A nonvolatile memory device includes: a substrate having field and active regions; a field insulating layer formed on the field region; a first gate insulating layer formed on the active region; a floating gate formed on the first gate insulating layer and on a portion of the field insulating layer, the portion extending from the first gate insulating layer, the floating gate being separated from the field insulating layer; a second gate insulating layer formed on the surface of the floating gate; a control gate formed on the second gate insulating layer; and an impurity region formed in a portion of the substrate, the portion being placed on both sides of the control gate.

The present invention relates to a nonvolatile memory device and method for fabricating the same, and more particularly to a nonvolatile memory device (and method for fabricating the same) having an increased coupling ratio of a floating gate and control gate, and thereby an improved programming characteristic of the memory device.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional flash memory cell is formed in a manner that an active region (A) is defined between field insulating layers 21, a control gate electrode line 25 is formed perpendicular to the field insulating layer 21, and a floating gate 23 is formed on a portion where the active region (A) and the control gate meet. The floating gate 23 is isolated from the active region and the control gate.
A method for fabricating the conventional flash memory cell will be explained below. Field insulating layer 21 is formed on a substrate 20, and a gate oxide layer 22 is formed on the substrate. Polysilicon is deposited on the exposed surfaces, and patterned in a first direction to form floating gate 23. An interlevel insulating layer 24 is formed on the exposed surfaces, and polysilicon is deposited thereon and patterned in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, to form control gate 25. Here, floating gate 23 is formed by etching the first-direction-patterned polysilicon layer using control gate 25 as a self-aligning mask, to form a final floating gate 23. Then, ions are implanted into an exposed portion of the substrate, to form a source and drain on both sides of the gate. The above-mentioned flash memory cell is programmed by injecting electrons into floating gate 23, or not, to change the threshold voltage of its channel.
The programming of the memory cell is performed by applying a voltage to the control gate and drain electrode (not shown). This voltage is relatively higher than that applied to the source electrode (not shown). Here, the voltage applied to the control gate is induced to the floating gate according to the coupling effect, and the induced voltage draws hot electrons generated nearby the drain. The coupling induced voltage induced to the floating gate is proportional to the contact area of the control gate and floating gate. That is, the higher a coupling ratio kc is, the larger the induced voltage is. If coupling ratio kc is large, the programming efficiency and characteristic are improved. Coupling ratio kc is determined by a capacitance Cpp between the control gate and floating gate, and a capacitance Cox between the floating gate and silicon substrate. Coupling ratio kc of a stacked gate flash memory cell is Cpp/(Cpp+Cox). Accordingly, the coupling ratio kc becomes higher as capacitance Cpp becomes larger than capacitance Cox. For the purpose of increasing capacitance Cpp, the interlevel insulating layer's dielectric constant must be made larger, or its thickness thinner. Otherwise, the superposed area of the floating gate and control gate must be increased.
However, a conventional method for increasing the superposed area of the floating gate and the control gate causes an increase of the memory cell area. In order to make the superposed area of the floating gate and control gate relatively larger than the superposed area of the floating gate and silicon substrate, the floating gate should cover a larger portion of the field insulating layer 21, as shown in FIG. 1. This increases the width of the floating gate. As a result, the memory cell size is increased.
To apply a voltage which is easily programmed to the floating gate without enlarging the area of a portion of the floating gate, which portion is formed on the field insulating layer, the voltage applied to the control gate should be increased. The greater the voltage applied to the floating gate, the shorter the time required for electron injection into the floating gate to reach saturation. This increases the programming speed of the memory cell.

Method for fabricating nonvolatile memory device using disposable layer


Various embodiments provide a resource allocation method and an apparatus. In those embodiments, a terminal device obtains a first parameter indicating a maximum service data volume to be provided by an access network device for a first service in a first time length; and determines, based on the maximum service data volume, a resource of a media access control protocol data unit MAC PDU, the resource being occupied by buffered data of the first service. In those embodiments, the terminal device determines, based on the maximum service data volume of the first service, the resource of the MAC PDU. Compared with a conventional method, the maximum service data volume of the first service is considered. This helps improve reasonableness of allocating the resource of the MAC PDU to the data of the first service.

With the development of technologies, a communications system needs to be applied to more scenarios to provide communications services for more services. Quality of service (QoS) of services in different scenarios is different. To more properly describe the QoS of the different services, new QoS characteristics may be introduced. For example, a 5th generation (5G) mobile communications system needs to be applied to scenarios such as remote industrial control and intelligent transportation. In such scenarios, service data usually requires a relatively short transmission delay and a relatively low transmission error rate. For the transmission characteristic of a service in such scenarios, such a service may be classified as a guaranteed bit rate (GBR) service, and the new QoS characteristics are introduced for such a service.
However, in an existing logical channel prioritization (LCP) process, a terminal device still allocates, based only on a prioritised bit rate (PRB) and a priority of logical channels, resources of a media access control (MAC) protocol data unit (PDU) to service data buffered in the logical channels.
Therefore, according to a new resource allocation method, the resources of the MAC PDU are more properly allocated, in the LCP process, to the service data buffered in the logical channels.

Resource allocation method and apparatus


A guide mechanism and a portable drill are coupled together to define a portable, hand-operated drilling device. The drilling device includes a replaceable back-up fixture for engaging a first side of a workpiece and a drill support which adjustably and releasably engages a drill. The back-up fixture and drill support are mountable on opposing jaws of a manually operated tool of the type where the jaws may be closed by application of compressive force to a pair of handles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the production of holes in workpieces which have limited accessibility or are difficult to manipulate and particularly to the positioning of a boring tool relative to such workpieces so as to enable the accurate drilling thereof. More specifically, this invention is directed to a hand tool which, when mated with a portable motor driven drill, will engage a workpiece and accurately position and support the drill relative to the workpiece so as to enable the accurate boring thereof. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.
2. Description of the Prior Art
While not limited thereto in its utility, the present invention has been found to be particularly well suited for performing operations on workpieces comprised of sheet metal. An example of such a workpiece is an automobile body panel which will typically be spot welded to an abutting member(s) which may, for example, be in the form of a plate. It is often necessary to replace such panels, for example in the repair of collision damage, and such replacement requires that the welds be "broken" by drilling. The "drilling out" of spot welds which hold a sheet metal panel in place is a difficult and time-consuming task which requires a relatively high level of skill.
The problem briefly discussed above, and problems presented by the need to produce through-holes in other workpieces such as I-beams and channels, has previously been addressed by providing special tools which are expensive and often difficult to use. An example of such a special tool may be seen from U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,319. It has also been suggested, but not implemented on a commercial level, to associate various types of complicated clamp devices with drills. Such clamping devices, examples of which may be seen from U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,926,788 and 2,625,063, have met with very limited success because of inherent deficiencies which will not be discussed herein. There have also been prior art devices which have attempted to employ a portable drill as a stationary drill press. Such devices, as exemplified by the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 2,856,799, have lacked portability and the capability of use where space was limited or where the work could not be brought to the tool.


Sonar rendering systems and methods are described herein. One example is an apparatus that includes a transducer element, position sensing circuitry, processing circuitry, and a display device. The processing circuitry may be configured to receive raw sonar data and positioning data, convert the raw sonar data into range cell data based at least on amplitudes of the return echoes, make a location-based association between the raw sonar data and the positioning data, plot the range cell data based on respective positions derived from the positioning data and rotate the range cell data based on a direction of movement of the watercraft to generate adjusted range cell data. The processing circuitry may be further configured to convert the adjusted range cell data into sonar image data, and cause the display device to render the sonar image data with a presentation of a geographic map.

Sonar has long been used to detect waterborne or underwater objects. Sonar devices may be used to determine depth and bottom topography, detect fish or other waterborne objects, locate wreckage, etc. In this regard, due to the extreme limits on underwater visibility, sonar is typically the most accurate way to locate objects underwater. Devices such as transducer elements, or simply transducers, have been developed to produce sound or vibrations at a particular frequency that is transmitted into and through the water. Echo returns from the transmitted sound reflected off an object are received, either by the same transducers or by separate receiver elements and are converted into an electrical signal. These electrical signals can be analyzed and interpreted to obtain information about underwater structures.
Transducer technology and sonar techniques continue to evolve, such that information about larger underwater areas is being captured more rapidly. Innovations in both downscan and sidescan sonar technology have contributed to this increase in the amount of data being collected from the transducers and transducer arrays. Due to this availability of large amounts of detailed information, innovative ways to present this data can be considered and implemented.
Traditionally, sonar data has been rendered relative to the source of the sonar beam (i.e., the transducers). Since the only constant reference for the sonar data is this beam origin, renderings of sonar data can be difficult to interpret. For example, consider a transducer that is affixed to a watercraft. The transducer may continuously receive return echoes describing the underwater surroundings of the watercraft. However, by simply considering the content of the raw sonar data retrieved from a transducer, the physical movement of the watercraft is unaccounted for in the rendering of the data. Based on the raw sonar data alone, it can be unclear whether the watercraft was traveling in a straight line (e.g., due north) or if the watercraft is circling the same location. Because the only reference is the transducer or the watercraft itself, the context in which the raw sonar data is being provided can be unclear and confusing, particularly for a novice to sonar technology.
As such, it may be desirable to manage and render raw sonar data in different contexts in order to increase the interpretability of the data to a user.

