Method and apparatus for processing satellite positioning system signals is described. In one example, assistance data is received at a mobile receiver from a first wireless network using a wireless transceiver. The first wireless network may be a non-synchronized cellular network. A time synchronization signal is obtained from a second wireless network at the mobile receiver using a wireless receiver. A time offset is then determined in response to the time synchronization signal. Satellite signals are processed at the mobile receiver using the assistance data and the time offset. The second wireless network may be a synchronized cellular network or may be a non-synchronized cellular network that is externally synchronized to GPS time.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to satellite position location systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for receiving a global positioning system signal using a cellular acquisition signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers use measurements from several satellites to compute position. GPS receivers normally determine their position by computing time delays between transmission and reception of signals transmitted from satellites and received by the receiver on or near the surface of the earth. The time delays multiplied by the speed of light provide the distance from the receiver to each of the satellites that are in view of the receiver.
More specifically, each GPS signal available for commercial use utilizes a direct sequence spreading signal defined by a unique pseudo-random noise (PN) code (referred to as the coarse acquisition (C/A) code) having a 1.023 MHz spread rate. Each PN code bi-phase modulates a 1575.42 MHz carrier signal (referred to as the L1 carrier) and uniquely identifies a particular satellite. The PN code sequence length is 1023 chips, corresponding to a one millisecond time period. One cycle of 1023 chips is called a PN frame or epoch.
GPS receivers determine the time delays between transmission and reception of the signals by comparing time shifts between the received PN code signal sequence and internally generated PN signal sequences. These measured time delays are referred to as "sub-millisecond pseudoranges", since they are known modulo the 1 millisecond PN frame boundaries. By resolving the integer number of milliseconds associated with each delay to each satellite, then one has true, unambiguous, pseudoranges. A set of four pseudoranges together with a knowledge of absolute times of transmission of the GPS signals and satellite positions in relation to these absolute times is sufficient to solve for the position of the GPS receiver. The absolute times of transmission (or reception) are needed in order to determine the positions of the GPS satellites at the times of transmission and hence to compute the position of the GPS receiver.
Accordingly, each of the GPS satellites broadcasts a model of satellite orbit and clock data known as the satellite navigation message. The satellite navigation message is a 50 bit-per-second (bps) data stream that is modulo-2 added to the PN code with bit boundaries aligned with the beginning of a PN frame. There are exactly 20 PN frames per data bit period (20 milliseconds). The satellite navigation message includes satellite-positioning data, known as "ephemeris" data, which identifies the satellites and their orbits, as well as absolute time information (also referred to herein as "GPS time" or "time-of-day") associated with the satellite signal. The absolute time information is in the form of a second of the week signal, referred to as time-of-week (TOW). This absolute time signal allows the receiver to unambiguously determine a time tag for when each received signal was transmitted by each satellite.
GPS satellites move at approximately 3.9 km/s, and thus the range of the satellite, observed from the earth, changes at a rate of at most □800 m/s. Absolute timing errors result in range errors of up to 0.8 m for each millisecond of timing error. These range errors produce a similarly sized error in the GPS receiver position. Hence, absolute time accuracy of 10 ms is sufficient for position accuracy of approximately 10 m. Absolute timing errors of much more than 10 ms will result in large position errors, and so typical GPS receivers have required absolute time to approximately 10 milliseconds accuracy or better.
Another time parameter closely associated with GPS positioning is the sub-millisecond offset in the time reference used to measure the sub-millisecond pseudorange. This offset affects all the measurements equally, and for this reason it is known as the "common mode error". The common mode error should not be confused with the absolute time error. As discussed above, an absolute time error of 1 millisecond leads to range errors of up to 0.8 meters while an absolute time error of 1 microsecond would cause an almost unobservable range error of less than 1 millimeter. A common mode error of 1 microsecond, however, results in a pseudorange error of 1 microsecond multiplied by the speed of light (i.e., 300 meters). Common mode errors have a large effect on pseudorange computations, and it is, in practice, very difficult to calibrate the common mode error. As such, traditional GPS receivers treat the common mode error as an unknown that must be solved for, along with position, once a sufficient number of pseudoranges have been measured at a particular receiver.
In some GPS applications, the signal strengths of the satellite signals are so low that either the received signals cannot be processed, or the time required to process the signals is excessive. As such, to improve the signal processing, a GPS receiver may receive assistance data from a network to assist in satellite signal acquisition and/or processing. For example, the GPS receiver may be integrated within a cellular telephone and may receive the assistance data from a server using a wireless communication network. This technique of providing assistance data to a remote receiver has become known as "Assisted-GPS" or A-GPS.
In some A-GPS systems, the wireless communication network that provides the assistance data is not synchronized to GPS time. Such non-synchronized networks include time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, such as GSM networks, universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) networks, North American TDMA networks (e.g., IS-136), and personal digital cellular (PDC) networks. In such systems, the GPS receiver cannot synchronize to GPS time without receiving and decoding TOW information from the satellites signals. In low signal-to-noise ratio environments, TOW information is difficult, if not impossible, to decode. Without accurate time-of-day information, the GPS receiver cannot provide an accurate time-tag for its measurements, thereby deleteriously affecting the accuracy of the position computed by the network.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for an A-GPS mobile receiver for non-synchronized communication networks capable of synchronizing to GPS time.

Method and apparatus for processing a satellite positioning system signal using a cellular acquisition signal


A method and system is provided processing channel information may include in a mobile FM radio system including an integrated FM radio transmitter and FM radio receiver, dynamically generating a list of local FM channels, ranking local FM channels in the generated list, and selecting one of the ranked local FM channels for use by the FM transmitter based on neighboring channel interference. The FM radio receiver may detect FM channels being transmitted or not being transmitted, detect a pilot signal or a channel transmission pause. A tuning frequency of the FM radio receiver may be adjusted for scanning and detecting the local FM channels based on knowledge of a location of the FM radio receiver, received signal strength indicator (RSSI), dynamically scanning for local FM channel based on received RDS/RDBS data or country code, and/or carrier error of a related FM signal.

Frequency Modulation (FM) is a form of modulation in wireless communication which represents information as variations in the instantaneous center frequency of a carrier wave. Frequency modulation was chosen as a modulation standard for high frequency signal transmission. A plurality of FM frequencies (channels) each separated by a frequency spacing may be broadcasted by a transmitter tower, a radio station or by a transmitting FM radio device.
A FM radio receiver of a FM radio includes a tuner with a tunable local oscillator (LO) may scan or search for broadcasted local FM frequency channels. Scanning may be performed by tuning the LO across the full tuning range of the LO or sweep the LO back and forth over a narrower tuning range to search for a signal of interest such as a FM channel. A FM channel may be detected or tuned if the FM radio receiver may successfully process a signal of sufficient signal amplitude, and/or the tuner may be able to establish an intermediate frequency (IF) signal that may be substantially the same or close to a defined offset of the FM radio receiver. When signals of two similar frequencies (from different broadcast stations or a neighboring broadcasting device) are received by the FM radio receiver, the FM radio receiver may process the stronger of two signals being broadcasted on the same frequency.
Radio Data System (RDS) or Radio Broadcast Data System (RBDS) standard format may be transmitted as a sub-carrier on the FM signals. The RDS/RDBS data format may contain information such as alternate frequencies of the broadcast station, the clock time, program identification with known channel frequency, channel spacing, station ID, country code or country identity, regional links and Enhanced Other Networks (EON) etc.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and system for detecting channels suitable for FM transmission in an integrated FM transmit/receive system


There is provided an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a program, an information processing system, and a communication apparatus that are capable of enhancing authentication safety, the information processing apparatus including: a communication section configured to receive authentication information and a processing request from a first communication apparatus; an authentication information generation section configured to generate authentication information on the basis of first key information associated with a second communication apparatus; and a processing control section configured to control execution of a process corresponding to the processing request on the basis of the authentication information received by the communication section and the authentication information generated by the authentication information generation section.

In the past, lock control devices capable of electrically locking and unlocking doors have been developed. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of performing unlocking control by, if a portable device is placed over an electrical lock, causing the electrical lock to read key data from the portable device and then compare the read key data with authentication key data.

