Connector terminals 13 connected to ends of respective electric wires 12 are inserted into an electric wire insertion section 11b formed in a housing body 11 of a waterproof connector 10. The connector terminals 13 are attached to respective terminal attachment sections 11a. The connector comprises a plug 14 which is molded on the outer peripheral surfaces of the electric wires 12 situated in the electric wire insertion section 11b and which is removably fitted into the electric wire insertion section 11b with a slight gap between the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire insertion section 11b and the plug 14; and a resiliently-deformable annular sealing body 15 which is retained in a retention groove formed along an outer peripheral surface of the plug 14 and which is brought into intimate contact with the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire insertion section 11b.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waterproof structure in a cable insertion section, that is, a section into which a cable member of the waterproof connector or the like is inserted is waterproofed and to a method of manufacturing the waterproof structure.
The present invention also relates to a waterproof molding die for forming a waterproof mold to be attached to wiring material having lead wires provided therein.
2. Description of the Related Art
In relation to a waterproof connector, an attempt has hitherto been made to block intrusion of liquid into a space defined between an outer peripheral surface of each wire and an inner peripheral surface of a wire insertion hole into which a corresponding wire is to be inserted, by means of attaching a rubber plug to each wire to be assembled (a first related-art example). In another attempt to block intrusion of liquid, there is employed a waterproof structure utilizing a plate-like single-piece rubber plug, wherein a plurality of electric wires to be assembled are fitted into a plurality of previously-formed wire conduit sections, thus collectively rendering the electric wires waterproof (a second related-art example). In still another attempt to block intrusion of liquid, there is employed a structure which renders electric wires waterproof by means of filling an electric wire insertion section, into which electric wires are to be inserted, with resin and solidifying the resin (a third related-art example).
For example, FIG. 10 shows structure of a waterproof connector 2 utilizing a single-piece rubber 1. A housing body 3 of the waterproof connector 2 molded from resin has a plurality of terminal attachment sections 3a into which connector terminals 5 connected to conductor terminal sections of electric wires 4, respectively, are to be fitted in an unremovable manner and an electric wire insertion section 3b projectingly formed in a substantially-angular cylindrical shape, situated on one end face side of the terminal attachment sections 3a, and inserted the electric wires 4.
The single-piece rubber 1 is formed from rubber material having a shape of a substantially-rectangular plate and being elastically deformable, the rubber material which is slightly larger than an inner shape of the electric wire insertion section 3b so as to come into closely contact with the inner peripheral surface of the electric wire insertion section 3b when the single-piece rubber 1 is pushed into and fitted to the electric wire insertion section 3b. Wire through holes 1a are formed in the single-piece rubber plug 1 so as to correspond to the terminal attachment sections 3a, respectively, and each electric wire 4 passes through and is held in a corresponding wire through hole 1a.
The waterproof connector is further provided with a holder body 6 for pressing the single-piece rubber plug 1 fitted into the electric wire insertion section 3b from an outside thereof. Similarly, the holder body 6 is formed wire insertion holes 6a through which the connector terminals 5 and the electric wires 4 passes so as to correspond to the connector terminals 5 and the electric wires 4. A latch piece 6b is formed so as to extend from each side edge of the holder body 6. A latch projection 3c formed so as to protrude from an outer peripheral side on either side of the electric wire insertion section 3b is removably latched in a latch hole 6c formed in each latch piece 6b, thereby pressing the outer side surface of the single-piece rubber plug 1 and unremovably hold the plug 1.
However, the waterproof structure of the waterproof connector according to the first related-art example adopts a method of attaching each of rubber plugs to each of electric wires. Because of this, attaching a rubber plug to a wire involves consumption of time during an assembly operation. Further, use of the rubber plugs hinders miniaturization of a waterproof connector associated with miniaturization of a connector terminal.
The waterproof structure according to the second related-art example has a merit of contributing to realization of a compact multi-contact waterproof connector. However, when each electric wire 4 is caused to pass through a corresponding wire through hole 1a of the single-piece rubber plug 1, there is a necessity of first squeezing the connector terminal 5 connected to the electric wire 4. At this time, the connector terminal 5 is squeezed into the wire through hole 1a while holding the electric wire 4. In association with miniaturization of the connector terminal 5, the diameter of the electric wire 4 has become reduced. It is difficult to pass the connector terminals 5 through wire through holes 1 while holding the electric wires 4 due to buckling of the electric wires 4 and the like.
Further, as a result of an increase in the number of contacts in a connector, a task for assembling a connector by means of inserting the connection terminal 5 and the electric wire 4 into a corresponding wire through hole 1a formed in the single-piece rubber plug 1 takes a lot of trouble to be the task difficult. Even when the single-piece rubber plug 1 is used, there is a necessity of a countermeasure for sealing unoccupied wire through holes 1a through use of a dummy plug or film.
The waterproof structure according to the third related-art example obviates a necessity of use of an individual rubber plug to be attached to each electric wire, such as that described in connection with the first related-art example. Further, the waterproof structure according to the third related-art example also obviates a necessity of a task for causing the connector terminal 5 and the electric wire 4 to pass through a corresponding wire through hole 1a formed in the single-piece rubber plug 1, such as that described in connection with the second related-art example. On the other hand, the waterproof structure, however, involves solidification of the wire insertion section by means of filling it with resin. Because of this, upon discovery of an attachment failure having arisen when the connector terminal is attached to the terminal attachment section or upon the connector terminal sustaining damage, the plug can be neither replaced or subjected to maintenance.
The present invention has been conceived in light of the problems set forth the above and aims at providing a waterproof structure in a cable insertion section in an attempt to improve ease of assembly and maintenance, as well as at providing a method of manufacturing the waterproof structure.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a waterproof structure in a cable insertion section, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the cable insertion section and an outer peripheral surface of a cable member are sealed together in a cable-inserted state in which connector terminals of cable members connected to ends of individual conductors are inserted into the cable insertion section formed in a housing body and are provided at predetermined positions, the waterproof structure comprising: a plug molded on the outer peripheral surfaces of the cable members situated in the cable insertion section and detachably fitted into the cable insertion section with a slight gap between the inner peripheral surface of the cable insertion section and the plug; and a elastically deformable annular sealing body retained in a retention groove formed along an outer peripheral surface of the plug and brought into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cable insertion section.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided the waterproof structure according to the first aspect of the invention, further comprising a holder member having a cable insertion opening smaller than the plug, wherein the holder member having a cable insertion opening smaller than the plug may be detachably engaged with the cable insertion section from an outer surface of the plug while the cable members are inserted into the cable insertion opening.
According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a waterproof structure in a cable insertion section, wherein an inner peripheral surface of the cable insertion section and an outer peripheral surface of a cable member are sealed together in a cable-inserted state in which connector terminals of cable members connected to ends of individual conductors are inserted into the cable insertion section formed in a housing body and are provided at predetermined positions, the method comprising the steps of: inserting the cable members into a elastically deformable annular sealing body movably to realize the cable-inserted state; detachably fitting a plug into the cable insertion section with a slight gap between the inner peripheral surface of the cable insertion section; molding the plug on the outer peripheral surfaces of the cable members situated in the cable insertion section to form a retention groove for holding the sealing body being in an outer peripheral surface of thereof; and fittingly squeezing the plug into the cable insertion section while the sealing body is retained in the retention groove in the molded plug to bring the sealing body into close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the cable insertion section.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided the method of manufacturing a waterproof structure in a cable insertion section according to the third aspect of the invention, further comprising the steps of: inserting the cable members into a cable insertion opening of the holder body having the cable insertion opening smaller than the plug before the step of inserting the cable members into the sealing body; and detachably engaging the holder body with the cable insertion section while the plug is fittingly squeezed into the cable insertion section.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided the method of manufacturing the waterproof structure in the cable insertion section according to any one of the third and fourth aspects of the invention, wherein the cable members are a plurality of electric wires; elastically deformable soft elastic members are respectively provided on edges of openings for leading a cable, which are opposed to each other and is situated on either side of two split dies with reference to a longitudinal direction of the electric wires; and molding material is poured into a cavity while the electric wires are put together in a bundle and sandwiched by elastic deformation of the elastic members of the split dies to mold the plug.
According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided A waterproof mold die for molding a waterproof mold having a large-diameter flange section to be attached to a wiring member having lead wires therein and a small-diameter seal section, the waterproof mold die comprising: a die main body having an upper die and a lower die, the dies constituting a molding surface for the flange section of the waterproof mold; and a cylindrical die having single-piece structure, at least a part of the cylindrical die supported by the upper and lower dies of the die main body, wherein a molding surface for the seal section of the waterproof mold is provided in the cylindrical die.
By means of the foregoing structure, when fused insulation material is poured into the molding surface constituted by the die main body and the cylindrical die, there is formed the waterproof mold having the flange section matching the molding surface defined between the upper and lower dies of the die main body and the seal section having the shape matching the molding surface of the cylindrical die, thereby preventing formation of burrs in an outer peripheral surface of the seal section.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, there is provided the waterproof mold die according to the sixth aspect of the invention, wherein an insertion section for the wiring member is provided in a junction between the upper and lower dies constituting the die main body; and an elastic sealing material is provided in the insertion section.
By means of the structure set forth, while the wiring member remains inserted into the insertion section, fused insulation material is poured into the molding surface constituted by the die main body and the cylindrical die. As a result, the waterproof mold is formed while the waterproof mold is integrally attached to the outer peripheral surface of the wiring member.
According to a eighth aspect of the invention, there is provided the waterproof mold die according to any one of the seventh and eighth aspects of the invention, wherein one end of the cylindrical die is exposed to the outside of the die main body; a retainer die formed of split dies for retaining the wiring member is provided in the exposed portion of the cylindrical die; a surface tapered to a tip is formed on an outer peripheral section of the retainer die; and a mount hole having another tapered surface, which surface becomes wider toward the outside and matches the tapered surface of the retainer die, is formed in the cylindrical die.
By means of the foregoing structure, while the wiring member remains inserted in the insertion section, fused insulation material is poured into the molding surface constituted by the die main body and the cylindrical die. As a result, the waterproof mold is formed while the waterproof mold is integrally attached to the outer peripheral surface of the wiring material. Subsequently, the retainer die is pulled from the mount hole of the cylindrical die, and the split dies are opened, thereby facilitating a task for removing the cylindrical die from the waterproof mold while the upper and lower dies of the die main body remain in an opened state.

