A method for controlling the forward calls in a cellular radio telecommunication system, comprising the steps of: reading the transmission power of the BS measured by the BTU; comparing the transmission power with a first predetermined threshold value; storing the transmission power if the transmission power is higher than the first predetermined threshold value; calculating the digital gain power by using the digital gain assigned to a call to the BS; calculating the total transmission power of the BS according to the call by adding the read transmission power to the calculated digital gain power; and, limiting the call in response to the determination of comparing the total transmission power with a second predetermined threshold value.

This application makes reference to and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. Section 119 from an application for METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE FORWARD CALLS AND DETERMINING THE TRANSMISSION POWER IN A BASE STATION OF A CELLULAR RADIO TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM filed earlier in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Apr. 3, 1999 and there duly assigned Serial No. 11719/1999.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cellular radio telecommunication system, and more particularly to a method for controlling forward calls with a predetermined transmission power.
2. Description of the related art
In a cellular radio communication system, a geographical area, e.g., a metropolitan area, is divided into several smaller, contiguous radio coverage areas known as xe2x80x9ccells.xe2x80x9d Each cell is served by a fixed radio station known as xe2x80x9cbase station.xe2x80x9d The base stations are connected to and controlled by a mobile service switching center (MSC), which communicates voice and/or data signals with the mobile phones. The forward channel (from the base station to the mobile phone) is divided into a traffic channel for transmitting voice data and an overhead channel for transmitting control data.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional base station (BS) includes an Intermediate Frequency (IF) modulator 110 for modulating the transmitted signal of each channel into an IF signal; a frequency-up converter 120 for converting the IF signal into a radio frequency (RF) signal; a radio frequency unit (RFU) 130 for amplifying the RF signal and for eliminating unwanted waves; an antenna 140 for transmitting the RF signal; and, a base station control processor (BCP) 150 for controlling the overall function of the base station. The base station (BS) provides each call with a traffic channel to exchange voice and data signals.
The forward overhead channel serves to transmit the messages necessary for preparing the communication channel between the mobile station (MS) and the base station (BS) using almost a constant output power. However, the output power of the entire traffic channels of the BS relates to the number of calls processed for transmitting different voice messages. The number of calls that can be simultaneously processed by the BS is determined by the BS control processor 150.
Each traffic channel of the base station is assigned to a specific transmission power. Thus, if the BS simultaneously receives an excessive number of calls, its total transmission power exceeds the proper limit of the system, causing the high power amplifier (HPA) of the RFU 130 to malfunction. Namely, the overflow causes nonlinear distortion in the HPA that degrades the communication quality of the BS and causes call interruption.
In order to resolve above problem, one conventional method measures the total transmission power of the BS by detecting the signal just prior to transmission through the antenna 140 with a BS test unit (BTU) 160. Then, the measured power is compared to a predetermined threshold value in determining whether to limit the calls. If the total transmission power is higher than the predetermined threshold value, the BS limits the calls generated thereafter. Thus, a reliable performance of the BTU 160 can yield an accurate determination in limiting the correct number of calls. For example, the forward measuring error of the BTU 160 may result in an inaccurate measurement of the transmission power that is lower than the actual value, causing inaccurate determination in limiting the calls by the base station. Also, as the BTU 160 successively measures the transmission power for each of the frequency channels provided in the base station (BS), the time required to measure the total transmission power is prolonged, further causing the problem of determining the accurate number of calls to limit during the system overload.
Another conventional method employs a call admission control (CAC) method to predetermine the total transmission power of the BS based on the transmission power of each channel generated from the IF modulator 110 in order to eliminate the measuring error of the BTU 160. In the transmission path of the BS arranged as shown in FIG. 1, the power level generated from the IF modulator 110 is determined by the digital gain (D/G) of each channel, so that the total transmission power of the BS can be determined by summing up all digital gain (D/G) for each channel. As the D/G is assigned to each call requested through the BS, the power obtained by the D/G of the channel represents the power assigned to the corresponding call in the IF modulator 110. However, this method also falls short of determining an accurate transmission power value due to the error associated with the BTU. That is, there is till error associated with the BTU 160 as the output power of the IF modulator 110 obtained by the D/G must flow through the frequency-up converter 120 and the RFU 130, causing some error in measuring the total transmission power by the BTU 160.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling the forward calls according to the transmission power which is predetermined based on the measured value of the BTU and the D/G of the IF modulator in a cellular radio system.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for controlling the forward calls according to a predetermined transmission power which compensates the error occurring in the radio frequency path and which is stored in the base station testing unit (BTU) in a cellular radio system.
According to the embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling the forward calls in a cellular radio telecommunication system includes the steps of: reading the transmission power of the BS measured by the BTU; comparing the transmission power with a first predetermined threshold value; storing the transmission power if the read transmission power is higher than the first predetermined threshold value; calculating the digital gain power using the digital gain assigned to a call to the BS; calculating the total transmission power of the BS according to the call by adding the stored transmission power to the calculated digital gain power; and, limiting the call in response to the determination of comparing the total transmission power with a second predetermined threshold value.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for controlling the forward calls in a cellular radio telecommunication system, comprising the steps of: reading the transmission power error occurring in the radio frequency path from the BTU of the BS; calculating the digital gain power using the digital gain assigned to a call to the BS; calculating the total transmission power of the BS according to the call by adding the read transmission power to the calculated digital gain power; and, limiting the call in response to the determination of comparing the total transmission power with a predetermined threshold value.
In order to control the forward calls of the BS in a cellular system, the first aspect of the present invention is to store the transmission power if it exceeds the first predetermined threshold value, then the stored transmission power is added to the digital gain power calculated by the D/G assigned to a newly generated call in order to produce the total transmission power of the BS.
A second aspect of the present invention is to store the error power occurring in the radio frequency path (RFU) into the BTU and to add the stored error power to the digital gain power calculated by the D/G assigned to a newly generated call to produce the total transmission power of the BS. To this end, the BTU first detects the signal before flowing into the radio frequency path, and then detects the signal flowing out of the radio frequency path or flowing just before entering the transmission antenna. Thus, the two detected signals are compared to determine the error power.
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the drawings attached as a way of example.

Method for controlling forward calls by predetermining the transmission power in the base station of a cellular radio telecommunication system


An optical pickup device includes a frame F in which an integrated optical unit equipped with a semiconductor laser diode is incorporated and a flexible substrate F having a short-circuit wiring pathway connecting two connectors and a driving circuit. The short-circuit wiring pathway is connected to the integrated optical unit and the driving circuit at a minimum distance through the connector in such a manner that the flexible substrate F is incorporated so as to be wound along the frame F. Consequently, recording processing and the like can be stably performed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical pickup device which performs recording/reproducing processing to an optical disk and an optical disk device using the same, and particularly relates to an optical pickup device which has a flexible substrate having a short-circuit wiring portion and an optical disk device using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, optical disks become widespread and high performance is required for optical disk devices for performing recording/reproducing processing. In a conventional optical disk device, a high-frequency wave of about 350 MHz is superimposed on a semiconductor laser diode mounted on an integrated optical unit IOU in the optical pickup device from a driving circuit of the semiconductor laser diode formed on a flexible substrate, in order to improve signal characteristics during reproducing a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc).
However, in case of a long distance between the integrated optical unit on which the semiconductor laser diode is mounted and the driving circuit on the flexible substrate, because of superimposing the high-frequency, attenuation of a driving signal and generation of heat occur under the influence of line inductance in a wiring path detouring on the flexible substrate. This causes a serious problem in the case of writing processing, which requires laser driving current of about tenfold of energy compared with read of a ROM (Read Only Memory), and also a problem of degradation of writing characteristics.
That is, in the flexible substrate of the conventional optical pickup apparatus, when the high-frequency wave is superposed on the semiconductor laser diode in reproducing DVD and CD, in the case of the long wiring path between the semiconductor laser diode and the driving circuit on the flexible substrate, the attenuation of the driving signal and the generation of heat occur under the influence of line inductance. Also, an unnecessary electromagnetic wave is also generated, which results in the degradation of the writing characteristics into the optical disk.

