A cooking device suitable for barbequing food while indoors, used in conjunction with an external heat source. The cooking device comprises a water containing drip pan, a pin attached to a bottom of the drip pan and a multiblade fan rotational on the upper end of the pin. The fan rotates under the influence of convection currents generated when the external heat source is activated. A food substance placed in proximity to the upper surface of the fan is cooked by the heat generated by the external heat source, and air currents produced by the rotating fan force fumes and smoke due to the cooking of the food substance up and away from the drip pan.

The present invention relates to a portable cooking device. In particular the present invention relates to a portable, exterior heat source powered barbeque with a convection current powered, multiblade fan.
Food can be cooked by being barbequed. Food is barbequed by suspending or holding the food above but not in contact with a heat source, such as by placing the food on a grill or grate. Fat, juices and grease released by the food as it is cooked do not remain in contact with the food but can drip away through holes in the grill.
Although barbequing food imparts a unique flavor to and is a relatively simple way to cook food, a number of problems exist with current devices and methods used for barbequing food. First, the indoor barbequing of food has been severely limited due to the smoke and gaseous combustion products generated by the barbequing process.
Second, a barbeque apparatus can be a bulky, expensive device with, for example, its own gas supply, controls, support frame and wheels, hood and side arms such that it cannot be afforded by low income earners or used by space limited apartment dwellers. Third, use of a barbeque traditionally requires at least some outdoor space such as a backyard or patio. Persons who live in proximity to others who may object to the smoke and odors generated by outdoor use of a barbeque can be denied participation in the health benefits and enjoyment that can result from barbequing food.
Fourth, food, especially meat and meat products, can be burnt as the food is barbequed because of the phenomenon known as flaming, which can present a significant problem when food is barbequed. Flaming is the uncontrolled ignition of flames or fire due to the combustion of the fat and grease which drips onto the heat source from the food being barbequed. This can result in charred food that is burnt on the outside and uncooked on the inside. While the placing of a metal or reflector sheet between the heat source and the food product resting upon a grill can solve the charring problem by preventing the fat from contacting the heat source, such an interposed sheet also effectively prevents the food product from being cooked by the heat.
Additionally, even if some form of drip intercepting, but heat permeable sheet could be interposed between the heat source and the dripping meat, so that the dripping grease does not fall directly down to contact the heat source (eliminating flaming therefore) but the heat could reach and cook the meat, there is then the greater problem which arises as to disposal of the grease which accumulates on any such interposed sheet. If the grease simply builds up on the sheet until it spills over onto the heat element below then a highly combustible fire hazard situation has been created. Additionally, there is the problem of finding a sheet of material which can catch and/or dispose of the dripping grease while still permitting the heat through to the food above. A simple solution has been to use no interposed sheet but to wrap the food in tin foil or other suitable material or to place a metal cover over the meat and the top of the grill to try and better distribute the heat and prevent burning and uneven cooking.
Known barbeques have many drawbacks and deficiencies. U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,663 issued to Jenn et al discusses a cooking device which includes a ventilated portable electric grill with an internal heating element with a drain pan to collect grease and food drippings and an electrically power fan to draw smoke and cooking fumes away from the grate into a exhaust pipe. Jenn requires an internally powered (electric) grill element and also must have a source of electricity to power a fan to rotate fast enough to remove smoke and cooking gases from the vicinity of the grill.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,559 issued to Rabay discusses a portable cooking device for indoor use having a convection current powered rotating perforated disc balancing upon an upright bearing pin where the rotating perforated disc provides an indirect path for rising hot air (from a heat element internal to the cooking device) between the heating element and the food which is being cooked and helps to produce a uniform distribution of the heat and less meat charring and uneven meat cooking. The convection powered fan of Rabay does not turn fast enough to either force smoke up and away from the cooking device or to generate enough centrifugal force to cause fat to slide away into the bottom of a drip pan.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,811 issued to Kidushim discusses a portable, cooking device for indoor use over the burner of a stove having a base with a water reservoir into which high surface area stones are placed. The Kidushim invention has a grill panel with a raised central crest to allow fat to drip off. Such a raised or curved grill can result in uneven heating of the food because the distance from the heat source is different for different areas of the curved grill. Additionally, a curved top plate is less stable than a flat one and is more prone to be knocked off or to fall off the drip pan because a curved top plate can have less surface contacting the top of the barbeque.
What is needed therefore is a cooking device suitable for use as an indoor barbeque which does not require an internal heat source, does not require any electrical or power connections, reduces the risk of flaming and has an effective means for removing smoke and cooking vapors from the vicinity of the barbeque.

Cooking device with convection powered fan and water reservoir


The present invention discloses compounds of the formula, or any of its enantiomers or any mixture thereof, a pharmaceutically acceptable addition salt thereof or the N-oxide thereof. wherein. X and Y together forms .dbd.O, .dbd.S, .dbd.NOR.sup.2, .dbd.CR.sup.3 R.sup.4, .dbd.N--CN, .dbd.N--NR.sup.7 R.sup.8, --(CH.sub.2).sub.m --, or PA1 --W'--(CH.sub.2).sub.p --W"--, or one of X and Y is hydrogen and the other is --OR.sup.5, --SR.sup.5, or --NR.sup.5 R.sup.6 PA1 Z is hydrogen, --COOR.sup.9 ; PA1 R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are independently hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, aryl, arylalkyl, or --(CH.sub.2).sub.q --COOR.sup.2 ; PA1 R.sup.2, R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 are independently hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, or arylalkyl, --CO-alkyl, or --SO.sub.2 -alkyl; PA1 R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 are independently hydrogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, or arylalkyl; PA1 R.sup.9 is alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl; PA1 R.sup.1 is alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, or arylalkyl; PA1 W' and W" are each independently O or S; PA1 n is 1, 2, 3, or 4; PA1 m is 2, 3, 4, or 5; PA1 p is 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5; and PA1 q is 0, 1, 2, 3,or 4.. where said aryl groups may be substituted one or more times with substituents selected from the group consisting of halogen, CF.sub.3, CN, alkoxy, cycloalkoxy, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, amino and nitro;. The compounds possess valuable properties as monoamine neurotransmitter, i.e dopamine, and serotonine, reuptake inhibitors.

The brain consists of a plurality of neurons that communicate with each other via chemical messengers. Each neuron generates neurochemicals, referred to as neurotransmitters; and the neurotransmitters act at sites on the cellular membrane of neurons, the sites being referred to as receptors. One group of neurotransmitters, referred to as the monoamine neurotransmitters, includes serotonin, dopamine and noradrenaline.
Monoamine neurotransmitters are released into the synaptic cleft in order to stimulate postsynaptic receptor activity. The removal (or inactivation) of monoamine neurotransmitters occurs mainly by a reuptake mechanism into presynaptic terminals. By inhibiting the re-uptake an enhancement of the physiological activity of monoamine neurotransmitters occur.
Noradrenalin and serotonin re-uptake inhibitors are currently used as pharmaceuticals in anti-depressant therapy (Desipramine, Nortriptyline, and Protriptyline are inhibitors of noradrenaline-reuptake and Imipramine and Amitriptyline are mixed serotonine-reuptake and noradrenaline-reuptake inhibitors).
The pathophysiology of major affective illness is poorly understood, and several neurotransmitters have been implicated in the pathophysiology of major depression. However, several lines of preclinical and clinical evidence indicate that an enhancement of serotonin-mediated neurotransmission might underlie the therapeutic effect of the most recent and currently used drugs in anti-depressant therapy: Fluoxetine, Citalopram and Paroxetine.
Paradoxical serotonin re-uptake inhibitors inhibit the serotonin transporter within minutes whereas their full anti-depressant effect is seen only after three to four weeks of treatment, indicating that re-uptake inhibition per se is not responsible for the antidepressant response, but rather that further adaptive changes underlie and/or contribute to their therapeutic effect. The delayed onset of anti-depressant effect is considered to be a serious drawback to currently used monoamine re-uptake inhibitors.
The compounds provided with the present invention are potent serotonin (5-hydroxy-tryptamine, 5-HT) re-uptake inhibitors. The compounds of the invention also have noradrenaline and dopamine re-uptake inhibiting activity, the serotonin re-uptake and the noradrenaline re-uptake inhibiting activity of the compounds of the invention being stronger than the dopamine re-uptake inhibiting activity of the compounds, see table below.
A strong dopamine re-uptake inhibiting activity is currently considered with the risk of undesirable central stimulating effects. On the other hand, an activating effect on the mesolimbic dopamine system is currently believed to underlay the commen mechanism of current antidepressant treatment by a mechanism which enhances the endogenous reward system. Compounds with a strong serotonin re-uptake inhibiting activity combined with a well balanced moderate dopamine re-uptake inhibiting activity may therefore provide agents with a rapid onset of anti-depressant effect.
The serotonergic neural system of the brain have been shown to influence a variety of physiologic functions, and the compounds of the present invention are predicted to have the ability to treat in mammals, including humans, a variety of disorders associated with this neural system, such as eating disorders, depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, panic disorders, alcoholism, pain, memory deficits and anxiety. Therefore, the present invention also provides methods of treating several disorders linked to decreased neurotransmission of serotonin in mammals. Included among these disorders are depression and related disorders such as pseudodementia or Ganser's syndrome, migraine pain, bulimia, obesity, pre-menstrual syndrome or late luteal phase syndrome, alcoholism, tobacco abuse, panic disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic syndrome, memory loss, dementia of ageing, social phobia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, premature ejaculation, erectile difficulty, anorexia nervosa, disorders of sleep, autism, mutism or trichotillomania.
In addition, compounds with dopamine re-uptake inhibiting activity are also considered useful for the treatment of Parkinsonism, depression, obesity, narcolepsy, drug addiction or misuse, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders and senile dementia. Dopamine re-uptake inhibitors enhances indirectly via the dopamine neurones the release of acetylcholin and are therefore useful for the treatment of memory deficits, e.g. in Alzheimers disease and presenile dementia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Noradrenaline re-uptake inhibitors are considered useful for enhancing attention, alertness, arousal, vigilance and for treating depression.

