Disclosed is a water disintegratable sheet including bast/leaf fibers and at least one kind of primary fibers. The bast/leaf fibers have a Canadian Standard freeness value of at most 600 milliliter and occupy 2 to 75% by weight of a total fiber weight of the sheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a water disintegratable sheet of which fibers can be dispersed in a large amount of water, more particularly, relates to a water disintegratable sheet which can offer a good balance of strength and water disintegratability.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is preferred that wet sheets for wiping a discharging part of a human body and wet wipers for cleaning a toilet are disintegratable in water. In absorbent articles such as sanitary napkin, panty liner and disposable diaper, it is also preferred that a topsheet covering a top surface of an absorbent layer and a backsheet covering a bottom surface of the absorbent layer are disintegratable in water. In addition, packaging sheets for packaging such absorbent articles are also preferably disintegratable in water.
If these sheets are disintegratable in water, they can be disposed of in a flush toilet after use. Such water disintegratable sheet disposed of in a flush toilet is immersed in a large amount of water in a flush toilet or a septic tank, and constituent fibers of the water disintegratable sheet are dispersed in water, thereby preventing the sheet from floating and remaining in a septic tank.
In such water disintegratable sheet, dry strength should be excellent as well as wet strength should be increased to some extent. When put in a large amount of water, on the other hand, the constituent fibers should be rapidly dispersed.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-140494 (1998/140494) discloses a water disintegratable paper which is manufactured by impregnating a nonwoven fabric or paper with a pH reactive binder for increasing the strength and a pH buffer solution which is prepared with an organic acid to have an acidic pH. With the pH reactive binder, the water disintegratable paper has high strength when it has an acidic pH, so as not to disintegrate in water. When it has a neutral or alkaline pH, on the other hand, the paper is intended to disintegrate in water. In detail, when the water disintegratable paper is immersed in a large amount of water for neutralization, the binder is dissolved in water, so that fibers forming the water disintegratable paper are dispersed for disintegration of the water disintegratable paper in water.
On the other hand, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H5-279985 (1993/279985) discloses a nonwoven sheet formed only of ramie cellulose fibers. This nonwoven sheet comprises fibrillated ramie fibers and microfibrillated ramie fibers. The microfibrillated ramie fibers function as a binder for bonding the fibrillated ramie fibers to obtain sheet strength.
However, since the water disintegratable paper disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-140494 is impregnated with the pH reactive binder and the pH buffer solution, it may possibly exert a baneful influence upon the body of a user. In addition, when the water disintegratable paper is disposed of in natural environment, the pH reactive binder and the pH buffer solution added to the water disintegratable paper may possibly exert a baneful influence upon natural environment. Moreover, the organic acid contained in the pH buffer solution may possibly change with passage of time, which may possibly have an adverse effect upon the properties of the water disintegratable paper. Still moreover, the water disintegratable paper impregnated with the pH reactive binder is inferior in softness, so that a user cannot use it comfortably. Still moreover, since the pH reactive binder is expensive, the water disintegratable paper impregnated with the pH reactive binder cannot be manufactured at a low cost. Commonly, a water disintegratable sheet is impregnated with a solution of chemicals such as humectant, anti-inflammatory agent, anti-bacterial agent, surfactant, alcohol and perfume, depending on the purpose of the usage. However, if the sheet is impregnated with an inhibitor for inhibiting the pH reactive binder from dissolving, the chemicals must be ones that not react with the inhibitor, so that the selection of chemicals is severely limited.
On the other hand, since the nonwoven sheet disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H5-279985 is formed only of the ramie fibers, the ramie fibers are strongly hydrogen bonded to each other. Therefore, the nonwoven sheet becomes stiff without softness, so that a user cannot use the nonwoven sheet comfortably. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H5-279985 does not describe water disintegratability of the nonwoven sheet and does not teach how to provide excellent water disintegratability together with improved sheet strength.

Water-disintegratable sheet and manufacturing method thereof


A method for driving a liquid crystal display panel (61), a driving device (50), and a liquid crystal display (60). The method for driving a liquid crystal display panel (61) comprises: compensating for voltages of data lines according to pixel values of pixels on the liquid crystal display panel (61) that correspond to an image to be displayed; and inputting the voltages of the data lines after compensation to the data lines to drive the liquid crystal display panel (61) for display. Such a driving method is capable of reducing charging and discharging time for pixel electrodes and improving the display quality of a liquid crystal display.

A liquid crystal display in the prior art includes a liquid crystal display panel, a source driving unit and a gate driving unit, wherein the gate driving unit gates corresponding pixels of the liquid crystal display panel according to an image to be displayed, the source driving unit converts display data of the received image to be displayed into data voltages, and data voltages are applied to the corresponding pixels on the liquid crystal display panel via data lines, so that a corresponding image is displayed.
The source driving unit transmits the converted data voltages to the data lines on the liquid crystal display panel according to the display data of the image to be displayed, so that the corresponding pixel electrodes can be charged or discharged. Generally, the voltages sent to the data lines by the source driving unit have certain rising edges or falling edges, which will shorten the time for charging the pixel electrodes, so that the pixel electrodes can not reach the corresponding grayscale brightness, which affects display quality of the liquid crystal display.

Method and device for driving liquid crystal display panel and liquid crystal display

Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


The vehicle with a multi-function auxiliary control system and heads-up display includes a plurality of telematics units integrated into a road vehicle. Telematics units are connected to allow communication with an occupant of the vehicle, communication among the telematics units, and communication to a Smart heads-up display (HUD) positioned on the driver's side to project vehicle and environmental information onto the vehicle's windshield. The HUD projects the display image for heads-up view by the driver using either a reflector lens in back of, or a transparent film applied to, the windshield. Side view cameras and rear-facing radars are combined to alert the driver of blind spots of approaching vehicles from the rear. Forward-looking infra-red cameras are connected to the HUD to assist the driver's forward view under poor visibility conditions. A central controller in the vehicle assists driver input to the multi-function auxiliary control system devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle control systems, and particularly to a vehicle with a multi-function auxiliary control system and heads-up display (HUD).
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicle telematics relates to an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies, road transportation, road safety, electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), computer science (multimedia, Internet, etc.), and may include the technology of sending, receiving and storing information via telecommunication devices in conjunction with affecting control on remote objects and the integrated use of telecommunications and informatics for application in vehicles and with control of vehicles on the move.
Telematics includes, but is not limited to, GPS technology integrated with computers and mobile communications technology in automotive navigation systems. Moreover, the term has evolved to refer to the use of such systems within road vehicles (hence the term "vehicle telematics").
To date, these vehicle telematics systems have been piecemeal and disparate. What is needed is an integrated vehicle telematics system that does not require any after-market or add-on products.
Thus, a vehicle with a multi-function auxiliary control system and heads-up display solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Vehicle with a multi-function auxiliary control system and heads-up display


In a vehicle air conditioner having a refrigerant cycle using carbon dioxide as refrigerant, a displacement of a compressor is changed and controlled, so that an air temperature immediately after passing through an evaporator becomes approximately 0xc2x0 C., and it can prevent a refrigerant amount discharged from the compressor from being larger than a predetermined flow amount. Because the refrigerant amount discharged from the compressor is controlled to be not larger than the predetermined flow amount, it can prevent a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure and a high-pressure side refrigerant temperature from being excessively increased in the refrigerant cycle.

This application is related to Japanese Patent Applications No. 2000-257524 filed on Aug. 28, 2000, No. 2001-120159 filed on Apr. 18, 2001, and No. 2001-137825 filed on May 8, 2001, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vapor-compression refrigerant cycle in which a refrigerant pressure discharged from a compressor becomes equal to or larger than critical pressure of refrigerant. More particularly, the present invention relates to a maximum flow-amount control of refrigerant discharged from the compressor, and is suitably used for a vehicle air conditioner.
2. Description of Related Art
A compressor of a vehicle air conditioner is generally operated by driving force of a vehicle engine. Therefore, it is difficult to control a rotation speed of a compressor (i.e., a flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor).
For example, in JP-A-58-105821, a variable-displacement compressor, in which a theoretical flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor is variable, is used, and the theoretical flow amount discharged from the compressor is controlled in accordance with an engine rotation speed or a rotation speed of the compressor.
However, in a vapor-compression refrigerant cycle where a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure becomes equal to or higher than the critical pressure of refrigerant, the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure is high. For example, when carbon dioxide is used as refrigerant, the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure is 15 MPa. Accordingly, when the engine rotation speed increases, a consumed power of the compressor becomes larger, as compared with a vapor-compression refrigerant cycle using flon as refrigerant. Therefore, an engine load becomes larger, and travelling performance (e.g., acceleration performance) of the vehicle is deteriorated. In addition, when the engine rotation speed increases, the temperature of refrigerant discharged from the compressor becomes higher, and a thermal damage of the compressor or a rubber member may be caused.
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerant cycle for a vehicle air conditioner, which prevents a consumed power of a compressor from being excessively increased.
According to the present invention, in a refrigerant cycle for a vehicle air conditioner, a compressor is operated by power from an engine, and the compressor is disposed to suck and compress refrigerant so that refrigerant discharged from the compressor has a pressure equal to or higher than critical pressure of refrigerant. In the refrigerant cycle, a control unit is disposed to prevent a flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor from becoming larger than a predetermined value. Because the flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor is made not larger than the predetermined value, it can prevent a high-pressure side refrigerant pressure and a high-pressure side refrigerant temperature from being excessively increased with an increase of a rotation speed of the engine. Accordingly, the refrigerant cycle operates while preventing a consumed power of the compressor from being excessively increased, and it can prevent the compressor from being damaged.
Preferably, the compressor is a variable-displacement compressor in which a theoretical flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor is variable, and the control unit controls the theoretical flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor to prevent the flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor from being larger than the predetermined value. Further, a fixed throttle is provided at a refrigerant discharge side of the compressor, and the theoretical flow amount is controlled based on a pressure difference between upstream and downstream sides of the fixed throttle in a refrigerant flow direction. Because the theoretical flow amount is controlled based on the pressure difference between upstream and downstream sides of the fixed throttle, the flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor is not reduced even when an outside heat exchanger is frosted. Accordingly, it can prevent heat-absorbing capacity (heating capacity) of the outside heat exchanger from being reduced in a heating operation, when the outside heat exchanger is frosted. More preferably, the control unit is set in such a manner that the flow amount of refrigerant discharged from the compressor has an upper limit. Therefore, by suitably setting the upper limit, the consumed power of the compressor can be reduced, while the refrigerant cycle is normally operated.

