The invention relates to an installation (1) and a method allowing the near total recovery and space-saving storage of carbon in the form of liquid carbon dioxide (19), from a substance (9) of the group consisting of hydrocarbons/ethers/alcohols, without the use of gas compression. To achieve this, a superheated gas (12) at a pressure of over 5.18 bar is generated from the substance (9) of the group consisting of hydrocarbons/ethers/alcohols and water (10), and this gas is delivered, by means of steam reforming and hydrogen liberation, into a retentate mass flow (15) containing carbon dioxide. Liquid carbon dioxide (19) is obtained therefrom by means of condensation, and is stored in a storage tank (7) while the liberated hydrogen is oxidised to provide mechanical and/or electrical as well as thermal energy. The use of membranes with low hydrogen/carbon dioxide permeation selectivity is permitted by forming a permeate mass flow circuit that is closed in respect of carbon dioxide. Operation at low pressures is permitted by the condensation and storage at temperatures below the ambient temperature, for which purpose cold (17) is generated from said thermal energy in a sorption method.

The increasing development of intermittent, renewable production installations for electrical energy (especially photovoltaic and wind power installations) requires an increasing storage of the energy generated in order, on the one hand, to be able to use the surplus electricity that cannot be fed into the grid and, on the other hand, to adapt the energy production to the energy demand curve.
There are a variety of electrical, mechanical and electrochemical storage systems available (capacitors, flywheels, batteries, compressed air storage) for short-term storage (a few hours) of energy having low to medium capacity. For medium- and long-term storage (days to months) of electrical energy having large capacity, only storage systems that save the electrical energy in the form of chemical energy sources ("power-to-chemicals") can be used besides pumped storage hydro power stations for technical and economic reasons. In this case, besides methods which generate and store hydrogen gas, there are also prior art methods which synthesize and store carbon-containing compounds as energy storage media using carbon dioxide. Such carbon-based energy storage systems are advantageous with respect to hydrogen gas. Among other things, such energy storage systems have the advantage that they also synthesize chemical compounds for energy storage, which are present in liquid form at ambient temperature ("power-to-liquid") and thus can be easily transported and stored in a space-saving manner.
In such carbon-based energy storage systems for storing electrical energy, the feeding of electrical energy occurs by the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbon-containing chemical compounds (e.g., methane, methanol) by means of hydrogen obtained from water and the storage of these carbon-containing compounds (in tank vessels or underground storage), while the output of energy is based on the oxidation of the carbon contained in the carbon-containing compound, that is, on the recovery of carbon contained in the carbon-containing compound in the form of carbon dioxide, and based on the storage of this carbon dioxide. Thus, such carbon-based energy storage systems establish a system internal carbon cycle, for the maintenance of which the fullest possible recovery of the carbon contained in the carbon-containing compounds is necessary. Such carbon-based energy storage systems therefore contain an installation for the output of energy, which installation recovers and stores the carbon contained in the carbon-containing compounds in the form of carbon dioxide as completely as possible, and which thereby releases mechanical or electrical energy through the oxidation of carbon and hydrogen.
Such carbon-based energy storage systems are described in the following documents:
EP 0539244 describes several methods of energy storage that synthesize methanol from carbon dioxide for the feeding of energy and recover this carbon dioxide with the output of energy.
DE 202010012734 and DE 102012103458 also describe energy storage systems which burn hydrocarbons or alcohols to obtain energy, which separate resulting carbon dioxide and use this separated carbon dioxide again for the production of hydrocarbons or alcohols.
Generally, such energy storage systems having a carbon cycle have a low energy efficiency (defined as the ratio of the electrical energy supplied to the empty energy storage system to the electrical or mechanical energy that can be taken from the energy storage system when completely emptied), since, first, the installations used for the storage of electrical energy for synthesizing the carbon-containing compound according to the current state of the art have low (<70%) energy efficiencies (defined as the ratio of the lower or higher heating value of the synthesized compounds to the amount of electrical energy which is supplied to the synthesis) and second, the installations used for the output of electrical energy for the recovery and storage of carbon dioxide with simultaneous release of mechanical or electrical energy also have a low energy efficiency (defined as the ratio of the amount of released mechanical or electrical energy to the lower or higher heating value of the supplied carbon-containing compounds). The low efficiency of the latter installations is due not only to the low energy efficiency of the heat engines or fuel cells used in these installations, but also that the method steps performed in these installations for the separation and storage of carbon dioxide take up considerable amounts of energy fed into the energy storage system and deliver only poorly usable waste heat, often generated by the compression of gases. This compression of gases is usually performed within the installations for the recovery and storage of carbon dioxide in order to bring the carbon dioxide into a sufficiently dense state for its storage, thus avoiding excessive space requirements for its storage. Therefore, it would be desirable to have an installation and a method which would enable the recovery and storage of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide and the resulting release of electrical or mechanical energy within such an energy storage system as energy-efficiently as possible and which in particular contain no installation parts or method steps which provide for the compression of gases. The recovery of carbon in this case should still be performed as completely as possible and with a sufficient storage density.
The installations and methods mentioned in EP 0539244, DE 202010012734 and DE 102012103458 do not contain any detailed method steps on how to perform the recovery and storage of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide within the energy storage system.
JP 2011020863 provides a method that increases energy efficiency which, when energy is output from the energy storage system, the energy-storing, carbon-containing compound is reformed by means of the waste heat that is released by the oxidation of the hydrogen which is separated from the product gas generated during the reforming (see description paragraph 24 and FIG. 1). However, JP 2011020863 does not contain any information as to how the carbon dioxide separated by a membrane method is stored energy-efficiently within the storage system and also provides energy-consuming separation of the hydrogen from the product gas of the reforming performed by pressure swing adsorption, which is performed before the carbon dioxide separation due to the limited carbon dioxide/hydrogen permeation selectivity of said membrane.
Numerous other industrial methods are known which serve to separate carbon dioxide from carbon dioxide-containing gases. However, these usually target the conditioning of the separated carbon dioxide for transport by means of pipeline and for underground sequestration and therefore bring the separated carbon dioxide not in a liquid state, but in a highly compressed, gaseous or supercritical state for the purpose of density increase. These methods usually perform a compression of the separated carbon dioxide. EP 2023066 describes, for example, a method for separating the carbon dioxide from a carbon dioxide-containing synthesis gas and thereby repetitively evaporates the condensed, liquid carbon dioxide to cool inflowing carbon dioxide, to finally compress all the carbon dioxide gas produced in the method to a supercritical pressure (>73.8 bar).
In principle, by methods which provide a compression of carbon dioxide at temperatures below the inversion temperature of carbon dioxide (about 1500° K at atmospheric pressure), due to the resulting warming of carbon dioxide waste heat is generated, which can be converted into electrical or mechanical energy with poor efficiency, the energy efficiency of an energy storage system having a carbon cycle is thus reduced. Since, during the process of the energy output from such an energy storage system, large amounts of waste heat which can be converted only which poor efficiency into electrical or mechanical energy are already generated by the heat engines or fuel cells operated during this output, the waste heat generated by the compression of carbon dioxide or other gases increases even further the total amount of waste heat that is hardly usable within the energy storage system.
To increase the energy efficiency of energy storage systems having a carbon cycle, a desirable installation and a method would be those that fully recover the carbon contained in the carbon-containing compounds in the form of carbon dioxide in such energy storage systems and store it with high density without containing method steps which provide for the mechanical compression of gases, in particular of carbon dioxide or of carbon dioxide-containing gases.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,312, a carbon dioxide/hydrogen mixture is separated from a product gas of a steam reforming by means of a membrane, which is also provided, among other things, for further chemical processing and as a fuel (Claim 1). For obtaining pure hydrogen gas, there is also proposed a condensation of the carbon dioxide from this carbon dioxide/hydrogen mixture. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,312 describes a partial return of the residual gas remaining in the reformer after separation through the membrane.

