A vehicular control system includes a charger configured to charge a battery of a vehicle from an external power supply source. A controller is configured to be activated when the charger starts charging in an ignition off state of the vehicle and blocks a high voltage system of the vehicle when it is determined that the vehicle receives a shock from outside the vehicle by using positional information transferred from a motor position sensor of a driving motor.

Currently, a vehicular control system to perform a high voltage blocking function at the time of a collision in a vehicle ignition (IG) on/ready condition has been developed. The vehicular control system including the high voltage blocking function may minimize a vehicle fire due to a disconnection of a high voltage system and minimize causalities due to an instantaneous introduction of large current at the time of the collision.
However, since the vehicle is in an ignition-off state when charging, the high voltage may not appropriately be blocked when the collision occurs.
In particular, in connection with a charging frequency (for example, once a day) and a charging time (for example, rapid charging time of approximately 25 minutes and slow charging time of approximately 5 hours) of an electric vehicle, it is necessary to develop a safe vehicular control system when a collision occurs during charging.

Vehicular control system and its operating method


An improved contrast agent for magnetic resonance imaging comprises particles to each of which is coupled a multiplicity of chelating agents containing paramagnetic ions. In the improved agent, the position of the ion is offset from the surface of the particle so as to improve the relaxivity imparted by the contrast agent. A tether offsetting the chelate from the surface of the particle may optionally contain cleavage sites permitting more facile excretion of the chelated paramagnetic ion.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become a useful tool for diagnosis and for research. The current technology relies on detecting the energy emitted when the hydrogen nuclei in the water contained in tissues and body fluids returns to a ground state subsequent to excitation with a radio frequency. Observation of this phenomenon depends on imposing a magnetic field across the area to be observed, so that the distribution of hydrogen nuclear spins is statistically oriented in alignment with the magnetic field, and then imposing an appropriate radio frequency. This results in an excited state in which this statistical alignment is disrupted. The decay of the distribution to the ground state can then be measured as an emission of energy, the pattern of which can be detected as an image.
While the above described process is theoretically possible, it turns out that the relaxation rate of the relevant hydrogen nuclei, left to their own devices, is too slow to generate detectable amounts of energy, as a practical matter. In order to remedy this, the area to be imaged is supplied with a contrast agent, generally a strongly paramagnetic metal, which effectively acts as a catalyst to accelerate the decay, thus permitting sufficient energy to be emitted to create a detectable bright signal. To put it succinctly, contrast agents decrease the relaxation time and increase the reciprocal of the relaxation time—i.e., the "relaxivity" of the surrounding hydrogen nuclei.
Two types of relaxation times can be measured. T1 is the time for the magnetic distribution to return to 63% of its original distribution longitudinally with respect to the magnetic field and the relaxivity ρ1, is its reciprocal. T2 measures the time wherein 63% of the distribution returns to the ground state transverse to the magnetic field. Its reciprocal is the relaxivity index ρ2. In general, the relaxation times and relaxivities will vary with the strength of the magnetic field; this is most pronounced in the case of the longitudinal component.
Thus, a desirable characteristic of any contrast agents is to provide the signal with an enhanced relaxivity both for ρ1 and ρ2. The present invention provides such contrast agents.
It is also advantageous to facilitate the excretion of the paramagnetic ion, which may otherwise be toxic if it is retained in a subject. Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a mechanism for cleaving the chelated metal ion from the particles or from any lipid components that might result in cellular or liver uptake.
There is an extensive literature regarding contrast agents which are based on chelated paramagnetic metals. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,512,294 and 6,132,764 describe liposomal particles with metal chelates on their surfaces as MRI contrast agents. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,064,636 and 5,120,527 describe paramagnetic oil emulsions for MRI in the gastrointestinal tract. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,614,170 and 5,571,498 describe emulsions that incorporate lipophilic gadolinium chelates, e.g., gadolinium diethylene-triamine-pentaacetic acid-bis-oleate (Gd-DTPA-BOA) as blood pool contrast agents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,804,164 describes water-soluble, lipophilic agents which comprise particularly designed chelating agents and paramagnetic metals. U.S. Pat. No. 6,010,682 and other members of the same patent family describe lipid soluble chelating contrast agents containing paramagnetic metals which are said to be able to be administered in the form of liposomes, micelles or lipid emulsions.
Thus, in general, contrast agents may take the form of paramagnetic metals such as rare earth metals or iron mobilized in a form that permits substantial concentrations of the paramagnetic metal to be delivered to the desired imaging area.
One method for providing useful concentrations of contrast agents has been described by the present applicants in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,780,010 and 5,909,520. A nanoparticle is formed from an inert core surrounded by a lipid/surfactant coating. The lipid/surfactant coating can then be modified to couple the particle to a chelating agent containing a paramagnetic metal. In addition, the particle can be coupled to a ligand for targeting to a specific site.
The present invention provides an improvement in the design of contrast agents whereby the relaxivity of the signal can be enhanced dramatically, and excretion can be facilitated.

Paramagnetic particles that provide improved relaxivity


Disclosed is a device for a child seat in a vehicle including a switch-over between comfort and safety mode of the child seat, depending on information suitable to predict an accident.

The present invention relates to a device for a child seat, and a child seat as well as a vehicle including a device for a child seat.
So-called ISO-Fix retaining systems are used at an increasing rate to attach child seats in vehicles. To this end, the ISO-FIX child seat is equipped with two gripper arms, which are engaged in mating counterparts in the vehicle. This provides an absolutely tight connection between the child seat and the vehicle. Consequently, the braking deceleration of the vehicle is passed on directly to the child seat in an accident. The risks of misuse could be reduced considerably by ISO-FIX. In addition to the two gripper arms, the child seats are fixed by an additional belt (the Top Tether). DE 102 16 070 C1 describes a child seat equipped with an ISO-Fix attachment system.
A great number of documents deal with the detection of child seats, when these are mounted on the seat of a vehicle. Sensors are used for this purpose, which react to the attachment of the child seat to the seat. Co-driver airbags are deactivated in response to the sensor signal in order to avoid injuries of the child (EP 0 603 733 A1, DE 44 10 402 A1).
DE 36 35 644 A1 describes a seat occupancy device, which uses a passenger detector to detect whether the seat is occupied.
Comfort devices of the vehicle are actuated automatically in response to the sensor signal of the passenger detector.
Child seats for motor vehicles include already many features to improve the passive safety of babies and children when an accident occurs. Among these are shoulder cushions to protect the neck and head area, 5-point belt systems, passive absorbers in the headrest and the sidewalls, partly even with air cushions, which have to be adapted to the ergonomics of the child being protected before starting to drive.
All these passive protective measures have optimal effects only if they are actually adapted to the child before starting to drive.
The shortcoming of these passive protective measures involves that in general they limit the freedom of motion of children to a great degree and, thus, render driving at ease without 'protest' from the back seat only possible if the existing passive protective measures are not utilized in full.
An object of the invention is to provide a child seat, which allows the child to be comfortably seated, on the one hand, and safeguards optimal protection of the child in a case of danger, on the other hand.
DE 198 55 032 A1, admittedly, provides an acceleration sensor for a child seat, which is allocated to a seat-belt retractor for a helmet. However, this special system restricts the possible movements for the child during travel even more.


A method and a system for enabling a touch controller to be adaptive to a capacitive touch sensor are disclosed. The method may include: step A in which the touch controller detects and samples all the capacitors in the sensor model identification circuit and parses the sampled data; and step B in which the touch sensor selects parameters corresponding to a sensor model in accordance with a parsing result of step A to perform touch detection processing to the capacitive touch sensor. The disclosed methods and systems which are easy to implement and have lower cost can be applied in various digital products with capacitive touch screens, which not only facilitates replacing touch panel modules with different models or supplied by different suppliers, but also can ensure ideal touch detection results.

Capacitive touch screens have been widely used in mobile handheld electronic devices. The capacitive touch screen includes a display screen with a transparent capacitive touch panel disposed thereon. In current product design and fabrication, almost all capacitive touch screens adopt the similar circuits and structures. As shown in FIG. 1, from the perspective of circuit logic principle, the touch panel is usually a module integrating a capacitive touch sensor and a touch controller. The touch controller detects touches on the capacitive touch sensor, and transmits a detection result to a host circuit board. As shown in FIG. 2, from the perspective of structure, the touch panel is connected to the host circuit board of the electronic device through a flexible printed circuit (FPC) board, and the touch controller is installed on the FPC board. According to the capacitive touch detection principle, to obtain satisfied detection results, various characteristic parameters of the capacitive touch sensor that is used in combination with the touch controller need to be preset in the touch controller prior to the touch detection. Considering the characteristics of the capacitive touch detection technology, in this type of application, the touch controller and the capacitive touch sensor that is used have a one-to-one correspondence relationship. That is, each specific capacitive touch sensor needs to be used in combination with one specific touch controller model and corresponding firmware.
However, during mass production, for the purposes of simplifying the fabrication process and controlling the procurement cost, the manufacturers often wish to install the touch controller on the host circuit board, and wish that the same touch product can use touch sensor modules without a touch controller that are of different models or are supplied by different suppliers. What is needed, therefore, is to enable the touch controller installed on the host circuit board to identify the touch sensors of different models or supplied from different suppliers, such that the touch controller is able to automatically use preset parameters corresponding to the specific touch sensor to thereby obtain ideal touch detection results. FIG. 3 illustrates a conventional method for addressing this issue. In FIG. 3, part of IO ports in the layout of the touch controller are defined as model selection input pins P1, P2, . . . , P6, and are connected to different combinations of high and low voltage through a simple switch circuit K1, K2, . . . , K6. This way, the touch controller is enabled to select corresponding touch sensor model according to the input status of these selection input pins. However, this method has the disadvantages that it needs to occupy the IO ports of the touch controller and multiple pins on the FPC need also to be occupied. The IO ports of the touch controller are often scarce resources and increasing the number of the FPC pins also increases the cost of connectors. This may be why this method has never been widely put into practice. What is needed, therefore, is a better method for addressing this issue.

