A trip device comprising a differential current detection transformer, a trip relay of a breaking mechanism of the circuit breaker and a test circuit for checking the operation of the trip device. The relay comprises a fixed yoke bearing a coil and a blade that is mobile with respect to the yoke. During normal operation of the trip device, the blade is held magnetically in the position pressing against the yoke and when a differential current occurs, the blade actuates the breaking mechanism. The test circuit generates a vibration of the blade, without causing tripping of the mechanism, in order to check its ability to disengage from the fixed yoke. Advantageously, this vibration is obtained by application of a voltage in the form of pulses to the terminals of the coil.

The present invention relates to an electrical apparatus for differential protection, notably a circuit breaker or switch, comprising a trip device of the kind comprising a differential current detection transformer, a trip relay of a mechanism such as the breaking mechanism of the circuit breaker, and a test circuit for checking the operation of the trip device, said relay comprising a fixed yoke bearing a coil, and a blade or similar mobile with respect to the yoke, the relay and transformer being electrically connected in such a way that in normal operation of the apparatus the blade is held in the position pressing against the fixed yoke, and that when a differential current is detected by the transformer core, the blade actuates the aforementioned breaking mechanism.
Differential trip devices are apparatuses which are designed based on relays having a great sensitivity. Under certain climatic conditions, the mobile element, that is to say the blade, may stick to the fixed element and prevent the differential protection from operating. In addition, these apparatuses, due to their nature, remain permanently closed in order to provide continuity of service and are only operated very seldom. This is why they are often provided with a test circuit which a checker can operate locally or remotely in order to check the correct operation of the protection.
Electrical apparatuses for differential protection of the kind referred to above are known, as described in the documents FR-2,638,909 or EP-264,313, in which the test circuit is arranged as a branched leakage circuit connected between two connection points of the active conductors of the power system, respectively line-side and load-side of the transformer and mainly comprising a pair of test resistors, a test button of the push-button type and a protection switch. Manual closing of the test button simulates a differential current by insertion of the resistors in the test circuit, which current is detected by the transformer which gives rise to differential tripping by the relay, causing automatic opening of the breaking device contacts. Tripping of the relay in addition causes automatic opening of the protection switch to disconnect the test circuit. This type of apparatus can also comprise a remote tripping circuit, closing of which can simulate a remote isolation fault.
However, each time the test circuit is operated, whether locally or remotely, tripping of the apparatus takes place and the electrical continuity is therefore interrupted. This electrical continuity, which has to be re-established, requires the intervention of an operator whose job it is to reclose the apparatus.
The present invention solves these problems and proposes a differential protection apparatus with a test circuit of simple design, making the checker's job easier while at the same time improving the reliability of the differential protection.

Electrical apparatus for differential protection with a test circuit


Ghost expressions with user-provided information may be provided in asynchronous gameplay. According to some implementations, ghost data associated with a first performance by a first user of a first task in a game may be obtained. The ghost data may be configured to allow generation of a ghost expression in the game corresponding to the first performance of the first task in the game by the first user. User-provided information associated with the first performance of the first task in the game may be obtained. The ghost data may be augmented with the user-provided information to obtain augmented ghost data. The augmented ghost data may be provided to effectuate presentation in the game of the ghost expression and at least some of the user-provided information via a client computing platform associated with the first user or a second user of the game.

In some games, multiple players can play asynchronously over a network. This can be accomplished, in part, through the use of ghost data. For example, a first player may perform a race in a racing game. Ghost data may be generated and stored corresponding to the user's performance. During a subsequent performance of the race by the first player or another player, a ghost expression may be generated based on the ghost data. In some games, the ghost expression may be an image or "ghost" representing the first player's initial performance of the race. As such, the first player or another player can "compete" against the first player's initial performance of the race. One drawback of the existing technology is that such gameplay is impersonal and fails to provide a sense of playing against (or with) another player.

Ghost expressions based on ghost data augmented by user-provided information


A bi-directional ratchet conveyor is shown including a carrier bar slideably mounted centrally of a frame and operated by a power cylinder. The carrier bar has a first plurality of gravity dogs pivotally secured along a first side thereof, and a second plurality of gravity dogs secured along a second side thereof oriented in an opposite direction from the first plurality of gravity dogs. Dog operating rods are slideably secured to each side of the carrier bar for independently operating the first and second plurality of dogs between active and neutral positions. Each dog operating rod is operated by a separate pneumatic cylinder. When the first plurality of dogs are maintained in an active position, the second plurality of dogs are maintained in a neutral position, thereby providing for movement of goods in one direction along the conveyor through repeated extension and retraction of the power cylinder. Conversely, when the second plurality of dogs are maintained in an active position, and the first plurality of dogs are maintained in a neutral position, the products are moveable in the opposite direction along the conveyor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to ratchet conveyors, and particularly to ratchet conveyors that provide for movement in two directions.
2. Background of the Invention
Ratchet conveyors are known in the art and typically include a rigid central carrier bar operated in a back and forth motion by a hydraulic cylinder. The bar includes a plurality of gravity actuated dogs pivotally secured thereto for contacting and pushing objects such as carts, and the like. Thus, when the cylinder is extended, the dogs push against the surface of the object, moving it the length of the extending stroke of the cylinder. Conversely, when the cylinder retracts, the dog is designed to pivot downwardly underneath the object and then rotate to an up or contacting position when no longer blocked by the object. Therefore, subsequent re-extension of the cylinder provides for movement of the same or a further object. In this manner, articles are moved in a ratcheting or start and stop type motion from one end of the conveyor to the other.
Ratchet conveyors have various advantages, such as mechanical simplicity, durability and the ability to lie closely parallel each other, as a result of the cylinder drive means being located centrally thereof.
However, unlike continuous motor driven chain conveyors, which can include means for reversing motor direction and therefor chain movement, ratchet conveyors can only move a product in one predetermined direction depending on the way in which the dogs are mounted to the central bar. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a ratchet conveyor that can provide for ratchet movement of products along the length thereof in either direction.


A low-cost filled skutterudite for advanced thermoelectric applications is disclosed. The filled skutterudite uses the relatively low-cost mischmetal, either alone or in addition to rare earth elements, as a starting material for guest or filler atoms.

Due to an increasing awareness of global energy needs and environmental pollution in recent years, much interest has been devoted to the development and use of thermoelectric (TE) materials for automotive and other applications. TE devices are capable of transforming heat directly into electrical energy and also acting as solid state coolers. Through their energy-generating capability, TE devices are capable of enhancing the ability of internal combustion engines to convert fuel into useful power. The cooling capability of TE devices can contribute to a resolution of the greenhouse concerns associated with refrigerant use, as well as enable new design concepts for heating and air conditioning and improve the reliability of batteries. TE-based waste heat recovery is also applicable to modes of transportation such as diesel-electric locomotives, locomotive diesel engines, automotive diesel engines, diesel-electric hybrid buses, fuel cells, etc.
The energy conversion efficiency and cooling coefficient of performance (COP) of a TE device are determined by the dimensionless figure of merit, ZT, defined as ZT=S2T/ρKtotal=S2T/ρ(KL+Ke) where S, T, ρ, Ktotal, KL, and Ke are the Seebeck coefficient, absolute temperature, electrical resistivity, total thermal conductivity, lattice thermal conductivity and electronic thermal conductivity, respectively. The larger the ZT values, the higher the efficiency or the Coefficient of Performance (COP). An effective thermoelectric material should possess a large Seebeck coefficient, a low electrical resistivity and a low total thermal conductivity.
Binary skutterudites are semiconductors with small band gaps of ˜100 meV, high carrier mobilities, and modest Seebeck coefficients. Binary skutterudite compounds crystallize in a body-centered-cubic structure with space group Im3 and have the form MX3, where M is Co, Rh or Ir and X is P, As or Sb. Despite their excellent electronic properties, binary skutterudites have thermal conductivities that are excessively high to compete with state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials. It was found that filled skutterudites have much lower thermal conductivities. Therefore, filled skutterudites are increasingly popular as a thermoelectric material due to their lower thermal conductivities.
Filled skutterudites can be formed by inserting rare earth guest atoms interstitially into large voids in the crystal structure of binary skutterudites. The chemical composition for filled skutterudites can be expressed as GyM4X12, where G represents a guest atom, typically a rare earth atom, and y is its filling fraction. Compared to binary skutterudites, the lattice thermal conductivities of the rare earth filled skutterudites are significantly reduced over a wide temperature range. This property of filled skutterudites is due to the scattering of heat-carrying low-frequency phonons by the heavy rare earth atoms, which rattle inside the interstitial voids in the skutterudite crystal structure.
In recent years, both n- and p-type rare earth filled skutterudites have been reported to have superior thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT) values in excess of 1 for temperatures above ˜500 degrees C. For rare earth filled skutterudites, the best p-type materials are La—Fe—Co—Sb and Ce—Fe—Co—Sb skutterudites. The best p-type materials are Yb—Co—Sb and Ba—Ni—Co—Sb. FIG. 1 shows ZT values of recently-discovered filled skutterudites as compared to those of state-of-the-art thermoelectric materials.
The relatively high cost of high-purity starting materials for rare earth filled skutterudites contributes to the overall cost of the fabricated thermoelectric devices. Therefore, filled skutterudites are needed which utilize low-cost starting materials to decrease the overall cost of thermoelectric devices.

