Quality of service may be achieved in a network using time-bases queues that are associated with different maximum latency periods. A device may receive a request to allocate resources for a packet flow, the resources being allocated at a number of network devices. The device may select, in response to the request, a set of queues that includes a queue selected at each of the network devices, the selected queue, at each of the network devices, being associated with a maximum latency period. The device may transmit one or more messages, to the network devices, indicating that the selected set of queues are to be used for buffering of the packet flow during packet scheduling.

Quality of Service (QoS) may refer to the transport of network traffic with special requirements relating to the quality of the network connection. The special requirements may relate to the ability to provide different applications, users, or data flows, with different levels of service. For example, a particular level of QoS may guarantee a required bit rate, delay, jitter, packet dropping probability, and/or bit error rate. QoS guarantees can be important when the network capacity is insufficient or burdened. Certain applications, such as real-time streaming multimedia applications (e.g., voice over IP) may require, in order to be useful to the end-user, a higher QoS guarantee, while other applications, such as ones related to the downloading of a file, may be effective with QoS guarantees corresponding to a lower level of network service.
A network that supports QoS may include one or more network devices that process network traffic. Each of the network devices may include a packet scheduler. Each packet scheduler may, based on priorities assigned to packets, schedule the packets for transmission from the network device. Existing packet schedulers may schedule network traffic based on the relative priorities of the network traffic.

Time-based QoS scheduling of network traffic


In a computer system, peripheral computers with business applications send alert messages to a central computer when a current variable exceeds a reference value. The central computer implements an alert server to notify a target group of multiple users via communication devices. The central computer escalates further notification to a supervisor user in the event that during a predetermined time period no user of the group has confirmed reception. The notifications have predefined fixed and variable text portion that relate to the alert type. The group of users to be notified is determined by subscription or by a role-to-application assignment.

Distributed computer networks that execute business applications support business organizations. Situations that are critical and important for the organization can occur at any time inside or outside the organization. Often, the situations are unexpected. The applications generate alerts to inform one or more users about the situation, for example: A customer relation management (CRM) application reports that a key customer terminates a contract. A production planning application reports delivery problems for an important order. A business analysis application detects a decline in revenue. A computer system monitor points out insufficiency of resources and informs about an expected memory overflow. For alert systems, the following references are useful: U.S. Pat. No. 6,185,603 to Henderson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,157,941 to Verkler et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,884 to Royce et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,755 to Cicchino et al., U.S. Pat No. 5,754,111 to Garcia, U.S. Pat. No. 5,548,753 to Linstead et al.
Further: GEISSBÜHLER A ET AL: "Design of a general clinical notification system based on the publish-subscribe paradigm" 1997 Amia Annual Fall Symposium. A Conference Of The American Medical Informatics Association. Proceedings, Proceedings Of 1997 Amia Annual Fall Symposium The Emergence Of Internetable Health Care Systems That Really Work, Nashville, Tenn, USA, 25-29 0, 25-29 October 1997, pages 126-130, XP002179981 1997, Philadelphia, Pa., USA, Hanley & Belfus, USA.
Further: J. BREED ET AL.: "The Spacecraft Emergency Response System (SERS) For Autonomous Mission Operations" 3RD INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON REDUCING THE COST OF SPACECRAFT GROUND SYSTEMS AND OPERATIONS, [Online] March 1999 (1999-03), pages 1-8.
Geissbühler et al. discusses a publish-subscribe paradigm as a mechanism providing a framework for the exchange of data between independent applications in an event-driven manner. The paradigm is used in the context of a clinical notification system. Escalation is incorporated.
Royce et al. as well as Breed et al. discuss event-based notification systems arranged to support escalation procedures.
Business applications can be configured to provide electronic notifications to a single recipient or to a group of recipients (cf. Linstead et al.). There is a technical problem relating to the configuration of the business application notification system to select a specific target group that receives alert notifications from a particular business application.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A document previewing system includes a display device including a user interface and a document previewing engine coupled to the display device. The document previewing engine is configured to download an outline of a document including outline features and filler content in between the outline features. The filler content replaces secondary content of the document. The document previewing engine is further configured to display the outline on the display device, and download the secondary content corresponding to an outline feature in response to a user navigating to the outline feature and the outline feature displaying on the display device for a period of time.

Transmitting data over a network may be costly, time consuming, and unnecessarily consume bandwidth. Many users seek to reduce the amount of data downloaded onto devices because providers limit data usage or charge based data usage. In some instances, documents or data sets are too large to be loaded onto a local machine over a network without significant delay. A common solution is to download only a first portion of the document or data set while also providing the impression to the user that the entire document is loaded when it is not. Navigation further through the document or data set prompts a request for more data from the server and continues the download. While such a solution helps reduce unnecessary downloads, users only interested in information located in the middle or near the end of the document or data set still download more than needed as they navigate through the document. Additionally, users unnecessarily increase data usage that may be costly and time consuming.

Previewing prominent features of remote documents

International Business Machines Corporation


An earphone device includes a housing having a driver unit, and a sound guide tube mounted on a front surface of the housing to protrude from the front surface, in which the sound guide tube is disposed at a position deviated from a center position of the housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to earphone devices. For example, the present invention may be applied to an earplug type earphone device in which a sound tube is inserted to an external auditory meatus with an earpiece interposed therebetween.
2. Description of the Related Art
An earphone device typically vibrates a diaphragm disposed in a driver unit accommodated in a housing (a casing of the earphone device) in accordance with audio signals supplied from a portable music player or the like, varies a compression state of air, and thus generates sound corresponding to the audio signals.
For example, according to a lateral in-the-ear earphone device, a housing of the earphone device is supported by a tragus and an antitragus of a user, so that the earphone device fits in an ear of the user (for example, see Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 6-81351).
In the above earphone device, since the shape of a pinna varies from person to person, a gap may be present between the housing and an external auditory meatus when the user wears the earphone device, resulting in leakage of sound through the gap.
In addition, in the above earphone device, since the shapes of the tragus and the antitragus vary from person to person, the user may not support the housing by the tragus and the antitragus, resulting in deterioration in fitting comfortability such as that fitting state is not maintained for a long time.
Meanwhile, according to a vertical in-the-ear earphone device, a diaphragm is arranged to directly oppose the entrance of the external auditory meatus of the user, and hence, the shape around the entrance of the external auditory meatus less influences the sound. Accordingly, such an earphone device may provide stable, high-quality sound to the user (for example, see Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 6-59120).
In the above earphone device, a holder, such as a band or a hanger, is used for holding the earphone device when the user wears the earphone device, resulting in lack of portability. Also, the band is located over the top of the head thereby making the user's hair untidy.
To address the disadvantages with the lateral in-the-ear and the vertical in-the-ear earphone devices, as shown in FIGS. 15A to 15C, there is provided an earplug type earphone device 30 which includes an earpiece 31 having a profile corresponding to the external auditory meatus when the user wears the earphone device 30, a substantially cylindrical sound guide tube 32 provided in the earpiece 31, a substantially spherical housing 33 in which the sound guide tube 32 is mounted, a cord retainer 34 integrally provided with the housing 33, and a cord 7 connected to a driver unit (not shown) provided in the housing 33.
FIG. 15A is a lateral elevational view showing the earphone device 30 in the Y-Z plane. FIG. 15B is a rear elevational view showing the earphone device 30 in the X-Z plane. FIG. 15C is a bottom plan view showing the earphone device 30 in the X-Y plane.
The housing 33 vibrates a diaphragm disposed in the driver unit in accordance with audio signals supplied through the cord 7, and thus generates sound corresponding to the audio signals.
The sound guide tube 32 protrudes from the center portion of a front surface of the housing 33, and when the user wears the earphone device 30, the sound guide tube 32 is inserted to the external auditory meatus with the earpiece 31 interposed therebetween, so that the sound output via the driver unit of the housing 33 is guided to the external auditory meatus.
The earpiece 31 is formed of flexible material so that its shape is freely deformable. Once the earpiece 31 is inserted to the external auditory meatus, the earpiece 31 is closely attached to the external auditory meatus, thereby maintaining the fitting state in which the earpiece 31 is closely attached to the user's ear, and providing gentle fitting.


A device and a method for decelerating a vehicle having a front-loading device has a brake system and sensors for measuring the mass and the center of gravity of a load. An electronic evaluation and control unit evaluates the sensor data to determine a maximum brake deceleration in forward travel, in order to prevent the vehicle tilting about the front axle. At least one sensor of the brake system generates a sensor signal in an emergency braking situation for triggering an emergency braking operation, in which the delimitation or reduction of the effective brake pressure in the wheel brake cylinders of the front axle is canceled and, with the exception of an ABS control operation, the full brake pressure is introduced in a controlled manner by way of a primary brake valve into the wheel brake cylinders of the front axle.

