A method for a vehicle fuel system, comprising: during an engine-off condition, including an ambient temperature within a threshold range, operating a cooling fan to increase a fuel tank vacuum; and indicating leaks in the vehicle fuel system based on the increased vacuum. In this way, an EONV test may be run at mild ambient temperatures which would not otherwise result in the development of adequate fuel tank vacuum to pass the EONV test.

Vehicle emission control systems may be configured to store fuel vapors from fuel tank refueling and diurnal engine operations, and then purge the stored vapors during a subsequent engine operation. In an effort to meet stringent federal emissions regulations, emission control systems may need to be intermittently diagnosed for the presence of leaks that could release fuel vapors to the atmosphere.
Evaporative leaks may be identified using engine-off natural vacuum (EONV) during conditions when a vehicle engine is not operating. In particular, a fuel system may be isolated at an engine-off event. The pressure in such a fuel system will increase if the tank is heated further (e.g. from hot exhaust or a hot parking surface) as liquid fuel vaporizes. As a fuel tank cools down, a vacuum is generated therein as fuel vapors condense to liquid fuel. Vacuum generation is monitored and leaks identified based on expected vacuum development or expected rates of vacuum development. The EONV leak test may be monitored for a period of time based on an available battery charge.
However, the EONV leak test is prone to false failures based on customer driving and parking habits. For example, a refueling event that fills the fuel tank with relatively cool liquid fuel followed by a short ensuing trip may fail to heat the fuel bulk mass and result in a false fail if an EONV test is run. Further, the rates of vacuum development are based in part on the ambient temperature. During mild weather conditions, the ambient temperature may restrict the amount of heating or cooling of the fuel tank following engine shut-off, and thus limit the rate of pressure or vacuum development. As such, vacuum may not reach expected threshold levels in the time allotted for the EONV test based on available battery charge. This may result in a false-fail condition, leading to potentially unnecessary engine service.
The inventors herein have realized the above issues, and developed systems and methods to at least partially address the problems. In one example, a method for a vehicle fuel system, comprising: during an engine-off condition, including an ambient temperature within a threshold range, operating a cooling fan to increase a fuel tank vacuum; and indicating leaks in the vehicle fuel system based on the increased vacuum. In this way, an EONV test may be run at mild ambient temperatures which would not otherwise result in the development of adequate fuel tank vacuum to pass the EONV test. Implementing this method increases the robustness of the EONV test.
In another example, a method for a vehicle fuel system, comprising: sealing a fuel tank and monitoring a fuel tank pressure after an engine-off event; and in response to a change in fuel tank pressure during a monitoring period being less than a fuel tank pressure threshold, unsealing the vehicle fuel system and allowing the fuel tank pressure to equilibrate to atmospheric pressure; assessing an ambient temperature; in response to the ambient temperature being within a threshold range, sealing the vehicle fuel system; and operating a cooling fan to increase a fuel tank vacuum to identify leaks in the vehicle fuel system. In this way, the occurrence of false EONV test failures due to insufficient vacuum developing may be reduced. This in turn, will reduce unnecessary vehicle warranty care.
In yet another example, a vehicle system, comprising: an engine including an intake; a fuel system including a fuel tank, a fuel vapor canister, a first valve coupling the fuel vapor canister to the intake, and a second valve coupling the fuel vapor canister to atmosphere; a pressure sensor coupled to the fuel tank for estimating a fuel tank pressure; a temperature sensor externally coupled to the vehicle system for estimating ambient temperature; an engine cooling system including one or more cooling fans; and a control system including executable instructions stored in non-transitory memory for: during an engine-off condition, in response to an ambient temperature being within a threshold temperature range; closing the first valve and the second valve; activating the one or more cooling fans; and monitoring a fuel tank vacuum for a vacuum test duration to identify leaks in the fuel system. In this way, EONV test restrictions based on stored battery charge may be avoided. EONV tests may be limited to monitoring vacuum development for a duration (e.g. 45 minutes) in order to maintain sufficient battery charge to restart the vehicle. This system increases the chances that a sufficient vacuum will develop following engine shut-off to correctly assess the presence of fuel system leaks within the testing duration.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Cooling fan assisted engine-off natural vacuum test


An opening is formed through a roof trim of a vehicle, and a design part of an interior illumination lamp is mounted in this opening. Self-holding-purpose retaining lock piece portions are formed integrally on an opposite surface of a lens which forms part of the design part. A light shielding layer is formed on those portions of the lens corresponding respectively to the retaining lock piece portions.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interior illumination lamp mounted on an interior member such as a ceiling surface of a vehicle or a sun visor within the vehicle.
2. Related Art
An interior illumination lamp, used for illuminating the inside of a vehicle room and for other illumination purposes as when making up the user's face, is mounted on a ceiling surface of the vehicle or a sun visor within the vehicle room (see, for example, JP-A-2003-118480).
In an interior illumination lamp disclosed in JP-A-2003-118480, a room lamp is mounted on a roof panel of a vehicle body, so that a light bulb, disposed at the inner side of the roof panel, is covered with a design part (particularly, a lens).
Usually, the design part is mounted on the roof panel or a housing to cover the light bulb.
The housing is mounted on the roof panel.
Specific examples in which the lens is mounted on the roof panel or the housing will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
In a design part 200 shown in FIG. 9, retaining lock piece portions 203 and 204 are formed integrally on an opposite surface 202 of a lens 201, and the lock piece portions 203 and 204 are retainingly engaged with a peripheral edge portion of an opening 206 formed through a roof panel 205, thereby mounting the design part 200 on the roof panel 205 in such a manner that a light bulb 207 is covered with the lens 201.
In a design part 220 shown in FIG. 10, retaining lock piece portions 223 are formed integrally respectively on four corner portions of an opposite surface 222 of a lens 221, and the retaining lock piece portions 223 are retainingly engaged with an opening portion 226 of a housing 225, thereby mounting the design part 220 on the housing 225 in such a manner that a light bulb 227 is covered with the lens 221.
The housing 225, having the lens 221 mounted thereon, is mounted in an opening 229 in a roof panel 228, so that the design part 220 is mounted on the roof panel 228.
In order to enhance a decorative design by accenting the lens 201, 221 of the design part 200, 220 aesthetically, it may be proposed to use a method of forming recesses and projections on a surface 208, 231 of the lens 201, 221 by forming cuts on this lens surface or a method of forming projections on the lens surface 208, 231 by embossing.
However, when the cuts or the embossing are merely formed on the lens surface 208, 231, the retaining lock piece portions 203 and 204, 223 and reinforcing ribs (see FIG. 10) can be viewed through the lens 201, 221 from the lens surface (208, 231) (that is, from the design surface) side, and this has invited a problem that the appearance is not attractive.
And besides, when it is desired to enhance the design of the lens 201, 221, its method must be selected from a small choice of methods (such as the method of forming cuts on the lens surface 208, 231 and the method of forming the embossing on the lens surface), and this has invited a problem that the degree of freedom of designing is low.
Furthermore, at the time when attaching and detaching the lens 201, 221, the hands of the worker are directly contacted with the lens surface 208, 231, and therefore there has been a fear that the lens surface 208, 231 is stained or damaged.
As means for solving this problem, there is known an interior illumination lamp in which a peripheral edge portion of a lens is covered with a bezel (i.e., a decorative portion).
This interior illumination lamp will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In the interior illumination lamp 300 shown in FIG. 11, a design part 301 is mounted on a roof panel 302, and a light bulb 303 is covered with the design part 301.
In the design part 301, a retaining edge portion 305 is formed at a peripheral edge of a lens body 304, and the bezel 306 is mounted on this retaining edge portion 305. The bezel 306 is retainingly engaged in an opening 308 in the roof panel 302, so that the lens body 304 and the bezel 306 are mounted in the opening 308 in the roof panel 302.
In this interior illumination lamp 300, the peripheral edge portion of the lens body 304 is covered with the bezel 306, and therefore when the design part 301 is to be mounted on the roof panel 302, the hands of the worker are prevented from directly contacting the peripheral edge portion of the lens body 304.
Therefore, the surface of the peripheral edge portion of the lens body 304 is prevented from being stained or damaged by the hands of the workers.
The bezel 306 severs as the decorative portion. Namely, recesses and projections are formed on a surface 307 of the bezel 306 by embossing, thereby making the appearance pleasing.
However, the recesses and projections are formed on the surface 307 of the bezel 306 by embossing, and therefore there has been encountered a problem that it is difficult to wipe off dirt and dust deposited on the recesses.
In addition, a color of the bezel 306 looks as a color of its surface (that is, a color of its material), and therefore a choice of the color is limited, and therefore it has been difficult to make the appearance sufficiently pleasing.


