A random number generator and method for testing the same are described. In one embodiment, the random number generator comprises one or more ring oscillator structures, each of the one or more ring oscillator structures having a ring oscillator for use in generating random numbers and having a test structure to reconfigure the ring oscillator into a testable structure.

Randomness is found a critical role in cryptography for ensuring security of data transmission. In order to implement randomness in hardware, metastability of flip-flop or a clock jitter is used as a source of randomness. Many of the implementations employ ring oscillators as a clock. A large number of ring oscillators are often employed to maintain a required level of randomness. There are 256 ring oscillators used in the HDCP 2.x for a secret key generation for a safe data transmission.
FIG. 1A illustrates a simplified view of data encryption and decryption in HDCP. Referring to FIG. 1A, a secret key is constructed from a random number generated from True Random Number Generator (TRNG). The random number is used to calculate the secret keys both at the source and the sink. The random number is generated first from the source and the secret key is computed. At the same time, the random number can be transmitted to the sink so that it can calculate its own secret key. The source encrypts the video stream using the secret key via the XOR operation and encrypted video stream is transmitted to the sink. The sink uses its own secret key to decrypt the received encrypted video stream.
TRNG 102 employs a large number of ring oscillators to generate the random number. FIG. 1B illustrates an example of a TRNG. Referring to FIG. 1B, ring oscillators (ROs) 2011-N are the odd number of inverters 210 connected back-to-back through the combinational feedback as shown. The outputs of ring oscillators 2011-N are combined using XOR logic 202 and the output of XOR logic is connected to flip-flop 203. The sampling clock Fs is provided to capture a stream of the output of XOR logic 202 in order to obtain the random numbers.
Due to an inherent combinational feedback in ring oscillators 2011-N, testing of each of ring oscillators 2011-N using the economical structural tests such as the stuck-at test can be difficult. Often, ring oscillators 2011-N are functionally tested one at a time in isolation. Such conventional ring oscillator tests can involve observation of the ring oscillator output directly at the tester or employment of some on-chip counters to detect the oscillation produced by the ring oscillator under test. Testing the output of ring oscillator at the tester may be costly due to asynchronous nature of ring oscillator and inefficient test access. The test method employing the on-chip counters may suffer from hardware and test time overhead due to a test setup of each individual ring oscillator.
Thus, cost of the functional test can be substantial if a number of ring oscillators is large and is increasing. It is critical to provide low cost test solutions that are not cost sensitive to the increase in problem size, i.e. the number of employed ring oscillators, especially when the price of commercial ICs is continuously under the pressure but their cost of test persists if not increasing.

Test solution for a random number generator


A semiconductor package assembly is disclosed having a semiconductor die receiving member configured to accept a semiconductor die in either the flip-chip or the wirebond orientations. First contact sites on a die receiving surface provide electrical connection with a flip-chip component. Second contact sites provide electrical connection with a wirebond component. Electrically conductive traces connect the first and second contact sites with terminal contact sites. The semiconductor package assembly may further include the flip-chip or wirebond component mounted over the die receiving surface. Further, the assembly may also include a mounting substrate in electrical connection with the terminal contact sites.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to semiconductor chip packaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to semiconductor package assemblies configured to accept both flip-chip and wirebond semiconductor chips.
2. The Relevant Technology
Integrated circuits are currently manufactured by an elaborate process in which semiconductor devices, insulating films, and patterned conducting films are sequentially constructed in a predetermined arrangement on a semiconductor substrate. In the context of this document, the term xe2x80x9csemiconductor substratexe2x80x9d is defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material, including but not limited to bulk semiconductive material such as a semiconductive wafer, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon, and semiconductive material layers, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials. The term xe2x80x9csubstratexe2x80x9d refers to any supporting structure including but not limited to the semiconductor substrates described above. The term xe2x80x9celectronic componentxe2x80x9d refers to any device or structure which may be connected to and respond to an electrical power or signal source, and includes, but is not limited to, semiconductor dies, semiconductor substrates, and integrated circuits as described above.
Semiconductor dies are commonly packaged to produce devices in a form for convenient use by consumers. Packaging steps are conducted to provide signal and power distribution to and from the semiconductor die, to dissipate heat from the semiconductor die, and to physically protect the semiconductor die. There is an ongoing effort in the semiconductor industry to reduce packaging costs, to improve electrical and thermal performance, and to reduce size.
An important packaging process is that of mounting and electrically connecting a semiconductor die to a mounting substrate such as a printed circuit board. A printed circuit board has a series of internal and external printed wires for electrically connecting two or more semiconductor dies or other electronic components that are mounted or attached thereto. Commonly, a semiconductor die is mounted over a receiving member that is in turn attached to the mounting substrate. Often, the receiving member is also a printed circuit board. The receiving member has a series of internal electrically conductive traces, each of which extends between at least two contact sites. One contact site is positioned to provide electrical connection with a bond pad on the semiconductor die, while the other contact site is located so as to provide electrical connection with the mounting substrate. Thus, a semiconductor package assembly formed according to the above-described process includes a semiconductor die mounted over a receiving member, which is in turn attached to a mounting substrate.
Semiconductor dies are structured according to one of at least two available designs: wirebond and flip-chip. Wirebond semiconductor dies have a set of bond pads arrayed on a face thereof. These semiconductor dies are packaged on a mounting substrate such that the face having the bond pads faces away from the receiving member and the mounting substrate. The bond pads are then wired to corresponding contact sites on the receiving member. In contrast, the bond pads of a flip-chip semiconductor die are arrayed on the opposite face. The face of a flip-chip that has the bond pads is disposed directly on the receiving member. An array of solder balls or other conductive material provides electrical connection between the bond pads of the flip-chip and the contact sites of the receiving member.
Manufacturers may find it commercially desirable to produce any specific integrated circuit according to both the wirebond and flip-chip designs. For example, one customer may demand a flip-chip, while another customer may be satisfied with a wirebond semiconductor die. However, such dual design of integrated circuits has required two corresponding receiving members, one configured to receive a flip-chip, and the other to receive the wirebond semiconductor die. Dual design of receiving members is expensive for the manufacturerxe2x80x94it requires increased inventory and redundant design and effort. The cost of producing and keeping in inventory dual receiving members may make production of dually designed integrated circuits prohibitive, thereby preventing market demand from being satisfied. It will be appreciated that a receiving member that is capable of receiving either a flip-chip or a wirebond semiconductor die, as needed, would be advantageous.
The present invention is directed to a semiconductor package assembly that is configured to include or receive either a flip-chip or a wirebond semiconductor die. According to the invention, one receiving member design is sufficient to provide packaging for both the flip-chip and wirebond designs of a semiconductor die. Thus, a single receiving member can be used with either a flip-chip or wirebond semiconductor die according to customer demand or other design constraints. Various embodiments, of the invention include a receiving member alone or a receiving member in combination with one or both of a mounting substrate and an electronic component.
The receiving member according to the invention has a component receiving surface with a component receiving region thereon. The component receiving region is configured to receive an electronic component. The component receiving region is defined and bounded by a perimeter that corresponds to the periphery of the electronic component. Accordingly, an electronic component mounted over a component receiving surface will be aligned with and substantially positioned over the component receiving region.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, a plurality of first contact sites and a plurality of second contact sites are arrayed on the component receiving surface. The first contact sites are positioned within the perimeter of the component receiving region, and provide electrical connection with the bond pads of a flip-chip. The second contact sites are positioned outside of the perimeter, and provide electrical connection with the bond pads of a wirebond electronic component. Electrically conductive traces within the receiving member connect the first contact sites and the second contact sites with terminal contact sites positioned on a surface of the receiving member. Each trace connects one corresponding first contact site, one corresponding second contact site, and one corresponding terminal contact site.

Substrate for accepting wire bonded or flip-chip components


A system for monitoring a patient's vital signs that features a vital-sign monitor including sensors for measuring from the patient at least one of the following vital-sign data: O2 saturation, blood pressure, electro-cardiogram, respirator rate, and blood glucose level. The system also includes a global positioning system that determines location-based data. A wireless transmitter, in electrical contact with the vital-sign monitor and global positioning system, receives the vital-sign and location-based data and wirelessly transmits these data through a conventional wireless network. A gateway software piece receives and processes the data from the wireless network and stores these data in a computer memory associated with a database software piece. The system also includes an Internet-based user interface that displays the vital sign data for both individual patients and care-providers.

