An apparatus for transmitting data from a mobile communication terminal includes an audio codec which converts a voice signal into digital voice data, a detection unit which detects a pause in the digital voice data, and a modulator/demodulator which modulates a signal with non-voice data, converts the modulated signal into an analog non-voice signal, and outputs the analog non-voice signal to the audio codec during the pause in the digital voice data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication terminal and, more particularly, to mobile communication terminal which is capable of transmitting and receiving non-voice data during a voice call.
2. Background of the Invention
Generally, a mobile communication terminal is a portable device which performs wireless communication. Wireless communication is typically performed by communicating with a base station in a service area, which is connected to a mobile switching center (MSC) that switches traffic. A conventional mobile communication terminal can perform voice communication, data communication (e.g., communication of symbols, numbers and characters) and/or multimedia communication (e.g., communication of images). Some recently developed mobile communication terminals include a camera, and have the capability of transmitting video in real time.
A conventional method of performing voice communication is described below.
The method begins by a mobile communication terminal receiving voice signals from a user through a microphone of the mobile communication terminal, and outputting the voice signals to an audio codec in the mobile communication terminal. Alternatively, previously stored voice signals may be outputted to the audio codec.
The audio codec then converts the voice signals to digital signals, codes the digital signals using pulse code modulation (PCM), and outputs the coded signals to a vocoder of a central processing unit (CPU) for processing. An output of the vocoder is then transmitted to a recipient mobile communication terminal.
When the recipient mobile communication terminal receives the transmission signals, they are processed by a vocoder of the recipient mobile communication terminal. The vocoder then outputs signals to an audio codec of the recipient mobile communication terminal.
The audio codec performs PCM decoding on the signals output by the vocoder, and converts the decoded signals into analog voice signals. The analog voice signals are then output through a speaker of the recipient mobile communication terminal.
One shortcoming of the conventional mobile communication terminal described above is that, during a voice call, the mobile communication terminal is not capable of transmitting or receiving data other than voice signals (such as, for example, image data or text data).

Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving data in a mobile communication terminal


The invention generally relates to the merchandising of death care products and death care related products, such as caskets, coffins, vaults, bronzes and other metallic adornments, personalized exteriors and interiors of caskets and coffins, urns, keepsakes and various printed materials, including, but not limited to, cards, such as sympathy cards, stationery, and other printed literature, including pamphlets, books, whether recorded on paper or in other formats, e.g., videotape or film, CD, DVD or other electronic media, etc. The invention also provides a method, apparatus and display fixtures to inform and educate patrons who are making arrangements in advance of actual need, as well as families and relatives of those who may be making arrangements for a recently deceased family member.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to the merchandising of death care products and death care related products, such as caskets, coffins, vaults, bronzes and other metallic adornments, personalized exteriors and interiors of caskets and coffins, urns, keepsakes and various printed materials, including, but not limited to, cards, such as sympathy cards, stationery, and other printed literature, including pamphlets, books, whether recorded on paper or in other formats, e.g., videotape or film, CD, DVD or other electronic media, etc. The invention also provides a method, apparatus and display fixtures to inform and educate patrons who are making arrangements in advance of actual need, as well as families and relatives of those who may be making arrangements for a recently deceased family member.
2. Background of the Invention
The conventional display of death care merchandise, such as coffins and caskets, historically has been to invite the customer into a room in which various full size caskets are gathered. The gathered caskets generally do not have any rationale to the arrangement of the caskets nor are they even oriented in a meaningful matter. Generally, both horizontal and vertically arranged caskets are gathered in a room or warehouse adjacent the funeral home. However, the space available at funeral homes or the need to visit a warehouse remote from the funeral home has meant that the selection of death care merchandise which is necessarily limited by the physical size of the available rooms or warehouse. On the other hand, another approach to merchandising coffins or caskets has been to provide an album or collection of photographic or pictorial representations of coffins and caskets, coupled with a limited number of samples on the premises of the funeral home. Neither of these prior art arrangements have been satisfactory for providing the quality and quantity of information necessary for the prospective purchaser of death care items, such as caskets and coffins, to make informed decisions.
In addition, the prior art manner of merchandising death care products, such as coffins and caskets, did not lead one to effectively merchandise related death care products, such as vaults, urns, bronzes and other metallic plaques, ornamentation, etc., paper products, such as sympathy cards, stationery, books and other printed literature, keepsakes, nor to provide a way to personalize the funeral service.
Thus, there remains a need for improving the merchandising of death care merchandise, such as coffins and caskets, as well as presenting those patrons with either immediate need or pre-need, information, education, and choices in purchasing death care products.
The present invention satisfies these and other needs, which can be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings and the following description.


A lighting device includes a device body attached to an installation surface, one or more surface light-emitting modules held in the device body, and a cover held in the device body in an opposing relationship with light-emitting surfaces of the surface light-emitting modules. Each of the surface light-emitting modules includes a light-emitting unit having a light-emitting body and a base unit fixed to the device body and configured to removably hold the light-emitting unit by an elastic force. At least portions of the cover facing the light-emitting surfaces of the surface light-emitting modules are made of a light-transmitting material. The cover is held in the device body by a force stronger than the elastic force.

In recent years, as an illumination-purpose light source, attention is paid to a surface light-emitting source using an organic EL (electroluminescence) element. For example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-243461 discloses a lighting device using an organic EL panel as a surface light-emitting source.
In the conventional example of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-243461, a surface light-emitting module having an organic EL panel and an accommodation portion for accommodating the surface light-emitting module with little clearance are arranged in a device body. A positive power-feeding terminal and a negative power-feeding terminal connected to an external power supply through an electric circuit are provided in two opposing sides of a bottom surface of the accommodation portion. Protrusions engageable with locking holes formed at the opposite ends of lateral surfaces of the surface light-emitting module are formed on two opposing inner surfaces of the accommodation portion. A hook-shaped locking piece capable of moving into and out of the accommodation portion is provided on one of the two opposing inner surfaces of the accommodation portion. The locking piece is normally biased by a spring in such a direction as to protrude from one inner surface of the accommodation portion. An operation piece for displacing the locking piece against the biasing force of the spring and retracting the locking piece inward of the inner surface of the accommodation portion is arranged around the accommodation portion.
Accordingly, if the protrusions arranged inside the accommodation portion come into engagement with the locking holes formed in the arbitrary corners of the surface light-emitting module, the surface light-emitting module is connected to the device body through the protrusions and can rotate about the protrusions as a rotation axis. Thereafter, if the surface light-emitting module is rotated toward the accommodation portion, the other surface of the surface light-emitting module makes contact with the locking piece. If the surface light-emitting module is further rotated toward the accommodation portion, the locking piece is pushed inward of the inner surface of the accommodation portion against the biasing force of the spring, whereby the surface light-emitting module is accommodated within the accommodation portion. A locking groove for receiving the locking piece is formed on each of the lateral surfaces of the surface light-emitting module. If the surface light-emitting module is accommodated within the accommodation portion in this manner, the locking piece normally biased by the spring protrudes again into the accommodation portion and comes into the locking groove. As a consequence, the surface light-emitting module is held by the protrusions at one side and by the locking piece at the other side, whereby the surface light-emitting module is fixed inside the accommodation portion.
When removing the surface light-emitting module from the device body, the operation piece is slid and the locking piece is retracted against the biasing force of the spring. Thus the surface light-emitting module is detached from the locking groove. In case where the device body is attached to a ceiling, the surface light-emitting module is rotated downward by the weight thereof. As a result, a gap is generated between the surface light-emitting module and the accommodation portion, whereby the surface light-emitting module can be removed from the device body.
In the conventional example of Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-243461, if a strong vibration is applied to the device body due to an earthquake or other causes, there is a possibility that the surface light-emitting module is moved against the biasing force of the spring and the locking piece is disengaged from the locking groove. In the event that the locking piece is disengaged from the locking groove, the surface light-emitting module may possibly be dropped from the accommodation portion of the device body.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A process for preparing a crystalline form of linezolid is provided comprising (a) providing a solution comprising linezolid in an organic solvent having a boiling point of less than or equal to about 150° C.; (b) adding an anti-solvent having a boiling point greater than or equal to about 50° C. to the solution; and (c) recovering the crystalline form of linezolid.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a process for preparing a crystalline form of (S)-N[[3-(3-fluoro-4-(4-morpholinyl)phenyl]-2-oxo-5-oxazolidinyl]methyl]acetamide.
2. Description of the Related Art
Linezolid, also known as (S)-N-[[3-[3-fluoro-4-(4-morpholinyl)phenyl]-2-oxo-5-oxazolidinyl]methyl]acetamide, can be represented by the structure of general Formula I.