Filled skutterudites for advanced thermoelectric applications


A method and apparatus for positioning a test head with respect to a printed circuit board. Adjusting marks having two parts, a frame and a mark positioned within a region enclosed by the frame, are provided on the printed circuit board. The frame and the mark within the frame are at a defined potential, which may be measured by the test head. Methods for positioning the test head are provided whereby the test head is initially positioned within an area bounded by the frame of the first adjusting mark and the test head is then re-positioned via a search algorithm which determines the coordinates of the mark within the region enclosed by the frame; the steps of positioning and repositioning of the test head are repeated at a second adjusting mark, and the determined coordinates are used to determine positioning of the test head.

Automatic mechanical test systems for checking functions of microelectronic arrangements, such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) memory chips, are used in development and production. Normally, during measurements by an automatic mechanical test system, the memory chip to be measured is fixed on a printed circuit board. A test head with one or more test probes for recording electrical parameters, such as potentials, currents or resistances, is positioned on contact surfaces of the memory chip to be tested, on which contact surfaces a measurement is intended to be carried out. The test head is coupled to a mechanical apparatus which allows positioning on a plane and at right angles to the plane. A computation unit which is connected to the test head is used for evaluation of the measured signals, and for calculating and controlling positioning operations of the test head on the printed circuit board.
Before the use of an automatic measurement system, the test head is normally adjusted with respect to one or more reference points on the printed circuit board. Subsequent position determination processes can then be carried out with respect to coordinates of the reference points. On the basis of the prior art, the adjustment process was carried out by the user visually checking the automatic measurement system. Adjustment by eye is inaccurate and is dependent on the individual person for the necessary positioning accuracies, which may be in the order of magnitude of millimeters or even micrometers.
One known alternative to visual checking is the use of optical identification systems. However, additional fitting of an automatic measurement system for measurement of electrical parameters by means of an optical identification system is expensive and is technically complex.

Method and apparatus for positioning a test head on a printed circuit board


A progressive jackpot system includes a progressive jackpot system controller, and a plurality of gaming machines coupled to the progressive jackpot system controller and participating in a progressive jackpot game in which a progressive jackpot is awarded in response to a triggering event at one of the gaming machines. A method of operating the progressive jackpot system includes maintaining data in the progressive jackpot system controller representing a composite progressive jackpot pool comprising a predetermined base component, and an incremental component funded by a portion of wagers made at the gaming machines. A message is sent from the gaming machine to the progressive jackpot system controller in response to the occurrence of a triggering event on the gaming machine. The message indicates that the triggering event has occurred and includes data representing a desired proportion of the progressive jackpot pool to award to the player. The progressive jackpot system controller calculates a composite progressive jackpot award for the player based on the desired progressive jackpot proportion. The composite progressive jackpot award comprises a first component funded from the predetermined base component of the progressive jackpot poll, and a second component funded from the incremental component of the progressive jackpot pool. A message is sent from the progressive jackpot system controller to the gaming machine indicating the amount of the progressive jackpot award for the player. The progressive jackpot system controller replenishes the base component of the progressive jackpot pool to the predetermined amount.

In a progressive jackpot system, one or more gaming machines participate in awarding a progressive jackpot. Referring to FIG. 1, in such a system, an owner or operator initially contributes a predetermined base component to a progressive jackpot pool, typically from promotional funds. In FIG. 1, this predetermined amount is 500 units. In addition, a portion of each wager on the participating gaming machines is added to an incremental component the progressive jackpot pool. Thus, the amount in the progressive jackpot pool increases as players wager at the participating gaming machines. In FIG. 1, this amount is currently 100 units. When a trigger (described below) occurs at one of the participating gaming machines, the money in the progressive jackpot pool is paid to the player of that gaming machine. In FIG. 1 the player award is the total of the base component, 500 units, and the incremental component 100 units, or 600 units. A new progressive jackpot pool is then replenished by the owner or operator contributing the base component, or 500 units. The participating machines continue to contribute a portion of each wager to the incremental component of the progressive jackpot pool until it is won again. The trigger can include several criteria. Typically, a predetermined combination of game symbols (i.e. winning symbols) must occur on a win line of a participating gaming machine, and the player of that gaming machine must have wagered a maximum amount for the progressive jackpot award to be triggered.
Several variations on this typical scheme are known. In one variation, the new progressive jackpot pool is not solely replenished by the operator or owner. Instead, the base component is initially funded by the owner or operator. Subsequently, a first portion of each wager from the participating gaming machines is supplied to the incremental component of the progressive jackpot pool, as described above. However, a second portion of each wager is provided to a separate pool of money, termed a hidden pool in the present application. The hidden pool is intended to fund the replenishment of the base component of the progressive jackpot pool after the progressive jackpot has been won, instead of receiving funds from the owner or operator. The amount of the second portion of each wager of the participating gaming machines is calculated so that it is expected to cover replenishing the base component of the progressive jackpot pool as that pool is won and awarded to players over the duration of the progressive game.
In another variation, when the progressive jackpot is won, a portion of the progressive jackpot pool (e.g. 600 units) is given to the player who wagered the maximum amount at the gaming machine on which the winning symbols occurred, and the remainder is allocated to other players according to a predetermined scheme. For example, the remainder may be allocated to other players playing the same game, other players playing at the same carousel, other players who have wagered the maximum amount, or some combination of these or other criteria intended to maintain player interest. In one embodiment, the money in the jackpot pool is split evenly among the eligible players. In another embodiment, a larger proportion (e.g. one-half) is allocated to the player at the winning gaming machine, and the remainder (e.g. the other half) is split evenly among the other players. Other methods of allocating the money in the jackpot pool among players are known.
A prior art partial pay progressive jackpot system is similar to known traditional progressive jackpot systems described above. In this partial progressive jackpot system, a progressive jackpot is awarded to the player at a gaming machine on which the winning symbols appeared, even if that player did not wager the maximum amount. In this variation, the progressive jackpot awarded to the player is related to the wager made by the player. When winning symbols occur at a gaming machine, that gaming machine reports a progressive jackpot award win. The progressive jackpot system performs the steps described above with respect to awarding the progressive jackpot in the traditional system. However, instead of awarding the full progressive jackpot pool to the player, only a portion of that pool is awarded to the player. The remainder is retained in the progressive jackpot pool as a portion of the incremental component.
For example, in response to a winning game result, the amount awarded to the player may be proportional to the wager. That is, if the maximum wager is 3 units, and the player wagered 1 unit, the player is awarded ⅓ of the jackpot pool. The progressive jackpot is then replenished as described above. That is, the player is awarded the proportion of the progressive jackpot allocated to him (e.g. ⅓). Then the owner or operator, or a hidden pool, replenishes the base component of the progressive jackpot pool, and the remainder of the previous progressive jackpot pool not awarded to the player (e.g. ⅔) is added to the incremental component of the progressive jackpot pool. Then the participating gaming machines contribute a portion of each wager to the progressive jackpot pool until all or some portion of it is won again.
Referring to FIG. 2, in an example of such a partial pay progressive jackpot system the owner or operator, or a hidden pool, has established a base component of 500 units in the progressive jackpot pool. Participating gaming machines have contributed a portion of each wager to the incremental component of the progressive jackpot pool to the point where an additional 100 units has been added to the pool for a total of 600 units in the progressive jackpot pool. A player at a participating gaming machine gets the winning symbols on his gaming machine after betting ⅓ the maximum wager. This triggers the award of a progressive jackpot award to that player.
Continuing the above example, the player is awarded 200 units, or ⅓ of the progressive jackpot pool. After the award, the base component of the progressive jackpot pool is replenished to the amount of 500 units. The remainder of the preceding progressive jackpot pool, i.e. 400 units, is retained and carried over to the new progressive jackpot pool, so the new progressive jackpot pool begins anew with 900 units in it.
Such an arrangement has problems. First, after winning a progressive jackpot award, the player may be confused when he sees that the amount in the progressive jackpot pool is higher than it was before he won the award. Second, over the life of the progressive game, such a progressive jackpot system ends up paying out more money than the traditional progressive jackpot system described above. Traditional progressive jackpot systems generally operate on the assumption that players wager a maximum amount only about 85% of the time. Consequently, in the traditional progressive game, 15% of the time players would have no chance of being awarded the progressive jackpot, even though winning symbols appear on the gaming machine. That lengthens the time between awards of the progressive jackpot because 15% of the time the maximum wager was not made. Awarding partial progressive jackpots in the manner described above produces unintentional and adverse effects on the overall mathematics of the game in the participating gaming machine. Third, such an arrangement decreases the motivation to wager the maximum amount because no matter what the wager is, the player has a chance to win at least a portion of the progressive jackpot pool.
In yet another variation of a partial pay progressive jackpot system, the progressive jackpot award made to the player is funded partially from the base component of the progressive jackpot pool, and partially from the incremental component. In this variation, a player may be awarded a progressive jackpot amount determined as described above. That is, if the player wagers ¼ of the maximum wager, and a winning game result occurs, the player is awarded ¼ of the progressive jackpot.
Referring to FIG. 3, in this case, the player wagered one unit out of a maximum wager of 4 units. A winning game result occurred at the gaming machine. Consequently, the player is awarded ¼ (25%) of the amount in the progressive jackpot pool. This is illustrated in FIG. 3 by the "25%" over the thick arrows. The amount in the progressive jackpot pool is, as before, 600 units: 500 units in the base component, and 100 units in the incremental component. The player is, thus, awarded 150 units. That award is made up of ¼ of the base amount of 500 units, or 125 units, and ¼ of the incremental amount of 100 units, or 25 units, for the total of 150 units. After the progressive award has been made to the player, the base amount is replenished to the predetermined amount by the owner and operator, or hidden pool. After the award to the player, the amount remaining in the base component is 375 units. The amount necessary to replenish the base component to the required amount of 500 units is 125 units, which is the amount which had been awarded to the player from the base component. The amount remaining in the incremental component after the award to the player is 75 units. This amount is added to the replenished base component. The new progressive jackpot pool, thus, has 575 units. At this point, the progressive game continues until it is won again.
This arrangement also has problems. Because the progressive payout amount is proportional to the player wager, there is no incentive for the player to wager the maximum wager. Further, in this arrangement, the progressive jackpot award made to the player is simply a proportion of the progressive jackpot pool equal to the proportion of the actual wager to the maximum wager; the game mathematics is not considered.
A progressive jackpot system which awards partial progressive jackpot amounts, but which avoids the problems described above is desirable.