Medical professionals use a variety of medical devices to measure a patient's vital signs during a routine checkup. Such devices can measure, for example, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation (called O2 saturation), electro-cardiograms, heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood glucose level. A sphygmomanometer measures blood pressure with an inflatable cuff and sensing electronics that determine the patient's systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Another medical device, called a pulse oximeter, clips to the patient's finger and measures the percentage of haemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen. To make this measurement, the pulse oximeter includes separate light sources (e.g. diode lasers or light-emitting diodes) that emit radiation at two different wavelengths (typically 650 nm and 805 nm). Haemoglobin in the blood partly absorbs the light to a degree that depends on whether it is saturated or desaturated with oxygen. A calculator in the oximeter calculates the absorption at the two wavelengths and computes the proportion of haemoglobin that is oxygenated. The data are dependant on a pulsatile flow of blood and are typically plotted as a waveform that the calculator additionally analyzes to determine the patient's heart rate.
An electrocardiography measurement device measures a patient's electrocardiogram (ECG) with at least three conductive electrodes that attach to the patient. The electrodes detect time-dependent electrical impulses generated by the patient's beating heart. The measurement device also includes software that analyzes the impulses to determine a time-dependent waveform from which the patient's heart rate and cardiac response are calculated. The same electrodes used to measure an ECG can also include transducers or accelerometers that detect a patient's respiratory (i.e. breathing) rate.
Diabetic patients typically monitor their blood glucose level using a simple device called a glucometer. For these measurements, the patient draws a small sample of blood (by pricking a finger, for example) and applies this to a test strip. The patient then inserts the test strip into the glucometer, which includes an electrical system to determine the electrical properties of the blood. Software in the glucometer uses these properties to determine the patient's glucose level.
In typical applications, data indicating blood pressure, O2 saturation, ECG, heart rate, and respiratory rate are measured during a patient's appointment with a medical professional, such as a doctor, nurse, or certified diabetic educator. Once measured, the medical professional manually records these data in either a written or electronic file. Appointments typically take place a few times each year. And in some cases patients experience 'white coat syndrome' where anxiety during the appointment affects the vital signs that are measured. For example, white coat syndrome can elevate a patient's heart rate and blood pressure; this, in turn, can lead to an inaccurate diagnoses.
A diabetic patient will typically use a glucometer to measure their blood glucose levels several times each day, typically before and after meals. The patient may record the data in a logbook, which is then reviewed during at home or during a medical appointment. Some glucometers additionally include both electronic memory and a serial interface. In this case a personal computer equipped with the appropriate software and serial cable can download data from the glucometer and store it electronically in a file. The software may also include graphical capabilities that can, for example, plot data so that the patient can make a relatively sophisticated analysis of their blood glucose level.
Some medical devices for measuring the above-mentioned vital signs include systems for transmitting data from a remote site, such as the patient's home, to a central database. These systems can include a conventional computer modem that transmits data through a telephone line to the database. Or alternatively they can include a wireless transmitter, such as a cellular telephone or a radio modem, which wirelessly transmits the data through a wireless network.

Wireless, internet-based medical-diagnostic system


The invention provides a liquid container for storing liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus. The liquid container is constructed such that pressurized fluid is sent to its inside so that the liquid in the inside is delivered to the outside. The liquid container includes a container body which stores the liquid in its inside. The container body includes a pressurized fluid introduction port for introducing the pressurized fluid to the inside and a liquid delivery port for delivering the liquid to the outside. A detection unit is provided in the container body and outputs an output signal which is changed in accordance with a change in pressure of the liquid in the inside of the container body.

The present invention relates to a liquid container for storing liquid to be supplied to a liquid consuming apparatus such as an ink-jet recording apparatus.
As a typical example of a conventional liquid consuming apparatus, there is a liquid ejecting apparatus which ejects a liquid droplet from an ejecting head, and as a typical example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, there is an ink-jet recording apparatus provided with an ink-jet recording head for image recording. Other liquid ejecting apparatuses include, for example, an apparatus provided with a color material ejecting head used for manufacture of a color filter of a liquid crystal display or the like, an apparatus provided with an electrode material (conductive paste) ejecting head used for electrode formation of an organic EL display, a surface emitting display (FED) or the like, an apparatus provided with a biological organic material ejecting head used for manufacture of a biochip, an apparatus provided with a sample ejecting head as a precision pipette, and the like.
The ink-jet recording apparatus as the typical example of the liquid ejecting apparatus has been recently used in many printings including color printings because noises at the time of printing are relatively low and small dots can be formed at high density.
As a supplying method of liquid to the liquid consuming apparatus typified by the ink-jet recording apparatus, there is a method in which liquid is supplied from a liquid container storing the liquid to the liquid consuming apparatus. In this method, in order that a user can easily exchange the liquid container at the point of time when the liquid in the liquid container is consumed, the liquid container is generally constructed as a cartridge which is constructed to be removably attached to the liquid consuming apparatus.
As a conventional example of such a cartridge type liquid container, there is a type in which compressed air is sent into the inside of the liquid container to pressurize the liquid in the liquid container, and the liquid in the liquid container is delivered to the outside of the cartridge by using this pressure and is supplied to the liquid consuming apparatus. As stated above, by pressurizing the liquid in the liquid container and supplying it to the liquid consuming apparatus, for example, even in the case where a liquid discharge part in the liquid consuming apparatus is higher than the position of the liquid container, or even in the case where flow path resistance from the liquid container to the liquid discharge part is high, the liquid can be stably supplied from the liquid container to the liquid discharge part.
(1) U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,343 discloses an ink cartridge of a type in which compressed air is sent into an inner flexible bag, and an ink-jet printer in which the ink cartridge is mounted. A pressure sensor is connected to a pressurizing pump for pressurizing the air. The pressurizing pump is controlled in accordance with the output of this pressure sensor so that the supply of ink is controlled.
As described above, in the ink cartridge and the ink-jet printer disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,343, the supply of the ink is controlled on the basis of the operation of the pressurizing pump. Thus, for example, even in the case where the mounting of the ink cartridge to the ink-jet printer is poor, and the ink is not actually supplied to the inkjet printer although the pressurizing pump is operated, as long as the operation of the pressurizing pump is detected by the pressure sensor, it is mistaken that the ink is being supplied.
The present invention has been made in view of the foregoing circumstances, and has an object to provide a liquid container which is constructed such that pressurized fluid is sent into the inside of the liquid container so that liquid in the inside of the container is delivered to the outside, and in which it is possible to judge whether or not the liquid in the inside of the liquid container is actually being pressurized by the pressurized fluid.
(2) As a method of detecting an amount of ink remaining in an ink cartridge constructed to discharge ink using a pressurized fluid fed from outside, generally using air pressure, a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,039 in which electrodes are mounted on an ink bag formed of a flexible material for containing ink so as to face to each other for detecting the thickness of the ink bag. Another method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,435,638 in which a through hole is provided in the midway of a channel for connecting an ink bag to an ink feeding port and a pressure sensor is fixed so as to seal the through hole for detecting delivery pressure by the pressure sensor.
In the ink cartridges provided with the function of detecting the amount of remaining ink, the former can continuously detect the variation in the amount of ink in relation to detecting the thickness of the ink bag, but has a problem of low detection accuracy at ink end.
On the other hand, the latter can detect the amount of ink remaining at high accuracy when the amount of ink is really small. However, the latter is difficult to detect the amount of ink before the remaining ink amount reaches a set amount, such as ink end, because it detects the pressure of ink in the ink channel. Further, the latter suffers from a problem that the amount of ink for printing is significantly small after ink end is detected and thus printing becomes impossible.
The invention has been made in view of the problems. The object is to provide a liquid container capable of accurately detecting the point in time when an amount of liquid contained therein is reduced equal to or below a set amount and capable of feeding liquid with some margin after the set amount is detected.
(3). In a conventional ink cartridge in which compressed air is introduced into the inside of a container and ink is delivered to the outside of the container by its pressure, an assembling operation for forming a sealing structure between a pressurizing chamber into which the compressed air is introduced and a reservoir chamber in which the ink is stored or a disassembling operation has been complicated.
Besides, in the conventional ink cartridge of the foregoing type, even if an attempt is made to recycle a part of the components after use, it is structurally difficult to remove only necessary components, and the recycling has been very difficult or impossible.
Further, in the conventional ink cartridge of the foregoing type, there has been a problem that the compressed air introduced into the inside of the ink cartridge permeates through a flexible film separating the ink from the compressed air and dissolves in the ink, and the print quality is lowered.
The invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to facilitate the assembling and disassembling operation of a liquid container constructed such that pressurized fluid is sent into the inside of the liquid container so that liquid in the inside of the container is delivered to the outside.
Besides, in the liquid container of the foregoing type, the invention has an object to realize a structure which is easy to recycle.
Further, in the liquid container of the foregoing type, the invention has an object to prevent the pressurized fluid introduced into the inside of the container from dissolving in the liquid.
(4) In general, in a conventional ink cartridge provided with a detection unit of a remaining amount of ink, the ink cartridge and an ink-jet recording apparatus are connected with each other through an electric contact, an output signal of the detection unit is transmitted from the ink cartridge side to the ink-jet recording apparatus side through this electric contact, and the supply of electric power to the detection unit is also performed through the electric contact.
The detection unit of the remaining amount of ink in the conventional ink cartridge includes a type in which an actuator disposed to be adjacent to ink is vibrated and the existence of the ink is detected from its vibration state, and a type in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are provided and the existence of the ink therebetween is detected. In any type, since electric power consumed to drive the detection unit is large, sufficient electric power can not be supplied by the supply of electric power according to a noncontact form, and as described above, the supply of electric power according to a contact form using the electric contact must be adopted.
However, in the conventional ink cartridge using the electric contact, there is a case where the electric contact causes poor contact due to the poor mounting of the ink cartridge to the ink-jet recording apparatus or the attachment of a foreign matter to the electric contact. When the poor contact occurs at the electric contact as stated above, the output of the detection unit of the remaining amount of ink is not transmitted to the ink-jet recording apparatus side, or the operation of the detection unit becomes impossible since the supply of electric power to the detection unit can not be performed, and there has been possibility that the detection of the remaining amount of ink becomes impossible, and poor printing is caused
This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a liquid container which can transmit information relating to a remaining amount of liquid to a liquid consuming apparatus without providing an electric contact between the liquid container and the liquid consuming apparatus.
(5) In the case where a detection unit for detecting the remaining amount of ink in the inside of a liquid container, and a unit for communicating an output signal of the detection unit without providing an electric contact (for example, a unit for performing communication by an electric wave) are provided, it is preferable that the detection unit is incorporated in the inside of the liquid container and the communication unit is also incorporated in the inside of the liquid container from the viewpoint of protection of the communication unit.
However, since a mounting space of the detection unit and the communication unit in the inside of the liquid container is limited, it is desired that while the space efficiency is considered, the detection unit and the communication unit are incorporated in the inside of the liquid container, and electrical connection of both is achieved without fail.
In addition to the case where the whole of the communication unit is disposed in the inside of the liquid container, this is also desired in the case where a part (for example, an antenna) of the communication unit is disposed at the outside of the liquid container, and the other part (for example, an electrical connection part to the detection unit, or a control part for controlling the communication) of the communication unit is disposed in the inside of the liquid container, or in the case where a communication unit is a contact type communication unit using an electric contact, a part (for example, the electric contact) of the communication unit is disposed at the outside of the liquid container, and the other part (for example, an electrical connection part to the detection unit or a control part for controlling the communication) is disposed in the inside of the liquid container.
This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a liquid container in which when at least a part of the detection unit of the remaining amount of liquid and the communication unit is incorporated in the inside of the liquid container, electrical connection of both can be easily and certainly achieved.
(6) A liquid container in which liquid in the inside of a liquid container is pressurized by pressurized fluid is generally provided with a valve unit. That is, the liquid container as stated above is constructed such that the valve unit is provided at a liquid delivery port for delivering the liquid in the inside, and this valve unit keeps a valve closed state at a normal time, and when the liquid container is mounted in a liquid consuming apparatus, the valve is opened.
However, the valve unit in the liquid container has a problem that when the valve body is pressed from the outside in a state where the liquid container is not mounted in the liquid consuming apparatus, air flows into the inside of the liquid container, or the liquid in the inside of the liquid container leaks to the outside.
As a measure to prevent the inflow of the air, it is conceivable to provide a check valve which is opened only in the direction of delivering the liquid. However, there is a problem that this measure increases the number of parts, and the layout of part arrangement becomes difficult. Further, even if the check valve is provided as the air inflow preventing measure, the problem of the leakage of the liquid from the liquid container by pressing the valve body from the outside is not resolved.
This invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has an object to prevent, in a liquid container constructed such that pressurized fluid is introduced into the inside of the liquid container so that liquid in the inside of the container is delivered to the outside, the inflow of air to the inside of the liquid container and the leakage of the liquid from the liquid container.


