A color original image is divided into many picture elements and each picture element is resolved into three colors of red, green, and blue lights to photometrically measure them and a histogram of hue values is obtained in accordance with the data obtained through photometry. The obtained histogram is divided into mountains, it is judged which divided mountain each picture element of the color original image belongs to in order to classify the picture elements into groups corresponding to the divided mountains and divide the color original image every group. Then, at least one of the divided regions is selected to extract the data for the selected region as feature image data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of extracting feature image data and a method of extracting person's face data, more particularly to a method of extracting feature image data and a method of extracting person's face density data used to copy a color original image to a color copying material or black-and-white copying material.
2. Description of the Related Art
A person's face is the most closely examined part of a portrait. To finish a high-quality photo, it is necessary to print the person's face with a proper color.
Conventionally, the face region in the original image of a color film is specified by a light pen to extract the data for the density of a person's face and the exposure is determined so that the face color is properly printed according to the extracted density data. This type of art is disclosed in the official gazettes, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 62-115430, 62-115431, 62-115432, 62-189456, 62-189457, 63-138340, and 63-178222.
However, the above related art has a problem that printing requires a lot of time because the operator has to specify the face region for each image by a light pen. Moreover, it is difficult to realize automation because the operator has to visually specify the face region.
Official gazettes, i.e., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 52-156624, 52-156625, 53-12330, 53-145620, 53-145621, and 53-145622, disclose the following method of extracting the data for person's face by extracting flesh-color data.
That is, an color original image is divided into many photometric points, each photometric point is resolved into three colors of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) to photometrically measure them, and it is judged if the color of each photometric point calculated from photometric data is kept within the flesh-color range. Then, a cluster (group) of the photometric points decided as a color within the flesh-color range is used for face density data.
For this method, however, because colors within the flesh-color range are assumed to be face density data, flesh color of ground, trunk of a tree, and clothes, or portions other than face having a color similar to flesh color are extracted as face density data. Moreover, when the same object is photographed under the same condition, it may not be possible to automatically extract face density data if the type of film differs because the color tone differs in photographed images. Furthermore, when the color of a light source for illuminating an object differs, it may not be possible to automatically extract face density data if the color of the light source differs because the color tone of a photographed image differs (for example, an image photographed by using a fluorescent light for the light source shows green tone).
To solve the problem caused by the difference of light-source color, it is only necessary to correct the light-source color before extracting photometric data within the flesh-color range. The light source can roughly be classified into sunlight, fluorescent light, and tungsten light. The color tone of sunlight depends on the season and time zone and also on direct or indirect light even if the season and time zone are the same.
Artificial light such as fluorescent light has various color tones because products are diversified. Therefore, it is difficult to correct the light source by specifying the type of light source for each light source. Even if light source correction can completely be performed, it is impossible to avoid extracting flesh color of ground and trunk of a tree or portions with a color similar to flesh color. Therefore, it is impossible to take action when the type of film differs.

Method of extracting feature image data and method of extracting person's face data


A vehicle exhaust gas collection probe assembly for the collection of two independent exhaust gas samples from a tailpipe system of a vehicle exhaust system comprises a first collector for collecting an undiluted exhaust gas sample from within the exhaust system and second collection means for collecting the entirety of exhaust gas exiting from an end of the tailpipe system. The second collection means comprises a conical collector having a first open end of a diameter greater than that of the tailpipe system positioned adjacent the end of the tailpipe system and a second end of small diameter coupled to a collection conduit. The first collector comprises a hollow probe having a flexible portion for insertion into the tailpipe system coupled to a conduit positioned along a main longitudinal axis of the conical collector, extending into the conical collector, and being supported by the conical collector.

Exhaust gas analysis plays a significant part in the periodic testing of vehicles required by environmental protection laws and regulations. In addition to exhaust characteristics being demonstrative of engine operating characteristics, allowing the monitoring and measurement thereof, the percentages of particular exhaust gas constituents are subject to guidelines. The state of California has been a leader in establishing such guidelines, the most recent of which are codified in California BAR97 (Bureau of Automotive Repair) regulations.
Different test protocols and exhaust gas analyses require the sampling of the exhaust to be done in alternative manners. For percentage constituent analysis, for example, a small volume of exhaust gas, not contaminated or mixed with ambient air, can be captured and analyzed. This ordinarily requires capture of less than 1% of the tailpipe exhaust. For other tests where exhaust characteristics are reflective of differing engine operating parameters, the total of tailpipe exhaust is required to be sampled, often on an ongoing basis. Because of these differing requirements, the sampling apparatuses employed differ. Traditionally, separate constant volume and free flow collecting probes have been utilized, a test technician manually changing the probes as required during different phases of an integrated test procedure.
The current utilization of separate probes can affect the validity of test results. The manual interchange of probes does not prevent an exhaust sample from a first vehicle being used for one test, and the exhaust from a second vehicle, with a different probe, being used for a second test of a test protocol intended to be carried out for a single specific vehicle. In addition, because of the differing nature of the sampling techniques required, the different probes used are oriented and placed differently with respect to the exhaust system. The use of a plurality of probes, each one being required to be oriented separately and independently, increases the opportunity for improper placement and test error.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide an exhaust probe apparatus which is capable of providing differing samples as required by different phases of an integrated vehicle testing protocol.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide an integrated probe assembly which provides simultaneous independent sample outputs of differing types.
Yet a further purpose of the present invention is to provide a sampling probe which is efficient to use and economical in manufacture.

Vehicle emission sampling probe apparatus


A motorized retracting unit for a motorized retractable rearview mirror for a vehicle includes a shaft holder that has a main shaft, a gear case that is rotatably mounted on the main shaft, a plate, and a transmission mechanism that transmits driving power of a motor to the main shaft. The plate includes a plate member, a shaft supporting member that rotatably supports the main shaft, a motor mounting member on which the motor is mounted, and a flexible member that is provided between the shaft supporting member and the motor mounting member, enabling a relative movement of the shaft supporting member and the motor mounting member.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorized retracting unit and a motorized retractable rearview mirror for a vehicle.
2) Description of the Related Art
A motorized retractable rearview mirror is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,442 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H11-240385. In both cases, the rearview mirror assembly is switched between an extended position and a retracted position driven by a motor.
However, in the conventional motorized retractable rearview mirror disclosed, if there is a slight misalignment between a rotating shaft of the mirror assembly and an output shaft of the motor, it may generate an operation noise, degrade durability, and cause an unreliable operation. Thus, it is required to maintain a high degree of precision in dimensions between the rotating shaft of the mirror assembly and the output shaft of the motor.
The latter disclosure takes a misalignment of the rotating shaft of the mirror assembly into consideration; however, it does not mention the misalignment between the rotating shaft of the mirror assembly and the output shaft of the motor.

Motorized retracting unit and motorized retractable rearview mirror


The present disclosure suggests various microelectronic component assembly designs and methods for manufacturing microelectronic component assemblies. In one particular implementation, a microelectronic component assembly includes a microelectronic component mounted to a substrate. The substrate carries a plurality of bond pads at a location substantially coplanar with a terminal surface of the microelectronic component. This enables a smaller package to be produced by moving the bond pads laterally inwardly toward the periphery of the microelectronic component.

Semiconductor chips or dies typically are manufactured from a semiconductor material such as silicon, germanium, or gallium/arsenide. An integrated circuit or other active feature(s) is incorporated in the die adjacent one surface, often referred to as the "active surface," of the die. The active surface typically also includes input and output terminals to facilitate electrical connection of the die with another microelectronic component.
Since semiconductor dies can be degraded by exposure to moisture and other chemical attack, most dies are encapsulated in a package that protects the dies from the surrounding environment. The packages typically include leads or other connection points that allow the encapsulated die to be electrically coupled to another electronic component, e.g., a printed circuit board. One common package design includes a semiconductor die attached to a small circuit board, e.g., via a die attach adhesive. Some or all of the terminals of the semiconductor die then may be connected electrically to a first set of contacts of the board, e.g., by wire bonding. The connected board and die may then be encapsulated in a mold compound to complete the packaged microelectronic component assembly. A second set of contacts carried on an outer surface of the board remain exposed; these exposed contacts are electrically connected to the first contacts, allowing the features of the semiconductor die to be electrically accessed.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a conventional packaged microelectronic component assembly 10. This microelectronic component assembly 10 includes a semiconductor die 20 having a front surface 22, which bears an array of terminals 24, and a back surface 26. This semiconductor die 20 is mounted to a front side 42 of a circuit board 40, e.g., by attaching the back surface 26 of the die 20 to the circuit board front side 42 with a die attach paste 35.
The microelectronic component assembly 10 also includes a plurality of bond wires 50 that extend from individual terminals 24 of the die 20 to bond pads 44 arranged on the front side 42 of the board 40. Typically, these bond wires 50 are attached using wire-bonding machines that spool a length of wire through a capillary. As suggested in FIG. 1, these capillaries C feed a length of wire 50 through a narrow distal passage. Typically, a molten ball is formed at a protruding end of the wire 50 and the capillary C pushes this molten ball against one of the bond pads 44, thereby attaching the terminal end of the wire 50 to the board 40, as shown. Thereafter, the capillary C spools out a length of the wire 50, presses the wire against one of the terminals 24 on the die 20, and bonds the wire to the terminal 24, e.g., by ultrasonic or thermosonic welding.
The capillaries C commonly used in the field have precisely shaped ends to insure good bonding of the wire to the bond pads 44 of circuit boards 40 and the terminals 24 of dies 20. Most capillaries C also taper outwardly moving away from this tip. As shown in FIG. 1, the capillary C will thus have an appreciable width W that must fit between the bond wire 50 in the capillary C and the top corner of the die 20. This width W will depend, in part, on the height H of the front surface 22 of the die 20 from the front side 42 of the circuit board 40. For one common type of semiconductor die, the height H is usually on the order of 100 μm. In such circumstances, the distance D between the edge of the die 20 and the bond pad 44 is over 0.2 mm, typically 0.5 mm or more, to accommodate the width W of the capillary C without unduly risking damage to the die 20. Conventional designs such as those shown in FIG. 1 often include bond pads 44 on opposing sides of the die 20. Hence, the same space D must be provided on both sides of the die 20, adding an additional 0.4 millimeters or more, typically at least 1 millimeter, to the lateral dimension of the final diced and packaged microelectronic component.
Market pressures to reduce the size of electronic devices, e.g., mobile telephones and hand-held computing devices, place a premium on the space or "real estate" available for mounting microelectronic components on a printed circuit board or the like. Similar density pressures also impact manufacturers of computers and other larger-scale electronic devices. An extra half of a millimeter per package 10, for example, can significantly add to the dimensions of an array of packaged memory chips, for example.

