Petroleum products are marked with a marker such as thymolphthalein or cresolphthalein. When the marked petroleum products are contacted with a developing reagent, a color develops.

The present invention relates to colorless or near colorless compounds useful for marking or tagging petroleum fuels. It also pertains to a reagent useful in developing color of base-extractable markers. It also relates to a method for bleaching the color of the developed marker thereby restoring the fuel to its original appearance so that it may be combined with undeveloped marked fuel, avoiding the necessity of disposing separately of a potentially hazardous marker extract, which is customary in the prior art.
A marker is a substance which can be used to tag petroleum products for subsequent detection and is ordinarily colorless in the petroleum product. The marker is dissolved in a liquid to be identified, then subsequently detected by performing a simple physical or chemical test on the tagged liquid. Markers are sometimes required by government to ensure that the appropriate tax has been paid on particular grades of fuel. Oil companies also mark their products to help identify those who have diluted or altered their products. These companies often go to great expense to make sure their branded petroleum products meet certain specifications, for example, volatility and octane number, as well as to provide their petroleum products with effective additive packages containing detergents and other components. Consumers rely upon the product names and quality designations to assure that the product being purchased is the quality desired.
It is possible for unscrupulous gasoline dealers to increase profits by selling an inferior product at the price consumers are willing to pay for a high quality branded or designated product. Higher profits can also be made simply by diluting the branded product with an inferior product. Policing dealers who substitute one product for another or blend branded products with inferior products is difficult in the case of gasoline because the blended products will qualitatively display the presence of each component in the branded products. The key additives made to the branded products are generally present in such low levels that quantitative analysis to detect dilution with an inferior product is very difficult, time consuming and expensive.
Marker systems for fuels and other petroleum products have been suggested but various drawbacks have existed which have hindered their effectiveness. Many, for instance, lose their effectiveness over time, making them too difficult to detect after prolonged storage. In addition, reagents used to develop the color of markers often are difficult to handle or present disposal problems. Furthermore, some marking agents partition into water. This causes the markers to lose effectiveness when storage occurs in tanks that contain some water. The fuels and other petroleum products are themselves substantially free of water.
The compositions of the present invention contain compounds conventionally described as hydroxyphthaleins. Some of these are well established as visual pH indicators in the field of laboratory acid/base titrimetry. Some have also been proposed as suitable for some biomedical applications, however their use as marker or tagging substances for Petroleum fuels and additives is unique.
A similar compound that has been considered for use as a marker is Phenolphthalein. Its use was proposed in 1994 as a fuel marker by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and subjected to an oil refinery field trial under their auspices. The trial was unsuccessful, because phenolphthalein lacks adequate solubility in petroleum fuels at the concentration required as a marker. This caused the phenolphthalein to partially crystallize from the fuel, resulting in undermarking and contamination of refinery equipment, pipelines, etc. Phenolphthalein is also significantly soluble in water and it partially extracted from the marked fuel into the water layer which frequently accumulates at the bottom of fuel storage tanks, thus rendering it useless as a quantitative fuel marker. Furthermore, phenolphthalein is particularly sensitive to the alkalinity of the extraction or development reagent. With an aqueous extractant having a pH of less than 10.5, extraction is slow and incomplete, however above about pH 11 phenolphthalein rapidly forms a colorless trianion. These defects do not apply to the substances of the current invention.
Markers of the present invention possess increased petroleum fuel solubility and decreased solubility in neutral water. Their susceptibility to trianion formation and partial decolorization of the colored dianion in the presence of strong bases is also minimized. These advantages appear to occur due to the presence of an alkyl or alkoxy group adjacent to the ionizable hydroxy group of the markers of this invention.
The present invention provides markers which are invisible in liquid petroleum products at an effective level of use but that provide a distinctive color when extracted from the petroleum product with an appropriate developing reagent. The reagents used to develop the color are themselves easy to use, handle and dispose of.
The fact that the markers of the present invention impart no visible color to petroleum fuels at an effective dosage level makes them suitable for marking a wide range of petroleum products. Currently, for instance, they may be useful for marking or tagging on-road, low sulfur, diesel fuel. A regulation issued by the Federal Government precludes the addition to such fuel of any dye or dye related substance that will impart visible color to the fuel at an effective treatment rate. This regulation prevents the use of variously intensely colored substances proposed in the prior art as petroleum fuel markers, for instance those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,156,653; 5,205,840; 4,764,474; and 4,735,631. The disclosures of each of these patents is incorporated herein by reference.


An embodiment device includes an optical source configured to transmit an optical pulse and an optical sensor configured to receive a reflection of the optical pulse. The device further includes a processor configured to determine a parameter based on the reflection, the parameter indicative of a distance between the device and a target; and a controller configured to generate a first control signal based on the parameter, the first control signal being configured to control an operation of the optical source.

Presence detectors may be implemented using a variety of technologies. For example, pneumatic tubes or hoses may be placed across a roadway to detect the pressure of a vehicle as its tires roll over the tubes or hoses. Such detectors operate through physical contact with the object being detected. In another example, an optical light beam emitter and sensor system may detect the presence of an object when the object interrupts a projected light beam. In addition, in-ground inductance loops may detect a vehicle in close proximity by detecting a change in magnetic inductance. Other examples of presence detectors include video detectors and audio detectors.
Time-of-flight (ToF) presence detectors are used in various applications to detect the presence of objects within a specified field of detection. ToF presence detectors generally include one or more optical devices, such as optical emitters and optical sensors, for example. Unlike pneumatic tubes, optical devices in ToF presence detectors do not require physical contact with the item being detected. Unlike inductance loops, optical devices in ToF presence detectors can sense an object regardless of the magnetic properties of the object. Further, unlike a simple optical beam interruption system, ToF detectors can determine the distance between the detector and the object.
ToF presence detectors may be used to detect the presence of an animate object (e.g., a human). Detection of an animate object can be used to detect malicious intrusions in a premises or a protected area or to ensure that no person is present in a dangerous area before executing a maneuver. Detection of an animate object is also useful in the field of human-machine interaction, where it is desirable to detect the presence of humans in the vicinity of a machine. As an example, ToF presence detectors may be used to detect whether a human is approaching a device (e.g., a computer), and such detection can cause the device to unlock or exit a low-power state in advance of the human making physical contact with the device or a peripheral component (e.g., a mouse or a keyboard) in communication with the device. As a further example, ToF presence detectors may be used to detect whether a human has exited a sensor detection area, and such detection can cause the device to turn off, enter a low-power state, or enter a locked mode (e.g., for security reasons).
Current ToF presence detectors may suffer from false positives, where the detector is unable to distinguish a dormant animate object (e.g., a stationary or immobile human) from an inanimate object (e.g., a chair). Consequently, there may be a need for improved ToF presence detectors that minimize or substantially eliminate such false positives.

Device, system, and method for detecting human presence


A method of manufacturing a coaxial trace (100) within a surrounding material (190) includes: providing a first substrate (191, 410) and a second substrate (192, 1010) composed of the surrounding material; forming a first portion (101, 601) of the coaxial trace in the first substrate; forming a second portion (102, 1001) of the coaxial trace in the second substrate; aligning the first portion of the coaxial trace with the second portion of the coaxial trace; and bonding the first portion of the coaxial trace to the second portion of the coaxial trace.

Coaxial cables or traces are commonly used to carry radio signals, video signals, measurement and data signals, and the like. A typical coaxial cable comprises two conductive channels arranged along a single axis and separated by a layer of insulating material. The conductive channels and the insulating layer are enclosed within a second insulating layer. Typically, the inner conductive layer carries the signal and the outer conductive layer serves as a grounding layer.
In semiconductor applications signals must often be shielded so they do not interfere with separate transmissions or other activities taking place elsewhere. Coaxial traces are ideal, and often required, for transmitting shielded signals, yet no method for manufacturing coaxial cable within semiconducting substrates currently exists. Signal transmission in semiconductors is presently accomplished using bulky wiring solutions external to the silicon or other semiconducting material. Signal traces embedded in a semiconducting substrate would be less bulky and would be well suited to stackable packaging solutions. Accordingly, there exists a need for a method of manufacturing signal traces, including coaxial traces, within a semiconducting or other surrounding material.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing figures illustrate the general manner of construction, and descriptions and details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Additionally, elements in the drawing figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention. The same reference numerals in different figures denote the same elements.
The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprise," "include," "have," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.
The terms "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," "bottom," "over," "under," and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, are used for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describing permanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the invention described herein are, for example, capable of operation in other orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein. The term "coupled," as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectly connected in an electrical or non-electrical manner.