An apparatus including a base layer of a platform application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a mixed-signal function and a built-in self test (BIST) function. The base layer of the platform ASIC generally includes a plurality of pre-diffused regions disposed around a periphery of the platform ASIC. Each of the pre-diffused regions is generally configured to be metal-programmable. The mixed-signal function may include two or more sub-functions formed with a metal mask set placed over a first number of the plurality of pre-diffused regions. The BIST function may be formed with a metal mask set placed over a second number of the plurality of pre-diffused regions. The BIST function may be configured to test the mixed-signal function and present a digital signal indicating an operating condition of the mixed-signal function.

Testing of some structured (or platform) application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) can be confined to digital only testers. However, support for mixed-signal functions can be implemented in a platform ASIC. The term mixed-signal refers to functions involving both digital and analog signals. In conventional testing techniques, analog/mixed-signal hardware is added to digital testers or analog only testers are used. However, the conventional solutions increase cost with respect to both test time and additional hardware.
It would be desirable to have an architecture and/or method for implementing relocatable generic built-in self test (BIST) elements for relocatable mixed-signal elements that may be used in a digital test flow to test non-digital functions.

Relocatable built-in self test (BIST) elements for relocatable mixed-signal elements


An ear piece device configured for being supported in the ear and providing a microphone which is sensitive only to sounds conducted within the skull of the user is contained within a housing which is configured at one end to fit snugly at the ear canal of the user, but not to extend within the ear canal. A microphone element is coupled within the housing in a position such that the microphone element is separated from contact with the skull of the user by the housing. This microphone element includes an inertial platform which has sufficient inertial mass to substantially resist movement associated with the housing by reason of audio vibration and which is cantilevered at one end within the housing and includes signal means for generating a signal representing vibrations transferred into the housing in the form of audio vibrations from the user. This signal is supplied to an audio circuit for processing and reproduction of the user's voice. A speaker element may be included within the ear device and can be decoupled acoustically so as to avoid feedback. This system can operate with full duplex and enable hands free communication and direct voice command by user through computer modems, telephone networks and other communication systems.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to a microphone which picks up speech vibrations through the bone structure of an individual's skull and develops a signal for audio processing. More particularly, the present invention relates to an ear mounted microphone responsive to audio vibrations from the user's skull which are isolated from surrounding background environment and which can be used in duplex with a speaker positioned within a common housing with the microphone.
2. Prior Art
The emergence of computer based control systems for virtually every aspect of daily living has re-emphasized the need for an inexpensive system for providing direct voice command capability. At present, most computer systems rely on keyboard input to provide data and processing instructions. This is not only time consuming and limiting in view of physical requirements of being seated with both hands on a key pad, but it limits the efficiency of data input to the typing speed of the user. Indeed, compared with the advanced degree of sophistication of current computer systems, this dominant data entry method of imputing instructions one letter or number at a time seems almost archaic.
This is not to say that the development of voice activated input systems has been ignored. There has clearly been a long recognized need for implementation of a method of voice command which would obviate the keyboard as a computer input device. Numerous problems have remained unsolved, however, and continue to place voice activated systems beyond the financial reach of the general marketplace. For example, the typical level of confidence in voice recognition for commercial software is between 45 to 60%. At this rate, the system is averaging only one out of two words with correct identification. This is hardly adequate for general application. This confidence level is even less when environmental factors are introduced such as background noise, mobility of the user and other unpredictable variables that modify the audio signal being received at the computer.
In typical applications for voice activated systems, one might expect a telephone to ring during dictation, an interruption to occur by another voice having a different voice pattern, the sounding of a horn, clock alarm, or any of thousands of extraneous background noises. Even the shifting of position of the speaking individual can modify the audio signal enough to confuse the computer recognition of sounds. The speaker may simply turn her head to a different direction and create enough variation to thwart voice recognition.
Resolution of these anomalies must be accomplished before voice command systems can be of general use. Current efforts have focused on generation of complex algorithms which sift through the maze of audio signal and attempt to classify and discard background noise. Obviously, it is impossible to completely predict and program every potential superfluous signal that may eventually be detected. Voice variations by the user are even more challenging, because the occurrence of a cold, sinus problems, and variations in voice orientation to the microphone are extremely difficult to classify or quantify. As a consequence, voice command systems are marginal in overall performance and are extremely expensive.
Undoubtedly, part of the problem of voice recognition arises because of the use of conventional microphones as the media for processing voice signals. Voice recognition obviously requires conversion of the audio input to digital or analog signal. Generally, a digital conversion is necessary before comparison with database information is possible. A normal microphone will pick up sounds indiscriminately, thereby adding in background noise which is a primary source of confusion.
Although some discrimination of sound can be accomplished by frequency filters, proximity attenuators, and related devices that group sound characteristics as to common features of frequency or volume, total isolation of desired sounds has not generally been accomplished when the speaker is in a nonisolated environment. Development of such a selective microphone system has long been needed and would provide great advantage in countless applications. This is so with any form of telephone system that is hands free so that the microphone is picking up background signal along with the primary speaker's voice. Visor microphones for cellular car phones is just one of a myriad of examples. TV and stage cameramen, as well as other sound technicians who must communicate quietly while recording or producing video and sound works, require constant communication which functions best in an isolated mode. Switchboard operators, pilots, motorcyclists, workers having on line communication systems in high-noise environments--all need a communication system which isolates the voice signal from all extraneous sounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,867 by Konomi addressed some of these problems and disclosed the possible utility of an ear-mounted microphone for discarding air-borne sound waves in favor of bone conduction of the speaker's voice. Aside from technical problems which may have affected the inability of this device to perform adequately, practical considerations also limit the general acceptance of such ear-mounted microphone systems. For example, the Konomi device places a microphone element deep in the ear canal in order for vibrations to be accessed from the bone. This requirement immediately imposes the high cost of having the canal insert portion sized to the unique configuration of the user's ear canal as with a hearing aid. It also adds the discomfort of having an insert in the ear, creating an unnatural and unacceptable sensation which would undoubtedly preclude universal usage of the device.
As a further problem, the Konomi reference may be subject to audio feedback arising from the close proximity of the microphone element and speaker, where a duplex mode is selected. Needless to say, the challenge of an acceptable ear-mounted microphone was not resolved with Konomi.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,156 by Norris addressed the problem of audio feedback with its disclosure of an ear microphone/speaker combination; however, the microphone was placed outside the ear and was sensitive to ambient noise. The absence of isolation of the speaker voice gave the device only limited acceptance, despite the fact that it offered some improvement over the prior art.
What is needed therefore is a microphone that totally isolates the voice of the speaker from the environment, yet which is not limited by sizing for the ear canal or does not create discomfort by being fit within the ear canal.