Linezolid is a synthetic antibacterial agent of the oxazolidinone class. Linezolid has clinical utility in the treatment of infections caused by aerobic Gram-positive bacteria. The in vitro spectrum of activity of linezolid also includes certain Gram-negative bacteria and anaerobic bacteria. Linezolid inhibits bacterial protein synthesis through a mechanism of action different from that of other antibacterial agents, therefore, cross-resistance between linezolid and other classes of antibiotics is unlikely. Linezolid binds to a site on the bacterial 23S ribosomal RNA of the 50S subunit and prevents the formation of a functional 70S initiation complex, which is an essential component of the bacterial translation process. The results of time-kill studies have shown linezolid to be bacteriostatic against enterococci and staphylococci. For streptococci, linezolid was found to be bactericidal for the majority of strains. Linezolid is commercially sold under the trade name Zyvox®. See, e.g., The Merck Index, Thirteenth Edition, 2001, p. 986-87, monograph 5526; and Physician's Desk Reference, "Zyvox," 58th Edition, pp. 2808-2815 (2004).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,792 discloses linezolid and a process for its preparation.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,444,813 and 6,559,305 ("the '305 patent") disclose crystal Form II of linezolid. The '305 patent further discloses that crystal Form II of linezolid has a powder X-ray diffraction spectrum of characteristic peaks (expressed in degrees 2θ±0.2° θ) at 7.10, 9.54, 13.88, 14.23, 16.18, 16.79, 17.69, 19.41, 19.69, 19.93, 21.61, 22.39, 22.84, 23.52, 24.16, 25.28, 26.66, 27.01 and 27.77 and an infrared (IR) spectrum as a mineral oil mull: 3364, 1748, 1675, 1537, 1517, 1445, 1410, 1401, 1358, 1329, 1287, 1274, 1253, 1237, 1221, 1145, 1130, 1123, 1116, 1078, 1066, 1049, 907, 852 and 758 cm−1.
Polymorphism is the occurrence of different crystalline forms of a single compound and it is a property of some compounds and complexes. Thus, polymorphs are distinct solids sharing the same molecular formula, yet each polymorph may have distinct physical properties. Therefore, a single compound may give rise to a variety of polymorphic forms where each form has different and distinct physical properties, such as different solubility profiles, different melting point temperatures and/or different x-ray diffraction peaks. Since the solubility of each polymorph may vary, identifying the existence of pharmaceutical polymorphs is essential for providing pharmaceuticals with predicable solubility profiles. It is desirable to investigate all solid state forms of a drug, including all polymorphic forms, and to determine the stability, dissolution and flow properties of each polymorphic form. Polymorphic forms of a compound can be distinguished in a laboratory by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy and by other methods such as, infrared spectrometry. Additionally, polymorphic forms of the same drug substance or active pharmaceutical ingredient, can be administered by itself or formulated as a drug product (also known as the final or finished dosage form), and are well known in the pharmaceutical art to affect, for example, the solubility, stability, flowability, tractability and compressibility of drug substances and the safety and efficacy of drug products. Therefore, there is a continuing need for new crystalline forms and new processes of preparing crystalline forms.

Process for the preparation of a crystalline form of (S)-N [[3-(3-fluoro-4(4-morpholinyl) phenyl]-2-oxo-5-oxazolidinyl] methyl] acetamide


A semiconductor device includes an output path; an input path; and a test signal generating circuit. The test signal generating circuit generates an input test data signal by changing at least one of an amplitude and a phase of an output test data signal which is generated from a test data in the semiconductor device and transferred on the output path, and supplies the input test data signal onto the input path. The output path and the input path are tested by using the output test data signal and the input test data signal, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, and in particular, relates to a semiconductor device with a test circuit, and a test method of the semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a data transfer rate between semiconductor devices has been increased, and transmission at a high data rate of, for example, several Gbps (Gigabit per second) is realized. In general, serial transmission is used for high-speed transmission rather than parallel transmission, since skew adjustment between signals is difficult in the parallel transmission. Additionally, it is necessary to process reception data in parallel inside the semiconductor device. Therefore, a signal transmitting and receiving circuit is provided with a circuit that carries out serial-parallel conversion (to be referred to as "SerDes circuit", hereinafter). Such a SerDes circuit is provided with a serializer for converting a parallel data into a serial data, and a deserializer for converting the serial data into the parallel data.
The increase in the data transfer rate means that transmission and reception of a data signal can be carried out by using a clock signal with a higher frequency. At this time, degradation of the signal waveform of the data signal in the course of the transmission cannot be sometimes ignored. Therefore, it is necessary to previously test whether or not the SerDes circuit operates correctly even if the data signal with signal waveform degraded is supplied. For this purpose, the SerDes circuit is generally provided with a test signal generating circuit that outputs a test signal for testing a normal operation of the SerDes circuit. The test signal generating circuit conducts the test by receiving a test data signal transmitted from a transmitting circuit of the SerDes circuit and returning the test data signal to a receiving circuit without giving any change at all to the test data, as described in Japanese Laid Open Patent Application (JP-P2002-368827A). The SerDes circuit compares the test data signal outputted from the transmitting circuit and the returned test data signal, and determines whether a target circuit operates correctly.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a configuration of a conventional test signal generating circuit 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional test signal generating circuit 100 includes a differential amplifier circuit 101 having a first output node N201 and a second output node N202; a first capacitance 102; and a second capacitance 103. The first capacitance 102 is connected between a ground line VSS and the first output node N201. Similarly, the second capacitance 103 is connected between the ground line VSS and the second output node N202. The differential amplifier circuit 101 includes a differential transistor pair of a first transistor M201 and a second transistor M202; a constant current source M203 connected between the differential transistor pair and the ground line VSS; a first resistance R201; and a second resistance R202. The first resistance is connected between a power supply line VDD and the first node N201, and the second resistance R202 is connected between the power supply line VDD and the second output node N202.
With reference to FIG. 1, the test signal generating circuit 100 has a low-pass filter (an integrator circuit) of the first resistance R201 and the first capacitance 102, and a low-pass filter (integrator circuit) of the second resistance R202 and the second capacitance 103. Thus, the test signal generating circuit 100 receives, as a test signal, a first differential input Dmain+ supplied to the first transistor M201 and a second differential input Dmain− supplied to the second transistor M202 and outputs a first output signal Dout− and a second output signal Dout+.
In the conventional test signal generating circuit 100 shown in FIG. 1, the waveform of the test signal is degraded due to the low-pass filters or the integrator circuits. Thus, the test is accomplished to deal with a case where the waveform of a signal supplied from the outside of a chip is degraded. In this case, a waveform degradation rate at a frequency is determined based on the resistance and the capacitance in the low-pass filter (integrator circuit). However, there is a case where an actual signal waveform is not degraded in a constant rate. Thus, a technique is demanded that can carry out the test by optionally changing the signal waveform of the test signal.
Also, the resistance and the capacitance are independently affected by process variations. Therefore, the waveform degradation rate of the low-pass filter (integrator circuit) is also affected by the process variations. Consequently, the conventional test signal generating circuit 100 may generate a degradation signal different from a desired degradation signal. Thus, a technique is demanded that forms a test signal generating circuit less subject to the effect of the process variations in manufacturing the circuit.

Semiconductor device with test circuit and test method of the same


An impulse rotor generator is provided for generating power in response to a primary mud flow in a drill string. The generator comprises a power rotor, at least one stationary magnetic pickup, and a pickup coil mounted on the at least one stationary magnetic pickup. The power rotor is positioned at least in part in the primary mud flow and is rotatable in response to the primary mud flow, the power rotor having an axis of rotation that is transverse to said primary mud flow. The power rotor is provided with a plurality of magnets affixed thereto, the magnets being arranged so as to magnetically couple with the at least one stationary magnetic pickup. Upon rotation of the power rotor in response to the primary mud flow, a current is produced in the pickup coil mounted on the at least one stationary magnetic pickup.