Method of manufacturing a coaxial trace in a surrounding material, coaxial trace formed thereby, and semiconducting material containing same


An object of the present invention is to provide a sputtering target that can suppress a generation amount of fine nodules which lead to an increase in substrate particles during sputtering, and a method for producing the same. A ceramic sputtering target, the sputtering target having a surface roughness Ra on a sputtering surface of 0.5 μm or less and an Svk value measured with a laser microscope on the sputtering surface of 1.1 μm or less.

Sputtering is one of the methods for forming thin films of semiconductor devices. As a sputtering target (hereinafter also simply referred to as a "target") used for sputtering, a ceramic target is known in the art. The ceramic target material is obtained, for example, by forming powder or particles containing a ceramic component such as a metal oxide and sintering it, and machining the resulting sintered body into a predetermined size by cutting or polishing.
Recently, miniaturization to a nano-range has been progressing, and management of substrate particles has been increasingly strict in sputtering. Therefore, it is necessary to review the methods that have been carried out for many years and take measures leading to a decrease in the substrate particles during sputtering.
It is known that a processing accuracy of a sputtering target material affects a quality of a thin film (sputtered film) formed on a substrate surface. Therefore, measures for the processing of the sputtering target material made of ceramics have been studied for improving the quality of the thin film.
Patent Document 1 discloses a plate-shaped ceramic target in which a surface roughness Ra on a sputtering surface used for sputtering is 0.5 μm or more and 1.5 μm or less, and the maximum depth of cracks formed on the sputtering surface is 15 μm or less. It also discloses that when the Ra is less than 0.5 μm, nodules generated on the target material during sputtering does not stay on the target material and adhere as particles to the sputtered film, and the quality of the sputtered film tends to be deteriorated. Moreover, it also discloses that when the maximum depth of cracks is more than 15 μm, the nodules tend to be generated during sputtering, and the mechanical strength of the target material may be affected.

Sputtering target and producing method thereof


A device for holding and positioning an optic, such as a refractive lens, over a light source such as a light emitting diode. The refractive lens is frustum-shaped with an upper light-exiting end having an upper rim, a lower light-entering end, and a conical sidewall that tapers from the upper rim to the lower end. The device has a channel including a base and first and second sidewalls extending from the opposed side edges of the base, and further having one or more optic holding positions. The optic holding position includes an aperture formed in the base that is configured to receive the conical sidewall of the optic, and an aperture formed in a portion of each sidewall, adjacent the aperture in the base, for retaining a portion of the upper rim of the optic lens. The aperture can include a slot opening through which a portion of the upper rim of the optic lens at least partially extends.

As the quality and energy efficiency of LEDs have improved, the production cost of LEDs has gone down, and LEDs are being commonly used in area lighting applications. Initial efforts to incorporating LEDs into lighting fixtures have involved retrofitting LEDs into conventional luminaires or onto or into the shape of conventional lighting lamps.
Some LEDs emit light in a substantial lambertian pattern. To direct the light from such an LED, it is a usual practice to capture at least low angle light from the LED with an optic, such as a refracting lens, and to direct this light in a desired direction and pattern. Lens and/or reflectors are commonly employed optics. The body of the LED device or the printed circuit board ("PCB") on which the LED is mounted or created commonly supports the lens, with the assistance of support legs or the like. An optical lens is commonly affixed to the LED device or to the PCB one lens at a time, and in an irreversible manner, in that removal of an lens (if, for example, improperly installed) usually results in breaking the legs or other element involved in mounting. Therefore, there remains a need to provide improved and effective manner of, in general, associating optics with light sources and incorporating LEDs lighting elements into lighting apparati and luminaires.


An image generation device includes a first reception unit and a control unit. The first reception unit receives travel information about the travel state of a moving body. The control unit sets, based on the travel information, a multiple-exposure region in an imaging region of an image sensor used on the moving body, and generates image data in which the multiple-exposure region in the imaging region is formed through a multiple exposure and a region other than the multiple-exposure region is not formed through the multiple exposure.

A technique for detecting an object from image data captured by an in-vehicle camera and a technique for reducing the image data are known. The image processing device disclosed in Patent Literature (PTL) 1 includes an image obtainment unit, a region setting unit, and a processing unit. The image obtainment unit obtains infrared image data. For an image region based on the infrared image data obtained by the image obtainment unit, the region setting unit sets a boundary line for segmenting the image region into two or more regions, and sets, as a pixel density changing region, at least one of the two or more regions obtained by segmenting along the boundary line. The processing unit performs a process for reducing the pixel density of the infrared image data in the pixel density changing region, performs an object detection process on the basis of the infrared image data in the image region including the pixel density changing region, and generates image data for display on the basis of the result of the detection process.

Image generation device, image generation method and recording medium

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A seat assembly includes a seat tube, a plug member and a saddle. The seat tube extends along an axis, and has an end portion formed with an opening that has a center coinciding with the axis, and a plurality of angularly-spaced apart through holes that surround the axis. The plug member is plugged into the opening, and has a chamber in spatial communication with the through holes. The saddle includes a saddle body, and a connecting portion connected to the saddle body. The connecting portion has a covering segment covering the end portion, and an inner segment disposed in and connected to the covering segment and filled in the through holes and the chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a seat assembly, more particularly to a bicycle seat assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional seat assembly 10 (as disclosed in Taiwanese Utility Model Patent No. M386218 (Application No. 099200675)) for a bicycle includes a seat tube 11, a plug member 12 and a saddle 13. The seat tube 11 extends in an axis and has a connecting portion 111 at a top end thereof, two side grooves 112 respectively formed downwardly from the top end parallel to the axis, two through holes 113 formed in the connecting portion 111, and a plurality of annular grooves 114 formed in an outer periphery of the connecting portion 111 and spaced apart from one another along the axis.
The plug member 12 is plugged into the connecting portion 111, and has a main body 121 sealing the seat tubs 11, and two projections 122 respectively extending from a periphery of the main body 121 to respectively engage the side grooves 112.
The plug member 12 cooperates with the connecting portion 111 to define a chamber 14. The saddle 13 covers the connecting portion 111, the side grooves 112, the through holes 113, the annular grooves 114 and the chamber 14.
Due to the complex structure of the seat tube 11, not only is the manufacturing cost relatively high, but since the plug member 12 must seal the seat tube 11, the dimensions of the plug member 12 must also always be adjusted to match the size of the seat tube 11 once changed, and hence preparation and storage costs, as well as difficulty in process control, are increased.


The invention provides a method and apparatus for automatically detecting loss of normal gastric myoelectrical activity and certain gastric dysrhythmias which indicate an imminent onset of nausea. Analog signals indicative of gastric myoelectrical activity are detected via electrodes, conditioned and then digitized. The resulting digital signals are passed through a digital band pass filter which has a pass band with a lower limit set at or near zero Hz, and the digitally conditioned signals are compared in a digital computer with stored predetermined signal patterns that are known to be indicative of the onset of imminent nausea. Upon detection of a match, an alarm is activated.

Nausea, which is a noxious symptom that often leads to vomiting, is a problem frequently encountered in the field of medicine. Patients recovering from anesthesia, and those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, for example, frequently become gravely nauseous.
Nausea can have serious implications aside from the extreme discomfort experienced by a patient or other individual who experiences it. In particular, nausea can be dangerous because the associated retching creates high pressures within the body that may cause hemorrhaging and disruption of sutures, especially in the eye and brain. In addition, vomiting can cause excessive loss of electrolytes as well as the possibility of aspiration in patients who are recovering from surgery or who are otherwise incapacitated.
It would thus be most useful in the field of medicine if a simple automated arrangement were available which reliably and timely predicts the onset of nausea. An objective physiological measure of impending nausea would be useful in managing patients with a wide variety of medical and surgical procedures. However, known prior art nausea detection techniques require constant observation and monitoring of the patient by a skilled individual.
Research has shown that gastric dysrhythmia (abnormal stomach electrical activity) heralds the onset of nausea induced during motion sickness and by the administration of the narcotic drug morphine sulfate. Gastric dysrhythmias are abnormal gastric myoelectrical rhythms termed tachygastrias (3.6-9.9 cycles per minute (cpm)) and bradygastrias (0-2.4 cpm) and are differentiated from normal gastric myoelectrical rhythms which occur within the range of 2.4 to 3.6 cpm.
Electrogastrograpy is a non-invasive method for recording gastric myoelectrical activity or electrogastrograms (EGGs) from normal rhythms to gastric dysrhythmias. Gastric dysrhythmias have been recorded with this method in patients with nausea of pregnancy, diabetic and idiopathic gastroparesis, and in patients with idiopathic nausea and drug-induced nausea. The onset of gastric dysrhythmias precedes the report of nausea by 1-20 minutes, depending on specific circumstances. The ability to recognize these gastric dysrhythmias automatically, in real time, would greatly improve the treatment of nausea at early stages and afford the physician an opportunity to prevent severe nausea, retching and vomiting.
The onset of gastric dysrhythmias and the loss of normal 2.4-3.6 cpm gastric rhythm may be identified by visual inspection of hard copy EGG records by a trained and specialized clinician or researcher who is skilled in the interpretation of gastric myoelectrical activity. Thus, known prior art devices are only able to record raw physiological EGG data and display it in real time, or provide spectral analyses off-line.
Real-time computer analysis, on the other hand, offers on-line quantitative analysis of gastric dysrhythmias. Thus, on-line reproduction of the gastric dysrhythmias and on-line quantitative and spectral analysis of the EGG signal would be important advances in the diagnosis and treatment of nausea.
Previous efforts to develop such a device, however, have been complicated by the fact that the electrical signals associated with stomach activity, and which are sensed for the purpose of analyzing gastric dysrhythmias, have a frequency which is extremely low, being on the order of a few cycles per minute (approximately 0.0-0.25 Hz) Thus far, efforts to develop an automated arrangement for analyzing electrical signals associated with stomach myoelectrical patterns have failed, due largely to the inability to eliminate artifacts (spurious signal components) in the signals. (That is, the signal to noise ratio is very low.) The existence of such artifacts has heretofore rendered any form of computer analysis unreliable.

