There are provided an apparatus registration method capable of efficiently associating specific information about apparatuses and arrangement information about the apparatuses stored in an operation terminal, a program for implementing the method, and an apparatus system. A method for registration of luminaires associates a plurality of luminaires with items of arrangement information about the luminaires stored in an operation terminal for operating the luminaires. The method for registration of luminaires is adapted to include the steps of: consecutively reading at least two or more of items of specific information about the luminaires included in the luminaires using a RF reader; storing items of arrangement information about the luminaires into the operation terminal; and consecutively associating the at least two or more items of specific information consecutively read by the RF reader with at least two or more items of arrangement information among the items of arrangement information about the luminaires.

At the time of controlling apparatuses attached to a building, for example, luminaires, air-conditioning apparatuses, sensors and the like by an operation terminal, it is necessary to connect the apparatuses and the operation terminal via wired or wireless communication. Here, if a lot of apparatuses exist, it is necessary to register an ID (identification) and address of each of the apparatuses with the operation terminal to control the apparatus.
For example, in registration with an operation terminal described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2015-26615 A, map information including information about luminaires relative to installation space is stored into the operation terminal first, and a position at which a luminaire to be registered is installed is selected on the map. Next, code information about the luminaire is acquired by a receiver, and specific communication address information is read from the code information. After that, registration is performed by matching the specific address information about the luminaire with information about the position selected on the map to store the position information and the specific address information. When the registration is completed, lighting control of the luminaire can be executed by the operation terminal.

Apparatus registration method, program for implementing the method and apparatus system

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A method for operating an additive manufacturing apparatus, the method comprises directing a first energy beam along a surface contour vector in a build plane. A second energy beam is directed along a plurality of substantially parallel hatch vectors disposed in the build plane inward of the surface contour vector. A sum of the surface contour vector and the plurality of hatch vectors define a processed powder region in the build plane. A third energy beam is directed along an offset contour vector in the build plane. The offset contour vector includes a plurality of unprocessed powder regions in the build plane between the surface contour vector and the plurality of hatch vectors.

The described subject matter relates generally to the field of additive manufacturing. In particular, the subject matter relates to operating an energy beam to facilitate additive manufacturing.
Additive manufacturing refers to a category of manufacturing methods characterized by the fact that the finished part is created by layer-wise construction of a plurality of thin sheets of material. Additive manufacturing may involve applying liquid or powder material to a workstage, then doing some combination of sintering, curing, melting, and/or cutting to create a layer. The process is repeated up to several thousand times to construct the desired finished component or article.
Various types of additive manufacturing are known. Examples include stereo lithography (additively manufacturing objects from layers of a cured photosensitive liquid), electron beam melting (using a powder as feedstock and selectively melting the powder using an electron beam), laser additive manufacturing (using a powder as a feedstock and selectively melting the powder using a laser), and laser object manufacturing (applying thin solid sheets of material over a workstage and using a laser to cut away unwanted portions).
In additive manufacturing, conventional apparatus utilize a galvanometer type scanner to melt powder layers in an X-Y linear orientation. This linear path is broken up into smaller sections, called rastering. This causes discontinuity in the scanning paths, and can result in small but significant areas of unmelted powder therebetween, which operate as stress risers in the finished part.

Method of eliminating sub-surface porosity


A digital event generator includes a counter configured to provide at least one count value based on a clock signal, and a comparator configured to evaluate a first portion of a first count value to detect a near occurrence of an event, in response to a detection of a near occurrence of an event, evaluate a second portion of a second count value, and provide the event signal based on the evaluation and digital event time information. A switched mode energy converter uses said digital event generator.

In many applications, it is desirable to provide an event signal based on digital event time information. Digitally controlled DCDC converters are switched mode power supplies with a digital control loop. Besides the digital compensator (controller) the digital pulse width modulator is a core component of the control loop and acts as a digital-to-analog or more precisely as a digital-to-time converter which translates the digital duty cycle information into a pulse width modulated signal. It is usually implemented by a counter which is incremented/decremented in response to a digital clock signal. At the beginning of each switching period of the DCDC converter, the counter may be initialized with a start value. In each clock cycle during each clock switching period, the instantaneous counter value is compared to the digital control signal (or digital control value) provided by the compensator. When the counter value is equal to this control value, an event is triggered. In the specific example of the digital pulse width modulator, the pulse width modulation signal (PWM signal) is set either to high or to low. Usually, there are additional comparators which compare the counter value to other control signals and create other events. The sampling of the feedback analog-to-digital converter (ADC) is an example for such an additional event: a control value indicates the desired sampling point. When the counter (or counter value) is equal to this control signal (or control value), a sampling event is issued.
It is a trend in the design of switched mode power supplies (DCDC converters) to increase the switching frequency. It has been found that this often brings along that the clock frequency of the digital pulse width generator (DPWM generator) is increased, too. This means that the counter is incremented (or decremented) more often, and that each comparison is done more often. It has been found that a drawback is an increased power consumption of the digital control loop, which results in decreased DCDC converter efficiency. However, the latter is a key performance figure. For mobile products, the efficiency at low load currents is of particular importance. It has been found that, unfortunately, the efficiency decrease due to the digital control loop is visible especially at low load currents.
Accordingly, in some conventional digitally controlled DCDC converters, the switching frequency is relatively low. However, this brings along the drawbacks that there is a slow response to load and line jumps and there is also a slow response for dynamic voltage scaling. Also, such an architecture using a relatively low switching frequency is not feasible for high-speed converters, e.g. for envelope tracking. Moreover, DCDC converters with a relatively low switching frequency typically require large passive components.
In some other conventional DCDC converters, asynchronous or analog techniques are applied. For example, the counter is running with a reduced but constant frequency and a high resolution is achieved asynchronously by delay elements or multi-phase clocks. A drawback of such concepts is that many advantages of synchronous digital design, such as noise immunity, robustness, design automation, etc., get lost when these asynchronous techniques are used.
In view of this situation, there is a desire to have an energy efficient concept for a provision of an event signal with good accuracy. Also, there is a desire to have a digitally controlled energy converter with good efficiency even at comparatively high switching frequencies.

Digital event generator, comparator, switched mode energy converter and method


A flush toilet apparatus includes a toilet body that includes a rim water spout port, a tank that stores washing water, a rim side water supply channel that supplies washing water to the rim water spout port, a tank side water supply channel that supplies washing water to the tank, a flow channel switching part that adjusts an amount of washing water that is supplied to one or both of the rim side water supply channel and the tank side water supply channel, and an electrical power failure detection part that detects electrical power failure, wherein, in a case where electrical power failure is caused when washing water is supplied to the tank side water supply channel, the flow channel switching part decreases washing water that is supplied to the tank side water supply channel and increases washing water that is supplied to the rim side water supply channel.

For a so-called hybrid-type flush toilet apparatus that executes a rim water spout and a jet water spout, a means has conventionally been known where, at a time of electrical power failure, a toilet washing valve is activated by a battery so as to supply a washing water thereto, a flapper valve of a water drainage socket plugs a water drainage flow channel of a toilet body simultaneously with supply of a washing water thereto so as to pool a washing water in a bowl part, and washing is executed by momentum of a flow of a pooled washing water (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-133360 and Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-118021).
However, a conventional flush toilet apparatus as described above is unsuitable because housing of a battery in a battery box by taking washing that is always executed at a time of electrical power failure into consideration is laborious, etc. Furthermore, in a case where a toilet washing valve is activated by, for example, a capacitor, other than a battery, it is not possible to execute toilet washing as a lack of a capacitance of such a capacitor is caused, etc., where it is also unsuitable.
Hence, for a mechanical washing means that does not use electrical power, two wires, for example, a wire for water supply and a wire for water drainage that opens or closes a flapper valve of a water drainage socket are operated, so that it is possible to execute toilet washing.
However, for a mechanical washing means, in a case where a toilet washing valve is provided in a state where a lot of water is supplied to a tank that supplies a washing water to a jet water spout port at a moment when electrical power failure is caused, there is a possibility that a situation where a tank is filled with water and/or a situation where water is leaked to an outside of such a tank (machine exterior water leakage is caused) is/are caused.


An indirectly heated cathode ion source includes an arc chamber housing that defines an arc chamber, an indirectly heated cathode and a filament for heating the cathode. The cathode may include an emitting portion having a front surface, a rear surface and a periphery, a support rod attached to the rear surface of the emitting portion, and a skirt extending from the periphery of the emitting portion. A cathode assembly may include the cathode, a filament and a clamp assembly for mounting the cathode and the filament in a fixed spatial relationship and for conducting electrical energy to the cathode and the filament. The filament is positioned in a cavity defined by the emitting portion and the skirt of the cathode. The ion source may include a shield for inhibiting escape of electrons and plasma from a region outside the arc chamber in proximity to the filament and the cathode.