Fused tropane-derivatives as neurotransmitter reuptake inhibitors


A method and apparatus for transmitting digital data in a cellular environment. Adjacent cells of the cellular system are prevented from simultaneously transmitting data. Because the noise from transmissions of adjacent cells is a primary source of interference, the transmission rate of power limited base stations can be dramatically increased when the noise from adjacent cells is eliminated. The transmissions to each subscriber station are made at a fixed transmission power level. However, the data rate of transmitted signals differs from one subscriber station to another depending the path loss differences. In a first exemplary embodiment, the data rate of transmissions to a subscriber station is determined by selecting an encoding rate for the transmitted signal while holding the symbol rate constant. In a second exemplary embodiment, the data rate of transmissions to a subscriber station is determined by selection a modulation format for the transmitted signal which directly changes the symbol rate of transmission to a subscriber station.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a novel and improved method and apparatus for providing high speed data in a wireless cellular communication environment.
II. Description of the Related Art
As wireless communication technology has advanced, an increase in the demand for high speed data services in a wireless environment has grown dramatically. The use of code division multiple access (CDMA) modulation is one of several techniques for providing digital wireless transmission that is well suited for the transmission of digital data. Other methods of digital wireless transmission include time division multiple access (TDMA) and frequency division multiple access (FDMA).
However, the spread spectrum modulation technique of CDMA has significant advantages other digital modulation techniques. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, entitled xe2x80x9cSPREAD SPECTRUM MULTIPLE ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING SATELLITE OR TERRESTRIAL REPEATERSxe2x80x9d, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is further disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459, entitled xe2x80x9cSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING SIGNAL WAVEFORMS IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEMxe2x80x9d, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and incorporated by reference herein. The method for providing digital wireless communications using CDMA modulation was standardized by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) in TIA/EIA/IS-95-A Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wideband Spread Spectrum Cellular System (hereafter IS-95).
The current wireless communication systems can only accommodate relatively low transmission rates. In addition, most current wireless communication systems have not been optimized for the transmission of digital data, but rather have been optimized for the transmission of speech information. Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a method of providing high speed digital data in a wireless environment.
The present invention is a novel and improved method and apparatus for transmitting digital data in a cellular environment. In the present invention, adjacent cells of the cellular system are prevented from simultaneously transmitting data. Thus, if a first base station on one side of a cell boundary is transmitting, then a second base station on the other side of the cell boundary is silent throughout the transmission period of the first base station. Because the noise from transmissions of adjacent cells is a primary source of interference, the transmission rate of power limited base stations can be dramatically increased when the noise from adjacent cells is eliminated.
In the present invention, all transmissions from a base station are transmitted at a fixed power level and the transmissions to each subscriber station in a cell are transmitted in non overlapping bursts. Thus, when a base station is transmitting, its transmissions are directed to one subscriber station within the cell, allowing the full amount of available power to be used to transmit data to that subscriber station which maximizes the available data rate to the subscriber station.
For the sake of clarity, it should be noted that two separate but related rates are referred to herein. One is the information rate which refers to the rate of user generated information bits. The second is the transmission rate which is the rate of bits transmitted over the air.
When transmissions are made at a fixed power level, the amount of information that can be transmitted between the base station and the subscriber station varies with link budget factors which are well known in the art. The most significant link budget factor in a wireless communication system is the path loss between the base station and the subscriber station. The path loss is strong function of the distance between the base station and the subscriber station.
In the present invention, the transmissions to each subscriber station are made at a fixed transmission power level. However, the information rate of transmitted signals differs depending the distance between the subscriber station and the base station. In the first exemplary embodiment, the information rate of transmissions to a subscriber station is determined by selecting an encoding rate for the transmitted signal while holding the transmission rate constant. In the second exemplary embodiment, the information rate of transmissions to a subscriber station is determined by selecting a modulation format for the transmitted signal which directly changes the transmission rate of transmission to a subscriber station.

Method and apparatus for providing high speed data communications in a cellular environment


A semiconductor light emitting device is provided including a first conductivity-type semiconductor layer, an active layer including at least one quantum barrier layer made of InxGa(1-x)N, wherein 0≦x<y, and at least one quantum well layer made of InyGa(1-y)N, wherein 0<y≦1, disposed therein, and a second conductivity-type semiconductor layer, wherein the quantum barrier layer includes first and second graded layers disposed in order toward the first conductivity-type semiconductor layer. The first graded layer contains indium whose content increases in a direction towards the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer, and the second graded layer contains indium whose content decreased in a direction toward the second conductivity-type semiconductor layer.

A light emitting diode (LED), a type of semiconductor light emitting device, is a semiconductor device capable of generating light of various colors according to the recombination of electrons and holes. Compared with a filament-based light emitting device, the semiconductor light emitting device has various advantages such as a long lifespan, low power consumption, excellent initial driving characteristics, high vibration resistance, and the like, and thus, demand for the semiconductor light emitting device continues to grow. In particular, recently, a Group III-nitride semiconductor capable of emitting short-wavelength blue light has come to prominence. However, nitride semiconductors experience efficiency droop, in which quantum efficiency is degraded as injection current density is increased. Thus, in the art, a method for enhancing quantum efficiency of a semiconductor light emitting device is required.

GWANGJU INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A two-piece hammer for use in a shredder comprises a work engaging piece made from a hard, wear resistant material and a supporting piece made from a softer, relatively ductile material having a relatively high tensile strength. The two pieces are secured together by a removable fastener, with a resilient member being interposed between the work engaging piece and a supporting flange of the supporting piece to dampen the transmission of impact forces from the work engaging piece to the supporting piece. The supporting piece comprises an aperture which is adapted to receive a support pin of the shredder when the hammer is mounted in the shredder.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the field of hammers adapted to be used in shredders. More particularly, this invention pertains to the field of two-piece hammers adapted to be used in industrial shredders.
2. Description of the Related Art
Industrial shredders have become essential equipment in many processing and manufacturing facilities including paper recycling plants, pulp processing plants, and refuse derived fuel (RDF) plants. These shredders conventionally employ a plurality of hammers pivoted on a motor-driven rotor which are adapted to shred or crush materials which are fed through the shredder.
Conventional hammers include "bell" shaped hammers and "bowtie" shaped hammers. Each of these conventional hammers is formed as one piece (e.g. through a casting and/or machining process) from a homogeneous material. In the prior art, this material is selected so as to have sufficient hardness to prevent excessively rapid wear at the hammer tip and sufficient ductility and tensile strength to prevent the hammer from shattering during the shredding operation. However, the selection of this material often involves a compromise between hardness and ductility. Moreover, when these hammers wear out or fail, it becomes necessary to disassemble the shredder to replace the entire hammers.


An apparatus and process for evaluating an image-wise exposed storage film positioned about a cylindrically-shaped member and linearly passed by a slot for interrogation by a laser light beam wherein a processing assembly (laser beam and pentraprism) is co-axially disposed within a processing chamber formed by the cylindrically-shaped member effecting a size reduction of the unit and increased clarity of the resultant image, and wherein the processing assembly includes a plate member disposed for rotation in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the processing chamber and having a pentaprism and a luminescence light sensor positioned proximate a contact point of the interrogating light beam with the storage film and further including converter electronics wherein after interrogation, the image scanned is digitally archived in a central processing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to radiographic imaging, and more particularly to an opto-electro-mechanical scanning assembly for retrieving information from imaged photostimulable phosphor imaging plates, the scanner being portable and having an enhanced arrangement of scanning elements to significantly enhance the clarity of the scanned image.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditional x-ray imaging systems using silver-based films are being replaced by radiographic imaging systems using photostimulable phosphor imaging films or storage substrates, thereby eliminating the need for physical storage of the imaged film since digital retrieval of the image information includes input and computer storage permitting viewing of such information on a CRT tube assembly or the equivalent thereof. Additionally, such computer storage imaging information permits facile electronic transmission to any predetermined location obviating the physical transfer of imaged film. Such radiographic imaging further permits the erasure of the image from the photostimulable phosphor imaging film or storage substrate, and the subsequent reuse thereof.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,874,744 to Goodman, et al., assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, herein incorporated by reference, there is disclosed a process and apparatus for processing radiographic information from an anisotropic storage phosphor screen including an opto-electro-mechanical assembly to achieve faster scan of an interrogating beam and including detector and computer assembly.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,599,004 to Thoms, there is disclosed an apparatus for reading flexible storage films wherein the flexible storage film having image-wise projected information is positioned on a cylindrically-shaped surface and is caused to be linearly moved there over by transport assemblies while being interrogated or scanned via a slot by a light beam generated in a helical line in a continuous manner from a point disposed at the axis of the cylindrically-shaped surface thereby generating luminescence detected by one or more photomultiplier tubes.
The output signal of the photomultiplier is recorded together with the output signals of the position encoder, thereby obtaining a digital electronic image of the x-ray image previously formed on the storage film in the form of exited metastable color centers of the phosphor particles. Such image is then further processed electronically in view of changing the scale of reproduction, emphasizing details, improving the signal/noise ratio, etc. The resulting image may be put into an archive in its original and/or digitally processed form requiring very little space.
Photostimulable phosphor imagining plate scanners of the type thus described are used in dental operatories, medical offices, and veterinary clinics. In normal use, due to the size of the scanner, it is typically positioned centralized within the dental, medical or veterinary clinic for the processing of imaged photostimulable phosphor imaging plates. There has been a need for a truly portable photostimulable phosphor imaging plate scanner of a reduced size, but which does not compromise the quality of the digitized image. Such portable scanners would have a use as a chair side unit in dental or medical offices, or a truly portable unit for veterinary use when attending to animals in their natural locale, and not in the veterinary operatory. Portable units of the type described would also have application in non-destructive testing and industrial X-ray situations wherein the portability of the unit allows its transport to locations previously unavailable or hostile to scanner use.
Applicant's opto-electro-mechanical scanning assembly of the present invention provides this portability need by not only reducing the size and number of elements within the scanner, but by also incorporating novel and unique design arrangements of those elements in order to provide for a portable unit that does not compromise the digitized image. Moreover, certain of the novel and unique design arrangements when applied to larger non-portable scanners improve the function and operation of such scanners and the clarity of their digital images.