Installation and method for carbon recovery and storage, without the use of gas compression


An apparatus and method for determining the condition of a battery in an implantable cardioverter/defibrillator. A battery""s operating status is determined from measurements of its open circuit voltage and the time required to charge an energy storage capacitor.

This invention pertains to systems and methods for operating battery-powered implantable medical devices.
Cardiac rhythm management devices are implantable devices that provide electrical stimulation to selected chambers of the heart in order to treat disorders of cardiac rhythm. A pacemaker, for example, is a cardiac rhythm management device that paces the heart with timed pacing pulses. Implantable cardioverter/defibrillators (ICDs) are devices that provide defibrillation therapy by delivering a shock pulse to the heart when a tachyarrhythmia such as fibrillation is detected and typically may also provide pacing therapy. An ICD is an electronic device containing a shock pulse generator that is usually implanted into the chest or abdominal wall. Electrodes connected by leads to the ICD are placed on the heart, or passed transvenously into the heart, to sense cardiac activity and to conduct the impulses from the pulse generator. Typically, the leads have electrically conductive coils along their length that act as electrodes. ICDs can be designed to treat either atrial or ventricular tachyarrhythmias, or both, by delivering a shock pulse that impresses an electric field between the electrodes to which the pulse generator terminals are connected. ICDs typically use an electrolytic capacitor that is charged from a battery with an inductive boost converter to deliver the shock pulse. When ventricular fibrillation is detected, the ICD charges up the capacitor to a predetermined value for delivering a shock pulse of sufficient magnitude to convert the fibrillation (i.e., the defibrillation threshold). The capacitor is then connected to the shock electrodes disposed in the heart to deliver the shock pulse.
ICDs are powered by a battery contained within the housing of the device that has a limited life span. When the battery fails, it must be replaced which necessitates a reimplantation procedure. The useful life of the battery may vary in each individual case and depends upon the specific battery and the power requirements of the device. For example, a device which must deliver paces and/or defibrillation shocks on a frequent basis will shorten the useful life of the battery. As the battery depletes, it is desirable to provide a means of determining that the battery is near the end of its life so that replacement of the battery can be scheduled rather than done on an emergency basis.
The present invention is a method and apparatus for monitoring the condition of a battery in an implantable medical device such as an implantable cardioverter/defibrillator. In accordance with the invention, the open circuit voltage of the battery and the time required to charge an electrolytic energy storage capacitor to a specified full voltage value are both measured on an intermittent or periodic basis. The capacitor charge time measurement may be taken during periodic reforming of the electrolytic energy storage capacitor. The operating status of the battery may then be designated as being one of a plurality of battery states ranging from best to worst based upon those measurements. In one embodiment, a similar set of battery states are used to represent the open circuit voltage status and the capacitor charge time status of the battery. The battery operating status is then the worse of the open circuit voltage status and the capacitor charge time status. In order to detect deterioration in the battery""s condition in a more timely manner, the time interval for reforming the energy storage capacitor and measuring the capacitor charge time is adjusted based upon the present battery operating status.

Apparatus and method for estimating battery condition in implantable cardioverter/defibrillators


A circuit for training a trainable filter circuit having an adjustable time constant, the circuit having a clock generator operative to generate first and second clock signals on first and second clock signal outputs, respectively, of substantially the same amplitude and frequency. A first circuit has a reference filter circuit coupled to the first clock signal output and the second clock signal has the trainable filter circuit coupled to the second clock signal output. Means for adjusting one of the voltage input to and time constant of the reference circuit are provided. An amplifier coupled to an output of the reference circuit and to an output of the trainable filter circuit is operative to produce a DC output when the amplitudes of signals on the reference circuit output and the training circuit output are equal and an AC signal when they are unequal. A separator circuit coupled to an output of said amplifier is operative to rectify the AC signal and to subtract therefrom the DC signal and a feedback line couples an output of the separator circuit to the trainable filter circuit whereby an RC time constant of the trainable loop is modified until said AC signal is zero.

Because of process variations in the fabrication of Gm-C or MOS-C circuits, it is difficult to match filter circuits to the accuracy required in many applications. One solution to this problem is to provide on-chip tuning of the Gm-C and MOS-C circuits by comparing the resistors and/or capacitors of the latter-mentioned circuits with an accurate reference resistor and/or capacitor. In the event of a mismatch a comparison circuit generates a control voltage which changes the Gm-C or MOS-C resistance and/or capacitance until a match is obtained. In MOS-C circuits the width and length of the MOS transistors of the filters can be matched to those of a tuning circuit so that the various factors such as fabrication tolerances, operating temperature variations, and aging will affect both MOS transistors the same so that these effects tend to cancel.
It is possible to automatically tune RC products rather than just resistance values by utilizing either an accurate external clock or an accurate on-chip clock. A reference circuit is formed in which the resistors and capacitors of the filter are ratio matched to those of the reference circuit so that the RC products within the reference circuit are also stabilized. The reference circuit is either a duplicate of the filter or of one basic cell of the filter. A phase comparator compares the phase of the reference "filter" output with that of the clock. The comparator outputs a control voltage which adjusts the reference "filter" so that the phase difference is at a predetermined value. This causes the RC products within the reference filter to attain fixed, predetermined values.
Alternately, a voltage controlled oscillator can be used as the reference circuit. A voltage controlled oscillator consists of a phase detector, a loop filter and a voltage controlled oscillator to tune the filter. A phase comparator compares the output of the oscillator with the clock and produces a control voltage which causes the oscillator output to track the clock. The RC products of the oscillator and filter are stabilized by the control voltage as is the frequency response of the filter. Typically phase lock loops require a significant amount of circuitry and hence chip area. In addition they introduce noise at the reference frequency provided for the phase lock loop.
Tuning circuits which feature external reference resistors require initial adjustments and do not compensate well enough for both resistance and capacitance. Often such circuits have offsets which cause frequency tuning errors. Phase locked loop circuits occupy a relatively large area. In addition, it is difficult to build high frequency voltage controlled oscillators that are well-matched to an associated filter
U.S. Pat. No. 5,245,646 issued to Jackson et al. discloses a tuning circuit having an integrator with an RC time constant which is proportional to the RC time constant of a filter. The filter uses discrete capacitors and is not continuous. Moreover, series resistors in the tuning circuit and filter limit the frequency to below about 10 MHz.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,124,593 issued to Michel discloses a continuous time filter tuning circuit which applies only to MOSFET-C or MOS-C filters. If the capacitor is not large enough it will create wandering of the MOSFET-C device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved training circuit for use in tuning a filter circuit time constant to be a scaled multiple of the RC time constant of a reference filter circuit.

