A pressure regulating valve comprising a diaphragm for control of process pressure is provided. The diaphragm has a reference pressure on a first side and a process pressure on a second side. The second side is engagable with a process void and at least one vent void such that when the process pressure is below the reference pressure the diaphragm is engaged with the vent void. When the process pressure is above the reference pressure the diaphragm is not engaged with the vent void.

There has been a long felt desire for a modulated pressure relief valve on a vessel for venting fluid when the pressure exceeds a desired dynamic set-point or threshold. A particular desire is for a modulated pressure relief valve with a threshold that could vary according to process requirements and its upper limit could serve to avoid blowing a safety relief device such as an expendable rupture disc or pop-off safety relief valve both of which are typically designed for infrequent use. It is desirable to communicate the desired pressure set-point to the relief valve via a reference pressure signal (typically air) that is equal to the desired vessel pressure.
Furthermore, it is desirable to have a modulating pressure relief valve which is very simple, with cleanable parts and with no narrow passageways that can become plugged with debris or frozen product. Such a device would be useful in many applications including the food, beverage, gelatin, and polymer industries, where the product can become frozen in critical passages, and where all crevices must be exposed to the rinsing and cleaning processes.
Typical safety relief valves, such as those exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,183, include a valve member biased by a spring into engagement with a seat. If product pressure exceeds a predetermined level, the force against the valve exceeds the biasing force of the spring causing the valve to lift from the seat to vent product pressure.
Typical diaphragm relief valves, such as those exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,050, do present simple, cleanable surfaces yet they clearly do not meet the dynamic set-point requirement desired in the art. Furthermore, the inaccuracies of the spring compression typically result in wide variations in relieving pressures, often greater than 10%, and the variations change over time.
Dynamically modulated relief valves are provided that use a reference or pilot signal as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,406. These typically involve complex spring and seal mechanisms. Besides the inherent robustness issues with the complex mechanisms, they are clearly not acceptable for use in processes with debris, freezeable product, or requiring cleanability.
Typical relief valves are quite insensitive to slight differences in pressure, and typically have large cracking pressure biases. A highly sensitive relief valve would help maintain a constant vessel pressure during changes in the upstream process environment which is a feature that is very useful in many industrial steady-state applications, including constant-flow applications.
Further, there has been a long felt desire for a relief valve that could balance vessel pressure exactly to a reference, or pilot, pressure. This would facilitate a complete vessel pressure control system when used in conjunction with a simple instrument pressure sender and a, preferably no-loss, check valve.
Typically available pilot actuated relief valves cannot control vessel pressure to the exact pressure of the reference signal.
Many fluid systems also exhibit pulsations, which are typically caused by mechanical sources such as pump movements or valve closures. An additional type of pulsation is found with certain sensitive fluid control devices, which can exhibit undesirable chatter (or pulsations) when used with incompressible fluids. An example of this phenomenon occurs when a positive pressure wave travels upstream and strikes the outlet of the regulator, whereby said positive pressure wave temporarily imbalances the membrane and causes a positive flow bias to emanate from the device. Such a positive flow bias becomes a positive pressure wave traveling back downstream. This response manifests itself as an echo, allowing resonance to become established in the fluid conduit downstream of the fluid control device.
It is desirable to eliminate such pulsations in such fluid systems. Furthermore, it is desirable to inhibit said chatter in a way that it permanent and robust, with no maintenance required. Furthermore, it is desirable to inhibit said chatter in a way that is hygienic and allows for easy cleaning of the fluid system. Furthermore, it is desirable to inhibit said chatter in a way is economical, easy to incorporate into the fluid system design, does not require a separately sealed component, and cannot obstruct the flow through the system.
It is known in the art that altering the compressibility of a fluid system can control the resonant chatter in said system. Said compressibility is traditionally established by incorporating a pulsation dampener, which typically involves the addition of a gas pocket into the system. Said gas pocket may be in direct contact with the fluid, or may be separated by a flexible membrane. The gas pocket typically requires the addition of a separate fluid component, with its costs, space requirements, maintenance requirements, costs, connections, and potential for leaks. Furthermore, gas tends to become absorbed over time into liquids where direct contact exists, requiring some form of replenishment. Gas can also leak out slowly through flexible separation membranes over time as well due to membrane permeability or microscopic leaks. Another pulsation dampening method existing in the art is the use of tubing with flexible walls. However, the use of flexible conduit material requires additional sealing points, and is limited by the pressure rating of said flexible tubing.


A modular hot runner nozzle having a variable length includes a first nozzle portion and a second nozzle portion provided in series between a manifold and a mold gate of an injection molding apparatus. The first nozzle portion and the second nozzle portion having respective nozzle channels for delivering the melt stream from the manifold to a mold cavity. A nozzle tip is provided at a forward end of the hot runner nozzle. The nozzle tip and the manifold are generally fixed within the injection molding apparatus so that axial thermal expansion is taken up by a telescoping or a slidable connection that is provided between the first nozzle portion and the second nozzle portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an injection molding apparatus and, in particular, to a hot runner nozzle with a variable length in operation.
2. Related Art
In a multi-cavity injection molding apparatus having a manifold for delivering a melt stream of moldable material to a plurality of nozzles, the heat distribution throughout the manifold is typically uneven. This uneven heat distribution causes the manifold to deflect. As a result, the distance between the lower surface of the manifold and each of a plurality of mold cavities varies and thus each nozzle is subjected to unique operating conditions depending on the nozzle location relative to the manifold. The nozzles also experience thermal expansion, however, the nozzles are generally fixed between the mold cavities and the manifold. As such, the thermal expansion results in a variable sealing force being applied to both the manifold and the mold gate which is not desirable since it will allow the pressurized melt to leak at the interface between the manifold and each nozzle, as well as at each gate around the nozzle seals if the manifold floats and is retained by only the head portion of each injection nozzle. Such leakage may also occur in nozzles threaded into the manifold, but only at the gate area.
What is needed is a hot runner nozzle that accommodates thermal expansion of a nozzle without causing a variable force to be applied between the nozzle and a manifold or a mold gate of an injection molding apparatus.


