A motion determination system is disclosed. The system may receive a first and a second camera image from a camera, the first camera image received earlier than the second camera image. The system may identify corresponding features in the first and second camera images. The system may receive range data comprising at least one of a first and a second range data from a range detection unit, corresponding to the first and second camera images, respectively. The system may determine first positions and the second positions of the corresponding features using the first camera image and the second camera image. The first positions or the second positions may be determined by also using the range data. The system may determine a change in position of the machine based on differences between the first and second positions, and a VO-based velocity of the machine based on the determined change in position.

Machines such as, for example, dozers, motor graders, wheel loaders, wheel tractor scrapers, and other types of heavy equipment are used to perform a variety of tasks at a worksite. Autonomously and semi-autonomously controlled machines are capable of operating with little or no human input by relying on information received from various machine systems. For example, based on machine movement input, terrain input, and/or machine operational input, a machine can be controlled to remotely and/or automatically complete a programmed task. By receiving appropriate feedback from each of the different machine systems during performance of the task, continuous adjustments to machine operation can be made that help to ensure precision and safety in completion of the task. In order to do so, however, the information provided by the different machine systems should be accurate and reliable. The velocity and change in position of the machine are a few of such parameters, for which accuracy may be important for control of the machine and its operation.
Some exemplary systems determine velocity and change in position based on vision systems, utilizing methods known as visual odometry. For example, an exemplary system that may be used to determine changes in position is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,238,612 to Krishnaswamy et al. that issued on Aug. 7, 2012 (the '612 patent). The system in the '612 patent utilizes two optical cameras (stereo image) to obtain images at two different times. Based on changes between the images from the two cameras at different times, the system determines the translational and rotational movement of a mobile machine on which the cameras are mounted. In another embodiment, the system in the '612 patent utilizes a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) device to obtain a 3D image of a scene at two different times. Based on changes between the LIDAR-based images, the system determines the translational and rotational movement of a mobile machine on which the LIDAR device is mounted.
Although the system of the '612 patent may be useful for determining various motions of a mobile machine, in some situations, a system which utilizes a single camera is desirable. For example, in the interest of saving initial costs and maintenance costs, a machine may be outfitted with only a single camera. A single camera does not provide the stereo image that is required by the system of the '612 patent. Furthermore, the LIDAR-based system of the '612 patent is not suitable for uniform terrain.
The disclosed machine motion determination system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems of the prior art.

Motion estimation utilizing range detection-enhanced visual odometry


A tire pressure sensor including a body, a sealing member and a circuit and signal transmission apparatus is provided. The body includes a first casing, a first hole, a receiving portion and a second casing. The receiving portion connects with the first hole passing through the first casing. The sealing member includes a second hole that is set through the rubber component of and communicates with the first hole. The sealing member is located in the receiving portion. The circuit and signal transmission apparatus includes a circuit apparatus and a hole. The hole positioned on the surface of the circuit apparatus communicates with the first hole and second hole to form an air seal channel. The air pressure of the tire is injected through the air seal channel into the hole, and the tire pressure sensor can detect the pressure and temperature of the air of the tire.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a tire pressure sensor. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tire pressure sensor in which the air pressure of the tire is conducted to a signal transmission apparatus of the tire pressure sensor.
2. Description of Related Art
A tire pressure sensor monitors a vehicle's tire pressure and displays real-time pressure values on a dashboard display while the vehicle is moving. When the pressures in the tire either exceeds a pre-set high pressure value or is lower than a pre-set low pressure value, the tire pressure sensor will send a warning signal to the vehicle operator. The value of real-time monitoring of proper inflation pressure in a vehicle's tires has been demonstrated both in vehicle safety and in minimizing tire wear. At a low tire pressure, the sidewall of the tire is deformed and can often lead a tire blowout. At a high tire pressure, one or more tires lead to uneven tread wear and economic loss.
Therefore, the tire pressure sensor improves vehicle safety and aids drivers in maintaining their vehicle tires. Properly maintained tires ensure vehicle safety, performance and economy.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need to develop a tire pressure sensor through the inflated hole to detect the air pressure of the tire and display real-time pressure values on a dashboard display. When the tire pressure sensor is connected to a tire valve stem, the air pressure of the tire and the air pressure of the tire pressure sensor are the same. Exposing the tire pressure sensor to high air pressures when the vehicle is moving fast is dangerous. The air pressure of the tire may be flat in the hole in which the tire pressure sensor is installed. The tire pressure sensor therefore does not report the correct air pressure. The air pressure of the tire may then break the complex apparatus and the electronic device.

Tire pressure sensor capable of preventing pressure and moisture damage


An ink jet printing device including an ink channel wall defining an ink chamber; a nozzle portion formed with a nozzle connecting the ink chamber with atmosphere; and a thermal heater formed to the ink channel wall adjacent to the nozzle portion, the thermal heater including a Ta--Si--O ternary alloy thin film resistor having a composition of 64% .ltoreq.Ta.ltoreq.85%, 5%.ltoreq.Si.ltoreq.26%, and 6%.ltoreq.O.ltoreq.15% and a nickel film conductor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet printing device using thermal energy to eject ink droplets toward a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application (hereinafter referred to as "OPI Publication") Nos. SHO-48-9622 and SHO-54-51837 disclose ink jet printing devices which apply a thermal pulse to ink filling an orifice to rapidly vaporize a portion of the ink. The energy generated by expansion of the vaporized ink is used to eject an ink droplet from the orifice.
OPI Publication Nos. SHO-48-9622 and SHO-54-51837 describe an ink jet recording device wherein a portion of ink in an ink chamber is rapidly vaporized to form an expanding bubble. The expansion of the bubble ejects an ink droplet from an orifice connected with the ink chamber. As described in the August 1988 edition of Hewlett Packard Journal and the Dec. 28, 1992 edition of Nikkei Mechanical (see page 58), the simplest method for rapidly heating the portion of the ink is by applying an energizing pulse of voltage to a heater. Heaters described in the above-noted documents are constructed from a thin-film resistor and thin-film conductors covered with an anti-corrosion layer for protecting the resistor from corrosion damage. The anti-corrosion layer is additionally covered with one or two anti-cavitation layers for protecting the anti-corrosion layer against cavitation damage.
OPI Publication NO. HEI-6-71888 describes a protection-layerless heater formed from a Cr--Si--SiO or Ta--Si--SiO alloy thin-film resistor and nickel conductors. Absence of protection layers from the heater greatly improves efficiency of heat transmission from the heater to the ink. This allows great increases in print speed, i.e., in frequency at which ink droplets can be ejected.


A double lumen tubing which is adapted for use as a catheter. The tubing accommodates multiple sized guidewires and has increased resistance to kinking. A lumen wall divides the outer tubular wall into the two lumens and has a central arcuate portion shaped to allow insertion of relatively large guidewires through one of the lumens, while still leaving space for smaller guidewires through the other lumen. Resistance to kinking is increased by varying internal diameters or axes of the interior lumen walls to increase the wall thickness of the tubing in selected areas, and by varying the thickness of the wall that divides both lumens in the middle or where the dividing wall meets the outer tubular wall.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices which are used to provide access into the human body. More particularly, the present invention is directed to double lumen catheters which are used to provide infusion and/or removal of fluids from the body.
2. Description of Related Art
Central venous catheters are relatively long tubular devices which have tapered distal tips which are designed for entry into central veins to provide a dedicated route of fluid infusion into the body. The original venous catheters were single lumen devices which provided the ability to infuse a single liquid into the vein at one time. Multiple lumen catheters have since been developed which allow simultaneous introduction of two or more liquids into the vein. The dual lumen catheter is a common design which has been widely used for a number of years.
Dual lumen catheters include a tubular wall which forms a fluid conduit which typically has a circular cross-section. A single divider or lumen wall is formed inside the tubular wall to divide the circular fluid conduit into two lumens. In many instances, it is desirable that the two lumens have cross-sectional areas which are substantially equal. For example, equal lumen size is desirable in situations where the ability to provide two conduits with maximized fluid delivery rates on both lines is important.
Guidewires are commonly used to insert and locate catheters within the vascular system. The distal end of the guidewire is typically inserted into the vascular system and moved to the desired location for the catheter. The distal end of the catheter is then slipped over the guidewire and the catheter inserted into position as guided by the wire. Once the catheter is in position, the guidewire is withdrawn. It is important that the dual lumen catheter be designed to accommodate the use of guidewires. Some dual lumen catheters have included a separate lumen which is specifically designed to receive the guidewire while others have utilized one or both of the two fluid lumens as a temporary guidewire lumen. An advantage of designing and using one specific fluid lumen to receive the guidewire is that the overall size of the dual lumen catheter is minimized. This reduces the size of the wound made during insertion of the catheter into the body and reduces the wound healing time.
An important consideration in designing dual lumen catheters is to make the catheter as kink resistant as possible. In the past, kinking of the catheter during insertion into the body has been a significant problem. Accordingly, it is desirable that the cross-sectional configuration and other design features be chosen to maximize resistance to catheter kinking.
The currently available dual lumen catheters are adequate for their intended purpose. However, there is a continuing need to develop better dual lumen designs. For example, there is a continuing need to provide dual lumen catheters where the cross-sectional areas, i.e. size, of the lumens is kept substantially similar while at the same time the kink resistance and guidewire compatibility of the dual lumen catheter are improved.


