 34 608 and 42 43 846.

Apparatus for the production of a magnetic recording medium


A process of mechanical separation of embryos from seeds for genetic transplantation employs counter-rotating cylinders together with one or more culling, hydration, separation, and viability testing steps to provide high-throughput of viable, transplantable tissue.

The present invention relates to plant cell transformation in which genetic material is inserted into plant cells to modify resulting plants, and in particular, the invention relates to an apparatus for collecting embryonic tissue from seeds that may be used for such transformation.
The genetic transformation of plants may be used to develop crops with improved yield, insect and disease resistance, herbicide tolerance, and increased nutritional value. In such transformation, new genes are introduced into the chromosomal material of existing plant cells. Various methods have been developed for transferring genes into plant tissue including high velocity microprojection, microinjection, electroporation, direct DNA uptake and, Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation.
Once the gene is successfully introduced into the chromosomal material of the plant cells, new inheritable germ line tissue must be developed (e.g., seeds) so that the new plant may be propagated. One way this may be done is by selecting only cells that have accepted the new gene and culturing the callus of these cells into a new viable plant. The time required to develop a plant from a single cell is lengthy.
Shortened development times may be obtained by directly treating meristematic tissue of a preformed plant embryo. The meristematic tissue is formative plant tissue of cells that will differentiate to produce different plant structures including the seeds or germ line tissue. A number of plant embryos may be treated and selection or screening techniques used later to determine which of those plants have incorporated the new genetic information into their germ line tissue.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,384,301 assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference describes a method of genetically transforming soybeans (Glycine max) using Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer directly on the meristematic cells of soybean embryos. In this procedure, the seeds are soaked to initiate germination. After germination has begun, the embryo is excised from the seed and the primary leaf tissue removed to expose the meristem of the soybean embryo. The meristem is formative plant tissue that will differentiate to give rise to different parts of the plant.
Although seeds are inexpensive, the considerable labor involved in excising the embryos, transferring the genetic material into the embryos, and cultivating the embryos makes it desirable to reduce damage to the embryo that could result in this effort being applied to tissue that is ultimately non-viable. For this reason, the excision of plant embryos is performed by hand.
In the manual process, surface sterilized seeds are aseptically handled one at a time with gloved hands. They are oriented in a manner as to eject the seed coat with applied force. Then the cotyledons are separated and removed leaving the seed embryo. The embryonic leaves are removed near the area of the primary meristem. Recovery of viable embryos for genetic transfer is less than 100% even with this hand method and may be as little as 70% with high quality seeds.
Bacterial contamination of the embryos after excision is a significant concern. Manual excision of the embryos allows early separation of the seed coat from the remainder of the seed to prevent contamination of the embryo with bacteria found on the seed coat, which normally protects the embryo.
Skilled personnel performing manual excision can often recognize abnormal embryos at the time of excision and discard them, substantially improving downstream yields.
Despite the advantages of manual excision, individual separation of each plant embryo from its seed is extremely labor intensive and stands as a barrier to a scaling up of the transformation process in which, typically, many plants must be treated to yield a successful few transformations.
What is needed is a process that can significantly increase the availability of transformable embryos without unacceptably increasing total costs of transformation, the latter which will rise if damage to embryos or bacterial contamination of the embryos causes fruitless cultivation of large numbers of non-viable embryos.

Method and apparatus for preparation of genetically transformable plant tissue


A method of providing an alert that a portable electronic device has been left at a vehicle. The method comprises determining that an occupant has exited the vehicle. The method further comprises detecting that a portable electronic device is located at the vehicle. When it has been determined that the occupant has left the vehicle and that the electronic device has been left behind, the method still further comprises generating an alert to notify the occupant that the electronic device has been left at the vehicle. A system for performing or utilizing the above-described methodology is also provided.

Modern vehicles may include systems or devices configured to provide telematics and/or infotainment services and having the capability of communicating with portable electronic devices (e.g., telephones, smart phones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDA), computers, etc.) located within the vehicle. Such communication may be facilitated through hardwired connections (e.g., the portable devices may be electrically connected to an electromechanical port of the system or device via one or more wires or cables) or wireless connections (e.g., personal area networks (e.g., Bluetooth) or wireless local area networks (e.g., Wi-Fi)). In any event, when enabled, this communication capability may allow for the hands-free use of a suitably-configured electronic device by an occupant of the vehicle even though the device may not be within reach of, or in relatively close proximity to, the occupant, among potentially other functionality.

Providing notification that an electronic device is located at a vehicle


Technical solutions are described for inter-controller communication in a protocol agnostic manner. For example, a method includes generating, by a sending controller, a protocol agnostic data frame including a pattern identifier, a rolling counter, a message identifier, a signal group, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC), a complement of the pattern identifier, and a complement of the rolling counter. The method further includes sending, by the sending controller, the protocol agnostic data frame to a first receiving controller that uses a first communication protocol, and sending, by the sending controller, the protocol agnostic data frame to a second receiving controller that uses a second communication protocol.

This application generally relates to communication between electronic control units (ECUs) in a vehicle, and particularly between one or more ECUs associated with an electric power steering (EPS) system in the vehicle and other ECUs in the vehicle.
Increasing reliance on automatic driving assist systems (ADAS) has resulted in one or more controllers of various subsystems in a vehicle to communicate with each other. For example, the communication facilitates the subsystems to share information, in turn facilitating a subsystem to react to actions being taken by other subsystems automatically.
In addition, increasing vehicle safety requirements are driving system redundancy to achieve higher safety levels. Redundancy is achieved by proliferation of the control system of the vehicle, to the extent of having redundant ECUs. This in turn demands a robust and failsafe communication method between the two ECUs. A poor communication link between ECUs has an adverse effect on the overall system performance, leading to a safety hazard.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a robust inter-controller communication.

Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation


Methods and systems are provided for securely authenticating data of an integrated circuit. By authenticating data having keystream blocks inserted between ciphertext portions, it becomes more difficult to mount successful authentication-based attacks.

Cryptographic algorithms provide classes of encryption and decryption schemes for securing data. Encryption is often implemented with a block cipher, e.g., the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), in which data is portioned into fixed-sized ciphertext blocks (typically 128-bits), and each block is decrypted with a decryption key. The internal implementation of a block cipher is typically divided into multiple rounds per ciphertext block, where each round uses an expanded round-key that is derived from the encryption key (e.g., AES-256 uses 14 rounds per ciphertext block). In one common mode of operation, the block cipher is used with the NIST Counter Mode, where the value of an incrementing counter is encrypted to create keystream blocks, and those keystream blocks are combined (e.g., XORed) with plaintext blocks to generate corresponding ciphertext blocks.
Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,768,372 and 5,915,017, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its respective entirety, describe the encryption of configuration data stored in nonvolatile storage and its decryption upon loading into a programmable device, including provision of an indicator to signal to the decryption circuit which of several possible encryption/decryption schemes was used to encrypt the configuration data and therefore should be used to decrypt the configuration data.
Someone intent on changing the operation of an integrated circuit without authorization may achieve his or her goal by substituting different programming of the integrated circuit. As merely one example, an attacker may replace or reprogram storage containing data for configuring at least parts of a programmable device. This may result in the programmable device loading unauthorized configuration data on its next power-up event. Programmable devices are frequently reconfigurable or partially reconfigurable during normal operation, so it may even be possible for the attacker to illicitly replace the configuration data in the storage and cause a reconfiguration without a power-up event.
To prevent such attacks, configuration data may be authenticated by inclusion of an authentication tag. The authentication tag may be based on a private authentication key that, in some cases, is programmed into the device. For example, the authentication tag could be generated with a known NIST HMAC algorithm based on a NIST SHA2 hash function. The device may then use its programmed private authentication key and the same authentication algorithm, e.g., HMAC, to verify that the authentication tag in the configuration data is valid, and thereby confirm that the configuration bitstream has not been tampered with.
One problem with this approach, however, is that an attacker may be able to extract the programmed authentication key from the device, and then generate a valid authentication tag for an unauthorized configuration bitstream. The attacker may extract the authentication key using various side-channel analysis (SCA) techniques, for example, by applying statistical analysis to side-channel information emitted from the device, such as power-supply fluctuations or electromagnetic emanations. Once the attacker is able to extract sufficient information about the internal state of the authentication process, he or she can mount attacks by spoofing authentication tags. An illustrative attack against HMAC authentication is described in the following article entitled "Differential Power Analysis of HMAC based on SHA-2, and Countermeasures" McEvoy, R. P., Tunstall, M., Murphy, C., and Marnane, W., WISA 07: 8th International Workshop on Information Security.


