Disclosed is a method for compensating for a residual frequency offset in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing system comprising the steps of: a) performing a fast fourier transform for an input signal to convert the input signal into a serial signal; b) detecting signal power of the serial signal to control the passthrough a signal greater than a predetermined critical value; c) selecting each section of a quadrant for each passed signal; d) estimating a phase error in each section of the quadrant for one orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol with respect to the selected section of the quadrant; and e) frequency-oscillating a signal based on the estimated phase error, generating the input signal by multiplying an oscillated signal by a band-passed signal, and then returning to step a).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (hereinafter, referred to as an OFDM) system, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for compensating for residual frequency offset in an OFDM system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present OFDM technology is a promising communication technology applied to various fields such as Digital Audio Broadcastings (DABs), Digital Video Broadcastings (DVBs), or high-rate wireless local area networks (LANs).
Such an OFDM system can transmit a great amount of information through a bandwidth defined by applying a high-order quadrature amplitude modulation (hereinafter, referred to as a QAM) such as a QPSK, a 16 QAM, a 64 QAM, or a 256 QAM to a subcarrier. However, the current OFDM system is sensitive to a frequency offset due to a doppler spread or a frequency disagreement of local frequency oscillators between a transmitter and a receiver resulting in transmission errors.
Particularly, the frequency offset in the OFDM system interferes with the orthogonality between subcarriers and causes an intercarrier interference (hereinafter, referred to as an ICI), thereby causing an amplitude reduction and a phase rotation of a signal.
Even after a fine frequency is estimated within +/−0.5 of the frequency offset of a subcarrier interval in the OFDM system, a residual frequency offset and a phase offset still remain. The residual frequency offset causes the ICI between subcarriers and the deterioration of a bit error rate (hereinafter, referred to as a BER) performance.
A DVB-T system will be described as an example. Even though approximate frequency synchronization that compensates for frequency values corresponding to subcarrier intervals and a fine frequency offset compensation that compensates for a frequency within the subcarrier interval are performed, the phase rotation due to the residual frequency offset and phase noise still remains. As a result, the BER performance is deteriorated by the ICI.
A conventional OFDM system such as a DVB-T compensates for a frequency offset by performing the capture and tracing of the frequency offset by periodically inserting a plurality of pilot bits into an OFDM symbol. Such a method exhibits good BER performance by performing a synchronization modulation. However, since the pilot information is inserted into a data transmission segment, data transmission efficiency is inevitably reduced. Compensation for a carrier offset and a phase offset is often performed on data by a decision-directed (hereinafter, referred to as a DD) method.
However, such a DD method cannot compensate for unfavorable circumstances such as a Rayleigh fading channel in a DVB-T system because the frequency capture range is narrow.
In the conventional DD method, a phase difference between a received signal and a hard-decided representative signal for each symbol is obtained by the following Equation 1. A phase error ψ(m) for an mth OFDM symbol using the DD method is expressed as:
                              ψ                                (            m            )                          =                              1            N                                                        ∑                              k                =                0                                            N                -                1                                                                Im                                            [                                                                            Y                      m                                                                                (                      k                      )                                                                                X                        ^                                            m                                                                                (                      k                      )                                                                      ]                                                                        (        1        )            where, Im represents an imaginary part of [x], Ym(k) is a kth subcarrier of an fast fourier transform (hereinafter, referred to as an FFT) demodulated mth symbol, and {circumflex over (X)}m(k) represents a hard-decided, estimated transmission signal of the FFT demodulated signal Ym(k).
Although the phase error is detected through Equation 1, frequency capture performance of the DD method deteriorates as an order 'M' in an Multi-level-QAM (hereinafter, referred to as an M-QAM) increases. This is because the number of M-QAM signals which are not located on a diagonal axis increase when the order 'M' increases. Accordingly, the DD method is not suitable for tracking the residual frequency offset in a high-order QAM.

Method and apparatus for compensating for residual frequency offset in an OFDM system


In a mailing machine, an image element included in a postage meter indicium printed on a mail piece is transported past a linear image capture device. The image capture device is operated to produce a smeared image of the image element. The smeared image is then automatically analyzed to detect failures in the print elements of a postage meter that is part of the mailing machine.

This invention relates generally to the field of mailing machines, and more particularly to a mailing machine that has capabilities for detecting malfunctions in its printing component.
Generally, a mail piece transport on a mailing machine transports envelopes and other mail pieces along a transport path so that various functions may be performed on the mail piece at different locations along the transport path. For example, at one location along the transport path the mail piece may be weighed, at another location the mail piece may be sealed, and at a further location an indicium for postage may be applied to the mail piece. Drive rollers and/or drive belts may be employed to contact the mail piece to propel the mail piece along the transport path. The postage indicium may be applied by printing with a printing device on the mail piece. The printing device is subject to control by a postage security device (PSD) which holds postage funds and dispenses funds by allowing the printing device to print the postage indicia. The PSD performs accounting functions to account for the dispensing of funds via the printing of postage indicia. The accounting functions include deducting funds from the amount of postage stored in the PSD in regard to each postage indicium printed by the printing device.
In accordance with some proposals, the postage indicium may contain a barcode or other machine-readable data to aid in verification of the validity of the postage indicium. One such postage indicium is defined in the Information-Based Indicia Program (IBIP) promulgated by the U.S. Postal Service.
Mailing machines are often run at high speed, and may handle batches consisting of thousands of mail pieces within a relatively short time. To the extent that operation of the mailing machine is attended by a human operator, often the operator's attention is concerned with feeding mail pieces into the mailing machine or with other tasks, and the operator may not have an opportunity to closely monitor the condition of mail pieces upon completion of processing of the mail pieces by the mailing machine. In particular, even if operation of the mailing machine is attended by a human operator, the operator may not be able to quickly and readily detect malfunctions of the postage meter printing device that may result in improper printing of postage indicia on mail pieces that are being processed by the mailing machine. Detection of improper printing may be of particular importance if the printing device is an ink jet printer, as has been proposed.
Failure of the printing device to properly print postage indicia may occur for a number of reasons. For example, improper printing or non-printing of indicia may occur due to one or more clogged ink nozzles or jets, or due to one or more ink jets being burned out, or because of a failure in the supply of ink to the print head. The printing device may also be subject to electronic failures.
Even a minor failure of the printing device may interfere with printing of the indicium barcode to an extent such that the indicium would fail a verification procedure that may be performed by postal authorities.
In at least some cases, occurrence of a failure in the printing device may not be known to the PSD. Consequently, the PSD may continue to allow the printing device to print indicia on mail pieces, as mail pieces are transported in sequence through the mailing machine, and may continue to deduct funds from the postage stored in the PSD, even at times when the printing device is failing to print proper indicia on mail pieces transported past the printing device. This may have the effect of charging the proprietor of the mailing machine for postage even though the corresponding postage indicia were not effectively applied to the mail pieces. There may be no way for the proprietor of the mailing machine to recover the postage amounts which the PSD has dispensed, even though the postage was not properly printed on the mail pieces. Thus the failure or improper operation of the printing device may result in substantial financial loss to the proprietor of the mailing machine, particularly if large batches of mail are processed at high speed by a mailing machine in which the printing device has failed.
In view of the foregoing, it has been proposed (e.g., in U.S. published patent application no. 2005/0097066) to include a reading device in a mailing machine to read at least some of the postage indicia to confirm that the indicia are being printed with adequate print quality.
The present inventor has now proposed a method and mechanism for automatically detecting and diagnosing failure of individual print elements in a postage meter.

Method and apparatus for detecting malfunctioning print elements in postage meter indicia printer


A modular meter based utility gateway enclosure which resides between a power meter and a meter socket of a residence or other building supports multiple interchangeable local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN) interface cards. As a result, multiple LAN and WAN media are simultaneously and interchangeably supported by simply changing interface cards inserted into the slots of the enclosure. The modular meter based utility gateway enclosure includes a WAN card slot for accepting a WAN interface card, multiple LAN card slots for respectively accepting LAN interface cards, and a data bus for enabling communication between the WAN interface card and the LAN interface cards inserted into the WAN and LAN card slots respectively. The modular meter based utility gateway enclosure may also support one or more interdiction cards, and may further include a tamper proof mechanism to prevent unauthorized tampering with the enclosure.

