Disclosed are a feedback information sending method and apparatus thereof. The method comprises: receiving downlink control information from an access network device; receiving a data channel scheduled by the downlink control information; determining an uplink time unit to send feedback information corresponding to the data channel; determining a first physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource for the feedback information according to resource indication information, wherein the first PUCCH resource is a part of a second PUCCH resource that is included in a second PUCCH resource set, and wherein the second PUCCH resource is indicated by the resource indication information, which raises resource utilization.

In a Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, a time-frequency resource is divided into an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol or a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbol (hereinafter referred to as a time-domain symbol) in a time-domain dimension and a subcarrier in a frequency-domain dimension. A minimum resource granularity is referred to as a resource element (RE), that is, a time-frequency grid including one time-domain symbol in a time domain and one subcarrier in a frequency domain. In the LTE system, service transmission is performed based on scheduling by a base station. A basic time unit of scheduling by the base station is a subframe. One subframe includes multiple time-domain symbols. A specific scheduling procedure is as follows: The base station sends a control channel, such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or an enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH). The control channel may carry scheduling information of a data channel, such as a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), and the scheduling information includes control information, such as resource allocation information and a modulation and coding scheme. A user equipment (UE) detects the control channel in a subframe, and receives a downlink data channel or sends an uplink data channel according to the scheduling information carried on the detected control channel.
LTE supports frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). In an FDD system, uplink transmission and downlink transmission are performed on different carriers. In a TDD system, uplink transmission and downlink transmission are performed on a same carrier at different time.
LTE currently supports seven different TDD uplink-downlink subframe configurations. As shown in Table 1, D represents a downlink subframe, S represents a special subframe, and U represents an uplink subframe.
TABLE 1TDD uplink-downlink subframe configuration in an LTE systemUplink-downlinkDownlink-subframeto-uplinkconfig-switch-pointSubframe numberurationperiodicity012345678905msDSUUUDSUUU15msDSUUDDSUUD25msDSUDDDSUDD310msDSUUUDDDDD410msDSUUDDDDDD510msDSUDDDDDDD65msDSUUUDSUUD
A hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) mechanism is used in LTE. For example, in a downlink, after UE receives a PDSCH, if the PDSCH is correctly received, the UE feeds back an acknowledgment (ACK) on a PUCCH. If the PDSCH is not correctly received, the UE feeds back a negative acknowledgment (NACK) on a PUCCH. For FDD, after receiving a PDSCH in a subframe n−4, the UE feeds back an ACK/NACK in a subframe n. For TDD, a time sequence relationship between receiving of a PDSCH and feedback of an ACK/NACK corresponding to the PDSCH is shown in Table 2. In Table 2, numbers 0 to 9 in the first row each represent an uplink subframe n, numbers in the first column represent uplink-downlink subframe configurations, a number k in a column corresponding to a number in the first row constitutes a set K, and the number k indicates that an ACK/NACK corresponding to a PDSCH in a downlink subframe n−k needs to be fed back in the uplink subframe n. For example, in an uplink-downlink configuration 1, when n is 2, K={7, 6}, and it indicates that an uplink subframe 2 is used to feed back an ACK/NACK corresponding to a PDSCH in a downlink subframe n−7 and an ACK/NACK corresponding to a PDSCH in a downlink subframe n−6. The downlink subframe n−7 is a downlink subframe 5, and the downlink subframe n−6 is a downlink subframe 6.
TABLE 2Time sequence relationship between a PDSCH and anACK/NACK corresponding to the PDSCH in a TDD systemUplink-downlinksubframeconfig-Subframe number nuration01234567890——6—4——6—41——7, 64———7, 64—2——8, 7, 4,————8, 7,——64, 63——7, 6, 116, 55, 4—————4——12, 8, 7,6, 5, 4,——————1175——13, 12,———————9, 8, 7,5, 4, 11,66——775——77—
LTE further supports a carrier aggregation (CA) technology, that is, a base station configures multiple carriers for UE to increase a data rate of the UE. The multiple carriers are synchronously sent in the time domain, and the UE may separately detect a PDCCH for scheduling each carrier and a PDSCH corresponding to the PDCCH. A specific process of detecting each carrier is similar to that in the foregoing single-carrier case.
The LTE system supports FDD CA, TDD CA, and FDD+TDD CA. TDD CA includes TDD CA with a same uplink-downlink subframe configuration and TDD CA with different uplink-downlink subframe configurations. In a CA mode, one primary component carrier and at least one secondary component carrier are configured for UE, and a PUCCH carrying an ACK/NACK is sent only on the primary component carrier of the UE. A PUCCH sending mode in the CA mode includes a channel selection mode and a PUCCH format 3 mode. In the PUCCH format 3 mode, a discrete Fourier transform-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) transmission scheme is used, a maximum of 20 ACK/NACK bits can be transmitted, and TDD CA of a maximum of five carriers can be supported. For example, in a mainstream TDD uplink-downlink configuration 2 deployed in a current network, an uplink subframe 2 on one carrier can support a feedback of ACK/NACK bits for four downlink subframes, and CA of five carriers with the TDD uplink-downlink configuration 2 supports a feedback of 20 ACK/NACK bits.
With further evolution of an LTE technology, a feedback of more ACK/NACK bits, such as more than 20 bits, may need to be supported in the future. The following describes how to feed back more bits.
For example, CA of more carriers such as CA of ten carriers is introduced. In this case, for example, CA is performed on ten carriers in the TDD uplink-downlink configuration 2, and 40 ACK/NACK bits need to be fed back. For another example, although CA of a maximum of five carriers is supported, a TDD uplink-downlink configuration 5 is configured for most of the carriers. For example, an uplink-downlink configuration 2 is configured for a primary component carrier, and the uplink-downlink configuration 5 is configured for four secondary component carriers. In this case, 4+9×4=40 ACK/NACK bits need to be fed back. However, when an ACK/NACK is fed back by using the current PUCCH format 3, how to reduce overheads when more ACK/NACK bits are fed back is a problem that needs an urgent solution.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

User equipment, access network device, and feedback information sending and receiving methods


A method for determining logical components of a portable document format (PDF) document is disclosed. The method includes separating the document into a plurality of layers. A PDF document is created for each of the plurality of layers. The method also includes determining a logical structure for each layer. The logical structures of the plurality of layers are combined to determine the logical components of the PDF document.

Modification of electronic documents is known in the art. While PDF (Portable Document Format) documents were intended to be in a final presentation form, several plug-in tools are available for "touching up" the contents of the PDF documents. Plug-in tools, however, do not facilitate major modifications of PDF documents. Some tools convert contents of PDF documents into an editable form such as word processing. These tools may work well when the documents contain non-overlapping logical components on a page. The logical components may include bodies of text, graphics illustrations and images. If a page contains overlapping components, such as a body of text atop an image, the use of these tools tends to result in errors. Other tools require extensive user interaction and are often cumbersome to use to modify documents.
PDF documents preserve the look and feel of the original documents by describing the low-level structural objects or primitives such as characters, lines, curves and images and associated style attributes such as font, color, stroke, fill, etc. as known in the field of document processing. However, most PDF documents are untagged and do not contain basic high level logical structure information such as words, text lines, paragraphs for text and charts and logos or figures for graphical illustrations. As a result, the layout or the content of the document cannot be easily re-used, re-edited or modified. Reusing the layout of a PDF document may be desirable in variable data printing such as used in direct marketing or in preparing travel brochures for example. In this situation, a logical component may have to be replaced or modified. Images or figure illustrations may be replaced and body of text may be modified in revising the documents. The reuse and modification of contents is often desirable in document conversion as well.
At least some embodiments provide improved methods and apparatus for determining the logical components of a document.

Method for determining logical components of a document

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


Response to light with laterally varying photon energy distribution is based on position, such as position on a detector of a respective light spot or intensity maximum for a wavelength or photon energy subrange. A layered structure such as a coating over the detector can produce the laterally varying distribution, such as due to a laterally varying transmission property. A differential output or quantity can be obtained using sensing results from the detector and can then be used to monitor a light source's wavelength. The light source can, for example, be a pulsed or continuous laser, in which case an optical component between the light source and the detector can be structured to prevent inhomogeneities such as speckle and also reflection back to the laser that could cause feedback. A tunable light source can be tuned in response to positions at which its light is detected.

The present invention relates generally to techniques that respond to light, such as techniques that respond to light based on one or more positions at which the light is provided. Such techniques can, for example, perform photon energy monitoring.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,763,046 describes laser wavelength monitoring using a multiple reflectivity band reflector (MRBR). One or more monitoring photodiodes detect some cavity light passing through a high reflectivity (HR) mirror of a tunable edge-emitting laser. The MRBR can, in an embodiment, be a coating on a light-receiving surface of one of the photodiodes, which receives light filtered by the MRBR. In other embodiments, the MRBR can be in the path of light from the laser to the photodiode. Each photodiode is monitored by a corresponding circuit, and the circuits detect change in electrical characteristics of the photodiodes, such as change in current in response to the amount of light received, and report the change to a processor.
Various other techniques have been proposed for monitoring light from a laser or other light source, including various techniques for monitoring wavelength.
It would be advantageous to have improved techniques for responding to light, including improved monitoring techniques.

