A medical catheter comprising a catheter shaft defining an inflation lumen and a guidewire shaft defining a guidewire lumen. The guidewire shaft is coaxial with the catheter shaft and runs longitudinally through the catheter shaft extending distally beyond the distal end of the catheter shaft. The catheter has an inflatable balloon having a proximal tail and a distal tail. The proximal tail is mounted at the distal end of the catheter shaft, the distal tail is mounted on the guidewire shaft. The balloon is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen. A distal stopper is sealingly affixed between the outer diameter of the guidewire shaft and the inner diameter of the distal tail. A proximal stopper is sealingly affixed between the outer diameter of the catheter shaft and the inner diameter of the proximal tail. The distal and proximal stopper are annular in shape and are in length shorter than the balloon tail and are of uniform circumferential thickness. An adhesive seals a portion of the tails to the catheter shaft.

One of the therapeutic procedures applicable to the present invention is known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). This procedure can be used, for example, to reduce arterial build-up of cholesterol fats or atherosclerotic plaque. Typically a first guidewire of about 0.038 inches in diameter is steered through the vascular system to the site of therapy. A guiding catheter, for example, can then be advanced over the first guidewire to a point just proximal of the stenosis. The first guidewire is then removed. A balloon catheter on a smaller 0.014 inch diameter second guidewire is advanced within the guiding catheter to a point just proximal of the stenosis. The second guidewire is advanced into the stenosis, followed by the balloon on the distal end of the catheter. The balloon is inflated causing the site of the stenosis to widen. The original catheter can then be withdrawn and a catheter of a different size or another device such as an atherectomy device can be inserted.
Conventional angioplasty balloons fall into high, medium, and low pressure ranges. Low pressure balloons are those that have burst pressures below 6 atmospheres (6.1.times.10.sup.5 Pascals). Medium pressure balloons are those that have burst pressures between 6 and 12 atm (6.1.times.10.sup.5 and 1.2.times.10.sup.6 Pa). High pressure balloons are those that have burst pressures above 12 atm (1.2.times.10.sup.6 Pa). Burst pressure is determined by such factors as wall thickness and tensile strength, for example.
High pressure balloons are desirable because they have the ability to exert more force and crack hard lesions. High pressure balloons are also useful in stent deployment. A biocompatible metal stent props open blocked coronary arteries, keeping them from reclosing after balloon angioplasty. A balloon of appropriate size and pressure is first used to open the lesion. The process is repeated with a stent crimped on a high pressure balloon. The stent is deployed when the balloon is inflated. A high pressure balloon is useful for stent deployment because the stent must be forced against the artery's interior wall so that it will fully expand thereby precluding the ends of the stent from hanging down into the channel encouraging the formation of thrombus.
Many bonding techniques for bonding a balloon to a shaft, as for example, laser welding or heat bonding, require thermally similar materials. Adhesive bonds are useful when bonding materials that have different thermal characteristics. For example, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) high pressure balloon cannot be heat or laser bonded to a polyethylene (PE) shaft because their melt points are not compatible. For performance reasons a shaft and balloon made of thermally dissimilar materials which cannot be heat or laser bonded to the balloon may be desirable. The advantage of adhesive bonds is a common bonding method for thermally dissimilar materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,653 to Nunez discloses a method and apparatus for a catheter-balloon assembly wherein the catheter balloon is mounted on the catheter by means of adhesive and, in the preferred mode, an annular internal rib protrusion of the catheter balloon is provided for forming a sharply defined boundary of adhesive thereby aiding in the even and symmetrical inflation of the catheter balloon.
Concentric bonding of coaxial shafts often result in eccentric, inconsistent bonds which can result in bond failure. Some devices use a manufacturing fixture to align the coaxial shafts. External fixtures typically hold the outer diameters of the two shafts and insert one into the other. Shaft diameter, wall thickness and concentricity variation can still result in inconsistent bonds.
Adhesives may wick past the end of the shaft into an unintended lumen. To remedy this some adhesive bonds are lengthened to minimize the chance of the adhesive wicking past the end of the lumen. The presence of an elongated stiff section of adhesive can be a disadvantage with respect to catheter flexibility and trackability. The shorter the bond the easier it is to negotiate a torturous path. What is needed is a balloon bond which minimizes bond length and thereby optimizes flexibility as well as withstands internal pressure of at least 500 psi without leaking or rupturing and which is relatively easy, consistent and reliable to manufacture.


A test controller of a transmitting-side optical wavelength multiplexing transmission apparatus of the present invention includes a wavelength tunable filter controller configured to control a center wavelength and a wavelength band of an optical signal that a wavelength tunable filter transmits; and a test transponder controller configured to control a wavelength band of a test optical signal generated by a test transponder and a wavelength interval between the test optical signal and the optical signal that the wavelength tunable filter transmits. A test controller of a receiving-side optical wavelength multiplexing transmission apparatus of the present invention includes a wavelength tunable filter controller configured to control a center wavelength and a wavelength band of an optical signal that a wavelength tunable filter transmits; and a test transponder controller configured to control a center wavelength and a wavelength band of a test optical signal received by a test transponder.

In related optical wavelength multiplexing transmission systems, an arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG) is used for wavelength multiplexing and demultiplexing, and an introduced optical signal is accommodated within a certain wavelength grid regardless of its optical signal type (FIG. 6). However, the data capacity has been increased in recent years due to drastic advancements in signal processing technology, and a small capacity optical signal and a large capacity optical signal have come to be accommodated in the same optical wavelength multiplexing transmission system. In such a system, a device such as a wavelength selective switch (WSS) is introduced, which enables a signal with any band to be accommodated within any wavelength interval.
Accordingly, it has been required to optimize the wavelength interval in order to accommodate wavelength multiplexed signals densely.
That is to say, there is a variety of modulation schemes and bit rates of signals per wavelength in optical wavelength multiplexing transmission systems in recent years; accordingly, flexible wavelength arrangement is required in order to wavelength-multiplex and accommodate optical signals efficiently. The prior art includes a technique of measuring a width of a gap between channels and, based on the measurement results, determining a wavelength control amount of a transmission wavelength transmitted from a transmitter in an opposite transponder (Patent Literature 1), a technique of monitoring whether a wavelength interval is a predetermined interval, and whether each optical signal has a predetermined wavelength (Patent Literature 2), and a technique of changing a transmission rate when it is detected for an adjacent wavelength interval to become less than a threshold (Patent Literature 3).

Test controller, optical wavelength multiplexing transmission apparatus, test control circuit and method, and program recording medium


A hay saving round bale feeder includes a rectangular framework constructed around a central round bale cradle. The framework comprises a pair of side frames, an end frame, and a cradle access gate, each of which accommodates a number of livestock feeding stations. Each feeding station is defined by a pair of parallel side bars which are spaced to allow a feeding animal to insert its head and neck but not its shoulders. The feeding stations are spaced from the bale cradle to provide an interim hay saving space into which dropped hay will fall. A hay deflector, with a cross section shaped as an inverted V, is positioned beneath the bottom center of the bale cradle to deflect any dropped hay to within easy reach of the feeding livestock.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for feeding livestock and, in particular, to an apparatus and method for holding a round hay bale while allowing livestock access to the bale for feeding. The apparatus has a "hay saving" feature which spaces the feeding livestock from the hay bale and retains dropped hay within the space.
II. Description of the Related Art
Prior art round bale feeders have generally included some type of bale holding cradle which is accessible by livestock from one or more sides of the feeder. In most such feeders, the livestock are not spaced from the cradle and thus can feed directly from the hay bale. In so feeding, livestock create a considerable amount of waste. Hay is pulled from the hay bale and dropped at the feet of the livestock, then trampled and soiled to a condition in which it is no longer usable as feed. Estimates for the amount of hay wasted from such feeders range up to 50 per cent.
Examples of such prior art feeders include U.S. Pat. No. 3,906,901 to Richard D. Cox, which teaches a rectangular shaped round bale feeder with a plurality of spaced parallel bars defining livestock feeding stations. U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,278 to Joseph A. Anderson teaches a portable feeding device which includes a barrier which can be positioned to surround a haystack. The barrier prevents cattle from trampling the hay within the stack and includes a deck which prevents them from extending their heads substantially beyond the barrier.
Numerous attempts have been made to address the problem of wasted hay in such feeders. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,258,663 to John Schoessow teaches a mobile livestock feeder with a pair of feeding troughs with an inner and an outer framework arranged to prevent livestock from dragging substantial amounts of feed from the troughs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,609 to Lawrence Delichte teaches a cylindrically shaped round bale feeder in which the bale is stood on one end in a central cylinder and the livestock feed from a spaced outer cylinder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,040 to Martin teaches a rectangular shaped round bale feeder in which a central bale holding cradle is positioned well above a floor. Hay falling from the bale lands on the floor where livestock extending their heads through a surrounding framework can feed on the bale or the hay dropped on the floor.
While these feeders have been somewhat successful in remedying the problem of wasted hay, they have often made it difficult for the feeding livestock to reach the spaced bale, and/or have caused hay dropped by the livestock to be difficult to reach. Loading and removal of the large round bales from such feeders has been a problem as well.
It is clear then, that a need still exists for a round hay bale livestock feeder which includes a hay saving space between the feeding livestock and the round bale. Such a feeder should make the round bale itself readily accessible, but must also make any hay dropped by the feeding livestock easily accessible as well. In addition, it should be relatively easy to load and remove round bales from the feeder.

