A wrench utilizing high inertial torque energy incorporates a flywheel that is rotated by a drive motor. The wrench is activated by a symmetrical clutch to deliver the rotational energy stored in the flywheel to an output drive. Torque reaction is isolated in the flywheel and clutch mechanism and not transmitted to the housing of the wrench.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wrench that utilizes a flywheel to create a high inertia torque system for removing fastening devices and a method for using the wrench.
2. Background of Related Art
A wrench that transfers energy stored in a flywheel to a bolt or nut which is to be loosened is conventionally known in the automobile lugnut removal field. U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,354 to Simonin discloses a conventional wrench with a drive motor and flywheel that are rigidly connected in a housing to drive an output ferrule when a spring clutch is engaged. In operation, a user provides power to the drive motor which causes a flywheel to rotate. Once the flywheel achieves a predetermined speed, the user presses the output ferrule onto a lugnut which causes a single tooth clutch plate connected to the ferrule to collide with a mating single tooth clutch plate connected to the flywheel. The rotational energy from the flywheel is then transferred to the output ferrule to provide a removal force to a lugnut engaged by the ferrule. The conventionally known wrench is designed for the specific purpose of quickly removing a flat tire. Accordingly, the conventional wrench is designed to be economically made with little concern for accuracy or endurance.
Because the motor of the conventionally known flywheel wrench is rigidly connected to the housing, a torque reaction will be transmitted directly to the user of the device. Torque reaction is a detrimental reverse torque which results from the elastic collision of the clutch mechanism when the rotational energy transmitted from the flywheel to the output ferrule is converted to a torque for removing a fastener. Transmission of torque reaction to an operator can lead to many undesirable health problems including nerve damage, muscle strain and bruising. Torque reaction is especially large when the rotational energy stored in the flywheel is not sufficient to remove the fastener to which the output ferrule is connected. Torque reaction is also compounded when any of the mechanisms that are rotated are not concentric. The nature and object of conventionally known flywheel wrenches has never demanded a strict limit to the amount of torque reaction that is acceptable because conventionally known flywheel wrenches are generally used in lightweight limited use applications, such as removing a lugnut from an automobile wheel. Accordingly, the detrimental effects of torque reaction being transmitted to an operator are negligible in conventionally known flywheel wrenches and do not outweigh the benefits of making the device economical and compact.
In heavier, industrial applications, it is conventionally known to use an impact wrench to remove fasteners. The impact wrench also suffers from the problem of transmission of torque reaction to the operator. In addition, the user of an impact wrench has little control over the amount of torque that is output by the tool. Torque output from air operated power equipment, such as an impact wrench, varies greatly depending on the air pressure, amount of moisture in the air and the condition of the motor itself. Furthermore, impact wrenches require a relatively large amount of input power to achieve a given output torque.

Wrench with high inertia torque system and method for using same


A push button switch may include a housing, an operation unit, and, a lock lever unit. A lever body of the lock lever unit may have a locking portion capable of locking one end of a long jig in an extending direction. The housing may have a fulcrum projection that contacts an intermediate portion of the jig having the one end locked to a locking portion when the lever body is moved using the jig, and serves as a rotation fulcrum of the jig.

Patent document 1 discloses an operation switch including a contact portion having a contact B, an operation unit for opening and closing the contact B of the contact portion, and a lock mechanism having a lock lever capable of fixing the operation unit and the contact portion to each other. In the operation switch, an operation hole is provided in the lock lever, and a tool such as a screwdriver is inserted into the operation hole so that the lock lever can be rotated.

Locking push-button switch housing with a jig fulcrum projection


An offset printing group is part of a printing machine which is used for printing newspapers. The offset printing group includes a printing cylinder and a transfer cylinder. The length of the transfer cylinder corresponds to at least six widths of newspaper pages. Two blankets are arranged adjacent each other on the peripheral surface of the transfer cylinder. A width of each of these blankets in the axial direction of the transfer cylinder corresponds to three widths of newspaper pages.

DE 25 28 008 A1 shows a printing press for use in a direct printing process, and having forme cylinders which can be equipped with six printing plates in the axial direction and with two printing plates in the circumferential direction, and also having counter-pressure cylinders, on which three printing blankets can be arranged in the axial direction and one printing blanket can be arranged in the circumferential direction. Both the printing plates, which are arranged side-by-side, as well as the printing blankets, which are also arranged side-by-side, are each offset, with respect to each other, in the circumferential direction.
DE 24 22 696 C2 shows a satellite printing unit of a width of six plates with offset printing groups, and having nine or ten cylinders. The two center ones of six printing formes, which are arranged side-by-side in the axial direction, are arranged offset, in the circumferential direction, with respect to the outer ones of the printing formes on the forme cylinder.
A triple-wide web-fed rotary printing press, with two formers arranged on two different levels placed on top of each other, is known from DE 41 28 797 A1.
A folding structure is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,501. Two formers are arranged on top of each other, in which formers, following their passage through winding rollers, the webs are longitudinally cut upstream of a third former. The partial webs are turned by 90° by a third former and, after having been combined into two continuous webs, are subsequently fed to the two formers which are arranged on top of each other.
A folding structure with two groups of three formers each, which two groups of formers are vertically offset with respect to each other, is known from EP 1 072 551 A2.
A folding structure is known from WO 97/17 200 A2, in which cut partial webs, which are transversely offset with respect to each other, are fed to different formers. The formers, which are arranged horizontally side-by-side, are arranged partially offset with respect to each other.
A longitudinal cutting arrangement for variably cut widths is known from EP 1 238 395 A2. This cutting arrangement has upper cutters which are movable in the axial direction, and a lower cutter shaft with a number of grooves exceeding the number of the upper cutters.
DE 42 04 254 A1 discloses a folding structure of a printing press which is four newspaper pages wide. Two formers, which can be shifted transversely with respect to the web running direction, are arranged on a lower former level, and a single stationary former is arranged on a level above the lower former level. In one mode of operation, a newspaper with four pages is produced using the two lower formers. In another mode of operation six pages of a telephone directory are provided side-by-side by the three formers. In the latter case, the two lower formers are moved apart.
EP 1 072 551 A2 shows a former arrangement with two groups of three cylinders each. The formers of one group are located on one level and overlap each other, at least viewed in their horizontal direction, in the vertical extension.
It is known from DE 196 28 647 A1 to imprint a web with panorama printed pages, which panorama printed pages have printing extending over two adjacent newspaper pages, without interruption.
In connection with double-width printing groups, DE 100 16 409 A1 discloses a transfer cylinder having two printing blankets situated side-by-side. Triple-width cylinders are also mentioned, in addition to single-width and double-width cylinders.
WO 01/39974 A discloses a multitude of options for covering printing group cylinders of single and double width with dressings. The transfer cylinder always has dressings which, in an example of double wide cylinders, are either two newspaper pages wide, or extend over the entire length, i.e. in this case are four newspaper pages wide. In an expansion of the teaching of this pattern to even wider cylinders, and in particular to triple-wide cylinders, the arrangement of three or more side-by-side arranged cylinders takes place in an analogous manner in alignment or alternatingly.
A former structure is disclosed in DE 100 03 025 C1. Two formers are arranged to be movable transversely to the web running direction in order to make possible imprinting and processing of variable web widths.
DE 198 03 809 A1 discloses double-wide printing groups and teaches to configure the forme cylinder with a single circumference. In the case represented in connection with a printing group of a width of four newspaper pages, the transfer cylinder has two dressings which are offset by 180°, with respect to each other, in the circumferential direction. In one embodiment, a full web with eight side-by-side arranged book pages, and a web of partial web with six side-by-side arranged book pages, can be imprinted.

