A method and apparatus are described including receiving buffer maps of neighbor peers, measuring serving rates from the neighbor peers, measuring serving rates to the neighbor peers, requesting a unit of data from one of the neighbor peers responsive to information in the buffer maps of the neighbor peers at a rate responsive to the serving rate from the one of the neighbor peers, receiving incoming requests for units of data, sorting the incoming requests into a plurality of queues, selecting one of the incoming requests to serve responsive to the serving rates to the neighbor peers corresponding to the incoming request, updating the queues and selecting a new neighbor peer.

In multicast/broadcast applications, data are transmitted from a server to multiple receivers over wired and/or wireless networks. A multicast system as used herein is a system in which a server transmits the same data to multiple receivers simultaneously, where the receivers form a subset of all the receivers up to and including all of the receivers. A broadcast system is a system in which a server transmits the same data to all of the receivers simultaneously. That is, a multicast system by definition can include a broadcast system.
IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) is a system where a digital television service is delivered using Internet Protocol over a network infrastructure. In general, IPTV is television content that, instead of being delivered through traditional broadcast and cable formats (including satellite), is received by the viewer through the technologies employed in computer networks, all of which employ Internet Protocol and related standards such as simple network management protocol (SNMP).
Video is used herein as an example of content. Content includes but is not limited to audio, video and multimedia. Further, a peer-to-peer node includes but is not limited to stations, client devices, mobile devices, mobile terminals, laptops, computers, dual mode smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) etc. That is, a P2P device is any device that can communicate digitally over a network. Herein, the exemplary network is a wired network but a P2P network may also be a wireless network.
The majority of existing P2P live streaming systems ignore fairness and focus solely on maximizing the common welfare. For instance, one prior art study described how to fully utilize available upload bandwidth so as to maximize the video rate that can be streamed.
A SVC stream is employed to improve the common welfare further in the face of peer churn and fluctuation of available bandwidth. The fairness issue has been investigated in other prior studies. One such prior art study proposed a service differentiated peer selection mechanism for P2P media streaming systems. Higher contribution peers were offered more flexibility and choice in selecting peers with which to associate and, thus, achieved better viewing quality. Another prior art study proposed a sub-stream trading technique which allowed peers contributing more sub-streams to reciprocally receive more sub-streams, thus, enhancing their viewing quality.
Typically, fairness (individual welfare) is diametrically opposed to the notion of common welfare. How to strike an appropriate balance between the two is challenging. To make things worse, being "fair" in P2P live streaming system is not easy. Unlike P2P based file sharing systems such as BitTorrent, which introduces so called "tit-for-tat" technique to encourage peer contribution, a mechanism similar to "tit-for-tat" does not work well in P2P live streaming. This is mainly due to the real time requirement imposed by a streaming service, in combination with the desire to service high quality video to a large number of users.
Cost-based schemes have also been investigated in the prior art. In one such prior art study, video was coded into descriptions using multiple descriptions coding (MDC). The number of received descriptions determined the perceived video quality. Peers form trees and one description is distributed over one tree. Peers participate in a tree to retrieve (receive) certain descriptions. The number of trees joined is dynamically adjusted to reflect the entitled video quality determined by a cost policy.

Method and apparatus for peer-to-peer streaming of layered content


A method of installing and implementing a rigid tube (10) referred to as a “main” tube, wherein the following steps are performed: a) lowering an end of the main tube from a floating support or vessel (13) on the surface (14) to below sea level (14) to be connected to undersea equipment (16) that is immersed (17); and b) maintaining the main tube as immersed in this way for a given period of time. The said main tube (10) is caused to pass through a cylindrical orifice (4) of circular section in a stress limiter device, the orifice having a slippery internal coating (3) secured to a support structure (9) secured to the floating support or vessel, the service tube thus being suitable for sliding in contact against the slippery coating during steps a) and b).