Utility gateways provide access between a local area network (LAN) or in-home network communication medium and a wide area network (WAN) communication medium by bridging WAN communications onto the LAN or in-home network. LANs and in-home networks operate with communication protocols such as LonWorks.TM. and CEBus.TM.. WANs operate using different communication protocols such as TDMA. A utility gateway enables LAN or in-home network communications sent by a subscriber in LAN or in-home protocol to be converted into a WAN protocol and transmitted over the WAN. Similarly, messages transmitted over the WAN are received, converted into an appropriate LAN or in-home protocol, and transmitted to the subscriber over the LAN or in-house network. Therefore, a utility gateway includes a component for receiving, processing and transmitting WAN-protocol packets, a component for receiving, processing and transmitting LAN or in-home network protocol data, and a bus connecting the WAN component to the LAN/in-home component.
To provide this bridging function, a utility gateway must have access to both the LAN and the WAN. Some currently available gateways are connected to the LAN or in-home network via the power supply and connected to the WAN via a coaxial cable. These currently available utility gateway enclosures are mounted on the side of the residence and must be wired to the in-home power supply line by an electrician. These utility gateway enclosures provide a bridge between a single WAN of a predetermined protocol and a single LAN or in-home network of a predetermined protocol. Thus, in the current utility gateway enclosures, the entire gateway enclosure must be changed if either the WAN or LAN protocol is changed. Moreover, current gateways do not provide simultaneous access to multiple types of LANs and in-home networks. Also, since these enclosures are connected to the power supply of the building, repair and upgrading of the gateway devices requires interruption of the power supply to the building.

Modular meter based utility gateway enclosure


An anvil cylinder is severed along an axial direction of a shaft into a plurality of ring-shaped sections, and elastic bodies are fixedly secured to parts of outer circumferential surfaces of the severed anvil cylinder sections over the entire length of the cylinder. In addition, the respective anvil cylinder sections are adapted to be individually engaged with or disengaged from a knife with the aid of a rotary object. By adjusting the positions of the anvil cylinder sections, slitting slots can be formed by machining only at the portions where slitting slots are necessitated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotary shear adapted to be actuated upon order change for cutting a running corrugated cardboard web or forming a slitting slot in the direction of its lateral width.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A description will be made of the construction and function (operation) of a rotary shear in the prior art with reference to FIGS. 6 to 10. A rotary shear is an apparatus acting upon a corrugated cardboard web 6 manufactured continuously in a corrugating machine. A process for cutting or applying a slitting slot working across its widthwise direction will be described. This apparatus operates at the time of order change, and has a function of dealing with resetting such as change of a set width of a trim 8, a set width of a sheet 7, and the like. In the following, a construction and a function of a rotary shear in the prior art will be explained with reference to FIG. 7.
As shown in FIG. 7, a knife cylinder 2 having a knife 1 fixedly secured thereto has its opposite sides pivotably supported via bearings 16a and 16b from frames 5a and 5b erected at the opposite widthwise ends of the apparatus, a gear 17 is fixedly secured to its axial end portion on one side, and further to its outermost axial end is connected a shaft 19 via an electromagnetic clutch brake 18. To the same shaft 19 is mounted a pulley 20, and the same shaft 19 and a line shaft 21 are connected by means of a pulley 22 fixedly secured to the line shaft 21 and a belt 23. On the other hand, an anvil cylinder 24 is pivotably supported at its opposite ends via bearings 25a and 26b from the frames 5a and 5b as juxtaposed with the above-described knife cylinder 2. A shaft at one side end of the anvil cylinder 24 is connected to a shaft 27 via an electromagnetic clutch brake 26. To the shaft 27 is fixedly secured a gear 28, which is meshed with the gear 17 fixedly secured to the above-described knife cylinder 2. Also, to a shaft at the other side end of the anvil cylinder 24 is fixedly secured a pulley 29, and the same pulley 29 is connected to a pulley 32 fixedly secured to a shaft 31 via a belt 30. Furthermore, the shaft 31 is connected to an indexing motor 34 via an electromagnetic clutch brake 33. It is to be noted that in FIG. 7, reference numeral 6 designates a corrugated cardboard web traveling through a gap clearance between the anvil cylinder 24 and the knife cylinder 2 as held in rolling contact with the anvil cylinder 24.
As shown in a developed form in FIG. 9, the surface of the above-mentioned anvil cylinder 24 has steps (protrusions and recesses) formed in a part of the circumferential surface by removing the central portion of the anvil (elastic body) 35 over a successively decreasing length from the portion extending over the entire width L up to the portion having a predetermined length L.sub.o. Accordingly, by differently setting a relative phase of the anvil cylinder 24 to be engaged with the knife 1 on the knife cylinder 2, various cutting works as shown in FIG. 10 can be achieved. That is, if the anvil cylinder 24 is engaged with the knife 1 at the position A in FIG. 9, then perfect cutting over the entire width can be done, while if it is engaged with the knife 1 at the position B in FIG. 9, then slitting slots corresponding to the length P.sub.o in FIGS. 9 and 10 can be formed at the opposite end portions of the width of the corrugated cardboard web 6. At the time of formation of the above-mentioned slitting slots, the portion corresponding to the length P in FIGS. 9 and 10 is a recessed portion formed on the roll surface of the anvil cylinder 24, accordingly, in this portion a pinching force (cutting force) between the roll surface and the knife 1 is not generated, and hence cutting is not effected. As described above, in the rotary shear of the illustrated type, provision is made such that by appropriately and variably setting the position B where the roll surface is engaged with the knife 1, slots having an arbitrary length of zero to a maximum (W-L.sub.o)/2 can be machined at the opposite widthwise end portions of the corrugated cardboard web 6 (where W indicates a width of the corrugated cardboard web). FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an operating state of the rotary shear, which clarifies an engaging state of the circumferential surface of the anvil cylinder 24 and the knife 1 on the knife cylinder 2 to be engaged, and a machining state for the traveling corrugated cardboard web 6.
Now, description will be made on a function of the above-described rotary shear.
As initial setting of the rotary shear, at first the electromagnetic clutch brake 26 is released, and after the interlocking with the knife cylinder 2 has been released, the electromagnetic clutch brake 33 in the section of the indexing motor 34 is actuated to connect, and by driving the same motor 34, a relative phase with respect to the knife 1 corresponding to a desired cut and machined state of the corrugated cardboard web 6 is adjustably realized (indexed). Subsequently, the electromagnetic clutch brake 33 is released, also the above-described electromagnetic clutch brake 26 is connected, and thereby setting is made so as to maintain the relative phase between the respective cylinders 2 and 24 and to interlock them with each other. In succession, the electromagnetic clutch brake 18 is actuated, and by switching on and off the power transmitted from the line shaft 21 at a predetermined timing, a slitting work or a cutting work is applied to the traveling corrugated cardboard web 6.
FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a slitter-scorer section positioned in the next step of process, and FIG. 11 illustrates a worked state of a corrugated cardboard sheet so as to correspond vertically in position to FIG. 12. Slitter-scorers Pa and Pb are apparatuses for applying predetermined score lines K and slitting slots S to a traveling corrugated cardboard web 6 by means of equipped scoring rolls 36a and 36b and slitter knives 37a and 37b as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, and it is adapted to simultaneously manufacture a plurality of sheets (multiple manufacture) by properly selecting a corrugated cardboard web width W in relation to a product sheet width W.sub.o (FIG. 11 shows the case of double manufacture.). Also, in order to realize shortening of the time for resetting caused by order change, often the slitter-scorers are installed two sets Pa and Pb as aligned in the direction of traveling of sheets. It is to be noted that the entire width W of the above-described cardboard web under manufacture is chosen somewhat broader than the width W.sub.o to be used as product sheets, hence the opposite widthwise end portions where displacement or squeeze-out of paste at the time of sticking raw paper webs is liable to occur, are cut in a strip form, and they are sucked into the respective trim ducts 38 as waste paper sheets to be dealt with. The rotary shear in the prior art was an apparatus to be operated mainly as a trim shear that is useful for cutting the leading ends of the necessitated new order side trims 8a at the time of switching between slitter-scorers Pa and Pb as a result of an order change, that is, at the time of changing disposal of the trims 8 formed in correspondence to the width W of the corrugated cardboard web under manufacture and the width W.sub.o of the product sheets.
Next, brief explanation will be made on change of setting of the rotary shear in the prior art, which is operated as a trim shear.
With regard to change of a trimming position, in response to a signal issued from an order change system control unit not shown, besides setting in position of a trim duct 38b, various settings corresponding to the new order are effected in the slitter-scorer Pb in a standby state, and at the same time in a trim cutting device (rotary shear), for the purpose of setting a cut-away amount at the opposite widthwise ends of the corrugated cardboard web corresponding to the new order, a relative angular position of the anvil cylinder 24 with respect to the position of the knife 1 is preset. Subsequently, the knife cylinder 2 and the anvil cylinder 24 are rotated as opposed to each other at a predetermined timing for the corrugated cardboard web 6 to travel and pass therebetween, and a trim cutting notch is applied to a desired position. Next, the same notch position is transferred to the slitter-scorer Pb under a standby state, at first the scoring roll 36b is engaged at a predetermined position, subsequently the slitter knife 37b is engaged, and successively working according to the new order is effected. On the other hand, in a slitter-scorer Pa which has been working according to the old order, at a predetermined timing when the leading end of the corrugated cardboard sheet according to the new order reaches, the engagements with the scoring roll 36a and the slitter knife 37a are successively released. The new trims 8b produced from the corrugated cardboard web 6 according to the new order are respectively sucked and conveyed into a pair of newly set trim ducts 38b in a slitter-scorer Pb for use according to the new order, and after they have been shredded by a cutter-blower 39 equipped in the midway, they would be dealt with.
The rotary shear in the prior art was constructed and operated in the above-described manner, and it had only two kinds of functions of forming slitting slots of arbitrary length at the opposite widthwise ends of a traveling corrugated cardboard web, or perfectly cutting the same web over its entire width. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11, in setting of double manufacture, the specification can be stably switched only under a limited condition such that only the width of trims 8a at the ends of the width is changed according to order change, that is, the slitting slots for isolating sheets are continuous, in the case where cut lengths of two sheets traveling in parallel are the same even if the same slitting slots for isolating sheets should become discontinuous as a result of change of the sheet widths, or in the case where only one kind of sheets are manufactured from one web not shown. However, upon change of the specification according to order change, in many cases not only the widthwise dimension of the sheet 7 changes but also cut lengths of the two sheets 7 traveling in parallel are also arbitrarily changed as shown in FIG. 6. In double manufacture, wherein two kinds of sheets are manufactured in parallel from a single corrugated cardboard web, in the case where the cut lengths of the sheets traveling in parallel are different from each other, a traveling route of the sheet on one side is changed at a cut-off in the downstream step of process not shown, and they are cut into predetermined lengths by transferring them respectively to separate rotary drum shears.
Accordingly, in the case where the specification has been changed, for instance, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a discontinuous portion marked * would remain in the central slitting slot, and so, at the time of change of the traveling route (separation to the above and the below) at the cut off in the downstream step of process carried out in the event that the lengths of the above-described sheets traveling in parallel are different from each other, not only the above-described discontinuous portion would break and become unacceptable paper sheets, but also troubles such that the broken pieces of sheet are engaged with conveying means at the downstream (feed rolls) resulting in jam-up, would occur frequently. From these reasons, in the rotary shear in the prior art, in the case where the position of the slitting slot for isolating the sheet is to be changed, the method of once cutting and separating the preceding and succeeding corrugated cardboard web portions over their entire width at the time of order change and thereby obviating damage of the sheets occurring at the above-described discontinuous portion (the portion marked * in FIG. 6), was employed. However, this method has a shortcoming that restraint of a trailing end of an old order sheet and a leading end of a new order sheet would temporarily become free, and hence zig-zag traveling of sheets 7 and variation of a conveying velocity would occur. Consequently, precision in the cut length and the like would become not guaranteed, and would become a principal cause of various troubles which may possibly occur during the period before a new sheet traveling condition becomes stable.
As described in the preceding paragraphs, the rotary shears in the prior art could achieve only two kinds of cutting works of machining slitting slots in the widthwise direction of a sheet at the opposite ends of a width of a corrugated cardboard web, and perfectly cutting a sheet over its entire width. Accordingly, although a sheet can be dealt with (switched) smoothly by slitting slots formed at the opposite ends of a width under a limited condition such that only a trim width is changed as a result of order change, in multiple manufacture wherein two kinds (a multiple of kinds) of sheets having different lengths are manufactured from a single corrugated cardboard web, for instance, in the case where a width of sheets is changed at the order change and cut sheet lengths are different, then a slitting position is displaced in the widthwise direction of a sheet at a change point between the old and new orders, resulting in a discontinuous portion, hence the sheet would break as a result of separation of a sheet traveling route at a cut-off in the next step of process, and the sheet would become an unacceptable paper sheet. Not only such troubles, but also it would become a principal cause of various troubles such that the broken sheet pieces may plug the space between conveyor rolls in the next step of process and may cause jam-up. While, in the case where the sheet has been cut perfectly in the widthwise direction at the portion of the order change as a counter-measure for the above-described problems, though the disadvantage of breaking at the slitting position is eliminated, another problem would arise such that the ends of the new and old sheets would become free, hence the conveying condition becomes unstable, therefore the sheets would travel in a zig-zag manner or the traveling speed (amount) would vary, and a precision in a cutting dimension at the cut-off in the next step of process would be deteriorated.


