The present invention relates to a through-wafer via device (10) comprising a wafer (12) made of a wafer material and having a first wafer surface (12a) and a second wafer surface (12b) opposing the first wafer surface (12a). The through-wafer via device (10) further comprises a plurality of side by side first trenches (14) provided with a conductive material and extending from the first wafer surface (12a) into the wafer (12) such that a plurality of spacers (16) of the wafer material are formed between the first trenches (14). The through-wafer via device (10) further comprises a second trench (18) provided with the conductive material and extending from the second wafer surface (12b) into the wafer (12), the second trench (18) being connected to the first trenches (14). The through-wafer via device (10) further comprises a conductive layer (20) made of the conductive material and formed on the side of the first wafer surface (12a), the conductive material filling the first trenches (14) such that the first conductive layer (20) has a substantially planar and closed surface.

The heart of any ultrasound (imaging) system is the transducer which converts electrical energy in acoustic energy and back. Traditionally these transducers are made from piezoelectric crystals arranged in linear (1-D) transducer arrays, and operating at frequencies up to 10 MHz. However, the trend towards matrix (2-D) transducer arrays and the drive towards miniaturization to integrate ultrasound (imaging) functionality into catheters and guide wires has resulted in the development of so called capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUT) cells. These CMUT cells can be placed or fabricated on top of an ASIC (Application Specific IC) containing the driver electronics and signal processing. This will result in significantly reduced assembly costs and the smallest possible form factor.
Preferably the CMUT cells are fabricated in a separate dedicated technology which is optimized for performance and placed on top of the ASIC. An important question which then needs to be addressed is how the CMUT cells are to be connected to the ASIC. One solution is to use a through-wafer via device. The through-wafer via device, manufactured with a suitable through-wafer via hole technology, can then be used to connect the CMUT cells on the front surface of the wafer to contacts on the backside surface of the wafer. In this way the CMUT cells can be "flip-chipped" (e.g. by solder bumping) to the ASIC.
US 2008/0203556 A1 discloses a through-wafer interconnect and a method for fabricating the same. The method starts with a conductive wafer to form a patterned trench by removing material of the conductive wafer. The patterned trench extends in depth from the front side to the backside of the wafer, and has an annular opening generally dividing the conductive wafer into an inner portion and an outer portion whereby the inner portion of the conductive wafer is insulated from the outer portion and serves as a through-wafer conductor. A dielectric material is formed or added into the patterned trench mechanical to support and electrically insulate the through-wafer conductor.
However, this through-wafer interconnect and method for fabricating the same require the trench to be filled with a mechanically strong and electrically isolating dielectric which needs to be able to withstand high temperature processing steps required for the fabrication of the CMUT cells.
There is a need to further improve such through-wafer interconnect and method for fabricating the same.

Through-wafer via device and method of manufacturing the same


The invention relates to a lighting tube with light emitting diodes (LEDs) that can be disassembled and repaired. The present invention presents substantial advantages and innovative characteristics as well as other advantages related to organization and construction. The invention is centered on a lighting tube which, while preferably adopting the standardized dimensions of commonly used fluorescent tubes, as well as a similar system for lateral attachment and connection, is different. It is provided inside the transparent tubular body that forms it with a lighting system based on light emitting diodes or LEDs, giving the tube the advantages of this lighting system, essentially based on a greater illumination intensity with a considerably lower consumption, the possibility of repairing the tube and a much longer useful lifetime.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of application of the present in invention lies in the industry sector related to manufacturing lighting apparatuses and devices.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 37 CFR 1.98.
Currently, as a reference to the state of the art, although multiple devices and systems are known that use light emitting diodes (LEDs). It must be noted that the applicant is not aware of the existence of any invention having technical, structural or configuration characteristics similar to those of that disclosed herein.

Light emitting diode (LED) lighting tube that can be disassembled and repaired


A pipe connection swivel joint assembly includes a pipe member having an end flange with a conical proximal surface. A split ring assembly includes a pair of swivel ring halves each having a conical inner surface disposed against the conical proximal surface of the pipe member. The pair of swivel ring halves further include a plurality of mounting holes extending axially through the pair of swivel ring halves and a plurality of ring fastening holes. An outer ring is connected to the pair of swivel ring halves by a plurality of split ring fasteners engaged with the plurality of ring fastening holes. The outer ring supports a pair of distance plates that are disposed between opposing ends of the pair of swivel ring halves.

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Traditional swivel ring pipe connections require that the swivel ring be assembled to the pipe prior to welding the collar onto the pipe. It is desirable to provide an alternative swivel ring pipe connection that does not require the swivel ring be assembled to the pipe prior to welding the collar.


When a type of a target document is selected by an input unit from selection items displayed in a window of a display device based upon a type table, a word group of an image corresponding to the type of the document is displayed based upon an image table. When a word of the target image is selected from the word group, a color arrangement and a typeface corresponding to the image are determined based upon an image color arrangement conversion table. As a result, target color representation can be automatically displayed by an easy operation which does not require special technique and knowledge.

Color products are in fashion in the electronics world, and particularly in a display device and a printer, color products have spread. Under such a background, a device which can easily provide various color representation at a low price is desired.
FIG. 28 shows an example of a setting window of a conventional image output device. When "type of modification pattern", for example, is selected on the setting window, a setting window of FIG. 29 appears on a screen. Moreover, "coloring type of character" is selected, a setting window of FIG. 30 appears on the screen, and when "typeface" is selected, a setting window of FIG. 31 appears on the screen. Furthermore, when "character spacing" is selected, a setting window of FIG. 32 appears on the screen.
Therefore, for such outputs of color representation, an operator needs to specify colors of a background and a character, typeface, and a starting color of a gradation or rainbow representation, which is troublesome to the operator to specify a lot of items. Moreover, since colors of a character and a background, a typeface, etc. are specified independently, it requires high technical skill to combine these items based upon a certain image. Therefore, it is difficult to create a desired representation that one imagined.
In order to solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-113962/1990 (Tokukaihei 2-113962) discloses an image recording device which records an image of a color changing pattern, such as gradation by an operation in a recording device side. In accordance with this arrangement, in the case where data of a relational expression of the color changing pattern are inputted from an external apparatus to a memory of the image recording device, only the data of the relational expression may be inputted to software installed to the external apparatus. However, the image recording device cannot display character data as an image with colors. Moreover, the above Publication does not disclose contents of operations in the image recording device side, so it is impossible to judge easiness of the operation.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-279980/1992 (Tokukaihei 4-279980) discloses an image editing device which detects operation pressure at the time of inputting a coordinate and controls color information, such as brightness of a color to be used for editing, according to the pressure. In accordance with this arrangement, natural drawing can easily controlled. However, in the above image editing device, since its drawing touch depends upon capabilities of a coordinate input unit, such as a stylus pen, and of a pressure sensor, a very heavy burden on the pressure sensor is required for fine representation, thereby having little practical use.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 56-46082/1981 (Tokukosho 56-46082) discloses a color image scale which adjusts colors using a degree of an image as a standard and arranges the colors in a three-dimensional coordinate so as to position the colors. In accordance with this arrangement, a language can be equivalently converted into color which is imagined from the language. However, the color image scale is useful for application of data, but an image pattern of single color, a color arrangement, a typeface, etc., which is obtained by converting an image from one language, is of only one type. Therefore, a language has only a fixed image, and thus it is impossible to provide the other representation.
A technique for representing characters and illustrations with an intermediate color, multi-colors, etc. is known for various color representation. In order to realize representation with an intermediate color, multi-colors, etc., a method for outputting binary data or a method for outputting multi-valued data is used. The former method obtains target representation by developing each information on unit area using a dither method or an error diffusion method. The latter method develops target representation as a plurality of gradation maps. In the case of color representation, since in both the methods, control can be easily exercised by managing colors on one color table, the color table management is generally adopted to both the methods.
The method for outputting binary data has a problem of color correction, but the method of solving this problem is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 62-198895/1987 (Tokukaisho 62-198895). An intermediate color processing device disclosed in the above Publication is arranged so that a dot pattern corresponding to a display pattern is set and stored in a storage device, and the dot pattern is used according to a color mixing ratio. As a result, the intermediate colored dot pattern without a striped pattern and spots is previously created and registered, thereby making it possible to display an intermediate color which does not have a striped pattern and unevenness on each unit area.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 5-258035/1993 (Tokukaihei 5-258035) discloses an image processing device which is capable of obtaining a desired mixed color when a plurality of colors to be mixed and its mixing ratio are specified in an input section.
As to input means, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-279980/1992 (Tokukaihei 4-279980) discloses a device which controls brightness of color, saturation of color, and hue according to tool force by a stylus pen, etc.
However, in prior arts, since a mixed color is created by using the display method and the input means which are peculiar to the information processing device, a user who is not accustomed to an operation of an electronic device needs advance skills when creating a mixed color. In other words, the prior arts have the following problems.
(1) A special knowledge of color display on an electronic device, such as specifying a color in RGB, is required. Moreover, an operation which is peculiar to an electronic device is required, and this operation is not actually connected to an operation for mixing colors in a picture. For example, when a mixed color is created, a color number should be inputted and a color should be specified from a matrix list. Moreover, in the case where brightness, saturation and hue of a mixed color are changed, a numerical value should be inputted and they should be changed by using a scroll bar.
(2) Since a result is displayed after the setting of color mixing conditions is completed, a lot of numbers of and a lot of time for feedbacks after the result is recognized are required.
(3) The created mixed color and a mixed color, or a mixed color and basic colors cannot be mixed.
(4) A mixed color cannot be created by mixing a pattern, which is color form, with a color.
(5) Since basic colors are displayed on a list or are inputted by a number of sample colors, it is difficult to select the basic colors, so the basic colors cannot be specified by a name of colors, a name of color tones.
(6) The created mixed color cannot be saved. In other words, the created mixed color cannot be called as the basic colors. Moreover, information other than color data cannot be added to the created mixed color and they cannot be saved.