An ion source is a critical component of an ion implanter. The ion source generates an ion beam which passes through the beamline of the ion implanter and is delivered to a semiconductor wafer. The ion source is required to generate a stable, well-defined beam for a variety of different ion species and extraction voltages. In a semiconductor production facility, the ion implanter, including the ion source, is required to operate for extended periods without the need for maintenance or repair.
Ion implanters have conventionally used ion sources with directly heated cathodes, wherein a filament for emitting electrons is mounted in the arc chamber of the ion source and is exposed to the highly corrosive plasma in the arc chamber. Such directly heated cathodes typically constitute a relatively small diameter wire filament and therefore degrade or fail in the corrosive environment of the arc chamber in a relatively short time. As a result, the lifetime of the directly heated cathode ion source is limited. As used herein, source "lifetime" refers to the time before repair or replacement of the ion source.
Indirectly heated cathode ion sources have been developed in order to improve ion source lifetimes in ion implanters. An indirectly heated cathode includes a relatively massive cathode which is heated by electron bombardment from a filament and emits electrons themionically. The filament is isolated from the plasma in the arc chamber and thus has a long lifetime. Although the cathode is exposed to the corrosive environment of the arc chamber, its relatively massive structure insures operation over an extended period.
The cathode in the indirectly heated cathode ion source must be electrically isolated from its surroundings, electrically connected to a power supply and thermally isolated from its surroundings to inhibit cooling which would cause it to stop emitting electrons. Known prior art indirectly heated cathode designs utilize a cathode in the form of a disk supported at its outer periphery by a thin wall tube of approximately the same diameter as the disk. The tube has a thin wall in order to reduce its cross-sectional area and thereby reduce the conduction of heat away from the hot cathode. The thin tube typically has cutouts along its length to act as insulating breaks and to reduce the conduction of heat away from the cathode.
The tube used to support the cathode does not emit electrons, but has a large surface area, much of it at high temperature. This area loses heat by radiation, which is the primary way that the cathode loses heat. The large diameter of the tube increases the size and complexity of the structure used to clamp and connect to the cathode. One known cathode support includes three parts and requires threads to assemble.
Another indirectly heated cathode configuration is disclosed in International Publication No. WO 01/88946 published Nov. 22, 2001. A disk-shaped cathode is supported by a single rod at or near its center. A cathode insulator electrically and thermally isolates the cathode from an arc chamber housing. The disclosed cathode assembly provides highly satisfactory operation under a variety of operating conditions. However, in certain applications, deposits of contaminants on the insulator may cause a short circuit between the cathode and the arc chamber housing, thereby requiring repair or replacement of the ion source.
All of the known prior art indirectly heated cathode ion sources have had one or more disadvantages, including, but not limited to, short operating lifetimes and excessive complexity. Accordingly, there is a need for improved indirectly heated cathode ion sources.

Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a reading apparatus for an X-ray detector, a method for using the reading apparatus, and the X-ray detector. The reading apparatus includes a control circuit, a compensation circuit, and a processing circuit. The control circuit is configured to provide, in a first phase, a first signal to an input terminal of the compensation circuit according to a reference signal and a dark current in a sense device of the X-ray detector, and provide, in a second phase, a second signal from the sense device to the input terminal of the compensation circuit. The compensation circuit is configured to generate, in the first phase, a compensation signal according to the first signal, and compensate, in the second phase, the second signal according to the compensation signal, to generate a third signal. The processing circuit is configured to process the third signal.

The present disclosure relates to the field of X-ray detection technologies, and more particularly, to a reading apparatus for an X-ray detector, a method for using the reading apparatus, and an X-ray detector.
As a digital X-ray radiography developed in the 1990s, the X-ray radiography has become a dominant direction of the digital X-ray photography because of its significant advantages such as fast imaging speed, high resolution, and convenient operation, etc. X-ray detectors are implemented based on the X-ray radiography.

Reading apparatus for x-ray detector and method for using reading apparatus, and x-ray detector

BEIJING BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


An optical remote control system includes a home appliance and a remote controller. The home appliance operates according to a user command and its housing includes an opening. A status indicator light and a reference light are disposed within the opening. The status indicator light includes a visible light source, and the reference light includes a plurality of infrared light sources. The visible light source and the infrared light sources are disposed in a predetermined pattern. The remote controller includes an optical sensor configured to detect optical signals from the infrared light sources, thereby generating the user command accordingly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an optical remote system, and more particularly, to an optical remote system which disposes a reference light source in an existing opening of a home appliance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Common home appliances include televisions, telephones, refrigerators, air-conditioning, game consoles, and disc players. A specific remote controller is required for controller each type of home appliance, which may cause inconvenience to users.
With rapid development of technology, interactive intelligent home has become the mainstream. The OSGi Alliance is an independent non-profit corporation comprised of technology innovators and developers (such as IBM, Sun, BMW, Motorola, Nortel, Nokia, Philips, Panasonic, Sony, Toshiba, and Echelon) and focused on the interoperability of applications and services based on its component integration Java platform. The main purpose is to provide a service-oriented, component-based environment for developers and offers standardized ways to manage various types of equipment, such as home appliances.
Optical positioning is often required for detecting position change between a user and a home appliance in order to provide interactive applications in intelligence home. Multiple infrared light sources are required for reducing interference of visible light and increasing the accuracy of optical positioning. The disposition of extra infrared light sources may increase manufacturing cost and influence aesthetic.


Disclosed is a method and apparatus for polishing a semiconductor wafer. This invention describes a novel in situ method for eliminating residual slurry and slurry abrasive particles on the wafer. A reactant is added to the slurry during the end of the Chemical Mechanical Polish (CMP) process to dissolve the slurry and etch the abrasive particles.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor wafers and more particularly the invention pertains to the field of Chemical Mechanical Polish (CMP) used during the fabrication of semiconductor chips to planarize the wafers.
2. Background Art
Rapid progress in semiconductor device integration demands smaller and smaller wiring patterns or interconnections which connect active areas. As a result, the tolerances regarding the planeness or flatness of the semiconductor wafers used in these processes are becoming smaller and smaller. One customary way of flattening the surfaces of semiconductor wafers is to polish them with a polishing apparatus.
Such a polishing apparatus has a rotating wafer carrier assembly in contact with a polishing pad. The polishing pad is mounted on a rotating turntable which is driven by an external driving force. The polishing apparatus causes a polishing or rubbing movement between the surface of each thin semiconductor wafer and the polishing pad while dispersing a polishing slurry to obtain a chemical mechanical polish (CMP). CMP in planarization requires the wafer surface to be brought into contact with a rotating pad saturated with either a slurry of abrasive particles or a reactive solution, or both, that attacks the wafer surface. This is done while exerting force between the wafer and polishing pad. The abrasive particles can scratch the surface during the polish operation especially if they agglomerate. Also, after polishing is completed and the wafer is rinsed to remove the abrasive particles, some of the abrasive particles will remain on the wafer surface by simply being imbedded into the surface or strongly attracted to the surface.
The scratches can cause problems in subsequent processing steps as for example in a Damascene process, intra-level where shorting could result. Leaving the particles on the wafer can likewise lead to process problems, most notably photolithographic and etching defects in subsequently processed levels.
Prior art for particle removal involves either a mechanical clean, such as a brush clean, after the wafers have been removed from the polishing apparatus and dried, or a washing step with a surfactant (soap) performed prior to the wafer being dried as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,706, issued to Blackwell on Jun. 14, 1994 and assigned to Texas Instruments Incorporated. These processes are not usually 100% effective and do not address the scratching problem. Therefore, it appears that no prior art per se exists that addresses the scratching problem directly.

International Business Machines Corporation


A volume measuring apparatus is provided with: an acoustic tube whose one end is communicated with a container in which an object to be measured is contained; another container communicated with the other end of the acoustic tube; a partition chamber which defines a sealed space disposed adjacent to the another container and which includes a partition plate for dividing the sealed space and an inner space of the another container; and an electromotive-type speaker which is disposed in the sealed space and whose acoustic wave output surface is disposed opposite to the partition plate. A processing device obtains a volume of the object to be measured, on the basis of an acoustic signal associated with an acoustic wave outputted into the another container via the partition plate from the acoustic wave output surface.

