An improved method of, and apparatus for, nuclear imaging takes advantage of the ability to determine the depth of gamma ray/electron interaction within a semiconducting gamma ray detector to determine the (most highly probable) location of the first gamma ray/electron interaction within the detector. Lines of interaction constructed between opposing detector arrays, extending between the location of the first gamma ray/electron interaction in each detector associated with the coincident detection of gamma radiation, permits a positron-emitting object of interest to be imaged according to protocols known in the art, but with better spatial resolution than previously believed to have been known.

In general, nuclear imaging that is based on detecting gamma rays is well known. In a Compton scatter camera, for example, basic operating principles of which are illustrated schematically in FIG. 1, a source object of interest 10, e.g., a particular organ within the human body, is caused to be impregnated with a radioisotope which emits gamma radiation. A gamma photon travels along a first path of travel 12 until it interacts with an electron of an atom within the detector at location A within a first detector 14. The gamma photon is then deflected or scattered by a Compton scatter angle θ and travels along a second path of travel 16 until it interacts with another electron at location B within a second detector 18.
The scatter angle Θ can be calculated from the amount of energy deposited in each of the detectors 14 and 18 at locations A and B, respectively, from the relation
            E      sc        =                  E                  i                                                              n                            1        +                                            E                              i                                                                                n                                                                (                              1                -                                  cos                                                                                Θ                                            )                                            511                                                                          keV                                ,where Esc is the energy of the scattered photon and Ein is the energy of the incident photon. Thus,
      cos                          Θ    =      1    -                            511                                                                          keV                                      (                                                                    E                                          i                                                                                n                                                                            E                    sc                                                  -                1                            )                                                E                      i                                                                          n                              .
The actual direction from which the incident gamma ray has come, however, cannot be determined. Therefore, for each detected gamma ray/electron interaction event (consisting of all individual gamma ray/electron interactions associated with a given incident gamma ray), a conic arc 20 exists in the image plane representing the intersection of all possible lines of travel of the incident gamma ray and the image plane that could correspond to the calculated Compton scatter angle.
A more detailed discussion of the basic operating principles of a Compton scatter camera and the disclosure of an improved Compton scatter camera can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,434, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference.
In positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, basic operating principles of which are illustrated schematically in FIG. 2, a positron 22 is emitted by the source object 10, which has been caused to be impregnated with a positron-emitting radioisotope. Within a few millimeters from the point of emission, the positron 22 combines with an electron 24 and a pair of gamma rays 26 are emitted as the positron is annihilated. The two gamma rays travel in diametrically opposed directions, which are independent of the original direction of travel of the positron, and strike opposing scintillating crystal detectors 28, 30 through which the gamma rays scatter. Because the gamma rays travel at the speed of light, which is extremely large in relation to the distance between the detectors 28 and 30, the gamma photons strike the detectors 28 and 30 at, for all intents and purposes, exactly the same time.
As the gamma rays scatter throughout the detectors, visible light is emitted from each particular crystal pixel (see FIG. 2A) in which a gamma ray/electron interaction occurs. This visible light is transmitted through glass light pipes 32, 34 to a series of photomultiplier tubes 36, which are used to decode the x- and y-locations of the gamma ray/electron interactions within each of the detectors 28 and 30, i.e., in which individual crystal within the array of crystals comprising the detector the gamma ray/electron interactions occurred.
Because an atom which is struck by a gamma ray will not emit light immediately upon being struck by the gamma ray, and because the gamma rays scatter throughout the detectors at the speed of light such that all scintillating pixels will scintillate at essentially the same time, it is impossible to determine the pixel in each detector in which the first gamma ray/electron interaction occurred. Accordingly, the location at which each gamma ray initially strikes each detector is assumed to be at the centroid of the scintillating pixels.
The point at which the positron was annihilated and the two gamma rays were generated is then assumed to be located along a "line of interaction" extending between the location in each of the two detectors at which the initial gamma ray/electron interaction is assumed to have occurred, and an image of the source object is generated from a multitude (i.e., on the order of millions to tens of millions) of such lines of interaction, as is known in the art. The line of interaction generated for each set of coincident gamma ray/electron interaction events has a certain amount of inherent uncertainty or error associated with it, however, due to the "averaging" associated with assuming that the location of initial gamma ray/electron interaction is at the centroid of the scintillating pixels.

Nuclear imaging using three-dimensional gamma particle interaction detection


A method and apparatus for radio resource management in a wireless device is provided. A type of data connection to be established between the wireless device and a network is determined. A radio resource capability mode for the data connection based on resource requirements of the determined type of data connection is dynamically determined wherein the radio resource capability mode is selected from a plurality of radio resource capability modes operable by the wireless device within wireless technologies supported by the network. The determined radio resource capability mode is conveyed to the network during connection establishment between the wireless device and the network, wherein the radio resource capability mode is used by the network to determine radio resources to be allocated to the wireless device for the connection.

With the deployment of networks that use third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) wireless technologies such as the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defined Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and Long Term Evolution (LTE), wireless mobile devices, such as smart phones, can operate at a wide range of data rates based on the capability of the network and the device. Wireless devices that provide wireless communications capabilities, such as mobile devices, personal digital assistants, smart phones, handheld computers, tablet computers, and fixed or integrated wireless systems are referred to herein as User Equipment (UE). The initial version of 3GPP WCDMA, also known as 3GPP release 99, provided a maximum uplink and downlink data rate of 384 kbps. A new downlink shared channel called High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) was introduced in 3GPP release 5 to increase the peak downlink date rate to 14 Mbps. The uplink data rate is improved by introduction of Enhanced Dedicated Channel (E-DCH) also known as High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) in 3GPP release 6 where uplink data rates of 5.7 Mbps is attainable. Both uplink and downlink data rates were increased further in 3GPP release 7 via higher order modulation—the peak downlink and uplink rates being 21 Mbps and 11.5 Mbps respectively. As of Release 9, there are 28 HSDPA UE categories while HSUPA provides 9 different categories with each UE category providing a particular maximum data rate or range of data rates. The allocation of maximum radio resources by the network depends on a number of criteria—one being the capability of the UE (e.g. if UE supports just R99 feature set, R99+HSDPA or R99+HSDPA+HSUPA) and UE category (e.g. HSDPA category 8, HSUPA category 6) that device UE indicates to the network. The allocation of radio resources which is deemed as unnecessarily high for the requirements of underlying application or data connection can lead to needlessly high consumption of device resources on the UE, inefficient usage of network resource or unacceptable quality-of-service (QoS) for a given application.
Accordingly, a method and apparatus that enables improved performance in wireless devices by requesting suitable radio resources for a given connection remains highly desirable.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Application-based wireless device initiated radio resource management


A liquid filtering instrument 10 according to the present invention achieves filtered liquid by pressure-reduced filtration, and it comprises a filter member 12 in which a liquid filter 15 is accommodated, and a holder member 14 for stocking filtered liquid passed through the liquid filter 15, wherein the filter member 12 and the holder member 14 are formed in capable of being fitted so as to be kept substantially air-tight and water-tight under pressure reduced state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid filtering instrument for filtering liquid, and particularly to a liquid filtering instrument suitably used to prepare blood plasma or blood serum samples from blood of humans or other animals. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a dry type analysis device for filtering body liquid such as blood, urine or the like under reduced pressure and analyzing the body liquid thus filtered.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a compact type filter unit in which a filter is mounted in advance has been frequently used when liquid such as organic solvent or the like is filtered in a chemical experiment.
"Chromatodisc 13N" sold by GL Science Inc. is known as a filter unit which is generally used for chemical experiments. This filter unit uses porous membrane of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a filter, and it is designed by unifying plural housing members of polypropylene (PP) into one body through fusion.
When body liquid such as urine, blood or the like is filtered, a compact cartridge type filter unit is used (for example, see Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H9-196911). The cartridge type filter unit is generally formed as follows. That is, a filter is pinched by plural resin housing members and fused by ultrasonic waves or the like so that the filter and the resin housing members are unified into one body.
Furthermore, there has been developed a filter unit filled with a filter which can separate blood cells to take out blood plasma from whole blood (for example, see Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. H10-227788 (FIG. 1)). Products on the market are known as this filter unit, and for example, "FUJI DRI-CHEM PLASMA FILTER PF" sold from Fujifilm Medical Co., Ltd. is known. This filter unit employs polysulfone (PSF) porous membrane as a filter, and transparent polystyrene (PS) housing members are unified into one body by ultrasonic fusion.
A method of diagnosing disease of humans or other animals while body liquid such as blood, urine or the like is used as a specimen has been carried out for a long time as a simply and easy method of performing diagnosis without damaging human bodies. As one method of analyzing blood, urine or the like has been developed a so-called dry chemistry analysis method which does not use solution, that is, in which a reagent group needed to detect a specific component is contained under a dry state (Yuzo Iwata, "11. Other analytical method (1) dry chemistry," Laboratory Chemical Practice Manual, issued by Igaku-Shoin Ltd. 1993, Issue Number of "Kensa To Gijyutsu," Vol. 21, No. 5, p. 328-333).

