A homogenizer, for homogenizing a tissue sample collected from a living body, comprising: a main body; and a storage cooler, comprising a container holder for holding a sample container, configured to cool a tissue sample in the sample container held by the container holder, the storage cooler being detachably installed to the main body, wherein the main body has a blender for crushing the tissue sample in the sample container held in the storage cooler is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automated homogenizer for homogenizing a tissue sample collected from a human, animal, or plant, and a storage cooler used by the homogenizer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Genetic testing has spread rapidly in recent years in the field of clinical diagnosis. Genetic tests are test for the clinical purpose of identifying the presence or absence of mutations or karyotypes related to genetic diseases by analyzing nucleic acids and chromosomes. As an example of genetic testing, nucleic acids associated with cancers are amplified and examined to determine whether cancer cells are contained within tissue excised from a living body. This examination process is mainly three processes of preprocessing, nucleic acid amplification, and detection.
The preprocessing is a homogenization process to homogenize tissue. The homogenization process uses a homogenization method employing a so-called blender homogenizing tool, ultrasound homogenizing method, pressure homogenizing method or the like. Among such several types of methods, the method using a blender has a problem, that is, inasmuch as the temperature of the tissue is elevated due to the heat generated by friction between the tissue and the homogenizing tool, or heat generated within the homogenizing tool occurs in the blender operation. There is concern that the proteins contained in the tissue will be thermally denatured and prevent accurate measurement when the temperature of the tissue increases. Therefore, it is suggested that the tissue is cooled within a test tube while be homogenized.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-320888 discloses a homogenizer configured to cool a pulverizer container that contains a tissue to be pulverized and a pulverizing medium. This homogenizer houses a homogenizer container intermediated by thermally conductive resin within a cooling container formed in a dual structure, and is configured to cool the homogenizer container by circulating coolant around the cooling container.
The tissue must be cooled from the time the tissue is collected from a living being until the homogenizing process is performed and not only during the homogenizing process in order to avoid elevating the tissue temperature to room temperature so as to suppress thermal denaturation of the tissue and obtain accurate measurements. The homogenizer disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2006-320888 requires that a bowl and ice are prepared beforehand to cool the container prior to the homogenizing process separately from the cooling medium used to cool the container that contains the tissue during the homogenizing process. The operator also must move the specimen from the bowl to the homogenizer when the precooled container is installed in the homogenizer.


The present invention employs a measuring apparatus having: a holding plate for holding a subject; an acoustic matching member provided between the subject and the holding plate; and a probe for receiving an acoustic wave propagating through the subject via the acoustic matching member and the holding plate, wherein the acoustic matching member includes a first portion that contacts the subject and a second portion that contacts the holding plate, and the second portion has greater rigidity than the first portion.

A subject information acquisition apparatus (photoacoustic apparatus) developed to detect breast cancer is described in Non-Patent Literature 1 (NPL 1). In the apparatus described in NPL 1, a subject (a breast) is compressed between a glass plate and an acoustic wave probe, whereupon the breast is irradiated with illumination light (near-infrared light) using an Nd:YAG laser as a light source through the glass plate. An acoustic wave generated in the interior of the subject (the breast) is received by the acoustic wave probe, whereupon internal tissue of the subject (the breast), and in particular breast cancer angiogenesis, is reconstructed as an image and displayed.
With the apparatus of NPL 1, however, a gap may form between a part of the subject (the breast) and the acoustic wave probe, leading to lifting. The lifted part contains air, causing dramatic differences in acoustic impedance, and since the acoustic wave cannot pass through the lifted part, there results a region that cannot be subjected to image reconstruction.
Patent Literature (PTL) 1, 2 and 3 disclose methods for dealing with this type of lifting.
FIG. 5A shows an outline of PTL 1, in which an acoustic matching agent is filled between two compression plates for compressing a subject. FIG. 5B shows an outline of PTL 2. PTL 2 discloses a compression plate constituted by two plates for compressing a subject, an acoustic wave probe, and a flexible container for realizing acoustic matching. FIG. 5C shows an outline of PTL 3. PTL 3 similarly discloses a compression plate constituted by two plates and a gel pad provided between the two plates.

Apparatus for mammography with acoustic matching


Pharmaceutical compositions for the sublingual or buccal administration of therapeutic agents (particularly polypeptides) which are normally degraded upon oral administration comprise such a therapeutic agent, a solvent, optionally a cosolvent and/or hydrogel, and an oral mucosal membrane transport enhancing agent which is selected from the group consisting of essential and volatile oils and inorganic and organic acids.

Orally administered therapeutic agents are rapidly transported to the stomach and small intestine for absorption across gastro-intestinal mucosal membranes into the blood. The efficiency of absorption of a therapeutic agent (i.e. the ratio of the amount entering the blood to the amount administered) following oral administration of many drugs can be low because of several factors which serve to metabolize the administered chemical. Low absorption efficiency is particularly problematic with polypeptide therapeutic agents.
The gastrointestinal tract secretes a variety of agents that metabolize polypeptides. Exemplary of such catabolic agents are pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, carboxypolypeptidases, aminopolypeptidases and dipeptidases. Polypeptides that escape catabolism in the stomach and small intestine are transported across the cells lining the gastrointestinal tract into the portal circulation, which carries absorbed polypeptides to the liver. Absorbed polypeptides are subject to further degradation by a myriad of hepatic metabolic events. Such hepatic degradation of absorbed materials from the blood before such materials enter the general systemic circulation is known in the pharmaceutical art as the "first pass effect".
As a result of these factors causing low absorptive efficiency of orally administered therapeutic agents, particularly polypeptides, if the choice of the route of administration is the oral route, it is necessary to administer large dosages of such polypeptides. This is costly in many cases and inefficient. Alternatively, such therapeutic agents can be administered via other routes such as intravenously, subcutaneously or intraperitoneally. These alternate routes are all invasive by nature and can involve pain and discomfort to a subject. There is, therefore, a pressing need for new, efficient, cost-effective and non-invasive methods and compositions for the administration to patients of therapeutic agents which would be otherwise degraded if administered orally.
The present invention provides novel compositions and methods for the sublingual administration of therapeutic agents.

Compositions and methods for the sublingual or buccal administration of therapeutic agents


A graphics rendering engine within a software development tool is used to perform software debug operations by analyzing the status of instructions within various stages of a superscalar processor pipeline. The debug operations are carried out using code breakpoints selected by a user through a graphical user interface. Once a line of code is selected, the processor pipeline can be examined by designating a highlighted color, for example, for certain stages and corresponding instructions that will proceed to the next stage, and not designating stages and corresponding instructions that will not proceed. This allows a user to visually examine the efficiency of the instruction throughput at select regions in the sequence of instruction addresses. Armed with the information, a user can then modify the sequence if desired.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to computer program development and, more particularly, to the use of a code breakpoint manipulated by a user to extract information on which instructions within various stages of a superscalar microprocessor pipeline will progress to succeeding stages during a particular moment in time (i.e., clock cycle), in order to possibly modify the pipeline sequence for enhancing microprocessor instruction throughput.
2. Description of Related Art
The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion within this section.
A typical microprocessor or "processor" involves various functional units that receive instructions from, for example, memory and operate on those instructions to produce results stored back into the memory or dispatched to an input/output device. There are many types of processors available in the market. For example, processors can be classified as either CISC or RISC processors. In addition, processors can implement multiple stages in a pipeline and can implement, possibly, numerous pipelines through the functional units.
Depending on how the pipeline is configured, it is generally desirable to arrange the instruction addresses of the program in a particular sequence. If properly sequenced, the instructions can be carried out as steps which proceed as successive stages through the pipeline to produce an efficient instruction throughput. In order to enhance throughput, it is often desirable to implement multiple pipelines in parallel so that two or more instructions can be fed through the functional units simultaneously. Placing multiple instructions through a pipeline in unison (i.e., during the same clock cycle) is generally known as "superscalar," and processors which employ the superscalar concept are known as superscalar processors.
A problem inherent to pipelined processors and especially superscalar processors is the data/procedural dependencies and resource conflicts that will occur when attempting to execute instructions in a given sequence. For example, data dependency will exist if a superscalar processor attempts to execute two instructions at the same time when, in fact, the execution of the second instruction should be delayed until the first instruction produces its value. In addition to data dependencies, superscalar processors also encounter procedural dependencies that often occur whenever the instruction sequence encounters a branch instruction. For example, instructions which follow a given branch instruction have a procedural dependency on each branch that has been executed up to that point. In addition, resource conflicts arise in superscalar processors when two instructions must use the same resource at the same time (e.g., two instructions being fetched or executed within the same clock cycle).
Attempts have been made to resolve many of the inherent dependencies and conflicts that arise in superscalar processors. For example, such processors might use look-ahead buffers, prefetch buffers, and reorder buffers in an attempt to adjust the sequence at which instructions are dispatched to the various functional units. This form of reordering typically occurs within the hardware elements of the processor itself. Other techniques might involve actually rewriting the object code before the code is stored in the memory device associated with the processor.
In the latter instance in which software is rewritten, many tools might be used during development of the software to optimize the sequencing of the instructions. These tools will take into account the particular architecture of the processor involved and, thereby, arrange the instruction sequence so that the throughput of instructions within the pipeline is maximized. These tools are often referred to as "integrated development tools" which are used to configure, build, and debug programs used by a particular processor.
As the software is being developed, the debugging feature will often schedule the sequence of instructions without attention paid to the pipeline structure of the processor. Unfortunately, a developer using such a tool cannot readily modify the sequence of instructions depending on where an instruction exists within the processor pipeline at any given time. Absent being able to visualize the whereabouts of each instruction within a pipeline, a developer will be unable to optimize the pipeline throughput. Even further, absent any way to visualize whether a particular instruction will progress to the next stage in the pipeline, a developer cannot know whether the pipeline flow is optimized.