Sonar rendering systems and associated methods


A wiring structure and a display panel are provided, and have red, green, and blue (RGB) signal lines; three signal control lines; and a switching line having a switching transistor disposed thereon. Each of the RGB lines has a terminal connecting correspondingly to the switching transistor, and connects correspondingly with the signal control lines through the switching transistor. The switching transistor comprises a control terminal for receiving a control signal, and controls the connection or disconnection between the three signal control lines and the RGB lines according to the control signal. The wiring structure can be used as an inspection system for the display panel.

A liquid crystal display (LCD) has many advantages such as a thin body, saving power, no radiation, etc., and allows for broad applications. In the current market, most LCDs are backlight LCDs, and a backlight LCD comprises a liquid crystal panel and a backlight module. The working principle of the liquid crystal panel is that disposing liquid crystal molecules between two parallel glass substrates, changing the directions of the liquid crystal molecules by applying an electric field to circuits of the glass substrates so that the light from the backlight module is refracted to generate images.
In current technology, the liquid crystal display panel needs to be inspected for the yield rate by means of a short bar technology before the liquid crystal display device is assembled, so as to inspect whether the liquid crystal display panel has defective pixels (MURA) or bright dots (DIT/LINE) by means of the short bar technology. For example, at a data side of the structure, each of the signal lines 11 (i.e. R/G/B signal lines) is correspondingly connected to each of the test lines 12 through ITO (Indium tin oxide). After connecting, the test lines 12 can be introduced outward to connect with the corresponding probe 13 for yield inspection, as shown in FIG. 1a. After inspecting, the LCD signal lines 11 are cut off by laser so as to disconnect from the test lines 12, i.e. disconnect from the inspection system, as shown in FIG. 1b. After completing the yield rate inspection, the signal lines 11 are soldered within a bonding area 14, and then the display panel can be operated normally.
In practice, however, the current inspection system is discarded after completing a yield rate inspection so that the production cost is increased.

Wiring structure and display panel having the same

Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


A supporting structure for transporting a traction battery of a vehicle having an electric power train. The supporting structure includes a frame on which a plate is mounted, whereby the plate can hold a traction battery in place by at least one first linking element that can geometrically align the traction battery in relation to the structure. The supporting structure is particularly suitable for managing the different batteries to be found at a battery exchange station.

The present invention relates to a supporting structure, of the sledge type, making it possible to convey and to place traction batteries in reference position relative to a housing formed in a vehicle with an electric traction system in which the latter are designed to be installed.
The invention finds a particularly advantageous, but not exclusive, application in the field of exchange of traction batteries of vehicles provided with removable traction batteries in battery-exchange stations.
The invention also finds application in the field of installation of a traction battery in a vehicle provided with an electric traction system in a factory for assembling such vehicles but also in any location in which the battery could be conveyed outside the vehicle as in the after-sales network etc.
Specifically, although the energy density that can be stored in traction batteries has progressed greatly, vehicles with fully electric traction systems still have however a range deficit relative to a vehicle with a heat traction system.
One solution for allowing these vehicles with fully electric traction systems to achieve services equivalent to those of vehicles provided with a heat traction system lies in the deployment of automated battery-exchange stations, of the type of that disclosed in document U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,606. In these stations, a user may exchange the discharged traction battery of his vehicle with a recharged battery in a particularly short time and in great comfort by reason of the automation of the exchange.
The stations that are envisaged must be able to exchange batteries, the weight of which is high in order to increase the range between two battery exchanges and the shape and volume of which may differ from one model of vehicle to another. This limits the multiplication of battery-exchange stations in order to maintain an acceptable cost of battery-exchange infrastructure. It is therefore understandable that it is necessary to develop a universal station that makes it possible to reduce the cost of covering the exchange-station territory.

Supporting structure for an electric vehicle traction battery


A gas turbine engine comprises a compressor, a combustor, a turbine, and an electronic engine control system. The compressor, combustor, and turbine are arranged in flow series. The electronic engine control system is configured to generate a real-time estimate of compressor stall margin from an engine model, and command engine actuators to correct for the difference between the real time estimate of compressor stall margin and a required stall margin.

The present invention relates generally to gas turbine engine control, and more particularly to a method and system for model-based compressor control.
Modern Brayton and Ericsson cycle engines, including gas turbine engines for aircraft applications, continue to grow more complex. These engines require sophisticated control systems to handle increasing operational demands at reduced tolerances. Such engine control systems command engine actuators for control parameters such as fuel flow rate and variable engine geometries to achieve desired values of output parameters such as net thrust or engine rotor speed. A variety of control methods are currently used toward this end, including model-based control algorithms using predictive models that relate thermodynamic parameters such as flow rate, pressure, and temperature to input and output variables such as overall thrust, power output, or rotational energy.
Engine control systems are typically provided with a plurality of inputs including both current operating parameters and target parameters. Current operating parameters may include engine parameters such as rotor speeds, engine temperatures, and flow rates, as well as environmental parameters such as altitude and environmental air pressure and flow rate. Some current operating parameters are directly measured, while others may be fixed at manufacture or estimated based on measured parameters. Target parameters may include desired rotor speeds or net thrust values specified according to desired aircraft activities.
In addition to achieving specified target parameters, engine control systems are expected to avoid engine trajectories resulting in engine states that unduly reduce component lifetimes or increase likelihoods of undesired events such as engine surge, compressor stall, or engine blowout. Compressor stability, in particular, is maintained by controlling bleeds and variable stator vane angles to avoid compressor stall or lean blowout conditions.
Engine control systems maintain a stall margin, a minimum distance between a compressor operating point (i.e. compressor pressure ratio and flow) and a predicted stall line corresponding to compressor stall conditions. Conventional systems rely on lookup tables generated offline from steady-state engine models with entries corresponding to expected pressure ratio targets selected to avoid stall conditions by at least a "stall margin," a tolerance margin chosen to minimize risk of stall. The more accurate and precise the prediction of stall conditions, the narrower the stall margin may be. Improvements in stall margin estimation allow improved engine efficiency by reducing the operating stall margin.

Real time model based compressor control


A control unit controls a 1x RAKE receiving unit to intermittently receive a paging signal transmitted from a first base station in a first cycle, in the first cycle. The control unit also controls a 1xEV-DO RAKE receiving unit to intermittently receive a paging signal transmitted from a second base station in a second cycle, in a cycle which is a multiple of natural number n of the second cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a mobile radio terminal apparatus having two radio connection schemes.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a mobile radio system having two radio connection schemes, the cdma (Code Division Multiple Access) 2000 is known.
The cdma2000 system is capable of making radio connection between a mobile station and a base station in two schemes, i.e. 1x communication scheme (hereinafter called "1x") and 1xEV-DO communication scheme (hereinafter called "1xEV-DO").
In the 1x, a speech service, SMS (Short Message Service) and a packet communication service having a download speed of about 100 kbps are provided. The 1xEV-DO is employed only to provide a packet communication service having a download speed of higher than 100 kbps. To improve the radio use efficiency of the 1xEV-DO packet communication service, the 1x and 1xEV-DO services are provided at mutually different frequencies.
In a mobile radio terminal apparatus employed in a conventional mobile radio system having two radio connection schemes, however, much battery power is consumed at simultaneous standby in the two radio connection schemes.


An optical sensor system is disclosed. The optical sensor system comprises a panel and a sensing unit. The panel comprises a plurality of transparent areas. The sensing unit locates at one side of the panel and the sensing unit senses a plurality of first light signals reflected by an object and senses a plurality second light signals of an ambient light. The reflected first light signals and the second light signals pass through one of the plurality of transparent areas of the panel. The sensing unit further comprises a light sensor and a plurality of gesture sensors. The light sensor locates at the center of the sensing unit, and the light sensor senses the second light signals. The plurality of gesture sensors surrounds the light sensor, and the gesture sensors senses the reflected first light signals and then produce gesture signals corresponding to motions of the object.