Information processing apparatus, information processing method, program, information processing system, and communication apparatus


An image processing apparatus includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a paper type to be used at the time of execution of an input print job, a determination unit configured to determine a paper type to be used for executing the input print job by using information about the paper type acquired by the acquisition unit, and a generation unit configured to generate a correction table corresponding to the paper type determined by the determination unit, the correction table being used to correct an image that is formed by an image forming unit by using a value obtained as a result of measuring a patch formed by the image forming unit on paper of the paper type determined by the determination unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus for correcting the color of an image that is output from a printer, an image processing method therefor, and a program for generating image processing parameters.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the improved performance of image forming apparatuses in recent years, some image forming apparatuses have achieved an image quality equivalent to that of printing machines. However, the printing characteristics of an image forming apparatus are known to be changed by the influence of the installation environment. There has been a problem in that the temperature or humidity in the installation environment and the aging of the apparatus and parts replacement change the density and tint at the time of printing, and a stable print product cannot be obtained.
To solve this problem, an image forming apparatus generally employs a calibration technique so that a stable print product is output. The calibration technique is a technique for correcting the gradation characteristics of toner used for printing. The technique prints some patches having different gradations with known toner amounts, and measures the density of these patterns by using a scanner or a sensor connected to the image forming apparatus. The technique generates a correction look-up table (LUT) so that the result of the measurement coincides with a known target density. Applying the generated correction LUT at the time of printing enables obtaining a stable output suitable for the target density characteristics.
In addition to the above-described factors of the image forming apparatus, the change in the printing characteristics is greatly affected by the characteristics of paper used for printing. There are various types of paper used for printing, which differ in size, grammage, surface property, and paper chromaticity. Even with the same characteristics of the image forming apparatus, different paper characteristics (paper type) used for printing will cause different reproduction characteristics of the result of printing. Therefore, the image forming apparatus prepares a target value for each paper type, and performs calibration for correcting the reproduction characteristics so that the output value coincides with the target value, and stores a correction LUT generated each time calibration is executed. By performing calibration in this way, the image forming apparatus reduces the influence of the difference in paper (paper type) on the reproduction characteristics. In calibration, the image forming apparatus applies the correction LUT generated by using a suitable target value for each paper (paper type) used at the time of printing. A combination of a specific type of paper (paper type) and a target value corresponding to the paper is referred to as a calibration set.
Generally, the image forming apparatus has a plurality of paper feed stages for simultaneously storing various types of paper. The plurality of paper feed stages is able to store paper classified into different paper types. Suitable paper is fed according to settings at the time of print job execution, and then printing is performed. As described above, the paper type and the output characteristics are closely related with each other.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-43815 discusses a technique for presenting, at the time of calibration execution, which paper feed stage stores paper of a paper type to be used at the time of calibration execution.
However, the prior art technique determines, at the time of calibration execution, whether paper of a paper type involving the generation of a correspondent correction table is stored in the apparatus, and presents whether calibration can be executed. Therefore, a user needs to select a paper type involving the generation of a correspondent correction table through the calibration execution.
Further, if calibration for generating a correction table is executed on all of paper types having a target value setting before printing, the processing may take a very long time. Further, if calibration is executed on all of paper types having a target value setting, consumables such as toner and paper may be uselessly consumed.

Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and program


This disclosure concerns a memory comprising a semiconductor layer extending in a first direction; a source; a drain; a body between the source and the drain; a bit-line extending in the first direction; a first gate-dielectric on a first side-surface of the body; a first gate-electrode on the first side-surface of the body via the first gate dielectric film; a first gate line extending in the first direction, connected to a bottom of the first gate-electrode, and formed integratedly with the first gate-electrode using same material; a second gate dielectric on a second side-surface of the body; a second gate-electrode on the second side surface of the body via the second gate dielectric film; and a second gate line extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, connected to an upper portion of the second gate-electrode, and formed integratedly with the second gate-electrode using same material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and a manufacturing method thereof, for example, a Fin FBC (Floating Body Cell) memory device and a manufacturing method thereof.
2. Related Art
In recent years, an FBC memory device has been known as a semiconductor device expected to replace a 1T (Transistor)-1C (Capacitor) DRAM. The FBC memory device is configured so that FETs (Field Effect Transistors) each including a floating body (hereinafter, also "body") are formed on an SOI (Silicon On Insulator) substrate. The FBC memory device stores data "1" or "0" in each FET according to the number of majority carriers accumulated in the body of the FET.
Recently, development of a fully depleted FBC (hereinafter, "FD-FBC") is underway. If a memory device is made smaller in size, a gate length of the FD-FBC is smaller, accordingly. If the gate length is smaller, a threshold voltage difference between a memory cell storing therein data "0" (hereinafter, "0" cell) and a memory cell storing therein data "1" (hereinafter, "1" cell) is smaller. This causes a reduction in signal difference necessary for data discrimination.
To deal with the problem, an FBC memory device using FinFETs has been developed. However, a conventional Fin FBC needs a contact region for connecting each word line to a gate electrode. Due to this, a distance margin is required between each contact hole and an SOI layer to some extent. If FBCs configured as described above are arranged in a matrix, a size of a unit cell (cell size) is disadvantageously made large.
Moreover, in FIG. 12 of JP-A 2007-18588 (KOKAI), one plate electrode is formed integratedly with each plate line, so that no plate contacts are formed. However, if the plate lines are formed adjacent to the SOI layer (drain layer), a parasitic capacitance between each plate electrode and a drain increases. The increase in the parasitic capacitance between the plate electrode and the drain causes a reduction in an operation speed of the FBC and an increase in power consumption. Furthermore, if the plate lines are formed adjacent to the SOI layer (source layers or drain layers), a short circuit may possibly occurs between each plate electrode and either the source layer or the drain layer corresponding to the plate electrode. On the other hand, if the plate lines are formed to be separate from the SOI layer, the cell size of the FBC disadvantageously increases.

Semiconductor memory device and manufacturing method thereof


To reduce cross-talk between adjacent hot electrodes, the present invention provides a ground plane, which extends beneath each side of a MEMS mirror platform covering opposite edges of a hot electrode along each side thereof. The ground plane includes an overhang section extending between the mirror platform and the hot electrode forming a first gap between the hot electrode and the overhang section, and a second gap between the overhang section and the mirror platform. The method of the present invention enables highly accurate construction using lithographic patterning and deep reactive ion etching (DRIE).

Conventional optical switches based on micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) actuated tiltable micro-mirrors in a linear micro-mirror array having a PIANO MEMS configuration, are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,439 Mala et al, which is incorporated herein by reference.
An array of "Piano" MEMs mirror devices 21, 22 and 23, which pivot about a single axis of rotation θy above a substrate 25, is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. Each mirror device 21, 22 and 23 includes a pivoting platform 26 defined by first and second substantially-rectangular planar supporting regions 27 and 28 joined by a relatively-thin substantially-rectangular brace 29 extending therebetween. Typically, each planar surface 27 and 28 is coated with a reflective coating, e.g. gold, for simultaneously reflecting a pair of sub-beams of light traveling along parallel paths, as will be hereinafter discussed. Each brace 29 acts like a lever and is pivotally mounted on C or I-shaped anchor posts 30 and 31 via first and second torsional hinges 32 and 33, respectively. The anchor posts 30 and 31 extend upwardly from the substrate 25. The ends of the first torsional hinge 32 are connected to the anchor post 30 and the brace 29 along the axis θy. Similarly, the ends of the second torsional hinge 33 are connected to the anchor post 31 and the brace 29 along the axis θy. Preferably, each of the first and second torsional hinges 32 and 33 comprises a serpentine hinge, which are considerably more robust than conventional torsional beam hinges. The serpentine hinge is effectively longer than a normal torsional hinge, which spans the same distance, thereby providing greater deflection and strength, without requiring the space that would be needed to extend a normal full-length torsional hinge.
A consequence of closely packed micro-mirrors is that the actuation of a single mirror will impart a torque, i.e. an angular rotation, onto adjacent mirrors as a result of fringing electric fields. In an effort to minimize this electrical cross-talk, electrode grounding shields 41, see FIG. 2, are positioned on the substrate 25 on either side of the first and second electrodes 36 forming electrode cavities, which are electrically isolated from each other. The electrode grounding shields 41 extend the length of the first electrodes 36, perpendicular to the axis of rotation θy of the platforms 26. The walls of the electrode grounding shields 41 extend upwardly above the upper plane of the first electrodes 36. The grounding shields 41 are kept at ground potential, i.e. the same as the mirrored platforms 26, while one of the first and second electrodes is held at an activation voltage, e.g. 100 Volts.
FIG. 3 illustrates an array of internal gimbal ring MEMs mirror devices 51 utilizing a first pair of serpentine torsional hinges 52a and 52b for pivoting a rectangular platform 53 about a first axis of rotation θy, and a second pair of serpentine torsional hinges 54a and 54b for rotating the platform 53 about a second perpendicular axis of rotation θx above a base substrate 55. The first pair of serpentine torsional hinges 52a and 52b extend from a single anchor post 56, which extends upwardly from the base substrate 55 through the center of the platform 53, i.e. at the intersection of the minor (lateral) and major (longitudinal) axes of the platform 53. Outer ends of the first pair of torsional serpentine hinges 52a and 52b are connected to a rectangular gimbal ring 58, which surrounds the first pair of serpentine hinges 52a and 52b, at points along the minor axes (θy) of the platform 53. The second pair of serpentine torsional hinges 54a and 54b extend from opposite sides of the gimbal ring 58 into contact with the platform 53, at points along the major axis (θx) of the platform 53.
The problem with conventional MEMS mirrors is the angular stability of the micro-mirrors in the micro-mirror array, wherein the angular position of the micro-mirrors drifts due to changes in the surface conductivity of the surrounding dielectric surfaces. The angular position of the micro-mirrors is also affected by the changing electric fields (cross-talk) in adjacent micro-mirrors of the array.
An object of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a bulk micro-machined ground plane with integrated cross-talk walls for use with electrostatic MEMS electrodes.

