The X-ray analyzer repeats scanning of a sample by an electron beam from an electron gun (beam source), detects a characteristic X-ray from the sample by an X-ray detector, generates an element distribution image of the sample by a signal processor every scanning, and stores a plurality of element distribution images in a sequential order. Temporal changes of the element distribution image of the sample are obtained. Moreover, by moving a stage by a moving unit concurrently with the scanning, an element distribution image of the sample where the scanning position is varied is obtained. By generating the element distribution image while varying the scanning position, positioning of the range where the element distribution image is to be obtained on the sample can be quickly performed based on the element distribution image itself.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an X-ray analyzer that scans a sample by a beam, detects an X-ray generated on the sample and analyzes the distribution of the components of the sample.
2. Description of Related Art
The X-ray analysis is an analysis method in which a beam such as an electron beam or an X-ray is applied to a sample, a characteristic X-ray or an X-ray fluorescence generated on the sample is detected and a qualitative analysis or a quantitative analysis of the elements contained in the sample is performed based on the spectrum of the characteristic X-ray or the X-ray fluorescence. Moreover, an element distribution image representative of a distribution of the elements contained in the sample can be obtained by detecting the characteristic X-ray or the X-ray fluorescence while scanning the sample by the beam. An X-ray analyzer using an electron beam is sometimes incorporated in an electron microscope. Japanese Patent No. 4,136,635 discloses an example of the art of generating an element distribution image by an X-ray analysis.


A unique bag identifier is generated for digital objects to be stored in object storage. A unique download identifier is generated for downloading of these objects and a unique upload identifier is generated for uploading of the objects; all three identifiers are associated in a database. The identifiers are distributed verbally, by electronic mail, by text message, etc. Any holder of these identifiers may access the digital objects without a user account and without installing an application on a computing device other than using a browser. A QR code or alphanumeric code is displayed on a computing device in order to allow another device to access the objects. Objects may be uploaded via electronic mail. Uploading or downloading is protected by an owner-generated password. Digital objects are sealed by calculating their hashes, placing these hashes in a file and calculating a hash for that file. This file hash is submitted to a block chain and a transaction identifier is returned.

There are many mechanisms, technologies, products and services for content storing and sharing. All of these need to serve a very wide variety of use cases, in B2B, B2C and P2P scenarios. Mostly for historical reasons harking back to mainframe times, most storing and sharing functions are organized around the notion of an "account," generally defined as an aggregated content structure associated with a given person, organization or role, and which are especially important in matters of access permissions and security.
But, accounts require complexity, and implicate two important requirements—custom applications and credentials. For one, the requirement of downloading an application other than a browser (e.g., onto a mobile device) gets in the way of instant gratification and makes people think twice before proceeding with establishing an account. People need to be fairly motivated to add yet another resource-consuming item to their overtaxed mobile device, tablet or computer. Second, the lack of uniform standards for credentials management creates a substantial hurdle whenever a new account needs to be made, a password selected and remembered somehow. Over time, many users become allergic to accounts and passwords altogether and are that much more hesitant to open an account in order to store and share information.
Most all workers today need to deal with an ever-expanding universe of electronic devices and computing environments between which they need to share or transfer information, either within a personal context or when sharing with coworkers or third parties. File servers and USB sticks are quickly losing significance in this shifting landscape. DropBox (and similar technologies) fill some gaps but add new complexity and productivity hurdles, most related to security and ownership (e.g., requiring user accounts). Low-friction, content-centric sharing scenarios remain elusive.
Accordingly, techniques and systems are desired that will allow simple and easy sharing of digital content.

Content centric sharing of digital objects


An unknown spectrum obtained from infrared or other spectroscopy can be compared to spectra in a reference library to find the best matches. The best match spectra can then each in turn be combined with the reference spectra, with the combinations also being screened for best matches versus the unknown spectrum. These resulting best matches can then also undergo the foregoing combination and comparison steps. The process can repeat in this manner until an appropriate stopping point is reached, for example, when a desired number of best matches are identified, when some predetermined number of iterations has been performed, etc. This methodology is able to return best-match spectra (and combinations of spectra) with far fewer computational steps and greater speed than if all possible combinations of reference spectra are considered.

A molecular spectrometer (sometimes referred to as a spectroscope) is an instrument wherein a solid, liquid, or gaseous sample is illuminated, often with non-visible light such as light in the infrared region of the spectrum. The light from the sample is then captured and analyzed to reveal information about the characteristics of the sample. As an example, a sample may be illuminated with infrared light having known intensity across a range of wavelengths, and the light transmitted and/or reflected by the sample can then be captured for comparison to the illuminating light. Review of the captured spectra can then illustrate the wavelengths at which the illuminating light was absorbed by the sample. To illustrate, FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary spectrum (denoted U) presented as a plot of light intensity versus light wavelength. The spectrum, and in particular the locations and amplitudes of the "peaks" therein, can be compared to libraries of previously-obtained reference spectra (denoted as L1, L2, . . . LN) to obtain information about the sample, such as its composition and characteristics. In essence, the spectrum serves as a "fingerprint" for the sample and for the substances therein, and by matching the fingerprint to one or more known fingerprints, the identity of the sample might be determined.
However, as when identifying a fingerprint, it can prove difficult and time-consuming to find a match for an unknown spectrum in a reference library. Even where an unknown spectrum is obtained from a sample having the same composition as the one from which a reference spectra was captured, an exact match is unlikely owing to differences in the measurement conditions between the unknown and reference spectra (e.g., differences in intensity/amplitude, differences in wavelength scaling/binning, different background noise levels, etc.). Further, while reference spectra are usually obtained from pure substances, unknown spectra often aren't. The unknown spectrum will therefore not match a single one of the reference spectra L1, L2, . . . LN, and will rather match a combination of two or more of these spectra. In such a combination, the spectra are effectively "overlaid" with each other, though each may have a different weight depending on the relative concentrations of the substances from which they originate. It should be appreciated that if one wishes to compare an unknown spectrum U to all possible combinations of one or more reference spectra L1, L2, . . . LN, this will typically be an exceedingly large number, particularly where a large reference library may have tens of thousands of entries (N being equal to the number of these entries). The computational time needed to perform these comparisons can be further magnified if quantitative analysis is to be performed as well as qualitative analysis, i.e., where the relative proportions of component spectra within the unknown spectrum are to be determined as well as their identities. Such quantitative analysis may require that regression be performed between a combination of reference spectra versus the unknown spectrum to determine the weighting that each reference spectrum should have to result in a combination which best matches the reference spectrum. As a result, exhaustive spectral matching can sometimes take hours—or even days—to perform, even where dedicated computers or other machines with high-speed processors are used.

Efficient spectral matching, particularly for multicomponent spectra

Thermo Electron Scientific Instruments LLC


A light device includes a light engine. A plurality of petals extends radially outward from the light engine. A trim is disposed over the petals and light engine. An installation card is disposed between the trim and the petals and includes an elongated opening. A strap extends through the elongated opening of the installation card. A light-emitting diode is connected to the light engine. A support component is formed on a surface of the petals. The strap includes a hook surface and a loop surface opposite the hook surface. The installation card includes a second elongated opening formed near an edge of the installation card and a third opening formed in a central region of the installation card. A plurality of straps includes a width of the straps being less than a width of the elongated opening. The plurality of straps includes a zip tie.

People use bicycles as an inexpensive means of transportation. Bicycles enable a person to get from point A to point B under the power of the bicycle rider. Bicycles also provide a source of exercise and entertainment. Cyclists face safety issues whether riding for transportation, fun, or exercise. Riders are exposed on bicycles and usually ejected from the bicycle in an accident, leaving the cyclist vulnerable to resulting injuries. The only guaranteed way a cyclist can avoid injury resulting from an accident is to avoid accidents altogether. Visibility is critical to avoiding accidents. People riding bicycles need to be able to see to ride safely and avoid objects in the path of the bicycle. Bicycle riders also need to be seen by other cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers so that other people can avoid hitting the riders.
As the sun sets, visibility declines for cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers alike, increasing the chance that an obstacle or cyclist might go unseen. Lighting plays a critical role in bicycle safety after dusk. Cyclists, pedestrians, and drivers need assistance to see obstacles and other travelers on the road at night. Cyclists and pedestrians, in particular, need to be seen by drivers to prevent dangerous circumstances leading to accident and injury.
Many cyclists and pedestrians refuse to use existing lights. Some people see a bicycle as a form of expression and refuse to use ugly or boring lights for aesthetic reasons. Others refuse to use lights due to the expense and hassle of installation and removal of the bicycle light. Nobody wants to spend 10 minutes mounting a light for a 5 minute ride. These barriers preventing people from using lights on a bicycle impede the safe use of a bicycle for transportation and enjoyment by limiting the use of lights. A need exists for a bicycle light with improved ease of installation, flexibility of use, and aesthetics to increase light use by cyclists and improve bicycle safety.
Even when riders do use bicycle lights, existing lights for cyclists and pedestrians provide only a small lighted area for automobile drivers to see, usually just the size of the light bulb or light engine used. The lights provide minimal visibility of cyclists to automobile drivers. The less visible a cyclist is to an automobile driver, the less likely a driver is to discern a pedestrian or cyclist when approaching in the dark. A need exists for a light that improves visibility of cyclists and pedestrians to nearby automobile drivers.