Waterproof structure in cable insertion section, method of manufacturing the same, and die for waterproof molding


The invention relates to a data recording device comprising microtips and a recording medium. The recording medium comprises a substrate with a preferably-carbon resistive layer disposed thereon, said resistive layer being covered with an active layer. According to the invention, the aforementioned active layer can pass from a first electrical resistivity value to a second electrical resistivity value when a voltage is applied between the microtips and a counter electrode. The inventive data recording device also comprises at least one carbon resistive element which is disposed between the active layer and the microtips.

The invention relates to a data recording device comprising micro-tips and a recording medium comprising a substrate whereon there is arranged a resistive layer, said resistive layer being covered by an active layer able to switch from a first electrical resistivity value to a second electrical resistivity value due to the action of a voltage applied between the micro-tips and a counter-electrode.

Data recording device comprising micro-tips and a recording medium


In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes an apparatus for shifting a low swing signal. The apparatus includes a first pair of transistors to receive a first input signal and a second input signal and to generate a first output signal that is a shifted version of the first input signal. The apparatus further includes a second pair of transistors to receive the first input signal and the second input signal and to generate a second output signal that is a shifted version of the second input signal.

Voltage signals have an upper limit and a lower limit and a voltage swing therebetween. Circuits may be designed to work with high or low voltages, may be designed for high or low swings, may be designed to work near a saturation region or in the saturation region. The lower the swing the faster that processing can occur. Often the swing of a signal is sufficient but the upper or lower parameters of the signals need to be adjusted. For example, the signal may need to be shifted up or down so that a transistor receiving the signal operates in the saturation region. Shifting a signal entails maintaining the swing (absolute voltage drop) of the signal while moving upper and lower limits of the signal.
Devices for shifting the current may be complex or may be based on current drawn by a load connected to the shifting device. Relying of the current drawn by the load requires excess power consumption. If the load is modified then the current drawn may be modified and the voltage shift may change accordingly.


A computer system and media for generating previews for protected electronic documents are provided. The computer system provides servers that receive rules corresponding to the protected electronic documents from owners of the protected electronic documents. The rules specify quantity and quality of each interaction, by client devices, with each protected electronic document. Additionally, the servers receive queries having query terms from the client devices. In response, the servers generate previews for the protected electronic documents that match the query. The previews are generated and transmitted to the client devices based on the rules stored by the servers.

Conventionally, search systems receive a query having query words associated with electronic content from a user. The conventional search system processes the query to provide results that match the query words. The results include a listing of the electronic content that matches the query. In the conventional search system, the results provide the user with a view of the electronic content that is not under copyright protection. Because the electronic content is not under copyright protection, the conventional search system allows the user to interact with the electronic content without restrictions that limit the user's ability to access or view the electronic content.
The conventional search systems are not configured to adequately address restrictions associated with copyright protected electronic content that matches the query. When the electronic content is under copyright protection, the conventional search system does not generate results that provide the copyright protected electronic content to the user. Instead, the conventional search system may provide a thumbnail of the copyright protected electronic content and a summary that provides an overview of the substance included in the copyright protected electronic content. For instance, when the copyright protected electronic content is a book, the conventional search system may provide the user with a thumbnail of a cover slip for the book and a summary that describes the book's content. A user is unable to use the conventional search system to view or access portions of the copyright protected electronic content of books that match the query. To view the portions of the copyright protected electronic content that match the query, the user must purchase the copyright protected electronic content in its entirety without viewing or accessing the portions that match the query. Accordingly, the user is unable to determine how relevant the copyright protected electronic content is to the query without purchasing the copyright protected electronic content.

Previews providing viewable regions for protected electronic documents


Cookware has both as copper and a stainless steel mesh embedded in the exterior facing surface of the bottom of the base. The embedding process work hardens the bottom of an aluminum cooper vessel. A ferromagnetic stainless steel is embedded into the cooper mesh, forming portion of the exterior bottom surface of the cookware to render the cookware compatible with induction cooking heat sources.

The present invention relates to a cookware article, and in particular to pots and pans that are formed substantially of aluminum, aluminum alloys, both of which are optionally anodized to form a hard alumina or aluminum oxide surface.
While many forms of cookware vessels utilize a combination of metals, anodized aluminum cookware is generally formed entirely of aluminum. Additional metals, such as magnetic ferrous materials, enable the use of the anodized cookware with induction heating sources, which rather than providing a hot surface or flame to transfer heat to the vessel, directly heat the vessel by the transfer of energy in the electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation is generated by conductive coils in the induction heating source, which upon entering the skin layer of metal induce eddy currents that cause resistive heating in the cookware vessels bottom.
While copper is much more thermally conductive than aluminum, it's incorporation into aluminum requires sophisticated fabrication of the sheet stock used to form the cookware vessel.
Anodized aluminum cookware, although it generally requires a bonded base of magnetic metal for induction cooking, has the benefit of very hard aluminum oxide exterior surfaces formed during anodizing to provide non marring finishes. Although other metals can be used in such cookware to provide induction capability, the aggressiveness of the acidic anodizing solution used to create the aluminum oxide coating usually necessitates additional steps of masking the additional metals layers that would be bonded to the base.
It is therefore a first object of the present invention to provide anodized cookware, which benefit substantially from the harness and durability of the aluminum oxide on the interior and exterior surfaces that incorporates additional metals that provide other benefits.
More particularly, it is an objective to provide for copper layers to increase lateral heat conduction so that a cookware vessel heats evenly across the bottom, as well as to provide magnetic, that is ferro-magnetic alloys, such as magnetic stainless steel, such that the cookware can be heat on an induction range.
It is a further objective of the invention to provide one or several of these benefits with a minimum additional manufacturing steps and costs.

