A cleaning wafer cleans process residues from a support surface used in the processing of a substrate in an energized gas. The cleaning wafer has a disc having a liquid precursor derived polyimide layer formed directly on the disc by applying a liquid polyimide precursor to the disc. The polyimide layer has a thickness of less than about 50 microns, and a cleaning surface shaped to match a contour of the support surface. Process residues adhere to the cleaning surface and are cleaned from the support surface upon removal of the cleaning wafer therefrom.

The present invention relates to a method and device for cleaning a surface of a substrate support.
In the fabrication of semiconductors and displays, material is formed or deposited on a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer or dielectric, by processes such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), ion implantation, oxidation and nitridation. The material formed on the substrate can also be etched to define features of electric circuits and devices. Such processes are generally performed in a process chamber in which a plasma may be generated. The substrate is supported during these processes on a substrate support, such as an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck typically comprises a dielectric having a support surface that covers an electrode to which a voltage is applied. The applied voltage generates an electrostatic force that holds the substrate securely on the support surface during processing. An example of an electrostatic chuck is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,563,686 to Tsai et al, filed on Mar. 19, 2001 and assigned to Applied Materials, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Other support surfaces in the chamber can comprise the surfaces of lift pins and substrate transports. The chamber also typically has enclosure walls about the substrate support, a gas distributor and exhaust, and a gas energizer.
In the processing of substrates, process residues can deposit on the surfaces of process kit parts such as shields. The process residues may be, for example, process by-products generated by etching or depositing material on the substrate. These process residues can accumulate on support surfaces, such as a substrate receiving surface of an electrostatic chuck, by "flaking off" from components such as the process kit and onto the support surface. Also, occasionally particles of silicon from wafer breaks in other chambers can be transported via the substrate transport into process chamber, and onto the surface of the electrostatic chuck. These particles and residues on the surface of the electrostatic chuck are undesirable, because they can reduce the magnitude of the electrostatic chucking force between the chuck and substrate. The reduced chucking force can cause slipping of the substrate on the electrostatic chuck during processing, and non-uniformity in the substrate processing results. Also, weakly held substrates may allow leakage of backside heat transfer gas, which can lead to non-uniform temperatures across the substrates. In some cases, large particles on the electrostatic chuck can even prevent the processing of further substrates, and can require venting of the process chamber to manually wipe the particles from the surface of the electrostatic chuck, which undesirably increases the chamber downtime and the cost of ownership.
In one version of a cleaning process, the surface of the support is rinsed in a cleaning solution to dissolve and wash away any residues the surface. However, conventional cleaning solutions can often erode chuck surfaces. Also, such processes can often require removal of the electrostatic chuck from the chamber, and venting of the chamber to atmospheric pressure, which can result in undesirable chamber downtime.
In another version, a dummy wafer is used to remove residues from the surface of the electrostatic chuck, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,746,928 to Yen et al., filed on Jun. 3, 1996, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In this version, the dummy wafer is placed on the chuck in a process chamber, and a voltage is applied to the chuck. Once the voltage is turned off, the dummy wafer is removed from the chuck along with debris and contamination that adhere to the backside of the dummy wafer. However, as the strength of adhesion of particles to the hard backside of the dummy wafer is limited, this method often does not provide sufficient cleaning of particles from the chuck surface, and may be especially problematic in the cleaning of larger particles. Also, such dummy wafers can also contaminate surfaces that are being cleaned by rubbing of the wafer material onto the surfaces.
Yet another version of a cleaning method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,119 to Huang et al, filed on Mar. 22, 1996, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In this version, a soft, particle adherent sheet is affixed to a dummy wafer, for example by vacuum grease, to assist in removing contaminant particles from an electrostatic chuck in an etching chamber. However, while the particles may exhibit improved adhesion to the soft sheet over the bare surface of the dummy wafer alone; this method still does not provide satisfactory results for the cleaning of support surfaces. In particular, the soft sheet attached by vacuum grease may not be suitable for the cleaning of process chambers that are typically operated at an ultra-high vacuum, such as deposition chambers operated at less than about 10−7 barr (9.8×10−7 atm), as the vacuum grease can contaminate the chamber. Also, the sheet held by the vacuum grease may not operate well at higher temperatures above room temperature, such as those typically used in processing chambers. Furthermore, the loosely held sheet may not adequately adhere to the dummy wafer, and it may be difficult to de-chuck the dummy wafer without also de-laminating the sheet. The poorly held sheet of material may also not provide sufficient electrostatic chucking forces between the chuck and dummy wafer, such that the layer is only weakly pressed against the particles on the surface of the chuck. Also, in general, the dummy wafers can have high particle counts and large numbers of chemical impurities. These particles and impurities can contaminate the soft sheets, for example during transport of the dummy wafers in close proximity to each other in cassettes.
Yet another version of a cleaning layer is described in WO 01/94036 to Namikawa et al, published on Dec. 13, 2001, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. In this version, a cleaning sheet has a cleaning layer comprising a polymer on a base material, and is attached to a conveying member such as a semiconductor wafer by an adhesive layer. However, this embodiment is also problematic, as the adhesive layer can generate contamination in the process chamber, and the multiple layers of material can reduce the electrostatic chucking force. One or more of the multiple layers can also slip or de-laminate from the semiconductor wafer during the cleaning process, resulting in a poorer clean of the support surface.
Accordingly, it is desirable to have a method and tool for the cleaning of a support surface, such as an electrostatic chuck, substantially without requiring venting of the chamber. It is further desirable to have a method and tool that allows for the cleaning of a sufficient amount of particles, without requiring removal of the support from the process chamber. It is also desirable to have a method and tool that allows for the removal of particles from the chamber without dropping the particles in the chamber or otherwise causing contamination in the chamber.