Hay saving round bale feeding apparatus and method


An apparatus for purifying sodium metal including: a top flange, a transparent slice, a hollow flange, a vacuum distillation kettle, gaskets, and bolts. With this apparatus, solid sodium is liquefied by heating. The volatile impurities contained in the liquid sodium metal evaporate out of the vacuum pump. After heating the liquid sodium to a high temperature, circulating cooling water is added to the condenser tube by radiation-auxiliary distillation. High-purity argon is then added to remove volatile impurities, and thermal radiation is performed to accelerate the evaporation rate at the surface of the liquid sodium. Consequently, gaseous sodium rapidly condenses on the condenser tube and becomes solid sodium.

Sodium is one of the most widely distributed Earth elements. Sodium weight accounts for approximately 2.83% (6th in rank) of the total weight of the Earth's crust. Sodium metal is active and has low melting point, high boiling point, and good thermal and electrical conductivities. This metal has a wide range of applications. Sodium cyanide, triphenylphosphine, sodium borohydride, sodium azide, sodium methylate, sodium ethoxide, sodium peroxide, sodium amide, sodium hydride, and other compounds are being commercially manufactured. They are used in metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, printing, and dyeing. In the metallurgical industry, they are as a reducing agent in the preparation of titanium, zirconium, silicon, etc. Given its active chemical nature, sodium metal is difficult to purify.
Most purification methods of sodium currently use industrial sodium as raw material. Chemical, cold trap, distillation, and filtration methods are also used in the purification. However, the process and reaction times are considerably long. Vacuum distillation is a commonly used method to purify a low-melting point metal. The liquid saturation vapor pressure reduces under a negative pressure. Consequently, the boiling point also reduces, as well as the energy consumption. The liquid remains in a boiling state in vacuum distillation. Metal impurity is due to the strong convection inside the fluid, which is brought to the surface and forms fog particles that affect the purification. Recent research and applications of distillation-purification technology are about sub-boiling distillation. In addition, no technological innovation has used sub-boiling distillation to purify sodium metal.

GUIZHOU PROVINCE PRODUCT QUALITY SUPERVISION AND INSPECTION INSTITUTE


A point-light-source type light emitting portion faces a light incident face located at a corner portion of a light guide plate. A light diffusion pattern for emitting the light in the light guide plate from a light emission face is on the lower surface of the light guide plate. A diffusion prism sheet is on the light emission face. A prism sheet including prisms each having a concentric shape with the light emitting portion at the center is on the lower surface of the diffusion prism sheet, and an uneven diffusion plate is on the upper surface of the diffusion prism sheet. Light emitted from the light emission face of the light guide plate along the light emission face is deflected in the direction perpendicular to the light guide plate by the prism sheet, and the angle of beam spread of the light is spread by the uneven diffusion plate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a surface light source device, a diffusion plate and a liquid crystal display device, and particularly to a surface light source device used as a back light for a liquid crystal display panel or the like, a diffusion plate for the surface light source device and a liquid crystal display device using the surface light source device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A surface light source device is used as a back light or the like for a transmission type liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal panel generates an image by transmitting or intercepting light every pixel. The liquid crystal display panel has no function of spontaneously emitting light, and thus it needs a surface light source device for back light.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of a conventional surface light source device 1, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1.
The surface light source device 1 comprises a light guide plate 2 for confining light therein, a light emitting portion 3 and a reflection plate 4. The optical guide plate 2 is formed of transparent resin having a high refractive index such as polycarbonate resin, methacrylic resin or the like, and a diffusion pattern 5 is formed on the back surface of the optical guide plate 2 by using irregularities processing, dot printing of diffusing/reflecting ink or the like. The light emitting portion 3 includes plural light emission diodes (LED) 7 mounted on the front surface of a circuit board 6, and the light emission diodes 7 are arranged so as to face a side surface (light incident side surface 8) of the light guide plate 2. The reflection plate 4 is formed of a white resin sheet having high reflectivity, for example, and it is attached to the lower surface of the light guide plate 2 by double-sided tape.
In the surface light source device 1, as shown in FIG. 2, light p emitted from the light emitting portion 3 and guided from the light incident side surface 8 into the light guide plate 2 is repetitively totally reflected between the obverse and back surfaces of the light guide plate 2 and propagates in such a direction as to be far away from the light emitting portion 3 while being confined in the light guide plate 2. The light p propagating through the light guide plate 2 as described above is incident to the back surface of the light guide plate 2, and diffused/reflected by a diffusion pattern 5. At this time, a part of the light p that is reflected from the diffusion pattern 5 formed on the lower surface of the light guide plate 10 to the surface (light emission face 10) of the light guide plate 2 at an angle smaller than the critical angle of the total reflection is emitted from the light emission face 10 to the outside of the light guide plate 2. On the other hand, a part of the light p that passes through a portion of the lower surface of the light guide plate 2 on which no diffusion pattern 5 is formed and emits from the back surface of the light guide plate 2 is reflected from the reflection plate 4, returned into the inside of the light guide plate 2 and confined in the light guide plate 2 again. Accordingly, the loss of light amount from the back surface of the light guide plate 2 can be prevented by the reflection plate 4.
The light emitted from the light emission face 10 of the light guide plate 2 as described above is emitted to from a medium having a large refractivity to a medium having a small refractivity, and thus the light is emitted with being close to the light emission face 10, as shown in FIG. 3. Assuming that the x-axis is set along the width direction of the light incident side surface 8, the y-axis is set along the direction perpendicular to the light incident side surface 8 and the z-axis is set along the direction perpendicular to the light emission face 10, the light emitted from the light emission face 10 has a slender directivity profile extending substantially in the y-axis. Under this state, the light emission face 10 of the surface light source device 1 looks dark when viewed from the direction (z-axis direction) perpendicular to the light emission face 10. Therefore, it is general that the peak direction of the directivity profile of light is oriented to the z-axis direction perpendicular to the light emission face 10 by disposing a diffusion plate 11 having relatively large diffusion degree on the light emission face 10 and diffusing light emitted from the light emission face 10 with the diffusion plate 11 as shown in FIG. 3.
Besides, a prism sheet 13 is used as shown in FIG. 4 when stronger directivity is needed as compared with the case of FIG. 3. That is, the prism sheet 13 is disposed above the light emission face 10 of the light guide plate 2, and diffusion plates 12, 14 are disposed at the back and obverse sides of the prism sheet 13, respectively. In this case, light emitted from the light emission face 10 is diffused by the diffusion plate 12 so that the direction of light directivity is approached to the vertical direction, and then oriented to the vertical direction by the prism sheet 13. Thereafter, the light is further diffused by the diffusion plate 14 so as to emit in the direction perpendicular to the light emission face 10. Here, the action of the diffusion plate 12 is to make light incident to the prism sheet 13 at such an angle that light passing through the prism sheet 13 directs in the z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 4, there exists an emission angle α at which light is hardly emitted from the prism sheet 13 in an oblique direction to the vertical direction (i.e., the light intensity of light passing through the prism sheet 13 is minimum at the angle α). When viewed from the direction of the angle α, images on the liquid crystal display panel are hardly viewed. Therefore, the light is diffused by the diffusion plate 14 so that a part of diffused light is distributed in the direction of the angle a and thus an image can be viewed over a broad range with the z-axis direction at the center of the range. Furthermore, the diffusion plates 12, 14 and the prism sheet 13 also have a function of shielding the diffusion pattern 5 formed on the lower surface of the light guide plate 2 so that the diffusion pattern 5 is hidden from view from the front side.
The power consumption is more greatly reduced in the case of the surface light source device using LED as described above than in the case of the surface light source device using a cold cathode ray tube. However, the surface light source device using LED is used for commercial products having high portability like portable information terminals such as cellular phones, PDA (Personal Digital Assistance), etc. from the viewpoint of performance of compactness in size and lightness in weight, and increase of the lifetime of power sources is strongly required for these products to enhance convenience when they are carried, and also reduction of the power consumption is required. Accordingly, reduction in power consumption is also strongly required for the surface light device (back light) used in these commercial products. Therefore, LED having higher efficiency is used in the surface light source device, and as light emission efficiency of light emitting elements is enhanced, the number of light emitting elements to be used is reduced.
However, in the case of the surface light source device 1 equipped with the light emitting portion 3 having plural LEDs 7 which are arranged in a line to be designed as a linear light source as shown in FIG. 1, if the number of LEDs 7 is reduced, the light emission face (light emission face) becomes dark or luminance unevenness (unevenness in brightness) is intensified. Therefore, there is a limit to the reduction of the number of LEDs 7, and thus there is also a limit to the reduction in power consumption.
FIG. 5 shows a surface light source device 21 having a light emitting portion 23 in which several (preferably, one) light emitting elements such as LEDs or the like are collected in one place to thereby achieve a point light source.
In the surface light source device 21, the light emitting portion 23 designed in the form of a point light source is disposed so as to face a side surface (light incident face 22a) of a light guide plate 22 formed of transparent resin having a high refractive index such as polycarbonate resin, methacrylic resin or the like. On the lower surface of the light guide plate 22, a number of diffusion patterns 24 are arranged on arcs which are arranged concentrically with the light emitting portion 23 at the center. Each diffusion pattern 24 is formed in the recess shape on the lower surface of the light guide plate 22 to have an arcuate section, and it extends along the peripheral direction of the arcs arranged concentrically with the light emitting portion 23 at the center. The reflection face of each diffusion pattern 24 is perpendicular to the direction connecting the light emitting portion 23 and the diffusion pattern 24 concerned (this direction is assumed as "r-axis direction") in plan view. The diffusion pattern 24 is formed so that the pattern density is gradually increased as the diffusion pattern 24 is remoter from the light emitting portion 23.
In the surface light source device 21, when the light emitting portion 23 is actuated to emit light, light emitted from the light emitting portion 23 is incident from the light incident face 22a into the light guide plate 22 and repetitively totally-reflected between the upper and lower surfaces of the light guide plate 22 while propagating from the light emitting portion 23 to a remoter side. Light diffused and reflected on the lower surface of the light guide plate 22 by the diffusion patterns 24 while propagating in the light guide plate 22 would be emitted from the upper surface of the light guide plate 22 (light emission face) if it is incident to the upper surface of the light guide plate 22 at an incident angle smaller than the critical angle of total reflection. However, in such a surface light source device 21 as described above, the light diffused and reflected by the diffusion patterns 24 is diffused on the zr plane, however, it is not diffused on the xy plane. When viewed from the z-axis direction, the light goes straight even after it is reflected by the diffusion patterns 24. Therefore, the amount of light emitted in any direction around the light emitting portion 23 is not varied even when the light is diffused by the diffusion patterns 24, and the amount of light transmitted in each direction in the light guide plate 22 is determined by the amount of light emitted in each direction from the light emitting portion 23.
According to the surface light source device 21 as described above, light can be uniformly emitted from the overall light emission face (i.e., the overall, light emission face can uniformly shine) by making light incident from the light emitting portion 23 in each direction in the light guide plate 22 so that the amount of the light corresponds to the distance at which the light passes through the light guide plate 22. By combining a transmission-type liquid crystal display panel with the surface light source device 21 as described above, a liquid crystal display device in which images are easily viewable at a wide angle can be manufactured, and also it can contribute to the reduction of the power consumption of the liquid crystal display device.
When there is a probability that plural persons view a screen at the same time like a note-type personal computer or the like, it is required to make the screen viewable at a wide angle, and thus a surface light source device for emitting light having broad directivity is needed. However, in the case of mobile equipment which is represented by a cellular phone, it is based on the assumption of personal use. Accordingly, it is preferable that the directivity is narrowed to make the screen invisible to neighbors in a train or the like. There is particularly required such a surface light source device that no light is emitted in oblique directions.
Furthermore, it is better that no light is emitted in the oblique directions because there is no extra emission light and thus the power consumption can be more greatly reduced. Or, the light emitted from the light emitting portion can be collected to the front side to enhance the brightness at the front side. At any rate, the efficiency (=brightness/power consumption) of the surface light source device can be enhanced.
However, when a diffusion plate is used as in the case of the surface light source device as the first prior art, light is emitted in all the directions, and thus it is difficult to narrow the emission range of light emitted from the liquid crystal display device.
Furthermore, in the case of the surface light source device 21 as the second prior art, the travel direction of light emitted from the light emitting portion 23 is directly changed to the direction perpendicular to the light guide plate 22 while the light is spread to the overall area in the light guide plate 22, thereby emitting the light from the light emission face. Therefore, this prior art has no device for narrowing the angle of beam spread (hereinafter referred to as "directivity angle") of light.
In the case of the surface light source device 21 as the second prior art, radial luminance unevenness (emission lines) R around the light emitting portion 23 as shown in 6 is partially viewed when viewed from the oblique upper side. Therefore, when the surface light source device 21 is used in a liquid crystal display device or the like, the luminance unevenness R obstructs the view of images from some viewing directions, so that the quality of the image display device or the like is lowered.