The present invention relates to the field of installing and implementing rigid steel pipes under the sea from a floating support or vessel on the surface and going down to equipment that is immersed, preferably down to the sea bottom. Such rigid tubes may be so-called "service" tubes that are implemented for testing or maintaining said undersea equipment from the surface of the sea, or indeed pipes for transporting production or service fluids to such equipment, in particular undersea pipes for transporting petroleum or associated fluids, or wellheads or other pieces of equipment. Such rigid tubes are intended more particularly for testing such undersea equipment from the surface by conveying liquids or gases thereto at varying temperatures and pressures. In particular, the tests implemented consist in filling the production undersea pipe with a liquid in order to clean the line, e.g. treated sea water under pressure, and causing a scraper to pass therealong in order to clean it, for example. The undersea pipe may subsequently be dried by delivering a gas such as air thereto. The production pipe may also be subjected to an immersing method using mono-ethanol-glycol and/or nitrogen.
Service tubes are rigid tubes made of steel or metal or of any other material, in particular composite material, that are wound on a drum at the surface and then employed in immersion in the sea in order to be connected to equipment that is immersed or at the sea bottom, and then perform a said test or maintenance operation by sending down liquids or gases, and they are finally recovered from the vessel or floating support by winding. Such windable service tubes are also known as "coiled tubing" and may be unwound and rewound several times. In general, their top ends remain wound in part on the drum so such a tube is not completely unwound. Nevertheless, in certain circumstances, the top end of the tube may be completely unwound and secured at the surface.
In practice, such service tubes present diameters of relatively small size compared with the diameters of standard undersea oil production pipes, and in particular they may be steel service tubes with diameters of less than 10 inches (″), and more particularly in the range 1.5″ to 6″, and still more particularly in the range 1.75″ to 4.5″, more particularly 50 millimeters (mm) to 100 mm, for taking action at depths of more than 1000 meters (m) or indeed more than 2000 m.
On being wound, such rigid steel service tubes are subjected to deformation that is "plastic" in the mechanical meaning of the term, i.e. the stresses that are applied to the tube go beyond the elastic limit of the tube and it is thus permanently deformed. Thereafter, while the tube is being unwound, the tension that is applied in order to unwind it serves to straighten it out on leaving the drum, possibly in combination with a straightener. More particularly, rigid steel service tubes of the type in question present elastic limits in the range 335 megapascals (MPa) to 750 MPa. Rigid service tubes of this type are described in the prior art, in particular in WO 2012/051335.
Because of successive unwinding and winding, and also because of movements of a service tube while it is being deployed and in operation, a service tube is subjected to high levels of localized stress at the point from which it is suspended at the surface. Thus, the rolling, pitching, and heaving of the floating support or vessel, and also the action of waves, wind, and/or currents on the service tubes and on the floating support or vessel give rise to high levels of bending at the point from which the tube is suspended and/or fastened to the floating support or vessel, with this being particularly severe when the length and thus the weight and also the pressure of the fluid conveyed in the service tube are all large.
In order to mitigate that problem, the practical solution that is presently used consists in unwinding additional length of tube on a regular basis, in particular lengths of a few meters, so as to shift the zone of the service tube on which the stress forces act. Nevertheless, that solution is applicable only to service tubes of small diameter, and in particular of diameter less than 50 mm, and for service tube operations of duration shorter than one day, suitable for use when taking action at depths limited to less than 1000 m. For periods that are longer, and for taking action at depths that are greater than 2000 m in particular, and also for tubes of diameters that are larger, the rigid tube becomes excessively fatigued and runs the risk of breaking. More particularly, at present, operations continue for a few hours and the rigid line can be unwound by a few meters after each operation in order to minimize the fatigue that occurs in the same zone of the rigid tube, whereas operations at great depth continue for more than one day or indeed more than one month, and the risk of the tube rupturing due to fatigue becomes very great, and in the event of the tube accidentally rupturing there can be consequences that are disastrous for the equipment, for personnel, and for equipment on the sea bottom.
That solution is therefore not applicable for use at great depths where the service tube continues to be used for weeks and where the diameters needed are greater than 50 mm.
Another problem that is encountered relates to connecting the termination of the rigid tube to test equipment or to equipment that is to be tested or operated. The rigid metal tube needs to present a connection element at its end, in particular an element of the automatic connector type, which equipment is of diameter that is greater than the diameter of the service tube in order to enable its end to be connected to a semi-rigid pipe or more usually to an intermediate flexible pipe. Unfortunately, it is not easy to assemble such a connection element to the tube once its end is immersed at the sea bottom. One presently-known solution consists in assembling said connection elements at the surface to the end of the service tube before deploying it to the sea bottom.
Bend stiffener type devices or bend restrictor type curvature limiters are known that are applied to the ends of flexible pipes, as described in EP 2 503 093, FR 2 952 118, and FR 2 871 511. Bend limiters or stiffeners for flexible pipes are generally made in the form of conical parts made out of synthetic materials, in particular polyurethane type elastomer material. Parts of this type that are made of steel are also known, and they are applied to the end of a rigid steel pipe of "riser" type in order to embed it in a part for providing a transition in second moment of area (or "inertia") of the type known as a "taper" joint or as an "adaptor" joint, as described in WO 2009/138610. Such parts extend the existing pipe, and as a general rule they are welded to the pipe or they are assembled thereto by means of a flange.
The conical shape provides a transition in second moment of area by progressively and continuously reducing in diameter starting from the point that suffers the greatest mechanical stress. Because such conical parts are secured of the end of the pipe, the forces to which said pipe end are subjected are transferred to the conical part and the increase in its section enables the overall stress to be spread out, thereby providing a smoother stiffness transition and thus a reduction in local stresses. The section of the conical part decreases progressively as a function of the decrease in said stress, with the stress being at its maximum at the point where the end of the pipe is connected or suspended.
Solutions of that type as applied to a tube as described above are inappropriate, given the need to allow the top end of the rigid tube to be wound out and wound in at its point of suspension at the surface.