A resource exploration and recovery system includes a first system and a second system extending into a wellbore. The second system includes a completion having a casing defining a wellbore internal diameter. A chemical injection tubing extends from the first system into the completion. The chemical injection tubing includes a terminal end portion. A chemical introduction system is arranged at the first system and is fluidically connected to the chemical injection tubing. The chemical introduction system is operable to deliver a chemical into the chemical injection tubing. A chemical injector assembly is mounted to the terminal end portion. The chemical injection system includes an anchor and a chemical injector valve.

In the resource exploration and recovery industry, boreholes are formed in a formation for the purpose of evaluating formation properties and to extract formation fluids. Prior to extracting formation fluids, a completion is formed in the borehole. The completion may separate the borehole into various production zones through the use of packers. The completion may also include various screen assemblies and valve assemblies that are selectively utilized to direct fluids from the formation, into a tubular, and toward the surface.
In some cases, the completion is provided with a chemical injection system that may introduce various chemicals into the borehole to treat the formation fluids flowing toward the surface. The fluid treatment may reduce any formation of, for example, scale formation on downhole components. Injected chemicals might also inhibit corrosion of completion components, prevent formation of oil/water emulsions, scavenge undesirable materials out of the flow stream, etc.
In other cases, the completion is not installed with a chemical injection system. In the latter case, a variety of well issues could arise such as, an accumulation of scale on downhole components. The scale may slow or plug production. In completions without chemical injection systems, when scale begins to impact production, a scale treatment must be performed. In many cases, coiled tubing has to be run down into the completion to open clogged flow paths. The need to perform scale treatment imparts production delays and increases production costs. Therefore, the industry would welcome a post completion chemical injection system.

Chemical injection system for completed wellbores


A method of forming a semiconductor device is provided. A material layer, a first flowing material layer and a first mask layer are sequentially formed on a substrate. A first etching process is performed by using the first mask layer as a mask, so as to form a first opening in the material layer. The first mask layer and the first flowing material layer are removed. A filler layer is formed in the first opening. A second flowing material layer is formed on the material layer and the filler layer. A second mask layer is formed on the second flowing material layer. A second etching process is performed by using the second mask layer as a mask, so as to form a second opening in the material layer.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit (IC) fabrication, and particularly to a method of forming a semiconductor device.
2. Description of Related Art
As the level of integration of integrated circuits is getting increased, the demand for increasing the feature density or reducing the pitch size becomes the mainstream in the semiconductor industry, and the key technology is in photolithography.
When the pitch size is beyond the photolithography resolution, a single exposure step is no longer applicable due to the pitch constraint. The pattern decomposition (or called "pattern split" or "double patterning") technique is accordingly developed to meet the process requirements. After the target pattern is decomposed into two patterns respectively defined on two photomasks, the 2P2E (photo-etch-photo-etch) approach utilizing two photolithography steps and two etching steps is implemented. However, it is relatively difficult to control the critical dimension (CD) bias between the double patterning steps, and the device performance may be therefore deteriorated.


An insulated composite material for structural reinforcement applications is provided. The insulated composite material includes a fiber reinforced composite material and a cementitious insulating layer applied over the composite material. Also provided is a structural member reinforced with the insulated composite material and a method of reinforcing a structural member with the insulated composite material.

Provided are an insulated composite material for structural reinforcement applications, a structural member reinforced with an insulated composite material, and a method for reinforcing a structural member with an insulated composite material.
Composite reinforcement materials have been used to strengthen existing concrete and masonry structures. These composite reinforcement materials generally include a fiber reinforced polymer composite material, such as a glass or carbon fiber textile that is embedded in a matrix such as binder resin.
The use of composite reinforcement materials has proven to be advantageous, because the composite materials are strong, lightweight, highly durable, non-corrosive, and can be easily installed in areas of limited access. The composite reinforcement materials are also easily conformed around complex or irregular shaped structures. In addition, composite reinforcement materials have a low profile and are easy to conceal, thereby resulting in only minimal changes to the appearance of the existing concrete or masonry structure.
While there are a number of advantages to using composite reinforcement materials, the composite reinforcement materials are generally much more combustible than concrete or masonry and, under the conditions of a fire, decrease the overall strength of the structure. Without being bound to any particular theory, it is believed that these composite reinforcing materials prematurely fail when exposed to elevated temperatures due to the softening of the polymeric binder of the composite materials. Due to this fire exposure risk, building code officials and structural engineers have concerns limiting the use of fiber reinforced polymer strengthening systems in internal building structure applications.
Attempts have been made to insulate fiber reinforced composite materials and to provide a system that is suitable for reinforcing concrete and masonry structural members. For example, intumescent coatings have been proposed to be used as an insulating coating over fiber reinforced composite materials. While these intumescent coatings provide a limited fire resistance, the amount of fire and thermal protection provided by such intumescent coatings alone is not sufficient to address the concerns of building code officials or structural engineers regarding thermal protection of fiber reinforced composite materials. Attempts to use gypsum-based materials or inorganic binders to provide insulation to fiber reinforced composite materials have also been made.
Therefore, a great need still exists in the art for structural reinforcement systems that are cost effective, easy to install, that do not significantly alter the appearance of the structural member being reinforced, and which are highly fire resistant to provide improved structural reinforcement of underlying concrete and masonry structural members during a fire.