1. Field of the Invention
The exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention relates to a sensor system. More specifically, the exemplary embodiment(s) of the present invention relates to an optical sensor system.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, the LED technology has big progress in the brightness efficiency, and many applications for displays continuously appear. Also, the optical proximity sensor (OPS) apparatus is commonly used in wireless communications, bio-molecular sciences, environmental monitoring, and displays. The OPS apparatus is developed based on the light signal received by the photo-diode (PD) via the reflections of the measured object. The PD transfers the light signal to the electrical signal. By detecting the intensity of the electrical signal, the OPS apparatus can obtain the direction of movement of the measured object.
For example, a traditional OPS system, such as a quadrant photodiode system, may be used to determine whether an object is moved from one direction to the other direction above the display of an electronic device, and then the electronic device can determine the moving direction for position or motion sensing. However, in such a case, the quadrant photodiode system needs some sort of focusing lens or light projection system to project image onto the quadrant detectors of the quadrant photodiode system, and the quadrant photodiode cells in the quadrant photodiodes need to be located adjacent to each other. Because the optical focusing lens is needed, the light detection viewing angle would be dramatically reduced resulting in light brightness and color temperature sensing errors. Besides, packaging with integrated physical focusing lens on sensor will significantly increase the overall package thickness over 2 mm, thereby making the quadrant photodiode system difficult to be applied in mobile device applications. Moreover, continuous sampling at a very high speed for position or motion sensing is necessary in the quadrant photodiode system, therefore increasing power consumption. The phenomenon mentioned above is an unwanted drawback for all the users.
Thus, for the demand, designing an optical sensor system to increase the accuracy of detecting the position or motion of the object and to decrease the power consumption has become an urgent issue for the application in the market.


An optical scanning apparatus includes a plurality of light sources capable of emitting light. A detection unit detects a light quantity of the light emitted from the plurality of light sources. A control unit controls drive current of a light source designated as a control object based on a detection result obtained by the detection unit. The control unit controls the drive current based on an activation state of the light source designated as the control object and an activation state of a light source other than the control object.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical scanning apparatus including a plurality of light sources that can emit a laser beam based on image data so that an image can be formed on an image carrier with the laser beam.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrophotographic type image forming apparatus including a laser element capable of functioning as a latent image forming exposure unit is required to have higher capabilities, for example, in resolution and processing speed.
The image forming apparatus drives (on/off controls) a laser element based on image data. In general, the resolution of an image can be improved if the on/off control speed (hereinafter, referred to as "modulation speed") increases although the amount of increase in the modulation speed may be limited.
An image forming apparatus with a laser element emitting a single laser beam is required to excessively increase the modulation speed to attain a requested resolution in a main scanning direction (i.e., the longitudinal direction of an image carrier on which a latent image is formed) as well as in a sub scanning direction (i.e., a rotational direction of the image carrier).
Accordingly, instead of increasing the modulation speed, it is useful to increase the number of laser beams, i.e., the number of light emission points (i.e., light sources), to improve the resolution in the sub scanning direction. For example, if the number of laser beams is increased from 1 to 4, the resolution in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction can be doubled at the same modulation speed as the single beam.
The semiconductor lasers (i.e., laser elements) can be classified into two types depending on the direction of light emission. More specifically, an "edge-emitting laser" emits a laser beam in a direction parallel to an active layer. A "surface-emitting laser" or a "vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)" emits a laser beam in a direction perpendicular to an active layer. In general, an edge-emitting laser is used for an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus.
However, the edge-emitting laser has a technical drawback in that the number of laser beams cannot be increased so much. On the other hand, the surface-emitting laser has a structure easy to increase the number of laser beams because a relatively large number of light sources can be arrayed on a surface.
Therefore, an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus, if it employs a surface-emitting laser capable of simultaneously emitting numerous laser beams, can realize high resolution and high speed processing.
The light quantity of a laser beam emitted from a semiconductor laser (i.e., laser diode (LD)) varies depending on the temperature. More specifically, the temperature of a laser diode increases when light emission from the laser diode continues for a long time. As a result, the light quantity of a laser beam on a photosensitive drum surface (i.e., image carrier) cannot be maintained at a constant level. An image formed on the photosensitive drum includes unevenness or fogging.
To solve this problem, as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-335038, a conventional light-emitting element driving apparatus depending on a combination of voltage drive and current drive can correct a variation in laser light quantity that occurs due to a temperature rise in a laser diode.
More specifically, the light-emitting element driving apparatus detects a reduction in a terminal voltage of a laser diode due to heat generation in the laser diode, as a temperature rise, in a constant current drive operation. The light-emitting element driving apparatus controls a drive voltage based on a detection value so as to correct a variation in the laser light quantity.
Furthermore, as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 11-291547, a conventional image forming apparatus corrects droop characteristics which vary depending on image data. According to this image forming apparatus, when light emission of a laser diode is based on a current drive, a drive current corresponding to image data is added to a drive current for an auto power control (APC), i.e., automatic light quantity control. A detailed laser diode driving operation is described below with reference to FIG. 11 and FIGS. 12A through 12C.
FIG. 11 illustrates a laser drive control circuit included in the conventional image forming apparatus. The laser drive control circuit illustrated in FIG. 11 includes a laser diode (LD) 101 and a photo diode (PD) sensor 102 which cooperatively form a laser chip. Furthermore, the laser drive control circuit includes a bias current source 103 for the LD 101 and a pulse current source 104 for the LD 101.
A modulation unit 105 receives an image signal "DATA" and outputs a pixel modulation signal to a switch 106. The switch 106 performs an on/off control based on the pixel modulation signal supplied from the modulation unit 105. Namely, the switch 106 controls the current supplied to the LD 101 from the pulse current source 104. Thus, the LD 101 emits a laser beam based on the pixel modulation signal.
The PD sensor 102 monitors (detects) light emission from the LD 101 and generates an output signal (i.e., detection result) which is sent to a current/voltage (I/V) converter 107. The current/voltage converter 107 converts the output signal of the PD sensor 102 into a voltage signal. An amplifier (Gain) 108 receives the voltage signal from the current/voltage converter 107 and amplifies the received voltage signal. An APC circuit 109 receives the amplified voltage signal from the amplifier 108 and performs a feedback control of an output current amount supplied to the bias current source 103. In other words, the APC circuit 109 equalizes a bias light quantity of the LD 101 with a desired light quantity.
The LD 101 has droop characteristics which depend on an on-period of the LD 101. Even if the drive current amount is controlled to be constant during a scanning operation, the light emission quantity of the LD 101 gradually decreases due to the droop characteristics. Similar phenomenon appears when the drive current control is performed based on a pulse signal. A laser diode having strong droop characteristics tends to cause a large attenuation in the light emission quantity when the on-period of the laser diode is long.
A current control unit 110 outputs a correction signal to a pulse correction current source 111. The correction signal is dependent on the on-period of the LD 101 in a scanning operation. The pulse correction current source 111 supplies current based on the correction signal. Thus, a sum of current values output from the pulse current source 104 and the pulse correction current source 111 is supplied to the LD 101 as a pulse drive current during a scanning operation. Furthermore, a sequence controller 112 is in communication with the APC 109 and the current control unit 110.
FIGS. 12A through 12C illustrate an exemplary change in the light emission quantity of the LD 101 during an on-period, according to the laser drive control circuit which includes the current control unit 110 and the pulse correction current source 111. FIG. 12A illustrates image data being set for light emission from the LD 101. FIG. 12B illustrates drive current flowing across the LD 101. FIG. 12C illustrates the quantity of light emitted from the LD 101.
In FIGS. 12B and 12C, solid lines represent the data measured when the laser drive control circuit includes the current control unit 110 and the pulse correction current source 111. Dotted lines represent the data measured when the laser drive control circuit does not include the current control unit 110 and the pulse correction current source 111.
Namely, if the drive current supplied to the LD 101 is constant as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 12B, the light emission quantity of the LD 101 during an on-period gradually decreases due to the above-described droop characteristics as indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 12C.
On the other hand, as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 12C, the light emission quantity of the LD 101 during an on-period can be maintained at a constant level when the laser drive control circuit includes the current control unit 110 and the pulse correction current source 111.
As described above, an electrophotographic type image forming apparatus can use a surface-emitting laser capable of emitting numerous laser beams to realize high resolution and high speed processing.
However, the surface-emitting laser includes a plurality of laser diodes (light emission points) disposed densely on the same chip. The self heat generation from one laser diode has significant effects on neighboring laser diodes disposed on the same chip. Therefore, if the conventional light quantity correction is applied to a surface-emitting laser without considering the effects given from the neighboring laser diodes, a target laser diode (i.e., a control object) cannot generate a laser beam whose light quantity is stable during an on-period.


A control system for rapid fault tolerant control of a multiple control-point apparatus is disclosed. The system comprises: a host subsystem acting as a user interface; a plurality of control-point actuators; a master controller subsystem which receives initialization data from the host terminal and which generates behavior commands; and a control-point controller subsystem which receives behavior commands from the master controller subsystem and generates control-point actuator commands. The control-point controller subsystem is made fault tolerant by using a plurality of control-point processors connected to control-point interfaces through a programmable crossbar switch such that if any of the control-point processors develops a fault, the crossbar switch will connect one of the other control-point processors to the control-point interface previously serviced by the faulty control-point processors. The master controller subsystem can be made fault tolerant by including an odd number of at least three master processors in the master controller subsystem such that each master processor runs a common control program in parallel with every other master processor and the master control output for each master processor is compared with the other master control outputs to generate the output common to the majority of master processors as the majority control output.