Optical pickup device and optical disk device


A gas generant for an inflatable restraint device (for example, an airbag system for a vehicle) is a monolithic compressed solid that has a linear burn rate of greater than or equal to about 1.6 inches per second at a pressure of about 3,000 pounds per square inch. The gas generant can be in the form of an annular disk having a plurality of apertures. The gas generant may be substantially free of binder and may have a low initial surface area which progressively increases during burning. The gas generant provides a gas generation profile that improves restraint of vehicle occupants, including those occupants that are out-of-position. Additionally, the shaped gas generant decreases occupant exposure to toxic effluent combustion products and solid respirable particulates.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
Passive inflatable restraint systems are often used in a variety of applications, such as in motor vehicles. When a vehicle decelerates due to a collision, an inflatable restraint system deploys an airbag cushion to prevent contact between the occupant and the vehicle, thus minimizing occupant injuries. Such devices usually employ an inflator that can include a pyrotechnic gas generant. The gas generants burn very rapidly to generate heated gas that inflates an airbag. The inflatable device generally requires a sustained gas pressure in the airbag (generally over 5-10 pounds per square inch for at least 40 to 150 milliseconds) to restrain the occupant relative to the vehicle. Thus, gas generants provide gases that fulfill these requirements.
Sometimes, vehicle occupants are not in a predetermined position to receive the benefits of airbag deployment. If the rate of pressure increase in the airbag is too rapid and the amount of pressure generated by the gas generant is excessive, then an out-of-position occupant may not receive the desired benefits of the airbag.
Improvements in gas generant performance remain desirable. Tailoring the performance of the gas generant in an inflatable device system, such as an airbag, can require a complex design of not only the gas generant, but also hardware systems that control gas flow. It is preferred that gas generants for inflators of inflatable restraint devices rapidly generate gases during combustion at desired pressure levels and rates to achieve superior performance and to improve out-of-position performance. Likewise, gas generant materials are preferably safe for handling, have high gas yields and acceptable flame temperatures, with burning rates appropriate to the generant web thickness. Gas generants that fulfill these requirements and further minimize the production of byproduct compounds in effluent gases released through the airbag are highly desirable.


The customer performs a search or otherwise defines selected data maintained by the information provider. Once the selected data is identified, the information provider maintains the requested data, typically by maintaining pointers identiying the data, but delays delivery of the requested data until the scheduled delivery time, such as a particular day and time requested by the customer or a non-peak period as determined by the information provider. When the information provider determines that delivery is appropriate, it makes a request for a suppressed ringing connection to a switching system. The switching system responds to the request for connection by creating a suppressed ringing connection where a silent alert tone or digital alert signal is transmitted to the customer premise equipment. The customer premise equipment includes a receiving system that receives one or more tones from the switching system over the suppressed ringing connection and becomes active. Upon being activated, the receiving system causes the customer's computer or portions of the computer such as a particular memory to power-up such that the computer can receive the data from the information provider.

This invention relates, generally, to a system for downloading data via a telecommunications network and, more particularly, to a system for the non-disruptive, scheduled or event driven downloading of data using a telemetry system.
It will be appreciated that a wide variety of information providers can be accessed over the telecommunications network, the Internet, local area networks or combinations thereof from a customer's computer site. Typically, the customer's computer site is connected to an information provider's data base allowing the customer to perform a search or otherwise identify selected data. The customer, after identifying the selected data, enters a data transfer request and the information provider downloads the selected data from its data base to the customer's computer in response to that request. One problem with such a system is that the customer must wait while the data is downloaded where the wait can be significant due to network congestion and/or low data speed connections. Such an operation is inefficient in that the customer must be idle and cannot perform further online functions until the downloading of data is completed. Moreover, because most search requests are made during peak hours, valuable network resources are tied up during the downloading of the data that could be otherwise employed.
It is also known in the art to delay the downloading of data to an off-peak time (i.e., in the middle of the night) to avoid the problems noted above. In such arrangements the information provider establishes a connection to the modem of the customer's computer and the network switching system transmits a power ringing signal over the public switched telephone network to the modem to "wake up" the modem for the data download. It will be appreciated that the power ringing signal is disruptive to the customer, especially for calls made during the middle of the night. Moreover, a regular call with power ringing may be forwarded to another termination (e.g. voice mail) or may be detected by an answering machine or other customer device before the modem goes "off-hook." Both scenarios are unacceptable for data connections. Moreover, these prior art systems require that the modem and computer be fully powered to receive the ringing signal.
An existing system for transferring data is known in the telemetry art where a customer's utility meter is accessed over the telephone network by the controlling utility such that a meter reading can be taken remotely. One telemetry system transmits a suppressed ringing signal to the customer's premise to create a connection without audible ringing and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,694 issued to Garland on Feb. 3, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,644 issued to Garland et al. on Sep. 7, 1993; U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,461 issued to Garland on Feb. 28, 1995; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,488 issued to Garland on Jul. 5, 1994. Such connections are commonly used by utilities to read utility meters or by other entities to transmit and gather data to and from a remote site. These systems have not been used for the non-disruptive, scheduled or event driven downloading of data to a customer premise.
Thus, a system for the non-disruptive scheduled or event driven downloading of data to a customer premise is desired.

Method and apparatus for delivering data from an information provider using the public switched network


The invention relates to an arrangement on a railbound vehicle with hydraulic cylinders (14a, 14b, 15a, 15b) for tilting the car body in track curves. The arrangement is characterized in that the hydraulic cylinders are arranged mutually communicating and that the tilting of the car body is adapted to be controlled by a servo function comprising one servo valve (13) per vehicle.

In vehicles with an active hydraulic tilting of the car body, the tilting is usually controlled by two servo functions, one per bogie, each function comprising a servo valve, hydraulic cylinder(s) and some form of mechanical bolster. Such multi-function systems involve the risk that the two (or the different) servo functions may start acting against each other via the relatively torsionally rigid car body, which gives diagonal unloading and loading stresses on the wheels of the two bogies. This, in turn, may entail a risk of derailment and this eventuality thus requires an extensive monitoring system. (See further FIG. 1 and the associated text.)
From, for example, Swedish patent specification 381 012, a similar arrangement is already known, in which the distance between the car body and the different bogies on both sides of the car body is measured for the purpose of obtaining an output quantity, which constitutes a measure of the rotation of the different bogies in relation to the car body. The intention is to obtain a fast indication of the vehicle's entry into and exit out of a track curve. This signal together with, for example, the lateral acceleration signal, may be utilized as control signal(s) to the tilting system of the vehicle. The intention is to develop a tilting system which provides a comfortable journey for the passengers without any significant influence of lateral acceleration, and to make possible greater train speeds. It is also desired to avoid sensitivity to any unevenness of the track.

Arrangement for tilting a railbound vehicle in track curves


An integrated semiconductor mixer includes a substrate (10), a radio-frequency balun (12) disposed on the substrate (10), a local oscillator balun (14) disposed on the substrate (10), an intermediate-frequency port (16) disposed on the substrate (10), and a mixer diode array (18), disposed on the substrate (10), that communicates with the radio-frequency balun (12), the local oscillator balun (14), and the intermediate-frequency port (16), in which the radio-frequency balun (12) is shielded from the local oscillator balun (14) by plated holes (20).

The invention relates to an integrated semiconductor mixer, having a substrate, a radio-frequency balun disposed on the substrate, a local oscillator balun disposed on the substrate, an intermediate-frequency port disposed on the substrate, and a mixer array, disposed on the substrate, that communicates with the radio-frequency balun, the local oscillator balun, and the intermediate-frequency port.
Mixers of this generic type are used in radio receivers, for instance. They can be embodied as monolithic integrated microwave circuits, using microstrip technology, so that the mixer function can be made available in a very space-saving way.
Mixers can be used as upward converters and as downward converters. When mixers are used as downward converters, a signal at a high frequency (radio frequency or RF) can be converted into a signal at a lower frequency (intermediate frequency or IF). Upward converters convert an intermediate-frequency signal into a radio-frequency signal. Downward converters generate an intermediate-frequency signal by mixing the radio-frequency signal with the signal of a local oscillator (or LO). Upward converters generate the radio-frequency signal by mixing the intermediate-frequency signal with the local oscillator signal.
It is known that mixing the signals having the various frequencies leads to the formation of addition and subtraction frequencies. For instance, the intermediate frequency, as a subtraction frequency, can represent the outcome of the mixing process, which can be processed in further circuits.
Because of the short wavelength of microwaves, a microwave mixer can be embodied in a simple way on a monolithic chip with integrated circuits. For instance, it is known to embody mixers on GaAs semiconductor substrates, but integrating the mixers with further components in order to form complete upward converters and downward converters creates the necessity of shifting over to smaller and smaller mixer arrays.
A problematic aspect of component miniaturization, however, is that the various signals carried on the same substrate influence one another. For instance, there is an influence between the signals carried by the radio-frequency balun and the signal carried by the local oscillator balun. These signals of the various baluns can also influence the operation of the mixer diodes.


A magnetic head of an embodiment has first and second magnetic shields, a stack, a side shield, and an antiferromagnetic layer. The stack has a pin layer, a nonmagnetic layer, and first and second free layers. The second free layer is antiferromagnetically exchange coupled to the first free layer and is exchange coupled to the antiferromagnetic layer. The side shield is exchange coupled to the antiferromagnetic layer.

A magnetoresistive effect element is used as a magnetic head (a reproducing element head) for an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like. In order to reduce influence of an external magnetic field, it is common to dispose a magnetoresistive effect element between magnetic shields in the magnetic head of the HDD, and a reproducing resolution is prescribed by an interval between the magnetic shields.
In the HDD, improvement of the reproducing resolution is desired in order for improvement of a reproducing density. However, in a conventional magnetic head, shortening an interval between magnetic shields is difficult due to a structure, so that it has become difficult to improve the recording density.
Thus, in order to heighten a resolution, a magnetic head of a differential output type is suggested. The magnetic head of the differential output type has two free layers which react to a signal magnetic field, and a reproducing resolution is prescribed by a free layer interval. In other words, compared with the conventional magnetic head, heightening of a resolution mainly in a line recording density direction (BPI direction) is more practicable.
However, in the magnetic head of the differential output type, it is not necessarily easy to heighten a resolution in a track width direction (TPI direction).