Industrial trucks such as forklift trucks, telescopic handling trucks, mechanical shovels, and agricultural tractors with front-end loaders receive loads to be conveyed by way of loading devices such as forks, shovels, and hooks on the vehicle front of the industrial trucks. The respective loading devices are fastened to masts which are displaceable in a horizontal and vertical manner, or to support arms which on the longitudinal side are adjustable and pivotable about a transverse axis. On account of the load received at the vehicle front, the overall center of gravity of the vehicle lies close to the front axle, as well as mostly also relatively high above the front axle. On account thereof, there is the risk, in particular in forward travel, that the vehicle when decelerating by virtue of the dynamic repositioning of the overall center of gravity tilts forward about the front axle. The risk of tilting of the vehicle depends on the mass of the received load as well as the horizontal and vertical position of the center of gravity of the load in terms of the front axle.
Numerous devices and control methods have already been proposed for avoiding tilting of an industrial truck. A device and a method for controlling the ride stability of an industrial truck, in particular of a forklift truck, by way of which the mass of a received load, the inclination of a mast, the lifting height of a fork, the tilting forces acting on the mast, as well as the accelerations effective in the longitudinal direction and the transverse direction are detected by sensor is known, for example, from DE 103 04 658 A1. Limit values for the lifting height of the fork, the travel speed, the travel acceleration, the steering angle, and the inclination of the mast are then established from the load data detected by sensor and from the characteristics of the vehicle, the limit values not being able to be exceeded on account of a corresponding delimitation of the control of the drive, the steering, the brakes, and the load. Full braking is prevented in an emergency function, when a front wheel is detected as tilting over a curb.
An industrial truck, in particular embodied as a forklift truck, having a control device in which data detected by sensor is processed for determining the current travel and load state is described in DE 10 2005 011 998 A1. The operating speed which is achievable or achieved, the start-up acceleration and braking acceleration as well as the travel speed are then reduced as a function of the determined travel and load state.
Moreover, devices and control methods by way of which tilting about the front axle when decelerating a vehicle, in particular a tractor unit without a semi-trailer, can be prevented are known from the on-road vehicle sector.
A method for decelerating a vehicle, in particular a tractor unit operated without a semi-trailer, is thus disclosed, for example, in DE 198 42 315 B4, in which method the axle load on the rear axle is continually detected by sensor and the absence of a semi-trailer is identified when an established axle load limit value is undershot. In the case of an absent semi-trailer, the brake pressure in the wheel brake cylinders of the front axle in forward travel is lowered, and the maximum braking deceleration is reduced on account thereof. The lowering of the brake pressure in the wheel brake cylinders of the front axle takes place by correspondingly actuating the assigned ABS control valves.
A device and a control method of an ABS brake system of a vehicle, in particular of a tractor unit, in which the current load and loaded state is determined and a maximum permissible brake pressure in the wheel brake cylinders of the front axle is calculated therefrom, by way of which tilting about the front axle is to be prevented when decelerating the vehicle in forward travel are known from DE 101 56 773 A1. The delimitation of the brake pressure in the wheel brake cylinders of the front axle takes place by correspondingly actuating the assigned ABS control valves.
It is thus known that tilting about the front axle when decelerating the vehicle in forward travel can be prevented by determining the loading and travel state of the respective vehicle as well as by a delimitation or reduction of the maximum brake pressure in the wheel brake cylinders of the front axle as a function of the loading and travel state. The brake pressure in the respective wheel brake cylinders in a hydraulic or pneumatic brake system provided with an anti-lock brake system (ABS) herein is expediently delimited or reduced by correspondingly actuating the assigned ABS control valves.
However, travel situations in which the tilting of the vehicle about the front axle are of lesser concern in comparison with a crash with another vehicle or a collision with a pedestrian, and is therefore considered preferable to tilt-prevention by the driver, are also possible.

Device and method for decelerating a vehicle having a front-loading device


A time division multiplexed laser emits two beams of the same wavelength but orthogonal polarization or two beams of different wavelengths from a single laser source for use in a multiple beam raster output scanning system. The multiple beam raster output scanning is obtained from a single raster scanning system (ROS) with a rotating mirror, beneficially a polygon mirror, and a single set of scan optics for use in single or multiple station printers. A plurality of the coaxially overlapping laser beams from the same laser source are deflected using a common mirror surface area and laser beams containing different channels of data signals are subsequently separated by a plurality of dynamic and static beam separators based on polarization or wavelength. The channels of the separated laser beams are directed onto associated photoreceptors.

This invention relates to a multiple beam raster output scanning system and, more particularly, to a multiple beam raster output scanning system with time division multiplexing lasers and dynamic beam separators.
In xerographic printing (also called electrophotographic printing), a latent image is formed on a charged photoreceptor, usually by raster sweeping a modulated laser beam across the photoreceptor. The latent image is then used to create a permanent image by transferring and fusing toner that was electrostatically attracted to the latent image onto a recording medium, usually plain paper.
Typically, a laser beam is deflected from a rotating mirror to sweep the beam across the photoreceptor. The rotating polygon mirror and related optics are generally referred to as Raster Output Scanners (ROSs). Printers that sweep several beams simultaneously are referred to as multiple beam printers.
Problems arise in xerographic printing when attempting to print at high speed, particularly when printing in color.
A color xerographic printer requires a separate image for each color printed, hereinafter called a system color. While a dual color printer requires only two images, a full color printer typically requires four images, one for each of the three primary colors of cyan, magenta, yellow, and an additional one for black. Color prints are currently produced by sequentially transferring and fusing overlapped system colors onto a single recording medium which is passed multiple times, once for each system color, through the printer. Such printers are referred to as multiple pass printers.
Multiple colors can be imprinted on a recording medium in one pass through the system by using a sequence of xerographic stations, one for each system color. If each station is associated with a separate photoreceptor, the printer is referred to as a multistation printer.
One example of multistation xerographic systems has a printer having multiple recording stations and multiple lens systems but a single shared ROS with only one rotating polygon mirror. The plurality of beams from the laser source are spatially overlapped using an optical beam combiner. The overlapped beams are then deflected using a single polygon mirror and the deflected beams are separating using an optical filter (and polarizers if more than two beams are used). The separated beams are directed onto associated photoreceptors.
One such multiple beam, single ROS xerographic printing system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,359, commonly assigned as the present application and herein incorporated by reference. A raster output scanning system employs a rotating polygon mirror that simultaneously deflects a plurality of clustered, dissimilar wavelength laser beams having common optical axes and substantially common origins from common mirror surface areas. The clustered beams are subsequently separated by a plurality of static optical filters and are then directed onto associated photoreceptors of a multistation printer.
Another such multiple beam, single ROS xerographic printing system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,224, commonly assigned as the present application and herein incorporated by reference. A raster output scanning system employs a rotating polygon mirror that simultaneously deflects a plurality of clustered, dissimilar wavelengths, dissimilar polarization state laser beams having common optical axes and substantially common origins from common mirror surface areas. The clustered beams are subsequently separated by a plurality of static polarization filters and are then directed onto associated photoreceptors of a multistation printer.
A combination of a multiple wavelength laser and post-emission polarizers presents still a third multiple beam, single ROS xerographic printing system, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,371,526, commonly assigned as the present application and herein incorporated by reference. A raster output scanning system employs a rotating polygon mirror that simultaneously deflects a plurality of clustered, dissimilar wavelength, dissimilar polarization state laser beams having common optical axes and substantially common origins from common mirror surface areas. The clustered beams are subsequently separated by a plurality of static optical filters and static polarization filters and are then directed onto associated photoreceptors of a multistation printer.
However, under all three prior art multiple beam, single ROS xerographic printing systems, at least one laser is required for each position or station. Thus, printing at four stations requires an array of four lasers, each with a different wavelength or polarization state. As the printing speed increases, larger arrays are needed for the multiple beam raster output scanning system in order to simultaneously expose each station with more than one beam. For example, dual beam printing at each of four stations requires eight lasers and quadbeam printing at each of four stations requires 16 lasers.
This progression shows that the number of lasers and therefore the physical size of the laser array becomes increasingly large leading to increasingly complex construction of the semiconductor laser array structure and to increasingly complex scanning optics to separate and locate the beams on the stations.
An architecture is needed for reducing the number of different lasers in a multiple beam, single ROS xerographic printing system. Similarly, an architecture is needed for a multiple beam, single ROS xerographic printing system in which the number of printing stations and laser beams used to print at each station is straightforwardly extensible.
It is an object of this invention to provide a multiple beam raster output scanning system with time multiplexed lasers and dynamic beam separators.

Time division multiplexing multiple beam raster output scanning system


A clasp for a bracelet, which makes it possible to bring together and to fasten together the two ends of a bracelet in a closed position and to separate these two ends of the bracelet in an open position, includes two pairs of interchangeable linkage members for connecting the ends of the bracelet to the body of the clasp, one of the pairs of linkage members being designed for connection to the ends of a flexible strap and the other for connection to the ends of a band of rigid links. Each linkage member is connected hingedly to the body of the clasp by a locking part which can be operated without the use of a tool other than a ball-point pen.