A method for easing child birth and, more particularly, to a device for practicing the method for easing child birth and, most particularly, to a device for easing child birth controlled by the individual giving birth to the child. The device mechanically replaces a “manual” contact, which can be applied to the pelvis of a woman in labor, for the purpose of aiding the expulsion of the baby, and reduce the pain and discomfort associated with this process. The device mechanically compresses the ilium portion of the pelvis medially and posteriorly, simultaneously. The pressure applied by the device is under full control of the patient, so that pressure is applied slowly and progressively to a point of maximum comfort. The pressure is decreased immediately upon demand by the patient. The duration of the application of compression corresponds with the length of the contraction period for the woman.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for easing child birth and, more particularly, to a device for practicing the method for easing child birth and, most particularly, to a device for easing child birth, which is controlled by the individual giving birth to the child.
2. Background Information
Child birth is often a traumatic physical and emotional process that involves passage of the child through the birth canal of the mother. The process is nearly always painful and can put the well being of both the mother and child in jeopardy. Various medications can be used to ease the pain of the mother during the process, but such medications are not without risk to both the mother and child. Various mechanical devices have been developed to assist the child birth process. Several inventions concerned with devices that are applied to the exterior of the mother to assist in child birth have been granted patents.
Heidenwolf, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,637, describes an obstetrical apparatus that includes a belt with an inflatable bladder that is secured around the abdomen of a parturient woman. The belt is positioned such that inflation of the bladder applies pressure toward the belly between the hips and bottom of the uterus of the woman. The belt is held in place by a strap that is secured to the upper thigh of the woman.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,154, Hyman et al. disclose an orthopedic belt that eases sacroiliac joint pain by compressing soft pelvic tissue against the sacrum and ilium, to support and immobilize the sacroiliac joints. The belt consists solely of flat, woven webbing forming a band about four to six inches wide, and a fastening device at the front. The belt encircles the patient at the level between the anterior superior iliac spines and the greater trochanters of the femurs. It is fastened with enough tension to compress the soft tissue, as desired. Ends of the band forming the belt are fastened together at an angle, which is selected to pass the belt horizontally across the back and to accommodate the shape of the patient's hips. The ends of the band are cut off in a taper so that no square corners are exposed. Various fastening means to place and maintain tension on the band may be used, including flexible straps extending from one end of the band through loops on the other and back to the first end, where they are connected together with cooperating press-holding pads such as Velcro™ hook and eye material.
Sebastian et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,194, describe a therapeutic appliance for application to the lumbar spine. The appliance follows the contours of the iliac crests and overlies the sacrum and sacroiliac joints, as well as anchors below the posterior superior iliac spines of the human body. The appliance includes an external shell having a length sufficient to extend around the abdominal region of the body with fasteners at opposite ends of the shell and an air bladder disposed on the shell. The air bladder has a plurality of air chambers, including elongated air chambers which extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the shell with lower ends thereof shaped to lie above the iliac crests. The device includes a lower longitudinally extending air chamber and an anchoring air chamber between the longitudinally extending air chamber and the outer edge of the bladder. The anchoring air chamber extends arcuately from a central portion of the air bladder toward the opposite ends of the shell and is positioned to lie below the posterior superior iliac spines to prevent upward riding of the therapeutic appliance when in place on the human body and to provide support for the sacroiliac joints. The appliance may also include belts on the outside thereof for tightening the air chambers against the wearer's lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints. Pockets can be provided on the inside of the appliance for applying hot or cold packs to the back muscles of the wearer of the appliance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,281 by Lee discloses a pneumatic cuff assembly fitting over and around the entire maternal abdomen. The cuff is intermittently inflated to a low and safe pressure in synchrony with the mother's voluntary straining efforts in order to augment the intra-abdominal pressure to assist the delivery of the fetus at the final stage of child birth. Near the end of obstetric labor, the cuff is applied on the abdomen, parts are connected, and the reservoir tank pressurized to a recommended pressure of twenty pounds per square inch. At the final stage of delivery and synchronous with the mother's voluntary straining, the cuff is inflated. When the voluntary straining stops, the cuff is manually deflated quickly. The setting of the pressure reducer/regulator is to be determined by the physician or midwife. Two to four pounds per square inch seems appropriate. The amount of additional expelling force can be roughly estimated at two pounds per square inch of cuff pressure, which is considered low and safe, and at ten square inches of cross-sectional area of a fetal head, the force is twenty pounds, which is more than is safely applied with a pair of outlet forceps. Generally speaking, a pushing force is safer on the mother and the child then a pulling force.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,356, Hahn et al. describe a childbirth-assisting device that uses an automatically synchronized, expandable pneumatic girdle to externally augment the secondary force of labor. The pneumatic girdle is fitted around the abdomen of the woman and the girdle is inflated to create a downward pressure on the abdomen when a contraction occurs. The synchronization of the girdle's inflation and the contractions is provided by an electronic controller, which receives a signal from an intra-uterine monitor indicating a contraction and causes the girdle to inflate at a certain rate until a preset intra-uterine pressure is attained. Once the intra-uterine pressure reaches the preset pressure, the girdle pressure is maintained until the offset of the contraction is detected, at which time the girdle is deflated.
Hahn et al., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,645,563 and 5,871,499, disclose a childbirth-assisting device that uses an automatically synchronized, expandable pneumatic girdle to externally augment the secondary force of labor. The girdle, through which the pressure is applied, is fitted around the abdomen of the woman. An inflatable bladder within the girdle is inflated to create a downward pressure on the abdomen upon detection of a contraction. External pressure monitors which detect contractions may be attached directly to the girdle, and the girdle is configured to assure that the bladder is correctly positioned at all times. The external pressure monitors include a solid state force sensor, embedded within a pliable housing, which is conformable to the patient's abdomen to improve accuracy. A member may be provided to prevent multiple uses of a girdle to assure the integrity of the girdle during use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,175 by Tanaka discloses a medical corset that includes a hip band portion composed of an elastic material for covering both the sacroiliac region and the hip joint region and a pair of femoral region holding portions, coupled below the buttock portion of this hip band portion to be fixed on the thighs. When this corset is put on a body, the sacroiliac region and the hip joint region are compressed and protected by the hip band portion and, thus, a lame hip due to a trouble of these joints is lightened. When putting the medical corset on the body, the hip band portion is first wound around the hip region. The hip band portion, which is capable of entirely covering both the sacroiliac region and the hip joint region and is composed of an elastic material, keeps the hip region in a somewhat compressed condition. When the pair of femoral region holding means, coupled to the hip band portion, is fixed on the right and left thighs, the attachment of the medical corset is completed. In this condition, in which the femoral region holding means are fixed on the thighs and are coupled on the buttock side, the entire corset is prevented from shifting upward even if bending and stretching are repeated, for example. The buttock side is the region extending from the buttocks to the back.
Ha, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0242639, describes a pelvis remedial seat device and a control method thereof for remedying into its original place a woman's widened pelvis after child birth. The pelvis remedial seat device comprises a seat (10), a seat cushion (11) on which an occupant is seated and left/right seat sides (12a, 12b), provided uprightly at each side end of the seat cushion (11). A pair of air bags (20a, 20b) nested on an inner side of each side are expanded or contracted by air supplied into or discharged from the inside of the air bag. An air injection means for providing air pressure to the air bags (20a, 20b) is also present. The expanding air pressure in the air bags presses the pelvis portion of an occupant. Accordingly, the air pressure can artificially press the pelvis portion of the woman, when seated or lying down, without constraining the human body so that rapid recovery of the pelvis can be attained.
Applicants have devised a method for easing child birth and, more particularly, to a device for practicing the method for easing child birth and, most particularly, to a device for easing child birth, which is controlled by the individual giving birth to the child.


An electrostatic latent image is formed on an image carrier. A developing roller is separatably abutted on the image carrier at a developing position to supply toner onto the image carrier to make the latent image visible as a toner image. The toner image is transferred onto a transfer member. A cleaner is abutted on the image carrier to remove toner remained thereon. A toner supplier supplies toner onto the image carrier while the developing roller is separated from the image carrier.

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising: an image carrier on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; means for forming a latent image on the image carrier; means for developing the latent image by abutting a developing roller on the image carrier; means for transferring a toner image developed on the image carrier onto an intermediate transfer medium; and a cleaner, abutting on the image carrier, for removing post-transfer residual toner, wherein the developing roller spaced apart from the image carrier during a development color switching operation.
An image forming apparatus includes, around the periphery of a photosensitive body serving as a rotary image carrier, a charging device to charge the photosensitive body uniformly along the rotational direction thereof, an exposing device to form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive body, a developing device to develop an electrostatic latent image, a transferring device to transfer a toner image on the photosensitive body onto a transferring member, a cleaner to clean the surface of the post-transfer photosensitive body, etc. An electrostatic latent image formed on the photosensitive body by the exposing device is developed by the developing device to form a toner image. The toner image thus formed is transferred onto a transferring member and residual toner on the post-transfer photosensitive body is removed from the photosensitive body by the cleaner.
In a case of a rotary-type full-color image forming apparatus that forms a full-color image, color toner images, formed on the photosensitive body by the respective developing devices for yellow Y, magenta M, cyan C, and black K, are sequentially transferred onto an intermediate transferring member to superpose colors. For this reason, the developing cartridges of respective colors of toner are detachably mounted to a rotary development unit, and each time an electrostatic latent image of one color is formed on the photosensitive body, the rotary development unit is driven by a development color switching operation to move the developing cartridge of the corresponding toner by rotation to a developing position for a developing operation to be performed. Such a configuration is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Nos., 2002-82532A, and 2003-66801A, for example.
In an image forming apparatus, an outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive body is repetitively scanned in the axial direction thereof (primary scanning direction) to form an electrostatic latent image thereon while the photosensitive body is uniformly rotated. An exposing beam from the exposing device is modulated by an image forming signal. Therefore, when the rotations of the photosensitive body are unstable to cause vibrations and irregularities, there occurs a problem that the image quality is deteriorated due to banding, which appears, for example, in the form of a streak in the secondary scanning direction.
One of the factors that make rotations of the photosensitive body unstable to cause vibrations and irregularities is, besides the configuration of a gear train in the driving mechanism, the presence of the cleaner that abut on the photosensitive body along the periphery thereof.
The cleaner is to clean residual toner on the post-transfer photosensitive body after a toner image formed on the photosensitive body is transferred onto a transferring member. In order to enhance the cleaning effect, tho cleaner is abutted on the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive body at a constant pressure by a spring or the like. A lower abutting pressure naturally reduces the cleaning effect; however, a higher abutting pressure becomes a factor that generates irregular vibrations associated with frictional sliding between the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive body and the cleaner. In addition, the angle at which the blade abuts on the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive body, the position of the supporting point, at which the cleaner is supported, with respect to the tangential line to the abutting surface, etc. have an influence on the cleaning effect.
Further, in contrast to an image forming apparatus in which the developing roller constantly abuts on the photosensitive body, in an image forming apparatus in which the developing roller is retracted from the developing position on the photosensitive body during the development color switching, it is observed that irregularities in rate of the photosensitive body readily occur. For example, in a rotary-type color image forming apparatus provided with the rotary development unit, the rotary development unit is rotated when the development color switching operation is performed while each of the developing rollers is sequentially brought into contact with the photosensitive body and spaced apart therefrom. Due to the repetition of the abutment and retraction, the outer circumferential surface of the photosensitive body cannot be maintained in the uniform state, and the cleaner is no longer able to undergo frictional sliding smoothly, which in turn makes a rate of the photosensitive body unstable.


A method for treating mammalian articular cartilage disorders, more particularly osteoarthritis, and trauma-related cartilage injuries using insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) is provided. The method comprises increasing the amount of IGF-I at the diseased or injured articular site to a therapeutically effective level that is capable of maintenance and/or regeneration of cartilage, which is beneficial to the long-term treatment of osteoarthritis and trauma-related injuries to cartilage tissues. In one embodiment of the invention, single doses of at least 0.01 mg of pharmaceutically effective IGF-I are administered intermittently such that the duration of time off of therapy is greater than the time on therapy, more preferably with a frequency of administration of about once per week or less.