A paper detecting device is provided that may be constructed using a tray-rotatable-cam that can rotate around a shaft through a limited range. The tray-rotatable-cam is rotated into operating position by the insertion of the paper tray into the electrophotographic apparatus. A height-adjusting-beam is positioned substantially perpendicularly to the tray-rotatable-cam and is able to rotate on its own shaft through a limited range to raise the height of the shaft supporting the sensor-activating-blade. The shaft supporting the sensor-activating-blade is at a substantially perpendicular orientation to the height-adjusting-beam. A torsion spring installed on the same shaft as the height-adjusting-beam to provide the force to lift the shaft, and sensor-activating-blade to their operational height. The torsional spring also prevent the shaft and sensor-activating-blade from being caught in the paper tray when the paper tray is inserted or removed from the electrophotographic apparatus. When the cut medium in the paper tray is exhausted, the sensor-activating-blade rotates through a hole in the paper stand and activates a photo sensor signaling the absence of paper in the paper tray.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a paper tray for an electrophotographic apparatus and, more specifically, to a paper detection device for a paper tray that is inserted into an electrophotographic apparatus in a direction perpendicular to the paper pickup direction.
2. Background Art
An electrophotographic apparatus can be either one of a laser printer, an electronic copier, a facsimile machine, or any versatile office machine. The general operation of an electrophotographic apparatus starts with paper being loaded from a supply tray and then transported through to a high pressure transfer roller. The high pressure transfer roller transfers the toner image from the photoconductive drum onto the sheet of paper. Subsequently, the paper is transported to a fixing device that fuses the toner image onto the paper using both heat and pressure rollers.
A paper tray may be mounted on the bottom of an electrophotographic apparatus body to sequentially feed individual cut sheets of paper to the electrophotographic apparatus. Some paper trays are designed so that the direction that the paper tray is inserted and withdrawn in is perpendicular to the paper pickup direction. When cut sheets of paper are in the paper tray, a pickup roller is in contact with the topmost sheet in the stack. The pickup roller then feeds the cut sheets, one by one, into the electrophotographic apparatus. A paper detection device for use with a paper tray that contains a paper stand that moves perpendicularly relative to the base of the paper tray. Paper is stacked on the paper stand and the topmost sheet is removed by a pickup roller that exerts a frictional force on the paper.
After a user inserts paper into the paper tray, the tray is inserted into the electrophotographic apparatus. The side of the paper stand that is along the edge at which the paper is picked up by the pickup roller is displaced in an direction away from the base of the paper tray. This brings the topmost sheet of paper into contact with the pickup roller to allow the paper to be fed into the apparatus.
An optical sensor is installed on the apparatus body and an optical transmission hole is positioned at one side of the paper stand aligned in opposition with the optical sensor. Thus, when paper is in the paper tray, light generated by the optical sensor is reflected off of the paper and received by the optical sensor. When the paper tray is empty the light emitted by the optical sensor passes through the transmission hole and the optical sensor detects the absence of paper.
Different techniques for monitoring the paper in a paper tray are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,575 to Maruta entitled Copying Apparatus With Provision for Delayed Reset in the Event of Paper Exhaustion, U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,041 to Kobayashi entitled Image Forming Apparatus With Sheet Feeder, U.S. Pat. No. 5,332,207 to Oonishi entitled Paper Feeder and an Image Forming Apparatus Provided With the Same, U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,524 to Koike entitled Image Forming Device with a Function of Selecting Recording Paper, U.S. Pat. No. 4,963,941 to Negishi entitled Form Feeding Control Device, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,726 to Choi entitled Copying Paper Feed Sensing Device for a Copying Apparatus. The contemporary art for detecting paper in paper trays does not provide a device that is economical to manufacture, that uses only simple components, that will function with transparencies and other transparent cut mediums, that will detect an empty paper tray, that are designed for paper trays that attach to electrophotographic apparatus that engage the paper tray in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper pickup direction.
As such, I believe that it may be possible to improve on the contemporary art by providing a device that detects the presence of paper in a paper tray, that is designed for a paper tray that is inserted into an electrophotographic apparatus in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper pickup direction, that is economical to manufacture, that is constructed using simple components, and that accurately functions when using transparent cut medium.

Device for detecting an empty paper tray in an electrophotographic apparatus


A valve assembly for plumbing installations. The valve assembly has a unitary valve body with three interconnected ports and a fluid control mechanism. Connector portions are formed about each port of the unitary valve body to thereby enable connection of the valve assembly into a fluid supply line and for connecting an appliance and various devices and fluid lines to the valve assembly. The fluid control mechanism of the valve assembly is constructed to direct fluid through the valve body and to enable the fluid flow to be shut off.

This invention relates generally to a valve assembly for plumbing installations. Particularly, the invention relates to a valve assembly having a valve body with three interconnected ports and a fluid control mechanism that provides a variety of options to a plumber when connecting the valve assembly into a fluid supply line.
The valve assemblies of the invention may also have valve bodies with a plurality of three cooperating port structures wherein fluid flow is controlled through the respective cooperating three port portions by means of a fluid control mechanism. The three ports are in communication in the valve body and may comprise an inlet port, an outlet port and an auxiliary output port. The valve assemblies are constructed to allow continuous one-directional flow through two ports of the valve body independent of the auxiliary outlet port.
The valve assemblies of the invention are constructed and arranged, for example, to replace a typical plumbing installation consisting of a "T" fitting, a separate valve structure and a length of pipe. The valve assemblies of this invention further allow a plumber to choose the path of continuous flow through the valve assembly.
The valve assemblies are constructed to be connected to auxiliary devices that require a continuous fluid supply, such as water hammer arrester devices or pressure gauges, for example. For applications that require connection to such devices, the auxiliary port of the valve body may be threaded (male or female, NPSM, NPT or compression threads), may be a copper sweat connection, a barb or a solvent weld joint when using CPVC pipe. The other two ports of the valve assembly may have similar connecting portions to connect the assembly to a fluid supply or feed line and to a fluid output line.
The valve assemblies of the invention provide the advantage of providing versatile three port valve structures that enable a plumber to choose the fluid flow path through the valve structure.


An agricultural tractor having a rear suspension with draft compensating geometry to control the compression or extension of the rear suspension in response to a draft load. The draft compensating suspension enables the tractor hitch to be mounted on the suspended frame or chassis of the tractor rather than mounting the hitch to a non-suspended beam axle or locking out the suspension during draft work. The draft load is applied to the chassis by a ground engaging implement. The tractive load and torque at the rear wheels are reacted through the side view instantaneous center of the rear suspension. The placement of the instantaneous center will determine the suspension reaction to the wheel load and torque. Locating the suspension instantaneous center on a line of 100% draft-compensation will eliminate the motion of the suspension due to the draft load. If the instantaneous center is located below the 100% draft-compensation line, the suspension will compress under a draft load. If the instantaneous center is located above the 100% draft-compensation line, the suspension will extend under a draft load. The distance between the instantaneous center and the 100% draft compensation line will determine the amount of compression or extension of the suspension.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an agricultural tractor having a rear suspension and in particular a draft compensating rear suspension in which the suspension is designed to reduce or minimize the effect of draft loads on the tractor attitude by minimizing compression or extension of the rear suspension.
2. Description of the Related Art
An agricultural tractor is intended primarily for off-road usage and is designed primarily to supply power to agricultural implements. An agricultural tractor propels itself and provides a draft force in the direction of travel to enable an attached, soil engaging, implement to perform its intended function. Furthermore, an agricultural tractor may provide mechanical, hydraulic and/or electrical power to the implement. Agricultural tractors must be designed with sufficient normal force, i.e. a down force, acting on the drive wheels to produce the needed draft force. Agricultural tractors differ from cargo carrying vehicles, such as pickup trucks and semi-truck tractors, in that trucks are not designed to produce a continuous draft load. A truck only needs to produce a draft load during periods of acceleration and deceleration and relies on the weight of the cargo to produce the normal force on the drive wheels.
There is a continuous desire to increase the productivity of agricultural tractors. Productivity can be increased by tractor designs that maintain tire-soil contact force when traversing uneven terrain, both during field operations and during road transport. To maintain tire-soil contact force on an uneven terrain, it is necessary to provide a suspension system to allow the tires to follow the terrain. When a suspension is added to an agricultural tractor, between the chassis and the wheels, with the hitch on the suspended chassis, an undesirable interaction occurs between the suspension and draft load. The draft load reaction through the suspension tends to force the rear suspension into jounce, i.e. the suspension compresses, causing the wheels to move upward relative to the suspended chassis. As the suspension compresses, the pulled implement, such as a plow, runs deeper, increasing the draft load. The higher the draft load, the more the rear suspension compresses until it is fully compressed. Once fully compressed, the suspension no longer provides a benefit. If the suspension is only partially compressed, it will still reduce the amount of suspension travel available to maintain tire-soil contact force and to improve the tractor ride. Suspension compression also affects the clearance under the vehicle, the height of the drawbar and hitch above the ground plane, and the attitude of the tractor.
The interaction between the suspension and draft load can interfere with the proper operation of hitch controls. When the hitch control senses the need to reduce the depth of the implement in the ground, the suspension compresses, instead of raising the implement. The reverse is true if the hitch control senses the need to lower the implement.
One way to overcome the problem of suspension compression is to provide a system that compensates for the draft load by extending the suspension. This is accomplished by adding hydraulic fluid to the system to return the suspension to a center position, whereby suspension travel in each direction is still available. However, this significantly increases the spring rate of the suspension under a draft load, resulting in a harsher ride. Furthermore, adding and removing fluid to a circuit with an accumulator results in a large energy waste.
Another solution is to provide a rigid beam axle mounted to the chassis through the suspension and mount the hitch to the unsuspended beam axle. This avoids reacting of the draft load through the suspension. However, the implement will not receive the benefit of the suspension and will follow the motion of the axle.
Yet another alternative is to provide a means to lock out the suspension when performing draft work. This eliminates all benefits of the suspension.
All of the above solutions to the interaction of the suspension to the draft load reduce the effectiveness and benefit of the rear suspension.
The present invention relates to an agricultural tractor having a rear suspension with draft compensating geometry to control the compression of the rear suspension in response to a draft load. The draft load is applied to the chassis by a ground engaging implement. The tractive load and torque at the rear wheels are reacted through the side view instantaneous center of the rear suspension. The placement of the instantaneous center affects the chassis reaction to the wheel load and torque. Locating the suspension instantaneous center on a line of 100% draft-compensation will eliminate the motion of the suspension due to the draft load. If the instantaneous center is located below the 100% draft-compensation line, the suspension will compress under a draft load, whereas if the instantaneous center is located above the 100% draft-compensation line, the suspension will extend under a draft load. The distance between the instantaneous center and the 100% draft compensation line will determine the amount of compression or extension of the suspension. An expected response to the draft load is to compress the suspension. In a tractor without a suspension, the draft load typically compresses the rear tires. By properly locating the instantaneous center of the suspension, an opposing force is created to counteract, completely or partially, the suspension compression.
The draft compensating suspension geometry can be used to eliminate or reduce the amount of suspension travel used to react to the draft load. As a result, the suspension will have travel available to react to irregular terrain profiles, which provides the operator with better ride and control. It also permits the suspension to be less stiff to terrain inputs. A draft compensating suspension also reduces the interaction between the suspension and the hitch draft control system. A draft compensating geometry eliminates the need for complex control systems to control suspension height and vehicle attitude.