As the volume measuring apparatus and method of this kind, there are measurements in the Helmholtz type. Among these, the volume measurement in a container in the "opened system" is disclosed in the patent documents 1 and 2, for example. According to these techniques, by (i) disposing an opened acoustic tube in a container, (ii) generating an acoustic sound into the container from a speaker etc., and (iii) picking up the Helmholtz resonance by a microphone, the volume of the liquid is obtained from the resonance frequency.
On the other hand, among these measurements of the Helmholtz type, the volume measurement in a container in the "closed system" is disclosed in the patent document 3 to 5, for example. According to these techniques, by (i) connecting two sealed containers to each other via an acoustic tube, (ii) outputting an acoustic sound into the container or containers from a speaker etc., and (iii) picking up the Helmholtz resonance by a microphone, the volume of the liquid is obtained from the resonance frequency.
The liquid volume measuring apparatus in a tank using a super conduction speaker is disclosed in the patent document 6.
Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. Hei 08-327429
Patent document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. Hei 07-083730
Patent document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. 2003-004503
Patent document 4: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. Hei 06-201433
Patent document 5: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. Hei 06-201434
Patent document 6: Japanese Patent Application Laid Open NO. 2002-291093

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology


A laser and mask system is disclosed which can produce a variety of thin meshes, in different materials, without exchanging masks. One device includes a laser oscillator which emits an excimer laser beam through a mask to project a plurality of laser beams onto a thin material. A translator device moves the thin material and the laser beams relative to each other in order to simultaneously create through holes of a desired shape in the thin material. A storage device stores information relating to the desired shape and a control device reads the information from the storage device and provides control signals to the laser and the translator device in accordance with the information. Another device includes an optical system for varying a magnification and a focus of the laser beams in order to create the through holes in the thin material. In another device, the mask has through holes aligned in a sequential pattern along a line and a feeding device advances the thin material parallel to the line. In yet another device, the mask includes two submasks which are overlaid such that their respective openings overlap. An adjusting device varies the degree of overlap in order to create the desired mask pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a thin mesh and a method and device for producing that mesh. More specifically, it concerns a thin mesh produced by a high-density microscopic mesh process, a method for producing such a thin mesh using an ultraviolet beam, and a device for producing such a thin mesh.
2. Related Art
FIG. 26 is a simplified cross section of a common design for an inhaler (atomizer) 101, which creates a spray by means of ultrasonic vibration. Fixed to the upper portion of casing 104, inhaler 101 has a mesh 102 containing numerous microscopic holes 103, as pictured in FIG. 27. The upper surface of the mushroom-shaped vibrator 105 is pressed against the lower surface of mesh 102, and the bottom of vibrator 105 is immersed in liquid medicine 107, which is kept in reservoir 106. In the center of vibrator 105 and traversing its length is suction tube 108.
When vibrator 105 is made to vibrate up and down, mesh 102, pressed with an appropriate force by vibrator 105, resonates with the same microscopic vibration. When mesh 102 resonates, negative pressure is generated between the mesh and vibrator 105. This causes the liquid medicine 107 in tank 106 to be sucked through tube 108 to the upper surface of vibrator 105. The medicine 107 which is sucked to the region between mesh 102 and vibrator 105 passes through microscopic holes 103 when mesh 102 vibrates, and vaporized medicine 107 is sprayed into the air.
Because the mesh 102, which is used in the inhaler 101 described above, requires that medicine 107 be atomized (i.e., vaporized), the numerous holes 103 which constitute the mesh must be sufficiently minute, as shown in FIG. 27. For this reason, the material used for the mesh must be exceedingly tough and resistant to corrosion. In addition, because of the use to which it will be put, a medical device such as inhaler 101 must use a material which is resistant to chemicals and safe for humans.
Methods to produce a mesh 102 with microscopic holes 103 using a single process include electroforming, etching and the electron discharge method. However, if mesh 102 is to be produced by electroforming, only certain specific metals such as nickel can be used, resulting in poor anti-corrosive properties. (Gold and some other metals could also be used, however these are expensive.) Since heavy metals pose a safety risk for humans, a mesh 102 made from nickel could not be used in medical equipment, and its uses are limited. A mesh which is safe for human beings can be achieved by plating the surface of nickel mesh 102 with another metal. However, since it is impossible to completely eliminate the formation of pinholes in the metal plating, it is not possible to completely prevent leaching of the nickel.
When an inhaler 101 as described above is used, the effective delivery of the drug to the affected part varies with the diameter of the particles of spray. This diameter is profoundly influenced by the shape and the cross-sectional contour of the holes 103 in the mesh. Because the mesh 102 in an inhaler 100 as described above must resonate with vibrator 105, the thickness of the mesh is constrained by the frequency of vibrator 105.
When the mesh is produced by electroforming, there is a correlation between the thickness of the mesh material and the cross-sectional shape of holes 103. The shape of the holes is limited by the thickness of the mesh, and in fact the only possible form for holes 103 is the hemispheric cross sections shown in FIG. 28. Because it is difficult to process holes 103 along their depth to achieve a desired result, it is not possible to achieve the most desirable cross-sectional contour for holes 103.
With the electroforming method, both the arrangement of holes 103 and their shape must be regular, as shown in FIG. 27; an irregular arrangement of holes 103 is not a possible design.
When the mesh is formed by etching or by the electron discharge method, it is extremely difficult to vary the diameter of holes 103 along their depth. The holes produced by these methods are completely straight, as shown in FIG. 29. It is not possible to form holes in mesh 102 of any other desired cross-sectional shape. Holes 103 could not, for example, be made to taper significantly.
This invention is developed in view of the shortcomings of the examples of the prior art discussed above. Its objective is to provide a mesh and a production technology for that mesh which would not be limited as to materials, provided the materials are thin enough. This mesh would be able to use a material with superior anti-corrosive properties and chemical resistance, yet which would be safe for human beings. The shape of the holes in this mesh and their cross-sectional contour could be selected as needed.

Method and apparatus for producing a thin mesh utilizing a laser and mask system


A continuous process for the preparation of organopolysiloxanes involves, in a first step, reacting chlorosilanes with from 0.01 to 0.7 mol of water per mole of hydrolyzable chlorine and with from 0.2 to 1.7 mol of alcohol per mole of hydrolyzable chlorine, the molar ratio of water to alcohol being from 0.005 to 3.5; in a second step, the reaction mixture obtained in the first step is optionally mixed continuously with a water-insoluble organic solvent having a density of less than 0.9 kg/l, and water is metered in continuously in amounts of from 0.2 to 100 mol of water per mole of silicon component; and in a third step, the aqueous alcoholic phase is separated off.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a continuous multistage process for the preparation of organopolysiloxanes by hydrolysis and condensation of chlorosilanes.
2. Background Art
Processes for the continuous preparation of organopolysiloxanes are known. In this context, reference may be made, for example, to DE 198 00 023 A, in which a multistage hydrolysis of full alkoxylate in toluene with hydrochloric acid is described. Furthermore, DE 32 02 558 A describes a continuous process for the preparation of siloxanes with the use of chlorosilanes and dilute hydrochloric acid.

Process for the preparation of organopolysiloxanes


A connector with a port is provided that includes a first and second terminal, the first and second terminal configured to function as a differential pair and receive a differential signal. The differential pair is coupled a conditioning module. The conditioning module can be configured to provide an improved transformer. A common-mode circuit can be used to determine a level of common mode energy on the differential pair so as to provide feedback to an associated ASIC.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of connectors suitable for use in data communication, more specifically to connectors that include signal conditioning.
2. Description of Related Art
As is known, a connector with a receptacle configured to receive a plug connector mounted on the end of a cable can be provided. One popular configuration is the receptacle (or port) configured to receive an eight position eight contact (8P8C) module plug. It is noted that the 8P8C plug is often referred to as an RJ45 plug connector (even if the 8P8C plug technically may not be a true RJ45 connector). For purpose of being compatible with popular usage, therefore, this known interface will be referred to as a RJ45 interface herein.
The typical RJ45 receptacle provides what is referred to as a port (or jack) that is sized to receive the RJ45 plug in a desired orientation and include eight (8) terminals for engagement with the eight contacts in the RJ45 plug. The RJ45 plug is mounted on one end of a cable that includes multiple pairs of twisted wires (e.g., twisted pair) and each twisted pair can be used to provide a differential signal channel while being reasonably resisting to spurious signals, thus providing reasonably good performance even with unshielded cables. Therefore, the RJ45 connectors and twisted pair cables have formed a useful part of the network of many communication systems and are popular in wired Ethernet networks used in many homes and businesses throughout the world.
While earlier versions of the communication systems that use the RJ45 connector used two pair twisted pair (e.g., pair 4/5 and pair 3/6) to provide speeds up to 100 Mbps, recent communication systems have begun to provide 1 Gbps or even 10 Gbps data rates and therefore tend to use all four (4) of the twisted pairs provided in category 5 and category 6 cables. Even with the additional pairs, however, the desire for increased data rates has required higher frequencies and increased PAM levels (10 Gbps uses PAM-16 encoding at 650 Mhz, for example). This has led to the need to reduced operating lengths of the cable when using conventional RJ45 connectors in combination with conventional Category 5 cabling. Some have suggested that improved cabling (such as Category 6a or even Category 7 cabling) would help solve this issue. However, for individuals with cables already installed, rerunning cabling is less desirable.
One potential aid is to use an improved port or jack. One design configured to improve the performance of the jack has been to use a signaling module associated with each pair of terminals. The signaling module can include a transformer to magnetically couple the ASIC to the terminals while providing electrical isolation and the signaling module can also include a choke configured to reduce common-mode energy that might be otherwise carried over the differential pair. These jacks, because the transformer and choke use magnetic material, are often known as mag-jacks. Existing designs of mag-jacks, however, may not be sufficient to address system needs. Therefore, certain individuals would appreciate improvements to mag-jacks.


A charging path switching circuit includes a first port, a second port, a path switch unit, and a conversion unit. The first port is connected to an external electronic device to obtain a first electrical signal. The second port is connected to an external power source to obtain a second electrical signal. The conversion unit is connected the path switch unit and converts the first electrical signal or the second electrical signal to a predetermined voltage. The path switch unit is connected to the first port and the second port. The path switch unit selects to connect to the first port or the second port, to obtain the first electrical signal or the second electrical signal according to the connection of the first and the second port. The path switch unit preferentially selects to obtain the second electrical signal from the second port.

