Present embodiments provide for a mobile device and an optical imaging lens thereof. The optical imaging lens comprises an aperture stop and four lens elements positioned sequentially from an object side to an image side. Through controlling the convex or concave shape of the surfaces of the lens elements and designing parameters satisfying at least one inequality, the optical imaging lens shows better optical characteristics and the total length of the optical imaging lens is shortened.

The current trend is toward smaller sized mobile phones in the recent years and the trend correspondingly trigger the development of optical lens elements. Besides, many consumers request the shot angle more and more strictly. U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,443,611 and 7,295,386 disclose an optical imaging lens having four lens elements, wherein the first lens element of the optical imaging lens has positive refracting power, the second lens element of the optical imaging lens has negative refracting power to eliminate the aberrations of the optical imaging lens. However, the design of the optical imaging lens is not beneficial for broadening the shot angle such that the filed angle is only about 30˜35 degree, and consumers can't satisfy the range of the filed angle.
Therefore, there is needed to develop optical imaging lens which is capable to place with four lens elements therein, with a shorter length, while also having good optical characteristics and broadening field angles.

Mobile device and optical imaging lens thereof


An apparatus for controlling a railway consist, the apparatus comprising: a consist model adapted for computing an objective function from a set of candidate driving plans and a set of model parameters; a parameter identifier adapted for calculating the model parameters from a set of consist measurements; and a trajectory optimizer adapted for generating the candidate driving plans and for selecting an optimal driving plan to optimize the objective function subject to a set of terminal constraints and operating constraints.

The present invention relates generally to the field of controlling a railway consist and more specifically to the field of generating and tracking optimal consist driving profiles.
In freight train and other railway consist operations, fuel consumption constitutes a major operating cost to railroads and is also the ultimate source of any potentially harmful emissions. Reducing fuel consumption, therefore, directly increases railroad profit and directly reduces emissions. While modest fuel savings are possible by improving efficiencies of engines and other components in the locomotive propulsion chain, larger savings are generally expected to be achieved by improving strategies for how the train is driven. A train driving strategy specifying throttle or brake settings or desired consist speed as a function of distance along a route or as a function of time is referred to as a "driving plan".
Train schedules are determined by a central dispatcher and are frequently changed, to account for variability from numerous sources, often as a train is en route to a next decision point. At heavy traffic times, the schedule may have no schedule slack time and can only be met by continuous operation at prevailing railroad speed limits.
Frequently, however, the schedule does have at least some schedule slack time, allowing the engineer to drive at average speeds well below the speed limits and still arrive at subsequent decision points on time. Under such circumstances, it is possible to calculate an optimal driving plan that exploits the schedule slack time and minimizes fuel consumption, or an alternative objective function, subject to constraints of meeting the schedule and obeying the speed limits.
Opportunities exist, therefore, to provide train drivers with tools for generating driving plans and controlling railway consists to exploit schedule slack time and improve railway consist efficiency and performance.

Method and apparatus for controlling a railway consist


A neuron circuit and a neural network including a four quadrant analog multiplier/summer circuit constructed in field effect transistors. The neuron circuit includes the analog multiplier/summer formed of an operational amplifier, plural sets of four field effect transistors, an RC circuit and a double inverter. The multiplier/summer circuit includes a set of four identical field effect transistors for each product implemented. This produces a four quadrant multiplication if the four field effect transistors operate in the triode mode. The output of the multiplier/summer is the sum of these products. The neural network includes a plurality of these neuron circuits. Each neuron circuit receives an input and a set of synaptic weight inputs. The output of each neuron circuit is supplied to the corresponding feedback input of each neuron circuit. The multiplier/summer of each neuron circuit produces the sum of the product of each neuron circuit output and its corresponding synaptic weight. The individual neuron circuits and the neural network can be constructed in MOS VLSI.

Neural networks represent an alterative approach to information processing than the serial algorithmic computers of the type envisioned by John von Neumann. In a computer of the von Neumann type a single processing device executes an explicit program in a step-by-step serial fashion. Many information processing problems can be solved by this approach, as witnessed by the recent explosive rise in the number of computers and in the number of applications susceptible to computer processing.
There are limitations to type of information processing which can be performed by a computer based on the von Neumann model. Before such a computer can be employed to perform an information processing function, a person must understand the nature of the problem to be solved and produce an explicit program of instructions to solve this problem according to an algorithm. An algorithm is a mechanistic or recursive procedure for the solution of a problem. The existence of such an algorithm is a necessary condition for information processing employing a computer based on the von Neumann model. In addition, it is further necessary that a person translate that alogorithm into the explicit program required by the particular computer.
There are numerous important information processing tasks which are difficult or impossible to perform using von Neumann type computers. In some cases algorithms have not yet been developed for these information processing tasks. In other cases it may be impossible to develop an algorithm of the type required by von Neumann type computers. Information processing tasks of this type include pattern recognition, understanding continuous speech, identifying handwritten characters, and identifying objects having varying orientations.
Problems of this type are of the sort that people can do well while current computers do poorly or not at all. Neural networks are attempts to exploit the supposed organization of the human brain to attack these problems. Neural networks are collections of many individual computing elements called neurons. These neurons are coupled together in complex networks in which any single neuron receives input from many other neurons. The coupling from any neuron to another neuron many be strong or weak.
There are two methods commonly employed in selection of these internal representation of the network. In the most general of neural networks a feedback learning process is employed to change the strength of connection between neurons and to change the transfer function of each neuron to accommodate the particular information processing task at hand. Usually this is done by presenting inputs to the neural network and the corresponding desired outputs, and allowing the network to determine the proper internal representation for generating the desired output from the input. An important class of neural networks, including those constructed according to the Hopfield model, do not yet incorporate this dynamic learning process but require preselected connection strengths. This permits the construction of large networks by simplifying the construction of individual neuron circuits and their connections. However, this advantage in construction is offset by the requirement that the connection strengths corresponding to a set of desired stored vectors be determined.
Hopfield has proposed a neural circuit model in, e.g. "Simple Neural Optimization Networks: an A/D converter, a signal decision circuit, and a linear programming circuit", by J. J. Hopfield and D. W. Tank, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, vol. CAS-33, No. 5, May 1986, pages 533-541. Neurons are modeled as processing input/output devices. The synaptic weight T.sub.ij describes the extent to which the input of the i-th neuron is driven by the output of the j-th neuron. A positive value of T.sub.ij indicates that the j-th neuron excites the i-th neuron. A negative value of T.sub.ij indicates that the j-th neuron inhibits the i-th neuron. This proposed system implements the neurons as operational amplifiers connected by linear resistors or conductances. The operational amplifiers realize the input/output relation. When T.sub.ij is greater than 0, a normal operational amplifier is employed. When T.sub.ij is less than 0, then an inverting operational amplifier is used. The linear resistors or conductances realize the absolute values of the synaptic weights T.sub.ij. The Hopfield model generally does not include self-feedback for each neuron circuit in which a portion of the output of each neuron circuit is feedback to its input. Such a network will settle to one of a limited number of steady state equilibria for each given set of inputs, synaptic weights and self-feedback weights (if employed).
A practical neural network needs to be programmable. That is, the synaptic weights T.sub.ij and the self-feedback weights should be alterable by the user. This enables the neural network to be applicable to differing problems. Changing the synaptic weights and the self-feedback weights alters the location and number of the steady state equilibria of the network. The Hopfield model achieves this alterability using variable linear resistances for the synaptic weights.
Typical neural networks include many individual neuron circuits. Practical uses of neural networks often require hundreds or thousands of neuron circuits. If information processing using neural networks is to achieve wide use, the construction of neural networks must be adapted to permit large number of neuron circuits to be employed. This implies an accommodation between the model of individual neuron circuits and their connectivity and circuits that are readily and abundantly realizable in hardware. Due to the large size of such neural networks, it would be particularly advantageous to construct neural networks in an integrated circuit technology which is relatively inexpensive, such as analog metal oxide semiconductor very large scale integration (analog MOS VLSI).
There are some obstacles in VLSI implementation of neural networks including: 1) the necessary dense connectivity between neuron circuits; 2) the requirement that the linear resistive element from output j to input i (T.sub.ji) be equal to the linear resistive element from output i to input j (T.sub.ij); and 3) the problem of implementing variable linear resistive elements in silicon. The first problem is not different from existing challenges in VLSI designs and can be dealt with using standard and evolving techniques. It is known that the equality of the symmetric linear resistive elements is a necessary condition to ensure convergence of all solutions to equilibria only. It is also known that small imperfections generally preserve the convergence to equilibria but may introduce dynamic (non-equilibria) steady states such as oscillations. Thus this requirement is a problem that may be possible to endure. The last obstacle, that of implementing variable linear resistance elements in silicon, appears to be the major obstacle to constructing the existing continuous-time models of artificial neural networks in analog VLSI; in particular, dynamic feedback neural networks of the Hopfield type.
There have been several proposed approaches to the problem of implementing neural networks in MOS VLSI. Firstly, the programmability of the network can be traded for simplicity of implementation. This can be achieved using fixed resistive elements to provide the weights between the neurons as proposed in "VLSI Implementation of a Neural Network Memory with Several Hundreds of Neurons", by H. P. Graf, L. D. Jackel, R. E. Howard, B. Straughn, J. S. Denker, W. Hubbard, D. M. Tennant and D. Schwartz, AIP Neural Networks for Computing, pages 182 to 187, 1986. Secondly, the neural weight can be restricted to +1, -1 or 0 and implemented in pass transistors and switches. This was proposed in "A Novel Associative Memory Implemented Using Collective Computation", by M. Sivilotti, M. Emerling and C. Mead, 1985 Chapel Hill Conference on VLSI, pages 329 to 342, 1985. Other proposed designs modify the weights but do not retain the qualitative dynamic properties from an analytic point of view.