A contents display control means displays video contents in a contents display screen area, a virtual space display control means displays a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional virtual space and an object appearing in the two-dimensional or the three-dimensional virtual space in a virtual space display screen area, and a motion control means controls, when the video contents is displayed in the contents display screen area, a motion of the object, with reference to additional information of the video contents and motion control information specifying the motion of the object when the additional information satisfies a certain condition. Accordingly, a novel video contents display method can be provided with the use of the additional information multiplexed into the video contents.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer readable storage medium storing a video contents display program, and a video contents display apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, as an example of a video contents display apparatus, there is a digital broadcast receiving apparatus for performing display based on data included in a broadcast signal which is transmitted from a broadcasting station and then received (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-13561). Patent Document 1 describes a method of displaying subtitles data included in the broadcast signal, which is transmitted from the broadcasting station and then received, in conjunction with video data. The subtitles were originally developed for a hearing-impaired person, and as an alternative usage of the subtitles, the subtitles may be used for learning a foreign language or for enabling checking of a content of a broadcast program even when a sound is muffled.
However, the subtitles data has conventionally been used for only such purposes as displaying the subtitles data in conjunction with the video data so as to enable the hearing-impaired person to understand the content of a broadcast visually, learning the foreign language, and enabling a viewer to catch the content of the broadcast program even when the sound is muffled. The subtitles data has yet to be used in a further effective manner.

Computer readable storage medium storing video contents display program and video contents display apparatus


The present invention provides a directory service system for accessing a plurality of directory services in a uniform manner. Each directory service manages information relating to objects or that directory service. The type of information that a directory service manages for an object is defined by the object class of the object. An object class defines the properties (i.e., information) that a directory service manages for objects of that object class. Each property has a properly name and property type. A directory service has a property value for each property defined by the object class of each object. The directory service system comprises a schema browsing component, a name resolving component, a binding component, and an extending component. The schema browsing component controls the retrieving of the property name and property type of each property of each object class of each directory service. A client of the directory service system uses the schema browsing component to retrieve property names and property types of the object classes. The name resolving component controls the receiving of a unique identifier of an object within a directory service and the locating of the object within the directory service. The binding component controls the binding to an in-memory object representing a located object within a directory service. The extending component controls the defining of new object classes and new properties for each directory service. A client of the directory service system uses the extending component to define new object classes and new properties.

Computer systems typically store and maintain a large amount of data relating to the computer system and its users. For example, a computer system may maintain names, email addresses, and phone numbers of the user of the computer system. The computer system may also maintain information relating to the various printers connected to the computer system. This information may include printer characteristics (e.g., laser and color) and names of the users who are authorized to use each printer. Several different types of computer programs, known as "clients," may need access to this information. For example, one client may be a computer program that needs to determine which printers can be used to print a document in color. Another client may be a computer program that allows a system administrator to update the information, for example, to reflect information relating to a newly added printer. Computer systems have traditionally stored such information in a variety of locations and formats. For example, information relating to a printer may be stored in a configuration file and information relating to a user may be stored in a database. Thus, it was typically very difficult for programmer who was developing a client to even know where to look for, let alone know how to access, this information.
Some computer systems provide a directory service to help in the storing and maintaining of this information. A directory service provides a repository of this information from which a client can access over the network. Directory services generally refer to the things (e.g., users, printers, or access groups) for which information is maintained as "objects." Directory services organize such objects hierarchically into a directory. That is, one object, referred to as a container object, may contain various other objects referred to a contained objects. For example, an access group that comprises users who share common access rights to a resource is a container object that contains users that are contained objects. Each object for which a directory service maintains information has a unique identifier (e.g., a name) by which a client can identify the object. Although directory services were originally developed to maintain information relating to computer systems, they may be used to maintain information unrelated to computer systems. For example, a directory service can be used by an airplane manufacturer to maintain a part list for the components and sub-components of an airplane.
FIG. 1 illustrates a sample hierarchy of a directory service. Each block represents an object of a particular "object class." For example, an object representing a company would have an object class named "company." Each object class defines the properties of objects of that object class. For example, the company object class may define the properties "name" and "address." Each object has a property value for each property defined for the object class. For example, an object of the company object class may have the property value "MS" for the name property. Block 101 corresponds to an object of the company object class and has a value for the name and address properties. Block 102 corresponds to an object of the division object class and has a value for the name of the division (e.g., "system"). Block 103 corresponds to an object of the user object class and has a value for the email address of the user. Because the directory service is hierarchically organized, each object can be uniquely identified by a path from the root to the object. For example, object 102 is uniquely identified by the path "Company=MS.backslash.Division=Systems". The directory service provides a conceptual finite space, referred to as a namespace, in which a given name can be resolved. The directory service unambiguously resolves paths to objects in the directory.
Various vendors provide directory service systems. Each vendor typically designs and implements an application programming interface (API) to allow clients to access its directory service system. Thus, each directory service system may, and typically does, have very different API sets. If a client needs to use different directory service systems, for example, because the client operates in an environment that includes personal computers and mainframe computers, the programmer of the client would need to know about the API sets of each directory service and design the client to support each of the API sets.
Although each API set is vendor-specific, the API sets generally provide similar functionality. The API sets generally includes functions for accessing property values of the objects and functions for defining new object classes. The functions for manipulating objects are, for example, OpenObject, ReadObject, WriteObject, ListObjects, CloseObject, CreateObject, and DeleteObject. The function OpenObject is passed the identification (e.g., path) to an object and returns a handle that identifies that object. This handle is subsequently used by the client to identify the open object to the directory service. The function OpenObject uses the identification to identify the object and then locates the properties of the identified object. The function ReadObject is passed a handle to an open object and a list of the names of the properties of that object that are to be retrieved. The function ReadObject returns the current property values for those properties. The function WriteObject is passed a handle to an open object and a list of property name and property value pairs. The function WriteObject sets each named property in the open object to the property value of the pair. The function ListObjects is passed a handle to an open object and returns a list containing the identification of each object that is contained within the open object. The function CloseObject is passed a handle to an open object and closes the object so that it can no longer be accessed with that handle. The function CreateObject is passed an object class, creates an object of the object class that is contained within the open object, and returns a handle to the contained object. The function DeleteObject is passed a handle to an open object and removes the open object from its container object.
The functions for defining the object classes are CreateObjectClass, DeleteObjectClass, CreateProperty, DeleteProperty, AddPropertyToObjectClass, DeletePropertyFromObjectClass, and ListProper-tiesOfObjectClass. The function CreateObjectClass is passed the name of a new object class and creates a new object class. Once an object class is created, then a client can create objects of that object class. The function CreateProperty is passed the name of a property and the property type (e.g., integer or string) and creates a property of that property type (e.g., property name of "address" with property type of "string"). The function AddPropertyToObjectClass is passed the name of an object class and the name of a property and adds the named property as a property of the named object class. The function ListPropertiesOfObjectClass is passed the name of an object class and returns a list of the properties that have been added to that object class. The functions DeleteObjectClass, DeleteProperty, and DeletePropertyFromObjectClass perform the behavior suggested by their names.
The present invention is described below using some object-oriented techniques; thus, an overview of well-known object-oriented programming techniques is provided. (The term "object" has many different meanings when used in different contexts. In the remainder of the background, the term "object" is used in an object-oriented sense to refer to an in-memory data structure.) Two common characteristics of object-oriented programming languages are support for data encapsulation and data type inheritance. Data encapsulation refers to the binding of functions and data. Inheritance refers to the ability to declare a data type in terms of other data types. In the C++ language, data encapsulation and inheritance are supported through the use of classes. A class is a user-defined type. A class declaration describes the data members and function members of the class. A function member is also referred to as a method of a class. The data members and function members of a class are bound together in that the function operates on an instance of the class. An instance of a class is also called an object of the class. Thus, a class provides a definition for a group of objects with similar properties and common behavior.
To allocate storage for an object of a particular type (class), an object is instantiated. Once instantiated, data can be assigned to the data members of the particular object. Also, once instantiated, the function members of the particular object can be invoked to access and manipulate the data members. Thus, in this manner, the function members implement the behavior of the object, and the object provides a structure for encapsulating data and behavior into a single entity.
To support the concept of inheritance, classes may be derived from (based upon the declaration of) other classes. A derived class is a class that inherits the characteristics--data members and function members--of its base classes. A class that inherits the characteristics of another class is a derived class. A class that does not inherit the characteristics of another class is a primary (root) class. A class whose characteristics are inherited by another class is a base class. A derived class may inherit the characteristics of several classes; that is, a derived class may have several base classes. This is referred to as multiple inheritance.
A class may also specify whether its function members are virtual. Declaring that a function member is virtual means that the function can be overridden by a function of the same name and type in a derived class. If a virtual function is declared without providing an implementation, then it is referred to as a pure virtual function. A pure virtual function is a virtual function declared with the pure specifier, "=0". If a class specifies a pure virtual function, then any derived class needs to specify an implementation for that function member before that function member may be invoked. A class which contains at least one pure virtual function member is an abstract class.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating typical data structures used to represent an object. An object comprises instance data (data members) and function members, which implement the behavior of the object. The data structures used to represent an object comprise instance data structure 201, virtual function table 202, and the function members 203, 204, 205. The instance data structure 201 contains a pointer to the virtual function table 202 and contains data members. The virtual function table 202 contains an entry for each virtual function member defined for the object. Each entry contains a reference to the code that implements the corresponding function member. The layout of this sample object conforms to models described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,297,284, entitled "A Method for Implementing Virtual Functions and Virtual Bases in a Compiler for an Object Oriented Programming Language," which is hereby incorporated by reference. In the following, an object will be described as an instance of a class as defined by the C++ programming language. One skilled in the art would appreciate that other object models can be defined using other programming languages.
An advantage of using object-oriented techniques is that these techniques can be used to facilitate the sharing of objects. For example, a program implementing the function members of an instantiated object (a "server program") can share the object with another program (a "client program"). To allow an object of an arbitrary class to be shared with a client program, interfaces are defined through which an object can be accessed without the need for the client program to have access to the class definitions at compile time. An interface is a named set of logically related function members. In C++, an interface is an abstract class with no data members and whose virtual functions are all pure. Thus, an interface provides a published protocol for two programs to communicate. Interfaces are typically used for derivation: a program defines (implements) classes that provide implementations for the interfaces the classes are derived from. Thereafter, objects are created as instances of these derived classes. Objects instantiated from a derived class implementing particular interfaces are said to "support" the interfaces. An object supports one or more interfaces depending upon the desired functionality.
When a client program desires to share an object, the client program needs access to the code that implements the interfaces for the object (the derived class code). In the OLE 2.01 environment established by Microsoft.TM. Corporation of Redmond, Washington, to access the derived class code (also referred to as class code), each class implementation is given a unique class identifier (a "CLSID"). OLE 2.01 is described in "Inside OLE," 2.sup.nd Edition, Microsoft Press, 1995, by Kraig Brockschmidt. For example, code implementing a spreadsheet object developed by Microsoft Corporation may have a class identifier of "MSSpreadsheet," while code implementing a spreadsheet object developed by another corporation may have a class identifier of "LTSSpreadsheet." A persistent registry in each computer system is maintained that maps each CLSID to the code that implements the class. Typically, when a spreadsheet program is installed on a computer system, the persistent registry is updated to reflect the availability of that class of spreadsheet objects. So long as a spreadsheet developer implements each function member defined by the interfaces to be supported by spreadsheet objects and so long as the persistent registry is maintained, the client program can access the function members of shared spreadsheet objects without regard to which server program has implemented them or how they have been implemented.
Since an object may support some interfaces and not others, a client program may need to determine at run time whether a particular object supports a particular interface. To enable this determination, every COM object supports the IUnknown interface, which contains a function member, QueiryInterface, that indicates which interfaces are implemented for the object. The QueryInterface method is defined as follows:
virtual HRESULT QueryInterface (REFIID iid. void**ppv)=0;
The QueryInterface method is passed an interface identifier in parameter iid (of type REFIID) and returns in parameter ppv a pointer to the implementation of the designated interface "iid." Thus, the QueryInterface method is typically coded to know about all available interfaces of the object to which it belongs. If the object does not support the interface, then the QueryInterface method returns false. The type HRESULT indicates a predefined status.
The IUnknown interface also defines the methods AddRef and Release, which are used to implement reference counting. Whenever a new reference to an interface is created, the AddRef method is invoked to increment a reference count of the object. When a reference is no longer needed, the Release method is invoked to decrement the reference count of the object and, when the reference count goes to zero, the object is deallocated.

