A remote diagnosis system including a patient-side device including a physical-information obtaining device which obtains a piece of current physical information from a patient, a plurality of doctor-side devices which are provided in a plurality of medical institutions, respectively, that are remote from the patient-side device and each of which can receive the piece of current physical information of the patient from the patient-side device, a preliminary-diagnosis device for making, based on the piece of current physical information obtained by the physical-information obtaining device, a preliminary diagnosis about whether the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor, and a physical-information transmitting device for transmitting, when the preliminary-diagnosis device makes a preliminary diagnosis that the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor, the piece of current physical information to at least one selected doctor-side device out of the plurality of doctor-side devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote diagnosis system which transmits, to a medical institution, physical information obtained from a patient at a location (e.g., patient""s home) remote from the medical institution, so that a doctor at the medical institution makes, based on the transmitted physical information, a medical diagnosis on the patient.
2. Related Art Statement
Japanese Patent Document No. 10-143573 discloses a remote diagnosis system which includes a physical-information obtaining device that is placed in a house of a patient and obtains physical information (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, etc.) from the patient and which transmits the obtained physical information to a doctor-side terminal device that is placed in a medical institution (e.g., hospital, doctor""s office, etc.) remote from the patient""s house. The prior remote diagnosis system additionally includes a preliminary-diagnosis device which automatically makes a preliminary diagnosis about the physical information, before the physical information is transmitted to the medical institution.
More specifically described, the preliminary-diagnosis device makes a preliminary diagnosis by judging whether the physical information obtained from the patient is greater than a threshold value, and selects, from a plurality of doctor-side terminal devices assigned to a plurality of doctors, one doctor-side terminal device assigned to one doctor who is suitable for making a proper diagnosis based on the physical information and the preliminary diagnosis, so that the remote diagnosis system transmits the physical information to the selected doctor-side terminal device. Thus, the preliminary diagnosis is utilized to transmit the physical information to the suitable doctor who can make a correct diagnosis on the patient. In addition, when the preliminary diagnosis indicates that the physical information is obviously normal and the patient does not need a proper diagnosis by a doctor, the remote diagnosis system does not transmit the physical information to any doctor-side terminal devices. Thus, a total amount of physical information transmitted to each doctor is decreased, and each doctor can more quickly make a proper diagnosis about the thus decreased amount of physical information only.
Thus, in the case where the preliminary-diagnosis device makes respective xe2x80x9cabnormalityxe2x80x9d preliminary diagnoses about different sorts of physical information, the prior remote diagnosis system transmits the different sorts of physical information to different doctor-side terminal devices assigned to different doctors who are suitable for diagnosing the different sorts of physical information, respectively. However, in the case where the preliminary-diagnosis device makes respective xe2x80x9cabnormalityxe2x80x9d preliminary diagnoses about different pieces of physical information of one sort, the prior remote diagnosis system transmits all the different pieces of physical information to one and same doctor-side terminal device assigned to one and same doctor who is suitable for diagnosing the one sort of physical information. This largely limits the degree of freedom of choice of the patient who could freely go and see any one of a plurality of doctors at a plurality of medical institutions. In addition, since only one doctor makes a final diagnosis about each piece of physical information, the final diagnosis may not be sufficiently accurate or reliable.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a remote diagnosis system which includes a plurality of doctor-side devices any one of which can be selected by a patient.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a remote diagnosis system which includes a plurality of doctor-side devices which can provide a patient with accurate or reliable diagnoses.
Each of the above objects has been achieved by the present invention. According to a first feature of the present invention, there is provided a remote diagnosis system comprising at least one patient-side device including at least one physical-information obtaining device which obtains at least one piece of current physical information from at least one patient; a plurality of doctor-side devices which are provided in a plurality of medical institutions, respectively, that are remote from the patient-side device and each of which can receive the piece of current physical information of the patient from the patient-side device; a preliminary-diagnosis means for making, based on the piece of current physical information obtained by the physical-information obtaining device, a preliminary diagnosis about whether the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor; and a physical-information transmitting means for transmitting, when the preliminary-diagnosis means makes a preliminary diagnosis that the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor, the piece of current physical information to at least one doctor-side device of the plurality of doctor-side devices that has been selected by the patient.
In the present remote diagnosis system, when the preliminary-diagnosis means makes a preliminary diagnosis that the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor, the physical-information transmitting means transmits the piece of current physical information obtained by the physical-information obtaining device, to one or more doctor-side devices of the plurality of doctor-side devices that have been selected by the patient. Thus, as in the case where the patient actually goes and sees one or more doctors at one or more medical institutions out of a number of medical institutions, the physical information obtained from the patient is transmitted to one or more doctor-side devices selected by the patient out of the plurality of doctor-side devices, so that the physical information or the patient is diagnosed by one doctor before the one doctor-side device, or each of two or more doctors before the two or more doctor-side devices.
According to a second feature of the present invention, there is provided a remote diagnosis system comprising at least one patient-side device including at least one physical-information obtaining device which obtains at least one piece of current physical information from at least one patient; a plurality of doctor-side devices which are provided in a plurality of medical institutions, respectively, that are remote from the patient-side device and each of which can receive the piece of current physical information of the patient from the patient-side device; a preliminary-diagnosis means for making, based on the piece of current physical information obtained by the physical-information obtaining device, a preliminary diagnosis about whether the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor; and a physical-information transmitting means for transmitting, when the preliminary-diagnosis means makes a preliminary diagnosis that the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor, the piece of current physical information to each of the plurality of doctor-side devices.
In the present remote diagnosis system, when the preliminary-diagnosis means makes a preliminary diagnosis that the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor, the physical-information transmitting means transmits the piece of current physical information obtained by the physical-information obtaining device, to each of of the plurality of doctor-side devices. Since the physical information obtained from the patient is transmitted to the plurality of doctor-side devices provided at the plurality of medical institutions, the physical information or the patient can be accurately or reliably diagnosed by two or more doctors before the two or more doctor-side devices.
According to a third feature of the present invention, the preliminary-diagnosis means comprises means for judging whether the piece of current physical information falls within a first reference range, and means for making, when it is judged that the piece of current physical information does not fall within the first reference range, a preliminary diagnosis that the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor, and each of the doctor-side devices comprises a reference-range changing means for transmitting, to the preliminary-diagnosis means, a second reference range and changing the first reference range to the second reference range, so that the preliminary-diagnosis means judges whether the piece of current physical information falls within the second reference range.
In the present remote diagnosis system, a doctor before each doctors-side device can operate the reference-range changing means to change the current reference range to a more appropriate reference range, so that the preliminary-diagnosis means judges whether each piece of physical information falls within the more appropriate reference range. Therefore, the preliminary-diagnosis means can make a more accurate preliminary diagnosis. This leads to reducing the overall load exerted to each doctor and promoting each doctor to make more quickly a proper diagnosis on only the physical information judged as being abnormal by the preliminary-diagnosis means.
According to a fourth feature of the present invention, the preliminary-diagnosis means comprises means for judging whether the piece of current physical information falls within a first reference range proper for the patient; means for making, when it is judged that the piece of current physical information does not fall within the first reference range, a preliminary diagnosis that the patient needs a proper diagnosis to be made by a doctor; and a memory device which stores a plurality of first reference ranges respectively proper for a plurality of patients including the patient.
In the present remote diagnosis system, the preliminary-diagnosis means can make a more accurate preliminary diagnosis. This leads to reducing the overall load exerted to each doctor and promoting each doctor to make more quickly a proper diagnosis on only the physical information judged as being abnormal by the preliminary-diagnosis means.
According to a fifth feature of the present invention, each of the doctor-side devices comprises a reference-range changing means for transmitting, to the preliminary-diagnosis means, a second reference range proper for the patient and changing the first reference range proper for the patient to the second reference range proper for the patient, so that the preliminary-diagnosis means judges whether the piece of current physical information falls within the second reference range proper for the patient.
In the present remote diagnosis system, a doctor before each doctors-side device can operate the reference-range changing means to change the current reference range proper for each patient to a more appropriate reference range proper for each patient, so that the preliminary-diagnosis means judges whether each piece of physical information falls within the more appropriate reference range proper for each patient. Therefore, the preliminary-diagnosis means can make a more accurate preliminary diagnosis.
According to a sixth feature of the present invention, the patient-side device comprises a display device; and a display control means for controlling the display device to display the preliminary diagnosis made by the preliminary-diagnosis means.
The present remote diagnosis system enables the patient to from, from the preliminary diagnosis displayed on the display device, whether he or she should go and see a doctor to obtain a doctor""s proper diagnosis about his or her physical information.
According to a seventh feature of the present invention, the remote diagnosis system comprises a plurality of patient-side devices each of which includes at least one physical-information obtaining device which obtains at least one piece of current physical information from a corresponding one of a plurality of patients including the patient, the preliminary-diagnosis means comprises a memory device which stores, for each of the plurality of patients, at least one piece of past physical information which had been obtained by the physical-information obtaining device of a corresponding one of the plurality of patient-side devices, and the physical-information transmitting means transmits, to the doctor-side device, the piece of current physical information with the piece of past physical information stored for the patient in the memory device.
The present remote diagnosis system enables a doctor to make a proper diagnosis about the patient based on not only the piece of current physical information but also one or more pieces of past physical information. Therefore, the doctor can make a more accurate diagnosis on the patient.


