A non-volatile semiconductor memory device accurately stores multivalued data with reduced damage to an insulating layer. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes a floating gate electrode configured to be divided into at least two portions. The first portion is employed for accumulating carriers migrating from at least one control gate electrode through a gate insulating layer to the floating gate electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device and particularly to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device suitable for storing multivalued data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, Erasable and Programmable ROMs (EPROMs) and Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROMs (EEPROMs), which can substitute for magnetic memories including hard disks, and floppy disks, are drawing attention. EPROMs and EEPROMS each have a plurality of memory cells (memory cell transistors). Each memory cell has a floating gate electrode for storing a carrier and control gate for detecting the threshold voltage, which changes depending on the presence and absence of the carriers accumulated in the floating gate electrode. EEPROMs include flash EEPROMs, which can perform data erasure for all the memory cells or partial data erasure for each array of block memory cells.
In each memory cell, a first gate insulating layer is provided between the floating gate electrode and a channel area, and a carrier is implanted from the channel area into the floating gate electrode through the first gate insulating layer. The carrier is implanted according to any of the following methods:
1) by generating hot carriers in the channel area (channel hot carrier); and PA1 2) causing the flow of a Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunnel current between the floating gate electrode and the channel area. PA1 1) Two-layer polysilicon type: An FN tunnel current is flowed between the channel area or source/drain area and the floating gate electrode through the first gate insulating layer; and PA1 2) Three-layer polysilicon type: A second gate insulating layer is provided between the floating gate electrode and the control gate electrode, and an FN tunnel current is flowed between the floating gate electrode and the control gate electrode through the second gate insulating layer.
An increase in the carrier implantation energy increases damage to the first gate insulating layer. Such serious damage to the first gate insulating layer allows formation of charge trap. The charge trap causes a change in the I-V characteristics, that is, the relationship between the current flowing through a memory cell and the control gate voltage. As a results the threshold voltage of the memory cell is changed. This makes accurate writing and reading of data impossible.
The damage to the first gate insulating film limits the number of feasible data rewrites for the memory cell, In other words, the first gate insulating layer is damaged each time carriers are implanted into the floating gate electrode. If the degree of damage exceeds a certain level, insulatability of the first gate insulating layer is lowered to permit leakage of the carrier accumulated in the floating gate electrode. In this state, the memory cells no longer function properly.
In order to increase the number of feasible data rewrites, carrier preferably has a smallest possible implantation energy. The thinner the first gate insulating layer is, the smaller the carrier implantation energy can be. However, an extremely small film thickness increases leakage of the carrier from the floating gate electrode, and thus the data retention time in the memory cell becomes short. Accordingly, when data retention time is taken into consideration, it is not preferred to allow the first insulating layer to have a small thickness.
The method of extracting the carrier from the floating gate electrode differs depending upon the following two types:
In the two-layer polysilicon type, damage to the first gate insulating layer is caused when the carriers are extracted. In the three-layer polysilicon type, damage to the second gate insulating layer but not to the first gate insulating layer is caused when the carriers are extracted. The adverse influence of the damage in the second gate insulating layer is smaller than that of the first gate insulating layer. Flash Memory Engineering Handbook (published by Science Forum) describes in detail the structures of memory cells in EEPROMs and EPROMs and damage to gate insulating layers.
FIG. 1 shows schematically a cross-sectional view of an example of a conventional stacked gate type memory cell generally employed in a flash EEPROM. The stacked gate type memory cell consists of a single crystal silicon substrate 201 with a source area 202a, a drain area 202b and a channel area 203, which is defined between the former two areas 202a and 202b, all being defined on the surface of the substrate 201. The stacked gate type memory cell further includes a gate insulating layer 204, a floating gate electrode 205, a gate insulating layer 206 and a control gate electrode 207, which are laminated successively on the channel area 203 in that order. The layers 204 to 207 have the same dimensions in the horizontal directions. Accordingly, the control gate electrode 207 is laminated exactly on the floating gate electrode 205 without dislocation. Further, the source area 202a and the drain area 202b are defined symmetrically on each side of the gate electrodes 205, 207 and channel area 203.
With respect to the terms "source area" and "drain area" in a memory cell used herein, provided that the reading operation is determined as the basic operation, the area to which a high voltage is applied in the reading operation is referred to as the drain area; whereas the area to which a low voltage is applied is referred to as the source area. These terms shall also apply in the writing operation and in the erasing operation.
Next, operations (writing, reading and erasing operations) of the stacked gate type memory cells will be described referring to FIG. 2. In any of these operations, a voltage maintained at the ground level (0 V) is applied to the substrate 201.
(a) Writing Operation;
In the writing operation, voltages of +12 V, 0 V and 5 V are applied to the control gate electrode 207, the drain area 202b and the source area 202a respectively. Thus, the potential of the floating gate 205 is elevated by the capacitive coupling between the floating gate electrode 205 and the control gate electrode 207. Further, channel hot electrons generated in the channel area 203 near the source area 20a are implanted into the floating gate electrode 205. Consequently, electrons are accumulated in the floating gate electrode 205, and one-bit data is written and stored therein.
(b) Reading Operation:
In the reading operation, a voltage of +5 V is applied to the control gate electrode 207 and to the drain area 202b, and a voltage of 0 V is applied to the source area 202a. Thus, the cell current flowing from the drain area 202b to the source area 202a in the memory cell assuming the written state becomes smaller than the current flowing through a memory cell assuming the erased state. This is because the channel area 203 is turned off since hot electrons are implanted into the floating gate electrode 205 in the memory cell assuming the written state, and the channel area 203 in the memory cell assuming the erased state is turned on. The values of cell current flowing through those memory cells are determined, and, for example, a value of written data "1" and a value of erased data "0" can be read depending on the thus determined cell current values.
(c) Erasing Operation:
In the erasing operation, voltages of 0 V and +12 V are applied to the control gate electrode 207 and to the drain area 202b, respectively, and the source area 202a is set to assume an open state. Then, an FN tunnel current flows from the drain area 202b to the floating gate electrode 205, and the electrons accumulated in the floating gate electrode are extracted into the drain area 202b. Thus, the data stored in the memory cell is erased.
In order to improve the integration degree of the semiconductor memory, a multivalued data memory device is proposed. In this memory device, one memory cell can be allowed to store multivalued data of three values or more instead of binary data (erased state and written state), or one-bit data.
FIG. 3 is a characteristic graph showing a relationship between the value Id of cell current flowing through the stacked gate type memory cell and the potential Vfg of the floating gate electrode 205 in a memory cell. In FIG. 3, the floating gate potential Vfg indicates the potential of the floating gate electrode 205 with respect to the source area 202a.
As shown in this graph, when the floating gate potential Vfg is less than the threshold voltage Vth (approx. +1 V), the cell current value Id indicates zero. When the floating gate potential Vfg exceeds the threshold voltage Vth, the cell current value Id and the floating gate potential Vfg assume a directly proportional relationship.
The floating gate potential Vfg can be expressed by the following equation: EQU Vfg=Vfgw+Vfgc
wherein Vfgw is the potential generated by the electrons accumulated in the floating gate electrode 205 in the writing operation, and Vfgc is the potential to be generated by the capacitive coupling with the source area 202a. In the reading operation, since the potential Vfgc is fixed, the cell current value Id is determined essentially by the potential Vfgw. In the writing operation, the charge quantity of the floating gate electrode 205, i.e., the potential Vfgw, can be controlled by adjusting the writing operation time. This control of the floating gate potential Vfg allows desired setting of the cell current value Id in the reading operation.
For example, as shown in FIG. 3, assume that data values "11", "10", "01" and "00" correspond to the areas having cell current values Id of less than 40 .mu.A, 40 .mu.A or more and less then 80 .mu.A, 80 .mu.A or more and less than 120 .mu.A, and 120 .mu.A or more and less than 160 .mu.A, respectively. In this case, in the writing operation, the time of the writing operation is adjusted so that floating gate potentials Va, Vb, Vc and Vd corresponding to the cell current values Id (40, 80, 120 and 160 .mu.A) may be obtained. Thus, four-value (two bit) data can be stored in one memory cell.
However, in the erasing operation, when electrons are excessively extracted from the floating gate electrode 205, the channel area 203 is turned on even if a predetermined voltage (0 V) is applied to the control gate electrode 207 so as to maintain the memory cell in the OFF state. Consequently, the memory cell is constantly allowed to assume the ON state, giving rise to a problem of excessive erasure where a cell current flows even if the memory cell is in the stand-by state, Accordingly, it is not desired to use such area since it can cause excessive erasure of data storage.
In the reading operation, the potential of the floating gate electrode 205 is also determined according to the equation Vfg=Vfgw+Vfgc. In the reading operation, the area where the condition Vfg-Vfgc=Vfgw>Vth is established causes an excessive erasure when the potential Vfg of the floating gate electrode 205 is elevated to +5 V by the capacitive coupling with the control gate electrode 207. In this case, the area having a floating gate potential Vfg of +6 V or more causes an excessive erasure.
Further, since the cell current value Id assumes substantially a constant value when the floating gate potential Vfg is less than 1 V, the cell current value Id cannot be allowed to assume a plurality of data values depending on the value Id correspondingly. In order to prevent writing errors and reading errors from occurring in a multivalued semiconductor memory device, it is preferred that the range of the floating gate potential and that of the cell current value Id corresponding to the respective values of multivalued data have sufficient margins. However, in a flash EEPROM employing stacked gate type memory cells, the range of cell current values suitable for storing multivalued data is limited to the area where the electric current fluctuates a lot due to the reasons described above, and no excessive erasure occurs. Accordingly, it is difficult to achieve sufficient margins for the floating gate potentials Vfg and the cell current values Id corresponding to the multivalued data values.
Since the range corresponding to the data values of the floating gate potential Vfg is relatively narrow, it is difficult to achieve a sufficient margin in the writing operation for accurately setting the floating gate potential Vfg. Further, since the range corresponding to the respective data values of cell current value Id is relatively narrow, it is difficult to achieve sufficient margin in the reading operation for accurately reading the cell current value Id. The achievement of sufficient margins becomes further difficult in an 8-value or 16-value system compared with the 4-value system, because the range corresponding to the multivalued data values of the floating gate electrode Vfg and of the cell current value Id are further narrowed.