Light with increased visibility and flexible mounting system


A system of mold locks (28, 30) is formed on a heatsink (2) of a packaged semiconductor to prevent/mitigate delamination. The mold locks (4, 12) anchor a plastic mold compound (34) that forms the protective cover for the packaged semiconductor die. The mold locks (4, 12) are miniaturized to allow the positioning of them within the flag portion of the heatsink (2) and leadframe (24) such that a semiconductor die can be anchored above the mold locks (4, 12) formed within the flag portion of the heatsink/lead frame (2, 24). The miniaturized size of the said moldlocks (4, 12 do not detract from the purpose of the die attach solder (36).

Microchips are formed from a variety of dissimilar materials. A semiconductor die, formed from silicon, gallium arsenide, germanium, or some other semiconductor material may be attached to the flag portion of a heatsink. Typically the heatsink is formed out of copper. The semiconductor die is bonded to the copper with a typical die bond soldering compound. The heatsink is attached to a lead frame made from a metal. The lead frame includes a series of lead contacts that serve as the output electrical contacts for the microchip. To electrically couple the semiconductor die to the lead frame, metal wires extend between the semiconductor die and the lead contacts. To protect the semiconductor die, wires, and lead contacts, a plastic mold compound encapsulates the semiconductor package.
During normal operation, the microchip will go through cycles of heating and cooling. These heating and cooling cycles cause the microchip to expand and contract. Since the microchip is made from dissimilar materials, the expansion and contraction rates within the microchip are not uniform. The different materials forming the microchip expand and contract at different rates. These differing rates of expansion and contraction within the microchip can lead to high internal stresses that can result in device failure. Primarily, the plastic mold compound expands at a sufficiently different rate such that it can separate from the metal heatsink and metal lead frame. This separation is referred to as delamination. When the plastic mold compound delaminates from the heatsink and lead frame, significant stresses are placed on the metal wires that couple the lead contacts to the semiconductor die. These stresses can become high enough such that it breaks the electrical contact between the wires coupling the lead contacts to the semiconductor die. Delamination can also cause microchip failure through moisture and oxidation. If the plastic mold compound delaminates in a manner such that a path from the outside world is created to the semiconductor die and wires, moisture can attack the wires and semiconductor die. Through corrosion, the moisture can cause the microchip to fail. It therefore becomes highly desirable to develop methods to preserve the integrity of the microchip and prevent delimination.
Chemical bonding is one method of adhering the plastic mold compound to the heatsink. The plastic mold compound is formed from an epoxy resin that has a composition that chemically bonds with the native oxide layer of the copper heatsink. While this chemical bonding does adhere the plastic mold compound to the heatsink, successive heating and cooling cycles can break these chemical bonds causing the plastic mold compound to separate from the heatsink.
Altering the chemical composition of the plastic mold compound to give it a rate of thermal expansion identical to the metal heatsink is another way of addressing the delamination problem. Minimizing the difference between the expansion and contraction rates of the metal microchip components and the plastic mold compound reduces the problem of delamination. If the metal components of the microchip and the plastic mold compound had identical rates of thermal expansion and contraction, the chemical bonds between the plastic mold compound and the metal heatsink would not experience mechanical stress from the thermal fluctuations. At this time, a reliable plastic compound with such properties remains unknown to the art.
Another method of addressing the problem of delamination is through locking and bonding the heatsink and plastic mold compound in such a manner that they mechanically interlock. The structures that interlock the plastic mold compound and the heatsink are commonly referred to as mold locks. Mold lock designs currently known to the art have a size and design that require their placement outside of the die attach area of the heatsink. Mold locks currently known to the art are usually formed in a trench-like moat design surrounding the flag portion of the heatsink. Placement of currently known mold locks in the flag portion of the heatsink leads to a variety of problems. If known moat-like mold locks are placed under the semiconductor die, the mold lock acts as a drain for the solder used to bond the semiconductor die to the heatsink. As a result, known mold locks degrade the bond between the semiconductor die and heatsink by draining the solder away. In addition, through draining solder away from the semiconductor die heatsink interface, known mold locks degrade the chemical bond between the plastic mold compound and heatsink when they are placed under the semiconductor die. As discussed above, the plastic mold compound has a composition such that it forms a chemical bond with the oxide layer of the copper heatsink. In contrast, the plastic mold compound does not form a chemical bond with the solder compound used to attach the semiconductor die. When existing mold locks drain solder away from under the semiconductor die heatsink interface, the area of the plastic mold compound heatsink interface is decreased and the area of the plastic mold compound solder interface is increased. Since a chemical bond is not formed between the solder and plastic mold compound, the overall bond between the plastic mold compound and the heatsink is degraded when known mold locks are formed under the semiconductor die. Still further, known mold locks adversely impact the bond line thickness.
The size of the semiconductor die varies depending upon the application for which the die is designed. At present, the semiconductor industry manufactures heatsinks and lead frames that have a size and design that match the size of each individual semiconductor die. Designing and manufacturing custom heatsinks and lead frames to match each size of semiconductor die is an expensive process. The semiconductor industry is constantly searching for methods to reduce the cost of manufacturing microchips. One method of reducing cost is through designing a "one size fits all" heatsink and lead frame structure that is compatible with a variety of semiconductor die sizes. In designing this "one size fits all" heatsink and lead frame structure, it is highly desirable to develop a mold lock structure that preserves microchip package integrity when used in conjunction with both large and small semiconductor die sizes in order to reduce cost and design time.
Designing a "one size fits all" heatsink structure presents a variety of challenges for mold lock design and microchip integrity. To view these design challenges, examine the integration of a large semiconductor die and a small semiconductor die with the same heatsink structure. When integrating the large semiconductor die with the heatsink, the plastic mold compound will see the mold locks formed on the exterior edge of the heatsink outside the die attach area and the semidconductor die itself lying in the flag area. However, when a small semiconductor die is placed on the same heatsink, a large bare area of the die attach area is exposed to the plastic mold compound. This large area of the flag has no mold locks to secure the plastic mold compound due to the difficulties known to the art discussed above. Consequently, the semiconductor package having the small semiconductor die and "one size fits all" heatsink" is now at risk for delamination. It is therefore highly desirable to develop a mold lock structure that is useable in the flag portion of the heatsink that addresses the problems known to the art. In this manner, it is possible to develop a "one size fits all" heatsink structure that preserves the package integrity of the microchip.

Miniature moldlocks for heatsink or flag for an overmolded plastic package


An innersole for a sneaker or other athletic shoe that is adjustable to impart to the innersole characteristics appropriate to the particular use to which the shoe is to be put by the wearer, such as jumping, jogging or running. The innersole, contoured to fit in the shoe, is composed of a flexible foam plastic pad encased in a plastic film envelope. Extending from the rear of the envelope and projecting through the counter of the shoe is a vent tube having a control valve therein. When the valve is fully open, the insole then acts as a shock-absorbing cushion whereby when depressed by the foot of the wearer, air is expelled from the innersole through the open valve, and when pressure is released, the innersole then inhales air as it recovers its normal shape. When the valve is fully closed to hermetically seal the envelope, the innersole then functions as a pneumatic spring to impart bounce thereto. The degree of bounce imparted to the innersole relative to its shock absorbing characteristics is adjustable by partially opening the valve.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to innersoles for sneakers and other athletic shoes, and more particularly to an innersole that is adjustable to impart thereto characteristics appropriate to the particular use for which the shoe is to be put.
2. Status of Prior Art
In a shoe, the insole is the innersole of the shoe overlying the outer sole. When the insole is an extra strip of material that is put inside the shoe for comfort or protection, it is then referred to as an innersole. In an athletic shoe such as a sneaker, the requirements of an innersole depend on the particular use to which the sneaker is to be put.
A wearer of sneakers engages in various forms of sports activity, such as playing tennis or basketball, jogging, jumping, long distance running as well as racing at high speed for a short distance. In these activities, the ground may in some cases be paved and hard, while in other cases it may be formed of dirt, grass or clay.
Hence an innersole whose characteristics are suitable for one type activity may be inappropriate for other types. For example, when running in a marathon on paved city streets for twenty miles or more, then the sneakers best suited for this purpose should have shock absorbing characteristics, for otherwise the runner will experience foot pain as he continues to pound hard paved surfaces.
But if the same runner is in a race over a short distance on a dirt track, and his speed is of primary concern, then what is called for is an innersole that has spring-like characteristics which impart bounce to the sneaker to increase the runner's speed. And in many instances what is called for is an innersole whose properties are a cross or compromise between shock-absorbing and spring characteristics.
Of prior art interest is the patent to Rudy U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,568 disclosing a fibrous shock-absorbing cushion for a shoe encapsulated in a hermetically sealed envelope.
In Signore U.S. Pat. No. 4,610,099, a shoe is provided with a shock absorbing inflated air pocket. Also providing air-filled bladders in a shoe is the Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,634.
The athletic shoe disclosed in Pettibone U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,552 is designed for jumping activities, the sole of the shoe being provided with several compressible helical springs as well as an inflated air bladder. Hence this shoe combines mechanical and pneumatic actions.
The Medrano U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,853 discloses a shoe insert formed of a foam plastic pad enclosed within a plastic film envelope having holes therein whereby when the insert is compressed by the foot of the wearer, air expelled from the pad is discharged through the holes in the envelope to ventilate the foot received in the shoe.


