A unified converged network, storage and compute system (UCNSCS) converges functionalities of a network switch, a network router, a storage array, and a server in a single platform. The UCNSCS includes a system board, interface components free of a system on chip (SoC) such as a storage interface component and a network interface component operably connected to the system board, and a unified converged network, storage and compute application (UCNSCA). The storage interface component connects storage devices to the system board. The network interface component forms a network of UCNSCSs or connects to a network. The UCNSCA functions as a hypervisor that hosts virtual machines or as a virtual machine on a hypervisor and incorporates a storage module and a network module therewithin for controlling and managing operations of the UCNSCS and expanding functionality of the UCNSCS to operate as a converged network switch, network router, and storage array.

In a data center, multiple appliances are utilized to scale out and scale up compute power and storage capacities. Networking appliances, for example, network switches and network routers are used to connect servers to each other and also to multiple storage appliances. Large numbers of servers are used for computing, which therefore require a large number of network switches, for example, Ethernet switches, fibre channel switches, etc., to connect servers to each other and to storage appliances. Storage appliances such as disk storage arrays and tape libraries are used in a data center to provide a large storage space for user data and for data backup. Due to the servers, storage appliances, and network appliances, the challenges faced in data centers are, for example, large space requirements, high energy consumption by different appliances, high energy consumption to maintain the operational temperature of the appliances, high heat emission, numerous applications required to maintain different types of server appliances, storage appliances, and network appliances, a team of various skilled professionals required to maintain the data center, high capital, substantial operational expenses, etc.
The compute power, storage and networking of servers keep growing in data centers to improve and boost application performance of the server appliances. To facilitate high performance of application servers, data centers add superior server processors, fast networking technologies, and multiple redundant storage elements. However, the server processors, fast networking technologies, and storage elements are not optimally used due to architectural limitations of the data centers. For example, a conventional architecture of servers, network appliances, and data storage arrays depends on multiple software layers from a host operating system to input and output interface controllers. Such an architecture adds high latency to input/output (I/O) throughput.
Cloud and parallel data processing and storage have become paramount as the need for data storage, data processing, and intelligent storage has increased. Numerous techniques and solutions available in the field of cloud data processing and parallel data processing rely on efficient hardware and software solutions. Data centers have resorted to private, public and/or hybrid cloud solutions as incorporating computing power within or away from storage is not a choice anymore. Furthermore, the basic idea behind a cloud infrastructure is to grow with the use of computing and storage power. However, the dynamic growth of data processing and storage within the cloud infrastructure poses challenges to the current infrastructure. The cloud industry or data centers typically fine-tune their solutions and technologies associated with servers, network appliances, and storage to cater to a constant demand of exponential data growth for efficiency. Ensuring efficiency of data processing and growth in computing requires large investments in terms of capital, power, cooling techniques, etc. Therefore, an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provider spends more time and money to obtain appropriate solutions for an offered infrastructure.
A conventional architecture of a server, a network appliance, or a data storage array utilizes a host bus adapter (HBA) containing a System on Chip (SoC) to handle input and output of data flow on a respective system board. The SoC is a set of hardware components, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a memory controller, a system bus controller, and a peripheral interconnect bus controller that enables the host bus adapter to run software that manages the data flow through the host bus adapter and target devices, for example, disk drives, network ports, etc. This SoC runs software for data communication to and from a target device, for example, a data storage device, or a data storage appliance, or a network server, or a network appliance. The combination of hardware and software for data access and communication reduces data throughput of the overall system. Furthermore, there are additional issues in conventional architecture based appliances that hinder the performance of the system, for example, underutilization of hardware appliances, low adaptability to dynamic growth, low performance, interoperability issues between appliances manufactured by different vendors, a high total cost of ownership that involves large space requirements, high energy consumption, requirements for skilled maintenance teams, etc.
In a conventional architecture of a server, network switch, network router and data storage array, connecting element controllers, for example, small computer system interfaces, advanced technology attachments, serial attached small computer system interfaces, serial advanced technology attachments, fibre channel controllers, Ethernet controllers, etc., are mounted on system boards of servers, network switches, network routers, and data storage arrays as host bus adapters or line cards. The host bus adapters contain specific hardware to manage connecting ports to target devices, for example, hard disk drives, network switches, network routers, and other servers. Each host bus adapter also contains a System on Chip (SoC). Typically, a data center houses hundreds and thousands of servers, network switches, network routers, and storage arrays that are built on the above mentioned conventional architecture. SoC hardware and software on the SoC introduces additional layers that cause additional latency to the data flow, increases the energy consumption, and increases heat emission. As the new era of data centers emerge, the work load on the servers, the network switches, the network routers, and the storage arrays suffers due to the above mentioned conventional architecture that utilizes multiple hardware and software layers. To improve the architecture to be future ready and to withstand and take more work load, there is a need for reducing the hardware and software layers, for incorporating multiple hardware components and associated software on one functional plane, that is, on a system board, and for developing a specialized software without hindering the software implementation of existing application servers.
Hence, there is a long felt but unresolved need for a unified converged network, storage and compute system that incorporates the functionalities of a network switch, a network router, a network interface card, a storage array, and a compute functionality of a server into a single physical server for expanding the functionality of the physical server and the connectivity of the physical server to other physical servers in a data center. Moreover, there is a need for a unified converged network, storage and compute system comprising interface components that are free of the System on Chip (SoC) to allow direct access to storage devices and a network and to reduce latency, energy consumption, and heat emission. Furthermore, there is a need for a unified converged network, storage and compute system that reduces hardware and software layers, incorporates multiple hardware components and associated software on a single system board, and comprises a specialized software that does not hinder the software implementation of existing application servers.

Unified converged network, storage and compute system


A mechanism is created within the tunnel context, in which a plurality of tunnels may resolve a given customer's traffic associated with a virtual local area network. The use of a tunnel context may allow distribution of traffic across multiple servers and other devices, such as across top of rack switches and different parts of the fabric infrastructure.

The MPLS network can be used successfully by network service providers, which provide a virtual private network service for their customers. Further improvements in these networks are possible, especially in a circumstance where a system is being replaced or upgraded in order to avoid loss of service for the customer.