Agricultural tractor with draft compensating suspension


A fine pattern is formed using a resist material including a copolymer of a silicon-containing acrylate and an acrylate which contains a group that is eliminated by an acid, and a photo-acid generator which generates the acid upon irradiation. The polarity of the material changes after elimination of this group and becomes soluble in an aqueous alkali solution.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a resist material, and a pattern forming process using the resist material. 2. Description of the Related Art
As the integration density of semiconductor devices has become higher and higher in recent years, a resist material capable of forming a miniature pattern has been required.
In patterning processes, a technology called "two-layered resist process" has been employed which comprises the steps of forming a lower resist layer for levelling on a to-be-patterned material (to-be-etched material), then forming an upper resist layer, exposing this upper resist layer, developing, and transferring the resulting pattern to the lower resist layer to obtain a mask pattern. In this case, a resist material for constituting the upper resist layer must have performance capable of withstanding at least etching for transferring the pattern to the lower resist layer (generally O.sub.2 RIE, that is, reactive ion etching using oxygen).
Polyacrylate type resists, polysiloxane type resists and polysilane type resists, have high etching resistance due to the introduction of silicon (Si) into an ester portion of the resist materials. They are known as the materials for the upper layer resist material in the multi-layer resist process described above (for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) Nos. 2-191957, 2-239251, 3-217845, 3-261952 and 4-42229). In all of them, development is based on the difference of molecular weights between exposed area at the time and unexposed area. As a result, sharp patterning cannot be conducted and swell of the resist pattern occurs at the time of development, limiting their usefulness for obtaining miniature patterns. Because of the ever-increasing integration density of semiconductor devices, this is a significant drawback.

Resist material including si-containing resist having acid removable group combined with photo-acid generator


Provided herein are methods and compositions for the reduction of endospore contamination of a substrate with percarboxylic acid-based compositions. The methods can include the step of continuously monitoring the oxidation-reduction potential of the percarboxylic acid-based compositions.

Certain species of bacteria can form endospores in response to harsh conditions or nutrient deprivation. Endospores are dormant, multi-layered non-reproductive structures containing highly compacted microbial DNA. Endospores are resistant to environmental insults, for example, high temperature, UV irradiation, desiccation, chemical and enzymatic exposure that would normally kill the bacterium. As a result, endospores are not readily killed by standard antimicrobial treatments. Upon exposure to suitable conditions such as heat and nutrient media, endospores can germinate to produce viable bacteria. Endospores can remain dormant for extended periods. Human pathogens such as Bacillis anthracis and Clostridium botulinum are spore-forming bacteria. Endospore contamination, for example, contamination of medical equipment, equipment used in pharmaceutical manufacturing and in food packaging, as well as of the foodstuffs themselves, can pose a significant risk to human health. There is a continuing need for methods that safely and effectively eliminate contamination with endospores and endospore forming microbes.


A predecode unit within a microprocessor predecodes a cache line of instruction bytes for storage within the instruction cache of the microprocessor. The predecode unit produces multiple shift amounts, each of which identify the beginning of a particular instruction within the instruction cache line. The shift amounts are stored in the instruction cache with the instruction bytes, and are conveyed when the instruction bytes are fetched for execution by the microprocessor. An instruction alignment unit decodes the shift amounts to locate instructions within the fetched instruction bytes. Each shift amount directly identifies a corresponding instruction for dispatch, and therefore decoding the shift amount directly results in controls for shifting the instruction bytes such that the identified instruction is conveyed to a corresponding issue position. The number of shift amounts stored may be equal to the number of issue positions within the microprocessor. The instruction alignment unit scans the start and end byte predecode data (which is also provided by the predecode unit and stored in the instruction cache) to detect any additional instructions within the cache line (e.g. instructions not identified by the shift amounts). Additional shift amounts are generated and used by the instruction alignment unit to dispatch instructions during subsequent clock cycles.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of superscalar microprocessors and, more particularly, to aligning variable byte-length instructions to issue positions within superscalar microprocessors.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Superscalar microprocessors achieve high performance by executing multiple instructions per clock cycle and by choosing the shortest possible clock cycle consistent with the design. As used herein, the term "clock cycle" refers to an interval of time accorded to various stages of an instruction processing pipeline within the microprocessor. Storage devices (e.g. registers and arrays) capture their values according to the clock cycle. For example, a storage device may capture a value according to a rising or falling edge of a clock signal defining the clock cycle. The storage device then stores the value until the subsequent rising or falling edge of the clock signal, respectively. The term "instruction processing pipeline" is used herein to refer to the logic circuits employed to process instructions in a pipelined fashion. Although the pipeline may be divided into any number of stages at which portions of instruction processing are performed, instruction processing generally comprises fetching the instruction, decoding the instruction, executing the instruction, and storing the execution results in the destination identified by the instruction.
A popular microprocessor architecture is the x86 microprocessor architecture. Due to the widespread acceptance of the x86 microprocessor architecture in the computer industry, superscalar microprocessors designed in accordance with this architecture are becoming increasingly common. The x86 microprocessor architecture specifies a variable byte-length instruction set in which different instructions may occupy differing numbers of bytes. For example, the 80386 and 80486 processors allow a particular instruction to occupy a number of bytes between 1 and 15. The number of bytes occupied depends upon the particular instruction as well as various addressing mode options for the instruction.
Because instructions are variable-length, locating instruction boundaries is complicated. The length of a first instruction must be determined prior to locating a second instruction subsequent to the first instruction within an instruction stream. However, the ability to locate multiple instructions within an instruction stream during a particular clock cycle is crucial to superscalar microprocessor operation. As operating frequencies increase (i.e. as clock cycles shorten), it becomes increasingly difficult to locate multiple instructions simultaneously.
Various predecode schemes have been proposed in which a predecoder appends information regarding each instruction byte to the instruction byte as the instruction is stored into the cache. As used herein, the term "predecoding" is used to refer to generating instruction decode information prior to storing the corresponding instruction bytes into an instruction cache of a microprocessor. The generated information may be stored with the instruction bytes in the instruction cache. For example, an instruction byte may be indicated to be the beginning or end of an instruction. By scanning the predecode information when the corresponding instruction bytes are fetched, instructions may be located without actually attempting to decode the instruction bytes. The predecode information may be used to decrease the amount of logic needed to locate multiple variable-length instructions simultaneously. Unfortunately, these schemes become insufficient at high clock frequencies as well. A method for locating multiple instructions during a clock cycle at high frequencies is needed.

