A motor control apparatus for rotating a motor smoothly. A sine wave form which is an ideal wave form of a signal is stored, and the motor is driven by a signal having the ideal wave form obtained by correcting the period and the phase of the stored sine wave form. A comparator receives a detection signal which indicates the rotating state of the motor through an A/D converter, and obtains the correction values of the current period and phase. A wave form setting means corrects the set period and phase, generates a sine wave having the corrected period and phase on the basis of the sine wave data stored in a sine wave data region, and outputs a driving signal having the sine wave form through a D/A converter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motor control apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for controlling a motor so as to smoothly rotate at a stable rotational frequency. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improvement of a control apparatus for a cylinder motor which is used in a video tape recorder and for a spindle motor which is used in an OA (office automation) machine such as a flexible disk drive, hard disk drive or an optical disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 3 shows a three-phase motor control apparatus as an example of a conventional motor control apparatus.
The motor control apparatus is composed of a motor 5, a sensing circuit mainly constituted by Hall elements 1, ..., an input amplifier 2, a driving signal generator 3, and an output amplifier 4 which are connected with each other in that order so as to make a loop.
The motor 5 is a three-phase star connection type and has three coils 5a, 5b and 5c. A driving supply voltage Vcc' is applied to the common connection point of these three coils.
The input amplifier 2 amplifies minute signals. It is mainly composed of three differential amplifiers 2a, ....
The output amplifier 4 is mainly composed of power amplifiers 4a, 4b and 4c and controls the driving current which flows from the connection to which the supply voltage Vcc' is applied to the motor 5 through the coils 5a, 5b and 5c.
The operation of the motor control apparatus having the above-described structure will now be explained. The outputs of the Hall elements 1, ... for detecting the rotating state of the motor 5 are first supplied to the input amplifier 2. In the input amplifier 2, the differential amplifiers 2a, ... amplify and shape the wave forms of the outputs of the Hall elements 1, ... and supply detection signals S to the driving signal generator 3.
The driving signal generator 3 synthesizes the three detection signals S at a predetermined ratio and, if necessary, delays them, thereby generating three driving signals D having a predetermined wave form and different phases and outputting them to the output amplifier 4.
In the output amplifier 4, the power amplifiers 4a, 4b and 4c amplify the respective powers of the driving signals D, and generate the driving currents in accordance with the wave form. The thus-generated driving currents flow in the coils 5a, 5b and 5c, thereby driving the motor 5.
With the rotation of the motor 5, the detection signals S are continuously generated, so that the operation repeats from the first step. In other words, the signals containing control information and the driving power information are sent along the feedback loop in the form of different signals, whereby the rotation of the motor 5 is maintained.
The rotational structure of the motor 5 will now be explained in more detail. The motor 5 has a magnetized rotor. The rotor is rotated by the rotary magnetic field on the stator side which is generated by the driving currents applied to the coils 5a, 5b and 5c. The rotation of the rotor rotates the motor 5. The rotating state of the motor 5 is determined by the number of stators and rotors, the positional relationship between the stators and the rotors, the wave form of the driving currents, etc. Therefore, it is desirable to make the wave form of each driving current as close to that of a sine wave as possible in order to obtain a smooth and stable rotation.
In a conventional motor control apparatus, however, the driving signal D is generated by amplifying the detection signal S and shaping the wave form thereof. As a result, the wave form of the original detection signal S influences the wave form of the driving signal D. In addition, since the wave form of the detection signal S depends on the positional relationship between the detecting element such as the Hall element and the element which is attached to the motor so as to be detected by the detecting element, and the sensitivity of the detecting element, the detection signal S actually has a wave form close to a trapezoidal or pulse shape instead of that of a sine wave. Such a non-ideal wave form of the driving signal D causes a fluctuation in the torque, thereby making it impossible to control the motor so as to have a smooth and stable rotation.


A method and an apparatus includes prompting that a virtual object is attacked. The method includes: displaying a user interface (UI) including a target virtual object located in a virtual environment. A being-attacked direction of the target virtual object is obtained. A display position of the being-attacked direction prompt information is obtained according to the being-attacked direction. The being-attacked direction prompt information is used for indicating the being-attacked direction. The being-attacked direction prompt information is displayed in the UI according to the display position. The being-attacked direction is prompted, and content of the being-attacked prompt is diversified.

At present, in some shooter games (STGs) at a mobile side, a virtual object controlled by a player may be attacked by other virtual objects in a game scene provided during a game battle.
In the related art, when the virtual object controlled by the player is attacked by an enemy virtual object, a client displays corresponding prompt information in a game interface, for example, displaying the interface turning red and a health point decreasing, and playing a being-attacked sound.
Current being-attacked prompts are relatively undiversified and an amount of provided information is limited.

Method and apparatus for prompting that virtual object is attacked, terminal, and storage medium

Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Company Limited


A multi-layer structure with a transparent gate includes a MHEMT device structure comprising a GaAs substrate, a Schottky layer and a cap layer formed on the Schottky layer; a transparent gate formed on the Schottky layer being an indium tin oxide, ITO; and a drain and a source formed on the cap layer. Moreover, the MHEMT device structure includes a graded buffer, a buffer layer, a first spacer layer, a channel layer, and a second spacer layer formed between the GaAs substrate and the Schottky layer in a stacked fashion. The multi-layer structure is a transparent gate HEMT employing indium tin oxide which can make HEMT more sensitive to the light wave.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) and more particularly to transparent-gate HEMT employing indium tin oxide which can make HEMT more sensitive to the light wave.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, with the increasing of the mobile communication demand, high frequency devices such as high electron mobility transistor (HEMT), and heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) have a significant development. With respect to HEMT, pseudomorphic HEMT (PHEMT) and lattice match HEMT (LMHEMT) have better performance on current gain cut-off frequency (fT) and maximum oscillation of frequency (fmax) Because InGaAs in the InP substrate has higher electron mobility and higher peak electron velocity, LMHEMT shows better high frequency performance than PHEMT. Moreover, because the InP substrate is very expensive and fragile, the fabrication of the monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) is difficult.
In general, to use materials of different lattice constants is to place a buffer layer between them. This is done in the MHEMT or metamorphic HEMT, an advancement of the PHEMT developed in recent years. In the buffer layer is made of AlInAs, with the indium concentration graded so that it can match the lattice constant of both the GaAs substrate and the GaInAs channel. This brings the advantage that practically any Indium concentration in the channel can be realized, so the devices can be optimized for different applications (low indium concentration provides low noise; high indium concentration gives high gain). The MHEMT device can have high frequency performance close to InP LMHEMT. The MHEMT device can save fabrication cost and make fabrication process easier.
Moreover, the HEMT is also called a heterostructure field effect transistor (HFET). The HEMT is a field effect transistor (FET) incorporating a junction (i.e. a heterojunction) between two materials with different band gaps as the channel instead of a doped region. The heterojunction created by different band-gap materials forms a quantum well in the conduction band on the GaAs side where the electrons can move quickly without colliding with any impurities because the GaAs layer is undoped, and from which they cannot escape. The effect of this is to create a very thin layer of highly mobile conducting electrons with very high concentration, giving the channel high electron mobility. This layer is called a two-dimensional electron gas.
Referring to FIG. 7, the flowchart comprises an optical signal 1, a photodiode 2, a mixer 3, a local oscillation signal 4, a band pass filter 5, an amplifier transmission link 6, and a radio frequency signal 7. HEMT is a useful device to combine fiber system and radio communication system. When the HEMT is illuminated by light, the channel layer can absorb the optical signal. There are two types of the photoresponse. One type is referred to photovoltaic effect, whereas the other type is referred to photoconduction effect. The modulating optical signal illuminates into the device, the device can mix the local oscillation signal 4 and the modulating optical signal. Meanwhile, we can integrate the detector and mixer into one device to simplify the whole design. Then, we can also integrate far end microwave transmission system into a chip to lower the cost of the optical-microwave network, and indirectly make fiber to the home (FTTH) and fiber to the building (FTTB) become possible.
Referring to FIG. 8, the conventional gate metal is Ti/Au (20 nm/190 nm). The conventional gate metal is illuminated by −9 dBm to 0 dBm, 1.55 μm single mode laser. The bias point, Vd, equals to 0.45V at the most sensitive position to the light wave. The conventional gate metal exists high difficulty in mixing technology and has poor mixing efficiency and high cost. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.

Multi-layer structure with a transparent gate


A method of rehabilitation or training of targeted portions of the brain in which hemi-lenses having semi-opaque radial segments selectively blind portions of the visual processing areas of the brain to force visual processing to a particular portion of the brain which is thereby stimulated. Such rehabilitation consists of having the patient perform visual and non-visual tasks constructed to activate processing in the targeted portion of the brain. The hemi-lenses may be employed in a series of gradually increased translucency to allow the patient's visual system to adapt in stages to the rehabilitated balance between intact visual processing and relearned visual processing.