A system and method for controlling queues by reducing the amount of redundant operations requested by commands associated with elements in the queue is provided. Control of queueing is provided by combining elements in the queue requesting redundant operations and eliminating those elements from the queue. Priority levels for each of the elements are also combined.

In a network resources are constantly accessed to perform functions or operations based upon specified commands. Different applications or devices within the network may request access to the same system resources to perform the functions or operations. Further, these different applications or devices may request that the system resources perform the same or different functions and/or operations.
A queue is often provided to control requests from different applications or devices within a network to access the system resources. A queue typically contains elements, each having commands or tasks associated therewith for requesting access to the system resources to perform specific functions or operations. The elements may be arranged, for example, based upon time (e.g., first in, first out) or may be arranged based upon priority (e.g., highest priority first). Further, queues may be used to control access to many different types of system resources. For example, a printer queue may be provided for controlling print requests to one or more printers (e.g., controlling the order in which the print commands in the printer queue are executed). As another example, a queue may be provided that controls access to a network device (e.g., storage device) for obtaining status or event information relating to that network device.
Therefore, improving control of the queues may provide improvement in overall network performance (e.g., more efficient access to network resources may reduce access times to the resources). Further, improved control of queues may reduce the amount of network operations needed to execute the commands in the queue (e.g., use less processing power to execute the commands).

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A two tier power module has, in one form thereof, a PC board having upper and lower traces with an opening in the insulating material that contains a power device which has upward extending solder bump connections. An upper leadframe is mounted on the solder bumps and the upper tracks of the PC board. Vias in the PC board connect selected upper and lower traces. A control device is mounted atop the leadframe and wire bonded to the leadframe, and the assembly is encapsulated leaving exposed the bottom surfaces of the lower traces of the PC board as external connections. In another form the PC board is replaced by a planar leadframe and the upper leadframe has stepped sections which make connections with the planar leadframe, the bottom surfaces of the planar leadframe forming external connections of the module.

Semiconductor packages with multiple die (sometimes referred to as hybrid semiconductor devices) provide improved connections between die in the package compared to conventional packaged die which are generally mounted on a printed circuit board, and also reduce the amount of space required on a printed circuit board (PCB) due to the denser concentration of multiple die. A wide variety of such packages are known in the art, and there is a constant need to improve the interconnections between the multiple chips in a package and to increase the number of die to lessen the size of the PCB due to the combination of otherwise individually packaged die within a single package.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that semiconductor package which holds multiple die in a relatively small package compared to common prior art multiple die packages of comparable electrical functionality is desirable.

Semiconductor package with an embedded printed circuit board and stacked die


A light bulb apparatus has a bulb shell, LED modules, a light source plate, an inner tube and an outer cup. The light source plate has a substrate plate. The substrate plate and the inner tube are made of heat dissipation material like metal material. There is a pressing portion of a lateral side of the substrate plate pressing against an inner side of the inner tube part and there is a spacing portion of the lateral side of the substrate plate not engaging the inner side of the inner tube. The outer cup part has top part and a bottom part. The inner cup is placed inside the top part of the outer cup and pressing against the outer cup.

Light bulb and other lighting devices are widely used in the world. LED (light emitted diode) develops for years and now it keeps developing for replacing traditional lighting devices for protecting the environment by providing high efficiency.
However, the LED components need to be kept working in a proper temperature. Otherwise, the life span of the LED components may drop quickly.
In addition, it is important to consider other factors while designing a light device, like manufacturing cost.

Light bulb apparatus with heat dissipation and isolation


Monodisperse colored spherical particles each having two separated color regions of two hues, that is, two-colored spherical particles, useful, for example, for displays of characters, graphics, images and the like, the two hues being for reverse display in terms of electricity and magnetism from the viewpoint of good suitability for display are provided. In the production process and the apparatus for producing the colored spherical polymer particles, microchannels are utilized including a first microchannel through which a colored continuous phase comprising a color dye/pigment dispersed in a fluid dispersing medium containing a polymerizable resin component and having colored phases of different hues is transferred, and a second microchannel through which a spheroidizing disperse phase flows. The process and apparatus spheroidizes the discharged colored continuous phase having two hues and cures the polymerizable resin component in the colored continuous phase, whereby colored spherical polymer particles are formed.

In recent years, a wide variety of types of information are output as records, storage, transmission, and displays to the society. There are a number of output forms of information, and examples thereof include: displays such as CRTs, PDPs, and LCDs; records, storages, and displays on paper (hardcopy) by electrophotographic images such as in copying machines, facsimiles, and printers; and transmissions and displays, for example, by portable telephones or cellular phones and DTAs, and, further, displays of images by electrophoresis of electrifiable black and white colored particles such as PLDs.
Under these circumstances, regarding electrophoresis of electrofiable colored resin fine particles which are electrified within an electrophoretic display cell, electrophoretic display devices are proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 185087/1997 (patent document 1), U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,758 (patent document 2), and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 249366/2001 (patent document 3). For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 249366/2001 (patent document 3) proposes an electrophoretic display device which can realize display contrast by simple matrix drive. This publication describes black and white colored electrification electrophoretic fine particles such as polystyrene and polyethylene filled into a cell of a transparent organic insulating liquid such as silicone oil, toluene, xylene, or high-purity petroleum.
Regarding such colored resin fine particles, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 89510/2001 (patent document 4) describes acrylic colored resin fine particles (average particle diameter: 0.5 to 100 μm) containing an oil-soluble dye and further discloses colored resin fine particles of, for example, a copolymer of an (meth)acrylic monomer with a styrenic monomer. These colored resin fine particles are prepared by absorbing an acrylic monomer containing an alkyl group such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, isobutyl, 2-ethylhexyl, lauryl, cyclohexyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, methoxyethyl, or glycidyl, and an oil-soluble dye in seed particles of a polymer with an average particle diameter of 0.05 to 1 μm, prepared, e.g., by emulsion or suspension polymerization using a dispersion of an aqueous medium, such as a (co)polymer of an (meth)acrylic monomer, a styrenic (co)polymer, a copolymer of an (meth)acrylic monomer with a styrenic monomer, and conducting polymerization.
Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 243267/1992 (patent document 5), blue, yellow, red or other dye-containing colored resin particles, with a particle diameter of 6 to 8 μm, of a styrene-(meth)acrylic copolymer of styrene with methyl acrylate, n-butyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexylmethacrylate are described as toner particles for electrostatic image development. These particles are proposed as resin particles that exhibit charging characteristics of −25 to −30 (μc/g) in terms of amount of electrification as measured by the blow-off method. These particles are prepared by adding thermoplastic resin particles, prepared by polymerization and growth according to a seed polymerization method or a suspension polymerization method, in a system of a dye as a colorant dissolved in an alcoholic solvent to color the resin particles with the dye.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 42683/1989 (patent document 6) describes a particle rotation-type display device. The rotation particles for display which have two separated color regions disclosed in this document are prepared by adding titanium oxide to wax, granulating the mixture by a spray drier method, classifying the particles, and then spraying, for coloring, a carbon black-dispersed alkyd resin enamel onto the hemispherical surface of white wax particles with an average particle diameter of 50 μm. A green pigment is dispersed in wax, a red pigment is dispersed in wax, and a blue pigment is dispersed in wax. The green pigment-dispersed wax, the red pigment-dispersed wax, and the blue pigment-dispersed wax were granulated to prepare respective particles. These particles are classified to prepare green particles with an average particle diameter of 30 to 150 μm, blue particles with an average particle diameter of 30 to 150 μm, and red particles with an average particle diameter of 30 to 150 μm which are then dispersed in RTV rubber. The rubber mass is subjected to color separation while heating at 90° C. under centrifugal force. After cooling, color separated display particles are recovered from thinly cut rubber.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 352421/1999 (patent document 7) discloses a process for producing two-color color separated display rotation particles for use in display of PLDs and the like. In this production process, different color layers are formed on hemispherical surfaces of microballs by a thin-film preparation method such as a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition method, or a spinner coating method.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 122103/2000 (patent document 8) describes rotatable electrifiable electrophoretic color balls of two colors of black and white provided within microcapsules. These two-color balls are prepared by preparing white titanium dioxide-filled glass beads and plastic beads and then vacuum-depositing a mixture of antimony sulfide with magnesium fluoride as a black material onto the hemispherical surfaces.
[Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 185087/1997
[Patent document 2] U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,758
[Patent document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 249366/2001
[Patent document 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 89510/2001
[Patent document 5] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 243267/1992
[Patent document 6] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 42683/1989
[Patent document 7] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 352421/1999
[Patent document 8] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 122103/2000

Process for producing colored spherical polymer particles


There is provided a transmitting apparatus for transmitting data, which includes: compressing means compressing data to be transmitted; packetizing means packetizing the data compressed by the compressing means; a buffer for accumulating the data which are packetized; transmitting means transmitting the data accumulated in the buffer; clearing means clearing the buffer at each time that a predetermined time is lapsed; number-of-data counting means counting the number of the data which are not transmitted within the predetermined time; time measuring means measuring a transmission idle time which lasts from a transmission completion time to a clearing time, in a case where all of the data accumulated in the buffer are transmitted before the predetermined time is lapsed; and compression controlling means controlling a compression rate of the data, depending on the number of the data counted or the transmission idle time measured.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a transmitting apparatus and a transmitting method, a program, and a communications system. In particular, the present invention relates to a transmitting apparatus and a transmitting method, a program, and a communications system, adapted to perform an optimal communication, in which a delay time emphasized in streaming or the like is stabled and so on, by using only information on a transmission side without depending on communications media.
2. Description of Related Art
In a related art, a quality of a communication path is calculated, based on an error rate of a packet on a receiving side or an S/N ratio of a signal to perform an adjustment for changing a transmission rate (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) No. 2006-74359).

