An electronic device may be provided with a display such as a liquid crystal display having upper and lower polarizer layers, a color filter layer, a liquid crystal layer, and a thin-film transistor layer. The display may have backlight structures that include a light guide plate, a reflector, and optical films. An opaque masking layer may be formed in a strip that runs along a peripheral edge of the lower polarizer in the display. The lower polarizer and the optical films may be separated by an air gap. The uppermost optical film may be a brightness enhancing film. The lower polarizer may be a matte polarizer layer, a polarizer film attached to an achromatic polarizing compensating film, or a matte polarizer that is attached to an achromatic polarizing compensating film coated with a matte coating.

This relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices with displays.
Electronic devices often include displays. For example, cellular telephones and portable computers often include displays for presenting information to a user. An electronic device may have a housing such as a housing formed from plastic or metal. Components for the electronic device such as display components may be mounted in the housing.
It can be challenging to incorporate a display into the housing of an electronic device. Size and weight are often important considerations in designing electronic devices. If care is not taken, displays may be bulky or may be surrounded by overly large borders. The housing of an electronic device can be adjusted to accommodate a bulky display with large borders, but this can lead to undesirable enlargement of the size and weight of the housing and unappealing device aesthetics.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide improved ways to provide displays for electronic devices.


An antenna structure and assembly are provided, along with a method of fabricating the same. The antenna structure is formed by molding a plateable plastic antenna element in the desired shape of the antenna structure. The molded antenna element is plated substantially entirely thereabout with a conductive metal material. The antenna assembly includes the molded and plated antenna structure attached to a dielectric base structure adapted for mounting on an appropriate support such as a printed circuit board. A contact spring clip is interengaged between the antenna structure and the circuit board.

This invention generally relates to antenna structures and antenna assemblies used with wireless communication apparatus and including a method of fabricating an antenna structure.
Antenna structures or assemblies have been used in wireless communication equipment such as in the radio telephone art, personal base stations, portable handsets and other communication terminals which are small, compact and lightweight. Considerable efforts have been made to fabricate such antennas in an efficient manner, particularly when the antennas are used with miniaturized electronic and radio frequency circuitry, but such efforts continue to be plagued with cost, fabrication and use problems.
For instance, some antennas are stamped and formed of sheet metal material, with selected contact portions being plated with precious metal. This stamping is quite flexible and rather xe2x80x9cflimsyxe2x80x9d. Consequently, a separate rigid base structure of dielectric material, such as molded plastic, is provided for attaching the stamped and formed antenna thereto. The separate base structure typically has some form of mounting means for mounting the assembly on another structure such as a printed circuit board. The separate stamping and separate molding processes are unduly expensive, particularly in automated processes. In addition, it is difficult to maintain true tolerances, and this causes connection problems if the stamped antenna is to be electrically connected to a printed circuit board.
In order to avoid the tolerance problems of the stamped and formed antennas as described above, other antennas have also been made by a two-shot molding process which involves molding the dielectric base structure with two different plastic materials. Specifically, a mounting portion of the base structure is molded of a plastic material which can be utilized for mounting on another structure such as a printed circuit board. This first material typically is not plateable. A second plateable plastic portion then is molded over the first portion. Selective areas of the second, plateable plastic portion then are plated with metal antenna material in an electroless plating process. Although this type of antenna has better tolerances than the stamped antennas described above, this two-shot molding and selective plating procedure is quite expensive, involving expensive tooling, multiple processes and materials.
The present invention is directed to solving these various problems of prior art antennas and methods of fabrication as described above, and to provide an improved antenna structure and assembly along with a new more robust method of fabricating the same.
A general object, of the present invention is to provide a new and improved antenna structure of the character described.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive dual band antenna for use in wireless handsets, portable computers and other electronic devices.
A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved method of fabricating an antenna structure.
In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, an antenna structure includes a dielectric plastic core configured in the desired shape of the antenna structure. A conductive metal plating is applied over substantially the entire dielectric plastic core.
The invention contemplates attaching the above antenna structure to a dielectric base structure which is adapted for mounting on an appropriate support, substrate or the like, such as a printed circuit board. Specifically, complementary interengaging attachment means are provided between the base structure and the antenna structure to secure the antenna structure on the base structure.
As disclosed herein, the plated dielectric plastic core may be substantially planar in configuration. According to one aspect of the invention, the complementary interengaging attachment means between the base and antenna structures is provided by at least one attachment post on the base structure press-fit into an attachment hole in the antenna structure. According to another aspect of the invention, the base structure is molded of plastic material, and the complementary interengaging attachment means include portions of the base structure overmolded about portions of the antenna structure.
As disclosed herein, the base structure is adapted for mounting on a printed circuit board. A feature of the invention comprises a conductive contact clip interengaged between the antenna structure and the circuit board. The conductive contact clip is provided by a metal spring clip mounted on an arm of the antenna structure. The arm extends over the base structure toward the printed circuit board.
The method of fabricating the antenna structure according to the invention includes plating the molded plastic core by an electroplating process. The method also contemplates molding a plurality of the plastic cores in a multi-core array joined by an integrally molded carrier structure. The cores subsequently are severed from the carrier structure. The cores may be gang plated prior to being severed from the carrier structure, or the cores may be individually plated after severance.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.


An apparatus is disclosed for the secure storage of sockets for ratchet wrenches and other types of interchangeable bit members for tools such as screwdrivers, nut drivers, routers, etc., having integral shafts or shaft receiving members. The invention includes a system for securely holding one or more of a set of detachable bits, used with ratchet wrenches or other tools, by means of a cam-actuated rotator member mounted within a channel guide. Further, a novel socket display apparatus is disclosed which provides a secure mounting system for the cam actuated receiving unit. The socket display apparatus provides for snap lock engagement of the display apparatus with a ratchet wrench socket or other tool bit whereby the socket or bit may only be removed by destroying the display unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the secure storage of sockets for ratchet wrenches and interchangeable bit members for other types of tools such as screwdrivers, nut drivers, routers, etc., having integral shafts or shaft receiving members. The invention includes a cam-actuated socket or bit receiving unit mounted within a channel guide. Further according to the invention, a novel display apparatus is disclosed which incorporates the cam actuated socket receiving unit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ratchet wrenches of the kind which are used by professional and amateur mechanics commonly include a gripping handle integrally formed with a ratchet head unit. The ratchet head unit generally includes a male sexed ratchet drive nub operationally connected to a reversible ratchet mechanism positioned within the ratchet head. Detachable sockets are available for use with such ratchets which include a drive aperture dimensioned to receive male sexed ratchet drive nubs of certain standard sizes. For example, standard sized drive nubs may be 1/4, 3/8 or 1/2 inches square. On an opposite end of the socket there is typically provided a second aperture designed to securely engage a nut or the head of a bolt.
It is often desirable to store a series of sockets for ratchet wrenches in an organized manner so that various socket sizes for use with different size nuts and bolts may be easily located. Systems of the prior art for storing such sockets have included elongated metal rack systems with resilient male-engaging members for engaging the drive end of a socket to be stored thereon. Significantly, however, such systems suffer from a serious drawbacks in that, if they are dropped on the floor or roughly handled, sockets mounted thereon will tend to be knocked off the rack, and thereby become disorganized. Furthermore, such systems typically suffer from corrosion problems due to the necessity of manufacturing such items from metal. To date, no economical and commercially available socket-storage systems have been available which have overcome the problem of securely holding a socket in a convenient, releasable manner. A similar problem exists with respect to interchangeable bit members for other types of tools such as screwdrivers, nut drivers, routers, etc., having integral shafts or shaft receiving members.

Locking holder for interchangeable bit members


A shift lever device includes: a shift lever capable of selecting an arbitrary shift range among a plurality of shift ranges by a shifting operation; a T-shaped shaft whose horizontal portion is pivotally supported in such a manner as to be rotatable in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle and whose leg portion extends upward; and a connecting portion provided on an outer periphery of the leg portion so as to pivotally support the shift lever in such a manner that the shift lever is rotatable between a first position where a longitudinal direction of the shift lever is parallel with a longitudinal direction of the leg portion and a second position to which the shift lever is rotated in a transverse direction of the vehicle. Accordingly, since the shift lever is connected to the T-shaped shaft, which is stable in terms of its strength, via the connecting portion in such a manner as to be rotatable in a direction perpendicular to the rotating direction of the T-shaped shaft, the shift lever device can be applied to various shift patterns.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a shift lever device used for a transmission of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A shift lever for shifting an automatic transmission is passed through a guide slot formed in a box-shaped housing, and a desired shift range can be selected as the shift lever is moved along the guide slot.
As shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, various types including a straight type 100, an H-pattern type 102, and a gate type 104 are used as patterns of the guide slot. Conventionally, it has been necessary to manufacture members for changing over a shift position so as to make it possible to cope with the movement of the shift lever in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle, so that the structures of the shift lever devices have been complicated. For this reason, it has been difficult to use the parts in common, with the result that the manufacturing cost has been high.
In addition, a rubber-made cushion gate, which is fabricated in conformity with the configuration of the guide slot, is conventionally attached to wall portions of the guide slot so as to alleviate the striking sound when the shift lever strikes against the wall of the guide slot. However, the configurations of the cushion gates are complicated, resulting in an increase in the number of parts used.