Magnetic head having first magnetic shield, stack, side shield, antiferromagnetic layer, and second magnetic shield, magnetic head assembly, magnetic recording and reproducing apparatus, and manufacturing method of magnetic head


A method of controlling the transmission of identities for wireless communications devices relies on a broadcast message from the network to instruct the wireless communications devices as to when to send their identity information. The network""s control over the transmissions is extended to the control function class level. In a simple embodiment, the network includes instructions in a broadcast message telling the receiving wireless communications devices to send their identities for some classes of control functions and not others. Thus, by altering the broadcast message, the network is able to control the identity transmissions of the wireless communications devices. In more sophisticated embodiments, the network can control not only whether identities are transmitted for certain control functions, but which identity is transmitted. Thus, one identity (e.g., subscription module identifier) may be transmitted with one class of control functions (e.g., registration) and another identity (e.g., mobile terminal identifier) to be transmitted with other classes of control functions (e.g., page response), thereby providing great flexibility of control to the network.

The present invention relates to the field of cellular wireless communications, and more particularly to a method of controlling the transmission of identities from wireless communications devices from outside the wireless communications device.
In order for a wireless communications network to check whether a particular service subscription is valid, the network must be able to identify the subscription. Typically this is done by-having the wireless communications device provide a unique identifier to the network when requesting service. For instance, in a typical ANSI-41/ANSI-136 network, a cellular phone transmits its Electronic Serial Number (ESN) when the phone performs any one of a variety of wireless communications control functions, such as registration or call origination. While providing the subscription identity may be required in some instances, in others it merely consumes control channel transmission capacity without a real benefit. In order to lessen the burden on the network, ANSI-136 provides the network with a way of controlling the transmission of the identity. The ANSI-136 solution is to provide a broadcast control bit, known as the xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d bit, that the network may selectively turn on or turn off. When the S-bit is turned on, the wireless communications devices directly interacting with the network are required to transmit the identity when performing any of the wireless communications control functions known generally as registration, origination, page response, base station challenge order, R-data (teleservices), and SPACH confirmation. In essence, the existing ANSI-136 networks are able to turn on the identity transmission for all of these control functions or for none of these control functions, but nothing in-between. As such, if the network only needs the identity for one of the control functions, it must turn on the identity transmission for all of the control functions, thereby burdening the control channel with unnecessary traffic. Thus, there is a need for a method of controlling the transmission of device identity that provides the network with a greater level of flexibility in asking for the identity of the wireless communications device.
Further, it is possible that wireless communications devices will have more than one identity. Traditionally, a wireless communications device had one unique fixed identity in ANSI41/ANSI-136 networks. In the ANSI-136 nomenclature, this was the ESN. The wireless communications device was manufactured with this ESN, which under FCC regulations cannot be altered after manufacture. The traditional ANSI-41/ANSI-136 service subscription was then tied to a particular wireless communications device, typically by including the ESN as part of the subscription information necessary to identify the user to the network. Thus, the traditional ANSI41/ANSI-136 subscriber could not use a different piece of equipment, such as another user""s phone handset, for the same subscription.
The situation with traditional ANSI41/ANSI-136 is to be contrasted with that under the standard known as Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM). In the GSM world, a wireless communications device has two functional parts, a subscription module and a mobile terminal. The subscription module, commonly known as either the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), the SIM card, or a User Identity Module (UIM), may be thought of as an electronic identification card; it contains the subscription-related information required to verify the subscriber to the network. The SIM card typically includes memory and other electronics for performing a variety of functions, but the SIM card does not include the transceiver electronics necessary for the main GSM wireless communications. For reference, see GSM 11.11 and GSM 11.14 for SIM card specifications in the GSM network. Relevant to the present discussion, the SIM card contains a fixed subscription identifier, similar to that of the ESN of ANSI-136. For ease of reference, this identifier will be referred to as the ESNs.
The mobile terminal is the rest of the wireless communications device without the subscription module. Thus, the mobile terminal is the handset or other main unit that includes the main GSM transceiver circuits, the speaker, etc. The mobile terminal likewise includes a fixed identifier, which will be referred to as the IMEI or the ESNm.
The GSM subscription module is inserted or otherwise connected to the GSM mobile terminal to form a complete wireless communications device that is useable in GSM. The subscription information is read from the subscription module by the mobile terminal and transmitted to the network where the network determines whether the subscription is valid and registers the location of the subscription within the network. Thus, the GSM service subscription is typically not tied to a specific mobile terminal, but rather is tied to the subscription module. Because the subscription module authenticates the user to the network, the user is free to use any compliant mobile terminal equipment by simply mating their subscription module to the mobile terminal and repeating the authentication and registration process with the new mobile terminal hardware. Thus, it is not always necessary for the user to carry the complete wireless communications device in order to access his/her wireless service subscription. Instead, the user need only carry the subscription module and mate the module to an appropriate mobile terminal available on-location.
In GSM, there is a provision for the network to request that the wireless communications device send the ESNm of the mobile terminal, typically for purposes of tracking lost or malfunctioning mobile terminals. The process for this in GSM is for the GSM network to make contact with a particular wireless communications device and request that particular wireless communications device to send its ESNm. There is no provision in GSM for the network to tell a plurality of wireless communications devices to send the ESNm when performing regular control functions; rather, a separate request must be made to each wireless communications device in turn. Thus, there remains a need for a method of controlling the transmission of identities associated with wireless communications devices.
The idea of allowing the use of small, inexpensive subscription modules, similar to SIM cards, is gaining favor in the ANSI-41/ANSI-136 world due to the desire for subscription mobility. However, traditional ANSI-41/ANSI-136 contemplates the existence of only one fixed identity per wireless communications device, not two. Quite simply, ANSI41/ANSI-136 anticipates that the equivalent to the subscription module will always be mated to the same mobile terminal, and will not be portable between mobile terminals, therefore only one fixed identity is required per wireless communications device. Because subscription-module-enabled wireless communications devices will have two fixed identities, ANSI41/ANSI-136 networks may need to be modified to accommodate the presence of more than one fixed identifier associated with a wireless communications device. For instance, the network may need the identity of the subscription module for, some control functions and the identity of the mobile terminal for others. Thus, there is a need for an improved ANSI41/ANSI-136 protocol that accommodates the presence of more than one fixed identifier associated with a wireless communications device. Such a method should preferably allow the network to request one of the identities be provided by the wireless communications device during some control functions, and another identity during other control functions. Preferably, the method should be flexible so that one wireless communication""s network can request the first identity for a particular set of wireless control functions, while another wireless communications network can request the first identity for a different set of wireless control functions.
From the above, it is clear that there remains a need for an improved method of controlling the transmission of identities from wireless communications devices in wireless communications networks. Such a method should provide the network with a high degree of flexibility in asking for selected identities from the wireless communications device. Optionally, the method may allow the network to instruct the wireless communications devices to transmit one identity in some situations and another in other situations.
The present method relies on a broadcast message from the network to instruct the wireless communications devices as to when to send their identity information, with control being extended to the control function class level. In a simple embodiment, the network includes instructions in a broadcast message telling the receiving wireless communications devices to send their identities for some classes of control functions and not others. Thus, by altering the broadcast message, the network is able to control the identity transmissions of the wireless communications devices. In more sophisticated embodiments, the network can control not only whether identities are transmitted for certain control functions, but which identity is transmitted. Thus, one identity (e.g., subscription module identifier) may be transmitted with one class of control functions (e.g., registration) and another identity (e.g., mobile terminal identifier) to be transmitted with other classes of control functions (e.g., page response), thereby providing great flexibility of control to the network.

Wireless communications device having externally controlled transmission of identity


An acoustic generator includes a vibrating body. The acoustic generator includes a frame member attached by a bonding material to an external peripheral portion of the vibrating body. The acoustic generator has an exciter provided on the vibrating body inside of the frame member. In this case, the acoustic generator further includes an extended portion of the bonding material provided to be extended on the vibrating body inside of the frame from the frame member.

An acoustic generator such as a piezoelectric speaker has conventionally been known as a small and low-current driven sound device in which a piezoelectric substance is used as an electroacoustic transducer, and is used as an acoustic generating device incorporated into a small electronic device such as a mobile computing device.
In general, an acoustic generator in which a piezoelectric substance is used for an electroacoustic transducer has such a structure in which a piezoelectric element serving as an exciter formed with electrodes made of, e.g., thin silver film is pasted to a metal diaphragm. A sound generation mechanism of the acoustic generator in which the piezoelectric substance is used for the electroacoustic transducer generates distortion in the form of the piezoelectric element by applying an alternate current voltage to both surfaces of the piezoelectric element, and transmits the distortion in the form of the piezoelectric element to the metal diaphragm, thereby generating sound.
An acoustic generator using a resin film as a diaphragm instead of a metal diaphragm is also known. In this acoustic generator, a bimorph multilayer piezoelectric element is sandwiched by a pair of resin films in the thickness direction, and further, this resin film is fixed to a frame member with a tension. Accordingly, this improves the sound conversion efficiency, and enables generation of a high level sound pressure.

