An electrostatic actuator having a first member and a second member. The first member has a first opposed surface that includes an array of driven electrodes. The driven electrodes have a pitch p.sub.r. The second member has a second opposed surface and includes an array of drive electrodes. A support positions the first member adjacent the second member with the first opposed surface spaced apart from the second opposed surface by a spacing d. The ratio of the spacing and the pitch should be less than eight, and is preferably less than 2.25. The support permits the first member to move relative to the second member, or vice versa. A voltage source establishes a substantially alternating voltage pattern on the array of driven electrodes. An electrode control establishes a substantially alternating voltage pattern on the array of drive electrodes, and selectively imposes a local disruption on the substantially alternating voltage pattern on the array of drive electrodes to move the movable one of the first member and the second member relative to the other.

With the advent of micromachining techniques, there has been renewed interest in electrostatic actuators. Electrostatic actuators achieve high energy densities and can be manufactured using straightforward manufacturing techniques. Electrostatic actuators have been used to position optical devices, to operate switches, and to turn small gears. For advanced data storage devices and other applications, micromachined actuators that have a large travel, whose positioning can be controlled with great precision, and that operate in response to a low actuation voltage are needed. These requirements are not met by known micromachined electrostatic actuators.
A micromachined electrostatic actuator that satisfies some of the above requirements is described by Trimmer and Gabriel in Design Considerations for a Practical Electrostatic Micro-Motor, SENSORS AND ACTUATORS, Vol. 11, pages 189-206 (1987) and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,185. These documents describe an electrostatic actuator in which a grounded moveable silicon substrate or "rotor" is moved relative to a fixed silicon substrate or "stator." The stator has several sets of electrodes on its surface, one of which is held at a voltage different from ground in order to position the rotor. Stepped motion is provided by setting the pitches of the stator and rotor electrodes in a vernier relationship. The rotor electrodes all having the same voltage, i.e., ground potential, significantly eases fabrication of the device.
However, the electrostatic actuator described by Timmer and Gabriel does not meet all of the requirements set forth above. For example, an actuation voltage of approximately 100 V is required to exert a force on the rotor in the direction parallel to the plane of the rotor surface (an "in-plane force") in the range of forces required to operate an advanced memory device. This actuation voltage is outside the range of voltages that can be controlled using conventional MOS integrated circuits. Moreover, the in-plane force is accompanied by an out-of-plane force perpendicular to the plane of the rotor. The out-of-plane force attracts the rotor towards the stator and is as much as ten times greater than the in-plane force.
The large attractive out-of-plane force places significant constraints on the suspension used to maintain the spacing between the rotor and stator. For conventional-size electrostatic actuators, spacers, bearings and lubricating layers may be used to support the rotor against the attractive force. However, for micro-scale structures, it is more difficult to provide an effective way of maintaining the spacing between the rotor and stator without large frictional forces that adversely affect operation.
Folded beam flexures are most commonly used in micromachined devices to support the rotor above the stator. Advanced data storage applications require actuators that can travel 25 .mu.m laterally while maintaining the rotor-stator spacing to an accuracy of 0.1 .mu.m. If the ratio of the out-of-plane force to the in-plane force is near 10, as in the electrostatic actuator described by Timmer and Gabriel, then a 2 .mu.m-wide beam flexure would need to be at least 100 .mu.m tall to have sufficient out-of-plane stiffness. Such a structure is extremely difficult to fabricate using conventional processing.
A first approach to mitigate the effects of the out-of-plane attractive forces in micromachined devices is to use two stationary electrode plates on opposite sides of a movable plate. By selecting the appropriate electrode configuration, it is possible to levitate the moving plate at a relatively stable position between the two stationary plates. However, this approach requires exacting process control during fabrication and/or assembly.
A second known approach applicable to micromachined devices is to use the weight of the movable substrate to counteract the attractive force. However, since this approach does not work if the electrostatic actuator is tilted, its usefulness is significantly restricted.
In both of the approaches discussed above, the rotor electrodes are all held at a single voltage. Macro-scale electrostatic actuators are known that have three or more voltages present on both the stator and rotor. One approach using a three-phase oscillating voltage pattern is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,740 of Higuchi et al. This approach can produce a very large in-plane force. However, the large in-plane force is accompanied by a large out-of-plane force about four times greater than the in-plane force. Oscillating voltages of approximately 200 volts are required to generate an in-plane force of sufficient magnitude to overcome friction in the suspension elements. Therefore, this approach will not conveniently scale to a micromachined device because of the large out-of-plane force and the requirement to connect three oscillating voltages to the rotor electrodes. Making electrical connections to a moveable rotor is difficult, particularly for a micromachined rotor, so it is desirable to minimize the number of voltages present on the rotor electrodes. In addition, the way in which the voltages vary with time should be made as simple as possible.
Some conventional electrostatic actuators provide precise position control and a large range of travel, but cannot simply be scaled for use in micromachined electrostatic actuators. This is because these actuators operate with actuation voltages greater than those that can be controlled using conventional MOS integrated circuits, generate an out-of-plane force that is too large relative to the in-plane force, and require too many electrical connections to be made to the rotor. What is needed is an electrostatic actuator and a way controlling an electrostatic actuator that provides precise positioning and that can be controlled using conventional CMOS integrated circuits. What is also needed is such an electrostatic actuator that can be fabricated using micromachining techniques that employ processing similar to that used to make integrated circuits.

Electrostatic actuator with spatially alternating voltage patterns


There is provided a display device including a video display portion that displays video, and a video signal control portion which performs signal control on an input signal such that a plurality of video streams formed of a plurality of chronologically arranged unit videos are input and there is a case in which display periods of the plurality of video streams are different with respect to an interval of the input signal that includes the plurality of video streams, and which sequentially switches in a time division manner the video streams included in the signal controlled input signal, and outputs the video streams to the video display portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, a display method and a computer program.
2. Description of the Related Art
A video display device that adopts a time-division driving method in a video display device that sequentially switches and outputs a plurality of video streams in a time division manner. The video display devices that adopt this type of time division driving method include time-division stereoscopic video display systems using shutter glasses (as described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-9-138384, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2000-36969 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. JP-A-2003-45343) and multi-video display systems in which a plurality of viewers using shutter glasses view different video without division of a screen, and so on.
A time-division stereoscopic video display system is a video display system in which video for the left eye and video for the right eye are alternately displayed on an entire screen at very short intervals. At the same time, the system uses a stereoscopic video display device that separates the video and provides the video to the left eye and the video to the right eye in synchronization with the display interval of the video for the left eye and the video for the right eye. For example, when using the shutter glasses method, during a period in which the video for the left eye is displayed, a left eye portion of the shutter glasses allows light to pass through, while a right eye portion is blocked. Then, during a period in which the video for the right eye is displayed, the right eye portion of the shutter glasses allows light to pass through, and the left eye portion is blocked.
With respect to the HDMI1.4 standard, examples of stereoscopic video signal methods include frame packing, side by side and so on. These methods output and input signals including information of video for the left eye and video for the right eye mainly at 24 Hz, 50 Hz and 60 Hz. In the case of the time-division method, in known art, time-divided display is performed in which, with respect to the above-described 24 Hz, 50 Hz and 60 Hz signals, the video for the left eye and the video for the right eye are respectively displayed at 96 Hz, 100 Hz and 120 Hz, and opening/closing frequencies of the shutter glasses are 48 Hz, 50 Hz and 60 Hz, respectively.

Display device, display method and computer program


A transmission device to provide reciprocating and returning motion, which comprises a music box, a doll, and a motion assembly with a rotative shaft; the doll is mounted on the rotative shaft; the lower end of the rotative shaft is furnished with a rotative gear to be engaged with a driven gear, which has a shaft hole to be mounted with a rotative shaft of a driving gear; the driven gear has a curved guide groove for receiving short shaft of the driving gear, which is engaged with a gear rack of a guide plate. When the motion assembly is pulled with a pull plate to move along the guide plate, the driving gear will be driven to turn with the gear rack of the guide plate; then, the driving gear will be driven to turn with the gear rack of the guide plate; simultaneously, the short shaft of the driving gear will move along the guide groove of the driven gear, and then the doll on the rotative shaft will move straight as a result of the motion assembly moving. After the short shaft of the driving gear reaches one end of the guide groove, the driven gear will turn at a given angle to drive the rotative gear under the doll to turn so as to have the doll returned at an angle of 180 degrees, and the doll will always face in a direction same as that of the motion thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a music box, and particularly to a music box, having a transmission device, which can drive a doll mounted thereon to move back and forth, and to return.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the conventional music box, the music drum has a shaft mounted with a transmission gear, which engages with a plurality of gear trains; each gear train is connected with a transmission structure to actuate a doll mounted on the music box to have a simple rotation, a left-and right swinging, an up-and-down motion, an up-and-down swinging, and a reciprocating motion; the aforesaid motions are usually done by means of structures as follows:
For rotation: A structure may include a rotative gear and a rotative shaft, which extends upwards, being mounted with a doll.
For swinging laterally: A structure includes a rotative gear and a swinging arm, which are coupled together by using a connecting rod; when the rotative gear turns, the swinging arm will be pulled to move back and forth, and therefore a doll mounted on a shaft furnished on the swinging arm will swing laterally.
To move up and down: A structure may include an eccentric wheel to pull two guide members to move up and down; the guide member has shaft extended over the music box to be mounted with a doll; when the eccentric wheel actuates the two guide members to move up and down, the doll will also move up and down.
To swing up and down: A structure similar to a rocking chair includes a gear with a short shaft or an eccentric wheel, which is connected with a vertical swinging rod; when the gear rotates, the short shaft on the gear will drive the swinging rod, and then the doll over the music box will swing.
To reciprocate: A structure includes a guide member fixedly mounted to a rail; the guide member is connected with a rotative gear via a connecting rod; when the rotative gear turns, the guide member will move back and forth.