Surface light source device, diffusion plate and liquid crystal display device


A system and method for eliminating static initialization overhead by memory space cloning of a master runtime system process is presented. A master runtime system process is executed. One or more static initialization methods are identified. Each static initialization method is uniquely associated with a class provided in a runtime system and specifies a source definition provided as object-oriented program code. At least one static initialization method is executed in a memory space of the master runtime system process. The memory space is cloned as a child runtime system process responsive to a process request. The child runtime system process is executed. In one embodiment, a full garbage collection is performed by promoting objects created during static initialization into the older generation.

Recent advances in microprocessor design and component integration have enabled a wide range of devices to offer increasingly complex functionality and "soft" features. Soft features include software applications that enhance and customize the operation of a device. These devices include standard computing devices, such as desktop and laptop computers, portable computing devices, such as personal data assistants, and consumer devices, such as cellular telephones, messaging pagers, gaming consoles, and set top boxes. Most devices now include an operating system to support the soft features and other extensions.
The increased capabilities offered by these software-upgradeable devices have also created certain user expectations. Often, users are not technically savvy and are intolerant of performance compromises occasioned by architectural challenges, such as slow or inconsistent application performance. Similarly, users generally expect to be able to access a host of separate applications, which are implemented at the system level through multitasking. For users, widely available software applications assure a positive experience through consistency and increased exposure across multiple platforms. However, for software developers, engineering software applications for disparate computing platforms entails increased development costs and on-going support and upgrade commitments for each supported architecture.
Managed code platforms provide one solution to software developers seeking to support multiple platforms by presenting a machine-independent and architecture-neutral operating environment. Managed code platforms include programming language compilers and interpreters executed by an operating system as user applications, but which provide virtual runtime environments within which compatible applications can operate. For instance, applications written in the Java programming language, when combined with a Java virtual machine (JVM) runtime environment, can operate on heterogeneous computer systems independent of machine-specific environment and configuration settings. An overview of the Java programming language is described in P. van der Linden, "Just Java," Ch. 1, Sun Microsystems, Inc. (2d ed. 1997), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. JVMs are a critical component to the overall Java operating environment, which can be ported to the full range of computational devices, including memory-constrained consumer devices.
Managed code platforms are generally designed for the monotonic execution of a single application instance. Multiple instances of a managed code platform are executed to simulate multitasking behavior. Such forced concurrency, however, creates several performance problems. First, each instance incurs a startup transient. Executable and startup data must be read from slow persistent storage, which results in slow initial application performance. Similarly, memory is not shared between instances and each additional instance increases the overall memory footprint of the platform by separately loading and instantiating classes, generally problematic in memory-constrained systems. Moreover, data dependencies and deferred initialization of system state can result in non-deterministic execution patterns. Finally, each instance independently determines the relative importance of executing methods and compiles machine code on an ad hoc basis, often causing inconsistent application performance.
One solution to providing concurrently executable managed code platforms involves designating a managed code platform that executes as a master process. Individual child managed code platform processes are spawned from the master process using process cloning and inherit runtime state from the master managed code platform. As a result, each child process benefits from the initialization actions completed by the master process. However, at runtime, static initialization methods can still degrade individual child process performance. Static initialization methods are executed when a class is first used by a running program through, for instance, a static method call, static field access, or instantiation of an instance of the class. As a result, static initialization methods can cause non-deterministic execution and impact child process startup times. In addition, although each static initialization method is only executed once, the code often remains in memory and can increase the memory footprint.
Therefore, there is a need for an approach to performing static initialization methods in a master runtime system process executing in a concurrent managed code platform, such as the Java operating environment. Preferably, such an approach would execute the static initialization methods at boot time and eliminate unnecessary overhead by freeing storage used by the completed static initialization methods. Subsequent cloned child processes would inherit the memory state of the master runtime system process reflecting the effects of the pre-executed static initializers.