Portable opto-electro-mechanical scanning assembly for photostimulable phosphor imaging plates


A method and apparatus for non-invasive extraction and/or detection of chemicals such as heavy metals, drugs such as cocaine and analytes such as blood glucose has been developed. A patch or hydrogel containing a reagent such as N-methyl pyrrole, or a similar compound, is used to extract the chemical or analyte to be measured through the skin or hair. This method is most useful for detecting analytes which are generally present in relatively constant blood concentrations. The method is particularly useful for the detection of heavy metals such as lead, lithium, copper, iron, and has been demonstrated to be useful with drugs such as cocaine and acetominaphen, and metabolic analytes like blood glucose. In the preferred embodiment, the method involves the use of the water miscible solvent N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) in an aqueous solution which is incorporated into an adsorbent pad or hydrogel. This adsorbent pad is placed on the skin for a defined time period, removed and then analyzed for the substance of interest. An analytical method can also be incorporated as part of the adsorbent pad in order to conduct both the extraction of the chemical of interest and the assay in situ. Examples demonstrating the very broad range of materials which can be extracted. Comparative examples demonstrate that the same results cannot be obtained using other reagents such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO).

This is generally in the area of non-invasive methods and apparatus for sampling of analytes present in body fluids, including sweat, such as glucose, heavy metals, and compounds of abuse.
The development of transdermal methods of delivering drugs through the skin has been made possible by the optimization of solvent conditions of individual drugs so that they solubilize and partition into the stratum corneum skin layer (Brown, L. and Langer, R., xe2x80x9cTransdermal Delivery of Drugs,xe2x80x9d Ann. Rev. Med. 39: 221-229, 1988). In addition, transdermal diffusion of drug compounds has been also enhanced using iontophoresis, electroporation and ultrasound. These observations have lead to the further investigation of using the transdermal route to detect metabolites in the skin. Virtually all of the work in the scientific literature has been focused in the area of glucose detection in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. However, large fluctuations in glucose concentrations can occur within minutes after the ingestion of a carbohydrate loaded meal. In contrast, glucose diffusion through the stratum corneum skin layer is relatively slow and lags behind these glycemic variations. Thus, there is a significant xe2x80x9clag timexe2x80x9d between the skin measurement of glucose concentration through the stratum corneum skin layer and the actual blood concentration.
Previous attempts restricted to the detection of glucose have not and can not be extended to heavy metals. A more useful and uninvestigated application of transdermal diffusion is to non-invasively detect analytes whose concentration does not vary significantly over short time periods. This is especially important for the detection of chemicals such as heavy metals. For example, a heavy metal such as lithium used to treat manic depressives could be detected by psychiatrists to easily determine patient compliance. The detection of iron would be useful for the detection of iron overload diseases.
Lead (Pb) is an example of a heavy metal which is also a toxic substance. Public health organizations in the United States require all children to be tested several times before beginning school and during their early education. It is required for kindergarten grade entry in many school districts in the United States. Studies indicate that nearly 10% of the children in the United States ages six and under, or 1.7 million children, are victims of lead poisoning (Carolina Environment, Inc. Aug. 8, 1996). The United States Public Health Service estimates one out of six children under the age of six has enough lead in their blood to place them in what scientists consider the risky zone. Childhood lead poisoning has no predilection for socioeconomics or geography.
Although adults are susceptible to lead poisoning, children remain at the highest risk due to the natural instinct to introduce non-food items into their bodies. The effects of lead poisoning include learning disabilities, delinquent behavior, hyperactivity, decreased growth, kidney and heart disease, and even brain damage. Common potential lead-contaminated areas include older play equipment and chipping paint from window and door trim, and even walls.
The symptoms of lead poisoning include headaches, irritability, abdominal pain, vomiting, anemia, weight loss, poor attention span, noticeable learning difficulty, slowed speech development, and hyperactivity. The effects of lead poisoning include reading and learning disabilities, speech and language handicaps, lowered I.Q., neurological deficits, behavior problems, mental retardation, kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, and death.
Current test procedures for lead are traumatic for young children as they require venipuncture and extraction of a blood sample. The scientific literature does not describe non-invasive methodologies for detecting heavy metals via the dermal route.
There are numerous descriptions of the toxicology of Pb absorbed through the skin and then found to result in toxic effects or elevated levels in other tissues. This is especially true in the use of lead for topical cosmetic applications (Moore et al., Food Cosmet. Toxicol. 18(4) :399-405(1980)) and in industrial applications (Hine et al., J. Occup. Med. 11(11):568-75 (1969)). In one citation in the scientific literature, sweat is used to assess the absorption of lead through the skin, but not from systemic blood supply and organs to the skin (Lilley et al., Science Total Environ. 76(2-3):267-78 (1988)).
Other examples of plasma heavy metal concentrations caused by skin absorption include zinc (Morgan et al., Br. J. Dermatol. 102(5):579-83 (1980)). Cadmium, chromium, and arsenic have also been detected in male reproductive organs (Danielsson et al., Arch. Toxicol. Suppl. 7:177-80 (1984)).
Sweat lead detection was well studied by an Australian group at CSIRO, Menai, Australia. Stauber and colleagues worked on sweat lead detection for occupational lead absorption through skin. They found that even inorganic lead can be absorbed through skin and rapidly distributed through the body (Stauber et al., Science Total Environ. 145:55-70 (1994)). In one of their experiments (Lilley et al., Science Total Environ. 76:267-278 (1988)), lead powder was placed on the left arm of a healthy adult male volunteer, and a certain region of skin of the right arm was induced to sweat for lead detection. The placing of 6 mg of lead as 0.5 M lead nitrate to the left arm resulted in the increase in lead concentration in pilocarpine-induced iontophoresis samples in the right arm. No changes were found in the blood or urine samples. However, Omokhodion and Crockford, Science Total Environ. 103:113-122 (1991)) found that there is a good relationship between blood and sweat lead levels among non-occupationally exposed persons.
Many other substances must be measured on a frequent basis, resulting in trauma and pain to the patient. Examples include measuring blood glucose in diabetics and sampling drugs of abuse in cocaine addicts. Efforts for the non-invasive detection of glucose have focused on transdermal extraction of glucose using solvents, iontophoresis or using the penetration of infrared light through the skin. None of these glucose efforts have been commercialized. Among the scientific difficulties associated with glucose detection are that glucose concentrations change transiently and quickly throughout the day, and often do so at rates which exceed the permeability rate of the glucose molecule through the skin. Therefore the iontophoretic or solvent extraction routes have proven to yield irreproducible data. The use of infrared light has been plagued with interference from other substances of similar structure found in vivo and the inability to calibrate these devices reproducibly.
Transdermal detection of substrates other than lead from sweat has been applied to non-invasive devices. Several transdermal alcohol detection devices have been developed by Dermal Systems International to detect alcohol from sweat (Swift, Addiction 88:1037-1039 (1993)). One of those methods is an alcohol dosimeter or xe2x80x9csweat patchxe2x80x9d which is a portable, wearable, non-invasive, occlusive patch applied to the skin surface. However, it requires a 7-10 day period for the detection. Another alcohol xe2x80x9cBand-Aid(copyright)xe2x80x9d is a small strip applied to the skin that utilized enzymatic calorimetric detection to estimate blood ethanol concentration over several minutes (Roizman et al., Anesthesiology 73(3A):A512, (1990)). However, estimating concentration of a drug (e.g. alcohol) across pharmacokinetic compartments (blood and skin) is not always straightforward. Sweat detection also involves the complexity of both passive diffusion through the skin (Scheuplein and Blank, Physiological Rev. 51(4):702-747 (1971)) and active secretion by eccrine glands, primarily sweat glands (Brusilow and Gordis, Amer. J. Dis. Child 112:328-333 (1966)).
xe2x80x9cBand-Aid(copyright)xe2x80x9d sweat patches have also been tested in a human clinical study to monitor drug use, for example with cocaine (Burns and Baselt, J. Analytical Toxicol. 19:41-48 (1995)). A cellulose based patch collected sweat in a seven day period and substantial cocaine concentrations were detected in the patches. However, quantitative interpretation was beyond the xe2x80x9ccapabilities of the technologyxe2x80x9d (Burns and Baselt, supra, at 45, col. 1). This sweat patch was developed by Sudormed, Inc., which was later acquired by Pacific Biometrics, Inc. (Lake Forest, Calif.).
xe2x80x9cReversexe2x80x9d transdermal detection has been used for glucose detection. Because of the non-polar property of the glucose molecule, the xe2x80x9creversexe2x80x9d transdermal glucose detection requires certain enhanced methods, such as iontophoresis and ultrasound. Studies of xe2x80x9creversexe2x80x9d transdermal detection has demonstrated some results for the detection of glucose in the presence of current (Glikfeld et al., Pharmaceutical Res. 6(11):988-990 (1989); Rao et al., Pharmaceutical Res. 10(12):1751-1755 (1993)). However, all of these methods require complex apparatus to extract the analytes.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for non-invasively obtaining samples of body fluids for testing for the presence and/or amount of a particular analyte in the body fluid, which is easy and inexpensive.
A method and apparatus for non-invasive extraction and/or detection of chemicals such as heavy metals and cocaine and analytes such as blood glucose have been developed. A patch or hydrogel containing a reagent such as N-methyl pyrrole, or a similar pyrrolidone or mixture thereof, is used to extract the chemical or analyte to be measured through the epidermis and/or hair. This method is useful for detecting analytes which are generally present in relatively constant blood concentrations. The method is particularly useful for the detection of heavy metals such as lead, lithium, copper, iron, and has been demonstrated to be useful to extract both drugs and metabolic analytes. In the preferred embodiment, the method involves the use of the water miscible solvent N-methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) in an aqueous solution which is incorporated into an adsorbent pad or hydrogel. This adsorbent pad is placed on the skin for a defined time period, removed and then analyzed for the substance of interest. Analytical means can also be incorporated as part of the adsorbent pad in order to conduct both the extraction of the chemical of interest and the assay in situ. Examples demonstrate measurement of lead, cocaine, glucose, and acetaminophen, demonstrating the very broad range of materials which can be extracted. Comparative examples demonstrate that the same results cannot be obtained using other reagents such as dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO).