In a disclosed recording head, a piezoelectric element applies pressure to a liquid chamber by causing an oscillating plate of the liquid chamber to be displaced. Liquid is supplied to the liquid chamber via a flow resistance part. The oscillating plate has a first portion facing a liquid chamber and a second portion facing the liquid supplying path. The piezoelectric element is longer than the liquid chamber, and an edge of the piezoelectric element on the flow resistance part side is positioned not to face the second portion of the oscillating plate but to face the first portion of the oscillating plate.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to liquid droplet discharging devices and image forming apparatuses using the same for ejecting liquid droplets, and more particularly to a liquid droplet discharging device and an image forming apparatus using the same in which liquid droplet ejection performance is improved.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recording heads are used in inkjet recording devices functioning as image forming apparatuses such as printers, facsimile machines, copiers, and plotters. A recording head typically includes a nozzle for discharging ink droplets (recording liquid), a liquid chamber (also referred to as a pressure chamber, a pressurized liquid chamber, a discharge chamber, an ink chamber, an ink flow path, etc.) with which the nozzle is in communication, and an actuator for generating energy to apply pressure to ink inside the liquid chamber. By driving the actuator, ink inside the liquid chamber is pressurized so that ink droplets are discharged from the nozzle to record an image. The mainstream method is an ink-on-demand method performed by discharging ink droplets only when it is necessary to record an image.
Recording heads can be categorized according to various methods depending on the type of actuator used for discharging ink droplets. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses the following known methods. In a piezo method, one of the walls of a liquid chamber is a thin oscillating plate. A piezoelectric element is provided corresponding to the oscillating plate, which piezoelectric element functions as an electromechanical transducer. The piezoelectric element deforms as voltage is applied, which causes the oscillating plate to deform, thereby changing the pressure in the liquid chamber. The change of pressure in the liquid chamber causes ink droplets to be ejected. In a bubble jet method (registered trademark), a heating element is provided inside a liquid chamber. The heating element emits heat when a current is received, and the heat generates bubbles. Pressure due to the bubbles causes ink droplets to be ejected. Patent document 2 discloses an electrostatic type. Specifically, one of the walls of a liquid chamber is an oscillating plate. An individual electrode is provided outside the liquid chamber, facing the oscillating plate. An electric field is applied between the oscillating plate and the electrode, which generates an electrostatic force. The electrostatic force causes the oscillating plate to deform, which changes the internal pressure and the volume of the liquid chamber, so that ink droplets are ejected from a nozzle.
There is also a method employing a piezoelectric element as pressure generating means. As described in examples disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4, this method typically employs an oscillating plate provided with an island-shaped or stripe-shaped thick part where the oscillating plate engages with the piezoelectric element. By providing the thick part in the oscillating plate, the engagement with the piezoelectric element is facilitated. This prevents adhesives from sticking out and the engagement position from being displaced, which cause inconsistencies in the discharge volume. Accordingly, the ejected ink droplets are evenly formed.
It is necessary to ensure that the displacement of the piezoelectric element is only communicated inside of the liquid chamber. Problems are created if the piezoelectric element directly pushes up parts other than the liquid chamber such as a flow path unit including the oscillating plate or a flow path plate. Specifically, the pressure inside the liquid chamber does not increase and oscillation of the flow path unit is propagated to other units, which causes mutual interference and a significantly adverse effect on steadiness of ejection. Therefore, the piezoelectric element is generally smaller than the liquid chamber and provided inside the liquid chamber.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H10-100401
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H2-289351
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 3147132
Patent Document 4: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-19794
There are requirements for inkjet recording devices to produce high quality images. To meet these requirements, liquid chambers are reduced in size, so that smaller ink droplets can be ejected. Further, to make nozzles eject ink droplets by a finer pitch, liquid chambers are not only reduced in width but also in length. This increases the pressure resonant frequency of the liquid chamber, so that smaller ink droplets are ejected.
However, even if the liquid chamber is reduced in length, it is not possible to simply shorten the piezoelectric element. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for describing displacement of a driving unit of a conventional piezoelectric element 500. Displacement of the laminated-type piezoelectric element 500 occurs in a d33 direction, which is the thickness direction. The piezoelectric element 500 is shortened in the longitudinal direction of a liquid chamber, and the entire bottom surface of the piezoelectric element 500 is bonded and fixed to a base 600. Therefore, displacement of the piezoelectric element 500 is obstructed due to inert parts on both edges. Also, an active part of the piezoelectric element 500 is partly obstructed from being displaced in the thickness direction, which active part is supposed to cause displacement of a thick part 420 of an oscillating plate. When the piezoelectric element is shortened, the areas of the inert parts that obstruct displacement are unchanged, while the active part that becomes displaced in the thickness direction is shortened. Therefore, a predetermined amount of displacement cannot be achieved, and conversion efficiency is significantly degraded. Accordingly, the piezoelectric element 500 cannot be made compact in accordance with the size of a liquid chamber 210, as shown in a partial cut-away view of FIG. 14. Even if the liquid chamber 210 is reduced in size, the size of the piezoelectric element 500 cannot be changed much. Thus, if an oscillating plate 400 only contacts the piezoelectric element 500 at a thick part 420, a large area of a diaphragm part (thin layer part) 410 on the side of a flow resistance part 220 does not receive the effects of the piezoelectric element 500. As a result, compliance (reduced restriction) at the flow resistance part 220 becomes excessively large, such that preferable ejecting properties cannot be achieved.

Liquid droplet discharging device and image forming apparatus


An applicator has a stem, one or more tips, and one or more chambers which may hold therapeutic or medicinal fluids. The applicator may be separated into two sections so the tips can be used independently. The fluids held in the chambers may be separated with one or more frangible walls which can be broken to release or mix the fluids. The tips are used as applicators for the therapeutic or medicinal effects produced by the fluids or the medicines contained in the cavity.

Injuries to the body often include swelling and inflammation in the affected area, bleeding from the injury, and localized pain. Often a cold compress can be used to decrease the swelling and inflammation and slow the bleeding by restricting the blood flow. The cooling can also ease the pain by numbing the affected area. Cold compresses can easily be made with common household items, such as ice, a bag and a cloth. The cold compress can then be applied to the exterior injuries.
Internal pain, swelling and bleeding, such as those associated with the nose, ears, and mouth can be difficult to treat since the bleeding, swelling and pain occurs in hard to reach body cavities. Common cold compresses cannot be effectively applied to these internal areas or more precisely to smaller injuries due to their larger size. In addition, generally the shape and configuration of a cold compress prevents insertion into the cavities to reach the affected areas. When an injury occurs in a body cavity, the cold compress can only be applied to the closest external area to the body cavity. This external application is less effective at stopping the swelling, bleeding and pain within the internal cavity. There is, therefore, a need for an improved applicator with a size and configuration that provides a mechanism for applying therapeutics and medicines in a precise manner and in hard to reach areas of the body. It is to these and other objectives that the present invention is directed.

Applicator with internal chambers for dispensing therapeutic fluids


The present invention relates to a system and method for automatically recognizing a license plate number of a subject vehicle in use of a surveillance vehicle, which mounts automatic license plate number recognition equipment including a camera to a vehicle such as police patrol car, security company car, taxi, and so on, recognizes the license plate of a different vehicle on the run or in parking or stopping through the camera, verifying whether the vehicle is stolen, in search, or has a forged license plate, and can deal with the vehicle early when the vehicle is in question.