Apparatus, methods, devices, and systems in which differences and/or changes in photosensed positions and/or quantities relate to shifts and/or differences in photon energies


A system and method for authorizing access to a transmission station for a mobile device is disclosed. The mobile device can receive device extended access barring (EAB) configuration information in a broadcast control channel (BCCH) from a transmission station. The mobile device can bar the mobile device configured for EAB and having characteristics identified in the EAB configuration information for barring from accessing the transmission station. Alternatively, a system and method for barring a mobile device from accessing a transmission station is disclosed. The transmission station can receive from the mobile device a radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment request. The transmission station can configure a system information block (SIB) with extended access barring (EAB) configuration information. The transmission station can broadcast the SIB with EAB configuration information to the mobile device.

Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between a transmission station and a wireless mobile device. Some wireless devices communicate using orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) combined with a desired digital modulation scheme via a physical layer. Standards and protocols that use OFDM include the third generation partnership project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 standard (e.g., 802.16e, 802.16m), which is commonly known to industry groups as WiMAX (Worldwide interoperability for Microwave Access), and the IEEE 802.11 standard, which is commonly known to industry groups as WiFi.
In 3GPP LTE the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) include of transmission stations (also commonly denoted as evolved Node Bs, enhanced Node Bs, E-UTRAN NodeBs, eNodeBs, or eNBs), which communicates with the wireless mobile device, known as a user equipment (UE). A downlink (DL) transmission can be a communication from the transmission station (or eNodeB) to the wireless mobile device (or UE), and an uplink (UL) transmission can be a communication from the wireless mobile device to the transmission station. Furthermore, the transmission station can be connected to the Mobility Management Entity (MME) located in the core network by means of the S1 interface.
Another technology for mobile communication is a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), which is a 3GPP mobile cellular technology for networks using code division multiple access (CDMA). In UMTS, the transmission station can be a combination of Node Bs (also commonly denoted as NodeBs or NBs) and radio network controllers (RNCs), which communicates with the wireless mobile device, known as the UE. UMTS can specify a network system, covering the UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN), a core network (including a mobile application part (MAP)), and an authentication of users via subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. The RNCs can be connected to the core network by means of the Iu interface.
Under certain circumstances, known as access barring, a transmission station can prevent or restrict mobile device users from making access attempts, which can include emergency call attempts, or responding to pages in specified areas of a public land mobile network (PLMN). Such situations can include states of emergency or failure of one or more co-located PLMNs. Access class barring (ACB) can be used to prevent mobile devices from making access attempts to the transmission station in LTE systems and UMTS.
Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended.


A spring system for a feeder device of an agricultural harvester having a first roller movably mounted in a casing and biased by the spring system towards a second roller in order the compress crop passing between the two rollers. The spring system comprises at least one spring surrounding a guide rod that extends in use between a movable support of the first roller and the casing of the feeder device. The guide rod is formed of two telescopically collapsible parts, one connected to the roller support and the other to the casing.

Spring systems are encountered in feeder devices for forage harvesters, which in the predominant number today are equipped with two lower feeder rollers carried in bearing supports fixed in the feeder frame or casing and two upper feeder rollers working together with these. The upper feeder rollers designated in the following as pre-pressing and pressing rollers, are carried in bearing supports in the feeder casing so that their height can be altered, in order to be able to move upwards on the drawing in of harvested crop. In doing so, the spring system has the task of applying a defined roll force to the pre-pressing rollers and to the pressing rollers, so that in conjunction with the lower feeder rollers they can on the one hand compress the crop on being drawn in and on the other hand with the aid of this roll force make possible at all the drawing-in of the crop and its transport to the cylinder chopper.
Because of the increase in performance of forage harvesters required in recent years, ever higher demands are made upon their feeder equipment, which has led on the one hand to ever wider feeder devices and higher lift heights of the pre-pressing roller and of the pressing roller and to a further increase in the flow rate of the crop. These higher demands can then be fulfilled only if the roll forces exerted by the pre-pressing roller and the pressing roller on the crop are at least so great that the crop can still be compressed into a compact mat, which cannot be pulled in from the chopper cylinder. But on the other hand they must not be so great as to cause irregularities in the feeding process and blockages in the feeder device. The roll forces must increase significantly with growing layer thickness of the crop in order to obtain a uniform compactness and to compensate for the increased friction of the crop on the sidewalls of the feeder device. In the region of smaller layer thickness on the other hand, they must be kept small so that particularly in the case of the maize harvest the grains are not knocked out of the cob by too high roll forces which in the case of large chopped lengths has a particularly negative effect. Finally it is still to be pointed out that the roll forces are applied not only by the spring system, but also by the forces of reaction from the driving moment of the pre-pressing rollers and the pressing rollers, upon which the roller weights and frictional forces are dependent when raising and lowering them. The greater proportion comes, however, from the spring system, followed by the forces of reaction. The remaining quantities are practically negligible.
Numerous spring system have previously been proposed to fulfil these requirements but the closest prior art to the present invention is believed to be that described in US2003/0188521. Such a spring system is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view from the front right of a feeder device with attached chopping device;
FIG. 2 shows a side view of the left side of the feeder device; and
FIG. 3 shows the pre-pressing roller in the uppermost position and the pressing roller raised by the connecting rod and pivoting crank.
Throughout this description, references to left and right are used as a matter of convenience and are determined by standing at the rear of the forage harvester and facing the forward end in the normal direction of travel. Likewise, forward and rearward are determined by normal direction of travel of the tractor or round baler. Upward or downward orientations are relative to the ground or operating surface. Horizontal or vertical planes are also relative to ground.
In FIG. 1, there is shown a feeder device 101 of a forage harvester with a chopping device 102 arranged on it in a perspective view from the front and the right, on which the spring system is implemented.
FIG. 2 shows a side view of its left side without the chopping device 102. The feeder device 101 has two upper feeder rollers, which according to the direction of flow of the crop are designated as the pre-pressing roller 103 and pressing roller. These are arranged opposite the front lower feeder roller 106, which is in bearing supports at a fixed position in the casing 105 of the feeder device 101, and the rear lower feeder roller 107 in such a way that their distance from these can be varied. For this the bearing supports 108 of the pressing roller are held in the front ends of oscillating cranks 109 of which the opposite ends are supported in bearings on pivot bolts 110 fixed in the casing 105 of the feeder device 101 so that they can pivot. On both sides on the shaft of the pressing roller, connecting rods 112 extend between the bearing supports 108 of the pressing roller and the bearing supports 113 of the pre-pressing roller 103. By means of the system of linkages formed by the cranks 109 and the connecting rods 112, the pressing and pre-pressing rollers are guided for movement relative to their respective stationary opposing rollers 107 and 106, the pressing roller being movable along an arc centred on the fixed pivot bolts 10 and the pre-pressing roller 103 being movable along an arc centred on the axis of the pressing roller.
The pressing and pre-pressing rollers are urged towards their fixed counterparts by spring systems 120, 122 and their separation varies during use to accommodate the volume of the crop flowing between them.
FIG. 3 shows the pre-pressing roller 103 raised maximally by the crop and the pressing roller 104 raised slightly.
Each spring systems 120, 122 acting to apply pressure to compress the crop comprises a spring 124, or two concentric springs 126, 128 in the case of the spring system 122, surrounding a guide rod 123, 125 which extends upwards from the bearing support of the respective roller and passes through a hole in the casing 105 of the feeder device 101. As can be seen from FIG. 3, as the pre-pressing and pressing rollers move up, the movement is opposed by the compression of the springs 124, 126 and 128 and at the same time the rods 123 and 125 protrude upwards from the casing of the feeder device 101.
This construction has certain disadvantages because the rods 123 and 125 are constantly moving up and down. As the rods are exposed, this movement presents a safety hazard and, as the rods are also in the field of view of the operator of the harvester, they provide an unnecessary distraction. Furthermore, the rods carry stops to set the minimum separation of the two pairs of rollers and when these stops come to rest against the casing 105 they make an irritating noise.

Spring system for a feeder roller of a harvester


Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for rendering applications based on real-time accessibility assessment. The system is configured for identifying that a user is accessing an application on a user device, capturing real-time accessibility data associated with the user device of the user and real-time usage data associated with the user, wherein the real-time usage data is associated with usage of the application, validating the real-time accessibility data and the real-time usage data; inputting the real-time accessibility data and the real-time usage data into a machine learning model, analyzing the real-time accessibility data and the real-time usage data, via the machine learning model, generating an accessibility score based on analyzing the real-time accessibility data and the real-time usage data, and rendering the application based on the accessibility score.

Applications are accessed by users every day on multiple user devices and the applications are typically designed by not considering various accessibility challenges that are associated with the users and the user devices. Current conventional systems do not address the accessibility challenges which degrade the user experience while accessing the applications. As such, there exists a need for a system to render applications based on assessing the accessibility challenges in real-time, thereby enhancing the user experience while using the applications.