System and method for eliminating static initialization overhead by memory space cloning of a master runtime system process


An alignment guide includes a main body sized and shaped to contact the proximal end of a tibia, and a retaining guide coupled to the main body. The retaining guide includes guide surfaces and is adjustable relative to the main body such that an operator can intra-operatively adjust the position of the guide surfaces relative to the main body to capture the anterior and posterior cruciate ligament between the guide surfaces.

Cutting guides are used during orthopaedic procedures to insert pins in hone and guide resections to the bone to prepare the bone for receipt of an implant. For example, during bi-cruciate retaining total knee arthroplasty, a cutting guide used to prepare the proximal end of a patient's tibia is designed the leave intact portions of the tibial eminence that function as attachment sites for the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments.

Intraoperatively adjusting guide alignment


A software-based controller implemented on a generic computer hardware platform for dynamically allocating and controlling multiple job streams for anumerically controlling a machine tool. The software-based controller includes a first module for performing a set of first operations corresponding to a first job stream, a second module for performing a set of second operations corresponding to said first job stream, and a third module for performing a set of third operations corresponding to a second job stream. Each of the first, second and third modules are collectively defining a pointer architecture that includes a vertical data system to facilitate communication between operations in the same job stream and a horizontal data system to facilitate communication between operations in different job streams. A shared memory accessible to the first, second and third modules is further defined as having a vertical data structure associated with said vertical data system and a horizontal data structure associated with said horizontal data system. The first, second and third modules communicating through the shared memory by: (a) using the vertical data system to point operations in a common job stream to a first common shared memory location in said vertical data structure; and (b) using the horizontal data system to point operations in a different job streams to a second common shared memory location in said horizontal data structure.

1. Technical Field:
The present invention relates to a numerical control system, and more particularly a control system that dynamically allocates and controls multiple job streams for a numerically controlled machine tool.
2. Discussion of Related Art:
Numerical control systems control physical manufacturing processes, such as metal cutting or forming operations, and involve coordinated motion control interacting with discrete digital control signals, across a variety of machine tools. Numerically controlled machine tools range from large, high end, multi (>3) axis, CNC contouring machine tools with automatic tool changers and automatic pallet loading/unloading to low end two axis lathes, two axis drills and sheet metal punching machines. Some very large machine tools coordinate as many as four or more spindles operating simultaneously.
The central feature of these numerical control systems and their controlled machine tools is a part program (as opposed to a computer program). This program may control all of a sequence of operations including, but not limited to, part loading and unloading, tool selection and changing, spindle speed and feed rate control, and all of the cutting motions required to manufacture a given part. Paramount to the future of these machine tools is the ability to adapt. To do so, they must be able to: utilize current electronic technology; accommodate unplanned (when they were being designed and built) additional requirements; and incorporate new ideas which, when implemented, give the machine tool features and capabilities not planned or understood at the time the machine tool was purchased.
A "black box" controller comprised many proprietary hardware circuits that describes the motion and related machining activities to be performed. The controller supplies control signals (i.e., digital or low voltage DC signals), such that there is one signal for each axis of motion. The control signal is fed to a servo device, a type of amplifier that boosts the control signal to the level required for driving the axis motor. A typical axis motor might require a voltage on the order of 220 to 440 volts 3 phase in a large system. The axis motor in turn drives an axis or motion of the machine tool that is ultimately coupled to the tool being controlled. A feedback device (i.e., encoder) may integrate in the servo motor device or attach to the axis or motion to provide a feedback signal to the controller. The feedback device provides the controller with information about the actual position of the axis or motion so that the controller can make automatic corrections if the axis or motion deviates from its commanded position. When feedback is used, the system is said to have a closed loop control.
The first controllers were constructed using discrete transistorized circuits. With advancing technology, many of these dedicated discrete circuits were replaced first by mini computers, then by micro computers. Market leaders in the area of microcontrollers have employed a business strategy that has been to maintain the "black box" controller as a proprietary technology. Although the customer supplies the numerical control part program (describing the desired motion and ancillary machining activities), the customer is given limited documentation and access to on the internal workings of the controller. The proprietary strategy allows the controller manufacturer to require the customer to purchase all of the peripheral components from that manufacturer. These proprietary hardware solutions may use circuits with DSP chips that are programmed in firmware (i.e., burned into EPROMs) to handle the real time computational-intensive tasks.
Accordingly, a need exists for a software-based numerical control system using off the shelf generic computing hardware such as a PC. It is a hardware independent solution that enables multiple job streams to be dynamically allocated, thus affording considerable flexibility in system configuration. Although other existing systems may also be capable of running multiple job streams, these other systems have no means of dynamically allocating the number of multiple job streams to suit the specific configuration dictated by the user. Rather, conventional hardware based numerical control systems are pre-configured to run a fixed number of multiple job streams, and this number cannot be reconfigured without changing the hardware. A software-based controller allows job streams to be added or removed programmatically at start up time, based on the system requirements dictated by the user. Dynamically allocated multiple job streams give the software architecture a number of advantages. The architecture is extremely scalable. Additional job streams can be added at configuration time, without any preset or hard coded limit. The only apparent limit on the number of job streams is that dictated by the available [RAM] memory, the processing capacity of the CPU, or the data throughput of the input/output bus. Thus, a software architecture that dynamically allocates job streams can take advantage of newer, faster processors or larger memories without requiring any modifications to the system software. In addition, it is desirable that software-based controllers use commercially available real time operating systems that run on Intel or other common computing platforms. Finally, this architecture allows software-based numerical controllers to exist just as any other node or computer on a LAN or other company wide network.

Method and apparatus for a numerical control system for processing multiple job streams


Embodiments of channel parameters consistency calibration methods in multi-channel phased array systems are disclosed. The method comprises a reference channel calibration step and a calibration step for other channels to be calibrated. The reference channel calibration step comprises selecting one channel as a reference channel and performing a full state calibration on the reference channel to generate full state control data set S(A). Parameters to be calibrated in the calibration step of the uncalibrated channel may be a phase shift amount or an attenuation amount. The calibration step for the uncalibrated channel comprises a calibration under at least one specified parameter group. Compared with the conventional calibration methods, the present calibration method greatly shortens the calibration time, reduces the required data storage capacity, thereby improves efficiency for completing the consistence calibration of the parameters for multi-channel phased array systems.

In applications of microwave and radio frequency communications, a phased array system generally comprises multiple channels. For example in a 5G communication system, the phased array system needs to integrate anywhere from dozens of channels to as many as tens of thousands of channels. Key channel parameters such as phase and amplitude are required to remain to be consistent for all channels of the phased array system, and a phase shift error between any two channels is required to be as small as possible. To that end, parameter values of the multi-channel phased array system need to be calibrated.
Each channel in the phased array system may be a transmitting unit or a receiving unit, or may be a phased array transceiver unit integrating both transmitter and receiver, wherein the phased array transceiver unit includes a transmitting channel and a receiving channel. Both the transmitting channel and the receiving channel are provided with a phase shifter and/or an variable attenuator, wherein the phase shifter may be either a digital phase shifter or an analog phase shifter for controlling the phase shift amount of the transmitting channel or the receiving channel, and the variable attenuator may be either a digital attenuator or an analog attenuator for controlling the attenuation amount of the transmitting channel or the receiving channel.
In actual operation, when the phase shift amount of a phase shifter in a single phased array transceiver unit varies, the insertion loss of the phase shifter may vary accordingly; under a same control condition, due to unit process variations, the phase shift amount of each phase shifter in the transmitting channels or the receiving channels is different from each other; variations in attenuation amount of a variable attenuator may cause variations in phase shift amount thereof; when the phase shifters and the variable attenuators in each of the channels receive a same control word from a system control unit, the generated phase shift amounts and attenuation amounts may be different channel to channel.
The aforementioned factors make the multi-channel phased array system unable to simply apply calibration data information from a single reference channel to other channels. Meanwhile, a full calibration process for the single reference channel requires long time to complete. Thus in a case of a phased array system with a large number of channels, such as tens of thousands, the full calibration process for every channel in the system takes a significant amount of time. Besides, even if every channel is fully calibrated without considering time cost, the total amount of data generated during channel calibration may exceed the capacity of system memory, and the data reading speed may also be greatly reduced.