Analog continuous-time MOS vector multiplier circuit and a programmable MOS realization for feedback neural networks

Board of Trustees operating Michigan State University


An apparatus, system, and method of managing candidate counterpart terminal information, each of which determines, in response to a request for adding a candidate counterpart terminal to a candidate list of a request sender terminal, whether attribute information stored in association with the request sender terminal matches attribute information stored in association with the candidate counterpart terminal to be added, and stores counterpart terminal identification information that identifies the candidate counterpart terminal in association with terminal identification information of the request sender terminal to update the candidate list of the specific request sender terminal when a determination result indicates that the attribute information match.

Technical Field
The present invention relates to managing counterpart terminal information indicating a candidate of counterpart terminal for a terminal.
Description of the Related Art
Communication systems that perform a videoconference, communication, or the like via a communication network such as the Internet, a dedicated line, or the like have become popular in recent years due to a demand for reducing business trip cost, time, and the like. In such a communication system, once communication between a plurality of communication terminals starts, image data and audio data are transmitted and received.
In the recent mobile phone communication systems, counterpart terminal information, such as phone numbers of counterpart terminals that a terminal frequently calls, may be previously registered in an address book of the terminal. At the time of starting communication, the desired counterpart terminal information is selected using a key, thus reducing the burden of inputting counterpart terminal information before starting communication. To further reduce the burden in previously registering counterpart terminal information in the address book, counterpart terminal information of counterpart terminals managed by the terminal may be sent, for example, using infrared rays, to the other terminal to be registered in the address book of the other terminal. However, the content of information that can be transmitted to the other terminal may be restricted, for example, to only the address information of the terminal, to improve information security or personal information security.
JP-2006-197025-A discloses a method of configuring a group of a plurality of members and allowing the members of the group to use various types of information accumulated in a server. For example, a system provides safe sharing of resources between devices after determination of whether each device belongs to the same group on the basis of group information supplied from a cellular mobile station.

Apparatus, system, and method of managing counterpart terminal information and recording medium


A metal or metal alloy foil substrate, preferably an unetched and uncoated metal or metal alloy foil substrate, such as but not limited to titanium, palladium, lead, nickel, tin, platinum, silver, gold, zirconium, molybdenum, tantalum, palladium-silver alloy, platinum-rhodium alloy, platinum-ruthenium alloy, and/or platinum-iridium alloy, is used as the cathode in an electrolytic capacitor, preferably an aluminum electrolytic capacitor having a multiple anode flat, stacked capacitor configuration. Despite a 120 Hz bridge capacitance measurement lower than with etched aluminum, the use of an unetched and uncoated metal or metal alloy foil cathode according to the present invention will inhibit gas production and not cause the capacitor to swell. Furthermore, an electrolytic capacitor built with a 30 micron unetched and uncoated foil cathode according to the present invention can deliver a stored to discharge energy ratio sufficient for use in pulse discharge applications, such as an in an ICD.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cathode electrodes within electrolytic capacitors and, more particularly, to the use of a titanium or similar metal or metal alloy electrode as a cathode electrode within an electrolytic capacitor for use in pulse discharge applications and to an electrolytic capacitor including the cathode electrode of the present invention.
2. Related Art
Compact, high voltage capacitors are utilized as energy storage reservoirs in many applications, including implantable medical devices. These capacitors are required to have a high energy density since it is desirable to minimize the overall size of the implanted device. This is particularly true of an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), also referred to as an implantable defibrillator, since the high voltage capacitors used to deliver the defibrillation pulse can occupy as much as one third of the ICD volume.
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,388, incorporated herein by reference, typically use two electrolytic capacitors in series to achieve the desired high voltage for shock delivery. For example, an implantable cardioverter defibrillator may utilize two 350 to 400 volt electrolytic capacitors in series to achieve a voltage of 700 to 800 volts.
Electrolytic capacitors are used in ICDs because they have the most nearly ideal properties in terms of size, reliability and ability to withstand relatively high voltage. Conventionally, such electrolytic capacitors typically consist of a cathode electrode, an electrically conductive electrolyte and a porous anode with a dielectric oxide film formed thereon. While aluminum is the preferred metal for the anode plates, other metals such as tantalum, magnesium, titanium, niobium, zirconium and zinc may be used. A typical electrolyte may be a mixture of a weak acid and a salt of a weak acid, preferably a salt of the weak acid employed, in a polyhydroxy alcohol solvent. The electrolytic or ion-producing component of the electrolyte is the salt that is dissolved in the solvent. The entire laminate is rolled up into the form of a substantially cylindrical body, or wound roll, that is held together with adhesive tape and is encased, with the aid of suitable insulation, in an aluminum tube or canister. Connections to the anode and the cathode are made via tabs. Alternative flat constructions for aluminum electrolytic capacitors are also known, comprising a planar, layered, stack structure of electrode materials with separators interposed therebetween, such as those disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,388.
The need for high voltage, high energy density capacitors is most pronounced when employed in implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICDs). In ICDs, as in other applications where space is a critical design element, it is desirable to use capacitors with the greatest possible capacitance per unit volume. Since the capacitance of an electrolytic capacitor is provided by the anodes, a clear strategy for increasing the energy density in the capacitor is to minimize the volume taken up by paper and cathode and maximize the number of anodes. A multiple anode flat, stacked capacitor configuration requires fewer cathodes and paper spacers than a single anode configuration and thus reduces the size of the device. A multiple anode stack consists of a number of units consisting of a cathode, a paper spacer, two or more anodes, a paper spacer and a cathode, with neighboring units sharing the cathode between them. In order to achieve higher energy densities, it has been necessary to stack three, four and five anodes per layer. However, due to the higher capacitance values achieved with multiple anodes, traditional chemically etched aluminum cathodes provide insufficient capacitance coverage at the desired thickness of 30 microns or less.
It is well understood that, in order to achieve high total capacitance and maximum anode gain realization, the cathode capacitance must be nearly two orders of magnitude higher than the anode stack capacitance that is opposes. When the cathode capacitance is much larger than the anode stack capacitance, the cathode electrode maintains a negative potential. However, if the cathode capacitance is not much larger than the anode capacitance, the cathode electrode can develop a positive potential. If the cathode develops a positive potential, several undesirable effects can occur including oxide buildup on the cathode which reduces the capacitor performance, electrolysis that consumes electrolyte and deteriorates the performance of the capacitor with usage, and production of gaseous electrolysis byproducts that can cause swelling of the capacitor.
Conventional chemically etched aluminum cathodes have been composed of 3003-alloy hard aluminum film of 20 to 70 micron thickness. The aluminum is typically etched in hydrochloric acid (HCl) with or without additional additives. Typical capacitances from such cathodes are given in FIG. 1. A conventional 30 micron aluminum cathode does not provide an adequate anode/cathode capacitance ratio for full 120 Hz capacitance realization in a multiple anode flat, stacked capacitor configuration. In order to realize the anode foil capacitance, a high capacitance cathode foil is needed.
Conventionally, high capacitance cathodes are obtained by using a thin surface-area-enhanced foil with minimal oxide present. Chemical and electrochemical etch processes and deposition processes have been used to increase surface area. Additionally, it is known to coat high surface area materials on to metal foil substrates, such as titanium nitride on aluminum, metal oxides on titanium, or conductive polymers on a variety of metals including aluminum and titanium. For example, the assignee of the present invention has previously used a titanium nitride (TiNx) coated aluminum cathode, purchased from Becromal of America, Inc. of Clinton, Tenn. under the product name BECROMAL Kappa 30B black cathode. A cathode capacitance of 600 to 800 μF/cm2 was obtainable in a 30 micron thick BECROMAL Kappa 30B black cathode foil. However, Kappa 30B has been discontinued in the United States.
Known high capacitance cathode technologies present significant problems. Etched aluminum cathodes are technologically limited and can not support the high capacitance required when more than two anodes are placed adjacent to each other in a capacitor stack. Coated cathodes are difficult to obtain commercially and reliably. The titanium nitride coating process is expensive. Metal oxides are difficult to coat in high purity without chloride contamination. Conductive polymers have exhibited stability issues under certain loads and uses. Therefore, there is a need for a cathode that provides suitable coverage to allow for a multi-anode configuration with maximum energy output.

