A floor treatment apparatus is provided that includes a chassis that supports at least one cleaning element. The chassis is supported by a plurality of wheels, one which is steerable via a steering wheel interconnected to a housing also associated with the chassis. The chassis provided includes a plurality of movable housing members, one of which is associated with the steering wheel. To access the internal components of the floor treatment apparatus, the front housing is rotated or moved away from the other housings wherein the steering wheel does not require disconnection to allow this movement.

Cleaning machines are used extensively for cleaning flooring surfaces comprised of tile, stone, brick, wood, concrete, carpets and other common surfaces. Maintaining the cleanliness of these surfaces, especially in high volume areas in commercial, industrial, institutional and public buildings is an ongoing and time consuming process. The present invention relates to a highly maneuverable floor cleaning or treatment apparatus ("treatment apparatus") that supports an operator during use. More specifically, some embodiments of the present invention are adapted to clean, sweep, vacuum, burnish, wax, etc. ("treat") a floored surface, wherein the operator is supported by the cleaning device increasing efficiency and productivity of the cleaning operation. As used, "floored surface", or more generally "surface", encompasses areas covered by concrete, tile, carpet, wood, plastic, stone, turf or any other substance known in the art. The prior devices address many issues that arise with cleaning such floored surfaces. Before the present invention, no one device could address many, if not all, of the issues that arise in cleaning various surfaces in various environments at any point in time.
Mop & Bucket Cleaning Devices
In the past, building maintenance staff and others often treat surfaces, such as tiled hallways or restroom floors, using traditional mop and bucket techniques. The bucket may include a detachable mop ringer and may be positioned on caster wheels to facilitate easy movement. Depending on the cleanliness of the equipment, a worker may make a good start in treating a floor using the mop and bucket approach. However, soon the mop and fluid in the bucket becomes soiled or otherwise contaminated by germs and/or bacteria. From that point on, each time the worker plunges the mop into the bucket and rings the mop, both the mop and cleaning fluid become more dirty/contaminated.
Manually Propelled Cleaning Devices
The basic cleaning problems associated with the prior art mop & bucket approach to cleaning surfaces have generally been addressed in the art, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,980 to Robinson, entitled "Multi-functional Cleaning Machine," which is fully incorporated herein by reference. This type of cleaning machine includes a manually propelled wheeled body with two tanks, one concentrated chemical receptacle, a vacuum and blower motor and a fluid pumping system. Typically, such equipment includes only a single motor used for both vacuuming soiled fluid and blowing air that can dry a cleaned surface. While such equipment is maneuverable and is an improvement over the earlier mop and bucket technology, the system is still labor intensive and slow. Productivity of cleaning professionals, when using these types of systems is decreased over what it might be with other types of systems that are available.
Self Propelled Walk Behind Device
Productivity concerns have been addressed in the art by the creation of certain walk behind floor treatment apparatus. These apparatus typically have a scrub deck at the machine's front and a squeegee at its rear. The squeegee has the ability to "swing" or follow the path of the scrub deck as the machine changes direction. This type of equipment is more efficient in cleaning large surface areas than either the mop and bucket or the manually propelled devices. However, the distance between the scrub deck and squeegee is relatively great. Also, walk behinds typically have relatively wide squeegees. These characteristics limit such machine's maneuverability and limit the doorways they can easily pass through. Typical 3′ doorway allows a machine with no more than a 33″ squeegee to fit through without removal.
Small walk behind floor cleaning apparatus typically include a scrub deck in the middle of the machine and squeegees at the machine's rear. In this configuration the squeegee has little or no ability to swing or follow the path of the scrub deck as the machine changes direction. Small rider scrubbers typically have relatively narrow squeegees, and rely on "side squeegees" (unvacuumized squeegee blades) adjacent to the scrub deck to direct the water into the path of the main (vacuumized) squeegee. The problem with these side squeegees is they do not perform well for long and leave a film of water in turns because the vacuumized squeegee does not follow the true path of the scrub deck, only the path of the side squeegees (which leave the film of water). Finally, side squeegee are typically heavy rubber blades and have significant down pressure applied to them to direct the water this makes them expensive and causes significant "drag" which increases the work for the propel unit and limits battery run time. While more maneuverable than larger walk behind floor treatment machines, the small machines rarely clean as well as the larger machines.
Storage Issues in Prior Art Devices
Further, known cleaning machines do not provide adequate onboard storage for cleaning supplies, tools, etc. Likewise, prior art machines rarely provide a flexible approach to adding storage facilities for trash and the like when the need for such arises. Machinery that addresses these issues is therefore needed.
Self-propelled Ride-on Devices
Self-propelled cleaning devices are generally also well known in the field and are employed to treat large floored surfaces, such as tiled, concrete or carpeted floors found in hospitals, department stores, schools, gyms, etc. These devices provide the operator with seating from which he/she can control operation of the device. These devices are ideal for cleaning large, open areas because they can contain large amounts of waste fluids and/or debris without having to repeatedly perform time consuming fluid replacement or debris removal. Because these devices provide the user with seating, the user does not become prematurely fatigued, increasing overall worker productivity. These large ride-on machines are not particularly well-suited for cleaning smaller, more confined floor surfaces, which are often found in hallways, small rooms, or even large rooms which have many obstacles.
As is known in the art, smaller self-propelled cleaning devices are also in existence that are ideal for cleaning the smaller rooms and hallways. However, smaller devices are usually pushed or pulled by an operator. Hence, the major drawback of these devices is they often rely on operator strength to maneuver the device. Even if the device is self-propelled, it often employs manual steering. After a long shift of walking behind a treatment device, the operator is bound to become fatigued, wherein his or her attention will deviate from the task at hand, possibly resulting in uneven treatment to the floored area. Thus, a subsequent crew may have to return and retouch certain areas not accurately treated during the first operation. Human errors related to the time a surface is exposed to a brush, may occur when the operator lingers over a single area for extended period of time. This situation is never good for a floor surface. The devices in the art are also difficult to maneuver and often are not adapted to operate around tight corners, wherein pre or post cleaning operations must be performed, thus increasing the time and expense of the entire task.
As known in the art, floor cleaning apparatus are comprised of a chassis supported by a plurality of wheels, one of which is steerable to control the path of the machine. The chassis also accommodates a cleaning assembly, such as a brush, a sweeper, a squeegee, a burnisher, etc. The chassis also supports tanks used to hold water, cleaning fluids, and spent cleaning fluids suctioned from the surface being cleaned. Floor cleaning apparatus also often possess a receptacle or bag for holding collected dust and debris. The majority of the components associated with the cleaning machine are surrounded by at least one housing that protects the internal components from the environment and prevents individuals working around the machine from touching the often hot internal components. As floor cleaning apparatus are sometimes used in tight spaces, such as bathrooms and hallways, it is often desirable to make floor cleaning apparatus as compact as possible.
It is also desirable to provide floor cleaning machines that allow for easy access to internal componentry for maintenance and repair. The desire for easy access is often at odds with the desire to provide a compact apparatus. Prior art machines are constructed so the internal volume is minimized, providing a compact machine, but leaving virtually no easy access to internal componentry. To address this disadvantage, some prior art machines utilize removable segments to the housing that cover internal components. Often, however, external components, such as steering wheels, control panels, external storage tanks, etc., must be removed prior to removal of these housing segments. Removal of the external componentry and the housing segments technology is time consuming, costly, and increases the chance that the machine will be damaged or a component of the machine will be lost.
Some known floor cleaning apparatus also employ a rotating sweeper broom ("sweeper") to lift debris from a floor. Generally, a cylindrical sweeper rotates about an axis parallel to the floor and which may be located between front and rear wheels of the apparatus. Floor cleaning apparatus also typically include a vacuum system that establishes a directional airstream adjacent to the broom to direct debris into a hopper where heavier debris is precipitated from the airstream. Lighter debris, especially dust, is then typically directed to a vacuum bag.
To enhance the suctioning effect provided by the vacuum, the sweeper may be in a housing situated between the front and rear wheels. The housing typically includes one or more flaps or seals that surround the sweeper that defines a skirt with a lower edge that contacts the floor. The flaps or seals are flexible or hinged to the chassis to allow debris to enter the assembly and be swept up by the sweeper. The flaps or seals also prevent the sweeper from throwing debris and dust as it rotates.
Some other floor cleaning apparatus treat the floor with a cleaning solution with at least one scrubber brush. In some apparatus, the cleaning solution is deposited onto the floor and a pair of rotating disk brushes are used to scrub the floor. Wastewater, which includes entrained debris, is then typically suctioned by a vacuum squeegee located behind or adjacent to the brushes.
One example of a floor cleaning apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,955 to Blehert et al. ("Blehert I") entitled "Combined Sweeper and Scrubber."Blehert I discloses a floor cleaning apparatus that can be set either to a sweeper mode or a scrubbing mode. Blehert I provides a single cylindrical rotary brush, a brush housing mounted on a frame, a solution tank and a removable debris hopper. When in the sweeping mode, a vacuum operating with an air circuit draws air from around the brush and through a filter. When in a scrubbing mode, the vacuum operates to recover dirty scrubbing solution from the rear of the apparatus through a squeegee located aft of the brush.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,471 to Charky et al. ("Charky") entitled "Mobile Walk-Behind Sweeper" discloses a mobile sweeper for cleaning dust and collecting garbage from surfaces. Charky employs a plurality of brushes that direct dust to a collection point where a vacuum blower suctions the debris into a collection container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,676 to Blehert et al. ("Blehert II") entitled "Combination Sweeping and Scrubbing System and Method," discloses an apparatus that comprises a sweeping assembly that can be converted into a scrubbing unit and vice versa. The sweeping assembly includes a removable hopper. Cylindrical brushes are also provided that operate in either the sweeping or scrubbing mode.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,313 to Blehert ("Blehert III") entitled "Walk Behind Floor Maintenance Machine" discloses a floor treatment apparatus that has a plurality of wheels, a removal hopper, and a rotatable brush. A removable filter housing is also contemplated and has a prismatic shape. The design of the filter housing is such that a means for vibrating the filter is needed to dislodge particles. The cylindrical brushes of Blehert III are not enclosed within the housing.
Thus it is a long felt need to provide a floor treatment apparatus that employs one or more of the inventions set forth herein.