Non-invasive transdermal detection of analytes


In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a shaft coupling is provided. The shaft coupling comprises a first shaft having a splined outer surface, a tubular second shaft having an end surface and a splined inner surface, the second shaft receiving the first shaft along a longitudinal axis of the second shaft, and at least one stake extending axially into the second shaft end surface. The at least one stake deforms at least a portion of the splined inner surface to facilitate an interference fit between the first and second shafts and configured to resist a predetermined axial separation load being applied to the first and second shafts.

The following description relates to shaft assemblies, and more particularly, to a steering column assembly with anti-pull apart features.
In some known tubular shaft assemblies having two or more shafts, angled stakes are formed on the outer diameter of one tubular shaft to prevent another shaft being removed from the tubular shaft. However, with some assemblies, angled stakes may create an interference condition that causes high stroke efforts and undesired drag, thereby preventing achievement of a required minimum pull-apart load.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a steering column assembly that both achieves the minimum pull-apart load and prevents an undesired interference between two shafts.

Shaft assembly with anti-pull apart stake

Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation


A method of generating an image by using multi-energy radiation data and an apparatus therefor is provided. The method includes receiving multi-energy radiation data including a plurality of pieces of radiation data indicating an inner portion of a subject with respect to a plurality of radioactive rays in different energy bands, respectively, generating, based on the received multi-energy radiation data, radiation data of a radioactive ray in an energy band that is different from the different energy bands, and generating a radiation image of the subject based on the generated radiation data.

1. Field
The following description relates to methods and apparatuses to generate a radiation image, such as, for example, methods and apparatuses to generate a radiation image representing the inside of a subject by using multi-energy radiation data.
2. Description of Related Art
Medical image systems that utilize radiation in order to create images radiate X-rays to a subject, such as, for example, the human body, and acquire a radiation image from X-rays transmitting through the subject. A degree at which X-rays are absorbed into a material of the subject that is radiated depends on a kind or a density of the material or an energy band of the X-rays. For example, an absorption coefficient of bone is high in relation to an absorption coefficient of soft tissue. Thus, contrast between soft tissue and bone is high, thereby clearly distinguishing soft tissue from bone in a radiation image. However, since different tissues of soft tissue have similar absorption coefficients with respect to X-rays in a single energy band, the tissues have similar intensity even in a radiation image, thereby making it difficult to distinguish one type of tissue from another in a radiation image.

Method of generating image by using multi-energy radiation data and apparatus therefor


A signal filter (100) comprises a first transferred impedance filter, TIF, (TIFA) having four differential signal paths (PA,1, PA,2, PA,3, PA,4) and a second TIF (TIFB) having four differential signal paths (PB,1, PB,2, PB,3, PB,4)- A first differential signal port of the first TIF (32A) is coupled to a first differential signal port of the second TIF (32B). A first clock generator (12A) is arranged to provide first-TIF clock signals (CLKA,I+, CLKA,Q+, CLKA,I−, CLKA,Q−) having four non-overlapping phases for selecting the respective first-TIF differential signal paths (PA,1, PA,2, PA,3, PA,4), and a second clock generator (12B) is arranged to provide second-TIF clock signals (CLKB,I+, CLKB,Q+, CLKB,J−, CLKB,Q−) having four non-overlapping phases for selecting the respective second-TIF differential signal paths (PB,1, PB,2, PB,3, PB,4). The phases of the second-TIF clock signals (CLKB,I+, CLKB,Q+, CLKB,I−, CLKB,Q−) are equal to the phases of the first-TIF clock signals (CLKA,I+, CLKA,Q+, CLKA,I−, CLKA,Q−) delayed by 45 degrees. The first-TIF first, second, third and fourth clock signals (CLKA,I+, CLKA,Q+, CLKA,I−, CLKAQ−) and the second-TIF first, second, third and fourth clock signals (CLKB,I+, CLKB,Q+, CLKB,I−, CLKB,Q−) have a duty cycle in the range 16.75% to 25%.

A transferred impedance filter (TIF), also known as a transferred impedance filter (TIF), utilising N-path filtering techniques, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,187,230 and in "Tunable high-Q N-path band-pass filters: modeling and verification", A. Ghaffari et al, IEEE J. of Solid-State Circuits, May 2011, can provide narrowband bandpass filtering centred at a switching frequency, that is, a local oscillator frequency. In US 2010/0097258 and in "A 900-MHz direct delta-sigma receiver in 65-nm CMOS", K. Koli et al, IEEE J. of Solid-State Circuits, December 2010, a direct delta-sigma receiver is disclosed employing TIFs.
A known 4-path TIF mixes a signal to a desired bandpass frequency range from odd harmonics of a local oscillator (LO) signal, using a switching duty cycle of 25%. The TIF acts as a high impedance for input frequencies close to the switching frequency, forming a high-Q bandpass filter centred at the switching frequency. A basic TIF circuit is a capacitively loaded passive mixer, and therefore it will mix signals from all odd harmonics of the LO signal. The stopband attenuation of the circuit is limited by the on-resistances of the switches employed in the TIF, and, near odd harmonics of the clock signal, additional bandpass resonances occur. The transfer function of such a 4-path TIF has repeated, but slightly attenuated, bandpass responses on every odd harmonic of the LO signal. The use of a switching duty cycle shorter than 25% can slightly improve the bandpass frequency selectivity, although attenuation at the odd harmonics of the LO signal is severely degraded, as described by Ghaffari et al.
In order to improve the harmonic rejection capabilities, more phases than four can be used to construct 6 or 8-path TIFs, as disclosed by Ghaffri et al. For example, mixing down from odd harmonics of the LO signal can be reduced by using, for example, an 8-path TIF with a 12.5% switching duty cycle. That, however, leads to reduced attenuation at harmonics of the clock signal, rendering the benefits of the circuit rather limited, while significantly increasing the maximum VCO frequency required for generating the LO signal. The main reason for the reduced attenuation is the shorter switch on-time, which limits the filtering at odd harmonics of the LO signal, while slightly reducing losses in the desired passband. The TIF is usually connected in parallel with a passive LC-resonator, which reduces the losses in the TIF passband, although this is insignificant compared with the losses of the passive LC-resonator. Furthermore, the harmonic rejection capabilities of the LC-resonator alone are not enough for typical applications, for example for wireless local area network (WLAN) coexistence in cellular transceivers.
Therefore, there is a requirement for improved filtering.


A data processing system includes an associative memory device containing n-cells, each of the n-cells includes a processing circuit. A controller is utilized for issuing one of a plurality of instructions to the associative memory device, while a clock device is utilized for outputting a synchronizing clock signal comprised of a predetermined number of clock cycles per second. The clock device outputs the synchronizing clock signal to the associative memory device and the controller which globally communicates one of the plurality of instructions to all of the n-cells simultaneously, within one of the clock cycles.