The object of the present invention is a clasp for a bracelet, a watch strap or a watch band.
Clasps are already known which are of the type provided with two or three blades, as well as other types of clasps which make it possible to bring together and to fasten together the two ends of a bracelet in a closed position or to separate these two ends of the bracelet in an open position.
These known clasps suffer, in particular, the drawback that they require the use of special tools for fastening the ends of the bracelet to the corresponding parts of the clasp and, above all, that they cannot accommodate different types of bracelets, for example flexible straps or metallic bands, i. e. comprised of rigid metallic links which are hinged together, because the fastening of the end of a bracelet to a clasp differs depending on whether the bracelet is a flexible strap or a metallic band. Accordingly, the same clasp cannot be used for different types of bracelets.
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a clasp which can be affixed to the ends of a bracelet without any particular tool beyond a ball-point pen or other pointed object and, above all, which can be affixed at will to flexible straps or to bands comprised of hinged links, in other words to provide a universal clasp which can be mounted interchangeably and without any tool on bracelets of different types, made of leather, metal, etc.
The present invention is aimed at providing a clasp for a bracelet which makes it possible to bring together and fasten together the two ends of a bracelet in its closed position and to separate these two ends of the bracelet in its open position.


The disclosure relates to a system to deliver prioritized game audio wirelessly with a minimal latency by processing a low-priority game audio (such as background music) and high-priority game audio (such as sound effects) in a wireless gaming system, resulting in a minimal high-priority audio latency. The disclosure can then be used to transmit high quality positional multichannel audio at a minimal wireless bandwidth.

1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to a system to deliver game audio wirelessly, and in particular to a system to deliver prioritized game audio wirelessly with a minimal latency by processing a low-priority game audio (such as background music) and high-priority game audio (such as sound effects) in a wireless gaming system, thus transmitting high quality positional multichannel audio at a minimal wireless bandwidth.
2. Background of the Invention
A game system using wireless transmission technology to deliver game audio is popular to people. Please referring to FIG. 1, it is the prior art of a system 1 to deliver game audio wirelessly. An interactive game such as Microsoft Xbox or Sony Playstation has two main components: a game console 10 and a game controller 20. Game audio 11 is typically available as a stereo audio signal from the game console 10. The game console typically has also internet access 12 and a video signal output to a TV or display 13.
It is also shown in FIG. 1 how game audio 11 can be delivered to a wireless gaming headphone. First, a wireless audio transmitter 30 with a first antenna 31 is, typically, used to take the game audio 11 from the game console 10, digitize it, compress it (optional), put it into formatted packets, and generate the corresponding radio signal before wirelessly relaying the formatted packets to a wireless gaming headphone 40 with a second antenna 41.
At the wireless gaming headphone, the packets are received by a radio signal receiver, decoded into a digital audio signal, un-compressed (optional) and converted to stereo audio. Since a packet can get lost or be received with erred bits over the air, a re-transmission may be required. Thus, the wireless audio transceiver 30 may contain a radio receiver to receive the acknowledgement packets from the wireless gaming headphone 40. This also implies that the wireless gaming headphone 40 may contain a radio transmitter.
Game audio delivered wirelessly has, therefore, about 40 ms of latency. On an audio/video system running at 60 frames per second, this translates into about a 2.4 frame delay, which can result in an unsatisfactory user experience, especially in games where timing and latency are very important.
This delay can mean the difference between life and death in a game, such as a first-person shooter. A Jun. 26, 2008 article in EDN, "Bluetooth: sufficient fidelity even for average listeners?" stated that the current "target for the industry was about 40 ms", and that "for gaming applications, 10 msec would be the target because gamers' reaction times allow no room for delay. It is one thing to hear audio while viewing videos, but it is another thing to expect to hear audio and instantly react to it." (page 72).
According to the above discussions, audio latency has been one major reason why it is pretty difficult for a wireless gaming headphone to become popular. Therefore, it is needed to provide a system to overcome the disadvantage of the prior art.

System to deliver prioritized game audio wirelessly with a minimal latency


Wiring of a PDP address driver IC is disclosed which affords an adequate permitted current capacity. In the PDP address driver IC that drives the PDP, a layer, in which a planar high voltage ground wiring layer and a planar high voltage power wiring layer are formed, is provided atop a layer in which planar high voltage ground wiring layers that supply a ground potential to the active element that is formed within the PDP address driver IC and in which planar high voltage power wiring layers that supply a source potential to the active element are formed. Accordingly, the PDP address driver IC can comprise an adequate permitted current capacity while maintaining a compact size and comprising a multiplicity of output bit portions.

A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit, and, in particular, to a semiconductor integrated circuit which drives the addressing of a display device.
B. Description of the Related Art
Integrated circuits (IC) which control the addressing of Plasma Display Panels (PDP) include PDP address driver ICs. PDP address driver ICs generally have a high operational voltage of 50 volts or more, an instantaneous current of 5 amps or more, and a large consumption current of 300 mA or more, and comprise a multiplicity of 100 or more output bit portions.
Recently, in order to miniaturize PDP address driver ICs that comprise a multiplicity of output bit portions, semi-slim-type PDP address driver ICs have been developed (for an example, see T. Nomiyama, K. Kawamura, A. Fukuchi, K. Sato, Y. Shigeta, and G. Tada, "New 256-ch PDP Address Driver IC with Reducing Switching Noise" Proc. of International Display Workshop/Asia Display (IDW/AD'05), pages 453 to 456(2005)). See FIG. 5 for an example of a layout for a semi-slim type PDP address driver IC. FIG. 5 is a principal part view illustrating the layout of a PDP address driver IC which affords a planar view of the PDP address driver IC as seen from above.
The PDP address driver IC 200 comprises amplifier circuit section 201 at the center thereof and has a plurality of external connection terminals arranged at both ends thereof. Taking first edge 202 as an example, input terminal 203, as well as high voltage ground terminal 204 and high voltage power terminal 205 are disposed at the center of edge 202. Furthermore, high voltage ground terminal 204 and high voltage power terminal 205 are connected to high voltage ground wiring 206 and high voltage power wiring 207 respectively, and high voltage ground wiring 206 and high voltage power wiring 207 are arranged so as to extend within the plane of PDP address driver IC 200.
Incidentally, PDP address driver IC 200 actually has a postero-anterior orientation in FIG. 5 and is formed by metal wiring in a laminated structure (a multi-layered wiring structure), high voltage ground wiring 206 and high voltage power wiring 207 being pattern-formed on the uppermost layer of PDP address driver IC 200. For instance, if the laminated structure is a three layer structure, high voltage ground wiring 206 and high voltage power wiring 207 are positioned in the third layer, and wiring such as the signal wiring (not shown) from the logic circuit, and the wiring connected to the output terminal of the high-withstand voltage circuit (not shown) are laid in a complicated arrangement in the layer below the third layer.
Moreover, in the layer below high voltage ground wiring 206 and high voltage power wiring 207, output bit portions 208 are arranged without a gap in a linear manner in the range indicated by arrow C. A signal that enters through input terminal 203, which is formed in the third wiring layer, passes through amplifier circuit section 201, and after going through signal processing in an internal circuit, is transmitted to output bit portion 208, where it is output from output terminal 209, which is formed in the third wiring layer. This signal then designates an address of the panel (not shown).
In the same manner, for the semi-slim type PDP address driver IC 200 shown in FIG. 5, in order to miniaturize the PDP address driver IC, output bit portions 208 are arranged without a gap in a linear manner on both sides of PDP address driver IC 200. Further, high voltage ground wiring 206 is formed in the layer above all of output bit portions 208.
Next, the constitution of output bit portion 208 will be described. FIG. 6 provides principal part views illustrating the constitution of the output bit portions, where FIG. 6A is a layout diagram of the output bit portions and FIG. 6B is a constitutional view of the circuit of an output bit portion.
As shown in FIG. 6A, for output bit portions 208, the high-withstand voltage circuit section that outputs a signal to the panel is disposed in the region indicated by arrow D, and the logic circuit section that controls the high-withstand voltage circuit section is disposed as a set in the region indicated by arrow E. The above-mentioned high voltage ground wiring 206 and high voltage power wiring 207 are then arranged in the layer above the high withstand voltage circuit. Further, though it is not shown in FIG. 5, logic ground wiring 210 that supplies a ground potential to the logic circuit section is laid in the layer above the logic circuit section. Further, logic power source wiring 211 that supplies a predetermined voltage to the logic circuit section is also laid here.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the high-withstand voltage circuit section is constituted comprising a level shifter circuit that is constituted by active elements P1, P2, N1, and N2, as well as an output circuit that is constituted by active elements P3 and N3. Here, the level shifter circuit is a circuit that receives a signal from the logic circuit section and converts this signal into a high voltage signal. The output circuit outputs either the source potential or the ground potential, depending on the signal from the logic circuit section. Thus, output bit portions 208 comprise a high-withstand voltage section and a logic circuit section, and are arranged without a gap, in a linear manner, at both ends of PDP address driver IC 200 in the longitudinal direction thereof.
In recent years, there has been a trend towards reducing the number of PDP address driver ICs on each PDP module in order to reduce the overall cost of the PDP module. When the number of PDP address driver ICs on each PDP module is reduced, it is necessary to increase the number of output bit portions of each PDP address driver IC in order to maintain the output performance of each PDP module. For example, currently, PDP modules predominantly each have 256 output bit portions, but the next-generation PDP modules are tending to move towards having 384 or more output bit portions.
However, if the number of output bit portions provided in an individual PDP address driver IC is increased, the permitted current capacity of the metal wiring laid within the PDP address driver IC must be increased because the consumption current inside the PDP address driver IC increases. In other words, it is necessary to increase the line width of high voltage ground wiring 206 and high voltage power wiring 207 in order to increase the permitted current capacity. However, if we simply increase the width of the metal wiring in proportion to the increase in the number of output bit portions, problems such as the following arise.
FIG. 7 is a principal part view illustrating how the disposition of wires of greater width relates to the disposition of the output bit portions. As shown in FIG. 7, high voltage power wiring 213 is disposed outside the region directly above the high-withstand voltage circuit section.
Specifically, if the consumption current of the PDP address driver IC is set at 400 mA, in cases where the current capacity of the metal wiring with respect to width is 2 (mA/μm), high voltage ground wiring 212 and high voltage power wiring 213 would both have to have a metal wiring thickness of 200 μm to correspond to this current capacity. For example, if the region in which the high-withstand voltage circuit section is disposed is 350 μm wide, high voltage power wiring 213 is then placed more than 50 μm from the region directly above the region of the high-withstand voltage circuit section. In other words, high voltage power wiring 213 is then placed over a region in which no active elements are formed.
The present invention is directed to overcoming or at least reducing the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.