Offset printing groups of a printing press for newspaper printing and a web-fed rotary printing press


An apparatus which processes a digital image and a method therefor which can reduce an error when calculating an output value obtained by interpolating pixel values of the input digital image. The apparatus includes an interpolation processing unit which interpolates an input digital image, and a controller which measures an interpolation interval of pixel values of the digital image, calculates a coefficient by substituting the interpolation interval for a coefficient equation stored in a register, and calculates an interpolation node for the digital image by substituting the coefficient and an output pixel position value of the digital image for an interpolation node calculation equation. The controller controls the interpolation processing unit so as to interpolate the digital image to the interpolation node. As a result, it is possible to reduce an error between an interpolated output pixel position value and an output pixel position value for the pixel values of the input digital image.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus which processes a digital image and a method therefor, and more particularly, to an apparatus which processes a digital image and a method therefor which can enlarge or reduce the digital image photographed by an image collecting apparatus such as a digital camera.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a conventional apparatus which processes a digital image. For example, digital image pixel data is input from a frame store memory (not shown) to the apparatus for digital image processing. The input digital image pixel data is interpolated by the apparatus, which processes the digital image, and output through a printer (not shown) or stored in another frame store memory (not shown) for a later processing.
The conventional apparatus which processes the digital image includes a controller 100, a vertical direction interpolation coefficient memory 101, a vertical direction interpolation input buffer 103, a vertical direction interpolation circuit 105, a vertical direction interpolation output buffer 107, a horizontal direction interpolation circuit 109, and a horizontal direction interpolation coefficient memory 111.
The controller 100 controls the vertical direction interpolation coefficient memory 101, the vertical direction interpolation input buffer 103, the vertical direction interpolation circuit 105, the vertical direction interpolation output buffer 107, the horizontal direction interpolation circuit 109, and the horizontal direction interpolation coefficient memory 111, so as to interpolate pixel values of the input digital image.
The vertical direction interpolation input buffer 103 temporarily stores the pixel values of the input digital image, and is embodied in a First-In First-Out (FIFO). Here, the FIFO is a method of processing program operation requests which processes a first request first (i.e., a firstly-input pixel value of the digital image).
At least one interpolation coefficient which creates an equation that represents a position of an output pixel, which is an interpolation node, is stored in the vertical direction interpolation coefficient memory 101 and the horizontal direction interpolation coefficient memory 111. The interpolation coefficients of the respective output pixel positions are calculated according to a distance between the pixel values of the input digital image, an increment interval between the pixel positions of the output digital image, and an interpolation method in the respective output pixel positions. In addition, a series of the pixel values of the input digital image are multiplied by the corresponding interpolation coefficients, thereby interpolating the pixel values of the input digital image.
When receiving a vertical direction interpolation processing signal by the controller 100, the vertical direction interpolation circuit 105 obtains vertical direction interpolation coefficients corresponding to the pixel values of the input digital image from the vertical direction interpolation coefficient memory 101, respectively multiplies the pixel values of the digital image by the vertical direction interpolation coefficients corresponding to the pixel values, and calculates a sum of the resulting values to perform the vertical direction interpolation. The pixel values of the digital image interpolated in a vertical direction by the vertical direction interpolation circuit 105 are stored in the vertical direction interpolation output buffer 107.
The horizontal direction interpolation circuit 109 receives the pixel values of the digital image interpolated in a vertical direction from the vertical direction interpolation output buffer 107. In addition, the horizontal direction interpolation circuit 109 obtains horizontal direction interpolation coefficients corresponding to the pixel values of the input digital image from the horizontal direction interpolation coefficient memory 111. Thereafter, the horizontal direction interpolation circuit 109 respectively multiplies the pixel values of the digital image interpolated in the vertical direction by the horizontal direction interpolation coefficients obtained from the horizontal direction interpolation coefficient memory 111, and calculates a sum of the resulting values to perform the horizontal direction interpolation. Accordingly, the horizontal and vertical direction interpolations of the pixel values of the input digital image are completed.
A variety of filters, such as bilinear, spline and cubic filters, which enlarge or reduce the digital image, are required to interpolate the digital image. Enlargement or reduction of the digital image by the filters should satisfy ideal filter properties. However, it is impossible to embody such an ideal filter. In FIG. 1, a sync function type filter is used, and a cubic convolution of FIG. 1 uses a shape shown in FIG. 2.
The convolution of FIG. 2 is represented by Formula 1:
                                          R            c                                          (            x            )                          =                  (                                                                                (                                          a                      +                      2                                        )                                    |                  x                                                        |                    3                                                                          -                                          (                                              a                        +                        3                                            )                                                        |                  x                                                        |                    2                                                                                +                        1                                                                                …                                                                                0                                        ≤                                    |                  x                  |                                      ≤                    1                                                                                a                  |                  x                                                        |                    3                                                                                -                      5                                                            a                                    |                  x                                                        |                    2                                                                                +                      8                                                            a                                    |                  x                  |                                                                                -                        4                                                                  a                                                                                …                                                                                1                                        ≤                                    |                  x                  |                                      ≤                    2                                                                                )                                    <                  Formula                                                              1                >            wherein, when 'a=−½' is satisfied, Formula 1 is represented by Formula 2:
                              u                                (            x            )                          =                  {                                                                                3                      2                                        |                    x                                                              |                      3                                                                                -                                              5                        2                                                              |                    x                                                              |                      2                                                                                +                          1                                                                                …                                                                                0                                            <                                        |                    x                    |                                          <                      1                                                                                -                                              1                        2                                                              |                    x                                                              |                      3                                                                                +                                              5                        2                                                              |                    x                                                              |                      2                                                                                -                      4                                        |                    x                    |                                                                                +                          2                                                                                …                                                                                1                                            <                                        |                    x                    |                                          <                      2                                                                                0                                                                                …                                                                                2                                            <                                        |                    x                    |                                                                                <                  Formula                                                              2                >
FIG. 3 illustrates an interpolation method by the cubic convolution of FIG. 2. Assuming that an interval of the respective periods is '1', an interpolation node Yp is represented by Formula 3 according to a boundary condition:
                              Y          p                =                  {                                                                                [                                                                                -                                                              1                                2                                                                                (                                                                  1                                  +                                  t                                                                )                                                            2                                                                                +                                                                                5                              2                                                                                (                                                                  1                                  +                                  t                                                                )                                                            2                                                                                -                                                      4                                                                                (                                                              1                                +                                t                                                            )                                                                                +                          2                                                ]                                                                                Y                                                  k                          -                          1                                                                                +                                                                                [                                                                                3                              