Most portable electronic devices generally just have one universal serial bus (USB) interface. The USB interface can achieve data transmission, OTG (On-The-Go) function, battery charging, and other functions. One USB interface can achieve multiple functions, but when the USB interface is used for transmitting data or implementing OTG function, the battery power of the electronic device cannot be charged or discharged from the USB interface.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A photographic element comprises a support bearing at least one silver halide emulsion and at least one acylacetanilide yellow dye-forming DIR coupler of structure I, below ##STR1## wherein: the R.sub.1 is a tertiary alkyl group or a phenyl group;. X is a halogen atom, an alkoxy group or an alkyl group; PA1 R.sub.2 is one or more substituent in the para position or either meta position relative to the anilino nitrogen and individually selected from the group consisting of halogen atoms, and alkyl, phenyl, alkoxycarbonyl, aryloxycarbonyl, sulfonamido, sulfamoyl, sulfonate, alkylsulfonyl, arylsulfonyl, sulfoxyl, acyloxy, carbamoyl, acyl, carbonamido and cyano groups; PA1 n is 1, 2 or 3; PA1 R.sub.3 is an alkyl group having at least 6 carbon atoms or a phenyl group.

Many photographic materials, particularly color negative films, contain so-called DIR (development inhibitor releasing) couplers. In addition to forming imaging dye, DIR couplers release inhibitors that can restrain silver development in the layer in which release occurs as well as in other layers of a multilayer photographic material. DIR couplers can help control gamma or contrast, can enhance sharpness or acutance, can reduce granularity and can provide color correction via interlayer interimage effects.
To provide suitable inhibition of silver development and the desirable photographic effects thereof, a DIR coupler must release an inhibitor that effectively interacts with silver and/or silver halide during development. In addition to being of the proper structural type, the inhibitor must have the proper degree of hydrophobicity to adsorb efficiently to silver and/or silver halide grains and to retard efficiently silver development. An inhibitor becomes more hydrophobic as the number of carbons in an alkyl chain increases. If the degree of hydrophobicity of the inhibitor is too low it will not effectively inhibit silver development, thus inhibitors with insufficient numbers of carbon atoms or other hydrophopic substituents tend to be inefficient. If the hydrophobicity of a prospective inhibitor becomes too high, its effectiveness also tends to be diminished, since it may become so insoluble in the aqueous developer solution that most of it remains in dispersion droplets rather than diffusing to silver or silver halide particles. Inhibitors that are too hydrophobic also tend to deliver insufficient interlayer interimage, since little inhibitor can diffuse out of the layer in which it is generated.
Triazole releasing DIR couplers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,182,630, 4,315,069, 4,368,225, 4,833,070 and 5,021,331, Japanese published patent applications Kokai Nos. 07/152,119 A and 07/159,948 A, Czechoslovakian patents 249,556 B1, 249,557 B1 and 261,415 B1 and European patent application 747,415. None of these references teach or suggest the structural features required to achieve all of the desirable properties of the DIR couplers of this invention.

Photographic element containing a yellow DIR coupler


Provided are an apparatus and method for enhancing an image using a color channel. A pre-processing unit generates an inverted image by inverting a luminance component estimated from a red (R) channel among color channels of a red, green, and blue (RGB) color space of an input image. A channel merging unit generates a merged luminance (L) channel by merging an L channel of an International Commission on Illumination (CIE) L*a*b* (CIELab) color space of the input image and the inverted image. A contrast enhancement unit enhances contrast by expanding a histogram of the merged L channel. A color restoration unit combines the merged L channel whose contrast has been enhanced and chromaticity components of the input image, and converts a resultant color image to the RGB color space, thereby generating a restored image.

An image captured by a general digital camera has a limited dynamic range that expresses tonal gradation, and thus it is difficult to express a high dynamic range. To overcome such a limitation, an image enhancement method using characteristics of an infrared image that cannot be perceived by humans has been proposed.
Methods disclosed in "Image enhancement through weighting function estimation with infrared image (J. S. Kim et al., 2010)," "Merging thermal and visual images by a contrast pyramid (Toet a et al., 2007)," etc., are based on merging of an image captured in an infrared region and an image captured in a visible region. The merging uses a characteristic in which a charge-coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor of a general digital camera can collect information on a larger region than visible rays.
Specifically, a wavelength of a near-infrared region ranges from 700 nm to 1200 nm, which is longer than a wavelength of the visible region ranging from 350 nm to 750 nm. Therefore, infrared rays are less scattered and thus have an advantage in terms of transmission. Also, infrared images include useful information that is not seen in the visible region. For these reasons, when information included in an infrared image is used for image enhancement, it is possible to process an image properly.
However, such a method of merging an infrared image and a visible image has some problems. First, a process of merging two images involves pixel-to-pixel alignment, which may cause unavoidable blurring. Also, an exposure time increases due to light blocking by an infrared filter of a camera, and noise may occur in an image. Further, it is not easy to set a focus for capturing an infrared image.
As described above, information included in an infrared image is useful to enhance an image, but there are several problems in a method of additionally capturing the infrared image and merging the images together. Therefore, there is a need for a new method to replace the existing method.

Apparatus and method for enhancing image using color channel

Chung-Ang University Industry-Academy Cooperation Foundation


An aqueous slurry for cosmetic products, which comprises particles of pigments and/or extender pigments having a lipophilic moiety attached to the surface thereof and a cosmetically acceptable oily material dispersed in a liquid suspending medium consisting essentially of water.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a slurry for preparing cosmetic products and to such cosmetic products made through the use of this slurry. More specifically, the present invention provides a process for making smooth, adhesive, spreadable, long-lasting cosmetic products for external use, such as solid or solid-like, cake cosmetic products, such as make-up preparations.
2. Prior Art
Solid or solid-like, cake cosmetic products, such as make-up preparations (e.g. face powder, powder foundation, eye shadow, mascara, rouge and the like) are conventionally produced by filling a cosmetic powder into a metal or plastic pan or case followed by molding the powder by a press. In particular, the conventional manufacturing process for preparing cosmetic products includes mixing pigments and extender pigments and then atomizing them until the colors are well dispersed and uniform. Oily components and auxiliary agents, such as anti-bacterial agents, are added to the pigments and extender pigments and mixed and are atomized to disperse the oily components. The resulting mixture is then screened and further mixed until a uniform cosmetic powder is obtained. The cosmetic powder is filled into a pan or case and molded by a press.
This conventional process has several disadvantages:
i) Pigments and extender pigments have inherent strong hydrophilic properties; thereby, they will fade and/or discolor when contacted by perspiration, unless they are specially treated. PA1 ii) The percentage of out-of-specification product is unacceptably high due to the non-uniformity of surface-color and/or surface-hardness of the molded cosmetic product. PA1 iii) Multi-color molding and complex shape molding are quite expensive because of the cost of the shaping-mold, typically machined from metal. PA1 iv) High labor costs are incurred, arising from the manual labor needed for adjustment and maintenance of equipment and the supply of bulk powder. PA1 v) The loss of cosmetic powder during the molding process is significant. PA1 vi) The work environment is undesirable due to the exposure of the workers to powdery dusty pigments and extender pigments.
It has previously been proposed to use pigments that have been made hydrophobic to solve the problem (i). For example, pigments or extender pigments and/or substrates that are surface-treated with silicone are strongly hydrophobic and can be used to prevent color fading and to improve the duration of use before reapplication. They can also be used for two-way cake (wet/dry application) cosmetics.
While the use of polysiloxanes ameliorates problem (i), the molding process becomes more complex and time consuming, and problems (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), and (vi) remain unsolved.
There have been some suggestions to solve problems (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), and (vi). For example, Japanese Patent 07-29904 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,810 suggest the use of a slurry in which pigments, extender pigments and/or substrates, and oily components are dispersed in an organic solvent for injection into the pan or case by an injection machine. These proposals may reduce the severity of problems (ii), (iii), (iv), and (v), but problem (vi) remains unsolved. Importantly, the use of organic solvents raises concerns about the possible dangers of flammability, environmental pollution, and harmful effects on the human body. Further, the choice of usable oily components is restricted depending on the kind or nature of the organic solvent used. For example, non-uniformity of the product is observed when an alcohol is used as the organic solvent with a silicone oil as the oily component of the cosmetic product.

Slurry composition for cosmetic product and method of use


A lift-assisted device having a patient support structure, a base, and an undercarriage. The device can be powered by a pneumatic cylinder and a compressed gas source. The undercarriage can be a scissors linkage having at least one first member being slidably connected to the patient support structure an upper end of the first member and pivotally connected to the base at a lower end of the first member, and at least one second scissors linkage member, the second scissors linkage member being pivotally connected to the first scissors linkage member. An upper end of the second member is pivotally connected to the patient support structure, and a lower end of the second member is pivotally connected to the base. The pneumatic cylinder is arranged for moving the upper end of the first member and the lower end of the second member with respect to the patient support structure.

