A ring oscillator circuit having an odd plurality of inverter stages (i.e., 2N+1 stages). In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, only one of the inverter stages is operated in response to a variable input voltage, while the remaining inverter stages are operated in response to a highly filtered constant input voltage. The inverter stages that operate in response to the constant input voltage oscillate at a base frequency. The inverter stage that operates in response to the variable input voltage causes the frequency of the output signal to deviate from the base frequency by an amount determined by the variable input voltage. In this manner, the variable voltage inverter stage implements frequency control for the ring oscillator. The gain of the ring oscillator circuit is reduced by a factor of (2N+1) with respect to the gain of a conventional ring oscillator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). More specifically, the present invention relates to a VCO that includes a ring oscillator that exhibits an improved (reduced) gain.
2. Related Art
Voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) circuits are typically used to create frequency modulated (FM) signals. That is, a VCO circuit provides an output signal having a frequency (fOUT) that varies in response to changes in an input supply voltage (VIN). VCO circuits are the main building block for frequency modulation (FM) circuits and phase locked loop (PLL) circuits.
The gain (KVCO) of a VCO circuit can be described mathematically as, KVCO=ΔfOUT/ΔVIN, where ΔfOUT represents the change in the output frequency and ΔVIN represents the change in the input voltage. To obtain a desired modulation index, the gain of a VCO circuit should be appropriately low. However, the gain of a conventional VCO is typically too high to allow a frequency modulation system to be built using only a VCO circuit. Instead, frequency modulation systems are typically constructed using a low-frequency VCO circuit and one or more multiplier circuits. The output signal provided by the low-frequency VCO circuit is multiplied to obtain the desired high frequency output signal.
A ring oscillator is an inexpensive type of VCO circuit that typically has a large gain that is proportional to the frequency of operation. This causes two problems: (1) it is very difficult to achieve wide bandwidth frequency modulation with a reasonable input voltage, and (2) for a certain frequency modulation index, a small signal may be needed at the input, thereby reducing the signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in undesirable phase noise.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional ring oscillator circuit 100. Ring oscillator 100 includes an odd number of identical inverting amplifier stages 101-102N+1. In the described examples, the odd number of stages is represented by the value (2N+1), wherein N is an integer greater than or equal to 1. The frequency control input terminal of each amplifier stage is connected to receive a control voltage VIN from a common point P. Capacitor 20, which has a capacitance Cf, implements noise filtering of the control voltage VIN. Ring oscillator 100 draws a total current IP, which is equal to the sum of the currents IN through each of the 2N+1 inverting amplifier stages.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating conventional inverting amplifier stages 101 and 102, which are implemented by CMOS inverters that include PMOS transistors 201-202 and NMOS transistors 203-204. The current consumption of each of the inverting amplifier stages 101-102N+1 can be represented by the following equation,IN=C*f*VIN  (1)wherein 'C' represents the total node capacitance between two of the CMOS inverters (i.e., the sum of the PMOS and NMOS gate and drain capacitances), 'f' represents the frequency of the output signal provided by each of the inverting amplifier stages, and VIN represents the voltage swing of the output signal provided by each of the inverting amplifier stages.
Within each CMOS amplifying inverter stage, the PMOS transistor (e.g., PMOS transistor 201) is typically designed to have the same threshold voltage (VT) and the same β value as the associated NMOS transistor (e.g., NMOS transistor 203). Note that the β value of a transistor is defined as μ*COX*W/L, wherein μ is the mobility of the transistor, COX is the gate capacitance of the transistor, W is the width of the transistor, and L is the length of the transistor. In this case, the current consumption (IN) of each CMOS amplifying inverter stage can also be represented by the following equation.IN=β*(0.5*VIN−VT)2  (2)
Note that Equation (2) assumes that transitions in each inverting amplifier stage occur while the associated PMOS and NMOS transistors operate in a saturation condition, such that Equation (2) represents an approximation of transistor drain current. Equation (2) further relies on the fact that each transition occurs around ½ the input voltage VIN.
Because there are 2N+1 identical CMOS inverters operating in an identical manner, the total current (IP) drawn by ring oscillator circuit 100 is equal to the sum of the currents of the inverting amplifier stages. This relationship can be represented by the following equation.IP=(2N+1)*IN  (3)
Combining Equations (1) and (3) results in the following equation.IP=(2N+1)*(C*f*VIN)  (4)
Similarly, combining Equations (2) and (3) results in the following equation.IP=(2N+1)*β*(0.5*VIN−VT)2  (5)
Taking the partial derivative of Equation (4) with respect to the input voltage VIN yields the following equations.∂IP/∂VIN=∂/∂VIN((2N+1)*C*f*VIN)  (6)
Because only the frequency f and the input voltage VIN vary with respect to changes in the input voltage VIN, Equation (6) can be simplified as follows.∂IP/∂VIN=(2N+1)*C*VIN*∂f/∂VIN+(2N+1)*C*f*∂VIN/∂VIN  (7)∂IP/∂VIN=(2N+1)*C*VIN*∂f/∂VIN+(2N+1)*C*f  (8)
Similarly, taking the partial derivative Equation (5) with respect to the input voltage VIN yields the following equations.∂IP/∂VIN=∂/∂VIN((2N+1)*β*(0.5*VIN−VT)2)  (9)∂IP/∂VIN=(2N+1)*β*∂/∂VIN(0.25*VIN2−VIN*VT+VT2)  (10)∂IP/∂VIN=(2N+1)*β*(0.5*VIN−VT+0)  (11)∂IP/∂VIN=(2N+1)*β*(0.5*VIN−VT)  (12)
Combining Equations (8) and (12) results in the following equation.β*(0.5*VIN−VT)=C*VIN*∂f/∂VIN+C*f  (13)
Solving Equation (13) for ∂f/∂VIN results in the following equation, which represents the gain (K100) of ring oscillator 100.∂f/∂VIN=[β*(0.5*VIN−VT)−C*f]/(C*VIN)=K100  (14)
The gain K100 represented by Equation (14) is undesirably high for certain applications such as frequency modulation. This high gain results in the undesirable operating characteristics described above. It would therefore be desirable to have an improved ring oscillator circuit that exhibits a reduced gain with respect to ring oscillator 100. It would further be desirable if such an improved ring oscillator does not require the use of excessive additional circuitry.