Reduced-dimension microelectronic component assemblies with wire bonds and methods of making same


An improved discharge valve apparatus for a hermetic compressor which is capable of fixing the retainer based on the elastic force of the elastic protrusions formed in the retainer itself and the shape of the head cover engaged with the retainer, for thus reducing the number of parts and the number of processes. The apparatus includes a head cover, a head engaged with the head cover and having a groove formed in an upper surface of the head, a discharge valve inserted into the groove of the head, a valve spring inserted into the groove of the head for limiting a movement of the discharge valve, and placed on an upper surface of the discharge valve, and a retainer inserted into the groove, and positioned on an upper portion of the valve spring, and having elastic protrusions formed at both sides thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a discharge valve apparatus for a hermetic compressor, and in particular to an improved discharge valve apparatus for a hermetic compressor which is capable of elastically preventing a vibration of a discharge valve by controlling the movement of the discharge valve and a valve spring inserted in a groove formed in a head, and engaging the retainer into the groove of the head by using an elastic force of elastic protrusions formed in the retainer.
2. Description of the Convention al Art
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a valve apparatus for a conventional hermetic compressor.
As shown therein, the conventional discharge valve apparatus of a hermetic compressor according to the present invention includes a head cover 1 to which a packing 2, a discharge valve 3, a head 4, a suction valve 5, and a cylinder 6 are engage d in order.
However, the conventional discharge valve apparatus of a hermetic compressor has disadvantages in that since the discharge valve 3 and the head 4 are separated from each other, the area of a discharge hole 4a of the head 4 is increased, in which area a refrigerant can be re-expanded, so that the amount of a suction refrigerant is decreased, for thus degrading the performance of the hermetic compressor.
Therefore, in order to avoid the above described problems, a groove 14a, as shown in FIG. 2, is formed in an upper surface of a head 14. A discharge valve 13 and a valve spring 17 are inserted into a groove 14a in order. In addition, the head 14, to which a packing 12, the discharge valve 13, and the valve spring 17 are coupled in order, a suction valve 15, and the cylinder 16 are engaged in order so as to form the discharge valve apparatus of the hermetic compressor.
However, the discharge valve 13 is ideally opened/closed one time whenever the refrigerant is discharged. However, in the above-described discharge valve apparatus of a hermetic compressor, the discharge valve 13 are opened and closed three times whenever the refrigerant is discharged.
In more detail, as shown in FIG. 3, when the initial time is 0(zero), and the distance is 0, the discharge valve 13 is closed. After a predetermined time, the distance, within which the discharge valve 13 is opened, is changed from a point "A" through a point "E" as shown in FIG. 3.
Here, the point "A" as shown in FIG. 3 denotes that the discharge valve 13 is substantially opened, and the point "B" denotes that the discharge valve 13 is closed in cooperation with the elastic force of the discharge valve 13, and points "C, D, and E" denote that the discharge valve 13 is abnormally opened or closed.
Therefore, if the discharge valve 13 is opened and closed three times whenever the refrigerant is discharged, in particular, when the discharge valve 13 is closed, the flow of the discharged gas is blocked, for thus reducing the discharge amount of the refrigerant and degrading the performance of the hermetic compressor.
In addition, since the discharge valve 13 and the valve spring 17 inserted into the groove 14a are not supported, the discharge valve 13 is vibrated during an operation of the compressor, for thus blocking the flow of the refrigerant gas.

Discharge valve apparatus for hermetic compression


There is provided a slowly implantable electrode. A coating for an electrode, the coating includes a shape-memory polymer. A method for inserting an electrode into brain tissue by inserting an implantable electrode having a shape-memory polymer coated electrode into brain tissue.

1. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present invention relates to coated electrodes or other biosensors. More specifically, the present invention relates to electrodes capable of insertion into the brain, spinal cord or other tissue.
2. Description of Related Art
Systems for electrically monitoring and stimulating the brain and spinal cord are increasingly important in the medical diagnosis and treatment of various disorders, such as spinal cord injury, stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, sleep disorders, migraine, and psychiatric ailments. Therapeutic neurostimulatory devices can include one or more leads having at least one electrode operatively situated in the brain or other neural tissue and linked to a signal processor for detecting neurological activity and to a pulse generator for providing electrical stimuli.
For several years research has been conducted in attempts to establish communication with living neurons, to communicate to the human brain information which can no longer be provided by a person's own eyes or ears, to stimulate paralyzed muscles, to stimulate autonomic nerves, as to control bladder function or pace the heart, or to control prosthetic limbs.
It is well known that electrical stimulation of certain nerves and certain regions of the brain can be perceived consciously, and research is being performed with the intention of eventually learning how to stimulate nerves in ways that can provide useful information to a person whose ability to hear or to see has been lost. Indeed, cochlear implants have been used successfully to allow deaf individuals to detect sound. Further, recent work has been done with optical imaging for sight.
To utilize neural prostheses, electrical signals made by living neurons must be detected, typically by recording and/or stimulating extracellular field potentials. Such extracellular field potentials must be recorded with extremely small electrodes, in order to detect the small voltages created by transmembrane currents generated by neurons adjacent to the electrode tip. In addition to allowing detection of signals emitted by nerve cells, current can be injected through the electrode to provide stimulation to the nerves. To limit the mechanical trauma caused by insertion and chronic presence of electrode structures, the entire electrode structure and associated wires must be as small as possible consistent with the required ability to conduct electrical energy, and must be of materials which will not react deleteriously with the living body.
Implanted biosensors and conductors connected to them must be electrically insulated very effectively, because of the very small voltages that must be detected. The localized nature of the electrical potential gradient that must be detected by a microelectrode, and the fragility of neurons, dictate a microelectrode tip with small dimensions (typically less than 75 micrometers in diameter), which in turn produces a high impedance. Since the probe as a whole must have a slender profile to minimize disruption of tissue, the requirement to minimize shunt losses along the insulated shank of the probe falls on a very thin dielectric coating which must be cleanly excluded from the tiny exposed tip or window. Insulating coatings on conductors must be free from small holes and should be tightly adhered to the insulated wires and parts of electrodes. It is known that there are some biologically compatible dielectric materials that can be applied consistently and successfully as coatings of uniform thickness for such small structures as are found in microelectrodes to be used for neural prostheses. An insulating coating of Parylene-C™, a polymerized diparachloroxylyene produced by the Union Carbide Corporation, is known to have the required biological compatibility and electrical insulation qualities and can be applied successfully to electrode surfaces, but the techniques previously available for removing portions of such a coating have not been entirely satisfactory.
An additional problem associated with inserting foreign objects into the body, including prior art electrodes and biosensors is that the act of inserting the electrode into the brain causes damage to the brain tissue. Specifically, the insertion of the foreign object causes tissue inflammation and necrotic cell death. For example, in the brain a long-term reactive astrocytic reaction ensues that leads to physical blockage of an electrode by a surrounding sheath of reactive astrocytes. The sheath of reactive astrocytes limits the electrodes ability to receive signals from the surrounding neurons.
Current state of the art is to insert the electrodes quickly into brain tissue. The method of insertion has not been effective at eliminating the problem associated with the astrocyte sheath.
An additional problem with the implant that are currently being utilized is that of micromovement or micromotion of the tissue relative to the implant. Many individuals in the field have attributed persistent problems with poor biocompatibility to such micromovement.
It would therefore be beneficial to develop an electrode that, upon insertion into brain tissue does not cause formation of the sheath of reactive astrocytes and can overcome the above problems with regard to biocompatibility.

The Regents of the University of Colorado


One embodiment of the invention provides a method of forming a plurality of contact holes, including forming a first feature and a second feature over an underlying material, forming sidewall spacers on the first and second features, removing the first and second features without removing the sidewall spacers, forming a cover mask at least partially exposing the sidewall spacers, and etching the underlying material using the cover mask and the sidewall spacers as a mask to form the plurality of contact holes.

