A system and method for conducting one engine inoperative (OEI) flight procedures training in a dual-engine helicopter includes a multi-function OEI training switch that is operative to initiate OEI flight procedures training by selecting one of said engines as the single operative engine for OEI flight procedures training, and a training function module that is: (1) operative to establish suppressed 30-second, 2-minute, and maximum continuous OEI operating limits for selected engine operating parameters to limit the actual power provided by said powerplant system during OEI flight procedures training; and (2) operative to generate biasing factors to control the operation of the parametric indicators for the selected engine operating parameters during OEI flight procedures training. During OEI flight procedures training, the training function module limits the actual power output of the helicopter powerplant system to the suppressed 30-second, 2-minute, or maximum continuous OEI operating limits, as selected by the pilot, while simultaneously utilizing the biasing factors to cause the parametric indicators of the selected operative engine to provide display indications to the pilot that the selected operative engine is operating at the actual 30-second, 2-minute, or maximum continuous OEI operating limits, as applicable.

Many of the helicopters being operated today embody a dual-engine powerplant system. A dual-engine powerplant system enhances the normal flight capabilities of a helicopter, thereby increasing the utility of the helicopter for revenue flight operations. In addition, a significant feature inherent in a dual-engine helicopter is the capability of the dual-engine powerplant system to provide sufficient power to facilitate continued flight operations in safety, particularly take offs and landings (take offs and landings being the most critical segments of the helicopter flight envelope), in the event of a one engine inoperative (OEI) condition, e.g., a single-engine failure.
Since the OEI condition is statistically a low-occurrence event, the engines of a helicopter dual-engine powerplant system are designed primarily for dual-engine flight operations. That is, each engine is designed to specific power limits or ratings for dual-engine flight operations, e.g., a startup power rating, a take off power rating, a maximum continuous power rating (maximum power settings at which the engines may be continuously operated during dual-engine flight operations without incurring damage), a normal cruise power rating (power settings slightly lower than maximum continuous power rating that are typically established to comply with the engine maker's warranties), a 10-second transient power rating, and a 20-second transient power rating. During dual-engine flight operations, therefore, the helicopter is operated in such a manner that the design power ratings of the engines are not exceeded. In the sophisticated helicopters of today, the operation of the powerplant system is primarily controlled by a computer system (discussed in further detail hereinbelow), and such an engine computer control system typically includes protective logic routines (in the form of hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof) that automatically prevent the engine design power ratings from being exceeded during dual-engine flight operations.
A dual-engine helicopter that experiences an OEI condition, especially during a take off or landing, is subject to a potentially hazardous flight condition since the design power ratings of the single operative engine do not provide sufficient power for the safe operation of the helicopter under such a circumstance. Aviation regulatory authorities, therefore, have established general overdesign criteria for the powerplant system of a dual-engine helicopter to ensure that the helicopter can be safely operated utilizing a single operative engine during OEI flight operations. These criteria have resulted in the overdesign of the engines comprising the helicopter powerplant system so that a single operative engine is capable of providing a 30-second OEI power rating, a 2-minute OEI power rating, and a maximum continuous OEI power rating that ensure safe helicopter flight operations during OEI flight operations.
The overdesign of a dual-engine helicopter powerplant system to provide such OEI power ratings, however, is subject to antithetical considerations. On one hand, the greater the OEI power ratings overdesigned into the powerplant system, the larger the margin of safety with respect to helicopter flight operations during an OEI condition. Conversely, however, the greater the OEI power ratings overdesigned into the powerplant system, the larger are the costs, volume, and weight associated with the overdesigned powerplant system, particularly in light of the fact that the OEI power ratings are not utilized during dual-engine flight operations and the fact that an OEI condition is a low probability event.
Pragmatically, therefore, a helicopter dual-engine powerplant system is overdesign optimized to provide a margin of safety during helicopter OEI flight operations while concomitantly minimizing the costs, volume, and weight associated with the overdesigned dual-engine powerplant system. One consequence of this pragmatic design approach is that for a helicopter subjected to OEI flight operations, there is a statistically-significant probability, especially during utilization of the 30-second OEI power rating, that the single operative engine of the dual-engine powerplant system will be subjected to some degree of damage. Accordingly, for a helicopter subjected to OEI flight operations, there is a requirement that the dual-engine powerplant system be subjected to apposite maintenance procedures (at a minimum, inspection and maintenance; at a maximum, removal and replacement) prior to resuming dual-engine flight operations. While the pragmatic design approach described hereinabove is a logical solution to a complex situation, this approach is problematical when one considers helicopter pilot training requirements.
The objective of initial pilot certification and pilot refresher training is to ensure that pilots achieve and maintain a high degree of proficiency in all aspects of helicopter flight operations, including emergency procedures such as OEI flight operations. Such proficiency is typically achieved by repetitive training that is conducted under actual flight conditions, e.g., actual flight envelopes, actual gross weights (based upon pressure altitude and ambient temperature), actual power settings, actual instrument displays. An examination of the foregoing disclosure, however, should make it apparent that training in OEI flight operations under actual OEI flight conditions, particularly with respect to OEI flight operations utilizing the 30-second power rating, is not a realistic approach due to the possibility of sustaining some degree of engine damage during actual OEI flight operations. Therefore, approaches other than flight operations under actual OEI flight conditions have been developed to provide pilots with the required OEI flight training.
One approach to conducting OEI flight procedures training is to throttle one engine to an idle condition (to simulate an OEI condition) and conduct OEI flight procedures training utilizing the reduced power output of a "single operative engine". Typically, the reduced power output of the single operative engine is limited to a single power rating (as opposed to 30-second, 2-minute, and maximum continuous OEI power ratings available during actual OEI flight operations). The parametric indicators for the relevant engine operating factors provide display indications that are indicative of the actual reduced power outputs of the single operative engine, e.g., the power output prescribed by the single power rating.
Another approach involved conducting OEI flight procedures training utilizing both engines operating at an intermediate power output rating. In this approach, each engine is operated at a reduced power rating so that both engines in combination provide a power output at the intermediate power output rating that is equivalent to the power output provided by a single operative engine operating under the 30-second OEI power ratings. The parametric indicators of the relevant engine operating parameters provide display indications that are indicative of the actual reduced power outputs being provided by each engine.
Both of the foregoing exemplary approaches are deficient in one or more aspects. Each approach provides a single power output during OEI flight procedures training in contrast to the three power output levels provided by the helicopter powerplant system during actual OEI flight operations, e.g., the 30-second, 2-minute, and maximum continuous OEI power ratings. In addition, and perhaps more importantly from a training perspective, the status indicators for the relevant engine operating parameters provide display indications are limited to the prescribed power outputs of the approach, i.e., the displays indications are not totally consistent with the display indications that are relevant to actual OEI flight operations. In addition, there is no indication that conventional approaches to OEI flight procedures training are based upon correlated "training gross weights" for OEI flight procedures training to provide dual-engine helicopter handling characteristics that simulate the handling characteristics of a dual-engine helicopter subject to OEI flight operations while operating at an "allowable gross weight".
A need exists to provide a system and method for conducting OEI flight procedures training in a dual-engine helicopter that provides a high degree of realism, yet ensures a high degree of safety. Such a system and method should have a capability of providing a spectrum of reduced power outputs for OEI flight procedures training that realistically simulate the 30-second, 2-minute, and maximum continuous OEI power ratings that govern actual OEI flight operations. Furthermore, such a system and method should have the capability to provide display indications for selected engine operating parameters during OEI flight procedures training that correspond to the actual display indications perceived during OEI flight operations under actual 30-second, 2-minute, and maximum continuous OEI power ratings, even though the dual-engine helicopter is conducting OEI flight procedures training under reduced power outputs. In addition, the system and method should provide a mechanism for selecting "training gross weights" for OEI flight procedures training that are correlated with "allowable gross weights" so that the handling characteristics of a dual-engine helicopter subject to OEI flight procedures provides a high degree of realism to the handling characteristics of a dual-engine helicopter, which is operating at such allowable gross weights, that is subjected to OEI flight operations.