Integrated electrical cross-talk walls for electrostatic MEMS


By employing template matching using a collation image which is obtained by using a proper technique to binarize an input digital image for fingerprint identification, and a plurality of templates which are recorded beforehand, a fingerprint identification apparatus and method determine whether identity is established between the collation image and each of the recorded images from which recorded templates are extracted. Instead of checking positional relationships among all addresses having high degrees of matching detected for each template, positional relationship checking is performed between addresses detected about adjacent templates. This can greatly reduce the number of combinations for matching, and enables rapid processing. The fingerprint identification apparatus and method are resistant to a change in finger shape since they perform processing for physically close templates, compared with the case of performing processing for separate templates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fingerprint identification apparatus and method that use templates to identify a read fingerprint image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a technique is known as a fingerprint-image identification method. The technique extracts, from recorded fingerprint images, a plurality of partial images (templates) sufficiently representing the fingerprints, performs matching of the templates with an image read for checking, and determines, based on positional relationships of highly matched points detected in each of the templates, whether or not the read image matches each of the recorded fingerprint images.
In the above technique of the related art, when a large number of templates are used, and a large number of highly matched points are detected, the number of combinations of the templates and the points greatly increases, thus causing a problem in that the processing requires a lot of time.
For example, when ten templates are used, and thirty highly matched points are detected for each of the templates, the total number of combinations is thirty to the tenth power, that is, approximately six million million.
In addition, when templates are broadly distributed in an image, and a change in finger shape is large, a problem occurs in that fingerprint identification performance greatly deteriorates.

Fingerprint identification apparatus and fingerprint identification method


A tank especially suited for nuclear applications is disclosed. The tank comprises a tank shell for protectively surrounding the liquid contained therein; an inlet positioned on the tank for passing a liquid into the tank; a sump positioned in an interior portion of the tank for forming a reservoir of the liquid; a sloped incline for resting the tank thereon and for creating a natural flow of the liquid toward the sump; a pump disposed adjacent the tank for pumping the liquid; and a pipe attached to the pump and extending into the sump for passing the liquid therethrough. The pump pumps the liquid in the sump through the pipe and into the pump for discharging the liquid out of the tank.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a nuclear liquid waste tank and, more particularly, to a system for removing liquid waste from such a waste tank.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical nuclear power facility includes a nuclear reactor wherein a controlled nuclear reaction, which generates heat, is occurring. Typically, borated water is contained in the reactor for controlling the nuclear reaction process and for passing the heat away from the reactor. A primary loop communicating with the reactor functions to pass the borated water (i.e., the heat) away from the reactor and to transfer the heat to a secondary loop. The secondary loop is isolated from the primary loop and generates steam from the heat passed from the primary loop. The steam of the secondary loop is used to produce electricity as is well known in the art. The primary loop then returns the borated water back into the reactor where the above described process is repeated.
It may become necessary during normal operation, maintenance purposes, or the like to withdraw or insert borated water into the primary loop. In this regard, two pipes are attached to the primary loop; one for adding additional borated water and the other for withdrawing borated water. The withdrawn borated water (i.e., liquid waste) is passed to a series of waste tanks where the borated water is processed in each tank before being released to the environment.
These liquids which are exposed to radiation (i.e, the liquid waste) must be properly treated before being introduced to the environment. A portion of this treatment typically occurs in cylindrical waste tanks.
The waste tanks each have a cylindrical shaped housing enclosed on both its ends by circular shaped ends. Each tank is laid over on its side, and an outlet is attached to the lower portion of one end for selectively releasing the liquid waste inside. A pump is attached atop the housing, and a pipe extends between the pump and the outlet. The pump functions to suction the liquid waste out of the tanks. The liquid waste, after being properly mixed, sampled, and treated within the tank, may either be released for further processing if it is not the final tank in the series or released to the environment if it is the final tank in the series.
Although the present system for withdrawing the liquid waste from the tanks is satisfactory, it is not without drawbacks. Dust and the like may settle in the tank interior adjacent to the outlet and, therefore, clog the outlet which prevents drainage. Further, incomplete drainage may occur because the outlet, although near the end lower portion, will not completely drain the liquid waste below the outlet. Still further, mixing the contents of the tank and cleaning the tank requires additional devices which are not part of the tank.
Consequently, a need exists for improvements in the construction of nuclear tanks containing liquid waste to facilitate drainage.

System for removing liquid waste from a tank

N. Versailles Township, Allegheny County


The present disclosure is directed to methods of using a capsid assembly inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a persistent, potentially progressive necroinflammatory liver disease associated with chronic HBV infection. Worldwide about 240-400 million persons are chronically infected with HBV, and chronic HBV infection is a major global cause of severe liver morbidity and liver-related mortality (Hepatitis B Factsheet, World Health Organization, 2013; Hoofnagle J H, et al., Management of Hepatitis B: Summary of a Clinical Research Workshop, Hepatology, 2007, 45(4):1056-1075; EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: Management of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, J. Hepatology, 2012, 57:167-185 (EASL 2012); Lesmana L A, et al. Hepatitis B: overview of the burden of disease in the Asia-Pacific region, Liver International, 2006, 26:3-10; Lok ASF and McMahon B J, Chronic Hepatitis B: Update 2009, Hepatology, September 2009:1-36 (Lok 2009)).
With the continued worldwide prevalence of HBV-associated mortality and severe morbidity, there remains a need for improved HBV antiviral therapies that can achieve sustained viral response during and after treatment.

Capsid assembly modulator dosing regimen

Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company


A wiring substrate includes: a substrate; an oxide film including an oxide of one or both of Ti and Zr, the oxide film being formed on a surface of the substrate; an alloy film including an alloy of one or any combination of Ni, Co, and W with Cu, the alloy film being formed on the oxide film; and a Cu layer formed on the alloy film.

There exist interposers using glass substrates. In an interposer, through holes are formed on the substrate, and Cu plating layers formed on the front surface and the back surface of the substrate are connected to each other via conductive material in the through holes.
Various methods are proposed for forming Cu plating layers on glass substrates.


A connector assembly consists of a first connector (20) having a thickness substantially equal to that of an IC card (10) and placed in a recess (11) of the IC card which incorporates an electrical circuit and a second connector (30) to be plugged into the first connector. The first connector includes a shield case (21); a first dielectric housing (23) placed in the shield case; a pair of first foolproof structures (23C, 23D) provided on opposite sides of the first dielectric housing. The first foolproof structures are made from a combination of divisions each defined by horizontal and vertical dividing lines and extending forwardly from a front face (23B) of the first dielectric housing. The second connector includes a second dielectric housing with a terminal support (32) extending forwardly therefrom; a pair of second foolproof structures (32A, 32B) provided on opposite sides of the terminal support. The second foolproof structures are made in such configurations that they fit into the first foolproof structures, thereby preventing plugging a wrong connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors for IC cards.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese U.M. patent application Kokai No. 61-131081 discloses a thin-type electrical connector having a foolproof structure that allows the connector to fit into only a specific connector. It is desirable that the connector is able to fit into as many different connectors as possible. Consequently, the foolproof structure should be flexible. The foolproof structure has a number of key grooves extending laterally on the upper and lower fitting edges. A planar key is inserted into a given position and number of key grooves that prevent plugging wrong connectors. This foolproof structure is convenient because by selecting the key position and number it is possible to provide a variety of foolproof structures without difficulty.
However, since the key groove and the key are provided on the upper and lower fitting edges, the thickness of the connector increases by that much. Consequently, it is hardly possible to provide a connector useful for IC cards which have a thickness of about 3 mm because the thickness of the key is one to two millimeters.