A conventional vehicle recognition (vehicle surveillance) could be performed through a monitoring camera installed on main roads, as we know, or a policeman or a guard could ascertain the vehicle recognition in a wireless manner after verifying a vehicle number, vehicle color, or the like by his eyes.
However, identifying a vehicle in such a manner has a problem in that there is no way but inevitably recognizing a limitation of a certain extent. That is, monitoring cameras installed on main roads have a problem in that many of them are revealed since they are fixed at their positions, and also have a problem in that lots of time is required, even though a monitoring camera catches a vehicle in question at a position, to bring the vehicle under arrest through the catching of the camera and a distance exists between arrest personnel and the vehicle in question.
Further, the case that personnel such as road police, supervision personnel, and the like do a direct surveillance has a problem since it is basically impossible to do an incessant surveillance and it is difficult to do a perfect surveillance during the surveillance.
Furthermore, there exists a problem since it is hard to grasp whether, upon instantly discovering a vehicle, it is hard to grasp whether the vehicle is one in question and, even though a vehicle in question is discovered, a practical use is not easy since it is difficult to make evidence documents.

System for automatic recognizing license number of other vehicles on observation vehicles and method thereof


A Data Storage Device (DSD) includes a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) including a private partition with a write-once partition only internally accessed by a controller of the DSD. Data stored in at least one memory of the controller and in the private partition is encrypted. According to one aspect, the NVM includes a firmware partition, and at least one key associated with the DSD stored in the write-once partition is descrambled or decrypted using a scrambler key or decryption key stored in the firmware partition. According to another aspect, a method for establishing a root of trust includes generating a scrambler key or a decryption key, and generating at least one key associated with the DSD. The scrambler key or the decryption key is stored in a firmware partition of an NVM of the DSD, and the at least one key associated with the DSD is stored in a write-once partition.

An increasing amount of content such as movies and music are being distributed electronically. Various forms of Digital Rights Management (DRM), which invariably use cryptographic encryption techniques, can be used to help prevent unauthorized distribution or access of such high value content. In some cases, the secret keys for decrypting content may be stored in a Data Storage Device (DSD) along with the content. Such keys may be protected from unauthorized access outside of the DSD by encrypting the keys based on a Root of Trust (RoT) associated with the specific DSD storing the keys.
A RoT or Trust Anchor is a hardware or software component for which trust is assumed and not derived. This can include, for example, code that is trusted by an Operating System (OS) of a computer or other electronic device, such as initial boot code burned into a non-volatile Read Only Memory (ROM). RoTs are usually implemented as hardware or protected by hardware. A RoT in cryptographic systems is trusted to perform one or more security-critical functions such as validating firmware boot processes to help make sure that the computer system or electronic device is only started using its own unmodified startup code.
A RoT can be implemented with cryptographic keys or firmware boot code which can be stored in a dedicated, non-volatile processor memory such as ROM or eFuse that cannot be modified or rewritten in order to resist unauthorized changes or overwriting of the RoT. In order for a RoT to be specific to a DSD storing DRM keys, for instance, ROM is generally not a useful solution because it is typically the same from one device to the next. Another non-volatile processor memory may be used instead.
However, the hardware necessary for additional non-volatile processor memory can increase the cost and complexity of a microcontroller or System On a Chip (SoC) in a DSD. In addition, the size and cost of the microcontroller or SoC may be limited for an embedded DSD or memory card DSD to be used within or with a larger electronic device such as, for example, a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device or a media player device.

Virtual root of trust for data storage device


A hardware frame modifier apparatus where the functions of the virtual device and virtual host are combined so that a single processor may perform them is provided. The hardware frame modifier apparatus may virtualize command and status frames without a store and forward operation. The modified command and status frames are sent to the physical host and physical device. The hardware frame modifier apparatus used a virtual table, updated by the virtual device/virtual host, to determine the appropriate mapping of the logical storage device of the frames to a physical storage device. Based on this mapping, the hardware frame modifier changes the frame header to direct the frame directly to the physical storage device and to determine the appropriate conversion of command and status type. In this way, the number of store and forward operations required to send data frames to, or read from, the physical storage devices is reduced or eliminated, thus reducing the delay or latency.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for modifying frames in hardware to implement storage device virtualization.
2. Background of the Invention
Storage virtualization is the treating of storage as a single logical entity without regard to the hierarchy or type of physical media that may be involved in the defining of the logical entity. That is, a single logical storage entity may be comprised of a plurality of physical storage devices but to all applications, the plurality of physical storage devices still appear to be a single large storage device. Storage virtualization enables the applications to be written to a single programming interface rather than to the details of the various disk, tape and optical devices that are used to store data.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary prior art mechanism for storing and reading data from a storage device that is the subject of virtualization. As shown in FIG. 1, the system comprises a host device 110, a virtual device 120, a virtual host 130, and a physical storage device 140. With the storage and reading of data from the physical storage device, three phases are performed: the command phase, status phase, and data in/out phase. The command phase involves the passing of command frames to the storage device 140 commanding the storage device 140 to prepare for the storage or reading of data. The status phase involves sending and receiving status frames to and from the storage device 140 to verify that the storage device is reading for storage or reading of data. The data in/out phase involves the actual transfer of data between the storage device 140 and the host device 110.
As shown in FIG. 1, the command, status and actual data frames all experience similar paths. That is, command and data in frames are sent from the host device 110 to the physical storage device 140 via the virtual device 120 and the virtual host 130. At the virtual device 120, the frames are stored and then forwarded to the virtual host device 130. At the virtual host 130, the frames are again stored before being forwarded to the storage device 140 (see steps 1–3).
This same store and forward approach is taken on status and data out frames on the return path. Status and data out frames from the storage device 140 are sent to the host device 110 via the virtual host 130 and the virtual device 120 (see steps 4–6). Depending upon the type of frame, different operations occur as the frames are sent via virtual device 120 and virtual host 130.
The virtual device 120 communicates to the host device 110 in its chosen protocol. Similarly, the virtual host 130 communicates to the storage device in its chosen protocol. The virtual device 120 and virtual host 130 perform the necessary mappings and protocol conversions to map a virtual or logical storage entity to physical device 140.
For example, the host device's commands could be a disk protocol, while the storage device's command 140 are a tape protocol. Also, the host device could be accessing one logical disk while the physical storage devices are a tape pool. The host device 110 sends a command frame to the virtual device 120. Virtual device 120 translates host's command protocol into a proprietary protocol known by the virtual device 120 and the virtual host 130. The proprietary command is sent to the virtual host 130. Virtual host 130 receives the proprietary command and translates it into the storage's command protocol.
When the data is transferred from the host device 110 to storage device 140, or vice versa, the data is stored and forwarded at both virtual device 120 and virtual host 130. When the storage device 140 responds with status, virtual host 130 translates the status into a proprietary protocol before sending it to virtual device 120. Virtual device 120 translates the proprietary protocol into host device's protocol before sending it to host device 110.
During this whole sequence, host device 110 may store data to logical storage device entity "F:" but "F:" may be comprised of a plurality of actual physical storage devices of which storage device 140 may be one. The virtual device 120 maps the logical storage device entity "F:" to a plurality of storage devices handled by the virtual host 130 and forwards the data frame to the virtual host 130. The virtual host 130 maps the logical storage device entity "F:" to storage device 140.
Thus, with the known system described above, each store and forward adds delay or latency between the physical host device 110 and the physical storage device 140. This latency slows down the performance of the system by delaying the data, commands, and status frames sent to and from the storage device 140. Each delay forces the host device 110 to wait for its response from the storage device 140. Since no data is sent to the storage device 140 while the host device 110 waits for a response, the wait time is equated to wasted bandwidth and poor performance.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have an apparatus and method for performing storage virtualization in which delay and latency is reduced. Moreover, it would be desirable to have an apparatus and method in which the store and forward operations of the known system are minimized in order to reduce this delay and latency.

Hardware frame modifier apparatus and method for storage virtualization


There is disclosed an apparatus for designing and optimizing a memory for use in an embedded processing system. The apparatus comprises: 1) a simulation controller for simulating execution of a test program to be executed by the embedded processing system; 2) a memory access monitor for monitoring memory accesses to a simulated memory space during the simulated execution of the test program, wherein the memory access monitor generates memory usage statistical data associated with the monitored memory accesses; and 3) a memory optimization controller for comparing the memory usage statistical data and one or more predetermined design criteria associated with the embedded processing system and, in response to the comparison, determining at least one memory configuration capable of satisfying the one or more predetermined design criteria.