The present invention relates to training and rehabilitating brain function, and in particular, to the use of hemi-lens to accomplish this purpose.
Brain injury, such as Cerebral Vascular Accident (stroke), closed head injury, penetrating head wounds, and invasive growths can generate a variety of sensory/perceptual and other cognitive disturbances that significantly impact the ability of individuals to maintain independence in their environments. When this insult occurs in the posterior regions of the brain, especially the parietal and/or occipital lobes, a change in the functioning of the visual perceptual system can occur. These sensory/perceptual disturbances involve inattention to visual stimuli to a varying degree, from mild inattention to details to complete loss of recognition of visual information in a given visual field. In some instances, perception of the visual field disappears completely.
Rehabilitation of the patient with a visual perceptual defect is limited. Most techniques involve behavioral and/or cognitive training directed at focused extra attention to the visual field that has been disrupted. The results of this type of rehabilitation have been successful, but limited.
Recent evidence showing that attention plays an essential role in almost all other brain functions including motor functioning in stroke patients with hemiparesis or hemiplegia, suggests that any technique that can improve attention related to brain injury might help in the recovery of many non-vision related brain functions. In addition, some research has established a relationship between hemispheric attention and visual processing in the dysfunction of developmental reading disorder, the most common type of learning disability.
Furthermore such improvement in brain function could also be effective in visual training in non-medical settings. For example, baseball batters use asymmetric visual information when standing at the plate judging pitches. Isolating the field that captures the pitcher and pitch, and blocks the catcher, umpire, and other distractions might significantly improve batting performance.
Contact lens, glasses and the like are known in which areas of the lens are rendered opaque or semi-opaque for the purpose of correcting defects in vision or to shield the eye from damage.
Harrell, E. H., T. Kramer-Stutts, and A. J. Zolten, "Performance of Subjects with Left Visual Neglect after Removal of the Right Visual Field Using Hemifield Goggles," Journal of Rehabilitation, (October/November/December 1995), pp. 46-49, discloses improved performance with visual input directed to a neglected field when the non-neglected field is occluded. Harrell et al. disclose complete occlusion of the visual field directed to one hemisphere of the brain.
Harrell et al. disclose changing the amount of visual field input by adjusting the Velcro strips which provide the occlusion over the goggles used in the experiment described in the article. Harrell et al. do not, however, disclose the use of a series of lenses of varying degrees of opacity, such as semi-opaque areas, in the course of visual retraining.
While Harrell et al. suggest that in the future a procedure using contact lenses might be preferable to goggles, they conclude that this would be expensive and probably not feasible for practical applications in rehabilitation.
One of the problems in using contact lens having occluded areas is that the contact lens must sit on the eye without rotation. Various techniques are known for maintaining the position of a contact lens without rotation. For example, such techniques are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,324,461; 5,483,304; 5,502,518; and 5,570,142. Also, various techniques are known for manufacturing contact lenses with opaque areas.

Method of training and rehabilitating brain function using hemi-lenses


A ball toy having a solid, resiliently flexible body is disclosed. The body is penetrated by a bore, wherein hearing means are mounted, defining a rotational axis of the body therein. The bore has a bore closure at each end, mechanical connection means connecting each closure to the bearing means. The body is able to spin on said axis relative to the closures, when the closures are held in a pinching manner by a user. The body is made of a thermoplastic rubber of selected hardness properties, giving it excellent bouncing performance, with unpredictability of bouncing direction resulting from the spinning of the body.

The demand for new novelty toys and games is continuous, with ball toys being popular across a wide range of demographics. Ball designs known in the art are wide and varied, with different sizes, shapes and manufacturing materials effecting the way the ball behaves when bounced or thrown.
In some instances, additional functionality may be included within a ball toy to influence the trajectory of the ball in flight. Such devices known in the art include the motor driven ball toy described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,835, where an electric motor is retained inside the core of a ball, or U.S. Pat. No. 2,563,019, which uses a combination of pulleys and springs to actuate movement of the ball in various directions. Devices such as these are somewhat effective, but the large number of moving parts makes them prone to breakage, as well as being uneconomical to manufacture.
International patent publication WO 2011/083313 describes a self-powered toy in the form of a hollow ball defining a shell within which a kinetic energy-storing flywheel is mounted rigidly to a shaft, which is held in position at either end by a low friction collar. The ball is operated by inserting a rotating shaft into charging hole in the shell and pressing it against a friction device in the form of a bevel gear. This causes the flywheel to rotate and store kinetic energy. The low friction collars constitute bearings and define between them a rotational axis for the shaft.
A drawback of prior art spinning ball toys of the kind disclosed in WO 2011/083313 is that they have poor bouncing characteristics. Flexibility and resilience of the body are found to be compromised when the interior of the ball is hollowed out to accommodate mechanical components. It would be advantageous to have a ball toy that enables changes in trajectory, speed and orientation when thrown or bounced, while having a minimal amount of moving parts that may be damaged when the ball toy is in use.


A thermal control variable-speed circuit without switching noise is connected with a driving circuit, which controls the rotation speed of a fan motor using a driving voltage. The thermal control variable-speed circuit includes a reference voltage output circuit and a driving voltage control circuit. The reference voltage output circuit outputs a corresponding reference voltage signal according to ambient temperature changes. The reference voltage output circuit has one end connected to a first resistor in series and to a second resistor in parallel. The driving voltage control circuit outputs a corresponding driving voltage according to the magnitude of the reference voltage signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a thermal control variable-speed circuit, and more particularly, to a thermal control variable-speed circuit without switching noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, methods for controlling the speed of heat dissipating fan motors were mainly accomplished by pulse width modulation (PWM) signals. Such control methods are illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The principle of PWM controlling methods is to utilize a reference voltage signal Vref and a triangular wave (TW) signal to adjust the duty time. Referring to FIG. 2, Vref1 and Vref2 represent the reference voltage signal Vref under different circumstances. When the reference voltage signal Vref is Vref1, the output PWM signal P is P1 with a corresponding duty time T1. On the other hand, when the reference voltage signal Vref is Vref2, the output PWM signal P is P2 with a corresponding duty time T2. A driving circuit 12 then controls the operating time of a fan motor 13 according to the duty time of the PWM signal P.
For example, at higher ambient temperatures, Vref2 corresponding to the reference voltage signal Vref is produced, and a TW signal is inputted to a PWM signal generating module 11. The PWM signal generating module 11 produces and outputs P2 as the PWM signal P, and the driving circuit 12 controls the duty time of the fan motor 13 according to the duty time T2 of the PWM signal P2. Because the duty time T2 per unit time is longer and thus average duty time of the fan motor 13 is also longer, the rotation speed of the fan motor 13 is faster. Conversely, at lower ambient temperatures, Vref1 corresponding to the reference voltage signal Vref is produced. The PWM signal generating module 11 produces and outputs P1 as the PWM signal P. Then, the driving circuit 12 controls the duty time of the fan motor 13 according to the duty time T1 of the PWM signal P1. Because the duty time T1 per unit time is shorter and average duty time of the fan motor 13 is also shorter, the rotation speed of the fan motor 13 is slower, thereby accomplishing the purpose of controlling the rotation speed of the fan motor 13.
However, such methods for controlling the rotation speed of a fan motor by using PWM signals are prone to the following shortcomings. While the driving circuit 12 is dedicated to constantly receive PWM signals P for controlling the fan motor, the operation of switching between high and low levels of the PWM signal P causes switching noises that further produce other mild noises. When the fan motor operates at high rotation speeds, the noise level is below that created by the fan motor. However, when the rotation speed of the fan motor decreases, the noises produced become apparent and cannot meet the requirements of system manufacturers. In addition, in order to ensure that the driving circuit 12 and the fan motor 13 are appropriately controlled by the PWM signals P, it is necessary to constrain the duty time of the PWM signals P within a range of 30% to 85%. However, the rotation speed of the fan motor will then be in a limited range and thus the ambient temperature cannot be adjusted as desired.
Therefore, it is an important task of the invention to avoid the switching noises during the rotation of the fan motor, and to broaden the controllable range of the rotation speed of the fan motor.

Thermal control variable-speed circuit without switching noise


A double layer forming fabric for a papermaking machine is warp-tied, all the warp yarns comprising binder pairs which forming a single combined path in the paper side surface. The pair members exchange positions at an exchange point between successive path segments and are laterally displaced in relation to each other at and between each exchange point. For each successive pair, an order of insertion of the first and second members in relation to each other into the weave is inverted in relation to the order of insertion for members of the immediately preceding pair, such that each first member is adjacent to the first member of the adjacent pair at the closest exchange point, and each second member is adjacent to the second member of the adjacent pair at the closest exchange point. The fabric has improved drainage uniformity leading to improved paper formation and reduced sheet marking.

