A parking pawl actuation assembly for a transmission includes a shaft, a hub member rotatably supported by the shaft, a cam plate and lever plate rotatably supported by the hub member, a first resilient member disposed between the cam plate and the lever plate, and wherein the resilient member applies a rotational force on the cam plate in a first rotational direction when the lever plate is rotated in the first rotational direction, an actuator configured to selectively rotate the lever plate to one of a plurality of positions, and a parking pawl member configured to engage the cam plate and the parking gear of the transmission.

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
A typical transmission includes a parking gear and pawl to lock the transmission and the remainder of the drive train thus preventing the vehicle from rolling from the original parked position even when the vehicle is parked on a steep grade. Mechanisms designed to engage a parking lock on an output shaft of a transmission include direct acting actuators or systems having mechanical linkages to prevent the rotation of the output shaft. Including this feature in a transmission adds complexity, weight, cost and package size without adding to the overall performance of the transmission while it is in operation. As transmissions become more efficient in packing space and performance the space and weight available of other component assemblies is decreased.
While previous transmissions having parking pawl actuation assemblies are useful for their intended purpose, the need for new and improved parking pawl actuation assemblies within transmissions which exhibit improved performance, especially from the standpoints of reducing complexity, improving assembly processes, reducing weight, reducing cost, and reducing overall package size is essentially constant. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved, cost-effective parking pawl actuation assembly for use in a transmission.

Transmission parking pawl actuation assembly


An absorption type multi-layer film ND filter having a substrate and an optical multi-layer member consisting essentially of metal layers each composed chiefly of nickel (Ni) and dielectric layers each formed of any one of SiO2, Al2O3 and a mixture of these; the layers being alternately layered on the substrate. An Ni type metallic material having a small wavelength dependence of transmittance in the visible spectral range is used in the metal layers serving as light attenuation layers, and this enables materialization of an ND filter which can attain transmittance attenuation that is flat for wavelengths.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an absorption type multi-layer film ND filter (neutral density filter) having a substrate and an optical multi-layer member consisting of metal layers and dielectric layers which are alternately layered on the substrate. More particularly, it relates to an improvement of an absorption type multi-layer film ND filter, so improved as to be able to achieve flat transmittance characteristics in a better reproducibility and moreover have superior mass productivity.
2. Description of the Related Art
ND filters refer to optical filters having non-selective transmittance such that, of light rays, those belonging to all wavelengths in the visible spectral range are substantially equally transmitted, and are used in the state they are fitted to lenses of digital cameras or the like in order to attenuate the quantity of transmitted light. For example, they are commonly used in a case in which, when films are inevitably overexposed however lenses are stopped down under conditions where the quantity of light is large as in fine weather, the quantity of light is limited so that the shutter can be released at a lower speed, or in a case in which, when the diaphragm should be set full-open but films are inevitably overexposed even though the shutter is released at a maximum speed, the quantity of light is limited so that the diaphragm can be set full-open.
Now, inexpensive ND filters include glass filters formed of glass to which a light absorber has been added. However, such glass filters have had problems such that their spectral characteristics are not uniform over the whole visible range.
As what can solve such a problem, the absorption type multi-layer film ND filter is known in the art. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. S57-195207 discloses a light absorbing film in which two multi-layer films having dielectric films and metal films and having reflection preventive effect even when they are each used alone are so put together from above and below as to face each other with other dielectric film inside at the middle.
As background art making reference to the types of materials for dielectric films and metal films, Japanese Patent Publication No. S55-47361 for example also discloses an absorptive thin film formed of Ti or Cr metal films and MgF2 dielectric films which are alternately layered. Still also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-350610 discloses a thin-film type ND filter formed of Nb metal films and SiO2 dielectric films which are alternately layered.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-63915 further discloses a thin-film type ND filter which has a multi-layer structure having about seven layers as the number of layers and making use of light absorptive metal oxide layers including those of titanium oxides such as TiO and TiO2.
However, in the light absorbing film disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. S57-195207, only two layers are used as the metal films and hence there has been a problem that, depending on the type of the material to be used as a metal film, it is very difficult to make small the wavelength dependence of transmittance and also control reflectance. There has further been a problem that, since the metal film is a film which is as thin as several nanometers and is readily oxidized, the transmittance may come higher than the designed value because of thermal oxidation in the course of a manufacturing process.
In the case of the absorptive thin film or thin-film type ND filter disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. S55-47361 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-350610, there has been a problem that the wavelength dependence of transmittance in the visible spectral range, of the metal film constituted of Ti, Cr or Nb is so great as to make it difficult to achieve the transmittance attenuation that is flat for wavelengths. There has also been a problem that the material MgF2 used in the dielectric film may greatly corrode or deteriorate by water adsorption in the air.
In addition, in the thin-film type ND filter disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-63915, the light absorptive metal oxide layers including those of titanium oxides are formed by vacuum deposition. There, however, has been a problem that, in forming metal oxide layers (TiO, TiO2) as intermediate layers by vacuum deposition or sputtering, the flow rate of oxygen must delicately be controlled in either of the vacuum deposition and the sputtering, making it difficult to stabilize film quality.

Absorption type multi-layer film ND filter


A worm or screw conveyor for the thermal treatment of a bulk containing thermoplastics and which has an elongated housing along which the bulk material is conveyed by a worm or screw. The worm or screw has a certain peripheral diameter and is rotatable about the worm axis to displace the bulk material therealong and an infrared heater is located in the housing centrally of the peripheral diameter for directly exposing bulk material in the housing to infrared radiant energy to heat the bulk material.

With these devices it is also possible to treat such mixtures containing different plastic material, wherein a certain kind of thermoplastic in the mixture can be selectively softened, and the mixture can subsequently be passed along in a softened and heated state to the following processing station.
From WO 93 14915 and the DE 42 20 665 processes are known wherein the relaxation of stretched thermoplastics for recycling purposes is performed so that within a mixed flow certain thermoplastics are selectively relaxed corresponding to type causing selectively targeted changes of their characteristics and making possible a subsequent automatic sorting. From WO 94/00241 and WO 93/17852 processes are known wherein in a mixed flow containing various plastic materials, certain kinds of thermoplastic are selectively softened and these are then automatically sorted in further process steps based on the changes made in their physical characteristics.
From GB-A1 313 203 a device is known wherein previously comminuted plastic foam is transported in individual particles on a vibrating surface. Infrared heaters mounted over the conveyor path, heat the conveyed goods, whereby these are brought into their relaxation range and thereby shrunk. The surface of the vibrating conveying device is cooled, in order to prevent an overheating of the surface due to infrared radiation, which would lead to the fusion of the particles of conveyed goods, and an adhesion of the fused particles, which could cause an interruption in the process. Besides the size of the particles to be treated, with this method the process duration is determined by the distance of the IR-radiation elements from the conveyor surface, by the installed cooling capacity and by the conveying speed resulting therefrom. Due to the specific characteristics of a vibratory conveyor, especially an inherent frequency conveyor, combined with the possible overall size of the installation, the transport capacity is limited. A further drawback of this method is that particles to be treated remain with their bottom side on the conveying surface, and these areas are not exposed to a direct IR-radiation. This leads either to an incomplete relaxation of the particles or to a prolongation of the process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,624 describes a process wherein a polystyrene foam, after an introductory comminution, is guided on a metallic conveyor belt through a thermal treatment, whereby the foam shrinks and partially fuses into one layer, becomes brittle after cooling and subsequently is again comminuted into plastifiable particles. Due to the fusion of the polystyrene this process is not suitable for the selective heat treatment of particles in a mixed flow containing also other plastic materials. All foreign matter present in the recycling practice have a negative influence on the process results.
Multiple technical variations of screw conveyors are known which solve the problem of the heat treatment.