Method and system for uniformly accessing multiple directory services


A process for manufacturing road vehicle tires (2), whereby each bead portion (4) of a first stage carcass (1) of a green tire (2) is fitted to a respective circular inner annular support (22), and a finished green tire (2) is formed by fitting the first stage carcass (1) to a second stage outer annular tread assembly (11) inside a toroidal housing constituting a tire forming mold (52), the inner annular periphery of which is defined by the inner annular supports (22) of the bead portions (4) of the first stage carcass (1), and the inner surface of which negatively reproduces the outer surface of the finished tire (2). The annular supports (22) of the bead portions (4) are maintained connected to the tire (2) pending completion of the post-inflation stage.

1.Technical Field
The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing road vehicle tires.
2.Background Information
Road vehicle tires are normally produced by assembling a first stage carcass and second stage outer annular tread assembly together to form a green tire, which is normally stitched externally, after being inflated with compressed air to ensure adhesion of the first and second stages. The green tire is then cured in a curing mold and restored to ambient temperature by means of a final post-inflation process.
The above method, which is currently employed by the majority of manufacturers, clearly provides in no way for in-process control of the external shape of the green tire. The absence of such control is responsible for most of the major defects encountered in finished tires currently available on the market, such as axial and radial dissymmetry, which are mainly caused by no control being effected for the position of the bead portions in relation to the outer tread portion.
Defects of this sort remain even after curing, despite forming the tire at relatively high temperatures against the surface of a mold negatively reproducing the outer surface of the finished tire. Each finished tire, retains not only any existing structural defects, but also stresses deriving from the shape memory of the tire components, which distort the tire slightly subsequent to removal from the curing mold and post-inflation.


In response to detecting data file creation/revision in a first computing device, one or more other computing devices in which the data file creation/revision is to be synchronized are identified and a user of the first computing device is prompted to specify a message to be communicated to the one or more other computing devices in association with the data file creation/revision. The message specified by the user of the first computing device is received and communicated to the one or more other computing devices together with information that enables the data file creation/revision to be synchronized within the one or more other computing devices.

Increasing employee mobility and rising capabilities of end-user systems have spawned a proliferating number of Internet-based ("cloud") storage systems such as Dropbox, Google Drive, iCloud, and Microsoft SkyDrive, to name a few. Generally speaking, such storage systems operate as massive file synchronization schemes, detecting changes in one instance of a "cloud-based" file and propagating those changes automatically to all other instances of that file, thus ensuring that all users have access to the latest version of the file.
Despite the collaborative advantages of cloud-based storage systems, the manner of user communications with respect to newly created or revised files remains largely unchanged. E-mail threads, phone messages and text messages abound as users communicate with one another regarding changes or creation of files of interest. Indeed, when faced with determining the status of a file or actions required, many users first resort to an e-mail search in an effort to extract the various messages relating to a given file or set of files from a morass of electronic communications. Voicemail messages and text messages are even more problematic, often being long since deleted by the time needed to guide user decisions or actions.


