NMDA receptor blockers, including pH-sensitive NMDA receptor blockers, are provided as neuroprotective drugs that are useful in stroke, traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, and other neurologic events that involve acidification of brain or spinal cord tissue. Compositions and methods of this invention are used for treating neurodegeneration resulting from NMDA receptor activation. The compounds described herein have enhanced activity in brain tissue having lower-than normal pH due to pathological conditions such as hypoxia resulting from stroke, traumatic brain injury, global ischemia that may occur during cardiac surgery, hypoxia that may occur following cessation of breathing, pre-eclampsia, spinal cord trauma, epilepsy, chronic pain, vascular dementia and glioma tumors. Compounds described herein are also useful in preventing neurodegeneration in patients with Parkinson's Alzheimer's, Huntington's chorea, ALS, and other neurodegenerative conditions known to the art to be responsive to treatment using NMDA receptor blockers. Preferably the compounds provided herein are allosteric NMDA inhibitors.

NMDA receptors are a subtype of glutamate-gated ion channels that mediate excitatory synaptic transmission between neurons in the central nervous system (Dingledine, R. et al., [1999], "The glutamate receptor ion channels," Pharmacological Reviews 51:7-61). NMDA receptors are a subtype of the most widespread excitatory neurotransmitter receptor in the brain. Excessive activation of NMDA receptors kills neurons, and current evidence implicates NMDA receptor activation in a variety of neurologic disorders that include epilepsy, ischemic brain damage, traumatic brain/spinal cord injury, and Alzheimer's Diseases, Huntington's chorea and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
In animal models of stroke and brain trauma, glutamate released from affected neurons can overstimulate NMDA receptors, which in turn causes neuronal death. Because overactivation of NMDA receptors is neurotoxic, compounds that block NMDA receptors have been considered candidates for treatment of stroke or head injuries. Numerous animal studies have validated NMDA receptors as targets for neuroprotection in stroke, brain and spinal cord trauma, and related settings that involve brain ischemia. NMDA receptor blockers are effective in limiting the volume of damaged brain tissue in experimental models of stroke and traumatic brain injury. (Choi, D. (1998), "Antagonizing excitotoxicity: A therapeutic strategy for stroke," Mount Sinai J. Med. 65:133-138; Dirnagle, U. et al. (1999) "Pathobiology of ischaemic stroke: an integrated view," Tr. Neurosci. 22:391-397; Obrenovitch, T. P. and Urenjak, J. (1997) "Is high extracellular glutamate the key to excitotoxicity in traumatic brain injury," J. Neurctrauma 14:677-698.) In addition, NMDA receptor antagonists are known to be anti-convulsant in many experimental models of epilepsy (Bradford, H. R. [1995] "Glutamate, GABA, and Epilepsy," Progress in Neurobiology 47:477-511; McNamara, J. O. [2001] Drugs effective in the therapy of the epilepsies. In Goodman & Gliman's: The pharmacological basis of therapeutics [Eds. J. G. Hardman and L. E. Limbird] McGraw Hill, New York). However, dose-limiting side effects have thus far prevented clinical use of NMDA receptor antagonists for these neurologic conditions (Muir, K. W. and Lees, K. R. [1995] "Clinical experience with excitatory amino acid antagonist drugs," Stroke 26:503-513; Herrling, P. L., ed. [1997] "Excitatory amino acid—clinical results with antagonists" Academic Press; Parsons, C. G. et al. [1998] "Glutamate in CNS disorders as a target for drug development: an update," Drug News Perspective 11:523-569), and consequently enthusiasm for this receptor protein as a drug target has diminished within the pharmaceutical industry. NMDA receptor blockers also act synergistically with L-DOPA to relieve symptoms of Parkinsonism. In addition, such compounds are useful for treating chronic neuropathic pain and bipolar disorder. However, the first three generations of NMDA receptor antagonists (channel blockers, competitive blockers of the glutamate or glycine agonist sites, and noncompetitive allosteric antagonists) have not proved useful clinically.
Several recent papers have suggested that rapidly-growing brain gliomas can kill adjacent neurons by secreting glutamate and overactivating NMDA receptors The dying neurons make room for the growing tumor, and may release cellular components that stimulate tumor growth. These studies shown NMDA receptor antagonists can reduce the rate of tumor growth in vivo as well as in some in vitro models. (Takano, T., et al. (2001), "Glutamate release promotes growth of malignant glioma," Nature Medicine 7:1010-1015; Rothstein, J. D. and Bren, H. (2001), "Excitotoxic destruction facilitates brain tumor growth," Nature Medicine 7:994-995; Rzeski, W., et al. (2001), "Glutamate antagonists limit tumor growth," Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci 98:6372-6377.)
In the late 1980's a new class of NMDA receptor antagonists (phenylethanolamines) was discovered which did not bind at the agonist binding sites. This class, exemplified by the compound ifenprodil, selectively interacts with NMDA receptors containing the NR2B subunit. These compounds have exhibited neuroprotective properties in preclinical models. This class of antagonist lacks the severe side-effect liability of other types of NMDA antagonists (e.g. PCP-like psychotic symptoms and cardiovascular effects).
One of the most prevalent subtypes of NMDA receptor which contains the NR2B subunit has the unusual property of being normally inhibited by protons by about 50% at physiological pH (Traynelis, S. F. and Cull-Candy, S. G. [1990] "Proton inhibition of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in cerebellar neurons," Nature 345:347-350. We have found that phenylethanolamines, typified by ifenprodil and CP101,606 inhibit activation of NMDA receptors by potentiating allosteric inhibition mediated by protons. In turn, small reduction of pH in the physiological range increases the potency of some phenylethanol-amines as NMDA receptor antagonists. The potency of ifenprodil for inhibition of NR2B subunit-containing recombinant NMDA receptors is enhanced at pH 6.8 compared to pH 7.5. (Mott et al. [1998], "Phenylethanolamines inhibit NMDA receptors by enhancing proton inhibition," Nature Neuroscience 1(8):659-667.) Ischemic brain tissue, as well as the site of seizure generation in epilepsy, is characterized by a lower pH than is found in brain tissue.
Therapeutic compounds for the foregoing pathologies may have toxic side effects. It is thus an object of this invention to provide compounds which have enhanced activity under the lower pH conditions characteristic of such pathologies, and which are less active under the normal pH conditions of healthy brain tissue.
A number of patents discuss NMDA receptor antagonists, including U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,743 to Acklin et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,924,008 and 4,957,909 to Abou-Gharbia et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,889,026, 5,952,344, 6,071,929, 6,265,426, and 6,339,093 to Alanine et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,379 to Allgeier; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,922,716, 5,753,657 and 5,777,114 to Aloup et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,319 to Baudy et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,085 to Bigge et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,962,472 to Bourson et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,919,826, 6,007,841, 6,054,451, and 6,187,338 to Caruso et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,498,610, 5,594,007, 5,710,168, and 6,258,827 to Chenard et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,888,996 and 6,083,941 to Farb; U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,553 to Farr et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,866,585, 6,057,373, and 6,294,583 to Fogel; U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,633 to Franks et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,947 to Godel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,134 and 6,071,966 to Gold et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,500 to Griffith et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,563,157 and 5,606,063 to Harrison et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,822 to Izumi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,675 to Jirkovsky et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,434 to Kopke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,313 to Kozikowski et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,321,012, 5,502,058, 5,556,838, 5,654,281, 5,834,479, 5,840,731, 5,863,922, and 5,869,498 to Mayer et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,318,985, 5,441,963 and 5,489,579 to McDonald et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,776 to Meltzer; U.S. Pat. No. 6,180,786 to Metz, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,572 to Mowbray et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,990 to Namil et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,700 to Nichols et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,400, 5,039,528, 5,474,990, 5,605,911, 5,616,580, 5,629,307, 5,767,130, 5,834,465, 5,902,815, 5,925,634, and 5,958,919 to Olney et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,126 to Park et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,540 to Redburn; U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,369 to Rosenquist et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,106,847, 5,189,054 5,491,153, 5,519,048 5,675,018, and 5,703,107 to Salituro et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,743 to Shishikura et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,456 to Shuster et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,00 to Smith et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,820 to Sontheimer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,903 to Steppuhn et al.; U.S Pat. No. 5,710,139 to Swahn; U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,751 to Thor; U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,509 to Turski et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,906,779, 5,093,525, 5,190,976, 5,262,568, 5,336,689, 5,559,154, 5,637,622, 5,767,162, 5,798,390, and 6,251,948 to Weber et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,095,009 5,194,430, 5,326,756, 5,470,844, and 5,538,958 to Whitten; U.S. Pat. No. 6,284,774 to Wright et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,587,384 and Re 36,397 to Zhang et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,467 to Zimmerman. However, NMDA receptor blockers are needed which are enhanced at low pHs characteristic of certain pathological conditions for treatment of such pathological conditions.
All publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference to the extent not inconsistent herewith.