Cookware with metal mesh embedded in the base


A factory-prepared preterminated and pre-connectorized fiber optic distribution cable having at least one mid-span access location for providing access to a plurality of preterminated optical fibers pre-connectorized with a multi-fiber connector is provided. Also provided is a method of forming a pre-connectorized fiber optic distribution cable by terminating and pre-connectorizing a predetermined number of the plurality of optical fibers of the cable to create a pre-connectorized mid-span access location. The fiber optic distribution cable provides a low profile mid-span access location that is sufficiently flexible to be installed through relatively small-diameter buried conduits and over aerial installation sheave wheels and pulleys without violating the minimum bend radius of the cable or the optical fibers. A protective encapsulant protects and seals the mid-span access location during cable reeling, unreeling, installation and until the access location is needed for interconnecting a connectorized fiber optic drop or branch cable.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a pre-connectorized fiber optic distribution cable and, more particularly, to a factory-assembled fiber optic distribution cable having at least one predetermined mid-span access location for providing access to a plurality of optical fibers that are preterminated and pre-connectorized to a multifiber connector.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of broadband applications including voice, video and data transmissions. As a result, there is a need for connecting remote locations to a fiber optic distribution cable in order to provide broadband services to an end user, commonly referred to as a subscriber. In this regard, fiber optic networks are being developed that deliver "fiber-to-the-curb" (FTTC), "fiber-to-the-business" (FTTB), "fiber-to-the-home" (FTTH) and "fiber-to-the-premises" (FTTP), referred to generically as "FTTx." networks. To provide these services to the subscriber, FTTx networks must include a large number of interconnection points, referred to herein as "tap points," at which one or more optical fibers of a distribution cable are interconnected or mated to optical fibers of one or more cables leading to a subscriber location. In addition, in order to reduce installation labor costs in FTTx networks, communications service providers are increasingly demanding factory-prepared interconnection solutions, commonly referred to as "plug-and-play" systems.
To supply the large number of tap points needed and to satisfy the demand for plug-and-play systems, it is apparent that more efficient methods of providing mid-span access locations along the length of a distribution cable are needed. Presently, to perform a mid-span access of a distribution cable, a field technician first removes a section of the cable sheath at a convenient location along an installed distribution cable. Once the sheath is removed, the technician gains access to pre-selected optical fibers through the cable sheath, severs the accessed optical fibers and withdraws a useable length of the terminated optical fibers from the distribution cable. The useable length of the terminated optical fibers provides the field technician with sufficient length to splice one or more optical fibers of a cable comprising a lesser amount of optical fibers than the distribution cable (typically referred to as a "drop cable") to the pre-selected optical fibers of the distribution cable. After splicing is completed, the mid-span access location is typically covered using an enclosure designed to protect the splices and the exposed section of the distribution cable. This time consuming process is typically accomplished by a highly skilled field technician at a significant cost and under less than ideal working conditions.
Several approaches have been developed to overcome the disadvantages of accessing, terminating and splicing optical fibers in the field. In one approach, the splicing of drop cables to the distribution cable is performed at a factory during the manufacturing of the cable. The preterminated distribution cable, including the main cable, drop cables and associated splice closures, are assembled and wound onto a cable reel to be delivered to an installation site. Accordingly, favorable conditions in the factory for making high quality splices may be utilized, thereby increasing splice quality and also reducing the expense, difficulty and unfavorable conditions associated with splicing in the field. One disadvantage of this approach is that the drop cables and the relatively bulky and inflexible splice closures are attached to the distribution cable prior to installation. Accordingly, installation through small diameter conduits and over sheave wheels and pulleys is substantially more difficult, and sometimes impossible. Another disadvantage is the fact that if a mid-span access location remains unused following installation, the obtrusive splice closure and drop cables remain attached to the distribution cable. In contrast, a low-profile distribution cable assembly having a pre-connectorized mid-span access location allows a field technician to readily interconnect drop cables and attach a closure to the distribution cable following installation and as the mid-span access location is needed to provide service to subscribers.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a factory-assembled fiber optic distribution cable having one or more predetermined mid-span access locations along the length of the distribution cable for accessing a plurality of optical fibers that are preterminated and pre-connectorized to a multifiber connector wherein each such mid-span access location has an outer diameter that is only minimally larger than the outer diameter of the distribution cable. It would also be desirable to provide a pre-connectorized fiber optic distribution cable having one or more low profile mid-span access locations that is suitable for both buried installations (e.g., through small-diameter conduit) and aerial installations (e.g., over sheave wheels and pulleys). It would further be desirable to provide a factory-assembled pre-connectorized fiber optic distribution cable that is readily installed and adapted to be interconnected with pre-connectorized drop cables and configured with a variety of different closures in the field as needed.

Pre-connectorized fiber optic distribution cable having multifiber connector


A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that has an imprint template or a template holder configured to hold an imprint template, and a substrate table arranged to receive a substrate, the apparatus further comprising walls which together with the substrate table and the imprint template or the template holder, are configured to form an enclosed space which is substantially sealed from a surrounding area.

A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a target portion of a substrate. Lithographic apparatus are conventionally used, for example, in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs), flat panel displays and other devices involving fine structures.
It is desirable to reduce the size of features in a lithographic pattern because this allows for a greater density of features on a given substrate area. In photolithography, the increased resolution may be achieved by using light of shorter wavelength. However, there are problems associated with such reductions. Current systems are starting to adopt optical sources with wavelengths in the 193 nm regime but even at this level, diffraction limitations become a barrier. At lower wavelengths, the transparency of materials is very poor. Optical lithography machines capable of enhanced resolutions require complex optics and rare materials and are consequently very expensive.
An alternative for printing sub-100 nm features, known as imprint lithography, comprises transferring a pattern to a substrate by imprinting a pattern into an imprintable medium using a physical mould or template. The imprintable medium may be the substrate or a material coated on to a surface of the substrate. The imprintable medium may be functional or may be used as a "mask" to transfer a pattern to an underlying surface. The imprintable medium may for instance be provided as a resist deposited on a substrate such as a semiconductor material to which the pattern defined by the template is to be transferred. Imprint lithography is thus essentially a moulding process on a micrometer or nanometer scale in which the topography of a template defines the patterns created on a substrate. Patterns may be layered as with optical lithography processes so that in principle imprint lithography could be used for such applications as IC manufacture.
The resolution of imprint lithography is limited only by the resolution of the template fabrication process for instance, imprint lithography has been used to produce features in the sub-50 nm range with significantly improved resolution and line edge roughness compared to that achievable with conventional optical lithography processes. In addition, imprint processes do not require expensive optics, advanced illumination sources or specialised resist materials typically required by optical lithography processes.
Current imprint lithography processes do have a number of drawbacks as will be mentioned below, particularly with regard to achieving overlay accuracy and high throughput. However the significant improvements in resolution and line edge roughness attainable from imprint lithography are strong drivers for addressing these and other problems.
A problem which may arise during imprint lithography is that gas bubbles, also known as air inclusions, may be trapped underneath an imprint template during the imprint process. These trapped gas bubbles do not migrate out from beneath the imprint template, but instead stay there for the duration of the imprint process. When the imprint template is removed from the imprintable material (which may be a UV curable resin), an area of the imprinted pattern will be incomplete or otherwise damaged at the location of the gas bubble.


Procedures are described for enhancing target system execution integrity determined by power fingerprinting (PFP): by integrating PFP into the detection phase of comprehensive defense-in-depth security; by deploying a network of PFP enabled nodes executing untrusted devices with predefined inputs forcing a specific state sequence and specific software execution; by embedding module identification information into synchronization signaling; by combining signals from different board elements; by using malware signatures to enhance PFP performance; by automatic characterization and signature extraction; by providing secure signature updates; by protecting against side-channel attacks; performing real-time integrity assessment in embedded platform by monitoring their dynamic power consumption and comparing it against signatures from trusted code, including pre-characterizing power consumption of the platform by concentrating on trace sections carrying the most information about the internal execution status; by using PFP from sequence of bit transitions to detect deviations from authorized execution of software in a digital processor.

Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to power fingerprinting and more particularly to use of power fingerprinting as a technique for improving the security and monitoring the integrity of computer processing and software used on computer-based systems.
Background Description
In CMOS digital circuits, with every bit transition there is a transient current drain resulting from a brief short circuit in the gates and the charge and discharge of parasitic capacitance at the outputs of the circuit. In a processor, the intensity of these transient currents, hence, the total power consumed in a specific clock cycle, is determined by the total number of bit transitions that take place in that cycle. The number of bit transitions is determined by the specific instruction sequence executed, as well as their addresses and parameters. Power fingerprinting is an integrity assessment and intrusion detection solution for critical cyber systems based on taking fine-grained measurement of a processor's power consumption and comparing them against trusted signatures (patterns that result from the specific sequence of bit transitions during execution) for anomaly detection. The basic approach behind power fingerprinting is to characterize the execution of trusted software and extract its power signatures and use them as reference to compare test traces to determine whether the same code is executing.
A power fingerprinting (PFP) monitor consists of three main elements common to all pattern recognition systems, as shown in FIG. 1: sensing 110, feature extraction 120, and detection/classification 130. Sensing involves measuring the instantaneous current drain of digital hardware, which can be accomplished using a commercial current probe and a high-performance oscilloscope. Feature extraction is a critical aspect for PFP and involves the identification of statistical and temporal properties of the power consumption that uniquely identify the execution of a given software routine. This is a challenging task that requires deep understanding of the processor's architecture and the structure of the software, but which can be facilitated by building the software itself with certain characteristics that enhance signatures and improve determinism. Ideally, a signature is extracted from every execution path in the code. In cases where this is not feasible, only a few critical sections are characterized and monitored, such as OS kernel modules and core applications.
In the general power fingerprinting approach, a sensor 110 is placed on the processor's board as close to the power pins as possible. The sensor captures the instantaneous current drain of the processor. The sensor can be a commercial current probe, a shunt resistor, or a current mirror. The signal from the sensor has to be digitized at a rate higher than the processor's main clock rate. If the processor has an internal phase-locked loop to increase the operating frequency, then this becomes the effective clock frequency. Satisfactory results have been obtained using 3.5× the effective clock frequency, but this does not represent a lower bound. Several mechanisms can be used to reduce the sampling requirements.
After the instantaneous current drain has been digitized into a power trace, different signal processing techniques are applied to extract discriminatory features from the traces. After the features have been extracted, they are passed through a supervised classifier, or detector, 130 that has been previously trained using traces 140 from trusted software. This detector ultimately makes the decision of whether the software execution corresponds to the authorized software or not. A pictographic description of the general power fingerprinting approach in the prior art is presented in FIG. 1.
The decision of whether features from a specific power trace correspond to authorized execution is performed by a carefully designed detector, which compares incoming power traces against all stored signatures 140 from authorized code. When the observed traces cannot be matched with any of the stored signatures, within a reasonable tolerance, it is determined that an intrusion has occurred. Although the difference for each feature may be small, the confidence in judging an intrusion can be very high and arbitrarily set because of the large number of features.
However, current techniques and procedures must be enhanced and improved to keep pace with technology and practices being developed and used by those seeking to overcome or defeat safeguards that rely on power fingerprinting for execution integrity of computer systems.