An electronic device includes a display section that displays an object; a touch panel that detects a touch input manipulation; a touch determination section that determines a type and a direction of the touch input manipulation performed on the object; and a scroll control unit that performs a first inertial scroll of the object in a direction of flicking manipulation when the touch determination section determines that that flicking manipulation is performed on the object without performing slide manipulation on the object, and a second inertial scroll of the object that is longer in scroll distance and faster in scroll speed than the first inertial scroll when the touch determination section determines that slide manipulation is performed on the object and then the flicking manipulation is performed on the object in a direction opposite to the direction of the slide manipulation.

Electronic devices having touch panels as input means are prevalent. Screen scroll control is performed in these electronic devices.
Patent Literature 1 includes the following descriptions. When touch determination means has determined that a touch input whose shift speed or shift amount is in excess of a predetermined given value has been made in one certain direction on an object which is registered as exhibiting a virtual continuous extent outside a display screen, display control means provides a scroll display of the object in the direction while taking the shift speed of the touch input as initial speed. Patent Literature 1 also includes descriptions stating that, when the touch determination means detects completion of a touch input, the display control means performs display control to thereby slow scroll speed of the scroll display to a stop.
Patent Literature 2 includes descriptions about control that is carried out to take, as a displacement scroll state, a period during which coordinates are input by way of coordinate input means and switch the state to an inertial scroll state when the inputting of coordinates entered by way of the coordinate input means has stopped. In the displacement scroll state, control is performed in such a way that a display screen is scrolled along a vector which is equal to a vector of a change in input coordinates. In the meantime, in the inertial scroll state, control is performed so as to scroll a display screen along a vector proportional to a vector of changes in input coordinates achieved right before cessation of inputting of coordinates and decrease the scroll speed of the display screen decreases with a lapse of time.

Electronic device, method of controlling display, and program

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


A fuel injection nozzle is disclosed which comprises a value needle slidable within a bore and biased by a spring into engagement with a seating of conical form wherein the valve needle includes an upstream conical region of cone angle slightly larger than the seating and a downstream conical region of cone angle slightly smaller than the seating, and an annular groove provided between the upstream and downstream regions wherein an upstream edge of the groove forms with the upstream region a seating line along which the valve needle engages the seating when the valve needle is in its closed position.

It is known from the prior art described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,205 and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,237 to form the valve member so that the seating line is defined by the meeting line of two conical surfaces the upstream one of which has a cone angle which is less than the cone angle of the frusto conical seating and the downstream one of which has a cone angle which is greater than that of the seating. In one example the included angle between the conical surface of the seating and the downstream conical surface of the valve member is greater than the included angle between the conical surface of the seating and the upstream conical surface of the valve member. With this arrangement as the surfaces wear the effective seating line moves in the upstream direction so that the nozzle opening pressure increases assuming that there is no substantial deterioration in the force exerted by the resilient means. The disadvantage of this arrangement is that the greater included angle between the downstream conical surface of the valve member and the seating results in an increased volume of fuel trapped in the space between the seating line and the outlet orifice when the valve member is in the closed position. This fuel can dribble through the orifice into the engine and cause unwanted exhaust emissions. If the included angle downstream of the seating line is reduced the aforesaid volume of fuel is reduced but there is an increasing tendency for the effective seating line to move in the downstream direction particularly if the downstream included angle is less than the upstream included angle. As a result the area of the valve member exposed to the fuel pressure in the closed position of the valve member increases and the nozzle opening pressure falls so that there is a deterioration in the performance of the nozzle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,205 also describes how a groove may be formed in the downstream conical surface of the valve member, the groove being spaced in the downstream direction from the seating line. The downstream included angle is less than the upstream included angle and the action of the groove is to minimise the movement as wear takes place, of the seating line in the downstream direction. Thus whilst in use there will be a reduction of the nozzle opening pressure the extent of the reduction will be limited by the action of the groove.
GB 2186632 describes a nozzle arrangement including a nozzle body having an inner conical seating, and a valve needle including a conical surface engageable with the seating, the conical surface of the valve needle being interrupted by an annular groove or slot arranged to alter the flow characteristics of fuel through the nozzle when the valve needle is lifted from the seating. A similar annular groove is provided in the arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,952,816, in this case the groove being upstream of the effective seating line of the nozzle
The object of the present invention is to provide a fuel injection nozzle of the kind specified in an improved form.