Method for channel parameters consistency calibration in multi-channel phased array systems


An optical coherent receiver including apparatus for preventing radiation from the local oscillator (40) from being reflected in the transmission fibre (10). As a result this radiation, after reflection on imperfect couplings (11, 12, 13) in the transmission fibre, is prevented from reaching the receiver again and from detrimentally influencing the received signal. Reflection of local oscillator radiation is prevented by obliquely polishing entrance and exit faces of fibres (51, 52, 61, 62), by providing anti-reflection coatings (50', 60', 53', 54', 63', 64') on the appropriate faces and by arranging an optical isolator behind the input (20) of the coherent receiver.

The invention relates to an optical coherent receiver having an input for coupling an optical transmission fibre thereto for supplying an optical signal beam, a local oscillator for generating a local oscillator beam, at least one beam-combining element for combining radiation from the signal beam with radiation from the local oscillator and at least one radiation-sensitive detector for converting combined radiation into an electric signal.
Optical coherent receivers using optical heterodyne or homodyne detection are used for optical signal transmission. By mixing the signal beam in a heterodyne or homodyne detection system with an optical beam from a local oscillator, a considerably better result is obtained with regard to the signal-to-noise ratio and the discrimination of background radiation as compared with direct detection of the signal beam.
The principle of coherent detection of optical radiation is extensively described in the article "Optical Heterodyne Detection" by O. E. De Lange in the journal "IEEE Spectrum" of October 1968, pp. 77-85. As has been stated in this article, it is important that the states of polarization of the signal beam and the local oscillator beam correspond as much as possible. A possible solution to achieve this is to split the signal beam into two sub-beams having a mutually perpendicular and fixed direction of polarization. The two sub-beams are then combined with local oscillator radiation which is polarized in the same direction. An alternative is the control of the state of polarization of the signal beam or of the local oscillator beam so that the two states of polarization correspond.
An optical receiver as described in the opening paragraph is known, inter alia from GB-A 2,110,895 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,388 in which a diversity receiver is described, and from EP-A 0,261,724 describing a receiver using active polarization control.
It has recently been found that it is sometimes possible and sometimes impossible to achieve the sensitivity which, corrected for known interference sources, is theoretically feasible with an optical receiver. In some cases the noise in the detected signal is noticeably larger than the sum of the so-called shot-noise limit, which is the theoretical minimum, and the noise from known error sources. An analysis of this problem has revealed that its source should not be directly sought in the receiver but that the problem is related to the quality of the optical transmission path for the signal between the radiation source and the receiver. Further research has proved that the error source resides in imperfect couplings in the transmission fibre on which radiation coming from the direction of the receiver is partly reflected. This radiation originates from the local oscillator and is reflected in the optical receiver on various surfaces such as the radiation-sensitive surfaces of the detectors, the entrance and exit faces of the beam-combining element and the entrance and exit faces of the connection fibres constituting the radiation paths between the components. As a result a small part of the local oscillator radiation reaches the transmission fibre via the input of the receiver. Although only a very small fraction of the local oscillator radiation is involved, this quantity, related to the intensity of the signal beam, is not negligible. In fact, in the receiver the power of the local oscillator beam is many times larger than that of the signal beam.


A trenched semiconductor power device includes a plurality of trenched gates surrounded by source regions near a top surface of a semiconductor substrate encompassed in body regions. The trenched semiconductor power device further comprises tilt-angle implanted body dopant regions surrounding a lower portion of trench sidewalls for reducing a gate-to-drain coupling charges Qgd between the trenched gates and a drain disposed at a bottom of the semiconductor substrate. The trenched semiconductor power device further includes a source dopant region disposed below a bottom surface of the trenched gates for functioning as a current path between the drain to the source for preventing a resistance increase caused by the body dopant regions surrounding the lower portions of the trench sidewalls.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the device configuration and manufacturing methods for fabricating the semiconductor power devices. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved and novel manufacturing process and device configuration for reducing the gate to drain coupled charges (Qgd) while providing a drain to source current path for preventing a drain to source resistance.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to increase the switching speed of a semiconductor power device, it is desirable to reduce the coupling charges between the gates and drain Qgd such that a reduction of a gate to drain capacitance Crss can be reduced. However, conventional device as shown in FIG. 1 has a large amount of coupling charges Qgd between the gates and drain due to the direct coupling between the sidewalls of the trench gates and the drain. Specifically, Kobayashi discloses in a U.S. Pat. No. 6,888,196 entitled "Vertical MOSFET reduced in Cell Size and Method of Producing the Same" a vertical MOSFET device as that shown in FIG. 1.
In order to reduce the capacitance Crss, a double poly gates and double gate oxide layers (a thick gate oxide on trench bottom) formed in trench with lower poly gate connected to source are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,091,573 and 7,183,610. However, formation of the device structures is very complicate and expensive.
Therefore, a need still exists in the art of power semiconductor device design and manufacture to provide new manufacturing method and device configuration in forming the semiconductor power devices such that the above discussed problems and limitations can be resolved.

Trench metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) with low gate to drain coupled charges (Qgd) structures


The system (10) and method (100) adjust reuse units when nodes (e.g., satellites (20, 22)) move in a communication system (10), such as satellites (20,22) moving in their orbits around the earth in a space-based communication system (10). The method (100) and system (10) computes interference potentials between a reference reuse unit in a first reuse unit table of a first satellite (20) and reuse units being used in second reuse unit tables in second satellites (20) that are adjacent to the first satellite (20); and when the interference potentials is less than a predetermined threshold, then assigns the satellite a non-interfering reuse unit for the specific time interval.

In terrestrial-based cellular systems, channel assignments are made within fixed frequency reuse cell clusters. A cluster comprises a set of predetermined cells which are adjacent to each other. That is, each cell within a predetermined cluster is given a unique set of orthogonal channels so that channels within a cluster do not interfere with one another. Outside of the cluster, the channels are reused. The reuse between clusters may follow a fixed pattern designed to minimize interference between the clusters.
The reuse cluster technique associated with terrestrial-based cellular systems is difficult to implement when the cellular base stations are replaced by satellites in a low-earth orbit (LEO). Time division multiplex access (TDMA) and frequency division multiple access (FDMA) communication systems and systems that use similar channel structures avoid excessive interference by assigning traffic channels that do not conflict with other traffic channels in time or frequency. The channel assignment problem is exacerbated when one end of the communication system is located at the LEO satellites where differential Doppler shifts, differential propagation times and relative motion between the satellites can cause transmissions between a user and a satellite to interfere with channels in use on another satellite. This problem becomes even more severe when earth terminals or stations can transmit and receive over large coverage angles that may include several satellites.
Accordingly, there is a significant need for a system and corresponding method that efficiently manage time, code and/or frequency resources without interfering with other channels.

Space-based communication system and method with continuous channel reuse maintenance


An apparatus for reducing or eliminating the effects of a quadrupole component of an acoustic signal received from a transversely mounted acoustic source in a drill collar of a logging while drilling tool. The apparatus includes a drill collar for supporting a drill bit, a transversely mounted transmitter situated in a first horizontal plane in the drill collar which transmits acoustic energy into an earth formation. The drill collar also houses at least one receiver mounted in a second horizontal plane in the drill collar at an angular displacement from the transmitter such that the effects of a quadrupole component of the acoustic energy detected by the receiver are rendered insignificant.

The present invention relates generally to logging-while-drilling tools in the borehole logging industry. More particularly, the invention relates to sonic logging-while-drilling receivers and their configuration in a drill collar.
Research and development in the field of sonic logging-while-drilling has resulted in the transverse mounting of an acoustic source in a drill collar. The details of a transversely mounted source are disclosed in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 288,742 entitled, "Method and Apparatus for Performing Acoustic Investigations", invented by Kostek et al., and assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation. The present application is a continuation of that application, the details of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The acoustic source of a traditional sonic wireline logging tool is mounted along a vertical central axis in the length of the tool and transmits acoustic energy at equal levels in all directions about the vertical central axis. These signals are typically transmitted through holes in the tool housing and into the formation. The traditional sonic wireline logging tool also includes a set of receivers mounted in a vertical line through the central axis of the tool housing positioned at a particular distance from the source. Such a tool is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,191,141 to Schuster, and assigned to Schlumberger Well Surveying Corporation.
The use of a traditional source in a sonic logging-while-drilling tool is not feasible because holes cannot be cut into the drill collar itself to allow the acoustic energy transmitted from the source to pass through the drill collar. There are two principle reasons for this. The first reason is that holes in the drill collar greatly reduce its mechanical integrity resulting in destruction or loss of effectiveness in the harsh drilling environment. The second reason is that mud is circulated through the drill collar to lubricate the drill bit and to allow the cuttings to flow up the collar for removal. If holes were made in the drill collar, it would disrupt or eliminate the required flow of mud. To accommodate these concerns, a transversely mounted source has been developed such that only the ends of the source are exposed through a pair of holes in opposite sides of the drill collar. A problem arises in that the signals produced by the source are not exclusively monopole in nature like those produced by a traditional sonic logging tool source. Instead, in addition to the monopole excitation mode of the acoustic signal, the transversely mounted source produces a series of excitation modes including a quadrupole, an octopole, etc which are symmetric with respect to an axial plane perpendicular to a central axis through the length of the source. Each of these excitation modes is transmitted into the formation and is recorded by the receivers.
It is desirable to process the recorded signals using traditional techniques. Such a technique is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,691 to Kimball et al., and assigned to Schlumberger Technology Corporation. Traditional signal processing generally concentrates on the monopole excitation mode of the acoustic signals. Therefore, it is essential to reduce or eliminate the effects of the other modes which may interfere with the monopole mode. A receiver with the ability to reduce or eliminate the effects of the modes including the quadrupole, octopole, etc. is necessary. Such a receiver accentuates the monopole component which is essential for traditional processing techniques.