An optical device includes first and second waveguides and a micro-ring. The first waveguide is optically coupled to the micro-ring and is separated from the micro-ring by a first gap having a first gap distance. The second waveguide has a supply port, an output port, and a coupling portion optically coupled to the micro-ring. The coupling portion is separated from the micro-ring by a second gap having a second distance. The second gap distance is larger than the first gap distance. The second waveguide and the micro-ring cooperate to form a filter having a stop band. The first gap distance is selected such that a first optical signal on the first waveguide having a first strength causes a first shift in the stop band such that a first wavelength is within the stop band, and wherein the second gap distance is selected such that a second optical signal on the second waveguide having the first strength causes a second or no shift in the stop band such that the first wavelength is outside of the stop band.

An optical transistor is an optical device for use in optical circuits that has the characteristics analogous to those of an electrical transistor. For example, an optical transistor may have three terminals or ports analogous to the three terminals of a common BJT or FET transistor. In general, a transistor-type device has the general characteristic of allowing a relatively weak input signal to control a stronger output signal. In an FET, a gate signal with very little current may be used to switch much larger currents.
The ability to allow a weak signal to switch a strong signal is known as the supply-gate ratio ("SGR"). A transistor having a good SGR (for example, a FET or BJT) can be used as a repeater in a transmission line, for example. Another important feature of a transistor is its on/off ratio. The on/off ratio measures the difference in output (e.g. drain-source) current from the on state (conducting) to the off state (non-conducting). This is sometimes known as the blocking characteristic.
In general, an ideal optical transistor would have a good optical SGR and on/off ratio. Such an optical transistor would be useful in all-optical information processing. While optical transistors have been realized, they have only been realized in non-silicon chip environments. Such devices are difficult to incorporate into integrated optical circuits.
There is a need, therefore, for an optical device that operates in the manner of an electrical transistor, but can be implemented in a silicon chip environment that is suitable for integration with other components.


An example apparatus comprises a controller coupled to a non-volatile memory (NVM) device. The controller may be configured to cause a logical block address (LBA) to be stored in a first logical-to-physical (L2P) data structure in the NVM device and a physical block address (PBA) to be stored in a second L2P data structure in the NVM device The first L2P data structure and the second L2P data structure may have a same size associated therewith.

Memory devices are typically provided as internal, semiconductor, integrated circuits in computing systems. There are many different types of memory including volatile and non-volatile memory. Volatile memory can require power to maintain its data (e.g., host data, error data, etc.) and includes random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), and thyristor random access memory (TRAM), among others. Non-volatile memory can provide persistent data by retaining stored data when not powered and can include NAND flash memory, and NOR flash memory, among others.
Data may be stored according to logical block addresses (LBAs) and physical block addresses (PBAs). The mapping between the LBAs and the PBAs may be referred to as logical-to-physical (L2P) mapping. The mapping between the LBAs and the PBAs may be stored in a tree structure. A tree structure for storing L2P data may include a P-level L2P table, where P is a non-zero integer. A simple example in accordance with some approaches may include a 2-level L2P table. The first-level table may contain addresses of the second-level tables, which may be referred to as "segments." In some approaches, each segment may include an L2P table for a small range of consecutive LBAs (e.g., 1024 LBAs).

Logical-to-physical data structures for tracking logical block addresses indicative of a collision


A method is provided for printing graphic designs in-line during manufacture of a vehicle. The method utilizes an ink jet printing system to apply graphic designs over an uncured base coat of paint on the vehicle surface followed by the application of a protective clear coat over the graphic design.

Embodiments described herein relate to a method of providing a graphic design on a vehicle body and to the graphic design produced thereby. More particularly, embodiments described herein relate to a method which includes printing a graphic design by ink jet printing between a base coat and a clear top coat on a vehicle body such that the graphic design exhibits improved durability.
Currently, graphic designs such as pin stripes, decals, and the like are laboriously applied by hand to the exterior of automotive vehicles after the vehicle has been fully assembled and painted. Such graphics are typically provided in the form of adhesive-backed decals which are applied manually to vehicle surfaces. The decals are then subjected to a thermal curing step such as by using infrared lamps to ensure that they adhere properly to the outer surface of the clear coat paint. However, one drawback of applying the decals to the outer surface of vehicles is that they are not durable over long periods of time as they are exposed to various environmental conditions. Other drawbacks are that manual application of the decals is labor intensive, adding to costs. In addition, the application of decals to the vehicle surface results in surface discontinuities which are undesirable from a visual perspective.
It would be desirable to be able to provide graphic designs beneath the outer clear coat so as to provide protection of the graphics, thus improving durability and visual aesthetics.

Method of producing a graphic design on a vehicle body


The present invention provides a method for isolating N-phosphonomethylglycine which comprises adding an acid to precipitate salts from an aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt and/or an alkaline earth metal salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine solution to neutralize and adjust the same to a pH of 2.5 or higher, removing the precipitated salts, and adjusting the pH to 2.5 or lower to crystallize N-phosphonomethylglycine. N-phosphonomethylglycine is thus isolated and purified in high purity and good yield.

A large number of methods for producing N-phosphonomethylglycine are known. Some production methods result in the formation of an aqueous solution of an alkali metal salt and/or an alkaline earth metal salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine. Thus, a means for isolating and purifying N-phosphonomethylglycine from the aqueous solution in high purity and good yield has been in demand.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-279595 discloses a method for producing N-phosphonomethylglycine which comprises reacting an aminomethylphosphonic acid and glycolonitrile in the presence of an alkali metal hydroxide. Then, an alkali metal hydroxide is further added in an amount sufficient to neutralize the carboxylic acid that is produced by the hydrolysis. According to this patent publication (Example 2), the reaction yield is very high, and the conversion ratio of each of the aminomethylphosphonic acid and glycolonitrile as raw materials is 95%. The purity is also high, and the reaction operation is simple. Hence, this is an excellent method for producing N-phosphonomethylglycine. However, the compound obtained after completing the reaction in this method is an alkali metal salt of N-phosphonomethylglycine. Therefore, N-phosphonomethylglycine must be isolated and purified therefrom by adding an acid. In the isolation and purification, means such as acid deposition or contacting with an ion exchange resin is used.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,583 describes in its Example a technique of using an ion exchange resin after hydrolyzing N-phosphonomethylglycinonitrile with hydrochloric acid or sodium hydroxide.
Thus, there is a need in the art for providing an improved method for isolating and purifying free N-phosphonomethylglycine from its alkali metal salt in high purity and good yield.

Method for isolating N-phosphonomethylglycine


An information processing device includes a first calculation part configured to calculate a position of a first icon on a transparent screen, the transparent screen being viewed by a driver of a vehicle, the first icon indicating that an obstacle in a path of a vehicle is detected from an image captured by an imaging part provided in the vehicle, the first icon being viewed at a position of the obstacle on a two-dimensional coordinate plane arranged at a lower limit position of the transparent screen, the two-dimensional coordinate plane corresponding to an imaging area of the imaging part, and a second calculation part configured to calculate a position of an end point of an indication line on the transparent screen, the indication line being viewed as extending from a position of the first icon on the transparent screen toward the obstacle.

1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to at least one of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a head-up display device has been known as a device for assisting obstacle avoidance behavior of a driver during an operation of a vehicle.
A head-up display device is a device for presenting a transparent screen at a front position of a driver and displaying a variety of images thereon. According to such a device, an image for emphasizing an obstacle that is an attention calling object is arranged at a position on a transparent screen that corresponds to a position of an eye ball of a driver so that it is possible to superimpose and display such an image on the attention calling object. Hence, it is possible for a driver to perceive the attention calling object with a little of movement of a line of sight (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-196359).
However, in a case of a conventional head-up display device that includes Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2013-196359, an area where it is possible to superimpose and display an image for emphasizing an attention calling object on the attention calling object depends on a size of a transparent screen. Hence, in a case where a size of a transparent screen is small, it is merely possible to execute displaying of an emphasizing image for only an attention calling object present in a limited area.
Furthermore, it is necessary to execute display that is readily perceived by a driver even when a small size is provided, in order to enable a driver to perceive an attention calling object and take avoidance behavior by a display in a limited area.
Thus, it is desired that display on a head-up display device is executed in such a manner that it is possible for a driver to take a sufficient avoidance behavior regardless of whether or not an obstacle that is an attention calling object is present in an area of a transparent screen.

