The present invention is directed to a digestive enzyme composition comprising an enterically coated digestive enzyme product, administrable nutritional medium, and a pharmaceutically acceptable low viscosity oily ingredient. The process for the preparation of the digestive enzyme composition comprises adding an enterically coated digestive enzyme product to a administrable nutritional medium and pharmaceutically acceptable low viscosity oily ingredient. The invention further provides a method for treating a patient suffering from exocrine pancreatic insufficiency related condition comprising administering to the patient a therapeutically effective dose of the digestive enzyme composition by means of a feeding tube.

The proper dosing of medications for patients is an important concern within the medical field. For infants, smaller children, and geriatric patients in particular, as well as sometimes also in adult populations, the administration of medications and dosing methods often present substantial issues. As is well known in the art, medications are provided in many forms (e.g., liquid, solid, and combinations of solids in liquids) and are delivered to patients in many ways (e.g., orally, via injection, transdermally). Nevertheless, there is still a need to optimize pancreatic enzyme supplement dosage formulations to improve both their efficacy and patient compliance in their use. Thus, for patients suffering from exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) what is in question is how to get a pancreatic enzyme supplement to be the most efficacious at the lowest dose, and have a well-defined safety profile.
In cases of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), of which the FDA estimates more than 200,000 Americans suffer, involves a physiological disorder wherein individuals are incapable of properly digesting food due to a lack of digestive enzymes made by their pancreas. This loss of digestive enzymes leads to disorders such as the maldigestion and malabsorption of nutrients, which lead to malnutrition and other consequent and undesirable physiological conditions associated therewith. These disorders are common for those suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) and other conditions which compromise the exocrine function of the pancreas, such as pancreatic cancer, pancreatectomy, and pancreatitis. The malnutrition can be life threatening if left untreated, particularly in the case of infants and CF patients. The disorder can lead to impaired growth, a compromised immune response, and shortened life expectancy.
Digestive enzymes, such as pancrelipase enzymes and other pancreatic enzyme products (PEPs) can be administered to at least partially remedy EPI. The administered digestive enzymes allow patients to more effectively digest their food.
The pancrelipase enzymes used for treating EPI are mainly a combination of three enzyme classes: lipase, amylase, and protease, together other enzymes including elastases, phospholipases, and cholesterases, amongst others, and various co-factors and coenzymes with their various co-factors and co-enzymes; the levels or potency in enzyme products are listed. These enzymes are produced naturally in the pancreas and are important in the digestion of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of fats into glycerol and fatty acids, starch into dextrin and sugars, and proteins into amino acids and derived substances. However, digestion is a complex process involving many other enzymes and substrates that contribute to correct digestive functioning and in producing the full range of digestive products.
Pancrelipase enzymes are typically prepared from porcine pancreatic glands. Other pancrelipase sources include bovine pancreatic glands or pancreatic juices. The natural mammalian source of these enzymes results in a product with an enzyme composition which is similar to that secreted by the human pancreas. Other non-mammalian sources can also be used for example those described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,051,220, U.S. 2004/0057944, U.S. 2001/0046493, and WO2006044529.
Pancreatic enzymes show optimal activity under near neutral and slightly alkaline conditions. Under gastric conditions, pancreatic enzymes may be inactivated with a resulting loss in biological activity. Pancreatic lipases, which are important in the treatment of malabsorption, are especially sensitive to gastric inactivation. Thus, lipase activity is typically monitored to determine the stability of an enzyme composition containing lipase.
Composition containing digestive enzymes, such as pancrelipase enzymes, have been developed for oral administration in form of capsules (Zenpep®, Creon®) tablets (Viokace™, Viokase®) and granulate. However, if a patient is unable to swallow the capsules, each capsule can be opened and the contents sprinkled on a small amount of food, usually a soft, acidic food (such as commercially available applesauce) and administered orally to the patient with a spoon. Alternatively such medications may be administered orally for infants and children, using a syringe device containing the contents suspended in a medium amenable to administration thereby.
It is also recognized that for some patients, including pediatric and adult patients with an EPI related condition, feeding through enteral tubes, including smaller lumen enteral feeding tubes, such as gastric and jejunal feeding tubes, is required, more particularly for patients who are unable to take digestive enzymes orally.
Enteral feeding can be given through: the mouth (orogastric tube or OG); the nose (nasogastric tube or NG); the stomach (gastrostomy or GT); the intestine (jejunostomy or JT). They can be used to deliver calories and nutrients while sleeping at night or during the daytime. A nasogastric feeding tube, or "NG-tube," is passed through the nose, down the esophagus and into the stomach. Gastric feeding tubes, or "G-tube," on the other hand, are inserted through a small incision in the abdomen directly into the stomach, and are increasingly becoming the standard care for many patients, such as cystic fibrosis patients who exhibit chronic weight loss and require long-term enteral nutrition. Placement of a feeding tube is contingent upon a variety of conditions, including the overall patient health and age, severity of the condition, duration of placement, type of tube, means of placement, patient comfort, mitigating complications, potential for infection, financial considerations, availability, access and use. Thus, a variety of tubes are available in a number of sizes for such applications.
Short-term benefits of enteral feeding include immediate weight gain and increased energy. Long term gains include an increase in body fat, lean muscle mass, improved strength, a stronger immune system, less weight loss during pulmonary infections, a greater sense of control over body weight and numerous other benefits.
However, for enteral administering of digestive enzymes in particulate form, even when added with an administrable nutritional medium, there are preparative and administrative issues therewith. One issue is how to ensure that the digestive enzymes can effectively exert their enzyme activity on constituents susceptible thereto in an administrable nutritional medium when administered in a mixture therewith, and in obviating obstructions to the enteral tube by the digestive enzyme particulates. Use of tablet forms of digestive enzyme products also suffers for the same reasons. It is also mandatory to have available stable and homogenous composition to ensure consistent and complete delivery of the digestive enzymes by enteral administration, e.g., through a syringe outlet and through the lumen of the G-tube, without clogging, or sticking. Such administration procedure is affected by several factors, in particular, by the amount of digestive enzymes, dimension and shape of enzymes particles. Administrable nutritional medium, tube characteristics (internal diameter), digestive enzyme composition preparation and delivery procedure are also important factors.
To avoid problems during enteral administration, low dosage strengths are usually preferred over high strengths. Scalability is not considered and the proposed protocols are preferably aimed at administering pancrelipase particles with baby food using the smallest diameter and longest stoma length of tubes (the internal diameter and length of the tube). In fact, only low dose enzyme capsules are recommended for administration with feeding tubes. The dose of 4,000 IU USP lipase (Pancrecarb® MS4) is administered in combination with applesauce through G-tubes using 14 Fr feeding tubes. The content of a 12,000 lipase units capsule of Creon® is reported to be administered through G-tubes of size 16 Fr or 18 Fr (depending on the tube types) after admixing it to 15 mL of high viscosity medium (Shlieout et al, Clin Drug Investig, 31, 7, e1-e7, 2011). In some pancrelipase products the dimension/shape and/or amount of the beads does not allow a proper enteral administration. Clogging of tube still remains a big problem in the enteral administration which is not acceptable therapeutically.
The administration of high dosage strengths using feeding tubes with suitable diameter is not reported because the scalability of the above low dosage strengths is problematic. Avoiding the risk of feeding tube blockage (sticking, clogging/obstruction) and damage of the pellets (pellet integrity is important to ensure gastroresistance and lipase activity) are problems that have not been solved for beads having larger or non-uniform dimensions, or having broad particle size range.
In view of the aforesaid, there is no quick, practical, and effective process for enterally administering a digestive enzyme product that can be applied by different people and with different equipments. Furthermore, there is no protocol that is suitable for enterally administrating high dosage strengths of the digestive enzymes of particles with large dimension by enteral administration without any active ingredient damage and without obstruction of the enteral feeding tube.

Digestive enzyme composition suitable for enteral administration

Allergan Pharmaceuticals International Limited


Data for storage by holographic data storage is arranged in an intermediate data storage as data segments which are replicas of holographic storage segments. Files of data are aggregated into the data segments, and a destaging control determines the destaging of the data segments to the holographic data storage in accordance with a plurality of policies, such as whether a segment is full, a time threshold has been reached, or whether a threshold number of segments are “open”. The intermediate data storage may be arranged into a number of partitions at least equal to the number of sources having input to the data destaging system, the partitions comprising integral multiples of the data segments.

Holographic storage comprises a high density data storage capability. Data is recorded into a holographic medium by employing a data beam that is two-dimensional in nature and comprises a rectangular image of a large number of bits arranged in a raster pattern. The data beam and a reference beam are separately directed to the holographic medium and intersect and interfere to form an interference wave font that is recorded as a holographic image known as a hologram into the holographic medium. Additional holograms may be recorded long linear tracks and at various depths of the holographic medium to provide a high capacity data storage.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Arranging and destaging data to holographic storage

International Business Machines Corporation


A fry-like microwave cooking process for producing food with a crisp exterior and a soft, tender interior includes the steps of applying an edible hydrophilic lossy susceptor to at least a portion of the surface of the food bearing a moisture-retardant edible barrier layer, and microwave cooking the susceptor-bearing food to provide a crisp exterior and a soft, tender interior for the food. The barrier layer is a natural skin, a dough layer or a film formed of a plasticized material selected from the group consisting of methylcellulose, carrageenan and combinations thereof. The susceptor includes glycerine, sucrose ester, and chloride salt. The susceptor is characterized by the property that 25 grams of the susceptor in a 50 ml. glass beaker is heatable to 200.degree. C. in less than 40 seconds by 900 watts of microwave energy in a 1.1 cu. ft. oven. Preferably the process further browns and crisps the food exterior through a Maillard reaction at a temperature of at least 135.degree. C., the susceptor additionally including a reducing sugar and an amino compound.