Receiver apparatus for use in logging while drilling


A system for controlling integrity measurement of an un-trusted system component on a client system includes a trusted management utility configured to measure the integrity of the un-trusted system component, a trusted fixed token resident on the client system, and a trusted registration service. The trusted registration service creates a signed hash of the trusted management utility software and stores the signed hash of the trusted management utility software in the trusted fixed token. The trusted registration service creates a security domain and stores the security domain in the trusted fixed token. The trusted fixed token creates a signed hash of the trusted management utility software and the security domain, and securely communicates the signed hash of the trusted management utility software and the security domain to the trusted registration service. The trusted management utility software is installed on the client system and executed to gather integrity measurements on the un-trusted system component. A hash of the un-trusted system component and the trusted management utility software is created and stored in the trusted fixed token. This data may be combined with the security domain. The hash of the un-trusted system component, the trusted management utility software, and the security domain may be interrogated by the trusted registration service to verify the integrity of the un-trusted system component.

1. FIELD
The present invention relates generally to computer security and, more specifically, to establishing trust in a computer system by evaluating the integrity of components of the computer system.
2. DESCRIPTION
Personal computers (PCs) are typically designed to be open computing systems, and the Internet is designed as an open networking infrastructure. In supplier/buyer electronic commerce and electronic business applications, corporate intranets, and Web portals, this quality of openness has provided information technology (IT) organizations and PC users with the flexibility they need to communicate, collaborate, and conduct transactions. As a result, business-to-business (B2B), business-to-employee (B2E), and business-to-consumer (B2C) applications enable IT to reach a global base of customers and partners with tremendous economies of scale.
For IT managers, this quality of openness can be a two-edged sword, because it can render PCs vulnerable to malicious parties and hackers. Traditional PC security in business depends on a chain of trust, beginning with the IT manager who must trust the computer's operating system, the PC manufacturer, the users of the systems, and also trust that physical security is adequate. Computer security usually involves protecting data and systems from unauthorized access. Corporate IT departments must provide authenticated users with access to authorized information and keep unauthorized persons out.
Many computer users often operate under the assumption that the underlying hardware, firmware, and software of their computer systems have not been compromised. In many cases, these systems may be administered remotely by an IT organization or other owner of the systems. Often, the IT organization or other owner desires to evaluate the integrity of the computer systems. One challenge for remotely administered systems is establishing trust in some components, while allowing other components to remain un-trusted until proof of trustworthiness has been collected and evaluated.

Distributed control of integrity measurement using a trusted fixed token


A solenoid valve (50) has a valve housing (51) with a valve slide (53) in which two magnets, with one pole (1) each, are inserted. The poles (1) each have a coil core (8, 9) which extends along a longitudinal axis (10) and in which in each case one armature tappet (17), which activates one end of the valve slide (53) with an activation end (27), is provided. Arranged on each armature tappet (17) is a magnet armature (23) which has two armature side faces (24, 25) which extend obliquely with respect to the longitudinal axis (10). The coil core (8, 9) has two core side faces (12, 19) which extend parallel to one armature side face (24, 25) in each case.

The invention relates to a pole for a magnet which can be used in particular in a hydraulic solenoid valve. The invention also relates to a magnet and to a hydraulic solenoid valve.
The poles known from the prior art have the disadvantage of a high degree of inertia. For this reason, in particular hydraulic solenoid valves are complicated to activate. Furthermore, the poles known in the prior art have a high degree of friction. Furthermore, when mounting it is necessary to take care that there are no air bubbles in the interior of the armature space because the poles known from the prior art have a modified dynamic depending on the proportion of air in the armature space.
Furthermore, the poles known from the prior art have the disadvantage of marked wear.
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a pole which has a low degree of wear and is highly responsive. The pole which is to be provided is to be insensitive to proportions of air in the armature space and to be of simple design. It is also the object of the invention to provide a magnet which is improved in this respect and a hydraulic solenoid valve which is improved in this respect.
This object is achieved by means of the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous refinements emerge from the respective subclaims.
With such a configuration, the magnet armature moves transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis when current flows through the electrical coil. Because of the particular interrupted construction of the coil core in the region of the magnet armature, the magnetic field lines emerge, in fact, from a first coil core section, into the magnet armature and out again and then into a second coil core section. Owing to the armature side faces which are of xe2x80x9cobliquexe2x80x9d construction with respect to the longitudinal axis, a force component which extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis and acts on the magnet armature is produced, said force component displacing the magnet armature, and thus the armature tappet connected to the magnet armature, transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis. According to the invention, this transverse movement is used to activate, in particular, a valve slide of a hydraulic solenoid valve.
According to the invention, the magnet armature can also have two armature side faces which are cut from the longitudinal axis with an angle other than 90xc2x0, the two armature side faces being constructed in a preferred embodiment so as to be symmetrical with respect to a plane extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. In particular with this construction of the two armature side faces, the components of the force acting on the magnet armature which are generated as a result of the magnetic flux and extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis cancel each other out so that there is no additional loading in the longitudinal direction of the armature tappet. This increases the operational reliability of the pole according to the invention. In addition, a transverse force component whose absolute value is doubled in comparison with a single, obliquely arranged armature side face acts on the magnet armature. This improves the efficiency of the pole according to the invention.
According to the invention, the coil core can have at least one or even two core side faces which are cut from the longitudinal axis at an angle other than 90xc2x0, it being possible for the two core side faces to be constructed so as to be symmetrical with respect to a plane running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. Constructing the coil core in such a way improves the guidance of the magnetic field lines in the interior of the pole according to the invention, which increases its efficiency. It is particularly advantageous here if in each case one armature side face extends essentially parallel to a core side face lying opposite it because the course of the magnetic field lines in the pole according to the invention can then be configured particularly satisfactorily. Furthermore, the behavior of a pole which is configured in this way can be modeled and predicted particularly satisfactorily so that in particular also linear activation processes and precise adjustments are made possible.
In the configurations of the pole according to the invention described above, the designation xe2x80x9cessentially parallelxe2x80x9d with respect to the position of armature side faces and core side faces means that in each case one core side face extends parallel to an armature side face in at least one activation state of the magnet armature. It is not excluded here that when the magnet armature is displaced one armature side face assumes in each case a position with respect to a core side face in which they no longer extend parallel to one another. Such states can arise in particular when there are large displacements of an armature tappet which is mounted on only one side.
Furthermore, it is possible to provide in the interrupted region of the coil core a connecting region made of antimagnetic material which connects sections of the coil core to one another. This results in a compact and stable design of the coil core which is also sealed to prevent hydraulic fluid escaping.
In the interrupted region of the coil core, it is also possible to provide a connecting region which has magnetizable material. As a result, an additional air gap can be provided which, before the actual switching of the magnet by an electrical coil in the region of the magnet armature, can be brought to saturation by an electrical coil in the region of the magnet armature. This results in the armature being additionally acted on in its direction of movement even before the magnet armature according to the invention actually switches. In such a state, the magnet armature according to the invention is kept in a starting position from which it can be moved into its switched position by increasing the current. Here, the force generated by the additional air gap does not increase further because said air gap is preferably saturated. However, the force generated by a working air gap between the pole and the magnet armature increases with the increase in the magnetic field density in the region of the pole. As soon as the force in the working air gap is greater than the force in the additional air gap, the magnet armature moves in the direction of the force generated in the working air gap. The force which is generated in the additional air gap decreases with a very steep characteristic curve because the associated air gap becomes larger and because at the same time the working air gap becomes smaller. As a result, the force generated in the working air gap is available immediately, and to its full extent, for switching a magnet provided with the pole according to the invention. Furthermore, there are hardly any decelerations due to eddy currents if the main part of the magnetic field in the working air gap has already been built up by a biasing current.
The development according to the invention provides numerous advantages. For example, the current has to be increased only to a small extent to switch the magnet according to the invention. At the same time, hardly any eddy current decelerations occur during the switching, and a high switching force is available just after the start of the stroke of the magnet armature. The armature according to the invention can be used particularly advantageously in conjunction with the particular advantages of a swivel armature magnet which is obtained in such a way, namely those of a low armature mass and of negligible friction of the armature within the pole, and by preventing an increase in mass as a result of oil which is to be expelled through narrow drilled holes.
The pole according to the invention can be manufactured easily if the coil core and/or the magnet armature are each constructed as an essentially cylindrical tubular section. Here, the magnet armature is preferably constructed in such a way that it can be permanently attached to a bar-shaped armature tappet while the coil core has a through-opening which is constructed in such a way that the armature tappet does not bear against the inside of the coil core even when there are large displacements of the magnet armature.
If a first end of the armature tappet is permanently connected to a first end of the coil core, when a displacement occurs the magnet armature moves on an orbit about the mounting point of the armature tappet on the coil core. A transverse movement of the magnet armature which occurs here can then be transmitted particularly easily to, for example, a valve slide of a hydraulic solenoid valve. There is also provision here that a second end of the armature tappet projects beyond a second end of the coil core. In order to activate, for example, a valve slide, it is then sufficient to mount the coil core in a valve housing and to bring the second end of the armature tappet into contact with the valve slide.
The invention is also implemented in a magnet, in particular for a hydraulic solenoid valve, which has a pole which is configured according to the invention as described above, at least one electrical coil also being provided in the region of the coil core.
The invention is also implemented in a magnet which has two electrical coils which are preferably arranged coaxially with respect to one another. It is particularly advantageous here if use is made of a magnet pole in which a connecting region with magnetizable material is provided in the interrupted region of the coil core. With two such coils it is particularly easily possible to achieve premagnetization, which permits improved operation with a second air gap.
In contrast to the above, or in addition thereto, it may be possible to apply not only two different operating voltages but also three different operating voltages to the electrical coil or coils. Here, it is possible to switch, starting from a quiescent potential which constitutes the first operating voltage, via the second operating voltage into the third operating voltage. The second operating voltage generates here the premagnetization, while the third operating voltage constitutes the actual switching current of the magnet.
According to the invention, the magnet armature can, however, also be premagnetized by means of a permanent magnet.
In addition, the invention also relates to a hydraulic solenoid valve with at least one magnet according to the invention, the solenoid valve having a valve slide which can be activated by the armature tappet.
The swivel arm magnet according to the invention as described above is particularly advantageous because it operates with low friction and as a result has no wear, or only a small degree of wear. Furthermore, it is highly responsive because it is not necessary to overcome any static friction in order to activate it. In particular in the construction with two obliquely extending working gaps which are symmetrical with respect to one another, the particular advantage is obtained that no resulting force occurs in the axial direction of the armature tappet which is to be bent. In addition, the magnet armature can be made particularly small, which improves the actuation characteristics of the magnet according to the invention. Furthermore, the magnet according to the invention does not have any reduced oil mass so that no significant dynamic differences occur irrespective of whether there is oil or air in the armature space. Finally, the magnet according to the invention is of particularly simple design.
The invention is also embodied in the form of a pole which has a magnet armature in which the armature side faces intersect the longitudinal axis at a right angle if at the same time the coil core has, in the region of the magnet armature, at least one core side face which is intersected by the longitudinal axis at an angle other than 90xc2x0. Even with such a construction which is reversed in comparison with the configurations described above, the field lines in the air gap extend between the magnet armature and coil core in such a way that a force component which extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis and deflects the magnet armature is produced.