The invention relates generally to a method for making a semiconductor device, for example, a method of forming contact holes in a nonvolatile memory array.
One prior art process using a hard mask stack, as shown in FIG. 1, can be used to fabricate 45 nm and 80 nm features. The stack consists of a layer of organic hard mask 103, also known as an amorphous carbon advanced patterning film (APF), a layer of Dielectric Anti-Reflective Coating (DARC) 106, such as silicon oxynitride, on top of organic hard mask 103, and a Bottom Anti-Refection Coating (BARC) 109 layer, such as an organic BARC layer, on top of DARC layer 106. A photoresist 111 can be coated above the BARC layer. A device layer 110 can be etched using at least one or more layers of the stack as a mask.
In conventional patterning, such as double printing, resolution below 38 nanometers is not achievable. Alternate technologies for approaching 24 nm contact hole resolution is very difficult and involves the use of 2-row staggered arrays. To perform even smaller hole patterning, such as below 22 nm, 3-row staggered arrays may be required resulting in additional difficulties, such as increased reliance on optical proximity correction and sub-resolution assist features.

Method of forming contact hole arrays using a hybrid spacer technique


A booklet album is constructed by a booklet body consisting of a bundle of photographs sandwiched between front and rear cover sheets, and a narrow adhesive tape which is adhered to one side of the booklet body so as to form the back or spine cover of the booklet album. A photograph binding apparatus is provided with a pair of nipping members for nipping the booklet body, and a photograph receiving tray for supporting the lower end of the booklet body inserted between the nipping members. When pressing the adhesive tape onto the booklet body, the photograph receiving tray is retracted from the booklet body after the booklet body is tightly nipped by the nipping members, and instead, a stage supporting the adhesive tape is lifted toward the booklet body. The stage is as large as the adhesive tape, and has a plurality of ridges for inventively pressing the adhesive tape.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a booklet album in which a plurality of photographs are directly bound as a booklet. The present invention also relates to a binding apparatus for making the booklet album.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photograph binding apparatus for making a booklet album by attaching one side of a bundle of photographs to a cover sheet, is known, for example from Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 2295796 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,026,236). Such an apparatus is intended to make the storage and viewing of photographs efficient and convenient.
The cover sheet is made of cardboard or the like, and has an adhesive layer thereon. After a bundle of photographs are stuck to the adhesive layer, the cover sheet is bent in a channel shape to form a front cover portion, a back or spine cover portion, and a rear cover portion. The adhesive layer is applied on the rear surface of the back cover portion, i.e., the spine side.
The conventional photograph binding apparatus is provided with a pair of nipping plates disposed parallel to each other and extending vertically. A bundle of photographs are nipped between these nipping plates, and the lower end and one side of the bundle are abutted against straightening trays. A motor of a photograph end straightening mechanism is driven to vibrate the photographs to straighten the lower end and the one side of the bundle. Thereafter, the nipping plates are moved into a bonding position. Then, a bonding mechanism bonds the lower ends of the photographs to the adhesive layer of the cover sheet. The bonding mechanism has a press roller which is moved by a link mechanism. The press roller is protruded through a slot of the stage supporting the cover sheet and the bundle is moved lengthwise along the lower end of the bundle so as to press the adhesive layer onto the lower end of the bundle.
However, the wide cover sheets used for making the booklet albums are difficult to handle and require a large space for storage. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide a large stage for supporting the wide cover sheet and a large space for accommodating the photograph end straightening mechanism in the binding apparatus. As a result, the binding apparatus itself must be large.
The bonding mechanism of the known binding apparatus also needs a large space therefor, because the press roller must be moved along the lower ends of the photographs so as to gradually stick the adhesive layer of the cover sheet to the lower ends. Moreover, because the press roller presses the adhesive layer uniformly, the force applied to the adhesive layer is distributed, so that the pressure is reduced to result in insufficient or inefficient bonding.
Furthermore, because the thickness of the booklet album varies according to the number of photographs in the bundle, and the cover sheet is bent correspondingly, the adhesive layer may be too wide if there is a small number of photographs. Accordingly, the excess adhesive may adhere to the surfaces of the first and last photographs of the bundle when the cover sheet is bent. In order to prevent this problem, it is necessary to place a sheet of paper on either side of the bundle of the photographs.

Booklet album of photographs and binding apparatus therefor


A power amplifier circuit includes an amplifying transistor and a dc bias circuit for biasing the amplifier transistor to obtain a conduction angle of at least about 180xc2x0. The dc bias circuit includes a self-bias boosting circuit for initially decreasing and then increasing the dc bias voltage provided to a control terminal of the amplifying transistor by the dc bias circuit as the input signal provided to the power amplifier increases. The self-bias boosting circuit is extremely simple and compact in design, and permits the power amplifier circuits to operate in Class B or Class AB with improved power output characteristics.

The invention is in the field of transistor amplifier circuits, and relates more particularly to a power amplifier circuit having a self-bias boosting circuit for increasing maximum power output and reducing power dissipation at low power levels.
Amplifiers of this general type are frequently used in high-frequency RF amplifiers, as well as in audio amplifiers and other applications. In order to obtain a linear input-output relationship and high operating efficiency, such amplifiers are typically operated with a conduction angle of about 180xc2x0 (Class B) or slightly greater (Class AB) to avoid crossover distortion.
Typically, amplifiers of this type require a dc bias circuit to establish the quiescent bias current in the amplifier circuit to ensure operation in the Class B or Class AB mode. In the prior art, bias is typically provided by a fixed current source, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,844,443, or else by an external supply, which can be set to a desired constant value to secure the quiescent current necessary to operate in the desired mode, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,248.
However, in amplifiers of the type described above the average current drawn from the supply depends upon the input signal level. As the output power increases so does the average current in both the emitter and the base of the power transistor. This increased average current causes an increased voltage drop in the biasing circuitry and in ballast resistors (which are used to avoid hot-spotting and thermal runaway in transistors using an interdigitated design). This in turn reduces the conduction angle (i.e. the number of degrees out of 360xc2x0 that the amplifier is conducting), and forces the amplifier deep into Class B or even Class C operation, thereby reducing the maximum power output. To avoid this power reduction, the amplifier must have a larger quiescent bias. In prior-art circuitry this inevitably leads to a higher power dissipation at low power output levels and therefore an undesirable tradeoff in operating characteristics.
A recent improvement in this art is disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/536,946, entitled Dynamic Bias Boosting Circuit For A Power Amplifier, filed on Mar. 28, 2000 by Sowlati and Luo, two of the present inventors. This application discloses a solution to the problem discussed above which entails providing the power amplifier circuit with a dynamic bias boosting circuit to dynamically increase the bias of the power transistor as the output power increases by using a circuit that senses the input voltage to the amplifier and generates a dynamic bias boost as a function of the amplitude of this signal. The drawback to this solution is that it employs numerous active and passive components, thus not maximizing simplicity, compactness and economy of manufacture.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a power amplifier circuit which offers the advantages of optimum maximum output power and reduced power dissipation at low power levels. Additionally, it would be desirable for such a circuit to be extremely simple and compact in design, and very economical to manufacture.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a power amplifier circuit which provides improved maximum output power and less power dissipation at low power levels. It is a further object of the invention to provide a power amplifier circuit which is both extremely simple and compact in design and which is very economical to manufacture.
In accordance with the invention, these objects are achieved by a new power amplifier circuit for amplifying an input signal and having a conduction angle of at least about 180xc2x0, the amplifier circuit including an amplifying transistor and a dc bias circuit for biasing the amplifier transistor to obtain the desired conduction angle. The dc bias circuit includes a self-bias boosting circuit for initially decreasing and then increasing the dc bias voltage provided to a control terminal of the amplifying transistor by the dc bias circuit as the input signal provided to the power amplifier increases.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the amplifier circuit is either a Class B or a Class AB amplifier circuit.
In a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the self-bias boosting circuit includes a capacitor coupled from an output terminal of the self-bias boosting circuit to a common terminal, and a resistor coupled between the output terminal and the control terminal of the amplifying transistor.
In yet a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the self-bias boosting circuit also includes a switch coupled in series with the capacitor for enabling the power amplifier circuit to operate in either of two output power modes.
A power amplifier circuit in accordance with the present invention offers a significant improvement in that a particularly advantageous combination of features, including increased maximum output power and reduced power dissipation at low power levels, can be obtained in an extremely simple, compact and economical configuration.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments described hereinafter.

Self-boosting circuit for a power amplifier


A hanging support for head bands, barrettes, and the like. The support has a hook in the manner of a coat hanger, and a horizontal rack bar snap fastens thereto. The rack bar has snap fasteners enabling attachment of additional rack bars. The rack bars have any one of three configurations, and may be selectively combined to form a semi-custom hanging support. The three configurations include straight tube, for attaching hair accessories having clips; spiralled, for draping molded plastic head bands thereon; and wire formed in the shape as horns, for encircling retention of closed loop resilient or flexible hair bands. Extension bars are optionally provided to increase spacing between adjacent rack bars. The constituent parts of the hanging support have similar cross sectional configuration, so that any combination of parts gives the impression of unitary appearance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a modular hanging rack for supporting a variety of hair accessories which are worn in the manner of garments, such as head bands.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hanging racks have been the subject of prior art patents. A tie rack having plural, parallel bars for supporting ties is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,058,217, issued to Herbert W. Dixon on Oct. 20, 1936. U.S. Pat. No. 4,778,088, issued to Anne Miller on Oct. 18, 1988, discloses a hanging garment carrier wherein the garment engaging members are arranged to extend vertically, there being several parallel such members.
A plurality of vertically oriented article carriers is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,865, issued to John H. Batts et al. on Jul. 12, 1977. Additional carriers may be stacked in cascading fashion by hooking a new carrier to the end of a similar carrier previously attached to and depending from an upper carrier.
Similar cascading arrangements of ordinary clothes hangers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,871,098, issued to Robert A. Bredeweg et al. on Oct. 3, 1989; 4,872,568, issued to Ernest Lehmann on Oct. 10, 1989; and 5,029,739, issued to Russell O. Blanchard et al. on Jul. 9, 1991.
Construction of a horizontal bar of a hanger for engaging a draped garment thereon is seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,194,457, issued to Sanford Jerome Freilich on Jul. 13, 1965, and 5,161,720, issued to Chester Kolton et al. on Nov. 10, 1992. Freilich provides a spiral member defining peaks and valleys; Kolton et al. provides, an essentially planar bar having peaks molded therein.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


Play gyms and methods of operating the same are disclosed. A disclosed example includes a floor mat dimensioned to be positioned within a play yard and/or a bassinet. It also includes a play gym to suspend an object above the mat when the mat is positioned in the play yard and/or the bassinet, and at least one connector to couple the play gym to the mat when the mat is removed from the play gym and/or the bassinet.

