A method and apparatus for providing and receiving a plurality of services via a single channel in a mobile communications system is provided, by which a plurality of the services can be effectively provided via the single channel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communications system, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing a plurality of services via one channel in a mobile communications system. Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for a mobile communications system providing a short message transmission service together with a multimedia multicast/broadcast service, whereby a channel for the short message service and a channel for the multimedia multicast/broadcast service are provided via one physical channel and a control information transmission service for the two channels is provided via a control channel for the multimedia multicast/broadcast service.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a network structure of a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS). Referring to FIG. 1, the universal mobile telecommunications system (hereinafter, referred to as 'UMTS') includes a user equipment 1 (hereinafter, referred to as 'UE'), a UMTS terrestrial radio access network 2 (hereinafter, referred to as 'UTRAN') and a core network 3 (hereinafter, referred to as 'CN'). The UTRAN 2 includes at least one radio network sub-system 4 (hereinafter, referred to as 'RNS') and each RNS includes a radio network controller 5 (hereinafter, referred to as 'RNC') and at least one base station 6 (hereinafter, referred to as 'Node B') managed by the RNC. The Node B 6 includes at least one cell.
FIG. 2 is an architectural diagram of a radio interface protocol between a UE 1 and UTRAN 2 based on the 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) radio access network specifications. Referring to FIG. 2, the radio interface protocol horizontally includes a physical layer, a data link layer and a network layer and the radio interface protocol vertically includes a user plane for data information transfer and a control plane for signaling transfer. The protocol layers in FIG. 2 can be divided into L1 (first layer), L2 (second layer), and L3 (third layer) based on lower three layers of the open system interconnection (OSI) standard model widely known in the communications systems.
The physical layer as the first layer provides an information transfer service to an upper layer using physical channels. The physical layer is connected to a medium access control (MAC) layer above the physical layer via transport channels through which data are transferred between the medium access control layer and the physical layer. Data is transmitted between different physical layers, and more particularly, between the physical layer of a transmitting side and the physical layer of a receiving side via physical channels.
The medium access control (MAC) layer of the second layer provides services to a radio link control (hereinafter abbreviated RLC) layer above the MAC layer via logical channels. The RLC layer of the second layer supports reliable data transfer and is operative in segmentation and concatenation of RLC service data units (SDUs) sent down from an upper layer.
A broadcast/multicast control (hereinafter abbreviated 'BMC') layer schedules a cell broadcast message (hereinafter abbreviated 'CB message') delivered from a core network and plays a role in broadcasting the message to UEs existing in a specific cell(s). In a UTRAN, a CB message delivered from a higher layer is additionally provided with information, such as a message ID, a serial number and a coding scheme. The CB message is delivered to an RLC layer as a BMC message and is then delivered to a MAC layer via a logical channel CTCH (common traffic channel). The logical channel CTCH is mapped to a transport channel FACH (forward access channel) and a physical channel SCCPCH (secondary common control physical channel).
The PDCP layer is located above the RLC layer and facilitates transferring data using IP packets, such as IPv4 or IPv6, efficiently in a radio section having a relatively small bandwidth. Toward this end, the PDCP layer performs header compression, a function by which mandatory data header information is transferred to increase transport efficiency in a radio section. The header compression scheme of RFC2507 or RFC3095 (robust header compression: ROCH) defined by IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) can be used.
Since header compression is a basic function of the PDCP layer, the PDCP layer exists only in a packet service domain (hereinafter abbreviated 'PS domain'). Furthermore, one PDCP entity exists for each RB in order to provide an effective header compression function to each PS service.
A radio resource control (RRC) layer located on the lowest part of the third layer is defined in the control plane only and controls the logical channels, the transport channels, and the physical channels with configuration, reconfiguration, and release of radio bearers (RBs). An RB is a service offered by the second layer for the data transfer between the UE 1 and the UTRAN 2. Generally, configuring an RB refers to defining the characteristics of protocol layers and channels necessary for providing a specific service and is to establish respective specific parameters and operational methods for them.
A multimedia broadcast/multicast service (hereinafter, referred to as 'MBMS') offers a streaming or background service to a plurality of UEs 1 using a downlink dedicated MBMS bearer service. An MBMS is provided during one session, and data for the MBMS is transmitted to the plurality of UEs 1 via the MBMS bearer service during an ongoing session only. A UE 1 performs activation first for receiving the MBMS to which the UE has subscribed and receives the activated services only.
The UTRAN 2 provides the MBMS bearer service to at least one UE 1 using radio bearers. The radio bearers (RBs) used by the UTRAN 2 include a point-to-point radio bearer and a point-to-multipoint radio bearer.
The point-to-point radio bearer is a bi-directional radio bearer and is configured by a logical channel DTCH (dedicated traffic channel), a transport channel DCH (dedicated channel), and a physical channel DPCH (dedicated physical channel) or a physical channel SCCPCH (secondary common control physical channel). The point-to-multipoint radio bearer is a unidirectional downlink radio bearer and is configured by a logical channel MTCH (MBMS traffic channel), a transport channel FACH (forward access channel), and a physical channel SCPCH. The logical channel MTCH is configured for each MBMS offered to one cell and is used for transmitting user-plane data of a specific MBMS to a plurality of UEs.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, a logical channel MCCH (MBMS control channel) in a conventional system is a point-to-multipoint downlink channel used in transmitting control information associated with the MBMS. The logical channel MCCH is mapped to the transport channel FACH (forward access channel), while the transport channel FACH is mapped to the physical channel SCCPCH (secondary common control physical channel). A cell has only one MCCH.
The UTRAN 2 providing MBMS services transmits MCCH information through the MCCH channel to at least one UE 1. The MCCH information includes notification messages, specifically RRC messages related to the MBMS. For example, the MCCH information may include messages indicating MBMS service information, messages indicating point-to-multipoint radio bearer information or access information indicating that RRC connection for the MBMS is needed.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how MCCH information is transmitted in a conventional method. FIG. 5 illustrates a conventional method for providing an MBMS.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the UTRAN 2 providing an MBMS service transmits the MCCH information to a plurality of UEs 1 via the MCCH channel. The MCCH information is periodically transmitted according to a modification period and a repetition period.
The MCCH information is categorized into critical information and non-critical information. The non-critical information can be freely modified each modification period or each repetition period. However, the critical information can be modified only each modification period.
Specifically, the critical information is repeated one time each repetition period. However, the modified critical information can be transmitted only at a start point of the modification period.
The UTRAN 2 periodically transmits a physical channel MICH (MBMS notification indicator channel) to indicate whether the MCCH information is updated during the modification period. Therefore, a UE 1 attempting to receive only a specific MBMS does not receive the MCCH or MTCH until a session of the service begins but receives the MICH (MBMS notification indicator channel) periodically. The update of the MCCH information refers to a generation, addition, modification or removal of a specific item of the MCCH information.
Once a session of a specific MBMS begins, the UTRAN 2 transmits an NI (notification indicator) through a MICH. The NI is an indication to a UE 1 attempting to receive the specific MBMS that it is to receive an MCCH channel. The UE 1, having received the NI via the MICH, receives an MCCH during a specific modification period indicated by the MICH.
The MCCH information is control information, specifically RRC messages, associated with an MBMS. The MCCH information includes MBMS modification service information, MBMS non-modification service information, MBMS point-to-multipoint RB information and access information.
A UE 1 attempting to receive a specific MBMS using a point-to-multipoint radio bearer receives MCCH information including radio bearer information via an MCCH and then configures the point-to-multipoint radio bearer using the received information. After configuring the point-to-multipoint radio bearer, the UE 1 keeps receiving a physical channel SCCPCH, to which an MTCH is mapped, in order to acquire data of the specific MBMS transmitted via the MTCH.
FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining that UTRAN can transmit MBMS data discontinuously via MTCH. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a UTRAN 2 in a conventional system may transmit MBMS data discontinuously via the MTCH. In doing so, the UTRAN 2 periodically transmits a scheduling message to UEs 1 via an MSCH, specifically a SCCPCH carrying MTCH, to which an MTCH is mapped. The scheduling message indicates a transmission start timing point and transmission period of MBMS data transmitted during one scheduling period. The UTRAN 2 should previously inform the UE of a transmission period, specifically a scheduling period, of scheduling information.
The UE 1 obtains the scheduling period from the UTRAN 2 and then receives scheduling messages according to the scheduling period periodically. The UE 1 receives a SCCPCH carrying a MTCH discontinuously and periodically using the received scheduling messages. Specifically, according to the scheduling messages, the UE 1 receives the SCCPCH carrying the MTCH during times for which data is transmitted but does not receive the SCCPCH carrying the MTCH during times for which data is not transmitted. Using the above-described scheme, the UE 1 can receive data efficiently so that battery consumption may be diminished.
A cell broadcast service (hereinafter abbreviated CBS) associated with the BMC layer is a service for exchanging messages configured with characters and numerals between UEs 1, or between a UE and network 3 and is called a short message service (hereinafter abbreviated SMS). An SMS is classified into a cell broadcast short message service (hereinafter abbreviated SMS-CB), which sends a short message to at least one or more cells and a point-to-point Short message service (hereinafter abbreviated SMS-PP). As illustrated herein, the CBS corresponds to an SMS-CB and indicates a service that broadcasts a plurality of CBS messages to all users within a specific area.
A CBS message is a user message configured with characters and numerals. One CBS message is configured with one or more pages up to a maximum of 15. One page is configured with 82-octects that correspond to approximately 93-character information.
CBS messages are broadcast to a geographical area called a cell broadcast area. The cell broadcast area is constructed with one or more cells or an entire Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). Each of the CBS messages is broadcast to a geographical area by a mutual contract between an information provider and a PLMN operator.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a network structure for a cell broadcast service. As illustrated in FIG. 7, CBS messages originate in a plurality of cell broadcast entities 11 (hereinafter abbreviated CBEs) connected to a cell broadcast center 13 (hereinafter abbreviated CBC). The CBE 11 separates the CBS message into a plurality of pages. The CBC 13 is one node of a core network 3 that performs a scheduling function by managing the CBS message.
Iu-BC is an interface defined between the CBC 13 and the RNC 5 using a service area broadcast protocol (hereinafter abbreviated SABP). The CBC can give the RNC a broadcast order for a new message or enable a previous broadcast message to be amended or stopped using the SABP.
The RNC performs a scheduling function for a CBS message delivered by the CBC and a broadcasting function to transmit the message to a specific cell using a BMC protocol. The RNC has a broadcast/multicast interworking function (hereinafter abbreviated BMC-IWF) above a BMC layer to perform an interpreting function for a message and information delivered from the CBC. The UE receives a CBS message broadcast by the UTRAN.
Examples of BMC messages used in the BMC protocol are a CBS message delivering user information, a schedule message facilitating reception of a CBS message by a UE and a CBS41 message delivering a short message delivered from an ANSI41 network. All the messages are transmitted only from the UTRAN to the UE. The UE can reduce its battery consumption by performing a discontinuous reception (hereinafter abbreviated DRX) using information in the schedule message delivered by the UTRAN.
Scheduling BMC messages for transmission is divided into two levels. A first level of scheduling is to determine a frame that can carry data of the CTCH.
FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining a first level scheduling. As illustrated in FIG. 8, a logical channel CTCH is mapped to a physical channel S-CCPCH via a transport channel FACH. A first level of scheduling designates a frame of a physical channel usable in transmitting data of the logical channel CTCH prior to data transmission.
Numerals in FIG. 8 correspond to System Frame Number (SFN) values. As illustrated in FIG. 8, consecutive M-frames in the data carried over CTCH are always transmitted as a group and this frame group repeats a uniform frame according to a period N. The data carried over CTCH is always transmitted during two consecutive frames and is repeated according to a 6-frame period.
The frame group carrying CTCH data starts when an SFN value is 'K' and the frame group is repeated according to a period 'N'. As illustrated in FIG. 8, "K" is 2 and the frame group starts when an SFN value is 2 and the frame group is repeated according to a period of '6'.
The first level scheduling of BMC is performed identically for all CBS services of. Specifically, the same frame is allocated to all CBS services in the same cell. The RRC layer performs the first level scheduling and the value of 'N', 'K' or 'M' is included in the system information broadcast to a UE.
A second level scheduling divides the frame allocated in the first level scheduling into CBS schedule periods. The BMC layer performs the second level scheduling.
The UE receives a BMC schedule message and then acquires information during a CBS schedule time. The BMC schedule message includes information related to a length of the CBS schedule time and a start point of the CBS schedule time. The length of the CBS schedule time indicates a length between a start and an end of the CBS schedule time beginning after the BMC schedule message. The start point of the CBS schedule time indicates a difference between a transmission timing point of a current BMC schedule message and a start timing point of the CBS schedule time beginning after the BMC schedule message.
Therefore, a UE receiving a CBS message can determine when a CBS schedule time, which starts after reception of a BMC schedule message, begins and when the CBS schedule time ends. The UE can acquire information regarding a next CBS schedule time by receiving the BMC schedule message during the CBS schedule time. In this way, the UE can determine when no BMC message is transmitted and the UE can perform DRX in order to conserve battery power.
FIG. 9 is a configurational diagram of a conventional MC schedule message. As illustrated in FIG. 9, a BMC schedule message provides information related to one or more BMC messages that will be transmitted during a next CBS schedule time.
The new message bitmap parameter indicates whether each message transmitted during a next schedule time is a newly broadcast message or corresponds to a repeated transmission of a previously broadcast message. The message explanation parameter indicates information, such as message type and message ID, of each BMC message transmitted during a next CBS schedule time. The message type indicates whether a corresponding message is a CBS message, a schedule message or a CBS41 message.
Using conventional methods, the UTRAN offers MBMS and CBS independently. Specifically, since the MBMS channel and the CTCH channel are provided via different physical channels, if a UE attempts to receive an MBMS and a CBS simultaneously, the UE must receive separate physical channels for the MBMS and CBS.
Therefore, there is a need for a system for effectively radiating the heat generated to prevent problems associated with high temperature, densely packed circuit electrical components of a terminal for a mobile communication system.