Training method for GM-C or MOS-C Circuits


A high storage capacity, wide data channel SRAM having a 64-bit wide data input/output channel, 4 Mbyte or 2 Mbyte of memory, and packaged as a 100-pin QFP or TQFP. The SRAM can be a substitute for a conventional 128 pin QFP or TQFP SRAM because all the functions including pipeline burst transmission are present. Moreover, the SRAM has a comparatively lower package testing and production cost.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a high storage capacity, wide data input/output channel, static random access memory (SRAM) device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a static random access memory device having 100 pins, a 64-bit data input/output channel and a 4 megabyte (4 Mbyte) storage capacity.
2. Description of Related Art
In the present information explosion era, personal computers have become indispensable tools in our daily lives. Personal computers help us in many ways, such as processing data, managing documents and transmitting information. At present, the main board of most personal computers either has a 256 KB or 512 KB cache memory for enhancing its memory function, and the cache memory is made up of SRAM chips.
A conventional SRAM having a 32-bit wide data input/output channel and 2Mbyte or 1 Mbyte storage capacity is generally assembled as a 100-pin integrated circuit (IC) and is packaged into either a quad flat package (QFP) or a thin quad flat package (TQFP). FIG. 1 shows the pin layout diagram of a conventional 32-bit data channel, 100 pins and 1 Mbyte SRAM. As shown in FIG. 1, this type of SRAM requires 1 clock pulse pin (CLK); 15 address pins (A0-A14); 32 data input/output pins (I/O 1-I/O 32); 6 write control pins (/BWE, /BW1-/BW4, /GW); 1 output control pin (/OE); 3 chip control pins (/CE1, /CE2, /CE3); 3 pipeline burst transmission control pins (/ADV, /ADSC, /ADSP); 1 burst transmission mode selection pin (/LBO); 1 fetch cycle mode control pin (/FT); 1 energy saving mode control pin (ZZ); 12 power pins (VDDQ/VDD); and 12 ground pins (VSSQJVSS). A total of 88 pins are used. The remaining 12 pins are no-contact pins (NC) and are there for future expansion.
For personal computers having a 512 KB main board cache memory, if memory can be accessed by a 32-bit wide data I/O channel, then two 2 Mbyte SRAM chips or four 1 MByte SRAM chips are required. But if memory can be accessed by a 64-bit wide data I/O channel, the cache memory can be implemented using one 4 Mbyte SRAM chip. Because one 4 Mbyte SRAM occupies less board area than either two 2 Mbyte SRAM or four 1 Mbyte SRAM, some main board area can be saved. However, due to the generation of a high output current when data is input or output through the 64-bit input/output data channel, delta I noises are created. These delta I noises may result in erroneous SRAM operations. To reduce interference caused by these delta I noises, more pins are normally necessary. FIG. 2 shows the pin layout diagram of a conventional 64-bit data channel, 128 pin, 2 Mbyte SRAM. As shown in FIG. 2, the SRAM requires 1 clock pulse pin (CLK); 15 address pins (A0-A14); 64 data input/output pins (I/O 1-I/O 64); 10 write control pins (BWE, BW1-BW8, GW); 1 output control pin (OE); 5 chip control pins (CE1, CE2, CE3, CE4, CE5); 3 pipeline burst transmission control pins (ADV, ADSC, ADSP); 1 burst mode control pin (MODE); 1 energy saving mode control pin (ZZ); 12 power pins (VCCQ/VCC); and 12 ground pins (GNDQ/GND). Of the total 128 pin, 125 pins are used. Only 3 pins are no-contact pins (NC) and are there for future expansion. Because the above SRAM has a larger number of pins, more main board area is needed for wiring. Moreover, the layout of the main board needs to be rescheduled and new testing procedures need to be implemented due to the extra pins, thereby increasing the cost of production. In light of the foregoing, there is a need in the art for improving the pin use and layout of the 64-bit, 128 pin, 4 Mbyte SRAM.

High storage capacity, wide data input/output channel, static random access memory device


The present invention is generally directed to implantable medical devices for delivering therapeutic agents to the body tissue of a patient and methods for making such medical devices. In particular, the present invention is directed to implantable medical devices, such as intravascular stents, having a surface that includes a plurality of cavities and a plurality of pores and a composition disposed in the pores and/or cavities, as well as, implantable medical devices, such as intravascular stents, having a surface that has a coating composition disposed on the surface, wherein the coating composition includes a plurality of cavities and a plurality of pores and another coating composition disposed in the pores and/or cavities.