Method and system for enabling touch controller to be adaptive to capacitive touch sensor


A filter device having a filter element received in a filter housing, the filter housing has an inlet and an outlet. The filter element separates a crude chamber that communicates with the inlet from a pure chamber that communicates with the outlet. The filter element has an axially and eccentrically projecting plug, which in an inserted state, is plugged into a plug receptacle formed within the filter housing, and wherein at least one signal generator recognizes at least one of a presence and an absence of the plug in the plug receptacle, generating at least one signal.

From EP 1 229 985 B1, such a filter device is known which concerns preferably an oil filter for cleaning lubrication oil, in particular for internal combustion engines of motor vehicles. The known filter device comprises a filter housing for receiving a filter element, wherein the filter housing has an inlet on the crude side and an outlet on the pure side. In the inserted state, the filter element separates a crude chamber that communicates with the inlet from a pure chamber that communicates with the outlet. Furthermore, the filter housing of the known filter device has a drain line which communicates with the crude chamber and which forms a plug receptacle for an axially and eccentrically projecting plug which is formed on the filter housing, into which receptacle the plug is plugged in the inserted state of the filter element. Thus, the plug closes the drain line when the filter element is properly inserted into the filter housing. For a simplified finding and inserting of the plug into said plug receptacle, in the known filter device, a concentrically arranged and helically ascending or descending ramp is provided at the housing, wherein the plug receptacle, thus an inlet region of the drain line, is arranged between a lower ramp end and an upper ramp end. When screwing on a cover, together with which the filter element is inserted or screwed-in, through the rotation of the filter element and through the sliding of the plug along the ramp, the plug automatically finds the plug receptacle, can penetrate therein and close the drain line. In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the known filter device, the ramp and the plug can interact according to the key-lock-principle so that only a filter element provided with a plug adapted to the ramp can be used in such a manner with the housing of the known filter device that the plug finds and closes the plug receptacle automatically when screwing-on the cover.
With a missing filter element or when using a filter element which is not specifically adapted to the filter housing, a sufficient purification of the respective liquid for the operation of the internal combustion engine can not be ensured. Accordingly, the danger of damage to the internal combustion engine caused by contamination carried along with the respective liquid increases.


A circuit which first shifts both a dividend and a divisor by an extra bit such that a 1-bit shift can be avoided after subtraction of the shifted values of dividend and the divisor, while performing a conditional subtraction instruction. The shifted divisor can conveniently replace the dividend as required for the instruction. The approach can be used to implement, among others, 2N-bit/N-bit (denoted 2N/N) division using an N-bit ALU, N/N division using N-bit ALU. The division can be implemented for all possible values of N without requiring substantially more complexity in the implementation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to circuits used for performing arithmetic operations, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for performing a conditional subtract operation typically used in a division arithmetic operation.
2. Related Art
Conditional subtract instructions are often used to perform division operations. In one known environment, a conditional subtraction instruction is specified in the format (subcu ACC, mem), wherein subcu is a pneumonic specifying that it is a conditional subtraction instruction, ACC specifies an accumulator containing a first operand, and mem specifies a memory location containing a second operand. The instruction is defined to operate according to the following equations:aluout=ACC−(mem<<(M−1)bits)  Equation (1)If (aluout.ge.0)then ACC=(aluout<<1)+1  Equation (2)else ACC=ACC<<1  Equation (3)
wherein aluout represents the output of arithmetic logic unit, '<<' indicates a shift operation by a number of bits specified on the right hand side, '.ge' represents the greater-than-or-equal-to logical operation, M represents the number of bits in the dividend, and mem represents a memory storing the divisor.
Thus, the operand at the memory location is left-shifted by (M−1) bits and the shifted value is subtracted from the value in the accumulator. If the result is greater than or equal to zero, accumulator is set to a value resulting from left shifting aluout by 1 position and adding a 1. Otherwise, the value in the accumulator is left-shifted by 1 position.
When a division operation is sought to be performed, the accumulator is initially loaded with the dividend and the divisor is provided at the memory location mem. The conditional instruction (Equations 1-3) is repeated several times to generate the remainder and the quotient in the accumulator. The instruction is repeated a number of times equal to the number of bits in the dividend. At the end of the iterations, the accumulator contains the quotient and the remainder.
For example, assuming a four-bit dividend of 7 (0111 in binary), a four-bit divisor of 5 (0101), and an eight bit (2×N, wherein N represents the number of bits of dividend) accumulator, the accumulator is initialized with 0000 0111 (7), and the memory (at location mem) is set to 0000 0101. The conditional subtraction instruction is then performed 4 times.
In the first iteration, 00101000 (operand at mem shifted by 3 positions, wherein) is subtracted from 0000 0111 (7). As a negative result is obtained, accumulator is left shifted by one position. A negative result would be obtained for two additional iterations. In the fourth iteration, 00101000 is subtracted from 00111000 (dividend shifted by three bit positions), and equation causing a value of 0010 0001 to be stored in the accumulator by virtue of Equation (3).
The most significant four bits represent the remainder and the remaining four bits represent the quotient. While the example illustrates the division of N bit dividend with a N bit divisor ("N/N division") using a 2N bit-width accumulator and ALU, the same approach can be used to implement divisions of longer length divisions as is well known in the relevant arts. For further details on implementing division operations using conditional subtraction instructions, the reader is referred to a document entitled, "TMS320F/C24×DSP Controllers Reference Guide: CPU and Instruction Set", Literature number: SPRU160C, dated: June 1999, available from Texas Instruments, Inc. (the assignee of the subject application), which is incorporated in its entirety herewith.
From the above, it may be appreciated that the conditional subtraction instruction is used many times during a division operation. Thus, to complete a division operation quickly, it is generally necessary to perform conditional subtraction instruction also quickly. Quickness (speed) may be of particular concern in areas such as digital signal processors which may be employed in real time applications. Accordingly, there is a general need to improve the speed with which a conditional subtraction instruction is executed.

Speed of execution of a conditional subtract instruction and increasing the range of operands over which the instruction would be performed correctly


A packet filtering apparatus includes a first network interface which receives a first packet from a communication device located in a first network, and a sender information acquiring unit which acquires sender information including at least one of security information about the communication device and authentication information about a user of the communication device. The packet filtering apparatus also includes an evaluation information creator which creates evaluation information indicating security evaluation of the communication device based on an evaluation criterion for the sender information, an evaluation information adder which adds the evaluation information to the first packet to generate a second packet, and a second network interface which transmits the second packet to a second network.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of filtering packets transmitted and received over a plurality of networks, and a computer program product for executing the method. More particularly, this invention relates to filtering of a packet to which security evaluation information indicating security evaluation of the packet is added.
2) Description of the Related Art
When secret data such as internal documents is transmitted and received in an enterprise, it is necessary to ensure confidentiality, integrity and authenticity of data. To meet such a demand, several methods using the encryption technology and authentication technology are proposed.
For example, there is a method of ensuring security of data between networks by using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) with the encryption technology and authentication technology taken in.
Besides, there is also a method of ensuring authenticity of data by adding passage information indicating that the packet has passed through a filtering apparatus to a packet when the packet is transmitted and then ensuring at the time of reception that the passage information is added properly (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-205388).
However, the two methods explained above are for ensuring the confidentiality or authenticity between a network as being a sender and a network as being a receiver, but not for ensuring the authenticity concerning a user or a communication device which has transmitted a packet. Specifically, even if a packet is transmitted by a communication device which is poor in reliability in view of security within the sender network or by a spoofing user using a communication device, the receiver network receives the packet to be appropriate. Therefore, damage may be caused despite appropriate receipt of the packet. In other words, there is a problem that the receiver network cannot acquire information concerning the security of the communication device of the packet transmission source or the user using the communication device, therefore check the security of the packet.