A search engine system including a memory bank coupled to a bank selection signal, mask logic for receiving constructed keys and incoming key masks and for providing masked keys, hash function blocks for receiving at least two of the masked keys and for providing at least three hash function outputs and multiplexers for receiving hash function outputs, and for providing the bank selection signal is disclosed. Also, the system can allow for local masking of the constructed keys using local mask fields. The hash function can be a Cyclic Redundancy Code (CRC) type function. The memory bank can be arranged as buckets of entries and can be implemented as a standard static random access memory (SRAM). Further, the system can be configured to operate in either a shared mode for sharing hash function outputs or a non-shared mode whereby hash function outputs can be designated for particular portions of the memory bank.

In networking systems, routers and/or switches typically move packets of information from one of a number of input ports to one or more output ports. A lookup function, which can be implemented as a hardware "search engine" or the like, can include a content addressable memory (CAM), but this approach may be relatively expensive. Another approach is to use a standard memory, such as static random-access memory (SRAM), commonly accessed using "hashing" to essentially provide a "many-to-one" function. Such an approach can allow for a smaller memory size so that the overall system cost can be reduced.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of a conventional search engine using hashing is shown and indicated by the general reference character 100. Hash Function 102-0 can receive Key 0 and provide hash function output H0 to Memory Bank 104-0. Similarly, Hash Function 102-1 can receive Key 1 and provide hash function output H1 to Memory Bank 104-1, and so on through Hash Function 102-N receiving Key N and providing hash function output HN to Memory Bank 104-N. In this fashion, each hash function maps to a designated memory bank or section. So, none of the entries in Memory Bank 104-0 can use a function or rule other than H0. Because different applications may require different and/or multiple rules, several of the memory banks may be under utilized in this conventional approach. Further, features commonly available in CAM-based search engines, such as key concatenation, incoming key masking, local masking, and other flexible system options are typically not provided in such conventional SRAM-based search engines.
Consequently, what is needed is a search engine solution that does not include a CAM structure, but still provides at a relatively low cost, features such as key concatenation, masking of incoming keys, local masking for each stored key, and flexibility in rule sharing through the use of different hash function outputs.

Method and apparatus for implementing a search engine using an SRAM


This invention relates to an apparatus for conditioning the temperature of a fluid by utilizing a thermoplastic heat exchanger (50) comprised of a plurality of hollow tubes. The apparatus controls the temperature of a process fluid inside the heat exchanger (50) via a controller (46) by adjustment of a control valve (64) that regulates the flow of an exchange fluid. The apparatus can be used to maintain the temperature of a chemical bath (12) and also to prepare discreet dispensed volumes of temperature controlled liquid.

Heat exchangers have been used in medical, automotive, and industrial applications. Their efficiency and heat transfer capacity are determined by the thermal conductivity, flow distribution, and heat transfer surface area of the exchanger.
Examples of applications of heat exchanger use in semiconductor manufacturing where controlled heating of a liquid is often required include: sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide photoresist strip solutions, hot phosphoric acid baths for silicon nitride and aluminum metal etching, ammonium hydroxide and hydrogen peroxide SC1 cleaning solutions, hydrochloric acid and hydrogen peroxide SC2 cleaning solutions, hot deionized water rinses, and heated organic amine based photoresist strippers.
Heating of chemical mechanical planarization, CMP, liquids and abrasive slurries can also be performed to control removal rates. A chemical mechanical slurry typically comprises solid abrasive materials like alumina or silica abrasives, oxidizers like hydrogen peroxide, and either acids or bases such as hydrochloric acid or ammonium hydroxide.
In many semiconductor manufacturing steps liquids with accurately controlled temperature are dispensed onto substrates to form thin films. In these applications the temperature of the liquid has an effect on the uniformity and thickness of the final film.
Accurate and repeatable temperature conditioning of liquids such as spin on dielectrics, photoresists, antireflective coatings, and developers prior to dispense onto a stationary or spinning substrate requires heating or cooling of these liquids. This is often done by flowing the process liquid inside a relatively thick walled perfluorinated tube whose temperature is controlled on the outside of the tube with a flow of water.
Heat exchangers are devices which transfer energy between fluids. This is done by contacting one fluid, the process fluid, and a working fluid or exchange fluid. These two fluids are physically separated from each other by the walls the material comprising the heat exchanger. Polymer based heat exchangers are commonly used for heating and cooling chemicals for many these applications due to its chemical inertness, high purity, and resistance to corrosion. However polymeric heat exchange devices are usually large because a large heat transfer surface area is required to effect a given temperature change due to the low thermal conductivity of the polymers used in the device. Such a large size has not made it practical to use such devices on semiconductor process tools
Gas to liquid finned heat exchangers are used in conditioning gases used in lasers. These exchangers are commonly made of metals which are not suitable for use with corrosive chemicals or gases and can produce particles when moisture is present.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,315,740 discloses a method of bonding tubes together by fusion for use in heat exchangers. Tubes of a thermoplastic material are gathered in a manner such that the end portions of the tubes are in a contacting parallel relationship. Canadian Patent 1252082 teaches the art of making spiral wound polymeric heat exchangers and U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,060 describes fusion bonded potting of porous hollow fiber tubes for filtration. Neither disclosure contemplates the use of temperature control of such devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,743 teaches the use of a plurality of thermoplastic compartments with individual heating elements in each compartment for heating water. Temperature sensors are in communication with a temperature controller to turn individual heating elements on or off to maintain the desired water temperature. The invention does not contemplate use in organic liquids, corrosive or oxidizing chemicals of high purity for which it would be unacceptable to use such heating elements. Similarly the thermoplastic compartments are relatively few in number.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,656 discloses the use of a metal heat-exchange system for controlling the temperature of a lasing gas in a laser system using a heat-exchanger, a temperature sensor, a microprocessor controller, and a proportioning valve to control the flow of heat exchange fluid as a way to control the temperature of the laser gas. While such an invention is useful for controlling the temperature of gases, such a heat exchange system would have limited use for controlling the temperature of liquids. This is because of the much higher heat capacity and mass of liquids compared to gases. In addition, the corrosive nature of many liquids would preclude their use by such a system. This invention does not contemplate use of the heat exchanger for dispensing of controlled temperature and volumes of liquids.
Currently it is impractical to use thermoplastic heat exchangers to control the temperature of fluids because of the high expense and large size of devices needed. Metal heat exchangers are generally unacceptable for use in semiconductor manufacturing because of the corrosive nature of the chemicals and also the need to eliminate metallic and particulate impurities from process liquids. What is needed is an apparatus for controlling and conditioning the temperature of dispensed liquid volumes or recirculating liquid systems. The system should have fast response to temperature change, be chemically inert, have high surface area, and minimal volume.

Apparatus for conditioning the temperature of a fluid


There is provided a system for showing a multi-directional image of surroundings of transportation device requiring a manual maneuver, when starting the transportation device in a parked state (stop state). The surroundings exhibiting system is constituted by an omnidirectional camera, an ignition instruction detection sensor, a control section including a CPU and a frame memory, and a liquid crystal panel. The omnidirectional camera captures an omnidirectional image of the surroundings around the transportation device in synchronization with a driver's ignition instruction detected by the ignition instruction detection sensor. Further, the captured image data is temporally stored in the frame memory, and the stored image data is sequentially transmitted to the liquid crystal panel so as to be displayed thereon.

Conventionally, various parking-assisting device for parking a vehicle in a desired parking section have been proposed. One realized example thereof is a technique for displaying a rear view image with respect to the vehicle (i.e. an image of a rear area of the vehicle) when reversing the vehicle. Further, disclosed by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Tokukai 2000-72019 (published on Mar. 7, 2000) is a parking assisting device indicating, to a driver, a driving operation amount such as a steering angle, for guiding the vehicle to the parking section.
However, each conventional technique only provides the information for the driver when he/she reverses the vehicle to park. In other words, the conventional technique merely allows a display of the rear view image with respect to the vehicle, or allows the parking assistance based on the rear view image with respect to the vehicle.
Meanwhile, when starting the vehicle in the parked state, safety check is necessary in all the directions rather than only in the rear direction with respect to the vehicle. However, because the conventional technique can merely provide the driver with the rear view image with respect to the vehicle, the information that should be provided for the driver is not always sufficient when starting the vehicle. That is, a shape of the vehicle and/or a parking location possibly cause a blind spot, and safety in the blind spot is hardly checkable for the driver with eyes.
The present invention is made in light of the problem, and its object is to provide a system exhibiting a multi-directional image of surroundings around transportation device to an operator (e.g. a driver, a pilot) thereof when starting the transportation device that has been in the parked state (stop state), the transportation device requiring manual maneuver.

Surroundings exhibiting system and surroundings exhibiting method


An improved small wheel disc brake for skateboards, scooters, and carts, which facilitates a heat management design to provide higher level of performance operation without brake failure thereby improving the safety of said vehicles. The disc brake (6) includes a non-metallic friction pad disc (18) which is fixed to the central aperture of a wheel hub (28), (FIG. 1) and a matching non-turning rotor (24) that is slideable linked to a hub (16) that is made apart of an axle support structure (17). The non-turning rotor (24) is controllably coupled with the friction pad disc (18) by means of cam levelr (13), which is a pivotally attached to the axle support structure (17) by an attachment bolt (15). A means is provided for remotely activating the mechanism, which includes a Bowden cable (8), wire (9) and handgrip (10). The friction pad disc (18) provides for efficient brake action and smooth modulation while insulating wheel components from frictional heat associated with braking. The non-turning rotor (24) conducts frictional heat directly into said axle support structure (17), which provides for rapid dissipation of heat by means of air-cooling.