Method for installation and implementation of a rigid tube from a ship or floating support


During etching of semiconductor substrate having a polysilicon layer and a silicide layer on the polysilicon layer by plasma etching to produce a processed semiconductor substrate having a patterned silicide layer and a patterned polysilicon layer, the semiconductor substrate is located on a supporting electrode. The temperature of the electrode is controlled to a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature may be, for example, 0.degree. C. The silicide layer is etched into the patterned silicide layer by plasma etching. The semiconductor substrate is placed in closer contact with the supporting electrode. A coolant gas is then supplied to the supporting electrode in order to cool the supporting electrode. The polysilicon layer is etched into the patterned polysilicon layer by plasma etching in order to produce the processed semiconductor substrate.

This invention relates to an etching method for etching a semiconductor substrate having a polysilicon layer and a silicide layer on the polysilicon layer.
In general, a semiconductor device is known which comprises a semiconductor substrate having a polysilicon layer and a silicide layer on the polysilicon layer. The silicide layer and the polysilicon layer will collectively be called a polycide layer. The polycide layer may be etched into a gate electrode by etching. It is necessary to etch the polycide layer into the gate electrode at high accuracy when the semiconductor device is an LSI.
In order to etch the polycide layer into the gate electrode at high accuracy, a conventional etching method is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Publication Tokkai Hei 3-127826 (127826/1991) which was published on May 30, 1991. Plasma etching is used in the conventional etching method. By using a resist film as a first etching mask, the silicide layer is etched into a patterned silicide layer by an etching plasma. The etching plasma may be composed of chloride and hydrogen bromide. After removing the first etching mask, the polysilicon layer is etched into a patterned polysilicon layer by an etching gas by using an oxide film as a second etching mask. Hydrogen bromide may be used as the etching gas.
However, the first etching mask is different in material from the second etching mask in the conventional etching method. Namely, it is necessary to use at least two etching masks on etching the polycide layer in the conventional etching method. In addition, it is necessary to remove the first etching mask after etching the silicide layer into the patterned silicide layer.

Etching method for etching a semiconductor substrate having a silicide layer and a polysilicon layer


An amplifier is arranged with an actively clamped load. In a differential amplifier, a pair of emitter-coupled transistors has loads connected between the collectors and a voltage supply. Separate clamping transistors have their collector-emitter paths connected across respective ones of the loads. A clamping control circuit, responsive to an input signal, produces a variable control signal to clamp output signal swings across the loads. A similar clamping control circuit can be used with a single-ended amplifier. Such an amplifier having an actively clamped load is useful in sense amplifier circuit arrangements in semiconductor memory arrangements used in data processing systems.