This invention relates to a fault tolerant device for controlling a multiple control-point apparatus, such as a robot arm. More particularly, this invention relates to a fault tolerant control system in which redundant processors are used to replace faulty processors.
A multiple control-point apparatus is a device which completes a task as a result of a plurality of independent operations taking place simulataneously. A good example of a multiple control-point apparatus would be a multi-jointed robot arm. For a robot arm to complete a task, its controller must simultaneously generate separate commands for each of its joints. For example, to complete the task of picking up an object, a robot arm controller might have to simultaneously cause a shoulder-like joint to laterally rotate in the direction of the object, cause an elbow-like joint to extend toward the object, and cause a hand-like joint to grasp the object.
Heretofore, various devices for controlling multiple control-point control systems have been developed. See, for example: ACFAS Robot System, Rubbertuators and Applications for Robots, Technical Guide No. 1, Bridgestone Corporation, 1986; Bagchi, S. and K. Kawamura, A Distributed Object-Oriented Robotic System, presented at the 1992 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS '92), July 1992; Kara, A., S. Bagchi, S. Chawla, M. Iskarous, and K. Kawamura, Intelligent Control of a Robotic Aid System for the Physically Disabled, Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Intelligent Control, pp. 359-364, Arlington, VA. Aug. 1991; and Craig, J. J., Introduction To Robotics Mechanics and Control, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 2.sup.nd edition, 1986.
A significant problem with many multiple control-point controllers is their susceptibility to faults. If one of the control-point controllers becomes inoperative, such as as a result of an electronic fault or a software bug, the entire apparatus may be rendered useless. With an inaccesible apparatus (such as a robotic apparatus employed on a satellite) or a life-critical apparatus (such as a robot used in the care of the handicapped), the cost of the failure of just one control-point controller can be devastating. The instant invention solves this deficiency by providing a multiple control-point controller that is robust with respect to control-point controller failures.
Throughout this application, various publications are referenced. The disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.

Multiple control-point control system and method of use


The present invention relates to a system and method for using discrete photon counting to produce transmission radiographic images of a target object with improved spatial resolution and high system sensitivity. The system comprises a radiation source for directing photons at a target object and a detector array for receiving photons passing through the target in order to provide an image of the target density. The detector array is configured to enhance spatial resolution and maintain high system sensitivity. To correct the parallax effect that may be induced by such configuration of the detector array, a process can be computer implemented or program coded to parallax correction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to target density detection using discrete photon counting. More particularly, the present invention relates to using discrete photon counting to produce transmission radiographic images of a target object with improved spatial resolution and high system sensitivity.
2. Background
There are many instances in the security or customs field when it is necessary to examine or inspect in a non-destructive way, the contents of a target object, such as a closed package, box, suitcase, cargo container, automobile semi-trailer, tanker truck, railroad car, e.g., box car or tanker car, or the like. For example, customs departments are routinely charged with the responsibility of inspecting vehicles coming into a country to make sure such packages do not contain drugs or other contraband, or leaving the country with stolen automobiles, drug money, and other illicit contraband. Similarly, drug smugglers frequently carry out their criminal acts by hiding illegal drugs in vehicles such as tanker trucks, and then sending the trucks through a border checkpoint. When security personnel encounter suspicious vehicles or other containers being transported over international boundaries, they must perform a careful time consuming (˜½ hour) inspection of such vehicles to ascertain their contents. Similarly, when suspicious trucks or cars enter compounds overseas having U.S. troops or containing embassy offices, they must be inspected for hidden vehicle bombs, poisonous gases, etc.
When suspicious vehicles are discovered, they generally must be examined or inspected on location in what is referred to as a "secondary inspection area." If secondary inspection reveals the presence of contraband (e.g., drugs), then the vehicle may be impounded, the driver arrested, and the contraband disposed of. If, on the other hand, the examination reveals the absence of contraband, then the vehicle may be allowed to proceed in normal manner.

Target density imaging using discrete photon counting to produce high-resolution radiographic images