Method and apparatus for detecting onset of gastric dysrhythmias and imminent nausea


A supply air terminal (10) is provided, comprising a wall member (11) surrounding an opening (110); a deflector (12) connected at a distance from the wall member to face the opening, thereby forming an annular aperture (13) between the wall member and the deflector; and a plurality of flaps (14) pivotably connected at a hinge (15) to the wall member to hang down in the annular aperture such that an open slit (16) is formed between an edge (142) of each flap and the deflector, wherein the slit has a width which is self-adjusted by means of the flaps pivoting under influence of the airflow through the terminal.

Ventilation and provision of airflows of variable degree may be employed in any type of building space, such as in a home environment. More notably, the requirements for suitable ventilation are particularly relevant for public buildings and commercial spaces, where there occasionally may be many people, and in other types of spaces where requirements for e.g. temperature, humidity, oxygen level etc. may be important.
In order to save energy in large commercial and public buildings, ventilation systems with variable airflow may be employed, which operate with cooled air of e.g. 15-18 degrees Celsius. Savings are obtained by heating of the air inside the room to which the airflow is provided, by means of people, lighting, computers and other electronic devices and even animals present therein.
An important feature is that the supply air is conveniently spread in the room without causing draught, which could be experienced as uncomfortable and potentially damaging. One way of obtaining this is to provide air from an air terminal, such that cooled fresh air is propelled along the ceiling of a room. This way, hotter air already present in the room will be pulled up by the airflow and be purposefully mixed with the cooled fresh air already within a short distance from the terminal.
General requirements on an air terminal is a low level of noise generation, as caused by flowing air. Furthermore, the air terminal must in many applications be able to operate with very low flows, such as 5-40 l/s (liters per second). During the winter season in countries where the climate provides temperatures that are way below normal room temperature, air may oftentimes be supplied within low ranges of e.g. 10-20 l/s, due to the additional cooling of the room through walls and windows.
Presently, supply air terminals with a fixed opening dominate the market, due to lower cost for manufacturing than terminals with a controllably regulated opening. Such terminals are most often configured with opening dimensioned to provide a low level of noise at high flows. As a consequence, there may often be problems with draught, by means of dropping cold air, at low flows. At any rate, a supply air terminal with a fix opening will generally work far from optimally at either high flows or low flows.
WO02/35157 presented a solution for an air terminal with a controlled valve function for variable flows, comprising a tube with an output opening and a deflector surface facing the output opening for regulation of the air flow by means of an actuator for variable setting of the distance between the deflector surface the output end. The device was further provided with discs in the output opening, forming separate fluid passages arranged in parallel to each other with a narrow width over an extended flow distance to promote laminar flow with low noise generation.
WO03/001124 provided a combined fire damper and air terminal, with a shutter that opens a gap progressively as the flow increases, for the purpose of avoiding cold zones. The presented solution is not suitable for operation at high flows, though, as it will generate a high level of noise by design, and an unsatisfactory ejection of air along the ceiling.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,022 disclosed a ceiling air outlet, which has at least two flow paths before an outlet grate. One comprises a series of jet openings at a peripheral portion of the device, directed toward the outlet grate, providing a flow path for low level airflow. A second flow path is provided radially inwardly of the jet openings, where an adjustment flap is located which is configured to open up to allow for air passage at higher flows. The device is characterized by its complexity in terms of design and manufacture.
WO2015/189992 suggests a ceiling cassette air conditioner which includes an external case attached to a lower side of a ceiling-embedded casing, and forming an air inlet with the ceiling, an external panel attached to a lower side of the external case, having an air blower and a heat exchanger inside, and forming an air outlet with the external case to discharge conditioned air in a ceiling-parallel direction. The device includes wind direction adjusting vanes provided on an outer periphery of the external panel to adjust a discharge direction of the conditioned air discharged from the air outlet. During operation, the wind direction adjusting vanes are turned in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction from a reference position by means of a drive source such as a motor.
DE4010134 discloses an air supply unit for air conditioning of rooms, having a distributor housing for mounting in the ceiling. On the underside of this housing are one or more lateral primary air nozzles and also a central air outlet with an air-deflector body. The primary nozzles may be adjustable, while the body can be of the swirl-inducing type, mounted in a vertical guide tube, and adjustment may typically be accomplished by means of a servo motor.
None of these devices offer a solution suitable for regulation of air distribution to different spaces which is compatible with existing ventilation installations. More specifically, there is still exists a need for a device for controlled distribution of air which is both cost-effective and capable of regulating air distribution at various air flows, which may be both high and low flow levels supplied from a ventilation system, such that suitable mixing with the surrounding air is obtained.


A computer-implemented system for determining deferred and immediate annuity contract living contingent and supporting component funding and related data representing tangible annuity contract values across the life period of a potential or existing annuity contract. The system is comprised of at least a terminal, data storage and a programmed processor. The system provides for the physical transformation of annuity contract purchase value data representing tangible purchase values into annuity contract living contingent and supporting component funding and related data representing tangible deferred and immediate annuity contract values at one or more selected dates during the life period. The system also determines the eligibility for withdrawal of withdrawal values and transacts the payment of such withdrawal values. The system demonstrates and explains the underlying mechanisms of life annuities to the public and insurance sales and service people by increasing the level of financial disclosure in connection with how life annuity contracts work. The disclosure includes certain periodic, mainly yearly, financial living contingent and supporting component funding values inherent in how these contracts operate both in general and in the individual case.