A multi-stage rotary compressor to reduce a driving load and prevent a malfunction due to an abrupt pressure rising. In the compressor of the type including first and second compressing units mounted in a hermetic casing thereof to compress a gas, the gas being primarily compressed in the first compressing unit and secondarily compressed in the second compressing unit, the interior of the hermetic casing is divided into a plurality of spaces including first and second pressure chambers. The first pressure chamber surrounds the first compressing unit and is kept at a discharge pressure of the first compressing unit, and the second pressure chamber surrounds the second compressing unit and is kept at a discharge pressure of the second compressing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-stage rotary compressor, and more particularly, to a multi-stage rotary compressor to reduce a driving load and prevent a malfunction incurred by a steep pressure rising.
2. Description of the Related Art
A multi-stage rotary compressor, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-19599 (published on Jan. 22, 2004), includes a lower first compression chamber and an upper second compression chamber. In operation, a refrigerant gas is primarily compressed in the first compression chamber to an intermediate pressure, and secondarily compressed in the second compression chamber to a higher pressure while successively passing through the first and second compression chambers, thereby being discharged into a hermetic casing of the compressor in a substantially high pressure state.
The rotary compressor further includes first and second rollers that eccentrically rotate in the respective compression chambers, first and second vanes each serving to sectionalize an associated one of the compression chambers into a suction space and a discharge space while reciprocating in a radial direction of the associated compression chamber according to a rotation of the first or second roller, and first and second vane springs to press the vanes toward the rollers.
By virtue of the elasticity of the vane springs and the high interior pressure of the hermetic casing, the first and second vanes are kept in close contact with outer circumferences of the first and second rollers, respectively, when they are pressed inward in the respective compression chambers to compress a refrigerant.
However, the above described multi-stage rotary compressor experiences a pressure difference between the interior of the first compression chamber and the interior of the hermetic casing because, during a compression operation, the second compression chamber and the hermetic casing are kept at high interior pressures, whereas the first compression chamber is kept at an intermediate interior pressure below the interior pressure of the hermetic casing. The pressure difference causes the first vane to press the outer circumference of the first roller with an unnecessarily large force, resulting in an increased driving load.
Thereby, although the second vane presses the second roller with a moderate force because there exists no noticeable pressure difference between the second compression chamber and the hermetic casing, the substantial pressure difference between the first compression chamber and the hermetic casing problematically increases a press force of the first vane against the outer circumference of the first roller, resulting in much frictional wear between the first vane and the first roller. Further, the increased driving load incurs a loss of energy.
Another problem of the multi-stage rotary compressor is that the interior pressure of the first compression chamber rises abruptly (i.e. above the intermediate pressure) if a refrigerant liquid is introduced into the first compression chamber during an initial operation. Because the refrigerant, passed by the first compression chamber, is again compressed in the second compression chamber rather than discharged directly into the hermetic casing, the abrupt pressure rising generates an overload in the compressor, hindering a smooth starting thereof.


The invention provides methods of protecting selected regions of an image from subsequent modification during the operation of a graphics application. The methods allow a user to select a region of an image to protect, and to assign a level of protection to the selected region. Subsequent brush strokes in the region are then attenuated according to the assigned level of protection and blended into the image without artifacts caused by overlapping strokes. The invention also provides a method of blending individual strokes into a texture without segmentation artifacts.

Certain computer graphics applications include a stenciling function for protecting part of an image from subsequent paint strokes. A stenciling function allows a user to select a region of the image to protect, such that subsequent paint strokes falling within the selected region are not blended into the image.
A stenciling function may also allow a user to apply a partial mask to a selected region, such that a subsequent paint stroke falling within the selected region is only partially blended into the image. For example, a partial mask may be used along the edges of a full mask in order to provide a smooth transition between masked and unmasked portions of the stenciled image.
A partial mask may be applied for a single paint stroke falling within a selected region by reducing the intensity of the paint stroke prior to blending the paint stroke into the image. Partial masks that are available in current graphics applications are of limited value where paint strokes overlap. Overlapping paint strokes within a partially masked region may result in a blending of more color into the underlying image than is desired.
Paint strokes within a partially stenciled region are blended into an image one by one, as soon as each paint stroke is executed. The color contributed by the original layer appears to diminish as new layers of paint are blended into the partially-stenciled region. That is, the opacity of the original layer decreases as the image is layered over with new paint.
It is not possible for a user to specify that an initial version of a selected region of an image be maintained at a specified opacity in any subsequent composite. This is because the image is modified after each stroke in order to maintain real-time interactivity with the user, and previous brush strokes are not accounted for in the attenuation and blending of subsequent, overlapping strokes.
Similarly, overlapping erase strokes within a partially-masked region may result in a removal of more color than is desired by the user, since overlapping erase strokes in the selected region will eventually reduce the opacity of the original layer below the desired minimum.
Furthermore, current methods of blending individual paint strokes into an image may result in undesired artifacts. An individual paint stroke is generally divided into a series of stroke segments that are separately blended into an image. Overlapping portions at the ends of segments of an individual paint stroke are blended twice, causing undesired artifacts.
There exists a general need for more accurate and more robust stenciling methods in computer graphics applications. More specifically, there exists a need for stenciling methods that allow a user to specify that a selected region not change more than a specified amount during subsequent editing.

Apparatus and methods for stenciling an image


In a discharge tube manufacture line, electrode clamps are attached to both sides of an electrode lead except on a predetermined adhesion area to fix a glass bead. Then, a power section is driven to energize the area between the electrode clamps. The surface of the predetermined adhesion area is heated and oxidized. The glass bead is welded to the oxidized surface of the predetermined adhesion area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a discharge tube suitable for flash device of a simple camera, such as a lens-fitted photo film unit, in particular, a method that can reduce the manufacture process to realize cost reduction.
2. Explanations of the Prior Arts
A flash discharge tube is used in a flash device of a camera. The flash discharge tube is ordinarily manufactured in the following steps. After an electrode lead is inserted into a glass bead, the glass bead with the electrode lead is fixed to one end of a glass tube. Then, rare gas, such as xenon, is put into the glass tube from the other end thereof. Finally, the other end of the glass tube is sealed by the glass bead with the electrode.
Generally, a flash discharge tube is required to have sufficient performance lifetime for emitting light about 5000 times. In order to achieve this, the conventional flash discharge tube uses tungsten with high-melting point as an electrode, and a hard glass with approximately the same thermal expansion rate as tungsten is used to cover the tungsten in a tight manner. Tungsten electrode lasts a long time, but tungsten is expensive. In addition, the tungsten electrode can not be soldered directly. Thus a nickel pin is required for welding, and this results in further increase in cost.
In order to ensure good adhesion with the glass bead, the electrode lead needs to be oxidized at least in a predetermined adhesion area to fix the glass beads. Moreover, in order not to affect the electrode function as well as to ensure solder welding, oxidation of the surface of the electrode lead must be prevented at both ends of the electrode leads except the predetermined adhesion area.
JPA No.8-236023 discloses a manufacturing method of an electrode lead that consists of tungsten and nickel. According to the above patent, when the two materials are welded in the air by joining over the same axle, the whole surface of the electrode lead is oxidized by the heat generated in welding. Then, the glass bead is inserted into the electrode lead such that the glass bead is in contact with the predetermined adhesion area of the electrode lead. Finally, a gas burner heats the glass bead in deoxidation gas atmosphere to adhere the glass bead to the electrode lead. As welding of the two materials and oxidation treatment are simultaneously conducted in the manufacturing process, the number of processes can be reduced in comparison with the conventional method in which welding and oxidation treatment are separately conducted. Additionally, oxidation treatment is easily conducted to the electrode lead that has uneven surface.
Despite the above advantages, the electrode lead must be subject to deoxidation treatment in the area excluding the predetermined adhesion area. As a result, the glass bead is adhered to the electrode lead in reducing gas or hydrogen atmosphere so as to prevent the surface of the electrode lead excluding the predetermined adhesion area from being oxidized. As other deoxidation process, it is possible to remove oxide films by acid washing.
In the electrode lead with different materials, oxygen in the air naturally reacts with the whole electrode lead upon welding. It is necessary to have deoxidation treatment over the surface of the electrode lead except the predetermined adhesion area. In conducting deoxidation treatment by reducing gas, for example, an equipment to generate reducing gas atmosphere is required. As a result, the manufacture cost increases.
Low cost is desirable for a lens-fitted photo film unit including a flash unit. However, incorporating the discharge tube with such expensive materials increases the cost of the lens-fitted photo film unit. Particularly, the lens-fitted photo film unit does not need such a durable flash discharge tube because it is recycled after its usage. It is sufficient for the electrode lead of the lens-fitted photo film unit to emit light at most around 150 times including recycling and testing upon manufacture. For the purpose of cost reduction, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 7-18132 discloses a discharge tube that uses an electrode lead of a single material, such as Kovar metal (alloy of nickel, iron, and cobalt). However, the above oxidize treatment can not be applied to this type of electrode lead, because it does not require the welding process to reduce the electrode lead.