Using power fingerprinting (PFP) to monitor the integrity and enhance security of computer based systems

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.


A 2-dimensional radiation image detector wherein a plurality of conversion elements for converting a radiation into visible light and a plurality of photo-sensitive elements for detecting the visible light and accumulating signals are formed an elements board includes two elements boards arranged in an overlapping relationship with each other and each having the plurality of photo-sensitive elements arranged two-dimensionally thereon such that the distance between centers of the photo-sensitive elements in one direction of the arrangement is substantially equal to a width of the photo-sensitive elements while the distance between the centers of the photo-sensitive elements in a direction perpendicular to the one direction is substantially equal to twice the width of the photo-sensitive elements and such that that portion of a radiation directed upon the two overlapping elements boards which has passed through a first one of the elements boards other than locations of the photo-sensitive elements is detected by the photo-sensitive elements of the second elements board.

This invention relates to a high-resolution 2-dimensional radiation image detector in the form of a plate of a large area, and more particularly to a 2-dimensional radiation image detector which can be applied not only to an apparatus for diagnosis by a radiation image but also to an apparatus for non-destructive inspection or the like which uses a radiation.
An "X-ray/electric conversion apparatus" disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. Showa 61-62283 and a "Radiation diagnosis apparatus" disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication Application No. Heisei 6-16775 are known as prior art plate-formed radiation image detectors. Those apparatus have a structure wherein optical detectors formed from amorphous silicon or poly-silicon are arranged two-dimensionally on a plate and a phosphor having an equal area to that of the plate is held in close contact with the plate. The phosphor absorbs and converts a radiation into fluorescence, and the optical detectors arranged two-dimensionally detect the fluorescence and convert an image of the radiation into an electric signal. Meanwhile, an apparatus in the form of a plate for imaging a radiation digital image is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,649 entitled "Thin-film Flat Panel, Pixelated Detector Array for Real-time Digital Imaging and Dosimetry of Ionizing Radiation". A further plate-formed radiation image detector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,369 entitled "High Sensitivity, High Resolution, Solid State X-ray Imaging Device with Barrier Layer".

Two-dimensional radiation image detector


The invention relates to a bus node, which can be connected to a building services bus, which bus node comprises a supply unit and a control unit, wherein the supply unit is designed to output a measurement current onto the building services bus, and wherein the control unit is designed to sense and evaluate a bus current on the building services bus and, on the basis of the evaluation, to determine whether an operating current is output onto the building services bus by the supply unit.

DALI is a protocol for controlling lighting operating devices in building automation, switching power supply components, electronic ballasts, or electric dimmers, for controlling lamps, monitoring their operating states, and/or supplying the lamps with current.
Each operating device that has a DALI interface can be individually activated via corresponding DALI addresses, and can alter the intensity of a lamp or a sensor in the lighting system. Furthermore, there are actuators. A bidirectional data exchange between a DALI control device and a DALI device determines the status, for example, of a single lamp, or a group of lamps, or the operating device itself, and can furthermore control said element. DALI uses a serial asynchronous data protocol with a transfer rate of 1200 bit/s at a voltage of 16 V by means of dual wire communication.
The lighting system is supplied with energy via a separate bus. This involves two communication lines, DA+ and DA−, preferably galvanically separated from the mains supply, and without polarities. These two communication lines DA+ and DA− also serve as voltage supply lines. These lines can be laid out in any topology, thus in star, line, or hierarchical structures. Load resistors at the ends of the current supply lines are not necessary. The two communication lines, also serving as supply lines, shall be referred to hereinafter as a voltage conducting bus.
It can be derived from the DALI standard IEC 62386 that a maximum of 64 actuators per bus can be activated. The maximum current draw of the bus is limited to a predefined value, and is preferably 250 milliamperes, referred to hereinafter as the maximum current draw.
In order to ensure that the maximum current draw of 250 milliamperes from the bus is not exceeded, a special DALI supply unit is provided. This DALI supply unit generates a constant output current of a standard 200 milliamperes to 250 milliamperes with a voltage supply of 16 V when the lighting system is in the idle mode.
For a current draw higher than the predefined value for a maximum current draw, the bus subscribers connected to the bus are not configured such that the bus subscribers need to be protected against a current draw greater than the maximum current draw. In particular, it is not possible to connect numerous DALI supply units in parallel, because with a parallel connection, an output current to the bus would be generated that lies above the maximum current draw.
Moreover, it is provided in accordance with the DALI standard IEC 62389 that communication between two individual elements of the lighting system, hereinafter also referred to as bus subscribers, via the bus is impossible before a start-up procedure waiting time has elapsed. The DALI bus is only stable after this start-up procedure waiting time has elapsed, thus allowing communication between the bus subscribers. The start-up procedure waiting time is preferably 600 milliseconds.
Thus, if numerous DALI supply units are operated in parallel, a current flowing through the bus during this start-up procedure waiting time could exceed the maximum current draw, possibly resulting in overloads to the bus subscribers, thus damaging or destroying them.
Moreover, it is not possible to operate a DALI lighting element, e.g. a lamp or dimmer, or electronic ballast, in a DALI lighting system bus, independently of a DALI supply unit.
In planning lighting systems in buildings or building sections, there is a desire for a great deal of flexibility in the lighting system, among other things. It is thus desirable to install a number of smaller lighting systems, e.g., that have a low number of lamps, actuators and sensors. With this low number of elements, the maximum current draw of 250 milliamperes is never reached.
Alternatively or additionally, it is also desirable to cluster the bus in a flexible manner, thus connecting the bus subscribers to a first or second lighting sub-system in a very flexible manner, or to expand an existing lighting system in a flexible manner. Because a parallel connection of numerous DALI supply units is not provided for according to the DALI standard, a dedicated DALI supply unit must be provided for each conceivable cluster.
Comparably expensive DALI supply units are used in all of these design variations. When using such DALI supply units, the power supply for the bus in the lighting system is disadvantageously oversized and expensive to produce.


Winged via structures to increase overlay margin are generally described. In one example, a method comprises depositing a sacrificial layer to an interlayer dielectric, the interlayer dielectric being coupled with a semiconductor substrate, forming at least one trench structure in the sacrificial layer wherein the trench structure comprises a first direction along a length of the trench structure and a second direction along a width of the trench structure wherein the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the first direction, depositing a light sensitive material to the trench structure and the sacrificial layer, and patterning at least one winged via structure in the light sensitive material to overlay the trench structure wherein the winged via structure extends in the second direction beyond the width of the trench structure onto the sacrificial layer.

Generally, overlay error of a via structure to a previous layer structure may adversely affect a critical dimension of the via structure. For example, overlay error may reduce a critical dimension of a via structure such that the via doesn't etch to full depth, or can't be filled with metal, or the via is functional but suffers from higher resistance compared with an aligned via.
For simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.


A polyester composition comprising from 90 to 97% by weight of at least one polyester derived from the condensation of 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol and at least one dicarboxylic acid or an ester thereof, from 0.1 to 5% by weight of at least one primary anti-oxidant defined as an alkyl and/or alkyl peroxy radical scavenger, from 0.1 to 5% by weight of at least one secondary anti-oxidant defined as a compound capable of decomposing a hydroperoxide, from 1 to 4% by weight of at least one polyamide terpolymer. Utility of such a composition includes use in a monofilament yarn or fiber, use in a papermachine clothing including such a monofilament yarn or fiber and/or including the polyester composition.