The present invention relates to a microwave cooking process which produces results similar to frying, and in particular to such a process for producing food with a crisp exterior (which is optionally browned) and a soft, tender interior.
It is well recognized that, in spite of its numerous advantages in terms of speed of cooking, the microwave cooking process cannot simulate the frying process. More particularly, the microwave process does not produce food with a crisp exterior and a soft, tender interior unless extraordinary measures are utilized, such as employing a microwave oven which includes both microwave cooking and sensible heat cooking, or the use of susceptors such as cooking containers including a metallized film or a laminated paper. "Crispiness" is defined as resistance to bite and friability (crumbliness) of the food exterior.
Conventional microwave cooking of foodstuffs having a coating--e.g., battered and breaded foodstuffs--usually results in a soggy texture at the outer surface of the food due to moisture migration from inside the foodstuff during the microwave cooking. The migrating moisture mixes with the oil of the coating at the outer food surface, the effect being to slow the heating rate down and prevent the surface temperature from exceeding 100.degree. C. (the boiling point of water) as long as there is a high level of moisture migration from the food interior to the food exterior. When all or most of the moisture has migrated from the food interior and been evaporated from the food exterior, the outer food surface temperature can exceed 100.degree. C.; however, by this time the foodstuff has a relatively dry and typically unappetizing interior.
One of the advantages of the frying process is the production of a naturally browned exterior, the browning process being a result of the reaction between a reducing sugar and an amino compound at a temperature of at least about 135.degree. C. Clearly such Maillard browning cannot occur during normal microwave cooking so long as the foodstuff has a high moisture content since the outwardly migrating moisture will prevent the surface temperature from exceeding 100.degree. C. In order to obtain the browning effect, food coatings have been used which include pre-caramelized sugar or coloring ingredients, such as paprika. These coatings have not proven to be entirely satisfactory and are generally easily detectable.
In order to make possible true Maillard browning during microwave cooking, microwave susceptors of various types have been employed, including metallized films or paper laminates. While such susceptors may increase the temperature at the food exterior sufficiently to permit the Maillard reaction to proceed, the metal and/or glue utilized in these susceptors may contaminate the foodstuff either during or after microwave cooking and thus such susceptors are not entirely satisfactory.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a microwave cooking process which simulates frying to produce food having a crisp exterior and a soft, tender interior.
Another object is to provide such a process which in a preferred embodiment browns the food exterior through a true Maillard reaction.
A further object is to provide such a process which is safe and economical.


Methods for detecting and classifying defects on a reticle are provided. One method includes acquiring images of the reticle at first and second conditions during inspection of the reticle. The first condition is different than the second condition. The method also includes detecting the defects on the reticle using one or more of the images acquired at the first condition. In addition, the method includes classifying an importance of the defects detected on the reticle using one or more of the images acquired at the second condition. The detecting and classifying steps are performed substantially simultaneously during the inspection.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods for detecting and classifying defects on a reticle. Certain embodiments relate to methods that include acquiring images of the reticle at different conditions during inspection of the reticle, detecting defects on the reticle using images acquired at one of the conditions, and classifying the defects on the reticle using images acquired at another of the conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
An integrated circuit (IC) design may be developed using methods and systems such as electronic design automation (EDA), computer aided design (CAD), and other IC design software. Such methods and systems may also be used to generate a circuit pattern database from the IC design. A circuit pattern database includes data representing a plurality of layouts for various layers of the IC. Data in the circuit pattern database may be used to determine layouts for a plurality of reticles. The terms "reticle" and "mask" are used interchangeably herein.
A layout of a reticle generally includes a plurality of polygons that define features in a pattern on the reticle. Typically, these polygons can be generally defined by their size and placement on the reticle. Different reticles are used to fabricate different layers of the IC. The layers of the IC may include, for example, a junction pattern in a semiconductor substrate, a gate dielectric pattern, a gate electrode pattern, a contact pattern in an interlevel dielectric, and an interconnect pattern on a metallization layer.
Reticles are used to pattern a resist in a lithography process step, then the to patterned resist is used to form features of the IC on the wafer. Therefore, the patterned features that are formed on a reticle and are to be transferred to the wafer reflect the characteristics of the features that are included in the IC design. For example, the features that are formed on the reticle may be based on and are used to form individual components of the ICs such as those described above.
The complexity of the IC design, therefore, has a direct impact on the manufacture and inspection of reticles. In particular, as the complexity of the IC design increases, successful reticle manufacture becomes more difficult. For instance, as the dimensions of the IC features and the spacings between the features decrease, the dimensions and spacings of features on the reticle also decrease. In this manner, it becomes more difficult to form these features on a reticle due to, for example, limitations of the reticle manufacturing process. In a similar manner, it becomes more difficult to inspect these features due to limitations of the reticle inspection processes. Furthermore, as is known in the art, the difficulty of successfully reproducing these features on wafers increases as the dimensions and spacings decrease.
In addition, as the dimensions of IC features approach the wavelength of the energy source used to print the reticle pattern on wafers, reticle enhancement techniques (RET) such as optical proximity correction (OPC) features are increasingly relied upon to improve transfer of the reticle features to the wafer. In particular, RET features cause the pattern printed on wafers to differ significantly from the pattern physically formed on a reticle. Additional examples of reticle enhancing techniques include, but are not limited to, phase shifting regions, polarization reticles, multiple exposures, off-axis illumination, illumination shapes, and dipole illumination.
OPC features generally take the form of sub-resolution assist features (SRAF) that are formed on the reticle but which do not print on the wafer. Instead, OPC features are designed to increase or decrease the amount of light incident on the wafer proximate certain portions of the features such as corners. OPC features further complicate the design, manufacture, and inspection of reticles. However, due to the assistance that these features provide for printing features with acceptable characteristics, almost all reticles today include OPC features or another type of RET features. Furthermore, optical effects such as mask error enhancement factor (MEEF) may cause additional distortion of the final image at the wafer level. MEEF may be generally defined as the ratio of the critical dimension (CD) of a feature printed in a resist to the CD of a structure formed on a reticle.
Despite the increasing difficulty of reticle inspection, due to the important role that reticles play in semiconductor fabrication, ensuring that the reticles have been manufactured satisfactorily (such that the reticles can be used to produce the desired images on wafers) is critical to successful semiconductor fabrication. In general, during a reticle inspection process, an optical image of the reticle is typically compared to a baseline image. The baseline image is either generated from the circuit pattern data or from an adjacent die on the reticle itself. Either way, the optical image features are analyzed and compared with corresponding features of the baseline image. Each feature difference is then compared against a single threshold value. If the optical image feature varies from the baseline feature by more than the predetermined threshold, a defect may be defined.
In order for inspection to provide useful results, the inspection process is preferably able to not only detect many different kinds of defects but also to discriminate between real defects on the reticle and noise or nuisance events. Noise may be defined as events detected on a reticle by an inspection tool that are not actually defects but appear as potential defects due to marginalities in the inspection tool such as marginalities in data processing and/or data acquisition. Nuisance events are actual defects but are not relevant to the user for the purposes of controlling the process or predicting yield. Moreover, the same defect may be considered a nuisance event at one point in time, but it may later be found to be a relevant defect. In some instances, the number of noise and nuisance events detected by an inspection tool can be reduced by using optimized data acquisition parameters and optimized data processing parameters. In addition, the number of noise and nuisance events can be reduced by applying various filtering techniques to the inspection results. Therefore, one challenge of reticle inspection is to differentiate between real defects and noise or nuisance events such that the results accurately reflect the actual defects without being overwhelmed by noise and nuisance events.
Furthermore, as the dimensions of ICs decrease and the patterns being transferred from the reticle to the wafer become more complex, defects in the features formed on the reticle become increasingly important. In particular, if the pattern is not formed accurately on the reticle, such discrepancies increasingly produce defects on the wafer as the dimensions of the pattern decrease and the complexity of the pattern increases. Therefore, significant efforts have been devoted to developing methods and systems that can be used to detect problems in the pattern on the reticle that will cause problems on the wafer. These efforts are relatively complex and difficult due, at least in part, to the fact that not all discrepancies in the pattern formed on the reticle (as compared to the ideal pattern) will cause errors on the wafer that will adversely affect the IC. In other words, an error in the pattern formed on the reticle may not produce defects on the wafer at all or may produce defects on the wafer that will not reduce the performance characteristics of the IC. Therefore, one challenge of many in developing adequate methods and systems for inspecting a reticle is to discriminate between pattern defects that "matter" and those that do not.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to develop methods for detecting and classifying defects on a reticle, which do not have one or more of the disadvantages described above.