The invention relates to a brake device for small-wheeled vehicles such as skateboards, scooters, small carts and the like. The brake can be actuated by a mechanical or hydraulic system and activated by means of a remote actuator.
Over the past 50 years inventors have developed a variety of brake systems for small-wheeled vehicles. They range from the very crude stick into the ground to a finely designed hydraulic system featuring a remote handgrip. Prior art presented has proven adequate for operation by children and adults at relatively slow speeds. However, prior art does not provide a brake mechanism that will withstand self-generated heat forces when operated by an adult rider at speeds exceeding 15 mph for any length greater that xc2xc mile with a downhill inclination greater than 4 degrees. The problem lies within frictional heat generated by a brake mechanism when trying to stop an adult rider traveling under the force of gravity over a period of time.
The force required to slow or stop a rider on a wheeled vehicle is dependent upon the weight and velocity of the rider, and the angle of inclination of the run. Increasing any of these heel variables increases the amount of force required to stow the rider. The consequence of using frictional force to slow a vehicle is heat generation. As a rider travels downhill and applies brake pressure in order to control speed, frictional heat continually builds into the brake mechanism. Considering this heat is localized to the surface area of a small wheel, the amount of heat can be substantial
Testing has shown that during normal recreational use a 180 pound rider traveling on a skateboard equipped with a brake at 15-20 mph for a distance of xc2xd mile with a downhill inclination of 4-6 degrees will generate brake temperatures between 250xc2x0 F. and 350xc2x0 F. Larger riders traveling a longer distance, such as a mile, can generate brake temperatures in excess of 500xc2x0 F. Urethane and rubber wheels are heat sensitive and will soften to a point of deformation at a temperature of 225xc2x0 F. As temperatures rise to 300xc2x0 F. wheels lose the resilient integrity required to maintain their form and can no longer support the rider. Given the use of small-wheeled vehicles by adult riders, heat generated by the brake must be given design consideration to provide for safe, reliable operation over prolonged use.
The invention disclosed was developed over a period of several years by testing various methods for braking small wheel vehicles such as skateboards and small carts. Methods that were tested include drag brakes of various designs, and mechanisms that apply frictional pressure to the wheel surface, The drag brake proved ineffective at delivering enough braking force to slow an adult rider at speeds in excess of 15 mph. A variety of mechanisms were devised tat applied frictional pressure directly to the wheel surface. These mechanisms proved to be ineffective due to heat build up at the wheel. During operation, frictional heat would melt wheels leaving the rider in a perilous condition. Therefore, it became apparent that the materials used to resist frictional force were just as important as the application of force itself. For our application, a mechanism needs to provide enough braking force to slow a small wheeled vehicle carrying an adult rider at speeds in excess of 40 mph without melting the wheels or damaging the brake mechanism. The following is a list of desired operational specifications:
1) The brake needs to be readily adaptable to common wheel axles and commercially available small wheels.
2) The brake must operate to a rider""s expectations. Specifically, the brake should operate in a smooth and reliable manner over a minimal distance of at least a mile while traveling downhill at w s ranging from 0-40 mph. An adult rider would be defined as a body having a weight of approximately 180 pounds.
3) The mechanism is preferably hand operated to provide a well regulated and smooth slowing of the vehicle. Hand operation leaves riders feet unencumbered to provide for maximum stability and control.
4) The brake has to effectively transfer frictional heat, generated during operation, away from heat sensitive wheel hubs and tires and into an axle support structure that will not be damaged by thermal loading. Heat must then be effectively convected away from this structure to provide cooling for the brake.
5) The brake must provide thermal insulation for wheels for maximum durability.
6) The brake mechanism must be scaleable to accommodate different size wheels, axles, vehicles riders, hills and performance needs.
7) The mechanism would need to be of a reliable, durable, unobtrusive design that is easy to maintain and repair.
The brake mechanism described herein has been extensively tested on a variety of vehicles, under a variety of operational conditions and has achieved all of the above operational specifications.
Prior art has not provided design consideration for frictional heat generated during brake operation. An example of this is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,266 to Krausz (1978). The Krausz art provides a brake mechanism that utilizes a piston that seats a friction member at it""s end, which bears against a brake disc fitted to the inside face of a wheel. When activated, the friction member is brought into contact with the spinning brake disc, which is in direct contact with the wheel. She friction member is intrinsically non-conductive and therefore stops frictional heat from entering the axle support structure. Therefore, as a rider travels downhill and frictional force is applied to the wheel, frictional heat loads directly into the brake discs and then into the wheels. When the brake disc and wheel reaches a temperature of 225xc2x0 F. the wheel begins to soften to a point of deformation and starts to melt. The Krausz art does not provide for a place for heat to move into apart from the brake disc and wheel. Krausz did not recognize heat as being an issue of concern as evidenced by the use of the friction member and lack of mention within the art
In addition, the Krausz art specifies the fiction member to be limited in size to the diameter of the engaging piston. This limitation does not provide adequate frictional surface area to effect braking force necessary to stop an adult rider traveling under the influence of gravity at any speed greater than 10-15 mph.
In addition, the Krausz art specifies the piston to provide frictional force offset from the axle. This provides an unequal force upon the brake disc and wheel, which tends to bend the axle. This design problem leads to excessive wear of the brake disc, moving additional friction heat into the brake disc and wheel. The Krausz art would not be considered safe for operation by anyone other than a small child at a very slow speed. Another example is discussed within U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,547 to Dungan. The Dungan art describes two separate means of braking a small wheel vehicle. In both instances the art provides for a friction member to apply frictional pressure to a disc attached to the wheel face, whereby isolating frictional heat from the axle support structure. Frictional heat generated during brake operation is directed into the brake discs and the wheel face, as does the Krausz art. The Dungan art provides for an annular friction member, which is an improvement over the Krausz art, however, Dungan, like Krausz does not provide design consideration for frictional heat generated during operation. During normal operational use, frictional heat is directed into the wheels until such time as the wheel temperature reaches 225xc2x0 F., and begins to melt, placing a rider in a dangerous situation. This temperature can be reached within a distance of 100 feet. In addition, proper design of a small wheel brake involves not only making provision to insulate the wheels from frictional heat, but also to provide a location for heat to reside that will not be damaged by thermal loading. This location should be able to withstand temperatures exceeding 500xc2x0 F. and provide for ideal convection of heat into the air.
Given the high performance nature of existing vehicles, miles of open terrain and the growing popularity of Gravity Games and Extreme Games, riders are traveling faster and further than ever on vehicles without a reliable means of braking or slowing. Small wheel vehicle enthusiasts are injuring themselves due to the lack of brake mechanism that will withstand self-generated heat over a reasonable distance of operation without brake failure.
Clearly, the invention presented herein provides many advantages over the prior art noted above. The treatment of the large amount of generated heat from friction based braking systems stands as the paramount issue in small wheeled brake systems. Urethane and rubber wheels melt at substantially lower temperatures than the other metal components. Surprisingly, prior art noted above focuses heat created in the braking process directly on the wheel, the most heat sensitive component of the brake. No consideration has been provided for frictional heat or the consequences of wheel melt down when used by an adult rider at a modest speed. Prior art can only be considered safe when operated by small children or adults at very low speeds.
The most fundamental objects and advantages of the invention are:
a) to provide a brake mechanism that effectively transforms kinetic energy from spinning wheels into heat and then moves that heat to a place that will not be damaged by thermal loading;
b) to utilize a new method for braking small wheel vehicles whereby a heat resistant friction pad disc is made a part of the inside face of a wheel hub and is used to insulate the wheel from frictional heat generated during the brake process;
c) to utilize a new method for braking small-wheel vehicles that includes a non-turning rotor that is mounted facing and substantially matching the friction pad disc;
d) to utilize a new method of braking small wheel vehicles whereby the non-turning rotor affects braking forces and conducts heat generated during brake operation into itself;
e) to utilize a new method for braking small-wheel vehicles whereby frictional heat generated during brake operation is conducted into the non-turning rotor and axle support structure;
f) to provide a brake mechanism that includes an axle and support structure able to withstand temperatures within a range of 250xc2x0 F.-500xc2x0 F. and safely convect that heat into the air,
g) to provide a brake mechanism whereby said axle support structure includes a square hub located at it""s end, centered along the axle;
h) to provide a brake mechanism whereby said non-turning rotor is mechanically linked to an axle support structure by a square hub;
i) to provide a brake mechanism whereby said axle support structure includes an axle that extends outward from the hub, of sufficient size and length to support at least one wheel;
j) to provide a brake mechanism whereby the axle support structure provides linear movement for said non turning rotor when activated by a mechanical or hydraulic system;
k) to provide a brake mechanism whereby the non-turning rotor applies equilateral pressure to the friction pad disc and wheel assembly affecting brake action;
l) to provide a brake mechanism that includes a cam lever of sufficient length to provide equilateral leverage force upon the non tuning rotor at equal but opposite axis points;
m) to provide a brake mechanism that may include an arm extension attached to the cam lever for the purpose of adjusting the Bowden cable attachment location;
n) to provide a brake mechanism that includes a wheel, wheel hub assembly and means for securing said wheel hub assembly to the axle support structure;
o) to provide a disc brake mechanism that may be activated by a variety of means including a Bowden cable and wire, or a hydraulic system or mechanical linkage;
p) to provide a brake mechanism that may be used for one or more wheels of a vehicle;
q) to provide a disc brake mechanism whereby wheels may be activated dependently of one another and receive equal braking pressure;
r) to provide a disc brake mechanism whereby brakes may be activated independently of one another;
s) to provide a disc brake mechanism with returns to a normally non-activated position by means of a spring;
t) to provide a disc brake mechanism that is actuated by a foot or hand lever;
u) to provide a disc brake system whereby one or more mechanisms may be activated in unison from a single brake actuator;
v) to provide a mechanism that is readily adaptable for small vehicles such as skateboards, scooters and small carts;
Further advantages of the brake mechanism disclosed include; the ability to retrofit common skateboard trucks, scooters and carts with a disc brake system that will provide riders of all sizes with a high level of safety and brake performance. Further objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the ensuing description and drawings.
The disc brake mechanism provided herein offers riders a new level of brake technology for small wheel vehicles that hereto now has not been available. The brake mechanism is designed with components that will produce and withstand braking forces necessary for slowing or stopping an adult rider traveling at speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour. Frictional heat generated during the brake process is conducted away from heat sensitive wheel components and directed into the axle support structure where it is safely dissipated into the air.
A notable feature of the brake is the use and location of a non-metallic friction pad disc, which is fixed to the central aperture of the wheel hub. Locating the friction pad disc on the wheel hub provides an unobstructed path for heat to naturally move into the non-turning rotor and axle support structure.
Furthermore, the friction pad disc embodies other advantages in that:
it is porous and thereby adheres well to the wheel hub or a fixture which is attached to the wheel hub by a heat resistant epoxy adhesive;
it is nonconductive, thereby providing thermal insulation for the wheel hub;
it is constructed of a durable, light weight, heat resistant material;
it provides for a large braking surface area;
it is designed to operate under conditions being imposed;
it spins with the wheel, which provides for added cooling;
it may be inset into the wheel hub making it unobtrusive;
it provides riders with a smooth brake modulation;
it is readily available in a variety of formulations and densities.
The brake mechanism has numerous advantages over prior art including; a natural heat management system which helps to maintain the integrity of the wheels, a large friction pad surface area which provides for efficient long lasting operation, and smooth predictable modulation for the rider. The brake has few moving parts, is compact by design and is cost effective to manufacture. The brake is readily adaptable to existing skateboard trucks, scooters, skates and carts. The mechanism may be operated as a stand-alone unit or may be connected to multiple brake assemblies with a simple Bowden cable and wire assembly.
The disc brake presented herein will provide gravity sport enthusiasts wit a superior means of controlling and stopping their vehicles. There are many areas, roads, trails and slopes that are ideal for downhill recreation, that hereto now would be considered to be too dangerous to ride because of the degree of inclination and lack of means for slowing down or stopping. The brake presented herein will provide riders of all age and sizes with reliable speed control necessary to safely navigate and play in these areas for a great new form of recreation.
Although the description above contains many specifics, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but as merely providing illustrations of some of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention.