Simple technique for reduction of gain in a voltage controlled oscillator


For various reasons, it can be desirable to subject fuel cells to drying procedures. In solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells for instance, drying may be carried out prior to storing at below freezing temperatures, or to recover cell performance lost following freeze/thaw events. An improved drying method involves drying the cell uniformly throughout. That is, the drying power over the length of the fuel cell is adjusted to be essentially uniform. This can be accomplished by using an appropriate set of operating conditions. The improved drying method can improve the lifetime of the fuel cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to improved methods for drying fuel cells, particularly solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells, which methods can improve cell lifetime.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fuel cell systems are presently being developed for use as power supplies in a wide variety of applications. Fuel cells convert fuel and oxidant reactants to generate electric power and reaction products. They generally employ an electrolyte disposed between cathode and anode electrodes. A catalyst typically induces the desired electrochemical reactions at the electrodes. The presently preferred fuel cell type for portable and motive applications is the solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) fuel cell which comprises a solid polymer electrolyte and operates at relatively low temperatures.
SPE fuel cells employ a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) which comprises the solid polymer electrolyte or ion-exchange membrane disposed between the cathode and anode. Each electrode contains a catalyst layer, comprising an appropriate catalyst, located next to the solid polymer electrolyte. The catalyst is typically a precious metal composition (e.g., platinum metal black or an alloy thereof) and may be provided on a suitable support (e.g., fine platinum particles supported on a carbon black support). The catalyst layers may contain ionomer similar to that used for the solid polymer membrane electrolyte (e.g., Nafion®). The electrodes may also contain a porous, electrically conductive substrate that may be employed for purposes of mechanical support, electrical conduction, and/or reactant distribution, thus serving as a fluid diffusion layer. Flow field plates for directing the reactants across one surface of each electrode or electrode substrate, are disposed on each side of the MEA. In operation, the output voltage of an individual fuel cell under load is generally below one volt. Therefore, in order to provide greater output voltage, numerous cells are usually stacked together and are connected in series to create a higher voltage fuel cell series stack.
During normal operation of a SPE fuel cell, fuel is electrochemically oxidized at the anode catalyst, typically resulting in the generation of protons, electrons, and possibly other species depending on the fuel employed. The electrons travel through an external circuit providing useable power and then electrochemically react with protons and oxidant at the cathode catalyst to generate water reaction product. The protons are conducted from the reaction sites at which they are generated, through the electrolyte, to react with the oxidant and electrons at the cathode catalyst.
Because the ionic conductivity in typical SPE fuel cell electrolytes increases with hydration level, the fuel cell stacks are usually operated in such a way that the membrane electrolyte is as fully saturated with water as is possible without "flooding" the cells with liquid water ("flooding" refers to a situation where liquid water accumulates and hinders the flow and/or access of gases in the fuel cell). In this way, maximum power output can be provided during normal operation. However, if flooding should occur, a drying procedure may be employed (e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,409) to correct the problem. The detection of a flooding problem may be accomplished in various ways (e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,113 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,945,229).
In some fuel cell applications, the demand for power can essentially be continuous and thus the stack may rarely be shutdown (e.g., for maintenance). However, in many applications (e.g., as an automobile engine), a fuel cell stack may frequently be stopped and restarted with significant storage periods in between. During shutdown and storage at below freezing temperatures, a significant amount of liquid water may condense in the stack and freeze. The presence of ice inside can result in permanent damage to the stack. Even if such damage is avoided, the presence of ice can still hinder subsequent startup. Thus, various drying procedures may be employed to reduce the water content prior to shutting down the stack for storage (e.g., as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,479,177, U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,637, or US 2003/0186093). Alternatively, drying procedures may be employed on startup (e.g., as disclosed in US 2004/0033395 or JP 2003-151598).
Repeated shutdowns at below freezing temperatures have been found to adversely affect fuel cell performance. However, it has also been found that stack performance can be recovered via the use of an appropriate drying method. For instance, one such method is disclosed in US 2003/0180586 in which the drying is accomplished when the stack is not operating.
While drying procedures are frequently employed in fuel cells, such procedures may damage the fuel cell and hence limit its lifetime. Accordingly, improved drying procedures are therefore desired.


The invention relates to a composition intended to be admixed to a moldable solution of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide, which composition consists of

The present invention relates to a composition containing fine solid particles and intended to be admixed to a moldable solution of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide.
From U.S. Pat. No. 2,179,181 it is known that tertiary amine oxides are capable of dissolving cellulose and that cellulosic molded bodies such as fibers may be obtained from such solutions by precipitation (amine oxide process). A process for producing solutions of this kind is known, for instance, from EP-A-0 356 419. According to that publication, a suspension of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide is initially prepared. The amine oxide contains up to 40% by mass of water. The aqueous cellulose suspension is heated and water is drawn off under a pressure decrease until the cellulose is dissolved.
For the production of cellulose fibers it is known from DE-A-28 44 163 to provide an air path or air gap between spinneret and precipitation bath in order to obtain a spinneret draft. That spinneret draft is necessary, since stretching of the threads is rendered very difficult after a contact of the formed spinning solution with the aqueous precipitation bath. The fiber structure adjusted in the air gap is fixed in the precipitation bath.
A process for producing cellulosic threads is, furthermore, known from DE-A-28 30 685, according to which a solution of cellulose in a tertiary amine oxide is molded to filaments in the hot state, the filaments are cooled with air and subsequently introduced into a precipitation bath in order to precipitate the dissolved cellulose. The surfaces of the as-spun threads, in addition, are wetted with water in order to reduce their tendency to adhere to neighboring threads.
A device and a process for producing seamless tubular films are known from WO 93/13670. According to that known process, the cellulose solution is molded to a tube by an extrusion die having an annular extrusion gap, which tube is drawn over a cylindrical mandrel and introduced into a precipitation bath. In order that the extruded tube will not adhere to the surface of the mandrel, its surface is coated with a water film in a manner that the inner side of the tube coagulates and slides over the cylindrical mandrel. The tubular films obtained have wet strengths of approximately 10 to 30 N/mm2.
Also WO 95/07811 describes a device and a process for producing cellulosic tubular films.
It is known to produce fibers and films containing additives aimed at modifying and improving the properties of the same. Thus, such additives are, for instance, added in order to deluster or dye products or render them flame retardant and stable to light, or in order to optically brighten them. In case of synthetic materials such additives, as a rule, are added prior to polymerization. It is also known to add the additives as a socalled masterbatch in powder form or as a dispersion by means of an extruder.
WO 93/12173 describes the use of flame retardants in artificial fibers and polyurethane foam. It can, however, not be taken from that document in what way those flame retardants are incorporated in the fibers.
WO 94/20653 describes fibers made of regenerated cellulose and comprising hollow beads having diameters of from 0.1 to 1.5 xcexcm as an alternative to titanium dioxide. The beads are made of a material that does not react with the spinning dope, e.g., of styrene/acrylic acid copolymer. That copolymer is added to a viscose as a slurry in water, wherein the copolymer is contained by 10% only, said viscose being subsequently filtered and spun to fibers. It is expressly recommended to add the aqueous slurry in a form of the viscose diluted with water instead of its concentrated form.
In WO 96/27638 a process for preparing a composition containing an additive in the form of fine solid particles provided with an envelope or dispersed in a matrix is described. That composition is prepared by homogenously dispersing the solid particles in a heated solution of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide. The dispersion obtained can be fed to the spinning mass in the heated state. The solution used for preparing the dispersion must contain sufficient cellulose in order to impart on said solid particles an at least monomolecular layer of cellulose all over their surfaces during dispersion. It is, furthermore, recommended, to dimension the cellulose content in a manner that the dispersed particles will each be enveloped by a multi-molecular layer.
That process, however, involves the disadvantage that dispersions based on a tertiary amine oxide which additionally contain cellulose and are heated to the temperature of use will change their colors due to degradation reactions occurring in the cellulose. This means that such dispersions are not storage stable, introducing impurities (cellulose degradation products) into the spinning mass and hence into the cellulosic end products.
The invention has as its object to overcome these drawbacks and provide a composition which contains an additive and may be admixed to a moldable cellulose solution in order to modify the properties of a molded body produced of said cellulose solution.
This object is achieved with a composition intended to be admixed to a moldable solution of cellulose in an aqueous tertiary amine oxide, which composition consists of
solid particles,
a mixture of a tertiary amine oxide and water, in which the solid particles (=additive) are dispersed, and
at least a further substance,
with the proviso that the solid particles and said at least further substance are different from cellulose and that the content of water is such that no cellulose will precipitate when admixing the composition to the moldable cellulose solution (spinning dope).
It has been shown that it is not necessary to deposit on the solid particles an at least monomolecular layer of cellulose in order to be able to homogenously distribute the composition within the spinning dope. This not only facilitates the preparation of the composition, but also enhances the quality of the molded bodies produced. In addition, the additive composition according to the invention is storage stable to a higher degree than prior art compositions. What is, however, decisive is the water content of the composition according to the invention, which must not be so high that the composition acts as a precipitant within the spinning dope.
N-methylmorpholine-N-oxide is preferably used as the tertiary amine oxide in the composition according to the invention.
As a further substance, a stabilizer for the tertiary amine oxide, in particular NaOH, a phosphate, a phosphonate or oxalic acid, may be provided in the composition according to the invention.
As an additional further substance, a dispersion assisting agent, in particular polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylic acid and its derivatives, polyalkylene oxide and its derivatives, polyethylene imine and/or polyvinyl pyrrolidone, may be provided in the composition according to the invention.
As solid particles, a pigment may be provided in the composition according to the invention.
The invention, furthermore, relates to a process for preparing the composition according to the invention, wherein solid particles are introduced into, and dispersed in, a liquid solvent for cellulose with the proviso that the composition does not contain any cellulose.
A stabilizer for the solvent and/or a dispersion assisting agent may also be introduced.
The invention also relates to a process for preparing a moldable solution of cellulose in a tertiary amine oxide, which is characterized in that the composition according to the invention is introduced into a solution of cellulose in a tertiary amine oxide, this preferably being effected continuously.
Cellulosic molded bodies may be produced by molding the moldable solution according to the invention and contacting the same with a cellulose precipitating agent. A spinneret for producing fibers or a slitted spinneret for producing flat or tubular films is preferably used for molding.