Non-volatile semiconductor memory devices


Joiners, methods of joining, and related systems for additive manufacturing are provided. The method of joining includes bulk depositing, by an additive manufacturing tool head, a joiner (anchor) of a second material in a receptacle in a body of a first material. Also, the method of joining includes depositing an anchor layer of a third material upon the anchor. Networks of joiners in 3D printed parts, multi-material parts comprising joiners, computer program products for providing joiners, joiner systems including trolleys, and related methods and systems are also provided. Further provided is a system, and method, for securing a part to a build platform and separating the part from the build platform.

Traditional mass manufacturing is characterized by high volume production of standardized products, typically by means of an assembly line. Components of mass-produced products are generally manufactured independently by specialized processes and then assembled into a finished product, which is then distributed. With many recent advances in additive manufacturing (AM), it is becoming more feasible to manufacture complex products in a single build process based on a digital representation of the product. Rather than building each part separately and then assembling them, AM has potential for products to be manufactured in an integrated manner. Automated single AM processes for manufacturing would provide many benefits.
In order to develop systems capable of manufacturing functional products through a largely AM process, many technological obstacles will need to be overcome. Some of these are to develop advanced methods for fastening multiple materials together during a build process, for fixturing parts during the build process, for integrating multiple build technologies together, and for improving end-part properties. The disclosure herein relates to solutions to such obstacles, which are discussed in detail below.


The disclosure relates generally to the field of boom-type engineering machinery, which discloses particularly an engine speed control method used to control an output speed of an engine of a boom-type engineering machine during a boom action including: detecting a load pressure of a hydraulic system and a moving speed of a boom; determining a target speed of the engine according to the load pressure and the moving speed of the boom, by a central control unit; and sending, by the central control unit, the target speed of the engine to an engine control unit, and performing, by the engine control unit, a speed closed-loop adjustment according to a current speed value fed back by the engine, so that a current speed of the engine is consistent with the target speed of the engine. Further aspects are an engine speed control system and a boom-type engineering machine equipped therewith.

A concrete pump vehicle is a common boom-type engineering machine. A concrete pump vehicle is widely used in modern construction engineering such as developing urban, transportation, and national defense facilities. The economic efficiency of a concrete pump vehicle directly decides the construction cost and the severity of environmental pollution. As nowadays the ideas of energy conservation and environmental protection are widely and increasingly acknowledged, highly-efficient, energy-conserving, and environmentally-friendly concrete pump vehicle products become more and more favored.
In a concrete pump vehicle, a power system transfers the power of an engine to a hydraulic pump unit through a power transfer case, a portion of the hydraulic oil discharged from a hydraulic pump drives a concrete pump to work, and another portion of the hydraulic oil is used to drive boom sections of a boom structure to perform an action.
Conventionally, when a boom of a concrete pump vehicle performs an action, a control mode for an engine power system makes an engine to work at a rated speed. Such a control mode is capable of providing sufficient power, at the same time the maximum flow demand during boom operations is met, power matching and flow matching are not required, and its control method is simple and highly reliable.
In the control mode for the engine power system, the engine is set at a rated speed, the power reservation is pretty sufficient, and the equipment works at an area with a high oil consumption rather than running in an economical work area, which reduces the economic efficiency of its chassis power system.
In addition, the boom of a concrete pump vehicle is in a low-load working condition. When the engine works at a rated speed, the excessive power is consumed in the form of vibrations, impacts, and noises, which results in severe waste of energy sources in a long run.
Therefore, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the art to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

Method and system for controlling engine speed and boom-type engineering machine

HUNAN SANY INTELLIGENT CONTROL EQUIPMENT CO., LTD


Method for conditioning of cellular materials, in particular organic materials, wherein the conditioned material is exposed to the thermodynamic medium. Further into the stream of the thermodynamic medium flowing in the channel (1, 6, 8, 9, 10), using the adjustable diaphragms (4, 5, 7) there are introduced turbulences increasing relative speed between conditioned material and thermodynamic medium. Invention further relates to the apparatus for conditioning of cellular materials, in particular organic materials, comprising inlet gate and supplying channel, conditioning channel and outlet, supplied from the source of the thermodynamic medium. Further the conditioning channel (6, 8, 9) has a spiral shape.

In the process of conditioning of organic material, for example tobacco, it is extremely important to precisely control parameters of the conditioning process, this is particularly difficult in a case of fine particles of the organic material exposed to the thermodynamic medium of high absolute speed and high relative speed in relation to the particles being conditioned. The main problem in such process is controlling the parameters of nonlaminar stream of mass consisting of particles of the conditioned organic material and thermodynamic medium, in respect to the particular particles of the organic material.
There are several apparatus for conditioning of organic materials known in the state of the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,908,032 discloses a method and apparatus for expansion of tobacco, which is using a channel in a form of letter C, wherein tobacco is transported by hot gaseous medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,086 discloses an apparatus for continuous drying in a superheated steam. Apparatus disclosed comprises a drying chamber and an assembly of the conveyor belts transporting material being dried. Superheated steam is generated inside the drying chamber from the moisture coming from the material being dried, as a result of exposing the material to hot gas or the moisture is introduced into to the chamber from the external source of the superheated steam.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,044,780 discloses an apparatus for expanding in volume of the cut tobacco, the apparatus comprises first unit increasing tobacco temperature and humidity to the state where tobacco particles open. Such apparatus comprises additionally separate unit for creating a thin layer of opened organic material particles in the gas atmosphere and a unit for rapid cooling.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,843 discloses a dryer where the transport of the organic material is carried out using pneumatic means. The shape of the inlet channel is decreasing the contact of the tobacco particles with a internal surfaces of the transport channel.
EP patent no. 1 033 081 discloses a method of expanding the food products or tobacco using superheated steam as transport medium.

Method and apparatus for conditioning of cellular materials, in particular organic materials

International Tobaco Machinery Poland Ltd.


An apparatus for outputting image data to a printer that includes a generator, a determining device, a compression device, a storage controller and a transfer device. The generator generates the image data and the determining device determines whether or not a band or a page of the image data generated by the generator is to be compressed, on the basis of an amount of the generated image data to be transferred to the printer. The compression device compresses the image data generated by the generator into compressed data by a band unit or a page unit, in accordance with a determination from the determining device. The storage controller, if the determining device determines that the band or page of the generated image data is to be compressed, controls a memory to store the band or page of the generated image data compressed by the compression device, and, if the determining device determines that the band or page of the generated image data is not to be compressed, controls the memory to store the band or page of the generated image data without compression. The transfer device transfers the stored data from the memory to the printer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer for receiving input data from an external apparatus such as a host computer or the like, and printing the received data on, e.g., a paper sheet, and a data transfer control method for the printer.
2. Related Background Art
In a conventional printer, a control unit and a print mechanism unit are connected in hardware and software manners via a specific interface/protocol determined therebetween. Bit map image data (including byte map data) created by the control unit is transferred to the print mechanism unit via the interface in the form of the bit map data, and is printed by the print mechanism unit on, e.g., a paper sheet.
A user must correctly designate various kinds of print method information such as a print medium, a print mode, and the like.
However, with the advent of high-resolution printers, color printers, and the like, the transfer amount of bit map image data is increasing, and data transfer executed via the interface requires a much longer period of time than a normal memory access depending on the conditions of the protocol processing (including processing for determining and setting the status of signal lines, and the like), the data width, and the like.
For this reason, the increase in data amount increases the processing cost and time required for the data transfer from the control unit to the print mechanism unit in the printer, and such loads inevitably lower the performance of the entire printer.
In particular, when bit map image data in a single page is repetitively transmitted to the print mechanism unit by, e.g., a copy function in the printer, since the drawing processing of a bit map has been completed, only the transfer processing time required for the single data accounts for most of the total processing time, and time for another input data processing cannot be assured.
In the above-mentioned prior art, a user designates a proper combination of a type of paper sheet and a print mode using an operation panel or control commands. In order to correctly designate a proper combination, the user must look up the combination in a manual. If the user designates a mis-matched combination of a paper sheet and a print mode, a print result that he or she intended cannot be obtained.