Bone conductive ear microphone and method


A light detecting unit of an alpha ray observation device observes an alpha ray by measuring generated light that is generated by the alpha ray produced in a region of a to-be-measured object. The light detecting unit has a travel direction changing unit that changes the direction of travel of generated light, a light detector that detects direction-changed light, which is the generated light after the direction of travel is changed, and a shielding member that shields the light detector from radiation and has a portion that is provided on the line from the to-be-measured object to the light detector. The shielding member may also surround the perimeter of the light detector and have an opening to allow generated light to reach the travel direction changing unit.

As a radiation detector, especially alpha rays detector, for example, a detector that uses a ZnS scintillator is known. The ZnS scintillator emits light at a time when alpha rays enter. On the other hand, an alpha ray observation device is known that makes use of the characteristics of alpha rays that cause nitrogen in the atmosphere to emit light. This device is able to observe alpha rays even from a remote place by making use of the characteristics of alpha rays that cause nitrogen in the atmosphere to emit light and observing the light emitted from nitrogen in order to detect alpha rays. The light being emitted is ultraviolet light.
FIG. 9 is a lateral cross-sectional view showing an example of a conventional configuration of an alpha ray observation device that observes the light emitted from nitrogen to detect alpha rays.
As shown in FIG. 9, what is known is an alpha ray observation device that includes: a collecting lens 101, which collects the light emitted from nitrogen; a wavelength selection element 102, which extracts, from the collected light, the light emitted from nitrogen; an optical element 103, which separates the extracted nitrogen-originated light into transmitted light and reflected light; a direction changing unit 104, which changes the propagation direction of the reflected light; light detectors 105a and 105b, which respectively receive the transmitted light and the reflected light to count the number of photons; and a signal processing device 106, which selects the nitrogen-originated light caused by alpha rays as the light detector 105a measures the transmitted light and the light detector 105b measures the reflected light simultaneously.

Light detection unit and alpha ray observation device


A two-stage piston in a thermostat's thermal actuator is configured for degassing entrained air from a coolant system. The first-stage part has a cylindrical shape and is terminated at one end with a rounded-conical shape and having a cylindrical cavity at an opposite end. A second-stage part has a cylindrical shape with a diameter sufficient to fit within the cylindrical cavity. A sacrificial plug is formed of a wax-like substance with a melting temperature such that the entrained air escapes from the coolant system through the thermostat. The diameter of the sacrificial plug allows placement of the sacrificial plug in a bottom of the cylindrical cavity and a length of the two-stage piston with the sacrificial plug in place forces the valve to remain open. After the sacrificial plug has melted, the length of the two-stage piston will open and close the valve with a change in coolant temperature.

As is known in the art, the head and block of an internal combustion engine (hereinafter referred to as an engine) has passages cast in them for the transfer of a cooling liquid such as an admixture of water and an antifreeze chemical. A port formed at an external surface of the block to accept a coupling. The coupling is connected to a hose for transport of coolant between the engine and a radiator. The radiator acts as a heat exchanger for the transfer of the engine heat to the ambient air. A thermostat is placed in the coupling to control the flow of the cooling liquid.
When technicians and mechanics must replace faulty thermostats, a relatively simple repair may become complicated. When the cooling liquid is drained from the cooling system, the system becomes "air-bound" as it is refilled with coolant. Pockets of air occur and the coolant does is not in contact with the thermostat.
The typical thermostat contains a wax capsule in its core. If the cooling liquid cannot reach the thermostat, heat is not able to transfer from the engine via the cooling liquid to the wax core. The thermostat does not open and the engine overheats. The method that technicians and mechanics use to degas or de-aerate the coolants is to bleed air from the coolant within the engine cooling system by removing the radiator cap from the radiator, running the engine until the radiator bleeds out air. When the engine reaches the proper temperature, the cooling liquid will begin cycling through the system. The coolant level drop as the air is cycled out, and air bubbles escape from the radiator. This process may need to be repeated several times. This undesirably consumes additional time of the technician or mechanic.

Engine cooling system and thermostat thermal actuator with a degassing two-stage piston


A seed delivery device comprises a flat, flexible seed of bio-degradable material, a plurality of apertures formed through said sheet to present a waffle-like configuration to allow passage of water and sun therethrough, and a plurality of seeds bonded to one side of said sheet between said apertures, wherein said sheet may be positioned adjacent the earth to cause growth of the seed through the sheet. The seed delivery device is formed of paper-mache, wherein said apertures are rectangular, symmetrically positioned relative to one another, and tapered. The seed delivery device also comprises nutrients impregnated into said sheet.

Numerous methods have been used historically to convey and protect seed. Presently grass seed is blown, sewn or drilled on verges and grades on flat areas with a covering of straw to protect the same. Usually, both wind and water move the straw and seed and erode the area requiring further dirt-work and/or replanting; even the water applied for germination does some damage. This method is labor and time consuming with very mixed successes. "Sod-grass" (a layer of soil medium with growing grass) is undercut into strips for planting or placed in small portions or "plugs" to fill in, in the future, by the natural spreading of some grasses. These methods are excessively expensive and have a very limited replanting or shelf life. They require rolling to try to mate the sod with the soil and endeavor to remove air from root area. The labor and water necessary are excessive. "Sod" and/or "plugs" both can also deliver plant diseases and unwanted parasites to new locations. Old protective tents of silk, paper, plastic and glass also mostly require installation and removal at great labor and expense after seedings are established, and can cause scorch by entrapping heat.


System and method for providing switching to power regulators. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides system for providing switching. The system includes a first voltage supply that is configured to provide a first voltage. The system also includes a second voltage supply that is configured to provide a second voltage. The second voltage being independent from the first voltage. The system additionally includes a controller component that is electrically coupled to the first voltage supply. For example, the controller component being configured to receive at least a first input signal and to provide at least a first output signal. Additionally, the system includes a gate driver component that is electrically coupled to the second voltage supply. The gate driver component is configured to receive at least the first output signal and generated a second output signal in response to at least the second voltage and the first output signal.

The present invention is related to integrated circuits. More specifically, the present invention can be applied to controllers used for switch mode power supply. According to various embodiments, the present invention provides integrated power switch implemented with different types of transistors. Merely by way of example, the present invention can be used in switch mode power conversion system including, among other things, offline fly-back converters and forward converters. But it would be recognized that the invention has a much broader range of applicability.
Power converters are widely used in various applications, such providing power to portable consumer electronics. The power converters can convert electric power from one form to another form. As an example, the electric power is transformed from alternate current (AC) to direct current (DC), from DC to AC, from AC to AC, or from DC to DC. Additionally, the power converters can convert electric power from one voltage level to another voltage level.
In the past various types of power converters have been developed. For example, linear regulators have traditionally been used for power converters. A linear regulator is a voltage regulator based on an active device (such as a bipolar junction transistor, field effect transistor or vacuum tube) operating in its "linear region" or passive devices like zener diodes operated in their breakdown region. The regulating device is made to act like a variable resistor. While linear regulators have been used for many years, their power efficiency is often inadequate for portable electronics. For example, due to low power efficiency, linear regulators often waste large amount of energy and generate excessive heat for portable devices.
With the advent of integrated circuits, switched-mode power supply has been invented and utilized for various applications. Switch mode power supplies are typically implemented with a switching regulator, which is an internal control circuit that switches the load current rapidly on and off in order to stabilize the output voltage. For certain applications, switch mode power supply uses pulse-width-modulated (PWM) or pulse-frequency-modulated (PFM) mechanism. These mechanisms are usually implemented with a switch-mode-controller including various protection components.
In a switching power conversion system, various types of transistors are used to implement power switching elements. For example, power MOSFET, power bipolar transistor (BJT), Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), or other types transistors have been used. Usually, the power switching elements are controlled by PWM, PFM or other types of control signal are adjusted based on feedback from output. For example, fly-back configuration is used to enable the feedback system. The output voltage and/or current is regulated by sensing the output voltage or current and applying the corresponding control signals to the power switching elements.
FIG. 1 is a simplified conventional switch mode converter implemented with PWM feedback configuration. This diagram is merely an example, which should not unduly limit the scope of the claims. One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize many variations, alternatives, and modifications. A switch mode converter 100 includes an OCP comparator 110, a PWM controller component 120, a gate driver 130, a power switch 140, resistors 150, 152, 154, and 156, and a primary winding 160. For example, the OCP comparator 110, the PWM controller component 120, and the gate driver 130 are parts of a chip 180 for PWM control. When the current of the primary winding is greater than a limiting level, the PWM controller component 120 turns off the power switch 140 and shuts down the switch mode power converter 100.
During operation, the PWM controller component 120 is used to control and drive a power switch 140, which turns on and off to control the power delivered to the load in the secondary side. For example, the power switch 140 is a power MOSFET. In general, separate PWM controller module and the power MOSFET are widely used.
As mentioned above, switch regulators such as the conventional switch mode converter illustrated in FIG. 1 has various advantages over linear regulators. However, for various applications, the conventional switch mode converter is often inadequate. For example, switching regulators are typically more complex and more expensive, their switching currents can cause noise problems if not carefully suppressed, and simple designs may have a poor power factor.
Therefore, it is desirable to have an improved system and method for switching power conversion system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

On-Bright Electronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.