Liquid filtering instrument and dry type analysis device


A tube bending apparatus, comprising a tube holding mechanism; a first head member for substantially preventing lateral movement of a first portion of the tube; a unit for translating the tube along its longitudinal axis so as to be substantially adjacent the first head member; a unit for rotating the tube about its longitudinal axis; a bend arm member which is pivotally connected to the first head member; a drive mechanism for rotating the bend arm member so as to contact the tube for bending thereof; and wherein the drive mechanism comprises an electric motor and associated gearing for directly coupling the motor to the bend arm member.

1. Field of Invention
The invention pertains to a device for bending tubes, and in particular to a machine for programmably bending metal tubes into a variety of shapes.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
There are known devices for bending metal tubes. These machines utilize hydraulic mechanisms or chain driven mechanisms in applying pressure and/or forces to tubing so as to cause bending thereof, and thereby experiences limited accuracy and efficiency.

Tube bending apparatus, and methods of constructing and utilizing same


A cutlery drawer for a dishwasher includes a frame extendably supported within a washing tub and a plurality of inserts which are movably disposed on the frame and are configured to hold dishware items to be washed. The plurality of inserts include a horizontally displaceable disposed on the frame so as to be horizontally displaceable in a direction perpendicular to a direction of withdrawal of the cutlery drawer and a vertically displaceable insert disposed on the frame so as to be vertically displaceable. The horizontally displaceable insert has longitudinal sides extending in the direction of withdrawal of the cutlery drawer and is disposed on the frame so as to be vertically displaceable at one of the longitudinal sides.

Dishwashers and cutlery drawers for dishwashers are per se are well known in the art. A cutlery drawer of the aforementioned type for a dishwasher is disclosed in DE 10 2008 062 761 B3.
Dishwashers have a washing tub providing a washing chamber which, during normal use, serves to receive items to be washed such as, for example, dishes, cutlery and/or the like. Typically, dish drawers are provided for receiving the dishware. Such dish drawers are also referred to as dish racks and capable of being slid out of the washing chamber provided by the washing tub. Generally, two such dish racks are disposed one above the other in the washing chamber and accordingly used as an upper rack and a lower rack, respectively.
For purposes of holding cutlery items, cutlery drawers have become known which can be slid out of the washing chamber provided by the washing tub, just as the dish drawers. Such cutlery drawers have an insert for holding cutlery. The insert in turn has supporting webs for separate placement of individual items of cutlery.
A cutlery drawer is typically disposed uppermost; i.e., above an upper rack in the washing tub of the dishwasher. To be able to place also larger dishware items in the upper rack located immediately below the cutlery drawer, the cutlery drawer described in DE 10 2008 026 761 B3 was developed, which has a frame having inserts movably disposed thereon. At least one of the inserts is horizontally displaceably disposed on the frame and at least one other of the inserts is vertically displaceably disposed on the frame. This design allows the horizontally displaceable insert of the cutlery drawer to be moved to a position of non-use, which provides additional height for the dish rack located therebelow so as to allow, for example, larger dishware items to be placed in this dish rack.
The cutlery drawer described in DE 10 2008 026 761 B3 has proven practical in everyday use. Nevertheless, efforts are being made to further optimize the space utilization of the washing chamber.


A method of processing signal paths includes receiving an estimated location for a GNSS receiver in an environment. The method also includes generating a plurality of candidate positions about the estimated location where each candidate position corresponds to a possible actual location of the GNSS receiver. The method further includes, for each available satellite at each candidate position, modeling a plurality of candidate signal paths by ray-launching a raster map of geographical data. Here, the plurality of candidate signal paths includes one or more reflected signal paths. At each candidate position, the method also includes comparing, the plurality of candidate signal paths modeled for each available satellite at the respective candidate position to measured GNSS signal data from the GNSS receiver and generating a likelihood that the respective candidate position includes the actual location of the GNSS receiver based on the comparison.

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) use radio signals transmitted by orbiting satellites to determine precise ground locations, enabling advanced navigation and location-based services. Typically, a GNSS receiver receives one or more radio signals transmitted by the orbiting satellites and the GNSS receiver, or a locational system associated with the GNSS receiver, is able to determine the position of the GNSS receiver based on the timing of messages received from satellite(s) (e.g., often at least four satellites). Each message specifies the time of transmission and the position of the satellite at the time of transmission. The receiver or the locational system can compute the time of transit for each received message and often, using navigation equations, the location of the receiver. The location of the receiver may then be utilized by various applications ranging from telecommunication to navigation. As the number of applications that incorporate some aspect of GNSS-based localization continues to grow, these applications rely on the GNSS-based localization to be not only accurate in an open-sky environment, but also an urban environment. This is especially true when urban environments are densely populated with users of location-based services that deploy GNSS-based localization.


An access control system is provided which is suitable for inhibiting an increase in communication traffic, and preventing excessive process loads applied to certain terminals and certain devices. A printer management server notifies a server printer of timing information indicating access timing corresponding to a server printer with reference to a timing information registration table. A network printer receives timing information, and sends status information of a status information registration table for collection based on the received timing information when the network printer itself is the server printer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, a device and a program, and a method for controlling access to a plurality of network printers, and particularly relates to an access control system, an accessed terminal, an access terminal and a program for terminal, and an access control method suitable for inhibiting an increase in communication traffic and preventing an excessive process load applied to certain terminals and certain devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, for example, a printer management system shown in FIG. 40 has been used as a technique for collecting status information from a plurality of network printers by a printer management server.
FIG. 40 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional printer management system.
As shown in FIG. 40, a printer management server 100 managing network printers 200 and a plurality of routers 110 are connected to the Internet 199. A plurality of network printers 200 and the printer management server 120 managing those network printers 200 are connected to each router 110, and the network printers 200 and the printer management server 120 are connected to the Internet 199 via the router 110. In addition, the router 110, the network printers 200 and the printer management server 120 constitute one sub-network 198. The sub-network 198 is established for each company, for example.
The network printer 200 is managed by the printer management server 120 of the sub-network 198 to which the network printer 200 itself belongs. Status information is periodically generated, and the generated status information is stored in a storage device. In addition, when a status information acquirement request is received, status information in the storage device is sent to the printer management server 120.
The printer management server 120 manages network printers 200 of the sub-network 198 to which the printer management server 120 itself belongs. The status information acquirement request is sent to each network printer 200 at predetermined intervals and when status information is received, the received status information is stored in a status information registration database (hereinafter, database is abbreviated simply as DB) for each network printer 200. In addition, status information in the status information registration DB is sent to a printer management server 100 at predetermined intervals.
The printer management server 100 manages printer management servers 120. When status information is received, the received status information is stored in a storage device for each network printer 200.
Furthermore, other techniques related to such a printer management system include, for example, a method for maintenance of printing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-161134 (hereinafter referred to as first exemplary conventional technique).
In addition, techniques for dynamically changing a server include, for example, a network system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-181653 (hereinafter referred to as second exemplary conventional technique).
In the second exemplary conventional technique, a first server designates an alternative server as a second server based on alternative server selection conditions in a device information table. Management information (device information table, performance information table) stored in the first server, an accumulated reference D2 (print request) and print data D1 are sent to a second server to make a replacement request the second server. The second server updates management information of the second server based on management information sent from the first server. In addition, the reference D2 sent from the first server, and print data D1 are stored in a spool. Then, the second server notifies a workstation that the server to which the print data D1 and reference D2 are sent has been changed to the second server, and notifies printers that the server acquiring print data D1 has been changed to the second server.
Consequently, the alternative server can be dynamically selected to continuously carry out print processing even if a failure occurs in the server.
However, the conventional printer management system described above has a problem such that because printer management servers 120 send status information in a status information registration DB to a printer management server 100 at predetermined intervals, access by a plurality of printer management servers 120 may be focused on the printer management server 100 to cause an increase in communication traffic and apply an excessive process load to the printer management server 100.
In addition, the conventional printer management system described above has a problem such that because the printer management server 120 is provided for each sub-network 198, costs and time and efforts are required for introduction and maintenance of the printer management server 120. The first and second exemplary conventional techniques have the same problem in the sense that servers should be provided.
Furthermore, the second exemplary conventional technique has a problem such that a certain server selects an alternative server, and therefore in case where a failure occurs in the certain server before replacement of the server, or a failure occurs in the certain server and the alternative server after replacement of the server, print processing may stop, and thus reliability against failures is insufficient.
Furthermore, the problem is not limited to the network printer, but can be anticipated for network devices other than the network printer.
The present invention has been made in consideration of such unsolved problems of conventional techniques, and has as its fist object the provision of an access control system, an accessed terminal, an access terminal and a program for terminal, and an access control method suitable for inhibiting an increase in communication traffic and preventing an excessive load applied to certain terminals and certain devices. In addition, the present invention has as its second object the provision of an access control system, an accessed terminal, an access terminal and a program for terminal, and an access control method suitable for reducing costs and time and efforts and improving reliability.