In recent years, portable play yards have become very popular. Portable play yards typically include a frame, a fabric enclosure supported by the frame, and a removable floor board or mat. The frame is largely or completely contained within the fabric enclosure so that there are few if any loose parts when the frame is collapsed or when the frame is erected. When collapsed, the portable play yard typically has a compact form factor to enable easy transport and storage of the play yard. Sometimes, the floor board is wrapped around the collapsed frame to prevent the frame from inadvertently leaving the collapsed state.
Sometimes, these portable play yards are provided with a portable bassinet. The portable bassinet is typically suspended within the top of the play yard by hooking the bassinet to the upper rails of the play yard frame and permitting the bassinet to extend downward into the enclosure of the play yard. With the exception of depth (which is significantly lower, often one-quarter to one half the depth of the play yard enclosure), the bassinet may have substantially the same size as the play yard enclosure (i.e., substantially the same width and length), or may be smaller than the play yard enclosure (e.g., substantially the same width but approximately one-half the length). The bassinet is used with infants. When the bassinet is installed, the play yard enclosure cannot be occupied by a child, although the area below the bassinet may sometimes be used for storage of inanimate objects. When the child grows sufficiently, the bassinet is removed from the play yard and the play yard is used to house the child.
The floor mat of the play yard may be used as the floor of the play yard and/or the bassinet. In examples in which the bassinet has a smaller floor area than the play yard that supports the bassinet, the floor board may be folded (e.g., doubled up) to be used as the floor of the bassinet and fully extended to be used as the floor of the play yard.
Mats for use on a floor with an over-arching play gym have also become popular in recent years. For instance, in a known prior art device, a play gym having two flexible arches for suspending objects such as toys or the like is coupled to the corners of a rectangular mat via snaps or the like. The arches cross and are snapped to one another roughly above the middle of the mat. A small child placed on the mat may be entertained by the suspended objects. Because the play gym's arches are flexible, the suspended objects tend to bounce and move in response to vibrations such as those that might be caused by the child batting his/her hands and/or feet at the objects.


An optical filter includes a body of a polyhedron structure in which a recess having a predetermined depth from one side surface is exposed on a front surface and a rear surface and a multi-layer thin film which is deposited on the front surface of the body to cover an exposed portion of the recess of the body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical filter, particularly to an optical filter which can be mounted in a planar lightwave circuit, etc.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical filter can be manufactured by various methods depending on the objects and functions of the filter. Some functions include non-reflecting, high reflecting, bandwidth transmitting, or wave division multiplexing or demultiplexing.
Advancement in data communications and digital media has also led to the advancement in optical devices. An example can be seen in the development and use of planar lightwave circuits that has led to miniaturization and high integration of optical devices. The device performs many functions by integrating number of different types of optical filters.
FIG. 1 is a plain view of a planar lightwave circuit in which a conventional optical filter is mounted. Referring to FIG. 1, the planar lightwave circuit 100 includes first and second waveguides 111 and 112, a recess 120 positioned between the first and second waveguides 111 and 112, an optical filter 130 positioned in the recess 120. First and second waveguides 111 and 112, which provide paths for lights, are comprised of an upper clad, an active layer, and a lower clad stacked sequentially on top of a semiconductor substrate (not shown).
The recess 120 is formed by dicing. The first and second waveguides are separated by a predetermined distance due to the recess 120 that traverses through lower clad, the active layer, and the upper clad. The distance between the first and second waveguides is determined by the thickness of the optical filter 130 that is to be inserted.
A light proceeding through the first and second waveguides 111 and 112 is diversed in the recess at a predetermined angle. As the distance between the first and second waveguides 111 and 112 gets larger, more of the light gets diversed and more of the light gets lost. Particularly, if the separation caused by the recess in a conventional single mode waveguide exceeds 30 μm, the engagement loss is substantial as most of the light signal is diversed. Therefore, a general optical filter inserted in the recess 120 should have a thickness of about 15 to 30 μm, and an optical thin film filter which uses a polymide substrate which can have a thickness of under or over 10 μm.
The optical filter 130 can be formed on a substrate of a polymer material by depositing a plurality of dielectric mediums. The optical filter 130 is settled down in a recess 120 and adhered to the recess 120 by a thermosetting medium or ultraviolet rays of high polymer material capable of matching the index of refraction between the first and second waveguides 111 and 112. Epoxy-based or silicon-based material is used for the high polymer. The recess 120 is formed by sawing.
The optical thin film filter described heretofore, however, has several problems. First, it becomes more difficult to treat the film as the film's thickness decreases, and such difficulty leads to rise in manufacturing cost. Second, low thickness of the film exposes it to physical damages under a slight external force. Such exposure hinders the films from being positioned on the planar lightwave circuit to be processed in an optical axis arranging process.

Optical filter, manufacturing method thereof, and planar lightwave circuit using the same

Maetan-Dong, Yeongtong-Gu, Suwon-Si, Gyeonggi-Do


A method and apparatus for capture of a spherical image is disclosed. The present invention includes at least one camera having a lens with at least a 180° field-of-view for capturing a hemispherical image. In a first embodiment, a second hemispherical image is created corresponding to a mirror image of the hemispherical image captured by the camera. In a second embodiment, two back-to-back cameras capture first and second hemispherical images, respectively. In both embodiments, a converter combines the two images along their outside edges to form a single, spherical image. Finally, the converter stores the complete spherical image for later retrieval and perspective corrected viewing.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for capturing an image having a spherical field-of-view for subsequent viewing. Specifically, the present invention relates to a system involving a single camera having a lens with a field of view of at least 180° and associated method for capturing a first hemispherical image for subsequent combination into the spherical image. Alternatively, when the system comprises two cameras with such lenses mounted in a securely attached back-to-back arrangement, the system and method captures two distinct hemispherical images for subsequent combination into the spherical image. The preferred system includes a single-use, still image camera.
2. Background Art
The discussion of the background art related to the invention described herein relates to two subjects: spherical image capture and subsequent captured image transformations.
Spherical Image Capture
The goal of imaging technology is to make the observer feel as though he or she is part of the image. Prior art systems have partially accomplished this goal. Unfortunately, the ability of prior art systems to make the user feel part of the captured images are proportional to the cost of the image capture system.
Relating to inexpensive image capturing systems, camera companies have introduced disposable cameras. A disposable camera generally refers to a single-use camera that includes film, a lens, and a camera body, all in a single compact shell. The film includes either a single frame of film or multiple frames of film. After the entire roll of film has been exposed, the entire camera is returned for film developing. All the photographer receives back are the developed prints or slides. The manufacturer then recycles the parts from the returned camera, adds film, and ships the camera to a retailer for sale again. Disposable cameras come in various types including regular magnification cameras, telephoto cameras, water resistant cameras, and panoramic cameras.
Images captured by panoramic cameras provide wide angle horizontal images (left to right) but lack wide angle vertical images (up and down). Accordingly, while capturing a wide field-of-view on one plane (horizontal), the photographer loses the wide field-of-view on the other plane (vertical). Rotating the camera only alters the wide angle direction. The following example illustrates this shortcoming. Suppose a photographer desires to capture the grandeur of a dense forest from within the forest. While an image captured by a panoramic camera would include a sweeping cross section of trees (left to right), it world only include, at most, the middle portions of the nearest trees. To capture the forest floor and canopy, the photographer would have to take multiple panoramic photographs from looking almost straight down to looking straight up. The final image of the forest would then only be realized with the laborious task of manually cutting and pasting the different images together. Unfortunately, the left and right ends of the final image become distorted and cannot be easily resolved. The distortions created are similar to those encountered in map-making where one tries to represent a round earth on a flat map. Specifically, objects and relative distances near the extremes of the wide angle image become distorted. Additionally, this approach wastes film.
A slightly more complex panoramic camera employs a scanning drive mechanism which selectively exposes vertical strips of film as the camera scans from extreme to extreme. However, scanning panoramic cameras invariably introduce noise into captured images through vibrations generated from their scanning motions as well as take a relatively long period of time to capture the image.
Other wide-angle image capturing systems exist. For example, IMAX and 70 mm films provide high definition images on a large screen. However, these screens are flat. While a viewer can feel part of the scene when staring straight ahead, this feeling dissipates where the screen ends.
Another imaging system includes the OMNIMAX camera and projection system where an image was recorded and later projected on a spherical screen to produce an image 180 degrees wide, 100 degrees up from the horizon and 20 degrees below. While this system offers significant improvements over a flat screen projection system, the viewer's absorption into the displayed images is limited by the edges of the displayed image.
Another image capture and display system is U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,725 to McCutchen. McCutchen discloses a dodecahedral imaging system which breaks a sphere into 12 discrete polyhedrons. Each section has its own dedicated CCD camera. The images are captured and displayed on the walls of a hemispherical room. This system offers increased resolution through increasing the number of cameras used. However, as the number of cameras increase, the bulk of the imaging system likewise increases. Additionally, each camera has to be perfectly aligned with respect to the other cameras to adequately capture a spherical image. Using McCutcheon's system, increased resolution requires more bulk and more expense. Furthermore, the images of each camera are not integrated together. Accordingly, the system fails to account for the seams between the displayed images. While quickly moving images may mask these edge effects, the edge effects may be more noticeable with slow moving images.
Captured Image Transformations
Camera viewing systems are used in abundance for surveillance, inspection, security, and remote sensing. Remote viewing is critical, for example, for robotic manipulation tasks. Close viewing is necessary for detailed manipulation tasks while wide-angle viewing aids positioning of the robotic system to avoid collisions with the work space. Most of these systems use either a fixed-mount camera with a limited viewing field to reduce distortion, or they utilize mechanical pan-and-tilt platforms and mechanized zoom lenses to orient the camera and magnify its image. In the application where orientation of the camera and magnification of its image are required, the mechanical solution is large in size and can subtend a significant volume making the viewing system difficult to conceal or use in close quarters. Several cameras are usually necessary to provide wide-angle viewing of the work space.
In order to provide a maximum amount of viewing coverage or subtended angle, mechanical pan/tilt mechanisms usually use motorized drives and gear mechanisms to manipulate the vertical and horizontal orientation. An example of such a device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,728,839 issued to J. B. Coughlan, et al, on Mar. 1, 1988. Collisions with the working environment caused by these mechanical pan/tilt orientation mechanisms can damage both the camera and the work space and impede the remote handling operation. Simultaneously, viewing in said remote environments is extremely important to the performance of inspection and manipulation activities.
Camera viewing systems that use internal optics to provide wide viewing angles have also been developed in order to minimize the size and volume of the camera and the intrusion into the viewing area. These systems rely on the movement of either a mirror or prism to change the tilt-angle of orientation and provide mechanical rotation of the entire camera to change the pan angle of orientation. Additional lenses are used to minimize distortion. Using this means, the size of the camera orientation system can be minimized, but "blind spots" in the center of the view result. Also, these systems typically have no means of magnifying the image and or producing multiple images from a single camera.
Further, references that may be relevant to the evaluation of the captured image transformations as described herein include U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,942 issued to M. J. Tuck on Sep. 20, 1988; U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,019 issued to R. D. Juday on Nov. 19, 1991; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,735 issued to K. Tuchiya, et al on Nov. 26, 1991.