Directional drilling has dramatically changed the landscape of large-scale drilling operations. In common practice today are both the Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) and Measurement-While-Drilling (MWD) configurations, each permitting enhanced control, monitoring and information collection with respect to the subject formation.
With LWD and MWD, a wide range of measurements of formation properties are made during the drilling operation. Examples of properties measured include, but are not limited to resistivity, porosity, sonic velocity, gamma ray levels, as well as pressure and temperature of the well bore. Moreover, MWD permits the measurement of well bore trajectory using a range of detectors such as accelerometers and magnetometers. With the use of telemetry technologies including mud pulse and electromagnetic (EM) telemetry, the data is sent back to the surface to the operators. With this information, the operator is able to accurately guide a drill string to a predetermined target.
Directional drilling provides many advantages over more conventional drilling methodologies. In particular, directional drilling provides a more environmentally conscience approach to drilling as it minimizes surface disruptions by requiring a much smaller footprint on a given drill site. So versatile is directional drilling that well sites can be located outside of an environmentally sensitive or protected area. Directional drilling also makes it possible to expand upon existing vertical wellbores by drilling laterally away to offset targets, thereby maximizing production from a single formation.
As can be appreciated, with the incorporation of electronics in the tool string, power supply issues plague the industry. Various solutions have been presented, with the more conventional approaches using surface-based wire-line electrical connections as well as the incorporation of batteries (i.e. lithium-thionylchloride) into the downhole tool-string. Each of these power supplies has its shortcomings, whether it is safety, stability, durability or overall cost.
Alternate power generation methodologies have been developed and implemented to varying degrees of success. In particular, a number of power generators have been developed which are based on harnessing the flow of drilling mud to rotate a downhole power generator. An example of this technology includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,839,508 and 6,672,409.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,508 pertains to an electrical generating apparatus which connects to the production tubing of a drilling operation. In a preferred embodiment, this apparatus includes a housing having a primary flow passageway in communication with the production tubing. The housing also includes a laterally displaced side passageway communicating with the primary flow passageway such that production fluid passes upwardly towards the surface through the primary and side passageways. A flow diverter may be positioned in the housing to divert a variable amount of production fluid from the production tubing and into the side passageway. An electrical generator is located at least partially in or along the side passageway. The electrical generator generates electricity through the interaction of the flowing production fluid.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,409, a generator assembly for generating power in the downhole end of a drill string is disclosed. The drill string provides a fluid passageway in which a downhole generator is positioned so as to subject a rotatable turbine to a pressurized fluid flowing in the fluid passageway, thereby imparting a mechanical rotation to the turbine. The turbine is coupled to a generator so that the mechanical rotation of the turbine is transferred to a power output of the generator.
In use, many of the prior art methodologies for generating power downhole are limited by various deficiencies and/or drawbacks. Problems encountered include, for example, safety issues, mechanical complexity and durability, as well as overall cost. As a result, there is an ongoing demand for alternatives to the aforementioned technologies that offer improved performance, greater reliability as well as reduced complexity and overall cost.


The present invention relates to compounds and derivatives thereof, their synthesis, and their use as estrogen receptor modulators. The compounds of the instant invention are ligands for estrogen receptors and as such may be useful for treatment or prevention of a variety of conditions related to estrogen functioning including: bone loss, bone fractures, osteoporosis, cartilage degeneration, endometriosis, uterine fibroid disease, hot flashes, increased levels of LDL cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, impairment of cognitive functioning, cerebral degenerative disorders, restenosis, gynecomastia, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, obesity, incontinence, and cancer, in particular of the breast, uterus and prostate.

Naturally occurring and synthetic estrogens have broad therapeutic utility, including: relief of menopausal symptoms, treatment of acne, treatment of dysmenorrhea and dysfunctional uterine bleeding, treatment of osteoporosis, treatment of hirsutism, treatment of prostatic cancer, treatment of hot flashes and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Because estrogen is very therapeutically valuable, there has been great interest in discovering compounds that mimic estrogen-like behavior in estrogen responsive tissues.
For example, estrogen-like compounds would be beneficial in the treatment and prevention of bone loss. Bone loss occurs in a wide range of subjects, including women that are post-menopausal or have had a hysterectomy, patients who were or are currently being treated with corticosteroids, and patients having gonadal dysgenesis. The current major bone diseases of public concern are osteoporosis, hypercalcemia of malignancy, osteopenia due to bone metastases, periodontal disease, hyperparathyroidism, periarticular erosions in rheumatoid arthritis, Paget's disease, immobilization-induced osteopenia, and glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. All of these conditions are characterized by bone loss, resulting from an imbalance between bone resorption, i.e. breakdown, and bone formation, which continues throughout life at the rate of about 14% per year on the average. However, the rate of bone turnover differs from site to site, for example, it is higher in the trabecular bone of the vertebrae and the alveolar bone in the jaws than in the cortices of the long bones. The potential for bone loss is directly related to turnover and can amount to over 5% per year in vertebrae immediately following menopause, a condition which leads to increased fracture risk.
In the U.S., there are currently about 20 million people with detectable fractures of the vertebrae due to osteoporosis. In addition, there are about 250,000 hip fractures per year attributed to osteoporosis. This clinical situation is associated with a 12% mortality rate within the first two years, while 30% of the patients require nursing home care after the fracture.
Osteoporosis affects approximately 20 to 25 million post-menopausal women in the U.S. alone. It has been theorized that the rapid loss of bone mass in these women is due to the cessation of estrogen production of the ovaries. Since studies have shown that estrogen slows the reduction of bone mass due to osteoporosis, estrogen replacement therapy is a recognized treatment for post-menopausal osteoporosis.
In addition to bone mass, estrogen appears to have an effect on the biosynthesis of cholesterol and cardiovascular health. Statistically, the rate of occurrence of cardiovascular disease is roughly equal in postmenopausal women and men; however, premenopausal women have a much lower incidence of cardiovascular disease than men. Because postmenopausal women are estrogen deficient, it is believed that estrogen plays a beneficial role in preventing cardiovascular disease. The mechanism is not well understood, but evidence indicates that estrogen can upregulate the low density lipid (LDL) cholesterol receptors in the liver to remove excess cholesterol.
Postmenopausal women given estrogen replacement therapy experience a return of lipid levels to concentrations comparable to levels associated with the premenopausal state. Thus, estrogen replacement therapy could be an effective treatment for such disease. However, the side effects associated with long term estrogen use limit the use of this alternative.
Other disease states that affect postmenopausal women include estrogen-dependent breast cancer and uterine cancer. Anti-estrogen compounds, such as tamoxifen, have commonly been used as chemotherapy to treat breast cancer patients. Tamoxifen, a dual antagonist and agonist of estrogen receptors, is beneficial in treating estrogen-dependent breast cancer. However, treatment with tamoxifen is less than ideal because tamoxifen's agonist behavior enhances its unwanted estrogenic side effects. For example, tamoxifen and other compounds that agonize estrogen receptors tend to increase cancer cell production in the uterus. A better therapy for such cancers would be an anti-estrogen compound that has negligible or nonexistent agonist properties.
Although estrogen can be beneficial for treating pathologies such as bone loss, increased lipid levels, and cancer, long-term estrogen therapy has been implicated in a variety of disorders, including an increase in the risk of uterine and endometrial cancers. These and other side effects of estrogen replacement therapy are not acceptable to many women, thus limiting its use.
Alternative regimens, such as a combined progestogen and estrogen dose, have been suggested in an attempt to lessen the risk of cancer. However, such regimens cause the patient to experience withdrawal bleeding, which is unacceptable to many older women. Furthermore, combining estrogen with progestogen reduces the beneficial cholesterol-lowering effect of estrogen therapy. In addition, the long term effects of progestogen treatment are unknown.
In addition to post-menopausal women, men suffering from prostatic cancer can also benefit from anti-estrogen compounds. Prostatic cancer is often endocrine-sensitive; androgen stimulation fosters tumor growth, while androgen suppression retards tumor growth. The administration of estrogen is helpful in the treatment and control of prostatic cancer because estrogen administration lowers the level of gonadotropin and, consequently, androgen levels.
The estrogen receptor has been found to have two forms: ERα and ERβ. Ligands bind differently to these two forms, and each form has a different tissue specificity to binding ligands. Thus, it is possible to have compounds that are selective for ERα or ERβ, and therefore confer a degree of tissue specificity to a particular ligand.
What is needed in the art are compounds that can produce the same positive responses as estrogen replacement therapy without the negative side effects. Also needed are estrogen-like compounds that exert selective effects on different tissues of the body. Specifically, what is needed are compounds that exhibit a potent, selective affinity for ERα, and act as antagonists on breast and uterine tissues and as agonists on bone and lipids.
The compounds of the instant invention are ligands for estrogen receptors and as such may be useful for treatment or prevention of a variety of conditions related to estrogen functioning including: bone loss, bone fractures, osteoporosis, glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis, Paget's disease, abnormally increased bone turnover, periodontal disease, tooth loss, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, periprosthetic osteolysis, osteogenesis imperfecta, metastatic bone disease, hypercalcemia of malignancy, and multiple myeloma, cartilage degeneration, endometriosis, uterine fibroid disease, cancer of the breast, uterus or prostate, hot flashes, cardiovascular disease, impairment of cognitive function, cerebral degenerative disorders, restenosis, gynecomastia, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, obesity and incontinence.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An interchangeable lens type digital camera includes a camera main body and an interchangeable lens. The camera main body includes a control section which communicates with an interchangeable lens, and controls focus adjustment of the interchangeable lens by a hill-climbing AF system. A judgment section judges a characteristic of the interchangeable lens on the basis of communication between the interchangeable lens and the control section. The interchangeable lens includes a focus lens for performing focus adjustment. A focus lens drive section drives the focus lens. A lens control section communicates with the control section, and controls the focus lens drive section to perform focus adjustment. The control section changes a previously determined drive enabled range of the focus lens on the basis of a judgment result of the judgment section to perform focus adjustment of the interchangeable lens.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an interchangeable lens type digital camera, and more particularly, to an interchangeable lens type digital camera provided with an automatic focusing control device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, as an autofocus (AF) mechanism of an AF single-lens reflex camera of an interchangeable lens type which uses a silver halide film or is of a digital type, a through-the-lens (TTL) phase difference AF mechanism is used in many cases. In the TTL phase difference AF system, a defocus detection mechanism for AF is provided in the camera main body. Further, a focus lens in the interchangeable lens is driven by a motor inside the lens or inside the camera on the basis of a defocus amount detected by the defocus detection mechanism, whereby a focusing control operation is performed. Further, in a compact digital camera, video camera, and the like, so-called hill-climbing AF for performing contrast detection by using high-frequency components of a signal of an image pickup device is often employed. The TTL phase difference AF and the hill-climbing AF have their own characteristics; for example, the TTL phase difference AF is characterized by its higher speed, and the hill-climbing AF is characterized by its higher accuracy. Thus, the TTL phase difference AF and the hill-climbing AF are used for their appropriate purposes.
As a technique associated with AF in which the TTL phase difference AF and the hill-climbing AF are combined with each other, in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-43605, a technique for performing focusing control by combining the hill-climbing AF and the TTL phase difference AF with each other is disclosed. That is, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 7-43605, coarse focusing control is performed by using the phase difference AF, and thereafter fine focusing control is performed by using the hill-climbing AF. Further, in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2006-23653, it is disclosed that a drive control sequence, more specifically, drive direction or the like of a focus lens is changed depending on whether the in-focus position detected by the TTL phase difference AF is within a scan drive range of the hill-climbing AF or out of the scan drive range of the hill-climbing AF.