Vehicle air conditioner with refrigerant flow-amount control of compressor


Warning and shutdown systems and methods are presented for providing advance warnings of pending fault conditions to an operator of an arc processing system. The warning system comprises an input, a logic system, and a signaling system, where the input receives a sensor signal indicative of an operational condition of the arc processing system, the logic system detects a pending fault condition based on the sensor signal, and the signaling system provides a warning signal to the operator, wherein the warning signal is indicative of the pending fault condition. Shutdown apparatus is provided which has a sensor input, a logic system to detect a fault condition, and a shutdown system that selectively shuts the arc processing system down a predetermined time period after fault detection.

Arc processing systems include welders and plasma cutters that generate and apply electrical arcs to workpieces in welding or cutting operations. Welders typically include various subsystems and components, such as power sources, motorized wire feeders, shielding gas supplies, etc., which operate in a coordinated fashion to perform a welding operation. During operation, one or more subsystems may experience fault conditions that cause unexpected failure or shutdown of the subsystem. For instance, welding power sources heat up during normal use, particularly during extended operation at high current levels (e.g., high duty cycle operation of switching power supplies for long periods of time). Switching power supplies in particular include power transistors which are prone to overheating, wherein exceeding the thermal budget of welding power sources or electrical components thereof may cause component degradation and/or failure, as well as unexpected shutdown of the power source. Other examples of arc processing system fault conditions include overheated motor windings, short circuit conditions, reduced supply of process shielding gases, reduced coolant performance for fluid cooled torches, or exhaustion of a supply of consumable welding wire.
These conditions are particularly problematic when a subsystem failure or shutdown causes premature termination of a welding or other arc processing operation. For instance, an abrupt shutdown of a welder operating on workpieces traveling along a production line may require stoppage of the line and removal of a workpiece for scrap or rework. In addition, the line may need to be stopped for an extended time to repair or restart the welder once the fault condition has been removed. Even where such fault situations do not lead to catastrophic component failure, these conditions may degrade a subsystem or component of the arc processing system, thereby adversely affecting welder operation and/or reducing the quality of the finished workpieces. Fault conditions in one subsystem, moreover, may adversely affect another subsystem. For example, a welding torch may be damaged if a welding wire supply is exhausted during a welding operation and the power source does not discontinue the output voltage, resulting in damage to the contact tip of the welding torch and possibly failure or rejection of the welded workpiece. In another example, degradation or failure of fluid-cooled welding torches may occur if the cooling water flow is too low and/or if the coolant temperature is too high.
In order to minimize damage to system components and corruption of welding or cutting operations, conventional arc processing systems often employ one or more sensors or monitoring systems to ascertain the operational condition of system components and/or subsystems. Examples include systems for monitoring welding wire supply levels as presented in Daniel, pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/954,945, filed Sep. 30, 2004, entitled MONITORING DEVICE FOR WELDING WIRE SUPPLY, which is not prior art, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference as background information. When a fault condition is indicated, the system shuts down and may indicate the type of error. In this regard, welding power sources may include thermal sensors such as RTDs, thermocouples, etc. to ascertain the temperature of power switching devices, wherein a system fault may be triggered by a thermocouple signal transitioning above a predetermined value. Samodell U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,129 discloses a protection device for a dual stage power source, and is incorporated by reference as background information. System shutdown may involve the power source stopping current flow and thereby extinguishing the welding arc, after which the operator must wait until the power source cools sufficiently to restart the system. If the welder includes a display, a status message may be provided telling the operator the nature of the fault.
Although this technique can be used to successfully avoid thermal failure of the power source switching components, immediate system shutdown is undesirable because the operator does not know in advance that a fault will occur, and the shutdown may happen in the middle of a weld operation. In this instance, the weld joint being created during the shutdown may be deficient and require repair or rework, or the immediate shutdown may render a workpiece unusable. For example, the fault/shutdown could occur at a critical point of the weld, or a finishing sequence of a multi-step welding operation could be missed, such as a crater fill. In systems without operator displays, an unexpected shutdown could lead the operator to conclude that something is broken, or that the supply voltage to the welder has been discontinued, or the operator may make other false assumptions regarding the cause of the system stoppage. Accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and techniques by which components of arc processing systems can be protected against overload damage and process quality can be maintained, while avoiding system down time and workpiece scrap or rework caused by uncontrolled and/or unanticipated system shutdown.

Method and apparatus for advance warning and controlled shutdown in an arc processing system


A semiconductor memory device includes a mode register set for establishing information on a delay time, a delay time calculator for calculating an I/O path delay time of a data clock on a basis of a unit period of a system clock, and a delay locked clock generator for reflecting in the data clock a value of subtracting an output of the delay time calculator from the information established in the mode register set.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and, more particularly, to a delay locked loop circuit for controlling an internal operation of a semiconductor memory device in order that data are outputted in synchronization with a system clock based on an external command.
In a system including a plurality of semiconductor devices, the semiconductor memory device stores data. When a data processing unit, i.e., a CPU, requires data, the semiconductor memory device outputs data corresponding to an address inputted from the data processing unit or stores data provided from the data processing unit in a cell position corresponding to the address.
With the increase in the operating speed of a system having semiconductor devices and the development of semiconductor integrated crictui technology, the semiconductor memory device is required to output or store data faster than before. In order to input/output data at high speed, a synchronous memory device, which is capable of inputting/outputting data in synchronization with a system clock inputted from the external circuit, has been developed. However, since the synchronous memory device did not sufficiently satisfy the required speed of inputting/outputting data, a DDR (Double Data Rate) synchronous memory device, which is capable of inputting/outputting data at a rising edge and a falling edge of a system clock, respectively, has been developed.
Since the DDR synchronous memory device should input/output data at the rising edge and the falling edge of the system clock, respectively, it should process two data within one time period of the system clock. That is, the DDR synchronous memory device should output data or receive and store data at the rising edge and the falling edge of the system clock, respectively. Particularly, a timing at which the DDR synchronous memory device outputs data should accurately synchronize with the rising edge or the falling edge of the system clock. Thus, a data output circuit within the DDR synchronous memory device is used to control an internal output and a transfer timing of data so that the data are outputted in synchronization with the rising edge and the falling edge of the inputted system clock.
However, the system clock inputted to the semiconductor memory device is inevitably delayed by a clock input buffer disposed in the semiconductor memory device and a transmission line for transferring a clock to the data output circuit. Thus, if the data output circuit outputs data in synchronization with the system clock which is transmitted with a delay time, an external apparatus receives output data which are not in synchronization with the rising edge and the falling edge of the system clock.
In order to solve such a problem, the semiconductor memory device includes a delay locked loop circuit for compensating for the delay of the clock and fixing the phase of an internal clock. The delay locked loop circuit compensates for a value of the delay caused by an internal circuit within the semiconductor memory device until the system clock is inputted to the semiconductor memory device to be transferred to the data output circuit. The delay locked loop circuit finds out a time at which the system clock is delayed by the clock input buffer within the semiconductor memory device and the transmission line for transferring the clock, and delays the system clock corresponding to the found value to output the system clock to the data output circuit. That is, through the delay locked loop circuit, the system clock inputted to the semiconductor memory device is transferred to the data output circuit as the internal clock having the fixed delay value. When the data output circuit outputs data in synchronization with the system clock having the fixed delay value, it is determined by the external circuit that the data are accurately in synchronization with the system clock to be outputted.
Actually, a delay locked clock outputted from the delay locked loop circuit is transferred to an output buffer at a timing which precedes a data output timing by one time period, and the data are in synchronization with the transferred delay locked clock to be outputted. Thus, the system clock outputs the data quickly as much as it is delayed by the internal circuit within the semiconductor memory device. Therefore, it is determined by the external circuit of the semiconductor memory device that the data are accurately in synchronization with the rising edge and the falling edge of the system clock inputted to the semiconductor memory device and outputted. Accordingly, the delay locked loop circuit finds out how quickly the data should be outputted to compensate for the delay value of the system clock within the semiconductor memory device.
The conventional delay locked loop circuit compares the phase of the system clock with that of the internal clock reflecting the delay value and controls the phases through a delay line which includes unit delay cells having a constant delay time that is as much as the sensed phase difference. However, it is difficult to use the conventional delay locked loop circuit in a semiconductor memory device which operates at a high-frequency.
Recently, since the semiconductor memory device is required to operate at a high speed, the frequency of the system clock inputted to the semiconductor memory device becomes high. Also, a semiconductor memory device in which the number of the data outputted for one time period of the system clock is increased from two to four, has been newly suggested. The semiconductor memory device operating at high speed uses, as a reference for inputting/outputting data, a separate data clock which has a frequency twice as high as that of the system clock. For example, if the frequency of the system clock, which is a reference for inputting/outputting a command and an address, is 1 GHz, the frequency of the data clock is 2 GHz. In order for the semiconductor memory device to operate in response to such a high-frequency clock, the conventional delay locked loop circuit, which compensates for the delay value of the system clock to control the timing at which the data are outputted from the inside to the external circuit, should minutely and accurately control the change in the delay value that is used to control phase locking, as the clock frequency becomes high.
The conventional delay locked loop circuit detects a phase difference between an inputted clock and a reference clock, controls a delay element to reduce the phase difference, delays the clock by delay model which is occurred during the process of inputting/outputting the clock, and performs a feedback operation of the delayed clock. In each of the above mentioned processes of the delay locked loop circuit using a negative delay effect, a delay value change or a clock distortion can occur because of the change in surrounding environments, such as a voltage level, a temperature, a pressure and a process in the semiconductor memory device. As the frequencies of the inputted clock and the reference clock become high, the distortion, error and delay value change in each process should be considered as important factors in a time domain, and the phase locking based on the distortion, error and delay value change becomes more difficult. Accordingly, the conventional analogue method, which removes the phase difference by continuously tracking the phase of the clock through the control of the delay value between the inputted clock and the reference clock, should be improved.