The demand for high-performance processing devices requires that state-of-the-art integrated circuits perform operations in the minimum amount of time, consume the minimum amount of power, and occupy the smallest amount of die space possible. This is particularly true of a wide array of embedded processing systems, such as application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) devices, that contain a processor and memory. ASIC devices and other embedded processing systems are used in network cards, modems, wireless receivers and transmitters, smart cards, cell phones, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, and the like.
In normal software development efforts for an embedded processing system, a compiler is used to generate the appropriate object code from the source code that the programmer has written. In general, conventional compiler technology has evolved to allow the user to select the quality of the code that is generated (e.g., compilers have compilation switches that allow either independent or linked optimization of the code for space and time). Generally, object code that is optimized for space (i.e., low memory requirements) runs slower than object code that has been optimized for time (i.e., can use as much memory as necessary).
Circuit designers frequently make trade-offs when designing embedded processing systems. One major issue that must be resolved when designing an ASIC device or other embedded processing system is the amount of embedded memory that will be available in the system. Because a memory circuit can be expensive in terms of space, power consumption, and speed, it is important to optimize the embedded memory to minimize these costs while retaining as much flexibility as possible.
Several different types of memories may be used in modern embedded ASIC devices. These memories include SRAM, DRAM, flash RAM, EEPROM, flip-flops, and ROM. Each of these memories has different characteristics that make the memory more suitable or less suitable for a particular application. Unfortunately, while modern design tools, such as compilers and debuggers, are capable of telling circuit designers the total amount of memory needed, they tell very little else about the memory requirements of an ASIC device. The software designers who write the code executed by the ASIC device tend to treat all memory the same and do not write code in a manner that exploits the characteristics of different types of memories. The end result is that many ASIC devices run slower, consume more power, or are larger in size than would otherwise have been necessary.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved apparatuses and methods for designing embedded processing systems. In particular, there is a need for embedded processing system design tools that are capable of determining the memory access usage of an application executed by an embedded processing system that is under design. More particularly, there is a need for embedded processing system design tools that are capable of selecting and optimizing the types and sizes of memories used in the target device and optimizing the application program code executed by the target device to exploit the characteristics of the different types of available memories.

System and method for designing and optimizing the memory of an embedded processing system


Systems and methods for obtaining position sensor space data regarding an endovascular prosthesis within an anatomical region of a patient include at least one position indicating element which is movable within an endovascular prosthesis is tracked by a tracking system. A guidance portion of the endovascular prosthesis constrains movement of position indicating elements within the endovascular prosthesis.

Stents, grafts, covered stents, vascular endoprostheses, struts or other endovascular devices of various shapes, sizes, and materials are generally used as therapy for minimally invasive treatment of various conditions such as, for example, vascular aneurysms (especially in the aorta) atherosclerotic plaque at risk for rupture, vascular occlusion, stenosis, or other indications. These endovascular devices may be made of various materials such as, for example, PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (PTFE or Teflon) with Nickel-Titanium (nitinol), stainless steel, and/or other material.
Placement of such endovascular devices is generally performed with x-ray guidance, often a portable C-arm fluoroscopy system that can be wheeled into an operating room for monitoring the location of the device before and during deployment. Exact positioning is crucial to successful outcomes. Placement errors as small as one millimeter may result in stroke, thrombus (clot), or "endoleak" (i.e., where blood leaks around the outside of the graft and into the aneurysm), making the therapy ineffective and potentially dangerous.
For example, knowledge of the exact location of vessels that branch off the aorta (such as carotid artery, renal arteries, celiac artery) may be critical to the success of placement of an endovascular device. As such, treatment planning often involves detailed measurements of aortic diameter at multiple locations, as well as an assessment of exact length of a graft or device required. Consideration as to location of calcium and atherosclerotic plaque is also given, so that severely diseased segments of the aorta may be avoided as potential landing spots. Furthermore, there is relatively little information currently available on where the spinal and lumbar arteries arise in relation to an aneurysm, and there is a relatively high incidence of damage to the spinal cord, which may result in paralysis and paresis as direct complications of a placement procedure.
Therefore, the ability to directly use pre-operative imaging such as, for example, Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA), Magnetic Resonance Angiography (MRA), and x-ray angiography, or other imaging during stent or stent/graft placement may improve the accuracy of the placement procedure by giving real-time feedback of location of branch vessels and enabling minor adjustments to avoid covering or landing a strut or fold of an endovascular device in critical vessels, calcium, or plaques. Other advantages may also be realized with the direct use of pre-operative imaging during placement procedures.
Current techniques involve confirming device location after placement of the device in its non-deployed state. This is generally done with angiography and conventional vessel road mapping, or plain fluoroscopy with reference to bones. However, there is little to no ability to correct for breathing or cardiac cycle motion during the deployment. It is therefore difficult both to plan the ideal deployment location and to carry out accurate placement according to the plan.
Current standard training videos and training modules show no roadmapping at all, or roadmapping without dynamic referencing. Some widely used training materials show an "expert" surgeon drawing on a monitor with a marker pen to show where the surgeon wants to place the endovascular device in relation to an x-ray fluoroscopic image that does not have vessels opacified.
Furthermore, referencing during endovascular device procedures is often performed by comparing bony landmarks on 2-dimensional x-ray images. However, this does not accurately reflect the exact location of target structures or non-target structures at any given point in time, which increases the inaccuracy of placement procedures.
These and other problems exist in current techniques.

System for image-guided endovascular prosthesis and method for using same

The United States of America, as represented by the Secretary DHHS


Lancet device that includes a body. A trigger is mounted to the body. A front cover has a skin engaging end that includes a lancet opening through which a lancet needle extends. A holding member is movably mounted within the body and includes a front end a rear end. The front end can be configured to receive a lancet. A stop surface moves with the holding member. A cam wheel includes cam surfaces which can be contacted by the stop surface. The cam wheel is configured to rotate at least partially. The cam wheel rotates about an axis that is parallel to an axis running through at least one of the lancet opening and the holding member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a lancet device having an adjusting capability, and a method of using a lancet device. In particular, the invention relates to a lancet device which utilizes an adjustable depth penetration. Lancet devices are used to penetrate and puncture the skin in order to allow the taking of a blood sample for testing. The present device allows the user to control the depth of this penetration by a simple adjustment mechanism.
2. Discussion of Background Information
Lancet devices are commonly used to prick the skin of the user so that one or more drops of blood may be extracted for testing. Some users, such as diabetics, for example, may have to test their blood sugar levels several times a day. This may be accomplished by the user using a simple needle. However, this procedure is often problematic for the user since the needle may be difficult to handle. Moreover, controlling the depth of penetration cannot be reliably accomplished without the use of a mechanical device. Additionally, many users simply cannot perform the procedure owing to either a fear of needles or because they lack a steady hand. As a result, lancet devices have been developed which allow the user to more easily and reliably perform this procedure.
Most lancet devices lack convenient and flexible adjustability. Such devices are typically made adjustable by switching their tips. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 32,922 to LEVIN et al. is one such device. That is, the user must remove one tip having a set depth and replace it with another having a different set depth. This, of course, creates the problem of storing the replaceable tips, which if not properly done, may result in their misplacement, damage, contamination, or the like.
An improved device would allow the user to more easily adjust the depth of penetration and would overcome some of the disadvantages described above. Moreover, since the skin thickness can vary slightly from user to user and finger to finger, a need exists for efficiently adapting the depth of penetration. For example, an index finger may be more calloused than a middle finger, and the more calloused finger will typically have thicker skin. By adjusting the depth of puncture so that the depth is no greater than necessary for extracting a required amount of blood, any pain experienced by the user may be minimized.
Lancets having an adjustable tip are known per se. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,110 to SLAMA discloses a mechanism which adjusts the penetration depth by rotating a threaded sleeve relative to a body. The SLAMA device is characterized as a "single bottom" device which employs a threaded design which can be expensive to manufacture. Moreover, such a device may require the user to rotate the threaded sleeve up to 360 degrees and more in order to attain the proper depth setting. Further, such a threaded resign is prone to inadvertent setting changes since there is nothing but frictional engagement between the mating threads to maintain the adjustment setting.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,147 to BODICKY et al. functions in a similar manner to the device in SLAMA and therefore suffers from similar disadvantages.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,464,418, 5,797,942, 5,908,434, 6,156,051 and 6,530,937 to SCHRAGA also disclose similar lancet devices and are hereby incorporated herein by reference as though set forth in full herein.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,434, the lancet device has a body portion which encloses a lancet and a lancet firing mechanism. The lancet typically has a needle extending therefrom and is caused to move towards the tip of the device by a trigger or firing mechanism. The lancet device forces the needle, by virtue of the needle being fixed thereto, out of the device by some distance or depth so that the needle can penetrate the skin of the user. The function of this firing mechanism and the lancet body design is disclosed in each of 5,797,942 and 5,908,434. These Patents are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety and are therefore only briefly discussed herein.
What is needed is a lancet device which can accurately and precisely control the depth of penetration of the needle relative to the surface of the user's skin while also being easy to use. It is also desirable for the user to be able to use and adjust the depth penetrating setting with just one hand and/or with less effort that currently required with existing lancet devices.
Thus, while advances have been made, there is a continuing need for a lancet device which provides for convenient, reliable and easy adjustment of penetration depth.