Transmitting apparatus, transmitting method, program, and communications system


A conditioning shampoo composition for hair and/or skin comprises a stable microemulsion of a high viscosity, slightly cross-linked silicone with a particle size of <0.15 microns, in combination with a deposition polymer and a surfactant.

The use of silicones in hair treatment compositions is well known and widely documented in the patent literature. Generally, dispersed droplets of silicone are suspended in the composition, which is then applied to the hair to deposit the material on the hair shaft.
Hitherto, steps have had to be taken to prevent the emulsified droplets of silicone oil from agglomerating and the composition creaming during storage. Such steps have for example included the addition of polymers such as Carbopol or certain gums, and/or crystalline materials, to act as suspending agents, but the use of such materials renders the resulting compositions cloudy or opaque, which is a problem if it is desired to formulate optically clear compositions.
The presence of such suspending agents in hair treatment compositions, however, is also disadvantageous because they can lead to dulling of the hair, as well as lowering of other conditioning attributes, as a result of the suspending agent being deposited on the hair in addition to the intended silicone conditioning oil.
It is known in the art that oily cosmetic agents such as silicones can be incorporated into cosmetic compositions by means of microemulsification, whereby the silicone is present as stably emulsified droplets of a particle size of the order of 0.15 microns or less.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4 733 677 discloses leave-on hair fixatives containing cationic organic polymer and polydiorganosiloxane microemulsion. EP A 268 982 describes dimethylpolysiloxane microemulsions for various cosmetic uses, the microemulsified dimethylpolysiloxane being formed by emulsion polymerisation and with a particle size of 0.15 microns or less.
In EP A 0 529 883 there is disclosed a hair shampoo comprising a silicone microemulsion in combination with a cationic deposition polymer. This shampoo has good mechanical stability and high optical transparency or translucency since a suspension system is not required to stabilise the microemulsified particles of silicone.
The silicone microemulsion used in EP A 0 529 883 has a particle size of 0.036 microns and a viscosity of 15,000 centistokes. EP A 0 674 898 discloses how the use of higher viscosity microemulsion in such a system improves the conditioning performance. The viscosity of the microemulsion used here is 60,000 centistokes.
A problem is that even the higher viscosity microemulsion disclosed in EP A 0 674 898 does not give a sufficient conditioning benefit for many people.
We have now found that shampoo compositions having excellent mechanical stability and conditioning ability can be obtained by utilising microemulsions of silicone in which the silicone is very slightly cross-linked in the emulsion form. Neither EP A 0 529 883 nor EP A 0 674 898 make any mention of the silicone microemulsion being cross-linked.


A memory device includes a multi gate field effect transistor (MuGFET) having a fin with a contact area. A programmable memory element abuts the fin contact area.

Programmable resistive memories, such as phase change random access memory (PC-RAM), conductive bridge random access memory (CB-RAM), resistive random access memory (R-RAM), nano-random access memory (NRAM), or oxide-resistive memory (OX-RAM), are considered as promising candidates for future non-volatile memories. They may be integrated with planar bulk metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) technology platforms due to their low power operation and low integration overhead, as they require few steps to form.
Current prototype programmable resistive RAMs may be based on conventional planar bulk MOSFETs, where the resistive memory element is typically implemented as multiple layers above a contact hole in a vertical manner. Programmable resistive memory cells can be used as stand alone memory or as embedded memory within a CMOS logic technology to facilitate non-volatile data storage in applications such as automotive microcontrollers, field-programmable gate arrays, and communications ICs.
While memory cell size is a key figure of merit for stand alone memories, the capability of a simple and cost-efficient integration of the resistive memory cell on top of a CMOS logic technology is of great relevance. A disadvantage of the current approach is that the vertical fabrication of a programmable volume of the resistive memory material in between the metallization layers generates topological height differences in areas with resistive memories and areas without memories, where CMOS circuits are implemented.
In the case of a PC-RAM, the programmable volume is placed between a heater and a top electrode. These topological height differences are undesirable for fabrication of CMOS circuits with typically 6-9 metal layers. Moreover, the size of the programmable volume determines write speed and required current, as well as the magnitude of a reset current. For high performance and low power operation, it is desirable to minimize the programmable volume with desirable write speeds and current requirements.


An electrical terminal is provided for an electrically heated glass sheet. The terminal includes a base plate defining a central axis generally perpendicular thereto. The base plate is concentric about the axis to facilitate spin-soldering the terminal to a conductive pad on the glass sheet. A terminal post projects upwardly from the base plate for connection to an appropriate mating terminal. The terminal is a drawn, one-piece laminated structure including a base conductor layer and a solder layer.

Electrical connector assemblies are used for a wide variety of applications wherein it is desirable to interconnect an electrical device with an electrical power source. Male and female or plug and socket connectors often are used, and the connectors, themselves, employ male and female conductive terminals.
One type of electrical terminal assembly is used for electrically connecting an electrical power source with heating conductors incorporated or embedded in glass sheets, such as in rear window defrosters of automobiles or other vehicles. Specifically, the glass sheets used in the rear windows of vehicles often are heated electrically in order to eliminate or avoid fogging or frosting. Resistance conductors are incorporated or embedded on or in the glass sheet itself. Electric current is supplied to the heating resistance conductors by terminal assemblies which include a glass terminal applied generally to a conductive pad on the glass sheet. A mating harness terminal is electrically coupled to a lead line to the power source. Typically, the glass terminal is a male or plug terminal, and the harness terminal coupled to the lead line is a female or receptacle terminal.
Various problems are encountered in fabricating and using electrical terminal assemblies of the character described, particularly in use with vehicular rear window defroster applications. Applying the glass terminal to the window is also a source of varying problems. It also would be desirable to provide a glass terminal which is "omnidirectional" in which the harness terminal can be secured to the glass terminal in any direction. Protecting the harness terminal, particularly the contacts thereof, during shipping, handling and assembly also is a constant source of problems. It also is desirable to provide the terminals, particularly the harness terminal, with a low profile, yet providing contact beams which will provide high contact forces permanent set. The present invention is directed to solving these problems and satisfying the various needs described above.


A computer-implemented method for quantifying an object in a larger structure using a reconstructed image obtained from an imaging apparatus includes identifying an object boundary in a region of interest of the image and a region of exclusion, and determining a mean value of intensity in a neighborhood of the object to estimate a background value, excluding the region of exclusion. The method further includes determining an interior region, a transition region, and a background region of the object using the object boundary and a transfer function of the imaging apparatus, and determining and displaying a measure of object quantification utilizing intensities of at least one of the determined interior region or the transition region a method for quantifying an object in a larger structure using a reconstructed image obtained from an imaging apparatus.