A system for surgically stabilizing the spine is useful for preventing shifting of the joining bars on the vertebral units of fixation. For this purpose, the joining bars are provided at predetermined intervals with anti-shifting spherical bosses having a greater diameter than each bar. Thus the anti-shifting unit is dumbbell-shaped and has a length required for the morphological features of the spine.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the surgical stabilisation of the spine.
2. The Prior Art
The principle of stabilisation of algesic spine by means of vertebral arthrodesis has been known to orthopaedic-surgeons for many years. Arthrodesis is achieved after perfect immobilisation of the vertebrae by means of a rigid frame which acts as a support to the pathological spine. This frame is constituted of plates, or non distorsion bars, placed in situ, firmly fixed to the spine using screws or hooks.
If a bar is used, these screws include a threaded rod which is intended to be set into a vertebra, and an extra-osseous head tulip-shaped and slotted to the diameter of the said bar. The bar is bolted to the screw by means of a point screw or a vice. However, no matter how tight the point screw or the vice, the permanent stress which the spine undergoes finally causes the bar to shift in its support.
To limit this drawback, special surface structures of the bar have been suggested (serrated surface structure, cross-hatched surface structure EP 0348 272), or the use of special locking rings has been advocated (FR 83 07450/2545350). Nonetheless, about 7% of failures occur, due to the shifting of the bars in their fixing members.

Anti-shifting system for spinal arthrodesis bar


A system and a method are disclosed describing a mechanism for preventing recording of security sensitive media content when that content is displayed on a screen. The mechanism includes selecting two refresh rates for a display and oscillating between those two refresh rates thereby preventing a recording device's recording frame rate from synchronizing with the display device's refresh rate. As a result, anything recorded by the recording device will be distorted.

When media content is being displayed on a screen (e.g., played back on a display screen), that content can be recorded by an unauthorized recording device. In instances when the content is security sensitive, recording is not desirable. Currently available solutions include placing a privacy screen onto the display which is a plastic covering that obscures what is displayed on the screen when viewed at an angle. Thus, privacy screens are only effective when the recording device is placed at an angle relative to the screen and is not so effective when the recording device is in front of the screen (even if the recording device is at a great distance). Furthermore, privacy screens make the screen darker and generally interfere with viewing media content.


In minimizing effluents from a cellulose pulp mill, liquid effluents from a bleach plant are concentrated, and then incinerated to produce a residue including sodium, sulfate, and sodium chloride. This residue is distilled with sulfuric acid to produce gaseous hydrogen chloride and remaining residue, the HCl being used in chloride dioxide production for the bleach plant, while the remaining residue is passed to the recovery loop (e.g. recovery boiler). Sulfur containing gases from the non-condensible gas system may be combusted to produce gaseous sulfur dioxide, which is then converted to sulfuric acid, to distill the residue. Where a non-chlorine bleach plant is provided, the liquid effluents may be concentrated in evaporators and then passed directly to the recovery boiler. The liquid streams in the mill are managed by a cascade principle to reserve the cleanest water for only those processes where it is needed while minimizing its use where it is not necessary.