As used herein, the term "double layer forming fabric" refers to forming fabrics comprising two sets of yarns oriented in a first direction, one set located on the paper side and the other set located on the machine side of the fabric, and which are bound together by a single set of binder yarns oriented in a transverse direction and woven as pairs. In the fabrics of this invention, the binder yarns are warp yarns.
The term "binder yarn" refers to a yarn which occupies a path in the paper side layer and which separately interlaces with a machine side layer yarn to occupy a path in the machine side layer. The corresponding term "pair of binder yarns" refers to two binder yarns which together occupy a single combined unbroken warp path in the paper side of the fabric, such that when one member of a pair passes from the paper side layer to the machine side layer, the second member of the pair exchanges position with the first member by passing from the machine side layer to the paper side layer, thus completing the weave pattern while binding the two layers together.
The term "drainage area", expressed as a percentage of the area of the fabric weave pattern repeat, refers to the proportion of that area not occupied by the yarns, both warp and weft, used in weaving the fabric at a given substantially planar location within the fabric substantially parallel to the paper side surface and to the machine side surface of the forming fabric. The method of calculation of the drainage area at a particular location is discussed further below.
The term "float" refers to that portion of a component yarn which passes over a group of other yarns in the fabric without interweaving or interlacing with them; the associated term "float length" refers to the length of a float, expressed as a number indicating the number of yarns passed over. A float length can be expressed in terms of numbers of paper side layer or machine side layer warp or weft yarns.
The term "internal float" refers to that portion of a component yarn which passes between two sets of yarns; the associated term "internal float length" in relation to this invention refers to the length of an internal float, expressed as a number indicating the number of PS yarns passed under.
The term "inverted" means that the interweaving pattern of the pair members of a first MD yarn pair is reordered so as to be opposite to the interweaving pattern of an immediately adjacent MD yarn pair. This is effected by changing the order of insertion of the first and second members of a yarn pair in relation to an order of insertion into the overall repeating weave pattern of the first and second members of an immediately preceding pair, so that the direction of one warp yarn exchange is opposed to that occurring in the next closest exchange for the adjacent pair.
The term "machine direction", or "MD" refers to a line parallel to the direction of travel of the forming fabric when in use on the papermaking machine. The term "cross machine direction" or "CD" refers to a direction substantially perpendicular to the machine direction within the plane of the fabric. In the fabrics of the invention, the binder warp yarns are woven in the MD.
The term "paper side layer" refers to the layer in the forming fabric onto which the stock is delivered from the head box slice. The term "machine side layer" refers to the layer in the forming fabric in contact with the support means in the papermaking machine. Thus each of these layers has a paper side ("PS") surface and a machine side ("MS") surface. In the double layer fabrics of the invention, the machine side surface of the paper side layer is adjacent to the paper side surface of the machine side layer.
The term "segment" refers to a portion of the single path occupied by a specific binder yarn in one repeat of the overall weave pattern, and the associated term "segment length" refers to the length of a particular segment, and is expressed as the number of paper side layer yarns with which a member of a pair of binder yarns interweaves within the segment.
In the papermaking process, a very dilute slurry of about 99% water and 1% papermaking fibers is ejected at a very high speed and precision from a headbox slice onto a moving forming fabric, which is used to retain and support the papermaking fibres in the stock, to allow water to drain from the stock so that an embryonic fibrous web may form and to convey that web to subsequent areas of the papermaking machine.
To overcome the known disadvantages of single layer fabrics for use in the forming section, double layer forming fabrics have been developed which consist essentially of two layers: these are a paper side layer which provides the surface on which an incipient paper web is formed, and a machine side layer which provides the surface that is in contact with the static supporting surfaces of the paper making machine. As noted above, within the overall forming fabric weave pattern, either warp yarns or weft yarns can be used as binder yarns which serve to hold the layers of the double layer fabric together and may contribute to the structure of one of the layers, but in the fabrics of the invention the binder yarns are warp yarns.
It then follows that although the layers are bound together by the weaving process into a single fabric with a single overall repeating weave pattern, each of the layers is often constructed quite differently in terms of yarn sizes, yarn cross sectional shapes, yarn count (in terms of numbers of yarns per unit length), yarn fill (expressed as a percentage of the amount of yarns and their size relative to the total space available to accommodate them) and the thermoplastic polymer used in the yarns. Thus, at least the water handling capabilities, the wear resistance capabilities, and the strength capabilities of each layer, when considered separately, can be and commonly are quite different.
Modern forming fabrics are woven so as to provide a paper side layer which imparts, amongst other things, a minimum of fabric mark to, and provides adequate drainage of liquid from, the incipient paper web. The paper side layer should also provide maximum support for the fibres and other papermaking solids in the paper slurry. The machine side layer should be tough and durable, and provide a measure of dimensional stability to the forming fabric so as to minimize fabric stretching and narrowing, or other distortions.
The role of forming fabrics is particularly significant in relation to their specific contribution to sheet properties, in that excessive drainage will adversely affect good sheet formation. In particular, any irregularities in drainage, including those resulting from variations in the main body of the fabric or at the seaming area, will generally result in marking, i.e. visible imperfections in the appearance of the eventual finished sheet; or in inconsistencies which affect tear strength and good printing quality.

Warp-tied forming fabric with selective warp pair ordering


Polishing compositions and methods for removing conductive materials from a substrate surface are provided. In one aspect, a composition includes an acid based electrolyte system, one or more chelating agents, one or more corrosion inhibitors, one or more inorganic or organic acid salts, one or more pH adjusting agents to provide a pH between about 3 and about 10, a polishing enhancing material selected from the group of abrasive particles, one or more oxidizers, and combinations thereof, and a solvent. The composition may be used in an conductive material removal process including disposing a substrate having a conductive material layer formed thereon in a process apparatus comprising an electrode, providing the composition between the electrode and substrate, applying a bias between the electrode and the substrate, and removing conductive material from the conductive material layer.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to compositions and methods for removing a conductive material from a substrate.
2. Background of the Related Art
Reliably producing sub-half micron and smaller features is one of the key technologies for the next generation of very large scale integration (VLSI) and ultra large-scale integration (ULSI) of semiconductor devices. However, as the limits of circuit technology are pushed, the shrinking dimensions of interconnects in VLSI and ULSI technology have placed additional demands on processing capabilities. Reliable formation of interconnects is important to VLSI and ULSI success and to the continued effort to increase circuit density and quality of individual substrates and die.
Multilevel interconnects are formed using sequential material deposition and material removal techniques on a substrate surface to form features therein. As layers of materials are sequentially deposited and removed, the uppermost surface of the substrate may become non-planar across its surface and require planarization prior to further processing. Planarization or "polishing" is a process where material is removed from the surface of the substrate to form a generally even, planar surface. Planarization is useful in removing excess deposited material and removing undesired surface topography and surface defects, such as rough surfaces, agglomerated materials, crystal lattice damage, scratches, and contaminated layers or materials to provide an even surface for subsequent lithography and processing.
Electrochemical mechanical polishing (ECMP) is one method of planarizing a surface of a substrate. ECMP removes conductive materials, such as copper, from a substrate surface by electrochemical "anodic" dissolution while polishing the substrate with a reduced mechanical abrasion compared to conventional chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) processes. A typical ECMP system includes a substrate support and two electrodes disposed within a polishing composition containment basin. The substrate is in electrical contact with one of the electrodes, and in effect during processing, the substrate becomes an electrode for material removal. In operation, metal atoms on a surface of a substrate are ionized by an electrical current from a source of potential, such as a voltage source connected to the two electrodes. The metal ions dissolve into the surrounding polishing composition.
However, ECMP processes typically have been observed to have reduced removal rates compared to conventional chemical mechanical polishing processes, and modifying processing conditions, such as increasing pressure between a substrate and polishing pad and increasing processing time, to improve removal rate have not proven to be satisfactory in increasing removal rates and in some instances, increased dishing and increased damage to the substrate surface. For example, increased polishing pressure on substrate containing low dielectric constant (low k dielectric) materials have been observed to form defects in the deposited material, such as delamination or scratches from increased shear forces derived from increased polishing pressures.
Therefore, there is a need for compositions and methods for removing conductive material from a substrate that minimizes damage to the substrate during planarization.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and composition for polishing a substrate