The present invention provides a method for power control based on estimates of cumulative received energy. The method includes accessing a plurality of slot detection metrics associated with a plurality of slots, combining the plurality of slot detection metrics, and determining a power control instruction based upon the combined slot detection metrics.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to telecommunication systems, and, more particularly, to wireless telecommunication systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
The transmission power used to transmit symbols over an air interface, e.g., the air interface between a mobile unit and a base station (or a base station and a mobile unit) in a wireless telecommunication system, is typically determined by balancing competing constraints. For example, increasing the transmission power may reduce a bit error rate associated with transmissions over the air interface. However, increasing the transmission power may also increase system interference between mobile units and/or base stations. Increasing the transmission power of a transmitter in a mobile unit may also reduce the operational lifetime of a battery in the mobile unit. Thus, the transmission power may be selected to balance the competing desires for a low bit error rate, low system interference, long battery life, and increased system capacity. In order to maintain a proper balance between these competing factors, it is desirable to maintain a constant received power at the receiver.
The path loss between the transmitter and the receiver in a mobile wireless environment varies with time. This time varying nature is caused by fading inherent to a terrestrial wireless channel (commonly referred to as fast fading), or due to distance between the transmitter and receiver, or due to shadow obstructions. Thus under proper control, the optimal transmission power typically varies over time to compensate for the time-varying path loss. For example, the transmission power of a transmitter in a mobile unit and/or a base station may be continually increased to maintain an acceptable bit error rate as the mobile unit moves away from the base station, even though this may result in reduced battery life and/or increased system interference. Thus, closed loop power control systems may be used to control the transmission power of transmitters in wireless telecommunication systems. In a typical closed loop power control system, such as may be implemented in wireless telecommunications systems that operate in accordance with TDMA, IEEE 802.xx, CDMA 2000 and/or UMTS protocols, feedback information is sent from a receiver to a transmitter at regular intervals. For example, the transmission power associated with slots in a frame may be controlled using a single power control bit that may be transmitted once per slot. The power control bit may instruct the transmitter to either reduce or increase the transmitted power for the next slot, depending upon a signal-to-noise ratio associated with a received signal, such as a pilot or traffic signal.
In one conventional technique, the value of the power control bit is determined by comparing a signal-to-noise ratio associated with a received signal to a reference value, sometimes referred to as a set point. For example, a ratio of the signal energy to a noise power spectral density (Ec/Nt) for a received pilot or traffic signal may be compared to a reference value of Ec/Nt. The power control bit may then be set to instruct the transmitter to reduce the transmitted power when Ec/Nt is larger than the reference value and to increase the transmitted power when Ec/Nt is less than the reference value. For another example, the chip energy (Ec) for a received pilot or traffic signal may be compared to a reference value of the chip energy Ec. The power control bit may then be set to instruct the transmitter to reduce the transmitted power when Ec is larger than the reference value and to increase the transmitted power when Ec is less than the reference value.
The conventional power control technique described above is strictly temporally-local and bimodal. If the received value of Ec/Nt (or Ec) during the immediate previous slot is larger than the set point, then a power down command is transmitted to the transmitter via a power control channel. If the received value of Ec/Nt (or Ec) during the immediate previous slot is smaller than the set point, then a power up command is transmitted to the transmitter via a power control channel. The transmitter then applies a predetermined power correction (sometimes also referred to as a step size) of a fixed value to compensate for the excess or deficient received power in a fading channel. For example, the transmitter may apply a step size of 0.5 or 1 decibels. The same step size is applied regardless of how far the received value of Ec/Nt (or Ec) deviates from the set point (i.e. the technique is bimodal). Furthermore, the value of the power control bit is strictly based on information associated with only the immediate previous slot (i.e. the technique is temporally-local).
Coded transmission using temporally-local and/or bimodal power control techniques may use more power than is needed to achieve the desired performance. The inefficiencies in the temporally-local and/or bimodal power control system may be caused by temporal channel variations in wireless telecommunication systems, insufficient granularity and/or step-size in the allowable levels of transmitted power, latencies in the power control loop, errors in the estimation of Ec/Nt, and the like. Consequently, closed loop power control may result in unnecessarily large system interference, system capacity waste, and reduced battery life.
The present invention is directed to addressing the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.

Power control based on estimates of cumulative received energy


In a scenario where a laboratory is required to perform a plurality of tests on biological samples from a plurality of tubes in a manner that satisfies certain constraints, it is possible that the laboratory could handle the samples and assign them to machines in a manner which ensures that the relevant constraints are met. This could include using matrices and optimization functions to represent tubes, tests, machines and prescriptions, and could also include dynamically determining whether and how to aliquot the samples so as to meet the constraints given the conditions under which the samples would be processed.

Generally, in the context of performing laboratory tests on human biological materials, a number of tubes drawn from a patient may vary according to a variety of factors. On one hand, there may be health benefits to removing as little sample material (e.g., blood) as possible from a patient. On the other hand, collecting multiple tubes of biological material may be beneficial in that it may allow for tests to be run on different instruments in parallel, thereby enabling results and associated medical treatments to be provided at the earliest possible instance. Various ways of balancing these competing considerations, such as using policies to determine how much material to collect from a patient, or separating samples into separate tubes after collecting the samples, have been tried, and known techniques suffer from one or more disadvantages in handling biological materials. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved technology for handling of biological material in order to ameliorate the known disadvantages in handling biological materials.


A method comprises contacting a compound having formulae (1) with a compound having formula MLo to form a metal:[M(SiR3)m(L1)p]n  (1)wherein                M is Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Al, a second row transition metal or a third row transition metal;        R are each independently H, C1-C6 alkyl or —Si(R″)3;        R″ are each independently H or C1-C6 alkyl;        m is an integer from 1 to 3;        n is a number representing the formation of aggregates or polymeric material;        L1 is a neutral donor ligand;L is a ligand;p is an integer from 0 to 6; and        o is an integer representing the number of ligands bonded to MLo.

The growth of thin films is a central step in the fabrication of many functional materials and devices. While film growth efforts have been traditionally directed toward films greater than 100 nm, recent trends in several areas are calling for the growth of films ranging in thickness from a few atomic layers up to tens of nanometers.
In the microelectronics area, copper has replaced aluminum as the interconnect material in integrated circuits due to its lower resistivity and higher resistance to electromigration. Ultrathin (2-8 nm) manganese-silicon-oxygen layers have been proposed as replacements for existing nitride-based copper diffusion barrier layers in future devices. Since copper does not nucleate well on SiO2 and other surfaces, it is difficult to deposit copper metal onto the surface features of microelectronic substrates. Accordingly, there has been considerable interest in the formation of seed layers of metals such as chromium, cobalt, and others which adhere better to substrates, and upon which copper films can be subsequently grown.
Atomic layer deposition ("ALD") is a thin film deposition technique that addresses many of the current technological demands. ALD affords inherently conformal coverage and sub-nanometer film thickness control due to its self-limited growth mechanism. In a typical ALD process, a substrate is contacted with a first chemical composition that modifies the substrate for a first predetermined period of time (a pulse). Such modification involves adsorption to the surface of the substrate, reaction with the surface of the substrate, or a combination of adsorption and reaction. A purging gas is introduced to remove any lingering first gaseous chemical composition in the vicinity of the substrate. A second gaseous chemical composition that reacts with the modified substrate surface is introduced for a second predetermined period of time into the vicinity of the substrate to form a portion of the thin film. A purging gas is subsequently introduced to remove any lingering second chemical composition in the vicinity of the substrate. These steps of contacting the substrate with the first chemical composition, purging, contacting the substrate with the second gaseous chemical composition, and purging are usually repeated a plurality of times until a film of desired thickness is coated onto the substrate. Although the prior art ALD processes work well, there is, unfortunately, only a limited number of chemical precursors having the requisite thermal stability, reactivity, and vapor pressure for ALD.
Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods for depositing thin films by atomic layer deposition.