It has long been a desire of those working in the paper pulp art to produce a pulp mill that does not in any way significantly pollute the environment. A number of proposals have been made for such a pulp mill in the past, but the desired goal has yet to be achieved. For example, a "closed mill" was constructed at Great Lakes Forest Products, Thunder Bay, Ontario, in the 1970s, but it was difficult to run the mill closed for extended periods of time as a result of corrosion problems in the recovery boiler, and elsewhere, due to chloride buildup. See "Bleaching in the Closed Cycle Mill at Great Lakes Forest Products Ltd." by Pattyson et al, Pulp & Paper Canada, Vol. 82, No. 6, pp. 113-122 (1981). In the Great Lakes mill, bleaching plant effluents were introduced directly into the chemical recovery loop, as shown schematically in U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,372.
More recently, it has been proposed by HPD and Jaakko Poyry that closing of a pulp mill can be accomplished by evaporating acid effluent and then returning the E.sub.o bleach plant effluent to the brown stock washers. However that approach has yet to be successful, despite the utilization of plastic falling film evaporators which allow effective evaporation of the bleaching chemicals, and it is believed unlikely that it will ultimately be successful because of the buildup of undesired chemicals due to the introduction of the flow from the E.sub.o stage back to the brown stock washing stage.
According to the present invention, a method and apparatus are provided which utilize only existing technology, so that future development of sophisticated additional equipment or processes is not necessary, which essentially can reduce the liquid polluting effluents from a pulp mill to zero, provide only a minimum amount of solid waste for disposal (and provide the high probability that such solid waste can be used in an environmentally acceptable manner), and minimize the production of gaseous NO.sub.x and SO.sub.x products, so that the only significant gaseous pollutant from the pulp mill is carbon dioxide.
One of the basic aspects of the present invention that makes it possible to achieve these beneficial results is to treat the bleaching effluents completely separately from the chemical recovery loop until the effluents are in a particularly desirable form, and to then introduce the chemicals in that desirable form into the recovery loop. Another significant aspect of the present invention is the essentially complete oxidation of white liquor produced in the chemical recovery loop, which is then returned to the bleaching stage so that the proper balance between the various chemical treatment sequences is provided. Another significant aspect of the present invention that allows the desired results to be achieved are the production on site at the pulp mill, directly from the effluent streams and gaseous waste streams themselves, of essentially all of the sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, caustic or caustic substitute, and (if utilized) chlorine dioxide necessary to effect treatment of the pulp and recovery of the chemicals. Another factor which minimizes the amount of bleach plant effluents so as to make a proper treatment thereof practical, is advanced digesting techniques where delignification can be extended so that the pulp--without significant strength loss--discharged from the digesting stages has a low Kappa No. (e.g. 24 or below) and then the pulp is subjected to oxygen delignification to reduce the Kappa No. still further (e.g. to 14 or below, typically 10 or below) before bleaching is effected, allowing the production of prime market pulp (e.g. 88-90 ISO brightness).
The ability to produce prime market pulp with minimal adverse affect on the environment, according to the invention, is a quantum leap forward in pulping technology, and allows fulfillment of a long felt need to accomplish this desirable result.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of minimizing effluents from a cellulose pulp mill having a digester, bleach plant, and a recovery boiler and chemical recovery loop, is provided. The method comprises the following steps: (a) Concentrating (e.g. by evaporation) liquid effluents from the bleach plant to a concentration level high enough for incineration. (b) Incinerating the concentrated bleach plant effluents to produce a residue containing sodium, sulfate, carbonate, and sodium chloride. (c) Leaching the residue to produce a leachate. And, (d) feeding at least a substantial portion of the leachate to the chemical recovery loop associated with the recovery boiler.
The method also preferably comprises the further steps of: (e) Removing black liquor from the digester. (f) Increasing the solids concentration of the black liquor to a level high enough for incineration. (g) Incinerating the concentrated black liquor in the recovery boiler to produce a melt. (h) Producing white liquor and/or NaOH from materials in the recovery loop including the melt and the leachate fed to the recovery loop. (i) Oxidizing at least a part of the white liquor. And, (j) using at least a part of the oxidized white liquor in place of caustic in the bleach plant.
The invention also contemplates collecting spills of liquid from the pulp mill, evaporating the collected spills, and adding the concentrated spills to the concentrated bleach plant effluents in order to practice step (b). The spills are typically clarified before evaporation. There also are preferably the further steps of treating water removed from the bleach plant effluents by concentrating them, and then using the treated water as wash water in the bleach plant and in other mill processes.
Also there preferably are the further steps of producing substantially all caustic (or caustic substitute such as essentially completely oxidized white liquor) for the bleach plant, sulfuric acid, and sulfur dioxide needed for the plant processes, from process effluents and gaseous streams on site at the pulp mill so that no substantial external source of supply thereof need be provided.
Prior to feeding the leachate to the recovery loop, it is preferred that the leachate be crystallized and washed. The leachate also typically includes sodium chloride, and leachate containing chloride is used in the plant to produce substantially all of the chlorine dioxide necessary for the bleach plant. All of the metals above monovalent are removed from the leachate by washing, and those metals are kept out of the recovery loop and away from the bleach plant.
The bleach plant may have both acid and alkali liquid effluents, in which case it is desirable to initially evaporate (or otherwise concentrate) those different effluents separately, and then combine them for a final evaporation (concentration) before incineration. One typical bleaching sequence for the bleach plant may be DE.sub.o PD.sub.n D (where .sub.n refers to a neutralization stage between the two chlorine dioxide stages), and another typical bleaching sequence is AZE.sub.o PZP, although a wide variety of other bleaching sequences may also be utilized.
The invention also contemplates a method of recovering chemicals from bleach plant liquid effluents resulting from the production of chemical cellulose pulp by the following steps: (a) Concentrating (e.g. evaporating) the bleach plant liquid effluents to produce a concentrated effluent. (b) Incinerating the concentrated effluent to produce a residue. (c) Acting on the residue to recover sodium, sulfate, carbonate and/or sodium chloride. And, (d) using the recovered sodium, NaCl, sulfate and/or carbonate in the production of the chemical cellulose pulp.
The invention also contemplates a method of producing cellulose chemical pulp in a pulp mill, which requires sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, and caustic, and which has process effluents and gaseous streams, comprising the step of producing all of the sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide, and caustic (or caustic substitute) necessary to effectively produce chemical pulp directly at the pulp mill, from the process effluents and gas streams, so that substantially no additional sulfuric acid, sulfur dioxide, or caustic is necessary from external sources.
According to another aspect of the present invention, apparatus for producing chemical pulp with a minimum discharge of effluents is provided. The apparatus comprises: A digester. A chemical recovery loop operatively connected to the digester, and including a recovery boiler. A bleach plant including at least one liquid effluent line therefrom. Concentrating means (e.g. evaporators) connected to the liquid effluent line from the bleach plant to produce a concentrated effluent. An incinerator for incinerating the concentrated effluent from the evaporator means, for producing a residue. And, means for recovering sodium, NaCl, carbonate and/or sulfate from the incinerator residue and feeding at least some of those recovered materials to the recovery loop. Also, water is recovered from the bleach plant effluents, which is used elsewhere in the mill.
The evaporator means preferably comprise a plurality of stages of metal-plastic laminate, falling film evaporators. Such evaporators are available from A. Ahlstrom Corporation of Helsinki, Finland, and Ahlstrom Recovery Inc. of Roswell, Ga. under the trademark "Zedivap", and described in co-pending application Ser. No. 07/974,060 filed Nov. 12, 1992 (corresponding to Finnish Application 915424 filed Nov. 18, 1991, and the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein). Although other evaporators, such as desalination evaporators, also are feasible, the "Zedivap".TM. evaporators are particularly advantageous and make the evaporating process for the bleach plant effluents practical. The evaporator means also may further comprise a concentrator between the stages of metal-plastic laminate evaporators and the incinerator.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, the following apparatus is provided: A bleach plant for bleaching cellulose chemical pulp, and producing liquid effluents during bleaching. Means for concentrating (e.g. evaporating) the bleach plant liquid effluents to produce a concentrated effluent. An incinerator for incinerating the concentrated effluent to produce a residue. Means for acting on the residue to recover sodium, sulfate, NaCl, and/or carbonate. And, means for using the recovered sodium, sulfate, NaCl, and/or carbonate in the production of the chemical cellulose pulp being bleached.
The invention also contemplates the following apparatus: Means for acting upon all liquid effluents in the pulp mill so that no liquid effluents are discharged from the pulp mill to the environment. And, means for acting on all gaseous effluents from the pulp mill so that the amount of SO.sub.x and No.sub.x are minimized, and the only major adverse gaseous effluent is carbon dioxide.
According to still another aspect of the present invention there is provided the method of: Digesting comminuted cellulosic fibrous material to a Kappa No. of about 24 or below. Effecting oxygen delignification of the digested pulp to a Kappa No. of about 14 or below. Bleaching the oxygen delignified pulp to produce bleach liquid effluents. Concentrating (e.g. evaporating) the liquid bleach effluents into a concentrated effluent. Incinerating the concentrated effluent to produce a residue. And, acting on the residue to recover chemicals therefrom used in the digesting, oxygen delignification, and/or bleaching stages, while also recovering water.
As alternative to the procedures described above, in mills where a chemical plant for producing chlorine dioxide is provided for the bleach plant, the method of minimizing effluents may entail the following steps: (a) Concentrating liquid effluents from the bleach plant to a concentration level high enough for incineration. (b) Incinerating the concentrated bleach plant effluents to produce a residue containing sodium, sulfate, sodium chloride, and carbonate. (c) Distilling the residue from step (b) with sulfuric acid to produce gaseous hydrogen chloride, and remaining residue. (d) Using the gaseous hydrogen chloride from step (c) in the chemical plant for producing chlorine dioxide. And, (e) passing the remaining residue from step (c) to the recovery loop.
Preferably the recovery loop includes a recovery boiler, and step (e) is practiced to pass the remaining residue either directly to the recovery boiler, or first to evaporators and then to the recovery boiler. The remaining residue also may be treated to remove heavy and transition metals prior to the practice of step (e). Also the mill typically has a non-condensable gas system, including hydrogen sulfide and methyl mercaptan gases therein, and there are further steps of: (f) combusting the non-condensible gases in the non-condensible gas system to produce gaseous sulfur dioxide; (g) converting the gaseous sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid; and (h) using the sulfuric acid from step (g) in step (c). Step (g) is preferably practiced by the Wet Sulfuric Acid (WSA) process. There may also be the further step (i), between steps (f) and (g), of reacting the gaseous sulfur dioxide from step (f) with sodium sulfite and water to produce concentrated sodium bisulfite and heating the concentrated sodium bisulfite in the presence of a catalyst to regenerate a concentrated form of gaseous sulfur dioxide; and wherein the concentrated form of gaseous sulfur dioxide from step (i) is used in step (g). Step (i) is known as the RESOX process.
Step (a) is typically practiced by evaporating the liquid effluents from the bleach plant, utilizing a plurality of stages of metal-plastic laminate falling film evaporators as described above.
Where the cellulose pulp mill bleach plant is a non-chlorine plant, a method of minimizing effluents may comprise the following steps: (a) Concentrating liquid effluents from the non-chlorine bleach plant, having little or no chlorine therein, to a concentration level high enough for combustion in the recovery boiler. (b) Passing the concentrated non-chlorine bleach plant effluents directly to the recovery boiler. And, (c) combusting the concentrated non-chlorine bleach plant effluents in the recovery boiler.
In all the procedures described, it is highly desirable to properly manage the water (liquid streams), so that the cleanest liquid is reserved only for those processes where it is needed, and so that its use is minimized where the absolutely cleanest water is not needed. Typically the pulp mill has at least first, second, and third loops of liquid streams, the loops having significantly different contamination levels, the contamination level gradually increasing from the first loop to the third loop. Minimizing the use of least contaminated liquid is achieved by: (a) sensing the contamination level in at least the first and second loops; (b) when the contamination level in the first loop exceeds a predetermined level, discharging some of the contaminated liquid from the first loop to the second loop, and replacing it with less contaminated liquid; (c) when the contamination level in the second loop exceeds a predetermined level, discharging some of the contaminated liquid from the second loop to the third loop, and replacing it with less contaminated liquid; and (d) purifying the most contaminated liquid from the loops to produce the less contaminated liquid for addition to at least step (b).
The method of managing liquid streams as described above is not limited to the methods heretofore described, but may be practiced in any pulp mill. Typically the method is practiced by combining the most contaminated liquid with the liquid effluents from the bleach plant to produce a combined effluent stream, and effecting evaporation of the combined effluent stream to produce a clean liquid and a more concentrated contaminant stream, with the clean liquid used as the less contaminated liquid in the steps described, while the more concentrated contaminant stream is further treated to recover contaminants therefrom (e.g. by incinerating and recovering chemicals from the incineration residue, etc., as earlier described). The pulp mill also typically includes a fourth loop and the contamination level in the third loop is sensed and when it exceeds a predetermined level some of the contaminated liquid is discharged from the third loop to the fourth loop, and replaced with less contaminated liquid. Also the contamination level in the fourth loop is preferably sensed, and when it exceeds a predetermined level liquid is discharged from it for the purification step earlier described. Liquid spills that are recovered from the pulp mill may be introduced into the fourth loop. There is also preferably the step of cooling the liquid in the loops, and in at least some of the loops separating contaminants from the loops and passing those separated contaminants to a more contaminated loop. Some of the contaminated liquid from the first loop may be passed directly to the third loop.
The invention also contemplates apparatus for managing liquid streams in a cellulose pulp mill having a digester, a bleach plant, and at least first, second, and third loops of liquid streams. The loops having liquid streams therein of significantly different contamination levels, the contamination level gradually increasing from the first loop to the third loop. This water managing apparatus comprises means for sensing the contamination level in at least the first and second loops; valve means controlled by the sensing means for discharging some of the contaminated liquid from one loop to another, more contaminated, loop; and means for purifying contaminated liquid (typically the most contaminated) from the loops to produce less contaminated liquid. The apparatus may also include means for cooling the liquid in each of the loops. Also, at least one of the loops includes means for separating a rejects stream from the loop, and for discharging the reject stream to another, more contaminated, loop
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for the production of cellulose chemical pulp with essentially zero discharge of liquid pollutants to the environment, with a minimum amount of gaseous pollution, and with the minimum amount of solid waste products. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.

