In a method for manufacturing plastic frames for eyeglasses a plastic blank is provided with formed portions in the area where protruding parts of the finished plastic frame are located. Preferably, these formed portions are injection molded onto the plastic blank. By providing these formed portions to the plastic blank, the number of commonly required cutting steps are reduced.

The present invention relates to a plastic frame for eyeglasses, comprising a center portion, temples and hinges for connecting the temples to the center portion, whereby the plastic frame has protruding parts in the form of nose cushions at the center portion and hinge supports for the hinges at the center portion and the temples. The plastic frame is manufactured by cutting or machining the frame, respectively, its center portion and/or its temples from a plastic blank.
The present invention is further concerned with a method for manufacturing such plastic frames for eyeglasses.
Plastic frames for eyeglasses of the aforementioned kind are commonly manufactured from a flat plastic blank, having dimensions of approximately 60 by 180 mm and a thickness of, for example, 10 mm, by respective milling or cutting processes or other machining steps and thus shaped to the desired form. For such a manufacturing process it is necessary to provide the flat plastic blank with a thickness of up to 12 mm, because for high-quality plastic frames a one-piece manufacturing of the center piece is required, and the plastic blank thus must have a respective thickness in the area of the nose cushions or nose pads.
The temples of the plastic frame are usually manufactured from plastic blank material having a considerably reduced thickness with respect to the plastic blanks for the center portions of, for example, 4 mm.
It is a disadvantage of the known methods that the plastic blanks of a great thickness, which, for example, consist of cellulose acetate, are comparably expensive. The cutting or milling process is relatively time consuming, and, furthermore, a great amount of discard material is produced. Also, time periods between deliveries for plastic blanks of various sizes and colors vary, thus requiring uneconomical storage of various plastic blanks in order to ensure a continuous manufacture according to the demands of the market.
For plastic frames which do not have to conform to extremely high quality standards, it is possible to glue thin plastic plates to the area of the nose cushions so that for manufacturing the center portions plastic blanks with a reduced thickness may be employed. However, the manufacturing process is even further prolonged because after the application of the thin plastic plates the blanks must be carefully dried for an extended period of time.
The drying time must be determined in practice. It depends also to a certain degree on the form and thickness of the frame to be manufactured, respectively, on the nose cushion portion. The drying time must be selected such that a complete drying is ensured. If the drying time is insufficient, depressions may be observed within the area of the gluing scam which result from the fact that the gluing surface areas, i.e. the surface areas of the blank and of the plastic plates which are facing one another and which are provided with the glue, have been partially dissolved during pretreatment before the gluing step. If such depressions occur, the plastic frame is practically unfit to be sold and must be discarded.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a plastic frame for eyeglasses of the aforementioned kind as well as a respective manufacturing method which ensure a high product quality with economical manufacturing costs and reduces storage costs while providing a great color and shape selection of the plastic frame.


Example embodiments described in this disclosure are generally directed to a plastic enclosure that provides EMI shielding and heat sinking to an electronic assembly. In one embodiment, the enclosure includes a housing portion formed of a base material that includes a polymer containing graphene nanostructures and carbon nanostructures. The graphene nanostructures provide a thermal conductivity characteristic to the base material. A set of standoff elements made of the base material is provided inside the housing for mounting the electronic assembly. Heat generated by the electronic assembly is conducted out of the enclosure by the standoff elements due to the graphene nanostructures. The carbon nanostructures provide an electrical conductivity characteristic to the base material. A lid formed of the base material may be attached to the housing portion. The carbon nanostructures in the housing portion and the lid provide EMI shielding to the electronic assembly inside the enclosure.

A vehicle typically includes a large number of components. Many of these components are located in enclosed areas such as an engine compartment of the vehicle. Mechanical components are generally designed to withstand various adverse conditions such as high temperature, humidity, and wetness. Electronic assemblies, such as an engine controller circuit board or a climate control circuit board, are typically housed inside an enclosure so as to prevent water and dirt from affecting the operations of these components. Some enclosures are made of metal while others are made of non-metallic materials such as ABS plastic. Metal enclosures provide certain advantages, such as strength, durability, and heat dissipation characteristics, that help in minimizing adverse effects of heat upon the electronic assembly. Metal enclosures also offer shielding and grounding features that minimize adverse effects of electromagnetic interference (EMI) radiation upon the electronic assembly from external sources, and also minimize any EMI emissions produced by the electronic assembly from being radiated out of the metal enclosure. However, metal enclosures may add weight to the vehicle and it is generally desirable to minimize weight without compromising integrity. While current good engineering practice provides shielding to minimize EMI, removing metal enclosures could decrease vehicle weight while maintaining shielding to reduce EMI interference and emissions.
It is therefore desirable to fabricate vehicle components, particularly enclosures for electronic assemblies, which are light weight, yet offer benefits such as, for example, EMI shielding, heat sinking, and moisture proofing.

Systems and methods for an enclosure that provides EMI shielding and heat sinking to an electronic assembly of a vehicle


A system and method for reviewing an electronic document. A copy of an electronic document is sent to a reviewer, the copy of the electronic document having a first property identifying the location of the electronic document in the memory and indicating that review of the copy has been requested. The reviewer uses an application program to open the copy of the electronic document. The application program detects properties and in response to the first property, automatically displays a review toolbar. The edited electronic document is then sent back to the author having at least a first property. The application program executed by the author detects the properties and in response to the first property, retrieves the original electronic document from the memory and automatically prompts the author to merge the edited electronic document into the electronic document.

Authors of documents typically from time to time require the input of others with respect to a particular document the author is preparing. In performing this collaborative effort, documents are sent from one person to another with the understanding that the receiver of the document will review it, make changes as the receiver sees fit, and return the document to the originator who will generally be the author of the original document. This exchange may be repeated several times and the document may be sent to more than one person to be reviewed and edited.
A common practice is to create an electronic document using a computer implemented application program. Once the document has been created, it is sent to a reviewer who can open the document within a compatible application program. With the document opened, the reviewer may review the document and make edits that may include comments within the text. If special editing features are available within the application program, the reviewer must be familiar enough with the application program to initiate the user interfaces for the features. After all appropriate edits are completed, the reviewer may return a copy of the edited electronic document to the author.
Once the author receives the copy of the edited electronic document, the author must locate on disk or other memory device the electronic document that was originally sent for review. After the electronic document is opened, the author must merge the changes received from the edited electronic document into the electronic document. This can be performed in many different ways. First, the author may simply review the two documents and manually edit the electronic document to reflect the changes received in the edited electronic document. If the application program contains a feature for merging and the author is familiar with the initiation of this feature, the electronic document can be modified to reflect the changes in the edited electronic document utilizing the merging feature.
Regardless of how the document is merged, the author must manually search for the electronic document on disk or other memory device and must be familiar with the initiation of the merging feature of the application program if in fact it contains such a merging feature. In addition, with respect to the reviewing of the document, the reviewer must also be aware of any special reviewing features of the application program and how to initiate their user interfaces as well.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for automatically displaying reviewing features within application programs, automatically locating an original electronic document once the reviewed document has been returned to a computer system, and automatically displaying document merging features within an application program.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Reviewing and merging electronic documents


An electronic module and method that enable circuitry required by one form of the module (e.g., a developmental unit) to be omitted in a second form of the module (e.g., a production unit), without necessitating additional changes in the module. The electronic module includes a motherboard, a multichip module (MCM) mounted to the motherboard, and a circuit unit connected to the MCM. The circuit unit comprises a flexible substrate, instrumentation circuitry mounted on the flexible substrate, and a connector coupled to the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate has signal lines that electrically communicate with the MCM, the instrumentation circuitry, and the connector. A portion of the flexible substrate is located between the MCM and the motherboard and permits electrical communication therebetween. The instrumentation circuitry does not occupy space on the motherboard.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to circuit device packages. More particularly, this invention relates to circuit modules that require circuitry during development of the module that is later unneeded in production units of the module, wherein the circuitry is mounted on a flexible circuit that permits removal of the circuitry from the module without otherwise requiring modifications to the module.
2. Description of the Related Art
The continuous effort to reduce the size of circuit board assemblies has promoted the use of advanced packaging technologies such as multichip modules (MCM), including ball grid arrays (BGA). Circuit devices, typically surface-mount technology (SMT) components, are attached with solder to a chip carrier, often a laminate substrate such as a high-density printed circuit board (PCB). The solder may be initially present in the form of solder bumps that are formed on the devices and then reflowed to form solder joint connections that attach the devices to the chip carrier. In the case where the chip carrier is a PCB, it is usually desirable to underfill any flip chips on the chip carrier with a filled epoxy to ensure the reliability of the solder joint connections. The resulting MCM may be overmolded before being mounted to a motherboard, such as by reflowing solder bumps formed on the lower surface of the chip carrier. Finally, the motherboard assembly may be overmolded to protectively encase the MCM as well as any other MCM's or other circuit components mounted to the motherboard.
An example of an application for MCM's as described above is powertrain control modules (PCM's) for automotive applications. Instrumentation circuitry is often included in PCM's for emulation carried out during development and qualification of the PCM to assess the performance of an MCM mounted thereto. Current instrumentation techniques may require a calibration random access memory integrated circuit (RAM IC), a controller area network (CAN) IC, a connector with multiple signal lines, and supporting circuitry, all of which must be accommodated on the motherboard. Where practice prohibits altering a PCM design or its motherboard layout after qualification, the area on a PCM motherboard for the instrumentation circuitry must be carried on production PCM units long after there is any need for the instrumentation circuitry. The result is wasted motherboard real estate, increased cost, and the potential for noise generated because of the open signal lines of the instrumentation circuitry connector.
In view of the above, it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to eliminate the need to accommodate instrumentation circuitry on production units of a PCM motherboard and other motherboards on which MCM's are mounted.