Semiconductor integrated circuit for driving the address of a display device

Fuji Electric Device Technology Co., Ltd.


A decorative tie member for securing a ribbon about a gift package is disclosed. The tie member has an underside for placement against a package and a generally oppositely facing decorative surface. The tie member is provided with at least one inner opening and first and second outer openings. To secure a ribbon about a package with the tie member, a free end of the ribbon is threaded through an inner opening from the underside surface of the tie member to and through the exposed decorative surface of the tie member. The free end is then threaded back through the tie member through the tie member's first outer opening and the threading is continued until a desired excess portion of the ribbon has been threaded through the openings. The process is then repeated with the other free end of the ribbon through an inner opening and the second outer opening located on the other side of the tie member. Then, the now threaded free ends of the ribbon are grasped and pulled apart from each other to cinch the ribbon and tie member tightly against the package.

As far as is known, no one has invented a decorative clasp or tie member for securing a ribbon about a gift package. U.S. Pat. Nos. 184,118; 925,694 and 1,281,586 disclose package ties and bands but they are not decorative nor do they provide a simple way of securing a ribbon about a gift package. U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,424 discloses a device for securing a ribbon to a gift package but the device itself is neither decorative nor even meant to be seen. Other references found in a search for material related to the present invention include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,722,908; 3,479,243; 3,739,961; 3,880,093 and 5,426,829 and U.S. patent applications Nos. US 2004/0034901 and US 2005/0000136.
The above summary describes preferred forms of the present invention and is not in any way to be construed as limiting the claimed invention to the preferred forms.

Decorative tie member and method of use therefor


The invention relates to a switch matrix having n inlets and p outlets, p being greater n. The matrix includes a plurality of switch members each having one inlet and at least two outlets and each enabling a signal applied to the inlet of said member to be transferred to one of the outlets. Each inlet of the matrix being for connection to one out of r outlets. The switch members are of the electronic type and are mounted in such as manner that when switching is performed consisting in modifying a connection from an inlet of the matrix to an outlet thereof, so that said same inlet is connected to another outlet of the matrix, the losses due to the switch members passed through remain substantially the same value. The invention applies to a matrix enabling a faulty electronic element connected to an outlet of the matrix to be replaced by another element connected to another outlet of the matrix.

The invention relates to a reconfigurable switch matrix in particular for space applications.
For applications that require high reliability, it is common practice to provide redundant electronic elements so that in the event of one of them breaking down, it can be replaced by an identical element. This problem arises in particular for space applications.
To enable a spare element to replace the element that has broken down, it is necessary to provide switching which is controlled either automatically or remotely.
In general, such switching is provided by a matrix having n inlets and p outlets, where the number p of outlets is greater than the number n of inlets. Each of the inlets delivers a signal to an element connected to a corresponding outlet. Thus, only n out of the p possible outlets are normally active. When the element connected to one of the outlets breaks down, then switching is performed so that the corresponding inlet is connected to an outlet having a replacement element connected thereto.
The switch matrices that have been used in the past make use of mechanical switches.
An electronic type replacement configuration has yet to be developed that offers advantages comparable to those of mechanical switch matrices. Mechanical matrices give rise to negligible attenuation of about 0.15 dB, while electronic switches lead to greater losses or attenuation of about 1.5 dB. The greater losses do not, in themselves, constitute an obstacle to the use of electronic switches, since said electronic switches make it possible for bulk, mass, and prices to be significantly lower than the bulk, mass, and prices of matrices having mechanical type elements. However, it has been found that if each mechanical switch in a switch matrix of the mechanical type is replaced by an electronic switch, then when switching is performed to replace a faulty element with a spare element, the losses due to the matrix itself are generally not the same before and after switching.
To remedy that drawback, it is necessary to provide in each spare branch, a variable gain amplifier enabling the various amounts of attenuation to be compensated. However, that solution is difficult and expensive to implement.
To resolve that problem, the switch matrix of the invention includes a plurality of switch members of the electronic type which are mounted in such a manner that when an inlet of one outlet is switched to another outlet, the losses due to the electronic switch members passed through remain at substantially the same value.
It is thus not necessary to provide variable gain amplification to compensate the various losses between the paths passing through in the matrix, since it is the structure proper of said matrix which enables said compensation.
In an embodiment, in which each inlet is for connection to r outlets, each inlet is provided with a set of switch members associated so as to present one inlet and r outlets. In that case, it is preferable to provide, for each outlet a set of switch members mounted the opposite way round to the inlet members, said set having r inlets and one outlet; the sets associated with the outlets are preferably of structure analogous or identical (but symmetrical) to the structure of the sets associated with the inlets.
The switch members are, for example monolithic microwave integrated circuit (MMIC) technology switches with two or three outlets and presenting losses limited to about 1.5 dB.
The present invention provides a switch matrix having n inlets and p outlets, p being greater n, the matrix including a plurality of switch members each having one inlet and at least two outlets and each enabling a signal applied to the inlet of said member to be transferred to one of the outlets, each inlet of the matrix being for connection to one out of r outlets. The switch members are of the electronic type and are mounted in such as manner that when switching is performed consisting in modifying a connection from an inlet of the matrix to an outlet thereof, so that said same inlet is connected to another outlet of the matrix, the losses due to the switch members passed through remain at substantially the same value.
In an embodiment, the matrix comprises, for each inlet, a set of switch members associated so as to present one inlet and r outlets.
In an embodiment, the matrix comprises, for each outlet, a set of switch members having r inlets and one outlet, the sets associated with the outlets being mounted the opposite way round to the sets associated with the inlets.
In an embodiment, the sets associated with the outlets are of structure analogous to the structure of the sets associated with the inlets.
In an embodiment, the electronic switches are microwave range integrated circuits.
The present invention also provides use of a matrix in replacing a faulty electronic element connected to an outlet of the matrix, with another element connected to another outlet of the matrix.

Reconfigurable switch matrix in particular for space applications


It is disclosed a method and trusted execution environments (TEE) of assigning a selected identifier to an application. A request is received to load or install, within or outside a profile domain, of an application with a selected identifier. It is checked that the selected identifier is not already stored in an application registry entry outside the profile registry 230, 302. If it is requested to load or install the application in the selected profile domain, the selected identifier is assigned to said application if the selected identifier is not already stored in an application entry of a profile domain registry associated with the selected profile domain. If it is requested to load or install the application outside any profile domain, the selected identifier is assigned to said application if the selected identifier is not already stored in an application entry of any of at least two profile domain registries.