A display device includes a light source, a spatial light modulator, and an optical element. The optical element includes a reflective surface. The optical assembly is positioned relative to the light source so that at least a portion of the illumination light received by the optical element is reflected at the reflective surface back toward the light source. The spatial light modulator is positioned to receive at least a portion of the illumination light reflected by the reflective surface. A method performed by the display device is also disclosed.

Head-mounted display devices (also called herein head-mounted displays) are gaining popularity as means for providing visual information to a user. For example, the head-mounted display devices are used for virtual reality and augmented reality operations.
High-resolution displays are desired in head-mounted display devices. Because a display of a head-mounted display device is located adjacent to eyes of a user, if a low resolution display is used, the spacing between pixels of the display would be visible to the user (as if the view is seen through a screen door). However, high-resolution displays are large and heavy, which have limited their application in head-mounted display devices.

Short distance illumination of a spatial light modulator using a single reflector


A method for forming a Ga-doped SiGe layer comprises depositing, in the presence of a C-containing Ga precursor, Ga-doped SiGe on a substrate, thereby forming a first portion of the Ga-doped SiGe layer. The method further comprises depositing, in the absence of the C-containing Ga precursor, SiGe on the first portion, thereby forming a second portion of the Ga-doped SiGe layer.

Ga-doped SiGe is one of the most promising source/drain materials for advanced p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. Wang et al., for instance, demonstrated that sub 10−9 Ω·cm2 contact resistivity can be achieved in Ti/SiGe:Ga stacks (WANG, Lin-Lin, et al. Comprehensive study of Ga activation in Si, SiGe and Ge with 5×10−10 Ω·cm2 contact resistivity achieved on Ga doped Ge using nanosecond laser activation. In: 2017 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM). IEEE, 2017. p. 22.4. 1-22.4. 4).
One way to manufacture Ga-doped SiGe is by epitaxial growth of SiGe:B (B-doped SiGe) followed by implantation of Ga with a subsequent anneal. However, such implantation of Ga leads to disruption of and damage to the existing SiGe:B lattice. Furthermore, the required post-implantation anneal is not always compatible with other semiconductor structures that are present in semiconductor devices that are being built.
An approach that addresses these concerns involves co-depositing Ga with Si, Ge, and B, thereby epitaxially growing SiGe:B:Ga (B/G-doped SiGe) directly without requiring any additional steps such as implantation and/or annealing. This approach is, for example, disclosed in US20190115451, in which a source/drain region is formed by a chemical vapor deposition process using a source gas and a doping gas. In this example, the source gas comprises a silicon precursor and a germanium precursor, and the doping gas comprises a gallium precursor and a boron precursor. The gallium precursor is an organometallic compound containing Ga.
Nevertheless, there is still a need in the art for a better way to form SiGe:Ga and SiGe:B:Ga (Ga-doped and B/Ga-doped SiGe) layers.

Formation of a Ga-doped SiGe and B/Ga-doped SiGe layers


A novel interlevel contact via structure having low contact resistance and improved reliability, and method of forming the contact via. The method comprises steps of: etching an opening through an interlevel dielectric layer to expose an underlying metal (Copper) layer surface; and, performing a low energy ion implant of an inert gas (Nitrogen) into the exposed metal underneath; and, depositing a refractory liner into the walls and bottom via structure which will have a lower contact resistance due to the presence of the proceeding inert gas implantation. Preferably, the inert Nitrogen gas reacts with the underlying exposed Copper metal to form a thin layer of CuN.

Semiconductor devices typically include interconnects, such as vias and contacts, which connect conductive elements in non-successive layers within a semiconductor device. A via generally connects two metallic elements in different layers of a semiconductor device. A contact generally connects metallic and non-metallic conducting or semiconducting (such as silicon, polysilicon, or silicide) elements in different layers of a semiconductor device. As used herein, a "conductive" element or layer is defined to include both conducting and semiconducting elements or layers. The interconnect is typically formed in an inter-level dielectric ("ILD") layer disposed between the layers to be connected. With semiconductor technology scaling down below sub-quarter micron, interconnect delay (RC delay) becomes one of the most significant limiting factor for performance of an integrated circuit. Contact resistance of via is one of the major component in total resistance of interconnect. Thus, it is very important to reduce the contact resistance of the via. A common dielectric material used for the ILD is silicon dioxide (SiO2), but more recently inorganic carbon containing material which provides lower dielectric constants (low-k), have been introduced to further reduce the RC delay of interconnect. With semiconductor technology continuously scaling down, reliability of via has become an increasingly important consideration, especially with introduction of inorganic carbon containing low-k ILD material since the low-k ILD normally has inferior mechanical properties compared to SiO2.
Generally, the ILD is formed on one of the conductive layers to be connected, and a hole or trench is etched into the ILD using, for example, by plasma etching or reactive ion etching. The lower conductive layer forms the bottom of the hole. A liner may be formed in the hole, for example using physical vapor deposition, by coating the walls and floor of the hole with a diffusion barrier material, such as tungsten nitride, tantalum nitride, titanium nitride, or titanium tungsten. A plug is generally formed by depositing (e.g., using chemical vapor deposition or electroplating) conductive material (e.g., tungsten or copper) in the hole. The surface of the wafer may then be planarized, for example with chemical mechanical polishing, and then the second conductive layer to be connected is formed on the ILD. This layer is typically a metal layer, such as an aluminum alloy (e.g., aluminum copper) or copper, although it may be composed of other conductive materials.
After the hole is etched, but before the liner or plug are formed, the hole is typically cleaned (also referred to as "pre-cleaning") to remove any oxide from the surface of the lower conductive layer, as well as any other residue left from the etch chemistry used to form the hole. The cleaning may be performed with a wet etch technique, but it is generally preferable to use a dry etch process such as radio frequency ("RF") sputtering with, for example, an argon plasma, to physically etch the surface oxide. The sputter clean process of the prior art, however, may itself cause problems with the interconnect, in particular when a carbon containing low-k ILD is used. One disadvantage of the prior art is that carbon containing low-k ILD material may be dislodged from the sidewalls of the hole when plasma ions collide with the sidewalls, and then may deposit on and contaminate the lower conductive layer and increase contact resistance. Another disadvantage of the prior art is that the re-deposited carbon containing byproduct may degrade the adhesion of the liner or plug to the underlying conductive layer. In addition, the re-deposited carbon containing material may cause interconnect reliability problems, such as interconnect resistance shift during thermal stress.
A current method of cleaning an inter-level dielectric interconnect that addresses the aforementioned problems is described in co-pending Published United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0045115 which involves performing an anisotropic organic dielectric etch in combination with a sputter clean process.
However, even after cleaning of the via, the metal surface may further be exposed to the ambient (atmosphere or in vacuum) when the wafer is moved between the pre-clean chamber and deposition chamber for the metallization of the vias. In these instances, the metal layer adsorb contaminants from the ambient, these contaminates (i.e. oxygen, carbon) react with the top of the metal layer and create a resistive layer that hinders the electrical connectivity of the metal layer and affects the electrical contact and reliability of the vias.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a system and method that prevents the formation of a resistive layer in metal contact via structures during processing sequences known to those skilled in the art.
It would be highly desirable to provide a manufacturing technique for the production of ILD vias in semiconductor chip designs having improved resistivity and via reliability.

Method of forming low resistance and reliable via in inter-level dielectric interconnect

International Business Machines Corporation


A closure device for closing a puncture wound has a distal section that can be placed against the interior wall of a vessel and a proximal section that bunches in the tissue tract to close the wound. One variation of the device provides for removing the distal section from the vessel so that it resides also in the tissue tract after the proximal section has been securely bunched and lodged within the tissue tract in order to provide unobstructed fluid flow in the vessel.