Science Applications International Corporation


A pen-type optical mouse device indicates a cursor position or inputs writing or a movement of the pen-type optical mouse. An aspect of the pen-type optical mouse is to calculate coordinate values of the mouse device in accordance with a movement of the pen-type optical mouse device. The pen-type optical device includes an image sensor on a side of the interior of a main body of pen-type the mouse device, thereby allowing the pen-type optical mouse device to be slim and easy to hold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pen-type optical mouse device and a method of controlling the same, and more particularly, to a pen-type optical mouse device and a method of controlling the same wherein a light guide causes light emitted from an illuminator to be incident on a surface at a predetermined angle, and a path of the light reflected from the surface is changed so that an image of the surface is imaged upon an image sensor, thereby allowing to write letters or draw a figure through a natural writing action.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A conventional mouse is a computer peripheral device which points a position by using a cursor displayed on a display device of a computer system and comprises a ball for allowing the change of a position and function buttons.
However, in such a conventional ball-type mouse, since the ball is not smoothly rotated on a slick surface, there is a limitation on a usage place and thus a mouse pad is required in order to ensure the smooth rotation of the ball. In addition, even if the ball of the mouse is rotated on the mouse pad, coordinate axes changed in accordance with the rotation of the ball do not exactly correspond thereto. Thus, there is a problem in that the cursor cannot be smoothly moved on the screen of the display device.
Further, in a case where a letter is inputted or a precision work is carried out using the ball-type mouse, a user has to operate a click button provided at the leading end of the mouse while holding and moving the mouse. However, in such a case, there are problems in that it is troublesome to perform such an operation of moving the mouse and thus the rapidity and accuracy of measurement of the coordinates are degraded. Particularly, there is a disadvantage in that since the shape of the mouse is different from those of general writing instruments, natural writing and drawing cannot be performed with the mouse. In addition, since the ball-type mouse essentially utilizes rotation of the ball, dust or the like may be collected between the ball and a device for sensing the rotation of the ball. Thus, there are disadvantages in that the durability of the mouse may be deteriorated and the interior of the mouse should be periodically cleaned.
Moreover, as for optical mouse devices for a computer which employ a method of detecting coordinates by using light, an optical mouse with an optical sensor and a pad combined, and an optical mouse employing a CMOS sensor have been used. The optical mouse with the optical sensor and the pad is constructed such that a coordinate detecting means including a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and a cross line pattern is inscribed on a mouse pad. In such a case, there is a problem in that since the optical mouse inevitably requires an exclusive pad, use of the mouse is limited.
Meanwhile, in case of the recently developed optical mouse employing the CMOS sensor, there are advantages in that an additional pad is not required contrary to a conventional optical mouse device, and its durability is improved since any moving parts are not employed therein. The principle of such an optical mouse is specifically disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,233,368 B1 entitled "CMOS digital optical navigation chip" issued on May 15, 2001. In this patent, a work surface or sheet surface disposed directly below the optical mouse is illuminated with an illuminator (illuminating light source and its system) contained in the optical mouse; an imaging system contained therein images an arbitrary pattern or feature on the work or sheet surface on the plane of the CMOS sensor; and a processing unit detects a direction and the degree of movement of the mouse from variations in image information with time. In addition to such an optical mouse, U.S. Pat. No. 4,794,384 entitled "optical translator device" issued on Dec. 27, 1988 discloses the constitution in which when a work surface is illuminated with partially coherent light from a light source, a detector array detects changes in a speckle pattern reflected by the work surface so that movement of the mouse can be detected.
Such constitution has an advantage in that there is no limitation on usage environments thereof. However, since the shape of the mouse is different from those of general writing instruments, the movement of the mouse is performed in a state where the entire mouse is held in a user's hand and so it is difficult to achieve accurate coordinate movement. As a result, there is a problem in that it is not easy to perform a graphic operation or to write the user's signature using the mouse.
A pen-type mouse for implementing accurate cursor control when performing a delicate graphic operation or writing the user's signature has been developed. An example of such a pen-type mouse is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,015 (hereinafter, referred to as "'015 patent") entitled "pen like computer pointing device" issued on Nov. 21, 2000. As shown in FIG. 1, the pointing device includes a cylindrical body 102, an illumination source 104, a lens 110, an optical motion sensor 108, a switch 106, communications links 116, 118, and buttons 112, 114. The illumination source 104 emits light, and the lens 110 allows reflected light, which is generated when the light emitted from the illumination source 104 is reflected off a work surface, to be imaged. Then, when an image of the work surface imaged through the lens 110 is captured with the optical motion sensor 108, a direction and amount of movement of the pointing device are obtained from variations in the image due to motion of the pointing device, and they are then transmitted to a computer through the communications links 116, 118.
However, the optical pointing device of the '015 patent has the following three disadvantages in performing a delicate graphic operation or smoothly writing one's signature.
First, there is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to hold the pointing device in one's hand due to large diameter thereof. Referring to FIG. 1, the optical motion sensor 108 for capturing the image of the work surface is disposed in a direction perpendicular to a central axis of the pointing device. Here, since the optical motion sensor 108, which is a kind of IC chip, has a standard size of a semiconductor chip, the dimension thereof in the (horizontal) direction perpendicular to the central axis of the pointing device is relatively longer than that in a (vertical) direction parallel to the central axis. Therefore, since the installation of the optical motion sensor 108 in the manner shown in FIG. 1 results in enlargement of the diameter of the pointing device, it is difficult to use the pointing device while holding it in one's hand.
The second disadvantage is that the motion of the pointing device cannot be accurately detected on a particular work surface. Referring to FIG. 1 again, since the optical pointing device of the '015 patent does not have a means for transferring the light emitted from the illumination source 104 to the work surface at a small angle, an angle Θ of the light from the illumination source 104 incident on the work surface may be increased, as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, if the work surface illuminated with the illumination source 104 does not have any patterns thereon or has the same color throughout the entire surface, there is a problem in that the motion of the mouse cannot be detected. FIG. 2 is a magnified view showing a work surface 21, such as that of copying paper, having a uniform color and no patterns. When viewing the surface with the naked eye under normal illumination, the irregularities of such a surface cannot be recognized. However, a general work surface actually has fine irregularities such as those of the work surface 21 shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, if the angle Θ of the light that is irradiated from the illumination source 104 onto the work surface is over 40 degrees, the light is irradiated onto both left and right side slant surfaces 24, 23 of a convex portion. Thus, the left and right side slant surfaces 24, 23 of the convex portion cannot be discriminated therebetween in the image of the work surface imaged through the lens.
The third disadvantage is that when the pointing device is spaced apart from the work surface, the position of the cursor cannot be chased. Referring to FIG. 3, upon input of letters or figures, a writing operation with a pen is generally comprised of a combination of a pen-down action by which the pen comes into contact with a work surface and is then moved thereon, and a pen-up action by which the pen is spaced apart from the work surface and is then moved. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when writing an alphabetic capital letter "X," the writing action is comprised of a step of writing "/" through the pen-down action (step S1), a step of moving the pen through the pen-up action (step S2), and a step of writing "\" through the pen-down action (step S3). In general, in the pen-up action, the distance to be spaced apart from the surface is about 3 mm or less.
On the contrary, when it is intended to write the letter "X" by using the optical pointing device of the '015 patent, the pointing device comes into contact with the surface, a set button thereof is clicked, and then "/" is continuously written without a break (step S1). Subsequently, the set button is released, and the pointing device is moved to a proper position with being kept in contact with the surface (step S2). Then, the set button is clicked again, and "\" is written with the pointing device being kept in contact with the surface (step S3). Here, even when the pointing device is merely moved without inputting a letter (step S2), the pointing device should be in contact with the surface in order to chase coordinates thereof. If the pointing device is spaced apart from the surface, the distance between the surface 21 and the lens 110 is increased, so that the lens 110, which is designed to be properly operated under the condition that the pointing device is in contact with the surface 21, cannot cause the light to be accurately imaged on the optical motion sensor 108. Correct measurement of the coordinates cannot therefore be made in the state of the pen-up action, so that it is difficult to input letters or figures through a smooth or natural writing action.
The aforementioned writing action may be smoothly or naturally made only when the state where the mouse device is in contact with the surface and the state where the mouse device is not in contact with the surface are successively connected with each other. With such a conventional mouse device, since a letter or figure should be written or drawn only in a state where the mouse device is always in contact with the surface, it is difficult to smoothly perform the writing action and to correctly input a desired letter. Further, since almost all works are processed through the Internet at the present time, a case where a user should write his/her comment or signature on a document displayed on a monitor often takes place. However, it is very difficult to input a unique style of handwriting such as a signature with the conventional mouse devices. Accordingly, it is nearly impossible that the user realizes his/her signature on the monitor.
Consequently, in order to achieve the smooth input of the letter or figure, there is a need for a means capable of correctly measuring values of positions of the mouse device so that the coordinates thereof can be continuously chased irrespective of the state where the mouse device is in contact with the surface or not.
Meanwhile, even if the problems in the conventional pen-type optical mouse device required for a delicate graphic operation or a smooth writing operation may be solved, two other critical problems is expected. The pen-type optical mouse device is actually used in a slightly slanted state with respect to the work surface rather than in an upright state. Thus, the central axis (or longitudinal axis) of the pen-type optical mouse device is inclined at a certain inclination angle with respect to the direction (hereinafter, referred to as "z-axis") normal to the work surface. As a result, the "y-axis" of the pen-type optical mouse device is influenced by the inclination angle, whereas the "x-axis" thereof is not influenced by the inclination angle. That is, a magnification in each of the "x-" and "y-" axis directions of the pen-type optical mouse device becomes different from each other. For example, if the user draws a circle with the pen-type optical mouse device, information on the motion of the mouse device is recognized as an ellipse having different ratios of width and height rather than the circle. Here, the aforementioned "x-," "y-," and "z-" axes are defined as follows. The "z-axis" is defined as the direction normal to the work surface or sheet surface, and the work or sheet surface, i.e. a plane normal to the "z-axis," is defined as the "x-y plane." At this time, the "y-axis" is defined as a straight line or direction that is included in a plane formed by both the normal ("z-axis") and the central axis of the pen-type optical mouse device and is also placed in the "x-y plane." The "x-axis" is defined as another direction that is perpendicular to the "y-axis" and simultaneously placed in the "x-y plane."
In addition, the optical motion sensor 108 for capturing the image of the work surface utilizes its horizontal and vertical directions as reference directions for the motion of the mouse device. Since the pen-type optical mouse device generally takes the shape of a cylinder, the optical motion sensor disposed within the mouse device may be rotated from a reference angle in accordance with a posture in which the user grasps the mouse device. Accordingly, if the user grasps the mouse device in an unsuitable posture, a direction in which the mouse device is horizontally moved is not parallel to the horizontal direction of the optical motion sensor 108 contained in the mouse device. Thus, there is a problem in that the moving direction of the mouse device sensed by the optical motion sensor 108 is rotated at a certain angle from the actual moving direction thereof, thereby producing a distortion of the moving direction thereof.

Pen type optical mouse device and method of controlling the same


It is to reduce a recording capacity required for recording image data acquired by composition bracket photographing. In order to attain the object mentioned above, an image processing section designates a plurality of subject trimming images generated by respectively clipping out a plurality of subject images included in the picked-up image obtained by the correction circuit so as to set the plurality of designated subject trimming images as a first trimming image, sets an image encompassing the plurality of subject trimming images as a second trimming image, calculates a data size of the first trimming image with a data size of the second trimming image so as to compare the data sizes of the first trimming image and the second trimming image with each other, and selects one of the first trimming image and the second trimming image to be recorded in a recording section, whose data size is smaller than that of the other one.

Conventionally, in image pickup devices, if a user simply performs an operation of pressing a shutter button once, it is possible to acquire a plurality of still images whose compositions are different from each other. Hereinafter, an operation, of pressing a shutter button, which is performed by the user is referred to as a shutter pressing operation. Also, photographing which acquires a plurality of still images whose compositions are different from each other by only one shutter operation performed by the user, as described above, is referred to as composition bracket photographing.
As a conventional image pickup device that performs the composition bracket photographing, there is an image pickup device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-109247 (patent document 1), for example. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating composition bracket photographing performed by the conventional image pickup device disclosed in patent document 1. In the image pickup device according to patent document 1, when the user performs a shutter pressing operation, a lens position of a zoom lens is shifted from a first position (a region R0) set by the user at a time point when the shutter pressing operation is performed to a second point (a region R1) which is positioned within an angle range wider than that of the first position. Thereafter, the image pickup device of patent document 1 photographs a wide-angle image (the region R1) by means of a CCD image pickup device. Thereafter, the image pickup device of patent document 1 extracts, as a plurality still images, a plurality of regions (the regions R0, R2) whose sizes each corresponds to an angle of view of the first position and whose positions in the photographed image (the region R1) are different from each other. Thus, the image pickup device of patent document 1 acquires a plurality of still images whose compositions are different from each other by one shutter pressing operation performed by the user.
As another conventional image pickup device that performs the composition bracket photographing, there is an image pickup device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-211489 (patent document 2), for example. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating composition bracket photographing performed by a conventional image pickup device disclosed in patent document 2. In the image pickup device of patent document 2, when the user selects a zoom continuous shooting mode, a plurality of zoom continuous shooting frames are displayed as preview images together with a through image of a subject. Then, the image pickup device of patent document 2 updates preciously-stored trimming positions of the zoom continuous shooting frames in accordance with a cross-key operation performed by the user, so as to display zoom continuous frames (20a, 20b) at the most recently-stored trimming positions which have been updated. In the image pickup device of patent document 2, when the user performs the shutter pressing operation, a still image shooting processing is started, and still images acquired by the still image shooting processing are stored in a buffer memory. Then, the image pickup device of patent document 2 generates a still image included in a zoom continuous shooting frame 20a and a still image included in a zoom continuous shooting frame 20b based on the acquired still images through trimming processing, and stores both of the generated still images in the buffer memory. Thereafter, the image pickup device of patent document 2 stores still image acquired by photograph processing and the generated still images in a flash memory. Note that in the image pickup device of patent document 2, a plurality of still images acquired by executing the above processing are stored as a group of images. As such, the image pickup device of patent document 2 acquires a plurality of still images whose compositions are different from each other by one shutter pressing operation performed by the user.    [patent document 1] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2004-109247    [patent document 2] Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-211489