System for rendering applications based on real time accessibility assessment


An oil filter canister gripping tool (9) is hereby disclosed to assist in the removal and installation of an oil filter (10) on an automobile engine or similar engine and is composed of a relatively flexible strip of U-shaped material (1) having a metal band (2) attached perpendicularly thereto and located near the open ends of the arms of the U-shaped material (1) with said metal band (2) having an adjusting mechanism (4) associated therewith for tightening the band (2) securely around various size oil filter canisters (10). The U-shaped metal strip (2) having a hand-grasping area (8) located between the two arms of the U-shaped metal strip (1) enabling an individual to physically grip said hand grasping area (8) of the wrench (9) and thus permitting the rotational installation and removal of an oil filter canister (10) by means of wrist action.

It is common knowledge that most oil filters of the canister type can not be removed by hand alone. This condition is due to the tightness required to seal an oil filter to the engine block in order to prevent oil leakage under pressure. Also in cases where the automobile has recently been driven the engine oil will heat the oil filter canister to the point that an individual may suffer sever burns in grasping the oil filter canister by hand.
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,552,040; 4,266,452; 4,643,053; 3,385,141; 4,964,330; 5,065,648; and 5,090,274; the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse oil filter wrenches and devices designed to assist in the removal or installation of oil filters.
Most oil filter wrenches that can be adjusted to fit various size oil filter canisters require a large area in which to extend the handle in order to obtain the necessary leverage to tighten the device around the oil filter canister. Likewise, the handle must remain extended to apply the torque required to tighten or loosen the oil filter canister.
With the advent of smaller automobiles and the more compact compartments for automobile engines the area for extending the handle on the aforementioned oil filter wrenches has been greatly reduced and in many instances the clearance necessary to extend the handle is no longer available. U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,040 is an example of an oil filter wrench with an extended handle.
Other devices, generally referred to as housing-type devices, do not require extending a handle; however, most of these devices are not adjustable and will fit only one size oil filter canister as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,266,452. There is disclosed four types of wrenches with adjustable mechanisms as found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,385,141; 4,964,330; 5,065,648; and 5,090,274. While the four aforementioned prior art devices are more than adequate for the purpose for which they were designed, they are deficient in the following manner.
As to U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,141 one embodiment requires that the oil filter canister be loosened prior to slipping the housing-type device over the oil filter canister. Utilizing this device requires two steps. The first step is to loosen the oil filter canister by one means or another and the second step consists of placing the housing-type device over the previously loosened oil filter canister for the final removal of the oil filter. A stated objective of the device is to protect the user from oil dripping over the top of the filter. It is obvious that the above embodiment is for protection from dripping oil not for the initial removal of the oil filter canister from the engine block. Another embodiment of the device has three independent toothed dogs pivotally mounted on pins with support brackets attached to the inside of the housing. This housing means is more than adequate to accept different size oil filter canisters. However; this embodiment recognizes the difficulty in removing an oil filter canister by hand and; therefore, provides a hexagonal lug attached to the housing to aid in the removal of the oil filter canister by utilizing a hand wrench to be attached to the lug.
As to U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,330 the housing mechanism is designed to fit over various size oil filter canisters by employing several commonly recognized adjusting mechanisms to secure the housing means to the oil filter canister. The method for installing and removing an oil filter using the subject device consists mentioned housing mechanism. The difficulty in removing an oil filter by utilizing one's fingers is recognized in the application by stating that a small pry tool may be used to loosen a stuck or over tightened oil filter. In addition, should the automobile have recently been driven, the finger engagement means may also be extremely hot as the device is designated to remain attached to the oil filter canister during driving operations.
The device described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,648 is capable of grasping various size oil filter canisters; however, in order to apply leverage a wrench handle must be attached to the device. The handle protrudes outwardly from the grasping mechanism and; therefore, a relatively large amount of clearance is required to manipulate the oil filter wrench. The wrench appears to be most useful for a motor cycle engine as mentioned in the patent.
An oil filter changing device was granted U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,274. While the device is designated to fit various size oil filter canisters it also requires a handle be attached to the instrument to gain leverage in changing an oil filter canister. The mechanism for attaching the device to the oil filter canister protrudes outwardly from the oil filter canister. This condition; therefore, requires a considerable amount of space to accommodate the separate handle that must be affixed to the device for leverage.
From reviewing the prior art it is evident that there is lacking an oil filter canister tool suitable for extremely confined areas that provides sufficient means for grasping the tool by hand in a manner to maximize the leverage and torque associated with wrist action aided by arm strength and shoulder power for the removal and installation of an oil filter. Utilization of this procedure without the necessity of a separate handle is the stated object of the present invention. The small size and air cooled aspect of the device are additional benefits that maximize the usefulness of the device.

Tool for installing and removing filters


A PLC system construction support program for creating a system configuration diagram depicting a configuration of a PLC system constructed causes a computing terminal to function as: an image acquisition section that acquires image data of an image of the PLC system; a system configuration recognition section that creates system configuration information including arrangement information and selected unit information; a system configuration diagram generation section that creates a system configuration diagram based on the system configuration information; and a system configuration diagram editor section that performs display processing for displaying the system configuration diagram on a display section.

A PLC system used as a control device for industrial machines and the like is constructed by combining desired units. Examples of units constituting the PLC system include a power supply unit that is a power supply source, a CPU unit that controls the PLC system, an input unit that inputs signals of such as switches and sensors attached to a facility device or the like, an output unit that outputs control outputs to an actuator or the like, and a communication unit for connecting to a communication network. The PLC system is configured by, for example, attaching each unit to a baseboard including a slot to which each unit is attached, wiring for bypassing the power supply to each unit, and wiring for bypassing control signals to the units. Alternatively, the PLC system is configured without a baseboard and by connecting the units to each other to bypass the power supply and control signals to each of the units.
The PLC system controls the PLC system by transmitting control signals to each unit based on a user program stored in the CPU unit, and controls the operation of industrial machines, sensors, and the like connected to the PLC system.
A typical user program stored in the CPU unit is a ladder program or the like created using a PLC system program construction support device. Such a user program is created for an already configured PLC system, and the content of the user program to be created varies depending on the configuration of the PLC system, such as designated parameters and the memory address of each unit. That is, for creating a user program, it is necessary to understand how the PLC system has been constructed, for which a system configuration diagram is required identifying the type, model, product number, and the like of each unit constituting the PLC system and indicating the arrangement of the identified units.
A conventionally known PLC system construction support device is used to select constituent units and find a reasonable arrangement thereof before actually constructing a PLC system. The PLC system construction support device displays a list of various units selectable for constructing a PLC system, and in response to a user's selection of a first unit, displays candidates for the unit to be located next to the first unit as a prediction target candidate unit list based on past arrangement history information. The user selects the unit to be located next from the prediction target candidate unit list. This operation is repeated so as to create a system configuration diagram of the PLC system (see Patent Literature 1, for example).
A known method for creating a system configuration diagram for a PLC system actually constructed is to refer to connection information indicating electrical connections between various units included in the PLC system. In this method, the CPU unit included in the PLC system and the PLC system construction support device are made communicable through wireless or wired means, and information on various units electrically connected to the CPU unit is collected by the CPU unit. Then, the collected information is transmitted to the PLC system construction support device. The PLC system construction support device creates a system configuration diagram based on the transmitted information.

Storage medium and PLC system construction support device


The invention relates to a method for producing a graphene sheet on a platinum silicide, wherein the platinum silicide is in the form of a layer or a plurality of pins.