Composition containing fine solid particles

Abstract: solid particles,

Abstract: a mixture of a tertiary amine oxide and water, in which the solid particles are dispersed, and

Abstract: at least a further substance,

Abstract: with the proviso that the solid particles and said at least further substance are different from cellulose and that the content of water is such that no cellulose will precipitate when admixing the composition to the moldable cellulose solution. The composition according to the invention is storage stable to a high degree and suitable for introducing additives into the moldable cellulose solution.


A catheter tip coating assembly includes a housing defining a fluid reservoir and having a fluid outlet configured to dispense fluid to an end of a piece of tubing. The catheter tip coating assembly includes a valve assembly carried by the housing and at least partly disposed in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir. The valve assembly is configured to receive the piece of tubing and configured to move between a first position to limit fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the fluid outlet and a second position to provide fluid communication between the fluid reservoir and the fluid outlet to dispense fluid to the end of the piece of tubing. The assembly provides for careful control over the amount of liquid that is applied and the depth of the wetting.

Manufacturers, such as those in the medical device industry, utilize a liquid adhesive to couple tubing elements, or catheters, together. For example, the manufacturer can manually coat the outer surface one end of a first catheter with the adhesive. Next, the manufacturer can insert the end of the first catheter into a lumen of an end of a second catheter. The adhesive bonds the ends of the first and second catheters together.


Systems and/or methods for communication generate a plurality of spatial streams. Each of the spatial streams comprises a plurality of symbols. At least a portion of a training sequence is distributed across a first symbol in a first one of the spatial streams and a second symbol in a second one of the spatial streams.

I. Field
The following description relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly to Preamble Extensions.
II. Background
In order to address the issue of increasing bandwidth requirements that are demanded for wireless communications systems, different schemes are being developed to allow multiple user terminals to communicate with a single access point by sharing channel resources while achieving high data throughputs. Multiple Input, Multiple Output (MIMO) technology represents one such approach that has recently emerged as a popular technique for next generation communication systems. MIMO technology has been adopted in several emerging wireless communications standards such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard. IEEE 802.11 denotes a set of Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) air interface standards developed by the IEEE 802.11 committee for short-range communications (e.g., tens of meters to a few hundred meters).
The new 802.11 VHT (Very High Throughput) is a new standard, which operates in MIMO mode. MIMO technology may be used by a transmitter to communicate with several receivers using Spatial-Division Multiple Access (SDMA). SDMA is a multiple access scheme which enables multiple streams transmitted to different receivers at the same time to share the same frequency spectrum. Within any given stream, there are data packets that contain both data and preamble. Designing efficient preambles are needed to handle the new technology.


An image-processing method for filtering light pollution appearing in a video image stream acquired by a video camera. The method includes, for a current image of the video image stream, the steps of subtracting the background represented in the current image in order to obtain the foreground of the current image, determining a brightening matrix, determining a compensating matrix by restricting the values of the pixels of the determined brightening matrix, segmenting the determined brightening matrix, determining a mask from the segmented brightening matrix, applying the mask to the determined compensating matrix in order to obtain a filtering matrix, and filtering the foreground of the current image by applying the filtering matrix in order to decrease the zones of light pollution in the images of the image stream.

At the present time, it is known to detect moving objects or people in a stream of video images captured by a camera. Such detection may have several aims. For example, when the camera is fastened to a street light, it is known to detect pedestrians walking in proximity to the street light in order to increase its brightness and thus increase the illumination of the entire zone or indeed to orient the flux of light in their direction. In another example, it may be useful to detect individuals circulating in a preset zone for the purposes of surveillance.
One known type of solution consists in applying a set of Gaussian distribution functions to the pixels of the images acquired by the camera in order to differentiate between pixels the brightness of which varies little or not at all, which are considered to represent the background of the filmed scene, and pixels the brightness of which varies greatly, which are then considered to represent moving objects, this type of solution being called gaussian mixture models (GMM).
A problem arises, in particular at night, when the environment filmed by the camera contains zones of high brightness that do not correspond to light-emitting objects. In this case, these bright zones may be considered to be moving objects in the images when a set of Gaussian distribution functions are applied thereto, this possibly leading to interpretation or handling errors during the image processing. For example, when it is desired to track a vehicle at night, the camera may end up tracking the zone illuminated by the headlamps of the vehicle rather than the vehicle itself, this being problematic in the case of surveillance. Likewise, it may also be difficult, or even impossible, to detect the shape of objects illuminated by the headlamps of a vehicle if said objects are immersed in the light of the headlamps, this also being a drawback.

Image-processing method for removing light zones


Virtual accounts having alphanumeric identifiers different from an alphanumeric identifier of a financial account are linked to the financial account. Financial transactions performed in relation to the virtual accounts result in changing the current value of the financial account. The virtual accounts themselves do not have a current value apart from a current value of the financial account to which the virtual accounts are linked. Performance of the financial transactions in relation to the virtual accounts does not expose the alphanumeric identifier of the financial account that would otherwise be exposed if the financial transactions were performed in relation to the financial account. A given financial account is also linked to another financial account. Performance of a financial transaction in relation to this given virtual account thus results in changing the current value of one of the financial accounts to which it is linked.