Digital delay locked loop circuit using mode register set


A packaged integrated circuit (IC) includes a substrate including a first substrate pad disposed on a first side of the substrate, an IC die disposed on the first side of the substrate, and a first insulating layer molded over the IC die and the substrate. The IC die includes a first die pad on a side of the die opposite from a side of the die adjacent to the first side of the substrate. The first insulating layer includes a first channel extending through the first insulating layer to the first substrate pad, a second channel extending through the first insulating layer to the first die pad, conductive paste filling the first channel and in contact with the first substrate pad, and conductive paste filling the second channel and in contact with the die pad.

In integrated circuit, or other semiconductor assembly, wire bonding is typically used to connect pads of a chip to a lead frame. In wire bonding, a wire interconnection is formed using a capillary, and the process starts by creating a ball at the end of the wire via electronic flame off. Thereafter, the ball is bonded to a first pad, and the wire is extended and boned to a second pad to electrically connect the pads.


A connector is described, of the type that has an insulator (16) with passages (22) that hold contacts (24), in which the contacts can be installed by pressing them into the passages, wherein the passages and contacts are formed to more securely hold the contacts in place. Each passage has a narrowed passage section (36) with front and rear ends, and each contact has a forward part (48) with a contact shoulder (52) that abuts a shoulder (42) at the front of the passage section. Mid and rear flanges (54, 46) lie behind the contact front part and in interference fit with the narrowed passage section, with the rear flange having a smaller outside diameter than the mid flange. The rear end of the passage has a short tapered part (64) that is engaged by the rear flange. The mid flange has anti-rotation notches (58), with cylindrical peripheral parts (70) lying between the notches.

One type of connector has contacts that are installed by pressing them rearwardly into passages of a plastic insulator. Each contact has a flange with a tapered rear surface and a forwardly-facing front surface, to retain the contact in the passage. Some connectors of this type have insulators of predetermined specifications with only moderate variations allowed, and contacts for them must be designed for maximum retention against pullout as well as resistance to tilt or turning in such passages. Contacts of the above type which provide high retention capacity as well as resistance to tilt and turning, and a connector insulator which facilitated connector holding with only minor changes from a predetermined insulator size, would be of value.


An improved capillary fill test device is described. The device is formed to have a capillary aperture designed and sized to facilitate the filling of the device with fluid incident to its use. The described improvements are particularly useful in the construction of capillary fill devices having a capillary flow conduit of reduced flow through cross-sectional area extending between a fluid sample receiving portion and a capillary fill test volume.

Capillary fill test devices have been manufactured and used in a wide variety of fluid testing applications in the laboratory, in the clinic, in the field and in the home. Such devices allow a rapid, convenient, and dependable analysis using very small sample volumes of test fluids. Capillary fill devices have found wide use particularly in the analysis of blood and other biological fluids.
Generally capillary fill test devices are constructed to have a test fluid receiving structure including a fluid loading port or sample well, a vented fluid test volume for containing the portion of the test fluid from which data characterizing a chemical or physical property of the fluid is collected, and a capillary flow-through conduit for transporting the fluid sample from the fluid receiving structure to the test volume. The capillary conduit includes a capillary aperture communicating with the fluid receiving structure so that when a fluid is delivered to that structure in contact with the capillary aperture, it is drawn through the conduit and into the vented test volume by capillary action. The capillary conduit and the test volume elements of the capillary fill test device are sized to provide consistent analyses and dependable accuracy with a minimum volume of test fluid. In some devices the conduit and the test volume each have the same flow through cross-sectional area and thus appear as a unitary capillary volume. In other devices the conduit portion is visibly distinguishable from the test volume appearing in plan view as a narrowed passageway in the device having a flow through cross-sectional area less than that of the test volume. The test volume typically includes additional components that interact with the fluid (or components of the fluid) delivered to the test volume to provide a photometrically, electrometrically, acoustically or mechanically detectable indication of a physical or chemical property of the fluid.
Capillary fill test devices are generally used in combination with a second device, most typically an electronic instrument designed to detect the existence or the extent of a predetermined interaction of the fluid sample, or one or more analytes in the fluid sample, with one or more other components of the capillary fill device in the test volume, for example, an electrode structure and/or one or more fluid-interactive or analyte-reactive compositions. The electronic instrument is used to assess the sample fluid in the test volume of the device, most typically by photometric or electrometric techniques after a predetermined sample reaction period.
Capillary fill devices are often designed to be positioned in the electronic instrument before the device is loaded with the fluid sample. When the capillary fill device is properly positioned in the instrument, the fluid receiving portion is external to the instrument and accessible to the user, and the test volume is located in electrical or phototransmissive/photoreflective communication with a sensor element capable of detecting and reporting a condition or change of condition of the fluid in the test volume after or during a predetermined time period. A volume of test fluid is then delivered to the fluid receiving structure to contact the capillary aperture of the capillary flow conduit so that it is drawn by capillary action into and through the conduit and into the vented test volume. The instrument can be equipped with sensors to detect the flow of the test fluid through the capillary flow conduit and into the test volume; optionally the instrument can be designed to use such detected flow to initiate a test sequence. In some fluid testing applications, for example, in certain instruments designed for use with capillary fill devices for determining coagulation characteristics of blood, the rate of flow of the liquid through the capillary flow conduit is sensed and used as a parameter in the test sequence. In such testing applications the capillary flow conduit not only serves to deliver the fluid to the vented test volume, but it serves as well to provide means for measuring flow characteristics, i.e., viscosity, of the test fluid as it is delivered to the test volume.
Capillary fill test devices clearly offer the advantage of enabling consistent programmed analysis of small uniform sample volumes. However, the inherently small dimensions of such capillary fill devices also complicate their use, particularly for users having impaired vision or dexterity. Proper filling of a capillary fill device requires that an adequate volume of the test fluid be delivered to the fluid receiving portion and be in contact with the capillary aperture of the capillary flow conduit. The design of some commercially available capillary fill devices is such that an adequate volume of test liquid can be delivered to the fluid receiving portion without contacting the capillary aperture and thus without proper filling of the device.
The present invention addresses that problem and facilitates filling of capillary fill test devices. It provides an improved device having test fluid receiving portion communicating with a capillary flow conduit having a capillary aperture which is much enlarged relative to the flow through cross-sectional area of the capillary flow conduit and the flow through cross-sectional area of the fluid test volume. The enlarged capillary aperture facilitates the filling and use of the device essentially by providing a larger, user friendly, target area for delivery of test fluid for filling the device. When the test fluid is blood, the sample is typically delivered to the device by the user as a finger stick sample, a blood droplet that is formed on the finger after a pin stick. There is obvious advantage to ensuring proper loading or filling of the device on the first try.
Thus, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention there is provided a capillary test device having a fluid sample receiving portion, a vented capillary fill test volume having a first flow through cross-sectional area, and a capillary flow conduit extending between the test volume and the sample receiving portion, and having a capillary aperture for contacting a fluid sample delivered to the sample receiving portion. The capillary flow conduit has a predetermined width in plan view and a flow through cross-sectional area that is less than the cross-sectional area of the capillary aperture and less than the maximum flow through the cross-sectional area of the test volume. In one embodiment the device is constructed using plate elements to form opposite walls of the capillary fill test volume and the capillary flow conduit. The plate elements can be spaced apart using a spacer formed to define the fluid receiving portion, the conduit and the test volume, or one of the plate elements can be formed to include capillary channels in its surface which channels cooperate with the second plate element to define the device capillary fill components. The sample receiving portion can be formed as a port in one plate element. The port is sized to have a dimension greater than or equal to the width of the capillary flow conduit. In one embodiment the capillary flow conduit includes an annular capillary portion having an inner edge coincident with the perimeter of the port so that the capillary aperture of the capillary flow conduit has a cross-sectional area equal to the product of the perimeter of the port and the distance between the opposite walls.
In another embodiment of the present invention the capillary fill device is constructed using spaced apart plate elements to form opposite walls of the capillary fill test volume and the capillary flow conduit. The plate elements have first and second opposite ends and first and second opposite lateral edges. The fluid sample receiving portion and the capillary aperture are defined by at least a portion of the edges of the spaced apart plate elements. The edges of the plate elements defining the capillary aperture can be shaped to provide a visibly discernible indication of the location of the sample receiving portion and the capillary aperture.
In still another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a capillary fill test device having a fluid sample receiving portion, a vented capillary fill test volume having a first flow through cross-sectional area, and a capillary flow conduit having a second flow through cross-sectional area less than said first flow through cross-sectional area. The conduit extends between the test volume and the sample receiving portion and has a capillary aperture for contacting a fluid sample delivered to the sample receiving portion. The capillary aperture is sized to have a cross-sectional area greater than the maximum flow through cross-sectional area of the capillary fill test volume. In that embodiment the sample receiving portion can include a fluid delivery port, and the capillary conduit can include an annular capillary portion communicating with the port. The port is preferably sized to have a dimension greater than the width of the capillary conduit.