Automated or semi-automated data processing systems are integral components in a wide variety of applications. Typically, data management systems are embedded within a larger computerized apparatus or system and serve to assist or facilitate those applications running in the larger computerized system, such as by performing necessary arithmetic operands, data conversion or the like.
As is known, basic data processing systems may be categorized as single instruction, single data stream (SISD) devices and typically utilize, in their simplest expression, a processor, an interface and a memory device. The processor performs directed tasks in response to instructions inputted either by a user, or by another component of an overall system. In performing its designated tasks, the processor relies upon the interface to communicate commands, such as data requests, to the memory device, as well as to receive thereby specified data stored within the memory device.
Known data processing systems most often utilize conventionally addressed memory devices. That is, known data systems utilize memory devices which include defined locales therein, each locale having its own particularized address. In this manner, should the processor desire to add the value stored at address A with the value stored at address B, the memory device will proceed to the specific, addressed locations, or cells, within the memory device, and communicate these values, via the interface, to the processor where the appropriate summation can occur. In such systems, the nature and capability of the integral components, that is, the nature and capabilities of the processor and the memory devices, are well defined and distinct from one another. FIG. 1 depicts such a known data processing system wherein processor 2 operates in response to tasks inputted via input line 4. An interface 6 is thereafter utilized to communicate instructions, such as data requests, to the memory device 8, as well as to receive thereby specified data stored within the memory device 8.
It is also known that data processing systems may include more than one processor and memory device, and further, that these multiple components may be part of a system that executes multiple streams of instructions. These multiple instruction streams, multiple data streams (MIMD) devices can be viewed as large collections of tightly coupled SISD devices where each processor in the system, although operating in overall concert with the other integrated processors, is responsible for a specific portion of a greater task. That is, the effectiveness of MIMD devices is typically limited to those specified arenas where the problem to be solved lends itself to being parsable into a plurality of similar and relatively independent sub-problems. The nature and capabilities of those integral components of MIMD devices are also well defined and distinct from one another.
Another known data processing system involves single instruction, multiple data streams (SIMD) devices. These SIMD devices utilize an arbitrary number of processors which all execute, in sync with one another, the same program, but with each processor applying the operator specified by the current instruction to different operands and thereby producing its own result. The processors in a SIMD device access integrated memory devices to get operands and to store results. Once again, the nature and capabilities of those integral components of a SIMD device are well defined and distinct from one another in that computations are executed by the processors that must have some type of access to a memory device to do their job.
While known data processing systems are therefore capable of processing large amounts of data, the defined and unchanging nature of the processors and memory devices limits the speed and efficiency at which various operations may be completed.
Various architectures have also been constructed which utilize another class of memory devices which are not conventionally addressed. These memory devices are typically described as being 'associative' memory devices and, as indicated, do not catalog their respective bits of data by their location within the memory device. Rather, associative memory devices 'address' their data bits by the nature, or intrinsic quality, of the information stored therein. That is, data within associative memory devices are not identified by the name of their locations, but from the properties of the data stored in each particular cell of the memory device.
A key field of fixed size, is attached to all data stored in most associative memory devices. A search key may then be utilized to select a specific data field, or plurality of data fields whose attached key field(s) match the search key, from within the associative memory device, irrespective of their named location, for subsequent processing in accordance with directed instructions.
While the implementation of associative memory devices is therefore known, these devices have always been utilized as specialized blocks, or components, within known data processing systems employing standard processors, interfaces and conventionally addressed memory devices. That is, although known associative memory devices do not employ conventional addressing protocols, they are incapable of processing the information themselves, relying instead upon known processors and external memory devices in a manner consistent with known SISD, SIMD and MIMD architectures.
With the forgoing problems and concerns in mind, the present invention therefore seeks to provide an engine for a data processing system that overcomes the above-described drawbacks by utilizing an active associative memory device using variable-size keys whose cells, by selectively acting as both a processor and a memory device, never have to access a separate memory block to do their jobs, thus substantially reducing processing, computational and communication times.

Cellular engine for a data processing system


An actual value (u.sub.ixRF) of a signal (i.sub.xRF) affected by harmonics may be corrected. A harmonic signal (u.sub.iF) superimposed on the signal (i.sub.xRF) is generated using a harmonic-free setting signal(u.sub.yR), a known pulse pattern (.alpha..sub.1, .alpha..sub.2, ..., .alpha..sub.5) stored in the memory of a modulator, and an equivalent model of the control system. The mean value (u.sub.iF) of this harmonic signal (u.sub.iF) is determined by a second integrating actual value acquisition device. The mean value (u.sub.iF) is subtracted as a correction value from the actual value (u.sub.ixRF), which is affected by errors. In this way, an errorfree actual value (u.sub.ixR) is obtained for a signal (i.sub.xRF), the harmonics of which are not filtered out in the actual value determination by means of an integrating actual value acquisition device.

The present invention relates to a method for correction of an actual value of a signal affected by harmonics, the actual value determined by means of a first integrating actual value acquisition device, which value is affected by errors, and the signal is generated from a harmonic-free setting signal by means of a modulation function which approximates a harmonic-free setting signal, and a control system.
In electrical drive technology, analog measurement variables, for example converter current, machine voltage, etc., are frequently converted into digital measurement values using integrating measurement value acquisition devices. With the use of an integrating measurement value acquisition device, measurement noise is filtered out and this measurement device can be structured in a very cost-effective manner. A typical structure of an integrating measurement value acquisition device is explained in greater detail in reference to FIG. 3.
Harmonics of a measurement variable are only filtered out, in this connection, if they have the mean value of zero during the measurement interval (gate time). This is brought about, for example, in space vector modulation, by approximation, in that the gate time is made exactly as large as the duration of a switching state sequence, which approximates a reference vector.
If the harmonics of the measurement variable cannot be ignored during the measurement interval (gate time), the actual value determined by means of the integrating measurement value acquisition device is affected by errors. This error is dependent on the mean value of the harmonics from one gate time to the next. The harmonics that impact the measurement variable, and the amplitude at which they impact it, are dependent on the device which excites these harmonics. In a pulse-width-modulated converter with an intermediate voltage circuit, the converter voltage can be controlled by means of precalculated, optimized pulse patterns. This converter voltage, which is affected by harmonics, is passed to an asynchronous machine. The harmonics are excited by the precalculated, optimized pulse patterns. If the torque is now supposed to be regulated in this asynchronous machine, the converter output current has to be acquired. However, since this is affected by harmonics, the actual value of the torque-producing current becomes incorrect by means of the integrating measurement value acquisition device, causing the torque regulation of the asynchronous machine to become incorrect.

Method and apparatus for correction of a detected faulty actual valve of a signal affected by harmonic vibrations


A method of controlling a helicopter having a rotor with blades is provided. The method includes receiving, by a computing device comprising a processor, at least one input associated with the helicopter; generating, by the computing device, control signals configured to counteract blade bending associated with the rotors based on the received at least one input; measuring, by the computing device, blade signals using sensors for the blades; extracting, by the computing device, harmonic loads from the measured blade signals; adapting, by the computing device, the control signals based on the harmonic loads; and controlling, by the computing device, servos connected to the blades to adjust the blades according to the adapted control signals to reduce vibratory loads on the blades.

Total vehicle height is an important design parameter for fitting on existing ship hangers and elevators, as well as fitting inside transport aircraft. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A-2B, conventional coaxial helicopters are typically taller than other helicopters of similar performance due to the existence of an additional rotor and the flapping motion of the rotor blades necessitating a minimum vertical hub spacing (rotor separation ratio). In particular, FIG. 1 shows an upper rotor 102 coupled to an upper rotor swashplate 104 and a lower rotor 106 coupled to a lower rotor swashplate 108. A rotor hub separation 110 may generally separate the upper rotor 102 and lower rotor 106. FIG. 2A illustrates a single axis/rotor helicopter 202, whereas FIG. 2B illustrates a coaxial/dual rotor helicopter 204. As shown in FIGS. 2A-2B, the height of the helicopter 204 may be appreciably greater than the height of the helicopter 202.
Some helicopters, such as the Sikorsky X2 Technology™ Demonstrator, may have a reduced rotor separation ratio relative to other helicopters. The reduced rotor separation ratio may be facilitated by the use of hingeless, rigid rotors which may bend rather than flap like articulated rotors do. The high blade rigidity may imply large blade moments and approximately 20% 2/rev blade bending that may increase vibratory (peak to peak) blade stresses beyond 1/rev loads alone. Though 2/rev blade bending may cancel at a hub, the 2/rev blade bending may: (1) decrease minimum blade tip clearance between the two rotors (e.g., rotors 102 and 106), (2) increase peak blade stresses, and (3) increase rotor blade and hub design weight. 2/rev blade control typically cannot be accomplished using an ordinary swashplate, at least for rotors with two blades or more than three blades. In some instances, it may be desirable to utilize a configuration that does not include a swashplate.