The invention concerns an off-road vehicle, in particular of the amphibious type, having a left wheel-train (6, 7, 8) and a right wheel-train, arranged to propel the vehicle on both land and water, propulsion resources (10) to drive the said wheel trains, and mobile control resources (15) capable of supplying at least one control signal as a function of their position. The said propulsion resources include a first electric motor capable of driving the left wheel-train, a second electric motor capable of driving the right wheel-train, and synchronisation resources (16) to synchronise the two electric motors as a function of the control signal.

This present invention concerns an amphibious off-road vehicle, and more particularly such a vehicle having a left wheel-train and a right wheel-train arranged to propel the vehicle on both land and water, propulsion resources to drive the said wheel trains, and movable control resources capable of supplying a control signal as a function of their position.
We are already familiar with off-road vehicles, of the 4-wheel or 6-wheel type in particular, equipped with an internal-combustion engine driving the wheels through a transmission chain. On land, the manoeuvrability of the vehicle in order to drive it in a given direction is achieved by locking one of the wheel trains and driving the other in order to steer the vehicle in the required direction.
Off-road vehicles with internal-combustion engines have a certain number of drawbacks however.
In the first place, their manoeuvrability is not optimal.
In addition, since they are off-road vehicles, they are designed to be used essentially in a rural setting. But these vehicles are noisy, and they also give rise to atmospheric pollution by the emission of exhaust gases.
We are also familiar with off-road vehicles, of the 4-wheel or 6-wheel type in particular, equipped with an electric motor.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,532 describes a six-wheeled electric vehicle for the transportation of one person. This vehicle is fitted with a left wheel-train and a right wheel-train driven by propulsion resources. However control of the motors is not optimised so as to achieve satisfactory steering accuracy. Moreover, the vehicle described does not have characteristics that would allow optimal motion on water, on slippery land, or in soft, muddy or snow-covered landscapes.
In these particular applications, control of the motors is particularly critical due to the reduced resistance of the ground to the movements of the vehicle.


A programmable array logic circuit whose temporary memory circuitry employs single bit non-volatile ferromagnetic memory cells. The ferromagnetic memory cells or bits store data even when there is no power provided to the circuitry, thus saving power during operation of the programmable logic circuitry, and ensuring that there is no loss of the data should there be a temporary power shut down. Additionally, the ferromagnetic cells provide for indefinite number of switching actions on the data without degradation to the capacity to store data therein. The invention provides an integrated circuit, comprising a programmable logic circuit array having product lines and input lines therein, and a storage register circuit. The storage register circuit has a ferromagnetic bit and sensor coupled to store a remnant control signal and an output transistor, coupled to be responsive to the remnant control signal on its gate, and coupled between an input and product line. Additionally, the integrated circuit may further include a logical AND array and a logical OR array.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a programmable array logic circuit employing non-volatile ferromagnetic memory cells. More particularly, the present invention uses a non-volatile ferromagnetic memory cell to temporarily store binary data.
2. The Background Art
Programmable logic devices have any number product sets, usually in groups of four (4), eight (8), sixteen (16) or more bits, although often in groups of ten (10). The arrays are programmed for application-specific tasks to be performed within digital electronic circuits. The fusible link types cannot be re-programmed, but those employing EEPROM and Flash can. For those PALs which use fusible links, the data in the "D" registers is lost at power off. For those that use EEPROM and Flash as replacements for the "D" registers, data is not lost at power off time.
Up to the present, traditional PALs have used "D" type flip-flops for product registers. Lately, however, some fabricators have begun using EEPROM and Flash technology to replace these. These last two technologies have draw-backs, however. EEPROMs are cumbersome to re-program, both are slow to re-program, exhibit "write fatigue," thereby limiting their useful life, and must be mass-written to re-program.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Programmable array logic circuit employing non-volatile ferromagnetic memory cells


An agent locking a resource in a device in response to receiving an explicit request to lock the resource. Once in a locked state, access to entities (applications, devices, etc.) other than a owner of the lock may be restricted (e.g., no access, only read access, etc.). The agent unlocks the resource in response to an unlock request or if keep-alive messages are not received for a long duration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to network management in communication networks, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for explicit locking of resources in a device accessible on a network.
2. Related Art
Networks are generally implemented to connect user devices (e.g., servers, personal computers). The connectivity enables implementation of various applications. For some of the applications, the network elements (e.g., routers, bridges, gateways) also operate as user devices. Thus, the word devices is generally used to refer to, among others, both user devices and network elements.
Devices generally contain several resources (e.g., routing table, passwords, SNMP community string, VPN configuration), and often need to be locked. Locking generally refers to prevention of access to at least some of the devices. As is well known, locking is often used associated with write operations (or modification in general), in which exclusive access is provided to a writing device at least until the writing operation (or modification) is complete.
Such locking feature may be necessary in devices accessible on a network as well. In one example scenario, an application in a network management station (NMS) may need to change the configuration (e.g., the routing table) of a device. At least during such configuration, it may be desirable to ensure that exclusive access of device (or routing table) is provided to the application. Accordingly, locking feature may be desirable in devices accessible on a network.
In one prior approach, a NMS maintains an internal table indicating the external resources which are to be locked, and an application may request a lock of a desired resource. A lock is granted to such a requesting application, and other applications executing in the NMS are denied access to the same resource while the table indicates that the resource is locked. As a result, at least the other applications in the NMS are denied access to the resource.
One problem with such an approach is that the lock indication in the NMS may not prevent applications in some other devices (e.g., another NMS) from accessing and modifying the same resource. As an environment may contain many NMSs, two applications in different NMSs may attempt to configure (modify) the same resource.
As would be readily appreciated, such modification attempts by multiple NMSs leads to absence of predictability in terms of expected end results (since the result may depend on which NMS modified last), in addition to potentially raising questions of integrity of the configuration of the resource.
In the drawings like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.

Explicit locking of resources in devices accessible on a network


When a metal member and a ceramic member are joined to one another, an aluminum nitride sintered compact is prepared. A liquid and a component which is mutually reactive with the liquid are applied onto the aluminum nitride sintered compact, and then a copper foil is laminated thereon. Subsequently, when the members are left to stand at room temperature, the liquid and the component mutually cause an exothermic reaction. The aluminum nitride sintered compact and the copper foil mutually diffuse, and they are tightly joined to one another. Accordingly, the members to be joined are not thermally affected, and a desired joining strength can be obtained by using simple equipment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for joining members at ordinary temperature for joining a first member and a second member to one another at ordinary temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, those widely adopted for joining a metal member to another metal member or for joining a metal member to a ceramic member include, for example, the brazing method based on the use of a brazing material, the diffusion brazing method, the friction welding method, and a variety of the welding methods such as the MIG welding and the spot welding.
When such members are joined to one another by means of the brazing method, a brazing material is arranged between the members to be joined. Local heating is effected, for example, by using a burner to heat the brazing material to a temperature not less than its melting point. Thus, the members are joined to one another. However, the brazing method involves the problem that mutual diffusion of components scarcely occurs between the members, and the joining strength is low.
In the case of the diffusion brazing method, the members, which are used as base materials for joining, are heated to a high temperature. Therefore, mutual diffusion of components occurs between the members, and it is possible to obtain a joining strength which is higher than that obtained by the brazing method. However, the diffusion brazing method involves the problem that deformation occurs in addition to annealing and thermal distortion. Further, in the case of the various types of welding methods, the joining strength per unit area is increased, because the metal to be joined is melted. However, the welding methods involve the problem that the deformation of the joined portion is increased.
As described above, in the case of the respective joining methods described above, it is known that the distortion hysteresis remains at ordinary temperature, and the thermal distortion appears, because the metal or the ceramic to be joined is exposed to a high temperature. Further, for example, the distortion is also caused by partial application of heat, and the fatigue characteristic is affected thereby. Thus, various troubles arise due to the application of heat.
In order to avoid the occurrence of thermal distortion, the friction welding method is adopted, as a joining method for performing joining at ordinary temperature or in the vicinity thereof. In the case of the friction welding method, atoms of both members to be joined make direct diffusion, in which it is possible to obtain an extremely high strength, and it is possible to effectively reduce the occurrence of distortion.
However, in the case of the friction welding method described above, a lot of burrs are formed at the joined portion between the members. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the burrs in the next step. For this reason, the following problem is pointed out. That is, special equipment is required to remove the burrs, and the size of joinable member is restricted.