A tuned mass damper may be formed using one or more rotary magnetic dampers (108) coupled to a pendulous mass (102). The tuned mass damper thus formed may be used to suppress the motion of a man-made structure. The mass (308) of the tuned mass damper may be adjusted by adjusting the magnitude of the pendulous mass. The natural frequency of the tuned mass damper may be tuned by adjusting the distance from the mass center of the pendulous mass to the pivot point of the pendulum. The motion being suppressed may be generated by environmental factors such as waves, earthquakes, or wind, for example.

Wind and other environmental factors, such as water-wave action and earthquakes, have prompted builders to construct man-made structures in such a way as to reduce the unnerving and potentially dangerous swaying of such structures. One approach to the reduction of environmentally-induced structural movement is the use of a tuned mass damper (TMD). A TMD dissipates vibrational energy into heat and prevents resonant vibration from reaching dangerous levels. Tuned mass dampers typically include a moving mass, a spring mechanism, and a dashpot mechanism. The spring and mass produce a natural frequency that is, by design, slightly less than the natural frequency of the vibration mode to be damped. The TMD interacts with the target mode of the base structure in such a way as to attract vibrational energy to itself where the energy is dissipated into heat by the dashpot element of the TMD. The dashpot, often called the "damper", is a device that produces a force through it proportional to relative velocity across it. In a TMD for a building or other civil structure, the mass is typically a large concrete or steel body connected to the base structure through the spring and dashpot.
The Citicorp Building in New York City, built in 1977, was one of the first skyscrapers to use a tuned mass damper to reduce motion. The Taipei 101 Tower in Taipei, Taiwan employs a 730-ton, eighteen-foot diameter, steel sphere suspended as a pendulum and connected to the building through the pendulum fixture at the upper end of the TMD and massive hydraulic dampers at the lower end of the TMD. Its function is to reduce the building's response to environmental forces, including winds and earthquakes. This TMD reduces building sway by thirty to forty percent.
Although existing TMD systems provide some relief from structural sway, they typically employ hydraulic dampers, similar, to but larger than, automotive shock absorbers, as their dashpot elements. Hydraulic dampers use viscous oils that are under pressure and prone to leakage over the long service life required of civil structures. Organic, elastomeric, or liquid materials employed by such dampers may degrade over time. Viscosity of the oils used in hydraulic dampers is always sensitive to temperature. The resulting changes in viscosity make it difficult for the damper to operate in an optimal way over a typical range of outdoor temperatures.
Hydraulic cylinders, such as those employed by Taipei 101, must be quite long to accommodate the motion of the TMD mass, resulting in a large "footprint" for the TMD that may be difficult to accommodate within the base structure. Linear (translational) hydraulic dashpots require their own interface to the base structure in addition to the interface supporting the weight of the moving mass. This complicates the integration of the TMD into the base structure. Additionally, regular maintenance is required for the seals and fluids of a TMD using hydraulic dashpots.
TMDs for buildings are often in the form of a pendulum, with gravity combined with the pendulum length providing the spring mechanism. If the TMD mass is supported by wire ropes, these and their end fittings are subject to fatigue and may have limited life. Other approaches may include complex active components, which may add to the expense, increase the maintenance burden and reduce reliability.


A headrest device as applied to a haigh back seat, wherein a headrest body is formed independently of a seat back of the seat, and wherein a first engagement element of the headrest body is engaged with a second engagement element of the seat back, to thereby secure such separate headrest body to the seat back. This arrangement allows improvement in design, coloring and appearance for each of headrest and seat back in the high back seat.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and particularly to a headrest device provided in a vehicle seat of a high back type.
2. Description of Prior Art
Recently, there has been made more available such a high back seat as shown in FIG. 1 in the vehicle seat field, in which its top part of seat back (1) is extended higher up to a point corresponding to the head of an occupant sitting on the seat. The upper end area of such high back seat is formed integrally with a headrest section (2), as is often the case with this kind of seat.
As a result of such wholly integral seat back structure, a unitary covering surface member has to be affixed over the seat back, thus resulting in becoming inferior in design and decorative effect, so that a difficulty has remained in finishing the seat back portion in a more aesthetically improved fashion.


A method and device for detecting an intruder in a region with increased performance and decreased false alarms. The security device has a microwave sensor and a PIR sensor operatively coupled to a processor. To increase the performance of the security device the device determines distance information of an object in the region with the microwave sensor, processes the distance information to adapt a frequency response of the PIR sensor to provide a frequency adapted PIR signal, and determines if the object is an intruder by using the frequency adapted PIR signal.

Security systems often employ the use of passive infrared (PIR) sensors for detecting motion in a region. A PIR sensor comprises a lens array that divides the protected region into sectors, a PIR detector that detects from each sector heat radiating from an object, and an amplifier/threshold detection circuit for determining if the detected heat is above a threshold producing an alarm condition. As an intruder passes through the protected region, the lens array collects and focuses the intruder's heat from each sector it passes through onto the PIR detector to produce a sine wave. The frequency of the sine wave corresponds to the speed of the intruder walking through the sectors, and the amplitude of the sine wave corresponds to the amount of heat collected by the lens array onto the detector. Additionally, because the lens array collects heat from finger-like cones that get larger as the distance from the sensor increases, the frequency and the amplitude of the sine wave are dependent on the distance of the intruder from the PIR sensor and the direction in which the intruder is traveling. If the intruder is close to the PIR sensor, the frequency and amplitude are much higher than if the intruder is on the far side of the region. The amplifier/threshold detection circuit must be designed to handle the wide range of frequencies and amplitudes produced by the extreme cases, i.e. slow walks at the far end of the region and fast walks at the close ends of the region. This causes the PIR sensor to be more susceptible to noise and false alarms.
A second problem with the PIR sensors occurs when the intruder walks directly at the PIR sensor (so-called "down the throat") rather than across the field and through the sectors of the lens array. In this case, the PIR may not detect the intruder.
An additional problem with PIR sensors is that they are designed to detect motion over a large region but are typically used in a much smaller region. This oversizing leaves the PIR sensor more vulnerable to false alarms. Typically, the PIR sensor is designed with a frequency response that balances the fast catch characteristics of up close motion with the slow catch performance needed at maximum distance. To get crisp catch in both cases leaves the unit very false alarm prone.
To alleviate the false alarm problems, dual-technology sensors have been designed that supplement PIR detectors with other detectors such as microwave detectors. The microwave detector and the PIR detector must both detect the intruder before an alarm condition is set. An alternative design is that the microwave detector output causes the threshold of the PIR threshold detection circuit to be adjusted. Both of these designs do not obviate the problem of down the throat detection because the PIR sensor will not produce a detectable signal.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a security device that uses a PIR sensor and a microwave sensor for increased performance in detecting an intruder within a region without increased false alarms.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a security device that uses the microwave sensor to determine the distance of an object within the region to adapt the frequency response of the PIR sensor for a crisp catch without higher false alarm sensitivity.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a security device that detects an intruder walking directly towards or away from the sensor, or "down the throat".
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a security device that can detect motion in both a larger region and a smaller region without being prone to false alarms.

Dual technology sensor device with range gated sensitivity


A method for adaptive audio codec selection during a communication session is disclosed. The method can include negotiating a set of audio codecs for use during the communication session. The method can further include defining multiple audio tiers. Each audio tier can be associated with a network condition and can define an audio codec from the set of audio codecs for use in the associated network condition. The method can also include using a first audio codec during the wireless communication session. The method can additionally include determining a changed network condition selecting a second audio codec by determining the audio tier corresponding to the changed network condition. The method can further include, in response to the changed network condition, switching from the first audio codec to a second audio codec that is defined by an audio tier having an associated network condition corresponding to the changed network condition.

Wireless communication devices participating in a communication session can use an audio codec to encode and decode audio data exchanged during the communication session. Many audio codecs have optimal operating conditions in which they provide a higher audio quality. When used outside of their optimal operating conditions, audio codecs often provide a noticeably lower audio quality, which can negatively impact user experience. As such, current wireless communication devices often select an audio codec at the outset of a communication session based on network conditions observed at that time and use the audio codec throughout the communication session.
However, network conditions can fluctuate over time, and a wireless communication device can experience a wide range of conditions during a communication session. Thus, while an audio codec selected based on network conditions observed at the outset of a communication session can initially provide good audio quality, if network conditions change to a level outside of the optimal range of the audio codec during the course of the communication session, the audio quality experienced by the user can degrade significantly, thus making it difficult to maintain a coherent audio stream and negatively impacting user experience.