Device for the relaxation of bulk articles containing drawn thermoplastics and for the selective softening of thermoplastics in a mixture flow for recycling


A method of forming a trench capacitor is disclosed. After completion of the bottom electrode of the capacitor, a collar dielectric layer is directly formed on the sidewall of the deep trench using self-starved atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (self-starved ALCVD). Then, a high dielectric constant (high k) dielectric layer is formed overlying the collar dielectric and the bottom portion of the deep trench using atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (ALCVD). Thereafter, a conductive layer is filled into the deep trench and recessed to a predetermined depth. A portion of the dielectric layer and the high dielectric constant (high k) layer at the top of the deep trench are removed to complete the fabrication of the deep trench capacitor.

The invention relates in general to a method of forming deep trench capacitors. In particular, the invention relates to a method of forming deep trench capacitors using self-starved atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (self-starved ALCVD).
DRAM is readable and writeable memory. Each DRAM cell consists of one transistor and one capacitor, obtaining high integrity compared with other memory types, allowing comprehensive application in computers and electronic products. Currently, plane transistors with deep trench capacitors are designed to have a 3-dimensional capacitor structure formed in the deep trench of the semiconductor substrate, minimizing dimensions and power consumption, and accelerating operating speed.
FIG. 1A is a plane view of the deep trench in a conventional DRAM cell. In a folded bit line structure, each active area includes two word lines (WL1 & WL2) and one bit line (BL), with CB representing a bit line contact, and DT representing a deep trench.
FIG. 1B is a cross section of a deep trench capacitor in a conventional DRAM cell. A semiconductor silicon substrate 10 has a deep trench DT, the lower area of which acts as deep trench capacitor 12, consisting of a buried plate, a node dielectric, and a storage node. In fabrication of the deep trench capacitor 12, a deep trench DT is formed in the p-type semiconductor substrate 10 using reactive ion etch (RIE), and n+-type ions are diffused into the lower area of the deep trench DT using a heavy doping oxide, such as ASG, with high temperature annealing, so that an n+-type diffusion area 14 is formed to act as the buried plate of the deep trench capacitor 12. A silicon nitride/oxide structure 16 is formed at the inner sidewall and bottom of the lower area of the deep trench DT, acting as the node dielectric of the deep trench capacitor 12. Subsequently, an n+-type doped first polysilicon layer 18 is formed inside the deep trench DT, recessing the first polysilicon layer 18 at a predetermined depth to act as the storage node of the deep trench capacitor 12.
After completing of the above deep trench capacitor 12, a collar dielectric 20 is fabricated on the upper sidewalls of the deep trench DT. An n+-type doped second polysilicon layer 22 and a third polysilicon layer 24 are sequentially formed on the upper deep trench DT. Afterward, a shallow trench isolation (STI) structure 26, word lines (WL1 & WL2), source/drain diffusion area 28, bit line contacts (CB), and bit lines (BL) processes are performed. The STI structure 26 is formed to isolate the adjacent DRAM cells.
In order to connect the deep trench capacitor 12 to the transistor located on the surface of the substrate 10, a buried strap outdiffusion area 30 is formed in the silicon substrate 10 near the top side area of the deep trench DT, acting as a node junction. The buried strap out-diffusion area 30 is formed using n+-type ions from the second polysilicon layer 22 through the third polysilicon layer 24, and diffused to the adjacent silicon substrate 10, so that the third polysilicon layer 24 acts as a buried strap 24. The collar dielectric layer 20 is formed to insulate the buried strap out-diffusion area 30 and the buried plate 14, potentially preventing from sidewalls current leakage.
FIGS. 2A˜2E are cross sections showing fabrication of the conventional deep trench capacitor, wherein the polysilicon conductive layer is filled first, and the collar dielectric is then formed. In FIG. 2A, a p-type semiconductor substrate comprises a pad layer 32, a deep trench DT, an n+-type diffusion area 14, a silicon nitride/oxide layer structure (NO structure) 16, and an n+-type doped first polysilicon layer 18. Next, in FIG. 2B, the first polysilicon layer 18 is recessed and the NO structure 16 at the upper of the deep trench DT is removed. In FIG. 2C, a silicon oxide layer 36 is formed on the pad structure 32 and the deep trench DT using CVD, and the portion of the silicon oxide layer 36 on the top of the first polysilicon layer 18 is then anisotropically etched.
Subsequently, in FIG. 2D, an n+-type doped second polysilicon layer 22 is filled into the deep trench DT, and recessed to a predetermined depth. Finally, in FIG. 2E, a portion of the silicon oxide layer 36 is removed using wet etching resulting in the protrusion of the second polysilicon layer 22. The remained silicon oxide layer 36 acts as a collar dielectric.
In the conventional process, two steps of filling and recessing the polysilicon layers are needed before forming the buried strap 24. While conventional process of fabrication the deep trench capacitor is too long and complicate, process reduction is required.

Method of forming deep trench capacitors


A method includes receiving data from a non-geo enabled data source, obtaining information related to location in the received data, converting the obtained information to a standardized form of geo-location data, and storing the geo-location data.

Many applications utilize geo location information. The information may be received from different sources, and should be in a format usable by the application. Many information sources are not able to provide the geo location information in the format utilized by consuming applications or have not been conceived to provide geo information.


The present disclosure discloses a method and an apparatus for adjusting an optical center. The method includes fixedly installing a viewport cover plate in a terminal device; movably installing a camera in the terminal device; and adjusting a position of the camera; wherein adjusting the position of the camera comprises adjusting a position of an optical center of the camera by aligning the optical center of the camera with a center of an external viewport on the viewport cover plate to achieve concentricity between the optical center of the camera and the center of the external viewport. The apparatus for adjusting the optical center includes a projector, a computer, and an adjusting assembly. The apparatus of the present disclosure could provide an advantage of simple operation, and each terminal device can achieve an excellent centering effect by using the apparatus.

Cameras have been widely applied as a standard configuration to a variety of terminal devices, such as mobile phones. The cameras implemented in the terminal device include a front camera and a rear camera, which are arranged at the front surface and the rear surface of the terminal device, respectively. The front camera is used for self-portraits and conference meetings, whereas the rear camera is used for general photography.
The rear camera is taken as an example and explained as follows. In the rear camera, both a viewport cover plate and the rear camera are installed in a front housing. Moreover, both of them are positioned by their individual overall dimensions. The viewport cover plate is a protective glass of a touch screen, and is printed thereon with a display screen area, a camera area, an icon area, etc., wherein the camera area is also called as an external viewport. With the user's increasing requirement for the terminal device appearance, there is a higher demand for the concentricity between the optical centre of the camera and the centre of the external viewport. Moreover, there are more and more negative user experiences because of camera deviation, i.e., concentricity error.
With the limitation of the above techniques, and the unavoidable machining tolerance of each component during production, in order to avoid the phenomenon of severe concentricity deviation between the optical centre of the camera and the centre of the external viewport, it is necessary to increase the machining accuracy and decrease the machining tolerance. The phenomenon of concentricity deviation can only be reduced, but cannot be avoided. In a mass production processing, it particularly shows regularities of distribution suggesting that some products may have an excellent yield rate, and others may not. Once the assembling is completed, the status of the concentricity deviation is fixed and cannot be adjusted. Those products having a high concentricity deviation may only be scraped or remanufactured, thus causing a high rejection rate.

Method and apparatus for adjusting optical centre


Generally discussed herein are systems, apparatuses, or methods for preprocessor directive symbol definition and preprocessor directive symbol usage analysis. In one or more embodiments a method can include applying a heuristic to a first preprocessor directive symbol from a build file or sub-build file of one or more build files or source code files and a second preprocessor directive symbol from a source code file. The method can include determining a likelihood that the first preprocessor directive symbol is presented erroneously in the source code file as the second preprocessor directive symbol based on a result of applying the heuristic.

A pre-compiler, commonly referred to as a preprocessor, provides an entity drafting code an ability to conditionally compile a section of code if a preprocessor directive symbol is defined or set to a particular value. Such conditional compilation can be advantageous, for example, in coding for different platforms, different versions of software, or software including language dependent code. For example, code designed to be used in Russia can be different than code designed to be used in France. The ability to compile a single set of code for multiple uses can be provided by a preprocessor directive, such as the "#if" preprocessor directive in C. For example, in the code segment:
#ifdef USAx = code_configured_for_USA( );#else#ifdef RUSSIAx = code_configured_for_Russia( );#elsex = code_configured_for_France( );#endif#endifa coder can cause the compiler to compile the "code_configured_for_Russia( )" by defining "RUSSIA" or setting "RUSSIA" to a particular value in a build file or a sub-build file. A pre-compiler has a variety of other applications including directing compilation of different libraries, inclusion of a header file, macro expansion, or line control, among others.