Financial accounts are the lifeblood of many consumers, including people, businesses, and so on. Consumers have a wide variety of different financial accounts from which to choose. Banking accounts, held at institutions like banks, credit unions, and so on, include checking accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, investment accounts, and other types of accounts. Card-oriented accounts include credit card accounts, charge card accounts, debit card accounts, and other types of accounts.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Virtual accounts linked to financial accounts

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of storing data blocks onto sectors of a storage device comprises determining a specific number n of blocks, where n is greater than 1, storing n blocks consecutively onto consecutive sectors, such that each block begins directly after the previous block ends, repositioning the storing at the beginning of the next sector, and storing a further n blocks consecutively onto consecutive sectors, such that each block begins directly after the previous block ends.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a method and system for storing data blocks onto sectors of a storage device. More specifically, the method and system can be used for optimizing disk drives for variable block-size applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When storing information in a computer, a storage device such as a disk drive will have a plurality of sectors that store blocks of data. Serial Advanced Technology Attachment disk drives (SATA) use a rigid 512 bytes per sector format. However, many applications require a larger block size, for example, 520 bytes or 524 bytes, and to use these applications with SATA disk drives requires an intermediate mapping step in which these larger blocks are "mapped" across a number of the fixed sized 512 byte sectors of the SATA disk drive. The design of the mapping layer is critical to the intended application.
Simple mapping algorithms mean that the larger blocks will start and end at various offsets into a 512-byte sector. This makes the most efficient use of the available capacity of the SATA disk drive, but will lead to a substantial performance penalty during data write operations. For some applications performance is not an important consideration, and so this maximum-capacity mapping is appropriate. For other applications where performance is a priority, there is a different mapping algorithm which is less efficient with respect to the memory capacity of the SATA disk drive.
For example, consider an application which uses 524 byte blocks but wants to store these on a SATA disk drive which has 512 byte sectors. The application requires a method of mapping the 524 byte blocks onto the 512 byte sectors of the drive. There are two known methods of mapping the blocks onto the sectors. The first of these can be considered to be a maximum capacity mapping. If the application needs to maximize the capacity available on the drive, the most obvious mapping method simply maps adjacent blocks directly onto adjacent sectors giving a result which looks like this:
Block A occupies from Sector 01 offset 00 to Sector 02 offset 12
Block B occupies from Sector 02 offset 13 to Sector 03 offset 24
Block C occupies from Sector 03 offset 25 to Sector 04 offset 36
Block D occupies from Sector 04 offset 37 to Sector 05 offset 48
Block E occupies from Sector 05 offset 49 to Sector 06 offset 64
. . .
With this mapping, the application can read any range of blocks by simply using the implied algorithm to find the sector where the required range starts and ends, reading that span of sectors from the disk and then shifting out the unwanted data according to the offsets. However, when the application writes a range of blocks, there is an additional problem. For example, to write Block "C" in the mapping above, the application will be writing sectors 03 and 04 on the disk—but sector 03 also contains data for Block "B" and sector 04 also contains data for Block "D", so it will be necessary to first read those two sectors, then overlay the new data for Block "C" without changing the data for Blocks "B" and "D", and then re-write the two sectors to the drive. It is this "read/modify/write" process which causes the performance penalty because it requires the same sectors to be under the read/write heads twice, which implies an extra revolution of the disk drive.
The second known mapping technique is a max performance mapping, disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0117161 to Venturi. If the application needs to maximize the performance available from the disk drive, the application has to avoid the read/modify/write cycles described above, and an appropriate mapping would simply consume two sectors of the disk for each 524-byte block, as shown below:
Block A occupies from Sector 01 offset 00 to Sector 02 offset 12
Block B occupies from Sector 03 offset 00 to Sector 04 offset 12
Block C occupies from Sector 05 offset 00 to Sector 06 offset 12
Block D occupies from Sector 07 offset 00 to Sector 08 offset 12
Block E occupies from Sector 09 offset 00 to Sector 10 offset 12
. . .
With this mapping, reads and writes of any range of blocks will always start on a sector boundary, and will never include data from any block outside the range. This will mean that the read/modify/write problem of the previous mapping method is avoided, and there is therefore no need to use two rotations of the disk drive every time a write function is used to store data on the storage device. Of course, as a result of starting each block of data at a new sector, every second sector will include a large amount of "unused" data space (after offset 12 in the second sector) so this mapping methodology produces a far less efficient use of the available capacity, with almost 50% of the available storage space being unused.
It is therefore an object of the invention to improve upon the known art.

Storing data blocks to maximize the amount of storage space used in a storage device


A liquid-crystal display device is provided which is improved in image quality by supplying a reference voltage signal to a liquid-crystal display panel through a multiplicity of distributed supply paths. The liquid-crystal display device includes a liquid-crystal display panel and a semiconductor device connected to a part of a periphery of the liquid-crystal display panel. The liquid-crystal display panel has a plurality of signal lines for supplying various signals to address pixels, on one of a pair of substrates arranged oppositely through a liquid crystal. The signal lines include a common bus line for supplying a reference voltage signal. The semiconductor device is structured with a semiconductor chip mounted on a flexible board. The flexible board at least has a line leading to a terminal for supplying a signal to the signal line of the liquid-crystal display panel through the semiconductor chip. The reference voltage signal is to be supplied to the common bus line of the liquid-crystal display panel through at least a common line formed on the flexible board of the semiconductor device. The common line on the flexible board is formed in an area outside a mount area of the semiconductor chip and in an area passing through the mount area of the semiconductor chip.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to liquid-crystal display devices and more particularly to a liquid-crystal display device having a semiconductor device of so-called a tape carrier scheme as its drive circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
The liquid-crystal display device of so-called an active-matrix type is structured to sequentially select the pixel columns by turning on the thin-film transistors provided at the pixels thereof according to a scanning signal supplied through the signal line and to supply, in timing with such selection, a video signal to the pixels of the relevant pixel column through the drain signal lines commonly connected to the corresponding pixels of the other pixel columns when driving the pixels of the liquid-crystal display panel.
For this reason, a scanning-signal drive circuit having a plurality of juxtaposed semiconductor devices is provided at the orthogonal side of the liquid-crystal display panel to the gate signal lines while a video-signal drive circuit having a plurality of juxtaposed semiconductor devices is provided at the orthogonal side of the liquid-crystal display panel to the drain signal lines.
As the semiconductor devices of the scanning-signal and video-signal drive circuits, there is known a structure using a semiconductor device of so-called a tape carrier scheme. The tape-carrier-schemed semiconductor device is structured by mounting a semiconductor chip on a flexible board and leading the terminals of the semiconductor chip to the periphery of the flexible board through lines.
Such a semiconductor device can be electrically connected to the corresponding terminals by connecting the flexible board at its one side portion to a part of the periphery of the liquid-crystal display panel. By bending the semiconductor device thus connected to the liquid-crystal display panel at its flexible-board portion in a manner being directed vertically to the surface of the liquid-crystal display panel, effects are to be enjoyed including so-called edge reduction.
Meanwhile, besides the scanning signal and the video signal, there is a need to supply a reference signal having a reference potential relative to those signals (hereinafter, referred to as a reference voltage signal in the present description), to the pixels of the liquid-crystal display panel. In such a situation, JP-A-2004-62201 (corresponding to U.S. Patent Application US2004/0017535), for example, discloses a technique to supply the reference voltage signal to the pixels of a liquid-crystal display panel through the lines formed on a flexible board of the semiconductor device.
Concerning the liquid-crystal display device structured as above, size increase and addressability improvement have been recently achieved in its liquid-crystal display panel. On the contrary, there arises a tendency toward decreasing the number of semiconductor devices constituting the video-signal and scanning-signal drive circuits in an effort to reduce the cost.
In this case, by reason of the increasing number of pixels with the addressability improvement of the liquid-crystal display panel, the number of terminals must be increased on the semiconductor device. Meanwhile, the reference voltage signal to be supplied to the pixels requires to be stably outputted in order for high-speed driving for the purpose of addressability improvement, size increase and moving-image quality improvement.
This is because of the reason that, where the reference voltage signal, to be supplied to the pixels, is not uniform and unstable in potential, electric field for moving the liquid-crystal molecules does not take place in a predetermined manner at each pixels thus causing poor image quality.
In order to stabilize the reference voltage signal to be supplied to the pixels of the liquid-crystal display panel, it can be considered to structurally supply a reference voltage signal to the liquid-crystal display panel through a multiplicity of distributed supply paths. However, this results in a disadvantage that the supply paths for the reference voltage signal are greatly reduced with the decreasing number of semiconductor devices.