Capillary fill test device with improved fluid delivery


A touchscreen exercise device controller is connected to an exercise device and is used to adjust one or more operational parameters relative to the exercise device. The touchscreen exercise device controller includes a touchscreen that displays one or more exercise device controls for controlling exercise device operations, and receives touch inputs from an exercise device user that indicate which exercise device operations are to be changed. The touchscreen exercise device controller further includes a processing module that generates operational commands for the exercise device based on the received user inputs, and upon determining that one or more of the touch inputs comprises a predefined touch input, modifies at least a portion of the exercise device controls displayed on the touchscreen.

Exercise devices are used all over the world. Individuals use exercise devices to relieve stress, improve their health and increase their fitness level. Many exercise devices are used when an individual's schedule or inclement weather prohibits the individual from exercising outdoors. Additionally, some exercise devices, such as treadmills, are used to train for competitions. For instance, distance runners often use treadmills to train for upcoming races. Such training allows the individual to conveniently monitor various aspects of their performance (e.g., pace, speed, distance, time, resistance, etc.) during their training session as many treadmills track and display such information. Additionally, treadmills with adjustably inclining treadbases can also simulate the terrain the user will experience during the upcoming race. As a result, individuals do not have to train at the actual location of an upcoming race to be familiar with the race course.
Treadmills and other exercise devices are typically controlled using various different buttons. The buttons may include up and down buttons for speed to increase or decrease the speed of the device, up and down buttons for incline to increase or decrease the incline of the device, directional buttons to select between predefined workouts, between metric and imperial measurements, on/off buttons and others (potentially for controlling other aspects of the exercise device, or even integrated devices such as music players or televisions). Speed and incline buttons are typically designed to increase or decrease speed or incline in predefined increments (e.g. 0.1 mph or 0.1 degrees). Pushing and holding these buttons increments the speed or incline at the same predefined increment, albeit at a higher rate.
In some cases, these control buttons are provided on a touchscreen. For instance, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0216138 discloses a touchscreen that includes a distribution of virtual control buttons that allow the user to control the exercise device. The touchscreen also displays other pertinent workout data such as time, distance, speed, heart rate and other data. Similarly, U.S. Patent Publication 2012/0071301 specifically discloses an adjustable inclining and declining exercise bicycle that can be controlled using a touchscreen interface. Other touchscreen exercise device controllers that allow for the adjustment of exercise device operational parameters are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0298935, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0222178, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0225119, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0038137, and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0289772.


Conventional satellite communication systems operated under DAMA system have such disadvantages that assignment of communication lines becomes time-consuming in case of transmitting small quantity of data many times and that data transmission is impossible in case of no available communication line, because the line assignment is performed by DAMA system for each individual demand for line assignment regardless of data quantity to be transmitted. The invention provides a satellite communication system in which the time required for assigning and securing a communication line can be shortened and communication lines can be utilized more efficiently, because of using single or plural common signal channel lines instead of using ordinary communication lines in case that data quantity is below a certain level.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a satellite communication system operated under Demand Assignment Multiple Access system (hereinafter referred to as DAMA system) for the purpose of communications between a hub station and a plurality of remote stations, and in which common signal channel line (hereinafter referred to as CSC line) from remote stations to a hub station is used for data transmission.
2. Background Art
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an arrangement of one of conventional satellite communication systems operated under the DAMA system. DAMA system stands for a system in which a line required for communication is assigned on demand, in a communication network consisting of a plurality of earth stations. For that purpose, the DAMA system is provided with two types of lines, i.e., CSC line and communication line respectively. The CSC line is used for demanding assignment of a communication line and for controlling assignment of an idle line, and the assigned communication line is used for actual communication.
Referring to FIG. 5, reference numeral 31 is a hub station engaged in total control of a network including assignment, supervision and control of lines by the DAMA system, in the mentioned conventional satellite communication system. Numeral 32 is a plurality of remote stations, and numeral 33 is a communication satellite launched into space for relaying communication lines. Numeral 34 are forward CSC lines from the remote stations 32 to the hub station 31 through the communication satellite 33. In the operation of the DAMA system, the CSC lines 34 are used for transmission of demands for assignment of lines, supervisory signals and reply signals to the supervisory signals, or the like. Numeral 35 are backward CSC line from the hub station 31 to the remote stations 32 through the communication satellite 33. Numeral 36 is communication lines used for actual communications.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an arrangement of frequency band and time slots of the forward CSC line 34 and backward CSC line 35, fixed by the mentioned satellite communication system. Referring to FIG. 6, numeral 35 is a frequency band of the backward CSC line from the hub station 31 to the remote stations 32, and numeral 34 is a frequency band of the forward CSC line from the remote stations 32 to the hub station 31. Further, a different frequency band is allocated to the satellite communication lines 36, though not shown in FIG. 6.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of the conventional hub station 31. In the drawing, numeral 40 is a terminal unit. Numeral 41 is a line connection control device. This line connection control device 41 consists of: a DAMA control section 41a for detecting and assigning idle lines in response to demands for line assignment from the remote stations 32; and a supervision and control section 41b for transmitting supervisory signals to check whether or not the operation of remote stations is normal and receiving reply signals from the remote stations. Numeral 42 is a CSC modulator section for modulating radio signals such as instructions of line assignment from the line connection control device 41 to a frequency band of the backward CSC line 35. Numeral 43 is a CSC demodulator section for demodulating received signals corresponding to the frequency of the forward CSC line 34 shown in FIG. 6. Numeral 44a is a communication line modulator/demodulator (modem) section of the hub station 31 for establishing a frequency on an idle communication line for actual communication in accordance with instructions from the DAMA control section 41a, and for transmitting/receiving radio signals of the mentioned frequency. Numeral 45 is a transmitter/receiver for transmitting radio signals outputted from the CSC modulator 42 into space after amplifying the signals at the time of transmission and, and for converting radio signals received from the satellite 33 into intermediate frequency signals and outputting those signals to the CSC demodulator 43 at the time of reception.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of the conventional remote station 32. In the drawing, numeral 50 is a terminal unit. Numeral 51 is an IDU (In Door Unit). This IDU 51 consists of a CSC modulator/demodulator (modem) section 51a corresponding to the frequency of the forward CSC line 34, a communication line modulator/demodulator (modem) section 44b of the remote station 32 for establishing a frequency on an idle line at the time of communication and transmitting/receiving radio signals of the mentioned frequency, and an IDU control section 51c for controlling the CSC modulator/demodulator (modem) section 51a at the time of demanding a line, and for controlling the communication line modulator/demodulator (modem) section 44b so as to establish a frequency on an idle line in accordance with the instruction from the hub station 31 at the time of communication after the demand. Numeral 52 is an ODU (Out Door Unit) for transmitting into space radio signals outputted from the IDU 51 after amplifying those signals at the time of transmission, and for converting radio signals received from the satellite 33 into signals of an intermediate frequency and outputting those signals to the IDU 51, at the time of reception. Numeral 53 is an antenna.
The mentioned conventional system operates as described hereunder. First, in case of conducting a communication between a remote station 32a and another remote station 32b, the CSC modulator/demodulator (modem) section 51a of the remote station 32a modulates the frequency by the control of the IDU control section 51c to that of the forward CSC line 34 in response to a call from the terminal unit 50, and selects a time slot and transmits radio signals to the ODU 52 demanding a line connection (line assignment) to the hub station 31. The ODU 52 amplifies the mentioned radio signals and transmits them into space through the antenna 53.
The hub station 31 receives through the antenna 46 the signals demanding the line connection relayed through the satellite 33, and outputs the mentioned signals to transmitter/receiver 45. The transmitter/receiver 45 converts the signals demanding line assignment into intermediate frequency signals and outputs those signals to the CSC modulator/demodulator (modem) section 43. The CSC modulator/demodulator (modem) section 43 demodulates the signals demanding line connection and outputs them to the line connection control device 41. The DAMA control section 41a detects an idle communication line to be used for actual communication, and outputs a line assignment signal to the CSC modulator section 42. The mentioned signal is modulated at the CSC modulator 42, amplified at the transmitter/receiver 45, transmitted into space through the antenna 46, thus an available communication line (frequency and bandwidth to be used) is instructed to the remote stations 32a and 32b through the satellite 33.
Then, the remote stations 32a and 32b adjust the frequency of their respective modulator/demodulator (modems) sections 44b in tune with the instructed frequency band of the satellite communication line, and perform the communication. In case of conducting a communication between a remote station 32a and the hub station 31, the same steps as the foregoing are taken. That is, frequency of the communication line modulator/demodulator (modem) section 44a of the hub station 31 and that of the communication line modulator/demodulator (modem) section 44b of the remote station 32 are adjusted in tune with each other.
Supervision and control of each of the remote stations 32 by the hub station 31 is performed as described hereunder. The hub station 31 transmits a supervisory signal tuned to the frequency band of the backward CSC line 35 from the supervision and control section 41b into space through the CSC modulator 42, transmitter/receiver 45 and the antenna 46.
The supervisory signal received by a remote station 32 through the satellite 33 is modulated into an intermediate frequency at the ODU 52, demodulated at the CSC modulator/demodulator (modem) section 51a of the IDU 51, and then recognized as a supervisory signal destined to the remote station itself. At this time, if the remote station is normally operating, this remote station returns a reply signal to the hub station 31 through the CSC modulator/demodulator (modem) section 51a, the ODU 52 and the antenna 53, using the forward CSC line 34. The returned reply signal is recognized at the supervision and control section 41b in the line connection control device 41, whereby it is acknowledged that the remote station 32 is normally operating. The hub station 31 repeating the mentioned steps for each of the remote stations one after another conducts the supervision of all the remote stations 32.
In the mentioned conventional system, frequency bandwidth and information rate of the forward CSC line 34 were fixed at the time of demanding line connection and performing the supervision and control.
That is, in the foregoing prior art, the line assignment is performed regardless of data quantity to be transmitted. Since detection and assignment of a communication line is performed in response to each individual demand for line assignment, a problem exists in that in case of transmitting a small data quantity, the mentioned conventional communication system is time-consuming and inefficient. A further problem exists in that it is impossible to transmit data if there is no idle communication line.