Many vascular procedures can be accomplished by minimal invasion, typically by accessing the femoral artery or another major blood vessel, and through that vessel accessing the heart, brain, or other site that requires surgical attention. When the procedure is completed a hole remains in the accessed vessel that needs to be closed. The goal of repair of the puncture wound is to create hemostasis in the tissue tract, and to allow the puncture hole in the vascular lumen to seal, allowing blood to eventually re-flow through the lumen without thrombosis or embolism, and also allowing the tissue in the tissue tract leading to the vessel to heal.
The earliest methodology of closing puncture wounds in vascular lumens was direct physical pressure which is first applied by a person (usually a physician or nurse or aid) for up to an hour. After the initial application of manual pressure, a "C" clamp is fixed at the puncture site to finish the closure. Usually during application of the "C" clamp the patient is immobilized for 6 to 8 hours. The "C" clamp method can be painful and as with manual direct pressure requires immobilization. The drawbacks of direct pressure at the site include that a trained professional is monopolized with the task for a relatively long period of time, there is a risk of thrombosis or embolization during the process of applying pressure, the circulation is cut off in the lumen when the pressure is being applied, the patient is immobilized during application of the pressure, and it is painful. The pressure methods generally require also that the patient be catheterized for urinary output during the 8 or so hours while the wound is closing under pressure from the "C" clamp so that the patient can remain completely immobilized until the wound has closed sufficiently to stop any bleeding from the artery. Even today, despite the discomfort and extended care required while applying direct pressure and waiting for the wound to heal, direct pressure, either by manual application or a "C" clamp, or a combination of both, is the standard of care. About 70% or all closure requirements are met with this crude and seemingly archaic method of closure by application of direct pressure.
As an alternative to direct pressure, inventors and companies have developed various devices for wound closure at a vascular puncture site. Accordingly, on the market today are various items including: biodegradable plugs, suture, staples, ultrasound, collagen, collagen with thrombin, collagen with an anchor, and hemostatic patches and pads. These commercial alternatives to direct pressure include Kensey Nash's AngioSeal that places a member in the artery from which a second operation can be facilitated to add a plug on the outside of the artery. Abbott's Perclose system sutures the site using a remote access introducer. Also available are Datascope's VasoSeal, Vascular Solutions' Duett, Sutura's vascular suturing system, and Marine Polymer Technologies' Syvek. Of the 30% of the market that uses these devices instead of direct pressure, the devices used most often are AngioSeal (46%), PerClose (32%), VasoSeal (14%), and Duett (3%). Obese patients are among the best candidates for these alternatives because direct pressure on an obese person can be less effective than necessary for complete closure of the puncture site. Some of these methods or devices have proved unreliable, generating thrombosis, or requiring placement several times before they are effective. Although these devices are expensive, successful use of them, can reduce the overall cost of the procedure if use of the device causes the patient to be ambulatory sooner and require less attendant care and less hospital time as a result.
It would be advantageous to the field of percutaneous and otherwise minimally invasive surgery (including particularly cardiac and cardiac-related surgery) to offer a system of vascular closure that is simple and capable of providing reliable hemostasis in the accessed vessel at a cost that can justify incorporation of the device into routine practice. In addition, present practice sometimes indicates using two or more devices to accomplish the closure, and it would be optimal to provide a single effective device that reliably closes the puncture site every time. In addition, it would be desirable to accomplish closure without suture, and without the need to apply direct pressure, even as an adjunctive therapy. The present invention accomplishes these and other goals.


A projector includes: a light source which emits laser light; a first diffusing section which diffuses the laser light emitted from the light source to emit a first diffused light; and a light modulation device which modulates the first diffused light emitted from the first diffusing section. The light modulation device includes a second diffusing section which diffuses the first diffused light emitted from the first diffusing section to emit a second diffused light, and diffusion intensity distribution of the second diffused light emitted from the second diffusing section is distribution which is consecutive around a central axis of the second diffused light.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a projector.
2. Related Art
As a light source for a projector, a laser light source which is capable of obtaining high output light has gained attention. The laser light source has advantages such as superior color reproducibility, easier instant lighting and longer lifespan compared with a high pressure mercury lamp. However, since laser light is coherent light, speckles which occur due to interference are displayed on a screen, which causes the display quality to be lowered.
Technologies for solving this problem have been studied. For example, in a projector disclosed in JP-A-2010-197916, characteristics and arrangement of a light modulation device are set so that a light distribution angle with regard to one arbitrary point on a screen is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle. It is known that if the light distribution angle becomes large, it is possible to suppress lowering of the display quality due to speckles (speckle noise).
However, it is difficult to sufficiently suppress speckle noise only by setting a large light distribution angle.
For example, a fly-eye optical system or a rod optical system may be installed on an optical path of light between a diffusion device and a light modulation device so as to uniformize intensity distribution of light emitted from the diffusion device. Diffusion intensity distribution of the light emitted from such an optical system becomes discrete, and such angular distribution is maintained even after passing through the light modulation device. Thus, angular distribution of the light incident on a screen becomes noticeably ununiform, and a projection image may be deteriorated due to speckles.


According to one embodiment, an antenna array includes a plurality of racks that are each configured with a plurality of antenna elements. Each rack may be rotated relative to the other racks through an axis that is generally parallel to the axis of other racks. Each antenna element within each rack has an axial orientation that is generally similar to and has an elevational orientation that is individually adjustable relative to one another.

Synthetic aperture radars generate imagery by processing multiple received signals that have been reflected from a moving target. Inverse synthetic aperture radars include a particular class of synthetic aperture radars that generate imagery using movement of its antenna relative to the target. Synthetic aperture radars and inverse synthetic aperture radars may serve many useful purposes including generation of imagery that may be difficult to obtain using visual image generation mechanisms, such as video cameras, that generate imagery using the visible light spectrum. For example, synthetic aperture radars may generate imagery through generally opaque walls or during periods of inclement whether when fog or other type of precipitation may cause relatively poor visibility.

Antenna array for an inverse synthetic aperture radar


A full continuous flow preparation method of 2-methyl-4-amino-5-aminomethylpyrimidine. A mixed solution of cyanoacetamide, N,N-dimethylformamide and a catalyst is mixed with phosphorus oxychloride in a first micro-mixer, and then the reaction mixture undergoes continuous flow reaction in a microchannel reactor to obtain (dimethylaminomethylene) malononitrile. The reaction mixture is subjected to continuous quenching, extraction and separation, and the organic phase is concentrated, mixed with a methanol solution, and then reacted with an organic base to obtain 2-methyl-4-amino-5-cyanopyrimidine. After the mixed liquid is continuously filtered, the filter cake is dissolved in methanol, mixed with hydrogen in a second micro-mixer, and then transported to a fixed-bed reactor for hydrogenation reaction. The products are concentrated, dried and purified to obtain the desired 2-methyl-4-amino-5-aminomethylpyrimidine.

2-Methyl-4-amino-5-aminomethylpyrimidine (4) is an important intermediate for the synthesis of vitamin Bi. Vitamin Bi, as an important basic nutrient component, plays a significant role in protecting the nervous system, strengthening gastrointestinal motility, promoting carbohydrate digestion, improving the mental status and maintaining the normal activities of the nervous system, muscles, and heart. Moreover, it is also effective for the treatment of shingles. The synthesis and preparation of vitamin Bi has always attracted much attention.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,689,498, 3,792,076, 3,853,946, 3,901,888 and 2,820,050, UK Patent No. 772256, German Patent No. 2323845, and Todd and Bergel et al. (J. Chem. Soc., 1937, 364) all describe a method for preparing 2-methyl-4-amino-5-aminomethylpyrimidine by hydrolysis of 4-amino-5-acetaminomethylpyrimidine. In this method, the synthetic route of 2-methyl-4-amino-5-acetamidomethylpyrimidine is long, the process is complicated and costly, which is less environmental friendly, and is thus difficult for industrial application. World Patent No. WO2012/075677, Chinese Patent No. 103261173 and Chen Fener et al. (Org. Process. Res. Dev., 2012, 16, 57) all describe the preparation of compound (I) from 2-methyl-4-amino-5-cyanopyrimidine through catalytic hydrogenation. This method uses cheap cyanoacetamide as the starting material, first dehydrates the cyanoacetamide in situ to produce malononitrile, then reacts with Vilsmeier reagent to prepare (dimethylaminomethylene) malononitrile, and then condenses with hydrochloric acid acetamidine to produce 2-methyl-4-amino-5-cyanopyrimidine. Though this method has readily-available raw materials, low cost and shortened synthesis process of 2-methyl-4-amino-5-cyanopyrimidine, it still struggles with the following outstanding shortcomings, such as time-consuming reaction process, poor conversion rate, harsh reaction conditions (the hydrogenation reaction is required to be performed under high pressure), large safety risk, high energy consumption and low yield. The above methods are all carried out in a traditional batch reactor. Therefore, considering the limitations of the existing preparation methods, there is an urgent need for those skilled in the art to develop a continuous preparation method with less time consumption, lower energy consumption and higher process efficiency and safety.