Insulated composite reinforcement material


An information signal reconstructor is configured to reconstruct, using aliasing cancellation, an information signal from a lapped transform representation of the information signal including, for each of consecutive, overlapping regions of the information signal, a transform of a windowed version of the respective region, wherein the information signal reconstructor is configured to reconstruct the information signal at a sample rate which changes at a border between a preceding region and a succeeding region of the information signal.

The present application is concerned with information signal representation using lapped transforms and in particular the representation of an information signal using a lapped transform representation of the information signal necessitating aliasing cancellation such as used, for example, in audio compression techniques.
Most compression techniques are designed for a specific type of information signal and specific transmission conditions of the compressed data stream such as maximum allowed delay and available transmission bitrate. For example, in audio compression, transform based codecs such as AAC tend to outperform linear prediction based time-domain codecs such as ACELP, in case of higher available bitrate and in case of coding music instead of speech. The USAC codec, for example, seeks to cover a greater variety of application sceneries by unifying different audio coding principles within one codec. However, it would be favorable to further increase the adaptivity to different coding conditions such as varying available transmission bitrate in order to be able to take advantage thereof, so as to achieve, for example, a higher coding efficiency or the like.

Information signal representation using lapped transform

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.


An apparatus of a user equipment (UE) comprises a memory to store a Unified Radio Application and to store one or more configuration parameters for the Unified Radio Application, and one or more baseband processors to receive a radio application update from a remote server, and to update the Unified Radio Application via a Multiradio Interface (MURI) “updateRadioApps” operation with the received radio application update. One or more of the configuration parameters are maintained in the memory after the update.

Software defined radio is a concept in which fixed hardware radio components may be selectively reparameterized or replaced with software components in order to provide reconfiguration of the radio. A Software (SW) Reconfiguration architecture has been proposed that includes four distinct interfaces. These interfaces include a Multiradio Interface (MUM) that provides mechanisms for software provision, software installation, software execution, and software de-installation. No mechanism, however, has been proposed to provide a software update, or to maintain old configuration data that may be used to implement software updates and/or reconfiguration.
It will be appreciated that 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.

Multiradio interface for software reconfiguration


In order to measure the phase jitter of a high-frequency signal, a spectrum analyzer is used. The high-frequency signal (HF) to be measured is either multiplied by M and/or the output frequency of the variable frequency oscillator of the spectrum analyzer is divided by N, and both signals are set to the same frequency and mixed in a mixer. The output signal of the mixer is then evaluated in the preferably digital evaluating device of the spectrum analyzer according to the Fast Fourier Transformation principle. To this end, the spectrum analyzer requires only one additional mixer, frequency divider and/or frequency multiplier.

Measuring the phase jitter of a high-frequency signal, for example, the output signal of an oscillator, has hitherto generally required a measuring station, which consists of several individual devices, which are relatively expensive and difficult to operate. These are generally a signal generator, a spectrum analyzer for low-frequency Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), a control computer and a supplementary mixer. To measure the phase jitter, the high-frequency signal to be measured is mixed with a comparison signal of the same frequency generated in the signal generator. The mixer then supplies an output signal, which is the differential frequency between the high-frequency signal to be measured and the comparison signal. This therefore presents a measure for the phase jitter. This differential-frequency signal is evaluated after amplification in a low-noise amplifier using the FFT spectrum analyzer. By mixing both signals to 0 Hz, any AM modulation of the signal that may be present is suppressed, because the two in-phase side bands cancel each other out. In the case of a frequency modulation (FM) of the high-frequency signal to be measured, the side bands are out of phase, and their contribution is therefore added in the mixer.
A known measuring station of this kind for the measurement of phase jitter therefore distinguishes between AM and FM jitter and also allows the measurement of good oscillators. However, it requires a very good low-noise signal generator in the corresponding frequency range. An HF spectrum analyzer is often also required to determine the frequency of the measured signal together with an oscilloscope to check the synchronization. A known measuring station of this kind is therefore relatively complex, expensive and difficult to operate.
In principle, phase jitter can also be measured with a spectrum analyzer. However, the classic spectrum analyzer cannot distinguish between AM and FM modulation, although, generally, only the FM component needs to be measured. With modern spectrum analyzers with digital evaluation of the last intermediate frequency, the AM and FM modulation can in fact be measured separately, but the dynamic range of the analog/digital converter used is not sufficient for the measurement of good low-noise oscillators.

Method for measuring the phase jitter of a high-frequency signal and a measuring device for the implementation of this method


Expansion screw for orthodontic plates or prothesis of synthetic resin, comprising at least one spindle (1) with at least a threaded portion (10), a block (3; 17) with through hole (31) for housing one part of the threaded portion (10) of spindle (1), guide means (2; 16) for moving each block (3; 17), means (11, 12) for actuating each spindle (1), wherein said hole (31) provided in each of said bodies (3; 17) has an inner diameter greater than the outer diameter of the corresponding threaded portion (10) of spindle (1) to allow for the interposition of a corresponding amount of resin in which a surface is cast of specular shape with respect to that of said threading and which takes up the form of the corresponding nut screw: each block (3) being integral with a corresponding element of the orthodontic plate or prothesis.

It is known to those skilled in the art that a bidirectional expansion screw for orthodontics comprises a central spindle, provided with counter-rotating threads on the two sides, and with a central, so-called "actuating" portion of larger diameter allowing the same spindle to be rotated by means of a pin-like tool able to be inserted into suitable recesses or holes formed on the surface thereof, said spindle being usually associated to two cylindrical and parallel rods connected to each other by metal blocks having longitudinal holes into which the same rods are positioned therethrough so as to form a guide assembly for driving the blocks together with the corresponding separate portions of an orthodontic plate or prothesis, as described later on. Formed in each of the blocks which connect said guide rods, is a threaded hole able to receive a corresponding side of the central spindle--as schematically illustrated in FIG. 1E of the attached drawings wherein the letter F indicates the threading and B the block in its whole--so that the rotation of the same spindle will determine the straight displacement of the blocks in opposite directions. Since each block is embedded into a corresponding element of the orthodontic plate, the movement of the blocks brings about the corresponding movement of the two plate elements and, therefore, in order to move these elements close to or away from each other, it is sufficient to turn the spindle by means of the suitable tool.
Based on the same principle is the operation of unidirectional, three-dimensional and fan-like openable expansion screws.
Expansion screws for orthodontics are also known from IT 1163244, U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,344 and GB 641139 documents.
One drawback in the manufacturing of orthodontic expansion screws of the type above described, lies in the fact that, to ensure the necessary stability and functionality of the screw connection between the central spindle and each block of the guide assembly, the construction accuracy is crucial, a factor which weighs heavily on the manufacturing costs because of the qualified labour and precision machines that must be relied on. Moreover, when assembling the various parts of the screw, it is necessary to screw every threaded side or shank of the central spindle into the female screw of the corresponding block of the guide assembly, which brings about a longer manufacturing time in the whole. In addition to this, there is the fact that each block must have a threading corresponding to that of the spindle part to be received and, accordingly, the blocks must be threaded oppositely.
A further drawback to be found especially with the use of this type of orthodontic screw, is related to the inevitable operational clearance of the screw connecting parts, so that the insufficient friction involved between the device's threaded parts in contact with each other may cause spontaneous rotations of the spindle, that is, a displacement of the blocks from their optimal position, especially when considering the strong reaction exerted by the members of the masticatory apparatus to which the prothesis elements are hooked up, and which has a natural tendency to displace the same prothesis from its proper operational position.


A method and apparatus for aggregating power from multiple sources generates a single direct current regulated voltage. The apparatus comprises a plurality of slave voltage converters and a master pulse width modulator circuit. Providing a plurality of direct current power sources, current is drawn through a plurality of lines connected to the plurality of direct current power sources. An open circuit voltage for each direct current power source is unknown. Each line of the plurality of lines has a line resistance. The line resistance of at least some of the plurality of lines may be unknown. The line resistance of at least some of the plurality of lines is large. The single direct current regulated voltage is generated from the drawn current.