Access control system, accessed terminal, access terminal and program for terminal, and access control method


A support system is configured to prevent a plurality of receiver blocks from moving during gunsmithing activities. The support system includes a plurality of anti-torque plates proximate one another. Each anti-torque plate further includes a parallelepiped, machined with rounded corners to avoid causing an injury. An opening is centered on the parallelepiped. A right receiver accommodation portion is configured to accommodate a right receiver block such that the right receiver block does not move during the gunsmithing activities. A left receiver accommodation portion is configured to accommodate a left receiver block such that the left receiver block does not move during the gunsmithing activities.

The embodiments herein relate generally to devises used to restrict motion of an object, particularly in the field of gunsmithing.
Prior to embodiments of the disclosed invention, receiver blocks were held together by hand with the receiver in the middle to be placed in a vise. The assembled receiver blocks and receiver must be held tightly by the vise to keep rotational forces from twisting the blocks and receiver free from the grip of the vise. The additional vise grip pressure can deform and damage the receiver if too much grip force is applied. Embodiments of the present invention solve this problem.

Support system for a plurality of receiver blocks


A number of purifying packages containing layers of fibrous batting confining granules of substances which can remove toxic species from flowing water are arranged in an abutting planar array sandwiched between rigid grates.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to water purification, and more particularly concerns apparatus and compositions for the selective removal of trace levels of dissolved species from rapidly flowing water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Undesirable pollutant species such as dissolved organic compounds and toxic metals can occur regularly or periodically in natural bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, streams, groundwater and stormwater, and in industrial waters such as landfill leachate, municipal sewage systems and wastewater discharges. The toxic metals are primarily multivalent "heavy" metals, and can be caused to form insoluble compounds with anionic additives. The most prevalent technique for the removal of toxic heavy metals is to add to the water a sufficient amount of an anionic precipitating agent. The resultant precipitate is then allowed to settle or is removed by filtration or other methods.
Although precipitative techniques are effective, they require that the water undergoing remediation be accumulated in tanks and held there for considerable periods of time with agitation while the treatment agents are added and dispersed, causing the heavy metals to form precipitates of sufficiently large particle size to facilitate settling and/or filtration. Operations of this nature require large, expensive equipment installation and considerable operating expense. The high cost of such installations is justifiable only where extremely large volumes of water must be treated on a long term basis, such as in municipal waste water treatment facilities and operations involving large industrial facilities.
Another general technique for removing dissolved metal species from water involves the passage of a stream of the water undergoing remediation through a stationary bed of particulate absorbent material. Suitable absorbent materials for such "on-the-run" treatments include ion exchange resins in the form of spherical beads having sizes between about 10 and 20 mesh (U.S. Sieve Series). The advantage of such technique is that the water can be treated while flowing through a confined bed of the resins, thereby avoiding the need for large holding and processing tanks. However, such beds impose an impedance to the flow of water therethrough, necessitating pumping pressures of 10 to 30 psi to achieve reasonable flow.
Suitable absorbent materials must have the ability to selectively remove pollutant species at "trace" levels of 0.3 to 5 parts per million (ppm) amidst vastly greater concentrations of commonly abundant innocuous species. An exemplary particulate absorbent having adequate selective affinity for trace levels of heavy metal ions is polyamine/polyamide polymer disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,715,339 and 7,041,222.
The removal of trace levels of organic species such as solvents, pesticides, herbicides and gasoline additives is generally achieved by pumping the afflicted water through a bed of granular activated carbon. As in the aforementioned case of employment of ion exchange materials, an "on-the-run" treatment cannot be done merely by using the impetus of a gravity flow of water.
The most prevalent need for water treatment at fast flow rates is in stormwater catch basins which receive a rapid, gravity induced flow of water, and treat the water with minimal flow impedance within a very confined space. Parent application Ser. No. 13/987,796 discloses a compact apparatus intended to be installed upstream of the effluent conduit leading away from a street-level stormwater receiving receptacle. It has now been found that there is significant need for related apparatus of much greater size to accommodate outflows from municipal and large industrial water treatment facilities.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide means for selectively removing trace levels of dissolved species from fast gravity-induced flows of water.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus which will accommodate granular absorbent materials.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide apparatus of the aforesaid nature which is relatively unaffected by suspended matter within the water undergoing treatment.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide apparatus of the aforesaid nature which is inexpensive to produce and maintain.
These objects and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.


A semiconductor device having a bonded wafer structure capable of reducing crystal defect in a power element forming region thereof is disclosed. A recess is formed in a control circuit element forming region of a first n- silicon substrate, then filled with a silicon oxide film and subjected to grinding and polishing to provide a mirror-surface. An n- epitaxial layer is formed on the surface of a second n+ silicon substrate, then the surface of the epitaxial layer is coupled to the surfaces of the silicon oxide film and second circuit region of the first substrate and heat-treated to be bonded thereto.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same, and more particularly, to a composite semiconductor device having a high power element of a high withstand voltage and control circuit elements integrated in a monolithic structure and a method for fabricating the same.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In a conventional composite semiconductor device having a first circuit region for control circuit elements and a second circuit region for a power element integrated in a monolithic structure, in order to improve the current efficiency, the electrodes of the power element, for example, the source and gate electrodes of a power MOS FET are formed on a main surface of the substrate on which the control circuit elements are formed, and the drain electrode of the power MOS FET is formed on the back surface of the substrate. In this construction, the power element and the control circuit elements must be isolated from each other by an element isolation region.
A conventional method for fabricating a composite semiconductor device will be described below with reference to FIG. 1, which shows a cross-sectional view of the composite semiconductor device. The method is disclosed, for example, in IEEE Power Electronics Specialist Conference 88 Record, April, 1988, pp. 1325 to 1329, and in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication NO. 1990-168646. The semiconductor device has a bonded wafer including a first substrate having a high resistivity and a second substrate having a low resistivity.
A first n- epitaxial layer 22A is formed over the entire surface of an n.sup.+ -type silicon substrate (second substrate) 21. Then, a silicon oxide film 24 is formed on the surface of an n.sup.- -type silicon substrate (first substrate) 23. The n+ silicon substrate 21 and the n- silicon substrate 23 are bonded to each other by coupling the silicon oxide film 24 to the first epitaxial layer 22A after washing both the substrates and by a subsequent heat-treatment. Then, the surface of the n- silicon substrate 23, i.e., a main surface of the bonded wafer opposite to the surface on which the silicon oxide film 24 is formed is ground to obtain a predetermined thickness.
Subsequently, the first silicon substrate 23 and the silicon oxide film 24 are removed by an etching in a region 30, then a second n- epitaxial layer 22B is grown thereinto in a thickness equal to the total thickness of the substrate 23 and the silicon oxide films 24 to obtain the region 30 for forming the power element.
Next, an anisotropic etching is applied to the n- silicon substrate 23 at the main surface using a photoresist film as a mask thereby to form V-shaped trenches reaching the surface of the silicon oxide film 24, following which a thin silicon oxide film 7A is formed on the entire surface including the surfaces of the n- silicon substrate 23 and the second epitaxial layer 22B by a thermal oxidation. A laminated layer of a silicon nitride film and a BPSG film is then formed over the entire surface of the silicon oxide film 7A to provide a filling layer 8A. The laminated layer 8A is then ground to expose the silicon oxide film 7A, which is then removed by a wet-etching thereby to expose the surfaces of the n- silicon substrate 23 and the second epitaxial layer 22B and to leave the filling layers 8A.
Finally, a power element and control circuit elements composed of NPN transistors, CMOS FETs or the like are formed in the island regions of the monocrystalline silicon substrate 23 isolated by the silicon oxide film 24 and the filling layers 8A.
With the conventional method for fabricating a composite semiconductor device as described above, the second circuit region 30 for forming a power element is obtained by means of the growth of an epitaxial layer 22B, as a result of which an abnormal growth of polycrystalline silicon occurs at an interface as designated by a circle "A" between the silicon oxide film 24 and the second epitaxial layer 22B. Accordingly, the monocrystalline epitaxial layer 22B of the second circuit region 30 is distorted, and crystal defects such as dislocation and the like will occur. Besides, since the second epitaxial layer 22B is very thick, the epitaxial growth thereof costs a lot of time.
Thus, there arise problems that the yield and reliability of a composite semiconductor device are reduced and that the growth of the epitaxial layer raises the fabrication cost of the composite semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device and method for fabricating the same