User interface software development tool and method for enhancing the sequencing of instructions within a superscalar microprocessor pipeline by displaying and manipulating instructions in the pipeline


A method and a device establish a communication initiated by a terminal sending a communication request to a shared public identity associated with at least two destination terminals. The terminal sending the request receives at least one provisional response to the communication request, originating from one of the two destination terminals. From the provisional response received, the terminal sending the request obtains an address identifying the destination terminal that sent the provisional response received. The terminal sending the request sends a message to find out the capacities of a terminal to said destination terminal using the address obtained and receives in return a response message to the message to find out the capacities of a terminal originating from the destination terminal; the response message includes the capacities supported by the destination terminal. The terminal sending the request can thus display information representative of the capacities supported by the destination terminal.

It is currently possible for a user to be contacted on several terminals via the same public identity. A public identity of a user, also called IMPU for IP (Internet Protocol) Multimedia Public Identity, corresponds for example to a telephone number assigned by an operator of a communications network, for example an IMS (for IP Multimedia Subsystem) communications network. The public identity assigned to a user allows other terminals to contact the terminal of this user in order to communicate. The user may associate several terminals with the same public identity. Thus, the user can be contacted, via this shared public identity, on any of the terminals which have been associated with this public identity.
Thus, when a caller terminal sends a communication request to the public identity of a user being called, for example by sending a message INVITE according to the SIP protocol (for Session Initiation Protocol), an S-CSCF (for Serving Call Session Control Function) server of the IMS communications network transmits the communication request to all the terminals registered in the IMS communications network with the corresponding public identity. The transmission of the communication request is carried out according to a mechanism called "forking". The IMS communications network transmits the communication request to all the terminals that have been associated with the public identity and which are connected to the IMS communications network.
The transmission of the communication request to all the terminals may be implemented in parallel or sequentially according to a priority assigned to each terminal associated with the corresponding public identity.
The "forking" mechanism has been described here in the framework of a network "forking" mechanism where the transmission of the communication request to all the terminals associated with the same public identity is implemented by an S-CSCF server of the IMS communications network. The network "forking" mechanism allows a communication request to be transmitted only to destination terminals supporting the SIP protocol.
An applications "forking" mechanism may also be implemented by an applications server of the IMS communications network on a principle similar to that of the network "forking" mechanism. The applications "forking" mechanism allows the communication request to be transmitted to any type of destination terminals supporting the SIP, GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) or RTC (Réseau Téléphonique Commuté) protocol. In the case of the applications "forking", the destination terminals can then have a different identity. Such destination terminals are then associated by the applications server with a same public identity. Thus, when the caller terminal sends a communication request to such a public identity, all the destination terminals associated to that public identity will receive the communication request.
Upon receiving the communication request, a terminal associated with the corresponding public identity rings in order to inform the user being called of the communication request. The terminal associated with the corresponding public identity also sends a provisional response to the terminal of the caller user, for example in the form of an SIP 180 Ringing message in order to trigger on the terminal of the caller user a ringing return. Each terminal associated with the corresponding public identity and connected to the IMS communications network at the time of the generation of the communication request receives the communication request.
The user being called can then take the communication with any of the terminals having received the communication request.
The mechanism ("forking") for transmission of the communication request to several terminals associated with the same public identity is transparent for the caller user. The caller user is not therefore aware that his/her communication request is being transmitted to several terminals. The caller user who sends a communication request is not therefore aware, for example, that another user is able to take the communication request if this other user is near to a terminal of the user being called. Or, according to another example, the caller user who sends a communication request does not know that his/her communication request has a high chance of a successful outcome since it is transmitted to several terminals of the user being called.
The RCS (for Rich Communication Suite) communications standard allows a user of an RCS compatible terminal to establish an enhanced communication with another user also in possession of an RCS compatible terminal.
Thus, a voice communication may notably be enhanced by the addition of a video stream to the communication, the sharing of video, audio files, text, etc.
In order for a caller user to be informed of the RCS capacities of the terminal of a user that he/she wishes to call, the terminal of the caller user displays for example to the caller user an enhanced address book comprising the RCS capacities of the terminal of a contact recorded in the address book. The terminal of the caller user regularly updates the RCS capacities of the contacts of the caller user recorded in the address book associated with the terminal of the caller user. For example, the update may be performed at each start-up, or every 24 hours, or at each selection of a contact in the address book. For this purpose, the terminal of the caller user sends to the public identity of each contact recorded in the address book a message to find out the capacities, for example an SIP OPTIONS message according to the SIP protocol. Each terminal of a contact, who has received an SIP OPTIONS message sent by the terminal of the caller user, responds by sending to the terminal of the caller user an SIP 200OK message notably comprising the RCS capacities supported by the terminal of the contact.
The caller user is thus informed of the RCS capacities supported by the terminal of a contact with which he/she wishes to communicate. However, the RCS capacities of the terminal of a contact of the caller user which are stored in the address book of the caller user are not necessarily up to date at the time when the caller user sends a communication request to the terminal of the contact.
Moreover, when a contact of the caller user possesses several terminals associated with the same shared public identity, the SIP OPTIONS message sent by the terminal of the caller user to the shared public identity of the contact is then transmitted by the S-CSCF server of the IMS communications network to all the terminals of the contact associated with said shared public identity according to the "forking" mechanism which is implemented by the IMS communications network. When each terminal of the contact associated with said shared public identity of the contact that has received the SIP OPTIONS message responds by the sending of an SIP 200OK message comprising the RCS capacities supported by the terminal of the contact, the IMS communications network filters the responses sent by the terminals of the contact and only transmits the first SIP 200OK message sent to the terminal of the caller user in response to the SIP OPTIONS message sent by the terminal of the caller user.
The terminal of the caller user is not therefore aware of all of the RCS capacities of the terminals associated with the shared public identity of the contact. The terminal of the caller user is only aware of the RCS capacities supported by the terminal which has responded first to the SIP OPTIONS message. However, the terminal which has responded first to the SIP OPTIONS message is not necessarily that possessing the most appropriate RCS capacities. For example, the terminal which has responded first may indicate that it does not support the addition of video streaming within the voice communication. However, the user being called may have another terminal supporting the addition of video streaming within the voice communication. If the caller user wished to use this functionality during a communication with the user being called, he/she may then decide not to establish a communication with the user being called. The terminal of the caller user thus displays to the caller user RCS capacities relating to the user being called that are incomplete.
Thus, when the caller user sends a communication request to the public identity of a contact, the RCS capacities associated with the contact which are stored in the address book of the caller user are not necessarily up to date.
Moreover, if the contact disposes of several terminals associated with the same public identity, the RCS capacities associated with the contact that are stored in the address book of the caller user are not representative of the RCS capacities supported by all the terminals to which the communication request is transmitted by the communications network and which are able to respond to the communication request.
Moreover, if the contact disposes of several terminals associated with the same public identity, the caller user is not aware that his/her communication request is transmitted to several terminals.

Method and device for establishing a communication


The object of the invention resides in the development of an improved process for synthesizing metallocene compounds useful as olefin polymerization catalysts.. A new process for synthesizing metallocene compounds of formulae (IV) and (IV') comprises a reaction of formula (I) with formula (II) or (II') to afford formula (III) or (III'), and then a reaction of a halogenating agent.. In formulae (IV) and (IV') described below, M.sup.1 is a group IV transition-metal atom, L.sup.1 and L.sup.2 can be each other identical or different and are substituted or unsubstituted cyclopentadienyl, substituted or unsubstituted indenyl or substituted or unsubstituted fluorenyl groups, B is a hydrocarbon having 1-20 carbon atoms, silylene having 1-20 carbon atoms, oligosilylene or germylene groups, binding to L.sup.1 and L.sup.2, Y can be identical or different and is each independently of one another a halogen atom. Further, M.sup.1 can be coordinated with an ether or an amine at any coordination number. ##STR1##