Image pickup device, image pickup method and integrated circuit


A controllable physical connection management (PCM) state machine user interface is described for use in the physical layer controller of a station or concentrator capable of insertion into a data transmission network that operates substantially in accordance with the FDDI protocol. In one aspect of the invention, the interface permits the user to direct the PCM state machine to pause after entering a particular state during the initial connection management sequence. In another aspect of the invention, the interface permits a user to force a state transition by writing the desired new state into a state register. These user interface features allow the state transitions to be controlled by the user and therefore possibly changed. In a preferred embodiment, the user initiated state transition can occur while the PCM state machine is paused.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to management of the initial communication between a pair of stations in a data transmission network, prior to the insertion of a new station into the data transmission ring. More particularly, a state machine user interface is provided that permits the user to control the connection management sequence.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
One type of high speed data transmission network is defined by the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) protocol. The FDDI protocol is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) data transmission standard which applies to a 100 Mbit/second token ring network that utilizes an optical fiber transmission medium. The FDDI protocol is intended as a high performance interconnection between a number of computers as well as between the computers and their associated mass storage subsystem(s) and other peripheral equipment.
Information is transmitted on an FDDI ring in frames that consist of 5-bit characters or "symbols", each symbol representing 4 data bits. Information is typically transmitted in symbol pairs or "bytes". Tokens are used to signify the right to transmit data between stations. The FDDI standard includes a thirty-two member symbol set. Within the set, sixteen symbols are data symbols (each representing 4 bits of ordinary data) and eight are control symbols. The eight control symbols are: J (the first symbol of a start delimiter byte JK), K (the second symbol of a start delimiter byte JK), I (Idle), H (Halt), Q (Quiet), T (End Delimiter), S (Set) and R (Reset). The remaining eight symbols of the FDDI standard symbols set are not used since they violate code run length and DC balance requirements of the protocol. These are referred to as V (violation) symbols.
In operation, a continuous stream of control symbol patterns defines a "line stat". The FDDI protocol defines several line states, which include the following line states that are used during the connection management sequence:
(1) Idle Line State (ILS), which is a continuous stream of Idle symbols; PA0 (2) Quiet Line Sate (QLS), which is a continuous stream of Quiet symbols; PA0 (3) Halt Line State (HLS), which is a continuous stream of Halt symbols; PA0 (4) Master Line State (MLS), which is an alternating stream of Halt and Quiet symbols; and PA0 (5) Active Line State (ALS), which is the state used to transmit data units (frames)
The FDDI Station Management (SMT) standard provides the necessary control of an FDDI station (node) so that the node may work cooperatively as a part of an FDDI network. To effectively implement the functions required, SMT is divided into three entities, namely the Connection Management entity (CMT), the Ring Management entity (RMT) and the Frame Based Services. The Connection Management (CMT) is the management entity in the Station Management that is responsible for the station's port(s), as well as the connection to the ports of neighboring stations.
The Connection Management is further divided into three sub-entities. They include, the Physical Connection Management (PCM), Configuration Management (CFM) and Entity Coordination Management (ECM).
The introduction of an FDDI station (node) into the data flow path of the FDDI ring is governed by the Physical Connection Management (PCM) entity. One of the most important functions of Physical Connection Management (PCM) is to establish a connection between two ports that are directly connected. The connection process is achieved through a lock-step handshaking procedure. In the basic FDDI sequence, the handshaking procedure controlled by the PCM is divided into three stages. They include an initialization sequence, a signaling sequence and a join sequence. The initialization sequence is used to indicate the beginning of the PCM handshaking process. It forces the neighboring PCM into a known state so that the two PCM state machines can run in a lock-step fashion.
Following the initialization sequence is the signaling sequence. The signaling sequence communicates basic information about the port and the node with the neighboring port. A Link Confidence Test (LCT) is also conducted during the signaling sequence to test the link quality between the two ports. If the link quality is not acceptable or the type of connection is not supported or is currently not accepted by the nodes then the connection will be withheld. If the connection is not withheld during the signaling sequence, the PCM state machine can move on to the join sequence and establish a connection between the two neighboring ports.
In order to manage the initial connection between the ports of separate stations, the PCM manages the physical layer, controls the line-states transmitted during initiation and monitors the line-states received during the connection initialization. The PCM block itself is generically subdivided into two entities. The PCM State Machine and the Pseudo Code. The PCM State Machine contains all the state and timing information of the PCM and provides a signalling channel. The Pseudo Code specifies the bits that are to be signalled by the PCM State Machine and processes the bits received from the PCM at the other end of the link.
A general description of the Station Management standard, as well as each of its subparts, including the PCM is described in detail in the draft ANSI FDDI Station Management Standard, dated Jun. 25, 1992, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The basic FDDI protocol has a defined connection management sequence for making a duplex connection between a pair of stations. As seen in FIG. 1, the PCM State Machine is likely to enter a total of seven states during the connection sequence. These include the following states: PC1:Break; PC3:Connect; PC4:Next; PC5:Signal; PC6:Join; PC7:Verify; and PC8:Active. There are three other states that the PCM is generally capable of entering as well. That is, PC0:Off, PC2:Trace and PC9:Maint. The PC0:Off state occurs when the port is shut down. PC2:Trace relates to locating faults in the token ring. PC9:Maint relates to maintenance functions.
The Off state (PC0) is the initial state of the PCM State Machine. The PCM returns to this state upon the reception of a PC.sub.-- Stop signal. In the Off state, the Physical Layer (PHY) device transmits Quiet symbols and the optical transmitter may be disabled. The Break State (PC1) is the beginning of the PCM connection sequence. The Break state is entered upon the reception of the PC.sub.-- Start signal. The Break state is also entered from any other state when the connection sequence cannot be completed and a reinitialization is required for any reason.
The Connect state (PC3) is used to synchronize two ports to establish an initial contact and to begin the signaling sequence. In the Connect state, the optical transmitter is enabled and a continuous stream of Halt symbols is transmitted. When a Halt line state is received from the adjacent node, the state machine leaves the Connect state and enters the Next state (PC4). On the other hand, if an Idle line state is received before a Halt line state, then the connection is not synchronized and the state machine transits to the Break state to restart the connection sequence.
The Next state (PC4) is one of the two states used in the signaling sequence. The main purpose of the Next state is to separate the "bit" signaling performed in the Signal state (PC5). The Next state is also used to transmit Protocol Data Units (PDUs) while a loop test such as a Link Confidence Test or optionally, a Media Access Control Layer (MAC) Local Loop Test is performed. The PCM Pseudo Code machine is also started in the Next State. On initial entry into the Next state, a continuous stream of Idle symbols is transmitted. While in the Next state, either a continuous stream of Idle symbols or a PDU symbol stream is transmitted.
The Next state terminates and the state machine transits to the Signal state (PC5) upon the reception of either a Halt or a Master line states after a loop test. The same transition is made when a PC.sub.-- Signal signal is received from the Pseudo Code machine. When a PC.sub.-- Join signal is received, a transition is made to the Join state. If for any reason a Quiet line state is received while the state machine is in the Next state, the state machine transits to the Break state to permit a restart.
The Signal state is the second state used in the signaling sequence. In the Signal state, individual bits of information are communicated between ports by transmitting either Halt symbols or Master symbol pairs. The transmission of a Halt line state is equated with a logical one, and the transmission of the Master line state is a logical zero. Once each individual bit has been transmitted and received, the state machine returns to the Next state (i.e. the transmission of the Idle line state), before returning to the Signal state to transmit the next bit of information. Thus, the Next state is used as a bit delimiter between two signaling bits. When all signal bits have been transmitted and received, the Signaling sequence ends.
The Join state (PC6) is the first of three states in the join sequence that leads to an active connection. The join sequence assures that both ends of a connection enter the Active state together at the completion of the sequence. The Join state is entered upon the completion of the signal sequence when the PC.sub.-- Join signal is issued from the Pseudo Code machine. In the Join state, a continuous stream of Halt symbols is transmitted.
The Verify state (PC7) is the second of the three join sequence states. The Verify state is entered when the Halt line state is received from the adjacent node. In the Verify state, the PCM transmits a Master line state. The Join and Verify states combine to produce a sequence of line states, the halt line state followed by the master line state, which is unique in the connection management sequence.
The Active state (PC8) is the last of the three states in the join sequence. In this state, a continuous stream of Idle symbols is transmitted. Upon the reception of an Idle line state from the adjoining node, the physical layer device is allowed to enter the Active Transmit Mode and thus becomes part of the active ring. In addition to the normal break conditions, if a Halt line state is received in place of the Idle line state, the connection is not synchronized and a reinitialization of the connection is required. Similarly, if the Link Error Rate is too high, the connection must be reinitialized.
The basic FDDI protocol (referred to as FDDI-1) has a defined connection management sequence as seen in FIG. 2b. The ANSI standards committee is currently working on an enhanced version of FDDI, which is generally referred to as the FDDI-II standard. At the time of this writing, the connection management sequence for FDDI-II had not been finalized. However, there are several proposed connection management sequences for FDDI-II. One such proposed sequence for a duplex connection is shown in FIG. 2c. As seen therein, it is expected that the sequence will be generally similar schematically to the protocol for a FDDI-I connection. Similarly, the state machine for a FDDI-II duplex connection is expected to be essentially the same as the state machine for a basic FDDI-1 connection. However, the information carried in the various pseudo code bits is expected to be somewhat different.
Although the FDDI protocol is based primarily on the concept of a dual ring wherein communications are possible between nodes in both directions (i.e. a duplex connection), some parties have proposed that the FDDI-II standards facilitate the use of simplex connections as well. Simplex connections are intended to connect single-attached stations. The intent of the simplex connection scheme is to permit the transmission of ring information through stations on a side lobe. Within the side lobe, communication would be possible in only one direction. Thus, when the lobe is in operation, all information within the ring would pass directly through each station on the side lobe.
Since the handshaking procedure discussed above for a duplex connection is not possible in a simplex connection, the connection management sequence for a simplex connection is necessarily much simpler than that required for a duplex connection. A proposed simplex connection sequence is shown in FIG. 2a, while FIG. 1 shows the required PCM states for both simplex and duplex connections. As seen therein, the Connect, Next, Signal, and Join states are all skipped entirely in the simplex connection.
Since FDDI standards have not yet been finalized, and indeed are likely to be subject to change for some time, it is desirable for system designers to have a single chip set that can not only accommodate each of these different connection management sequences, but also remains adaptable to accommodate emerging FDDI standards and specialized user requirements.