Flow distribution using fabric access tunnels


A method of manufacturing an ink jet head includes the following steps, wherein the ink jet head is provided with a plurality of pressure chambers arranged continuously, ink feed means for feeding ink into these pressure chambers, and ink ejecting means for ejecting ink from each pressure chamber via a nozzle, so as to feed and eject ink by a change in volume of each pressure chamber. First, a first metallic film is formed on both surfaces of at least one wall composing the pressure chamber perpendicular to an arranging direction of the plurality of pressure chambers, wherein the at least one wall is one wall of a piezoelectric element deformed when a voltage is impressed. Then, the first metallic film formed on one of the both surfaces of at lest one wall is removed to form an exposed surface of the wall of the piezoelectric element. Thereafter, a second metallic film is formed on the exposed surface, whereby metallic films, thicknesses of which are different from each other, are formed on the both surfaces of at least one wall of the piezoelectric element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet type printer used for a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copier or facsimile to record characters and images. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ink jet head in which the deformation of a piezoelectric element is used for a drive source to drive an ink jet pump.
Recently, printers are indispensable for attaining office automation. Moreover, printers are coming widely into private use. As a printer for private use, the ink jet type printer attracts the attention of users because, compared with a wire drive type printer in which printing is conducted on a sheet of paper by pressing a wire against a platen via an ink ribbon, the ink jet type printer in which an ink jet head is used is advantageous in that: it makes little noise; the printing speed is relatively high; and the printing cost per sheet of paper is low.
2. Description of the Related Art
A pump to eject liquid by using the deformation of a piezoelectric element is characterized in that the speed of response is high. Therefore, it is possible to compose a pump having no valves. For the above reasons, the pump in which the deformation of a piezoelectric element is used is preferably applied to an ink jet head which must be compact and free of maintenance. When the passages for ink in the pump are designed in such a manner that the resistance and length on the input side are different from the resistance and length on the output side, ink is ejected onto the side of a short passage in the case of a quick contraction, and only a small quantity of ink is ejected onto the side of a long passage because of a delay in response. Successively, when a slow expansion is conducted in the pump, a difference is caused between a quantity of ink flowing into the short passage and that flowing into the long passage because the cross-sectional area of the short passage and that of the long passage are different from each other. Accordingly, it is possible to form a flow of ink which flows in one direction as a whole.
In the ink jet operation, when the pressure chamber is expanded, the outwards of a nozzle from which ink is ejected is exposed to the atmosphere. Therefore, atmospheric air is prevented from flowing into the pressure chamber via the nozzle by the action of surface tension generated on the atmosphere side of the nozzle. Accordingly, ink flows into the pressure chamber only from the feed passage, that is, the flow of ink has a strong directivity. As a body to drive the pump in this way in which a ratio of the ink flowing speed on the input side to that on the output side is high, a piezoelectric element is preferably used. Especially, the deformation of a piezoelectric element in the thickness direction can respond very quickly, that is, it can respond to a signal, the frequency of which is in the order of MHz, so that the piezoelectric element can be used as an ultrasonic oscillator.
In the case of a conventional ink jet head in which a piezoelectric element is used, only an expansion and contraction in the direction of polarity caused by the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric element is used as a means for pressurizing ink by changing a volume of the pressure chamber, or only an expansion and contraction in the perpendicular direction is used. Alternatively, in the conventional ink jet head, only a shearing deformation of the piezoelectric effect is used. In other words, only one direction of deformation caused by the piezoelectric effect is used as a means for pressurizing ink.
Concerning the deformation of a piezoelectric element, the direction of polarization is referred to as d.sub.33, and the direction perpendicular to the direction of polarization is referred to as d.sub.31. Concerning the deformation of a piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric constant d.sub.33 is 650.times.10.sup.-12 m/V at the most. Irrespective of the thickness of the piezoelectric element, even when the voltage is set at 100 V, an amount of expansion is approximately 70 nm. Accordingly, unless an area of the wall of the piezoelectric element to determine the pressure chamber is very large, the contracting volume of the pump is very small. That is, an amount of deformation is described as follows. When voltage E is impressed upon the piezoelectric element in the direction of polarization and the thickness of the piezoelectric element in that direction is t, the electric field intensity is E/t, and the deformation in the thickness direction (the direction of polarization) caused by that is expressed by the following equation. EQU (E/t).times.d.sub.33.times.t=Ed.sub.33
However, when the piezoelectric effect is provided by a piezoelectric element, an expansion and contraction and a shearing are caused in a plurality of directions. Accordingly, from the viewpoint of enhancing the efficiency of using energy, it is not advantageous that one of these deformations is used alone, but it is advantageous that the deformations are used while they are compounded with each other. When these deformations of a piezoelectric element are used while they are compounded with each other, even in the case of impressing a low voltage, it is possible to obtain a change in the volume of the pressure chamber, the amount of which is the same as that of the present ink jet head, and further the expense necessary for an electric power supply to drive the ink jet head can be reduced.
In view of the above circumstances, it is possible to compose an ink jet head of high energy efficiency when an expansion and contraction in the direction of d.sub.33, which is a direction of polarity provided by the piezoelectric effect of a piezoelectric element, is compounded with an expansion and contraction in the direction of d.sub.31, which is a direction perpendicular to the direction of polarity provided by the piezoelectric effect. When a voltage is impressed upon the piezoelectric element so as to contract the piezoelectric element in the direction of d.sub.31, the piezoelectric element is expanded in the direction of d.sub.33. Accordingly, one of these behaviors which are opposed to each other is utilized as a cause of the bimorph effect generated in a compound member composed of the piezoelectric element and a member made of material different from the material of the piezoelectric element. That is, ink is pressurized by superimposing a deformation caused by the piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric element itself on a deformation caused by the bimorph effect generated in the compound member made of material different from material of the piezoelectric element.
When the plate-shaped piezoelectric element (activated section) is made to adhere to the unactivated section made of material different from material of the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element is expanded in the thickness direction, and at the same time it is contracted in the surface direction. Accordingly, a strain is caused between the piezoelectric element and the unactivated section. Due to the generation of strain, camber is caused so as to relieve the strain.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are views showing this concept. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a compound plate-shaped member, reference numeral 2 is an activated section composed of a piezoelectric element, reference numeral 3 is an unactivated section, and reference numeral 4 is a stationary wall. The radius of curvature of the camber is larger on the unactivated section side (thickness h.sub.1) and smaller on the activated section side (thickness h.sub.2) which is located inside. Accordingly, the length of the unactivated section in the surface direction is a little different from the length of the activated section in the surface direction. Due to the foregoing, strain .delta. of the piezoelectric element is greatly changed. This principle has been applied to an ink jet mechanism for some time. However, application of this principle is restricted for the following several reasons.
(1) In order to increase a ratio of magnification, it is advantageous to use a thin piezoelectric element. However, it is difficult to form a thin piezoelectric element. PA1 (2) When the thickness of a piezoelectric element is reduced, it is possible to extend a strain volume. However, the rigidity is lowered, and it becomes impossible to generate a high pressure, that is, it is impossible to provide a sufficiently high ink ejecting pressure. PA1 (3) It is necessary to increase an activating area of the piezoelectric element. However, since restricted by the construction, only one surface of the piezoelectric element is driven. Therefore, ejection of ink deviates due to the unbalance of the activating area of the piezoelectric element.
On the other hand, in the case of an ultrasonic oscillator in which only a change in the thickness of the piezoelectric element is used, the rigidity is high, so that it is possible to generate a high pressure, however, a change in the volume is small. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a wall of large area to be used as an activating surface.


The testing of a cutting-edge geometry of a tool takes place during time intervals that comprise time instants at which it is to be expected that a region, to be tested, of the tool enters a measuring beam. At time instants at which the tool does not enter the measuring beam, no measurements are performed, which increases the reliability of the test and avoids spurious measurements. For this purpose, a measuring system is used that preferably comprises programmable units in order to use the invention flexibly for various machine tools and tools without changing the construction of the measuring system.