The invention relates to a new process for the synthesis of metallocene compounds and the metallocene compounds having a racemic structure, which are useful as a polymerization catalyst for olefins.
Metallocene compounds, in which a cyclopentadienyl, indenyl or fluorenyl groups, or a derivative thereof are made a ligand, are useful as a polymerization catalyst for olefins such as ethylene, propylene or the like under the coexistence of a cocatalyst, for example, aluminoxane. For the preparation for a stereoregular polyolefine have been examined metallocene compounds having various kinds of stereostructures. For a syndiotactic polyolefine preparation is effective a metallocene compound having the Cs symmetry (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 110, 6255 (1988), whereas it is reported that for an isotactic polyolefine preparation is effective a metallocene compound having a racemic structure (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 24, 507 (1985); J. Am. Chem. Soc., 109, 6544 (1987); Chem. Rev., 92, 965 (1992); Organometallics, 13, 954 (1994); Organometallics, 13, 964 (1994)).
Conventionally, synthesis of a metallocene compound having a racemic structure is shown in Reaction Scheme I described below, and it is carried out by reacting the dianion produced by the deprotonation of the ligand and metal tetrachloride or its tetrahydrofuran adduct. ##STR2##
However, since this method gives tarry substances as byproducts, the procedure to separate the aimed metallocene compound having the racemic structure is very complicated (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl., 24, 507 (1985); J. Organomet. Chem., 288, 63 (1985); Japan Chemical Society ed. Organometallic complex (4th ed. Experimental chemistry series No. 18), Maruzen (1991) p. 81 (in Japanese)), and in many cases a metallocene compound having a meso structure is produced as a byproduct in nearly same amount, whereby there is such a problem that the separation of the aimed racemic metallocene compound is tedious. Generally, since metallocene compounds having the meso structure decrease the efficiency as a stereoregular polymerization catalyst, they are removed by a combination of purifying operations such as column chromatographic, washing or recrystallizing methods (J. Organomet. Chem., 232, 233 (1982); J. Organomet. Chem., 369, 359 (1989); Chem. Lett., 1853 (1989), Organometallics, 10, 1501 (1991); J. Organomet. Chem., 415, 75 (1991); Organometalllics, 13, 954 (1994); J. Organomet. Chem., 497, 43 (1995).
Thus, the conventional synthetic methods give a considerable amount of meso metallocene compounds as byproducts, therefore, the yields of racemic metallocene compounds are low, and due to the fact that the procedure in the purification step is tedious, the cost of the synthesis is high, and it is difficult to carry out in an industrial scale.
As a trial for solving the above problems is reported the method that after the reaction only the metallocene compounds having the racemic structure are crystallized appropriately by selecting the reaction solvent (JP, A, 6-122692; U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,790; U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,747), though, in this method the metallocene compound having essentially meso structure is produced in a nearly half amount, therefore, it can hardly be said that this is an efficient synthetic method.
Further, although the methods by which the metallocene compounds having the meso structure are converted to the metallocene compounds having the racemic structure are studied (J. Organomet. Chem., 342, 21 (1988); Organometallics, 11, 1869 (1992)), a compound of the enough purity could not be obtained, and furthermore, the decomposition of the metallocene compounds occurred.
On the other hand, the method to selectively synthesize the metallocene compounds having the racemic structure is also reported. In the methods using the ligand in which the bulky substituent is introduced to a cyclopentadienyl skeleton and the ligand having a binaphtyl skeleton in a bridging part, they give low yield and are impractical (Organometallics, 10, 2349 (1991); Organometallics, 10, 2998 (1991)). The method to carry out the reaction at the low reaction temperature of -78.degree. C. is also proposed (JP, A, 1-197490; U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,030), but the yield expected is not obtained. Further, in the synthetic examples of the metallocene compounds having the pseudo-racemic structure are used the ligand having the special structure in which 2-position of the indenyl group is bridged by the biaryl group, and the method is practically poor (Organometallics, 12, 2879 (1993); Organometallics, 12, 4391 (1993)). Also, a method employing (CH.sub.3).sub.2 ZrCl.sub.2 has been studied, but the selectivity of the racemic structure amounts at most around 75% in this method. Moreover this might cause trouble in that the reaction tends to take place to predominantly form a meso-type depending on the structure of the ligand (J. Organomet. Chem., 535, 29 (1997)).
On the contrary are reported the methods to obtain the metallocene compounds having the racemic structure in high yield by reacting Zr(NMe.sub.2).sub.4 with the ligand (WO 95/32979; U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,035; Organometallics, 14, 5 (1995); J. Am. Chem. Soc., 118, 8024 (1996)). However, these methods require such a long time as 3-24 hours at the reaction temperature of 80.degree.-160.degree. C., usually 100.degree. C. In the reaction condition, in which heating is done for long time like this, there is a possibility of the polymerization or the decomposition of a ligand which is unstable for heat, and due to the fact that dimethylamine, the starting material of Zr(NMe.sub.2).sub.4, is a gas (b.p. 7.degree. C.) at room temperature, a special reaction equipment corresponding to the gas reaction to prepare Zr(NMe.sub.2).sub.4 is necessary. Further, on the treatment there are various kinds of problems such that Zr(NMe.sub.2).sub.4 is very unstable for air.

Process for synthesizing metallocene compounds


A video processing apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The video processing apparatus includes: a processing unit which processes a video signal for display; a clock generating unit which generates a system clock for driving the processing unit and outputs the system clock to the processing unit; a power supply unit which supplies power to the processing unit; and a controller which counts a power supply time using a clock generated from the system clock. The controller compares the counted power supply time with a predetermined reference time, and controls power supplied to the processing unit from the power supply unit.

1. Field of Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a video processing apparatus which can decrease power consumption, and a control method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, an electronic device, such as a television, a computer, or a monitor requires electric power, and extensive efforts have been made to decrease power consumption thereof.
However, in the case of a video processing apparatus, a user often forgets to turn off the video processing apparatus, thereby causing unnecessary power consumption.
For example, in the case that a monitor is connected to a computer body, if the computer is turned off, the monitor does not display an image. In this case, a user is likely to think that the monitor is also turned off, and thus, often maintains the monitor on, thereby causing unnecessary power consumption.
To solve the above problem, a related art video processing apparatus performs a power save mode in which power supplied to some or most elements of the video processing apparatus is cut off if there is no input from a user for a predetermined period of time, so as to decrease power consumption.
However, in order to perform the power save mode, a user must know about the power save mode and set it up in advance. This causes an inconvenience to the user. If the user does not know or set up the power save mode, unnecessary power consumption can not be avoided.

Video processing apparatus and control method that compares counted power supply time with a reference time


A method of fabricating a semiconductor device capable of increasing a breakdown voltage without an additional epitaxial layer or buried layer with respect to a high-voltage horizontal MOSFET.

1. Field
This application relates to a method of fabricating a semiconductor device capable of increasing a breakdown voltage without an additional epitaxial layer or buried layer with respect to a high-voltage horizontal MOSFET.
2. Description of Related Art
In a conventional N-type LDMOS (Lateral Double diffused MOS), a body region that includes a source region is connected to a ground, and a breakdown voltage from a high concentration N-type (N+) source region to the body region is highly limited. Particularly, the breakdown voltage is typically much lower than about 20 V.
Various methods have been suggested to increase the low breakdown voltage of an LDMOS device. By way of example, there is a method of forming a deep well extending from a drain region to a P-type body region surrounding a source region so that the deep well surrounds the P-type body region, or a method of forming a low concentration N-type extension region surrounding a high concentration N-type source region. Although it has been possible to increase a breakdown voltage by a certain amount using these methods, it has not been possible to obtain a breakdown voltage of 100 V or more.
Further, in a method of forming a high concentration N+ buried layer between the substrate and a deep well region while forming a thick epitaxial layer on a substrate, a method of fully isolating the P-type body region and the substrate was also suggested. Nevertheless, there were problems in that not only does a technical configuration to form a buried layer and a thick epitaxial layer require a high unit price, but also many applications exist that do not require this fully isolating technique.

Method of fabricating a LDMOS device having a first well depth less than a second well depth


A lead frame for a quad flat no-lead package includes a plurality of units arranged in a matrix manner and each having four comers. Each of the corners extends outwards to define an attaching portion for attachment to a UV tape such that four sides of each of the units won't fly off when the sides are cut off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a lead frame, and more specifically to a lead frame for use in the quad flat no-lead package.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the quad flat no-lead (QFN) package, a chip is bound to each of units of a lead frame, and then an epoxy resin is poured into each of the units to mold the chip. Thereafter, an operator will attach a UV tape to the back of the lead frame, and then place the lead frame on a ceramic plate for cutting the units.
FIG. 1 shows a square unit 10 of a lead frame according to a prior art, having four right-angled comers 12. Because the contact areas between four sides 14 of the unit 10 located at the corner of the lead frame and the UV tape are insufficient, the sides 14 of the unit 10 may easily fly off under the action of a cutting blade rotating in high speed and a high-pressure water column during cutting process of the unit 10, probably causing the cutting blade and the chip to be damaged by the flying sides 14.
In order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawback, some operators will attach another UV tape to the sides 14 of the unit 10 located at the corner of the lead frame, but the operation time, manpower and material costs will be increased due to the extra UV tape.

Lead frame for quad flat no-lead package


The steel member for use under hot or warm conditions has a surface layer including (a) an oxygen-containing mixture layer comprising iron sulfide particles and iron nitride particles and substantially satisfying 0.5.ltoreq.S/N.ltoreq.10; (b) an intermediate layer of iron sulfide, iron nitride and iron oxide; (c) and a nitride layer comprising a nitrogen-diffused layer on this order from the member surface. The member is produced by supplying a colorless ammonium sulfide solution and a yellow ammonium sulfide solution at a weight ratio of 6/1-1/1 to a gas generator to form a solution mixture from which a head gas is generated; disposing a steel member in a reactor; introducing the head gas and nitrogen into the reactor at 100-600 ppm of H.sub.2 S and 0.1-1.0% of NH.sub.3 ; supplying nitrogen and NH.sub.3 to the reactor to adjust the concentration of NH.sub.3 to 10-70% in the reactor; heating the reactor to 460-600.degree. C. to carry out a gas sulfonitriding treatment on the member; and slowly cooling the sulfonitrided member at 30-25.degree. C./hr.

