A magnetic recording disk drive uses side-by-side read/write heads formed on head carriers that are identical for both top and bottom disk surfaces. Thus, a common head carrier functions as a single manufacturable part usable for both top and bottom disk surfaces. The common head carrier has a trailing end with a pattern of components formed on it that includes three side-by-side transducers (two read elements equally spaced about a center write element) and five terminal pads, one of which is a common pad, and all of the electrical connectors interconnecting the five terminal pads with the three transducers. There are only three terminal pads for the two read elements, with one of the read terminal pads being a common terminal pad that is electrically connected to both read elements. During assembly of the disk drive, the common carrier, when used as the top carrier, has a first read terminal pad and the common terminal pad connected to the leads on the suspension. When used as the bottom carrier, the second read terminal pad and the common terminal pad are connected to the leads on the suspension. Thus, only one carrier common to both top and bottom sides of the disk needs to be manufactured. The uniqueness of the top and bottom carriers is obtained by the wiring connection of the read terminal pads to the leads on the suspensions.

Disk drives, also called disk files, are information storage devices that use a rotatable disk with concentric data tracks containing the information, a head for reading and/or writing data onto the various tracks, and an actuator connected to a carrier for the head for moving the head to the desired track and maintaining it over the track centerline during read or write operations. There are typically a plurality of disks separated by spacer rings and stacked on a hub that is rotated by a disk drive motor. A housing supports the drive motor and head actuator, and surrounds the head and disk to provide a substantially sealed environment for the head-disk interface.
In conventional magnetic recording disk drives, the head carrier is an air-bearing slider that rides on a bearing of air above the disk surface when the disk is rotating at its operational speed. The slider is maintained next to the disk surface by a suspension that connects the slider to the actuator. The slider flies over the disk surface as a consequence of a balance of the spring force from the suspension and the air pressure generated by the velocity of the rotating disk. In a variation of the conventional air bearing, a combined air and liquid bearing supports the slider, which is in very close proximity or actual contact with a relatively thin lubricant film on the disk. Disk drives of this type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,185 assigned to Toshiba and U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,803 assigned to IBM.
The most common form of disk drive actuator is a rotary actuator that moves the head carriers in a nonlinear, generally arcuate path across the disk surfaces. Typically, there are two head carriers per disk, one for each of the "top" and "bottom" disk surfaces, that are attached to the actuator so that the carriers move in unison on the opposite surfaces of the disk. The conventional arrangement for reading and writing data is the well-known "cylinder mode". In this arrangement, continuous data is written by the top head writing to the top disk surface, followed immediately by the bottom head writing to the corresponding track in the same "cylinder" on the bottom disk surface. Cylinder mode operation allows reading and writing on a data track on one data surface, to be immediately followed by reading or writing on the corresponding data tracks (i.e., the data tracks in the same cylinder) on other data surfaces with little or no repositioning of the actuator. In disk drives that use noncylinder mode, there is no requirement that the heads on different disk surfaces be generally aligned with one another because data is typically written by writing first to one disk surface on adjacent tracks and then followed by writing to other disk surfaces on adjacent tracks.
Because the rotary actuator moves in an arcuate path, the sensing ends of the heads are not always aligned perpendicular to the data tracks, but are skewed relative to the tracks, the amount of skew varying with radial position. Recent disk drives use dual-element heads, i.e., an inductive coil element for writing and a magnetoresistive (MR) element for reading. One problem that arises with dual-element heads in rotary actuator disk drives with inherent skew is that because the two elements are spaced from one another in a direction perpendicular to the trailing end of the carrier, a rotary actuator is not able to maintain both elements in simultaneous alignment with the data tracks due to the inherent nonlinear path across the disk surface. To compensate for this, dual-element heads are typically fabricated with the read and write elements slightly offset from one another in a direction parallel to the trailing end of the carrier, the amount of offset being determined by the average skew of the heads. However, this solution is only optimal at one specific angular position of the rotary actuator and becomes unacceptable at high track densities where the data tracks are very closely spaced. An additional problem with dual-element heads in both rotary actuator disk drives and linear actuator disk drives is that because the elements are closely spaced on top of one another on the trailing end of the slider so that both elements can be aligned with the same data track, the magnetic field from the inductive write element can alter the magnetization state of the nearby MR read element.
Side-by-side, dual-element heads have been proposed to address these problems. In a side-by-side head, the write gap (i.e., the sensing end) of the inductive coil write element and the MR sensing film of the MR read element are located in the same plane on the trailing end of the slider but are spaced apart from one another in a direction parallel to the slider trailing end. In this design, the read and write elements are not simultaneously located over the same track so it is necessary for the actuator to move the slider if read and write operations are to take place sequentially on the same track. Side-by-side, dual-element heads are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,229,901 assigned to DEC and 4,729,048 assigned to Sony. In these designs, a single write element and a single read element are located on the trailing end of the slider. However, since the read and write elements on the top data surface of the disk must be aligned with their counterparts on the bottom data surface of the disk if the disk drive is to operate in cylinder mode, the side-by-side head associated with the top surface of the disk must be the mirror image of the side-by-side head associated with the bottom surface of the disk. The result is that two different types of heads must be fabricated: one for the top surfaces of the disks and the other for the bottom surfaces of the disks. This complicates the head manufacturing process and disk drive assembly process.
An additional problem with both conventional dual-element heads and side-by-side, dual-element heads is that if either the read element or write element is determined to be bad after manufacturing, the entire head carrier is rejected.
What is needed is a slider with a side-by-side read/write head structure that can be manufactured at a higher yield and can function as a single common part for use on both top and bottom data surfaces, thereby resulting in a disk drive with identical side-by-side heads on all disk surfaces.

Disk drive with identical top and bottom heads having three side-by-side elements and a common terminal pad