System and method for conducting one engine inoperative flight procedures training in a dual-engine helicopter


The invention relates to a paper product formed from fiber-based pulp to which a material component of plant origin is added. According to the invention, the material component of plant origin is a material which is formed from small particles and which is formed from a source material of plant origin selected at least mainly from the group of bark free wood, stem parts of plants and their combinations and their derivatives, and the paper product contains 4 to 50 vol-% of the material component of plat origin, substantially to increase the printing area in the paper product relative to the bulk of the paper. In addition, the invention relates to a process for manufacturing a paper product.

Known from the prior art are different paper products and processes for manufacturing them from fiber-based pulp. The addition of different filler, pigment and additional components to fiber-based pulp is known. Typically, different mineral-based pigments and fillers are used. Known from the prior art is also the addition of pigments and fillers of organic origin to pulp to manufacture paper. Known from the prior art is the formation of organic pigments from oil-based raw stock and starch-based materials as well as from pure cellulose by chemical treatment steps.
When the mineral fillers and coating pigments are replaced by materials of organic origin either partially or completely, the environmental load can be reduced, e.g. recyclability of paper can be improved.
Known from publication U.S. Pat. No. 5,227,024 is the use of a vegetable filler in connection with the manufacture of a sheet material. At least 80 w-% of the particles in the vegetable filler are particles having a size of more than 10 μm.

Paper product and process for making same


A composite material adapted for mechanical fastener use as a loop fastener component with a complementary hook component is made by laminating a film with an amorphous polymer layer to a prebonded nonwoven web under conditions producing laminate bonds corresponding to the prebond locations, and loose filaments or fibers between the bonds. The composite also desirably has a MVTR of at least about 100 g/m.sup.2 /24 hours and a hydrohead of at least about 50 mbar. In use as a component of a disposable personal care product such as a disposable diaper, the loop fastener component may be substantially the entire backing, providing comfort, protection and highly variable fit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to composite materials having breathable barrier applications and particularly useful as a component of fasteners of the hook and loop type typified by those extensively marketed by VELCRO INTERNATIONAL and now available from numerous sources for applications from shoe ties to golf gloves and many others where nonpermanent attachment is desired. These fasteners fundamentally include a hook member and a loop member that, when pressed together, entangle in a manner that resists shear forces but can be separated when subjected to a desired level of peel force. The design of these members has become quite sophisticated and provides a wide range of properties obtainable by varying factors such as hook shape, size and flexibility as well as similar loop features. For many low cost applications such as fasteners for disposable garment applications like diapers and adult incontinent wear, it has been necessary to develop inexpensive manufacturing techniques and materials for such fasteners that, nevertheless, meet the performance requirements. Particularly for such applications where the loop component also serves as the backing material, it is highly desirable that it be both breathable for comfort and serve as a barrier to prevent leakage. The present invention provides an ideal loop fastener component particularly suited to such disposable product applications.
2. Background
The art is replete with references to hook and loop type fasteners and components for such fasteners intended for use in disposable product applications such as disposable diapers and the like. Just by way of example, reference may be had to coassigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,281 to Jackson et al. which, itself, provides much background information and for that purpose is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Other loop fastener materials are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,318 to Ott et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,122 to Noel et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,612 to Goulait, U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,567 to King et al, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,864 to Allen et al. Briefly, a particularly economical loop component may be formed using nonwoven manufacturing techniques such as spunbonded processes that result in significant areas of the web between bond points where the filaments are unbonded to each other and available to engage hooks of a complementary hook member. Factors, such as configuration, number and area coverage of the bonds in the nonwoven as well as the selection of a particular hook member, may be varied to achieve a desired level of peel strength and other properties within a designated cost range. In addition, the selection of a polymer or other compositional ingredient for the nonwoven and/or the hook component can affect the performance and/or cost of the fastener in a given application. There remains a need for a loop fastener component that can have tailored properties such as peel strength, shear strength and refastenability as well as breathable barrier functions at a cost consistent with use as a backing component of disposable products. Other uses for breathable barrier materials having clothlike attributes such as surgical gowns and drapes, for example, will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Breathable barrier composite useful as an ideal loop fastener component


A multiplex connecting device capable of switching to a single connector includes a first connector, a second connector, and an outer housing assembly. The outer housing assembly includes a first shell and a second shell. The first shell and the second shell respectively cover the outside of the first connector and the second connector. The outer housing assembly can move on the first connector and the second connector, and switch to use a single connector (one of the first connector and the second connector). Accordingly, multiple connectors are integrated into one component.

In the related art, there are connecting devices with multiplex connectors for users to choose from, and the multiplex connectors are integrated into one component so that the layout of the connecting devices with multiplex connectors would seem less disorganized.
However, if a conventional connecting device with multiplex connectors is plugged with multiple electronic devices at the same time for power or signal transmission, it may result in adverse effects. For example, when a conventional connecting device with multiplex connectors is plugged with multiple electronic devices (such as mobile phones) for charging at the same time, it may result in overload. In another example, when the conventional connecting device with multiplex connectors is plugged with multiple electronic devices (such as mobile phones) for signal transmission at the same time, it may result in interference with each other.

Multiplex connecting device capable of switching an operability of a single connector thereof


An image taken by a mobile camera is displayed on a head-mounted display provided with an acceleration sensor to detect movement of the observer's head, and the size of the image viewed by the observer wearing the display is varied according to the movement of the observer's head. For varying the image size, the camera is equipped with a zoom lens to change the size of shooting area, or alternatively, the display is equipped with a zoom lens as the eyepiece to enlarge or reduce the size of the displayed image. An image showing the appearance of the camera is displayed being superimposed on the image taken by the camera in order to facilitate the control of the camera by the observer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image display apparatuses that change the size of an observed image in accordance with the movement of the head of the observer, and display an appearance image of an image shooting apparatus on an image shot by the image shooting apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recent years have seen gradual spread of such display apparatuses that, by changing the displayed image in accordance with the view direction of the image observer, provide the observer with a sense of realism to such an extent that the observer feels as though he were put in the displayed image. For example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. H3-56923 discloses how, in a stereoscopy apparatus that displays images taken with a stereoscopic camera on a head-mounted display (hereinafter referred to as HMD), images are displayed in accordance with the direction of the observer's head by controlling the shooting direction of the stereoscopic camera to correspond to the direction of the HMD. Using a stereoscopic apparatus of this type, the observer can observe the image in a desired direction by simply changing the direction of his/her head.
However, in the stereoscopy apparatus described above, although the area of the image displayed on the HMD is changed in accordance with the shooting direction, the size of the displayed image cannot be changed as the user desires.
It is possible to make the shooting area variable on the stereoscopy apparatus described above by equipping it with a camera having a zoom lens. In that case, however, if the focal length of the zoom lens is controlled manually as in conventional cameras, the person wearing the HMD needs to be near the camera all the time. This greatly harms conveniences that the HMD offers in portability and operability.
On the other hand, a camera apparatus is known which is moved around by remote control in order to change the shooting position. An operator of such a camera apparatus controls movements of the camera while observing images taken by the camera. This type of camera is useful in shooting, for example, in places that are dangerous or inaccessible to human beings, because it can be controlled from a remote place to perform shooting.
However, with a conventional mobile camera apparatus, since it can only display images taken by the camera, the operator cannot correctly recognize the size of the camera itself, which often results in troubles in movement control. For example, in a situation where there is an obstacle ahead in the movement direction, it is difficult to judge to what extent the camera should be moved rightward or leftward in order to avoid the obstacle. Wrong judgement may cause the camera to collide with the obstacle with damage given to the camera. In a situation where there are obstacles on both sides of the path along which the camera will be driven, wrong recognition of the width of the path with respect to that of the camera may cause the camera to be trapped by the obstacles, making it impossible to move the camera forward nor backward.
If a mobile camera apparatus is provided with a function for making the shooting direction follow the direction of the observer's head, it is possible to shoot in any direction irrespective of the movement direction of the camera, enhancing its utility greatly. In this case, however, the image taken and displayed does not correspond to the movement direction of the camera, making the movement control operation more difficult.