The present invention relates to a steel member for use under hot or warm conditions, particularly a hot- or warm-working die, and a method for producing it.
Dies for hot or warm forging are conventionally made mainly of hot-working tool steel such as SKD61, SKT4, etc. defined by JIS, and dies required to have higher durability are made of high-speed steel having better high-temperature strength such as SKD7, SKD8, etc. or steel improved therefrom.
Recent trend is generally that hot- or warm-working dies are surface-treated to impart high wear resistance and galling resistance to die surfaces while keeping toughness thereof, in response to the demand of higher precision and efficiency in working. The surface treatment applied to such dies is mainly a single-step nitriding treatment by an ion process, a salt bath process, a gas process, etc.
For instance, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-138733 discloses a method for providing a steel die with a heat cracking resistance and a plastic flow resistance by subjecting the die to an ion-nitriding treatment and then to high-frequency heating at a temperature up to 950.degree. C. to reduce an outermost, brittle white layer containing high-concentration nitrides and to make a nitrogen-diffused layer as deep as 3.0 mm. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-54551 discloses a hot-working die which is iron-nitrided at a low temperature (350-450.degree. C.) to prevent galling while keeping the toughness of the die substrate. The effects of these methods are, however, limited to as small as 20 to 30% increase in a die life as compared with the conventional nitriding methods, suggesting that these methods are not regarded as providing remarkable improvement of the die life.
There is also a trend of near-net shaping which leads to worked articles with more complicated shapes. The near-net shaping makes larger the plastic flow of work materials during working and thus increase friction between the works and die surfaces, which results in making the temperature of the dies higher than their transformation temperatures of 700-900.degree. C. and thus accelerating the softening of die surfaces by friction heat. As a result, the dies lose their inherent properties, resulting in poor high-temperature properties and accelerated damage of the dies.
When a single-step nitriding treatment such as an ion-nitriding treatment which is the most prevalent surface treatment for steel members at present is carried out on dies, the resultant nitrides are partially decomposed by overheat, failing to provide sufficient effects.
Other than the single-step nitriding treatment, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-228557 proposes a method and an apparatus for gas-sulfonitriding cold-slidable members operable in oils such as pistons, cylinders, etc. of hydraulic pumps, motors, etc. of construction machines in order to improve their properties of keeping lubricating oils. This method forms a surface layer comprising ferric sulfide (FeS.sub.2) highly capable of keeping a lubricant as an outermost surface layer on a steel member by a secondary heat treatment at 200-350.degree. C.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-39155 proposes the formation, on a surface of an iron article, of a first layer mainly composed of ferric sulfide (FeS.sub.2) and a second layer of iron nitride (Fe.sub.4 N) by bringing a decomposed gas of ammonium sulfide and an ammonia gas into contact with the iron article while heating. However, the resultant layers are likely to be porous, providing starting points of heat cracking and propagating paths thereof. Accordingly, dies produced by this technology cannot suitably be used for hot-working at a temperature of 600.degree. C. or higher and a high pressure.
Katagiri et al. reported in The Japan Association of Metallurgy, Vol. 51, No. 10 (1987), pp. 930-934 the sulfonitriding treatment for forming an outermost porous surface layer of ferrous sulfide (FeS) and an underlying surface layer containing iron oxide (Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4) on a steel material in 150 ppm of a hydrogen sulfide gas and 75% of an ammonia gas at 580.degree. C. for 1-6 hours, by using a colorless ammonium sulfide solution. However, since this method uses a colorless ammonium sulfide solution as a starting material, a weight ratio of sulfur to oxygen (S/O) in the resulting surface layer is less than 0.5, failing to sufficiently lower a friction coefficient between the die surface and the work. Also, since there are likely to be starting points of heat cracking and propagating paths thereof in the porous layers, dies produced by the method of Katagiri are not suitable for plastic working at high temperature and pressure.
Momijizawa reported in Heat Treatment, Vol. 36, No. 6 (1996), pp. 383-387 the formation of a sulfurized layer made of FeS or Fe.sub.1-x S having solid lubrication in a thickness of 3-5 .mu.m in addition to a nitride layer (on the substrate side) to improve galling resistance and wear resistance at room temperature (20.degree. C.), by a gas-nitriding cycle comprising various treatment cycles using gases supplied from an H.sub.2 S/N.sub.2 bottle, a pure N.sub.2 bottle, a pure NH.sub.3 bottle and a CO.sub.2 bottle. The resultant surface layer of steel has a nitride layer and a black sulfurized layer with solid lubrication on this order from a steel substrate. It is reported that since sulfur substantially does not form a solid solution with (.alpha.-Fe unlike nitrogen, the sulfurized layer of FeS or Fe.sub.1-x S is limited on a surface of the steel, not being diffused inside it. However, if dies subjected to such a treatment are used for high-temperature working, ferric sulfide (FeS.sub.2) and ferrous sulfide (FeS or Fe.sub.1-x S) easily peel off from the nitride layer due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient therebetween. Thus, the dies treated by this method cannot be used as hot- or warm-working dies.
In addition, Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-42566 proposes the formation of iron oxide (Fe.sub.3 O.sub.4) on iron articles made of soft steel or cast iron such as bolts, nuts, etc. to prevent corrosion in their portions buried in earth and also to improve corrosion resistance and appearance in their portions exposed in the air.
In general, the damage of a die takes place in a manner as described below during the plastic working at a high temperature. A surface of the die is subjected to thermal shock by contact with the work as follows: The plastic working is carries out at a high temperature such that the heated work plastically flows along a working surface of the die while being pressed onto the die surface, thereby generating friction heat and plastic deformation heat. During this plastic working process, the die surface is subjected to quick thermal expansion by rapid temperature increase. After completion of the plastic working, the worked article is removed from the die, resulting in the shrinkage of the die surface by cooling.
As a result of repeated plastic working as described above, the die surface is not only subjected to thermal fatigue by expansion and shrinkage, but also the die surface softened by heat has a decreased resistance to stress generated by plastic working and expansion and shrinkage, so that heat cracking and plastic flow are more likely on the die surface. Thus, damage such as wear proceeds on the die surface. In this case, galling would be likely to take place if the die surface is in direct contact with the work. The generation of galling makes easier thermal conduction from the work to the die surface, accelerating the damage of the die.
Accordingly, a lubricant or a parting agent is applied onto the die surface every cycle in an actual operation, so that the die surface and the work are not in direct contact with each other by the lubricant or the parting agent present in a film state between them. However, the die surface heated to a high temperature is rapidly cooled by applying the above agent, resulting in larger shrinkage in a unit time.
As described above, a surface layer formed on a steel material by these sulfonitriding methods is likely to provide starting points of heat cracking and propagating paths thereof due to its porosity, when the surface-treated steel material is used as a die for plastic working at a high temperature. Also, ferric sulfide (FeS.sub.2) and ferrous sulfide (FeS or Fe.sub.1-x S) easily peel off from an iron nitride layer to which these sulfides are adjacent, due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficient therebetween. Thus, the dies treated by these sulfonitriding methods cannot be used as hot- or warm-working dies.

Steel member for use under hot or warm conditions and method for producing same


Devices and techniques for achieving signal filtering in RF or microwave frequencies by optical filtering using two separate optical paths. Each optical path may include one or more optical resonators to achieve desired optical filtering.

This application relates to optical and photonic devices for various applications, such as optical, radio frequency (RF), and microwave applications.
Optical devices may be used to manipulate or control light for applications where signals are not in the optical frequencies. As an example, RF and microwave oscillators for generating signals in the RF and microwave frequencies may be constructed as "hybrid" devices by using both electronic and optical components to form opto-electronic oscillators ("OEOs"). See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,723,856, 5,777,778, 5,929,430, and 6,567,436. Such an OEO includes an electrically controllable optical modulator and at least one active opto-electronic feedback loop that comprises an optical part and an electrical part interconnected by a photodetector. The opto-electronic feedback loop receives the modulated optical output from the modulator and converted it into an electrical signal to control the modulator. The feedback loop produces a desired long delay in the optical part of the loop to suppress phase noise and feeds the converted electrical signal in phase to the modulator to generate and sustain both optical modulation and electrical oscillation in RF or microwave frequencies when the total loop gain of the active opto-electronic loop and any other additional feedback loops exceeds the total loss. The generated oscillating signals are tunable in frequency and can have narrow spectral linewidths and low phase noise in comparison with the signals produced by other RF and microwaves oscillators.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Tunable filtering of RF or microwave signals based on optical filtering in Mach-Zehnder configuration