International Business Machines Corporation


A normalization processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention can calculate all of normalization processing output values, that is, the output value of the size of a region, the output value of the lowest value in the region, the output value of the number of non-output bits, and an output bit string, at the same time using a shift amount and the prefix and suffix of the output bit string. The shift amount is calculated using an input value of the size of the region. The prefix and the suffix are calculated using an input value of the lowest value in the region and an input value of the number of non-output bits.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a normalization processing technique used in arithmetic coding.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, H.264 has been standardized as a moving image compression coding method. This H.264 coding method requires a larger amount of computation as compared with known compression coding methods such as MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, but can achieve higher coding efficiency. In this H.264 coding method, the Context-based Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coding (CABAC) method is defined as a variable length coding method (see, ITU-T H.264 "Advanced video coding for generic audiovisual services").
In arithmetic coding, a symbol sequence is mapped between 0.0 and 1.0 on the number line, and its coordinates are coded into a codeword expressed in binary notation.
It is assumed that an occurrence probability of a symbol "1" is defined as "r", an occurrence probability of a symbol "0" is defined as "1−r", a range of the symbol sequence on the number line at the Ith point is defined as "codlRange", and the minimum coordinates in the range are defined as "codlLow". When an occurring symbol is the symbol "0", codlRange and codlLow are updated as follows.codlRange=(1−r)*codlRangecodlLow=codlLow+r*codlRange
On the other hand, when an occurring symbol is the symbol "1", codlRange and codlLow are updated as follows.codlRange=r*codlRangecodlLow=codlLow
As mapping is continuously repeated, the range codlRange becomes smaller. Accordingly, normalization processing is required to be performed so as to maintain computation accuracy.
A normalization process based on the CABAC method is illustrated in FIG. 2. The range on the number line codlRange, the minimum coordinates in the range codlLow, the number of non-output bits bitsOutStanding, and a flag indicating whether an output bit is the first bit of a slice firstBitFlag are input.
After the normalization process has been performed, the range on the number line codlRange, the minimum coordinates in the range codlLow, the number of non-output bits bitsOutStanding, the flag indicating whether an output bit is the first bit of a slice firstBitFlag, and a coded bit string are output.
In step S201, it is determined whether the value of codlRange is less than 0x100. If the value of codlRange is equal to or greater than 0x100, the normalization process ends. If the value of codlRange is less than 0x100, the process proceeds to step S202.
In step S202, it is determined whether the value of codlLow is less than 0x100. If the value of codlLow is less than 0x100, the process proceeds to step S204. In step 204, a function PutBit(0) to be described later is executed. Subsequently the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S202 that the value of codlLow is equal to or greater than 0x100, the process proceeds to step S203 in which it is determined whether the value of codlLow is equal to or greater than 0x200.
If the value of codlLow is less than 0x200, the process proceeds to step S205 in which 0x100 is subtracted from the value of codlLow.
Furthermore, the value of bitsOutStanding is incremented, and the process proceeds to step S208. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S203 that the value of codlLow is equal to or greater than 0x200, the process proceeds to step S206 in which 0x200 is subtracted from the value of codlLow. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S207.
In step S207, a function PutBit(1) to be described later is executed. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S208 in which the values of codlRange and codlLow are individually shifted to the left by one bit so as to obtain values each double the original value thereof. Subsequently, the process returns to step S201.
Next, a function PutBit(B) will be described with reference to FIG. 3. The value of an argument B is 0 (step S204) or 1 (step S207). In step S301, it is determined whether the value of firstBitFlag is not zero. If the value of firstBitFlag is not zero (i.e. firstBitFlag !=0 is true), the process proceeds to step S302. In step S302, the value of firstBitFlag is set to zero. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S304. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S301 that the value of firstBitFlag is zero (i.e., firstBitFlag !=0 is false), the process proceeds to step S303. In step S303, one bit whose bit value is B is output. Subsequently, the process proceeds to step S304.
In step S304, it is determined whether the value of bitsOutStanding is greater than zero. If the value of bitsOutStanding is equal to or less than zero, the process ends. If the value of bitsOutStanding is greater than zero, the process proceeds to step S305. In step S305, one bit whose bit value is 1−B is output and the value of bitsOutStanding is decremented. The process then returns to step S304.
An example of a known normalization processing apparatus is illustrated in FIG. 10. A storage unit 1001 is a register array for storing the signals codlRange, codlLow, bitsOutStanding, and firstBitFlag and an output bit string. A determination device 1002 compares the value of the signal codlRange stored in the storage unit 1001 with 0x100.
If the value of the signal codlRange is equal to or greater than 0x100, the determination device 1002 transfers data stored in the storage unit 1001 to an output device 1004. If the value of the signal codlRange is less than 0x100, the determination device 1002 transfers the data stored in the storage unit 1001 to a bit string calculation device 1003.
The bit string calculation device 1003 is a circuit for performing the process from step S202 to step S208 in the flowchart illustrated in FIG. 2. The bit string calculation device 1003 calculates the values of the signals codlRange, codlLow, bitsOutStanding, and firstBitFlag, and transfers these calculation results and the output bit string to the storage unit 1001. As a result, the data stored in the storage unit 1001 is updated.
The output device 1004 is a circuit for externally outputting the signals codlRange, codlLow, bitsOutStanding, and firstBitFlag and the output bit string which have been transferred from the determination device 1002.
In the above-described known normalization process, however, each time the bit string calculation device 1003 doubles the value of the signal codlRange, the bit string calculation device 1003 is required to transfer the calculated value of the signal codlRange to the storage unit 1001 so as to cause the determination device 1002 to determine whether the process should be finished (end determination). Accordingly, the normalization process cannot be performed upon all pieces of corresponding data at the same time, and therefore coding and decoding cannot be performed rapidly.
For example, if the value of the signal codlRange is one, the update of data stored in the storage unit 1001 and the end determination performed by the determination device 1002 are repeated eight times. If the determination device 1002 is a circuit requiring one cycle for the end determination, eight cycles are required for the normalization process of all pieces of corresponding data.
On the other hand, a case can be considered in which output values corresponding to all of the signals codlRange, codlLow, firstBitFlag, and bitsOutStanding are prepared in advance in the form of a table. In this case, however, a large-capacity memory is required and a normalization processing apparatus including such a memory becomes more expensive.


Techniques for memory management of a data processing system are described herein. According to one embodiment, a memory usage monitor executed by a processor of a data processing system monitors memory usages of groups of programs running within a memory of the data processing system. In response to determining that a first memory usage of a first group of the programs exceeds a first predetermined threshold, a user level reboot is performed in which one or more applications running within a user space of an operating system of the data processing system are terminated and relaunched. In response to determining that a second memory usage of a second group of the programs exceeds a second predetermined threshold, a system level reboot is performed in which one or more system components running within a kernel space of the operating system are terminated and relaunched.

An operating system (OS), such as iOS™ or OS X™ from Apple Inc®, or Microsoft Windows™ from Microsoft®, is a collection of software that manages device hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs such as application software. Application software can be considered to be the computer program that causes a computer or other data processing system to perform useful tasks in response to user requests or other requests or other inputs. A specific instance of application software is called a software application, application program, application or app, which are used interchangeably herein. Application programs usually require an operating system to function.
As more and more apps and services are becoming available for small or mobile devices (e.g., a smartphone), the number of applications running at the same time in a single device has increased significantly. Moreover, many of these applications are not terminated or quit by a user after a user finishes using them so they continue to run and therefore continue to use system resources such as memory (e.g. volatile memory such as DRAM) even when they are no longer being used. Furthermore, idle background and foreground applications, while they may not use processing or computation resources, such as one or more microprocessors, they often use memory resources such as RAM while they are idle and not in use. These multiple applications or processes in the same device compete with each other by sharing the same memory resources and computation resources embedded within a device, and the operating system performs resource management, such as memory management, to deal with resource contention in concurrent computing. Memory management to control use of memory by running or idle applications has included techniques to terminate applications based on one or more indications of use of memory (e.g. DRAM) in a data processing system.

Memory management of data processing systems


In a medium access control method of an access point for a wireless LAN, the access point is capable of full-duplex communication, and the medium access control method includes receiving a frame header of a first data frame from a first terminal, and transmitting a second data frame to a second terminal while the first data frame is received from the first terminal.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an access point for a wireless LAN and a medium access control method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to an access point capable of full-duplex communication, and a medium access control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the current wireless local area network (WLAN) environment, although a wireless terminal and an access point (AP) may communicate bi-directionally, they transmit and receive data using a half-duplex communication method through which data can be transmitted or received only in one direction at a time. That is, the access point may transmit data to the wireless terminal or another wireless terminal may transmit data to the access point only after data transmission from the wireless terminal to the access point is completed.
In this way, in an existing wireless LAN system using a single antenna, transmission and reception cannot be performed simultaneously, and it is only possible to divide time into very short time units and perform transmission or reception at an allotted time. This is the reason why, while a signal is transmitted using a single antenna, a signal cannot be received through the same antenna. Since a signal transmitted through a wireless medium cannot be received while transmitting due to such a constraint, there is a limit in to wireless LAN performance.
However, as signal processing techniques and antenna techniques have recently advanced, a self-interference cancellation technique which allows simultaneous transmission and reception of data through two or more antennas has recently been developed. A full-duplex communication scheme using a plurality of antennas is a new technique using only one channel, unlike existing methods using a plurality of channels, and, although it is expected to improve performance if the full-duplex communication scheme using a plurality of antennas is adopted in a wireless LAN environment since it can simultaneously transmit and receive data, it is difficult to combine an existing medium access control (MAC) method with conventional full-duplex communication schemes.

Access point for wireless LAN and medium access control method thereof

GWANGJU INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A diode includes a semiconductor body, a first emitter region of a first conductivity type, a second emitter region of a second conductivity type, a base region arranged between the first and second emitter regions and having a lower doping concentration than the first and second emitter regions, a first emitter electrode electrically coupled to the first emitter region, a second emitter electrode in electrical contact with the second emitter region, a control electrode arrangement comprising a first control electrode section and a first dielectric layer arranged between the first control electrode section and the semiconductor body, and at least one pn junction extending to the first dielectric layer, or arranged distant to the first dielectric layer by less than 250 nm. The breakdown voltage of the diode is adjusted by applying a control potential to the first control electrode section.

Diodes are rectifying elements which conduct a current when they are forward biased and which block when they are reverse biased. When, however, the reverse voltage is higher than a breakdown voltage of the diode, a current can also flow in the reverse direction. Some types of diodes, like Zener diodes or avalanche diodes have a well defined breakdown voltage, which makes these diodes suitable to be used as voltage limiting elements or as reference voltage generating elements.
The breakdown voltage in conventional diodes is mainly given by the doping concentrations of the individual semiconductor regions that form the diode and by the diode layout. Thus, the breakdown voltage in conventional diodes is fixed. However, especially in applications in which a diode is used as a voltage limiting element or as a reference voltage generating element, it may be desirable to vary the breakdown voltage within a given range.

Method of controlling breakdown voltage of a diode having a semiconductor body


The method of testing a magnetic head is capable of purely evaluating characteristics of the magnetic head without influences caused by external factors. The method of testing a magnetic head comprises the steps of: detecting amount of noises, which are included in output signals of a reading element of the magnetic head, a plurality of times in a state of reading no magnetic data; and comparing an amount of variation between the detected amounts of noises with a threshold value.