Transmission device to provide reciprocating and returning motion


In a computer implemented learning and/or process control system, a computer model is constituted by the most currently fit entity in a population of computer program entities. The computer model defines fitness as a function of inputs and outputs. A computing unit accesses the model with a set of inputs, and determines a set of outputs for which the fitness is highest. This associates a sensory-motor (input-output) state with a fitness in a manner that might be termed xe2x80x9cfeelingxe2x80x9d.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to the art of computerized computation as applied to the control of a process such as real-time control of a robot or other autonomous agent. The present invention relates also to the art of computerized learning systems (which are usually characterized by the need to perform repeated computations on run-time data) and more specifically to a register machine learning method in which the information and/or the computer program(s) that constitute solutions to a problem are created, initialized, stored, altered and executed in native machine code by using a higher level programming language to produce an optimized solution through the direct application of learning algorithms to the information stored in the native machine code.
In a preferred form of the invention, a computerized computation system performs repeated computations on data that is not known until a computer user is running the system (xe2x80x9crun-timexe2x80x9d, and xe2x80x9crun-time dataxe2x80x9d) and more specifically creates, initializes, stores, alters and executes both the run-time data and the computer code necessary to execute the repeated computations (the xe2x80x9crelated codexe2x80x9d) in native machine code operating on a register machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of an evolutionary method to evolve controller architectures has been reported previously in a number of variants. Robotic controllers have, for instance, been evolved using dynamic recurrent neural nets. Several experiments have also been performed where a controller program has been evolved directly through genetic programming.
Previous experiments with genetic programming and robotic control, however, have been performed with a simulated robot and a simulated environment. In such a set-up, the environment and the robot can be reset easily to an initial state in order to ensure that each individual in the population is judged starting from the same state. Apart from being practically infeasible for a real robot, this method could result in over-specialization and failure to evolve a behavior that can generalize to unseen environments and tasks. To overcome the latter problem noise is sometimes artificially added to the simulated environment.
Machine learning systems in general have been proposed in the art for the solution of problems such as classification, prediction of time-series data, symbolic regression, optimal control, etc. Examples of various machine learning systems are neural networks, fuzzy networks, genetic algorithms (including genetic programming and classifier systems), Evolutionary Strategies, Evolutionary Programming, ADATE program induction, cellular automata, Box Jenkins optimization, ARMA optimization and many others. Rather than applying a direct computational approach, these systems create one or more proposed solutions in the form of data and computer program entities, and iteratively alter the data and/or entities for the purpose of finding an optimal solution to a problem. One such approach is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,877, entitled xe2x80x9cNON-LINEAR GENETIC ALGORITHMS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMSxe2x80x9d, issued Jun. 19, 1990 to John Koza.
The set of practically solvable problems is highly related to the efficiency of the algorithm and implementation. It is therefore important to minimize the overhead involved in executing any machine learning system.
Machine learning systems create learned solutions to problems. These solutions have two elements: (1) Elements that hold the information that is learned during the execution of the machine learning system (the xe2x80x9cLearned Elementsxe2x80x9d); and (2) Elements that are necessary to convert the Learned Elements into meaningful action or output by the computer (the xe2x80x9cConversion Elementsxe2x80x9d). Existing machine learning approaches other than the present invention can be classified into two categories in terms of how they store and execute both the Learned Elements and the Conversion Elements. Those two categories are compiler based systems and interpreted systems.
An interpreted system is written in a high level language such as LISP and both the Learned and Conversion Elements are held in data-like structures such as LISP lists, which are converted (xe2x80x9cinterpretedxe2x80x9d) into native machine code at run-time by an interpreter. The interpreter, itself, also contains Conversion Elements for such interpreted, systems. So for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,877 uses, as its Learning Elements various high level LISP expressions, customized for the problem at hand, to represent, symbolically, a xe2x80x9ccomputer program.xe2x80x9d That is, a high level xe2x80x9cprogramxe2x80x9d structure symbolized by the LISP List, is itself the subject of learning in that system. In this system, the Learned Elements are represented as a hierarchical tree structure. This solution gives good flexibility and the ability to customize the language depending on the constraints of the problem at hand.
The principal disadvantage of this interpreting approach to machine learning is that the Learned Elements and many of the Conversion Elements are stored in high level, symbolic data-like structures. Computers can operate only by executing native machine code. Thus, interpreting machine learning systems learn by modifying high level symbolic representations (the Learned Elements) that are, ultimately, converted into machine code by the interpreter at run-time. The need to convert (interpret) the Learned Elements and some of the Conversion Elements into native machine code at run-time before any useful action or output may be had from a computer is very time consuming and involves a large amount of overhead in machine resources such as CPU time, RAM memory, and disk space. In effect, all of the Learned Elements and the Conversion Elements in the LISP List are treated as run-time data that must be accessed and converted to machine code before any useful action or output may be had. Simply put, interpreted systems are slow and use a lot of a computer system""s resources.
Other machine learning systems are written in high level compiled computer languages such a C, C++, Pascal and so forth. This is the xe2x80x9ccompiler basedxe2x80x9d approach to machine learning. Large amounts of the Conversion Elements in such systems are compiled before run-time into native machine code in such a compiler based approach. Because those compiled Conversion Elements are already in native machine code at run-time, there is no need to interpret these Conversion Elements at run-time. Using a compiler based approach instead of an interpreted approach usually results in a substantial speed-up of the execution of the machine learning system, often increasing the speed of learning by a factor of ten times. Examples of such compiler based systems are GPC by Walter Tackett (genetic programming), Lil-GP (genetic programming), and EvoC (evolutionary strategies).
The compiler based approach to machine learning, while faster than the interpreted approach, must still access run-time data that is stored in data structures held in RAM memory or in some other form of memory such as hard disk. The reason that run-time data structures must be accessed in compiler based machine learning systems (or any machine learning system other than the present invention) is that the process of learning involves initializing and then altering the Learned Elements at run-time.
For example, the weights in a neural network are Learned Elements for neural network applications. Compiler based neural network systems hold those weights in data structures such as arrays or linked lists. Similarly, compiler based genetic programming systems store symbolic representations of program structures (the Learned Elements in genetic programming) in RAM data structures such as arrays, linked lists or parse trees. In all compiler based machine learning systems, the already compiled Conversion Elements must repeatedly access the Learned Elements (weights or symbolic representations of program structures) from the data structures in RAM memory in order to execute and evaluate the Learned Elements and to modify the Learned Elements according to the learning algorithm that is being used to modify the Learned Elements during learning. Such repeated access is necessary before any meaningful output or action may be had from a computer based on the Learned Elements. Such repeated accesses to RAM data structures is time consuming and uses extensive amounts of RAM to hold the Learned Elements.
More generally, computing systems that perform repeated calculations on run-time data may also be categorized as compiler based systems or interpreted systems. They store access, alter and execute run-time data in a manner similar to the storage, access, alteration and execution of the Learned Elements in the systems described above and are subject to the same limitations of slow execution and system overhead as the systems described above. By the phrase, xe2x80x9crepeated calculations (or computations) on (or of) run-time data,xe2x80x9d this application means the execution of one or more instructions that must access one or more elements of run-time data (from data storage such as RAM or hard disk) more than once on the same values of the run-time data.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a computerized computation system for a process such as real-time control of a robot or other autonomous agent. The present system avoids over-specialization, and is effective in evolving a behavior that can generalize to unseen environments and tasks. In addition, the present system operates much faster than any comparable system which has been proposed heretofore.
In accordance with the invention, a very general form of representing and specifying an autonomous agent""s behavior is by using a computer language. The task of planning feasible actions is then reduced to an instance of automatic programming. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, an evolutionary technique called Genetic Programming (GP) is used to directly control a miniature robot.
Two embodiments of the invention are presented. The objective of the GP-system in the first approach is to evolve real-time obstacle avoiding behavior from sensorial data. This technique enables real time learning with a real robot using genetic programming.
A population of computer programs or other entities is evolved using the GP-system by allowing selected entities to control the robot for brief periods of time and evaluating the effectiveness or fitness of the entities. The more fit entities are bred using genetic operators such as crossover and mutation to produce offspring which replace the less fit entities. In accordance with the present invention, the learning is distributed or stored in the population of entities.
In the first embodiment, the learning time is limited by the response dynamics of the environment. To overcome this problem, the second embodiment learns from past experiences stored in memory. In this aspect of the invention, vectors including sensor inputs, control outputs and empirically derived fitnesses which are generated during the real-time control of the robot are stored and updated in a memory, and used as a training set for the GP-system.
In the second embodiment of the present process control system, a computer model is constituted by the most currently fit entity in the population. As opposed to a conventional control system in which an output is defined as a function of an input, the present computer model defines fitness as a function of inputs and outputs. A computing unit accesses the model with a set of inputs, and determines a set of outputs for which the fitness meets a predetermined criterion, normally the best fitness. The present system does not merely mechanically calculate an output in response to an input as in the prior art, but associates a sensory-motor (input-output) state with a fitness in a manner that might be termed xe2x80x9cfeelingxe2x80x9d.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention utilizes the lowest level binary machine code as the xe2x80x9centitiesxe2x80x9d or individuals or solutions. Every individual is a piece of machine code that is called and manipulated by the genetic operators.
There is no intermediate language or interpreting part of the program. The machine code program segments are invoked with a standard C function call. Legal and valid C-functions are put together, at run time, directly in memory by the genetic algorithm. The present system can therefore be considered as a xe2x80x9ccompilingxe2x80x9d machine learning implementation.
The present system generates binary code directly from an example set, and there are no interpreting steps. The invention uses the real machine instead of a virtual machine, and any loss in flexibility will be well compensated for by increased efficiency.
More specifically, one or more machine code entities such as functions are created which represent (1) solutions to a problem or (2) code that will perform repeated calculations on xe2x80x9crun-time dataxe2x80x9d that is encapsulated into the machine code. These entities are directly executable by a computer. The programs are created and altered by a program in a higher level language such as xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d which is not directly executable, but requires translation into executable machine code through compilation, interpretation, translation, etc.
The entities are initially created as an integer array that can be altered by the program as data, and are executed by the program by recasting a pointer to the array as a function type. The entities are evaluated by executing them with training data (as defined elsewhere) as inputs, and calculating xe2x80x9cfitnessesxe2x80x9d based on a predetermined criterion or by recovering the output as the result of one of the repeated calculations on run-time data.
After one or more xe2x80x9cexecutions,xe2x80x9d the entities are then altered by recasting the pointer to the array as a data (e.g. integer) type. Or the original data pointer to the array may have been typecast earlier to a function pointer in a way that did not permanently change the type of the pointer. In that case, the original data pointer is used in its original form. This process is iteratively repeated until an end criterion is reached.
In the case of machine learning, the entities change in such a manner as to improve their fitness, and one entity is ultimately produced which represents an optimal solution to the problem. In the case of repeated calculations on run-time data, the entity permits very rapid calculations to be performed generating usable output from the run-time data.
Each entity includes a plurality of directly executable machine code instructions, a header, a footer, and a return instruction. The alteration process is controlled such that only valid instructions are produced. The headers, footers and return instructions are protected from alteration.
The system can be implemented on an integrated circuit chip, with the entities stored in high speed memory in a central processing unit.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by eliminating all compiling, interpreting or other steps that are required to convert a high level programming language instruction such as a LISP S-expression into machine code prior to execution.
Experiments have demonstrated that the present approach can speed up the execution of a machine learning or a repeated calculation system by 1,000 times or more as compared to systems which provide potential solutions in the form of high level xe2x80x9cprogram expressions in the interpreted approach. The speedup is in excess of 60 times over the compiler based approach. This makes possible the practical solutions to problems which could not heretofore be solved due to excessive computation time. For example, a solution to a difficult problem can be produced by the present system in hours, whereas a comparable solution might take years using conventional techniques.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts.