Interchangeable lens type digital camera


A computer readable medium is provided embodying instructions executable by a processor to perform a method for sparse volume segmentation for 3D scan of a target. The method including learning prior knowledge, providing volume data comprising the target, selecting a plurality of key contours of the image of the target, building a 3D spare model of the image of the target given the plurality of key contours, segmenting the image of the target given the 3D sparse model, and outputting a segmentation of the image of the target.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to image segmentation, and more particularly to a system and method for sparse volume segmentation for 3D scans.
2. Discussion of Related Art
As the scanners resolution gets better and better, the slice thickness gets thinner and thinner, and the number of slices for a given organ increases. Therefore, it takes longer and longer to process the data. If this trend goes on, computers capacity (memory+CPU) will not be sufficient to process the whole data, no matter how powerful the segmentation method is.
Therefore; a need exists for sparse volume segmentation for 3D scans.


A package substrate of the present invention at least comprises a metal substrate and a plurality of light emitting dies. The metal substrate is provided thereon with at least one trench. The trench is recessed into the surface of the metal substrate through an insulating layer. The light emitting dies are secured in the trench and electrically connected to a predetermined wiring layer on the metal substrate by metal wires, thereby obtaining a light emitting die package substrate with good thermal conductivity, high heat dissipation, separate electrical and thermal paths and a simple and firm structure.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in a package substrate, and more particularly to a light emitting die package substrate with good thermal conductivity, high heat dissipation, separate electrical and thermal paths and a simple and firm structure, and to an improvement in a package substrate in which the light from the light emitting dies can be reflected by a polished reflective layer to enhance the light availability.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
A chip on board (COB) package for packaging typical dies is a type of integrated circuit package, in which bare dies are directly attached to and packaged on a printed circuit board, or a copper substrate or an aluminum substrate. The combination of three basic manufacturing processes: die attaching, wire connecting and encapsulating can effectively transfer the packaging and testing steps during an IC manufacturing process direct to a circuit board assembly stage. This packaging technology is actually a miniature surface mounting technology.
Metal wires are used to connect the contacts of the dies to the contacts of a circuit board or a substrate to form the electrical connection. The encapsulation technologies are applied to cover the exterior thereof.
For this reason, this chip on board packaging technology has been applied to various consumer electronics, such as multifunction business machines, mobile phones, digital cameras and computers. This is also an important manufacturing process to make various consumer electronics toward miniaturization and multifunctionalization. In particular, a light emitting chip is taken as an example of a chip on board package structure of typical dies. As shown in FIG. 1, there is a cross-sectional side view of the prior art. It is apparent from the figure that in a traditional package structure, light emitting dies 11 are directly positioned on a substrate 12 (for example, a copper substrate, an aluminum substrate or another metal substrate, etc.), and an insulator 13 is applied on the substrate 12. In doing so, conductive segments 14 can be arranged on the insulator 13 of the substrate 12, and wires 15 are electrically connected from the contacts of the light emitting dies 11 to the conductive segments 14 on the insulator 13 by wire bonding. Subsequently, the above light emitting dies 11 and conductive segments 14 are encapsulated to form a chip on board package structure of light emitting dies.
However, such structure still has the drawback of high heat resistance. With increase in the performance of the light emitting dies 11, relatively, they generate heat increasingly. If there is no good way for dissipating the heat generated by and accumulated in the light emitting dies 11, the excessive temperature will lead to electronic ionization and thermal stress in the light emitting dies 11, thus reducing the overall stability and shortening the life of the light emitting dies 11 themselves. Therefore, in order to dissipate the heat to prevent the light emitting dies 11 from overheating, there is proposed a design of the following structure. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there is a cross-sectional side view of another light emitting die package of the prior art. A circuit board 21 in which a metal sheet 22 is embedded as a structure for attaching dies, wire bonding and packaging, comprises a circuit board 21, a metal sheet 22 and light emitting dies 23. The circuit board 21 is provided with corresponding tapered open holes 211, and soldering points 212 are disposed on the surface of the circuit board 21 beside the corresponding holes 211. The soldering points 212 and the circuit board 21 are designed as an electrically connected circuit. The metallic trenches 221 formed by processing the metal sheet 22 are embedded in the corresponding holes 211 of the circuit board 21. The bottom of the metallic trench 221 protrudes from the corresponding hole 211 of the circuit board. The top edge of the metallic trench 221 is provided with openings 222 corresponding to the positions of the soldering points 212 of the circuit board 21 to allow the soldering points 212 to be exposed to air. The light emitting die 23 is attached into the metallic trench 221 followed by wire bonding to electrically connect the light emitting die 23 with the soldering points 212. Finally, the light emitting die 23 and the wires 24 are encapsulated in the metallic trench 221 to complete the light emitting die packaging process.
Nevertheless, there are still many shortcomings in the above light emitting die package structure during use, such as high material cost, difficulty in processing and low yield of final products due to complexity of manufacture and the like.

Package substrate and light emitting device using the same


Systems and methods provide automatic assignment of control of a plurality of hydraulic circuits of an associated work vehicle to a plurality of operation systems of an implement. A hydraulic circuit assignment control unit includes a processor, a memory device, logic stored in the memory device, and a communication circuit operatively coupled with the processor. The processor executes the logic to associate an activation of a first hydraulic circuit of the plurality of hydraulic circuits of the associated work vehicle with a physical exercise of an operation system of the plurality of operation systems of the associated implement, and generates pairing assignment data representative of the association of the activated first hydraulic circuit with the physical exercise of the operation system of the implement. The logic generates directionality confirmation and calibration data that is communicated to the plurality of operation systems with the pairing assignment data.