A positive characteristic thermistor device includes a device main body made of a semiconductor ceramic material which reliably and cleanly delaminates upon the application of excessive voltage thereto. The main body has outer layers having lower porosity formed on both sides of an inner layer having higher porosity. The inner layer having higher porosity can be obtained by burning a ceramic material for positive characteristic thermistors including resin beads mixed therein. After forming the main body, an electrode is formed on the outer surface of each of the outer layers. When an overvoltage is applied to this positive characteristic thermistor device, delamination occurs in the inner layer having higher porosity to create an open-circuit in a circuit in which the thermistor device is connected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to positive characteristic thermistor devices made of semiconductor ceramic materials.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional positive characteristic thermistor devices (i.e., positive temperature characteristic devices having a positive temperature coefficient, or "PTC devices") include a structure as shown in FIG. 1. This positive characteristic thermistor device 1 is formed by providing electrodes 3 on opposite sides of a device main body 2 made of a substantially uniform semiconductor ceramic material, and electrically connecting a lead wire 4 to each of the electrodes 3 by means of soldering or like technique. Such a PTC device is used for various applications including protection of a circuit against excess current flowing in the circuit (referred to hereafter as an "overcurrent") because of the fact that its resistance abruptly increases at a temperature equal to or higher than the Curie point. Specifically, when an overcurrent flows through the PTC device, the temperature of the PTC device abruptly increases which in turn greatly increases the resistance of the device. This cuts off the current to the circuit in which the PTC device is inserted, thereby protecting the circuit against the overcurrent.
A conventional PTC device also exhibits a self-resetting property as a protection measure, wherein the PTC device shorts due to erroneous wiring resulting in application of an excessive voltage (hereinafter referred to as "overvoltage") on the order of 200 V. The PTC device returns to its initial state when the overvoltage is removed, which eliminates the need for replacing the PTC device.
When a voltage is abruptly applied through the lead wire 4 to the PTC device 1 as shown in FIG. 1, the device main body 2 generates heat. FIG. 2 shows the result of a measurement made using an infrared temperature analyzer of the temperature distribution in the PTC device during the generation of heat at the time of energization. In FIG. 2, the temperature distribution in the PTC device 1 is illustrated using isothermal lines 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature is higher in an inner region of the PTC device 1 and lower at the surface of the device. As a result, when a voltage is abruptly applied to the PTC device 1, breakage can occur due to thermal stress originating from the temperature difference between the inner region and the surface of the device.
A close study of this breakage phenomenon due to thermal stress led the present inventors to the following insight into the breakage mechanism of the device. When a voltage is abruptly applied to the PTC device, heat is generated in the PTC device by the current that flows therethrough. The temperature becomes higher in an inner region of the device than in a surface region thereof due to a difference in heat dissipation properties between the inner and surface regions of the device. If the temperature is higher in the inner region of the device, the inner region of the device will have a resistance higher than that of the surface region. This further increases the amount of heat generated in the device inner region. The temperature difference between the inner and surface regions of the device increases because of their different heat dissipating properties and the increase in the resistance of the device. A resultant difference in the thermal expansion properties between the inner and surface regions of the device leads to breakage of the PTC device.
Because of the potential for breakage due to thermal stress as described above, a circuit is sometimes protected due to the breakage of the PTC device when an overvoltage as high as 600 V is applied to the PCT device. That is, the breakage creates an open-circuit which prevents damage to the circuit. However, when a conventional PTC device is broken by an overvoltage on the order of 600 V, the breakage of the device main body often is such that the device main body is cracked rather than being completely broken. If a PTC device is cracked instead of being completely broken (such a mode of breakage is hereinafter referred to as "insufficient breakage"), sparks occur at the cracked regions, resulting in a short circuit in the PTC device. This causes a very high overcurrent to flow through the circuit when the device is used, for example, as a component for protecting a circuit from an overcurrent. This can lead to critical accidents, e.g., a short circuit of the terminal equipment and damage resulting therefrom.
A current fuse can be used instead of a PTC device, but current fuses have their own disadvantages. More specifically, a current fuse blows out upon the application of excess current and voltages and does not have a self-resetting property. That is, a current fuse operates by blowing out even upon the application of an overvoltage on the order of 200 V and, in each of such blow outs, the current fuse must be replaced. This has been inconvenient due to the troublesome maintenance operations that must be carried out.
It is an exemplary object of the present invention to solve the above-described problems, and more specifically to provide a positive characteristic thermistor device capable of reliably and quickly cutting off a current to produce an open circuit when overvoltage is applied thereto.
A positive characteristic thermistor device according to a first aspect of the invention includes a device main body having a multi-layer structure including three or more semiconductor ceramic layers. The device main body includes a ceramic layer having relatively high porosity sandwiched between ceramic layers having relatively low porosity.
In this positive characteristic thermistor device, the ceramic layer having relatively high porosity is sandwiched between the ceramic layer having relatively low porosity. Therefore, when a high overvoltage is applied to the device or a high overcurrent flows through the device, the heat generated in the ceramic layer of higher porosity (having higher resistance) is higher than the heat generated in the ceramic layers of lower porosity (having lower resistance). This results in a difference in the degree of thermal expansion between the ceramic layer of higher porosity and the ceramic layers of lower porosity. As a result, thermal stress develops in these regions, which causes delamination (that is, breakage) of the positive characteristic thermistor device near the ceramic layer of higher porosity.
Further, since the ceramic layer of higher porosity is lower in strength, it is more prone to delamination when an overvoltage is applied thereto or an overcurrent flows therethrough. This allows the positive characteristic thermistor to reliably enter a non-conductive state to eliminate the possibility of insufficient breakage when an overvoltage is applied to or an overcurrent flows through the positive characteristic thermistor device.
A positive characteristic thermistor device according to a second aspect of the invention includes a device main body made of a semiconductor ceramic material which has a region having porosity higher than that of neighboring regions.
In the positive characteristic thermistor device according to the second aspect of the invention including a region having porosity higher than that of its neighboring regions, when a high overvoltage is applied to or a high overcurrent flows through the positive characteristic thermistor device, a disproportionate amount of heat is generated in the region of higher porosity. Consequently, thermal stress develops between the high porosity region and the neighboring regions. This causes delamination in the positive characteristic thermistor device. Further, the region having higher porosity (which is surrounded by the neighboring regions of lower porosity) radiates heat poorly, which promotes the development of thermal stress and consequently delamination of the positive characteristic thermistor device. Moreover, the region having higher porosity is lower in strength, which further promotes delamination. Thus, the positive characteristic thermistor device according to the second aspect of the invention can also reliably enter a non-conductive state when an overvoltage is applied thereto or an overcurrent flows therethrough to eliminate the possibility of insufficient breakage.
A positive characteristic thermistor device according to a third aspect of the invention includes a device main body made of a semiconductor ceramic material having porosity continuously varying from a surface region thereof toward an inner region thereof. Further, the device main body includes a region having relatively high porosity in which the varying porosity exhibits a maximum value.
The positive characteristic thermistor device according to the third aspect of the invention including a region having a maximum porosity also provides delamination in the region of the maximum porosity due to thermal stress caused by generation of heat in the ceramic layer having the maximum porosity when a high overvoltage is applied thereto or a high overcurrent flows therethrough. Moreover, the region having higher porosity is lower in strength, which further promotes delamination. Thus, the positive characteristic thermistor device according to the third aspect of the invention can also reliably enter a non-conductive state when an overvoltage is applied thereto or an overcurrent flows therethrough to eliminate the possibility of insufficient breakage. The porosity can vary in any of one-dimensional (laminar), two-dimensional and three-dimensional modes.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a positive characteristic thermistor device in accordance with any of the first, second and third aspects, characterized in that the porosity is at a maximum in a portion substantially in the center of the device main body. Providing a maximum porosity in the center of the main body can be achieved by providing a central portion of the device main body having a ceramic layer with relatively high porosity, by providing a region having porosity higher than that of its neighboring regions, or providing a region in which the porosity exhibits a maximum value. Since heat generated in these high porosity regions is difficult to release, thermal stress between these regions and the neighboring regions (e.g. regions on both sides of the high porosity region) is further promoted. This phenomenon more reliably induces delamination of the positive characteristic thermistor upon the application of an overvoltage or overcurrent thereto.