Helicopter rotor load reduction and tip clearance control


Methods and apparatus are provided with improved routing techniques for bifurcated flows. Routing methods and apparatus are provided that obtain a fractional flow from a set of nodes to a given destination having a maximum load, L, on any link between a node in the set and the given destination; and generate a bifurcated flow between the set of nodes and the given destination from the fractional flow such that the maximum load on any link in the bifurcated flow does not exceed 2L, wherein the bifurcated flow allows a flow from a given node to be sent on at most two outgoing links. The fractional flow can be, for example, a fractional single-sink multicommodity flow.

J. Chen et al, "(Almost) Tight Bounds and Existence Theorems for Confluent Flows," Proc. of the 36th ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC), 529-38 (2004) describes routing techniques for a class of network flows referred to as confluent flows. In particular, Chen et al describe techniques for finding confluent flows with small congestions. The congestion of a node is the load of the node divided by the node capacity, where the load of a node v is the total flow value through v (including the demand of v itself). A flow in a directed graph is said to be a confluent flow if the entire flow departing a node for a particular destination is along a single outgoing edge. Confluent flows are often used in routing Internet traffic. Generally, Internet routing is typically based on selecting a shortest path tree to each destination and then routing along the selected shortest paths. Thus, all packets that depart a router for a particular destination use the same outgoing edge.
Consider a directed network G=(V,A) with sink node t. Each node v∈V wants to route rv units of flow to the sink, and each node v∈V has a fixed uniform capacity (by scaling, this capacity is taken to be one, as fractional rv values are allowed). Bounded out-degree flows are feasible flows whose support graph has a bounded out-degree at every node. The maximum out-device of any node is at most n, where n is the number of nodes in the network. The class of network flows with out-degree at most d is denoted by Xd. The cases d∈{1,2,n} are of particular interest. These flow classes are:                Xn (Fractional Flows): flow from a node v to the sink t may be routed fractionally along any path; in particular, v may send flow on any number of outgoing arcs;        X1 (Confluent Flows): flow from v to t must be routed on a unique path; in particular, v sends flow on at most one outgoing arc; and        X2 (Bifurcated Flows): flow may be sent from v on at most two outgoing arcs.
Bounded degree flows are natural and elegant combinatorial objects in their own right. Interest in them, however, is primarily motivated by certain distributed routing protocols. For example, consider how confluent flows are produced by the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) protocol. This protocol is essentially a distributed implementation of the Dijkstra algorithm. Consequently, for a specific network destination t, OSPF populates each router v's next hop entry for t with some neighbor u of v for which there is a shortest path from v to t through u. In this context, "shortest" is determined with respect to some costs on the links (arcs) and, in intra-domain networks, these costs may be altered by the network operator to achieve better traffic flow through the network (see, for example, B. Fortz and M. Thorup, "Optimizing OSPF/IS-IS Weights in a Changing World," IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (Special Issue on Recent Advances on Fundamentals of Network Management), 20(4), 756-67 (2002). Hence, under these constraints, the collective flow destined for t is routed along a directed at borescence (rooted at t), that is, a confluent flow.
In many intra-domain networks, however, flows with higher but bounded degrees are allowed. For example, if there is more than one "shortest path" from v to t, operators may often place two or more next hops for t in the routing table. Traffic to t is then typically split using a round-robin approach. A need therefore exists for improved routing techniques for bifurcated flows.

Methods and apparatus for routing using bifurcated network flows


An apparatus for ink jet printing, as well as corresponding method and system are described. The apparatus includes a source of fluid film, a fluid film metering roller supported for contact with the source of fluid film, a variable speed drive arranged to effect movement of the fluid film metering roller in an endless path at different surface velocities, a donor roller supported in contact with the fluid film metering roller, an ink jet printhead configured to emit ink, and a print assembly rotatably supported in the apparatus, the print assembly having a print assembly surface coupled to the donor roller, the print assembly configured to receive ink from the ink jet printhead and produce an image on media using the ink, wherein the donor roller is configured to convey the fluid film from the fluid film metering roller to the print assembly surface at various rates depending on a surface velocity of the fluid film metering roller, and at least one of the following: an amount of fluid film left on the donor roller, a film thickness of the fluid film on the fluid film metering roller, and a speed ratio between the fluid film metering roller and the donor roller, wherein the variable speed drive is operative independently of the print assembly.

The present disclosure relates generally to fluid film release in imaging systems. More particularly, the present disclosure describes an apparatus, method, and system useful for providing variable rate fluid film release in ink jet imaging systems.
The fluid film release rate may be an important parameter for ink jet operation. Normally, ink jet fluid applicators are designed for a nominal rate that is not easily adjusted or tuned. As a result, ink jet fluid applicators are vulnerable to release fluid rate variability due to part variations and wear as well as effects of different media. Moreover, given media and/or job type, there is an optimum release fluid rate, but for fixed rate release fluid application systems, the rate has to be chosen so that the most demanding job within the operating specifications receives sufficient release film fluid. Consequently, many other job types will get more release film fluid, such as silicone oil, than is needed, which often contributes to secondary negative effects, such as prints getting oily and/or objects failing to stick to the paper and/or excess oil getting spread to other components when duplexing, for example.

Variable rate fluid film release in an ink jet printer


A fish stringer for use in tournament fishing is provided having a weight indicator attached thereto which can be manually adjusted to indicate the weight of the fish attached to the stringer. A clip attached through the fish's gill and thereby fastens the fish to a suitable cord which attaches to a floating weight indicating device. The weight indicating device contains a number of disks bearing numbers which may be manually rotated to create a display of the weight of the fish. This device floats on the surface of the water and thereby allows a fisherman to efficiently locate the lightest fish held in his live well.

The winner and placement of contestants in a fishing tournament is commonly determined on the basis of fish weight. The fishermen competing in the tournament may catch and "turn in" up to a specified number of fish, with the total weight of these fish determining the placement of the tournament contestants. In order to protect the fish population and retain the sporting aspect of the tournament, all fish caught are kept alive and released at the end of the tournament, or at the end of each day when the tournament lasts for multiple days. Furthermore, the maximum number of fish allowed to determine the total weight also dictates the maximum number of fish that a tournament fisherman may retain in the live well at any one time. Once the maximum number of fish has been placed in the live well, the fisherman must decide whether to release a fish caught thereafter or to release a fish in the live well and replace it with the new fish. Inasmuch as weight is the key factor, a fisherman will replace the lightest fish in his live well with a heavier fish subsequently caught once the maximum number of fish have been placed in the live well.
Efficiency is very important to tournament fishermen who must catch large numbers of fish, releasing them or rotating them with the fish in the live well to constantly increase the total weight of fish therein. For this reason, fishermen desire to spend the majority of their time casting out line and reeling in fish rather than determining which fish should be retained and which released. The common method for making this determination does little to facilitate the fisherman's need for speed and efficiency.
A fisherman may simply retain every fish of adequate size until the maximum number of fish are placed in the live well. Thereafter, the fishermen must weigh each new fish caught and, if it is of greater weight than the lightest fish in the live well, he must locate the lightest fish and release it in order to abide by the tournament rules. Determining the lightest fish in the live well may take a considerable amount of time and detract from the fisherman's ability to catch larger numbers of fish. First, the fisherman will "eyeball" and select a small fish from the live well and reweigh this fish in order to compare it to the fish he has just caught. This eyeballing method is inaccurate at best and may require the fisherman to weigh a large number of fish in order to locate the one with the smallest weight. With every larger fish caught, this method must be employed in order to ensure that the fisherman has retained the heaviest fish caught. All the time spent in making weight determination lessens the available time the fisherman can spend attempting to land larger fish.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a device which will assist a tournament fisherman in quickly assessing which fish in the live well should be released once a larger fish has been caught.

Fish stringer with floating weight indicator


A vehicle suspension assembly including a first end, a second end, and a hydraulic actuator. The hydraulic actuator is movable between a retracted position providing the vehicle suspension assembly with a first overall length, and an extended position providing the vehicle suspension assembly with a second overall length greater than the first overall length. The vehicle suspension assembly is configured to raise a vehicle when moved from the first overall length to the second overall length by the hydraulic actuator. The vehicle suspension assembly is configured to lower the vehicle when moved from the second overall length to the first overall length by the hydraulic actuator.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure, which is not necessarily prior art.
Devices for raising and lowering a vehicle, such as to increase or decrease ground clearance, often include a pneumatic spring movable between a raised position, a lowered position, and a plurality of intermediate positions. In order to determine the height of the pneumatic spring, a height sensor is typically required. Such pneumatic springs with multiple intermediate positions are typically complex and expensive, and must often be controlled by an expensive and complex control device. A simplified and more cost effective device and system for raising and lowering a vehicle would thus be desirable.

Tenneco Automotive Operating Company Inc.


A heat source-side unit (10) includes a heat source-side circuit (11). The heat source-side circuit (11) includes a compression unit (20) including a lower-stage compression element (23) and a higher-stage compression element (21), an intermediate heat exchanger (17) disposed on a refrigerant path between the lower-stage compression element (23) and the higher-stage compression element (21), and a bypass passage (23c) connected to a suction pipe (23a) and a discharge pipe (23b) each connected to the lower-stage compression element (23). At startup of the compression unit (20), a first action is performed for stopping the lower-stage compression element (23) and operating the higher-stage compression element (21). This configuration thus suppresses occurrence of liquid compression at startup of a compressor.