Full continuous flow preparation method of 2-methyl-4-amino-5-aminomethylpyrimidine


The front-driven, wheeled framework has a rear frame, at least one rotatably mounted rear wheel on the rear frame, and a forward frame. The forward frame is pivotably attached to a steering frame. A single front wheel is mounted on the steering frame. A limb-operated driving means rotates the front wheel through a transmission means. A steering means steers the propelled front wheel in response to a steering force and independently of the driving means.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to an independently steered wheeled framework which can assume the shape of a bicycle, tricycle, or other type vehicle, and is particularly adapted to and will be illustrated primarily in connection with a wheelchair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
From their early introduction, wheelchairs became very popular with disabled persons in or out of hospitals because they provided them with needed mobility.
A conventional wheelchair framework has vertically arranged, spaced apart tubular side frame members supporting a chair. Each side frame includes a horizontally disposed arm rest. Transverse axles are attached to the side frame members. Large rear wheels are journaled to the axles. Front-mounted small caster wheels support and direct the front end of the wheelchair. Each rear wheel has a hand-grip ring for hand propulsion and steering of the wheelchair.
Subsequently, various attachments to wheelchairs were proposed, using hand or foot propelled front wheels, in order to extend their range and speed of travel and to prevent rider fatigue which may result from prolonged use of the steering hand-grip rings.
In practice, such wheeled attachments were intended to convert a wheelchair framework from a stationary position, with its caster wheels on the ground, to a mobilized tricycle by adding a front wheel and elevating its caster wheels above ground.
It has also been suggested to immobilize such a tricycle by elevating the added front wheel and using its propulsion means for muscular exercise and rehabilitation purposes.
Such proposed attachments to wheelchairs are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,720,117, 4,572,501 and, 4,824,132.
In general, such proposed wheeled attachments have been found by users to be difficult to mount on and dismount from a wheelchair. These attachments frequently require tools and/or the assistance from a caregiver. They are difficult to steer in a straight line, or over irregular, uneven and obstructed ground. They share the inherent problems of bicycles and tricycles: such as rider's early fatigue, especially over steep terrain due to the need for simultaneous movement of the pedals, front wheel and handlebar. Also, the rider tends to lean inward especially while negotiating sharp turns and around obstructions.
This "leaning inward" problem and the various proposed solutions thereto are well described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,117, starting at Col.1, ln.65 and ending at Col.2, ln.68, and such description is herein incorporated by reference.
But, since the attachment described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,117 is based on simultaneous movement of its hand cranks 18 and front wheel 30, it does not provide for independent steering of its wheel 30.
Accordingly, it is a main object of this invention to overcome the above-mentioned and other apparent drawbacks of known wheeled attachments and to provide a novel independently-steered wheeled framework.
It is a further object of this invention to eliminate the need for front caster wheels in wheelchairs.
It is yet a further object to allow the conversion of a wheelchair from outdoor use to indoor use to be easily accomplished by its user without the need for tools or assistance from others.


A low-power column parallel cyclic analog-to-digital converter and an imaging device using the same. The analog-to-digital converter comprises one stage and is optimized to reduce power, noise and capacitor settling time. The one stage analog-to-digital converter comprises a multiplying circuit for performing a multiplication operation during conversion phases and a sub-analog-to-digital converter connected to receive analog output signals from the multiplying circuit. The sub-analog-to-digital converter converts, during the conversion phases, the analog output signals into portions of an N-bit digital code. The multiplying circuit switches configurations between conversion phases and uses the portions of the digital code during the conversion phases to generate new analog output signals for subsequent conversion by the sub-analog-to-digital converter.