Articular cartilage plays an essential role in the movement of mammalian joints. While synovial fluid within the joint cavity serves as a lubricant, the articular cartilage provides a superior smooth surface between adjacent bones, allowing for near-frictionless motion of joints. It is the articular cartilage that spreads compressive stresses over the articular plate surfaces of the joint, thus protecting weight-bearing bones from shattering.
Articular cartilage is composed of chondrocytes embedded in an extracellular matrix of proteoglycans, collagen, and small molecular weight glycoproteins. Proteoglycans are essential in maintaining strength of the cartilage tissue so that it can withstand compression. Collagen provides the tissue with tensile strength and resistance to shear. In a healthy joint, the extracellular matrix is maintained by a balance between the synthesis and secretion of these macromolecules by chondrocytes and their subsequent degradation by proteolytic enzymes such as proteoglycanases and metalloproteinases, which are also synthesized and secreted by chondrocytes. Damage to the articular surface can disrupt this equilibrium, such that degradation exceeds the ability of chondrocytes to synthesize macromolecules necessary for repair of the cartilage tissues. This disequilibrium results in loss of extracellular matrix or alteration of the material properties of the cartilage tissue. Moreover, with trauma-related injuries, chondrocytes do not regenerate and are incapable of repairing focal defects or cartilage tears. The range of motion for a joint sustaining such an injury can be severely affected.
Chronic disruption of the equilibrium between synthesis and degradation of cartilage matrix macromolecules is associated with the development of osteoarthritis, the most common of the arthritic disorders in humans. As osteoarthritis progresses, the cushioning surface of the affected joint thins as the cartilage softens. Vertical clefts develop, and the integrity of the surface is breached. Cartilage ulcers, appositional bone growth, and osteophytes may appear and restrict movement. When left untreated, continued excessive degradation of proteoglycans and collagens by proteases ultimately leads to total loss of cartilage and eburnation of bone.
Historically, treatment of osteoarthritis and articular cartilage injuries has been limited to pain relief, reduction of joint loading, physical therapy, and orthopedic surgery, all of which are aimed at symptomatic relief rather than treatment of the underlying pathologic disorder. More recently, osteoarthritis research has concentrated on development of "chondroprotective" methods. Such methods involve long-term therapeutic treatment aimed at preserving or stimulating cartilage formation (see Rogachefsky et al. (1993) Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 1:105–114; Issebelcher et al. (eds.) Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine (13th ed.; McGraw-Hill Inc., 1994), pp. 1692–1697).
A number of studies have focused on the physiological role of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) on chondrocytes and the generation of extracellular matrix of normal articular cartilage. IGF-I has been shown to stimulate in vitro chondrocyte cell proliferation (see, for example, Osborne et al. (1989) J. Orthop. Res. 7: 35–42; and Trippel et al. (1989) Pediatr. Res. 25: 76–82), and it stimulates proteoglycan and collagen synthesis by chondrocytes of normal articular cartilage in both in vitro and ex vivo explant studies (see, for example, Guenther et al. (1982) Experientia 38: 979–981; Willis and Liberti (1985) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 844: 72–80; McQuillan et al. (1986) Biochem. J. 240: 423–430; and Tesch et al. (1992) J. Orthop. Res. 10: 14–22). These stimulatory actions are mediated through the IGF-I receptor in chondrocyte cells (see Taylor et al. (1988) FEBS Lett. 236: 33–38).
Recent studies have examined the physiological function of IGF-I in the etiopathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Expression level of IGF-I apparently increases with the advancement of osteoarthritis pathology (see Middleton and Tyler (1992) Ann. Rheum. Dis. 51: 40–447); Middleton et al. (1996) J. Histochem. Cytochem. 44: 133–141; and Keyszer et al. (1995) J. Rheumatology 22: 275–281). However, articular cartilage responsiveness to IGF-I has been shown to decrease in an experimental arthritis model (see Joosten et al. (1989) Agents Actions 26: 193–195). This lack of responsiveness may be associated with decreased synthesis of the IGF-I receptor (see Joosten et al. (1989), increased degradation of IGF-I and/or its receptor (Schalkwijk et al. (1989) Arthritis Rheum. 82: 66–71) by extracellular proteolytic enzymes, or by the presence of IGF-I binding proteins at the chondrocyte cell surface or by nonspecific binding of IGF-I to the cartilage matrix thereby blocking access of IGF-I to its receptor sites and negating any potential benefit of increased synthesis of IGF-I and/or its receptor (Dore et al. (1994) Arthritis and Rheumatism 37: 253–263).
Parenteral administration of IGF-I has been referred to as a method for enhancing muscle mass of atrophied skeletal muscle in a joint having reduced function due to disease, such as osteoarthritis, or trauma-related injuries (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,444,047).
Recently, IGF-I has been evaluated in vivo for its therapeutic effect in the treatment of osteoarthritis (Rogachefsky et al. (1993) Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 1: 105–114). In this study, dogs subjected to anterior cruciate ligament transection were subsequently examined for symptoms of osteoarthritis. Three weeks after transection, 1.0 μg of human recombinant IGF-I was administered intra-articularly 3 times per week for 3 weeks. Results of this study showed that intra-articular administration of IGF-I alone was ineffective in treating osteoarthritis, as cartilage in treated animals was not different from cartilage in untreated animals.
Clearly better methods for treating cartilage disorders or injuries are needed.

Compositions and methods for treating articular cartilage disorders


A device for connecting to, lifting at a first location load support surface, moving, inverting and releasing at a second load support surface individual heavy loads. The device includes a support frame for carrying heavy loads. The frame carries a mechanism for selective and controlled connection to and selective and controlled detachment from individual heavy loads, such as concrete molds with or without concrete in the molds. A lifting mechanism for providing selective and controlled vertical upward and downward movement to the connection mechanism and to any individual heavy load carried by the connection mechanism is associated with the connection mechanism. A mechanism for providing selective and controlled rotational movement of at least about 180.degree. to the connection mechanism and to any individual heavy load carried by the connection mechanism is also associated with the connection mechanism. Finally, the device includes a mechanism for moving the support frame and any individual heavy load carried by the support frame in a selective and controlled direction. The resulting device is capable of selective and controlled connection and attachment to individual heavy loads located at a first location, the lifting of such loads vertically upward, the moving of such loads, the rotation of such loads by at least about 180.degree., the lowering of such loads vertically downward at a second location, and detaching of the connection mechanism from the individual heavy loads to deposit them at that second location.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to mechanized transport devices for heavy loads, such as containers and molds, and, more particularly, to device for lifting moving, inverting and releasing such heavy loads. Specifically, the present invention relates to devices for lifting and moving heavy containers such as molds used in the manufacture of concrete articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a wide variety of different types of devices designed to lift and carry materials and containers ranging from forklift trucks and overhead hoist systems used in factories, and the like, and container carrying trucks of various types. There are a number of existing vehicle designs which include mechanisms for lifting and then rotating containers in order to deposit or to discharge the contents therefrom. Examples of such devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,291,329; 3,917,093; 3,330,429; 3,335,885; 3,520,429; 3,863,791; 4,027,808; 4,168,930 and 4,624,618. In each of these prior art examples, either the containers are intricately associated with the transport vehicle, which in most instances is a truck, or the container is lifted by the vehicle, moved to a discharge station and then tipped to discharge materials from the container. However, in each instance the container is then returned to its upright position, and unless it is permanently associated with the vehicle, then returned and deposited to their original upright position. In no such prior art is the container known to be inverted 180.degree. or more, nor is the container deposited and released in an inverted position inasmuch as such an arrangement would be incompatible with the function of these devices.
The manufacturer of concrete articles, such as cisterns, concrete building blocks, and the like, generally includes the use of various molds for forming the concrete article.
Lifting and movement of such concrete molds requires specialized equipment as disclosed by way of example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,920,716; 3,868,025 and 5,511,927. The molds disclosed in these particular references, however, do not require inversion during the process of lifting and moving them and/or their concrete components. Inasmuch as such molds and concrete articles in them weigh substantial amounts, the mere lifting and moving of these molds and concrete components is very difficult, and inversion of such molds is not taught or even suggested. A known device marketed as the Posi-Turner manufactured by Elk River Concrete Products, Shakopee, Minn., illustrates an arrangement that is specifically designed to invert a mold once the concrete has been poured and cured therein. However, this particular arrangement necessitates the permanent attachment of the mold to the Posi-Turner carrier device which moves the mold and rotates it. Thus, only one mold per carrier device can be utilized in this prior art system, thereby either limiting production or requiring a plurality of such devices.
Therefor, there is a need for a device which is adapted to lift and move heavy loads, including concrete mold containers, which device is also capable of inverting these loads and releasing them in an inverted position. It is also desirable to have such a device which has the capability of releasing such loads or molds, with the result that it can handle multiple loads in order to increase the efficiency of use of such a device.