Method and apparatus for small wheel disc brake


The disclosed technology is generally directed towards optimization and control of wireless networks based on monitoring and/or analytics data received at a radio access network (RAN) controller device in a split RAN protocol architecture. The RAN controller device processes the monitoring/analytics data and provides control information and/or optimization data, which can be policy data, to a central unit device that can configure the wireless network based on the control information and/or optimization data. The technology can facilitate optimization and configuration of mobility procedures including handovers and secondary cell group changes, optimization of carrier aggregation and dual connectivity procedures based on multiple metrics, and can facilitate centralized optimization of topology and route selection for integrated access and backhaul nodes.

To meet the huge demand for data centric applications, Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) systems and systems that employ one or more aspects of the specifications of the Fourth Generation (4G) standard for wireless communications will be extended to a Fifth Generation (5G) standard for wireless communications. Challenges exist with respect to providing levels of service associated with forthcoming 5G and other next generation network standards.

Network optimization and control for wireless networks


Provided is a method for producing a resin lens, comprising: A) mixing a polyisocyanate, a modified isocyanate, a catalyst and a release agent, and performing vacuum defoaming at 0˜30° C. for 10˜90 min to obtain a material a; B) mixing the material a with a sulfur-containing compound, and performing vacuum defoaming at 15˜20° C. for 20˜120 min to obtain mixed monomers; and C) completing casting of the mixed monomers, and curing to obtain a resin lens. The present disclosure uses polyisocyanate and a modified isocyanate at the same time to prepare a resin lens with higher glass transition temperature and higher surface hardness without producing bank mark and edge fogging. The present disclosure further provides a method for producing modified isocyanate. The obtained modified isocyanate used with polyisocyanate further improves the glass transition temperature and surface hardness of the resin lens without producing bank mark and edge fogging.

High refractive index polyurethane resin is formed by the polymerization of isocyanate and polythiol. Currently, the resin lenses sold on the market mainly have four types of MR-7, MR-8, MR-10, and MR-174, and the refractive index is ranged from 1.60 to 1.74. The resins with high transmittance and high refractive index make lenses thinner and lighter, and break the convention of a higher refractive index with a lower Abbe number, which forms clearer images. Furthermore, the material obtained from the perfect combination of isocyanates and polythiols, in terms of mechanical properties, has a higher impact resistance without losing the toughness and abrasion resistance. These characteristics give the resin excellent processability, which is especially appropriate for the production of the most popular diamond-cut glasses, and its superior performance has been globally recognized.
First, the thermosetting resin lens with absolute advantages of good thermal stability, high refractive index, high hardness, good impact resistance, etc., has almost dominated the whole markets. The major domestic and foreign lens manufacturers take the thermosetting polyester lens as an economic backbone. However, for the limit of production technology, the domestic production technology still uses imitation and empirical production method. In terms of product quality, the domestic products are far below that of the foreign products. The main reasons are: the development of domestic thermosetting resins, especially the polyurethane resin lens, starts too late; the investment of domestic research and development is little, of which mainly are carried out by small manufacturing enterprises. Taking polyurethane resin lenses as examples, due to the monopolization of raw materials by foreign enterprises, domestic enterprises cannot obtain high-performance raw materials of components A and B, so that they can only manufacture the resin lens with relatively low quality by using general raw materials from the current market. Taking the production technology of resin lens as an example, the level of domestic production technology is far below the level of foreign production technology.
Then, the refractive index of mainstream glasses lenses in the current market is about 1.5. Thus, it is necessary to increase the thickness of glasses lenses to achieve manufacturing high diopters of lenses, which increases the weight of glasses at the same time. With the comparison of optical glasses, polyurethane optical materials possess advantages of high refractive index, lightweight, excellent impact resistance, and heat resistance, etc., which could be better applied for glasses lenses and other products. However, in the practical application process of resin lens, heat resistance and impact toughness thereof are two contradictory variables. Because the softening temperature increases with a decrease of its impact toughness simultaneously. From the perspective of customer usage, customers prefer to choose high impact toughness lenses for safety consideration, which causes manufacturers to have to face the difficulties of processing at low softening temperature.
The main categories of refractive index are 1.56, 1.60, 1.67, and 1.74 for the mainstream polyurethane lenses in the current market. As the refractive index increases, the cost of required raw materials increases simultaneously. Therefore, the cost can be reduced by introducing a small number of inexpensive components with high refractive index. Moreover, increasing the refractive index can be achieved at the same time. In addition, it can achieve the diversification of refractive index, and it is not limited to a few mainstream refractive index series, which satisfies both the manufacture requirements of manufacturers and the application demands of customers at the same time.
In the production process of current high refractive index two-component (isocyanate and polythiol) polyurethane resin lenses, manufacturers frequently encounter large deviations of prism degree. It is due to the incompatibility of resin refractive index and mold, in which the polyurethane prepolymer is poured into with a fixed degree for curing. To deal with this kind of problem, manufacturers often choose to adjust the refractive index of resin rather than changing molds. Generally, manufacturers often adjust the refractive index of resin by changing a monomer ratio. The plan of directly adjusting the monomer ratio often causes the differences of various properties of resin lens, which leads to more problems, particularly the reduction of impact toughness, glass transition temperature, and anti-yellowing property. However, the manufacturers specialized in the production of polyurethane resin prepolymer will be faced with the problems of downstream lens manufacturer using various molds, and the work of prepolymer manufacturers adjusting the refractive index of resin to match the lens manufacturers' mold is enormous. While the refractive index of resin prepolymer has a huge difference from the fixed refractive index of molds, the adjustment of monomer ratio is invalid. Because the refractive index range adjusted by monomer ratio is limited, and the replacement of monomer also requires the following properties: good anti-yellowing property, higher refractive index, no increased cost, and molecules with certain rigid groups, etc. Simultaneously, the replacement of monomer is a long process, which requires a large amount of research of fundamental properties to ensure various properties qualified. The huge work of the method causes that it is difficult to implement in the factory.
In the actual production of polyurethane lenses, utilizing different isocyanates as raw materials easily produces the phenomenon of bank mark and edge fogging. If only utilizing one kind of highly active isocyanate, the glass transition temperature and the surface hardness of the lenses will be relatively low. Yet, it is difficult to solve the above problems at the same time for polyurethane resin lens.