Computer implemented machine learning method and system including specifically defined introns

Abstract: The learning and/or control system preferably utilizes a Compiling Genetic Programming System (CGPS) in which one or more machine code entities such as functions are created which represent solutions to a problem and are directly executable by a computer. The programs are created and altered by a program in a higher level language such as xe2x80x9cCxe2x80x9d which is not directly executable, but requires translation into executable machine code through compilation, interpretation, translation, etc. The entities are initially created as an integer array that can be altered by the program as data, and are executed by the program by recasting a pointer to the array as a function type. The entities are evaluated by executing them with training data as inputs, and calculating fitnesses based on a predetermined criterion. The entities are then altered based on their fitnesses using a genetic machine learning algorithm by recasting the pointer to the array as a data (e.g. integer) type. This process is iteratively repeated until an end criterion is reached.


According to one embodiment, a semiconductor package includes a band stop filter, which includes: a transmission line pattern arranged on a package substrate; and a conductive stub pattern arranged along the transmission line pattern in a state of being separated from the transmission line pattern.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to a package substrate and a semiconductor package, and more particularly, to a package substrate with a band stop filter and a semiconductor package including the same.
In general, a semiconductor package includes a package substrate, and a semiconductor chip mounted on the package substrate. The semiconductor chip is electrically connected to the package substrate by a connection method, such as a wire bonding, a flip chip bonding, or the like, thereby receiving power, or transmitting and receiving electrical signals.
Recently, as the miniaturization, slimming, and high processing speed of a semiconductor package has been promoted, electro-magnetic interference (EMI) generated in a semiconductor package is becoming an important issue. The electro-magnetic interference means noise that an electromagnetic wave generated in one circuit, element, or the like is transferred to another circuit, element, or the like to cause a signal malfunction.
The conventional technologies for removing such the EMI in the semiconductor package include: a method of applying a shielding can which surrounds a semiconductor chip, as disclosed in U.S. 2011/0304015; and a method of forming a shielding structure of sealing a die through the use of a cap and a lead frame, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,582,951. In addition, as disclosed in Korea Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-0039448, there is a method of providing a conductive layer and coupling the conductive layer to a ground surface through the use of a wirebond spring.
These technologies are separately needed a structure for shielding an electromagnetic wave and a coupling unit for connecting the shielding structure with the semiconductor package. Thus, a process for manufacturing the semiconductor package is complicated and costs for manufacturing the semiconductor package increase. Therefore, research is being conducted to develop a technology capable of increasing a shielding efficiency at a relatively low cost.

Package substrate with band stop filter and semiconductor package including the same


A swimming pool gap securement assembly prevents the accessibility of persons, animals or other objects into swimming pools, because of gaps left between the edges of a swimming pool cover and the surfaces of vertically rising decorative landscape obstructions associated therewith. The assembly provides one or more protective extensions of a swimming pool cover which covers any gaps present when a swimming pool cover encounters these vertically rising obstructions. These panels, one for each gap encountered, are generally of triangular shape, of the same fabric as the main pool cover or any other pool cover materials, and are sewn into, or otherwise attached to, the reinforced webbing at the edge of the pool cover. The lower horizontal edge and the vertical end edge of the wing extension panel have an attached edge strip with a linear array of holes engageable with one or more anchors imbedded into the deck or on the side of the obstruction itself.

Although earlier pool covers were typically attached to the inner vertical sides of the pool wall or to adjacent vertically rising obstructions, it is common today for pool covers to be attached to the horizontal decking adjacent the perimeter of the pool. In some pool installations, obstructions rising vertically some distance from the deck adjacent to the edge of the pool prevent the pool cover from level attachment. For example, elaborate landscape construction of the swimming pool environment could include terraces, slopes, simulated rock gardens, spas and boulders which interrupt the normally flat swimming pool deck. By attachment of the pool cover over the obstruction, gaps are formed which should be secured to restore the safety integrity of the pool cover.
Prior art reveals attention to the problem of securing gaps at the edge of pool covers. Exemplary patents include U.S. Pat. No. 2,870,454 of F. J. Schippert et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,428 of Morris, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,457 of Donaton. Each of these patents relates to pool covers attached to the vertical wall of a pool, and they do not address the encumbrance of vertically extending obstructions adjacent to the edge of the pool.


Methods and systems for 3D bidirectional comb filtering of a video signal are provided. Aspects of the method may include generating a plurality of interpolated pixels for a current line, a next line and a previous line in a current frame. A plurality of interpolated pixels may be generated in a previous frame, which corresponds to the interpolated pixels in the current frame. A plurality of interpolated pixels may be generated in a next frame, which corresponds to the interpolated pixels in the current frame. At least one direction of least bandwidth may be determined among at least a portion of all the generated interpolated pixels and true pixels in the current frame. Combing may be blended according to the determined at least one direction of least bandwidth.