Electrolytic capacitors with alternate cathode materials for use in pulse discharge applications


The invention relates to methods of fabricating a layer of at least partially relaxed material, such as for electronics, optoelectronics or photovoltaics. An exemplary method includes supplying a structure that includes a layer of strained material situated between a reflow layer and a stiffener layer. The method further includes applying a heat treatment that brings the reflow layer to a temperature equal to or greater than the glass transition temperature of the reflow layer, and the thickness of the stiffener layer is progressively reduced during heat treatment. The invention also relates to an exemplary method of fabricating semiconductor devices on a layer of at least partially relaxed material. Specifically, at least one active layer may be formed on the at least partially relaxed material layer. The active layer may include laser components, photovoltaic components and/or electroluminescent diodes.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of fabricating a layer of strained material that is then caused to become at least partially relaxed for applications such as electronics, optoelectronics and photovoltaics. Disclosed methods generally include providing of a structure that includes a strained material layer situated between a reflow layer and a stiffener layer, and applying a heat treatment that brings the reflow layer to a temperature equal to or greater than the glass transition temperature of the reflow layer. In other aspects, the invention also relates to fabricating semi-conductor devices from the layer of material that is at least partially relaxed.
2. Description of Related Art
When substrates are unavailable or are very expensive in solid form, they may be obtained in thinner layers by epitaxial growth on seed substrates. Nevertheless, the properties of these seed substrates are not always adapted to the materials from which one wishes to carry out the growth. In fact, seed substrates may present, for example, a thermal expansion coefficient and a lattice parameter that are different from those of the materials from which one wishes to carry out growth, which produces a certain number of defects in the layer formed, such as cracks that may develop during the growth or cooling of the structure, or the presence of lattice defects that reduce the efficacy of the devices formed later, or even the compression stress or tension stress of the layer.
Techniques for relaxing such strained material layers are known, particularly by introducing a reflow layer between the strained layer and a support substrate. But these techniques do not yield completely satisfactory results, as the strained layer is not always or completely relaxed elastically. The structure formed from a layer stack may also be degraded, and in order for the layer to relax, it may detach from the remainder of the structure. In addition, when the material is compression strained, this elastic relaxation may lead to buckling of the material, the roughness and amplitude between the peaks and valleys of the buckled layer then cannot be reconciled with the desired utilizations. When the material is tension strained, the relaxation often produces cracks and an increase in surface roughness.
The article "buckling suppression of SiGe islands on compliant substrates" by H. Yin et al. (in the Journal of Applied Physics, vol 94, number 10, published on Nov. 15, 2003) describes the elastic, lateral and buckling relaxations of compression stressed materials as implementing two competitive phenomena. According to this document, a first phenomenon consists of the lateral relaxation of the strained material; this relaxation then propagates from the edges of the film or islands formed in the film to the center of the film or island. It is thus explained that the smaller the island, the faster the lateral relaxation (which is accentuated by the thickness of the strained material layer). This lateral relaxation enables a film of substantially flat relaxed material to be obtained, with low surface roughness. For example, 60 micrometers×60 micrometers SiGe islands from epitaxy on an initial silicon substrate with a 30% Germanium content relax laterally and lead to obtaining a flat film whose roughness RMS is less than 2 nm.
As further explained in the aforementioned article, the second phenomena is relaxation by buckling, wherein the speed does not depend on the surface of the film or the island to be relaxed but rather on the stress in the material. Buckling leads to obtaining a film that is at least partially relaxed but very rough. It is possible that the film will fracture if the roughness exceeds a critical value. This phenomenon is particularly evidence in relatively thin films, which allow easy deformation, and thus, buckling.
In order to obtain a relaxed material with the best morphology, H. Yin recommends slowing down the buckling phenomenon and promoting the lateral relaxation phenomenon. To do this, he proposes depositing a layer of non-strained material on the film of material to be relaxed. This layer allows the total thickness of the material on the reflow layer to be increased by forming a bilayer (strained material layer and covering layer) and thus allows the lateral relaxation speed to be increased. The deposition of this covering layer also allows a bilayer structure that is mechanically more rigid with a lower propensity for curvature to be obtained. In addition, as the mean stress in the bilayer is lower due to the fact of the free deposition of the covering layer, the buckling force is lower. But, in terms of heat treatment, relaxation remains partial in the initially strained material. In fact, the relaxation is interrupted when the stresses are balanced in the bilayer. A multi-cycle method is then proposed in order to encourage lateral relaxation to the detriment of buckling relaxation. This is to carry out heat treatment on the bilayer until the relaxation allowed by the new stress balance is obtained, then the covering layer is reduced by a given thickness which allows a new stress balance and a new partial relaxation to be obtained at the end of the second relaxation annealing, while reducing the buckling relaxation phenomenon. These thinning/annealing steps are repeated until the covering layer is completely removed. The thickness of the covering layer to be removed may be identical at each cycle or may be variable and defined as being half of the thickness of the covering layer from the previous cycle. Optimization of the cycles combining these two variations is also planned but the relaxation method remains relatively long to put in place.

Relaxation of a strained material layer with application of a stiffener

S.O.I.TEC Silicon on Insulator Technologies


Threshold Cerenkov Detector With Radial Segmentation permits correlation between number of photons produced in concentrically arranged radiator tubes and particle momentum that yields a 90% confidence level for e, μ, π, and p identification up to 4-5 GeV/c or four to five times greater than the momentum limit for particle identification in Threshold Cerenkov Detectors, wherein detector has three concentric cylinders with a total of 25 radiator tubes, each cylinder of tubes has different medium; and four scintillators are employed which trigger cosmic particles within a window of 5ns. Radiator designs produce more photons as particles enter improved TCDRS design and fewer photons as they leave. Correlation between the number of photons produced in the tubes and the particle momentum yields about a 90% confidence level for e, μ, π, and p identification up to 4-5 GeV/c times greater than the momentum limit for particle identification using existing Threshold Cerenkov Detectors.

Gamma rays from violent supernovae explosions interact with atoms in the upper atmosphere of the earth. Primary gamma-nucleon interactions produce relativistic pions, and kaons which travel over 120 km before decaying into neutrinos and muons. The relativistic muons, or cosmic rays, minimally interact with matter and often travel through the Earth. Cosmic ray studies reveal that 80% of the particles which reach terrestrial levels are muons. FIG. 1 is a graph showing stratifications of the atmosphere from the ionosphere to the earth where approximately 80% of the cosmic particles that reach terrestrial levels are muons.
The goal of experimental high energy physics is to identify the fundamental constituents of matter through measurement of the particle velocity, momentum, and energy loss due to ionization of atoms in the detector medium. Cerenkov detectors use ultraviolet photons from the Cerenkov effect and the index of refraction of the detector medium to determine particle velocity. Electromagnetic or hadronic calorimeters are used to identify particle mass and the ionization energy loss in the particular detector medium. We present the Threshold Cerenkov Detector with Radial Segmentation (TCDRS) which is designed to measure the particle velocity, mass and consequently the momentum within the same detector volume.
One device that has been useful in particle identification studies is a Cerenkov radiator (FIG. I):
The radiator has a cylinder with windows at both ends and an enclosed pressurized gas chamber. A charged relativistic, subatomic particle enters one window, along the body axis of the cylinder in a direction parallel to the body axis, and passes through the gas so as to produce transient flashes of faint predominantly blue Cerenkov light. The light is a function of the well known Cerenkov relation cos θ=1/(nβ) where n corresponds to the refractive index of the gas and β corresponds to the velocity of the particle in the medium divided by the speed of light in a vacuum. The light flashes have passed through the opposite end window and reflected at a suitable angle, such as a forty-five degree angle away from the particle path toward a counting device, for example multi-channel ADCs and a data acquisition system.

Threshold Cerenkov detector with radial segmentation

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University


A system and method for processing a user inquiry. The method includes receiving a user inquiry, sending a first request for user information to a first database, providing the user information from the first database, and selecting a first agent. The first agent has a desirable set of skills and is available. Additionally, the method includes sending the user information to the selected first agent with a first web browser and sending the user inquiry to the selected first agent in response to a first signal indicative of a first consent from the selected first agent within a predetermined period of time.

The present invention relates generally to the field of inquiry distribution and processing. More particularly, the invention provides a method and system for distributing inquiries to appropriate agents. Merely by way of example, the method and system have been applied to a contact center. It would be recognized that the invention can be applied to other circumstances that need inquiry processing.
Conventional contact centers or call centers provide customers with access to various services and related information. For example, the services include retrieving bank account balances and credit card payments, and providing technical support. Typically, the customers begin their contacts with the call centers by dialing specific telephone numbers that are answered by computers of corresponding call centers. The computers typically prompt the customers for additional information, such as credit card numbers, technical support numbers or social security numbers. Subsequently, the computers offer the customers various options to proceed. For example, the customers may press "1" for payments, "2" for balances, and "0" for other inquiries. For other inquiries, the calls are typically transferred to agents who should be provided the information that the customers already provided to the computers.
The above description provides an example of a "push" implementation where the customer data and the telephone calls are pushed to the agents. Unfortunately, "pushing" the customer data with the telephone calls is a complex process. The complexity increases as the number of agents increases, and the difficulty is further compounded by geographical separation of agents or groups of agents. For example, if the agents are not ready or if their computers are not ready to receive the "pushed" information, the customer information is usually lost and needs to be re-entered by agents. Furthermore, the telephone calls may be disconnected. In addition, tracking availability of the agents and their skill sets is highly complex and dynamic.
Hence it is desirable to improve techniques of inquiry distribution and processing.