As disclosed in, for example, Patent Literature 1, there is a refrigeration apparatus that includes a heat source-side unit including a receiver (a gas-liquid separator). The refrigeration apparatus disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is configured to reduce a pressure at the receiver in changing from a cooling operation to a reverse cycle defrosting operation in a utilization-side unit, thereby suppressing backflow of a refrigerant toward the utilization-side unit.

Heat source-side unit and refrigeration apparatus


A method of coupling first and second expandable tubulars comprises providing a male tubular connector portion and a female tubular connection portion having greater yield strength, coupling the connector portions together, and expanding the coupled connector portions. The coupled connector portions may be expanded downhole.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tubing connector. In particular, the invention relates to an expandable tubing connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the oil and gas exploration and extraction industry, well bores are lined with metal tubing. Typically, the majority of a well will be lined with tubing known as casing, while the distal end of the well is provided with smaller diameter tubing known as liner. Generally, the section of the well provided with the liner will intersect the hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
Both the casing and the liner will typically be formed of tube sections with threaded or otherwise formed ends, such that the tube sections may be joined end-to-end to form longer tubing strings. The tube section ends may be formed to provide male and female coupling portions, generally known as pin and box couplings, or may be formed as male portions adapted to co-operate with external connectors or sleeves.
In recent years there have been numerous proposals to provide downhole tubing which is expanded downhole, that is casing, liner or other tubing of a first diameter which is run into a bore and then expanded to a larger second diameter. However, difficulties have been experienced in creating tubing connections which will maintain their integrity following expansion. In particular, threaded connections tend to loosen or separate on expansion, and there have been numerous proposals for connections with, for example, different thread forms, with a view to countering this difficulty.
It is among the objectives of embodiments of the invention to provide an expandable tubing connector which will maintain integrity post-expansion.


The object of the present invention is a cap provided with a guarantee seal. The guarantee seal consists of guarantee portions comprising an engagement portion and a connecting portion. The seal further comprises bridges for connecting adjacent guarantee portions to one another and a safety portion that makes the engagement portion integral with the handling portion. The safety portion is structurally suitable for keeping the engagement portion constrained in the broken seal configuration, for preventing the forming of dangerous spikes.

As known, caps with guarantee seal have become much widespread since they allow the consumer to ensure that the container has not been already opened or tampered. Such guarantee is especially appreciated in the field of containers for alimentary pastas or liquids, for example fruit juices, wherein the opening of the container could cause the deterioration of the contents or sometimes, the introduction of undesired substances in the container.
Fruit juice containers, in particular, are normally used by children, so a set of more or less strict standards according to the Country, prescribe some safety requirements the caps must meet.
The standards usually impose some restrictions on the cap dimensions so as to prevent the possibility that they are swallowed by the children.
For the caps currently known, once the cap is unscrewed the guarantee seal breaks into a set of portions that remain associated to the cap body, so the possibility that such portions are swallowed by the children should be substantially prevented.
However, besides being weakly associated to the cap body, they form spikes that dangerously protrude from the cap body. The spikes could harm hurt the child's eyes or they could be detached from the cap body with the teeth and swallowed.

Cap for container provided with guarantee seal


A GaAs piezoelectric semiconductor thin film in the form of an epitaxial film is provided on a Si substrate 1, and an input transducer 3 and an output transducer 4 for input and output of a surface acoustic wave are provided on the film. A surface acoustic wave element, thus arranged, has a sound characteristic superior to that of a single crystalline GaAs substrate and permits the use of an electromechanical coupling coefficient larger than that of the single crystalline GaAs. Thus the element copes with a much higher sound velocity of SAWs.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a surface acoustic wave element and, in particular, to an improvement of a monolithic surface acoustic wave element made of a piezoelectric layer and a semiconductor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A surface acoustic wave (SAW) element has an important role as a signal processing device because of its high frequency signal storage function and batch processing function. Moreover, when a monolithic integrated device is made by incorporating the surface acoustic wave element and a semiconductor device on a single substrate has additional various functions, such as amplification, multiplication and so forth, which are realized by the semiconductor element, it is becoming multifunctional.
There are two current proposals for arrangement of monolithic multifunctional integrated SAW devices. One of them is a multi-layered structure forming a piezoelectric thin film of ZnO, AlN, etc. on a Si semiconductor substrate, and the other is a structure incorporating an SAW device and a semiconductor device on a GaAs substrate which is a piezoelectric semiconductor.
A III-V group compound semiconductor such as GaAs has the following electric, acoustic and optical properties as compared to Si:
a) Electron mobility is as high as several times the value of Si. PA1 b) Electric conductivity can be controlled over a wide range from a semi-insulator to a conductor. PA1 c) It has a piezoelectricity. PA1 d) An element which can emit or receive wide range of light from visible rays to infrared rays.
In addition, because of recent remarkable development of technology for making a III-V group compound semiconductor thin film, it has been possible to form a GaAs/AlGaAs or other element having a hetero structure, and a device utilizing quantum effects is also appreciated to have excellent functions.
As discussed above, GaAs has many functions that Si does not; however, the multifunctional property of an element has come to a limit in the existing composite devices of Si and a piezoelectric thin film such as ZnO, AlN, etc.
Problems with an SAW device using GaAs is a high cost of its substrate caused by bad productivity because it is still difficult to produce wafer with a sufficiently large diameter.


Apparatus and method for providing transaction services, in particular a computer-based transaction machine, such as an ATM, and a method for providing transaction services using said transaction machine. One or more software applications interact with middleware software through functional interfaces that are hardware independent but provide functionality which is implemented in a manner adapted to the capabilities of the particular hardware implementation. Objects provided for standard transaction functions are independent of the interface between the user and the transaction machine, said interface being customizable. The resulting transaction machines are typically combined into networks and these networks may readily be combined to form an Extranet.

The present invention relates to apparatus and a method for providing transaction services. In particular it relates to networked computer-based transaction machines and a method for providing transaction services using said transaction machines.
Transaction machines are herein defined as any computer-based machine able to interact with a user.
The term ATM is used herein to refer to any transaction machine able to dispense cash. Typically, such machines can also undertake physical transactions such as inputting information through a keypad or touch screen, making sounds, producing video and printing. They might also be able to read bank cards and such like. Kiosks are transaction machines unable to dispense cash, but otherwise able to provide a range of interactive features, often relating to financial services. For test purposes, a conventional PC may be used as a transaction machine.
Electronic cash machines are a large and rapidly growing market. Many different hardware providers produce equipment for this market such as the machines themselves, the servers to which they connect and the networking means through which they typically communicate. Furthermore, many different operating systems and applications are used both for operating and developing these systems.
As a result of the complexity and diversity of hardware and software currently being used in this field, it is difficult and expensive to alter these systems to extend their functionality, upgrade to newer and better hardware, software or networking means or to interface with other systems. As it is difficult to make even small changes to complex systems without running the risk of their malfunctioning, the evolution of such systems is slow.
It would therefore be advantageous to find a way of making it easier to alter the hardware, software and network components of ATMs/kiosks, their servers and their networking means.
Furthermore, it would be advantageous to provide a means for enabling such changes to be implemented in small stages.
Yet further, it would be advantageous to find a way to reduce the risk of such systems malfunctioning.
In current practice, it is difficult and therefore expensive to operate ATM/kiosk networks containing diverse hardware, software and networking means. Often large amounts of hardware and software must be upgraded concomitantly to reduce interface problems. Furthermore, it is difficult to interface networks of dissimilar devices, perhaps belonging to different organisations. If dissimilar ATM/kiosk systems could be readily interfaced, forming a so-called Extranet, new and useful co-operative applications could be developed which, although currently possible, are prohibitively complex and expensive at the present time.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a better means of networking ATMs/kiosks which use diverse hardware, software and networking implementations. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide a means of allowing co-operation between dissimilar networks. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to reduce the amount of work required to enable ATM/kiosk applications to run on dissimilar hardware implementations.
At the present time, there is a rapid growth in electronic commerce (e-commerce), usually conducted over the internet. E-commerce is being limited by difficulties gaining access to the Internet for many consumers and due to the limitations of the machines currently used by consumers for Internet transactions. A typical e-commerce consumer will access a web site using a home PC. However, home PCs lack facilities such as the ability to dispense cash or read a smartcard which are important in many types of common financial transaction.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a means of allowing internet-based e-commerce to be accessed from ATMs and kiosks which already have hardware facilities suitable for financial transactions. This would allow e-commerce services to be provided which required expensive or high-security hardware facilities which cannot be securely provided at a reasonable cost on privately owned web browsers. Furthermore, it would be possible for e-commerce to be made readily available to a much larger base of consumers than is currently available.
The design of ATM networks typically involves input from numerous professionals such as software and hardware engineers specialising in the various systems, applications and communications means, graphics and GUI specialists, language specialists and so forth. In current working practice these specialists are highly dependent on each other and much time and money is spent communicating different requirements amongst people working on diverse areas of a project.