Adaptive audio codec selection during a communication session


An improved process for producing nitrogen-based atmospheres suitable for annealing ferrous metals and alloys, brazing metals, sintering metal and ceramic powders, and sealing glass to metals from non-cryogenically generated nitrogen is presented. These atmospheres are produced by 1) humidifying non-cryogenically generated nitrogen containing less than 5.0 vol. % residual oxygen, 2) mixing it with a specified amount of a hydrocarbon gas, 3) feeding the gaseous mixture into the heating zone of a furnace through a diffuser, and 4) converting in-situ the residual oxygen and moisture present in it to a mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, moisture, and/or hydrogen. The key features of the present invention include a) humidifying the feed gas prior to introducing it into the heating zone of a furnace operated above about 800.degree. C. and b) using enough amount of a hydrocarbon gas to facilitate in-situ conversion of residual oxygen and moisture present in the feed gas to a mixture of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, moisture, and hydrogen in the heating zone of a furnace.

U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 07/727,806, filed Jul. 8, 1992 now. U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,369 discloses a process for producing in-situ heat treating atmospheres from non-cryogenically generated nitrogen. According to the application, suitable atmospheres are produced by 1) mixing noncryogenically generated nitrogen containing up to 5 vol. % residual oxygen with a hydrocarbon gas, 2) feeding the gaseous mixture into the heating zone of a furnace through a diffuser, and 3) converting the residual oxygen to an acceptable form such as a mixture of moisture and carbon dioxide, a mixture of moisture, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide, or a mixture of carbon monoxide, moisture, and hydrogen. The flow rate of a hydrocarbon gas is controlled in such way that it is always greater than the stoichiometric amount required for the complete conversion of residual oxygen to a mixture of moisture and carbon dioxide.
According to the application, acceptable atmospheres for oxide and bright annealing carbon steels are produced by carefully selecting the furnace temperature and amounts of residual oxygen and hydrocarbon gas employed. The operating regions for oxide and bright annealing claimed in this patent application are noted to be narrow. For example, an atmosphere acceptable for bright annealing carbon steels is produced at 950.degree. C. with the use of natural gas when the amount of residual oxygen present in the feed gas is limited to 0.1 vol. % or less. It is therefore desirable to 1) develop processes for using non-cryogenically generated nitrogen containing more than 0.1% residual oxygen at 950.degree. C. for producing atmosphere suitable for bright annealing carbon steels and 2) expand operating regions for oxide and bright annealing carbon steels.

Heat treating atmospheres from non-cryogenically generated nitrogen


A transparent or opaque sheet is affixed onto the inner surface of a side door window glass of a vehicle for coloration, light blockage, decoration and the like. In the sheet-affixed window glass, the sheet is directly but detachably affixed onto the inner surface of the window glass via a front holder and a back holder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sheet-affixed window glass for a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transparent or opaque window glass for vehicles is known, which is for coloration, light blockage, decoration and the like. This includes, for example, laminated glass in which its interlayer is colored, and reinforced glass which is coated with a film formed thereon by vapor deposition.
However, the known window glass for vehicles is problematic in that, after it has been once fitted into car windows, users could not change the characteristics of the thus-fitted window panes, including the color, light-blocking ability and decorativeness thereof, unless they exchange the once-fitted window panes for new ones.
Apart from the known window glass of that type, also known are car window panes of a different type to which is affixed a transparent or opaque film for coloration, light blockage, decoration and the like. However, these are also problematic in that, when the film is affixed onto the inner surfaces of car window panes, air bubbles often remain between the glass and the film or the film is often waved, and the operation of affixing the film onto car window panes requires good skill.
In addition, when the films are desired to be peeled from the film-affixed car window panes for the purpose of changing their color, light-blocking ability and decorativeness, it is difficult to peel the films from the window panes. Further, the once-peeled films could not be re-used as being deformed or broken.
For these reasons, it is not easy to change the color, the light-blocking ability and the decorativeness of the film-affixed car window panes.

Sheet-affixed window glass for a vehicle


In a road milling machine, in particular small milling machine, for working road surfaces, with a machine frame, with a milling drum supported in the machine frame and capable of being driven by a milling drum drive, where stud bolts for mounting the milling drum project from the milling drum drive, said stud bolts, in mounted condition, engaging with cut-outs arranged accordingly in a connecting flange of the milling drum, it is provided for the following features to be achieved: that the milling drum drive comprises, as a minimum, one mounting stud which engages with a corresponding opening adapted to said mounting stud in the connecting flange of the milling drum, wherein the mounting stud projects axially vis-à-vis the stud bolts to such an extent that the milling drum rests on the mounting stud prior to engaging with the stud bolts.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a road milling machine, in particular small milling machine, for working road surfaces, as well as to a method for mounting a cantilevered milling drum.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A quick-change system for milling drums is known from EP 1 194 651 A in which the milling drum is divided and comprises a basic drum body and a milling tube suitable for pushing onto the basic drum body. As only the milling tube needs to be replaced, handling for the replacement of a milling drum is facilitated so that the time and amount of work required for the replacement are minimized. However, said quick-change system essentially relates to large milling machines with a milling drum diameter of approx. 1 m and a milling width ranging between 1.50 m and 4.40 m.
In small milling machines, on the other hand, the milling drum is of an integral design. The length of a milling drum for a small milling machine is typically smaller than its diameter. For example, milling drums for small milling machines have a diameter ranging from 460 mm to 750 mm at a width of between 250 mm and 600 mm.
A further difference between the milling drums of a small milling machine and a large milling machine is that, on the outer circumference of milling drums for small milling machines, toolholders are welded directly onto the drum whereas, with milling drums for large milling machines, quick-change toolholders are used in which a basic part is welded onto the drum which accommodates a toolholder in a replaceable fashion.
Such a small milling machine is known, for example, under the designation Wirtgen W 50 DC. The basic design of a generic road milling machine is known from DE 103 47 873 A1.
The small milling machine comprises a milling drum that is supported at the machine frame in a drum casing and can be driven by a milling drum drive.
The known milling drum drive comprises a drum gearbox which, at its free end, comprises a connecting flange with axially projecting stud bolts for mounting the milling drum. The stud bolts engage with a connecting flange of the milling drum in drill holes arranged accordingly so that the milling drum can be fastened at the drum gearbox by means of nuts. Furthermore, the drum gearbox may comprise a centering spigot which interacts with a corresponding central opening in the connecting flange of the cantilevered milling drum.
The milling drums used for small milling machines usually have a high weight of, for example, up to 300 kg. They are therefore too heavy to allow manual mounting. Handling an integrally designed milling drum for small milling machines is additionally made more difficult due to the fact that the connecting flange is not arranged in the centre of the milling drum axially as approx. two thirds of the interior space of the milling drum is taken up by the milling drum drive. In view of this, the connecting flange of a milling drum for small milling machines is usually located in the vicinity of the front end of the milling drum opposite the drive. Due to the resulting eccentric position of the centre of gravity relative to the connecting flange, the milling drum tilts over the connecting flange during handling. There is also the fact that, when replacing the milling drum under practical conditions, the ground is frequently uneven so that replacing the milling drum is made significantly more difficult. The tools positioned on the milling drum create an irregular three-dimensional surface structure of the milling drum, which results in said milling drum assuming a not clearly definable tilted position on a transport device, such as a forklift truck. Once the milling drum with its heavy weight rests on the lifting device, it can no longer be turned on said lifting device. In view of this, mounting a milling drum at the drum gearbox is extremely difficult even with the aid of a lifting device, in which process the projecting stud bolts of the drum gearbox can easily be damaged and must then be replaced with additional mounting effort.

Road milling machine, as well as method for mounting a cantilevered milling drum


Embodiments of the present invention relate to invoking and managing a failover of a storage account between partitions within a distributed computing environment, where each partition represents a key range of data for the storage account. The partitions affected by the failover include source partitions hosted on a primary storage stamp and destination partitions hosted on a secondary storage stamp, where the storage account's data is being actively replicated from the primary to the secondary storage stamp. Upon receiving a manual or automatic indication to perform the failover, configuring the source partitions to independently perform flush-send operations (e.g., distributing pending messages as a group) and then configuring the destination partitions to independently perform flush-replay operations (e.g., aggressively replaying currently pending transactions). Upon completing the flush-replay operations, designating the secondary storage stamp as a new primary storage stamp such that live traffic is directed to the new primary storage stamp.