Omniview motionless camera orientation system


A vehicle-mounted meter system includes: an inputting and outputting circuit for data measured to show a condition of the vehicle, a control circuit for controlling the system as a whole and for procession of the data, a meter main body, and a control unit detachably attached to the meter main body. The data inputting and outputting circuit is arranged on the meter main body, and the control circuit is arranged on the control unit. Preferably, the meter main body has a random bus structure corresponding to the data inputting and outputting circuit, and the bus structure has a buffer through which communication is allowed between the data inputting and outputting circuit and the control circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a meter system applicable to meters mounted in an automotive vehicle.
2. Background Art
A conventional vehicle-mounted meter is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2003-194595. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a construction of the conventional meter. The meter has a dial plate 101, a light guiding plate 102, a bearing plate 103, a fore cover 104, a circuit board 105, and a rear cover 106. The dial plate 101 is elongated in a transverse direction to comply with a combination meter including meters for vehicle speed, engine revolution speed, fuel quantity, and cooling water temperature, etc. The dial plate 101 is provided with a meter scale pattern 111a for vehicle speed, engine revolution speed, fuel quantity, and cooling water temperature, a winker indication pattern 111b, a warning indication pattern 111c, etc. The meter pattern 111a is provided for a speed meter, a tachometer, a fuel meter, and a water temperature meter. The light guiding plate 102 guides light emitted from a light source element to illuminate a rear face of the dial plate 101 for the speed meter and the fuel meter. The fore cover 104 is shaped like a saucer and transversely elongated to fit the dial plate 101. The fore cover 104 is combined with the rear cover 106 so as to sandwich the circuit board 105 therebetween.
The circuit board 105 has a transversely elongated shape in the same way as the dial plate 101. The circuit board 105 has a front face arranged with a plurality of LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) 152 to supply light for a pointer 113 and electronic parts 151 including an IC chip. The circuit board 105 has a rear face arranged with a movement 153 turning the pointer 113. The movement 153 has a pointer shaft 153a penetrating through the circuit board 105 to extend forward. Similarly, another movement 153 (not shown) is provided for the fuel meter, the tachometer, and the water temperature meter respectively. The rear cover 106 has an elongated saucer shape like the fore cover 104.
FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a general electric configuration of a meter mounted in an automotive vehicle. In FIG. 9, a vehicle-mounted combination meter 200 has a micro computer 201, input terminals 202 to 205, 206a to 206n, I/O (input/output) circuits 207 to 210, drivers 211, 216, 220, a speed meter 212, a tachometer 213, a fuel meter 214, a water temperature meter 215, LEDs 217a to 217n, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 221, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-only Memory) 222, etc.
The micro computer 201 controls the combination meter 200 as a whole. The micro computer 201 receives vehicle speed signals (SPD) through the input terminals 202 and the I/O circuit 207. The micro computer 201 also receives engine revolution signals (TACHO) through the input terminal 203 and the I/O circuit 208. The micro computer 201 further receives signals of a remaining fuel quantity (FUEL) and a water temperature (TEMP) through the input terminals 204 and 205, an I/O circuit 209, and an A/D converter 201a. The micro computer 201 further receives various warning signals, operation signals (PRNDL) of an automatic shift lever, etc. via the input terminals 206a to 206n.
The micro computer 201 controls the driver 211 to operate the speed meter 212, the tachometer 213, the fuel meter 214, and the water temperature meter 215 respectively in response to input signals of vehicle speed (SPD), engine revolution speed (TACHO), remaining fuel quantity (FUEL), and cooling water temperature (TEMP), so that each meter may indicate a value corresponding to each signal. Furthermore, the micro computer 201 controls the driver 216 to turn on or off the LEDs 217a to 217n in response to signals for various warning, automatic shift lever operation (PRNDL), etc.
Electric circuits for control of the micro computer 201 are incorporated in an integrated circuit board like the circuit board 105 shown in FIG. 8 to operate each meter. The circuits are desirably connected to the meters to operate them.
Meanwhile, for standardization of parts, another conventional in-vehicle combination meter has a control section such as a micro computer to control meters. The control section is separated from an indication section of vehicle speed, engine revolution speed, etc., and multiplex communication is applied for signal transmission between the control section and the indication section. Such combination meters are disclosed in Japanese patent preliminary publication No. H5-53367, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2001-356031, and Japanese patent application No. 2002-142720.
FIG. 10 is an illustration showing a configuration of a vehicle mounted combination meter disclosed in Japanese patent preliminary publication No. H5-53367. The combination meter has a main body 301 and a control circuit section 302 which are separately constructed and disposed in the vehicle.
The combination meter main body 301 has a vehicle speed meter 311, an engine revolution speed meter 312, a cooling water temperature meter 313, a fuel meter 314, and a case 315 accommodating the meters. The vehicle speed meter 311, the engine revolution speed meter 312, the cooling water temperature meter 313, and the fuel meter 314 have cross-coil movements 311a to 314a, pointers 311b to 314b, dial plates 311c to 314c, and drive circuits 311d to 314d respectively. The drive circuits 311d to 314d are sequentially connected one another. The drive circuit 313d positioned at one end of the combination meter is connected to the control circuit section 302 through a signal cable 313, so that data of driving signals are supplied from the control circuit section 302 to the drive circuit 313d.
The control circuit section 302 receives signals of vehicle speed, engine revolution speed, cooling water temperature, and remaining fuel quantity through electrical wires 341 to 344 from sensors (not shown) each desirably positioned in the vehicle. Based on the signals, driving data is supplied to the combination meter main body 301 through a signal cable 303.
FIGS. 11 and 12 are respectively a sectional view and a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle mounted combination meter disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2001-356031. In FIG. 11, the combination meter has an indicator board 401, a vehicle speed meter 402, a tachometer 405, a fuel meter 408 indicating a remaining quantity of fuel such as gasoline, and a water temperature meter 411. Each meter is attached on a fore surface 401a of the indicator board 401.
The vehicle speed meter 402 is constituted by a stepper motor 403 and a pointer 404. The stepper motor 403 moves the pointer 404 in response to data of vehicle speed. The tachometer 405 is constituted by a stepper motor 406 and a pointer 407. The stepper motor 406 moves the pointer 407 in response to data of engine revolution speed. The fuel meter 408 is constituted by a fuel meter 409 and a pointer 410. The fuel meter 409 moves the pointer 410 in response to data of remaining fuel quantity. The water temperature meter 411 is constituted by a stepper motor 406 and a pointer 407. The stepper motor 406 moves the pointer 407 in response to data of cooling water temperature. Between each stepper motor and each pointer, there is disposed a dial plate (not shown) provided with scales, numerals, letters, or symbols to complete the meter.
In the combination meter, the vehicle speed meter 402 is connected to an infrared receiver element 414 via a stepper motor driver and infrared commutation IC 415; the tachometer 405 is connected to an infrared receiver element 416 via a stepper motor driver and commutation IC 417; the fuel meter 408 is connected to an infrared receiver element 418 via a stepper motor driver and infrared commutation IC 419; and the water temperature meter 411 is connected to an infrared receiver element 420 via a stepper motor driver and infrared commutation IC 421.
The combination meter also has a control module 422 attached on a rear surface 1b of the indication board 430. The control module 422 includes a base board on which there are disposed an IC 424 (including an interface IC 424b, a micro computer IC 424c, and an infrared commutation IC 424d) and an infrared emitting element 425 connected to each other. The IC 424 has an interface IC 424b, a micro computer IC 424c, and an infrared commutation IC 424d. The control module 422 is detachably mounted on the indicator board 401 with two fasteners 423.
In FIG. 12, an input terminal 424a receives values, for example of serial data, measured by various sensors (not shown) in regard to vehicle speed, engine revolution speed, fuel temperature, and engine room temperature. The measured values are input in the micro computer IC 424c via the interface circuit 424b. The micro computer IC 424c processes the measured values to generate data having identification codes. The data is input into the infrared communication IC 424d and transmitted from the infrared emitting element 425 as infrared signals.
The infrared signals transmitted from the infrared emitting element 425 are received by infrared receiver elements 414, 416, 418, and 420 to be supplied into the stepper motor driver and infrared commutation ICs 415, 417, 419, and 421 of the stepper motors. Each of stepper motor driver and infrared commutation ICs 415, 417, 419, and 421 selectively provides each data of vehicle speed, engine revolution speed, fuel quantity, and engine room temperature to each of the vehicle speed meter 402, the tachometer 405, the fuel meter 408, and the water temperature meter 411 together with an identification code.
Thus, the control module 422 is a control section that controls the various types of meters indicating measured values of the vehicle. The control module control module 422 is commonly used for the meters. The control module 422 outputs infrared commutation signals. On the indicator board 401, there are mounted the infrared receiver elements and the infrared commutation ICs of the meters.
The stepper motors 403, 406, 409, and 412 of the vehicle speed meter 402, the tachometer 405, the fuel meter 408, and the water temperature meter 411 are respectively connected to the stepper motor driver and infrared commutation ICs 415, 417, 419, and 421, so that the meters are controlled in response to the infrared signals supplied from the control module 422.
FIGS. 13 and 14 are respectively a block diagram and a general constitutional view of a combination meter proposed in Japanese patent application No. 2002-142720. In FIG. 13, the combination meter has a plurality of display units 500 and a control unit 600. The display unit 500 is provided with a receiver 511 for receiving measurement information showing a condition of the vehicle and a driving control device 530 for controlling a driving device 540 in response to the measurement information supplied from the display side receiver 511. The control unit 600 is provided with a transmitter 631 transmitting the measurement information to the plurality of display units 500 and a control device 611a for controlling transmission of the transmitter 631, an additional information storing device 614, a receiver 633, and a warning device 640.
The display unit 500 further has a response signal generating device 550a, a responding device 550b, and a transmitter 514. The response signal generating device 550a generates driving information for the driving device 540 in response to reception of the measurement information. The display side transmitter 514 transmits the driving information to the control unit 600. The control unit 600 further has a receiver 633 and a decision device 611b. The receiver 633 receives the driving information supplied from the display side transmitter 514. The decision device 611b determines whether the driving device 540 can be controlled or not based on comparison of the driving information received by the receiver 633 with the measurement information transmitted from the control device 611a. The control device 611a operates based on the determination of the decision device 611b.
As shown in FIG. 14, the display units 500 correspond to a vehicle speed meter, a tachometer indicating engine revolution speeds, a fuel meter indicating a remaining fuel quantity, a temperature meter indicating an engine room temperature, etc. The control unit 600 controls indication of all the display units 500.
The combination meters disclosed or proposed as mentioned above have configurations different from each other. However, each of the combination meters has a system configuration designed specifically for each car maker or for each type of cars. Thus, the combination meter requires a special design for each application, increasing a development cost. Or, minimization of the development cost decreases flexibility of meter design. Furthermore, when multi-display design with LEDs is applied for a combination meter, users cannot select freely the design of the combination meter, because the meter is specifically designed for each car.
In view of the above-mentioned situation, the present invention provides a vehicle-mounted meter system having a standardized common part regardless of car types to decrease a manufacturing cost and to improve design flexibility for customization of users.