This invention relates generally to imaging, and more particularly to determining the mass and the volume of an object or objects in reconstructed images. Configurations of the present invention are particularly useful in medical and diagnostic computed tomographic (CT) applications for quantification of calcification and/or lesions, but the present invention is not limited to medical applications or to CT.
In some known CT imaging system configurations, an x-ray source projects a fan-shaped beam which is collimated to lie within an X-Y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system and generally referred to as an "imaging plane". The x-ray beam passes through an object being imaged, such as a patient. The beam, after being attenuated by the object, impinges upon an array of radiation detectors. The intensity of the attenuated radiation beam received at the detector array is dependent upon the attenuation of an x-ray beam by the object. Each detector element of the array produces a separate electrical signal that is a measurement of the beam intensity at the detector location. The intensity measurements from all the detectors are acquired separately to produce a transmission profile.
In third generation CT systems, the x-ray source and the detector array are rotated with a gantry within the imaging plane and around the object to be imaged such that the angle at which the x-ray beam intersects the object constantly changes. A group of x-ray attenuation measurements, i.e., projection data, from the detector array at one gantry angle is referred to as a "view". A "scan" of the object comprises a set of views made at different gantry angles, or view angles, during one revolution of the x-ray source and detector.
In an axial scan, the projection data is processed to construct an image that corresponds to a two-dimensional slice taken through the object. One method for reconstructing an image from a set of projection data is referred to in the art as the filtered backprojection technique. This process converts the attenuation measurements from a scan into integers called "CT numbers" or "Hounsfield units" (HU), which are used to control the brightness of a corresponding pixel on a cathode ray tube display.
To reduce the total scan time, a "helical" scan may be performed. To perform a "helical" scan, the patient is moved while the data for the prescribed number of slices is acquired. Such a system generates a single helix from a fan beam helical scan. The helix mapped out by the fan beam yields projection data from which images in each prescribed slice may be reconstructed.
Reconstruction algorithms for helical scanning typically use helical weighing algorithms that weight the collected data as a function of view angle and detector channel index. Specifically, prior to a filtered backprojection process, the data is weighted according to a helical weighing factor, which is a function of both the gantry angle and detector angle. The weighted data is then processed to generate CT numbers and to construct an image that corresponds to a two-dimensional slice taken through the object.
To further reduce the total acquisition time, multi-slice CT has been introduced. In multi-slice CT, multiple rows of projection data are acquired simultaneously at any time instant. When combined with helical scan mode, the system generates a single helix of cone beam projection data. Similar to the single slice helical, weighting scheme, a method can be derived to multiply the weight with the projection data prior to the filtered backprojection algorithm.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death in the developed world. One known diagnostic imaging exam for the diagnosis of CAD is coronary angiography, which can be used to detect blockages or obstructions in coronary arteries resulting from buildup of plaque. Coronary angiography is an invasive exam, and its application to a large asymptomatic population for the purpose of earlier detection of the disease is impractical. However, coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a good indicator of the presence of plaque. CAC can be imaged using non-invasive methods like computed tomography (CT) imaging.
Imaging the heart poses special difficulties due to its constant motion. An imaging modality used to isolate the motion of a heart requires an acquisition speed of less than 50 ms per slice. Angiography is ideally suited for imaging blockages in the coronary arteries because it provides an acquisition speed of less than 10 ms. Known CT image acquisition systems that provide prospective and retrospective cardiac gating cardiac gating using electrocardiogram (ECG) signals have acquisition speeds that approach about 100 ms. This speed is sufficient to freeze the left portion of a heart at end diastole for imaging the left coronary arteries, which are the arteries of most concern in CAD detection. Known CT imaging systems using cardiac gating make it possible to image a heart non-invasively to determine calcification content of coronary arteries.
A known clinical cause for coronary calcification is a "healing" process of a vessel after its weakening due to a buildup of plaque. There are three stages of calcification of a vessel, namely, a) a completely healed vessel, b) a partially healed vessel, or c) a vessel that has just started the healing process. A vessel may also be between two of these stages. At least some known algorithms for calcification determination utilize AJ, mass score and/or volume score to determine calcification content of arteries. However, variability in reproducibility of the calcification mass and volume results of the known algorithms has been cited as a reason for using CAC only as a very specific negative test.

Method for quantifying an object in a larger structure using a reconstructed image


A method of controlling combustion of an engine improves unstable ignition and knocking which may be generated in an engine to which a diesel-gasoline mixed combustion mode and a gasoline mixed combustion mode are applied to low load and high load driving zones. The method includes: determining a combustion mode according to a current driving state of the engine; determining a compression ratio corresponding to the combustion mode; controlling a variable compression ratio device to control a compression ratio of a cylinder; determining whether the combustion state of the engine obtained during the combustion after the control to the compression ratio satisfies a set condition; and performing a compression ratio compensation such that the combustion state of the engine satisfies the set condition with taking a combustion pressure sensor signal as a feedback signal when the set condition is not satisfied.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for controlling combustion of an engine, and more particularly to a method of and an apparatus for controlling combustion of an engine to improve unstable ignition and knocking which may be generated in an engine to which a diesel-gasoline mixed combustion mode and a gasoline mixed combustion mode are applied to low load and high load driving zones.
2. Description of Related Art
Today, two types of engines are widely used, one is a gasoline engine of a spark ignition (SI) type and the other is a diesel engine of a compression ignition (CI) type.
The SI type engine may be classified into an indirect injection type to inject fuel into a throttle body or an intake manifold and to intake the fuel with air at the intake stroke and a gasoline direct injection (GDI) type to inject fuel directly into a combustion chamber to burn for the improvement of engine performance and fuel ratio and the reduction of exhaust gas.
A port fuel injection (PFI) type engine, as an example of the indirection injection type engine, employs a premixed combustion in which a combustible mixture consisting of the fuel injected into the intake port of the intake manifold and air is introduced into the combustion chamber and is ignited and burnt by an ignition plug in a uniform mixture.
The GDI engine injects the gasoline fuel directly into the combustion chamber similar to in the CI diesel engine and thus lean burn is enabled and advantageous in view of engine performance, fuel ratio, and exhaust gas in comparison to the indirect injection type engine.
In general, the SI gasoline engine has a limit to increase a compression ratio (CR) because the higher risk knocking may occur the higher the CR is, and has poor thermal efficiency and fuel ratio than those of the CI engine.
In order to comply with the gradually strengthening regulations on CO2 and meet the customer demands, it is necessary to increase the CR of an engine but it needs also a technology of preventing knocking from being generated at the increased CR.
In a high CR gasoline engine, knocking is restrained and pumping loss is reduced when an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) device is applied to restrain the knocking, but the existing ignition plug cannot obtain good ignition or makes NOx increase.
Meanwhile, combustion property of the diesel engine is to employ the compression ignition using self-ignition property of diesel fuel and uses high compression ratio to make air in the combustion chamber high pressure and high temperature state, so that the diesel engine has superior thermal efficiency and fuel ratio than the gasoline engine.
In recent, as unexceptional climate changes such as global warming are reported all around the world, environmental regulations affect in many countries, especially advanced countries, more particularly in automobile industrial.
In order to meet the environmental regulation, many researches and developments for the compression ignition engine are being conducted due to the advantages such as a small quantity of unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and CO2. However, the CI engine discharges a great deal of NOx and particulate matters (PM) caused by a not-uniform air-fuel mixture and needs an expensive after-treatment device such as a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a DeNOx for reduction of NOx and PM to meet the regulations.
To overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages, active researches and developments for a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) of making the mixture in the combustion chamber homogeneous to remove an area where a fuel is concentrated known as a PM generating area and of reduce drastic heat are carried out.
The HCCI is advantageous to improve fuel ratio through the compression ignition and lean burn in comparison to the gasoline engine and to reduce PM/NOx through the premixed combustion in comparison to the diesel engine.
However, the HCCI is disadvantageous in difficult control of ignition and burning and excessive pressure increase, burning noise, a low output and is known to have a problem of solving a narrow driving region (is limited to use only in a low speed and a low load driving region of an engine).
Thus, researches for a mixed combustion of burning diesel and gasoline at the same time to avoid the problem of the existing HCCI are carried out.
There is a method of burning a homogeneous fuel, as an example of the diesel-gasoline mixture combustion, in order to suppress knocking caused by the premixing and to control the ignition timing near the TDC by elongating the ignition delay period, by mixing gasoline with a high octane number in advance to make a homogeneous mixture within the combustion chamber during the intake stroke and by directly injecting diesel with a high cetane number for the compression ignition into the combustion chamber for the compression ignition during the compression stroke.
This diesel-gasoline mixture combustion enables to secure ignition of gasoline even under the high EGR condition in comparison to the existing HCCI and not point combustion but volumetric combustion to improve combustion efficiency and fuel ratio than those of the existing gasoline engine because self-ignited diesel acts as an ignition source for combustion of gasoline.
Moreover, the engine employing the diesel-gasoline mixture combustion reduces products of exhaust gas in comparison to the existing diesel engine and the expensive after-treatment device making price increase may be omitted.
However, since, in the diesel-gasoline mixture combustion engine, the mixture combustion is possible only under the condition where the diesel compression ignition may occur, the diesel-gasoline mixture combustion engine must be driven at a compression ratio lower than that of a diesel engine but higher than that of a gasoline engine and a compression ratio of a cylinder thereof is equal to or higher a boundary condition where the diesel compression ignition is secured.
Thus, the diesel-gasoline mixture combustion engine is disadvantageous than the existing diesel engine in view of securing the compression ignition due to the low compression ratio and the high EFG condition in the low load driving region, while possibility of knocking becomes higher than the existing gasoline engine because of the high compression ratio in the high load driving region.
Hence, in order to improve the above-mentioned problems over all driving regions, it needs to apply the diesel-gasoline mixture combustion at a compression ratio higher than that of the existing gasoline engine and lower than that of the existing diesel engine over the low/middle load engine driving regions.
Moreover, it needs a complex combustion mode system capable of utilizing the gasoline combustion to in which a compression ratio employed in a general gasoline engine is applied at the low load and the high load, and to this end concept of a variable compression ratio must be introduced.
In this case, it needs to secure the compression ignition in the region where the diesel-gasoline mixture combustion is applied and even in a region where the gasoline combustion occurs, and to prevent knocking from being generated by the gasoline combustion in the high load region.
To this end, it needs to distinguish combustion modes and to control the same, and a technology of solving the problem caused by the existing fixed compression ratio is needed.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Method and apparatus for controlling combustion of engine having mixed combustion mode