A busy Emergency Medical Services (EMS) crew may handle as many as 20 calls during the work shift. Typically one or more such calls involve moving a patient from a field location, such as his home or the scene of an accident, to a health care facility such as an emergency room at a hospital.
Providing transport for the patient involves various procedures for appropriately securing the patient in different transport vehicles for transport to the hospital or other appropriate destination. Such transport involves a constant risk to the EMS crew and to the patient. The risk arises from the activity involving the EMS crew, usually two persons, lifting and moving the patients. There is also the danger that the patient may be dropped or roughly handled while being moved. As for the EMS crew, they are routinely faced with lifting situations which can and often do result in significant and even crippling back injuries. This can occur either because of the repetitive lifting of average size patients or occasional lifting of large patients.
The dangers of lifting-related injury is compounded because an EMS crew must lift a patient approximately 7 times during the course of a call. For example, for lifting purposes only, in an emergency involving a 200 lb. man the crew will typically: 1) lift the patient to a mobile, wheeled device placed at its lowest height adjustment; 2) lift the device and patient to the maximum height adjustment, and then move the device and patient to an ambulance; 3) lower the device and patient back to the lowest height adjustment; 4) lift the device and patient into the ambulance; 5) upon arrival at the medical facility, remove the device and patient from the ambulance and lower them to the ground; 6) again, lift the device and patient to the maximum height adjustment, and then move the device and patient into the facility; and 7) lift to transfer the patient from the device to a bed at the facility. During this very typical call the crew has lifted or lowered the patient seven times, thereby doing an amount of work equivalent to lifting more than 1400 pounds when the weight of the device is included.
A particularly difficult part of this process results from the fact that the typical device that is used in the field, e.g., a stretcher for transfer of patients via ambulances, is not well-designed for lifting and lowering. Because of the location of the undercarriage and supporting structure, the members of the EMS crew cannot simply stand on each side of the device and lift or lower it using proper lifting techniques with their legs. Rather, to avoid hitting the undercarriage with their knees, they must turn their bodies sideways, imposing a torquing motion on their backs as they lift and lower. This consequence results in a significant number of disabling back injuries to EMS personnel each year. In addition, because of the strength that is required to lift and lower a device with this type of motion, smaller people, are effectively precluded from working as emergency medical technicians.
Wheeled cots have changed little since their advent approximately sixty years ago. The advent of the "one and a half man" cot in the late 1980s changed the way the patients were loaded and unloaded from the transport vehicle. The "one and a half man" cot has loading wheels at the head of the cot which are placed on the bed of the transport vehicle. In order to load the cot, one crew member supports the cot by the foot end while the other crew member reaches under the cot to manually retract the undercarriage. The cot is then pushed into the transport vehicle by one or both EMS crew members. The reverse occurs at the receiving facility, where the cot is pulled out of the patient compartment until only the loading wheels are in the transport vehicle. While one crew member supports the weight of the patient and cot at the foot end, the other crew member again reaches under the cot and manually lowers the undercarriage. This process is fraught with risk for both the EMS crew and the patient.
The loading height of a vehicle is the dimension measured from the ground to the floor surface of the patient compartment of the vehicle. Many transport vehicles have loading heights that far exceed the approximately 30 inches associated with van type ambulances. For example, a loading height of 35 inches is not uncommon. The result is that the loading wheels of the commonly used manual type cots do not reach the floor of the transport vehicle. In order to facilitate loading, the crew performs a lifting maneuver much like a shoulder shrug to lift the heavy end of the cot where the loading wheels are located into the compartment. Serious injuries to the shoulder joint are a common result of this effort. The patient is also at risk during this maneuver if the cot tips or falls, or if only one wheel of the cot engages the floor of the transport vehicle.
Cots have also been limited by their weight to more compact sizes, making them even less suitable for transporting patients into and out of vehicles having high loading heights.
Further, the cots occasionally collapse, particularly if the patient is heavy, causing the patient to suffer a sudden drop. When the EMS crew member attempts to prevent the cot from collapsing or tipping, the crew member can be injured by being struck by the cot.
Several transport devices with lift-assisted mechanisms have been proposed. One example of such a device is found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,587 to Saunders which discloses an adjustable height gurney which includes power cylinders provided in the legs of the upper frame and connected to two of the intersecting lever arms (one on each side of the gurney). To operate the cylinders, the EMS technician repeatedly works the handle of a grip up and down to actuate the hydraulic pump. As an alternative, a valve connects the power cylinders to the fluid reservoir, which valve may be opened by a hand lever connected thereto. Both mechanisms for actuating the hydraulic pump cause problems in operation. Use of the handle, which requires repeatedly working the handle up and down is time consuming and be quite difficult when a patient is on a gurney. To remove the gurney from the ambulance, or to place it in the ambulance, the EMS technicians lifts the stretcher, and the patient, from the ambulance to the ground, and visa versa, after which the technicians can use the grip or hand lever to raise the upper carriage.
Another example is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,105, which provides a mobile lift-assisted patient transport device. Another example is presented in application Ser. No. 09/863,324, filed on May 24, 2001.

Lightweight mobile lift-assisted patient transport device


A method for heating an implosion-proof band in a process of banding a cathode ray tube (CRT) and an apparatus for heating the band. The band is thermally expanded before it is attached to the outer surface of a CRT. The method includes generating a first high frequency pulse, generating a second high frequency pulse in response to the first pulse, regulating the level of the second pulse, generating a magnetic field in response to the second pulse, and heating the implosion-proof band by locating the band within the magnetic field. The band is uniformly and completely expanded for easy installation while avoiding deterioration of the surface of the band.

The present invention relates to a method of heating a band for a cathode ray tube (CRT) and an apparatus therefor, and more particularly, to a method of heating an implosion-proof band in a process of banding the CRT and an apparatus therefor.
The banding process in the fabrication of a CRT involves a process of attaching an implosion-proof band having a predetermined tension on the outer surface of the CRT, thereby preventing an implosion due to cracks in the CRT and improving the effectiveness of the implosion prevention. Generally, a spherical vessel among various vacuum vessels is the most suitable for preventing implosion. However, in the case of the CRT which is not spherical, the banding process is additionally required for preventing implosion. That is, since the outer surface of the CRT has a tensile stress and the inner surface thereof has a compressive stress; the effectiveness of implosion prevention can be increased by the banding process in which a compressive stress corresponding to the tensile stress is applied. In general, a weld banding method is widely used which is comprised of a heating step and a welding step. Here, the heating step is performed to increase tension by thermally expanding the implosion-proof band using an additional heater. The thermally-expanded implosion-proof band is attached to the outer surface of the CRT and then cooled so that the implosion-proof band is shrunk and combined with the outer surface of the CRT.
Conventionally, the implosion-proof band is expanded by heating the implosion-proof band using gas or electricity. Here, the gas heating method is used to heat the implosion-proof band using an apparatus for generating heat, for example, a gas burner. Also, the electricity conduction method is used to apply a low voltage and high current to the implosion-proof band and to heat the band with heat generated by the resistance generated when the implosion-proof band contacts two voltage terminals. However, in the conventional heating method, since heat cannot be consistently and continuously applied to the implosion-proof band due to its characteristics, the following problems are generated. First, since the implosion-proof band does not uniformly expand, the effectiveness of the implosion prevention relatively degrades. Second, since the implosion-proof band does not completely expand, it does not properly insert into the outer wall of the CRT in the next welding step. Third, oxidation of the implosion-proof band is highly probable due to the deterioration of the surface of the implosion-proof band.

Method of heating a band for a cathode ray tube and an apparatus therefor


An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in which capacitor systems are automatically reformed using a software-implemented computer system. The charge history and performance of the capacitor system are measured to perform intelligent calculations and to set the automatic capacitor reforming cycle. Individual capacitors among a group of many are isolatively charged as needed. Moreover, a sub optimal charge is used to automatically reform the capacitors to efficiently use battery energy. Further, excess charge is directed from one capacitor to another to thereby conserve energy. Specifically, the disclosure relates to an autonomous capacitor charging system which enhances ICD reliability to sustain real time provision of high current pulses.