This invention relates to trusted execution environments (TEE) and universal integrated circuit cards (UICC). ETSI technical specification (TS) 103 383 provides requirements of the embedded UICC (eUICC). The purpose of this standard is to allow remote provisioning and management of operator "profiles" being the technical term for the programs and data which defines the subscription on a UICC having some subscriber identity module (SIM) applications. This is to enable an eUICC to be soldered to a device and never to be removed.
Use cases for UICC comprise "late binding" and "operator change" in machine-to-machine services. The former refers to the ability to define the mobile network operator (MNO) and subscription after the machine hosting the UICC has been deployed, i.e. after a SIM card has been inserted into a device. The latter refers to be able to change subscription for connectivity of the machine from one MNO to another, again without changing the SIM card.
A profile is defined to be a combination of a file structure, data and applications corresponding to the content of a current UICC. The eUICC architecture is built around the installation and management of profiles on the eUICC, which is functionally separated into two roles being the subscription manager data preparation (SM-DP) role, defining the profile and provisioning it to the eUICC, and the subscription manager secure routing (SM-SR) role, creating and deleting secure containers for the profile or SM-DP, and enabling and disabling profiles.
The SM-SR and SM-DP roles are assumed by actors in an eUICC ecosystem.
The eUICC addresses connectivity for machine-to-machine (M2M) services. In this context it is also beneficial that an M2M application can be hosted on the eUICC for performing a similar security service.
The eUICC is required to be able handle multiple profiles, i.e. subscriptions for cellular connectivity, and allow a controlled change from one profile to another. It is previously known that a logical eUICC architecture can have multiple instances of UICCs, each represented by a profile, and procedures for installing new profiles and enabling/disabling profiles. In such an architecture non-MNO applications, such as an M2M application, would be handled within a profile and thus a change of MNO/profile would disable the M2M application and require it to be re-installed and enabled in the new profile.
For this purpose, to allow change of profiles without affecting certain applications on the eUICC, we would like to allow applications to be installed on the eUICC but outside profiles.
There is hence a need for an improved architecture that enables installation of applications outside profiles.


This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragment encoding a mevalonate synthesis enzyme. The invention also relates to the construction of a chimeric gene encoding all or a portion of the mevalonate synthesis enzyme, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the chimeric gene results in production of altered levels of the mevalonate synthesis enzyme in a transformed host cell.

The terpenoids constitute the largest family of natural products, and play diverse functional roles in plants as hormones, photosynthetic pigments, electron carriers, mediators of polysaccharide assembly, and structural components of membranes. In addition, many specific terpenoid compounds serve in communication and defense. Some terpenoids, available in relatively large amounts, are important renewable resources and provide a range of commercially useful products. Members of the terpenoid group also include industrially useful polymers and a number of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals.
The biosynthesis of terpenoids can be divided into four major processes, the first of which involves the conversion of acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) to the "active isoprene unit", isopentenyl pyroposphate (IPP). By the action of various prenyltransferases this precursor is transformed into higher order terpenoid building blocks, geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP, C10), farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP, C15), and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP, C20). These branch point intermediates may then self-condense (to the C30 and C40 precursors of sterols and carotenoids, respectively), be utilized in alkylation reactions to provide prenyl side chains of a range of non-terpenoids, or undergo internal addition to create the basic parental skeletons of the various terpenoid families (McGarvery and Croteau (1995) Plant Cell 7:1015–1026).
The initial steps of the pathway involve the fusion of three molecules of acetyl-CoA to produce the C6 compound 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA). The first two reactions are catalyzed by two separate enzymes, acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase and HMG-COA synthase. Neither of these enzymes has been extensively studied in plants. The next step, catalyzed by HMG-COA reductase, is of paramount importance in animals as the rate limiting reaction in cholesterol biosynthesis (for review, see Goldstein and Brown (1990) Nature 343:425–430). This enzyme catalyzes two reduction steps, each requiring NADPH. Reduced cholesterol synthesis is caused not only by decreased HMG-CoA reductase but also by the coordinate down-regulation of entire pathway of cholesterol biosynthesis (Honda et al. (1998) J. Lipid Res. 39:44–50).
The mevalonate resulting from the reduction of HMG-COA is sequentially phosphorylated by two separate kinases, mevalonate kinase, and phosphomevalonate kinase, to form 5-pyrophosphomevalonate. Formation of IPP is then catalyzed by pyrophosphomevalonate decarboxylase, which performs a concerted decarboxylative elimination. This enzyme requires ATP and a divalent metal ion. The tertiary hydroxyl group of pyrophosphomevalonate is phosphorylated before the concerted elimination, thus making a better leaving group (McGarvery and Croteau (1995) Plant Cell 7:1015–1026). IPP is the basic C5 building block that is added to prenyl pyrophosphate cosubstrates to form longer chains. IPP is first isomerized to the allylic ester dimehylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP) by IPP isomerase.
Isoprene is synthesized directly from DMAPP by diphosphate elimination in a reaction catalyzed by isoprene synthase. Higher terpenoids are generated by the action of prenyltransferases which perform multistep reactions beginning with DMAPP and IPP to form higher isoprenologs. GPP synthase forms the C10 intermediate (GPP) from DMAPP and IPP. This synthase has been characterized in a number of plant species (Croteau and Purkett (1989) Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 271:524–535). FPP synthase forms the C15 intermediate (FPP) in two discrete steps: first DMPP and IPP form GPP which remains bound to the enzyme; then another IPP is added to yield FPP (McGarvery and Croteau (1995) Plant Cell 7:1015–1026).
The enzymes forming the HMG-CoA leading to ketone bodies occur in the mitochondria whereas those responsible for the synthesis of the HMG-CoA that is destined for sterol biosynthesis are located in the cytosol. Their catalytic mechanisms, however, are identical. HMG-COA reductase has been localized to plastids and mitochondria in radish (Bach (1986) Lipids 21:82–88; Bach (1987) Plant Physiol. Biochem. 25:163–178) although the Arabidopsis enzyme is thought to be localized only to the endoplasmic reticulum (Enjuto et al. (1994) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 91:927–931). Mevalonate kinase, phosphomevalonate kinase, mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase, isopentenyl diphosphate isomerase, and farnesyl diphosphate (FPP) synthase are localized predominantly in peroxisomes (Lenka and Skaidrite (1996) J. Biol Chem. 271:1784–1788).
Acetoacetyl-CoA C-acetyltransferase, also called acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase (EC 18.104.22.168), functions as a homotetramer, plays a major role in ketone body metabolism, and catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of poly beta-hydroxybutyrate. The gene encoding acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase has been identified in radish, and a sequence encoding a corn acetoacetyl-CoA thiolase is found in the NCBI database having General Identifier No. 5531937. The corn sequence corresponds to the C-terminal half of the radish sequence. EST sequences with similarities to those encoding acetoacetyl-CoA thiolases are found in the NCBI database having General Identifier Nos. 5607829, 6021192, 5607308, 3763023, 426049, 3107208, 2443029, and 5761368.
HMG-COA synthase (EC 22.214.171.124) condenses acetyl-CoA with acetoacetyl-CoA to form HMG-COA. Cytosolic HMG-CoA synthase is a highly regulated enzyme involved in isoprenoid biosynthesis and therefore a potential target for cholesterol-lowering drugs (Russ et al. (1992) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1132:329–331). The genes encoding HMG-CoA synthase have been identified in Arabidopsis thaliana and Pinus sylvestris but not in any crop species. EST sequences with similarities to those encoding HMG-COA synthases are found in the NCBI database having General Identifier Nos. 5030550, 6012290, 5901402, 3760977, 2427448, 428081, and 454498.


A method for charging an intake manifold of an engine comprises adjusting an LP EGR flow rate and an uncooled HP EGR flow rate within first limits to maintain a target dilution level in the intake manifold at steady-state. The method further comprises adjusting the LP EGR and uncooled HP EGR rates within second limits, different from the first, to maintain the target dilution level in the intake manifold during transient conditions.