Method for producing a resin lens from a polyisocyanate and release agent at reduced pressure


There is provided a jitter measuring apparatus for measuring jitter in a signal-under-measurement, having a pulse generator for outputting a pulse signal having a pulse width set in advance corresponding to edges-under-measurement from which the timing jitter is to be measured in the signal-under-measurement, a filter for removing carrier frequency components of the signal-under-measurement from the pulse signal and a jitter calculator for calculating the jitter in the signal-under-measurement based on the signal outputted out of the filter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a jitter measuring apparatus and a measuring method for measuring jitter in a signal-under-measurement and a test apparatus for testing a device-under-test.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, as a method for measuring jitter in a signal-under-measurement, there has been known a method of comparing phase of the signal-under-measurement with phase of the signal-under-measurement delayed by one period for example (T. Yamaguchi, "A Real-Time Jitter Measurement Board for High Performance Computer and Communication System", ITC2004). Period jitter in the signal-under-measurement may be measured by delaying the signal-under-measurement by one period and by comparing phases of neighboring rising edges in the signal-under-measurement.
According to this method, the signal-under-measurement and the delayed signal-under-measurement are applied to a phase comparator so as to output a voltage signal corresponding to a value of the period jitter in each cycle. Timing jitter in the signal-under-measurement may be also measured on real-time by integrating the voltage signal outputted out of the phase comparator by using an integrator or the like.
However, the conventional jitter measuring method has required to delay the signal-under-measurement accurately. For example, it is necessary to delay the signal-under-measurement by one period accurately in measuring the period jitter in the signal-under-measurement. However, if there is an error in the delay time, the value of the period jitter detected by the phase comparator becomes a value into which the actual period jitter is added by the delayed error as an offset. Still more, the measured error is accumulated by the integrator and timing jitter outputted out of the integrator saturates soon or later.
Accordingly, the conventional jitter measuring method has required a delay circuit that generates accurate delay time. However, it has been difficult to produce an accurate delay circuit and it has been difficult to measure jitter in the signal-under-measurement accurately by the conventional jitter measuring method because the delay error is influential in the jitter measuring error.
Still more, the phase of the signal-under-measurement is also compared with phase of the delayed signal in the conventional jitter measuring method. Therefore, when jitter amplitude in the signal-under-measurement is greater than one period of the signal-under-measurement, there has been a possibility that phases of non-corresponding edges are compared and hence the jitter could not be accurately measured.
It was also unable to accurately measure timing jitter in a signal in which logical values appear randomly such as a data signal by the conventional jitter measuring method. For example, it is necessary to generate a triggering signal for measuring phase of edges of the data signal-under measurement in measuring timing jitter by using one of conventional methods, i.e. by using a sampling oscilloscope, a digital oscilloscope and the like. However, because position of the edges is irregular in the data signal, it is necessary to generate triggering signals of various timing. Therefore, timing jitter of the triggering signals themselves becomes large, worsening the accuracy in measuring jitter in the data-signal-under-measurement.
A measuring cost also increases to generate triggering signals having small timing jitter because a high precision circuit is required.
Therefore, it was unable to measure timing jitter in the data signal whose pattern is irregular at low cost and accurately by the conventional measuring methods. Still more, neither method nor circuit for measuring jitter in the data signal on real-time has been invented yet.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a jitter measuring apparatus, a jitter measuring method and a test apparatus that are capable of solving the above-mentioned problems. This object may be achieved through the combination of features described in independent claims of the invention. Dependent claims thereof specify preferable embodiments of the invention.

Jitter measuring apparatus, jitter measuring method and test apparatus


A remote imaging method includes: continuously imaging a person having an operating terminal in an imaging spot by a camera; obtaining a display content displayed on a screen of the operating terminal during the continuous imaging; determining whether or not the operating terminal has imaging authority with the camera using the obtained display content; and sending a specified timing image taken by the camera at imaging timing specified by the operating terminal determined to have the imaging authority to the operating terminal. The determining further includes assessing whether the obtained display content and temporal transition of the obtained display content make a predetermined pattern is carried out, and when an assessment result is positive, the determining determines that the operating terminal has the imaging authority, and the predetermined pattern is to display each authentication image on the display of the operating terminal for display time predefined in an order predefined.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a remote imaging method and a remote imaging control device to carry out imaging using a remotely operable camera placed at an imaging spot.
2. Description of the Related Art
A service is under review in which a camera is placed at a location where a user desires imaging including him/herself as a part of a subject, such as a location of an excellent view in a tourist attraction, a theme park, and the like, (hereinafter, referred to as "an imaging spot") to let the user image with the camera and provide the taken image. By using the service, a user is capable of obtaining a nicer picture with less camera shake than imaging using a camera that him/herself has and the like, so that it is possible to enhance the level of satisfaction of the user. In the meanwhile, a provider of such a high value added service generally desires to charge for utilization of a service and to limit use of the camera only to users that have paid a usage fee. In an example of a system to provide such service, an operating terminal (remote controller) in which a number of possible shots is stored is rented to a user that has paid a usage fee to allow imaging with a camera within a range of the number of possible shots only by an instruction from the operating terminal (for example, refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-215421).

Remote imaging method and remote imaging control device

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


A motorcycle tire comprises a tread portion provided with a plurality of inner inclined grooves and inclined narrow grooves in both sides of a tire equator, wherein each inner inclined groove extends from an axially inner end to the outer end with an angle of 0-20 degrees with respect to a tire circumferential direction, the inner end of the inner inclined groove is located in a developed length within 5% of a tread half developed-width from the tire equator, each inner inclined groove has a circumferential length of 70-85% of a first pitch, each inclined narrow groove with a groove width of 0.5-2.0 mm is provided between circumferentially adjacent inner inclined grooves and has an angle with respect to a circumferential direction of the tire larger than that of the inner inclined groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a motorcycle tire in which a thermal degradation of a tread portion may be prevented while maintaining turning performance as well as tire life.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recent years, since motorcycles tend to have high power engines, a motorcycle tire subjected to high load and power tends to have tread portions with a high land ratio. Typically, such a motorcycle tire may improve stability in straight running, wear resistance performance and tire life. Since the tread portion of the motorcycle tire, however, is liable to have low heat dissipation due to the high land ratio, thermal degradation tends to generate on the tread portion during continued running with high tire load.
JP-2001-030719-A1 discloses a motorcycle tire having a tread portion with a plurality of inclined grooves each of which extends from a tread center portion toward the tread edge and has a maximum groove width being located at a certain area of the tread portion. However, the motorcycle tire identified above is liable to have a low turning performance due to less camber thrust.


An elliptical exerciser includes a body having two foot support links and two rotation members. The rotation members are rotated about their respective rotation pivots to drive the foot support links to move along a supporting travel and a crossing travel to complete a closed pedal trajectory. The timing adjustment wheel is pivotally connected to the body. A distance is defined between the pivot of the timing adjustment wheel and either of the rotation pivots of the rotation members. Two connecting links are pivotally connected to the timing adjustment wheel. The lengths of the two connecting links are longer than the distance. When one of the foot support links moves within the supporting travel and rotates one of the rotation members, the timing adjustment wheel drives the other foot support link to move within the crossing travel and produces speed and phase differences to be more ergonomic.

Jogging is a popular exercise, but it is known that the jogger's knees suffer from significant impact especially at the moment that his/her foot contacts the ground. The knees are injured after suffering from the frequent impacts for a period of time. Therefore, many exercisers such as elliptical exercisers, stepper, and air walker are developed to guide the user's feet to move along a trajectory which is similar to that of real jogging, such that the user's knees are protected from being impacted and injured.
One conventional elliptical exerciser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,013 entitled "CROSS TRAINER EXERCISE APPARATUS", which comprises a framework, two handles, a flywheel and two foot support members, wherein the flywheel and the handles are pivotally connected to the framework, and the foot support members are pivotally connected to two sides of the flywheel. When the handles are pivotally moved, the foot support members are guided by the flywheel and moved along a pedal trajectory which comprises a supporting travel and a crossing travel.
However, the pedal trajectory provided by the conventional elliptical exerciser is a very elliptical trajectory, so that the pedal travels on two sides of the flywheel have 180 degrees of timing delay. The timing of pedal trajectory is quite different from the one of real jogging.
Specifically, the cranks, or the flywheels, on two sides of the conventional elliptical exercisers have 180 degrees of phase difference, so that when one of the user's legs is at the front end of a pedal trajectory and going to support the user's weight, the other one is at the rear end of the pedal trajectory. As shown in FIG. 7, the supporting travel A1 and the crossing travel A2 of the pedal trajectory A have the same path length. However, in real jogging, when one of the user's legs is at the front end of the trajectory and going to support the user's weight, the other one not yet reaches the rear end of the trajectory but keeps moving backward, and does not lift to move forward until reaches the rear end of the trajectory. As shown in FIG. 8, in a trajectory B of real jogging, the path length of the supporting travel B1 is less than that of the crossing travel B2. The conventional elliptical exerciser cannot provide the user with the real jogging exercising mode and does not meet the principles of ergonomics.
When using the conventional elliptical exercisers, the user has to make his/her gait to be cooperated with the pedal trajectory provided by the conventional elliptical exerciser, so that the user cannot shift his/her weight from one leg to the other leg until his/her two legs both reach their respective extreme positions. The accumulation of the muscles sore and pain may cause sport injury to the user, and even worse if the user does not tread the pedals at a correct angle.
The present invention intends to provide an elliptical exerciser with a timing adjustment wheel so as to perform as real jogging action.