Positive characteristic thermistor device


A path setting method enabling utilization of request information from a user in a communication network having a path of a higher layer and a path of a lower layer formed in a hierarchy and performing communication between one communication apparatus and another communication apparatus for which a path is set by repeating through another communication apparatus. This method has a step of judging a possibility of reaching the destination communication apparatus in the higher layer, judged in the communication apparatus existing in the middle of the path, a step of transmitting a lower layer path setting request message obtained by further adding route designating information and bandwidth information in a higher layer path setting request message when it is judged there is no possibility of reaching the apparatus, and a step of notifying the transmitted lower layer path setting request message to each communication apparatus on the route reaching the destination communication apparatus.

In recent years, communication networks utilizing multi protocol label switching (mpls) have been rapidly spreading is use. This MPLS first requests a label for each path until the destination communication apparatus to which a packet is to be transmitted is reached, determines an allocated label in response to the request, and realizes the communication with the above described destination communication apparatus according to routing based on the label.
Further, recent there has been a tendency to extend the MPLS to not only the packet layer, but also layers other than the packet layer to realize the above described communication. For this purpose, a communication network enabling application of the signaling techniques in the already existing MPLS to not only the original packet layer, but also layers other than the packet layer, for example, the wavelength layer (or time slot layer etc.) as it is has been proposed. Note that the prior art mentioned here will be explained in detail later by referring to FIG. 25 to FIG. 34.
Note that as known art related to the present invention, there are the following Patent DocuMENT1 to 3.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-271373
Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-84228
Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-358771
However, none of these known art suggests the technical idea of the present invention.
When looking at the above Patent Document 1, the plane covered by the Present Document 1 is completely different from the plane covered by the present invention. Namely, a MPLS network can be logically considered divided into a forwarding plane for actually forwarding data packets and a control plane for setting or controlling a label switching path (LSP). Between them, the Present Document 1 relates to the forwarding plane, particularly its input end. Contrary to this, the present invention relates to the control plane, so the two are completely different.
Next, when looking at the above Patent Document 2, the Present Document 2 relates to art utilizing a coding space that combines a wavelength axis and a time axis called an optical code″ in order to provide a larger space as the space of an identifier for a burst in a network performing optical bust switching. Contrary to this, the present invention relates to the setting of a path and the routing of information, therefore, so the two are fundamentally different in this point.
Further, when looking at the above Patent Document 3, the Present Document 3 relates to a method of mapping an input data program to a connection having a variety of qualities of communication. Contrary to this, the present invention relates to a method for setting a connection, that is, signaling, and calculation of a route, that is, routing, therefore the two are completely different.
In the prior art explained in detail later by referring to FIG. 25 to FIG. 34, there are two problems that will be similarly explained in detail later.
The first problem is that information concerning a request from an operator or a user sometimes cannot be utilized when calculating the route of a path.
For this reason, the route of a path of the wavelength layer suitable for accommodating the path of the packet layer, for example, the route of a path of the wavelength layer able to keep the number of wavelengths which newly become necessary to the minimum cannot be selected.
The second problem is that a path setting request message and a path setting acknowledgement message responding to this must be transferred a plurality of times between the communication apparatuses in order to set paths of a plurality of layers, for example, the packet layer and the wavelength layer.
For this reason, the "procedure for path setting" in each communication apparatus becomes complex.

Path setting method and communication apparatus in communication network performing communications through a plurality of layers


An image projector apparatus includes a cooler having a variable capability to cool a light source, a commanding section which gives a command to terminate a lighting operation of the light source, a selecting section responsive to the command given by the projection light processor for selecting a cooling capability of the cooler, and a control section for causing the cooler to cool the light source with the cooling capability selected by the selecting section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image projectors and more particularly to such projector using especially a light source such as a high-pressure mercury lamp, and a method and program for controlling the operation of the projector.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image projector is proposed which cools its light source to a predetermined temperature after terminating an image projection event, as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application 2005-156750. This projector is constituted so as to increase the rotational speed of a cooling fan thereof automatically after terminating its image projection event, thereby cooling the lamp quickly in as short time as possible.
In an actual environment where the projector is set up, participants in the image projection event can hold a discussion or briefing about the projected image after the image projection event is terminated. If in such a case the projector is cooled quickly to move the projector away out of the environment, great noise would be produced, thereby hampering the discussion or briefing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image projector in which after terminating its image projection event the light source is cooled in a manner appropriate for the environment of the projector such that noise produced by the projector is reduced low enough not to hamper the discussion or briefing. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and program for controlling the cooling operation of the light source of the projector so as not to produce great noise after terminating its image projection event.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Image projector and method and program for controlling the operation of the projector


A combined window and vent unit which is vandal resistant yet is versatile in its ventilation and insulation capabilities. There is a freely movable window panel which is positioned in a rigid frame structure without the use of any hinge members yet can be retained therein in an intermediate ventilating position. The frame structure for the vent unit is easily assembled and the panel members and screening can be easily repaired.

This invention relates to a vent unit and more particularly to a simplified window and vent unit which can be used in various structures such as windows and walls.
There are readily available various types of assemblies which are employed to provide a venting of indoor rooms to the outside atmosphere. These assemblies involve numerous moving and connected parts such as hinged panel members which include articulated hinging structures. These multicomponent structures pose problems when they need to be repaired as is often the case because of vandalism. Neither do the prior venting assemblies provide the structural durability so that they can be placed in buildings where there is a high incidence of vandalism. Additionally, current vent structures because of their construction from metal do not afford desired insulation capabilities. They are also costly having been made with several components which need to be assembled in a precise manner.
The prior art does not provide a window and vent unit which is simple in construction yet can afford adjustment in ventilating capacity. Neither does the prior art provide a window and vent unit which has a high insulation value and is weather proof. The prior art is also deficient in affording a combined window and vent unit which can be manufactured from recycled materials.
It is an object of the invention to provide a combined window and vent unit which is simplified in its construction.
It is another object of this invention to provide a combined window and vent unit which is damage resistant and can be easily repaired.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a combined window and vent unit of the foregoing type which has a high insulation value and is watertight.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a combined window and vent unit of the foregoing type which can be manufactured from recycled materials.
It is an additional object of the invention to provide a window and vent unit which is adaptable to various ventilation requirements including the removal of a window panel.
It is yet an additional object of the invention to employ an inclined plane as a compression hinge for a window panel.
Other objects include a combined window and vent unit which has the versatility for use in a wall or glass block panels as well as can be fabricated with few parts and without special tooling.


A recording apparatus and method are disclosed for forming marks on a recording medium. The recording apparatus includes an arrangement having an adjustable light source for producing a beam of light having first and second portions, with the second portion for recording marks on the medium, and an arrangement responsive to the first portion of the light beam and including a front facet detector positioned to receive the first portion of the light beam directly from the light source for producing a front facet signal. The recording apparatus also includes an arrangement for detecting light from the second portion of the light beam which is reflected from the medium and for producing a mark formation signal, and circuitry responsive to the front facet signal and the mark formation signal for producing a mark formation effectiveness signal. The recording apparatus further includes an arrangement for storing a mark formation effectiveness reference signal and circuitry responsive to the mark formation effectiveness signal and the mark formation effectiveness reference signal for adjusting the power of the light source during recording so that the amount of power is adjusted to maintain optimum mark quality.