Packet filtering apparatus, packet filtering method, and computer program product


A wire ring net, particularly for providing barriers for rocky walls and the like comprises a plurality of braided wire rings, each wire ring comprising, at a starting end of its wire, a first curled portion wound about the wire of the first turn and, at the terminal, end of the wire, a second curled portion wound about the rope forming the wire ring.

The present invention relates to a wire ring net for making barriers, in particular for rocky walls, and a method for making the net.
As is known, barriers for coating rocky walls and generally comprising a plurality of interlinked ring elements having a diameter from 300 to 450 mm, are already known.
In such a net, each wire ring is made starting from an endless steel rope, having a spiral cross-section including seven wires, which is made by braiding on itself a steel wire which at its starting and end portions is closed by a splicing operation.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the end portions of the wire forming the rope are re-closed by a metal band 1, which is clamped on the end portions 2 and 3 thereby holding said end portions at a desired position.
The use of the above mentioned band elements, however, has not been found as fully satisfactory since, in a lot of cases, this approach is not able to resist against pulling forces and, accordingly, the ring could be broken.

Wire ring net for rocky wall barriers and method for making it


Apparatus for calibration includes a mount and one or more acoustic targets. The mount, which is adapted to hold a medical probe, includes an acoustic imaging device that emits ultrasonic beam in a plane, while permitting an orientation of the plane of the ultrasonic beam to be adjusted. The one or more acoustic targets are arranged to continuously intersect the plane of the ultrasonic beam over a given range of orientation angles.

Invasive ultrasound imaging of cardiac cavities is a known diagnostic technique, which requires calibration to produce reliable images. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,996,057 describes an apparatus that has a rigid mechanical framework, for calibration of a probe that includes a magnetic position sensor and an acoustic imaging device. One or more field generators, fixed to the framework, generate a magnetic field of known spatial characteristics. An acoustic target assembly includes a phantom coupled to a motion mechanism, which is arranged to move the phantom in a known orbit relative to the framework. A jig, fixed to the framework, holds the probe within the magnetic field of the one or more field generators, in an orientation suitable for the imaging device to image the phantom. A processor processes position and image signals from the probe in order to calibrate coordinates of the imaging device relative to the position sensor.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,468,422 describes a sensor coupled to an ultrasound probe, which provides position information related to an ultrasound imaging position in an object. A processor performs first registration between the medical image and the ultrasound image, which provides a relationship between a coordinate system of the medical image and a coordinate system of the ultrasound image. That way, the processor obtains first registration information based on the first registration. The processor performs second registration between the sensor and the medical image based on the position information and the first registration information, and obtains second registration information based on the second registration.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,639 describes an apparatus for calibrating a probe having a position sensor and an ultrasonic transducer. The apparatus includes a test fixture, which includes an ultrasonic target disposed therein at a known position. A computer is adapted to receive a position signal generated by the position sensor while the transducer is in alignment with the ultrasonic target, determine an orientation of the probe in a frame of reference of the test fixture, and determine calibration data for the probe responsive to the orientation of the probe.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,735 describes a probe fixed to a calibrator body, wherein the calibrator body is mounted on a base stand. With the surfaces thereof abutted against a block, the probe is positioned in X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions. Under this condition, image data is calibrated which is provided with the aid of an ultrasonic wave generated by the probe according to the spatial position data of a magnetic field receiver. In an embodiment, the probe is adapted to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave generated by an ultrasonic diagnostic equipment is set in triaxial directions, the spatial position coordinate of a magnetic field receiver which is mounted on the probe and receives a magnetic field, is detected, and the spatial position of the echo image of an object under test, which is provided by the ultrasonic diagnostic equipment, is corrected so that a correct three-dimensional image is formed again.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,735,349 describes a calibration apparatus that includes a motion assembly, which is arranged to move an imaging probe through a calibration point having known coordinates. The imaging probe includes an ultrasound transducer and a position sensor for acquiring concurrently a first sequence of ultrasound images and a second sequence of position measurements. The apparatus further includes a marking circuit, which is arranged to mark an ultrasound image that is acquired by the ultrasound transducer in the first sequence when the imaging probe is at the calibration point. A processor is arranged to calibrate a time offset between the first and second sequences by associating the marked ultrasound image in the first sequence with a position measurement in the second sequence whose coordinates match the coordinates of the calibration point.

Acoustic phantom and method for intracardiac ultrasound localization catheter


A valve mechanism is herein described that utilizes a frangible plug. The valve mechanism comprises a valve body having an inlet port and an outlet port and a passageway extending therebetween. The valve mechanism comprises a frangible plug that is held within the valve body to block the passageway when the plug is intact. The plug comprises a predefined fracture plane and is configured to fracture across the predefined fracture plane upon application of an impact force.

A valve mechanism is described herein, and more particularly a single-use valve mechanism that may be used for discharging fluid. The valve mechanism may have particular use in the field of suppressant release, such as a fire suppressant fluid.
The examples described herein relate to devices and methods for the controlled release of a fluid flow substance. They are particularly suited, but not limited, to the controlled release of a suppressing or extinguishing agent from a cylinder. The devices and methods described may further be used for the rapid deployment of an extinguishing agent from a cylinder, such as those that may typically, although not exclusively, be used on moving platforms such as aircraft, trains, military or commercial vehicles.
Such valves fall into two main groups; non-hermetic and hermetically sealed. The former category is typified by the high rate discharge (HRD) valves used on suppressors in military and commercial vehicles. These can be electromechanical or protractor fired, consisting of either a flapper or poppet as the main opening mechanism. Both systems contain multiple moving components and rely on O-rings seals for integrity.
EP 1582789 describes devices and methods for controlling the release of a substance which are particularly suited to the control of substances such as fire extinguishing media. The devices and methods described comprise a housing having an inlet for connection to a source of a substance and an outlet, with a passage extending therebetween. The passage may be closed by a frangible element which comprises a ceramic disc that is connected to a source of electrical current. The disc may be a metal oxide ceramic disc, and may be fractured by an electrical pulse which is applied to the disc.
GB 1378079 describes a bursting disc assembly, and in particular a vessel having an aperture sealed by the bursting disc assembly. The bursting disc assembly is comprised of toughened glass, that is shattered by a movable spike which is projected against the glass with sufficient force to rupture the surface layer thereof and consequently shatter the disc. The spike is moved via pressure created by the ignition of a pyrotechnic composition.
GB 567120 discloses a quick-release valve arrangement for a container of fluid under pressure which is aimed at enabling fluid to be released in a simple and rapid manner. The valve arrangement comprises a hollow body or casing formed with a valve seat as well as a valve that is shaped to fit upon the valve seat to seal up the passage leading from the fluid container. A frangible disc, which may be formed from cast iron, pottery, glass or brittle plastic, is located within the valve body and spaced from the valve proper by a strut member which serves to hold the valve down on its seat. The device also includes a plunger that is used to shatter the disc and release the valve. The disc may also be shattered in other ways such as by providing an explosive charge or via a small projectile driven by the explosion striking the disc.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,703,471 discloses a remotely-operated single-action discharge valve for releasing gaseous, liquid, or dry material from a pressurized storage vessel. A frangible seal is provided within a valve body which seals the passage therethrough when the seal is intact. A solenoid is described which includes an armature moveable from a first position to a second position when the solenoid is actuated. The device includes a tooth, teeth or a pin or plurality of pins which break the frangible seal as the armature moves between the first and second position. The seals described are held in place using an o-ring and can be made of glass.