Graphene is a two-dimensional carbon crystal, with a hexagonal honeycombed structure.
This crystal has very surprising properties, making the material very popular with many public and private laboratories at the present time.
Indeed, firstly, graphene displays exceptional electron mobility at ambient temperature, of up to 20 m2/(V·s). By way of comparison, the electron mobility of indium antimonide InSb is, at ambient temperature, two and a half times lower, that of silicon is thirteen times lower, whereas that of silver is two thousand five hundred times lower.
Furthermore, graphene is transparent since the thickness thereof, which is that of a carbon atom, is in the region of 1 Angstrom (0.1 nm). Moreover, it offers a combination of light weight, high chemical stability and high mechanical strength (typically two hundred times greater than that of steel).
The prior art includes a number of techniques for producing graphene sheets such as micromechanical graphite crystal exfoliation, electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide, opening carbon nanotubes, catalytic growth of graphene on a metal substrate or silicon carbide sublimation.
Of these techniques, catalytic growth of graphene on a metal layer appears to be one of the most promising processes for producing graphene on an industrial scale and enabling the integration thereof in micro- or nanoelectro-mechanical or other devices, meeting industrial specifications.
Indeed, using this technique, it has been possible to produce graphene samples of high crystalline quality, characterized by monocrystalline ranges over several hundreds on microns and by a unique crystallographic orientation on a macroscopic scale. Graphene samples with centimetric surface areas have even been obtained, which is not the case of the other techniques for manufacturing graphene available to date.
In the initial version thereof, the catalytic growth of graphene on a metal layer is based on the exposure of a layer of a metal, for example nickel, copper or iridium, heated to a high temperature, i.e. approximately 1000° C., to gas-phase carbon species. Depending on the solubility of carbon in the metal forming the metal layer and the capacity thereof to diffuse in the metal, the formation of a graphene sheet with one or a plurality of graphene layers is obtained on the metal layer.
In this way, monolayer and bilayer graphene sheets on a nickel layer (Reina et al., Nano Res 2009, 2, 509-516, [1]), and monolayer graphene sheets on a copper layer (Li et al., Science 2009, 47, 2026-2031, [2]) and on a platinum monocrystal (Sutter et al., Phys. Rev. B 2009, 80, 245411, [3]) have been obtained.
The metal layer may then be removed by etching and the graphene separated from the layer transferred to another layer.
More recently, Hofrichter et al. (Nano Lett. 2010, 10(1), 36-42, [4]) demonstrates that it is possible to product "polygraphene", i.e. a graphene sheet comprising areas with a single graphene layer and areas with a few graphene layers, on a nickel layer no longer using gas-phase carbon species but a solid carbon source, in this instance, a layer of amorphous silicon carbide.
Moreover, the benefit of thin layers of platinum silicides is known.
The semiconductor properties of these silicides are routinely used in the fields of radio-astronomy and electronics, particular for creating contact zones between silicon and one or a plurality of stacked metal layers, enhancing ohmic contacts in MOS (Metal Oxide Semiconductors) and CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductors) technologies, and producing Schottky diodes. The importance of platinum silicides in designing infrared detectors and heat cameras for medical imaging or implementing nano-lithographic methods should be noted.
As such, it is clear that it would be advantageous to have structures comprising a graphene sheet on a thin layer of platinum silicide, in order to combine the qualities of graphene with those of this type of silicide.
It would appear that, to the inventor's knowledge, no prior art document describes the synthesis of a graphene sheet on a platinum silicide. However, a process for producing a monolayer graphene sheet on a nickel silicide was recently described in the literature (Juang et al., Carbon 2009, 47, 2026-2031, [5]).
In this reference, the layer of silicon carbide is deposited on a silicon substrate, and coated with the nickel layer and the structure formed undergoes a heat treatment enabling the carbon to dissolve in the nickel, thus forming a layer of nickel silicide, situated at the interface of the layers of silicon carbide and nickel. The formation of the silicon carbide layer competes with a carbon migration phenomenon toward the surface of the nickel layer, the whole helping produce, by catalytic growth, a graphene sheet on the surface.
In principle, this method does not appear to be applicable to the synthesis of a graphene sheet on a platinum silicide, since it is based on the solubility and diffusion properties of carbon in the metal and, in this case, carbon is very slightly soluble in platinum.
The inventor thus set out to achieve the general aim of providing a method for producing a graphene sheet on a platinum silicide.
The inventor also set out to achieve the aim of the method making it possible to obtain a multilayer graphene sheet or monolayer graphene sheet.
Moreover, the inventor also set out to achieve the aim of enabling the synthesis on a platinum silicide in the form of spaced blocks or on a platinum silicide in the form of a layer and, in the latter case, giving rise to a graphene sheet wherein the surface, i.e. the area, is merely limited by the dimensions of the platinum silicide layer, regardless of the dimensions of the layer.
Finally, the inventor set out to achieve the aim of obtaining rapid synthesis, merely requiring moderate heat treatments.

Method for producing a graphene sheet on a platinum silicide, structures obtained using said method and uses thereof

Abstract: This method comprises:                a) producing a stack by (i) depositing a layer C1 of a diffusion barrier material on a substrate; (ii) depositing, on the layer C1, a layer C2 of a carbon-containing material, wherein said carbon-containing material optionally comprises silicon; (iii) depositing, on the layer C2, a layer C3 of platinum; (iv) depositing a layer C4 of a material of formula SiaCbHc on the layer C3 if the carbon-containing material of the layer C2 is free from silicon; and        b) heat-treating the stack obtained at step a).

Abstract: It also relates to structures obtained using this method and the uses of these structures.

Abstract: Applications: manufacture of micro- and nanoelectronic devices, micro- and nanoelectromechanical devices, etc.

COMMISSARIAT A L'ENERGIE ATOMIQUE ET AUX ENERGIES ALTERNATIVES


A method of processing an image to reduce false granularity, or "aliasing", resulting from the reproduction of edges using fixed size pixels. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, certain pixels adjacent to black pixels corresponding to an edge are set to a gray level. The setting of certain pixels to a gray level involves detecting a pattern in a block of pixels by detecting subpatterns within the block of pixels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for processing an image having edges, and more particularly to a system and method for reducing false granularity in rendering edges in an image.
2. Description of Related Art
An image reproduction machine, such as a printer, typically partitions an image into picture elements called pixels. Each pixel has a fixed shape and size, the area within a particular pixel has uniform intensity. In general, however, image structures do not have shapes corresponding to the pixel shape. Ideally, the pixel size should be sufficiently small so that image quality is good, and a viewer of an image produced by a printer does not perceive the individual pixels. Because the available pixel size is typically fixed, there is a need for improvement in image quality achieved for a given pixel size.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,363 issued to Kitamura relates to an apparatus for improving image quality by smoothing jagged border lines. Other publications that may be of general interest include U.S. Pat. No. 4,866,534 issued to Tada, U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,174 issued to Nakatani, U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,033 issued to Nishikawa, U.S. Pat. No. 4,259,694 issued to Liao, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,778 issued to Ito et al.

System and method for processing an image having edges


A positive resist composition which comprises a 1,2-quinone diazide compound and an alkali-soluble resin containing a polyphenol compound (I) of the general formula: EQU X--.alpha.--H (I). wherein x is a group of the formula: ##STR1## and .alpha. is a divalent group which comprises a repeating unit of the formula: ##STR2## in which n is a number of not less than 1; a, b, c, d, e and f are the same or different and a number of 0-3, provided that d+f is not less than 1; R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 are the same or different and a C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl group, a C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkoxy group, a carboxyl group or a halogen atom; R.sub.4 is a hydrogen atom, a C.sub.1 -C.sub.18 alkyl group or an aryl group, which resist composition is sensitive to radiation and has good balance of sensitivity, resolving power and heat resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation-sensitive positive resist composition which is sensitive to ultraviolet rays, far ultraviolet rays (excimer laser and so on), electron rays, ion beams and radio active rays such as X-rays.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, particularly in the production of integrated circuits, miniaturization has proceeded as the integration level has increased, which has resulted in demands for formation of patterns on the submicron order and more excellent resolving power. According to the conventional processes for the production of integrated circuits, light exposure is accomplished by placing a mask with intimate contact to a substrate such as a silicon wafer. It is said that this process cannot make patterns thinner than 2 .mu.m. Instead of such conventional processes, the reduction projection exposure system attracts attention. According to this new system, a pattern of a master mask (reticle) is projected on the substrate with reduction by a lens system, whereby exposure is accomplished. This system realizes a resolving power of 1 .mu.m.
One of the serious problems in this system is low throughput. Namely, in this system, the total exposure time for exposing a wafer is very long because of divided and repeated light exposure unlike a batch light exposure system such as the conventional mask contact printing method.
For solving this problem, not only the improvement of the apparatus but also increase in sensitivity of the resist to be used are important. If the exposure time can be shortened by the increase of the sensitivity, the throughput, and in turn the yield, can be improved.
On the other hand, as the distance between the adjacent two lines is decreased with the increase of the integration level, dry etching is predominantly used rather than wet etching. Then, the photoresist should have better heat resistance than ever.
When the positive photoresist now in practical use is viewed from this standpoint, its sensitivity, resolving power and heat resistance are not necessarily satisfactory. Generally, the positive photoresist has lower sensitivity than the negative photoresist and improvement in the sensitivity of the former is desired.
For increasing the sensitivity, it is easiest to decrease the molecular weight of the novolak resin used in the positive photoresist. The decrease of the novolak resin molecular weight accelerates dissolution of the photoresist in an alkaline developing solution so that the apparent sensitivity of the photoresist is increased.
This method, however, has a very serious disadvantage such as deterioration of the heat resistance of the photoresist. Moreover, it encounters some problems such as large film thickness loss in an unexposed area (reduction of so-called film thickness retention), deterioration of the shape of the pattern, and deterioration of the .gamma.-value because of the small difference of the dissolving rates in the developing solution between the exposed area and the unexposed area.
In view of this, positive resists possessing sensitivity, resolving power and heat resistance at the same time have not been on the market up to now. Trying to improve one of these three characteristics, at least one of the remaining characteristics, tends to be impaired.

Radiation-sensitive positive resist composition comprising a 1,2-quinone diazide compound, an alkali-soluble resin and a polyphenol compound


A light scanning unit according to the present invention can decrease the degree of change when the quantity of light is changed on a photoconductor, thereby decreasing an image density difference occurred when forming an image.