A conventional bipolar semiconductor differential amplifier includes a matched pair of loads (active or passive) connected between the collector electrodes of a pair of emitter-coupled transistors and the supply voltage. A current source is connected between the common emitters of the pair of transistors and ground reference. Input signals are applied to the base electrodes of the pair of transistors, and output signals are taken from the collector electrodes. In a semiconductor memory system, the inputs originate from signals that occur on bit lines of an array of memory cells.
During operation, when the emitter current source is enabled, the differential input signals cause one transistor of the pair to increase conduction and the other to decrease conduction. As a detector in a digital system, such as a semiconductor memory system, the conducting transistor conducts all of the emitter current and the other is cutoff.
It is desirable to design the differential amplifier to operate very fast, i.e., to switch states very rapidly. Input differential signals are applied through a D.C. voltage shifter to the gate electrodes of the pair of transistors of the differential amplifier. In an effort to speed up operation, designers have increased the gain of the circuit by increasing the load, e.g., by increasing the value of the load resistance. Gain is proportional to the value of the load. The increased load causes large voltage swings at the collector output terminals and can cause the amplifier circuit to go into saturation. If the amplifier circuit goes into saturation, it slows down and also may latch-up.
To avoid excessive collector voltage swings, the collector electrodes have been clamped by diode-connected transistors positioned across the loads of the differential pair of transistors. If a single diode-connected transistor is used on each side of the differential pair, the swing of the collector voltage is limited to a single diode voltage drop. If two diode-connected transistors are connected in series across the load on each side of the differential amplifier, the swing of the collector voltage is limited to two diode voltage drops. By thus clamping the collector voltage, the differential amplifier output signal swings are a fixed value for large loads. Since clamping is determined by the supply voltage that is local to the collectors of the differential amplifier, there is no clamp voltage tracking of the variations in either the D.C. voltage level or the A.C. signal strength of the input differential signal that is applied to the base electrodes of the differential amplifier. To safeguard against this drawback, one has to either severely limit the gain of the differential amplifier by using small loads and slow speed or run the risk of forward-biasing the base-to-collector junctions of the transistors of the differential amplifier and possible latch-up.
The problem is to design a differential amplifier circuit that operates very fast with either a high voltage or a low voltage collector supply. The circuit should not be slow when installed with a low voltage supply nor driven into saturation or caused to latch-up when installed with a high voltage supply.
This problem is not unique to a differential amplifier. A single-ended input/output amplifier is confronted by the same problem.


The invention relates to a method for a communication system comprising a first device and a second device. The method comprises transferring a packet from a first device to a second device, which packet comprises an authentication request having a challenge; encrypting the challenge from the authentication request by the second device; including the determined challenge as a challenge-response to a response packet by the second device; sending the response packet from the second device to the first device; determining whether the challenge matches with the challenge-response, and if so, authenticating the second device.

BLUETOOTH Low Energy (BLE) relates to BLUETOOTH wireless radio technology. BLE has been designed for low-power and low latency applications for wireless devices within short range.
The difference between BLE and classic BLUETOOTH is that the BLE devices consume remarkably less power for communication than classic BLUETOOTH devices. In addition, the data transmission can be started more fast in the BLE than in the classic BLUETOOTH. This makes it possible to have BLE devices constantly on and to communicate intermittently with other devices.

Method and technical equipment for short range data transmission


The present invention generally provides methods and apparatus for controlling edge performance during process. One embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus comprising a chamber body defining a process volume, a gas inlet configured to flow a process gas into the process volume, and a supporting pedestal disposed in the process volume. The supporting pedestal comprises a top plate having a substrate supporting surface configured to receive and support the substrate on a backside, and an edge surface configured to circumscribe the substrate along an outer edge of the substrate, and a height difference between a top surface of the substrate and the edge surface is used to control exposure of an edge region of the substrate to the process gas.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention provide methods and apparatus for processing a semiconductor substrate using inductively coupled plasma technology with improved uniformity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Plasma reactors used to fabricate semiconductor microelectronic circuits can employ RF (radio frequency) inductively coupled fields to maintain a plasma formed from a processing gas. Conventional inductively coupled plasma reactors generally includes a vacuum chamber having a side wall and a ceiling, a workpiece support pedestal within the chamber and generally facing the ceiling, a gas inlet capable of supplying a process gas into the chamber, and one or more coil antennas overlying the ceiling. The one or more coil antennas are generally wound about an axis of symmetry generally perpendicular to the ceiling. A RF plasma source power supply is connected across each of the coil antennas. Sometimes, the reactor may include an inner coil antenna overlying the ceiling and surrounded by an outer coil antenna.
Typically, a high frequency RF source power signal is applied to the one or more coil antennas near the reactor chamber ceiling. A substrate disposed on a pedestal within the chamber which may have a bias RF signal applied to it. The power of the signal applied to the coil antenna primarily determines the plasma ion density within the chamber, while the power of the bias signal applied to the substrate determines the ion energy at the wafer surface.
Typically with "inner" and "outer" coil antennas, the coils are distributed radially or horizontally (rather than being confined to a discrete radius) so that their radial location is diffused accordingly. The radial distribution of plasma ion distribution is changed by changing the relative apportionment of applied RF power between the inner and outer antennas. However, it becomes more difficult to maintain a uniform plasma ion density across the entire wafer surface as wafers become larger.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates non-uniformity problems near the edge of a substrate encountered by typical inductively coupled plasma reactors. FIG. 1 shows nitrogen dosages across a substrate after a nitridation process preformed in a typical inductively coupled plasma reactor. The nitridation process is performed on a silicon dioxide gate dielectric film formed on a substrate. The substrate is positioned in a vacuum chamber capable of generating inductively coupled plasma. Nitrogen gas is flown to the plasma chamber and a plasma is struck while the flow continues. The nitrogen radicals and/or nitrogen ions in the nitrogen plasma then diffuse and/or bombard into the silicon dioxide gate dielectric film.
FIG. 1 is a diameter scan chart showing nitrogen dosage (Ndose) across a diameter of an entire surface of a 300 mm substrate after nitridation is performed in an inductively coupled plasma reactor. The diameter scan chart in FIG. 1 illustrates one of the non-uniformity problem—low dosage near the edge area, generally known as edge-drop. It is desirable to reduce edge drop in typical situations to achieve uniformity across the substrate. Sometimes, it is desirable to have the edge performance tuned, high or low, to satisfy specific needs.
Therefore, there is a need for apparatus and method for processing a semiconductor substrate using inductively coupled plasma technology with capability to control the edge performance.