A composite video signal is the sum of a luminance (brightness) signal and a chrominance (color) signal. These signals may be referred to as luma and chroma signals, respectively. The frequency ranges of the luma and chroma signals are designed to overlap. In video processing, the luma and chroma signal components are added together in order to generate a composite video signal. The luma and chroma video elements are integrated and broadcasted as a single composite video stream. Once the broadcasted composite signal is received, the luma and chroma signal components must be separated in order for the video signal to be processed and displayed. A comb filter may be utilized for separating the chroma and luma video signal components. For example, a television may be adapted to receive a composite video input and utilize an integrated comb filter to separate the chroma and luma video signal components. However, before the television can display the received video signal, the chroma and luma video components have to be separated.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating generation of a conventional composite video signal. Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional composite video signal 105 may be generated from a luma component 103 and a chroma component 101. The composite video signal 105 may be generated by adding the chroma video signal component 101 and the luma video signal component 103. The chroma signal component 101 may be modulated at 3.58 MHz and it may or may not comprise a constant chroma across the entire line. The luma signal component 103 may increase in amplitude in a stair step fashion or it may not.
FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating modulated chroma signals in contiguous composite video frames. The chroma component may be modulated so that a frequency of each successive line of video may be phase-shifted by 180 degrees with respect to the previous line. Referring now to FIG. 2A, the previous frame 201 may comprise a previous line 203, a current line 205, and a next line 207. Similarly, the current frame 209 may comprise a previous line 211, a current line 213, and a next line 215. The current line 213 in the current frame 209 may be phase-shifted by 180 degrees from the previous line 211 in the current frame 209, as well as from the next line 215 in the current frame 209. Similarly, the current line 205 in the previous frame 201 may be phase-shifted by 180 degrees from the previous line 203 in the previous frame 201, as well as from the next line 207 in the previous frame 201. In addition, since frames in the contiguous composite video signal are at a frequency rate of 59.94 Hz, there may be a 180-degree phase shift between two adjacent frames, for example, the current frame 209 and the previous frame 201. Correspondingly, the current line 213 in the current frame may be 180 degrees phase-shifted from the current line 205 in the previous frame 201.
In conventional video processing, there are three ways to separate the luma and chroma video components and these include combing horizontally, combing vertically, and combing temporally. During separation of the luma and chroma components, there are three bandwidth directions that may incur losses in the separation process and in the separated signal. Depending on the combing method that is utilized, the separated signal may have reduced vertical bandwidth, horizontal bandwidth, and/or temporal bandwidth.
The first way to separate the luma and chroma video components is by horizontal combing. Horizontal combing may be accomplished by utilizing a notch filter, for example. Since the chroma signal component in a composite video signal may be modulated at 3.58 MHz, a notch filter set at 3.58 MHz may be utilized. Combing vertically may also be utilized to separate the luma and chroma video components. Combing vertically may be achieved in three different ways—the current line may be combed with the previous and the next line, the current line may be combed with the line just before it, or the current line may be combed with the line just after it. The vertical combing is performed spatially, which involves combing only within one field at a time and without any temporal combing.
During combing in the current frame 209, for example, if the current line 213 is added to the previous line 211, the chroma content may cancel out and two times the luma content may be obtained. On the other hand, if the previous line 211 is subtracted from the current line 213, the luma content may cancel out and two times the chroma content may be obtained. In this way, luma and chroma content may be separated from the composite video signal for further processing. However, vertical combing may result in a reduced vertical bandwidth.
A third way to comb a composite signal is to comb temporally. Combing temporally comprises combing between two frames, for example, the current frame 209 and the previous frame 201. Further, temporal combing may be characterized by a reduced temporal bandwidth. Luma and chroma content may be separated by utilizing the same addition and subtraction method between a current line and a previous line as it was utilized with vertical combing.
FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating combing of a correlated current line 224 and a previous line 222 in a current frame 220. In this case, there is no vertical bandwidth and the previous line 222 and the current line 224 are perfectly correlated. The current line 224 may be added with the previous line 222 and two times luma may be obtained. Similarly, the previous line 222 may be subtracted from the current line 224 so that two times chroma may be obtained.
FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating combing of a non-correlated current line 234 and a previous line 232 in a current frame 230. In this case, there may be significant vertical bandwidth. The vertical bandwidth may be high enough so that there may be no correlation between the current line 234 and the previous line 232. When the current line 234 and the previous line 232 are combed together, there may be significant error in both the luma and chroma. This may produce combing artifacts in the obtained combed video signal. A substantially the same result may be obtained when combing temporally when there is temporal bandwidth, which indicates motion. Higher bandwidth in a given direction may cause combing in that direction to result in more incorrectly separated luma and chroma.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for 3D bidirectional comb filtering


Sprocket wheels for modular plastic link belts are made in two mating halves for expediting removal perpendicularly away from a coaxial drive shaft about which they are supported without disassembly of the shaft. To assure axial alignment and stability of the mating parts overlap joints between the parts are formed by securing together in surface contact laminar flange extensions from respective sprocket wheel halves joined in driving relationship about an inner shaft to form a completed sprocket wheel assembly. For critical use in food and chemical environments, the entire sprocket assembly is made of plastic, including binding clamps for holding the two mated flange surfaces of different halves together.

Two piece sprocket and pulley wheels adapted for removal from an in place drive shaft in general are well known in the art. Thus, Mills, U.S. Pat. No. 184,540, Nov. 21, 1876 shows a sprocket wheel with a sector dovetailed for axial displacement to expose the driveshaft so that both parts may be removed. This construction has the disadvantages that removal cannot take place in restricted mounting positions without room for axial movement to disassemble the parts, and the dovetail mortise-tenon joint imposes difficult to meet manufacturing tolerances, such that for example, could not easily be attained with inexpensive plastic injection molded parts.
Williams, U.S. Pat. No. 531,820, Jan. 1, 1895 bolts in place a removable sprocket wheel sector just wide enough to move a larger mating portion over the drive shaft. Such smaller sectors tend to unbalance the sprocket wheel, as does the bolting of the small sector to the sprocket wheel rim and hub. Also this construction is only adaptable to a spoked sprocket wheel configuration and requires a significant amount of axial spacing to employ wrenches for disassembly.
Conyngham, U.S. Pat. No. 1,391,719, Sep. 27, 1921 has two half sprockets with circumferential flange extensions about the shaft. The two halves are bolted together through the flange extensions at a hub extending axially away from the sprocket wheel. The bolts also serve to axially lock the wheel in place on the shaft. Not only is the construction of the circumferential flange extensions costly, critical and delicate, but the hub prevents use where side by side sprocket wheels are desired such as in driving modular link belt systems. Also, this construction is inconsistent with the requirement of sprockets in modular link belt drive systems to wander axially on the shaft to conform with dynamic conditions encountered in operation.
Accordingly the prior art has not provided two part sprocket wheels that are readily removable from the shaft of a nature that meets the requirements encountered in a modular link belt drive system. Thus it is an objective to improve the state of the prior art by providing split sprocket wheels particularly adapted for solving the problems encountered in modular link belt drive systems.