Controllable PCM state machine user interface


Systems and methods are disclosed for using two TDD carriers in the same paired spectrum by offsetting the DL and UL transmissions in frequency to cause the TDD carriers to behave as two half-duplex FDD carriers. DL and UL transmission and reception periods are predefined such that only one of the TDD carriers is transmitting on the DL at any instant in time while the other TDD carrier is transmitting on the UL.

By way of background, current conventional worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) profiles do not support frequency division duplexed (FDD) communication protocols. The 802.16e standard mentions an FDD option, but the FDD option in 802.16e requires a totally new frame structure (e.g., ASICs and software). The FDD option as described in 802.16e requires laborious and time-consuming debugging procedures, and, if it were to be implemented, would require substantial effort and time to define and develop a system since it is so substantially different from the current WAVE 1 and WAVE 2 WiMAX time division duplexed (TDD) profiles.
Thus, a major disadvantage of conventional WiMAX profiles is that they only support TDD communication. In many new frequency bands (e.g. AWS and 700 MHz in the US), TDD technology is essentially restricted because these are paired bands and intended to support FDD technologies.
There is an unmet need in the art for systems and methods that resolve the above-referenced deficiencies and others.

Realizing FDD capability by leveraging existing TDD technology


An apparatus to lift persons includes: a base; wheels attached to the base; a vertical assembly including a fixed subassembly and a traveling subassembly; a mechanism such as an actuator that powers vertical movement of the traveling subassembly; a fork system attached to the traveling subassembly and comprises a pair of forks; and a substantially flat seat plate that is removably attached to the fork system and includes a pair of channels along opposite sides of the seat plate. The seat plate is removed from the fork system, placed onto the floor, and is then mounted by a person. The seat plate is reattached to the fork system by inserting the forks into the channels, and the actuator is activated to lift the person from the floor. The base and fork system may be pivotally attached to the fixed subassembly and traveling subassembly, respectively, so that the apparatus is collapsible.

As our average lifespan increases and people live longer and longer, the elderly population in America and throughout the world continues to grow. In 2009, there were 39.6 million elderly people (aged 65 and over) in America, comprising 12.9% of the population. This group grows each year, and is projected to reach 72.1 million people (19% of the U.S. population) by 2030.
A record number of elderly people need some form of assistance, and are cared for in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, hospitals, or other elderly care facilities, while many are cared for in their own homes or in homes of family members. In 2004, over 1.5 million Americans resided in nursing homes. About 3.2 million Americans resided in a nursing home at some time in 2008. As of 2010, there were approximately 16,639 assisted-living facilities in the U.S., with 1,736,645 beds. And, as the "baby boomer" generation continues to age, these numbers are projected to increase over time.
Additionally, according to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are about 56.7 million people in America (18.7% of the population) living with a disability of some kind, with 38.3 million of those people suffering from a "severe" disability. Many of these people suffer from physical disabilities and need assistance in their daily lives, or are physically unable to perform various tasks. Furthermore, many individuals suffer temporary physical impairments from accidents, and these people also require the assistance of healthcare professionals or family members to perform daily tasks.
Among the elderly and disabled population, falls are a common and dangerous risk. While many of us have seen the LIFE ALERT® commercials showing elderly people saying, "I've fallen and I can't get up," the problem is a real and serious one for many elderly and disabled people. Each year, one in every three adults aged 65 and over falls, for a total of 2.3 million non-fatal fall injuries for the elderly population in 2010, requiring 662,000 hospitalizations. In fact, falls are the leading cause of injury death for this segment of the population. These falls may cause injuries such as hip fractures, head injuries, bruises, or broken bones. Once on the ground, many people are unable to safely stand up again on their own, due to infirmary, injury, lack of balance, or many other possible factors. Many people will need assistance to rise into a sitting or standing position. If there is a relative or caregiver nearby, they can assist the fallen person to stand. However, helping an elderly or disabled person to stand can take a great deal of strength and is dangerous even for a healthy caregiver. In fact, there are more musculoskeletal injuries to health care workers than steelworkers and construction workers combined. Often, nurses or other caregivers will simply lean over the fallen patient and attempt to help pull them up with their arms, often resulting in back injuries or other problems.
Nursing advocacy groups, including the American Nursing Association, have put forth considerable effort to educate hospitals, nursing homes, and health care workers about the dangers of manually lifting fallen patients, and have developed Safe Patient Handling and Movement (SPH&M) programs. However, there is resistance to these programs by some care facilities due to the fact that the mechanical lifting aids currently on the market require a great deal of time, effort, and training to safely implement. Existing mechanical lifting aids currently on the market take from three to six minutes to move a fallen patient. However, use of some form of lifting aid has been shown to improve caregiver and patient safety, while preventing additional falls.
Due to the incidence of patients falling, and the dangers in trying to lift them up without assistance, there is a clear need for devices and apparatuses that can safely assist fallen people to stand up again, without risking further injury to either the patient or the caregiver.
Types of Patient Lifts Currently Existing in the Art
The most common patient lifts currently existing in the art are various types of sling lifts (sometimes referred to as the HOYER® Lift which is the most common brand name) that comprise of legs at the bottom that form a wide base, a crane-like structure extending upwards, and a sling or straps in which the patient can sit. These lifts were derived from the "cherry-picker" lifts used in automotive shops to lift and move engines and other heavy automotive parts.
Another common type of patient lift in common use in nursing homes today are various types of inflatable patient lifts. These work usually by sliding a collapsed air bladder underneath the patient, positioning the patient properly in the center of the air bladder, and then inflating the air bladder to raise the patient to a higher position, or into a sitting position. These inflatable lifts are similar to air-inflated mattresses and usually require an electronic air compressor and one or more tubes to pump air into the device with sufficient force to pressurize the air bladder and move the disabled patient.
Drawbacks and Potential Improvements
The currently-existing patient lifting devices each suffer from serious flaws that make them large and unwieldy, unsteady, slow to use, and difficult for one caregiver to operate. Many manufacturers of mechanical patient lifts suggest or require that two caregivers be present to operate the lift, which is not always cost-effective or possible, especially in home health care settings. Additionally, many devices currently on the market require a higher degree of patient mobility and strength than the patient may possess, considering they have just suffered a fall and are weak, injured, or disabled enough to require assistance to stand back up in the first place.
For example, the sling lifts currently existing in the art are large and bulky, and many do not collapse for ease of storage and transport. Additionally, due to their nature of having a sling or series of straps suspended from a crane-like extension, they are often unstable, swinging side to side and backwards and forwards as the patient is placed in them and their weight shifts around. This swinging can cause disorientation, nausea, further injury from impacts on the metal frame of the device itself or nearby walls or furniture, and even injury from the patient falling out of the apparatus. Further, these sling-type devices often require a great deal of strength and effort from the caregiver to operate (increasing the risk of caregiver injury), and some even require more than one caregiver to operate, which may not be possible or cost-effective in many situations. It can also be difficult to get the sling or straps underneath a prone or immobile patient, which is required in order to use these types of devices. The straps or sling material are usually porous, and are more likely to transmit infections and diseases when used for multiple patients (such as in a hospital or assisted living facility setting), and thus they may need to be disinfected or discarded, increasing time and expense.
The inflatable lifting devices currently existing in the field also suffer from a number of drawbacks and problems. Similar to the sling lifts described above, inflatable air mattresses are also somewhat unstable, especially as they are being inflated, before they achieve maximum air pressure (even then, they are less stable than rigid surfaces). Due to this instability, use of inflatable lifting devices requires a great deal of training and care on the part of the caregiver for proper positioning and weight distribution of the patient, especially for patients who may be disoriented or alarmed and who move or shift during the inflation or lifting process. These types of inflatable devices must be adjusted to each individual patient based on their size, shape, and weight to make sure the patient is positioned properly and to not exceed the weight limits of the apparatus. In order to use these devices, (i) the patient must often be rolled (which could be problematic or impossible due to patient injuries or lack of space in the area where they fell), (ii) the apparatus is then slid beneath the patient, (ii) the patient is then rolled back onto the apparatus and slid, pushed, or pulled into the proper balanced position in the center of the apparatus. This movement may be difficult for a caregiver to perform (and may lead to straining or caregiver injury), may require external slide sheets or other positioning aids, may injure the patient or exacerbate new or existing injuries, and may cause discomfort or alarm to patients who are confused, in pain, or afflicted with dementia. Due to these factors, such inflatable systems require a great deal of time to unpack, set up, slide underneath the patient, position properly, and inflate; and often patients are disoriented, agitated, or have injuries from their recent fall that require prompt treatment. These inflatable air bladders are also made of materials that may harbor infection or disease, and therefore need to be sterilized between uses.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a patient lifting system that is: compact in size so that it can be used in health care facilities and homes where there is limited space; collapsible to save space and for easy storage; simple to operate so as not to require a great deal of specialized training; easy to use by a single caregiver of average or below-average strength to avoid caregiver injury; made entirely of hard surfaces and are not prone to spreading infection and is thus more sanitary; easy to position and slide underneath the patient to position the patient properly to be lifted; is simple and quick to operate without complicated set-up or positioning; and is stable throughout the positioning and lifting process. However, the present invention possesses each of these characteristics, and therefore fulfills a need in the art. Other advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the ensuing description of the present invention.