A hydraulically damped mounting device (10) having a flow limiting element (42), such as a resilient diaphragm, in a switchable auxiliary passageway (36) that is in fluid communication with its working chamber (22). The switchable auxiliary passageway corresponds to an additional fluid mass that can be switched into and out of communication with the working chamber to control the vibration characteristics of the device.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a hydraulically damped mounting device. Such a device usually has a pair of chambers for hydraulic fluid, connected by a suitable passageway, and damping is achieved due to the flow of fluid through that passageway.
2. Background of the Invention
EP-A-0115417 and EP-A-0172700 discuss two different types of hydraulically damped mounting devices for damping vibration between two parts of a piece of machinery, e.g. a car engine and a chassis. EP-A-0115417 disclosed various "cup and boss" type of mounting devices, in which a "boss", forming one anchor part to which one of the pieces of machinery is connected, is itself connected via a deformable (normally resilient) wall to the mouth of a "cup", which is attached to the other piece of machinery and forms another anchor part. The cup and the resilient wall then define a working chamber for hydraulic fluid, which is connected to a compensation chamber by a passageway (usually elongate) which provides the damping function.
In EP-A-0172700 the mounting devices disclosed are of the "bush" type. In this type of mounting device, the anchor part for one part of the vibrating machinery is in the form of a hollow sleeve with the outer anchor part in the form of a rod or tube extending approximately centrally and coaxially of the sleeve. In EP-A-0172700 the tubular anchor part is connected to the sleeve by resilient walls, which define one of the chambers in the sleeve. The chamber is connected via a passageway to a second chamber bounded at least in part by a bellows wall which is effectively freely deformable so that it can compensate for fluid movement through the passageway without itself resisting that fluid movement.
In the hydraulically damped mounting devices disclosed in the specifications discussed above, there is a single passageway. It is also known, from other hydraulically damped mounting devices, to provide a plurality of independent passageways linking the chambers for hydraulic fluid.
In EP-A-0115417, the compensation chamber is separated from the working chamber by a rigid partition, which contains a flexible diaphragm which is in direct contact with the hydraulic fluid and, together with the partition, forms a gas pocket. The diaphragm is configured to give a specific influence on the vibration characteristics of the hydraulically damped mounting device. Those characteristics depend on the stiffness of the diaphragm, by which is meant the change in applied pressure needed to cause unit change in the volume displaced by the diaphragm. Furthermore, the surface of the diaphragm which is in contact with the fluid in the working chamber may be covered by a snubber plate, with openings therein for fluid communication therethrough between the upper surface of the diaphragm and the rest of the working chamber, and it has been found that the size of those openings also affects the characteristics of the mount.
In GB-A-2282430, a mounting device is disclosed of the "cup and boss" type, with two diaphragms. The two diaphragms are arranged to have different characteristics, such as different stiffnesses or different effective stiffnesses, due to the shape of the openings by which fluid reaches those diaphragm parts from the working chamber. GB-A-2282430 also discloses that either or both of the diaphragms may be convoluted.
It is also known to provide an additional passageway to link the working chamber with another hydraulic chamber, separate from the compensation chamber, the additional passageway having a lower fluid resistance than the passageway between the working and compensation chambers.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,148, a passage is formed between a pressure receiving chamber and a second equilibrium chamber. The passage is normally closed, and is held closed by the action of an elastic dish member which bears against a diaphragm via a thin rigid disk. The passage can be opened by application of a vacuum on the side of the elastic dish member not bearing against the diaphragm, so that the elastic dish member is separated from the diaphragm.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,017,024, a passage is formed between a primary fluid chamber and an auxiliary fluid chamber. The passage is normally held closed by the action of a tensile spring, which bears against a circular metal disk. The metal disk is movable relative to the passage by flexing of a surrounding annular rubber member. This movement is controlled by control of the pressure in a vacuum chamber underneath the metal disk.
The additional passageway is typically known as a bypass or secondary channel. Normally, the bypass channel is opened, e.g. by supplying a vacuum to actuate a switching member, when the engine is at idle. The lower fluid resistance that occurs when the bypass channel is open reduces the dynamic mass effect of the body of hydraulic fluid contained in the channels, and thereby increases the frequency of the eigenmode exhibited by the device. This is advantageous in that it enables a stiffness drop or dip to be positioned at the main engine forcing or problem frequency, typically the firing frequency. The reduction in stiffness results in better isolation at idle and reduction of vibration in the vehicle cabin.
When the vehicle is in ride mode it is important that the bypass channel remains closed in order to keep the main passageway tuned to a lower frequency commensurate with its primary function of damping overall engine-gearbox vibration. This means the vacuum switched valve has to be capable of resisting significant pressures, e.g. when the vehicle drives over rough surfaces and/or when the mounting is subject to large movements.


Mid-call features are implemented during a call placed over a communications network. The mid-call features are implemented through a set of call feature modules, each of which having been categorized in accordance with a feature implementation architecture. An exemplary method for routing requests within a feature server computer to set up a feature implementation includes receiving, at a per-incoming call feature module of a feature server computer, an initial incoming call request, routing the initial incoming call request from the per-incoming call feature module to a multi-call feature module of the feature server computer, routing the initial incoming call request from the multi-call feature module to an omniscient call feature module, routing the initial incoming call request from the omniscient call feature module to a multi-device call feature module, and routing the initial incoming call request from the multi-device call feature module to a per-outgoing device feature module.

This application relates generally to interactions among telecommunications features and, more particularly, to mid-call, multi-party, and multi-device telecommunication features and their interactions.
Many features are invoked when voice or multimedia calls are being set up. These call set-up features and their interactions are generally well-understood. Interactions among features that act only after an initial call or other media connection has been set up are commonly referred to as mid-call features. Many mid-call features perform complex functions such as handling multiple far parties and multiple devices. These are powerful features that interact with other features in subtle and previously little-understood ways. If these interactions are not managed correctly, a service will be poorly integrated, difficult to use, difficult to implement, and unreliable. If these interactions are not specified correctly, service requirements will be incomplete, ambiguous, and difficult to test from.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the disclosure made herein is presented.

Mid-call, multi-party, and multi-device telecommunication features and their interactions


A card reader includes a base having formed thereon two spaced walls defining therebetween a card slot through which a card is movable. Both of the walls have two openings formed thereon to be opposite to each other. A write transducer and a read transducer are respectively suspended by a first biasing member to be located within the openings of one of the walls. A dummy transducer is also suspended by a first biasing member within one of the openings of the other wall. The dummy and read transducers are opposite to each other so as to provide a force and position to the card moved through therebetween. A roller co-axially mounted to and rotatable in unison with an encoder is rotatably supported by a second biasing member within the other opening of the other wall to be opposite to the write transducer to provide a force and position to the card moved through therebetween. The second basing member has two opposite ends each fixed to the wall with an end securing device so as to allow the rotational axis of the roller to be moved relative to the wall in a direction normal to the movement of the card, but not in a direction parallel with the movement of the card. All the first biasing members have two ends secured to the respective wall to make the write, read and dummy transducers movable relative to the wall in a direction normal to the movement of the card, but not in a direction parallel with the movement of the card.

With the development of information/data storage with magnetic means, cards with a magnetic tape fixed thereon to store data have been widely used, such as personal identification cards, credit cards, bank auto-teller cards and even driver's licenses. To access information/data stored in the magnetic tape attached to a card, a device to read and/or write data from/to the magnetic tape, which will be referred to as card reader, is very important in developing such a system.
The card readers currently available are classified into two types: read-only and read-and-write. The read-only card reader is only capable to read the magnetic tape on the card, while the read-and-write card reader is capable of both reading and writing operations. In a read-and-write card reader, the reading/writing operation is achieved by providing a roller which rotates in unison with the movement of the card through a card slot. An encoder is attached to the roller so that in the movement of the card through the card slot, the encoder generates encoding signals at every given distance of displacement of the card so as to instruct a write transducer to write data to correction locations on the magnetic tape. The locations of the magnetic tape on which the data are written have to be very precise, otherwise a read transducer would not be able to read the data correctly or the data density that the magnetic tape may have data stored thereon has to be decreased for read transducer reads the data at locations with a predetermined gaps therebetween.
A conventional read-and-write card reader is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 of the attached drawings which comprises a base A on which two spaced walls W are mounted to define therebetween a card slot F through which a card is to be moved. A write transducer B and a read transducer H are suspended on one of the walls W by steel plates D and J to be partially project into the card slot F through openings formed on the wall W so that when the card is moved through the card slot F, the transducers B and H are capable to engage the magnetic tape on the card for writing and reading operations. An encoder G is mounted to the other one of the walls W by means of a cantilever arm C which has one end fixed to the other one of the walls W and another end free with the encoder G rotatably supported thereon. The encoder W is located so as to be opposite to the write transducer B and partially project into the card slot F to be engageable by the card in moving through the card slot F. The movement of the card drives the encoder W to rotate and thus generate desired encoding signal.
A disadvantage associated with the conventional card reader is that the cantilever arm C is subject to deflection due to the card forced into between the encoder G and the write transducer B which rotates the free end of the cantilever arm C on which the encoder G is supported an angle .theta. relative to the anchored end that is fixed to the wall W. Such a deflection angle .theta. causes error in the encoding operation for the deflection angle .theta. is the result of combination of movement of the encoder G in both a direction normal to the movement of the card and a direction parallel with the movement of the card and thus the position of the encoder G is changed by the insertion of the card between the encoder G and the write transducer B not only in the direction normal to the movement of the card, but also in the direction parallel with the movement of the card. The distance between two successive locations within the magnetic tape on which data are written is increased by the occurrence of the deflection angle .theta..
To reduce the negative influence of the deflection angle .theta., it has been suggested to increase the length of the cantilever arm C, as shown in prior art design of FIG. 7 of the attached drawings so as to reduce the position change in the direction of the movement of the card. This, however, is not possible to overcome such a problem.
Further, due to the cantilever type suspension of the encoder, the encoder is easily subject to the problem of vibration induced on the cantilever arm and the longer the cantilever arm, the more serious the vibration problem. Such a vibration may cause wearing and abrasion on the write transducer and the magnetic tape of the card.
It is therefore desired to provide a card reader which overcomes the problems encountered in the prior art card reader designs.


A low temperature conduction module comprising a cold plate having recesses around the periphery thereof to accommodate memory cubes is disclosed. The recesses accommodating the memory cubes are of such depth and dimension as to enclose the memory cube on all but one side, thereby greatly enhancing the conduction of the heat generated by the memory cube to the cold plate. The memory cube may be surrounded by a material which possesses excellent thermal conductive properties to insure efficient transfer of the heat from the memory cube to the cold plate. The plurality of memory cubes so positioned within the cold plate may be connected by a flexible cable surrounding the cold plate and having branch conductors extending to connect with computer processors enclosed within the same low temperature conduction module.