Agricultural tractors are used in combination with a wide variety of implements which may be towed, pushed or carried by the tractor. For example, a tractor/bailer combination is used in agriculture to take up crop lying or standing on a field and to press and bind it into a bale. A tractor/sprayer combination is used in agriculture to deposit a chemical such as a fertilizer onto the crops as the tractor tows the sprayer through the field and, similarly, a tractor/planter combination is used in agriculture to deposit seeds into the soil as the tractor tows the seeder through the field. There are many other types of implements that may perform a countless variety of operations.
It is known to use tractor power to drive hydraulic circuits that may be used locally at the tractor such as for tractor power steering for example, and that may also be used to perform various operations that may be executed by apparatus and systems provided on the different implements such as by for example connecting the tractor hydraulic circuits to hydraulic circuits on the different implements using hoses, couplers, and the like. In that way, for example, hydraulic cylinders or other hydraulically-driven mechanisms on many different types of implements may be driven by the hydraulic power generating components of the tractor. It is known to separately couple each of the hydraulic cylinders or other hydraulically-driven mechanisms that may be provided on the implements with the source of hydraulic power on the tractor using a conventional electro-hydraulic (EH) selective control valve (SCV). For convenience and safety, typical modern tractor work vehicles have a bank of SCVs arranged in an SCV "stack" for convenient coupling by an operator of multiple hydraulic hoses of an implement to the SCV stack. Once properly connected, the hydraulic cylinders or other hydraulically-driven mechanisms provided on the implements may be powered by the hydraulic drive circuits of the tractor via SCV pairs wherein each SCV pair includes for example a hydraulic supply coupling on the work vehicle for porting pressurized hydraulic fluid from the work vehicle to the implement, as well as a corresponding hydraulic return coupling on the implement for returning the hydraulic fluid from the implement back to the work vehicle.
It is also known to provide work vehicles and implements with communication networks for communication of command and control information and signals between various electronic control and monitoring systems of the tractor/implement combination. For example, a fan speed on an air seeder implement may be controlled by an operation control unit on the air seeder. The air seeder operation control unit may send a command via the communication network to a control unit in the tractor for the tractor hydraulic power circuits to supply, via an appropriately selected SVC pair, a specified volume rate of flow of hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic mechanism on the implement driving the air seeder fan. Similarly, a burrowing tool on the air seeder implement may be controlled by a further operation control unit on the air seeder by sending a further command via the communication network to the control unit in the tractor to supply, via a further different appropriately selected SVC pair, a specified volume rate of flow of hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic cylinder driving the burrowing tool.
One such communication network for communication of command and control information and signals between various electronic control and monitoring systems of the tractor/implement combination that has met with success in agriculture and many other applications is the Controller Area Network (CAN). CAN is a serial bus network of microcontrollers that connects devices, sensors and actuators in a system or sub-system for real-time control applications. An advantage of CAN is that it allows microcontrollers and devices executing applications to communicate with each other without the need for a host computer.
Equipment operators having a tractor and only a single implement may set up the tractor/implement combination to operate using the CAN bus or other network to configure one or more power delivery control units in the tractor executing tractor control application software ("Tractor Apps."), and to configure one or more operational control units in the implement executing implement control application software ("Implement Apps."). The Tractor Apps. may be used for example by the operator using a human interface in the cab of the tractor work vehicle for example to manually configure a SCV connection mapping between particular hydraulic power circuits or sub-circuits on the tractor and particular operations on the implement, and also to manually set up various calibration parameter settings of the hydraulic power units such as to specify a desired flow in gal./min. of hydraulic flow fora selected SCV pair for delivering power to a selected operation. Similarly, the Implement Apps. may be used by the operator using the human interface in the cab of the tractor work vehicle for example to manually set various parameters relative to the operational units or systems on the implement to make adjustments in order to set up the systems for a desired result such as, for example, to set a desired fan speed, a seed depth, a time to fold/unfold or extend/retract, or the like.
However, equipment operators such as farmers often have a wide range of different implements that they would like to be able to use with their typically limited set of tractors. This being the case, it is important for the operator to remember and replicate the tractor-implement SCV connection configuration each time the implements are changed and for each tractor/implement combination so that the Tractor and Implement Apps. match the actual SCV connection scheme.
However, manually setting up configuration and calibration functions in Tractor/Implement Apps. is time consuming. In addition an incorrect SCV configuration and/or calibration may result in an undesirable performance result or worse, it may result in unintentional motion or damage to the implement.
Given the above, therefore, it is desirable to provide systems and methods for automatic configuration detection of hydraulic circuits of a work vehicle for assignment of the control of hydraulic circuits of the work vehicle to operational control units of an implement.
It is also desirable to provide systems and methods providing automatic hydraulic circuit directionality confirmation, and directionality correction if necessary, to reverse the logic of one or more of an SCV coupler bank, the Tractor App. and/or the Implement App. to match the physical coupling arrangement with the control application logic so that the portions of the implement may be operated in the direction as intended by the operator.
It is also desirable to provide systems and methods for an automatic calibration of the hydraulic circuits once detected and assigned, and corrected for directionality if necessary, so that the operational control units of the implement may be used with high efficiency at nominal settings and to also automatically provide scaling parameters for operation at other sub/supra nominal control settings.
Overall therefore it is desirable to provide fully automated systems and methods for automatic selective control valve (SVC) configuration detection, assignment of operations to the circuits, circuit directionality confirmation and/or correction, and operation calibration in implements towable by work vehicles.

Automatic selective control valve (SVC) configuration detection, and operation assignment, directionality confirmation, and calibration for towable implements towable by work vehicles


The invention provides a communication apparatus and method capable of carrying out communication at a low consumed electric power without setting a base station when communication is carried out between a plurality of communication terminals capable of carrying out wireless communication. The communication apparatus 11 transmits a beacon from a transmission function circuit 22 every time the beacon transmission request is generated. A data receivable period is provided after the beacon is transmitted. After the lapse of the receivable period, the supply of the electric power to the transmission and reception processing device 12 is suspended with the power source control circuit 27 to provide a sleep time. The data can be exchanged with reliability without setting the base station by means of a beacon. Addition, the supply of electric power is suspended so that the consumed electric power can be eliminated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable type wireless communication apparatus and a wireless communication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, with portable terminals or information apparatuses represented by so-called electronic notebooks, and notebook type personal computers, information is exchanged between apparatuses in such a manner that the information is obtained from a different apparatus or the information is transmitted to a different apparatus. In portable terminals, data such as sounds and images are converted into digital signals for communication.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-241997 discloses one of the data communication methods adopted between apparatuses. With automatic data receivers shown as a prior art, a minimum amount of electric power which allows a data receipt part thereof to receive the data for reducing the consumed electric power at the time of waiting for communication, and the received data are stored in a buffer without operating a central processing unit (CPU) installed inside when the receipt of the data is detected.
It is necessary to suppress the consumed electric power of portable terminals because such terminals are generally driven by a small-size and light-weight battery device so that such terminals are portable. However, automatic data receivers are far from being sufficient in terms of a low consumption of the electric power because the electric power is constantly supplied to the data receipt part thereof. Consequently portable terminals use a communication apparatus which performs an intermittently receiving operation in communication, thereby suspending the operation of circuits except for the required time with the result that the consumed electric power is suppressed.
In communication between two or more wireless communication apparatuses of the prior art which carry out an intermittently receiving operation, a wireless communication apparatus is assumed which serves as a base station for controlling intensively a timing of outputting signals between the communication apparatuses. Moving stations which are none other than wireless communication apparatuses which do not serve as base stations are synchronized on the basis of a signal transmitted from the wireless communication apparatus serving as the base station, and a time when information can be received is determined using a timer incorporated in the moving stations. In moving stations, receipt circuits are operated only during the data receivable period so that the data receipt process is carried out every time each moving station detects the data that should be received. Except for the data receivable period, the operations of the receipt circuits are suspended in an attempt to reduce the consumed electric power.
Methods for communicating the data intermittently by setting a base station include base-station-controlled methods by which the data are communicated on the basis of signals transmitted from the base station and moving-station-controlled methods by which the data are communicated on the basis of signals transmitted from the moving stations.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-252093 (1993) discloses one of the base-station-controlled communication methods. In the prior art described above, a timer provided on the moving station is operated with a synchronous signal transmitted from the base station which is set in a state of being capable of communicating with all the stations. When each of the moving stations cannot receive the synchronous signal, the receipt circuit is operated until the synchronous signal is detected. Upon the receipt of the synchronous signal, each of the moving stations renews the timer on the basis of the synchronous signal. Consequently, the communication is controlled under the guidance of the base station.
Each of the following patent publications discloses a technique for wireless data communication between moving stations and base station which can communicate with all the stations in the same manner as the prior art described above. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-207020 discloses a technique in which after the base station is determined, the moving stations synchronize frames with a signal transmitted from the base station to receive the data under a guidance of the base station. In time division multiplexing communication, each of the moving stations is set in the sleep state during a time except for slots used for the communication.
Furthermore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-327586 discloses a technique in which an intermittent receipt period is prolonged and the receipt frequency is reduced because it is assumed that the frequency of detecting signals will increase in the case where intermittently receiving stations which are none other than the moving stations and detect the quality of channels judge that the channels are sufficiently high in quality. In the same technique, the intermittent receipt period is shortened when the channels are not favorable in quality.
Furthermore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-75523 discloses a technique in which the moving stations synchronize frames with a signal transmitted from the base station to carry out a receipt process under the control of the base station. A concept of a super-frame is introduced so that a plurality of frames comprising time slots of a plurality of moving stations are integrated so that each of the moving stations are suspended during a time except for the slots used for communication at its own station. Still furthermore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 5-183487 discloses a technique in which the receipt period is shortened when a call receipt process or a call receipt failure is generated. Consequently, the period for receiving the data intermittently is dynamically changed in accordance with the amount of communication.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 62-26940 discloses one example of the moving-station-controlled communication method. In the communication method disclosed in JP-A 62-26940, when the receipt operation is initiated at power-on or by the registration of an identification number, a signal which requests the base stations which are in a state of being capable of communicating with all the stations, to establish synchronization with other stations is sent. On the other hand, along with transmission of the signal, the receipt period setting timer incorporated in the moving stations is reset. The moving stations are set in a state of being capable of receiving information on the basis of the timer for setting the receipt period. On the basis of a signal requesting the establishment of synchronization from the moving stations, the base station resets the receipt period control timer which corresponds to the moving station. The base station transmits the data to the moving stations in accordance with the receipt period control timer.
In the prior art in which the data are communicated intermittently by setting the base station described above, all the stations which attempt to establish communication adopt an intensive control in which such stations are synchronized with the base station via a signal transmitted from the base station. Consequently, one or more base stations must exist in the constituent devices of the communication system which comprises the base station and moving stations. When the communication system does not include a dedicated base station and comprises only moving stations, any of the moving stations must be set as a base station.
When it is determined that an operator determines which of the moving stations serve as the base station, the convenience of communication apparatuses will be unfavorable. Consequently, it is required to negotiate between respective communication apparatuses to determine which of the moving stations serves as the base station. When the negotiating function described above is incorporated in communication apparatuses, the structure will be complicated and the manufacturing cost thereof will rise. In addition, a transmission and reception process for carrying out the negotiation will be required so that the consumed electric power will rise.
FIG. 22 is a view showing a relation between respective communication apparatuses in the case where the data are communicated intermittently by setting the base station. FIG. 23 is a view showing a receipt pattern at each of the communication apparatuses. In FIG. 22, stations Z1, Z2, Z3 and Z4 which are communication apparatuses exist and stations Z1 and Z2, stations Z2 and Z3, and stations Z3 and Z4 are set in a position so that each of the pair of stations can communicate with each other. In addition, pairs of stations, for example, stations Z1 and Z3 except for the pairs described above are set in a position of being incapable of communicating with each other. In the prior art in which the base station is determined, stations which are capable of communicating with the base station do not serve as a base station. When each of the communication apparatuses is set in a relation shown in FIG. 22, any of the pairs of stations Z1 and Z3, stations Z2 and Z4, stations Z1 and Z4 is set as a base station.
For example, when a station Z1 and a station Z3 are set as the base stations, a station Z4 will be capable of communicating with the station Z3. In addition, although the station Z2 is capable of communicating with the station Z1 and the station Z3, a receipt pattern is set so that the station Z2 is capable of communicating with either of the two stations Z1 or Z3. When it is determined that the station Z2 is capable of communicating with the station Z1, the station Z2 synchronizes with the station Z1 which is the base station so that the station Z2 is capable of communicating with the station Z1. However, the station Z2 does not synchronize with the station Z3 so that the station Z2 is incapable of communicating with the station Z3. When the receipt patterns of the two stations do not agree with each other, the data receivable period of the two stations will be deviated from each other so that no communication is established even when the two stations are positioned at a place where the communication is possible.