The steering column assembly includes: an upper clamp 7; a distance bracket 8 fixed to an outer tube 4; a clamp bolt 9 including a shank 9b inserted in tilt long holes formed in the upper clamp 7 and telescopic long holes formed in the distance bracket 8; an operation lever 10 configured to rotate integrally with the bolt 9; a cam body 11 configured of an eccentric cam 41 and a ring 42, the eccentric cam 41 being provided on the shank 9b, the radial dimension of the eccentric cam 41 gradually changing in its circumferential direction, and the ring 42 rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the eccentric cam 41. The cam body 11 rotates and is pressed against an inner tube 5 to lock the inner tube 5 to an outer tube 4.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering column assembly including a telescopic adjustment mechanism which allows a driver to adjust the position of a steering wheel depending on the driver's physique and preference in order that the driver can feel comfortable while driving.
2. Description of the Related Art
Known is a steering column assembly including a tilt adjustment mechanism and a so-called telescopic adjustment mechanism. The tilt adjustment mechanism allows a driver to adjust the height of the steering wheel depending on the driver's physique and driving posture. The telescopic adjustment mechanism allows the driver to adjust the front-back position of the steering wheel in the axial direction of the steering shaft depending on the driver's physique and driving posture.
In general, when a telescopic adjustment is applied to the steering wheel, the steering column assembly of this type causes an eccentric cam to be pressure-contacted to and engaged with an inner tube constituting the steering column, the eccentric cam being attached to the outer periphery of a clamp bolt to rotate integrally with the bolt. Thereby, the inner tube is pressed against the inner periphery of an outer tube, and thus the inner tube is locked to the outer tube. This locking mechanism eliminates play between the inner tube and the outer tube (space between the inner tube and the outer tube in the radial direction). (See Japanese Patent No. 3783524, for example.)
However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3783524 has a problem of poor operability for the following reason. The shank of the clamp bolt constituting the rotary shaft of the eccentric cam is arranged outside the outer tube, so that the space between the shank and the inner tube should be set wide. In addition, the radial dimension of the eccentric cam (the dimension of the eccentric cam from its rotation center to its outer circumferential surface) is relatively large. Consequently, the clamp bolt needs a large clamping torque to obtain a force with which the outer circumferential surface of the cam presses the inner tube, when the inner tube is locked to the outer tube by the rotation of the eccentric cam. Accordingly, the operation lever has to be operated with a larger force.
Furthermore, when a force is applied to the steering column in a direction in which the steering column contracts while the eccentric cam is locking the inner tube to the outer tube, it is likely that the inner tube biases the eccentric cam with a friction force of the inner tube in a direction in which the inner tube is released from the outer tube. In this case, the eccentric cam may rotate, and the inner tube may be accordingly released from its locked condition, so that a so-called "operation lever return" may occur.


A system and method for opportunistically designing collaborative beamforming vectors is disclosed for a wireless multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) space division multiple access (SDMA) communication system by sequentially designing beamforming vectors for ranked channels in order to exploit the instantaneous channel conditions to improve per user average SNR performance. Each subscriber station independently transmits information to a base station that allows the base station to determine beamforming vectors for each subscriber station by ranking the subscriber stations by channel strength. Using sequential nullspace methods, the ranked channel matrices are then used to select the channel matrix Hi for the best subscriber station, to design the wi, vi for the best subscriber station as the left and right singular vectors of the MIMO channel matrix Hi, to transform the remaining channels and to continue the process until beamforming vectors are designed for all channels.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to field of information processing. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a system and method for beamforming for collaborative, space division multiple access systems with transmitter and receiver antenna arrays.
2. Description of the Related Art
The demand for wireless communication systems continues to expand. Wireless communication systems transmit and receive signals within a designated electromagnetic frequency spectrum. The capacity of the electromagnetic frequency spectrum is limited. Thus, the usage expansion of wireless communication systems continually introduces challenges to improve spectrum usage efficiency. Space division multiple access (SDMA) represents one approach to improving spectrum usage efficiency. SDMA has recently emerged as a popular technique for the next generation communication systems. SDMA based methods have been adopted in several current emerging standards such as IEEE 802.16 and the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
FIG. 1 depicts a wireless communication system 100 that employs SDMA. The communication system 100 is a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. In MIMO systems, transmitters and receivers are both equipped with multiple antennas. The wireless communication system 100 includes multiple base stations 102.1-102.p and multiple subscriber stations 104.1-104.r, where "p" and "r" are integers representing the number of base stations and subscriber stations, respectively, in a given geographic area. Base stations and subscriber stations can be both transmitters and receivers when both base stations and subscriber stations are equipped with a receiver and a transmitter. Base stations generally communicate with multiple subscriber stations. Subscriber stations communicate directly with a base station and indirectly, via the base station, with other subscriber stations. The number of base stations depends in part on the geographic area to be served by the wireless communication system 100. Subscriber systems can be virtually any type of wireless one-way or two-way communication device such as a cellular telephones, wireless equipped computer systems, and wireless personal digital assistants. The signals communicated between base stations and subscriber stations can include voice, data, electronic mail, video, and other data, voice, and video signals.
In an SDMA-MIMO wireless communication system, each base station 102 and subscriber station 104 includes an array of antennas for transmitting and receiving signals. In SDMA, different subscriber stations share the same time-frequency channel and the separation between them occurs in the spatial dimension. During transmission, the antenna array forms a beam or multiple beams by applying a set of weights to signals applied to each antenna in the antenna array. A different set of beam forming weights is applied to communications between the base station and each subscriber station with a goal of minimizing interference between the radio communication devices signals. In some transmission schemes, such as time division duplex (TDD), beam forming between the base station and subscriber stations allows the allocation of the same frequency channel and different time channel to subscriber stations during downlink and uplink. In other transmission schemes, such as frequency division duplex (FDD), beam forming between the base station and subscriber stations allows the allocation of the same time channel and different frequency channel to subscriber stations during downlink and uplink.
FIG. 2 depicts base station 202 and subscriber stations 204.1 through 204.m in an SDMA-MIMO wireless communication system. Base station 202 represents each of base stations 102.1 through 102.p, and subscriber stations 204.1 through 204.m represent any group of m subscriber stations. MIMO systems use beamforming to transmit a single data stream through multiple antennas, and the receiver combines the received signal from the multiple receive antennas to reconstruct the transmitted data. As described in greater detail below, "beamforming" processes a signal for transmission using weight vector wi and an array of antennas to direct the signal using interference properties, and at the receiver, the received signals detected by the array of antennas are processed using a combining vector vi.
Base station 202 has an array of N antennas 206, where N is an integer greater than or equal to m. The base station prepares a transmission signal, represented by the vector xi, for each signal si, where i ε{1, 2, . . . , m}. (Note: lower case bold variables indicate vectors and upper case BOLD variables indicate matrices). The transmission signal vector xi is determined in accordance with Equation [1]:xi=wi·si  [1]where wi, is the ith beamforming, N dimensional transmission weight vector (also referred to as a "transmit beamformer"), and each coefficient wj of weight vector wi represents a weight and phase shift on the jth transmit antenna 206, where j ε{1, 2, . . . , ki}, and ki represents the number of receiving antennas of the ith subscriber station 204.i. In addition, the term "si" is the data to be transmitted to the ith receiver. Each of the coefficients of weight vector wi may be a complex weight. Unless otherwise indicated, transmission beamforming vectors are referred to as "weight vectors," and reception vectors are referred to as "combining vectors".
The transmission signal vector xi is transmitted via a channel represented by a channel matrix Hi. The channel matrix Hi represents a channel gain between the transmitter antenna array 206 and the ith subscriber station antenna array 208.i. Thus, the channel matrix Hi can be represented by a N×ki matrix of complex coefficients, where N is the number of antennas at the base station antenna array 206 and ki is the number of antennas in the ith subscriber station antenna array 208.i. The value of ki can be unique for each subscriber station. As will be appreciated, the channel matrix Hi can instead be represented by a ki×N matrix of complex coefficients, in which case the matrix manipulation algorithms are adjusted accordingly so that, for example, the right singular vector calculation on a N×ki channel matrix becomes a left singular vector calculation on a ki×N channel matrix. The coefficients of the channel matrix Hi depend, at least in part, on the transmission characteristics of the medium, such as air, through which a signal is transmitted. A variety of methods may be used to determine the channel matrix Hi coefficients, such as transmitting a known pilot signal to a receiver so that the receiver, knowing the pilot signal, can estimate the coefficients of the channel matrix Hi using well-known pilot estimation techniques. Alternatively, the actual channel matrix Hi is known to the receiver and may also be known to the transmitter.
At the subscriber station 204.i, the transmitted signals are received on the ki receive antennas. The received signals for the ith subscriber station 204.i are represented by a ki×1 received signal vector yi in accordance with Equation [2]:
                              y          i                =                                            s              i                                                  H              i              H                                                  w              i                                +                      (                                                            ∑                                      n                    =                    1                                    m                                                                                s                    n                                                                          H                    i                    H                                                                          w                    n                                                              -                                                s                  i                                                                  H                  i                  H                                                                  w                  i                                                      )                                              [        2        ]            where "si" is the data to be transmitted to the ith subscriber station 204.i, "sn" is the data transmitted to the nth subscriber station 204.n, "HiH" represents the complex conjugate of the channel matrix correlating the base station 202 and ith subscriber station 204.i, wi is the ith base station weight vector, and wn is the nth base station weight vector. The superscript "H" is used herein as a hermitian operator to represent a complex conjugate operator. The jth element of the received signal vector yi represents the signal received on the jth antenna of subscriber station 204.i, j ε{1, 2, . . . , ki}. The first term on the right hand side of Equation [2] is the desired receive signal while the summation terms less the desired receive signal represent co-channel interference.
To obtain a data signal, zi, which is an estimate of the transmitted data si, the subscriber station 204.i combines the signals received on the k antennas using a combining vector vi in accordance with Equation [3]:zi=ŝi=viHyi  [3].
In the context of the foregoing, MIMO-SDMA communication methods can be classified into two major categories: (1) collaborative and (2) non-collaborative. Collaborative MIMO-SDMA methods entail all schemes where the weighting vectors wi and combining vectors vi of base station 202 and subscriber station 204.i are designed together in a collaborative fashion. In collaborative MIMO-SDMA, each subscriber stations feeds back the downlink MIMO channel matrix to the base station, and the base station uses the knowledge of MIMO channels to all the subscriber stations 204.1-m to jointly design the weighting and combining vectors for the base station 202 and each subscriber station 204.1-m. The combining vectors are then conveyed to each subscriber station, and the communication proceeds with the base station simultaneously transmitting m data packets to each subscriber using their respective transmit weight vectors while each receiver decodes their respective packet using their respective receive weight vector. In contrast, non-collaborative systems employ a sequential design approach so that, for example, the base station 202 (or the subscriber stations 204) designs its weighting vector (or combining vector) first, and then the knowledge of the designed vectors is used to design the remaining set of vectors.
The signal throughput capacity of collaborative SDMA systems is conventionally greater than the capacity of non-collaborative systems since collaborative systems benefit from the joint knowledge of the channels Hi, i ε{1, 2, . . . , m}, to all the subscriber stations 204.1-m, while a combining vector for one subscriber station 204.i in the non-collaborative systems is determined independently of the other subscriber stations 204. While the joint knowledge of the channel conditions is typically collected at the base station 202 through feedback from each subscriber station 204i, collaborative SDMA systems typically use this channel condition information to design the weight and combining vectors with the goal of reducing interference between receiving stations. On the other hand, the performance of collaborative systems can be impaired by the overhead associated with the feedback of channel estimate information and the feed forward of combining vector information, in contrast with non-collaborative system which have lower overhead requirements. Thus, conventional approaches result in the design of weight and combining vectors which do not maximize the average signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for a receiver station that is allowed for a given channel condition. In addition, conventional approaches do not provide flexibility in terms of trading off computational requirements or the size of control information exchanged with performance. Moreover, conventional approaches require significant control information to be fed back and fed forward, thereby impairing system performance.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved methodology for designing optimal beamforming weight vectors and combining vectors in a collaborative system. There is also a need for a collaborative MIMO-SDMA system which jointly designs the weight and combining vectors to improve the per user average SNR performance. In addition, there is a need for a family of signal processing algorithms for selecting transmit and receive array vectors for MIMO-SDMA which overcomes the problems in the art, such as outlined above. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional processes and technologies will become apparent to one of skill in the art after reviewing the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings and detailed description which follow.
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the drawings have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for purposes of promoting and improving clarity and understanding. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the drawings to represent corresponding or analogous elements.