Apparatus and method for controlling edge performance in an inductively coupled plasma chamber


An organic light emitting display device includes substrates, connection substrates, sub-pixel structures, a thin film encapsulation structure, and a reflection pattern. The substrates each has a pixel region, and is spaced apart from each other. The pixel region includes sub-pixel regions and reflective region surrounding the sub-pixel regions. The connection substrates connect adjacent substrates among the substrates. The sub-pixel structures are disposed in the sub-pixel regions on the substrates each. The thin film encapsulation structure is disposed on the sub-pixel structures. The reflection pattern is disposed in the reflective region on the thin film encapsulation structure.

1. Field
Example embodiments relate generally to organic light emitting display devices. More particularly, embodiments of the present inventive concept relate to organic light emitting display devices including a reflective region.
2. Description of the Related Art
A flat panel display (FPD) device is widely used as a display device of an electronic device because the FPD device is lightweight and thin compared to a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display device. Typical examples of the FPD device are a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and an organic light emitting display (OLED) device. Compared to the LCD device, the OLED device has many advantages such as a higher luminance and a wider viewing angle. In addition, the OLED device can be made thinner because the OLED device does not require a backlight unit. In the OLED device, electrons and holes are injected into an organic thin layer through a cathode and an anode, and then recombined in the organic thin layer to generate excitons, thereby a light of a certain wavelength can be emitted.
Recently, a mirror OLED device capable of reflecting an image of an object (or a target) that is located in the front of the OLED device by including a reflective region and a pixel region has been developed.


In a navigation device for a motor vehicle in which a standby operation is provided with limited power consumption, the standby operation is maintained for a period of time after the vehicle ignition and/or the navigation device is switched off, the period of time depending on the previous operating state of the navigation device. The navigation device is switched off afterwards.

To an increasing degree, motor vehicles are being equipped with navigation devices which make it easier for the driver to reach his/her destination by appropriate indications on a display or by spoken messages. The data necessary for this purpose are generally obtained from a stored road map, a location finder (GPS) or by other sensors such as a map measurer and compass. Electrical power is required to operate these devices, it being possible to obtain this power without difficulty from the vehicle battery which is constantly being recharged during travel. However, extended operation of the navigation device with the engine shut off can result in an undesired drainage of the battery. For that reason, navigation devices are switched off if the motor vehicle is not used for an extended period of time.
However, in order to be able to recover all functions of the navigation device immediately after a short pause, a standby operation is provided in known navigation devices in which the power consumption is in fact limited; however, the most important functions for a fast recovery of operation are preserved.