Method for manufacturing discharge tube using heat for oxidation of adhension area of electrode lead


An antenna configuration is provided for radio reception in motor vehicles, the roof region of which is made predominantly of dielectric materials, and for motor vehicles having roof structures that can be collapsed for open driving operation. The antenna configuration includes a combination of emitters that are integrated into elements of the roof region, with emitters that are disposed in cavities of the interior paneling essentially below the belt line of the vehicle. A ground connection is provided for emitters that are disposed in a roof structure having movable elements by way of at least one resilient contact between movable metal components of the roof structure and the metal car body. Also included is a switching system for alternating operation of the emitters.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an antenna configuration for motor vehicles, the roof region of which is made predominantly of dielectric materials, and for motor vehicles having roof structures that can be collapsed for open driving conditions.
2. The Prior Art
An antenna is essentially defined by the emitter as a wave-type converter (free-space wave to line-conducted wave or vice versa), which is electrically effective for a certain frequency range because of its geometrical configuration, and is in resonance; the feed point as the interface between emitter and line, at which the wave is coupled in and out, respectively; as well as the ground reference or counter-pole.
The function of an antenna is represented by means of the radiation characteristics (viewed spatially), or by means of radiation diagrams (in vertical or horizontal section).
For motor vehicles having metal bodies with an essentially unchangeable body structure, the placement of antennas and their function in interaction with the aforementioned components present no problems. The antennas in a rear window surrounded by sheet-metal surfaces, the rod antennas on the metal roof of a sedan, and others, can be positioned and optimized for stable function without any great difficulties, with regard to the implementation of the emitters as well as the assignment of the feed point and a sufficient ground connection, taking into consideration the high frequency (HF)-related specifics of the motor vehicle body, in each instance.
It is different for vehicles having variable body components and for vehicles having body parts made of dielectric materials.
In the present context, the variability relates to the roof construction, specifically in the case of convertibles. Nowadays, a differentiation is made, in the case of convertibles, between a folding roof made of metal elements, and the conventional structure made of a metal frame of connecting rods covered with fabric or plastic surfaces.
For such vehicles as well, rear windows having integrated antenna structures are known. These antennas can be used for radio services as long as the roof does not disappear under the cover or in the trunk in the collapsed state.
For the case of the open roof, rod antennas, in most cases on the fenders, or antennas in the bumper area are generally used as an alternative.
The rod antennas are exposed to vandalism and theft. The antennas in the bumper, on the other hand, are highly direction-oriented, with the sheet-metal body "at their back," and one should place at least two emitters in opposite directions on the vehicle, combined with diversity or phase-regulated signal integration. In this connection, long HF lines between the individual feed points and to the receiver are then unavoidable. Fundamentally, placement at a low height in the bumper is also not the most advantageous for reception.
For a rear window that is surrounded by a fabric cover, on the other hand, a ground connection can be a problem. Possible solutions would be a ground-plane arrangement or dipole arrangement. Something like those solutions would be complicated, however, and would limit the window area that is available for a multi-antenna arrangement, for example.

Antenna configuration for radio reception in motor vehicles


An arbitration device is provided, which is designed to be connected between, on the one hand, a first and a second module and, on the other hand, storing means forming a memory workspace. This arbitration device includes a detector for detecting one or more requests coming, concurrently or not, from the first and second modules, for the purpose of accessing the memory workspace.

In the above-mentioned context, where two modules write/read in the same memory workspace, two separate techniques are currently known.
A first known technique consists in utilizing a DPRAM memory. This first known technique is practically necessary when the first and second modules are, respectively, a very fast processing unit (CPU) and a very fast controller (IP block), such as a USB controller, for example. In these cases, the CPU accesses and the controller accesses (e.g., USB) are served concurrently, without waiting.
A second known technique consists in utilizing an SRAM memory with a "cycle-stealing" mechanism (also called a wait mechanism). This second known technique is more suited to the case where the first and second modules are, respectively, a processing unit (CPU) and a slower controller (IP block), such as a CAN controller, for example. When concurrent accesses are detected, the wait mechanism is implemented (sending of a "wait" signal by the SRAM memory or by an arbitration device placed between the SRAM memory and the first and second modules), in order to make either the CPU or the controller wait during the entire duration of a clock cycle of the SRAM memory. Conventionally, the clock of the SRAM memory is expressed either in the time base of the first module (e.g., the CPU), or in that of the second module (e.g., a controller). In other words, the clock signal received at the input of the SRAM memory comes from the first or from the second module.
The aforesaid two known techniques have advantages and disadvantages.
The DPRAM are admittedly very efficient, because there are no conflicts in the event of concurrent access. Their major disadvantage is size (nearly twice that of an SRAM memory with an equivalent capacity) and, above all, heavy technological dependency. It is still actually possible to find technologies that do not propose DPRAM.
The advantage of the SRAM is their smaller size in relation to the DPRAM and, above all, there is definitely not any technological dependency. Their disadvantage is the fact that they impose a wait time either on the CPU or the controller, in order that concurrent accesses might be served. Moreover, if a wait mechanism has not been anticipated, the frequency must be doubled in order to be able to serve two requests, with consequences affecting the system's consumption.
It is pointed out that, in an alternative to the second technique, the memory workspace is produced in the form of a register instead of an SRAM memory. The advantages and disadvantages of this alternative are substantially the same as those of the second known technique (with SRAM memory).

Asynchronous arbitration device and microcontroller comprising such an arbitration device


A compression arm connector for connecting two circuit substrates in a disk drive and a method of producing the same are provided. The compression arm connector replaces the need for two vertical connectors and a base plate header traditionally used in disk drives for connecting the two circuit substrates. Another compression arm connector for connecting wires to solder pads on a circuit substrate are also provided. The contacts of this compression arm connector are bent through an angle of more than about 90.degree. to form a deflectable member and a solder member. The solder member may be exposed through the connector housing through the use of solder windows or passageways formed in the housing. Both connectors are capable of exhibiting large wipe and deflection capabilities. Additionally, both connectors can be used in a low-cost disk drive provided by the invention.

While the compression arm connectors of the present invention will be particularly described in connection with their use in the assembly of and use in disk drives, it should be understood that the compression arm connectors described and depicted herein are not to be limited thereto, since they may likewise be used in other devices.
The demand for increasing storage capacity in personal computers (PCs) has created new challenges for disk drive manufacturers. Disk drives installed in new computers must provide more storage than ever before, while at the same time maintaining costs at a minimum. Moreover, owners of existing PCs are seeking to supplement the storage capacity of their computers by adding on additional disk drives. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the production costs of producing high-storage disk drives.
An exploded view of part of a conventional disk drive is shown in FIG. 1. A spin motor assembly 4 housing a spin motor (not shown) is mounted to the base plate 2 of the disk drive. In use a disk (not shown) is mounted to the assembly 4 so that the spin motor operates to cause the disk to rotate. While the disk is rotating, a mechanical arm (not shown) with a read/write head is positioned over the rotating disk to read data to the disk or write data from the disk. A flexible circuit 6 is used to provide the control signals to position the mechanical arm. An integrated circuit (IC) 8 serves as a serial-to-parallel port for the drive heads. A base plate header 10 provides a plurality of pins 12a which extend upward from the base plate 2 in a plane substantially perpendicular to the base plate. The flexible circuit has a mounting surface 14 with a plurality of clearance holes 16 that permit the pins 12a from the base plate header to pass through.
A circuit substrate such as printed circuit board (PCB) 18 provides the interface for data to be read to and written from the disk. Pins 12b of the base plate header 10 are coupled to PCB 18 via vertical card connector 20. Likewise, a vertical card connector (not shown) may then be connected to pins 12a to interface a second circuit substrate to PCB 18.
The spin motor is typically driven through an interface with the circuit substrate, e.g. PCB 18. Three printed conductors 22 are shown leading from three respective pins 12a to lead wires 24 associated with the spin motor (different spin motors may provide different numbers of lead wires). Each of the lead wires 24 is soldered to one of the printed conductors. The base plate 2 is typically designed with an opening or slot 26 to expose the lead wires 24.
Adding slot 26 and the printed conductors 22 require additional assembly steps and, therefore, increase the overall cost of the disk drive. Therefore, in some disk drives the lead wires 24 are exposed through the underside of the base plate 2 where the spin motor frame is secured to the base plate. The lead wires may then be soldered directly to solder pads provided on PCB 18 to drive the spin motor. Since the lead wires are soldered directly to the PCB, the PCB and the spin motor cannot be disconnected for repair or replacement without probable damage to the PCB or the spin motor.
A conventional disk drive unit is assembled by mounting the spin motor assembly in its frame to the base plate. The base plate shown in FIG. 1 has a sunken portion in which the spin motor may be placed. Alternatively, the base plate may have an aperture through which the spin motor is secured. The lead wires of the spin motor are then coupled to corresponding solder pads or printed conductors which provide the power to drive the spin motor. A base plate header is fixed to the base plate by any suitable means such as by gluing or bolting the header correctly to the base plate. A flexible circuit is attached to the base plate header by inserting the header pins into clearance holes formed within a mounting surface of the flexible circuit. A circuit substrate may then be connected to each side of the base plate header via vertical card connectors.
It should be evident that the assembly of conventional disk drives requires numerous steps in connecting many of its components. Moreover, many of these steps are manual thereby increasing the cost of production. Therefore, there is a need to eliminate some of the steps, particularly those that require manual interaction. However, in eliminating such steps care must be taken to permit repair or replacement of individual components without destroying other disk drive components.