It is very desirable to reduce the distance between the central processor and the memory so that operand and instruction access times are reduced to a minimum. The central processor can have a faster cycle time when operating at cryogenic temperatures. When the memory is placed with the central processor within the cryo-cooled system, both the memory and the central processor not only benefit from the lower temperatures that they operate at but also by the reduced distance between the central processor and the memory. Due to the long lines associated with Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) memories, a greater performance improvement can be anticipated for the DRAM memory than for the logic. When the memory is so close to the processor, it can negate the need for a Cache Memory and thus have a greater savings.
It is desirable to cool the memory and the central processor by means of a cold head of a cryo cooler. The cold head of a cryo cooler is the heat exchange point whereby a cryo cooling system picks up or absorbs the heat from electronic devices. The heat absorption is accomplished by the cooling of a plate which is in surface-to-surface contact with an external surface of a cooling module. The cooling module contains these electronic devices. The heat is conducted from the electronic devices to the mating surface of the cooling module. The mating surface of the cooling module, being in face-to-face relationship with the plate of the cold head, then transfers the heat generated by these electronic devices to the refrigeration system through the cold head, and the heat is conveyed to another point or station where this heat may be dissipated in a conventional manner.
The access time between the Cache Memory and the Main Memory is greatly reduced in this configuration due to the fact that the Main Memory is placed electrically close to the processors due to this unique configuration under cryogenic temperatures. It could be possible to realize a memory access speed improvement of up to a factor of 5 in this unique configuration.
By placing the central processor and the memory within the same cooling module or low temperature conduction module and as closely together as possible, the performance of the system may be increased by a factor of as much as 2.5.
With the requirements for large quantities of memory and very close placement of the memory to the central processor, the memory chips are combined into assemblies known as memory cubes. Memory cubes are a plurality of memory chips packaged in a generally cubical shape; the chips are stacked and bonded together to form the cube. The electrical contacts for each memory chip are typically routed to one edge of the chip so that the contacts may be exposed to the circuitry used to connect the memory to the central processor.
In memory chips stacked to form a cube, one very significant disadvantage is that heat dissipation is significantly curtailed; accordingly, the chips have a tendency to operate at very high temperatures. Memory cubes are extremely difficult to cool because the heat must be transmitted and conducted from the center of the cube to the exterior surfaces. The silicon slabs on which the chips are made are poor heat conductors at room temperatures; therefore, the heat is prone to build up in the chips and in the memory cube during any operation. But at cryogenic temperatures, the silicon slabs are good heat conductors; therefore allowing the heat to be conducted away.
In a vacuum, the chips and memory cube must rely on conduction for cooling. Only surfaces which are engaged by a conduction member can be cooled, further complicating cooling of memory cubes in vacuums.
Attempts to operate memory cubes at room temperature have proven to be unsatisfactory because of the heat build up within the cube structure and due to the stresses on the materials of the memory chip, created by such heat build up. In many cases, the chips will fail when the centermost portion of the cube attempts to expand much more than the periphery of the cube, thereby breaking electrical paths or cracking the silicon substrates, thereby causing chip failure.
A sophisticated cooling system is required to make memory cubes functional. Low temperature offers the best opportunity to achieve this goal with enhanced performance. Memory cubes have the distinct advantage of producing very short cycle times and reduction of system complexity, for example the elimination of Cache Memory. Therefore, some short cycle systems are dependent upon formation of memory chips into cubes in order to reduce the interconnection distances between individual chips. Dense placement of memory chips permits the placement of a multitude of chips close to the computer processor.
If adequate cooling of the memory cubes is possible, an arrangement to position a significant quantity of memory, in the form of memory cubes, must be devised in close proximity to the computer processor. This requires the maintenance of both the computer processor and the memory cubes at very low temperatures in order to prevent overheating and to enhance the cycle times of the memory and processor. Whenever the DRAM is maintained in an environment of cryogenic temperatures, the added benefit of reduction in the number of cycles and the electrical requirements necessary to refresh the DRAMs result in an added benefit to the system designer, inasmuch as this further reduces overheating or makes the memory and processor available for their primary functions.
Prior art attempts to cool electronic elements to cryogenic temperatures have included U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,292 to David F. Bell et. al., where liquid nitrogen was used to chill a cold head. In turn, the cold head was engaged with the cold plate of a cryo cooled chamber containing individual chips attached to a substrate. In turn, the substrate is in contact with the heat transfer plate of the cryo cooled unit. While this structure is quite effective to cool individual chips, it does not lend itself to the cooling of memory cubes each containing a plurality of chips, and especially when several memory cubes may be required within a single cryo cooled unit.

Arrangement for placing central processors and memory in a cryo cooled chamber

International Business Machines Corporation


Provided are methods and compositions for the photodynamic therapy (PDT) of ocular conditions characterized by the presence of unwanted choroidal neovasculature, for example, neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The selectivity and sensitivity of the PDT method can be enhanced by combining the PDT with an anti-angiogenesis factor, for example, angiostatin or endostatin, or with an apoptosis-modulating factor. Furthermore, the selectivity and sensitivity of the PDT may be further enhanced by coupling a targeting moiety to the photosensitizer so as to target the photosensitizer to choroidal neovasculature.

Choroidal neovascularization can lead to hemorrhage and fibrosis, with resulting visual loss in a number of conditions of the eye, including, for example, age-related macular degeneration, ocular histoplasmosis syndrome, pathologic myopia, angioid streaks, idiopathic disorders, choroiditis, choroidal rupture, overlying choroid nevi, and certain inflammatory diseases. One of the disorders, namely, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people aged 65 and above (Bressler et al. (1988) SURV. OPHTHALMOL. 32, 375–413, Guyer et al. (1986) ARCH. OPHTHALMOL. 104, 702–705, Hyman et al. (1983) AM. J. EPIDEMIOL. 188, 816–824, Klein & Klein (1982) ARCH. OPHTHALMOL. 100, 571–573, Leibowitz et al. (1980) SURV. OPHTHALMOL. 24, 335–610). Although clinicopathologic descriptions have been made, little is understood about the etiology and pathogenesis of the disease.
Dry AMD is the more common form of the disease, characterized by drusen, pigmentary and atrophic changes in the macula, with slowly progressive loss of central vision. Wet or neovascular AMD is characterized by subretinal hemorrhage, fibrosis and fluid secondary to the formation of choroidal neovasculature (CNV), and more rapid and pronounced loss of vision. While less common than dry AMD, neovascular AMD accounts for 80% of the severe vision loss due to AMD. Approximately 200,000 cases of neovascular AMD are diagnosed yearly in the United States alone.
Currently there is no treatment for dry AMD. Until recently, laser photocoagulation has been the only therapy available for selected cases of neovascular AMD. Unfortunately, the majority of patients with neovascular AMD do not meet the criteria for laser photocoagulation therapy. Approximately 85% of patients with neovascular AMD have poorly defined, occult, or relatively extensive subfoveal choroidal neovascularization, none of which is amenable to laser therapy. In addition, laser photocoagulation relies on thermal damage to the CNV tissue, which damages the overlying neurosensory retina with consequent loss of visual function. Laser photocoagulation also is plagued by recurrences that occur in approximately 50% of cases.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has shown promising results as a new treatment for removing unwanted CNV and for treating neovascular AMD (Miller et al. (1999) ARCHIVES OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 117: 1161–1173, Schmidt-Erfurth et al. (1999) ARCHIVES OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 117: 1177–1187, TAP Study Group (1999) ARCHIVES OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 117: 1329–45, Husain et al. (1999) PHILADELPHIA: MOSBY; 297–307). PDT involves the systemic administration of a photosensitizer or PDT dye (photosensitizer) that accumulates in proliferating tissues such as tumors and newly formed blood vessels; followed by irradiation of the target tissue with low-intensity, non-thermal light at a wavelength corresponding to the absorption peak of the dye (Oleinick et al. (1998) RADIATION RESEARCH: 150: S146–S156). Excitation of the dye leads to the formation of singlet oxygen and free radicals-better known as reactive oxygen species which cause photochemical damage to the target tissue (Weishaupt et al. (1976) CANCER RES. 36: 2326–2329).
Studies using PDT for the treatment of CNV have demonstrated that, with the proper treatment parameters of photosensitizer dose, laser light dose, and timing of irradiation, relative selective damage to experimental CNV can be achieved, sparing retinal vessels, large choroidal vessels, and with minimal changes in the neurosensory retina (Husain et al. (1996) ARCH OPHTALMOL. 114: 978–985, Husain et al. (1997) SEMINARS IN OPHTHALMOLOGY 12: 14–25, Miller et al. (1995) ARCH OPHTHALMOL. 113: 810–818, Kramer et al. (1996) OPHTHALMOLOGY 103(3): 427–438). Moreover, a PDT-based procedure using a green porphyrin dye recently has been approved in a variety of countries for use in the treatment of neovascular AMD.
During clinical studies, however, it has been found that recurrence of leakage appears in at least a portion of the CNV by one to three months post-treatment. Increasing photosensitizer or light doses do not appear to prevent this recurrence, and can even lead to undesired non-selective damage to retinal vessels (Miller et al. (1999) ARCHIVES OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 117: 1161–1173). Several multicenter Phase 3 trials are underway to study repeated PDT treatments, applied every three months. The interim data look promising in terms of decreased rates of moderate vision loss (TAP Study Group (1999) ARCHIVES OF OPHTHALMOLOGY 117: 1329–45). The necessity for repeated PDT treatments can nevertheless be expected to lead to cumulative damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and choriocapillaris, which may lead to progressive treatment-related vision loss.
Therefore, there is still a need for improved PDT-based methods that increase the efficacy and selectivity of treatment, and which reduce or delay a recurrence of the disorder.