Deposition of metal films based upon complementary reactions


According to the present invention an S-parameter file input section inputs S-parameters for each device constituting a system subject to a transmission analysis, a port position correspondence conversion section converts the input S-parameters so as to correspond to preset port positions to be connected, an S-parameter/T-parameter conversion section converts S-parameters to T-parameters, a connection calculation section carries out a connection calculation of T-parameters to obtain T-parameters of the entire system, a T-parameter/S-parameter conversion section converts T-parameters of the entire system to S-parameters of the entire system and an S-parameter file output section outputs S-parameters of the entire system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an S-parameter calculation technology used to design a high-frequency circuit and so on, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for S-parameter calculation, and program and recording medium thereof, capable of accurately calculating S-parameters of an entire system made up of a plurality of devices and calculating S-parameters of arbitrary lengths of a single device having a large aspect ratio such as a cable or wiring.
2. Description of the Related Art
First, S-parameters will be explained. S-parameters are parameters indicating a relationship between inputs and outputs of a circuit. When there is an input from a port 1 of a circuit with 4 port terminals as shown in FIG. 13, outputs corresponding to certain characteristics appear at respective ports from port 1 to port 4. These characteristics are reflection for the port 1, transmission for the port 3 and crosstalk for the port 2 and port 4.
The relationship between the input and outputs of transmission, reflection and crosstalk of the circuit shown in FIG. 13 can be expressed in a form of a matrix calculation shown in FIG. 14. The matrix elements (S11 to S44) of the matrix (complex matrix) in FIG. 14 expressing the relationship between the input and output of the circuit are S-parameters. To be exact, S-parameters indicate relationships between absolute values of voltages and phases among ports.
Inputs/outputs of a circuit with 4 port terminals shown in FIG. 15 will be explained as an example. In the figure, suppose numerals 1 to 4 attached to the respective ports denote port numbers and ai (1≦i≦4) denotes an input from each port and bi (1≦i≦4) denotes an output of each port.
The relationship between inputs and outputs of the circuit with 4 port terminals shown in FIG. 15 can be expressed by a complex matrix whose matrix elements consist of S-parameters S11 to S44 as:
      (                                        b            1                                                            b            2                                                            b            3                                                            b            4                                )    =            (                                                  S              11                                                          S              12                                                          S              13                                                          S              14                                                                          S              21                                                          S              22                                                          S              23                                                          S              24                                                                          S              31                                                          S              32                                                          S              33                                                          S              34                                                                          S              41                                                          S              42                                                          S              43                                                          S              44                                          )                  (                                                  a              1                                                                          a              2                                                                          a              3                                                                          a              4                                          )
S-parameters can be extracted through a three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis and actual measurement. A transmission analysis using S-parameters is performed using SPICE which is a general circuit simulation tool. SPICE performs a transmission analysis by incorporating input S-parameters.
When S-parameters of an entire system to which a plurality of devices are connected are calculated, attempting to extract S-parameters by regarding the entire system as a simulation target using a technique based on a three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis would cause the simulation scale to become too large to calculate S-parameters. Therefore, the technique based on the three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis involves a problem that it is not possible to extract S-parameters of the entire system at a time.
For example, as shown in FIG. 16, when a system which comprises an LSI 110, a BGA (Ball Grid Array) 111, a connector 112, a BP (back panel) 113, a Via (not shown) provided for the BP 113, a PCB (printed circuit board) 114 and wiring 115 are subjected to a three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis, the number of meshes and a calculation time increase, and therefore it is not possible to extract S-parameters of the entire system at a time.
Furthermore, S-parameters of a device having a large aspect ratio such as wiring or a cable as shown in FIG. 17, for example, cannot be extracted through a three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis with sufficient accuracy and should be actually measured every time the length of the wiring or cable and so on is changed.
On the other hand, in the case of the technique based on actual measurements, as shown in FIG. 18, for example, when measuring systems 210 such as probes are attached on and beneath a connector 112 to measure S-parameters of the connector 112, S-parameters including not only the S-parameters of the connector 112 but also the S-parameters of the measuring systems 210 are measured, causing a problem that the accuracy in extracting S-parameter of the connector 112 itself degrades.
Furthermore, there is another problem that it is difficult to measure S-parameters of a device having a large aspect ratio such as a cable or wiring.
As shown above, it has been conventionally difficult to calculate S-parameters of an entire system made up of a plurality of devices, and therefore when carrying out a transmission analysis of the entire system, the conventional technology performs a transmission analysis by extracting S-parameters of single devices individually and connecting the extracted S-parameters on a SPICE model.
For example, the conventional technology performs a three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis on the LSI 110, BGA 111, wiring 115 and connector 112 shown in FIG. 16 separately, extracts S-parameters device by device, connects the S-parameters of the respective devices on a SPICE model as shown in FIG. 19 and performs a transmission analysis of the entire system as shown in FIG. 16.
By using FIG. 20A, FIG. 20B and FIG. 21, the conventional technology will be explained more specifically. Suppose S-parameters of a test coupon 211 as shown in FIG. 20A are extracted and a transmission analysis using SPICE is performed. In FIG. 20A, reference numeral 212 denotes a probe and 115 denotes wiring. FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view of the test coupon 211 shown in FIG. 20A. The notation "SUS" of the test coupon 211 shown in FIG. 20B denotes a stainless steel portion.
As shown in FIG. 20A, the S-parameter extraction target range corresponds to the portion having a length of 4 cm which corresponds to the wire length of the wiring 115. Since the S-parameter extraction target range is long, it is not possible to realize a three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis as a single model. Therefore, the test coupon 211 is divided into two areas; left portion and right portion and S-parameters of the respective areas are extracted.
FIG. 21 illustrates a principle of the conventional technology. Of the divided test coupon 211, S-parameters of the left portion and S-parameters of the right portion are extracted individually through a three-dimensional electromagnetic field analysis. Then, SPICE models are created from the extracted S-parameters of the left portion and S-parameters of the right portion respectively and both SPICE models are connected and subjected to a transmission analysis.
There is no document describing a technology for carrying out a transmission analysis of an entire system which automatically calculates S-parameters of the entire system using connection codes based on a plurality of S-parameters, obtains S-parameters of the entire system and then creates a SPICE model.
When a transmission analysis is performed using the conventional technology, inverse FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) shown in Formula 1 below is performed as many times as the number of S-parameters connected on the SPICE model.
                              Y                                (            t            )                          =                              ∫                          -              ∞                        t                                                        S                                            (                τ                )                                                                x                                            (                                  t                  -                  τ                                )                                                                ⅆ              τ                                                          Formula                                                  1            Formula 1 can be expressed as shown in Formula 2 in discrete areas.
                              Y                                (                          n                                                                                Δ                                                                                t                        )                          =                              ∑                          k              =                              -                                  (                                      N                    -                    1                                    )                                                      0                                                        S                                            (                                  k                                                                                Δ                                                                                t                                )                                                                x                                            (                                                      (                                          n                      -                      k                                        )                                                      Δ                                                                                t                                )                                                                        Formula                                                  2
Since the conventional technology connects S-parameters on a SPICE model and performs the integral calculation in Formula 2 repeatedly, errors may be accumulated producing so many errors that affect a transmission analysis. Therefore, it is difficult to perform an accurate transmission analysis.
FIG. 22 shows results of a transmission analysis conducted on the test coupon 211 shown in FIG. 20A by extracting S-parameters of the test coupon on the left portion and right portion as shown in FIG. 21 using the conventional technology and by creating SPICE models from the respective S-parameters. A thin line in the figure shows a measured value and a thick line shows the result of the transmission analysis using SPICE. As shown in the area encircled with a dotted line in FIG. 22, when a SPICE transmission analysis is performed using the conventional technology, it is observed that errors (disturbances of waveform) have occurred.
Furthermore, the conventional technology cannot calculate S-parameters of arbitrary lengths from some S-parameters of a single device having a large aspect ratio such as a cable or wiring.

Apparatus and method for S-parameter calculation, and program and recording medium thereof


Portions of a cache are flushed in stages. An exemplary flushing of the present invention comprises flushing a first portion, performing operations other than a flush, and then flushing a second portion of the cache. The first portion may be disabled after it is flushed. The cache may be functionally divided into portions prior to a flush, or the portions may be determined in part by an abort signal. The operations may access either the cache or the memory. The operations may involve direct memory access or interrupt servicing.

This invention relates to cache flushing.
A cache is flushed in order to make sure that the contents of the cache and a main memory are the same. Typically, a cache flush is initiated by a processor issuing a flush command. A cache controller will then write back data from the cache into the main memory.


Continuous streaming video is conditioned for display at a remote monitor adapted for receiving and playing a streaming video file of a discrete length. The continuous streaming video has no known beginning of data signal and no known end of data signal, and an arbitrary beginning of data signal is assigned to the streaming video in mid-stream and an arbitrary end of data signal is assigned to the streaming video for identifying the length of the video stream and for making it compatible with the display platform. The continuous streaming video may be time stamped, and the beginning of data signal may be arbitrarily assigned a zero value for identifying an artificial beginning of the file. Specifically, the each time stamp received may be calculated by resetting each time stamp received time stamp with a value of the current time stamp minus first time stamp received, whereby the first time stamp received is set to zero and additional time stamps are counted from the first time stamp received. The encoded video signal may be viewed by more than one user, wherein the streaming video signal is sent to a multicast group address for forwarding the stream identified recipients, with a multicast routing technique used for determining that multiple recipients are located on one specific network path or path segment, wherein only one copy of the video signal is sent along that path.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention is generally related to digital video transmission systems and is specifically directed to a method and apparatus for compressing and distributing digitized video over a network for supporting the transmission of live, near real-time video data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cameras employ digital encoders that produce industry-standard digital video streams such as, by way of example, MPEG-1 streams. The use of MPEG-1 streams is advantageous due to the low cost of the encoder hardware, and to the ubiquity of software MPEG-1 players. However, difficulties arise from the fact that the MPEG-1 format was designed primarily to support playback of recorded video from a video CD, rather than to support streaming of 'live' sources such as surveillance cameras and the like.
MPEG system streams contain multiplexed elementary bit streams containing compressed video and audio. Since the retrieval of video and audio data form the storage medium (or network) tends to be temporally discontinuous, it is necessary to embed certain timing information in the respective video and audio elementary streams. In the MPEG-1 standard, these consist of Presentation Timestamps (PTS) and, optionally, Decoding Timestamps (DTS).
On desktop computers, it is common practice to play MPEG-1 video and audio using a commercially available software package, such as, by way of example, the Microsoft Windows Media Player. This software program may be run as a standalone application. Otherwise, components of the player may be embedded within other software applications.
Media Player, like MPEG-1 itself, is inherently file-oriented and does support playback of continuous sources such as cameras via a network. Before Media Player begins to play back a received video file, it must first be informed of certain parameters including file name and file length. This is incompatible with the concept of a continuous streaming sources, which may not have a filename and which has no definable file length.
Moreover, the time stamping mechanism used by Media Player is fundamentally incompatible with the time stamping scheme standardized by the MPEG-1 standard. MPEG-1 calls out a time stamping mechanism which is based on a continuously incrementing 94 kHz clock located within the encoder. Moreover, the MPEG-1 standard assumes no Beginning-of-File marker, since it is intended to produce a continuous stream.
Media Player, on the other hand, accomplishes time stamping by counting 100's of nanoseconds since the beginning of the current file.