Method and apparatus providing a plurality of services via one channel in mobile communication system


Systems and methods for qualifying a sales lead may include one or more of the following. Information, received via a network, about an identified end-user computing device and/or an end-user of the identified end-user computing device may be processed. Lead qualification rules that include criteria for qualifying a lead may be accessed. A characteristic of the end-user of the identified end-user computing device may be derived based at least in part on the information about the identified end-user computing device and/or the end-user. A lead characterization of the end-user of the identified end-user computing device may be generated based at least in part on the characteristic of the end-user of the identified end-user computing device and the lead qualification rules. The lead characterization may indicate a lead assessment of the end-user. The lead characterization of the end-user of the identified end-user computing device may be stored.

The present disclosure relates in general to advertising, and, more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to systems and methods for sales lead qualifying.
As value, use, access, and demand corresponding to information continue to increase, advertisers demand more of the products and services they use than ever before. Companies are expected to compete to provide greater and greater levels of accuracy and more tailored service offerings. Accessing sources of information that have traditionally been unavailable is now expected.
Good sales leads are important in the world of advertising and sales. Effectiveness of advertising can be linked to good sales leads. There is a need for advertising services to provide more accurate and tailored service offerings with respect to sales leads.

Sales lead qualification of a consumer based on sales lead rules


A new and distinct turf grass cultivar of Stenotaphrum secundatum plant named ‘PAL42’, characterized by the combination of greater internodal spacing of the stolons, very long stolons, and a very fast growth rate; characteristics which translate to a highly aesthetic turf grass that exhibits improved environmental tolerances and lower production and maintenance input costs.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Stenotaphrum secundatum, commonly identified as St. Augustine grass, which has been given the variety denomination of 'PAL42'. Its market class is PLT/392 and is commonly classified by the ornamental horticulture industry as a warm season turf grass.
Parentage: The new Stenotaphrum secundatum cultivar is a seedling selection resulting from an open-pollination breeding program conducted from 2004 to 2012 at a commercial plant breeding facility in Clarendon, NSW Australia. 'Pal42' is a seedling selection from said breeding program which resulted from the open pollination of proprietary accessions developed from progeny of Stenotaphrum secundatum 'SS100' (U.S. Pat. No. 9,395). Beginning in 2004 and continuing in 2005, said accessions were planted into community propagation trays and allowed to cross pollinate. In 2006, the resulting seed was harvested from said propagation trays and was subsequently sown which resulted in approximately one hundred progeny that exhibited improved plant vigor. These seedlings were potted into 140 mm nursery pots and grown on for evaluation. In 2007, the number of candidates was reduced to thirty-two progeny that exhibited a combination of superior vigor and turf quality when compared to other candidates in the breeding program. The number of candidate progeny was further reduced to five later in that same year. The following year, all but two candidate progeny were eliminated from the breeding program. At this time, both candidates were asexually propagated to expand the sample size of the breeding trials. In the summer of 2012, one of the remaining two candidate progeny was selected for its fast growth rate, greater internodal spacing of the stolons, improved disease resistance, and improved frost tolerance.
Asexual Reproduction: 'PAL42' was first asexually propagated by division of rhizomes in 2008 in Clarendon, NSW Australia. 'PAL42' has since been further asexually propagated by means of cutting and division of rhizomes. The distinctive characteristics of the variety have remained stable and true to type through successive cycles of asexual propagation.


An operation pad (20) has an exterior plate (21) having a light-emitting unit (E1) and a touch sensor substrate (22) attached to the rear surface of the exterior plate (21). In addition, the operation pad (20) has a light source (S1) attached to the rear surface thereof and a light diffusion member (H1) that is an optical path through which light of the light source (S1) passes toward the light-emitting unit (E1). According to the structure, the structure for allowing the light-emitting unit provided on the operation pad to shine can be downsized.