1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to stabilized polyester compositions and monofilaments thereof for use in papermachine clothing and other industrial fabrics.
2. Description of the Related Art.
Monofilaments manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate (or PET) are used extensively in the production of papermachine clothing and other industrial fabrics. A paper machine typically includes three sections. In the forming section, where the cellulosic fibers are presented to a forming fabric in the form of a slurry, the fabrics are predominantly constructed from polyester monofilaments, more specifically PET. In the forming section of the papermachine the temperature rarely exceeds 60° C. and the fabric is subjected to severe wear from suction boxes used to withdraw water from the paper web, such that the fabric life is seldom over 120 days. The paper sheet is transferred from the forming section into the press section of the papermachine and at this point the solids content of the slurry is approximately 20%. Here, the paper sheet passes through a series of nip rolls or shoe presses, and due to the need for resilience, polyamides have been the material of choice. The paper sheet has about 40% solids content as it is transferred from the press section into the dryer section of the papermachine.
In the dryer section, a textile fabric holds the paper sheet against steam-heated cylinders. The temperature of the cylinder surface can exceed 120° C. and the evaporation of water from the sheet ensures that the relative humidity remains at 100%. Fabrics composed of PET are conventionally used for most dryer fabric applications. However, towards the end of the paper machine, as the solids content approaches 80 to 90%, the cooling effect of the evaporation is reduced and the temperature to which the fabric is actually exposed increases such that the PET fabric is now subjected to significant degradation. In most applications, the life of a typical PET fabric can be in excess of 12 months. However, under these extreme conditions service life is reduced significantly.
In order to extend the service life of dryer fabrics exposed to these conditions, suppliers to the industry have used an array of materials as the constituent material of the dryer fabric. Polyphenylene sulphide (or PPS) provides excellent thermal, hydrolytic and oxidative stability. However, the PPS polymer is significantly more expensive than PET. Monofilament extrusion of PPS is more problematic, leading to a higher percentage of product rejections and therefore higher production costs.
Copolyesters derived from 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol, terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid and esters thereof, have been suggested as a cheaper alternative. U.S. Pat. No. 5,169,499 teaches the use of such copolyesters to improve the hydrolytic stability of papermachine clothing. The large cyclohexane moiety present in the polymer backbone serves to provide steric hindrance to the hydrolytic cleavage of the ester bond. However, the cyclohexane ring also serves to increase the susceptibility of such polyesters to oxidative degradation. It is generally accepted that the oxidation of polymers follows a free radical chain reaction mechanism that is initiated by abstraction of a hydrogen atom from the polymer, forming an alkyl radical. This alkyl radical can very quickly react with oxygen to form an alkyl peroxy radical, which propagates additional reactions. Each cyclohexane ring, whilst providing steric hindrance, also introduces two tertiary hydrogen atoms into the backbone of the polymer; that is two hydrogen atoms that are each bonded to a tertiary carbon. Due to the effects of electron withdrawal, the carbon hydrogen bond strength is reduced, such that the abstraction of these hydrogen atoms is much more likely at elevated temperatures. Hence, polyesters that contain this type of cyclohexane moiety are more prone to oxidative degradation than PET which has no tertiary hydrogen atoms in its polymer backbone.
The art of stabilizing polymers to oxidation at elevated temperatures is extensive. U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,512 teaches the use of a combination of a sterically hindered phenol and a specific organic phosphite for the stabilization of polyamides, polyesters or polyketones against oxidative, thermal and/or light induced degradation. Sterically hindered phenols and other organic compounds that can form resonance-stabilized radicals, are known to scavenge alkyl and alkyl peroxy radicals formed during the oxidation of a polymer, and are commonly termed primary anti-oxidants. Tri-aryl phosphites and thioester compounds react with hydroperoxide moieties formed during oxidation, and are commonly referred to as secondary anti-oxidants. Polymer Science and Engineering, Vol. 30, No. 17, page 1041 by A. Aurebach et al. cited herein, describes blends of PCT and the use of certain anti-oxidants to improve melt stability.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,062 attempts to improve the stability of such polyesters through blending with polyamides, more specifically the blending of polyesters based upon a polyhydric alcohol of 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol with 5 to 20% of a polyamide, preferably PA66. The blends are shown to improve the oxidative and hydrolytic stability of monofilaments manufactured therefrom.
Polyamide 66 is known to form gels if held at elevated temperatures for an extended period of time (see Nylon handbook published by Hanser/Gardner Publications 1995, Chapter 3, Page 55). Polyesters derived from 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol and terephthalic acid (or its esters); i.e. PCT, or polyesters derived from 1,4-cyclohexane dimethanol and terephthalic and isophthalic acid (or their esters); i.e. PCTA, have melting points of 295° C. and 285° C. respectively. These high melting points necessitate high temperature processing and melt temperatures which can be in excess of 300° C. We have seen that this will lead to some degree of gel formation with polyamide 66 and can result in some thermal degradation of PA6. Gels occur during melt processing when cross-links form between individual polymer chains. In monofilament extrusion, the presence of gels leads to diameter variation at localized sections of the filaments that are very brittle and exhibit poor mechanical properties. It is known that these filaments break under the normal loads experienced in a weaving process. Such filaments are of an unacceptable quality.
It is known to those skilled in the art that polyesters and polyamides are generally incompatible, and tend to exhibit phase separation in the melt. Phase separation induces micro-voids and various structural defects, the effect of which is to introduce weak points observed as tenacity variation along the length of the monofilament. These defects can also affect the drawing process, reducing the efficiency of monofilament manufacture.
In addition, the blends alone do not provide sufficient oxidative stability to match that of the industry standard polyester, PET, ensuring that they, and the monofilaments and textile structures derived from them, cannot be used universally. What is needed in the art is further stabilization of such polyesters, as described herein, against thermo-oxidative degradation. Textile structures formed from such monofilaments may be woven for a plurality of said filaments, or they may be constructed from helical spiral coils of the monofilaments linked together by pintle yarns, a process that is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,543.

Stabilized polyester compositions and monofilaments thereof for use in papermachine clothing and other industrial fabrics


A backlight module installs a light guide plate, a plurality of optical films, and a liquid crystal display panel in order on an emergent plane of a light source, wherein the light guide plate forms more than one hollow layer within an incident side to an effective light emitting area, such that the hollow layer of the light guide plate changes the light path of the light of the light source to effectively distribute and evenly emit the light towards each optical film. As a result, the dark band in each light source can be eliminated, the issue of having dark and bright bands according to the prior arts can be overcome effectively, and the light performance including luminance and evenness can be enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved light guide plate structure of a backlight module, and more particularly to a light guide plate structure of backlight module capable of preventing the formation of bright and dark bands.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a cross-sectional view of a conventional backlight module structure for a liquid crystal display is shown. The structure of the whole backlight module comprises a light guide plate 20 disposed at the bottom surface of a liquid crystal display panel 10, an optical film 30 formed by a prism or diffuser and installed at an emergent plane of the light guide plate 20, a reflective panel 40 installed at a reflective plane of the light guide plate 20, and a light source 50 installed on a side. If a light emitted from the light source 50 is projected to the light guide plate 20, the light will be guided and projected upward by the refraction and reflection of the light guide plate 20 and the reflective panel 40, and then the light will pass through the optical film 30 made of a prism or a diffuser to produce evener light emergent from the liquid crystal display panel 10. Since the requirements for the emergent light performance get higher, related manufacturers usually build a pattern 22 with a light reflective function on a reflective plane 21 of the light guide plate 20, and the shape of the pattern 22 could be circular, rectangular or linear. After a light source is reflected by the pattern 22, the light source is guided and emitted successfully to enhance the light performance. Alternatively, the design of the optical film 30 made of a prism or a diffuser is altered to improve the light performance including luminance and evenness.

Light guide plate structure of backlight module


Provided is an ink for use in electronic component production making use of screen printing, which is suitable for actually allowing fine lines with high precision to be drawn in screen printing, and for actually allowing successive screen printing operations to be performed. The ink for screen printing of the present invention includes surface-modified silver nanoparticles (A) and a solvent (B), and has a viscosity at a shear rate of 10 (1/s) and 25° C. of 60 Pa·s or more. The surface-modified silver nanoparticles (A) each include a silver nanoparticle and an amine-containing protective agent coating the silver nanoparticle. The solvent (B) includes at least a terpene solvent. In solvent (B), a content of solvents having a boiling point of less than 130° C. is 20 wt % or less based on the total amount of solvents.

Silver nanoparticles can be sintered at a low temperature, so that the particles have been used in applications for forming electronic components such as electrodes and wirings on a plastic substrate. However, a problem is that silver nanoparticles are easily aggregated. Patent Literature 1 discloses that silver nanoparticles of which the surface is covered with an amine-containing protective agent achieve excellent dispersion stability in a solvent, and an ink including the silver nanoparticles dispersed in a solvent containing an alicyclic hydrocarbon, an alcohol or the like is suitable for use in ink jet printing.