The present invention relates to a method of testing a magnetic head for eliminating defective magnetic heads.
In a magnetic media apparatus e.g., magnetic disk drive unit, data are written in and read from a magnetic medium. To maintain reliability of the magnetic head, the magnetic head is tested before handling.
A conventional magnetic head tester is disclosed in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2004-127511. In the patent gazette, test data are written in a recording medium by a magnetic head, the written date are reproduced by said magnetic head, and the magnetic head is evaluated on the basis of reproduced signals of the reproduced data.
In the conventional method, the test data are written in and read from the magnetic medium, and the good or bad of the magnetic head is evaluated on the basis of the reproduced signals. However, the reproduced signals are influenced by not only characteristics of the magnetic head but also characteristics of the magnetic medium and correlation between the magnetic medium and the magnetic head, e.g., a floating level of the magnetic head from a surface of a magnetic disk.
Therefore, it is difficult to purely evaluate the characteristics of the magnetic head only.
Especially, in a reading element of the magnetic head, a trouble of intermittently increasing and reducing amount of noises in the output signals, which is not caused by external factors, rarely occurs. To eliminate the defected magnetic head by the test, it is desirable to evaluate the magnetic head as a defected head if the amount of noises included in the output signals is increased and reduced from a threshold value at least once. However, the conventional method cannot judge if the amount of noises is varied by influence of the magnetic medium or by the trouble of the magnetic head.

Method of testing a magnetic head for eliminating defective magnetic heads


Embodiments of the present invention relate to scheduling updates on a personal electronic device based on biometric data gathered from a user. The personal electronic device, or another computing device, may receive a pending software update. The personal electronic device, or another computing device, may receive biometric data of the user from one or more biometric sensors. The biometric data may provide sufficient information to determine a sleep status of the user. The personal electronic device, or another computing device, may determine a sleep status of the user. The personal electronic device, or another computing device, may install the pending software update in response to determining that the user is sleeping. The personal electronic device, or another computing device, may delay the pending software update in response to determining that the user is not sleeping.

The present invention relates generally to the field of personal electronic devices, and more particularly to scheduling updates on a personal electronic device based on biometric data gathered from a user.
Software updates on personal electronic devices may consume substantial memory resources, deteriorating the user's experience. Some conventional devices perform software updates during the night when the user is presumed asleep. However, when this assumption fails, the user's experience may still be deteriorated. Therefore, a method for scheduling software updates based on more than merely a time of day is needed to avoid deteriorating the user's experience.

Computer update scheduling based on biometrics

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and systems for system power estimation are provided. A method implemented in a computer infrastructure includes separating products into different segments. The method also includes calculating a power estimation for each segment based on operating conditions of each respective segment. The method further includes calculating an average system power estimation. At least one of the separating, calculating the power estimation, and calculating the average system power estimation is performed using a processor.

Power consumption from integrated circuits using electronic devices includes two types of power: (i) dynamic power consumption; and (ii) and static, i.e., leakage, power consumption. Dynamic power consumption is the power required to operate (i.e., switch) a device; whereas, static power consumption refers to the power consumed by the device when it is not operating. As the dimensions in a technology decrease, the static power of devices increases, and as a result, the overall power consumption also increases. Thus, in fabrication processes, it is important to estimate the power of integrated circuits.
Current power estimations of integrated circuits are based on worst case scenarios. More specifically, use of worst case scenarios assume worst case system operating conditions for all products, e.g., integrated circuits. However, power is different for slower products and faster products. For example, in selective voltage binning (SVB) systems, a lower operating voltage is required for faster parts and a higher operating voltage is required for slower parts, and the power is determined based on the operating voltage of the products. As a result, system power estimations do not accurately reflect the power of all of the products because the products operate at different voltages. For SVB and non-SVB systems, ENERGY STAR® requires an accurate overall power estimation. More specifically, ENERGY STAR® input requires an "average" power estimation or "expected power" estimation. (ENERGY STAR is a registered trademark of the United States Environmental Protection Agency). However, current power estimations are not capable of providing accurate average system power estimations.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome the deficiencies and limitations described hereinabove.

Systems and methods for system power estimation

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A shaving apparatus includes a reservoir for storing a shaving aid material, a razor cartridge having at least one razor blade, and a valve selectively actuatable by movement of the razor cartridge between a first position and a second position. In the first position the valve permits passage of a shaving aid material from the reservoir, and in the second position the valve substantially prevents the passage of the shaving aid material from the reservoir.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates generally to shaving apparatuses, and, more particularly, to shaving apparatuses having pivot-actuated valves through which shaving aid material can be delivered.
2. Background Information
The process of removing hair from a skin surface typically includes the application of a shaving aid material to the skin surface and the separate step of shaving the hair from the skin surface using a safety razor. Safety razors typically include a disposable razor cartridge mounted in a reusable handle or a handle and cartridge combined into a unitary disposable unit. Most razor cartridges include a frame, at least one razor blade, and a member that includes an additional shaving aid material attached to the frame. The additional shaving aid material typically includes at least one suitable agent (e.g., a lubricating agent, a drag-reducing agent, a depilatory agent, etc.) that enhances the shaving process.
Shaving aid materials applied in preparation for shaving are generally soap-based compositions that are lathered and applied to the skin surfaces. The compositions may be pre-lathered and applied as creams, or they may be in bar form and rubbingly applied to the skin surfaces by the person shaving. For applications of either creams or bars, the application of the shaving aid and the actual shaving of hair from the skin surface are executed in separate steps.
The commercial success of a razor assembly depends upon the ease with which a shaving process using the razor assembly can be executed. In particular, the application of the shaving aid material and the actual shaving of the hair in separately executed steps oftentimes adversely affects the overall efficiency of the shaving process. What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus capable of delivering the shaving aid material and executing a shaving operation in a single step.

Shaving apparatus with pivot-actuated valve for delivery of shaving aid material


The present invention relates to an inkjet print head (1) comprising at least one nozzle chamber (2), having a nozzle aperture (3) defined in one wall thereof for the ejection of printing fluid out of said aperture (3), and a printing fluid supply channel interconnected with said nozzle chamber (2). A printing fluid droplet tail release guide arrangement (4) is arranged at a predetermined position at an edge of a circumference of said aperture (3). The present invention further relates to a method for increasing droplet placement accuracy in an inkjet print head having at least one nozzle chamber with a nozzle aperture defined in one wall thereof for the ejection of printing fluid out of said aperture. The method comprises the step of providing a printing fluid droplet tail release guide arrangement at a predetermined position at an edge of a circumference of said aperture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present patent application relates to the field of inkjet printing, and particularly to inkjet printing for patterning in the manufacture of displays and electronics. Further, the present invention relates to an inkjet print head and a method for increasing droplet placement accuracy in such a print head.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most inkjet print heads used today have circular nozzle orifices. An ejected ink droplet usually has a tail, which in the ideal situation should be released from the center of the fluid. However, because there is a dynamic motion of the fluid in a fluidic column of the print head, a situation occurs which renders it unfavorable for the ink droplet to release from the center of the fluid. In the above described situation the release point of the ink droplets tail is probably located at the edge of the nozzle orifice. Due to the above described prior art orifices being circular, there is no particular reason for a tail of a droplet to favor one location or another on the periphery of the orifice to make its final departure from. Thus, this leads to the possibility of the tail break-off varying randomly from one side of the orifice to another due to the dynamic motion of the fluid in the fluidic column of the print head. This phenomenon might influence the trajectory of the ejected ink droplet, such that the ink droplet is expelled improperly and is delivered to an undesired location on the print media material, e.g. substrate. The place where the tail of the ink droplet is most likely to attach is the roughest edge of the nozzle orifice, which position can be located anywhere on the edge of the nozzle orifice, and can change over time as a result to unintended damage of the nozzle edge. This will cause a random deviation in the straightness of the droplet trajectory relative to a center line of the nozzle. This variation in tail break-off position is likely to lead directly to dot-placement errors.
Inkjet patterning technology can be used in the manufacture of so called polyLED color devices. The straightness of the droplet trajectory is a very important factor in ensuring high print quality in such applications. As an example, a typical ink droplet can have a diameter of 30 micrometers in flight and approximately 40 micrometers when landed on the print media material, e.g. substrate. Currently pixels of so called polyLED devices are approximately 50 to 60 micrometers wide, which leaves an error margin in pixel placement of only 5 to 10 micrometers. Taking the above into account, this means that the straightness of the droplet trajectory, i.e. the intended pathway to be followed by the ink droplet in order to created the final printed image pattern, is a very important factor in such patterning. In the case of patterning Light Emitting Polymers the interaction of polymer chains will cause a long filament tail as the droplet falls. This filament tail is likely to further influence the deviation of the ejected droplet from a direction along the center line of the nozzle when it does not hang from the middle of the fluidic column in the nozzle but on a non-defined part of the edge of the nozzle orifice. As mentioned above, this position can vary from nozzle to nozzle resulting in an intrinsic error, which cannot be influenced by changing the printing settings. In the case of patterning Light Emitting Polymers this might result in insufficient spacing between adjacent pixels.
Previously known patent publication U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,289 relates to an inkjet print head, typically constructed by a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) process, which includes a large number of nozzle chambers with ink ejection nozzle apertures and a paddle moveable in each chamber by an actuator to deliver ink through the nozzle. Each paddle is provided with a projecting poker, concentrically protruding through the nozzle aperture when actuated to inhibit clogging of the nozzle.
Although it is envisaged that a return movement of the actuator will result in a general necking and breaking of a meniscus around the poker to form a droplet a drawback of the above described print head according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,289 is that a filament tail of the droplet is likely to attach to an undefined position at the periphery of the poker, which, in the same manner as described above, is likely to cause a random deviation of the ejected droplet from a direction along the center line of the nozzle as the poker will need to be of a certain dimension in order to perform the intended function of inhibiting clogging of the nozzle. Further, as is evident from the drawings of U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,289, the peripheral portion of the distal free end of said poker will not be aligned with the center line of the nozzle aperture when actuated.