A chip-on-film package includes a base film including a bending area, an integrated circuit chip at an upper surface of the base film, a first line at the upper surface of the base film and overlapping the bending area, a second line at a lower surface of the base film and overlapping the bending area, a via pattern penetrating the base film to electrically couple the first line and the second line, and a common line coupled to the first line and to the integrated circuit chip, wherein at least a portion of the first line does not overlap at least a portion of the second line in a plan view.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a chip-on-film package and a display device including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A display device includes a display panel, a printed circuit board that drives the display panel, and a tape carrier package (TCP) or a chip-on-film (COF) package that electrically couples the printed circuit board to the display panel.
Use of the COF package increases because of advantages of the COF package when compared to the TCP, such as a relatively small thermal expansion coefficient, superior flexibility, relatively thin film, fine pitch, etc.
One end of the COF package is attached to an upper surface of the display panel, and the COF package is bent to be located on a lower surface of the display panel. When a bending area of the COF package exceeds a limit radius of curvature, or when bending stress is accumulated or concentrated in the bending area, cracking may occur at or around the bending area. Due to cracking, wires in the COF package may be damaged, or defects in driving of the COF package may occur, thereby deteriorating display quality of the display device.

Chip-on-film package and display device including the same


A pod has a rotatable housing and a motor for driving the rotatable housing to rotate. The rotatable housing includes an image capture device for capturing an electromagnetic image and a radar transmitting and capturing device for capturing a radar image. The motor is operable to change an orientation of the rotatable housing relative to a pod housing, such that a desired one of the electromagnetic image capture device and the radar transmission and reception system faces an area that is to be studied. A method is also disclosed.

This application relates to a structure carrying both an image capture window for an electro-optic or infrared camera, and a radome for radar image capture.
Surveillance pods are known and are also known as reconnaissance pods. Typically, the pods may be attached to an aircraft.
A rotating housing is mounted within the pod and one type carries a window and an image capture device, such as a camera for capturing information in the form of electromagnetic images such as electro-optic or infrared images. Rotation of the housing allows the location of image capture on the ground to be varied. At times, the electromagnetic image may be obscured, for example, if there is cloud cover above the area on the ground of interest.
Radar image capture devices are also utilized in pods. A radar capture device will transmit and receive signals through a surface called a radome. To date, the electro-optic or infrared image capture devices have been mounted in a single, dedicated housing and the radar systems mounted in a separate, second housing.
In some applications, one may wish to utilize a radar capture device in combination with an electromagnetic image capture device. The requirement for having two entirely different devices, and their associated pods, has resulted in unduly large and complex systems.

Rotating window and radome for surveillance pod


Embodiments of the disclosure provide an exposure method and an exposure device. The exposure method comprises: placing at least two transparent substrates coated with photoresist under one mask, wherein all of the at least two substrates are in parallel with the mask; irradiating the mask vertically with parallel exposure light to respectively expose the photoresist on the at least two substrates along a propagation direction of the exposure light.

With the advantages of stable and vivid image, low radiation, saving space and saving energy, liquid crystal display (LCD) has dominated the flat panel display field. Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) is an important liquid crystal display, and a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) array substrate and a color filter substrate are main components of the TFT-LCD. The manufacture efficiency of the array substrate and the color filter substrate determines the production efficiency of the whole display device.
During manufacturing the array substrate and the color filter substrate, photolithography technique is very important. As shown in FIG. 2, the photolithography technique generally comprises: coating a photoresist (steps S1′-S2′ shown in FIG. 2), prebaking and exposing (step S3′ shown in FIG. 2), developing (step S4′ shown in FIG. 2) and post-baking. In the step of coating the photoresist, the photoresist is coated on the substrate after forming a film on the substrate. In the step of prebaking, the photoresist is preheated and moisture in the photoresist is removed so as to enhance the adhesion between the photoresist and the substrate. In the step of exposing, exposure light is irradiated on the photoresist through a mask and the photoresist is exposed. In the step of developing, the exposed portion of the photoresist is removed through a developer, thereby forming a desired pattern. In the step of post-baking, the un-exposed portion of the photoresist is cured and the adhesion between the un-exposed portion of the photoresist and the substrate is enhanced.
Presently, the exposure device mainly comprises a light source for providing parallel exposure light, a mask and an exposure platform. As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate 2 coated with a photoresist 3 is placed on an exposure platform 4; parallel exposure light 5 provided by the light source vertically irradiates on the substrate 2 through a mask 1, so as to form a pattern in accordance with the mask. Thus, one mask is only able to expose one substrate every time, and merely the exposure of one substrate is completed within the cycle of one production. Meanwhile, only a few part of the exposure light provided by the light source is utilized, and most of other light is lost and is not utilized sufficiently. Therefore, the exposure method and the exposure device are low in exposure efficiency and cause the waste of energy resource.

BEIJING BOE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A cooking pot includes a pot body having a bottom wall and a peripheral wall and defining a cooking cavity within the peripheral wall; and a fluid reservoir including a surrounding wall provided at a mid-portion of the pot body and defining a fluid cavity for receiving a predetermined amount of liquid therein. During dry cooking process, the peripheral wall of the pot body is directly heat-conducted for dry cooking the food within the cooking cavity while the surrounding wall of the fluid reservoir is heat-conducted through the liquid for dry cooking the food within the cooking cavity.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a cooking pot, and more particularly to a cooking pot for dry-cooking, wherein the heat from the heat source is transferred for dry-cooking the food though the thermal conduction of the cooking pot and the thermal convection.
Description of Related Arts
Cooking pots are one type of cookware commonly found in a kitchen. The cooking pot is made of heat conductive material to transfer heat from a bottom surface to an interior cooking surface when the bottom surface of the cooking pot is placed on top of a heat source, such as a gas heater and an electric heater. For minimizing the heat loss of the cooking pot, the size of the bottom surface of the conventional cooking pot should be larger than the size of the heat generating surface from the heat source. In other words, the bottom surface of the conventional cooking pot should cover the heat generating surface from the heat source. Generally speaking, a mid-portion of the bottom surface of the conventional cooking pot will be heated first by the heat source, and the heat from the mid-portion of the bottom surface will be radially dissipated to the peripheral-portion of the bottom surface. In other words, the temperature at the center portion of the conventional cooking pot will be extremely higher than the temperature at the peripheral portion during cooking.
One of the common cooking methods is a food boiling method by using the cooking pot is to fill a predetermined amount of fluid, such as soup or water, as a heat transferring medium in the cooking pot. For example, the cooking pot is filled with water for boiling the liquid therein. In such a manner, the heat generated by the heat source can be conducted through the bottom surface of the cooking pot to the water so as to cook the foods in the water. It is worth mentioning that since the heat from the heat source will boil the water first, the heat can be evenly dissipated through the water in the cooking pot.
Another cooking method is dry cooking. In the dry cooking method, the food is cooked with a relatively less amount of water. Sometimes, the food is cooked in a waterless manner in such dry cooking method. The main concept of this dry cooking method is to directly transfer the heat from the heat source to the food through the conductive material of the cooking pot. In other words, the food will be cooked through the direct contact of the cooking surface of the cooking pot. In other words, the food is cooked by the heat conductive ability of cooking pot while the heat conductive ability will be dramatically affected by the structure of the cooking pot.
However, in the dry cooking process, the conventional cooking pot has several drawbacks. A major drawback of the conventional cooking pot is that the cooking pot provides an unevenly heating conductive ability. In other words, the food cooking within the conventional cooking pot is easy to be over-burnt after the less amount of water is evaporated. Owing to that the cooking surface of the conventional cooking pot is larger than the heat generating surface from the heat source, the temperature of the mid-portion of the bottom surface of the cooking pot is higher than the temperature of the peripheral portion thereof. Therefore, the foods placed at the mid-portion of the bottom surface of the cooking pot are rapidly cooked. But, at the same time, the foods placed at the peripheral portion of the bottom surface of the cooking pot will not be cooked yet. In other words, the foods placed at the center of the cooking pot are easily scorched.
Furthermore, each conventional cooking pot can only provide one single cooking method. When the user uses one cooking pot for cooking the food by boiling method, the same cooking pot cannot be used for cooking different foods via another cooking method such as dry cooking method. It will be time-consuming when the users want to cook different foods via different cooking methods at the same time by using the same cooking pot. It will be a waste of gas to cook different foods by using different cooking pots.