A bakery tray includes a base and side walls extending upward from sides of the base, each side wall including an outer side rail and an inner side rail. Side drag rails extend downward from the base proximate sides of the base, with feet projecting outward from the side drag rails. An outer rib projects downward from an outer edge of each of the feet such that the side drag rail of an identical upper tray being stacked on the bakery tray contacts the flanges while the outer ribs of the upper tray are received between the outer side rail and the inner side rail. In another feature, the side walls include handle openings, the handle openings each partially defined by a convex outer wall. In another feature, an upper edge of the front wall includes finger corrugations for accommodating the fingers of a user's hand grasping the tray.

Some bakery trays include a base and side walls extending upward from sides of the base. Front and rear walls extend upward from the base. The front and rear walls are shorter than the side walls. Flanges extend inward from each of the side walls along the front wall.
Feet extend outward from each side wall. The feet are arranged such that they can stack at a first height on the side walls of an identical tray in a first orientation and at a second height on the identical in a second orientation.


An optical pickup device includes two objective lenses having numerical apertures different from each other, a lens holder for holding these objective lenses in common, a cylinder fixed to the lens holder, and four tracking coil pairs affixed onto a cylindrical surface of the cylinder. Two tracking coil pairs are displaced from the remaining two tracking coil pairs by a predetermined angle. When one objective lens is used, two tracking coil pairs corresponding to the objective lens are used for tracking control of the objective lens. The remaining two tracking coil pairs are used for positioning control of the objective lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optical pickup devices, and more particularly, to an optical-pickup device which can be adapted to both an optical disk having a thick transparent substrate and an optical pickup device having a thin transparent optical disk.
2. Description of the Background Art
As a reproducing optical disk dealing with multimedia information, a CD-ROM and the like have been put to practical use. A CD-ROM is a medium having a diameter of 12 cm, a thickness of 1.2 mm, and a track pitch of 1.6 .mu.m, on one side of which information for 540 Mbytes can be recorded. Recently, development of a digital video disk (DVD) having video information recorded on the CD-ROM using an image compression data technology such as an MPEG has been remarkable. However, the current CD-ROM can record only video data for approximately 20 minutes according to an MPEG-2 standard (data transfer rate 4 Mbps). Therefore, the current CD-ROM is insufficient in capacity to store video information for approximately two hours.
In order to solve this problem, a high density technology has been developed remarkably for making a recording density of an optical disk which is a medium for reproducing information several times as high as the current recording density. For example, an SD (super density) standard is proposed which records information for approximately 5 Gbytes on one side of a disk having the same diameter as that of the CD-ROM (12 cm). A disk according to the SD standard employs an efficient modulation system with a track pitch (D in FIG. 5) of approximately 0.725 .mu.m and the shortest pit length of approximately 0.4 .mu.m. The thickness of the SD specified disk is approximately 0.6 mm. A double-sided optical disk having two such disks affixed to each other can record information for approximately 10 Gbytes. This amount of information corresponds to video information for approximately four hours. In this SD specified disk, a program area starts at a position 24 mm apart from the center of the disk.
Further, an MMCD (multimedia compact disk) standard (which was previously called as an "HDMCD") is proposed which stores information for approximately 3.7 Gbytes on one side of a disk having the same diameter as that of the CD-ROM (12 cm). According to the MMCD standard, the track pitch is approximately 0.84 .mu.m, and the shortest pit length is approximately 0.45 .mu.m. The thickness of the MMCD specified disk is 1.2 mm. In this MMCD specified disk, a program area starts at a position 23 mm apart from the center of the disk.
In order to carry out reproduction on a disk having a high recording density, the spot diameter of a laser beam must be diaphragmed. To do so, it is considerable that the wavelength of a laser of an optical pickup device is shortened (for example, approximately 635 nm), and that the numerical aperture (NA) of an objective lens is made large (for example, approximately 0.6). However, the aberration by inclination of a disk increases in direct proportion to the cube of the numerical aperture of the objective lens. Therefore, making the numerical aperture of the objective lens too large causes decrease of an inclination margin of the disk. On the other hand, the aberration also increases in direct proportion to the thickness of the disk. Therefore, in order to solve the above described problem, an attempt is made to decrease a disk substrate in thickness. Under the condition of the same numerical aperture of an objective lens, the SD specified disk having a thickness of approximately 0.6 mm which is announced as DVD has an inclination margin two times as large as that of a conventional CD having a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm, for example. The above background art of the present invention is described in pages 88 to 100 of "Nikkei Electronics", published on Feb. 27, 1995.
An objective lens of an optical pickup device is generally designed taking the thickness of a transparent substrate of an optical disk into consideration. Therefore, when reproduction is carried out on, using an objective lens designed to be adapted to an optical disk having a certain thickness, another optical disk having a different thickness, the focal point of a laser beam is dispersed in the depth direction due to the spherical aberration, making it difficult to reproduce information favorably. For example, when reproduction is carried out on an optical disk having a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm using an objective lens designed to be adapted to an optical disk having a thickness of approximately 0.6 mm, the peak value at the center in an intensity distribution of the laser is substantially decreased on a recording surface of the optical disk, whereby the spot diameter is increased. As a result, it is difficult to carry out favorable reproduction.
In the future, coexistence of a disk having a standard density and a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm (CD, CD-ROM), a disk having a high density and a thickness of approximately 1.2 mm (MMCD), and a disk having a high density and a thickness of approximately 0.6 mm (SD) is expected. Therefore, an optical pickup device which can reproduce information on both the CD and the like and the SD, or an optical pickup device which can reproduce information on both the SD and the MMCD is desired.