The present invention relates to a plucked string performance data generation device, including a MIDI input interface used for receiving MIDI data, a plurality of infrared emitters and a plurality of infrared receivers used for forming infrared strings distributed radially in form of a sector, and an infrared emitter and an infrared receiver used for a mute switch, a microcontroller used for generating MIDI data from chord data acquired from the MIDI input interface and interrupt data of the infrared strings, a MIDI output interface connected with the microcontroller, and touch pads mounted onto corresponding infrared receivers. The device has an infrared string layout in form of a sector and the touch pads arranged above infrared string sensors to form a dual sensors, where appropriate, a user may use different sensors to control the same target, whereby realizing simulation of sound of a string instrument and facilitating the use thereof.

Since the release of the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (or MIDI for short) in 1982, various electronic keyboard or musical instruments appear in succession. These musical instruments are very powerful in functions, and can realistically simulate performances of many different musical instruments. However, due to the nature of the keyboard type musical instruments, it is very difficult for such electronic musical instruments to simulate the performances of a rhythm guitar.

Plucked string performance data generation device


In a swash-plate compressor wherein a piston (23 ) is connected through a connection mechanism to a swash plate (34) supported on a drive shaft (26), the swash plate is rotatable relative to the drive shaft around a predetermined axis extending in a given direction. The piston has a drive end portion (36) having a concave surface (37) defining a recessed portion. The swash plate is provided with a flat portion (38) loosely inserted in the recessed portion. Between the concave surface and said flat portion in the given direction, a sliding member (38a or 38b) is held to be slidable along the concave surface and the flat portion. A combination of the drive end portion, the flat portion, and the sliding member is referred to as the connection mechanism.

This invention relates to a swash-plate compressor and, in particular, to a connection mechanism between a piston and a swash plate which are included in the swash-plate compressor.
Generally, a swash-plate compressor comprises a drive shaft, a swash plate coupled to the drive shaft, and a plurality of pistons operatively coupled to the swash plate. When the drive shaft is rotated by a drive unit in the manner known in the art, the swash plate has a motion which in turn causes a reciprocating motion of each piston within a cylinder bore. Broadly, the swash-plate compressor includes two different types which will hereafter be described as first and second conventional swash-plate compressors.
The first conventional swash-plate compressor is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication (JP-B) No. 61627/1990 and has a structure in which the swash plate is fixedly and integrally supported on the drive shaft so as to rotate together with the drive shaft. In other words, the swash plate is unrotatable relative to the drive shaft. The swash plate is slidably coupled to the pistons in an axial direction of the drive shaft. During operation of the first conventional swash-plate compressor, the pistons simply perform the reciprocating motion while the swash plate is rotated together with the drive shaft. This causes a high-speed sliding motion between each piston and the swash plate. It is therefore required to take a fully effective countermeasure against the above-mentioned high-speed sliding motion.
On the other hand, the second conventional swash-plate compressor has a structure in which the swash plate is coupled to the drive shaft so as to perform the swinging motion alone without being rotated together with the drive shaft. In other words, the swash plate is rotatable relative to the drive shaft. When the drive shaft is rotated by the drive unit, the swash plate has a swinging motion which is then converted into the reciprocating motion of each piston.
In the second conventional swash-plate compressor which will later be described in detail in conjunction with the drawing, the swash plate is connected to each piston via a piston rod. Therefore, a rotation stopper mechanism is essential for stopping a rotation of the swash plate as is well known in the art, so that the compressor is complicated in structure. In addition, it is difficult to arrange the rotation stopper mechanism concentrically with the drive shaft. Generally, the rotation stopper mechanism is arranged at a particular position in the vicinity of the periphery of the swash plate. With this structure, the swinging motion of the swash plate inevitably becomes nonuniform or unbalanced. Specifically, loci of the swinging motion are different at those points which are equally spaced from the center of the swinging motion but are near to and apart from the rotation stopper mechanism. This may result in occurrence of vibration and noise.

Swash-plate compressor in which improvement is made as regards a connection mechanism between a piston and a swash plate


Adaptive controller apparatus of a plant may be implemented. The controller may comprise an encoder block and a control block. The encoder may utilize basis function kernel expansion technique to encode an arbitrary combination of inputs into spike output. The controller may comprise spiking neuron network operable according to reinforcement learning process. The network may receive the encoder output via a plurality of plastic connections. The process may be configured to adaptively modify connection weights in order to maximize process performance, associated with a target outcome. The relevant features of the input may be identified and used for enabling the controlled plant to achieve the target outcome. The stochasticity of the learning process may be modulated. Stochasticity may be increased during initial stage of learning in order to encourage exploration. During subsequent controller operation, stochasticity may be reduced to reduce energy use by the controller.

1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to robotic control using spiking neuron networks.
2. Description of Related Art
Robotic control systems, such as the system 100 shown in FIG. 1, may comprise a controller apparatus 120 configured to control a plant 110. The plant 110 may include, for example, a robotic arm. The controller 120 may receive an input signal 102, and may generate a control signal 108. The plant 110 may provide feedback signal 106 to the adaptive controller 120.
Artificial neuron networks (ANN) may be used to implement controller 120 logic. Spiking neuron networks (SNN) may represent a special class of ANN, where neurons communicate by sequences of spikes. These networks may typically employ a pulse-coded mechanism, which may encode information using timing of the pulses. Such pulses (also referred to as "spikes" or 'impulses') may be short-lasting (typically on the order of 1-2 ms) discrete temporal events. Several exemplary embodiments of such encoding are described in a commonly owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/152,084 filed Jun. 2, 2011 and entitled "APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PULSE-CODE INVARIANT OBJECT RECOGNITION", and co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/152,119 filed Jun. 2, 2011 and entitled "SENSORY INPUT PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHODS", issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,942,466 on Jan. 27, 2015, each being incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
As shown in FIG. 1, the controller may receive one or more physical inputs (102, 106) that may individually comprise continuous (e.g., analog) and/or discrete (e.g., digital) signals describing various variables. Examples of such various variables may include one or more of temperature, voltage, current, orientation, position, plant state, and other signals. The inputs 102, 106 may generally be referred to as sensory data and are encoded into spikes by an analog-to-spike converter, which inputs to the SNN of the controller 120. Different strategies may be used to encode sensory data, including, for example, modeling the transformation of sensory receptors in the central nervous system (e.g. the tactile mechanoreceptor of the skin), which may take a (physical) variable (e.g., skin deformation) and transform it into trains of spikes. Such sensory response models may be cumbersome to construct, particularly when converting inputs of varying dynamical range and/or different nature. Furthermore, sensor upgrade and/or replacement may necessitate changes of the sensor model and, hence, controller logic (e.g., software, firmware and or hardware).
The controller may receive a non-spiking reinforcement signal. The controller may be configured to generate a non-spiking (e.g., continuous analog and/or discrete digitized) control signal 108. In order to generate a control signal, the controller (e.g., the controller 120 of FIG. 1) may combine multiple encoded sensory streams.
Existing control systems may need to treat inputs differently depending on their origin, and may thus be able to treat only labeled inputs, e.g. an input is for velocity, another acceleration from particular labeled modalities (e.g. tactile, vision, auditory). If the inputs are inadvertently mixed, the system may not function properly (e.g. if the acceleration signal is connected to the controller velocity input, or the tactile signal is connected to the controller visual input). Another possibility is for the sensors signals to change due to sensor degradations, external conditions, or other reasons, the controller, expecting particular pre-defined signals may not be able to deal with such changes.