A CMOS imager includes a focal plane array of pixel circuits, each one of the pixels including a photosensor, for example, a photogate, photoconductor or a photodiode overlying a substrate for accumulating photo-generated charge in the underlying portion of the substrate. Each pixel has a readout circuit that includes at least an output field effect transistor formed in the substrate and a charge storage region formed on the substrate connected to the gate of an output transistor, typically a source follower transistor. The charge storage region may be constructed as a floating diffusion region. Each pixel may include at least one electronic device such as a transistor for transferring charge from the photosensor to the storage region and one device, also typically a transistor, for resetting the storage region to a predetermined charge level prior to charge transference. A row select transistor may also be employed to gate the pixel output.
In a CMOS imager, the active elements of a pixel perform the necessary functions of: (1) photon to charge conversion; (2) accumulation of image charge; (3) resetting the storage region to a known state; (4) selection of a pixel for readout; and (5) output and amplification of a signal representing pixel charge. The charge at the storage region is typically converted to a pixel output voltage by the capacitance of the storage region and a source follower output transistor.
CMOS imagers of the type discussed above are generally known as discussed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,630, U.S. Pat. No. 6,376,868, U.S. Pat. No. 6,310,366, U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,652, U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,524 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,333,205, assigned to Micron Technology, Inc.
FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram for a CMOS imager 10. The imager 10 includes a pixel array 20. The pixel array 20 comprises a plurality of pixels arranged in a predetermined number of columns and rows. The pixels of each row in array 20 are all turned on at the same time by a row select line and the pixel signals of each column are selectively output onto output lines by a column select line. A plurality of row and column select lines are provided for the entire array 20.
The row lines are selectively activated by the row driver 32 in response to row address decoder 30 and the column select lines are selectively activated by the column driver 36 in response to column address decoder 34. Thus, a row and column address is provided for each pixel. The CMOS imager 10 is operated by the control circuit 40, which controls the address decoders 30, 34 for selecting the appropriate row and column select lines for pixel readout, and row and the column driver circuitry 32, 36, which apply driving voltage to the drive transistors of the selected row and column select lines.
Each column contains readout and correlated double sampling (CDS) circuitry 38 associated with the column driver 36 that reads a pixel reset signal Vrst and a pixel image signal Vsig for selected pixels of each column. A differential signal (e.g., Vrst−Vsig) is produced by differential amplifiers contained in the readout and correlated double sampling circuitry 38 for each pixel and is digitized by an analog-to-digital converter 100 (ADC). The analog-to-digital converter 100 supplies the digitized pixel signals to an image processor 50, which forms a digital image output.
The signals output from the pixels of the array 20 are analog voltage signals. These signals must be converted from analog to digital for further processing. Thus, the analog signals are sent to the analog-to-digital converter 100. In a column parallel readout architecture, each column is connected to its own respective analog-to-digital converter 100.
There are many different types of analog-to-digital converters that may be used in an imager 10. One well known analog-to-digital converter is a cyclic analog-to-digital converter. A conceptual diagram of a cyclic analog-to-digital converter 100 is illustrated in FIG. 2. In the illustrated example, the cyclic analog-to-digital converter 100 contains two stages 101, 111. The first stage 101 includes a sample and hold circuit (S&H) 102, a sub-ADC 104 (e.g., a flash converter with a few output bits), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 106, a summation circuit 108 and a multiplier 110 (e.g., an amplifier). The input of the sample and hold circuit 102 is connected to a switch 103; in one switch position, the input of the sample and hold circuit 102 is connected to an analog input voltage VIN and in a second switch position, the input of the sample and hold circuit 102 is connected to the output of the second stage 111. The switch 103 is controlled by a START signal. The output of the sample and hold circuit 102 is connected to a positive input of the summation circuit 108 and the input of the sub-ADC 104. The output of the sub-ADC 104 is connected to the digital-to-analog converter 106. The output of the digital-to-analog converter 106 is connected to a negative input of the summation circuit 108. The output of the summation circuit 108 is connected to the multiplier 110.
The second stage 111 includes a sample and hold circuit (S&H) 112, a sub-ADC 114 (e.g., a flash converter with a few output bits), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 116, a summation circuit 118 and a multiplier 120 (e.g., an amplifier). The input of the sample and hold circuit 112 is connected to the output of the first stage 101. The output of the sample and hold circuit 112 is connected to a positive input of the summation circuit 118 and the input of the sub-ADC 114. The output of the sub-ADC 114 is connected to the digital-to-analog converter 116. The output of the digital-to-analog converter 116 is connected to a negative input of the summation circuit 118. The output of the summation circuit 118 is connected to the multiplier 120.
When the START signal is high, the input voltage VIN to be converted is connected to the input of the first stage 101; otherwise, the input of the first stage 101 is connected to the output of the second stage 111 (via switch 103). The sample and hold circuit 102 of the first stage 101 samples VIN when a first clock signal Φ1 is high and holds the same when Φ1 is low. The sub-ADC 104 carries out a conversion of the input voltage VIN. The N-bit output D1 of the sub-ADC 104 is converted back to an analog voltage by the digital-to-analog converter 106 and then subtracted from the original input signal VIN by the summation circuit 108. The resulting error residue is then multiplied by 2N−1 in the multiplier 110 and fed as an analog input signal to the second stage 111. The second stage 111 operates in the same manner as the first stage 101, except that the sample and hold operation in the second stage 111 is controlled by a second clock signal Φ2 (in the same manner that the sample and hold operation in the first stage 101 is controlled by the first clock signal Φ1); the sub-ADC 114 of the second stage 111 has an N-bit output D2.
Since the sub-ADCs 104, 114 resolve the input with an accuracy of 2−N, a multiplication factor of 2N would let the error residue occupy the entire range of the sub-ADCs 104, 114 of the following stage. However, that would also require offset performance for the sub-ADCs 104, 114 in par with the resolution of the entire cyclic analog-to-digital converter 100. Otherwise, an offset in the sub-ADCs 104, 114 or the digital-to-analog converters 106, 116 would result in a faulty digital code and the error residue would exceed the range of the sub-ADCs 104, 114 of the following stage. Such an error cannot be recovered from and would result in missing codes. The most common solution to this problem is to introduce digital redundancy in the analog-to-digital converter 100.
There is one bit digital redundancy in the cyclic analog-to-digital converter 100 illustrated in FIG. 2 since the multiplication factor is 2N−1. This means that the error residue only occupies half the input range of the sub-ADCs 104, 114 of the following stage, and that only N−1 bits are effectively resolved per stage. A very common implementation is the 1.5 bits stage where the input range to the sub-ADCs 104, 114 is divided into three regions (1.5 bits). The multiplication factor is 2 and there are 2 digital output bits per stage (effectively 1.5 bits). With such an implementation, an offset in the bit transition points for the sub-ADCs 104, 114 of ±⅛ of the input range can be tolerated without resulting in missing codes.
The digital-to-analog converters 106, 116, error residue generation, and multiplication by 2 operation described above are often implemented with a switched capacitor circuit referred to as a multiplying digital-to-analog converter (MDAC). Switches are not shown for convenience purposes. Example configurations of two phases of an MDAC are illustrated in FIG. 3a. In FIG. 3a, the phase 1 MDAC configuration is labeled 220 and comprises two capacitors 222, 224 and an amplifier 226. The capacitors 222, 224 are connected to VIN in and are also connected to a negative input and the output of the amplifier 226. In FIG. 3a, the phase 2 MDAC configuration is labeled 230 and comprises capacitors 222, 224 and amplifier 226 connected to a digital-to-analog converter 106 instead of VIN. A digital code DIN is input into the digital-to-analog converter 106, which outputs VDAC to capacitor 224, which is connected to capacitor 222. The connection between the capacitors 222, 224 is connected to a negative input of amplifier 226, which outputs VO to capacitor 222. Capacitor 222 has a capacitance C1 while capacitor 224 has a capacitance C2. The transition from phase 1 to phase 2 yields an output VO equal to (1+C2/C1)VIN−(C2/C1)VDAC.
The 1.5 bits cyclic ADC stage (described above) should have a transfer function according to FIG. 3b. In FIG. 3b, VO is the output from the first stage 101 in phase n and VIN is the output from the second stage 111 in phase n−1. It should be appreciated that VIN could be the output from the first stage 101 in phase n and VO could be the output from the second stage 111 in phase n−1. The transfer function illustrated in FIG. 3b can be written as:
      v          o                                  =      {                                                                      2                                                  [                                                            v                      IN                                        -                                                                  V                        REF                                            2                                                        ]                                            ,                                                                          v                IN                            >                                                V                  REF                                4                                                                                2                                                                                v                  IN                                            ,                                                                                -                                                            V                      REF                                        4                                                                                <                  _                                                                  v                  IN                                                                  <                  _                                                                                V                    REF                                    4                                            =                                                                                2                                                  [                                                            v                      IN                                        +                                                                  V                        REF                                            2                                                        ]                                            ,                                                                          v                IN                            <                              -                                                      V                    REF                                    4                                                                                {                                                                                2                                                              v                      IN                                                        -                                      V                    REF                                                  ,                                                                                v                  IN                                >                                                      V                    REF                                    4                                                                                2                                                                                v                    IN                                                  ,                                                                                -                                                            V                      REF                                        4                                                                                <                  _                                                                  v                  IN                                                                  <                  _                                                                                V                    REF                                    4                                                                                2                                                              v                      IN                                                        -                                      V                    REF                                                  ,                                                                                v                  IN                                <                                  -                                                            V                      REF                                        4
From this transfer function it is clear that the multiplying digital-to-analog converter illustrated in FIG. 3a can be used in the cyclic analog-to-digital converter 100 if C1=C2 and the value of VDAC is one of −VREF, 0, or VREF. Cyclic analog-to-digital conversion would then be carried out according to FIG. 4, which illustrates example phases of a cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 in operation. FIG. 4 is split into 3 sections, a first section representing phase 0 of a conversion cycle of the analog-to-digital converter 200, a second section representing odd phases 1, 3, 5, . . . of the conversion cycle and a third section representing additional even phases 2, 4, 6, . . . of the conversion cycle of the analog-to-digital converter 200.
In phase 0, the first stage 201 of cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 is configured with MDAC 220, sub-ADC 104 and digital-to-analog converter 106; the second stage 211 of cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 comprises capacitors 232, 234 and an amplifier 236 connected in the MDAC 230 configuration, sub-ADC 114 and digital-to-analog converter 116. The output from the sub-ADC 104 of the first stage 201 is D0 while the output of the sub-ADC 114 of the second stage 201 is DN. The cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 then transitions from phase 0 to phase 1 (as shown by arrow A).
In phase 1, the first stage 201 of cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 is configured with MDAC 220′, which includes capacitors 222, 224 connected between the output of the digital-to-analog converter 106 and the input of the second stage 211. As can be seen, the capacitors 222, 224 are arranged in the phase 2 MDAC configuration. The second stage 211 is configured with MDAC 230′, which includes capacitors 232, 234 connected in the MDAC phase 1 configuration. The output from the sub-ADC 104 of the first stage 201 is D0 while the output of the sub-ADC 114 of the second stage 201 is D1. The cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 then transitions from phase 1 to phase 2 (as shown by arrow B).
In phase 2, the first stage 201 of cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 is configured with MDAC 220, sub-ADC 104 and digital-to-analog converter 106; the second stage 211 of cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 is configured with MDAC 230, sub-ADC 114 and digital-to-analog converter 116. The output from the sub-ADC 104 of the first stage 201 is D2 while the output of the sub-ADC 114 of the second stage 201 is D1. The cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 then cycles through phases 3, 4, 5, 6, . . . (as shown by arrows C and B) until the last bit of the analog-to-digital converter's 200 resolution has been output.
Although the aforementioned cyclic analog-to-digital converter 200 works well, it is not without its shortcomings. For example, it is desirable to reduce power consumption and improve settling times and noise power in cyclic analog-to-digital converters, particularly those used in imagers.

Low-power column parallel cyclic analog-to-digital converter


A system for mounting wall panels to a wall, includes wall panels, each including a main wall panel, and at least two bent end sections with a cut-out section and a wall thickness; and a plurality of main fastening extrusions, each including a base section to be secured to the wall, and two parallel, spaced apart flexible and resilient bent end securing walls extending from the base section, each bent end securing wall including a projection facing the other bent end securing wall, the bent end securing walls spaced apart corresponding to the wall thickness of two bent end sections, such that pressing of the bent end sections into the spacing between the bent end securing walls causes biasing away of the bent end securing walls until the projections engage in respective cut-out sections.