Print controller, printer, data transfer method, and printing condition setting method


An attaching plate is fixed to a cooling air duct in a refrigerator. A fan motor for supplying cooling air, is downwardly directed and is attached to the attaching plate. A fan cover is attached to the cooling air duct and below the fan motor. A bottom plate portion having a recess is disposed in the fan cover so as to be opposed to the tip end of the fan rotation shaft which is downwardly projected from a fan.

The invention relates to an air blower for a refrigerator, a freezer, or the like, and particularly to a mechanism for preventing a fan used in a refrigerator or freezer from being damaged.
As shown in FIG. 1, in a prior art refrigerator or freezer a machine room 2 is disposed above a main unit 1. An air blower of the prior art, which supplies air cooled by an evaporator 3 to the interior of the main unit 1, is configured in the following manner. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a fan motor 6 is downwardly directed and is attached to an attaching plate 5 fixed to a cooling air duct 4. A fan cover 7 in which the whole face has a grill-like shape is attached to the cooling air duct 4 at a position below the fan motor 6, and a tip end 9 of a fan rotation shaft, which is downwardly projected from a fan 8, is opposed to the fan cover 7.
When the fan motor 6 is used for a long time, the attaching plate 5 may become deformed by vibrations and the like, as shown in FIG. 4. This causes the fan motor 6 to drop from the original attachment position. When this happens, the tip end 9 of the fan rotation shaft may pass through an opening 7' of the grill of the fan cover 7 and the position of the fan 8 may be lowered to contact the inner face of the fan cover 7. When the fan 8 contacts the inner face of the fan cover 7, the fan 8 and the fan cover 7 both are damaged because of the rotation of the fan 8 and the load given by the fan motor 6. Moreover, the fan motor 6 may break because of an extra load imposed on the fan motor 6.
In a fan guard for a refrigerator disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 2-81380, the center portion of the fan guard, which is opposed to the rotation shaft of the fan, is closed. Since the fan rotation shaft horizontally elongates, there is little danger that the fan deviates toward the fan guard as a result of a long term use of the refrigerator. If the fan is downwardly directed and drops from the attachment position toward the fan guard, the fan immediately contracts the fan guard because the fan is disposed below the tip end of the fan rotation shaft. This causes the same problems as those of the above-described air blower of the prior art.


An apparatus in one embodiment comprises at least one processing device comprising a processor coupled to a memory, with the processing device being configured to obtain content-based signatures for respective data pages of at least one write operation, to send the content-based signatures to a content addressable storage (CAS) system, and to receive from the CAS system information indicating for each of the content-based signatures whether or not the corresponding data page is present in the CAS system. Responsive to the information received from the CAS system indicating that one or more of the corresponding data pages are not present in the CAS system, the processing device sends the one or more corresponding data pages to the CAS system. The processing device illustratively comprises a host device coupled to the CAS system over a network.

Various types of content addressable storage (CAS) systems are known. Typical CAS systems allow data pages of one or more logical storage volumes to be accessed using content-based signatures that are computed from content of respective ones of the data pages. Such CAS system arrangements facilitate implementation of deduplication and compression. For example, the storage system need only maintain a single copy of a given data page even though that same data page may be part of multiple logical storage volumes. Although these and other CAS systems typically provide a high level of storage efficiency through deduplication and compression, problems can arise under certain conditions. For example, conventional techniques for writing data to a CAS system typically require a host device to send all of the data pages of a given write operation to the storage system over a network, with only very narrow exceptions, such as writing all-zero data pages. This requirement to transmit substantially all data pages for each write operation can cause bandwidth congestion on one or more switch fabrics of the network, adversely impacting storage system response times.

Host-based acceleration of a content addressable storage system


A method of manufacturing a device includes: a laser beam-machined groove forming step of irradiating a wafer with a laser beam from the back side of the wafer along planned dividing lines so as to form laser beam-machined grooves along the planned dividing lines; an etching step of etching a back-side surface of the wafer having been subjected to the laser beam-machined groove forming step, so as to remove denatured layers formed at processed surfaces of the laser beam-machined grooves; an adhesive film attaching step of attaching an adhesive film to the back-side surface of the wafer having been subjected to the etching step, and adhering the adhesive film side of the wafer to a surface of a dicing tape; and an adhesive film rupturing step of expanding the dicing tape so as to rupture the adhesive film along individual devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a device by which a wafer having devices formed in a plurality of regions demarcated by planned dividing lines formed in a grid pattern on the face-side surface of the wafer is divided along the planned dividing lines into individual devices and an adhesive film for die bonding is attached to the back-side surface of each of the devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a semiconductor device manufacturing process, for example, it is a common practice to form devices such as ICs (integrated circuits) and LSIs (large-scale integrations) in a plurality of regions demarcated by streets (planned dividing lines) formed in a grid pattern on the face-side surface of a substantially circular disk-shaped semiconductor wafer, and to divide the regions with the devices formed therein along the planned dividing lines, thereby manufacturing the individual devices. As a dividing apparatus for dividing the semiconductor wafer, a cutting apparatus generally called dicing apparatus is used. The cutting apparatus has a cutting blade about 40 μm in thickness, by which the semiconductor wafer is cut along the planned dividing lines. The devices divided in this manner are packaged and put to wide use in electric apparatuses such as cellular phones and personal computers.
An adhesive film for die bonding, which is formed from an epoxy resin or the like in a thickness of 70 to 80 μm and is called a die attach film, is attached to each of the individually divided devices, and each device is bonded to a device-supporting die bonding frame through the adhesive film by heating. In an exemplary method for attaching the adhesive film for die bonding to the back-side surface of the device, the adhesive film is adhered to the back-side surface of the semiconductor wafer, and the semiconductor wafer is adhered to a dicing tape through the adhesive film. Thereafter, the adhesive film together with the semiconductor wafer is cut by a cutting blade along the planned dividing lines formed on the face-side surface of the semiconductor wafer, to form the devices each of which has the adhesive film attached to the back-side surface thereof (refer to, for example Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-182995).
However, when the adhesive film is adhered to the back-side surface of the wafer and the resulting assembly is cut by the cutting blade, the devices thus cut apart may show irregular motions on the adhesive film. Particularly, in the case where the thickness of the wafer is as small as 100 μm or below, the devices may be broken by the shock of the cutting blade which is rotating at a high speed.
In order to solve such a problem, the present applicant has proposed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-70000, a method of manufacturing a device wherein after an adhesive film is adhered to the back-side surface of a wafer and the adhesive film side is adhered to the surface of a dicing tape, the wafer is irradiated with a pulsed laser beam, which has such a wavelength as to be absorbed in the wafer, from the face side of the wafer along planned dividing lines, so as to divide the wafer into individual devices and to cut the adhesive film.
This approach, however, has the following problems. When the wafer is irradiated with the pulsed laser beam having such a wavelength as to be absorbed in the wafer from the face side of the wafer along the planned dividing lines, thermal energy would be concentrated on the irradiated region with the result of generation of debris, and the debris would adhere to device surfaces, thereby lowering the device quality. In addition, when the wafer is divided by irradiation with a laser beam, the divided surfaces would be denatured, resulting in that the individually divided devices show a lowered transverse rupture strength.


The invention provides a method of controlling a mobile communication network, the method comprising, an uplink controlling entity, in response to reception quality measurement reports sent by a plurality of reception points within the mobile communication network following a transmission of data by a user equipment device, the reception quality measurement reports being responsive to the reception of the transmission, configuring the reception points within the mobile communication network such that each of the multiple reception points is configured to exhibit a participation behaviour with respect to at least one of subsequent measurement reporting and payload reporting with regard to transmissions from the user equipment device, the participation behaviour being dependent on the reception quality measurement report.