In optical data recording, an optical source, typically a laser or laser diode, generates an incident write signal in the form of a radiation beam. The beam is applied to an optical medium to record data thereon as optically-detectable marks. The quality of recorded data in many optical recording systems is generally very sensitive to laser write power.
A commonly used technique for determining an initial optimum laser write power involves allocating a section of the recording media for power calibration measurements. Several recordings are made in the calibration section using a range of laser powers. The calibration recordings are read back, and the write power level which produced the best recording quality is selected as optimum. A measure of recorded data quality commonly used in compact disk (CD) recording is referred to as Beta, or simply .beta.. .beta. is defined in the Orange Book attachment B3.3. "Orange Book" is a licensed specification published by Philips Corporation and Sony Corporation which defines key properties of recordable compact disk (CD-R) media and recording procedures. .beta. measures recorded mark length error by comparing positive and negative peaks of an AC-coupled readback waveform. Because the CD format uses a DC free data encoding scheme, when the marks have the proper length, .beta. equals its target value (usually near zero). When the mark length increases, due to, for example, a recording power that is too high, .beta. is more positive than its target value. Likewise, when the mark length decreases, .beta. is more negative than its target value. The Optimum Recording Power (ORP) is the power which results in the target .beta. value and is then used to record actual data in the program or user area of the media.
In most recording systems, however, recording power may need to be adjusted during recording because ORP varies as various system parameters fluctuate, for example, with media sensitivity, defocus, tilt, substrate thickness, birefringence, scratches, and contamination on the laser-incident substrate surface. One technique for continuously maintaining the ORP involves monitoring a reflection of the write signal from the medium, known as the Mark Formation (MF) signal, while data is being recorded. Systems which monitor the MF signal are generally referred to as Direct Read During Write (DRDW) systems. The MF signal is also used to avoid the need to subsequently read the data after recording by analyzing the MF signal to determine whether or not a mark has been properly formed, or, in other words, whether the data has been properly recorded on the medium.
FIG. 1 shows an MF signal for a typical prior art "burn bright" optical recording medium, in which a mark is an area of increased reflectivity, and a front facet (FF) signal from one laser write pulse of duration 8 Tclock. The FF signal is produced by a detector placed in front of the laser, also known as a front facet monitor (FFM), and can be used to monitor laser power. Tclock is the channel clock period. For CD-R format, for example, the minimum mark length is 3 channel clock periods, or 3 Tclock.
As shown in FIG. 1, the MF signal varies with time, t, and has a rate of change resulting from a change in reflectivity of the optical medium as the mark is formed thereon. For t<0, the MF signal is the reflected intensity of the unmarked medium at the read laser power. Increasing the laser power to a writing level at t=0 in order to form a mark results in an increase in the MF signal. During the write pulse, the MF signal continues to gradually increase. The maximum steady state signal attained is referred to as a "plateau." Subsequent to the high power laser write pulse, at t=8 Tclock, the laser reverts to read power. The MF signal decreases to above that of the unrecorded medium because of the finite extent of the optical spot, which samples both the unwritten and written portions of the medium. At t>8 Tclock, the MF signal gradually settles back to its original value at t<0. For burn bright media, the difference between the initial level of the MF signal at the start of the laser write pulse and the final plateau level at the end of the laser write pulse is relatively low. Because of its small amplitude, the MF signal is easily distorted by fluctuations in the laser write power level during mark formation.
Certain characteristics of the MF signal, including, for example, the voltage levels before and during the steady state plateau portion of the MF signal during a write pulse, as well as any estimates or transformations thereof, can be used to determine whether the laser write power level needs to be adjusted. These MF signal characteristics are generally referred to as Mark Formation Effectiveness (MFE) signals. During calibration, an optimum value of an MFE signal can be determined and stored. A servo loop can then be used during actual data recording to adjust the laser write power when the MFE signal deviates from the optimum, or previously stored reference, MFE signal value. The optimum MFE signal, for example, might be the value during recording which results in the target .beta. value. A technique to servo the laser write power on optical recording media during recording is disclosed, for example, in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,880, entitled "Laser Power Control In An Optical Recording System Using Partial Correction of Reflected Signal Error," and in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,716, entitled "Laser Power Control In An Optical Recording System to Compensate For Multiple System Degradations," the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Apparatus for generating an MFE signal to verify data as it is recording on an optical medium is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,466, entitled "Write Verification In An Optical Recording System By Sensing Mark Formation While Writing DRDW with Recordable Compact Disk," the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The MFE signal generated in U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,466 estimates a normalized rate of change of the reflected write pulse as a mark is being formed to provide an indication of the quality of mark formation on the optical medium. A technique to generate an MFE signal to control laser write power during recording is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,660, entitled "Method of Optimally Controlling the Power of a Recording Laser Beam," assigned to Sony Corporation.
These techniques are especially useful for "burn dark" optical recording media, such as recordable compact disks (CD-R's), in which a mark is an area of reduced reflectivity. The media reflectivity declines from a high reflectivity value to a low reflectivity value during the course of a write pulse. In other words, with burn dark media, the difference between the initial peak of the MF signal at the start of the laser write pulse and the final plateau level during mark formation is high. Thus, MF signals for typical burn dark media may be less affected by fluctuations in laser write power during mark formation. However, MF signals for burn bright media can be affected to a much larger degree by fluctuations of laser power during mark formation. As a result, the MFE signals generated using prior art techniques are much more susceptible to error.

Direct read during mark formation for laser power correction


According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided gate driving circuit comprising 2N stages of shift registers, the 2N stages of shift registers comprising N first shift registers arranged alternately with N second shift registers, wherein the N first shift registers are cascaded-coupled as N stages of first shift registers, and are configured to generate N first output signals under control of K first clock signals; and wherein the N second shift registers are cascaded-coupled as N stages of second shift registers, and are configured to generate N second output signals under a control of K second clock signals, wherein K and N are both integers greater than 1, and K≤N.

In the display technology, a gate driver on array (GOA) technology is usually used to realize a gate driving circuit. In the GOA technology, the gate driving circuit is provided on an array substrate, which may drive gates of each pixel in a pixel area without additionally binding a gate driving chip. Generally, each shift register in the gate driving circuit is cascaded-coupled. In this way, each shift register generates a gate driving signal that shifts sequentially, so as to turn on sub-pixels in the pixel area row by row. However, a structure of a traditional gate driving circuit leads to limitations in a display.

Gate driving circuit and driving method thereof and display panel

BEIJING BOE DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


An image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member, a charging device, an exposure device, a development device, a transfer device, a first driving device, a voltage application device, and a controller. The first driving device rotatably drives one of the photosensitive member and a combination of the photosensitive member and an intermediate transfer member. The voltage application device supplies a respective predetermined voltage to the charging device, the development device, and the transfer device. The controller controls the first driving device and the voltage application device. When the photosensitive member is stopped, both illumination from the exposure device and the transfer electrical field electrically discharge the surface of the photosensitive member.

1. Technical Field
Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to an image forming apparatus, such as a copier, a facsimile machine, a printer, or a plotter, and more particularly, to an image forming apparatus including a photosensitive member on which an electrophotographic process is performed to form an image on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a known electrophotographic image forming apparatus, first, a document reader reads a document image, and subsequently, an electrostatic latent image bearing member of an image forming section is illuminated with light in accordance with the document image. Furthermore, the electrostatic latent image is developed with toner, thereby forming a visible image, known as a toner image. The toner image is transferred onto various kinds of recording media such as paper delivered from a sheet supply section. The transferred toner image is fixed on a recording medium and discharged onto an output section of the image forming apparatus.
The image forming section of the image forming apparatus employs an electrophotographic method using a negative-charge toner, a negative-charge photosensitive member, and an intermediate transfer member.
In such an image forming section of the image forming apparatus, when initializing operations such as a printing operation, a development section is supplied with a voltage (positive voltage) opposite that of the original voltage in order to prevent formation of a magnetic brush which is a cluster of developer formed in a form of brush until the charged portion (negative charge) of the photosensitive member arrives at the development section. After the charged portion of the photosensitive member arrives at the development section, generally, the development section is supplied with the original voltage (negative voltage).
In order to keep the surface potential of the photosensitive member around zero (0) V until the charged portion of the photosensitive member arrives at the development section, generally, the surface potential of the photosensitive member is electrically discharged in advance before stopping driving of the printing operation or the like. Thus, if the surface potential (negative) of the photosensitive member is relatively high at start of driving, the difference in the potential (development potential) between the photosensitive member and the development is significant at start of driving (development section, positive), worsening contamination of a non-image formation area also known as background fogging of the photosensitive member and hence causing unnecessary consumption of developing agent.
In order to reduce the size of the apparatus, it is necessary to reduce the width of an image forming unit as much as possible, and it is known that reducing the width of an exposure device such as a light emitting diode (LED) and a laser diode (LD) shorter than the width of the photosensitive member can reduce the width of the image forming unit. If the exposure width of the LED and LD serving also as a charge remover that electrically discharges the photosensitive member is narrower than the width of the photosensitive member, the edge of the photosensitive member is not electrically discharged. That is, the surface potential of the photosensitive member remains negatively charged. As a result, the potential difference (development potential) between the photosensitive member and the development is significant, worsening the background fogging or contamination of the non-image formation area of the photosensitive drum and hence causing unnecessary consumption of developing agent.
Consequently, the developing agent developed on the photosensitive member adheres to a secondary transfer roller via the intermediate transfer member, contaminating the back surface of the recording medium during the image forming operation on the recording medium. In order to avoid such difficulty, the width of the LED and the LD serving as the charge remover may have a width equal to or greater than the width of the photosensitive member. However, this configuration increases the cost and the space.
JP-3457083-B2 (JP-H08-234646-A) proposes ways in which the charge remover for the photosensitive member is controlled to suppress adherence of the developing agent onto a boundary between the non-exposure portion and the exposed portion (discharged portion) of the photosensitive member. The charge remover maintains an area in which a potential distribution changes gradually between the last discharge potential and a uniform charge potential. When the area enters a development process, a development bias is turned off.
JP-2013-218029-A proposes reducing the intensity of the transfer electrical field less than that during image transfer, when a non-charged surface of the photosensitive member (or a discharged surface) passes by the transfer position, thereby preventing unnecessary charging of the surface of the photosensitive member.
In JP-3457083-B2 (JP-H08-234646-A), adherence of developing agent to the photosensitive member is suppressed by preventing the potential difference from changing sharply at the boundary between the non-exposure portion and the exposed portion (discharged portion) of the photosensitive member when stopping driving of the photosensitive member.
In this configuration, adherence of the developing agent may be suppressed by discharging the photosensitive member when the photosensitive member is stopped. However, the size and the cost are still not reduced because the charge remover is disposed downstream from a primary transfer side of the photosensitive member.
In JP-2013-218029-A, when the non-charged surface of the photosensitive member faces transfer position, the intensity of the transfer electrical field is reduced less than that during image transfer. In other words, JP-2013-218029-A does not propose discharging the photosensitive member by intensifying the transfer electrical field of the transfer section.
In view of the above, there is demand for a charge removing mechanism to prevent contamination of the photosensitive member at a position outside the exposure portion with a width corresponding to the LED width while reducing the size and the cost.