Information processing device, information processing method, and non-transitory computer-readable recording medium for showing an indication of an obstacle


A trigger signal provided via a pulse-per-second input port of a network interface controller is detected. In response to the trigger signal, an internal hardware clock value of the network interface controller is recorded. The recorded internal hardware clock value is reported, wherein the reported internal hardware clock value is reported for use in determining a timing error of the network interface controller based at least in part on a comparison with a time value of another device that also received the trigger signal.

A network interface controller (NIC) is a computer hardware component that connects a computer to a computer network. NICs may also be referred to as network interface cards, network adapters, local area network (LAN) adapters, physical network interfaces, or other similar terms. NICs implement the electronic circuitry needed to communicate among computers in a network (e.g., a LAN). Computers in a network can be synchronized by synchronizing the NICs of the computers. Synchronization may be required to synchronize financial transactions, mobile phone tower transmissions, and other operations in networks that require precise timing. Various synchronization protocols can be used. To better evaluate the performance of these protocols and to better understand computer network synchronization, it would be beneficial to develop techniques directed toward improving measurement and analysis of computer network synchronization and associated timing parameters.

Reporting clock value of network interface controller for timing error analysis


A container for holding and dispensing glue includes a bottle having an open end and a nozzle secured in the open end for closing the open end but enabling glue to be dispensed through the nozzle. An overcap is engageable on the bottle in enclosing relationship to the nozzle to close and seal the nozzle when not in use. Interengaged detents are on the bottle and the nozzle to prevent relative axial and rotational movement therebetween to prevent inadvertent dislodgement of the nozzle from the bottle, and seal rings are engaged between the nozzle and the bottle to prevent leakage of glue between the nozzle and bottle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers for holding and dispensing liquid. More particularly, the invention relates to a dispensing container of the type used to dispense adhesives.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Adhesives intended for a variety of uses are packaged in many different types of containers. Some adhesives, especially the polyacrylates (methacrylate and acrylate polymers, cyanoacrylates, acrylamide) are thermoplastic anaerobic glues that are typically packaged in small plastic bottles having an elongate narrow tip through which the glue is dispensed in small quantities. In conventional glue-dispensing bottles of this type, the tip is formed on a nozzle sub-assembly that is inserted into the open neck of the bottle and retained therein by frictional engagement between a cylindrical skirt on the nozzle and the interior surface of the bottle neck. An overcap is then threaded over the neck of the bottle, in enclosing relationship to the nozzle and protruding tip. When fully closed, the overcap engages against the nozzle, and the bottom end of the skirt of the overcap may engage against an upwardly facing shoulder formed on the bottle at the juncture of the threaded neck with the body of the bottle. While this arrangement works satisfactorily during initial use of the glue dispenser, small quantities of glue may get on the exterior surfaces of the nozzle and/or bottle, with the result that when the overcap is tightened on the bottle, the overcap is adhesively secured to the nozzle. Consequently, when the overcap is subsequently removed, the nozzle may also become dislodged from the neck of the bottle, resulting in spillage of the adhesive. Moreover, adhesive may get between the threaded skirt of the overcap and adjacent portions of the bottle, so that the overcap becomes adhesively secured to the bottle. When this happens, consumers sometimes resort the use of tools to free the overcap from the bottle, and this increases the potential risk of dislodging the nozzle from the bottle. Spillage of these adhesives is not only inconvenient, it can result in damage to furniture, floors, carpet and other items contacted by the spilled adhesive. More significant, however, is the danger of personal injury posed by spillage of these adhesives. For example, contact of cyanoacrylate with the chemicals in certain fabrics, or the material of the fabric itself, including stonewashed jeans, can cause a reaction that generates substantial heat, producing burns in an individual wearing the clothing.
Accordingly, there is need for a glue dispensing bottle which has inexpensive and reliable means for securing the nozzle to the bottle so that it will not become dislodged from the bottle during use, and which therefore minimizes the danger of spilling the glue.

Glue-dispensing bottle with improved nozzle assembly


A jet pickling apparatus for pickling the surfaces of continuously moving sheet material (12) has tips of the nozzle headers (41-43) for discharging a pickling fluid (19) on the surfaces of the sheet and into a pickling tank (31) formed into a slit shape (41a-43a), and the nozzles (41,42) at the entrance side are installed to eject pickling fluid in the same direction as the running direction of sheet while the nozzle (43) at the exit side ejects the pickling fluid in the direction opposite to the running direction of the sheet. Therefore, there is no gas in the pickling tank (31) and the tank is filled with the pickling fluid (19), which eliminates the problems of floating of the sheet (12) and insufficient contact of the pickling fluid (19) with the sheet surfaces, allowing thorough pickling and improving the pickling effect.

This invention relates to an apparatus for continuously moving sheet material by spraying pickling fluid on the sheet.
FIGS. 7 and 8 schematically show an apparatus for continuously pickling a sheet in accordance with the prior art.
As shown in these figures, a tank body 11 is box-shaped with its upper surface open, and has side walls 13 installed along both sides of tank body 11 in the running direction of conveyed sheet 12 (in the right and left direction in FIG. 7)
A tank bottom 14 of this tank body 11 is so constructed that its central portion in the width direction is one-step raised throughout the length of the tank body 11 in the running direction of the sheet 12. On the raised tank bottom 14 are arranged a plurality of skids 15 for supporting the sheet 12.
In the tank body 11, waste fluid passages 16, 16 are formed at both sides of the tank bottom 14 in the running direction of the sheet 12, and fluid collecting chambers 17, 17 are formed in front of and in rear of the tank body 11.
To the fluid collecting chambers 17, 17 are attached waste fluid pipes 18, 18, which are connected to an acid fluid tank 20 which stores pickling fluid 19.
Above the tank body 11, a cover 21 is disposed to close the tank body 11. The cover 21 is connected to the upper parts of the side walls 13.
An internal cover 23 is installed to the cover 21 via a plurality of support members 24 spaced in the running direction of the sheet 12, and has side walls 22 whose ends abut on the tank bottom 14.
In the vicinity of the lengthwise center is formed an opening in each of the side walls 22 of internal cover 23. These openings serve to connect the inner part of the tank body 11 defined by the internal cover 23 to the waste fluid passages 16.
Near the lengthwise ends of internal cover 23, a first nozzle header 26 is mounted at the entrance side of the sheet 12, and second nozzle headers 27, 28 are mounted at the exit side.
Each nozzle header 26, 27, 28 has a plurality of jet holes arranged in parallel, and is connected to the acid fluid tank 20 via a supply pipe 29, so that the pickling fluid 19 can be sprayed on the sheet 12 by means of an acid pump 30 connected in the supply pipe 29.
Thus, the pickling fluid 19 sprayed from the nozzle headers 26, 27, 28 is injected into a pickling tank 31 defined by the raised tank bottom 14 of the tank body 11, the internal cover 23, and the side walls 22. The sheet 12, while running in the pickling tank 31 by being supported by skids 15, is in contact with the pickling fluid 19, so that the upper and lower surfaces of the sheet are pickled.
In this process, the pickling fluid 19 sprayed from the nozzle headers 26, 27, 28 is collected in the pickling tank 31 by the jet pressure, and then flows in the waste fluid passages 16 through the openings 25 installed in the side walls 22, being directed to the fluid collecting chambers 17.
The pickling fluid collected in the fluid collecting chambers 17 is returned to the acid fluid tank 20 through waste fluid pipes 18.
When pickling of a sheet is performed by using the above-described apparatus according to the prior art, however, a uniform jet pressure cannot be applied in the direction of the pickling tank width because a plurality of jet holes on the nozzle header 26, 27, 28 are arranged in parallel, so that the pickling tank 31 is not sufficiently and sealingly filled with the pickling fluid 19; as a result, there arises low-pressure spaces which are not filled with pickling fluid. This presents the following problems: (1) the sheet 12 floats and comes in contact with the internal cover 23, causing the internal cover to be damaged, and (2) the pickling fluid 19 is not applied sufficiently to the upper surface of the sheet 12, producing a poor pickling effect.


The present invention relates to basic polyene macrolide derivatives, characterized in that they comprise a basic polyene macrolide which is N-substituted by a 1-amino-1-deoxyketose group which in turn is substituted or unsubstituted, to a process for their preparation and to their use for obtaining drugs.