Method and apparatus for distributing digitized streaming video over a network


Devices, systems, methods, and kits for remotely operating a switch are described herein. An example embodiment of a system for remotely operating a switch comprises a plate, a connecting member, a first fastener, a second fastener, a first attachment member, a second attachment member, a first wire member, a second wire member, and a pulling member. The plate has a body that defines a first bend and a second bend and is releasably attached to the handle of a switch. During use, an operator utilizes the first and second wire members to moved the switch between an open state and a closed state.

A variety of electrical switches have been developed that provide a mechanism to alter the state of an electrical device, such as a transformer. For example, a loadbreak switch can be used to energize and de-energize a transformer by moving the loadbreak switch between an open state and a closed state. The art provides examples of devices and methods for manipulating a loadbreak switch in this manner. Unfortunately, known devices and methods have multiple drawbacks, including some that present significant safety concerns. For example, conventional telescoping hot sticks—an elongated rod designed to allow an operator to manipulate the handle of a loadbreak switch from a distance—are heavy and can be difficult to engage with a target handle. Furthermore, these devices require the operator to take a position directly in front of the electrical device controlled by the switch, such as a transformer, potentially exposing the operator to an arc flash or other dangerous conditions that can develop as a result of manipulating the switch.
A need exists, therefore, for improved devices, systems, methods, and kits for remotely operating a switch.


A spring-return, pneumatic actuator includes a casing having therein a cylinder chamber, a housing chamber and a spring chamber and equipped therein with a piston reciprocating by air supplied and discharged from an air supply and exhaust vent on a primary side of the pistons. A piston rod is joined to the piston, and a conversion mechanism is provided for converting a reciprocating motion of the piston into a rotary motion. A spring undergoes a snap action due to the reciprocating motion of the piston, and a communication space chamber is formed via a communication part to have a predetermined volume from a secondary side to the spring chamber. The cylinder chamber has the piston and the piston rod built-in, the housing chamber has the conversion mechanism built-in and the spring chamber has the spring built-in.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuator that converts a linear motion into a rotary motion to enable operation of a rotary valve, such as a ball valve, a butterfly valve, etc. and particularly to a spring-return, pneumatic actuator capable of preventing intrusion of the ambient air.
2. Description of the Prior Art
For example, Japanese Patent No. 3738431 discloses a spring return actuator, in which compressed air is supplied to produce a forth motion of a piston. The forth motion is converted into a rotary motion of a rotary shaft with a conversion mechanism having a piston rod, and the snap action of a spring is utilized to produce a back motion of the piston rod, thereby making the rotary shaft counter-rotating.
The conventional actuator has an integral structure comprising a cylinder chamber, a spring chamber and a conversion portion that is a housing for connecting the two chambers. The cylinder chamber is provided therein with a piston and a piston rod joined to the piston. Each of the primary chamber (for the sake of convenience, called a cylinder right chamber) and the secondary chamber (for convenience sake, called a cylinder left chamber) of the piston in the cylinder chamber is equipped with an air supply and exhaust vent for introducing air into the inside of the cylinder.
To the air supply and exhaust vent of the cylinder right chamber is connected a compressed air supply source, such as a compressor, from which compressed air is supplied into the cylinder right chamber to operate the piston. On the other hand, the air supply and exhaust vent of the cylinder left chamber is adapted to discharge the air therein when compressed air has been supplied into the cylinder right chamber and to suck the ambient air in the cylinder left chamber when the spring in the spring chamber has been snapped back.
When the compressed air is supplied into the cylinder right chamber during the course of the actuator operation, an output shaft within the housing is rotated with the movement of the piston and piston rod. At this time, since the air in the cylinder left chamber is discharged to the exterior via the air supply and exhaust vent, the pressure in the cylinder is prevented from increasing to a positive pressure, thereby enabling the piston rod to be operated. On this occasion, the spring is pushed by a spring retainer with the movement of the piston rod, thereby being compressed.
When the supply of the compressed air into the cylinder right chamber is then interrupted to elongate the spring by means of its snap action, the piston rod is operated in the direction opposite to that at the time the compressed air is supplied. As a result, the output shaft is rotated in the direction opposite to that at the time of the operation. At this time, the compressed air in the cylinder right chamber is discharged, whereas the external atmosphere is sucked in the cylinder left chamber to prevent the cylinder left chamber from decreasing to a negative pressure, thereby enabling the piston rod to be operated.
Thus, the conventional actuator of Japanese Patent No. 3738431 is intended to prevent the pressure in the cylinder from being varied through positive supply and discharge of the air to keep the output shaft torque substantially constant and, in particular, to suck the external atmosphere in the cylinder via the air supply and exhaust vent at the time of the spring snap action, thereby preventing the cylinder interior from being brought to a vacuum state. In addition, the conventional actuator is provided with a vent port communicating with the spring chamber so as not to fluctuate the pressure in the spring chamber due to a large variation in internal volume of the spring chamber made at the time of the spring compression and elongation, thereby enabling the air in the spring chamber to be positively supplied or discharged via the vent port.
JP-A 2007-162890 discloses an actuator for a valve, in which a circulating current pipe disposed outside a cylinder is connected to an air supply and exhaust vent provided in the cylinder, and a pressurized air source and a check valve are provided in the circulating current pipe, whereby the ambient air is prevented from being sucked in the cylinder.
However, since the conventional actuator of Japanese Patent No. 3738431 adopts the configuration in which during the course of the back motion, the ambient air is sucked in the cylinder left chamber via the air supply and exhaust vent communicating with the external atmosphere, there is a possibility of moisture, such as seawater, rainwater, etc. and foreign material, such as dust, etc. invading the cylinder interior as being mixed with the ambient air.
For this reason, when the conventional actuator is used outdoors, there is a case where the piston cannot smoothly be operated due to the moisture and foreign matter. Particularly, when plural actuators of this type are used for a plant in a coastal neighborhood, these possibly suck therein the ambient air containing seawater and saline matter, resulting in that the cylinder interior would be prone to rusting and exhibit a high attrition rate. Furthermore, even when the spring chamber is provided therein with a vent port, similarly to the case of the cylinder, invasion of moisture, such as seawater, and foreign matter brings about a high attrition rate. Moreover, the formation of the vent port would make the contour of the actuator larger, i.e. difficult to attain compactness of the actuator, and increase the number of man-hours and parts for the actuator manufacture. These are problematic.
The invasion of moisture or foreign matter into the main body of the actuator prevents smooth reciprocation of the piston, resulting in failure to play the role as an emergency shutoff valve. While water, dust, etc. are easy to enter the actuator when the air supply and exhaust vents open upward, particularly when the direction in which the air supply and exhaust vents open is charged, the directionality of the main body of the actuator to be installed is restricted, causing a problem of limiting the places of installment of the actuator main body.
In order to prevent invasion of moisture, foreign matter, etc. it is conceivable that the inside of the actuator is subjected to coating or that the main body of the actuator is formed of an antirust material. In either case, however, a problem will arise in which the manufacturing cost is increased. On the other hand, even when the inlet of the air supply and exhaust vent is provided with a filter etc., there is a possibility of fine foreign matter passing through the filter and entering the main body of the actuator to induce an interference with the operation or of use of the filter over a long period of time inducing clogging with the dust accumulated.
In view of the above, it is conceivable that the actuator is formed into a sealed structure so as not to be exposed to the ambient air. In this case, however, the cylinder right chamber is possibly brought to a negative pressure state during the course of the back motion of the piston to pull the piston back, thereby making it difficult to normally operate the output shaft. What is conceivable in order to eliminate this problem is to adopt a structure in which the diameter of the cylinder is made larger to increase the internal volume of the cylinder right chamber, thereby suppressing a negative pressure state otherwise produced during the operation of the piston. According to this structure, however, a problem will be posed, in which the amount of the compressed air flowing into the conversion portion consumed will be increased.
On the other hand, since JP 2007-162890 requires the circulating current pipe to be disposed outside the cylinder, it fails to satisfy the demand for making a valve actuator compact.
As different means for increasing the internal volume of the cylinder, a structure in which the axial length of the cylinder right chamber is extended is conceivable. According to this structure, however, since the cylinder elongates excessively in the lengthwise direction, desired compactness of the actuator main body will not be satisfied and the installation space will be increased. These are also problematic.
The present invention has been accomplished in order to solve the conventional problems and has as its object to provide a compact, spring-return, pneumatic actuator capable of preventing invasion of extraneous material, such as moisture, dust, etc. into the actuator main body to smoothly operate in order and also capable of suppressing a variation in pressure in the main body to smoothly operate with a prescribed torque.