Long arm compression connector with bump header


The invention is directed to a method for balancing a current controller for controlling a current. The current controller is configured to adjust the current to a desired value of current while considering an actual value of the current determined by a measurement. The current controller is balanced while considering the deviation between the real magnitude of the current and the actual value applied to adjust the current.

A method of this kind is, for example, disclosed in German patent publication 3,727,122. This publication describes a control apparatus which is intended to ensure that an actuator, such as an idle actuator, of an internal combustion engine is provided with current of a specific magnitude flowing therethrough. This magnitude of the current is determined by a current controller accommodated in a control apparatus. This current controller continuously adjusts the current so that its magnitude corresponds to a particular desired value while considering an actual value determined utilizing a measurement resistor. However, the current adjusted in this manner deviates frequently from the desired value of the current especially because of deviations of the resistance value of the measurement resistor. A balancing of the current controller is conducted in order to prevent such deviations. For this purpose, a balancing computer is connected to the control apparatus and inputs a desired value for the current to the control apparatus and then determines the deviation between this desired value and the magnitude of the current to be actually adjusted in response thereto. The real magnitude of the current is determined from the voltage drop on a calibrated current measurement resistor utilized in lieu of the actuator. The deviation, which is determined by the balancing computer, is given to the control apparatus and is there stored in the form of a corrective factor. In normal operation of the control apparatus, the desired value, which is to be supplied to the current controller, is multiplied by the corrective factor before it is used.
Experience has shown that a current controller balancing of this kind does not always lead to the desired result. More specifically, even with the use of a current controller, which is balanced as described, differences between the desired value and the real magnitude of the current can occur which are no longer tolerable. The above notwithstanding, the balancing has been shown to be complicated and subject to error especially because of the provision of the described balancing computer.

Method for balancing a current controller


A displacement apparatus is provide for skating footwear such as in-line roller skates. The displacement apparatus has extension triggers, each of which is connected to respective rod members that releasably retain the rollers in a retracted position, and a retraction trigger connected to a slidable rod member that releasably retains the rollers in an extended position. Manual operation of the extension triggers and retraction trigger allows extension or retraction of the in line rollers as required. When retracted, the rollers are conveniently housed within a cavity in the underside of the shoe to thereby allow normal walking.

Recreational and sporting footwear such as roller skates, ice skates, rollerblades and the like are well known. It has also been known to create footwear which can function both as a skate and as a shoe suitable for walking without impediment by the skate. To this end, skating footwear have been developed whereby the rollers or skates are displaceable between a ground-engaging, extended position for skating or rollerblading, and a retracted position which allows normal walking.
Typically, footwear incorporating a retractable skate have a recess or cavity in the underside or sole of the footwear which houses the skate when retracted. Retraction of the skate into the recess, and extension out of the recess into a ground-engaging position, enable selection of normal walking use or skating use respectively.
Skating footwear having retractable and/or extendible skating means are variously described, for example, in International Publication WO 01/85271, International Publication WO 00/16862 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,469
However, many such displacement apparatus for skating footwear are cumbersome to operate, difficult and costly to manufacture and are prone to inadvertent retraction of the skating means during skating use. This latter problem can lead to a skater being injured. The general acceptability and commercial appeal of skating footwear of the type hereinbefore described has been compromised by some of all of the aforementioned deficiencies.


Methods and systems for selectively blocking, allowing and/or reformatting IPv6 headers by traversing devices are provided. According to one embodiment, reputation information regarding observed senders of Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) packets and packet fragments is maintained by a traversing device based on conformity or nonconformity of extension headers contained within the IPv6 packets with respect to a set of security checks performed by the traversing device. When an IPv6 packet or packet fragment is received from a particular source IP address indicated by the reputation information to be associated with one or more nonconformity issues, then dropping, rate limiting or quarantining, by the traversing device, the IPv6 packet or the packet fragment.

Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to computer security and computer network security. In particular, embodiments of the present invention relate to enhancement of traversing devices to allow more control over IPv6 extension headers.
Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates the format of an Internet Protocol (IP) version 6 (IPv6) packet 100. As described in "Internet Protocol, Version 6 (IPv6) Specification," Request for Comments 2460, December 1998 (RFC 2460), which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes, an IPv6 packet 100 includes (i) a header comprising two general portions—a 40 byte fixed portion 110, including various fields; and a variable extension header portion 120 and (ii) a data or payload portion 130.
As a result of the variable nature of extension header portion 120, which may carry zero, one or more extension headers, each identified by the next header field of the preceding header, various security concerns are raised; however, RFC 2460 indicates the extension headers are not to be examined or processed by nodes other than those identified by the destination address field.

Examining and controlling IPv6 extension headers


Embodiments of a system and method for detecting a palm of a hand using an image are generally described herein. A method for detecting a palm of a hand may include determining a plurality of cumulative distance values from pixels in a set of image pixels to pixels in a plurality of finger template matches, wherein the set of image pixels includes a set of image pixels on detected edges in the image. The method may include selecting a set of finger template matches from the plurality of finger template matches, corresponding to a set of smallest cumulative distance values from the plurality of cumulative distance values. The method may include refining the set of finger template matches to create refined finger templates, bundling refined finger templates to create a bundle of refined finger templates, and verifying that the bundle of refined finger templates includes a valid palm detection.

Image-based solutions for gesture recognition or hand pose detections are becoming more sophisticated every year. Current solutions may include well-known approaches, such as using a Haar classifier, but may not work well with an open palm pose because the open palm pose may expose the background between fingers. Other solutions use skin color, but may suffer from reduced detection rates when a hand is in front of a face, other skin areas, or similarly colored backgrounds. Still other solutions may rely on a static camera assumption for background subtraction, which requires a known static camera and may be unrealistic or ineffective for certain devices. In other solutions, a depth camera may be used, which may require a high power usage.