A method (30) for manufacturing a dental superstructure or part thereof is provided. The method comprises the steps of (i) making (31) a dental imprint from the mouth of a subject; (ii) mounting (32) an analog in the imprint to obtain a working model; (iii) attaching (33) a screw channel directing device (10, 20), comprising a screw channel part (11, 21) and an implant cooperating part (12, 22), said screw channel part (11, 21) being tiltable in relation to the implant cooperating part (12, 22), to the working model; (iv) tilting (34) the screw channel part (11, 21) in relation to the implant cooperating part (12, 22) into a desired angle; (v) shaping a mold creating a master superstructure or part thereof onto the screw channel directing device (10, 20); (vi) forming (37) a mold based on the master superstructure or part thereof; and (vii) casting (38) or CAD/CAM shaping of the dental superstructure or part thereof. Embodiments of screw channel directing devices are also provided.

When securing a dental prosthesis to the jaw of a patient, it is commonly known to attach a superstructure to osseointegrated dental implants. However, since the position and angle of the dental implants vary greatly from patient to patient, the use of angled distances is common. These distances are placed upon the dental implant, and the superstructure is then most often cemented to the distances, since it is difficult to screw retain the superstructure to such distances. However, when using separate distances, these will inevitably extend—at least to some extent—in the axial direction of the dental implant. It is then often very difficult or even impossible to apply the superstructure on such distances, since the application of the superstructure calls for a substantially parallel arrangement of the distances. Also, the mounting process when using such distances is very complicated and cumbersome, since a vast number of different distances must be tested on the implants, to find the needed match. Also, interfaces between the distances and the superstructure are hygienically bad.
In order to model the desired position of the screw channel mouth in screw retained superstructures, it is known to position acrylic tubes on a model of the jaw of a subject. The model shows the position of the osseointegrated dental implants, and the acrylic tubes are placed at these positions and bent to the desired curvature before a mould is formed, based on the bent acrylic tubes. Subsequently, separate seat support cylinders are planarized together with the casted superstructure, whereafter the separate screw member seat support cylinders are welded onto the casted superstructure.
However, it may be hard to bend the acrylic tubes correctly. Bending the tubes to the desired curvature is tedious and the tubes may flex after bending, which may result in a mould with erroneous angles. Furthermore, it is only possible to obtain bent screw channels, following a curvature, whereby the angle between the central axis of the mouth of the attached screw seat and the central axis of the screw channel mouth is limited to angles less than 17 degrees. Also, the manufacturing procedure is quite cumbersome, including several separate manufacturing steps, such as casting, planarization, fitting, welding etc.
Thus, there is a need for a new method and device, allowing for improved construction of angled distances.

Superstructure and methods for manufacturing the same


A retention member for use with a junction box. The retention member includes a beam, at least one resilient retention member and securing members. The securing members extend from the beam and are operable between an unsecured position in which the at least one resilient retention member of the beam is not placed in engagement with the at least one electrical component and a secured position in which the at least one resilient retention member of the beam is placed in engagement with and exerts a force on the at least one electrical component. Wherein when the securing member is in the secured position, the at least one resilient retention member of the beam maintains the at least one electrical component in electrical engagement with mating electrical components of the junction box.

Automotive vehicles include many electrical systems, such as lighting, signaling, instrumentation and engine control. Networks of wires and cables, which run throughout the vehicle, generally interconnect these electrical systems. Each of these electrical subsystems includes numerous electrical components, such as fuses, relays and connectors. In some vehicles, the fuses and relays are distributed throughout the vehicle. Other vehicles have many of the wires and cables routed through an electrical junction box, which houses most or all of the fuses and relays in the vehicle. In this manner, the electrical junction box can be considered as a container for electrical junctions.
As the electronics in vehicles increases, the space provided to house all of the fuses and relays becomes more limited. The junction boxes may also be oriented in any direction from vertical to horizontal. In addition, as the junction boxes are mounted in vehicles, the junction boxes and the fuses and relays are subjected to conditions such as vibration, which may cause the electrical connection between the fuses and relays and the mating components to be ineffective. It is therefore important that the relays and fuses be maintained in electrical contact with the mating components over time.
In order to provide for such a secure connection, covers may be applied to the junction box. One example of known junction boxes comprises a body having electrical parts (such as relays and fuses) mounted thereon and a cover attached to a lower surface of the body. A plurality of elastically-deformable lock piece portions are formed on and project from the body, and lock portions, corresponding respectively to the lock piece portions, are formed at the cover. The lock piece portions are elastically deformed to be retainingly engaged with the lock portions respectively, thereby connecting the cover to the lower surface of the body in a united manner. The cover cooperates with the relays and fuses to maintain the relays and fuses in proper electrical engagement. However, covers are often difficult to access particularly in confined spaces, thereby making difficult the repair and/or replacement of the fuses or relays.
Alternatively, a number of locking terminals may be provided to cooperate with the terminals of the relay or fuse to lock them in position relative to the junction box. Examples of such electrical junction boxes consist of relay terminals, housing members having receiving cavities formed therein for receiving the relay terminals, circuit bodies having mating terminals which mate with the relay terminals, and locking means provided on the relay terminals for locking the relay terminals in the receiving cavities of the housing members. However, such junction boxes suffer from various deficiencies, including the unreliably of the connection over time as the relays can become disassembled.
It would, therefore, be beneficial to provide a junction box in which the fuse and relays are properly positioned and maintained in a secure electrical engagement with the mating components regardless of the orientation and the placement of the junction box. In addition, it would be beneficial to provide a securing mechanism which can be accessed in confined spaces and which allows for the ease of repair and/or replacement of the fuses or relays.

Retention member for use with an electrical junction box


The invention discloses novel alkoxylated salicylate esters of silicone compounds which contain an ester linkage, a polyoxyalkylene portion and a silicone polymer portion. Compounds of the invention are made by reacting (a) an alkoxylated carboxy silicone, and (b) salicylic acid to form an ester. Compounds of the invention by virtue of (i) the silicone group, (ii) the ester group and (iii) the ultra violet absorbing group salicylic, the compounds are effective durable ultra violet absorbers. The presence of the polyoxyalkylene portion of the molecule allows for the modification of the solubilities of the molecule in a variety of polar and non-polar solvents.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention discloses novel alkoxylated salicylate esters of silicone compounds which contain an ester linkage, a polyoxyalkylene portion and a silicone polymer portion in the same molecule. Compounds of the invention are made by reacting (a) an alkoxylated carboxy silicone, and (b) salicylic acid to form an ester. Compounds of the invention by virtue of (i) the silicone group, (ii) the ester group and (iii) the ultra violet absorbing group salicylic, the compounds are effective durable ultra violet absorbers. The presence of the polyoxyalkylene portion of the molecule allows for the modification of the solubilities of the molecule in a variety of polar and non-polar solvents.
The reaction used to prepare the compounds of the present invention is an esterification of a carboxy silicone and salicylic acid. The resulting ester provides ultra violet absorbance and is durable to substrates like textile fabrics, hair and skin.
2. Arts and Practices
Silicone compounds have been known to be active at the surface of plastic, cellulosic and synthetic fibers as well as paper. They are good nondurable lubricants and are very stable to oxidation, however, their high cost and lack of efficiency at low concentrations as well as low durability have made their acceptance in commercial products quite low. In all instances, commercially available quaternaries are the active ingredient in traditional laundry care markets, with little or no silicone added.
The low efficiency and low durability of dimethylpolysiloxane is due to the fact that it is very water insoluble and deposits on the surface to obtain a minimum free energy in the solution. Simply, the silicone oil delivery to the surface by hydrophobic binding, not chemical bonding. At the surface, the dimethylpolysiloxane is a very effective fiber lubricant, however, there are two drawbacks, first; the dimethylpolysiloxane is not chemically bonded so the effect is very transient and disappears with one washing, and second; since there is no reaction of the dimethylpolysiloxane to the surface an equilibrium between fiber absorbed dimethylpolysiloxane and dimethylpolysiloxane in the dispersion results in very inefficient percentage of silicone deposited. A large amount of the expensive silicone goes down the drain with the waste water. The presence of the polyoxyalkylene portion of the molecule allows for the modification of the solubilities of the molecule in a variety of polar and non-polar solvents.
Silicone oils do not provide ultra violet absorption, and consequently protection from the damaging effects of the sun. The aromatic compounds that provide this type of absorbance are not durable to the surfaces of substrates.
Silicone carboxy compounds have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,296,625 to O'Lenick, incorporated herein by reference.


An optical filtering device and an optical inspection apparatus for detecting a defect in a high sensitivity using an optical filtering device which includes a shutter array formed in a two-dimensionally on an optically opaque thin film produced on a SOI wafer and the SOI wafer is removed at portions thereof on the lower side of the shutter patterns to form perforation portions while working electrodes are formed at the remaining portion of the SOI wafer, a glass substrate having electrode patterns formed on the surface thereof and having the shutter array mounted thereon, and a power supply section for supplying electric power to the electrode patterns formed on the glass substrate and the working electrodes of the SOI wafer. And the working electrodes is controlled to cause the shutter patterns to carry out opening and closing movements with respect to the perforation portions to carry out optical filtering.