Image display apparatus having a display controlled by user's head movement


A semiconductor integrated circuit including a user logic circuit is disclosed in which circuit parts for shifting data are composed of registers other than scan cells except for the circuit part right after a combinational circuit, and the parts configured of the registers other than the scan cells are used as a scan path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor integrated circuits, semiconductor integrated circuit design support devices, and semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing methods and, in particular, to a semiconductor integrated circuit having a design for testability, a semiconductor integrated circuit design support device, and a semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor integrated circuits are generally provided with scan cells for conducting a scan test. Taking, for example, in MUX (multiplex) scan cells, a multiplexer is inserted so that a data input of a normal flip-flop is switched to a scan input using a scan enable signal as one of the selectable signals. Then, the areas of the scan cells become large, resulting in set-up timing being messed up.
As scan path designs, there are a full scan design and a partial scan design. The full scan design is a design in which all or most of the flip-flops of target sequence circuits are made into scan cells and a shift register configuration is structured in the scan cells. The partial scan design is a design in which some flip-flops of target sequence circuits are made into scan cells and the shift register configuration is structured in the scan cells.
Generally, the full scan design is more excellent than the partial scan design in controllability and observability relative to a circuit as well as in failure detection rate by a scan/ATPG test.
Recently, with scaling-up and high integration of semiconductor integrated circuits and an improvement in operating frequency, problems have emerged such as increased chip area, increased power consumption, degraded timing convergence, and degraded wiring convergence of layouts, which are caused by the scan designs. Conventionally, in order to cope with these problems, the scan rate is lowered by using the partial scan design to prevent an increase in chip area, degraded timing, and degraded wiring convergence. However, taking such a measure will disadvantageously sacrifice a high failure detection rate.
Note that Patent Document 1 discloses a scan test method for semiconductor integrated circuits of high integration and a semiconductor integrated circuit tested by the scan test method.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-233084

Semiconductor integrated circuit, semiconductor integrated circuit design support device, and semiconductor integrated circuit manufacturing method


A hybrid vehicle control device basically includes an engine, a motor/generator, a first clutch, a second clutch and an engine start control section. The first clutch is disposed between the engine and the motor/generator. The second clutch is disposed between the motor/generator and a drive wheel. The engine start control section has a second clutch slip transition control section that is configured to control a transition of the second clutch to slip engagement when an engine start control is begun based on a mode transition request resulting from an accelerator depression operation, by increasing the torque transmission capacity of the second clutch according to a prescribed slope after dropping the torque transmission capacity of the second clutch to a value smaller than a target drive force.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hybrid vehicle control device that executes an engine start control with a one-motor, two-clutch power train system.
2. Background Information
In the prior art, there is a hybrid vehicle having a one-motor, two-clutch power train system in which when a mode transition request to change to a hybrid vehicle mode occurs while starting into motion, a second clutch CL2 is made to slip and engagement of a first clutch CL1 is started when slippage of the second clutch CL2 has been determined such that the engine is started using the motor as a starter motor (for example, see Japanese Laid Open Patent Application No. 2007-126091). In the following explanation, an electric vehicle mode is called "EV mode" and the hybrid vehicle mode is called "HEV mode."


A surge current prevention circuit and DC power supply for preventing surge current in various operation applications with a small circuit configuration. A power switch connects an external power supply and a load. A first PMOS transistor is connected to a constant current supply. A second PMOS transistor, which forms a current mirror, is connected to a first and second NMOS transistor. A third PMOS transistor is connected to the first and second NMOS transistor, a third NMOS transistor, and fourth and fifth NMOS transistors. A control input is connected to the third NMOS transistor. The first NMOS transistor is connected to the fourth NMOS transistor. An external power supply is connected to the second NMOS transistor. The load is connected to the fourth NMOS transistor.

The present invention relates to a surge current prevention circuit and to a DC power supply using a surge current prevention circuit.
When the voltage of a DC power supply is supplied to a capacitive load including a capacitor, the rapid rise in the voltage when the power is switched ON produces surge current, which is a large current that flows to the capacitor. A fuse is provided to prevent the surge current from damaging the device. When a fuse with a high rating is selected so that the fuse does not frequently break, it may not be capable of responding to abnormal currents. To eliminate this problem, research has been carried out in relationship with surge current prevention circuits that restrict surge currents (rush current) (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-276657). FIG. 2 shows a circuit described in the publication that is configured in correspondence with the present invention. In the surge current prevention circuit shown in FIG. 2, a capacitive load L is connected to an external DC power supply PS by a power switch SW. The power switch SW comprises a P-channel MOS type transistor. A time constant circuit, which comprises a resistor and capacitor, and a power supply switch transistor, which receives a control signal, are connected to the gate terminal of the power switch SW.
When a predetermined DC voltage is supplied from the external power supply PS to the load L, the power source switch transistor is turned ON. This shifts the transistor of the power switch SW to an ON state. In this case, the voltage supplied to the gate of the power switch SW is determined by the time constant circuit. Accordingly, the current supplied to the capacitive load L is controlled by the transient characteristic of the time constant circuit. Therefore, current does not flow the instant the power supply switch transistor goes ON. Since the power switch SW is gradually turned ON, surge current is not produced.
Research has also been conducted in relationship with DC power supply devices configured so as to restrict surge current with high impedance when the power source is turned ON, and using low impedance during normal functioning so that the operation of the DC power supply circuit and the protective function of the fuse are not affected (for example, refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-272464). FIG. 3 shows a circuit described in the publication that is configured in correspondence with the present invention. This technique uses a comparison circuit. The comparison circuit includes divisional transistors, which respectively detect potentials at the source terminal and the drain terminal of the power switch SW, and a comparator, which detects the difference between the two potentials. In this configuration, the output of the comparator is left open from when the power source is turned ON to when the load L is sufficiently charged so that the power switch SW is not conductive. In this state, the external power supply PS supplies the load L with current, which is restricted by a resistor connected in parallel to the transistor of the power switch. When the potential at the drain terminal is high enough, the output of the comparator is short-circuited and the power switch SW becomes conductive.
As described above, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 5-276657, the occurrence of surge current is prevented by controlling the gate voltage of the power switch with the time constant circuit. However, surge current changes in accordance with the power supply voltage and load. Therefore, with a fixed time constant circuit, it is difficult to control surge current that changes in accordance with various power supplies and loads. Furthermore, the circuit of Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 276657 cannot control the timing for turning ON the power switch in various operation applications.
In Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-272464, the occurrence of surge current is prevented by the resistor that is connected in parallel to the transistor of the power switch, and current is supplied with the power switch turned ON during normal operation. However, a further transistor is necessary for an OFF state. This increases the ON resistance. Moreover, when controlling current with resistance, an absolute value of the resistance is required. However, it is often difficult to accurately realize the desired resistance value in a typical semiconductor fabrication process. When a current is restricted by the resistance, charging takes time, and the current may change depending on the power supply or load. Furthermore, when shifting from a current restriction mode to the power switch ON state, surge current may be generated by the shifting.