Medical devices have been used to deliver therapeutic agents locally to the body tissue of a patient. For example, stents having a coating containing a therapeutic agent, such as an anti-restenosis agent, can be effective in treating or preventing restenosis. Currently, such medical device coatings include a therapeutic agent alone or a combination of a therapeutic agent and a polymer. Both of these types of coatings suffer from certain limitations.
Coatings containing a therapeutic agent without a polymer are generally impractical since such coatings offer little or no control over the rate of release of the therapeutic agent. Therefore, many medical device coatings include a therapeutic agent and a polymer.
Though the use of polymers can provide control over the rate of release of the therapeutic agent, the use of such polymers in coatings may pose certain other limitations. For example, some polymer coating compositions do not actually adhere to the surface of the medical device. In order to ensure that the coating compositions remain on the surface, the area of the medical device that is coated, such as a stent strut, is encapsulated with the coating composition. However, since the polymer does not adhere to the medical device, the coating composition is susceptible to deformation and damage during loading, deployment and implantation of the medical device. Any damage to the polymer coating may alter the therapeutic agent release profile and can lead to an undesirable increase or decrease in the therapeutic agent release rate. Also, polymer in the coatings may react with the blood and cause late stage thrombosis.
For instance, balloon expandable stents must be put in an unexpanded or "crimped" state before being delivered to a body lumen. During the crimping process coated stent struts are placed in contact with each other and can possibly adhere to each other. When the stent is expanded or uncrimped, the coating on the struts that have adhered to each other can be damaged, torn-off or otherwise removed. Moreover, if the polymer coating is applied to the inner surface of the stent, it may stick or adhere to the balloon used to expand the stent when the balloon contacts the inner surface of the stent during expansion. Such adherence to the balloon may prevent a successful deployment of the medical device.
Similar to balloon-expandable stents, polymer coatings on self-expanding stents can also interfere with the delivery of the stent. Self-expanding stents are usually delivered using a pull-back sheath system. When the system is activated to deliver the stent, the sheath is pulled back, exposing the stent and allowing the stent to expand itself. As the sheath is pulled back it slides over the outer surface of the stent. Polymer coatings located on the outer or abluminal surface of the stent can adhere to the sheath as it is being pulled back and disrupt the delivery of the stent.
An alternative to coating or encapsulating the surface of a medical device is to create pores within the surface of the medical device and dispose a therapeutic agent within the pores. Though the use of a porous surface overcomes certain limitations of using a polymer coating, due to the small size of the pores the therapeutic agent may only penetrate to a certain depth of the porous coating. Such insufficient penetration can result in a limited amount of the therapeutic agent that can be loaded onto the medical device, as well as, an unwanted rate of release where the therapeutic agent is released over a short period of time. Also due to the limited surface area of the surface of the medical device, a limited number of pores and therefore, a limited amount of a therapeutic agent can be loaded onto the surface of the medical device.
Accordingly, there is a need for medical devices and coatings for medical devices that have little or no polymer and that can release an effective amount of a therapeutic agent in a controlled release manner while avoiding the disadvantages of current coatings for medical devices. Also, there is a need for coatings that can release an effective amount of a therapeutic agent in a controlled release manner that can be selectively applied to the surfaces of a medical device, such as the surfaces that contact the body tissue of a patient. Additionally, there is a need for methods of making such medical devices and coatings for medical devices.

Medical device with a porous surface for delivery of a therapeutic agent


A panel has a first edge portion defining a first end of the panel, and a second edge portion defining a second end of the panel. The length of the panel is predetermined for the panel to reach across a vehicle chassis frame in an installed position in which the first edge portion rests on a side beam and the second edge portion rests on an opposite side beam. The panel further has a longitudinal rib. A first end of the rib is located adjacent to, and inboard of, the first edge portion. A second end of the rib is located adjacent to, and inboard of, the second edge portion.

A vehicle may be provided with an underbelly structure to shield the vehicle from environmental factors, debris, air pressure, and the like. For example, a recreational vehicle (RV) may be provided with an underbelly structure to protect components such as water lines and tanks that would otherwise be exposed at the bottom of the RV.


A seat belt buckle engagement detector of the invention includes a by-pass or direct circuit for supplying electricity from a battery to one end of a seat belt warning lamp through a current limiting resistance. With this by-pass circuit, even if an ignition switch is turned off, in case a buckle switch is turned on, a signal of a ground potential is inputted to a seat belt system. In case the buckle switch is turned off, a signal of a potential corresponding to a voltage of the battery is inputted to the seat belt system. Thus, the seat belt system can carry out a desired process even under a condition where the ignition switch is turned off.