Method for joining members at ordinary temperature


A process for mitigating shear induced particle migration of highly filled explosive suspensions during injection loading of the explosive suspension into a confined container that includes monitoring particle migration within the highly filled explosive suspension and correcting flow parameters effective to reduce the particle migration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a process for mitigating shear induced particle migration of highly filled explosive suspensions during injection loading of the explosive suspension into a confined container.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Methods of using commercial bottle-filling devices for highly filled suspensions produces a high level of unacceptable ordnance because of process design defects and the complete reliance upon post-mortem radiography to determine pass or fail. Injection loading corrected several problems associated with the process design problems of commercial bottle-filling machines, but did not have sufficient process control to preemptively prevent the manufacture of reject ordnance. Injection loading remains reliant upon post-mortem radiography to determine acceptance and confirm suspected rejects, particularly when processing low viscosity plastic-bonded explosive (PBX).
Injection loading is an inter-disciplinary technology for transport operations being performed upon highly filled suspensions through narrow flow channels. Similar to injection molding techniques practiced in the plastics industry, a piston is used to transfer the viscous suspension from a reservoir into a mold cavity (see e.g., Tobin, W. J., Fundamentals of Injection Molding, 2nd edition, WJT Associates, Louisville, Colo., ISBN: 0-9369-9419-3, 2000 and Rosato, D. V., Rosato, D. V., and Rosato, G. R., Injection Molding Handbook, 3rd edition, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston, ISBN: 0-7923-8619-1, 2001). However, unlike the traditional injection molding techniques, the mold is a component of the product rather than a component of the machine. Similar to the commercial bottle filling machines used in the food or pharmaceutical industries, the mold is a container that approaches the dispensing device where it is filled, and then taken away for final packaging (see e.g., Soroka, W., Fundamentals of Packaging Technology, 2nd edition, IoPP Press, Naperville, Ill., ISBN: 1-5667-6862-4, 1998).
There is a need in the art to provide improved methods for injecting highly filled explosive suspensions into confined containers. The present invention addresses this and other needs.

Injection loading of highly filled explosive suspensions

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


A system and method for registering a test image with a reference image requires decimation of both images to create corresponding image pyramids. A Log-Polar Transformation (LPT) is then applied to corresponding pixels from the same highest levels of the respective pyramids. Next, these pixels are manipulated to establish a Normalized Correlation Coefficient (NCC) for their respective correlations. Approximately the highest 10% of correlated pixels are then retained to identify related pixels in the next lower level of their respective pyramids. Again, LPT is applied to these related pixels and they, in turn, are manipulated to establish NCC correlations for identifying pixels to be retained. This process is successively accomplished for each lower level of the pyramid until the lowest levels (i.e. the test image and the reference image) are correlated and used for registration of the test image.

Whenever an image is made of something (anything), it is always presented from a particular unique perspective. Furthermore, the image will most likely have no inherently useable scale and, depending on the resolving power of whatever device is used to make the image, details in the image may be minimal. On this point, it is noted that the more pixels there are in an image, the higher will be the resolution and fidelity of the image. Issues arise, however, when an image (i.e. a photo) is to be used to identify the location of an object (target) in the image. In particular, issues of perspective, scale and resolution can be troublesome when the image has been created by a relatively low-fidelity camera (i.e. a photo image), and is taken from an unspecified location (e.g. from an aerial vehicle). Moreover, as suggested above, these issues may become crucial when the intended use of the image is for locating something in the image (e.g. a geo-location task).
In order for a photo image to be useful for geo-location purposes, the photo first needs to be somehow registered. In this case, registration is necessary so the perspective of the image can be defined and a metric scale for use with the image can be established. This can be done in any of several different ways. For example, the Log-Polar Transformation (LPT) is a well known technique that correlates selected features from different images (i.e. a "test" image and a "reference" image). Specifically, this is done to register the test image with the reference image (see A. D. Ventura and A. Rampini, "Image registration by recognition of corresponding structures," IEEE Trans. on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, May 1990, pp. 305-314). With LPT, as with other techniques, however, the resolution level of the image (i.e. number of pixels in the image) can become a significant issue when near real time registration of the image is required. An important reason for this is that the more pixels there are in an image (i.e. the higher the fidelity of the image) the larger will be the computational load, and the longer will be the processing time. This will be so, even for relatively low-fidelity, low-resolution images.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for registering a low-fidelity test image with a high-fidelity reference image, in near real time, wherein the computational load and processing time for registration is minimized. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for registering a test image with a reference image wherein pixels from different images are respectively decimated and correspondingly correlated for subsequent selection and further evaluation in an image registration process. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a system and method for registering a low-fidelity test image with a high-fidelity reference image that is relatively simple to manufacture, is easy to use and is comparatively cost effective.

Image registration using a modified log polar transformation


An outlet structure for an air-conditioner has a fan guard disposed on the outlet side of the air-conditioner for preventing foreign matter from entering to an air blower, and at least one air-direction control vane disposed upstream and/or downstream of the fan guard. The fan guard has elements, except for an outer frame, not in parallel to the rear edge of the upstream air-direction control vane or the front edge of the downstream air-direction control vane. Even in the case where the distance between a fan guard and air-direction control vanes is reduced, and airflows interfere with the fan guard and the air-direction control vanes as the size of air-conditioners is progressively reduced, air-turbulence noise may be reduced.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air conditioner. The invention more particularly concerns an outlet structure for an air-conditioner for reducing air-turbulence noise generated by interference between a fan guard and air-direction control vanes. The air-direction control vanes are located in an interior unit of the air-conditioner which includes an air blower whose outlet is required to be equipped with a fan guard to provide against harm caused by a rotor, such as a fan, of the air blower.

Air-conditioner having outlet structure for reducing air turbulence noise


A method and apparatus for the automatic application of vocal emotion parameters to text in a text-to-speech system. Predefining vocal parameters for various vocal emotions allows simple selection and application of vocal emotions to text to be output from a text-to-speech system. Further, the present invention is capable of generating vocal emotion with the limited prosodic controls available in a concatenative synthesizer.