The invention relates to a method for testing a cutting-edge geometry of a rotatably drivable tool and a device for performing the method according to the invention. In particular, the invention relates to the testing of a cutting-edge geometry of a tool for the purpose of breakage and wear monitoring by means of a measuring beam.
The use of measuring systems to test rotatably drivable tools using a measuring beam, in particular an optical measuring beam is known. Thus, DE 42 38 504 describes a method that measures the length and the diameter of a tool and also concentricity errors using a thin laser beam. In this way, not only can the setting of the tool be checked, but also wear or a break in the tool can be detected. In this procedure, the tool is presented to an optical measuring plane perpendicular to the measuring plane. The measuring system outputs a signal that indicates whether the tool has entered the measuring plane. When the tool enters, its relative position is determined with respect to the measuring plane in order to calculate the dimensions of the tool using reference points. In order, in addition, to determine the concentricity and the diameter of the tool, the rotating tool is also fed parallel to the measuring plane.
In order to avoid impairments of the measuring operation as a result of contaminants in the air in a measuring region of an optical measuring system, in accordance with DE 42 44 869, a signal that indicates the entry of a tool into the measuring plane is generated only if a drastic signal decrease is detected in a laser beam used as measuring beam. In addition, comparison values are recorded by the measuring system that serve as reference values for individual measuring operations and are intended to reduce interference effects that impair the measuring operation.
Furthermore, DE 32 18 754 discloses a method for measuring the length of a rotatably drivable tool. In this method, the tool passes an optical measuring device, the position of the tool being determined when the tool tip passes through a measuring plane of the optical measuring device. The length of the tool can be calculated by comparing the measured position with a standard position of the tool. In this way, it is also possible to determine whether the tool is broken.
During the industrial application of these described methods, it has emerged that faulty or unsatisfactory measurements occur as a result of contaminants, e.g. due to coolants or metal chips, in the measuring regions of the optical measuring systems used. Furthermore, the optical measuring systems used have to be re-adjusted as a function of the tools used and also their rotational speed has to be re-adjusted for the particular application case. In addition, none of these known methods makes possible a check of the individual cutting edges of a tool or also a complete check of the geometry of a tool.
DE 39 05 949 A1 discloses a measuring system for testing a cutting-edge geometry in which occlusions of a measuring beam due to obstacles in its propagation path are detected and evaluated. No provision is made therein to take account of standard time instants and detection time instants.
In accordance with DE 692 23 544 T2, interferences in the optical measurement of the profile of an object are eliminated in that the optical scanning of the object by means of a laser beam is restricted to predetermined time intervals. For this purpose, the laser beam is allowed to emit light in an illumination time interval, whereas the laser beam is switched off in a switched-off time interval. For this purpose, a read-out device for receiving the laser beam is operated synchronously in order to repeat alternately a synchronous read-out scanning operation of light-receiving elements.
DD 245 481 A1 discloses a method and an arrangement for determining photoelectrically the position of edges on rotating specimens with respect to their axis of rotation. In this method, during a first revolution, that rotation position of the specimen relative to the photoreceiver in which a specified edge of the specimen is detected by a photoreceiver is determined by means of an optical measuring method. During further revolutions of the specimen, only those photoreceiver signals that are detected in the previously determined rotation position of the specimen are evaluated by means of a high-resolution, slow method.
From U.S. Pat. No. 3,900,738, U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,647, JP(A) 0 221 20 45 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,113, it is known, for the purpose of testing a cutting-edge geometry of a rotatably drivable tool, to move a region to be tested of a tool that is being rotated at a specified rotational speed into a measuring range defined by a measuring beam and to detect signals that indicate when and if the measuring beam is instant on the region to be tested or is interrupted by it.
In accordance with DE 197 20 176 C1, to eliminate interfering signals in the case of a light barrier, light pulses incident on a receiver of the light barrier are evaluated only during specified time intervals whose time period is matched to the length of the time intervals within which light pulse sequences are emitted by a transmitter of the light barrier.
It is therefore the object of the invention to eliminate interference effects in a measuring plane of a measuring system during the testing of a rotatably drivable tool.
In order to make possible a desired machining quality with a rotatably drivable tool, it is necessary to ensure that the tools used have certain properties. Said properties include, inter alia, the positioning of a tool in a suitable holding device of the tool machine and also the geometry of the tool itself. With the aid of the method according to the invention, it becomes possible to check a rotatably drivable tool in regard to its actual shape. For this purpose, a region to be tested is defined on the tool, for example the region of the cutting edge of the tool. The tool is rotated at a desired rotational speed and is introduced into a measuring range that is defined by a measuring beam. As a result of the rotation of the tool, the measuring beam is able to strike that region of the tool to be tested, but it is also possible that the measuring beam does not strike the region to be tested. Beside this interaction with the region to be tested, interactions between the measuring beam and other media or substances situated in the measuring range may also occur, for example with drops of coolant or metal chips. In order to test the tool, the interactions of the measuring beam with the region to be tested are detected. In this connection, it is necessary to avoid interactions between the measuring beam and the other substances or media that result in spurious measurements.
According to the invention this is avoided in that the detection takes place only during time intervals that comprise time instants at which it is to be expected that the region to be tested enters the measuring beam during the rotation. Such time instants are determined using a specified pitch, denoted below as standard pitch, of a reference tool corresponding to the tool to be tested. These time instants determined are denoted below as standard time instants. The detection is then performed during chosen detection intervals that each contain a standard time instant in order to check, on the basis of optical interactions that occur or do not occur, whether the tool has the standard pitch or is damaged.
In this connection, provision is made that the detection time intervals are chosen in such a way that they do not overlap in time. Furthermore, the detection time intervals can be chosen in such a way that they comprise the corresponding standard time instant symmetrically.
Tools that are used as reference tools for the tools to be tested comprise real tools whose dimensions comply with the desired dimensions for the tool to be tested, for example undamaged or new tools, but also so-called xe2x80x9cvirtual toolsxe2x80x9d. Here xe2x80x9cvirtual toolsxe2x80x9d are not to be understood as the tools in the actual sense, but the formal description of the dimensions of the tool geometry. The formal description may take place, for example, through mathematical formulae and/or data. Since, as described later below, the invention may also comprise programmable components, the use is to be preferred of xe2x80x9cvirtualxe2x80x9d reference tools in the form of data that are stored and processed, for example, in a computer-aided manner.
The size of the chosen detection time intervals is to be chosen as small as possible as a function of the particular application case in order to restrict the detection to a time range that starts as short a time as possible before the standard time instant and ends as short a time as possible thereafter. In this way, the reliability of the tool testing is increased. Preferably, the detection time intervals are chosen so small that they contain the appropriate standard time instant only with a slight time excess.
Preferably, the standard time instants and/or detection time intervals are determined as a function of the rotational speed of the tool. In addition, it is advantageous if the standard time instants and/or detection time intervals are determined taking into account the standard pitch.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the detection time instants that are necessary to synchronize the detection with the rotating tool to be tested are determined by determining a standard time interval as a function of the standard pitch. Said standard time interval indicates the time spacing between two time instants at which it is to be expected that various regions of that region of the tool to be tested enter the measuring beam. The signals are then detected that indicate interactions of the measuring beam with obstacles in its propagation path, the detection being performed until at least two consecutive such signals are detected whose time spacing corresponds to the predetermined standard time interval.
In addition, it is possible to start the detection after a last signal detected in the standard time interval, the time spacing of the standard time instants corresponding to the standard time interval.
In order to test tools of irregular geometry, it is possible to define a sequence of standard time intervals as a function of a standard pitch of the tool that is in this case an irregular pitch. Subsequently, the signals that indicate the interactions of the measuring beam with obstacles in its propagation path are detected until at least two consecutive signals are detected whose time spacing corresponds to one of the standard time intervals of the defined sequence. Preferably, in the above-described embodiments of the invention, the detection used for synchronization is performed continuously.
It is consequently made possible to start the detection according to the invention after a last signal detected in one of the standard time intervals. According to the invention, the detection then takes place at the standard time instants whose time spacings in this case have a sequence that corresponds to the defined sequence of standard time intervals.
Furthermore, it is to be preferred that the tool to be tested is positioned in the measuring range by detecting an entry of the envelope surface of the region to be tested, which envelope surface results from the rotation of the tool, using the measuring beam.
It is also possible to generate a result signal in response to the detection according to the invention in order to indicate a total result of the testing of the tool. It is thus possible to generate a result signal that indicates a successful summary testing of the tool if a number of the signals detected at the standard time instants is above a predetermined number or the predetermined number is reached exactly.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the determination of the standard time instants is performed again if the number of the signals detected at the standard time instants is below the predetermined number. In addition, a result signal can be generated that indicates an unsuccessful testing of the tool if the number of the signals detected at the standard time instants is below the predetermined number.
In addition, it is possible to define a detection time period for which the detection is performed at the standard time instants.
In addition, a determination time period may be chosen that indicates the space of time in which the determination of the standard time instants is performed. Thus, a result signal can be generated that indicates an unsuccessful summary testing of the tool if the determination of the standard time instants is performed for longer than the chosen determination time period.
The detection time period and/or the determination time period may be determined in this connection as a function of the rotation of the tool and/or as a function of the standard pitch.
In order to test not only an individual region of the tool, but to test a plurality of regions of the tool or the entire tool, the method according to the invention is repeated after completion of the test. In this case, after completion of the testing of a region of the tool, movement is performed relative to the measuring range in such a way that the envelope surface, produced by the rotation, of a further region to be tested enters the measuring range or is situated in the latter. The subsequent test steps according to the invention are then performed again. This procedure is repeated for every region to be tested, every further region of the tool to be tested preferably being adjacent to the previously tested region.
As an alternative to this testing of a plurality of regions or in combination therewith, a plurality of adjacent regions, fairly large continuous regions of the tool or the entire tool can be tested if, in addition to the rotation of the tool, the latter is simultaneously moved relative to the measuring range, for example perpendicularly to the measuring range so that an envelope surface, produced by the rotation and the relative movement of the tool, for the adjacent regions to be tested or of the continuous region to be tested enters the measuring range or is situated in the latter.
To execute the method according to the invention, a measuring system is used that has a transmitter for emitting a measuring beam, a receiver for receiving the measuring beam and for outputting signals that indicate a received measuring beam, an evaluation unit connected to the receiver for receiving signals outputted by the receiver and for generating signals that indicate the interactions of the measuring beam with obstacles in its propagation path as a function of the received signals and a control unit for controlling the measuring system.
In an embodiment of the invention, the evaluation unit evaluates the signals of the receiver only during chosen evaluation time intervals in which standard time instants are situated at which a region, corresponding to the region to be tested, of a reference tool having a standard pitch enters the measurement beam.
In another embodiment, the receiver receives the measuring beam only during chosen receiving time intervals in which in each case only one standard time instant is situated at which a region, corresponding to the region to be tested, of a reference tool having a standard pitch enters the measuring beam.
In a further embodiment, the transmitter transmits the measuring beam only during chosen transmitting time intervals in which a standard time instant is situated in each case at which a region, corresponding to the region to be tested, of a reference tool having a standard pitch enters the measuring beam.
Further embodiments of the invention emerge as combinations of individual or a plurality of the abovementioned embodiments of the measuring system according to the invention.
In order to achieve a compact design, the control unit and/or the evaluation unit may be incorporated in the transmitter and/or the receiver.
In order to be able to use the measuring system according to the invention flexibly, the evaluation unit and/or the control unit should be programmable.
In addition, it is desirable to connect the measuring system or, preferably, the control unit to a machine or its control, respectively, that rotates the tool to be tested in order, for example, to exchange items of information relating to the rotational speed, shape of the tool, desired machining operations and their precision and also tests of the tool performed with the measuring system according to the invention.
The measuring beam can be any desired beam that can enter into interaction with a tool to be tested and with other obstacles in its propagation path and which makes possible a detection of the interactions with a suitable receiver or detector. Thus, the measuring beam may be an optical measuring beam, an electromagnetic measuring beam, a corpuscular measuring beam or a combination of said measuring beams. In view of the available components that are necessary to generate, emit and detect measuring beams, and also their complexity and cost, the measuring beam is preferably an optical measuring beam and, in particular, a laser light beam.
Since in the method according to the invention, the testing of the tool takes place essentially at the so-called standard time instants at which it is to be expected that that region of the tool to be tested enters the measuring beam, spurious measurements are avoided that are to be attributed to interaction and that are not interactions of the measuring beam with the region to be tested.
Furthermore, the invention makes it possible, as a result of the use of programmable control and evaluation units, to adapt flexibly the testing of a tool of a machine tool in an application-specific way to the respective tool used and the respective machine tool used. Thus, tools can be tested that rotate at different rotational speeds and that have the most varied, and even irregular geometries and pitches.