The invention relates to a seat belt buckle engagement detector for detecting engagement of a buckle and a tongue plate of a seat belt to detect that a passenger wears the seat belt, and a seat belt system for warning non-wearing of the seat belt and controlling a seat belt retraction.
In a vehicle, such as an automobile, while driving, a passenger has an obligation to wear a seat belt. The seat belt includes web portions attached to a seat and to a retractor. When the seat belt is worn, the web retracted in the retractor is pulled out and a tongue plate attached to a forward end thereof is engaged with a buckle fixed to the seat.
A switch, i.e. buckle switch, for detecting engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate is provided in the buckle. When the buckle and the tongue plate are not engaged with each other, a contact point thereof is turned on, and when the buckle and the tongue plate are engaged with each other, the contact point thereof is turned off.
The automobile includes a seat belt system which controls such that when the seat belt is not worn or put on, an engine does not start; the automobile does not run; or the passenger is warned by a sound. Recently, it has been proposed that retraction of the seat belt is carried out by a motor and control thereof is performed by the seat belt system.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a conventional seat belt buckle engagement detector. A power source from a battery 21 is supplied to one end of a seat belt warning lamp 24 through an ignition switch 22 and a fuse 23. The other end of the seat belt warning lamp 24 is grounded through a buckle switch 25. A voltage on a side of the buckle switch of the seat belt warning lamp 24 is inputted into a seat belt system 26. The other display lamps 27 are connected parallel to the seat belt warning lamp 24.
When the ignition switch 22 is turned on, in case the buckle and the tongue plate are not engaged with each other, since the buckle switch 25 is turned on, the seat belt warning lamp 24 is lighted on, and at the same time, a signal of an earth potential is inputted to the seat belt system 26. In case the buckle and the tongue plate are engaged with each other, the buckle switch 25 is turned off, the seat belt warning lamp 24 is turned off, and at the same time, a signal of a potential corresponding to a voltage of the battery 21 is inputted into the seat belt system 26.
As described above, the conventional seat belt buckle engagement detector starts its operation only when the ignition switch 22 is turned on. Therefore, while the ignition switch 22 is turned off, the seat belt warning lamp 24 is held in a light-off state, so that the potential to be inputted to the seat belt system 26 becomes unstable. Therefore, in the seat belt system 26, the input is connected to a positive voltage through a pull-up resistance or is connected to an earth potential through a pull-down resistance to thereby prevent the input signal from being unstable.
In the normal state, in case the ignition switch is not turned on, since the automobile does not run, it seems that there is no necessity for wearing of the seat belt to be detected in this state. However, the automobile may be driven by an outer force, such as hauling. In such a case, even if the ignition switch is not turned on, it is necessary to detect a wearing condition of the seat belt. Also, when a passenger gets on the automobile, it is preferable that the seat belt is worn before the ignition key is turned on.
In view of the above problem, the present invention has been made, and an object of the invention is to provide a seat belt buckle engagement detector, wherein even if an ignition key is not turned on, wearing of a seat belt can be detected to thereby provide a warning sign and carry out other controls.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
According to a first aspect of the present invention to attain the above object, a seat belt buckle engagement detector includes a device for detecting engagement of a buckle and a tongue plate of a seat belt even in case an ignition switch of an automobile is turned off.
In the device, even if the ignition switch of the automobile is turned off, since engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate is detected, even in case the automobile is driven by hauling, a warning for wearing a seat belt can be provided. Also, even before a passenger gets on the automobile and turns on the ignition switch, a warning sign for wearing the seat belt can be provided and a seat belt retraction control can be carried out.
According to a second aspect of the invention to attain the above object, in the first aspect, the seat belt buckle engagement detector has a function for turning on or off the device for detecting the engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate even in case the ignition switch of the automobile is turned off by an output of a seat belt system.
In the first aspect, even in case the ignition switch of the automobile is turned off, since there is provided the device for detecting the engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate, under certain circumstances, there may be a case where an electric current of a battery is consumed by a current flowing to the detecting device. However, in the second aspect, the device for detecting the engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate can be turned on or off by the output of the seat belt system even in case the ignition switch of the automobile is turned off. For example, in case a power source of the seat belt system is not turned on, even if the ignition switch of the automobile is turned off, the current of the battery can be prevented from being consumed by turning off the device for detecting the engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate.
Incidentally, the xe2x80x9cseat belt systemxe2x80x9d mentioned in the present specification is a system for carrying out operations relative to the seat belt, such as generating a seat belt wearing warning, retracting the seat belt and controlling the seat belt.
According to a third aspect of the present invention to attain the above object, in the seat belt buckle engagement detector as stated in the first aspect, there is provided a seat belt buckle engagement detector, wherein the device for detecting the engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate has a detecting function even if a warning lamp for showing non-engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate of the seat belt is broken.
In the seat belt buckle engagement detector as shown in FIG. 5 and explained in the prior art section, when the seat belt warning lamp 24 is broken, the seat belt system can not detect that the buckle switch is turned on or off. In the third aspect, however, the device for detecting the engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate does not lose its detecting function even when the warning lamp for showing that the buckle and the tongue plate of the seat belt are not engaged with each other is broken. Even in such a case, the seat belt system can detect the seat belt buckle engagement.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention to attain the above object, there is provided a seat belt system including the seat belt buckle engagement detector as stated in the first aspect.
Since the present seat belt system includes the seat belt buckle engagement detector as stated in the first aspect, the engagement of the buckle and the tongue plate of the seat belt can be detected even in case the engagement can not be detected in the conventional seat belt buckle engagement detector to thereby carry out predetermined operations of the system.
According to a fifth aspect of the invention to attain the above object, in the fourth aspect, there is provided a seat belt system having a function for displaying a warning showing that the buckle and the tongue plate of the seat belt are not engaged with each other.
Since the seat belt system of the present aspect has the function for displaying the warning showing that the buckle and the tongue plate of the seat belt are not engaged with each other even if the ignition switch of the automobile is turned off, the seat belt system can provide a warning for putting on the seat belt even in case the automobile is driven by hauling. Also, the seat belt system can provide a warning to put on the seat belt even before a passenger gets on the automobile and turns on the ignition switch.

Seat belt buckle engagement detector and seat belt system


The absorber has four concentric helical conduits in a housing. A dummy tube is arranged in the housing. The weak coolant solution is conducted in four partial flows through four supply lines to the helical conduits. The profiles of the tube of the helical conduits are of flat oval construction. To ensure that the weak solution is uniformly distributed, on the other hand the individual coils of the helical conduits form a gap in which the solution collects, is conducted downward and redistributed. The heat generated in the absorber is dissipated by a liquid in a secondary system which flows inside the helical conduits.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an absorber for a diffusion absorption plant.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Diffusion absorption plants are for a long time known as small refrigeration plants for use in domestic refrigerators. The absorption refrigeration plants have decisively been improved regarding their efficiency. Such an apparatus is extensively described e.g. in the Swiss Patent No. 475 527. These apparatuses have, however, a relatively small output. Therefore, they are not suitable for larger refrigeration plants, e.g. for an air conditioning or for the use as heat pumps in heating plants. In these plants ammonia and water are used as pairs of material, whereby water represents the absorbing material and ammonia the refrigerant. Generally, hydrogen or helium is used as pressure equalizing auxiliary gas. Absorbers in plants which must bring a high output must be in a position to absorb the hereto necessary large amounts of refrigerants and to transfer the heat of the absorption with as little as possible losses of the medium to be heated. In the known diffusion absorption plants of low output the heat of the absorption is transferred to the environmental air. In case of large plants this is as a rule not possible or undesired, the heat of absorption shall rather be disposed of by means of a secondary system with a liquid medium.