The invention is a scent-free wildlife blind. The blind has a room-like shelter having a door, a plurality of windows, a small vent near ground level, and a flexible tube extending from the top of the shelter to a height of approximately 30 feet from the ground. When the wind hits the shelter, the windspeed will be higher at the top of the tube than at the bottom vent. The pressure exerted by the wind on the air inside the shelter is inversely proportional to the wind speed. Therefore, the pressure difference will force air in through the bottom vent and out through the top of the tube, carrying the scent of the occupants out of the blind high enough so that nearby animals will not smell the occupants.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to hunting blinds. Specifically, the invention is a hunting blind having an enclosed shelter, a vertical tube, and a vent at the bottom of the shelter, which permits the airflow through the blind to flow upward, expelling the occupant's scent high enough so that nearby animals will not smell it.
2. Description of the Related Art
Several inventors have devised other hunting blinds. However, most hunting blinds are designed primarily to fool the animal's eyesight, not their sense of smell. Conversely, the present invention is designed to disguise a hunter or wildlife observer from both the animal's eyes and its nose.
Some inventors use box-shaped blinds. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,018,857, issued to Roy P. Parham, describes a portable, enclosed, collapsible blind comprising hingedly connected panels. The blind is basically box-shaped with an open window in front, and a roof which folds out of the way to allow shooting to the rear. U.S. Pat. No. 4,186,507, issued to Arvil L. Stinnett, describes a blind comprising a collapsible frame covered with cloth.
Other inventors have taken additional steps to make their blinds look like part of the natural environment. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,717, issued to Edward O. Horsmann, describes a blind shaped like a bale of hay comprising tenting material covering a tubular frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,019, issued to Patty A. Sury, describes a box-shaped blind having a tubular frame and fabric covering. The top is see through, and the sides have loops for holding surrounding vegetation to disguise the blind. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,966, issued to Rocky A. Hall, describes a cylindrical blind having walls resembling a tree trunk, windows on all sides, and a roof with channels to direct rain away from the windows.
A third style of blinds was designed to elevate the hunter out of an animal's line of sight. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,142, issued to Charles F. Reneau, describes an elevated blind without any cross-brackets between the legs, intended to make assembly easier. Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,716, issued to Tom H. Chrisley Jr., describes a cylindrical blind having windows facing all directions, mounted on a fixed or mobile stand in a manner allowing it to be raised or lowered.
Foreign patents related to tree stands include Austrian Pat. No. 54,220 and Swiss Pat. No. 348,230.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a scent-free wildlife blind solving the aforementioned problems is desired.


An arrangement for transmitting magnetic resonance signals, with a transmission link that connects a local coil with a receiver, has a first channel of the local coil with a first single antenna to acquire a first magnetic resonance signal, as well as a first mixer connected with the first single antenna. The first mixer forms an intermediate-frequency first signal from the supplied first magnetic resonance signal. A second channel of the local coil has a second single antenna to acquire a second magnetic resonance signal, as well as a second mixer connected with the second single antenna. The second mixer forms an intermediate-frequency second signal from the supplied second magnetic resonance signal. The local coil has a device for signal combination that, by frequency multiplexing, that combines the intermediate-frequency first signal of the first channel and the intermediate-frequency second signal of the second channel so that it arrives at the receiver via the transmission path. The receiver has an A/D converter at which one of the transmitted intermediate-frequency signals of an associated channel arrives in order to be sampled with a sampling frequency for digitization. For frequency conversion, a first local oscillator frequency is connected at the first mixer and a second local oscillator frequency is connected at the second mixer. the first and second local oscillator frequencies are selected such that intermediate-frequencies formed by the frequency conversion are mirror-symmetrical relative to the sampling frequency of the A/D converter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns an arrangement to transmit magnetic resonance signals that are acquired by local coils.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Modern magnetic resonance systems simultaneously acquire a number of magnetic resonance signals via local antennas that are placed on the patient. These local antennas are components of what is known as a "local coil". The acquired magnetic resonance signals are pre-amplified, conducted away from a central region of the magnetic resonance system and supplied to a shielded receiver in order to be used therein for image processing.
The connection lines used for transmission are generally directed within a movable patient bed and are therefore several meters in length. The technical problems described below result due to the use of connection lines.
The cables exhibit attenuations in the frequency range of the magnetic resonance signals to be transmitted; these attenuations must be taken into account in designing the signal transmission path. For this purpose, a patient-proximal pre-amplification of the magnetic resonance signals and ensue before the transmission. This causes heat to be generated in proximity to the patient. To avoid such heat generations, low-attenuation cables are presently used for transmission but these have a large cable diameter and are correspondingly unwieldy.
Each local antenna forms an acquisition channel that has a connection cable associated with it for transmission of the magnetic resonance signal. An unwieldy cable bundle is likewise formed by the number of acquisition channels; the cable bundle is subjected to increased mechanical loads due to the movement of the patient bed, even given the use of cable plugs on the bed.
The problem of the cited cable bundle is aggravated by the fact that at least a part of is the cable bundle in part in the radio-frequency field of the magnetic resonance transmission antenna and therefore must contain sheath wave barriers. Due to the dimensions of such items, the cable bundle thickness is again additionally, significantly increased.
Previously used coaxial multiconductor plugs are expensive in the wiring process and unwieldy in use for the operating personnel.
Previously used pre-amplifiers must exhibit a high linearity of the amplifier characteristic curve over a large range in order to form low-distortion output signals. This requires a high power draw and thus produces high waste heat near the patient.
Presently broadband receivers are used that can receive magnetic resonance signals that emanate not only from hydrogen but also from other atoms. Such receivers have a transmission network that contains ferrite cores. Due to the ferrite cores, the receiver cannot be operated in the immediate environment of the static basic field of the magnetic resonance apparatus, such that long connection paths are necessary again that lead to the technical problems cited above.

Arrangement to transmit magnetic resonance signals


A printing control method of generating dot data representing a state of dot formation at each pixel in a printed image represented by an given image data, by formation of dots in respective pixels with the at least one colored ink and the quality-enhancing ink available in the print unit. This process includes a processing of setting a predetermined tone value to the tone value of the quality-enhancing ink when the pixel value is equal to the characteristic value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing technique of ejecting inks on a printing medium to print an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Printers that eject inks from nozzles of a print head have widely been used as the output device of the computer. A quality-enhancing ink is typically used in such printers to improve the quality of resulting prints. The quality-enhancing ink improves the properties like color development, water resistance, and light stability, and prevention of a variation in gloss to attain the high picture quality of the resulting prints.
Ejection of the quality-enhancing ink may be demanded in a blank area consisting of blank pixels with no requirement of color development. The process of determining a required quantity of the quality-enhancing ink to be ejected in the blank area is undesirably time-consuming.

Ejection control of quality-enhancing ink


There is disclosed a system and process for purifying air. The system includes a housing and a plurality of inner and outer chambers. A solution of water and a biological reagent is configured to flow around the inner and outer walls of the inner and outer chambers while air is passed adjacent to this fluid flow. This causes an interaction between the air and the fluid solution to cleanse the air. The air is then discharged from the chamber.

At least one embodiment of the invention relates to an air purification system. For example, at least one embodiment of the invention relates to an air purification system which uses at least one biological material which was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,030 invented by Samir Sofer, et al the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In at least one embodiment, there can be continuous or batch flow reactors. The technology employed is spun from spiral reactor technology of Goldberg (U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,302) the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference and others. This prior technology claims that chemical interaction between a fluid (liquid or gas) being convected between channel walls laced with a biological solution in the wall surfaces as well as residing in an aqueous solution in a region towards a bottom region of the tank yields a desired effect or product. The narrower and longer the channel, the more opportunity for interaction and completion of the reaction. Thus, there is a need for a new air purification system which is configured to provide a safe and efficient means for cleaning air.


A positioning system includes at least one DUT (Device Under Test) and a mobile device. A wireless connection is established between the DUT and the mobile device. The mobile device is moved along a path which includes at least two different measurement positions. The mobile device measures a distance between the DUT and each of the measurement positions. Then, the mobile device obtains a target position, at which the DUT is located, according to the measurement positions and the distances.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to a positioning system, and more particularly, relates to a positioning system by moving a mobile device to position a DUT (Device Under Test).
2. Description of the Related Art
With the progress of mobile communication technology, portable electronic devices, for example, portable computers, mobile phones, tablet computer, multimedia players, and other hybrid functional mobile devices, have become more common. To satisfy the demand of users, portable electronic devices usually can perform wireless communication functions. Some functions cover a large wireless communication area, for example, mobile phones using 2G, 3G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems and using frequency bands of 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz. Some functions cover a small wireless communication area, for example, mobile phones using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) systems and using frequency bands of 2.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.
Nowadays, an IPS (Indoor Positioning System) can be used for positioning a human being or a portable electronic device. However, the IPS generally requires at least three reference points at each of which an antenna is located to position a DUT (Device Under Test) precisely. Generally, there is minimal space in a portable electronic device, and it is not easy to dispose three or more antennas therein. Accordingly, the applications of the IPS are limited in use.