Acoustic generator, acoustic generating device, and electronic device


A liveload assembly having a stack guide with a thread on the exterior side wall, a plurality of compressible belleville washers stacked inside the stack guide, and a retainer cap having a thread on an inner side wall for matingly engaging with the stack guide to hold the belleville washers in compression. The gland follower of a fluid flow apparatus is liveloaded by placing the liveload assembly over the bolt extending upwardly from the gland follower. A nut is threaded on the bolt to contact the stack of belleville washers and the retainer cap is unscrewed to a second position on the stack guide and fixed by turning a set screw through a bore in the cap and against the side of the stack guide. Compression of the gland follower is monitored by viewing the relative movement of the stack of belleville washers through a longitudinal slot in the side wall.

Nuts and bolts are threaded fasteners which screw together, or into threaded bores, under high torque to rigidly join parts together. For example, bolts connect pipe flanges together, hold caps on pressure vessels, and secure gland followers in the stuffing box of fluid flow equipment as discussed below. In some circumstances, the torque reduces and the fastener loosens. Equipment vibration, stretching due to heat and pressure, and compression of gaskets and packing may cause the bolt to loosen. Maintaining the torque on bolts is particularly important with fluid flow equipment. The torqued bolts prevent fluid leaks from such equipment, as discussed below.
Fluid flow equipment including pipes, valves, and pumps are common in the utility, refinery, manufacturing, chemical and petrochemical industries. The mechanical workings of such valves and pumps are housed in casings through which rotary or reciprocating shafts extend. For example, the shaft of a rotary pump operatively connects a motor on the exterior of the casing to an impeller on the interior of the casing. The shafts rotate or reciprocate in response to a number of specific stimuli, including a knob turned by hand, a motor, or an impeller driven by fluid flowing in the equipment.
Thus, there are at least three openings in a pump or valve casing: (1) an opening for an inlet pipe by which fluid is delivered; (2) an opening for an outlet pipe by which fluid is discharged; and (3) an opening for the shaft. Various types of seals prevent leakage of fluid from the pump or valve casing. The two fluid openings for the inlet and the outlet pipes are sealed conventionally. The shaft projects through the casing in an area known as the "stuffing box" or the "packing box". The terms "stuffing box" and "packing box" are interchangeable, and derive from the method of preventing fluid leakage by stuffing or packing a material around the shaft to provide the seal. The packing material is often composed of woven or braided fibers formed into coils, spirals or rings. The packing material is stuffed around the shaft so that no fluid can escape the casing along the shaft. A lubricant is often impregnated in the packing material to facilitate installation and to reduce friction on the packing material.
Rotary and reciprocating shaft-equipped pumps, valves, compressors, agitators and the like, interact with a variety of fluids. Such fluids may be as harmless as cool water or as dangerous as a radioactive, superheated acid. Preventing leakage of any fluid from the opening for the shaft is important. The cost of any such leakage can range from the loss of fluid and operating time for repair of the leak, to significant environmental damage and loss of life.
For example, consider a pump in a nuclear fueled steam generating plant. In nuclear reactors, pumps are used to circulate a coolant (oftentimes water) across nuclear fuel elements. The coolant and nuclear fuel are placed together in a pressure vessel. Piping from the pressure vessel delivers the coolant, heated by contact with the nuclear fuel, to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger extracts the heat from the coolant. The piping thus forms a continuous loop between the pressure vessel and the heat exchanger so that the coolant is continuously recycled. As a result, radioactivity is safely contained within this closed system. Pumps are often provided between the pressure vessel and the heat exchanger to deliver the coolant. Any leakage from the pump destroys the closed system and permits radioactive coolant to escape. Failure of a seal in this example will not only result in the discharge of a toxic material into the environment, but could cause an explosion or fire.
In addition to actual damage caused by leaks, profits and the health and welfare of employees are affected. Many industrial processes require large amounts of time to regain normal operation. Frequent shutdowns of the process greatly affect production capability. Thus, having to shut down a plant for any period of time in order to replace worn or damaged packing in the stuffing box reduces operating time and, correspondingly, reduces profit. Moreover, workers are often at risk in replacing such worn packing. For example, the packing in a pump and valve becomes saturated with the fluid being sealed. The packing in a pump used to circulate coolant in a nuclear reactor will be exposed to radioactivity from the coolant. A worker who removes old and worn packing from such a pump is, for a time, exposed to the radiation contained in the fluid and saturated in the packing. Accordingly, frequent replacement of the packing material in the stuffing box is not desirable. Moreover, it is preferred that all steps be taken to minimize the risk of such radiation exposure.
Rotating and reciprocating shafts are difficult to seal. In operation, such shafts are capable of both radial and axial displacement. Radial displacement typically results form manufacturing inaccuracies. Axial displacement results from different thermal expansions produced through normal operation of the shaft. Furthermore, the stuffing box environment is less than ideal. Conditions are constantly changing. The packing may be required to withstand high temperatures and pressures one minute and low temperatures and pressures the next. Shaft speeds may also vary. The surfaces of the shaft in the stuffing box are often pitted and rough. Very slight defects in the arrangement or condition of a stuffing box can prevent proper pump operation.
Various types of packing for a stuffing box are known in the prior art. Each of these packings attempts to be responsive to the foregoing considerations. The packing must be somewhat plastic so that it can extrude enough to seal rough or uneven surfaces. The packing must be resilient in order to adapt to changing conditions without failing or damaging the shaft. However, in trying to provide flexibility, some packings sacrifice resiliency. Others, in trying to resist extrusion, sacrifice flexibility sufficient to conform to uneven or rough surfaces within the stuffing box. Still other packings are flexible, resilient and minimize friction, but do not provide a long-lasting seal so as to avoid frequent replacement.
Soft packing is a common shaft seal, and is generally made from asbestos (generally no longer used), fabric, hemp or rubber fibers woven into strands and formed into a braided spiral. Soft packing is inexpensive and offers several desirable features. The softness of the packing allows it to absorb energy without damaging the rotating shaft. Soft packing is also very flexible and readily conforms to the area to be sealed.
Soft packing, however, has several disadvantages. One problem is short life. Soft packing is easily worn by friction and easily damaged, therefore requiring frequent replacement. Soft packing may be impregnated with graphite or lubricating oils to reduce friction between the shaft and the packing, but such lubricants quickly dissipate and are not very effective in overcoming the short life problem. Thus, soft packings are best suited for low shaft speed applications involving non-caustic and non-abrasive fluids. Yet another problem with soft packing is a lack of resiliency. After being compressed and extruded, soft packings are unable to re-expand to effectuate a seal. Resiliency, conventionally defined as the ability of packing to re-expand, is important to enable the packing material to adjust to changing conditions. Lack of such resiliency, as in the case of a soft packing, results in frequent adjustment or replacement for the packing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,061 teaches a sealing material made from expanded graphite. One common use of such material is to wind a length of flexible tape made therefrom onto a mandrel to form a solid annulus of appropriate size to pack the stuffing box. Thus, the expanded graphite tape is formed as a seal. Packing made from expanded graphite is flexible and conforms to uneven surfaces. The graphite material makes the packing self-lubricating, thereby minimizing friction between the shaft and the packing. With such self-lubricating packings, the lubricant does not dissipate with time. Expanded graphite packing also absorbs energy without excessive damage to either the packing or the shaft.
The principal problem with expanded graphite packings is a lack of resiliency and excessive extrusion under high temperatures and pressures. Solid graphite packings are not able to withstand high pressures since they lack the internal strength to resist extrusion and are unable to re-expand after compression. In addition, expanded graphite packings require frequent adjustment under normal conditions due to the low resiliency of the graphite. The graphite packings are easily compressed, thereby contributing to the low resiliency problem. As a result, normal rotation or reciprocation of the shaft can compress the graphite and create leaks.
A further problem with soft packings (and expanded graphite packing in particular) is that they are difficult to extract from the stuffing box when replacement is necessary. Soft packing can extrude to such an extent that it melds to the walls of the stuffing box, making removal difficult. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the typical stuffing box provides an annular recess about the shaft, into which the packing is stuffed. The recess is capped by a gland follower. The gland follower is secured to the casing, known as the gland of the stuffing box, by one or more bolts. Thus, the more torque applied to the gland bolts, the greater the downward pressure applied to the packing by the gland follower. Tightening the gland bolts compresses the packing in the stuffing box to effect the seal.
Generally speaking, there are three conditions that result in leakage: packing consolidation; bolt creep; and improper loading.