A semiconductor memory device wherein, in order to control the current consumed in a column address counter and latch block in a read operation, delay units disposed in the column address counter and latch block perform a shifting operation according to a signal CASP6, which is enabled in the write and read operations, and a signal WT6RD5Z, which is enabled in the write operation and disabled in the read operation. Accordingly, unnecessary current consumed in the read operation can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device in which current consumption is reduced in a read operation, and more specifically, to a semiconductor memory device in which the current consumed in a column address counter and a latch in the read operation can be reduced.
2. Discussion of Related Art
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration of a DDR SDRAM in the prior art.
A control logic 10 includes a command decoder 20 and a mode register 30. A clock enable signal CKEn, a clock signal CK, a clock bar signal /CK, a chip select signal /CSn, a write enable signal /WE, a column address strobe signal /CAS and a row address strobe signal /RAS are input to the control logic 10. Further, block select addresses BA0, BA1 and addresses A0 to A13 are input to the control logic 10 through an address register 40. The command decoder 20 generates read, write and precharge commands, etc. according to an input signal. The mode register 30 generates a CAS latency value and a burst length value according to an input address. A row address multiplexer 60 generates a row address according to an input address and also generates the row address according to an address outputted from a refresh counter 50.
A bank row address latch and decoder 90 outputs a bank select signal for selecting a memory bank, and is controlled by means of a bank control logic 70. A column decoder 130 generates a column address according to input addresses. A column address counter and latch 80 generates a plurality of column addresses for a burst operation if an address is received, and provides the generated column addresses to the column decoder 130. The column address counter and latch 80 also generates a signal col0 that divides even and odd regions of a memory bank. A bank memory array 100 is composed of a plurality of memory banks. The memory banks are selected according to a bank select signal. Each of the memory banks consists of a plurality of cells, which are selected according to a row address and a column address. A I/O gating DM mask logic 120 controls the input of data to the memory banks. Data write is controlled according to a data mask signal.
The data of the memory banks are amplified in a sense amplifier 110 and then latched in a read latch 140 via the I/O gating DM mask logic 120. The data latched in the read latch 140 is transferred to a driver 170 according to the operation of a multiplexer 150. The data is synchronized to DQS data from a DQS generator 180 and then outputted to an external chipset.
The data from the external chipset is input to a receiver 200 in synchronism with external DQS data. The data from the receiver 200 is stored in an input register 210 and input to the write FIFO and driver 190. The data from the write FIFO and driver 190 is written into a corresponding cell through the I/O gating DM mask logic 120 and the sense amplifier 110 according to a mask signal. Meanwhile, a clock CLK is applied to the driver 170 through a delay lock loop (DLL) 160.
The DDR SDRAM constructed above needs a column address counter because there exists a burst operation in the read and write operations. The column address counter operates in accordance with a timing at which the sense amplifier reads or writes data. That is, in the read operation, the column address counter operates at a clock to which a read command is applied. In the write operation, it operates after 2*tCK since a write command is applied. This is because 1*tCK is needed to align internal data, as can be seen from FIG. 2. In the DDR SDRAM, write data are applied later than the write command. It is also required that data latched at the rising edge of DQS be aligned at the falling edge of DQS, as shown in FIG. 2. In other words, a data D0 is latched at a first rising edge of DQS, and the data D0 is aligned while a data D1 is latched at a first falling edge of DQS. In the similar manner, a data D2 is latched at a second rising edge of DQS, and the data D2 is aligned while a data D3 is latched at a second falling edge of DQS. Accordingly, the fastest time point where data can be written in the sense amplifier is after 2*tCK from write. Therefore, in the write operation, all of the write command, the bank address and the column address have to be delayed as much as 2*tCK. A circuit for such delay is provided in the column address counter and latch 80. In the prior art, such a delay circuit is driven even in the read operation. Thus, lots of power is consumed.

Semiconductor memory device having controller with improved current consumption


A chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor has a four-terminal structure. The chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor includes capacitor elements laminated such that anode electrodes face alternately in opposite directions; a pair of anode terminals opposing each other; and a pair of cathode terminals opposing each other. The magnetic fluxes generated by current passing between respective terminals are mutually cancelled, thus allowing ESL to be drastically reduced. Further reduction of ESL is feasible by shortening the distance between the terminals as much as possible so as to reduce the current loop area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to capacitors used in diverse electronic devices, and more particularly to chip-type solid electrolytic capacitors which employ conductive polymer as their solid electrolyte and are designed for surface mounting.
2. Background Art
The trend towards higher frequencies being used in electronic devices has led to growing demand for capacitors, among electronic components, that have better impedance characteristics in the higher frequency range. To meet this need, various solid electrolytic capacitors using conductive polymer with high electric conductivity as their solid electrolyte have been examined.
There is also a strong demand for smaller solid electrolytic capacitors with greater capacitance for use in peripheral circuits of the CPUs of personal computers. In parallel with higher frequencies, reduction of equivalent series resistance (ESR) is also required. Still more, as there are also strong demands for noise removal and good transient response, reduction of equivalent series inductance (ESL) of solid electrolytic capacitors is requested. Studies to meet these demands are being undertaken.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of the conventional chip-type solid electrolytic capacitors disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H6-120088. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the internal structure of this chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor. The conventional chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor has a structure in which two sheets of capacitor element 20 using conductive polymer as solid electrolyte are overlaid. This capacitor element 20 has anode 21, cathode 22, and insulating section 23, and two sheets of capacitor element 20 are overlaid such that anodes 21 protrude in opposite directions.
The conventional chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor further includes anode lead terminal 24 whose one end is coupled to anode 21 of capacitor element 20, cathode lead terminal 25 whose one end is coupled to cathode 22, and coating resin 26 molded so as to cover capacitor element 20. A pair of anode lead terminals 24 are disposed opposing each other and a pair of cathode lead terminals 25 are disposed opposing each other on the side face and bottom face of the solid electrolytic capacitor molded and covered with coating resin 26. This configures a 4-terminal solid electrolytic capacitor.
The conventional chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor as configured above has good high-frequency characteristics and noise absorbability, combined with low ESL.
However, the above conventional chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor can only suppress ESL to about 500 pH (picohenry) at the most compared to general two-terminal chip-type solid electrolytic capacitors in which one or multiple sheets of capacitor element 20 are laminated and molded with the coating resin, and anode/cathode terminals are led out. In the current market, ESL of 200 pH or below is demanded. Accordingly, the chip-type solid electrolytic capacitor shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 still does not meet this high requirement, and thus further reduction of ESL remains a pending task.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A semiconductor device has anisotropically formed via holes through a PMD layer. The anisotropic geometry of the via holes results in the diameter of a via hole over a gate structure being equal to the diameter of a via hole not over the gate structure. The via holes are formed by depositing a silicon layer and an antireflective layer over the PMD layer. The silicon layer and the antireflective layer are etched to have holes with a regular taper. The holes through the PMD are anisotropically etched so as to have straight walls.