For a considerable time in the history of speech synthesis, the speech produced has been mostly `neutral` in tone, or in the worst case, monotone, i.e., it has sounded disinterested, or deficient, in vocal emotionality. This is why the synthesized intonation produced by prior art systems frequently sounded robotic, wooden and otherwise unnatural. Furthermore, synthetic speech research has been directed primarily towards maximizing intelligibility rather than including naturalness or variety. Recent investigations into techniques for adding emotional affect to synthesized speech have produced mixed results, and have concentrated on parametric synthesizers which generate speech through mathematical manipulations rather than on concatenative systems which combine segments of stored natural speech.
Text-to-speech systems usually incorporate rules for the application of intonational attributes for the text submitted for synthetic output. However, these rule systems generate generally neutral tones and, further, are not well suited for authoring or editing emotional prose at a high level. The problem lies not only in the terminology, for example "baseline-pitch", but also in the difficulty of quantifying these terms. If given the task of entering a stage play into a synthetic speech environment, it would be unbearable (or, at the very least, highly challenging for the layperson) to have to choose numerical values for the various speech parameters in order to incorporate vocal emotion into each word spoken.
For example, prior art speech synthesizers have provided for the customization of the prosody or intonation of synthetic speech, generally using either high-level or low-level controls. The high-level controls generally include text mark-up symbols, such as a pause indicator or pitch modifier. An example of prior art high-level text mark-up phonetic controls is taken from the Digital Equipment Corporation DECtalk DTC03 (a commercial text-to-speech system) Owner's Manual where the input text string:
It's a mad mad mad mad world. PA1 It's a /!mad .backslash.!mad /!mad .backslash.!mad /.backslash.!world. PA1 ow<1000>! PA1 ow<,90>! PA1 ow<1000,90>!
can have its prosody customized as follows:
where /! indicates pitch rise, and .backslash.! indicates pitch fall.
Some prior art synthesizers also provide the user with direct control over the output duration and pitch of phonetic symbols. These are the low-level controls. Again, examples from DECtalk:
causes the sound ow! (as in "over") to receive a duration specification of 1000 milliseconds (ms); while
causes ow! to receive its default duration, but it will achieve a pitch value of 90 Hertz (Hz) at the end; while
causes ow! to be 1000 ms long, and to be 90 Hz at the end.
So, on the one hand, the disadvantage of the high-level controls is that they give only a very approximate effect and lack intuitiveness or direct connection between the control specification and the resulting or desired vocal emotion of the synthetic speech. Further, it may be impossible to achieve the desired intonational or vocal emotion effect with such a coarse control mechanism.
And on the other hand, the disadvantage of the low-level controls is that even the intonational or vocal emotion specification for a single utterance can take many hours of expert analysis and testing (trial and error), including measuring and entering detailed Hertz and milliseconds specifications by hand. Further, this is clearly not a task an average user can tackle without considerable knowledge and training in the various speech parameters available.
What is needed, therefore, is an intuitive graphical interface for specification and modification of vocal emotion of synthetic speech. Of course, other graphical interfaces for modification of sound currently exist. For example, commercial products such as SoundEdit.RTM., by Farallon Computing, Inc., provide for manipulation of raw sound waveforms. However, SoundEdit.RTM. does not provide for direct user manipulation of the waveform (instead, the portion of the waveform to be modified is selected and then a menu selection is made for the particular modification desired).
Further, manipulation of raw waveforms does not provide a clear intuitive means to specify vocal emotion in the synthetic speech because of the lack of clear connection between the displayed waveform and the desired vocal emotion. Simply put, by looking at a waveform of human speech, a user cannot easily ascertain how it (or modifications to it) will sound when played through a loudspeaker, particularly if the user is attempting to provide some sort of vocal emotion to the speech.
By contrast, the present invention is completely intuitive. The present invention provides for authoring, direct manipulation and visual representation of emotional synthetic speech in a simplified format with a high level of abstraction. A user can easily predict how the text authored with the graphical editor of the present invention will sound because of the power of the explicit and intuitive visual representation of vocal parameters.
Further, the present invention provides for the automatic specification of prosodic controls which create vocal emotional affect in synthetic speech produced with a concatenative speech synthesizer.
First of all, it is important to understand that speech has two main components: verbal (the words themselves), and vocal (intonation and voice quality). The importance of vocal components in speech may be indicated by the fact that children can understand emotions in speech before they can understand words. Intonation is effected by changes in the pitch, duration and amplitude of speech segments. Voice quality (e.g. nasal, breathy, or hoarse) is intrasegmental, depending on the individual vocal tract. Note that a glossary has been included as Appendix A for further clarification of some of the terms used herein.
Along a sliding scale of `affect`, voices may be heard to contain personalities, moods, and emotions. Personality has been defined as the characteristic emotional tone of a person over time. A mood may be considered a maintained attitude; whereas an emotion is a more sudden and more subtle response to a particular stimulus, lasting for seconds or minutes. The personality of a voice may therefore be regarded as its largest effect, and an emotion its smallest. The term `vocal emotion` will be used herein to encompass the full range of `affect` in a voice.
The full range of attributes may be created in synthesized speech. Voice parameters affected by emotion are the pitch envelope (a combination of the speaking fundamental frequency, the pitch range, the shape and timing of the pitch contour), overall speech rate, utterance timing (duration of segments and pauses), voice quality, and intensity (loudness).
If computer memory and processing speed were unlimited, one method for creating vocal emotions would be to simply store words spoken in varying emotional ways by a human being. In the present state of the art, this approach is impractical. Rather than being stored, emotions have to synthesized on-line and in real-time. In parametric synthesizers (of which DECtalk is the most well-known and most successful), there may be as many as thirty basic acoustic controls available for altering pitch, duration and voice quality. These include e.g., separate control of formants' values and bandwidths; pitch movements on, and duration of, individual segments; breathiness; smoothness; richness; assertiveness; etc. Precision of articulation of individual segments (e.g., fully released stops, degree of vowel reduction), which is controllable in DECtalk, can also contribute to the perception of emotions such as tenderness and irony. These parameters may be manipulated to create voice personalities; DECtalk is supplied with nine different `Voices` or personalities. It should be noted that intensity (volume) is not controllable within an utterance in DECtalk.
With a concatenative speech synthesizer, the type used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the range of acoustic controls is severely limited. Firstly, it is not possible to alter the voice quality of the speaker, since the speech is created from the recording of only one live speaker (who has their individual voice quality) speaking in one (neutral) vocal mode, and parameters for manipulating positions of the vocal folds are not possible in this type of synthesizer. Secondly, precision of articulation of individual segments is not controllable with concatenative synthesizers. It is nonetheless possible with the speech synthesizer used in the preferred embodiment of the present invention to control the parameters listed below:
TABLe 1 ______________________________________ Parameter Speech Synthesizer Commands ______________________________________ 1. Average speaking pitch Baseline Pitch (pbas) 2. Pitch range Pitch Modulation (pmod) 3. Speech rate Speaking rate (rate) 4. Volume Volume (volm) 5. Silence Silence (slnc) 6. Pitch movements Pitch rise (/), pitch fall (.backslash.) 7. Duration Lengthen (>), shorten (<) ______________________________________
Although there are seven parameters listed in the table above, the present invention claims that for concatenative synthesizers, it is possible to produce a wide range of emotional affect using the interplay of only five parameters--since Speech rate and Duration, and Pitch range and Pitch movements are, respectively, effected by the same acoustic controls. In other words, the present invention is capable of providing an automatic application of vocal emotion to synthetic speech through the interplay of only the first five elements listed in the table above.
Further, the present invention is not concerned with the details of how emotions are perceived in speech (since this is known to be idiosyncratic and varies among users), but rather with the optimal means of producing synthesized emotions from a restricted number of parameters, while still maintaining optimal quality in the visual interface and synthetic speech domains.

Method and apparatus for automatic generation of vocal emotion in a synthetic text-to-speech system


A semiconductor memory having charge trapping memory cells and fabrication method thereof. The direction of current flow of each channel region of the memory transistors runs transversely with respect to the relevant word line, the bit lines are arranged on the top side of the word lines and in a manner electrically insulated from the latter, and electrically conductive local interconnects of source-drain regions are present, which are arranged in sections in interspaces between the word lines and in a manner electrically insulated from the latter and connected to the bit lines, wherein gate electrodes are arranged in trenches at least partly formed in the memory substrate.

A charge trapping semiconductor memory typically has an array of charge trapping memory cells arranged in columns and rows, where each one of the memory cells is structured as a transistor including a gate dielectric that typically consists of a charge trapping storage layer sandwiched in between two boundary layers. In general, storage layer materials have a smaller energy band gap and a larger trap density than boundary layer materials so that charge carriers trapped in the storage layer remain localized. Typically, nitrides are used as storage layer materials, while oxides are used as boundary layer materials. Depending on the actual configuration, charge carriers can be transferred from the channel region to the storage layer using channel hot electrons (CHE) or Fowler-Nordheim tunneling. Erasing a charge trapping memory cell may be effected by injecting hot holes or by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling.
In a typical common source memory cell architecture, conductive source lines connect source regions of a column and conductive word lines that are arranged in parallel alignment to the source lines connect gate electrodes of a column and are used to select a single memory cell. Conductive bit lines are arranged above the word and source lines orthogonally aligned therewith and are in electric contact with drain regions. Different therefrom, in a typical virtual ground architecture, bit lines are in electric contact with both source and drain regions, where every two adjacent bit lines are used for programming and sensing of a memory cell.
Document DE 10258194 A1 describes a semiconductor memory having charge trapping memory cells in virtual ground architecture, where directions of current flows through the channel regions are aligned vertically to word lines and bit lines are arranged above the word lines isolated therefrom. Local interconnects (jumper connections) are provided between the word lines isolated therefrom that are connected to the bit lines. With regard to a consecutive numbering of the storage transistors, these local interconnects on one side of a word line, respectively, electrically conductively connect a source/drain region of an even-numbered storage transistor with a source/drain region of a consecutive odd-numbered storage transistor, and, on the opposing side of that word line, these local interconnects respectively electrically conductively connect a source/drain region of an odd-numbered storage transistor with a source/drain region of a consecutive even-numbered storage transistor. Also, word lines can be contacted with word line straps to reduce resistivity thereof.
Charge trapping memory cells of above document DE 10258194 A1 are structured in planar configuration, in which, however, severe problems as to a further down-scale of the memory cells can arise. More particularly, scaling down the memory cells results in shorter and shorter lengths of channel regions that is to say distance of the regions in between source/drain regions, rendering a punch-through of the memory cells more likely. Otherwise, usage of the memory cells in a multi-bit storage mode essentially requiring localized charge distributions on drain-sides and source-sides of the storage layers of the memory cells may result in a detrimental overlap of charge distributions disabling a clear discrimination of logic states.