The invention relates to a method for transferring messages between communication terminals, including a control computer controlling message transfer which transfers a token to a first communication terminal and grants the first communication terminal authorization to transmit a message, and transfers a reservation message to a charging system, which asks the charging system to reserve resources for charging for the transfer of the message. After receiving the token, the first communication terminal starts to transmit the message, which is addressed to a second communication terminal, and portions of the message which have been transmitted by the first communication terminal are transferred to the control computer and are buffer-stored therein, and after receiving a reservation confirmation message transferred to the control computer by the charging system upon successful reservation the control computer transfers the message to the second communication terminal.

Methods for transferring messages between communication terminals in telecommunication networks in which the communication terminals involved cannot send these messages at arbitrary times are known generally. Instead, the communication terminals obtain authorization to send such a message at particular times. This is the case, by way of example, when transferring messages between communication terminals in the form of mobile radios ("walkie talkies"). This is-because such a radio is not able to send a (voice) message to a second communication terminal at arbitrary times. Instead, the radio is not granted authorization to send the voice message until after a special talk key has been pressed. Only then does the communication terminal transfer a message (e.g. a voice message from a user of the communication terminal) to the destination communication terminal. During this transfer of the message from the sender radio to the destination radio, the destination radio is not able to send a message to the sender radio. In addition, charging systems in telecommunication networks are known generally which can be used to invoice the relevant communication terminals or the users of the communication terminals for the transfer of messages.

Method for transferring messages between communication terminals


A video processing method includes: an i-th block of a target frame partitioned into a plurality of blocks is received; at least one of a spatial attribute parameter and a temporal attribute parameter of an i-th block of the target frame is determined; and at least one of a delta quantization parameter and a modified Lagrange multiplier is determined according to at least one of the spatial attribute parameter and the temporal attribute parameter, for encoding the i-th block of the target frame.

Video systems have been developed to transmit video data over networks. To meet transmission requirements such as bandwidth limitation, video data need to be compressed before the transmission.
Various video encoding techniques such as those described in the standards of H.264, H.265/HEVC or other existing video codec standards have been proposed to make the transmission of video data more efficiently. As seen, improving the performance and efficiency of video encoding techniques is an important issue in this field.


A plasma display apparatus and manufacturing method. The plasma display apparatus includes a front substrate and a rear substrate. The rear substrate is formed of a metallic substance in which a plurality of grooves are formed on a surface facing the front substrate. An oxidation layer covers at least the surface facing the front substrate. A plurality of barrier ribs are located between the front and rear substrates and define a plurality of discharge cells corresponding to the grooves of the rear substrate. A plurality of discharge electrodes are located in the barrier ribs, surround at least portions of the discharge cells, and are separated from one another. A plurality of fluorescent substances are located in the grooves of the rear substrate. A discharge gas is filled in the discharge cells.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasma display apparatus which displays images using a gas discharge and a manufacturing method of the same, and more particularly, to a thin plasma display apparatus and its method of manufacturing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat panel display apparatuses such as plasma display apparatuses have large screens with superior characteristics in terms of high-definition, thin size, light weight, and a wide viewing angle. Also, plasma display apparatuses can be manufactured to have large-scale screens more easily in comparison with other flat-panel display apparatuses and thereby are regarded as large-scale flat-panel display apparatuses of the next generation.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional plasma display apparatus. The conventional plasma display apparatus includes a plasma display panel 30, which displays images using a gas discharge, and a plurality of driving circuit units 60, which drive the plasma display panel 30 through controlling signals. The plasma display panel 30 includes front and rear glass substrates 10, 20, a plurality of discharge cells (not shown) located between the front and rear glass substrates 10, 20 in which discharge is generated, and a plurality of discharge electrodes (not shown) which cross over one another at the discharge cells and cause the discharge to be generated in the discharge cells. The driving circuit units 60 include a plurality of circuit boards in which a plurality of driving integrated circuits (ICs) and a plurality of circuit elements are mounted in order to apply a driving signal to the discharge electrodes. The plasma display panel 30 and the driving circuit units 60 are mounted on and supported by a chassis base 50. Particularly, the front surface of the chassis base 50 supports the plasma display panel 30 and the rear surface of the chassis base 50 supports the driving circuit units 60.
The chassis base 50 having a supporting structure protects the plasma display panel 30, which is conventionally composed of a glass material, from external impact, and provides a surface on which the driving circuit units 60 can be mounted. The chassis base 50 is composed of an aluminum material having superior thermal conductivity and, thereby, rapidly spreads discharge heat generated by the plasma display panel 30 throughout its surface and dissipates the driving heat generated by a plurality of heat generating elements of the driving circuit units 60. Two-sided tapes 45, which provide adhesive means, and a heat-dissipation sheet 40, which facilitates conduction of heat, are included between the plasma display panel 30 and the chassis base 50.
The rear glass substrate 20 and the chassis base 50 are composed of different materials. The rear glass substrate 20 is composed of a glass material in order to provide an insulated discharge environment and the chassis base 50 is composed of an aluminum material, which has superior thermal conductivity for heat dissipation and is also appropriate for grounding. However, the conventional plasma display apparatus as described above requires components such as the two-sided tapes 45 and the heat-dissipation sheet 40 to combine the rear glass substrate 20 and the chassis base 50 structurally and thermally. Further, processes are required to press the rear glass substrate 20 and the chassis base 50 together to combine the two parts.

Plasma display apparatus and manufacturing method of the same


A database system carries out a technique for use in delivering data of a user-defined type to a requesting system. The system first receives a request from the requesting system for data of the user-defined type. The system then identifies a storage location for the requested data, as well as a storage location for program code designed to allow manipulation of the requested data on the requesting system. The system then retrieves both the requested data and the program code from their respective storage locations and delivers both the requested data and the program code to the requesting system.

As rapid advancements in technology have brought about dramatic changes in the distribution of information in recent years, the managers of commercial data repositories have seen rapid increases in the amounts and types of information that they are asked to store. The growing popularity of multimedia information, for example—including items such as photographic images, video and audio clips, and animation clips—has forced the manufacturers and owners of data repositories to overhaul the ways in which they manage the information they keep. Relational database systems, which have traditionally been used to manage only information that is easily divided into a row-and-column format, now must handle more complex data types that do not conform readily to relational data structures.
Manufacturers of relational database systems have for years attempted to accommodate these more complex data types by treating them as "objects," or large groups of data that each can be stored and treated as a single entity. Quite often, a database system stores separately in its relational structure the data that makes up an object—such as a binary bitmap that forms a photographic image—and a set of descriptive data, or "metadata," that describes the object.
In general, however, the database system does not allow for easy manipulation of object data on the client side. For example, the vast majority of database systems do not support object-oriented design of user-defined data types (UDTs) on client systems in traditional database-query languages, such as the Structured Query Language (SQL), instead requiring more time-consuming coding through programming languages such as C++. Even the most sophisticated of relational database systems present object data, including UDTs, to the client in ways that severely limit the manner and environment in which the client can use that data. These limitations include an inability to move object data among non-compatible hardware platforms and a lack of support for multiple versions of a UDT. Database systems also do not allow the execution of methods on UDTs on the client side. Client systems that modify the data of a UDT cannot return the modified data to the database system.