Preprocessor directive symbol analyzer devices and methods


Example embodiments relate to methods and systems for playback of adaptive music corresponding to an athletic activity. A user input is received from a user selecting an existing song for audible playback to the user, the song comprising a plurality of audio layers including at least a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer. Augmented playback of the existing song to the user is initiated by audibly providing the first layer but not the second layer. Physical activity information derived from a sensor corresponding to a real-time physical activity level of a user is received. If the physical activity level of the user is above a first activity level threshold, the augmented playback of the existing song is continued by audibly providing the first layer and the second layer to the user.

While most people appreciate the importance of physical fitness, many have difficulty determining an appropriate exercise program for reaching their desired goal. Further, some people find it difficult to maintain an exercise regimen without some entertainment such as music to keep them motivated through the exercise program.
Athletes have found that listening to music while running may improve endurance and enjoyment of the physical activity. In particular, some types of music may be more beneficial to increasing the athletic activity of an individual than others. For example, music with fast tempos may encourage an athlete to run faster and/or farther. Existing systems that alter tempo alone distract the user's enjoyment of the music. In certain instances, "coaching" athletes to work harder may discourage athletic activity. Systems that attempt to create entirely new music often don't take into account a user's likes and dislikes and/or accurately reflect their exertion level and/or a desired exertion level.
Therefore, improved systems and methods to address these and other shortcomings in the art are desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Utilizing athletic activities to augment audible compositions


A temperature compensating system for a closed system, such as a damping system, in which fluid is subject to temperature increases and accompanying volume increases. The temperature compensating system provides a compressible member within a temperature compensation volume, and a barrier restricting the entry of fluid to the volume. When the fluid volume increases as a result of temperature increases, fluid seeps past the barrier into the temperature compensation volume to compress the compressible member and thus increase the total volume available to the fluid in the closed system. The increased volume reduces pressure buildup that would otherwise occur, and thereby tends to maintain a steady pressure within the closed system. Dynamic or high speed fluid flows are restricted by the barrier or other restriction, inhibiting such flows from passing into the volume. The barrier or other restriction thus tends to prevent the temperature compensating system from interfering with normal functioning of the system while maintaining a steady internal pressure therein.

The present invention relates to the design and construction of a temperature compensating system for a closed fluid-based system such as a damping system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a temperature compensating system adapted for compensating for increases in damping fluid volume due to temperature changes in a fluid damped suspension system so as to maintain a steady pressure within the damping system.
In the past, suspension systems have been used for various applications, including for cushioning impacts, vibrations, or other disturbances experienced by vehicles and machinery. Typical applications, for example, include the use of suspension systems in bicycles and motorcycles.
For example, bicycles have been developed with suspension systems for cushioning impacts or vibrations experienced by the rider when the bicycle contacts bumps, ruts, rocks, pot holes, or other obstacles in the path over which the bicycle is ridden. Typically, such bicycle suspension systems may be configured for use in the front or rear bicycle fork, in the head tube that connects the front fork to the bicycle frame and handlebars, in the seat post, in conjunction with a swing-arm assembly, or in another position along the bicycle frame.
Bicycle suspension systems typically include a pair of telescoping tubes (an inner tube and an outer tube) containing one or more biasing elements that oppose the compressive or expansive motion of the telescoping tubes. The biasing elements typically are spring devices such as coil springs, elastomer springs, gas springs such as air springs, among other types of springs. The biasing elements are placed within one or more of the tubes for biasing the tubes apart from each other. Using biasing elements in this way permits the tubes to compress in response to an impact or other force input, and expand or rebound once the force is removed, so that the inner and outer tubes return to their original spaced apart positions relative to each other.
Bicycle suspension systems have also included damping systems using generally incompressible fluids such as hydraulic oil, water, fish oil, and glycerine, among others, or a combination thereof. The damping systems act to absorb some of the energy of an impact or other force input causing compression or rebound of the tubes so that a more controlled response of the bicycle to force inputs may be achieved.
Exemplary closed fluid damping systems for bicycle suspension forks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,480 to Turner and U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,401 to Bradbury. The damping systems disclosed in Turner and Bradbury use hydraulic oil as the damping medium and include a piston and valve assembly. The oil, piston and valves are contained in a closed, or fixed-volume, cartridge system. When the telescoping members of the bicycle compress and/or expand, the oil is forced through restrictive orifices in the piston and valve assembly.
In general, a fluid damping system opposes motion by converting the energy of compressive or expansive motion into heat. This heat raises the temperature of the damping fluid in the system. For example, on a fairly cool day, the temperature within a typical damping system typically may reach approximately 110.degree. F., and may go up to approximately 180.degree. F. on hotter days. As the temperature of the damping fluid increases, the volume of the damping fluid expands. In a closed or fixed-volume damping system, an increase in fluid volume is problematic, as it tends to pressurize the oil in the system and even force oil out of the system causing undesirable leaking and, potentially, the irreversible failure of the system such as occurs when the damping seals are forced to roll outward from their proper positions. In addition, once the oil contracts to its nominal volume, the efficiency of the damping system will be reduced by the introduction of air to the system. Even where the closure of the system is not compromised, the pressurization and depressurization of the system has a deleterious effect on the seals and other damping components. Thus, there is a need for a damping system having a temperature compensating device that, when used in a fixed-volume, incompressible damping system cartridge, is able to compensate for increases in volume of the damping fluid caused by fluid temperature increases.
A temperature compensator that does not yield sufficiently to the expanding fluid may not be able to reduce the internal pressure of the damping system to an acceptable level. As a result, there is a need for a temperature compensating device for a fluid damping system of a suspension system that effectively reduces the internal pressure of the damping system created as temperatures therein increase and thereby tends to maintain a stable pressure in the system.
At the same time, the temperature compensating system should not yield too readily. A temperature compensating system that yields too easily in response to increases in damper fluid volume may reduce the effectiveness of the damper. For example, upon compression or expansion of the system, the oil may merely compress the temperature compensator instead of being forced through the valve assembly, thus rendering the valving ineffectual. Accordingly, there is a need for a temperature compensating system for a fluid damper of a suspension system that does not reduce the effectiveness of the damping system. There is a related need for a temperature compensating system that compensates for temperature changes within a damping system yet also permits steady damping control and thereby maintains consistent system performance.

Temperature compensating system for fluid-damped suspension systems


A method for determining prospective peering partners for an internet service provider, includes gathering internet service provider's routing and traffic information; gathering additional routing information from sources other than the internet service provider; identifying uncovered target autonomous systems based on the internet service provider's routing and traffic information, the uncovered target autonomous systems being autonomous systems with non-null traffic and that are reachable by the internet service provider via a transit relationship; identifying paths from the internet service provider to the uncovered target autonomous systems based on the additional routing information; identifying intermediate autonomous systems along the identified paths; and determining at least a prospective peering partner for the internet service provider based on the identified intermediate autonomous systems.