Increased droplet placement accuracy in inkjet printing


The present invention discloses a noel method for anchoring a via/contact or the forming of a capacitor having increasing capacitance in a semiconductor device by utilizing alternating layers of BPTEOS oxide and TEOS oxide and a deep UV photoresist such that toroidal-shaped cavities can be formed at the interfaces between the BPTEOS oxide layers and the TEOS oxide layers during the formation of the via/contact opening or the capacitor opening by a plasma etching process. The number of cavities formed, i.e., the number of anchors formed on the via/contact or capacitor, can be suitably adjusted by the number of BPTEOS oxide layer deposited on the semiconductor structure. Each BPTEOS oxide layer produces two anchors on the via/contact or the capacitor. The deep UV photoresist layer should contain a photo-acid-generator such that hydrogen ions are emitted when the photoresist layer is subjected to UV radiation and heating which accelerates the hydrogen ion generation process. The hydrogen ions generated combines with the fluorine contained in the oxide forming HF for etching away the interface between the two different oxide layers where boron ions and phosphorous ions are saturated at such interfaces.

In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, metal vias and contacts are deposited into via openings and contact holes on semi-conducting wafers that have been preprocessed. Semiconductor devices are thus formed connected to each other by the metal vias and contacts to form an integrated circuit. In particular, aluminum, aluminum alloys, tungsten and tungsten alloys are frequently used for deposition into the via openings and contact holes on the semi-conducting substrate. These deposition processes can be carried out by a physical vapor deposition (or sputtering) or a chemical vapor deposition technique.
As semiconductor devices are continuously being made smaller in a total miniaturization effort for achieving devices on the sub-path-micron scale, the via openings and the contact holes must also be made smaller. Consequently, the openings and the holes to be filled have higher aspect ratios, i.e., the depth of the opening or hole divided by its diameter becomes higher.
Difficulties are encountered in depositing a conductive metal into via openings and contact holes by conventional sputtering processes when such openings or holes have high aspect ratios. As the openings and holes become smaller and deeper, the bottom and sides of an opening or hole receive fewer deposited metal particles then the top surface of the device. The end result of such a phenomenon, sometimes called shadowing effect, is that the metal layers formed by the particles hangs over the opening forming an overhang. Such overhang closes before the opening is filled as the deposition process progresses and thus creating a void in the opening or hole.
One technique that has been used to compensate for the shadowing effect of the sputtering process is to taper the sidewalls of the via openings or the contact holes. For instance, during the formation, i.e., by a dry etching or reactive ion etching process, the top of the opening or hole is etched more than the bottom of the opening or hole. The sidewalls of the opening therefore may have an inclined of 15.degree. with the vertical axis that is parallel with the length of the opening. The tapered via opening or contact hole correct significantly the under-fill or shadowing effect of the sputtering process, for instance, by aluminum particles. However, the tapered via or contact formed after fill by aluminum and then etched back, have the drawback of popping out of the via opening or contact hole or fails in a defect known as via delamination. The via delamination defect can be severe in a semiconductor device since the device, after formation of the via or contact, may be subjected to various thermal cycling processes encountered in various etching, passivation or planarization processes. The expansion or contraction of the metal via or contact caused by such thermal stress during cycling can easily delaminate the via or contact from its opening or hole. When the via delamination defect occurs, the circuit in the semiconductor device fails and thus the yield of the semiconductor wafer is significantly affected.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method of filling via openings and contact holes that does not have the drawbacks and shortcomings of the conventional methods.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for filling openings and contact holes that are slightly tapered with the top opening larger than the bottom opening by built-in anchors in the sidewalls of the via or contact.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for filling via openings or contact holes by providing anchors on the via or contact in-situ as an integral part of the process recipe.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for filling via openings and contact holes with a conductive metal such that the via and the contact subsequently formed does not have a delamination problem.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method for filling via openings or contact holes by a conductive metal by utilizing a deep UV photoresist which contains a photo-acid-generator.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for filling via openings and contact holes with a conductive metal by coating the sidewalls of the openings or holes with a flooring and hydrogen containing organic compound formed from the deep UV photoresist such that anchors can be etched onto the opening.
It is still another further object of the present invention to provide a method for forming vias or contacts in alternating layers of BPTEOS oxide and TEOS oxide by forming toroidal-shaped cavities at the interfaces between layers of different materials.
It is yet another further object of the present invention to provide a method for forming vias and contacts on a semiconductor device by using a deep UV photoresist and subjecting such photoresist to UV radiation such that the sidewalls of the via opening or hole can be etched into cavities for forming anchors on the via or contact.

Method for anchoring via/contact in semiconductor devices and devices formed

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.


A target line detection device includes a processor configured to execute a process. The process includes: detecting transition points in a brightness image obtained from a brightness component of an input image between pixels with a luminosity gradient in a first direction and pixels with a luminosity gradient in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and, based on a shape or a length or a combination thereof, of lines connecting together transition points that are within a specific distance of each other, extracting a line representing a detection target from the lines connecting together the transition points.

An image processing method has been proposed in which the respective positions of both eyes are detected in a photographic image of a face, and a chin area including the location of the chin and a region in the vicinity of the chin is estimated based on the respective positions of the two eyes. The position of the chin is then detected within the chin area, from which non-skin colored pixels have been removed. In this image processing method, pixel values of each pixel in the estimated chin area are projected onto an axis in the vertical direction of the face, and projection data is obtained at each height in the axial direction. Edge strength is then derived for each height based on the projection data, and the positions of the pixels corresponding to the height with the greatest edge strength is determined to be the position of the chin.
A chin position computation device that computes the position of the chin from a received color image has also been proposed. In this device, a skin-colored face is detected in the color image, and, based on the detected face, a reference line is computed from a central position between the two eyes and a central position of the mouth of the face. Data expressing a statistical positional relationship between the central position between the two eyes, the central position of the mouth, and the position of the chin is acquired, and a probability for the position of the chin of the face is computed from the data expressing positional relationships and from the computed reference line. A probability for the presence of skin-colored pixels on the reference line is also computed, and a rate of change in luminosity on the reference line is also computed. The position of the chin is computed from a result of combining the respective computed probability and rate.
An image processing device has been proposed in which a luminosity difference from peripheral pixels is derived for each pixel in original image data, and an outline level that determines the luminosity of these pixels in outline image data is evaluated based on a luminosity gradient. In this image processing device, the outline levels of pixels with a luminosity gradient absolute value that is greater than a threshold value are moved in a specific direction according to the slope direction of the luminosity gradient.


A method and an apparatus for stripping ionic species from a porous material, such as concrete or soil, are presented. The ionic species include metals and complexes, and may include radioactive species. The contaminated medium can be in bulk or in particulate form and can be treated according to the invention in situ or in a batch container. In the method, a dc potential difference is established across the contaminated material over which an alternating current may be superimposed. Ionic species migrate within the contaminated material under the influence of the potential difference and dissolve in the electrolyte. The electrolyte can be protected from radiation degradation by use of a radioactive-resistant ion exchange material. Ionic species can be desorbed electrochemically from the electrolyte, allowing the electrolyte to be recycled for additional stripping of contaminated media. The recovered ionic species can be used as feedstock for other processes. The apparatus preferably includes an electrolytic material, means for electrochemically regenerating the electrolytic material, noncorroding electrodes capable of sustaining a current that is reverse of that which induces ionic species to migrate from contaminated medium and a power supply for establishing a potential difference across the contaminated material. Salt precipitation on the electrodes and within the medium are avoided. Neutral zones within the medium are also eliminated.