Method of developing an electronic module


In an optical transmitter comprising a directly modulated laser and a wavelength filter provided on a post-stage of the directly modulated laser, the wavelength filter has a modulated light input port for inputting modulated light output from the directly modulated laser, a filter transmitted light output port for outputting light having a wavelength included in a filter transmission band among the modulated light as filter transmitted light, and a filter cutoff light output port provided separately from the modulated light input port and the filter transmitted light output port and outputting light having a wavelength included in a filter cutoff band among the modulated light as filter cutoff light, and the peak of the filter transmission band is set on a shorter-wave side from the peak of the spectrum of modulated light output from the directly modulated laser.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical transmitter used in an optical communication system, and for example, to an optical transmitter provided with a directly modulated laser.
(2) Description of Related Art
An optical transmitter module provided with a directly modulated laser (DML) is simple in comparison with one using an external modulator and has advantages that the cost is low, the space is saved, and the consumed power is small.
However, the DML has large wavelength chirping in comparison with one using an external modulator and has a disadvantage that the transmission distance is reduced as a result.
Here, the wavelength chirping means wavelength fluctuations that occur accompanying intensity modulation of light. In order to perform long distance transmission, it is necessary to suppress the wavelength chirping low.
Recently, there is discussion about an attempt to suppress the wavelength chirping low in order to perform longer distance transmission using the DML by optimizing drive methods and performing signal spectrum processing by use of a wavelength filter (for example, refer to D. Mahgerefteh et al. "Error-free 250 km transmission in standard fibre using compact 10 Gbit/s chirp-managed directly modulated lasers (CML) at 1550 nm" ELECTRONICS LETTERS 28 Apr. 2005 Vol. 41 No. 9).
In this specification, such a DML is particularly referred to as a low chirp directly modulated laser or low-chirp DML.
Here, FIG. 18 shows a configuration of a low chirp directly modulated laser in the prior art.
As shown in FIG. 18, the low chirp directly modulated laser in the prior art uses a single oscillation mode DFB laser 100 as a directly modulated semiconductor laser and the laser light output from the DFB laser 100 (DFB laser output light; modulated light) is caused to be inputted to a wavelength filter 103 via a coupling lens 101 and an isolator 102.
In this case, part of filter input light inputted to the wavelength filter 103 passes through the wavelength filter 103 and is output as filter transmitted light (module output light) as a result. On the other hand, part of the filter input light is cut off by the wavelength filter 103 and returns to the isolator 102 side as filter cutoff light.
Additionally, the isolator 102 is arranged in order to prevent the cutoff light cut off by the wavelength filter 103 from entering the DFB laser 100 as returned light.
The drive conditions of the DFB laser 100 in the low chirp directly modulated laser, the filter conditions of the wavelength filter 103, etc., will be explained in detail below with the principles of the low chirp directly modulated laser. Here, there is exemplified the case where the low chirp directly modulated laser is driven under the conditions that the operation wavelength is 1.55 μm and the modulation rate is 10 Gb/s.
By comparing with a normal. DML, the DFB laser 100 in the low chirp directly modulated laser is driven under the conditions that the average light output is increased by increasing the value of the direct current bias and the extinction ratio is reduced by reducing the drive current amplitude value. Normally, the extinction ratio is set to about 2 dB in the low chirp directly modulated laser.
Here, FIG. 19 schematically shows the light intensity waveform of laser light output from the DFB laser 100 when the DFB laser 100 is driven under such drive conditions.
On the basis of the properties of the DFB laser 100, the wavelength of output light from the DFB laser 100 generates time fluctuation as shown in FIG. 20 in accordance with the light intensity waveform shown in FIG. 19 in the case of such high average light output and low extinction ratio drive (this is referred to as a wavelength chirp waveform). In other words, the laser light (output light) output from the DFB laser 100 changes in wavelength approximately in proportion to the light intensity waveform (the proportion coefficient is a negative value).
For example, when the light intensity of laser light output from the DFB laser 100 is high, that is, in the case of the ON level, the wavelength of the laser output light becomes shorter (the frequency becomes higher) and conversely, when the light intensity of laser light output from the DFB laser 100 is low, that is, in the case of the OFF level, the wavelength of the laser output light becomes longer (the frequency becomes lower). Normally, in a low chirp directly modulated laser, the drive current amplitude value and the direct current bias current value are set such that the difference in wavelength of the laser output light between the ON level and the OFF level becomes about 5 GHz in terms of the frequency.
Additionally, in the case of the normal DML (not the low chirp directly modulated laser type), not only the change in wavelength in proportion to the light intensity waveform but also a large wavelength fluctuation component in proportion to the time derivative thereof are produced in the wavelength chirp (fluctuation) waveform in FIG. 20.
In contrast to this, in the case of the low chirp directly modulated laser, the wavelength fluctuation component in proportion to the time derivative of such a light intensity waveform is suppressed low by being driven under the conditions that the average light output is increased and the extinction ratio is suppressed low, which results in making a signal more suitable for optical fiber transmission.
By the way, the spectrum of the output light from the DFB laser in the low chirp directly modulated laser is such one as shown by the solid line A in FIG. 21.
Additionally, in the spectrum shown by the solid line A in FIG. 21, the short wave component corresponds to the ON level component of the output light from the DFB laser and the long wave component corresponds to the OFF level component of the output light from the DFB laser, respectively.
In the low chirp directly modulated laser, signal spectrum processing is performed for the output light spectrum of such a DFB laser by use of a wavelength filter having a wavelength filter function as shown by the solid line B in FIG. 21. In other words, filtering processing is performed such that the short wave component corresponding to the ON level of the light intensity waveform is transmitted and the long wave component corresponding to the OFF level is cut off.
With such filtering processing, the signal spectrum of the wavelength filter transmitted light after passing through the filter and the light intensity waveform of the wavelength filter transmitted light become those shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, respectively.
In other words, as shown in FIG. 22, the signal light of the OFF level component is cut off relatively more than the signal light of the ON level component, therefore, as shown in FIG. 23, the light intensity waveform of the wavelength filter transmitted light after passing through the filter has as large a extinction ratio as about 10 dB in comparison with the light intensity waveform of the output light from the DFB laser shown in FIG. 19. Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the width of the signal spectrum becomes small because the OFF level component has been cut off.
As described above, in the low chirp directly modulated laser, the spectrum width of the signal light is reduced using the wavelength filter so that it becomes more unlikely to receive the influence of the group velocity dispersion of optical fiber transmission, and long-distance transmission is made possible, as a result. Further, since the extinction ratio of the light intensity waveform to be output finally via the wavelength filter is large, it is possible to use the low chirp directly modulated laser for normal and simple intensity modulation on off keying (IM-OOK).


A solid-state image sensor is provided. The sensor includes a substrate having a light-receiving surface. The substrate includes a charge accumulation portion that forms part of a photoelectric conversion element, a charge holding portion arranged at a position deeper than the charge accumulation portion from the light-receiving surface, and a first transfer portion configured to transfer charges generated by the photoelectric conversion element to the charge holding portion along a depth direction of the substrate. A distance between the charge holding portion and the light-receiving surface is not less than 4 μm.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a solid-state image sensor and a camera.
Description of the Related Art
There is known a solid-state image sensor that provides a charge holding portion in each pixel and thus allows all pixels to simultaneously transfer signal charges generated in photoelectric conversion portions to the charge holding portions. In the solid-state image sensor having this function, when light from outside enters the charge holding portion that is holding signal charges, charges newly generated by photoelectric conversion in the charge holding portion produce noise. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-98446 describes a solid-state image sensor in which a light-shielding layer is provided in a semiconductor substrate. This aims at suppressing charge generation in the charge holding portion and suppressing degradation of image quality.


Provided is a nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead. The arrangement includes a substrate defining an ink inlet channel and ink chamber with a CMOS layer deposited on top of the substrate, and a nozzle wall, roof and rim positioned on top of the substrate via which ink is operatively ejected from the chamber. The arrangement also includes an anchor atop the CMOS layer, said anchor linked to a stiffening beam by means of an actuator beam, the stiffening beam suspended from the CMOS layer by means of a passive beam and a carrier. Further included is a diffusion barrier about the ink chamber to inhibit the diffusion of hydroxyl ions through the CMOS layer.