The present invention relates to a light scanning unit used in a laser printer or a digital copier, for example, and more particularly a light scanning unit of the over-illumination type in which the width of the main scanning direction of a luminous flux incident on a polygon mirror (the direction along the polygon mirror rotating direction) is wider than the width of the reflecting surface in the polygon mirror in the main scanning direction.
As a light scanning unit of the over-illumination type by the inventor of this application, there is the one discloses by Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-328323=U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/131,207 (Filed 25 Apr. 2002).
In the above-mentioned over-illumination type light scanning unit, the width of the main scanning direction of a light beam deflected by a polygon mirror changes depending on the scanning angle (position angle), as explained in the above-mentioned previous application.
However, even in the previous application by the inventor of the present application, it is not completely solved that when the light beam incident on the polygon mirror forms an angle on the main scanning plane with respect to the optical axis of the image forming optics (when the light beam enters obliquely), the variation in the beam section diameter becomes asymmetrical with respect to the center of the optical axis of the image forming optics.
Further, it is also as proposed by the inventor of the present application that when a light beam is applied to an optional reflecting surface or a polygon mirror from the front (close to the front) of the main scanning direction in order to decrease the variations in the beam section diameter on the image surface (photodetector), and the light beam reciprocating between the optional reflecting surface of the polygon mirror and a group of lenses provided between the polygon mirror and the photodetector is applied to the image area of a photoconductor to form the image, the degradation of the image quality can be suppressed by a certain degree by providing antireflection coating on the surface of an optional lens. However, there is a problem of deterioration in the lens surface precision and optical characteristics, in addition to an increase in the lens cost.

Light scanning unit for use in image forming apparatus


A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a gate oxide film formed on the substrate, a gate electrode provided on the gate oxide film, first and second diffusion regions formed in the substrate at both lateral sides of the gate electrode. The gate electrode includes a first region located immediately underneath the gate electrode and a second region adjacent to the first region, wherein the first and second regions contain N atoms with respective concentrations such that the second region contains N with a higher concentration as compared with the first region.

The present invention generally relates to fabrication of semiconductor devices and more particularly to fabrication and construction of a high speed field-effect transistor.
High-speed logic integrated circuits generally use high-speed CMOS circuits. CMOS circuits consume little electric power and are particularly suited for this purpose. In order to increase the operational speed of high-speed CMOS circuits further, a very fast field-effect transistor is needed.
Conventionally, the operational speed of a field-effect transistor has been increased mainly by reducing the gate length, which in turn is achieved by a device miniaturization. For example, MOS transistors having a gate length as small as 0.35 .mu.m, are used these days for such high performance applications.
On the other hand, further reduction of gate length is generally difficult in MOS transistors, as carriers tend to experience excessive acceleration in a channel region immediately under a gate electrode of the MOS transistor when the gate length of the MOS transistor is thus reduced. The carriers thus accelerated tend to penetrate into a gate oxide film and form fixed electric charges therein, while such fixed electric charges tend to modify the threshold characteristics of the MOS transistor.
In more detail, the carriers thus penetrated into the gate oxide film enter the Sio.sub.2 structure that form the gate oxide film, wherein the carriers thus penetrated into the Sio.sub.2 structure are held stably when the carriers are captured by the dangling bonds of the Sio.sub.2 structure.
Thus, it has been practiced conventionally in the art of MOS transistors to terminate any dangling bonds existing in the gate oxide film by introducing N atoms thereinto, so that the number of the sites which may capture the carriers is reduced as much as possible.
FIGS. 1A-1D show a conventional fabrication process of a MOS transistor.
Referring to FIG. 1A, a field oxide film 2 is formed on a Si substrate 1 doped to the p-type or n-type, such that the field oxide film 2 defines a device region 1A on the surface of the substrate 1. The field oxide film 2 is typically formed by a wet etching process with a thickness of 300-400 nm. Further, a thermal oxide film 3 is formed on the Si substrate 1 so as to cover the device region 1A with a thickness of typically about 6 nm. The thermal oxide film 3 acts as a gate oxide film of the MOS transistor to be formed.
The structure of FIG. 1A is then annealed in an N.sub.2 O atmosphere at a temperature of typically 800.degree. C., such that N atoms in the atmosphere are incorporated into the gate oxide film 3.
Next, in the step of FIG. 1B, a polysilicon film 4 is deposited on the structure of FIG. 1A by a CVD process conducted at a temperature of 800-900.degree. C., typically with a thickness of about 150 nm. Further, the polysilicon film 4 is patterned in the step of FIG. 1C by an anisotropic etching process such as an RIE (reactive ion etching) process, and a gate electrode 4A is formed as a result.
After the gate electrode 4A is thus formed, an ion implantation process of a p-type dopant such as B or an n-type dopant such as As or P is introduced into the substrate 1 while using the gate electrode 4A as a mask. Thereby, diffusion regions 1B and 1C are formed in the substrate 1 respectively in correspondence to a source region and a drain region of the MOS transistor to be formed. Further, a CVD-Sio.sub.2 film 5 is deposited on the structure thus obtained by a CVD process conducted at the temperature of 800-900.degree. C., typically with a thickness of about 100 nm.
Next, in the step of FIG. 1D, the CVD-SiO.sub.2 film 5 is subjected to an anisotropic etching process that acts substantially vertically to the principal surface of the substrate 1, and side wall oxides 5A and 5B are formed at respective lateral sides of the gate electrode 4A. Further, by carrying out the ion implantation process of the p-type dopant or the n-type dopant once more into the substrate 1 in the state that the gate electrode 4A carries the side wall oxides 5A and 5B, further diffusion regions 1B' and 1C' having a higher dopant level are formed inside the diffusion regions 1B and 1C. In other words, the MOS transistor thus formed has a so-called LDD (lightly doped drain) structure.
It should be noted that, in the MOS transistor of the foregoing structure, the gate oxide film 3 acts as an etching stopper when patterning the gate electrode 4A. Thereby, the part of the gate oxide film 3 not protected by the gate electrode 4A may experience an increased degree of damage during the etching process. For example, the Si--O bonds in the SiO.sub.2 structure of the gate oxide film 3 may be broken.
When such breaking of the Si--O bond occurs, dangling bonds are formed inevitably in the structure of the gate oxide film 3, while it is known that the dangling bonds tend to capture H or OH ions. In the case of the high speed MOS transistor of FIG. 1D that has a short channel length, there is a substantial risk that the dangling bonds in the gate oxide film 3 capture the hot carriers that are accelerated at the edge of drain region 1C and penetrated into the gate oxide film 3 as indicated in FIG. 2, wherein FIG. 2 shows the drain region 1C in an enlarged scale.
In order to overcome the problem, it has been proposed to introduce N atoms into the gate oxide film 3 in the process of FIG. 1A, such that the N atoms thus introduced terminate the dangling bonds in the gate oxide film 3. As a result of such a process, the trapping of the hot electrons by the dangling bonds is reduced substantially.
On the other hand, the conventional process of FIGS. 1A-1D raises a problem in that, because the N atoms are introduced at a relatively early phase of the process, the N atoms thus incorporated easily escape in the following processes, particularly those including thermal annealing processes. In other words, it has been necessary in the conventional process of FIGS. 1A-1D to incorporate a very large amount of N atoms into the gate oxide film 3 in order that such a doping by the N atoms is effective for suppressing the trapping of the hot carriers by the dangling bonds.
When the N atoms are introduced in the step of FIG. 1A, it should be noted that the N atoms are introduced not only into the part of the gate oxide film 3 corresponding to the edge part of the drain region as shown in FIG. 2 but also into the part immediately underneath the gate electrode 4A. Thereby, the MOS transistor thus obtained tends to show a threshold characteristic substantially different from the desired or designed threshold characteristic.
FIGS. 3A and 3B show a flat-band voltage VFB and a threshold voltage V.sub.TH of the MOS transistor for the case in which the gate oxide film, formed as a result of a thermal oxidation process in a dry O.sub.2 environment, is exposed to various N-containing atmospheres at a temperature of about 800.degree. C.
Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, it will be noted that both the V.sub.FB and the V.sub.TH are modified significantly as a result of the thermal annealing process conducted in the NO or N.sub.2 O atmospheres for various durations. As already noted, the concentration of the N atoms in the gate oxide film 3 is changed substantially by the heating processes included in the steps of FIGS. 1A-1D. Thus, it has been difficult in the conventional MOS transistor, fabricated according to the process of FIGS. 1A-1D, to control the characteristics thereof exactly, and there has been a problem in that the transistor shows a large scattering of the characteristics. This problem becomes particularly acute in the MOS transistors in which a very large amount of N atoms are introduced into the gate oxide film for effective termination of the dangling bonds therein.