Apparatus for aligning instructions using predecoded shift amounts


A pulley holder for rotatably supporting a pulley around which a belt is wound, in which the pulley holder includes a shaft having a shaft body for supporting the pulley and a projection at least one end of the shaft body in its axial direction, and a holder body having a bearing for supporting the shaft body, and a fitting part for fitting the projection. Since the projection is biased from an axis of the shaft body, once the projection is fit into the fitting part, the shaft body would not rotate around the axis. Accordingly, a friction wear of the bearing of the holder body is prevented and thus a shift in conveying a carriage is prevented.

The present invention relates to a pulley holder for supporting rotatably a pulley around which a belt is to be wound, and a drive transmission mechanism and an image recording apparatus using this pulley holder.
In an ink jet type image recording apparatus, the drive transmission mechanism that transmits a driving force to a carriage which is supported in a slidable manner in a predetermined direction has been conventionally known (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-313492). FIG. 1A illustrates a plan view of a known drive transmission mechanism 220. FIG. 1B illustrates a front view of FIG. 1A. The drive transmission mechanism 220 has such a structure that a driving pulley unit 233 and a driven pulley unit 223 are provided on a frame 221 such that the driving pulley unit 233 and the driven pulley unit 223 are positioned apart by a predetermined distance and an endless belt 222 is stretched between the units.
The driving pulley unit 233 includes a motor 236 arranged on a lower surface 221b of the frame 221, a motor shaft 235 that pierces through the frame 221 from the lower surface 221b to an upper surface 221a of the frame 221, and a driving pulley 234 coupled to the motor shaft 235. Further, the driven pulley unit 223 includes a pulley holder 225 secured to the frame 221 and a driven pulley 224. The belt 222 is stretched between the driving pulley 234 and the driven pulley 224. A rotatable force of the driving pulley 234 allows the belt 222 to circle around the pulleys. The belt 222 circling around the pulleys is coupled to the carriage and thus the carriage moves in association with the circular movement of the belt 222 in a predetermined direction.
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate enlarged detailed views of the driven pulley unit 223. FIG. 3 illustrates a cross sectional view of FIG. 2B taken along a line III-III. The pulley holder 225 generally includes a supporting arm 229 that supports the driven pulley 224 in a rotatable manner, an inserted part 238 that is inserted into an insertion hole 241 provided in the frame 221 (see FIG. 4), and a restricting part 226 that restricts a downward movement of the inserted part 238. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, a lower part of a lower surface 226a of the restricting part 226 in the drawing sheet is the inserted part 238. The inserted part 238 is provided with a stop part 227 projecting perpendicularly to the drawing sheet surface of FIGS. 2A and 2B. Further, a groove 228 is provided between the stop part 227 and the restricting part 226 to receive a corresponding fitting edge 242 (see FIG. 4) that is formed at an edge part of the insertion hole 241. Bottom surfaces 230 of the grooves 228 are angled with a predetermined draft angle φ.
In the pulley holder 225 having the above described structure, the inserted part 238 is inserted into the insertion hole 241 and the pulley holder 225 slides in a leftward direction in the drawing sheet of FIG. 4 (a direction as indicated by an outlined arrow), resulting in that the fitting edges 242 are fit into the grooves 228 while the fitting edges 242 contacts the grooves 228, respectively. As such, the pulley holder 225 is secured to the frame 221 in a vertical direction. Further, a fixture, which is not shown here, fixes the pulley holder 225 so as not to slide in a horizontal direction in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Pulley holder and a drive transmission mechanism and an image recording apparatus using the pulley holder


A method of interrogation/response in an IFF type Mode 5 communications system comprises at least the following steps: modulating the header of an interrogation message by using an orthogonal or substantially orthogonal function; detecting the modulation function used for the header and determining the algorithm for the decoding of the information contained in the message. The modulation function is a 16-bit Walsh sequence.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and device for generating or creating interrogation channels or modes in an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) type system using spread-spectrum waveforms.
The invention can be applied especially in IFF identification systems used in military aviation working in Mode 5. Mode 5 is an encrypted interrogation/response mode using a waveform defined in part V of the NATO standardization agreement, STANAG 4193, and its own enciphering algorithm. FIG. 2 recalls the structure of this waveform.
Hereinafter in the description, the term "channel" designates an encrypted interrogation/response mode implemented in the IFF question-and-answer identification systems using Mode 5 but using different enciphering algorithms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At present, there are no means of differentiating between the messages when several enciphering algorithms are used simultaneously or again when different enciphering keys are used simultaneously for one and the same enciphering algorithm.
An interrogator chooses to interrogate with a given enciphering algorithm A or with specific keys (Algo A). A responder does not know the algorithm or the key with which the messages that it receives are enciphered There are then various possibilities:                if the responder is equipped only with the algorithm A, it will decipher the interrogation message and respond.        If the responder is equipped only with the algorithm B (Algo B) which is different from the algorithm A, it will not be able to respond to the interrogations but its cryptographic computer will be used to try and decipher the message with the algorithm A.        when the responder is equipped with the algorithms A and B, it will have to process the messages with both algorithms, either in parallel or serially, if the processing times permit it. It will respond with the algorithm that will have given a comprehensible and valid interrogation message.
The idea of the present invention consists especially in creating independent channels by which it is possible to have, simultaneously, several types of enciphering algorithms or several different keys for one and the same enciphering algorithm and by which the system can process the messages without resorting to parallel or serial processing operations. The system has the possibility of recognizing the different messages whatever the enciphering algorithm or the enciphering keys used and of determining the algorithm to be used to decrypt the interrogations and the responses.
To this end, the symbols of the interrogation message header are modulated and the responder, by detecting the modulation of the header, knows which algorithm or which key has been used.
The interrogations made with an algorithm A do not disturb a responder that is not equipped with the algorithm A. In fact, the two interrogation/response modes, namely the algorithm A and the algorithm B, implemented in the interrogator-responder system ignore each other and do not disturb each other. This actually prevents additional processing operations and prevents the computer from being kept unnecessarily busy.

Method and device for the generation of several channels in an IFF type system


Embodiments of the present disclosure provide unlocking control methods and related produces. The method includes the following. A face image is collected. A first operation and a second operation are performed in parallel. The first operation is configured to detect whether the face image is a real face image. The second operation is configured to extract feature data of the face image. The feature data of the face image is matched with feature data of a preset face template when the feature data of the face image is extracted and the face image is detected to be the real face image. An unlocking operation is performed when the feature data of the face image is matched with the feature data of the preset face template.

With the popularization of smartphones, the smartphones may support more and more applications and have more and more functions. The smartphones are developing to be diversified and personalized, becoming an indispensable electronic product in the user's life.
At present, with the increasing security requirements for the smartphones, various biological information unlocking solutions have emerged, such as fingerprint unlocking, face unlocking, iris unlocking, etc. The face unlocking becomes the first choice for many smartphones since it has a faster unlocking speed and a higher recognition success rate.

Unlocking control methods and related products

GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP., LTD.


To address the above issues, a display device with a capacitive touch screen display having a touch surface in close proximity to a display stack is provided. The display may include a touch sheet with a top surface, a touch sensor having a matrix of capacitors formed of electrodes positioned below the touch sheet and configured to exhibit a change in capacitance of at least one of the capacitors in response to a touch on the top surface by a digit or stylus of a user, a display stack positioned below the matrix of capacitors and configured to emit light through a top surface of the display stack to travel in a light emitting direction through the matrix of capacitors and the touch sheet. A distance between the top surface of the touch sheet and the top surface of the display stack is between about 225 and 1500 micrometers.