The instant invention proposes to utilize pre-cut unbacked labels releasably attached to one another in a stacked arrangement within a disposable tube having one open end. The labels have a diameter approximately equal to the inside diameter of the tube and have adhesive on one side with the adhesive sides facing the open end of the tube. A spring biased compression mechanism at the closed end of the tube serves to urge the stack of labels-toward the open end of the tube. When the outward-facing label contacts the object to be labeled, the label is released from the stack and adheres to the object exposing the next label in the stack.

In the modern assembly-line production of products for the mass market, as well as in the end retail market, an important stage is the labeling of the product. Although a good deal, and often all, of the information needed on the package (UPC, source identification, etc.) can be printed on the wrapping material itself, there often remains the need to affix other labels. These labels include in particular, but are not limited to, point of origin, theft-mitigation tags and the like. Such labels are often applied by the end retailer, either to the outside of the product or to the outside of the product's packaging. Recently, large retailers have begun to require that these labels be already affixed when the products arrive from the manufacturer or wholesale-distributor. Labelers for products such as fruit or vegetables are well known. A number of devices are available which peel self-adhesive labels from a backing material and apply the label to fruit and vegetables as well as other products. Known prior art devices utilize a continuous composite strip of non-adhesive backing material having a plurality of pre-cut labels releasably attached thereto. The devices fall into two broad general categories, they are either the hand-held type used by retailers or specialized machinery used by manufacturers. Both the hand-held and the specialized equipment are designed with a concentration on increasing the speed of peeling away the backing material and placing the label on the product without sacrificing accuracy or reliability.
Specialized labelers are also known which are designed to apply labels quickly to a specific size and/or type of product, e.g. apples, melons, tomatoes, cans, bottles etc. Specialized labelers are of four general types: vacuum, blow-on, tamp-apply, and laid-on. The vacuum or bellows type labelers typically have a number of applicators arrayed around a circular head. Labels are stripped from a continuous web of backing material and, as each label is stripped, a respective one of the applicators uses vacuum to pick up the label and stick the adhesive side of the label to the product. The adhesive overcomes the relatively weak vacuum such that the label adheres to the product. The second type of automatic labeler is a "blow-on" or compressed air labeler in which the label is peeled from the backing material and a burst of compressed air blows the label onto the product. The third labeler type is a "tamp-apply" labeler in which labels are peeled from the backing and tamped onto the product with a piston-type applicator. Finally, the fourth type of automatic labeler is a "laid-on" labeler in which a peel blade is positioned at the end of an articulating labeling arm. A continuous web of labels are threaded past the peel blade and selectively advanced when a product is sensed on the conveyor. Individual labels are stripped from the continuous label web by the peel blade and pushed into contact with the product by a sponge roller or the like.
Although the specialized labeling equipment listed above does have the ability to apply labels rapidly, it also has a number of disadvantages. These disadvantages include the cost of the equipment, set-up time, space requirements, and the training and salary demanded by specialized personnel. Since the labeling machines are especially designed for one product type and size, or at best a narrow range of types and sizes, various parts of the machine must be changed if one wishes to use the labeling machine with another label or for a different product. Although this drawback may not be a problem for industries where products or containers do not vary, it creates significant drawbacks in certain industries. This is especially true of the fruit and vegetable industry where every piece is slightly different and shapes are irregular.
Hand-held type labeling devices in the past have typically been used at the retail level to apply price tags and the like. Hand-held type labeling devices have also been disclosed for applying adhesive postage stamps and sale labels to flat surfaces. These devices typically utilize the same type of coiled composite webbing material as the specialized machinery. Like the specialized machines, the hand-held labelers must separate the self-adhesive material from the backing material before attachment. To separate the layers the operator usually squeezes the handle of the device operating the mechanisms. The non-adhesive backing material must be rewound or torn away to continue use. Due to their cumbersome nature, these devices are generally avoided for large volume applications.
To be practical, hand-held devices generally have a limited size and space available. Most of this space is consumed by the mechanisms required to remove the backing material from the labels. To function properly, these machines must be loaded with the rolls of backing and adhesive material precisely threaded through the mechanisms. Normal wear and tear on the mechanisms requires continual maintenance and adjustment to maintain proper operation. The expense of hand-held labeler devices normally limits the number of hand labeling devices available at a location.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,863,384 discloses a postage stamp dispenser and applicator which utilizes self-adhesive stamps on a roll of backing material. The mechanism includes a stamp roll holding chamber, a stamp conveyor platen with a separator at its end for separating the stamps from the backing paper, a backing paper spooler, and a ratchet wheel for rotating the spooler.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,954,208 discloses a hand-held labeler which uses labels loosely adhered to a carrier web. A strip of labels on the carrier web are wound onto a label supply roll. The carrier web is guided through the body of the labeler to where a de-laminator successively de-laminates labels from the carrier web and an applicator applies the labels. A winder having a spindle or spool is manually rotated to wind the label carrying web onto a take-up roll.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,875,715 and 6,138,734 disclose hand-held labelers for printing and applying labels which are adhered to a carrier web in a roll form. The device peels the labels from the non-adhesive carrier web before they can be placed on the desired product.
Accordingly, what is lacking in the art is a disposable hand-held labeling device in which individual unbacked labels are utilized in a stacked arrangement and are fed and applied to products without the need for mechanisms designed to peel away a backing material.


The invention relates to novel organic semiconducting polymers, to methods for their preparation and educts or intermediates used therein, to compositions containing them, to the use of the polymers and compositions as organic semiconductors in, or for the preparation of, organic electronic (OE) devices, especially organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices, perovskite-based solar cell (PSC) devices, organic photodetectors (OPD), organic field effect transistors (OFET) and organic light emitting diodes (OLED), and to OE, OPV, PSC, OPD, OFET and OLED devices comprising these polymers or compositions.

In recent years, there has been development of organic semiconducting (OSC) materials in order to produce more versatile, lower cost electronic devices. Such materials find application in a wide range of devices or apparatus, including organic field effect transistors (OFETs), organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic photodetectors (OPDs), organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells, sensors, memory elements and logic circuits to name just a few. The OSC materials are typically present in the electronic device in the form of a thin layer.
The OSC materials are receiving ever-growing attention mostly due to their lucrative commercial prospects in organic electronics manufactured by cost effective solution processing technology at low temperature. It is generally believed that OSCs have a number of advantage over their inorganic counterparts, such as the potential of fabricating lightweight flexible backplanes, the opportunity to make large area displays using low-cost, high speed solution based fabrication techniques, and their optical and electronic properties being fine-tuneable via rational chemical structure modifications.
The main disadvantages of the OSC materials currently known in prior art are their relatively low device performance and their modest thermal, photo and electrical stability. Over the past two decades a wide range of new π-conjugated polymers have been made available, and have shown improved performance in OE devices like OFETs such as high charge carrier mobility, reaching or even surpassing that of amorphous silicon. In the meantime, power conversion efficiencies of OPV cells fabricated using low bandgap π-conjugated polymers as active electron donor materials have exceeded 10%.
The performance of OFET devices is principally based upon the charge carrier mobility of the semiconducting material and the current on/off ratio, so the ideal semiconductor should have a low conductivity in the off state, combined with a high charge carrier mobility (>1×10−3 cm2V−1 s−1). In addition, it is important that the semiconducting material is relatively stable to oxidation i.e. it has a high ionisation potential, as oxidative doping leads to reduced device performance, for example increased off current and threshold voltage shift. Further requirements for the semiconducting material to have include good processability, especially for large-scale production of thin-film layers and desired patterns, and high stability, thin-film uniformity and integrity of the organic semiconductor layer.
In OPV cells, π-conjugated polymers and organic small molecules have found use as OSC in the photoactive layer, as they allow devices to be manufactured by solution-processing techniques such as spin casting, dip coating or ink jet printing. Solution processing can be carried out cheaper and on a larger scale, compared to the evaporative techniques used to make inorganic thin film devices. In photoactive layers containing a blend of an n-type OSC and a p-type OSC, typically a π-conjugated polymer, forming a bulk-heterojunction (BHJ), the π-conjugated polymer serves as the main absorber of the solar energy. Therefore a low band gap is a basic requirement for the polymer to absorb the maximum of the solar spectrum. Thus, for use in OPV cells and OPDs, the OSC should have a low bandgap, which enables improved light harvesting by the photoactive layer and can lead to higher power conversion efficiency.
A commonly used strategy to achieve low bandgap OSC polymers for OPV and OPD applications is to utilize a π-conjugated D-A polymer consisting of both electron rich donor units D and electron deficient acceptor units A in the polymer backbone. Conjugated D-A polymers have also been found to demonstrate high charge carrier mobilities in OTFTs. It is generally accepted that the alternating D-A structure facilitates stronger intermolecular interactions, leading to smaller π-π-stacking distance and efficient intermolecular charge transfer due to static attractions between the donor and the acceptor monomer units.
To date, a large number of conjugated π-structures have been synthesized which can be used as monomers for preparing conjugated D-A polymers. However, the D-A polymers hitherto available do still leave room for further improvement, and the ideal polymer which combines high efficiency with facile and scalable synthesis has yet to be found.
Thus, there is still a need for OSC polymers which are suitable for use in OE devices like OTFTs, OPDs and OPV cells, and which show one or more of the above-mentioned desired properties.
It was an aim of the present invention to provide conjugated D-A polymers for use in OE devices like OFETs, OPDs and OPV devices, which are easy to synthesize, especially by methods suitable for mass production, which show especially good processibility, high stability, good solubility in organic solvents, high charge carrier mobility, and a low bandgap. Another aim of the invention was to extend the pool of OSC materials having electron acceptor property. Other aims of the present invention are immediately evident to the expert from the following detailed description.
The inventors of the present invention have found that one or more of the above aims can be achieved by providing a polymer as disclosed and claimed hereinafter, which is formed from a substituted benzodithiophene (BDT) unit and a benzothiadiazole-dithienylene unit, or a derivative thereof wherein the S atom is replaced by another hetero atom, hereinafter referred to as "T1-BTZ-T2 unit". The T1-BTZ-T2 unit is characterized by a "double" asymmetric nature with two centres of asymmetry, a first one because the BTZ is only monosubstituted by F or Cl, and a second one because the BTZ group is sandwiched by two thiophene rings T1 and T2 only one of which is substituted while the other is unsubstituted. The T1-BTZ-T2 unit is further characterized in that the F or Cl atom on the BTZ group is in ortho-position to the unsubstituted thiophene ring. The asymmetric structure of the T1-BTZ-T2 unit creates intrinsic randomness in the polymer backbone.
It was surprisingly found that, when using a polymer according to the invention as donor component in the photoactive layer of a BHJ OPV cell, the specific substitution pattern of the asymmetrically substituted T1-BTZ-T2 unit plays an important role regarding the morphology of the bulk heterojunction, and leads to unexpected advantageous effects when being used as semiconductor in electronic or optoelectronic devices.
D. Mo et al., Chem. Mater. 2017, 29, 2819 disclose the following polymers