In the financial field of insurance, individuals are provided with an opportunity to fund their retirement income through the purchase of annuity contracts. An annuity contract generally involves an insured individual paying money to an insurance company and the insurance company pooling the insured's money with moneys paid by other contract purchasers having reasonably similar retirement funding desires, and investment and survivorship risks. The contract is used to invest the contract holders funds and pay back accumulated moneys primarily as retirement income, usually calibrated as income guaranteed over the lifetime of the annuitant. The annuity contract thus protects an insured individual from the adverse financial consequences associated with living too long.
To provide an insured with such lifetime guaranteed protection generated through the mechanism of an annuity contract, the insurance company studies the statistics associated with investing and people's mortality, adjusting these statistics to recognize the particularities of the contract.
Such contracts are variously called lifetime income, life payout, or immediate life annuities when the contract immediately (within 13 months) begins paying income contingent on the individual living, and deferred annuities when the contract does not begin to pay income out immediately.
Before retirement the financial risk of living is generally funded by an individual on a pay-as-you-go basis from employment earnings. Upon retirement, other sources are needed to provide such moneys. Social Security and private pensions provide some such moneys, and various individuals might receive income moneys from other sources. But for many people, some of whom have no such sources, their own personal assets must be relied upon as the sole or is supplementary source of such moneys.
This often presents a dilemma because of the risk of living too long. The dilemma is that people do not know how long they are going to live. So in the first place, they often do not accumulate sufficient assets. Then, if they dip into principal in addition to earnings on their assets, they could run out of money if they live too long. To be safe, they could take only earnings as income, but such earnings are often not enough, forcing the person to skimp. Moreover, earnings on most investments vary; low earning years may also require a withdrawal from principal. The risk of living too long has been and promises to continue to be a rising concern as more people reach retirement and retired people live longer.
Moreover, faced with this dilemma, inflation can pose an added burden for ever-increasing income, compounding the financial risk of living too long. There are also extra risks and financial strain on retired individuals concerning uninsured health care costs.
Life annuities generally pay specified income amounts to a contract holder at the end of routine intervals, such as monthly or yearly, to which the insured annuitant survives, and in most instances provide this contractual protection for all future intervals the individual lives. In such instances, the amounts of income includes the payout of principal, as well as investment earnings, calibrated over the statistically expected lifetimes of all of the annuitants. As such, life annuities solve the dilemma of the risk of outliving one's savings by safely tapping into principal so as to provide more significant income. Only insurance companies (and certain self-insuring groups) provide such lifetime guarantees connected with tapping into principal.
In establishing the payout amounts in this way, in the purest form of these annuities, pure life only annuities, principal and/or interest are not available after income payments commence, neither for withdrawal nor on or after the annuitant's death. To do otherwise on death negates the calibrated redistribution of these amounts back to surviving annuitants; and to do otherwise on withdrawal has the same effect because moneys could be withdrawn as annuitants neared death.
Since principal is not available on death, even if death occurs before income payments commence under this pure life annuity, insurance companies generally provide miscellaneous options for pay-backs on death. Such death benefit options are generally paid for by a reduction in income level or a corresponding increase in purchase payment. Some of the more common death benefits are: to continue income payments to the beneficiary for the remainder of the first 10 or 20 years from issue; to continue payments until the purchase payment has been paid through income payments, first to the annuitant while alive and then to the beneficiary (called installment refund); or to pay the remainder of the purchase payments in cash at the time of death (called cash refund).
Death benefits options have also been used as the backdrop for giving contract owners liquid access to values in the contract. Thus, to the extent a death benefit option is in effect, contract holders have in certain contracts been given the right to withdraw moneys connected to the death benefit available, subject in some more recent products to charges to recover unamortized acquisition costs and/or adjustments for disintermediation.
Certain contracts have recently also provided for various options to periodically increase the amount of the income payable to offset the effects of inflation. Other contracts, called variable annuities, tie the income amounts to the performance of the investment in separate accounts that are similar to mutual funds. And some others have begun to offer benefits and rate classifications connected to the health of the annuitant.
Although there are many different types of annuity contracts, little has been done to demonstrate and explain the underlying mechanism of life annuities to the public or insurance sales and service people. There has also been a lack of financial disclosure in connection with how life annuity contracts work. A major facet of this shortcoming involves the non-disclosure of certain periodic, mainly yearly, financial components funding values inherent in how these contracts operate both in general and in the individual case. Most particularly, the workings and values of the living factor has not been disclosed.
As such, prospective purchasers and contract holders, and even distributors, quite often do not understand or have limited understanding of what they are buying or selling. They are not aware of the options that might be available, nor are they fully cognizant of the financial implications of their decisions. Decisions are often uneasy, uninformed, and in many instances not what would have been chosen had more been known.
Moreover, component funding values such as living contingent values have not been enhanced, nor have they been integrated into other annuity contract frameworks. The insurer is also less subject to accountability on its ongoing declarations.
Then too, access to values and the value of living have been limited because of underwriting concerns.
There is a need for a system that provides more disclosure of the workings of life annuity contracts so that when the contract is presented to customers they can appreciate and act on all of such contracts' critical components. Likewise, there is a need for a system that will enable such critical components to be enhanced.


An automatic call distribution system wherein, when no agent is immediately available, and the calculated delay before an agent is likely to become available is above a predetermined threshold, a record is made of the calling number (either received as part of call set up or inputs from the caller), and the record is queued. When an agent becomes available, or after a predetermined time, the ACD removes the top entry from the queue, places a call to the received calling number, and presents the call to an available agent.

Automatic call distributors (ACDs) provide businesses with a system for routing incoming customer calls to an available operator or agent. There may be one ACD to handle a limited region for example, concert ticket sales, or there may be a plurality of ACDs connected together, but separated from each other, for handling a large-volume national business (for example, airline ticket sales). Such systems are known and used in the art and provide businesses with a greater incoming call handling capacity.
There are times, however, when even the large distributed ACD systems become flooded with calls so that incoming calls cannot be handled immediately. In these cases, an incoming call is normally placed "on hold" and queued for the next available agent. A customer may wait on hold for a few seconds to many minutes, listening to silence, music or advertisements until either an agent is available or the customer hangs up in frustration. During the waiting time, network resources are being used and either the customer or the business (in the case of "800" service) is paying for the use of the network resources. Furthermore, if the customer disconnects, the business looses income.
A recently offered service provides an announcement of the approximate waiting time in the queue before an agent becomes available. This service is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,715 which issued to D. Lee on Nov. 29, 1988. The Lee Patent also states that the calling party may leave a number for later call back, but does not clearly specify a system for placing such a call back automatically.
Therefore, a problem in the art is that when ACDs have no available agents, new customer calls are placed on hold in a queue, which results in network resources being used at the expense of the business provider. A further problem in the art is that the customer spends idle time on hold and may disconnect, causing lost revenue to the business.

Automatic customer call back for automatic call distribution systems


A liquid vapor separator for a vehicle's fuel system, said liquid vapor separator comprising a body having an inlet connectable with a venting system of a fuel tank and a vapor outlet connectable to a fuel vapor treating device, and a condensation space for condensation of fuel droplets, said space being in flow communication with said inlet and with said outlet, and said condensation space extending at or being in flow communication with a filler neck of the fuel system.

It is known in the field of vehicles and fuel systems, to use a filter canister (fuel vapor filter typically a fuel vapor filter) for fuel vapor exiting the fuel tank. The fuel vapor carried from the fuel system often contains an amount of fuel droplets which may have a damaging effect on the operation of the fuel vapor filter.
A wide variety of solutions has been offered to prevent the introduction of fuel droplets into the fuel vapor filter along with the fuel vapor.
One such solution is using a liquid vapor separator, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,747 directed to an apparatus for controlling discharge of fuel vapor from within a vehicle fuel tank, which apparatus includes at least a primary and auxiliary liquid separating chamber positioned above a float chamber below a valve outlet. The apparatus includes at least one baffle arranged to intercept and direct filtered fuel droplets from the vapor flow and return the liquid fuel to the fuel tank. The primary and auxiliary liquid separation chambers and associated baffle are positioned to facilitate flow of fuel vapor from the tank yet return liquid fuel to the tank
Another solution for dealing with the above problem, is in the form of expansion tanks, for example as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,398 to the applicant of the present application, which discloses a fuel expansion device for a vehicle fuel tank, the device comprising a housing formed of a first housing member and a second housing member, both made of an essentially impermeable material and being sealingly and impermeably attached to one another. At least one inlet port for fuel fluid ingress is formed in the first member and is in flow communication with the fuel tank, and an outlet port is formed in the second member connectable to a fuel fluid handling device.


A fluoropolymer coated film comprising polymeric substrate film and fluoropolymer coating on the polymeric substrate film. The fluoropolymer coating comprises fluoropolymer selected from homopolymers and copolymers of vinyl fluoride and homopolymers and copolymers of vinylidene fluoride polymer blended with compatible adhesive polymer comprising functional groups selected from carboxylic acid, sulfonic acid, aziridine, anhydride, amine, isocyanate, melamine, epoxy, hydroxy, anhydride and mixtures thereof. The polymeric substrate film comprises functional groups on its surface that interact with the compatible adhesive polymer to promote bonding of the fluoropolymer coating to the substrate film.