A measuring device is provided with a signal generator and a signal receiver, which is located at a measurable distance from the signal generator. The signal generator is designed for the emission of at least two signal beams covering in given relationship to each other an area and the signal receiver is designed for the time-resolved reception of the signal beams in such a manner that the generator-receiver distance can be determined from the time signature of the signal beam reception.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the characterizing clauses of the independent claims. With these the invention generally deals with determining distances and/or positions.
(2) Description of Related Art
It is frequently necessary to be able to measure comparatively short distances in the range of several centimeters up to several hundred meters fast and very precise. Applications for this are for example measuring existing real estates, the measurement of properties, during the construction of houses, as well as measuring distances of mobile machinery, for example transport systems in industrial halls, whose distance from walls or such must be determined, in order to stop the movement if necessary before a collision occurs.
Beyond that it is often not only necessary to determine the distance for a point of reference but also to determine a relative position to this point of reference depending upon application in two or three dimensions, i.e. typically the position on an area or in addition also the height.
Now different methods are suggested, in order to deal with these measuring tasks.
Thus for example the U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,530 suggests a method, which emits a pulsed laser beam and determines the distance to a distant object from the running time of the backscattered pulse. Systems of this type are already used in industrial applications, they are however expensive, as the running times of the light pulses are short and a gating electronic operating at high frequency operating is required, which must respond accordingly quickly.
Further arrangements are well-known, in which signals are modulated on signal beams and a value related to the modulation, e.g. the phase, is used for the determination of the distance to the signal generator.
Apart from the described timing of the interval between transmission and echo-return and the phase measurement with suitable modulated laser light further methods are well-known like the active triangulation, with which e.g. backscattered laser light is detected with a position-sensitive detector (PSD), in order to conclude the distance to the object points from the position of a light spot imaged on this detector.
Further arrangements are well-known with which a light emitter is aligned accurately to the vertical lie, in order to then emit a light beam along a horizontal line or a system of coordinates as reference. Hereby measurements can be facilitated, however they cannot be taken easily.

Measuring device and measuring method for determining distance and/or position


Traffic flows through an administered network from an off-network source and/or to an off-network destination are simulated and analyzed by selecting an ingress and/or egress node within the administered network, the ingress node capable of collecting traffic from an off-network source, and the egress node capable of routing traffic to an off-network destination. Traffic flow is mapped from the source or ingress node through the administered network to the egress node. The traffic flow may be simulated and analyzed. The ingress and/or egress nodes may be selected in a variety of ways.

Many businesses maintain networks that are connected to much wider networks, of which they have limited knowledge. As one representative example, many service providers utilize telecommunication, computer, or other networks in delivering services to customers. The ability to abstract the network into a database, simulate traffic flows through the network, and analyze many aspects of the network's operation, allows service providers to optimize existing networks, plan for future growth, and increase reliability by simulating network failures. The ability to accurately simulate traffic and analyze a network is limited by the information available about actual network facilities (e.g., nodes such as routers and switches, and links such as telecommunication channels). In particular, modeling data flows from a source or to a destination that is not within the service provider's administered network is difficult, since traditional point-to-point (i.e., source-to-destination) analysis is impossible due to the inability to know what off-network facilities the traffic flow is routed through, much less the characteristics and capacities of the off-network facilities.
However, the need remains for service providers and other network administrators to be able to perform high fidelity simulations of real-world traffic, to accurately plan and provision the facilities within their administered network.

Mapping off-network traffic to an administered network


A method for assembling a seal arrangement may comprise applying an adhesive to a seal, applying a force to a shoe of the seal, and removing the force from the shoe, wherein the adhesive secures the shoe with respect to a static structure in response to the force being removed.

Gas turbine engines typically include a fan delivering air into a compressor and through a bypass duct. The air is compressed in the compressor and delivered downstream into a combustion section where it is mixed with fuel and ignited. Products of this combustion pass downstream over turbine rotors, driving the turbine rotors to rotate. The turbine rotors in turn rotate the compressors and fan.
The fan and compressor are typically driven by the turbine rotors via shafts. Seals may be provided adjacent the shafts. During engine assembly, the non-contact seal may have tight build gap clearance to the seal land. Tolerances of the parts and of assembly tools may cause this gap to be reduced or eliminated. This may result in damage to the non-contact seal shoes which may cause the seal to malfunction.


An ankle block prosthesis is provided having a lower foot plate and an upper ankle plate connected by a monolithic ankle block. The foot plate, ankle plate and ankle block are generally sized to fit within a surrounding cosmesis. The foot is configured such that during a walking or running stride the wearer experiences a smooth rollover or transition of compressive forces from a heel-strike position to a toe-off position so as to provide a natural feeling foot during walking or running activities.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to prosthetic feet and, more particularly, to a simply constructed, low-profile prosthetic foot having enhanced dynamic performance characteristics.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prosthetics market, the conventional SACH foot has been the most widely prescribed artificial foot over the past 35 years. The SACH foot generally includes a solid ankle and cushioned heel foot mounted to a limb along an approximate hinge axis taken through the ankle. The SACH foot has been popular precisely for its simplicity, and thus economy, but includes certain drawbacks in terms of dynamic response characteristics. Specifically, the low end SACH feet do not provide much energy storage and release, as do more sophisticated prosthetic feet.
Some patients undergo what is known in the art as a Symes amputation, where the foot is severed from the leg near the ankle region. Because the Symes patient's calf and shin function as the stump for prosthetic purposes, prosthetic devices utilized by the patient must either be relatively compact, so as to be attachable below the point of amputation, or must be configured to accommodate the patient's shin and calf while attached thereto or higher up on the wearer's leg. Prior art prostheses available to Symes patients typically include an artificial foot bonded or bolted onto the bottom end of a socket worn on a patient's stump. These compact prosthetic feet can also attach below a downwardly depending pylon secured to a socket higher up on the amputee's leg. For such compact prostheses, it is difficult to provide the level of dynamic response approximating the original ankle and foot due to the lack of vertical space available. Some attempts at providing the appropriate response characteristics of the original ankle and foot in Symes foot prosthesis involve the use of rubber cushions, or bumpers, between a lower leg and the foot. Many of these require a pivotable bolt attachment between the leg and the foot. Unfortunately, many of these rubber cushion devices have limited durability due to the difficulty in bonding the rubber portions to the solid leg or foot portions, or are relatively complex, requiring several machined parts, which adds to the cost.
Consequently, there is a need for an inexpensive and durable Symes foot prosthesis with improved performance characteristics.


The invention provides methods and apparatuses for removing aerosols and, in some cases, vapor phase contaminants, such as mercury, from a gas stream. One method is directed to the removal of additional aerosols from a gas stream from which aerosols have previously been removed by using a screen in combination with a primary aerosol collection device. Another method is directed to the removal of both aerosols and vapor phase contaminants by using a sorbent in combination with a screen. Another method is directed to the removal of vapor phase contaminants by using a catalyst to convert the contaminant to a form that is more easily removed from the gas stream and optionally injecting a chemical to increase the rate of conversion. The invention also provides various apparatuses for use in performing the various methods of the invention.

1. Background of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the enhanced removal of aerosols, such as fine liquid droplets and particulate matter, from a gas stream. More specifically, the invention is directed to the removal of aerosols, and in some embodiments additionally a vapor phase contaminant, from the flue gas of a combustion system.
2. Description of Related Art
The emission of aerosols, such as particulate matter or fly ash and acid mist, from flue gas generated by utility power plants is an important issue. Several technologies have been used to remove such aerosols from the flue gas before its release to the atmosphere, including wet and dry electrostatic precipitators, wet and dry scrubbers, and baghouses. However, these existing collectors are required to handle even higher amounts of aerosols as more materials such as sorbents for mercury and acid gas control are being intentionally injected into the flue gas stream and because new pollution control devices, such as selective reduction (SCR) catalysts, increase sulfuric acid mist formation in the flue gas. Otherwise, such increased aerosol loadings lead to increased particulate and acid mist emissions at the stack. In addition, environmental regulations are becoming increasingly more stringent, requiring power plants to reduce stack aerosol emissions even further. Therefore, it is desirable to improve and enhance the methods and equipment currently used for removing aerosols, including particulate matter or fly ash and acid mists, from gas streams. In particular, there is a need for methods and apparatuses or "polishers" that supplement the removal of particulate matter or fly ash obtained using traditional equipment.
Further, special attention has been given the emissions of vaporous trace contaminants, such as mercury (Hg), in flue gas generated by utility power plants and the impact such trace contaminants may have on the environment. Generally, trace contaminants include those vaporous chemical species present in relatively low concentrations in a given gas stream. For example, mercury is present in flue gas from a fossil-fuel-fired combustion system in very low concentrations (<1 ppm) and is present in a number of volatile compounds that are difficult to remove. Specially designed and costly emissions-control systems are required to effectively capture these trace amounts of mercury. Therefore, there is also a need to improve the methods and equipment used for removing such vaporous trace contaminants from gas streams.