Among input devices used for game operations, there is one that has an operation pad having a touch sensor on an upper surface of the input device. In FIG. 24 of the specification of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0290534, an input device in which a light emitting region is defined on a surface of an operation pad is disclosed. For example, when plural users play a game at the same time, the light emitting region of the operation pad emits light of a color assigned to each user.


A technique for manufacturing an integrated pressure sensor includes a number of steps. Initially, a substrate with conductive electrical traces located on first and second sides of the substrate is provided. A plurality of compensation circuits are positioned in an array on the first side of the substrate in electrical contact with one or more of the conductive electrical traces on the first side of the substrate. A plurality of pressure sensors are positioned on the second side of the substrate in electrical contact with one or more of the conductive electrical traces on the second side of the substrate. Each one of the sensors is associated with one of the compensation circuits to form a plurality of pressure sensor-compensation circuit pairs. The substrate includes conductive vias to electrically connect each of the sensor-compensation circuit pairs. Each of the compensation circuits provides temperature compensation for an associated one of the sensors. The sensor-compensation circuit pairs are calibrated and singulated for final packaging.

Today, pressure sensors are widely utilized in motor vehicles to control and/or monitor vehicle operation. In general, a pressure sensor provides a relatively accurate analog voltage at its output that is representative of a sensed input pressure. When implemented within a motor vehicle, a pressure sensor may experience temperatures ranging between −40 degrees C. to +125 degrees C. In order to provide useful information, the accuracy of an automotive pressure sensor must be maintained over the above-referenced temperature range for the life of an associated motor vehicle.
Typically, commercially available pressure sensors have been calibrated after incorporation within a final pressure sensor assembly, which has typically included a pressure sensor, a compensation circuit and other associated circuitry. In general, such final pressure sensor assemblies have been relatively large, e.g., at least two inches by one inch. Due to the relatively large size of the assemblies, processing a relatively large number of the assemblies simultaneously has been cost prohibitive.
What is needed is a technique for producing a relatively low-cost pressure sensor for motor vehicle applications. It would also be desirable for a pressure sensor to be designed so as to be readily producible in a high-volume production environment.

Integrated pressure sensor and method of manufacture


The present invention provides a method of imaging a subject's lung which comprises contacting the subject's lung with a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor labeled with a radioisotope under conditions such that the inhibitor binds to matrix metalloproteinase in the lung, and then imaging the radiolabeled inhibitor bound to matrix metalloproteinase in the subject's lung.

Proteases capable of digesting both collagen and elastin are secreted from inflammatory cells within the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); in addition, epithelial cells are known to produce collagenolytic enzymes (Imai 2001). The initiation and sustaining mechanism of destruction is multi-factorial and diverse from case to case, however connective tissue degradation. is a common, unique and definite mechanism in emphysema development. Multiple MMPs have been implicated in the development of emphysema, including MMP-1, MMP-9, MMP-12, and MMP-13 (Goldklang 2013). MMP-1, a collagenase, is specifically expressed in lung epithelial cells and cigarette smoke directly induces MMP-1 in epithelial cells (Imai 2001, Foronjy 2003, Mercer 2009). An additional collagenase, MMP-13, is also increased in the epithelial cells and macrophages of patients with COPD (Lee 2009).
Due to the importance of metalloproteinase expression in the pathogenesis of a number of diseases radiolabeled metalloproteinase inhibitors have been developed for tumor imaging and for cardiovascular applications (Wagner 2009, Kopka 2004). The uptake of a 99mTc-labeled MMP inhibitor (RP805) was reported in atheroma of ApoE null mice (Tekabe 2010). All of the MMP inhibitors studied to date are broad based and were developed for the treatment of inflammatory and degenerative diseases. One of these drugs is a nonpeptidyl broad-spectrum MMP inhibitor CGS27023A with high affinities against MMPs-1, -2, -3, -7, -9, -12, and -13 (Kopka 2004, Faust 2009, Romero-Perez 2009, Ouchi 2008, Rao 2006).

In vivo imaging of matrix metalloproteinases in lung disease

Abstract: The invention also provides Ro 32-3555 labeled with a radioisotope.

THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK


Disclosed is a method for structuring a flat substrate consisting of a glass-type material. The invented method is distinguished by a combination of the following steps:

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for structuring a flat substrate consisting of a glass-type material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As a material in modern microelectronics or micro-mechanics, glass or glass-type materials have numerous advantages over other materials, in particular over plastics, with regard to their low thermal expansion coefficients, which compare to those of semiconductor materials, and moreover they possess great mechanical and chemical stability. As a result these materials have acquired considerable significance in many technical fields.
However, there are major limitations in the production especially of technically interesting products, in particular of micro-mechanical and microelectronic components of glass as hitherto there are only less suited etching processes available for micro-structuring glass. Consequently, presently only mechanical processes such as sawing, grinding, polishing, scratching, ultrasound or sand blasting are employed. As a result, the structuring possibilities of glass are greatly limited. With these conventional processing methods, however, it is impossible to structure glass in the micrometer and, in particular, in the sub-micrometer range with the necessary precision required in semiconductor component technology.
Due to these major structuring limitations, plastic is used in all presently known methods to fabricate micro-structural bodies. For instance, DE 43 07 869 A1 describes a method in which the micro-structural body is molded in plastic or in sinter materials by means of a mold insert. The micro-structured mold insert is made of a solid body consisting of metal, ceramic, glass, stone or mono-crystalline material by means of fine precision mechanical processing, additive or substractive structuring. Then the mold insert is filled with a free-flowing material, covered and after hardening, the material is separated from the mold insert. The micro-structural body fabricated in this manner has, however, also the drawback that it is made of a material which has a high thermal expansion coefficient and possesses, compared to glass-type materials, little mechanical and chemical stability.
WO 97/19027 A1 describes a base substrate with a trough structure into which the biological sample material is placed and a method for the production thereof. In order to structure the base substrate, it is heated in such a manner that it can be easily molded and upon reaching the required temperature, a stamp unit, which consists of a non-deformable material, is applied to the base substrate. Then the base substrate is cooled and the stamp unit is removed. Although base substrates of glass-type materials can also be molded with the method described here, a combination of arbitrary regions of glass and of silicon on one and the same support, according to the locally required properties, cannot be obtained with this method either.
A breakthrough regarding the technical limitations of working with glass would open new fields of application in which composite materials of silicon and glass would play a major role. Such composite elements could exploit the complementary properties of both materials. For example, compared to silicon, glass possesses very low electric and thermal conductivity but, contrary to silicon, is optically transparent in the visible wavelength range.
Moreover, in addition to silicon, glass or glass-type materials play an important role in the realization of micro-mechanical components. In particular, with regard to encapsulating components, glass is often employed as an electrically insulating material. But here too, micro-structuring faces the above described limitations.
With the prior art methods, it is impossible to produce an intimate structure made of a semiconductor, for example silicon and glass, whose geometry can be freely dimensioned laterally in the micro range and sub-micro range. However, this would be desirable in order to be able to combine arbitrary regions of glass and silicon on one and the same support and, in particular, in order to dimension them according to the locally required properties.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method for structuring a flat substrate consisting of a glass-type material

Abstract: providing a semiconductor flat substrate consisting of a semiconductor material, structuring at least one surface of said semiconductor flat substrate to obtain recesses in said surface,

Abstract: connecting said surface of said semiconductor flat substrate to said glass-type flat substrate, with said structured surface of said semiconductor flat substrate being connected to a surface of said glass-type flat surface at least partially covering the same,tempering said connected flat substrates in such a manner that at least a part of the said glass-type material flows into said recesses of said structured surface of said semiconductor flat substrate,removing material at least from the resolidified glass-type flat substrate in such a manner that said glass-type flat substrate assumes a surface which is flush with said structured surface of said semiconductor flat substrate.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.