When powering an electronic system, close attention must be paid to the power source or sources and how best to deliver power from the power sources to the electronic system. Almost all power sources have a limited capacity to supply power to a load. A power source has limitations determined by its generator and a transmission line connecting the generator to the load, or electronic system.
Typically, an electronic system is designed having a power specification. A power system is designed that meets the needs of the power specification of the system. In designing the power system, the transmission line between the load and the generator is sized such that power is transferred with an acceptable level of loss and that sufficient power reaches the load. The generator is specified to be capable of supplying the load power plus the transmission line losses.
In the case of telecommunication systems, such as the public switched telephone network (PSTN), there exists a network of wires that can serve as transmission lines to supply power for remotely located electronic systems. Typically, a single power source is used to supply power over a single pair of wires to one or more loads. The remotely located electronic system is commonly referred to as being "span-powered" since direct current (DC) power as well as telephony signals are fed over the pair of wires. Signal repeaters are often employed along the length of the wire pair to maintain power and signal integrity. If the electronic system requires more power than can be provided, even at 100% efficiency, then it becomes necessary to replace the power source with one having a greater capacity. Replacing the power source can be extremely expensive. In some cases it may not be possible to replace the power source.
One piece of telecommunication equipment being used with increasing frequency is digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAMs). DSLAMs make possible high speed data communications, such as the various types of digital subscriber lines (xDSL) communications, to a subscriber such as a home or business computer user. Because of the high power requirements of DSLAMs, they are placed in a central office (CO) or other environment where power is readily and abundantly available. Due to this placement requirement, which is dictated by the power requirements of the DSLAM, an estimated 40 to 80 million people in North America are unable to receive xDSL service. Many of those unable to receive xDSL service would be able to do so if the DSLAM could be remotely located, and remotely powered. However, there is currently no way to meet the power requirements of a DSLAM or other similar piece of equipment placed in a remote location.
One method used in some systems to deliver higher current, and to increase reliability of the power system, uses parallel power converters. Typically, multiple power converters are connected to a single power source with each power converter supplying current to the load by connecting the outputs of each power converter together, also known as power OR'ing. Reliability is increased since if one power converter fails, there are redundant parallel power converters that continue to supply power to the load. Power OR'ing is frequently used in computer systems to supply power to a microprocessor. In such systems there is one power source and the transmission lines from the power source to the power system have no significant resistance, and therefore do not contribute to any significant power loss.
Another method commonly implemented aggregates power from multiple DC power sources such as solar cells. Typically, DC current from multiple solar panels is converted to alternating current (AC) power through the use of multiple inverters. Multiple inverters are synchronized with each other, and with the AC power grid, to combine the outputs of multiple solar panels. The AC power grid aggregates, transmits, and distributes large amounts of power in the form of alternating current. Although the solar cells have power limitations, as in the case of power OR'ing above, the transmission lines from the power sources, that is the solar cells, to the power system have a very small resistance. Furthermore, the output voltage of the solar cells is generally known and is substantially equal from cell to cell. Additionally, the AC power grid is so much greater than the solar system's output in terms of its power capability that reliability and power delivery to the loads is dependent on the grid rather than the DC power sources, or solar cells, which merely contribute energy to the grid.
The methods described above are not applicable to solving the problem of powering a remotely located DSLAM as described above. A single wire pair of the PSTN cannot supply the power required by the DSLAM. Additionally, due in part to the characteristics of the generators and transmission lines of the PSTN, the methods described above that make use of multiple power converters connected to multiple wire pairs will not produce the stable, regulated DC power needed by a DSLAM.
In the PSTN, the characteristics of the transmission lines are unknown and can vary greatly from line to line. Some lines may be extremely short and have little resistance, while other lines may be extremely long and have an extremely large line resistance of on the order of several kohms. Additionally, the voltage of the generators cannot be known exactly. Accordingly, the use of parallel power converters of the prior art in order to aggregate DC power will cause excessive power loss on some transmission lines, and excessive current drain on other transmission lines, which in turn can result in excessive power loss. This behavior causes unregulated and oscillatory behavior at the outputs of the power converters.
Thus, a need presently exists for a method and apparatus for aggregating power and producing a single, regulated direct current voltage from multiple power sources having unknown characteristics.

Method and apparatus for aggregating power from multiple sources


Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A user equipment (UE) may identify a gap period following a downlink portion of a time division duplexing (TDD) frame. The UE may selectively perform, based at least in part on the gap period, a clear channel assessment (CCA) on a channel of a radio frequency spectrum band. The UE may transmit at least one of a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble in a set of initial symbols of an uplink portion of the TDD frame following the gap period, wherein the SRS or PRACH preamble is frequency-domain multiplexed during the set of initial symbols with one or more of: a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), an uplink data transmission, an uplink control transmission, or a random access transmission.

The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more specifically to front loading a sounding reference signal (SRS) and physical random access channel (PRACH).
Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform-spread-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations or network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE).
Some wireless communication systems may support a time division duplexing (TDD) based frame structure, such as a TDD fixed frame period. Generally, such a TDD based frame structure begins with a first device capturing the channel for a time period, e.g., a channel occupancy time (CoT), a transmission opportunity (TxOP), and the like, by performing a clear channel assessment (CCA) procedure on the channel. If the CCA procedure is successful, the first device controls the channel for the CoT, which may then be followed by an idle period. During the CoT, the first device may perform downlink transmissions to a second device and/or receive uplink transmissions from the second device. For example, the first device may perform a downlink transmission and provide a grant to the second device for resources for an uplink transmission. In some scenarios, gap periods between transmissions (e.g., between downlink and uplink transmissions, between successive uplink transmissions, and the like) during the CoT that exceed a threshold may require an additional CCA procedure to be performed by the second device before the uplink transmission can occur. The second device having to perform additional CCA procedures may delay such uplink transmissions, which increases latency and requires additional resources.

Front loaded sounding reference signal and physical random access channel signal


An apparent load is determined based on assigning weightings to commands based on various factors including, but not limited to, the limitations of the underlying storage media device(s), where the command queue fullness is viewed from that perspective rather than simply the number of commands outstanding in a storage media device. Also disclosed is the use of a positive bias and a negative bias to artificially influence the apparent load.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of storage systems. More specifically, the present invention is related to a system, method and article of manufacture for monitoring, controlling and improving storage media system performance.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Native Command Queuing (NCQ) is known in the prior art for optimizing the order in which commands (i.e., read and/or write) are executed in a single drive, where the optimization is localized within the single drive. However, the prior art is silent with regards to weighting commands based on various factors including, but not limited to, the limitations of the underlying storage media device(s), where the command queue fullness may be viewed from that perspective rather than simply the number of commands outstanding in a storage media device. Also missing in the prior art is any disclosure for the introduction of positive and/or negative biases to artificially influence an apparent load.
Embodiments of the present invention are an improvement over prior art systems and methods.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System, method and article of manufacture for monitoring, controlling and improving storage media system performance


A micro-speaker includes a speaker monomer, a housing and a waterproof membrane. The housing accommodates the speaker monomer and has an opening to output a sound generated by the speaker monomer. The waterproof membrane seals the opening and transmits the sound generated by the speaker monomer. The waterproof membrane has a center area and a peripheral area surrounding the center area, and a stiffness of the center area is greater than a stiffness of the peripheral area.

Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a micro-speaker, and more particularly, relates to a micro-speaker with waterproof function.
Description of Related Art
A speaker is a device that converts an electrical signal into a sound signal. Generally, medium and large speakers are disposed independently and connected to a sound source to generate sounds. Apart from being disposed independently (e.g., headsets), small or micro speakers (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a micro-speaker) are often integrated with portable sound devices (e.g., mobile phones, smart phones, notebook computers and tablet computers) to generate a sound.
In order to prevent external dust from contacting the micro-speaker to affect performances thereof, a screen fabric is usually disposed above the micro-speaker to block external dust from entering a casing of the micro-speaker thereby reaching a diaphragm of the micro-speaker. Yet, the sound generated by the micro-speaker can still pass the screen fabric to be outputted to the outside of the casing. However, in the case when external liquid unexpectedly passes the screen fabric to enter the casing, the entered liquid cannot be exhausted outside the casing due to blockage of the screen fabric, and thus affects the performances of the micro-speaker.
To solve the problem that the screen fabric is not waterproof, currently, a conventional method is to add a waterproof membrane above the speaker to provide both waterproof and dustproof functions for the speaker. This type of waterproof membrane is usually made by forming a waterproof layer on a carrier. However, this type of waterproof membrane is usually ultra thin and prone to generation of creases which affect the performances. Accordingly, this type of waterproof membrane has higher difficulty in assembling the same.