An image display apparatus includes a reflection-type image display device providing partial images that constitute an image frame by reflecting light irradiated from a light-emitting unit, and a distributive projector unit displaying the image frame by discretely projecting the partial images onto different positions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus, and more particularly to an image display apparatus displaying a complete image frame by projecting partial images, which are provided by at least one reflection-type image display device, onto appropriate positions.
2. Description of the Related Art
DLP (Digital Light Processing) technology is being focused on as worldwide demand for digital broadcasting-related technologies and equipment increases. A DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device), a core device of DLP technology, is a type of semiconductor optical switch with integrated micro-mirrors. A micro-mirror with a square shape, one side of which has a length in a range of 14 to 16 μm is provided on each semiconductor cell, and the micro-mirror operates by electrostatic action of the semiconductor cell disposed directly thereunder. Each micro-mirror corresponds to one pixel, and constitutes an image by adjusting a light reflection angle to express color and brightness. An operation of the DMD will be described as follows with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically illustrating an operation of a related DMD device. A DMD 20 includes a first micro-mirror 22 and a second micro-mirror 24 provided on a semiconductor substrate 21, and each of the micro-mirrors 22, 24 controls one pixel. The respective micro-mirrors 22, 24 can be inclined at a certain angle according to an electrical signal applied to the semiconductor substrate 21. Commercialized micro-mirrors generally have an incline angle of ±10 degrees.
The micro-mirrors 22, 24 are inclined at an angle of +10 or −10 degrees according to an on/off signal applied to the semiconductor substrate 21. As a result, the micro-mirrors 22, 24 reflect R (Red), G (Green) and B (Blue) light irradiated from a light source 10 toward a screen (not illustrated) or a light-absorbing portion 40. Here, the light-absorbing portion 40 absorbs the light reflected thereto to prevent unnecessary diffusion of light.
It should be noted from the example illustrated in FIG. 1 that a pixel 32 controlled by the first micro-mirror 22, and a pixel 34 controlled by the second micro-mirror 24 are in off and on states, respectively.
In this way, by rapidly adjusting the inclination of the respective micro-mirrors 22, 24 provided in the DMD 20, the respective pixels 32, 34 controlled by the micro-mirrors 22, 24 are repeatedly put in on-off states for light projection, so that brightness and color can be displayed.
Employment of the DMD can reduce noise or deterioration of image quality occurring when a digital signal is converted into an analog signal, and can prevent color bleeding and spotting. Also, since the distance between the micro-mirrors is very small (approximately 1 μm) the DMD is suitable for processing the high-definition and high-luminance moving image of the HD (High Definition) digital television system.
In such a DMD, since each micro-mirror controls one pixel, the quality and the resolution of a display increases as the number of micro-mirrors increases, which can be achieved by reducing the size of micro-mirrors or increasing the on-chip area of DMD.
However, there is a limitation in reducing the size of micro-mirrors, and increasing the on-chip area of a DMD is an obstacle to miniaturizing an image display apparatus. Further, when the on-chip area of the DMD increases, the yield of a micro-mirror is lowered, which is a problem.
Therefore, a technology is required that is capable of maintaining the size and the quality of an image projected by an image display apparatus when the image display apparatus is miniaturized.


According to one embodiment, an information detection apparatus includes an image input unit, a symbol detection unit, a service information detection unit and an output unit. The image input unit inputs an image captured by an image capturing apparatus. The symbol detection unit configured to detect a first symbol and a second symbol, which are predetermined, according to the image input by the image input unit. The service information detection unit configured to detect a service information existing at a relative position predetermined for the first symbol and the second symbol in the image when the first symbol and the second symbol are detected by the symbol detection unit according to the image input by the image input unit. The output unit configured to output the service information detected by the service information detection unit.

In a store such as a supermarket and the like, the application that a markdown label marking a marked-down price is stuck on a commodity and the like approaching a freshness date to realize the promotion of the sale of the commodity is widely implemented.
In addition, formerly, an information detection apparatus using a capturing component such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Apparatus) imaging sensor and the like to capture the markdown label stuck near a bar code and the bar code together and detecting a commodity recognition code and service information (the marked-down price) represented by the markdown label according to a captured image existed. Such an apparatus, for example, is connected with a POS (Point Of Sales) terminal in a communication way. Moreover, the POS terminal constructs a settlement system of the store in the way of carrying out markdown sale on the commodity on which the markdown label is stuck according to the commodity recognition code and the service information detected by the information detection apparatus.

Information detection apparatus and information detection method


An electronic down and distance marker system comprising a first marker; a second marker connected to a first marker by a physical member having a distance of about ten yards; and a down marker. The down and distance marker system may also include a measurement device for measuring a linear distance between the down marker and the second marker; and one or more displays that include a down indicator and a distance indicator. The distance indicator may be electronic communication with the measurement device to display the linear distance between the down marker and the second marker thereon. The electronic down and distance marker system may also be electronic communication with facilities of the stadium including the scoreboards and a display in the press-box.

Currently, the down marker used in all levels of American football to convey the down are based upon a DIAL-A-DOWN® or similar systems are in use wherein a mechanical device can set a plurality of moveable panels in a number of settings which provide a configuration of the panels that communicate a number from one (1) to four (4). This current DIAL-A-DOWN and similar systems are used in the National Football League, and has become the standard in the collegiate, high school and younger leagues. These DIAL-A-DOWN type systems convey only the down and the placement of the marker is the only indication of the distance to-go for a first down. Thus, a person must use their own judgment to view the relative positions of the markers and judge the distance to go.
Modern American football offenses have become very complex and often chart plays for particular down and distance. This can be an issue when a spotter is trying, based upon his own vision and relative distance interpretation, provide the remaining yardage to a first down. Moreover, fans and attendees have become much more engaged in the games and, as with other aspects of their life, desire football games to become more interactive and provide more and more information. In these regards, the existing DIAL-A-DOWN type system fails greatly.
As such, there is a need in the art for an American football down and distance marker system that provides real-time and accurate information to the participant athletes, the coaching staffs, and the fans/attendees. There is a further need in the art for an American football down and distance marker system that provides a visual display of the down and a measured distance necessary to obtain a first down.

Electronic down and distance marker system


A process and a system for cracking dicyclopentadiene are disclosed pursuant to the process preheated dicyclopentadiene is introduced into a heated transfer fluid sufficiently below the transfer fluid surface to accomplish substantially complete conversion of said dicyclopentadiene to monomeric cyclopentadiene vapor.

Various dicyclopentadiene cracking methods are known. The dissociation to the monomer is a monomolecular reaction. The cracking can be accomplished by distilling dicyclopentadiene under atmospheric pressure. Dicyclopentadiene boils at 170.degree. C. It cracks at a rate of 36% per hour at 170.degree. C. Monomer is obtained by maintaining the top temperature of the fractionating column at 41.degree.-42.degree. C.
Another procedure involves adding dicyclopentadiene to a hot liquid, e.g., a high boiling oil at 250.degree.-260.degree. C. The resulting vapors are fractionated to remove refluxing uncracked dimer and entrained liquid. A commercial procedure entails vapor phase cracking at 350.degree.-400.degree. C. See, generally, "Cyclopentadiene and Dicyclopentadiene", Kirk-Othmer: Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Vol. 7 , 3d Ed., p. 424 (1979); and U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,453,044; 2,490,866; 3,007,978; 3,544,644; 3,719,718 and 4,048,242.


A part replacement method for replacement of a part of a refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit in which a flammable refrigerant is circulated and a container connecting device for controlling the refrigerant such that the refrigerant is allowed to flow out of the refrigerant circuit. The method includes a refrigerant recovery step of allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the refrigerant circuit through the container connecting device, a pressure reduction step of connecting a pressure reducing device to the container connecting device to reduce a pressure in the refrigerant circuit until the pressure in the refrigerant circuit reaches a set pressure or a setting time is reached, and a part replacement step of removing the part from the refrigerant circuit by heating to replace the part.

Air-conditioning apparatuses, such as a multi-air-conditioning apparatus for a building, include an air-conditioning apparatus in which a refrigerant is circulated between an outdoor unit and a relay unit and a heat medium, such as water, is circulated between the relay unit and an indoor unit to reduce conveyance power for the heat medium while circulating the heat medium, such as water, through the indoor unit (refer to Patent Literature 1, for example).
In some related-art refrigeration cycle apparatuses, such as a multi-air-conditioning apparatus for a building, for example, a refrigerant pipe and a pipe part of a device are heated using, for example, a burner and are fixed (connected) with a brazing material (or by brazing). In a case where a part constituting a refrigerant circuit is broken and therefore has to be replaced in such a refrigeration cycle apparatus, the use of a nonflammable refrigerant permits, for example, a refrigerant pipe to be heated with a burner or the like immediately after recovery of the refrigerant in a recovery tank, such that the brazing material can be melted and the refrigerant pipe can be removed and replaced.
In an air-conditioning apparatus recently developed, an operation procedure which avoids ignition during part replacement in the use of a flammable refrigerant is defined (refer to Patent Literature 2, for example).

Method of part replacement for refrigeration cycle apparatus


A network server includes LAN terminating units, an ATM terminating unit, a data transfer unit, a multiple identifier check section, and a connection determination section. The LAN terminating units are connected to LAN terminals constituting virtual LAN segments and terminate protocols on the LAN MAC sublayer. The ATM terminating unit is connected to an ATM network and terminates the AAL and the ATM protocol. The data transfer unit transfers received data to one of the LAN terminating units and the ATM terminating unit in correspondence with the destination MAC address obtained from data received by the LAN terminating units and the ATM terminating unit. The multiple identifier check section checks at least the Ethernet type in the SNAP of the received data. When the data is transferred from the data transfer unit to the ATM terminating unit, the connection determination section determines an ATM connection to which the data is to be transmitted, on the basis of a set of the destination MAC address and the destination IP subnetwork address, obtained from the received data, and an identifier including at least the Ethernet type detected by the multiple identifier check section, and notifies the ATM terminating unit of the determined ATM connection.