Device for lifting, moving, inverting and releasing heavy loads


A brushless motor 100 is composed of a motor base 10, a rotary shaft 25 rotatably supported by the motor base 10 through bearings 22 and 23, a back yoke 20 in a shape of flat plate made from a magnetic material being supported by the motor base 10 from one surface of the back yoke in a direction perpendicular to the rotary shaft 25 in a neighborhood of the rotary shaft 25, a plurality of driving coils 31 disposed on another surface of the back yoke 20 opposite to the one surface confronting with the motor base 10 and a rotor yoke 28 having a driving magnet 24 in the shape of ring integrally rotating together with the rotary shaft 25 while confronting the driving magnet 24 with the plurality of driving coils 31 with maintaining a prescribed gap G between them, wherein the plurality of driving coils 31 are disposed on the back yoke 20 around the rotary shaft 25 at angular intervals of a prescribed angle, and wherein the back yoke 20 is provided with a not disposed angular area S in which no driving coil 31 is disposed on the other surface of the back yoke 20 in an area within a prescribed angle around the rotary shaft 25, and the brushless motor 100 further comprising a press contacting means 34 for pressing the back yoke 20 toward the driving magnet 24 so as to deform the back yoke 20, wherein the press contacting means 34 is provided between the motor base 10 and the back yoke 20 in an area axially opposite to the not disposed angular area S with respect to the rotary shaft 25.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a brushless motor, which is small in rotational irregularity and low in vibration.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 8 is a graph exhibiting an amount of deformation of a back yoke in a brushless motor according to the prior art for explaining a flatness of the back yoke.
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the conventional brushless motor according to the prior art.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of the conventional brushless motor shown in FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a fragmentary view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line M-M of FIG. 9.
FIG. 12 is a fragmentary view of the stator section of the other conventional brushless motor according to the other prior art.
Currently, brushless motors have been used in various electronic equipment. For instance, a brushless motor is used in a VTR (video tape recorder) as a motor for driving a tape and in a magnetic disc drive as a motor for driving a disc.
With respect to a prior art, such a brushless motor is disclosed in the Japanese publication of unexamined utility patent applications No. 6-2963/1994. The brushless motor disclosed in the Japanese publication of unexamined utility patent applications No. 6-2963/1994 is a capstan motor for driving a tape in a VTR, and constituted so as to be able to accurately achieve perpendicularity of a bearing holder and a rotary shaft with respect to a stator substrate.
More specifically, a joint surface of the bearing holder with respect to the stator substrate is approximately formed in a columnar shape with centering the rotary shaft, and resulting in enabling to achieve perpendicularity of the rotary shaft.
With referring to FIGS. 8-11, the conventional brushless motor 200, which is a capstan motor for being used in a camcorder, is described hereupon.
In FIG. 9, a motor base 210 that is molded from a material of resin is composed of a basement 211 and a pillar 215 that is provided upright on the basement 211. The basement 211 and a top end portion 216 of the pillar 215 are formed with a hole 211a and a hole 216a respectively, wherein each center axis of the holes 216a and 211a is common to each other. A ball bearing 222 is force fitted into the hole 211a of the basement 211.
Further, a ring pier 212, which protrudes downward on the bottom of the basement 211, is integrally formed around the hole 211a of the basement 211.
A hole of a back yoke 220 is fitted on the outer circumferential surface of the ring pier 212 and fixed thereto. The back yoke 220 is made from a magnetic material such as iron sheet, and provided with the hole almost in the middle. In this connection, an outer ring of the ball bearing 222 is positioned by the inner surface of the hole 211a and the back yoke 220 is positioned by the outer circumferential surface of the ring pier 212.
A sintered bearing 223 is force fitted into the hole 216a of the top end portion 216 of the motor base 210. Then the top end portion 216 is caulked, so that the sintered bearing 223 is fixed thereto firmly.
By the ball bearing 222 and the sintered bearing 223, a rotary shaft 225 made from stainless steel is rotatably supported.
On the bottom surface of the back yoke 220, as shown in FIG. 11, a plurality of driving coils 231, which are formed almost in a ring shape having a hollow section by winding a conducting wire around the hollow section, are provided around the rotary shaft 225. More accurately, six driving coils 231 are arranged at angular intervals of 60 degrees.
Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a hall element 235 is mounted in each hollow section of the three driving coils 231 that are adjacent to each other on the surface of the back yoke 220. The hall elements 235 are used for alternating electric power to be supplied to the driving coils 231.
Referring back to FIG. 9, description is given to a rotor section. The rotary shaft 225 protrudes through the ball bearing 222 downward, and a rotor section is mounted on a protruded portion 225a of the rotary shaft 225 so as to be integrated with the rotary shaft 225.
The rotor section is composed of a bushing 219, a rotor yoke 228, a gear 230, a driving magnet 224 and a plastic magnet 229 for frequency generator (hereinafter referred to as FG magnet 229).
More specifically, the bushing 219 that is made from brass is fixed on the protruded portion 225a of the rotary shaft 225, and the rotor yoke 228 is fixed around the bushing 219.
A gear 230 that is made from plastic is force fitted on a bottom end portion of the bushing 219. A timing belt not shown in the figure is extended around the gear 230, and drives a reel of a VTR.
The rotor yoke 228 is formed in a flat cup shape having a surrounding wall 228a.
The driving magnet 224, which is made from a rare earth material and formed in a flat ring shape, is adhered on an inner surface of the surrounding wall 228a of the rotor yoke 224.
The driving magnet 228 is magnetized in eight poles in a circumferential rotating direction.
Further, a top surface of the driving magnet 224 confronts with a bottom surface of the driving coil 231 with maintaining a prescribed gap "g" between them.
An outer circumferential surface of the surrounding wall 228a of the rotor yoke 228 is integrally provided with the FG magnet 229 by a so-called outsert forming method (a projection forming method of engineering plastics).
By means of the FG magnet 229, an MR sensor 232, which is provided outside an array of the driving coils 231 as shown in FIG. 11, generates an FG signal.
In accordance with the FG signal, a rotational speed of the brushless motor 200 is adjusted to be a constant speed by controlling electric current supplied to each driving coil 231 through a flexible printed circuit board (herein after referred to as FPC) 213.
Generally, combinations of number of driving coils (Nc) and number of magnetic poles (Nm) to be selected are essentially as follows in case number of electric phases of a driving motor is three.
(Nc, Nm)=(3, 2), (3, 4), (6, 4), (6, 8), (9, 6), (9, 12), (12, 16), and so on.
In such a combination in which the number of magnetic poles (Nm) is 2n or 4n with respect to the number of driving coils (Nc) that is 3n, where "n" is a natural number, driving coils are evenly disposed in a circumferential area, with centering a rotary shaft.
Therefore, a belt for driving a reel could not be extended inside a magnetic circuit of the motor, and resulted in being obliged to be extended outside the magnetic circuit. Consequently, the motor was hardly made thinner in profile.
In this connection, a motor, which was intended to be made thinner in profile, has been proposed. The motor was provided with an angular area in which no driving coil was disposed with centering a rotary shaft.
Further, a hall element and a belt for driving a reel through a gear were disposed within the angular area.
Furthermore, the motor is configured such that combinations of number of driving coils (Nc) and number of magnetic poles (Nm) are defined as (Nc, Nm)=(3, 6), (6, 6), (6, 10), (9, 8), (9, 14), (12, 10), (12, 18), and so on.
In other words, the combinations are defined such that the number of magnetic poles (Nm) is "2n+2" or "4n+2" with respect to the number of driving coils (Nc) that is 3n, wherein "n" is a natural number, a not disposed angular area in which no coil is disposed within an angular range equivalent to two magnetic poles is provided, and a hole element and a belt are disposed therein.
Such a configuration of disposing driving coils is shown in FIG. 12.
As shown in FIG. 12, six driving coils 331 are disposed at angular intervals of 48 degrees, and an angular range from 135 degrees to 225 degrees approximately is provided as a not disposed angular area BS in which no driving coil is disposed.
Further, in FIG. 12, three hall elements 335 are disposed in the not disposed angular area BS.
By this configuration, an amount of magnetic flux interlinking with the driving coils 331 in total decreases, so that efficiency is deteriorated. However, there exists a merit of making the motor thinner in profile.
In the meanwhile, recently, market demands for a motor such as making smaller in size and improving performance higher are strong, so that component parts constituting a motor must be miniaturized and thinned in profile. However, miniaturizing and thinning decrease strength of component parts themselves.
In the above-mentioned conventional brushless capstan motor for camcorders, if the motor is thinned, a gap between the driving magnet 224 and the back yoke 220 or 320 is inevitably narrowed, and resulting in strengthening magnetic suction power. Consequently, the back yoke 220 or 320 is deformed furthermore.
In particular, as mentioned above, in case of the motor that is provided with the not disposed angular area BS in which no driving coil 331 is disposed around the rotary shaft 225 on the back yoke 320 through an FPC 313, the area in which the driving coils 331 are disposed is reinforced by adhering the driving coils 331 therein, and results in increasing flexural strength in comparison with the not disposed angular area BS in which no driving coil 331 is disposed.
As a result, the back yoke 320 is unevenly deformed toward the driving magnet 224 side by the magnetic suction power of the driving magnet 224.
In this connection, the gap "g" between the driving coils 331 and the driving magnet 224 is made uneven, and resulting in losing magnetic balance.
Accordingly, there exists problem such that wow and flutter (hereinafter referred to as W/F) and vibration increase.
Particularly, the back yoke 320 is defined as a base level of positioning for installation, in some cases, when installing a motor into a VTR or other electronic equipment. In this case, irregularity in flatness of the back yoke 320 directly reflects irregularity in perpendicularity of the rotary shaft 225. Consequently, affection of the irregularity in flatness of the back yoke 320 is extremely large.
An amount of deformation of the back yoke 320 in the longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft is shown in FIG. 8.
FIG. 8 is a result of measuring an amount of deformation at eight positions, which are disposed along a circle having a radius of approximately 11 mm from the rotary shaft at angular intervals of 45 degrees, wherein a position in the longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft at zero degree of the back yoke 320 having a radius of approximately 25 mm in FIG. 12 is defined as a reference height. The measurement is conducted before and after the rotor section is mounted in the stator section respectively.
Consequently, after the rotor section is mounted in the stator section, in other words, under a condition that the magnetic suction power of the driving magnet 224 acts on the back yoke 320, it is understood by FIG. 8 that deformation of the not disposed angular area BS in which no driving coil 331 is disposed is remarkably large. Particular, at an angle of around 180 degrees, the deformation reaches 150 μm maximal.
As mentioned above, providing a not disposed angular area in which no driving coil is disposed on a back yoke so as to thin a profile of a motor makes the back yoke deform unevenly due to magnetic action of a driving magnet, and resulting in making a gap between the back yoke and the driving motor uneven.
Accordingly, there exists the problem of increasing W/F and vibration.