Different names are used for base stations in mobile communication networks operating according to different standards, for example Node B in UMTS, evolved NodeB (eNB) in LTE, Access Point (AP) in WiFi. Also, different names are used in case the base stations have a different set of functionalities compared to normal base stations, e.g. "remote radio heads", "repeater", "home (e)NB" or "small cells". In context of the present invention these different types of base stations are referred to generally as "transmission points" when the downlink (tower to handset) is concerned and "reception points" when the uplink (handset to tower) is concerned, respectively.
These transmission points may be arranged to build a single frequency network (SFN) and therefore appear as one single cell to the mobile devices. In addition, transmission points can be added to and removed from a set of transmission points that are currently transmitting data to a specific mobile device (user equipment, UE) according to UE's movement to cover the area where the UE is expected to move next, i.e. with regard to transmission to a specific UE some transmission points are switched on and some are switched off according to UE's movement. If there is no need for a transmission point to transmit to any UE it may also be totally switched off (powered down, standby).
In the context of this invention the term SFN may be understood as a set of synchronously operating transmission/reception points that typically cover an area of larger extension, but also as a sub set of transmission/reception points from this larger set (so-called SFN Clusters).
The current invention may be especially useful in a network of transmission and reception points in which transmission points are setup to build an SFN. However, the invention is beneficial also in networks where transmission points generally transmit in an unsynchronized manor or appear as individual cells to a mobile device.
The current invention concerns network node interactions to efficiently collect uplink (UL) traffic in the network from multiple reception points and dynamically controlling reception points to participate in UE-specific UL routing.
In known mobile networks, techniques have been deployed that use multiple transmission and/or reception points in the network to increase efficiency or data rate of a UE's communication link.
In UMTS (3G, CDMA based), a soft handover (SHO) specified, where a single UE maintains several links to different base stations and transmits data individually to these in the UL. The links are explicitly established by the network, the UE encodes data individually for every link and all participating base stations forward received data to the radio network controller for combination of the data to a single UL data stream.
In LTE there is a concept of dual connectivity that allows a single UE to deliver data to (and receive data from) multiple base stations simultaneously. The UE uses distinct radio resources configured for each of the cells to transmit different data to the base stations. Every involved base station forwards received data further to the network and no dynamic selection of forwarding function from a group of receiving base stations is known.
Other concepts in LTE are carrier aggregation and coordinated multipoint (CoMP) in which a single UE transmits data in parallel on different carriers (i.e. different frequencies) or to different cells, but in both cases the reception points are co-located (in the same eNodeB) so that any kind of backhaul coordination is obsolete.
US 2013/0089034 A1 describes a method and base station to select one out of a plurality of base stations to serve a UE in UL. A single base station already serving the UE in DL controls the method, which involves by the UE sending reference signals in UL to multiple base stations. The base stations receive and decrypt (decode) the signals and send the received signal strength to the controlling base station for selection of the one base station to serve the UE in UL. The selection is fixed; the selected base station serves the UE.
The application does not describe a dynamic (repeated) selection of the currently best base station as well as the selection of multiple base stations to serve a UE. Also, the selected base station will be solely responsible for UL data forwarding and thus there is no mentioning of different involvements the base station can have with respect to the UL transmission.
WO 2012/095759 describes a method, a serving base station and a cooperating base station for combining UL data traffic received by the cooperating base station and by the serving base station taking into account decoding soft output values and certainty values. The cooperating base station sends received UL data as soft output and certainty values to the serving base station, which combines the UL data with corresponding values it received itself.
The application does not describe dynamic configuration techniques. The combination of data from different base stations is described. The principle is similarly used already in UMTS for soft handover.
US 2006/0286996 proposes a method for selecting a base station serving a UE for the UL from a candidate set of base stations. The selection is done by the UE based on UL reception in the base station, which UL reception may be estimated by the UE from power control commands received from the base station, HARQ feedback received from the base station or transmit power in the DL. The UE sends signals on dedicated control channels (one for each candidate base station) or the UE multiplexes dedicated signals onto one common control channel. In any case, base station specific signals are sent and the UE is configured to explicitly address the base stations.
The application does not describe multiple base stations receiving and measuring the same (not base station specific) signals and providing their measurement to a central unit in the network for selection of multiple "serving" base stations (that is data forwarding base stations).
US 2002/0118665 describes a system and method in which signals sent from a UE in UL are received by multiple base stations (one target and multiple non-target) and forwarded by non-target base stations to a target base station for combination and determination of necessity of power adjustment in the UE. The non-target base stations have received a UE-specific code-pattern to decode the UL signals transmitted by the UE.
The application does not describe different roles for a participating (non-target) base station that allow various levels of involvement beyond that of a data forwarding base station, which is the only non-target base station behaviour described in the patent. Base stations are not dynamically configured to forward, store or not forward data and/or participate in measurements on the UL signals to prepare potential higher involvement when channel conditions change. A request for later forwarding of specific data that was stored in a base station is not mentioned.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Controlling uplink traffic received by multiple base stations


The invention relates to a four-step automated system for the transportation, through an automated guidance vehicle ("AGV"), of products such as pharmaceuticals to any location within a hospital. The system comprises an input queue, a dispensing apparatus comprising a robot device and a number of stations from which the robot device works, an inspection station, and an AGV transportation system. A computer interface provides bi-directional communication between analytical instruments, robots and peripheral devices. The robot and AGV employed by the system are responsive to computer commands and capable of performing mechanical functions including selection and retrieval of necessary item, and manipulation of retrieved items and delivery of said items, all without human intervention.

Dramatic improvements in industrial productivity and quality have been achieved with the application of robotic technology. Spinoffs of this technology that will impact everyday life include home robots for housecleaning, lawn-mowing and fast food robots. Against this backdrop, hospitals and hospital laboratories across the country are beginning to consider the benefits of robotic automation. Health care traditionally has been a difficult marketplace for automation because of the complexity of the procedures and the potential health risks. Nevertheless, exciting medical applications such as the use of robots as assistants in surgical procedures have recently been described. Robots will have a significant impact on medical care by eliminating mundane chores, reducing the exposure of personnel to AIDS and other infectious diseases, and lowering labor costs.
In confronting increasing pressure to reduce the cost of providing analytical results, many laboratories have centralized their services to conserve resources. By consolidating services, expensive equipment has less idle time and labor is used more cost effectively. However, centralization may adversely affect the sample-to-result turnaround time by increasing the distance of the centralized laboratory from the origin of the specimen. Frequently, analytical results must be obtained in a short time to provide information for rapid assessment of a situation so that corrective actions may be taken. In medical care, for example, the clinical state of a critically ill patient must be assessed and corrected before a life threatening condition occurs. Similarly, in the outpatient clinic, providing results of blood analysis to physicians while the patients are still in the physicians' office is highly desirable because it obviates the need for a return appointment to discuss abnormal laboratory results. In industrial process control, real-time monitoring of the progress of chemical reactions by on-site analytical techniques prevents dangerous conditions or loss of products.
Until now, improvements in the turnaround of results have been obtained either by dedicated rapid specimen transportation systems or by simplifications of analytical techniques that make the specimen analysis faster. Pneumatic tube systems, mobile carts, and robotic messengers have been used with some success to transport specimens rapidly to the central laboratory, or from a central pharmacy to remote stations. The present invention provides a greatly improved delivery system, and is particularly directed to the use of AGV's in the transport step.


The invention provides systems and methods for providing compressed video data from multiple bit streams. The systems and methods apply a two-stage strategy. In the first stage, a conditioning step is performed on a bit stream comprising compressed video data which outputs a conditioned bit stream that is able to receive digital insertions without subsequent decompression of the compressed video data or removal from network packets. The conditioning includes recoding an incoming bit stream such that compressed video data in the bit stream immediately before and after a splice point does not have temporal reliance across the splice point. In the second stage, e.g., at a downstream network device, splicing of compressed video data from a second bit stream into the conditioned bit stream is performed. The splicing takes advantage of the changes made to the conditioned bit stream and may occur at the network packet level.

