A module with various designs of signal and safety lights incorporated with a wide range rearview mirror for the exterior sides of motor vehicles. Within the module(s), a signal light(s) and a safety light(s) of varying shapes are included. The rearview mirror cover edge for the module mounting onto is designed with a curvature bending angle of at least 128 degrees within the range of 91 degrees to 180 degrees for the flashing of the signal light(s) and illumination of the safety light(s) can be seen from the rear, the side and the front. The wide range rearview mirror is a ¼ (25%) curvature reflective mirror in combination with a ¾ (75%) flat reflective mirror. This combination mirror provides minimal distortion while allowing a widened scope of view to cover the blind spot.

There are many inventive products in the market attempting to solve the problem of a blind spot of the flat rearview exterior mirror of motor vehicles. There are currently two groups of rearview mirrors for motor vehicles. One is the spherical, arc curve mirror or combination mirror. This group of mirrors only deals with blind spots with distortion and does not include signal lights. The second group is the rearview mirrors that incorporate a signal light. These mirrors are conventional flat mirrors which do not cover the blind spot. The present invention covers two aspects; one is to provide a wide range rearview mirror to cover the blind spot and another is to provide signal and safety light system to the rearview mirror as a complete system for safety driving.
Round shape spherical mirrors and arc curve mirrors of different sizes are available. They serve the purpose of covering the blind spot with the effect of creating significant distortion of the image.
Presently, there is a design of rearview mirrors with the bend curve gradually extended to both sides of the edges of the rearview mirror. The curvature point of this arc curve convex reflective mirror is at the center. This was disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,934, an arc curve rearview mirror, which has been installed at the right side of the new vehicles. Though it covers the blind spot, the side effect is that considerable distortion occurs and the manufacturer must warn the drivers concerning the distortion effects. U.S. Pat. No. 6,398,377B to Min-Hwa Chou discloses that an external wide-angle rearview mirror integrated with a main zone approximately 30% surface with a predetermined curvature extends gradually to the upper and lower edge. It can be observed that the curvature portion is about 70% of the designed mirror. This is a slight improvement over the arc curve mirror. U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,7055 to Chiging Li reveals that this rearview mirror has a convex reflecting surface with distortion.
There are many other convex and spherical mirrors installed on motor vehicles. The reflective areas of these mirrors are more extensive than a conventional flat mirror. The additional view gained through the convex and spherical reflective surface causes distortion in size and distance. There are other rearview mirrors with combination of a curvature mirror at the edge to cover the blind spot. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,331,382 by Graff. This rearview mirror is a combination of a curvature reflective convex surface mirror of ⅖ (40%) in length with bending curve of 10° as a composite to a main convex reflective mirror of ⅗ (60%) in length. Another is the invention of Kanazawa's U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,367. This rearview mirror is a multifunctional rearview mirror having a wide visibility and an anti-glare function. The composition of this rearview mirror is a curvature mirror with the width of ⅓ length (33%) of the rearview mirror joined as a composite to the planar reflective mirror of ⅔ (67%) in length. The curvature mirror and the main planar reflective mirrors are convex surfaced. There are many other convex curvature mirrors and main planar convex reflective mirrors such as Joe's U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,556 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,542 to Kendo et al. Though an increased view can be gained by the convex surface, this causes significant distortion.
There are a few related inventions with signal indicators mounted onto the rearview mirror or with signal indicators under the mirror surface operating through electrical heating system. The Patent Application Publication, US 2001/0046136A1 on Nov. 29, 2001 revealed a strap shape of module of signal light in crystal white which is mounted onto the front cover of a rearview mirror. The flashing of the signal is through the LED assembly and it can be observed from the front and side but not the rear. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,485B provides a heater system for a diffused lighted signal to the mirror assembly. This light diffusing signal can only be seen by the vehicles at the rear and not the vehicles in front. The U.S. Pat. No. 6,416,208 B2 to Patrick et al provides an exterior mirror system incorporated with a signal light and a flood light inside the exterior rearview mirror. The signal light is within the view of the driver.
There are still other rearview mirrors with signal lights for vehicles. One is the U.S. Pat. No. 6,099,153 granted to Zimmerman et al on Aug. 8, 2004 revealing a strap shape of signal light outlet opening at the front cover similar to U.S. Patent Application US 2001/0046136 A1. Another related invention is U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,465 B2 granted to Apfebeck on Feb. 24, 2004. And yet another U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,325 B2 granted to Bukosky et al on Jun. 15, 2004 has its signal light seen by the driver similar to an earlier patent. This invention of a signal assembly includes a plurality of light emitting diodes in the mirror surface for flashing of signals. This is quite similar to the earlier U.S. Pat. No. 6,426,485 B, except it covers three directions and the signal light is electromagnetic radiation.
At present, existing rearview mirrors for the left side of a vehicle are flat mirrors with a blind spot. The driver may not be able to see vehicles in the blind spot and accidents can occur if the driver is not careful. Existing rearview mirrors for the right side of a vehicle are commonly curved in an arc, which distorts the image in size and perceived distance. Tragedy could occur if the driver is not alert. The present invention is intended to remedy the above and other perceived deficiencies in the prior art.

Wide range rearview mirror with signal and safety lights


A control ring for controlling discharge gates for an aircraft turbine engine extends around a casing of the turbine engine and includes a connector for connecting to the gates. The control ring includes metal sectors and composite material sectors. The metal sectors may be connected to one another by the composite material sectors and the connector may be carried by the metal sectors.

The state of the art comprises, in particular, documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,700,129, 5,048,286 and FR-A1-2 960 611.
In a turbine engine, discharge gates are generally installed in an annular row on the outer wall of the compressor stream. The opening and closing thereof are thus used to adjust an air leak rate according to the conditions of use of the turbine engine, for example, to avoid surging.
A known solution consists of using a control ring, positioned outside of the stream between the casing of the compressor and an outer cap, the rotation of which actuates lever systems driving the discharge gates. To ensure this precision, the control ring must be rigid and insensitive to high temperatures of the environment thereof. In addition, it is generally installed in a space having a limited volume, near the leading edge between the casing of the compressor and the outer cap. To respond to these limitations, such a single-piece ring is generally made of titanium, therefore heavy and expensive.
The present disclosure describes an embodiment reducing a total mass and cost of the device for controlling discharge gates, while responding to the functioning and installation limitations.

Discharge door control ring for aircraft turbomachine and turbomachine comprising the same


The present document describes a method for authenticating a user into a system using gestures. The user may draw the gesture on a touch sensitive device (e.g. touchpad), or make the gesture in the air in front of a camera. In the touchpad embodiment, the trajectory defined by the gesture is received ready from the touchpad. In the camera embodiment, the trajectory is built by analyzing the images of an image stream to find a hand (or another subject i.e. meta-subject). The trajectory may then be built by monitoring the change of position of the hand in the succession of images. The trajectory is analyzed to determine the key-code defined by the gesture, and to determine whether or not it is the authenticated user who is performing the gesture (as opposed to an intruder) based on the speed and the distance between the trajectory and a straight line.

(a) Field
The subject matter disclosed generally relates to a system and method for authenticating a user using a hand gesture.
(b) Related Prior Art
The traditional authentication methods of using a user name and password to have access into a system have become easy to hack. Most of the new electronic devices are now equipped with sensors including for example touchpad, touch screen, camera, biometric sensors and so on.
Several attempts have been made in the past to use these sensors in order to prevent unauthorized access to these devices.
For example, using a touchpad it is possible to authenticate a user using a method based on secrecy of a location. For example, the user may be asked to drag an icon to a secret place on the screen, or to enter a secret code or secret gesture using a keyboard/touchpad whereby the user may be authenticated using a corridor of allowed trajectory.
However, these authentication methods are not secure enough and may be easily compromised especially when the gesture/code is caught or eavesdropped by a third party.
Furthermore, several methods exist for duplicating and forging the data detected by biometric sensors. For example, it is possible to obtain the fingerprint of a user on a certain medium e.g. film, and applying the medium on the fingerprint sensor in order to have access to the system.
Therefore, there is a need for a method for interfacing with a machine which is both user friendly and secure.

Authenticating a user using hand gesture


A novel crystalline titanium silicate designated ETS-14 molecular sieve is disclosed and characterized. ETS-14 may be prepared by heating ETS-10 molecular sieve in the form of an aqueous gel or incorporating crystals of ETS-10 with an aqueous source of sodium that is essentially free from potassium.

The titanium silicate mineral penkvilksite is available only in trace quantities and therefore its chemical properties are unknown and difficult to analyze. The chemical composition of ETS-14 is similar to that of penkvilksite but the morphology differs substantially from that of the structurally related mineral.
The following references relate to the mineral penkvilksite:
A. N. Merkov, I. V. Bussen, E. A. Gofko, E. A. Kulchitskaya, Yu P. Menshikov, and A. P. Nedorezova, Zap. Vses. Mineralog. 102. 54 (1973).
I. V. Bussen, Yu. P. Menshikov, A. N. Merkov, A. P. Nedorezova, Ye. I. Uspenskaya, and A. P. Khomyakov, (1975) Penkvilksite, a new titanium-sodium hydrosilicate. Doklady Earth Science Section, 217, 126-129 (translated from Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR, 217, 1161-1164) (1974).
M. Fleischer, New Mineral Names, American Mineralogist, 60, pp 340-341 (1975).
P. A. Sandomirskii and N. V. Belov, The OD Structure of Zorite, Soviet Physical Crystallography, 24 (6) (1975).
S. Merlino, M. Pasero, G. Artioli, A. P. Khomyakov, Penkvilksite, a new kind of silicate structyre: OD character, X-ray single-crystal (1M), and powder Rietveld (20) refinements of two MDO polytypes, American Mineralogist, 79,pp 1185-1193 (1994).