2                                                                                (                                t                                )                                                            3                                                                                -                                                                                5                              2                                                                                t                              2                                                                                +                          1                                                ]                                                                                Y                        k                                                              +                                                                                [                                                                                3                              2                                                                                (                                                                  1                                  -                                  t                                                                )                                                            3                                                                                -                                                                                5                              2                                                                                (                                                              1                                -                                                                  t                                  2                                                                                )                                                                                +                          1                                                ]                                                                                Y                                                  k                          +                          1                                                                                +                                                                                [                                                                                -                                                          1                              2                                                                                (                                                              2                                -                                t                                                            )                                                        3                                                                          +                                                                              5                            2                                                                                (                                                              2                                -                                t                                                            )                                                        2                                                                          -                                                  4                                                                                (                                                          2                              -                              t                                                        )                                                                          +                        2                                            ]                                                                                Y                                              k                        +                        2                                                                                <                  Formula                                                              3                >
Formula 4 is obtained by processing Formula 3 as a function of 't'. Here, Yk−1, Yk, Yk+1 and Yk+2 indicate positions of k−1, k, k+1 and k+2-th sampled output pixels of the input digital image, respectively.
                                                                                Y                  p                                =                                                                                {                                                                        (                                                                                Y                                                              k                                +                                2                                                                                -                                                          3                                                                                Y                                                                  k                                  +                                  1                                                                                +                                                          3                                                                                Y                                k                                                                                -                                                          Y                                                              k                                -                                1                                                                                )                                                /                        2                                            }                                                                                t                      3                                                        +                                                                                {                                                                        (                                                                                -                                                              Y                                                                  k                                  +                                  2                                                                                +                                                          4                                                                                Y                                                                  k                                  +                                  1                                                                                -                                                          5                                                                                Y                                k                                                                                +                                                          2                                                                                Y                                                                  k                                  -                                  1                                                                                )                                                /                        2                                            }                                                                                t                      2                                                        +                                                                                {                                                                        (                                                                                Y                                                              k                                +                                2                                                                                -                                                          2                                                                                Y                                                                  k                                  -                                  1                                                                                )                                                /                        2                                            }                                                            t                                    +                                      Y                    k                                                                                <                  Formula                                                              4                >
Formula 5 is obtained by processing Formula 4:Yp=C1Yk−1+C2Yk+C3Yk+1+C4Yk+2C1=(−t3+2t2−t)/2C2=(3t3−5t2+2)/2C3=(−3t3+4t2+t)/2C4=(t3−t2)/2  <Formula 5>
Here, the respective coefficients C1, C2, C3 and C4 can use a lookup table.
However, when the apparatus is embodied in a form of hardware, in a scaler such as the cubic convolution, it takes a long processing time to apply the above Formula(s) to each scale value. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a lot of adders and multipliers are required to express the respective interpolation coefficients in the form of hardware. Thus, a bank is generally used as shown in FIG. 5. Here, the bank is a logical unit which divides a main memory device for management. The bank is used to prepare for an increase of the main memory device or to utilize a limited memory device space by bank switching. The more banks are used, the higher the performance. Although a small number of adders and multipliers are required when the banks are used, rather than the use of the Formula(s), so far as the memory is not infinite, the bank obtains approximate values. Accordingly, such an error influences the overall image quality. Moreover, buses are more frequently used due to memory access.
That is, in the cubic convolution using N banks, the respective banks are used with a representative value, thus generating an error. For example, when values between 0 and 1 are divided by five banks, the values are divided at an interval of 0.2. When Yp exists between 0 and 0.2, a distance 't' between 0 and 1 in the cubic convolution filter is set up to be 0.1, to calculate the values C1, C2, C3 and C4. Accordingly, values between 0 and 0.2 are approximated to 0.1, which may generate an error. FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D illustrate an error distribution of the cubic convolution of FIG. 3 and probable errors of the respective coefficients.
Referring to FIGS. 6A to 6D, the coefficients are divided by 1/N periods during N bank periods, and an error value of each period is reduced due to an increase of N. In addition, when the coefficients having errors are respectively multiplied by the pixel values, the interpolated pixel values have bigger errors. For example, assuming that 't' is 0.19 and the pixel value of the digital image represented by (255 255 1 1) belongs to a first bank, the representative value of 't' becomes 0.1, and thus the interpolated pixel value becomes 283. However, since 't' is 0.19, the interpolated pixel value calculated by using the actual 't' is 216. Accordingly, an error value of 67 is generated between the pixel value interpolated by the representative value of 't' of the bank and the pixel value interpolated by the actual 't'.
FIG. 7 shows a flowchart illustrating a conventional method of processing a digital image. As shown in FIG. 7 with reference to FIG. 1, the controller 100 calculates a size ratio of the pixel value of the input digital image to an aimed pixel value to be interpolated by the vertical direction interpolation circuit 105 and the horizontal direction interpolation circuit 109 in operation 1001. That is, when the horizontal direction is X and the vertical direction is Y, X scale is X size of the original digital image/X size of the aimed digital image, and Y scale is Y size of the original digital image/Y size of the aimed digital image.
After calculating X and Y scales, the controller 100 measures Yk−1, Yk, Yk+1 and Yk+2 in operation 1003. Here, Yk−1, Yk, Yk+1 and Yk+2 indicate positions of the k−1, k, k+1 and k+2-th sampled output pixels of the input digital image, respectively. After measuring Yk−1, Yk, Yk+1 and Yk+2, the controller 100 obtains 't' from the scale size in operation 1005. Here, 't' represents an X axis interval between the pixel value of the input digital image and the interpolation node, namely an interpolation interval. After calculating 't', the controller 100 obtains coefficients from the corresponding memories, the vertical direction interpolation coefficient memory 101 and the horizontal direction interpolation coefficient memory 111 according to 't' in operation 1007. As described above, the vertical direction interpolation coefficient memory 101 and the horizontal direction interpolation coefficient memory 111 store the coefficients for variables which indicate the positions of the output pixels sampled in the interpolation node calculation equation.
The controller 100 calculates the interpolation node Yp according to the obtained coefficient in operation 1009. In addition, the controller 100 interpolates the input digital image by using the calculated interpolation node in operation 1011. Accordingly, interpolation of the input digital image is completed.
However, the conventional apparatus which processes the digital image and the method therefor require many adders and multipliers in a form of hardware, and also require many banks to obtain precise values. Moreover, when a number of the banks is restricted, the respective banks store the representative values of the interpolation intervals. As a result, an error is generated between the pixel value by the actual interpolation interval 't' and the pixel value by the representative value thereof.