A method is provided for determining a deterioration condition of a memory device. The method includes calculating first information corresponding to a number of bits having a first logic value from data obtained by performing a first read operation on target storage region of the memory device using a first reference voltage as a read voltage, and calculating second information corresponding to a number of bits having a second logic value from data obtained by performing a second read operation on the target storage region using a second reference voltage as the read voltage. A deterioration condition of the target storage region is determined based on the first and second information. The first reference voltage is less than a first read voltage by which an erase state of the memory device is distinguished from an adjacent program state, and the second reference voltage is higher than the first read voltage.

The inventive concept relates to a memory device and a method of controlling the same, and more particularly, to a method of determining a deterioration state of a memory device and a memory system using the same.
Memory devices used to store data may be classified as volatile memory devices or nonvolatile memory devices. Properties of a memory device may vary according to its environment, the number of times the memory device is used, and an elapsed time. Accordingly, a technique of determining the exact type of deterioration condition of the memory device would improve reliability of the memory device.

Method of determining deterioration state of memory device and memory system using the same


A luminaire contains a main light source the light of which is emitted by the luminaire, and an additional light source the light of which is mixed with the light of the main light source before the emission thereof. A part of the light issued by the additional light source is, with respect to the light emitted by the main light source, issued by the luminaire housing directed to the side or to the rear side.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a luminaire which has a main light source, the light of which is emitted from the luminaire, and an additional light source, the light of which is mixed with the light of the main light source before it is emitted.
2. Related Technology
A luminaire of the kind concerned is known for example from DE 102 16 645 A1. The use of the different light sources serves here the purpose of influencing the spectral composition of the light issued by the luminaire. Hereby, it is provided that the main light source issues white light to which then the colored light of the additional light source(s) is mixed. The additional light sources are preferably formed by LEDs, with the aid of which thus a desired color toning is obtained for the light used for illumination.
Through the use of different light sources, thus attractive lighting-technical effects can be obtained. The problem can, however, appear with the known luminaires which are based on the principle described above that the color component brought about by the additional light source is perceived only insufficiently. This problem area arises in particular when the difference between the luminous flux produced by the main light source and the luminous flux of the additional light source(s) is very great.

Luminaire with main and accent light sources


A modular seat apparatus includes a base cushion and a back cushion that includes a plurality of segments defining a longitudinal length of the back cushion. The back cushion is pivotably coupled to the base cushion such that the back cushion is oriented at an angle relative to the base cushion. The plurality of segments is configured to translate in response to the back cushion pivoting relative to the base cushion such that the longitudinal length of the back cushion decreases as the angle increases and the longitudinal length of the back cushion increases as the angle decreases.

Seat apparatuses generally provide a surface for an occupant to be received for maintaining the occupant in a basic human resting position. Some seat apparatuses, such as wheelchair assemblies, include a reclining functionality that allow a seatback of the wheelchair to move relative to a seat base of the wheelchair. In this instance, an occupant seated on the wheelchair assembly may transition from an inclined position, where the seatback is positioned generally upright relative to the seat base, to a reclined position where the seatback is positioned generally parallel relative to the seat base.
Transitioning a seat apparatus from an inclined position to a reclined position with an occupant seated thereon may generate a shear along a lower back of an occupant due to a relative movement of the seat apparatus between the seat back and the seat base. With a lower back of an occupant positioned adjacently thereto, the shear generated by the seat apparatus and applied to a lower back of the occupant may cause discomfort. Accordingly, there exists a lack of seat apparatuses designed to include reclining functionality that are particularly configured to reduce a shear on a lower back of an occupant.

Modular seat apparatuses for wheelchair assemblies


Emulsions containing a dermal anchoring/substantive agent, such as glycerin, in high concentration enhance the activity of active ingredients, such as anti-microbial agents like chlorhexidine gluconate. Kits, compositions and methods pertaining to the same are provided. The invention finds application in cleansers such as hand washes, wound cleansers, body washes, mouthwashes, surgical scrubs, etc., and lotions, creams, foams and ointments. Specifically, one embodiment of the emulsion contains greater than 30% of an anchoring/substantive agent such as glycerin and an effective amount of chlorhexidine gluconate. Additionally, the product produced by the process of combining on the skin high glycerin and an anti-microbial is described.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compositions wherein a high concentration of a material with dermal anchoring/skin mechanical properties, such as high (more than 30%) glycerin, acts to enhance the effect of active ingredients, such as the anti-microbial agent chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG).
2. Background of the Invention
A variety of creams, lotions, washes and foams have been developed as an adjunct to protective gloves to sanitize and protect the skin from both the transmission and the receipt of infectious agents. These products contain a variety of wetting agents, fatty acids, solvents, emollients and other agents which act to protect the skin in a variety of ways. However, concern has been raised about the effect of these additives on a variety of active ingredients such as germicides (Larson, E., et al., Effects of a Protective Coating Foam on Scrubbing and Gloving, AMERICAN J. OF INFECTION CONTROL 21 (6): 297 (1993)). For example, it is taught that chlorhexidine and its derivatives are inhibited by a variety of ingredients including anionic surfactants, soaps, gums, sodium alginate, magnesium aluminum silicate, magnesium trisilicate, bentonite, talc, kaolin, high pH, 3% lecithin/polysorbate 80 and polysorbate: 80 (Interaction between Cosmetic Ingredients and Preservatives, COSMETICS & TOILETRIES 110: 81-86 (1995)). To address this concern, investigators have performed studies on the effect of various additives on the efficacy of active ingredients.
Kihara, for example, teaches that the bactericidal activity of chlorhexidine digluconate and benzalkonium chloride (BAC) decreases in the presence of other ingredients such as serum, polysaccharides, non-ionic surfactants, powdered milk, dried bovine serum albumin, fish powder and other organic substances (U.S. Pat. No. 5,017,617). Kihara states that most emollients used in cosmetics are nonionic surfactants or higher alcohols, so it is likely that they decrease the bactericidal activity of chlorhexidine digluconate and benzalkonium chloride. Therefore, Kihara tested a variety of emollients, including diesters of dibasic acids, triesters of citric acid or phosphoric acid, and polyglycerol (2 to 15 monomers), for their effect on chlorhexidine digluconate. Surprisingly, Kihara found that these di- and tri-esters enhanced, rather than inhibited, bactericidal activity. Kihara employs low concentrations of emollient (0.1-1.0%) in 50-95% ethanol and teaches that higher concentrations of emollient are to be avoided as producing a sticky feel. The mechanism of enhancement is not provided by Kihara, but it is possible that the long carbon chain, polar emollient molecules act on the bacterial membranes themselves, thus assisting the bactericidal effect of chlorhexidine digluconate.
Similarly, in JP 63057502 assigned to Saraya, the inventors found that in alcohol disinfecting solutions containing chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and an emollient selected from the group of diisopropyl adipate, diisobutyl adipate, higher fatty acid polyoxethylene glycerol and polyglycerol, the emollient enhanced the effect of CHG. Again, it may be that the long chain, fatty acids alone or in combination with CHG act on the bacterial membranes to assist the bactericidal effect of CHG alone.
Loosemore tested the effect of polyvinyl alcohol and propylene glycol on the germicidal activity of 0.6% CHG in a teat dip application (U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,498). Loosemore reported that neither ingredient adversely affected the activity of CHG. Although Loosemore's compositions contained 4% glycerin (also known as glycerol or glycerine), he neglected to compare the effect of this particular agent on the activity of CHG.
Others, however, have studied the effect of glycerin on particular active ingredients. Mundschenk, for example, studied the effect of glycerin on the efficacy of hydrogen peroxide as an anti-microbial agent in a dental cream (U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,278). Mundschenk reported that 20% glycerin did not negate the effectiveness of 3% hydrogen peroxide in this particular application. Similarly, Turck showed that addition of up to 10% glycerin did not decrease the anti-microbial activity of the disinfectant N,N-dimethyldodecanamine on liquid cultures of Streptococcus agalactiae or Escherichia coli (Turck, P. A., et al. Mastitis: Effect of pH, Temperature and emollients on Disinfecting Action of N,N-dimethyldodecanamin, J. DAIRY SCI. 65(10): 1987 (1982)), and Hicks showed that up to 6% glycerin did not affect the efficacy of chlorhexidine digluconate in a teat dip application (Hicks W. G., et al., Evaluation of a Teat Dip of Chlorhexidine Digluconate (0.5%) with Glycerin (6%), J. DAIRY SCI. 64(11): 2266 (1981)).
Asaka teaches the use of 0.1-15% glycerin as an emollient used in combination with 25-80% lower alcohol, 0.01-4% cationic disinfectant such as CHG, and 1-40% amphoteric surfactant such as imidazolinium betaine (Australian Application No. AU-A-74370/94). Asaka notes that the emollients did not affect the disinfection by the cationic disinfectant, but states that concentrations higher than 15% may produce stickiness. Asaka's data shows that low levels of glycerin do not enhance the activity of CHG.
JP 61130210 assigned to San-Star showed that a paste containing CHG, 0.1-1% citric acid and 1-5% carrageenan improved the stability of CHG. A sample composition that also contained 30%. glycerin was provided.
To date no one has studied the effect of high levels of glycerin and similar compounds on the efficacy of active ingredients such as the anti-microbial chlorhexidine gluconate.