A surgical suturing needle is formed to have a needle shaft with a rectangular cross-section and a needle head with a triangular needle point. A transitional portion between the needle shaft and the needle head is formed to have a maximum width greater than the width of the needle shaft. A plurality of cutting edges extend from the needle point to at least the maximum width section of the transitional portion. After forming and grinding the suturing needle, it is immersed in an acid bath and exposed to an electrical field. Finally, the surgical needle is heat-treated to increase its strength and resistance to bending or breaking.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a design and method of manufacturing a surgical suturing needle that can be used generally for adjoining or closing adjacent portions of skin or tissue. More particularly, the suturing needle design and manufacturing process of the present invention are directed to a new class of suturing needle particularly suitable in plastic and reconstructive suturing applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Suturing needles for applying sutures, or stitches, by hand in cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues are well known in the art. The sutures are typically used to close wounds or adjoin adjacent tissue, often at the conclusion of a surgical procedure. Conventional suturing needles are usually made from a cut blank of material such as stainless steel. The cut blank is metal-worked using well known machining techniques to form a surgical suturing needle. The needle generally includes a shaft, a rear end portion with means to grip or secure a suturing thread and a needle head at a front end portion for puncturing skin and tissue through which the needle travels. The needle head typically includes a sharpened needle tip at its distal end and cutting edges.
Needle sharpness is an important consideration in designing and manufacturing surgical suturing needles. Sharper needles require less force to penetrate the tissue and thus cause less tissue trauma. In addition, sharper needles reduce fatigue on the needle itself, making it less likely to bend or break during suturing. Needle sharpness is typically defined in terms of a so-called penetration force -- the force necessary for a needle point to puncture, or penetrate, the tissue. The penetration force is primarily determined by the design and sharpness of the needle point. However, needle sharpness is also affected by a drag force of the needle as it travels through the tissue. The ability of the needle to pass smoothly through the tissue is a desirable characteristic. The drag force of the needle depends upon the design and sharpness of the needle, especially the needle head. The quality of a lubricating coating on the needle also affects the drag force. For example, if the lubricating coating on the needle wears off, the drag force on the needle increases with each pass of the needle through the tissue. This effect could give the surgeon-user the false impression that the needle is failing to retain its sharpness.
Another important consideration in designing and manufacturing surgical suturing needles is their resistance to bending or breaking during use. The strength of a suturing needle is a measure of its ability to resist bending and is determined by such factors as (a) the material selected to make the needle, (b) the cross-sectional shape of the needle, and (c) the heat treatment process received by the needle during manufacturing. However, needle strength should be balanced by needle ductility, which is defined in terms of the ability of the needle to be reshaped after it flexes from its original shape. A surgical needle with good strength characteristics but having little or no ductility can be brittle and may snap and break during use. In use, the surgical needle is held at its rear end by a needle holder and the needle tip is forced against the tissue to be sutured. This action creates a bending moment on the needle body, and a needle with some degree of ductility will be able to be reshaped to its original shape without breaking. It is generally known that in working with a metallic material, as the strength of the material increases the ductility will decrease. Therefore, it is desirable to carefully balance the strength and ductility characteristics of a suturing needle.
Another desirable attribute is stability of the suturing needle in a needle holder. The needle holder is typically used to grip and stabilize the needle as it passes through the tissue.
The subject invention provides significant advances over conventional surgical suturing needles by improving needle attributes such as needle sharpness and resistance to bending or breaking during use as well as other desirable attributes.

Surgical suturing needle and method for making same


Techniques to facilitate generation of controller application code that emulates functionality of an industrial controller are disclosed herein. In at least one implementation, a computing system interfaces with the industrial controller and monitors input and output states of the industrial controller while the industrial controller operates a machine system. The input and output states of the industrial controller used to operate the machine system are analyzed to generate a functional design specification for the industrial controller. The controller application code that emulates the functionality of the industrial controller is generated based on the functional design specification.

Industrial automation environments utilize various machines during the industrial manufacturing process, such as drives, pumps, motors, and robots. These machines have various moving parts and other components that are driven by instructions received from industrial controller systems. Machine builders, Solution Providers, and other content creators typically produce the control logic needed to run on these controllers to control the machines.
Industrial environments also commonly include a Human-Machine Interface (HMI). An HMI typically receives and processes the status data from the machines to generate various graphical displays, which may indicate the current and historical performance of the machines. In traditional implementations, the HMI may also provide a mechanism for an operator to send control instructions to a control system that controls the machines. For example, an operator might use the HMI to direct the control system to update drive parameters, turn on a pump, speed-up a motor, or stop a robot.

Machine logic characterization, modeling, and code generation


A conveyor system has a transport device that can be moved along a substantially vertical path of travel and a linear motor having a primary part arranged on the transport device, and a secondary part arranged along the path of travel, the primary part has a primary winding and at least one permanent magnet, the secondary part has a profile in the direction of the path of travel with alternatingly arranged grooves and teeth, and a brake winding is arranged on the secondary part such that it can generate a braking force by interacting with the permanent magnet to brake the transport device for increasing operational safety.

The present invention relates to a conveyor system.
Various conveyor systems by means of which passengers or goods can be transported from a first height level to a second height level are known from the prior art. Elevators or cranes have a purely vertical path of travel. Mountain railways such as e.g. cog railways, on the other hand, also cover a significant horizontal distance when overcoming a height difference. Both purely vertical paths of travel and paths of travel which have a finite gradient in order to overcome a height difference, but whose primary objective is to overcome said height difference, are classed in this application under the term 'substantially vertical path of travel'.
Most of the conveyor systems referred to are nowadays fitted with a rotationally operating electric motor and a cable traction system by means of which the rotational motion of the electric motor can be converted into a translational motion of the corresponding transport device. Such systems are relatively complicated to construct and bulky.
DE 10 2005 017 500 A1, on the other hand, discloses a passenger conveyor system comprising a synchronous linear motor. In order to make the design of such a passenger conveyor system simpler and cheaper, it is proposed here that, to drive it, the passenger conveyor system be equipped with a synchronous linear motor with a rack-and-pinion-type permanent-magnet-free secondary part, the primary part of the synchronous linear motor being fastened to the transport device, in or on which persons can be conveyed. The primary part comprises coils and permanent magnets for generating magnetic fields which interact with one another in order to drive the linear motor and thus the transport device. The secondary part is permanent-magnet-free and consequently highly resistant to soiling. A linear motor of this kind is for system-related reasons embodied as a short-stator motor, the term stator in a linear motor referring here and throughout the application to an element which can be supplied with an armature current, irrespective of whether the stator moves or stands still. A linear motor of this type is significantly cheaper than normal linear motors in which permanent magnets are arranged in the secondary part. This cost advantage is particularly noticeable in long paths of travel which require a secondary part of much greater length.
Due to the fact that the cable drives which are needed in rotational systems are not necessary in linear-motor-driven conveyor systems, there is inevitably also no need here for the operational and safety braking devices which are in part coupled to such cable drives.
The object of the invention is therefore to increase the operational safety of a conveyor system driven by means of a linear motor.