Modulated stochasticity spiking neuron network controller apparatus and methods


A gap depth determining insulating layer is formed on a lower core layer. A curved face is formed on a front edge face of the gap depth determining insulating layer so as to gradually depart from an ABS surface from the bottom at the lower core layer to the top of the curved face. A back end of an upper magnetic layer can be formed on the gap depth determining insulating layer, whereby the volume of the upper magnetic layer can be increased while a gap depth is maintained at a predetermined length.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recording thin-film magnetic heads used, for example, in floating type magnetic heads. More particularly, the present invention relates to a thin-film magnetic head generating leakage flux at a satisfactory location in the vicinity of a gap layer so as to fulfill the requirements for high recording density and high recording frequency, and relates to a manufacturing method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 31 is a partial front view showing the structure of a conventional thin-film magnetic head (inductive head), FIG. 32 is a partial cross-sectional view of the thin-film magnetic head taken along the line 32—32 in FIG. 31 and observed from the direction indicated by the arrow shown therein.
Reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 31 and 32 indicates a lower core layer composed of a magnetic material such as a permalloy, and an insulating layer 9 is formed on the lower core layer 1.
A groove 9a extending from an opposing face (hereinafter referred to as the ABS surface) opposing a recording medium in a height direction (the Y direction in the figure) is formed in the insulating layer 9, and the inside width of the groove 9a is equivalent to a track width Tw.
In the groove 9a, a lower magnetic layer 3 magnetically coupled with the lower core layer 1, a gap layer 4, and an upper magnetic layer 5 magnetically coupled with an upper core layer 6 are sequentially formed from the bottom by plating.
As shown in FIG. 31, the upper core layer 6 is formed on the upper magnetic layer 5 by plating.
As shown in FIG. 32, a coil layer 7 patterned in the spiral form is formed on the insulating layer 9 at a place extending from the groove 9a formed in the insulating layer 9 in the height direction (the Y direction in the figure).
The coil layer 7 is covered with a coil insulating layer 8 composed of a resist or the like, and the upper core layer 6 is formed on the coil insulating layer 8. The upper core layer 6 is magnetically coupled with the upper magnetic layer 5 at a front portion thereof and is magnetically coupled with the lower core layer 1 at a base portion 6b of the upper core layer 6.
In the inductive head shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, when a write current is applied to the coil layer 7, a recording magnetic field is induced in the lower core layer 1 and the upper core layer 6, so that a magnetic signal is written on a recording medium such as a hard disk by a magnetic field leakage generated from a gap between the lower magnetic layer 3 magnetically coupled with the lower core layer 1 and the upper magnetic layer 5 magnetically coupled with the upper core layer 6.
In the inductive head shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, in the vicinity of the ABS surface (the face opposing a recording medium), the lower magnetic layer 3, the gap layer 4, and the upper magnetic layer 5, having widths equivalent to the track width in some parts thereof are formed, whereby the inductive head mentioned above can be applied to a narrower track width configuration.
A method for manufacturing the inductive head shown in FIGS. 31 and 32 will be described. The insulating layer 9 is formed on the lower core layer 1, and the groove 9a having the width equivalent to the track width Tw and a predetermined length extending from the ABS surface in the height direction is formed in the insulating layer 9.
Next, in the groove 9a, the lower magnetic layer 3, the gap layer 4 and the upper magnetic layer 5 are sequentially formed by plating, and the coil layer 7 having a pattern is subsequently formed on the insulating layer 9 in a posterior region (in the height direction) of the groove 9a formed in the insulating layer 9.
In addition, the coil insulating layer 8 is formed so as to cover the coil layer 7, and the upper core layer 5 is continuously formed on the upper magnetic layer 5 and the coil insulating layer 8 by flame plating, whereby the inductive head shown in FIGS. 31 and 32 is completed.
In the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, as described above, when a write current is applied to the coil layer 7, a recording magnetic field is induced in the lower core layer 1 and the upper core layer 6, and magnetic flux flows into the lower magnetic layer 3 and the upper magnetic layer 5.
However, as shown in FIG. 32, lengths T1 of the lower magnetic layer 3, the gap layer 4, and the upper magnetic layer 5 extending from the ABS surface to the back ends thereof in the height direction are equal to each other.
The length T1 is called a gap depth (Gd), and in conventional thin-film magnetic heads, the length of T1 must be very short in order to increase the leakage flux from the gap layer 4.
However, in the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 32, as described above, since the lengths T1 of the lower magnetic layer 3, the gap layer 4, and the upper magnetic layer 5 extending from the ABS surface to the back ends thereof in the height direction are formed to be equal to each other, when the T1 is formed to be shorter, an area of an interface between the upper core layer 6 and the upper magnetic layer 5 is accordingly smaller. Consequently, the magnetic flux flowing into the upper core layer 6 is restricted at the interface mentioned above, and the magnetic flux is in a state of magnetic saturation before reaching the gap layer 4. That is, leakage flux is generated at a location other than the vicinity of the gap layer 4, and particularly when recording frequency is increased, there is a problem in that accurate recording cannot be performed.
In the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIGS. 31 and 32, in order to suppress the generation of write fringing, a distance H1 in the vicinity of the ABS surface from the upper surface of the lower core layer 1 to the bottom surface of the upper core layer 6 must be larger.
However, when the distance H1 is larger, the magnetic flux is more likely to be in a state of magnetic saturation before reaching the gap layer 4. As has thus been described, the structure of the conventional thin-film magnetic head cannot have superior magnetic flux flow while suppressing the generation of write fringing.

Thin-film magnetic head having a high recording density and frequency


A brake assembly by means of which rotational motion and also linear motion, i.e. faulty motion of lifting platforms, especially dropping, is braked. The assembly comprises a braking gear (20, 21) fitted onto axle (4), a coupling (25, 26) to transmit rotational motion and furnished with a locking device (27) that releases by an adjusted rate of centrifugal force generated by the rotational motion and locks the coupling to transmit rotational motion between the axle and the locking device. Upon locking, the locking device in the coupling is fitted to transmit rotational motion also in the opposite direction of the direction produced by the locking device in order to open the locking device by turning axle (4) in the opposite direction, and the coupling has a retaining shoulder (50) to prevent the locking device from returning immediately to an unlocked position when the brake is opened by rotating axle (4) in the opposite direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a brake assembly which is used as an automatically activated emergency brake for among other things lifting platforms and elevators.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Automatically activated emergency brakes are previously known, for instance, from publications SE-302675 and 308785 illustrating the brake constructions, which, in case of emergency, brake and stop motion because of a speed higher than a set speed. The disadvantage of these known constructions is the very complicated disassembly of the locking system. In lifting platforms and elevators the brake is always locked. After an emergency stop the platform or elevator may be very high up. Disassembly of the brake locking system is accomplished by opening the brake gear, which means getting into an-uncontrollable state, where the elevator or lifting platform is not locked in position by any other means. If the fault is in the driving motor or its axles, the driving motor has no retaining capacity and so an emergency situation arises when the brake is being disassembled. In any case, the disassembly of the locking of these designs is a time-consuming and risky procedure as well as a hazardous job. Even checking the working order of these emergency brakes requires a braking test, after which the brake locking must also be disassembled by opening it with a tool.
By means of the brake assembly according to this invention these disadvantages are avoided.


A system, method and computer readable medium for communicating data over a voice channel on a wireless device (300) is disclosed. The method on a wireless device (300) includes establishing an audio connection with a second device and providing an interface (326) for a user for sending data to the second device. The method further includes detecting the activation of the interface (326) by the user and sending a first data to the second device during the audio connection with the second device, wherein the quality of the audio connection is not affected by the sending. The method further includes receiving a second data from the second device, the second data being associated with the first data and preferably synchronizing the first data with the second data. Information, such as Vcard information, can be wirelessly exchanged between devices communicating data over a voice channel during an audio connection.

With the advent of pagers and mobile phones the wireless service industry has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry. Recently, duplex wireless devices have grown in popularity. Duplex wireless devices allow for the exchange of voice and other information over the same channel. This is advantageous for multi-use wireless devices that perform other non-telephony functions such as the administering of contact information, calendar information, cataloging of images, video and audio. Users of multi-use wireless devices take advantage of the duplex nature of their products to talk and to exchange information. Current multi-use wireless devices, however, do not come without their drawbacks.
One problem with current multi-use wireless devices is that voice and data cannot be transmitted at the same time. That is, one function must be suspended in order to perform the other function. Thus, if a first party is currently involved in a telephone call and he desires to send a file to the other party via the wireless device, the first party must suspend his telephone call in order to send the file. This can be annoying and inconvenient to today's consumers.
Another problem with current multi-use wireless devices is that the exchange of data can be confusing and difficult to manage. The sending or receiving of data often involves navigation through a plethora of screens and menu selections in order to accomplish a simple task. This can be disconcerting and inconvenient for users of the wireless device. Furthermore, data that is exchanged is constantly being developed and modified. Thus, when data, such as contact information or a calendar entry, is exchanged via a wireless device, it is often necessary to later update that information when it has been modified. This involves recalling the recipients of the original data and determining the type of data exchange that had occurred. This can be a tedious and difficult task when large and various amounts of information are involved.
Therefore a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art as discussed above.

Simultaneous voice and data communication over a wireless network


A developing device containing a developer holding body for executing developing by affixing developer to an image support body, a controlling unit for thinning a layer of developer and disposed to contact the developer holding body, a support unit for supporting the controlling unit, an elastic sealing unit provided with a contact surface contacting the support unit and disposed on an edge side of the controlling unit, and a guiding unit for controlling an installation direction of a developing blade member at a time when the developing blade member is mounted on the elastic sealing unit, provided with a guiding surface formed at a prescribed angle in relation to the contact surface of the elastic sealing unit. The present invention attempts to prevent developer leakage from between a controlling unit and a sealing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developing device and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
In conventional image forming apparatuses such as printers, photocopiers, facsimile machines, and multifunction devices, for example, in printers, a surface of a photosensitive drum is charged with a charging roller and exposed with an LED head to form an electrostatic latent image, which is developed with a developing device thereafter, resulting in a toner image.
In the developing device, where toner serving as developer, which is thinly layered on a developing roller, is electrostatically attached thereto to form a toner image, the toner image is then transferred to a paper with a transfer roller, achieving image formation, in other words, executing printing. The toner remaining on the photosensitive drum after the transfer operation is removed with a cleaning device.
The developing roller is provided with a developing blade as a restricting member for restricting a toner layer supplied to the developing roller by bringing a front end of the developing blade in contact with the developing roller, and sealing units for preventing toner from leaking from at both end sides of a toner supply roller for supplying the developing roller with the toner by bringing both ends of the toner supply roller in contact with both ends of the developing blade member. An example of related art is Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2002-108089.
In the conventional developing device, however, the sealing units are provided in contact with both ends of the developing blade member, thereby being sometimes curled up by the developing blade member during assembly of the developing blade member, resulting in gaps between the developing blade member and the sealing units, from which the toner undesirably leaks.