A central terminal (40) is provided in the central mount (9) of the plugging cavity (4) for contact with the plug terminal (85) of the lamp plug (B). An outer terminal (50) and a check terminal (70) are provided in the outer mount (10A) and the check mount (10B), respectively, for contact with the annular contact (88) on the side wall of the lamp plug (B).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lamp sockets for receiving lamps such as automobile headlights.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some lamps, such as automobile headlights, are as bright as daylight. Such an automobile headlight includes a lamp socket and lamp plug. The lamp socket includes a plugging section, a central mount at the center of the plugging section, and an outer mount at the periphery of the plugging section.
A central terminal and an outer terminal are provided at the central and the outer mounts, respectively, for contact with a plug terminal and a peripheral contact when the lamp plug is plugged in the lamp socket.
When the lamp plug is plugged in the lamp socket, the central terminal and the outer terminals are brought into contact with the plug terminal and the peripheral contact, respectively.
However, there is no means to determined if the lamp plug is plugged in the lamp socket so that it is frequent to apply voltage to the lamp socket without the lamp plug attached. Consequently, a spark is produced across the central terminal and the outer terminal, causing damage to the equipment.


Fuel delivery system for an internal combustion engine comprising a method and apparatus for generating and delivering a homogeneous charge with a variable fuel/air ratio which relies on fuel-absorbent, air-permeable evaporative wick membranes in a primary mixing region to which a portion of thermally-regulated air from an air dividing region has come. A single moving control element is used to control the quantity of in-rushing air in the primary mixing region, and therefore the amount of fuel rich air produced in this primary mixing region, and at the same time this single moving control element modulates both the quantity of fuel rich air and the quantity of regular fuel-free combustion air which are brought together in a secondary mixing region where they combine in the desired ratio to form a homogeneous charge with a variable fuel/air ratio. The use of a single moving control element allows extremely economical construction. A further advantage of this method is extremely rapid and accurate control of the fuel/fair ratio of the charge which is generated. The method can be used to safely and reliably generate clean-burning combustible mixtures for internal combustion engines, and to cool supercharged and turbocharged airstreams. Electronic control means are also provided to calculate the correct fuel/air ration under various engine operating and environmental conditions and so that spark plug timing and electromechanical valve timing can be adjusted in concert with adjustments to the fuel/fair ratio so that optimum fuel economy and emissions performance is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the problem of delivering a combustible mixture of fuel and air to an internal combustion engine or other combustion appliance. It also relates to the problem of cooling a supercharge.
2. Background Art
Conventional carburetors and fuel injectors for internal combustion engines, as well as for other appliances, generate a heterogenous two phase product which consists of a liquid fuel phase and a gaseous combustion air phase. The incomplete mixing of the fuel and air leads to inefficient combustion, fuel wastage, and unnecessary pollution. Estimates vary, but some say up to 40-50% of fuel is wasted because of incomplete combustion. Vapor phase carburetors have been invented which attempt to deal with this problem by generating a molecular vapor from the liquid fuel before it is introduced into the combustion chamber. If a molecular vapor can be generated safely and effectively, and delivered to the combustion chamber in controlled dosages, essentially complete fuel combustion can be achieved, and much greater fuel economy can be achieved. However, it takes a tremendous amount of heat to vaporize traditional liquid fuels for internal combustion engines. For instance, a 235 horsepower engine at full load requires 10,486 watts of heat just to vaporize the fuel if liquid hexane is used as the fuel, assuming the liquid hexane is at or just below the liquid-gas phase change temperature just prior to vaporization.
The majority of the prior art vapor carburetion schemes seek to heat up the liquid fuel directly by surrounding the liquid fuel with a heating means or surrounding the heating means with a reservoir of liquid fuel, or by placing the heating means adjacent to the liquid fuel. The three main heating means employed in vaporizing fuel delivery systems are (1) heat supplied by the engine's exhaust system; (2) heat supplied by the engine's cooling system; and (3) heat supplied by electrical resistance heaters. Examples of devices using the engine's exhaust system as the heat source are the inventions of Zankowski (U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,533) and Budnicki (U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,840). An example of devices using the engine's cooling system as the heat source are the inventions of Ogle (U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,779). An example of a device using an electrical resistance heater as the heat source is the invention of Shih (U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,633).
In theory, it is acceptable to use electrical resistance heaters in such schemes because while in absolute terms the amount of heat necessary to turn the liquid fuel into vapor is quite high (viz., 10,486 watts) the relative amount is fairly low, say only about 2-40% of the gross engine output power. In other words, if the electrical resistance vaporization scheme adds a 40% fuel efficiency by giving the engine the opportunity to burn a homogeneous molecular vapor instead of a crudely mixed aerosol, then one can live with the 2-40% parasitic electrical generation load required. A further reason to use electrical resistance heating is that such a heating means is precisely controllable by carefully controlling the current through the heating circuit (Joule's Law). However, in some cases, the added parasitic load inefficiency, compounded by further inefficiencies in the belt, pulley, and bearing losses from the generator, make a significant operating cost difference. Furthermore the use of electrical resistance heating necessitates the cost and weight of expensive, heavy electrical generators and wiring harnesses; and is unsafe due to the hazard of electrical sparks and short-circuits developing in close proximity to the combustible mixtures.
Since there are already two sources of waste heat present in most internal combustion engines, the exhaust gases and the circulating coolant, an object of a more perfectly finessed invention is to rely on one of these already-present sources of heat rather than adding others. Both of these two sources have the added advantage that the available heat increases with the engine's demand for fuel on a roughly linear basis. The problem with using exhaust gases, however, is that it is extremely unsafe to put exhaust gases in close proximity to gasoline and combustible volatile mixtures. The closer the exhaust gas heat source and the thinner the partition between the exhaust gas stream and the gasoline, the better the heat transfer to the gasoline and the more efficient the vaporization process; but the more dangerous the situation can be should the partition fail and some of the hot, still-burning pieces of carbon and microscopic metal fragments enter into the gasoline.
One particular sub-class of vapor carburetor schemes which relies on the engine's circulating coolant to supply the heat necessary for vaporization is represented by the device of Ogle (U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,779) which relies on a large radiator placed inside the car's main fuel tank. The basic problem with devices of this sub class are safety and reliability. One sees that if Ogle dispenses with the car's "regular" radiator and goes only with a radiator in the gas tank, approximately ⅓ of the engine's heat would be supplied to the gas tank, whereas only 2-4% would be needed for the fuel vaporization. There would thus be a significant excess of gasoline vapor produced over and above that needed for engine operation. The interior gas tank pressures would soon go beyond practical limits unless extremely heavy pressure vessels were constructed to obviate this problem. This extra weight would eliminate the increased fuel efficiency desired. Using smaller radiators only lessens this problem. Furthermore, as the tank is drawn down, the changing heat transfer characteristics of the embedded radiator and the remnant fuel would represent an additional layer of complexity as far as keeping the pressure steady.
A better solution is to use a smaller secondary reservoir which is always kept filled, together with a more perfectly-tailored radiating device, with a controlled coolant flow. But even then, control of the varying pressures associated with the head space gases which need to be siphoned off represents a thorny engineering problem. The fact that no commercially-available fuel delivery system exists today based on this idea is a testament to its inherent intractability.
Another problem encountered with vapor phase fuel delivery systems is the need to control the fuel/air ratio over a wide range to allow for various engine operating conditions. The perfect stoichemetric air to fuel ratio for gasoline is 15:1 by weight or approximately 60:1 by volume. However, in internal combustion engine designs for automobiles, it is necessary for the fuel delivery system to provide a richer fuel mix during accelerations (say, 12:1), and a leaner fuel mix during long-range highway cruising (say, 18:1). Furthermore, in the case of automobile-based internal combustion engines, and other engines which deal with rapidly changing load conditions, the fuel/air ratio demands of the engines can change extremely rapidly, often in a small fraction of a second (viz., 50 milliseconds). It is therefore desirable that a fuel delivery system be able to vary the fuel/air ratio rapidly.
Instead of heating up reservoirs of liquid fuel to accomplish the phase transition of the fuel from liquid to vapor, an alternative scheme is to greatly increase the evaporative surface area of the reservoir so that more vapor will be generated. To this end, several capillary action evaporative wick carburetion schemes have been proposed. However, existing state-of-the-art capillary action evaporative wick carburetor schemes rely on ambient temperature air supplies for volatilization and have proven to be extremely difficult to control. In other words, in some cases they deliver too fuel-rich a mixture, while in other cases they deliver too-lean a mixture. There is no regularity or predictability to their performance.
For instance, Pedersen (U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,399 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,074) discloses the use of capillary action evaporative wicks to disgorge fuel vapors to the combustion air supply, but no mention is made of using any type of thermal regulating means to prevent freeze-up, and thus to allow such carburetors to function for extended periods of time. Freeze-up occurs because using a capillary action evaporative wick carburetor means one is essentially running a refrigerator. If thermal regulating means, specifically warming up means of some type or another are not supplied, the capillary action evaporative wick and the associated liquid reservoir will soon cool down (i.e., within seconds) to such an extent that no further vapor will be produced and the carburetor will cease to function. The laminar air flows, and metering schemes Pedersen teaches all mask this underlying issue. No mention is made of a method to bring the appropriate amount of heat to the evaporative wicks of Pedersen which would safely and effectively guarantee the proper functioning of this device for an extended period of time.
It is obvious that schemes which teach the use of capillary action evaporative wicks but do not teach the incorporation of an integral thermal regulating means are not practical devices. Note that beyond the issue of incorporating a thermal regulating means in the first place to counter the evaporative cooling effect of such vapor-generating devices, no mention or discussion is made at all in any of the prior art with regard to how to do this, i.e., what specific approaches to use, or what the technical challenges would be. For instance, would it be better to heat up the gasoline before impregnating the wick with it? Should separate heating elements be placed inside each wick? Should the heat source be exhaust gas? How should the heat source be placed in intimate connection with the fuel to be vaporized? How do you prevent overheating, etc. None of these important technical issues have been addressed in the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to improve upon existing vapor carburetion schemes and to provide a safe, reliable and effective thermal regulating means for capillary action evaporative wick carburetors to allow them to function for extended periods of time.
Another object of the invention is to provide a reliable method to supply a homogeneous charge with a variable fuel/air ratio to throttle-controlled engines wherein the mechanical throttle setting by itself determines the engine speed.
Another object of the invention is to supply a means to vary the fuel/air ratio which can readily be put under the program control of an intelligent control oriented processor or other such micro-controller that has control of overall engine functions, including spark advance, and electro-mechanical valve timing, so that the fuel/air ratio can be adjusted in concert with these other engine functions electronically to achieve maximum fuel economy and emissions performance.
Another object of the invention is to provide a means of cooling supercharged (or turbo-charged) air-streams after they have come from the supercharger (or turbo-charger) but before they reach the engine. Supercharging, or turbo-charging, is a way to increase the horsepower of an internal combustion engine by increasing the density of the charge admitted to the combustion chambers. To do so, either the exhaust gas stream, or a pulley, or an electric motor is used to supply the force necessary for a blower or compressor to compress the in-rushing combustion air supply before it reaches the engine. The problem with this scheme, however, as that as the air is compressed, the air is also heated up as a natural consequence of Boyle's Law. Thus a 100% efficient supercharger will heat up the air passing through it by approximately 71 degrees Fahrenheit over the ambient air temperature when an 8 psi boost pressure is achieved. This extra heat of the combustion air which is admitted to the combustion chamber decreases the volumetric efficiency of the engine, remains a problem for the engine's cooling system to dissipate, and can lead to unsafe, premature detonation of the fuel/air mixture in spark ignition engines. Therefore makers of superchargers, turbo-chargers, and fuel delivery systems for engines have sought ways to cool the combustion air stream prior to its being admitted into the engine. In general, this practice is known as "inter-cooling" in the industry.
The methods developed for inter-cooling in automotive and marine engine applications may be broadly categorized into two separate categories: those which use heat exchangers in which a large volume of cooler air is brought into intimate contact with the in-rushing combustion air supply in a heat exchanger to lower the temperature of the supercharge, or those in which large quantities of cool water are brought into intimate contact with the in-rushing combustion air supply in a heat exchanger to lower the temperature of the supercharge. In contradistinction, the present invention does not rely on a heat exchanger as such and represents an entirely new and novel method of cooling a supercharge which does not require the additional expense of a heat exchanger and the additional equipment to guide either water or air through the inter-cooler heat exchange system, or the added mechanical inefficiencies and energy wastage associated with doing so, and which furthermore allows the formation of combustible mixture with a variable fuel/air ratio ("charge") in a natural and surprisingly efficient way.