Packing consolidation occurs naturally, and refers to the packing's tendency to settle, wear, and loosen over time. A number of factors contribute to this condition, including the constant rotation of the shaft, changes in temperature of fluids flowing through the equipment, and the age and material of the packing itself. Soft packing is particularly susceptible to consolidation.
Bolt creep is a condition wherein the gland bolts are moved upward due to the expansion and contraction of the gland follower and the casing. Such expansion and contraction often results from a change in operating temperatures and pressures. Valves and pumps in various industries often operate under conditions ranging from cryogenic to superheated temperatures, and normal to extreme pressures and vacuums. Bolt creep reduces the pressure applied by the gland follower on the packing.
Improper loading is a condition wherein the compression exerted by the gland follower on the packing is insufficient to effect a seal. Packing consolidation and bolt creep are contributing elements of improper loading, because both reduce the compressive force applied by the gland follower on the packing. But inaccurate torquing of the gland bolts by workers also causes improper loading. Such inaccurate torquing may be the result of human errors. However, it is recognized that the torque wrenches used by workers are often inaccurate, resulting in improper loading. Leaks thus occur from the outset because the load on the packing is insufficient to achieve or maintain a seal.
Fluid leakage along the shaft of valves and pumps has long been recognized as serious problem in power and industrial plants. In recognition of this problem, various attempts have been made to obtain leak-free performance and reduce maintenance requirements for a pump or a valve. For example, improved packing materials were developed for a large range of temperatures, better chemical resistance, and improved coefficient of expansion characteristics. Torque values were established for the bolts connecting the gland follower to the stuffing box. (Installers follow such specifications to apply a proper load to the packing to achieve a seal, but as discussed above, may not attain a proper load because the torque wrenches are inaccurate.) Several companies have initiated routine maintenance programs that include re-torquing of gland follower bolts. Such retorquing is done frequently because of the significant risk posed by improperly loaded gland bolts and the resulting leakage of fluid form the apparatus. The costs of repairing damaged equipment and cleaning up spend fluids are also of concern, but generally, the majority of the equipment does not need such maintenance. Such maintenance programs include all equipment, however, in order to correct the torque on the relatively few pieces of equipment for which packing compression is lessened (as a result of bolt creep, packing consolidation or previous improper loading) to an extent that leaking has occurred or could occur.
Another attempt to obtain leak-free performance and reduce maintenance requirements involves liveloading of the gland follower. Liveloading refers to the mounting of compressed springs on the gland follower whereby a constant pressure is exerted on the gland follower to insure a constant compressive force is exerted on the packing. As the packing consolidates or the gland bolts loosen, the spring pressure moves the gland follower towards the stuffing box to maintain the integrity of the packing.
Belleville washers are one type of spring typically used to cushion heavy loads with short motion. Uncompressed belleville springs or washers typically take the form of a disk with an open center. In contrast, compressed belleville washers are flat. A significant amount of force is required to compress or flatten the uncompressed belleville washers. Belleville washers installed on the gland bolts of pump and valve stuffing boxes maintain the force exerted by the gland follower on the packing. As the packing consolidates or the gland bolts loosen, the belleville washers decompress and maintain the load on the packing. The gland follower essentially becomes self adjusting in response to the packing's condition to maintain a proper load on the packing and thereby maintain a seal.
Liveloading a gland follower is difficult in many situations. It is particularly difficult to retrofit valves for liveloading for a number of reasons. Replacement of bolt studs may be necessary because the studs are not long enough to accommodate a sufficient number of uncompressed belleville washers and the nut that conventionally maintains the gland follower. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that uncompressed belleville washers occupy more space than compressed washers. Accordingly, the gland bolts must often be extruded and replaced with longer bolts. This is particularly expensive in nuclear power plants, not only because expensive high grade steel material must be used to manufacture the extended bolts, but also because a significant amount of paper work detailing the change must be prepared and filed with the various regulatory agencies and manufacturers involved with the equipment and nuclear power plants. Also, health and safety inspectors at nuclear plants track carefully the amount of radiation to which workers are exposed because there is a limit to the amount of radiation a worker may receive. Additional workers thus may be needed for simple, yet time-consuming projects.
Another reason that liveloading is difficult is because achieving the right load on the belleville washers is expensive and difficult. The retaining nut must be torqued on the bolt to a specific degree to achieve and maintain a seal. Proper torquing of the washers, even using torque wrenches, takes a long time. In a nuclear plant, any additional maintenance time increases the workers' exposure to radiation form the fluid. Torque wrenches are recognized as inherently inaccurate. Engineers at nuclear plants in particular are uncomfortable relying on such tools to achieve a proper torque.
Yet another reason that liveloading is difficult is because belleville washers are difficult to install about a gland bolt. Aside from being a time consuming operation, the component washers are small in size and difficult to manipulate. Workers in heavily radiated areas must wear several sets of gloves and a respirator. Gloves make such small objects difficult to handle and position over a bolt. The respirator makes it difficult to see. If a single belleville washer is dropped and lost, work may be delayed for hours.
A further reason that liveloading is difficult is that belleville washers, once placed on a gland bolt and even when properly torqued, may slip laterally and hang or catch on the bolt. This causes hysteresis, a retardation of the self-adjusting effect of the belleville washers on the gland follower.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,453 issued to Suggs describes a liveload assembly for rotary or reciprocating shaft packing. The liveload assembly includes a cylindrical stack guide with a thread on the inner surface. Compressible belleville washers are stacked in the stack guide for compression to a predetermined load typically under hydraulic force. A retainer made as a cylinder having a thread on the exterior surface matingly joins the stack guide to retain the belleville washers in compression. For use, the liveload assembly is placed on the bolt extending through the gland follower from the housing of the stuffing box. A nut having a diameter less than the inner diameter of the retainer is threaded by hand onto the bolt to contact the stack of belleville washers. A socket or wrench is then used to rotate the nut about one additional turn. The retainer is then freely removed from the stack guide for disposal.
While operative for its intended purpose, the liveload assembly described above has several drawbacks which limits its utility. In some instances, the proper deep-well socket necessary to fit over the nut and reach fully down into the stack guide was unavailable in power plants, refineries, and the other facilities seeking to use the liveload assembly. It would be preferable and more convenient to use simple wrenches, but the structure did not facilitate the use of such wrenches for reaching easily and deeply into the well defined by the retainer. In other cases, the diameter of the socket was simply too great to fit within the clearance between the outside surface of the nut and the interior wall of the retainer. Typically, this clearance problem occurred with smaller pumps or valves. The small clearance prevented the socket from fitting into the well.
Small valves have a further problem of lacking space on top of the valve for positioning the liveload assembly. Both small and large valves sometimes include other components on the top that restrict the axial space available for the liveload assembly. Such components include a yoke, a stem coupling, or an actuator to move the valve stem during automatic operation.
One purpose of the above described liveload assembly is to reduce the number of gland bolts that have to be replaced with longer bolts to accommodate belleville washers. Replacement of gland bolts requires additional labor and time, expensive parts, and extensive documentation of the change to a longer bolt. Documentation is particularly difficult and critical in nuclear power plants. Various regulatory approvals must be obtained and engineering drawings and specifications updated. The structure described above, however, includes a stack guide large enough to receive a stack of uncompressed belleville washers and the matingly threaded retainer that extends upwardly from the stack guide. Although many gland bolts may no longer require replacement, a compact liveload assembly would be more readily received. A compact liveload assembly would also fit on more of the smaller valves which may lack axial space as discussed above.
After installation of the liveload assembly, the removed retainer was thrown away, and this disposal requirement caused other problems. Generally it offends a sense of economy to throw away a metal part, particularly one of high quality metal with expensive machining. For nuclear power plants, disposal was a significant problem. Any part used in an irradiated area can only be disposed in a special facility capable of handling nuclear hazardous waste. Disposal of such waste requires expensive and specialized handling. Also a disposed part is not available for later use. For example, should a need arise to repack or repair the fluid flow apparatus, the service technician would have to locate a retainer sized for the particular liveload assembly in order to remove the assembly.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for a compact apparatus for liveloading a bolt that is free of the problems typically experienced when liveloading fluid flow apparatus such as valves, pumps and the like in power and industrial plants.