The present invention relates to a network server and, more particularly, to a network server which realizes a virtual LAN accommodating existing LAN (Local Area Network) terminals in an ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) network regardless of the physical positions of the terminals.
In a conventional LAN, existing LAN terminals, which terminate LAN protocols such as CSMA/CD (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection) and token ring, and relay systems such as bridges and routers are coupled to each other in the form of a bus or ring through shared physical media, thereby constituting one LAN segment. In this case, a bridge is a relay system that couples different shared physical media to each other to constitute a single LAN segment, and a router is a relay system that couples different LAN segments to each other.
FIG. 6 explains the physical arrangement of an existing LAN. LAN terminal groups 101 and 102 are respectively coupled to shared physical media 111 and 112. The shared physical media 111 and 112 are coupled to each other through a bridge 121 to constitute a LAN segment 131. Similarly, LAN terminal groups 103 and 104 are respectively coupled to shared physical media 113 and 114 coupled to each other through a bridge 122, thus constituting a LAN segment 132. LAN terminal groups 105 and 106 are respectively coupled to shared physical media 115 and 116 coupled to each other through a bridge 123, thus constituting a LAN segment 133. These LAN segments 131 to 133 are coupled to each other through a router 140.
FIGS. 7A to 7D explain the logical arrangement of the existing LAN. FIG. 8 explains the header format of each protocol in the protocol stacks shown in FIGS. 7A to 7D. Operations for data transfer in the existing LAN will be described below with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7D and 8.
As shown in FIG. 7A, the MAC (Media Access Control) protocol is used to transfer data between LAN terminals coupled to each other in the same LAN segment. An MAC header contains a destination MAC address and a source MAC address. Data sent from a terminal (or an end system) or a relay system is broadcasted within the same LAN segment, and only the system which corresponds to the destination MAC address receives the data.
FIG. 7B shows a protocol stack used when data is transferred between LAN terminals coupled to different shared physical media in the same LAN segment by using a bridge. In this case as well, a relay operation is performed by using MAC addresses. A bridge which couples three or more shared physical media to each other transfers data to all the shared physical media except for the shared physical medium from which the data is received.
Assume that every time data is received, a set of a source MAC address and a number designating the shared physical medium from which the data is received is held in a cache table. In this case, by referring to the table, data can be transferred to a shared physical medium to which a system corresponding to a destination MAC address is coupled. Such a bridge is sometimes called a transparent bridge, in particular.
An SNAP (Sub-Network Access Protocol)/LLC (Local Link Control) protocol header has a 2-byte Ethernet type field for identifying the protocol of a higher layer transported by the protocol of a MAC sublayer. "0800" and "0806" are respectively assigned to a ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) and IP (Internet Protocol) (to be described later) by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force).
The following protocols are based on the architecture of the DARPA (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency). IP is used to relay/transfer data by connecting networks such as LAN segments to each other. An IP header has a protocol number and is used to identify a higher protocol transported by IP.
"1", "6", and "17" are respectively assigned to ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol), TCP (Transmission Control Protocol), and UDP (User Datagram Protocol) by the IETF. An IP header has a destination IP address and a source IP address. In general, each address is constituted by an IP subnetwork address added in units of LAN segments and a host address for identifying each system coupled within an IP subnetwork.
The destination IP address is used to relay data between different LAN segments through a router. FIG. 7C shows a protocol stack used when data is transferred between terminals coupled to different LAN segments by using the router. When data is transferred from a given LAN segment to a different LAN segment, i.e., the IP subnetwork address, the corresponding terminal or router transmits the data with the destination MAC address of the router which relays the data next being added.
In this case, as is apparent, the destination IP subnetwork address differs from the source IP subnetwork address. Upon reception of such data, the router relabels the destination MAC address corresponding to the destination IP address, and relays/transfers the resultant data. In order to obtain the destination MAC address, the following ARP is used.
The ARP is used to obtain the correspondence between the IP address and the MAC address. If the MAC address corresponding to the IP address of the system to which the data is to be transferred next is not known, the terminal or the router broadcasts the ARP data in the IP subnetwork, i.e., the LAN segment. In response to this data, the system having the IP address designated by ARP returns the ARP data including the self-MAC address.
ICMP is a protocol for exchanging monitor information and control information between terminals and network servers, and transported by using IP. If, for example, a failure occurs in routing an IP packet, the ICMP serves to notify other LAN terminals of this. ICMP is complementary to IP. Each router or LAN terminal must always incorporate ICMP together with IP.
TCP and UDP are protocols which are dependent on end systems such as LAN terminals, and used to transfer data between end systems. TCP is used for an application demanding high reliability, e.g., FTP (File Transfer Protocol), TELNET (Telecommunications Network), or SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) (to be described later).
UDP is used for an application which does not demand much reliability, e.g., SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol). Each of the protocol headers of TCP and UDP has a 2-byte port address for identifying an application process for communication performed by using TCP or UDP. "21", "23", "25", and "161" are respectively added to FTP, TELNET, SMTP, and SNMP by the IETF.
For example, FTP, TELNET, SMTP, and SNMP are protocols on the application layer. FTP is used to transfer a file. TELNET is used to access a remote terminal. SMTP is used to transfer an E-mail. These protocol data are transferred by using TCP and IP (to be described later). SNMP is a protocol for exchanging management information between a management terminal and an object to be managed, e.g., a network server. This protocol data is transferred by using UDP and IP (to be described later).
The use of ATM techniques has been studied to increase the processing speed of such an existing LAN and improve its performance. ATM is essentially a communication scheme in which information which a user wants to transmit is segmented into fixed-length data, headers are added to the respective data to generate fixed-length blocks called cells, and a multiplex switching operation is performed in units of cells. In this scheme, transmission bands for data transmission between systems can be flexibly allocated, and the communication quality demanded by an application can be easily achieved.
A system which uses a technique of allocating flexible resources between arbitrary points and performing a switching operation by using ATM, and incorporating an existing LAN will be called an ATM-LAN. In an ATM network, by using the ATM switching technique, traffic management and security management can be performed between terminals at physically different points, regarding them as terminals belonging to the same logical LAN segment. Such a LAN is called a virtual LAN.
FIG. 9 explains a virtual LAN constituted by an ATM-LAN. Referring to FIG. 9, each of network servers 161 to 163 is a relay system for performing conversion between ATM and existing LAN protocols, and providing a bridge function for forming a virtual LAN segment. Point-to-point ATM connections 181 to 183 are set between the network servers 161 to 163 so that LAN segments 151 to 153 can be constituted by terminals accommodated in the different network servers 161 to 163 regardless of the physical positions of the terminals.
These LAN segments 151 to 153 will be referred to as virtual LAN segments, in particular. Traffic management and security management can be performed in the virtual LAN segments 151 to 153 in the same manner as in the existing LAN segments 131 to 133 shown in FIG. 6.
The LAN terminal groups 101 and 102 belonging to the same LAN segment 131 in FIG. 6 are respectively accommodated in the different network servers 161 and 162 in FIG. 9. However, by setting the ATM connection 181 between these network servers 161 and 162, the LAN terminal groups 101 and 102 constitute a single virtual LAN segment 151.
Similarly, the LAN terminal groups 103 and 104 belonging to the LAN segment 132 in FIG. 6 are respectively accommodated in the different network servers 162 and 163 in FIG. 9. The LAN terminal groups 105 and 106 belonging to the LAN segment 133 in FIG. 6 are respectively accommodated in the different network servers 163 and 161 in FIG. 9. However, by setting the ATM connections 182 and 183 between these network servers 162 and 163, and 161 and 163, the terminal groups 103 and 104, and 105 and 106 respectively constitute single virtual LAN segments 152 and 153.
FIG. 10 explains a protocol stack as a logical arrangement for data transfer between LAN terminals within a single virtual LAN segment. In this case, each network server has a transparent bridge function, and is provided with an ATM MAC sublayer for converting existing LAN protocol data into ATM protocol data. Each network server encapsulates a MAC frame within an ATM protocol header, as needed.
FIG. 11 explains a protocol stack as a logical arrangement for data transmission between LAN terminals belonging to different virtual LAN segments. In this case, similar to an existing LAN, data transfer is performed by using a router. The router belongs to the different virtual LAN segments. In a subnetwork having a destination IP subnetwork address, therefore, the router obtains the MAC address of the destination terminal from the destination IP address, relabels the IP address with the MAC address, and transfers the data by using the ATM connection corresponding to the new MAC address.
FIG. 12 shows a conventional network server.
A transfer processing unit 1 starts a data transfer unit 5 to transfer data from a predetermined terminating unit to a predetermined terminating unit. The transfer processing unit 1 is constituted by an address check section 11 for checking a source IP subnetwork address, a source MAC address, and a terminating unit (an ATM connection which has received data if this unit is an ATM terminating unit) which has received data, and transferring them to an address cache memory (to be referred to as a cache hereinafter) 2, a bridge section 12 for determining, on the basis of the destination MAC address, the unit number of a terminating unit to which the data is to be transferred, and a connection determination section 13 for determining, on the basis of address information, an ATM connection to which the data is to be transferred in the ATM terminating unit.
The cache 2 holds a IP subnetwork address, an MAC address, and a terminating unit number (a set of data indicating a correspondence with an ATM connection in the case of an ATM terminating unit). For example, in the network server 161 (see FIG. 9), the ATM connection 183 corresponds to an IP subnetwork address corresponding to the virtual LAN segment 153, and the ATM connection 181 corresponds to an IP subnetwork address corresponding to the virtual LAN segment 151.
LAN terminating units (LAN I/F) 3 accommodate existing LAN terminals, and terminate the MAC protocol. An ATM terminating unit (ATM I/F) 4 processes the AAL (ATM Adaptation Layer) and the ATM protocol. The data transfer unit 5 transfers data from a predetermined terminating unit to another predetermined terminating unit in accordance with an instruction from the bridge section 12 of the transfer processing unit 1.
The operation of a network server, especially in a case wherein the network server has a plurality of LAN terminating units and one ATM terminating unit, will be described next. Each LAN terminating unit 3 transmits/receives data by performing the above MAC protocol processing. Data transferred from the data transfer unit 5 is transmitted by using the MAC protocol. Data received by using the MAC protocol is transmitted from the data transfer unit 5 to a predetermined terminating unit determined by the transfer processing unit 1.
The ATM terminating unit 4 encapsules existing LAN protocol data into ATM protocol data in the following manner. As shown in FIG. 8, in the AAL, the SSCS (Service Specific Convergence Sublayer) removes the FCS (Frame Check Sequence) field used for data error detection from the MAC frame to be transferred. Thereafter, the CPCS (Common Part Convergence Sublayer) attaches a trailer of ALL5 containing data indicating the length of the data from the SSCS and an FCS for data error detection for the data to the resultant MAC frame.
Finally, the SAR (Segregation And Reassembly) layer breaks up the frame into segments each consisting of 48 bytes. The ATM layer attaches a 5-byte header containing a VC (Virtual Channel) or VP (Virtual Path) through which the data is to be transferred and an ATM connection identifier to each segment to assemble a cell. Note that ATM protocol data is converted into existing LAN protocol data by a reverse process to that described above.
A network server needs to associate the unit number of a terminating unit to which data is to be transferred with a destination MAC address by using the transparent bridge function, as well as performing such protocol conversion. The ATM terminating unit 4 needs to associate an ATM connection to which the data is to be transferred with the MAC address. The transfer processing unit 1 performs these operations while looking up the cache 2, as follows.
FIG. 13 shows transfer processing of an IP packet received by the LAN terminating unit 3 or the ATM terminating unit 4. The address check section 11 registers a set of a source IP subnetwork address, a source MAC address, and a terminating unit number or VCC, contained in the received data, in the cache 2 (step S1). The bridge section 12 then looks up the cache 2 to check whether a terminating unit number can be obtained from a destination MAC address (step S2). If a terminating unit number can be obtained, the bridge section 12 notifies the data transfer unit 5 of the unit number, thereby transferring the data to the terminating unit indicated by the unit number (step S3).
If it is determined in step S2 that no terminating unit number can be obtained, the bridge section 12 looks up the cache 2 to check all the terminating unit 5 numbers corresponding to the same IP subnetwork address except for the received terminating unit number. The data transfer unit 5 then transfers the data to these terminating units. In step S3 or S4, it is checked whether the data has been transmitted to the ATM terminating unit 4 (step S5).
If it is determined in step S5 that the data has been transferred to the ATM terminating unit 4, the connection determination section 13 determines, on the basis of a set of the received IP subnetwork address and the destination MAC address, an ATM connection to which the data is to be transmitted, and notifies the ATM terminating unit 4 of it (step S6). With this operation, the data is transmitted to the desired ATM connection. If it is determined in step S5 that the data has not been transferred to the ATM terminating unit 4, the IP packet transfer processing is terminated.
In such a conventional network server, when data transfer is to be performed within a single IP subnetwork, communication data between application processes such as FTP, TELNET, SMTP, and SNMP data are transferred altogether within a single virtual LAN. For this reason, the quality of service (QOS) associated with delays and discarding of data transfer cannot be finely controlled for each application.
As indicated by the protocol stack in FIG. 11 as well, when data is to be transferred between a pair of LAN terminals having different subnetwork addresses, in particular, the data is exchanged through a router. For this reason, it takes time for the router to assemble IP data from ATM cells, perform protocol processing of the IP data, and segment the IP data into ATM cells, resulting in a decrease in throughput in data transfer.