An apparatus preventing over-cooling of a fuel cell is provided that includes a cooling fluid manifold which is mounted to a stack of the fuel cell and through which cooling fluid flows therethrough. End plates are arranged on both ends of the stack of a fuel cell, and at least one protrusion is provided on one surface of each of the end plates. The at least one protrusion is disposed inside a cooling fluid manifold to reduce the flow amount of the cooling fluid which flows in and out between the separating plates through the cooling fluid manifold.

(a) Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for preventing over-cooling of a fuel cell, and more specifically, to an apparatus for preventing over-cooling of a fuel cell, in which a flow amount of cooling fluid participating in cooling of end cells is reduced through shape modifications of end plates, thereby preventing over-cooling of the end cell in order to avoid flooding of stacks of fuel cells.
(b) Background Art
Generally, a stack of a fuel cell for a vehicle is configured with a plurality of cells being connected in series wherein air, fuel (hydrogen) and cooling fluid are supplied and discharged at an end of the stack. As shown in FIG. 1, in the cell (power generating cell) an anode separating plate 1a and a cathode separating plate 1b are arranged at both sides of an Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) (power generating body) and Gas Diffusion Layers (GDLs) are bonded thereat. Additionally, a stack is formed with each unit cell being repeatedly stacked. Additionally, a flow channel 4 of cooling fluid, which is communicated with a cooling fluid manifold 3, is disposed at an interface between two adjacent cells. That is, the interface is disposed between the anode separating plate 1a and the cathode separating plate 1b, and thus, based on the power generating body MEA, about half of each plate thereof is effectively a cooling surface.
However, in case of an end cell facing an end plate 20, since the end cell 2 is disposed at an outermost region of the fuel cell, the cooling fluid for cooling the end cell is only cooled on one side, unlike other cells in the system which are cooled on both sides. As a result, this can cause a flooding phenomenon on a reaction surface of the end cell due to an excessive cooling of the end cell in comparison to the general power generating cells, and as a result the end cells become more deteriorated, compared to the general cells, as time passes.
Additionally, an end cell faces an end plate, additional heat is lost due to heat conduction into the air, even further adding to the problem of deterioration and flooding.
As a solution to this problem, a foaming structure has been added to the fuel cell system, this foaming structure is additionally provided in the vicinity of an inlet/outlet manifold of the cooling fluid in a separating plate. However, these foaming structures require piercing molds among molds for the separating plates used in a general cell and an end cell has to be prepared with two different specifications, and thus the production processes has to be performed separately thus making the manufacturing process more costly.
The invention disclosed in this background of the invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Apparatus for preventing over-cooling of fuel cell


A method and apparatus for facilitating an activity switch between a plurality of redundant routing modules in a network element is disclosed. Lower layer protocol packets, each encapsulating a higher layer protocol packet, are received at a lower layer task of a first routing module. The method first determines a peer network element In response to failure of a higher layer protocol task of the first routing module. The higher layer and lower layer protocol sessions between a second routing module and the peer network element are terminated following the determination of the peer network element, wherein the second routing module functions as a backup of the first routing module. The method then initiates a switchover from the first routing module to the second routing module of the network element.