Polyene macrolides are a class of antifungal antibiotics which show a broad spectrum of activity in man against fungi and yeast pathogens. This is especially true of amphotericine B (AmB), which is an antifungal agent with a broad spectrum of fungistatic and fungicidal activity: Candida albicans, Coccidioides immitis, Sporotrichum, Cryptococcus neoformans, Histoplasma, Blastomyces, Rhizopus orizae, Aspergillus niger, etc. Despite the introduction of imidazoles, they still remain the most efficient drug against quite a number of conditions.
Furthermore, AmB has immunomodulating properties in mice and, to a certain degree, in man. It also enhances the activity of a certain number of anti-cancer drugs.
However, due to its macrocyclic nature and amphoteric character, the AmB which corresponds to the formula A below: ##STR1## is sparingly soluble in water and tends to form micelles in aqueous solution. Moreover, the toxicity of AmB towards animal cells and in particular kidney cells, lymphocytes and erythrocytes, imposes extreme precautions when using it clinically. This is especially the case for the treatment of deep-seated and systemic mycoses which have to be treated by intravenous administration.
These considerations have led many researchers to search for non-toxic and more soluble derivatives. Accordingly, a large number of derivatives have been produced which are modified either at the level of the acid function on C16 or at the level of the primary amine function on C3'. The work of the following authors may be mentioned in particular:
BRUZZESE et al., J. Pharm. sci. (1975), 64, 462: esterification of the carboxyl group; PA0 FALKOWSKI et al., German Patent No. 3,013,631: amidation of the carboxyl group; PA0 WRIGHT, U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,525: esterification of the carboxyl group and substitution of the amine on C3' by aminated acids; PA0 SCHAFFNER and BOROWSKI Antib. & Chemo. (1961), II, 724: acetylation of the amine; PA0 SIPOS and KESELSKI, U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,993: substitution of the amine group by a benzyl group; PA0 KULBAKH et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,007,166: formation of an N-methyl-D-glucaminemacrolide complex; PA0 FALKOWSKI et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,172, British Patent No. 1,387,187: reaction of glycol with the amine group.
Attempts have also been made to increase the solubility of amphotericine B by adding surface-active agents or by forming salts (European Patent 31,722). Unfortunately, all these attempts have resulted in derivatives which are unstable in solution or in derivatives which have lost their antibiotic properties.

Derivatives of basic polyene macrolides and their preparation


The machine for removing wrinkles from fabric includes a tubular member, a rod positioned inside the tubular member to support the tubular member, and a heating element positioned in communicating relation with the tubular member. The machine can include a case having a fastener, such as mating hook and loop fasteners. The machine can also include at least one temperature sensor, a timer, and at least one fragrance canister including a fragrance dispenser and a corresponding tube. The fragrance dispenser is configured for dispensing a fragrance onto a piece of fabric.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to fabric, and more particularly, to a machine for removing wrinkles from fabric.
2. Description of the Related Art
As many who travel are well aware, it is very difficult to pack clothes in a suitcase in such a way that prevents clothes from being wrinkled. In order to compensate for this inconvenience, people who travel typically pack irons, steamers, or other suitable devices to eliminate or reduce the amount of wrinkles in clothing. Not only is it inconvenient to have to travel with irons and steamers due to the additional space they consume, but traveling with such additional equipment can also result in additional expenses in terms of overweight baggage fees, for example. Another option to dealing with this inconvenience is that travelers often rely on the laundry or valet services provided by their hotels. Relying on the laundry services provided by hotels can be expensive and inconvenient, since many require at least twenty-four hours to iron a hotel guest's clothes or charge a premium to have it done sooner. Further, even packing clothing in one's closet or dresser drawers can result in wrinkled clothing, causing people to have to iron or steam their clothing for a second time after it has already been washed, ironed/steamed, and stored.
Thus, a machine for removing wrinkles from fabric solving the aforementioned problems is desired.

Machine for removing wrinkles from fabric


A method comprises obtaining an input comprising audio and visual data for display on a first device, receiving data associated with one or more sensory properties of one or more objects in the input, and reconstructing the one or more sensory properties at the first device based on the data received.

As technology advances, more and more can be done in the virtual environment. For example, technological advances now enable new means of communication, including videotelephony and voice over IP. Communication between family members via remote means using applications such as SKYPE or FACETIME, allow for video and audio transmissions between users in real-time.
Furthermore, content available for media streaming continually expands in the virtual environment. Users can now easily send or receive videos and watch movies and shows on a user device. Communication via remote means also enable non-traditional forms of education such as distance learning. Students can now watch live or pre-recorded lectures as well as explore different subject areas using the vast media content available on the Internet. For example, a child can watch videos of lions in Africa without having to travel to Africa or even to a local zoo; a student in London can participate in a live lecture that is taking place in a New York City classroom.

International Business Machines Corporation


A method for setting an engine speed of an internal combustion engine in a marine propulsion device of a marine propulsion system to an engine speed setpoint includes determining the engine speed setpoint based on an operator demand and predicting a position of a throttle valve that is needed to achieve the engine speed setpoint. The method also includes determining a feed forward signal that will move the throttle valve to the predicted position, and after moving the throttle valve to the predicted position, adjusting the engine speed with a feedback controller so as to obtain the engine speed setpoint. An operating state of the marine propulsion system is also determined. Depending on the operating state, the method may include determining limits on an authority of the feedback controller to adjust the engine speed and/or determining whether the operator demand should be modified prior to determining the engine speed setpoint.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,853, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a docking system which utilizes the marine propulsion unit of a marine vessel, under the control of an engine control unit that receives command signals from a joystick or push button device, to respond to a maneuver command from the marine operator. The docking system does not require additional propulsion devices other than those normally used to operate the marine vessel under normal conditions. The docking or maneuvering system of the present invention uses two marine propulsion units to respond to an operator's command signal and allows the operator to select forward or reverse commands in combination with clockwise or counterclockwise rotational commands either in combination with each other or alone.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,762,022, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a system and method for efficiently changing controlled engine speed of a marine internal combustion engine in a marine propulsion system for propelling a marine vessel. The system responds to the operator changing the operator-selected engine speed, from a first selected engine speed to a second-selected engine speed, by predicting throttle position needed to provide the second-selected engine speed, and providing a feed forward signal moving the throttle to the predicted throttle position, without waiting for a slower responding PID controller and/or overshoot thereof, and concomitant instability or oscillation, and then uses the engine speed control system including the PID controller to maintain engine speed at the second-selected engine speed.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,777,681, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses systems for maneuvering a marine vessel that comprise a plurality of marine propulsion devices that are movable between an aligned position to achieve of movement of the marine vessel in a longitudinal direction and/or rotation of the marine vessel with respect to the longitudinal direction and an unaligned position to achieve transverse movement of the marine vessel with respect to the longitudinal direction. A controller has a programmable circuit and controls the plurality of marine propulsion devices to move into the unaligned position when a transverse movement of the marine vessel is requested and to thereafter remain in the unaligned position after the transverse movement is achieved. Methods of maneuvering a marine vessel comprise requesting transverse movement of the marine vessel with respect to a longitudinal direction and operating a controller to orient a plurality of marine propulsion devices into an unaligned position to achieve the transverse movement, wherein the plurality of marine propulsion devices remain in the unaligned position after the transverse movement is achieved.

Systems and methods for setting engine speed in a marine propulsion device


A real-time distributed model-based predictive control method having a time maintenance mechanism that solves all state synchronization problems. Method steps include generating a message that predicts a system value corresponding to a future time, and executing a control process using the system value contained within said message, resulting in a process state. The process state is then stored in a state queue. The local process time is rolled back to the latest valid local process time prior to said message if the message precedes the current process state time. Rolling back comprises retrieving the system state values at that latest valid local process time from said state queue and re-executing the control process, using the system value contained within the message, and storing the new state in the state queue. The method also includes rolling back if, upon receiving a message containing an observed system value, said observed system value differs from its predicted value by more than a predetermined tolerance. The method is carried out on a distributed processor control system.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of distributed real-time control systems, and more particularly, it relates to an optimistic distributed control system for use in an Uninhabited Air Vehicle (UAV) flight control system.
2. Description of Related Art
Studies have shown that current UAVs have not met the degree of safety and reliability required for autonomous operation over populated areas or in airspace shared with commercial aircraft. Autonomy technologies that can provide reflexive responses and rapid adaptation, such as exhibited by a pilot, to compensate for a vehicle""s structural, perceptual and control limitations are lacking. This is particularly evident when UAV mishap rates are compared to those of piloted systems.
Compared to piloted aircraft systems, current UAVs are designed to be very low cost and use smaller, low-power commercial off-the-shelf components and have very limited redundancy. Unfortunately, the lower requirement for reliability has led to higher failure rates. The higher failure rates are seen as somewhat acceptable because it does not mean the loss of human life, except when the vehicle flies over populated areas. It is desirable, however, for a UAV to be able to safely fly over populated areas, to safely share airspace with other piloted vehicles, and to generally improve the mission success rate. For these reasons, the UAV control systems must be capable of rigorously analyzing and predicting component failures, and their effects, to determine the appropriate response to faults much as a pilot does prior to, or in response to a system failure.
A new concept known as active state has been proposed to represent the state of highly dynamic and complex system. Time management is particularly critical in the active state model. For example, higher order biological systems are capable of reasoning about complex future events while simultaneously performing simpler current tasks. Expectations about future outcomes are modified as current events change. Adapting this concept to a rigorous real-time control system is a new challenge that has not yet been attempted.
To overcome the foregoing and other drawbacks in the prior art, it is an object of the present invention to provide a control system that is capable of predicting the state of the system at some future time.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a predictive control system with sufficient speed for real-time implementation.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a real-time predictive control system for distributed execution on multiple processors.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a real-time predictive control system for one or more UAVs in order to improve reliability, improve autonomy, to permit safe flight over populated areas, and/or to permit safe flight in airspace shared with other piloted vehicles.
In order to accomplish these and other objects, the present invention comprises a method of real-time distributed model-based predictive control. The method comprises the steps of generating a message that predicts a system value, the message having a receive time corresponding to a future time, and executing a control process using the system value contained within said message, resulting in a process state having a local process time corresponding to the receive time on said message. The process state at that local process time is then stored in a state queue. The local process time is rolled back to the latest valid local process time prior to the receive time of said message, only if said receive time precedes the current process state time. Rolling back comprises retrieving the system state values at that latest valid local process time from said state queue and re-executing the control process, using the system value contained within the message, and storing the new state in the state queue.
The method according to the present invention also comprises rolling back only if, upon receiving a message containing an observed system value, said observed system value differs from its predicted value by more than a predetermined tolerance.
The method is carried out on a distributed processor control system. Messages from one processor can be sent to other processors to further carry the model forward in time.