Optical pickup device which can be adapted to plurality of types of optical disks


A copy material feeding device in accordance with the present invention includes at least one rotatable cassette having a copy material orientation changing device for shifting copy material thereon in at least two feeding positions from which the copy paper is fed; and at least one fixed cassette without the copy material orientation changing device. The feeding device has an arrangement wherein the rotatable cassette is disposed in such a position that a transport path from the rotatable cassette to the copying apparatus is allowed to be shorter than that from the fixed cassette to the copying apparatus. Accordingly, with respect to copy paper of a predetermined size stored in the rotatable cassette, both lateral and longitudinal feeds are performed by way of the shortest transport path, that is, in a minimized transport time, and therefore the arrangement permits the copy paper to be transported to the copying machine at high speeds.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a copy material feeding device which is provided for copying machines, laser printers, over-head projectors and other apparatuses.
2. Description of the Related Art
A copying machine, which is an example of apparatuses requiring copy material feed, is designed to be fed copy material (for example, copy paper: hereinafter called paper) by a copy material feeding device (hereinafter called paper feed device) which is normally installed inside or outside of the apparatus. The paper feed device comprises a plurality of copy material feeding members (for example, such as paper feed cassettes: hereinafter given an explanation referring to paper feed cassettes) classified by each size of paper, and paper of the selected size is fed to the device from the corresponding paper feed cassette. For conveying the paper from the paper feed device, lateral feed where the transport direction coincides with the crosswise direction of the copy paper, is preferred in terms of transport speed to longitudinal feed where the transport direction coincides with the lengthwise direction of the paper. Some of the paper feed devices provided in copying machines can transport paper of a large size such as B4 or even A3 in the lateral feed.
However, feeding large size paper laterally causes the photosensitive drum, the transport rollers, the transport paths of the paper, and other parts inside the copying machine to become large. As a result, the copying machine itself tends to become bulky, and its cost tends to rise. Hence generally, the method of longitudinally feeding laterally paper of a large size such as A3 or B4, and feeding paper of a size not larger than A4 is adopted.
However, in a copying machine with a variable magnification function that performs reductions and enlargements, paper is generally transported longitudinally. Accordingly, for feeding paper of a size not larger than A4, paper feed cassettes that feed the paper longitudinally are necessary to perform reduced copies (those cassettes are generally denoted by A4R and B5R). Moreover, when thinking of transport speed, A4 and B5 paper feed cassettes that feed the paper laterally are also necessary (those cassettes are simply denoted by A4 and B5). Accordingly, when it comes to installing those different types of paper feeding cassettes, the arrangement causes the size of the copying machine to be large and its cost to rise. When trying to avoid having a bulky device, a problem is presented in that a complicated operation is necessary because of having to change a plurality of the paper feed cassettes as occasion calls.
Therefore, copying machines designed to solve the above problems have been disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication (laid-open) No. 59245/1981 and No. 123859/1984 (Tokukaisho 56-59245 and 59-123859), wherein the same paper feeding cassette is commonly used, for example, for both B5 and B5R or for both A4 and A4R, and by rotating the feeding position of copy paper in the paper feeding cassette, the arrangement permits the copy paper to be shifted either in lateral or longitudinal feeding positions.
However, the conventional arrangement has a problem in that a more appropriate arrangement has not been achieved in terms of a positional relationship between the rotatable cassette (capable of rotating and shifting itself either in a lateral feeding position to feed paper laterally or in a longitudinal feeding position to feed paper longitudinally) and the fixed cassette whose feeding position is fixed either in lateral or longitudinal feeding positions, and by achieving the appropriate arrangement, the transport time of the paper is expected to be further minimized.

Image forming device having a plurality of copy material feeding members


Methods and systems associated with aligning reference frames used for tracking an object are disclosed. One embodiment disclosed herein is a method for generating a transform between a first and second frame of reference (FOR) using a sequence of heading values of the object in the first and second FOR. The method comprises providing instructions to orient the object towards one or more external positioning devices in an orienting sequence. The method also comprises obtaining the sequence of heading values of the object in the second FOR using an onboard sensor and obtaining a sequence of position values of the object in the first FOR in accordance with the orienting sequence and using the one or more external positioning devices. The method also comprises deriving the sequence of heading values of the object in the first FOR using the sequence of position values.

A "frame of reference" or "reference frame" is a standard relative to which motion and rest may be measured. Any set of points in physical space that are at rest with respect to each other can provide a spatial reference frame for measuring the relative motion of objects in that physical space. For purposes of this disclosure, an inertial reference frame can be defined as Fin=(oin; xin; yin; zin). In this definition, oin is a vector describing the location of the origin of the inertial reference frame, and xin, yin, and zin are vectors describing the orientation of the three axes of the inertial reference frame. Throughout this disclosure, vectors and matrices are respectively represented by bold lowercase and uppercase characters. For purposes of this disclosure, a navigation frame can be defined as a reference frame centered on an object in motion such that the origin changes with time. A particular navigation frame can thus be defined as Fnav=(pb(t); xnav; ynav; znav). In this definition, pb(t) is a function which provides a vector describing the location of the object in space and serves as the origin of the navigation frame, and xnav, ynav and znav, are vectors describing the orientation of the axes of the navigation reference frame. Finally, a body frame of reference is a frame centered on an object, and whose axes are fixed relatively to the orientation of this object. This can be noted Fb=(pb(t); Qb(t)e1; Qb(t)e2; Qb(t)e3) with ei a three dimensional vector with a 1 on its ith element and 0 everywhere else, and Qb(t) a rotation matrix representing the body's orientation with time. By convention in this document, e1 will be chosen as the body's heading axis in the body frame of reference.
The definitions provided above assume that there is a unifying coordinate system under which each frame can be defined, where the vectors in the definition of each frame of reference are values in this unifying coordinate system. However, the unifying coordinate system can be unknown from a system designer's perspective. Although this may be counterintuitive from the perspective of everyday life, in which the Earth provides an overarching frame of reference for everyone and everything, an automated system does not intuitively know what down and North are. Furthermore, even if each component of a system was given a gravity sensor and compass, variations in the sensors provided to each element of the system result in the system still not having a common frame of reference for creating a unified model of a physical space. As a result, transforms are sometimes utilized to align the reference frames used by a given system.
Transforms are used to align reference frames for assorted reasons. One reason is to take data obtained in one frame and represent it in another frame that is more conducive to the operations that the system is designed to conduct. For example, some GPS systems first estimate the position and velocity of a satellite in an inertial orbital frame and then translate the data to an Earth-fixed reference frame so that it will make sense to a user who is using the data to navigate with respect to the Earth's surface. Another reason for utilizing a transform is to align data obtained from different frames of reference into a single accurate model. However, aligning reference frames is not always necessary. For example, a map application on a smartphone will sometimes allow a user to track the location of the smartphone on the map and present both an orientation and a position of the phone to a user. The orientation and position will be presented to the user in a merged format in the form of an arrow pointing in a given direction and located at a given position on the map. The orientation may be provided by an onboard sensor on the smartphone while the position is determined by external devices such as satellites or wireless base stations. However, there is no need to align the reference frames used by the external devices and the onboard sensor because the level of accuracy required for a map application does not necessitate that both sources of data be aligned.

System for object tracking in physical space with aligned reference frames


The reliability of wirings, each of which includes a main conductive film containing copper as a primary component, is improved. On an insulating film including the upper surface of a wiring serving as a lower layer wiring, an insulating film formed of a silicon carbonitride film having excellent barrier properties to copper is formed; on the insulating film, an insulating film formed of a silicon carbide film having excellent adhesiveness to a low dielectric constant material film is formed; on the insulating film, an insulating film formed of a low dielectric constant material as an interlayer insulating film is formed; and thereafter a wiring as an upper layer wiring is formed.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a technique for manufacturing it and, particularly, to a technique effectively applied to a semiconductor device having wirings each including a main conductive film containing copper as a primary component.
Elements of the semiconductor device are connected by, for example, a multilayer wiring structure, whereby a circuit is configured. Along with an ultra-fine structure, an embedded wiring structure has been developed as a wiring one. The embedded wiring structure is formed by, for example, embedding, by use of a Damascene technique (Single-Damascene technique and Dual-Damascene technique), wiring materials in wiring openings such as wiring grooves and holes formed in an insulating film.
Japanese patent Laid-open No. 2002-43419 discloses a technique in which a 50 nm thick P—SiC film as a Cu atom diffusion preventing layer is formed on a Cu layer as an underlying wiring, and a low dielectric constant layer as an interlayer insulating film is formed on the P—SiC film.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2002-270691 discloses a technique in which, after a copper wiring is formed, a 5 to 50 nm thick insulating barrier film made of silica carbide (SiC), silica nitride (SiN) and a mixture (SiCN) thereof, etc. is formed on a plane formed by a CMP method.
Also in Non-patent Document 1, there is described a technique for using, as a barrier dielectric, a two-layer dielectric comprising a lower α-SiC film and a upper α-SiCN film.
[Non-patent Document 1]: C. C. Chiang, M. C. Chen, Z. C. Wu, L. J. Li, S. M. Jang, C. H. Yu, M. S. Liang, TDDB Reliability Improvement in Cu Damascene by using a Bilayer-Structured PECVD SiC Dielectric Barrier, "2002 IITC (International Interconnect Technology Conference)", (U.S.A.) IEEE, 2002, pp. 200-202