Many different types of printing have been invented, a large number of which are presently in use. The known forms of print have a variety of methods for marking the print media with a relevant marking media. Commonly used forms of printing include offset printing, laser printing and copying devices, dot matrix type impact printers, thermal paper printers, film recorders, thermal wax printers, dye sublimation printers and ink jet printers both of the drop on demand and continuous flow type. Each type of printer has its own advantages and problems when considering cost, speed, quality, reliability, simplicity of construction and operation etc.
In recent years, the field of ink jet printing, wherein each individual pixel of ink is derived from one or more ink nozzles has become increasingly popular primarily due to its inexpensive and versatile nature.
Many different techniques on ink jet printing have been invented. For a survey of the field, reference is made to an article by J Moore, "Non-Impact Printing: Introduction and Historical Perspective", Output Hard Copy Devices, Editors R Dubeck and S Sherr, pages 207-220 (1988).
Ink Jet printers themselves come in many different types. The utilization of a continuous stream of ink in ink jet printing appears to date back to at least 1929 wherein U.S. Pat. No. 1,941,001 by Hansell discloses a simple form of continuous stream electro-static ink jet printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,596,275 by Sweet also discloses a process of a continuous inkjet printing including the step wherein the ink jet stream is modulated by a high frequency electro-static field so as to cause drop separation. This technique is still utilized by several manufacturers including Elmjet and Scitex (see also U.S. Pat. No. 3,373,437 by Sweet et al)
Piezoelectric ink jet printers are also one form of commonly utilized ink jet printing device. Piezoelectric systems are disclosed by Kyser et. al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,398 (1970) which utilizes a diaphragm mode of operation, by Zolten in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,212 (1970) which discloses a squeeze mode of operation of a piezoelectric crystal, Stemme in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,120 (1972) discloses a bend mode of piezoelectric operation, Howkins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,601 discloses a piezoelectric push mode actuation of the inkjet stream and Fischbeck in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,590 which discloses a shear mode type of piezoelectric transducer element.
Recently, thermal ink jet printing has become an extremely popular form of ink jet printing. The ink jet printing techniques include those disclosed by Endo et al in GB 2007162 (1979) and Vaught et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,728. Both the aforementioned references disclosed ink jet printing techniques that rely upon the activation of an electrothermal actuator which results in the creation of a bubble in a constricted space, such as a nozzle, which thereby causes the ejection of ink from an aperture connected to the confined space onto a relevant print media. Printing devices utilizing the electro-thermal actuator are manufactured by manufacturers such as Canon and Hewlett Packard.
As can be seen from the foregoing, many different types of printing technologies are available. Ideally, a printing technology should have a number of desirable attributes. These include inexpensive construction and operation, high speed operation, safe and continuous long term operation etc. Each technology may have its own advantages and disadvantages in the areas of cost, speed, quality, reliability, power usage, simplicity of construction operation, durability and consumables.
A common problem with inkjet printers is that an unavoidable number of ink droplets ejected from each nozzle are misdirected. By "misdirected", it is meant that the ink droplet does not follow its intended trajectory towards a print medium. Usually, the intended trajectory of an ink droplet is perpendicular to an ink ejection surface of the printhead. However, some misdirected ink droplets may be ejected at a skewed angle for a variety of reasons.
In some cases, misdirected ink droplets may be a result of malformed nozzles or nozzle openings during the printhead manufacturing process. In these cases, the misdirected ink droplets will be systematic and generally unavoidable.
In other cases, misdirected ink droplets will be irregular and unpredictable. These may result from, for example, dust particles partially occluding nozzle openings, ink flooding across the surface of the printhead between adjacent nozzles, or variations in ink viscosity. Typically, an increase in ink viscosity will lead to a greater number of misdirects and ultimately result in nozzles becoming clogged—a phenomenon known in the art as "decap".
Misdirected ink droplets are clearly problematic in the inkjet printing art. Misdirected ink droplets result in reduced print quality and need to be minimized as far as possible. They are especially problematic in the high-speed inkjet printers developed by the present Applicant. When printing onto a moving print medium at speeds of up to 60 pages per minute, the effects of misdirects are magnified compared with traditional inkjet printers.
Accordingly, a number of measures are normally taken to avoid the causes of misdirects. These measures may include, for example, low manufacturing tolerances to minimize malformed nozzles, printhead designs and surface materials which minimize ink flooding, filtered air flow across the printhead to minimize build up of dust particles, and fine temperature control in the nozzles to minimize variations in ink temperature and, hence, ink viscosity.
However, all of these measures significantly add to manufacturing costs and do not necessarily prevent misdirects. Even when such measures are implemented, some misdirects are inevitable and can still result in unacceptably low print quality.
It would be desirable to provide a printhead assembly, which gives improved print quality. It would further be desirable to provide a printhead assembly, which reduces the effects (in terms of reduced print quality) of misdirected ink droplets. It would still further be desirable to provide a printhead assembly, which gives robust protection of nozzle structures formed on the surface of the printhead.

Nozzle arrangement for an inkjet printhead with a diffusion barrier


A process is described for recovering metal values, e.g., gallium, contained in an aqueous solution by extraction comprising the steps of contacting the aqueous solution with a water immiscible organic phase comprising a water-insoluble substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline whereby the metal values are transferred into the organic phase; separating the organic phase from the aqueous solution and recovering the metal values from the organic phase. The novel feature comprises recovering the metal values by contacting the organic phase containing metal values with an aqueous solution of a strong base whereby metal values are removed from the organic phase to the aqueous solution with the aqueous solution containing the recovered metal values having a concentration of at least 4.6 moles per liter total hydroxide, and then separating the metal values from the aqueous phase.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the recovery of metal values, e.g., gallium, from aqueous solutions by liquid-liquid and liquid-solid extraction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known in this art, e.g., from Helgorsky et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,843, that gallium can be extracted from basic aqueous solutions, such as sodium aluminate solutions of the Bayer process, by solvent extraction with a substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline dissolved in organic solution. The standard practice for reextracting gallium from an organic solution is to contact the gallium with an aqueous solution of a mineral acid, e.g., hydrochloric, sulfuric or nitric acid. From a process point of view, the acidic re-extraction creates several problems:
a) A high equilibrium acid concentration is required to favorably re-extract gallium from the organic phase, leading either to high acid consumption or to the need for acid recovering stages. PA1 b) The protonation of the substituted 8-hydroxyquinoline when contacted with strong acidic solutions, either increases the acid consumption or requires supplementary acid recovery stages. PA1 c) When gallium is initially extracted from Bayer liquor, any acid mixed with Bayer liquor results in the formation of salts detrimental to the Bayer process, thereby rendering the gallium extraction process less compatible with the host Bayer plant.
It has been suggested in European Patent Application No. 0 234 319, that it may be possible to re-extract gallium from the organic solution by contacting the gallium with a strong base, but no examples are given. Moreover, a concentration of 5 to 10 moles per liter is suggested.
It is an object of the present invention to circumvent the above problems by eliminating the need for acid extraction, thereby rendering the metal recovery process more compatible with the process and solutions used in a hydrometallurgical factory.

Recovery of metal values from aqueous solutions


A system is described for providing performance feedback to a cashier at a POS terminal. The system includes a display for displaying information to a cashier operating the POS terminal. The display displays a performance goal screen at the start of a work session, indicating to the cashier a performance goal for the work session. The POS terminal measures the cashier's performance during the work session and, at the end of the work session, the display displays a performance report screen comparing the cashier's measured performance with the performance goal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for motivating employees, and more particularly to advantageous aspects of systems and methods for providing performance feedback to a cashier at a point-of-sale (POS) terminal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known that one way to motivate employees to perform their tasks as efficiently as possible is to provide them with ongoing feedback as to their level of performance. In a retail store, one important task having a direct impact on customer satisfaction is the speed and accuracy with which the checkout process is accomplished. However, cashiers using POS terminals currently do not get immediate feedback on their performance. Thus, providing cashiers with this feedback may motivate them to work faster.

Systems and methods for providing performance feedback to a cashier at a point-of-sale terminal


Known techniques to improve metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) performance is to add a high stress dielectric layer to the MOSFET. The high stress dielectric layer introduces stress in the MOSFET that causes electron mobility drive current to increase. This technique increases process complexity, however, and can degrade PMOS performance. Embodiments of the present invention create dislocation loops in the MOSFET substrate to introduce stress and implants nitrogen in the substrate to control the growth of the dislocation loops so that the stress remains beneath the channel of the MOSFET.

1. Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to transistors, and in particular to improving the speed of transistors.
2. Discussion of Related Art
A typical metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) has a gate, a drain, and a source formed in or on a semiconductor wafer. When a voltage Vg is applied to the gate that is greater than the threshold voltage Vt of the transistor, the transistor turns on and current flows in a conducting layer formed below the gate and between the source and drain. When the voltage Vg applied to the gate that is less than the threshold voltage Vt of the transistor, the transistor turns off and current stops flowing in the channel. The current that flows in the channel is the drive current ID, sometimes called saturation drive current or linear drive current.
In the MOSFET equation, saturation drive current (ID) is expressed byID=W/LμCOX(Vg−Vt)2 where W is the width of the gate, L is the length of the gate, COX is the gate capacitance, Vg is the gate voltage, Vt is the threshold voltage for the transistor, μ is electron mobility in the channel, in percent change. As the equation indicates, as the electron mobility increases, drive current increases.
MOSFETS can be either n-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistors or p-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistors and usually a combination of NMOS transistors and PMOS transistors are present in a single integrated circuit device. Integrated circuit technology is advancing at a rapid pace and transistor technology must keep up.
One method for improving NMOS transistor performance is to add a layer of high stress dielectric material to the transistor. Adding a layer of high stress dielectric material to the transistor introduces stress in the device. Introducing stress by adding a layer of high stress dielectric material to the transistor increases electron mobility in the transistor. Increasing electron mobility causes transistor drive current to improve. This technique, i.e., adding a layer of high stress dielectric material, increases transistor fabrication process complexity, however, and can degrade PMOS transistor performance.

Nitrogen controlled growth of dislocation loop in stress enhanced transistor


A photonic cross-connect includes a plurality of ingress WS-switches with drop outputs outputting WDM drop signals including odd channels and a plurality of egress WS-switches for receiving WDM add signals including add channels. Wavelength selective elements in a drop path and in an add path comply with a double frequency spacing and about a double bandwidth of the ingress WS-switches or egress WS-switches. If both odd and even channels are dropped and added, separate add and drop paths are provided for the odd and for the even channels.

Photonic (also called optical) cross-connects are based on the idea that a channel (more exactly a single signal) from a plurality of received WDM signals (wavelength division multiplex signals) can be redirected into any one of transmitted WDM signals. Most of the cross-connects avoid wavelength conversion, because it is cost effective and, if optical-electrical conversion and 3R-regeneration is not used, reduces the signal quality. Another restriction for the signal quality comes from the wavelength selective elements. These problems increase, if DWDM signals (dense wavelength division multiplex signals) are transmitted.
To singularize single channels (single signals) of a DWDM signal and to combine a plurality of channels to a DWDM signal, it is necessary to use very narrow filters or similar wavelength selecting elements. This results in a reduction of signal quality. For dropping and adding channels (single signals) from and respectively to a DWDM signal, wavelength selecting elements are also necessary, but neither the quality of the dropped channels nor the quality of the added channels should be reduced. Beside this, a certain switching flexibility is also necessary for outputting drop signals and for inserting add signals.
Modern photonic cross-connects comprise optical multiplexers, demultiplexers, tuneable filters and wavelength selective switches. A photonic cross-connect is disclosed in the patent application US 2006/0098981 A1. Each through or express channel has to pass through a WSS (wavelength selective switch) and a multiplexer. This can be accepted in most cases. But each add and each drop signal has to pass through three narrow filter elements, this means that each signal (referred to as channels) has to pass three narrow filter elements in an add path and at least three narrow filter elements in an drop path even in a short point to point connection. The result is a significant reduction of signal quality.
WS-switches are used for realizing cross-connect and add-drop functions. A WSS functionality can be realized by different technologies. By means of these technologies, e.g. micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS), an optical WDM signal received by an input port can be switched frequency selective to a plurality of output ports and vice versa. The realisation of a frequency-selective switching matrix with a plurality of inputs and outputs is possible by applying these elements.


An information processing device includes: a storage that stores execution reservation information transmitted from a user server, wherein the execution reservation information represents an execution reservation of acceptor servers that execute first tasks that have been encrypted and divided; and a processor that: receives a second task from the user server, encrypts and divides the second task to generate the first tasks, requests the acceptor servers to execute the generated first tasks based on the execution reservation information stored in the storage, receives first execution results from the acceptor servers, decrypts and combines the first execution results to generate a second execution result, and transmits the generated second execution result to the user server.

Conventionally, analysis of big data has been carried out mainly by an information processing system which includes a super computer and many server devices installed in a data center owned by a major company. In such big data analysis, an enormous calculation amount that cannot be processed without maximizing the performance of the information processing system does not always occur generally, but it occurs temporarily in many cases. For this reason, the information processing system is not operating for a long time, or is operating in a state in which computing resources (for example, CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory usage rate, or the like) have available capacity. In this case, it is inefficient from a viewpoint of introduction cost and operation cost of the system.
Therefore, in order to utilize the system efficiently, for example, by using a cloud computing technology, a process is not concentrated on computing resources in one data center, but a process may be distributed to computing resources in a plurality of data centers connected to a communication network. For example, it is described in Patent Literature 1 that when a distributed processing system distributes and allocates a plurality of processes included in one service, pre-processes such as Web/AP (Web Application) are arranged in computing resources in many distributed sites connected to a network such as VPN (Virtual Private Network), and post-processes such as DB (Database) are distributed and arranged in computing resources in the data center.

Information processing device, resource allocation system, and resource allocation method


A hub for a rotor of a wind turbine is disclosed. The hub includes a hollow body rotatable around a rotation axis. The hollow body includes a blade flange and defines a blade flange area surrounded by the blade flange. The hollow body further includes a main shaft flange defining a first end, and a second end opposite the first end. The hub further includes a stiffening web extending within the blade flange area and defining a web plane. A side profile of the web plane extends from the first end to the second end is oriented at a cone angle to the rotation axis.

Generally, a wind turbine includes a tower, a nacelle mounted on the tower, and a rotor coupled to the nacelle. The rotor typically includes a rotatable hub and a plurality of rotor blades coupled to and extending outwardly from the hub. Each rotor blade may be spaced about the hub so as to facilitate rotating the rotor to enable kinetic energy to be transferred from the wind into usable mechanical energy, and subsequently, electrical energy.
Advances in the wind turbine industry are resulting in increasingly larger wind turbines. Of particular concern due to these increasing sizes, however, is the weight of the wind turbine and components thereof. A particular concern is the weight of the rotor, which includes a hub and one or more rotor blades mounted to the hub. During operation of the wind turbine, the hub may be subjected to forces resulting from wind acting on the rotor blades and forces resulting from loads due to the rotation of the hub. The hub must be stiff enough so that these forces do not cause high deformations. In particular within the flanges for mounting the rotor blades to the hub, the hub must be designed rather stiff so that deformation or distortion, such as ovalization can be prevented, which in turn would affect the proper function and possibly damage the rotor blade bearings and pitch drives.
One example of an improved hub that improves or maintains the necessary stiffness while reducing weight is found in U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,102, directed to a reinforced hub. The hub includes a stiffening web extending within a blade flange area defined by a blade flange. The stiffening web can be oriented to extend within the flange area generally parallel to a rotation axis about which the hub rotates during operation, or at any suitable angle to the rotation axis. However, a side profile of the stiffening web of U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,102, or of a plane defined by the stiffening web that extends from a first end to a second end of the hub, is always parallel to the rotation axis. As such, a certain amount of material is required to connect the stiffening web to the flange and hub.
Accordingly, an improved hub for a rotor of a wind turbine is desired in the art. For example, a hub that includes stiffening features to maintain desired stiffness characteristics while reducing the material and associated weight required to connect the stiffening features to the flange and hub would be advantageous.


This invention provides a signal processing method of multiple micro-electro-mechanical system devices. The signal processing method includes: providing at least two MEMS devices; applying driving or modulating signals of different frequencies to the MEMS devices such that the MEMS devices generate respective MEMS signals with respective frequencies; and combining the MEMS signals with respective frequencies into one or more multi-frequency signals and outputting the multi-frequency signals, wherein a number of the multi-frequency signals is less than a number of the MEMS signals with respective frequencies. This invention also provides a combo MEMS device integrating two or more MEMS devices and two or more vibration sources.

Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a signal processing method of multiple micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices, in particular a signal processing method wherein multiple driving or modulating signals of different frequencies are applied to multiple integrated MEMS devices to generate multiple corresponding major frequency responses, and the major frequency responses are transmitted by at least one multi-frequency signal through at least one common node to a demodulator whereby the multi-frequency signal is demodulated, wherein the numbers of the multi-frequency signal and the common node are both less than the number of the major frequency responses, such that the required wirings and signals are reduced.
Description of Related Art
MEMS devices are commonly used nowadays. In developing MEMS devices, reduction of size is one important goal. For example, a portable device in which a MEMS device is applied to needs to be light and slim for fashion, and easy to carry. Currently MEMS devices can integrate an electronic circuit and a MEMS structure into one chip or one module. However, there is only one MEMS structure which is integrated in the MEMS device, and the MEMS structure provides only one sensing function. When the portable device needs two or more MEMS functions (such as a gravity sensor and an accelerometer, or an angular velocity sensor and angular accelerometer), conventionally, it requires at least two separate MEMS devices, which occupies a large space; further, the related connection wirings also occupies a large space which is disadvantageous in terms of product size reduction.
Therefore, it is desired to reduce the space required by plural MEMS devices and the related connection wirings so that the product size can be reduced.