Photovoltaic cells are used to produce electrical energy from sunlight, offering a green alternative to traditional methods of electricity generation. These solar cells are built from various semiconductor systems which must be protected from environmental effects such as moisture, oxygen, and UV light. The cells are usually jacketed on both sides by encapsulating layers of glass and/or plastic films forming a multilayer structure known as a photovoltaic module. Fluoropolymer films are recognized as an important component in photovoltaic modules due to their excellent strength, weather resistance, UV resistance, and moisture barrier properties. Especially useful in these modules are film composites of fluoropolymer film and polyester film which act as a backing sheet for the module. Such composites have traditionally been produced from preformed films of fluoropolymer, specifically polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), adhered to polyester substrate film, specifically polyethylene terephthalate. When fluoropolymer such as PVF is used as a backing sheet to the module, its properties significantly improve module life, allowing module warranties of up to 25 years. Fluoropolymer backing sheets are frequently employed in the form of laminate with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films, typically with the PET sandwiched between two fluoropolymer films.
However, laminates of preformed fluoropolymer films on polymeric substrates having a bond which will not delaminate after years of outdoor exposure are difficult to make. Prior art systems such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,133,854 to Simms, U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,878 to Kim et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,632,518 to Schmidt et al. describe primers and adhesives for preformed films that will produce durable laminate structures. However, these processes require the application of at least one adhesive layer, or both a primer and adhesive layer, prior to the actual lamination step. The lamination step then requires the application of heat and pressure to form the laminate. Therefore, prior art laminates using preformed fluoropolymer films are expensive to manufacture and/or require capital intensive equipment. Because preformed fluoropolymer films must have sufficient thickness to provide strength for handling during manufacture and subsequent processing, the resulting laminates may also incorporate thick expensive layers of fluoropolymer, i.e., thicker than are necessary for an effective protective layer.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Fluoropolymer coated films useful for photovoltaic modules


A plasma generating system is provided. The plasma generating system includes: a pair of electrodes having distal ends; an electrode holder holding the pair of electrodes; a gate having a surface on which the electrode holder is slidably mounted and adapted to be controlled by sliding the electrode holder on the surface; and a resilient member secured to the gate and adapted to generate a force to close the opening. The distal ends are adapted to move into an opening of the gate as the electrode holder slides along a direction on the surface and adapted to generate an electric arc to thereby ignite plasma in a gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to plasma generators, and more particularly to devices having movable electrodes for igniting plasma plumes.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In recent years, the progress on producing plasma by use of microwave energy has been increasing. Typically, a plasma producing system includes a device for generating microwave energy and a nozzle that receives the microwave energy to excite gas flowing through the nozzle into plasma. One of the difficulties in operating a conventional plasma producing system is making an ignition system that does not interfere with the microwave energy in the nozzle. For example, a conventional ignition system includes an electrode having a tip remaining in the nozzle after ignition. The tip heated by the microwave energy in the nozzle is eroded to suffer a shortening of its lifespan. Also, the mechanism for holding the electrode may cause the leakage of microwave energy from the nozzle. Thus, there is a need for an ignition system which ignites plasma plumes in the nozzle that reduces leaking and/or interfering with the microwave energy in the nozzle.

Plasma generating system having movable electrodes


The present invention provides a fingerprint sensing mechanism using a two-dimensional thermoelectric sensor array to capture the thermal image related to the ridges and valleys on the finger, wherein its fabricating method is totally compatible with integrated circuits processing. Using the body temperature of a human being as the stimulation source for biometrics, a temperature difference is produced from a ridge of a fingerprint contacting the thermoelectric sensor and the temperature gradient is converted into an electrical signal. A plurality of thermoelectric sensors arranged in a two-dimensional array forms a fingerprint sensor so as to obtain the electrical signal output of the ridge profile of the fingerprint.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fingerprint sensing method, and more particularly, relates to a thermal imaging method of fingerprint using thermoelectric sensor and its IC compatible fabrication The present invention is partially related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,554 B1 entitled "METHOD OF FABRICATING THERMOELECTRIC SENSOR AND THERMOELECTRIC SENSOR DEVICE" and U.S. Pat. No. 6,335,478 B1 entitled "THERMOPILE INFRARED SENSOR, THERMOPILE INFRARED SENSOR ARRAY, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME".
2. Description of the Prior Art
Early methods of fingerprinting utilized ink to transfer the fingerprint onto paper for checking directly or optically scanning the fingerprint into a computer to compare with a stored database for personal verification or authentication. The major problem with these methods is that they cannot provide a real-time solution to satisfy the increasing demands of such applications as internet security, electronic transactions, handheld electronic device security, personal ID, etc.
For this reason, some real-time fingerprint sensing methods were introduced in the past including optical-types as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,053,228 and 4,340,300; chip-type fingerprint sensors including pressure induced piezoelectric effect or electrically contacting as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,394,773, 5,503,029, 5,400,662, and 5,844,287; capacitance sensing as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,049,620; and finally temperature sensing as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,464.
Because of the size of the optics module, the optical type is not suitable for handheld electronic products, such as notebook computers or cellular phones.
The major advantage of the chip-type fingerprint sensor is its small size so that can potentially be embedded into any electronics system. However, the chip-type fingerprint sensor of the prior art has some drawbacks including high power consumption (electrically contacting and temperature sensing ones), non-IC process compatible (piezoelectric and temperature sensing ones), dry or wet finger interference (capacitance), and ESD damage (capacitance).
For these reasons, the present invention provides a chip-type fingerprint sensor with low power consumption, IC process compatible, minor wet or dry finger interference and ESD damage resistance.

Thermoelectric sensor for fingerprint thermal imaging


Disclosed herein is a multi-band ZigBee transceiver for supporting IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communications. In the multi-band ZigBee transceiver, a Multi-Mode Modem (MMM) selects any one of a European version standard using 860 MHz band, a US version standard using 920 MHz band, and a worldwide version standard using 2.4 GHz ISM band among IEEE 802.15.4 standards. A frequency synthesizing unit variably adjusts a carrier frequency according to the transmission standard. A transmission unit receives a digital modulated signal, low-pass-filters the digital modulated signal with a bandwidth thereof being variably adjusted, and up-converts the filtered digital modulated signal into an RF modulated signal corresponding to the selected transmission channel. A receiving unit down-converts the RF modulated signal into a BB modulated signal using the carrier frequency, low-pass-filters the BB modulated signal with a bandwidth thereof being variably adjusted according to the selected transmission standard, converts the filtered BB modulated signal into a digital modulated signal, and outputs the digital modulated signal to the MMM. A transmission/reception switch unit outputs the RF modulated signal, input from the transmission unit, to an antenna, or outputs the RF modulated signal, received from the antenna, to the receiving unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to multi-band ZigBee transceivers for supporting IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communications and, more particularly, to a multi-band ZigBee transceiver for supporting IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communications, which includes an intelligent channel selection block, thus selecting a channel to minimize the influence of many interferers, and which includes a multi-mode modem, thus selectively and simultaneously supporting European/US/worldwide version ZigBee standards that support wireless sensor networks.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, with the rapid increase of wireless communications, demands for wireless sensor networks among a plurality of applications related to wireless networks have increased. It is recognized that ZigBee wireless communications based on network standards of Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 having low power consumption and low data rate play an important part in Ubiquitous computing.
ZigBee wireless communications can be classified into European version standard using 860 MHz band, North American (US) standard using 920 MHz band, and worldwide version standard using 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional wireless communication transceiver. As shown in this drawing, the typical wireless communication transceiver is composed of a BaseBand (BB) modem 100 that performs modulation and demodulation using modulation and demodulation schemes defined by the physical layer specifications of each standard, a Radio Frequency (RF) front-end block (or RF/analog block) 105 that converts a digital modulated signal, output from the modem, into an RF modulated signal and converts an RF modulated signal, received from an antenna 110, into a digital modulated signal, and the antenna 110 that wirelessly transmits and receives the RF modulated signal.
In the transmission operation of the RF front-end block 105, a Digital-Analog Converter (DAC) 115 converts a signal, digitally modulated by the modem 100, into an analog modulated signal according to bit resolution corresponding to a selected standard, and a Direct Current (DC) component correction and Low-Pass Filter (LPF) unit 120 removes a DC offset from the analog modulated signal output from the DAC 115, and low-pass-filters the analog modulated signal to a bandwidth corresponding to a selected transmission standard.
Frequency up-converters 125 and 130 up-convert the In-phase (I) component of the BB analog modulated signal, output from the DC component correction and LPF unit 120, and the Quadrature (Q) component thereof into an RF band corresponding to the selected transmission standard, and output I and Q RF modulated signal components, respectively. The I and Q RF modulated signal components are combined together by an adder 135, and the output of the adder 135 is amplified by a power amplifier 140.
The RF modulated signal is output to the antenna 110 at transmission periods based on TDD through a transmission/reception switch 145. In this case, the RF modulated signal passes through a Band-Pass Filter (BPF) 150 to allow out-of-band spurious signals to be removed therefrom.
In the reception operation of the RF front-end block 105, the RF modulated signal, input from the antenna 110, is freed from out-of-band spurious signals by the BPF 150, and is input to the transmission/reception switch 145.
The transmission/reception switch 145 outputs the RF modulated signal, output from the power amplifier 140 of a transmission side, toward the antenna 110 through the BPF 150 at the intervals of transmission and reception, or inputs the RF modulated signal, received from the antenna 110 and passed through the BPF 150, to the Low Noise Amplifier 170 of a reception side.
The LNA 170 low-noise-amplifies an analog modulated signal (RF modulated signal) in an RF frequency band. The low-noise-amplified analog modulated signal is down-converted into BB modulated signals by frequency down-conversion mixers 175 and 180 with respect to the I and Q components thereof. A low-pass filter and programmable gain amplifier 185 low-pass-filters the down-converted BB band modulated signal to channel bandwidth corresponding to the transmission standard and performs BB amplification with respect to the I and Q components.
An Analog-Digital Converter (ADC) 190 converts the above-described BB signal into a digital modulated signal according to a bit resolution corresponding to the selected transmission standard, and outputs the digital modulated signal to the BB modem 100.
In regard to the generation of a carrier, a programmable divider 160 diminishes a local oscillation frequency generated by an oscillator 155, and a frequency synthesizer 165 generates a carrier frequency using a frequency output from the programmable divider 160.
The construction of the above-described conventional wireless communication transceiver supports only a single standard. In the single-standard-supporting transceiver, it is possible to design a multi-mode transceiver by combining together transceivers for supporting respective standards in parallel so as to support multiple modes. However, in this case, it is difficult to meet cost, size and power consumption requirements demanded by a variety of applications. That is, the method of merely integrating a plurality of single standard transceivers in a system causes an increase in implementation size attributable to the duplication of functional blocks and significant power consumption, so that it is not easy in terms of product competition to adopt the method. Therefore, the necessity of a scheme of supporting multiple modes using multiple bands through the use of a single wireless transceiver has increased.