Replaceable sprocket wheel assembly for modular link belt systems


A chrome-less mask inspection method is provided. The chrome-less mask at least includes a transparent region and a phase shift region. The method includes providing a database having a mask database corresponding to the chrome-less mask. The mask database further includes a frame line pattern having enclosed area and pattern that corresponds to enclosed area and pattern of the phase shift region of the chrome-less mask and a first inspection signal pattern generated by the mask database. An inspecting device is also provided to inspect a second inspection signal pattern from the chrome-less mask. Furthermore, scanning location of the second inspection signal pattern corresponds with scanning location of the first inspection signal pattern. Thereafter, the first inspection signal pattern and the second inspection signal pattern is compared and any differences are registered.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a mask inspection method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chrome-less mask inspection method.
2. Description of Related Art
In semiconductor fabrication, patterns are transferred through a set of masks. In other words, quality of the mask directly affects the pattern resulting from the transfer. Therefore, a newly fabricated mask must be inspected to ensure the mask is defect free before actual use.
In general, there are two mask inspection methods. One method is called the die-to-die inspection method. In the die-to-die inspection method, the patterns in neighboring units are compared to detect any discrepancies. Another method is called the die-to-database inspection method. In the die-to-database inspection method, the actual pattern is compared with the designed pattern. For the die-to-die inspection method, if the defects on two neighboring units are at the same location, the defects may not be found. On the other hand, since the design pattern is the basis for producing the mask, the design pattern is often verified with great care. Hence, the die-to-database inspection method has a much higher accuracy and is particularly suitable for conducting an initial mask inspection.
However, the die-to-database inspection method is unsuitable for inspecting a chrome-less mask. FIGS. 1A to 1C are a series of diagrams including a top view and sectional view of a conventional mask with a light-blocking pattern and a chrome-less phase shift pattern thereon and a signal trace after traversing the mask. In fact, FIG. 1A is a top view of a conventional mask with light-blocking pattern and chrome-less phase shift pattern thereon. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view along line 1B—1B of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is an inspection signal pattern after inspecting the mask by scanning along line 1B—1B. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the mask 100 includes, for example, a transparent region 110, a phase shift region 120 and a light-blocking region 130 on a transparent substrate 102. The transparent region 110 and the phase shift region 120 are formed, for example, by cutting up the transparent substrate 102 into separate blocks each with a different height. The light-blocking region 130 is formed, for example, by depositing chromium material on specific area of the transparent substrate 102 to form a chromium layer 104. As shown in FIG. 1C, a signal trace 150 of this chrome-less mask 100 has a corresponding down-spike 152 at the phase shift region 110 and the transparent region 120.
FIG. 2A shows a first mask database (the design pattern) 160 inside a built-in database for designing and fabricating the chrome-less mask 100. The first mask database 160 includes a phase shift region corresponding to the phase shift pattern 162 and a light-blocking region corresponding to the light-blocking pattern 164 for patterning out the transparent region 110, the phase shift region 120 and the light-blocking region 130 of the chrome-less mask 100. Using the first mask database 160, a mask with a cross-sectional structure as shown in FIG. 2B is produced. The mask has a chromium layer 104 over both the phase shift region 110 and the light-blocking region 130 of the transparent substrate 102. FIG. 2C shows an inspection signal pattern 170 generated by the first mask database 160.
FIG. 3A shows a second mask database 180 inside a built-in database for designing and fabricating the chrome-less mask 100. The second mask database 180 includes a light-blocking region corresponding to a light-blocking pattern 164 for removing the chromium layer 104 over the phase shift region 120. Using the second mask database 180, a mask with a cross-sectional structure as shown in FIG. 3B is produced. FIG. 3C shows an inspection signal pattern 190 generated by the second mask database 180.
A comparison of the signals 150, 170, 190 in FIGS. 1C, 2C and 3C shows that the actual inspection signal pattern 150 is different from inspection signal patterns 170, 190 generated by other designing patterns. In other words, signals generated by the designing pattern of databases do not reflect the signals produced by an actual chrome-less mask. That means, the die-to-database inspection method cannot be applied to detect defects in a chrome-less mask.


Systems and methods are provided for a network unit for transmitting packets on a network that includes a computer-readable medium encoded with an array data structure that is populated by plurality of entries, each entry corresponding to a packet in a queue of packets to be transmitted, a particular entry including a value that is based on a sum of packet sizes stored in a neighboring entry and a packet size of a packet corresponding to the particular entry. A search engine is configured to receive a gate size and to search the array to identify a particular entry in the data structure that has a value nearest to but not greater than the gate size as a transmission entry. A transmission engine is configured to transmit packets from the beginning of the queue up to a particular packet associated with the transmission entry.

In certain network configurations, bandwidth is requested by a network unit from a central network controller that grants bandwidth to multiple network units associated with that controller. When a particular network unit receives a message from the central network controller that states that the particular network unit has been granted an amount of bandwidth on which to transmit data, the particular network unit needs to perform certain operations and calculations in a limited amount of available time.
The description above is presented as a general overview of related art in this field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art against the present patent application.

Method and apparatus for transmitting data on a network


A child's bed is made of upper and lower wedge shaped sections providing a generally V-shaped bed. The upper and lower sections are unconnected to each other and are made of one or more wedge shaped members that are unconnected to each other. A fitted sheet holds the components together as a unit. An egg crate foam layer may be affixed to the lower section and draped over the upper section to improve stability. The incline of the upper and lower sections is adjustable by adding or removing one or more of the wedge shaped members. The low point of the V-shaped bed is disposed adjacent the knee of the sleeper so the person can sleep in a fetal position with the feet and lower leg preventing the sleeper from sliding down the incline of the upper section.

It is known in the prior art to provide specially designed beds for children, particularly children who have a medical condition that is aggravated by normal sleeping positions. Typically these beds position the child in an inclined position. Sometimes the bed is planar with the feet at the lowest point of the bed and sometimes the bed is V-shaped with the buttocks at a low point of the bed.
Wedge shaped pillows have been proposed in the past to elevate the head of a child to alleviate problems associated with asthma, acid reflux, chronic sinusitis and the like. These pillows have largely been ineffective because children tend to slip down the pillow during sleep and end up with their head at the foot of the pillow, meaning the wedge shape has no effect.
There is no bed configuration that is optimum for all children because different conditions and preferences dictate different bed configurations. Because most prior art beds are of fixed design, any particular configuration is suitable for only a small proportion of children with sleeping problems.
Disclosures relevant to the disclosure of this invention are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,229,536; 2,281,629; 2,767,410; 3,608,106; 4,853,993; 5,448,790; 5,800,368; 5,836,653; 6,085,373; 6,334,442; D282,802; D282,803 and printed patent application 2002/0042954.


Compounds of Formula I have been shown to enhance the release of the neurotransmitter acetlcholine, and thus may be useful as chemical intermediates and as pharmacological agents in the treatment of diseases of man, such as in Alzheimer's Disease and other conditions involving learning and cognition, where subnormal levels of this neurochemical are found. ##STR1##

Increasingly there is a need for effective treatments for nervous systems disorders and neurological deficiencies. Many of these diseases correlate with increasing age due mainly to degenerative changes in the nervous system. Although in early stages of some diseases, certain systems are rather specifically affected (e.g., cholinergic systems in Alzheimer's Disease and Myasthenia Gravis, the dopaminergic system in Parkinson's Disease, etc.) multiple neurotransmitter systems deficiencies (acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin) are generally found at later stages of diseases such as senile dementia, multi-infarct dementia, Huntington's Disease, mental retardation, etc. This explains the generally observed multiple symptomology that includes cognitive, neurological and effective/psychotic components (see Gottfries, Psychopharmacol., 86, 245 (1985)). Deficits in the synthesis and release of acetylcholine in the brain are generally thought to be related to cognitive impairment (see Francis, et al., New England J. Med., 7, 313 (1985)) whereas neurological deficits (e.g. Parkinsonian symptoms) and mood/mental changes may be related to impairment of dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, respectively. Other neurological deficits (e.g., Myasthenia Gravis) are related to cholinergic deficiencies in the peripheral nervous system.
Treatment strategies employed previously encompass vasoactive drugs like vincamine and pentoxifylline; metabolic enhancers like ergoloid mesylates, piracetam, and naftidrofuryl; neurotransmitter precursors like L-DOPA, choline, 5-hydroxytryptamine; transmitter metabolizing enzyme inhibitors such as physostigmine; neuropeptides like adrenocorticotropic hormone and vasopressin-related peptides. Except for L-DOPA treatment for Parkinson's Disease and cholinesterase inhibitor treatment for Myasthenia Gravis, these treatment strategies have generally failed to enhance the residual function of the affected systems by enhancing the stimulus-induced release of neurotransmitters. Theoretically, such an enhancement would improve the signal-to-noise ratio during chemical transmission for information, thereby reducing deficits in processes related to cognition, neurological function and mood regulation.
European Patent Application 311,010 discloses .alpha., .alpha.-disubstituted aromatics or heteroaromatics of the formula: ##STR2## or a salt thereof, which are useful as cognition enhancers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,083 to Myers, et al. discloses that indolinones of the following formula are useful for treatment of cognitive deficiencies: ##STR3## These references teach the necessity of two heteroaryl groups for activity.
European Patent Application No. 0 415 102 A1 by Efflund, et al. describes an invention related to the formula: ##STR4##
U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,866 to D. E. Butler describes an invention of the formula: ##STR5##
European Patent Application No. 0 347 698 A1 wherein Ting, et. al. describes a compound of formula: ##STR6##

1-substituted oxindoles as cognition enhancers


A coaxial connector, particularly for the mechanical and electrical connection of an outer screening conductor of a coaxial cable with the outer screening of a female coaxial connector, said coaxial connector comprising a slidable sleeve having a first and a second coaxial inner cylindrical seat, said first seat having an inner diameter corresponding to or slightly greater than the outer diameter of said cable and said second seat having an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of the outer wall of said connector, in such a way to obtain a pressure coupling of the coaxial cable screen between the sleeve of the coaxial connector and the outer wall of the female coaxial connector.