Method of managing liquid steams in a pulp mill


A plastic garment hanger having a hook with an abutment for engaging an aperture formed in an indicator cap to support the indicator cap on the hanger is provided. A hook having an upwardly projecting web which defines an aperture wherein a descending flexible tongue for engaging an aperture formed in an indicator cap is also provided.

For purposes of displaying garments suspended on hangers in an orderly and attractive manner to the retail customer, it is often desired to affix an indicating means on the hanger in a position visible to the retail customer while the hanger is suspended on a rack. The indicating means identifies some attribute of the garment suspended from the hanger, such as size, quality, color, manufacturing data, or pattern.
To accommodate the various types of hangers available in the industry numerous indicating means have been developed in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. Similarly, hangers have been developed to accommodate a variety of different indicating means.
For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,137,661 to Johansson a carrier attached to the bottom of a hook of a garment hanger is disclosed. A label may be adhered to or inserted in the carrier portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,953 to O'Keefe discloses a rectangular plastic guard which is adapted to be secured to the wire hook of a clothes hanger, and which extends upwardly therefrom to assist in preventing the clothes hangers from becoming entangled with one another.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,099,261 to Lewyt discloses a clothes hanger particularly adapted for hanging sets of furs, with a metal rectangular plate 10 which receives an index card describing the furs suspended therefrom and is positioned substantially between the hook and body portion of the hanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,940 to Phillips discloses an indicia-bearing tab which attaches to a member located substantially at the junction of both the hook and the body member.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 302,214 to Wilson includes two embodiments directed to ornamental designs for garment hangers which include a designated member for attaching an indicating means.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 244,197 to Ostroll discloses an ornamental design for a size indicator that is intended for attachment to a garment hanger.
The provision of a readily visible size indicator on a garment hanger is now accepted by retailers as a desirable addition to a garment hanger. The most widely accepted indicators have been manufactured by the applicant under Australian Patent No. 509042 (AU-B-42320/78 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,902 to Lenthall) and Australian Patent No. 522614 (AU-B-55988/80). While the indicator disclosed in Australian Patent No. 509042 in particular has been well received by retailers in Australia, the desire of some retailers to reduce to a minimum the costs of hangers and indicators has meant that other manufacturers have developed less aesthetically pleasing alternatives to the indicator of the Australian Patent. In addition, differences in attitude have indicated that the "cap" indicator of Australian Patent No. 509042 may be regarded by some as being too bulky and dominant in the overall view of the hanger and the garments supported thereon.
The automated manufacture of hangers with indicators is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,806 assigned to the assignee of this invention, and the specification thereof is hereby incorporated herein by reference thereto. U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,806 describes a low-profile molded plastics indicator for garment hangers which requires modification to the hook of the hanger to enable the indicator to be securely attached to the top of the hook where it is most visible. The improvements described in the above patent overcame the major disadvantages of indicators of the type described in our U.S. Pat. No. 4,322,902. The indicator according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,806 is also designed to enable sorting into a predetermined orientation to enable automated handling and fitting of the indicators. For these reasons, the indicator has enjoyed considerable commercial success.
Other Indicators for hangers and hanger hooks for receiving indicators on disclosed are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,899 and German Offenlegangsschrift DE 3901086.

Hanger hook for a garment hanger with indicator


An electronic device includes at least one gamma correction unit including a first gamma correction unit. In one embodiment, the first gamma correction unit includes at least one tap that is configured to allow the gamma function for the first gamma correction unit to be changed after the electronic device has been fabricated. In another embodiment, a process for using the electronic device operating the array during a first time period using a first gamma function for the first gamma correction unit. The process also includes changing the first gamma function to a second gamma function. The process further includes operating the array during a second time period using the second gamma function for the first gamma correction unit. A data processing system readable medium has code that includes instructions for carrying out the process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to electronic devices, and more particularly, to electronic devices comprising gamma correction units, processes for using those electronic devices, and data processing system readable media having code including instructions for carrying out at least a portion of the processes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Organic electronic devices have attracted considerable attention since the early 1990's. Examples of organic electronic devices include Organic Light-Emitting Diodes ("OLEDs"), which include Polymer Light-Emitting Diodes ("PLEDs") and Small Molecule Organic Light-Emitting Diodes ("SMOLEDs"). Display devices, including OLED displays, have played an important role in modern human life. As computing, telecommunications, home entertainment, and networking technologies converge, the display unit will become more important.
In the display area, there are many kinds of technologies including cathode ray tube ("CRT"), liquid crystal display ("LCD"), and so on. LCD technology is dominant in the present flat panel display market. FIG. 1 includes a block diagram of a conventional data driver 100 for use with an LCD display.
FIG. 1 includes a block diagram of the conventional data driver 100. R, G, and B data, from external digital video inputs for Red, Green and Blue electronic components, are received by a data control unit 102 and are routed to a data latch unit 122. An address shift register 104 receives an external enable signal, a shift direction signal, and a shift clock signal. The external enable signal is used to enable the address shift register 104. The shift direction signal controls the shift direction (from scan line 1 to scan line n or from scan line n to scan line 1). The shift clock signal provides a reference timing signal from which activities in the conventional data driver 100 can be coordinated. The data latch unit 122 also receives a latch enable signal and a load signal. The data latch unit 122 may or may not include storage registers. If storage registers are present, data can be transferred from individual data latches to their corresponding storage registers. The latch enable signal is used to enable individual data latches (or storage registers, if present) within the data latch unit 122, and the load signal enables the captured datum for each data latch to be output to digital-to-analog ("D/A") converters 124. The D/A converters 124 also receive a signal from a gamma correction unit 142 and a polarity inverter 144. Outputs from the D/A converters 124 are received by output-signal drivers 126, which can send data along data lines to electronic components within an array of a display. The operation of the data driver 100 is conventional.
Regarding the gamma correction unit 142, displays and printers use a gamma function to better match the intensity of the output to what a user would expect to see or desires. For example, for an image, a gamma correction unit can provide a gamma function that allows the image, as seen by a human on a display or on paper, to match the intensity if the human were present when the image was actually captured (e.g., when the picture was taken). Gamma correction using a gamma function is conventional. The gamma correction unit receives an input signal corresponding to an image and produces an output signal (Vo) based in part on the value of gamma as given in Equation 1.Output signal=(Input signal)γ  (Equation 1)
FIG. 2 illustrates a series of lines (straight and curved) for different values of gamma. As can be seen in FIG. 2, a gamma of less than 1 is used for lighter images, and a gamma of greater than 1 is used for darker images.
The value of gamma for the gamma correction unit 142 is set when the gamma correction unit is fabricated and cannot be changed at a later time. Also, the minimum and maximum output values from the gamma correction unit are set when the display or printer is fabricated and are not changed at a later time. Therefore, the gamma function is static.
For organic electroluminescent displays, multiple gamma correction units have been proposed. For example, one gamma correction unit may be dedicated to each color emitter (e.g., red, green, and blue). However, the gamma function is still static and does not change. The problems with the gamma correction unit 142 may be even more of an issue for organic active layers used within radiation-emitting components, as different materials for organic active layers and corresponding thin-film pixel driving circuits may degrade at different rates.