Multi-band ZigBee transceiver supporting IEEE 802.15.4 wireless communication


A device arrangement may include an electronic device at least partially enclosed in a device casing. A casing may at least partially delimit a casing interior. The device casing may be disposed in the casing interior. A pressure reduction device may be arranged in the device casing and be configured to reduce a gas pressure of an ignitable gas mixture disposed in at least one of the casing and the device casing. The pressure reduction device may include at least one damping element and a stabilizing device at least partially encasing the at least one damping element.

In explosion-prone areas, for example, on drilling rigs, the electrical energies present at the external electronic interfaces of an electronic device can ignite a gas-air mixture present in the explosion-prone area and thus cause an explosion. This applies particularly to highly reactive gas mixtures such as possibly mixtures of hydrogen and oxygen, for which said energy is available as activation energy in order to initiate an exothermic reaction possibly of hydrogen and oxygen to give water. The same applies to gas mixtures of acetylene-oxygen.
Against this background it is known from the prior art to provide pressure-resistant casings in which the electronic device to be used in the explosion-prone area can be received. It is further known to use additional damping elements in said pressure-tight casings in order to minimize the explosion pressure which develops during the ignition of the gas mixture and acts on the casing. This permits the pressure-resistant casing to be provided with thinner and therefore lighter-weight casing walls which increases the user friendliness of such a casing not inconsiderably.
Against this background DE 198 60 383 A1 discloses an electronic device in the form of a screen for an EDP system which comprises a pressure-tight casing with a transparent pane. An LCD display and an explosion pressure damping material are provided in the interior of the casing.
On the other hand, DD 261 063 A3 describes an arrangement for reducing explosion pressures in closed spaces. The arrangement comprises a casing in which an incombustible material having open continuous pores or gaps is arranged largely freely accessibly. Such a casing is fundamentally also suitable for receiving an electronic device.
The typically "soft" structure of the material which damps the explosion process proves to be problematical in such conventional casings with devices for reducing the pressure in the event of an explosion. The only low structural strength of this material can, in the event of an explosion, have the result that it is damaged or completely destroyed so that its functionality as a pressure-reducing component cannot be guaranteed with absolute certainty. This is however absolutely essential if a casing for an electronic device is to receive the certification required for use in an explosion-prone area.

Device arrangement, in particular for use in an explosion-prone area


A field weakening control system for use with an induction motor is disclosed. The field weakening control system has a sensing device configured to generate a signal indicative of a speed of the induction motor and a controller. The controller is configured to determine an initial voltage command based on the signal and determine an acceleration of the induction motor based on the signal. The controller is also configured to generate a desired voltage command based on at least one of the initial voltage command and the acceleration.

Induction motors are used to provide mechanical power in a variety of applications such as, for example, driving traction devices, wind tunnels, pipeline compressors, washing machines, dishwashers, standalone fans, and record players. Induction motors are electrically driven by a current to generate a mechanical torque output. That is, changing currents within components (e.g. field windings) of the induction motor create an electromagnetic flux, and a rotating member of the induction motor is caused to rotate by one or more currents interacting with the magnetic flux (e.g. in accordance with the principle of Lorentz force). The current applied to an induction motor can be regarded as a vector with two components: a torque current component iq, and a flux current component id. By controlling these current components using associated respective voltages applied to the induction motor, the electromagnetic flux and output torque of the induction motor can be controlled. For example, voltage commands can be delivered to an inverter to control the inverter to produce one or more desired voltages. The desired voltages can then be applied to the induction motor to cause desired torque and flux current components to flow within the induction motor, thus inducing a desired mechanical torque output from the induction motor in accordance with known principles (e.g. Lorentz force).
During normal operation of an induction motor, the induction motor will generate a counter-electromotive force ("back EMF") which opposes the voltage applied to the induction motor. There is a speed threshold above which the back EMF becomes greater than the voltage applied to the induction motor, which can cause the induction motor to operate undesirably or to cease operation entirely. A method known as "field weakening" is employed to reduce the back EMF (i.e. maintain the back EMF at or below a desired level for operation of the induction motor) to allow the induction motor to operate at high speeds (e.g. speeds faster than the speed threshold).
Field weakening methods generally include reducing the flux of an induction motor when the induction motor speed increases beyond a predetermined speed threshold, and maintaining the flux of the induction motor at or above a normal flux level when the induction motor speed is below a predetermined threshold (i.e. when the induction motor is experiencing a normal operation) to increase the operational efficiency of the induction motor. For example, this can be accomplished by delivering voltage commands to an inverter such that the flux current component delivered to the induction motor is reduced. Field weakening methods can further include using the voltage commands to increase the torque current component such that the mechanical torque output of the induction motor can be maintained at or above a level for efficient operation of the induction motor. However, during aggressive acceleration/deceleration events (i.e. relatively fast changes in motor speed), the traditional field weakening method reacts relatively slowly to the fast changes in motor speed and causes the motor to operate undesirably. For example, the motor may generate an undesirable output torque and thus function inefficiently, and/or experience overmodulation (i.e. distortions in electrical waveforms associated with operation of the motor). Thus, there is a need for a field weakening control method that improves the transient performance capability of an induction motor during aggressive acceleration/deceleration events while maintaining the efficiency of the induction motor during other field weakening events (i.e. high speed events) and normal motor operation.
One field weakening control method for handling an induction motor during an excessive state of speed increase or decrease is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,104,159 ("the '159 patent") issued to Seok. Specifically, the '159 patent discloses a field weakening control method wherein a voltage limit is established in an oval on a current plane and a current limit is established in a circle on the same current plane. The current plane has a flux current portion id along its x-axis and a torque current portion iq along its y-axis such that each point on the current plane corresponds to a respective current command. The circle is centered about the origin of the current plane and the oval is a translation δ units in the negative id direction of an oval centered about the origin. A major axis of the oval is parallel with the y-axis of the current plane. The intersection of the oval and the circle corresponds to those current commands used during excessive states of the induction motor, while a region not within the intersection of the oval and the circle corresponds to those current commands used during other states of the induction motor. Within the intersection of the oval and the circle, desired current values ieds and ieqs for the flux current portion and the torque current portion, respectively, are calculated according to the following formulas:
            i      ds      e        =                            -                      L            s                                  δ                                                                    (                                                      L                    s                                                      δ                                )                            2                        +                                          (                                                      L                    s                    2                                    -                                      L                    σ                    2                                                  )                                                                            (                                                            V                                              s                                                                                max                                                              /                                          ω                      e                                                        )                                2                                      -                          δ              2                        -                                          L                σ                2                                                          I                                  s                                                                                max                                2                                                                          L          s          2                -                  L          σ          2                          where:        δ    =                            L          m                          L          r                          α                                              ⅇ                  1          τ1                                i      qs      e        =                            I                      s                                                                          max                    2                -                  i                      ds                                                                                e                                                                          2                              where Ls is a stator self inductance, Lσ is a leakage inductance, Lm is a magnetizing inductance, Lr is a rotor self inductance, and ωe is an excitation angular frequency. Within the region not included in the intersection of the oval and circle, desired current values for the flux current portion and the torque current portion are calculated according to the following formulas:
            i      ds      e        =                            -          b                +                                            b              2                        -                          4                            a                                                                                c                                                  2                a                  where:              a      =              2                          L          m                                  L          s          2                      ,                            b      =                                    L            s            2                                          αⅇ                                          -                1                            τ                                      +                  3                                L            m                                          L            s                              δ                      ,                            c      =                                    L            s                                          δαⅇ                                          -                1                            τ                                      +                              L            m                                          δ            2                          -                                            L              m                                                  (                                                V                                      s                                                                                max                                                  /                                  ω                  e                                            )                                2                                i      qs      e        =                                                      (                                                V                                      s                                                                                max                                                  /                                  ω                  e                                            )                        2                    -                                    (                                                                    L                    s                                                                          L                    ds                    e                                                  +                δ                            )                        2                                      L        σ            where Ls is a stator self inductance, Lm is a magnetizing inductance, and ωe is an excitation angular frequency.
While the field weakening control method of the '159 patent may increase efficiency of an induction motor during excessive acceleration/deceleration states, it may be expensive to use. More specifically, because the field weakening control method requires the execution of several complicated mathematical formulas in order to determine desired current commands, it may require one or more relatively expensive processors and/or microprocessors equipped with high-end arithmetic units and/or other components for processing complicated mathematical formulas.
Further, the complicated formulas may require a large amount of processor resources, thus preventing the processor or microprocessor using the method from executing other tasks efficiently. For example, an engine control module may fail to regulate fuel injection for an undesirably long amount of time while processing the formulas of the '159 patent. Alternatively, a dedicated processor or microprocessor could be used to implement the method of the '159 patent, but the dedicated processor or microprocessor may be expensive, as discussed above.
Further still, the field weakening control method of the '159 patent may be difficult to implement. That is, because the method of the '159 patent requires that the stator self inductance, leakage inductance, magnetizing inductance, and rotor self inductance be known in order to calculate the desired current commands, it may be difficult or impossible to use a single unit implementing the method with two induction motors having different values for those constants.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