ETS-14 crystalline titanium silicate molecular sieves, manufacture and use thereof


A pulse duty deterioration detection circuit with a high monitoring precision is easily provided. The pulse duty deterioration detection circuit comprises a delay circuit comprised of a general-purpose gate circuit which generates a delayed synchronous to-be-monitored clock by delaying the to-be-monitored clock by a predetermined time, a latch circuit which detects based on the to-be-monitored clock and the delayed synchronous to-be-monitored clock that a value of a decrease in a pulse width to be determined by a pulse duty of the to-be-monitored clock becomes smaller than the predetermined time, and a flip-flop circuit which samples an output signal of the latch circuit based on the to-be-monitored clock.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pulse duty deterioration detection circuit for a pulse signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some of existing communication devices or the like are so designed as to operate based on an externally received clock as a reference. The clock receiving section of such a device receives a clock from outside, generates clocks of various frequencies based on that clock and distributes the clocks to the individual sections in the device. Therefore, the clock receiving section of the device has a duty monitoring capability which generates an alarm when an abnormality occurs in any of the clocks, and performs a process, such as inhibition of sending the abnormal clock to the associated section.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional circuit of this type which is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 294632/1992. The circuit comprises an inverter 52 which inverts a to-be-monitored clock n50, a monostable multivibrator (hereinafter referred to as "MMV") 51 which generates a reference pulse n51 synchronous with the rising of the to-be-monitored clock n50, an MMV 53 which generates a reference pulse n53 synchronous with the falling of the to-be-monitored clock n50, an FF (Flip-Flop) 54 which samples the reference pulse n51 at the rising of the output, n52, of the inverter 52, an FF 55 which samples the reference pulse n53 at the rising of the to-be-monitored clock n50 and an OR gate 56 which outputs the logical sum of an inverted output n54 of the FF 54 and inverted output n55 of the FF 55 as a duty monitor result n56.
With the structure, the to-be-monitored clock n50 is a trigger input to each of the MMVs 51 and 53, and the MMV 51 is triggered by the rising of the to-be-monitored clock n50 while the MMV 53 is triggered by the falling of the to-be-monitored clock n50. The output pulses n51 and n53 of the MMVs 51 and 53 are latched by the FFs 54 and 55, respectively. The latch timing of the FF 54 is the timing of the falling of the to-be-monitored clock n50 and the latch timing of the FF 55 is the timing of the rising of the to-be-monitored clock n50.
The inverted output n54 of the FF 54 and the inverted output n55 of the FF 55 are input to the OR gate 56 whose output n56 is the duty monitor result n56. The time constant, t, of the MMVs 51 and 53 is preset so as to be t=A×T where A is a reference duty ratio and T is the period of the to-be-monitored clock. Therefore, the output pulses n51 and n53 of the MMVs 51 and 53 are reference pulses which are respectively synchronous with the rising and falling of the to-be-monitored clock n50 and have the reference duty ratio. By sampling the levels of both output pulses at the rising and falling timings of the to-be-monitored clock n50 using the FFs 54 and 55, therefore, the inverted outputs n54 and n55 of the FFs 54 and 55 can have levels according to a change in the reference duty ratio of the to-be-monitored clock n50.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are time charts illustrating the operation of the circuit in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 shows waveforms in case where the duty ratio of the to-be-monitored clock n50 is normal. In this case, the inverted outputs n54 and n55 of the FFs 54 and 55 both become "Low" levels and the output n56 of the OR gate 56 shows a "Low" level (normal). FIG. 3 shows waveforms in case where the duty ratio of the to-be-monitored clock n50 is greater than the reference duty ratio A. In this case, the inverted output n54 of the FF 54 is changed to a "High" level and the output n56 of the OR gate 56 shows a "High" level (abnormal).
The above-described prior art uses MMVs to monitor a variation in the phase of the edge portion of the to-be-monitored clock. The width of the output pulse can be changed by changing the value of a resistor to be added and the value of a capacitor.
Normally, the resistor and capacitor to be added are attached to the outside in consideration of an element error and the minimum values of the resistance of the resistor to be added and the capacitance which can guarantee the operation are about 1 kΩ and 60 pF, respectively. Therefore, the minimum pulse width set has an accuracy of about 60 ns, which is the set accuracy for the allowance range for the variation in the phase of the edge portion of the to-be-monitored clock. Apparently, the prior art has a shortcoming that the monitoring precision is deteriorated or monitoring cannot be performed at a frequency of over ten plus some MHz.
Further, the pulse width of an MMV has such a property as to have a great dependency on the supply voltage. The minimum value of the pulse width normally takes a value when supply voltage is about 5 V. Because the pulse width is inversely proportional to the supply voltage, however, the pulse width would be 100 ns or so when the supply voltage of the power supply of a low voltage as used in the recent portable telephones or the like becomes close to 3 V. This increases an error in the pulse width set, thus lowering the monitoring precision.

Pulse duty deterioration detection circuit


A self synchronizing network protocol which allows networks to become self synchronizing. Two pairs of nodes communicate in an ad hoc packet radio network. Packets are communicated over a plurality of frames of time. A known bit field is appended to each packet. A clock at the first pair of nodes (10 and 12) is unavoidably slower than the clock at the second pair of nodes (14 and 16). As a result, packets transmitted from the second pair of nodes (14 and 16) will eventually overlap packets transmitted from the first pair of nodes (10 and 12). Errors in the appended field (17) can be used to detect such an overlap in advance to prevent damage to the payload. The protocol provides for additional channel efficiency, more responsiveness and the ability to grow without a central controller. Further, the ability to accommodate new traffic is increased.

A non-synchronized distributed (ad hoc) packet radio network is a collection of wireless mobile devices forming a temporary network without the aid of any established infrastructure or centralized administration. These networks imply the absence of a central node or controller. There might exist a point where an ad hoc network is connected to a fixed network although this is not necessary. The situations where ad hoc networking is unavoidable include, but are not limited to, the following cases: a class of students exchanging files with their laptops or other portable wireless devices, business partners exchanging data at an airport or a team of rescue workers in the field trying to communicate with each other and the rest of the world.
In ad hoc packet radio networks, it is difficult to maintain a global clock due to lack of, for example, a periodic beacon. In order to transmit delay-sensitive traffic (jitter-sensitive traffic), a reservation mechanism is required. Reservations would imply sending packets equally spaced in time, i.e., T.sub.frame apart. Due to a limited accuracy of clocks in the nodes, the packets will have a tendency to overlap and become lost.
Centralized wireless network architectures in most cases have access points through which the mobile wireless users communicate between each other or with other users on the fixed (wired) network. The access points (or base stations) are in the position to provide synchronization (slot timing) to the mobile users through the use of, for example, periodic beacons. In mobile ad hoc networks, since there is no central node, obtaining and maintaining slot timing among distributed users is a more difficult problem. Having a common slot reference is a desired feature since it usually means improved throughput performance. Another desired feature is the ability to reserve a portion of the channel (i.e., one or more time slots) and use them periodically. This implies the existence of a frame period which is known to all participating wireless devices.
A representative protocol, which uses a frame structure, is the Reservation ALOHA random access scheme. In Reservation ALOHA the time horizon is divided into equal size frames and the frames are divided into equal numbers of time slots. In Reservation ALOHA, packets are sent only at the beginning of a slot. In an ad hoc network, which employs a channel access scheme similar to Reservation ALOHA (i.e., time division multiple access-like with contention), it is difficult to ensure that all nodes are slot synchronized. After a node obtains a position in the frame and continues to transmit periodically, it is possible that another packet will start to overlap due to inaccurate clocks at each node. This effect does not occur in slotted systems since the packets are confined to a single slot but will occur in ad hoc networks. In this document, we address a method which alleviates the problem of packet overlap created by inaccuracies of the clocks at each node in ad hoc networks.
A preferred embodiment of the invention is now described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings.


The present application provides an aerodynamic seal assembly for use with a turbo-machine. The aerodynamic seal assembly may include a number of springs, a shoe connected to the springs, and a secondary seal positioned about the springs and the shoe.