Battery saving synchronization method in a communcation apparatus


An air bag system for protecting an occupant in a motor vehicle against injuries resulting from a crash. The system is distinguished by an air bag with releasable partitioning, preferably breakaway stitching, that provides a variable-size inflatable volume and by a means to control the level of inflation. These features allow the present invention to provide optimum protection regardless of whether the occupant is restrained by a seat belt and regardless of whether the crash speed at impact is moderate or severe. The air bag of the invention accommodates the occupant who is wearing a seat belt restraint by inflating to a relatively small inflated volume with a varying internal pressure depending on the crash speed. It accommodates the occupant who is not belted and is in a vehicle traveling 21 mph or faster at the moment of impact by inflating to a larger inflated volume. Thus, the invention provides protection that is appropriate to and optimal for specific crash conditions. The releasable partitioning also helps control the forcefulness, or aggressivity, of the deployment. Additionally, the design minimizes rebound energy imparted to the occupant by the selection of air bag size and fill. Further, the present invention, in most crash scenarios, provides an unvented air bag which eliminates problems associated with venting inflation gas into the occupant compartment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag system that protects an occupant of a motor vehicle in the event of a crash. More particularly, it relates to an air bag system that provides a variable-size inflatable volume and a variable-output gas supply to produce optimal protection for the occupant regardless of whether he/she is wearing a seat belt and regardless of whether the crash speed is moderate or high.
2. Background of the Invention
U.S. Federal Government safety regulations (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208) require that motor vehicle air bags protect unbelted front seat occupants in frontal barrier crashes where the vehicle is traveling at 30 mph at impact. In order to do so, air bags must be relatively large, hard, and inflate rapidly. Collectively these characteristics describe an air bag that is referred to herein as an aggressive air bag. Although required by U.S. law, on some occasions, aggressive air bags can cause serious or even fatal injuries.
This is all the more unfortunate because the U.S. government's own National Accident Statistic Study (NASS) shows that 98 percent of accidents causing air bag deployment occur at crash speeds at 30 mph or below. (NASS is an ongoing statistical study of vehicle accidents conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation.) Furthermore, the study shows 80 percent of air bag deployments occur below 20 mph. In addition, it points out that approximately 75 percent of front seat occupants now wear seat belts. Thus, only 0.5%, of the population (assuming that only 25% of the crash victims for accidents occurring at crash speeds of 30 mph are not wearing seat belts) actually need an air bag that complies with the current government standard. Everyone else is being subjected unnecessarily to an aggressive air bag deployment.
The air bag system that is installed in most of the vehicles currently sold in the United States does not distinguish between, or accommodate, the different protection needs of the occupant who is wearing a seat belt and one who is not. Instead, because of government safety standards, it is constructed purposefully to protect the unrestrained occupant in a severe crash from hitting the car interior by aggressively deploying a large air bag at a high inflation rate.
An aggressive air bag can protect the occupant from hitting a structural part of the vehicle's interior. However, to do so he/she will very likely be struck by the air bag, and the potential for abrasions or more serious injuries is high. If restrained with a seat belt, the occupant is less at risk but often is still forcibly struck by the deploying bag. If unrestrained, the occupant travels faster and more forward before being struck by the deploying bag and experiences even greater harmful effects of deployment forces.
Various means have been devised to attempt to overcome the potential hazards associated with the use of large, high aggressivity air bags. Some of these devices are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,056 discloses an air bag with a belt-like restraining member that limits the extent of deployment When the occupant impacts the air bag, the restraining member breaks, which reduces the bag's air pressure and the rebounding force imparted to the occupant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,726 discloses an air bag with a seam that opens when the occupant hits the air bag, thus lowering bag pressure and rebounding force.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,283 discloses an air bag with attached auxiliary bags which inflate with gas that is forced into them from the primary bag when the occupant strikes the primary bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,646 discloses an air bag with a valve that controls inflation of two internal chambers. The chambers communicate via two openings. The first is always open and permits immediate flow of inflation gas from the first chamber, which is coupled to the inflator, to the second chamber, which is nearer the occupant. The other opening has a mesh covering and is normally closed by a flap that is also attached to the occupant-contacting wall. As the second chamber expands via inflation through the first opening, the occupant-contacting wall moves toward the occupant. When this wall reaches a predetermined expansion, the wall pulls the valve flap open and exposes the second opening. The air bag continues to inflate to its final volume; that is, to the extent the occupant-contacting wall can move toward the occupant.
All of the above patents relate to air bags that can significantly change volume upon occupant loading but which have a fixed-volume gas generator supply. Because of their fixed-volume gas supply, these air bags can either adequately inflate the first volume or the bag's largest volume, but not both. If the gas in an air bag of this type of system adequately inflates the first volume and, upon occupant loading, presents a larger volume, the air bag will behave as if the first volume ruptured which would leave the occupant effectively unrestrained. Hence an air bag system constructed in this manner could only open in such a way that the gas would vent into the larger volume upon occupant impact at a rate equivalent to that of typical vented air bag designs in order to be an effective restraint. To be effective, a single gas generator air bag system can have only a single-volume air bag. Of course, if small changes in volume were allowed, a single gas generator could be used, but these small changes could never be used to accommodate differences in the effect of occupant loading that occur in belted versus unbelted occupant or moderate-speed crash versus high-speed crash situations. The above-cited patents pertain to what are hereinafter referred to as variable-volume, fixed-inflation designs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,583 discloses a passenger-side air bag system including a seating condition sensor that detects the temperature of the passenger compartment and seating condition of a passenger with respect to seat position, reclining angle, passenger size, passenger posture, and seat belt usage. In accordance with the sensed seating condition, a control unit determines the timing of the inflation, gas pressure in the air bag, quantity of gas in the air bag, and the position of the air bag in relation to the occupant. This system has the drawbacks of being an extraordinarily heavy, complex, and costly system.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,289 discloses an air bag system with a multiple-level gas generation source that inflates the air bag with a selected level of gas. The gas level and inflation sequence times are controlled by an electronic control unit which is responsive to attached temperature, seat belt, and acceleration sensors.
The two patented systems cited immediately above provide varying gas generator output; however, there is no provision for varying air bag volume. Although they provide some adjustment in aggressivity, they are not designed to cover vast differences in required protection as occur, for instance, with a 12 mph crash speed with belted occupant versus a 30 mph crash speed with unbelted occupant. The above-cited patents pertain to what are hereinafter referred to as fixed-volume, variable-inflation designs.
In summary, all of the above-cited inventions attempt to address the problems associated with the large, high aggressivity air bag by varying degrees and means. However, an air bag system is needed that fully addresses those problems and provides optimum protection regardless of whether the occupant is wearing a seat belt and whether the crash speed is moderate or severe. Further, the needs should be met with an air bag system that is simple in construction, economical to install, and compatible with existing equipment.

Low aggressivity variable-volume variable-inflation air bag system


A method of monitoring an exhaust gas sensor coupled in an engine exhaust in an engine is provided. The method includes adjusting engine operation responsive to exhaust gas sensor degradation, the degradation identified during deceleration fuel shut-off (DFSO) and compensated based on whether vapor purge operation is occurring in the engine during DFSO.