The present invention relates to the removal of ionic contaminants from porous materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for electrochemically stripping ionic species from concrete or soil.
Ionic species present in the atmosphere, soil or bodies of water can leach into neighboring soils or even concrete. These ionic species act as contaminants that reduce utility of the contaminated soil or concrete and shorten the usable lifespan of steel reinforcement in concrete by contributing to problems such as corrosion.
In addition to these natural mechanisms, contamination may occur by man-made processes. For example, large quantities of building materials such as concrete are contaminated in the processing and storage of radioactive materials. Refinement of uranium 235 from naturally-occurring ore typically is carried out in large concrete structures. Efforts to reduce the amount of concrete contaminated in this way have included use of precious and heavy metal shielding, but this is very expensive. Also, suitable material substitutions are limited since few engineering materials can withstand the corrosive effect of some of the compounds generated during processing. Thus, huge quantities of these materials are produced which, by virtue of the nature of the contamination, are unsuitable for other purposes.
Electrochemical methods for removing ionic contaminants including metals, such as sodium and iron cations, from soil are known. One technique, known as "soil washing" involves forcing water through the contaminated soil to "flush" out water-solubilized ions. Ionic species physically adsorbed because of ionic bonding to the contaminated medium generally are not removed in this way.
Methods of inhibiting corrosion of steel reinforcement bars in concrete by impressed current cathodic protection are also known. Conventionally, anodes made from precious metal- or metal oxide-coated titanium or niobium, or conductive paints are used. Other forms include protection applied to the concrete surface.
In another electrochemical method, corrosion of steel reinforcement bars in concrete is inhibited by removing corrosion accelerants such as chlorine anions. In this method, an electrolyte-soaked material is applied to the concrete surface, over which an anode is applied. Once a driving current is established across the concrete, chlorine ions migrate toward the anode and into the electrolyte-soaked material.
In these electrochemical methods, ions migrate under the influence of the applied driving current. Thus, positively charged ions migrate as an acidic "front" through the contaminated medium toward the cathode while an alkaline "front" of negatively charged ions migrates in an opposing direction toward the anode. These fronts typically can meet within the contaminated medium as well as on the electrode surface, whereupon salts or alkaline hydroxide form. Precipitates disturb maintenance of the driving current supporting ion migration, so that ionic contaminants can no longer be removed effectively from the medium. The electrochemical process stops. Buildup of these precipitates can even cause catastrophic failure of the contaminated medium.
Conventionally, a direct current voltage source is used to set up the driving current, thereby creating a constant flux of ionic contaminants through the medium. In addition, for a given electrochemical technique, precious metal oxide coated titanium and other conventional electrodes are designed to function as either an anode or a cathode, but not both. Indeed, such electrodes would be destroyed in an attempt to carry a fluctuating current, i.e., an alternating current, because a given electrode designed to serve as an anode when current flowed in a certain direction would not function as a cathode in response to the fluctuation of current direction and would instead dissolve or passivate. Hence, conventional electrodes work best with such direct current sources for which they will assume a role as either an anode or a cathode.
One approach to eliminating build up of such precipitates on the electrodes would be to simply "reverse" the current, e.g., use an alternating current source, from that used to support the ionic migration. As discussed above, the inability of conventional electrodes to remain operable throughout the cyclic variation in current direction in alternating currents forestalls this as an option. In addition, the fluctuating nature of alternating current would not lend itself to producing a constant ion flux. Alternatively, conventional electrodes may be plagued by corrosive by-products of the electrochemical process, making it very difficult to sustain treatment of contaminated media over an extended period of time. Typically, efforts to minimize corrosion involve shielding electrodes by on-going extraction of corrosive agents from the medium as treatment progresses.
In some circumstances, the ability to reverse the polarity of the electrodes or apply an AC current can be beneficial in maintaining the pH of the electrolyte and aiding the solubilization of specific ions.
In some cases where the rebar could be corroded by removal of anions, where the reinforcing bar could act as the anode. AC techniques applied directly to the rebar could be used to eliminate the corrosion effect created if they were acting as dc anodes in the circuit.
Sometimes, it would be desirable to use multiple anodes and cathodes to set up a driving current. A problem in doing so during conventional electrochemical remediation processes is that "neutral zones" form in contaminated medium approximately equidistant from adjacent anode pairs and from adjacent cathode pairs. While on a macroscopic level, the level of contamination in the medium being treated is reduced, a significant portion of ionic contamination may remain in these neutral zones since ionic contaminants do not migrate due to inadequate electrical field at the neutral zones.
Limited alternatives are available to eliminate these neutral zones. For example, current may be increased to strengthen the electrical field within the contaminated medium. Besides being energy-intensive, excessive heat may be generated that may adversely affect the medium or inhibit on-going treatment. Also, the anodes and cathodes may be reconfigured so that the respective anodic and cathodic functions of particular electrodes could be switched. However, as discussed above, conventional electrode materials cannot withstand the reversal of current that would most easily accomplish this switch.
Another possible solution to the problem of neutral zones is halting the treatment process before completion, removing the anodes and cathodes from the medium and reapplying them to the medium so that locations previously occupied by anodes were then occupied by cathodes and vice versa. The process could then be continued. This option is particularly unattractive due to the expense and time- and labor-intensive effort that would be involved.
Another significant limitation of these techniques is their inability to address the insidious, extremely destructive and poisonous nature of ionic contaminants that are radioactive. Conventional materials may not be able to withstand irradiation from radioactive species. For example, carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds in organic electrolytic or ion exchange materials are destroyed by radiation emitted from radioactive species. In addition, practice of such electrochemical techniques on the scale needed to treat the voluminous quantities of contaminated concrete or soil, often widely distributed around the world, can be prohibitively expensive.
Nevertheless, it would be advantageous to effectively strip ionic contaminants from a variety of solid, but porous, media according to electrochemical principles. It would be particularly advantageous to do so on site, that is, without removing the contaminated medium from its original location for treatment, and without destruction of bulk structures that are contaminated. It would also be advantageous to treat contaminated media in particulate form, such as concrete rubble or soil clods. Elimination of neutral zones would also be advantageous.
Particularly in the case where the ionic species include radioactive contaminants, it would be advantageous to carry out the treatment with minimal human and environmental exposure to the radioactivity and without exacerbating waste disposal problems.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for and an apparatus to efficiently strip ionic contaminants from media including concrete or soil, in situ or in batch modes.

Apparatus for stripping ions from concrete and soil


Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward apparatus and methods including communication circuits for communicating between a plurality of compartments in a vehicle. An array of flexible cables provides signal-communication paths between the plurality of compartments in the vehicle, with each cable having a glass or silica core region for conveying optical signals, and communicating signals (electrical signals and optical signals) along at least one of the signal-communication paths and between the plurality of compartments in the vehicle. The apparatus and methods also include a plurality of circuits that communicate status-indication signals between locations along the array of flexible cables. The status-indication signals are communicated via the signal-communication paths in the flexible array of cables and are indicative of vehicle-travel modes for reporting a status of the vehicle in a mode relative to travel of the vehicle.

Reliable and rapid communication of data in terrain and aerospace vehicles is important to ensure accurate reporting of various vehicle or aircraft conditions. For instance, in order to properly and safely operate an aircraft, a pilot or remote operator is typically provided with updates on the various operational status of the personnel, passengers, and or mechanical moving parts of the vehicle. These are but a few of the many types of tangibles and operational modes that can be considered important. Communication can be difficult in these apparatuses because of harsh environmental conditions and difficulty in routing channels of communication.
Other issues include concerns with other modes of operation in light of such status as well as increased weight and space limitations when attempting to accommodate the desire to monitor the various aspects of such vehicles. These and other matters have presented challenges to communication circuitry and channels of communication, for a variety of applications.

Methods and apparatuses involving flexible cable/guidewire/interconnects


A first container is operable to accommodate a liquid toner, and provided with a window. A reflector is disposed in the first container. A light emitter is operable to emit light to the reflector through the window and the liquid toner. A light receiver is operable to receive the light reflected by the reflector through the liquid toner and the window. A detector is operable to detect a concentration of the liquid toner based on the light received by the light receiver.