Providing a wireless communication device that, even if clock stop of a radio frequency part is controlled by a baseband part operating on the same clock signal, can resume clock oscillation, and makes it easy to time the clock reactivation to other operations based on a shared clock. The wireless communication device comprises an RF part generating a first clock signal and a baseband part. The baseband part generates a second clock signal, controls the generation and stop of the first clock signal, uses the first clock signal to perform data processing and a clocking operation, and in a low power consumption state in which the first clock signal is stopped, uses the second clock signal to perform a timer operation and a clocking operation. The generation timing of the first clock signal can be generated by the timer operation using the second clock signal.

The present invention relates to a wireless communication device applicable to a wireless communication network, and more particularly to a microcomputer applied to a baseband part and the like of the wireless communication device. It relates to a technology effectively applied to Bluetooth communication devices forming, e.g., piconet.
Wireless communication devices such as Bluetooth communication devices, wireless LAN communication devices, and mobile communication devices have a radio frequency (RF) part for performing wireless communications and a baseband part for performing data processing. The RF part and the baseband part are not always operating. A mobile communication device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-244351, to reduce power consumption during intermittent receive waits, stops the oscillation operation of a high-accuracy clock generation circuit required for communications during a call wait, and resumes the oscillation operation by using a timing circuit operating on a clock signal of a low-frequency clock generation circuit of a clock circuit required to operate at all times. Also, a cellular phone disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10(1998)-215293 uses a circuit operating on an oscillation clock of a clock oscillator to resume the oscillation operation of an operation clock generation circuit of a CPU.

Wireless communication system and microcomputer


The invention provides polynucleotides and polypeptides encoded therefrom having advantageous properties, including an ability to induce an immune response to flaviviruses. The polypeptides and polynucleotides of the invention are useful in methods of inducing immune response against flaviviruses, including dengue viruses. Compositions and methods for utilizing polynucleotides and polypeptides of the invention are also provided.

Viruses of the Flavivirus genus are positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses of the Flaviviridae family, many of which are responsible for disease in humans and other mammals. Examples of flaviviruses include Tick-borne encephalitis virus, Japanese encephalitis virus, Yellow Fever virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, hepatitis C virus, and West Nile viruses. Flaviviruses of the Flavivirus genus generally comprise three major mature structural proteins: an envelope (E) protein, a capsid (C) protein, and a membrane (M) protein. The M protein is usually formed as a proteolytic fragment of a pre-membrane (prM) protein. See, e.g., FIELDS VIROLOGY 997-998, Raven Press, Ltd., New York (D. M. Knipe et al. eds., 4th ed., 2001), 996 (hereinafter "FIELDS VIROLOGY"), and the ENCYCLOPEDIA OF VIROLOGY (R. G. Webster et al. eds., Academic Press, 2nd ed., 1999), each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
Dengue (DEN) viruses are known among flaviviruses as agents of disease in humans. Dengue viruses comprise four known distinct, but antigenically related serotypes, named Dengue-1 (DEN-1 or Den-1), Dengue-2 (DEN-2 or Den-2), Dengue-3 (DEN-3 or Den-3), and Dengue-4 (DEN-4 or Den-4). Dengue virus particles are typically spherical and include a dense core surrounded by a lipid bilayer. FIELDS VIROLOGY, supra.
The genome of a dengue virus, like other flaviviruses, typically comprises a single-stranded positive RNA polynucleotide. FIELDS VIROLOGY, supra, at 997. The genomic RNA serves as the messenger RNA for translation of one long open reading frame (ORF) as a large polyprotein, which is processed co-translationally and post-translationally by cellular proteases and a virally encoded protease into a number of protein products. Id. Such products include structural proteins and non-structural proteins. A portion of the N-terminal of the genome encodes the structural proteins—the C protein, prM (pre-membrane) protein, and E protein—in the following order: C-prM-E. Id. at 998. The C-terminus of the C protein includes a hydrophobic domain that functions as a signal sequence for translocation of the prM protein into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. Id. at 998-999. The prM protein is subsequently cleaved to form the structural M protein, a small structural protein derived from the C-terminal portion of prM, and the predominantly hydrophilic N-terminal "pr" segment, which is secreted into the extracellular medium. Id. at 999. The E protein is a membrane protein, the C-terminal portion of which includes transmembrane domains that anchor the E protein to the cell membrane and act as signal sequence for translocation of non-structural proteins. Id. The E protein is the major surface protein of the virus particle and is believed to be the most immunogenic component of the viral particle. The E protein likely interacts with viral receptors, and antibodies that neutralize infectivity of the virus usually recognize the E protein. Id. at 996. The M and E proteins have C-terminal membrane spanning segments that serve to anchor these proteins to the membrane. Id. at 998.
Dengue viruses are primarily transmitted to humans through the mosquito Aedes aegypti. There is a significant threat of dengue infection to people living in or visiting tropical areas. Indeed, an estimated 2.5 billion people live in areas at risk for transmission and over 100 million humans are infected each year. Infection with dengue virus is estimated to kill approximately 20-25,000 children each year.
An initial dengue virus infection is clinically manifested for most of the cases by dengue fever (DF), which is a self-limited fibril illness. Although rarely fatal, DF is characterized by often-severe disseminated body pain, headache, fever, rash, lymphadenopathy and leukopenia. Subsequent infection with a heterologous Dengue virus can lead to the much, more severe to fatal disease of dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) or dengue shock syndrome (DSS). It is hypothesized that the presence of antibodies to the serotype causing the primary infection enhances the infection by a heterologous serotype in secondary infections. This phenomenon is referred to as antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) of the disease.
Effective diagnosis of dengue virus is often problematic. All four dengue virus serotypes can be prevalent in one local area and it is therefore important to test a subject's serum samples simultaneously against all 4 dengue virus serotypes.
There is currently no specific treatment for dengue virus infections. Although the development of dengue virus vaccines has been ongoing for the past 50 years, no successful vaccine to dengue virus has been produced and no licensed dengue virus vaccine is yet available. A major challenge is to generate a tetravalent vaccine that induces neutralizing antibodies against all four strains of dengue to avoid ADE when the individual encounters' viruses of two or more different serotypes. Vaccine strategies using a mixture of DEN 1-4 attenuated viruses have been largely unsuccessful, because the antigens from one type will tend to dominate or "mask" the others, producing an incomplete immune response across the four types.
There remains a need for molecules, compositions and methods for effectively diagnosing one or more dengue viruses, inducing, enhancing, or promoting an immune response to flaviviruses, particularly dengue viruses, and preferably to all four dengue virus serotypes, and prophylactically or therapeutically treating disorders or diseases related to one or more such viruses. The present invention provides such molecules, methods and compositions. These and other advantages of the invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention provided herein.

Recombinant dengue virus antigen comprising the capsid protein leader sequence, full-length prM protein, and full-length E protein


A child detection system for a child seat includes a pressure sensor is adapted for detecting when weight is positioned on the presser sensor. The pressure sensor is selectively positioned within a seat cushion of a restraining seat. A primary processor is electrically coupled to the pressure sensor. The primary processor is adapted for is electrically coupled to a vehicle computer system of a vehicle in which is positioned the restraining seat. A sound emitter for emitting an audible sound is operationally coupled to the primary processor. The primary processor turns on the sound emitter for at least 3 seconds when the pressure sensor senses a weight thereon and the vehicle computer system determines that a driver's side door of the vehicle is open.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child detection devices and more particularly pertains to a new child detection device for sounding an audible signal when a child has been left in a child restraining seat.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of child detection devices is known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,340 describes a device that includes a warning system if a child has been left in a car seat and includes a wireless transmitter for transmitting an emergency message. Another type of child detection device is U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,070 having temperature measuring probes for determining the temperature within a vehicle and providing a warning if the inside temperature of a vehicle, having a child within, reaching dangerous levels. Yet another such device is U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,234 which provides a warning system if the latch, which secures a child in a seat, has been secured properly.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the need remains for a system that alerts a parent immediately when they open a car door if a child is still positioned in a child restraint seat. Additionally what is needed is an alarm attached to a key chain which may receive a wireless transmission from a child seat if the child has not left the seat and a predetermined amount of time has elapsed after the turning off of a vehicle. This will enable a person to hear their alarm on the key chain even though they would normally not hear the alarm on the restraint seat after the car doors have been closed.