The increasing miniaturization of semiconductor devices has greatly reduced the size of contact holes, which are also referred to as via holes. The advent of 0.18 μm semiconductor processing has produced a myriad of problems such as shape defects caused by insufficient margin in the photolithography step. The etching process becomes increasingly difficult due to the reduced thickness of the photoresist that serves as mask material for etching. Changes in contact dimensions result from the variance of the thickness of interlayer insulation films.
The dielectric layer between the active devices in silicon and the first metal layer is termed the premetal dielectric (PMD). The PMD is also termed the first interlayer dielectric (ILD-1). The PMD is typically a doped silicon dioxide, or glass. An important function of the PMD layer is to isolate transistor devices in two ways: electrically from the metal interconnect layer, and physically from contamination sources such as mobile ions. The PMD has a restricted thermal budget in high-performance devices so as to minimize degrading the transistor's characteristics.
The ILD is an insulating material that electrically separates the metal levels in multilevel metallization. Once deposited, the ILD is patterned an etched to form via pathways for the various metal layers and the silicon. The via holes, also called contact holes, are filled with a metal, conventionally tungsten (W), to form the via hole plug. There are many via holes on a wafer, up to 1011 vias on each individual layer of a 300 mm product wafer. This process of creating via holes in the ILD is repeated for every ILD layer, including the PMD. In conventional metallization, a blanket layer of aluminum alloy metal is deposited on the dielectric layer, patterned and then etched to form metal lines. The metal etch is an important technology in conventional metallization.
FIG. 7 shows a semiconductor device having a via hole manufactured according to the conventional art. In FIG. 7, a transistor has a silicon substrate 1 and a field area 2 that divides one transistor from another. Over the substrate a transistor gate 3 is formed. Over the transistor gate a silicon nitride (Si3N4) passivation layer 4 is formed. Alternatively, silicon oxynitride can be used to form a passivation layer. Over the silicon nitride passivation layer is deposited the BPSC (borophsophosilicate glass) or PMD (premetal dielectric). The materials that can be used for the PMD include FSG (silicon oxyfluoride), HSQ (hydrogen silsesquioxane), nanoporous silica, PAE (polyarylene ether), FLAC (fluorinated amorphous carbon) or AF4 (aliphatic tetrafluorinated poly-p-xylylene).
In the conventional art of FIG. 7, an antireflective coating (ARC) 7 is provided directly on top of the PMD layer 5. Over the ARC 7 is formed a layer of photoresist 8 having openings over the portions where the via holes are to be formed. In the conventional art, a problem arises from the different lengths of the via holes, the via hole over the gate being shorter than the via hole over the source or drain. It is desirable that the via holes be cut straight. However, in the conventional art the photoresist has a wide opening over the via hole and the resulting via hole is tapered. As a result, the diameter l1 of the via hole over the gate and the diameter of the via hole l2 that is not over the gate is not equal so that l1≠l2.
Additional disadvantages associated with the conventional art are that the ARC layer is not completely opaque, and at least some light can penetrate through the ARC. When the phase of the incoming light wave and the phase of the reflective light wave are the same, the intensity of the light equals the sum of the intensities of both the incoming and reflective light. If the phase differs by 180 degrees, then the light cancels each other to cause extinction. The phase can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the layer, so that the incoming and reflected light cancel each other.
The difficulty associated with adjusting the ARC layer arises from the subsequent requirement to etch the nitride layer. However, both the ARC and the nitride layer have similar etch characteristics, which means that they both etch at the same speed. As a result, the nitride layer does not act as a mask and the thickness of the ARC layer is difficult to control using the conventional technology.
Additional disadvantages of the conventional technology are associated with the treatment subsequent to opening the via holes. After opening the via hole, Ti and TiN are sputtered to reduce resistance at the contact. Afterwards, the contact hole is filled with tungsten. During the sputtering, Ti and TiN overhang the via hole. This occurs because the sputtering process causes the Ti and TiN to approach the via hole at an angle. As a result, Ti and TiN overhang the via hole to narrow the opening of the via hole. This overhang prevents the tungsten from properly filling the via hole. To prevent this improper filling, the opening can be tapered, but this taper would then result in the associated problem of the diameter of the via hole over the gate being different than the diameter of the via hole not over the gate. Therefore, tapering the via hole does not provide an ideal solution to reduce the disadvantages caused by the Ti and TiN overhang.

Contact plug processing and a contact plug


In a method for transmitting data from a sensor to a processor via at least one communication medium in a communication network, a sensor value of the sensor is transmitted to the processor, and the processor uses the transmitted sensor value for processing until a new sensor value is transmitted to the processor, which new sensor value is transmitted only if at least one condition for the new sensor value is satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the efficient transmission of data, in particular of sensor values.
2. Description of the Related Art
The so-called memory-mapped I/O method may be used, for example, as a method for transmitting data between peripheral devices and processors in digital systems. For this purpose, I/O registers of the peripheral devices are mapped onto the memory address space of a processor; access to these registers then being gained via a memory access routine. If the peripheral device is a sensor, processors may access the value currently detected by the sensor via defined memory addresses.
In typical embedded systems, for example in the engine control system in a vehicle, sensor values are regularly processed by a processor. The processing of sensor values may be roughly divided into three steps: a property is detected by a sensor and is digitized; the processor that processes the sensor value reads the current sensor value; and the processor processes the sensor value.
In a system that has many processors (multi-core or many-core system), the processors usually have a local memory, which may also be writable via a global address. The sensor value may then be copied first to the local memory of the processor; and the processing of the sensor value may then be performed using the local copy. Reading out a sensor value may occupy a shared resource in the process, for example a communications bus or a network-on-chip (NoC).
Such systems have the disadvantage, however, that the resource is occupied at least nearly continuously and that the data transmission consumes much current.
It is therefore desirable to indicate a method that allows for an efficient transmission of data and low current consumption.

Method for the efficient transmission of data


A cable test apparatus includes a power supply terminal, an open circuit indicator with an anode connected to the power supply terminal, a short circuit indicator, a first interface, a second interface, and a switch. The first interface and the second interface have a plurality of pins thereon. In the first interface, a first pin is connected to a cathode of the open circuit indicator, a second pin is connected to an anode of the short circuit indicator, a third pin is grounded, the other pins are shorted. The pins of the second interface are shorted as well. Therefore all wires of the cable are connected in series, even wires located at one side of the short circuit indicator, and odd wires are located at the other side of the short circuit indicator. In a short circuit test, the switch connects the second pin and a fourth pin; in an open circuit test, the switch connects the fourth pin and the cathode of the short circuit indicator and shorts the open circuit indicator.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to test equipment and more specifically to an apparatus for testing cables used in electronics.
2. Background
During the installation of and interconnection of various equipment in computers, it is necessary to make frequent wire checks verifying the integrity of connections made by means of cables utilized to interconnect various equipment. It is necessary that the cable be checked for a number of wire faults, such as shorts and opens. A number of test apparatuses have been developed for making checks of cable for shorts and opens. One such apparatus is disclosed in CN. Pat. No. 00200774.6, wherein a cable having connectors at opposite ends is checked for faults. The testing apparatus includes two interfaces for receiving the connectors of the cable being tested, a switch array, and a plurality of indicators for indicating the condition of the cable. Such a test apparatus, however, needs many switches and indicators and is therefore a complex method of testing.
It is therefore apparent that a need exits to provide a less complex apparatus for testing the cable with less switches and less indicators.

Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry Co., Ltd.


The invention is related to a method for making a silicone hydrogel contact lens having a nano-textured surface which mimics the surface texture of cornea of human eye. A method of the invention comprises creating a prime coating having nano-textures through controlled imbibition and/or depositions of a reactive polymeric coating material and fixing the nano-textures by crosslinking a hydrophilic polymeric material onto the prime coating to form a crosslinked polymeric coating that perserves the nano-textures of the prime coating and provides a nano-textured surface to the contact lens.

Soft contact lenses have alleviated some of the problems that patients have experienced in not being able to wear hard contact lenses (e.g., RGP lenses) or in not being able to wear them for sufficiently long periods of time, because of initial discomfort (i.e., immediately after lens insertion), relatively long period of adapting time (a week or two) required for a patient to become accustomed to them, and/or improper fit (lenses become dislodged and/or are very uncomfortable).
Although soft contact lenses can improve wearing comfort, there may be some cornea health issues caused by wearing soft contact lenses. Unlike other tissues which receive oxygen from the blood supply, a cornea can only receive oxygen from the surrounding air. But, because soft contact lenses can conform closely to the shape of the eye, oxygen cannot easily circumvent the lens. If sufficient oxygen does not reach the cornea, corneal swelling occurs. Extended periods of oxygen deprivation cause the undesirable growth of blood vessels in the cornea. Soft contact lenses must allow oxygen from the surrounding air (i.e., oxygen) to reach the cornea.
Silicone hydrogel (SiHy) contact lenses have been developed recently to allow sufficient oxygen to permeate through the lens to the cornea and to have minimal adverse effects on corneal health. SiHy contact lenses are made of a hydrated, crosslinked polymeric material that contains silicone and a certain amount of water within the lens polymer matrix at equilibrium. Water in a SiHy contact lens provides the desirable softness that enables the SiHy lens to be worn for sufficiently long periods of time and provides patients with the benefits including adequate initial comfort (i.e., immediately after lens insertion), relatively short period of adapting time required for a patient to become accustomed to them, and/or proper fit. Incorporation of silicone in a SiHy contact lens material may provide the contact lens relatively-high oxygen permeability needed for a healthy cornea.
In recent years, a great number of efforts have been made to develop contact lenses with improved wearing confort. One example is to incorporate leacheable wetting agents in contact lenses (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,045,547, 4,042,552, 5,198,477, 5,219,965, 6,367,929 and 6,822,016, 7,279,507 and U.S. patent application publication Nos. 2006/0079598A1 and 2006/0251696A1, herein incorporated by reference in their entireties). Another example is to incorporate bioactive agents and hydrophobic comfort agents into contact lenses (see, e.g., U.S. patent application publication No. 2008/0124376A1 and US 2010/A1, herein incorporated by reference in their entireties).
Therefore, there is still a need for SiHy contact lenses with improved wearing confort.