The present invention concerns a connector coupled by pressure for telecommunications systems. More specifically, the invention concerns a connector to be employed to couple, in a quick and electrically perfect way, a coaxial cable with a female coaxial connector, that may be provided with an outer thread and a central contact, for example, in an elastic central contact for F type connectors.
It is known to connect coaxial cables with electrical or electronic circuits. More particularly, it is known for coaxial connections to be employed to realize systems for the distribution of radio and TV signals. Metallic clamps are generally employed. Such clamps are inexpensive but have different technical drawbacks.
These drawbacks are even more evident when considering advancements in the state of the art making it common to use signal reception and distribution systems having frequencies higher than 2000 MHz, such as in satellite reception systems, cable networks, MMDS systems and so on.
In order to obviate these drawbacks, it is advisable to use male and female coaxial connectors. The first is coupled to the coaxial cable and the other to the final circuit. The techniques already known generally provide for the connection of coaxial cables with coaxial connectors, the welding or screwing of the two poles to the cable of the connector ends, or the screwing or crimping of the male coaxial connector onto the screen conductor of the coaxial cable. Further, the coupling of a cable to a connector is done by screwing or coupling, or by the introduction of two metallic parts, a rigid one and an elastic one, respectively.
On the basis of these solutions, past and present systems, patented or not, and commercial coaxial connectors have been developed. The choice of these kinds of solutions for the coupling of coaxial cables is due to the limited use of coaxial joints employed on professional apparatuses only, and are highly expensive relative to the cost of one or two traditional coaxial joints.
The most recent technological development has broadened the application of coaxial cables, and consequently, the application of relevant connectors which, if employed for applications such as radio frequencies distribution in the domestic buildings, also influence the cost of the work necessary to obtain a technically efficient but cheap and easy to apply coupling.
Within this field of application, it includes the solution suggested according to the present invention, which is the ability to satisfy the above needs, by means that are completely different from systems already employed.
The main object of the present invention is to obtain a connector that allows a coupling between a coaxial cable and a female coaxial connector so as to allow, within a range of frequencies between 0 and up to or beyond 2000 MHz, a constant impedance power transfer, with a maximum concentration, a maximum electromagnetic screening, a minimum loss of signal, a minimum mismatching and a minimum parasitic capacitance.
A further object of the invention is to obtain a connector that allows a connection between a coaxial cable and a female coaxial connector that has a good mechanical coupling but is also easily removable.
A further object of the invention is to obtain a connector that allows a connection between a coaxial cable and a female coaxial connector that is easily made, and can be made without the need of any specific tool, with a minimum number of sizes and that is also very inexpensive.
These and other objectives are obtained according to the present invention utilizing a connector coupled by pressure for telecommunication systems that employs as the central pin of the connection, the rigid central conductor of the coaxial cable. The connection is fixed by pressure on the outer surface of the female connector by a sleeve slidable on the cable. The sleeve has, on its rear portion, a diameter corresponding to or slightly greater than the diameter of the coaxial cable. The sleeve has on its front portion a diameter slightly greater than the one of the outer surface of the female connector.
It is therefore a specific object of the invention to produce a coaxial connector, particularly for the mechanical and electrical connection of the outer screening conductor of a coaxial cable with the outer screening of a female coaxial connector. The coaxial connector comprises a slidable sleeve having a first and a second coaxial inner cylindrical seat. The first seat has an inner diameter corresponding to, or slightly greater than the outer diameter of the cable. The second seat has an inner diameter slightly greater than the outer diameter of the outer wall of the connector. The sleeve allows for a pressure coupling of the coaxial cable screen between the sleeve coaxial connector and the outer wall of the female coaxial connector.
Preferably, according to the invention, at least one projection can be provided within the second seat. Also according to the invention, the portion of the connector corresponding to the first seat can be long in order to obtain a greater coupling stability alternatively, this portion can be short to reduce the dimensions. Furthermore, according to the invention, outside the second seat, close to the outer connection zone with the first seat, a circular projection can be provided. Also, according to the invention, the connection zone between the first and second seats can be realized by a sloped wall. Also, according to the invention, spaced longitudinal ribs can be provided outside said second seat. Also, according to the invention, on the inner surface of the first and second seat a roughness can be provided.
Within the first seat, longitudinal lugs can be further provided, preferably three lugs circumferentially spaced at 120xc2x0. Also, within said second seat, longitudinal lugs can be provided, preferably three lugs circumferentially spaced at 120xc2x0.
Always according to the invention, the connector is used for the connection of the coaxial cable screen made up of metallic braid, with the threaded outer screening of a female coaxial connector. Or it is used for the connection of the coaxial cable screen made up of one or more metallic foils, with the threaded outer screening of a female coaxial cable, or for the connection of a coaxial cable screen, made up of metallic, braid and one or more metallic foils, with the outer screening of a female coaxial connector.
Furthermore, according to the invention, the coaxial connector can be made up of plastic material, elastic material, such as rubber, or elastic metallic material.

Connector coupled by pressure for telecommunications systems

Microproject Di Campani L. and C. S.N.C.


An apparatus and method is provided to produce energy from movement of a user. At least one pair of plates is utilized to secure an array of cymbal transducers therebetween. The array of cymbal transducers is electrically interconnected with signal conditioning circuitry and power storage member. Electrical interconnections may comprise parallel and/or series connections between ones or groups of the cymbal transducers.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electric energy generation from mechanical sources and, more particularly, to a transducer module that is optimized to generate electrical energy from environmental, mechanical, and mechanical compression forces that otherwise could not be used.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
While piezoelectric materials have been successfully utilized in sensors and actuators, their use as practical power sources for generating a useful amount of electricity in portable generators has been limited. Users of piezoelectric devices are presently substantially limited to operating only very low power devices, such as LEDs. This operation is typically limited to only a brief flash.
For practical use, the inventor believes that to power portable electrical devices, it would be necessary that electricity be generated using a large number of piezoelectric transducers. Preferably, such a system would be able to store power generated over a period of time. Thus, a practical system would require signal conditioners such as rectifiers and power storage, such as batteries. The need for a large number of piezoelectric transducers with many interconnections between components such as rectifiers and batteries increases the weight, reduces the robustness, and increases the complexity and difficulty of packaging such devices, especially for purposes such as being carried on a person, device, or object. Moreover, a practical system should be adaptable for capturing energy produced by different types of motions, with different amounts of force or translational movement. The prior art does not address the above problems.
The following U.S. patents describe various prior art systems that may be related to the above and/or other transducer module systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,790, issued Sep. 21, 1999, to North, discloses a power transfer system for generating electrical energy from recurring wave and tidal movement within the ocean. The system comprises a pressure sensing device, such as an array of pressure transducers, positioned at the ocean floor below water level and at a location of wave movement for (i) registering changes in height of water above the pressure sensing device and (ii) providing a power output corresponding to changes in force associated with the changes in the height of water. A transfer medium is coupled at one end to the pressure sensing device and extends underground to a second end at a shore location adjacent the location of wave movement for transmitting the power output of the pressure sensing device to the shore location. A bank of storage batteries is coupled to the transfer medium at the shore location for receiving the power output from the transfer medium and for storing the power output as a useful form of energy.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,242, issued Aug. 20, 2002, to Howarth, discloses an electro-acoustic transducer in which a plurality of cymbal-type electro-acoustic actuators are disposed in mechanical and electrical parallel between a pair of stiff plates. The resultant transducer resonates at a lower frequency than the cymbals, with a greater generated force. An example of a plurality of cymbal type transducers is shown in FIG. 1.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,737,789, issued May 18, 2004, to Radziemski, et al., discloses a force activated electrical power generator using piezoelectric elements of preferred lead-magnesium-niobate lead titanate (PMN-PT). The circuitry is in preferred versions completely passive generating all power needed. Some circuitry limits voltage across the elements and provides a return charge channel to prevent depolarization. Transformers can be used to increase the output voltage and efficiency. Rectifiers are shown to rectify the output to a single polarity. Filtering, regulation and other conditioning components are also shown. The output from the generator and circuitry can store the electrical charge, such as in a capacitor and/or battery.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,157,802, issued Jan. 2, 2007, to Bodkin, discloses an electrical power source that derives input power from a compressed gas which is fed into a transducer, generating electrical power. The compressed gas may be delivered to the unit by several means including manual pumps, thermal, chemical, or ammunition based sources, or connection to pressurized canisters. Optional power converting and feedback circuits and pneumatic valves serve to convert the raw output power into useful AC and DC output voltages, and to match the rate of power delivery to the applied electrical load.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,239,066, issued Jul. 3, 2007, to Ott, et al., discloses a piezoelectric power generator that comprises a plurality of piezoelectric devices, an actuator positioned to impart an excitation to the plurality of piezoelectric devices in a predefined sequence, and an electrical conduction system connected to the plurality of piezoelectric devices for conducting an electrical charge created by the excitation. Preferably, the plurality of piezoelectric devices are arranged in a predetermined relationship relative to the actuator whereby only one of the plurality of piezoelectric devices is actuated at a time. For example, the plurality of piezoelectric devices can be arranged in an angular pattern (such as a circular pattern) relative to the actuator. Preferably, a rotational speed of the actuator (24) permits an excitation response for a given piezoelectric device to essentially fully decay before the given piezoelectric device is again excited.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,260,984, issued Aug. 28, 2007, to Roundy, et al., discloses a method of powering one or more electronic devices in a tire monitoring system using a tire pressure based energy scavenger. With this method, a tire is rotated on a surface to generate pressure changes within the tire. These pressure changes are then converted into electrical energy with a transducer and the energy is stored. The electrical energy or stored electrical energy can then be used to power one or more electronic devices in a tire monitoring system, such as a tire pressure sensor, temperature sensor, acceleration profile sensor, and/or a tire wear monitor. A tire monitoring system with a tire pressure based energy scavenger is also provided.
International Application No. PCT/US05/35683, published Apr. 13, 2006, to Raisanen, discloses methods for analyzing characteristics of fluids in the context of an acoustic ejection system. Such a system has a controller, an acoustic radiation generator, and a coupling medium coupling the radiation to a reservoir holding fluid. The methods can use acoustic radiation to both perturb a surface of the fluid in the reservoir and analyze the effect of the perturbation. The methods may use information about prior fluids. The methods of the invention can determine physical characteristics such as speed of sound and viscosity. The methods also include ways to determine a level of acoustic energy suitable to eject a droplet.
The above cited prior art does not disclose a module system that is optimized to generate electrical energy from mechanical and environmental sources, specifically compressive forces, where an array of cymbal transducers is positioned between two rigid plates that are electrically conductive and are coupled to any of the cymbal transducers that are adjacent thereto. Signal conditioning electronics can be coupled to the electrically conductive portions of the plates, and a battery can be connected to the signal conditioning electronics.
As discussed above, solutions to the above described and/or related problems have been long sought without success. Consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention that addresses the above and other problems.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A toy vehicle includes a toy vehicle body, a plurality of drive wheels coupled to the body, a motor having an output shaft, a gear drive coupled to the output shaft and a transmission having a changeable gear ratio coupling the gear drive to at least one of the wheels responsive to the load imposed upon the transmission and changing the gear ratio in response thereto.