Data communication protocols serve to facilitate transmission and reception of data across communication networks. For example, transmission control protocol (TCP), Internet protocol (IP), border gateway protocol (BGP), asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), and various other protocols facilitate communication of data between two or more locations in a communication network. Through the use of such protocols, communication of data across a plurality of communication networks may be facilitated, even though two or more of the networks comprise different operating systems and architectures.
The Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) Reference Model developed by the International Standards Organization (ISO) is generally used to describe the structure and function of data communications. The OSI Reference Model encompasses seven layers, often referred to as a stack or protocol stack, which define the functions of data communications protocols. The protocol stack comprises a physical layer, a data link layer, a network layer, a transport layer, a session layer, a presentation layer, and an application layer. A layer does not define a single protocol, but rather a data communications function that may be performed by any number of protocols suitable to the function of that layer. For example, a file transfer protocol and an electronic mail protocol provide user services, and are thus part of the application layer. Every protocol communicates with its peer, which is a standardized implementation of the identical protocol in the equivalent layer on a remote system. For example, a local electronic mail protocol is the peer of a remote electronic mail protocol. As another example, BGP on a local router exchanges routing information with BGP on a neighboring router.
Applications, such as BGP, which require a transport protocol to provide reliable data delivery, often use TCP because TCP verifies that data is delivered across a network (between separate end systems) accurately and in the proper sequence. TCP provides reliability with a mechanism referred to as Positive Acknowledgement with Retransmission (PAR). In simplest terms, a system with PAR re-transmits the data for which it has not received an acknowledgement message from a far-end node. Information is communicated between cooperating TCP modules in segments. A segment is a datagram containing a TCP header and perhaps data. The TCP header contains sequence numbers. Control information, called a handshake, is exchanged between the two endpoints to establish a dialogue before data is transmitted.
As previously discussed, border gateway protocol (BGP) typically runs over TCP (e.g., port 179). BGP version 4 (BGP4) is the current de facto exterior routing protocol for inter-domain (autonomous systems) routing. BGP is a protocol used to advertise routes between networks of routers, e.g., between a Service Provider's network and a Carrier's network. Routers at the edges of these networks exchange BGP messages, which could affect hundreds of thousands of routes. If the BGP process at one of these edge routers terminates (e.g., because of a restart, hardware failure, software upgrade, etc.), service on the routes between the networks is usually affected. The termination also causes additional BGP messages to be exchanged between other edge routers to update information about available routes. Consequently, the termination results in a period of route instability and unavailability of the affected router, which consequences are desirable to avoid. Furthermore, the termination will often result in a flood of re-routing messages being sent into the network, thus adversely affecting performance of the network.
A conventional BGP redundancy technique for addressing BGP process failures involves configuring two or more routers from different vendors in parallel. The objective of such a technique is to reduce the potential for BGP process failures by relying on the assumption that one of the routers will survive at least some of the time a particular set of circumstances that might lead to failure of another router. For example, at least one of the routers would ideally exhibit immunity to failure such as those that might be caused by an offending message, a hardware fault, or a software fault. That is, it is assumed that routers from different vendors are susceptible to different types of failures. This type of conventional BGP redundancy technique is generally expensive due to the inherent cost of the multiple routers and because using equipment from multiple vendors causes additional operation, support, network management, and training costs. Additionally, this type of conventional BGP redundancy technique requires additional BGP messages to be exchanged to move the routes onto the tandem router, thus increasing cost, complexity, and network traffic. The attached routers still notice that the first router has disappeared and then route around it. Accordingly, it is desirable to avoid the disadvantages associated with such a conventional BGP redundancy technique.
A graceful restart mechanism for a router is another conventional technique for addressing BGP process failures. Such a graceful restart mechanism is proposed in an Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) draft entitled "Graceful Restart Mechanism for BGP". In this proposal, a router has the capability of preserving its forwarding state (routes) over a BGP restart, the ability to notify its peer routers of this capability and the ability to notify its peer routers of an estimated time for restart completion before it initiates such a restart. Upon detecting that the BGP process of the router has terminated (i.e., a failed router) and in response to receiving a corresponding notification, the peer routers do not send new best routes to accommodate for the failed router unless it fails to restart within the specified time limit.
Such a graceful restart mechanism requires that the peer routers be able to interpret and respond to the restart notification. Additionally, while the failed router is restarting it cannot process routing updates that would normally be received. Consequently, it becomes out of date during the period of unavailability, which is followed by a burst of updates once back in service These updates cause increased "chum" in the routing tables of other routers, which affects performance of the network and should therefore be avoided. Even worse, routing loops or "blackholes" may form in this period of unavailability. Such "blackholes" occur when a route is advertised as available, but when the corresponding router is not actually configured to support such a route, resulting in loss of packets intended to be communicated over that route. Furthermore, the router may not actually be coming back into service. Also, since a graceful restart mechanism allows the specified time limit for routers to be restarted, waiting that amount of time can increase the time it takes to detect a failure and route around the failed router. Additionally, implementation of such a grateful restart mechanism requires protocol extensions to BGP to which all routers aware of the failure must adhere in order to support the graceful restart mechanism. Accordingly, it is desirable to avoid the disadvantages associated with a graceful restart mechanism.
Therefore, facilitating synchronization of protocol tasks and related information on redundant routing modules of a network element in a manner that enables limitations associated with conventional redundancy techniques to be overcome is useful.

Method and apparatus for providing redundant protocol processes in a network element


The invention is concerning the writing controlling apparatus that includes an acquiring unit configured to acquire a plurality of light amounts of a light source driven while changing an input current in non-effective scanning periods during which an image carrier is not irradiated with light from the light source, as a plurality of output results; a detecting unit configured to detect characteristics of the light source using the output results thus acquired; and a correcting unit configured to correct a current to be applied to the light source based on the characteristics thus detected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a writing controlling apparatus for controlling a current to be applied to a light source used in writing on an image carrier, an image forming apparatus including the writing controlling apparatus, and a computer program product including a computer-readable recording medium having a computer-readable program for executing a writing control.
2. Description of the Related Art
A laser printer performs writing by irradiating a photosensitive element that is an image carrier with a laser beam, thereby forming a latent image on the surface of the photosensitive element. The laser printer then performs developing by attaching toner on the surface of the photosensitive element on which the latent image is formed, and performs printing by transferring and fixing the image thus developed onto a paper sheet.
Because semiconductor lasers, which are inexpensive and small, are generally used in writing, laser printers includes a laser diode (LD), which is a semiconductor laser, and a driving circuit for driving the LD.
Available as schemes for driving an LD are a zero-bias modulation and a biased modulation. The zero-bias modulation is a scheme in which the LD is driven by a current corresponding to an input signal, while the bias current used for establishing a desired operating point is set to zero. By contrast, the biased modulation is a scheme in which the LD is driven by adding a current corresponding to an input signal to a bias current that is smaller than a threshold current, while the bias current is kept applied to the LD.
The biased modulation is currently often used because the biased modulation incurs a short delay time in generating a carrier at a density capable of oscillating a laser, so that it is possible to reduce the time required for the LD to start emitting light after a current corresponding to an input signal is started being applied.
Characteristics of an LD will now be explained briefly with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a relation between an input current and an optical output (light amount). The LD starts emitting light as the current is gradually increased. The light amount then increases moderately in proportional to the current level. The optical output then sharply increases when the current exceeds a certain level, and causes a laser oscillation. As a result, a laser beam is output from the LD. The current at the level at which the optical output sharply increases is referred to as an oscillation starting current.
A rate of this optical output change with respect to the current having exceeded the oscillation starting current is referred to as differential quantum efficiency, and is almost constant. When a line having the rate of this optical output change as a gradient is extended, as illustrated in a dotted line, the line intersects with a line of a zero optical output. The current level at this intersection serves as a threshold current, and is the lowest current capable of causing a laser oscillation. An appropriate bias current is then determined as a current equal to or lower than the threshold current. As an example, the bias current is determined as a threshold current×k, where k is a value equal to or more than 0.7 and equal to or less than 1.0.
The characteristics of an LD include the threshold current and the differential quantum efficiency, and these characteristics are known to vary greatly depending on the temperature. These characteristics are also known to vary depending on the time of a continuous LD operation.
Usually, immediately before printing is started, the light amount is measured while changing the current level, and the relation between the current and the light amount is acquired to allow these characteristics to be detected. The characteristics thus detected are used in determining an appropriate bias current level. The bias current level thus determined is set as a setting value, and the bias current to be supplied to the LD is controlled to the level specified as the setting value.
When the number of paper sheets to be printed is only one, a certain level of image quality can be ensured merely by detecting the characteristics of the LD immediately before the printing is started. However, when a plurality of paper sheets are to be printed successively, because the temperature of the LD increases and the time of a continuous operation is extended, the characteristics of the LD might differ greatly from those detected immediately before the printing is started, and the certain level of image quality can no longer be ensured.
In response to this problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-294871, for example, discloses a technology in which a temperature change and a time of a continuous operation are detected, and, if there is any change of a predetermined level, the detection of these characteristics (characteristics detection) is conducted again.
However, this technology requires some means for detecting a temperature change and a time of a continuous operation, and another characteristic detection is not conducted unless any change of a predetermined level is detected. Furthermore, a downtime (time in which printing is not executed) occurs while the characteristics detection is conducted again, disadvantageously.
Therefore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-118521, for example, discloses a technology that allows characteristics detection to be conducted even when no change of a predetermined level is detected, without requiring such means, and also enabling a downtime to be avoided while the characteristics detection is conducted.
When a semiconductor laser performs scanning for a line in the main-scanning direction, the scanning starts at a point outside one end of the photosensitive element, travels across the photosensitive element, and reaches a point outside the other end of the photosensitive element, in the manner described later. The period during which the laser scans across the photosensitive element, within the period in which the semiconductor laser scans for one line, is referred to as an effective scanning period. The periods in which the laser scans the section outside of the one end and the section outside of the other end of the photosensitive element (the periods outside of the period during which the laser scans across the photosensitive element) are to be non-effective scanning periods.
In the technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2007-118521, in an interval between a paper sheet and another paper sheet each requiring a semiconductor laser to scan a plurality of lines, the semiconductor laser is caused to perform scanning in the effective scanning period and the non-effective scanning periods in order to conduct characteristics detection. A downtime is avoided by reflecting the result of the detection during the interval between these paper sheets.
However, in this technology, in order to enable characteristics detection, the photosensitive element during the interval between the paper sheets is irradiated with a laser beam in the effective scanning period, thereby forming a latent image on the photosensitive element. If the latent image is developed and transferred onto a paper sheet, horizontal lines are produced on the paper sheet.
If the latent image is transferred onto a section between the paper sheets without being transferred onto a paper sheet, the latent image is transferred onto a transfer belt carrying these paper sheets. The latent image is then transferred onto the rear side of a paper sheet fed onto the transfer belt, and causes the rear side to be smeared with toner.
Therefore, it has been desirable to provide an apparatus and the like that can avoid formation of horizontal lines and smearing of a rear side without incurring any downtime.