Various types of turbo-machinery, such as gas turbine engines, are known and widely used for power generation, propulsion, and the like. The efficiency of the turbo-machinery depends in part upon the clearances between the internal components and the leakage of primary and secondary fluids through these clearances. For example, large clearances may be intentionally allowed at certain rotor-stator interfaces to accommodate large, thermally-induced, relative motions. Leakage of fluid through these gaps from regions of high pressure to regions of low pressure may result in poor efficiency for the turbo-machinery. Such leakage may impact efficiency in that the leaked fluids fail to perform useful work.
Different types of sealing systems thus are used to minimize the leakage of fluid flowing through turbo-machinery. The sealing systems, however, often are subject to relatively high temperatures, thermal gradients, and thermal expansion and contraction during various operational stages that may increase or decrease the clearance therethrough. For example, interstage seals on gas turbines and the like may be limited in their performance as the clearances change from start-up to steady state operating conditions. Typical sealing systems applied to such locations include labyrinth seals and brush seals. In the case of labyrinth seals, clearances may be set with a predetermined increased margin so as to avoid contact therewith. This extra clearance, which is useful during the start-up phase of operation, may reduce the efficiency and performance of the turbo-machinery as the leakage increases across the seal during the steady-state phase of operation. Moreover, such labyrinth seals typically are intolerant of changes in the radial clearance of the rotating shaft.
There is thus a desire for improved sealing assemblies and systems for use with turbo-machinery. Preferably such sealing assemblies and systems may provide tighter sealing during steady state operations while avoiding rubbing, wear caused by contact, and damage during transient operations. Such sealing assemblies and systems should improve overall system efficiency while being inexpensive to fabricate and providing a long lifetime.

Aerodynamic seal assemblies for turbo-machinery


Various methods and systems are provided for estimating and compensating for table deflection in reconstructed images. In one embodiment, a method for computed tomography (CT) imaging comprises reconstructing images from data acquired during a helical CT scan where table deflection parameters are estimated and the reconstruction is adjusted based on the table deflection parameters. In this way, images may be reconstructed without artifacts caused by table deflection.

In computed tomography (CT) imaging system configurations, an x-ray source may project a fan-shaped beam, which is collimated to lie within an x-y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system generally referred to as the imaging plane. The x-ray beam passes through the object being imaged, such as a patient. The beam, after being attenuated by the object, impinges upon an array of radiation detectors. The intensity of the attenuated beam radiation received at the detector array is dependent upon the attenuation of the x-ray beam by the object. Each detector element of the array produces a separate electrical signal that is a measurement of the beam attenuation at the detector location. The attenuation measurements from all the detectors are acquired separately to produce a transmission profile.
In third generation CT systems, the x-ray source and the detector array are rotated with a gantry within the imaging pane and around the object to be imaged so that the angle at which the x-ray beam intersects the object constantly changes. A group of x-ray attenuation measurements, i.e., projection data, from the detector array at one gantry angle is referred to as a view. A scan of the object comprises a set of views made at different gantry angles, or view angles, during one revolution of the x-ray source and detector.
In an axial scan, the projection data is processed to construct an image that corresponds to a two-dimensional slice taken through the object. One method for reconstructing an image from a set of projection data is referred to as the filtered back projection technique. This process converts the attenuation measurements from a scan into integers called CT numbers or Hounsfield units, which are used to control the brightness of a corresponding pixel on a display.
To reduce the total scan time required for multiple slices, a helical scan may be performed. To perform a helical scan, the patient is moved in the z-axis synchronously with the rotation of the gantry, while the data for the prescribed number of slices is acquired. Such a system generates a single helix from a fan beam helical scan. The helix mapped out by the fan beam yields projection data from which images in each prescribed slice may be reconstructed. In addition to reducing scan time, helical scanning provides other advantages such as better use of injected contrast, improved image reconstruction at arbitrary locations, and better three-dimensional images.

Methods and systems for correcting table deflection


A gas turbine engine system includes an electric starter motor which utilizes a partially hollow or cupped shaped rotor. Space is provided inside the rotor to fit the required clutch, bearings, and drive shaft. A rotor shaft drives the input shaft through the clutch. The clutch is mounted within a clutch cavity formed within an annular housing portion of the housing. The annular housing portion is at least partially conical and preferably extends at least partially within a hollow rotor mounted to the rotor shaft. A short package is provided due to the telescoped architecture while retaining the maximum length for electromagnetics.

The present invention relates to a gas turbine engine, and more particularly to a compact electric starter motor therefor.
Current starting systems for marine and industrial gas turbine engines includes pneumatic and hydraulic start systems. While these systems are effective there may be certain limitations and drawbacks to each. Some of these limitations include: high failure rates; usage of high pressure fluids; lack of accurate speed and torque control during starting, restarting and motoring cycles; and a relatively large overall system space requirements.
Electrical starter systems offers several advantages over pneumatic or hydraulic start systems including: lower overall system volume and cost; higher reliability; improved speed/torque control for starting, re-engagement, and motoring; improved self test and health monitoring; and elimination of potentially hazardous fluids. However, conventional electrical start systems that generate sufficient power to rotate the gas turbine system are relatively large and cumbersome.
A conventional electrical starter includes a central rotor shaft surrounded by a stationary winding (stator). The rotor is supported at each end by bearings mounted outside the axial envelope of the stator. When this arrangement is combined with a separate clutch, the length of the combined shaft, clutch and motor assembly exceeds the axial length available adjacent an industrial gas turbine engine gearbox.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a relatively compact electrical starter system that will reasonably fit and operate on the accessory gearbox of a gas turbine engine.

Gas turbine engine system having an electric starter motor with integral clutch


A hitch step is adapted to be attached into a standard receiver-type hitch of a pickup truck, or other similarly equipped vehicle. The device is an attachable step enabling one to gain access to a rear portion of the vehicle. The device is configured to accommodate a variety of vehicles and step widths.

With sales at an all-time high, the popularity of the pick-up style truck as an everyday vehicle is more wide spread than it ever has been. Their utility and convenience in hauling items coupled with the availability of luxury interiors and extended cab space have made the pickup a popular alternative to other vehicles. The availability of aftermarket accessories also enhances the attractiveness of pickup trucks as well. Several of these aftermarket products, such as hitch steps, bumper platforms, and running boards, are designed to improve access to various interior and exterior areas on the vehicle. While they do their job fairly well, they are very utilitarian in appearance, and even tend to detract from the appearance of the vehicle. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which a hitch step can be provided with an enhanced visual appearance. The use of the present invention provides access to all points of a motor vehicle in a manner which is not only quick, easy, and effective, but stylish as well.