The present invention relates generally to a wall system, and more particularly, to a system for easily mounting wall panels over an existing wall structure.
In order to enhance the look of a wall structure, it is known to secure decorative wall panels to the wall structure. However, the securement of wall panels to the wall structure is generally a long and tedious job since it entails using fastening devices such as nails and/or screws to secure the walls panels directly to the wall structure. In addition, the fastening devices are exposed, which can provide an unsightly appearance.
A system that overcomes some of these problems is sold by Bamco Inc. of 30 Baekeland Ave., Middlesex, N.J. 08846 under the designation "G500 WALL SYSTEM." With this system, the wall panels are provided with right angle or bends at their edges. Each planar panel and the right angle bend together form an L-shape. Each bend is secured by screws to a fastening extrusion having the same linear dimension as the wall panel, and the fastening extrusion has a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration. At each joint area where two panels meet, there are two such fastening extrusions connected together, each secured to a respective wall panel, with an elongated hard silicone gasket between the fastening extrusions. The fastening extrusions are arranged one above the other at each joint area. Thus, the screws are not visible, thereby eliminating the unsightly appearance of previous system.
However, because of the L-shape at the bends at the edges of the wall panels, it is necessary to separately secure each bend to a fastening extrusion by screws, in addition to securing the fastening extrusions to the wall structure by screws, further increasing the work required to assemble the wall panels. Also, because the bends in the wall panels extend only in a direction perpendicular to the wall panels, the only structural support is provided by the screws which secure each bend to a fastening extrusion. As a result, it is possible to loosen and/or pull out the wall panels.
In addition, in order to secure the fastening extrusions to existing wall structures, one of the connected pair of fastening extrusions is provided with an extension which is separately secured to the existing wall structure. This means that the main bodies of the fastening extrusions are spaced away from the existing wall structure, thereby providing a further weak link in the structure, besides making it more difficult to assemble.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,472,521 and 7,621,084, by the same inventor herein disclose systems for mounting wall panels to an existing wall structure, which includes a plurality of wall panels. There are also a plurality of fastening extrusions. Each fastening extrusion includes a securing section for securing the fastening extrusion to the existing wall structure, and a retaining wall structure at one end of the securing section, the retaining wall structure including a recess which receives one hook wall of the wall panel.
The main panel section has a rectangular configuration with four hook walls, and there are four fastening extrusions, with the recess of the retaining wall of each fastening extrusion receiving one hook wall of the wall panel. Each U-shaped cross-sectional profile defines a recess therein, and each fastening extrusion includes at least one stabilizing wall extending from a free end of a respective retaining wall, with the stabilizing wall being received in one recess of a respective U-shaped cross-sectional profile. Each stabilizing wall has an L-shaped cross-sectional profile. Also, the securing section and the retaining wall structure together define a U-shaped cross-sectional profile.
A first one of the fastening extrusions includes a tongue and a second one of the fastening extrusions includes a groove for receiving the tongue to connect together the first and second fastening extrusions when the first fastening extrusion is assembled with a first wall panel and the second fastening extrusion is assembled with a second wall panel. In a later embodiment, there is only a single fastening extrusion.
There is also at least one channel secured to the securing sections of adjacent fastening extrusions and positioned between adjacent wall panels corresponding thereto. An elongated plug is inserted into each channel for closing off the gap between adjacent wall panels.
This arrangement, however, requires the insertion of screws into the fastening extrusions and the channel while supporting the wall panels, which can be burdensome. It also requires the separate channels and plugs in order to close off the gap between adjacent wall panels to provide an aesthetic appearance between the wall panels. If the gap between adjacent panels is varied, this would also require a plurality of different size plugs, which can further add to the cost of the structure.
A further system has been sold for more than one year by Creative Metal Contractors Inc. of Toms River, N.J., which uses a single fastening extrusion having tongues extending from opposite sides thereof. The single fastening extrusion is secured to the existing wall by screws at a central portion thereof between the tongues. Each wall panel has a main panel section and hook walls at edges of the main panel section, with the main panel section and each hook wall having a U-shaped cross-sectional profile. Fasteners or frame extrusions are secured to the hook walls, with each fastener including walls defining a recess which receives a corresponding tongue of the single fastening extrusion, such that the tongues are spaced away from the hook walls. A compressed joint plug is positioned in overlying relation to the screws and between adjacent hook walls to provide an aesthetic appearance.
However, with this latter arrangement, plugs are also required, with the same consequent disadvantages. It may also be difficult to align the recesses over the tongues of the single fastening extrusion. In addition, the single fastening extrusions are secured to the existing wall by screws only through the center of the fastening extrusions, which can result in failure of such securement. Still further, if the gap between adjacent panels is varied, this would also require a plurality of different size plugs, which can further add to the cost of the structure.
In addition, in the latter arrangement, the gap between adjacent wall panels is sealed with a silicone sealant and a compressed joint plug. As a result, the air pressure behind the wall panels varies relative to the ambient air pressure in front of the panels. However, architectural requirements require the air pressures to be the same or equalized so as not to reduce the longevity of the wall structure of the building.
The invention of U.S. Pat. No. 8,127,507 to the same inventor herein also requires the insertion of screws into the fastening extrusions and the channel while supporting the wall panels, which can be burdensome. It also requires the separate decorated panels in order to close off the gap between adjacent wall panels to provide an aesthetic appearance between the wall panels.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/652,879, to the same inventor herein, attempts to cure the aforementioned problems, by providing a wall system which does not require the use of screws to secure the wall panels to the fastening extrusions. Rather, the wall panels have recesses into which the frame extrusions fit, and which also eliminates the use of plugs to cover the gap between adjacent wall panels. This permits easy hanging of the wall panels by providing a male connecting frame extrusion that merely fits within a female connecting wall panel.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,267 to Sukolics, U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,740 to Hutchison and U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,729 to Mitchell, to provide a wall system with L-shaped ends of the panels that include recesses in the bent ends that engage with projections of the extrusions secured by screws to the walls. However, with these patents, there is still a large gap between adjacent bent ends, which is necessary for securing the panels to the extrusions, and which also thereby requires a plug to close this gap.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System for mounting wall panels to a wall structure


A charge-coupled device imager including an array of super pixels disposed in a semiconductor substrate having a surface that is accessible to incident illumination. For each super pixel there is provided a plurality of subpixels which each correspond to one in the sequence of image frames. Each subpixel includes a doped photogenerated charge collection channel region opposite the illumination-accessible substrate surface, a charge collection channel region control electrode, doped charge drain regions adjacent to the channel region, a charge drain region control electrode, and a doped charge collection control region. To each subpixel are provided channel region and drain region control voltage connections, for independent collection and storage of photogenerated charge from the substrate at the charge collection channel region of a selected subpixel during one in the sequence of image frames and for drainage of photogenerated charge from the substrate to a drain region.

This invention relates generally to charge coupled devices (CCDs), and more particularly relates to the design of charge coupled devices for high-speed imaging.
High-speed imaging is important for a wide range of applications, such as high-speed photography and video. Typically, a high-speed imaging application requires the acquisition of a sequence of image frames at an accelerated rate, resulting in a high rate of image frame data collection. For example, frame rates of greater than 1 million frames per second can be required for specialized imaging applications.
Many solid state imagers, such as CCDs, require a fixed duration of time for transferring a frame of acquired image data from on-chip image acquisition locations, such as an array of pixels, to off-chip locations for display or processing. With this constraint, it can occur with a conventional imager that the time required to transfer an acquired image frame from on-chip pixel sites to an off-chip location is comparable to or greater than the image acquisition time set by the frame rate of a high-speed imaging application. In such a scenario, image data from an acquired image frame cannot be transferred from pixel sites with a speed sufficient to enable acquisition of image data in the next succeeding image frame duration. The image transfer time thereby in general sets the maximum speed at which an imager can acquire images, and correspondingly limits the frame rate that can be accommodated by an imager.
There have been suggested various CCD imager designs that enable accommodation of an image transfer duration that is comparable with an image acquisition period. Many such designs employ the use of an image data storage region located on-chip, e.g., as a frame storage array separate from an imaging pixel array, or as a storage channel provided at or adjacent to a pixel site itself. Typically such storage regions are provided with an overlaying opaque blocking layer that prevents exposure of the storage region by a scene being imaged, such that the stored image data is preserved for transfer off-chip at a later time and/or at a slower speed than that provided by the image acquisition duration.
Such on-chip storage configurations are known to impose various limitations on imager performance. For example, for conventional imager designs, on-chip area that is employed for charge storage regions is typically taken from pixel areas that would have been employed for acquiring images; as a result, the pixel fill factor of the imager is greatly reduced over that of an imager without on-chip storage, and the sensitivity of the imager is correspondingly reduced. In addition, so-called image smear can occur in pixel data transferred from a pixel array to a frame-storage array.
These drawbacks are exacerbated for high-speed imaging applications in which a number of images are to be acquired in rapid succession. If on-chip area is to be provided for temporarily storing image data from a sequence of acquired images, the extent of the image data storage area must be commensurate with the number of images in the image sequence to be acquired. This typically results in significant imager sensitivity reduction and/or increased image smear. Thus, in general, for high-speed imaging applications, it has come to be expected that degradations in image quality must be accommodated, and in particular that high imaging sensitivity cannot be achieved at high image frame rates.

High-speed, high-sensitivity charge-coupled device with independent pixel control of charge collection and storage


The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accepting sheet material, in particular papers of value such as bank notes, checks, etc., whereby different groups of sheet material are successively accepted and stored.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accepting sheet material, in particular documents of value such as bank notes, checks, etc., whereby different groups of sheet material are successively accepted and stored.
In a known method and corresponding apparatus for accepting sheet material such as bank notes, it is provided that a deliverer inputs a group of bank notes, hereinafter called a delivery, into a corresponding apparatus for acceptance. Additionally, the deliverer must identify himself, for example by using a check card whose data, e.g. account number, are read. The corresponding account number is then credited with the bank notes inputted for acceptance. For this purpose the bank notes are checked for example as to authenticity and denomination in order to determine the total sum of bank notes inputted for acceptance. The checked bank notes are then transported by the apparatus to a storage container and kept there. The bank notes are stored in the storage container in the order of their input.
However, the known method and corresponding apparatus have disadvantages in several respects. One problem is for example the use of a check card for identification. When e.g. an employee brings the delivery to a bank operating a corresponding apparatus, he must carry the account holder's check card with him to perform identification successfully. This results in certain risks, on the one hand, and if different employees make deliveries it is problematic to equip each of the employees with a corresponding check card, on the other hand. Further problems can arise upon acceptance of the delivery in the apparatus if there are malfunctions during transport of the bank notes within the apparatus that cause a change in their order, or there are errors during the check of the bank notes. In such cases it is not readily possible to assign the problematic, e.g. forged, bank notes to the actual deliverer. This makes it difficult or impossible to check the individual deliveries subsequently.