Often, distributed environments rely on geographically separate components, which may be connected via a network, to perform data storage and manipulation (e.g., read, write, and modify). A customer of these distributed environments may desire to have data for their account(s) maintained in a particular geographic location while another copy of the data is stored in a separate, geographically removed location. For example, the customer may desire to have their data stored in two or more geographical locations that are separate from one another to reduce potential data-availability issues surrounding a natural disaster. Further, a customer may decide, on an account-by-account basis, to have data maintained and/or replicated in a variety of geographical locations. For instance, for some accounts, the customer may require a plurality of locations that are geographically diverse while, for other accounts, the customer may select a single geographic location to hold sensitive data, thereby favoring privacy over duplicity. With regard to this construct above, embodiments of the present invention introduce a system and methodology for maintaining storage-account data at geographically remote locations and for providing clean and/or abrupt failover techniques that facilitate re-designation (e.g., primary vs. secondary) of the data across the locations.

Implementing failover processes between storage stamps


An embodiment relates to a controller and a motor assembly comprising same, the controller comprising: a substrate; a controller housing disposed on the substrate; a CM filter unit disposed between the substrate and the controller housing; a DM filter unit disposed under the CM filter unit; a controller cover disposed between the substrate and the DM filter unit; a power module unit disposed between the substrate and the controller cover; and a connector unit coupled to the substrate, wherein the power module unit comprises a power module and a mold unit surrounding the power module. Accordingly, the heat generating problem of the power module unit can be resolved.

Motors are devices that convert electric energy into rotational energy using a force applied to a conductor in a magnetic field. Recently, with the expansion of the use of the motors, the role of the motor has become important. In particular, as vehicle electrification progresses rapidly, demands for the motor applied to a steering system, a braking system, an interior system, and the like are greatly increasing.
In the case of such a motor for a vehicle, a motor assembly including a controller capable of controlling the motor may be provided in the vehicle.
Since a high current is used in the controller, a heat-generation problem is emerging. For example, in the case of a substrate used in the controller, a direct current (DC) power circuit, a control circuit, and an inverter circuit are disposed on the substrate. In addition, a heat-generation problem occurs in the substrate as the high current is applied thereto. When the size of the substrate is increased to solve such a heat-generation problem, it is difficult to reduce the size and weight of the motor assembly.
Accordingly, there is a need for a motor assembly that is compact and solves a heat-generation problem occurring in the substrate.
Further, since the size of a controller is limited due to the user's request, there is a need for a motor assembly in which placement of elements and assembly of the elements within a limited size may be simplified.

Controller and motor assembly comprising same


A sofa system includes a unitary perimetric baseframe including a front panel, a rear panel and opposing side panels. The system also includes a hollow back portion having front and rear edges and an integral internal rigid frame, the back portion rotationally mounted between the side panels and to the rear panel by rear longitudinal hinge elements secured between said rear edge of a top portion and the rear panel. The system also includes a unitary seat portion having a front and rear edge and a rigid base, in which the seat portion is rotationally mounted between the side panels and to the front panel by a front longitudinal hinge element that is secured between the front edge of the rigid base of the seat portion and the front panel. Arms may, if desired, be rotationally mounted to the sides of the baseframe.

The present invention relates to a method and structure of furniture construction and, more particularly, relates to a method and structure of furniture construction in which certain of the elements thereof, namely, the back and seat, may be pivoted rotationally away from the baseframe of the structure to permit ease of change and/or removal of the fabric or upholstery upon the back and seat portions thereof.
The present invention is an improvement over both my U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,720 (1990) entitled Modular Furniture System and U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,113 (1992) entitled System of Fabric Covering. The instant invention, however, differs from my modular furniture system, primarily in that the hollow unitary back portion thereof is rotationally mounted to the rear panel of the structure, while the unitary seat element is rotationally mounted to the front panel of the baseframe of the structure.
In the prior art, the change and removal of upholstery or fabric from sofas, sofa beds, convertible beds, love seats, sofa chairs, and the like, has constituted a difficult, expensive, and time-consuming process such that the typical cost of re-upholstering a sofa or sofa bed has been in the range of $700 to $3000. Accordingly, as a practical matter, sofa, sofa beds and like structures, are rarely re-upholstered, because the cost of re-upholstering comprises an unacceptably large percentage of the cost to replacing the entire sofa. Further, even in those instances where cost is not a constraint for a particular consumer, it is generally necessary to have a sofa, or at least the seat and back cushions thereof, taken off premise such that appropriate re-fabricing thereof may be done at a manufacturing site.
Also, in most prior art sofa, sofa beds, sofa chairs, and the like, fabric is employed as a covering of portions of the structure, other than the seat and back cushions thereof. When this occurs, it is almost mandatory that the entire structure be taken off premise for replacement of the fabric or, alternatively, that a portion of the premises of the sofa owner be effectively converted into a "factory location" while the re-upholstering is accomplished.
The present invention thereby addresses the problem of change of fabric of a sofa-like structure through the provision of a system having some similarities to my said U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,720 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,112, in which, the respective back and seat portions thereof are rotationally mounted, as by hinge means, to the respective rear and front panels of the structure, as is more fully described below.
In the prior art it is known to make use of hinge means in furniture construction, however, for purposes completely different from the purposes for which hinge means are employed in the instant invention. For example, the use of hinge means in a sofa bed is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,642 (1972) to Barabas, entitled Hinge Seat Platform For Sofa-Bed and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,204,287 (1980) to Laine, entitled Knock-down Sofa Bed With Hinge Mattress. In these structures the supporting frame for a sofa mattress is, by various means including hinge means, mechanically connected to the base frame of the structure. As such, there is no aspect of these structures that employ hinge means for the purpose of facilitating ease of change of upholstery.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,226,157 (1965) to Reinfeldt, entitled Covering For Seats Having Hinged Back, there is shown a system, adapted for use with car seats and the like in which, through the use of a back portion which is hinged relative to a base portion, certain advantages are achieved including ease in the installation and change of the upholstery of the seat. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,892 (1976) to Hellman, entitled Seat Cover Fastening System, teaches a fastening system for rapid assembly and installation of the upholstery of an auto seatcover and, further, teaches the use of a split tube element as a means of releaseability holding fabric in place. While the inventive system may, in certain embodiments, make use of such a split tube element for fabric securement and release, the teaching of Hellman, and the other prior art referenced above, bears little similarity to Applicant's invention when viewed as a system.


The present disclosure provides a memory management method for a rewritable non-volatile memory module. The rewritable non-volatile memory module includes physical programming units, each of which includes multiple bits. The memory management method includes: identifying a first physical programming unit by applying a predetermined read voltage, where the first physical programming unit is identified as in a fully-erased status; identifying a second and a third physical programming units which are programmed before the first physical programming unit; acquiring status data of the second and the third physical programming unit; computing a difference of the status data between the second and the third physical programming unit; if the difference is larger than a threshold, identifying the second physical programming unit as in a program failure status.

1. Technology Field
The present invention is directed to a memory management method and more particularly, to a memory management method and a memory control circuit unit and a memory storage apparatus using the method, which can accurately detect a page being programmed when an abnormal power failure occurs.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the widespread of digital cameras, cell phones, and MP3 players in recently years, the consumers' demand to storage media has increased drastically. Because a rewritable non-volatile memory is capable of providing features such as data non-volatility, low power consumption, small volume, and non-mechanical structure, high reading and writing speed, the rewritable non-volatile memory has become the most adaptable memory applied in a portable electronic product, e.g., a notebook computer. A solid state drive (SSD) is a storage apparatus which utilizes a flash memory as its storage medium. Therefore, the flash memory industry has become a very popular part of the electronic industry in recent years.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a flash memory device according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, a flash memory device 1 includes a charge-trapping layer 2 for storing electrons, a control gate 3 for applying a voltage, a tunnel oxide layer 4, and an interpoly dielectric layer 5. When data is to be written into the flash memory device 1, a threshold voltage of the flash memory device 1 may be changed by injecting electrons into the charge-trapping layer 2. Accordingly, a digital-level state of the flash memory device 1 is defined to implement a function of storing data. Here, the process of injecting the electrons to the charge-trapping layer 2 is referred to as a programming process. By contrast, when the stored data is to be removed, the injected electrons are removed from the charge-trapping layer 2, and thereby the flash memory device 1 is restored back to the default state before programming.
During the operation of a memory storage apparatus, if an abnomial power failure occurs, data being written when the abnormal power failure occurs may have errors and should be considered as invalid data. In a conventional determination method, all pages in the memory storage apparatus are scanned when the memory storage apparatus is powered on, and if the number of error bits in a page is over a threshold, the memory storage apparatus determines the data stored in the page as invalid data. However, an issue that valid data having a great number of error bits caused by other reasons (e.g., data retention, reading interference and durability for erasing and writing) is determined as the invalid data may occur in this method, which may lead to serious errors during the operation of the memory storage apparatus. Therefore, how to accurately determine the page being written when the abnormal power failure has become one of the major subjects for technicians of the art.
Nothing herein should be construed as an admission of knowledge in the prior art of any portion of the present invention. Furthermore, citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention, or that any reference forms a part of the common general knowledge in the art.