A boosted engine may exhibit higher combustion and exhaust temperatures than a naturally aspirated engine of equivalent output power. Such higher temperatures may increase nitrogen-oxide (NOX) emissions and cause accelerated materials ageing in the engine and associated exhaust system. Exhaust-gas recirculation (EGR) is one approach for combating these effects. EGR strategies reduce the oxygen content of the intake air charge by diluting it with exhaust. When the diluted air-exhaust mixture is used in place of ordinary air to support combustion in the engine, lower combustion and exhaust temperatures result. EGR also improves fuel economy in gasoline engines by reducing throttling losses and heat rejection.
In a boosted engine system equipped with a turbocharger compressor and a turbine, exhaust may be recirculated through a high pressure (HP) EGR loop or a low-pressure (LP) EGR loop. In the HP EGR loop, the exhaust is drawn from upstream of the turbine and is mixed with intake air downstream of the compressor. In the LP EGR loop, the exhaust is drawn from downstream of the turbine and is mixed with intake air upstream of the compressor. HP and LP EGR strategies achieve optimum efficacy in different regions of the engine load-speed map. For example, on boosted gasoline engines running stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratios, HP EGR is desirable at low loads, where intake vacuum provides ample flow potential; LP EGR is desirable at higher loads, where the LP EGR loop provides the greater flow potential. Various other tradeoffs between the two strategies exist as well, both for gasoline and diesel engines. Such complementarity has motivated engine designers to consider redundant EGR systems having both an HP EGR loop and an LP EGR loop.
In boosted diesel engines especially, the EGR flow rates needed to keep NOX emissions within acceptable limits are quite high. This can result in a number of issues. First, high levels of intake-air dilution may cause poor combustion stability at lower engine loads, resulting in increased hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon-monoxide (CO) emissions. Second, at high HP EGR flow rates, mass flow through the compressor is significantly reduced, making the compressor prone to surge. To address the first issue, uncooled (i.e., by-passed) HP EGR may be mixed into the intake air, for increased manifold air temperature (MAT). To address the second issue, LP EGR may be used. LP EGR provides increased flow through the compressor, protecting against surge, but is cooled on flowing through the charge-air cooler. In short, to achieve high MAT, exhaust may be routed through an uncooled HP EGR system, but that may cause surge. To avoid surge, the exhaust may be routed through a well-cooled LP EGR system, but this will increase HC and CO emissions. Meanwhile, supplementary or alternative use of cooled HP EGR may introduce further issues. For example, excessive fouling of an EGR cooler can occur when cooled HP EGR flow rate is allowed to fall below a suitable level.
At higher engine loads and speeds, still other issues arise. Flowing exhaust through an LP EGR loop increases the overall flow rate through the compressor, which may cause an over-speed condition and reduced compressor efficiency. This condition, if excessive, could lead to compressor choke. Flowing exhaust through an LP EGR loop also increases the gas temperature at the compressor inlet, which, in turn, increases compressor outlet temperature. On the other hand, uncooled HP EGR at high loads may cause excessive MAT, reducing engine power and/or causing an excessive outflow of smoke from the engine. These conditions may also make the compressor prone to surge.
Other, quite different issues arise during transient conditions. LP EGR, while improving turbocharger efficiency at lower engine loads, takes longer to purge from the intake system. This is because the purge volume includes not only the intake manifold, but everything from the intake manifold to the inlet of the compressor. HP EGR, while more easily purged from the intake manifold, reduces mass flow through the turbine. This reduces turbocharger speed, which increases lag. Thus, both EGR strategies can potentially degrade the engine's ability to respond to load and speed transients.
Further issues arise during catalyst warm up—another transient condition. Being very well cooled, LP EGR does not enable exhaust temperatures as high as uncooled HP EGR. Thus, in some cases catalyst light-off may be unacceptably delayed when running LP EGR. Uncooled HP EGR, on the other hand, enables higher exhaust temperatures but provides significantly reduced mass flow through the exhaust system. This can reduce the thermal energy in the exhaust and may also reduce the heat transfer coefficient.
The inventors herein have recognized these issues and the interrelationships between them, and have devised a series of approaches to address them. Therefore, one embodiment of this disclosure provides a method for charging an intake manifold of an engine. The method comprises adjusting an LP EGR flow rate and an uncooled HP EGR flow rate within first limits to maintain a target dilution level in the intake manifold at steady-state. The method further comprises adjusting the LP EGR and uncooled HP EGR rates within second limits, different from the first, to maintain the target dilution level in the intake manifold during transient conditions. In this manner, HP and LP EGR may be controlled coordinately during steady state and transient conditions. By dynamically changing the values that bracket the HP and LP EGR flow rates depending on conditions, engine longevity, fuel economy, and emissions control can be improved while enabling rapid response to transients.
It will be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description, which follows. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined by the claims that follow the detailed description. Further, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted herein.


A lubricant composition especially useful for saw guide use comprises a base oil composed of at least one synthetic ester and a thickener composed of a styrene-olefin copolymer dissolved in a vegetable oil. The thickener is present in an amount sufficient to provide the lubricant with a viscosity at 40.degree. C. of greater than about 100 cSt.

Relatively high viscosity lubricants have numerous commercial applications. For example, lubricants having a viscosity of about 110 cSt at 40.degree. C. are used as sawguide lubricants in sawmills. Because the lubricants end up in the sawdust and ultimately in the environment, it is desirable that the lubricant be biodegradable. Thus lubricants based on rapeseed oil, which is biodegradable, are currently used as sawguide lubricants.
Rapeseed oil, however, does have certain disadvantages. For example, rapeseed oil has a relatively high pour point and a relatively low oxidation stability when compared with many other base oils. Also, the supply of rapeseed oil is uncertain.
Therefore, there is a need for biodegradable lubricants which have a relatively high viscosity and which are not based on rapeseed oil.

High viscosity, biodegradable lubricating oil


Circuits and methods are provided for precharging pairs of memory digit lines. The final precharge voltage of the digit lines is different from the average of the digit line voltages prior to precharging. The final precharge voltage can be set by appropriately selecting the size of a capacitor in the precharge circuit.

This invention relates to integrated circuit memories. More particularly, this invention relates to the precharging of digit lines in dynamic random access memories (DRAMs).
A DRAM is a form of semiconductor random access memory (RAM) commonly used as main memory in computers and other electronic systems. DRAMs store information in arrays of integrated circuit "cells." Information is typically read from and written to these cells using pairs of wires called digit lines.
Each DRAM cell has a capacitor to store a logical bit value and is typically accessed with a single pair of digit lines, referred to herein as DL and /DL. When performing a read operation, DL and /DL are precharged to a certain voltage level. For instance, DL and /DL may be precharged to approximately half the power supply voltage (Vcc/2). Precharging can also be referred to as equalization, because the digit line voltages are pulled to substantially equal levels. One of the digit lines, for example DL, is then connected to a voltage stored by the cell's capacitor. This voltage will be higher or lower than the precharge voltage level, depending upon the value of the data stored in the cell. This cell's voltage will pull the voltage of DL upwards or downwards, again depending on the stored value.
At this point, a sense amplifier circuit may be activated in order to amplify the voltage difference between DL and /DL, resulting in a full rail-to-rail voltage difference. For example, a logical 1 may be indicated by a final DL voltage of approximately Vcc and a final /DL voltage of approximately 0V, or ground (GND). The new voltage level at DL can be used to refresh the contents of the memory cell. Thus, precharging is important not only for read operations, but also for routine refresh operations.
In some implementations, the precharge voltage level may differ significantly from Vcc/2. For instance, the precharge voltage level may be about Vcc/2-0.2V. Several techniques have been developed to handle such different precharge levels. However, most known techniques have shortcomings. For instance, the use of a known bleeder gate to connect a digit line pair to the desired precharge voltage may result in a relatively slow voltage change. Or, use of known dual stage precharge techniques may rely on precise timing adjustments, which are based at least partly on circuit simulation results. This reliance on simulation timing tends to create a less robust design.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide circuitry and methods that can efficiently precharge digit lines to a level different than Vcc/2, while avoiding reliance on precise timing adjustments.

Capacitor supported precharging of memory digit lines


A sliding mechanism used for an apparatus such as a portable device suppresses shaking between housing units in an opened state, closed state or on the way to opening/closing. A slide module is provided for opposed surfaces against a first housing unit (upper housing unit) and second housing unit (lower housing unit) to be slid. The slide module slidably supports the first and second housing units. Since the slide module has a slider and a fixing part that slidably supports the slider, it is structured that in case the first and second housing units are in an opened state, the slider is not exposed through the first and second housing units. Structure is included that compared with the first and second housing units in a closed state, in case in the opened state, a guide of the slider for the fixing part of the slide module is made wider.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a sliding mechanism used for sliding a housing of a portable device such as a portable terminal device and other electronic apparatuses, and more particularly, to a sliding mechanism that slidably connects a plurality of housing units, and an electronic apparatus and portable device that have the sliding mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
A portable device such as a portable terminal device that includes a sliding mechanism is known. A housing thereof is divided into a housing unit of a display side and a housing unit of an operation side, thus each housing unit is made slidable. When such portable device is used, a housing unit is slid to be opened for display or operation. When the portable device is not used, the housing unit is closed to be enabled to be lessened.
Concerning a portable device including such sliding mechanism, Japanese Patent Application laid-Open Publication No. 2006-270804 (Abstract, FIG. 1, etc.) discloses that first and second casings are provided, the first casing provides a base member having guide groove(s) and the second casing provides a slider engaged with the guide groove. A biasing means provided between the base member and the first casing, being coupled between the base member and the slider, slides the slider in a closing direction or an opening direction from an opening/closing position.
Japanese Patent Application laid-Open Publication No. 2006-246353 (Abstract, FIG. 3, etc.) discloses that a slidable upper case and lower case are provided. Slide grooves are disposed in each upper and lower case. Via slide grooves of the lower case, slide connection members are fixed to the upper case. Via slide grooves of the upper case, a slide connection member is fixed to the lower case. The upper case and the lower case become slidable by means of each slide connection member one after the other, with a stable connection form in which the upper case and the lower case are mutually connected.
In opening/closing assistant structure in which an upper housing and a lower housing are slidably connected via a slide module, in opening, tension of a spring member is made to operate on the upper housing in order to move the upper housing in an opening direction and in closing, tension of the spring member is inverted to be made to operate on the upper housing in order to move the upper housing in a closing direction. In such sliding mechanism, a slide module connecting an upper housing and a lower housing consists of a fixing part, a slider part, a spring part, etc. Shaking occurring in a lateral direction or a thickness direction of a device in opening or closing depends on accuracy of the slide module. For suppressing such shaking, accuracy of the slide module has been improved. However, it has been difficult to suppress wear by use and shaking by aging. It is more desirable that shaking in a lateral direction or a thickness direction of a device in opening or closing is as little as possible.
In opening and closing, because the fixing part of the slide module and a guide of the slider are connected, and in an opened state, the slider moves in an upper direction from an upper part of the lower housing, a rear surface of the upper housing is within the range of the slider side. For this, efficient use of a mounted area in the device is narrowed, and the device cannot be thinned.
Conventionally, a slide module and a slider are made of metal. If the slider guide is exposed to the rear surface of the device, there is risk that a user touches the exposed part of the slider guide. It is not preferable for safety.
When the device is opened, clearance of a spring in the slide module is necessary for the slider of the slide module connected to the rear surface of the upper housing. There is risk that a foreign object such as trash enters the clearance and the slider languishes.
If there is shaking in a single slide module, great shaking occurs to the device that is opened and closed by the slide module in opening and closing. The shaking gives a user a feeling of roughing.
There is no disclosure and suggestion in Japanese Patent Application laid-Open Publication Nos. 2006-270804 and 2006-246353 concerning such requests and problems, and the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application laid-Open Publication Nos. 2006-270804 and 2006-246353 cannot solve the above problems.