wherein R1 is ether dodecyl or 2-ethylhexyl, and R2 is either 2-hexyldecyl or 2-butyloctyl, and their use as donor material in the photoactive layer of an organic solar cell.
In contrast to the polymer of the present invention, the polymer disclosed by Mo et al. contains a T1-BTZ-T2 unit having a different substitution pattern, wherein the chloro atom on the BTZ group is in ortho-position to the substituted thiophene ring.
It could be demonstrated by comparison experiments that the polymer according to the present invention with its different substitution pattern, when used in the photoactive layer of an OPV cell, leads to significant improvements, for example an increase in fill factor and power conversion efficiency (PCE), compared to the polymers as disclosed by Mo et al.
WO 2012/054910 A1 discloses polymers of the following formula

wherein Ar and Ar′ are optionally substituted heteroaryl groups, and π and π′ are optionally substituted polycyclic aryl or heteroaryl groups, and their use in electronic devices like photovoltaic cells or transistors. However, it does not disclose or suggest polymers comprising a T-BTZ-T unit with asymmetric structure as disclosed and claimed hereinafter, or the advantageous effects thereby achieved.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A wide-angle null-fill antenna with no null in the depression angle range, an omni antenna using the same, and radio communication equipment. A null-fill antenna comprises a first antenna array including antenna elements arranged with a prescribed point as the center, and a second antenna array having amplitude characteristics substantially equal to those of the antenna elements forming the first antenna array. The first antenna array is excited so that the excitation amplitude distribution is to have symmetry with respect to the prescribed point, while the excitation phase distribution is to have point symmetry with respect to the prescribed point. The phase center of the first antenna array is substantially coincident with that of the second antenna array.

In general, a base station or BTS (Base Transceiver Station) antenna for mobile communication is placed in a high position such as the top of a building, and electric waves emitted from the antenna is received by mobile communication terminals on the ground.
Such a BTS antenna is provided with directivity so that mobile communication terminals on the ground receive electric waves at the same reception or input level regardless of their locations.
The BTS antenna forms a beam, e.g., cosecant squared beam (without a null in a depression angle range of up to 45 degrees from the horizontal plane) in the elevation plane, to cause substantially uniform input electric field on the ground in a predetermined depression angle range.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the construction of a conventional cosecant squared beam antenna. In the cosecant squared beam antenna, antenna elements are arrayed vertically, and hereinafter a description will be made on the assumption that antenna elements are arrayed vertically. In this construction, a beam emitted from each antenna element is formed with flares to achieve such directivity that electromagnetic waves are radiated within a predetermined angle in the horizontal plane.
Besides, a plurality of the antenna elements are arranged in a vertical linear array to form a beam in the vertical direction. The amplitudes of the antenna elements 2 or the upper half of the array and the antenna elements 3 or the lower half of the array are symmetrical about the center (e.g., the amplitude of the top antenna element is the same as that of the bottom one). The phases of all the antenna elements 2 are identical. Similarly, the phases of all the antenna elements 3 are identical. The phase of the antenna elements 2 is shifted with respect to that of the antenna elements 3 by a prescribed amount.
With this construction, the antenna radiation pattern assumes a cosecant squared pattern in the vertical plane, resulting in substantially uniform input level in a range of depression angle from the horizontal plane.
However, if a beam is formed in this manner, as shown in FIG. 2, in an area at a depression angle over 45 degrees from the horizontal plane with respect to the BTS antenna, i.e., around the foot of the antenna, the input level is necessarily reduced.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the phase characteristics of the conventional cosecant squared beam antenna. The phase characteristics indicates the relation between angles and phases in the vertical plane at points equally distant from the origin as an observation point at the center of the array.
Referring to FIG. 3, in an area lower than the horizontal plane or in an area at a depression angle of 0 (zero) degrees or more, the phase is at 0 degrees. On the other hand, in an area at a depression angle less than 0 degrees or in an area at an elevation angle, the phase is at 180 degrees at almost all angles. This means that, with the horizontal plane as a boundary face or an interface, electromagnetic waves radiated to below the horizontal plane and those radiated to above the horizontal plane are in phase opposition.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the radiation or directivity characteristics of the conventional cosecant squared beam antenna in the vertical plane. In FIG. 4, in an area at a depression angle of 45 degrees or more, the radiation characteristics deteriorate. That is, an area in the vicinity of the antenna, at a depression angle of not less than 45 degrees, involves a null.
In Japanese Patent Application laid open No. HEI9-246859, there has been disclosed "Antenna" as a conventional technique for improving the radiation characteristics in the vicinity of the antenna. In the conventional technique, an array antenna consists of a first antenna element with wide directivity in the zenith direction and second antenna elements with narrow directivity in a direction at a prescribed angle from the zenith direction, which are arranged around the first antenna element. Thus, the input level of mobile terminals is maintained constant.
However, the conventional technique is aimed at reducing nulls caused in the direction of the front of the antenna for a campus base station. Therefore, if the technique is applied to a base station for mobile communication, the gain of the antenna is significantly reduced in the direction at a depression angle of 90 degrees.
As just described, there has not been proposed a wide-angle null-fill antenna preventing a null or the presence of an insensitive area in the direction at a depression angle of 90 degrees.

Null-fill antenna, omni antenna, and radio communication equipment


A hinge lid pack has a lower pack outerframe and an upper lid hingedly attached to the lower pack outerframe for movement between opened and closed positions. The lid includes front, top, back and opposite sidewall portions. An innerframe is within and upwardly extends from the outerframe, and the innerframe has front and opposite sidewall portions. Microencapsulated aroma surfaces on the pack move across roughened perforations on the pack upon opening of the pack to thereby release flavor by rupturing the microcapsules.

The present invention relates to a hinge lid aroma pack, and more particularly to a pack having aroma areas and roughened perforated areas that rub across the aroma areas when the hinge lid is opened to thereby release aroma to the consumer.
Microencapsulation is a process by which a core material is captured within a second material or shell. It is well known in the field to encapsulate aromas and flavors in shells of varying sizes so that the flavor is preserved until the rupture of the capsule by mechanical or other force. Preservation of the flavor within the capsule assures that upon release of the flavor it is as consistently strong as when it was first encapsulated. "Flavor," "fragrance," "aroma," and like terms are used interchangeably herein to indicate any substance that is capable of causing an olfactory sensation.
A multitude of processes exists for manufacturing microcapsules. A variety of techniques can be utilized to produce microcapsules of varying sizes, differing resistances to rupture and alternative capsule compositions and capsule constituents. Several different encapsulation processes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,516,846; 3,516,941; 3,778,383; 4,087,376; 4,089,802; 4,100,103 and 4,251,386 and British Patent Specification Nos. 1,156,725; 2,041,319 and 2,048,206. Common shell formations include the polymerization reaction of urea and formaldehyde and the polycondensation of methylated urea and aldehydes.
One manner of an aroma-releasing pack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,429 where encapsulated aroma areas on the inside of the lid are contacted by retention cuts or laterally projecting fins on the innerframe when the pack is opened to thereby release aroma by rupturing the microencapsulated aroma on those areas.