Apparatus for processing digital image and method therefor


A method for visualizing a codebase includes receiving a dependency graph of the codebase, the dependency graph having nodes and dependencies between the nodes, receiving an abstraction hierarchy of the codebase with abstraction levels, generating, based on the dependency graph and the abstraction hierarchy, a hierarchical graph, positioning each of the nodes on a code map using the hierarchical graph one abstraction level at a time, generating at least one contiguous surface for the code map with a portion of the nodes, and rendering the code map.

The size of code bases can be extremely large—tens of millions of lines of code—or more. The techniques used to represent smaller code bases are unable to scale to industrial-sized code bases, due to an inability to represent the code base in a meaningful way, large amounts of time needed to generate a visualization, or for various other reasons. Visualization of large code bases would greatly improve the work of programmers and others who rely on large codebases.

Method and system for visualization of large codebases


In a cable lift, with a single compartment or shaft (1) for housing a movable cage (2) and an apparatus (3), comprising at least one fixed winch (4) and a counterweight (5), for displacement of the cage (2), the counterweight (5) performs travel movements shorter than those of the cage (2) so that a part (1a) of the shaft (1) is always free to house the winch (4) therein. The latter, in particular, comprises a traction pulley (4c) with its axis (4a) parallel to a wall (1b) of the shaft (1), next to which it is arranged.

In order to overcome this problem, small-size winches which may be housed inside the travel shaft have been designed. These winches use brushless motors or conventional asynchronous motors complete with reduction unit, but, although they are able to eliminate the need for construction of a special machine room, they nevertheless have various drawbacks which are evident in particular in emergency situations.
Brushless motors use permanent magnets. When controlling the movement of the cage with the break released, i.e. when it is required to perform direct mechanical control of the winch operation, as occurs for example in emergency situations, the gradual demagnetisation of the magnets results in a loss of rapidity. Any mechanical blockage on the guides may be eliminated only by supplying a large quantity of power which, causing jerks and jolts, results in loss of continuity in mechanical control over the cage.
Moreover, visual control of the winch is not possible and, during the emergency manoeuvre, the operator must regulate releasing of the break based on his own sensation and impression gained from a direct view of the cables alone.
Positioning of the winch along the upper part of the guides also results in a less efficient sliding action of the said guides on the anchoring brackets, in particular when the cage must perform long travel movements, as well as deformation due to the excessive peak load.
Finally, the costs are higher than those of conventional asynchronous motors.
Asynchronous motors used in combination with a reduction unit, however, occupy a large amount of space due to the use of reduction units consisting of an endless screw/helical crown wheel pair, said units also having a low output and therefore requiring the use of high-power motors and therefore the consumption of a large quantity of electrical energy.
During the emergency manoeuvres, the reduction unit is situated in a position which is hidden from the operator and this means that the latter must control displacement of the cage solely by releasing the break and therefore in a somewhat unsafe manner.
Moreover, as in the case of brushless motors, positioning of the winch along the upper part of the guides diminishes the efficiency and reduces the reliability of the latter, resulting in deformation thereof due to the excessive peak load.


A connection in an optical communication system is routed over a sequence of cross-connects and aggregated links comprising multiple links. A different link selection algorithm is used for service provisioning than is used for restoration, i.e., after a cable cut or other failure or incident has made one or paths in the network suddenly unavailable. In particular, a special link selection algorithm called the Interleave algorithm is used for restoration different from the well known Best-Fit algorithm used for provisioning. The Interleave algorithm substantially reduces the probability of glare while maintaining near-optimum capacity utilization.