Semiconductor memory having charge trapping memory cells and fabrication method thereof


The system for controlling body fluids overcomes the limitations of the prior art by automatically infusing diuretic and/or other drugs into a human patient. In one approach, the rate of infusion of the diuretic is adjusted based on the measured weight of the patient. For example, this weight can be transmitted wirelessly to a portable diuretic infusion device attached to the patient.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to controlling body fluid condition using diuretics.
2. Description of the Related Art
Body fluid imbalance is associated with many diseases such as congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis and kidney disease. Congestive heart failure in particular is a major cause of death and hospitalization. Despite currently available treatment, mortality and hospitalization from congestive heart failure remains high. Causes of heart failure include coronary artery disease, hypertension, valvular heart disease, myocardial infarction, etc. As pump function of the heart deteriorates, body fluid often increases and may lead to complications such as pulmonary edema.
When pumping capacity of the heart deteriorates, blood perfusion to the kidneys decreases. This results in retention and accumulation of body fluid because excessive body fluid is not delivered to the kidneys to be excreted. This excessive body fluid often manifests as swelling of the legs. If body fluid continues to expand, a weak heart may be no longer able to handle increased blood volume and finally fails to pump blood forward adequately. Symptoms of congestive heart failure include shortness of breath, fatigue, swelling of legs, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (not being able to breathe suddenly at night). Many people come to the emergency room due to congestive heart failure exacerbation. People do not breathe well when fluid builds up in the lungs.
Diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide, furosemide and bumetanide are often used to treat this fluid accumulation by increasing the excretion of body fluid and sodium through the kidneys. However, use of oral diuretics often fails to prevent heart failure exacerbation. This failure of diuretics to prevent heart failure can be explained by several mechanisms. First, the dosage of oral diuretics prescribed by the doctor is often fixed, but the ideal dosage often changes depending on changing body conditions. For example, when people with heart disease eat salty food high in sodium content, their body fluid may increase significantly. We often see people come to the emergency room after they eat excessive amount of salt at a party. In this situation, people will require a higher dose of diuretics in order to excrete excessive body fluid and salt. The required dose of diuretics is affected by the dietary intake of sodium, water and tendency to retain sodium. When body fluid builds up in the digestive system, it may cause intestinal edema (swelling). Bioavailability of diuretics may decrease with intestinal swelling. The body may not be able to absorb diuretics effectively. Patients may need to take higher dose of diuretics when poor bioavailability occurs.
Second, poor compliance plays a role. People sometimes forget to take medications. This poor compliance could result in heart failure. Third, treatment delay plays a role. When there is a sign of body fluid accumulation such as swelling of legs, many people ignore this early sign of heart failure and wait until their condition gets severe enough to require hospitalization. These explanations are associated with many cases of heart failure.
Sliding scale diuretic titration of oral diuretics has been attempted for the treatment of congestive heart failure by some heart failure management programs. In sliding scale diuretic titration, patients are instructed to measure body weights and adjust diuretics pill dose according to the instruction given by their physician or nurse. However, conventional diuretic sliding scale titration has several significant drawbacks. First, patients may not understand the sliding scale instruction or may not comply with it. Poor understanding of the instruction may also lead to inappropriate use of medication. Second, conventional instructions may be limited to instructions and sliding scale titration that are simpler than would be desired. In real clinical situations, a more complex diuretic titration may be required to maintain ideal body fluid condition. However, some patients may not be able to follow such complex instructions so instructions may be simplified at the cost of a less effective titration.
In addition, if the sliding scale diuretic titration changes frequently, some patients may not understand the change of sliding scale diuretic titration and may end up taking the wrong dose of medication. This may lead to serious complications. Taking too much medication may lead to complications such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, hypotension, and kidney failure. Conventional sliding scale diuretic titration is also limited to oral diuretics, which may not be as effective as, for example, continuous infusion of diuretics.
As a result of these possible complications, sliding scale diuretic titration, when attempted, is typically based on a straightforward and simple protocol. More complex protocols generally have not been attempted because there is not a reliable way to carefully monitor and control the dispensing of diuretic or to adjust the dose according to varying conditions. In addition, there are not reliable safety measures to safeguard against the possible inappropriate use of diuretics. Without such controls and safety measures, more complex protocols can have a higher risk of inappropriate use of diuretics and possible adverse effects such as dehydration, electrolytes abnormalities, hypotension, and kidney failure.
Thus, there is a need for better, and preferably automatic, approaches to control body fluid condition using diuretics.

Method for controlling body fluid condition using diuretics, based on weight measurement


The present invention provides novel compositions to transfect cells for production of growth hormone (GH). These novel compositions also are used to produce germline transgenic birds that can successfully pass the transgene encoding growth hormone to their offspring. These novel compositions include components of vectors such as a vector backbone, a novel promoter, and a gene of interest that encodes for GH, and the vectors comprising these components. In one embodiment these vectors are transposon-based vectors. The present invention also provides methods of making these compositions and methods of using these compositions for the production of GH in vitro and in vivo. In one embodiment the GH is human (h)GH.

Manufacture of therapeutic proteins, such as GH, is an expensive process. Companies using recombinant techniques to manufacture GH are working at capacity and usually have a long waiting list to access their fermentation facilities. What is needed is a new, efficient, and economical approach to make GH in vitro or in vivo.

Vectors for production of growth hormone


An image recording apparatus comprises a FAX unit and a printer unit. The printer unit has an ink-jet printing head, and records image data received by the FAX unit or image data read by an original sheet reader in a copy mode. A sensor constituted by an actuator and a photointerrupter for detecting whether an original sheet is set is arranged in the original sheet reader. In a stand-up state of the housing of the apparatus, the actuator is removed from the photointerrupter, and this sensor is set in the same state as in the original presence state. Even if a power supply is turned on in this state, a recovery operation which is normally executed is inhibited. With this operation, contamination and occurrence of trouble caused by ink leakage can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus which records an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink droplets in accordance with image data.
2. Related Background Art
Conventionally, a printer for executing a recording operation using a so-called ink-jet recording head which ejects ink droplets in accordance with image data has been available. In such a printer, in order to prevent occurrence of a print error caused by clogging of a nozzle of the recording head, a recovery operation is executed, e.g., when a power supply is turned on in a hardware manner, when the unused period exceeds a predetermined time, or when a cartridge is to be exchanged, thereby discharging a thickened ink from the nozzle of the recording head.
In such a printer, however, a recovery process is executed every time a power supply is turned on in a hardware manner. For this reason, depending on the set state of the housing of the printer, an ink discharged in the recovery process leaks to contaminate the inside of the housing, and further may cause trouble.
A facsimile (FAX) apparatus having such a printer as a recording unit has been proposed. In such a FAX apparatus, a recovery process is executed upon a reception operation. When, e.g., a memory substitute reception process is executed due to the absence of a recording paper sheet or the like, a print operation is not executed, so a recovery operation is not required actually. In this case, however, both an ink and a time required for an unnecessary recovery operation are wasted.


Provided are a method of and a system for converting color temperatures of visual contents to user's preferred color temperatures by using metadata of the visual contents. The system includes an image color temperature recording unit, a user preferable color temperature managing unit, and a color temperature adjusting unit. The image color temperature recording unit time-divides the visual contents according to a color temperature description format, estimates color temperatures of time-divided sections, and records the estimated color temperatures as first metadata. The user preferable color temperature managing unit determines user's preferable color temperatures of the time-divided sections, records the user's preferable color temperatures as second metadata, and outputs the user's preferable color temperatures. The color temperature adjusting unit converts the estimated color temperatures of the first metadata based on the user's preferable color temperatures of the second metadata.

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 2002-22807 filed on Apr. 25, 2002 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of and a system for converting color temperatures of visual contents according to a user's preferred color temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
The color temperature of a light source is defined as the temperature of the planckian radiator, which chromaticity is nearest to that of the source in a suitable uniform chromaticity-scale diagram such as CIE 1960 UCS diagram. The color temperature of an image can be calculated by estimating illumination component of the image. Color Temperature can be used to quantifying the warmness and coolness that a human being feels about the image. In general, an image having a high color temperature is wholly bluish and an image having a low color temperature is wholly reddish. However, individuals' preferred color temperatures are different.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,562,460, 4,633,299, and 4,788,586, in the prior arts, in order to convert the color temperature of an image to a user's preferred color temperature, a television or a monitor has an adjusting circuit which can vary the quantity of hue or red, green, blue (RGB) and with which the user can adjust the color temperature of an image or a scene to the user's preferred color temperature.
However, it is very inconvenient for the user to adjust the color temperature each time the user watches a moving picture containing scenes of various contents. Also, in the color temperature converting method, it appears as if converted pictures have passed through a specific color filter. Thus, the displayed pictures look unnatural.
As another color temperature converting method, U.S. Pat. No. 6,172,719 discloses a method of sensing the brightness, color, etc. around a display device and automatically converting the color temperature of the display device using a chromaticity sensing apparatus. In this method, the color temperature is converted according to environmental changes regardless of the characteristics of the picture. Thus, this method is suitable to adjusting a viewer's feelings depending on the environment while being unrelated to the conversion of color temperature according to color temperature characteristics of the visual contents. In general, the environment for watching an image display device, such as a television or a monitor, is constant while the visual contents are inconstant. Thus, when considering that individuals' preferred color temperatures are different, it is necessary to convert the color temperature to correspond to variations in the visual contents.
For this necessity, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,685,071 and 5,495,428 and Korean Patent Application No.1998-53119 each disclose a method of estimating the color temperature (a luminating color) from an image. Specifically, Korea Patent Application No.1999-50596 discloses a method of simultaneously converting color temperatures of images to a user's preferred color temperatures using estimated color temperatures.
However, these methods have to undergo a color temperature estimating process in which a matrix multiplication operation is performed for each pixel. Thus, when these methods are applied to a user's terminal, a considerable amount of calculation load occurs. As a result, image displaying performance deteriorates, or the cost for improving the image displaying performance increases.