Method and apparatus for the enhanced removal of aerosols and vapor phase contaminants from a gas stream


There is provided a test apparatus including a driver that outputs a test signal to a device under test, a first switch that switches whether to connect the driver to the device under test, a comparator that receives an output signal from the device under test via the first switch, and compares a voltage of the output signal with a predetermined reference voltage, a reference voltage input section that inputs the reference voltage into the comparator, a second switch that is provided between the reference voltage input section and the comparator, and a dummy resistance that is connected at one end thereof to a connection point between the comparator and the second switch and at the other end thereof to a predetermined potential. Here, a resistance ratio between an output resistance of the driver and an on-resistance of the first switch is substantially equal to a resistance ratio between the dummy resistance and an on-resistance of the second switch.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a test apparatus and a pin electronics card. More particularly, the present invention relates to a test apparatus for testing a device under test such as a semiconductor circuit, and to a pin electronics card for use in the test apparatus.
2. Related Art
A known test apparatus for testing a device under test such as a semiconductor circuit includes a pin electronics card that transmits/receives a signal to/from the device under test. The pin electronics card is provided between the main portion of the test apparatus and the device under test. The pin electronics card inputs a test signal supplied from the test apparatus into the device under test, and receives an output signal from the device under test.
FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a conventional pin electronics card 300. The pin electronics card 300 includes a driver 302, a comparator 304, an FET switch 312, a transmission path 314, and a reference voltage input section 316.
The driver 302 receives a test signal from the main portion of a test apparatus, and inputs the received test signal into a device under test, which is shown as a DUT in FIG. 4. The driver 302 is connected to the device under test through the FET switch 312 and the transmission path 314. The driver 302 includes a level switch 306, an enabling switch 308, and an output resistance 310.
The comparator 304 receives an output signal from the device under test, and compares the signal level of the received output signal with a supplied reference voltage. The comparator 304 is connected to the device under test through the FET switch 312 and the transmission path 314. The reference voltage input section 316 generates a predetermined reference voltage, and inputs the generated reference voltage into the comparator 304.
The FET switch 312 is turned on/off by a supplied gate voltage. The FET switch 312 switches whether to connect the driver 302 and the comparator 304 to the device under test. With the above-described configuration, the pin electronics card 300 exchanges a signal between the main portion of the test apparatus and the device under test. No related references including patent documents have been recognized, and therefore such references are not mentioned here.
While being turned on, the FET switch 312 is represented as an equivalent circuit formed by a resistance that is provided in series between the driver 302 and the device under test, and capacitance components that are respectively provided between the ground potential and the ends of the resistance. The equivalent circuit has a constant RC product, and thus can not realize a low resistance and a low capacitance at the same time.
When having a low on-resistance, the FET switch 312 has a high capacitance while remaining turned on. In this case, the FET switch 312 can not pass a high-frequency signal. This makes it difficult to perform a test by using a high-frequency signal.
For this reason, the on-resistance of the FET switch 312 may be increased to allow a test based on a high-frequency signal. Here, however, it should be noted that the comparator 304 is connected to the device under test via the FET switch 312. Therefore, the on-resistance of the FET switch 312 affects the voltage comparing operation of the comparator 304 when the driver 302 is enabled.
For example, the signal level of the output signal input into the comparator 304 is divided by the output resistance 310 and the on-resistance of the FET switch 312. As the on-resistance of the FET switch 312 increases, the variation of the on-resistance increases. Therefore, a high on-resistance of the FET switch 312 lowers the accuracy of the voltage comparing operation by the comparator 304.
The on-resistance of the FET switch 312 changes in accordance with parameters including the temperature, the source-gate voltage, and the back-gate voltage. Here, the on-resistance of the FET switch 312 changes due to such parameters more significantly when set at a high value. Therefore, a high on-resistance of the FET switch 312 further degrades the accuracy of the voltage comparing operation of the comparator 304.


Receiving apparatus (1) for receiving an amplitude modulated signal which may be transmitted on a plurality of frequency channels within a predetermined frequency bandwidth comprises a tuner (3) for sequentially scanning through the channels under the control of a microprocessor (6) which determines the presence of a signal on a channel to which the tuner (3) is tuned. A first validation circuit (10) determines if the received signal is a valid type signal, and if so the microprocessor (6) counts the channels from the channel on which the signal is first detected to the channel on which the signal can no longer be detected is reached. The microprocessor (6) determines the middle one of the channels in which the signal is detected, and the microprocessor (6) locks the tuner (3) onto the frequency of the middle channel, and simultaneously operates a gate circuit (11) for outputting at least one complete signal to security apparatus of a motor vehicle for switching the state of the security apparatus from one of an armed and a disarmed state to the other of the armed and disarmed state. A noise suppressing circuit (9) is responsive to a noise analyzing circuit (8) under the control of the microprocessor (6) for suppressing noise in the received signal.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for receiving an amplitude modulated (AM) radio signal, and in particular, for receiving an AM radio signal which may be transmitted in any one of a plurality of frequency channels within a predetermined frequency bandwidth.
Vehicle security apparatus is commonly operated remotely by a radio signal, which typically is transmitted by a hand-held transmitter. Such transmitters, are relatively small and are suitable for mounting on a key ring, and typically, are referred to as key fob transmitters. Alternatively, the transmitter may be contained in the head of a key. Such security apparatus typically comprises a central control circuit which receives the radio signal from the transmitter through a radio receiver associated with the central control circuit. Signals received by the radio receiver are analysed in the central control circuit to ascertain if a signal is a valid signal. On reception of a valid signal the central control circuit changes the state of the security apparatus. For example, the central control circuit may control a vehicle immobiliser for immobilising the vehicle, the central locking system for locking the doors of the vehicle, a vehicle alarm and the like. Thus, if the security apparatus is in an armed state, whereby the immobiliser is in a state for immobilising the vehicle, the central locking system is in a state with the doors locked, and the alarm circuit is armed for detecting unauthorised entry or an attempted unauthorised entry to the vehicle, on reception of a valid signal the central control circuit disarms the security apparatus thereby operating the central locking system for unlocking the doors, operating the immobiliser to allow the vehicle to be mobilised, and for disarming the alarm circuit. On the security apparatus being in the disarmed state, a valid signal received by the radio receiver causes the central control circuit to arm the security apparatus.
Typically, the remote transmitter in each transmission transmits a series of encoded signals, each of which comprises a preamble code which is common to a particular type of security apparatus, and an ID code which is specific and unique to the specific security apparatus which is to receive the signal. Typically, one to five complete signals are transmitted in each series.
It is not unusual to encounter areas in which certain frequency channels in which the signal is to be transmitted contain a relatively high amount of noise. To avoid such noisy channels it is desirable that the channel frequency at which a signal from a remote transmitter is being transmitted is varied from transmission to transmission. Additionally, it is desirable to vary the channel frequency at which the transmissions are made from transmission to transmission to minimise the danger of a signal which is transmitted by the remote transmitter being picked up and retransmitted by an unauthorised person, for example, a car thief. The channel frequency at which the transmissions are made may be sequentially or randomly varied, but more typically, are randomly varied.
In cases where the signal being transmitted is a frequency modulated signal, in general, there is little difficulty in providing a radio receiver for locating in the vehicle which is readily capable of scanning the predetermined frequency bandwidth containing the channels in which the transmissions may be made, and then locking onto a frequency of the channel at which a signal has been detected. However, in many cases it is desirable that the signal transmitted by a remote transmitter should be an AM radio signal. Unfortunately, due to the lack of suitable scanning methods and apparatus for automatically scanning a frequency bandwidth for an AM signal, it has been necessary to set the transmitter and receiver of vehicle security apparatus to transmit and receive on one single fixed AM frequency. This is undesirable.
There is therefore a need for a method and apparatus for receiving an AM radio signal which may be transmitted in any one of a plurality of frequency channels within a predetermined frequency band.

Method and apparatus for receiving an amplitude modulated radio signal


A batch-compatible, post-fabrication annealing method and system are described that can be used to trim the resonance frequency and enhance the quality factor of mechanical microstructures, particularly micromechanical structures, such as micromechanical resonators. The technique involves running a current through a micromechanical structure, or through a nearby microstructure (e.g., a nearby resistor), thereby dissipating power and heating the structure to temperatures high enough to change its microstructure and/or its material properties, which then lead to changes in the microstructure's resonance frequency and quality factor. For micromechanical structures, this technique is particularly useful, since it allows for convenient, simultaneous trimming of many microstructures all at once, and can be implemented via the simple application of a voltage across the anchor points of a micromechanical structure.