Silicone hydrogel lenses with nano-textured surfaces


Systems and methods comprising onboarding a plurality of parties into an autonomous vehicle; displaying in the autonomous vehicle one or more authentication protocols; receiving an authentication confirmation from each of the plurality of parties in response to the one or more authentication protocols; and communicating an authentication confirmation status of the presence of the plurality of parties to a transportation vehicle functions (TVF) manager associated with the autonomous vehicle.

Transportation systems are becoming increasingly more reliant on ride-sharing services where vehicles are assigned to transport passengers between two or more waypoints. Ride-sharing services are made more cost effective through multi-party usage. More specifically, optimizing capacity of vehicles for multi-party transport can reduce operating expenses, vehicle down time from unoccupancy, and roadway traffic. However, simultaneous multi-party usage of vehicles may create issues with party authentication, particularly when multiple parties are onboarding into a vehicle simultaneously or at a same waypoint. Similarly, multi-party usage may present issues where a later onboarding party arrives at the vehicle and the already-boarded party opens the door for the later onboarding party or already had the door open upon arrival of the later onboarding party. Particularly for autonomous vehicles, where a dedicated human driver is not present in the vehicle, issues can arise where a first party authenticates their presence in the vehicle but additional parties arriving at the vehicle access the vehicle without authenticating their presence. For example, a first party may leave the door of the vehicle open for a second party. Another example might occur where two parties enter the vehicle simultaneously. In such instances, the autonomous vehicle may not be able to detect the presence of multiple parties, particularly where one or more of the parties include multiple passengers. Moreover, traditional cabin scans and methods of identifying the presence of occupants in an autonomous vehicle may not be suitable where party numbers change after requesting transport but the new party number is not communicated in time to the vehicle.
There exists a need for improved multi-party recognition and management, particularly for autonomous vehicles.

Systems and methods of multiple party authentication in autonomous vehicles


Provided are a piezoelectric vibrator and an electrode structure of the piezoelectric vibrator. The piezoelectric vibrator includes a piezoelectric material vibrating according to an electric signal, first and second electrode structures formed on the upper surface and the undersurface of the piezoelectric material, and including first to fourth layers sequentially stacked thereon, respectively. The first and third layers are formed of an alloy including Cr. The second and fourth layers are formed of Ag or an alloy including Ag.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a piezoelectric vibrator and an electrode structure of the piezoelectric vibrator, and more particularly, to an electrode structure of a piezoelectric vibrator reducing the manufacturing cost and having high reliability.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a piezoelectric vibrator is widely used for a frequency oscillator, a frequency regulator, and a frequency converter. This piezoelectric vibrator uses a crystal having excellent piezoelectric characteristics as a piezoelectric material. In this case, the crystal serves as a stable mechanical vibrating generator.
In this case, the crystal used as a piezoelectric material is artificially grown in an autoclave under high pressure, and manufactured into a wafer form by being cut off from a crystal axis so as to have a desired characteristic. In this case, the crystal must be formed to have a low phase noise, a high quality (Q) value, and a low frequency variation rate with respect to time and environmental changes. The Q value is a value representing a band selection characteristic in a resonator, filter, and oscillator, and also referred to as a Quality Coefficient. The Q value can be obtained from a ratio of a center frequency to a bandwidth of 3 decibel dB. If the Q value becomes greater, the oscillator has a more excellent frequency selection characteristic.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a piezoelectric material and an electrode structure of a related art piezoelectric vibrator. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a related art piezoelectric vibrator package. Referring to FIG. 1, the related art piezoelectric vibrator 10 includes a piezoelectric material 11, and first and second electrodes 12a and 12b. The piezoelectric material 11 is formed of a crystal piece. The first and second electrode 12a and 12b are oppositely formed on the upper surface and the undersurface of the piezoelectric material 11, respectively. This piezoelectric vibrator 10, as described in FIG. 2, may have a package structure for usage. A related art piezoelectric vibrator package includes a bottom layer 16a, first and second electrode pads 14a and 14b formed on the bottom layer 16a, a piezoelectric material 11 having one side thereof fixed on the first and second electrode pads 14a and 14b, and a bump 15 arranged between the upper surface of the bottom layer 16a and the other side of the piezoelectric material 11. In this case, as described above, the first and second electrodes 12a and 12b electrically connected to the first and second electrode pads 14a and 14b may be formed on the upper surface and the undersurface of the piezoelectric material 11. A support layer 16b forming a spatial portion accepting the crystal piece 11 is formed on the peripheral portion of the bottom layer 16a. Also, a lead 17 may be arranged on the support layer 16b to seal the spatial portion.
Generally, the first and second electrodes 12a and 12b are formed of Au having high physical and chemical stability. However, because Au is expensive, Au becomes a factor increasing the manufacturing cost in an electrode structure requiring an enough thickness, and also has a limitation of low adhesive strength to the piezoelectric material 11.

Piezoelectric vibrator and electrode structure of piezoelectric vibrator


An equalization circuit for a reproduced video signal detects the levels of a reference signal in two different frequency bands and, based on a comparison of the detected levels, selects an equalization curve from a memory and controls the equalization characteristic of an equalizer in the signal path based on the selected equalization curve. For a video frequency signal, low-pass and high-pass filters provide the two frequency bands for level checking and for a radio frequency signal two bandpass filters provide the frequency bands of interest located above and below the center color carrier frequency. A memory contains a number of equalization curves, one of which is selected based upon a comparison using the detected reference signal levels that is performed in a central processing unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a video signal reproducing apparatus and, more particularly, to an equalizer for compensating nonlinearities in the reproduced video signal.
2. Description of the Background
It is typical practice to adjust the equalizing characteristic of a video signal equalizer or an RF signal equalizer in a conventional video reproducing apparatus at the time such apparatus is manufactured. For example, following the manufacture of a video tape recorder (VTR) a reference signal that was previously recorded on a reference tape is reproduced over each completed VTR and the equalizer is set to allow the reference signal to lie within standard limits, while observing the waveform of the reproduced reference signal in every operating mode of the VTR. While this procedure produces generally acceptable results, there is a problem in that the above conventional adjusting operations are complicated and require considerable skill in performing the large number of adjusting steps. Thus, not only is the equalizer circuit adjustment costly during the manufacturing process, it is difficult to obtain the necessary skilled personnel to perform the work.


A method of aligning a first image with a second image, the method includes approximately locating the second image; scaling the first image to the approximate size of the second image; positioning the scaled first image over the approximate location of the second image; generating a measure of fit between the first image and the second image; re-positioning the second image and repeating the above steps to obtain an increased measure of fit value. A method of synchronizing a first sequence of images with a second sequence of images includes creating a first index pointer identifying an image in the first sequence of images; creating a second index pointer identifying an image in the second sequence of images; comparing the image identified by the first index pointer with the image identified by the second index pointer; incrementing the first index pointer to identify the subsequent image in the first sequence of images; and repeating the above steps until the image identified by the first index pointer matches the image identified by the second index pointer.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the field of image processing, and in particular the processing of video sequences.
2. Related Art
Digital video systems rely on the imperfections of human vision and perception to render a video sequence by transmitting a decreased amount of information. As a result the subjective quality of a digital video system can be difficult to predict, because it is unrelated to the objective degradation present in the rendered video sequence. At present, the only reliable method by which the subjective video quality can be assessed is to run subjective tests, where a number of people give their opinion regarding the quality of an observed video sequence. Subjective testing is expensive and time consuming, and additionally not suitable for all applications, for example real time assessment of service quality.
Furthermore, most objective models to assess the quality of digital video systems are designed to compare systems constrained by broadcast standards. This makes it easier to realign the two video streams as the degraded sequence has the same characteristics as the original sequence in terms of frame rate, frame size and the position of the frame within a restricted search window. If an objective model has to assess the quality of digital video systems in multimedia applications, different variables will have an effect and will need to be accounted for. For example, there is no indication about the image standard that can be expected at the output of the system to be tested: while the original sequence could be in a broadcast format, the degraded sequence might be CIF, QCIF, or any frame size and/or resolution chosen by the user of a multimedia application. Furthermore, the degraded sequence is likely to be presented in a software window, which could be located anywhere on a computer screen, with the user having control over the size and aspect ratio of the window.
One application that is commercially available at present, the Tektronix implementation of the JNDmetrix model, has solved this problem with the introduction of a calibration signal, which contains time stamp information. Though very reliable, this technique is invasive, because the time stamp adds some visual features and an important amount of movement to the sequence being tested. The timestamp is visible across the screen, which excludes the use of the system in any real time assessment of video services. Also, it can be argued that as the system has an influence on the image content it therefore affects the performance of the video system under test.