Semiconductor memory device containing nitrogen in a gate oxide film


An X-ray diagnostic apparatus includes a floor rotating arm whose one end is mounted on a floor surface to be rotatable around a substantially vertical first rotation axis, a stand mounted on the other end of the floor rotating arm to be rotatable around a substantially vertical second rotation axis, an arm holder which is mounted on the stand so as to be rotatable around a substantially horizontal third rotation axis, a substantially C-shaped, C-arm which is mounted on the arm holder so as to be slidable/rotatable around a substantially horizontal fourth rotation axis, with an isocenter at which the fourth rotation axis intersects the third rotation axis being located on the first rotation axis when the C-arm is folded above the floor rotating arm, an X-ray generating unit mounted on one end of the C-arm, and an X-ray detecting unit mounted on the other end of the C-arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an X-ray diagnostic apparatus having a floor type C-arm.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical image diagnostic techniques using X-ray diagnostic apparatuses, MRI apparatuses, and X-ray CT apparatuses have rapidly advanced with improvements in computer technology, and have become indispensable to current medical practice.
Recently, X-ray diagnosis has advanced mainly in the field of circulatory organs with improvements in catheter techniques. An X-ray diagnostic apparatus for the diagnosis of circulatory organs generally comprises an X-ray generating unit, an X-ray detecting unit, a holding apparatus which holds the X-ray generating unit and the X-ray detecting unit, a bed (top), a signal processing unit, a display unit, and the like. The holding apparatus allows X-ray imaging at an optimal position or in an optimal direction by pivoting, rotating, or moving a C-arm or Ω arm around a patient (to be referred to as a subject hereinafter).
As a detector used for the X-ray detecting unit of an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, an X-ray film or an I.I (Image Intensifier) has been used. In an X-ray imaging method using this I.I, X-ray projection data (to be referred to as projection data hereinafter) obtained when X-rays generated by the X-ray generating unit are transmitted through a subject is converted into an optical image by the I.I, and this optical image is displayed on a monitor after being converted into an electrical signal by an X-ray TV camera and A/D-converted. Therefore, the X-ray imaging method using the I.I allows real-time imaging which is impossible in the film system, and can acquire projection data in the form of digital signals. This makes it possible to perform various kinds of image processing. As a substitute to the above I.I, a flat panel detector comprising a two-dimensional array of detection elements has recently attracted attention. The replacement of such detectors is rapidly advanced.
FIG. 9 shows a C-arm holding apparatus used for a conventional circulatory organ X-ray diagnostic apparatus. An X-ray generating unit 1101 is mounted on one end (lower end) of a C-arm 1103 of a C-arm holding apparatus 1110, and an X-ray detecting unit 1102 comprising, for example, a flat panel detector is mounted on the other end (upper end) of the C-arm 1103 so as to face the X-ray generating unit 1101. A one-dot dashed line 1108 in FIG. 9 represents an imaging axis which connects the focal point of an X-ray tube in the X-ray generating unit 1101 to the center of the flat panel detector of the X-ray detecting unit 1102. The dot dashed line indicates a central line when a table top 1107 is at a lateral reference position, and a base line BL as a reference for an image posture which almost coincides with the body axis of the subject at the time of imaging operation.
The C-arm 1103 is held on a stand 1105, fixed on a floor surface 1106, through an arm holder 1104. The C-arm 1103 is mounted on an end portion of the arm holder 1104 so as to be slidable in the direction indicated by an arrow a. The arm holder 1104 is mounted on the upper portion of the stand 1105 so as to be pivotal or rotatable in the direction indicated by an arrow b. The stand 1105 comprises a stand fixed portion 1105a fixed on the floor surface 1106 and a stand movable portion 1105b which can pivot about the column axis in the direction indicated by an arrow c.
The X-ray generating unit 1101 and X-ray detecting unit 1102 (to be collectively referred to as an imaging system hereinafter) are set at an optimal position in an optimal direction with respect to a subject (not shown) placed on the table top 1107 by sliding the C-arm 1103 in the direction a and pivoting the arm holder 1104 in the direction b. In addition, the imaging system and the C-arm 1103 can be retracted from the subject by pivoting the stand movable portion 1105b in the direction c. Retracting the imaging system and the C-arm 1103 makes it possible to ensure a working space around the jugular of the subject for a doctor or an examiner (to be referred to as an operator hereinafter) and facilitate replacement or repositioning of the subject on the table top 1107 before or after the examination, placement of anesthesia equipment, and the like.
Note that as the arm holder 1104 described above, an L-shaped offset arm is generally used as shown in FIG. 9. Making the arm holder 104 L-shaped allows the C-arm 1103 to be placed on a side of the table top 1107. This makes it possible to move an end portion of the table top 1107 in the longitudinal direction to near the stand 1105 in the direction indicated by an arrow d. That is, using the L-shaped arm holder 1104 makes it possible to widen the moving range of the table top 1107 and hence the imaging range with respect to the subject. In addition, the L shape of the arm holder 1104 has an advantage of being able to ensure a working space around the jugular of a subject for an operator.
However, the ensurance of a working space or the widening of the imaging range by pivoting the stand movable portion 1105b or using the L-shaped arm holder 1104 has its own limit because the stand 1105 is fixed on the floor surface 1106, and hence is not necessarily sufficient for the operator.
In order to solve such problems, a method has been proposed in which a ceiling-mounted C-arm holding apparatus having an arm whose one end is pivotally mounted on the ceiling and an arm holder mounted on the other end of the arm is used, and an imaging region of a subject can be arbitrarily set by aligning the position of the pivot axis of the arm with the central line of a table top in the longitudinal direction (see Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2000-70248).


To encode an image divided into blocks of a set of images, each block being encoded according to one of a plurality of encoding modes including at least one temporal correlation prediction encoding mode utilizing a plurality of images, a motion estimation vector search area is defined in a second image of the set of images, distinct from the first image and previously encoded according to a predefined sequence of encoding images of the set of images, a portion at least of the search area having substantially the shape of an ovoid, the data from the search area is stored in a cache memory, a motion estimation vector of the current block is determined by a search in the search area in the cache memory, and the motion estimation vector is used to decide the encoding of the current block according to the one of the plurality of encoding modes.

Video data are generally subjected to source encoding intended to compress them in order to reduce the resources required for their transmission and/or storage. There are many coding standards which can be used for this purpose, such as H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC, and MPEG-2.
Consider a video stream comprising a set of images. In conventional coding schemes, the images of the video stream to be encoded are typically considered according to an encoding sequence, and each is divided into sets of pixels which are also processed sequentially, for example starting at the top left and ending at the bottom right of each image.
An image of the stream is thus encoded by dividing a matrix of pixels corresponding to the image into several sets, for example blocks of fixed size (16×16, 32×32, or 64×64 pixels), and encoding these blocks of pixels according to a given processing sequence. Some standards, such as H.264/AVC, provide the possibility of dividing blocks of size 16×16 pixels (which are then called macroblocks) into sub-blocks, for example of size 8×8 or 4×4, in order to perform the encoding processing with finer granularity. The H.265/HEVC standard provides for the use of fixed-size blocks of up to 64×64 pixels, and the blocks can be partitioned down to a minimum size of 8×8 pixels.
Existing video compression techniques can be divided into two broad categories: the compression called "Intra", in which the compression processing is performed on the pixels of a single image or video frame, and the compression called "Inter", where the compression processing is carried out on multiple images or video frames. In Intra mode, the processing of a block (or set) of pixels typically includes predicting the pixels of the block, performed using causal (previously encoded) pixels present in the image being encoded (referred to as the "current image"), in which case the term "Intra prediction" is used. In Inter mode, the processing of a block (or set) of pixels typically includes predicting the pixels of a block by using pixels from one or more previously encoded images, in which case the term "Inter prediction" or "motion compensation" is used.
These two types of coding are used in coding schemes referred to as "hybrids", which are specified in existing video codecs (MPEG2, H.264/AVC, HEVC) and are described for the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) codec in the article entitled "Overview of the High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard," by Gary J. Sullivan et al., IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems for Video Technology, vol. 22, No. 12, December 2012.
This exploitation of spatial and/or temporal redundancies eliminates having to transmit or store the value of the pixels of each block (or set) of pixels, by representing at least some of the blocks by a pixel residual representing the difference (or distance) between the prediction values of the pixels in the block and the actual values of the pixels in the predicted block.
The pixel residual information is present in the data generated by the encoder after transformation (for example a discrete cosine transform, or DCT) and quantization in order to reduce the entropy of the data generated by the encoder.
It is desirable to minimize the additional information generated by the pixel prediction which is output from the encoder in order to increase the efficiency of a coding/compression scheme at a given level of distortion. Conversely, we can also aim to reduce this additional information in order to increase the effectiveness of a coding/compression scheme at a given bit rate output from the encoder.
A video encoder typically chooses an encoding mode corresponding to a selection of encoding parameters for a set of processed pixels. This decision can be implemented by optimizing a rate and distortion metric, the encoding parameters selected by the encoder being those which minimize a rate-distortion criterion. The choice of encoding mode then has an impact on encoder performance, both in terms of rate gain and visual quality.
A video encoder which is desired to have real-time processing performance can be implemented as a combination of hardware and software, such as a software program to be loaded and executed on an FPGA component (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as a dedicated hardware architecture such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Programmable logic circuits such as FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) are electronic circuits that are reconfigurable by the user. An ASIC is a specialized electronic circuit that groups features tailored to a given application.
An encoder can also use hybrid architectures, such as architectures based on a CPU+FPGA, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an MPPA (Multi-Purpose Processor Array).
One advantage of implementing a real-time video encoder in an FPGA component lies in the ability to design the processing algorithms so that some of the processing is performed in parallel. There are fewer possibilities for this type of optimization in implementations of a real-time video encoder in digital signal processors (DSP), which are generic components operating with linear software code executed sequentially in the DSP.
However, video encoders implemented on a dedicated component are often limited, especially those that perform parallel processing, by the bandwidth available for the data transfer between the component and an external memory that stores the data of the video stream to be encoded. This limitation is usually overcome by implementing a cache memory located in the component, which thus has a much higher bandwidth than an external memory.
Using a cache, however, requires adapting the encoding algorithms to involve the cache in a manner that best exploits the benefits afforded by the use of a cache to reduce the processing time while improving the compression quality of the encoded video stream.
Depending on the type of cache used, various limitations are imposed on the encoder. Generally, they result in limiting the motion estimation algorithms allowed by the encoder.
There is therefore a need for an image encoding method using a cache memory that is improved in terms of acceleration of the processing time and compression quality.