System and method for positioning device under test


An image sensor and a method for acquiring images by sampling of the level of a voltage representative of the charge of a photodiode, in which a first sample is taken during a reset of the charge level of the photodiode; and a second sample is taken provided that the decrease slope of the voltage after the reset is lower than a threshold, said second sample replacing the first one.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to image sensors made in monolithic form and used in digital image acquisition devices such as cameras and photographic devices. The present invention relates to such devices, whether they are autonomous or belong to a device comprising other functions such as, for example, a cell phone or an automobile vehicle. The present invention more specifically relates to a so-called anti-eclipse system of an image sensor designed to avoid for a strong lighting to translate as black.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image sensor pixel comprises a photodiode used in reverse and having its junction capacitance discharged by a photocurrent according to a received light intensity. Obtaining the lighting level received by a pixel includes measuring the voltage across the photodiode at selected times, among which the end of a so-called image acquisition or integration period before and after which the pixel is reset by recharging of its photodiode. The decrease of the voltage across the photodiode during the acquisition period is proportional to the photocurrent having discharged its capacitance. For strong light intensities, the photocurrent may be such that the discharge of the junction capacitance during the acquisition phase adversely affects the reliability of the measurement. In particular, when the lighting increases beyond a given value, the electric signal provided by the sensor decreases down to zero. This so-called eclipse phenomenon results in that a very strongly lit area is interpreted as black (which is for example the case for the filament of an incandescent lamp).
US Patent Application No. 2006/0278809 describes an anti-eclipse system for an image sensor having its pixels formed of four transistors, that is, using a technique of charge transfer from the photodiodes to intermediary capacitive nodes of each pixel, to temporarily store the charges before reading by transfer to a column conductor common to several pixels. Such sensors are generally called 4 T sensors as opposed to so-called 3 T sensors having their pixels formed of three transistors and which comprise no intermediary capacitive node.

Method and circuit for obtaining a sample in an image sensor


A speaker system of a plurality of speakers in a hemispherically directed array, includes a housing having a front, a back and a chamber, the back defined by a plane, and the front defined by a plurality of horns, each horn having a hyperboloid configuration and equally spaced around and from one another in a hemispherical array and directed outward from a common point on the plane, and each of the horns having an apex and a focal point, and a transducer of a first frequency range mounted at the apex thereof. An alternative includes a transducer of a higher frequency mounted at the focal point thereof.

The present invention relates to speakers and pertains particularly to an improved hemispherically directed speaker system.
The typical prior art reproduction or sound reproduction system typically comprises two housings or cabinets, usually containing multiple speakers located a distance apart at one end of a listening room. This arrangement is very directional and requires the listener to be positioned at a proper distance from the arrangement along a line normal to a base line through the two cabinets in order for a balanced sound.
A variation of this arrangement includes four speakers or cabinets positioned at the four corners of the room to provide what is commonly referred to as "surround sound". Again, this requires that the listener be at a particular location within the room for optimal balanced sound. Attempts to overcome some of these problems have involved the provision of special speaker arrangements positioned for reflecting the sound off of walls of the room towards the listener. These various arrangements, however, provide for improvement in quality of the sound at specific locations within the room, but with deterioration or dead spaces at other areas within the room.
Recent developments providing a divergent or omnidirectional speaker system have been proposed by Glassco, U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,057 granted Jun. 16, 1987, and Smith U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,689 granted Jan. 2, 1990, assigned to the Assignee hereof. These patents disclose an omnidirectional speaker system wherein a plurality of speakers are mounted in a housing and arranged to direct sound omnidirectionally outwardly from a common point centrally of the housing. That system was a considerable improvement over systems that existed at the time. It provides greatly improved sound reproduction for larger rooms and areas such as concert halls, auditoriums and arenas. Among the major advantages is that it reduced and substantially eliminated the highly directional effect of conventional speakers. It also substantially eliminated the problem of dead spots and other nuisances of conventional systems.
While these are a considerable improvement over the prior art existing at the time, they have draw-backs for certain installations. For example, there are many situations where omnidirectional speakers cannot be conveniently placed at the center of a room. This is particularly a problem for small rooms, lounges and the like. It is also desirable in some instances for the speaker system to be mounted on the musical instrument.
While smaller versions of the above system can be used in smaller buildings such as homes and offices, there is a need for a speaker system that can accommodate in smaller settings and on musical instruments for example.


When a wireless communication system serves a UE over a connection according to a first radio access technology (RAT) and the connection encompasses a carrier in a first band (first-band carrier), the system decides of whether to configure for the UE's connection intra-band carrier aggregation by adding to the connection another first-band carrier or rather to configure for the UE's connection inter-band carrier aggregation by adding to the connection a second-band carrier, with the decision being based on a determination of whether (i) the other first-band carrier is usable in providing service under a second RAT different than the first RAT and (ii) the candidate second-band carrier is not usable in providing service under the second RAT. The system then configures carrier-aggregation in accordance with the decision.

A wireless communication system typically includes a number of base stations that are configured to provide wireless coverage areas, such as cells and cell sectors, in which user equipment devices (UEs) such as cell phones, tablet computers, machine-type-communication devices, tracking devices, embedded wireless modules, and/or other wirelessly equipped communication devices (whether or not user operated) can operate. Each base station could be coupled with a core network that provides connectivity with various application servers and/or transport networks, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and/or the Internet for instance. With this arrangement, a UE within coverage of the system could engage in air interface communication with a base station and could thereby communicate via the base station with various application servers and other entities.
Such a system could operate in accordance with a particular radio access technology (RAT), with communications from the base stations to UEs defining a downlink or forward link and communications from the UEs to the base stations defining an uplink or reverse link.
In accordance with the RAT, each base station could operate on one or more carriers, each of which could be frequency division duplex (FDD), defining separate frequency channels for downlink and uplink communication, or time division duplex (TDD), with a single frequency channel multiplexed over time between downlink and uplink use. Further, on the downlink and uplink, each such carrier could be structured to define various physical channels for carrying information between the base stations and UEs.
Still further, each such carrier could be defined within an industry specified frequency band. Examples of such frequency bands include, without limitation, (i) B25, which supports FDD carriers and extends from 1850 MHz to 1915 MHz on the uplink and 1930 MHz to 1995 MHz on downlink, (ii) B26, which supports FDD carriers and extends from 814 MHz to 849 MHz on the uplink and 859 MHz to 894 MHz on the downlink, and (iii) B41, which supports TDD carriers and extends from 2496 MHz to 2690 MHz.
Over the years, the industry has embraced various generations of RATs, in a continuous effort to increase available data rate and quality of service for end users. These generations have ranged from "1G," which used simple analog frequency modulation to facilitate basic voice-call service, to "4G"—such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), which now facilitates mobile broadband service using technologies such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple input multiple output (MIMO). And most recently, the industry is now exploring developments in "5G" and particularly "5G NR" (5G New Radio), which may use a scalable OFDM air interface, advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and/or other features, to support higher data rates and countless applications, such as mission-critical services, enhanced mobile broadband, and massive Internet of Things (IoT).

Selective configuration of inter-band or intra-band carrier aggregation


A sofa sleeper foldable sofa bed assembly having pivotally interconnected head, body, intermediate and foot frame sections each including a pair of opposed side rails. The frame sections are extendable to form a bed and foldable to form a sofa seat. The frame is supported laterally by at least one generally U-shaped cross brace which is biased in an upwardly raised position by at least one resilient member.