The implementation and use of high voltage output systems within implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) devices is well known. In order to generate the high voltage output necessary for effective defibrillation countershocks, a low voltage, high current battery system is connected via a transformer to a high voltage capacitor system. When a cardiac arrhythmia is detected by the ICD, the battery system quickly charges the capacitor system so that a high voltage defibrillation countershock can be delivered by the device. An example of the high voltage output system for an existing ICD device is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,404,363 and 5,372,605.
Generally, ICD devices have high voltage capacitor systems comprised of aluminum electrolytic capacitors and high current battery systems comprised of silver vanadium oxide (SVO) battery cells. Although aluminum electrolytic capacitors have a relatively high energy density per volume, these type of capacitors tend to degrade electrochemically over time thereby increasing the charge time required to fully charge the capacitor system. The SVO battery cells also have a tendency to degrade electrochemically over time due to the increased equivalent series resistance (ESR) within the battery which decreases the current output capabilities of the battery.
The conventional solution to both of these problems has been to conduct a periodic reforming of the high voltage output system of an ICD by charging the capacitor system to its full rated voltage and then allowing that voltage to slowly trickle off. In this way, both the high current battery system and the high voltage capacitor system are exercised so as to reform the electrochemistries of each system, thereby reducing the impact on charge performance and component life due to electrochemical degradation over time. Originally, this reforming process was accomplished manually by having a patient visit the physician every two to three months, at which time the physician would program the ICD to charge, but not deliver, a full voltage rated countershock. Presently, the reforming of the high voltage output system is accomplished automatically by the ICD based on a fixed time period (e.g., every month, every six months), at the end of which a full charge cycle of the capacitor system is automatically conducted. While this kind of simple periodic reform cycle was more than effective for early ICD devices where the life span of the device was typically less than three years and the battery budget could easily support the periodic reform cycles, newer ICD devices are smaller and have much longer life spans. An example of such an ICD which is used as a prophylactic device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,482. In these newer designs for an ICD, battery power is at more of a premium than in previous designs and the periodic reforming of the high voltage output system can represent a significant portion of the battery budget over the life of the device.
Two alternate techniques for accomplishing reforming of the battery system and the capacitor system are disclosed in the previously-identified co-pending applications. In the first application entitled "AUTOMATIC CAPACITOR MAINTENANCE FOR AN ICD", a technique is disclosed for measuring the leakage current of the capacitor system at a relatively low voltage and using this value to estimate whether the capacitor system needs to be reformed. By utilizing a low voltage test process, battery power is conserved and full voltage reforming is conducting only when it is determined that the capacitor is in need of reforming. In the second application entitled "AUTOMATIC BATTERY MAINTENANCE FOR AN ICD", a technique is disclosed for measuring an electrical parameter of the battery system and using this value to determine whether the battery system needs to be reformed. Again, battery power is conserved by only performing a full voltage reform when it is determined that the internal resistance of the battery system has increased to the point where charge performance is degraded. While each of these inventions represent a significant improvement over the existing periodic reform technique, both of these inventions suffer from the disadvantage of potentially requiring additional circuitry within the ICD in order to implement the invention.
Although existing techniques for reforming the high voltage output system of an ICD are adequate for current ICD systems, it would be advantageous to develop a more efficient reform system for the high voltage output system of an ICD. It would also be advantageous to develop a reform system that did not require significant additional circuitry within the ICD.


An integrated (2) and remote transmitter (1) type device for catalyzing of a motor vehicle (9) accessory exterior rear view power fold mirrors (3) inward (4) toward the vehicle, and outward (5) to driving position, providing the operation of opening (6) and closing (7) the garage door (8) of said vehicle (9) during entering and exiting, with sustained catalyzing while parked in the garage, further including catalyzing the exterior rear view mirrors (3) inward (5) toward the vehicle and outward (4) to driving position away from transmitter (1) without pushing a button or without human intervention while in parking facilities.

The desire for retractable mirrors comes from several areas.
1. The addition, as a factory option, of extended length mirrors for towing, which will not fit through a standard garage door opening.
2. The need to retract the mirrors in off road driving applications.
3. The desire to retract the mirrors in a parking area for the convenience and protection of the mirror, as well as others.
Current OEM offerings include retractable mirrors (Power Fold) that are operated manually, both in motorized and non-motorized configurations. By providing means for automatic retraction of motorized mirrors, damage to the mirrors caused by driver inattentiveness could be reduced.


An optical disk apparatus includes an optical pickup head (PUH) which outputs a laser beam through an objective lens. When a control unit receives an instruction to halt data read-out from an optical disk, the control unit moves the PUH to a predetermined position, stores a focus driving voltage corresponding to a position of the objective lens in a memory unit, and halts the output of the laser beam from the PUH. When the control unit receives an instruction to resume the data read-out, the control unit resumes the output of the laser beam from the PUH, starts a focus search on the basis of the focus driving voltage that is stored in the memory unit, moves the objective lens in a direction toward the optical disk, and achieves focus adjustment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus and a data read-out control method for reading out data, which is recorded on an optical disk, by a laser beam that is radiated from a semiconductor laser.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, game application programs are recorded on optical disks and are sold. With developments of game contents, the resolution of images and the amount of image data in the game application programs have been increasing. Accordingly, the data capacity of the game application program has been increasing. In addition, the data transfer speed for reading out the game application program recorded on the optical disk has been increased.
Examples of supply media of game application programs include a CD (Compact Disk)-ROM, a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk)-ROM (single-layer, double-layer), and an HD-DVD (High Definition DVD)-ROM. The data capacity of the supply media has gradually been increasing.
There is a tendency that users of computer games enjoy the games for a longer time. Thus, the optical disk apparatus is required to have high reliability and a long lifetime, which ensure stable operations for long-time use.
In the meantime, in order to increase the data capacity of the optical disk, the data storage density of the optical disk has been increased. In addition, in order to read/write data from/on the high-storage-density optical disk, the wavelength of a laser beam, which is radiated from a semiconductor laser, has been decreased. In the case where the wavelength of the laser beam is decreased, how to enhance the reliability and lifetime is a challenging problem. On the other hand, the lifetime of the semiconductor laser depends greatly on turn-on time (power-on time). For example, the lifetime of the semiconductor laser can be increased by turning off the semiconductor laser in the idle state in which no data is read/written from/on the optical disk.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-312357 discloses an optical disk apparatus which includes a pickup unit which reads information recorded on an optical disk by radiating a light beam on the optical disk while executing a focus servo, a tracking servo and a traverse servo; an RF circuit which extracts a focus error signal, a tracking error signal and an RF signal; spindle servo means for controlling a spindle motor for rotating the optical disk; and control means for controlling the respective parts. In this optical disk apparatus, when the working state is switched to the idle state, the loop gain for controlling the spindle motor for rotating the optical disk is switched to the setting of the idle state, thereby reducing the generation of heat and noise.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 11-232656 discloses an optical disk apparatus which includes a spindle motor for rotating an optical disk; a head which reproduces a signal that is detected from the optical disk; a reproduction process circuit which processes the signal reproduced by the head; a servo circuit which executes a servo control on the basis of an error signal indicative of an error occurring due to the rotation of the optical disk; and a memory circuit which stores a waveform of the error signal. In this optical disk apparatus, when the servo circuit is restored to the normal servo operation, the servo control is restored to the position indicated by the waveform of the error signal stored in the memory circuit. Thereby, the control is stabilized without repeating the restoration process.
In the case where the lifetime of the semiconductor laser, which is used in the optical disk apparatus, is to be increased, it is thinkable to halt data read from the optical disk and to decrease the turn-on time of the semiconductor laser. However, if the semiconductor laser is turned off and the access to the optical disk is simply halted, a considerable length of time would be needed until the optical disk apparatus is restored once again to the state in which data can be read out from the optical disk apparatus, and the data transfer rate would be decreased.

Optical disk apparatus and data read-out control method

Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corporation


In a substrate processing system according to an exemplary embodiment, gas supply units are configured to supply gases to chambers through first gas flow channels thereof, respectively. Chamber pressure sensors are configured to measure pressures in the chambers. A second gas flow channel is connected to the first gas flow channel of each of the gas supply units. A reference pressure sensor is configured to measure a pressure in the second gas flow channel. In a method according to an exemplary embodiment, each of the chamber pressure sensors is calibrated by using a measurement value thereof and a measurement value of the reference pressure sensor which are obtained in a state where pressures in a corresponding chamber, the first gas flow channel of a corresponding gas supply unit, and the second gas flow channel are maintained.

A substrate processing apparatus is used in manufacturing of an electronic device. The substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber. During substrate processing, a gas is supplied into the chamber in a state where a substrate is disposed in the chamber. A pressure in the chamber affects substrate processing results. Therefore, the pressure in the chamber is measured by a pressure sensor. A state of the pressure sensor may be changed over time. Therefore, the pressure sensor is required to be calibrated.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-251464 discloses calibration of a pressure sensor in a substrate processing apparatus. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-251464 discloses that two pressure sensors are used to measure a pressure in a chamber. One pressure sensor of the two pressure sensors is used to measure the pressure in the chamber during the substrate processing. The other pressure sensor of the two pressure sensors is used to calibrate the one pressure sensor. Specifically, the one pressure sensor is calibrated so that a measurement value thereof becomes the same as a measurement value of the other pressure sensor.

Method for calibrating plurality of chamber pressure sensors and substrate processing system


According to one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a flat display includes applying a dot-like adhesive coating pattern in a region to be bonded on the surface of one of a display panel and a protective plate after forming a wall pattern along the outer circumference of the region to be bonded.