A decorative lamp that includes a base and a poseable stem that extends from the base. A spring is connected with respect to an end of the poseable stem opposite the base and a wire is routed through the poseable stem and through the spring and into a socket positioned at an end of the spring opposite the poseable stem. A vibrator may be positioned on the decorative lamp to impart a motion to the socket.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a decorative lamp including a poseable stem and an adjoining spring on which a bulb and lampshade are mounted.
2. Description of Related Art
Lamps generally include a base and a static neck and shade. Reading lamps may include a hinged, cantilevered neck for placement of the light source in a desired location. In addition, flashlights having articulating and flexible stems are available for directing and fixing a light source into a desired location.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


There is disclosed a silver halide color photographic material which comprises in a blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer acylacetamide yellow dye-forming couplers represented by the following formula (I) and in a red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer cyan dye-forming couplers represented by the following formula (II) or (III): ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 represents a monovalent group, Q represents a group of non-metallic atoms required to form together with the C a substituted or unsubstituted 3- to 5-membered cyclic hydrocarbon group or a substituted or unsubstituted 3- to 5-membered heterocyclic group having therein at least one heteroatom selected from a group consisting of N, O, S, and P, and Y.sub.R represents a residue remaining after removing the acyl group from the acylacetamide yellow dye-forming coupler, provided that R.sub.1 is not a hydrogen atom and does not bond to Q to form a ring, ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1 represents --CONR.sup.4 R.sup.5, --SO.sub.2 NR.sup.4 R.sup.5, --NHCOR.sup.4, --NHCOOR.sup.6, --NHSO.sub.2 R.sup.6, --NHCONR.sup.4 R.sup.5, or --NHSO.sub.2 NR.sup.4 R.sup.5 ; R.sup.2 represents a group substitutable on a naphthalene ring; k is an integer of 0 to 3; R.sup.3 represents a substituent, X.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom or a coupling split-off group; R.sup.4 and R.sup.5, which may be the same or different, each independently represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group, or a heterocyclic group; R.sup.6 represents an alkyl group, an aryl group, or a heterocyclic group; when k is 2 or more, the R.sup.2 groups may be the same or different and may bond together to form a ring; and the compound may form a dimer or higher polymer formed by bonding through a divalent group or higher polyvalent group at R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3, or X.sup.1, ##STR3## wherein R.sup.21 represents an alkyl group, an aryl group, or a heterocyclic group, R.sup.22 represents an aryl group, and Z.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom or a coupling split-off group.

Generally, the basic steps for processing color photographic materials include a color-development step and a desilvering step. In the color-development step, silver halide that has been exposed to light is reduced with a color-developing agent, and the oxidized color-developing agent reacts with a coupler, to give a dye image. In the next desilvering step, the silver produced in the color-development step is oxidized with an oxidizing agent (commonly called a bleaching agent) and thereafter is dissolved with an oxidizing agent for silver ions, which is commonly called a fixing agent. Through this desilvering step, only a dye image is formed in the color photographic material.
There are two ways to carry out the above desilvering step: one comprises two baths, that is, a bleaching bath containing a bleaching agent and a fixing bath containing a fixing agent, and the other comprises one bath, that is, a bleach-fix bath containing a bleaching agent together with a fixing agent.
The practical development processing includes various subsidiary steps for the purpose, for example, of keeping the physical quality or making the preservability of the image better, such as a hardening bath, a stop bath, an image stabilizing bath, and a washing bath.
Recently, with the popularity of the small-sized-shop processing service system, that is, the socalled mini-lab processing service system, it is strongly desired to shorten the time needed for the above processing and to make the replenishing amount lower, so that customer requests for processing can be met quickly and maintenance work on the involved processing equipment can be reduced.
In particular, shortening of the desilvering step and the washing step, which conventionally take most of the processing time, is highly desired.
However, when the time required for the desilvering step (including a bleaching step, a fixing step, and a bleach-fix step) and the washing step is shortened or the replenishing amount is lowered, the following various problems result:
first, an increase in residual silver after processing (insufficient desilvering);
second, an increase in the minimum-density immediately after the processing (processing stain); and
third, an increase in the minimum density during storage of the processed sample.
To improve silver retention among these problems, it is known to use a bleaching agent high in oxidation power, such as red prussiate, bichromates, ferric chloride, persulfates, and hydrobromides, but these have many defects in view of environmental preservation, handling safety, and corrosiveness of metals, and therefore they cannot practically be widely used in shop processing or the like.
Further, if the color development step is followed immediately by a bleaching process directly without an intermediate bath in order to shorten the processing step, this is accompanied by a defect that worsening of the increase of the minimum-density due to the above-described processing is observed. This phenomena is very conspicuous, for example, when a bleaching solution containing ferric 1,3-diaminopropanetetraacetate high in oxidation power, as described in JP-A ("JP-A" means unexamined published Japanese patent application) No. 222252/1987, is used.
In order to solve these problems, JP-A No. 37556/1989 discloses a method for improving processing stain by using a specific cyan coupler, and JP-A No. 23257/1989 discloses a method for improving processing stain by using a specific high-boiling organic solvent. Regarding suppression of cyan stain, the effect for improving processing stain by these methods is satisfactory to a certain extent, but with respect to magenta stain and yellow stain the effect is still unsatisfactory, and in particular it remains desired to lower magenta stain.
Further by these methods, the effect for improving the problem of color increase with time, which occurs during storage after the processing, is small, and the effect for improving magenta color increase is very small.
While the washing step, etc. are being made rapid and the replenishing amount is being lowered, there is a present and future demand for a photographic material that will develop less stain during storage after processing.