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof


A broadband antenna framework used for receiving and emitting radio signals for a mobile communication device (such as a mobile phone). The mobile communication device is provided on an upper edge of its circuit board (having a grounding surface) with an antenna, and is provided between the antenna and the circuit board with a meandering line; the meandering line is provided thereon with components containing multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) or multilayer ceramic inductors (MLCI); by using the capacitors or the inductors, the coupling effect between the grounding surface and the antenna can be insulated, so that there can be sufficient distance between the grounding surface and the antenna to radiate energy, the capacitors or the inductors do not result a direct current open circuit, hence other electronic elements can be laid around an antenna.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an antenna framework, and especially to an antenna framework allowing electronic elements to be laid around an antenna.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For the purpose of making beautiful of mobile phones, mobile phones with hidden antennas have become main stream gradually, and planar antennas have been widely used too. In the mobile phone with a hidden antenna as shown in FIG. 1, its antenna 92 is provided on the upper edge of a circuit board 91, and a grounding surface 911 is provided on the bottom end of the circuit board 91. The antenna 92 and the grounding surface 911 must be provided therebetween with an insulated completely clear area "S" to form an electric field effect; the completely clear area "S" shall not be laid therein with any other electronic element in order that generating of impure signals is prevented. Generally, the distanced "t" of the completely clear area "S" at least is 7 mm.
Such design of the conventional antenna framework makes larger of the size of a mobile phone, this does not meet the requirement for compactness on the mobile communication device; and improvement is required.


A system and method for continuous, real-time process monitoring and control by means of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy provides analysis of static or flowing fluid streams which may range from clear to highly optically dense, including fluids primarily of aqueous composition. A NIR source passes through a wavelength selector to select one or more spectral segments, which are passed through the fluid stream at a fluid sampling interface and received at a sensor. A wavelength reference material is positioned in the optical path for calibration. Quantification of a plurality of characteristics or parameters of a fluid and suspended solids or cells contained therein may be performed. An all-solid-state implementation of the optical system ensures high robustness in laboratory and industrial settings.

The present invention relates to a system for making continuous, real-time, non-destructive measurements of constituents in optically dense fluids for applications including, but not limited to, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, fuel, enzyme, and chemical manufacturing as well as other industrial processes. In particular, the present invention is well-suited for performing measurements in aqueous fluids, which is significant in a plurality of applications such as bioprocessing.
Access to continuous real-time data on conditions and constituents in fluid processing applications is highly desirable in a multitude of branches of industry and research. While robust sensors are widely available to measure parameters such as pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature, pressure, etc. in-situ and in real-time, such sensors to measure quantities of chemical constituents and suspended solids in fluids in real-time and in a robust manner have remained elusive in the art. Furthermore, sensors that are capable of measuring constituent concentrations often do so in a destructive manner, have inadequate sampling frequencies, and often require manual sampling and off-line analysis.
Quantification of constituent concentrations during fluid processes is most commonly performed by manual sampling and off-line analysis. Techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GCMS), as well as various enzyme- and reagent-based electrochemical approaches are available for off-line constituent quantification. Such techniques may be accurate, but suffer in that they are destructive to the sample, often require expensive consumables, take long times to complete, and are prone to calibration difficulties. In addition, the hardware required to perform these analyses is commonly expensive to maintain and typically demand highly trained and dedicated personnel. Due to the labor requirements of manual sampling and time required to perform a measurement, the sampling frequency is typically insufficient to enable any meaningful feedback control of a process. In order to reduce the labor cost of manual sample analysis, samples are commonly run in batches and after a process has run to completion. In this case, constituent quantification data are of limited value as control strategies cannot be implemented and corrective action cannot be taken during a process.
Sampling systems are available to automate the sampling process with some of these measurement approaches, and feedback control capabilities have been advertised. However, the aforementioned limitations still apply, and the total sample and priming volume are often on the order of 1-10 mL, making these systems inapplicable to miniature- and micro-sized fluid processing vessels which are increasing in popularity in research and development environments.
Measurement of characteristics of fluids by optical means is well-known in the art. Electromagnetic radiation impinging on a medium may interact with the medium by absorption, scattering, or fluorescence. Measurement of transmitted, reflected, scattered, or fluoresced radiation by an appropriate sensor may be used to determine multiple characteristics or properties of the medium, such as concentrations of constituents or turbidity, simultaneously. Typical techniques include visible spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, and optical scattering measurements such as Raman spectroscopy. On-line constituent monitors utilizing Raman spectroscopy have been described in the prior art and scientific literature, however commercial examples of such systems are most commonly sold as generalized measurement platforms requiring a highly skilled operator to produce useful output. Fundamental issues such as fluorescence background and weak signal often limit the performance of Raman analyzers—while the Raman signal increases with the fourth power of the excitation laser frequency, background fluorescence increases proportionally with the laser frequency. Use of longer wavelength laser sources reduces the background fluorescence, however higher powers must often be applied to the sample to produce acceptable signal levels, and sample damage may result.
Analytical instruments utilizing the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range (roughly 700 to 3000 nm) have found application in numerous industrial and laboratory applications such as chemical processing, food and beverage manufacturing, petroleum processing, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. A variety of configurations of NIR spectrometers and analyzers have been demonstrated in the prior art, having the intended function of determining one or more characteristics or parameters of a substance or its constituents. All such instruments execute similar fundamental operations: generate NIR radiation; direct said radiation to a sample; resolve the resultant radiation having interacted with the sample spectrally; measure the resolved radiation with an appropriate sensor; predict or measure characteristics of the sample or its constituents. These operations need not be performed in the specified order here. For example, a tunable light source may be employed rather than spectrally resolving broad-band radiation into multiple smaller bands. Separation of the radiation into discrete bands may also be performed before interaction with the sample takes place.
Various methods may be employed to perform the fundamental spectroscopic operations. Light sources may include light emitting diodes (LEDs), tungsten halogen lamps, micro electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based sources, and infrared lasers. Spectral resolution of the optical energy may be performed by grating-based solutions (scanning or fixed); Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) interferometry; interference filtering; and acousto-optical tunable filters (AOTF). The sample may be interrogated by means of optical transmission, transflection, reflection, scattering, or fluorescence. The sample may be flowing or static. A variety of sample interrogation methods exist. Furthermore, both free-space and fiber-coupled optical delivery and collection means are possible. Detection of NIR radiation may be accomplished by means of single element or array sensors. Semiconductor sensors comprising, for example: silicon; germanium; indium arsenide (InAs); indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs); indium antimonide (InSb); and lead sulfide (PbS) are available. Other detection platforms including photomultiplier tubes (PMT) and thermal sensors are also available. Determination of sample characteristics, parameters, and constituent concentrations may be performed by one or more chemometric approaches.
In most implementations in the prior art, resolution of broad-band NIR radiation is performed by grating- and FTIR-based approaches. While these approaches may offer advantages in throughput and/or resolution, they are often insufficiently robust for deployment in industrial or manufacturing settings. For example, thermal and mechanical disturbances in industrial environments combined with the inherent mechanical sensitivity of these spectroscopic approaches often limits practical relevance in industry. Furthermore, FTIR instrumentation is often bulky and not accommodating to miniaturization, making such platforms difficult to deploy in laboratory and industrial environments where space is at a premium. Another common limitation of prior art NIR instrumentation when applied to fluid analysis is the speed over which such instruments scan over the wavelength range of interest. Such instruments commonly provide scan times ranging from several hundred milliseconds to several seconds. In applications with flowing or agitated fluid, gas bubbles and solids suspended within the fluid often traverse the optical beam used to interrogate the fluid. If the transit time of such bubbles or suspended solids is faster than the scan time, detection of such disturbances and minimization of the effects they impart on a measurement becomes difficult or impossible.
Optical emitters, elements, and in particular sensors utilized in prior art NIR analyzers are often optimized for spectroscopy in the first C—H overtone region. This also roughly overlaps with the optical telecommunications wavelengths in the 1.3 to 1.6 μm spectral band. Optics and optical emitters in this spectral region are well-developed and widely available due to ubiquitous use in the telecommunications industry. Systems optimized for spectroscopy in the combination band of 1.6 to 2.6 μm are less common. This wavelength band is of particular relevance for measurements of constituent measurements in aqueous fluids due to strong optical absorption features of the constituents as well as the favorable optical transmission of water. Liquid water presents strong optical absorption bands in the infrared due to fundamental O—H stretching vibrations. While strong absorption peaks exist near 3450 cm−1 (2.9 μm) and 5128 cm−1 (1.95 μm), the combination region therebetween is sufficiently optically transparent to enable transmission measurements to be performed in aqueous solutions.
Sampling approaches in common NIR analyzers include external and internal flow cells, cuvettes, vials, and fiber optically coupled probes. Performance from external flow cells and fiber optic probes tends to suffer due to significant NIR absorption in common optical fibers as well as low throughput owing to the large emitting area of NIR optical emitters compared to optical fiber apertures. Sampling approaches internal to the instrument often present connection and sample loop sterility challenges. Permanent hardware implementations of flow cells are common, though not particularly amenable to the cleaning and sterilization requirements of biotechnology industries.
Another significant limitation of prior art NIR analyzers is that they are most commonly developed as generalized spectroscopic instruments intended for use in a wide variety of applications. While the apparent flexibility may appeal to some users, these platforms often require a highly skilled operator to generate useful output from the instrument and data analysis software.
To overcome the limitations of prior art NIR analyzers, a platform is desired which: is robust to the environment in industrial facilities; is compact and easily portable; interrogates samples non-destructively, continuously, and in real-time; determines fluid component concentrations continuously within complex, dynamic matrices; accommodates samples that are highly turbid; provides a sterilizable sampling interface that may be disposable; enables process control; remains within specified operating parameters for extended periods of time; has a low maintenance burden; is able to reject spectra contaminated by gas bubbles within the fluid; is able to robustly eliminate outlier spectra due to short-term instrument drift or sporadic events within the process fluid; is readily calibrated for complex and/or dynamic sample conditions; maintains calibration over an extended time period; and does not require a highly skilled operator. Preferably systems may be provided which address as many of the aforementioned limitations as possible.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method for automated process monitoring and control with near infrared spectroscopy