Absorber for a diffusion absorption plant


A method for producing a magnetic recording medium wherein an undercoating layer is provided before forming a magnetic layer by applying a coating composition onto a surface of a continuously traveling flexible support, excluding widthwise-direction edge portions of the support, and pressing the support to a forward end of a slot of a coating head. At least one part of the undercoating layer is formed by preliminarily applying a high-molecular solution having a glass transition point of higher than the heat treatment temperature onto at least the edge portions of the flexible support to give a larger width to the undercoating layer than the width of the magnetic coating layer.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a magnetic recording medium by applying coating compositions, such as a magnetic solution, a surface protecting solution, and so on, onto a flexible support formed of plastic film, paper, metal or the like.
A roll coating method, a bead coating method, a curtain coating method, an extrusion coating method, and so on, are known coating methods for applying a coating composition onto a flexible support (hereinafter referred to as "web"). In any one of the above-mentioned coating methods, the width of a portion of the web to which the coating composition is applied is narrower than the total width of the web, so that uncoated portions having a width in a range from several millimeters to tens of millimeters remain as edge portions on both sides of the web in the direction of the width of the web.
As seen in extrusion coaters disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications Nos. Sho. 57-84771, Sho. 58-104666, Sho. 58-109162, Sho. 58-18069, Sho. 58-18070 and Sho. 60-78664, Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open Nos. Sho. 59-94657 and Sho. 61-230173, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. Sho. 49-1459, and so on, when the coating composition is applied onto a continuously traveling web while a coating head is being urged against the web, the tense web is bent at the widthwise edge portions so as to be warped toward the coating head to come into contact with the coating head.
As a result of contact with the coating head, the web is cut so that powder-like shavings are produced. The shavings tend to scatter, resulting in the failure of accurate detection of the recorded signals during reproduction. In addition, shavings deposited onto the contact portion of the coating head change the distance between the web and the coating head so that the thickness of the coating composition becomes uneven at the edge portions, reducing the quality of the coating.
It is known that the same effect as that of the coating head can be provided by a doctor bar or a smoother, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications Nos. Sho. 51-140703, Sho. 52-84242 and Sho. 54-8646, Japanese Patent Publications Nos. Sho. 48-11336 and Sho. 60-53674.
To solve the above problems, therefore, there has been proposed a method in which a portion between the web and the coating head is lubricated with a liquid by preliminarily applying a solvent onto edge portions of the web where the coating composition is not applied, before applying the coating composition onto the web, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publications Nos. Sho. 61-257268 and Hei. 1-102736.
On the other hand, there has been proposed a method in which portions of the coating head or the like corresponding to the edge portions are notched to increase the distance between the coating head and the web, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Sho. 61-257263.
Furthermore, there has been proposed a method for use with extrusion coating where a suitable lubricating material, such as polymer, monomer, UV resin, or the like, is applied at least to the lug portion of the web to counter lug cutting in the extrusion coating method, for example as described in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. Hei. 3-116524. That is, for the purpose of preventing the web from cutting, a force urging the extruder blade edge to come into contact with the web at the time of coating of the magnetic coating composition is decreased by applying a material, such as fluorine lubricant, polymer, monomer, UV resin, or the like, at least to the lug portion of the web in the direction of width of the web, and then drying the material. The problem of cutting can be solved very effectively by this method.
According to this method, however, the material, such as polymer or the like, applied to the lug portion remains exposed on a surface of the web after drying. This causes problems in subsequent processing steps.
After coating, the magnetic recording medium is subjected to calendering and then subjected to a heat treatment while being rolled for the dual purpose of hardening the resulting film and removing the thermal stress of the web. Here, the film of polymer or the like applied to the lug portion and exposed on the outside edge portions of the magnetic layer on the web is softened or dissolved so as to adhere to the back of the web. Hence, the surface of coating in the vicinity of the web lug portion is separated from the web surface. Particularly in recent years, thinner webs have been used to provide a thin magnetic recording medium. However, the adhesion of the dissolved polymer or the like to the back of the web creates difficulties in web cutting.

Method for producing magnetic recording medium


A dock for connecting a smartphone to a display and peripherals is disclosed. The dock uses a single connector to transfer audio/video data to a display and input-output data and to establish a wireless link with peripherals. The dock has a controller with a switch, a wireless communication module, a USB hub, a relay, a first connector, an audio/video (AV) converter and a second connector. The relay normally connects AV data from the smartphone to the AV converter. The controller switches the relay while the switch is being operated, and then the controller links the USB hub, the first connector and the wireless communication module, and the wireless communication module establishes the wireless link with the smartphone.

1. Technical Field
The invention relates to docking stations, particularly to docking stations between a portable electronic device and peripherals.
2. Related Art
A smartphone is a mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more advanced computing capability connectivity than a conventional cellular phone. In essence, a smartphone is a computer-based cellular phone. As a result, more and more users treat a smartphone as a mixture of a cellular phone and a laptop or tablet computer.
There must be a rechargeable battery, a touchscreen panel and a connection port in a smartphone. When a smartphone is used as a laptop computer at home or office, a docking station is needed for charging battery, data communication and connecting human interface devices (HIDs) such as a keyboard and mouse. Also, an external display much larger than the touchscreen panel of a smartphone is required by most users.
Generally, a smartphone is provided with only one communication port, for example, a micro-USB port. For both input/output bidirectional data communication and audio/video unidirectional data transmission, some smartphones are provided with a micro-USB port with a built-in mobile audio/video interface such as the Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) or the Mobility DisplayPort (MyDP) interface.
However, such an MHL-enabled or MyDP-enabled micro-USB port has to cease its USB functions while the MHL or MyDP function is being activated, and vice versa. In more detail, a user cannot use the MHL-enabled or MyDP-enabled micro-USB port to connect a keyboard, mouse or any other USB-HIDs when the port is connected to an external display. The only solution to simultaneously connect an external display and HIDs is to wirelessly connect HIDs via BLUETOOTH and to wiredly connect an external display via the MHL-enabled or MyDP-enabled micro-USB port. This is inconvenient and complicated for users. Furthermore, BLUETOOTH HIDs are much more expensive than general USB-HIDs.
There is some smartphone manufacture to provide a smartphone product with a proprietary hybrid interface connector that combines two sub-connectors—one for audio/video data transmission and the other one for USB data communication. However, such a proprietary connector lacks compatibility with other smartphone or peripheral manufactures. Users' selectivity is seriously limited.

Docking station for simultaneously establishing connections from a smartphone to an external display and USB device


Semiconductor packages having through electrodes and methods for fabricating the same are provided. The method may comprise providing a first substrate including a first circuit layer, forming a front mold layer on a front surface of the first substrate, grinding a back surface of the first substrate, forming a first through electrode that penetrates the first substrate to be electrically connected to the first circuit layer, providing a second substrate on the back surface of the first substrate, the second substrate including a second circuit layer that is electrically connected to the first through electrode, forming a back mold layer on the back surface of the first substrate, the back mold layer encapsulating the second substrate, and removing the front mold layer.

The present inventive concept relates to semiconductor and, more particularly, to semiconductor packages having through electrodes and methods for fabricating the same.
Through electrodes allow for accomplishing high performance semiconductor packages. Application of the through electrode to the semiconductor package generally results in grinding a wafer to which a carrier is bonded with an adhesive layer interposed between the carrier and wafer. Because the carrier process is needed for having through electrodes to the semiconductor packages, there are problems such as decrease of productivity and increase of cost.


According to one embodiment, a communication device includes one or more processors. The processors decide on a first-type parameter representing a conversion operation for converting input data into first-type conversion data. The processors calculate first-type predicted distributions based on second-type parameters, each representing one of the plurality of clusters. The processors update the first-type parameter and the second-type parameters so as to achieve optimization of first-type differences representing differences between the first-type predicted distributions and a target distribution, and second-type differences representing differences between the first-type predicted distributions and second-type predicted distributions that indicate probability at which second-type converted data. The second-type converted data is obtained by converting data, which is formed by augmentation of the input data, using the first-type parameter belongs to the clusters. The processors classify the input data into the plurality of clusters based on the first-type predicted distributions calculated using the updated second-type parameters.