British Telecommunications public limited company


A system for simulating an event includes a memory system, a parity generator/validator, and a fault injector. The fault injector is configured to inject bits at an address in the memory system when the parity generator/validator is in an disabled state. A method of injecting a fault is also disclosed.

Single Upset Events (SEUs) are changes of state caused by ions or electro-magnetic radiation striking an electric device, which can cause an error or malfunction in hardware device output and can in turn affect software operation. Airborne and space systems are susceptible to SEUs. SEUs can be mitigated by parity protection or certain Error Correction Code (ECC) on memory.
Predicting the impact of SEUs becomes increasingly important as the complexity of electronics increases, and as they become more compact. One common way to test the impact of SEUs is to expose the electronics to radiation, such as in a particle accelerator.

Method of performing single event upset testing


A distributed DNS network includes a central origin server that actually controls the zone, and edge DNS cache servers configured to cache the DNS content of the origin server. The edge DNS cache servers are published as the authoritative servers for customer domains instead of the origin server. When a request for a DNS record results in a cache miss, the edge DNS cache servers get the information from the origin server and cache it for use in response to future requests. Multiple edge DNS cache servers can be deployed at multiple locations. Since an unlimited number of edge DNS cache servers can be deployed, the system is highly scalable. The disclosed techniques protect against DoS attacks, as DNS requests are not made to the origin server directly.

The Internet is a world wide "super-network" which connects together millions of individual computer networks and computers. The Internet is generally not a single entity. It is an extremely diffuse and complex system over where no single entity has complete authority or control. Although the Internet is widely know for one of its ways of presenting information through the World Wide Web (herein "Web"), there are many other services currently available based upon the general Internet protocols and infrastructure.
Information on the Web often is presented on "pages" of graphics and text that contain "links" to other pages either within the same set of data files (i.e., Web site) or within data files located on other computer networks. Users often access information on the Web using a "browser" program such as one made by Netscape Communications Corporation (now America Online, Inc.) of Mountain View, Calif. or Explorer™ from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. Browser programs can process information from Web sites and display the information using graphics, text, sound, and animation.
A domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember "handle" for an Internet address. The domain name system (DNS) is a name resolution protocol through which Internet domain names are located and translated into Internet Protocol addresses. DNS converts host names to IP addresses and vice-versa. Each domain is managed by a DNS name server, which is a server that contains the host name information about the hosts and sub-domains within its domain.
The DNS database is partitioned into sets of related records that are replicated on multiple servers; each such set of records is called a zone. DNS name servers transfer zones from each other to maintain the consistency of information in the DNS.
As use of the Internet has grown, so too have the number of DNS servers. Traffic management at the DNS servers has become more important. In addition, because all world wide web requests go through the DNS, opportunities for hacking and other malicious behaviors exist.
From the above, it is seen that an improved DNS server that manages DNS traffic and detects potential attacks is highly desirable.

Domain name resolution using a distributed DNS network


A method and apparatus for implementing a training regimen which addresses motor control problems accompanied by sensory degradation. Accordingly, the training regimen is applicable to motor control disorders associated with a variety of different causes, including traumatic injury, disease, aging and gradual "occupational" type injury. For example, in an individual suffering from repetitive strain injury (RSI), the disabling motor control problems are often accompanied by sensory problems. These sensory problems appear to be caused over time by harmful attended rapid repetitive movements resulting in undesirable changes in the somatosensory, proprioceptive and/or kinesthetic ability of the affected regions of the individual. The present invention hypothesizes that repetitive delivery of simultaneous or nearly simultaneous afferent sensory inputs, under attended conditions of high cognitive drive, results in a learning-induced integration of the representation of the individuality of otherwise differentiable parts of the subjects thereby degrading the sensory feedback loop necessary for normal motor control. What started out as a degradation of the sensory feedback capability, essential for proper motor control, eventually manifests over time as a motor control problem. Thus, motor control problems which are accompanied by sensory degradation can be alleviated by a regimen of remedial re-differentiating sensory training of the affected regions of the individual. Accordingly, the training regimen differentially stimulates two locations within the afflicted portion of the individual. Feedback from the individual indicates the degree of difficulty the individual has in sensing differentially between the two locations. The stimulation is then adapted to the individual based on the feedback. Adaptation includes increasing the distance between the two locations and/or changing the spectral or temporal characteristics of the stimuli.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alleviation of motor control problems. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computerized method of improving motor control in an individual via somatosensory, proprioceptive and/or kinesthetic sensory training.
2. Description of the Related Art
Motor control problems in individuals are rooted in a variety of different causes, including traumatic injury, disease, aging and gradual "occupational" type injury. If the affected individual is motivated enough to participate in a rehabilitative training program, recovery is possible and is highly dependent on the quantity and quality of the training program.
In cases where motor control problems in individuals are caused by traumatic injury to or disease of the muscle(s) and/or related nerve(s), depending on the extent of injury to the nerve(s), such individuals may or may not experience a corresponding loss of sensory ability. Typical causes of injuries include trauma, stroke, aneurysm, and invasive surgery. Examples of diseases include meningitis and cancer. Historically, regardless of whether the motor control problem is accompanied by a loss of sensory ability, these individuals have been treated with strengthening, flexibility, conditioning and motor retraining techniques, with limited success.
Often, motor control problems are not caused by injury or disease, but are associated with a gradual degradation of motor control over time. Examples include work-induced focal dystonia, Alzheimer, torticollis, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis and movement disorders in Parkinson's Disease, Huntington's Chorea, and in other progressive neurological illnesses.
A common origin of focal dystonia is as a component of a repetitive strain injury (RSI) which appears to be the result of attended rapid movements repeated over a relatively long period of time. Generally, these potentially harmful rapid movements occur at a frequency at or below about 100 milliseconds. Typical symptoms of RSI include loss of motor control and involuntary movements of the affected hand, foot, limb or neck of the affected individual.
One example of rapid movements involves musicians and typists, or other skilled manual workers who are required to repeatedly execute rapid alternating movements, e.g., to produce trills and keyboard strokes, to perform a particular assembly line task, etc . . . When executed repeatedly over a period of time, these rapidly alternating movements put one at risk for RSI.
In a study involving musicians with focal hand dystonia, subjects shared common histories of increased practice and of extended, demanding performances under stressful conditions prior to the onset of the disabling symptoms. While most of their biomechanical tests were normal, there was a clear asymmetry in passive finger spread in the central digits, forearm and shoulder rotation. These motor control limitations forced some of the musicians to adopt compensatory awkward end range postures which in some cases caused inflammatory problems of the capsule, ligaments, tendons and fascia, i.e., typical RSI symptoms.
Potentially harmful rapid movements also include rapid simultaneous movement of adjacent portions of a limb which can otherwise be controlled independently, e.g., when multiple digits of one hand, are opened and closed rapidly. In one study involving primates, attended repetitive activities, under the conditions of high cognitive drive were conducted over a three month period.
In one experiment, the monkeys placed a hand on two bars that passively spread apart within 20 milliseconds. The monkeys were required to squeeze the palm and the digits against a hand piece while maintaining close contact with the hand piece during the entire movement trial. The hand piece opened between one and seven times per trial for a total of 1300 repetitions in a training session. In a second experiment, the monkeys were required to repetitively squeeze the hand piece. A successful trial required full hand contact, 80 grams of force, squeezed for 500-1000 milliseconds. Each successful trial was rewarded, with approximately 400 trials completed per training session.
Following about eight weeks of training, despite continued rewards, these monkeys began to avoid training. For example, they began to decrease the time and repetitions of the sessions and would lick their thumbs or hand as if it was painful. They also developed some compensatory strategies such as reducing the intensity of the grasp on the hand piece and/or using an arm pulling instead of the required hand squeezing strategy. When training was continued, symptoms of an occupationally induced RSI emerged in all five subject monkeys after approximately five weeks. Four of the five monkeys showed signs of inefficient motor control of the required tasks as well as in other non-trial movements such as retrieving food. The fifth monkey developed the most serious dystonic movements in the fourth digit of the trained hand.
Hence, it appears that subjects who suffer from RSI can develop a form of focal dystonia, a disorder of motor control manifested in a specific context during rapid skilled, attended movements. Unlike traumatic injury patients, most RSI subjects experience a slow onset of symptoms, often beginning as a feeling of awkwardness, fatigue, or impaired timing or force. Eventually, if the potentially harmful repetitive movements are continued, the degradation of motor control is often preceded, paralleled or followed by painful inflammatory problems of the capsule, ligaments, tendons and fascia.
Conventional RSI treatment such as strengthening, flexibility, conditioning and motor retraining exercises appear to offer only temporary relief. This is because the conventional treatments are directed at the symptoms and but do not attempt to identify nor address the source of the problem. As a result, despite rest and conventional treatment, the motor control problems and any accompanying inflammation often return as soon as the subjects attempt to resume the repetitive movements.
In view of the foregoing, there are desired improved techniques for addressing motor control problems accompanied by sensory degradation using a training regimen that addresses the root of the motor control problem and not just the symptoms of motor control. Such a regimen should offer a comprehensive solution thereby enabling the affected individuals to substantially regain normal motor control over the longer term.