Methods for opportunistic multi-user beamforming in collaborative MIMO-SDMA


A game stick, such as a hockey stick, has a configured and adjustable grip. The configured grip has a triangular cross section with three sides and three edges. The grip is oriented with respect to a striking portion of the stick. The stick may also have a configured handle. The grip and handle may have different configurations and different orientations with respect to the striking portion. The grip and handle are detachably or adjustably coupled to the striking portion so that the orientation of the grip and/or handle may be reversed or changed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a configured and adjustable game stick grip, particularly well suited for hockey sticks, with a triangular cross section and two or more orientations with respect to a blade or striking portion of a game stick. More particularly, the present invention relates to a configured game stick grip having a triangular cross section with three sides and three edges for preventing rotation and providing a recognizable orientation with respect to the blade in the hand of a player. In addition, the present invention relates to an adjustable game stick grip adjustably coupled to the blade for providing at least two orientations of the grip with respect to the blade.
2. Prior Art
Many games involve the use of a game stick to strike or otherwise direct a ball or game piece. Such game sticks usually have a blade or striking portion with a striking surface. This blade is disposed on the end of an elongated handle that has a grip on the other end with which the player grasps the game stick. Alternatively, the grip may extend the length of the handle, or the entire handle may serve as the grip. Effective and accurate use of the game stick typically requires that the striking surface be properly oriented with respect to the game piece, which in turn requires that the grip or handle be properly oriented in the players hand. In addition, it is necessary that the grip or handle remain properly oriented, especially when the game stick is used with great force striking a game piece with the gamestick produces forces tending to rotate the stick in the player's hand. Furthermore, it is also desirable that the grip or handle fit comfortably in the players hand because the game stick is held for the length of the game.
For example, ice hockey is a popular sport played by many people ranging from young children to professional athletes. Hockey is typically played on enclosed rinks by attempting to shoot a puck through a goal located at either end of the rink, known as a cage. The players wear skates and strike the puck with a stick in order to move it across the rink and into the cage. During play, the puck is often passed back and forth between players and shot at the cages. Accurately passing or shooting the puck with the stick requires a great degree of skill. Therefore, it is important for the player's hockey stick to enhance the player's skill or at least not unduly interfere or impede the player's ability. In addition, the puck is often shot at the goal with a great deal of force. Therefore, it is important for the player's hockey stick to capably handle the applied forces.
The hockey stick usually has an elongated handle with a grip at a proximal end and a blade at a distal end. The stick is grasped by the player at the grip and at the handle. The blade extends from the handle and has a striking surface used for contacting the puck. The blade is used to guide the puck across the ice as the player skates. In addition, the blade strikes the puck in order to pass the puck to another player or to shot the puck at the goal. The blade is usually formed of wood and may be reinforced with a fiber and epoxy matrix. The blade is also sometimes formed from a plastic material. The handle is also usually formed of wood and may also be reinforced with a fiber and epoxy matrix. The hockey stick typically is provided as an integral unit, with the blade either integrally formed with the handle or otherwise permanently fastened to the handle.
The grip is formed at one end of the handle and wrapped with a tape material for an improved grip. Typically, the grip is little more than an extension of the proximal end of the handle wrapped in tape. Players may hold the handle by the grip with one hand, but usually grasp the handle with both hands, one hand grasping the grip and the other grasping the handle past the grip. In this sense, the entire handle forms the grip of the stick. Passing and shooting the puck usually requires holding the stick with both hands.
The handle is usually formed of an elongated shank with a rectangular cross section. As mentioned above, the grip is usually nothing more than the proximal end of the handle, and thus shares the same rectangular cross section. The handle, and grip, have four surfaces, two elongated surfaces generally facing in the same direction as the striking surface of the blade and a back of the blade, respectively, and two shorter surfaces each located between and perpendicular to the longer surfaces. A radius of curvature is formed between each of the surfaces.
One problem with typical hockey sticks is the difficulty of adequately and comfortably grasping the grip and handle. In order to accurately pass the puck and powerfully shoot the puck with the stick, it is necessary to effectively grasp and control the hockey stick. The broad surfaces of the rectangular cross section provide some degree of orienting the stick within the hands of the player and preventing the stick from rotating or twisting.
The rectangular cross section, however, fits unnaturally in the player's hands. The two broad surfaces and two narrow surfaces do not effectively match the surfaces created by the closed hand. The result is that the blade itself is not properly oriented with respect to the puck for effectively passing or shooting the puck. The player must correct for this misorientation by twisting the wrists or rotating the body or upper torso so that the blade is properly oriented.
In addition, the mismatch between the rectangular stick and hands means that the stick must be gripped with an unnecessary amount of force to prevent rotation of the stick within the hands. Furthermore, when the stick strikes the puck with great force, such as during shooting, the force tends to rotate the stick within the hands, thus causing inaccurate shooting.
Other examples of games requiring game sticks include, street hockey, roller hockey, field hockey, ringuette, etc. The game sticks used in these games face many similar problems as those identified above.
Limited efforts have been directed towards improving hockey stick designs or game stick designs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,003, issued Apr. 26, 1994, to Pagotto, discloses a hockey stick with a handle having a generally rectangular cross section including four sides and four edges. The two upper edges have a larger radius of curvature than the two lower edges. U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,725, issued Nov. 26, 1996, to Pagotto et al. discloses a hockey stick with a handle having upper and lower gripping zones. Each zone of the handle has a generally rectangular cross section with the longer sides having concave and convex faces. Each zone is reversed relative to the other to accommodate each hand of the player. One disadvantage of the above handles is that they maintain the traditional rectangular cross section. As discussed above, the rectangular cross section does not fit naturally in the player's hand and is difficult to adequately and comfortably grasp.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to develop a grip capable of properly orienting the game stick in the player's hands so that the striking surface is properly oriented with respect to the game piece. It would also be advantageous to develop a grip capable of remaining properly oriented. It would also be advantageous to develop a grip that conforms more naturally to the player's hand. It would also be advantageous to develop a grip that is comfortable. It would also be advantageous to develop a grip with different orientations with respect to the striking surface to suit the needs and desires of the player. It would also be advantageous to develop a grip with multiple configurations and/or multiple orientations to suit each of the player's hands.