Developing device and image forming apparatus


Disclosed are nucleic acids encoding novel proteins, designated DPK. Also disclosed are amino acid sequences for DPK polypeptides, methods for preparing DPK polypeptides, and other related aspects.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel polypeptide designated DPK-1 and related polypeptides that have an effect on apoptosis, to novel nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides, and to other related aspects.
2. Description of Related Art
Normal development and tissue homeostasis in animals require the total cell numbers to be kept in an appropriate range. This is achieved by several highly regulated processes involving cell proliferation, survival, and elimination through programmed cell death (apoptosis). An imbalance between the rates of cell production and cell loss can result in serious human diseases such as cancer, disorders of the immune system, and neurodegenerations (reviewed by Rudin and Thompson, 1997).
Apoptosis appears to be an evolutionarily conserved, highly organized program of active cell destruction (reviewed by Miura and Yuan, 1996; Vaux and Strasser, 1996). In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, 14 genes involved in apoptosis have been identified. Among these, the CED-3 gene encodes a cysteine protease of the capsase family and is a key effector in the cell death pathway. The gene product of CED-4 appears to be an adaptor protein which activates CED-3 upon receiving apoptosis signals (Vaux, 1997; Jacobson, 1997). The CED-9 gene, a potent suppresser of programmed cell death, negatively regulates the activity of CED-3, probably through CED-4. In mammalian cells, multiple capsases have been identified and shown to be part of the cell death machinery (Henkart, 1996). The Bcl-2 proto-oncogene appears to be the prototype of mammalian homologs of CED-9 (Vaux et al, 1988; Vaux et al, 1992; Hengartner and Horvitz, 1994).
Other members of the Bcl-2 family consist of those (such as Bcl-XL) that are functionally similar to Bcl-2 which can block apoptosis; and others (Bax, for example) that have the opposite activity (Boise et al, 1993; Oltvai et al, 1993). Although the molecular mechanism is still unclear, recent evidence showed that Bcl-2 can block the release of cytochrome C from mitochondria (Yang et al, 1997; Kluck et al, 1997). In addition, Bcl-2 appears to directly inhibit capsase activation by binding to the mammalian CED-4 homolog (Zou et al, 1997). Other genes besides the Bcl-2 family have also been implicated in programmed cell death as well. For example, the transcription factors c-myc and NFkB may be involved in transducing signals for cell death or survival (Eskew et al, 1991; Evan et al, 1992; Hsu et al, 1995; Beg and Baldwin, 1996; Wang et al, 1996). The tumor suppresser gene p53, which is mutated in over 50% of human cancers, plays an essential role in radiation induced apoptosis in a wide variety of cell types (reviewed by Carson and Lois, 1995).
The cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) are a family of related serine/threonine kinases that are associated with and are activated by cyclins (Morgan, 1995). Although the CDKs were originally identified as key regulators of cell division, some newer members of the family clearly have functions outside of cell cycle control. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for example, the CDKs encoded by PHO85, KIN28, and SRB10 appear to be involved in transcriptional regulations (Hirst et al, 1994; Kattman et al, 1994; Liao et al, 1995). In mammalian cells, the CDK family currently consists of eight members. Of these, the CDK7/cyclin H complex has been shown to interact with the general transcription machinery (Feaver et al, 1994; Roy et al, 1994; Serizawa et al, 1995 Shiekhattar et al, 1995); and the primary target of CDK5 appears to be the neurofilament proteins (Hellmich et al, 1992; Shetty et al, 1993). The protein encoded by human CDK8 associates with cyclin C, an atypical cyclin which does not oscillate during cell cycle (Tassan et al, 1995). More recently, it was reported that Drosophila CDK8 can interact with and phosphorylate the large subunit of RNA polymerase II (Leclerc et al, 1996). Based on these results and the sequence similarities to the yeast SRB10/SRB11 pair, it was postulated that the CDK8/Cyclin C complex may play a role in transcriptional regulation.
Although a number of cell death related genes and proteins are now known, there remains a need to identify additional such genes and proteins and to determine their biological activity.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide novel compounds that are associated with cell death in mammals.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a method of treating diseases associated with cell death such as those set forth herein.
These and other objects will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the present disclosure.

Mammalian cell death preventing kinase, DPK


An electrochemical sensor capable of detecting and quantifying urea in fluids resulting from hemodialysis procedures. The sensor is based upon measurement of the pH change produced in an aqueous environment by the products of the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of urea. The sensor may be fabricated using methods amenable to mass fabrication, resulting in low-cost sensors and thus providing the potential for disposable use. In a typical application, the sensor could be used in treatment centers, in conjunction with an appropriate electronics/computer system, in order to determine the hemodialysis endpoint. The sensor can also be utilized to allow at-home testing to determine if dialysis was necessary. Such a home monitor is similar, in principle, to devices used for blood glucose testing by diabetics, and would require a blood droplet sample by using a finger prick.

The present invention relates to electrochemical sensors, particularly to sensors for detecting urea in body fluids, and more particularly to a sensor capable of detecting and quantifying urea in fluids resulting from hemodialysis procedures.
There are currently more than 300,000 people with end-stage renal disease in the United States who require regular hemodialysis. Urea is generally accepted to be the best marker for evaluating the level of uremic toxins. Dialysis procedures are therefore aimed at reduction of urea in the blood stream. Currently, most dialysis clinics use the simple index of time of dialysis to determine the adequacy of dialysis. Blood draws (or other methods of obtaining blood samples) to accurately measure the level of urea in blood are often done infrequently to lower cost. The frequency of this measurement, which requires the use of clinical laboratories, varies from facility to facility. Turnaround time for these samples can be quite long, and often the patient must be recalled for further dialysis if the percentage reduction of urea in the blood is not sufficient. In the absence of a blood check, the use of time of dialysis alone as a measure of completion, especially if hemodialysis is not carried out long enough, can clearly lead to morbidity and mortality.
Substantial effort has been directed toward development of procedures for dialysis and blood urea monitoring, and various mechanical and sensor systems and methods have been developed, as exemplified by various patents including International Patent WO94/08641, April 1994, to P. Keshaviah et al.; European Patent EP504772, November 1992, to B. Skerratt; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,452,682 issued June 1984 to Y. N. Takata et al.; No. 3,930,957 issued January 1976 to J. P. Cummings et al.; No. 4,225,410 issued September 1980 to S. J. Pace; No. 5,308,315 issued May 1994 to R. N. Khuri et al.; and No. 4,244,787 issued January 1981 to E. Klein et al. In addition, a sensor has been recently developed which deals with dialysis monitoring, as described and claimed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/517,011, filed Aug. 18, 1995, entitled "Chemiresistor Urea Sensor", and assigned to the same assignee.
Also, there is substantial published literature on urea sensors which deal with the use of a glass pH electrode (conventional liquid-filled glass tube), see R. Tor et al., Anal. Chem. 58, 1042-1046 (1986); R. Koncki et al., Anal. Chim. Acta. 257, 67-72 (1992); and P. Pietta et al., Ann. NY Acad. Sci., Vol. 672, 257 (1992). Also, publications have dealt with the use of metal/metal oxide systems as a basis for measurement of pH changes to determine urea concentration in various fluids, see N. Szuminsky et al., Biotech. and Bioeng., Vol. XXXVI, 642-645 (1984); R. Iannielo et al., Anal. Chim. Acta., 146, 249-252 (1983); M. Przybyt et al., Anal. Chim. Acta., 239, 269-276 (1990); and M. Przybyt et al., Anal. Chim. Acta., 237, 399-404 (1990). The above-referenced Ianniello et al. article in particular deals with the use of iridium oxide as a pH-sensitive material.
All of these prior devices rely upon the encapsulation of the enzyme urease, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of urea to yield products which result in the pH changes, which are then detected and related to the original urea concentration in the monitored fluid. Encapsulation using bovine serum albumin, cross-linked using glutaraldehyde has been previously discussed (e.g. above-reference N. Szuminsky et al., article).
Thin film deposition for sensor fabrication has been previously utilized for environmental sensors, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,421 issued Jun. 9, 1992; and No. 5,296,125 issued Mar. 22, 1994, each in the name of R. S. Glass et al.
It has long been desired to have a sensor which could monitor the progress of the dialysis procedure in "real-time", thereby assuring that the procedure was complete and obviating the need for using clinical laboratories and the necessity for patient recall. The most convenient fluid to monitor is the dialysate, which is the capturing medium for blood contaminants during the hemodialysis process. Monitoring in dialysate would result in a completely in vitro procedure. By use of an appropriate sensor arrangement, the dialysate could be continuously or intermittently monitored at the point-of-care. A further enhancement of this general principle is a home monitor, which would allow at-home testing to determine if dialysis was necessary. Such a home monitor could be similar, in principle, to devices used for blood glucose testing by diabetics. Such a device could require a mere blood droplet sample provided by a finger prick.
The above-referenced needs have been satisfied by the present invention which involves an electrochemical sensor whereby the dialysate can be continuously or intermittently monitored, and can be incorporated into a home monitor. The sensing element is used with an appropriate electronics package and can be tied to a computerized system which would contain individual patient case histories, to determine the dialysis end points. The sensor of this invention is based upon measurement of the pH change produced in an aqueous environment by the products of the enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of urea. The sensor element consists of a solid-state pH-sensitive material, such as IrO.sub.2, coated with the enzyme urease.