Capacitive touch screens measure changes in capacitance in a touch sensor having a matrix of rows and columns of electrodes positioned intermediate a touch surface and a display stack, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) stack, as a user's digit or a stylus contacts the touch surface. These changes in capacitance are used to determine which row and column correspond to a touch, and further to interpolate a distance and direction to which the detected touch is off-center of the row and column capacitor at which the touch was detected. In this way, a user's touch may be detected and tracked with fine resolution as it moves across the touch surface.
One challenge faced by manufacturers is the development of capacitive touch screens suitable for use in large format devices such as large screen televisions and displays. Small capacitive touch screens less than 30 inches in diagonal typically use a touch sensor having a diamond shaped matrix of a transparent conducting oxide (TCO), such as indium tin oxide (ITO). However, for large capacitive touch sensors, TCO touch sensors applied with thicknesses that are sufficiently transparent to be aesthetically acceptable to users have a resistance that in combination with the capacitances under test and certain other stray capacitances may result in an RC time constant slow enough to limit the achievable excitation frequency of the touch sensor, and thus limit the achievable frame rate for a desired signal to noise ratio. As a result, TCO is generally limited to application to displays with less than a 30 inch diagonal dimension.
In addition, while small capacitive touch screens using TCO touch sensors are relatively inexpensive to produce, large format touch screens have a tremendously high cost of manufacture, which puts them out of reach of most consumers. One of the most costly components to assemble in a large format screen is a glass touch surface, preferred for its ability to provide a high dielectric constant, among other characteristics. However, glass has the disadvantage of being expensive, heavy and rigid. Bonding the rigid glass to a rigid LCD substrate often requires a relatively thick and flexible optically clear adhesive layer to absorb lamination strain from the rigid-to-rigid bond, which could otherwise cause damage.
Another challenge faced by manufacturers is the electric interference between the LCD stack itself and the electrodes in the row and column matrix. As the LCD stack is positioned closer to the electrode matrix, the LCD stack can interfere with the electric fields of the touch sensing capacitors. This interference occurs because conductors within the LCD held at time-varying voltages couple noise current into the electrodes, and because the proximity of electrically conductive material within the LCD affects the shape of the electric field set up by the electrodes, and thus affects the observed change in capacitance in response to a finger touch. Too much interference results in a low signal to noise ratio in the touch sensing circuitry. As a result, touch sensing accuracy is degraded. Digital signal processing approaches have been proposed to improve the signal to noise ratio; however, such approaches add cost, complication, and processing delay to the system.
These challenges are further complicated by their interrelationship. Elimination of costly glass in favor of a thinner plastic touch sheet leads to greater interference by the LCD stack and degraded touch sensing performance.
In view of these challenges, the development of a cost-effective large format capacitive touch screen device has remained elusive.

Capacitive touch surface in close proximity to display


There is provided a medical image processing device and an image processing method. The medical image processing device includes an acquisition unit that acquires application information indicating an application related to a display, and an image processing unit that performs image processing based on the application information to acquire an output image.

In medical systems such as an endoscopic surgery system, a plurality of monitors (display devices) has come to be used. In a system as described above, appropriately selecting a monitor on which an image is to be displayed and making the switch places a burden on a user. Therefore, Patent Literature 1, for example, discloses a medical system in which a monitor in accordance with the dimension of an input image is automatically selected and displayed.

Medical image processing device and image processing method


A method and apparatus simulates the performance of a system from a user-specified description of the components in the system and the interconnections between the components. The user may specify the descriptions using a consistent syntax. Conservation relations are automatically generated using the description of the components, the interconnections between the components in the system, or both. The description provided by the user and the conservation requirements generated may be translated into models for use by a conventional simulator to complete the simulation. Alternately the description and the conservation relation may be formulated into a set of relations and solved using conventional methods, such as Modified Nodal or Sparce Tableau. System performance simulation information is then generated as desired by a user.

System simulators allow a user to model a system to determine one or more responses to one or more stimuli. This capability allows a system designer to develop an understanding of the behavior of the system before it is constructed.
The user of a conventional simulator such as the MAST simulator from Analogy Corporation of Beaverton Oreg., the conventional SPICE simulator or other simulators related to the SPICE simulator typically describes a system to the system simulator using a modeling language. This modeling language allows the user to describe to the simulator the structural description of the system to be simulated, and a behavioral description of each component in the system. The structural description of the system, sometimes called a "netlist," is a list of all the components in the system, along with information about how the components are interconnected.
The user typically provides the behavioral description of each component using a set of relations which describe the behavior of the component. In some simulators such as MAST, these relations are in the form of equations. To describe a system that observes laws of conservation, such as Kirchhoff's laws in electrical systems or Newton's laws of motion in mechanical systems, the user of a simulator that employs a low-level behavioral language must also specify relations or equations consistent with the appropriate conservation requirements. For example, in an electrical system obeying the laws of conservation, the user must specify, for every node in the system, that the sum of currents into the node is equal to zero, or that the current into a branch is equal to the current out of the branch. The process of specifying these relations can be quite cumbersome, and is prone to error.
The user of the conventional SPICE simulator is not required to enter conservation relations into the simulator, but this simplicity comes at the expense of flexibility. The SPICE simulator does not allow the user to describe the behavior of a component using relations, limiting the user to the component definitions supplied with the simulator. The user of SPICE may vary certain component parameters, but may not alter existing definitions or create new ones.
It is believed that no currently available conventional system simulator provides the convenience of elimination of the requirement to explicitly specify the conservation relations while providing the flexibility to create or alter component definitions.
Another aspect of other simulators that makes them cumbersome to use is the method of specifying the relations. As described below, a user of a simulator specifies the behavior of a system by specifying the behavior of flows and potentials. The user of a simulator that employs a low-level behavioral language uses one syntax to specify a flow, and another syntax to specify a potential, requiring the user to remember to use the proper syntax. For example, to specify a flow "i" through a conductor having terminals "p" and "n", a user might write the relation as: EQU i(p.fwdarw.n)=G(V(p)-V(n))
however, to specify a potential, V, the user must first specify a flow in and a flow out, and then tell the simulator to solve for the flow that is equal to a function of a potential. For example, to specify a potential across two nodes "p" and "n" of a resistor having resistance r,:
i(p)+=i PA0 i(n)-=i PA0 i: V(p)-V(n)=r*i
Simulators which use inconsistent specification techniques are difficult for a user to learn and time consuming to use. It is believed that no currently available simulator provides a consistent specification technique for flows and potentials.

Method and apparatus for a simplified system simulation description


A capacitance sensing apparatus includes capacitance sensor elements covered by a layer of material. The layer of material has an uneven effect on a measure of capacitance induced in the capacitance sensor elements when an object is in proximity to a sensing surface. For example, the layer of material may have a non-uniform thickness, or a property of the material may be non-uniform across the layer. The capacitance sensor elements are dimensioned to compensate for the effect.

Conventional computing devices enable a user to input a choice or a selection in different ways. For example, a user can use an alphanumeric keyboard, a cursor control device or a microphone to indicate a choice or selection. Moreover, touch sensing technology can be used to provide an input selection to a computing device or other types of electronic devices.
Within the broad category of touch sensing technology there exist capacitive sensing touch sensors, commonly referred to as capacitive touchpads or simply touchpads. Touchpads are typically implemented with a flat or planar input (sensing) region or surface; that is, the surface that a user places his or her finger on is typically flat. Other types of capacitive touchpads utilize non-planar sensing surfaces, shaped as a concave or convex bowl, for example. Capacitance sensor elements are distributed underneath the sensing surface and are separated from the sensing surface by intervening material. When the user's finger is placed on the sensing surface, a capacitance is induced in the sensor elements.
Non-planar touchpads can be problematic if the capacitance sensor elements are planar, because the thickness of material between the sensing surface and the sensor elements will be non-uniform. Hence, a capacitive coupling between an object (e.g., a user's finger) and the sensor elements will be non-uniform. If the capacitance sensor elements are made to conform to the shape of the sensing surface, the touchpad may be more costly to manufacture.