Liveload assembly for maintaining torque on bolts


Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for reclaiming and reusing a wafer. In one embodiment, a method for reclaiming a wafer comprises providing a used, nonproductive wafer having a semiconductor substrate and a polysilicon layer formed on the semiconductor substrate; oxidizing a first part of the polysilicon layer to form a first oxide layer; removing the first oxide layer; and oxidizing a second part of the polysilicon layer to form a second oxide layer on the used wafer which is to be used as a reclaimed wafer. The nonproductive wafer is used to improve the quality of a deposition process of the polysilicon layer on one or more productive wafers.

The present invention relates to a method for reclaiming and reusing a wafer, and more particularly to a method for reclaiming and reusing a dummy wafer.
In the semiconductor industry, the wafer for controlling the stability of batch-to-batch fabrication is called a control wafer, and the wafer for maintaining the stability of single-batch fabrication is called a dummy wafer. For example, in order to control the stability of a machine, the wafer for non-productive purposes (e.g., usually bare silicon wafer) and the wafer for productive purposes are often put into the machine together during the polysilicon deposition process. By measuring the thickness of the polysilicon deposited on the wafer for non-productive purposes, the stability of fabrication (e.g., deposition rate, film property, and so on) can be controlled, and such kind of wafer for non-productive purposes is the so-called control wafer. Moreover, in order to maintain the quality of single-batch fabrication (e.g., the thickness uniformity of film), the wafer for non-productive purposes and the wafer for productive purposes are put into the boat together. Through filling these wafers for non-productive purposes in the boat, the product can be deposited stably and uniformly on the wafer to maintain the stability of single-batch fabrication when the reactive gas reacts in the furnace, and such kind of wafer for non-productive purposes is the so-called dummy wafer. Sometimes the used control wafer can be used as the dummy wafer.
The dummy wafer should be discarded or reclaimed after it has been reused many times; otherwise, the film will be peeled off from the dummy wafer due to the high stress of the film on the dummy wafer, which can cause severe pollution in the single-batch fabrication. The "reclaiming process" is to remove the film to acquire the bare silicon wafer. The reclaimed wafer can then be used as a control wafer or a dummy wafer.
For the over-reused dummy wafer, the reclaiming process is to directly remove the whole film by the grinding method, but this method will polish the wafer to the underside of the silicon substrate, so that the wafer will become thin and easy to break; besides, the outer annular portion of the film of the wafer may not be polished in some cases. Moreover, a wet etching method can also be used to directly remove the whole film. However, for the dummy wafer that is deposited with polysilicon, for example, since the etchant is used to remove the polysilicon layer, it will continue to etch the silicon wafer and cause the wafer to become thin and easy to break. Furthermore, if the availability of the etching or polishing machines is limited, the dummy wafers cannot be reclaimed as control wafers immediately, so the manufacturers need to additionally buy new wafers in response thereto.
Therefore, there is a need to develop a new method for reclaiming and reusing a wafer to overcome the aforesaid problems and difficulties in the prior art.

Method for reclaiming and reusing wafers


An optical connector for use with a light separator, the optical connector including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being optically couplable by first optical transmitter to a first input of the light separator and by second optical transmitter to a second input of the light separator. The first and second portions are detachably couplable to couple the first and second optical transmitter to third and fourth optical transmitters, respectively, provided in or coupled to the second portion. The first and second inputs of the light separator can thereby be optically coupled to a first optical instrument coupled to the third optical transmitter and a second optical instrument coupled to the fourth optical transmitter.

An arrangement typical of existing endoscopes is shown schematically at 10 in FIG. 1. The laser 12 provides the excitation light for a fluorescent dye with which a sample has been stained or for reflection from the sample. A light separator in the form of coupler 14 couples laser light from the laser 12 to both endoscope head 16 and a power monitor 18. The power monitor 18 includes a power monitor device, and allows the operator to obtain some measure of the power being delivered to the endoscope head 16. The coupler 14 also couples the light returned by the sample (from low level excited fluorescence and/or reflection) back to a detection unit 20, which contains a barrier filter and a photomultiplier tube (not shown) to detect this return light. The core of optical fiber 22 between the endoscope head 16 and the coupler 14 is the transmission medium for both the excitation light and the return signal but, in some prior art systems, also constitutes a spatial filter (or, in effect, a pinhole) so that confocal detection may be effected.
In such arrangements, the laser 12, coupler 14, power monitor 18 and detection unit 20 are provided in a control box 24. Optical fiber 22 is detachably coupled to the control box 24 by means of an optical connector (not shown), so that the endoscope head 16 can be detached, such as for cleaning, between successive patients, or the like, by detaching the single optical connection between the control box 24 and that portion of the endoscope (i.e. optical fiber 22 and endoscope head 16) outside the control box.
Such arrangements have a number of problems. The relative power between the endoscope head 16 and the photodiode of the power monitor 18 is dependent on any joint loss at the connection between control box 24 to optical fiber 22 (due, for example, to dust in the connection). This means that the power monitor 18 needs, in principle, to be calibrated each time a new or replacement endoscope head 16 is connected. Where a 488 nm laser is used, it is necessary to ensure low loss at this interface for both the 488 nm excitation light and the 488 to 585 nm return light, as light of all these wavelengths is carried by optical fiber 22; the connection is between single mode fiber and requires low loss in both directions.
Further, this connection can affect the mode mix and hence the optical power distribution in optical fiber 22, which has the potential to produce image instability, noise and reduced resolution. In addition, reflection from this connection can cause instability in laser 12 resulting in image noise, and increase noise in the ultimate image by reflecting excitation light into the detection unit 20.


A cartridge accommodating apparatus includes: a cartridge accommodating section accommodating a cartridge which includes a liquid accommodating section, a liquid lead-out channel, a first blocking member blocking a first portion of the liquid lead-out channel, and a second blocking member blocking a second portion between the first portion and the liquid accommodating section; a hollow tube introducing liquid in the liquid lead-out channel into inside of the hollow tube; a moving mechanism moving the hollow tube between a first position at which a tip portion of the hollow tube is located outside the liquid lead-out channel and a second position at which the tip portion of the hollow tube has entered inside the liquid lead-out channel; a driving source; a driving force transmitting mechanism transmitting driving force of the driving source to the moving mechanism; and a driving source controller controlling driving speed of the driving source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge accommodating apparatus capable of accommodating a cartridge which accommodates liquid.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is known an ink-jet printer including an installing section (cartridge accommodating section) configured such that an ink cartridge can be installed therein. Specifically, the ink cartridge to be installed in the installing section is provided with an ink accommodating section (liquid accommodating section) in which ink is accommodated, an ink lead-out tube (liquid lead-out channel) communicated with the ink accommodating section, and first and second valves (first and second blocking members) disposed in the ink lead-out tube. The installing section provided on the ink-jet printer includes a hollow needle (hollow tube). Further, by performing an operation for installing the ink cartridge in the installing section, the hollow needle is allowed to enter into the inside of the ink lead-out tube so as to open (release) the first and second valves.


A regenerative control system of a vehicle is constructed such that in a system which generates electrical energy of a low voltage suitable for a low voltage system circuit and electrical energy of a high voltage suitable for the high voltage system circuit in an alternate manner by making use of kinetic energy of a vehicle when the vehicle is in a deceleration running state, a ratio between a period of time to generate the low voltage electrical energy and a period of time to generate the high voltage electrical energy is decided in accordance with a deceleration required of the vehicle, and a power generation voltage is duty controlled according to the ratio thus decided.

In recent years, there has been proposed a vehicle having a plurality of batteries mounted thereon, of which the rated voltages are different from one another. In such a vehicle, there has been a possibility that at the time of changing the power generation voltage of a generator, the drive torque of the generator changes, so vibration and/or noise may be generated. On the other hand, there has been proposed a technique in which a difference between the drive torque at the time of charging a low voltage battery and the drive torque at the time of charging a high voltage battery is caused to reduce by stopping the power generation operation of a generator intermittently at the time of charging the high voltage battery (for example, see a Patent Document 1).
In a Patent Document 2, there is described a technique in which in a vehicle having a low voltage battery and a high voltage battery mounted thereon, of which the rated voltages are different from each other, the low voltage battery and the high voltage battery are charged in an alternate manner.
In a Patent Document 3, there is described a technique in which in cases where an overvoltage occurs in any of a plurality of cells of a lithium-ion battery which is composed of the plurality of cells connected in series to one another, the charge voltage of the lithium-ion battery is made lower than a specified value.
In a Patent Document 4, there is described a technique in which at the time of regenerative braking of a hybrid vehicle which has an internal combustion engine and an electric motor mounted thereon as power sources, the surplus electric power which can not be charged to a battery is selectively supplied to a plurality of electric loads.
In a Patent Document 5, there is described a technique in which in a vehicle provided with a changeover switch which is adapted to be switched over so as to distribute an output of a generator between a storage battery of a low voltage system and an electric load of a high voltage system, the output voltage of the generator is once made lower at the time when the changeover switch is switched over.

Regenerative control system of a vehicle


This optical filter provides a substrate and thin films. The thin films comprise an outermost layer portion and a refractive index varying portion. The refractive index varying portion is formed by laminating alternately towards the substrate a low refractive index layer having a refractive index that is higher than that of air and a high refractive index layer having a refractive index that is higher than the low refractive index layer. The outermost layer portion comprises an outermost low refractive index layer having a refractive index that is higher than that of air, a first outermost high refractive index layer having a refractive index that is higher than that of the outermost low refractive index layer, and a second outermost high refractive index layer having a refractive index that is higher than that of the first outermost high refractive index layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical filter and an optical device. Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-354027, filed Oct. 14, 2003, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of Related Art
A fluorescent microscope is an example of an optical device that is used in the observation of living biological specimens. The fluorescent microscope is a device that irradiates with excitation light a specimen such as cells that have undergone a staining treatment, and observes the fluorescent light emitted by the specimen at that time. By carrying out observation using this type of device, it is possible to analyze the structure and properties of the specimen.
In the recent analysis of the genome, for example, it is necessary to irradiate excitation light having a wavelength of 502 nm and observe fluorescent light having a peak at 526 nm. In this case, because the wavelengths of the excitation light and the fluorescent light are close to each other, it is necessary to reliably separate both wavelengths and detect the fluorescent light with a high efficiency. In order to attain this, it is necessary to eliminate the excitation light in the rejection band and transmit the fluorescent light having the wavelength to be observed in the transmission bands. An optical filter having such properties is used as a crucial part that determines the sensitivity and precision of the fluorescent light measurement.
In this optical filter, there is a steep rise in the spectral characteristics at the boundary between the transmission bands and the rejection band, and in the transmission bands, a capacity to transmit substantially 100% of the light is required.
Such an optical filter that blocks light of a predetermined wavelength band and transmits the other wavelengths is called a minus filter. This optical filter (minus filter) is manufactured as a multi-layer film, in which a layer having a high refractive index and a layer having a low refractive index are alternately stacked on a substrate.
In an optical filter whose refractive indices of the films in the direction of the film thickness are periodically and continuously varied is called a rugate filter. Here, when the refractive index distribution is in a form called a wavelet, it is possible in principle to eliminate periodic variation in the transmissivity (ripple) in the transmission bands (for example, W. H. Southwell, "Using Apodization Function to Reduce Sidelobes in Rugate Filters", Appl. Opt., 1989, Vol. 28). In addition, accompanying this, as the number of layers described above is increased, the rise at the boundary between the transmission bands and the rejection band can be made more steep. The use of this principle is shown in FIG. 14A.
However, it is extremely difficult to vary continuously the refractive indices of the films during actual film formation. Thus, various proposals have been made in which the continuous refractive index distribution is partitioned stepwise and varied by approximation (for example, Japanese Patent No. 3290629, FIG. 1). The use of this principle is shown in FIG. 15A.