The present invention relates to techniques for selecting links when setting up paths in transport networks.
The current generation of transport network equipment provides the ability to set up explicit paths in a network by employing various kinds of signalling mechanisms. The network typically consists of nodes—more particularly, cross-connects—interconnected by transport links. For example, a link can be an STS-48 link, containing 48 STS-1 channels. There can be multiple links connecting a pair of cross-connects to form a logical aggregated link. Each link contains multiple bi-directional channels. Connections, such as connection-oriented data streams or TDM circuits, are routed through the network via the cross-connects, wherein each cross-connect routes the data contained in a connection from a set of incoming channels to a set of outgoing channels. The choice of which output channels to transfer the data to depends on a combination of factors such as the identity of incoming channels, header bits, timeslots, wavelengths, etc. Examples of cross-connects include IP routers with MPLS capabilities, digital cross connects, and photonic switches. A few examples of signalling mechanisms for path set-up are RSVP, CR-LDP, and ATM signalling.
A connection is routed over a sequence of cross-connects and selected adjacent links. Consider, for example, a SONET-like network where every connection is assigned a set of channels and each channel belongs to at most one connection. We assume that all the channels assigned to a connection within a single aggregated link must be on a single link. However, channels belonging to a connection within a link do not have to be contiguous.
To set up a connection, first the routing or the management system computes a sequence of cross-connects as a path. Then the signalling system reserves, and ultimately assigns, a set of channels (according to the bandwidth requirement of the connection) between each pair of cross-connects on this path.
There are at least two well-known schemes for link selection. A first one of these is the so-called Best-first algorithm. The Best-fit algorithm chooses the link with the least amount of spare bandwidth that can accommodate a requested connection. Studies have shown that this algorithm is generally the best way to select the links to minimize bandwidth fragmentation. That is, it preserves links with large amount of channels available so that those links can later accommodate requests to set up connections that require a large amount of bandwidth.
Unfortunately, the Best-fit algorithm performs poorly in avoiding the well-known protocol problem known as "glare." Glare may arise when two connection-set-up messages traveling in opposite directions try to reserve the same bi-directional channels, even if other channels and links are available. The first set-up attempt reserves a set of channels on one end of the link and meanwhile, the message traveling in the opposite direction reserves some of these channels on the other end of the same link. Both messages, when they try to reserve the channels on their other ends, find that the channels have already been reserved by another connection and therefore the message is returned as "unsuccessful."
A second scheme for link selection is called Hi-Lo. In the Hi-Lo algorithm every pair of adjacent cross-connects predetermines an ordering of the links connecting them. Then one cross-connect examines all of the links in the decreasing index order and picks the first link that can accommodate the connection. The other cross-connect examines the links in increasing index order and picks the first link that can accommodate the connection. This scheme works very well for glare. However, it makes no attempt to minimize fragmentation and, indeed, can lead to a situation wherein there are only a few links whose bandwidth is not fragmented.
One possible approach for avoiding glare while minimizing fragmentation, is for each pair of neighbouring cross-connect interfaces to select one cross-connect interface as "master" and the other as "slave". The master cross-connect interface is responsible for selecting channels for connections traveling in either direction using, for example, the Best-fit algorithm. If the connection is traveling from master towards the slave cross-connect, the master cross-connect can select links and channels and convey this to the slave cross-connect. For connections traveling from slave to the master cross-connect, an extra signalling message conveying the link/channel selection from master to slave is needed. Disadvantageously, this approach engenders additional signalling overhead.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Link selection schemes for avoiding channel contention


Described herein is an extravasation tester that pinches an infusion line closed between a wheel and a platen, and then peristaltically withdraws fluid into the infusion line as the wheel is rolled away from a puncture site. Extravasation is determined to have occurred if little or no blood appears in a sight chamber positioned near the puncture site when a test fluid is withdrawn into the infusion line from the puncture site.