A process, a computer program product, and a computer system for efficient code cache management implemented by a just-in-time compiler are provided. Embodiments of the present invention provide a practical approach to compile effectively for methods that are frequently executed over a short time period but are subsequently not executed frequently. The disclosed approach reduces the detrimental effects of compilation of such infrequently executed methods on throughput and garbage collection pause times.

In enterprise class Java applications, such as WebSphere Commerce, the execution profile typically includes a large number of methods; each of the methods takes a very small proportion of overall execution time. However, over time, these methods get compiled simply because the initial compilation is driven by method invocation counts. Once a method is executed certain times, the method gets compiled regardless of how long it has taken to execute the method for the certain times. This means that the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler's code cache can contain many methods that are executed only infrequently. Such compilations can increase (code memory) footprints and startup/ramp-up time with little beneficial effect on throughput. However, the real problem stems from the fact that there is only a fixed amount of a code cache available for each instance of the JIT compiler. If the code cache gets filled with methods less important for throughput performance, more important subsequent compilations may not be successful since there is no space to write the generated code. Interpreting the more frequently executed methods which can not be compiled has a noticeable negative impact on throughput, because interpreting is an order of magnitude (e.g., 10×) slower than compiled code.
The simplest approach to a bounded code cache is to flush its entire content when the bounded code cache becomes full. This solution, referred to as code pitching, is employed by Microsoft's .NET Compact Framework as described by Anthony, Leung, and Srisa-an ("To JIT or not to JIT: The Effect of Code Pitching on the Performance of .NET Framework", 2005). As shown by the authors, while code pitching can degrade runtime performance, if it is done rarely enough, the penalty is barely visible. Thus, picking an appropriate maximum size for the code cache is important. One drawback of the study, as admitted by the authors, is that they considered only tiny applications which are not representative of a real-life workload. For big applications, where compilation overhead is significant, simply throwing away all the compiled code is going to put unnecessary strains on the computational resources.
Zhang and Krintz ("Profile-Driven Code Unloading for Resource-Constrained JVMs", 2004) propose to periodically (e.g., every 10 ms) discard, from the code cache, compiled methods which are unlikely to be used in the future. The candidates for eviction are chosen with the help of a lightweight profiling mechanism based on sampling. In a follow-up work ("Adaptive Code Unloading for Resource-Constrained JVMs", 2004), the authors develop an adaptive mechanism which determines when method eviction should take place. The idea is that frequency of the eviction should be dictated by memory pressure: the more time the JVM spends in the garbage collector, the more frequent the eviction process should be. However, this conclusion is a direct consequence of their particular implementation: code fragments reside in the Java heap and therefore compete for space with Java objects. Freeing more code makes room for Java objects and improves the time spent in the garbage collector. An important disadvantage of the selective method eviction process is that it creates a lot of fragmentation.
Hazelwood and Smith ("Code Cache Management Schemes for Dynamic Optimizers", 2002) avoid fragmentation by evicting code fragments in a FIFO (First In First Out) manner. The code cache is considered a big circular buffer and eviction takes place on demand, when a new code fragment needs to be stored. While this approach simplifies code cache management, it brings in the previous problem: because it is oblivious to the frequency of execution of code fragments, important compiled pieces of code can be evicted from the cache. However, the negative effects are likely milder than in the code pitching case where the entire cache is cleared.
Hazelwood and Smith ("Generational Cache Management of Code Traces in Dynamic Optimization Systems", 2003) propose the use of generational code caches. The code cache space is split into three regions: nursery, probation cache, and persistent cache. New code fragments are stored in the nursery cache, possibly evicting other code fragments in case there is not enough room. The victim of an eviction is moved into the probation cache whose main role is to determine how important the evicted code fragments are. When the room needs to be made into the probation cache, either the code fragment to be eliminated is moved into the persistent code cache if it has been used since moved to the probation cache, or the code fragment to be eliminated is simply discarded. This technique works relatively well, but complicates code cache management a great deal because of the following factors. (1) Moving code fragments around from one code cache to another requires the code to be relocatable. (2) Direct transition from one code fragment to another is not possible, unless metadata is kept around to fix all "callers" when the "callee" is moved or discarded (it is called "link repair" by the authors of the paper). (3) A mechanism that monitors code usage is required to determine whether or not a piece of code should be moved to the persistent code cache or discarded.
Throughput and garbage collection (GC) pause times can also be indirectly affected by the caching of a large number of infrequently used compiled methods. A GC cycle is often the perfect time to reclaim the code cache space for unloaded or recompiled methods; the reclamation process includes locating and freeing up the run time metadata (e.g., class hierarchy assumptions, GC relevant stack/registers information, exception tables, etc.). Different kinds of JIT metadata are stored in different hashtables (for example, in IBM J9 VM or IBM Testarossa JIT compiler) and hence locating all the information can be a very time consuming process that scales linearly with the amount of generated code. Even if the compilations are only infrequently used, the amount of metadata generated for these compilations can still affect the overall time for locating JIT metadata.