Urea biosensor for hemodialysis monitoring

The Regents of the University of California


An internal combustion engine includes a spaced apart surge tank, the surge tank being an integral component of a pressurized liquid engine cooling system. A first conduit fluidly couples the surge tank to a component of the pressurized liquid engine cooling system. The conduit has an internal fluid passageway defined therein. The conduit is heat responsive, an application of heat to the conduit acting to effect a contraction of the fluid passageway. Further, a method of controlling fluid flow in a conduit connecting the surge tank to a component of a pressurized liquid engine cooling system, comprises the steps of:. forming the conduit of a heat responsive material; PA1 flowing a fluid through the conduit; PA1 running the engine to an elevated fluid temperature; and PA1 contracting the conduit fluid passageway responsive to the heating of the conduit caused by the fluid flow therein.

The cooling systems of liquid-cooled, internal combustion engines in vehicles are usually closed positive-pressure systems and include as a component a surge tank. The surge tank fulfills several important tasks: it must compensate for the volume changes resulting from the temperature changes of the cooling liquid, it must collect the air present in the liquid system, and it must prevent excessive depression or cavitation in front of the coolant pump. The surge tanks are typically installed in parallel with the main liquid circuit between the radiator and cooling passages formed in the engine block and cylinder head. The surge tank is so connected that the deaeration line, starting from the highest geodetic point of the cooling system, discharges generally upward into the surge tank and the fill line from the surge tank is connected proximate the pump intake of the liquid coolant pump.
The engine is mounted in a vehicle chassis. The cooling system radiator is mounted in proximity to the engine and at relatively the same level. A cooling system surge tank is mounted high on the firewall of the vehicle, above the level of the engine and radiator. A vent or deaeration line is connected from a point on the engine just below the coolant thermostat up to the bottom of the surge tank. A second larger conduit is connected also from the bottom of the surge tank to the engine near the water pump inlet. The purpose of the surge tank, which is part of the pressurized cooling system is:
(1) To allow the operator to check the level of coolant in the system. PA1 (2) To allow expansion and contraction of the coolant, while always maintaining the coolant level in the radiator and engine at 100% full. PA1 (3) To allow, by means of the deaeration line described above, the venting of any entrapped air in the engine and radiator as the system is initially filled with coolant. Should any air be drawn in for any reason after the initial fill, the air will find its way to the high point of the engine and be expelled through the deaeration line to the surge tank. PA1 (1) After initial build of the vehicle, when the coolant is installed by the fast fill method the deaeration line is of a size that easily allows the expulsion of large amounts of air. The line is initially of the same diameter as is currently employed. PA1 (2) Once the engine is started and begins to generate heat, the coolant warms up, and the heat shrink material used for the deaeration line causes the deaeration line to reduce its inside diameter (decreasing the cross-sectional area of the fluid passageway) and thereby to reduce the coolant flow through the deaeration line, causing an increase in the performance of the cooling system. PA1 (3) No components other than the deaeration line conduit need be changed. All connections made at the engine and surge tank remain the same. No machining of the engine components and/or surge tank is affected. PA1 forming the conduit of a heat responsive material; PA1 flowing a fluid through the conduit; PA1 running the engine to an elevated fluid temperature; and PA1 contracting the conduit fluid passageway responsive to the heating of the conduit caused by the fluid flow therein.
It should be noted that the deaeration line always remains open. It is not throttled by the cooling system thermostat or any other regulating device. Therefore, there is always the possibility of coolant flow from the engine through the deaeration line to the surge tank. This depletion of the coolant from the engine is returned via the second connection from the surge tank (the fill line) to the area of the water pump inlet on the engine.
While this constant flow to the surge tank and back to the engine serves to purge any entrapped air to the surge tank, it is not beneficial to the performance of the heat exchange function of the cooling system. As compared to the cooling system radiator, the surge tank serves as a poor heat transfer component. Ideally, the deaeration line would be sized as small in diameter as might be possible, still allowing air to escape upwards to the surge tank, but small enough to greatly restrict the flow of coolant to the surge tank in normal operation. The ideal is to purge air from the coolant, but to greatly limit liquid flow to the surge tank so that as much of the total volume of coolant is available for the radiator to efficiently perform the coolant cooling function.
Typically, the deaeration line is sized to provide an inside diameter that will allow the air to be evacuated from the engine and radiator when the pressurized fast fill system of pumping coolant into the system at the original build site (factory) is incorporated. The fast fill system requires substantially greater flow rates through the deaeration line than is required during normal engine operation. This fast fill system is used to reduce coolant fill time and the labor associated with it. Once in normal service, a vehicle would not again be subjected to this fast fill coolant method, even at a dealership. Therefore, the deaeration line which was sized to allow a great volume of air to be expelled during fast coolant fill, is not called on again to perform its function at such a high volumetric rate for the remainder of the vehicle life. In normal operation, any mass flow of coolant through the deaeration line is detrimental to the total cooling system performance. Accordingly, there is a need in the industry to be able to use the fast fill system at engine build and, in normal engine operation, to purge air from the coolant, but to greatly limit liquid flow to the surge tank during normal engine operation so that as much of the total volume of coolant as possible is available for the radiator to efficiently perform the coolant cooling function.

Self restricting engine cooling system deaeration line

Navistar International Transportation Corp


A displayer and a pixel circuit thereof are provided. The displayer comprises the pixel circuit and a driving circuit for supplying a driving voltage to the pixel circuit. The pixel circuit belongs to a two data lines and one gate line architecture and comprises two pixel electrodes at least. The two pixel electrodes belong to the same pixel type and are positioned adjacent to each other. Thereby, the pixel circuit can improve the color shift effectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a displayer and a pixel circuit thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a displayer and a pixel circuit thereof, in which two pixel electrodes belongs to a same pixel type and be disposed adjacent to each other.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
As liquid crystal displayers (LCDs) are continuously developing towards large-sized ones, continuous progress also needs to be made in wide viewing angle technologies of LCD panels in order to overcome the problem about the viewing angle with large-sized displayers. Currently, multi-domain vertical alignment (MVA) LCD panels and polymer stabilized alignment (PSA) LCD panels are among the wide viewing angle technologies that are commonly used.
To improve the color shift in the LCD panels, a kind of advanced-MVA LCD panel has been proposed. In the advanced-MVA LCD panel, each of pixels is divided into a main display region (i.e., a main-pixel) and a sub-display region (i.e., a sub-pixel); and through a proper circuit design and a proper driving method, the main-pixel and the sub-pixel in the same pixel are provided with different voltages respectively to improve the color shift. Accordingly, designs in which a single pixel region has two data lines and one scan line (also referred to as a gate line) or in which a single pixel region has one data line and two scan lines are introduced, which are called as the 2G1D structure and the 2D1G structure respectively. Taking the 2D1G structure as an example, a pixel region comprises two sub-pixels, which are controlled by different data lines respectively.
Furthermore, referring to FIG. 1, a schematic view of a pixel circuit is shown therein. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of different electrical connection structures between the aforesaid MVA LCD and the data lines, i.e., positive (P) pixel electrodes and negative (N) pixel electrodes. The two kinds of pixel electrodes are staggered in the pixel circuit in a PNPNPN or NPNPNP pattern. However, this staggered pattern is prone to cause color shift in an image generated by the pixel circuit when a specific frame is displayed, thus degrading the displaying quality of the LCD.
Specifically, among pixel electrodes in FIG. 1, R represents a red pixel electrode, G represents a green pixel electrode, B represents a blue pixel electrode, a white background represents that the corresponding pixel displays a bright state, and a black background represents that the corresponding pixel displays a dark state. As can be known from FIG. 1, when a frame is displayed and the R pixel electrodes, the G pixel electrodes and the B pixel electrodes are all in the bright state or all in the dark state simultaneously, the color shift phenomenon will occur. Taking the arrangement of the pixel electrodes in FIG. 1 as an example, when a frame of a checkerboard pattern is displayed, the green main-pixels in the main-pixel rows A, B, C are all positive.
In detail, referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a schematic view depicting that a common electrode signal is pulled away from an original direct current (DC) level by a data line signal with the positive and negative polarities. When the data line signal (Vdata) has a transient, the common electrode voltage (VCOM) at the pixel array side is pulled by Vdata to result in the waveform as shown in FIG. 2. When the potential of the data line signal rises, the VCOM will be raised; otherwise, when the potential of the data line signal falls, the VCOM will be dropped. Therefore, when the data lines are driven in the column inversion manner, in one main-pixel rows A, B, C, the green main-pixels are all of the positive polarity and the red main-pixels and the blue main-pixels are all of the negative polarity. Thereby, the VCOM signal is pulled towards the polarity direction of the red (or blue) main-pixels. Therefore, in the frame displayed, the green color has a gray scale higher than the originally defined level while the other two colors have gray scales lower than the originally defined levels. This causes the aforesaid color shift (bias to the green color) phenomenon. Furthermore, when arrangement of the pixels of different colors in the pixel electrodes are altered, different color shift phenomena will be caused.
Accordingly, an urgent need exists in the art to effectively prevent occurrence of the color shift phenomenon in an image generated by the pixel circuit so as to improve the displaying quality of the LCD and increase the added value of this industry.