A hierarchical mesoporous carbon is provided in which a total volume of mesopores of the hierarchical mesoporous carbon is 80% or greater of a total volume of pores of the hierarchical mesoporous carbon; a volume of mesopores with a average diameter greater than 20 nm and no greater than 50 nm is 3% or greater of the total volume of the pores; and a volume of mesopores with a average diameter greater than 2 nm and no greater than 10 nm is 65% or greater of the total volume of the pores. The hierarchical mesoporous carbon, which also contains macropores, has an optimized mesoporous distribution characteristic, and has an increased total volume of pores, thereby having a significantly improved catalytic activity when used as a catalyst support. When such a supported catalyst is used in a fuel cell, supply of fuel and transporting of byproducts are facilitated.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a hierarchical mesoporous carbon, a method of manufacturing the same, and a fuel cell using the same. More particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to a hierarchical mesoporous carbon with macropores and dual mesoporosity, which provides a significantly advantageous structure for diffusion of fuel and release of by-products, a method of manufacturing the same, and a support catalyst with improved activity by using the hierarchical mesoporous carbon as a support, and a fuel cell including an electrode using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel cell is an electricity-producing system that produces direct current (DC) electricity from an electrochemical reaction of methanol, water, and oxygen. A typical fuel cell has a structure that includes a proton exchange membrane between an anode and a cathode to which a reagent liquid or a reagent gas is supplied.
In the anode, a catalyst separates protons and electrons from hydrogen or methanol. The protons permeate through the proton conducting membrane and the electrons travel through an external circuit. At the cathode, the protons and electrons react with oxygen in the presence of a cathode catalyst to produce electricity. Thus, the catalysts in such a fuel cell structure have an important role.
In a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, an amorphous carbon support on which Pt particles are dispersed is used as a catalyst for the cathode and the anode. In a direct methanol fuel cell, PtRu is used as the anode and Pt is used as the cathode, either as metal particles themselves, or dispersed within amorphous carbon supports.
Since the main source of the manufacturing cost in a fuel cell is the catalyst, it is desirable to reduce the amount of catalyst in order to achieve a competitive fuel cell price. To this end, active research is underway to reduce the catalyst content used in an anode or a cathode by using a carbon support that can increase catalyst activity or distribution compared to a conventional amorphous carbon support.
As a carbon support, ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC), which is effective as a catalyst support, has been suggested due to its large specific surface area and regularly arranged pores (Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication 2001-0001127). Moreover, a newly structured carbon support with macropores and mesopores has also been introduced (Korean Registration No. 0574022), which is manufactured using a method of preparing a template using silica colloid particles, then wrapping a carbon precursor with the template, thereby forming macropores.
Conventional OMC is useful as a support for a catalyst due to its large specific surface area and regularly arranged pores, but the is much room for improvement in terms of providing better fuel supply and by-product transport characteristics.

Method of manufacturing hierarchical mesoporous carbon and carbon obtained thereby


A clutch control system comprises a clutch torque determination module and a clutch pressure control module. The clutch torque determination module determines a desired torque value for a torque converter clutch (TCC) based on a torque output of an engine, a pump torque value for a pump integrated with a torque converter, a desired engine acceleration, and an inertia value of the engine. The clutch pressure control module selectively controls pressure applied to the TCC based on the desired torque value.

The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a functional block diagram of a powertrain system 100 of a vehicle is presented. The powertrain system 100 includes an engine 102 that generates drive torque to propel the vehicle. Air is drawn into the engine 102 through an intake manifold 104. A throttle valve 106 varies the volume of air drawn into the intake manifold 104. The throttle valve 106 is actuated by an electronic throttle controller (ETC) 108, which controls opening of the throttle valve 106. The air mixes with fuel provided by a fuel injector 110 to form an air and fuel mixture.
The air/fuel mixture is combusted within one or more cylinders of the engine 102, such as cylinder 112. Combustion may be initiated in any suitable manner. For example, in some engines, such as the engine 102, combustion of the air/fuel mixture is initiated by spark provided by a spark plug 114. Exhaust gas resulting from combustion is expelled from the cylinders to an exhaust system 116.
The engine 102 transfers torque to a transmission 118 through a torque converter 120. The transmission 118 may then transfer torque to one or more wheels of the vehicle. An engine control module (ECM) 130 controls torque output by the engine 102. For example, the ECM 130 may control torque output by the engine 102 based on driver inputs, such as an accelerator pedal position. A driver input module 132 provides driver inputs to the ECM 130.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary illustration of the torque converter 120 is presented. The torque converter 120 includes a turbine 122, a pump 124, and a stator 126. The pump 124 is linked to an output shaft 127 of the engine 102, and thus rotates with the output shaft 127 of the engine 102. The pump 124 includes blades or fins that direct transmission fluid within the torque converter 120 radially outward as the pump 124 turns. Directing fluid to the outside of the torque converter 120 creates a vacuum (i.e., low pressure with respect to the pressure near the outside) toward the center of the torque converter 120.
Like the pump 124, the turbine 122 includes blades or fins. The blades of the turbine 122, however, direct the transmission fluid inward from the outside of the torque converter 120. The blades of the turbine 122 are arranged such that the transmission fluid flow through the turbine 122 rotatably drives the turbine 122. The turbine 122 is connected to and drives an input shaft 128 of the transmission 118.
Referring back to FIG. 1, the torque converter 120 also includes a torque converter clutch (TCC) 134. The TCC 134 is referred to as a lock-up clutch. The TCC 134 is engaged (i.e., applied) to link the pump 124 with the turbine 122. In this manner, the TCC 134 selectively links the output shaft 127 of the engine 102 with the input shaft 128 of the transmission 118.
The TCC 134 may be controlled in any suitable manner. For example only, application of the TCC 134 may be controlled by applying a fluid or a mechanical pressure to the TCC 134. Further description of the torque converter 120 and the TCC 134 can be found in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,111 issued on Feb. 24, 2004 and entitled "Torque Converter and Clutch Control" and commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,254,507 issued on Jul. 3, 2001 and entitled "Reverse One-Way Torque Converter Clutch," the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entirety.


In a light emitting module 40, a light wavelength conversation ceramic 52 converts the wavelength of the light emitted by a semiconductor light emitting element 48 then emits the light. An optical filter 50 transmits the blue light Lb mainly emitted by the semiconductor light emitting element 48 and reflects the yellow light Ly whose wavelength has been mainly converted by the light wavelength conversion ceramic 52. The optical filter 50 is provided on the surface of the light wavelength conversion ceramic 52. The light emitting module 40 is manufactured by: the process where the optical filter 50 is provided on at least one surface of the light wavelength conversion ceramic 52; and the process where the semiconductor light emitting element 48 and the light wavelength conversion ceramic 52 are arranged such that the light emitted by the semiconductor light emitting element 48 is incident into the light wavelength conversion ceramic 52.

In recent years, for the purpose of long life or reduction in power consumption, a technique has been developed in which a light emitting module having a light emitting element, such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), is adopted as a light source for emitting strong light, such as a lamp unit that emits light toward the front of a vehicle. However, the light emitting module to be used in such an application is required to have high luminance and high light intensity. Accordingly, in order to improve, for example, the extraction efficiency of while light, a lighting system comprising: a light emitting element that mainly emits blue light; a yellow phosphor that mainly emits yellow light by being excited with the blue light; and a blue-transmitting yellow-reflecting means that transmits the blue light from the light emitting element and reflects the light with a wavelength of the yellow light or more from the yellow phosphor, is proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In addition, in order to enhance, for example, the conversion efficiency, a structure comprising a ceramic layer arranged within the channel of the light emitted by a light emitting layer is proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-59864
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-5367

Light emitting module, method of manufacturing the light emitting module, and lamp unit


Particulate fillers containing Si-OH groups are functionalized by treatment with a silica bonding agent. The treated particles are effectively polyfunctional, and may be used to prepare highly filled, cross-linked organopolysiloxane networks without the need for additional cross-linking agents. The functionalized particles are highly compatible with silicone fluids, particularly cyclosiloxane fluids. Compositions curable to such filled, cross-linked networks comprise the bonding agent-functionalized particles, a curable organopolysiloxane, and a catalyst for curing the organopolysiloxane.