Efficient code cache management in presence of infrequently used complied code fragments

International Business Machines Corporation


A lower space of a first header collecting pipe of a heat exchanger is, by partitions, divided into three communication chambers and a single mixing chamber. The mixing chamber communicates with the communication chamber through a through-hole of a lower horizontal partition, communicates with the communication chamber through a through-hole of a vertical partition, and communicates with the communication chamber through a through-hole of an upper horizontal partition. Gas-liquid refrigerant flows into the mixing chamber, and is mixed in the mixing chamber. Then, the refrigerant is distributed to the communication chambers. Thus, the wetness of refrigerant flowing into a flat tube is uniformized among the flat tubes, and performance of the heat exchanger can be fully achieved.

Conventionally, a heat exchanger has been known, which includes many flat tubes and header collecting pipes connected to the flat tubes and which is configured to exchange heat between refrigerant flowing through each flat tube and air flowing outside the each flat tube. In a heat exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 1, many vertically-extending flat tubes are arranged in the horizontal direction, and a header collecting pipe is connected to a lower end of each flat tube. Moreover, in a heat exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 2, many horizontally-extending flat tubes are arranged in the vertical direction, and a header collecting pipe is connected to an end part of each flat tube.
Refrigerant supplied to the heat exchanger of this type first flows into the header collecting pipe, and then flows so as to branch into the flat tubes. If the heat exchanger of this type functions as an evaporator of a refrigerating apparatus, refrigerant in the two phases of gas and liquid is supplied to the heat exchanger. That is, in this case, the refrigerant in the two phases of gas and liquid is distributed to the flat tubes through the header collecting pipe.
The heat exchanger functioning as the evaporator as in Patent Document 1 is designed such that the mass flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the flat tube is uniformized among the flat tubes. The structure of the heat exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 1 will be described in detail below.
In the heat exchanger of Patent Document 1, a distribution space is formed lateral to an end part of the header collecting pipe, and refrigerant in the two phases of gas and liquid is introduced into the distribution space. In the heat exchanger, an internal space of the header collecting pipe is divided into three chambers arranged in the horizontal direction. Moreover, in the heat exchanger, three distribution paths vertically arranged in line are formed in a partition separating the distribution space and the internal space of the header collecting pipe from each other. Each distribution path is formed for a corresponding one of the chambers of the header collecting pipe. Each distribution path causes a corresponding one of the chambers of the header collecting pipe to communicate with the distribution space. Refrigerant flowing into the distribution space is distributed to each chamber of the header collecting pipe through a corresponding one of the distribution paths, and then flows so as to branch into the flat tubes communicating with the each chamber of the header collecting pipe.
Gravity acts on refrigerant in the two phases of gas and liquid in the distribution space. Thus, as will be seen from paragraph 0018 and FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, the void fraction for refrigerant increases toward the upper side in the distribution space. That is, in the distribution space, the percentage of low-density gas refrigerant increases toward the upper side, whereas the percentage of high-density liquid refrigerant increases toward the lower side.
In the heat exchanger illustrated in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1, the number of flat tubes communicating with each chamber of the header collecting pipe is changed in order to equalize the mass flow rate of refrigerant flowing into each flat tube. That is, the number of flat tubes communicating with the chamber corresponding to the uppermost distribution path is the smallest because refrigerant containing much gas refrigerant flows into the uppermost distribution path and the mass flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the chamber corresponding to the uppermost distribution path is relatively low. On the other hand, the number of flat tubes communicating with the chamber corresponding to the lowermost distribution path is the largest because refrigerant containing much liquid refrigerant flows into the lowermost distribution path and the mass flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the chamber corresponding to the lowermost distribution path is relatively high.
In the heat exchanger illustrated in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1, the diameter of each distribution path is changed in order to equalize the mass flow rate of refrigerant flowing into each flat tube. That is, since refrigerant containing much gas refrigerant flows into the uppermost distribution path, the diameter of the uppermost distribution path is set to the maximum diameter to increase the volumetric flow rate of refrigerant passing through the uppermost distribution path, thereby ensuring the mass flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the chamber corresponding to the uppermost distribution path. On the other hand, since refrigerant containing much liquid refrigerant flows into the lowermost distribution path, the diameter of the lowermost distribution path is set to the minimum diameter to decrease the volumetric flow rate of refrigerant passing through the lowermost distribution path, thereby ensuring the mass flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the chamber corresponding to the lowermost distribution path.


A bending machine (1) for bending the edges (3) on sheet-like workpieces (2). The workpieces (2) can be grasped by clamping jaws (12) located on a manipulator (11) and supplied to a tool (6) and a mount. The manipulator (11) is located and supported above the processing plane and the workpiece support (4). The clamping jaws (12) can, in addition to being movable transversely or perpendicular to the tool (6), are also movable parallel thereto, and can rotate about an axis (15) running perpendicular to the workpiece plane. The workpieces (2) can be held in any position and then conveyed, without the need for additional conveying, transfer and removal devices, because all of these functions can also be performed by the manipulator (11).

The invention involves a bending machine for sheet-like workpieces, for creating bent edges, having a horizontal workpiece support and having a bending tool that has a bending beam as well as having a hold-down clamp for the workpiece arranged near the bending tool, where the bending machine has at least one manipulator with clamping jaws for holding the workpiece, the clamping jaws have a lower grip and an opposing upper grip that can be moved vertically in the usage position, and the clamping jaws can be moved approximately in the plane of the workpiece or in a parallel plane, transversely or at a right angle to the hold-down clamp of the tool, or can be moved transversely or at a right angle to the tool, and also makes possible a rotation of the workpiece around a vertical axis.
A known bending machine is disclosed in German patent DE 28 39 978 B2. It functions for the purpose of providing a bent edge having a generally right-angled shape on sheet metal pieces. The clamping jaws are moved horizontally below the workpiece support and the workpiece on a carriage transversely or at a right angle to the bending line, i.e. to the workpiece edge to be processed, or transversely or at a right angle to the workpiece. It can thus convey a sheet metal plate, previously held by the clamping jaws, as a workpiece to the bending tool and based on the rotating ability, cause a change in the position of the workpiece in its working plane. In this process, the upper grip can be lifted so that the clamping jaws can be moved away from the bent edge after a bending operation, such that the previously processed workpiece is released. It must then be removed from the clamping jaws or from the bending machine by an additional removal device. In the same manner, feeding into the clamping jaws must also be done with this device itself or with another device or by hand.
By this construction, a limited possibility for feeding and conveying results, and furthermore, the removal of a completed, processed workpiece must also take into account the presence of the clamping jaws and their carriage, i.e. the removal is restricted by the manipulator and its bed below the workpiece support. Furthermore, by this known construction, it is necessary for efficient processing that a workpiece is grasped in its center because otherwise when changing from one processing edge to the next one, i.e. when turning the workpiece, under some circumstances, an opening of the clamping jaws and a relative shift between the clamping members and workpiece is necessary in order to be able to take into account different dimensions of the workpiece in different directions. Based on this, the bending workpiece must also be arranged symmetrically to the movement axis of the clamping jaws.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,558, a shaping machine of another type is known, namely a bending press. In addition, a bending machine or a shearing machine is mentioned in it, but not described in greater detail. In the bending press, a hold-down clamp is not provided, since the sheet metal edges are bent upwards opposite the forging die during the forming process, and thus move upwards relative to the tool. A manipulator functioning for the feeding and positioning the workpiece can also be used in this previously known solution, conducted underneath the workpiece plane and must release the workpiece when the workpiece is formed and it is not designed to follow the formation movements of the workpiece.

Bending machine for sheet-like workpieces, particularly for creating bent edges on sheet metal pieces