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for transmitting data. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for transmitting compressed digital video data in a manner that allows downstream network devices to splice multiple compressed video bit streams using network packet level manipulation.
There are presently a variety of different communication channels for transmitting or transporting video data. For example, communication channels such as coaxial cable distribution networks, digital subscriber loop (DSL) access networks, ATM networks, satellite, or wireless digital transmission facilities are all well known. In fact, many standards have been developed for transmitting data on the communication channels. The present invention relates to data transmission on such communication channels, and for the purposes of the present application a channel is defined broadly as a connection facility to convey digital information from one point to another. A channel includes some or all of the following elements: 1) physical devices that generate and receive the signals (including a modulator/demodulator); 2) a medium that carries the actual signals; 3) mathematical schemes used to encode and decode the signals; 4) proper communication protocols used to establish, maintain and manage the connection created by the channel 5) storage systems used to store the signals such as magnetic tapes and optical disks. The concept of a channel includes but is not limited to a physical channel, but also logical connections established on top of different network protocols, such as XDSL, ATM, IP, wireless, HFC, coaxial cable, Ethernet, Token Ring, etc.
The channel is used to transport a bit stream, or a continuous sequence of binary bits used to digitally represent video, audio or data. A bit rate is the number of bits per second used to transport the bit stream. Compression of video data is an approach that has been used to make digital video images more transportable. Digital video compression schemes allow digitized video frames to be represented digitally in much more efficient manner. Compression of digital video makes it practical to transmit the compressed signal using digital channels at a fraction of the bit rate required to transmit the original signal without compression.
In addition to the video compression scheme, a channel may also implement its own network protocol. For example, two common network protocols currently used are Internet Protocol (IP) and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM). Both network protocols implement different rules which can be used to transport data or multimedia bit streams. For example, ATM specifies how data is first packetized into fixed sized data units, called cells. It also specifies how such a cell stream can be multiplexed, de-multiplexed, switched and routed between different locations to support end-to-end connections at a given bit rate.
Existing communication channels are frequently used for delivery of video. In some multimedia delivery applications, compressed video programs are delivered simultaneously to numerous digital receiver/decoders. In such multi-cast situations, the same bit stream may spread from a source to numerous receivers simultaneously via multiple channel paths. The original bit stream is often altered on each of these paths. For example, local advertisers may intercept a video program (e.g., a CNN feed or a nationally broadcast sporting event) and insert local content comprising local advertising.
Digital stream insertion (also called digital program insertion (DPI), digital spot insertion, etc.) is a process that replaces part of a digital bit stream by another bit stream. For the above multi-cast situation, both bit streams are typically encoded off-line in a different location or at a different time. As a result of the insertion however, the resulting bit stream has the advertisement inserted into the network feed.
The underlying technique for DPI is bit stream splicing (also known as bit stream concatenation), where a transition is made from an old stream to a new stream. The transition is called splice point. Creating splice points in a bit streams comprising compressed data often requires decoding and re-encoding of one or both compressed bit streams in order to allow seamless output of the video data from a decoder. For example, in order to complete a splicing process for an MPEG coded video data, an anchor frame with full picture data, i.e., an I frame, should be present at splicing points so that the switch from local content back to the broadcast content maintains compressed video data syntax integrity. For switching from the broadcast content into local content, the last coded picture in the broadcast bitstream has no reference into the future (sometimes called closed GOP condition) to avoid referencing an unrelated local content picture. However, compressed video programs transmitted in a broadcast typically do not always have anchor frames placed in splicing locations for digital ad segments.
Some current mechanisms for dealing with this problem include skipping frames, inserting black frames, and forcing overflow and underflow of video buffers. These mechanisms may all diminish output video quality. An alternative way to solve this problem is to create closed GOP and I frame for all potential local content insertions, i.e., closed GOP condition in the broadcast bitstream is formed at the point of local content insertion, and the first coded picture in the broadcast bitstream after the insertion is an I frame. This requirement implies that the broadcast encoder knows exactly where local content insertion will occur. This generally is not true because originally encoded content typically is sent to many geographic locations, at different times of the day. If a subsequent insertion point is not where the encoder assumed it to be, insertion can not be made. Making more frequent splicing points in the bitstream would make it more likely that the subsequent insertion can be done, but it comes at the cost of decreased bandwidth efficiency since I frames consumes considerably more bits than P and B frames.
The third approach to the above problem is not to encode splicing points at the encoder, and let the downstream splicer re-encode the content to satisfy the splicing requirement. This is also computationally expensive method since each splicer must re-encode the network bit stream and generate I frames. This decoding and re-encoding may be redundantly performed for each content insertion point downstream in the multi-cast. In addition, the network transmission protocol must also be overcome to access the compressed video data, e.g., the compressed video data must be removed from the network packets, decoded and re-encoded, and then repacketized into the network packets. The layered structure of network packets and protocols typically implies no data alignment between the video data payload and the network packets that contain it. Therefore, additional packet decapsulation and encapsulation must be performed to re-format the data for network transport. Each of these steps introduces complexity and transmission inefficiency to the multicast and increases the difficulty in providing seamless and efficient multi-cast applications.
Further, the compressed video bit streams are usually generated by either real-time encoders or pre-compressed video server storage systems. Both are likely to be in remote sites, each away from the network itself. This increases the difficulty in encoding the video signal to allow downstream digital stream insertion. As a result, the prior art systems assume that the splicing and compression steps are performed within the same equipment.
Therefore, there is a need for improved methods and systems for providing video data from multiple sources.

Methods and apparatus for facilitating network splicing


A luminance conversion function calculating circuit calculates a luminance conversion function in order that a specific image contained in an image represented by image data to be processed will be made to have a desired brightness. Saturation of the specific image in a case where the applied image data has been subjected to a luminance correction based upon the calculated luminance conversion function is calculated and upper-limit saturation is calculated based upon an input value from the user. If the saturation of the specific image after the luminance correction thereof exceeds the upper-limit saturation, then a target dynamic range revising circuit narrows the range width of a target dynamic range that stipulates the luminance conversion function. The luminance conversion function is revised in a luminance conversion function revising circuit so as to have the narrowed range width.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus, method and program for creating a luminance conversion curve that is for the purpose of converting the brightness of an image.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital image data is subjected to a variety of correction processing for the purpose of facilitating the viewing of and improving the quality of the image represented by the digital image data. A density conversion (luminance conversion, brightness conversion, tone conversion), which is one type of correction processing, generally corrects digital image data in such a manner that an image represented by the digital image data will be brightened if the image is dark and darkened if the image is bright.
The specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-196890 (Patent Document 1) describes an image processing apparatus so adapted that if the density of the image of a subject is not within a target density range, the tone of the image is converted in such a manner that the density of the image of the subject will fall within the target density range in a state in which the densities of maximum- and minimum-density areas of the image are approximately maintained. A tone curve for the density correction is as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 of the disclosed specification.
With the image processing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 (the density correction in accordance with the tone curve illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4), the density of the image of the subject can be brought within the target density range and the densities of the maximum- and minimum-density areas of the image are not corrected. Since there is no decline in the density of highlight areas in the image and no rise in the density of shadow areas, the image can be prevented from becoming one giving a bland impression.
However, the tone curve not only stipulates the density (brightness and darkness) of the image after the correction but also is related to the saturation of the image. If the density correction is performed so as to further lower the density (raise the luminance) of the image of the subject when the density of the image of the subject is low (the luminance value is high) at the start, there are instances where the saturation of the image after the correction rises so much that the image obtained after the correction gives an impression far removed from that of the original image. There are also instances where the hue of the image after the correction differs from that of the original image.
Further, if the slope of the tone curve is extremely large, a portion of the image having a density that corresponds to a portion where the curve has a large slope undergoes a density correction that is too extreme (i.e., the image is converted to a high-contrast image).

Generation and adjustment of a luminance correction curve to prevent saturation of the image during contrast enhancement


Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a suspension bracket for a display device, relating to the technical field of a bracket structure. In at least some embodiments, the suspension bracket disclosed is made to solve the problem that the display device has a smaller visual range by being fixed in a fixing manner in the prior art. The suspension bracket comprises a suspension member and a mounting bracket rotatably fixed on the suspension member. The suspension bracket of the present disclosure is configured to hang a display device.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of a bracket structure, and particularly, to a suspension bracket for a display device.
Description of the Related Art
A display device, as a network display carrier, is widely used in various situations. With development of display device technologies, requirements for convenience of using the display devices become more and more high. For example, the display device is mounted on a bracket. The larger a visual angle of the display device is, the larger a size of a display picture with contrast of more than 10 can be provided for a viewer. The visual angle of a display device means an angle between the line of sight, at which an picture with contrast of more than 10 can be viewed just by the viewer, and a plane perpendicular to a screen. Currently, a display device in public places is generally mounted in a wall hanging or suspending way, that is, the display device is fixed on a wall or a ceiling of a building by means of suspending member(s). The display device displays pictures at fixed angles, which includes a transverse inclination angle and a longitudinal inclination angle.
With the display device mounted in a wall hanging or suspending way in prior art, the display device displays pictures at fixed angles, thus the visual angle of the display device is limited, resulting in that a visual range within which the viewer can view pictures with contrast of more than 10 is smaller.


A plating layer 18 of Ni or the like is formed around the outer peripheral face 14 of a wire tool 10, and super abrasive grains 16 are electrodeposited so as to be embedded in the plating layer 18. A coating layer 20 is formed on the surface of the super abrasive grains 16 to increase efficiency during electrodeposition. The thickness of the coating layer 20 formed on the super abrasive grains 16 is less than 0.1 μm, and preferably not more than 0.05 μm. The coating layer 20 is thin enough that its mass is less than 10% of the mass of the super abrasive grain 16. Accordingly, the super abrasive grains 16 are electrodeposited in a single layer around the outer peripheral face 14 of the core wire 12. As a result, the super abrasive grains 16 do not readily come off the core wire 12, which means that the wire tool will have a longer life. Also, since there is no need to remove any excess super abrasive grains after their electrodeposition, manufacturing costs can be cut and less work is entailed.