Optimistic distributed simulation for a UAV flight control system


A method of and an apparatus for forming a composite web for use in making a fuel element for smoking articles comprises a dual bobbin unwinder from which alternate glass fiber webs are unwound. A splicing apparatus is used to splice together the webs unwound from the two bobbins of the unwinder. Sensing and speed controls are provided for sensing unwinding speed and the amount of web remaining on a bobbin for controlling web accumulation prior to splicing and stopping of the web to effect a splice. Downstream of the splicing apparatus the web is fed to a composite web former where it is slit into equal halves and vertically separated. A paper web is guided between the two web halves and the webs are converged into a three layer composite web with the paper web sandwiched between the glass fiber web halves. The composite web is fed to a KDF filter maker where it is combined with a carbonaceous rod for making a fuel element.

Smoking articles are known which have a fuel element is attached to one end thereof to provide heat generation for operation of the smoking article. The fuel element comprises a carbonaceous fuel rod wrapped in a glass fiber web and overwrapped with a paper wrapper or plug wrap. Such smoking articles are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,714,082; 4,756,318; and 5,065,776 assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In one method of making the fuel element of such smoking articles, a web of reconstituted tobacco paper is disposed between two identical webs of a glass fiber material to form a composite web which is then wrapped about a continuously extruded carbonaceous fuel rod and overwrapped with a paper wrapper which may also be tobacco paper, as described in European Patent Application No. 562,474, published Sep. 29, 1993. In order to economically produce such smoking articles, it is necessary to form the various components of the smoking article in a continuous process at high production rates.
Conventional cigarette making machinery typically operates at the high production rates contemplated by the present invention. One conventional apparatus for making cigarette filters, known as a KDF filter maker, may be employed in the manufacture of fuel elements for the smoking articles described in the aforesaid patents. However, the apparatus upstream of the KDF filter for supplying the components of the fuel element is substantially different from that used to make conventional cigarette filters. The present invention is directed to that apparatus and, in particular, to the various components of the apparatus for forming the aforesaid composite web from rolls of glass fiber material and tobacco paper and supplying the composite web to the KDF filter maker for making the fuel element of the smoking article.

Composite web forming apparatus and method


Described herein is a system and method for supporting a webtier provider in a cloud computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, the service types made available in a cloud platform (e.g., CloudLogic) domain can include information which describes dependency on a webtier provider, which in turn provides load-balancing capability to a service whose deployment may span multiple virtual machines. A webtier provider can associate one or more provisioned services with a webtier runtime, to satisfy the webtier dependency of a service. After a service is provisioned, a webtier provider service management engine (SME) can associate the service with a webtier runtime by creating a configuration therein. The webtier runtime can subsequently provide a single point of access to the service, including load-balancing requests to service nodes, or providing support for additional capabilities such as failure detection and failover.

The term "cloud computing" is generally used to describe a computing model which enables on-demand access to a shared pool of computing resources, such as computer networks, servers, software applications, and services, and which allows for rapid provisioning and release of resources with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.
A cloud computing environment (sometimes referred to as a cloud environment, or a cloud) can be implemented in a variety of different ways to best suit different requirements. Generally, a cloud computing model enables some of those responsibilities which previously may have been provided by an organization's own information technology department, to instead be delivered as service layers within a cloud environment, for use by consumers (either within or external to the organization, according to the cloud's public/private nature).
As an illustrative example, a cloud computing model can be implemented as Platform as a Service (PaaS), in which consumers can use software programming languages and development tools supported by a PaaS provider to develop, deploy, and otherwise control their own applications, while providers manage or control other aspects of the cloud environment (i.e., everything below the run-time execution environment). In addition, the providers can provide support to satisfy a service's infrastructural requirements. These are the general areas that embodiments of the invention are intended to address.

System and method for webtier providers in a cloud platform environment


An image forming apparatus comprises an image carrier for carrying an electrostatic latent image on its surface, a charging member for charging the image carrier to a predetermined polarity by contacting with the surface of the image carrier, latent image forming means for forming an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information on the surface of the image carrier charged, and a developing device containing toner including toner particles not less than 90% of which have a shape factor SF-1 expressed by the following equation of not more than 160 and less than 1% of which have a shape factor SF-1 of not less than 170 so as to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier into a toner image: EQU [SF-1]=(L.sup.2 /S).times..pi./4.times.100. (in the equation, S is the area indicating the average value of the projected areas of the toner, and L is the maximum length indicating the average value of the maximum lengths at the time of projecting the toner).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrophotographic technique such as a printer and a copying machine, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus so adapted to bring a charging brush (which means a brush for carrying out charging) into contact with the surface of an image carrier (which means holding an electrostatic latent image holding member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed) to charge the image carrier to a predetermined polarity, form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information on the surface of the image carrier thus charged by latent image forming means, and supply toner to the surface of the image carrier having the electrostatic latent image thus formed thereon from a developing device, to develop the electrostatic latent image thus formed on the surface of the image carrier into a toner image (which means forming a toner image corresponding to the electrostatic latent image).
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, an image forming apparatus utilizing an electrophotographic technique such as a printer and a copying machine has been generally so adapted to charge an image carrier by the corona discharge method, form an electrostatic latent image corresponding to image information on the surface of the image carrier thus charged by latent image forming means, and supply toner to the surface of the image carrier having the electrostatic latent image formed thereon, to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the image carrier into a toner image.
When the image carrier is charged by the corona discharge method as described above, however, harmful ozone is generated when corona discharging is carried out, and a power supply for outputting a high voltage is required to carry out the corona discharging, resulting in a high manufacturing cost.
In recent years, therefore, a method of charging an image carrier at a low voltage has been examined in addition to the above described corona discharge method for charging an image carrier using a power supply for outputting a high voltage. As a method of charging an image carrier at a low voltage, a method of bringing a charging brush into contact with the surface of an image carrier to charge the image carrier has been developed.
However, the method of bringing a charging brush into contact with the surface of an image carrier to charge the image carrier has not been satisfactorily examined yet. The method has not been generalized in the present circumstances because it has the disadvantages, for example, in that toner remaining on the image carrier is accumulated in the charging brush by adhesion, the image carrier is not uniformly charged, and the image carrier is filmed with the toner thus accumulated in the charging brush by adhesion.

Image forming apparatus having a contact charging device that exhibits uniform charging through reduced residual toner adhesion


Methods and apparatuses for designing multiplexers in one or more integrated circuits are described. One exemplary method includes receiving a representation of a first multiplexer and converting the representation to a partition neutral representation of the first multiplexer and partitioning the partition neutral representation to create a plurality of second multiplexers. Another exemplary method includes decomposing a representation of a first multiplexer into a representation of a plurality of second multiplexers, which are coupled together at a common output without any intervening multiplexers between the second multiplexers and the common output, and partitioning the second multiplexers between portions of at least one integrated circuit.