Method and device for testing a cutting-edge geometry of a rotatably drivable tool


Technologies are generally described for detection of incidental robot-human contact. In some examples, a robotic actuator movement may generate a feedback signal, such as a haptic signal, a proprioreceptive signal, an optical signal, and/or an infrared signal. A tremor detector may determine whether the feedback signal contains a tremor signal characteristic of a human, for example by determining whether frequency components in the feedback signal fall within particular frequency ranges. Upon determining that the feedback signal does contain a tremor signal characteristic of a human, the tremor detector may conclude that the robotic actuator has come into contact with a human, and may cause the actuator to halt its movement.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Robotic manipulation and machine vision are becoming more widespread in industries such as manufacturing, shipping, and food production, among others. In many cases, robots may share workspaces with human workers or animals. In these situations, measures to reduce incidental contact between robots and humans or animals may be implemented to reduce the likelihood and severity of injuries resulting from such contact.

Incidental robot-human contact detection


A bicycle on-board device having a body that includes a containment space and is sized for insertion into a tube of a bicycle frame. The device has fastener locations that are located to match fastener locations on the bicycle frame for attaching cycling items, such as a bottle cage.

The present invention concerns a bicycle on-board device and more specifically it concerns a device configured to be inserted inside the bicycle frame, as well as a method for mounting it.
Such a bicycle device can be of the stand-alone type or it can be part of an on-board electronic system comprising other electronic and/or electromechanical devices connected by cables or wirelessly.
Bicycle on-board electronic systems are known and are becoming increasingly sophisticated. The on-board device or the system that it is part of can, for example, be intended for controlling and/or managing the gearshift and/or for acquiring, processing and/or storing parameters and/or data relative to the cyclist and/or to the bicycle and/or to the trip. The on-board device or the system that it is part of can also be intended for mobile telephone communication, for multimediality and/or for anti-theft surveillance of the bicycle.
The bicycle on-board device can also merely comprise a battery power supply unit, possibly with associated power supply electronics, for other devices of the on-board electronic system.
US 2001/0042767 A1 and EP 1 553 012 A1 each describe a containment unit for an electronic system for controlling/powering at least one on-board electronic device for a bicycle, having a configuration suitable for fastening outside of the frame at the same attachment point as a bottle cage, and preferably with the same fastening means.
US 2005/0280244 A1 describes a bicycle control apparatus that can be mounted in a seat post and more specifically in a seat post that is detachably mounted in the seat tube. According to this document, the seat post, at its lower end opposite the saddle, comprises a circuit mounting structure like for example an internal threading. The control apparatus comprises a tubular housing, that can be inserted in the seat post, as well as a cover at the lower end of the tubular housing. The tubular housing houses a control unit in the form of a microprocessor, and it has an internal threading at the lower end. The cover is shaped like a stepped bolt comprising: a head, equipped with a tool engaging structure and having an outer diameter that is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the seat post; a first male threaded portion having a diameter that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the head; and a second male threaded portion having a diameter that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the first male threaded portion. The second male threaded portion is screwed into the internal threading of the tubular housing; then the first male threaded portion is screwed into the internal threading of the seat post. In an alternative embodiment, the housing is mounted in the seat post in a different manner. The first male threaded portion of the cover is replaced by a mounting structure comprising a plurality of movable projections in the form of retaining balls slidingly retained in a corresponding plurality of retaining holes and biased radially outwardly by a corresponding plurality of springs. The mounting structure also includes a plurality of stationary projections in the form of rectangular male splines. In the seat post, the circuit mounting structure comprises, instead of the female threading, a plurality of recesses in the form of hemispherical grooves and a plurality of recesses in the form of female splines. This embodiment, with respect to the first, has the advantage of not subjecting the cables to twisting during assembly into the seat post.
Holes are provided in the tubular housing and in the cover, for the passage of cables for data and energy transport, equipped with respective connectors. Holes are similarly provided in the seat post, for the passage of cables, equipped with respective connectors. There can also be a groove in the inner peripheral surface of the seat post or in the outer peripheral surface of the housing, to house the cables that come out from the cover and lead them upwards, for example towards the top tube of the frame.
Such a control apparatus has a series of drawbacks. Indeed, such an apparatus needs the seat post to have a tubular cylinder shape, while bicycle frames and therefore seat posts with a non-circular cross section are increasingly common, mainly for aerodynamic reasons; moreover, such an apparatus requires a substantial alteration of the seat post to make the circuit mounting structure, which moreover adapts poorly to seat posts made of a composite material such as carbon fibre. Moreover, it requires the disconnection of the signal and power cables whenever one wishes to remove the saddle. Furthermore, since it has to fit into the seat post that is in turn sized to fit in the seat tube of the frame, the apparatus necessarily has a small transversal size. Finally, bicycle frames with integrated seat post, for which such an apparatus is not suitable, are increasingly common.

Bicycle on-board device and related mounting method


In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a method of searching for an address within a collection of addresses. The method includes identifying a section storing an ordered sub-set of a collection of addresses. The identifying is based on a comparison of the address with at least one section boundary value. The method also includes searching the identified section for a match for the address.

Computers, and other network devices, communicate by sending packets to one another over a network. By analogy, a packet is much like a mailed letter. That is, a letter is like a packet's payload while the mailing address is like a network destination address stored in a packet's header.
A packet traveling across a network may make many "hops" before reaching its final destination. For example, a packet may be handled by network devices known as routers that examine a packet's destination address to determine how to forward the packet further toward its destination. Typically routers perform this task by accessing routing tables that indicate where to forward packets destined for a particular address.
Because they are numeric, network addresses can be somewhat cryptic. For example, a computer may have an Internet Protocol (IP) address of "11000000101000000000110010000001". For convenience, this string of binary bits can be expressed as "22.214.171.124" where each of the four numbers is the decimal expression of eight of the binary bits (e.g., 192decimal represents the first eight bits, 1100000binary, of the address).
Routing tables often include entries for specific network addresses. For example, a table can specify where to forward a packet destined for address "22.214.171.124". This is known as a "direct route" entry.
Routing tables may also include entries for collections of network addresses. For example, a routing table entry may specify where to forward packets starting with the address prefix of "192.160". Thus, a packet destined for "22.214.171.124" and a packet destined for "126.96.36.199" would both be handled by the same table entry since they both start "192.160". Entries for collections of addresses are known as "indirect routes". An indirect route is often expressed as a network address followed by a prefix mask. For example, for the route "188.8.131.52/16" the "16" identifies the number of bits in the mask. Thus, in this example, the mask is 16-bits long and, therefore, the first two digits in the decimal string (i.e., "192.160").
Potentially, multiple route entries in a routing table may overlap. For example, a direct route entry of "22.214.171.124/32" and an indirect route entry of "188.8.131.52/16" both encompass the network address "126.96.36.199". Additionally, the routing table may include other indirect routes such as "126.96.36.199/24". Potentially, these different entries may specify different handling information for a packet. To resolve this apparent dilemma over which route entry to use, routers can implement "best matching prefix" (a.k.a. "longest prefix matching") algorithms. A best matching prefix algorithm selects the most specific route matching a network address (e.g., the matching route entry with the longest prefix). Thus, in this example, a packet destined for "184.108.40.206" would be handled by the direct route information stored for entry "18.104.22.168/32" which has a longer mask than "18.104.22.168/16" or "126.96.36.199/24".


A dishwasher including a cutlery basket that has an adjustable compartment. The adjustable compartment receives a cutlery item that is adjustable between a loading position for loading and/or unloading the adjustable compartment and an angled position for carrying out cleaning and/or drying the cutlery item. In the angled position, a first clearance height of the cutlery item is reduced in relation to a second clearance height of the cutlery item in the loading position.