It is known that resin-bonded wire tools or electrodeposited wire tools, in which super abrasive grains (abrasive grains composed of diamond or CBN (Cubic Boron Nitride) with high hardness) have been adhered to the outer peripheral face of a long thin object that serves as a core wire, can be used to cut hard and brittle materials such as silicon and sapphire. A problem with resin-bonded wire tools in which the super abrasive grains are adhered to the core wire with a synthetic resin is that they wear out more quickly and the super abrasive grains are more prone to falling out than with an electrodeposited wire tool. In contrast, although an electrodeposited wire tool in which the super abrasive grains are adhered to the core wire by electrodeposition is more resistant to wear than a resin-bonded wire tool, a problem is that the plating process of electrodepositing the abrasive grains takes a long time. Consequently, it has been proposed in recent years that coated abrasive grains, the surface of which is coated with a coating layer composed of nickel, titanium, copper, or another such metal, be used in such electrodeposited wire tools in order to increase the electrodeposition rate during the manufacture of the wire tool (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2003-340729).
However, in the manufacture of an electrodeposited wire tool featuring coated abrasive grains, a problem is that an excess amount of abrasive grains are electrodeposited to the core wire in the course of electrodepositing the super abrasive grains by immersing the core wire in a plating bath containing super abrasive grains. The excess electrodeposited abrasive grains tend to fall off, which wastes the abrasive grains and also shortens the life of the wire tool. Also, if some treatment is performed to remove the excess electrodeposited abrasive grains from the core wire, this ends up taking more time and driving up the cost, and therefore lowers the wire tool manufacturing efficiency.


A DC to DC converter power supply for converting a varying unregulated DC voltage into a lower voltage regulated output. The DC to DC converter has a buck topology and includes a high frequency switch with a variable duty cycle, a regulating filter, a current inner control loop, a voltage outer control loop, a latching switch that provides a load bypass during startup, a logic circuit oscillator that controls the high frequency switch frequency duty cycle as a function of both the inner control loop current and the outer control loop voltage, and a circuit that taps the source voltage for a power input to the logic circuit oscillator during startup. The DC to DC converter admits a source voltage range of approximately 4:1 and provides a regulated fixed output voltage that ranges from approximately 30% of the source voltage at the lowest accommodated source voltage to approximately 5% of the source voltage at the highest accommodated source voltage.

The present invention relates to a DC to DC converter that admits power from a wide range of fluctuating industrial level voltages and automatically converts those voltages to a regulated DC voltage that is well below the voltage range of the admitted power.
There is a wide range of industrially available utility supplied line voltages to power electrical equipment, ranging from 208 to 600 VAC, and alternatively 270 to 830 VDC. This powered equipment, while containing some modules that require voltage levels within that input range, also contain modules that require a regulated 48 VDC voltage. Additionally, it may be preferred that electrical equipment modules requiring a voltage of less than 48 VDC, be connected to a regulated 48 VDC output voltage as the source voltage for further conversion.
Conventionally, a DC to DC converter is used to convert alternatively a high valued DC voltage to a lower valued DC voltage, or a low valued DC voltage to a higher valued DC voltage. In order to convert a high valued AC voltage to a differently valued DC voltage, a rectification circuit is imposed between an AC line and a DC to DC converter, so that the AC voltage is first converted to a full wave rectified voltage, and subsequently input to the DC to DC converter, to be output as a lowered or raised DC voltage.
Conventional voltage lowering DC to DC converters operate over a 2:1 input range. Beyond that 2:1 range, they are alternatively unstable or are not able to maintain a regulated output, because of the requirement for extremely rapid witching caused by the combination of a high frequency chopping rate and a low duty cycle. OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a DC to DC converter that operates automatically over a variable input range of 4:1, and alternatively produce a near constant voltage.
Another object of the present invention to provide a DC to DC converter that operates automatically over a variable input range that is at least four times as great as the near constant output voltage.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a DC to DC converter that operates automatically over a fluctuating input range of at least 230 VDC to 940 VDC, outputs a near constant 48 VDC, and produces at least 100 W of power.
Briefly stated, a DC to DC converter for converting an unregulated DC source that may vary over a range from 230 VC to 940 VDC voltage is converted into a regulated 48 VDC output at a regulated current of approximately 2 amperes. The DC to DC converter has a buck topology and includes a high frequency switch with a variable duty cycle, a regulating filter, a current inner control loop, a voltage outer control loop, a latching switch that provides a load bypass during startup, a logic circuit oscillator that controls the high frequency switch frequency duty cycle as a function of both the inner control loop current and the outer control loop voltage, and a circuit that taps the source voltage for a power input to the logic circuit oscillator during startup. The DC to DC converter thus admits a source voltage range of approximately 4:1 and provides a regulated fixed output that ranges from approximately 30% of the source voltage at the lowest accommodated source voltage to approximately 5% of the source voltage at the highest accommodated source voltage.
According to an embodiment of this invention, a DC to DC converter includes a high frequency switch for defining a chopped output train of voltage pulses, an oscillator circuit that includes a switch driver for controlling the opening and closing of the high frequency switch, a regulation circuit that includes an inductor, for regulating the voltage pulse train, and output current and output voltage control signals for varying the duty cycle of the pulse train. The DC to DC converter of the invention additionally includes a switch for limiting the output voltage during the startup of the DC to DC converter, and a means to supply voltage to the internal circuitry of the DC to DC converter from the input voltage until the high frequency switch has begun to operate.

Wide input range step-down DC to DC converter


A safety latch automatically stops a drawer or cabinet door both when opening and closing. In a preferred embodiment, the safety latch is a one-piece design and catches on the front face of the cabinet.

The present invention relates to a safety latch arrangement. More particularly, it relates to a safety latch arrangement which can be installed very easily and operates simply. There are many known types of drawer safety latches, but they usually are difficult to install, difficult to operate, and typically only operate in one direction, to prevent a child from opening the drawer. In many cases, the latch permits the child to open the drawer enough to get his fingers into the drawer, and then permits the child to close the drawer on his fingers, which can result in injury to the child.


Compositions, methods, apparatuses, kits, and combinations are described for permanently or temporarily re-designing, decorating, and/or re-coloring a surface. In one embodiment, a stencil is provided that has an embossed top layer and a low-slip bottom layer that has a static coefficient of friction between about 0.2 to about 1.2 and/or a kinetic coefficient of friction that is between about 0.1 to about 1.1 as measured against another surface having the same bottom surface as the stencil. Compositions useful in the present disclosure include a décor product that is formulated to be applied and affixed to a surface. If desired, the décor product may be substantially removed from the surface before being affixed thereto. If a user desires to remove the décor product, the décor product is formulated to be removed by a number of methods including, for example, vacuuming, wet extraction, chemical application, and the like. If the user desires to affix the décor product to the surface in a permanent or semi-permanent manner, the décor product may be affixed to the surface by applying energy thereto in the form of, for example, heat, pressure, emitted waves, an emitted electrical field, a magnetic field, and/or a chemical. The décor product may also be utilized in the form of a kit or in conjunction with a design device, such as a stencil, to control the application of the décor product to create, for example, a pattern on the surface.

1. Field of the Invention
Enhancement of surfaces that may be permanently or temporarily re-designed, decorated, and/or re-colored with a design device is disclosed herein.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Improving the aesthetics in homes has long been practiced by many consumers. There is a plethora of home products and techniques for cleaning surface areas of soft surfaces such as carpets, rugs, draperies, curtains, upholstery, and the like. However, for more sullied and/or worn surfaces, subtractive processes (for example, a process that chemically or physically removes something from the carpet, such as cleaning or shaving) cannot truly restore the surface to its original state; this is often very frustrating for consumers. Oftentimes, spots and stains reappear after treatment.
Additive processes (for example, a process that layers, covers, or masks something undesirable underneath) and techniques for improving the aesthetics of surfaces include painting, faux painting, stenciling, bordering, wallpapering, tiling, wainscoting, paneling, decorative plastering, adding appliqués (for example, pictures, cut-outs, stickers, or the like), laminating, and molding (for example, crown, shoe, and chair) are also known. However, these products and techniques have not been applied to soft surfaces such as carpets, rugs, draperies, curtains, upholstery, and the like.