Image encoding method and equipment for implementing the method


A composite yarn having a high reinforcing effect on a matrix material to be reinforced is a paralleled yarn of at least one substantially non-twisted multifilament yarn having a tensile strength of 13 cN/dtex or more and an initial modulus of 300 cN/dtex or more with at least one substantially non-twisted staple fiber yarn having a staple fiber fraction (1) having a fiber length of 1.5 times or more the average fiber length of the staple fibers and another fraction (2) having a fiber length of 0.5 time or less the average fiber length, in which a portion of the staple fibers in the staple fiber yarn winds around the periphery of the paralleled composite yarn to thereby bind the multifilament yarn and the staple fiber yarn substantially into a composite yarn without twisting the composite yarn.

Functional fibers having high mechanical strength, high modulus of elasticity and a high heat resistance, for example, para-aromatic polyamide fibers, are widely employed as reinforcing materials for resin composites containing as a matrix, rubbers, epoxy resins or phenol resins, in industrial practice. These functional fibers are disadvantageous in that the bonding property to the matrix resins is low due to such a fact that the surfaces of the functional fibers exhibit a high smoothness, and the polymeric materials from which the functional fibers are formed exhibit a poor chemical activity, and thus the reinforcing effect of the functional fibers is not so high as expected from the high mechanical strength, for example, the high tensile strength, of the functional fibers.
It is known that spun yarns and stretch broken fiber yarns produced from the functional fibers have excellent bonding property to various types of matrix resins due to an anchor effect thereof provided from the fluffs present on or close to the peripheries of the yarns, and exhibit a good reinforcing effect on the matrix resins.
However, the spun yarns and stretch broken fiber yarns are formed from short length fibers produced by cutting or stretch breaking continuous filaments, and thus the resultant spun yarns and stretch broken fiber yarns exhibit a significantly lower mechanical strength, for example, tensile strength, than that expected from the mechanical strength of the original filaments. Therefore, the spun yarns and the stretch broken fiber yarns do not exhibit as high a reinforcing effect as that expected from the mechanical strength of the original filaments.
For the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problems of the conventional reinforcing yarns, a method in which functional groups for enhancing the bonding property to various types of the matrix resins are introduced into chemical structures of the polymers for forming the reinforcing fibers, and a method in which the stretch breaking length of the stretch broken fiber is increased to enhance the contribution of the mechanical strength of the original filaments on the mechanical strength of the resultant stretch broken fiber yarn, have been provided.
In the former method, however, the types of the functional groups to be introduced must be varied in response to the types of the matrix resins, and this necessity causes not only the productivity of the reinforcing yarns to be degraded but also the cost of the reinforcing yarns to be increased.
In the latter method, the contribution of the mechanical strength of the original filaments on the mechanical strength on that of the resultant stretch broken fiber yarn can be enhanced. However, as it is true that the fibers forming the yarn are short length fibers prepared by stretch breaking the continuous filaments, a reinforcing effect as high as that expected from the mechanical strength (tensile strength) of the original filaments cannot be realized.
Accordingly, a new type of reinforcing yarn in which the mechanical strength of a multifilament yarn is utilized with a high efficiency and the bonding effect to the matrix resins is satisfactory and the production cost is relatively low, is strongly desired.

Reinforcing composite yarn and production therefor


A data processing apparatus includes: a storage that has first to nth storage areas and stores data in the first to nth storage areas; a specific area erasion section that erases the data stored in the first storage area of the storage; a area erasion section that erases the data stored in at least one of the second to nth storage areas; and a erasion control section that controls the specific area erasion section and the area erasion section so that erasion of the specific area erasion section takes precedence over erasion of the area erasion section, wherein n is natural number.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a data processing apparatus, a data processing method, and computer readable medium that storages a data processing program for erasing data having a plurality of data areas.
2. Related Art
In recent years, a hard disk as a storage medium for retaining image data, etc., has been used in a copier, a printer, etc.; however, retained information in the discarded hard disk may be left. Thus, the necessity for erasing unnecessary information in the hard disk grows and a large number of techniques are disclosed as for information erasion techniques in hard disk. National Security Agency (NSA) recommendation method (overwrite with random numbers at the first and second times and overwrite with fixed values at the third time) is generally known as a data erasion method in hard disk. As another method, a method of increasing the number of overwrite times to more enhance the erasion effect is generally known.

Data processing apparatus, data processing method, and computer readable medium


A system and method for acquiring position information of a movable apparatus relevant to a specific axis is disclosed. In one embodiment, an interferometer generates first and second beams and various beam-steering members are located to define beam path segments for the two beams, but no beam path segment varies in length in unity with displacements of the movable apparatus along the specific axis. In another or the same embodiment, each beam path segment in which the first beam either impinges or has been reflected from the movable apparatus is symmetrical to a corresponding beam path segment of the second beam. The movable apparatus may be a wafer stage in which the “specific axis” is the exposure axis of a projection lens, but with all optical members which cooperate with the stage being located beyond the ranges of the wafer stage in directions perpendicular to the lithographic exposure axis.

In various applications, it is necessary to acquire precise information regarding the position of an object. The object of interest may be fixed in position or may be a movable one. By way of example, positioning systems and measuring systems that are used in the integrated circuit fabrication industry must have a high level of accuracy. Prior to wafer dicing, an array of identical integrated circuits is formed on a semiconductor wafer by stepping the wafer relative to a system or system component, such as an image-bearing reticle. Often, both the reticle and the wafer are connected to stages which are movable. As used herein, a "wafer stage" includes both an apparatus for supporting the wafer and/or the apparatus for supporting the reticle.
A typical wafer stage is movable in perpendicular X and Y directions. The wafer stage can therefore be stepped after each exposure of the wafer. For example, in the use of a reticle, a photoresist layer may be repetitively exposed onto a wafer by projecting an image of the reticle through a projection lens to one area on the wafer, stepping the wafer stage, and repeating the exposure. The wafer is scanned using the X and Y movements of the wafer stage until each integrated circuit region is properly exposed. In addition to the movements in the X and Y directions, Z axis movement is enabled. In wafer lithography, the Z axis may also be considered the exposure optical axis or the "focus" axis. The required range of motion in the Z direction is significantly less than the necessary ranges in the X and Y directions.
Acquiring position information regarding movement of a wafer stage in the Z direction is somewhat more problematic than acquiring such information for X and Y movements. An approach to providing Z axis measurements is to use an encoder that employs interferometric techniques. One concern with this approach is that interferometer components must be relatively large in order to capture the diffracted orders as the stage translates through its full range, since the required diffraction angle must be relatively great in order to achieve the target accuracy. As an alternative, a standard Michelson interferometer may be used to monitor Z axis motions. However, if the measurement is performed from the projection lens side of the wafer stage, the percentage of stage real estate that is available to the wafer or reticle must be smaller (for a given size stage), since the laser light from the interferometer should not impinge the wafer or reticle. On the other hand, if the measurement is performed from the side of the stage opposite to the projection lens, the measurement system must use an intermediate reference, such as the stone below the stage. Among other potential disadvantages, this requires a separate measurement of the stone relative to the projection lens.
FIG. 1 illustrates another approach to acquiring position information of a wafer stage 10 along a Z axis. This approach is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,407 to Loopstra. A wafer 12 is shown as being supported on the stage for exposure by projection optics or exposure tool 14. The advantage of this approach is that although the interferometer 16 is positioned at the side of the stage 10, accurate Z axis measurements may be obtained. This is enabled by properly positioning mirrors which establish a Z measuring axis 18 that is parallel to the Z axis 20 of the exposure system. A first mirror 22 is arranged at a forty-five degree angle to movement of the stage 10 along the X or Y direction. A measuring beam 24 from the interferometer impinges the forty-five degree mirror to establish the Z measuring axis 18. A horizontal mirror 26 is attached to structure 28 of the exposure system, so that the beam is redirected to the first mirror 22, which reflects the returned beam to the interferometer 16. In addition to the measuring beam 24, the interferometer projects a test beam 30 for reflection from a vertical surface 31 of the stage 10.
As can be seen in FIG. 1, movement of the wafer stage 10 along the Z axis 20 will result in a change in the length of the beam path segment from the forty-five degree mirror 22 to the horizontal mirror 26. Thus, while the interferometer 16 is located at the side of the stage, the measuring beam 24 has a path segment that varies in length in unity with Z axis displacements of the stage. In fact, the reflection from the horizontal mirror 26 to the forty-five degree mirror provides a second beam path segment that varies in unity with Z axis movement of the stage. On the other hand, the length of each beam path segment for the test beam 30 is fixed, unless the stage 10 is moved in the X direction.
While the approach described with reference to FIG. 1 operates well for its intended purposes, there are cost concerns, since the horizontal mirror 26 is a relatively large reflective component that requires a high degree of planarity. Moreover, as the linewidths of the features of integrated circuits decrease, the size of the projection lens of the projection optics 14 increases. In FIG. 1, this would result in an increase of the diameter of the projection optics. As a consequence, the requirement of a horizontal mirror 26 to accommodate the entire range of motion of the stage imposes a potential difficulty with respect to achieving further reductions of linewidths.
For systems in which the increase in size of a projection lens is not an issue, there may be other reasons for avoiding the use of a horizontal mirror of a similar type and orientation of FIG. 1.