Conveyor system comprising an electromagnetic brake


A method for making optoelectronic devices with interdigitated arrays of photonic devices is disclosed wherein an array of first type photonic devices and sacrificial device(s) is hybridized to a driver circuitry substrate, the sacrificial devices are removed, and an array of second type photonic devices is hybridized into the spaces left by removal of the sacrificial devices.

This invention relates to optical communication systems and more particularly to a process for making optical transceiver arrays.
Optical couplers are now used to communicate optical signals over short and long distances between, for example, two computers, two circuit boards in one computer, and even two different chips on the same circuit board.
Integrated circuit technology that enables bi-directional, high-speed optical rather than electrical interconnections has been developed. This technology allows laser emitters and detectors to be integrated onto a semiconductor substrate, making electrical connection with electronic circuitry previously built on that substrate.
Thus, optical rather than electrical communications between electronic devices is accomplished. An optical transmitter-receiver module, or optoelectronic device, typically includes both light emitting devices such as vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) and light detecting devices such as photodiodes. Such a module more typically may include separate chips, or the VCSELs and the photodiodes may be grown on the same substrate. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,401 incorporated herein by this reference.
Driver-receiver circuit modules, typically in the form of ASIC chips, include driver circuitry which receives electrical signals from an electronic device and drives the VCSELs accordingly. The ASIC chips also include receiver circuitry for receiving signals from the photodiodes and processes those electrical signals providing an appropriate output to the associated electronic device.
The combination of the VCSELs and the photodiodes and the ASIC circuitry is typically called an optical transceiver. One way to hybridize the VCSELs and the photodiodes and the ASIC receiver circuitry is by flip-chip bonding. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,858,814, incorporated herein by this reference.
These different types of photonic devices, e.g., emitters and detectors, however, have very different epitaxial layer constructions and physical dimensions, and it is not economically feasible to grow such dissimilar devices on the same substrate. Therefore, separate growth steps must be performed for each device type. This method, in turn, restricts the number of different device types integrated onto the same silicon substrate.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method for making a hybrid optoelectronic device with multiple types of photonic devices, such as emitters and detectors, integrated on the same silicon substrate.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of making a hybrid optoelectronic device with multiple types of photonic devices interdigitated on the same silicon substrate.
This invention results from the realization that an interdigitated array of photonic devices with at least two different photonic devices of different physical and epitaxial layer construction, can be produced with good electrical and mechanical interconnections by using a multistep hybridization process including the use of sacrificial, or dummy, devices in at least a first array of photonic devices. The sacrificial devices are removed before a second array of photonic devices is hydridized with the first array.
The present invention provides a method of making a hybrid optoelectronic device. The primary steps are hybridizing a first substrate and a second substrate, the second substrate including at least one first optical device and at least one sacrificial device and introducing a first flowable hardenable material to join the first and second substrates. The first flowable hardenable material is then cured. The second substrate is then removed as is the at least one sacrificial device. The method also includes hybridizing the first substrate and a third substrate, the third substrate including at least one second optical device; introducing a second flowable hardenable material to join the first and third substrates; curing the second flowable hardenable material; and removing the third substrate.
The first substrate material may be silicon. The second and third substrate materials may be GaAs. The flowable hardenable materials may be curable epoxy resins.
The photonic devices may be emitters, transmitters and/or modulators. Modulators may be reflective, transmissive or absorptive and may modulate a received signal based on amplitude, wavelength or phase.

Method of making opto-electronic devices using sacrificial devices


Systems and methods are described for resource-efficient memory deduplication and write-protection. In an example, a method includes receiving, by a computing device having a processor, a request to assess deduplication for a plurality of candidate files. The computing device may perform one or more iterative steps for deduplication. The iterative steps may include: receiving, from the plurality of candidate files, a candidate file that is not write-protected; determining, based on a predetermined Bernoulli distribution, a decision to write-protect the candidate file; rendering the candidate file as a write-protected candidate file; determining, based on a review of other candidate files from the plurality of candidate files, that the write-protected candidate file can be deduplicated; and deduplicating the write-protected candidate file.

Computing systems often use various techniques to improve memory utilization. Efficient memory management is not only critical to the performance of computing systems, but also helps to prevent cyberattacks. Memory deduplication improves memory utilization by detecting that a plurality of files in memory are identical (or satisfy a similarity threshold). The plurality of files may be merged into a single file, or the unoriginal file(s) of the plurality of files may be deleted. Write-protection is another way to improve memory management. Write protection allows for certain files to be rendered as read-only, so that any modification to a write-protected file may require a separate copy to be created. Write-protection allows computing systems to isolate deduplicated files and to more efficiently track duplicate files.

Constant time updates after memory deduplication


A capacitive touch-screen device with force detection of a deformable touch element includes drive and sense electrode arrays and a touch-detection circuit connected to the electrodes for detecting capacitance at a touch location. The touch-detection circuit senses no-touch capacitance, light-touch capacitance, and heavy-touch capacitance at the touch location in response to forcible deformation of the deformable touch element proximate to the touch. The touch-detection circuit reports a force signal.