Methods and compositions for treating conditions of the eye


An internal combustion engine having two cylinders, which are arranged in “V” configuration and accommodate respective pistons, and a first balancing body, which is fixed to a crankshaft at a first piston so that the first order reciprocating inertial forces of the first piston lie on a first straight line forming a first inclination angle which is not zero with the first cylinder; the combination of an angle between the cylinders with the first inclination angle is such that the first straight line on which the first order reciprocating inertial forces generated by the first piston lies is parallel to a second straight line on which the first order reciprocating inertial forces generated by the reciprocating motion of a second piston lie.

The main vibrations of an internal combustion engine are not caused by the combustion of the mixture in the cylinders (even if the crankcase is particularly rigid) and are not even caused by the rotation of the crankshaft (which is balanced by means of specific counterweights or special shapes), but are determined by the reciprocating motion of the pistons which accelerate under the bias of the gases, slow down suddenly and pick up speed again reversing their direction of motion, i.e. are determined by the so-called reciprocating inertial forces. The piston causes the most violent shuddering (i.e. the maximum intensity of the reciprocating inertial forces) when the direction of motion is reversed (i.e. when its acceleration/deceleration is maximum), but reciprocating inertial forces displaying variable intensity over time with a sinusoidal law are present in all instants of motion.
Reciprocating inertial forces generate vibrations which are detrimental for the engine (because they can cause failure by fatigue over time) and are also annoying for vehicle occupants. In order to reduce such vibrations, the internal combustion engine must be balanced, i.e. by using balancing countershafts (also known as balancing shafts), which allow to reduce (compensate) the reciprocating inertial forces. However, the use of balancing countershafts gives rise to various drawbacks due to the weight and dimensions of the balancing countershafts, the weight and dimensions of the drive needed to turn the balancing countershafts and the greater weight of the engine crankcase which must also support the stress induced by the balancing countershafts (the balancing countershafts generate further reciprocating inertial forces which are transmitted to the engine crankcase and cancel out the reciprocating inertial forces of the pistons in the engine crankcase itself).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,517,933A1 describes an internal combustion engine with a "V" configuration of the cylinders, wherein the crankshaft is provided with balancing masses 31a, 31b and 31c to reduce the vibrations generated by the reciprocating motion of the pistons.

“V” configuration engine cylinders and crank with antiphase first order reciprocating inertial forces


A method for fabricating both MOS memory devices, and MOS logic devices, on a single silicon chip, has been developed. The process features combining process steps for both device types, however using a self-aligned contact structure, in the MOS memory device region, for purposes of increasing device density, while using metal silicide regions, only in MOS logic device regions, for purposes of improving device performance. An organic coating protects MOS memory devices, from procedures used to remove insulator layers from silicon surfaces of MOS logic devices, prior to the formation of the self-aligned silicide regions, on the exposed silicon surfaces, in MOS logic device regions.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an integrated process allowing the fabrication of logic devices, and memory devices, to be accomplished on a single semiconductor chip.
(2) Description of Prior Art
Advanced semiconductor chips, now being manufactured in industry, are composed of logic or memory devices. Logic devices are used to process information or data, while memory devices are used for data storage. These two types of devices can be found in almost all computers, however they are usually found on specific chips, reserved for either logic or memory applications. In systems in which logic and memory devices are packaged separately, data signals between the two may have to pass through several levels of packaging, which can result in undesirable propagation delays. In addition the manufacturing costs for fabricating wafers producing only logic chips, and wafers with only memory chips, are greater than if both logic and memory applications can be incorporated on the same chip. Therefore for performance and cost reasons the semiconductor industry has been motivated to produce a semiconductor chip with both the desired logic and memory requirements.
This invention will describe a novel fabrication process that simultaneously allows, memory devices to be fabricated with a self-aligned contact, (SAC), structure, and logic devices, to be fabricated with salicide, (Self-ALigned metal silICIDE). The SAC feature, used in the MOS memory device, results in a decrease in the area needed for metal, or polysilicon contact to source and drain regions, thus allowing miniaturization of MOS memory devices to be realized. The use of low resistance Salicide layers, result in performance increases for MOS logic devices. Prior art, such as Yoo, in U.S. Pat No. 5,573,980, describes a process for forming a salicided, SAC structure, for a static random access memory device, however that prior art does teach the process described in this invention, that is a process used to integrate a salicided, logic device, and a non-salicided, memory device, featuring a SAC structure.

Process for integrating a MOS logic device and a MOS memory device on a single semiconductor chip

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company


The present invention relates to novel 2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide derivatives, processes for preparing them, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use as pharmaceuticals as modulators of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors.

Sphingosine-1 phosphate is stored in relatively high concentrations in human platelets, which lack the enzymes responsible for its catabolism, and it is released into the blood stream upon activation of physiological stimuli, such as growth factors, cytokines, and receptor agonists and antigens. It may also have a critical role in platelet aggregation and thrombosis and could aggravate cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand the relatively high concentration of the metabolite in high-density lipoproteins (HDL) may have beneficial implications for atherogenesis. For example, there are recent suggestions that sphingosine-1-phosphate, together with other lysolipids such as sphingosylphosphorylcholine and lysosulfatide, are responsible for the beneficial clinical effects of HDL by stimulating the production of the potent antiatherogenic signaling molecule nitric oxide by the vascular endothelium. In addition, like lysophosphatidic acid, it is a marker for certain types of cancer, and there is evidence that its role in cell division or proliferation may have an influence on the development of cancers. These are currently topics that are attracting great interest amongst medical researchers, and the potential for therapeutic intervention in sphingosine-1-phosphate metabolism is under active investigation.
International patent application WO2008/092930 A1 discloses Chromene S1P1 receptor antagonists.
International patent application WO2007/115820 A1 discloses Chromen-2-one derivatives.
United States Patent Application Publication US2006/0148834 A1 discloses coumarin derivatives, their carboxamides, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their uses.

Coumarin compounds as receptor modulators with therapeutic utility


According to an aspect of the embodiments, a node arranged on a ring network, for transmitting a frame from upstream to downstream, the ring network having a plurality of nodes capable of connecting a network apparatus, respectively, the node comprises: a detector for detecting the frame on the ring network; and a frame controller for distinguishing the detected frame whether the frame reaches a final destination, the frame controller stopping the transmitting for the frame when the ring network is lacked of ability to reach the frame to the destination.

1. Field of the Invention
This technology is applied to a node provided on a ring network.
Among technologies for transmitting data on a ring network that focus on a failure-recovery function is Resilient Packet Ring (RPR). The RPR is a standard set by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.17 Working Group. RPR is a technology relating to a node on a two-way network using a dual ring network.
Specifically, RPR has the following features.
(a) High-Speed Failure Recovery (failure-recovery ability of 50 msec or less, which is approximately the same level as that of Synchronous Optical Network/Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SONET/SDH).
(b) Effective Use of Band (effective use of a band thanks to "spatial reuse")                A token is used as an access control system in a data link such as Fiber-Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) and Token Ring, so only a node that holds the token is able to transmit data. On the other hand, spatial reuse allows data transmission at any time if the link band is available.
(c) Fairness Function (securing of band fairness using a fairness algorithm)                An available band between nodes on an RPR ring is fairly controlled when congestion occurs. Quality of Service (QoS) is provided using data transfer control that is matched with three priority classes.
(d) Topology Discovery Function (recognizing the initial state of the ring topology/detecting a variation)                Information (topology database) on a route on the ring network is exchanged between nodes using a control frame.
(e) Support for Layer 2 Media Access Control (MAC)                RPR corresponds to the MAC sublayer of Layer 2 and uses the MAC technology of Layer 2 to realize a band-sharing ring topology. While the MAC function of RPR is different from that of Ethernet (registered trademark), both can use the same MAC address.
(f) Use of Existing Technologies for Layer 1 (use of SONET/SDH, Giga bit Ethernet (GbE; registered trademark), 10 GbE)                Data transfer system that is not dependent on a physical layer system is realized.
When IEEE 802.17-based nodes each having the above-mentioned features communicate with devices (hereinafter referred to as "remote nodes") subordinate thereto, they always perform flooding all over the RPR ring because they do not have information on the route to the destination remote node. Thus, effective use of the transmission band (spatial reuse) has not been done.
2. Description of the Related Art
Disclosed as a related art using the standard IEEE 802.17 is Laid-open Japanese Patent Application Number No. 2004-242194.
According to the above-mentioned related art example, IEEE 802.17b is a revision of IEEE 802.17 for the purpose of solving the above-mentioned problem. IEEE 802.17b is provided with Spatially Aware Sublayer (SAS) that a technology for transmitting a packet to only a part of the ring rather than to all over the ring, so as to save the band. SAS is a standard for bridging the layer 2 to realize spatial reuse of the ring band. Thus, IEEE 802.17b requires that nodes each have a route table regarding subordinate nodes thereof, that is, remote nodes. This enables each node to perform a unicast communication even with a remote node, thereby enabling effective use of the transmission band (spatial reuse).
Incidentally, if an IEEE 802.17b-based node(s) may be added to a ring network including IEEE 802.17-based nodes or if an IEEE 802.17-based node(s) is updated to an IEEE 802.17b-based node(s), an IEEE 802.17-based node(s) and an IEEE 802.17b-based node(s) may be mixed on the ring network. If remote nodes subordinate to IEEE 802.17-based nodes communicate with one another in such a mixed configuration, flooding is performed, resulting in a problem of consuming the band unnecessarily.