Method for improving motor control in an individual by sensory training


A microfracture pick having features configured to aid a user in advancing the microfracture pick through bone. The microfracture pick has an elongated member with a proximal end, a distal end, a sharp, optionally angled tip disposed adjacent the distal end of the elongated member, and at least one engaging feature disposed at one or more locations on the elongated member for engaging a complementary feature of a strike instrument. By striking an impact surface of the strike instrument, the user can produce a force that is translated via the elongated member of the microfracture pick through the tip, thereby making penetration of the tip through the bone more effective.

In the human body, articulating joints are surfaced with hyaline cartilage, which is a durable natural material with a low coefficient-of-friction. Such hyaline cartilage surfaces can become damaged over time when subjected to high levels of repeated loading or injury, such as the loading that can occur when a person runs. This is particularly the case for articulating joints in the lower body that are subject to compressive forces, such as the joints located in the ankle, knee, hip, and spine.
In recent years, the resurfacing of cartilage surfaces has been widely studied in the orthopedic industry. One known method of resurfacing cartilage surfaces is referred to as "microfracture stimulation". Instead of replacing damaged hyaline cartilage with an artificial cartilage implant, microfracture stimulation can be performed to stimulate the human body to replace the damaged cartilage with fibrous cartilage tissue (also referred to herein as "fibrocartilage"). Fibrocartilage is generally not as robust as hyaline cartilage, and typically has a higher coefficient-of-friction compared with that of hyaline cartilage. Nonetheless, such fibrocartilage provides many people with reduced pain, enabling them to assume more active lifestyles.
A conventional microfracture pick for use in performing microfracture stimulation has a handle, a shaft coupled to the handle, and a sharp, optionally angled tip disposed at a distal end of the shaft. For example, conventional microfracture picks can have tips that are optionally bent at angles of about 20°, 40°, 60°, or 90° relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. In a typical mode of operation, microfracture stimulation first involves the removal of the damaged layer of cartilage. The thickness of the damaged cartilage layer can typically vary from about 1 mm to 6 mm. The sharp tip of the microfracture pick is then driven about 2 mm to 5 mm through underlying subchondral bone in the region of the removed layer of cartilage to reach a blood supply. The microfracture pick is then removed, causing a small channel to remain in the subchondral bone. The microfracture pick is typically used to create a series of such channels through the subchondral bone. As a result, blood eventually travels along the series of channels and clots in the region of the removed cartilage layer, ultimately causing the formation of fibrocartilage.
When a surgeon uses such a conventional microfracture pick to perforate the subchondral bone of a patient, he or she may experience difficulties manually advancing the sharp tip through a hard cortical layer of the bone. This can be problematic since not advancing the microfracture pick deep enough into the bone may prohibit the formation of fibrocartilage in the region of the removed cartilage layer. To aid in advancing the sharp tip of the microfracture pick through the subchondral bone, surgeons have traditionally used a hammer or mallet to strike an end of the handle of the microfracture pick, while applying a downward pressure to the handle. However, such use of a hammer or mallet has drawbacks in that it can produce a shear force at the tip of the microfracture pick, potentially causing the tip to become broken or otherwise damaged. Such a broken tip can become a loose body in the surgical site, and can cause a delay in the progress of the microfracture procedure. In addition, the tip can skive across the bone surface, potentially causing the microfracture pick to impinge on and possibly damage surrounding tissue surfaces.
To address this problem, a strike plate can be directly attached to the shaft or handle of the conventional microfracture pick. Such a strike plate is typically attached to the shaft or handle perpendicular to the direction of the sharp tip of the microfracture pick. When a surgeon strikes the strike plate with a hammer or mallet, the resulting force causes the tip of the microfracture pick to advance through the subchondral bone. Directly attaching a strike plate to the shaft or handle of a microfracture pick also has drawbacks, however, in that it can make the microfracture pick heavy and cumbersome. The act of striking the strike plate so close to the patient's body can also be problematic, especially when performed near delicate joint access locations such as the ankle. The strike plate can also interfere with the microfracture procedure by preventing complete access to the surgical site, potentially making it extremely difficult for the surgeon to treat the entire affected surface area of the bone.
It would therefore be desirable to have a microfracture pick that avoids at least some of the drawbacks of the conventional microfracture picks discussed above.


A mold (10) for forming a tire (12) is provided that has an interchangeable element (14) configured for engaging the tire (12) and forming a section of tread (16) of the tire (12) when the tire (12) is molded by the mold (10). A lamelle (18) is removably attachable to the interchangeable element (14) and is configured for engaging the tire (12) and forming a sipe (20) of the section of tread (16) of the tire (12). The lamelle (18) is removably attachable in that the lamelle (18) is configured to be attached to the interchangeable element (14) and then removed from attachment to the interchangeable element (14).

The production of tires includes the step of placing an uncured tire within a mold at which time heat and pressure is applied to the uncured tire in order to change its state to a cured condition. During the curing process, the uncured tire is placed inside of a metal mold that surrounds the exterior of the uncured tire. An expandable rubber bladder is positioned inside of the uncured tire, when it is within the mold, and can be expanded in order to apply pressure to the inside surface of the uncured tire. Steam, hot water, or inert gas can be transferred into the expandable bladder in order to cause it to assume an expanded state. The pressure applied by the expandable bladder forces the uncured tire against the mold to cause the uncured tire to be under pressure forces. Heat may be simultaneously applied, and the combination of heat and pressure applied for a particular time effects the curing process. The cured tire may then be removed from the mold and transported downstream for subsequent processing.
The expandable bladder when inflated and applying force causes the crown portion of the tire to be forced against a garniture of the mold that includes a series of features that form grooves, sipes, and tread blocks of the tire to result in the formation of the tread design of the tire. The garniture can be made of a single piece or made of multiple sections that are arranged in a circle. The garniture may have interchangeable elements that include the architecture that engage the tire and form the tread features. The interchangeable elements can be removed and replaced with other, differently configured interchangeable elements to provide flexibility in the construction of tires without having to scrap or otherwise change out the entire garniture. The sipes of the tread pattern are small grooves that are 2 millimeters or less in width. The sipes are formed by lamelles of the interchangeable elements that are thin pieces of metal, usually steel, around which rubber is forced to result in the formation of the sipes. The lamelle may be initially formed and then subsequent to its formation, the interchangeable element may be injection molded around the lamelle to result in the finished piece. The lamelle is generally formed of steel while the interchangeable element is usually formed of a different material such as aluminum. Although the interchangeable element itself may be removed and replaced, if one desires the lamelle to instead be substituted with a different lamelle the entire interchangeable element with the permanently attached lamelle must all be removed. This results in less flexibility in the modification of the garniture, more waste, and less freedom in the methods of construction of the interchangeable element. As such, there remains room for variation and improvement within the art.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the invention.

Tire mold with interchangeable element having removably attachable lamelle

Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin


Disclosed is a process for removing hydrogenation by-products which comprises the use of an extractive distillation tower operated in combination with a solvent stripper, hydrocarbon purge and a water wash column. By the arrangement of the various feeds to and between the above mentioned, the green oil may be extracted away from desirable hydrocarbons.