As it is known, optimization of connectivity to the Internet of an Internet Service Provider (ISP) is strongly related to the nature and topology of the Internet as a whole. In fact, the Internet is a combination of interconnected component networks that share the same addressing structure, a common routing vision and a name-assignment system. At present, this combination contains more than 20,000 networks or administrative domains, commonly referred to as Autonomous Systems (ASes), and this number continues to increase. An AS identifies a network managed by a single ISP, and hence these two terms are generally regarded as synonyms.
In this context, no ISP can operate in complete isolation from the others, for obvious limitations in the geographic extension of its own networks, the points of presence, and overall capacities of the Internet backbones. On the other hand, every customer of an Internet Connectivity Service provided by a given ISP expects complete and total accessibility to all destinations present on the Internet.
In order to guarantee an adequate service to its customers, each ISP, also in view of the growing competition on prices, performance and reliability, must constantly update and improve its own interconnections to the Internet, establishing and developing suitable relationships with other ISPs. These relationships can be equal relationships (bilateral or multilateral), commonly referred to as peering relationships, or customer/provider relationships, commonly referred to as transit relationships, thus giving rise to various interconnection typologies between ISPs characterized by different commercial and technical properties.
A peering relationship can be further classified according to the number of ISPs that interconnect to each other, and in particular into the following two classes: bilateral or private peering and multilateral or public peering. Bilateral or private peering represents a technical/commercial relationship between two ISPs that reciprocally guarantee connectivity to all of their customers. This relationship constitutes the execution of an equal agreement between two ISPs that exchange traffic between their networks, normally without any form of economic payment. An agreement of this type is only feasible if both of the ISPs receive the same level of benefit. Instead, in the case of multilateral or public relationships between ISPs, peering is achieved at public interchange points, commonly referred to as Internet Exchange Points (IXP), which allow the interconnection of the ASes involved via a shared level-2 device (L2 switch) or via a route-server that distributes traffic routing information to the involved ASes.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a peering relationship: AS1, AS2, and AS3, each provided with a respective routing table RT1, RT2, and RT3, reciprocally exchange routing information related to their own clients (identified by circles), consequently allowing the transit of traffic in the opposite direction. AS2 does not propagate to AS1 routing information regarding the customers of AS3 and vice versa, in this way preventing the transit of traffic from AS1 to AS3 over its own network.
In the case of customer/provider relationships, there is a transit service to the Internet, that consists in a technical/commercial relationship in which an ISP, commonly referred to as Upstream Provider, provides access to all of the destinations contained in its own routing tables to another ISP, commonly referred to as Customer ISP or AS, with an associated payment flow from the Customer ISP to the Upstream Provider. An ISP can assume the role of customer for one or more Upstream Providers, and this case is commonly referred to as Multi-homing.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a transit relationship: AS1 and AS3 are customers of AS2 and use the network or backbone infrastructure of the latter to exchange traffic between their customers.
The routing over different domains on the Internet (also referred as inter-domain routing) is performed through a protocol commonly known as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). For a general discussion of the characteristics and the application of the BGP protocol reference can be made to "A Border Gateway Protocol 4(BGP-4)" by Y. Rekhter and T. Li, RFC 1771, T. J. Watson Research Center, Cisco, March 1995.
BGP represents the universally used protocol to allow the accessibility between different ISPs through the exchange of all information needed to route the traffic between the ASes building the Internet. The BGP protocol allows each AS to adopt its own policy in selecting the paths and propagating the reachability information towards the other networks. The routing information is contained in special routing tables, commonly known as BGP tables, which represent ISPs' intra-domain routing information and are built from the BGP messages exchanged between the ISPs at the interconnection points.
With the big and fast expansion of the Internet, in modern telecommunications networks the issues related to peering and, more in general, to the interconnection between different domains have become increasingly important, especially for ISPs that have Internet access services as an element of their core business. Furthermore, the context is highly dynamic: in fact, if on the one hand the ISPs that make up the core of the Internet network are well known and relatively stable (the so-called top-level or Tier 1 ISPs, such as those defined by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tier—1_carrier#List_of_Tier—1_ISPs, in alphabetic order: AOL Transit Data Network, AT&T, Global Crossing (GX), Level 3, MCI, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (Verio), Qwest, SAVVIS, and Sprint Nextel Corporation), on the other hand a whole series of second and third level ISPs (defined as Tier 2 or Tier 3) exists that, although characterized by less extensive and capillary networks than those of Tier 1, are nevertheless extremely numerous and offer new opportunities of interconnection and business relationships.
The consequence of this is that while in the past each ISP sought to extend and improve its own interconnection to the Internet by establishing the greatest possible number of peering relationships with subjects of equal standing, in today's ISPs (above all for those classified as Tier 2), awareness and need exist to build and maintain a base that is solid, but limited in the number of peering partners, partnered by just a few, highly reliable Upstream Providers.
The technical and commercial value of interconnections between ISPs is also highlighted by the fact that ad hoc workgroups or departments have been set up within ISPs' organizational structures to deal solely with peering management (technical aspects of networks, provisioning and marketing). Often, the activities of these groups, and in particular the choice of optimal interconnections to improve Internet connectivity, are only guided and supported by heuristic methods based on simple operating measurements or the experience and relational contacts of individuals. For a discussion regarding peering strategies reference may be made to The Art of Peering: The Peering Playbook, at http://www.xchangepoint.net/info/wp20020625.pdf.

Method for determining prospective peering partners for an internet service provider


The present invention generally relates to a disconnect for use in a wellbore to separate a tubular string from a stuck wellbore component. In one aspect, the invention includes a disconnect with a first portion and a second portion and a lock nut preventing the separation of the two portions. When a predetermined fluid force is applied to a piston in the disconnect, a tensile sleeve fails and the first and second portions of the disconnect separate, thereby leaving a portion of the disconnect in the wellbore with the stuck component. In one embodiment, the tensile sleeve's failure permits an annular piston to dislodge a wedge sleeve from the lock nut, thereby permitting separation of the first and second portion of the disconnect.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for use in a wellbore. More particularly, the invention relates to a disconnect for separating two or more components in a wellbore.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the drilling, completion, and operation of a hydrocarbon wells, various wellbore components are inserted and removed from a previously drilled wellbore on a lower end of a tubular string. Wellbore components include packers (to seal off production zones), motors, pumps, sensors, sliding sleeves (to control flow of fluid in and out of production tubing), hydraulically set liners (for lining during cementing of casing), whipstocks (to divert drill bit while drilling), valves, cement shoe assemblies, and drill bits.
As wellbore components are delivered and removed from a wellbore, the components or the tubular string they are attached to can become stuck in the wellbore. The problem is exacerbated by non-liner wellbores or previously existing obstructions in the wellbore. In one example, a drill bit on an end of a drill string is used to increase the depth of the wellbore. As the drill rotates at the end of the string, it may become stuck or otherwise jammed in the wellbore. There are conventional wellbore devices that are designed to aid in freeing a component that is stuck in the wellbore. For example, a "jar" can be disposed in the drill string to selectively provide a jarring force to the stuck component. A jar includes a telescopic portion that permits axial elongation of the jar. By operating a jar that is disposed near the stuck component, a force can be developed to possibly free the component.
In other instances, the use of jars is inadequate to free a stuck component and the component must be exposed in the wellbore in order to remove it with the use of fishing tools. To permit a drill sting or other tubular string to be separated from a stuck component, disconnect devices, are placed at intervals in the drill string. A disconnect is a component that can be selectively separated into two portions. For example, a disconnect disposed in a string of tubulars can permit the string to be separated and the lower part left in the wellbore for accessibility by fishing tools. Likewise, a disconnect disposed between the end of a tubular string and a wellbore component, like a drill bit, permits the selective removal of the string of tubulars if the bit should become stuck.
Conventional pull type disconnects utilize shear pins to temporarily couple a first and second portion of the disconnect together or to hold an internal piston in a first position. Shear pins are designed to fail when they are subjected to a force, such as a tensile or compressive force developed across the pins. When a wellbore component is stuck and a disconnect is disposed in a tubular string near the component, an upward force applied from the surface can cause the shear pins of the disconnect to fail, permitting the string to be removed from the wellbore. After the tubular string is retrieved to the surface, a fishing tool is used to manipulate the stuck wellbore component.
Shear pins are sized and numbered based upon the shear force needed to operate a disconnect. While they have been used as temporary connections in wellbores for years, shear pins have limitations. For example, forces other than the intended force may prematurely cause the shear pins to shear, thus making them unreliable. Because the shear pins can shear prematurely, additional fishing operations may be required to retrieve the prematurely disconnected wellbore component, leading to lost production time. For example, shear pins located on a tubular string that includes a perforating gun can shear prematurely from the force generated when the perforating gun is fired. Additionally, shear pins can shear prematurely when a slide hammer bangs on a shifting tool in order to shift the sliding sleeve or when a jarring device is used to dislodge a component.
Therefore, there is a need for a more reliable disconnect for use in a wellbore. There is a further need for a disconnect that can operate only when a predetermined amount of tension force is applied to a member.