Memory management method, memory control circuit unit and memory storage apparatus


A method and apparatus for balancing an output load using data bus inversion is disclosed. In brief, one such technique comprises measuring the “balance” of data bits across a data bus (e.g., the number of zero values compared to the number of one values in a set of parallel data bits). If the data bits are unbalanced by a specified amount, a portion of the bits on the data bus are inverted, and the data bits, including the inverted portion, are transmitted. Also, a data bus inversion bit is set to a particular value and transmitted with the data bits to indicate that data bus inversion was used. If the data signal is not unbalanced (i.e., the bits on the data bus do not comprise an unbalanced number of logic values), then the bits on the data bus are transmitted as they are detected, and the data bus inversion bit is set to another particular value to indicate that data bus inversion was not used.

Data transmission across high-speed chip-to-chip interconnects may take a number of forms. One example illustrating data transmission between high-speed components within a single semiconductor device, or between two devices on a printed circuit board, is represented by the system 10 shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, a transmitter 12 (e.g., a microprocessor) sends data over one or more transmission channels 14a-14c (e.g., copper traces "on-chip" in a semiconductor device or on a printed circuit board) to a receiver 16 (e.g., another microprocessor or memory). As a group, such transmission channels 14a-14c are often referred to as a "data bus," which allows one or more data signals to be transmitted from one device to another.
Ideally, when a data signal comprising a series of bits (e.g., a bitstream) is sent from a transmitter 12 to a receiver 16 across a channel (e.g., 14a), all of the energy in a transmitted bit is contained within a single time cell, which is often referred to as a unit interval (UI). At the same time, it is hoped that energy from other bits, whether spatially close in time and on the same channel, or spatially close in physical proximity on a neighboring channel (e.g., 14b, 14c), will not affect the bit of interest. Unfortunately, in high-speed applications, this is typically not the case. At least three distinct phenomena result in such interference.
First, pulse dispersion on a given channel, resulting from non-uniform group delay and other bandwidth limitations, results in the spreading of pulse energy beyond the boundaries of the single UI. As a result, energy from bits preceding or following a bit of interest in the bitstream can potentially impact both the amplitude and timing of the bit of interest. This phenomenon is referred to as inter-symbol interference (ISI) and is typically addressed through channel equalization. By either preceding or following the transmission channel with a frequency dependent circuit, whose transfer characteristics are the inverse of the channel characteristics, the original signal behavior may be restored.
The second phenomenon is crosstalk, which is associated with capacitive and inductive coupling between channels on the bus. Crosstalk occurs when transitioning data induces either a voltage (inductive crosstalk) or a current (capacitive crosstalk) on a neighboring line. As is the case with ISI, crosstalk from neighboring channels may alter the amplitude and timing characteristics of a bit of interest on a given channel. Crosstalk is most often addressed with careful channel routing techniques, which may include the placement of additional traces between the channels to provide shielding and to reduce inter-channel coupling.
The third phenomenon that may impact a bit of interest, as it is transmitted across the channel 14, is referred to as simultaneous switching noise (SSN). SSN results from the finite capacity of the power supply network to source and sink current from high-current-draw output drivers. Ideally, the supply network acts as a stable reservoir of current. In real systems, however, the supply network exhibits finite resistance, capacitance, and inductance between the nodes where the drivers connect for power. When a large current is drawn by an output driver during a transition, or during a specific UI, that current generates a voltage across the finite resistance in the associated supply path. This induced voltage may cause voltage level variation in other supply nodes connected to neighboring drivers. Depending upon the sensitivity of the other driving circuits to such supply variation, significant variations in the amplitude and timing of their driven signals may be observed.
It is also possible to observe ringing on the supply due to the inductance and capacitance already mentioned. This ringing may additionally impact the signals being driven, depending upon the sensitivity of the corresponding circuits to that form of supply noise. Thus, in a way similar to crosstalk, SSN, as generated by driving circuits on neighboring channels, may affect a bit of interest on a particular channel.
Because crosstalk occurs as a result of transitions of data on neighboring channels, one way to reduce crosstalk is to reduce the frequency of data transitions. The operation of modifying the data content to reduce transitions, or to achieve any other desired behavior, is referred to as data encoding. One specific form of data encoding that can be used to reduce crosstalk is Data Bus Inversion (DBI).
In principle, DBI includes circuitry that first looks at the relationship between bits to be transmitted across a data bus and then decides (based on an algorithm) if it would be advantageous to invert some or all of the bits prior to transmission. If the bits are inverted, an additional signal (often on another data line), referred to as a DBI bit, is also set to indicate that the bits are inverted. Typically, as shown in FIG. 1, an extra channel 14d is then needed so that the DBI bit may be transmitted in parallel with the bits to identify to the receiving circuitry which sets of data have been inverted. The receiver then uses the DBI bit to return the incoming data to its original state.
One specific DBI algorithm which is used to reduce crosstalk is referred to as the "minimum transitions" algorithm. While there may be variations of this technique, in general the minimum transitions algorithm begins by computing how many bits across the bus will result in a transition during the upcoming cycle. When more than a certain number of transitions are predicted, the DBI circuitry inverts the entire bus, sets the DBI bit to a specified state (high or low depending on the implementation), and drives the inverted data and the DBI bit in parallel across the transmission channel, where the DBI bit is used to de-invert the inverted data prior to use in the receiving system.
One implementation of the minimum transitions technique is shown in FIG. 2A. In brief, the minimum transitions technique comprises comparing the state of an incoming data bit with the state of the previous data bit through an exclusive-OR (XOR) operation, in XOR gate 30. In the example shown in FIG. 2A, two successive bytes of data DIN(0:7) are compared to determine which bits in the data signals have changed. After corresponding bits in the two data signals are compared in an XOR operation and the result is summed, a determination is made as to whether the sum is greater than four (i.e., whether there are at least five transitions from the previous byte of data to the current byte). If the sum is greater than four, the current byte is inverted before it is transmitted, and the DBI bit is transmitted as '1.' Alternatively, if the sum of the data lines in the compared byte is four or less (i.e., there are no more than four transitions from one byte to the next), the data is transmitted unaltered, and the DBI bit is transmitted as '0.'
In most cases, as shown in FIG. 2B, the above operations result in no more than three transitions in two successive bytes of data. In any sequence of bytes, no more than four transitions should occur. Example results of the above operations of the computational block 22 are shown in FIG. 2B.
As can be seen in the table titled "Data without Data Bus Inversion," the number of transitions between two successive non-modified data signals may be derived directly from two successive groups of bits 0-7. For example, from the first data byte '00000000' to the second data byte, '11111111' eight transitions occur and are sent on a channel 14.
Simulated results from using the minimum transitions data bus inversion technique may be seen in the table titled "Data with Data Bus Inversion." This table shows the result of using the minimum transitions algorithm on the 'next' byte of data, in comparison to the current byte of data. When the number of transitions across a non-modified data byte increases to five or more of the data bits (this can be observed by comparing each row of parallel data bits to the left-hand table titled "Data without Data Bus Inversion"), the data byte is inverted and a DBI bit is output as '0.' For example, the second row of data in the table titled "Data without Data Bus Inversion" ('11111111') would result in eight bits transitioning from '0' to '1' if the minimum transitions algorithm weren't used after the first row of data bits ('00000000') is output. Accordingly, to reduce the number of transitions, the minimum transitions algorithm is used, and the parallel data bits are instead output as '00000000' with the addition of a DBI bit ('0'). Use of the DBI algorithm results in only a single transition between the first and second rows of data bits, from the change in the DBI bit. As a result of using this technique, any data byte that would have five or more transitions is inverted, which results in no more than four transitions in the modified data byte. Thus, while nine bits are now sent on a channel 14 instead of eight (including the DBI bit), no more than four transitions will occur from one data byte to the next, which helps to reduce SSN.
The minimum transitions technique reduces the number of transitions, and therefore in many input/output circuits topologies reduces the change in current draw at the transmitter 12, which in turn leads to reducing SSN. Additionally, by reducing the number of transitions in transmitted data, capacitive and inductive crosstalk is reduced between parallel signal paths.
The inventor considers the minimum transitions algorithm to have drawbacks. For example, implementation of the minimum transitions algorithm requires that past bit values be known (i.e., stored for at least one cycle) in order to determine if future transitions will occur. There are configurations in which storing past bit values is not possible. Further, in certain systems, use of the minimum transitions algorithm may increase power dissipation. This is particularly true in systems in which signals are referenced through pull-up resistors to a positive power supply. The minimum transitions algorithm may force a signal to remain in state of maximum power dissipation in an effort to minimize the number of transitions.
Another well-known DBI algorithm is referred to as the "minimum zeros" algorithm, which attempts to address issues related to power dissipation. The purpose of this algorithm is to minimize the number of binary zeros transmitted across a data bus. This is helpful in systems wherein the input/output (IO) circuits use pull-up resistors connected to the positive voltage supply as a means for generating an output signal. In such a configuration, maximum current is drawn from the supply (and hence maximum power is dissipated) when a logic '0' is being driven.
The minimum zeros technique is implemented as shown in the system 20 in FIG. 3A, which may be present, for example, in the transmitter 12 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 3A, an input data bus 24 inputs a plurality of input data bits DIN(0:7) to computational block 22. The computational block 22 performs operations on the input data bits and outputs the results as output data bits DOUT(0:7) on an output data bus 26 and as a data bus inversion (DBI) bit on DBI line 28, respectively. The output data bus 26 and the DBI line 28 may then lead, for example, to one or more channels 14 in the system 10, shown in FIG. 1.
In brief, the computational block 22 reads a parallel byte of input data and determines whether to invert the input data bus 24. In this example, if half or fewer of the bits of the data byte (i.e., four or fewer bits) comprise 'high' (logic '1') values, then all the bits of the data byte are inverted, and the DBI bit is output as '0.' This will guarantee that no more than four transmitted bits, including the DBI bit, are logic '0.' On the other hand, if at least four of the data bits comprise logic '1' values, the output data bits DOUT are assigned the same logic values as the input data bits DIN (i.e., no bits are changed), and the DBI bit on DBI line 28 receives a logic '1' value. Outputting the DBI bit as a logic '1' value assures that no additional power is consumed in transmitting the DBI bit across the channel 14.
Example results of the above-described operations of the computational block 22 are shown in FIG. 3B. The two tables show example bit sequences, as well as the number of '1' and '0' values that result from normal transmission and from the use of the minimum zeros technique. As can be seen in the table titled "Data without Data Bus Inversion," the number of '1' values or '0' values may be derived directly from the bits 0-7 in a non-modified data byte. For example, from the data byte '00000011,' six '0' values and two '1' values are present on a non-modified data byte that would then be sent on a channel 14. On the other hand, as seen in the table titled "Data with Data Bus Inversion," when the number of '0' values increases to five or more of the bits in the data byte, the data byte is inverted and a DBI bit is output as '0.' Thus, while nine bits are now sent on the channel 14 instead of eight, no more than four of the nine transmitted bits have logic '0' values, which reduces the number of transmitted '0' bits from five (as seen in the table on the left) to four (as seen in the table on the right).
Although the computational block 22 is shown implemented as pseudocode in FIG. 3A, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the computational block 22 may be implemented in software or in hardware. For example, computational block 22 may be implemented using hardware components such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or combinations of hardware logic elements designed to perform the functionality discussed above.
The use of a DBI algorithm such as either the minimum zeros or the minimum transitions typically requires that an additional bit (i.e., the DBI bit) is included on a data bus or in a transmitted data signal. However, the improvements that result from reducing consumed power, correct signal detection, etc., typically outweigh the negative effects of the resulting decrease in physical space in the integrated circuit or the decrease in bandwidth of the channels 14.
Each of the aforementioned data bus inversion techniques capitalizes on certain characteristics of data signals and the transmission channels on which the data signals are sent. However, in the inventor's opinion, an improved data bus inversion technique would attempt to improve upon these characteristics. The disclosed techniques achieve such results in a manner implemented in a typical computerized system or other circuit package.