Clustering is a technology for classifying the data points included in a dataset into a plurality of classes. As an example of clustering, a technology called deep embedded clustering (DEC) that makes use of deep neural networks has been proposed.
However, in the conventional technology such as the DEC technique, it is difficult to accurately classify the classes having only a small number of samples, and sometimes there is deterioration in the classification performance with respect to imbalanced datasets.

Clustering device, clustering method, and computer program product


A segmented digital-to-analog converter (DAC) has been described that uses a two-step calibration process to calibrate current sources to a single primary reference source. In one embodiment, the DAC includes sub-DACs, a reference generator circuit and a primary, or golden, reference source. Current sources of both the sub-DACs and the reference generator are calibrated to a golden current source or primary reference current. In one embodiment, the current sources each include a transistor coupled so that a gate voltage can be adjusted during calibration. The multiple current sources of the reference generator are first calibrated to the primary reference source. The calibrated output currents of the reference generator are then used to calibrate current sources in the sub-DACs.

The present invention relates generally to digital-to-analog converters and in particular the present invention relates to calibrating digital-to-analog converters (DAC).
Digital-to-analog (D/A) conversion is the process of converting digital codes into a continuous range of analog signal levels. Major factors that determine the quality of performance of DACs are resolution, sampling rate, speed, and linearity. Generally, the accuracy of the DAC""s measurement and conversion is specified by the converter""s linearity. xe2x80x9cIntegral linearityxe2x80x9d is a measure of linearity over the entire conversion range. It is defined as the deviation from a straight line drawn between the maximum point and through zero (or the offset value) of the conversion range. xe2x80x9cDifferential linearityxe2x80x9d is the linearity between adjacent steps of the analog output. Differential linearity is a measure of the monotonicity of the converter. The converter is said to be monotonic if increasing input values result in increasing output values.
Digital codes are typically converted to analog voltages by assigning a voltage weight, or current weight, to each bit in the digital code and summing the voltage or current weights of the entire code. This type of DAC is called a binary weighted DAC. DACs that produce analog current outputs usually have a faster settling time and better linearity than those that produce a voltage output.
As is well known in the art, a xe2x80x9csegmentedxe2x80x9d DAC design converts digital codes to analog signals by activating a number of weighted segments proportional to the input digital code and summing the activated segments to form the analog output signal.
Identical segments improve differential linearity by a considerable amount over a straight binary weighted implementation; however, process tolerances are generally too large to achieve the integral linearity requirements of modern high performance digital to analog converters. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,118, issued Sep. 9, 1997 to Gersbach and entitled xe2x80x9cSelf calibration segmented digital-to-analog converterxe2x80x9d for description of a self-calibrating DAC. Another self-calibrating DAC is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,455, issued Aug. 29, 1995 to Brooks and entitled xe2x80x9cAuto-Calibrated Current-Mode Digital-to-Analog Converter and Method thereforxe2x80x9d. See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,980, issued Sep. 21, 1999 to Hanna and entitled xe2x80x9cCircuit and Method for Calibrating a Digital-to-Analog Converterxe2x80x9d.
In non-segmented DACs, reference current sources can be calibrated using a xe2x80x9cgoldenxe2x80x9d current source to improve accuracy. In segmented DACs, two or more reference currents of appropriate ratio dictated by the percentage of segmentation are required to calibrate the current sources in each segment. For the reasons stated above, and for other reasons stated below which will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an improved circuit and method for calibrating segmented DACs.
The above-mentioned problems with digital to analog converters and other problems are addressed by the present invention and will be understood by reading and studying the following specification.
In one embodiment, a segmented digital to analog converter (DAC) circuit comprises a plurality of sub-DACs to receive digital input signals and provide an analog output. The plurality of sub-DACs each comprises current source circuits. A reference generator circuit provides calibration currents to each of the plurality of sub-DACs, and a primary calibration current source is coupled to the reference generator circuit to calibrate the calibration currents for each of the plurality of sub-DACs.
In another embodiment, a segmented digital to analog converter (DAC) circuit comprises first, second and third sub-DACs to receive digital input signals and provide an analog output. The first, second and third sub-DACs each comprise current source circuits that comprise a sourcing current source, and a transistor coupled in parallel to the sourcing current source. The gate of the transistor is coupled to the drain to receive a voltage such that the sourcing current source and the transistor conduct a sum current equal to a calibration current. A reference generator circuit provides calibration currents to each of the first, second and third sub-DACs, and a primary calibration current source coupled to provide a Iunit current to the reference generator circuit to calibrate the calibration currents for each of the first, second and third sub-DACs.
In yet another embodiment, a 10-bit segmented digital to analog converter (DAC) circuit comprises a first sub-DAC to convert two least significant digital inputs into a first analog current. The first sub-DAC comprises a first decoder and a plurality of first current sources each providing a current of 1xc3x97. A second sub-DAC converts four intermediate digital inputs into a second analog current. The second sub-DAC comprises a second decoder and a plurality of second current sources each providing a current of 4xc3x97. A third sub-DAC converts four most significant digital inputs into a third analog current. The third sub-DAC comprises a third decoder and a plurality of third current sources each providing a current of 64xc3x97. A reference generator circuit provides calibration currents of 4xc3x97, 4xc3x97 and 64xc3x97 to the first, second and third sub-DACs, respectively. A primary calibration current source coupled to the reference generator circuit provides a primary calibration current of 4xc3x97 to calibrate the 4xc3x97 and 64xc3x97 calibration currents.
A method of calibrating a segmented digital to analog converter (DAC) circuit comprises providing a master calibration current, calibrating a plurality of reference currents using the master calibration current, coupling each of the plurality of reference currents to respective DAC segments, and calibrating current sources of the DAC segments using the plurality of reference currents.
Another method of calibrating a three-segmented 10-bit digital to analog converter (DAC) circuit comprises providing a master calibration current, calibrating a first and second reference currents using the master calibration current, coupling each of the first and second reference currents to first and second DAC segments, and calibrating current sources of the first and second DAC segments using the first and second reference currents.

Segmented DAC calibration circuitry and methodology


An intelligent power management system is particularly applicable to accessory devices that can be coupled to a basic device to provide the basic device with an enhanced feature. The accessory device includes a control processor and a power supply unit, wherein the power supply unit supplies electrical energy to the control processor in response to a control signal received from the basic device. The power supply unit includes a power management circuit that maintains the electrical energy supplied to the control processor during fluctuations of the control signal.