Method of converting color temperatures in image display device using contents description metadata of visual contents and system using the same


A spiral wound liquid separation device enclosed within a housing and a cover for the housing is provided with a seal which separates liquid feed to the device from liquid retentate produced by the device. The seal is of unitary construction with one end sealed to the outside surface of the spiral wound separation device and with a second end positioned between the housing and the cover under compression.

This invention relates to a sealing means for a spiral wound filtration apparatus such as in reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration apparatus.
At the present time, liquid separation apparatus such as filtration or reverse osmosis apparatus including a spiral wound cartridge are utilized in separation processes for liquids. The spiral wound cartridge is formed by interleaving one or more membrane layers, one or more spacer layers and one or more liquid impermeable layers about a central hollow core which functions as an outlet for permeate. The cartridge includes a sealing configuration which prevents admixture of permeate with either feed or retentate. The cartridge is positioned within a housing wherein feed is introduced axially into the cartridge, retentate is removed axially from the cartridge and permeate is recovered by way of the central hollow core which is in fluid communication with a fluid outlet in a cover which also seals the cartridge within the housing. At the present time, the feed is sealed from the retentate by a chevron-shaped elastomeric seal which is interposed between the outside surface of the cartridge and the inside surface of the housing for the cartridge in a manner to seal the feed inlet from the retentate outlet. An O-ring, spaced apart from the chevron-shaped seal, is positioned between the cover for the housing and the housing to prevent feed leakage from the housing prior to its being passed through the spiral wound cartridge. Unfortunately, the chevron-shaped seal has a tendency to fail under the normal operating conditions of pressure and fluid flow primarily due to incomplete sealing at the inside wall of the housing and the seal surface contacting the inside wall of the housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,161 describes a seal structure for a reverse osmosis apparatus wherein a seal is effected between a housing for a spiral wound cartridge and a cover for the housing.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a sealing means which prevents a feed liquid from by-passing a liquid separation means prior to being removed as retentate. Such as sealing means would permit more efficient liquid separation processes which utilize a spiral wound separation cartridge.


An encoder having a detector and an optical system that generates an image of a code strip on the detector is disclosed. The image includes a plurality of light and dark stripes, the detector generating a plurality of sinusoidal signals differing in phase from one another as the code strip moves relative to the detector. Each sinusoidal signal cycles through one period when the code strip moves a distance equal to one light stripe and one dark stripe with respect to the detector. A frequency multiplier generates a plurality of frequency multiplied signals. The encoder utilizes a signal interpolator that defines a plurality of position locations utilizing the frequency multiplied signals, there being at least 5 such points corresponding to the code strip moving a distance equal to one light stripe and one dark stripe with respect to the detector.

Encoders provide a measurement of the position of a component in a system relative to some predetermined reference point. Encoders are typically used to provide a closed-loop feedback system to a motor or other actuator. For example, a shaft encoder outputs a digital signal that indicates the position of the rotating shaft relative to some known reference position that is not moving. A linear encoder measures the distance between the present position of a moveable carriage and a reference position that is fixed with respect to the moveable carriage as the moveable carriage moves along a predetermined path.
An absolute shaft encoder typically utilizes a plurality of tracks on a disk that is connected to the shaft. Each track consists of a series of dark and light stripes that are viewed by a detector that outputs a value of digital 1 or 0, depending on whether the area viewed by the detector is light or dark. An N-bit binary encoder typically utilizes N such tracks, one per bit. An incremental encoder typically utilizes a single track that is viewed by a detector that determines the direction and the number of stripes that pass by the detector. The position is determined by incrementing and decrementing a counter as each stripe passes the detector.
In both types of encoder, the ultimate resolution is determined by the stripe pattern and the size of the detectors used to view the stripe pattern. To provide increased resolution, the density of the stripes must be increased. For example, in a shaft encoder, the number of stripes per degree of rotation must be increased. Similarly, in a linear encoder, the number of stripes between the limits of the linear motion must be increased. However, there is a practical limit to the density of stripes that is set by optical and cost constraints.
One method for providing increased resolution is to utilize an interpolation scheme to provide an estimate of the relative position of the code strip and the photodetectors between the points at which the edges of the stripes are detected. In one scheme, the light from a track is viewed by two sets of detectors. The shape and position of the detectors is set to provide two sinusoidal signals that are 90 degrees out of phase. By measuring the points at which two signals based on these sinusoids cross, intermediate position measurements can be provided. The accuracy of the determination of the intermediate points depends on the frequency of the sinusoids, which, in turn, is set by the number of stripes in the code strip or disk. Hence, this type of system can only extend the resolution by a limited amount.

Interpolating encoder utilizing a frequency multiplier

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A connector heat transfer unit is presented. A number of embodiments are presented. Each embodiment includes a housing capable electrically connecting one or more heat generating components to an electronic system and cooling the heat generating components.

1. Cross Reference to Related Applications:
Reference is made to pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/688,587 filed Oct. 18, 2003 for a detailed description of a cooling systems and various heat transfer units and heat exchangers and their operation.
2. Description of the Related Art:
At the heart of data processing and telecommunication devices are processors and other heat-generating components which are becoming increasingly more powerful and generating increasing amounts of heat. As a result, more powerful cooling systems are required to prevent these components from thermal overload and resulting system malfunctions or slowdowns.
Traditional cooling approaches such as heat sinks and heat pipes are unable to practically keep up with this growing heat problem. Cooling systems which use a liquid or gas to cool these heat generating components are becoming increasingly more needed and viable. These systems utilize heat transfer units thermally coupled to the heat generating components for absorbing or extracting heat from the heat generating components into a coolant flowing there through. The coolant, now heated, is directed to a heat exchanger where heat is dissipated from the coolant, creating cooled coolant and returned to the heat transfer unit to repeat the cycle.
Liquid cooling for these heat generating components is a much viable approach to this heat problem. A typical liquid cooling system employs one or more heat transfer units thermally coupled to the heat generating components for absorbing heat from the components into the liquid coolant and a heat exchanger which dissipates heat from the coolant and returns cooled liquid to the heat transfer units.
The heat transfer unit is typically comprised of a housing with a cavity there through for the coolant to flow through. The contact surface (with the heat generating components) is preferably thin and has excellent thermal transfer capability, such as copper.
Many of the heat generating components of today and high powered microprocessors, in particular, are connected into the electronic system in which they will be used by means of connector. The connector is often wave-soldered into a motherboard and has receptacles for receiving the pins of the component and allows for easy insertion and extraction into and out of the motherboard. The component then is not subjected to of any mishaps that may incur during wave-soldering or whatever insertion method is used.
For today's powerful microprocessors, for example, a bulky, heavy heat sink or heat pipe dissipater must then be coupled to component and the motherboard for fastening and often causes problems such as breakage of the mother board from the substantial torques that must be generated to secure the entire assembly and even shipping damage from the heavy weight of the air cooled cooling devices.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus for both securing the component to the system or motherboard and to provide efficient and powerful cooling of the component at the same time.


An integrated circuit that includes a substrate, a semiconductor layer arranged on the substrate and an insulating layer arranged on an upper portion of the semiconductor layer and including a bump provided on an upper surface thereof, wherein the semiconductor layer includes a main semiconductor area and an including an internal alignment mark including a p-type semiconductor that is overlapped by a metallic external alignment mark arranged on the upper surface of the insulating layer. The p-type semiconductor internal alignment mark can be viewed by an infrared camera during a mounting process of the integrated circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit and a display device including the same, and more particularly to an integrated circuit that includes alignment marks and a display device including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
An integrated circuit (IC) is obtained by integrating electronic elements, such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors, on a single substrate or within the substrate to implement a function of a specified circuit. Since the integrated circuit has a reduced size in comparison to a circuit implemented by individually arranging the electronic elements and is integrally formed, the handling and wiring thereof are facilitated, and the mass production thereof becomes possible. Accordingly, the integrated circuit is used in various electronic devices.
With the development of technology, electronic devices having miniaturized sizes and various complicated functions are required. Accordingly, it is necessary that the size of an integrated circuit included in the electronic device is miniaturized and the structure thereof is complicated.
Recently, as the use of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a PMP, and a PDP increases, a display device is on the trend of miniaturization and thin filming. Accordingly, even in the display device, an integrated circuit having a miniaturized size and a complicated structure can be used. For example, the display device may use an integrated circuit as a device for driving a display panel that displays an image.