For the design of circuits on the scale of VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) technology, designers often employ computer aided design techniques. Standard languages, such as Hardware Description Language (HDLs) have been developed to describe circuits to aid in the design and simulation of complex circuits, such as complex digital or analog circuits. Several hardware design languages, such as VHDL and Verilog, have evolved as industry standards. VHDL and Verilog are general purpose hardware description languages that allow definition of a hardware model at the gate level, the register transfer level (RTL) or the behavioral level using abstract data types. As device technology continues to advance, various product design tools have been developed to adapt HDLs for use with newer devices and design styles.
When designing circuits using HDL compilers, designers often describe circuit elements in HDL source code and then compile the source code to produce synthesized RTL netlists. The RTL netlists correspond to schematic representations of circuit elements. The circuits containing the synthesized circuit elements are often optimized to improve timing relationships and eliminate unnecessary or redundant elements. Such optimization typically involves substituting different gate types or combining and eliminating gates in the circuit. The optimization may be performed before mapping an RTL description, such as an RTL netlist, to a particular predetermined architecture of an integrated circuit, such as a target architecture of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). As in known in the art, different vendors of FPGAs often have different architectures in that the circuitry within a particular integrated circuit for implementing a function may be different from one vendor to the next. Examples of vendors of FPGAs which have unique architectures include Xilinx and Altera. Various methods and systems for computer aided design of integrated circuits are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,438,735; 6,449,762, and 6,973,632, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Often, it is desirable to implement a design in more than one integrated circuit, such as more than one FPGA integrated circuit. This is often necessary when the design is so complex and large that it cannot be fit into the available resources on a single FPGA. This may also be useful for designers of ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits). A growing number of ASIC designers often prototype and test their design by implementing the design in several FPGAs. The complexity of an ASIC design may be such that multiple FPGAs are required to implement all the functions required by the design. This means that the designers must struggle to partition their design into multiple FPGAs, and several tools and methods exist in the prior art for doing so. An example of a technique for partitioning, through an automatic process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,438,735, which also describes other prior art techniques for partitioning a design onto multiple FPGAs. An example of a software tool which performs automatic partitioning at the RT component level is the product Certify from Synplicity, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif. An example of a tool that performs automatic partitioning at the technology mapped netlist level is the Auspy Partition System II from Auspy Development Inc.
Even with existing techniques for partitioning, it can be difficult to partition a multiplexer (MUX) which can have a large width and potentially have many inputs, one of which is selected to drive the output of the multiplexer. A multiplexer is a well-known circuit element, and an example of a multiplexer is shown in FIG. 1A. FIG. 1A shows a circuit 10 which includes data drivers 12 and 14 which drive clocked data into the inputs 16 and 18 of the multiplexer 20. It will be appreciated that there may be two or more inputs into the multiplexer 20. For example, there may be 20 inputs, each being driven by a data driver into the multiplexer 20. The multiplexer 20 produces an output value at its output 22, and this output value is determined by the data present on the select lines 24 which cause the multiplexer to select one of the inputs for connection to its output 22.
Partitioning a large multiplexer typically requires creating at least three smaller multiplexers. Two of those smaller multiplexers serve to select one input each from two different groups of inputs (to produce two selected inputs) and those two selected inputs are then selected between by the third multiplexer. FIGS. 1B and 1C show an example of such a partition of a large multiplexer into three smaller multiplexers.
In the case of the design 30 shown in FIG. 1B, a multiplexer has been partitioned into three multiplexers 40, 42 and 44 on two different integrated circuits 32 and 34. The multiplexers on the two different integrated circuits are coupled together by a multi-line bus 64 and by a wire 66. Multiplexers 40 and 44, in effect, select between two different groups of inputs to the original multiplexer to thereby provide two outputs which are selected between by the multiplexer 42. Each of the multiplexers is under control of select logic or select lines which cause the selection of an input to be connected to a corresponding output of the multiplexer in a manner known in the art. The select lines are typically driven by decode logic as is known in the art. As shown in FIG. 1B, logic 50 and 56 provide inputs to the multiplexer 40, while logic 54, through bus 62 (which includes a plurality of lines), provides inputs to the multiplexer 44. The multiplexer 44 also receives another input from bus 61 (which includes a plurality of lines). Logic 50 is coupled to the multiplexer 40 through the bus 60, and logic 56 is coupled to the multiplexer 40 through bus 64. The output of multiplexer 40 is coupled to one of the inputs of the multiplexer 42, and the output of the multiplexer 44 is coupled as the other input of the multiplexer 42 which selects between these two inputs to drive its output through line 22 to drive the logic 52. For each of the multiplexers 40, 42, and 44, each data input and each data output is a bus (which includes a plurality of lines), and the switching by the multiplexers switches between the input buses. It will be appreciated that the example shown in FIG. 1B is one of a variety of ways in which the various logic elements and multiplexers may be arranged or partitioned between two or more integrated circuits. However, in each case, the inputs which drive multiplexer 42 must be grouped together relative to the multiplexer 42 in order to preserve the logic implemented by the partitioned multiplexer. In other words, the inputs which drive multiplexer 42 cannot be used to drive multiplexers 40 or 44, but rather must be used to drive the final multiplexer in a tree of multiplexers in order to maintain the proper logical function of the partitioned multiplexer such that it provides the same logical multiplexing as the original multiplexer. FIG. 1C shows this relationship without the complication of multiple integrated circuits. In particular, inputs 70 and 71 must be partitioned with the multiplexer 44. Hence, for example, the drivers for those inputs 70 and 71 must be partitioned with the multiplexer 44. This tends to complicate partitioning operations.
If logic synthesis is performed on a circuit containing a large multiplexor before partitioning into chips, then the resulting circuit will group drivers of the multiplexor according to the multiplexor decomposition chosen by the logic synthesis system. Many different decompositions are possible: trees of smaller multiplexors, and-or decompositions, and special purpose decompositions using FPGA specific components. If the decomposed multiplexor is partitioned across chips, then excessive interconnect use between partitions may be caused by the chosen decomposition. If on the other hand, the partitioning is done before the multiplexor is decomposed, then all signals connected to the multiplexor must be available in a single chip, which can also cause excessive interconnect between partitions. A partial solution is to slice the multiplexor component into single bit width multiplexors. This partial solution is implemented in Certify. This does not help with partitioning multiplexors with large number of inputs and also creates a difficult partitioning problem with the decoding logic for the multiplexor, which will be shared across the slices. What is needed is a simultaneous solution to multiplexor decomposition and partitioning.


A plant support apparatus and related method for supporting a plant are disclosed. The plant support apparatus includes a first support layer including a first plurality of support arms having first ends and second ends. The first ends are coupled at a corresponding plurality of first support junctions and the second ends are coupled at a corresponding plurality of second support junctions. A second support layer includes a second plurality of support arms having first ends and second ends. The first ends are coupled at a corresponding plurality of third support junctions and the second ends are coupled at a corresponding plurality of fourth support junctions. The second and third support junctions are selectively coupled for concurrent movement. Subsequent layers of support are sequentially added to accommodate and support the plant as it grows.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure and is not necessarily prior art. Plants grow in many shapes and sizes. With some plants it may be desirable to provide an adjacent or surrounding structure such as a stake, cage or trellis for the plant to grow onto. The adjacent structure can assist and progressively support the plant as it grows. The technique of staking plants is particularly common in fruit bearing plants. In this regard, the plant and fruit can grow onto and around the stake or cage thereby keeping most of the plant and fruit off the ground. When plants are supported in an upright position, the plant is provided with increased area to prosper. In addition, may other advantages can be realized such as, but not limited to, ease of harvesting the fruit and spraying for insects.
In some instances however implementing a stake, cage or trellis relative to a plant can be time consuming and inefficient. For example, these conventional supporting techniques can be difficult to adjust as the plant grows. Additionally, sometimes it may be difficult to initially set up a support around a plant. Often, as with a trellis or other system, it becomes necessary to individually plant and design a support system and technique that is unique for each plant and/or growing season. Current systems do not allow a grower to easily accommodate for increased size of the plant as it progressively grows. In this manner, the size and shape of the selected support system decided upon and implemented at planting must remain the support system through the life of the plant.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.


An electrical switch which includes an insulative housing having a wall defining an axial bore therein, a first electrical contact disposed in the housing bore and a second electrical contact movably disposed in the housing bore between an open position and a closed position. When the contacts are in their open position, the second electrical contact is spaced apart from the first electrical contact and when the contacts are in their closed position, the second electrical contact is in electrical contact with the first electrical contact. The switch includes features to enhance safety and operation by reducing the possibility of arcing or flashover before and during the switching operation and to provide of visual indication of the state of the switch.