The present invention relates to an optical filtering device which blocks light to a desired region from within incident light while it transmits the remaining light therethrough, and a method of and an apparatus for comparing an optical image of an inspection object article and a reference image with each other using the optical filtering device and detecting a fine pattern defect or a foreign article from the difference between the images. More particularly, the present invention relates to a defect inspection method for carrying an appearance inspection of a semiconductor wafer, a photo mask, a liquid crystal device and so forth and an apparatus for the defect inspection method.
In fabrication of semiconductor devices, a substrate (wafer) on which a semiconductor device is to be formed is processed by up to several hundred fabrication steps to obtain a product. At the steps, a foreign article sticks to a substrate (wafer) or a pattern defect is caused by step dispersion in pattern formation or the like, and they make a semiconductor device defective. Further, in a defect inspection system for a semiconductor device, as miniaturization of patterns progresses, it is demanded not only to detect a finer defect or foreign article but also to detect an interesting object (DOI (Defect of Interest)). Simultaneously, needs for classification of various kinds of DOIs or defects which are not desired to detect are growing. To satisfy such needs, a defect inspection apparatus has been and is being developed, fabricated and sold in recent years which includes a plurality of detection optical systems and image processing systems (hereinafter referred to as detection head) and uses detection signals of the detection optical systems to achieve increase of the types of defects which can be detected and improvement in defect detection performance. Such a defect inspection apparatus as described above has been and is being applied to a semiconductor production line.
The defect detection apparatus for a semiconductor device is used to detect a pattern defect or a foreign article which occurs at such a step as, for example, a lithography step, a film-forming step or an etching step by inspecting the surface of a substrate after completion of the step and issue a cleaning carrying out instruction for the apparatus for the step. Or, the defect detection apparatus is used to detect, at an early stage, occurrence of a defective article by feeding a substrate, which is in a state in which it already suffers from a fatal defect, to succeeding steps.
A substrate for which a predetermined process has been carried out at a preceding step and on which a semiconductor device is being formed is loaded into an inspection apparatus. An image of the surface of the substrate (wafer) on which a semiconductor device is being formed is picked up and acquired, and such a defect signal decision threshold value defect decision process as disclosed in JP-A-2003-83907 (Patent Document 1), JP-A-2003-98113 (Patent Document 2), JP-A-2003-271927 (Patent Document 3) or the like is carried out based on the image thereby to carry out a defect decision. Then, the number of defects on the substrate and so forth are outputted.
If the detected defect number Nt is smaller than a defect number threshold value Nc set in advance, then the substrate (wafer) is sent as it is to a next step. If the defect number Nt is greater than the defect number threshold value Nc, then a cleaning carrying out instruction of the preceding step apparatus is issued, whereafter propriety of regeneration of the substrate is decided. If it is decided that the substrate can be regenerated, then the substrate is cleaned at a cleaning step and then is sent to the next step through the inspection step again.
In the substrate (wafer) which is an inspection object article and on which a semiconductor device is being formed, portions 1 and 1′ (hereinafter referred to each as die) having a same pattern are juxtaposed regularly as shown in FIG. 4. The defect inspection method and the defect inspection apparatus to which the present invention is directed compare images at positions in adjacent dies which have same inter-die coordinates with each other and carry out defect detection decision based on a difference between the images.
The semiconductor defect inspection system is ready for detection of a finer DOI and a requirement for a high speed inspection by adopting the following technique in addition to the technique described above. In particular, diffracted light from patterns on a semiconductor device is blocked using a spatial filter so that it may not be reflected on the inspection image to detect a foreign article or a defect on the semiconductor device with a high sensitivity as disclosed, for example, in JP-A-2000-105203 (Patent Document 4).
However, with such a spatial filter configured by juxtaposition of bar-like plates as disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document, it is difficult to block, for example, diffracted light of a plurality of pitches formed on the Fourier transform plane and caused by the presence of a plurality of pitches of patterns formed on a semiconductor device. Further, if a light source having a plurality of illumination wavelengths or a plurality of laser light sources of different oscillation wavelengths are used to illuminate a semiconductor device, then even if the patterns have a single pitch, diffracted light of a plurality of pitches is generated on the Fourier transform plane and it is difficult to block such diffracted light. Further, even if such light blocking is possible, the light blocking region becomes excessively great and this results in substantial reduction in size of apertures. This gives rise to a problem that the defect detection sensitivity drops.
On the other hand, if a light source having a plurality of illumination waveforms or a plurality of laser light sources having different oscillation wavelengths are used to illuminate a semiconductor device, then even if the patterns have a single pitch, it is similarly difficult to block light except a case in which the ratio of the plural light wavelengths and the pattern pitch on a semiconductor device have a special relationship. Or, even if it is possible to block light, the defect detection sensitivity drops from a similar reason.
From such reasons as described above, a defect inspection method which uses not a spatial filter wherein bar-like plates are arrayed one-dimensionally but a spatial filter having devices arrayed two-dimensionally has been proposed.
For example, as a two-dimensional optical filtering technique which can block light to an arbitrary region, a PLZT filter and a liquid crystal filter which use double refraction are available. However, since the former has a wavelength dependency in working characteristic thereof, filtering of illumination light of a plurality of wavelengths is difficult. The latter can detect only scattered light of particular polarized light, and scattered light components polarized in a direction perpendicular to the polarization direction are blocked. Therefore, depending upon the polarization characteristic of scattered light from a defect, the detection sensitivity drops significantly. Further, the latter has such a subject that the durability when ultraviolet rays are irradiated thereon is low and gives rise to a problem that the light source to be used for inspection is limited.
Therefore, development wherein a device in the form of a two-dimensional array which does not utilize a double refraction effect is utilized as a spatial filter is being progressed. Among such devices, a device draws attention which uses a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) technology because the ratio in transmission light intensity upon ON/OFF switching (light transmission ratio) thereof is high.
As a device for separating an arbitrary region in which the MEMS technology is used and any other region, a method which uses such a two-dimensional DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) as disclosed in JP-A-2004-170111 (Patent Document 5), another method which uses such a micro actuator array and micromirrors as disclosed in JP-A-2004-184564 (Patent Document 6) and a further method which uses an array of micro shutters by T. Takahashi et al. are available.
Of the methods mentioned, the former two methods, namely, the methods which use micromirrors, utilize that, if a desired potential difference is applied to different portions of a device to change the direction of the mirrors, then the direction in which light irradiated toward the mirrors is reflected changes.

Optical filtering device, defect inspection method and apparatus therefor


Determining occupants' interactions in a space by applying a computer vision algorithm to track an occupant in a set of images of a space to obtain locations in the space of the occupant over time, where a history log of the occupant includes the locations of the occupant in the space over time is created and history logs of a plurality of occupants are compared to extract interaction points between the plurality of occupants.

The ability to detect and monitor occupancy in a space, such as a room or building, enables planning and controlling building systems for better space utilization, to minimize energy use, for security systems and more.
Planning and controlling building systems for better space utilization (for example) may require understanding interaction between occupants in the space. For example, measures taken to prevent the spread of a contagious disease may include physical distancing, namely, maintaining a physical distance between people and reducing the number of times people come into close contact with each other. Physical distancing typically involves keeping people at a certain distance from each other and avoiding gathering together in large groups.
There is currently no system that enables real-time monitoring of physical distancing in building and other spaces.

Method and system for detecting occupant interactions


An inkjet printhead integrated circuit includes: a substrate having a silicon layer; a nozzle plate disposed on the silicon layer; and embedded inkjet nozzle devices. Each inkjet nozzle device includes a nozzle chamber having a roof actuator; drive circuitry laterally disposed relative to the nozzle chamber; a connection arm extending parallel with the nozzle plate from the actuator towards the drive circuitry; and a metal via interconnecting each connection arm and the drive circuitry, the metal via extending perpendicularly to the nozzle plate. The drive circuitry is positioned proximal the nozzle plate relative to a plane of the floor.

The Applicant has developed a range of Memjet® inkjet printers as described in, for example, WO2011/143700, WO2011/143699 and WO2009/089567, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. Memjet® printers employ a stationary pagewidth printhead in combination with a feed mechanism which feeds print media past the printhead in a single pass. Memjet® printers therefore provide much higher printing speeds than conventional scanning inkjet printers.
An inkjet printhead is comprised of a plurality (typically thousands) of individual inkjet nozzle devices, each supplied with ink. Each inkjet nozzle device typically comprises a nozzle chamber having a nozzle aperture and an actuator for ejecting ink through the nozzle aperture. The design space for inkjet nozzle devices is vast and a plethora of different nozzle devices have been described in the patent literature, including different types of actuators and different device configurations.
Most current inkjet printheads comprise one or more MEMS printhead integrated circuits, whereby inkjet nozzle devices are fabricated on a CMOS silicon wafer using MEMS fabrication techniques. Integration of MEMS and CMOS features is a crucial aspect of MEMS printhead design.
Research Disclosure 596074 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,938,340 describe inkjet nozzle devices comprising a MEMS layer disposed on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The insulator layer facilitates control of backside ink channel etch processes.
Some types of inkjet nozzle devices employ an actuator bonded to the roof of a nozzle chamber. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,654,645 describes thermal bubble-forming actuators bonded to the roof of the nozzle chamber; U.S. Pat. No. 5,812,162 describes thermal actuators bonded to the roof of the nozzle chamber, which warm ink to reduce surface tension and cause droplet ejection; U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,503 describes nozzle chambers having a moving roof portion comprising a thermoelastic bend actuator; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,828,394 describes a nozzle chamber having a moving roof portion comprising piezoelectric actuator.
Roof-bonded actuators present different design challenges compared to more usual floor-bonded actuators. This is because MEMS-CMOS integration must deliver power efficiently from drive transistors in the CMOS layer up to the actuators in the MEMS layer, inevitably using electrical connectors which extend over a height of the nozzle chamber. This, in turn, places practical limitations on nozzle chamber heights.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,794,056 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,819,503 describe two different types of electrical connectors for delivering current to a thermoelastic actuator positioned in a moving portion of a nozzle chamber roof.
It would be desirable to provide a printhead have excellent nozzle plate robustness. It would further be desirable to provide an improved fabrication process for integrating MEMS and CMOS features. It would further be desirable to provide inkjet nozzle devices having roof actuators with excellent electrical efficiency and, particularly, power transfer from drive circuitry which is independent of nozzle chamber height.