The invention relates to a dishwasher and to a cutlery basket.
The washing compartment of a dishwasher is divided up by means of an upper and a lower crockery basket so that larger crockery items such as plates or pots can be stacked in the lower crockery basket. Because of its reduced height, the upper crockery basket on the other hand tends to have smaller crockery items such as glasses or cups put into it.
In a generic dishwasher, a cutlery basket, into which cutlery items can be placed, is generally arranged in the lower crockery basket. For easy loading of the cutlery basket, the cutlery items can be inserted in a vertically-aligned loading position. Thus, the clearance height of the cutlery items corresponds approximately to the length of the cutlery items. By arranging the cutlery basket in the lower crockery basket, the stacking space for the plates or pots in the lower crockery basket is reduced.

Dishwasher, especially domestic dishwasher


An intelligent computer initiation program recovery apparatus includes a first memory containing a first computer initiation program wherein the first memory permits the stored first initiation program to be altered, a read-only-memory containing a second computer initiation program, and a circuit coupled to the first memory and the read-only-memory wherein the circuit calculates a value from the first program and compares the value against a predetermined value to enable the first memory when the value equals to the predetermined value and to enable the read-only-memory when the value differs from the predetermined value.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains in general to an apparatus for storing a computer initiation program and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for computer initiation program recovery.
2. Description of the Related Art
A computer initiation program, most commonly known as a BIOS program, provides an essential and indispensable function during the initial or xe2x80x9cboot-upxe2x80x9d process of a computer. To prevent the program from being edited, over-written, or otherwise altered, the program has traditionally been stored in a read-only-memory (xe2x80x9cROMxe2x80x9d). Recently, vendors have started to store BIOS programs in flash memories, a type of non-volatile memory that permit its contents to be reprogrammed electrically by anyone without having to remove the memory from the motherboard. By storing a BIOS program in a flash memory, the vendors allow users of the program to directly update the BIOS program or correct existing xe2x80x9cbugsxe2x80x9d in the program by, for example, posting new or updated programs on the Internet so that they may be downloaded by the users. Such an alternative may be economical compared to having to replace at least the ROM in which an outdated or defective BIOS program is stored.
Although storing the BIOS program in a flash memory may provide some convenience to users and vendors alike, unintended results may occur which may be fatal to computer operations, such as incorrect storage of a new or updated BIOS program or incomplete storage of the BIOS program due to power outage during the xe2x80x9cburn-inxe2x80x9d process. A computer virus may also infect the BIOS program. Each of these occurrences renders the computer system unable to function. Although the computer system may be initiated by using a BIOS program stored on a floppy disk, this remedy may not be immediately available, such as if a user does not possess such a disk or does not know how to use one. In addition, an experienced programmer of a computer virus may hide the virus in DRAMs to infect the BIOS program each time the computer system is initiated, even after the user has purged the flash memory of the virus.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an intelligent computer initiation program recovery apparatus that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structures and methods particularly pointed out in the written description and claims thereof, as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the invention as embodied and broadly described, there is provided an intelligent computer initiation program recovery apparatus. The apparatus includes a first memory containing a first computer initiation program wherein the first memory permits the stored first initiation program to be altered, a read-only-memory containing a second computer initiation program, and a circuit coupled to the first memory and the read-only-memory wherein the circuit calculates a value from the first program and compares the calculated value against a predetermined value to enable the first memory when the calculated value equals the predetermined value and to enable the read-only-memory when the calculated value differs from the predetermined value.
In one aspect of the invention, the read-only-memory provides a warning when the calculated value differs from the predetermined value.
In another aspect of the invention, the circuit comprises a multiplexer coupled to the first memory and the read-only-memory for enabling one of the first memory and the read-only-memory.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the circuit comprises a logic circuit coupled to the multiplexer, wherein the logic circuit calculates the calculated value and compares the calculated value to the predetermined value, and wherein the logic circuit provides an output to the multiplexer.
In still another aspect of the invention, the apparatus further comprises a host coupled to the first memory, the read-only-memory and the circuit, wherein the host receives the first initiation program when the calculated value equals the predetermined value and receives the second initiation program when the calculated value differs from the predetermined value.
In yet another aspect of the invention, the circuit includes an AND gate to generate a reset signal wherein the AND gate has two inputs and receives a system reset signal on one of the two inputs.
Also in accordance with the invention, there is provided an intelligent computer initiation program recovery apparatus. The apparatus includes first means for storing a first computer initiation program and for permitting the stored first initiation program to be altered, second means for storing a second computer initiation program, and circuit means coupled to the first means and the second means for calculating a value from the first program and comparing the calculated value against a predetermined value to enable the first means when the calculated value equals the predetermined value and to enable the second means when the calculated value differs from the predetermined value.
In one aspect of the invention, the circuit means includes multiplexer means for enabling one of the first means and the second means, logic means coupled to the multiplexer means for calculating the calculated value and comparing the calculated value to the predetermined value, and gate means coupled to the logic means for generating a reset signal.
In another aspect of the invention, the apparatus further includes a host coupled to the gate means for receiving the reset signal, coupled to the first means for receiving the first initiation program when the calculated value equals the predetermined value, and coupled to the second means for receiving the second initiation program when the calculated value differs from the predetermined value.
Additionally in accordance with the invention, there is provided an intelligent computer initiation program recovery apparatus that includes a first memory for storing a first computer initiation program wherein the first memory permits the stored first initiation program to be altered, and a circuit coupled to the first memory wherein the circuit includes an embedded memory having stored therein a second initiation program, wherein the circuit calculates a value from the first program and compares the calculated value against a predetermined value, and wherein the circuit enables the first memory when the calculated value equals the predetermined value and enables the embedded memory when the calculated value differs from the predetermined value.
Also in accordance with the invention, there is provided a method for computer initiation program recovery. The method includes defining a predetermined reference value, calculating a value from a first computer initiation program stored in a first memory, comparing the calculated value to the predetermined reference value, enabling the first memory when the calculated value equals the predetermined reference value to provide access to the first computer initiation program stored therein, enabling a second memory containing a second computer initiation program when the calculated value differs from the predetermined reference value to provide access to the second computer initiation program stored therein, and providing a reset signal to a host system coupled to the first memory and the second memory wherein the host system receives one of the first computer initiation program and the second computer initiation program.
In one aspect of the invention, the predetermined reference value is the sum of the first initiation program address values.
In another aspect of the invention, the predetermined value is an address value identifying a product vendor.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Apparatus and method for intelligent computer initiation program recovery


An ionizer creates a corona current distribution having a balanced flow of positive and negative ions in a variable ion mobility gaseous environment. The balanced flow of positive and negative ions are directed toward a workspace or target located in the gaseous environment and downstream from the ionizer. The ionizer includes a corona electrode, a counterelectrode, a corona-free dc bias electrode, and a control circuit. The corona electrode has a negative polarity. The counterelectrode has an ion collecting surface. The corona-free dc bias electrode has a positive polarity. The control circuit controls the output of the corona-free electrode so as to cause a balanced flow of positive and negative ions to be emitted from the ionizer and directed towards the workspace or target. In this manner, a static-free environment is created at the workspace or target.