Surge current prevention circuit and DC power supply


A fading rate of a mobile terminal unit is estimated by a fading rate estimation unit and an optimum step constant is decided by a step constant determiner depending on the estimated fading rate. This step constant is fed back to a feedback data calculator, so that a reception level can be converged to an ideal level even under a fading environment and the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radio apparatus and a gain control method, and more particularly to a radio apparatus carrying out Automatic Gain Control (abbreviated as AGC hereinafter) for a signal from a mobile terminal unit in a mobile communication system, and a gain control method for adjusting a gain convergence rate of AGC in the radio apparatus.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a mobile communication system (for example, Personal Handyphone System, abbreviated as PHS hereinafter) which has been rapidly developed in recent years, an approach to extract a signal from a desired mobile terminal unit through adaptive array processing in a radio receiving system at a base station is proposed in communication between the base station and the mobile terminal unit.
The adaptive array processing is processing to remove an interference component and correctly extract a signal from a desired mobile terminal unit by calculating a weight vector consisting of a reception coefficient (weight) for each antenna at a base station based on a received signal from a mobile terminal unit, for adaptive control.
The adaptive array processing requires a plurality of spatially distributed antennas, that is, an array antenna. In an array antenna, for example, formed of two antennas, an array output signal Y(t) is expressed as follows:Y(t)=W1X1(t)+W2X2(t)                where X1(t), X2(t) each represents a received signal at each antenna, and W1, W2 each represents a weight at each antenna.
The received signal at each antenna is expressed as follows:X1(t)=H11S1(t)+H12S2(t)+n1(t) X2(t)=H21S1(t)+H22S2(T)+n2(t)                where S1(t) represents a signal from a desired mobile terminal unit and S2(t) represents a signal from an interference-causing mobile terminal unit.
Here, H11 represents a propagation path property from the desired mobile terminal unit to antenna 1, and H12 represents a propagation path property from the interference-causing mobile terminal unit to antenna 1. H21 represents a propagation path property from the desired mobile terminal unit to antenna 2, and H22 represents a propagation path property from the interference-causing mobile terminal unit to antenna 2. In addition, n1(t) represents noise at a receiving system of antenna 1, and n2(t) represents noise at the system of antenna 2. The array output in this case is expressed as follows:Y(t)=(W1H11+W2H21)S1(t)+(W1H21+W2H22)S2(t)+W1n1(t)+W2n2(t).
Here, it is assumed that the weight that satisfies the following equation can be calculated:(W1H11+W2H21)=1 (W1H21+W2H22)=0.
Accordingly, the array output signal can be expressed as follows:Y(t)=S1(t)+n(t)                where n(t)=W1n1(t)+W2n2(t).
Thus, the interference component can be removed and the signal can be received from the desired mobile terminal unit by calculating the appropriate weight through the adaptive array processing.
FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram functionally illustrating a radio apparatus that is provided for each antenna at a conventional base station carrying out the adaptive array processing using such a plurality of antennas and carries out AGC for a signal from a mobile terminal unit. FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a gain control method for adjusting a gain convergence rate of AGC in such a radio apparatus.
First referring to FIG. 11, a signal received from an antenna 1 is amplified by an AGC amplifier 2, converted into an IQ signal formed of an In-phase component (I component) and Quadrature component (Q component) by a quadrature detector 3, and thereafter stored into memory 4.
IQ signal once stored in memory 4 is provided to a demodulation circuit 5. Demodulation circuit 5 also receives IQ signal from another antenna (not shown), performs the adaptive array processing as described above and demodulation processing and extracts the signal from each mobile terminal unit.
A reception level detection unit 6 obtains the reception level of the signal from IQ signal stored in memory 4. An amplitude value of IQ signal is calculated, for example, for eight symbols from 60th symbol of the received signal for each frame. The maximum amplitude value for these eight symbols is considered as the reception level for that frame.
A feedback data calculator 7 calculates feedback data that decides an amplitude ratio of AGC amplifier 2 in the next frame by the reception level obtained by reception level detection unit 6 and a step constant stored in memory 9. Here, when the reception level obtained by reception level detection unit 6 is represented by P_max, a prescribed ideal value is represented by P_ideal, and the step constant is represented by Step, the amount of change ΔFB from feedback data at the time of receiving the previous frame to feedback data at the time of receiving the next frame can be calculated by the following equation:ΔFB=(P_max−P_ideal)/2Step.
When the value of the feedback data at the time of receiving the previous frame is represented by FB, feedback data FB′ at the time of receiving the next frame can be expressed as follows:FB′=FB−ΔFB.
The feedback data calculated by feedback data calculator 7 is once stored in memory 8. The stored feedback data is read in the next frame and provided to a gain control input of AGC amplifier 2 to be reflected in AGC at the time of receiving the next frame.
Referring to FIG. 12, the gain control method for adjusting the gain convergence rate of AGC in the radio apparatus shown in FIG. 11 will now be described. It is noted that the following process is implemented by a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) of the radio apparatus in a software manner.
At step S1, the signal from the mobile terminal unit is subjected to quadrature detection. Here, an RXIF signal that is an intermediate frequency signal received from the mobile terminal unit is converted to an RXIQ signal subjected to quadrature detection.
At step S2, such a symbol is set in that the reception level of the signal received from the mobile terminal unit starts to be detected. An example is herein shown where the reception level is detected from 60th symbol of the received signal.
At step S3, it is determined whether the present symbol is in a symbol period in which the reception level of the signal from the mobile terminal unit is detected. For example, when the reception level is detected in the 8-symbol period from the 60th symbol to the 67th symbol, if the symbol in which amplitude will be calculated from now on precedes the 68th symbol, a process of calculating the amplitude in that symbol will follow, and if not, a process of calculating the feedback data will follow.
At step S4, the amplitude in that symbol is calculated. The value of squared I component of IQ signal is added to the value of squared Q component of IQ signal. Here, in order to simplify the process, the square roots of the resulting sum is not obtained.
At step S5, it is determined whether or not amplitude A calculated at step S4 is greater than the maximum amplitude A_max stored until now.
At step S6, if it is determined that A is greater than A_max at step S5, A_max is replaced by A.
At step S7, the symbol in which the amplitude is calculated is shifted by one in ascending order.
At step S8, the amount of change of the feedback data is calculated from the maximum amplitude value of the amplitudes from the 60th symbol to 67th symbol and from a fixed step constant stored in the memory.
At step S9, the feedback data in the next frame is calculated and the calculated feedback data is reflected in AGC at the time of receiving the next frame.
In the adaptive array processing, weights are calculated such that the power of interference component is small when the signals received from a plurality of antennas are multiplied by respective weights to be synthesized. Specifically, the operation of multiplying the weight means that the amplitude and phase of the signal received from each antenna are adjusted appropriately. Therefore, if the amplitude and phase information of the received signal suffers an error due to waveform distortion and the like, the adaptive array processing cannot fully function.
On the other hand, as to the input/output characteristics of general amplifiers, output at a certain level causes saturation, thereby creating a non-linear region. Therefore, in a case where the feedback data is calculated based on the fixed step constant as described above, for example, if the reception level of the signal from the mobile terminal unit is largely fluctuated by the effects of a distance between the base station and the mobile terminal unit, any possible obstacle, fading, and the like, the amplifier (AGC amplifier 2) at the base station enters into this non-linear region, leading to distortion of the received waveform, thereby resulting in that the adaptive array processing cannot fully function.

Radio apparatus carrying out automatic gain control and gain control method


A valve assembly for providing hot water includes a hot water side with a hot water inlet and a cold water side. The valve assembly also includes a central channel for fluid communication between the cold water side and the hot water side and a bypass valve portion. The bypass valve portion includes a thermostatic valve adapted to substantially block the fluid communication through the central channel between the cold water side and the hot water side when a temperature of water flowing through the central channel increases above a threshold temperature. The bypass valve portion also includes a temperature adjustment portion adapted to selectively vary the threshold temperature.