Silane bonding agents have been used to treat silica fillers in a wide variety of resin systems to improve the adhesion of the resin matrix to the filler. In some cases, the bonding agent becomes part of the matrix. Typically, the bonding agent is an extension of a linear portion of the matrix chain, or a chain end. Such agents do not provide for cross-linking of the resin matrix.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,929,718 and 4,780,108 disclose treating silica particles with organosilicon compounds in order to increase the particles's density. The densified particles are used as fillers.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,938,009 describes filled organopolysiloxane compositions comprising a curable organopolysiloxane and filler particles coated with certain cyclic alkyl polysiloxanes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,649,588 discloses treatment of fillers with low molecular weight organopolysiloxanes in the presence of an amino compound in order to render the filler hydrophobic and non-structure inducing. Hydrophobic filler mixtures for room temperature vulcanizable and low temperature vulcanizable silicone rubbers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,023. The hydrophobizing agent is an organosilicone compound consisting of linear or cyclic organopolysiloxanes. Treatment of silica fillers with organosilicon compounds in order to render the filler hydrophobic is also taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,057,151.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,215 discloses filler cross-linked polysiloxanes. This is accomplished by reacting a polysiloxane containing silanic hydrogen with a filler containing silanol groups in the presence of a platinum-containing catalyst. Cyclic dimethylsiloxanes and cyclic organosiloxanes containing silanic hydrogen are rearranged with alkaline or acid catalyst to give the desired curable organopolysiloxane.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,021,297 describes resins formed from chloromethylheptamethylcyclotetrasiloxane. The polymerized product, either with or without a filler, can be used for caulking.
Chloroheptamethylcyclotetrasiloxane was first prepared via chlorination of heptamethylcyclotetrasiloxane in CCl.sub.4 in high yield (Sokolov et al., J. Gen. Chem, U.S.S.R. 26, 1061-1063 (1956), incorporated herein by reference). The synthesis proceeds in very high yield with few side reactions. The subsequent use of this reagent has not been reported.

Functionalized silica particle and use thereof for cross-linking silicones

Temple University-Of The Common Commonwealth System of Higher Education


A method of coordinating surveys of different origins and which may be projected into different coordinate systems. The method provides a translation and rotation of the surveys to be coordinated without disturbing the internal geometry of each survey. A geographic information system including a procedure for coordinating surveys of different origins and/or which surveys which projected in different coordinate systems.