A programmable controller (PC) controlling the operation of a machine is described that executes a program written in a sequential function chart (SFC) language. The PC can generate a reverse operation sequence chart from an ordinary operation SFC program sequence chart. This allows the PC to control the machine in the reverse direction. Thus, if a machine experiences a failure, the reverse operation sequence chart is used and reverse operations are performed to allow the cause of the failure to be removed. The ordinary operation can resume without having to restart the sequence from the beginning.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of controlling of machines using a programmable controller (PC), and, more particularly, to a PC executing a program written in the sequential function chart (SFC) programming language.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a known PC used for executing a control program written in an SFC language to control an object, such as a machine. The PC comprises a sequence chart controller 2 for performing control of the PC, a sequence chart table 3 having a transition table for storing transition information used in comparison to input conditions of the machine, and an output table 5 for storing output signal numbers making up the control program used to control the operation of the machine. Both the transition information stored in transition table 4 and the output signal numbers stored in the output table 5 are sequentially arranged according to the sequence of step numbers 0, 1, 2 . . . 7, E set forth in the sequence chart of FIG. 9.
FIG. 10 illustrates the contents of sequence chart table 3 (FIG. 7). In particular, the figure illustrates the transition information stored in transition table 4 according to step numbers 0-E. The figure also illustrates the output signal numbers stored in the output table 5 according to step numbers 0-E.
The PC 1 controls a machine (not shown) according to the execution by sequence chart controller 2 of a sequence of steps 0-E making up the control program stored in sequence chart table 3. With reference to FIG. 8, it can be seen that the sequence chart controller 2 starts the execution at step 200. The controller 2 first obtains the step number stored in active step number table 6 (FIG. 7). This is performed in block 201. The controller 2 determines whether or not the indicated step is an END (E) step. If the E step is determined, the execution proceeds to block 210 and is completed. If, on the other hand, the step is not an E step, then the execution of the program advances to block 203. In this block, the sequence chart controller 2 obtains the output number from the output table 5 corresponding to the active step stored in active step table 6 (FIG. 10). This output number is sent by the PC 1 to the output signal line 11 (FIG. 7) in block 204. The controller 2 then obtains transition information corresponding to the active step number from the transition table 4 (FIG. 10) during block 205. At decision block 206, the controller 2 determines whether or not an input signal X has been received over input signal line 9 (FIG. 7), and if it matches the transition information stored in transition table 4 corresponding to the active step number currently being executed. If there has not been a favorable comparison, then the execution moves back to block 201 without any further operation. If, on the other hand, there has been a favorable comparison to the transition information, then a pointer is shifted to a subsequent step number in the transition table 4. That subsequent step number is stored in active step number table 6 (block 207). In block 209, the sequence chart controller 2 switches off the signal being output over signal line 11 (FIG. 7) and the execution of the program returns to block 201.
As described above, output table 5 (FIG. 10) stores a series of output signal numbers Y0, Y1, Y2, Y12, Y11, Y10 according to steps 1-6, respectively. These output signal numbers are output by the PC 1 over signal line 11 under control of sequence chart controller 2 (FIG. 7). The output numbers are used by the PC 1 to control the machine (not shown), where each output number forces the machine to perform a different function. To allow the PC 1 to more fully control the operation of the machine, feedback signals are received as input signals over signal line 9 (FIG. 7). The feedback signals can be output by limit switches (not shown) that indicate when a machine operation has been performed to a certain limit. Transition information X0, X1, X2, X12, X11, X10 stored in transition table 4 according to steps 1-6, respectively, allow the PC 1 to determine when these limits, indicated by the feedback signals, have been reached in the operation of the machine.
For example, if the active step number 1 stored in step number table 6 (FIG. 7) is currently being executed, then an output number Y0 (FIG. 10) will be output over signal line 11, causing a machine to perform an operation. Specifically, for example the output Y0 may cause a clamp 1 (not shown) of the machine to perform movement operation up until a specified position designated by limit switch X0 is detected (all switches may be logical switches). Upon this detection, input data X0 will be transmitted over signal line 9 and received by PC 1. During this time, the sequence chart controller 2 obtains the transition information X0 corresponding to the step number 1 currently being executed. Upon detecting a favorable comparison between the input signal data and the transition information stored in transition table 4, the sequence controller 2 terminates the output of signal number Y0 and advances to the next subsequent step number in transition table 4. This step number is stored in active step number table 6.
The execution of the sequence is then continued for step numbers 2-E (FIG. 9). As can be seen from FIG. 10, output numbers Y1, Y2, Y12, Y11 and Y10 will be output in the manner described above until limit switch data X1, X2, X12, X11 and X10 are detected by the sequence controller 2, respectively. In this known structure, output Y1 causes a clamp 2 (not shown) to perform an operation until a position is detected by limit switch X1. Output Y2 causes a gauge (not shown) to perform an operation in one direction up until a specified limit switch X2. After that, an output Y12 causes the same gauge to perform a return operation to the position specified by limit switch X12. Then outputs Y10 and Y11 cause clamps 1 and 2 to perform return operations up to the position specified by limit switches X10 and X11, respectively. The above operations can be seen in the timing chart in FIG. 3, and are written in the SFC language as shown in FIG. 9.
FIG. 9 more clearly depicts the sequence of steps making up the control program described above. The blocks having numerals inserted therein depict the sequence of steps 1-7 performed by the sequence controller 2. During step 1, it can be seen that an output number Y0 is output, as described above, until transition information X0 is received by the sequence controller 2. After this time, sequence step 2 is performed, outputting a number Y1 until a transition information X1 is received by sequence controller 2 over the input signal line 9. A similar pattern of events occurs until step 7 is executed and step E is determined. After detecting step E, sequence controller 2 terminates the execution of the program and, thus, terminates the control of the machine.
The above-described PC known in the art is only allowed to execute the SFC language sequence chart in the order of step numbers 0-E set forth in the sequence chart of FIG. 9. If the machine that is controlled has stopped due to a fault, for example, the operation cannot be resumed by reversing the operation of the machine so that the cause of the fault can be removed.
Accordingly, a need exists in the art for a process of running a programmable controller (PC) that executes a program written in an SFC language which allows an SFC language sequence chart to be executed in the reverse direction so that the object to be controlled may be controlled in the reverse operation. Moreover, there is a need in the art for reversing the operation so that the occurrence of a fault resulting in stoppage of machine operation can be removed without requiring the restarting of machine operation from the beginning of the sequence. Often, reverse operation of only a step or two can remedy the problem and allow normal operations to resume.

Sequential function chart (SFC) controller for controlling a machine in reverse operation


A communication terminal device and a reception environment reporting method produce a more excellent throughput, by making a report of a reception environment with higher accuracy. An SIR measuring section measures an SIR from a reception signal that has been received from a base transceiver station. A CQI converter converts the SIR that has been measured by the SIR measuring section into a CQI value. A BLER calculating section calculates a block error rate of the reception signal. A CQI correcting section corrects the CQI value that has been calculated by the CQI converter, in accordance with the block error rate. A CQI transmitter transmits the CQI value that has been corrected by the CQI correcting section, to the base transceiver station.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication terminal device that controls control functions in a reception environment, and to a reception environment reporting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid Internet spread in recent years, diversification of information, larger volume of information, and development of the next-generation Internet, research and development of the next-generation radio access network system that realizes a fast radio transmission system in mobile communication. In such a next-generation fast radio access network such as High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), namely the fourth-generation communications system, Adaptive Modulation and channel Coding (AMC) that varies the throughput according to the reception environment of a mobile device is applied. Hence, the report on the reception environment of the mobile device plays an important role.
As indexes of the reception environment of the mobile device, there are Signal-to-Interference power Ratio (SIR), Received Signal Code Power (RSCP), Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), and the like. In particular, CQI is widely used in AMC, as described in "3rd Generation Partnership Project: Technical Specification Group Radio Access Network: Physical Layer Procedures (FDD) (Release 5)" in 3GPP TS 25.214 V5.11.0 (2005-06) (hereinafter, referred to as non-Patent Document 1).
Referring now to FIG. 10, the configuration of a mobile device 1 adapted to a conventional AMC is shown. An RX radio section 11 of the mobile device 1 amplifies signals transmitted from a base transceiver station 2 and converts the signals into digital ones, so as to perform a reverse diffusion process on each Common Pilot Channel (CPICH), a control signal, and a data signal. A RAKE synthesizer 13 performs RAKE synthesis on the signal of each path subsequent to the reverse diffusion process. A rate information detector 17 detects rate information from the control signal output from the RAKE synthesizer 13. A decoder 18 decodes the data signal output from the RAKE synthesizer 13 based upon the rate information, and obtains the received user data.
An SIR measuring section 14 measures an SIR from CPICH output from the RAKE synthesizer 13. A CQI converter 15 converts the SIR measured by the SIR measuring section 14 into a CQI. In this process, the CQI value of the mobile device 1 is set in such a manner that a Block Error Rate (BLER) of the SIR value should not exceed 10% of the target value defined in a CQI mapping table specified by 3GPP, under the current environment. Generally, an SIR-CQI conversion table that satisfies the above condition is prepared beforehand, so that the CQI value is calculated from the SIR value by use of the conversion table. A CQI transmitter 16 transmits the CQI value that has been calculated by the CQI converter 15 to a base transceiver station.
FIG. 11 is a view showing a communication control procedure by means of the AMC. The mobile device 1 measures the SIR value from the CPICH value of the signal that has been received from a base transceiver station 2 (step S401), converts the measured SIR value into the CQI value and transmits the CQI value to the base transceiver station 2, so as to make a report of the reception environment (step S402).
The base transceiver station 2, in response to the CQI value received from the mobile device 1, selects the optimal transmission rate (hereinafter, simply referred to as TBS, an abbreviation for Transport Block Size), and transmits signals to the mobile device 1 by means of the TBS (step S403). Thus, the optimal throughput is achieved.
Regarding the SIR value measured by the mobile device, the measurement accuracy is significantly degraded depending on the change in the environment such as the mobile speed of the mobile device, thereby resulting in the degradation of the throughput. For instance, in a case where the mobile speed of the mobile device 1 is low (for example, equal to or lower than 30 km/h), the variance of the received signal is relatively small due to the low-speed phasing and the SIR value is measured with substantial accuracy. In a case where the mobile speed is high, the wider signal variance occurs. This causes the interference component to be calculated greater. Therefore, the SIR value is measured to be smaller than the actual environment, so the mobile device 1 may make a report of a smaller CQI value.
If the mobile device 1 makes a report of a value greater than an appropriate CQI value, a signal with a greater TBS will be transmitted from the base transceiver station 2, thereby leading to the increased block error rate. Consequently, the throughput will be degraded. Conversely, if the mobile device 1 makes a report of a smaller CQI value, a signal with a smaller TBS will be transmitted from the base transceiver station 2, thereby decreasing the block error rate. However, also in this case, the throughput will be degraded.
In order to prevent the degradation of the throughput caused by the report of an inappropriate CQI value, the CQI value is corrected by the packet error rate in the third-generation communications system, as described in JP 2007-521750 A. Meanwhile, in the fourth-generation communications system to which the AMC is applied, there is a connection between the CQI value reported to the base transceiver station, and the TBS and the block error rate of the signal transmitted from the base transceiver station. Therefore, there is a technique of storing a conversion table in which 30 SIR threshold values and CQI values are related to a mobile device, updating the SIR threshold values of the conversion table when the "the number of normal reception times/the number of abnormal reception times" of the data block exceeds a given number of times, and adjusting the CQI value to be converted by use of the conversion table from the measured SIR value, as described in JP 2005-64963 A.
According to Patent Document 2, however, 30 SIR threshold values are increased or decreased at a time by the same value at the time of updating the conversion table. Such an update method of the conversion table does not always reflect the reception environment in detail. In addition, since the conversion table is updated when the "the number of normal reception times/the number of abnormal reception times" of the data block exceeds a given number of times, the update frequency of the conversion table is reduced depending on the settings of the given number of times. Accordingly, the reception environment cannot be reflected on the conversion table in a timely manner and the reception environment cannot be reported with accuracy. Furthermore, whenever the conversion table is updated, updating of 30 SIR threshold values is a complicated and wasteful process.