System and method for dynamic field weakening


A wireless network access point generates a fast initial link setup (FILS) discovery frame for broadcast to one or more wireless stations. The wireless network access point supports many operating channels including a primary channel. The FILS discovery frame includes a data field populated with an identification of a channel number for that primary channel of the wireless network access point. The FILS discovery frame includes another data field populated with a primary channel operating class identification. The broadcast FILS discovery frame further includes data indicating whether indicating whether multiple BSSIDs are supported. An FD capability field of the FILS discovery frame includes sub-fields indicating one or more of operation channel width, PHY type of the wireless access point, number of spatial streams supported by the wireless access point and multiple BSSIDs support provided by the wireless access point.

In a wireless local area network (WLAN), a mechanism must exist for enabling a wireless station (STA) to discover a wireless access point (AP).
In one known technique, a wireless station waits to receive a beacon transmission originated by an access point. Such a beacon may be transmitted by the access point on a periodic basis, such as once every 100 ms. This technique is referred to in the art as passive scanning. The wireless station may respond to the beacon by making connection with the access point.
In another known technique, the wireless station sends a probe request out into the network and then waits to receive a response from an access point that detects that probe request. This technique is referred to in the art as active scanning. The wireless station may then respond to the probe request response by making connection with the responding access point.
As general rule, discovery of the access point by the wireless station is accomplished more quickly with active scanning than with passive scanning. There are, however, concerns with the use of the active scanning technique. One problem with active scanning is that the probe request is transmitted by the wireless station in a broadcast mode, and this may prompt multiple probe request responses from multiple listening access points. Access may be delayed as the wireless station must decide on making a connection between several responding access points. In the situation where a plurality of wireless stations need to associate with a single access point, the transmission of probe requests by each one of the multiple wireless stations may flood the network and adversely delay achieving discovery of and connection to the access point. Further, active scanning consumes more power than passive scanning, which may not be suitable for wireless stations (such as mobile devices) where battery consumption is of critical concern.
To better support the passive scanning mode, it is known in the art to have the access points send beacons more frequently. This solution, however, has the drawback that the more frequently transmitted access point beacon communications will occupy substantial air time. Furthermore, it is understood that in the situation where a plurality of wireless stations need to associate with a single access point, the time spent by those wireless stations in passively waiting for a beacon transmission from the access point leads to inefficient wireless network operation.
To address the foregoing and other concerns, the IEEE 802.11ai standard proposes the use of a fast initial link setup (FILS) discovery beacon broadcast by access points for enabling access point discovery by wireless stations. The FILS discovery beacon may be a frame or packet. The terms FILS discovery beacon and FILS discovery frame are used herein interchangeably. Wireless stations discover an access point by detecting a FILS discovery beacon transmitted repeatedly from the access point at shorter or faster subsequent time intervals (e.g., higher frequency) than a typical beacon, which is typically transmitted at a period of 100 ms or other frequency according to IEEE 802.11 standards. The FILS discovery beacon may be transmitted with the standard or typical beacon. However, the FILS discovery beacon has a modified format that comprises less information than a typical beacon format. The reduced size of the FILS discovery beacon in comparison to a typical or regular transmitted beacon avoids the problem identified above concerning the occupation of substantial air time by the beacon broadcasts. The faster transmission time interval and the smaller size format of the FILS discovery beacon are implemented to speed up the access point discovery process. The goal is to achieve a FILS total association time requirement (beacon detection and association between the access point and a wireless station) of about 100 ms.
It is also known in the art to transmit the FILS discovery beacon with a randomized broadcast pattern (for example, according to a predefined sequence of transmission and non-transmission phases). The randomized broadcast pattern improves the chances for faster detection of the FILS discovery beacon and avoids a broadcast collision in the case of multiple access points operating in passive mode.
Alternatively, the FILS discovery beacon is transmitted with a periodic broadcast pattern at a relatively higher frequency than with standard beacons and without using any predefined sequence of transmission and non-transmission phases.
Reference is made to United States Patent Application Publication 2013/0177002, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, for a discussion of the FILS process.
Those skilled in the art recognize, despite the advantages of the FILS discovery beacon, that the FILS discovery beacon does not harmonize very well with IEEE 802.11ac. Multiple basic service set identification (BSSID) support is not present and 802.11ac capability information is not provided. There is accordingly a need in the art for an improved FILS discovery beacon in support of detection and association between an access point and a wireless station in a wireless communication network.

Fast initial link setup (FILS) frame content for a wireless network


A self-calibrating integrated photonic circuit and a method of controlling the same. In one embodiment, the circuit includes: (1) a substrate, (2) a laser located on the substrate and configured to produce source light at an output frequency, (3) a laser alignment sensor located on the substrate and including: (3a) a reference optical resonator configured to receive the source light, have a null proximate a predetermined center frequency and provide output light as a function of a relationship between the output frequency and the center frequency and (3b) a photodetector configured to provide an electrical signal of a magnitude that is based on the output light and (4) a calibration controller located on the substrate, coupled to the photodetector and configured to adjust the output frequency based on the magnitude.

This section introduces aspects that may help facilitate a better understanding of the invention. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is, or what is not, prior art.
Systems employing integrated photonic circuits can provide powerful platforms for ultra-wide-band signal processing. Silicon-based integrated photonic circuits hold a particularly promising future for high level integration of photonic circuits. Unfortunately, such photonic circuits are subject to frequency drift and photonic device mismatches resulting from temperature changes. The drift and mismatches, called "misalignment," degrades the performance of the photonic circuits. To counteract this problem, elaborate calibration circuits have been developed as companion chips to the integrated photonic circuits. These calibration circuits have been generally effective at reducing misalignment overall, but still have difficulty providing compensation for larger misalignments.