A high accuracy survey-grade geographic information system (GIS) would need to transform distinct isolated land surveys, which could be separated by several miles, onto a common coordinate system that does not distort or scale the dimensions of those surveys. Furthermore, a high accuracy survey-grade GIS would have to position the transformed surveys relative to each other at the same distances that would be measured between them on the ground using transit and tape or electronic distance measure (EDM). Because the purpose of a high accuracy survey-grade GIS is to transform separate isolated surveys onto a common coordinate system in such a manner as to produce in essence one unified survey, in order to be survey-grade the relative positions of the transformed surveys would have to meet the relative positional accuracy standards for ALTA/ACSM land title surveys as adopted by the American Land Title Association and the National Society of Professional Surveyors, which is a member organization of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping. Those standards state: "'Relative Positional Accuracy' means the value expressed in feet or meters that represents the uncertainty due to random errors in measurements in the location of any point on a survey relative to any other point on the same survey at the 95 percent confidence level. . . . [The] Allowable Relative Positional Accuracy for Measurements Controlling Land Boundaries on ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys [is] 0.07 feet (or 20 mm)+50 ppm."
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as the United States Department of Defense's Global Navigation System (GPS), afford land surveyors the prospect of relating all their surveys to a common spatial reference system based on geodetic latitudes, longitudes, and ellipsoid heights. In theory, the ability to relate all surveys to a common coordinate system opens the door to possible realization of a high accuracy survey-grade GIS. In practice, the hurdles and multiple problems associated with actually designing and implementing a high accuracy survey-grade GIS that can feasibly operate within a survey firm while meeting the accuracy standards leads one to conclude that such a complex system of technology married to the human management of average surveyors and field crews is at best improbable. In the past several years articles have been written and conferences have taken place that address the problem of integrating the requisite high accuracy requirements demanded of land surveys with the far less accurate spatial demands historically placed on the GIS community. The discussions have been largely talk and theorizing with no solutions proposed.
Land surveyors produce many different types of surveys or plats of survey, which are paper plots or scale drawings depicting the dimensions and orientation of a parcel of land in accordance with a written deed or legal description. A survey can include a depiction of physical man made improvements, as well as natural features, such as the topography of the terrain and vegetation. Surveyors obtain the information necessary to produce a survey by using equipment designed to measure the location of individual points on the surface of the earth.
The types of measurement equipment used may include electronic total stations and or dual frequency differential GNSS antennas and receivers that generate positional coordinates by receiving signals from U.S. Department of Defense satellites, Russian Glonass satellites, and in the future a European satellite system called Galileo. For example, if a surveyor needs to locate and dimension a roadway, he will be required to measure the relative location of a sufficient number of individual points on the edge of the road so that when those points are connected by lines or curves, the result is a correct scale rendering of the road.
As points are being measured in the field, the coordinates representing those locations may be stored in a data collector mounted to, connected to or in communication with the measuring instrument. Often, the data collected for a single point location consists of five fields within an electronic or computer point database. Those five fields, in the order most commonly used, are: 1) Point Number, often an arbitrary number automatically generated at the time of measurement and usually consecutively sequenced from the last point number used, it is used to distinguish one point from another, but may also be an assigned identifier; 2) Northing, the Y component in a three dimensional Cartesian coordinate system; 3) Easting, the X coordinate in a three dimensional Cartesian coordinate system; 4) Elevation, the Z coordinate in a three dimensional Cartesian coordinate system; 5) Point description, a code which uniquely identifies what is being located, whether it be a building corner or edge of asphalt. Other information may also be collected simultaneously or contemporaneously with these five data elements.
The electronic field measured point data may then be transferred from the data collector to an office computer of the survey company or firm and then may be imported into survey software that may be used to create a computer aided drafting (CAD) drawing that has an associated point data base with the five or more data fields as described. The CAD software may then be used to connect the dots between the points in the associated point database, based on classifications that may be included in the point description field and on input from the field crew, and may also be used to produce a plat or record of survey which may be printed out on a plotter. CAD drawings and associated point databases may be kept and managed within project folders that may include unique project numbers used to distinguish one survey from another.
The survey and description of real property in the United States has historically proceeded under the fiction that the world is flat. With very few exceptions, written legal or deed descriptions for parcels of land in the United States are based on distances that are measured on the ground in the sense that the distance between two points is measured using a tape or chain held level. Indeed this is the means by which the public lands of the United States have been surveyed and sold off to private owners beginning with the first Land Ordinance passed on May 20, 1785 by the Continental Congress: "An Ordinance for Ascertaining the Mode of Disposing of Lands in the Western Territory. Be it ordained by the United States in Congress assembled, that the territory ceded by individual states to the United States, which had been purchased of the Indian habitants, shall be disposed of in the following manner: . . . The lines shall be measured with a chain; . . . " Legal descriptions for real property may reference adjacent or nearby land or legal features, which may be measurable on the face of the Earth as well. In the interpretation of written legal descriptions to derive a drawing or survey plat of a parcel, it is conventional to derive the location of parcel boundaries with respect to a planar or flat two dimensional Cartesian coordinate system (for the vast majority of surveys this is mandatory because almost all legal descriptions preserve a chain of title from the time they were originally conveyed by the United States). Thus, drawings or other interpretations of property descriptions are drafted from the reference of measurements upon the ground.
It might be of enormous benefit to a surveyor to be able to spatially relate, with high accuracy, all surveys he or she produced. One of the primary benefits is illustrated in FIG. 1. Depicted are four parcels of land, parcels A, B, C and D, showing the parcels' actual physical spatial relationship as measured on the ground. If surveys are produced for Parcels A, B, and C, and if the relative locations of those surveys are known with sufficient accuracy, then the amount of time and effort required to survey Parcel D could be dramatically reduced because four of the property lines of Parcel D are defined by property lines belonging to Parcels A, B, and C. The area over which a given survey or legal description for real property is likely to have influence over the location of adjacent or nearby boundaries of other parcels will generally not exceed several square miles. Of course not being able to predict which combination of surveys will have a bearing on future surveys it would be necessary to be able to spatially relate all surveys produced.
A very important characteristic of most two dimensional Cartesian systems used for legal descriptions is that they have no actual spatial relationship to each other, in many cases not even if two parcels are contiguous. In other words, given the legal descriptions of two parcels of land that are within a half mile of each other, it is not likely that their actual physical spatial relationship can be established based upon the descriptions alone. This is illustrated in FIG. 2, which depicts a possible orientation of the parcel boundaries based on deed or legal descriptions of the same parcels illustrated in FIG. 1. The orientations depicted in FIG. 2 are the orientations that must be used within the CAD drawings and associated point databases to produce plats of survey. Without a common coordinate or grid reference system which may be used to tie these disparate parcels together, the interpretation might result in the parcels "floating about in space," as depicted in FIG. 2.
One way to establish the actual physical spatial relationship between two surveys is to measure from one parcel to the other so as to establish their relative positions. Prior to GNSS, if a surveyor wanted to determine the spatial relationship on the surface of the earth between every survey performed, the surveyor might have to physically traverse on the ground between every one of those surveys using an electronic total station, theodolite, EDM, or other suitable measuring device. Even if it were feasible to do this, it would not be possible to do so with sufficient accuracy due to the large propagation of error that would result. With the advent of GNSS and the coming on line of over 1000 Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) control points throughout the United States, the situation has changed with regard to coordinating and referencing different surveying jobs.
A CORS control point is a permanent fixed GPS antenna and receiver that records GPS satellite signals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and transmits that data as soon as it is collected to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) where it immediately becomes available at no cost to anyone with Internet access (NGS is a branch of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)). The location of every CORS antenna and its electronic phase center is known and monitored with extraordinary accuracy in relation to a comprehensive continental coordinate system and datum called "NAD 83 (CORS)." The coordinates of the CORS are given in terms of geodetic latitude, longitude, and ellipsoid height defined on the WGS84 ellipsoid, a mathematical surface designed to approximate the shape of the earth. These highly accurate coordinates are down loadable from NGS websites. The network of National and Cooperative CORS constitutes the National Spatial Reference System.
An NGS Web site defines the NSRS as follows:
"The National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), defined and managed by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), is a consistent national coordinate system that specifies latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the Nation, as well as how these values change with time."
"NSRS consists of the following components:                A consistent, accurate, and up-to-date National Shoreline;        the National CORS, a set of Global Positioning System Continuously Operating Reference Stations meeting NOAA geodetic standards for installation, operation, and data distribution;        a network of permanently marked points including the Federal Base Network (FBN), the Cooperative Base Network (CBN), and the User Densification Network(UDN); and        a set of accurate models describing dynamic geophysical processes affecting spatial measurements."
"NSRS provides a highly accurate, precise, and consistent geographic reference framework throughout the United States. It is the foundation for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), a critical component of the 'information superhighway.' NSRS is a significant national resource—one whose value far exceeds its original intended purpose."
Surveyors may use an extremely accurate type of positioning utilizing GPS, known as dual frequency relative positioning, which requires that two or more GPS receivers operate simultaneously receiving and recording satellite data from common satellites. With the two or more GPS receivers operating simultaneously and receiving signals from common satellites, the satellite data recorded by the receivers can be downloaded to a computer and post-processed using software designed for that purpose (GPS that utilizes post-processed vectors is called static GPS). The result is a highly accurate vector within WGS84 defining the relative position of the two GPS antennas. Very importantly, if the absolute position of one of the antennas is known and held fixed within the NSRS, then the vector derived from post-processing is no long relative and determines the absolute position of the second antenna or point.
When surveyors use dual frequency relative positioning GPS, one of the two GPS antennas is usually called a base station and remains positioned over a control point in the ground for many hours at a time, sometimes over successive days. The other antenna and receiver is called the rover and is moved from point to point with short occupation times in order to establish real time kinematic (RTK) GPS vectors or post processed static GPS vectors relative to the base station. If, in addition to deriving RTK and or static vectors between the base station and rover, vectors are also derived between the base station and one or more CORS through static post-processing, then highly accurate absolute positions for both the base station location and the points located by the rover relative to the base station can be computed within the NSRS. Because many large survey firms now employ GPS routinely in connection with most of their surveys, it may be possible for them to practically establish the absolute (within the NSRS or some other encompassing coordinate system) and therefore relative positions of those surveys to a very high degree of accuracy. Any measurement errors in the vectors from three or more CORS to the base station can be adjusted, for example by the method of least squares, holding the published CORS coordinates fixed. Such an adjustment computation may result in positions for the base station, and the associated points within a particular survey job, that exceed in accuracy the positions that could be achieved through the use of conventional traverses run by using electronic total stations and tying the surveys to conventional ground control stations. These higher levels of accuracy can be achieved virtually every time with generally two hours of observation at the base station by post processing base station GPS data with CORS control point data that has been downloaded from NGS websites. The CORS data may have been collected hundreds of miles from the base station and the site of the survey.
A few states in the United States have what are called virtual reference systems (VRS). Europe is blanketed by such systems. A VRS is a network of CORS that immediately relay their data to a central computer that then models the atmospheric corrections over the area encompassed by the network. These atmospheric corrections are then conveyed via cell phone to GPS rovers operating in the field. The result is real time or RTK positions at the rover without the need for a base station set up near the site of the survey. In the United States VRS systems are all operating on the NSRS and NAD 83 (CORS). Therefore a surveyor who is operating in a VRS is automatically establishing a link between local survey points and an encompassing coordinate system, in this case the NSRS.
In order for GPS located points to be usable for spatially relating unconnected surveys in a high accuracy survey-grade GIS their WGS84 latitude and longitude coordinates must be transformed into grid coordinates by defining a map projection. The term "grid" refers to a Cartesian coordinate system that is the result of a map projection. A map projection projects points on a curved surface onto a conical or cylindrical three dimensional surface which can be cut and laid flat, thereby transforming coordinates for points located in three dimensions on a curved and irregular surface into points represented in a flat two dimensional frame. A map projection typically includes an ellipsoid designed to approximate some aspect of the earth's surface (such as, but not limited to, mean sea level) and a conical or cylindrical surface passing through or around the ellipsoid onto which points on the surface of the earth are projected. From a simple geometric standpoint that can be visualized, a projection can be accomplished by projecting lines from the center of the ellipse through points on the surface of the earth (see FIGS. 3, 5). Where the lines intersect the conic or cylinder defines the location of the points in the grid system when the conic or cylinder is cut and laid flat. In most practical applications a map projection is a mathematical operation defined by functions that relate geodetic latitudes and longitudes in a spherical system to X and Y coordinates in a two dimensional Cartesian grid system.
The tradeoff for representing on a flat surface the relative size, shape, and location of figures that exist on a curved surface is that the correct shapes and distances as they exist on the curved surface become distorted on the flat surface. This is evident to anyone who has seen a flat map of the world and noticed that Greenland appears to be larger than the continental United States. The larger the area of the earth depicted using a map projection, the greater the distortion. The converse is also true, as the area of the earth encompassed by a map projection becomes smaller so to can the distortion. Because the areas over which it may be desirable to spatially relate surveys is on the order of several square miles, it becomes possible to design map projections that reduce the difference between grid distances and ground distances to an order well within the measurement tolerances associated with the best practices of land surveying.
Because the coordinates that are produced using GPS are in terms of latitudes and longitudes, which are defined in a three dimensional spherical frame, these coordinate systems cannot be used as a basis for spatially relating legal descriptions which are defined within two dimensional Cartesian coordinate systems, as are required in the development and processing of local land surveys. The local land surveys are typically referenced to a locally optimized coordinate system and may be arranged so that a computed grid distance and a measured ground distance are within an acceptable level of tolerance for any location where the local coordinate system may be used.
It is desirable that improvements to the processing of coordinates for disparate surveying jobs in a particular geographic area be made so that surveys of different origins and dates can be compared and harmonized with each other.


At least one cholesteric liquid crystal composition is mixed with at least one first nematic liquid crystal compound or composition, thereby exhibiting a TGBA phase at room temperature. The first nematic liquid crystal compound or composition preferably includes a compound having a cyano group, a halogen atom, a nitro group, a perfluoroalkoxy group or a perfluoroalkyl group at the terminal thereof. The cholesteric liquid crystal composition preferably contains a second nematic liquid crystal compound or composition and a chiral reagent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal device, a reflective display material and a light modulating material, and particularly to a liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal device, a reflective display material and a light modulating material suitably utilized in a light scattering system and a guest-host system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cholesteric liquid crystal is used in, for example, a White-Taylor display system in which display performance is improved by reducing light leakage with a display material utilizing selective reflection derived from a periodic helical structure, or with a guest-host display mode containing a dichroic dye. The cholesteric liquid crystal is characterized by having a memory function in a planar state and a focalconic state in a liquid crystal device. Because of the degree of order derived from a nematic liquid crystal and the continuity of a liquid crystal layer, however, the cholesteric liquid crystal does not have a memory function in a homeotropic state and the degree of light scattering is reduced.
On the other hand, a smectic phase is a liquid crystal layer of low continuity having a higher degree of order than that of a nematic phase. There are expectations that a smectic phase, a TGBA (twisted grain boundary SmA) phase with a liquid crystal layer formed in a helical structure might be a phase capable of solving the above problem. TGBA phases disclosed so far are phases exhibited in a high temperature range and in a narrow temperature range, as disclosed in, for example, J. Am. Chem. Soc., 111, 8119 (1989) and Liquid Crystals, Vol. 22, No. 5, 535-541 (1997), and TGBA phases that are expressed at room temperature are hardly known.

Liquid crystal composition, liquid crystal device, reflective display material, and light modulating material