A method and apparatus for locating position of a satellite signal receiver is described. In one example, a Doppler offset for each of a plurality of satellite signals relative to the satellite signal receiver is determined at a first time. A position of the satellite signal receiver is then computed using the Doppler offset for each of the plurality of satellite signals. In another example, at least one pseudorange between the satellite signal receiver and a respective at least one satellite is determined. At least one Doppler offset for a respective at least one satellite signal relative to the satellite signal receiver is also determined. A position of the satellite signal receiver is computed using the at least one pseudorange and the at least one Doppler offset.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of satellite positioning systems (SPS) and, more particularly, to processing of SPS signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
Global positioning system (GPS) receivers normally determine their position by computing times of arrival of signals transmitted from a multiplicity of GPS satellites. These satellites transmit as part of their message, both satellite positioning data as well as data regarding clock timing, so-called ephemeris data. The process of searching for and acquiring GPS signals, reading the ephemeris data for a multiplicity of the satellites, and computing the location of the receiver from this data is time consuming, often requiring several minutes. In many cases, this lengthy processing time is unacceptable and, furthermore, greatly limits battery life in miniaturized portable applications. GPS receiving systems have two principle functions: The first is the computation of a plurality of pseudoranges with respect to the various GPS satellites; and the second is the computation of the position of the receiver using the pseudoranges and the satellite timing and ephemeris data. The pseudoranges are simply the times-of-arrival of satellite signals measured by a local clock. Satellite ephemeris and timing data is extracted from the GPS signal once the GPS signal is acquired and tracked. As stated above, collecting this information normally takes a relatively long time (30 seconds to several minutes) and must be accomplished with a good received signal level in order to achieve low error rates.
Most GPS receivers utilize correlation methods to compute pseudoranges. These correlation methods are performed in real time, often with hardware correlators. GPS signals contain high rate repetitive signals called pseudorandom (PN) sequences. These codes have a binary phase reversal rate, or chipping rate, of 1.023 MHz and a repetition period of 1,023 chips for a code period of one millisecond. The code sequences belong to a family known as Gold codes, and each GPS satellite broadcasts a signal with a unique Gold code. For a signal received from a given GPS satellite, following a down conversion process to baseband, a correlation receiver multiplies the received signal by a stored replica of the appropriate Gold code contained within its local memory and then integrates or low pass filters the product in order to obtain an indication of the presence of the signal. This process is termed a correlation operation. By sequentially adjusting the relative timing of this stored replica relative to the received signal, and observing the correlation output, the receiver could determine the time delay between the received signal and the local clock. The initial determination of the presence of such an output is termed acquisition. Once acquisition occurs, the process enters the tracking phase in which the timing of the local reference is adjusted in small amounts in order to maintain a high correlation output. The correlation output during the tracking phase may be viewed as the GPS signal with the pseudorandom code removed or in common terminology "despread". The signal now has a bandwidth commensurate with a 50 bit per second binary phase shift key (BPSK) data signal that is superimposed on the GPS waveform.
In order to produce an initial three-dimensional location on the earth, signals must be received from four satellites if there is no prior knowledge of position of the receiver. If some knowledge of position is known, such as altitude, then only three satellite signals may be sufficient to initially fix the position of the receiver upon the earth. However, even with prior knowledge of position and three satellites, there are instances where two solutions for position may be found within a region (e.g., the United States) and, as such, the receiver will not be able to uniquely fix its initial position. Using the conventional process for obtaining the first acquisition of position on the earth, a receiver cannot operate with fewer than three satellites.
In many instances, a GPS receiver is operated in an urban canyon, for example, where buildings or other obstructions block the view of all but two or three satellites. In such an environment, conventional GPS receivers may not be able to uniquely determine an initial position. Once a GPS receiver has an initial position, there are well-known techniques for maintaining position with fewer than three satellites, usually using a Kalman filter, or similar filter, which includes a prediction of the location of the receiver based on recent position and clock information and sometimes velocity. However, the current invention is primarily concerned with an initial position fix, where there are no recent position fixes and, in some scenarios, no a-priori clock or time information.
Using conventional techniques to solve for an initial position, the handover word (HOW) must be decoded from the satellite in order to determine an unambiguous full pseudorange. Until the HOW is decoded (or an initial position is provided by some other means), the measured pseudorange is ambiguous, since GPS receivers measure pseudoranges modulo one millisecond (i.e. only the sub-millisecond part of the pseudorange is measured). It is time consuming and often impossible to decode the HOW, particularly with weak signals, or in environments (such as forests, or urban canyons) where the signal is blocked intermittently and frequently enough to prevent a standard GPS receiver from decoding HOW.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus that uniquely determines an initial position of a GPS receiver using signals from fewer than four satellites or, where there are signals from four or more satellites, a method and apparatus that determines an initial position of a GPS receiver without decoding the HOW.

Method and apparatus for navigation using instantaneous Doppler measurements from satellites


In a mobile radio system including mobile terminals each terminal comprises, on the receiving side, a unit using the Viterbi algorithm for equalization or for decoding the received signals after demodulation. A decision device of this system calculates the mean and the standard deviation of the metrics of each branch of the Viterbi algorithm, determines a quality level of a transmission parameter corresponding to the results of this calculation and compares the estimated quality level and a required quality level of the parameter in order to produce a decision signal supplied to a decision unit which can modify one or more transmission characteristics.

1.Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns estimating transmission quality in a mobile radio system and in particular a device for making decisions by estimating the Viterbi algorithm in a mobile radio system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In GSM or DCS mobile radio systems previous data and the Viterbi algorithm are used for decoding received data information and/or equalization. A description of this algorithm and the associated processing can be found in the article "The Viterbi algorithm" published in Proceedings of the IEEE, vol 61, No 3, March 1973, pages 268-278.
The problem with using the Viterbi algorithm is estimating the quality of the result because the determination of a received symbol is based on the calculation of the best path linking the received symbols during a predetermined number of baud times, the various possible paths being associated with cumulative mathematical magnitudes call metrics. Estimating the quality of the result obtained therefore entails comparing the total metric of the best path to a predetermined threshold. If the value of the metric is above the threshold the quality is deemed to be good; otherwise the quality is deemed to be bad.
Estimating the quality of the result of the Viterbi algorithm is useful for making various decisions, for example a decision to adjust the transmission power or to change cell.
Unfortunately, calculating the metric for the best path gives no information on local differences between the best path and the possible path, and these can be major differences.
For this reason the object of the invention is to provide a device for estimating the quality of the Viterbi algorithm used by a mobile radio network terminal so that it can be supplied to a decision unit of the system to modify therein one or more transmission parameters.

Device for making decisions by estimating the viterbi algorithm in a mobile radio system


A method and apparatus for a transaction checking for system architecture validation are provided. Tracking data is received from trackers in the system. The tracking data is parsed to construct queues. These queues are compared with each other. For one embodiment, the queues are further compared with predicted behavior of the element that was tested. Discrepancies between the queues and the queue and predicted behavior are flagged.

The present invention relates to testing computer systems, and more specifically, to system architecture validation.
Thorough pre-silicon testing of integrated circuits and computer systems is an essential step in obtaining a production quality design. However, there are hindrances to the successful validation of increasingly-complex designs: difficulty in discovering subtle errors in simulation results, the lack of consistent and comprehensive checking methodologies for complex transaction scenarios, and the extensive time and experience required for quality simulation analysis.
To effectively validate a system, simulation results must be analyzed. The results should be analyzed in real time or captured for post-simulation analysis. During the simulation, all system activity is recorded in log files called trackers. These trackers, located at each transaction interface, provide a macroscopic view of bus transactions. The host tracker, for example, lists all processor bus activity as well as second-level cache cycles, inquire/snoop cycles, and system interrupts. Generally, trackers are located at all system transaction and event interfaces, including main memory (DRAM), industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, and peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus. Once simulation events have been recorded for a particular test suite, they must be evaluated for correctness.
One prior art method of evaluation is to obtain an initial xe2x80x9cgoodxe2x80x9d simulation. This is done by actually visually inspecting the output of an initial simulation and determining its accuracy. For each type of test, an initial good simulation must be performed and inspected.
Further simulations are compared against the results of the known good simulation. There are several weaknesses with this approach. First, although one assumes that the prior xe2x80x9cgoodxe2x80x9d simulation is free of bugs, it may still contain errors that were missed by the visual inspection. Second, methods for comparing the results of the initial good simulation and the current simulation must be sophisticated (as opposed to the simple UNIX xe2x80x9cdiffxe2x80x9d program) to provide for allowable differences, such as system latency, but detect subtle differences like single bit errors. A subtle error may pass undetected during an early test and propagate through subsequent testing because its xe2x80x9cdiffxe2x80x9d is clean.
An example of comparing an initial good simulation with simulation runs was performed. Bus trackers were generated and stored for each of the suite of seven-hundred and fifty regression tests. A variant of the UNIX xe2x80x9cdiffxe2x80x9d program was created to compare the results of each test to prior xe2x80x9cknown goodxe2x80x9d results. This tedious, error prone process required one week for an engineer to review all the observed differences. On several occasions, the xe2x80x9cknown goodxe2x80x9d results were found to have errors, and differences that showed bugs were ignored.
Thus, a tool that consistently analyzes simulation results in an automated fashion independent of the results of previous simulation iterations would be advantageous.
A method and apparatus for transaction checking for system architecture validation are described. Tracking data is received from trackers in the system. The tracking data is parsed to construct queues. These queues are compared with each other. For one embodiment, the queues are further compared with predicted behavior of the element that was tested. Discrepancies between the queues and the predicted behavior are flagged.