The invention provides shape-stable products for storing and releasing thermal energy, based on thermoplastic polymer compositions containing organic phase change materials (PCM) incorporated into a polymer matrix, the products withstanding multiple melting-crystallization cycles of the PCM while maintaining their shape, dimensions, and the thermal energy storage capacity.

Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is considered as an indispensable technology for sustainable energy use allowing efficient energy saving, management, recovery, supply-demand matching, temperature control etc. Phase change materials (PCM) provide convenient TES method via latent heat of phase transitions storage and release. PCM can be of organic or inorganic nature.
While benefits of using PCM for energy storage are known for a long time (e.g. use of ice for food preservation), strong boost in their use is observed recently because of numerous regulations requiring significant energy efficiency improvements in various areas and applications.
Organic PCM like paraffins, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, and others are attractive candidates for TES applications by virtue of being non-corrosive, having high latent heat, availability of the substances with various phase transition temperatures, low density, rather sharp and congruent phase transitions. One problem, limiting wide use of organic PCM in various applications, including devices and installations, is their lack of shape and dimensional stability, since after a solid-liquid phase transition, being in the liquid state, molten PCM does not keep its original shape and dimensions.
In order to ensure convenient use of organic PCM and articles made thereof (expanding scope of their applications), measures preventing loss of initial geometry, leakage and large volume changes during solid-liquid phase transitions should be undertaken. Such measures may include, for example, PCM encapsulation within shell, impregnation within porous substrates, filling cavities in devices and installations. Encapsulated organic PCM are commercially available from Rubitherm, Devan Chemicals, BASF, Outlast, Croda, and other companies. Detailed description of organic PCM encapsulation techniques may be found, for example, in Boh and Knez (Boh B. and Knez E., Indian J. Fibre Text. Res., V31, 2006, 72-82). Encapsulation procedures usually are expensive and do not always provide a satisfactory solution, since encapsulated products are sensitive to processing conditions, their shells may easily break under shear stresses applicable in polymer processing. For PCM incorporated in the cavities or pores, the volume change during phase transitions may result in inferior thermal contact.
PCM incorporation within polymer matrix may be advantageous, providing better heat storage and release efficiency when PCM content within the matrix is high enough. However, even being incorporated in polymer matrix, PCM gets liquid and may leak, migrate and coalesce, resulting in shape and dimensional instability, especially at high loadings of PCM. PCM keeping their geometry during multiple phase transitions are known as Shape-stable PCM (SS PCM). Reduction of PCM leakage propensity can be achieved by impeding its flowability via significant increasing of viscosity. U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,132 discloses a polymer-PCM composition, wherein PCM is thickened by addition of fine silica powder with primary particle size between 0.005 and 0.025 microns and having a surface area from 50 to 500 square meters per gram. Incorporation of the nano-sized silica at the recommended loading levels (7-16% of composition weight) reportedly ties up the low-melting PCM, turning it in a stable "rather stiff" gel, thereby preventing oozing. However, presence of highly dispersed inorganic nano-filler in such a high concentration, increases density of the whole composition and significantly raises its viscosity in molten state, adversely affecting the preparation process, melt processability and moldability. Moreover, feeding of the fine silica into mixing devices during the composition preparation process may be technically challenging due to low bulk density of the powder, and also due to health concerns. There is a need for thermoplastic shape-stable thermal energy storage materials, SS PCM having PCM incorporated into polymer matrix, which may be easily prepared and shaped using conventional techniques and being capable to withstand multiple PCM melting-crystallization cycles, while keeping their TES capacity, shape and dimensions unchanged.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide shape-stable thermoplastic polymer compositions able to store and release thermal energy, comprising at least one organic phase change material (PCM), incorporated into a polymer matrix and immobilized therein by temperature reversible gelation, using organogelators.
This invention aims at providing shape stable (SS) thermoplastic polymer compositions, comprising 10-80 wt % organic PCM.
This invention also aims at providing a process for manufacturing of said SS thermoplastic polymer compositions, comprising organic PCM.
It is also an object of this invention to provide shaped and shape-stable articles made of said compositions by techniques conventional for shaping of thermoplastic polymers.
Other objects and advantages of present invention will appear as the description proceeds.

Thermoplastic shape-stable polymer compositions for storing thermal energy