Sliding mechanism, electronic apparatus and portable device


An method and apparatus for provisioning multiple Next and fractional T1 along with packet based communications over a shared X-DSL communication link is disclosed. The communication link may be wired or wireless. The current invention provides a method and apparatus for flexibly provisioning businesses and other high bandwidth users, with multiple communication channels and multiple service types, both packet based and SDM/TDM. An efficient and configurable method and apparatus for multiplexing of both packets and STM channels on to a single VDSL frame is disclosed. At the receiver in the NT the VDSL receiver as explained is configured to de-multiplex individual channels and route them to individual users/suits within the building.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general the communications systems and is particularly directed to a mechanism for providing NxT1, fractional T1 and packet based services over symmetric X-DSL protocols.
2. Description of the Related Art
North American Integrated Service Digital Network (ISDN) Standard, defined by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI), regulates the protocol of information transmissions over telephone lines. In particular, the ISDN standard regulates the rate at which information can be transmitted and in what format. ISDN allows full duplex digital transmission of two 64 kilo bit per second data channels. These data rates may easily be achieved over the trunk lines, which connect the telephone companies' central offices. The problem lies in passing these signals across the subscriber line between the central office and the business or residential user. These lines were originally constructed to handle voice traffic in the narrow band between 300 Hz to 3000 Hz at bandwidths equivalent to several kilo baud.
Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) technology and improvements thereon including: G.Lite, ADSL, VDSL, HDSL all of which are broadly identified as X-DSL have been developed to increase the effective bandwidth of existing subscriber line connections, without requiring the installation of new fiber optic cable. An X-DSL modem operates at frequencies higher than the voice band frequencies, thus an X-DSL modem may operate simultaneously with a voice band modem or a telephone conversation. The available rates for X-DSL communications are increasing with each new standard. Currently there are over ten discrete X-DSL standards, including: G.Lite, ADSL, VDSL, SDSL, MDSL, RADSL, HDSL, etc.
Typically provisioning of any one of the standards is directed to the provision of a specific type of service, e.g. video on demand. What is needed are more flexible ways of provisioning data across these increasingly high bandwidth X-DSL inks.

Method and apparatus for provisioning TDM and packet based communications on a VDSL communication medium


Inflatable restraint systems for restraining an occupant in a vehicle are disclosed herein. A personal restraint system configured in accordance with one embodiment of the disclosure includes an airbag carried by a web. The web has an end portion operably coupled to the vehicle and is configured to extend around a portion of the occupant. The airbag includes a first inflatable chamber in fluid communication with a second inflatable chamber. The first inflatable chamber extends adjacent to a portion of the web when inflated, and the second inflatable chamber extends outwardly from the first inflatable chamber adjacent to a portion of the occupant when inflated.

Airbags can provide protection for occupants in many different types of vehicles during accidents. In cars, for example, airbags can deploy from the steering column, dashboard, side panel, etc., to protect the driver and/or passenger(s). During a sudden deceleration of the car, such as in a collision, the airbag rapidly inflates with gas and deploys toward the driver and/or the passenger.
Although a seat belt will generally restrain a person during an accident, an airbag can provide additional protection. An airbag positioned in the steering column, for example, can expand in front of the driver to cushion his torso and head. The airbag can prevent the driver's head from hitting the steering wheel, and can also reduce whiplash. Airbags can also be deployed to provide protection from side impact collisions.
Although the airbags described above are common in automobiles, other types of vehicles have adopted other types of airbags. These other types of airbags are useful because airbags that deploy from a specific location in an automobile (e.g., from the steering column) may not be useable in other types of vehicles, or for passengers in different locations in a vehicle. To accommodate different vehicles and passenger positions, airbags have been developed that deploy from seat belts. For example, during a sudden deceleration, an airbag can deploy from a lap belt or a shoulder belt to provide additional protection. These seat belt deployable airbags can be adapted for different vehicles.

Inflatable personal restraint systems and associated methods of use and manufacture


In a hydraulic brake system including a cylinder device that includes a front chamber and a rear chamber located on front and rear sides of a pressurizing piston, respectively, presence or absence of liquid leakage from a brake line is detected based on a hydraulic pressure in the rear chamber. Where a state in which a subtraction value obtained by subtracting an actual rear hydraulic pressure from a target rear hydraulic pressure is larger than a first malfunction determination threshold value has continued for a time not shorter than a first malfunction determination time, and then an increase of the actual rear hydraulic pressure at a rate not lower than a set rate has caused the subtraction value to become smaller than a return determination threshold value, it is determined that the pressurizing piston has been bottomed due to liquid leakage from the front chamber.

Patent Document 1 discloses a hydraulic brake system including (a) a master cylinder including a pressurizing piston coupled to a brake pedal and designed to generate a hydraulic pressure related to a brake operating force, in a front chamber located in front of the pressurizing piston, (b) a master-cylinder-pressure sensor for detecting a hydraulic pressure in the front chamber, (c) a foot power sensor for detecting a foot power applied to the brake pedal, and (d) a liquid leakage detector configured to detect that there is a liquid leakage from a hydraulic pipe line for coupling a pressure chamber and a brake cylinder to each other, in a case where a value detected by the master-cylinder-pressure sensor is small when compared with a hydraulic pressure in the front chamber which is estimated based on a value detected by the foot power sensor.
Patent Document 2 discloses a hydraulic brake system including (1) a power hydraulic pressure source designed to produce a hydraulic pressure by a supply of electric power, (ii) a pressure-buildup linear valve provided between the power hydraulic pressure source and a brake cylinder, (iii) a pressure-reduction linear valve provided between the brake cylinder and a reservoir, and (iv) a liquid-leakage detection device designed to detect presence or absence of the liquid leakage from each of the pressure-buildup linear valve and the pressure-reduction linear valve based on a change in a hydraulic pressure in the brake cylinder in a state in which currents supplied to solenoids of the pressure-buildup linear valve and the pressure-reduction linear valve are controlled such that the pressure-buildup linear valve and the pressure-reduction linear valve are in their respective closed states.
Patent Document 3 discloses a hydraulic brake system including: a master cylinder; a brake cylinder coupled to a pressure chamber located in front of a pressurizing piston; and a master-cylinder-pressure sensor for detecting a hydraulic pressure in the pressure chamber of the master cylinder.