Transaction checking for system architecture validation


A stroller utilizes a handle folding assembly and a front frame folding assembly for a compact, easy storing folded size. An axle of the handle folding assembly rotates when a wrench is operated with single hand and two first sliders are brought to approach axially to each other and detach from two fastening elements, making the handle rotatable and folding to a rear frame. A button of the front frame folding assembly is pressed with single hand (or a seat is detached from a seat bracket) to detach a second slider of the front frame from a roller to make the front frame rotatable and folding to the rear frame. The position pins accompanied with a plurality of position holes enable the stroller an adjustable height of a seat and the handle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stroller and a folding assembly, and more specifically, to a stroller and a folding assembly having a single folding shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most strollers have folding mechanism so that the strollers can be folded into a smaller size for transportation convenience. Please refer to the stroller 100 according to the prior art in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. When folding the stroller, a user has to rotate and fold the backrest frame 110 relative to the seat frame 120 first and operate the release device 135 located at both side of the handle 130 concurrently such that the handle 130 can be rotated toward the front frame 140. Then the user holds the rear frame 150 and the latch 160 connecting to the front frame 140 so that the rear frame 150 can be detached from the rest of the stroller body and able to pivotally rotate toward the front frame 140 relative to the front frame 140. The stroller 100 is finally folded to a smaller size as FIG. 2 shows.
The folding process of the stroller in the prior art, however, is quite complicated since to operate the release device 135 at both sides of the stroller requires a two-hand operation and for those who have to take of the baby inside the stroller in the meantime, it is very inconvenient that he/she has to fold the stroller with two hands. On the other hand, it also requires the user to make effort to pull the latch 160 for detaching the rear frame 150 from the stroller body to completely fold the stroller, which is not a satisfied operation for frequent folding. Additionally, most strollers according to the prior art are not equipped with functions for adjusting the heights of the seat or the handle, adding to more inconvenience for users with various heights and figures.


A multilayer electronic component, in which the external electrode may be thinned to secure capacitance per unit volume, while securing the external electrode at a corner in a specific thickness or higher with improved reliability for moisture resistance.

A multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC), a type of multilayer electronic component, may be a chip-type condenser mounted on the printed circuit boards of various electronic products such as imaging devices including liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and the like, and computers, smartphones, mobile phones, and the like, serving to charge or discharge electricity therein or therefrom.
Such multilayer ceramic capacitors may be used as components of various electronic devices due to their relatively small size, relatively high capacitance, and relative ease of mounting. As various electronic devices such as computers, mobile devices, or the like are miniaturized and increased in terms of output, demand for miniaturization and high capacitance of multilayer ceramic capacitors are increasing.
With trend for miniaturization and high capacitance in MLCC, the importance of increasing an effective volume ratio of MLCC (ratio of volume contributing capacitance to total volume) is increasing.
Conventionally, when forming an external electrode, a process of dipping a surface to which an internal electrode of a body is exposed into a paste may mainly be used by using a paste containing a conductive metal.
However, the external electrode formed by the dipping process may be not uniform in terms of thickness, and the external electrode may be formed to be excessively thin at corner portions of the body, while the external electrode may be formed to be excessively thick in other portions. Due thereto, there are problems that it is difficult to secure a high effective volume ratio, and a plating solution may penetrate into the body to decrease reliability of the MLCC, when the plating layer is formed on the external electrode in order to increase connectivity and mountability of the MLCC.

Multilayer electronic component and manufacturing method thereof


A powder magnetic core having a high electrical resistivity and a high magnetic flux density, including at least a composite magnetic particle the composite magnetic particle including: a core particle containing iron as the main component; and an insulating passivation layer formed on the core particle, wherein: the insulating passivation layer at least has an inner layer formed on the core particle and the outermost layer formed on the inner layer; and the outermost layer contains iron oxide as the main component.

Conventionally, powder magnetic cores have been used as magnetic cores provided in electromagnetic devices such as motors, generators and reactors. In general, the powder magnetic cores of this kind are manufactured by compacting a soft magnetic material (powder) containing iron as the main component on which a thin insulating layer is formed by a phosphate treatment or the like for the purpose of improving the insulation property and increasing the density of magnetic flux. After the compaction, a heat treatment (annealing) is performed in order to release compression strain caused during the compaction and reduce iron loss (core loss).
Powder magnetic cores that are driven in an alternating magnetic field are generally required to exhibit a small core loss. It is effective to increase the temperature in the heat treatment in order to reduce the core loss. However, in a powder magnetic core fabricated using iron powder which has been subjected to an insulating treatment such as a phosphate treatment, since the heat resistance of a phosphoric acid coating is low, the core resistance is likely to be reduced by a heat treatment of 500° C. or higher and eddy-current loss increases, and as a result, the core loss cannot be sufficiently reduced.
In addition, in motors and generators, the powder magnetic core is required to exhibit a high magnetic flux density, and in order to achieve a high magnetic flux density, it is desired that the density of the powder magnetic core be high as long as the same material is used. However, if a compacting pressure is increased in order to increase the density of the core, force acting on particles and on the interface between the particles increases, and thus the insulating layers are destroyed or peeled off, which results in a reduction in an electrical resistivity. As described above, it has been difficult to achieve compatibility between a high magnetic flux density and a high electrical resistivity.
In order to solve this problem, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a powder magnetic core in which particulate fluoride and a peelable body constituted by iron oxide both exist in an insulating layer. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a powder magnetic core in which coatings made of an iron phosphate compound and an aluminum phosphate compound.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese laid-open publication No. 2010-123699
[Patent Document 2] Japanese laid-open publication No. 2006-128663
However, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the density of a compact is increased by increasing the compacting pressure, the technique has a drawback in that the electrical resistivity cannot be increased. In the technique disclosed in Patent Document 2, the density of magnetic flux of the resulting powder magnetic core is lowered greatly, and thus the technique has a drawback in that the compatibility between a high electrical resistivity and a high magnetic flux density cannot be achieved.


The combination of a gas depolarized electrochemical battery with one or more tiny electrically activated thermally responsive semiconductor microactuators ( a "valve on a chip") disposed over the fluid entrance inlet(s) creates an efficient gas depolarized electrochemical power supply which permits the entrance of oxygen from air to the battery only when the battery is supplying electrical power to a load. The valve on a chip is singularly suited for use in a single flashlight size cell. Power for the valve is preferably derived from the battery itself but could be provided by a separate source within or without the battery. The valve on a chip is singularly suited for use in a single flashlight size cell or smaller. Power for the valve is preferably derived from the battery itself but could be provided by a separate source within or without the battery. This tiny valve acts as a safety pressure vent and can act as a safety fuse as well. When electrical power is not required from the battery, the valve excludes entry of harmful impurities and unneeded fluid reactants thereby increasing the life of the battery during storage or when the electrical device the battery is powering is idle. A resistance means in parallel to the actuator valve is useful to enhance the operation of the power supply. If the battery leaks, the corrosive fluid causes the valve and/or battery to cease to operate. The combination with a recharging apparatus is also useful. The battery may be designed to regulate the flow of reactant.