A conveyance device for the pressing of glued spines of a book block for books, in which the book blocks, with their spines directed downward, pass through a pressing section that reduces the spine swell. The book blocks, gripped between working pieces of revolving traction elements, pass through the pressing section, which acts on the sidepieces of the book spine.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for conveying book blocks on a conveying line of a machine for producing books, magazines, or the like, along which conveying line a revolving conveying element is installed, which conveys the book blocks and is designed with finger-like pushers that are mounted on a traction mechanism and project into a conveying channel transversely to the conveying direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices of the aforementioned type are known, for example, in installations for producing perfect-bound book blocks or books and in back-gluing machines, especially for thread-stitched book blocks.
In gathering machines, to form loose book blocks by feeders arranged along a conveying line, a conveying channel is loaded with printed products, and the book blocks, which are formed from stacked printed products are fed, standing on the spine of the book block, to a perfect binder. On the conveyance path, the loose book blocks are set up vertically, so that they can be inserted from below into the revolving conveyor clamps of a perfect binder. For this purpose, the gathering machine has pushers, which are mounted on a traction mechanism and project into a conveying channel and, during the formation of the loose book blocks, convey the latter by pushing against the so-called head or foot edge of the book block. During this process, the book block is turned about 90° in a vertical plane transverse to the direction of conveyance by a setting up element, so that it arrives at the perfect binder standing on its spine. In this conveyor section, the book block passes the setting up element, which is winding more or less helically in the conveying direction, where the book block is set on its spine, and the pusher is successively shifted into a horizontal position by a guide slot.
Both during the gathering of the printed products and during the transfer from the gathering machine to the perfect binder, it happens that printed products collide on the conveying tract and are displaced relative to the conveying direction, so that a backup then develops, which can cause the pusher, which is made of plastic, to break. Furthermore, in addition to the breaking of the pusher finger, the hinge, the holder, and/or chain links of the traction mechanism are damaged and thus must be replaced. This results in increased repair expense, especially since there are only "a few" places along the conveying line at which there is enough room to be able to repair the damage.
If the damage involves the chain, the tension on it must be released to replace the links. Accessibility to the chain with tools is limited in most cases, and it is no simple matter for the repairman to do his job properly in tight spaces with screws, nuts, bolts, and lock rings.

Device for conveying book blocks on a conveying line of a machine for producing books, magazines, or the like


A plasma etching method deposits a silicon-containing deposit by a plasma processing using a Si-containing gas on an object to be processed that includes a film to be processed, an organic film formed in a plurality of narrow linear portions on the film to be processed, and a rigid film that covers both the film to be processed which is exposed between the linear portions and the linear portions. In the plasma etching method, each of the plurality of narrow linear portions of the organic film and the film to be processed between the linear portions are exposed by etching the silicon-containing deposit by plasma of CF-based gas and CHF-based gas after the silicon-containing deposit is deposited.

A double patterning technology performed by plasma etching of CF4 gas has been known. The double patterning technology uses a wafer which includes a film to be processed, an organic film formed in a plurality of narrow lines on the film to be processed, and a Si oxide film that covers both the respective lines and the film to be processed which is exposed between the lines. In the double patterning technology, the Si oxide film is etched first to expose the respective lines of the organic film and the film to be processed. Then, the exposed organic film is selectively removed. Thereafter, the film to be processed is etched using the remaining Si oxide film as a mask. See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-212415.

Plasma etching method and plasma etching apparatus


A solid-state imaging device including two semiconductor substrates arranged in layers is provided. Each semiconductor substrate has a semiconductor region in which a circuit constituting a part of a pixel array is formed. The circuits in the two semiconductor substrates are electrically connected to each other. Each semiconductor substrate includes one or more contact plugs for supplying a voltage to the semiconductor region. The number of the contact plugs of one semiconductor substrate in the pixel array is different from the number of the contact plugs of the other semiconductor substrate in the pixel array.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device, a camera, and a design method for a solid-state imaging device.
2. Description of the Related Art
One known configuration of a solid-state imaging device is to form a plurality of circuits separately on different substrates and electrically connect the plurality of circuits. In a solid-state imaging device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-170448, a photodiode, a transfer transistor, a reset transistor and an amplifier transistor are formed on a sensor substrate, whereas a selection transistor and peripheral circuits are formed on a peripheral circuit substrate.

Solid-state imaging device, camera, and design method for solid-state imaging device


An extractor for gallbladders and appendices, comprising a protective guiding tube for insertion into the peritoneum of a patient, a gripping means provided at the front end of the protective guiding tube and comprising at least two bowls which are adapted to be opened and closed like tongs and which, in the closed state, form a rotational body extending longitudinally in the direction of the protective guiding tube, and an operating means for opening and closing the bowls and projecting from the rear end of the protective guiding tube, the transmission elements of the operating means lie within the protective guiding tube and extend therethrough.

The present invention refers to an extractor for extracting gallbladders, appendices, myomas, cysts, resected portions of the intestines and the like.
Such organs and similar parts are presently removed from the body of a patient through the opened abdominal cavity. Due to the opening of the abdominal cavity and the possibility of opened body tissue coming into contact with the parts to be removed, a high risk of infection is given. Gallbladders and appendices, as well as parts of the great intestine or the small intestine, contain a lot of germs and bacteria which may cause dangerous infections when coming into contact with fascial tissue, fatty tissue or cutaneous tissue.
German Patent 39 20 706 describes a biopsy device for biopsy on a living body. In a guiding catheter, which usually is soft or flexible, a catheter sheath is provided which extends out of the catheter and has a forceps means at the front end, which has two bowl-shaped jaws. By longitudinally displacing an operating skein, the jaws of the forceps can be opened and closed to cut off and grip tissue. The contents held between the two jaws may be looked at through an endoscope.
From U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,550, another biopsy device is known, which has a cutting device comprising two arcuate cutting blades and which is provided at the front end of a tube. For cutting, the cutting device is drawn to the tube, the guiding edges of the cutting blades being pulled into recesses of the tube so as to close the cutting blades and to severe the tissue. The cut off tissue is sucked off through the tube. The cutting blades can only cut tissue, yet, they cannot enclose organs, trap them in an encapsulating manner and cut them off circumferentially.


In embodiments, an eNodeB (eNB) may include a sequence generator to identify an initialization parameter for a pseudo-random sequence. The initialization parameter may have a periodicity greater than one radio frame of a radio signal. The sequence generator may then generated a pseudo-random sequence based at least in part on the initialization parameter, and then generate a reference signal based on the pseudo-random sequence. The eNB may further include a transmitter that is coupled with the sequence generator and is to transmit the reference signal in a subframe of the radio signal.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure. Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in the present disclosure and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
In existing 3GPP LTE networks, the CRS may be transmitted from an eNodeB (eNB) to a user equipment (UE). In embodiments, the CRS may be used to support channel quality indicator (CQI) reporting and demodulation. Additionally, the CRS may be used to support reference signal received power (RSRP) and reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements for handover or for Radio Resource Management (RRM) purposes. The CRS may be transmitted as a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulated signal.
In embodiments, the CRS may be broadcast in each subframe of a radio frame and may have a periodicity of 10 milliseconds (ms). That is, the CRS may repeat every 10 milliseconds. In common LTE networks, a radio frame of the LTE network may generally have a length of 10 ms. Because the CRS may have a periodicity of 10 ms, the CRS may repeat at each radio frame, and the same patterns of the CRS may be broadcast at each subframe of the radio frame. In these embodiments, if a CRS of one eNB conflicts with or causes interference to a CRS of another eNB, or a CRS of another port of the eNB, on the same frequency Resource Elements (REs) in a subframe of the radio frame, then this interference may be repeated at every radio frame of the network.

Sequence generation for cell specific reference signal (CRS)


Systems and methods are disclosed to enable determining thermal protection characteristics of an integrated circuit. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT) generator that provides a PTAT signal that varies as a function of temperature. Thermal protection control system provides an output signal indicative of a thermal protection condition based at least in part on the PTAT signal. A monitoring system that provides a path to enable selective measuring of at least one signal associated with operation of the thermal protection control system.

Thermal shutdown is utilized as one of several possible mechanisms for protecting integrated circuits (ICs) from high operating temperatures, such as may occur at high current loads or other high power dissipation events. To implement desired protection, thermal shutdown control circuitry can be located near expected high power dissipation regions of an IC. The thermal shutdown control circuitry usually includes a PTAT (proportional to absolute temperature) circuit, such as a current PTAT (or IPTAT) circuit. The IPTAT circuit provides an output current that is proportional to the absolute temperature of the components constituting the circuit. The output current can be utilized to drive associated detection circuitry that provides a control signal for implementing thermal shutdown and disabling the affected components of the functional circuitry.
While thermal shutdown control circuitry is routinely utilized in many types of integrated circuits, the operation of thermal shutdown control circuitry is not routinely tested in the normal course of IC fabrication. This is because proper testing generally would require raising the temperature of the IC device to the thermal shutdown activation temperature. For example, one might physically raise temperature of the device, such as by placing the device in an oven, while testing the associated protection circuitry to determine whether the device properly disables. In addition to the added stress on the IC device, by implementing such a test on a frequent basis would prove time consuming. As a result, such an approach is generally cost prohibitive for most fabrication processes since device yield could significantly decrease.
Accordingly, rather than testing operation of the thermal detection circuitry, most existing test procedures operate to determine whether the associated protection mechanism functions properly. These approaches typically control and override thermal shutdown signal, such that the protection circuitry, when operating properly, is activated to disable the functional circuitry in the device. However, these approaches provide no quantitative mechanism to ascertain at what temperature the protection will become active.

System and method for determining thermal shutdown characteristics