A semiconductor memory device includes: first and second memory mats; first and second local input output lines coupled to the first memory mat via a first amplifier circuit; third and fourth local input output lines different from the first and second local input output lines, third and fourth local input output lines coupled to the second memory mat via a second amplifier circuit; a third amplifier circuit coupled between the first local input output line and a first main input output line; a fourth amplifier circuit coupled between the third local input output line and a second main input output line different from the first main input output line; and a first switch coupled between the second and third local input output lines and connecting the second local input output line to the fourth amplifier circuit when the first memory mat is activated and the second memory mat is not activated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device that simultaneously accesses multiple bits of data and a memory access method for the semiconductor memory device.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-184974, filed Jul. 16, 2008, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a semiconductor memory device includes: memory cells arranged in a matrix; multiple Mats (memory cell mats) arranged in a matrix, each of which includes multiple memory cells; multiple SAs (first amplifier circuits) connected to the memory cells through bit lines; and multiple DA/WAs (second amplifier circuits) connected to the SAs through LIOs (local input/output lines).
Each DA/WA is connected to an external terminal through an MIO (main input/output line), and includes: a DA (reading circuit) that reads out data from a memory cell, amplifies the read data, and outputs the amplified data; and a WA (writing circuit) that amplifies input data and writes the amplified data to a memory cell.
To reduce the area of a semiconductor chip, some semiconductor memory devices are configured to include DA/WA at a region where an SWD (subword driver) row including SWDs that drive subword lines connected to memory cells included in each Mat crosses an ST (first amplifier circuit column) including multiple SAs, as shown in FIG. 5.
An ST includes SAs, DA/WAs, and SWC2s (power supply circuit) arranged in series in the vertical direction. The SWD row extends in a direction parallel to bit lines (horizontal direction). An ST extends in a direction parallel to LIOs (vertical direction).
Hereinafter, the case where the semiconductor memory device reads out data from a memory cell by one operation of data inputting/outputting (memory access) is explained with reference to FIG. 6.
Based on a row address of an input address, one of MTs (memory cell mat columns) extending in a direction parallel to LIOs (vertical direction) is activated by an XDEC (X decoder) (not shown), and the remaining MTs are inactivated.
Assuming that MT1 shown in FIG. 6 is selected, data stored in memory cells included in the activated MT1 are output to the corresponding SAs through bit lines connecting the memory cells and the corresponding SAs, and thereby STs are activated. In this case, data are output from MT1 to both ST1 (provided on the left side of MT1) and ST2 (provided on the right side of MT1), and thereby ST1 and ST2 are activated.
Then, a YDEC (Y decoder) turns on a Y switch (not shown) based on a column address of the input address, and thereby data are output from an SA connected to one side of the Y switch to an LIO connected to the other side of the Y switch.
In this case, it is assumed that 4 bits of data are output from respective four cells included in MT1. Specifically, two bits of data are output toward the right side and the remaining 2 bits of data are output toward the left side.
Then, each DA/WA amplifies the data read out to the connected LIO and outputs the amplified data to a corresponding MIO. In this case, each of DA/WA1 to DA/WA4 outputs 1 bit of data, i.e., total 4 bits of data are output from DA/WA1 to DA/WA4 through MIO1 to MIO4.
As explained above, the amount of data to be input/output by one operation of inputting/outputting, i.e., one memory access is limited in the semiconductor memory device shown in FIG. 6. In other words, the number of MIOs is limited according to the number of DA/WAs included in each ST. Specifically, the number of MIOs is twice that of DA/WAs included in each ST.
This is because STn and ST(n+1) which are on both sides of MTn are activated by one operation of data inputting/outputting, and then data are output from MTn to DA/WAn and DA/WA(n+2) included in STn, and DA/WA(n+1) and DA/WA(n+3) included in ST(n+1).
Therefore, faster writing/reading of data to/from the semiconductor memory device can be implemented by increasing the number of DA/WAs included in one ST so that the number of MIOs and the number of bits to be simultaneously read out increase.
However, the area of a region where an ST crosses an SWD row, i.e., the region where a DA/WA is provided, is limited. In other words, the number of DA/WAs that can be provided in the region is limited depending on the area of the region.
For this reason, when the number of MIOs is increased in the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 6, it is necessary to increase the division number of memory cell mats, i.e., the number of regions where STs cross SWD rows, i.e., regions where DA/WAs are provided.
As a method of increasing the number of MIOs included in a semiconductor memory device, Japanese Unexamined Patent, First Publication No. 2000-49305 discloses a configuration in which DA/WAs are provided outside of a memory cell matrix.
However, the increase in the number of regions where DA/WAs are provided causes an increase in the area of a semiconductor chip.
Additionally, in the configuration disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent, First Publication No. 2000-49305, a DA/WA is provided outside of the memory cell matrix, not in a region where an ST crosses an SWD row, thereby making a semiconductor chip larger than in the configuration in which a DA/WA is provided in a region where an ST crosses an SWD row. Further, the number of DA/WAs to be provided outside of the memory cell matrix increases as the number of MIOs increases, thereby increasing the area of the semiconductor chip.

Semiconductor memory device and memory access method


An x-ray backscattering imaging system creating a backscatter image representing a structure is disclosed. The system includes a drum rotatable about an axis of rotation at a rotational speed, a radioactive source, a container, at least one collimator, at least one light emitting element, and a plurality of backscatter detectors. The radioactive source is connected to the drum and generates x-ray beams. The container houses the radioactive source and is constructed of a material that substantially blocks the x-ray beams generated by the radioactive source. The collimator is defined by the container and has a length and an aperture, where the collimator filters a stream of x-rays generated by the radioactive source such that the x-ray beams traveling substantially parallel with respect to the length of the collimator pass through the aperture. The light emitting element generates visible light and is positioned to direct the visible light into the collimator.

It is often necessary to inspect internal components of various types of objects, such as buildings, automobiles, containers, aircraft, or maritime vessels. Inspection of such structures and facilities by partial or complete disassembly of the structures to visually inspect internal components of interest may be impracticable. One technique for inspecting such components utilizes x-ray backscattering imaging systems. X-ray backscattering imaging systems provide an inspection process in which x-rays are reflected backwards from within the object or component of interest and recorded by a detector or detectors. X-ray backscattering imaging systems do not need to be powerful enough to transmit x-rays entirely through the component of interest and the surrounding components. Rather, partial penetration to a depth of interest is all that is required.
One specific type of backscattering imaging system includes a rotating drum, one or more collimators, and a radioactive source. Each collimator filters a stream of x-rays generated by the radioactive source. As the drum of the backscattering imaging system rotates during operation, the x-rays that are substantially parallel with respect to a corresponding collimator exit the collimator through a corresponding aperture. The x-rays that exit the aperture may be referred to as x-ray beams. The x-ray beams are then directed upon an object to be inspected by the backscattering imaging system.
The x-ray beams are aligned with one another in order to create a bright and uniform beam. If the backscattering imaging system includes multiple collimators, then x-ray flux exiting each of the apertures needs to be of an equal size and amount. Furthermore, multiple collimators may produce images with vertical streaking. The vertical streaking is caused by differences in the alignments of apertures in the backscattering imaging system, which results in diminished and inconsistent flux output from the apertures. An operator may attempt to align the apertures by a manual trial and error process, but such efforts are typically time consuming and usually only provide moderate improvement in the image quality. In another approach, intensity variations between apertures may be partially compensated using automated averaging during the calibration process. However, this approach is only partially effective and may not substantially eliminate the vertical streaking in the images.

Visual light calibrator for an x-ray backscattering imaging system


A chamber has a wall surface fitted with a liner. The liner is removably provided to the chamber with no fixed relation therebetween. By simply opening a light source to remove a heat diffusion plate, a hot plate and a tubular member from the chamber, the liner can be easily detached accordingly from the chamber. When a semiconductor wafer cracks to litter the chamber with its fragments, the chamber can be easily cleaned by simply detaching the liner. The liner has an outer surface subjected to surface roughening by honing. When a flash lamp emits flashlight of considerably high intensity, the roughened outer surface of the liner serves to block this flashlight. As a result, the metal surface inside the chamber is prevented from being exposed to the flashlight emitted from the flash lamp.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat treatment apparatus for heat-treating a semiconductor wafer or a glass substrate (hereinafter simply referred to as a "substrate") by means of light irradiation thereon.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventional ion activation process of a semiconductor wafer after being subjected to ion implantation employs a heat treatment apparatus such as a lamp annealing apparatus using a halogen lamp. In such a heat treatment apparatus, a semiconductor wafer is heated up (annealed) to a temperature of about 1000 to 1100° C. to realize ion activation of the semiconductor wafer. Light energy emitted from the halogen lamp is operative to cause temperature rise of the wafer at a speed of about several hundreds of degrees centigrade per second.
An example of a lamp annealing apparatus using a halogen lamp is introduced in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-127001, in which a metal surface in a processing chamber is covered with a coating material to suppress diffusion of metallic component from the metal surface during heat treatment.
Even in a heat treatment apparatus which realizes ion activation of a semiconductor wafer by means of temperature rise of the wafer at a speed of about several hundreds of degrees centigrade per second, ions implanted into the semiconductor wafer exhibit a rounded profile, which means ion diffusion by heat. Occurrence of this phenomenon necessitates implantation of ions in a greater amount than necessary, as the surface of the semiconductor wafer subjected to ion implantation with even high concentration experiences diffusion of the implanted ions therefrom.
In response, the surface of a semiconductor wafer is irradiated with flashlight by a xenon flash lamp, for example, so that only the surface of the semiconductor wafer implanted with ions is allowed to rise in temperature in a very short period of time of not longer than several milliseconds. An example of such a technique is introduced in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-169125 (1984) and No. 63-166219 (1988). Temperature rise in a very short period of time by use of a xenon flash lamp does not allow a period long enough for ion diffusion, thereby realizing ion activation with no rounding of a profile of ions implanted into a semiconductor wafer.
In a conventional heat treatment apparatus using a xenon flash lamp, a semiconductor wafer is contained in a stainless steel chamber, and the wafer surface is irradiated with flashlight. At this time, the inner wall of the chamber is also subjected to irradiation with flashlight emitted from the flash lamp.
The light emitted from the xenon flash lamp has considerably high intensity, which may result in generation of a brown oxide film during heat treatment that covers a metal surface inside the chamber. Even a slight source of contamination may result in imperfect treatment in light of recent trends toward high precision of a semiconductor device, for example. Generation of such an oxide film is thus unfavorable.
Necessity to minimize the source of contamination leading to particle contamination or metal contamination is not limited to an apparatus employing heating system by means of light irradiation, but is common to a conventional heat treatment apparatus for a semiconductor device, for example. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-60926 suggests a cleaning technique responsive thereto, in which a deposited material adhered to a component in a heat treatment chamber, for example, is heated to sublimate. Another cleaning technique includes removal of a product of the decomposition of source gas adhered to a heat treatment chamber by means of heat treatment in an atmosphere such as halogen gas, an example of which is suggested in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-313727.
In addition to the foregoing adherence of a deposited material, contamination of a heat treatment chamber results from various reasons. By way of example, a semiconductor wafer under treatment may crack, causing a treatment chamber to be littered with the fragments thereof. Especially in a heat treatment apparatus using a xenon flash lamp, a semiconductor wafer is instantaneously irradiated with considerably high-energy light, thereby causing rapid temperature rise of the surface of the semiconductor wafer in a moment. As a result, the semiconductor wafer may crack due to rapid thermal expansion of the surface.
The resultant fragments of the semiconductor wafer cannot be removed by heat treatment, for example. The treatment chamber should be opened for mechanically cleaning the inside. However, a heat treatment chamber with a complicated configuration cannot be easily cleaned, imposing difficulty in completely removing the source of pollution such as fragments of a semiconductor wafer.