1. Technical field of the invention
This invention relates to gas depolarized electrochemical batteries comprising at least one cell, particularly those consuming oxygen from the air. An efficient semiconductor microactuator (a valve-on-a-chip) is placed on a sealed battery (a battery including at least one cell) so that the semiconductor microactuator is the sole means of entry of fluid depolarizer, most often air, to the battery, permitting the battery to operate when the battery is supplying electrical current to a load. The invention also encompasses micromachining a valve mechanism. The invention excludes fluid depolarizer and impurities when the battery is not supplying electrical current to an electrical load to prevent the battery from discharging and losing power capacity while not in use. The semiconductor microactuator will break down in such a way when the battery "leaks" to minimize damage to the device the battery is operating. The semiconductor microactuator acts as a pressure relief valve. The semiconductor microactuator may also be designed to act more optimally as a safety pressure valve or as a fuse. The battery is rechargeable and this invention covers the combination with a recharger and with a control device to maximize the charge.
2. Background and Description of Related Art
Gas depolarized cells exist in many types and varieties. The most common in commercial use today are metal-air cells, especially zinc-air cells. In a zinc-air cell, the oxygen in air, by a series of reactions, reacts with the zinc in the cell, producing electrical current. Most of the variety of gas depolarized cells to which this invention relates are described in McArthur et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,547,438, Oct. 15, 1985, Zupancic, U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,673, Jul. 16, 1985, Mathews et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,327, and literature cited in those patents.
The principal advantage of zinc-air cells is that higher energy density--, i.e., meaning watts per unit of mass, can be achieved using oxygen of the air, or other gas, as a "fluid" cathode material. This is, instead of, for instance, the solid material found in a typical home flashlight battery. A cell of a given standard size can contain much more anode and electrolyte volume because the oxygen reactant is "stored" outside in the atmosphere. This is useful in small devices such as hearing aids, and also useful in larger cells, such as flashlight "D" or "C" cells, or in the largest of batteries such as in an electric car where much power is needed, but space used takes away from space for other uses. Similarly, a cellular or portable phone is a good use.
Further describing the general design and technical aspects of the cell, in a typical cell (or combination of cells, referred to as a battery) of this type, the negative side of the cell, or anode, is made of a metal, most often zinc, and less often of aluminum and magnesium because of their high electromotive potential. The positive side, or cathode, is usually manufactured as a plastic-bonded, metal-oxide-and-carbon-porous body adhered to a conductive screen or layer. The metal oxide acts as a catalyst for oxygen reduction and to give the cell start-up power as gas containing oxygen, usually air, diffuses into the cathode pores when the cell is activated. The electrolyte is the material in the cell through which charged ions may pass and where key steps of the chemical reaction producing electrical potential or voltage occur. Schumm, Jr., "Batteries," Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology, vol 2, p. 387, 390, 396-97 (Academic Press, Inc. 1987). The metals which can be used include, for example, lead, calcium, beryllium, and lithium and alloys and mixtures of those elements. The use of the word "air" is employed for convenience to mean an oxygen source, which source could thus be other gas mixtures including oxygen.
In a single gas depolarized electrochemical cell, for instance one of the Gould type, Cretzmeyer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,189,526, the air enters through vent holes in the outside container of the cell through a polytetrafluoroethylene (often sold as "Teflon", Trademark of Dupont Co.) layer.
When such a cell is not operating, the reactant fluid, oxygen in the air, as well as other impurities, must be excluded. Previously, no combination of a valve and battery existed where the parasitic use of power by the valve did not substantially diminish the life or the power of the cell or consume too much space or structure.
Excluding fluids and depolarizing gas prevents the cell from degrading through several processes of corrosion, moisture change and impurity entry which: a) shorten the "shelf" or storage life of the cell when it is not in use, and b) necessitate more frequent changes of the cell in an electrically powered device. Since a common use for this type of cell is for a hearing aid, it is commercially useful not to have to change the battery so frequently. Another common use for the cell is in a buoy at sea; exclusion of the humid, salty sea air when the cell is not operating and reduction of the frequency in changing the cell, or cells in a battery, save much labor and money. The control of the passage of water vapor by the valve prevents the cell from swelling or otherwise being damaged, and prevents dehydration of the cell while not operating. Also, carbon dioxide, which degrades the performance of the cell, is precluded from entering the cell when the cell is not operating.
Previous engineering designs used a variety of means to attempt to overcome these problems. Several inventions used a mechanism physically operated by the user where the valve or vent cover is attached to the switch turning a device "on" so that when the switch moves, the cover moves. Derksen, U.S. Pat. No. 2,468,430 dated Apr. 26, 1949; Cheiky, U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,983 dated Apr. 3, 1990, and H. R. Espig and D. F. Porter, Power Sources 4: Research and Development in Non-Mechanical Electrical Power Sources, Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium held at Brighton, September 1972 (Oriel Press ) at p. 342. The physical presence of the operator is required, as well as a device designed with a switch compatible with the battery system.
Another obvious and long-known approach is a solenoid or electromagnetic means to move a valve or cover as the device is turned on or off, which, consumes a substantial amount of the power of the cell or takes up substantial space.
A more primitive approach which is effective before the cell is operated is to place a sealing tab or plug on the cell (like a pull-tab on a soda can) to be removed when the cell is put in service, admitting oxygen to the assembly. The sealing tab or plug in combination with an airtight assembly at least prevents the deactivation of the zinc from external sources before use (while on the "shelf"), but once activated by removing the tab, small cells must be used completely within 1 to 3 months, or the cell will have self-discharged or dried out with no useful power remaining. If the cell is operated continuously, this "once-opened/always-opened characteristic makes little difference, but since most electrical devices are at least occasionally turned off for a period of time, a recloseable valve is important to protect the cell from degradation during that time.
The art of Mathews, U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,327, Dec. 4, 1979, previously mentioned, contemplates using a vent cover, in the form of a plug or a flap, in conjunction with an electrical heating element. The bimetal element in the Mathews patent is referenced as 1.625 inches (4.1 centimeters) long. The heating element was referenced to cover 0.75 inches (1.9 centimeters). The embodiment in the Mathews patent contemplated that the bimetal element would move to produce a clearance of 0.30 inches (0.75 centimeters). The moving portion of the vent cover assembly in the Mathews invention is parallel or roughly parallel to the flow of air into the cell. That position requires either 1) a significant loss of dimension in the length of the cell, if the cell is a cylinder, 2) a reduction in the available space of a cylindrical cell by creation of a cavity in the side of the cell or 3) a reduction in the height of the cell to accommodate the vent cover and heating apparatus. By comparison, a typical hearing aid battery is 1.16 centimeters ("cm.") in diameter and 0.42 cm. to 0.54 cm. thick, a typical "C" size flashlight battery is 2.6 cm. in diameter and 5 cm. high; a typical "D" size flashlight battery is 3.4 cm. in diameter and 6.0 centimeters high (The valve-on-a-chip is 0.4 cm..times.0.4 cm..times.0.1 cm. in total size).
The present invention uses significantly less space and is therefore suited to a single small cell configuration and avoids the loss in energy density either because of lower power drain or less space consumed or both.
In addition, the present invention is intended to be used, which was not claimed or disclosed in the prior art, to act as a pressure relief valve because the cover is to the exterior of the inlet to the interior of the cell or battery so that a plug or flap is not "trapped" against the outside container of the cell or battery. Further, another objective not disclosed or intended in the prior art, is to use corrosive fluid when the battery "leaks" to clog or to distort the semiconductor microactuator and causes the cell to cease to function generally by oxygen deprivation, although it may also occur by damaging the heating element which opens the semiconductor microactuator. This more reliably causes the battery to cease to operate when it is leaking than in prior art.
In all, the difficulty has been to produce a combination that preserves the energy density of the cell and at the same time provides a cell that can be "dropped into" a device and function automatically to preclude fluid and impurity entry while the cell and device are not operating. In addition, a pressure relief characteristic and "shutdown" of the cell on malfunction or "leakage" would be helpful, but all of these functions together cannot be achieved in the prior art.
Previously, limited efforts had been made to have certain types of valves on liquid electrolyte electrochemical cells as well. The prior art of Cheron, U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,728, is related to a valve which consumed substantial power which was the means, in combination with a fuel cell--, i.e., a special type of fluid depolarized electrochemical cell, to control the circulation of liquid electrolyte in the cell, which valve was actuated based on a parameter which is function of the circulation of electrolyte in the cell.
This invention overcomes the power and space requirements by using the new combination of an automatic valve of different materials and size, preferably a small electronic semiconductor microactuator, a "valve-on-a-chip", after the art of H. Jerman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,419, Dec. 3, 1991, (that valve and like valves, including those referenced in that patent, referred to as a "semiconductor actuator valve" or "valve-on-a-chip") in conjunction with a sealed gas depolarized electrochemical cell, especially a zinc-air cell. The sole means of entry of depolarizing fluid is through the valve on a chip. The combination produces a new and commercially useful invention by employing recent advances in semiconductor and micromachining technology that were not previously commercially available or invented. The invention contemplates the use of at least two layers, one of metal and one of semiconductor material, juxtaposed to each other.
The way the valve/cell combination works is that when the electrical device the cell is powering is "turned on", the consequent closing of the operating circuit causes the valve to open, admitting gas, normally air, to the cell. When the circuit is opened, meaning the electrical device the cell is powering is "turned off", the valve closes, precluding entry or exit of fluids or other impurities. The valve does not close as quickly as it opens, but this time is not significant compared to the many hours of time when exposure to the air would be typically closed off, and has the additional advantage of preventing "chatter", or unnecessary vibration, in certain applications.
There is sufficient residual oxygen or oxide compounds in the cell so that the cell will deliver sufficient power to start up and operate the valve-on-a-chip. This can be enhanced by the use of manganese dioxide or other catalytic agents in the cell. Such a cell has a higher starting power before oxygen fully penetrates the cathode pore structure. In any case a potential of generally over one volt exists between the cell electrodes. When the circuit containing the apparatus to be operated is closed, this invention causes electrons to flow from the zinc anode(s) through the electrical circuit and the valve to the cathode(s) of the cell or cells. Tuck, Modern Battery Technology, Ellis Horwood Series in Applied Science and Industrial Technology at generally pp. 126-188 (London, NY 1991).
This valve has the additional advantage that it is conducive to a pressure relief characteristic which continues to be usable as a vent closure after relief of the pressure.