Communication terminal device and reception environment reporting method


A plasma processing apparatus for processing a semiconductor wafer by using a plasma to fabricate a semiconductor device comprises: a film forming vessel having at least one film forming chamber for forming a Ti/TiN laminate layer or a Ti/TiON/TiN laminate layer on a semiconductor wafer therein; and a heating system for heating the side wall of the film forming vessel so that the inner surface of the side wall is heated at a predetermined temperature to prevent the deposition of a coarse TiN film or TiN particles, which are liable to deteriorate the quality of the laminate layer formed on the semiconductor wafer, over the inner surface of the side wall of the film forming vessel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus and, more specifically, to a plasma processing apparatus suitable for forming a metal film, such as a TiN film, for an electronic device, such as a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the related Art
Electronic devices, such as semiconductor devices, have progressively been miniaturized. The size of contact holes has progressively been reduced with the miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits and the conventional thin film forming techniques, for example, the bias sputtering process for forming aluminum thin films, have become unable to cope with the progressive miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits. Accordingly, the blanket tungsten chemical vapor deposition process (hereinafter referred to as "blanket tungsten CVD process"), which is capable of forming films that have a high coverage, has become attractive in recent years.
Referring to FIG. 4, the blanket tungsten CVD process forms a layer insulating layer 104 over the surface of a silicon wafer 100 provided with a diffused layer 102, forms an opening 106 through the layer insulating layer 104, forms a contact layer 108 of TiN or TiON over the surface of the layer insulating layer 104 and in the opening 106, forms a tungsten layer 110 over the contact layer, and then removes the tungsten layer 110 by etching, leaving only a portion of the tungsten layer 110 formed in the opening 106 to complete a contact hole. Since the adhesion of the tungsten layer 110 to the silicon wafer 100 is not very high, it is essential to form the contact layer 108 of TiN or the like between the silicon wafer 100 and the tungsten layer 110. If the contact layer 108 is unable to cover the inner surface of the opening 106 satisfactorily, it is possible that a void 112 is formed in a portion of the tungsten layer 110 deposited by a CVD process in the opening 106 formed in the layer insulating layer 104.
Since TiCl.sub.4 is used as a source material for forming the contact layer 108 of TiN by a CVD process, the contact layer 108 is liable to contain Cl. Refer to, for example, "Photo Assisted LP-CVD TiN for Deep Submicron Contact Using Organotitanium Compound", Koichi Ikeda. et al., 1990 Symposium on VLSI Technology, pp. 61-62 for the further details. To avoid such a problem, an electron cyclotron resonance plasma CVD process (hereinafter referred to as "ECR plasma CVD process") for forming a TiN film is proposed in Akabori et al., "Ouyou Butsuri Gakkai Yokou-shu, Spring, 1990" 29a-ZA-6, p. 591. It is reported in this paper that the ECR plasma CVD process was able to form a TiN film in a high coverage and the Cl content of the TiN film was reduced when the TiN film was formed at a temperature on the order of 650.degree. C.
It is known that the mode of growth of TiN crystals is dependent on temperature, that is, a coarse TiN film is formed when TiN crystals grow at a relatively low temperature and, in an extreme case, TiN particles are formed Refer to Kagaku Kogakkai, "CVD Handbook", pp. 578, 583, Asakura Shoten K.K., Jun. 20, 1991.
When forming a TiN film on a wafer by a blanket tungsten CVD process, the wafer is placed in a film forming chamber and is heated at a temperature on the order of 650.degree. C. Although a TiN film of good quality is formed over the surface of the wafer, a coarse TiN film is formed over the inner surface of the walls of the film forming chamber and, in an extreme case, TiN particles are formed because the walls of the film forming chamber are not heated, which reduces the yield of the semiconductor device manufacturing process. Accordingly, the development of an ECR plasma CVD apparatus capable of forming TiN film or the like without producing particles has been desired.


A computer-implemented method includes: receiving, by a computer device, biometric data scanned from a guardian and biometric data scanned from a ward; receiving, by the computer device, data defining a relationship between the guardian and the ward; storing, by the computer device, the biometric data scanned from the guardian, the biometric data scanned from the ward, and the data defining the relationship in a record in a secure database; receiving, by the computer device, a request for validation including scanned biometric data; determining, by the computer device, the scanned biometric data matches the record in the secure database; and transmitting, by the computer device and in response to the determining, data defining an authorization based on the relationship.

The present invention relates generally to computer systems and, more particularly, to biometric based database systems for validating authorized activities approved by a guardian.
A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, commonly referred to as a ward. Guardians are typically used in situations including guardianship for an incapacitated senior (e.g., due to old age or infirmity) and guardianship for a minor.

Validating authorized activities approved by a guardian

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


Matching layers are provided, including: electrically conductive acoustic matching layers, methods for conducting electric current through matching layers, methods for manufacturing multi-dimensional arrays using conductive matching layers, and multi-dimensional arrays with electrically conducting matching layers. Matching layers with conductors aligned for providing electrical conduction through the thickness or range dimension of the matching layer are provided. For example, vias, aligned magnetic particles, or conductive films at least partially or entirely within the matching layer of each element allow electrical conduction from the transducer material to a ground foil or flex circuit. By using multiple electrical conductive matching layers, a gradation in acoustic impedance for better matching is provided while allowing dicing of the entire stack, including the matching layers and the electroceramic material, in one step.

The present invention relates to matching layers. In particular, conductive acoustic matching layers that are used in sonic or ultrasonic transducer architectures or fabrication.
Acoustic matching layers provide acoustic impedance in between the typically high acoustic impedance of a transducer, typically incorporating a piezoelectric ceramic, and a subsequent medium with different acoustic impedance for the effective transmission of acoustic waves. In medical ultrasound applications, the patient represents relatively low acoustic impedance and the application of 1 or more matching layers provides better matching of the acoustic impedance for acoustic wave transmission between the transducer and the patient. Typically, matching layers are manufactured from non-conductive materials, such as polymers (e.g., epoxies or urethanes). The matching layer may include additional filler materials, such as metal or ceramic filler material, to increase the density and so generate the desired acoustic impedance to create or optimize the transmission of sound energy.
To make a non-conductive acoustic matching layer conductive, conductive filler is dispersed within the matching layer. The filler may be shaped and sized, such as providing needle like, or whisker type shapes. The filler is positioned randomly within the matching layer. High concentrations of electrically conductive fillers are provided for particle-to-particle contact throughout the bulk of the matching layer. The particle contact allows electrical conduction though the material. However, the high concentrations of filler result in higher acoustic impedance, rendering the matching layer less useful for matching the impedance of the transducer ceramic to the relatively low impedance of a patient, especially in multi-matching layer designs where the outermost matching layer is typically a relatively low impedance, such as less than 3 Mkayl.
As an alternative to a conductive filler, a conductive material, such as a solid graphite, magnesium, or conductive polymer chain may be used for the matching layer. However, solid materials such as graphite tend to have relatively higher or very specific acoustic impedances, limiting the usefulness of such matching layers. Graphite or other solid materials are machined, making the material less convenient than a castable polymer material for manufacturing curved parts. Conductive polymer molecules are typically modified (i.e., loaded) and rarely inherently conductive. The physical properties are limited for suitability in transducer applications and adequate conductivity.
For one-dimensional transducers and transducer arrays, conductivity between the upper and lower transmission surfaces of matching layers may be accomplished by a metallic plating or sputtered film on the edges of the matching layers electrically connecting the upper and lower surfaces. For one-dimensional transducer arrays, the sides of the matching layers are easily accessed for sputtering or plating. However, for multi-dimensional arrays, such as 1.5 or 2dimensional arrays, circumferential plating or sputtering is difficult to use due to the limited access to the sides of the matching layers of each element.
Phased 1.25, 1.5, 1.75 and 2 dimensional ultrasound arrays include a plurality of array elements in the elevation and azimuth dimensions. For a large steering angle, such as used with two-dimensional phased arrays, the elements desirably have acceptance angle and little or low electric and mechanical crosstalk both in elevation and the azimuth dimensions. Dicing is used to mechanically separate individual transducer elements to minimize the mechanical coupling or crosstalk. For example, one dimensional arrays typically have one or more acoustic matching layers positioned between the PZT ceramic and the lens or patient. The PZT and matching layers are diced in 1 axis separating individual array elements to reduce mechanical crosstalk through the matching layers. Electrical connections are provided to PZT along the edges of each array element.
For phased two-dimensional arrays, dicing is required in both the azimuth and elevation dimensions to reduce crosstalk. Either one or no electrically conductive, high impedance matching layers are stacked on top of the PZT ceramic and separated into individual elements. A common ground foil or signal-flex is laminated above the PZT and any electrically conductive matching layer, typically perpendicular to desired sound wave transmission to provide a second electrical connection to the PZT. The connecting conductive layer cannot be physically separated, as are the individual elements, in both dimensions if it is to provide external connection elements in the array. Electrically non-conductive matching layers are then laminated above the ground foil or signal-flex. The non-conductive matching layers provide a lower acoustic impedance. The non-conductive matching layers may additionally be diced in the azimuth and elevation dimensions. However, by using no matching layers or only one electrically conductive matching layer, reduced axial resolution and lower bandwidth result. Where additional non-conducting matching layers are provided but not diced, crosstalk increases and the acceptance angle is reduced. If the additional non-conductive matching layers are diced, an additional dicing process step results, and alignment issues may result. Crosstalk cannot be optimally reduced, since the acoustic matching layers cannot be entirely diced without risking cutting signal traces or the ground foil.