A nitridation treated stainless steel article (such as a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell) having lower interfacial contact electrical resistance and better corrosion resistance than an untreated stainless steel article is disclosed. The treated stainless steel article has a surface layer including nitrogen-modified chromium-base oxide and precipitates of chromium nitride formed during nitridation wherein oxygen is present in the surface layer at a greater concentration than nitrogen. The surface layer may further include precipitates of titanium nitride and/or aluminum oxide. The surface layer in the treated article is chemically heterogeneous surface rather than a uniform or semi-uniform surface layer exclusively rich in chromium, titanium or aluminum. The precipitates of titanium nitride and/or aluminum oxide are formed by the nitriding treatment wherein titanium and/or aluminum in the stainless steel are segregated to the surface layer in forms that exhibit a low contact resistance and good corrosion resistance.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a nitridation surface treatment that modifies the passive oxide layer on stainless steel alloys such that the interfacial contact electrical resistance is decreased and the corrosion resistance is improved. Stainless steel alloys processed according to the invention are useful in electrochemical energy conversion devices that require low interfacial contact electrical resistance and good corrosion resistance such as bipolar plates used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells.
2. Description of the Related Art
A major impediment to widespread commercialization of fuel cell technology is cost. One of the most expensive components in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are the bipolar plates, which serve to electrically connect the anode of one cell to the cathode of the next into a stack to achieve a useful voltage. They also separate and distribute reactant and product streams; to accomplish this, flow-field grooves are manufactured into the faces of the plates. Solid graphite is often used for bipolar plates, but is brittle and expensive to machine. Polymer/carbon fiber and carbon or graphite composite bipolar plates have shown promise; however, issues remain regarding their amenability to high-volume manufacturing techniques, performance, and the power densities achievable. U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,188 shows another type of bipolar plate in which a coating comprising metal, metal nitride or metal carbide is disposed on the surfaces of a polymer substrate.
Metallic alloys (e.g. stainless steels) would be ideal as bipolar plates because they are amenable to low-cost/high-volume manufacturing, offer high bulk thermal and electrical conductivities, and can be made in thin sheet or foil form (0.1-1 mm. thick) to achieve high power densities. However, the inadequate corrosion behavior of most metals in PEMFC environments has prevented their use. The key issues are passivation resulting in unacceptably high interfacial contact electrical resistance and dissolution of metallic ions, both of which can significantly degrade fuel cell performance.
There have been solutions proposed to the problem of unacceptably high interfacial contact electrical resistance in bipolar plates. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,379,476 describes a stainless steel product for producing a polymer electrode fuel cell in which discrete carbide/boride particles are added to the stainless steel such that the particles extend beyond the passive layer to lower contact resistance.
There has also recently been developed a nitridation treatment that forms a dense, continuous surface layer of CrN/Cr2N layers on Ni—Cr and related alloys. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0190515 discloses a corrosion resistant, electrically conductive component, such as a bipolar plate for a PEM fuel cell, that includes 20-55% chromium and balance base metal such as nickel, iron, or cobalt. The component has thereon a substantially external, continuous layer of chromium nitride. This continuous layer is typically on the order of 3-5 microns thick and behaves very well in PEMFC environments. These thermally grown Cr nitrides (CrN/Cr2N) on a Cr-bearing alloy, Ni-50Cr (wt %), show great promise in PEMFC bipolar plate environments. However, this alloy may be too expensive for certain PEMFC applications.
Thus, work has been undertaken to form similar nitride surface layers (as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2003/0190515) on inexpensive, commercially available alloys. Similar thermal nitridation conditions have been applied to a relatively inexpensive, commercially available austenitic stainless steel sold under the designation 349. A discontinuous discrete mixture of CrN, Cr2N and (Cr, Fe)2N1−x (x=0 to 0.5) phase surface particles overlying an exposed austenite based matrix, rather than a continuous nitride surface layer, was formed. This resulted in unacceptably high corrosion rates under simulated PEMFC anodic and cathodic conditions. It is believed that many commercial stainless steels are degraded by the current nitridation conditions because they precipitate discrete internal Cr-nitride particles.
Therefore, there is still a need for metallic alloys, such as stainless steels, that can be used in PEMFC bipolar plates and that exhibit adequate corrosion resistance and acceptably low interfacial contact electrical resistance.

Surface modified stainless steels for PEM fuel cell bipolar plates


A chest protector includes a structure for protecting at least a portion of a cardiac silhouette of a user. The structure may include a base assembly, a pivot plate assembly, and a fulcrum block positioned between the pivot plate assembly and the base assembly. The pivot plate assembly is positioned to pivot on the fulcrum block. In some embodiments, the pivot plate assembly and the fulcrum block may include compressible and resilient material. The structure may be shaped, sized, and positioned to coextend with a region of the user's cardiac silhouette. In some embodiments, the pivot plate assembly includes two pivot plate portions oriented at an angle relative to one another. The pivot plate portions may be connected with a flexible hinge, such as a living hinge.

Athletes and others engaged in sports or other activities who receive a blow to the chest from a ball, a bat, or a collision with another object or another person may be at risk of death due to ventricular fibrillation, which is commonly known as commotio cordis. Commotio cordis can be triggered by an impact to the region of a user's chest known as the cardiac silhouette, which is the anterior region of the user's body near the heart that presents a risk of commotio cordis when it receives an impact. Accordingly, the cardiac silhouette should be protected.

Chest protectors for reducing risk of commotio cordis


Apparatuses and methods are provided for detecting contaminant in a fuel system, such as a fuel system of an internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes a fuel filter comprising an upper unit having a fuel inlet port, a fuel outlet port, and a closeable vent port and a lower unit releasably mounted to the upper unit and comprising a contaminant collection zone adapted for holding collected contaminant and a closable contaminant outlet port adapted for draining the collected contaminant. The apparatus further includes a programmable low-voltage variable contaminant detection sensor formed integrally within the upper unit of the fuel filter and comprising detection probes extending into the lower unit of the fuel filter for sensing contaminant levels within the contaminant collection zone, the sensor being adapted for generating a signal upon detection of a predetermined level of contaminant in the contaminant collection zone. The apparatus further includes at least one indicator for producing an alarm condition in response to receiving the signal from the contaminant detection sensor.