The present invention relates generally to the field of water supply systems. In particular, the invention relates to the control of temperature of a hot-water supply system.
In water supply systems installed in many homes, water is made available at one or more outlets, such as sinks, tubs, showers or appliances, through a cold water line and a hot water line. Typically, water enters the supply system from a source, such as a well or a water main, and is directed, on the one side, to a cold water line and, on the other side, to a water heater. Hot water from the water heater is then directed to a hot water line. The hot and cold water lines are then mixed at the outlet to provide water at a desired temperature.
In many systems, particularly those in large homes, hot water may not be immediately available at all outlets at all times. For example, water in the line between the water heater and an outlet may cool to room temperature overnight. Hot water does not become available at an outlet until the cooled water in the line is first drawn and wasted. This problem may be particularly apparent at an outlet that is furthest from the water heater. At such an outlet, the amount of cooled water that must be drawn before hot water becomes available may be quite large.
Systems to prevent such waste have been proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,536,464, which is hereby incorporated by reference, proposes a thermostatically controlled bypass valve positioned within a tubular body between the hot water side and the cold water side. The valve opens a passage between the hot water side and the cold water side when the hot water is too cool. However, the bypass valve is positioned well within the tubular body and cannot be accessed for adjustment of the temperature at which the valve should close.
It is desirable to provide a means for controlling the temperature at which hot water is allowed to flow through an outlet.

System and method for temperature control of hot-water supply system


A hearing aid includes: a receiver having a side face with a sound outlet, and wherein a primary direction of the sound outlet is perpendicular to the side face; a hearing aid housing having an outer surface and an internal cavity configured for containing the receiver; a filter socket coupled to the hearing aid housing; and a filter releasably attached to the filter socket; wherein the filter socket defines a direction of detachment of the filter from the filter socket, and wherein the direction of detachment is arranged obliquely with respect to the primary direction of the sound outlet.

Hearing aids of the above mentioned kind are known in a lot of different embodiments, where the filter is mostly used as a wax guard with the primary purpose of avoiding ear wax from migrating into the receiver.
Especially in relation to ITE "In The Ear" hearing aids there is an ongoing research and development with respect to provide ITE hearing aids with optimal sound quality and performance.


The present invention relates to an actuator and optical attenuator using the actuator. The rotary-type comb-drive actuator includes a substrate, a movable electrode, a drive electrode, one or more vertical springs, one or more vertical spring anchors, a horizontal spring and a horizontal spring anchor. The movable electrode is arranged on a plane of the substrate to be movable in parallel to the substrate plane, and formed to have a predetermined length so as to have a comb-shaped electrode comprised of a plurality of fingers. The drive electrode is formed to have a length corresponding to that of the movable electrode, and formed to have a comb-shaped electrode that is comprised of a plurality of fingers and arranged to be interdigitated with the comb-shaped electrode of the movable electrode. The vertical springs are arranged in parallel to the substrate, and connected to be perpendicular to the movable electrode on both sides of a first end of the movable electrode. The vertical spring anchors are connected to the vertical springs to support the vertical springs. The horizontal spring has a main part connected in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the movable electrode. The horizontal spring anchor is connected to the horizontal spring to support the horizontal spring, and fixed on the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to an actuator provided by micro electro mechanical systems technology and optical actuator using the actuator and, more particularly, to an actuator and optical attenuator using the actuator, which utilizes an attractive force applied between comb-shaped electrodes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a comb-drive actuator refers to an actuator in which electrodes each having a plurality of fingers are interdigitated with each other and the positions of the electrodes can be changed using a voltage applied to the two electrodes.
Especially, a comb-drive actuator utilizing Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology is excellent in the generation efficiency of an electrostatic force per unit area, the linearity of a drive displacement, etc. The comb-drive actuator has been frequently used in a gyro, an accelerometer, a mechanical filter, a variable optical attenuator, an optical switch, etc., since W. C. Tang, et al. developed a resonant microstructure (disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,052,346) that is driven in parallel to the plane of a substrate. Further, A. P. Lee, et al. invented a comb-drive electrostatic actuator (disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,848) that moves vertically to a substrate, and then proposed the alternative application of an actuator for corner cube reflectors. Further, B. Bhin, et al. invented an actuator (disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,029) creating an out-of-plane rotatable flexure using comb-shaped electrodes.
When a micro shutter is inserted into an interval between two optical fibers aligned on a substrate using a comb-drive actuator driven in parallel to the plane of a surface, the quantity of light transmitted between the optical fibers can be controlled. Through the application of this principle, a variable optical attenuator or optical switch can be developed using the comb-drive actuator.
However, such a comb-drive scheme requires little current, but requires a high voltage to enhance a driving force. That is, in order to generate a constant displacement, a high voltage is required, so that a voltage amplification circuit must be separately constructed to control the high voltage using typical digital signals with a voltage of 5V or lower, thus increasing the sizes of elements and costs of products.
Alternatively, for a method of decreasing a drive voltage while maintaining the driving distance of a typical comb-drive actuator, there is a method of simply increasing the number of comb-shaped electrodes or decreasing the stiffness of the actuator.
FIGS. 1a to 1c are views showing a conventional comb-drive actuator and alternative actuators.
FIG. 1a illustrates a comb-drive actuator disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,346 and proposed by W. C. Tang, et al., which includes a stationary comb electrode 1 fixed on a substrate (not shown) and a movable comb electrode 2 interdigitated with the stationary comb electrode 1. The movable comb electrode 2 is vertically connected to a horizontal axis 3. Both ends of the horizontal axis 3 are connected to vertical springs 4 and 5, respectively. In this case, the stationary comb electrode 1 and the vertical springs 4 and 5 are fixed on the substrate by anchors 6, 7 and 8, respectively. In such a structure, the conventional comb-drive actuator is characterized in that it moves in parallel to the substrate and performs translational motion.
As shown in FIG. 1a, it is assumed that, when a voltage V0 is applied to the comb-drive actuator having a spring constant k, a stationary displacement δ is generated. If a voltage required to generate the stationary displacement δ can be further decreased, a voltage amplification circuit can be removed and the size of the products using the actuator can be reduced, thus obtaining a plurality of advantages.
As described above, in the conventional comb-drive actuator, because a driving force is proportional to the square of a drive voltage, the driving force must be increased four times, or stiffness must be decreased by three quarters so as to decrease the drive voltage by half. Such alternative designs are shown in FIGS. 1b and 1c.
FIG. 1b illustrates a design in which the stiffness is decreased by three quarters (0.25k) in the conventional comb-drive actuator. Further, FIG. 1c illustrates a design in which the number of comb-shaped electrodes is increased four times in the conventional comb-drive actuator, so that the driving force is increased four times.
In this case, if it is assumed that the resonant frequency of the structure of FIG. 1a is ω, the resonant frequency is decreased in such a way that the resonant frequency of that of FIG. 1b is 0.5ω), and the resonant frequency of that of FIG. 1c has a value close to 0.5ω. That is, it can be seen that the structures of FIGS. 1b and 1c are weak in external vibrations compared to the conventional structure of FIG. 1a.
For example, it is assumed that there is a comb-drive actuator basically movable by 25 μm at a drive voltage of 20V. The resonant frequency of such an actuator can be designed to be approximately 1 KHz. If a comb-drive actuator that can be driven by a driving distance of about 25 μm at a drive voltage of 5V or lower is required to be developed by changing the number of comb-shaped electrodes and the stiffness, the mass of the actuator is increased and the stiffness is decreased in proportion to the increased number of comb-shaped electrodes, so that the resonant frequency of the structure is decreased to 200 Hz or lower.
Actually, when a comb-drive actuator is manufactured using the conventional structure and experiments are carried out with respect to the actuator, an applied voltage is about 20V if a driving distance is 25 μm, and a resonant frequency at this time is 900 Hz. If this drive voltage can be decreased to 5V or lower to be driven as a digital signal and the driving distance can be maintained at 25 μm, a drive voltage amplification circuit can be removed in the applications, such as the above-described variable optical attenuator, and the size of products using the actuator is decreased, thus strengthening the competitiveness of the products. However, when the comb-drive actuator is designed and manufactured using the conventional structure, the design of products using the actuator is limited in that, since experimental results show that a resonant frequency is lower than 250 Hz (the number of comb-shaped electrodes is increased eight times and stiffness is decreased by half), response variations are generated depending on external vibrations and a response drift occurs due to the weight of the structure itself.
Moreover, if the above-described conventional comb-drive actuator is used for an optical attenuator that controls the power of an optical signal in an optical network, a method of increasing a driving distance relative to a voltage by simply increasing the number of the comb-shaped electrodes or by decreasing the stiffness of springs, is problematic in that the resonant frequency of the structure is decreased and varied sensitively to external vibrations. That is, the optical attenuator must attenuate incident light to a certain level, but there occur several problems including a problem that the attenuator cannot satisfy the fundamental functions thereof when external vibrations are applied to the optical attenuator.