Personal digital assistant devices, commonly referred to as PDA's, have recently become popular for use in organizing schedules and personal information. In order to expand the capability of such devices, various additional features have been proposed for use with the PDA's including, for example, communication devices and digital cameras. While these additional features can be incorporated into the structure of the PDA itself, it is generally preferable to provide accessory devices that can be coupled to a basic PDA via a standard interface to perform the additional functions on an as needed basis.
One problem associated with the use of such accessory devices, however, is the mismatch between the power requirements of the basic PDA and the power requirements for the additional features. The basic PDA is required to have a low power drain requirement in order to extend the useful life of its batteries. Devices such as digital cameras, however, usually consume power at a much higher rate than basic PDA's and other small consumer electronic devices. In order to prevent unnecessary draining of the batteries of the basic PDA device, it is therefore preferable to provide the accessory device with its own batteries.
Even with its own power source, however, the power requirements of the accessory device might be unnecessarily drained if the accessory device begins to draw power or is turned on as soon as it is attached to the basic PDA. It would therefore be preferable to provide a mechanism for managing the power requirements of the accessory device to conserve available battery power.
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an accessory device for a personal digital assistant that includes intelligent power management that prevents undue draining of battery power.


A quick connector can surely prevent incomplete connection of a tube thereto and is provided with a retainer which can be easily returned to its releasing position without being subject to restrictive conditions including working space when the tube connected to the quick connector needs to be removed from the quick connector.

Quick connectors are used widely for connecting tubes serving as automotive fuel lines. The quick connector is capable of simply and quickly connecting tubes without using any fastening means, such as bolts. The quick connector has a connector housing to be attached to one of two tubes, and a retainer to be pressed in the connector housing after inserting the other tube in the connector housing to retain the tube in the connector housing. Representative quick connectors are disclosed in Patent documents 1 and 2.
In some cases, the retainer is pressed into the connector housing before the other tube is fitted in the connector housing. If the retainer is pushed into the connector housing before pressing the retainer into the connector housing, the tube is connected incompletely to the quick connector. Such incomplete connection of the tube to the quick connector cannot be distinguished from complete connection by appearance.
A quick connector disclosed in Patent document 3 is designed to enable the recognition of such incomplete connection of the quick connector and a tube at a glance. This quick connector includes a complete connection indicating member in addition to a retainer. The complete connection indicating member cannot be easily removed from the quick connector unless the tube is inserted correctly in the quick connector and the retainer is engaged correctly with the tube.    Patent document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,716    Patent document 2: JP 2002-206683 A    Patent document 3: JP Hei 11-230456 A

Abstract: A retainer 16 is provided with arms 31a and 31b extending so as to be in contact with diametrically opposite parts, respectively, of the outer surface of a housing 12. Locking hooks 34a and 34b are formed on free end parts of the arms 31a and 31b, respectively. First stoppers 35a and 35b are formed on the outer surface of the housing 12 so as to engage with the locking hooks 34a and 34b of the retainer 16 such that the retainer 16 can be moved from the releasing position only in a direction in which the retainer 16 is pressed into the housing 12.


Paying attention to the difference between a subsequently inputted analog signal and a reference signal which is an analog signal converted to the digital signal immediately before for instance, changing timing dynamically for converting the analog signal to the digital signal, and converting an analog signal sampled at the timing of changing dynamically to a digital signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for sampling an analog signal and converting the sampled analog signal to a digital signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
A lot of modern electronic equipment is configured to perform a data processing through an analog to digital conversion ("AD conversion" hereinafter) of analog signal to digital signal (i.e., digital value) to control itself. The analog signal is a sensor output for instance.
The analog signal is prone to an influence of noise, wherein influence causes AD conversion of an analog signal to be overlapped with noise. This generally prompts to compute a weighted average as shown by FIG. 1 to figure out the digital signals (i.e., sampling values) within a certain time period. The example shown by FIG. 1 is a case where seven samplings are taken in a certain time period. In FIG. 1, the "converted values" show the digital signal values (i.e., sampling values) gained by converting respective analog signals. The "averages" show the averages calculated from the digital signal values gained by the respective times. In computing the weighted averages, integration by adding a predetermined number (i.e., weighting) respectively to the digital signals (i.e., sampling values) gained by AD conversion alleviates an influence of noise.
A conventional AD conversion circuit has been configured to conduct a plurality of samplings within a certain time period at a predetermined time interval which is usually very small because of being one n-th the time period for obtaining one piece of digital signal. This has caused a problem of heavy load on a data processing apparatus such as CPU for processing a digital signal obtained by such a sampling.
Presently, multiple functions and low costs are in demand for electronic products, increasing the need to make a data processing apparatus, for processing a digital signal, perform other processing in addition to the digital signal processing. Therefore, a further reduction of the load for processing a digital signal is considered very important. Also highly important is to maintain a precision of the processing.
A conventional AD conversion circuit dealing with an analog signal overlapped with noise is the one noted in a Japanese patent laid-open application publication No. 7-210319. The conventional AD conversion circuit noted in the aforementioned publication is equipped with a switch having a terminal for receiving an analog signal and another terminal being connected with the ground on the front end of the AD converter so as to switch the switch in response to the result of detecting noise, thereby preventing an analog signal overlapped with noise from being sampled by connecting the AD converter with ground when a noise is detected.
In the conventional AD conversion circuit noted in the Japanese patent laid-open application publication No. 7-210319, however, a data processing apparatus must be disposed for the processing in dealing with a change of sampling object, because switching the switch changes the sampling object, hence further increasing the load for processing the digital signal.

Analog/digital conversion method and analog/digital conversion circuit


In accordance with various embodiments, a set of features are described for enabling an application server platform for telecom based applications. A system for providing an application server for telecom-based applications can include a computer, including a computer readable medium and processor. The system can also include an application server, executing on the computer. The application server can include an actor container that manages and provides lifecycle and runtime properties for application classes that are executed as actors in the application server. The actor container can manages a set of event transactions, wherein all storage operations are performed as part of the event transaction that spans each event handler invocation.

In today's world of telecommunications, more and more devices and functionalities are being integrated with one another in order to create new features and capabilities for the everyday user, as well as for large organizations and enterprises. Numerous examples of this can be seen in the realms of mobile devices, cellular phones and computers. Everything from electronic mail, internet access, text messaging, video and digital photography to video games, social networking and other forms entertainment, are becoming available for a wide variety of mobile devices. Countless web applications now provide services that can access or be accessed via mobile phone to enable a particular feature.
Given all of this pervasiveness, the management of software applications must expand in order to accommodate a multitude of mediums and modes of operation previously unconsidered by most developers. As a simple illustration, in order to allow an internet user of a web application to set up a conference telephone call between several end subscribers, the application must be able to interact in some meaningful way with multiple and substantially different protocols and networks. This is the general environment within which embodiments of the invention are intended to be used.

Application server platform for telecom-based applications using an actor container