A carrier is formed of foldable sheet material, the carrier being usable with a container. The container has a top, a bottom and sides, the top having a handle, and at least one of the sides having a mouth for emptying contents from the container. The carrier includes a bottom, side panels adjoined and connected to the bottom, and a handle panel formed with at least one of the side panels. The handle panel includes a first aperture for fitting over the handle on the top of the container such that at least a portion of one of the side panels of the carrier rests against a side of the container directly opposite to the mouth.

Consumers frequently purchase ready-made coffee, and other beverages, in bulk beverage containers, such as for the office and catering. Beverages are often purchased with other food items, such as pastries, sandwiches, and condiments. Many coffee-shops and fast food establishments also carry items such as compact discs, reading material, and coffee brewing equipment.
Although the bulk beverage containers are often more convenient than carrying several cups of, often hot, beverages, the consumer may still need carry serving supplies, food items and/or other items in their other hand. This may make it difficult to carry a purse, professional case, and other items that the consumer may have.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Carrier capable of hanging from a back of a container


The electrostatic sensors of bridge or cantilever type with multiple electrodes, the electrostatic sensors of comb type and piezoelectric sensors are used for the single molecule detection of ligands. The electrical driving of sensors is separated in some cases from the sensing for increased sensitivity. The large arrays of sensors with individual or common sensing circuits are employed to further improve detection sensitivity. The fabrication of the sensors, their functionalization for detection of many chemical and biological species and electrical circuitry, packaging, microfluidic subsystem and the system architecture are also disclosed. The individual, specific sensing of single species or simultaneous detection of multiple species is realized. The freeze drying or critical point drying after exposure of sensors to ligands present in liquids and detection in reduced pressure or vacuum is employed for increased sensitivity, down to the single molecule.

This description relates to Nano-Electro-Mechanical Systems (NEMS) and Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) circuitry for detection of chemical and biological agents, referred to as ligands, with sensitivity down to one molecule. NEMS are sensors or actuators that have critical dimensions in nanometer range.
Sensitive detection of gases such as explosive vapors and environmental pollution in ambient environment normally requires sophisticated and expensive instrumentation. Such detection is usually carried out with optical spectrometers or quadrupole, ion trap or time of flight mass spectrometers.
Detection of biological agents is typically performed in liquids using chemical or biological assays that rely on the detection of intrinsic or covalently-attached fluorescent or ultraviolet labels, chemical or electrochemical luminescence, or radioactive labels. These approaches often limit the sensitivity of the assay method and also require expensive equipment. Detection of biological agents can be also performed without labeling with techniques such as surface plasmon resonance, waveguide resonance, electrochemical methods, but such techniques have typically lower sensitivity than labeled methods and similar limitations.
None of these conventional techniques is sufficiently sensitive to detect single molecules or have sufficient resolution to differentiate between molecules that differ in mass by several atomic mass units. The equipment used is not portable or easily operated by the non-specialist. Therefore, these techniques are unsuitable for many personalized wellness, personalized medical and other mobile applications. Portable, robust, easy-to-use clinical measurements enable individuals and medical facilities such as doctor's offices, pharmacies, and diagnostic laboratories to obtain clinically meaningful information reliably and at low cost. There is need to realize detection with the simple devices that have extreme sensitivity for chemical or biological molecules (such as proteins), and small biological agents (e.g., viruses and bacteria), with very inexpensive device.


The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media for generating modified video content to reduce depth conflicts between user interface elements and video objects. For example, the disclosed systems can analyze an input video to identify feature points that designate objects within the input video and to determine the depths of the identified feature points. In addition, the disclosed systems can compare the depths of the feature points with a depth of a user interface element to determine whether there are any depth conflicts. In response to detecting a depth conflict, the disclosed systems can modify the depth of the user interface element to reduce or avoid the depth conflict. Furthermore, the disclosed systems can apply a blurring effect to an area around a user interface element to reduce the effect of depth conflicts.

The increased availability of virtual reality head-mounted displays is increasing interest in capturing and sharing 360-degree video, particularly stereoscopic 360-degree video. Stereoscopic 360-degree video, which provides a much greater sense of immersion than monoscopic video, is becoming more and more popular and accessible due to recent advances in camera technology. Content producers are now creating stereoscopic 360-degree videos for entertainment, news and documentaries, real estate, data visualization, virtual tours, free-viewpoint video, and more. To support the increase in stereoscopic 360-degree videos, video rendering systems are now including new editing tools.
For example, some video rendering systems now are able to analyze stereoscopic 360-degree video content and place user interface elements within the 360-degree video content. In particular, conventional video rendering systems often render user interface widgets like video navigation, subtitles, annotations, and tool palettes on top of the 360-degree video. Despite these advances however, conventional video rendering systems continue to suffer from a number of disadvantages. For instance, while conventional video rendering systems can generate user interface elements to include within 360-degree video content, these systems often create conflicts between depth cues. Indeed, positioning user interface elements within video content can create confusing visual cues as well as visual discomfort for a user. As an example, some conventional video rendering systems can position a user interface element over a video element that a user perceives to be closer than the user interface element, which results in a conflict between the stereopsis depth cue and the occlusion depth cue. In other words, objects in the video are blocked by a user interface element that is behind the video objects. To an observer, a presentation that results in depth conflicts can be confusing and uncomfortable.
The foregoing problems are often exacerbated in dynamic virtual reality environments. In particular, unlike video game development and other environments in which entire three-dimensional scenes are known, dynamic virtual reality environments are unpredictable as the arrangement between the user interface elements and the objects in the video are not known in advance. Due to the unpredictable nature of dynamic virtual reality environments, most commercial video rendering systems do not handle depth conflicts directly. For example, some conventional video rendering systems do not allow for display of user interface element during playback of stereoscopic 360-degree video content. Other conventional video rendering systems render the video image as monoscopic when providing user interface elements on the video. Still other conventional video rendering systems render user interface elements uncomfortably close to the viewer in an attempt to reduce conflicts. Unfortunately, prolonged exposure to close objects in virtual reality is uncomfortable and still does not solve the problem completely.
Thus, there are several disadvantages with regard to conventional video rendering systems.

Dynamically modifying virtual and augmented reality content to reduce depth conflict between user interface elements and video content