Storing and delivering program code for manipulation of a user-defined data type


A dual-polarized radiating element for a base station antenna includes a first dipole that extends along a first axis, the first dipole including a first dipole arm and a second dipole arm and a second dipole that extends along a second axis, the second dipole including a third dipole arm and a fourth dipole arm and the second axis being generally perpendicular to the first axis, where each of the first through fourth dipole arms has first and second spaced-apart conductive segments that together form a generally oval shape.

The present invention generally relates to radio communications and, more particularly, to base station antennas for cellular communications systems.
Cellular communications systems are well known in the art. In a cellular communications system, a geographic area is divided into a series of regions that are referred to as "cells" which are served by respective base stations. The base station may include one or more base station antennas that are configured to provide two-way radio frequency ("RF") communications with mobile subscribers that are within the cell served by the base station. In many cases, each base station is divided into "sectors." In perhaps the most common configuration, a hexagonally shaped cell is divided into three 120° sectors, and each sector is served by one or more base station antennas that have an azimuth Half Power Beamwidth (HPBW) of approximately 65°. Typically, the base station antennas are mounted on a tower or other raised structure, with the radiation patterns (also referred to herein as "antenna beams") that are generated by the base station antennas directed outwardly. Base station antennas are often implemented as linear or planar phased arrays of radiating elements.
In order to accommodate the ever-increasing volume of cellular communications, cellular operators have added cellular service in a variety of new frequency bands. While in some cases it is possible to use linear arrays of so-called "wide-band" or "ultra wide-band" radiating elements to provide service in multiple frequency bands, in other cases it is necessary to use different linear arrays (or planar arrays) of radiating elements to support service in the different frequency bands. In the early years of cellular communications, each linear array was typically implemented as a separate base station antenna.
As the number of frequency bands has proliferated, and increased sectorization has become more common (e.g., dividing a cell into six, nine or even twelve sectors), the number of base station antennas deployed at a typical base station has increased significantly. However, due to, for example, local zoning ordinances and/or weight and wind loading constraints for the antenna towers, there is often a limit as to the number of base station antennas that can be deployed at a given base station. In order to increase capacity without further increasing the number of base station antennas, so-called multi-hand base station antennas have been introduced in recent years in which multiple linear arrays of radiating elements are included in a single antenna. One very common multi-band base station antenna design is the RVV antenna, which includes one linear array of "low-band" radiating elements that are used to provide service in some or all of the 694-960 MHz frequency band (which is often referred to as the "R-band") and two linear arrays of "high-band" radiating elements that are used to provide service in some or all of the 1695-2690 MHz frequency band (which is often referred to as the "V-band"). These linear arrays are mounted in side-by-side fashion.
There is also significant interest in RRVV base station antennas, which refer to base station antennas having two linear arrays of low-hand radiating elements and two (or four) linear arrays of high-band radiating elements. RRVV antennas are used in a variety of applications including 4×4 multi-input-multi-output ("MIMO") applications or as multi-band antennas having two different low-bands (e.g., a 700 MHz low-band linear array and an 800 MHz low-band linear array) and two different high bands (e.g., an 1800 MHz high-band linear array and a 2100 MHz high-band linear array). RRVV antennas, however, are challenging to implement in a commercially acceptable manner because achieving a 65° azimuth HPBW antenna beam in the low-band typically requires low-band radiating elements that are at least 200 mm wide. When two low-band arrays are placed side-by-side, with high-band linear arrays arranged therebetween, this results in a base station antenna having a width of perhaps 600-760 mm. Such a large antenna may have very high wind loading, may be very heavy, and/or may be expensive to manufacture. Operators would prefer RRVV base station antennas having widths in the 300-380 mm range which is a typical width for state-of-the-art base station antennas.

Multi-band base station antennas having crossed-dipole radiating elements with generally oval or rectangularly shaped dipole arms and/or common mode resonance reduction filters


A method for fabricating an electronic component embedded substrate including an electronic component that is embedded within a buildup layer is disclosed. The method includes a first buildup layer lamination step of laminating plural first buildup layers on a core substrate such that the total thickness of the first buildup layers corresponds to the thickness of the electronic component; a cavity formation step of forming a cavity for accommodating the electronic component at the laminated first buildup layers; an accommodating step of accommodating the electronic component within the cavity; and a second buildup layer lamination step of laminating a second buildup layer on the first buildup layers and the electronic component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fabricating an electronic component embedded substrate that includes an electronic component embedded within a multilayered circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years and continuing, the operating frequency of semiconductor elements mounted on semiconductor devices is rising, and in turn, measures are being demanded for stabilizing the source voltage supplied to the semiconductor element. In response to such a demand, an electronic component embedded substrate has been proposed that includes an electronic component (e.g., capacitor element) that is embedded within a semiconductor device substrate on which a semiconductor element is mounted.
Also, with the high densification of the semiconductor element, the pitch at which electrode pads are formed at the semiconductor element is becoming narrower. In turn, it is becoming difficult to form a wiring pattern with a sufficiently narrow pitch, corresponding to the pitch of electrode pads formed at the semiconductor element, on a conventional printed circuit board. Therefore, use of the conventional printed circuit board as a substrate for mounting a semiconductor element is becoming less suitable.
Accordingly, in recent years and continuing, a multilayered substrate that is referred to as a buildup printed circuit board is being used that includes a printed circuit board as a core layer and buildup layers and wiring layers laminated on each side of the core layer using the buildup method where the wiring layers are interconnected by vias. In the following descriptions, a layer formed using the buildup method and having wiring formed thereon is referred to as a buildup layer.
Conventionally, in the case of embedding an electronic component (e.g., capacitor element) in such type of multilayered circuit board, an electronic component is embedded within one single buildup layer (referred to as element embedded buildup layer) of the plural buildup layers included in the multilayered circuit board as is described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-197809, for example.
Specifically, in a process according to the buildup method, after the element embedded buildup layer is formed, a cavity is formed thereon for accommodating a chip component (electronic component), and the electronic component is embedded in this cavity. Then, a buildup layer and a wiring layer are laminated on top of the element embedded buildup layer using the buildup method, and vias are formed at the layers. Also, terminals of the electronic component provided within the element embedded buildup layer and the wiring layer of the multilayered circuit board are arranged to be electrically connected by the vias.
As is described above, in the conventional electronic component embedded substrate, an electronic component is embedded in one buildup layer (element embedded buildup layer) of the laminated buildup layers. However, in an arrangement where an electronic component is provided within the element embedded buildup layer corresponding to one single buildup layer, the thickness of the electronic component is restricted by the film thickness of the element embedded buildup layer; that is, the electronic component has to be made thinner than the element embedded buildup layer.
Normally, buildup layers that are laminated using the buildup method have a film thickness of around 50 μm, and thereby, the thickness of the electronic component can be no more than 50 μm. However, it is quite difficult to fabricate an electronic component having a thickness of 50 μm or less, and the cost of such an electronic component is quite high. Also, there are obstacles with respect to improving the production yield for fabricating such an electronic component.

Method for fabricating an electronic component embedded substrate


A method of authenticating a Web client to a Web server connectable to a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment. The distributed computing environment includes a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system. In response to receipt by the Web server of a user id and password from the Web client, a login protocol is executed with the security service. If the user can be authenticated, a credential is stored in a database of credentials associated with authenticated users. The Web server then returns to the Web client a persistent client state object having a unique identifier therein. This object, sometimes referred to as a cookie, is then used to enable the Web client to browse Web documents in the distributed file system. In particular, when the Web client desires to make a subsequest request to the distributed file system, the persistent client state object including the identifier is used in lieu of the user's id and password, which makes the session much more secure. In this operation, the cookie identifier is used as a pointer into the credential storage table, and the credential is then retrieved and used to facilitate multiple file accessess from the distributed file system. At the same time, the Web client may obtain access to Web server (as opposed to distributed file system) documents via conventional user id and password in an HTTP request.