Fluid depolarized electrochemical battery with automatic valve


A baffle ignitor assembly (1)) comprises an ignitor element (12) which is located in a cylindrical baffle (14). The cylindrical baffle (14) has an elongated opening (15) in a sidewall (17) thereof and which opening is dimensioned to admit a gas/air mixture flow from a burner nozzle (11) when positioned in close proximity thereof and at a desired orientation with respect thereto. An orifice (16) is provided in the sidewall (17) opposite the opening (15) and together with the opening creating a stable slightly turbulent low velocity air/gas flow mixture (25) in the baffle (14) about the ignitor element (12) for ignition of the air/gas mixture.

Various problems exist with gas burner ignitors. With small capacity burners in the range of 50 to 250,000 btu per hour, the gas from the burner nozzle mixes with exterior air to form an air/gas mixture which is directed against an ignitor element, such as a hot surface ignitor which is usually heated to a temperature of about 2300.degree. F. Because exterior air is often cool, the hot surface of the ignitor is cooled by this exterior air and it therefore takes more time for the element to reach its ignition temperature.
Several methods are used to insure ignition.
A) The entire ignition sequence is restarted including pre and post purge. This slowly heats the local ignition area to facilitate ignition. Unfortunately, if ignition still does not take place, a manual reset or a shutdown is initiated by the burner control. This method wastes electrical and gas energy and can lead to service calls that have to be charged to the user. PA1 B) After the standard pre-purge of the combustion chamber, the fan is stopped. The gas valve slowly opens. Since there is no air circulation, a controlled explosion is initiated and the fan restarts when a flame is detected and then the gas valve fully opens. This controlled explosion generates a sound that is audible outside as well as near the unit. The explosion makes a sound which causes an inconvenience to the users as they perceive that the burner is malfunctioning and that there might be danger of explosion. To control this problem fans are used to purge the combustion gas when ignition does to take place. This necessitates the use of controls to cycle the fans and the gas valve.
With larger burners having capacities of 250,000 to 400,000 btu and above, the use of a modulator system is employed whereby to modulate the air to create small volumes of gas/air mixture which increases slowly. Such systems utilize modulating gas valves or step gas valves as well as variable speed air supplies and complex electronic ignition controls. Other system use a pilot that is ignited intermittently or continuously to ensure main burner ignition. Like the cold air problem the high volume of air-gas in the mixture and its velocity cools the ignitor element or the spark does not have sufficient time to be in contact with the gas-air mixture and thus ignition is not possible or instantaneous. The result is usually a restart of the ignition protocol: pre-purge, actuate ignition (hot surface or spark), open gas valve, check for flame, fully open gas valve or if no flame is detected, post purge and repeat the sequence.


A perpendicular writer includes a write coil and a main pole having a pole tip for conducting magnetic flux to write data to a magnetic medium. The pole tip includes a plurality of magnetic layers that are magnetically coupled and biased so that their magnetic moment orientations are substantially parallel to an external surface when no write current is applied to the write coil. The pole tip is partially embedded in the yoke, such that portions of the yoke surrounding the pole tip help direct magnetic flux to the pole tip. The pole tip extends beyond the yoke, with a first end located outside the yoke and a second end located within the yoke.

Perpendicular recording can support much higher linear density than longitudinal recording due to lower demagnetizing fields in recorded bits, which diminish as linear density increases. To provide decent writeability, double layer media are used. The double layer perpendicular media consist of a high coercivity, thin storage layer with perpendicular to-plane anisotropy and a soft magnetic keeper (underlayer) having in-plane anisotropy and relatively high permeability.
A magnetic head for perpendicular recording generally consists of two portions, a writer portion for writing magnetically-encoded information on a magnetic media (disc) and a reader portion for retrieving magnetically-encoded information from the media. The reader portion typically consists of a bottom shield, a top shield, and a sensor, often composed of a magnetoresistive (MR) material, positioned between the bottom and top shields. Magnetic flux from the surface of the disc (media) causes rotation of the magnetization vector of a sensing layer of the MR sensor, which in turn causes a change in electrical resistance of the MR sensor. The change in resistance of the MR sensor can be detected by passing a current through the MR sensor and measuring a voltage across the MR sensor. External circuitry then converts the voltage information into an appropriate format and manipulates that information as necessary to recover the data that was encoded on the disc.
The writer portion of the magnetic head for perpendicular recording typically consists of a main pole and a return pole which are magnetically separated from each other at an air bearing surface (ABS) of the writer by a non-magnetic gap layer, and which are magnetically connected to each other in a region at a distance away from the ABS. Positioned at least partially between the main and return poles are one or more layers of conductive coils encapsulated by insulating layers. The ABS is the surface of the magnetic head immediately adjacent to the perpendicular medium. The writer portion and the reader portion are often arranged in a merged configuration in which a shared pole serves as both the top or bottom shield of the reader portion and the return pole of the writer portion.
To write data to the magnetic media, an electrical current is caused to flow through the conductive coil, thereby inducing a magnetic field across the write gap between the main and return poles. The main and return poles are made of soft magnetic materials. Both the main and return pole may generate magnetic field in the media during recording when the write current is applied to the coil. However, the main pole produces a much stronger write field than the return pole by having a much smaller cross-sectional area at the ABS. A magnetic moment of the main pole should be oriented along an easy axis parallel to the ABS when the main pole is in a quiescent state, namely without a current field from the write coil. When the magnetic moment does not return to an orientation parallel to the ABS after being subjected to one or multiple excitations of the write current field, the main pole is not stable. In an unstable pole, the orientation of the magnetic moment generally remains nonparallel to the ABS even after current to the write coil is turned off. Thus, the main pole in the quiescent state may still emit a magnetic flux and may deteriorate or even erase data from the disc. Further, an unstable pole results in increased switching time when a write current is applied. In a perpendicular head, the main pole is a predominant source of remanent magnetism due to a strong shape anisotropy perpendicular to the ABS.
Accordingly, there is a need for a writer with minimal remanent magnetization when the write current is switched off. Such a stable writer will reduce switching time, increase data rate of the disc drive, and prevent unintentional erasing on perpendicular media after the write current is turned off.

Layered perpendicular writer with pole tip partially embedded in yoke


The present invention provides a tunable optical frequency converter based on an amplitude modulator, which comprises a laser, a first optical isolator, a circulating frequency conversion module. Said circulating frequency conversion module is composed of an optical coupler, an amplitude modulator, an optical amplifier, a second optical isolator, a first optical circulator, an optical fiber Bragg grating, a second optical circulator, a tunable filter and a tunable attenuator. Light outputted by said laser is inputted to said circulating frequency conversion module to conduct frequency converting repeatedly after passing through the first optical isolator, and then separated by a tunable filter and a second optical circulator, then the frequency converted light is outputted from the port of the circulating frequency conversion module. The frequency converter provided in the present invention has a compact volume and fewer optical components, which means it is easy to be integrated, a big frequency converting range, a high frequency converting efficiency and a high output power.

Optical frequency down-conversion and up-conversion are essentially difference-frequency and sum-frequency technologies. Compared with the traditional method by harmonic generation, the biggest advantage of difference-frequency and sum-frequency synthesis technology systems is that the systems are portable and compact, and contain richer frequency components. Currently, this technology includes frequency spacing dichotomy, optical parametric oscillator method, nonlinear crystal optical method, laser diode four-wave mixing frequency method, optical frequency comb generator method, and so on. The frequency spacing dichotomy method and the optical frequency comb generator method are more characteristic in these methods. Both methods aim at dividing a large spacing of optical frequencies into a plurality of smaller frequency spacing in a certain relationship with a known frequency which generally can be measured by known means, thus an extremely convenient means is provided for the frequency detection technology.
From another perspective, if we can continue to move the measurable frequencies with small pitch and eventually get arbitrarily frequencies with large spacing, and these arbitrary optical frequencies can also be measured, it would be a very good idea. For example, a known frequency ωrf is known in advance, now in the vicinity of the original frequency ωc, via only implementations of known frequency ωrf multiplication or demultiplication several times, finally, any desired frequency ωc±nωrf can be achieved via the original frequency ωc. And at this time, the magnitude of each frequency can be shown up through a filter like a frequency "screen". If this idea can really be realized, not only the technology can meet the requirements of the optical frequency measurement, but also any desired frequency of the light source can be obtained.
To realize this idea, the present invention discloses a tunable optical frequency converter based on an amplitude modulator. The invention will greatly simplify the structure of the frequency-tunable laser, significantly reduce the cost, miniaturize the presently large optical laboratory, since one such tunable optical frequency converter can replace dozens to hundreds of lasers, thus the integrated cost of the optical experiments can be substantially reduced, expected to be widely used in scientific research, industrial production and so on.