A sterile apparatus for covering a surgical tray upon which surgical instruments may be placed. The tray can be covered with a thin flat tubular elongated primary cover which is closed at one end and open at the opposite end. The primary cover is positioned over the tray and any supporting stand and provides a first sterile layer of protection. The invention includes a reinforced secondary cover which is positioned over the primary cover and surgical tray with the outer edges extending under the edges of the tray and drawn firmly toward each other to secure the covers and position them with respect to the tray. This form fit gathers and secures extraneous material from the covers. The secondary cover can include reinforcing layers of additional materials both in the area of the tray as well as the side edges to prevent these areas from being cut or pierced whereby the sterility of the instruments and tray may be jeopardized. Various arrangements are provided for securing the edges of the cover around and under the tray. The primary and secondary covers can be formed together as a one-piece, integral unit to provide a combination sterile barrier. The surface of the tray cover can be partitioned by surface treatment or color coding individual areas for the positioning of certain objects. Flaps can be attached to the perimeter of the cover to temporarily cover certain areas and objects on the tray.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a protective sterile cover for a surgical tray used in a medical facility to protect a sterile field for surgical instruments or equipment placed on the tray. More specifically the invention relates to a reinforced secondary cover that is simple to place over a primary tray cover, yielding a sterile and efficient apparatus to protect and maintain the sterile field of the surgical tray.
2. Description Of Prior Art
FIG. 1 shows a typical Mayo stand with tray and FIG. 2 shows a typical cover. The primary or first cover is an elongated flat tubular bag which has a rectangular configuration with one end closed and the opposite end open. The open end is slipped over the tray and provides a very long skirt portion covering the rest of the stand. The cover is held in place merely by gravity. Sterile surgical tray or table covers are essential in operating rooms to provide a barrier between the non-sterile surfaces of medical and surgical trays and supports and the sterile field around the area of treatment, thereby preventing contamination of surgical instruments or other equipment used in surgery by bacteria from outside the sterile field. The drape or cover sits atop a metal tray that the surgical and operating room instruments and equipment are spread upon. Over the first or primary cover on the surgical tray, the surgical nurse or technician historically places two towels to protect the cover and the surgical equipment on the tray from penetrating through the first cover to the surface of the metal tray thus breaking the sterile field barrier. As the towels are in a common flat position, the ends must be tucked under the sides of the tray to present a clean and safe cover of the tray. Any breach of the towels or cover requires the removal of the surgical instruments and recovering the tray with a new primary cover and sterile towels. The towels are tucked under the tray to not leave any drape which could catch on personnel, instruments or interfere with movement.


The present invention discloses a device for a shoe insole having multiple layers which form an air circulation system. A first layer is a fabric-like covering; a non-deformable second and deformable third layers forming together a layer with a cavity therein having offset apertures therein communicating by means of the cavity positioned underneath the fabric-like covering; a fourth layer made of foam rubber like material that deflates under the user's weight and re-expands when not under the user's weight; a bottom layer being a stiffer layer that forms a recess for receiving the other layers. A first and second exhaust conduit is formed in a side extension area for outward passage of stale air. The layers are joined to each other and the device is then inserted into the shoe of the user. The weight of the user is alternatively placed on and removed from the insole while walking or running. When the weight of the user is on the insole it compresses and stale air is forced out the exhaust conduit. When the weight of the user is removed from the insole, the foam rubber layer seeks to expand and therefore creates a vacuum which pulls air through the apertures of the second and third layers as the deformable third layer is deposed toward the foam rubber layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to shoe insoles and, more particularly, is concerned with insoles for shoes having air circulation systems in order to reduce the odor of the shoes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Shoe insole systems have been described in the prior art. However, none of the prior art devices disclose the unique features of the present invention.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,963, dated Feb. 7, 1978, Fukuoka disclosed ventilated footwear comprising an outer sole having a hollow portion forming an air pumping chamber at its heel portion, a plurality of ventilation holes provided on an inner sole within the range of the air pumping chamber, a cushioning material having cells therein to contain air being spread over an upper surface of the inner sole on the heel part thereof, projections projecting from the outer sole forming cavities between the outer sole and the inner sole, the cavities functioning as an air chamber, a plurality of ventilation holes provided on the inner sole and ducts longitudinally provided between the inner sole and the outer sole so as to communicate the air pumping chamber and the cavities. When the weight of the wearer is applied to the heel part, the ventilation holes are closed and the cushioning material is depressed so as to forcibly send air from the chamber to the cavities through the ducts and when the weight of the wearer is applied to the front area of the shoe, the projections are depressed and deformed so as to force air into the inner part of the shoe through the ventilation holes.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,068,981, dated Dec. 3, 1991, Jung disclosed a self-ventilating device for a shoe insole, which includes a heel chamber body having a spring disposed therein, an inlet valve having a plurality of sole aperture for communicating with a plurality of channels in the sole portion of the shoe insole, and a pair of outlet valves disposed in both side walls thereof for communicating to the atmosphere, whereby when each step is taken by the shoe user, a moisture and odor waste quantity of air is forced from the channels in the sole portion through the inlet valve to the heel chamber body when the pair of outlet valves are closed and expelled through the pair of outlet valves to the atmosphere automatically when the inlet valve is closed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,809, dated Apr. 15, 1997, Sessa disclosed a footwear sole assembly for providing air circulation around the foot and also providing improved resilient cushioning. The assembly includes an outsole and an insert suspended above the outsole in trampoline-like fashion to define an air chamber therebetween. As the wearer strides, the insert moves toward the outsole compressing the air contained in the air chamber and causing that air to flow onto the foot through the apertures in the insert. Preferably, the outsole defines a plurality of upwardly opening pockets, and the insert includes a plurality of downwardly extending pins aligned with the pockets. The flexing action of the insert also drives the pins down into the pockets where they are deformed to absorb the impact of the stride.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,013, dated May 5, 1998, Fay, Sr. disclosed a conventional shoe which comprises a shoe upper of continuous and uninterrupted material attached to an outer sole which has its shoe upper lined with an air-cooled, treatable shoe liner comprising an outer knit layer of hydrophilic material, an inner knit layer of hydrophobic material, and monofilament yarns of hydrophobic material extending between and interknitted with the outer and inner layers for maintaining an air chamber therebetween, such that moisture from the foot of the wearer is transmitted by the inner layer and the monofilament yarns through the air chamber and is absorbed by the outer layer and passes into the shoe upper to be dried by the outer air.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,492, dated Aug. 5, 1980, Sandmeier disclosed a ventilating insole for use in a shoe in which the same includes an interior chamber for the forced flow of air unobstructed and uninterruptedly between the heel and toe portions thereof and through inlet and outlet openings.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,110, dated Oct. 11, 1988, Shiang disclosed an insole-ventilating shoe which includes: an insole having an air pumping device formed on a rear portion of the insole having an air guide protruding upwardly to exchange fresh air outside the shoe vamp, and plural ventilating grooves with through holes formed on a front portion of the insole for circulating air from the pumping device in the insole and shoe for comforting a wearer's foot.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,336, dated Aug. 10, 1976, Ahn disclosed a shoe having ventilating means for supplying fresh air to the interior of the shoe which has a base sole and an inner bottom sole defining between them an air distributing chamber and a space for accommodating an air supplying chamber to the rear of the air distributing chamber. The inner sole has an aperture therein between the air distributing chamber and the interior of the shoe for passing air from the air distributing chamber to the interior of the shoe. A collapsible resilient air supplying chamber is provided in the space for accommodating the air supplying chamber and having an air distributing conduit extending therefrom into the air distributing chamber and having an air intake conduit extending thereinto from outside of the shoe. Counterflow preventing valve means are provided in each conduit, and a rigid press member has a forward end anchored in one of the soles and has the rear end extending into the space for accommodating the air supplying chamber above the air supplying chamber. When a wearer in walking in the shoe raises the rear part of the shoe, the air supplying chamber is pressed against the press member for pumping the air supplying chamber into the air distributing chamber and thence into the interior of the shoe, and when the rear part of the shoe is lowered and the air supplying chamber regains its initial shape, fresh air is induced into the air supplying chamber through the air intake conduit.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,946, dated Jan. 5, 1993, Tsai disclosed an insole which includes a heel portion defining a recess. A replaceable pneumatic buffer defining a first and a second tubular elements is received in the recess of the insole. A central tunnel communicating with the first tubular element defines a hole. A plurality of tunnels communicate the first tubular element with the second tubular element. When load is exerted on the buffer, the second tubular element abuts a surface of the shoe, thereby defining a chamber filled with air. When the load increases excessively, air is ventable through the hole of the central tunnel and further off the chamber.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,277, dated Jul. 6, 1993, Sang Do disclosed a footwear sole which has a waterproof ventilation part secured in the midsole or the outsole, and a horseshoe-shaped shock-absorbing heel member secured in the heel portion of the sole part in which the waterproof and ventilation part is secured. The waterproof and ventilation part includes a buoyancy plate that blocks penetration of water into the sole during bad weather. The shock-absorbing heel member has opposite flanges with an empty space therebetween that insure very good shock-absorbing properties of the shock-absorbing heel member.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,760, dated Apr. 25, 1995, Tse, et al., disclosed a shoe which is provided with an air pumping device capable of supplying fresh air from the ambient atmosphere into the interior of the shoe. The air pumping device is detachable from the shoe so that it can be cleaned to remove dirt or alien objects that may block the air flow path. The air pumping device is located beneath the forepart of a foot wearing the shoe. When the user makes a step forward, an air bag is compressed at the instant the forepart of the foot is bent to lift the heel off the ground, thereby generating an air pumping action. When the forepart of the foot stretches straight again, the air bag restores to its original shape, thereby generating an air sucking action. As the user keeps moving, the air pumping device will pump air successively from the ambient atmosphere into the interior of the shoe. The air flow direction may be reversed so as to pump air inside the shoe out to the ambient atmosphere.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,893, dated Dec. 20, 1983, Stephan disclosed a system for supplying air to the interior of a shoe, particularly of a skiing boot for Alpine skiing. The shoe or skiing boot comprises a shell and a gaiter, which is pivoted to the shell and pivotally movable in the longitudinal direction of the shoe. An air-handling device is mounted on the shell of the sole and is connected to actuating means. The latter is also connected to the gaiter and during a forward and rearward pivotal movement of the gaiter move up and down to impart a pumping motion to the air-handling device so that air is pumped into the interior of the shoe. The air inlet is preferably disposed near the sole of the shoe.
While these shoe insole devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they were designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention, as hereinafter described.