The present invention falls into a class of technology and methods where gasborne charge-carriers are used to neutralize a charge imbalance on insulating materials and floating conductors. The methods are applied in general industry for static elimination to reduce hazardous and nuisance static discharges and improve process operations and cleanliness.
Electrical static eliminators are used in many industries to control unbalanced charges on insulating materials and floating conductors. FIG. 1 shows one example of a prior art static eliminator system including positive and negative polarity corona ionizers 1, their environment 10, and a target 11. When the ionizers 1 are distant from the target 11, gas flow 7 is used to convey the products of ionization to the target. The corona ionizers 1 can be separate dc or pulsed-dc emitters, or single emitters with alternating potential to separate the positive and negative polarity corona in time.
The make-up of ions from a typical ionizer is very complex and is far from understood. Many species are short-lived, and often highly reactive. Most ionic species discussed in the literature are found in the interelectrode gap, after ion molecule reactions have had time to develop. The ions and their distribution also depend on the corona mode (e.g. glow or pulsed) that is active for the electrode geometry, the gas, and the potential.
The carriers entrained from a corona by gas flow are only beginning to be explored. However, it is becoming clear that only about 0.1% of carriers generated in a corona are entrained, and the control of these carriers is not achieved by trivial adjustment of positive and negative corona currents.
Conventional charge eliminators produce gasborne charge-carriers of positive and negative polarity, so that the charge needed for static elimination is attracted from the gas to charged articles. The equipment includes nozzles, blowers, and room ionization systems where charged carriers are conveyed from electrical corona to articles to be neutralized. Other ionizers are simply placed in chambers where gas circulation conveys the charge-carriers to electrostatically charged articles, or are static bars fitted with air knives or tubes perforated with an array of orifices. The corona ionizers can consist of separate positive or negative polarity charge-carrier generators for direct current (continuous or pulsed) ionization. Alternatively, the ionizers can be single emitters or arrays of these emitters operated at alternating polarity.
A noted deficiency with conventional ionizers is that they do not perform well in nitrogen, hydrogen, and noble (inert) gases, because control is difficult where the gases are non-electron attaching. These ionizers also use corona electrodes with two separate polarities or alternating polarity.
Nitrogen is used to inert processes in many industries, and can purge areas cooled by the evaporation of liquid nitrogen. In recent years, static eliminators using nuclear (radioisotope), ultraviolet, soft x-ray, and corona discharge ionizers have been explored for use in nitrogen environments. Nitrogen, hydrogen, and the noble gases pose special problems for electrical static eliminators, since the negative carriers formed in the negative corona discharge are free electrons and these do not readily attach to atomic or molecular nitrogen species. In industrial applications, where the impurity is not always well controlled, there will be some electron attachment, and the effective negative-carrier mobilities and negative polarity corona current can vary over great ranges without significant effect and control on carrier entrainment. The mobility effect is also influenced by temperature.
In International PCT Publication No. WO 01/09999 entitled xe2x80x9cIONIZER FOR STATIC ELIMINATION IN VARIABLE ION MOBILITY ENVIRONMENTS,xe2x80x9d designating the United States, now U.S. application Ser. No. 09/762,521, which is incorporated by reference herein, balanced static elimination is achieved in variable ion mobility environments using positive and negative polarity corona emitters. The balance, however, is more difficult to control in high purity nitrogen and at low temperatures where positive carrier generation must occur at higher electric fields where the ratio of negative to positive polarity emitter currents can exceed 1000 to 1.
Each of the alternative technologies (nuclear, UV, x-ray) produces positive ion and free electron pairs in nitrogen. The balance of these ionizers, however, is not easily controlled in air, let alone nitrogen gas and over the temperature range of interest (i.e. 200 degrees K to 450 degrees K). Also, the alternative ionizers can introduce radiation hazards to the work place. X-ray, radioactive and UV ionizers pose radiation hazards in the environment and typically need to be licensed or shielded for use in commercial applications. The corona type electrical ionizer, on the other hand, does not need to be licensed as a source of ionizing radiation, and operates in the current-limited mode throughout its useful life. The performance of the corona type electrical ionizer does not decay over time as will occur for at least the radioactive ionizer. The electrical ionizer is, therefore, preferred if its balance can be controlled.
Many static eliminators have been proposed for use in industrial environments. Some have claimed to be useful in nitrogen environments. U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,934 (Umeda) describes that imbalance in the entrained carriers from ionizers can be based on UV ionizer radiation brought into balance by a dc bias. The same is true for ionizers based on corona ionizer activity and other forms of ionizing radiation, such as UV and radioactive ionizers, which produce carrier pairs. Umeda, however, does not recognize the importance of carrier mobility in bringing about balance in gases such as nitrogen at low temperature. Thus, it is unlikely that balance of this ionizer can be controlled in a non-electron-attaching environment by the method proposed in the patent.
When positive and negative polarity corona emitters are used as the corona source, balance can be achieved by adjusting the potentials on the emitters. The ratio of currents from these emitters is shown in prior art FIG. 6 for gases 213 degrees K and 300 degrees K. The difficulty with the arrangement of prior art ionizers such as those discussed in WO 01/09999, is that the control point (residual potential=0) is achieved at large current ratios or is not achieved at all at lowest temperatures. The ratio of currents needed to achieve balance in nitrogen is shown in prior art FIG. 7 as a function of temperature. The method described in WO 01/09999 achieves the balance by operating the negative emitter at a high current (limited) condition and adding positive-polarity corona current as needed to balance the ionizer.
The present invention departs from conventional technology by relying upon a single polarity corona to generate simultaneously both positive and negative carriers and to balance this ionization using a corona-free dc bias electrode to remove unwanted carriers. The invention is best practiced for use with a negative polarity corona. Negative polarity corona generally contains an extended corona structure that improves contact between positive and negative ions and gas flow, and is especially suited for use in nitrogen, hydrogen, and inert gas environments where there is an intense current-limited discharge. The choice of corona electrode polarity is driven by the higher mobility of the negative carriers and their relative abundance in the corona source.
Many balancing and self-balancing circuits have been developed for electrical ionizers in air, but few have been designed for use in variable ion mobility environments. The present invention offers improvement over existing balancing circuits in nitrogen environments, such as described in International PCT Publication No. WO 00/38484 entitled xe2x80x9cGAS-PURGED IONIZERS AND METHODS OF ACHIEVING STATIC NEUTRALIZATION THEREOF.xe2x80x9d Unlike conventional balancing circuits based on two polarity corona systems, a single-polarity (negative) corona is controlled using a passive (corona-free) control element. The complicated interaction of two corona systems, which could separately have changing corona modes (morphology) is thereby avoided.

Static eliminator employing DC-biased corona with extended structure


A device for processing network access requests responsive to more than one network access protocol comprises a protocol layer responsive to a client access request based on a first protocol, a gateway layer in communication with the protocol layer including at least one protocol handler for processing access requests and a state manager having more than one set of process states required for each network access method, and an inbound filter state object in communication with the gateway layer that is responsive to at least one protocol handler and is invoked to filter attribute data in the access request packets. A method for dynamic, scaleable attribute filtering in a multiple-protocol compatible network access environment comprises receiving an access request which is based upon a first supported network access protocol, processing the access request as a task, processing the task at a protocol handler to verify user identity; checking the access request at the protocol handler for an inbound filter attribute, retrieving a state interface pointer from a state manager based upon an inbound filter being found in the access request and invoking an inbound filter state object to filter the first access request in accordance with the first state interface pointer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for dynamic attribute filtering in conjunction with network access. More particularly, the present invention relates to providing dynamic, scaleable attribute filtering in conjunction with a network access scheme that is compatible with different network protocols.
2. The Background
The Internet has become a communication medium that is easily and economically available to the masses on a worldwide scale. The proliferation of computers, computer-related devices (such as hand-held organizers), set-top boxes, or any tool that sends and/or receives digitized data has fed the demand for this vision. This is in accord with the premise that the sum of devices on a network is greater than the individual parts of the network. Concurrent with this proliferation of networked and data hungry devices is the increasing reliance on the Internet as the communication medium over which these devices may communicate.
However, because of bandwidth needs, cost, intended use, and/or applicability, these devices may not only employ disparate network access methods when seeking network access to the Internet but typically also may use different network layers. Apart from the challenges of supporting network access across disparate physical layers (wireless, cable, twisted pair) and data-link layers, there is also the challenge of supporting different access methods used by the devices seeking Internet network access.
These challenges include supporting network access methods such as dial-up, cable modem, and DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), while also maintaining a seamless level of service to a subscriber regardless of the type of network access method used. Thus far, solutions to the problem of trying to support disparate network access methods have not been able to tightly integrate the components used. This results in an approach that is not easily scaled so as to render difficult the ability to support new or additional access methods. Additionally, these approaches have typically relied upon more than one user record database and have not consistently provided fault tolerance to the components in a unified way.
Supporting different access methods requires clients and services that can provide the states (services and tasks) which are required to establish a particular network service required by a given access method. This requires access to user information that may differ in content and format according to the type of network access method used. Meeting these requirements has resulted in an implementation in which the clients and the services used are loosely integrated. For example, each client is tightly coupled to each service that the client uses and each service has its own database of information. Such an approach renders difficult the ability to provide an access point that can be easily expanded to include new access methods (scalable) and that provides the same subscriber service for all types of access methods used and/or access point location (unified).
Of heightened importance to the concept of trying to integrate disparate network access methods is the ability to provide a dynamic, scaleable data filtering process. Each client and service component that is accessed by the comprehensive integrated network access system will process and format data attributes in different ways. The integrated network access system needs to be able to filter and/or modify data and attribute tables to insure that service components and clients receive data that is pertinent and concise. Extraneous data or attributes that are improperly formatted will only serve to cause inefficiency in the integrated network access system and may lead to errors occurring.
As the integrated network access system evolves it will be capable of seamlessly incorporating new access methods and/or new protocols. Thus, it is essential that such a system rely on filters that are scaleable. The filtering scheme must be capable of easily adding new filters and filter methods to correlate to new access methods and/or new protocols.
Additionally, when the filtration process that is used is dynamic, changes can be made to a specific filter scheme without incurring downtime in service components. Using special techniques, such as broker/publisher communication protocols, changing a filter can be accomplished by writing script incorporating the modification. This type of dynamic filtering is preferred over filtration schemes that employ the service components directly and require changes to be implemented by making changes to the program code. Additionally, by associating filters to groups of records in the database, it is possible not to physically tie a filter to an incoming protocol packet.
Accordingly, there is a need for a dynamic, scaleable attribute-filtering scheme to support an integrated and unified network access system.
In one aspect of the invention, a device for processing network access requests responsive to more than one network access protocol comprises a protocol layer responsive to a client access request based on a first protocol, a gateway layer in communication with the protocol layer including at least one protocol handler for processing access requests and a state manager having more than one set of process states required for each network access method, and an inbound filter state object in communication with the gateway layer that is responsive to at least one protocol handler and is invoked to filter attribute data in the access request packets. Implemented as states, the device may comprise an outbound filter in communication with the gateway layer that is responsive to at least one protocol handler and is invoked to filter attribute data in the access request response packets.
In another aspect of the invention, a method for dynamic, scaleable attribute filtering in a multiple-protocol compatible network access environment comprises receiving an access request which is based upon a first supported network access protocol, processing the access request as a task, processing the task at a protocol handler to verify user identity, checking the access request at the protocol handler for an inbound filter attribute, retrieving a state interface pointer from a state manager based upon an inbound filter being found in the access request and invoking an inbound filter state object to filter the first access request in accordance with the first state interface pointer. Additionally the method for dynamic, scaleable attribute filtering may include proxying inbound filtered first access request to an access state object, sending the inbound filtered access request from the access state object to a service component, returning an access request response from a service component to the protocol handler via the state object, checking the access request response at the protocol handler for an outbound filter attribute, retrieving a state interface pointer from a state manager based upon an outbound filter being found in the access request response, and invoking an outbound filter state object to filter the access request response in accordance with the state interface pointer.