An urban utility experiences approximately 1,500 failures on its network feeders each year. Each feeder outage duration is directly proportional to the risk of customer interruption and the stress experienced by other feeders and transformers in the network. The defective component must remain out of service during repair and/or replacement. This means that the whole feeder remains out of service or a live end cap must be installed to separate the main feeder from the spur containing the defect. If a live end cap is installed, the feeder must be de-energized a second time to reconnect the required spur. This second outage is usually scheduled as soon as possible to restore the system to normal full capability. However, the perceived risk of scheduling the entire feeder out of service to pick-up a small spur is very large, especially during the summer or other high load periods.
Encapsulated switch assemblies with sub-atmospheric or vacuum type circuit interrupters for electric power circuits and systems are well known in the art, such as is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,568,804; 3,955,167; 3,471,669; 3,812,314; and 2,870,298. In some prior art switch assemblies and circuit breakers, a pair of coacting contacts, one fixed and the other movable, are provided for controlling and interrupting current flow. The contacts are provided in a controlled atmosphere contact assembly which may include a relatively fragile glass or ceramic housing, commonly referred to as a "bottle" for housing the contacts. A metal bellows may be provided on one end of the bottle, and the movable contact is linked to the inside of the bellows. An operating rod attached to the outside of the bellows can be moved so as to move the movable contact inside the bottle. The interior of the bottle is maintained under a controlled atmosphere, such as air or another gas under a low subatmospheric pressure, to protect the contacts from damage caused by arcing when the contacts are opened and closed. The glass or ceramic wall of the bottle provides a permeation-resistant enclosure which maintains the controlled atmosphere for the life of the device.
More recently, elastomer-insulated switch housings using a controlled atmosphere contact assembly have been introduced for underground power distribution systems and other, similar applications. Switches for use in such applications must meet several demanding requirements. Those parts of the switch assembly connected to line voltage during use, including the contact assembly and operating rod, must be encased in a solid insulating housing having dielectric strength sufficient to withstand the maximum voltage which may be imposed on the system, which may be tens of thousands of volts for a distribution-level system. For safety, the insulating housing should be covered with a conductive layer that can be grounded. The switch should be operable from outside of the dielectric housing, without opening the housing and should be capable of withstanding many years of exposure to temperature extremes, water and environmental contaminants.
Elastomers such as EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) combine high dielectric strength with excellent resistance to the effects of ozone and corona discharge. These elastomers can also provide good physical properties such as abrasion resistance, and can be molded at reasonable cost. Additionally, these elastomers can be compounded with conductive additives and molded to provide an electrically conductive grounding layer integral with the dielectric housing. For these and other reasons, elastomers molded and vulcanized under heat and pressure, such as EPDM, have been almost universally adopted as materials of construction for the housings used in many underground electrical distribution systems.
An important feature in such switch assemblies and circuit breakers is the ability to visually determine the switched condition of the contacts. This is obviously important for safety reasons in that power must be disconnected before accessing or repairing a switch branch. U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,804 discloses a high voltage vacuum type circuit interrupter having a one-piece ceramic insulating housing connected to a two-part metallic base. The base encloses a solenoid operated toggle mechanism that controls and operates movement of a switch contact to open and close the switch. The base further includes a sight glass or lens secured to the bottom of the base, through which a switch position indicator is visually discernible.
One drawback with the circuit interrupter disclosed in the '804 patent is its size and complexity in manufacture. Another drawback relates to the fact that the position indicator is located at the toggle mechanism away from the switch contacts. In other words, while the position indicator of the '804 patent may show the condition of the toggle mechanism, there is no provision for visually confirming whether the switch contacts are indeed in contact or separated.
As mentioned above, another concern with such switch assemblies is flashover or arcing of the electric current between switch contacts. Aside from safety concerns, such arcing causes damage to the contacts and the surrounding housing. While efforts to reduce arcing by enclosing the contacts in an evacuated chamber or by insulating the contacts with an arc quenching gas or oil have proven somewhat successful, arcing still occasionally occurs in the field. Additionally, vacuum chambers typically require a housing made from ceramic. Air insulation chambers are generally very large. Chambers filled with SF6 arc quenching gas must be hermetically sealed and maintained to ensure no leakage and insulating oils have been found to fail catastrophically resulting in injury to people and damage to equipment.
Yet another problem with high current switches described above is related to electromagnetic fields which generate undesirable bending forces. In particular, the feeder contact is arranged generally at a 90° angle to the switches current carrying contact pin. These electromagnetic forces are produced on the current carrying members causing a cantilever bending movement at the connection interface.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a simply constructed, electrically insulated, switch assembly having direct visible verification of open or closed contacts. It is further desirable to provide such a switch assembly that minimizes the possibility of arcing between electrical contacts and provides good electrical continuity through the switch assembly.

High current switch and method of operation


An optical information recording medium includes a substrate, and a recording layer formed on the substrate, the recording layer containing at least one compound selected from the group consisting of a compound represented by formula (I): ##STR1## and a compound represented by formula (II): ##STR2##

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical information recording medium, in particular to an optical information recording medium of a write once read many type, in which the recording and reproduction of information are carried out by changing the optical characteristics of a recording material for the optical information recording medium, such as transmittance and reflectivity, with the application of an optical beam thereto.
2. Discussion of Background
The wavelength of a laser used for a currently employed disk system of a write once read many type, which may be referred to as WORM disk system is in the range of 770 nm to 790 nm, and a recording medium for the disk system is constructed in such a manner that recording and reproduction can be performed in the above-mentioned wavelength range.
Sooner or later, it will become inevitable that the capacity of such recording media has to be significantly increased in accordance with the amount of information to be handled. It will also become inevitable that the wavelength of the laser beam used for the recording and reproduction has to be shortened.
Currently many types of optical disks of the write once and read many type for recording and reproduction of data, using cyanine dyes or phthalocyanine dyes as recording materials (hereinafter referred to as WORM optical disks), have been proposed.
For example, WORM optical disks using as a recording material a cyanine dye are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 57-82093, 58-56892, 58-112790, 58-114989, 59-85791, 60-83236, 60-89842, and 61-25886. Furthermore, WORM optical disks using as a recording material a phthalocyanine dye are disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 61-150243, 61-177287, 61-154888, 61-246091, 62-39286, 63-37791, and 63-39888. However, there has not yet been developed a recording material which has high light resistance and excellent preservation stability, and by which recording and reproduction can be performed by an optical pick-up using a laser with a wavelength of 700 nm or less.
Currently employed CD-R (Recordable) disk systems are also constructed in such a manner that recording and reproduction can be performed by a laser beam with a wavelength in the range of 770 nm to 790 nm.
As in the case of the above-mentioned WORM disk system, it will become inevitable that the capacity of the recording media has to be significantly increased in accordance with the amount of information to be handled, and that the wavelength of the laser beam used for the recording and reproduction also has to be shortened.
In CDs and CD-ROMs which are currently employed, Al is coated on the concave and convex portions of the substrate therefor and the wavelength-dependence of the reflectivity of Al is so small that even if the wavelength of the laser beam used therefor is shortened in the future, reproduction of information recorded in such CDs and CD-ROMs is possible.
However, the recording layer of the currently employed CD-R, which uses therein a dye with a maximum absorption wavelength in the range of 680 nm to 750 nm, is designed so as to exhibit a maximum reflectivity when a laser beam with a wavelength of 770 nm to 750 nm is applied thereto, with the optical characteristics and constants and the thickness and structure of the recording layer taken into consideration.
Therefore, when a laser beam with a wavelength of 700 nm or less is applied thereto, the reflectivity exhibited by the recording layer is extremely small, so that the currently employed CD-R cannot cope with the shortening of the wavelength of the employed laser beam in the future. As a result, it will be highly possible that the information recorded by the currently employed CD-R system cannot be reproduced by such a future system.
Many recording materials, for example, cyanine dye/metal reflection layer, phthalocyanine dye/metal reflection layer, and azo metal chelate dye/metal reflection layer, have been proposed for use in the conventional CD-R systems.
More specifically, CD-R systems using as a recording material in the form of a cyanine dye/metal reflection layer are proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 1-159842, 2-42652, 2-13656, and 2-168446; CD-R systems using a phthalocyane dye as a recording material are proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 1-176585, 3-215466, 4-113886, 4-226390, 5-1272, 5-171052, 5-116456, 5-69860 and 5-139044; and CD-R systems using an azo metal chelate dye are proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications 4-46186, 4-141489, 4-361088, and 5-279580.
However, there have not yet been proposed a CD-R system which solves the above-mentioned problems of the conventional CD-R systems.