Silver halide color photographic material


A memory device comprises a semiconductor substrate of a first conductive type, a memory transistor, a select transistor, a floating junction region, a common source region, and a bit line junction region. The floating junction region is formed of a second conductive type on the semiconductor substrate below a tunnel insulating film. The common source region of a second conductive type is formed on the semiconductor substrate adjacent a memory transistor gate and separated from the floating junction region. A bit line junction region of a second conductive type is formed on the semiconductor substrate adjacent a select transistor gate and is separated from the floating junction region, wherein the common source region includes a single junction region with a first doping concentration, and a depth of the common source region is shallower than a depth of the floating junction region and the bit line junction region.

An electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) device is a non-volatile memory device in which data can be electrically programmed and erased therein. A floating gate tunnel oxide (FLOTOX) EEPROM stores data at logic levels of a "1" or "0" by injecting electrons into or discharging electrons from a floating gate insulated from a peripheral area, using the Fowler-Nordheim effect.
In a memory cell of an EEPROM, the size of a unit cell is reduced as the capacity of cell memory increases. However, when the size of a unit cell is reduced, cell characteristics can be degraded. For example, an inconsistency in cell threshold voltages Vth of the erased cells and the programmed cells may occur. A reason of the inconsistency of the cell threshold voltages Vth is a shortened effective channel length of a memory transistor. By increasing the effective channel length without increasing the size of the cells, the cell threshold voltage distribution can be improved.
FIG. 1A is a layout of a conventional FLOTOX EEPROM cell. FIGS. 1B and 1C are cross-sectional views taken along lines Y-Y′ and X-X′ in FIG. 1, respectively.
Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1C, a memory cell of an EEPROM is formed along an active region 103, in which two transistors are formed in series. The active region 103 is separated by an inactive region formed of a field insulating film 105. One of the two transistors is a memory transistor including a floating gate 141 and is electrically connected to a sense line 143. The other transistor is a select transistor electrically connected to a word line 145. A drain region of the select transistor electrically connected to a bit line (not shown) constitutes a bit line junction region 139. A source region of the select transistor and a drain region of the memory transistor constitute a floating junction region 130. A source region of the memory transistor constitutes a common source region 138.
Referring to FIG. 1C, a gate insulating layer 116a including a thin tunnel insulating film 114 is formed on a portion of the floating junction region 130. A memory transistor gate includes a floating gate 141, an inter-gate insulating film 142, and a control gate 143, stacked on the gate insulating film 116a. The control gate 143 forms a sense line extending along a line. A select transistor gate 145 formed on a gate insulating film 116b is separated at a distance from the memory transistor. The select transistor gate 145 forms a word line that extends along a line. Side wall spacers 115 are formed on side walls of the memory transistor gate (including 141, 142, and 143) and the select transistor gate 145.
The floating junction region 130 extends to a side of the select transistor gate 145 and is formed below the tunnel insulating film 114. The floating junction region 130 includes a deep N+ type dopant region 131 below the tunnel insulating film 114 and a high voltage N− (HVN−) type dopant region 132 formed adjacent to the deep N+ type dopant region. The HVN− indicates an N− type dopant suitable for an application of a high voltage of about 15V˜about 20V. The HVN− has a greater junction depth than an N+ type dopant region 135.
The common source region 138 has a double diffusion (DD) structure. In other words, the N+ type dopant region 135 is formed on the HVN− dopant region 134. The bit line junction region 139 also has a double diffusion structure with the N+ type dopant region 136 formed on the HVN− region 133. The HVN− type dopant regions 132, 133, and 134 have greater junction depths than the N+ type dopant regions 135 and 136.
In a conventional EEPROM, the HVN− dopant regions 132, 133, and 134 are formed to equal depths on the substrate 100 after the deep N+ type dopant region 131 of the floating junction region 130 is formed. Then, the common source region 138 including a double diffusion structure is formed by the N+ type dopant region 135 in the common source region 138. Tthe bit line junction region 139 including the double diffusion structure is formed by the N+ type dopant region 136 in the bit line junction region 139. The N+ type dopant regions 135 and 136 have shallower depths than the HVN− type dopant regions 132, 133, and 134.
In the conventional EEPROM cell, the HVN− dopant region 134 in the common source region 138 is formed at the same time and to the same depth as the HVN− dopant regions 132 and 133. As a result, lateral diffusion toward the floating junction region 130 becomes large. Accordingly, an effective channel length of the memory transistor reduces to the extent of the lateral diffusion. A reduced effective channel length may result in an uneven distribution of a threshold voltage.
FIG. 1D is a cross-sectional view of another conventional EEPROM. Referring to FIG. 1D, the common source region 138 has a lightly doped drain (LDD) structure. Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-305260 discloses an EEPROM cell including a common source region with the LDD structure.
In EEPROM structure of FIG. 1D, the common source region 138 includes the LDD structure by forming a low voltage N− LVN− dopant region with a shallow depth between the N+ type dopant region 135 and the channel. As a result, the LVN− type dopant region 137 is formed with a shallower depth than the HVN− type dopant regions 132 and 133. As the extent of lateral diffusion decreases, the effective channel length of the transistor increases. Decreased lateral diffusion reduces inconsistencies in the threshold voltage.

EEPROM device and method of fabricating the same


A cash-dispensing banking terminal has a housing, a transmitter, a receiver, a cash dispenser, and a processor to control the cash dispenser. A pre-created transaction request was earlier created with a mobile device before a banking customer and the mobile device arrive at the cash-dispensing banking terminal. A remote computing device authenticates and authorizes the transaction request before the customer and the mobile device arrive at the cash-dispensing banking terminal. When the transaction is authenticated and authorized, a remote computer generates an executable transaction request and generates and sends a transaction identifier associated with an executable transaction request to the mobile device. The receiver receives the transaction identifier from the mobile device, when the customer is at the banking terminal. The remote computer and/or other devices verify the transaction identifier is valid. The banking terminal performs the transaction request while the customer is at the banking terminal.

At most modern cash machines, the customer is identified by inserting a plastic ATM card with a magnetic stripe or a plastic smart card with a chip that contains a unique card number and some security information such as an expiration date and a code verification value (CVV). Authentication is often provided by the customer entering a personal identification number (PIN).
Using a cash machine, customers can access their bank deposit or credit accounts in order to make a variety of transactions such as cash withdrawals, check balances, or credit mobile phones. In some instances, if the currency being withdrawn from the cash machine is different from that in which the bank account is denominated the money will be converted at an official exchange rate so that ATMs often provide the best possible exchange rates for foreign travelers. There remains a need for better ATM transactions and related systems and methods.

Cash access with automatic transaction machine with mobile phone


An exemplary method for manufacturing a field electron emission source includes: providing a substrate (102); depositing a cathode layer (104) on a surface of the substrate; providing a carbon nanotube paste, coating the carbon nanotube paste on the cathode layer; calcining the carbon nanotube paste to form a carbon nanotube composite layer (110); and, irradiating the carbon nanotube composite layer with a laser beam of a certain power density, thereby achieving a field electron emission source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to field electron emission sources having carbon nanotubes and methods for manufacturing the same.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Field emission displays (FEDs) are a relatively new and rapidly developing flat panel display technology. Compared to conventional technologies, e.g., cathode-ray tube (CRT) and liquid crystal display (LCD) technologies, field emission displays are superior in having a wider viewing angle, lower energy consumption, a smaller size, and a higher quality display. A field electron emission source is an essential component in FEDs and has been widely investigated in recent years.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are very small tube-shaped structures, essentially having a composition of a graphite sheet rolled into a tube. CNTs produced by arc discharge between graphite rods were discovered and reported in an article by Sumio Iijima entitled "Helical Microtubules of Graphitic Carbon" (Nature, Vol. 354, Nov. 7, 1991, pp. 56-58). CNTs have extremely high electrical conductivity, very small diameters (much less than 100 nanometers), large aspect ratios (i.e. length/diameter ratios greater than 1000), and a tip-surface area near the theoretical limit (the smaller the tip-surface area, the more concentrated the electric field and the greater the field enhancement factor). Thus, CNTs can transmit an extremely high electrical current and have a very low turn-on electric field (approximately 2 volts/micron) for emitting electrons. In summary, CNTs are among the most favorable candidates for electron emission terminals of a field electron emission source, and can play an important role in FED applications.
A conventional method for manufacturing the field electron emission source utilizes a screen-printing process. In this method, a CNT paste having CNTs and conductive paste is formed on a cathode and then calcined to form a CNT composite layer. Most CNTs embedded in the CNT composite layer cannot emit electrons. For this reason, a surface of the CNT composite layer is cut and polished to form electron emission portions. However, in this mechanical method, the formation of the electron emission portions cannot be accurately controlled. Further, the field electron emission source has a low field electron emission efficiency due to a shielding effect caused by closer, adjacent CNTs.
Therefore an accurately controlled method for manufacturing field electron emission sources and a field electron emission source with high field electron emission efficiency are desired to overcome the above-described problems.