The present invention relates to a liquid toner concentration detecting device which detects the concentration of solid particles in liquid toner used in a developing process for an image carrier with an electrostatic latent image formed on a photosensitive layer, as well as an image forming apparatus and a method of controlling concentration which utilize the detecting device.
An electronic photographic type image forming apparatus includes a liquid toner including a liquid carrier such as an organic solvent, silicon oil, mineral oil or edible oil in which microscopic toner resin particles containing a pigment have been dispersed.
In the electronic photographic type image forming apparatus using the liquid toner, a laser beam is scanned over the surface of an image carrier such as a photoreceptor, to form an electrostatic latent image, and the electrostatic latent image is developed by a liquid toner containing toner and a liquid carrier mixed at a predetermined ratio, thus forming a toner image.
A liquid toner developing device is configured as follows. That is, in order to form a high quality image, the concentration of toner particles in the liquid toner is measured and, in the event that the concentration of toner particles decreases due to the developing process, the concentration of toner in the liquid toner is maintained within a predetermined range by replenishing the concentrated liquid which has a high concentration of toner particles.
According to JP-A-2001-356608, a liquid toner concentration detecting device is disclosed in which a detecting head is disposed inside a tank storing a liquid toner, the detecting head is connected to a light emitter and a light receiver by means of fiber cables, the light emitted by the light emitter is injected into the liquid toner through the injection aperture of the detecting head, one part of the injected light is dispersed by the toner particles in the liquid toner, injected into the light receiving aperture of the detecting head, and received by the receiver, and the concentration of the liquid toner is detected according to the amount of the received light.
Furthermore, according to JP-A-2001-5300, a liquid toner concentration detecting device is disclosed in which a housing is disposed in liquid toner supplier which is connected to a liquid toner storage tank and a developer, and the housing is provided with liquid toner oil film forming means which forms a film of liquid toner oil inside the housing, a light source unit which emits colored light, of a wavelength of relatively low light transmissivity vis-à-vis a selected color liquid toner, to the liquid toner oil film of the selected color liquid toner, and a light detector which receives the light transmitted through the liquid toner oil film from the light source unit.
In recent years, in response to requests for compact image forming apparatuses which the users themselves can install and move as they wish within the office, and for a higher quality of output image, there has been a demand for the introduction to the office of image forming apparatuses which utilize liquid toner, which have toner particles of a smaller diameter than those of dry toner, to obtain high quality images. In meeting these demands, it can be predicted that the image forming apparatus will be subjected to tilting and vibration when being installed or moved. For this reason, in the case of the liquid toner concentration detecting device disclosed according to JP-A-2001-5300, if the image forming apparatus is tilted when installed or moved, or is subjected to vibration, there is a danger of losing the required detection accuracy due to liquid toner adhering to the light detector itself or to a detecting window disposed in the front of the light detector. Furthermore, in the case of the liquid toner concentration detecting device disclosed according to JP-A-2001-356608, in some cases it can be predicted that the volume of liquid toner in the tank decreases below a predetermined volume, the detecting head is exposed making detection impossible, or that the liquid toner adhering to the tip of the exposed detecting head will harden, so that the detecting function will not be restored even if the liquid toner is replenished.
Furthermore, in the case of the image forming apparatus using a liquid toner including a liquid carrier in which microscopic toner resin particles containing a pigment have been dispersed, in some cases, a large number of toner resin particles are consumed when forming a photographic image, and a large amount of liquid carrier is consumed when forming letter images, meaning that in order to obtain a high quality image, it is essential to constantly maintain the mixture ratio of the toner resin particles and the liquid carrier at a substantially fixed level.

Image forming apparatus that detects concentration of liquid toner using light reflected through liquid toner


A method for controlling an autonomous vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle control method, which adjusts a seat installed in a vehicle, a first display positioned in front of the seat and facing the seat, and a second display positioned in front of the first display and facing the seat, includes: detecting the face of a passenger sitting in the seat by a camera installed in the vehicle; estimating the face height from the floor surface of the vehicle; if the estimated face height is lower than a predetermined level, setting a display region on the first display, and, if the estimated face height is higher than the predetermined level, setting the display region on at least part of the second display; and displaying images in the set display region. One or more among an autonomous vehicle, user terminal, and server according to the present invention may be associated with an artificial intelligence module, a robot, an augmented reality (AR) device, a virtual reality (VR) device, etc.

A vehicle may be classified as an internal combustion engine vehicle, an external combustion engine vehicle, a gas turbine vehicle, or an electric vehicle depending on the type of motor used.
In recent years, smart vehicles have been actively developed for the safety or convenience of drivers, pedestrians, etc., and active research is ongoing on sensors mounted on smart vehicles. Cameras, infrared sensors, radar, GPS, Lidar, gyroscopes, etc. are being used in smart vehicles, among which cameras serve to substitute for human eyesDue to the development of various types of sensors and electronic equipment, vehicles with functions for providing display service to passengers while driving are attracting attention.
One of the issues with such vehicles is to provide display service according to a passenger' physical features.

Method for controlling autonomous vehicle


A lock is provided, the lock having: a lock mechanism having a first member and a second member, the first member and the second member each being slidably mounted to a housing of the combination lock, wherein the first member is capable of movement between a first position and a second position and the second member is capable of movement between a first position and a second position and wherein movement of the first member from the first position to the second position causes the second member to move from the first position to the second position; a bolt configured for movement between a locking position and an unlocking position, the bolt preventing the second member from moving from the second position to the first position when the bolt is in the locking position.

This application relates generally to combination locks for lockers.
Combination locks are used to secure or lock the door of lockers, cabinets, toolboxes, desks, and other such enclosures. A low cost solution of such combination locks includes the use of spring bolts that actuate in response to entry of the correct combination. Such spring bolt combination locks eliminate the need for bulky and expensive handle mechanisms.
In many applications, the user of the combination lock changes over time. For instance, lockers in a school are often assigned to one student user for a period of time, such as a school year, and then assigned to another student in a following school year. In this example, the school often times desires to retain the ability to gain entry to the locker without need of the combination. Thus, combination locks are provided with a master key. The master key can actuate the spring bolt to open the lock without the combination. The master key, when used with a push button mechanism, changes the combination of the lock to one of several different pre-assigned combinations.
Examples of such key-controlled combination changing permutation locks are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,023,600, 3,023,602, 3,031,876, 3,031,877, and 3,190,089 to Foote et al., the contents each of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto.
Prior combination locks have several disadvantages for example, prior locks having a fully retractable bolt have a less than desired bolt throw (e.g., not more than about 0.25 inches). Alternately, some prior locks have been made with longer bolt throws, but do not allow for the complete retraction of the bolt. The prior locks also provide a less than a desired number of available pre-assigned combinations. Moreover, such combination locks do not avoid unauthorized entry when used in situations where the frame of the locker is capable of being bent outwardly enough to allow the bolt to no longer be engaged in the frame thus allowing the locker to be opened.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a combination lock that addresses the aforementioned deficiencies.


Disclosed are improved LiDAR systems and methods that achieve an improved signal-to-noise by interrogating a sub-region of a scene with an optical signal. An instantaneous field-of-view (FOV) of each detector pixel is narrowed along a first direction to reduce detection of solar-generated photons. Instantaneous FOVs of the pixels are compressed along the first direction to provide a composite FOV that is narrower than a total FOV. To sample the total FOV of a scene, the optical signal and composite FOV of the receiver are scanned across the scene along the first direction.

The ability to measure distance and reflectivity of objects within an environment without physically touching those objects is of great interest to many fields. LiDAR—and more particularly time-of-flight (TOF) based LiDAR—is a distance range measurement technique in which a brief laser light pulse is emitted and a reflected light pulse is detected while the time between the emitted light pulse and the reflected light pulse is measured. This time of flight of the laser light pulse from the time it is emitted until its reflected pulse is detected corresponds to the distance between a LiDAR detector and an object.


In producing an elastic glove made of rubber or resin and having an interior surface flocked with piles through a step for depositing the piles on a film of a latex composition formed on a surface of a mold conformal to a three-dimensional shape of the elastic glove, a water repellent/hydrophilic pile mixture containing water repellent piles in a proportion of 10 to 80 mass % is used as the piles to uniformize a pile embedded state in a rubber or resin film defining the interior surface over the substantially entire surface of the elastic glove.