A method is provided for adaptively generating perceptually uniform printer characterization samples in a three-dimensional (3-D) signal space. The method comprises: generating lines, each including a plurality of samples, in a printer 3-D signal space; printing signal space color targets; measuring the signal space color targets; generating lines with a plurality of perceptually uniform samples; generating polygon shapes in the 3-D signal space from the perceptually uniform sampled lines; calculating addition perceptually uniform sample points associated with each polygon; and, generating a final target in the printer 3-D signal space using the calculated perceptually uniform sample points. In one aspect, generating lines, includes: for each line, generating a metric distance function; creating a plurality of perceptually uniform samples on the function output axis; and, using the inverse of the metric distance function, mapping perceptually uniform samples onto the line.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to color printer and digital imaging technology and, more particularly, to a method for calibrating a printer three-dimensional signal space into perceptually uniform gradations.
2. Description of the Related Art
Every color printer or color imaging system operates by defining a color space. Although different systems exist for defining color, one common system is the three dimensional signal space forming a cube with a black (O) vertex, a white (W) vertex, the three primary color vertices; red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and three secondary vertices; cyan (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y). This color space is known as RGB or CMY. Other definitions of color space, such as CMYK, can be translated into the above-described system.
However, the color space definitions between different printers need not necessarily be the same. Alternately stated, a pixel with a specific color space definition does not necessarily appear the same when printed from different printers. For example, an imaging software application loaded on a personal computer (PC) may intend to create a pixel defined as 10% red, 10% green, and 80% blue (10, 10, 80). This pixel information is sent to two different color printers associated with the PC. When printed on the first printer, the pixel may appear as (10, 10, 80), as intended. However, due to variances between manufactures, for example, the pixel at the second printer may actually appear as (10, 15, 75) on the first printer when objectively measured. Alternately stated, the color instructions sent by the PC are device dependent. In this circumstance, a perfect match between intended and actual pixel colors can only occur if RGB color space profile of both printers can be derived, and a conversion invented to translate between the PC color space and the printer color space.
In generating color conversion tables for printers, there is a need to extensively sample the device color space (such as RGB, CMY, or CMYK) to create a printer target. It is highly desirable to sample the device color space in such a way that the output colors are more or less evenly distributed in a perceptual uniform color space, such as the CIELAB space. However, different types of printers have different characteristics and it is not possible to have one target that works equally well for all types of printers.
It would be advantageous if a printer's color, or signal space could be calibrated to create a perceptually uniform color space.
It would be advantageous if a printer's color space profile could be easily generated, to permit the printer to render perceptually consistent colors.

Adaptive generation of perceptually uniform samples for printer characterization


A video signal recording and reproduction device of this invention uses one of a plurality of terminals for receiving input of component video signal to also serve as a composite video signal input terminal, thereby reducing a number of the input terminals. This realizes a reduction in size of the device, yet maintains the device to be capable of receiving both inputs of component video signal and composite video signal. The video signal recording and reproduction device of this invention also uses one of a plurality of terminals for outputting component video signal to also serve as a composite video signal output terminal, thereby reducing a number of the output terminals. This realizes a further reduction in size of the device, yet maintains the device to be capable of providing both outputs of component video signal and composite video signal.

A video signal recording and reproduction device and a video signal reproduction device (hereinafter referred to as "video device") of the prior art capable of handling an input and an output of two types of video signals, i.e. component video signal and composite video signal, are provided with a total of eight input and output terminals. There are three input terminals for the component video signal, one input terminal for the composite video signal, three output terminals for the component video signal, and one output terminal for the composite video signal.
Referring to a block diagram of a video device of the prior art in FIG. 13, described hereinafter will pertain to switching of an input signal. A composite video signal "CV" input to a composite video signal input terminal 131 is separated into a luminance signal "Y" and a carrier color signal "C" by a YC separation circuit 135. A luminance signal input terminal 156 receives an input of component luminance signal. A first switching device 137 receives the luminance signal, which is input through the luminance signal input terminal 156, at an "A" terminal, and the luminance signal output "Y", which is output by the YC separation circuit 135, at a "B" terminal. The first switching device 137 then produces an output by selecting either of the "A" terminal and the "B" terminal. A B-Y signal input terminal 132 receives an input of color difference signal, or a B-Y signal, and an R-Y signal input terminal 133 receives an input of color difference signal, or an R-Y signal. A color difference decoder circuit 136 converts the carrier color signal output "C" produced by the YC separation circuit 135 into two color difference signals, i.e. an R-Y signal and a B-Y signal. A second switching device 138 receives the B-Y signal, which is output by the color difference decoder circuit 136, at a "B" terminal, and the component B-Y signal, which is input through the B-Y signal input terminal 132, at an "A" terminal. The second switching device 138 then produces an output by selecting either of the "A" terminal and the "B" terminal. A third switching device 139 receives the R-Y signal, which is output by the color difference decoder circuit 136, at a "B" terminal, and the component R-Y signal, which is input to the R-Y signal input terminal 133, at an "A" terminal. The third switching device 139 then produces an output by selecting either of the "A" terminal and the "B" terminal. An input signal switching control circuit 134 controls the switching devices 137 through 139. A video signal recording circuit 140 records the signals that are output by the individual switching devices into a recording medium.
The video signal recording and reproduction device of the prior art operates in a manner, which will be described hereinafter by referring to FIG. 13. A component video signal includes a component luminance signal, a component B-Y signal, and a component R-Y signal.
When the component video signal is input to the video signal recording and reproduction device, the component luminance signal "Y" is input to the luminance signal input terminal 156, the component B-Y signal is input to the B-Y signal input terminal 132, and the component R-Y signal is input to the R-Y signal input terminal 133 respectively.
The input signal switching control circuit 134 is operated to select inputs at "A" sides of the input terminals of the switching devices 137 through 139. The selected component luminance signal, the component B-Y signal and the component R-Y signal are output to the video signal recording circuit 140, and individual signals are recorded in the recording medium.
When composite video signal is input to the video recording and reproduction device, the composite video signal "CV" is connected to the composite video signal input terminal 131.
The input signal switching control circuit 134 is operated to select inputs at "B" sides of the input terminals of the switching devices 137 through 139. The luminance signal "Y" separated by the YC separation circuit 135 from the composite video signal "CV", and the B-Y signal and the R-Y signal converted by the color difference decoder circuit 136 are output to the video signal recording circuit 140, and these signals are recorded in the recording medium.
With reference to a block diagram of a video device of the prior art in FIG. 14, the description next pertains to switching of an output signal. A luminance signal reproduction circuit 142 reproduces the luminance signal "Y" from the recording medium. A B-Y signal reproduction circuit 147 reproduces the B-Y signal from the recording medium. An R-Y signal reproduction circuit 148 reproduces the R-Y signal from the recording medium. A color signal encoder circuit 146 converts the B-Y signal and the R-Y signal output respectively by the B-Y signal reproduction circuit 147 and the R-Y signal reproduction circuit 148 into a carrier color signal "C". An adder circuit 143 produces and outputs a composite video signal "CV" by adding the luminance signal output by the luminance signal reproduction circuit 142 and the carrier color signal "C" output by the color signal encoder circuit 146. A first output amplifier circuit 145 amplifies an output of the adder circuit 143, and outputs it to a composite video signal output terminal 151. A second output amplifier circuit 149 amplifies an output signal of the B-Y signal reproduction circuit 147, and outputs it to a B-Y signal output terminal 152. A third output amplifier circuit 150 amplifies an output signal of the R-Y signal reproduction circuit 148, and outputs it to an R-Y signal output terminal 153. A fourth output amplifier circuit 154 amplifies a luminance signal output of the luminance signal reproduction circuit 142, and outputs it to a luminance signal output terminal 155.
Referring to FIG. 14, the video signal recording and reproduction device of the prior art operates in a manner as described hereinafter. First, an operation of the video signal recording and reproduction device to output a component video signal will be described as follows.
The luminance signal "Y" reproduced by the luminance signal reproduction circuit 142 is amplified by the fourth output amplifier circuit 154, and it is output from the luminance signal output terminal 155 as a component luminance signal. The B-Y signal reproduced by the B-Y signal reproduction circuit 147 is amplified by the second output amplifier circuit 149, and it is output from the B-Y signal output terminal 152 as a component B-Y signal. In the same manner, the R-Y signal reproduced by the R-Y signal reproduction circuit 148 is output from the R-Y signal output terminal 153 as a component R-Y signal.
Next, an operation of the video signal recording and reproduction device to output a composite video signal will be described.
The color signal encoder circuit 146 receives the B-Y signal output from the B-Y signal reproduction circuit 147 and the R-Y signal output from the R-Y signal reproduction circuit 148, and converts these input signals into a carrier color signal "C". The adder circuit 143 adds the carrier color signal "C" and the luminance signal "Y" reproduced by the luminance signal reproduction circuit 142. The added signal is amplified by the first output amplifier circuit 145, and is output from the composite video signal output terminal 151 as the composite video signal.
As described above, the video signal recording and reproduction device of the prior art has typically been equipped with a total of eight input and output terminals, i.e. three input terminals for the component video signal, one input terminal for the composite video signal, three output terminals for the component video signal, and one output terminal for the composite video signal, in order to input and output both the component video signal and the composite video signal.
Therefore, the video signal recording and reproduction device may have held a large space needed for installation of these input and output terminals, thereby restraining the video signal recording and reproduction device from being reduced in size. The video signal recording and reproduction device has also included eight sets of signal cable connecting with each of the input and output terminals, which may restrict usable space within the device.
In addition, the video signal recording and reproduction device has desirably included an output amplifier circuit for each of the output terminals, giving rise to a problem that a scale of the circuitry is inevitably large, and therefore consuming a large electric power.
In recent years, a need arises for lessening the input and output terminals, and reducing the power consumption, since a demand exists for video signal recording and reproduction devices that are usable outdoors, small in size, and easy to carry.

Video signal recording and reproduction device and video signal reproduction device

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Methods and systems are provided for improving a margin to surge. A compressor recirculation valve is held at a semi-open position during steady-state boosted engine operation and operation in a soft surge region. The valve is fully opened to reduce hard surge, or fully closed to meet a transient increase in boost demand.