A battery pack management system and method that can increase the stability of a product employing the battery pack by directly or indirectly correcting an error when the error is generated in a microprocessor of the battery pack. In the battery pack management system, the host device receives updated data of a predetermined program from the server through communication with the server and transmits the received updated data to the battery pack. The battery pack includes a battery cell, a charge/discharge control unit that controls charging and discharging of the battery cell, a microprocessor that incorporates a storage medium that records and stores the updated to data of the predetermined program transmitted from the host device, the microprocessor controls the charge/discharge control unit to be reset and applies the updated data of the predetermined program to the charge/discharge control unit to operate the charge/discharge control unit in a safety mode.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a battery pack management system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent times, compact, slim and light-weight portable electric/electronic devices including cellular phones, notebook computers and camcorders are actively developed and produced. These devices have a battery pack to be operated in any places to which a power source is not provided. Examples of the battery pack include nickel-cadmium (Ni—Cd), nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) and lithium (Li) batteries, in an economical aspect, which are generally rechargeable secondary batteries.
The Li batteries have, in particular, been widely employed in the latest generation of electronics devices. A Li battery may have an operation voltage of 3.6V, which is about three times the operation voltage of comparable Ni—Cd or Ni—MH batteries. The Li battery may exhibit a relatively high energy density per unit weight.
The lithium ion battery has an unstable chemical composition, in an event of over-charge, over-discharge or over-current, there are high risks of performance deterioration, leakage, heat and smoke, fire or rupture. Thus, in order to protect the lithium ion battery from the risks, the lithium ion battery requires a protection circuit. The protection circuit necessarily performs the following functions. First, the protection circuit performs a charge/discharge controlling function for protecting the battery against over-charge, over-discharge, over-current, or over-heat. Second, the protection circuit performs a fuel gauging function for measuring voltage, current or temperature and integrating accumulated capacity. Third, the protection circuit communicates with a device set in a SMBus manner with regard to information on current, voltage and temperature.
The protection circuit is referred to as a smart circuit. Battery information is obtained from the smart circuit and is supplied to a host device.
In addition, the smart circuit, including a microprocessor, constitutes a battery management system. The microprocessor includes a firmware for driving the same and performs appropriate operations adapted to various situations using a data flash that is internally or externally stored.
However, when an error is generated in the firmware or data flash, serious problems, such as fire, rupture, heating or smoke, may occur to the battery, and product stability may be ruined. In addition, manufacturers are unavoidably forced to recall products in a large scale, and even more undesirably, there is no countermeasure to come up with such a massive product recall event.

Smart battery pack system capable of providing power during errors in its firmware data


An array substrate, a method for fabricating the array substrate and a display panel. The array substrate is provided with at least one isolation mesa in each of multiple pixel grooves in a pixel-defining layer, so that a light-emitting layer of a second sub-pixel located on the isolation mesa and a light-emitting layer of a first sub-pixel located on an exposed portion of a bottom surface of the pixel groove are on different planes and thereby isolated. It is prevented that an adjacent sub-pixel is influenced via the light-emitting layer, in a case that the anode of the second sub-pixel and the anode of the first sub-pixel receive different voltages. The isolation mesa does not form a non-emitting region in the pixel groove. An aperture ratio of the array substrate is not reduced. High PPI of the array substrate is ensured.

With continuous development of display technology, the application of display panels becomes increasingly wide. A self-emitting display panel refers to those where display pixels on the array substrates are formed by active light-emitting units. The active light-emitting units can emit light without being excited by a backlight, so as to display an image. Thereby, a backlight module of a display apparatus is no longer necessary, which facilitates reducing an overall thickness of the display apparatus.
An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel is a type of the self-emitting display panel. The OLED display panel has the advantages of fast response, gorgeous color, light weight, and convenience. PPI (pixel per inch) of the OLED display panel is supposed to be increased also for improved resolution. The conventional technologies may configure one display pixel into multiple sub-pixels that emit light of the same color, so as to achieve the objective of increasing the PPI of the display panel.
When the multiple sub-pixels in a same display pixel receive different voltages, a sub-pixel may be affected by the voltage of an adjacent sub-pixel, resulting in a deteriorated display effect of the affected sub-pixels. Thereby, the display effect of the display panel can have poorer resolution, producing a negative impact on the user's visual experience.

Array substrate, method for fabricating the same and display panel

WUHAN TIANMA MICRO-ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.


An optical fiber transmission line capable of suppressing the generation efficiency of four wave mixing in transmitting wavelength multiplex signal light. The transmission line employs a single mode optical fiber in which a zero dispersion wavelength is varied in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber more largely than manufacturing variations in manufacturing conditions of the optical fiber. The use of this optical fiber as the transmission line suppresses the generation efficiency of four wave mixing in transmitting the wavelength multiplex signal light to allow the transmission of the wavelength multiplex signal light with a reduced crosstalk.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber transmission line and an optical fiber communication system using the optical fiber transmission line.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a transmission system capable of performing direct amplification of light has been studied owing to the advent of an erbium doped optical fiber amplifier. In particular, the erbium doped optical fiber amplifier has a wide gain wavelength band and therefore allows wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) transmission and collective amplification and relay of each wavelength. However, the entry of a wavelength multiplex signal having a high light power into an optical fiber causes a new problem such that a nonlinear optical effect in the optical fiber becomes remarkable.
An optical fiber now in use is formed of a silica-based material, which is essentially very small in nonlinearity. However, since a light wave is confined in a microscopic region of about 10 .mu.m in diameter, a power density becomes very high, and various nonlinear interactions may arise remarkably because of a very large length of interaction between the light wave and the material. Accordingly, the nonlinear optical effect causes a deterioration of transmission characteristics in WDM transmission. The nonlinear optical effect of an optical fiber having an adverse effect on WDM includes stimulated Brillouin scattering, mutual phase modulation, Raman scattering, and four wave (photon) mixing.
According to the literature "IEEE J. Lightwave Technol., vol. 6, no. 11, pp. 1750-1769", the four wave mixing (FWM) of the above-mentioned nonlinear optical effect gives the severest conditions to the design of a communication system. That is, light frequency mixing between signal light waves due to FWM causes generation of new FWM waves, which act as a crosstalk with the original signal light waves to deteriorate the transmission characteristics. The generation efficiency of FWM is decided by a quantity .DELTA..beta. of phase mismatch between light waves, and .DELTA..beta. is dependent upon the wavelength space between light waves and the dispersion of an optical fiber. Therefore, in the case of using as the transmission line a dispersion shifted fiber such that a zero dispersion region of the fiber is shifted to a 1.5 .mu.m band where a transmission loss is minimized, the influence of the FWM becomes remarkable.
As an example, FIG. 10 shows a difference in the influence of FWM between two kinds of optical fibers as shown in the literature "IEEE J. Lightwave Technol., vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 361-366". In FIG. 10, the solid line shows a usual fiber, and the broken line shows a dispersion shifted fiber. As the dispersion shifted fiber is largely affected by crosstalk, it is necessary to reduce an input power into the optical fiber, so that the transmission characteristics are largely limited. The results of study mentioned in the above literature are those obtained with the assumption that the characteristics of the optical fiber are ideal, i.e., a zero dispersion wavelength is constant in the longitudinal direction of the fiber. Actually, however, it is considered that there is a change in dispersion value in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber due to variations in manufacturing conditions of the optical fiber.
Examples of measurement of the distribution of generation efficiency of FWM in an actual dispersion shifted fiber are shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 shows the relation between a signal light wavelength and an FWM generation efficiency in the case where the fiber length is 1.1 km, and FIG. 12 shows the same relation in the case where the fiber length is 23 km. In each of FIGS. 11 and 12, the broken line shows a calculated value and the solid line shows an experimental value. When the optical fiber is short as shown in FIG. 11, the calculated value and the experimental value are in good agreement with each other, and the generation of FWM is observed at a specific wavelength. To the contrary, when the optical fiber is long as shown in FIG. 12, the steep peak predicted by calculation is not measured in actual, but the FWM wave measured is distributed in a wide range of wavelength. It is understood that this result is due to the variations in dispersion value in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber.
FIG. 13 shows the result of measurement of variations in zero dispersion wavelength (wavelength where the dispersion value becomes zero) in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber. This result is one obtained by using the optical fiber corresponding to that shown in FIG. 12, and it is understood that a variation of about 3.5 nm is observed. A maximum inclination is 1.1 nm/km. If the variations in zero dispersion wavelength in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber are always present, the generation efficiency of FWM is widely distributed, but the generation efficiency of FWM at a specific wavelength is reduces.
As an example, the literature "Electronic Information and Communication Society, Autumn Great Meeting B-660, 1992" has proposed a method of constructing a transmission line by alternately connecting a fiber having a positive dispersion value and a fiber having a negative dispersion value and making the total quantity of dispersion zero as shown in FIG. 14. This literature has reported that such a construction of the transmission line has improved the transmission characteristics. A primary object of the transmission line shown in this literature is to reduce the crosstalk due to the interaction between noise and signal light from a low-power light amplifier in the case of transmitting a one-wave signal over a long distance.
In general, a noise component is enough smaller than a signal light power, and the generation of FWM between noise and signal light becomes a problem in the transmission over the distances of hundreds of kilometers. Accordingly, it is sufficient to alternate the positive dispersion value and the negative dispersion value at the intervals of tens of kilometers, and it is unnecessary to consider the distribution of the zero dispersion wavelength in each section in the longitudinal direction of the fiber. For example, there is no harm in making completely uniform the zero dispersion wavelength in each section of the fiber.
In contrast, it is considered that a WDM transmission system may generate FWM between high-power signal lights. If a zero dispersion wavelength and a signal light wavelength are very close to each other even over a short distance, the generation efficiency of FWM is rapidly increased. For example, if the zero dispersion wavelength is constant and the signal light wavelength is the same as or close to this even over a short distance of 1 to 2 km, a crosstalk having an influence on the transmission characteristics is generated. Accordingly, the above-mentioned method is not effective in suppressing the crosstalk having an influence on the transmission characteristics.
Further, it is necessary to select a specific fiber having suitable characteristics from many fibers, which causes a problem in practical use. Further, according to the result of measurement on the actual fibers, it cannot be considered that the zero dispersion wavelength in each span is uniform, and it is essentially difficult to construct the transmission line by combining the fibers having positive or negtive dispersion values and making the total dispersion amount zero. The dispersion shifted fiber at present has variations difficult to control due to manufacturing conditions. For example, the literature "IEEE j. Lightwave Technol., vol. 8, no. 10, pp. 1476-1481" has reported 0.03 .mu.m as a measurement value of variations in core diameter.
Further, it is anticipated that a difference .DELTA.n in specific refractive index between a core and a clad is also varied according to manufacturing conditions. This difference causes variations in zero dispersion wavelength in the fiber. In the case of WDM transmission by the use of such a wavelength, the amount of crosstalk due to FWM becomes smaller than that in the estimation that the zero dispersion wavelength in the fiber is theoretically uniform in the longitudinal direction of the fiber. However, if the distribution of variations in zero dispersion wavelength follows a normal distribution, there is a possibility of production of fibers excluding the variations in the longitudinal direction with a given probability. In the case where a wavelength multiplex signal is transmitted through a transmission line constructed by randomly selecting these fibers, there is a possibility that FWM may be largely generated.