Elastic gloves each entirely unitarily made of rubber or resin are widely used at homes, in plants and in medical facilities to protect skin of human hands, to prevent food poisoning and infectious diseases and/or to protect objects to be handled (e.g., semiconductor devices and precision instruments) from sebum of human hands. It is noted that not only gloves made of rubber but also gloves made of resin are generally referred to as "elastic gloves" and, therefore, these gloves are collectively referred to as "elastic gloves" in the present invention regardless of whether the gloves are made of rubber or resin.
One of known types of elastic gloves is such that the generally entire interior surface of the elastic glove (ranging from a fingertip portion to a cuff portion of the elastic glove) is flocked with a multiplicity of short-fibers (piles) such as of cotton or rayon to facilitate attachment and detachment of the elastic glove to/from a hand and to improve the texture of the interior surface when the glove is worn on the hand.
The elastic glove is generally produced by a so-called dipping method.
For production of an elastic glove entirely unitarily made of rubber and having an interior surface flocked with piles, for example, an unvulcanized or prevulcanized liquid latex composition is first prepared by blending various additives such as a vulcanizing agent to a rubber latex. Further, a ceramic mold conformal to the three-dimensional shape of the elastic glove is prepared, and its surface is treated with a coagulant (mainly a calcium nitrate aqueous solution).
Subsequently, the mold is held with its fingertip side down and with its cuff side up, and dipped, its fingertip side first, into the latex composition. Then, the mold is taken out, its cuff side first, from the latex composition. Thus, the latex composition adheres to the surface of the mold to form a latex composition film.
In turn, piles are deposited on the film by either or both of a spraying process or an electrostatic deposition process, and then the film is heated together with the mold for drying the latex composition and vulcanizing the rubber. Alternatively, the film is first dried, and then heated together with the mold for the vulcanization of the rubber.
Thus, portions of the individual piles adhering to the film are embedded in the vulcanized film to be fixed to the film, and remaining portions of the individual piles are exposed from the film. That is, the piles are flocked on a surface of the film later serving as the interior surface of the glove.
Thereafter, the elastic glove is turned inside out to be demolded or, alternatively, the elastic glove is demolded and then turned inside out, so that the surface of the film flocked with the piles defines the interior surface of the elastic glove. Thus, the elastic glove is produced, which is entirely unitarily made of the rubber and has the interior surface flocked with the piles.
The elastic glove may have a double layer structure including an outer layer defining an exterior surface thereof and an inner layer defining the interior surface thereof flocked with the piles.
The elastic glove of the double layer structure is produced by dipping a mold into a latex composition as a material for the outer layer, taking out the mold to form a film, dipping the resulting mold into a latex composition as a material for the inner layer to form a film, depositing piles on a surface of the film, and entirely vulcanizing the rubber in the films (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
An elastic glove entirely and unitarily made of a resin is produced in substantially the same manner as described above, except that a latex composition prepared by blending various additives in a resin emulsion is used instead of the latex composition containing the rubber latex. In strict sense, the composition containing the resin emulsion is not a latex composition. However, the composition containing the resin emulsion as well as the latex composition containing the rubber latex are herein referred to as "latex composition" for convenience.
It is known that, in the dipping process, the amount of the latex composition adhering to the mold surface, i.e., the thickness of the film, is increased as the period during which the mold is dipped in the latex composition is increased.
Therefore, where the mold is dipped, its fingertip side first, in the latex composition and then taken out, its cuff side first, from the latex composition as described above, the fingertip side of the mold is dipped in the latex composition for a longer period of time than the cuff side of the mold. Thus, the latex composition is liable to adhere in a greater amount on the fingertip side than on the cuff side, so that the thickness of the film tends to be greater on the fingertip side than on the cuff side.
Further, the drying speed of the latex composition tends to be increased as the thickness of the film is reduced. Conversely, the drying speed of the latex composition tends to be reduced as the thickness of the film is increased.
Particularly, where the films of the latex compositions are stacked one on the other for the production of the elastic glove of the double layer structure, these tendencies are enhanced.
Therefore, even if the piles are substantially simultaneously deposited uniformly over the entire surface of the film of the latex composition formed on the generally entire surface of the mold, the individual piles are liable to be embedded in the film in different pile embedded states on the fingertip side and on the cuff side.
That is, if the period required to dry the film is increased, the individual piles deposited on the film tend to be embedded to a greater extent in the film.
Accordingly, a greater number of piles are embedded to a greater extent in the film on the fingertip side where the film has a greater thickness and hence is more slowly dried.
On the fingertip side, therefore, the piles which are harder than the rubber and the resin are embedded to a greater extent in the film. This reduces the flexibility of the film, and gives a rough touch on the interior surface of the elastic glove, deteriorating the texture of the interior surface of the elastic glove.
On the cuff side where the film has a smaller thickness and hence is quickly dried, on the other hand, the piles are embedded to a smaller extent in the film, so that a greater number of piles are liable to fall out of the vulcanized film.
Therefore, the number of piles falling out of the film is increased on the cuff side. This reduces the effect of facilitating the attachment and the detachment of the elastic glove to/from the hand and improving the texture of the interior surface of the elastic glove by the pile flocking.


Hydrocarbons are prepared from a feed gas of hydrogen and carbon monoxide by feeding the feed gas into a reaction zone at an elevated temperature and pressure and allowing the hydrogen and carbon monoxide to react in the presence of a catalyst retained in the reaction zone to yield hydrocarbons. A reservoir of a hydrogen-rich gas is maintained at a pressure above the pressure of the feed gas, the reservoir and the reaction zone being connected in such a way that a continuous flow of hydrogen-rich gas is maintained from the reservoir into the reaction zone. A reactor in use in the preparation is shutdown by interrupting the feeding of the feed gas, thereby allowing hydrogen-rich gas to flow from the reservoir at increased rate and quench the reactions occurring in the reaction zone.

Processes for the preparation of hydrocarbons, in particular an at least partly liquid hydrocarbonaceous product, by the catalytic reaction of carbon monoxide with hydrogen (a mixture often referred to as "synthesis gas") in a reaction zone containing the catalyst bed are well known. This reaction is highly exothermic and cooling means are used in a reactor for carrying out such process to remove heat from the reacton zone. Additionally, such a reactor is usually provided with means to recycle gas through the catalyst bed for equalizing the temperature of the catalyst bed, thus avoiding the formation of hydrocarbonaceous deposits on the catalyst.
When a reactor comprising a fixed bed of the aforementioned type is to be shutdown the supply of carbon monoxide and hydrogen is interrupted. In the reactor space above the catalyst bed, usually a dome-like space, a large amount of reactant gas mixture is present, which will pass through the catalyst bed at a relatively low velocity. At such low velocities, the reaction heat may be insufficiently removed and hot spots may be formed in the catalyst bed. These hot spots result in a deterioration of the performance of the catalyst.
The possibility for the formation of hot spots in the catalyst bed of fixed bed reactors in general and resultant damage to the catalyst is known in the art. Thus, in UK Patent Application No. 2,169,309 a process for the shutdown of a reactor in use in the conversion of oxygenates, such as alcohols, into gasoline is disclosed. In the process of this UK application, when the circulation of recycle gas to the reactor falters, automatic valves terminate the feed of oxygenates to the reactor and then inject inert gases into the reaction zone to quench the reactor.
According to UK Patent Application No. 2,223,237 the above-mentioned problem of overheating the catalyst may be overcome by carrying out the following steps:
(i) interrupting the feed of synthesis gas; PA0 (ii) depressurizing the reactor downstream of the catalyst, and providing the reactor upstream of the catalyst with inert gas and/or hydrogen, preferably hydrogen; and PA0 (iii) cooling the catalyst to ambient conditions.
In one embodiment the dome-like space above the catalyst bed is filled with packing bodies, the bodies containing hydrogen releasable therefrom when the pressure in the reactor falls below the working pressure. The inert bodies may comprises an interfacial membrane permeable to hydrogen and impermeable to carbon monoxide, or the inert bodies may comprise material which absorbs hydrogen under reaction conditions and desorbs under shutdown conditions.
Surprisingly, it has now been found that the decline in performance of a hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst in a fixed bed reactor, occurring as a result of the shutdown of the reactor during operation of the synthesis process, can be significantly reduced by maintaining a reservoir of hydrogen-rich gas at a pressure above the pressure of the feed gas and arranged such that hydrogen-rich gas can flow from the reservoir into the fixed bed during operation. By such a process, it is possible to protect the catalyst during shutdown by rapidly quenching the reaction with a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

Process for the preparation of hydrocarbons


The disclosure provides a benzene ring containing compound, sealing gel, a process for preparing the same and use thereof. The compound has the following Formula (I), wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different, and represent alkyls of 1˜4 carbon atoms, respectively. The sealing gel of the disclosure comprises one or more compounds as shown by Formula (I). The sealing gel of the disclosure not only has high binding strength to a glass substrate, but also has a good binding performance to the oriented film, thereby preventing the drop of the binding performance between the colored film substrate and the array substrate, while also decreasing the contamination of external impurities to the liquid crystals in the box.