Electromagnet and hydraulic valve comprising such an electromagnet


Heat exchangers, such as radiators, condensers, or other cooling systems, are provided in the present disclosure. Heat exchanging systems may include an assembly for routing cooling conduits from the heat exchanger, along or through one or more A-pillars of the vehicle, and to a rooftop electronics assembly, which may be used for performing self-driving functions when the vehicle is configured as an autonomous vehicle or the like. The conduit routing assembly enhances manufacturing efficiency and cost effectiveness as compared to conventional assemblies. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an assembly for cooling a rooftop electronics assembly of a vehicle may include one or more conduits configured to transport a cooling fluid between an in-vehicle cooling system and the rooftop electronics assembly, wherein the one or more conduits are disposed partially along an A-pillar of the vehicle.

Autonomous vehicles, also known as self-driving vehicles and the like, utilize a wide array of electronic systems and components. These electronic systems and components may include, but are not limited to, Global Positioning Systems (GPSs), inertial guidance systems (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.) providing linear and rotational motion information, video cameras, Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) systems, radar systems, and other various systems and components.
Automobile manufacturing companies have recently begun incorporating the autonomous-driving equipment into the design of vehicles. However, for the most part, autonomous equipment is typically manufactured separately from the manufacturing process of the vehicle itself and is retrofitted to the existing vehicles. Often, the electronic systems and components for conducting self-driving capabilities are housed in an electronics housing or pod that is installed on the rooftop of the vehicle, both saving in-vehicle space and providing required device visibility.
The video cameras of the self-driving systems may provide a visual 360-degree perspective and/or a bird's eye view (BEV) of the environment surrounding the vehicle. This allows travel lanes and markers to be identified, objects to be detected, etc. However, video cameras may suffer from a number of disadvantages. For example, it may be difficult to properly position video cameras in or on the electronics housing and to keep the video cameras adequately clean, which can compromise the sensing views. Also, video cameras may require intensive computational processing to fully exploit the video information that is obtained and may further lack some of the desired depth perception capabilities needed to properly analyze the environment.
Thus, self-driving functions may rely more heavily on LiDAR systems. LiDAR systems provide rapid and accurate three-dimensional (3-D) assessment of the environment surrounding the vehicle, especially at farther distances. Also, LiDAR systems may more effectively identify objects, determine motion vectors, predict collisions, and implement collision avoidance actions. These LiDAR systems may include solid state scanning and/or rotating systems and may utilize laser pulses that are timed with the responses of associated detectors to provide range and motion information. In short-distance applications, where LiDAR systems are not as effective, radar systems operating at approved frequencies may be relied upon to provide desirable radio frequency (RF) propagation characteristics and resolution.
All of these electronic systems and components generate a great deal of heat during operation and furthermore, because of their positioning on top of vehicles, may also absorb a great deal of heat from the sun. Therefore, these systems, like most electrical components, must be cooled to within an acceptable temperature range in order to operate properly. Otherwise, the systems may overheat, which can cause damage to or failure of these electronics. The process of cooling this equipment may involve air (i.e., convection) cooling when the vehicle is in motion. However, air cooling may not typically cool these components below an acceptable temperature maximum tolerance for proper operation. Some conventional systems may use dedicated cooling systems installed within the electronics housing itself and/or may include complex conduit networks linking common cooling systems to the electronic systems and components.
However, the conventional cooling systems can be inefficient and cost prohibitive when dealing with rooftop electronics housings or pods, for example. Thus, what is still needed in the art is an assembly for routing cooling conduits to rooftop housings or pods, such as housings for electronic systems for providing self-driving or autonomous-driving sensing, analyzing, and controlling functions. Such cooling of rooftop electronics housings may therefore be conducted in order that the electronic systems and components disposed therein may be adequately cooled for proper operation.

Assembly for routing cooling conduits through a vehicle


Systems and methods for monitoring, making, managing and controlling telephone communications with a computer call assistant with an integrated voice/data communications system are disclosed. A call assistant computer application preferably runs on a personal computer (“PC”) coupled to the integrated system over a packet bus. The call assistant exchanges control and/or status packets with the integrated system preferably over a packet bus. The call assistant enables the user to make, receive and control telephone calls, monitor the status of the user's extension, voice mail, etc., and preferably operates with integrated systems capable of transmitting and receiving voice and data in multiple modes. In preferred embodiments, the computer call assistant operates with systems that are capable of multiple native mode voice and data transmissions and receptions with a communications system having a multi-bus structure, including, for example, a time division multiplexed (“TDM”) bus, a packet bus, and a control bus, and multi-protocol framing engines, preferably including subsystem functions such as PBX, voice mail, file server, web server, communications server, telephony server, LAN hub and data router.