The present invention relates to a base station device and a signal transmitting method thereof. The base station device according to the present invention includes a digital signal processing device configured to separate transmission data into a first data area and a second data area, to verify whether first data detected from the first data area is pre-transmitted data, to compress any one of the first data and second data detected from the second data area based on a result of the verifying, and to transmit the compressed data via an interface, and a radio signal processing device configured to combine the first data and the second data and wirelessly transmit the transmission data when the second data is received from the digital signal processing device in a state in which the first data is received via the interface connected to the digital signal processing device and stored.

As a trend, a recent mobile communication system physically separates a digital signal processing end and a radio signal processing end from an existing base station.
The digital signal processing end transmits transmission data to the radio signal processing end. The radio signal processing end wirelessly transmits a transmission signal, and the digital signal processing end and the radio signal processing end are connected via a serial interface.
In the case of a serial interface, a transmission speed is limited and thus, when transmitting a large amount of data, the interface is overloaded. To solve the above issue, there is a need to further increase the number of base stations or to add a line between the digital signal processing end and the radio signal processing end. However, high cost is necessary to increase the number of base stations or add the line.

Base station device and signal transmitting method thereof

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A rudder of a commercial aircraft is provided that is divided along its longitudinal direction in at least one region and the parts of the rudder can be spread against the air flow surrounding the aircraft by means of an actuator in order to decelerate the aircraft.

As is generally known, the rudder of an aircraft serves for controlling the aircraft about its vertical axis. Modern commercial aircraft utilize brake flaps in order to increase the drag in the landing approach and during the landing. One known solution in this respect is flaps that are arranged on the upper side of the wing between the landing flaps and the rear spar and usually referred to as spoilers. Such flaps can also be used for the roll control and for reducing the lift. In a less common solution, the brake flaps are arranged on the fuselage, usually on the tail. In both instances, the flaps are essentially simple sheets that are set against the flow surrounding the aircraft.
In order to reduce the noise in the approach, it is possible to reduce the noise at the source (engine and airframe) or to increase the distance to the ground in the form of a steeper approach. Due to the increased drag achieved by means of the brake flaps or spoilers, aircraft are able to fly a steeper landing approach such that, among other things, the noise in the approach corridor can be reduced. However, the thusly achieved noise reduction is partially cancelled out by the noise generated by the brake flap itself. The brake flaps are also used for the deceleration during a landing maneuver.
Due to the sound lift/drag ratio (ratio between lift/drag, A/W), the path angle (g), however, is physically limited because an equilibrium between lift, drag, thrust and weight needs to exist for a stationary state of flight.(T−W)/G=tan g  (1)withG=A  (2)results inT/G−1/(A/W)=tan g  (3)
One can quickly ascertain from equation (3) that, once the idle thrust has been reached, the path angle can only be further reduced by increasing the drag. The classic solution to this is the above-described flaps on the upper side of the wing between the landing flaps and the rear spar (spoilers). The disadvantage of this solution is the simultaneous reduction of the lift coefficient (CA) that needs to be compensated with a higher approach speed (v).A=½.rAir.v2.S.CA  (4)
However, an increased approach speed has disadvantageous effects on the noise.
One essential mechanism in the development of noise on a brake flap can be seen in that a single, highly pronounced vortex is formed on the edge of the flap. Brake flaps are usually supported on the aircraft on one side and the edge vortex primarily forms on the free edge that lies opposite the supported side.
Although spreading rudders as such are known, for example on the Space Shuttle or model aircraft, such rudders are not used for the landing approach of commercial aircraft, particularly not in variations that make it possible to reduce the aerodynamically generated noise.
In view of the foregoing, it is at least one objective to develop an improved device for increasing the drag in the landing approach of a commercial aircraft. In addition, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.


A user interface display is provided to a participant who is viewing an event via a communication system that provides videoconferencing. The communication system provides a composite video stream that includes a plurality of different video layers, each video layer providing a different portion of the composite video stream. The participant has a participant computer for allowing the participant to receive the composite video stream for display on the user interface display. A plurality of participants view the event via user interface displays of their respective participant computers. The layers include a participant layer that displays video streams of the participants, a foreground layer, an event layer that includes video of the event, an audience layer, a background layer, and an immersive layer.