Patients can be severely injured when fluids that are intended for intravenous delivery are delivered outside a targeted vein. Possible consequences of prolonged delivery of an infused fluid outside the targeted vein include irritation, tissue necrosis, compartment syndrome, disfigurement, loss of limb function, amputation, and even death of the patient. Extravasation occurs when the outlet of a cannula is misplaced or becomes dislodged to a region outside the vein. Extravasation refers herein to improper placement or movement of the outlet of an intravenous cannula to a region outside the targeted vein, or delivery of a fluid that is intended for intravenous delivery outside the targeted vein.
Various methods are known to the art for detecting extravasation in an infusion system. Such tests can be employed for minimizing delivery, outside a targeted vein, of fluids intended for delivery within the targeted vein. If extravasation is detected, then the flow of delivered fluid can be stopped when the faulty condition becomes known.
In one method of detecting the proper placement of a cannula during an infusion, the DC component of the pressure is monitored in an infusion line. Proper placement of the cannula in a vein is detected when the pressure in the infusion line tracks the DC component of the pressure in the vein. Extravasation is determined to have occurred if the monitored pressure occurs outside a prescribed pressure range. However, this method suffers from the possibility of failure to detect extravasation, because an apparently proper pressure can be produced while the cannula is outside the vein, resulting in significant accumulation of extravasated fluid and possible injury when the infusion is continued under the undetected faulty condition. Furthermore, the DC pressure method requires sophisticated electronics, which may be unavailable in some emergency situations such as accident sites and battlefields, unavailable at severely budget-constrained clinics, or which may be unsuitable for flowing vesicant or cytotoxic medicines, for very low flow applications, or for any other applications in which it is preferred not to use a powerhead for infusing a fluid. A powerhead is a powered pump that positively actuates forced delivery in an infusion line.
Another extravasation detection method uses the AC component of the vein pressure. Both veins and arteries have a pulsing AC pressure component. The AC pressure component can be detected as either a variation in pressure or a variation in flow in an infusion line, according to U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0112329. The pulsing AC pressure is detected in the infusion line if the cannula is properly placed in the vein, and not detected if extravasation has occurred. If a pulse is not detected for a few seconds at any time after the start of an infusion, then extravasation is determined to have occurred. However, like the DC pressure method, the AC pressure method requires sophisticated electronics which may be unavailable or unsuitable for the same above listed reasons.
Numerous references disclose extravasation detection with infrared, RF, microwaves, ultrasound, light, pressure response to a test injection, or changes in temperature. These methods require sophisticated electronics and many of them involve probes which are applied separately from the infusion line. Extravasation is inferred from a measured change that is a secondary consequence of accumulation of extravasated fluid. Assumptions are made and relied upon as to how tissue properties will change when a delivered fluid accumulates outside a vein, and significant quantities of extravasated fluid may accumulate as the infusion is continued under an undetected faulty condition if these assumptions fail.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0310743 discloses a test that detects extravasation by monitoring for entry of blood near the cannula when the flow of delivered fluid is momentarily reversed by a finger-type powerhead. However, in some applications, it is preferred not to use a powerhead, such as for intravenous delivery of vesicant or cytotoxic medicines, for medicines that are delivered at a very low flow rate, or for any other medicine or circumstance in which forced delivery of the medicine is contraindicated.
In one commonly used extravasation test, an infusion line is backflowed with a syringe. A syringe is connected in flow communication with the infusion line between a puncture site and a point in the infusion line at which the flow has been restricted or shut off. Proper placement of the cannula is detected if blood flows back into the infusion line from the puncture site when the syringe's plunger is pulled back. This method requires the syringe or other extra equipment not already present on the infusion line, which must be supplied for performing the test. Repeated testing with this method consumes many syringes, the total of which may be expensive, and the test itself requires significant effort to perform, all of which present a deterrent of using this method to check or monitor proper placement of the cannula. Furthermore, concerns are raised about sterility when a syringe or other additional equipment is placed in flow communication with an infusion line.
"Roller clamps" have been used for throttling the flow in an infusion line. The roller clamps shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,422,529 and 8,313,081 have a wheel that pinches an infusion line against a bottom wall having a relief groove in order to throttle an adjustable, nonzero flow throughout the substantial length of the wheel's range of travel. The roller clamps shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,422,529 and 8,313,081 do not aim to pinch the infusion line fully closed and then peristaltically withdraw fluid back into the infusion line by movement of the point of closure.
Based on the forgoing, there is a need for an extravasation tester that pinches an infusion line closed between a wheel and a platen, and then peristaltically withdraws fluid into the infusion line as the wheel is rolled away from a puncture site. Extravasation is determined to have occurred if little or no blood appears in a sight chamber near the puncture site when fluid is withdrawn into the infusion line from the puncture site.

Extravasation detection apparatus and methods


A method for sending data across processors to combine the data on the processors is described. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a set of data at a set of processors configured in an asymmetric or symmetric tree topology including a root and one or more leaves. Target portions of the set of data are assigned to processors of the set of processors based on a number of child processors that are connected to a parent node. The method includes sending iteratively apportioned combined data between child processors sharing the same parent node in each branch of the tree topology starting from the one or more leaves and increasing levels in the tree topology until reaching the root. The method also includes sending the combined data between child processors from one branch to child processors in at least one other branch.

One of the primary uses for the present invention relates to the field of deep learning, and more specifically, to executing an all-reduce algorithm on an arbitrary tree topology in deep learning and/or high-performance computing implementations.
Deep-learning refers to a class of machine learning algorithms that are based on the learning of multiple levels of features or representations of a set of data. Current deep-learning methods include using a cascade of multiple layers of nonlinear processing units for feature extraction and transformation. Feature extraction refers to the process of receiving an initial set of measured data and building derived values (or features) to facilitate subsequent learning and generalization steps. In many cases, higher level features are derived from lower level features to generate a hierarchical representation of the measured data and the derived features.
Deep learning algorithms are based on distributed representations. Distributed representations operate under the assumption that observed (or measured) data are the result of interactions of one or more factors organized into one or more layers. Conceptually, deep learning introduces an additional assumption that the layers of factors that interact to provide the measured data are representative of levels of abstraction or composition. Under this assumption, multiple layers and layer sizes correspond to different amounts of abstraction.
Any or all of the data utilized and created in a deep-learning system may be transmitted across one or more networks, may subsequently be subject to any limitations of said one or more networks. In particular, with respect to large scale deep-learning systems in both local and cloud environments, any network communication may be subject to a bottleneck due to a large number of learners, the frequency of data exchange across the network, and the volume of the data being exchanged. Furthermore, communication across a multi-tiered or mutating (e.g., in cloud environments) network can be largely inefficient, as the weakest link or node in the network will largely dictate how the network will perform as a whole.
One approach to increasing efficiency in large scale deep-learning systems is to employ reduce operations. Reduce operations are a classical concept from functional programming that effectively reduce an initial set of numbers into a smaller set of numbers, often in parallel via functions that are both associative and commutative. Some existing programming functions enable reduce operations across multiple processes, with the result returned either to the root process in some cases or to all of the processes involved in other cases.
When training a deep learning system on multiple graphic processing units (GPUs) in parallel, choices must be made regarding how to distribute data batches or groups and operations to be read and executed across the available GPUs. Each GPU then runs forward propagation of the network on its own data, as well as error backpropagation to determine a gradient of loss with respect to any existing network parameters. The GPUs then communicate with one another to compute an average gradient, which communication may occur across various networks. This communication is susceptible to any network limitations each time communication occurs, which can lead to a severe slowdown of data transfer within a deep learning system.