Many devices require post-fabrication trimming in order to operate within specifications. In particular, sensors and references (e.g., frequency references) require such trimming. For the case of macroscopic devices that are manufactured serially, trimming often does not comprise an overwhelming percentage of the total device cost. For the case of microscopic devices fabricated in batches (e.g., integrated circuits or micromechanical devices), trimming or programming can constitute a dominant percentage of device cost if it must be done serially. For example, laser trimming of micromechanical resonators to achieve a specific resonance frequency usually must be done serially, and thus, has low throughput and high cost.
With the advent of frequency specific applications for micromechanical resonators, such as oscillator references and highly selective bandpass filters, techniques for post-fabrication trimming of resonance frequencies are becoming increasingly important. This is especially true for recent communications applications of micromechanical resonators, in which large numbers of such resonators with precisely located center frequencies must realize parallel filter banks and multiple oscillator references. Since these applications will likely be batch-fabricated using planar technologies, high throughput trimming is desirable.
It is known that rapid thermal annealing (RTA) can change stress profiles in polysilicon thin films.

Method and system for locally annealing a microstructure formed on a substrate and device formed thereby


A method for visualizing sound source energy distribution in an echoic environment comprises steps: arranging in an echoic environment a plurality of arrayed sound pickup units, wherein each sound pickup unit includes at least two microphones separated by a directive distance enabling the sound pickup unit to have a primary pickup direction; disposing the sound pickup units with the primary pickup directions thereof pointing toward a sound source in the echoic environment, and measuring the sound source by the sound pickup units to obtain a sound source-related parameter; substituting the directive distance and the parameter into an algorithm to make the parameter have directivity; and then substituting the parameter into an ESM algorithm to establish a sound source energy distribution profile. Thereby, the method can measure a sound source in a specified direction in an echoic environment and establish a visualized sound source energy distribution profile.

Nowadays, people pay more and more attention to life quality. Many researches point out that environmental noise affects physiological and psychological health more or less. For example, people are likely to be shocked, anxious, and impatient if they stay in a noisy environment for a long time.
The influence of noise may be reduced via three approaches respectively addressing noise source, noise propagation path and noise receptor. For examples, finding out the noise source, reducing the loudness of noise, blocking the propagation path of noise, or isolating the receptor from noise. Among the aforesaid approaches, to find out the noise source, and in advance to study the noise position, the intensity distribution, spectrum distribution and density distribution of noise are fundamental to the effective control of the noise.
A U.S. Patent Publication No. 20070223711 disclosed a system and method for visualizing sound source energy distribution, which uses an array of microphones to receive multiple sound source signals and uses a multi-channel capture device to transform the sound source signals into digital sound source signals, and which uses a sound source energy distribution reconstructor to receive the digital sound source signals and perform a convolution operation to obtain a sound source energy distribution on a retreated focus point surface, whereby are visualized the sound source signals and obtained the distribution state of the sound source signals.
According to the environment where a sound source is situated, the sound sources may be classified into free-space sound sources (such as air planes, automobiles, motorcycles, factories, and building construction sites) and echoic-environment sound sources (such as indoor air conditioners, refrigerators, photostat, smoke exhausters, and blowers). The abovementioned prior art arranges microphones into a microphone array, which is a non-directive sound-pickup technology and unlikely to sample the sound source signals coming from a specified direction. Therefore, the prior art is unsuitable to measure sound signals in an echoic environment. For example, when the prior art is used to diagnose a motor-driven machine in an echoic environment, echo is likely to affect the measurement result and cause measurement errors. Therefore, the prior art has room to improve.

Method for visualizing sound source energy distribution in echoic environment


A turbine engine and a rotor for a turbine engine are provided. Several adjacent turbine blades are positioned in the circumferential direction of the rotor, each turbine blade having a blade root, each turbine being fixed in a retainer groove, running in the circumferential direction of the rotor, by means of the blade root. Each turbine blade may be introduced, by the blade roots thereof, into the retaining groove, by means of a filling groove, whereby the width of the filling groove is matched is matched to the width of the blade roots. The width of the blade roots (13, 14) and the width of the, or each filling groove (17) in the circumferential direction is greater than half the width of a desired nominal blade pitch (18), whereby in the region of the, or each filling groove (17), a first number of turbine blades (11) with desired nominal blade pitch (18), is exchanged for a second number of turbine blades (12), with increased blade pitch (19), the first number being greater than the second number.

In turbine engines, gas turbines in particular, it is known to mount the turbine blades on a rotor in the compressor of the turbine engine in such a way that the turbine blades with their blade roots are held and thus secured in a retainer groove which runs in the circumferential direction, i.e., surrounding the rotor in the circumferential direction. A rotor design for securing the turbine blades having a retainer groove that runs in the circumferential direction is also referred to as circumferential groove rotor design or circumferential groove blade design. A filling groove is used for introducing the blade roots into the correspondingly designed retainer groove. The filling groove is dimensioned in such a way that the turbine blades with their blade roots may be pivoted into the filling groove in order to be subsequently displaced in the retainer groove in the circumferential direction. It is thus already related art that the width of the filling groove is adapted to the width of the turbine blades' blade roots.
Since, due to high rotational speeds, the turbine blades are exposed to high mechanical stresses during operation of the rotor, i.e., the turbine engine, it is important that the blade roots, in the area of a blade collar in particular, have a sufficiently large cross section and thus sufficient stability. Since the width of the filling groove must be adapted to the width of the blade roots and, furthermore, no blade root is allowed to protrude into the filling groove after assembly of the turbine blades in the retainer groove of the rotor, the turbine blades have blade roots, according to the related art, which have a width of at most one-half of the blade pitch. Viewed in the circumferential direction of the rotor, the blade pitch is understood to be the spacing of the turbine blades over the circumference of the rotor due to the circumferential extension of the turbine blades.

Turbine engine and bladed rotor for a compression stage of a turbine engine


A printer includes a first determination unit, a first receiving unit, a second determination unit, a second receiving unit, and a controller. The first receiving unit receives a setting of a print type determined to be settable by the first determination unit and inhibits a setting of a print type determined to be unsettable by the first determination unit. The second receiving unit receives a setting of a print function determined to be settable by the second determination unit and inhibits a setting of a print function determined to be unsettable by the second determination unit. The controller controls a printing unit so that the printing unit prints an image on the paper sheet, in accordance with the data input by the input unit, the print type received by the first receiving unit, and the setting of the print function received by the second receiving unit.

The present disclosure relates to a printer and a printer system.
In an image forming apparatus typified by a digital multifunctional peripheral or the like, an image of a document is read by an image reading unit and a photoreceptor included in an image forming unit is irradiated with light based on the read image so that an electrostatic latent image is formed on the photoreceptor. A developer such as charged toner is supplied onto the electrostatic latent image to form a visible image, which is transferred and fixed onto a paper sheet that has been fed. The sheet is then discharged to the outside of the apparatus.
Techniques regarding paper feed in image forming apparatuses are known to date.
As a feature of a typical image forming apparatus, the typical image forming apparatus includes a mode setting means for setting a manual feed mode in which a recording material is manually fed and a material setting means for setting the type of the recording material to be manually fed in accordance with the setting of the manual feed mode by the mode setting means.
When a printout request is issued in a state where a first or second paper feed tray is selected as a paper feed tray dedicated to a printer, the typical image forming apparatus determines details of the request. If the request is for a printout of image data from a computer, paper feed from the paper feed tray selected as the paper feed tray dedicated to the printer is permitted. Thereafter, a paper sheet is fed from a paper feed tray designated by the computer. In the typical image forming apparatus, if the request is for a printout of image data received by facsimile, paper feed from the paper feed tray selected as the paper feed tray dedicated to the printer is inhibited, and a paper sheet of fed from another paper feed tray.
The typical image forming apparatus includes a plurality of paper cassettes, and a printing unit performs printing in response to a selective supply of paper from the paper cassettes. The image forming apparatus includes a cassette function memory unit that stores functions capable of being processed for the paper cassettes, an input unit that can select a function and input a priority setting, and a cassette selecting unit that selects a paper cassette based on a function entered by the input unit with priority and the function that can be processed for each of the paper cassettes stored in the cassette function memory unit.

Printer providing a plurality of print types and having a plurality of print functions, and printer system


A method and apparatus are disclosed for synchronizing transactions in a disconnectable network. Each transaction includes operations that were performed on a database replica on one computer while that computer was disconnected from another computer and hence from that other computer's replica. Transaction synchronization, which occurs after the computers are reconnected, transfers information from each computer to the other computer and applies updates to both replicas as appropriate. Transaction logs and clash handling tools may be used with the invention.