An exhaust gas sensor may be positioned in an exhaust system of a vehicle to detect an air/fuel ratio of exhaust gas exhausted from an internal combustion engine of the vehicle. The exhaust gas sensor readings may be used to control operation of the internal combustion engine to propel the vehicle.
Degradation of an exhaust gas sensor may cause engine control degradation that may result in increased emissions and/or reduced vehicle drivability. In particular, an exhaust gas sensor may exhibit six discrete types of degradation behavior. The degradation behavior types may be categorized as asymmetric type degradation (e.g., rich-to-lean asymmetric delay, lean-to-rich asymmetric delay, etc.) that affects only lean-to-rich or rich-to-lean exhaust gas sensor response rates, or symmetric type degradation (e.g., symmetric delay) that affects both lean-to-rich and rich-to-lean exhaust gas sensor response rates. The delay type degradation behaviors may be associated with the initial reaction of the exhaust gas sensor to a change in exhaust gas composition.
Previous approaches to monitoring exhaust gas sensor degradation, particularly identifying one or more of the six degradation behaviors, have relied on intrusive data collection. That is, an engine may be purposely operated with one or more rich-to-lean or lean-to-rich transitions to monitor exhaust gas sensor response. Attempts have also been made to monitor exhaust gas sensor degradation during a deceleration fuel shut-off (DFSO) transition to perform an unobtrusive diagnostic operation. However, vapor purge operation may negatively affect exhaust gas degradation monitoring during DFSO. For example, if vapor purging operation is implemented in the engine during sensor monitoring, the exhaust gas sensor may be incorrectly diagnosed. For instance, an indication of sensor degradation may be provided when the sensor is properly functioning or vice-versa. Other attempts have been made to inhibit this incorrect diagnosis simply by inhibiting sensor diagnostics when fuel vapor purge operation is occurring. However, this may limit window for sensor diagnostics and as a result decrease the number diagnostic operations performed. Consequently, combustion operation may be degraded when a degraded sensor is not diagnosed in a desired time period.
The Inventors herein have recognized the above issues and identified a non-intrusive approach for exhaust gas sensor diagnostics that may be performed during vapor purge operation. In one embodiment, a method of monitoring an exhaust gas sensor coupled in an engine exhaust in an engine is provided. The method includes adjusting engine operation responsive to exhaust gas sensor degradation, the degradation identified during deceleration fuel shut-off (DFSO) and compensated based on whether vapor purge operation is occurring in the engine during DFSO.
Adjusting engine operation based exhaust gas sensor degradation and compensating the degradation based on vapor purge operation decreases the likelihood of sensor misdiagnosis, thereby increasing the confidence of the sensor diagnostic method. Additionally, correcting sensor diagnostics for purge operation enables sensor diagnostics to be performed over a wider range of engine operating conditions. As a result, periods of sensor malfunction without degradation identification are reduced. Additionally, by determining degradation of an exhaust gas sensor using a non-intrusive approach with data collected during DFSO, exhaust gas sensor degradation monitoring may be performed in a simple manner.
In one example, the exhaust gas sensor degradation may be based on a line length and a time delay of a set of exhaust gas sensor response samples collected during DFSO. The exhaust gas sensor time delay and line length may provide a robust signal that has less noise and higher fidelity than previous approaches. In doing so, the accuracy of the sensor degradation determination may be improved.
In a further example, adjusting engine operation responsive to exhaust gas sensor degradation may include adjusting an amount of fuel injection and/or timing of fuel injection in response to exhaust gas sensor degradation. In this way, the combustion operation may be adjusted to account for sensor malfunction to improve combustion operation and decrease emissions.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure. Additionally, the above issues have been recognized by the inventors herein, and are not admitted to be known.

Non-intrusive exhaust gas sensor monitoring based on fuel vapor purge operation


An aesthetically pleasing and disposable tissue roll dispenser is disclosed. The tissue roll dispenser may be made from, for instance, a lightweight paperboard and may contain various design elements on the exterior surface. The tissue roll dispenser may contain at least one vertically stacked column of tissue rolls that are gravity fed through the dispenser. For instance, the dispenser may include an opening towards the base of the dispenser for dispensing the tissue rolls. In one embodiment, the opening may be covered by a plastic film that defines a slit. The slit may have a size sufficient to allow the tissue rolls to be dispensed therethrough. The plastic film may be used to protect the tissue rolls from dust, dirt and wetness.

Disposable sheet style dispensers are well known in the art for dispensing individual folded sheet products such as facial tissues, handsheets, wet wipes, and the like. In general, disposable sheet dispensers typically include a container and a stack or clip of pre-folded, interfolded sheets disposed within the container. The dispensers may be made from various materials. For instance, disposable dispensers are typically made from paperboard, a plastic film or a rigid plastic material. Many containers are decorated with various artwork so that the containers can be openly displayed at home, at the office, in one's car, or at any other desirable location.
Although disposable dispensers are common with respect to stacked facial tissue products, rolled products such as bath tissue rolls, on the other hand, are typically dispensed one at a time from more permanent structures, such as mounted spindles. Spare bath tissue rolls are typically stored out of view, such as being tucked away under counters or in linen closets due to an unaesthetically appealing presentation. When the roll of bath tissue mounted on the spindle runs out, however, consumers are often left stranded without a backup roll readily available.
In view of the above, a need currently exists for a bath tissue roll dispenser. In particular, a need exists for a dispenser for spare rolls of bath tissue that provides easy access to bath tissue rolls in an aesthetically pleasing manner. A need also exists for a bathroom roll dispenser that is completely disposable once all of the bath tissue rolls have been removed from the dispenser. A need also exists for a bath tissue roll dispenser that may have a coordinated appearance with other paper product dispensers.

Decorative and disposable bath tissue dispenser


A ladder standoff device comprising in combination an elongated member, at least one standoff arm, at least one support arm, a second adjustable elongated member, at least one ladder rail brace, at least one ladder rail fastener, at least one torsion spring, and at least one non-slip pad, said ladder standoff device being useful for supporting a ladder against a flat side wall or against a slanting roof structure.

Ladder stabilizers and standoff devices are not new to the art. However, the instant device allows for more stable, secure access to elevated portions of a home or building due to the four non-slip pads on which all the weight is placed. The device also features self-leveling and self-adjusting standoffs, which attach to any fiberglass or aluminum extension ladder through the hollow rungs of the ladder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,860 issued to Beane on Jan. 25, 1983, describes a device that is a standoff with two non-slip pads. This prior art device is limited in many aspects. The standoff mounts to the top surface of the rungs obstructing safe use of the effected rung. The non-slip pads that are mounted to the standoffs are not adjustable. FIG. 1 of the reference shows the non-slip pads resting within a gutter which limits positioning where a gutter attachment is located. Locating the standoff within the gutter is not safe and if the ladder were to slip it would damage the gutter. This design also does not allow the device to be used against a wall. The standoff is secured by clamps and does not afford the strength and stability of the standoff being mounted through the rung itself. The standoff of Beane cannot be used on a flat roof and is not self leveling or adjustable for the distance between the roof and the ladder. The adjustability and the self-leveling aspects of the instant device make it far more unique and superior to Beane.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,394,229 issued to Hastreiter on May 28, 2002 is taught as a ladder attachment kit. This device fails to provide the adjustability in the same manner as the instant device. It also is limited in that it is only capable of roof access and not capable of use on a wall. The device mounts to the top of the ladder only. The pads are not spring loaded and in the process of placement of the device, the pads may not self-level, raising the potential for the user to attempt to access the roof only to fall when their weight causes the pad to level. The device also only has one pad per side thus not affording the level of stability of the instant device. The instant device allows for the distance between the sets to be adjustable giving it greater support or better weight distribution across the non-slip pads.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,722,469 issued to Weger, Jr. on Apr. 20, 2004 is a guard plate and safety anchor. This device actually is affixed to the roof and not the ladder. This device has many substantial drawbacks when compared to the instant device. The attachment of the ladder security device itself could be dangerous because one does not have a way to secure a ladder for its deployment. Also it claims to secure to the roof between the roof surface and the surfaces covering or between the roof and its shingles. This would damage the roof covering or shingle, substantially limiting the usefulness of the device. The device is portable in the sense that every time one wants to move the ladder one must remove and redeploy the device which is time consuming and potentially very damaging to the roof. Finally the safety bar obstructs the ladder rung making it dangerous.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,259 issued to Hoey on Aug. 3, 1999 is a safety ladder attachment. The primary purpose of this device is ladder stabilization and not as a standoff. The instant device accomplishes both a stabilizing and standoff device. The device is limited in that it only attaches to the top of the ladder making it top heavy. Because it does not act as a standoff it can damage the drip edge or gutter easily. The device is only capable of use on a roof. It will not work against a wall. The pad configuration is limited also in that it only provides two pads, one for each side, and the pads are not spring loaded so as to give the self-leveling feature of the instant device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,518 that issued to Walker on Feb. 8, 2005 is a ladder stabilizer. This device is different from the instant device in that its support arms do not pivot or self-level. The instant device has a set of support pads where the Walker device has only one per side that does not allow the device to adjust to uneven surfaces. The lack of more support pads does not allow the Walker device to distribute weight evenly or help to prevent damage to roofs, sidings or angled surfaces. Like many of the other prior art devices, this device attaches to the outside surface of the rungs creating a safety hazard. The device also mounts to the ladder at a ninety-degree angle, which does not allow for safe contact on angled roofs. The lack of pivoting arms and extra pads as well as the mounting through the rungs show a clear difference between the instant invention and the prior art.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,288,249 that issued to Gibson on Jun. 4, 1965 is a gutter bridge ladder attachment. The device has many of the trappings of the other prior art devices. The device attaches inside the ladder rungs raising a safety issue with rung obstruction. The device also has a single pad system limiting the weight distribution and its ability to safely grip a surface. The clamping system is cumbersome and is designed for round rung ladders where current ladders now have multiple shapes, including triangular. The single pad system also does not include a spring load.