Rotary-type comb-drive actuator and variable optical attenuator using the same


A vehicle frame assembly, system and method includes a vehicle frame assembly having a variable length longitudinal frame component. The longitudinal frame component is formed at a first length when used on a first vehicle type and formed at a second length when used on a second vehicle type.

Exemplary embodiments herein generally relate to vehicle frame assemblies. Across different vehicle models or types, it can be desirable to have many different vehicle lengths, or particular sections of such vehicles with many different lengths. For example, in a pickup truck, a cab area may include two full-sized doors, four full-sized doors, or two full-sized doors and two half-sized doors and a bed length of this type of vehicle can vary, e.g., from about 1.2 meters to about 2.4 meters. Accordingly, many possible combinations of cab length and bed length are possible. Of course, other types of vehicles can have variable lengths or sections with variable lengths, such as sport utility trucks, sport utility vehicles, minivans, crossovers, sedans, coupes, etc.
In conventional vehicle frames and constructions thereof, each such combination is a different vehicle model having a dedicated frame structure. Providing each vehicle model with its own dedicated frame structure, which conventionally is assembled from a collection of stamped parts, can be expensive and can make it difficult to efficiently manufacture several variable length vehicles on a single assembly line.
Some vehicle manufacturers employ a body-on-frame construction to provide some limited flexibility in varying vehicle designs. When body-on-frame construction techniques are employed, complete body assemblies (e.g., a cab structure or a bed structure) are mounted to a ladder frame. This allows the completed body assemblies to be modified and/or substituted without substantially changing the underlying ladder frame and/or other completed body assemblies mounted to the ladder frame. In the case of pickup trucks, for example, a cab assembly can be redesigned from one model year to the next without requiring substantial redesigning of the underlying ladder frame. In addition, a single ladder frame can support different types of cabs (regular, extended cab or full size) and/or different types of beds. In addition, ladder frames can be extended or lengthened by adding an auxiliary ladder frame to the main ladder frame. This could be used to support an extended bed or cab, or could be used to support an elongated vehicle (e.g., a livery vehicle). Drawbacks of body-on-frame designs include weight concerns causing lower performance and higher fuel consumption, compromised handling due to lack of torsion flexing and less ability to incorporate crumble zones for improved crash safety.


A new and distinct cultivar of Double Impatiens plant named xe2x80x98Cameo Pink Surprisexe2x80x99, characterized by its large pink and white bi-colored flowers; fully double flower form; freely flowering habit with flowers positioned above the foliage; compact, mounded, spreading, densely foliated, and freely branching plant habit; rapid growth rate; and large rounded dark green leaves.

Impatiens walleriana cultivar Cameo Pink Surprise.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Double Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens walleriana, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name Cameo Pink Surprise.
The new Impatiens is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Cartago, Costa Rica. The objective of the breeding program was to develop new compact Double Impatiens cultivars with large fully double flowers, excellent branching, and interesting flower and foliage colors.
The new Impatiens originated from a cross made by the Inventor of a proprietary selection of Impatiens walleriana identified as code number 88VAR121A, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary selection of Impatiens walleriana identified as code number F2 (PK:DB), as the male, or pollen parent. The cultivar Cameo Pink Surprise was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Cartago, Costa Rica.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken at Cartago, Costa Rica, has shown that the unique features of this new Impatiens are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual reproduction.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Cameo Pink Surprisexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Cameo Pink Surprisexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Large pink and white bi-colored flowers.
2. Fully double flower form.
3. Freely flowering habit.
4. Flowers positioned above the foliage.
5. Compact, mounded and spreading plant habit.
6. Rapid growth rate.
7. Freely branching habit.
8. Large rounded dark green leaves; densely foliated.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Cartago, Costa Rica, plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the female parent, the selection 88VAR121A, in the following characteristics:
1. Leaves of plants of the new Impatiens are larger and more rounded than leaves of plants of the selection 88VAR121A.
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have larger flowers than plants of the selection 88VAR121A.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens have fully double flowers whereas plants of the selection 88VAR121A have single flowers.
4. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens are sterile whereas flowers of plants of the selection 88VAR121A are fertile.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Cartago, Costa Rica, plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the male parent, the selection F2 (PK:DB), in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more compact and more mounded than plants of the selection F2 (PK:DB).
2. Plants of the new Impatiens have larger flowers than plants of the selection F2 (PK:DB).
3. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens are pink and white bi-colored whereas flowers of plants of the selection F2 (PK:DB) are solid pink in color.
4. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens are sterile whereas flowers of plants of the selection F2 (PK:DB) are fertile.
The new Impatiens can be compared to the Impatiens walleriana cultivar Sparkler Rose, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,603. However, in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lompoc, Calif., plants of the new Impatiens differ from plants of the cultivar Sparkler Rose in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Impatiens are more mounded and spreading than plants of the cultivar Sparkler Rose which are more upright in plant habit.
2. Stems of plants of the new Impatiens are red purple in color whereas stems of plants of the cultivar Sparkler Rose are yellow green in color.
3. Plants of the new Impatiens have larger flowers than plants of the cultivar Sparkler Rose.
4. Flowers of plants of the new Impatiens are lighter pink in color than flowers of plants of the cultivar Sparkler Rose.


A non-volatile memory system (230) includes a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) (232) including a plurality of magnetoresistive memory cells, a floating-gate nonvolatile memory (234) including a plurality of floating-gate memory cells, and a controller (236) coupled to the MRAM (232) and to the floating-gate nonvolatile memory (234). The controller (236) is adapted to be coupled to a system bus (220) and controls a selected one of the MRAM (232) and the floating-gate nonvolatile memory (234) in response to an access initiated from the system bus (220).

Computer systems are usually defined as having three main blocks: a central processing unit (CPU), memory, and input/output peripherals. Over the past half-century or so developments in integrated circuit technology have made computers inexpensive and therefore common in everyday life, for all types of uses including desktop personal computers, cellular telephones, automobile engine controllers, and the like.
Integrated circuit technology has greatly reduced the cost of all components of the computer system. For example CPUs are now implemented with single-chip microprocessors. Modern microprocessors can achieve computing performance that was only available to supercomputers just a generation ago.
The integrated circuit revolution has also reduced the cost of computer memory. FIG. 1 illustrates a computer system 100 known in the prior art. Computer system 100 includes a microprocessor 110, a memory 120, and an input/output system 130 all connected together by means of a system bus 140. As shown in FIG. 1 memory 120 includes several different types of memory devices, including a read-only memory (ROM) 122, a flash electrically-erasable programmable ROM (FLASH) 124, a static random access memory (SRAM) 126, and a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) 128. Computer system 100 requires some or all of these different types of memory devices because integrated circuit technology has so far failed to produce a single type of memory device that meets all the needs of computer system 100.
ROM 122 is nonvolatile, permanent storage that is inexpensive but cannot be re-written. ROM 122 is implemented using mask-programmable single-transistor memory cells and requires custom masks but is inexpensive to manufacture. ROM 122 stores a program executable by microprocessor 110 that is not expected to change over the lifetime of computer system 100. A typical use of ROM 122 is to store the basic input/output system (BIOS) of a desktop computer.
FLASH 124 is nonvolatile memory that may use floating-gate transistors to store electrical charges that indicate the state of the memory cells. Relatively large portions or sectors of FLASH 124 can be erased "in a flash". However FLASH 124 is somewhat more expensive than ROM 122 and a program operation to write new data takes much longer than a read operation. Furthermore FLASH 124 has a reliability problem known as endurance, in that it loses its ability to be re-programmed over time after a large number of erase and program cycles have been performed. Because of these characteristics FLASH 124 is used to store parameters and user settings that stay relatively constant. For example, if computer system 100 were used in a cellular telephone, FLASH 124 could be used to store phone numbers in an electronic "phone book".
SRAM 126 is randomly accessible at high speed for both reads and writes, but it volatile and relatively expensive. SRAM 126 includes memory cells implemented as addressable static latches. Thus it is usually reserved for use as a high-speed scratchpad memory or cache for microprocessor 110.
DRAM 128 is randomly accessible and inexpensive, but is slower than SRAM 126 and is volatile. DRAM 128 is commonly implemented using storage cells that each include a capacitor and a single transistor, and thus can achieve high density and low price per bit. However because the charges stored in the memory cells are dynamic, the memory cells must be periodically refreshed. DRAMs are commonly used for storage of large programs that are loaded from input/output devices such as compact discs (CDs) and hard disk drives.
It should be apparent that any actual computer system may not use all types of memory devices shown in FIG. 1.
In recent years semiconductor manufacturers have developed a new type of memory known as magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM) that may one day unify the available types of memory devices. MRAM is based on small storage cells that store states using magnetic fields. MRAM is non-volatile, randomly accessible, and capable of high-density integration. However as of yet manufacturing techniques have not been developed to produce MRAM at costs comparable to FLASH or DRAM at comparable densities.
Therefore what is needed is a new memory system capable of taking advantage of the properties of MRAM while it remains more expensive than these other types of memory.