Flat displays such as liquid crystal displays are widely used in, for example, computer displays, televisions, car navigation devices, portable information terminals, and mobile telephones.
In portable devices such as a mobile telephone or a portable information terminal, in vehicle-mounted equipment such as a car navigation device, and in some computers, a transparent protective plate is placed on an image display surface of a display panel. The protective plate prevents the image display surface of the display panel from being scratched and becoming difficult to view, and also prevents the display panel from being damaged even when dropped or subjected to a large impact.
The protective plate is generally set together with the casing of an electronic device when the electronic device is assembled. Therefore, it has heretofore been the case that there is a clearance between the protective plate and the display panel.
It has recently been suggested to directly attach the protective plate to the image display surface of the liquid crystal display panel via a bonding layer. This addresses the problem of the reflection in a glass surface caused by the presence of an air layer between the protective plate and the display panel. As a result, high-quality images can be displayed, and the manufacturing costs can be reduced by the reduction of the number of processes.
The protective plate can be bonded to the bonding layer by dropping, for example, a UV-curable adhesive coating solution to one of the protective plate and the bonding layer to attach the protective plate and the bonding layer to each other before the UV-cure of the solution. During the bonding, the formation of air bubbles in the bonding layer is prevented and the thickness of the bonding layer is minimized and made uniform so that high-quality images can be displayed. However, if the protective plate and the bonding layer are pressed to adjust the thickness of the bonding layer after the attachment, the spread of the forcibly crammed adhesive coating solution may not be stopped by surface tension and its viscosity, and the solution may run out of the space between the protective plate and the bonding layer and adhere to the display panel, leading to the deterioration of image quality. Thus, it has heretofore been the case that the protective plate and the bonding layer are attached to each other via the UV-curable adhesive coating solution, and are left after weakly pressed so that the UV-curable adhesive coating solution naturally spreads between the protective plate and the bonding layer to reduce the residual stress of the adhesive coating solution resulting from the pressing. It has therefore been difficult to further reduce the thickness of the bonding layer.


A system and a method of operating a debit card reward program that generates a reward for the cardholder based upon purchases made with the debit card. This reward amount may be applied to subsequent purchases made by the cardholder with the debit card. Additionally, all or a portion of the reward amount may be delivered to a sponsor, such as a charitable institution. A reward is accrued for every purchase conducted at any merchant made using the debit card. In particular, this reward is a varied percentage of every debit card purchase and may result in an additional reward for purchases that meet selected criteria.

Debit cards (also known as "check cards" or "deferred debit cards") are one of the fastest-growing methods of payments for consumers and small businesses, supplementing and replacing payments made via cash, check or credit card. Debit cards are issued by financial institutions in conjunction with a variety of deposit accounts offered by those financial institutions. These financial accounts include demand deposit accounts, checking accounts, savings accounts, share draft accounts, money market accounts, cash or investment management accounts, and the like. (For the purposes of this application, such accounts will be referred to herein generally as "financial accounts.") When the cardholder presents the debit card at a merchant to make a purchase, the amount is debited from the financial account either immediately, or within about 1-2 days (as opposed to a credit card, which is billed periodically to the cardholder). Like a credit card, however, the debit card may be employed to make payments at retail establishments, for periodic bills, for on-line, Internet or telephone purchases, etc. Further, the cardholder can use the debit card to perform a number of functions including: withdrawing cash from an Automated Teller Machine, or other electronic devices such as point of banking terminals, as an identification device when conducting a financial transaction at a bank, merchant or other location and to receive cash back as part of a point of sale purchase.
Debit card transactions can be administered in two ways: on-line processing or off-line processing. Off-line processing is similar to traditional credit card processing. Data concerning the transaction, including the identity of the financial institution (i.e., the card issuer), the cardholder identification information, merchant identification information, product information and value information, is transmitted over existing credit card clearance networks, such as MasterCard or Visa. However, unlike a credit card, the payment to the credit card clearinghouse is made relatively promptly (within a few days) by the financial institution.
Alternatively, the debit card transaction may be processed "on-line." Such on-line processing has historically been used for cash withdrawals from automatic teller machines. In the case of a debit card purchase, the merchant, using an automated terminal connected to an ATM "switch" confirms that there are sufficient funds in the financial account to cover the purchase. An on-line debit to the account is posted or a hold is placed on these funds. Unlike credit card purchases and other off-line purchases, no information regarding the purchase, other than the merchant identification and the purchase amount, is generally recorded.
The debit cards provide consumers with a more convenient and lower-cost method of purchasing goods and services. For consumers, information on purchases can be tracked on the financial account statement. For financial institutions, debit card transactions cost less to process than checks and provide information on the purchase transaction and the cardholder. Such information can be used in a variety of ways including: developing analytical and marketing programs about the cardholder, the purchases and the merchant. For merchants, debit card payments increase the range of payment options available to consumers, and can provide a lower cost and more secure method for accepting payments over cash, checks and in many instances, credit cards. Debit cards can also provide information about cardholder purchase behavior, and provide the ability to extend the financial institution's branding and marketing efforts through co-branding arrangements with various partners and sponsors.

System and method of operating a debit card reward program


The present invention relates to a log-likelihood ratio calculation method, a transmitting signal detection method, and a receiver. The present invention estimates a channel on the basis of the received signal and rearranges a plurality of layers. Further, at the time of rearrangement of the layers, a symbol of a layer having the lowest reliability is considered for every constellation dot, and the successive interference for the remaining layers is removed corresponding to the constellation dots of the layer having the lowest reliability to set the transmitting symbol candidate vector. Furthermore, a log-likelihood ratio for every bit of the plurality of layers is calculated using the transmitting symbol candidate vector to decode the channel.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a log-likelihood ratio (LLR) calculation method, a transmit signal detection method, and a receiver. In particular, the present invention relates a log likelihood ratio calculation method, a transmit signal detection method, and a receiver in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system that uses a spatial multiplexing (SM) method.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Recently, mobile communication systems demand to transmission of data at a high speed in fixed and mobile environments. In order to satisfy this demand, an MIMO system that uses an SM method that is capable of transmitting multiple data layers is attracting attention.
The MIMO system that uses the spatial multiplexing method transmits data layers that represent different information through a multiple transmitting antenna and separates the transmitted data layer at a receiving end. In the related art, the transmitted data layers are separated by using a maximum likelihood bit metric detection method that calculates a maximum likelihood bit metric for every transmitting signal vector having combinations available for detecting the optimal transmitting signal to find a transmitting signal vector having the smallest ML metric.
However, the above ML signal detection method has optimal transmitting signal detection performance, but has very high complexity due to the exponential increase of the constellation size and the number of transmitter antennas.

Log likelihood ratio calculation method, transmit signal detection method, and receiver

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A sensor unit for picking up mechanical vibrations, sound and ultrasound has at least one piezoelectric foil strip (piezo strip) as a sensor element. The piezo strip has signal wires attached thereto for transporting out electrical signals representing vibration, sound or ultrasound that have been picked up. The piezo strip is, at two opposite ends, attached to flat support parts, and at least one engagement strip of for instance plastic material is attached in the same support parts to extend in curved-out fashion along the piezo strip, thereby to provide at least one space between the strips. Several sensor units can be mounted together in a frame to constitute a sheet with a sensor matrix.

The present invention relates in general to sensing of mechanical vibrations, possibly in the form of sound or ultrasound, by means of one or several sensor units having a piezoelectric foil as a signal-delivering element. More particularly, the invention relates to a sensor unit for picking up mechanical vibrations, sound, and ultrasound. In further aspects, the invention relates to a vibration detector array with a plurality of sensor units. Finally, the invention relates to uses of such vibration detector arrays.
Particularly within the art of auscultation, i.e. the art concerning listening for sounds generated in living bodies, for instance heart sounds, many different sensor types have been developed for use by e.g. a doctor, for examination purposes. In this connection, reference is made to previous patent publications regarding auscultation and sensor technology belonging to the owner of rights to the present invention, see for instance Norwegian patents 300250, 304870 and 306926. The present invention is primarily directed to this type of examination, and aims particularly at being able to prepare a mapping of an area in a living body on the basis of a matrix investigation. In other words, sound/vibration picked up by plural sensors, is converted to separate signals to be led into a computer that provides systematizing of the sound/ultrasound image in order to prepare a composite mapping of the sound that is received from a large area, for instance an area of the back of a person, or a chest area.
But, in addition to the above, there are also industrial areas of use. For instance, it is possible to undertake a vibration analysis of underlying structures by means of a sensor matrix laid down on a metal surface of a machine construction or similar device.
However, the invention does not concern signal processing or algorithms in connection therewith, but deals with special sensor elements intended to be included in larger sensor groups or arrays, possibly sensor matrices, and the composition of such sensor groups.


A remote maintenance system is provided that can perform maintenance on a mobile object by manipulations from a remote location. If a malfunction occurs in a vehicle (4), an ECU of the vehicle (4) is connected to a communication server (3) at a dealer (7). Next, an engineer of a maker (6) starts a maintenance terminal (1) in response to notification from the dealer (7) to transmit a command for requesting a DTC to the communication server (3). The DTC request command is transmitted to the ECU via a data management server (5) and the communication server (3), and the ECU transmits the DTC toward the maintenance terminal (1). The DTC which has been transmitted from the vehicle (4) is input to the maintenance terminal (1) via the communication server (3) and the data management server (5) and is displayed on the maintenance terminal (1). The engineer of the maker (6) evaluates the condition of the vehicle (4) using the displayed DTC, and then provides appropriate instructions to a technician of the dealer (7) and performs maintenance on the vehicle (4) by manipulating the maintenance terminal (1) on his own initiative.