A package for housing a large scale semiconductor integrated circuit structure, such as a wafer or an assemblage of chips in a hybrid configuration, comprises a heat spreading and dissipating base plate to which the wafer or hybrid circuit is directly bonded. Electrical connections from the periphery of the package interior to the wafer are preferably made with equal length TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) strips connected to electrically conductive pads located along a diameter of the wafer or the centerline of the hybrid circuit. If hermeticity is desired, the integrated circuit structure is encircled by a boundary strip of sandwich construction through which signals are routed, and to which a lid is attached. For hermeticity, the integrated circuit structure is surrounded on all sides with a barrier combining metal and ceramic; the remainder of the package may be constructed from conventional printed circuit board materials. The package can be made arbitrarily large without encountering the problems typically associated with hermetic structures which utilize large areas of ceramic materials.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a low profile package which is adapted for use with semiconductor wafers and/or with one or more semiconductor chips. It is suitable for use in an operating environment where efficient heat dissipation from the package is essential.
2. Prior Art
Wafer scale integration involves forming an integrated circuit utilizing an entire semiconductor wafer. Typically a semiconductor wafer may have a diameter of up to eight inches or more. The wafer is not diced to form chips, but rather is utilized in its entirety to form the integrated circuit. A wafer containing such an integrated circuit must be protected in its operating environment against contamination, as well as against mechanical and thermal stress. A package for protecting and supporting such a wafer must also provide an efficient method for cooling the wafer and must occupy a minimal amount of space to allow it to be used in a crowded environment, e.g. in a compact chassis housing multiple electronic components.
Several approaches have been used to provide such packages. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,374 entitled "Packaging Module for a Semiconductor Wafer" and assigned to Motorola, Inc., the wafer is supported on thermally conductive elastomeric pads and is situated under a printed circuit board. The printed circuit board is equipped with electrically conductive plastic pads which engage contact pads on the periphery of the wafer to create electrical contact between wafer and circuit board. U.S. Pat. No. 4,555,024, entitled "Packaging Unit for Semiconductor Wafers" and assigned to Wacker-Chemie GmbH, discloses spring tongues which are used in conjunction with retention cones on the inner surface of the package lid to hold the wafer in place. U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,955, entitled "Package for Hermetically Sealing Electronic Circuits", discloses a hermetic seal for a semiconductor wafer package. As shown in FIG. 1, this seal consists of a base 114 supporting the electronic device 112, to which is attached a sealing ring 142 surrounding the device. Signal leads 116 extend under this sealing ring 142. A flange 148 is bonded to the sealing ring 142, and the gap between flange 148 and lid 154 is filled with solder 156 to provide a hermetic seal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,000,509, entitled "High Density Air Cooled Wafer Package Having Improved Thermal Dissipation", discloses a package in which electrical connections are made around the periphery of the wafer. In this package, the wafer is forced against a heat sink through deformation of springlike elements; thermal grease is used between wafer and heat sink. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,155, entitled "Wafer Circuit Package", discloses a package wherein wafers are stacked and electrical interconnections are made using tuning fork type connectors.
All these prior art devices provide electrical connections to points along the periphery of the wafer. This tends to result in large differences in electrical path lengths between the exterior of the package and different areas of the wafer. Several of the prior art devices utilize structural elements, e.g. spring tongues, which increase the bulk of the package.

Package for an integrated circuit structure


The system and method of steering a beam using in-line fluid filled prisms having a first transparent plate, a second transparent plate, and a fluid layer interposed between the first and second plate. One or more actuators are used to manipulate the first and second plates relative to each other to create a prism to steer a beam. A second fluid filled prism may be used in-line, where one prism is used for fine adjustment and the other prism is used for coarse adjustment.

There are many applications in which a laser must be steered in an accurate and controllable way or manner. This controlled steering of lasers has applications in 3D object scanning, LIDAR, and other methods of capturing the distance and the shape of objects. In other applications, there is a need to accurately deflect a laser beam for materials processing, laser printing, medical applications, as well as a number of other applications.
Steering a laser typically requires steering mirrors, lenses, or rotating Risley prism pairs; these methods tend to be expensive and require large amounts of volume and/or weight. Currently, there are many methods for steering a. beam or a laser (e.g., an optical boresight), but all suffer from the associated weight, volume, and/or cost issues. For example, one conventional method of adjusting a laser's direction uses rotating nesting optics, as seen, for example, in FIGS. 1A and 1B. These nesting optics provide a very accurate way to make direct azimuth and elevation adjustments, for example, but they are quite large and heavy and suffer from vibrational interference. In addition, an index matching fluid 2 is present between the optics to facilitate smooth movement.
Another example of current laser steering technology is a Risley prism pair, as seen, for example, in FIGS. 1C and 1D. These prism pairs are typically aligned in the factory, but are often difficult to scan in the field since they do not use orthogonal movement, but rather polar coordinates. Scanning about the optical centerline regenerates singularities in the scan pattern typically requiring a third wedge to simplify the scanner motion.
Risley prism pairs consist of two angled wedge prisms that are rotatable with respect to each other essentially along the axis of the beam. Both wedges require independent adjustment to provide the full range of angles of divergence available for the system. Rotating one wedge in relation to the other will change the direction of the beam. When the wedges' angles are oriented in the same direction, the angle of the refracted beam becomes greater, as shown in FIG. 1D. When the wedges are rotated to orient the two wedged angles in opposite directions (e.g., the thick edge of a first prism faces in one direction and the thick edge of a second prism faces in the other opposite direction to form a parallelogram), the prisms cancel each other out, and the beam is allowed to pass straight through the Risley prism pair, as shown in FIG. 1C. Risley prism pairs provide indirect azimuth and elevation adjustments and use polar coordinates. They can be particularly difficult to adjust for slightly off center.
Yet another current method of beam steering uses radial displacement with lenses (See, for example, FIG. 1E). This method uses traditional azimuth and elevation adjustment, and is used with larger optics. Lastly, pairs of mirrors have been used, as seen, for example, in FIG. 1F. The two mirrors are typically placed orthogonal to each other and they are spaced apart. This system requires large volumes within a device.
In contrast to the existing methods, it is desirable to have an improved system and method which utilizes minimal space and is both lightweight and inexpensive. In addition, the improved system and method will dynamically form an optical wedge with a variable prism having the correct angular offset and direction for the beam deflection.

BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.


A circulating fluidized bed boiler includes a rectangular furnace having multiple particle separators connected to an upper portion of each of a front wall and a back wall of the furnace. Each particle separator includes a gas outlet, and a flue gas duct system connected to the gas outlets for conducting cleaned flue gas to a back pass. The particle separators are arranged in pairs. Each pair includes a front separator arranged adjacent to the front wall and a back separator arranged adjacent to the back wall. The flue gas duct system includes cross over ducts, each duct connecting the gas outlet of a front separator of a pair of particle separators, across and over the furnace, to the gas outlet of the back separator of the same pair of particle separators, and to the back pass, which back pass is arranged on the back wall side of the furnace.

In small and medium size CFB boilers, typically having a capacity of about 300 MWe or less, there are usually from one to four particle separators, which are all arranged on one sidewall of the boiler. In large size CFB boilers, having a capacity of more than about 300 MWe, there are typically multiple particle separators arranged on each of the two opposite long sidewalls of the boiler. When all the particle separators are connected on the same sidewall of the furnace, or there is only one particle separator, it is known to arrange the back pass on the same side of the furnace as the separators, whereby the arrangement is known as an in-line construction. Alternatively, the back pass and the one or more particle separators arranged on one side of the furnace can be positioned on opposite sides of the furnace, whereby the construction is known as an over-the-top-construction, because the flue gas ducts, connecting the gas outlets of the particle separators to the back pass, conduct cleaned flue gas over the top of the furnace.
Large size CFB boilers, having multiple particle separators on each of the two opposite long sidewalls of the boiler, usually have a furnace with a rectangular cross section, in which the width of the long sidewalls is clearly larger than the width of the short sidewalls. Such large CFB boilers have, according to the prior art, a back pass arranged adjacent to a short sidewall of the furnace. The gas outlet tubes of the particle separators arranged on the same sidewall, the number of which being typically at least three, are connected to a common flue gas duct, which conducts the clean flue gases to the back pass. Because there are particle separators on both long sidewalls of the furnace, the flue gas duct system naturally comprises two flue gas ducts. Such flue gas ducts are then arranged parallel to the long dimension of the horizontal cross section of the furnace, either above the separators, or on top of the furnace. An example of a CFB boiler with flue gas ducts above the separators is described in the article "Milestones for CFB and OTU Technology—The 46 MWe Lagisza Design Supercritical Boiler Project Update", presented at a CoalGen Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., in August, 2007.
The flue gas ducts of large CFB boilers of the type described above are fairly long, for example, more than thirty meters in the largest CFB boilers of today. Therefore, the flue gas ducts have to be well supported, in order to obtain sufficient stability and durability of the construction. According to an advantageous arrangement, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,400, the flue gas ducts are formed above the furnace, as extensions of the furnace walls. This arrangement provides a rigid and durable construction, which, to some extent, minimizes the problems related to the conventional construction of long flue gas ducts.
Each of the two flue gas ducts of a conventional large circulating fluidized bed boiler collects flue gas from, for example, three or four separators. Thus, the gas flow becomes, especially at the final sections of a flue gas duct, very high, and potentially eroding, unless the cross section of the flue gas duct increases towards the end. Such gradually widening flue gas ducts are, however, complicated constructions. Another possibility is that the long flue gas ducts have a constant cross-sectional area that is wide enough to maintain a sufficiently low flow velocity even at the end. Such construction increases the weight of the flue gas ducts and may cause problems due to the non-constant velocity of the flue gas flow.
The article "Recent Alstom Power Large CFB and Scale up aspects including steps to Supercritical," presented at the 47th International Energy Agency Workshop on Large Scale CFB, Zlotnicki, Poland, on Oct. 13, 2003, shows a large CFB boiler having three particle separators on each of the long sidewalls, in which the outlet ducts of the particle separators on each side are connected together by a collecting channel and further to the back pass by a common flue gas duct, which flue gas ducts are connected to the centers of the collecting channels. This arrangement provides a complicated construction, which is, for example, difficult to support.