It is often convenient, and sometimes essential, to carry a computer and selected data while traveling. It may also be convenient or essential to access a computer network using a "mobile computer" such as a laptop, palmtop, notebook, or personal digital assistant. However, different types of mobile computing make very different assumptions about the use and availability of computer networks.
Some mobile computers are not ordinarily connected to a computer network. Like their non-traveling "stand-alone" counterparts, such "walk-alone" computers cannot be connected to a network unless significant hardware or software modifications are made to them or to the network.
"Mobile-link" portable computers are typically connected to a computer network and attempt (with varying degrees of success) to maintain that network connection during mobile use through a wireless link. Typical wireless links use radio waves or infrared light as carriers. Mobile-link computers can be used in a walk-alone mode if the network connection is lost. However, mobile-link systems provide few or no automatic facilities to synchronize the mobile-link computer with the network when the connection is re-established.
"Disconnectable" computers include portable computers that operate in either a walk-alone or a mobile-link mode and provide significant automated facilities for synchronizing operations performed on the mobile computer with operations performed on the network. Disconnectable computers need not be portable. For instance, separate server computers in a wide-area network (WAN) or other network that are connected to one another only sporadically or at intervals may be disconnectable computers.
Unfortunately, conventional disconnectable computers still rely routinely on manually directed file copying to select the data that will be used in the field. Moreover, conventional disconnectable computer systems are not easily extended to support a variety of database formats, and they do not properly handle the situation in which changes to the "same" data are made on both the portable computer and on a network computer during disconnected operation.
For instance, the Coda File System ("Coda") is a client-server system that provides limited support for disconnectable operation. To prepare for disconnection, a user may hoard data in a client cache by providing a prioritized list of files. On disconnection, two copies of each cached file exist: the original stored on the server, and a duplicate stored in the disconnected client's cache. The user may alter the duplicate file, making it inconsistent with the server copy. Upon reconnection, this inconsistency may be detected by comparing timestamps.
However, the inconsistency is detected only if an attempt is made to access one of the copies of the file. The Coda system also assumes that the version stored in the client's cache is the correct version, so situations in which both the original and the duplicate were altered are not properly handled. Moreover, the Coda synchronization mechanism is specifically tailored, not merely to file systems, but to a particular file system (a descendant of the Andrew File System). Coda provides no solution to the more general problem of synchronizing transactions in a distributed database that can include objects other than file and directory descriptors.
Some approaches to distributed database replication are not directed to mobile computing per se but do attempt to ensure consistency between widely separated replicas that collectively form the database. Examples include, without limitation, the replication subsystem in Lotus Notes and the partition synchronization subsystem in Novell NetWare.RTM. 4.1 (LOTUS NOTES is a trademark of International Business Machines, Inc. and NETWARE is a registered trademark of Novell, Inc.).
However, some of these approaches to replication are not transactional. A transaction is a sequence of one or more operations which are applied to a replica on an all-or-nothing basis. Non-transactional approaches may allow partially completed update operations to create inconsistent internal states in network nodes. Non-transactional approaches may also require a synchronization time period that depends directly on the total number of files, directories, or other objects in the replica. This seriously degrades the performance of such approaches when the network connection used for synchronization is relatively slow, as many modem or WAN links are.
Moreover, in some conventional approaches potentially conflicting changes to a given set of data are handled by simply applying the most recent change and discarding the others. Another drawback of several conventional approaches to replication is the requirement they impose that either or both computer systems be locked out of use while the replicas are being synchronized.
Another drawback of conventional disconnected computing approaches is that the location of data on the mobile computer does not always correspond to its location on the network computer. Files may be located in one subdirectory or on one drive during connected operation and in another subdirectory or on another drive during disconnected operation. Thus, the mobile computer does not present the same view of the network when it is disconnected as it does when connected to the network. In addition to creating a risk of confusion and conflicting file versions, these conventional approaches require users to repeatedly reconfigure application programs to look for data in different locations.
Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a system and method for properly synchronizing transactions when a disconnectable computer is reconnected to a network.
It would be an additional advancement to provide such a system and method which identify potentially conflicting database changes and allow their resolution by either automatic or manual means.
It would also be an advancement to provide such a system and method which are not limited to file system operations but can instead be extended to support a variety of database objects.
It would be an additional advancement to provide such a system and method which do not require a synchronization time period that depends directly on the total number of files, directories, or other objects in the replica.
It would be a further advancement to provide such a system and method which do not lock either the mobile computer or the network computers during synchronization.
It would be an additional advancement to provide such a system and method which present consistent file locations regardless of whether the mobile computer is connected to the network.
Such a system and method are disclosed and claimed herein.

Transaction synchronization in a disconnectable computer and network


Systems and methods implant structures in, on, or near the floor of the mouth. The structures can be sized and configured to resist buckling of tissue structures in, on, or near the floor of the mouth in a cranial direction. The systems and methods can also be sized and configured, singly or in combination, for stabilizing a hyoid bone, and/or stabilizing a tongue, and/or suspending a tongue, and/or providing neuro-muscular stimulation of tissue structures in, on, or near the floor of the mouth.

The Greek word "apnea" literally means "without breath." People with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is the most common category of sleep-disordered breathing. The muscle tone of the body ordinarily relaxes during sleep. At the level of the throat, the human airway is composed of collapsible walls of soft tissue which can obstruct breathing during sleep. Mild, occasional sleep apnea, such as many people experience during an upper respiratory infection may not be important, but chronic, severe obstructive sleep apnea requires treatment to prevent sleep deprivation and other complications.
Individuals with low muscle tone and abundant soft tissue around the airway (e.g., due to obesity), and/or structural features that give rise to a narrowed airway are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. The elderly are more likely to have OSA than young people. Men are more typical sleep apnea sufferers than women and children, although it is not uncommon in the latter two.
Common symptoms include loud snoring, restless sleep, and sleepiness during the daytime. Diagnostic tests include home oximetry or polysomnography in a sleep clinic.
Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Untreated, sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain, impotency, and headaches. Moreover, untreated sleep apnea may be responsible for job impairment and motor vehicle crashes.
Some treatments involve lifestyle changes, such as avoiding alcohol or muscle relaxants, losing weight, and quitting smoking. Many people benefit from sleeping at a 30 degree elevation of the upper body or higher, as if in a recliner. Doing so helps prevent the gravitational collapse of the airway. Lateral positions (sleeping on a side), as opposed to supine positions (sleeping on the back), are also recommended as a treatment for sleep apnea, largely because the gravitational component is smaller in the lateral position. Some people benefit from various kinds of oral appliances to keep the airway open during sleep. There are also surgical procedures to remove and tighten tissue and widen the airway, but these tend to be very intrusive. "Breathing machines" like continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may help.
The CPAP machine delivers a stream of compressed air via a hose to a nasal pillow, nose mask or full-face mask, splinting the airway (keeping it open under air pressure) so that unobstructed breathing becomes possible, reducing and/or preventing apneas and hypopneas. This has the additional benefit of reducing or eliminating the extremely loud snoring that sometimes accompanies sleep apnea. Prospective CPAP candidates are often reluctant to use this therapy, since the nose mask and hose to the machine look uncomfortable and clumsy, and the airflow required for some patients can be vigorous. Some patients will develop nasal congestion while others may experience rhinitis or a runny nose. Other conditions that can accompany the use of CPAP include flatulence caused by swallowing too much air; irritation of the skin due to wearing a CPAP mask; upper airway infection; red eye and tear flow; anxiety and feelings of suffocation and/or claustrophobia; and the need to cart around CPAP equipment during travel. Compliance requires self-discipline and resolve. Some patients adjust to the treatment within a few weeks, others struggle for longer periods, and many discontinue treatment entirely.

Apparatus, systems, and methods for constraining and/or supporting tissue structures along an airway


A fan driving circuit includes a digital-analog converting circuit (10), an amplifier circuit (40), and a controlling circuit (50). The digital-analog converting circuit receives a digital signal from a controlling integrated circuit (IC), and outputs an analog signal. The amplifier circuit receives the analog signal from the digital-analog converting circuit, and outputs an amplified analog signal at an output terminal. The controlling circuit includes an isolation diode (D1), a transistor (Q1), and a resistor (R4), an anode of the isolation diode is coupled to an output terminal of the amplifier circuit, a cathode of the isolation diode is coupled to a base of the transistor, the base of the transistor is coupled to a power supply (Vcc1) via the resistor, a collector of the transistor is coupled to the power supply, an emitter of the transistor is coupled to a fan (60).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fan driving circuit, and particularly to a fan driving circuit which stabilizes running of a fan.
2. Description of Related Art
Developments in today's highly information-intensive society have led to remarkable improvements in performances of electronic devices. During operation of many contemporary electronic devices such as central processing units (CPUs), large amounts of heat are produced. Typically, an electric fan is used to facilitate removal of the heat. The fan must run stably, so as to prevent the device from becoming unstable or being damaged. A driving circuit accompanying the fan is quite important to ensure normal running of the fan.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional driving circuit of a fan. A Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM) signal from a controlling integrated circuit (IC) drives transistors Q70 and Q100. The transistors Q70 and Q100 directly drive the fan. A high capacity electrolytic capacitor C63 is provided for wave filtering. But when a duty cycle of the PWM signal from the controlling IC is low, the transistor Q100 is turned off and causes fan failure.
What is needed, therefore, is to provide a driving circuit which can run a fan stably even if the duty cycle of the PWM signal is low.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (ShenZhen) Co., Ltd.