The World Wide Web of the Internet is the most successful distributed application in the history of computing. In the Web environment, client machines effect transactions to Web servers use the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), which is a known application protocol providing users access to files (e.g., text, graphics, images, sound, video, etc.) using a standard page description language known as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). HTML provides basic document formatting and allows the developer to specify "links" to other servers and files. In the Internet paradigm, a network path to a server is identified by a so-called Uniform Resource Locator (URL) having a special syntax for defining a network connection. Use of an HTML-compatible browser (e.g., Netscape Navigator) at a client machine involves specification of a link via the URL. In response, the client makes a request to the server identified in the link and receives in return a document formatted according to HTML.
Many organizations use multiple computers interconnected into a distributed computing environment in which users access distributed resources and process applications. A known distributed computing environment, called DCE, has been implemented using software available from the Open Systems Foundation (OSF). As DCE environments become the enterprise solution of choice, many applications may be utilized to provide distributed services such as data sharing, printing services and database access. OSF DCE includes a distributed file system, called Distributed File Services (DFS), for use in these environments.
DFS provides many advantages over a standalone file server, such as higher availability of data and resources, the ability to share information throughout a very large-scale system, and protection of information by the robust DCE security mechanism. In particular, DFS makes files highly available through replication, making it possible to access a copy of a file if one of the machines where the file is located goes down. DFS also brings together all of the files stored in various file systems in a global namespace. Multiple servers can export their file system to this namespace. All DFS users, in the meantime, share this namespace, making all DFS files readily available from any DFS client machine.
It would be highly desirable to extend the functionality of existing standalone Web servers in the enterprise environment to take advantage of the scalability, file availability and security features of DFS (or other similar distributed file systems). As a by-product, users with an off-the-shelf browser would be able to easily access the Web information stored in the DFS namespace with no additional software on the client machine. Before this goal can be achieved, however, it is necessary to integratethe security mechanism provided by the Web Server with conventional DFS security. One of the alternatives is to use the Basic Authentication scheme (provided by the Web server) to obtain the userid and password for each HTTP request. However, using the known basic authentication scheme in the context of DFS has several problesm.
In particular, user ids and passwords are passed on every request. Thus, they are more likely to be attacked by intruders even if passwords are protected by some encryption mechanism (for example, SSL). Secondly, it is difficult for the DFS and Web server security mechanisms to coexist. The browsers will memorize the userid and password sent to a specific server and the id and password will be attached to every HTTP request sent to that server. If a mechanism is provided for having the Web server access the distributed file system, the Web server will maintain both the documents stored on the server local directory (protected by Web server security) and DFS (protected by DFS security). From the browser's perspective, the Web server is a single server and will only remember one pair of userid and password for the Web server. If a user is browsing both DFS documents and Web server documents, he or she will be prompted for userid and password every time there is a switch from DFS document to Web server document, and vice versa. Finally, only limited error information can be returned to the user when DFS authentication fails.
These problems make the known basic authentication scheme ill-suited for integrating Web server and DFS security mechanisms.
The present invention solves this problem.

Distributed file system web server user authentication with cookies

International Business Machines Corporation


A method in part enables a wheel slip control system that controls slip on a per axle basis to control slip on a per truck basis. The wheel slip control system issues on a per axle basis an axle reduction signal indicative of a percentage by which to reduce the braking force that would normally be applied to one wheel/axle combination on a truck of a rail vehicle. The method includes the step of converting the axle reduction signals issued on a per axle basis to a truck reduction priority signal indicative of a percentage by which to reduce the braking force on a per truck basis. For rail vehicles featuring dynamic braking equipment another step involves commanding the dynamic braking equipment to reduce the dynamic braking force being applied to the wheel/axle combinations of the truck in response to the percentage carried by the truck reduction priority signal. Still another step involves commanding the friction braking equipment to apply an appropriate amount of friction braking force to the wheel/axle combinations of the truck so as to resolve the slip experienced thereby. The appropriate amount of friction braking force represents the sum of the total braking force sought to be applied to the wheel/axle combinations of the truck less first a product of the total braking force and the percentage carried by the truck reduction priority signal and less second the dynamic braking force being applied to the wheel/axle combinations of the truck.