The present application provides an interface management service entity, a function service entity, and an element management method. After receiving a device management service request message sent by a network element, a cloud computing-based interface management service entity invokes, according to a network standard identifier and a request service type that correspond to the network element and are carried in the device management service request message, a service function of a function service entity in a cloud computing-based element management system to generate a service request response message; and sends the service request response message to the network element corresponding to the network standard identifier. According to the technical solutions, a cloud computing-based element management system manages multiple network elements working in different standards, which avoids a resource waste problem caused when multiple element management systems manages network elements working in different standards, and effectively improves hardware utilization.

With rapid development of communications technologies, wireless communications technologies are widely applied because of their advantages of convenience, efficiency, and low costs on transmitting information. In a wireless communications system, a commonly used wireless network includes a single-standard network and a heterogeneous network.
The single-standard network is a network in which network elements in the network work in a same network standard, and the heterogeneous network generally includes wireless network element nodes of different scales and different roles. In the foregoing single-standard network and the heterogeneous network in which a large quantity of network elements exist, element management is generally implemented by using an EMS (element management system).
During element management of the single-standard network, it is determined, according to a quantity of network elements in the single-standard network, that one or multiple EMSs are needed to process multiple network elements in the single-standard network. In the heterogeneous network, because network elements working in multiple standards exist, and generally, one EMS corresponding to each standard is needed to manage network elements in the standard, multiple EMSs generally exist in the heterogeneous network.
In the foregoing wireless network, each EMS manages network elements corresponding to each EMS, thereby causing that some operations performed by all EMSs are the same. For example, referring to FIG. 1, a heterogeneous network includes an LTE network standard, a 3G (3rd Generation) network standard, and a WLAN standard. An EMS corresponding to the LTE network standard is an EMS A, an EMS corresponding to the 3G network standard is an EMS B, and an EMS corresponding to the WLAN standard is an EMS C. The EMS A, the EMS B, and the EMS C are separated from each other, and manage network elements in their respective standards. A large quantity of repetitions of functions such as sending an alarm, recording or storing a log exist among the EMS A, the EMS B, and the EMS C, and a large quantity of function repetitions cause a resource waste problem of EMS hardware devices and relatively low utilization. In addition, a large quantity of hardware devices cause high hardware maintenance costs.
It may be learned that problems of low hardware resource utilization and high hardware maintenance costs exist in an existing process in which an EMS manages a network element.

Interface management service entity, function service entity, and element management method


A two-wheeler vehicle comprising a steerable front wheel of at least 16″ (df), a fixed back wheel smaller than or equal (db) to df. A distance between the back wheel ground contact point and the front wheel contact point is smaller than or equal to (12″+√(dfdb). A steering mechanism defines a steering axis ground contact point. A trail distance between the steering axis ground contact point and the front wheel ground contact point is between 5% and 10% of the df. The steering mechanism comprises a fork, a yoke and a handlebar. A frame interconnects the yoke and the center of the back wheel and comprises a standing mechanism providing at least one footboard, below the back wheel center, extending laterally from the frame.

The two common standing two-wheeler vehicles known in the prior art are scooters and kick-bikes.
A scooter is a two-wheeler vehicle comprising a longitudinal footboard between a front wheel and a back wheel. The assembly is controlled by an upright steering post coupled to the front wheel that the user grasps by a steering handle attached to the steering post. A rider stands on the scooter by resting one foot on the footboard and puts the scooter in motion by pushing the road with the other foot.
A kick-bike is another type of two-wheeler vehicle with larger wheels than the scooter. As with the scooter, the kick-bike comprises a longitudinal footboard between a front wheel and a back wheel. The assembly is controlled by an upright steering post coupled to the front wheel that the user grasps by a steering handle attached to the steering post. A rider stands on the scooter by resting one foot on the footboard and puts the scooter in motion by pushing the road with the other foot. A standard kick-bike has wheels the same size as bicycle wheels. A scooter typically has wheels that are much smaller than bicycle wheels—in some cases, they may even be as small as skateboard wheels.
The present invention aims at providing a stable and maneuverable two-wheeler vehicle.