Engine systems may be configured with boosting devices, such as turbochargers or superchargers, for providing a boosted aircharge and improving peak power outputs. The use of a compressor allows a smaller displacement engine to provide as much power as a larger displacement engine, but with additional fuel economy benefits. However, compressors are prone to surge. For example, when an operator tips-out of an accelerator pedal, an engine intake throttle closes, leading to reduced forward flow through the compressor, potentially causing compressor surge. Surge can lead to NVH issues such as undesirable noise from the engine intake system. As such, based on the state of the airflow and induction pressure, the compressor may be in a soft surge or hard surge operating region. During hard surge, the compressor allows air to momentarily backflow through the compressor resulting in rapid pressure oscillations. During soft surge, there is relatively smaller instability of compressor operation.
To address either form of compressor surge, engine systems may include a compressor bypass valve coupled across the compressor to enable rapid decaying of boost pressure. One example of such a compressor bypass valve (also known as a compressor recirculation valve) is shown by Blaiklock et al. in US 2012/0014812. Therein, the compressor bypass valve is an open/closed type of valve that is maintained closed during steady-state engine operation and actuated open in response to any indication of surge. By opening the valve, a portion of air discharged from the compressor is recirculated to the compressor inlet. Still other approaches may involve the use of a fully variable valve to address surge.
However the inventors herein have identified potential issues with such systems. As one example, the valve of Blaiklock is kept closed when there is no indication of surge to reduce energy wastage and fuel consumption. In particular, if the valve is kept open (for example to alleviate surge tendencies before surge actually occurs), the compressor may not be able to provide the boost pressure required to meet the demanded engine torque. Fuel economy is also degraded due to extra compressor work needing to be compensated by increased turbine work. Also, energy may be required to hold the valve in the open position. The inventors have realized that such an approach may actually lead to more energy being wasted. This is because the margin to the surge limit may be smaller during steady-state conditions when the valve is kept closed, causing frequent surge, and requiring the valve to be frequently opened. As such, this consumes energy. In addition, if surge is caused due to an operator tip-out event, which is soon followed by an operator tip-in event, energy is needed again to actuate the valve closed and increase boost pressure. This can degrade torque responsiveness. In particular, if surge is avoided by opening the valve in response to a tip-out event which is soon followed by a tip-in event, it will take more time to recover boost pressure and provide engine torque than if the valve was not opened completely.
Further still, the valve of Blaiklock may not be able to address hard surge and soft surge equally well. For example, the opening of the compressor bypass valve and the resulting rapid increase in compressor flow may be better at addressing hard surge, which occurs during transient conditions such as tip-out, but not soft surge which can occur during steady state conditions. In particular, the large induction pressure reduction associated with the valve opening may decrease engine performance during the soft surge conditions if the valve is commanded open.
In view of these issues, the inventors herein have recognized that it may be advantageous to maintain the valve partially open and recirculate at least some compressor flow during steady-state conditions, before an indication of surge is received, even if a small amount of energy is consumed in doing so. In one example, the above issues are addressed by a method for a boosted engine having a compressor recirculation valve that can be shifted between a plurality of positions including at least a fully open position, a fully closed position, and a semi-open position. In one embodiment, the method comprises, operating an engine, without surge, with a valve coupling a compressor outlet to a compressor inlet at a semi-open position; in response to an indication of less severe surge or no surge, maintaining the valve at the semi-open position and in response to an indication of more severe surge, shifting the valve from the semi-open position to a fully-open position. In this way, both hard and soft surge can be addressed with reduced energy usage and while improving torque responsiveness.
For example, a boosted engine system may include a compressor recirculation valve positioned in a passage coupling the compressor outlet to the compressor inlet. The valve may have a default semi-open position during steady-state boosted operating conditions. The valve may be passively maintained in the semi-open position, without actuating an external actuator coupled to the valve, by a pair of opposing springs that are pre-loaded and pre-compressed. The pre-loaded springs hold the valve in the default semi-open position and enable a nominal flow rate to be provided across the compressor. As such, this increases the margin to a hard and soft surge limit, reducing the propensity for surge, and thereby reducing the need for valve actuation. By reducing the need for valve actuation while improving the surge margin during the steady-state conditions, energy usage is reduced. The valve may be maintained in the default semi-open position to reduce the occurrence of soft surge. In response to an indication of hard surge (such as during a tip-out), the external actuator may be energized in the opening direction to move the valve from the semi-open position to a fully-open position. By opening the valve to a larger degree, a rapid increase in compressor flow rate is provided to address the hard surge substantially immediately. In comparison, in response to a sudden increase in torque demand (such as during a tip-in), the external actuator may be energized in the closing direction to move the valve from the semi-open position to a fully-closed position. Herein, while engine power is being rapidly increased, the valve is closed to enable a rapid increase in boost pressure.
In this way, by using a compressor recirculation valve that is partially open during steady-state conditions, a margin to surge is improved and surge occurrence is reduced. Further, when surge (e.g., hard surge) does occur, the valve can be rapidly transitioned to a fully open position, thereby improving a hard surge response time. Likewise, the valve can be rapidly transitioned to a fully closed position to increase boost pressure, improving transient torque response and driveability. The incorporation of a semi-open mode substantially improves the margin to a hard and soft surge limit over conventional open/closed compressor surge valves, which have position limitations, without expending additional energy. This allows the three-state valve to better address both hard surge and soft surge. In addition, compared to fully variable valves, the three-state valve offers lower cost and complexity benefits. Further, the valve consumes substantially lower amounts of energy under most engine operating conditions. For example, the pressure balanced valve configured as an electronic throttle body may be fully variable but may use very little energy in any steady-state condition. Overall, surge can be addressed with a simpler valve.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.


A pinch control apparatus in a printer for controlling a pinch force exerted on a medium which is being fed into a printing zone is provided. The pinch control apparatus includes a camshaft rotatably mounted across a width of the medium, at least one cam attached to the camshaft, a plunger and a biasing rod. The cam has a predefined profile and is able to rotate with the camshaft. The plunger abuts the predefined profile of the at least one cam. The biasing rod extends from a pinch plate to the plunger to bias the pinch plate to a linefeed roller for exerting the pinch force on the medium therebetween. The pinch force exerted on the medium is controllable by the rotation of the camshaft.

A printer generally uses a linefeed roller and an output roller to drive a medium in the printer during a printing process. The linefeed roller and the output roller are driven by a servo motor. A pick motor controls a pick system to pick up the medium, for example a paper, from an input tray and feeds it to the linefeed roller. The linefeed roller drives the paper into a printing area where droplets of ink are sprayed onto the paper from an ink cartridge.
One or more pinch rollers are biased against the linefeed roller so that the paper is driven between the pinch rollers and the linefeed roller. Since the pinch rollers are biased against the linefeed roller, a pinch force is exerted on the paper. The linefeed roller and the pinch rollers control the advancement of the paper during most of the printing process.
In some printing processes, once a bottom of form (BOF) edge of the paper leaves the linefeed roller and the pinch rollers (the pinching point), the output roller drags the paper from the printing area to an output tray. One or more star wheels are normally used together with the output roller to drag the paper from the printing area. The star wheels are located adjacent to the output roller, with the spikes of the star wheels touching the output roller. The paper is dragged out of the printing area between star wheels and the output roller.
The configuration of the printer described above allows the printer to continue to print on the paper even when the paper has left the pinching point. This enables the printed image on the paper to have very small BOF margin, or even full bleed printing.
However, paper positioning errors normally occur when the control of the driving of the paper is changed from the linefeed roller to the output roller. Such positioning errors are called BOF transition error (BOFTE). The BOFTE are more prominent in high quality photo printing. One of the main causes of BOFTE is the result of pinch rollers squeezing the bottom edge of the paper when the paper leaves the pinching point.
Special print mode may be applied during or after transition from the linefeed roller to the output roller to smoothen printing defects caused by BOFTE. It is also possible to use special print head swath shifting corresponding to the paper movement during the transition to minimize such printing defects. However, the printing defects caused by BOFTE still could not be eliminated using such methods, and these methods may also cause additional printing defects.
It is desirable to provide a method and a system to reduce BOFTE in small BOF margin and full bleed printing.