Signal processing method of multiple mirco-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) devices and combo MEMS device applying the method


A system for use in or with lottery games (including pull-tabs and the like) is disclosed, which provides a new prize award structure. Lottery prizes are issued as certificates, redeemable only for merchandise (not cash). Certificates may be set to any level desired by a lottery operator. Certificates are enabled to be multi-leveled, having a hierarchical and value relationship between levels. Certificates may also be issued as partial certificates, requiring accumulation until they are traded in for a full certificate; partial certificates cannot be used for merchandise redemption directly. Certificates are redeemed for merchandise at physical locations or on-line. Certificates provide the flexibility to be awarded as prizes for heretofore too-frequent events, such as matching only a single ball out of six, greatly enhancing player satisfaction and involvement in lottery and lottery-style games.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to lottery systems. More particularly, the invention relates to enhancing player interest in lottery systems through the use of awarding merchandising credits or vouchers for selected pays, rather than traditional monetary awards.
2. The Prior Art
Lotteries are attractive and lucrative revenue generating games for both private and public fund raising efforts. They work so well that in the United States that a majority of states now conduct state-sponsored lotteries which offer daily, weekly, and/or other periodic jackpots ranging from hundreds to millions of dollars. These lotteries provide a steady source of income for the state.
In a typical operation, a lottery is operated by a central authority with a government-licensed operator providing much of the equipment and support necessary to establish, market, and run the operation. Such a central authority typically maintains one or more centralized operations for receiving and processing lottery entries. The lottery tickets (game entries) are sold throughout a state's jurisdiction at remote authorized lottery outlets or terminals. Private lotteries are typically run in a similar manner, having different jurisdictional considerations.
The purchase of a lottery entry typically requires a visit to an authorized lottery outlet (e.g., in person, over the telephone, or via the Internet), where the process varies depending on the type of game to be played. In a typical Lotto-style lottery game, a player selects one or more numbers from a predefined set of numbers. In a "6/49" game, for example, six numbers are selected from 49 numbers. Each set of six numbers entered in a lottery drawing is referred to as an "entry." The numbers of the entry may be selected by the purchaser or may be "auto-picked" where upon request by the purchaser a random number generator controlled by the lottery itself is used to select the numbers of the entry.
After placing a bet (making an entry), the lottery terminal typically prints a lottery ticket or receipt which lists each of the numbers of each entry selected by or picked for a player, with a game identifier (i.e., a game name and a date for the lottery drawing, but may be simply a unique numerical ID).
In a typical lottery drawing where a player has selected (as above) 6 numbers, awards will be made for matching 3, 4, 5, or 6 of the selected numbers with the lotteries numbers in the form of monetary awards. The amount of money won increases dramatically as more numbers are matched. An entry "loses" if fewer than three numbers of the entry match the numbers drawn in the lottery drawing.
While lotteries have enjoyed considerable success, many potential players are still discouraged from participating because the odds of winning are small. For example, in a typical 6/49 Lotto-style drawing where six numbers are picked randomly from a pool of forty-nine numbers, the odds of winning the grand prize is more than 13,000,000 to 1. These odds have created a negative image for many potential players, and are acting to discourage play and thereby decreasing potential revenues.
To combat this disincentive, lottery operators have tried secondary drawings (where losing tickets participate in one additional drawing for a lesser prize) as well as the traditional small awards associated with matching less than the full number of balls (in the above example, less than 6 balls). These have not proved popular with players, as the number of players has apparently not improved significantly using these improvements as compared to participation rates in basic lotteries.
In addition to the poor odds, players are completely passive in lottery systems. There is no action in playing or choosing prizes. This lack of interaction is a further demotivating factor.
There is a need for improved lottery awards, in terms of both frequency and flexibility, in order to provide incentives to a broader spectrum of potential players.

Lottery gaming with merchandising prizes


A rocker arm for fuel injector operation in a combustion engine wherein the rocker arm transmits driving power from an overhead camshaft to a fuel injector of unit type. The rocker arm has at least one non-metallic spring element which is incorporated as a resilient link in the power transmission between the camshaft and the fuel injector. The spring element prevents too great forces being transmitted to the fuel injector and the pump piston of the injector. The spring element may take the form of a cylindrical bushing about the rocker arm bearing at the engine to be between the rocker arm and its shaft on the engine and/or about a cam follower shaft on the rocker arm and between the cam follower shaft and a cam follower supported on that shaft.

The present invention relates to a rocker arm for operating a fuel injector wherein the rocker arm is driven by a cam to operate the injector, and more particularly relates to the drive between the camshaft and the fuel injector.
The operation of fuel injectors in the form of a unit injector requires the application of a certain force derived from a camshaft. One type of such unit injectors, commonly known as HPI injectors, incorporates a mechanically driven pump piston which, like a mechanical pump of the displacement type, forces fuel out via an injection nozzle. This type of fuel injector incorporates a nozzle which is normally open during the period when the injector is being replenished, unlike other types of unit injectors which have a nozzle which is closed during fuel replenishment. Injectors with closed nozzles therefore incorporate a separate valve on the nozzle which valve, during injection, opens under the influence of a high fuel pressure caused by the fuel having been pumped up in a separate pump section of the injector to sufficiently high pressure to open the valve. In the case of injectors with open nozzles, i.e. HPI injectors, the pressure increase and the injection are brought about by the same pump piston. In this type of injector it is important for the pump piston of the injector to be correctly set relative to the camshaft so that the pump piston is not subject to too great a force which would press it too powerfully against its seat, with consequent risk of deformation, damage and the like. Possible causes of the pump piston "bottoming" in this manner for reasons other than incorrect setting of the fuel injector and/or its drive train include the occurrence of large temperature differences between the injector and the fuel and/or certain parts having become severely worn.
Where the fuel injector drive is taken from an underslung camshaft, as in U.S. Pat. No.4,471,909, the power-transmitting push rods are inherently flexible enough to be able to absorb elastically the overloads which may occur, without the forces involved being transmitted to the injector and its pump piston. In contrast, where an overhead camshaft is used, where the rocker arm may more directly engage the camshaft without an intermediate push rod, the whole drive train is so rigid that there are no corresponding elements capable of absorbing overloads.
Swedish patent specification SE 501 026 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No.5,647,325 refers to a fuel injection arrangement provided with a rocker arm comprised of a rigid section and a resilient section which is fixed to the rigid section and which deflects at a predetermined load in order to limit the pressure increase resulting from increasing injection volume. It thus refers to an arrangement provided with a metallic resilient section mounted on the rocker arm between the camshaft and the injector, resulting in the rocker arm being totally rigid up to a limit value and beyond which it becomes elastic. That known arrangement solves the problem by increasing the length of the injection period from a given period without increasing the maximum injection pressure and by creating the possibility of reaching the desired pressure even at partial load and low engine speed, which is a different problem compared with the present invention. That known arrangement relates to the type of fuel injector which has "closed nozzle" according to the foregoing description, which means that that arrangement does not risk being subject to overloads in the manner stated above.


A composition that includes functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes derivatives of the formulas TmR3 where m is equal to 8, 10 or 12 and QnMnR1,R2,R3 where n is equal to 8, 10 or 12 are provided. The functional groups include aqueous base soluble moieties. Mixtures of the functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes derivatives are highly suitable as a topcoat for photoresist in photolithography and immersion photolithography applications.

As the size of structures of advanced integrated circuits has decreased, manufacturers are turning to a micro-lithography technique called immersion lithography, because of its improved resolution capability. In immersion lithography, an immersion fluid is placed between the optical lens and a photoresist layer. The immersion fluid provides considerably higher resolution than conventional photoirradiation in air. However, in many photoresist systems, components of the photoresist leach out into the immersion fluid and/or the immersion fluid penetrates into the photoresist thus degrading performance. Therefore, there is a need for a method to prevent interaction between photoresist layers and immersion fluid in an immersion lithography system.

Photoresist topcoat for a photolithographic process

International Business Machines Corporation


An optical window-filter includes a thermochromic material and a light absorbing material that can be bonded chemically. Absorption of light by the light absorbing material generates heat that causes phase transformation of the thermochromic material. A filter for an infrared imaging system has detectors sensitive to radiation in an infrared transmission spectrum. The filter includes a thermochromic material and a light-absorbing material. Absorption of high-power radiation in the infrared transmission spectrum by the light-absorbing material generates heat that causes phase transformation of the thermochromic material to attenuate the high-power radiation while transmitting substantially unaffected low-power radiation in the infrared transmission spectrum.

The present invention relates to light power-limiting devices, and more particularly, to a solar power-limiting passive device and to a method for limiting solar power transmission in windows. Employing absorption changes in a novel thermochromic composition, the responsivity of the composition is enhanced and the reaction time of the composition is shortened when exposed to solar light in the visible, near IR region, i.e., at wavelengths of about 0.3 to 2.5 micrometer (μm) of the optical spectrum and to IR imaging systems that employ focal plane arrays in various cameras exposed to infrared light in the 3 to 5 μm and 8 to 14 μm region of the optical spectrum. The additional response enhancing features in this invention enable the use of the thermochromic composition in places where efficient sunlight power limiting is essential and where low infrared emitting or "cold" objects are in the presence, in close vicinity, of high infrared emitting "hot" targets or background.
IR imaging systems employ focal plane arrays in various cameras, having focal plane detectors that are sensitive to light at the 3-5 and 8-12 μm ranges of the optical spectrum. The two ranges cover the two main windows in the IR transmission spectrum of the atmosphere. These systems need to be protected from dazzling and temporary or permanent damage caused by intense radiation sources in the field of view, yet the optical systems should at the same time be completely transparent at these wavelengths for low light power. The intense radiation sources may be of two kinds; first, coherent lasers in the spectral region, continuous or pulsed, and second, non-coherent sources like explosions, field-fire or hot substances in the field of view.