Electrically conductive matching layers and methods


A camera module 100 includes a movable section 10 that includes a lens 11, a fixed section 30 having a hollow space extending in the optical axis direction of the lens 11, and an elastic body 40 that elastically supports the movable section 10 and the fixed section 30, an imaging element 3 that is fixed to the fixed section 30 and has a light-receiving surface perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens 11, a plurality of magnets 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d arranged along the fixed section 30, and a coil section 22 provided in the movable section 10. The elastic body 40 includes an upper spring 41a and a lower spring 41b, which support the fixed section 30 between adjacent ones of the magnets 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d along the arrangement direction of these magnets on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the lens 11. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a camera module with an automatic focusing control function, whose thickness can be reduced remarkably.

In recent years, portable equipment such as camera-equipped mobile phones has become widespread. Accompanying the reduction in size and thickness and the improvement in performance of such portable equipment, there has been a demand for smaller and thinner camera modules with a higher performance.
Heretofore, as camera modules, those having an automatic focus-adjusting system have been known (see Patent Document 1, for example).
FIG. 21 shows the configuration of a conventional camera module having an automatic focus-adjusting system. As shown in FIG. 21, in the conventional camera module, an objective lens 1005 is attached to an upper end portion of a cylindrical body 1011. An electromagnetic coil 1012 is wound around a lower end portion of this cylindrical body 1011. In FIG. 21, reference numeral 1013 denotes a magnet. One magnetic pole 1014a of this magnet 1013 extends toward the cylindrical body 1011 so as to have an L-shaped cross section, and the end portion thereof is inserted into the cylindrical body 1011 from below. The other magnetic pole 1014b of the magnet 1013 extends so as to face the magnetic pole 1014a and also extends upward such that the cylindrical body 1011 is surrounded by an outer peripheral portion of the magnetic pole 1014b. Thus, the magnetic poles 1014a and 1014b are arranged so as to face each other with the electromagnetic coil 1012 wound around the cylindrical body 1011 intervening therebetween. A cylindrical portion, which is a portion extending upward, of the magnetic pole 1014b serves as a lens system support 1015. A stepped portion 1015a is provided in a lower part of this lens system support 1015, and an outer peripheral portion of an elastic support 1016a is fixed firmly to this stepped portion 1015a. To an upper end portion of the lens system support 1015, an outer peripheral portion of an elastic support 1016b is fixed firmly. Inner peripheral portions of the respective elastic supports 1016a and 1016b are fixed firmly to the cylindrical body 1011. Thus, the cylindrical body 1011 to which the objective lens 1005 is attached is connected to the lens system support 1015 elastically via the elastic supports 1016a and 1016b.
In the camera module configured as above, by controlling a current flowing through the electromagnetic coil 1012, the cylindrical body 1011 is moved up and down (in the direction indicated with arrows in FIG. 21) due to a magnetic force caused by the magnet 1013 and a magnetic force caused by the electromagnetic coil 1012. The objective lens 1005 thus is moved in the optical axis direction, thereby achieving the automatic focus adjustment.
[Patent Document 1] JP 54 (1979)-135504 A


The invention is to provide an organic EL device having a long life time that can reduce the driving voltage of the organic EL device, and to provide a material having a small ionization potential and exhibiting a large hole mobility by using as a layer or a zone. The organic electroluminescence device comprises a pair of electrodes and an organic light emitting layer sandwiched in the electrodes, characterized in that a hole transporting zone provided between the electrodes comprises the phenylenediamine derivative represented by the specific structural formulae, and the phenylenediamine derivative has a hole mobility of 10−4 cm2/V·s or more upon using as a layer or a zone, with the organic light emitting layer containing a charge injection auxiliary.

An organic EL device is being earnestly studied since it is a complete solid state device and can form a display and an illumination of light-weight and thin-form that is driven at a low voltage.
A problem on applying the organic EL device to a display is to make the driving voltage being a lower voltage. For example, by using a dendrimer of an aromatic amine disclosed in JP-A-4-308688 as a hole injection material, the driving voltage is lowered. The compound has a small ionization potential of 5.2 eV owing to the phenylenediamine skeleton, and exhibits an effect of lowering the driving voltage.
However, the compound having a phenylenediamine skeleton has a small hole mobility of 3×10−5 cm2/V·s, and therefore the driving voltage in the region of high electric current injection is insufficiently lowered.
A high molecular weight aromatic amine compound disclosed in JP-A-9-301934 has a small ionization potential of 5.2 eV but has a problem in that the hole mobility is insufficient. It is expected that the hole mobility be lowered due to the mixing of impurities.
That is, in the fluorescent spectrum of the compound disclosed in JP-A-9-301934 (FIG. 1), a light emission component having a maximum fluorescent wavelength peak of 500 nm or higher is observed, which is not present originally. This shows that impurities are mixed. Furthermore, the voltage is increased by 2.7 V with only driving time of 76 hours, which becomes a hindrance of lowering the driving voltage. Accordingly, in the device disclosed in the publication, the hole mobility is lowered and the driving voltage is increased by the impurities.
Furthermore, because it has a green fluorescent component, when the compound is used in the hole transporting zone of a blue light emitting device, blue light emission cannot be obtained due to mixing of green light emission component.
International Patent Publication WO98/30071 (published on Jul. 9, 1998) discloses an organic electroluminescence device using a compound similar to the present invention, but fails to disclose an effect in that a particular low voltage can be obtained on combining with a light emitting layer containing a charge injection auxiliary.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Organic electroluminescence device and phenylenediamine derivative