Multilayer stencils for applying a design to a surface


An attachment for use with a vacuum powered debris removal system, said attachment comprising a debris collection bowl, said bowl having a first aperture through which a material cutting tool may be removably inserted, a second aperture through which a vacuum source may be connected, and a third aperture the open circumferential face of which is designed to lie substantially in contact with a material undergoing a cutting operation, such that in use, as debris is generated by the action of the cutting tool on said material, substantially all debris is collected in said bowl and thereby extracted through the second aperture by the action of the vacuum source.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a vacuum cleaning attachment and more specifically but not exclusively to the use of such an attachment for the removal of swarf or debris in drilling and/or grinding operations.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The use of vacuum cleaning attachments is well known for domestic dust and debris removal, and additionally in manufacturing/industrial applications where large volumes of debris or swarf are required to be moved from the areas surrounding machining operations. The usual method by which industrial swarf or debris is removed relies on specifically shaped vacuum nozzle attachments being placed on or near to the head of a machining or cutting device such that as produced a proportion of the debris can be removed from the area of the work piece. Aside from this industrial machining use the vast majority of vacuum cleaning applications are applied after debris has been produced and allowed to settle either at ground level, on the machine bed or on the work piece itself.

British Aerospace Public Limited Company


There is disclosed a draining cannula to be connected with the left atrium which comprises a tip portion (A), a curvature portion (B) connected with said tip portion and a body tubular portion (C) connected with said curvature portion. The length and the outer diameter of said cannula is sufficient for inserting the cannula into the femoral vein and for reaching the tip portion the left atrium passing through the cava, the right atrium and the interatrial septum. The portion (B) is made of a material which is more flexible than that of said portion (C). A resilient spiral thin wire is provided within the thickenss of the wall part defining the lumen of the curvature portion (B). The cannula is used for draining from the left atrium by inserting it into the femoral vein and passing the tip portion (A) of said cannula through the cava, the right atrium and the interatrial septum to reach the left atrium, without thoracotomy.

With the progress of medicine, new treatments have positively been attempted to apply to various cases, wherein to save patients by conventional treatments is difficult, and many good results have been obtained. Among them, regarding treatments for heart diseases such as cardiac infarction, valvular disease of the heart and the like, the saving rate of patients has significantly been improved by development of pharmacotherapy as well as technical improvement in cardiotomy due to the progress of pump-oxygenators and cardiomuscular protection. Further, for patients suffering from depression of heart function, circulation assisting devices such as intra-aortic balloon pumping (hereinafter abbreviated as "IABP"), veno-arterial bypass (hereinafter abbreviated as "VAB") and the like have been developed and it is possible to assist heart function for several days to several weeks. IABP is used for assisting heart function by inserting an elongated balloon into the aorta from the femoral artery and inflating and deflating the balloon in the aorta. VAB is used for draining (or drainaging) venous blood from a patient, oxygenating the blood by an artificial lung and returning the oxygenated blood to the patient by a pump. However, even IABP and VAB are yet insufficient for assisting heart function and, therefore, some patients cannot be saved by IABP and VAB. For such patients, a systemic heart assisting artificial heart having larger efficiency for assisting heart function is used in the clinical field. Such a systemic heart assisting artificial heart is used by inserting a draining cannula in the left atrium during thoracotomy, connecting a blood prefusion cannula to the aorta and connecting both cannulas to the inlet and outlet of a blood pump placed outside the body, respectively and driving the pump to assist heart function. For the systemic heart assisting artificial heart, the shape and insertion site of the cannula upon draining from the left atrium are of importance. Because of its nature, the device is requested to assist heart function for several days. During this period of time, the chest is closed and only the cannulas penetrate the wall of the chest to protrude outside the body. Therefore, when the cannulas oppress the heart or other organs, sufficient dehematization cannot be obtained. Further, the oppressed organs are adversely affected and, therefore, shape fitness for the living body is more important in comparison with that of cannulas used in ordinary cardiotomy.
For this purpose, the cannula should have an enough diameter for obtaining shape fitness for the living body as well as sufficient draining and, therefore, a special shape is required. In view of this, one cannula for the assisting artificial heart is proposed in Japanese Patent Kokai No. 58-177664.
One key problem which is usually encountered with in the use of the assisting artificial heart is that to fit and remove the device require much time and labor. The assisting artificial heart is fitted by inserting a draining cannula and a blood perfusion cannula under extracoporeal circulation with a pump-oxygenator after exposing the heart by thoracotomy. Therefore, it is difficult to use it for a patient requiring urgent treatment. Further, when the assisting artificial heart is removed after heart function is recovered, repair must be made after withdrawal of the cannulas by thoracotomy. This problem is not yet solved even by using the above cannula disclosed in Japanese Patent Kokai No. 58-177664.


An inverter supply voltage generator comprises an inverter supply voltage computing unit 10, a voltage converter 11 and a battery 12. The inverter supply voltage generator varies inverter supply voltage Vdc in synchronization with motor-application voltages Vu_pwm, Vv_pwm, and Vw_pwm. Thus, the degree of freedom of the switching operation of a PWM inverter 13 is increased, an inverter loss and the size of the PWM inverter 13 can be reduced, and its efficiency can be enhanced without deteriorating the driving efficiency of an IPM motor 14.

The present invention relates to a motor control device and a motor control method which control an output of a motor by controlling DC input voltage of an inverter which applies voltage to the motor. More specifically, the invention relates to a technique for reducing an inverter loss and an inverter size and enhancing the efficiency of the inverter without deteriorating the driving efficiency of the motor.
Conventionally, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-314095, there is a known motor control device which controls a rotation speed of a motor by switching between a region where PWM (Pulse Wide Modulation) control is performed in a state where the DC input voltage of an inverter is maintained at a constant voltage, and a region where PAM (Pulse Amplitude Modulation) control is performed while varying the DC input voltage of the inverter by a pressure rising circuit, according to a driving state of the motor. According to such a motor control device, the motor can be driven under an optimal condition according to the operating state of the motor, and the motor can be operated efficiently with small vibration.

Motor control device and motor control method


A beverage brewing system is adapted to have a brewing configuration, in which, a brewing chamber has a brewing substance therein, a bottle initially has a fluid therein, a lid is located over a cup, the bottle is removably attached to the lid and located over the lid, the brewing chamber is located between the bottle and the cup, and a blow-out valve is located between the bottle and the brewing chamber so that the blow-out valve initially hinders a flow of the fluid from the bottle to the brewing chamber. The blow-out valve is adapted to be breached at a predetermined pressure when the fluid is heated to allow the fluid to pass through the brewing chamber into the cup to form a brewed fluid. The entire system is preferably disposable and microwavable. Preferably, the system has a compact storage configuration and a portable drinking configuration as well.

Espresso and cappuccino machines can be expensive, and the process of making a cup of espresso or cappuccino with such machines is often cumbersome, time consuming, and/or very messy. Many people who own such machines will discontinue using them after realizing the time and effort required to make a cup of espresso/cappuccino and to clean up the mess it creates. This may be one of the reasons so many people are willing to pay large sums of money for such beverages at coffee shops (e.g., Starbucks Coffee® shops). However, many people desire to have a fresh brewed cup of espresso or cappuccino without having to leave their home. Hence, a need exists for a way to provide a fresh brewed beverage at home, but without the cost, mess, effort, and time required of many espresso/cappuccino machines.
One attempt to solve this problem was products adapted to be mixed with hot water (rather than brewed), such as instant coffee and instant coffee drink mixes. However, the resulting beverage from such products often does not have the same quality and freshness of coffee brewed using a machine and a brewing process. Hence, a need exists for a way to conveniently make a freshly brewed beverage quickly and without a mess, yet without sacrificing in taste and quality.
Other prior attempts to provide a freshly brewed beverage in a quick and convenient manner typically involve a machine or device, which typically still requires cleaning. Many people prefer using paper, polystyrene (e.g., Styrofoam®), or plastic cups that can be discarded after use rather having to wash the cup. Disposable items are now a normal part of American culture. There are many disposable food product packages, and there are even disposable cameras. Yet, no currently known device for brewing a beverage is designed to be self-contained, inexpensive, and disposable after a single use. Thus, a need exists for a beverage brewing system that is simple to use, inexpensive, and disposable.


A microphone shield system captures sound in adverse conditions. The system includes a microphone positioned within an enclosure. A membrane stretched across a portion of the enclosure passes signals within a selected frequency range. The membrane may block or attenuate signals above and/or below the frequency range to pass a desired sound with little surrounding interference.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a microphone shield, and more particularly, to a system that protects a microphone against environmental conditions.
2. Related Art
Television, movie, and wireless communication industries rely on instruments to convert voice and other sounds into signals that may be transmitted to other locations and re-converted into high quality sound. High quality sound may be important for meeting consumer expectations and for accurately preserving events. Obtaining high-quality sound can be very difficult, particularly when the sound is affected by ambient noise.
Many sources create ambient noise. Frequently encountered sources include wind and rain. Wind may distort the sound detected by microphone sensing elements, while rain may create noise as it strikes the sensing elements. Electronic filtering has been used to remove some wind and rain noises. However, electronic filtering may attenuate some audio frequencies which may degrade sound clarity and quality.
Therefore a need exists for a shield that overcomes some of these potential problems in the related art.