A low-photon flux image-intensified electronic camera comprises a gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) photocathode in a high vacuum tube assembly behind a hermetic front seal to receive image photons. Such is cooled by a Peltier device to −20° C. to 0° C., and followed by a dual microchannel plate. The microchannels in each plate are oppositely longitudinally tilted away from the concentric to restrict positive ions that would otherwise contribute to the generation high brightness “scintillation” noise events at the output of the image. A phosphor-coated output fiberoptic conducts intensified light to an image sensor device. This too is chilled and produces a camera signal output. A high voltage power supply connected to the dual microchannel plate provides for gain control and photocathode gating and shuttering. A fiberoptic taper is used at the output of the image intensifier vacuum tube as a minifier between the internal output fiberoptic and the image sensor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to low-photon flux image-intensified electronic cameras, and in particular to ones that use gallium arsenide phosphide photocathodes and intensifier tubes chilled below zero degrees centigrade with a dual microchannel plate structure, and without an ion barrier film.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bioluminescent living tissues can be engineered for use in medical studies of live animals, plant cells, plants, and vitro biological samples. A good background in this area was published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics 6(4), 432–440 (October 2001), by B. W. Rice, et al., in an article titled, "In vivo imaging of light-emitting probes."
If the bioluminescent tissues are on the surface of an organism, the light emitted can be relatively easy to image with a camera. But if the bioluminescent tissues are internal organs or other structures like tumors, the intervening tissues can reduce the light reaching the camera to levels that can require exposure times well in excess of several minutes just to detect an image.
Luciferase is a photoactive reporter gene that can be imaged in living organisms. Such has been used in laboratory animals and specimens to assess the progression of angiogenesis over time. Transgenic mice used in such research carry a luciferase reporter and a human vascular endothelial growth factor. Living organisms can emit visible light when a luciferin substrate is catalyzed by luciferase and reacts with molecular oxygen. The resulting bioluminescent light is green to red, appears as a result of a chemiluminescent reaction that requires none of the optical excitation needed for fluorescence.
In-vivo imaging can be used to track the progression of a pathogen or tumor in a specimen. The pathogen or tumor is made visible for imaging by modifying the cells to bioluminescence. It is very desirable to be able to superimpose an image of the bioluminescent light on the image of the specimen, e.g., in order to locate and assess the pathogen or tumor relative to its host. But the two cannot be simultaneously shuttered because of the vast difference in light levels.
With prior art charge-coupled bioluminescence camera systems, a five minute long-exposure of an animal subject is used to generate a digital image by collecting a sufficient number of photons in each pixel to generate an image signal that exceeds the image sensor's noise-floor. Imaged over time, the mice in one study showed an increase in bioluminescence that indicated an expression of human vascular endothelial growth factor.
In their article titled, "Validation of a Noninvasive, Real-Time Imaging Technology Using Bioluminescent Escherichia coli in the Neutropenic Mouse Thigh Model of Infection", Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, January 2001, p. 129–137, Vol. 45, No. 1, H. L. Rocchetta, et al., reported that a noninvasive, real-time detection technology was validated for qualitative and quantitative antimicrobial treatment applications. The lux gene cluster of Photorhabdus luminescens was introduced into an Escherichia coli clinical isolate, EC14, on a multicopyplasmid. Such bioluminescent reporter bacterium was used to study antimicrobial effects in vitro and in vivo, using the neutropenic-mouse thigh model of infection.
Bioluminescence was monitored and measured in vitro and in vivo with an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera system, and these results were compared to viable-cell determinations made using conventional plate counting methods. Statistical analysis demonstrated that in the presence or absence of antimicrobial agents (ceftazidime, tetracycline, or ciprofloxacin). A strong correlation existed between bioluminescence levels and viable cell counts. Evaluation of antimicrobial agents in vivo could be reliably performed with either method, as each was reported to be a sound indicator of therapeutic success. Dose-dependent responses were also detected in the neutropenic-mouse thigh model by using either bioluminescence or viable-cell counts as a marker. By monitoring bioluminescence within live animals, these researchers were able to compare the virulence of three strains of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, which carried the lux genes of P. luminescens on a multicopy plasmid. In addition, orally infected animals treated with the antibiotic ciprofloxacin were shown to have reduced bioluminescence over the abdominal area.
The ICCD technology was examined for the benefits of repeatedly monitoring the same animal during treatment studies. The ability to repeatedly measure the same animals reduced variability within the treatment experiments and allowed equal or greater confidence in determining treatment efficacy.
Very low light levels from such tissues can be electronically obscured by the background noise or dark currents thermally generated by camera image devices. Prior-art intensified cameras needed long imaging times and suffer from spurious noise events, high dark counts, high integrated background levels that build with long exposures, and high amplitude "scintillation" ion-feedback noise.
Conventional bi-alkali material photocathodes used in intensified platforms have low quantum efficiencies, high background noise, poor resolution and cosmetic quality, and are typically lens-coupled to a charge-coupled device (CCD). Lens-coupling is relatively inefficient and reduces light-collection efficiencies. Higher gains are therefore needed, and higher gains make the whole more susceptible to scintillation and cosmic ray artifacts in the images.
Chilling has been used to reduce thermally generated noise in electronic devices, but sometimes the amount of cooling needed is extraordinary, expensive, and impractical. Cooling the CCD as low as −90° C. is required to reduce dark current in these devices, and back-thinning is used to improve quantum efficiency. Cooled CCD cameras are reported to have reduced read noise levels of 3–5 electrons, and this limits the detection threshold to 10–20 photons per pixel per sample collection interval, for example.
Olympus Biosystems (Germany) has an Internet website at http://www.olympus-biosystems.com, that explains intensified CCD (ICCD) cameras are basically full-performance CCD cameras optically coupled in two possible ways to an intensifier. A so-called proximity-focused intensifier or wafer tube comprises an entrance window, a photocathode, a microchannel plate (MCP) electron multiplier, and a phosphorescent output screen. The photocathode converts the photons into electrons via the photoelectric effect. The quantum efficiency of the conversion is an important parameter and depends on the coating material which differs in the different generations of intensifiers. The photoelectrons are driven to the MCP which is set under a field of several hundred volts. The MCP contains millions of parallel channels with a diameter of about six micrometers in the newest generations. The channels are coated with a secondary electron emitter which generates more electrons when hit by passing electrons. The intensification gain caused by the avalanche effect of multiple collisions is adjustable over a wide range up to several 10,000. The electrons are accelerated by a voltage of several kilovolts upon exiting the MCP before reaching the phosphor screen. They are converted back into photons with an additional multiplication factor. Conventionally, the screen output light is then relayed to the CCD chip either by a lens or fiber-optic coupling. The advantage of relay lens coupling is the possibility of constructing removable intensifiers that enable to easily convert the ICCD camera reversibly into a standard CCD camera or retrofit an existing camera. However, the light efficiency is a function of transmission and inversely of the square of magnification and lens f-number. It is limited and causes a significant loss of signal and a reduced signal-to-noise ratio.
According to Olympus Biosystems, a much more efficient method to optically couple intensifier and CCD chip is with a fiber-optic taper. However, such component requires a very sophisticated manufacturing process. A fiberoptic taper is a bundle of microscopic fibers 2–3 microns in diameter that guide light from the fluorescent screen to the CCD chip. There are up to nine fibers per pixel usually machined directly onto the diode array. Each microfiber has a cladding to maximize light transmission and a stray-light absorbing coating to contain leakage and prevent the resulting contrast reduction. The signal-to-noise ratio of prior art ICCD cameras is usually worse than that of simple cooled and back-thinned CCD cameras due to the inclusion of several additional noise sources in the intensification stage, e.g., thermal noise from the photocathode, multiplication noise from the MCP, and ion-feedback scintillation noise.

Low-photon flux image-intensified electronic camera


The invention relates to a glove holder unit for a confinement enclosure.. The aim of the invention is to produce a unit making it possible to easily change a protective glove for the hand.. This aim is achieved with the aid of a glove holder unit having a sleeve (11), for protecting the arm and the forearm, assembled to a working glove (15), protecting the hand, and placed in an enclosure. The glove holder unit comprises means (49) for locking an assembly means (17) of the glove (15) and the protective sleeve (11). The locking means (49) being mobile between a locked position, in which they maintain the assembly means (17) and the glove (15) outside the enclosure (1) and an unlocked position in which they allow the passage of the glove (15) and its assembly means (17) between the interior and the exterior of the enclosure.

The invention relates to a glove holder unit for a confinement enclosure, better known under the name glove box.
A confinement enclosure is a chamber having tight, rigid walls and generally having a transparent glass plate making it possible to see from the outside into the enclosure. The enclosure is provided with several orifices in each of which is fixed a glove. Technicians using this confinement enclosure make use of these gloves in order to work within the enclosure and for manipulating various toxic or radioactive products. Consequently, it is essential that such enclosures are tight in order to prevent any pollution to the outside. Once the gloves have become worn, they have to be replaced while still maintaining the seal of the enclosure.
The conventionally used gloves are in one piece and have a length of approximately 70 to 80 cm covering the hand, forearm and part of the arm of the user. These gloves and in particular the part protecting the hand very rapidly become worn and have a very limited life, because they are used in a nitric and/or a radioactive medium.
The replacement of these gloves creates a significant quantity of waste. For illustration only, knowing that a glove has a total weight of approximately 250 g and that on average 500 gloves are used every year in a production unit, there is a waste weight of approximately 125 kg.
In addition, it is expensive to replace these gloves, because it is necessary to change the entire glove, whereas only the end part protecting the hand is generally damaged or worn.
Moreover, it would be of interest to use gloves in two parts, with a first part protecting the arm and a second part only protecting the hand. The second part could be made from different materials and have a thickness, a strength, a shape and dimensions differing as a function of the applications or users for which it is intended. Thus, the user could work with hand protecting gloves of extreme thinness, like the gloves used by surgeons for precise and difficult handling operations, while using thick gloves for manipulations requiring a special protection, but where no adroitness is required. At present this is difficult to put into practice, because it is often necessary to replace the entire glove.
In order to solve the problem of waste and the replacement of worn gloves, U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,609 discloses a glove holder unit comprising a sleeve for protecting the arm and the forearm, which is equipped with bellows and a hand protecting glove, said glove being fitted to the protective sleeve by detachable fixing means. Each detachable glove is fixed to a glove ring or disk cooperating with a ring provided at the end of the bellows-equipped protective sleeve. During the changing of the hand protecting glove, it is necessary to use a special tool for unlocking and separating the glove disk from the end of the bellows-equipped sleeve, in order to introduce a replacement glove also having a glove disk. This device is complex to use and as a result of the need of employing glove disks, the quantity of waste is increased. Moreover, the bellows-equipped sleeve is rigid and limits the movements of the user's arm and forearm.
The invention therefore aims at obviating the aforementioned disadvantages.

Glove holder unit for a confinement enclosure

Cogema-Compagnie Generale Des Matieres Nucleaires