Motorized toy vehicles have proven to be a consistent and popular product among young children over a wide range of ages. The design and character of such motorized toy vehicles has varied dramatically as practitioners have attempted to provide a variety of interesting and amusing toy vehicles. Generally speaking, such toy vehicles include a vehicle body and chassis within which a battery power supply and an electric drive motor are supported. Because of the characteristics of electric motors which generally operate best at higher speeds of revolution and with lower torque than the axle revolution speed practical in such toys, a speed reduction gear set or transmission is generally interposed between the driven axles and the motor output shaft.
One of the critical factors in successfully producing a battery driven toy vehicle is the attainment of performance of the vehicle while maintaining battery life. In many situations, these two objectives are somewhat incompatible in that high performance drive systems tend to use prohibitive amounts of battery power and therefore deplete the battery power supply quickly.
One of the critical elements in the design of such toy vehicles in attempting to meet a performance and battery life balancing is the selection of the gear ratios which couple the motor power to the driven axle. For example, a low gear ratio favors vehicle power and permits the use of a lower current motor which extends battery life. However, lower ratios in the vehicle drive gears limit the available speed of the vehicle and therefore reduce a desirable performance characteristic.
To further complicate the design of such toy vehicles, the vehicle in normal use encounters a great variation of surface and load characteristics. Thus, a child in a typical play pattern may often desire that the toy vehicle be able to climb substantial inclines on the one hand while providing high speed across flat surfaces on the other hand. This variation of loading for surface characteristic is usually more difficult and challenging for toy vehicles produced to replicate the so-called "monster trucks" or four-wheel drive trucks which the child user frequently desires to see replicate the climbing and power characteristics of the full-sized vehicles which they emulate. To provide a better balance between performance and battery life and meet the other operational variations imposed upon such toy vehicles, practitioners in the art have attempted to provide transmissions which may be switched between speed and power gear ratios by the child user. Most of such devices have provided a shift lever which extends from the vehicle body and which may be hand operated by the child user. While this provides some improvement in performance in that gear ratio may be varied, it often detracts from the play value of the toy vehicle by interposing an unrealistic physical configuration or appearance. There remains, therefore, a need in the art for an improved toy vehicle which meets the variety of operational circumstances in which such toy vehicles are required to perform and which, nonetheless, conserves battery life.

Toy vehicle having load responsive transmission


Improved radio receiver designs can be used in the operational environment of wireless telephone communications. The radio receiver includes a variable attenuator, an RF signal amplifier, and a controller. The controller controls the amount of attenuation provided by the variable attenuator in response to signals received by the RF signal amplifier. The controller adjusts the variable attenuator to achieve a minimum symbol error rate and/or to maximize the signal-to-noise and interference ratio for a desired signal, irrespective of the levels of any interfering signals received by the RF signal amplifier. In this manner, the variable attenuator is adjusted to obtain just the right amount of intermodulation performance for a given set of receiving conditions. This technique saves operating current and minimizes noise figure because, in practice, interference conditions do not persist all of the time, and are usually of temporary duration.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to radio receivers, and more specifically to radio receivers that are used for wireless telephone communications.
2. Description of Related Art
The field of wireless communications is experiencing rapid growth. In order to increase the capacity of existing cellular communications systems, present efforts are being directed towards new modulation schemes, such as CDMA and TDMA. One characteristic of CDMA is that relatively broadband radio receiver designs must be employed. At the same time that these modulation schemes are enjoying more widespread acceptance, new cell sites and other radio communications systems are being constructed at an ever-increasing pace. Consequently, wireless telephone receivers must be able to effectively discriminate against many sources of interference.
The extent to which a wireless telephone receiver is immune to RF interference from nearby transmitters is determined by the intermodulation distortion characteristics of the receiver. As a general matter, broadband receivers are more susceptible to intermodulation distortion than narrowband receivers. These intermodulation distortions occur at the receiver front-end when the front end is exposed to strong undesired out-of-band signals as, for example, when the receiver is in close proximity to a cell site transmitter other than that from which the receiver is currently receiving a radio signal.
One conventional technique for improving intermodulation distortion problems addresses the design of the receiver front end. As a general matter, intermodulation performance can be improved by increasing the quiescent operating current of the active RF device or devices in the receiver front end. In order to obtain acceptable intermodulation performance in many real-world environments, the quiescent operating current must often be increased to an undesirably high level. In the case of stationary equipment connected to a 120-volt mains supply, the use of such a high current generally poses no great problem. However, a different situation exists with respect to portable equipment, where such a high current drain would very quickly deplete a set of fresh batteries. The user is inconvenienced by having to frequently change and/or recharge batteries. Such batteries may be expensive, and, if not, the frequent purchase of inexpensive batteries may also prove costly. Moreover, the user may be faced with a set of dead batteries in an emergency situation. What is needed is a technique for improving intermodulation performance while, at the same time, not significantly increasing the current consumption of the receiver.

Receiver with dynamic attenuation control for adaptive intermodulation performance enhancement


A system and method are provided for coordinating a power-save interval in an IEEE 802.11 wireless network. The method transmits a first frame from an access point (AP) to a quality of service station (QSTA) and receives an acknowledgement from the QSTA. In response to receiving the acknowledgement, the first frame is retransmitted from the AP to the QSTA and the retransmitted first frame is identified as the last frame in the transmission queue. An acknowledgement is received responsive to the retransmitted first frame and the next minimum service interval is timed in response to the retransmitted first frame.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to wireless local area network (wLAN) communications and, more particularly, to a system and method for synchronizing a power-save for use in 802.11e wLAN communications.
2. Description of the Related Art
A basic service set (BSS), or quality of service BSS (QBSS) typically includes an access point (AP), with a hybrid coordinator (HC), to control quality of service (QoS) traffic. When the AP has only one frame to send during a "service period" to a station (STA), or quality of service STA (QSTA), the STA may receive the frame correctly and acknowledge the frame. However, it is possible that the frame containing the STA acknowledgement may be lost, or not received by the AP. In this circumstance, the AP may retransmit the frame multiple times to insure that the frame is received by the STA. Because of the unknown possibility of these AP retransmissions, neither the AP nor the STA can determine when a service period starts. As a result, there is no means for establishing a service period synchronization that can be used by the AP, as the AP may not be sure of how long must wait before it must transmits frames to the STA. Likewise, if the AP cannot establish a service period, the STA cannot establish a block of time in which it is guaranteed not to receive a transmission. Because of this lack of guaranteed service interval, the STA cannot periodically shut down to save power. The STA cannot go into a power-save mode, even when there are long intervals between AP transmissions. Alternately, if the STA does shut down after receiving a transmission, it may lose synchronization with the AP polling schedule.
FIG. 1 is a timing diagram that illustrates the service period synchronization problem. The AP has only one frame to send. The STA is already awake, receives the frame, and sends an acknowledgement. The STA immediately goes to sleep, as the AP has indicated that there are no more frames to receive. However, the acknowledgement is lost. Because the STA is asleep, all retransmissions from the AP are lost. Shown is a second transmission from the AP that is not acknowledged by the STA. Now, the AP does not know when the STA will be awake again unless the STA initiates a frame to the AP. While the BSS can tolerate this mode of STA operation, the STA may not get access to a channel in time to support an operation, and one or more frames will be dropped at the AP.
It would be advantageous if a power-save interval could be established in a BSS that was known by both the HC and the QSTAs in communication with the HC.
It would be advantageous if battery-operated IEEE 802.11a QSTAs could be synchronized to a minimum service interval to minimize power consumption and prolong life.