Configured and adjustable grip for game stick


A receptacle connector includes a dielectric housing and a dustproof cover covered on the housing. The housing has a bottom wall, a top wall, two sidewalls and two retainers defined between the sidewalls. Two locking grooves formed at the opposite sides of the body are defined between one of the sidewalls and the corresponding retainers. Each sidewall defines a position unit in the middle thereof with a guide unit formed in front of the position unit. The dustproof cover has a plate, two receiving grooves and two fixed arms. Each fixed arm defines a guide portion extending inward from the end thereof with two abutting blocks protruding inward from inner side of each fixed arms. The guide portions are sliding received in the position units along the guide unit. The abutting blocks are received between the position unit and the guide unit and pressed against the guide unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receptacle connector, and more particularly to a dustproof receptacle connector.
2. The Related Art
Electronic products are widely used more and more with the development of the technology of the electrons. Connectors are also widely used with the development of the technology of the electrons. However, terminals of the connector are easily to be dirtied and degraded by the dust. So, a dustproof receptacle connector is needed urgently.
A conventional dustproof receptacle connector includes a body, a plurality of terminals received in the body and a housing overlaid about the body. The body has a receiving portion. Each terminal received in the receiving portion has a first contact portion and a second contact portion. The housing has a cavity to receive the body. A Printed Circuit Board is inserted into the housing to contact with the second contact portion. A plug is inserted into the housing to contact with the first contact portion for transmitting signals between the plug and the receptacle connector. The plug further comprises a locking apparatus to mate with two locking grooves of the housing for fixing the plug in the housing firmly.
However, each of the locking grooves has an unlocked hatch. The dust can enter in the housing through the hatch to adhere to the terminals and other components that contact with the terminals. So, the capability of the receptacle connector is degraded.


A loosening-proof screw fastening device, including at least one stop wheel on at least one of a plurality of contacting faces; the at least one stop wheel is rotatably assembled in a locating hole on said at least one contacting face with its stop tooth slightly protruded beyond the contacting face; upon application of a backward action force for loosening the fastening device a created torque will bring the at least one stop wheel into rotation and make a stop tooth of the at least one stop wheel protrude beyond the contacting face and penetrate into a surface closely opposed to the at least one contacting face for preventing the fastening device from loosening.

Nowadays, a screw fastening device comprises a bolt connection, bolt-nut connection and a double-end bolt-nut connection. These loosening-proof methods and devices include:
(1) Friction Loosening-Proof
This method usually includes double nuts and an elastic gasket. The double nuts provide additional pressure and friction to the screw threads. However, it is limited to the stable, low speed and heavy-loaded screw fastening devices while not violent impact or vibrancy. The elastic gasket loosening-proof means provide a counter force. The pressed elastic gasket makes the screw threads (of both the bolts and nuts) press intensively and the inclined tips of the gaskets are set in opposition to the nuts as well as the contacting face of the fastened object, so that the loosening-proof could be realized. Such a method or device also has its own shortage so that the angle of rotation for loosening-proof lies in 3-4° and is not suitable for fastening units with violent impact or vibrancy.
(2) Mechanical Loosening-Proof
This method usually includes a cotter dowel and a grooved hexagonal nut. The method is realized by inserting the cotter dowel into the small hole of the common bolt or double-end bolt and the groove of the nut. The rear part of the cotter dowel is pulled apart and alongside the nut. The shortages of this method and device are the limitation to its use circumstances, for example it can not be used for countersinking and is inconvenient to install or uninstall.
(3) Material Loosening-Proof
This method usually includes applying liquid adherent between the screw threads. The shortage of this method is that it is inconvenient to uninstall and it can not be reused or can be reused for limited times.
(4) Riveting Loosening-Proof
A rivet is inconvenient to uninstall and can not be reused, so it is limited to its usage.

Loosening-proof method used for a screw fastening unit and the device thereof

Xiamen Yuchengjie Electromechanical Science & Technology Co., Ltd


Methods and systems for simultaneous transmission of periodic Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) and Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Acknowledgement (ACK)/Negative Acknowledgement (NACK) are presented. According to one aspect, a method of operation of a node comprises configuring the node to have two differently sized sets of resources. The method includes determining that the node needs to report feedback, the feedback comprising at least a periodic CQI feedback. The method includes, upon determining that the node needs to report the feedback, selecting one of the differently sized sets of resources to be used for reporting the feedback, wherein the larger set is selected when the node needs to also report a HARQ feedback, and wherein the smaller set is selected when the node does not need to also report a HARQ feedback. The method includes reporting the feedback on the selected set of resources.

Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) feedback is needed to inform a transmitter about channel quality at the receiving end. In Long Term Evolution (LTE) two kinds of CQI feedback are distinguished: periodic CQI feedback (also referred to as "periodic CQI") and aperiodic CQI feedback (also referred to as "aperiodic CQI").
In aperiodic CQI the transmitting node explicitly requests a transmission of CQI feedback. The triggering may happen via a triggering bit in a Downlink Control Information (DCI) message. If the triggering is done in an uplink grant, e.g., for scheduled data, the scheduler, e.g., an Enhanced or Evolved Node B (eNB), a base station, and the like, can adjust the size of the scheduled resource to accommodate both the uplink data and the CQI feedback.
Periodic CQI is semi-statically configured and occurs at periodic instances. Together with the time pattern also a periodic resource is configured which should be used for the periodic CQI reporting.
LTE uses a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) protocol where the receiver informs the transmitter about success (i.e., Acknowledgement (ACK)/no success (i.e., Negative Acknowledgement (NACK)) of the corresponding transmission. The resources for ACK/NACK transmission are typically signaled as a combination of dynamic signaling (in the DCI message) and semi-statically configured parameters.
LTE uses one HARQ ACK/NACK feedback bit per transport block. In case of spatial bundling, feedback of two Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) transport blocks can be bundled (e.g., using a logical AND operation) into a single value. Furthermore, in case of Carrier Aggregation (CA) it is often the case that more downlink carriers are configured than uplink carriers and/or HARQ feedback transmission may even be limited to a single component carrier. Also in a Time Division Duplexing (TDD) protocol having more downlink than uplink slots, HARQ feedback of multiple downlink slots must be conveyed in fewer uplink slots. Depending on the configuration, a few bits (e.g., Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) without carrier aggregation) or many bits (e.g., TDD with downlink-heavy carrier aggregation) must be conveyed per feedback occurrence. Also, operations in unlicensed bands can increase the number of HARQ feedback bits.
Aperiodic CQI is only transmitted if Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) resources are scheduled. If aperiodic CQI should be transmitted together with ACK/NACK this is done on PUSCH since PUSCH resources are available anyway.
In conventional systems including LTE, different methods are applied for periodic CQI feedback together with HARQ, depending on the HARQ feedback size:
Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) Format 2a/2b: For one or two HARQ feedback bits, the CQI can either be dropped or transmitted together with the HARQ feedback on CQI resources. For larger ACK/NACK feedback sizes, the CQI is dropped since neither the ACK/NACK resources nor the CQI resources are sufficient to accommodate both feedback types and ACK/NACK feedback is transmitted on ACK/NACK resources.
PUCCH Format 3: If combined payload size of ACK/NACK, the Channel State Information (CSI), and Scheduling Request (SR) is less or equal to 22 bits, the combined payload is transmitted using PUCCH Format 3. If the combined payload exceeds 22 bits, spatially bundling is applied to the ACK/NACK bits. If the combined payload size of spatially bundled ACK/NACK, CSI, and SR is less or equal to 22 bits, spatially bundled ACK/NACK, CSI, and SR is transmitted using PUCCH Format 3. Otherwise CSI is dropped and ACK/NACK, together with SR, is transmitted using PUCCH Format 3.
PUCCH Format 4 and 5 use similar procedures as PUCCH Format 3.
As used herein, the term "combined resources," or alternatively, "combined transmission resources," refers to the collection of time/frequency resources used to transmit a set of signals or channels. A combination of resources need not be contiguous in time or frequency with each other. Where each of the separate signals or channels occupies its own distinct set of transmission resources, the term "combined resources" refers to the collection that includes all of the distinct sets. In some cases, multiple separate signals or channels may be mathematically or otherwise combined and transmitted using the resources usually used for only some of (or even just one of) the separate signals.

Simultaneous transmission of periodic CQI and ACK/NACK


Balloon tamponade devices for treating bleeding sites within the upper digestive tract (e.g. esophageal or upper gastric bleeding sites, or duodenal, pyloric or distal gastric bleeding sites) comprise a tube having proximal and distal open ends and at least one inflatable balloon mounted over the tube. Preferably, two balloons are mounted over the tube, and inflation lumens are provided for each. In a device for treating esophageal or upper gastric bleeding sites, the balloons are an esophageal balloon and a gastric balloon. In a device for treating duodenal, pyloric or distal gastric bleeding sites, the balloons are a duodenal balloon and a gastric balloon. A bridle is attached to the tube, and is adapted to extend up the esophagus to allow the device to be secured in place having the proximal open end of the tube positioned within the digestive tract to allow for normal feeding and swallowing functions. A method for placing a balloon tamponade device as generally described above is also described. The device is backloaded onto an endoscope by passing the endoscope through the open ends of the tube. The endoscope is then passed through the mouth and down the esophagus and used to examine the esophagus and/or other portions of the digestive tract to determine whether or not treatment is required. If treatment is required, the device is advanced along the endoscope and down the esophagus, and the balloon(s) of the device is (are) positioned and inflated to treat the bleeding sites. The endoscope is used to check positioning and then withdrawn. Thereafter, the bridal can be positioned through the nose and connected to a traction device.