The general field of the invention is the striving to create three-dimensional-like experiences within the context of videoconferencing systems which use two-dimensional computer screens. Embodiments of the present invention use video processing techniques along with augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI), which together enhance three-dimensionality on a 2D screen. This is distinct and in contrast to the true 3D modeling offered by virtual reality (VR) headsets such as manufactured by Oculus. Videoconferencing platforms and systems, along with their software and hardware, as well as associated screens, monitors, and displays, are employed so that people in different locations, physically remote from each other, can hold and attend gatherings, meetings, and social or entertainment events in real time, both seeing and hearing each other during the meeting or event.
The present invention teaches how to use a novel multiplane-camera view for videoconferencing platforms, which adds new and more enveloping 3D features to the real-time seen videoconference environment. As discussed below, prior art teaches away from these features.
As continued background, recent years have seen an increase in the use of videoconferencing systems and software such as Zoom®, Microsoft Teams®, Intermedia Unite® and AnyMeeting®, Cisco Webex® Meetings, ClickMeeting®, Google Meet™, Slack®, Zoho Meeting, Join.Me®, Wonder, Gatherly, Jitsi, Gather, Hopin, and Flymachine. Use has exploded during the coronavirus pandemic, with the accompanying shelter-in-place orders.
These videoconferencing systems—especially during times of sheltering-in-place—have been employed not only for business meetings and educational webinars, but also to stage social events such as game-nights, networking get-togethers, rock concerts and dance parties. Currently, videoconferencing platforms—especially with the relaxation (but not elimination) of social distancing regulations—continue to explore ways to facilitate hybrid events, combining both in-person audience and online attendees.
The online experience of an event will never be exactly like the in-person experience. For example, the senses of smell and touch that come from being jostled on a crowded dance floor cannot be duplicated remotely within a Zoom dance party. The online experience is limited to what the attendee can see on a two-dimensional screen and hear from the user's computer speakers. Nonetheless, the methods by which the flat screen presentations of animated cartoons and motion pictures elicit strong emotional reactions in their audiences and a sense of presence and place can do the same for online experiences.
As continued background, videoconferencing and teleconferencing systems employ the internet to connect people, each at physically separate (and distant) locations by way of each person's computing device including, but not limited to, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a workstation, computer server, a smart phone, or a tablet computing device. In the discussions and descriptions below, mention of a computer or computing device, is intended to include all of the above, and any similar electronic device which performs similar computational functions.
A number of videoconferencing platforms (including Zoom and Flymachine) send distinct and separable video streams of the meeting host and participants, so that a participant-user can reposition those video streams within the screen interface, such as within a window or other software container. See for example, https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/zooms-new-tools-let-you-rearrange-and-pin-multiple-videos/. Participants also have the limited ability (depending upon platform) to change the size and resolution of specific video streams.
Videoconferencing platforms show thumbnail videos of online audience members to create a sense that all of the participants are in each other's presence. The video of the person speaking may fill up most of the screen, but with smaller thumbnails of other participants shown elsewhere on the screen (such arrangements are called "speaker view"). Alternatively, many videoconferencing platforms also offer a grid arrangement of audience video thumbnails on the screen with most of the thumbnails of equal size, or relatively equal size (called "gallery view"). This arrangement of videos often looks like an episode of the old Hollywood Squares television program.
Some videoconferencing systems (like Teooh) attempt to create a more three-dimensional experience by replacing real-time videos of users with 3D animated avatars, so that participants can be placed in a game-like simulacrum of a three-dimensional space. Some platforms (such as Gather at https://www.gather.town/) combine aspects of a game-like world that uses avatar-based navigation to navigate between locations on the screen, between conversations among clusters of users, and between online experiences. This is combined with more gallery-like video display of participants when they are in a discussion.
During the past year, videoconferencing platforms have begun experimenting with image layering and transparent backgrounds as tools for displaying participant videos in ways that make it look more like the participants are together in the same three-dimensional space.
A combination of video production techniques, augmented reality (AR) and artificial intelligence (AI) allows backgrounds to be cut out of (or made transparent with respect to) the video feed of a single person—in real time—in the case of faces, portraits (that is, upper torsos), and even full bodies. Methods of such background removal are well known to those skilled in the art of augmented reality and are sometimes called background segmentation, portrait segmentation, or body segmentation. Other video production techniques involved include, but are not limited to, alpha channel (also referred to as alpha plane) and chroma key (also referred to as green screen or blue screen techniques, color keying, and color-separation overlay).
These technologies allow Zoom, Microsoft (Teams and Skype), and virtual cameras—as used in ManyCam, OBS (Open Broadcaster Software), and Snap Camera—to place a virtual background behind a user in the user's own individual video feed (or thumbnail video). See for example the article on using body segmentation templates in SnapChat's Lens Studio when creating filters for Snap Camera (https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/templates/world/body-segmentation and its accompanying video). See also discussion of Banuba's virtual background changer at https://www.banuba.com/blog/virtual-background-changer-what-it-is-and-how-it-works. SnapChat's Lens Studio can even accomplish this with respect to two bodies that appear in a video feed at the same time.
In video games, 2-dimensional backgrounds are enhanced to give the illusion of 3-dimensionality by using techniques of ray tracing and ray projection to create a projected skybox or skydome in the background layer.
Some platforms (such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype) use these AR techniques of creating transparencies, along with image layering, to build a two-dimensional "immersive scene view" (called "Immersive View" by Zoom and "Together Mode" by Microsoft Teams and Skype), in which participant videos are placed within a static scene or scenic backdrop. Zoom uses AR techniques to provide Immersive View in which the background of each participant video is removed by the videoconferencing software (as if the participants were being videoed in front of a green screen), and the participant videos (sans background) are placed in what appear to be seats in a room (such as an auditorium, a classroom, a learning pod, a board room, a cafe, a living room with fireplace, etc.) or placed as if sitting behind the counter of the island in a kitchen (https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/360060220511-Immersive-View). Microsoft and Skype provide something that looks similar.
Zoom and Microsoft background segmentation employ a form of portrait segmentation that works when the video feed captures the user's upper body or face (as if the user is sitting in front of a desktop computer). These AR-enhanced immersive scene views are designed for static seating arrangements of corporate meetings, panel discussions, and classrooms.
This kind of implementation teaches away from user repositioning of their videos within the virtual immersive scene as well as user movement from a seated position. Zoom, Microsoft, and Skype deploy two techniques which assume that for an immersive scene view, people are (and remain) seated—each at one place. First, hosts manually place participants in seats (similar to assigning seats in the classroom) or the software can place participants in seats automatically, but in any event, users cannot navigate around or move their videos within the scene. The system software has not been coded to permit this because in the conceptual framework of a static meeting, there is no reason for them to do so. Second, because these platforms assume seated users, portrait segmentation of the upper body is employed rather full-body segmentation. (A user holding a smartphone also presents only a face or upper body to the smartphone camera.) There is no reason to add the additional processing needed for full-body segmentation. Consequently however, the users' video feeds disappear or become unstable if users stand up and dance!
Note: immersive scene views in current videoconference platforms do not use full-body segmentation, nor do they overlay full bodies with transparent backgrounds over other images or videos.
AR software also uses AI to recognize a variety of hand gestures and body poses. See for example gesture recognition in Snap Camera's Lens studio (https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/guides/general/hand-gestures/) as well as their full-body triggers (https://lensstudio.snapchat.com/templates/object/full-body-triggers/?utm_source=lensstudio). The recognized gestures (as well as body poses and directional orientations) can be used by coders of AR software programs to trigger other actions. See for example Banuba's use of hand gesture recognition to create touchless user interfaces for real-time program control: https://www.banuba.com/solutions/touchless-user-interface.
Zoom has an additional, less static implementation of its Immersive View: the "My Video" variation. This implementation allows videos of participant upper-bodies (again sans background) to overlay the host's video—that is, the host's video acts as the scenic backdrop to the participant videos—so that the participants appear to be in the same physical or virtual space as the host.
In contrast to Zoom's approach to Immersive View", Flymachine employs image layering with transparency, without AR background segmentation. Flymachine presents live events (such as rock concerts), but adds videoconference capabilities that allow fans to talk to each other. Flymachine's presentation has some similar visual characteristics as Zoom's MyVideo Immersive View.
In the Flymachine platform, a livestream of the event acts as the scenic backdrop, and participant videos (with their backgrounds) appear overlaid on it in thumbnails with hexagonal or circular frames. Within each thumbnail, the background is not transparent, but the area between the video thumbnails is transparent. The video of the live event is a separate unitary event livestream (which Flymachine calls the "hero stream"). The event stream is distinct from the participant videos, and participants can adjust the audio of the music livestream separately from the audio from participant videos.
The event stream, though unitary, is produced by Flymachine by switching among multiple live camera feeds with transitions between camera angles and other visual effects. In Flymachine, the user can move his or her video thumbnail within the lower half of the overlaid layer that contains participant videos. (For explanation of moving a user's video thumbnail within Flymachine—in a circular bubble—to be next to another user's video (where the videos become attached hexagons), in order to have a "cluster" of videos of users, who can then hear each other's audio and thereby converse, see: https://supportflymachine.com/support/solutions/articles/69000276305-what-is-the-in-room-experience-like-). Flymachine users can also view additional overlaid data, such as text chat and lists of public rooms that participants can join.
The focus of an online live concert production company, such as Flymachine, has been to create an event livestream that has as much polish and visual interest as a motion picture film of a rock concert, or as a network television production of a live music event. Flymachine overlays on top of this event stream a videoconference (with participant video feeds). Though production may employ multiple cameras, or add additional studio effects, the intent is to output to the user a complete experience, without user input. This top-down directorial focus on the event production aspects of the platform teaches away from (a) adding more image layers over the event stream that interfere with the composition of the director's framing shots, (b) adding user-selectable overlaid elements (such as foreground layers) which interfere with directorial choices, and (c) adding alternate layers or immersive scene views by which users can tailor the event visual experience to something quite different, but more to their own liking.
In comparison, the multiplane camera was not intended for live events of any kind. The multiplane-camera approach was originally used to film frame-by-frame movie animation of cartoons. It was developed in the 1920s and 1930s. The Walt Disney company popularized its use for film production (such as Snow White) and built a physical camera with multiple planes on which painted artwork with transparent areas could be placed (U.S. Pat. No. 2,198,006 (Garity) and assigned to Walt Disney Productions). This physical camera was later replaced by a software-based digital multiplane camera. The multiplane camera approach to animation was phased out after Pixar built computers and animation software with enough processing power to produce true 3-D modeling for animation.
In contrast to true three-dimensional modeling used in many of today's animated movies and electronic video games, the multiplane camera approach (as explained in the Disney Wiki at https://disney.fandom.com/wiki/Multiplane_camera) "moves a number of pieces of artwork past the camera at various speeds and at various distances from one another. This creates a three-dimensional effect, although not actually stereoscopic." The method most often uses 2D artwork with transparencies in three or more planes. See also "parallax scrolling" in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2.5D along with other "2.5D" methods of simulating true 3D modeling. In addition to scrolling, the approach can produce a rotation effect.
At the time of the development of the multiplane camera, standard animation worked with two planes: a painted background plane and the cartoon character(s) overlaid on top of it. The multiplane camera operated with up to seven planes. The multiplane camera approach not only increased the three-dimensionality of cartoon characters moving through a scene or landscape, but when the characters left the screen—or stopped moving within it—the scene did not appear flat, but rather remained alive as the camera continued to move around and within it.
The phrase "multiplane camera view" used herein refers to a video feed presented to a user on his or her computer screen, in which (a) multiple layers have been captured, arranged, processed, and displayed as if filmed by a multiplane camera, and (b) the user interacts with and enables these layers, including the layer(s) with his or her own video feed. The user is somewhat like a self-aware cartoon character within the scene being filmed by a multiplane camera, who operates the multiplane camera that is filming the scene.
In addition to the prior art discussed above, U.S. Pat. No. 8,248,455 (Eisenberg et al.) discloses a method for creating a videoconferencing view as part of a videoconferencing session wherein a person can design (and save) one or more custom composed views for a videoconference prior to that session. These saved views are subsequently used in that session and the saved view design files (which Eisenberg et al. calls "view description files") control the views of all session participants. More specifically, Eisenberg et al. provides a custom-composed view design file that specifies the location and content of objects within the videoconferencing view, as well as specific and pre-session specified transitions between session views. The view design file defines levels of the objects to be displayed in the video. Furthermore, the view design file includes two or more files, each file corresponding to a layer in the video. However, while the person designing a view file may subsequently become a videoconference participant in a session utilizing that view file, Eisenberg et al. does not appear to permit any conference participant (including the designer) to customize the view file during the session, that is, after initiation of the session. More specifically, in the Eisenberg et al. paradigm, session participants do not appear to be able to change, manipulate, or customize any of the views and layers utilized in a videoconference session during that session. Additionally, Eisenberg et al. does not appear to allow session participants to manipulate and modify the display and placement of objects utilized in the videoconference session during that session. In this manner, Eisenberg et al. does not appear to disclose many of the current videoconference paradigms discussed above, as well as the present invention. The layers in the present application are further distinguished from the layers in Eisenberg et al. in the "Additional Considerations" section below.