MRAM has read word lines WLR and write word line WLW extending in the y direction, write/read bit line BLW/R and write bit line BLW extending in the x direction, and the memory cells MC disposed at the points of the intersection of these lines. The memory MC includes sub-cells SC1 and SC2. The sub-cell SC1 includes magneto resistive elements MTJ1 and MTJ2 and a selection transistor Tr1, and the sub-cell SC2 includes magneto resistive elements MTJ3 and MTJ4 and a selection transistor Tr2. The magneto resistive elements MTJ1 and MTJ2 are connected in parallel, and the magneto resistive elements MTJ3 and MTJ4 are also connected in parallel. Further, the sub-cells SC1 and SC2 are connected in series between the write/read bit line BLW/R and the ground.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a non-volatile memory device, and more particularly, it relates to a technology useful for a memory device which utilizes the Magneto Resistive (MR) effect enabled by the tunneling effect.
2. Background of the Invention
In recent years, attention has been given to a Random Access Memory (RAM) using the Magneto Resistive Effect, wherein the resistance value of a magnetic substance varies depending on the magnetization direction of the substance by virtue of Magneto Resistive Effect. RAM using the Magnetic Resistive Effect is referred to as MRAM (Magneto-resistive RAM) For the Magneto Resistive Effect, the anisotropic Magneto Resistive Effect (AMR) and giant Magneto Resistive Effect (GMR) are known. It has also been known that higher field sensitivity can be realized through the use of tunnel Magneto Resistive Effect (TMR), in which a tunnel current is used to achieve the Magneto Resistive Effect is also known.
A spin valve element using TMR, also referred to as a Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) element, has a laminated layer structure comprising an antiferromagnetic layer, ferromagnetic layer (pin layer), insulating layer (tunnel layer), and ferromagnetic layer (free layer). The antiferromagnetic layer functions to fix the magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic layer (pin layer) adjacent thereto, and the coincidence of the magnetization direction of the free layer and that of the pin layer causes a tunnel current flowing through the insulating layer. When the magnetization direction of the free layer is opposite to that of the pin layer, the current flowing through the insulating layer is smaller than when they coincide. That is, depending on the magnetization direction (the direction of electron spin) of the free layer, the resistance value of TMR elements in the direction of the lamination changes. Therefore, it is possible to construct a memory device in which the information of "0" or "1" is recorded into TMR elements with the magnetization direction of such free layers and then read out with a change in the resistance value of the TMR elements.
As will be apprecitiated by those skilled in the art, such a memory element MRAM using the TMR effect is of the non-volatile type and is also a static element, in which recorded contents are not destroyed by reading them. Further, the reading of information is only based on detecting a change in the resistance of TMR elements. Therefore, a basic cell for recording one bit requires only one selection transistor. From this fact, MRAM is capable of providing a packing density (i.e. low cost) as high as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) and implementing non-volatile memory devices such as EEPROM (electrical erasable Read Only Memory). In addition, it is possible for MRAM to implement a solid state memory element not requiring refresh operation same as SRAM (Static Random Access Memory). Further, MRAM has no limitation on the number of times that data can be re-written, as EEPROM has, and also have a higher rewrite speed as compared to EEPROM. Also, MRAM has a read speed and write speed as fast as DRAM. MRAM has many remarkable advantages as described above, it is expected that MRAM is a promising memory device replacing existing all solid state memory devices.
An access method for reading and writing from and to MRAM is dependent on the configuration of the memory cells and the placement of the bit lines and word lines. Hereinafter, for the cell configuration in which one memory cell is composed of one TMR element and one selection transistor, a reading and writing method will be described.
First, a typical structure of MRAM will be described. One end of a TMR element making up a memory cell is connected to the drain of a selection transistor, and the other end of the TMR element is connected to a bit line. The bit line is disposed above the TMR element in the cross-sectional view of the memory cell. The direction of extension of the bit line is referred to as a first direction. Since the memory cells are arranged in two dimensions with a matrix-like configuration in a memory array area, a plurality of memory cells (TMR elements) are connected to one bit line. This is similar to a typical DRAM. The drain of the selection transistor is usually connected to the TMR element through conductive plugs within a plurality of via holes or through holes and interconnect lines.
The source of the selection transistor is maintained at the ground potential, and the gate electrode of the selection transistor is formed as a portion of a word line extending in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The word line is made of a low resistive semiconductor material, such as doped polycrystalline silicon. Thus, the gate electrodes of the selection transistors arranged in the second direction forms a common word line. This is similar to DRAM.
Further, in the cross-sectional view of the TMR element, the word line is disposed extending in the second direction in a region below the TMR element.
The method for writing and reading will be described with respect to the memory cell having a structure as described above. First, the writing of information into the memory cell utilizes the bit line and word line. As described above, the bit lines and the write word lines are extending in different directions, and are disposed in a lattice-like arrangement with an orthogonal relationship. By selecting one bit line and one write word line a corresponding memory cell situated at the intersection of the two lines can be selected.
Currents in the predetermined directions are fed through the bit and write word lines selected. This makes the resultant of a magnetic field created by a current flowing through the bit line and a magnetic field created by a current flowing through the write word line. This composite magnetic field determines the magnetization direction of the free layer above-described. For example, the information corresponding to "1" makes the magnetization direction of the free layer opposite to that of the pin layer, thereby increasing the resistance value of the TMR element. On the other hand, the information corresponding to "0" makes the magnetization direction of the free layer coincident with that of the pin layer, thus decreasing the resistance value of the TMR element. Therein, the pin layer has been magnetized in a predetermined orientation, in advance.
In this way, in order to read information from the memory cells in which the information has been written, the bit lines and read word lines are used. In the same manner as described above, by selecting one bit line and one read word line, a memory cell situated at the intersection of the two lines is selected. By activating the gate electrode (read word line) of the selection transistor of the memory cell selected, the selection transistor is brought to the ON state, and thus a resistance value between the bit line and the ground is measured to detect the information (whether high resistance or low resistance). Thus, the information is read out.
As described above, an MRAM device has noticeable advantages over other memory devices, but also it has various problems in achieving high reliability and high integration into comercial application. For example, the problems include the reduction of variations in write magnetization and the stabilization of the pin layer. In particular, because such an MRAM device uses tunnel current, the insulating layers need to be made extremely thin, and as such improving the stability and uniformity of the insulating layers are significant challenges.
For example, as MRAM cell size is reduced, the flow of current per unit area of the TMR cells becomes larger, resulting in a deterioration of the reliability. There is a minimum current capacity required to detect a change in the resistance of a TMR element, independently of the degree of reduced size of the cells. Therefore, as TMR cells become smaller, the density of current flowing through the cells becomes higher. This is one of factors for low reliability of the insulating layer in an extremely thin film.
There is another problem that the element resistances varies due to the manufacturing process variations in the insulating layers, pin layers, and free layers. Such variations in the element resistance due to the manufacturing processes cause variations in changed portions of resistance of the free layers dependent on the magnetization direction. This may prevent appropriate reading of information. That is, when variations in changed portions of the resistance values are large, it is difficult to detect a change in the resistance value dependent on the magnetization direction. Further, when memory cells become smaller, the change in the resistance values also becomes smaller, and thus the effect of the variations in the resistance values becomes larger. When a change in the resistance is small, the influence of the variations can not be neglected. In addition, for a characteristic of magneto resistive elements, a problem has been pointed out that a change in the resistance value dependent on the magnetization direction (MR ratio) is reduced when a high bias voltage is applied to the magneto resistive elements.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

International Business Machines Corporation


In a communication system comprising a link layer device connectable to one or more physical layer devices, at least a given one of a plurality of ports of the one or more physical layer devices is designated as a port for which status information is to be requested by the link layer device on a more frequent basis than such information is to be requested for one or more other ports of the plurality of ports. The ports are then polled by the link layer device in accordance with a non-linear polling sequence such that the at least one designated port is polled more frequently than the one or more other ports. The designated port may comprise a port to which the link layer device transmits data in conjunction with a current data transfer. The non-linear polling sequence may thus be altered dynamically based on particular data transfers that are occurring between a link layer device and a physical layer device in a communication system.