Integrated circuit and display device including the same


A d.c. arc welder which can use either a high voltage power supply of a certain voltage such as 400 volts or a low voltage power supply of about a half voltage thereof such as 200 volts and is arranged to effect automatic switching between low and high voltage power supply states not only when the power supply is switched from one to the other but also when the input voltage gradually rises from zero voltage to the above-mentioned high voltage, thereby constantly providing an adequate d.c. output for welding. It is provided with a circuit breaker in a stage next to its input terminals for sensing a high voltage of the power supply to temporarily shut off the input from the power supply and closing the circuit after its initialization.

This invention relates to a d.c. arc welder which can selectively use two kinds of a.c. power supply of relatively high voltage such as 400 volts and relatively low voltage of about a half thereof such as 200 volts and, especially, to an improved d.c. arc welder which can automatically follow such a power supply as an engine generator whose output voltage gradually rises at the time of starting operation.
A method of responding to such two kinds of supply voltage as above is to provide the primary winding of an input transformer with a center tap and use it at the time of low voltage, as described in Japanese patent opening No. S56-80373, for example. In this method, however, it cannot be expected to reduce the size and weight of the welder, since the input transformer itself has large size and weight. In another method using so-called invertorized configuration in which a.c. power obtained by rectifying an input a.c. power is converted into a high frequency a.c. power by an invertor and it is reduced in voltage by an output transformer which is small in both size and weight and then rectified, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese utility model opening No. H1-151975, a regular rectifier circuit and a voltage doubling rectifier circuit are disposed in the input rectifier to use the input terminals of the latter at the time of low voltage. In these prior art devices, however, it is impossible to use the same input terminals for two kinds of supply voltage in common.
The inventors of this application proposed an invertorized d.c. arc welder which can automatically respond to two kinds of supply voltage without any manual operation in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/962,923 and British patent application No. 9217585.0. This welder was provided with a pair of smoothing capacitors for smoothing the output of an input rectifier and a pair of invertors driven by the voltages across the respective capacitors, and arranged to maintain the input voltages of the invertors constant regardless of the input voltage by automatically switching these capacitors in series or parallel between the output terminals of the input rectifier in accordance with the input voltage.
However, this device had such a feature in that it could not effect the above-mentioned switching operation so long as it did not return to its initial condition of zero input, when it turned from the low voltage input to the high voltage input, as described below. Though this feature caused no problem at the time of using constant voltage supplies such as commercial a.c. supplies of 400 and 200 volts since the zero input state happened always at the time of switching them, it caused such a problem in that the above-mentioned switching operation did not take place at the time of using as the power supply an engine generator which was frequently utilized in the mountains or islands having no commercial power supply to be utilized, since its output voltage rises gradually at the time of starting operation.
Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an improved arc welder which enables smooth switching operation even when the input voltage varies continuously from a low voltage to a high voltage as described above.

Sansha Electric Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


An authenticity discriminable printed matter in which a latent image cannot be visually identified under ordinary visible light but appears upon being irradiated with UV rays. A basic image is formed on a base material. The basic image is made of a latent image portion and latent image peripheral portion. The latent image portion and latent image peripheral portion cannot be visually discriminated, and each of them is formed from a set of dots continuously laid out at a predetermined period. The resolution of the dots of the latent image portion is different from that of the dots of the latent image peripheral portion. The latent image portion and latent image peripheral portion have the same percent dot area per unit area and different dot peripheral lengths (contour lengths) per unit area. The latent image portion and latent image peripheral portion are printed by color fluorescent ink, thus obtaining printed matter.

The present invention relates to printed matter such as securities including banknotes, stock certificates, and bonds, various kinds of certificates, and important documents which must not be forged or altered, in which a latent image that can hardly be recognized under ordinary visible light becomes visible when the printed matter is irradiated with a predetermined wavelength such as UV rays, or if the printed matter is copied by a copying machine, a latent image formed from anti-copy image lines becomes visible even without irradiation of a predetermined wavelength such as UV light whereby the authenticity can be discriminated.

Authenticatable printed matter, and method for producing the same

National Printing Bureau, Incorporated Administrative Agency


The invention is directed to techniques for providing cardiac resynchronization therapy by synchronizing delivery of pacing pulses to the left ventricle with intrinsic right ventricular depolarizations. An implantable medical device measures an interval between an atrial depolarization and an intrinsic ventricular depolarization is measured. In various embodiments, the intrinsic ventricular depolarization may be an intrinsic right or left ventricular depolarization. The implantable medical device delivers pacing pulses to the left ventricle to test a plurality of pacing intervals. The pacing intervals tested may be within a range around the measured interval between the atrial depolarization and the intrinsic ventricular depolarization. One of the pacing intervals is selected based on a measured characteristic of an electrogram that indicates ventricular synchrony. For example, the pacing interval may be selected based on measured QRS complex widths and/or Q-T intervals. The implantable medical device paces the left ventricle based on the selected pacing interval.

Many patients that suffer from congestive heart failure (CHF) develop a wide QRS complex resulting from a delayed activation of one of the ventricles in the heart, and inter- and/or intraventricular electrical-mechanical dysynchrony. This ventricular "dysynchrony" may be caused by dilation of the heart, which disrupts the conductive pathways and interferes with depolarization sequences. Ventricular dysynchrony may worsen heart failure symptoms.
In a classic case of ventricular dysynchrony, the right ventricle of the heart activates first, and the left ventricle activates at a later time. Delayed activation of the left ventricle may be caused by a particular disruption of the conductive pathways of the heart, referred to as a left bundle branch block (LBBB). A patient who has LBBB often experiences a reduction in cardiac output because of dysynchronous ventricular contraction. Moreover, in the case of LBBB, different regions within the left ventricle may not contract together in a coordinated fashion, further reducing cardiac output.
Patients having a wide QRS complex or having inter- and/or intraventricular electrical-mechanical dysynchrony often are treated with an implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker, that paces both ventricles. The implanted medical device senses or paces atrial contractions, waits a predetermined time (or atrioventricular (AV) delay) after each sensed or paced atrial contraction, and then paces both ventricles. The ventricles may be paced simultaneously, or one ventricle may be paced before another. This biventricular pacing is often referred to as cardiac resynchronization.

Cardiac resynchronization via left ventricular pacing


The present invention relates to a vertical axis turbine rotor blade arrangement for a wind power generator adapted to rotate around a vertical axis. The vertical axis turbine rotor blade arrangement comprises a rotor blade having a first and a second end and being pivotally connected to a pivot arm. The pivot arm has a first and a second end and is pivotally connected to a base member. The rotor blade is adapted to be displaced between an active position and a retracted position. The base member and the pivot arm defines a horizontal plane when the rotor blade is in the active position, the base member is rotatable around a pole, the pole is configured to extend in a first direction.

Vertical wind power generators are an interesting alternative to traditional horizontal axis wind turbines. Vertical wind power generators generally operate by rotating a vertical shaft to produce electrical power. As the rotating shaft is vertical, the generator and the gear box can be positioned close to the ground, or optionally on the ground. They further do not need to be actively positioned towards the wind as traditional horizontal axis wind turbines require, i.e they are omni-directional.
One example of a vertical wind power turbine is disclosed in the patent publication GB 2,427,003 A. The vertical wind power turbine comprises an upper and a lower tower section which are telescopically arranged. When the upper tower section is moved in a vertical direction it can deploy and retract turbine rotor blades. The deployment and retraction of the turbine rotor blades are effectuated by wires running along the upper and lower tower section. The wires provide for turbulence around the mast and reduce the effect of the wind power turbine. The wires also generate noise. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved vertical axis turbine rotor blade arrangement for a wind power generator which at least provide for a useful alternative to the above mentioned solution.


Systems, methods and apparatuses are disclosed for protecting encoded media data. A minimum set of information needed to encode a single message for an encoded audio signal is loaded separately from the media data into an encoder. A media license file is generated to protect the encoded data, where the underlying information relevant to the media data may be hidden through encryption or other means in order to foster security. The algorithm(s) for encoding may be provided using a shared library, combined with an encoding payload that provides the minimum information set required to form the single message. A partial decoder may apply pattern matching information in the encoded payload in order to confirm that the encoding is actually present and is proper. Accordingly, the payload must be successfully decoded and verified before the underlying data may be decoded.