Responsivity enhancement of solar light compositions and devices for thermochromic windows


An information retrieval apparatus using a preference-based association dictionary, having words stored therein that are dynamically changed according to user's preferences, and using a general association dictionary storing a relationship between keywords included in a database. The apparatus includes: a matching unit which calculates a degree of matching between a search condition inputted from an input unit and a profile; a generation unit which obtains (i) one or more related words from a general association dictionary in a case where the matching degree is smaller than a predetermined threshold, and (ii) one or more related words from a preference-based association dictionary in a case where the matching degree is greater than the predetermined threshold; and a retrieval unit which retrieves information that meets the generated search condition.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information retrieval apparatus which carries out information retrieval using association dictionaries which memorize associations between words included in information stored in a database.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Conventional methods for creating an association dictionary to be used for database retrieval include, for example, manually creating an association dictionary by examining relationships between words included in information stored in a database, and automatically creating an association dictionary using information about apparition frequency of words in an electronic text. As to a method of automatically creating an association dictionary based on the relationships between the words, various methods are under development.
One of the methods for using the association dictionaries thus created is, for example, in the case where information retrieval is performed by an information retrieval apparatus using a search keyword and no results are obtained, a keyword related to the search keyword is extracted using an association dictionary and information is retrieved again using the extracted keyword.
As such information retrieval apparatus, a text processor is disclosed as such that provides, as a support for an input of a search keyword, plural association dictionaries that store related words, allows the user to select one association dictionary among them for information retrieval, obtains, from the selected association dictionary, a related word relating to a keyword inputted by the user, and displays the related word (see reference to Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 10-134075). Also, an association dictionary creating apparatus is also disclosed as such that establishes a customized association dictionary to meet personal needs, and after an input of a search keyword, searches the search keyword in the customized association dictionary, and in the case where the search keyword is not found in the customized association dictionary, obtains one or more related words relating to the search keyword from an integrated association dictionary storing all of keywords, and presents the user with the related word (see reference to Japanese Laid-Open Application No. 2000-348042).


The present invention provides method and apparatus for mounting bird housings on a generally vertically oriented tubular member. An upper centralizer is mounted below a plate section which secures to the bird housing. The upper centralizer positions the mounting assembly within the tubular member. A lower centralizer or tension element secures the assembly into the tubular member but allows ready removal of the bird housing and attached mounting assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a bird housing apparatus and method. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a new, novel apparatus and method for mounting a bird housing including pre-adjusted tensioning means for securing the same.
2. Description of the Background
It has been estimated that over 1,000,000 bird housings of various types are used throughout the United States. These bird housings include the typical bird houses and bird feeders. They also include assorted so called "whirley-jigs" which are devices employing wind power to enable some type of movement--e.g. a man cutting wood.
Many of these bird housings are affixed on the top of vertically oriented poles. Such mounting provides protection for the birds and their nests from earth bound predators. However, such mounting entails considerable difficulty for removal of the bird housing for cleaning or maintenance. Since one end of the poles is typically permanently affixed to the ground, it becomes necessary to use a ladder to reach the top of the pole. The presently available mounting devices are awkward to work with by a person balancing on top of a ladder. Presently available mountings include a sleeve threaded to the top of the pole or secured with some type of through bolt.
The poles are most often tubular and are made of either steel or PVC material. There are about three different size poles which are most often used. To effect use of the threaded mounting, it is necessary to obtain a pole with threads to match the sleeve. This is sometimes difficult. The threads may be damaged upon installation of the bird house. Over time, the threads may also become difficult to turn due to corrosion, rust, etc. Therefore, both installation and removal is often difficult and time consuming.
The mountings which have a through bolt, allen screws, etc. for securing a sleeve to the pole also have to be selected to match the pole diameter. If the pole is made of steel, it can be difficult to drill holes for the through bolt.
The mountings described above are both difficult to install and remove. It is desirable to have a single mounting apparatus or kit which will fit to most presently used poles. It is also desirable that they are mounted and removed simply and easily within seconds. Those skilled in the art have long sought and will appreciate the novel features of the present invention which solves these and other problems.

Bird housing mounting apparatus and method


A method, provided by the present disclosure, of transmitting a reference signal by means of a base station in a wireless communication system using a plurality of antenna ports comprises the steps of: mapping wireless resources, for transmitting a reference signal, to a plurality of antenna ports for transmitting the reference signal; and using the wireless resources and transmitting the reference signal to a terminal through the mapped antenna ports. The step of mapping to the antenna ports is characterized by being executed on the basis of a combination of a first mapping pattern between the wireless resources and the antenna ports and a second mapping pattern between the wireless resources and the antenna ports.