Touch screens use a variety of technologies, including resistive, inductive, capacitive, acoustic, piezoelectric, and optical technologies. Such technologies and their application in combination with displays to provide interactive control of a processor and software programs are well known in the art. Capacitive touch-screens are of at least two different types: self-capacitive and mutual-capacitive. Self-capacitive touch-screens employ an array of transparent electrodes, each of which in combination with a touching device (e.g. a finger or conductive stylus) forms a temporary capacitor whose capacitance is detected. Mutual-capacitive touch-screens can employ an array of transparent electrode pairs that form capacitors whose capacitance is affected by a conductive touching device. In either case, each capacitor in the array is tested to detect a touch and the physical location of the touch-detecting electrode in the touch-screen corresponds to the location of the touch. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,663,607 discloses a multipoint touch-screen having a transparent capacitive sense medium configured to detect multiple touches or near touches that occur at the same time and at distinct locations in the plane of the touch panel and to produce distinct signals representative of the location of the touches on the plane of the touch panel for each of the multiple touches. The disclosure teaches both self- and mutual-capacitive touch-screens.
Referring to FIG. 10, a capacitive touch-screen device 5 includes a substrate 10. Substrate 10 is typically a dielectric material such as glass or plastic with two opposing flat and parallel sides. An array of drive electrodes 30 is formed on one side of substrate 10 and an array of sense electrodes 20 is formed on the other opposing side of substrate 10. Drive electrodes 30 extend in a drive electrode direction 32 and sense electrodes 20 extend in a sense electrode direction 22. The extent of the drive electrodes 30 and the sense electrodes 20 define a touch-detection area 70. Each location at which the drive electrode 30 and the sense electrode 20 overlap forms a capacitor at touch location 60 at which a touch is sensed; for example touch location 60 is shown in FIG. 6 as a projection from substrate 10 where drive electrode 30 and sense electrode 20 overlap. Thus, touch locations 60 form a two-dimensional array of capacitors corresponding to the locations at which drive electrodes 30 and sense electrodes 20 overlap. Alternatively, each location at which a drive electrode 30 is adjacent to the sense electrode 20 forms the touch location 60 at which a touch is sensed, for example in an embodiment in which drive electrodes 30 and sense electrodes 20 are formed in a common plane (not shown). Touch locations 60 can be associated with specific capacitor locations, as illustrated, or can be interpolated between capacitor locations. A cover 12 (not shown in FIG. 10) is located over substrate 10 to protect sense and drive electrodes 20, 30.
Each of drive electrodes 30 is connected by a wire 50 to a drive-electrode circuit 44 in a touch-detection circuit 40 such as a touch-screen controller. Likewise, each of sense electrodes 20 is connected by the wire 50 to a sense-electrode circuit 42 in touch-detection circuit 40. Under the control of a control circuit 46, drive-electrode circuit 44 provides current to drive electrodes 30, creating an electrical field.
Under the control of control circuit 46, a sense-electrode circuit 42 senses the capacitance of the electrical field at each sense electrode 20, for example by measuring the electrical field capacitance. In typical capacitive touch-screen devices 5, each drive electrode 30 is stimulated in turn and, while each drive electrode 30 is stimulated, the capacitance at each sense electrode 20 is measured, thus providing a measure of the capacitance at each touch location 60 where the drive electrode 30 overlaps the sense electrode 20. Thus, the capacitance is sensed at each touch location 60 in the array of touch locations 60. The capacitance at each touch location 60 is sensed periodically, for example ten times, one hundred times, or one thousand times per second. Changes or differences in the sensed capacitance at the touch location 60 indicate the presence of a touch, for example by a finger, at that touch location 60.
A variety of calibration and control techniques for capacitive touch screens are taught in the prior art. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0248955 discloses a touch detection method and circuit for capacitive touch panels. The touch detection method for capacitive touch panels includes scanning the rows and columns of the capacitive matrix of a touch panel respectively, wherein during the scanning of the rows or columns of the capacitive matrix of the touch panel, two rows or columns are synchronously scanned at the same time to obtain the capacitance differential value between the two rows or columns, or one row or column is scanned at the same time to obtain the capacitance differential value between the row or column and a reference capacitance; and then processing the obtained capacitance differential value.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0244859 teaches a capacitance measuring system including analog-digital calibration circuitry that subtracts baseline capacitance measurements from touch-induced capacitance measurements to produce capacitance change values.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,040,142 discloses touch detection techniques for capacitive touch sense systems that include measuring a capacitance value of a capacitance sensor within a capacitance sense interface to produce a measured capacitance value. The measured capacitance value is analyzed to determine a baseline capacitance value for the capacitance sensor. The baseline capacitance value is updated based at least in part upon a weighted moving average of the measured capacitance value. The measured capacitance value is analyzed to determine whether the capacitance sensor was activated during a startup phase and to adjust the baseline capacitance value in response to determining that the capacitance sensor was activated during the startup phase.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0043976 teaches a technique for recognizing and rejecting false activation events related to a capacitance sense interface that includes measuring a capacitance value of a capacitance sense element. The measured capacitance value is analyzed to determine a baseline capacitance value for the capacitance sensor. The capacitance sense interface monitors a rate of change of the measured capacitance values and rejects an activation of the capacitance sense element as a non-touch event when the rate of change of the measured capacitance values have a magnitude greater than a threshold value, indicative of a maximum rate of change of a touch event.
Force sensing is also known in the art. U.S. Patent Application Publication 2011/0227872 discloses a touchpad with capacitive force sensing and can offer tactile feedback to a user's finger, providing a haptic device. This design detects the z (height) position of a finger as well as the x/y position (touch location). A pair of resistance planes are spaced-apart with a resistance mechanism (e.g. springs) to provide mechanical pressure to a finger. One or more force-sensing capacitive circuits are located under the touch surface. Touch location can be determined by the relative force provided by a touch to each of four corners of the touch area or by providing multiple capacitive sensors spatially distributed under the touch surface. Such a design requires the use of carefully controlled and calibrated springs and is thicker than desired.
U.S. Patent Application Publication 2013/0082970, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, discloses a positional touch sensor with force measurement. A force-sensing element is disposed with the transparent touch-sensing element and includes two spaced-apart parallel sets of micromesh bands separated by a layer of pressure-responsive material between the micromesh bands forming force-sensing elements. By applying force to the micromesh bands and the pressure-response material and electronically monitoring the force-sensing elements, the allocation and amount of force can be measured. However, such a design requires additional layers of material, reducing transparency and increasing thickness of the touch-sensing device.
Touch-screens, including very fine patterns of conductive elements, such as metal wires or conductive traces are known. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0007011 teaches a capacitive touch screen with a mesh electrode, as does U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0026664. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0291966 discloses an array of diamond-shaped micro-wire structures.
Although a variety of capacitive touch-and-force-sensing devices are known, there remains a need for further improvements in transparency and thickness.

Capacitive touch screen with force detection


As embodied and broadly described herein the invention includes a system for computing a preferred sequence in which cars in a switching queue of a railway switchyard are to be sequentially switched to classification tracks. The system has a processing entity for determining within a given set of cars at least two possible sequences in which the cars in the set can be switched and applying logic rules for identifying among the sequences a preferred sequence. The system also has an output for releasing data describing the preferred sequence.

A railroad network normally contains one or more switchyards in which cars are routed from tracks leading from a departure point to tracks going to a destination point. A typical switchyard has four main components, namely receiving tracks, a car switching mechanism, a set of classification tracks and a set of departure tracks. Incoming trains deliver cars in the receiving tracks. The cars are processed by the switching mechanism that routes individual cars to respective classification tracks.
Two types of switching mechanisms are in use today. The first one is a hump switch. Switchyards that use a hump switch are referred to as hump yards. A hump switchyard uses a hump over which a car is pushed by a locomotive. At the top of the hump the car is allowed to roll on the other side of the hump under the effect of gravity. Retarders keep the car from reaching excessive speeds. The hump tracks on which the car rolls down the hump connect with the classification tracks. A track switch establishes a temporary connection between the hump tracks and a selected one of the classification tracks such that the car can roll in the classification tracks. A departure train is constituted when the requisite number of cars has been placed in a set of classification tracks. When the departure train leaves the switchyard, the set of classification tracks become available for building a new departure train.
The second type of switch mechanism is a flat switch. The principle is generally the same as a hump yard except that instead of using gravity to direct cars to selected classification tracks, a locomotive is used to push the car from the receiving tracks to the selected set of classification tracks.
In order to increase the efficiency of switching operations railway companies have developed the concept of car blocking. Under this concept, a block of cars, hence the name "blocking", may be logically switched as a unit in a switchyard. A block is established on a basis of certain properties shared by the cars belonging to the block. For instance cars that have a common destination point on their route can be blocked together. A "block" is therefore a logical entity that helps making switching decisions. For reference it should be noted that generally, two types of blocks exist. There is the so called "yard block" and a "train block". For clarity, the term "block" alone in the present specification encompasses either a yard block or a train block.
The principle of blocking, either yard blocking or train blocking increases the efficiency with which cars are processed at switchyards. However, it also brings constraints. Very often a train block must be assembled from cars that arrive on different incoming trains. The train block will be complete and available for departure only when all the cars that make up the train block have arrived at the switchyard. If one or more of the cars are delayed the train block cannot be completed and the entire departing train that pulls this train block may leave without the delayed cars. Such occurrence may create a cascading effect throughout entire segments of the railroad network and have significant financial repercussions for the railroad operator. Specifically, it is not uncommon for an operator to guarantee car arrival times to customers and delays incur financial penalties that may be significant.
In general switchyard operations can be classified in two categories. The first category encompasses post-switching activities, in other words activities after a car or a group of cars are switched. The key objective of the post-switching activities is the selection of the classification track in which the car or group of cars will be placed. The second category includes pre-switching activities. Those include, for example, disassembly of the arrival trains into cuts, mechanical inspection of the cuts and other suitable preparation and finally the driving of the cars making up the individual cuts to the switch.
Prior art pre-switching activities are carried on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. In other words, the cars are switched in the order in which they arrive at the switchyard. This is not optimal since in many cases there may be an operational advantage to switch the cars in a sequence that is different from the sequence in which they arrive.
Against this background, it can be seen that a need exists in the industry to develop more refined processes to manage pre-switching operations in a switchyard such as to increase the efficiency with which cars are processed by the switchyard.