Heat treatment apparatus by means of light irradiation


An image processing apparatus reads an image out of a frame buffer by vertically flipping the image, writes the image into an output line buffer by horizontally flipping the image, divides each line, and simultaneously outputs the resulting line segments. Methods for vertical flipping, horizontal flipping, and simultaneous output are changed according to the output settings.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus adapted to display images on a screen divided into a plurality of regions as well as to a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a system which processes a plurality of image segments, obtained by dividing a single image, on a plurality of video processing apparatuses and outputs the processed image segments to a display panel in multiple types of scanning directions. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-048224 (hereinafter, Patent Document 1) discloses an output scanning method for dividing an output image vertically into two segments or vertically and horizontally into four segments in relation to video signal conversion. In this example, all image segments are output via sequential scanning in a horizontal direction (cross-split simultaneous rightward scanning). Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-044295 (hereinafter, Patent Document 2) discloses an output scanning method for dividing a 4K2K-resolution display panel into four sections in relation to a liquid crystal projector. In this example, all the image segments are scanned sequentially from the center of the screen outward and four screens are output simultaneously (cross-split simultaneous outward scanning).
However, in order to support the two output scanning modes, the cross-split simultaneous rightward scanning and the cross-split simultaneous outward scanning, a frame buffer is needed for scan conversion of output images. Also, in order to support simultaneous output of regions, there is a need for as many output circuits as there are output images. This increases a circuit scale. Furthermore, the output methods described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 cited above cannot support a method which divides an output image horizontally and produces simultaneous outputs via sequential horizontal scanning (horizontal-split simultaneous rightward scanning).

Image processing apparatus and control method thereof


A connection structure is provided for an air bag cover and a housing. The air bag cover is fitted on a peripheral wall of said housing. The connection structure includes a protective strip arranged on an outer wall of the air bag cover, a plurality of rivets or the like arranged along an edge portion of an opening of the air bag cover and connecting the housing, the air bag cover and the protective strip, and a plurality of connectors. Each of the connectors comprises a projection and its matching receiving portion. The projection is disposed on or adjacent an imaginary line extending between the longitudinal central axes of each two adjacent ones of the rivets or the like and extends from one of the air bag cover, the housing and the protective strip toward the adjacent one of the remaining two of the air bag cover, the housing and the protective strip. The receiving portion is provided in the adjacent one of the remaining two of the air bag cover, the housing and the protective strip.

1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improvement in an air bag system which is mounted on an automotive vehicle or the like and is inflated in the event of a vehicular collision to protect an occupant from impact, and more specifically to a connection structure for an air bag cover and a housing supporting a module thereon and mounted on a vehicle body in an air bag system whereby the strength of connection between the air bag cover and the housing can be enhanced.
2) Description of the Related Art
As a cushioning system for providing additional safety beyond that provided by a seat belt system for holding safely an occupant or the like of an automotive vehicle in a seat, an air bag system has been put into practical use in recent years. With the air bag system, the body of an occupant, especially his head and chest, is supported by a balloon-like air bag in the event of a collision and the internal gas is then gradually discharged, whereby a cushioning stroke is prolonged to reduce impact to the body.
An air bag system of the type mentioned above includes, as is shown in FIG. 14, a module composed of a folded air bag 1, an inflator (gas generator) 2 and the like. The module is accommodated in an air bag cover 3 which can be ruptured open in the event of an emergency. Upon receipt of an electric signal from a sensor which has detected a vehicular collision, the inflator 2 is ignited so that the air bag 1 is instantaneously inflated by the resulting gas. The air bag cover (hereinafter simply called the "cover") 3 has a structure such that, when the air bag system is actuated, the air bag cover is ruptured open by the expanding pressure of the air bag 1 to permit substantial inflation of the air bag 1 through the thus-ruptured opening over the cover 3.
Such an air bag system is mounted on a steering wheel or the like generally through such assembly steps as will be described next. To assemble the air bag system, the air bag 1 is attached to a housing 4 by fastening means such as rivets. The air bag cover 3 is then fitted on the housing 4, whereby the air bag 1 is covered by the air bag cover 3. At this time, while slightly widening a peripheral side wall 3a of the cover 3, hook portions 3b formed at a free edge of the peripheral side wall 3a and bent inwardly of the cover are brought into engagement with a free edge 49 of the housing 4 so that the cover is temporarily secured on the housing. Fastening means 7 such as rivets are then inserted from the outside of the cover through insertion holes into the interior of the housing via protective strips 6. Free end portions of the rivets, said free end portions extending from an inner wall of the housing 4, are subjected to plastic deformation, whereby the cover 3 is firmly secured on the housing 4.
The inflator 2 is thereafter mounted on the housing 4 by an unillustrated mounting means to form a module. The module is then mounted on a steering wheel.
In the air bag system assembled as described above, the hook portions 3b function as temporary securing means as described above. In addition to this function, the hook portions 3b are also provided to withstand opening force applied to the cover upon expansion of the air bag so that the cover 3 is prevented from being separated from the housing 4 by the opening force.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) No. HEI 1-109146, which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,897, discloses another air bag cover with projections (3,18,19) instead of the above-mentioned hook portions 3b, said projections extending outwardly from the air bag cover or both outwardly and inwardly from the air bag cover so that the cover 3 is prevented from being separated. As has been described above, the connection between a cover and a housing in conventional art is effected by bringing hook portions, which are provided along an edge portion of an opening of the cover, into engagement with the free end edge of the housing and holding a peripheral side wall of the cover between a protective strip and the housing, whereby the cover is firmly secured on the housing.
In the conventional structures described above, the opening force applied to the cover upon expansion of the air bag is, however, first exerted on the fastening means, such as rivets, inserted through the cover so that high shear load is applied around the rivet-inserted holes and is then transmitted to the hook portions located on a side rear of the fastening means relative to the opening force. Accordingly, the hook portions do not have substantial resistance to the opening force and contribute only after deformation of the rivet-inserted holes. Nevertheless, the formation of the cover is complicated due to the need for the formation of the hook portions having such a little function. Further, the formation of the hook portions has led to an increase in the dimensions of the cover. This is certainly not preferred from the standpoint of external appearance and also where the mounting space for the air bag system is extremely limited. In addition, the temporary securement of the cover is time-consuming where the hook portions are provided along the entire periphery of the edge portion of the opening of the cover.

Connection structure for air bag cover and housing


A device for holding a component to be sheathed with plastic includes a holding element for producing a releasable mechanical keyed connection with an affixation region of the component, which holding element has a push-twist locking element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for holding a component to be sheathed in plastic, and a method for sheathing a component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such devices are generally known. For example, a device for sheathing an insert with plastic using casting technology is known from published German patent application document DE 103 57 647 A1. To hold the insert inside a casting mold during the sheathing procedure, the device is provided with a mandrel which is rotatable and displaceable longitudinally. The mandrel is provided with a self-cutting outer thread and can be screwed into an opening of the insert. This system has the disadvantage that the screw-fitting of the outer thread into the opening produces a torque, which acts on the insert and must be absorbed by means of a suitable locking element which is adapted to the component geometry. In addition, the cutting of the self-cutting thread into the wall of the opening causes abrasion, which can lead to contamination of the casting mold.
In addition, a component which is produced by sheathing a sensor module with a plastic mass is known from the printed publication published German patent application document DE 10 2007 057 441 A1.

Device for holding a component to be sheathed in plastic, and method for sheathing a component