There are provided a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor laser using the semiconductor substrate which promises smooth and optically excellent cleaved surfaces and is suitable for fabricating semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors. Using a semiconductor substrate, such as GaN substrate, having a major surface substantially normal to a {0001}-oriented face, e.g. {01-10}-oriented face or {11-20}-oriented face, or offset within xc2x15xc2x0 from these faces, nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers are epitaxially grown on the substrate to form a laser structure. To make cavity edges, the GaN substrate is cleaved together with the overlying III-V compound semiconductor layers along high-cleavable {0001}-oriented faces.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor substrate and a semiconductor device especially suitable for use in semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors, such gallium nitride (GaN).
2. Description of the Related Art
Active researches. have been made in recently years on semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors having wurtzite-structured crystal structures, represented by GaN as semiconductor lasers.
When a semiconductor laser using nitride III-V compound semiconductors is fabricated, GaN, AlGaN, GaInN, and so on, are epitaxially grown in multiple layers on a sapphire substrate or a silicon carbonate (SiC) substrate to make a structure sandwiching an active layer between an n-type cladding layer and a p-type cladding layer. Good-quality epitaxial layers can be made when {0001}-oriented surfaces of these layers results in being parallel to the substrate when they are grown by the epitaxial growth. There is a report on continuous oscillation at a room temperature with a semiconductor laser made by epitaxial growth (IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society 1996 Annual Meeting, Postdeadline Papers, Nov. 1996).
When a semiconductor laser is fabricated, it is necessary to make an edge used as a reflective surface of the cavity. The cavity edge is usually made by cleaving a structure having epitaxially grown layers on a substrate along a face normal to the layer surfaces or interfaces, utilizing the cleavability of crystals. In this case, the cleavability of the substrate much thicker than epitaxial layers is especially important. In case of semiconductor lasers using III-V compound semiconductors such as AlGaAs, AlGaInP, and so forth, and semiconductor lasers using II-VI compound semiconductors such as ZnSSe, CdZnSe, and so forth, by utilizing a high cleavability of a GaAs substrate used as the substrate and by cleaving epitaxial layers, also having a high cleavability, together with the GaAs substrate, flat cavity edges normal to the substrate surface or surfaces of the epitaxial layers are formed.
There are other methods used for making cavity edges normal to substrate surfaces, such as reactive ion etching (RIE) or chemical wet etching. However, since nitride III-V compound semiconductor crystals exhibit a high chemical stability, it is very difficult to actually make cavity edges by using chemical wet etching. If RIE is used, damages to cavity edges or unacceptable flatness of cavity edges arise as problems.
Therefore, in semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors, it has been tried to make cavity edges by cleavage. Also for laser semiconductor lasers using low-cleavable substrates, such as sapphire substrates, on which laser oscillation has been reported, epitaxial layers grown on a sapphire substrate were cleaved simultaneously by cleaving the sapphire substrate. Usually, such sapphire substrates have {0001}-oriented major surfaces, and cavity edges are {11-20}-oriented surfaces of epitaxial layers forming laser structures. A reason why sapphire substrates having {0001}-oriented major surfaces are used lies in that {11-20}-oriented surfaces of crystals having wurtzite-structured crystal structures have atomic arrangements (bonding) similar to those of {110}-oriented surfaces which are cleavage surfaces of crystals having zinc blende structures similar to wurtzite-structured crystal structures, and have a cleavability to a certain extent.
However, cavity edges actually made by the method were found to exhibit uneven faces with longitudinal ridge-shaped steps approximately normal to the substrate surfaces. They were probably caused by a low cleavability of {11-20}-oriented surfaces, stresses in epitaxial layers (due to a difference in lattice constant with substrates), and crystallographic irregularities in epitaxial layers (presence of internal crystallographic defects or mosaic crystals). Cavity edges having such unevenness are bad in reflective efficiency and parallelism, and fail to exhibit acceptable characteristics as cavities. These are factors that not only degrade characteristics and efficiencies of semiconductor lasers, but also cause deterioration of devices and degradation of their reliability.
There is another trial of growing a thick GaN crystal layer on a sapphire or other substrate and using the GaN crystal as a substrate to epitaxially grow nitride compound III-V semiconductors thereon. This method also uses {0001}-oriented surface to epitaxially grow nitride III-V compound semiconductors layers, and result in using {11-20}-oriented surfaces as cleavage surfaces like the method explained above. Here again, therefore, it is difficult to obtain good-quality cavity edges.
As discussed above, it has been difficult to obtain good-quality cavity edges by cleavage in semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a semiconductor substrate making it easy to obtain flat and optically excellent cleavage surfaces and hence suitable for use in fabrication of semiconductor lasers using nitride III-V compound semiconductors, and to provide a semiconductor device using the semiconductor substrate, having a high efficiency, long life and high reliability, and suitable for use in semiconductor lasers.
According to the invention, there is provided a semiconductor substrate made of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor having a wurtzite-structured crystal structure, and having a major surface normal to the {0001}-oriented face.
According to the invention, there is also provided a semiconductor device comprising: a semiconductor substrate made of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor having a wurtzite-structured crystal structure, and having a major surface normal to the {0001}-oriented face; and nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers on said semiconductor substrate.
In the present invention, the major surface of the semiconductor substrate may be any of faces normal to the {0001}-oriented face (called C-face). Specifically, a {01-10}-oriented face (called M-face), {11-20}-oriented face (called A-face), or other faces slightly offset from these faces, may be used. When a face offset from the {01-10}-oriented face or the {11-20}-oriented face is used as the major surface of the semiconductor substrate, the major surface, preferably, is substantially normal to the {0001}-oriented face with an offset angle, if any, within xc2x15xc2x0.
Throughout the present application, {01{overscore (1)}0} is expressed as {01-10}, and {11{overscore (2)}0} as {11-20}, to describe surface orientations.
In the present invention, nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers contain at least one of group III elements selected from the group consisting of Ga, Al, In and B, and at least N, and may additionally contain group V elements involving As or P. Specific examples of the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers are a GaN, layer, AlGaN layer, GaInN layer, AlGaInN layer, and so forth.
The semiconductor substrate according to the invention can-be manufactured easily by the method explained below, for example. That is, first grown is a bulk crystal of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor having a wurtzite-structured crystal structure. The nitride III-V compound semiconductor bulk crystal can be grown, for example, by growth from liquid Ga at a high temperature of 1400xc2x0 C. through 1600xc2x0 C. in a high-pressurized nitrogen atmosphere of 10 through 20 kbar (J. Crystal Growth 166(1996) 583) or by a flux method or sublimation configured to promote growth by heating metal Ga and sodium azide confined in a stainless tube to 600 through 700xc2x0 C. Then, the nitride III-V compound semiconductor bulk crystal is cut along a face substantially normal to its {0001}-oriented face, namely, {01-10}-oriented face (M-face) or {11-20}-oriented face (A-face), for example, and the surface of the cut-out crystal is polished to smooth the surface. As a result, the semiconductor substrate according to the invention can be obtained.
Alternatively, the semiconductor substrate according to the invention can be manufactured by another method explained below. That is, epitaxially grown is a bulk crystal of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor with a sufficient thickness, for example, as thick as 100 xcexcm or more, on a crystal substrate such as sapphire substrate or SiC substrate, by sublimation or hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), for example, so that a surface substantially normal to its {0001}-oriented face, namely, the {01-10}-oriented surface or the {11-20}-oriented surface, for example, be parallel to the substrate. Then, the surface of the epitaxial layer is polished to smooth the surface. After that, by removing the substrate used for the growth from the bottom mechanically or by chemical wet etching, the semiconductor substrate according to the invention can be made. Prior to removal of the sapphire substrate or SiC substrate, one or more nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers may be epitaxially grown on the nitride III-V compound semiconductor bulk crystal epitaxially grown on the substrate, and the substrate may be removed thereafter.
According to the invention having the above-summarized construction, the semiconductor substrate made of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor having a wurtzite-structured crystal structure and having a major surface substantially normal to its {0001}-oriented face can be readily cleaved along the {0001}-oriented face because the {0001}-oriented face is the face having the highest cleavability in a crystal having the layered-structured wurtzite-structured crystal structure, namely, the high-cleavable face. Therefore, when nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers are epitaxially grown on the semiconductor substrate to for a semiconductor laser, cavity edges can be formed easily by cleaving these nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers together with the semiconductor substrate along {0001}-oriented faces.
Moreover, since the semiconductor substrate is made of a nitride III-V compound semiconductors, both the semiconductor substrate and the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers thereon have wurtzite-structured crystal structures, and coincide, or are very near, in lattice constant. Therefore, the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers have a good quality, remarkably diminished in stress and inner crystallographic defects. Additionally, since the semiconductor substrates and the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers are substantially equal in lattice constant, the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers can be grown epitaxially, without the need for a buffer layer of GaN or AlN grown under a low temperature prior to the epitaxial growth of the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers, which is required when using a sapphire substrate, for example. Therefore, the present invention can prevent a mosaic structure from being produced in the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers, which must be taken into account when using a sapphire substrate, for example. Thus, the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers have an excellent quality also in this respect.
For these reasons, cleavage surfaces obtained by cleaving the semiconductor substrate together with the nitride III-V compound semiconductor layers thereon exhibit an optically excellent quality with substantially no unevenness, and are suitable for use as cavity edges of semiconductor lasers.
The above, and other, objects, features and advantage of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Semiconductor substrate made of a nitride III-V compound semiconductor having a wurtzite-structured crystal structure


An Internet accessing system which allows automatic user login onto the Internet with the use of two cards and card readers. One card contains information about an Internet access point telephone number, the ID number of the user, and the password of the user. The second card contains information about the URL designating the location of the desired startup homepage. Upon insertion of the cards into the card readers, the user is automatically logged onto the Internet.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an Internet accessing apparatus and system thereof which allows an user to connect to a computer communication network, represented by the Internet, by means of utilizing information storage cards such as IC cards and magnetic cards, and the information recorded on those cards, and to receive multimedia information.
This application is based on patent application No. Hei 8-327318 filed in Japan, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional method of connecting to a computer communication network, represented by the Internet, and of receiving multimedia information will be explained with reference to FIG. 12. First, the hardware consisting a personal computer 2 is equipped. A connection program 4 to connect, by a method known as dialup, to a WWW (World Wide Web) server 6 provided at an access point via a communication line 1 such as a telephone line or an ISDN line, and a program 5 known as a browser for accessing the multimedia information publicly available on the Internet 7, and for receiving and displaying those information are loaded onto the above personal computer 2. In addition, there is a need to equip a system which is connected with a communication interface 3 such a modem or a terminal adapter. According to this system, connecting and obtaining information is executed by the following procedures.
(1) activate connection program 5 and originate a call to the access point 6. Execute procedures (entering user ID, verifying password, etc.) to connect to the Internet 7.
(2) Activate browser program 5, connect to the Internet 7, access to multimedia information such as homepages, and select and receive desired information.
With the above system, it is necessary for the user to perform the initial settings in these programs with respect to communication over a network. In addition, in step (1), it is necessary to activate the connection program, set the telephone number of the connection site, and input the user ID and password when connecting. Furthermore, in step (2), it is necessary to activate another program and to enter a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) designating the access site of the multimedia information, also known as a tag, before accessing the information.
With the above described conventional method, it is necessary for the user to perform a number of burdensome steps requiring settings before obtaining the actual information. It is extremely difficult for an user, who is not experienced with computers and computer communication networks, to access the Internet smoothly, even if the user had interest in the Internet.

Internet accessing system using card readers and dual cards with information pertaining to log on

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation


A dual state mirror assembly for use with motor vehicles includes a housing having an open front for receiving an outer substrate to form an enclosure. The outer substrate has a surface coated with a thin metal film to act as a beam splitter. An inner substrate having a reflective front surface is mounted within the enclosure so that in a first position, the inner substrate is in direct contact with the outer substrate, to produce a single bright reflected image, and so that in a second position, the inner substrate is placed at an angle with respect to the outer substrate, to provide a dimmed image and to minimize glare.