A rail car brake monitoring apparatus (10) for monitoring the status of a brake system (12) on a rail car is disclosed. The monitoring apparatus (10) includes a transmitter and receiver unit (52) and a controller (54). The transmitter and receiver unit (52) generates and directs a transmitted signal towards a component of the brake system (12) and receives a reflected signal from the component. The controller (54) analyzes the transmitted and received signals to generate a position signal representative of a position of the component for use in monitoring or controlling the brake system (12).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to rail car braking systems, and more particularly to a rail car brake monitoring apparatus for monitoring the status of a rail car brake system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional rail car brake systems include a plurality of brake shoes, a mechanical linkage assembly coupled with the brake shoes for pressing the brake shoes against the rail car's wheels when the linkage is shifted to a braking position, and a pneumatically-operated brake cylinder that, when actuated, shifts the mechanical linkage to its braking position. Rail car brake systems also include a manually-operated hand brake in each rail car that shifts its mechanical linkage to the braking position. The hand brakes are applied when the train is "parked" for preventing the rail cars from moving while not coupled with a locomotive for a time. The hand brakes are then manually released when the locomotive is once again coupled and the brake systems recharged so that the brake systems in the rail cars are once again controlled by their pneumatic brake cylinders.
Unfortunately, train operators often omit releasing the hand brakes in all of the rail cars before the train is moved. Thus, the brake shoes remain in contact with the rail car's wheels while the train is moving, causing rapid and premature wear of the brake shoes and wheels and sometimes even rail car derailment.
Rail car brakes also sometimes fail to release when their mechanical linkages get stuck or when their cylinders fail. These failures also result in brake shoe and wheel wear and possible derailment.
Another limitation of conventional rail car brake systems is that they do not include means for monitoring the wear on their brake shoes. Since the brake shoes often wear rapidly, operators must frequently visually inspect the brake shoes. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that such visual inspections are time consuming and imprecise. Complicating the problem, the brake shoes on different rail cars wear at different rates due to many factors including the amount of weight in the rail cars. Thus, operators cannot accurately predict when brake shoes will wear out and therefore must frequently inspect all the brake shoes on all of the rail cars regardless of the age of the brake shoes.

System for monitoring brake status on a rail car


A system and method for cooling a plurality of connectors interfacing electrical and optical signals to circuit boards in an electronics cabinet, such as backplane connectors routing signals to circuit boards housed in card cage assemblies. Heat pipes coupled to the connectors efficiently remove heat from the connectors and sink the connector heat to a cold junction of a liquid cooling system, which cooling system may also extract heat from air flow cooling the circuit boards such that the system is room neutral, meaning that the ambient temperature remains constant during operation of the system. The heat connector cooling system is effective where connectors are outside of an air flow cooling envelope that may cool the circuit boards.

Conventionally, electronics cabinets such as those with rack mounted electronics, such as circuit boards and connectors, are cooled by directing cooled air vertically up through the cabinet. The cooled air typically enters the cabinet at or near the floor and the heated air exits at or near the top of the cabinet. Circuit boards are arranged vertically such that air flows bottom to top along the surfaces of the circuit boards, taking advantage of the fact that hot air rises. Electrical and optical connectors are sometimes cooled by such airflow, depending on the configuration.
Cabinets including electronics that are cooled in this manner exhibit a significant caloric rise from bottom to top as the circulated air heats draws heat from each of the electronics in its path. Notably, the distance the air travels vertically through a tall cabinet significantly reduces the cooling efficiency of the upper electronics. Moreover, the cooling efficiency drops further due to the pressure drop from the bottom to the top of the cabinet.
In addition, such a cooling approach is often complex and expensive. Air conditioning may be needed to cool the air before it enters the cabinet. If the heat rise of the circulated air up through the cabinet is large, intercooler assemblies may be placed between electronics assemblies to extract heat from the vertically directed air between each assembly. Intercooler assemblies sometimes include a refrigerant or a liquid such as water to aid in extracting heat from the air passing through the intercooler assembly. Such approaches increase the heat generated by the cabinet, further reducing the power usage efficiency (PUE) of the unit.
Connectors, including backplane connectors interfacing electrical and optical signals into a card cage assembly including the circuit boards, also generate a significant source of heat during operation. Both wired and optical connectors can generate between 2 to 10 Watts of heat each in some configurations, which cumulative heat significantly increases the temperature within the cabinets and also the ambient. This heat generated by the connectors is not typically efficiently cooled or expelled from the cabinet because the connectors are not located in the cooling envelope of the air flow. While air flow may be provided across the circuit boards, the connectors extending through the backplanes interfacing with the circuit boards significantly extend behind the backplane and the card cage assembly, and may generate heat in a space or cavity defined between the backplane and the cabinet rear wall, or are exposed to the ambient.
What is needed is a system and method that addresses these issues and other issues that will become apparent in reading below.

Rack mounted electronics having connectors with heat cooling fingers


Road barrier comprising a plurality of modules consisting at least of an upright, or vertical component, fixed in the ground, and a first longitudinal element, or horizontal component, made with tubular profiles. The upright is arranged through inside the first longitudinal element, so that the latter can be moved vertically and selectively clamped at a desired height.

Two types of road barriers are known, which differ from each other essentially in the structure and construction material. A first type of barrier, also called "guard-rail", is made of metal and comprises a plurality of vertical uprights, separated from each other with a constant pitch, made with open section profiles, for example U-shaped or similar, fixed into the ground, onto which longitudinal elements or longitudinal profiles, also with an open section and made of undulated sheet, are attached.
The second type of barrier, called "New Jersey", consists of a plurality of modules, consisting of concrete or metal blocks, which are coupled with each other laterally and anchored to the roadway.
The advantages of the guard-rail barriers are essentially due to the greater structural elasticity that, in the event of an accident, allows high shock absorption and an adequate deformation of the barrier, generally limiting the consequences for the people involved. However, in the event of a violent impact, this type of barrier does not guarantee an adequate containment, so that the vehicle can knock down the barrier and go off the road, or leap-frog the barrier and finish up on the opposite carriageway. Moreover, the open profile sheet that forms the longitudinal elements constitutes a cutting element, which can turn out to be very dangerous for the people involved in the accident.
The "New Jersey" barrier has a greater resistance to shock, and therefore it is more difficult to knock down; moreover, it defines an inclined surface at the base, converging towards the roadway which, if mounted by the tires of a vehicle, encourages the latter to return inside the carriageway, preventing it from knocking into the barrier and from leap-frogging it. This inclined surface is, however, very short and very near the vertical part of the barrier so that, even if it can prevent the collision, it cannot prevent the parts of the vehicle protruding from the sides, for example the side mirrors, from scraping the barrier.
The rigidity of the "New Jersey" barrier, moreover, especially if it is made of concrete, in the case of a collision generally causes more damage both to vehicles and also, consequently, to the people involved.
Furthermore, when it is made of metal, the "New Jersey" barrier has problems of transport and of construction, because it is difficult to make a large size box-like structure.
A further limitation common to these two types of road barrier is when, for example due to successive applications of asphalt, or the installation of soundproofing panels, it is necessary to increase the height of the barrier with respect to the roadway. This operation, in fact, can be carried out only by replacing particular components, or by complex operations of joining or anchoring new elements to the existing barrier, with considerable expense and long execution times.
Another shortcoming of conventional barriers concerns the maintenance operations that have to be periodically carried out to restore the barrier after even only small collisions. Moreover, especially in the case of guard-rail barriers, there is the problem of the growth of grass between one upright and the other, which makes frequent grass-cutting operations necessary; such operations are difficult due to the presence of the uprights, which make it difficult to cut round them, and also because the zones located under the longitudinal elements can only be reached with difficulty with conventional cutting instruments.
The difficulties connected to the operations to modify and maintain conventional road barriers, and the frequency thereof, entail not only a waste of economic and human resources, but also considerable and prolonged problems to the traffic in those sections of road where they have to be carried out.
Document DE-U-201 13 347 discloses a road barrier according to the preamble of independent claim 1.
The present Applicant has devised and embodied this invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art, and to obtain further advantages.