Nonvolatile memory system using magneto-resistive random access memory (MRAM)


Disclosed herein is a signal transmission method in a wavelength-division-multiplex (WDM) transmission system. The WDM transmission system comprises a first WDM terminal for transmitting a WDM signal, a second WDM terminal for receiving the WDM signal, and an optical add-drop multiplexer (OADM) node for transmitting to a network element an optical signal of a specific wavelength of the WDM signal which is transmitted between the first and second WDM terminals. The WDM signal is transmitted from the first WDM terminal to the second WDM terminal regardless of whether an optical signal is added or dropped at the OADM node. The network element employs an optical signal of an idle wavelength of the WDM signal that has no transmission data, to transmit another transmission data that is transmitted by the network element.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wavelength-division-multiplex (WDM) transmission technique, and more particularly to a technique suitable for use in a WDM transmission system employing optical add-drop multiplexers for optical signals.
(2) Description of the Related Art
It is desirable in the backbone of a network to change communication capacity according to a span between nodes constituting the network. This is because the span between nodes is about 80 km and has a different demand for communication. It is also desirable to allocate multiple wavelengths to a span that has a great demand for communication, because a demand for communication varies with a time zone of a day.
Hence, an optical add-drop multiplexer (hereinafter referred to as an OADM node), capable of increasing or decreasing the number of wavelengths by dropping and adding optical signals, is employed in a WDM transmission system to meet an increase or decrease in traffic between WDM nodes.
A WDM transmission system employing such an OADM node is mainly utilized, for example, in a system with a terminal-opposed structure shown in FIG. 17, a system with a ring structure shown in FIG. 18, etc.
That is, in the system with a terminal-opposed structure shown in FIG. 17, at least one OADM node 103 is disposed on the optical transmission lines 107, 108 between WDM terminals 102, 105. At the OADM node 103, an optical signal of specific wavelength in a wavelength-division-multiplex (WDM) signal received from the WDM terminal (hereinafter referred to simply as the terminal) 102 or 105 is dropped to a network element (NE) 104 belonging to the OADM node 103. An optical signal from the NE 104 is added to the vacant wavelength of the WDM signal generated by dropping the specific wavelength. In this way, communication is performed between the NE 101 (or 106) belonging to the terminal 102 (or 105) and the NE 104 belonging to the OADM node 103.
In the WDM transmission system with a ring structure shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of OADM nodes 103a, 103b, 103c, and 103d are connected in ring form through optical transmission lines (optical fibers). The determination of how optical signals of different wavelengths are dropped and added at different OADM nodes 103a to 103d is made in advance. In this manner, communication is performed between the NEs 104 belonging to different OADM nodes 103a to 103d (hereinafter referred to simply as OADM nodes 103).
In FIG. 18, the solid line between the OADM nodes 103 represents a transmission line for each wavelength of a WDM signal which is transmitted through the above-described optical transmission line 107 (108). The above-described NEs 104 are equivalent to transmitters that are employed in a synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH)/synchronous optical network (SONET), an Ethernet of a gigabit level, etc.
The above-described add-drop OADM node 103 typically has a multiplexing-demultiplexing structure such as that shown in FIG. 19 (constructed by two pairs of wavelength multiplexing-demultiplexing terminals), or a WDM filter structure such as that shown in FIG. 20.
In the former, as shown in FIG. 19, a transmitting system of two-way communication (upper half portion in FIG. 19) includes a first optical amplifier 111, a second optical amplifier 117, a wavelength demultiplexer 112, optical drop couplers 113 corresponding to the number of wavelengths, optical switches 114 corresponding in number to the optical drop couplers 113, optical add couplers 115 corresponding in number to the optical switches 114, a wavelength multiplexer 116, and variable optical attenuators 120 corresponding in number to the optical add couplers 115. Similarly, a receiving system (lower half portion in FIG. 19) includes a first optical amplifier 111, a second optical amplifier 117, a wavelength demultiplexer 112, optical drop couplers 113 corresponding to the number of wavelengths, optical switches 114 corresponding in number to the optical drop couplers 113, optical add couplers 115 corresponding in number to the optical switches 114, a wavelength multiplexer 116, and variable optical attenuators 120 corresponding in number to the optical add couplers 115.
In addition, the above-described transmitting system and receiving system are provided with opto/electric (O/E) converters 121 for handling an optical supervisory channel (OSC), LSIs 122, electro/optical (E/O) converters 123, and spectrum analyzers 124 for a WDM signal, respectively.
In FIG. 19, each of the right and left parts of the OADM 103 with the optical switches 114 as the center is approximately equivalent to the construction of a single terminal that already exists. In addition, as the optical amplifiers, erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs) are widely employed. In high-speed communication, a phenomenon (dispersion of wavelength) that the velocity of light varies little by little with wavelength will occur in optical fibers that are employed in the optical amplifiers 111, 117 and optical transmission line 107 (108). To compensate for this phenomenon, there are provided dispersion compensation fibers (DCFs) 118, 119.
In the OADM 103 with such a multiplexing-demultiplexing structure, a WDM signal received through the optical transmission line 107 (108) is first amplified to the required optical signal level by the optical amplifier 111 to compensate for losses which will occur due to the demultiplexing at the optical drop couplers 113. Then, the amplified WDM signal is demultiplexed into optical signals of different wavelengths (channel signals) by the optical demultiplexer 112. Next, an optical signal of a wavelength to be separated is dropped to the NE 104 by the corresponding optical drop coupler 113, and the optical signals of wavelengths other than the dropped wavelength are passed through the optical switches 114.
Note that the demultiplexed optical signals, including the optical signal of a dropped wavelength, are passed through the optical drop couplers 113. However, the optical signal of a dropped wavelength is not passed through to make a vacant wavelength for the addition of an optical signal at the subsequent stage. That is, the optical signal of a wavelength dropped at the self-node 103 is stopped by the corresponding optical switch 114 so that it is not sent to the subsequent stage.
Thus, in the OADM node 103, an optical signal with data transmitted from another NE 104 can be added by the corresponding optical add coupler 115 to a grid that has a vacant wavelength by dropping a selected wavelength. The added optical signal and the above-described optical signals of wavelengths other than the dropped wavelength are incorporated into a WDM signal by the optical multiplexer 116. The WDM signal is again amplified by the optical amplifier 117 to compensate for losses and is transmitted onto the downstream transmission line 107 (108). Note that the addition of an optical signal to a vacant wavelength may be performed at an arbitrary node of the following stage as well as the node 103 that dropped an optical signal of a selected wavelength.
Incidentally, the information about the wavelengths of a WDM signal that is transmitted through the OADM node 102 is being monitored by the spectrum analyzer 124. The wavelength information is fed back to the optical control system of the self-node 102. The information includes measured information such as an optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR), amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light, etc. Based on the information, an optical transmission level, etc., are adjusted so that the state of an optical transmission signal becomes optimum. For instance, the level of an optical signal of a wavelength added is adjusted by adjusting the degree of attenuation of the variable optical attenuator 120.
In addition, according to optical power information obtained from the spectrum of a WDM signal for each node 103, preemphasis control is performed between nodes 103 to reduce a wavelength-dependent characteristic between nodes and ensure stable communication. The above-described monitor control information is transmitted by employing the above-described OSC. In WDM transmission systems, one or more wavelengths are allocated beforehand for the OSC. In each node 103, information transmitted through the OSC is converted into an electrical signal by the above-described O/E converter 121. The electrical signal is analyzed by the LSI 122. Information corresponding to the result of analysis is again converted into an optical signal of the original wavelength by the E/O converter 123 and is transmitted. In this way, the monitor control information can be transmitted through the OSC.