Various integrated voice/data communications systems have been proposed. Exemplary systems of this type are disclosed in the following U.S. Patents, all of which were originally assigned to the assignee of the present invention: U.S. application Ser. No. 09/055,072, filed on Apr. 3, 1998, for Systems and Methods for Multiple Mode Voice and Data Communications Using Intelligently Bridged TDM and Packet Buses; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/055,036, filed on Apr. 3, 1998, for System and Method for Generating Voltages in Telephony Station Cards; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/161,550, filed on Sep. 25, 1998, for Systems and Methods for Multiple Mode Voice and Data Communications Using Intelligently Bridged TDM and Packet Buses and Methods for Performing Telephony and Data Functions Using the Same; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/163,596, filed on Sep. 29, 1998, for Systems and Methods for Multiple Mode Voice and Data Communications Using Intelligently Bridged TDM and Packet Buses and Methods for Performing Telephony and Data Functions Using the Same; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/167,408, filed on Oct. 6, 1998, for Systems and Methods for Multiple Mode Voice and Data Communications Using Intelligently Bridged TDM and Packet Buses and Methods for Performing Telephony and Data Functions Using the Same; U.S. application Ser. No. 09/283,101, filed on Mar. 31, 1999 for Systems and Methods For Multiple Mode Voice and Data Communications Using Intelligently Bridged TDM and Packet Buses and Methods For Performing Telephony And Data Functions Using the Same; and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/368,460, filed on Aug. 4, 1999 for Systems and Methods For Multiple Mode Voice and Data Communications Using Intelligently Bridged TDM and Packet Buses and Methods For Implementing Language Capabilities Using the Same (the "Referenced Patent Documents"). The Referenced Patent Documents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Such integrated systems are known to provide various advanced and desirable voice and data communications services and functions, including management and control of telephone calls and the like.
In today's business and personal environment, many users of such systems generate, receive and/or display content from a wide variety of data sources on their computers. For example, a researcher may simultaneously, or within a very short amount of time, be viewing content from the Internet, from local or remote data bases, from emails, from locally or remotely stored computer files, from other computer or storage devices connected via a local area or wide area network, etc. In many instances, it is desirable for a user to be making, managing or controlling telephone calls while also engaged in viewing such content on a computer. It also is common for a user to desire to make telephone calls related to the viewed content, which may be a regular or frequent basis.
While integrated voice/data communications systems such as described above provide various desirable telephone communications services and functions, improved systems and methods for making, managing and controlling telephone calls are desired, particularly for users of such integrated voice/data communications systems.

Methods for initiating telephone communications using a telephone number extracted from user-highlighted content on a computer


A method and apparatus for accessing a cache. The method includes receiving a request to access the cache. The request includes an address of requested data to be accessed. The method also includes using a first portion of the address to perform an access to a first directory for the cache and using a second portion of the address to perform an access to a second directory for the cache. Results from the access to the first directory for the cache and results from the access to the second directory for the cache are used to determine whether the cache includes the requested data to be accessed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to executing instructions in a processor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Modern computer systems typically contain several integrated circuits (ICs), including a processor which may be used to process information in the computer system. The data processed by a processor may include computer instructions which are executed by the processor as well as data which is manipulated by the processor using the computer instructions. The computer instructions and data are typically stored in a main memory in the computer system.
Processors typically process instructions by executing the instruction in a series of small steps. In some cases, to increase the number of instructions being processed by the processor (and therefore increase the speed of the processor), the processor may be pipelined. Pipelining refers to providing separate stages in a processor where each stage performs one or more of the small steps necessary to execute an instruction. In some cases, the pipeline (in addition to other circuitry) may be placed in a portion of the processor referred to as the processor core.
To provide for faster access to data and instructions as well as better utilization of the processor, the processor may have several caches. A cache is a memory which is typically smaller than the main memory and is typically manufactured on the same die (i.e., chip) as the processor. Modern processors typically have several levels of caches. The fastest cache which is located closest to the core of the processor is referred to as the Level 1 cache (L1 cache). In addition to the L1 cache, the processor typically has a second, larger cache, referred to as the Level 2 Cache (L2 cache). In some cases, the processor may have other, additional cache levels (e.g., an L3 cache and an L4 cache).
Modern processors provide address translation which allows a software program to use a set of effective addresses to access a larger set of real addresses. During an access to a cache, an effective address provided by a load or a store instruction may be translated into a real address and used to access the L1 cache. Thus, the processor may include circuitry configured to perform the address translation before the L1 cache is accessed by the load or the store instruction. However, because of the address translation, access time to the L1 cache may be increased. Furthermore, where the processor includes multiple cores which each perform address translation, the overhead from providing address translation circuitry and performing address translation while executing multiple programs may become undesirable.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method and apparatus for accessing a processor cache.

Method and apparatus for accessing a split cache directory

International Business Machines Corporation


A refrigerated cabinet includes a fan assisted refrigeration unit and a duct in communication with the fan, for distributing cold air from the fan throughout the cabinet; the duct is substantially the full width and the full length of the product storage of the cabinet and at least a major portion of the duct has a substantially constant width; one end of the duct is in communication with a fan and the opposite end of the duct provides an end outlet; intermediate outlets are formed through the duct between the ends, to supply air from the duct to the product storage portion of the cabinet; the size of the end outlet is substantially smaller than the size of the intermediate outlets, so that in use the duct is pressurized compared to the remainder of the cabinet.

For efficient refrigerated storage of product within the cabinet, it is important that cold air from the refrigeration unit is circulated evenly throughout the cabinet. In known designs, the evaporator of the refrigeration unit is fitted with one or more fans, which are driven to circulate cold air from the vicinity of the refrigeration unit throughout the body of the cabinet. However, air naturally tends towards the path of least resistance, and if the shelves of the cabinet are heavily stacked with product, restricting the spaces between adjacent shelves, air tends to move preferentially towards the opposite end of the cabinet from the fan, rather than between the shelves.


Power amplifiers and related methods are disclosed having configurable switched mode operation in a high-power mode of operation and a low-power mode of operation. The power amplifiers have a first cascode amplifier coupled to receive a positive differential input and a second cascode amplifier coupled to receive a negative differential input. The first and second cascode amplifiers include output stages and first/second input stages. The first input stages and the second input stages are enabled in a high-power mode of operation. The first input stages are disabled and the second input stages are enabled during a low-power mode of operation. For further embodiments, a switchable clamp operates in the low-power mode to clamp a voltage output for the second input stages. For further embodiments, the output stages are provided a variable voltage bias or are coupled to tunable capacitances that are varied between the low-power and high-power modes.

Power amplifiers typically reach their maximum efficiency when the largest possible voltage swing is produced on the output. This maximum efficiency corresponds to a high amount of delivered output power. For a radio frequency (RF) power amplifier designed to transmit a phase modulated signal (e.g., Bluetooth and ZigBee protocols), it is often necessary to cover a wide range of output power. This wide range is often needed to comply with communication standards as well as to meet different end-user requirements for the power amplifier circuits. Classic power amplifier structures allow output power to be reduced, for example, by degrading ON resistance in case of a switched mode power amplifier. However, efficiency often drops when backing off from maximum power for these power amplifier structures, particularly where conditions remain the same (e.g., same load resistance and same supply voltage). This loss of efficiency is undesirable.

Configurable switched power amplifier for efficient high/low output power


A binding element for sheets includes a back which is provided on the inside with an amount of glue which melts under the influence of heat. The back includes, on the one hand, a U-shaped element made of rigid material and, on the other hand, a cover strip which is connected directly or indirectly at one longitudinal edge thereof to the U-shaped element, and further is folded around the U-shaped element at another longitudinal edge thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a binding element for sheets of the type which consists of at least a back which is provided on the inside with an amount of glue which melts under the influence of heat.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Binding elements of the above-mentioned type are generally known.
In order to bind a bundle of sheets or documents by means of such a binding element, these sheets are brought in contact with the glue in the binding element. Subsequently, the whole is put vertically, with the back downward, on a heating element, so that the glue melts and the sheets penetrate in the glue. After the binding element has been removed from the heating element, the glue solidifies, which has for a consequence that the sheets are held in the binding element by means of the glue.
Various sorts of such binding elements are already known. Often, they are composed of several components which are mutually attached to one another, including components whose aim it is to form at least a back, as well as components, such as cover strips, whose aim it is to lend an aesthetic character to the binding element.
In the known embodiments, these components are mutually attached to one another in a rather complex manner, by which is meant that several connections must be made, which results in a relatively high production cost, on the one hand because several appliances are required to realize the connections between the components, and on the other hand because the production time is lengthy, due to the large number of operations to be carried out.