System and method for computing rail car switching sequence in a switchyard


A piezoelectric layer is integrally formed in such a way that opening portions of a plurality of pressure chambers in a flow channel forming member are covered. In a region that corresponds to a position between adjacent pressure chambers in the piezoelectric layer, a hollow that penetrates the piezoelectric layer or that has a relatively thin thickness in the piezoelectric layer is formed along the sides of the opening of each of the pressure chambers. The hollow is formed to avoid a region along a corner of the pressure chamber in the region.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid by driving piezoelectric elements and a liquid ejecting apparatus including the piezoelectric elements. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a liquid ejecting head capable of preventing configuration members from being damaged due to stress generated when the piezoelectric elements are driven, and to a liquid ejecting apparatus.
2. Related Art
A liquid ejecting apparatus is an apparatus that includes a liquid ejecting head and that ejects various types of liquid from the liquid ejecting head. Image recording apparatuses such as ink jet type printers or ink jet type plotters are examples of liquid ejected apparatuses. In recent years, a liquid ejecting apparatus is used in various types of manufacturing apparatuses because the liquid ejecting apparatus can accurately place an extremely small amount of liquid in a predetermined position. For example, a liquid ejecting apparatus is used in a display manufacturing apparatus that is used to manufacture color filters of a liquid crystal display or the like, in an electrode forming apparatus that is used to form electrodes of an organic Electro Luminescence (EL) display, a Field Emission Display (FED), or the like, and in a chip manufacturing apparatus that is used to a manufacture biochip. Further, liquefied ink is ejected from a recording head for the image recording apparatus, and solutions of respective color materials, that are, R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) are ejected from a color material ejecting head for the display manufacturing apparatus. In addition, liquefied electrode material is ejected from an electrode material ejecting head for the electrode forming apparatus, and a bio organic substance solution is ejected from a bio organic substance ejecting head for the chip manufacturing apparatus.
The liquid ejecting head is configured to introduce liquid into pressure chambers, generate a change in pressure of the liquid in the pressure chambers, and eject the liquid from nozzles that communicate with the pressure chambers. The pressure chambers are formed in a silicon crystalline substrate (hereinafter, referred to as a pressure chamber forming substrate) by anisotropic etching with excellent dimensional accuracy. In addition, piezoelectric elements are used as a pressure generation section. The pressure generation section generates change in the pressure of the liquid in the pressure chambers.
There are various configurations of such a piezoelectric element. For example, a piezoelectric element may be configured in such a way that a lower electrode is located on a close side to the pressure chamber. A piezoelectric layer that is formed of a piezoelectric material, such as lead zirconate titanate (PZT), and an upper electrode are respectively laminated and patterned on the lower electrode using a film formation technology. Further, one of the upper and lower electrodes functions as an individual electrode that is provided for each pressure chamber, and a remaining one of the upper and lower electrodes functions as a common electrode that is common to a plurality of pressure chambers. With regard to the piezoelectric film, a portion of the piezoelectric film that is interposed between the upper and lower electrodes is an active portion. The active portion deforms due to the supply of a voltage to the electrodes. A portion that is separated from one or both of the upper and lower electrodes is an inactive portion that does not deform due to the supply of the voltage to the electrodes.
A configuration of the liquid ejecting head is proposed in which a piezoelectric layer is formed in a series in a state in which openings of a plurality of pressure chambers are covered on a pressure chamber forming substrate (for example, refer to JP-A-2003-311954). That is, one piezoelectric layer is provided that is common to the plurality of pressure chambers. A portion of the piezoelectric layer, which is interposed between upper and lower electrodes, functions as an active portion (activated layer). An active portion corresponds to each pressure chamber. In this configuration, when a predetermined active portion is deformed, an unnecessary portion (e.g., an active portion that corresponds to neighboring pressure chambers) is also deformed. Thus, there is a problem in that so-called adjacent crosstalk is generated. In JP-A-2003-311954, grooves, which are formed by partially removing the piezoelectric layer, are provided to surround the peripheries of the openings of the pressure chamber. The grooves can prevent or reduce stress, generated when a predetermined active portion is deformed, from being transferred to adjacent active portions. Thus it is possible to reduce the so-called crosstalk.
However, in the related-art configuration, stress is concentrated on corners of an opening portion of a pressure chamber that has a polygonal shape. More specifically, stress may be generated on sharp corners in accordance with the deformation of the active portion, and thus there is a problem in that damage, such as cracks, may occur in a pressure chamber forming substrate that is configured from a silicon substrate or in a head configuration member, such as a piezoelectric layer.

Liquid ejecting head and liquid ejecting apparatus


A mobile terminal, which is capable of communicating with a camera server via a network, has a display unit and a plurality of operating units. Operations for acquiring video and for controlling a camera are assigned to respective ones of the plurality of operating units. Depending upon the operation of the plurality of operating units, processing is executed for acquiring video from the camera server or for instructing the camera server to control the camera.

A system available in the art enables video from a camera disposed at a remote location to be observed by a number of people at a number of locations via a network. For example, there is a system in which a computer-controllable camera is connected to a personal computer that has been connected to the Internet, and not only is real-time video captured by the camera distributed to accessing individuals but these individuals are also allowed to control the camera through a WWW (World-Wide Web) server on the Internet (e.g., see the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-040185). The side that distributes the video and the side that observes it are in a server-client relationship. In the description that follows, the apparatus or system on the server side that includes the camera shall be referred to as a "camera server" and the client shall be referred to as an "operating terminal".
A problem relating to camera control arises between the camera server and operating terminals when camera control operations such as pan, tilt and zoom are allowed from a plurality of operating terminals simultaneously. Accordingly, it has been so arranged that the camera control privilege is granted to one operating terminal, camera control is allowed only from the operating terminal having the control privilege, the control privilege is invalidated upon elapse of a fixed period of time and the control privilege is granted to another operating terminal, whereby this other operating terminal is allowed to control the camera (e.g., see the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-042278).
Owing to the growing popularity of mobile telephones and advances in technology in recent years, mobile telephones are now equipped with a WWW browser function, and functions that make it possible to view web pages by accessing the Internet are being introduced. In addition, it is being arranged so that JAVA (registered trademark) and other programs can be downloaded to a mobile telephone via the Internet and run on the mobile telephone.
However, the state of the art is such that with a mobile telephone, it is possible to view only a still-picture page provided by a camera server as a web page. In this case the user must actively perform an operation to update the video. Heretofore a personal computer or its equivalent having a large image display area and a large number of operating keys has been used as an operating terminal capable of controlling a camera while video from the camera server is observed as a real-time moving picture. It is not possible to acquire a moving picture and control a camera by an operation similar to that of a personal computer or the like using an existing mobile terminal having a small display screen and only a limited number of operating keys.

Operation at mobile terminal when communicating with remote camera