Variably dimensioned capacitance sensor elements


A carrier for supporting a carcass part of slaughtered poultry includes a carrier body having a support surface for engaging at least a part of the inner face of the carcass part, a hook for holding the carcass part on the carrier body, a positioning element for positioning the carcass part relative to the carrier, which has a dome shaped engagement end for engaging the inner face of the carcass part, and is moveable between a retracted position and an extended position in which the dome shaped engagement end of the positioning element protrudes from the support surface of the carrier body. The positioning element is arranged such relative to the support surface of the carrier body that in its extended position, the dome shaped engagement end of the positioning element engages the inner face of the carcass part at or adjacent to the facies visceralis sterni of the sternum in the region between the left and right margo costalis of the sternum.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to a carrier for supporting a carcass part of slaughtered poultry, a system for processing slaughtered poultry wherein such a carrier is used and a method for arranging a carcass part of slaughtered poultry onto a carrier.
2. Description of Background Art
In automated poultry processing plants, carcass parts of slaughtered poultry are arranged on dedicated carriers, each carrier supporting a carcass part during the processing and/or during transport form one processing station to the next.
It is known to use carriers that have a shape that is adapted to the shape of the carcass part to be carried by the carrier. For example, EP1123006 discloses such a carrier.
This known carrier engages the inside of the carcass part to be processed. The known carrier comprises a carrier body which has a shape that generally matches the shape of the inside of the carcass part. The corpus sterni of the sternum lies on this carrier body. The carrier further comprises a hook that engages the carcass part in the area of the wishbone once the carcass part is arranged on the carrier. The hook pushes the carcass part against the carrier body and holds it in place.
A problem related to this kind of carrier is that the carcass part has to be arranged quite accurately on the carrier body, in such a way that the corpus sterni indeed lies on the bump of the carrier body. This accurate positioning has to be done by the person or the device that places the carcass parts onto the carriers, but it often has to be done at high speed. Once the carcass part is placed onto the carrier, in either the right position relative to the carrier or not, the carcass part is clamped onto the carrier by the hook without further adjustments being made.
The object of the invention is to provide a carrier that is at least an alternative to known carriers.
This object is achieved by a carrier for supporting a carcass part of slaughtered poultry,
which carcass part comprises an inner face and an outer face,
which carcass part further comprises at least a part of the corpus sterni of the sternum, the corpus sterni comprising at least a part of the facies visceralis sterni, and at least a part of the facies muscularis sterni,
the inner face being on the same side of the sternum as the facies visceralis sterni and the outer face being on the same side of the sternum as the facies muscularis sterni,
the carrier comprising:                a carrier body, said carrier body comprising a support surface for engaging at least a part of the inner face of the carcass part,        a hook for holding the carcass part on the carrier body,        a positioning element for positioning the carcass part relative to the carrier, which positioning element has a dome shaped engagement end for engaging the inner face of the carcass part,
which positioning element is moveable between a retracted position and an extended position in which extended position the dome shaped engagement end of the positioning element protrudes from the support surface of the carrier body,
the positioning element being arranged such relative to the support surface of the carrier body that in its extended position, the dome shaped engagement end of the positioning element engages the inner face of the carcass part at or adjacent to the facies visceralis sterni of the sternum in the region between the left and right margo costalis of the sternum.

Carrier for supporting a carcass part of slaughtered poultry


A tangle-free wire dispenser for transporting and simultaneously dispensing single and multiple wires in any direction. The wire dispenser comprises of a boxlike outer frame, with wheeled legs, a parallel inner shaft, with perpendicular spool holders thereon, and spool tension bars. The top outer frame contains individual wire guide windows, which permit omnidirectional dispensing of wire, and wires, from spool holders without repositioning the dispenser. The inner shaft comprises an extendable transport handle inserted within its long axis, wherein the spool holders and tension bars are mounted and divided at right angles. Individual spool holders permit changing, replenishing, and tensioning of selected spools without interruption of other spool operations The inner shaft, spool holders, and tension bars comprise an integral supplier of tensioned wire to individually interface spools with the respective guide windows, thus isolating each spool during multispool and multidirectional wire use, elimitating backlash and tangle. The legs, which have at least two removable wheels for specific operational requirements, are attached at the bottom of the outer frame. The wheels conjuncted with the outer frame, its inner components, and an extended handle comprise an integral wire dispensing cart.

This invention relates, in general, to portable devices used for the transporting and dispensing of spooled metal electrical wire. Specifically herein, this device stores, protects, transports, and despools wound wire, and respools excess free wire. However, it is envisioned that other spooled materials, such as rope, ribbon, and nonconductive wire may also be dispensed by use of this device. Such Materials may be dispensed, singularly and multiplely, in any direction.
The wire to which this device pretains is generally small sized, such as 18 through 6 gauge. Such wire is manufactured and wound onto spools, which may vary in diameter and width of the spool, depending on the amount of wire placed on the spools. Said spools are provided with a hollow hub, which may also vary in diameter and width.
In the field of electrical wiring, it is necessary to devise a means of simultaneously dispensing several spools of wire. However, present devices use a single horizontal spindle, either handheld or fastened to a framework. This allows the spools to rotate when the free end of the wire is pulled. Some devices have slots which help guide, and in some cases add friction to, the wire. Due to the resiliency of spooled wire, the wire tends to override the spool rim, entangling with the device and the adjacant spools. Thus causing either damage to the wire or loss of productivity, or both, when correcting. Severely bent, and nicked, electical wire results in a critical reduction in its conductive properties. Since much electrical wire has opaque outer insulation the damage to wire may not be visually detectable. Therefore, wire may be unknowingly installed in an unsafe condition.
In some present devices, spools are mounted side by side on a single holding rod. This arrangement creates several problems, when a spool becomes depleted. Excepting outer spools, the said arrangement requires that additional spools be removed to replace the depleted spool. The same problem is inherent in replacing one gauge of spooled wire with a different gauged wire, when satisifying job requirements. Furthermore, excess unspooled wire must be respooled prior to transportation. Excess wire is subject to physical damages and is a safety hazard when left loose within the workplace. With spools mounted side by side, on a single holding rod, the process of respooling is cumbersome and ineffective. To respool effectively, the spool must be removed from the dispensing device. Otherwise, when despooling and respooling the inertia from one spool is transmitted to adjacant spools by physical contact.
A means of pretensioning each wire, before it leaves the spool is essential. In the process of dispensing, wire tends to retain the circular shape of the spool, and tends to remain in the motion, indirection of spool rotation. Thereby, wire tends to backlash within the spool when rotation is slowed. This event is common and similar to the frequent backlash of fishing line on bait casting fishing reels. Current devices do not negate backlash, because the wire is tensioned after the wire departs the spool. In a like manner, another problem occurs when spools are mounted on a single rod. When one, or more, wires are pulled, static spools bind with rotating spools, creating backlash within the static spool. Conversely, rotating spools are subjected to undesirable and excessive resistance when wire is pulled.
With current devices, the user is limited to where they may locate when dispensing wire. Said devices are also limited to a person, or persons, continually pulling wire in generally the same direction. However, it is the general nature of commercial, residential, and industrial wiring tasks, and in servicing multiple pieces of equipment, that multiple wires be pulled in multiple directions. Since present dispensing devices do not conform to the nature of the tasks, much time is expended in repositioning the device to a correct angle, and often location, to permit wire pulling. When a dispensing device must, otherwise, be relocated a mechanically assisted means of transport is essential. Whereas, the aggregate weight of several spools of wire will often exceed the body weight of the individual worker. The device described, herein, comprises a means of both saving labor and limiting the deficiencies of other existing devices.