On the other hand, in the OADM node 103 with a WDM filter structure, as shown in FIG. 20, the above-described add-drop function (realized by the optical demultiplexer 112, optical drop couplers 113, optical add couplers 115, optical switches 114, and optical multiplexer 116 shown in FIG. 19) is realized by optical drop couplers 125 corresponding to the number of wavelengths, optical add couplers 126 corresponding to the number of wavelengths, a rejection filter 127, predetermined filters 128 corresponding in number to the optical drop couplers 125, and predetermined filters 129 corresponding in number to the optical add couplers 126.
In such a structure, a received WDM signal from the optical amplifier 111 is demultiplexed by the optical drop couplers 125. Only an optical signal of a wavelength to be dropped is selected by the predetermined filter 128 and is dropped to the NE 104. As in the aforementioned case, the optical signal of the dropped wavelength passed through the optical drop coupler 125 is rejected by the rejection filter 127 to make a vacant wavelength at the following stage.
Thus, an optical signal of the added wavelength equal to the dropped wavelength, and the optical signals of wavelengths other than the dropped wavelength, passed through the rejection filter 127, are incorporated into a WDM signal by the optical add couplers 126. Note that the operation other than the above-described adding-dropping function is the same as the operation described in FIG. 19.
As described above, the conventional WDM transmission systems can meet an increase or decrease in traffic between nodes by the OADM node 103 which has the function of adding and dropping an optical signal through the optical switches 114 or rejection filter 127.
In the existing WDM transmission systems, incidentally, transmission is performed without recognizing the content of information about an optical signal [signal format (protocol), for example, a signal for SDH, SONET, etc., and a signal for Ethernet (R) other than that].
As a result, a direct modulation signal, obtained from a high-speed signal which is handled in high-speed communication networks of a level of gigabits/sec, can be transmitted as it is. Conversely speaking, active control cannot be flexibly performed according to the content of information about an optical transmission signal, and it can also be said that the degree of freedom of the network is not high.
For instance, in a burst communication network where burst communication is performed, such as an Ethernet(R), etc., each of the optical signals (channels) of a WDM signal to be transmitted between the NEs 104 through the OADM node 103 does not always carry information. That is, there is an idle channel having no transmission data, although the channel itself is transmitted. Therefore, if such an idle channel can be utilized to transmit different information, then wavelength resources can be effectively utilized and immediate switching of communication paths, control for changing an add-drop structure, etc., can be flexibly performed according to an increase or decrease in traffic between nodes.
As described above, in the conventional OADM node 103, the wavelength adding-dropping function is realized by the optical switches 114 or rejection filter 127. Because of this, even if there is an idle channel, the channel cannot be utilized in an arbitrary OADM node 103 and the above-described active control cannot be realized. As a result, WDM transmission performance per one channel is not the maximum.
In addition, in the WDM transmission system employing OADM nodes 103, there are wavelengths whose OSNR is sufficient and wavelengths whose OSNR is not sufficient, depending on the number of nodes and the number of wavelengths. Therefore, in the case where a signal is added and dropped, the system becomes complicated, because it must be designed in consideration of the setting of a pass group.
For example, as shown in FIG. 21, in the case where it is assumed that optical signals whose wavelength is small are on a short-wavelength side, an optical signal of wavelength λ2 is passed through 2 spans. Because of this, the OSNR of the optical signal of wavelength λ2 becomes bad, compared with an optical signal of wavelength λ4 which passes through only one span. Such a phenomenon has to be taken into consideration over the entire network. In addition, the main function of the OADM node 103 is to increase or decrease the number of wavelengths to change the quantity of information to be transmitted when traffic is increased or decreased at a certain node 103. When the number of wavelengths is increased or decreased, control must be performed based on the correction information about the OSNR of the node 103 and about ASE light so that the communication state of the entire system becomes optimum.
Because of this, in the WDM transmission system of a ring structure or terminal-opposed structure in the existing WDM backbone, each of the transmitting and receiving systems in each node is provided with the spectrum analyzer 124 to acquire the level of light and the number of wavelengths for each span and optimize the level of light to be added and dropped.
However, if the optical switches 114 or rejection filter 127 is employed in the OADM node 103 to make a vacant wavelength, it looks as if an OSNR were enhanced within the node 103, because ASE light is removed in a narrow band. As a result, if the number of wavelengths is increased or decreased at a certain node 103, the correction information about the OSNR and ASE light will change and have influence on other nodes 103. Therefore, the number of wavelengths cannot be quickly and freely increased or decreased.
In addition, the above-described structure is nearly the same as a structure where two terminals are practically combined. At the same time, the optical signal monitoring system based on the OSC becomes complicated. As a result, even when one or two wavelengths are added and dropped, the expensive OADM node 103 with the spectrum analyzer 124 must be employed. Therefore, cost performance is extremely bad and the cost of the entire system becomes extremely high. In addition, as the size of the system becomes larger, the number of transmissions and receptions of the monitor control information between nodes (basically, information about the number of wavelengths), including preemphasis control, is increased. Therefore, an OSC of large capacity must be prepared and effective utilization of wavelength resources becomes difficult.
Furthermore, if the wavelength adding-dropping function is realized by the optical switches 114 or rejection filter 127, the intensity of light and number of wavelengths for each span are limited. Therefore, once services are carried out, the wavelength adding-dropping structure cannot be changed unless the services are stopped.

Signal transmission method in WDM transmission system, and WDM terminal, optical add-drop multiplexer node, and network element used in the same system


The present embodiments are directed to systems and methods of creating and deploying electronic forms for collecting information from a user using a browser or other application. Various embodiments herein include features for automatically selecting and configuring services for rendering and submitting intelligent forms or other data structures in an automated process environment. The automated process environment may include features which permit an enterprise to blend electronic forms, process management, document security, and document generation capabilities to deliver applications which may reduce paperwork, accelerate decision-making processes, and help ensure regulatory compliance.

With the growing use of communications networks such as the Internet, it has become more common for companies and other users to serve electronic forms or documents in a variety of ways over networks to clients, customers, or other end users. The end users may use a computer or other electronic device and a browser running on this device to access a web page, for example to view a form or document and to complete the form and then submit the form data back to a web server for processing of the data.
For example, a client of a web service provider may provide insurance information using such a served form or a customer may provide credit card or other purchasing information to complete a purchase via a fillable form. In other cases, enterprises or businesses may allow employees to generate letters or packages that are then transmitted to recipients such as customers on a large customer list using such a finable form or document. Often, these fillable forms or documents are rendered or created as document, letter, package, or form templates. During rendering, data may be retrieved from a data source and merged into the template to create a document or form to be served to a client device.

System and method for deploying a form template on multiple platforms