Tunable optical frequency converter based on an amplitude modulator


A deployment unit for an electronic control device (ECD) used as a weapon provides a current from a signal generator of the ECD through tissue of a human or animal target. The deployment unit includes a housing, an interface, a filament, and an electrode. The interface couples the housing to the signal generator. The filament includes a first end coupled to the interface for receiving the current and comprises a second end. The filament conducts the current for inhibiting voluntary movement by the target. The electrode, stored in the housing prior to deployment, mechanically couples the filament to the target when deployed. The electrode includes an assembly of a first part and a second part that after assembly cooperate to bind the second end of the filament to the electrode.

Conventional electronic control devices (ECDs) include hand-held launchers that launch one or more probes, also called darts, to strike a human or animal target. In one implementation, a current sourced by the launcher is conducted through the probe. A tether wire conducts the current from a signal generator in the launcher to the probe. The circuit or path through the target includes the signal generator, one or more tether wires and one or more probes.
Conventional techniques to attach the tether wire to the probe may involve a considerable amount of manual labor and/or subject the tether wire to stress that may cause the wire to break immediately or break in use due to the stress of propelling the probe to the target.
Improved techniques to attach the tether wire to the probe are desirable, for example, to improve reliability.

Electrodes for electronic weaponry and methods of manufacture


A resin composition containing fine paper powder used in molding is obtained by using a fully-intermeshing type co-rotating twin-screw kneading extruder (10) having two material feeding ports (15 and 16) to knead a raw material containing a fine paper powder having an average particle diameter of 10 to 100 μm from 20 to 70 parts by weight and a thermoplastic resin from 30 to 80 parts by weight, a sum of the fine paper powder and the thermoplastic resin being 100 parts by weight, by feeding the thermoplastic resin through a main material feeding port (15) and the fine paper powder through a sub material feeding port (16).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for manufacturing a resin composition containing fine paper powder in which fine paper powder is evenly dispersed and contained in resin.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, large amounts of waste paper are discarded from offices, publication houses, paper manufacturing companies and the like. In general, at a stage during manufacturing of paper from wood or the like, paper is subjected to a high degree of processing in order to render cellulose fibers finely softened, such that paper is a functional material having a value-added structure. Therefore, waste paper is originally a functional material having a value-added structure. Moreover, waste paper is a material that is effectively zero in terms of its environmental impact. Consequently, proposals have been made for using resin compositions containing paper, in which pulverized waste paper is mixed, for molding process materials.
For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 10-138241, there has been disclosed a resin pellet containing paper in which a composite paper having a polyethylene resin layer on at least one surface thereof is shredded into shredded paper components of about 1 mm to 5 mm square, and the shredded paper components are mixed at 50% by weight or greater with a synthetic resin component of polyethylene or the like to yield the resin pellet containing paper.
In Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-181511, there has been disclosed a resin composition containing paper for use in molding processes, which contains in excess of 50% by weight and at or below 70% by weight of a low combustion heat component in powder form consisting mainly of paper powder and having a particle diameter of 50 μm or greater and 200 μm or less made by grinding waste paper or the like, and 30% or more by weight and less than 50% by weight of a high combustion heat component made up mainly from a thermoplastic resin.
However, paper having no fluidity disrupts the smooth flow of molten resins. Therefore, whether the resin pellet containing paper disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 10-138241 or the resin composition containing paper for use in molding processes disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-181511 is used to produce a complex molded article by injection molding, defects such as filling failures occur easily, and transferability is also deteriorated, which makes it impossible to obtain molded products of a high quality.

Manufacturing method for resin composition containing fine paper powder


A method for evaluating thermal fatigue resistance for a welding consumable alloy can include the following steps: placing a test specimen of a welding consumable alloy in a testing device such that a tensile load and a compressive load can be introduced to the test specimen; heating the test specimen to a first temperature; applying a compressive force to the test specimen while heating the test specimen; cooling the test specimen to a second temperature; and applying a tensile force to the test specimen while cooling the test specimen.

With reference to FIG. 1, caster rolls 10 control and guide the progress of a billet or slab 12 of steel that is produced by a caster. Caster rolls wear because of corrosion, abrasion, plastic deformation and thermal fatigue and cracking. Repairing caster rolls can minimize the need for costly shutdowns and prevent expensive breakdowns.
The repairing or rebuilding of caster rolls involves depositing an alloy in the area of the caster roll that is being repaired. Typically, a tubular metal-cored wire is deposited on the caster roll via submerged arc welding. Layers of alloy can be deposited on the caster roll; the layers include a butter pass, buildup layer(s), and hardfacing layer(s). For ease of understanding the figures, the individual layers are not depicted in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4. After the caster roll has been hardfaced, the alloy that was deposited on the caster roll undergoes many stresses and strains when the caster roll is put back on line guiding hot steel.
As mentioned above, the caster roll 10 guides a hot billet or slab of steel 12. With reference to FIG. 2, for a hardfaced caster roll 10, alloy that has been deposited over the surface of the roll is heated along a line of contact 16 with the hot steel. With reference to FIG. 3, the heated hardfacing alloy along this line of contact 16 tries to expand in all directions, but it is confined by the roll body in all directions, except that it can expand up into the hot billet or slab of steel 12 when the alloy comes in contact with the steel. This expansion is possible because the steel is plastic while hot. The line of contact 16 does not expand in other directions because it is confined by the body of the caster roll. As the alloy along the line of contact 16 expands up into the hot steel, the alloy along the line of contact is under compression because of the mass of the remainder of the roll. As the caster roll 10 rotates, the alloy that was along the line of contact 16 no longer contacts the hot steel billet or slap 12. With reference to FIG. 4, the side of the caster roll 10 not in contact with the hot steel is typically sprayed with relatively cool water which also results in cooling of the hardfacing alloy and especially the alloy along the line of contact 16. The cooling of the alloy along the line of contact 16 results in the alloy contracting. This contraction causes tensile stresses. This cycle of compression while heating, followed by tension while cooling, is repeated along the line of contact 16 each time the roll rotates a full turn.
It is desirable to develop a test method to evaluate an alloy used to hardface caster rolls to determine the alloy's ability to withstand the thermal cycling discussed above.


A data distributor distributes interleaved data strings and outputs them to puncturing sections in a frame unit. A puncturing instructing section refers to a rate matching table to output information on data to be punctured to a plurality of puncturing sections. Each puncturing section performs the judgment processing on whether puncturing is to be performed only for parity bits according to the rule of an arrangement of information bits and parity bits for each frame and then performs puncturing. This enables to reduce processing for turbo-coded data after interleave processing and to perform light-load rate matching.

In specification TS25.212 Ver.3.3.0 disclosed in 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) that is a standard mechanism of third digital mobile communications, there are regulations on a turbo coder and a rate matching apparatus that performs puncturing. There is a regulation in which when puncturing is performed to execute rate matching, only a parity bit is deleted without deleting an information bit from a turbo-coded data string.
A feature of the turbo-coded data string is an arrangement of the information bits and the parity bits. For example, in the case of the turbo code with a coding rate of 1/3, one information bit and two parity bits are arranged in order.
When puncturing is performed by a conventional rate matching apparatus, judgment processing on whether a first information bit is to be reduced is not performed, and judgment processing on whether a next parity bit is to be reduced is performed.
However, the arrangement of the information bits and the parity bits changes since interleave processing is performed in a step prior to rate matching. Before puncturing is performed by rate matching, it is necessary to perform a computation for making a distinction between the information bit and the parity bit in the data string where the arrangement was changed by interleave processing.
While, when data is transmitted to a base station from a mobile station, in 3GPP, there is a regulation in which interleave processing is first performed to turbo-coded data and rate matching is executed thereafter. More specifically, data is arranged in a plurality of frames by interleave processing and data is punctured in an each frame by rate matching.
In this case, the arrangement of the information bits and the parity bits differs for each frame by interleave processing. For example, the information bit is placed first of data in a certain frame, but there is a case in which the information bit is placed second or third in another frame.
In this way, regarding turbo-coded data after interleave processing, since the arrangement of the information bits and the parity bits differs for each frame, puncturing cannot be performed to all frames by the same task, so that there is a need to perform a computation for making a distinction between the information bit and the parity bit in data after interleave processing.

Rate matching device and rate matching method

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An entry assist system for a motor vehicle includes a door, a door operation module to open and close the door and a starter actuator for starting an engine of the motor vehicle. The entry assist system further includes a control subsystem. The control subsystem includes a gesture sensor and a controller. The controller is responsive to the gesture sensor to open the door and start the engine of the motor vehicle.

Hands-free entry assist systems for motor vehicles have been provided as a convenience feature to vehicle operators. Such systems are particularly useful when an operator approaches a vehicle carrying one or more objects in both hands. It is particularly beneficial in inclement weather as such a system allows relatively quick entry into the vehicle without having to place the objects on top of the vehicle or on the ground where they may become even more exposed to moisture before being placed in the vehicle.
This document specifically relates to a new and improved entry assist system that not only opens and closes the door but also automatically starts the engine of the motor vehicle thereby substantially reducing vehicle preparation time before being ready for driving.