A voice synthesizing apparatus is arranged to synthesize a voice from text data composed of either character codes or a series of symbols by generating a sound source based on a series of sound-source parameters and synthesizing the sound source on the basis of a series of synthesis parameters. The voice synthesizing apparatus is provided with a sound-source generating circuit for generating the aforesaid sound source from a signal obtained from an instrumental sound generated with a musical instrument. This arrangement serves to easily synthesize voices which convey language information and yet which simulate the sounds of musical instruments such as a guitar, a violin, a harmonica, a musical synthesizer and the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a voice synthesizing apparatus and, more particularly, to a voice synthesizing apparatus for generating voice waveforms which simulate the tone colors of musical instruments.
2. Description of the Related Art
The basic construction of a typical voice synthesizing apparatus is explained below with reference to FIG. 3 . Text data, which is received by a text data input section 1, is supplied to a text analyzing section 2. The text analyzing section 2 analyzes the input text data to extract information on various factors such as words, blocks, breaks and the beginning and end of each sentence contained in the text data. A phonetic-symbol generating section 3 converts a series of characters, which are organized into words and blocks, into a series of phonetic symbols, while a rhythmic-symbol generating section 4 generates the required rhythmic symbols by utilizing, e.g., an accent dictionary and accent rules about the words and the blocks. A synthesis-parameter generating section 5 generates a time series of synthesis parameters by interpolating individual parameters corresponding to the above series of phonetic symbols.
A sound-source parameter generating section 6 generates a time series of sound-source parameters concerning rhythmic information on pitch, accent, sound volume and the like and supplies it to a sound-source section 7. If the supplied parameters represent a voiced sound, the sound-source section 7 generates pulses and supplies them to a voice synthesizing section 8. In the case of an unvoiced sound, the sound-source section 7 generates white noise or the like and supplies it to the voice synthesizing section 8. Upon receiving the synthesis-parameter output from the synthesis-parameter generating section 5, the voice synthesizing section 8 generates a voice by utilizing the output from the sound-source section 7 as a drive sound source. Since the sound-source section 7 and the voice synthesizing section 8 receive the sound-source parameters and the synthesis parameters, respectively, to generate a voice, they are hereinafter collectively referred to as a synthesizing section 9.
The synthesizing section 9 of the conventional voice synthesizer described above will be explained below in greater detail. FIG. 4 is a detailed block diagram showing the synthesizing section 9. For the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that a phonetic-parameter storing memory 14 stores the synthesis and sound-source parameters in the form of one block (frame) and the series of phonetic symbols in the form of one block (frame). The conventional voice synthesizer is provided with a pulse generator 10 as a voiced-sound source and a white-noise generator 11 as an unvoiced-sound source. In particular, since the pulse generator 10 as the voiced-sound source utilizes impulses, triangular waves or the like, the voice synthesized by the pulse generator 10 tends to sound mechanical. If a driver circuit of the type which utilizes residual waveforms (or output waveforms obtained from an input accoustic sound through the inverse filter of a synthesizing filter) is substituted for the pulse generator 10, various voices can be synthesized with improved quality.
A V/U switching section 12 is provided for effecting switching between the synthesization of a voiced sound and the synthesization of an unvoiced sound. If a fricative sound needs to be synthesized, the V/U switching section 12 provides a mixed output of the output from the pulse generator 10 and the output from the white noise generator 11 with an appropriately varied mixing ratio. An amplitude control section 13 controls sound volume which is one of sound-source patterns. A voice synthesizing filter 17 receives the synthesis parameters (representing phonetic features) and operates in response to the signal output from the amplitude control section 13 by utilizing such parameters as filter factors, thereby generating voice waveforms. Normally, voice synthesization is performed by a digital filter and the voice synthesizing filter 17 is therefore followed by a D/A converter. A low-pass filter 18 cuts a foldover frequency component, and a voice, amplified by an amplifier 19, is output from a loudspeaker 20. A parameter transfer control section 15 transfers the required data to each of the modules described above. A clock generator 16 serves to determine the timing of parameter transfer and a sampling interval for the system.
As described above, the conventional arrangement utilizes impulses, triangular waves, residual waveforms and the like as the source of a voiced sound. Accordingly, such conventional arrangements cannot be used to synthesize voices which simulate the tone colors of musical instruments. With such a conventional arrangement, it has therefore been difficult to vary the quality of the reproduced voice while maintaining phonetic the features thereof. However, an apparatus capable of outputting an instrumental sound or the like in the form of clear voice information has not yet been proposed.

Voice synthesizing apparatus and method and apparatus and method used as part of a voice synthesizing apparatus and method


A package and a handle for the package both of which are made from paperboard for easy recycling. The package is generally rectangular and has apertures on opposing sides. The handle has an elongated body section extending between two ends, and two anchors in a substantially juxtaposed relation to each of the ends. The ends of the handle are inserted into the apertures on the package so that the anchors are disposed within the package. The anchors are made up of a securing tab and a barb. The securing tab is made from a length of the anchor which is secured to the end of the handle whereas the barb comprises a length of the anchor which is above the securing tab which is left unsecured to the end of the handle. The handle is such that when the package is lifted by the handle, the barbs extend above the top of the aperture and the securing tabs extend below the bottom of the aperture.

Many products which are provided to consumers are packaged in paperboard packages, cartons, containers or the like. Among the list of consumer products packaged in paperboard packages are granular detergents such as laundry detergents and dishwashing detergents. Granular detergents are generally used in relatively large volumes. Consequently, large volumes of these products are consumed each year. Due to a vast quantity of consumer products sold in granular form there is a desire to constantly improve the design of the packages which house these products.
An example of a package suitable for housing consumer products such as granular materials is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,420 issued to Gunn et al. on Jan. 22, 1991, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The Gunn et al. reference describes a rectangular package for housing granular materials. The package has two opposing apertures on its sidewalls. The package is provided with a flat strap handle, typically made from plastic, having a barb member at each end. One end of the handle is inserted into one of the apertures and the other is inserted into the other aperture so as to secure the handle to the package. When the package is lifted by the handle, the barb member on each end hooks underneath the outer body of the package which surrounds the aperture, thereby preventing the handle from pulling out of the aperture or otherwise detaching itself from the package.
Recently, in order to save natural resources, there has been a desire to make the handles of these packages from materials which can be recycled with the paperboard package so that the handle does not have to be separated from the package for recycling. However, the structure of the handle described in the Gunn reference and which is also described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,209 issued to Roberts et al. on Aug. 11, 1992, which is also hereby incorporated herein by reference, is adapted to made from materials having a relatively high strength such as plastic. If the handle described in the above-incorporated references were to be made out of paperboard, the handle would most likely rip or buckle at the barb sections during attempts to lift the package by the handle. This would be especially true when the package was rather large and a substantial amount of weight was being carried by the handle. Because paperboard easily tears, many of the handle designs which are used today are adapted to be made from materials such as plastic and simply cannot be made from paperboard.
There has therefore been a desire to design a paperboard handle which can be used with a paperboard package of the type described above which will not rip tear or break after multiple uses and which does not need to be separated from the package for recycling purposes.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a paperboard handle that is adapted to be attached to a paperboard package and which will not easily rip, tear or otherwise break when used to lift the package.
It is another object of the present invention to make such a paperboard handle so that it does not have to be separated from the package to be recycled.
The aforementioned and other objects of the invention will become more apparent hereinafter.

Package and a handle for the package both of which are made from paperboard to facilitate easy recycling


A system for use in controlling a hydrocarbon production well has a: computer at a control location remote from a well tree of the well. A processor at the well tree applies control signals to and receives signals from devices of well tree. The processor also receives further signals associated with the operation of the well. A bi-directional communication link extends between the remote computer and the well tree processor. The well tree further has a communications router coupled with the processor and receiver, for multiplexing the signals from devices at the well head and the further signals on to the bi-directional link.

In the subsea fluid extraction industry, communication is required between a control centre and well heads located on the seabed. Traditionally, the control centre is located on a platform or vessel in relatively close proximity to the well complex. In some cases, the control centre is located on land, where the distance from the control centre to the well heads can be much greater and could be typically 200 km. High capacity communication systems, typically involving optical fibres, allow the possibility of much higher data rates between the subsea and surface facilities, which further enables methods of connecting subsea data sources (e.g. sensors), particularly those generating large quantities of data such as microseismic sensors and TV cameras.
A conventional approach is to use a standard subsea bus at the well head ends of a data transmission system to connect such various subsea data sources. This means that any other party providing equipment to the system has to interface with the bus and conform to its protocol, data rates and bus standards. Since different manufacturers have standard equipment with interfaces to a multiplicity of protocols and data rates, substantial costs are involved in adapting these interfaces to suit the standard bus. Furthermore, since this data is time multiplexed on the bus, the data rates are also somewhat limited such that some desirable, high bandwidth, data transmissions, such as digital video signals, cannot be economically transmitted.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional system for the communication of data between subsea well trees and a surface facility. Mounted on each of a number of subsea well trees (not shown) is a subsea electronics module (SEM) 1 including a SEM processor 2, which handles at a port 3 data from conventional tree sensors such as pressure and temperature and at a port 4 data for control of devices such as valves and fluid control chokes, there being a port 5 for a standard interface for data from other subsea data sources. The SEM processor 2 communicates bi-directionally with a surface facility computer system 6 (on shore or on a platform for example) via a modem 7 housed in the SEM 1, a communication link 8 and a modem 9 housed in a surface modem unit (SMU) 10 at the surface facility. The communication link 8 enables communication with the SEMs of other well trees and at some or all of the well trees there is system duplication to improve system availability—thus in FIG. 1 there are shown two SEMs (SEM A1 and SEM B1) for a particular well tree, SEM A2 and SEM B2 representing duplicate SEMs for another tree.
When the surface computer 6 is located at a considerable distance, such as, typically, 200 km from the well complex, a fibre optic link is used as link 8 to transmit data between the or each SEM at a well tree to the surface computer 6. Nevertheless, the data from other sources at port 5 needs to be adapted to the protocol, data rates and other standards used for the communication of control information and sensor information.

System for use in controlling a hydrocarbon production well


To make a seamless tube of polyimide, an amount of polyamic acid precursor to constitute the final tube is applied eveny as a solution to a cylindrical mandrel. The mandrel is rotated while a canted doctor blade smoothes the solution. The solvent is then expelled and the remaining precursor cured by heat.