Writing controlling apparatus, image forming apparatus, and computer program product


A gearbox rigidly coupled to a static structure; a driven component rigidly coupled to another static structure; a clutch assembly floating between and coupled to the gearbox and driven component. The clutch may have aligned output and input shafts, defining an engagement surface, a bearing, and a magnetic friction plate coupled and rotating with the input shaft. The plate may have a friction-engagement face, and a magnetic flux generator. The magnetic flux generator may be rigidly coupled to a static housing and partially surrounded in the radial direction by a structure configured to reduce leakage of a magnetic flux, by defining a plurality of voids, which direct multiple passes of the magnetic flux through the engagement surface of the output shaft. The magnetic flux generator may create the magnetic flux that creates a magnetic force between the engagement face and the magnetic friction plate that causes them to engage.

Gas turbine engines require various accessory components, e.g., fuel pumps, oil pumps, electric generators and/or motors, etc., to operate. Often, these components are driven by a turbine through an accessory gearbox. The effects of the failure of one of the accessory components can be propagated back through the accessory gearbox to other accessory components and even the turbine itself. For example, a rotating component could seize, transmitting the seizure torque through the gearbox to the turbine resulting in, at best, less efficient operation and, at worse, critical failure of the engine.
To prevent these potentially catastrophic failures, components are typically attached to the gearbox with a shear-limited shaft, an example of which is provided in FIG. 1. The shaft 100 may comprise an input shaft (or end) 102 and output shaft (or end) 104. One or both of the input end 102 and output end 104 may have splines 106 that couple with splines on either the gearbox or driven component, respectively. Between the input end 102 and output end 104, the outer diameter of the shaft is reduced, e.g., at the shear protection section 108. Reducing the outer diameter of the shaft reduces the maximum load that can be transmitted through the shaft because the stress in the shaft is increased at this location. Consequently, the shaft can be designed to sustain an expected maximum design load and to fail (e.g., by shearing) when that load is exceeded, e.g., when the attached component seizes or otherwise fails, to protect the engine, gearbox, and/or other accessory components.
In addition to providing protection for the engine in the event of component failure, shaft 100 may further accommodate misalignment between the gearbox and the driven component.
While shaft 100 provides some engine protection and misalignment capabilities, the gearbox side of the shaft must meet aerospace standards for the splines 106 and the seals between the shaft 100 and the gearbox, even during failure of the driven component. This requirement further complicates the use and design of shafts like shaft 100. Additionally, shaft 100 only provides its protective function in an inflexible manner in an extreme situation—when the torque in the shaft 100 exceeds its maximum torque for the driven component.
Improvements are needed in the systems and methods used to couple components to gas turbine engines.

Electromagnetic clutch for gas turbine accessories


An improved driver design including a plurality of NPN bipolar driver transistors connected in an H configuration including at least one bipolar upper drive transistor. A novel circuit is included for driving the upper NPN bipolar driver transistor. In a particular implementation, the circuit for driving the upper bipolar drive transistor is adapted to sense the output of the drive transistor and regulate a voltage at the input thereof in response thereto to keep the drive transistor out of saturation. Thus, power dissipation is minimized by using an H configuration and high speed is afforded by using bipolar drive transistors and by keeping the drive transistors out of saturation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to drive circuits. More specifically, the present invention relates to drive circuits used for write heads for tape recorders and the like.
While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many circuits of a computing system, power dissipation is a significant concern. For example, in tape units, a need has been recognized recently for small tape products. However, in small tape units, little or no space is available for cooling fans. Pockets of thermal energy or hot spots are created which are deleterious to the circuitry of the unit. Hence, there has been an ongoing effort to reduce the power dissipated by the write driver circuits of small form factor tape units to minimize the heat generated thereby.
A conventional write driver uses open-collector type drivers to generate the write current pulse through the write head. Bidirectional write current pulses are generated by alternating the pulses to two bipolar write drivers. Each time a write pulse is sent to a write driver, the current through the write driver will be at least twice the current through the write head. This current is equal to the current through the resistors. While this approach is very fast, it dissipates a substantial amount of power.
An alternative design uses complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) field effect transistors (FETs) in an H configuration. In this architecture, bidirectional current through the write head is controlled with alternating pulses through four FET devices. Power dissipation is half that of the above design. However, the parasitic capacitances of the FET devices cause the drivers to be significantly slower than the bipolar design above.
Thus, a need remains in the art for an improved write driver effective in small form factor applications. Specifically, there is a need in the art for a write driver design which utilizes the H configuration for lower power consumption and bipolar devices for faster switching.

International Business Machines Corporation


An automated prescription filling system which assists the physician in providing a prescription and/or assists he pharmacist in filling a prescription in which the physician enters prescription information into his/her computer by which a bar coded prescription may be printed out. The prescription printed out includes a bar code containing all pertinent information including drug specification, dose strength, taking instructions, physician identification as well as corresponding human-readable typed information. The patient takes the prescription into the pharmacy and the pharmacist fills the prescription either in the conventional fashion since the prescription contains all the necessary information in typed form, or the pharmacist scans the bar code(s) and the prescription is automatically entered into pharmacy computer. The pharmacist then selects the matching drug from the shelf container and scans the NDC (National Drug Code) bar-code on the container. The system confirms a match between the NDC and the prescription and then permits issue of the prescription, printing out a vial label.

The field of the present invention relates to an automated verification system and more specifically to a bar coded system of verification for filling pharmacy prescriptions.
FIG. 1 depicts a flow diagram of a typical physician-to-pharmacy prescription system. The physician makes the diagnosis (step 10) and then writes out a prescription (step 12) which the patient takes to the pharmacy (step 14). The pharmacist interprets the physician's prescription (step 16) and then selects the drug from the shelf container containing the appropriate drug (step 18), fills the vial with the appropriate quantity of the drug and labels the vial (step 20). The pharmacist completes the transaction by counseling the patient (step 22). Two steps in this system are prone to errors that are correctable by an automated verification system. First, the step in which the pharmacist interprets the prescription (step 16) requires the pharmacist to correctly render the hand-written directions of the doctor. This step may be prone to error because of the element of human error when reading the doctor's hand-written prescription. Moreover, doctors may write somewhat illegibly, thereby increasing the possibility of a mis-read. A second step prone to error is when the pharmacist picks drug from inventory on the pharmacy shelf that matches the prescription (step 18). After the prescription from the doctor is rendered, the corresponding drug is located from the inventory in the pharmacy to fill the prescription. If both the rendering of the doctors intended drug and the subsequent selection of that drug from the pharmacy inventory are performed correctly, the physician-to-pharmacy prescription system has functioned properly.
Electronic prescription transmission from the doctor's office to the pharmacies is now being worked on by a consortium of drug stores, pharmacy software suppliers, and other pharmacy industry parties, however, these systems do not verify the match between the doctor's prescription and the drug selected from the pharmacy's inventory to fill the prescription and the filled prescription container handed to the customer.

Automated method for filling drug prescriptions