Techniques such as "watermarking" have been known in the art for incorporating information signals into media signals or executable code. Typical watermarks may include encoded indications of authorship, content, lineage, existence of copyright, or the like. Alternatively, other information may be incorporated into audio signals, either concerning the signal itself, or unrelated to it. The information may be incorporated in an audio signal for various purposes, such as identification or as an address or command, whether or not related to the signal itself.
There is considerable interest in encoding audio signals with information to produce encoded audio signals having substantially the same perceptible characteristics as the original unencoded audio signals. Recent successful techniques exploit the psychoacoustic masking effect of the human auditory system whereby certain sounds are humanly imperceptible when received along with other sounds.
One particularly successful utilization of the psychoacoustic masking effect is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,450,490 and 5,764,763 (Jensen et al.) in which information is represented by a multiple-frequency code signal which is incorporated into an audio signal based upon the masking ability of the audio signal. Additional examples include U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,180 (Neuhauser et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,845,360 (Jensen et al.), where numerous messages represented by multiple frequency code signals are incorporated to produce and encoded audio signal. Each of the above-mentioned patents is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. The encoded audio signal is suitable for broadcast transmission and reception as well as for recording and reproduction. When received, the audio signal is then processed to detect the presence of the multiple-frequency code signal. Sometimes, only a portion of the multiple-frequency code signal, e.g., a number of single frequency code components, inserted into the original audio signal, is detected in the received audio signal. However, if a sufficient quantity of code components is detected, the information signal itself may be recovered.
While media data encoding and watermarking has been known in the art, there continues to be great interest in additionally protecting the media data from "hackers" or "pirates." One well-known technique for protecting data is encryption, which transforms information using a cipher algorithm to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing a key. Another related technique for protecting data is referred to as "obfuscation," where input data is encoded before it is sent to a hash function or other encryption scheme. One-of the advantages of obfuscation is that it helps to make brute force attacks unfeasible, as it is difficult to determine the correct cleartext for decryption. Examples of obfuscation techniques may be found in Collberg et al., "A Taxonomy of Obfuscating Transformations," Technical Report, Department of Computer Science, University of Auckland, No. 148 (July 1997), Collberg, Thomborson, "Watermarking, Tamper-Proofing, and Obfuscation—Tools for Software Protection," University of Arizona Computer Science Technical Report, (Feb. 10, 200), and Sosonkin et al., "Obfuscation of Design Intent in Object-Oriented Applications," Department of Computer and Information Science, Polytechnic University (2003), each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein.
While the aforementioned techniques of encryption and obfuscation has served to protect data files themselves, there has been insufficient work in area of protecting media measurement data, as well as data encoded using psychoacoustic masking. Under the systems and methods described below, key components of numeric and/or pattern-based algorithms may be eliminated from software applications intended for untrusted computing environments. The disclosed configuration provides a high level of protection against reverse engineering because the software does not contain the actual software code implementation of the algorithm, but only the numeric results of the algorithm. Accordingly, attempts at reverse engineering the code would not yield the actual algorithm. This technique can be extended to include protection of higher-level functionality using a set of stored patterns, representing the required algorithm flow, executed by a generic pattern engine. Because the stored patterns are not part of the actual software code, they can not be disassembled. By using a generic pattern engine, reverse engineering may be frustrated further.

System and method for payload encoding and decoding


An electronic device for detecting presence includes a housing and an infrared (“IR”) sensor. The housing includes an outer surface having an opening formed thereon. The IR sensor is disposed in the housing and adjacent to the opening. The IR sensor has an unobstructed path and line of sight through the opening to outside of the housing. The IR sensor is configured to receive heat emitted by a person from outside of the housing via the opening and to generate a signal in response thereto.

Mobile devices such as cellular telephones, smart phones, and other handheld or portable electronic devices such as personal digital assistants ("PDAs"), headsets, MP3 players, etc. have become popular and ubiquitous. As more and more features have been added to mobile devices, there has been an increasing desire to equip these mobile devices with input/output mechanisms that accommodate numerous user commands and/or react to numerous user behaviors. It is of increasing interest that mobile devices be capable of detecting the presence of, and determining with some accuracy the position of, physical objects located outside of the mobile devices and, more particularly, the presence and location of human beings (or portions of their bodies, such as their heads or hands) who are using the mobile devices or otherwise are located nearby the mobile devices. By virtue of such capabilities, the mobile devices are able to adjust their behavior in a variety of manners that are appropriate given the presence (or absence) and location of the human beings and/or other physical objects.
While remote sensing devices such as infrared (or, more accurately, near-infrared) transceivers have been employed in the past in some mobile devices to allow for the detection of the presence and/or location of human beings and/or physical objects even based on their movement, such sensing devices have been limited in various respects. In particular, some such near-infrared transceivers in some such mobile devices are only able to detect the movement of a human being/physical object within a certain distance from the given transceiver, but not able to detect the continuous presence of the human being/physical object after the human being/physical object stops moving or vice versa. Also, some such transceivers in some such mobile devices are undesirably complicated, require large numbers of components in order to operate, or require optical elements that attenuate the received infrared signals, which in turn renders such devices unduly expensive and inefficient.

Electronic device and method for detecting presence


This invention relates to a non-slip structure, which is highly efficient in preventing a slip with no trouble caused by a through hole, thereby enhancing reliability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-slip structure that provides a metal plate with a non-slip protruded piece, which is highly effective in preventing a slip without any trouble caused by a through hole, thereby enhancing reliability.
2. Description of the Related Art
As non-slip structures of a metal plate which constitute floors, aisles, stairs, or decorative laminated sheets and the like of building structures, or floors and steps of buses, trucks, special vehicles and the like and, furthermore, top sides and decks of railway rolling stocks, marine vessels and the like in addition to temporary sole plates and the like of civil works and the like, heretofore, the technologies such as enumerated below have been known.
(1) A banded steel plate 11 is known, which has a non-slip banded pattern rounded and formed when a steel plate is flat-rolled (see FIG. 4(A)).
Since the height of the banded pattern 13, formed when the steel plate is flat-rolled, is low and also has a curved shape, a non-slip effect can be expected as long as it is used for a relatively good working condition. Even in such a case, not much non-slip effect can be expected (see FIGS. 4 (B) and 4(C)).
(2) A non-slip structure is known, which is laminated with a non-slip sheet comprising a sandpaper because the upper cover of construction equipment is taken as a tread.
However, this non-slip sheet is not expected to bring out satisfactory effect since the grain is crushed promptly, depending on its use.
(3) Hence, in order to eliminate these troubles, a structure is known, in which a through hole 22 having a round shape or star-like shape is first formed by punching in a steel plate 21 and, then, a large number of patterns 23 that are made by pulling up the peripheral hem of the through hole 22 by a press and the like are arranged (see FIG. 5).
In this non-slip steel plate 21, since the height of the pulled up portion of the pattern 23 can be sufficiently secured, which also becomes a sharply chopped off surface 27 by punching, much stronger non-slip effect can be expected.
Consequently, this non-slip steel plate 21 is used particularly at elevated working floors, and locations in which the non-slip effect is spoiled due to rainwater and slurries, and the like.
However, since the above-described non-slip steel plate is cut with the through hole, depending on its application, it is inevitable that there arise problems such as rainwater and slurries falling down below the tread, or fiery winds and a diffusion of noises inversely rolling up from below to the tread or the like.
Hence, this non-slip steel plate is integrally welded on a separate floor surface made of a flat steel plate or firmly fixed to it by bolting as necessary.
Since bolting makes it possible to separate the non-slip steel plate and the flat steel plate, which becomes the floor surface, it is possible to prevent a rusty fluid from arising out of rainwater accumulated between the non-slip steel plate and the flat steel plate or to clean up dusts accumulated in each non-slip pattern.
Nevertheless, in either case, since the floor structure is twofold, it leads to a rise in the manufacturing cost because of the twofold structure.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and the main object of the invention is to provide a highly reliable non-slip structure, which is highly effective in preventing a slip without any trouble caused by the through hole.
A further object of the invention is to provide a non-slip structure, which is good in draining.

Abstract: The non-slip structure of this invention is characterized in that a portion of a metal plate such as a steel plate and the like is sheared so as to form cutting lines (a pair of lateral side cutting lines and a joining cutting line) for forming a protruded piece and, at the same time, the protruded piece is pulled up along the cutting lines to a height, which does not exceed the thickness portion of the steel plate so as to raise the shearing surface (edge), so that the sheared surface does not form a gap nor any through hole in contacting the steel plate.