The present invention generally relates to a dual state mirror assembly for use with automobiles, trucks, buses and other types of vehicles, primarily as a rearview mirror. The dual state mirror of the present invention is particularly useful as an exterior mirror for larger trucks, including those in classes 6, 7 and 8, as well as buses, and will be described in this general context for convenience of illustration. However, the general principles described will also be useful in conjunction with other types of mirrors, for various types of vehicles, and for other applications such as laser technology.
Early attempts to reduce the glare associated with rearview mirrors for vehicles included the use of prismatic features, and electronic features, including electrochromic and dichroic liquid crystal display technologies.
In the case of prismatic technology, the rearview mirror is provided with two independent states of reflectance using a prismatic element including a high reflectance surface for daytime use, and a low reflectance surface for nighttime use. To operate such a mirror, the driver manually adjusts the position of the prismatic element, depending upon the time of day.
In both positions the driver actually views both prism surfaces, with different images. In the daytime position, the high reflectance surface yields sufficient light to make the dimmer image on the low reflectance surface unnoticeable. In the nighttime position, the high reflectance surface is pointed to a dark region in the vehicle (typically the roof) so as not to interfere with the dimmer image on the low reflectance surface.
In the case of electrochromic and dichroic liquid crystal display technologies, the dimming function is achieved electronically, and is therefore automated.
All of these methods, however, have some key drawbacks. Mirrors that incorporate prismatic surfaces suffer from unpredictable optical quality. If the lighting conditions inside the vehicle become less than optimum (i.e., vehicles travelling closely behind and illuminating the interior), the rearview mirror can produce multiple images. More importantly, prismatic mirrors can not be used for exterior applications since there is no satisfactory dark region to which the high reflectance surface can be directed.
Electrochromic mirrors also tend to produce multiple images. In addition, such mirrors have slow response times and tend to alter the color of the reflected images. Although electrochromic mirrors can be used as exterior mirrors, they are very costly for the relatively large areas associated with exterior mirror applications (particularly for larger vehicles such as trucks and buses).
The use of dichroic mirrors is essentially precluded by regulation. In 1992, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a regulation that all multiple reflectance mirrors revert to a high reflectance state in the event of electrical failure. This condition could not be effectively met with dichroic mirrors.
Earlier efforts to develop a useful dual state rearview mirror, prior to electrochromic and dichroic LCD technologies, employed paired, plate glass elements to achieve the desired result. Examples of these devices may be found with reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,574,446 (Moore); 3,836,235 (Russell); 4,371,235 (Locke, Sr.); and 4,560,259 (Russell). Each of these mirror systems includes an enclosure with a plate glass face, and a mirrored element positioned within the enclosure and spaced from the plate glass face. The mirrored element is capable of movement (i.e., rotation) between daytime and nighttime positions which are primarily determined by the position of the mirrored element relative to the plate glass face of the enclosure.
However, in each case, the disclosed devices are provided with substrate surfaces (plate glass and mirror) which are spaced apart. In addition, the disclosed devices are provided with plate glass and mirrored elements that do not allow for adjustment of the reflective and transmissive properties of the overall system. As a consequence, none of these devices are particularly satisfactory in actual operation. Double images are not uncommon, and the difference between the reflected images from the different mirror surfaces (i.e., elements in parallel, in a daytime mode position) is so great that nighttime use (while in a high reflectance, daytime configuration) is seriously compromised.


A semiconductor memory device includes a memory cell array in which a plurality of memory cells are arranged in a matrix form, a plurality of word lines connected to the memory cells, a row decoder including a plurality of decode sections and configured to receive first and second address signals for selecting the word lines, each of the decode sections which is provided for a respective one of the word lines, and includes first and second MOS transistors connected in series, the first MOS transistor having its gate electrode connected to receive the first address signal, the second MOS transistor having its gate electrode connected to receive the second address signal, the row decoder outputting a first signal for controlling the word lines, and a control circuit which delays the second address signal in time with respect to the first address signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device and more specifically a row decoder which activates word lines.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, DRAMs (Dynamic Random Access Memories) using one-transistor/one-capacitor memory cells have made much progress in packing density and microstructuring because of improvements in memory cell structure and advances in fine-pattern processing technology and circuit design technology. Meanwhile, logic circuits with no DRAM have made progress in microstructuring and low-voltage version faster than DRAMs because the microstructuring directly leads to higher packing density and increased speed.
In the DRAMs, on the other hand, the voltage written into each memory cell and the voltage applied to the gate electrode of each transistor that connects a memory cell and a bit line cannot be scaled as much as the voltage that controls a logic circuit (logic voltage) because of stringent specifications to leakage current. Thus, in recent years a DRAM has been developed which uses a two- or three-supply-voltage system in which the supply voltage for the logic circuit surrounding DRAM and the supply voltage for a circuit surrounding the memory cells are different.
As this type of related technique a technique to transfer a high voltage to word lines with no voltage drop is disclosed in, for example, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2002-63795.


A method, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for robotic programming are disclosed. To improve upon or even solve the dilemma that teach-in techniques cannot work for all kinds of objects and offline programming requires complicated simulation of a robot and objects, a solution is provided to use a virtual item marked by a marker during programming of the robot and display the virtual item to a user. As such, even very large items can be used and also replaced easily during programming, which makes the programming procedures go smoothly and efficiently.

Usage of a robot in industrial plants and factories is constantly increasing. Robots are getting more powerful, more flexible and at the same time less expensive.
However, programming an industrial robot is typically a complex and labor-intensive task. In general, two groups of programming techniques exist.
1) Teach-in Techniques
Here, a user programs a robot by using the real robot and a real object, such as a work piece. The user moves the robot to desired positions or along favored trajectories and records data. The data how the user controls is also recorded by actuators in the robot. Afterwards, the robot repeats these actions according to the recorded data.
Advantages of teach-in techniques include: a robot can be easily programmed according to real installation of it and objects, and no advanced programming skill is required. While disadvantages are: The objects need to be available for programming, which may be very difficult or even impossible for large objects; no programming prior to commissioning and there is downtime of the robot during programming.
2) Offline Programming
Here, a user programs a robot in a simulation environment. A robot, surroundings of the robot and all objects are mapped into a simulation environment. The user defines positions, trajectories and interactions with work objects virtually. Afterwards a real robot executes these instructions.
Advantages of offline programming include: programming prior to commissioning; programs can easily be changed and adapted; no downtime of the robot during programming. While disadvantages include: the complete surrounding of the robot needs to be accurately mapped into the simulation environment; it require user to have advanced programming skills; too much preparation for simple use cases.

Method, apparatus, computer-readable storage media for robotic programming


A method and apparatus for dynamically debiting a donation amount from an account in a communications network is described. In one embodiment, an interface associated with a network service bill used to allow a subscriber to designate the donation amount is provided to a customer. The data specifying the donation amount from said subscriber is then received by a dedicated application server. Afterwards, the donation amount is debited from the account associated with the network service bill.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to telecommunications systems and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for dynamically debiting an donation amount in a communications network, such as a packet network, e.g., a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) network.
2. Description of the Related Art
Presently, many U.S. based enterprises and state governments are increasingly becoming more socially conscious. Notably, these entities are reaching out to the people they serve and are encouraging them to make donations to non-profit organizations. For example, many state tax forms request a taxpayer to donate a portion or percentage of the taxpayer's refunds to selected non-profit agencies. Similarly, some retailers will often non-obtrusively ask consumers to make a donation to selected charities at the retailers' point of sale locations at the time of purchase.

Method and apparatus for dynamically debiting a donation amount


A method of calibrating an integrated pressure management apparatus having a chamber with an interior volume varying in response to fluid pressure in the chamber. A diaphragm partially defining the chamber is displaceable between first and second configurations in response to fluid pressure variations around a certain pressure level. A resilient element applies a force biasing the diaphragm a first configuration and a switch is actuated by the diaphragm in the second configuration. The method includes connecting the chamber to a pressure source at a known pressure level, and adjusting resilient element such that the switch is actuated at the known pressure level.

The present invention relates to a method of calibrating an integrated pressure management system that manages pressure and detects leaks in a fuel system. The present invention also relates to a method of calibrating an integrated pressure management system that performs a leak diagnostic for the headspace in a fuel tank, a canister that collects volatile fuel vapors from the headspace, a purge valve, and all associated hoses.
In a conventional pressure management system for a vehicle, fuel vapor that escapes from a fuel tank is stored in a canister. If there is a leak in the fuel tank, canister or any other component of the vapor handling system, some fuel vapor could exit through the leak to escape into the atmosphere instead of being stored in the canister. Thus, it is desirable to detect leaks.
In such conventional pressure management systems, excess fuel vapor accumulates immediately after engine shutdown, thereby creating a positive pressure in the fuel vapor management system. Thus, it is desirable to vent, or xe2x80x9cblow-off,xe2x80x9d through the canister, this excess fuel vapor and to facilitate vacuum generation in the fuel vapor management system. Similarly, it is desirable to relieve positive pressure during tank refueling by allowing air to exit the tank at high flow rates. This is commonly referred to as onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR).
A sensor or switch signals that a predetermined pressure exists. In particular, the sensor/switch signals that a predetermined vacuum exists. As it is used herein, xe2x80x9cpressurexe2x80x9d is measured relative to the ambient atmospheric pressure. Thus, positive pressure refers to pressure greater than the ambient atmospheric pressure and negative pressure, or xe2x80x9cvacuum,xe2x80x9d refers to pressure less than the ambient atmospheric pressure.
The present invention is achieved by providing a method.

Method of calibrating an integrated pressure management apparatus