Field electron emission source having carbon nanotubes and method for manufacturing the same


The present invention provides a method of preparing apoenzyme of a riboflavin-dependent enzyme, comprising the steps of: growing COS-7 cells in a riboflavin-free medium; introducing a cDNA encoding a riboflavin-dependent enzyme; and expressing said cDNA. Also provided is a method of screening for an inhibitor of a flavin dependent enzyme, comprising the steps of;. contracting a potential inhibitor of a flavin dependent enzyme with the cell line of claim 7 in the presence of riboflavin, FMN or Fad; and measuring the enzymatic activity of the flavin dependent enzyme.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fields of immunology and protein chemistry. More specifically, the present invention relates to a novel cell system and methods of preparing apoenzyme.
2. Description of the Related Art
The major amine-degrading enzymes in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues of mammals are monoamine oxidase A and B MAO A and B; amine: oxygen, oxidoreductase (deaminating, flavin-containing), EC 126.96.36.199!. These isozymes are integral proteins of the outer mitochondrial membrane (1) and can be distinguished by differences in substrate preference (2), inhibitory specificity (3), tissue and cell distribution (4-6), and immunological properties (7-9). Furthermore, comparison of their nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences show that human MAO A and B are two distinct proteins encoded by different genes (10).
Oxidation of amines by MAO is coupled to the reduction of an obligatory cofactor, FAD, which is covalently linked to the enzyme. Five types of bonds are generally found in the covalent linkage of flavins to their respective apoproteins (11). These include a histidine residue which can be attached through its N-1 or N-3 atom to the 8.alpha.-methyl group of the isoalloxazine ring to form a tertiary amine; a cysteine residue which forms a thioether linkage with either the 8.alpha.-methyl group or the C-6 of the xylene ring of the flavin molecule; or a tyrosine residue can become linked to the 8.alpha.-methyl group to form an (O)-8.alpha.-flavin bond. In MAO A and B, the 8.alpha.-methyl group of FAD is bound covalently to cysteine through a thioether linkage in the pentapeptide SGGCY (12, 13). Comparison of this segment with the complete deduced amino acid sequences of MAO A and B indicated that FAD is covalently bound to Cys.sup.406 in MAO A and Cys.sup.397 in MAO B, respectively (10). In addition, site-directed mutagenesis studies of MAO B, where Cys.sup.397 was substituted with serine or histidine, showed that this cysteine residue is essential for catalytic activity (14, 15).
Although the amino acid sequences surrounding the FAD covalent attachment site in different flavoproteins bear little homology, a distinct non-covalent FAD binding site displays high sequence identity in many FAD-containing enzymes of diverse function (16, 17). This non-covalent FAD binding region is commonly referred to as the dinucleotide binding site or motif due to its interaction with the AMP moiety of FAD. This motif consists of a .beta..sub.1 sheet-.alpha. helix-.beta..sub.2 sheet beginning with a highly conserved Gly-X-Gly-X-X-Gly sequence between the first .beta.-sheet and the .alpha.-helix. The second .beta.-sheet usually ends with a glutamate residue in which the .gamma.-carboxylate group is thought to interact through a hydrogen bond with the 2'-hydroxyl group of ribose in the AMP moiety of FAD. In MAO A and B, this motif is located at the N-terminus of MAO A (residues 15-43) and MAO B (residues 6-34), and ends in Glu.sup.43 and Glu.sup.34, respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis studies, where Glu.sup.34 was replaced with aspartate, glutamine or alanine, resulted in near complete or total loss of catalytic activity in MAO B (18).
A fundamental process in the intracellular generation of functional flavoenzymes is the molecular mechanism which generates holoenzyme from apoenzyme and its cofactor. Following the discovery of the first known enzyme with covalently linked FAD (succinate dehydrogenase, 19), extensive research in many laboratories has been conducted to elucidate how FAD is coupled to its respective proteins. The precise steps involved remain unknown.
The prior art is deficient in the lack of effective means of manipulating the flavinylation of enzymes and the preparation of apoenzymes. The present invention fulfills this longstanding need and desire in the art.


A step tailgate and mounting hardware system is presented where a tailgate can swing down to a position in order to create an intermediate stepping area. The tailgate has a primary hinge that allows the tailgate to swing down from a first position, to a second position. The tailgate has a bracket system that allows the tailgate to swing down to a third position in order to create an intermediate stepping area. The tailgate can move away from the vehicle by an inner arm. When the end of the inner arm reaches the end of the inside swing the inner arm can swing down by the inner and outer swing arms to a point where the swing arms are perpendicular to the main and inner arms. When the tailgate is in the third position the tailgate is below the truck bed, creating a stepping surface.

Some vehicles, such as a truck, have a tailgate that swings down to create a flat surface that is even with the truck bed. These types of tailgates, in combination with a flat surface area, such as a truck bed, are very helpful for hauling large objects. However, the tailgate and truck bed design lacks ergonomics, which can make it very difficult to put in or remove a large object from the truck bed or vehicle. The reason for this is because the tailgate creates a flat surface that is even with the truck bed, which is usually several feet from the ground. Due to the height of the vehicle, and not having anything to step-on at an intermediate height between the ground and the truck bed, it can be very difficult to get leverage when loading or removing a large object from the vehicle.
Some past attempts to resolve the above problem involve a bumper with integrated stepping surfaces. However, these stepping surfaces are unusable when the tailgate is in the down position and at a height even with the tailgate because the tailgate is covering the bumper. When one is trying to put a large object into the vehicle the tailgate is usually in the down position, and the integrated steps cannot be used. Thus, the integrated steps do not solve the ergonomics problem.
Other devices for increasing ergonomics involve fold out steps, which are located underneath the bumper and extend out towards the sides of the vehicle. The fold out steps can be used when the tailgate is in the down position and covering the bumper since they extend outward to the sides of the vehicle. However, the fold out steps usually have a small surface area for a person to place their foot on. The small surface area can make it difficult to use the fold out steps when attempting to get a large object into the vehicle.
It is desirable to have a tailgate which can swing down to create an even surface with the vehicle as known in the art, but can also swing down to a position below the bumper. When the tailgate is in the position below the bumper the tailgate creates a large flat stepping surface.


The present invention provides a method for accelerating the BIOS running by means of Cache-As-RAM, comprising steps of: a CPU reading a first instruction from a BIOS Flash ROM and beginning to run BIOS programs after a computer is powered on; the CPU turning on a No-Eviction Mode (NEM) of a cache and initializing a Cache-As-RAM (CAR); the CPU copying the BIOS programs to the CAR space from the BIOS Flash ROM and running the BIOS programs completely in the CAR space; at the end of running the BIOS programs in the CAR space, the CPU initializing a system memory; after the system memory is initialized, the CPU again reading the BIOS programs from the Flash ROM; the CPU copying the BIOS program modules that have not been run yet to the system memory from the BIOS Flash ROM; and the CPU running the BIOS programs from the system memory, so as to finish the initialization of the computer platform.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to the computer field, and more specifically, to a method for accelerating the BIOS running by means of Cache as RAM (CAR).
2. Description of Prior Art
When an existing computer system is powered on, a CPU reads a first instruction from a BIOS Flash ROM through a low speed bus, for example, ISA, LPC, FWH and so on, and begins to run the BIOS. After performing some simple power-on initializations on the CPU, chip sets and peripheral devices, the BIOS starts to initialize a memory. The CPU doesn't copy the BIOS main programs from the Flash ROM to the system memory until the initialization of the memory is completed. Then, the CPU reads instructions from the memory, so as to improve the running speed of the BIOS.
A method for improving the accessing speed to the memory by mapping the memory areas used by running of the BIOS programs with the CPU cache so as to accelerate the running of the BIOS programs is proposed in Chinese Patent Applications No. CN 03156907.2 and Chinese Patent No. CN 1641580.
A method for accelerating the BIOS running is proposed in the Chinese Patent Applications CN 03156907.2 and Chinese Patent No. CN 1641580. This method maps the memory areas used by the BIOS programs with the CPU cache. When running the BIOS programs, in the case of "Cache Hit", the CPU reads BIOS instructions directly from the cache without reading them from the system memory, thus the running of the BIOS programs is accelerated.
A method for accelerating the running of an option ROM for an add-in card is proposed in US Patent Application No. US 2003/023812, wherein when the BIOS is to run the option ROM for a certain add-in card, it copies the option ROM to the system memory, and then maps this memory area with the CPU cache, so as to accelerate the running of the option ROM.
The above methods are encountered with following disadvantages:
1) These schemes cannot be applied until the system memory is available. However, at the initial stage of the BIOS running, the system memory is not available, and therefore, the above schemes cannot be applied.
2) Even though the above schemes are applied, it is not always the case of "Cache Hit" when the CPU reads the BIOS programs, where the CPU still needs to read the BIOS programs from the system memory.
In order to overcome the above problems so as to accelerate the BIOS running, the present invention provides a method, in which the CPU cache is set as RAM (random access memory) for use. Thus, even when the system memory is not available, the BIOS can be run in this section of RAM space, resulting in the greatly accelerated running of the BIOS.