Various techniques are described for improving the color uniformity across a backlight for backlighting an LCD. In one embodiment, the backlight uses rows of red, green, and blue LEDs in a mixing chamber. The LEDs are arranged in clusters, such as GRBG or GBRG, each cluster having an associated white point. In order to achieve color uniformity along the left and right edges of the backlight, the LEDs in those edge clusters are specially selected to compensate for the color imbalance in the white point relative to the dimensions of the cluster. For example, a non-compensated cluster of GRBG along the left edge will produce a reddish tint along the left edge since the red peak intensity is to the left of the center of the cluster. To offset this reddish tint along the left side, the cluster's overall white point is blue-cyan shifted. As a result, the left edge of the backlight has the same white point as near the middle of the backlight, where the white point imbalance of a single cluster is offset by the white point imbalance of the surrounding clusters. Similarly, a GBRG cluster along the left edge will have its white point red-yellow shifted.

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are commonly used in laptop computers, desktop monitors, and television applications. One embodiment of the present invention deals with a color, transmissive LCD that requires backlighting, where the backlight contains red, green, and blue LEDs.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a color, transmissive LCD 10 that includes a backlight 12. The backlight contains an array of red, green, and blue LEDs 14 whose combined light forms white light.
The backlight 12 ideally provides homogenous light to the back surface of the display. Providing homogenous white light using physically spaced LEDs is very difficult in a shallow backlight box. The backlight box has diffusively reflective bottom and side walls to mix the red, green, and blue light. The inner surfaces may be painted white. Mixing optics 16, such as a diffuser sheet, improves the color mixing. A diffuser sheet may simply be a roughened sheet of plastic. A brightness enhancement sheet may also be used to direct most of the light within a narrow field of view.
Above the mixing optics 16 are conventional LCD layers 18, typically consisting of polarizers, RGB filters, a liquid crystal layer, a thin film transistor array layer, and a ground plane layer. The electric fields created at each pixel location, by selectively energizing the thin film transistors at each pixel location, causes the liquid crystal layer to change the polarization of the white light at each pixel location. The RGB filters only allow the red, green, or blue component of the white light to be emitted at the corresponding RGB pixel locations. LCDs are well known and need not be further described.
As LED technology advances, the light output and efficiency of power LEDs increase, and fewer LEDs are needed to provide the required light output for an LCD. Using fewer LEDs typically reduces the cost of the backlight. Increasing the pitch of the different color LEDs makes it more difficult to provide adequate color uniformity across the LCD screen, especially with a relatively shallow backlight box. In a 40 inch television backlight, each LED may be spaced apart 10-25 mm.
LEDs in a backlight are typically arranged in rows, where a row is formed of repeating clusters of linearly-arranged LEDs (e.g., GRBG GRBG . . . ). In the prior art, each cluster is designed to have the same target white point, which is the resulting combined light from the cluster assuming total color mixing. A white point is typically identified by a correlated color temperature (CCT) in Kelvin. Other parameters for identifying a white point may also be used and are well known. In the 4-LED cluster of GRBG, the red LED is to the left of the center of the cluster, so the light to the left of center has a reddish tint (the center of gravity of the red is to the left of the center of the cluster). Similarly, since the blue LED is to the right of the center, the light to the right of center has a bluish tint (the center of gravity of the blue is to the right of the center of the cluster). However, for clusters arranged in horizontal rows, when a GRBG cluster is surrounded by other GRBG clusters, which occurs near the middle of the backlight, the spatial nonuniformity of the white point of a single cluster is offset by the opposite spatial nonuniformity of the white points of adjacent clusters. Thus, near the middle of the backlight, there is good color uniformity after some color mixing by the cavity and diffusion by the top diffuser.
Applicants have determined that the offsetting of the spatial nonuniformity of a cluster does not occur for the clusters at the left and right edges of the backlight. Accordingly, the left and right edges of the backlight have the worst color uniformity, which is perceptible to the human eye. Prior art FIGS. 3A and 3B, discussed further below, illustrate an example of this color uniformity problem.
Although a thicker backlight box may provide the additional color mixing to ameliorate these edge effects, thick backlights are undesirable.
Therefore, new techniques are needed for improving the color uniformity across a backlight using LEDs.

Multi-colored LED backlight with color-compensated clusters near edge


A method for determining NOx sensor data falsification based on remote emission monitoring, includes the steps of: acquiring a plurality of vehicle data sets and urea level data of to-be-tested reference vehicles, wherein vehicle data include NOx sensor readings and corresponding engine data vectors; acquiring urea level data of reference vehicles; calculating standard urea consumption per kilometer; (2) acquiring an average distribution probability of the vehicle data of the to-be-tested vehicles through a probability distribution evaluation step; counting a total proportion of invalid or negative NOx sensor readings in the plurality of vehicle data sets; determining whether the data of the to-be-tested vehicles satisfy one or more falsification conditions; if so, determining that the data from the NOx sensors of the to-be-tested vehicles are falsified; otherwise, determining that the data from the NOx sensors of the to-be-tested vehicles are not falsified.

With desired power performance and economy, diesel engines (diesels) have become one of the main power sources of commercial vehicles and off-road mobile machinery. However, diesel engines emit a lot of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matters (PM), hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO), which has caused great pollution to the atmospheric environment and posed a great threat to the health of residents.
In an engine bench test, test conditions and test qualifications are easy to control, and a desirable result repeatability can be achieved. However, it cannot reflect the emission characteristics of heavy vehicles while the heavy vehicles are running on a real road. In a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) test, the actual emission in a single-lane road can be accurately evaluated. However, the test cost is relatively high, and vehicles cannot be monitored in real time. By remote monitoring based on technologies such as on-board diagnostics (OBD), the running data of vehicles, diesel engines and exhaust aftertreatment systems can be acquired in real time, and fault codes are reported. Therefore, the remote monitoring based on OBD plays an important role in the supervision of emissions of diesel engines.
In the markets, there have been NOx sensors that only send data, that is, the NOx sensors only send data with low NOx emission to an electronic control unit (ECU), which provides an emission falsification function. As an OBD remote monitoring terminal is installed on a vehicle in use, a controller area network (CAN) bus data stream is requested or acquired through an OBD interface, and the OBD remote monitoring terminal will acquire this falsification data stream, thus uploading false NOx sensor data. On the other hand, NOx sensor data falsification can also be made by falsifying the terminal.

Method for determining NOx sensor data falsification based on remote emission monitoring