System and method for synchronizing an IEEE 802.11 power-save interval


The present disclosure relates to representation of users within online systems, such as social networks, online services, and platforms. A method for representing a user within an online system is provided, comprising receiving by the online system a live recording of a first user of the online system, the first user defining permissions to access the live recording; requesting a representation of the first user by a second user of the online system; determining if the second user is authorized to access the live recording based on the permissions; and if the second user is authorized, providing the live recording to the second user as the representation of the first user. Furthermore, an online system and a data structure representing a user of an online system are defined.

Online systems, platforms, and services, such as social networks, online communities, and communication platforms, which enable online and networked interactions between users and activities of the users, typically represent a registered user by a profile defining the user's name and image. The online system typically allows other registered users of the online system as well as unregistered public viewers exploring the online system to access the profiles and view the respective details. Yet, profiles are generally presented as a kind of register or phone book consisting of static data, and typically do not comprise any information of the user that reflects the current behavior, mood, status, and/or activities of the user.
Providing detailed data to viewers or other users may even be undesirable since sensitive data may be retrieved by a large group of viewers without any control by the owner of the personal data. Thus, a user of an online system may withhold details regarding the user's identity as a precaution. However, limited and static data in user profiles may decrease the user experience and acceptance of the online platform, since the level of communication and interaction is limited.
A higher level of communication between users may, for example, be achieved by a chat, such as a video chat session between two communication parties. Each participant may directly communicate with others and may receive an immediate visual and audio feedback related to, for example, facial expressions, gestures, etc. Yet, video chats are typically established between specific parties, for example, after one party has retrieved the contact information and started the chat session using the contact information. Thus, video chats are explicitly established between the communication parties and therefore generally unsuitable to represent a live update of a user of an online system to other users of the online system.

Live representation of users within online systems


The present disclosure relates to a method for resetting life diagnosis alarm of a contact of a contactor, including the following steps:

Life diagnosis of a contact of a contactor can predict the life of the contact, so as to give an alarm to users when the contact reach the end of life cycle, so that users can carry out maintenance and replacement of the contactor and field equipment in a planned manner, so as to maximize functionality of the contactor, reduce the number of downtime of user equipment, avoid accidents caused by exhausted life of the contactor, save costs for users to the maximum extent, and protect users' assets and personal safety. After the user maintains the contactor and replaces the contact, it is necessary to reset or initialize the historical data of life diagnosis, so as to allow the contactor to restart life diagnosis according to the newly replaced contact, thus ensuring the validity and correctness of life diagnosis.
According to the reset operations of various life diagnosis alarms in contact life diagnosis of the contactors, the invention provides a corresponding method and process for resetting the life diagnosis alarm.

Method for resetting life diagnosis alarm of a contact of a contactor

Abstract: Step A: detecting a reset signal by a microcontrol unit;

Abstract: Step B: when the microcontrol unit has detected the reset signal, checking the state of the diagnosis alarm through the microcontrol unit;

Abstract: and when the diagnosis alarm is in an active state, the microcontrol unit:                Step C: controlling the indicator to give a first indication signal for confirming a reset operation of the diagnosis alarm;        Step D: resetting life diagnosis data;        Step E: controlling the opening and closing of the contact of the contactor through an actuator.


The invention concerns an optically variable element and a security product having such an optically variable element, a foil, in particular an embossing foil or a laminating foil having such an optically variable element, and a process for producing such an optically variable element. The optically variable element has a thin film layer succession with at least one spacer layer for producing color shifts by means of interference. In a first region of the thin film layer succession the spacer layer is of a different layer thickness from in a second region of the thin film layer succession. In that case the layer thicknesses of the spacer layer in the first and second regions are so selected that in the first region of the thin film layer succession a first color shift is produced by means of interference and in the second region of the thin film layer succession a second color shift which is different from the first color shift is produced.

The invention concerns an optically variable element, in particular an optically variable safeguard element for safeguarding banknotes, credit cards and the like, wherein the optically variable element has a thin film layer succession with at least one spacer layer for producing color shifts by means of interference. The invention further concerns a security product having such an optically variable element, a foil, in particular an embossing foil or a laminating foil with such an optically variable element and a process for producing such an optically variable element.
Optically variable elements are frequently used to make it difficult to misuse documents or copy documents and if possible to prevent that from happening. Thus optically variable elements are frequently used for safeguarding banknotes, identity papers, credit cards, cash cards and the like. It is further possible for them to be applied to articles and to be used for detecting authenticity of goods.
In order to make it difficult to copy optically variable elements, it is known for an optically variable element to be provided with a thin film layer succession which produces shifts by means of interference, in dependence on the viewing angle.
Thus, WO 01/03945 A1 describes a security product having a transparent substrate, to one side of which is applied a thin film which produces a perceptible color shift in dependence on the change in the viewing angle. The thin film comprises an absorption layer which is applied to the transparent substrate. The thin film further comprises a dielectric layer which is applied to the absorption layer. The absorption layer includes a material which consists of one of the following materials or an alloy of the following materials: chromium, nickel, palladium, titanium, cobalt, iron, tungsten, molybdenum, iron oxide or carbon. The dielectric layer comprises one of the following materials or a combination of the following materials: silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, magnesium fluoride, aluminum fluoride, barium fluoride, calcium fluoride or lithium fluoride. In order further to increase the level of safeguard against copying, WO 01/03945 A1 further proposes embossing a diffraction pattern on the side of the transparent substrate, which is in opposite relationship to the thin film layer.
EP 0 660 262 B1 proposes building up a thin film layer succession comprising a plurality of successive layers with differing refractive indices. Those layers involve layers of ceramic material which are successively applied to a carrier substrate by vapor deposition. Thus firstly a release layer comprising thermoplastic acrylic resin to which silicone oil is added is applied to a polyester film which is 12 μm in thickness. Then a magnesium fluoride layer which has a low refractive index and a zinc sulfide layer which has a high refractive index are alternately applied by vapor deposition. In total in that case five such layers are successively applied by vapor deposition. The total layer thickness of the thin film layer succession formed in that way is 1 μm in that case. An adhesive layer is then applied to the thin film layer succession.
EP 0 660 262 B1 further proposes engraving a pattern into the release layer. That provides that, upon transfer of the thin film layer succession on to an article or a document, the thin film layer succession is released from the carrier material only in the region in which the release layer is present. The thin film layer remains adhering to the carrier material in the other regions, and thus tears away. That provides that only parts of the thin film layer are stuck on the article or document. The same effect can also be achieved if the adhesive layer is applied in a pattern configuration.
That provides that, in a first partial region, there is a different number of thin film layers than in a second region, and thus the total layer thickness of the thin film layer succession varies between 1 μm (five thin film layers) and 0 (no thin film layers). That 'region-wise application' of thin film layers to an article can produce on the article a pattern which can be electronically detected and evaluated by means of an evaluation device.
WO 02/00445A1 describes an optically variable element comprising a plurality of layers which are arranged throughout in mutually superposed relationship. The optically variable element has on the one hand a thin film layer succession. That thin film layer succession produces the effect of a color change which is dependent on the viewing angle, by means of interference. In addition the optically variable element has a replication layer into which diffractive relief structures are embossed. Those diffractive structures make it possible to achieve diffraction effects by which holograms and the like can be represented.
In that respect, in regard to production procedure, firstly the thin film layer succession is applied to the replication layer and then the relief structure is embossed thereon.
WO 02/00445 A1 proposes that the thin film layer succession is built up from an absorption layer and a spacer layer. It is further proposed that a prefabricated thin film layer succession is provided with an embossable lacquer and then relief structures are embossed into that lacquer. As an alternative thereto it is stated that the prefabricated thin film layer succession can be glued to prefabricated microstructures.

Optically variable element having a variable distance-layer thickness