Method and device for accepting articles in the form of sheet-type material

Abstract: In a known method and corresponding apparatus for accepting groups of sheet material such as bank notes, the bank notes coming from a deliverer are checked and stored in a storage container in the order of their input. Thus it is not always recognizable without doubt subsequently, e.g. in cases of malfunction, which deliverer certain bank notes come from.

Abstract: The present invention starts out from the consideration that each group of sheet material is assigned at least one separation means and the separation means are stored at least partly together with the associated group of sheet material for separating the associated group of sheet material from other groups of sheet material.


This invention is a method for reducing the particulate emissions tendency of diesel fuel. Also the piston ring sticking, and deposit formation tendency of diesel fuel on the injector and combustion chamber of an internal combustion diesel fuel are reduced. The diesel fuel under the method of this invention is fed to at least one adsorbent bed in which the diesel fuel is contacted with one or more adsorbents under suitable process conditions such that there is a reduction in content of impurities in the fuel which cause the particulate emission causing tendency, piston ring sticking, and deposit formation tendency of the diesel fuel on the injector and/or combustion chamber.

Particulate emissions in diesel engines are caused in part by impurities in the diesel fuel such as ultraviolet light absorbing compounds ("UV absorbers") and polar heteroatom containing compounds. Piston ring sticking and deposit formation on the injector in the engine are also caused by these impurities and also contribute to particulate emissions. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have diesel fuel compositions and methods of making such compositions which lack, or have a reduced concentration of, UV absorbers and polar heteratom compounds. Such compositions cause reduced particulate emissions, reduced injector and combustion chamber deposits and reduced piston ring sticking tendencies.

Reduction of diesel engine particulate emissions by contacting diesel fuel with a carbon molecular sieve adsorbent


Disclosed herein are jet fuel compositions containing (a) a total aromatics content of from 2 vol. % to no more than about 25 vol. %; (b) a net heat of combustion of at least about 125,000 Btu/gal; (c) a concentration of less than about 5 vol. % of hydrocarbons having a boiling point greater than or equal to about 550° F., as determined by ASTM D 2887; and (d) a Jet Fuel Thermal Oxidation Test (JFTOT) thermal stability characterized by a filter pressure drop of no more than 25 mm Hg, a breakpoint temperature greater than or equal to about 300° C., and an overall tube deposit rating less than 3, as determined by ASTM D 3241. Methods for their preparation are also disclosed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a jet fuel having improved thermal-oxidation stability, as determined by ASTM D3241, and methods for preparing same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Distillate fuels which are intended for use in jet turbines must meet certain minimum standards in order to be suitable for use. Jet fuel must have good oxidation stability in order to prevent the formation of unacceptable amounts of deposits which are harmful to the turbine engines in which they are intended to be used. Jet fuel is also used as a heat sink in turbine engines. These deposits will create maintenance problems in the turbine engines.
Currently, fuel thermal stability is recognized as one of the most important properties of jet fuels. ASTM D3241 is the standard analytical procedure for rating fuel thermal stability and a fuel will either pass or fail at a given temperature. Generally, fuels for use in jet turbines will usually have a passing jet fuel thermal-oxidation tester (JFTOT) rating as determined by ASTM D3241 at 260° C.
The thermal stability of jet fuel has been recognized as a problem for many years. High speed flight necessitates that the heat generated be dissipated through the fuel, i.e., the fuel is purposely preheated prior to combustion. As aircraft have become more sophisticated with more electronic components, the heat load has increased and the fuel must be preheated to a higher temperature to absorb the energy. This makes the thermal stability of the fuel even more critical. The chemistry leading to particulate and deposit formation is extremely complex and very difficult to provide thermal stability of jet fuels.
The impact of lowering the aromatic content of distillate fuels used as diesel fuel or jet fuel on seal swell in diesel and jet engines is known. Since the transition from conventional distillate fuels to low aromatic fuels created problems with seal swell, greater seal swell problems associated with the transition to a highly paraffinic distillate fuel component made from, for example, a Fischer Tropsch process, is expected.
Distillates having very high levels of saturates, such as distillates recovered from the Fischer Tropsch process, have been shown to have excellent smoke points, usually in excess of 40 mm, and low sulfur contents. As such, highly paraffinic distillates appear to be useful for blending with lower quality distillates in order to obtain a distillate blend meeting the requirements for jet fuel. What has not been recognized is that some highly paraffinic distillate components, especially those characterized by low to moderate branching of the molecule, such as those products produced by the low temperature Fischer Tropsch process, when blended with conventional distillate components can show poor thermal stability leading to the formation of unacceptable amounts of deposits.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,961 discloses a cycle oil that is hydrogenated under conditions such that the product of the hydrogenation process can be fractionated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,968,402 discloses a one stage process for producing high octane gasoline from a highly aromatic hydrocarbon feedstock.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,814 discloses a moderate pressure hydrocracking process in which highly aromatic, substantially dealkylated feedstock is processed to high octane gasoline and low sulfur distillate by hydrocracking over a catalyst, preferably comprising ultrastable Y and Group VIII metal and a Group VI metal, in which the amount of the Group VIII metal content is incorporated at specified proportion into the framework aluminum content of the ultrastable Y component.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,468,262 discloses the use of phenol-aldehyde-polyamine Mannich condensate with a succinic acid anhydride bearing a polyolefin to improve the thermal stability of jet fuel at 260° C.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,868,921 discloses a hydrocarbon distillate fraction that is hydrotreated in a single stage by passing the distillate fraction downwardly over a stacked bed of two hydrotreating catalysts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,893,475 disclose a distillate fuel having a sulfur level of less than about 100 wppm, a total aromatics content of about 15 to 35 wt. %, a polynuclear aromatics content of less than about 3 wt. %, wherein the ratio of total aromatics to polynuclear aromatics is greater than about 11.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a jet fuel composition having improved thermal-oxidation stability, as determined by ASTM D3241, as well as acceptable seal swell properties.