High glycerin containing anti-microbial cleansers


An impedance matching circuit of a semiconductor memory device performs a ZQ calibration with initial values that reflect an offset error according to variations in a manufacturing process. The impedance matching circuit includes a first pull-down resistance unit, a first pull-up resistance unit, and a code generation unit. The first pull-down resistance unit supplies a ground voltage to a first node, thereby determining an initial pull-down code. The first pull-up resistance unit supplies a supply voltage to the first node, thereby determining an initial pull-up code or a voltage level on the first node. The code generation unit generates pull-down and pull-up calibration codes using the initial pull-down and pull-up codes as respective initial values.

The present invention relates to an impedance matching circuit in a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to a ZQ calibration performed by the impedance matching circuit.
Generally, semiconductor memory devices that include an integrated circuit such as a microprocessor, a memory circuit and a gate array circuit, are used in various electrical appliances, e.g., personal computers, server computers and workstations. As the operating speed of the electrical appliances increases, a swing width of signals transmitted between semiconductor memory devices inside the electrical appliances decreases to minimize a delay time taken to transmit the signals. However, as the swing width decreases, signal transmission is affected by external noise to a greater degree and signal reflection in an interface terminal increased due to impedance mismatching.
The impedance mismatch is caused by variation of the manufacturing process, the supply voltage and the operating temperature (PVT). This impedance mismatch makes it hard to transmit data at high speeds. Because a signal outputted from a semiconductor memory device may be distorted by the impedance mismatch, a malfunction such as a set up/hold failure or a misjudgment of a signal level may be caused in a corresponding semiconductor memory device receiving the distorted signal.
A semiconductor memory device may include an input circuit for receiving external signals through an input pad and an output circuit for outputting internal signals through an output pad. Particularly, a semiconductor memory device operating at a high speed may include an impedance matching circuit for matching interface impedance with another semiconductor memory device near the pads in order to prevent the above malfunctions.
Generally, in a semiconductor memory device transmitting a signal, source termination is performed by an output circuit. In a semiconductor memory device receiving a signal, parallel termination may be performed by a termination circuit parallelly connected to an input circuit.
The ZQ calibration is a process for generating pull-up and pull-down calibration codes that change as PVT conditions change. Resistance values of input and output circuits are calibrated by using the pull-up and pull-down calibration codes. The ZQ calibration performed in the impedance matching circuit is described below.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional impedance matching circuit. The impedance matching circuit includes a first pull-up resistance unit 110, a second pull-up resistance unit 120, a pull-down resistance unit 130, a reference voltage generator 102, comparators 103 and 104, and p-code and n-code counters 105 and 106.
A supply voltage VDDQ is divided by the first pull-up resistance unit 110 and a reference resistor 101, thereby providing a voltage to a node ZQ. The reference resistor 101, which is connected to a pin coupled to the node ZQ, generally has a resistance of 240Ω. The comparator 103 compares the voltage at the node ZQ with a reference voltage VREF outputted from the reference voltage generator 102, thereby generating an up/down signal UP/DN. The reference voltage VREF is generally set to half of the supply voltage, i.e., VDDQ/2.
The p-code counter 105 receives the up/down signal UP/DN, thereby generating a binary code PCODE<0:N>. The binary code PCODE<0:N> turns on/off MOS transistors coupled in parallel in the first pull-up resistance unit 110, thereby calibrating resistance of the first pull-up resistance unit 110. The calibrated resistance of the first pull-up resistance unit 110 has an effect on the voltage at the node ZQ. The above operations are repeated. That is, the pull-up calibration is performed in the first pull-up resistance unit 110 so that the resistance of the first pull-up resistance unit 110 becomes identical to that of the reference resistor 101.
The binary code PCODE<0:N> generated during the pull-up calibration is also inputted to the second pull-up resistance unit 120 and determines its resistance. Similarly to the pull-up calibration, a pull-down calibration is performed. A voltage at a node ZQ′ becomes identical to the reference voltage VREF by applying a binary code NCODE<0:N> generated by the comparator 104 and the n-code counter 106. The pull-down calibration is performed so that the resistance of the pull-down resistance unit 130 becomes identical to that of the second pull-up resistance unit 120.
The ZQ calibration includes the pull-tip calibration and the pull-down calibration. The binary codes PCODE<0:N> and NCODE<0:N> resulting from the ZQ calibration are inputted to an input or output circuit so as to calibrate the respective resistance of the input or output circuit. In the case of the semiconductor memory device, the binary codes PCODE<0:N> and NCODE<0:N> determine the resistance of pull-up and pull-down resistors connected to ZQ pads. Since the pull-up and pull-down resistors have an identical layout to the above pull-tip and pull-down resistance units. illustrating their structures in the drawings is omitted.
While an output driver of the semiconductor memory device uses both pull-up and pull-down resistors, an input buffer of the semiconductor memory device uses only a pull-up resistor. In that case, the impedance matching circuit includes the pull-up resistance unit 110, the p-code counter 105 and comparator 103. Only the pull-up calibration is then performed.
The ZQ calibration prevents an impedance mismatch from occurring. However, the bandwidth of data transmitted by the semiconductor memory device is reduced as the operating time for the ZQ calibration is lengthened. Accordingly, the time for the ZQ calibration must be minimized to improve transmission efficiency of the data as well as prevent an impedance mismatch.

Impedance matching circuit and semiconductor memory device with the same


A method of producing a liquid crystal display device. A first substrate having a liquid crystal dripped thereon, and a second substrate, are arranged in a vacuum chamber. The first substrate is held by a first electrostatic chuck and the second substrate is held by a second electrostatic chuck. The second substrate is urged onto the first substrate to bond the first substrate and the second substrate together. The bonded first and second substrates are then peeled off from the electrostatic chucks. A resin sheet is arranged on the second electrostatic chuck, so that the bonded first and second substrates do not cling to the second electrostatic chuck when peeled off.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display device comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, and a liquid crystal inserted between these substrates. Here, either the first substrate or the second substrate is a TFT substrate comprising TFTs, and the other one is a color filter substrate comprising color filters. An annular seal comprising a photo-curable sealing agent is formed on the first substrate. After the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded together, the annular seal is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to be cured. The liquid crystal is inserted in a region surrounded by the annular seal.
According to a conventional method of producing a liquid crystal display device, an injection hole is formed in the annular seal, and the liquid crystal is injected through the injection hole formed in the annular seal in a vacuum chamber after the first substrate and the second substrate are bonded together. Thereafter, the injection hole in the annular seal is closed, and the annular seal is pressed so as to form a suitable cell gap.
In recent years, there has been proposed a method of producing a liquid crystal display device called a drip injection method (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 8-190099, No. 2000-66163 and No. 11-326857). In the drip injection method, an annular seal is formed on one substrate, and a liquid crystal is dripped in a region inside the annular seal of one substrate. Then, the pair of substrates are bonded together under pressure in a vacuum chamber. Thereafter, the pressure of the substrates is released, the vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere, and the annular seal is cured by the irradiation with ultraviolet rays or by a combination of irradiation with ultraviolet rays and heating. The drip injection method makes it possible to reduce the number of steps of production and to lower the cost of producing the liquid crystal display devices.
There has further been proposed the provision of a buffer member in order to improve the non-uniformity of a cell gap caused by the introduction of foreign matter at the time when the pair of substrates are bonded together (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 6-3632).
There has further been proposed an art of attracting and holding the substrates (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications (Kokai) No. 8-169971). In this case, a porous resin sheet is adhered onto a base plate having a ventilation hole, and the substrate is secured to the base plate by vacuum attraction via the porous resin sheet.
In the production of the liquid crystal display device by the drip injection method, electrostatic chucks are used for holding the substrates at the time of bonding the pair of substrates together. However, if foreign matter is introduced to the electrostatic chucks, the foreign matter bites into the substrate causing the cell gap to become defective. After the pair of substrates are bonded together, further, the vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere, and the bonded pair of substrates is taken from the electrostatic chucks. At this moment, it often happens that the pair of substrates bonded together is not reliably peeled off from the electrostatic chucks and it is forcibly peeled off, with the result that bonding deviation may occur. This phenomenon happens more conspicuously as the size of the substrates increases.

Method of producing liquid crystal display devices