1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to processes for hydrocarbon processing. In another aspect, this invention relates to processes for the removal of contaminants from hydrocarbons. In still another aspect, this invention relates to processes for the removal of butadiene derivative contaminants from a cracked hydrocarbon stream.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Cracking is a well known process involving decomposition and molecular recombination of organic compounds, especially hydrocarbons obtained by means of heat to form molecules suitable for motor fuels, monomers, petrochemicals, etc. A series of condensation reactions takes place accompanied by transfer of hydrogen atoms between molecules which brings about fundamental changes in their structure. Methods of hydrocarbon cracking include thermal cracking, which utilizes heat to carry out the cracking, and catalytic cracking, which utilizes a catalyst generally either with the moving-bed or fluid-bed technique.
Steam cracking is widely used for the production of light olefins from saturated hydrocarbons. Reaction conditions for steam cracking of saturated hydrocarbons are selected to maximize the production of light olefins. Typically, cracking is practiced at a weight ratio of 0.3:1.0 of steam to hydrocarbon with the reactor coil outlet at 760.degree.-870.degree. C., and slightly above 100 kPa (atmospheric) pressure.
The type of feedstocks and the reaction conditions determine the mix of hydrocarbon products produced. Many steam crackers operate on light paraffin feeds consisting of ethane and propane and the like. However, a significant amount of steam cracking capacity operates on feedstocks which contain propane and heavier compounds. Steam cracking such feedstocks produces a hydrocarbon mixture composed of many marketable products, notably propylene, isobutylene, butadiene, amylene and pyrolytic gasoline.
Generally, in steam cracking, the cracked gases emerging from the reactors are rapidly quenched to arrest undesirable secondary reactions which destroy light olefins. Unfortunately, in addition to the foregoing desirable components, undesirable acetylenic compounds, are many times also produced. These acetylenic compounds generally are required to be removed at least to the level of a few parts per million in order for the stream to meet process requirements, for example, in polymerization processes or to avoid formation of explosive metal acetylides in equipment. Typically these acetylenic compounds are alpha-acetylenes corresponding to olefins and diolefins that were present in the steam cracking, the most common of which are vinyl acetylene, methyl acetylene and ethyl acetylene.
If allowed to remain in the hydrocarbon mixture, these acetylenic compounds may cause fouling of the equipment, interfere with polymerization reactions, and in some cases pose safety hazards. It is, therefore, highly desirable to remove these acetylenic compounds from the hydrocarbon mixture.
In hydrocarbon processing it is known that the acetylenic compounds may be removed by distillation. It is also known that the acetylenic compounds can be selectively hydrogenated and thereby removed from a hydrocarbon stream by passing a mixture of the hydrocarbon with hydrogen over a catalyst of moderate activity, for example, a copper catalyst. The location and complexity of a typical hydrogenation unit is set by the compatibility of process conditions with the catalyst system used for the selective hydrogenation of these contaminants. Typical hydrogenation units required for the production of marketable distillation products include, in addition to the acetylene converter which treats the C.sub.2 stream, a methylacetylene/propadiene converter ahead of the C.sub.3 splitter to remove contaminants from propylene and propane products and to avoid the risk of detonation in the C.sub.3 splitter caused by build-up of methylacetylene and propadiene; a hydrogenation unit ahead of the debutanizer to remove alpha acetylenes from C.sub.4 and C.sub.5 olefins; a hydrogenation unit on the debutanizer overhead to remove alpha acetylenes from C.sub.4 olefins; and either a heat soaker or a hydrogenation unit on the debutanizer bottoms to remove additional C.sub. 5 acetylenes from pyrolysis gasoline.
Generally, hydrocarbon feeds which contain the aforementioned acetylenic contaminants are introduced to a hydrogenation unit wherein they are reacted with hydrogen under conditions of temperature, pressure and over a catalyst selective for the hydrogenation of the contaminants contained therein. Catalysts suitable for use in hydrogenating acetylenic contaminants are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,076,858, 3,327,013, and 4,101,451, all herein incorporated by reference.
While hydrogenation may help eliminate undesirable acetylenic compounds, other undesirable compounds are produced as by-products during hydrogenation.
Specifically, in a butadiene recovery unit, the first step is generally to hydrogenate the acetylenic contaminants in a hydrogenation unit. Side reactions in the hydrogenation unit produce other undesirable compounds that are known collectively as "green oil."
"Green oil" refers to a mixture of compounds produced in the hydrogenation of a butadiene containing hydrocarbon mixture and is known to contain oligomers of butadiene, sometimes referred to as dimers and trimers, and may contain material having up to 16 or more carbon atoms per molecule.
In conventional hydrocarbon processing methods for butadiene recovery, the butadiene and other C.sub.4 hydrocarbons are generally separated from the green oil by fractional distillation in a green oil or debutanizer tower. This green oil or debutanizer tower represents a major investment item in a butadiene recovery unit in terms of its initial cost of construction, as well as its cost of maintenance and operation.
It would, therefore, be highly desirable to have a hydrocarbon processing method for butadiene recovery wherein the need for a green oil or debutanizer tower is eliminated.

Process for the removal of green oil from a hydrocarbon stream


Used for high performance liquid chromatography systems, a degassing unit with degassing performance of high fluid replacement efficiency in a small volume is described, which is composed of (1) a flat rectangular hollow enclosure using two rectangular degassable film sheets which fringes are sealed hermetically to form an internal space, and providing two independent openings at separate positions; one for an inlet to feed eluent in and the other for an outlet to feed it out, (2) two sheet plates with a number of holes, of the same shape as that of the film sheets, each of which is closely fitted to either side of the film sheets to prevent the expansion of the hollow enclosure, (3) a degassing module having the fringe of the hollow enclosure and the fringes of the plates with holes piled in one upon another with a pair of holding frames which allow to expose the outside surface areas of the sheet plates, (4) a vacuum chamber accommodating the degassing module and enclosing the surrounding space around it, and (5) a vacuum pump which reduces a pressure in the surrounding space.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a degassing module which is used as a degassing unit for high performance liquid chromatography (hereinafter called HPLC) systems. It removes gaseous compounds dissolved in eluent which is separated and analyzed by the liquid chromatography, thereby allowing to make a fine and precise fluid delivery at a high speed required for HPLC.
2. Background Art
There is a tendency that HPLC used to separate compounds in a given sample is made more and more highly accurate. Usually in this type of HPLC, an eluent drawn from a reservoir by a fluid delivery pump is delivered via a sample injection valve to a detecting section including a separation column. In high speed and high accuracy liquid chromatography systems (known as semi-micro HPLC and micro HPLC) which requires high accuracy in delivering the eluent under a high pressure yet at a very small quantity, it is common to install a degassing unit on the inlet side of the fluid delivery pump in order to insure the stability of the pump.
The purpose to install this type of degassing unit is to remove unnecessary gases dissolved in the eluent. Especially when an electrode reduction reaction is measured, oxygen dissolved in the eluent greatly influence its measured value. That is, the reduction reaction of the oxygen themselves makes a big background current, thereby causing noises to be increased.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram to explain a system configuration of HPLC. An eluent 2 in a first reservoir 1 is drawn up by a pump 5 through a pipe 3 and degassed by a degassing unit 4. It is then delivered through a sample injection valve (auto sampler) 6 and 3 column 7 to a detector unit 8. The eluent delivered from the detector unit 8 is thrown out to a second reservoir 10 as a waste eluent 9. The arrow marks show the direction of the eluent delivery. Data detected by the detector unit 8 are transferred to a data processing unit 11, wherein they are processed in a visual form or a computer processable data form to provide and store. The column 7 is accommodated in an isothermal oven 7A to prevent the influence of external temperature. The pump 5 and the sample injection valve 6 are controlled by a system controller 12. The degassing unit 4 is installed before the pump 5 to insure the stable delivery of the fluid and the accurate analysis by removing gases dissolved in the eluent which is drawn up from the first reservoir 1 by the pump 5.
As it is well known about other units and components consisting of this kind of high accuracy liquid chromatography as well as about the function of the whole system, those explanations are omitted.
FIGS. 11(a) and (b) illustrate a compositional example of a conventional degassing unit, showing its overall cross sectional view in FIG. 11(a) and its principal part in cross section in FIG. 11(b), respectively.
As shown in FIG. 11(a), the conventional degassing unit is composed of a degassing module 14 accommodated inside a hermetically sealed room (vacuum chamber) 13 and a vacuum pump 15 to evacuate air from the chamber 13. The degassing module 14 consists of capillary tubes 16 made of such material inactive to corrosive liquid or gases in various organic solvents as Polytetra Fluoro Ethylene (PTFE), both of which ends are bundled by multi-connectors 16a and 16b. The multi-connector 16a is connected through a joint tube 17a to the outside of the chamber 13. The joint tube 17a is then connected to the first reservoir 1 via the pipe 3 as shown in FIG. 10. The multi-connector 16b is connected through a joint tube 17b to the outside of the chamber 13 as well, where it is then connected to the inlet of the pump 5 as shown in FIG. 10. A number of the capillary tubes 16 made of gas permeable resin like PTFE or others to compose the degassing module 14 are bundled as shown in the FIG. 11(b). The inside of the chamber 13 is reduced in pressure by the vacuum pump 15, thereby reducing the pressure in the space between the bundled capillary tubes. Consequently, gases dissolved in the eluent flowing inside the capillary tubes 16 are extracted to the inside of the chamber 13.
As mentioned above, the conventional degassing unit is composed of the degassing module 14 made with the capillary tubes of gas permeable resin such as silicon resin or PTFE which is inactive to the eluent yet good in gas permeability, the vacuum chamber 13, and the vacuum pump 15. By flowing the eluent in the capillary tunes 16 of PTFE or others for the degassing module 14, and by reducing the pressure outside the capillary tubes by the vacuum pump 15, the degassing unit is provided with the function to remove gaseous compounds dissolved in the eluent flowing inside the capillary tubes. The eluent is degassed by passing through the degassing unit, and sent out to the detection means by the fluid delivery pump, thereby making it possible to deliver the eluent stably and accurately to the detection means regardless of changes in ambient temperature.
Generally, an amount of gases dissolved in a liquid is not always constant. It is proportional to pressure, and the higher the pressure the more the amount of gases dissolved. This means the amount of gases dissolved is dependent on a change of the atmospheric pressure.
On the other hand, it is also dependent on temperature. If the pressure is constant, the lower the temperature the more the amount of gases dissolved. To put it concretely, as the temperature is lower in the morning than in the day time, the amount of gases dissolved in the eluent is large in the morning and becomes small in the day time. When starting delivering the fluid in the morning, gas bubbles tend to be observed in the capillary tubes connected to the fluid pump as the temperature goes up toward the day time. It shows that the amount of gases dissolved in the eluent is reduced by an increase of the surrounding temperature. The generation of gas bubbles due to the increase of the temperature becomes a worst condition for such a case that the eluent has to be cooled.
For example, when the room temperature fluctuates in a range of 25-30 degrees C., the temperature of the eluent that is cooled at 5 degrees fluctuates at 20-25 degrees C. and it is observed that gas bubbles are suddenly generated inside the capillary tubes.
In this connection, the degassing unit plays an important role to perform the stable fluid delivery of fine amount precisely regardless of changes of the surrounding conditions. For details on this type of high accuracy liquid chromatography, refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,598.
A standard high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system being conventionally used is configured with its column sizes of 4.6 mm in diameter and 250 mm in length at a speed (pump flow speed) of 1-1.5 ml/min. in fluid delivery by a pump.
In addition to this, recently developed were semi-micro HPLC systems with a very small volume of column by making its size smaller which is 1.0-2.0 mm in diameter and 250 mm in length at a fluid delivery speed of 50-300 .mu.l/min. Those were followed by micro HPLC systems by making its column size further smaller which is 0.5-1.0 mm in diameter and 250 mm in length at a fluid delivery speed of 10-50 .mu.l/min. In order to configure such a micro HPLC system as mentioned above, it is required to make an attached degassing unit being of microstructure as well.
However, in attempting the degassing unit to be of micro-structure problems arise in an internal volume and a structure of a degassing module as the functional part. The internal volume of a degassing module in a standard HPLC system has a capacity of 12 ml, which is too big to apply to the semi-micro and micro HPLC systems. That is, as the pump flow speed in semi-micro HPLC is 0.1-0.2 ml/min. as mentioned above, it takes 60-120 min. even in simple calculation for the fluid to pass through the degassing module. This is considerably long for the time of chromatographic analysis.
The capillary tubes of PTFE or others for the degassing module are commonly used in a bundle of 18 tubes with the length of 2,500 mm. The fluid is distributed into the respective capillary tubes to flow. However, as every tube is not the same in flow resistance, speeds for the fluid to pass through the tubes are different between them. Because of the difference in fluid speed, the time required for the fluid to be replaced completely inside the module is not 60-120 minutes as previously obtained in simple calculation, but it actually takes a few to several times more (325 minutes) as shown in Table 1.
Therefore, even if the volume of the tubes is made smaller in order to make the module internal volume small, it takes long to replace the fluid in the area of semi-micro HPLC if the structure of the degassing module is kept the same as it is.
Table 1 shows a relationship of fluid replacement volume and time by the conventional tube module in comparison with by flat film module of this invention which details are described hereunder.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ Replacement Replacement Replacement time time volume (1 ml/min) (0.2 ml/min) ______________________________________ Tube module 65 ml 65 min. 325 min. Flat film module 9.8 ml 9.8 min. 49 min. ______________________________________ (Note) Internal volume of module Tube module: 12 ml Flat film module: 1.6 ml
In this connection, there was a problem that even if just applying the conventional degassing module to semi-micro HPLC it greatly increases the replacement time, making it unable to suitably comprise a semi-micro HPLC system of practical performance.