The present invention provides a process of an industrially advantageous production of high-purity adamantane at a low cost and with a high efficiency by isomerizing trimethylenenorbornane contained in a raffinate obtained from a platfinate.

Adamantane is a stable, highly symmetrical compound in which four cyclohexane rings are condensed to form a cage-like structure. It is known that adamantane, which has such a specific adamantane skeleton and which shows peculiar functions, is useful as a lubricant or as a raw material for agricultural and medical materials and highly functional industrial materials.
As a method for producing adamantane, a process is generally adopted in which trimethylenenorbornane obtained by hydrogenating dicyclopentadiene is isomerized.
In such an isomerization reaction, aluminum chloride is generally used as a catalyst.
The yield of adamantane produced by using aluminum chloride as a catalyst is about 50% by mass (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In this case, the catalyst must be used in a large amount and further cannot be reused because it forms complexes with heavy components during the reaction.
Therefore, the known method produces a large amount of waste aluminum, disposal of which causes problems of environmental pollution.
In addition, since the use of aluminum chloride causes coloring of the adamantane product, it is necessary to conduct a recrystallization step and a decoloring step using, for example, active carbon. Thus, a problem is caused that post treatments become inevitably troublesome.
There is also known a solid catalyst which contains an active metal such as platinum, rhenium, nickel or cobalt carried on a cation-exchanged zeolite by an impregnation process (for example, Patent Document 3).
A process for producing adamantane using the above solid catalyst in which an active metal such as platinum, rhenium, nickel or cobalt is carried on a cation-exchanged zeolite by an impregnation process can solve the above problems caused in the case where aluminum chloride catalyst is used.    Patent Document 1: JP-A-Shou-50-71663    Patent Document 2: JP-A-2000-143556    Patent Document 3: JP-B-Shou-52-2909
The above-described conventional methods using aluminum chloride catalyst or a solid catalyst, however, have a problem that the production of adamantane requires unavoidably a high cost because trimethylenenorbornane used as a starting material should be obtained by hydrogenating dicyclopentadiene which is expensive.


A transmission for a marine propulsion device is provided with a movable member that responds to relative rotational movement between it and a driving shaft with an axial movement relative to the driving shaft and to a driven component. This axial movement is directed against one of two spring components which resist the axial movement. During the compression of either of the spring components, rotation of the driven component is non-synchronous with the driving component during a brief period of time. Also, the driven component is decoupled at least partially from torque transmitting relation with the driving component during the axial movement of the movable member relative to the driving and driven components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to a damping mechanism and, more particularly, to a mechanism which responds to changes in rotational speed of a propeller shaft and a propeller hub by temporarily decoupling, or partially decoupling, the propeller hub from the propeller shaft through relative axial movement of associated components.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,223,773, which issued to Croisant et al. on Sep. 23, 1980, discloses a drive engaging apparatus. A clutch apparatus for a marine drive lower gear case includes a propeller shaft rotatably mounted in a gear case housing. A drive gear for both forward and reverse is positioned in the housing coaxial with the propeller shaft and a clutch member is rotatably fixed on the propeller shaft and movable axially into drive engagement with the drive gear. Clutch engaging elements are provided on opposite portions of the drive gears and the clutch member. Shift means utilizing a positive acting cam means positively move the clutch member into and out of engagement with the drive gears. The shift means also include a releasable latch means to positively maintain the shift means in the engaged position and a preloading means between the shift means and the clutch member to snap the clutch member into engagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,084, which issued to Handa on Apr. 9, 1991, describes a shift device for marine propulsion. A marine propulsion forward, neutral, reverse transmission incorporating a single spring for yieldably cushioning the shifting into either forward or reverse is described. Various embodiments of detent mechanisms and spring locations are illustrated as is an arrangement for providing a different spring loading in one direction from the opposite direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,911, which issued to Suzuki et al. on Dec. 9, 2003, describes a shift assist system for an outboard motor. The system regulates the torque of the engine to ensure proper effortless shifting. The system recognizes open circuit or short circuit faults and nevertheless enables the torque of the engine to be reduced to facilitate easy gear selection.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,884,131, which issued to Katayama et al. on Apr. 26, 2005, describes a shift mechanism for a marine propulsion unit. An outboard motor incorporates a driveshaft and a propulsion shaft driven by the driveshaft. The driveshaft carries a pinion. The propulsion shaft carries forward and reverse gears. The pinion always meshes with the forward and reverse gear and drives the forward and reverse gears in opposite directions relative to each other. A hydraulic forward clutch mechanism couples the forward gear with a propulsion shaft. A hydraulic reverse clutch mechanism couples the reverse gear with the propulsion shaft. A shift actuator selectively operates the forward clutch mechanism or the reverse clutch mechanism to provide forward, reverse and/or neutral running conditions for the outboard motor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,893,305, which issued to Natsume et al. on May 17, 2005, describes a shift mechanism for a marine propulsion unit. The unit has a driveshaft and propulsion shaft driven by the driveshaft and driving a propeller. The driveshaft carries a pinion. The propulsion shaft carries forward and reverse gears. The pinion meshes with the forward and reverse gears. The pinion drives the forward and reverse gears in opposite directions relative to each other. A sleeve is rotatable with the propulsion shaft. The sleeve is slidably disposed between the forward and reverse gears on the propulsion shaft. The forward and reverse gears have teeth on a surface thereof that opposes the sleeve. The sleeve has recesses on each surface thereof that opposes the forward or reverse gear. Each tooth can enter a corresponding recess. The tooth has a length substantially the same as a length of the recess in a circumferential direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,942,530, which issued to Hall et al. on Sep. 13, 2005, discloses an engine control strategy for a marine propulsion system for improving shifting. An engine control strategy selects a desired idle speed for use during a shift event based on both speed and engine temperature. In order to change the engine operating speed to the desired idle speed during the shift event, ignition timing is altered and the status of an idle air control valve is changed. Theses changes to the ignition timing and idle air control valve are made in order to achieve the desired engine idle speed during the shift event. The idle speed during the shift event is selected so that the impact shock and resulting noise of the shift event can be decreased without causing the engine to stall.
The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention.

Damping mechanism for a marine propeller


A system is provided that includes a clocking circuit to provide two repeater clock signals and a flop repeater circuit to receive the two repeater clock signals and an input data signal. The flop repeater circuit to provide an output data signal based on the two repeater clock signals. The flop repeater circuit including a plurality of transistors and inverters coupled together to function as a flip-flop circuit that passes data without any full transmission gates.

Electronic devices, such as microprocessors, are steadily operating at faster and faster speeds. As microprocessors run at higher and higher speeds, the power delivered to the microprocessors by a power supply starts to become an issue. Power consumption has become a significant limiter in high-performance microprocessor design. The clock power of a microprocessor may be well above 60% of the entire microprocessor power. One of the largest components of power consumption is the clocking subsystem, including clock generation, distribution, and clocking power consumed in flop-flops and latches. As the clock frequency increases, many critical path delays are due to interconnects. Since more interconnects need to be pipelined, this may increase the clock power. Therefore, alternative circuit topologies to reduce the clock load need to be developed.


During query optimization, when a particular type of transformation is considered, the effect of performing one or more subsequent kinds of transformations is also considered in conjunction with the first. When applying a transformation, which forecloses applying another, both are considered independently.