System and method of using a side-mounted interferometer to acquire position information


A method for adjusting an operation frequency of an optical input device is introduced. The method includes capturing and setting a first image as a reference frame of the optical input device; capturing and setting a plurality of frames as a plurality of sample frames of the optical input device; analyzing the plurality of sample frames according to the reference frame; capturing a second image according to a predetermined rule and setting the second image as the reference frame of the optical input device instead of the first image; and adjusting an operation frequency of the optical input device according to a time interval between setting the first image as the reference frame of the optical input device and setting the second image as the reference frame of the optical input device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for controlling an optical input device, and more particularly, to a method for adjusting an operation frequency of an optical input device according to a change of a reference frame.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, optical input devices, such as optical mouses, have become popular due to their accuracy and convenience in use. Furthermore, as wireless technology keeps growing, more and more optical input devices transmit data wirelessly. Generally, a wireless optical device is powered by a battery. However, the capacity of a battery is limited and needs to be replaced or recharged periodically. Therefore, how to reduce power consumption of a wireless optical input device becomes a major topic. To save power of a wireless optical input device, U.S. Pat. No. 6,455,840 discloses a method for automatically adjusting a sampling frequency of an image sensor by computing an equivalent moving speed of the wireless optical input device, when the equivalent moving speed of the wireless optical input device is decreased, the sampling frequency of the image sensor is reduced; when the equivalent moving speed of the wireless optical input device is increased, the sampling frequency of the image sensor is increased as well. However, because the wireless optical input device further needs a related circuit to compute the equivalent moving speed, the circuitry of the wireless optical input device becomes more complex, and thus restricts the applications of the method of the prior art.

Method for adjusting operating frequency of an optical input device according to reference frame changes

Science-Based Industrial Park, Hsin-Chu Hsien


A new cultivar of Euphorbia plant named ‘WALEUPHGLO’ that is distinguishable by stout compact-spreading habit, bright ruby-red foliage in spring and summer, and contrasting cherry-red stems. In combination these traits set ‘WALEUPHGLO’ apart from all other existing varieties of Euphorbia known to the inventor.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of spurge, an ornamental shrub suitable for use in garden border, modern landscape, or container. The new invention, in the Euphorbiaceae family, is known botanically as Euphorbia amygdaloides and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name 'WALEUPHGLO'.
'WALEUPHGLO' was discovered as a naturally occurring whole plant mutation derived from the parent an individual Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea' (unpatented). The inventor discovered 'WALEUPHGLO' at the inventor's nursery in Walberton, West Sussex, United Kingdom, and selected 'WALEUPHGLO' in the summer of 2006 from a growing crop of Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea'. The closest comparison plant is Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Purpurea'. 'WALEUPHGLO' is distinguishable from 'Purpurea' by foliage color.
'WALEUPHGLO' is robust, exhibiting a long period of seasonal interest, with bright ruby-red foliage, contrasting cherry-red stems, stout compact-spreading habit, and masses of chartreuse bracts from early summer through fall. Drought tolerant once established 'WALEUPHGLO' grows to within the range of 46-50 cm. in height and within the range of 50-76 cm. in width. Cultural requirements include moderate to full sun, well-draining soil, and moderate to minimal water. Full sun enhances the rich foliage color. 'WALEUPHGLO' is hardy in USDA Zones 6-11.
The first asexual reproduction of 'WALEUPHGLO' was conducted in 2006. Asexual propagation was accomplished by the inventor in West Sussex, United Kingdom using the method of tip cuttings. Since then the new Euphorbia cultivar named 'WALEUPHGLO' has been determined stable, fixed, and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.


A closure for a container adapted to house a beverage therein, the closure comprising: (a) a cap having a mating feature adapted to interface with a corresponding feature of a container to secure the cap thereto, the cap also including an orifice therethrough and a channel therewithin, the channel being adapted to receive a sliding member therein; and (b) a flexible conduit adapted to be in fluid communication with a beverage within the container, wherein the sliding member is operative to position the flexible conduit between an open position and a closed position, where the open position enables fluid communication between a drinking end and an interior of the container.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a child cup, commonly known as a "sippy cup," comprising a cup coupled to a lid having an opening therethrough adapted to received a straw. More specifically, the invention is directed to a sippy cup having a sliding actuator positioning a straw coupled to a lid between an erect position accessible by a child and a closed position where the actuator covers over the straw making inaccessible an open end of the straw for drawing fluid from the sippy cup.
2. Background of the Invention
Specialty child cups have been in the marketplace for a number of years. These child cups limit the availability of a fluid, typically a beverage, from entirely spilling from the cup once the cup has been overturned by the child. Prior art cups have included generally two pieces; a cup and a top lid having an opening therethrough.
The opening through these prior art lids was designed to limit the cross sectional area through which the fluid may travel, thereby keeping the amount of unintended fluid exiting the cup to a minimum when the cup is overturned. These lids have generally included a molded nipple or other similarly shaped protrusion adapted to be received by the child's mouth to create a fluidic seal between the lid and child's mouth. An example might include U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,557.


A method executes at a computing device having a display, processors, and memory. The device displays a user interface for a data preparation application, including icons in a flow element palette, each icon representing a parameterized operation that can be inserted into data preparation flows in a flow pane of the user interface. A user places icons into the flow pane, visually defining flow elements for a flow that extracts data from selected data sources, transforms the extracted data, and exports the transformed data. The device retrieves the version number of a corresponding server application running on a server. Using a feature matrix, the device determines which flow elements are not supported by the data prep server application according to the version number. When there are flow elements not supported by the data prep server application running on the server, the device indicates this to the user.

Data visualization applications enable a user to understand a data set visually, including distribution, trends, outliers, and other factors that are important to making business decisions. Some data sets are very large or complex, and include many data fields. Some data elements must be computed based on data from the selected data set. Various tools can be used to help understand and analyze the data, including dashboards that have multiple data visualizations.
In many cases, raw data must be modified or massaged in various ways in order to correct errors in the data and/or reformat the data so that it is more suitable for data analysis. In some cases, a user builds a flow using a tool such as Tableau Prep Builder, and executing the flow builds a modified data set. Each flow can use a variety of features (e.g., functions and operations). After building a flow, the user may publish the flow to a server, which can run the flow periodically to update the output. The periodic running is important in order to rebuild the data set based on updated raw data. (Most data sources continuously change based on user activity, such as a table of sales that updates every time a customer makes an online purchase.)
Having a flow that is created locally on a client device but runs on a separate server requires coordination between the client device and the server. For example, functions and operations included in the flow must be available at the server. In some cases, upgrades to the data prep application create new features that can be included in a flow. As long as the software on the client device and the software on the server are upgraded at the same time, the upgrade process works fine: any features that a user places into a flow are available at the server. Upgrading the server first is generally okay as well, as long as the server does not deprecate any features or alter the functionality of any existing features. On the other hand, if the client device is upgraded (without upgrading the server) and a user takes advantage of some new features, there is a problem when the flow is published to the server. The server may crash when it attempts to execute the unknown functions from the flow, may produce invalid data, or may not execute at all.

Compatibility-based feature management for data prep applications


The present disclosure relates to methods of systems for radiotherapy. Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a carousel to display the plurality of images to a user and receive an input from the user for selecting one or more images displayed in the carousel. A graphical user interface may be provided for displaying to the user the one or more images selected from the carousel.

Radiation therapy has been utilized to treat tumors in mammalian (e.g., human and animal) tissue. In a radiation therapy treatment session, a high energy beam is applied from an external source towards a patient to produce a collimated beam of radiation directed to a target site of a patient. The placement and dose of the radiation beam must be accurately controlled to ensure that the tumor receives sufficient radiation, and on the other hand, to minimize damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.
One way to improve the accuracy of the beam placement is through image guided radiation therapy process, in which a series of patent images are obtained to aid the application of radiation beams. Physicians can use the patient images to identify a target region (e.g., the tumor) and to identify critical organs near the tumor. They then manually segment the tumor that is to receive a prescribed radiation dose and further segment the critical organs that are at risk of damage from the radiation treatment. Finally, a treatment plan can be created using an optimization technique based on the segmentation of the tumor and the critical organs.
However, reviewing large amount of patent images is a daunting challenge faced by radiation oncologists. For example, a typical radiation oncologist normally reviews images for 20 patients daily. If cone beam CT (CBCT) images are used, the amount of data to be reviewed can exceed 2 GB per day.
The review burden can be lessened by considering that typically greater than 90% of IGRT images reveal no unusual changes, and each image can be quickly assessed before moving on to the next image. Therefore, it would be useful to develop an efficient way to quickly identify the minority of images that warrant a more thorough review.

Radiotherapy system with advanced graphical user interface