Conventionally, when performing maintenance on mobile objects including, for example, cars, motorcycles, and ships, a control device, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) which is provided in the mobile objects acquires data indicating the conditions of various sensors, various actuators, and so forth which are provided at various positions in the mobile objects to control the mobile objects, and performs failure diagnosis. In addition, in order to operate the sensors and the actuators normally, a new control program and new data is set in the control device based on the results of the diagnosis. When data is set in a control device for a mobile object or when data is acquired from the control device in this manner, in order to manipulate a terminal which is provided with an interface with the control device, an engineer goes to a location at which the mobile object and the terminal are located, and then conducts operations. Alternatively, if the engineer cannot go to the location, the engineer makes a worker on the spot manipulate the terminal while instructing the worker via a telephone and so forth.
Furthermore, a device which performs maintenance on mobile objects in this manner is known and is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Examined Patent Application, Second Publication No. Hei 7-15427. This device transmits data to and receives data from an electronic control device and performs failure diagnosis of actuators provided at various positions of a car, by using a failure diagnosis device which is connected to the electronic control device of the car or by using an expert computer which is connected to the failure diagnosis device. The expert computer is further connected to a host computer via a telephone line, receives programs and data for failure diagnosis of a maker level which are supplied from the host computer, and builds a database in the host computer based on the data which has been acquired from the electronic control device.
By doing so, it is not only possible to readily perform failure diagnosis using the failure diagnosis device but it is also possible to perform advanced failure diagnosis using the expert computer which is supplied with the program and the data for failure diagnosis of a maker level from the host computer when the need arises.
The aforementioned conventional devices can easily perform maintenance on a mobile object by transmitting and receiving data to and from a control device which is provided in the mobile object using a failure diagnosis device; however, an engineer who performs maintenance using the failure diagnosis device must go to a location at which the mobile object and the failure diagnosis device are located or a location at which the expert computer is located in order to manipulate the failure diagnosis device or the expert computer, thereby causing a problem of deteriorating the working efficiency. There is also a problem of the cost of the travel of the engineer.
Moreover, when the engineer does not go to the location, it is necessary to make the worker on the spot perform the work for the engineer in accordance with instructions from the engineer, so that it requires a great deal of labor to exactly instruct the worker on the contents of the work.
Furthermore, since it is not possible to simultaneously monitor the conditions of a plurality of mobile objects if it is necessary to perform maintenance on the mobile objects, there is a problem in that it is impossible to deal with situations for which immediate measures must be taken.


Provided is a cable hang-off arrangement of an elevated platform including a number of tubular enclosures, wherein a tubular enclosure is configured to accommodate a transmission cable arrangement and includes a vertical section arranged for connection to a supporting structure of the elevated platform; a horizontal section arranged at the level of the elevated platform; and a curved section between the vertical section and the horizontal section. Also provided is a tubular enclosure of such a cable hang-off arrangement; an offshore facility; and a method of securing a transmission cable arrangement to such an offshore facility.

An offshore installation or offshore facility such as a wind turbine, an electrical sub-station, an oil or gas drilling installation etc., is generally mounted on a support structure and requires a transmission link to an on-shore connection point and/or to another offshore facility. Usually, most of the transmission link between two such facilities rests on the seabed. A transmission link can comprise a number of power cables as well as communication cables arranged in number of tubes or hoses. These are usually armored to protect against damage since the transmission link may lie exposed on the seabed or may only be buried to a shallow depth. Cables of the transmission link must descend from the level of the elevated platform (carrying the offshore facility) to the level of the seabed. To this end, the transmission cables are usually suspended from the elevated platform and descend essentially vertically to the level of the seabed. It is essential to prevent damage to the cables of the transmission link. Some protection can be given by the use of armored pipes or hoses that contain the cables. Armoring can be realized as a metal mesh or weave embedded in the body of a protective pipe or tube. The weight of the armored pipes and their cumbersome handling require significant effort when mounting or connecting them at the level of an elevated platform. Such armored pipes are generally heavy and very inflexible. Furthermore, when such a heavy pipe or hose rest on a sharp edge at any point along its length, its weight may result in denting or cracking of the armored pipe.


An eductor assembly includes an inlet connectable to a high pressure water source useful in firefighting, an outlet connectable to a fire hose and/or nozzle, and a venturi therebetween. An additive inlet communicates with the venturi so that a chemical additive, such as a foam concentrate, is educed into the output stream. A check valve is positioned at the additive inlet to open under venturi flow conditions and remain closed otherwise. An actuator is provided that holds the check valve in its open position while water flows through the eductor assembly under non-venturi conditions to produce a back flow through the additive inlet and ultimately through the additive fluid circuit, including the additive metering valve components. A return element may be disposed within the eductor body to return the check valve to its closed position when the back flow ceases.

The present invention relates to fire-fighting equipment, and more specifically to equipment coupled to a fire hose or pipeline for integrating an additive to a water stream.
Fire fighting systems typically include a fire truck, such as truck T in FIG. 1, which includes a pumping unit P that pumps water under high pressure from a tanker truck or a nearby fire hydrant, through a fire hose H1, H2 and nozzle N. While water alone is sufficient for most fires, some fires cannot be efficiently controlled or extinguished by water alone. In this case, certain chemical additives are introduced into the water line to be discharged onto the particular type of fire. Incidents involving flammable liquids or hazardous materials often require the use of a foam that is spread over the fire to starve the fire of oxygen or to suppress noxious vapors. For instance, Class A foam concentrates are used for wildland, rural and urban fire suppression on Class A fuels, such as wood, paper and other solid materials. Class B foam concentrates are primarily intended for Class B materials, such as flammable liquids containing hydrocarbons or polar solvents, and can be used for vapor suppression or extinguishment.
There are numerous approaches to introducing chemical additives or foam concentrates into the flow through firefighting water lines. Some systems utilize additive pumps for forced injection of the chemical into the water line. Such systems are generally complicated and are not portable. On the other hand, portable systems rely upon the movement of water through the fire hose to educe the chemical. In the context of the present invention, educe or induct means that liquid is drawn into the system, such as by the flow of another liquid. In one typical arrangement, a foam bucket F contains a liquid foam concentrate that is induced into the fire hose H2 by a foam eductor valve E. This typical eductor valve E relies upon venturi flow to draw the foam concentrate from the foam bucket F into the water stream passing through the eductor E.
The chemical additives or foam concentrates are often corrosive and usually expensive. Thus, the typical eductor valve E includes a check valve system to prevent backflow of water into the chemical supply. For instance, the by-pass eductor described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,887, includes a ball check valve integrated into a foam concentrate metering valve.
While the check valve is important to prevent water backflow, it can be problematic with respect to cleaning the eductor valve E. In fire-fighting equipment back-flow typically occurs when the discharge nozzle N is shut off or when the hose H2 is kinked so that fluid discharge is terminated. Without cleaning, the chemicals passing through the valve may congeal and foul the valve or the metering orifice used to control the quantity of chemical introduced into the water stream. In an extreme case, the valve may be stuck open or closed. Prior devices require disengaging the eductor valve from the water line, connecting the water supply hose H1 to the chemical inlet of the eductor valve E, and flushing the valve with water. This process is cumbersome, but perhaps more significantly this approach can be hazardous. In particular, disengaging a eductor valve filled with a chemical additive of foam concentrate will necessarily result in a chemical spill.
What is needed is an eductor valve apparatus that satisfies all of the necessary functions of an eductor, but that is easy and safe to clean. Such an apparatus would allow controlled flushing so that the chemicals can be safely collected without risk of spilling. A further need is the ability to readily determine the position of the check valve and to manually alter it.


A chip includes at least one semiconductor body having a radiation-emitting region, and at least one first contact region which is provided for making electrical contact with the semiconductor body and is spaced apart laterally from the radiation-emitting region. An electrically conductive first contact layer which is transmissive to the emitted radiation and which connects a surface of the semiconductor body, is situated on the radiation exit side of the chip to the first contact region. The surface is free of the radiation-absorbing contact structures.

Optoelectronic components, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs), for example, generally have two opposite contact areas, wherein one of the contact areas is often mounted onto an electrically conductive carrier, for example, onto a region of a chip housing which is provided with a metallization layer.
The electrical contact-connection of the further contact area is conventionally produced by means of a bonding wire. In order to produce an electrically conductive connection between the bonding wire and the chip surface to be contact-connected, a region of the chip surface is provided with a metallic layer, the so-called bonding pad. However, the metal layer has the disadvantage that it is optically non-transparent and part of the light generated in the chip is absorbed thereby. However, reducing the area of the bonding pad is technically possible only to a limited extent and increases the production cost.
In order to reduce the problem of the shading of part of the surface of an optoelectronic component which is provided for coupling out radiation, it is known from Japanese patent publication JP 09283801 A for an electrode arranged on the surface of the semiconductor chip to be contact-connected in wire-free fashion with an electrically conductive transparent layer composed of indium tin oxide (ITO). In this case, the side flanks of the semiconductor chip are electrically insulated from the conductive transparent layer by an insulating layer composed of SiO2.

Radiation-emitting chip comprising at least one semiconductor body