Self-Calibrating integrated photonic circuit and method of control thereof


A flexible printed circuit board (PCB) for a light emitting diode backlight unit includes a flexible base film; a plurality of metal lines on a first surface of the flexible base film; a cover layer on the metal lines and covering a center portion of the first surface of the flexible base film; a first gold-plating pattern on the metal lines and at both ends of the first surface of the flexible base film; a metal pattern on a second surface of the flexible base film and including a first sub-pattern at one end of the second surface, a second sub-pattern at the other end of the second surface and a plurality of third-sub patterns between the first and second sub-patterns of the metal pattern; and a second gold-plating pattern on the metal pattern and including a fourth sub-pattern on the first sub-pattern, a fifth sub-pattern on the second sub-pattern, and a plurality of sixth-sub patterns each on the third sub-patterns, wherein a first groove between a first double-layered pattern of the first sub-pattern and the fourth sub-pattern and a second double-layered pattern of the third sub-pattern and the sixth sub-pattern, a second groove between a third double-layered pattern of the second sub-pattern and the fifth sub-pattern and a second double-layered pattern of the third sub-pattern and the sixth sub-pattern, and a third groove between adjacent second double-layered patterns respectively expose a portion of the second surface of the flexible base film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight unit for a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and more particularly to a flexible printed circuit board (PCB) for a light emitting diode (LED) backlight unit and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
As the society has entered in earnest upon an information age, flat panel display devices, which have excellent capabilities of a thin profile, light weight and low power consumption, and so on, are introduced. For example, the flat panel display devices include an LCD device, a plasma display panel (PDP) device, an electroluminescent display (EL) device and a field emission display (FED) device.
Among these devices, LCD devices are widely used for notebook computers, monitors, TV, and so on instead of a cathode ray tube (CRT), because of their high contrast ratio and characteristics adequate to display moving images. The LCD device is not a self-emission type. Accordingly, the LCD device requires an additional light source. A backlight unit including a light source, for example, an LED, is disposed under a liquid crystal panel of the LCD device such that light from the backlight unit is provided onto the liquid crystal panel to display images.
Generally, the LCD device includes the liquid crystal panel, the backlight unit, a main frame, a bottom frame and a top frame. The liquid crystal panel is a main element for displaying images. The liquid crystal panel includes an array substrate, a color filter substrate and a liquid crystal layer therebetween. A PCB is disposed on edges of the array substrate. The PCB is connected to a gate pad and a data pad on the array substrate via a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a chip on film (COF).
When the LED is used for the light source of the backlight unit, a rigid PCB, where the LED is disposed, and a flexible PCB for connecting the LED to a driving circuit board are required. The backlight unit including the LED as a light source may be called as an LED backlight unit. An integrated circuit board without the flexible PCB may be used for the LCD backlight unit. However, for considering production costs, two PCB, e.g., the rigid PCB and the flexible PCB, connected to each other are used.
First and second polarizing plates are formed on outer sides of the liquid crystal panel, respectively. The backlight unit is disposed under the liquid crystal panel such that one of the first and second polarizing plates is positioned between the liquid crystal panel and the backlight unit. The backlight unit includes a light source along at least one side of the main frame, a reflective sheet on the bottom frame, a light guide plate on the reflective sheet, and a plurality of optical sheets over the light guide plate. A light source guide member may be further included to guide the light source.
The liquid crystal display panel and the backlight unit are combined using the main frame that can prevent movement of the liquid crystal panel and the backlight unit. The main frame having a panel guide and four corners of the liquid crystal panel is positioned on the panel guides such that movement of the liquid crystal panel is prevented. The top frame cover edges of the liquid crystal panel and sides of the main frame, so the top frame can support and protect of the edges of the liquid crystal panel and sides of the main frame. The bottom frame covers back edges of the main frame, so the bottom frame is combined with the main frame and the top frame for modulation.
The light from the light source of the backlight unit is processed to have a uniform brightness through the light guide plate and the optical sheets and provided onto the liquid crystal panel.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an LED backlight unit according to the related art. In FIG. 1, the backlight unit includes a plurality of LEDs 15, a light guide plate 5, a reflective sheet (not shown) and optical sheets (not shown). The LEDs 15 are positioned at a side of the light guide plate 5. The LEDs 15 is attached on a rigid PCB 10. A flexible PCB 20 is attached to the rigid PCB 10. Namely, an end of the flexible PCB is boned onto one side of the rigid PCB 10.
Referring to FIG. 2, the flexible PCB 20 is bent at least once and positioned under the backlight unit (not shown). One end of the flexible PCB 20 is connected to the rigid PCB 10 (of FIG. 1), and the other end of the flexible PCB 20 is connected to an external driving circuit for driving the LEDs 15 (of FIG. 1).
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a flexible PCB according to the related art, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a raw flexible board for a flexible PCB according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 3, the flexible PCB 20 includes a flexible base film 25, a plurality of copper lines 28, a first gold-plating pattern 32, a first cover layer 35, a copper pattern 38, a second gold-plating pattern 40, a second cover layer 45 and a kapton tape 50. The kaptone tape 50 may be called as a polyimide tape. As mentioned above, one end of the flexible PCB 20 is connected to the rigid PCB, where the LEDs are disposed, and the other end of the flexible PCB 20 is connected to the external driving circuit. The plurality of copper lines 28 are formed on a first surface of the flexible base film 25, and the first gold-plating pattern 32 is formed on the copper lines 28. The first gold-plating pattern 32 is positioned at both ends of the copper lines 28. An electric resistance is reduced due to the first gold-plating pattern 32. In addition, a corrosion problem of the copper lines 28 is prevented due to the first gold-plating pattern 32. The first cover layer 35, which is formed of an organic insulating material or an inorganic insulating material, for protecting the copper lines 28 is formed on the copper lines 28. The first cover layer 35 is positioned at a center of the copper lines 28 such that the first gold-plating pattern 32 is not covered with the first cover layer 35.
The copper pattern 38 is formed on a second surface of the flexible base film 25 which is opposite to the first surface of the flexible base film 25. The copper pattern 38 is positioned at one end of the base film 25. The second gold-plating pattern 40 is formed on the copper pattern 38. The second gold-plating pattern 40 covers the copper pattern 38 for preventing a corrosion problem of the copper pattern 38. The second cover layer 45 including a plurality grooves "hm" is formed on the second surface of the flexible base film 25. The second cover layer 45 covers an entire region of the second surface except a region where the second gold-plating pattern 40. The flexible PCB 20 is easily bent due to the grooves "hm".
Referring to FIG. 4, a raw flexible board 21 includes the flexible base film 25 and first and second copper layers 27 and 37 on the first and second surfaces of the flexible base film 25. When the raw flexible board 21 is processed to obtain the flexible PCB 20 (of FIG. 3), the second copper layer 37 on the second surface of the flexible base film 25 is removed, so that the copper pattern at one end of the second surface is formed and other regions of the second surface is exposed. Then, the second cover layer 45 (of FIG. 3) is formed on the other regions of the second surface and patterned to form the grooves "hm".
In the above raw flexible board 21 and the flexible PCB 20, most part of the second copper layer 37 of the raw flexible board 21 is not used for the flexible PCB 20. In addition, the second cover layer 45 is required to obtain the grooves 45. As a result, production costs for the flexible PCB 20 are increased.

Flexible printed circuit board for light emitting diode backlight unit and method of fabricating the same


A new and distinct cultivar of Ipomoea plant named ‘Kyuikukan 5’, characterized by its compact and trailing growth habit and cordate-shaped leaves that are light green when developing and becoming dark purple with further development.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Ipomoea plant, botanically known as Ipomoea batatas, and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Kyuikukan 5'.
The new Ipomoea plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventors in Miyazaki, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact, freely branching trailing-type Ipomoea cultivars with attractive foliage shape and coloration.
The new Ipomoea plant originated from an open-pollination made by the Inventors in June, 2001 of a proprietary selection of Ipomoea batatas identified as code number KOP99205-1, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Ipomoea batatas as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Ipomoea was discovered and selected by the Inventors as a single plant within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Miyazaki, Japan in 2001.
Asexual reproduction of the new Ipomoea by terminal cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Miyazaki, Japan since the spring of 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Ipomoea plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A system for amplifying a signal with active power management according to one embodiment includes a first digital to analog converter (DAC) circuit configured to provide a modulated carrier signal; a amplifier circuit coupled to the first DAC, where the amplifier circuit is configured to amplify the modulated carrier signal; an output stage circuit coupled to the amplifier circuit, where the output stage circuit is configured to provide the amplified signal to a network; a second DAC circuit configured to provide a full wave rectified envelope of the modulated carrier signal; and a switching regulator circuit including a voltage reference input coupled to the second DAC circuit, where the switching regulator circuit is configured to provide a supply voltage to the output stage circuit and the supply voltage is modulated in response to the envelope received at the voltage reference input.

Power amplifiers are typically used to amplify a signal prior to transmission over a network, such as, for example, a cable network or a wireless network, and power management is an issue of growing concern as systems increase in complexity while decreasing in size. This is especially true for battery operated systems. Additionally, some types of network receivers and/or protocols impose requirements on received power levels at the receiver regardless of the distance from the transmitter. Transmitters may therefore need to adjust their output levels using, for example, a programmable gain amplifier that is continuously adjustable over a range of amplitudes. Furthermore, some types of transmission are intermittent, for example, time multiplexed transmission.
There exists a class of transmitters that use amplifiers which employ a transconductance stage (a voltage controlled current source) coupled to an output stage. The output stage typically requires a voltage supply for the output stage that requires a DC offset to prevent saturation of the transconductance stage. The output stage, therefore, consumes power at a relatively high rate that is related to the maximum signal amplitude that may be transmitted rather than the instantaneous signal amplitude. Thus, power is wasted during times when the system is transmitting at reduced amplitudes or not transmitting at all.
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Signal amplifier with active power management