Dynamic, scaleable attribute filtering in a multi-protocol compatible network access environment


The present invention provides methods to treat mixtures containing natural rebaudioside A (Reb A), rebaudioside B (Reb B), and rebaudioside D (Reb D), synthetic counterparts of these, and/or derivatives of the natural or synthetic embodiments obtain one or more of these glycosides in more pure form. In many embodiments, the invention can be used to process glycoside mixtures obtained at least in part from natural sources such as the Stevia plant. This allows, for instance, the recovery of a product including Reb A material in more pure form relative to Reb B material or Reb D material. As an alternative or in addition to recovery of the purified Reb A material, a product including Reb B material and/or Reb D material in more pure form relative to Reb A material can be obtained.

The species Stevia rebaudiana ("Stevia") has been the subject of considerable research and development efforts directed at the purification of certain naturally occurring sweet glycosides of Stevia that have potential as non-caloric sweeteners. Sweet glycosides (also referred to as steviol glycosides) that may be extracted from Stevia include the six rebaudiosides (i.e., rebaudioside A to F), stevioside (the predominant glycoside in extracts from wild type Stevia), dulcosides, and sterebins.
Rebaudioside A (Reb A) is a sweet tasting glycoside component of Stevia, having roughly 250-450 times the sweetness of sucrose. Rebaudioside A is desirable for use in non-caloric sweeteners because of its favorable sweetness profile, regulatory approvals, customer acceptance, and minimal bitter aftertaste. Rebaudioside B (Reb B) and D (Reb D) also are sweet tasting glycoside components of Stevia that are of interest for their sweetness characteristics.
The natural extracts of Stevia as well as some processed versions thereof as well as synthetic counterparts typically include mixtures of glycosides. It has been desirable to purify these mixtures to obtain one or more of these glycosides in more pure form. For instance, a mixture might include, among other ingredients, a combination of Reb A, Reb, B, and Reb D. It has been desirable in some instances to treat these mixtures to recover a product that includes Reb A in more pure form while reducing the content of Reb B and/or D in the product. In other instances, it may be desirable to treat these mixtures to recover a product that includes Reb B and/or Reb D in more pure form while reducing the content of Reb A in the product. In still other instances, these mixtures are processed to recover a combination of products. For instance, if a mixture is treated to recover a mixture portion that is more pure with respect to Reb A with reduced Reb B and Reb D, another portion of the treated mixture generally can be recovered that has more pure Reb B and/or D and less Reb A content
Numerous methods have been reported for the purification of rebaudioside A from crude Stevia extracts containing rebaudioside A.
Japanese Publication No. 56121454 reports a method of separating stevioside and rebaudioside A at high purity and yield by crystallization. In the method a mixture of stevioside and rebaudioside A is extracted from the leaves and stalks of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni by conventional process. The extract is dissolved in ≧70% aqueous solution of ethanol and rebaudioside A is selectively crystallized from the solution.
Japanese Patent 63173531 describes a method of extracting sweet glycosides from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. The first step of the process is to extract a liquid solution of sweet glycosides from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. Secondly, the liquid solution of sweet glycosides is passed through a non-polar porous resin and is eluted with a water-soluble organic solvent, preferably methanol. Thirdly, the eluted solution is concentrated and dried to give a powdery material. This procedure isolates a mixture of sweet glycosides, but does not isolate a single pure sweet glycoside such as rebaudioside A.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0083838 (Jackson et al.) reports a method of isolating and purifying rebaudioside A from commercially available Stevia rebaudiana starting material. The method comprises: (1) an ethanol (EtOH) formulation stage to formulate a selected EtOH solvent, (2) a first reflux stage using the Stevia starting material and optionally additional reflux stages using retentate isolated from a refluxed mixture or a stirred wash mixture, (3) optionally, one or more stirred wash stages, and (4) an ethanol purge and drying stage. In the reported method, an EtOH formulation stage is conducted in order to formulate a desired reflux solvent for use in the reflux step(s). Typically, the reflux solvent is a mixture of ethanol and water with about 5% to 15% by volume water. The reflux stage typically comprises providing a mixture of glycosides in the reflux solvent and refluxing the mixture for about 1 hour, cooling the mixture to improve the process yield, and filtering. The process further includes one or more energy-intensive refluxing steps that are typically conducted at a temperature of about 79° C. to 80° C. for about 1 hour. The stirred wash stage typically comprises providing a mixture of glycosides from a reflux stage and a solvent of pure ethanol, agitating the mixture at room temperature for about 15 minutes, and filtering. The method allegedly produces 100% pure, water-soluble rebaudioside A.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,678 (Payzant et al.) reports a method of extracting selected sweet glycosides from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. In the reported method, sweet glycosides are extracted from the Stevia plant and are processed to obtain individual components in a multi-step process. First, the Stevia plant is treated to extract an aqueous liquid solution containing mixed sweet glycosides. By using a series of ion exchange resins, the impure non-sweet glycosides are separated from the mixed sweet glycosides, which are dried. These dried mixed sweet glycosides, which still contain impurities, are then dissolved in a water-soluble organic solvent such as anhydrous methanol to form a solution. The solution is refluxed and is cooled to precipitate a first sweet glycoside component. This first sweet glycoside component, which is typically stevioside, can be recovered by filtration and may be further purified by the method described for the second component. The filtrate from the crystallization of the first precipitated sweet glycoside can be further treated to obtain a second sweet glycoside component by concentrating the filtrate by heating. Upon cooling the solution, a second sweet glycoside component precipitates which can be recovered. This second sweet glycoside component is typically rebaudioside A. It can be further purified by dissolving it in a water-soluble organic solvent such as methanol that may optionally contain a small amount of water. The solution is heated, refluxed, and finally cooled to precipitate the second sweet glycoside component at a higher purity. The precipitate can be recovered by filtration. This purification process can be repeated until a final crystallized solid of desired purity is obtained. The method reports Rebaudioside A purity levels of 90% or greater or 95% or greater.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,697 (Dobberstein et al.) reports a process for recovering diterpene glycosides from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. The process includes the steps of sequentially extracting plant material with a first solvent of intermediate polarity to extract plant substances which tend to interfere with a liquid chromatographic separation of the glycosides, and then with a second solvent of high polarity to extract glycosides, and chromatographically separating the extracted glycosides by introducing them onto a liquid chromatography column having a packing of an oxygen-containing organic stationary phase covalently bonded through a silicon atom to an inorganic support. The glycosides are eluted with a solvent of polarity that is higher than that of the first solvent but lower than that of the second solvent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,938 (Giovanetto) reports a method for recovering steviosides from dried plant material of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni by extraction and purification. An extract is obtained through treatment in water at a temperature from room temperature to about 65° C. with stirring and subsequent filtration and centrifugation. This extract is treated with calcium hydroxide, whereupon a precipitate is obtained by means of filtration or centrifugation. This precipitate is treated with a strongly acidic ion exchange resin and subsequently with a weakly basic ion exchange resin, filtered and dried.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,858 (DuBois) reports a method for the recovery of rebaudioside A from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana plants. Final purification is achieved by liquid chromatography subsequently followed by an initial extraction with water and alkanol having from 1 to 3 carbon carbons, preferably methanol. It is also disclosed that water may be used as the initial solvent. Their preferred solvent at this stage is a liquid haloalkane having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The preferred second solvent is an alkanol having from 1 to 3 carbon atoms, while the preferred third solvent is an alkanol having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and optionally minor amounts of water.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2006/0134292 (Abelyan et al.) reports a process for recovering sweet glycosides from Stevia rebaudiana plant material. The dried and powdered leaves are treated with water in the presence of a pectinase, cellulase, and alpha-amylase. The use of such enzymes is reported to considerably increase the extraction rate and facilitates the next stages of purification. The resulting extract is purified using treatment with calcium hydroxide and ultrafiltration. The permeate is passed through the column packed with bentonite and concentrated to syrup state under vacuum. The treatment with ethanol allows separating the practically pure rebaudioside A from the mixture. The rebaudioside A with high purity is obtained after washing the crystals with 88-95% of ethanol.
Other techniques include those reported, for example, in Japanese Publication Nos. 56121454; 56121455; 52062300; and 56121453 assigned to Ajinomoto Company, Inc, and in Chinese Publication No. 1243835 assigned to Hailin Stevia Rebaudium Sugar.
Due to their values as non-caloric sweeteners, improvements in the available methods for purifying glycosides such as Reb A, Reb B, and/or Reb D are desired. In particular, a method that allows for the separation of rebaudioside A from compositions containing rebaudioside B and/or rebaudioside D is highly desirable. This would allow recovery of a product that has more pure Reb A, a product that has more pure Reb B and/or D, or both kinds of products.