From the early stage of providing voice-oriented services, a mobile communication system has evolved into a high-speed and high-quality wireless packet data communication system to provide large-capacity data and multimedia services. To this end, in a number of standardization organizations such as 3GPP, IEEE, and the like, various mobile communication standards such as Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) of 3GPP, 802.16m of IEEE, etc., have been developed to support high-speed and high-quality wireless packet data transmission services based on a multi-access scheme using multiple carriers.
The currently existing 4th evolved mobile communication systems, such as LTE-A, UMB, 802.16m, and the like, are based on the multi-carrier multi-access scheme. To improve the transmission efficiency, various technologies such as Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), multiple antennas, beam-forming, Adaptive Modulation and Coding (AMC), channel sensitive scheduling, and the like are used.
The various technologies described above may enhance the transmission efficiency and improve the system throughput through a method of concentrating a transmission power that is transmitted from multiple antennas or adjusting an amount of transmitted data based on various kinds of Channel status information (CSI), and selectively transmitting data to a user having a good channel quality, or the like.
Most of those schemes are operated based on channel status information of a channel between an evolved Node B (eNB) (or Base Station (BS)) and a user equipment (UE) (or a Mobile Station (MS)) and thus, the eNB or the UE may need to measure a channel status between the eNB and the UE. In this instance, a Channel status Indication Reference Signal (CSI-RS) is used. The above-described eNB is a device that is located in a predetermined place and executes downlink transmission and uplink reception. A single eNB may execute transmission and reception with respect to a plurality of cells. In a single mobile communication system, a plurality of eNBs are geographically distributed and each eNB executes transmission and reception with respect to a plurality of cells.
The MIMO technology uses a plurality of transceiving antennas and may execute transmission by spatially dividing a plurality of information streams. The transmission through spatially dividing the plurality of information streams is referred to as spatial multiplexing. Generally, the number of information streams to which spatial multiplexing is to be applied is referred to as a "rank" of a corresponding transmission, and the rank may vary based on the number of antennas included in a transmitter and a receiver. In the case of the MIMO technology supported in the standards up to LTE/LTE-A Release 12, spatial multiplexing with respect to the case in which the number of transmission antennas and the number of reception antennas are respectively 2, 4, and 8, is supported, and a rank is supported up to 8.
Meanwhile, a massive MIMO system or a full-dimension MIMO system (FD-MIMO) is a system constituted of a plurality of antennas having 32 or more antennas which is more than 8 antennas arranged in two dimensions.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an FD-MIMO antenna system.
In FIG. 1, an eNB transmitting apparatus 101 transmits radio signals using several tens or more transmission antennas. A plurality of transmission antennas are arranged to maintain a predetermined distance as shown in FIG. 1. The predetermined distance may correspond to, for example, a multiple of the half of the wavelength of a transmitted radio signal. Generally, when a distance corresponding to the half of the wavelength of the radio signal is maintained between the transmission antennas, a signal transmitted from each transmission antenna may be affected by a radio channel having a low correlation.
The eNB transmitting apparatus having a large-scale antenna may arrange antennas two-dimensionally as shown in FIG. 1 in order to prevent the size of the apparatus from becoming significantly large. An eNB transmits a signal using NH antennas arrayed on the horizontal axis and Nv antennas arrayed on the vertical axis, and a UE 103 should measure a channel 102 for the corresponding antenna.
In FIG. 1, dozens or more transmission antennas arranged in the eNB transmitting apparatus 101 are utilized for transmitting signals to one or a plurality of UEs. An appropriate precoding is applied to the plurality of transmission antennas, and thus, simultaneous transmission of signals is executed with respect to a plurality of UEs. In this instance, a single UE may receive one or more information streams. Generally, the number of information streams that a single UE can receive may be determined based on the number of reception antennas that the UE contains as well as the channel status.
In order to effectively implement the FD-MIMO antenna system, the UE must accurately measure channel conditions and interference magnitudes between transmission and reception antennas using a plurality of reference signals, and transmit effective channel status information to the eNB using the measured information. The eNB that receives the channel status information may determine UEs to which transmission is to be executed in association with downlink transmission, may determine a data transmission speed to be used for transmission, and may determine precoding to be applied, or the like. The FD-MIMO system has a large number of transmission antennas, and thus, when the channel status information transmission/reception method of the conventional LTE/LTE-A system is applied, a large amount of control information needs to be transmitted in an uplink, which may cause an uplink overhead.
Time, frequency, and power resources are limited in a mobile communication system. Therefore, when a larger amount of resources is allocated to a reference signal, an amount of resources to be allocated to data traffic channel transmission becomes smaller, and thus, an absolute amount of data to be transmitted may be reduced. In this instance, the performance of channel measurement and estimation may be improved but the absolute amount of data to be transmitted may be reduced, and thus, the system throughput may be lowered.
Accordingly, to draw an optimized performance from the perspective of the entire system throughput, resources for the reference signal and resources for data transmission of the traffic channel need to be appropriately distributed.
FIG. 2 illustrates a radio resource corresponding to one subframe and one Resource Block (RB), which are the minimum units of capable of performing scheduling via a downlink in an LTE/LTE-A system.
The radio resource shown in FIG. 2 is composed of one subframe on a time axis 201 and one RB on a frequency axis 203. The radio resource is constituted of 12 subcarriers in the frequency domain and 14 OFDM symbols in the time domain, and thus, may have a total of 168 unique frequency and time locations. In the LTE/LTE-A system, each unique frequency and time location of FIG. 2 is referred to as a resource element (RE).
Through the radio resource shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of different types of signals may be transmitted as follows.
Cell specific Reference Signal (CRS) 211: The CRS is a reference signal periodically transmitted for all UEs included in one cell, and may be commonly used by a plurality of UEs.
DeModulation Reference Signal (DMRS) 213: The DMRS is a reference signal transmitted for a specific UE, and is transmitted only when data is transmitted to a corresponding UE. The DMRS is constituted of a total of 8 DMRS ports. In LTE/LTE-A, ports 7 to 14 correspond to the DMRS ports and the ports may maintain orthogonality so as not to cause interference with each other using Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) or Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM).
Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) 215: The PDSCH is data channel transmitted via a downlink, which is used by an eNB to transmit traffic to a UE and is transmitted using an RE not used for reference signal transmission in the data region of FIG. 2.
Channel status information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) 219: The CSI-RS is a reference signal transmitted for UEs included in a single cell and is used in measuring a channel status. A plurality of CSI-RSs may be transmitted in a single cell.
Other control channels (PHICH, PCFICH, and PDCCH) 217: Control channels for provision of control information necessary for reception of a PDSCH by a UE or for transmission of an ACK/NACK for operation of HARQ with respect to uplink data transmission.
In addition to the signal, the LTE-A system may configure muting so that UEs in a corresponding cell may receive a CSI-RS that is transmitted from another eNB without interference. Muting may be applied to a location where the CSI-RS may be transmitted, and generally, the UE may skip the corresponding radio resources and receive a traffic signal. In the LTE-A system, muting is also referred to as zero-power CSI-RS. Muting is applied equally to the location of the CSI-RS due to the characteristic of muting, since transmission power is not transmitted.
In FIG. 2, a CSI-RS may be transmitted using some of the locations expressed as A, B, C, D, E, E, F, G, H, I, and J, based on the number of antennas that transmit a CSI-RS. Also, muting may be applied to some of the locations expressed as A, B, C, D, E, E, F, G, H, I, and J. Particularly, a CSI-RS may be transmitted through 2, 4, and 8 REs, based on the number of antenna ports.
When the number of antenna ports is 2, a CSI-RS is transmitted through half of a predetermined pattern in FIG. 2. When the number of antenna ports is 4, a CSI-RS is transmitted through the whole of a predetermined pattern. When the number of antennas is 8, a CSI-RS is transmitted using two patterns. Conversely, muting is always executed based on a single pattern. That is, muting may be applied to a plurality of patterns but may not be applied to a part of a single pattern when the location of muting and the location of a CSI-RS do not overlap each other. However, when the location of muting and the location of a CSI-RS overlap each other, muting may be applied to a part of a single pattern.
When a CSI-RS is transmitted to two antenna ports, the CSI-RS may transmit signals of the respective antenna ports through two REs that are consecutive in the time axis, and the signal of each antenna port is distinguished by an orthogonal code. This means that two CSI-RS ports are subjected to code division multiplexing (CDM-2). When a CSI-RS is transmitted to four antenna ports, two more REs are used in addition to the CSI-RS for two antenna ports and signals for the remaining two antenna ports are additionally transmitted in the same manner. At this time, a pair of REs which have been subjected to CDM-2 are located in the same OFDM symbol and are mutually subjected to frequency division multiplexing (FDM). In the same manner, even when a CSI-RS is transmitted to 8 antenna ports, two pairs of REs which have been subjected to CDM-2 are subjected to FDM.
An eNB may boost the transmission power of a CSI-RS to improve channel estimation accuracy. When a CSI-RS is transmitted to four or eight Antenna Ports (APs), a particular CSI-RS port is transmitted only through a CSI-RS RE at a specified location and is not transmitted through other OFDM symbols within the same OFDM symbol.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a CSI-RS RE mapping scheme for n-th and (n+1)-th PRBs when an eNB transmits eight CSI-RSs.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the location of a CSI-RS RE for 15th or 16th AP is the same as a check pattern shown in FIG. 3, in the CSI-RS RE for the remaining 17th to 22th APs indicated by the hatched pattern, the transmission power of the 15th or 16th AP is not used. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the 15th or 16th AP may use transmission power to be used for 3rd, 8th, and 9th subcarriers in the 2nd subcarrier. This natural power boosting enables the power of a 15th CSI-RS port transmitted through the 2nd subcarrier to be configured up to 6 dB be higher compared to the transmission power of the 15th AP used in the data RE. In each of the CSI-RS patterns of the current 2/4/8 ports, natural power boosting of 0/2/6 dB may be performed, and thus, each AP may transmit a CSI-RS through full power utilization.
In addition, a CSI-IM (or Interference Measurement Resource (IMR)) together with a CSI-RS can be allocated to a UE, and the CSI-IM resource has the same resource structure and location as those of the CSI-RS supporting 4 ports. The CSI-IM is a resource for a UE that receives data from one or more eNBs to accurately measure interference from an adjacent eNB.
For example, when it is desired to measure an amount of interference when an adjacent eNB transmits data and an amount of interference when it does not transmit data, the corresponding eNB configures a CSI-RS and two CSI-IM resources. Here, one CSI-IM causes the adjacent eNB to always transmit signals and the other CSI-IM causes the adjacent eNB not to always transmit signals so that it is possible to effectively measure an amount of interference of the adjacent eNB.
In a cellular system, an eNB should transmit a reference signal to a UE in order to measure a downlink channel status. In the case of an LTE-A system, a UE measures a channel status between an eNB and the UE using a CRS or a Channel status information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) transmitted by the eNB. In association with the channel status, several factors need to be fundamentally considered, and an amount of interference in a downlink may be included therein. The amount of interference in a downlink may include an interference signal generated by an antenna that belongs to a neighboring eNB, a thermal noise, and the like, which is important when a UE determines the channel status of the downlink.
For example, when an eNB having a single transmission antenna executes signal transmission with respect to a UE having a single reception antenna, the UE may determine Es/Io by determining energy per symbol that can be received via a downlink and an amount of interference that is to be simultaneously received in a section where the corresponding symbol is received, using a reference signal received from the eNB. The determined Es/Io is converted into a data rate or a value corresponding thereto, and is notified to the eNB in the form of a Channel Quality Indicator (CQI), thereby enabling the eNB to determine a data rate at which transmission is to be performed with respect to a UE in a down link.
In the case of the LTE-A system, the UE feeds back information associated with a channel status of a downlink to the eNB so that the eNB utilizes the same for downlink scheduling. That is, the UE measures a reference signal that the eNB transmits, and feeds back, to the eNB, information extracted from the measured reference signal in a form defined in the LTE/LTE-A standard. In LTE/LTE-A, information that the UE feeds back briefly includes the following three types of information.
Rank Indicator (RI): the number of spatial layers that a UE can receive in a current channel status
Precoder Matrix Indicator (PMI): Indicator for a preferred precoding matrix of a UE in a current channel status
Channel Quality Indicator (CQI): maximum data rate that a UE can receive in a current channel status. The CQI may be replaced with an SINR, a maximum error correction code rate, a modulation scheme, data efficiency per frequency, and the like, which may be utilized similar to the maximum data rate.
The RI, PMI, and CQI are interrelated. For example, a precoding matrix supported in LTE/LTE-A may be defined to be different for each rank. Therefore, a PMI value when the RI has a value of 1 and a PMI value when the RI has a value of 2 are interpreted differently even if the values are the same. Further, even when a UE determines a CQI, it is assumed that a rank value and the PMI value, which are made known to the eNB by the UE itself, are applied to the eNB. That is, in the case in which the UE notifies the eNB of RI_X, PMI_Y, and CQI_Z, when the corresponding rank is RI_X and the corresponding precoding is PMI_Y, it means that the UE can receive data at a data rate corresponding to CQI_Z. As described above, when the UE calculates a CQI, the UE assumes a transmission scheme to be executed with respect to the eNB so that the UE may obtain optimal performance when the UE actually executes transmission using the corresponding transmission scheme.