This invention relates to the manufacture of seamless tubes of polymers, such as polyimides.
The fabrication of a seamless polyimide tube has been discussed in patent literature in recent years. U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,913 to Kawauchi et al. serves as an example. It employs a ring coating process coupled with ultrahigh viscosity coating solutions.
High performance polyimides are very difficult to process. They are thermosetting resins, which cannot be reformed with heat. Furthermore, they are soluble in a limited number of relatively high-boiling solvents, such as n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethyl acetamine] (DMAc). Curing conditions for polyimides are difficult to optimize and have a profound effect on the mechanical properties of the cured film. Additionally, the high temperatures required for polyimide curing limit the choice of coating substrates to metal and ceramics. Finally, the cost of polyamic acid resins is high, giving great advantage to a process which can minimize resin waste.
This invention is a process by which a seamless polyimide tube can be cast from a high viscosity polyamic acid resin. The process is simple, effective, relatively fast, and highly efficient in that minimal waste material is generated.
In accordance with this invention, the amount of resin to constitute the final tube is computed and an amount of solution having that amount precursor for that amount of resin is defined. That amount of solution is applied generally evenly over a mandrel. The solution may be forced from a nozzle or simply poured. The mandrel is rotated while a doctor blade, canted to keep material form of the doctor blade, is moved along the length of the mandrel at a amount of separation from the mandrel consistent with the predetermined thickness which the final tube is to have. After the doctoring step, the solvent is extracted with heat. The film is further cured to form the polyimide resin and then removed from the mandrel.


A projecting device is provided which consists of an enlarged head at one end of a flashlight, the enlarged head having a transverse slot therein. A lens is positioned at a front end of the enlarged head, while a light bulb is positioned at a back end of the enlarged head. A slide is insertable into the transverse slot in the enlarged head, so that an illuminated image from the slide may be projected onto a viewing surface.

The instant invention relates generally to image casting apparatuses and more specifically it relates to a projection device which provides a mechanism for projecting an illuminated image from an insertable slide onto a viewing surface.
There are available various conventional casting apparatuses which do not provide the novel improvements of the invention herein disclosed.


Data processing methods and systems for accessing a target sample in a media data stream. The media data stream has a plurality of samples and corresponding sample information recorded in at least one entry, wherein the sample information for a predetermined number of the entries is calculated and the calculated result is stored in at least one cache entry. Target sample information corresponding to the target sample is provided. One of the cache entries is located by comparing the target sample information with the calculated result of respective cache entries. After locating the cache entry, the target sample from the entries is located corresponding to the located cache entry.

The present disclosure relates generally to data processing, and more particularly to methods and systems for processing and accessing metadata in a media file.
Media files, such as MPEG-4 files, comprise media data and metadata of the media data. The metadata provides data sample information to media applications for processing media data in the file. Media files are defined to be organized with several structural elements. For example, MPEG-4 files are composed of structural elements called boxes. Each box may comprise media data, metadata or other sub-boxes. For example, a sample table box (STBL) records time information and file information of media data. According to the information recorded in the STBL box, applications can obtain the time, type, data size, and position in the media file and further perform the playback, random-seek or other functions toward the media file, accordingly. The STBL box also includes several sub-boxes comprising a decoding time to sample box (STTS) as shown in FIG. 1, a sample size box (STSZ), a sample to chunk box (STSC) as shown in FIG. 3, a chunk offset box (STCO), a sync sample box (STSS) as shown in FIG. 2, sample description table (STSD), and others.
The STTS box contains at least one entry for recording the time duration of samples of media data. FIG. 1 shows a STIS box 100, comprising 5 entries storing total 45 samples in the media data. It should be noted that data in the STTS box is recorded using the technique of run-length coding to reduce the storage space thereof. That is, the time duration for media sample #1˜190 6, #7˜#20, #21˜#31, #32˜#33, and #34˜#45 is 66, 67, 63, 64, and 66 time units, respectively, and the total time duration of the 45 sample of the media data is 2947 time units.
Traditionally, a linear search through these boxes is performed to help locating a specific sample with a target decoding time. A linear search means that the time duration of respective samples from the very first media sample is accumulated until the accumulated time duration equals or exceeds the target decoding time. For example, to locate a specific sample with a specific decoding time of time unit 2000, a linear search is performed by accumulating the time duration of the first thirty samples. Since the total time duration of the first thirty samples is 1964 (6*66+14*67+10*63=1964) and the total time duration of the first thirty-one samples is 2027 (6*66+14*67+11*63=2027) which exceeds the specific decoding time 2000, sample #30 is then located. The linear search calculation is time-consuming if there is large number of entries in these boxes.
In addition, the media samples in the media data are grouped into chunks. The STSC box records the mapping relationship between samples and chunks. Based on the mapping relationship recorded in the STSC box, one can identify in which chunk a target sample resides, and further obtain other related data using the chunk information. FIG. 3 shows a STSC 300, in which the number of samples in chunk #1˜#2, chunk #3˜#5, chunk #6˜#8, and chunk #9 and the latter is 3, 4, 7, and 6, respectively. Data in the STSC is recorded using the technique of run-length coding to reduce the storage space thereof. To locate a specific sample, a specific chunk corresponding to the specific sample is sought by performing a linear search by accumulating the number of samples from the first chunk. The calculation is also time-consuming if the number of entries in the STSC box is large.

Method and system for accessing a target sample in a media data stream


An infusion management platform can determine, based on one or more infusion events, whether to group infusions or segments of infusions. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

In clinical settings, infusions for administration to a patient may be given by route of: intravenous (IV), subcutaneous, intra-arterial, epidural, enteral or irrigation of fluid spaces. These infusions may be delivered via a large volume pump, a syringe or by patient controlled analgesia. Infusions are often controlled by the hospital pharmacy and the pharmacy or prescriber can typically specify the volume of diluent that each infusion contains. It is common practice for nurses who program the infusion at the patient's bedside to program the Volume To Be Infused (VTBI) for an amount less than the entire container volume. Nurses may program the infusion to be given in segments by programming multiple VTBIs until the entire container volume has been administered. Difficulties can arise when associating such VTBIs with a particular medication container.

Infusion management platform with infusion data grouping logic


A semiconductor device such as a phase change memory device includes a semiconductor substrate including an active region, a conductive pattern disposed to expose the active region, an interlayer dielectric pattern provided on the conductive pattern and including an opening formed on the exposed active region and a contact hole spaced apart from the opening to expose the conductive pattern, a semiconductor pattern and a heater electrode pattern electrically connected to the exposed active region and provided in the opening, a contact plug connected to the exposed conductive pattern and provided to fill the contact hole, and a phase change material layer provided on the heater electrode pattern.

Embodiments of the present invention relates to semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating the same. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a semiconductor device such as a phase change memory device and a method of fabricating the same.
With the advance in electronic industries such as mobile communications or computers, there is a requirement for semiconductor memory devices to have characteristics such as a high read/write speed, non-volatility, a lower operating voltage. However, recently developed memory devices (e.g., SRAM devices, DRAM devices or flash memory devices) do not meet these characteristics.
For example, a unit cell of a DRAM device includes one capacitor and one transistor configured to control the capacitor. Accordingly, the DRAM device has a larger unit cell area than a NAND flash memory device. Further, because the DRAM device includes the capacitor in which data is stored, it is a kind of volatile memory device that requires a refresh operation. While an SRAM device has a high operation speed, it is also a kind of volatile memory device. Because a unit cell of the SRAM device includes six transistors, the SRAM device has a considerably large unit cell area. While a flash memory device is a kind of non-volatile memory device and provides the highest integration density (especially, in case of a NAND flash memory device), it is well known that the flash memory device has a low operation speed.
Accordingly, memory devices having a high read/write speed, which are non-volatile, which do not require refresh operations, and which have a low operation voltage are being studied. A phase change random access memory (PRAM) is becoming attractive as one of the next generation memory devices capable of meeting the above-mentioned requirements. For example, because a PRAM device can rewrite data 1013 times or more, it has advantages as follows: (1) long lifespan; and (2) higher operation speed than 30 nanoseconds.
The data stored in a memory cell of a PRAM may be read out by sensing the resistance change caused by change of a crystalline state of a phase change material layer. The crystalline state of the phase change material layer is dependent on heating temperature and heating time of the phase change material layer. In the PRAM, a state of the phase change material layer is changed to a desired state by controlling current flowing at the phase change material layer and Joule's heat generated by the current. As well known, the Joule's heat (Q) may be given by Joule's Law.Q∝I1Rt  [Equation 1]
Resistance (R) is a fixed parameter that is dependent on a kind of material or fabricating process, whereas time (t) and current (I) are parameters for the operation of products and externally controllable parameters. Thus, resistance of a portion where the phase change material layer is heated is necessarily increased to heat the phase change material layer up to a required temperature while minimizing power dissipation.
From a standpoint of a semiconductor memory device including a phase change random access memory, an increase in operation current (Ion) is required to achieve a high integration and a high speed operation. Resistance elements having an effect on the operation current of the semiconductor memory device are metal resistance, contact resistance, and active region resistance. These resistance elements decrease the operation current of the semiconductor memory device to degrade operation characteristics of the semiconductor memory device.

Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same