The fuel for use in internal combustion engines and heating systems is usually filtered before being fed to the engine or heating system. Filters are necessary because the presence of contaminants, such as water, in fuel systems has been found to be particularly disadvantageous for running efficiency of the machine that is using the fuel. For instance, as in the case with diesel or gasoline engines in boats or land vehicles, the presence of water in the fuel may cause corrosion of the fuel injector system with consequent reduction of the efficiency thereof and eventual complete breakdown thereof. Additionally, water in fuel systems may present a dangerous situation when power from an engine is necessary and water in the fuel results in the inability to deliver power at a crucial point in the operation of the engine.
In the past, various types of conventional fuel filters have been used in order to separate and/or remove water from the fuel prior to feeding the engine. These conventional fuel filters typically include a casing made of glass or steel that is mounted underneath a bracket having a fuel inlet and a fuel outlet and a filter element that is accommodated within the casing. The fuel introduced from the fuel inlet flows down a central passageway and enters the casing through a lower opening. The fuel changes flow direction to ascend in the casing and is filtered by the filter element and sent to the engine through the fuel outlet. In these conventional fuel filters, a major part of the water content included in the fuel may fall by gravity when the fuel flows from the opening. When the fuel is reversed in direction to flow upwardly, the remainder of the water content may attach to the surface of the filter element and accumulate to form droplets, which fall and gather in the bottom of the casing. A very small amount of water may pass through the filter element but such a small amount of water is very easily fully burned in the engine and typically does not affect engine efficiency. The water gathering in the bottom part of the casing may be removed at a suitable maintenance interval.
Drawbacks have been found in such conventional fuel filters. For instance, since a large amount of water may attach to the surface of the filter element and accumulate thereon when the filter is in use, the surface of the filter element applied with water gathering treatment or water repellant treatment is gradually attacked by the water over a period of time so that the life of the filter element is shortened. Furthermore, as a recent requirement especially related to exhaust gas purification, it is necessary to remove the water in the fuel to substantially zero in order to accurately maintain the measuring of the fuel amount at the fuel injection valve. From this requirement, it is necessary to separate the water content in the fuel as completely as possible before reaching the filter element.
An additional disadvantage to conventional fuel filters has been realized in regards to the water content accumulated in the bottom part of the casing of the fuel filter that has had to be manually removed at certain regular intervals. It has been found that if the water removing process is forgotten, the water level may reach the lower surface of the filter element wherein not only does the filter efficiency deteriorate but a large amount of water may be sent to the engine together with the fuel. This has an especially detrimentally effect when the filter element is old and the filtering function has deteriorated wherein the water sent to the engine may cause rust to be introduced into the fuel injection system or may lead to other major efficiency decreases in engine production.
In light of these drawbacks of conventional fuel filtering systems, various apparatuses have been designed to attempt to resolve these negative characteristics by alerting the user of the presence of water and/or automatically draining collected water from the fuel system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,161 to Matsui et al. discloses a fuel filter with a water level detector having an electrode provided at a bottom part of the casing of the fuel filter forming a detecting gap with the metal body of the casing. The sensor responds to water level in the casing so that should the water level in the casing of the fuel filter reach a predetermined level, a low resistance condition between the electrode and casing is detected by a water level detecting circuit. The sensor of Matsui et al. requires a strong current passing through the sensor and is a passive sensor that does not allow programmability of the water level for use with varying types of fuel systems or machines.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,431 and corresponding U.K. Patent Application No. GB 2,121,187 to Jahnke et al. disclose a motor fuel filter equipped for water separation by interrupting or greatly reducing the current passing through the sensor after the sensor has given a signal indicating the presence of water in sufficient quantity to require draining soon. The sensor system of Jahnke et al. is a passive system that does not allow for water level threshold programmability for the use with varying types of fuel systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,764 to Church et al. is directed to a filter assembly and associated filter unit including a repelling action filter media for use in vacuum or suction side fuel filter applications. The filter unit is a screw-on unit with centrally located threads at opposite ends of the filter unit and with a specifically designed end cap allowing use of the filter unit with a dual zone collection bowl normally used for coalescing pressure side filter applications. The end cap includes holes which allows use of both of the collection zones in spite of the normal isolation between the collection zones. The sensor disclosed in Church et al. is a passive level sensor that does not allow for variable water level threshold programmability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,682 to Richardson discloses a fuel supply system including a probe device mounted in an outlet passage of a filter head and having probe elements extending into a filter unit which is removably engaged with the head. Also disclosed is circuitry in the device responsive to contact with water in the filter to complete a circuit and actuate a signal to indicate the presence of such water. The water detection sensor of Richardson is installed in a standard fuel filter and is related to a passive water detection system that does not allow variable programmability of threshold water levels.
U.K. Patent Application No. GB 2,065,336 to Mackenzie is directed to a device for discharging water and/or air contaminant from a mineral oil contaminant separator or from a mineral oil reservoir and separator having such a device. This system includes a vent valve or pump that is automatically opened when a first probe detects the presence of contaminant and which remains open for a prescribed time after the contaminant is cleared. A second probe is provided which gives an alarm indication and that also energizes the motor valve that may operate for a longer period than the first valve. The sensors disclosed in Mackenzie are asymmetrical and are passive sensors that do not allow for variable programmability of water level thresholds.
European Patent Application No. EP 0715873 to Biere et al. discloses a fuel/water separator including an all sheet metal shell having a bottom which is secured to a metal adaptor plate enabling a drain valve and a water detector to be attached to the bottom of the shell. The sensors disclosed in Biere et al. are utilized with metallic filter elements and do not allow for the variable programmability of water level thresholds.
Finally, PCT Application No. WO 01/33069 to Girondi is directed to a unit for automatically bleeding off water which separates in a vehicle fuel filter wherein the unit comprises a sensor means positioned in the collection chamber to undergo activation when the water level reaches a predetermined maximum value. There is also provided an electrically operated withdrawal device connected to the vehicle electrical system to withdraw the water separated within the collection chamber through the bleed outlet or to close the outlet. A microprocessor is also provided connected to the sensor means and to the switch means of the vehicle electrical power system, to electrically power the withdraw device when the sensor means is activated and the ignition key is in a first activation position. The sensor disclosed in Girondi utilizes a flow mechanism for activating the withdraw device at a certain level. This sensor system does not allow for the variable programmability of water level thresholds determined by a probe system.
The prior art fuel filter alarm systems have numerous disadvantages. For instance, the sensor systems of prior art devices have not allowed for the contaminant level of varying thresholds to be readily changed depending on the size engine utilizing the fuel filter system. Mainly, the fuel filter systems of the prior art have had to be designed specifically for varying sized engines that can accommodate varying levels of water contamination. This has required that dealers stock numerous sizes of the fuel filter sensor mechanisms in order to satisfy all customer requirements. Additional disadvantages of prior art systems have included the placement of the fuel filter apparatuses in disadvantageous locations within the engine that prevent the user from approaching the fuel filter and/or removing the water within the fuel filter. Another disadvantage is that while some prior art devices warn about the existence of water, they do not readily offer the capability for water removal which can result in the malfunction of the engine.
As such, there remains the need for the creation of a contaminant detection system for use in fuel systems of internal combustion engines, heating systems, and the like wherein the unit can be placed easily between the fuel reservoir and the engine, the unit can give the capability of warning about the existence of water or other contaminant in the fuel, and can also allow the removal of the contaminant with only temporary pause of the operation of the engine.
There additionally remains the need for a programmable variable sensor system that can be readily preprogrammed to varying levels of contaminant or water levels that would allow the deployment of the same water sensing circuit with fuel filter systems developed for different sized engines where the capacity of the fuel filter can differ significantly.

Apparatuses and methods for detecting contaminant in a fuel system


A semiconductor memory device includes an interface unit connected to an external circuit, a data memory unit including a write data line, a read-out data line, a data control unit, and a memory block connected to the data control unit, and a read-out latch block connected between a read-out data line and the interface unit. The data control unit outputs data read out of the memory block to the read-out data line with a trailing edge of a clock being used as a trigger. The read-out latch block latches the data with a trailing edge of another clock, which is generated at least one cycle after the trailing edge of the aforementioned clock, being used as a trigger. The interface unit outputs the data to the external circuit with a leading edge of still another clock, which follows the aforementioned another clock, being used as a trigger.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a large-capacity semiconductor memory device that has a structure similar to, for example, the structure of an eDRAM (embedded Dynamic Random Access Memory), wherein a plurality of memory blocks are mounted on a semiconductor substrate with respect to an I/O block.
2. Description of the Related Art
A large-capacity semiconductor memory device that is constructed, for example, like an eDRAM, which comprises an I/O block and a plurality of memory blocks, is called a large-capacity memory macro. A conventional large-capacity memory macro has a structure, for example, as shown in FIG. 17. In FIG. 17, a plurality of memory blocks 204<0> to 204<3> are connected to a DQB block 203, which is a data control unit, via local or complementary data lines DQt/c. The DQB block 203, in turn, is connected to an I/O block. Write data from outside is supplied as input data DIN. The write data is then delivered from the I/O block 201 to the DQB block 203. Subsequently, the write data is selectively written in any one of the memory blocks 204<0> to 204<3> via the data lines DQt/c. For example, in the case of an eDRAM, each memory block has a sense amplifier unit that is connected to the data lines DQt/c, and a memory array. Write data that is sent to the data lines DQt/c is written in the memory array by the sense amplifier unit. In addition, read-out data, which is selectively read out of any one of the memory blocks 204<0> to 204<3>, is delivered to the DQB block 203 over the data lines DQt/c. For example, in the case of the eDRAM, read-out data is read out from the memory array, which is included in the memory block, to the sense amplifier unit and is amplified. The amplified data is delivered to the DQB block over the data lines DQt/c. The read-out data, which has been read out to the DQB block 203, is re-amplified and is delivered to, and latched in, the I/O block. The latched data is output as output data DOUT.
In general, if the capacity of the memory macro increases, the length of data lines also increases, leading to a serious problem in the high-speed operation of the memory macro. It is thus imperative for the large-capacity memory macro to suppress an increase in data line length. In order to solve this problem, the data line control would become complex in many cases. The complex data line control will increase the circuit area of the DQB block and, as a result, the area of the memory macro will increase.