A network processor is one example of what is more generally referred to herein as a link layer device, where the term "link layer" generally denotes a switching function layer. Such link layer devices can be used to implement packet-based protocols, such as Internet Protocol (IP) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), and are also commonly known as Layer-3 (L3) devices in accordance with the well-known Open System Interconnect (OSI) model.
Communication between a physical layer device and a network processor or other type of link layer device may be implemented in accordance with an interface standard, such as the SPI-3 interface standard described in Implementation Agreement OIF-SPI3-01.0, "System Packet Interface Level 3 (SPI-3): OC-48 System Interface for Physical and Link Layer Devices," Optical Internetworking Forum, 2001, which is incorporated by reference herein.
A given physical layer device may comprise a multiple-port device which communicates over multiple channels with the link layer device. Such communication channels, also commonly known as MPHYs, may be viewed as examples of what are more generally referred to herein as physical layer device ports. A given set of MPHYs that are coupled to a link layer device may comprise multiple ports associated with a single physical layer device, multiple ports each associated with one of a plurality of different physical layer devices, or combinations of such arrangements. As is well known, a link layer device may be advantageously configured to detect backpressure (BP) for a particular MPHY via polling of the corresponding MPHY address on its associated physical layer device. The detected backpressure is used by the link layer device to provide flow control and other traffic management functions, thereby improving link utilization.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/689,090 filed Oct. 20, 2003 and entitled "Traffic Management Using In-band Flow Control and Multiple-rate Traffic Shaping," discloses improved techniques for communicating information between a link layer device and a physical layer device, so as to facilitate backpressure detection and related traffic management functions, particularly in high channel count (HCC) packet-based applications.
In a conventional arrangement based on the SPI-3 interface standard, a link layer device issues an address identifying a particular MPHY for which backpressure status is desired, and the physical layer device responds with the backpressure status of that MPHY. The backpressure status may be communicated, by way of example, as an indicator of one of two states, such as assertion of backpressure and de-assertion of backpressure, with assertion of backpressure indicating that there is backpressure at the MPHY, and de-assertion of backpressure indicating that there is no backpressure at the MPHY. The response should be provided to the link layer device as quickly as possible so that the link layer device does not overflow or underflow the physical layer device buffer corresponding to the particular MPHY.
Since the link layer device generally needs backpressure status from each of the MPHYs of the physical layer device, it polls the addresses of the various MPHYs in accordance with an established polling sequence.
A typical conventional arrangement involves polling all of the MPHYs of the physical layer device in a fixed polling sequence based on a linear numerical ordering of the MPHYs. For example, the polling sequence for an arrangement in which there is a total of four MPHYs denoted MPHY0, MPHY1, MPHY2 and MPHY3 would be MPHY0, MPHY1, MPHY2, MPHY3, MPHY0, MPHY1, MPHY2, MPHY3, MPHY0, and so on. The polling sequence will continue in this fixed linear manner regardless of the particular transfers that may be occurring on the interface bus between the link layer device and the physical layer device.
A problem arises in this conventional fixed linear polling approach when there are a large number of MPHYs. For example, certain arrangements may have 16, 32, 64 or up to 256 or more MPHYs. As indicated above, the backpressure response for a given MPHY should be provided to the link layer device as quickly as possible to prevent overflow of the associated buffer in the physical layer device. However, when there are a large number of MPHYs, the polling sequence may take an excessive amount of time to cycle through the full range of MPHYs. As a result, the time between receipt of updated backpressure status for any given one of the MPHYs by the link layer device is limited by the cycle time of the full polling sequence.
Previous attempts to overcome this problem generally either increase the buffer size in order to accommodate the maximum polling delay, or configure the interface bus to incorporate additional pins that may be used to relay backpressure status for a designated MPHY outside of the polling sequence.
One example of the latter approach in accordance with the SPI-3 standard is to configure the interface bus to include a direct transmit packet available (DTPA) pin for each MPHY. The DTPA feature provides a direct response to each MPHY, using one pin per MPHY, outside of the fixed linear polling sequence.
Another example of the latter approach in accordance with the SPI-3 standard is to configure the interface bus to include a selected transmit packet available (STPA) pin for each physical layer device interface. The STPA pin provides an indication of instantaneous first-in first-out (FIFO) buffer depth for a selected MPHY, again outside of the fixed linear polling sequence.
Unfortunately, the approaches which involve increasing buffer sizes or adding DTPA or STPA pins as described above fail to provide an adequate solution to the polling delay problem in that such approaches unduly increase the size, complexity and cost of the devices, particularly in applications involving large numbers of MPHYs. For example, with reference to the additional DTPA or STPA pin approach, an application involving 256 MPHYs would require up to 256 additional pins on the interface bus.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved polling technique that overcomes the polling delay problem associated with fixed linear polling of a large number of MPHYs, while also avoiding the need for increased buffer sizes or additional interface pins.

Link layer device with non-linear polling of multiple physical layer device ports


A high-speed variable length decoding apparatus independently generates a run-level symbol and decodes the run-level symbol, to thereby variable length decode the variable length coded data at high frequency for signal processing. The variable length decoding apparatus includes a storage and output portion for storing the variable length coded data and outputting the stored variable length coded data by a predetermined data amount in response to a data storage state signal, a run-level table for outputting a run-level symbol which is determined by the data output from the storage and output portion, a memory for storing and outputting the run-level symbol output from the run-level table, in a first-in-first-out manner, and generating the signal indicating a data storage state of its own, and a run-level decoder for run-level decoding the run-level symbol output from the memory.

The present invention relates to a decoding apparatus for decoding variable-length coded data, and more particularly, to a high speed variable length decoding apparatus which can enhance processing speed for variable length decoding in a data transmission system which performs signal processing at high frequency.
Generally, systems such as high-definition TVs, high-definition VCRs, digital VCRs, digital camcorders and multimedia equipment, digitally process video and audio information and record or transmit the digitally processed information. The methods which have been proposed for digitally processing video information are prediction coding, orthogonal transform coding, and variable length coding. A typical coding system using these coding techniques performs orthogonal transform coding, quantization and variable length coding with respect to blocks obtained by video partition, in order to effectively compress video information. Also, such a system performs interframe or interfield prediction coding to further increase the data compression rate.
The above-described variable length coding the data compression rate.
The above-described variable length coding apparatus, which compresses information based on frequencies of occurrence of symbols, includes a VLC code table for variable length coding the input symbols. The VLC code table is developed using the Huffman coding technique. As is well known, Huffman coding assigns a shorter code to a symbol having a relatively higher frequency of occurrence and assigns a longer code to a symbol having a relatively lower frequency of occurrence. In the typical coding system, symbols input to the variable length coding apparatus are run, level! symbols which are generally obtained by run-length coding. The run, level! symbols are obtained by a well-known zigzag scan, in which "run" represents the number of successive zeros existing between transformation coefficients which are not zero, and "level" represents a value of the transformation coefficient which is not zero. The variable length coding table designed by the Huffman coding technique is divided into an escape region for symbols in which either "run" or "level" has a relatively very large value and a regular region for the other symbols. Codes in the regular region are assigned to the run, level! symbols according to the Huffman coding technique. Meanwhile, since the run, level! symbols in the escape region statistically have an extremely low frequency of occurrence, an "ESC code" indicating the run, level! symbol of the escape region together with a relatively long code is assigned to the run, level! symbols, respectively. Codewords generated by the variable length coding are transmitted to a decoding system in the form of a bitstream which includes additional information such as an ESC code and an end-of-block (EOB) code indicating a block end.
The decoding system includes a variable length decoder, an inverse quantizer, and an inverse orthogonal transformer, which are used to decode the coded data by performing a reverse procedure of signal processing of the coding system. Referring to FIG. 1 which shows an existing variable length decoding apparatus, variable length coded data is input to a first-in-first-out (FIFO) memory 11 in the form of a serial or parallel bitstream. The FIFO memory 11 stores the input variable length coded data, and outputs the earliest input bit data among the stored data to an interfacer 12 whenever a read signal READ is applied from the interfacer 12. The interfacer 12 separates the data output from the FIFO memory 11 into the variable length coded data and the other additional data based on a start code contained in the data output from the FIFO memory 11. The interfacer 12 outputs data having a predetermined number of bits, for example, 32-bit data, to a barrel shifter 14 in response to a data request signal RQST output from the barrel shifter 14.
The barrel shifter 14 shifts a window of a predetermined size by a code length applied from a code table 15, and outputs data in the shifted window to a run, level! table 15 and the code table 16. The run, level! table 16 outputs a run, level! symbol corresponding to a code contained in the data applied from the barrel shifter 14 to a run, level! decoder 17. The code table 15 uses the data applied from the barrel shifter 14 and outputs a code length corresponding to the run, level! symbol output from the run, level! table 16 to the barrel shifter 14. The barrel shifter 14 outputs the bit data in the window, which has been shifted by the newly applied code length, to the run, level! table 16 and the code table 15. The barrel shifter 14, the run, level! table 16 and the code table 15 repeat the above operation to perform variable length decoding with respect to the data supplied from the interfacer 12.
A sequence controller 13 interrupts the operations of the interfacer 12 and the barrel shifter 14 and resumes the interrupted operations. For this purpose, the sequence controller 13 generates a start signal START or an interrupt signal HOLD in response to parameters obtained from an external control input and the data output from the barrel shifter 14. These signals START and HOLD are applied to the interfacer 12 and the barrel shifter 14.
The run, level! decoder 17 decodes run, level! symbols applied from the run, level! table 16 and outputs the decoded run, level! symbols to an inverse quantizer (IQ) (not shown) and an inverse orthogonal transformer such as an inverse discrete cosine transformer (IDCT) (not shown). Here, the operational timing diagrams of the run, level! decoder 17 are shown in FIGS. 2A through 2C. When run, level! symbols generated from the run, level! table 16 are 5, 3!, 3, 2!, . . . , the run, level! decoder 17 generates zeros of the data of the run-length with respect to the input run, level! symbol and the following level as shown in FIG. 2A, on the basis of the clock pulses shown in FIG. 2B which are generated at a constant clock rate. That is, five zeros are output with respect to the run, level! symbol 5, 3!, and then the level value of 3 is output. Then, three zeros are output with respect to the run, level! symbol 3, 2!, and then the level value of 2 is output. In this case, the run, level! decoder 17 generates a low-level interruption signal HOLDA which interrupts the operation of the barrel shifter 14 during generation of the clock pulses of the number consistent with the runlength. That is, the interruption signal HOLDA of FIG. 2C is generated so that the barrel shifter 14 interrupts the shift operation during generation of the clock pulses of the runlength of 5 with respect to the run, level! symbol 5, 3!. Also, the interruption signal HOLDA of FIG. 2C is generated so that the barrel shifter 14 interrupts the shift operation during generation of the clock pulses of the runlength of 3 with respect to the run, level! symbol 3, 2!.
However, in the above-described existing variable length decoding apparatus, the operation of the barrel shifter 14 is interrupted while zeros from the run, level! decoder 17 are successively outputted. Therefore, the existing variable length decoding apparatus can be used only in a system whose operational speed is not high. Thus, it is difficult to use the existing variable length decoding apparatus in a high speed system such as an HDTV system which should decode more symbols per unit time.