Method for flexible, fast all-reduce on arbitrary tree topology

International Business Machines Corporation


A modem and secure communications method for the modem is disclosed in which the modem is capable of storing identifying indicia unique to the modem. The identifying indicia may include graphics data such as an image of a credit card, a signature, and/or an account holder to assist in user authentication. Software stored in the modem enables transmission of the identifying indicia to a communication line. Additional embodiments and variations are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to secure online transactions conducted with or through a modem. The present invention also relates to a modem having integral identifying indicia capable of communication in an online transaction to authenticate or otherwise validate a transaction.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid growth of online electronic commerce and online transfers of information, there has been a growing need to authenticate or otherwise validate the identity of the participants in online transactions. In some instances, it is desirable to positively establish the identity of an individual attempting to gain access to a data network. For example, a company or other organization may wish to provide access to its data or communication network only to employees or authorized users. This is conventionally accomplished by registering user identification information such as usernames and associating passwords with the usernames of the authorized users. For various reasons, including the failure of users to frequently change passwords, this strategy has proven unsatisfactory.
Another instance in which it is desirable to authenticate or otherwise validate user identities is in electronic or online commerce. In some instances it may be desirable to positively establish the identity of a user making a transaction to authorize a charge to a user account. The more typical sort of online transaction includes a user providing a credit card or other account information to purchase a good or service. For this type of online transaction, vendors wish to authenticate the credit card number provided for online transactions to ensure that the party attempting to complete the online transaction is in fact the owner or authorized user of that credit card number. On the user side of electronics commerce, online credit card usage has been limited by fears that credit card numbers can be readily obtained and used in an online transaction without verification that the user is authorized to use the credit card account. Online credit card usage might be encouraged if greater assurances could be provided as to the security of the transaction.
Various strategies have been attempted to provide secure online transactions. To date, these strategies have not been widely implemented, whether due to high costs or difficulties in using the secure transaction links. It would be desirable to provide a simple and cost effective method for authenticating or validating transactions.

Secure transaction modem storing unique indicia


A reference voltage circuit includes an operational amplifier, a first fixed resistance resistor, a second fixed resistance resistor, a third fixed resistance resistor, a first diode and a second diode. The reference voltage circuit further includes a fourth fixed resistance resistor having an end connected to a non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier and the other end connected to the first diode. The reference voltage circuit is characterized by a value of the resistance of the fourth resistor being less than the resistance of the first resistor and a temperature coefficient of the fourth resistor being greater than any of the temperature coefficients of the first, second and third resistors.

FIG. 6 shows a conventional reference voltage circuit 100. The reference voltage circuit 100 is a circuit for converting a DC power supply voltage VDD to a stable reference voltage VREF, and particularly it is designed so as to supply a reference voltage VREF which is adjusted to a fixed value against variation of background temperature. The conventional reference voltage circuit 100 is equipped with an operational amplifier OP, a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a first diode D1 and a second diode D2.
The second diode D2 is a diode group containing plural diodes connected to one another in parallel, and each diode has the same specification as the first diode D1.
Positive and negative power supply lines 36 and 37 are connected to the positive and negative terminals of a DC power source, and the positive and negative power supply lines 36 and 37 are connected to the positive and negative power supply terminals of the operational amplifier OP. One end of the first resistor R1 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP, and the other end is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP. One end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier OP, and the other end thereof is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP. One end of the third resistor R3 is connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP, and the other end thereof is connected to the anode terminal of the second diode D2. The cathode terminal of the second diode D2 is connected to the negative power supply line 37.
The second diode D2 is inserted in the forward direction with respect to the negative power supply line 37. The anode terminal of the first diode D1 is connected to the non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier OP, and the cathode terminal thereof is connected to the negative power supply line 37. The first diode D1 is inserted in the forward direction with respect to the negative power supply line 37. JP-A-2003-7837 discloses an example of this type of reference voltage circuit.
When the forward voltage drop VD1[T] of the first diode D1 is represented by an equation, the following equation (1) is achieved.
                                          V                          D                                                                                1                                                      [            T            ]                          =                              V            BG                    -                                    (                                                V                  BG                                -                                                      V                                          D                                                                                1                                                                                [                                          T                      0                                        ]                                                              )                                                  T                              T                0                                              -                                    (                              η                -                1                            )                                                  kT              q                                    ln                                                                                T                              T                0                                                                        (        1        )
T represents the temperature achieved by representing the background temperature of the reference voltage circuit 100 as the absolute temperature. T0 represents a reference absolute temperature, and it may be set to 20° C. (represented by Celsius), for example). VBG represents the band gap voltage of a pn junction contained in the first diode D1, and it is an inherent value in material. η represents a constant dependent on the manufacturing process of the reference voltage circuit 100, and it is normally equal to about 4. k represents the Boltzmann constant, and q represents the quantity of electric charge of one electron. The equation (1) is used in the other embodiments, and the symbols of the equation (1) has the same meaning as described above.
As well known, the reference voltage VREF[T, VDD] output from the reference voltage circuit 100 varies while following the background temperature T and the DC power supply voltage VDD. The variation of the reference voltage with respect to the background temperature can be represented by the following equation (2). Symbols achieved by adding numerals to symbols R representing the resistors represent the resistance values of the resistors added with the numbers.
                                          V            REF                                          [            T            ]                          =                                            V                              D                                                                                1                                                                [              T              ]                                +                                                    R                2                                            R                3                                                                k              q                                    ln                                                                                (                                                nR                  2                                                  R                  1                                            )                        ×            T                                              (        2        )
n represents the number of diodes constituting the second diode D2. Or, n also represents the ratio between the area constituting the pn junction of the first diode D1 and the area constituting the pn junction of the second diode D2.
In the conventional reference voltage circuit 100, when the equation (1) is substituted into the equation (2), the resistance values of the respective fixed resistors R1, R2, R3 are adjusted so that the primary term of the absolute temperature T of the equation (1) and the primary term of the absolute temperature T of the equation (2) are offset with each other, whereby the effect of the variation of the background temperature T on the reference voltage VREF is suppressed.
However, as shown in the equation (1), higher order terms concerning the background temperature exist actually. Accordingly, when a more stable reference voltage VREF is needed, the effect of the higher order terms must be considered. The higher order terms concerned cannot be offset by merely adjusting the resistance values of the respective fixed resistors R1, R2, R3.
Furthermore, it is known that the reference voltage VREF[T, VDD] of the conventional reference voltage circuit 100 is apt to vary while following variation of the DC power source voltage VDD. This phenomenon is caused by the fact that the offset voltage of the operational amplifier OP varies while following the variation of the DC power source voltage VDD. For example, when a battery or the like is used as the DC power source, the above phenomenon appears because the DC power source voltage greatly varied with time lapse.