Degassing unit for high performance liquid chromatography


An apparatus for providing prolonged topical cooling to the external female genitalia as a therapeutic benefit to and relief from female itching and burning is disclosed as a lightweight, portable cooling unit in combination with one or more labial inserts which are specifically designed to conform to the user's anatomy. The cooling unit is typically a container capable of both cooling and transporting the labial inserts during travel, and providing easy access to relief when needed by the user. A cooled labial insert can be applied to the external female genitalia for treatment of the acute symptoms associated with vulvar inflammation and irritation. The inventive apparatus can maintain a cooling temperature to the affected area for an extended period of time, limited only by the life of the cooling power source. The labial inserts can be worn in public with minimum disruption to the user's clothing and mobility.

There are many medical conditions that may cause irritation and inflammation of the female external genitalia, or vulva, which includes the female urethra, the clitoris, and the labia (minor and majora). Such irritation and inflammation is often caused by acidic vaginal secretions deposited on the vulva, or by direct irritation of this delicate tissue by such things as excessive exposure to perspiration, tight undergarments or clothing, or mild trauma from excessive sexual activity. Common acute symptoms include itching, burning, irritation, liquid discharge, odor, or combinations of these. Itching and irritation can also be caused by a vaginal infection, such as a yeast infection (e.g. Candidiasis), bacterial vaginosis, or parasitic trichomoniasis. Other conditions such as recent child birth can cause similar acute symptoms of inflammation, burning and overall discomfort.
While steroid creams, medicated pads and other topical medications are often prescribed to treat vulvar burning and inflammation, there is often a delay from the time treatment is begun until relief from the itching and burning is experienced. For example, it can day several days or even weeks before ultimate relief from a yeast infection occurs, during which time the acute symptoms persist. Further, topical creams and the like can be messy to use, and can stain undergarments. If the affected person is out in public, such messy creams and pads can affect clothing appearance as well as that person's mobility, which can be inconvenient and embarrassing. Indeed, women suffering from acute vulvar burning and itching often want immediate and non-messy relief, but to date have had nothing to turn to.
In light of the above, it would be useful to provide a portable and reliable cooling insert and method for treatment of vulvar itching, burning and inflammation. It would also be desirable to provide non-messy relief in the form of a labial insert that can be easily cooled, stored and transported by the user in a small portable cooling unit for an extended period of time, including periods without power.


Management of a Security Association (SA) between an Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and a terminal in a communication system. A method of operating a Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) device includes determining a need to establish an SA due to a loss of SA information of a terminal, and transmitting a message for informing the loss of the SA information.

In the past, a telephony service of a mobile communication system was provided through a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). However, due to the advance in communication technologies, a broadband mobile data communication service has recently been available, and thus an Internet phone based on data communication, that is, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service is provided. Accordingly, a user can use a VoIP call through an access network which provides an IP connectivity.
An IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is used to provide the VoIP service. The IMS is a system for providing a multimedia service such as voice, audio, video, data, or the like based on an IP, and is operated independently of the access network. The IMS provides its own IP access security function to ensure a certain level of security. For example, messages exchanged between a terminal and an IMS network to control the telephony service (e.g., to receive and transmit a voice/video call) are delivered through a Security Association (SA) based on an IP security (IPsec: IP security protocol). The IPsec is a set of security protocols and algorithms, and is for protecting IP data in a network layer. Accordingly, the messages may be subjected to an encryption process and a modulation prevention process.
As described above, the IMS network supports a robust security function. However, communication between the terminal and the IMS network cannot be achieved when security information regarding the SA is lost due to a malfunction, a failure, or the like of the terminal or the system. In this case, a call to the terminal may be lost. Furthermore, recently, since a function of a user device (e.g., a smart phone) has been diversified and complicated and multi-processing has been more frequently performed, a risk of losing the security information is increasing due to various error conditions (e.g., a process abort, a memory error) which may occur in the user device.

Device and method for establishing security association in communication system


Within a superscalar processor implementing parallel processing of instructions, machine context synchronization operations, which may alter the context or state of the processor, are allowed to be executed in parallel with non-interruptible instructions under certain conditions. Such a condition includes the absence of a side effect of the change of context resulting from the machine context synchronization operations on the non-interruptible instructions.

Superscalar processors that operate under an out-of-order execution model have improved their performance by allowing instructions to execute in parallel. Most instructions with no write-read dependents can be executed without obeying the order in which they are dispatched. With multiple functional units in a superscalar processor, out-of-order execution has increased the number of instructions processed per unit cycle. However, there are instructions and event handling operations in the processor that have not taken advantage of the out-of-order execution model. Most of the "context synchronizing" instructions ("CSI") and interrupts fall into this category. For example, for the processor to enter an interrupt service routine, the current approach is to wait for completion of all instructions dispatched prior to the subroutine entry. Likewise, the same approach applies to MTSPR (move to special register) instructions that modify special purpose registers, SC (system call) instructions that handle system calls, MTMSR (move to machine state register) instructions that modify the machine status, RFI (return from interrupt) instructions that are executed when an interrupt service routine ends, and ISYNC (instruction synchronization) instructions.
Traditional implementations wait for all prior dispatch instructions to complete before starting to execute the above-noted instructions or to process the events. The reason for the traditional implementation is partly due to the architecture definition and the current state of art in handling instruction completion. The architecture definition requires a CSI or event to begin after prior instructions "appear" to have completed. All exceptions generated by these prior instructions have to be handled before the start of a CSI. In the current implementation of various PowerPC processors that support out-of-order executions, all instructions dispatched are saved in a "completion buffer" which is a first-in-first-out buffer, and the completion of an instruction in the instruction buffer requires the result (if there is one) of the instruction to be deposited in the target register or sent to the memory subsystem, and the instruction does not generate an exception. For these reasons, the current implementation of CSI instructions and events holds off the start of these instructions or events until all prior instructions in the completion buffer have actually completed.
As a result of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for an improved implementation of instruction completion handling wherein CSI instructions and interrupt events are allowed to begin before all prior instructions have deposited their result in the target registers. By doing so, the processor will be allowed to increase its degree of concurrent execution of instructions.

Concurrent execution of machine context synchronization operations and non-interruptible instructions

International Business Machines Corporation