An optical latch circuit is used for an optical-input section in a processor chip having a plurality of processor units each of which includes a processing section and an optical-input section. The optical input section includes a two-dimensional array, or matrix, of optical latch circuits. The optical latch circuit comprises a photodiode, coupled to a differential amplifier circuit having two CMOS circuits and a latch switch; a PMOS transistor of one of the CMOS circuits receives a control voltage from an auto-zero negative feedback circuit to produced threshold values by itself; and a PMOS transistor of the other CMOS circuit receives a control voltage from an optical-input stabilizing circuit, complementary to the auto-zero negative feedback circuit. The optical input of the photodiode is latched and amplified by turning on and off the latch switch in synchronism with the control clock, for transmission of digital electrical signals to input gates in the processing section.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an optical latch circuit, and more particularly to an optical latch circuit used in an optical-input section of a processor chip in which processing sections and optical-input sections having light-detecting elements are arranged in two-dimensional arrays. Furthermore, this invention relates to a processor unit having optical-input cell arrays in which optical-input cell elements having optical latch circuits are arranged in two-dimensional arrays.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that currently available architectures of a digital processor have a number of difficulties in further improving high-speed processing performance. Particularly pronounced is the difficulty in transferring electrical signals. These difficulties include complications caused by signal-transfer buses, and limitations in the number of input/output pins for chip packages or carriers for the parallel input of a large amount of information into a single processor chip. In order to overcome these difficulties, an optical interconnecting system has been proposed. The operating speed of a processor is drastically improved if chips in a processor system are directly interconnected optically to enable the high-speed parallel transfer of a large amount of information. One of the critical components in implementing an optical interconnecting system is a light detector that converts low level optical input signals into electrical signals at high speed. An optical interconnecting system which transfers signals between chips, desirably has a light detector with the aforementioned characteristics of converting low level optical input signals into electrical signals at high speed, and is desirably very small. A small parallel light detector does not adversely affect the area for a processing section, a register, a control section, etc. that are the key to a processor chip. In other words, it is desirable to manufacture more than 1,000 extra-small-sized parallel light-detector arrays that exceed the limit of input/output ports for the state-of-the-art processor. In addition, such arrays desirably have sufficient sensitivity and response speed to function at clock rates over the 16-MHz to 32-MHz range normally used in such processor units.
A light detector incorporated in a processor is a solid-state element relying on the internal photoelectric effect. There are two types of photodetectors generally in use, a type relying on the photoconductive effect and a type relying on the photovoltaic effect. Light detectors used to implement small-sized or arrayed devices are generally of a type using the photovoltaic effect. Such small-sized and high-speed light detectors have already been manufactured on a commercial scale through the microfabrication technologies used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices. More recently, various types of opto-electronic integrated circuits (OEICs) in which detecting and processing devices are fabricated on a single substrate have also been widely developed. To meet such varied requirements, the need has arisen to select the optimum material in accordance with the wavelength bands of light received, that is, the absorbed wavelength range of intrinsic semiconductor material, or an electron-excitation wavelength.
A light detector having a high-speed response has been developed as a component of the optical communication systems. The 0.8-1.5 .mu.m wavelength band is widely used for optical communications because this wavelength band involves the lowest optical transmission loss in silica fibers used as a signal transmission medium. In the short-wave band (0.8 .mu.m), silicon-pin photodiodes (Si-pin PDs) and silicon avalanche photodiodes (Si-APDs) are usually used. In the 1.3-1.5 .mu.m band normally used for long-distance communications, Ge-pin PDs, Ge-APDs, InGaAs/GaAs-pin PDs, and InGaAs-APDs are commonly used. Generally, the factors governing the response speed of light detectors are: the speed of dispersion of electrons and holes excited by light in the active layer, and the drift mobility speed at the insulating layer. Since these characteristics are inherent to the materials used to fabricate the devices, high-speed performance of light detectors is ensured by optimizing the thicknesses of the active and insulating layers.
When the electrical characteristics of a light detector for optical communication systems are considered in terms of equivalent circuits, the delay in electron conduction caused by stray capacitance affects response speed greatly. From the viewpoint of signal delay, the equivalent-circuit characteristics of an amplifier installed in-line with the light detector is desirably taken into consideration. In order to optimize the composite resistance and capacitance of the light detector and the amplifier and to minimize variations from circuit to circuit, an OEIC system in which light detectors and amplifiers are fabricated on a single substrate is also being studied.
Another important characteristic of light detectors for optical communication systems is high sensitivity. Because optical signals that are transmitted through long-distance optical fibers are usually very weak, it is desirable to receive them correctly by suppressing noises and increasing the effective relative signal intensity. In order to receive weak optical signals correctly, light detectors having a super-lattice structure, etc. are sometimes used. A detector of this type imposes a super-lattice structure on an electron-hole separating layer to introduce the excited electrons and holes into these layers. This type of light detector prevents the recombination of the holes and electrons and effectively detects weak optical input signals. A light detector of this type, however, requires a sophisticated level of semiconductor fabrication technology.
Light detectors for optical communication systems require high-speed response (greater than one gigabit per second [Gb/s]) and high sensitivity, and they are essentially discrete elements. As a result, light detectors satisfying required characteristics are selected from among multiple discrete elements manufactured by sophisticated fabricating technology.
On the other hand, light detectors, such as the two-dimensional arrays of light-detecting elements used for video cameras, are desirably inexpensive and reliable. Consequently, the materials of light-detecting elements are chiefly Si, which can be fabricated using the most advanced technology. Since an array of light-detecting elements comprises several hundred thousand, or even as many as one million light-detecting elements, its fabrication requires stable and consistent fabricating technology. Light-detecting elements are principally of the Si-pin PD structure, which is a simple light-detecting element structure. The response speed of these light-detecting elements may be lower than that required for light detectors for optical communication systems, mostly up to several megahertz. Light-detecting elements used for video cameras, etc., which usually have human-perceptible light-wavelength bands and a wavelength resolution similar to human visual power, are capable of accurately reproducing light intensity in the perceptible range. The optical signals detected by light-detecting elements are transferred to, or retrieved from, charge-coupled devices (CCDs) or bucket brigade devices (BBDs) in the form of charge packets. In such cases, circuit capacitance, etc. seldom cause failures because of the relatively low-speed transmission.
The light detectors to be used for the aforementioned optical interconnecting systems, however, cannot be of the array structure using CCDs or BBDs to achieve high-speed parallel transmission of signals as in image sensors. In terms of high-speed optical-signal conversion performance, on the other hand, the high-speed capability of more than a Gb/s level detector is not required, but an important consideration here is to make the optical interconnecting light detectors inexpensive and in small-sized arrays.


An optical fiber polisher includes a polishing mechanism, a platen, and a memory for storing operational parameters entered by a user. The optical fiber polisher includes a processor to control a pressure applied by the polishing mechanism and a rotational speed of the platen, including causing a ramping down of at least one of the pressure and the rotational speed based on the operational parameters.

A fiber optic cable generally includes a protective or supporting material through which optical fibers extend. The cables or ribbons typically have connectors located on each end to connect them to other fiber optic cables or ribbons or to peripheral devices, and the connectors are high precision devices that position the optical fibers for optimal connection.
In order to pass light signals thru optical fibers, the end face of the connector (from which a ferrule and optical fibers extend) must abut an adjacent connector in a specific manner. The high tolerances required of the parts to make these connections lead to precise shaping of the ends of the optical fibers via cleaving, cutting, and/or polishing. Apex offset, radius of curvature, fiber protrusion/recession, and angularity are all geometric parameters of optical fiber ends face that play into the quality of the signal passing thru the ribbon. Final test measurements for back reflection and insertion loss are typically used as the final checks to determine the quality of the geometry (as well as the alignment, cleanliness, and surface finish of the finished cable.) As such, the end face is usually cleaved, cut and/or polished to exacting standards so as to produce a finished product with minimal back reflection and loss. For example, it is often necessary to cleave, cut, and/or polish the end face of the connector to a precise length, i.e., so the end face projects a predetermined amount from a reference point such as a shoulder on the fiber optic connector within a predetermined tolerance. Fiber optic cables having multiple optical fibers can also be cleaved, cut, and/or polished to produce a particular performance specification.
Optical fiber polishers typically include a rotating platen and a polishing mechanism, such as a polishing arm mechanism, that positions and supports the connectors during the polishing process. Typically, the end face is lowered onto a film resting on the platen, and depending upon the film, the speed of the platen, the pressure applied, and its duration, acquires a product suitable for a particular application. Optical fiber polishers generally include a fixture coupled to the arm mechanism that is capable of holding and gripping one or more fiber optic connectors and advancing them under controlled conditions of speed and force to engage a plurality of fiber optic ends into engagement with a polishing member such as a rotatable platen having an abrasive surface (e.g., having a film with an abrasive surface positioned thereon).
The manufacturing process for building a finished fiber optic connector typically involves polishing it at various speeds and pressures using various polishing film sizes. Typically, the process will start with a more aggressive film of higher abrasive particle size at lower speeds and pressures and work towards smaller particle size films at faster speeds and higher pressures. How the polishing steps start and stop are critical in that the fragile fibers are under higher stress levels at those times.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an improved optical fiber polisher that includes ramping features.

Optical fiber polisher with ramping features


It is provided an optical disc drive for playing data from a loaded optical disc medium. A controller of the optical disc drive judges whether the processing command has been received and whether a reset command has been received, measures a time between a reception of the processing command and a reception of the reset command in a case where the processing of the received processing command does not end until the reception of the processing command, determines a processing time limit shorter than the measured time, and in a case where the processing of the received processing command does not end until the decided processing time limit has elapsed after the reception of the processing command, stops the processing of the processing command and notifies that the processing of the processing command has been stopped to the host device.

This invention relates to an optical disc drive, and more particularly to, an optical disc drive that can prevent a reset operation due to a time-out of a host computer.
Up to now, the optical disc drive has a time limit of a command processing set in order to prevent the reset operation due to the time-out of the host computer, and if the time limit of the command processing is exceeded, reports an error to a host computer (see, for example, JP 2001-357619 A). A fixed value is set for the time limit of the command processing based on a minimum value of a plurality of conceivable time-out periods.
Further, in a disk array device, in a case where a plurality of host devices having different time-out periods are coupled simultaneously, it is proposed that a response guarantee time be set for each of the host devices (see, for example, JP 2006-119886 A).
Further, in a disk processing apparatus, it is proposed that the time-out period of a host computer 8-n stored in a time-out period storage section be updated based on a period of time that passes since data transfer is started until a SCSI bus reset is received (see, for example, JP 2001-14227 A).