Electronic device comprising a gamma correction unit, a process for using the electronic device, and a data processing system readable medium


A steering system includes:                a tilt mechanism including a pivotal shaft which extends in a sidewise direction of the vehicle, the tilt mechanism being adapted to pivot the movable column portion upward and downward around the pivotal shaft, the tilt mechanism controlling the movable column portion to be secured in a certain upper pivotal position and a certain lower pivotal position;        a telescope mechanism adapted to pull out and push in in a forward-backward direction of the vehicle the movable column portion including the pivotal shaft;        a pop up mechanism for allowing the movable column portion to make a popping up over an uppermost pivotal position defined by the tilt mechanism; and        a pop up mechanism controlling mechanism for controlling the popping up of the movable column portion by the pop up mechanism until the movable column portion pulled out by the telescope mechanism has a certain length.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering system having a tilt mechanism and a pop up mechanism both for controlling tilting of a steering wheel, with some parts shared by the tilt mechanism and the pop up mechanism. Moreover, the steering system under the present invention includes a telescope mechanism for moving the steering wheel substantially in a forward-backward direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
For improving seat occupant's comfort (namely, getting in and getting off the vehicle with ease), various types of steering systems are proposed, including one that has a steering wheel capable of popping up to a certain position when the seat occupant gets off the vehicle and moving back to a driving position after the seat occupant gets in the vehicle.
Recently, another steering wheel having a greater popping up angle for further improving the seat occupant's comfort is in practical use, as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2000-71798 (=JP2000071798).
A steering system according to Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2000-71798 (=JP2000071798) is mounted to a vehicle having an automatic transmission. When the vehicle is in an idle state or an ignition key is turned on, the steering wheel is allowed to pop up to an angle over an ordinary driving angle. The steering wheel includes a steering position selecting means, a steering position sensing means, a shift lever parking position sensing means, a foot brake pedal position sensing means, a steering moving means, a shift lever locking means, and a steering movement controlling means. The shift lever locking means locks (disables) shift selection. The steering movement controlling means controls the shift lever locking means and the steering movement controlling means by taking in a signal of each of the steering position selecting means, the steering position sensing means, the shift lever parking position sensing means and the foot brake pedal position sensing means.
The steering movement controlling means makes the following control:                With the steering wheel popped up, the seat occupant even stepping on a foot brake pedal cannot make a shift selection due to the shift lever locking means. Moreover, the seat occupant even stepping on the foot brake pedal cannot unlock the shift lever locking means unless the steering wheel is returned to a driving position completely.        On the other hand, the steering wheel returned to the driving position completely may allow the seat occupant to unlock the shift lever locking means by stepping on the foot brake pedal.
Summarizing the above, the seat occupant can unlock the shift lever locking means by stepping on the foot brake pedal only in a state of the steering wheel completely returned to the driving position. With the steering wheel in an inoperable position, the seat occupant stepping down the foot brake pedal cannot make the shift selection from parking to other speed range, even when the vehicle is in the idle state or the ignition key is turned on.
With the steering system according to Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2000-71798 (=JP2000071798), however, a pop up mechanism popping up the steering wheel greatly upward in the vehicle's stop and the like may cause an interference to a steering column's cover with an instrument panel which is disposed in front of the seat occupant in the vehicle.


Disclosed is a method for detecting a column fail by controlling a sense amplifier of a memory device. The method includes the steps of enabling a word line of a memory cell of the memory device, adjusting a timing of a high-level driving voltage and a low-level driving voltage applied to the sense amplifier, and detecting an amplification result of the sense amplifier.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for testing a memory cell by controlling a sense amplifier of a memory device, and more particularly to a test method capable of previously detecting a column fail of a memory device by adjusting a timing of driving voltage applied to a sense amplifier when a wafer level test is carried out.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is generally known in the art, semiconductor wafers are subject to at least two test processes (that is, a wafer level test and a package level test) before the semiconductor wafers have been fabricated as semiconductor articles. Such test processes for the semiconductor wafers are inevitably necessary in order to achieve semiconductor articles having no defects.
The test processes are carried out with respect to all internal parts of a semiconductor device, such as a memory device. Therefore, such test processes are also carried out with respect to a memory cell of the memory device storing data, which relates to the present invention.
Conventionally, when a defect of a memory cell is found during a wafer level test, a repair fuse of a word line or a bit line connected to a detected cell is cut so as to replace the defected cell with a redundancy cell.
In contrast, if the defect of the memory cell is found during a package level test, a method utilizing an anti-fuse is used. However, in order to realize the above method utilizing the anti-fuse, an additional circuit is necessary, so a size of a memory chip is enlarged and a yield rate is decreased.

Method for detecting column fail by controlling sense amplifier of memory device


A semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate is provided that includes a silicon or germanium handle substrate that is miscut from 2 degrees to 8 degrees towards the <111> crystallographic direction or the <100> crystallographic direction. The topmost semiconductor layer is removed from a portion of the SOI substrate, and then a trench having a high aspect ratio is formed within the insulator layer of the SOI substrate and along the <111> crystallographic direction or the <100> crystallographic direction. An III-V compound semiconductor pillar, which includes a lower portion that has a first defect density and an upper portion that has a second defect density that is less than the first defect density, is then formed in the trench.

The present application relates to a semiconductor structure and a method of forming the same. More particularly, the present application relates to a semiconductor structure including an III-V compound semiconductor pillar formed on a surface of a miscut silicon or germanium handle substrate of a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, and a method of forming the same.
For more than three decades, the continued miniaturization of metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) has driven the worldwide semiconductor industry. Various showstoppers to continued scaling have been predicated for decades, but a history of innovation has sustained Moore's Law in spite of many challenges. However, there are growing signs today that metal oxide semiconductor transistors are beginning to reach their traditional scaling limits. Since it has become increasingly difficult to improve MOSFETs and therefore complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) performance through continued scaling, further methods for improving performance in addition to scaling have become critical.
The use of non-planar semiconductor devices such as, for example, semiconductor fin field effect transistors (FinFETs) is the next step in the evolution of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. Semiconductor fin field effect transistors (FETs) can achieve higher drive currents with increasingly smaller dimensions as compared to conventional planar FETs.
III-V compound semiconductor materials have a higher electron mobility than silicon and are thus an attractive channel material candidate for providing high performance nFET devices for future technology nodes. Integrating an III-V compound semiconductor material on a silicon substrate is very challenge due to the large lattice constant mismatch between the two semiconductor materials.
In view of the above, there is a need for providing a method of forming a semiconductor structure in which an III-V compound semiconductor material can be readily integrated on a silicon substrate.

Structure for integration of an III-V compound semiconductor on SOI

International Business Machines Corporation


A battery pack for an electrically driven automobile includes plural battery banks, a battery management unit that detects current flows, voltages and temperatures, first and second terminals connected respectively to the positive and negative electrode terminals of the battery banks, plural third and fourth terminals connected respectively to the positive and negative electrode terminals of the battery banks, a main contactor that switches the connection between the positive electrode terminals of the battery banks and the first terminal and the connection between the negative electrode terminals of battery banks and the second terminal, sub-contactors that switch the connection between the positive electrode terminals of the battery banks and the first terminal, and charging sub-contactors that switch the connection between the positive electrode terminals of the battery banks and the third terminals and the connection between the negative electrode terminals of the battery banks and the fourth terminals, respectively.

In recent years, in order to meet the demand for preventing global warming by cutting CO2 exhaustion, electrically driven automobiles are being actively marketed. In addition to conventional sedans and motorbikes, companies are developing electrically driven buses, trucks and other large size vehicles.
Accordingly, there has been a demand for developing technology for quickly charging battery packs carried on electrically driven automobiles. In order to realize this, in the related art, a quick charger have been proposed. If charging can be carried out at up to 50 kW by the quick charger, an onboard battery pack of about 24 kWh can be nearly fully charged in about 30 min.
However, for large size vehicles, the energy needed for running is higher than that for sedans, so that the capacity of the battery pack carried on such vehicles is naturally higher. When a high capacity onboard battery pack is charged by using the conventional quick charger, due to the restriction on maximum output power and maximum current, it is difficult to fully charge in a short time. For example, for a 50 kWh onboard battery pack, it takes about 1 hour to charge it with the quick charger.
Buses, trucks and other large size vehicles run according to their predetermined round schedules, respectively. When it takes a long time to charge the onboard battery pack, it is difficult to make sufficient charging for the battery pack between two rounds of running along the round schedule. In such a case, it is necessary to use more large size vehicles to realize the related round schedule. As a result, the operation efficiency decreases.

Battery pack and electrically driven automobile