Sofa-sleepers generally comprise a four section foldable bed frame including pivotally interconnected head, body, intermediate and foot sections which are adapted to be folded between a fully folded or retracted position into a box-like sofa frame, and an extended position wherein the sections extend out and over the front rail of the sofa frame to form a bad. The head, body, intermediate and foot sections of the bed frame each include a pair of opposed side rails or members which are pivotally connected at their ends so that the sections are foldable or collapsible upon one another. The head and foot sections of the bed frame have end rails or members extending between the side rails. The side rails support a deck comprising a wire frame or link fabric or sheet of woven polypropylene or other plastic material over which a mattress is placed for sleeping. U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,976 issued to the assignee of the present application discloses a woven polypropylene fabric deck secured directly to the side rails of the bed frame. The bed frame is supported vertically when in an extended bed position by a plurality of foldable legs which fold or pivot into a collapsed position against the foldable bed frame when the bed frame is retracted.
When a user lies on a mattress supported by the bed frame in its extended position, a heavy load is placed on the deck, particularly in the area of the user's head and shoulders. This load exerts an inwardly directed force on the side rails of the head and body sections of the bed frame. This inwardly directed force tends to urge the side rails of the head and body sections towards each other, creating stress on the side rails and if great enough may even bend the side rails.
To alleviate such stresses, in prior art sofa beds, a lateral cross brace is typically connected between the side rails of the body section of the bed frame at a location where the chest and shoulders contact the deck. The cross brace is welded or riveted in a fixed position to the side rails in substantially the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of the bed frame, just beneath the deck and mattress of the sofa bed which are supported by the side rails of the bed frame. It has bean found that even with a relatively thick mattress the chest and shoulders are heavy enough to push downwardly and engage the cross brace when it is positioned just beneath the link fabric. Contact with the cross brace at the shoulders or chest is very uncomfortable and makes it difficult to obtain a restful night's sleep.
In order to avoid this problem, the lateral cross braces in some prior art sofa-sleepers have been formed with a crown or bow from end to end so that the middle portion of the cross brace is disposed approximately one inch below the deck secured to the side rails of the bed frame. This has proved to be unsatisfactory because cross braces with only about a one inch bow can still be felt by persons lying down on the deck when the sofa bed frame is extended.
In order to avoid contact of the chest and shoulders with a lateral cross brace, it is necessary to dispose the cross brace at least about three inches beneath the deck secured to the side rails of the bed frame. In accordance with the teachings of the prior art, however, it is not possible to design a sofa-sleeper bed with a cross brace having a three inch bow which is welded or riveted in a fixed position at each and to the side rails. This is because the foldable sections of the bed frame must be permitted to collapse in a compact unit for insertion within the box-like sofa frame of the sofa-sleeper. A fixed cross brace extending three or more inches below the deck secured to the side rails of the bed frame would not clear the front of the box-like sofa frame as the foldable bed frame sections are collapsed therein. Even if the sofa frame were designed to avoid interference with the lateral cross brace, it would contact the floor when the bed frame sections are collapsed into the sofa frame unless the sofa frame was raised a proportional distance from the floor. Raising the height of the sofa seat is not an acceptable design alternative since it must be low enough to permit persons of average height to touch the floor when seated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,755 also issued to the assignee of the present application discloses a U-shaped cross brace which is pivotally mounted to the side rails of the body section of the bed frame. However, when the bed frame is extended, this cross brace is adapted to be disposed in a lowered position in which the bottom or transverse tube of the U-shaped cross brace is parallel to and approximately three inches below the horizontal plane defined by the bed frame. A complex linkage mechanism is required to pivot the U-shaped cross brace into a folded position in which the legs of the cross brace are substantially parallel to rather than transverse to the bed frame side rails so that the sofa sleeper frame may be placed into the sofa frame. The complex linkage mechanism required to fold the U-shaped cross brace into a folded position is expensive and increases the cost of the sofa sleeper.
Therefore, it has been one objective of the present invention to provide a sofa sleeper foldable sofa bed assembly having at least one U-shaped cross brace which may be raised quickly and easily without the assistance of a complex linkage mechanism.
It has been a further objective of the present invention to provide a sofa sleeper foldable sofa bed assembly having at least one U-shaped cross brace which is biased in a raised position so as to enable the sofa bed assembly to be folded into a sofa frame quickly and easily.


A method and apparatus for automatically handing over calls between a wireless LAN and a non-WLAN, with minimum or no disruption of active calls. The invention gives users flexibility in customizing hand-over preferences and allows telephony features to be transferred during the hand-over.

Wireless Local Area Networks, or Wi-Fi networks (e.g., IEEE 802.11b), are ideal for extending the reach of local area networks to accommodate the increased mobility of users. Using a WLAN, users throughout the WLAN coverage area can connect to the corporate data network using a Personal Computer (PC) incorporating a wireless LAN card. Furthermore, WLANs allow users to make and receive voice calls using WLAN enabled Personal Digital Assistance (PDAs) or other Wi-Fi enabled devices. The use of WLAN or Wi-Fi networks to carry Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) traffic is gaining popularity such that some WLANs are being installed as dedicated networks for voice traffic. This capability is appealing since it allows users to make and receive wireless calls within the coverage area of the WLAN without incurring cellular telephone charges. Campuses, airports, hotels, for example, and other public places are well suited to WLAN implementations.
The benefit of a WLAN is limited by the constraints of the coverage area of that WLAN. As users leave the coverage area, WLAN calls are disconnected. This limitation has been addressed previously by Siemens' HiPath CorporateConnect feature, in which users may, on-demand, hand-over (i.e. transfer) a WLAN call from the wireless device to a cellular device. According to know methods, when a user decides to hand-over a call to a target device, the user enters a hand-over access code followed by the telephone number of the target device. Consequently, the target device is dialed and the call is connected to that target device upon answering the incoming call.
However, know techniques require the user to actively request the hand-over and determine when the hand-over should occur. Typically it is difficult for the user to accurately evaluate the received WLAN signal strength or the quality of the IP connection in order to determine the optimal time and physical location for handing over the call.

Call hand-over in a wireless local area network


An acoustic wave filter includes: multimode filters, each including an IDT, connected in parallel; a ceiling that is commonly located above at least two multimode filters of the multimode filters so as to form a cavity between the IDT and the ceiling, electrically connected to the multimode filters, and formed of a metal; and at least two terminals that are electrically connected to the ceiling and located above the at least two multimode filters.

Acoustic wave filters such as Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) devices have been used as filters and duplexers installed in communication devices such as mobile phones. The acoustic wave filter is required to have a high degree of suppression in the suppression band and low-loss in the passband. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-233267 discloses an acoustic wave filter having a Double Mode SAW filter (DMS) and a one-port resonator interconnected. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-318307 discloses a technique that mounts a chip including a SAW filter on a package. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-326447 discloses a technique that seals an IDT (Interdigital Transducer: comb-shaped electrode) included in a SAW filter by a resin. Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-157956 discloses a technique that provides a top plate made of a metal above an IDT.
The acoustic wave filter has been required to be downsized. When ceilings above IDTs are integrated, the acoustic wave filter can be downsized. However, there may be a case that ceilings are provided above respective IDTs to prevent short between the ceilings. For example, the ceiling may be grounded through an inductor to improve frequency characteristics of the acoustic wave filter. The ceilings are required to have different electric potentials at this time, and in this case, the acoustic wave filter is difficult to be downsized.


Methods and systems to include transformation nodes in a business system are provided. A transformation node may provide controlled redundancy of data within the business object hierarchy. Transformation nodes may store data from core nodes without persistency, and permit different data presentation modes than for the core nodes. When a service call is placed to a transformation node, the transformation node may call corresponding services from associated core nodes.

Computer-based business systems often contain many business objects to store data and perform business functions. Each business object may expose one or more services to a user interface, such as services to create or update entities managed by the business object. For example, a business object for storing and manipulating purchase orders may expose services allowing for the creation of new purchase orders, modification of previously-created purchase orders, and other similar functions. The services exposed by a business object may be represented as a hierarchy of nodes.
Business objects are designed to be redundancy-free so that specific content, such as an address, telephone number, etc., only occurs once in the business object. A user interface can discover the services available from various business objects and applications by querying a service layer. The service layer interacts with business objects to identify what services are available for each business object, and returns information about the services to the user interface. Model-driven user interfaces therefore do not include functionality coded therein; instead, all functionality in the user interface is derived from the service layer and business objects. When a service is invoked via the user interface, service providers in the backend applications implement the appropriate service.
Although this structure permits the user interface to reflect the structure of each business object, it does not allow for structural differences between the user interface and the backend database or business object. That is, since the user interface renders data only as presented by the business object, it does not allow for variations in the presentation of data and services. For example, model-driven interfaces generally are unable to display the same data in multiple formats. Also, it may be difficult to present highly-sophisticated user interfaces since the rendered data must be directly related to the services exposed by each business object.

System and method for model-based user interface using transformation nodes


A laser scanning unit and a color image forming apparatus using the laser scanning unit. The laser scanning unit includes a deflector that is rotatable to deflect a plurality of light beams that are incident on the deflector from a plurality of light sources at an angle with respect to a sub-scanning direction; at least one optical path changing member to change an optical path of each of the light beams deflected by the deflector; and a first f-θ lens to focus the light beam that passes through the optical path changing member onto a corresponding scanning target surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present inventive concept relates to a laser scanning unit and a color image forming apparatus adopting the laser scanning unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A laser scanning unit is an apparatus that forms electrostatic latent images by scanning laser beams onto a photosensitive drum in an image forming apparatus, such as a laser printer. A black-and-white laser printer only uses a laser scanning unit and one organic photoconductive cell (OPC) drum since only black color ink is transferred onto a print medium. In contrast, a color laser printer uses four laser scanning units and four OPC drums since inks of four colors, that is, black (K), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and cyan (C) colors, are respectively transferred onto a print medium. However, the laser scanning units incur the largest cost for manufacturing the color laser printer. Therefore, a way of reducing the manufacturing cost of color image forming apparatuses is to minimize the number of laser scanning units. Also, jitters generated by spindle motors that rotate polygonal rotating mirrors for each of the colors and periodic vibrations may be different from each other with respect to the four laser scanning units. Thus, when a line is printed on a medium, four colors are printed on different lines, thus degrading image quality. Therefore, in order to reduce manufacturing costs of the color image forming apparatus and to improve image quality, only one laser scanning unit is used to form color images.
However, scanning lines imaged on each of the photosensitive drums may be curved. When forming the color images, it is important to correct curvature of a scanning line of each single color; however, relative error of the scanning line curvature generated when each of the scanning lines are combined together may cause a severe problem when color images are formed. Therefore, a method and a configuration to correct the scanning line curvature with respect to each of the colors in order to have the same curvature amount in the same direction as each other have been variously suggested.

Laser scanning unit and color image forming apparatus including the same