Relational and object-relational database management systems store information in tables of rows in a database. To retrieve data, queries that request data are submitted to a database server, which computes the queries and returns the data requested.
Query statements submitted to the database server should conform to the syntactical rules of a particular query language. One popular query language, known as the Structured Query Language (SQL), provides users a variety of ways to specify information to be retrieved.
A query submitted to a database server is evaluated by a query optimizer. Based on the evaluation, the query optimizer generates an execution plan that defines operations for executing the query. Typically, the query optimizer generates an execution plan optimized for efficient execution.
When a query optimizer evaluates a query, it determines various "candidate execution plans" and selects an optimal execution plan. The query may be transformed into one or more semantically equivalent queries. For the query and the one or more of transformed queries, various candidate execution plans are generated.
In general, a query optimizer generates optimized execution plans when the query optimizer is able to perform more kinds and combinations of transformations under more kinds of conditions. Based on the foregoing, there is clearly a need for more ways of transforming queries.
The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.

Efficient interaction among cost-based transformations


An image processing method performs processing to generate image data based on input data and output the image data to an image forming device. The image forming device includes a printing head in which first nozzles for ejecting color ink drops are arranged in a symmetrical formation to forward and backward scanning directions and second nozzles for ejecting black or gray ink drops are arranged in an unsymmetrical formation with respect to the first nozzles. The image forming device is adapted to perform a uni-directional printing or a bidirectional printing with the printing head. In the image processing method, a black generation processing to the input data is performed, and when performing the black generation processing, a black-generation start level for the bidirectional printing is delayed to a shadow-side gradation level from a black-generation start level for the uni-directional printing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing method, a computer-readable program, an image processing device, an image forming device, and an image forming system.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, an ink-jet printing device in which a droplet ejection head is used for the printing head is known as one of image forming devices including a printer, a facsimile, a copier and a multi-function peripheral. This ink-jet printing device is provided to eject the ink from the printing head to a sheet as the printing liquid, so that image formation is carried out on the sheet. The sheet in this case is not limited to paper, but it is meant to include an OHP (overhead projector) sheet, a printing medium, a recording medium, a recording sheet, a printing sheet, etc.
In order to allow the ink-jet printing device to spread from the personal use to the office use, it is necessary to resolve the two problems which follow.
One problem is the printing speed. In a commonly used ink-jet printing device (except for the special industrial type), the printing head which is smaller in size than the recording sheet is used to perform printing by scanning the sheet surface repeatedly and ejecting ink drops thereto. This is the line printing method. When compared with an image forming device of electrophotographic printing type which performs printing on a sheet (page) basis, the line printing method is disadvantageous in respect of the printing speed.
In order to obviate the problem of the printing speed, some improved methods are adopted which include the increase of the scanning speed by raising the cycle of ejection of ink drops, the reduction of the number of times of the scanning by enlargement of the printing head size or by the bidirectional printing, and the shortest scan control which performs scanning only to the areas in which the image data are printed. With such improved methods, the printing speed that is higher than that of the electrophotographic printing method may be realized in the case of printing of a small or middle number of sheets.
The other problem is related to the cost, and the formation of an image on plain paper by the ink-jet printing device with lost cost is usually difficult. If a special sheet for ink-jet printing is used, high quality image reproduction may be attained. The image quality of the ink jet printed image created by the ink-jet printing device of the personal use in recent years has come to be increasingly close to that of a photograph.
However, such special sheets are generally expensive, and the introduction of the special sheets into companies or offices in which severe cost control is required is difficult. In addition, high-level image quality is not required for the images outputted for the office use, and if the high-level image quality can be attained only with the special sheets, the ink jet printing is disadvantageous in respect of the cost.
In order to allow the image formation on plain paper, it is necessary to improve the composition of the ink. For example, development of dye ink with low permeation, use of auxiliary fixing agent, development of pigment ink, etc. have been tried. The newest model of the ink-jet printing device has come to perform the image formation on the plain paper commonly used in offices or the sheets commonly used as copy papers with good image quality which is equivalent to that of the image forming device of electrophotographic printing type.
The ink-jet printing device is becoming a very attractive product also in the office use by the improvement of the scanning speed and image quality. In particular, it is advantageous in respect of the cost when compared with a laser printer. And the miniaturization of the ink-jet printing device is easy and the desktop use is also progressing.
However, unlike image forming devices, such as laser printers and offset printing devices, which include the mechanism for fixing the coloring material to the sheet surface, the ink-jet printing device makes the coloring material permeate into the sheet. The ink-jet printing device has the problems or restrictions accompanied with the permeation process.
One of the problems is that the ink of one color previously adhered to the sheet colors more conspicuously than the ink of another color subsequently adhered to the same part of the paper. The ink-jet printing device for the office use makes use of the bidirectional printing in which printing is performed in each of the forward and backward motions of the printing head, in order to raise the printing speed. However, when the bidirectional printing is performed, the order of impact of ink will be reversed for the forward printing and the backward printing, and a different coloring for every scanning line of the forward printing and the backward printing may take place. As the phenomenon, the thin horizontal-stripe patterns appear on the image being originally formed. Thus, the image quality will deteriorate.
Some countermeasures against the color difference (bidirectional color difference) accompanied with such bidirectional printing have been proposed. One of them is to use a head unit having a symmetrical arrangement in which the nozzles of the respective colors are arranged to be symmetrical to the main scanning direction. For example, see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-320926 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 07-242036.
With the head unit of the symmetrical arrangement, the two nozzles in the head unit are shifted along the scanning line by one pitch of the resolution and the images formed sequentially in order of the forward printing and the backward printing are arranged per every 1-dot line. Theoretically, no color difference is produced by the coloring itself.
However, some problems remain unresolved in realizing the head unit of the symmetrical arrangement, and it is very difficult to realize the arrangement in which the nozzles of the respective colors are arranged to be completely symmetrical.
For example, if the head composition is provided to use separate units for the respective colors, the four color heads of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (K) will require seven or eight units. The cost in such a case will be increased more than that in the case of the head unit of the asymmetrical arrangement.
Especially, in the case of the printing head of the type in which the diaphragm which constitutes a part of pressurizing liquid chamber deforms according to displacement of a piezoelectric element to eject ink by the pressure by the volume change, the miniaturization of the head unit itself is difficult. With the increase in the number of head units, this will result in the enlargement of the head module and the enlargement of the carriage, i.e., the enlargement of the ink-jet printing device.
Moreover, when assembling the respective units, care must be taken to the assembling accuracy of not only the units of different colors but also the units of the same color. This causes the difficulty of manufacture to become high.
In the case of the printing head of the type in which sudden heating of the ink contained in the pressurizing liquid chamber is performed, so that the ink is ejected by using the volume change by the film boiling, it is easy to manufacture the printing head of symmetrical composition as an integral unit by applying the photolithographic printing method. And it is possible to reduce the difficulty of assembling. However, the recovery mechanism for keeping the state of the nozzle surface constant must be provided commonly to the respective colors, and a color mixture on the nozzle surface is likely to take place.
In recent years, in order to raise the image quality of black characters, the use of inks of different characteristics, like dye inks used as color inks and a pigment ink used as a black ink, is increasing. And not only the color mixture due to the recovery mechanism deteriorates the image quality, but also nozzle clogging due to the solidified sub-products etc. leads to a possibility of lowering the ink ejection stability.
To overcome the problem, the head unit of the asymmetrical arrangement in which the nozzle for ejecting the black ink is separated from the other nozzles of the symmetrical arrangement has been proposed as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications No. 2005-001336 and No. 2005-001337.
However, the separation of the black nozzle from the other color ink nozzles, as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Applications No. 2005-001336 and No. 2005-001337 causes the problem of the bidirectional color difference between the black ink and the other color inks to occur again, which must have been eliminated by the symmetrical arrangement.

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