Method of using online, real-time, interactive, multiplane camera view to enhance videoconferencing platforms


A downconversion mixer with IM2 cancellation includes a mixer, an IM2 generator, and a scaling unit. The mixer frequency downconverts an input RF signal with an LO signal and generates an output baseband signal. The IM2 generator includes first and second field effect transistors (FETs) that receive the input RF signal and generate an intermediate signal having IM2 distortion. The scaling unit scales the intermediate signal to generate a scaled signal and further combines the scaled signal with the output baseband signal to cancel IM2 distortion in the output baseband signal. The IM2 generator may further include first and second amplifiers coupled between the source and gate of the first and second FETs, respectively. Different amounts of IM2 distortion and different temperature variation patterns may be generated in the intermediate signal by using different gains for the amplifiers.

I. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to electronics, and more specifically to a downconversion mixer in a receiver.
II. Background
In a digital communication system, a transmitter processes traffic data to generate data chips and further modulates a local oscillator (LO) signal with the data chips to generate a radio frequency (RF) modulated signal. The transmitter then transmits the RF modulated signal via a communication channel. The communication channel degrades the RF modulated signal with noise and possibly interference from other transmitters.
A receiver receives the transmitted RF modulated signal, downconverts the received RF signal from RF to baseband, digitizes the baseband signal to generate samples, and digitally processes the samples to recover the traffic data sent by the transmitter. The receiver uses one or more downconversion mixers to frequency downconvert the received RF signal from RF to baseband. An ideal mixer simply translates an input signal from one frequency to another frequency without distorting the input signal. A practical mixer, however, has non-linear characteristics that can result in the generation of various intermodulation components. One such intermodulation component is second order intermodulation (IM2) distortion that is generated by second order non-linearity in the mixer. IM2 distortion is problematic for a downconversion mixer because the magnitude of the IM2 distortion may be large and the IM2 distortion may fall on top of the baseband signal, which can then degrade the performance of the receiver.
There is therefore a need in the art for a downconversion mixer that can mitigate the adverse effects of IM2 distortion.

Downconversion mixer with IM2 cancellation


A chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, characterized in that a self-organizing type gelling agent is contained and the phase transition temperature between liquid crystal and isotropic phases is higher than the sol-gel transition temperature, a liquid crystal display device wherein the chiral nematic liquid crystal composition is put and held between a pair of substrates having an electrode, and a method for producing a liquid crystal display device wherein the chiral nematic liquid crystal composition is heated to a temperature of not lower than the phase transition temperature between liquid crystal and isotropic phases and then cooled down to room temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, a liquid crystal display device, and the production method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal display devices employing a chiral nematic liquid crystal composition containing an added chiral agent in its nematic liquid crystal that is in the cholesteric phase at room temperature have been known. Such liquid crystal display devices fundamentally have a chiral nematic liquid crystal composition put and held between a pair of substrates having a transparent electrode, and the display is performed by switching the liquid crystal between its planar (PL) state and the focal conic (FC) or homeotropic (Homeo) state while applying a high/low pulse voltage (driving voltage) between the electrodes. For example, the display is "bright" in the PL state because the light having a particular peak wavelength is selectively reflected and "dark" in the FC or Homeo state because the light is transmitted.
The liquid crystal display devices are generally produced by enclosing a liquid crystal composition between substrates at room temperature. In particular, when the fluidity of a liquid crystal composition is lower, the liquid crystal composition is known to be first heated for increase in fluidity and enclosed between substrates.
However, the contrast between the "bright" and "dark" states was not sufficiently high in the display devices above. Improvement in the visibility of display image is required.
On the other hand, a liquid crystal composition containing a ferroelectric liquid crystal (SCE8; phase transition temperature between liquid crystal and isotropic phases=102° C.) and a self-organizing type gelling agent that has a phase transition temperature between liquid crystal and isotropic phases higher than the sol-gel transition temperature of the gelling agent was disclosed (Liquid Crystal", Hiroshi Kato, published by the Japanese Liquid Crystal Society, 2000, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 17 to 18). Specifically, in the liquid crystal composition, the phase transition temperature between liquid crystal and isotropic phases is set to a temperature higher than the sol-gel transition temperature of the gelling agent; and in production of the liquid crystal display device, the liquid crystal composition is cooled down from a heated state to room temperature, while strictly controlling the conditions such as "rubbing during cell production" and "application of voltage after injection of liquid crystal". In this manner, the isotropic phase is converted to a liquid crystal phase (FIG. 6(A): isotropic phase, FIG. 6(B): liquid crystal phase), and the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules serves as a template and generates anisotropic linear orientation of the gelling agent molecules (FIG. 6(C): orientation of gelling agent molecules (black region)). Although the literature above describes only generation of a new type of molecular self-organization, it seems to be also effective for improving the shock-resistance and other properties of ferroelectric liquid crystal panels.

Chiral nematic liquid crystal composition, liquid crystal display device, and production method thereof


One or more participants in a communication are authenticated using an authentication metric such as a face print or voice print. A single telecommunication address (or one for each participant) that is not associated with a communication device and is associated with at least one of the participants is determined. The telecommunication address (or addresses) is sent during the initiation of a communication session.

Existing telecommunications systems have traditionally associated a specific telephone number and a single caller ID to a specific device/trunk. When a call is placed from a specific phone/trunk (e.g., a cell phone), the telephone number that was sent with the assigned caller ID is specific to the phone/trunk; this happens, regardless of who is actually calling. This causes problems when the person who is calling is different from the caller ID assigned to the specific phone/trunk. The caller ID will state that one person is calling, when in fact the call is actually from another person.
This problem gets worse when there are multiple parties calling from the same device; the caller ID will only indicate that a one person is calling, when in fact there are multiple parties calling. Some systems attempt to address this problem after a conference call is set up. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,266,189 describes a system that identifies who is speaking after a conference call is set up; however, the problem still exists that the parties are not identified prior to the initiation of the call.

Sending a user associated telecommunication address

Abstract: Other embodiments provide for sending a single associated telecommunications address, individual identifiers of each of the participants, and a communication device name to better identify exactly who is calling. The system can also detect when an additional participant has joined the communication session and when a participant leaves the communication session.