Inkjet nozzle device with roof actuator connected to lateral drive circuitry


Provided are a new electron transport material and an organic electroluminescent device including the same. The electron transport material according to the present invention may have the excellent luminescence property and reduce the driving voltage to increase the power efficiency, such that the organic electroluminescent device using less consumption power may be manufactured.

An organic electroluminescent device is a device emitting light while electrons and holes disappear after being coupled in pairs when an electron charge is injected into an organic film formed between an electron injection electrode (cathode) and a hole injection electrode (anode). The organic electroluminescent device has advantages in that the device may be formed on a flexible transparent substrate made of, for example, plastic material, driven at a low voltage (10V or less) as compared with a plasma display panel or an inorganic electroluminescent (EL) display, has relatively low power consumption and excellent color sensation.
Generally, the organic electroluminescent device has a structure consisting of a substrate, an anode, a hole injection layer receiving a hole from the anode, a hole transport layer transporting the hole, a luminescent layer emitting light while the hole and an electron are bonded, an electron transport layer receiving the electrode from a cathode to transport the electron to the luminescent layer, and the cathode. In some cases, the luminescent layer may be configured by applying a small amount of a fluorescent or phosphorescent dye to the electron transport layer or the hole transport layer without a separate luminescent layer. In the case of using a polymer, generally, one polymer may entirely serve as the hole transport layer, the luminescent layer, and the electron transport layer. Organic thin film layers between two electrodes may be formed by a method such as a vacuum deposition method, a spin coating method, an inkjet printing method, a roll coating method, or the like, and for effective injection of the electron from the cathode, a separate electron injection layer may be inserted.
In the case in which an interface between the electrode and an organic material is stabilized, or in the case of the organic material, since there is a large difference in a movement rate between the hole and the electron, an appropriate hole transport layer and electron transport layer are used, the hole and the electron may be effectively transported to the luminescent layer. In addition, in order to balance the hole and the electron densities in the luminescent layer to increase luminescence efficiency, the organic electroluminescent device is manufactured to have a multi-layer thin film structure.
Meanwhile, as a representative example of the existing electron transport material, there are aluminum complex and beryllium complex such as Alq3 (tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum(III)) and Bebq (bis(10-hydroxybenzo-[h]quinolinato)beryllium). However, in the case in which these materials are used in a blue electroluminescent device, color purity may be decreased due to luminescence caused by exciton diffusion.
In addition, TPBI, which was reported by Kodak in 1996 disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,948, (See the following structure), is known to be a representative material for electron transport layer having an imidazole group. This material contains three N-phenyl benzimidazole groups at 1, 3, and 5 substitution positions of benzene, and has a function of blocking holes from a luminescent layer as well as transporting electrons. However, stability of TPBI is too low to be actually used in the device.

In the case of the electron transport material according to the related art, unlike the reported contents, actually, the material may slightly improve only a driving voltage, or there are problems such as significant deterioration of a device driving lifespan or negative properties such as variation in the device lifespan according to the color, and deterioration of thermal stability, or the like.
In addition, a fluorescent material was used in the organic electroluminescent device according to the related art, but gradually, phosphorescent material has been mainly used in the organic electroluminescent device. Therefore, in the electron transport material, which is a common material of the organic electroluminescent device, electron mobility appropriate for the phosphorescent material, low driving voltage, and a hole blocking property have been required.

Electron transport material and organic electroluminescent device using the same


Retractor blades for a retractor system are disclosed. The blades are designed for use in preparing an area of the body for a surgical procedure. The retractor blades are configured with different lengths and with different blade tip geometries to facilitate engagement with vertebrae for the oblique lateral interbody fusion surgical approach.

Retractor systems may be used in a variety of different surgical procedures to provide an opening through which the doctor may access the surgical site. In spinal surgeries, for example, a retractor system may be used to provide the surgeon with access to the patient's spine. The opening created by the retractor system may, for example, enable the doctor to insert surgical instruments into the body or enable visualization of the surgical site using X-ray.
Retractor systems may include a plurality of blades. In use, the blades may be inserted into an incision and then retracted to displace tissue surrounding the incision, thereby exposing the surgical site. To minimize trauma to the tissue, this tissue displacement should be refined and controlled. However, current retractor systems do not provide desired control of the distraction. More particularly, the devices currently in use limit the ability of the surgeon to feel the resistance at the blades as tissue is being retracted. The devices currently in use also limit the surgeon's ability to position and rotate the blades independently. This limited control takes away the skilled surgeon's ability to finely adjust the movement of the retractor blades.
There is a need in the art for a system and method that addresses the shortcomings discussed above.

Retractor blades for modular system and method of use

Institute for Musculoskeletal Science and Education, Ltd.


A plug connector 1 and a receptacle connector 5 are provided with two poles of power plug contacts 30, 30 and power receptacle contacts 70, 70, respectively, at end portions of their housings 10 and 50 on the right and left sides of signal contacts 20, 60, and 60'. The right and left end portions of the housings 10 and 50 are provided with connector securing metal parts 40 and 80 made of a conductive material, which cover the power contacts 30 and 70, respectively, whereby the connectors can be attached to circuit boards. When both connectors 1 and 5 mate together, the connector securing metal parts 40 and 80, the power contacts 30 and 70, the contacts 60, 60', and 20 are successively connected to each other.

So-called notebook personal computers and the like are configured such that, in order to reduce the size of their main body, external storage devices such as FD and CD-ROM drives can be connected thereto by means of connectors. Also, such a notebook personal computer is typically constructed so as to use a rechargeable battery (so-called battery pack) as its power supply.
In order to connect with an external storage device, a signal connector having about 80 pins of signal contacts is necessary, while a power connector having a power contact with a capacity larger than that of the signal contacts is required for connecting with a battery pack. When both the signal connector for connecting with the external storage device and the power connector for connecting with the battery pack are provided, the notebook computer, which has a limited space for utilizing connectors, is likely to increase in size.
Accordingly, the connector utilized in the personal computer may be configured so as to be used as both signal connector and power connector, such that the external storage device and the battery pack can selectively be connected thereto when necessary. A conventional commonly usable connector is one in which two poles of power contacts are respectively disposed at right and left end portions of a plurality of signal contacts aligned in the right-to-left direction.
In the thus configured personal computer, each connector is attached thereto by means of a securing metal part disposed at the housing of the connector. While each connector is constituted by a plug connector and a receptacle connector as mentioned above, a case or circuit board to which the plug connector or receptacle connector is to be attached individually has a ground, and each securing metal part is connected to this ground.
Since the case and circuit board having respective connectors attached thereto may have different potentials, however, a potential difference may be generated between the case and circuit board when the connectors are mated together, thereby causing a noise to occur.
Also, in the connector configured as mentioned above, there are cases of so-called hot-plugging, in which the connectors are mated together or detached from each other while electric power is supplied to the power contacts. When the connectors are mated together while electric power is supplied to the power contacts, however, a voltage or current higher than the rated level may flow (generating a so-called "peak") at the time when the contacts are connected to each other, thereby generating a noise, which may be mistaken as other signals. Thus, hot-plugging may cause undesirable affects.

Electrical connector with shielded power contacts


A method for updating a master product attribute catalog database for consumer response modeling is provided. Data is received from at least one source of product data. A data integrity check is preformed on the received data. A reconciliation is performed between the received data and the master product attribute catalog. The reconciled received data is placed in a master product attribute catalog.

The present invention relates to providing a pricing for a plurality of products.
In businesses, prices of various products must be set. Such prices may be set with the goal of maximizing profit or demand or for a variety of other objectives. It is desirable to provide computer generated pricing to help optimize profit or demand. During a price optimization, the prices of hundreds of items may be set for hundreds of stores. Such optimizations require large amounts of data to be provided. Sometimes such data has errors. In addition, sometimes data is missing. It is desirable to be able to automatically have data errors corrected and have missing data provided or estimated.

Method and apparatus for creating and using a master catalog