Jet fuels having superior thermal stability


A system and method for transparently providing access to a wireless communication service to a group of subscribers who share a set of modems, where each subscriber in the group is provided with a subscriber unit and each subscriber in the group is associated with static and dynamic authentication information. According to one embodiment, the system includes a transceiver system for transmitting radio wave frequency signals to and receiving radio wave frequency signals from a base station; a set of modems, wherein each modem in the set is coupled to the transceiver system; a set of subscriber units, wherein each subscriber unit is associated with authentication information; a switch coupled to each of the modems and coupled to each of the subscriber units; a control system in communication with the switch and each of the modems; and a database for storing the authentication information, wherein the database is accessible to the control system. The control system determines an available modem from the set of modems when one of the subscriber units is activated. Further, the control system directs the switch to connect the activated subscriber unit with the available modem, retrieves from the database authentication information associated with the activated subscriber unit, and provides the available modem with the retrieved authentication information. In this manner, the authentication information associated with the activated subscriber unit is provided to the modem that is handling the call. Consequently, the modem handling the call can transparently authenticate the subscriber unit in the same manner as in a conventional wireless communication service.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to subscriber authentication in a wireless communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to subscriber authentication in a wireless communication system where a group of subscribers share a set of modems.
II. Related Art
To prevent fraud and theft of wireless communication services and to properly bill the subscribers of a wireless communication service, wireless communication service providers (such as cellular telephony providers) have created a mechanism for authenticating their subscribers. This mechanism relies on the fact that each subscriber in the system has unique authentication information (UAI) for each transceiver owned by the subscriber.
This authentication information is necessary to gain access to a wireless communication system. In this way, the authentication information is somewhat analogous to a personal identification number (PIN) used for gaining access to one""s checking account through an automated teller machine.
Each subscriber""s authentication information consists of static authentication data and dynamic authentication data. An electronic serial number (ESN) and a mobile identification number (MIN) are two examples of static authentication data. Shared secret data (SSD) is an example of dynamic authentication data. Static authentication data, as its name implies, remains constant over time. On the other hand, dynamic authentication data may be altered while a subscriber is actively engaged in a call, while setting up a call or while registering with a base station, etc.
In traditional wireless communication systems, each subscriber has his own subscriber unit (or transceiver), such as a cellular telephone, and each subscriber is responsible for paying for all calls made from their cell phone. Further, each subscriber unit has a modem coupled to an antenna for transmitting radio frequency (RF) signals to and receiving RF signals from a base station within the wireless communication system. Thus, in conventional wireless communication systems there is a one-to-one relationship between modems and subscribers. Because of this one-to-one relationship, a subscriber""s unique authentication information is stored in the modem within the subscriber""s cell phone. By storing the authentication information in the subscriber""s modem, the modem can perform the authentication process in a manner that is transparent to the subscriber, and the modem can update and maintain the subscriber""s dynamic authentication information as necessary. Consequently, the subscriber need not trouble himself with having to maintain his authentication information.
However, in certain wireless communications systems (such as in a Concentrated Subscriber System described later herein) there is not a one-to-one relationship between subscribers and modem systems. In such a system it is desired that the authentication process be transparent to the subscribers in the same manner that the authentication process is transparent to the subscribers in a system where there is a one-to-one correspondence between subscribers and modem systems.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method for transparently providing access to a wireless communication service where there is not a one-to-one relationship between subscribers and modems. Further, the system and method should be compatible with existing wireless communication systems.
The present invention overcomes the above identified problem. In one aspect the invention provides a method for transparently providing access to a wireless communication service to a group of subscribers who share a set of modems, where each subscriber in the group is provided with a subscriber unit and each subscriber in the group is associated with static and dynamic authentication information.
In one embodiment the method includes the steps of: (a) detecting the activation of one of the subscriber units; (b) selecting a modem from the set of modems; (c) coupling the activated subscriber unit with the selected modem, thereby enabling traffic to flow between the activated subscriber unit and the selected modem; and (d) providing dynamic authentication information to the selected modem, wherein the dynamic authentication information provided to the selected modem is the dynamic authentication information associated with the subscriber to which the activated subscriber unit is provided.
In another embodiment the method includes the steps of: (a) detecting an incoming call addressed to one of the subscribers in the group; (b) determining a called subscriber, wherein a called subscriber is the subscriber in the group to which the incoming call is addressed; (c) selecting an available modem from the set of modems; (d) coupling the subscriber unit provided to the called subscriber with the selected modem, thereby enabling traffic to flow between the subscriber unit and the selected modem; and (e) providing dynamic authentication information to the selected modem, wherein the dynamic authentication information provided to the selected modem is the dynamic authentication information associated with the called subscriber.
Advantageously, either embodiment may further include the steps of storing in a database the dynamic authentication information associated with each subscriber in the group; storing in the selected modem the dynamic authentication information provided to the selected modem; modifying the dynamic authentication information stored in the selected modem in response to the selected modem receiving an update command message from a base station; storing the modified dynamic authentication information in the selected modem; and storing the modified dynamic authentication information in the database. In this manner, the dynamic authentication information stored in the database is updated whenever an update is received by a modem.
Additionally, the method according to either embodiment may further include the steps of storing in each of the modems the static authentication information associated with each subscriber in the group.
The invention also provides a concentrated subscriber system. The concentrated subscriber system according to one embodiment includes a transceiver system for transmitting radio wave frequency signals to and receiving radio wave frequency signals from a base station; a set of modems, wherein each modem in the set is coupled to the transceiver system; a set of subscriber units, wherein each subscriber unit is associated with unique authentication information; a switch coupled to each of the modems and coupled to each of the subscriber units; a control system in communication with the switch and each of the modems; and a database for storing authentication information, wherein the database is accessible to the control system. The control system determines an available modem from the set of modems when one of the subscriber units is activated. Further, the control system directs the switch to connect the activated subscriber unit with the available modem, retrieves from the database authentication information associated with the activated subscriber unit, and provides the available modem with the retrieved authentication information. In this manner, the authentication information associated with the activated subscriber unit is provided to the modem that is handling the call. Consequently, the modem handling the call can transparently authenticate the subscriber unit in the same manner as in a conventional wireless communication service.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

System and method for providing access to a wireless communication service to a group of subscribers who share a set of modems


A disc-shaped aircraft including an airfoil having a convex upper surface and a planar lower surface with the edges of the surfaces meeting at the periphery of the disc and having a plurality of rotational mini turbine jets affixed sequentially at the edge of the circumference of the disc, the turbine jets effecting vertical, horizontal, and directional thrust under computer and pilot control. Stable flight is maintained by an internal gyroscopic counter-rotating rotor blade system, individual control of the turbine jets, and a series of retractable flaps.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of transportation technology, and more specifically aircraft technology, and still more particularly to disc-shaped turbo-jet aircraft having a peripherally distributed propulsion system and stabilizing gyroscope.
Background Discussion
Lenticular and disc-shaped aircraft, when compared to alternative configurations, offer an efficient airfoil, a potentially more stable platform when employing peripheral thrust, a lower amount of drag, and a lower radar profile, all while providing direct vertical and horizontal movement options. However, of the countless disc-shaped aircraft for which patent protection has been sought, none have achieved commercial success. What the prior art of fifty years in this field has taught us is that there is a substantial collection of disc-shaped aircraft designs (flying saucers) that won't fly. This failure is concealed in patent applications by the calculated absence of any performance data that would predict a functional future for the designs—i.e., actual utility beyond that of an exotic landscape ornament. This is because they have never overcome the historical power/weight problem—that is, how to provide a disc-shaped aircraft with sufficient power to lift its weight off the ground. In almost all instances, the weight alone of the proposed power plants for these aircraft precluded any reasonable expectation of flight. The resulting patents have made their named inventors stakeholders in some undefined future technology that will confer credibility to the general concept by achieving actual flight.
Buried in the graveyard of good ideas are the many disc-shaped airframe designs disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,045,951 (to Freeland); U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,325 (to Kaelin); U.S. Pat. No. 6,382,560 (to Ow); U.S. Pat. No. 3,065,935 (to Dubbury, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 3,082,977 (to Arlin); and U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,053 (to McGuiness), all of which are hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference herein, along with all other references cited in this application. As noted, the failure of these designs is likely attributable to the failure to address and overcome the power/weight problem recognized long ago by Wilbur and Orville Wright and Igor Sikorsky.
The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents and other patents herein is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.


Commonly, an engine control unit is mounted in an appropriate place of the passenger compartment. According to the present invention, an engine control unit mounting apparatus for accommodating the engine control unit is directly mounted on the engine utilizing a space of the bank offset on either side of the left or right bank. The engine control unit mounting apparatus includes a material having a good heat conductivity like aluminum alloy. Its connecting terminal is directed towards the passenger compartment and as a result the electrical connection with the wiring harness of the passenger compartment becomes easy. An advantage of the present invention is to be able to shorten the length of wiring harnesses between the engine control unit and sensors, switches and actuators of the engine, and to facilitate connections with the wiring harnesses.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an engine control unit mounting apparatus for a motor vehicle and more particularly to an engine control unit mounting apparatus to be mounted in an engine compartment.
2. Prior Art
Generally, as shown in FIG. 6, an engine control unit 1 for controlling fuel injection, ignition timing and the like is disposed on the inner side of a front panel 2 of the passenger compartment or on the floor of the vehicle under a seat.
However, when the engine control unit is placed in the passenger compartment, long lead wires are necessary in order to connect the engine control unit with each of the various sensors, fuel injectors, the ignitor and other actuators.
Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-open No. Jitsu-Kai-Shou 56-5237 discloses a technique in which an engine control unit is installed in the engine compartment in order to solve these problems. A major problem when installing the engine control unit in the engine compartment is how best to protect the engine control unit from heat, electromagnetic fields and electrical noises.
In this prior art, the heat problem is solved by enclosing the engine control unit with a heat insulation box and, in addition, cooling the engine control unit with fuel passing through a fuel pipe provided in the heat insulation box.
However, since the heat insulation box is around the fuel pipe, the location of the engine control unit is restricted by the placement of the fuel pipe in the engine compartment.
Also, because the engine control unit is connected with various sensors and actuators, the engine has many lead wires and connecting terminals. In modern automobiles, these lead wires and terminals are integrated into a so-called wiring harness. There is an optimum design in arranging the wiring harness in the engine compartment, and this design restricts the location of the engine control unit as well.
Therefore, it is very difficult to find the best location for the engine control unit, which is close to the fuel pipe in the engine compartment while maintaining the best design of the wiring harness.
Further, the engine control unit is enclosed by the heat insulation box, and therefore the ground terminals for the inner electrical components must be extended outside the heat insulation box. This results in a complicated construction of the heat insulation box.

Engine control unit mounting apparatus for motor vehicle