The present invention relates generally to the treatment of bleeding sites within the digestive tract, and more particularly to esophago-gastric and gastroduodenal balloon tamponade devices, and methods for their placement and maintenance in position. This invention also relates to methods for delivering therapeutic substances using these devices.
It is often necessary to medically treat bleeding sites within the esophagus. One method which has been used to treat such bleeding sites is to exert pressure on them using a balloon tamponade device. Such a device has included a balloon mounted over a tube which can be advanced down the esophagus. Then, the balloon is inflated and used to provide pressure to the site. Serious complications can occur when a device is incorrectly placed and inflated, sometimes producing esophageal rupture. More commonly, the devices are inappropriately placed and are thus ineffective to properly treat the bleeding sites. It is therefore desirable to have a device which can be used in connection with an endoscope so that the placement procedure can immediately follow diagnostic endoscopy and be directly monitored. Additional complications can arise because tamponade devices of the prior art block the esophagus so that normal feeding and swallowing by the patient is impossible and gastric lavage is difficult. This may be especially true where, as in the prior art known to applicant, the tube over which the balloon is mounted extends completely up and out of the patient's esophagus when the device is in place. This arrangement leaves no convenient passage through the mouth to the stomach.
Among the prior art devices, U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,175 to Altman et al. discloses a balloon-tube assembly comprising a multipurpose tamponade and thrombosclerotherapy tube. The tube has an open proximal end and windows spaced approximately 1.5 centimeters from a closed distal end. A modified metal cap diaphragm fits into the tubes open proximal end, and a latex balloon mounted over the tube is connected to a manometer by means of a polyvinyl catheter. The Altman et al. patent describes that the device therein permits effective gastric lavage at the same time that controlled esophageal tamponade is taking place. The device of Altman et al., however, is generally bulky and thus may be more difficult to place and as well uncomfortable to the patient. Additionally, a device such as that disclosed in Altman prevents normal feeding and swallowing functions because of its closed distal end and because its proximal end extends up the esophagus and out of the patient's mouth. As noted, this arrangement provides no convenient passage through which materials may pass to the stomach. Moreover, as disclosed, the Altman device is intended for brief use during gastric lavage and endoscopic sclerotherapy with accompanying tamponade. The Altman device is positioned through the mouth, has no method for prolonged maintenance of its esophageal position, and is intended to be withdrawn immediately after sclerotherapy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,286 to Okada discloses a small diameter (O.D. approx. 2.7 to 4.0 mm) double lumen balloon tube which may be directed through the esophagus prior to the treatment of a varix therein. According to the Okada patent, the varix is thereafter punctured and the balloon tube is partially withdrawn to position the balloon adjacent the punctured varix. Then, an inflation lumen is used to inflate the balloon to provide pressure to check the bleeding. Okada discloses that the other lumen of the device therein may be equipped with suction holes on either side of the varix-compressing balloon. As described in Okada, suction holes proximal of the balloon can be used to remove saliva which collects proximal to the balloon during blood checking, and suction holes distal to the varix-compressing balloon can be used to intake and remove air, blood, and other body fluids. The Okada patent discloses that a stomach balloon can also be provided on the device therein. While providing some advantages, having suction holes as described in Okada does not provide for normal feeding and swallowing functions. Additionally, the Okada device is closed on the distal end and thus its use in connection with an endoscope is limited.
Other devices in the field known to applicant, including, for instance, the Linton and Sengstaken-Blakemore devices, all suffer from one or more of the above and other disadvantages.
In addition to the above discussion relating to treatment of esophageal bleeding sites, it is also sometimes necessary to treat bleeding sites at other points within the digestive tract, for instance within the distal stomach, pylorus and duodenum. One prior treatment of such bleeding sites has involved the use of a balloon mounted over an endoscope which is advanced down the esophagus and through the stomach, whereafter the balloon is positioned and inflated to provide pressure to the bleeding site. This treatment, however, can be used only for a brief period because it obstructs the passage of materials from the stomach into the intestine, and accordingly interrupts the normal feeding by the patient. Additionally, this treatment presents the disadvantage of not allowing the balloon to remain in place after the removal of the endoscope.
Therefore, there exists a continued need for devices for treating digestive tract bleeding sites (e.g. esophageal, upper gastric, distal gastric, pyloric and duodenal bleeding sites) which may be even more effectively used in conjunction with an endoscope, and which permit a comfortable, accurate and convenient placement, and normal swallowing and feeding functions while in place providing therapy to accelerate healing and sealing any perforation or laceration until healing can occur. The treated bleeding sites can be erosions or ulcerations of the mucosa or full thickness injuries such as lacerations or perforations. Applicant's invention addresses these needs.

Balloon tamponade devices and methods for their placement


The present invention provides techniques for managing and analyzing business information. Specific embodiments provide persons with business or other non-technical fields with the capability to create, edit, and work with data models, profiles, and reports for business and other information. Specific embodiments can enable business and other non-technical users with enhanced understanding of information, and greater capabilities to manipulate relationships between various data entities in databases, for example.

The present invention relates generally to techniques for providing decision support, and in particular to techniques for visualizing and relationships among marketing and other business information.
Decision support technologies provide business information consumers with tools and techniques for analyzing information. Techniques such as statistics, report generators, such as On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP), and so forth, provide ways for business decision makers to use business information in making business decisions. However, many conventional approaches are often limited in scope or capability, providing only a static view of the whole picture.
While certain advantages to conventional approaches are perceived, opportunities for further improvement exist. For example, according to conventional technologies, modeling of data is done using rudimentary database relationship diagrams. While these diagrams explain the information in a manner understandable to database system programmers and other such persons having a technical background, these methods are not convenient for business and marketing professionals.
What is needed are improved techniques for business and marketing professionals in managing and analyzing information.

Method and system for managing event attributes


A method for operating a brake system, wherein two switching valves arranged on the suction side of pumps are opened and closed in an alternating manner in order to reduce current consumption.

Such a brake system typically has a first hydraulic circuit, a second hydraulic circuit and a master brake cylinder. The master brake cylinder is typically used to build up pressure in the hydraulic circuits so that a brake can be actuated. For this purpose, the master brake cylinder is typically actuated by a brake pedal.
Such two-circuit brake systems are nowadays standard in most motor vehicles. It is particularly ensured thereby that, in the event of failure of one hydraulic circuit, a further hydraulic circuit is still available. For example, one hydraulic circuit can act on the front wheels and another hydraulic circuit can act on the rear wheels, or the hydraulic circuits can act in a crosswise manner.
The increase of functionalities which are intended to be executed in an automated manner in vehicles or which serve to assist the driver means that it has been typically required in the meantime for a pump to be present in each case in the hydraulic circuits, which pump can build up pressure independently of the master brake cylinder. Such pumps are typically operated by electric motors.
Such electric motors are typically supplied via an electrical system of the vehicle, accordingly result in an increased current consumption and must also be taken into consideration in the design of the electrical system.
Typically, a functionality of an antilocking system is present in a brake system which is configured as described. This particularly ensures that locking of wheels during braking is avoided.
Recently, however, emergency brake assists are increasingly also installed, which can also be referred to as automatic emergency brake (AEB).
The introduction of emergency brake assists means that the characteristics of the installed pumps and electric motors have changed insofar as, for emergency brake assists, considerably higher volumetric flows of the respective pump are required. Pump size and motor design are typically adapted as a consequence. Particularly in the pressure range of approximately 0 to 100 bar that is relevant for emergency brake assists, such pumps have a considerably higher pumping power which is required for the rapid pressure buildup for emergency braking. This also necessarily results in a substantially higher pumping power at the operating point at 200 bar, which is relevant for antilocking systems (ABS). However, this pumping power is functionally not required at all for the functionality of an antilocking system. However, it leads to a higher current requirement, which also has to be taken into consideration in the design of the vehicle electrical system.


A silicon photonics (SiP) chip includes MAC and PHY blocks interconnected by optical waveguides (560) to provide network interface for a computer system. The SiP chip may be formed in a package mounted to the computer's motherboard. In an example, the computer system is a blade server module mounted in a datacenter chassis.

The present disclosure relates to computer networks.
A computer 110 (FIG. 1) communicates with network 114 via network interface cards (NIC) 120. Computer 110 may have one or more computer processors 130 executing computer instructions stored in memory 134. Memory 134 is also used for data storage. Additional memory 138, e.g. disk drives, solid state drives, etc., may be provided as peripheral storage for data or instructions. Other peripheral devices (not shown) may also be present, e.g. a keyboard, a mouse, a monitor, etc. Conductive bus(es) 150, e.g. copper, interconnect the processors 130, memory 134, memory 138, NICs 120, and possibly other parts of the system.
Each NIC 120 includes one or more ports 120P connected to ports of network switches 144 in network 114 by wired or wireless links 160.
There is a need to adapt the NICs and other network circuitry to dense network installations, e.g. datacenters providing cloud storage and cloud computing, and other installations having many computers 110 (e.g. servers) and switches 144 per unit area. In such installations, multiple computers 110 and switches 144 may be placed on the same rack and/or in the same chassis. Suitable network interfaces are needed to meet the small space and high heat dissipation requirements in dense installations.

Use of siilicon photonics (SiP) for computer network interfaces