Methods to treat mixtures of glycosides to obtain one or more of these glycosides in more pure form


A polarizer of the present invention comprises an azo compound which is represented by the following general formula (I). In the general formula (I), Q1 represents an optionally substituted aryl group, Q2 represents an optionally substituted arylene group, M represents a counter ion, l represents an integer of from 1 to 6, and m represents an integer of from 0 to 5 (l+m≦6).

Polarizers are optical films having such functions as to allow certain linearly polarized light in polarized light or natural light to transmit. The polarizers are, for example, used in components for liquid crystal displays and used on lenses for polarizing sunglasses.
Generic polarizers used for liquid crystal displays are obtained by stretching a polyvinyl alcohol film dyed with iodine.
In addition, polarizers obtained in accordance with a wet film manufacturing method in which a solution containing an azo compound with lyotropic liquid crystalline property is applied on a base material and dried are known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-241269). The thickness of polarizers formed from such the solution containing the azo compound can be much thinner than that of the above described polarizers (polarizers made of the polyvinyl alcohol film dyed with iodine). Therefore, the polarizers formed from the solution containing the azo compound are appropriate for liquid crystal displays, which are required to be thin and light.
It is preferable for polarizers used for liquid crystal displays and the like to have a maximum absorption wavelength in a wavelength range having high visual sensitivity (a wavelength range where the human eye feels the light most intensely). The polarizers having a maximum absorption wavelength in a wavelength range having high visual sensitivity are excellent in terms of the polarization property for visible light. Here, the wavelength range having high visual sensitivity is usually from 520 nm to 580 nm.
In many cases, however, the conventional polarizers containing an azo compound have a maximum absorption wavelength outside the wavelength range having high visual sensitivity.

Polarizer, coating liquid, and manufacturing method for polarizer


A crystal oscillator device is disclosed. The crystal oscillator device includes: a crystal oscillator including a casing, a crystal piece, a pair of excitation electrodes configured to excite a main vibration, and a pair of sub vibration electrodes configured to excite a sub-vibration; and an alarm generator configured to generate an alarm based on a signal whose amplitude is equal to or less than a reference value, the signal being generated in the sub vibration electrodes.

A crystal oscillator is known which includes a sub oscillator having sub electrodes provided separately from main electrodes on a crystal substrate.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-135342
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2013-106052
However, according to the conventional technique as described above, it is difficult to detect a state of the crystal oscillator before a transition to an output stop state (for example, clock stop) based on a signal appearing in the sub electrodes. Such an output stop may occur suddenly due to abnormality of the crystal oscillator or the like.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Crystal oscillator device and method of measuring crystal oscillator characteristic


A substrate treatment apparatus of the present invention includes: a holding means for rotatably holding a substrate to be treated; a coating solution supply nozzle for supplying a coating solution onto the front surface of the substrate to be treated held on the holding means; a treatment container with an upper surface open for housing them; an exhaust means for exhausting an atmosphere in the treatment container from the bottom; a multiblade centrifugal fan provided on the inner periphery of the treatment container for flowing airflow on a front surface side of the substrate to the exhaust means; and a controller for controlling the number of rotations of the multiblade centrifugal fan corresponding to the number of rotations of the substrate, wherein the number of rotations of the multiblade centrifugal fan is controlled so that turbulent airflow flowing in a circumferential direction on the front surface of the substrate generated due to the rotation of the substrate is corrected to laminar airflow flowing in a radial direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate treatment apparatus for supplying a treatment solution to a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer, an LCD glass substrate and so on and treating it.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in the photolithography technique in manufacturing process of a semiconductor device, a series of processes is performed such that a resist solution that is a coating solution is applied to the front surface of a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer (hereinafter, referred to as a wafer), a resist film formed by the application of the solution is exposed to light according to a predetermined circuit pattern, and the exposed pattern is subjected to developing treatment to form a desired circuit pattern in the resist film.
In a resist coating unit and a developing treatment unit, a spinner system is employed in which a treatment solution such as a resist solution, a developing solution, or the like is supplied (discharged, dripped) to the wafer surface and the wafer is rotated, whereby a treatment solution film is formed on the wafer surface and treated. In this event, air is exhausted from the lower portion of a treatment container for housing the wafer.
However, a problem with, in particular, a large-sized wafer (for example, a wafer having a size larger than 300 mm) is that the treatment at an appropriate rotation cannot be performed and that exhaust of air cannot be uniformly performed due to an increase in size of the treatment container to cause mist occurring during treatment to attach to the wafer again.
In addition, in the resist coating, an appropriate rotation of the wafer increases the circumferential speed at the outer peripheral portion of the wafer accompanying the high speed ration, with the result that a region where the film thickness is disturbed to decrease the quality of the film appears at a boundary between a laminar flow region flowing in a radial direction of the wafer at a low speed rotation and a turbulent flow region flowing in the circumferential direction of the wafer at a high speed rotation. More specifically, Ekman spiral vortices occur in the flow in the circumferential direction in the boundary region between the laminar flow and the turbulent flow and disturb the film thickness to decrease the film quality.
Conventionally, an annular ring portion opened on the wafer side is provided on the inner periphery of the treatment container, and a multiblade centrifugal fan having many radial fins along a direction from the rotation direction of the wafer to the outer side is disposed on the annular ring portion to prevent reattachment of the mist to the wafer (see claims and FIG. 1 in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H4-303919).
However, a problem in the above-described conventional technique is that treatment cannot be performed at an appropriate number of rotations of the wafer, failing to solve the decrease the film quality due to the disturbance of the film thickness.


A data animation program (11) is provided that alters the appearance of an animated object (39) to reflect a percentage change in data represented by the animated object. The data is provided to the data animation program by a data source (20) such as a temperature sensor or an Internet web site. The percentage change in data is converted to a rate of motion for the animated object. The appearance of the animated object is then altered in accordance with the rate of motion. For example, if the animated object is a propeller, the rate of motion will be expressed in revolutions per minute (RPMs) and the propeller then spins at the determined rate of motion so as to indicate the percentage change in data represented by the animated object.

With the advent of computers and computer networks, including the Internet, massive quantities and types of data have become available to computer users. Computer users may now obtain virtually any type of data in any quantity from virtually any data source. However, the challenge is in assimilating and presenting the data obtained in a meaningful manner to the computer user.
Clearly, the types, quantities, and sources of data available to computer users are virtually without limit. However, one specific example of available data that is particularly illustrative of the type with which the present invention may be used is financial market data. Financial market data includes any and all market information, current or historical, such as: the trading prices and volumes of stocks, bonds, stock funds, bond funds, market indices, commodities, commodity indices, monetary exchange rates, and any other market trading data. Investors have long had at their disposal voluminous amounts of textual and numerical financial market data. They have even been able to view such data graphically, such as with a bar graph, line diagram or pie chart. However, such graphical displays of data still have drawbacks in that they do not necessarily convey to the investor an immediate sense of how quickly the price or volume of a particular stock may be changing or trading at any given instant. Consequently, the investor is required to perform more mental calculation than she would like in order to obtain the desired information.
To solve the foregoing and other shortcomings in the prior art, a method and apparatus are needed for graphically representing data to a user in a manner that immediately and visually conveys to the user changes to the data. The method and apparatus should assimilate data quickly and easily, and should be capable of representing a plurality of data values and/or types simultaneously. As explained in the following, the present invention provides a method and apparatus that meets these criteria and solves other problems in the prior art.

Method apparatus and computer-readable medium for altering the appearance of an animated object