High-speed variable length decoding apparatus


A method and apparatus for making a probe head that is very short (in the direction vertical) and exerts low force on the contacts of the circuit being tested, and on its own pins. The probe head is moved in the vertical direction to contact the IC being tested. Each pin is in sliding contact with an electrical contact on a space-transformer substrate, such as a post that slides within a sleeve. Each pin is also held in a diaphragm, such as an elastic membrane, in order to provide gentle force of the pin against the contact point of the circuit being tested. One or more walls or supports around each pin hold portions of the diaphragm in place so a deflection of one pin will not lift neighboring pins off their contacts.

Bare electronic chips typically need to be tested. Frequently, the testing is done at a wafer level after the chips have been largely fabricated, but before the chips are diced apart and packaged. Such a test is often called a wafer test and sort operation, since good chips can be sorted from bad chips that fail the test, saving time and money since the bad chips are discarded (or re-worked) before the effort of packaging the chips.
Conventional test heads use buckling-beam and/or resilient-contact technologies for the contacting pins in the probe head. Long probe lead lengths are often needed to compensate for variability in probe lengths and bent probe leads, variability in the height of the balls or bumps of the circuit being tested, and to provide gentle contact force. Unfortunately, long probe leads have larger inductances and resistances which result in relatively large voltage droops across the leads, particularly for power-supply leads that draw large currents. Such voltage droops result in slower test speeds, thus requiring larger tester fleets to test a given quantity of chips per unit time. This can be a substantial capital cost to the chip manufacturer.
What is needed is a simple, inexpensive, reliable method and apparatus to test electronic chips, so that the tester is compact and places little force on each contact while reliably making contact to every signal on the chip.

Ultra-short low-force vertical probe test head and method


A method and apparatus to control any one of a plurality of devices. The method comprises, for each device of the plurality, receiving a definition language. The definition language including a command description to be associated with the device. The method further comprises accepting input from a user. The method further comprises generating one or more control signals for at least one of the devices of the plurality. The generating is to control the at least one of the devices according to the accepted input. The generating uses the definition language and the accepted input.

Everywhere we go in modern life we seem to be controlling devices, e.g., remotely controlling devices. By controlling it is meant sending commands such as control signals that change the operation of one controlled device or another. Such controlled devices can include home electronic devices like TVs or VCRs, lighting, and home appliances such as dishwashers, microwave ovens, washer/dryers, etc. These devices may have movable elements and their control may cause movement, e.g., doors, blinds or shades that are moved by remote control.
As our environment becomes more and more complex, we have more and more devices to control. For example, what used to be a single living room lamp a couple of generations ago, today may be replaced by ten different spotlights with dimmers. We also have as many as 500 television channels to choose from. We also can play DVDs, download music, and do wonders with a microwave oven.
The current state of the art in personal device control is the "Push Button" interface, in which a user is presented with a panel full of buttons (up to 50 in some cases), and where each button performs a different command, e.g., generates a control signal to change the operation of the controlled device.
Remote control devices are already in widespread use in the home electronic arena, where 99% of the controlled devices come with a bundled remote control device. In this area, namely the home electronic arena, we see also the Universal Remote control devices. These devices "unify" the set of buttons of multiple remote control devices into one remote control device. Typically the first operation a user performs with a universal remote control device (a "controlling device") is to select the type of controlled device that the user wishes to control. Following that, a user can then push buttons to command the controlled device.
There are a lot of shortcomings in today's technology for remotely controlling devices, e.g., using a remote control:                (1) To remotely control even a single controlled device, there is a limit to what one can do by just having a limited set of predefined commands, e.g. buttons. For example, programming a VCR to record a TV program using a push button interface is accepted to be very difficult for most people. There thus is a limit to the complexity of operations using pushbuttons.                    The controlled devices become harder to use, e.g., more complicated.            The control of advance features of the controlled device becomes limited. For example, few people use an advanced feature, such as a "Cook Wizard," of a microwave oven.            The design of new features in a controlled device becomes limited because not every feature can be simply controlled by a set of buttons.                        (2) When each controlled device has a separate remote control device, and there are multiple controlled devices, there is a physical problem of having too many remote control devices, e.g., too many separate remote controls.        (3) When, multiple controlled devices are in the same environment, it is often the case that they are connected to each other. While operating the devices, the user needs to be acquainted with the way the devices are connected, which is sometimes counterintuitive. An example of a counterintuitive situation involves a TV and a cable set-top box. To operate such a combination, it may be that to control the volume, a volume-up command should be sent to the TV, not the set-top box, while to change channels, a channel-up command needs to be sent to the set-top box, not to the TV. A user not aware of this fact may send a channel-up command to the TV, causing undesired results, such as the TV no longer displaying the output of the cable set-top box, e.g., resulting in a white screen on the TV. The user at this point may have no idea what to do next. Situations can become even more complex when considering many current home theatre systems, where, for example, the Brighter-picture command should be sent to the TV, the Volume-up command should be sent to the A/V receiver, and the channel-up command should be sent to the cable box.
Thus, there is a need for simple, intuitive and easy-to-use method of controlling multiple devices, operable by a lay user to a dynamic conglomerate of feature-rich controlled devices.

Method and apparatus for unified control of multiple devices


A brush wear adjustment system for use in a powered street sweeper to provide for consistent sweeping performance where wear of rotary brush bristles is constantly sensed and the rotational speed of the rotary brush is automatically increased to maintain a desired bristle tip speed to maintain desirable sweeping attributes. Rotary brush support arm angular displacement is monitored in order for an electro-hydraulic controller to influence rotational speed of the rotary brush and to provide a readout relative to bristle length.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is for a brush wear adjustment system and method, and in particular relates to a brush wear adjustment system for use in a street sweeping vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rotary brushes utilized in street sweepers generally are mounted to the chassis of a truck or other suitable vehicle or structure. Normal wear and tear of a rotary brush during the sweeping mode results in worn rotary brush bristles the lengths of which are continually reduced due to abrasive qualities of the roadway with normal usage. The axle of the rotary brush is often secured between opposing pivot arms which gravitationally and automatically adjust in vertical fashion about pivot points to suitably contact the roadway and to compensate for the reduction in bristle length. As the bristle length is reduced, efficiency and effectiveness of the sweeping operation is increasingly degraded. Effective sweeping is predicated partially on the speed of the bristle tip, and is also predicted partially by the pressure of the bristles exerted downwardly to meet the roadway. A new rotary brush has long bristles which produces the highest bristle tip speed, and a well worn rotary brush has short bristles which produces a significantly slower and less effective bristle tip speed for the same rotary brush rate of rotation, thereby resulting in poorer and less effective sweeping. As the bristles wear, the rotary brush exhibits less control by gravitational downward force, thereby causing a lighter impingement with the roadway. Truck sweeper operators have lacked displays indicating brush wear which can be conveniently read in the control cab of a street sweeper. What is needed is a system which compensates for the degraded sweeping effectiveness and efficiency caused by continually shortening of the bristles of a rotary brush and which also displays brush wear. Such a system to provide consistent sweeping performance by increasing RPM of the rotary broom and/or adjusting the down pressure of the rotary broom is provided for by the present invention and method.


A capacitive gap force sensor includes a first electrode, a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode, a first layer of dielectric material positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a second layer of conductive material positioned between the first layer and the second electrode. The first layer has a first compression resistance less than a second compression resistance of the second layer. An effective capacitive sensing gap is defined between the first electrode and the second layer. The first layer is configured to compress or deform and alter the effective capacitive sensing gap when a force is received at the first electrode or the second electrode.

Sensors are included in many of today's electronic devices, including electronic devices such as smartphones, computers (e.g., tablet computers or laptop computers), wearable electronic devices (e.g., electronic watches, smart watches, or health or fitness monitors), game controllers, navigation systems (e.g., vehicle navigation systems or robot navigation systems), earbuds, headphones, and so on. Sensors may variously sense the presence of objects, forces applied by objects, distances to objects, proximities of objects, movements of objects (e.g., whether objects are moving, or the speed, acceleration, or direction of movement of objects), compositions of objects, and so on. One useful type of sensor is the capacitive gap force sensor.
Given the wide range of sensor applications, any new development in the configuration or operation of a sensor can be useful. New developments that may be particularly useful are developments that reduce the cost, size, complexity, part count, or manufacture time of a sensor, or developments that improve the sensitivity or speed of sensor operation.

Capacitive gap force sensor with multi-layer fill