Hydraulic-pressure producing device and hydraulic brake system


An inverter control device for driving a motor with small size, light weight and low cost is provided. The inverter control device includes a first motor voltage command corrector that corrects a voltage command of each phase by multiplying the each phase voltage command by a PN voltage correction coefficient, and a second motor voltage command corrector that corrects again the each phase voltage command once corrected by the first motor voltage command corrector, only when any one of the phase voltage commands corrected by the first motor voltage command corrector is larger than the inverter DC voltage, by multiplying the voltage command of each phase corrected by the first motor voltage command corrector by the inverter DC voltage value, and dividing the product of the multiplication by the maximum value of the phase voltage commands corrected by the first motor voltage command corrector.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an inverter control device for driving a motor and an air conditioner.
2. Related Art
As an inverter control device for driving a general induction motor used in a general-purpose inverter, for example, an inverter control device for driving an induction motor of V/F controlled system as shown in FIG. 16 is known (see non-patent document 1).
In FIG. 16, the main circuit is composed of a DC (direct-current) power supply apparatus 113, an inverter 3, and an induction motor 4. The DC power supply apparatus 113 includes an AC (alternating-current) power source 1, a rectifying circuit 2, a smoothing capacitor 112 for accumulating electric energy for the DC voltage source of the inverter 3, and a power factor correcting reactor 111 for the AC power source 1.
On the other hand, a control circuit is composed of a V/F control pattern section 13 for determining the motor voltage value to be applied to the induction motor 4 on the basis of a speed command ω* of the induction motor 4 given from outside, a motor voltage command generator 14 for generating a voltage command of each phase of the induction motor 4 on the basis of the motor voltage value determined in the V/F control pattern section 13, and a PWM controller 18 for generating PWM signals of the inverter 3 on the basis of each phase voltage command generated from the motor voltage command generator 14. An example of general V/F control pattern section 13 is shown in FIG. 17.
As shown in FIG. 17, the motor voltage value to be applied to the induction motor 4 is uniquely determined corresponding to the speed command ω*. Generally, the speed command ω* and motor voltage value are stored as a table value in the memory of the processing unit such as a microcomputer, and the speed command ω* other than the table value is linearly interpolated from the table values, and then a motor voltage value is calculated.
Supposing the AC power source 1 to be 220 V (AC power source frequency 50 Hz), the input of the inverter 3 to be 1.5 kW, and the smoothing capacitor 112 to be 1500 μF, the relation of the harmonic components of the AC power source current and the degree about the AC power source frequency at 5 mH and 20 mH of the power factor correcting reactor 111 is shown in FIG. 18. FIG. 18 also shows the standard of IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), in which the cubic harmonic component largely exceeds the IEC standard when the power factor correcting reactor 111 is 5 mH, but higher harmonic components of up to the degree of 40 satisfy the IEC standard at 20 mH.
Therefore, to conform to the IEC standard at high load, in particular, the inductance value of the power factor correcting-reactor 111 must be further increased, and the inverter device is increased in size and weight, and the cost is also increased.
Accordingly, as an attempt to suppress increase of inductance value of the power factor correcting reactor 111, and reduce the power source harmonic components and heighten the power factor, a DC power supply unit as shown in FIG. 19 is proposed (for example, see patent document 1).
In FIG. 19, an AC supply voltage of the AC power source 1 is applied to an AC input terminal of a full-wave rectifying circuit composed of bridge connection of diodes D1 to D4, and its output is charged into an intermediate capacitor C by way of a reactor Lin, and the electric charge of this intermediate capacitor C is discharged into a smoothing capacitor CD, and a DC voltage is applied to a load resistance RL. In this case, a transistor Q1 is connected to positive and negative DC current paths connecting the load side of the reactor Lin and the intermediate capacitor C, and this transistor Q1 is driven by a base driving circuit G1.
Pulse generating circuits I1 and I2 for applying a pulse voltage to the base driving circuit G1, and a dummy resistance Rdm are further provided. The pulse generating circuits I1, I2 are composed of a circuit for detecting the zero cross point of AC supply voltage, and a pulse current circuit for causing a pulse current to flow through the dummy resistance Rdm until the momentary value of the AC supply voltage becomes equal to the voltage across the intermediate capacitor C from the time zero cross point is detected.
Herein, the pulse generating circuit I1 generates a pulse voltage in the front half of a half cycle of the AC supply voltage, and the pulse generating circuit I2 generates a pulse voltage in the latter half of a half cycle of the AC supply voltage.
When flowing a current by force to the reactor Lin by turning on the transistor Q1, a reverse flow preventive diode D5 is connected so that the electric charge in the intermediate capacitor C may not be discharged through the transistor Q1, and further in the path of discharging the electric charge of the intermediate capacitor C into the smoothing capacitor, a reverse flow preventive diode D6 and a reactor Ldc for enhancing the smoothing effect are connected in series.
In this configuration, by turning on the transistor Q1 in part or all of a phase interval in which the momentary value of the AC supply voltage does not exceed the voltage across the intermediate capacitor C, reduction of harmonic components and improvement of power factor can be achieved while preventing the device size from increasing.                Patent document 1: Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 9-266674.        Non-patent document 1: "Inverter Drive Handbook", pages 661–711 (ed. by Inverter Drive Handbook Editors Committee, first edition, 1995, Nikkan Kogyo Shimbunsha).
In the conventional configuration, however, large capacity of the smoothing capacitor CD and reactor Lin are still required (patent document 1 discloses results of simulation at 1500 μF, 6.2 mH), it also includes the intermediate capacitor C, transistor Q1, base driving circuit G1, pulse generating circuits I1, I2, dummy resistance Rdm, reverse flow preventive diodes D5, D6, and smoothing effect enhancing reactor Ldc, and therefore the device is large in size and great in the number of parts, and hence the cost is increased.

Inverter control device for driving a motor and an air conditioner

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


In a wound electrode group, a positive electrode includes positive electrode active material layers formed on both surfaces of a band-like positive electrode current collector, and a negative electrode includes negative electrode active material layers on both surfaces of a band-like negative electrode current collector. Charge capacity of the negative electrode falls within a range of 83-99% of theoretical capacity of the negative electrode in a full charge state of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. An active material mass M1 per unit area of a negative electrode active material layer formed on an outer circumference of the negative electrode current collector, and an active material mass M2 per unit area of a negative electrode active material layer formed on an inner circumference satisfy a relational expression of M1/M2<(R1+t/2)/(R1−t/2), where the electrode group has an innermost diameter of R1, and the negative electrode has a thickness of t.

In recent years, with miniaturization and reduction in the weights of electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops, an increase in the capacity of secondary batteries, which are power sources of these electronic devices, has been increasingly demanded. For example, nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries (e.g., lithium-ion secondary batteries) meet the demand.
In general, an electrode group, which is formed by winding or stacking a positive electrode and a negative electrode with a separator interposed therebetween, is used in a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery.
Patent Document 1 shows a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery using a wound electrode group. In the battery, the filling amount of an active material formed on the inner circumference of a current collector is smaller than the filling amount of an active material formed on the outer circumference of the current collector, and the ratio of the filling amount of the active material on the outer circumference to the filling amount of the active material on the inner circumference gradually increases from the center of the wound electrode group toward the outside in order to improve the cycle characteristics of the battery. This reduces the difference between the filling amount of the active material on the inner circumference and the filling amount of the active material on the outer circumference in the entire region of the wound electrode group.

Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An upper electrode device applied to the film coating process has a splitter chamber and at least three gas diversion plates; a gas inlet is set on the splitter chamber; the at least three gas diversion plates were fixed on the inside walls of the splitter chamber and used for diverting and outputting the gas introduced into the splitter chamber through the gas inlet. By using the upper electrode device provided by the present disclosure can uniformize the gas used for coating in the film coating process, especially uniformize the gas in the perimeter area and the center area. Consequently, the uniformity of the thickness of the whole film coated is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a device in the technology field of film coating, more specifically, to an upper electrode device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art of film coating, the upper electrode device in the gas diffusion system on the process machine generally comprises the gas diversion plate which is a three-layers structure. FIG. 1A shows a side view of the upper electrode device in the related art; FIG. 1B shows a vertical view of the upper electrode device in the related art. As shown in FIG. 1A, the upper electrode device comprises three gas diversion plates. From the top to the bottom, there is First Gas Diversion Plate 1′, Second Gas Diversion Plate 2′ and Third Gas Diversion Plate 3′ in sequence, and hole(s) with the same size were formed on the surface of each gas diversion plate. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the holes were distributed in forms of matrix on the surface of each gas diversion plate. Holes 41′ on the surface of First Gas Diversion Plate 1′ was vertically staggered from Holes 42′ on the surface of Second Gas Diversion Plate 2′. Likewise, Holes 42′ on the surface of Second Gas Diversion Plate 2′ was vertically staggered from Holes 43′ formed on the surface of Third Gas Diversion Plate 3′. To some extent, the upper electrode device can divert the gas and makes the film coated more uniform, but in the actual process of coating film, effect of the gas diversion is not ideal. When the gas was diverted into the lowest layer during the process of film coating, the gas near the centre part is sufficient but the gas near the edge or the corners is insufficient, which causes that the thickness of the film coated is not uniform, i.e., the thickness in the center area of the film coated is thick and the thickness in the edge of the film coated is thin. Consequently, the performance of the device is low.
A related art has provided a sputtering coating equipment for improving the uniformity of the film, which comprises a square air inlet pipe and a round air inlet pipe. Twenty-two gas spray nozzles are installed on the surface of the square air inlet pipe, which faces to a target, and three hanging pieces are installed above the square air inlet pipe and used for fixing the whole air inlet device. The sputtering coating equipment is used for solving the problem that the thickness of the film coated by the device is uneven because of an uneven air supply device in the related art. However, the multiple gas spray nozzles cause a complicated structure of the device, and it is not easy to control the consistency between the gas spray nozzles. Hence, it is not easy to be applied in the actual manufacturing processes.
Another related art provides a coating device for a dispersion plate which is used for the dispersion of gas. The coating device comprises a hollow type shell body provided with a coating chamber, an electrode unit with a plurality of electrode plates which are separated arranged inside the coating chamber, a gas delivery pipe which delivers the coating gas into the coating chamber of the shell body, a suction unit of a pump which is communicated with the coating chamber, and a dispersion plate with a plurality of relief holes which are separated and close to the bottom side of the electrode plate. The relief holes are arranged on the most area of the bottom side of the electrode plate. With the relief holes, the coating gas can be uniformly distributed on the coating chamber, so the coating yield is increased and the overall coating efficiency is improved. Although the film coating device disclosed in this patent has the effect to disperse the gas, it did not relate to promoting the uniformity of the film at the area of the edges and the corners after the gas was dispersed.
Hence, there is no effective solution for solving the problem in the related arts.

EVERDISPLAY OPTRONICS (SHANGHAI) LIMITED