Method and device for transmitting and receiving feedback signal in wireless communication system


The general field of the invention is that of touchscreen devices with projected capacitive detection comprising a touch-sensitive matrix panel comprising a plurality of conductive rows and conductive columns, said panel being connected to electronic control means. The electronic control means generate two periodic transmission voltages transmitted at two different frequencies. Analysis of the reception voltages is used to determine the positions of presses on the touch-sensitive panel, including when a row or column is cut. Pressing on a cut row or column is basically determined by calculating the barycenters of ‘virtual’ hollows in the reception voltages corresponding to this cut row or column.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is that of touch-sensitive or 'touchscreen' surfaces with capacitive detection and more particularly 'multi-touch' touch-sensitive surfaces for detecting two simultaneous presses. This function is essential for 'zooming' or image rotation, for example. The more specific field of the invention is that of detecting faults on said touch-sensitive surface. This invention can be applied to different uses but is particularly well suited to the constraints of the field of aeronautics and aircraft instrument panels where detecting malfunctions is essential for ensuring flight safety.
2. Description of the Prior Art
'Projected' capacitive detection consists in implementing a detection matrix composed of conductive rows and columns arranged so as to detect local variations in capacitance introduced by the proximity of the user's fingers or any other conductive pointing object. 'Projected capacitive' technology comes in two main variants, which are:                'Self capacitive' detection which consists in reading the rows then the columns of the matrix touch network;        'Mutual capacitive' detection consisting in reading each intersection of the matrix touch network.
'Mutual capacitive' technology requires reading the entire panel.
Thus, if the matrix comprises N rows and M columns, N×M acquisitions must be made, making it problematic to implement large, high resolution panels with low response times. In addition, the ability to measure in 'Mutual capacitance' is weaker than that obtained in 'Self capacitive' detection, which makes it problematic for the user to use gloves.
The advantage of 'Self capacitive' detection is that, for the preceding panel, the system requires only N+M acquisitions for reading the matrix. FIG. 1 illustrates this principle. In this FIG. 1, a first finger is pressing on a first intersection of column CI and row LJ and a second finger is pressing on a second intersection of column CK and row LL. The output voltages VOUT of the rows and columns display easily identifiable drops in level. Measurements of the voltages around each drop in level can be used to accurately identify the rows and columns required.
However, this latter technique has a drawback. This is because the press or presses is/are detected with the aid of a network of conductive and transparent rows and columns incorporated into a glass substrate. The loss of a row or column creates an unusable dead zone. This defect is all the more serious in that it appears only when the user needs to use the dead zone. It is therefore a dormant fault undetected by the system. In a product intended for mass consumer applications, such as a touch pad, this defect is not necessarily very troublesome, but on the other hand, it becomes very serious in certain technical fields such as aeronautics where the requirements of reliability are very important and in which it is essential to ensure the availability of the system at least until the end of the flight or mission.
This technique has another drawback. It is not always easy to assign the rows and columns detected to the correct intersections actually touched by the user's fingers. Possible intersections not actually touched are generally called 'ghosts'. For countering this last difficulty, the applicant has developed a technique consisting in performing a scan of the matrix at two different acquisition frequencies. This technique is described in the publication 'Eliminating Ghost Touches on a Self-Capacitive Touch-Screen' that appeared in 'SID 2012 DIGEST' of June 2012.

Multi-touch touch-sensitive device with multi-frequency capacitive detection comprising means of fault detection


A high-bandwidth AFM probe having a diffraction grating characterized by a diffraction characteristic that monotonically changes along the length of the diffraction grating is disclosed. AFM probes in accordance with the present invention are capable of high-sensitivity performance over a broad range of operating conditions, such as operating wavelength and measurement media. A method for estimating at least one physical property of a surface based on high-frequency signal components in the output signal from a high-bandwidth AFM probe is also disclosed. The method enables determination of tip-surface interaction forces based on the relationship between a first motion of the base of the AFM probe and a second motion of the tip of the AFM probe.

Atomic-force microscopy (AFM) is a technique for imaging a surface of a surface at the sub-nanometer (nm) scale. It has become commonly used for surface characterization, as well as mapping of certain material-specific surface properties, for materials such as polymers, ceramics, composites, glass, and biological tissue.
An AFM probe typically includes a very sharp tip that is mounted at the end of a cantilever. To image a surface, the tip is moved along the surface and its interaction with the surface is recorded. When the tip is in proximity with the surface, forces between the tip and the sample lead to a deflection of the cantilever, which can be measured with very high accuracy. By scanning the probe tip in two dimensions, a complete map of the surface structure and/or other physical properties of the surface can be developed.
Tapping-mode AFM (TM-AFM) is a particular type of AFM wherein the probe tip is brought into intermittent-contact with the surface so that it intermittently touches or "taps" the surface. TM-AFM is particularly attractive for measuring soft materials, since the tip is less likely to be "stuck" in the material. In addition, lateral forces on the tip, such as drag (which can reduce measurement accuracy), are virtually eliminated.
In TM-AFM, an actuator drives the cantilever such that it oscillates at its fundamental resonance frequency while the probe tip is scanned over the sample surface. The separation between the probe tip and the sample surface is adjusted via a feedback control loop to maintain constant oscillation amplitude at the probe tip. As the tip intermittently touches the sample during a scan, the tip experiences a contact force that induces dynamic effects on the mechanical behavior of the probe, such as oscillation amplitude changes, phase changes, and the develop of harmonic components. These effects occur at frequencies much higher than the fundamental frequency of the probe and contain information about the physical properties of the surface over which the probe tip is scanned. Unfortunately, conventional AFM probes lack the capability to measure the higher signal frequency components with sufficient fidelity.
To overcome the drawbacks of conventional AFM probes, AFM probes having higher bandwidth capability were developed to enable direct measurement (typically via optical means) of the higher frequency components of the tip-sample interactions while preserving conventional operation in tapping mode. Examples of high-bandwidth AFM probes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,082,593, which is incorporated herein by reference.
A typical high-bandwidth AFM probe has a cantilever body that extends from a reference structure to a first end, from which a sensor cantilevers to a second end that includes the probe tip. The sensor is characterized by higher resonance frequency than the cantilever portion; therefore, the sensor can respond to the dynamic effects that arise from tip-surface interactions. The mechanical behavior of the sensor versus that of the cantilever body is monitored, providing a signal that can be processed to yield more information about the properties of the surface than can be obtained with simpler cantilever-type probes.
The performance of these high-bandwidth AFM probes is limited by their design, however. Sufficient measurement sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can only be achieved when the probes are operated within a narrow range of operation conditions, such as a specific, narrow range of wavelengths and incidence angle for the optical signal used for their interrogation. Further, these sensors can only be operated in a medium having a refractive index that is within a very narrow range.
Improved AFM systems, probes, and methods that increase the range of operating conditions in which AFM microscopy can be performed would represent a significant advance in the state of the art.

Interferometric atomic-force microscopy device and method

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


An amplitude control circuit (100) can include a peak level detect circuit (102) that generates a peak voltage signal (Vpeak′) based on a peak level of signal Xosc. An amplitude bias control circuit (104) can generate a bias voltage Vbc that can correspond to a peak amplitude of a received oscillator signal Xosc, and can change according to variations in a transistor threshold voltage due to process, operating conditions and voltage.

In crystal oscillator circuits, a crystal can be driven at its resonant frequency to generate a high quality periodic signal. In such circuits it can be desirable to regulate the amplitude of the oscillator drive signal. Such amplitude regulation can increase the lifetime of the circuit. In addition, regulation can reduce the likelihood of harmonic mode oscillation, which can introduce higher, unwanted frequencies into the oscillator signal.
To better understand various features of the disclosed embodiments, a previously known amplitude control circuit will now be described. An amplitude control circuit is shown in FIG. 4, and designated by the general reference character 400. An amplitude control circuit 400 (or amplitude control loop ACL) can include an input section 402, a conversion section 404, an output drive section 406, and filter section 408. An input section 402 can generate a peak detection voltage representing a peak level of input signals inp and inn. In addition, input section 402 can generate an average current based on such signals.
A peak voltage value can be stored by a capacitor C41 at node 410. Such a value can be applied, via conversion section 404, to output drive section 406. This can generate an output signal at node 412. Such a signal can result in the generation of an output current for controlling an amplifier that drives a crystal.
A circuit like that of FIG. 4 is shown in co-pending provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/506,265, titled AMPLITUDE CONTROL FOR CRYSTAL OSCILLATOR, by Mike McMenamy, filed Sep. 25, 2003 and nonprovisional patent application Ser. No. 10/949,902, filed Sep. 24, 2004, having the same title and inventor.
A drawback to an arrangement like that of FIG. 4 can be that at lower supply voltages, such a circuit may not provide a correct amplitude control.