There are a variety of wheel slip control systems whose construction and operation are known in the rail transport industry. The objective of such systems is to vary the force that the brakes apply to the wheels of the rail vehicle during braking so that the wheels neither slide nor lockup as they travel on the top surface of the railway track. By adjusting the force with which the brakes apply so as to prevent or at least reduce slipping, a brake control system can more safely and efficiently decelerate and stop a rail vehicle in a shorter distance than would be possible without the use of a wheel slip control system.
Wheel slip control systems essentially control the interaction between the wheels and the tracks on which they ride. The top surface of the rails on which the tread of the wheels ride is typically called the running surface. The wheel treads adhere to the running surface of the rails essentially by means of friction. Under any given set of operating conditions, there exists between a wheel tread and the running surface on which it rides a particular level of frictional adhesion. It is this friction between tread and running surface which allows the wheel treads to have traction on the rails as the vehicle travels along the tracks. Should the braking force applied to the wheels exceed that which can be sustained by the maximum amount of frictional adhesion inherent to the particular wheel tread-running surface environment at issue, the treads will no longer completely grip and thus slip, and maybe even slide, on the running surface. It is such slipping and sliding that wheel slip control systems attempt to eliminate or at least reduce.
The typical wheel slip control system in the art today employs one or more microprocessors accompanied by a requisite number of memory storage devices, and may be embodied within the brake control system. These memory devices may, of course, be either separate from or actually embodied in the microprocessor(s) (hereinafter "microprocessor"). The microprocessor executes a specific set of instructions contained in programming code. The programming code, according to whose directions or logic the wheel slip control system operates, is stored in these memory devices. The microprocessor and associated memory devices are typically housed within a single package referred to as the wheel slip controller. It is this controller that controls various other parts of the wheel slip control system as explained hereinafter.
The memory storage devices may also be used to store numerous tables of parameters or a number of individual parameters or both. These parameters are constants, with variable values, each of which preselected to work in connection with the circumstances of its application. In other words, these parameters, whether individually or as part of a table, are generally "setup" or "tuned" to each individual application. As the microprocessor executes the instructions contained in the programming code, the programming code generally requires the microprocessor to retrieve one or more of the parameter values from memory to complete a particular task. Exactly which value in a parameter table the microprocessor retrieves depends on the conditions under which the vehicle is then operating. The parameters along with the programming code are required by the microprocessor to operate the system. The parameter values serve as referents for determining other variables in the process through which to control slipping of the wheels.
As is known in the rail transport industry, a passenger transit rail vehicle may feature friction braking equipment only or a combination of friction and dynamic braking equipment. The total braking effort sought to be applied by its brake control system is generally communicated via a brake command signal to the brake control equipment on the vehicle. A typical wheel slip control system basically affects how the brake control system formulates the brake command signal so that the signal accommodates whatever amount of reduction is necessary to resolve the slipping problem.
Passenger transit vehicles typically have two axles per truck. Regarding those vehicles that feature only friction braking, the two axles on the truck typically have friction brake control equipment in common. The friction braking effort sought to be applied is communicated via the brake command signal or its progeny to the modulation valve(s) of the friction brake control equipment. One modulation valve is typically connected to the brake cylinder(s) or brake cylinder supply line(s) on each truck or even each axle depending on how the vehicle is configured. The modulation valve can be manipulated to vary the friction braking force applied to the wheel/axle combination(s). The modulation valve can generally be commanded to assume any one of several positions. When commanded to a release position, for example, the valve vents pressure from the brake cylinders so as to release the brakes. When commanded to lap position, the valve holds constant whatever pressure is currently in the brake cylinders. When commanded to an apply position, the modulation valve supplies pressure to the brake cylinders so as to reapply the brakes.
Regarding those passenger transit vehicles that feature both friction and dynamic braking, each axle on a truck also typically has its own AC motor through which it may be propelled and dynamically braked. The dynamic braking effort sought to be applied is communicated to a propulsion brake controller of the dynamic braking equipment. The propulsion brake controller can be manipulated to vary the dynamic braking force that the AC motors apply to the axles. The propulsion brake controller typically has per truck control over the two AC motors on its truck.
Wheel slip control systems ideally prevent or at least reduce slipping by detecting nascent slipping and then correcting accordingly the force applied by the brakes to the wheels of the rail vehicle. Simply described, after the wheel slip is detected, the wheel slip control system corrects (i.e., temporarily reduces) the braking force applied to the slipping wheel until the rotational speed of the wheel and its associated axle again matches the speed of the rail vehicle. Once the rotational speed of the wheel/axle combination matches or perhaps briefly exceeds the speed of the rail vehicle, the wheel slip control system reapplies the braking force to the wheel. This process of detecting and correcting wheel slip occurs rapidly and generally continuously on most all of the wheel slip control systems in the art.
Rather than using the aforementioned modulation valve, a wheel slip control system may employ a separate wheel slip control valve that functions in conjunction with the brake equipment. Depending on how the equipment is configured on the vehicle, the slip control valve may be connected to the brake cylinder(s) or brake cylinder supply line(s) on a per axle, per truck or per vehicle basis. The slip control valve on most systems is usually a solenoid valve capable of being commanded to assume any one of several positions. When commanded by the wheel slip controller to a release position, for example, the slip control valve vents pressure from the brake cylinders so as to release the brakes. When commanded to lap position, the valve holds constant whatever pressure is currently in the brake cylinders. When commanded to an apply position, the slip control valve supplies pressure to the brake cylinders so as to reapply the brakes.
The operation of a slip control valve in one type of wheel slip control system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,920, entitled RATE POLARITY SHIFT WHEEL-SLIP CONTROL SYSTEM. This patent is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and incorporated by reference into this document. This particular system detects wheel slip by monitoring the rate at which each wheel/axle combination decelerates during braking. A rate determining circuit on each truck determines which wheel/axle combination on the truck exhibits the highest (most negative) rate of deceleration. When the rate of deceleration increases below a first predetermined (negative) threshold, the wheel slip controller commands the slip control valve to the release position thereby reducing the force applied by the brakes to the wheels of truck. This reduction in braking force allows the deceleration rate of the wheel/axle combination to change from being increasingly negative in value to decreasingly negative in value as the axle again approaches the speed of the vehicle. At this point, the rate of the wheel/axle combination, though still negative in value, is now moving positive in direction. The wheel/axle combination is thus accelerating so as to catch up to the speed of the vehicle. When the rate rises above a second predetermined (negative) threshold, the wheel slip controller commands the slip control valve to the lap position thereby maintaining whatever pressure is currently in the brake cylinders of the truck. Once the wheel/axle combination reaches the speed of the vehicle, its rate of change, though positive in value, is now again moving negative in direction because the vehicle has a negative acceleration due to the braking. When the speed of the axle matches that of the vehicle and its rate of change indeed moves in the negative direction, the wheel slip controller commands the slip control valve to the apply position thereby reapplying the brakes to the wheels of truck. Should wheel slip be detected again, the system will again correct it as noted above. It is through such detection and correction that the patented system continually address the problem of wheel slippage.
Many wheel slip control systems work in conjunction mostly with the friction brake control equipment, and merely remove dynamic braking until the wheel slipping problem has been corrected. For example, the slip control valve presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,920, supra, can be commanded to the release, lap and reapply positions accordingly so as to correct the wheel slip that occurs during friction braking. Dynamic braking on the truck, though, may be addressed only to the extent that the propulsion brake controller controlling the AC motors is prevented from electrically braking the axles on the truck while the wheel slip is being corrected. Rail vehicles configured in this manner essentially have their wheel slip control systems alternately apply and release rapidly the friction brakes so that the affected wheel/axle combination experiences an averaged, reduced braking force.
Many other wheel slip control systems correct wheel slip by affecting the operation of both the friction and dynamic braking equipment on the truck. An example of such a wheel slip control system appears in U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,212, entitled PROPORTIONAL POLARITY WHEEL SLIDE PROTECTION. This application is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and incorporated by reference into this document. This particular system allows the dynamic and friction brake systems to operate basically in harmony while wheel slip is being controlled. It incorporates into the overall brake control system so that the same modulation valve(s) used to modulate the braking force for normal vehicle braking will also be used to modulate the braking force during wheel slip control. Generally stated, this system enables the brake control system to derive a brake command signal through which the dynamic and friction brake equipment each reduce, proportionately, the braking force that each applies to the axles. It does this by taking into account data such as the speed and the acceleration/deceleration rate of the wheel/axle combinations, the severity of the wheel slip and the duration of the wheel slip. This system controls slip whether the vehicle is being decelerated using friction braking or a combination of dynamic and friction braking.
The wheel slip control system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,099, entitled ELECTRONIC ADHESION ADAPTIVE WHEEL SLIDE PROTECTION ARRANGEMENT FUNCTION, is another example of a wheel slip control system that affects the operation of both the friction braking and the dynamic braking equipment on a truck. This patent is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and incorporated by reference into this document. This particular system uses two detection circuits, a primary wheel slip detection circuit and a synchronous wheel slip detection circuit, each employing its own separate pattern recognition slip control logic. This system combines the separate slip control logic using a relatively complex scheme through which to correct slipping of the wheel/axle combination by modulating the force applied by the brakes to the affected wheel/axle combinations on the truck.
The wheel slip control system described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,099 employs detection and correction parameters through which it detects and subsequently corrects slipping of the wheel/axle combinations. Like in other wheel slip control systems in the art, the parameters used by this patented system are stored in memory devices either individually or in the form of tables or both. The detection and correction parameters are constants each of which generally preselected to work with the circumstances of the particular application for which it was intended.
There are many wheel slip control systems that employ such parameters according to principles known in the wheel slip control art. The detection parameters are used by the detection logic embodied in the programming code, whereas the correction parameters are used in the correction logic in the code. For example, as a microprocessor executes the instructions embodied in the programming code, the wheel slip controller monitors various input signals such as rotational speeds and the rates at which the wheel/axle combinations accelerate or decelerate. From these input signals and others, it may derive signals indicative of the vehicle speed, vehicle deceleration and other required information the nature of which depending on the particular wheel slip control system at issue. Based on such signals, the wheel slip controller retrieves the specific detection parameter(s) appropriate to the current operating conditions. Simply stated, the wheel slip controller uses the detection parameters in its detection logic when determining whether any of the wheel/axle combinations are actually experiencing slip. Once wheel slip is detected, the wheel slip controller retrieves the specific correction parameter(s) appropriate to the degree of slip experienced by the affected wheel/axle combination. It is these selected correction parameter(s) that the wheel slip controller uses in its correction logic so that the brake control system may derive a brake command signal through which to correct the slip, i.e., temporarily reduce the braking force applied to the slipping wheel until such slipping ceases or reduces to an acceptable level. The brake command signal or its progeny is sent to the brake control equipment or to the separate wheel slip control valve(s) to correct the slippage.
There are many different types of wheel slip control systems in use today in the rail transport industry and myriad ways in which to incorporate wheel slip control into a brake control system. The type of equipment that any given rail vehicle has and how that equipment may be configured varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and from application to application. For example, wheel slip control systems and brake control equipment have been devised that control braking force on a per axle, a per truck and even a per rail vehicle basis. One disadvantage known in the art is that due to so many equipment configurations there is little or no uniformity in the way in which braking force is controlled to reduce slipping of the wheel/axle combinations.
It is therefore desirable to introduce a measure of uniformity to the wheel slip control art to overcome this disadvantage. As explained in the detailed description section of this document, the present invention may be used to render existing wheel slip control systems capable of being used with brake control equipment whether such equipment is configured to control braking force on a per axle, per truck or per rail vehicle basis. The present invention may be used on rail vehicles whether they feature only friction braking equipment or a combination of friction and dynamic braking equipment. The present invention can achieve this advantage generally through modification of the logic embodied in the programming code executed by the wheel slip controllers/brake control systems on the market. The present invention may also, of course, be incorporated into newly devised systems.
There are other wheel slip control systems that, in whole or in part, relate to the present invention. One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,387, entitled METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR THE COMBINED DETECTION OF SPEED VARYING ENERGY LEVEL WHEEL SLIP DETECTION AND DETERMINATION OF WHEEL SLIP INTENSITY OF A RAILWAY VEHICLE BRAKE SYSTEM. Another system particularly relevant to the present invention is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,889, entitled SIMPLIFIED PATTERN RECOGNITION WHEEL SLIDE PROTECTION. These two inventions are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and are incorporated by reference into this document.
It should be noted that the foregoing background information is provided to assist the reader in understanding the present invention. Accordingly, any terms used herein are not intended to be limited to any particular narrow interpretation unless specifically stated otherwise in this document.

Universal wheel slip force control logic