A skin-contacting heatable dressing including a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer having a first skin-contacting side and a second side; heat generating conductive carbon fibers contained within the skin-contacting pressure sensitive adhesive layer; and a source of electrical energy electrically connected to the carbon fibers. In one embodiment, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer may include a transdermally absorbable medicament. In one embodiment, the dressing may include a backing layer. In one embodiment, the source of electrical energy may be a thin film battery, which may supplement or take the place of the backing layer.

Heat treatment is widely used for promoting healing of wounds, burns, ulcers and post-surgically, for treatment of arthritis and muscle-source pain, and for promotion of healing generally. The normal human skin temperature is about 32° C.-33° C., which is a hypothermic temperature compared to normal core body temperature of about 37° C. The hypothermic condition of wounds inhibits healing. Studies have demonstrated that the local application of heat to hypothermic skin will result in some degree of vasodilation, which in turn results in an increase in local blood flow. Increased local blood flow in turn increases both the subcutaneous oxygen level and the availability of blood-borne healing factors, resulting in more collagen deposition and improved immune function. Studies have also demonstrated that temperatures much above the normal core body temperature of about 37° C. result in tissue damage and so do not contribute to promotion of wound therapy and healing.
Many currently available medical devices apply heat to wounds by use of infrared lamps, warm water pads, warm water bottles and by electrically heated pads. Treatment of wounds with infrared light requires that the wound be positioned under the light during therapy, necessitating patient immobility. Infrared light also can result in wounds drying, thereby slowing the healing process. Warm water pads and bottles and electrically heated pads powered by high voltage AC line electrical power transformed to low voltage all restrict patient mobility. In addition, electrically heated pads powered by high voltage AC line electrical power require use of a transformer to reduce voltage to a safe level, and even with such reduction the maintenance of an electrical connection to the high voltage electrical source constitutes a possible danger to patient safety.
A need continues to exist for heatable dressings which can provide a safe and effective level of heating to the skin of a mammalian subject, while being convenient, easy to use, and not restricting the mobility of the mammal to which the dressing is applied.


A radio receiver system (30) comprises a radio receiver (41), a receiver sample clock (60), which is used for sampling a modulated base-band signal; and a timing correction unit (100). The timing correction unit (100) performs, in the frequency domain, a timing drift compensation between a transmitter sample clock (66) and the receiver sample clock (60). In one example context of implementation, the plural modulated radio frequency carriers have been modulated using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to method and apparatus for determining and/or compensating for a time drift between sample clocks of a transmitter and a receiver in conjunction with transmission of plural modulated signal carriers over an air or radio interface.
2. Related Art and other Considerations
Various methods for the transmission of digital signals, such as digital video broadcasting (DVB) and digital audio broadcasting (DAB) signals, are known. One method typically used for such transmissions is the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) method wherein a plurality of modulated signal carriers are used broadcast the signals. Multicarrier modulation schemes as the OFDM are typically used in systems wherein the time dispersion thereof is much greater than the employed bit duration. In multicarrier modulation schemes, the modulated signal carriers are sampled before being transposed in the frequency domain by means of a fast fourier transformation (FFT) for signal separation.
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) will also be used in wireless local area networks (WLAN) in the 5 GHz band such as specified in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. The European WLAN standard is HIgh PErformance Radio Local Area Network type 2 (HIPERLAN/2), which is being developed by the ETSI Project BRAN (broadband radio access network). The North American and the Japanese standards are expected to have very similar physical layers.
The physical layer of HIPERLAN/2 is described in ETSI TS 101 475 V1.2.2 (2001–02), Broadband Radio Access Networks (BRAN); HIPERLAN Type 2; Physical (PHY) layer, ETSI document. The air interface of HIPERLAN/2 is based on time-division duplex and dynamic time-division multiple access. All data units in every transport channel which are transmitted via the physical layer of HIPERLAN/2 are bursts.
The frame structure 18 and an exemplary burst 20 is depicted in FIG. 1. The frame includes broadcast control channel, a frame control channel, dowrilink traffic, uplink traffic, and random access channels. As shown in FIG. 1, each burst 20 comprises a preamble 22 and one or several Protocol Data Units PDUs 241, 242, 243, . . . 24n. Further details of preamble 22 and the PDUs 241, 242 . . . are illustrated in FIG. 2. Preamble 22 includes, e.g., a cyclic prefix 221 and two training symbols 222, 223. Each PDU 24 is a data unit of several bytes tat comes from the medium access control (MAC) layer. The physical (PHY) layer converts the PDU to one or more OFDM symbols, the number of symbols depending on the link adaptation mode. While FIG. 1 shows an example PDU 24 as comprising plural OFDM symbols, for sake of simplicity FIG. 2 shows its PDUs as comprising a cyclic prefix 25 and one data symbol 26. For example, in FIG. 2 PDU 241 has a cyclic prefix 251 and data symbol 261.
OFDM modulation is performed with a 64 point IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) at a sample rate of 20 MHz, which gives a subcarrier spacing of 312.5 kHz and a symbol duration of 3.2 μs. The cyclic prefix 25 put in front of each symbol 26 is 800 ns, giving a total symbol length of 4 μs. Of the 64 subcarriers, only 52 subcarriers are used, of which 48 carry data and 4 are pilots.
The physical layer provides several link adaptation modes to accommodate for various channel conditions. Each mode comprises a combination of a subcarrier modulation scheme and a forward error correction code rate. The primary modulation schemes are BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM and 64QAM. The primary code rates are ½, 9/16, ¾.
In order to perform coherent demodulation, a receiver must synchronize with the transmitter both in time and frequency. Due to frequency differences between transmitters and receivers in such systems, the demodulated signal carriers can exhibit frequency offsets. An estimate of the channel must also be made.
The preambles 22 in the data stream facilitate, e.g., an assessment of frequency offsets of received signals and frequency synchronization. In case of the OFDM, the two identical OFDM symbols 222, 223, also referred to as C64, are inserted between cyclic prefix 21 (C32) and the actual data stream, e.g., the PDUs 24. This so-called C- preamble shown in FIG. 2 is used, e.g., for a channel estimation in the demodulation process of the multicarrier signals. Thus, an estimate of the channel is performed at the beginning of the burst with the help of the preamble, which contains the training symbols.
In HIPERLAN/2 the 20 MHz sample clock in both the transmitter and the receiver is free-running with a relative accuracy of +/−20 parts per million (ppm). The worst case scenario is therefore a +/−40 ppm offset between the sample clock frequencies in the transmitter as compared to the receiver. This potential +/−40 ppm offset causes a timing error between the transmitter and the receiver which increases with time, i.e. a timing drift. This timing drift can cause a significant disturbance in the coherent demodulation at the end of a long burst, even if the receiver is synchronized at the beginning of the burst.
The timing drift causes some undesired effects, namely: (1) phase rotation in the frequency domain; (2) inter-symbol interference; and (3) some loss of orthogonality between subcarriers. The two latter effects are not considered to influence demodulation. However, as illustrated below, the phase rotation effect can be significant.
The Fourier transform relationship of Equation 1 indicates that a time displacement Toff of a function f(t) in the time-domain gives a linear phase factor ωToff of the corresponding Fourier transform, compared to the Fourier transform F(ω) of the original function f(t).f(t−Toff)→exp(−jω·Toff)·F(ω)  Equation 1
Considering a burst with the length of a MAC frame of 2 ms, which is the longest possible burst in the HIPERLAN/2 system, the time displacement at the end of the burst will be 2 ms·40 ppm=80 ns. The phase factor for the highest used subcarrier which is at 8.125 MHz will then be ωToff=2·π·8.125 MHz·80 ns≈4.1 radians or 234 degrees. Such a phase error will, of course, render coherent demodulation impossible. A performance degradation will occur much earlier than this depending on the link adaptation mode.
There are various prior art methods for compensating for timing drift. A first such time drift compensation method is fine tuning a reference oscillator in the receiver (using an estimate of the timing drift) to render the timing drift negligible. A problem with this first method lies in the time it takes for the RF synthesizer to adjust to a new value. Typically the RF synthesizer is implemented with a phase locked loop (PLL), which needs settling times which are large compared to the typical duration of the preamble. Furthermore, a voltage-controlled reference will typically have more phase noise (fluctuations in frequency around a mean) than a free running oscillator reference.
As mentioned above, in order to do coherent demodulation the receiver has to calculate a channel estimate, initially calculated on the preamble. In accordance with a second prior art time drift compensation method, the initial channel estimate is monitored and corrected with the help of pilots or decision-directed methods during reception. In this way, there can be compensation for slow changes like timing drift. However, this approach requires complex tracking mechanism, when tracking each subcarrier separately, and the susceptibility to fading dips, when only a small number of pilots are used (HIPERLAN/2 has only 4 pilots out of 52 subcarriers).
What is needed, therefore, and an object of the present invention, is a timing drift compensation technique which is simple yet highly robust.

Timing drift compensation in wireless packet-based systems