An image forming apparatus includes a rendering processing unit that represents position information of each vertex of a plurality of triangles forming a figure in a first image data with coordinate values in a first axis in a depth direction, a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, and a third axis perpendicular to both the first axis and the second axis, obtains the position information and color information on each vertex of the triangles, and performs the rendering process on the first image data to produce a second image data, a hidden-surface processing unit that performs a hidden-surface process on the second image data to produce a third image data, and an image processing unit that performs an image process on the third image data.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for performing a rendering process and an image processing on three-dimensional graphic data.
2) Description of the Related Art
In recent years, color desktop publishing (DTP) processors and word processors include highly-functional applications, thereby making it possible to create not only text but also complex graphics. Among others, a gradation function for successively changing color density is widely used for enhancing the appearance of documents. For example, GDI+® is known as a graphic application programming interface (API) for WINDOWS® 2000, which is an operation system dedicated to personal computers and manufactured by Microsoft Corporation. A gradient fill of this GDI+® defines, as shown in FIG. 33, three end points of a triangle with each different color, and interpolates inside of each point for rendering.
Also, in Power Point®, which is a presentation software program manufactured by Microsoft Corporation, two-dimensional graphics and photo images are pasted for creating documents for presentation.
Conventionally, pasting three-dimensional graphic data on a presentation document or the like is performed after the three-dimensional graphic data is converted to two-dimensional image data.
As for three-dimensional (3D) processing, a scheme is known in which end points of a triangle polygon are assigned with RGB colors and then interpolation is performed based on a plane equation.
In Power Point® of Microsoft Corporation, examples of an image to be pasted are two-dimensional bit map data and two-dimensional graphics. As for two-dimensional bit map data, due to a difference in resolution between a cathode-ray tube (CRT) and a printer, the image is disadvantageously degraded when printed out with a zoom-in process.
On the other hand, two-dimensional graphics allow zoom-in and zoom-out, and therefore no image degradation occurs due to zoom-in. However, two-dimensional graphics are not as realistic as photo images. Also, a two-dimensional graphic is merely a figure viewed from one direction. To get a figure viewed from another direction, another figure has to be rendered.
The problems described above at the time of using two-dimensional graphics can be solved by pasting three-dimensional graphic data. Three-dimensional graphic data allows zoom-in and zoom-out, and no image degradation occurs due to zoom-in. Also, three-dimensional graphics are realistic as photo images. Furthermore, the three-dimensional graphics can be rotatably pasted, thereby making it possible to freely generate two-dimensional images with different view points.
However, when three-dimensional graphic data is pasted during a rendering process with a gradient fill of GDI+®, for example, such rendering is merely two-dimensional rendering. Therefore, in rendering three-dimensional graphic data, a hidden-surface process cannot be performed and therefore, disadvantageously, a clear and realistic image cannot be generated.
The hidden-surface process is described below. FIG. 34A is a diagram for explaining an example of the hidden-surface process. Here, two three-dimensional triangles are provided at their end points with Z values, and the hidden-surface process is performed through the known Z buffer scheme, for example. When the hidden-surface process is accurately performed, as shown in the drawing, in a three-dimensional point of view, one triangle is penetrated by the other triangle. FIG. 34B is a diagram for explaining an example of a rendering process without a hidden-surface process. In this case, a figure in which one triangle is not penetrated by the other triangle, which is different from a figure actually viewed, is rendered.
FIG. 34C is a diagram for explaining another example of the rendering process without a hidden-surface process. In this example, one three-dimensional triangle is divided into two figures to be displayed for rendering. FIG. 34D is a diagram for explaining still another example of the rendering process without a hidden-surface process so that a stereoscopic positional relation between the two triangles is made clear. In this example, three figures are rendered. With this, a process of obtaining a figure to be displayed becomes complex, and an image processing time is increased.
Moreover, at the time of forming an image, such as at the time of actual printing, a scheme can be taken in which a three-dimensional graphic process is performed typically by a host personal computer on three-dimensional graphic data in print data, and after the three-dimensional graphic data is converted to two-dimensional data, the data is transferred to a printer. In this case, however, communication data and a communication time are increased. Also, due to a difference between a resolution of a host personal computer and a low resolution of the printer, an aliasing becomes conspicuous when the data is actually printed out, resulting in low image quality.
To solve these conventional problems, a printing apparatus has been published in which a rendering process is performed in the printing apparatus so that print data including three-dimensional image information received from a host is changed to a three-dimensional graphic for print-out, thereby reducing a load on data communications and achieving a high-speed process (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 07-168679).
This printing apparatus uses a scheme in which projection conversion is performed by the printing apparatus itself for converting three-dimensional graphic data to two-dimensional data for rendering.
According to the patent document mentioned above, a decision regarding a back side is made to a convex figure, such as a simple hexahedron, and then projection conversion is performed, thereby making it possible to render approximately accurate figure. However, the patent document does not mention a hidden-surface process required for normal three-dimensional graphic data. In practice, without such a hidden-surface process, an accurate figure cannot be rendered.
Furthermore, conventionally, the Z buffer scheme is known as a hidden-surface process. Currently, however, printers are typically at a resolution of 120 dots per inch (dpi), which requires a memory amount that is several tens of times as large as a memory amount of a CRT at a resolution of 72 dpi. Therefore, it is generally not an easy task for the printer to perform a hidden-surface process.

Image forming apparatus, image forming method, and computer product


A fluorescent module includes a fluorescent member including a phosphor-containing layer, and a light reflecting layer disposed on the phosphor-containing layer. The phosphor-containing layer contains a YAG phosphor and a Ga-YAG phosphor within the same layer, the Ga-YAG phosphor being a phosphor in which a portion of the aluminum constituting the YAG phosphor is substituted with gallium. A volumetric ratio of the Ga-YAG phosphor to the entirety of the YAG phosphor and the Ga-YAG phosphor is in a range of 19.0% to 80%.

The present disclosure relates to a fluorescent module and an illumination device.
There are illumination devices including a combination of a semiconductor laser element and a phosphor-containing member, in which a laser beam is emitted to a phosphor plate comprising a phosphor-containing member disposed on a substrate to obtain white reflected light (for example, see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2012-243624).

Fluorescent module and illumination device


This document discloses a solution for detecting interference in a radio access network. According to an aspect, a method includes as performed by a network node of the radio access network: acquiring a first equalized signal representing a signal received by a first radio head serving a terminal device, the first equalized signal including a signal received by the first radio head from the terminal device; acquiring a second equalized signal representing a signal received by a second radio head not serving the terminal device, wherein the second radio head is spatially distant from the first radio head; cross-correlating the first equalized signal with the second equalized signal and determining, on the basis of said cross-correlating, whether or not the second equalized signal also includes a signal received from the terminal device; and as a result of the second equalized signal being determined to include the signal received from the terminal device, causing execution of an interference management action.

In a modern radio access network, radio coverage to served (mobile) terminal devices is provided in the form of a network of radio access nodes that are in some literature called base stations, Nodes B, etc. With the latest evolution versions of the cellular networks, a concept where a single access node has multiple spatially distant remote radio heads (RRH). A single access node or a RRH may serve a particular terminal device and is, thus, configured to process signals received from the terminal device. The other access nodes or RRHs may see any signal received from the terminal device as interference.

Interference detection in radio access network