Techniques are disclosed for producing a collaborative recording of an audio event. An online server or service identifies participating mobile devices with recording capabilities that are available for recording at least a portion of the audio event. The online server or service determines the locations of the potential participating mobile devices, and identifies ranges of frequencies to be recorded by each of the participating mobile devices. The individual recordings are then compiled into a final collaborative recording.

The conventional way to obtain a high-quality sound recording of a live event is by using expensive and professional audio equipment. Such equipment includes, for example, amplifiers, audio cables and connectors, headphones and headsets, interfaces and routers, microphones, mixers, power conditioning and backup systems, racks and cases, speakers, recorders and players, and signal processing equipment. With some events, a team of audio technicians may be needed to setup, operate, record, and strike the audio recording equipment for the event.

Collaborative audio recording of an event by multiple mobile devices


The distance between a drain contact and gate electrode in a terminating transistor, which couples a termination resistor connected to an output terminal to a power source node, is set shorter than in an output transistor, which drives an output node in accordance with an internal signal. The area of the terminating circuit is reduced while the reliability against the surge is maintained. Thus, an output circuit containing the terminating circuit that occupies a small area and is capable of transmitting a signal/data at high speed is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device driving an output node, and specifically, to a semiconductor device with a bus terminating function.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a semiconductor device, a transistor connected to a pin terminal is easy to be affected by noises, since it is directly connected to the outside of the device via the pin terminal. Among the noises, one at a level enough to destruct a device (a transistor) is referred to as a surge. A destruction of a semiconductor device by the surge is referred to as electrostatic damage (ESD), which is accompanied by breakdown of a gate insulating film of an MOS transistor (insulated gate field effect transistor) and others. Therefore, for the reliability of the semiconductor device, the breakdown voltage enough to withstand the surge is required.
For an input pin receiving an external signal, usually, an input protection circuit is configured by a diode or a diode-connected MOS transistor (insulated gate field effect transistor), or a field transistor with a sufficiently thick gate insulating film. By this input protection circuit, the surge is caused to flow to a power supply terminal or a ground terminal, and thus transmission of the surge to the internal circuitry is prevented.
The protection circuit is not required for an output circuit, since an output transistor serves as a surge absorbing transistor. However, in an MOS output circuit configured with an MOS transistor, a large current may flow into the output transistor or high electric field may be generated at drain due to the surge voltage, which may result in electrostatic damage. In order to reduce the current and the drain electric field for avoiding such electrostatic damage, the resistance value of drain region (hereinafter referred to as a drain diffusion resistance) in the output transistor must be increased. Usually, in order to increase the drain resistance, the distance between the gate of the output transistor and a drain contact for connecting to the output node is required to be sufficiently long. Consequently, the diffusion region area of the drain portion in the output transistor increases, and hence, the size of the output transistor increases.
An arrangement for preventing electrostatic damage with limited area of the output circuit is proposed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-127173. According to this first prior art document, drain diffusion region is made different in impurity concentration from source diffusion region, to have an increased drain diffusion resistance value.
In a second prior art document, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 11-214621, an arrangement is disclosed in which a terminating resistance element and a protection element for this terminating resistance element are provided between an output transistor and an output pad. According to this second prior art document, the electrostatic protection element is formed of an MOS transistor, and in order to increase the resistance of the drain region, i.e., drain diffusion resistance, the distance between gate and drain contact of the MOS transistor is made longer. Taking advantage of this large drain diffusion region area, the terminating resistance element is arranged above the drain region of the electrostatic protection element in order not to increase the layout area of the entire output circuit. The terminating resistance element is a current limiting resistance element for avoiding a reflecting wave such as a ringing in signal transmission, and is connected between the output pad and the output node (drain) of the output transistor.
In a third prior art document, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-65744, an arrangement is disclosed in which impedance switching means is provided between an output terminal and an output circuit. The impedance switching means is set to a low impedance state in transmission and to a high impedance state in reception, to reduce reflection noises due to capacitive load of transmission path.
According to the arrangement shown in the first prior art document, the impurity concentrations of source and drain in the output transistor must be made different, and hence, the number of manufacturing steps increases. The drain diffusion resistance is continuously connected to an external bus via the pin terminal. If the drain diffusion resistance functions as terminating resistance, then an output signal is driven via high drain diffusion resistance in signal outputting, and thus the signal can not be transmitted at high speed.
According to the arrangement disclosed in the second prior art document, the protection circuit for the terminating resistance element is arranged corresponding to the output circuit. The distance between a drain contact and a gate electrode of the MOS transistor of the protection circuit is large enough to place the terminating resistor thereabove. Accordingly, the interface area between the drain region and the substrate region is made large, and a large drain junction capacitance of this protection circuit is connected to the output pin terminal. Consequently, the parasitic capacitance of the output pin terminal increases, and thus, a signal can not be transmitted at high speed. Further, since the terminating resistance element is connected between the drain of the output transistor and the output pad and functions as a current limiting element for an output signal, the signal can not be output at high speed. Moreover, since the terminating resistance causes a voltage drop, a signal at CMOS level can not be transmitted.
According to the arrangement disclosed in the third prior art document, the impedance switching means is provided for the output pin terminal, which has the impedance switched between a transmission mode and a reception mode. In this case also, however, a protection element against the surge must be provided, which increases the occupying area of the circuit for switching the termination resistance value in accordance with the operation mode. Especially, if the circuit portion for controlling this termination resistance is formed with a transistor having an increased drain diffusion resistance, then the load of the output pin increases accordingly. Thus, a signal can not be transmitted at high speed, and the occupying area of the output circuit increases further. In the third prior art document, the consideration is only given to suppress the ringing in signal transmission and reception, and an arrangement for reducing the output circuit area and for alleviating the load of the transmission path is not considered.
Each of U.S. Pat. No. 6,809,546 B2 and US 2004/0032319 A1 discloses an on-chip termination circuit formed of series connection of a termination resistor and a MOS transistor, but fails to show the specific layout of the termination circuit as in the present application.

Semiconductor device with bus terminating function


A laser unit having a preparatory function for activating the unit and an activation method for the unit, capable of stabilizing the temperature of each component of the laser unit in the preparation stage when the laser unit is activated in a low-temperature or high-temperature environment, and then effectively judging completion of the preparation. During a period of time Ta from T1 to T2, a first trial of laser oscillation is performed. After a period of time Tb in which the laser is not oscillated, a second trial of laser oscillation from T3 to T4. Such an operation is repeated until a predetermined criterion is satisfied. Laser output values P2, P4, P6, . . . , at the last moment in each trial of laser oscillation are recorded. Then, each difference between the laser outputs at the last moments of two neighboring or continuous trials, is calculated. When the difference is lower than a predetermined criterion value, the preparation of the laser unit is judged to be completed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser unit and an activation method therefor, in particular, a laser unit provided with a preparatory function for activating the unit an activating method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a laser oscillator, a laser performance such as a laser output, the stability of the laser output, a beam shape and/or a light-focusing power of the beam, and a detector performance such as the sensitivity of a laser output detector may be depend on the temperature of an oscillator, an excitation medium, cooling water, a laser power supply and/or the laser output detector. In other words, immediately after the laser oscillator is activated in a low-temperature or high-temperature environment, the performance of the laser beam and/or the laser output detector may be different from the performance while the temperature is stable. In this case, as the temperature of each component of the oscillator is changed by heat generated by laser oscillation or a cooling function provided to the oscillator, and then the oscillator approaches a thermal equilibrium state as time advances, the laser performance may become stable.
Therefore, when the laser oscillator is activated in a low-temperature or high-temperature environment, by thermally stabilizing the temperature of each component of the oscillator in a preparation stage before the laser is used, the laser output may be stable and laser machining may be stably performed. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2005-251855 discloses a method for measuring the temperature of a laser unit and judging whether the preparation of the laser unit is complete or not based on the measured temperature. Also, another method for measuring the laser output during laser oscillation and judging whether the preparation is complete based on the measured output, has been proposed.
However, by using only the temperature of the laser unit, completion of the preparation of the laser unit may not be correctly judged. Also, another method for judging completion of the preparation based on the laser output during laser oscillation, may be disadvantageous when the method uses a uniform criterion such as just a comparison between the laser output and a constant value. For example, in a laser oscillator having one or more components deteriorated by aging, and the performance of which is inferior to the design performance thereof, the laser output in a stable state (or the state in which the preparation is completed) is generally lower than that of the original oscillator. Therefore, the completion of the preparation in such a laser oscillator cannot be correctly judged by using the same criterion as before the aged deterioration.

Laser unit having preparatory function for activating the unit and activation method for the unit