ODF (one drop filling) process is a key step in the process for manufacturing the liquid crystal panel. As shown in FIG. 1, sealing gel 3 is applied to a array substrate 1, liquid crystals are dropped on the colored film substrate 2, oriented films 4 are applied to both the array substrate 1 and the colored film substrate 2 and the manufacture of the liquid crystal box is finished by aligning the array substrate 1 and the colored film substrate 2. During the manufacturing process, the main function of the sealing gel 3 is to bind the array substrate 1 and the colored film substrate 2. However, in an actual process, as shown in FIG. 2, sometimes the sealing gel 3 partially overlaps with the oriented film 4 after the alignment. In the overlapping region, the sealing gel 3 cannot directly contact with the array substrate 1 or the colored film substrate 2, causing a significant drop of the binding performance between the array substrate 1 and the colored film substrate 2, making them easier to peel off. Moreover, due to the significant drop of the binding performance between the array substrate 1 and the colored film substrate 2, it results in that external impurities easily enter into the liquid crystal box at the interface where the sealing gel 3 overlaps with the oriented film 4 and contaminate the liquid crystals in the box, thereby severely affecting the quality of the liquid crystal panel.
To address the aforementioned issues, a skilled artisan on one hand focuses on changing the edge structure to avoid the overlapping of the sealing gel 3 and the oriented film 4, and on the other hand controls the printing precision of the oriented film and the spreading width of the sealing gel, respectively. However, both means are merely applicable to the manufacture of large scale liquid crystal panels. For small scale products (e.g., the liquid crystal display screen of cellular phones), due to limit of space, currently the overlapping of the sealing gel 3 and the oriented film 4 still cannot be avoided.

Benzene ring containing compound, sealing gel, process for preparing same and use thereof

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd.


A compact optical head for reading or writing data on an optical disc is disclosed wherein the optical head comprises an integrated laser diode/photodetector package, a half-cube beamsplitter, and an objective lens. Light emitted from a diode laser is in transmitted to the beamsplitter and deflected towards the objective lens. The objective lens focuses the incident light on a focal point on the surface of the disc. A reflected beam travels along the same path as the incident light and is deflected by the beamsplitter toward a photodetector contained in the integrated package, wherein the photodetector is displaced from the laser diode. Other embodiments of the beamsplitter are disclosed which include a wedged plate for transmitting collimated light emitted from the laser diode, and a cylindrical lens for introducing astigmatism into the reflected beam. The present invention provides a substantial reduction in the size and volume required by the optical head, advantageously allowing the head to be easily integrated with an actuator for focussing and tracking the incident beam on the disc.

In many optical systems, it is often useful to separate and/or combine light beams having different optical characteristics, e.g., polarization states, wavelengths, etc. For example, in optical data storage systems, the optical qualities of the storage medium are altered in a manner such that changes in the reflective or transmissive properties of the medium are representative of the information recorded thereon. This information is commonly transmitted to and retrieved from the optical medium using light beams produced by a laser light source.
The information recorded on the disc is retrieved from the disc by directing a laser beam onto the disc. The reflected laser beam is then directed onto the detecting surface of a photodiode or other light detector system which transforms the reflected or transmitted laser beam signal into an electrical signal. In this manner, the data stored on the disc is transferred from the disc to the laser beam and converted into an electrical signal which carries the same information recorded on the disc. This electrical signal is further processed, and ultimately results in retrieval of the computer data, audio sound, video images, etc., represented by the information recorded on the disc.
Various devices have been produced for accomplishing the optical data storage procedures. Such previous devices for reading and/or writing data on optical discs typically comprise a number of discrete components for processing the light beam emitted from the laser diode. For example, such devices may include a full cube beamsplitter which is used in combination with a separate, detached collimator lens, an objective lens, a detached light source, and an array of detector elements. In particular, devices such as those illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,399,529 and 4,507,766 illustrate the extensive number of components in some prior devices for achieving the desired result.
These prior devices experience a number of problems in connection with their operation. In particular, because of the large number of components required in these devices, they become bulky and are difficult to incorporate into a head configuration which can be easily utilized in an optical system for recording and reading data carriers. Furthermore, the large number of components creates difficulties in obtaining and maintaining element alignment and focus of the beams transmitted therethrough. In addition, the combinations of these various components create various losses in the optical efficiency of the device due to light which is lost as the beams propagate through the various device components.
Some previous devices have been based upon diffractive or holographic elements and an integrated laser diode and servo signal detector diode package. Such a system is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,526, wherein a diffraction grating or hologram lens is used instead of a prism for directing a read-out light beam emitted by a light source to the surface of a recording medium. However, this type of system also experiences losses in optical efficiency as the light is scattered and lost during transmission through the components of the device.


The invention relates to a process for the preparation of form I of olanzapine, crystallized from a solvent mixture which comprises 2-propanol, some pseudopolymorphic forms, namely solvates of olanzapine, a new polymorphic form A of olanzapine, and processes for the preparation thereof.

The British patent GB 1 533 235 discloses antipsychotically effective thienobenzodiazepines by a generic formula which also covers olanzapine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382 describes olanzapine explicitly. The described process for its production involves a crystallization from acetonitrile, determining the melting point of that crystallized compound at 195° C.
EP-B-733 635 claims crystalline form II olanzapine and this polymorphic form is said to be more stable than the material obtained according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382 which is designated "form I olanzapine". Both the form I and the form II of olanzapine are characterized by e.g. x-ray data. The preparation of the more stable form II of olanzapine is effected by dissolving technical grade olanzapine in ethyl acetate and crystallization from the resulting solution by any conventional process such as seeding, cooling, scratching the glass of the reaction vessel or other common techniques.
WO 02/18390 discloses the monohydrate form I and the dihydrate form I of olanzapine, a process for production thereof and a process for production of form I of olanzapine which comprises the steps of stirring olanzapine monohydrate form I or crude olanzapine or form II of olanzapine in methylene chloride at reflux, cooling, filtering and drying. It is also described that a repeating of the process described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382 Example 1, subexample 4 did not lead to formation of form I of olanzapine.
EP-B-733 634 relates to three specific solvates of olanzapine namely the methanol, ethanol and 1-propanol solvates and a process for production technical grade olanzapine by drying the corresponding solvate.
EP-B-831 098 relates to processes for preparation of form II of olanzapine by drying olanzapine dihydrate intermediates in a vacuum oven.
EP-A-831 097 relates to olanzapine dihydrate D.
In WO 01/47933 three new polymorphic forms designated as form III, IV and V and methods for preparing them are disclosed. The processes involve a dissolving of form I or form II of olanzapine in aqueous organic or anorganic acid and precipitating the desired material by neutralisation.
US patent application 20020086993 discloses new polymorphic form designated as form X of olanzapine and a method for its preparation.

Crystal forms of olanzapine and processes for their preparation


Unit for supplying combustion air to the cylinders of an endothermic engine is provided with a manifold having an air inlet orifice and a plurality of supply ducts. Each supply duct extends between a first opening communicating with the manifold and an outlet orifice, and has a second opening arranged between the first opening and the outlet orifice. The supply unit is equipped with a valve member that can move between the first opening and the second opening in order to close alternately the first opening and the second opening.

In general, an air supply unit comprises a manifold having an air inlet orifice and a plurality of supply ducts, which are in communication with the manifold and have respective outlet orifices, each of which is capable of supplying a respective cylinder of the internal combustion engine. Some supply units are made with supply ducts that have variable geometry. In this specific case, each supply duct communicates with the manifold through a first and a second opening, which are arranged in different zones of the supply duct in such a manner as to define a first complete path of air along the supply duct, which path is delimited by the first opening and the outlet orifice, and a second shorter path that extends between the second opening and the outlet orifice. The second path is thus part of the first path. Moreover, a valve for selectively opening and closing the second opening is fitted in correspondence with second opening. The unit of this configuration has the function of selecting the preferred path depending upon the operation of the endothermic engine: when the rotational speed of the endothermic engine is low and high torque is required, it is preferable for the path followed by the combustion air to be long and the valve is thus in the closed position; when the rotational speed of the endothermic engine is high and high power is required, it is preferable for the path followed by the air to be short and the valve is thus in the open position. From a functional standpoint, the valve of each supply duct is actuated depending on the rotational speed of the endothermic engine.
The unit described above has a number of disadvantages: the first disadvantage is that fitting a valve in each second opening is a complex and costly operation; the second disadvantage is that the unit has no valve in correspondence with the first opening and, although the combustion air is preferably channelled over the second, shorter, path, a certain quantity of combustion air passes through the first path, so reducing the advantage of providing supply ducts having variable geometry.