An efficient system for bootstrap loading scans cache lines into a cache store queue during a scan phase, and then transmits the cache lines from the cache store queue to a cache memory array during a functional phase. Scan circuitry stores a given cache line in a set of latches associated with one of a plurality of cache entries in the cache store queue, and passes the cache line from the latch set to the associated cache entry. The cache lines may be scanned from test software that is external to the computer system. Read/claim dispatch logic dispatches store instructions for the cache entries to read/claim machines which write the cache lines to the cache memory array without obtaining write permission, after the read/claim machines evaluate a mode bit which indicates that cache entries in the cache store queue are scanned cache lines. In the illustrative embodiment the cache memory is an L2 cache.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer systems, and more particularly to an efficient method of loading values into a computer system as part of an initialization (bootstrap) routine.
2. Description of the Related Art
The basic structure of a conventional symmetric multi-processor computer system 10 is shown in FIG. 1. Computer system 10 has one or more processing units arranged in one or more processor groups; in the depicted system, there are four processing units 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d in processor group 14. The processing units communicate with other components of system 10 via a system or fabric bus 16. Fabric bus 16 is connected to one or more service processors 18a, 18b, a system memory device 20, and various peripheral devices 22. A processor bridge 24 can optionally be used to interconnect additional processor groups. System 10 may also include firmware (not shown) which stores the system's basic input/output logic, and seeks out and loads an operating system from one of the peripherals whenever the computer system is first turned on (booted).
System memory device 20 (random access memory or RAM) stores program instructions and operand data used by the processing units, in a volatile (temporary) state. Peripherals 22 may be connected to fabric bus 16 via, e.g., a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) local bus using a PCI host bridge. A PCI bridge provides a low latency path through which processing units 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d may access PCI devices mapped anywhere within bus memory or I/O address spaces. The PCI host bridge interconnecting peripherals 22 also provides a high bandwidth path to allow the PCI devices to access RAM 20. Such PCI devices may include a network adapter, a small computer system interface (SCSI) adapter providing interconnection to a permanent storage device (i.e., a hard disk), and an expansion bus bridge such as an industry standard architecture (ISA) expansion bus for connection to input/output (I/O) devices including a keyboard, a graphics adapter connected to a display device, and a graphical pointing device (mouse) for use with the display device. The service processors can alternately reside in a modified PCI slot which includes a direct memory access (DMA) path.
In a symmetric multi-processor (SMP) computer, all of the processing units 12a, 12b, 12c and 12d are generally identical, that is, they all use a common set or subset of instructions and protocols to operate, and generally have the same architecture. As shown with processing unit 12a, each processing unit may include one or more processor cores 26a, 26b which carry out program instructions in order to operate the computer. An exemplary processor core includes the Power5™ processor marketed by International Business Machines Corp. which comprises a single integrated circuit superscalar microprocessor having various execution units, registers, buffers, memories, and other functional units, which are all formed by integrated circuitry. The processor cores may operate according to reduced instruction set computing (RISC) techniques, and may employ both pipelining and out-of-order execution of instructions to further improve the performance of the superscalar architecture.
Each processor core 26a, 26b includes an on-board (L1) cache (typically, separate instruction and data caches) implemented using high speed memory devices. Caches are commonly used to temporarily store values that might be repeatedly accessed by a processor, in order to speed up processing by avoiding the longer step of loading the values from system memory 20. A processing unit can include another cache, such as a second level (L2) cache 28 which, along with a memory controller 30, supports both of the L1 caches that are respectively part of cores 26a and 26b. Additional cache levels may be provided, such as an L3 cache 32 which is accessible via fabric bus 16. Each cache level, from highest (L1) to lowest (L3) can successively store more information, but at a longer access penalty. For example, the on-board L1 caches in the processor cores might have a storage capacity of 128 kilobytes of memory, L2 cache 28 might have a storage capacity of 4 megabytes, and L3 cache 32 might have a storage capacity of 32 megabytes. To facilitate repair/replacement of defective processing unit components, each processing unit 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d may be constructed in the form of a replaceable circuit board, pluggable module, or similar field replaceable unit (FRU), which can be easily swapped, installed in, or swapped out of system 10 in a modular fashion.
FIG. 2 illustrates further features of the cache architecture of a processor 12 in system 10, including an L1 cache 34, an L2 cache store queue 36, an L2 cache array 38, and an L2 directory array 40. As processor core 26 completes store instructions, the output data are stored in L1 cache 34 and are also sent to L2 store queue 36. L2 store queue 36 may, for example, have 32 entries (128-byte cache lines). L2 store queue 36 includes read/claim (RC) dispatch logic 42 which issues queue entries to one of several RC machines 44. RC machines 44 determine whether a requested cache line is already allocated in L2 cache array 38 (a cache hit) by reading directory array 40, and obtain ownership of any memory block as necessary to gain write permission for the cache line.
FIG. 2 also depicts pervasive logic 46 which is embedded in the integrated circuit (IC) chip comprising processing unit 12. Pervasive logic 46 is used to load (scan) information into various components of system 10, including L2 cache 14. Pervasive logic 46 communicates with a service processor 18 via an interface port 48. Interface port 48 may be a JTAG port that complies with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standard 1149.1 pertaining to a test access port and boundary-scan architecture, having two data lines TDI and TDO (the test data input and output ports), a test mode select line TMS, a test clock line TCK, and a reset line TRST. JTAG interface 48 is connected to a scan communications (SCOM) controller 50 and a scan ring controller 52.
SCOM controller 50 allows the service processor to access "satellites" located in the clock-controlled (functional) components of system 10 during normal operation of the system. These SCOM satellites have internal control and error registers which can be used to enable various functions in the components. SCOM is an extension to the JTAG protocol allowed by IEEE standard 1149.1, that provides read and write access of the internal registers while leaving system clocks running. SCOM controller 50 is connected to a scan clock 54 and a functional clock 56. SCOM controller 50 may include appropriate logic to arbitrate between JTAG interface 48 and any assembly code commands from the processor cores. SCOM controller 50 may alternatively be connected to an external SCOM interface which provides chip-to-chip communications without requiring the involvement of the service processor.
Scan ring controller 52 provides the normal JTAG scan function in a level sensitive scan design (LSSD) to set the internal latch state of the system with functional clocks stopped. The internal latches are used for testing or initializing components. There may be tens of thousands of latches in a scan ring. In particular, the scan ring can include an L2 cache data input latch 58, an L2 cache control input latch 60, a directory data input latch 62, and a directory control input latch 64. These four latches are used to load appropriate program instructions and operand data into the L2 cache in order to bootstrap the system. The scan input port of cache array 38 is typically 64 bytes. A single scan input port is utilized, as it is not feasible to provide latches for every entry in the cache array.
Test software 66 running outside system 10 under the control of a user 68 can be connected to service processor 18 via, e.g. an Ethernet connection, and used to control a test procedure. In a typical test procedure involving the L2 cache, all functional clocks of processing unit 12 are stopped by SCOM controller 50 while the values for a partial cache line (64 bytes) are scanned in to latches 58, 60, 62 and 64 by pulsing scan clock 54 under the control of scan ring controller 52. Once the scan in is complete, SCOM controller 50 pulses functional clock 56 to move the values from the latches into the functional components such as L2 cache array 38 and L2 directory array 40. Testing begins after these steps have been repeated such that all of the cache lines have been so loaded into L2 cache array 38 and L2 directory array 40.
Setting up the L2 cache for testing in this manner can be very time consuming. As computer systems become more complex, it is necessary to perform more exhaustive testing to ensure that all of the system components are properly functioning. Test software 66 may accordingly take the form of an operating system such as Linux which is considerably large, e.g., two megabytes or more of program code. Since only 64 bytes of useful data can be scanned in per cycle, it takes about 50,000 scan cycles to fully scan the operating system into the cache 14, and each of these cycles requires waiting for the particular 64-byte word to propagate through thousands of latches before the next 64 bytes can be sent, resulting in a significant delay before testing or initialization can commence. It would, therefore, be desirable to devise a more efficient method of loading bootstrap or test values into a cache. It would be further advantageous if the method could take advantage of existing structures in the cache architecture to reduce any additional overhead.

International Business Machines Corporation