For modeling a first device, a measured electrical behavior in at least one of time and frequency domain is received, wherein the measured electrical behavior at least substantially represents at least a portion of the electrical behavior of the first device. The first device is modeled by using a circuit with one or more circuit device, wherein each circuit device has a known model for its electrical behavior, and the circuit substantially represents the measured electrical behavior of the first device. The modeling comprises a step of approximating the measured signal response by sections of a curve.

Modeling of electronic devices e.g. for simulation of electronic circuits comprising such devices, as known for example from the SPICE circuit simulation system, requires to know or reveal details about the internal construction of the device to be modeled. Often manufacturers of devices (like operational amplifiers) provide model parameter to be used in the SPICE system.


A method and apparatus for storing snapshots (pre-modification copies of data) in short term memory is disclosed. In an embodiment, if short term storage is clogged, snapshot chains are copied to longer term memory. In an embodiment, snapshot chains that are older than any active transaction are discarded, and the storage space which the discarded snapshot chains occupy is reclaimed. In an embodiment, the snapshots are stored in chains in which the snapshots are ordered chronologically, and each snapshot is explicitly linked to the next oldest snapshot (if one exists) in the snapshot chain.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. Similarly, the problems identified with an approach should not be assumed to have been recognized in the prior art, unless otherwise indicated.
For convenience of expression, various entities that represent sets of instructions (e.g. functions, queries) are described as performing actions, when in fact, a computer, process, database server, or other executing entity performs those actions in response to executing or interpreting the set of instructions. For example, a function may be described as determining that a condition exists or a query may be described as accessing information. These are just convenient ways of expressing that a computer, process, database server or other executing entity is determining that a condition exists in response to executing a function or is accessing data in response to executing or computing a query.
A Database Management System (DBMS) stores data in a database in one or more data containers, each container contains records, and the data within each record is organized into one or more fields. In a DBMS that stores data in a relational database, the data containers are referred to as tables, the records are referred to as rows, and the attributes are referred to as columns. In object oriented databases, the data containers are referred to as object classes, the records are referred to as objects, and the attributes are referred to as object attributes. Other database architectures may use other terminology.
The DBMS retrieves and manipulates data in response to receiving a database statement. Typically, the database statement conforms to a database language (or query language), such as Structured Query Language (SQL). A database statement can specify a query operation, a data manipulation operation, or a combination thereof. A database statement that specifies a query operation is referred to herein as a query. The present invention is not limited to database statements that specify a particular type of operation. However, for the purpose of explanation, embodiments of the present invention are illustrated using queries.
Typically, changes to database systems are made using transaction processing. A transaction is a set of operations that change data. In a DBMS, the operations are specified by one or more database commands. Two types of transaction are read-only transaction and read-write transactions. Read-only transactions read data and may copy the data read to another location, without modifying the original data or the location of the original data. Read-write transactions may read or modify data. Committing a transaction refers to making the changes for a transaction permanent. For example, if a read-only transaction copies data, the read-only transaction commits once the copy of the data being read is complete and permanent. Under transaction processing, all the changes for a transaction are made atomically. When a transaction is committed, either all changes are committed, or the transaction is rolled back.
In transaction processing, changes to a database are applied as transactions in a way that preserves four properties. These properties are referred to as ACID properties. ACID is an acronym for Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability. The ACID properties are defined as follows.
Atomicity: A transaction should be done or undone completely and unambiguously.
Consistency: A transaction should preserve invariant properties (such as integrity constraints) defined on the data. On completion of a successful transaction, the data should evolve from one consistency state to another.
Isolation: Each transaction should appear to execute independently of other transactions that may be executing concurrently in the same environment. The effect of executing a set of transactions serially should be the same as that of running them concurrently. This requires during the course of a transaction, that intermediate (possibly inconsistent) states of the data should not be exposed to any other transactions. Consequently, transactions must not be able to see the changes made by concurrently executing transactions until those transactions have been completed as an atomic unit and made persistent, i.e. committed.
Durability: The effects of a completed transaction should always be persistent.
In order to provide ACID consistent database views for a read-only transaction, copies of database rows (and index nodes) are captured and stored on disk by read-write transactions prior to modification, which are referred to as pre-modification copies. Specifically, a pre-modification copy of a row is a copy of the row made by a transaction or process prior to modifying (e.g., inserting, changing, or deleting) the row; the copy is referred to herein as snapshots or snapshot records. These snapshots of the rows are accessed by read-only transactions. In this fashion, declared read-only transactions (that can never modify the database) do not need to lock or otherwise restrict declared read-write transactions that modify the database and coordinate access with other read-write transactions with various levels of locks on rows and index nodes.
The snapshot copies of the database rows are stored in snapshot pages of a snapshot shot storage area on disk. The snapshot pages are chained from one to the next. Each snapshot page can hold one or more snapshots from different rows from the same live database page. Slower non-volatile memory (e.g., a disk) is used for the snapshot storage rather than faster volatile memory, because the amount storage space needed for the snapshot storage can exceed the amount of volatile memory available on many computer systems. However, because a snapshot can be accessed far more quickly and efficiently if it were stored in volatile memory, a mechanism that permits this is highly desirable.

Storage of multiple pre-modification short duration copies of database information in short term memory


Provided is a battery exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle. The battery exchanging type charging station system includes a charging station body formed with a structure in which the electric vehicle freely enters and exits and including a battery loading unit for receiving the battery, a battery replacing robot mounted in the charging station body to perform a battery replacement operation, a charging station control unit to control the battery replacing robot such that the battery replacement operation is performed by controlling the battery replacing robot, an information recognition unit configured to obtain data on an electric vehicle that enters the charging station body and/or data on a type, size, charging state, release date, charging date or the like of the battery, and a charging station control unit that allows a replacement operation of the battery to be performed by controlling the battery replacing robot.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to a battery exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle and in particular, to a battery exchanging type charging station system for an electric vehicle that can lead the way to proliferation and activation of electric vehicles and promote national interests through a variety of related industrial developments and securement of international competitiveness by building a charging infrastructure in which a battery of an electric vehicle can be exchanged quickly and accurately as well as safely and can be charged easily at any time and in any place based on robotic technology.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle, which is essential to human life and socioeconomic activities, is a moving means that moves using fossil energy such as oil. However, fossil energy is a finite resource and is thus becoming depleted over time and the price is constantly rising.
In particular, fossil energy emits various exhaust gases that pollute the environment in the process of use and a large quantity of carbon dioxide that is a main contributing factor to global warming. Thus, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, a variety of research and development activities are being performed throughout all industries in various countries of the world. As an alternative, electric vehicles which move using electricity as an energy source have been developed.
Electric vehicles that have been developed include a pure electric vehicle (battery powered electric vehicle), a hybrid electric vehicle with an electric motor and an engine, a fuel cell electric vehicle, etc. In addition, in order to expand the vitalization and dissemination of electric vehicles, a charge infrastructure by which charging can be easily performed at any time and any place is essential, and thus a variety of research thereon is underway.
However, since electric vehicles use batteries charged in a plug-in manner, unlike a vehicle that uses oil (gasoline, diesel, etc.) or natural gas, the long charging time is inconvenient for drivers and removes any economic efficiency for companies operating charging facilities.
In order to solve the above problems, in recent years, charging technology including a method of precharging a battery and exchanging the fully charged battery instead of charging of a battery in an electric vehicle directly (hereinafter referred to as a "battery replacing method") has been proposed.
Such a battery replacement method has an advantage in that when a driver in need of charging visits a battery charge station, the driver can conveniently replace his or her pre-used with a precharged battery and mount the precharged battery.
However, when a consumer visits a charging station in order to replace a battery, the battery mounted in an electric vehicle should be separated, removed, and re-mounted after a battery that matches a type of the electric vehicle or a type of the battery that is already mounted is found. Thus, there is a problem in that a lot of time is consumed. In addition, a professional worker who can replace a battery is required in order to replace the battery. Thus, there are problems in that replacement cost, which customers end up bearing, may be increased.

Battery exchanging-type charging station system for electric vehicle

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