Method and apparatus for treating conductive irregularities in the heart, particularly atrial fibrillation and accessory path arrythmias. An ablative catheter is positioned relative to an inter-atrial electrical pathway, or a vicinity of accessory paths such as the coronary sinus or fossa ovalis, and actuated to form a lesion that partially or completely blocks electrical conduction in at least one direction along the pathway.

The human heart is a very complex organ, which relies on both muscle contraction and electrical impulses to function properly. Electrical impulses travel through the heart in a desired sequence so that the various chambers receive and pump blood in the proper order. With respect to the atria, normal excitation is propagated in a right atrium to left atrium direction via inter-atrial conduction pathways, including the coronary sinus, fossa ovalis, and Bachmann's bundle.
Abnormal inter-atrial electric flow, such as left-to-right conduction, may pose serious health risks to a patient including atrial fibrillation. Catheter ablation, that is the application of energy at a distal portion of a catheter positioned within or about the heart, or a vessel in electrical communication with the heart, to form lesions that alter conductive properties in the heart, is known for treating atrial fibrillation. Such techniques have targeted the focal trigger of an atrial arrhythmia as well as reentrant circuits in the myocardium.

Method and apparatus for altering conduction properties in the heart and in adjacent vessels


There is provided a fastening device which includes a nut having a body. The body has a top face and a bottom face. The body further has an orifice extending therethrough. The system also includes a clamp-force indicating insert for use with the nut. The insert includes a portion extrudable across the top face of the nut. The nut further includes at least one insert-engaging portion.

Inserts for providing an indication of a clamp-force exerted by a nut threaded on a bolt are known in the art. These inserts function to indicate that an appropriate clamp force has been achieved by the tightening of the nut on the bolt. However, upon loosening of the nut, these inserts are not rotationally coupled to the nut. Therefore, when the nut is loosened, the insert often becomes disengaged from the nut. The insert must then be inconveniently, separately screwed off the bolt or cut off. Additionally, separation of the compressed insert from the nut allows the loosened nut to spin freely off, increasing the likelihood of separation of the previously fastened components.
It would be desirable to have a nut which includes a clamp-force indicating insert which is rotationally coupled to the nut when the nut is loosened, thereby avoiding the inconveniences mentioned above. It would also be desirable to have a nut that would not spin freely off the fastener threads even after separation of the insert.

Fastener system including a clamp-force indicating insert


An aircraft flight control apparatus includes a flight track acquiring unit and a determining unit. The flight track acquiring unit is configured to measure a position of an aircraft to acquire a flight track of the aircraft. The determining unit is configured to determine, when an own-aircraft deviation amount gradually increases, whether the aircraft receives a spoofed signal as a satellite positioning system signal, on the basis of the own-aircraft deviation amount. The own-aircraft deviation amount is an amount of deviation of the flight track acquired by the flight track acquiring unit from a scheduled flight route of the aircraft.

The technology relates to a technique that favorably detects satellite positioning system spoofing causing a satellite positioning system device of an aircraft to receive a spoofed signal.
Recently, operation of an unmanned aircraft (unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)) often involves measurement of an own aircraft position utilizing the GPS. For example, reference is made to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-283400.

Aircraft flight control apparatus, aircraft flight controlling method, and non-transitory storage medium


A liquid ejection head includes therein a movable member, wherein the movable member is formed of lamination of at least three layers, at least one layer thereof having a free edge part covered with another layer.

An ink-jet recording apparatus includes a liquid ejection apparatus that uses a liquid ejection head for an ink-jet recording head. An ink-jet recording apparatus has been used extensively as an image forming apparatus of printers, facsimile machines, copiers or compound machines of these. Here, it should be noted that an ink-jet recording apparatus is defined as an apparatus that records images on a sheet (not limited to paper but includes also OHP sheet or any other medium on which ink droplets or other liquids can be attached and is called also as recording medium, recorded medium or recording sheet) by way of an ink recording head. Thereby, an ink-jet recording apparatus is capable of recording high-definition color images on such a medium with high speed.
Because such ink-jet recording apparatuses are marketed with low price, and further in view of its capability of providing high image quality particularly when used with a dedicated sheet, spreading of ink-jet recording apparatuses has been started in relation to the personal use applications. On the other hand, ink-jet recording apparatuses are used nowadays also in offices, in which laser printers of electro-photographic principle have been used conventionally, as the recording apparatus that is capable of achieving color output.
For the liquid ejection head, such as an ink-jet head used for an ink-jet recording apparatus, a thermal head that includes therein an ejecting port for ejecting the liquid in the form of droplet, a liquid passage communicating with the foregoing ejecting port, and an electro-thermal converter (heater) that provides energy for ejecting the liquid in the ink filling the passage, has been used. There, the energy provided to the liquid in the passage cause formation of bubbles in the liquid, and the dilatational force associated with the formation of the bubbles causes the ejection of the liquid droplets from the foregoing ejecting port.    Patent Reference 1: U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,129
Because the thermal head can record high-quality images at high speed with low cost, and because of its construction suitable for arranging the ink ejecting ports with high density, a thermal head has various advantageous features in that it can be used with a compact apparatus for forming high definition recording images including color images. Thus, thermal heads are used these days in numerous office apparatuses such as printers, copiers, facsimile machines, and the like. Further, a thermal head is now used also in industrial systems including textile printing apparatuses.
With such wide spread use of thermal head in various applications and various products, there also arise versatile demands and desires, and in order to meet for such demands and desires, various proposals have been made such as driving of the thermal head under a drive condition that enables high ejecting speed for the liquid droplets with stable bubble formation for achieving high quality images, or improvement of the shape of the liquid passage from the viewpoint of high-speed recording so as to enable high-speed filling of the ink in the liquid passage and hence realizing a high-speed liquid ejection head.
With the thermal head of the type that forms bubbles in the liquid passage and causes the ejection of the liquid droplets with the dilatation of the bubbles, it is known that the dilatation of the bubble in a reverse direction away from the ejecting outlet, and associated reverse flow of the liquid, becomes the factor of decreasing the ejection energy of the droplets and further the factor of decreasing of the refill characteristics.
In view of the foregoing problem, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2000-225703 proposes a structure for improving the ejecting energy efficiency and the ink refill characteristics of such a liquid ejection head.    Patent Reference 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2000-225703
It should be noted that the invention disclosed in Patent Reference 2 discloses a construction in which there is provided a movable member between the liquid passage and a common liquid supply chamber communicating with the liquid passage so as to interrupt the communication therebetween.
According to Reference 2, the movable member has a laminated structure, wherein the outer periphery (free end part) of the movable member has a sawtooth form in the thickness direction thereof. Here, it should be noted that the representation "sawtooth structure in the thickness direction" means that the cross-sectional area and hence the peripheral length in the cross section taken in the thickness direction of the movable member, are changed alternately between "large" and "small", such as "large" to "small" to "large".
Further, Patent Reference 3 discloses an electrostatic ink-jet head, wherein the reference proposes a construction in which ink is supplied through an electrode substrate formed with individual electrodes. In the construction of the ink-jet head of Patent Reference 3, there is provided a movable member (check valve) in the ink supply passage to each liquid chamber by the extension part of a diaphragm.    Patent Reference 3: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2001-18385

Liquid ejection head having improved durability against liquid, liquid cartridge having such a liquid ejection head, liquid ejection apparatus having such a liquid cartridge, image forming apparatus having such a liquid ejection apparatus, and manufacturing method of liquid ejecting head