Circuit for outputting stable reference voltage against variation of background temperature or variation of voltage of power source


An optical recording medium includes a substrate 11 with a concave and convex shape for dividing a track area formed on its surface, an optical recording layer 12 having a compound consisting of at least tin (Sn), nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) formed on the surface in which the concave and convex shape is formed and a light transmission layer 13 formed on this optical recording layer 12.

In recent years, researches and developments concerning optical information recording systems have been made actively in the field of information recording.
This optical information recording system has many advantages in which it can cope with various types of memories such as non-contact type recording and reproducing memories, read-only memories, write-once memories and rewritable memories, and hence a wide use from an industrial use to a consumer use of such system has been considered as a system that can realize inexpensive mass-storage files.
Increase of storage capacity of optical recording medium, for example, optical disc for use with various kinds of information recording systems has been realized mainly by reducing a wavelength of laser light serving as a light source for use in an optical recording medium and by adopting an objective lens with a high numerical aperture (N. A.) to decrease a size of a beam spot on a focus surface.
While a CD (compact disc) affords a storage capacity of 650 MB when it uses laser light with a wavelength of 780 nm and an objective lens having a numerical aperture (N. A.) of 0.45, a DVD-ROM (digital versatile disc read-only memory) affords a storage capacity of 4.7 GB when it uses laser light with a wavelength of 650 nm and an objective lens having a numerical aperture N. A. of 0.6.
Further, a next-generation optical system uses an optical disc with a thin light transmission layer having a thickness of about 0.1 mm formed on an optical recording layer and allows laser light to be irradiated thereon from the side of this light transmission layer so that a large storage capacity of greater than 22 GB can be realized by laser light having a wavelength less than 450 nm and an objective lens with a numerical aperture N. A. of 0.78 or more.
FIG. 6(a) is a schematic perspective view showing optical recording state or optical reproducing state in this optical disc.
An optical disc DC is shaped like a disk with a center hole CH bored at its center portion, and is rotated in the direction shown by an arrow DR, for example, in FIG. 6(a).
FIG. 6(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical disc. FIG. 6(C) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of this optical disc DC.
This optical disc has a disc substrate 101 having a thickness of about 1.1 mm made of polycarbonate, for example, a concave portion 101r formed on one major surface of the disc substrate and an optical recording layer 102 formed along a concave and convex surface including the concave portion 101r.
In a phase-change type optical disc DC, for example, its optical recording layer 102 is comprised of a laminated layer material consisting of a dielectric film, a phase-change film, a dielectric film and a reflective film and the like, for example.
A light transmission layer 103 having a thickness of 0.1 mm, for example, is formed on the optical recording layer 102.
When information is recorded on or reproduced from this optical disc DC, light LT of laser light having a wavelength not more than 450 nm, for example, in a range from 380 nm to 420 nm is focused and irradiated on the optical recording layer 102 from the side of the light transmission layer 103 of the optical disc DC by an objective lens having a numerical aperture not lower than 0.78, for example, 0.85.
When recorded information is reproduced from this optical disc, a light-receiving element receives returned light reflected on the optical recording layer 102 and a signal processing circuit generates a predetermined signal to obtain a reproduced signal.
The optical recording layer 102 of this optical disc has a concave and convex-like shape caused by the above-mentioned concave portion 101r formed on the surface of the disc substrate 101.
The concave portion 101r is formed as a continuous groove or a circular groove shaped like a spiral, for example, at a predetermined pitch, and the track area is divided by the concave and convex shape.
A concave portion and a convex portion of the concave and convex shape, which divides this track area, are generally referred to as a "land" and a "groove". An optical disc can increase its storage capacity with application of a land and groove recording system for recording information both on the land and the groove. Moreover, only one of the land and the groove can be formed as a recording area.
The concave and convex shape caused by the concave portion 101r formed on the disc substrate 101 is formed as a pit having a length corresponding to recorded data so that the optical disc can be formed as a read-only memory (ROM) type optical disc.
It has been reported that tin oxide (SnOz, z<2) of metal oxide having a nonstoichiometric composition can be used as a recording material comprising an optical recording layer (for example see Journal of Materials Science Letters 19, 2000, 1833 to 1835).
It may be considered that this technology uses a phenomenon in which an optical constant of a light irradiated portion of an optical recording layer changes due to oxidation reaction caused when the optical recording layer is irradiated with light such as laser light.
However, when tin (Sn) is used as the recording material, if information is recorded on the optical disc by using an objective lens having a numerical aperture of about 0.8 to focus short-wavelength laser light having a wavelength ranging from about 380 nm to 420 nm on the optical disc, then a problem arises, in which recording marks of satisfactory shape cannot be formed so that jitter increases.

Abstract: Then, a compound composition SnxNyOz of tin (Sn) nitrogen (N) and oxygen (O) comprising the optical recording layer 12 is selected so as to satisfy 30<x<70 (atomic %), 1<y<20 (atomic %) and 20<z<60 (atomic %).

Abstract: According to this arrangement, the optical recording medium can improve jitter caused when Sn is used as a recording material.


Methods and arrangement for clamping substrates to a support using adhesive material area disclosed.

In semiconductor lithography small structures are formed with high accuracy and reliability. In charged particle multiple beam lithography charged particles are directed onto the surface of a target, typically a wafer, to form patterns forming the basis of integrated circuits and components thereof. Such patterns usually comprise details within the nanometer range. In multiple beam lithography the pattern formed on the surface is determined by the position where each beam interacts with the resist on the surface. Lithography generally involves exposures of multiple subsequent layers, so that features formed in subsequent layers may be connected to create integrated circuits. Therefore, not only a pattern within one layer has to meet the required accuracy, but a pattern exposed in a subsequent exposure session has to be aligned with the one or more patterns created in previous exposure sessions in a sufficiently accurate manner.
This requires a highly accurate and stable positioning of the substrate during processing, in particular during lithographic patterning.
Various technologies for clamping substrates to a substrate table or carrier have been developed.
In many applications electrostatic clamping is used. For charged particle beam exposure system such systems are undesired as they may introduce disturbances to the charged particle beam path. Further, electrostatic clamping requires electrical wirings between the substrate table and a power source. Such wiring is undesirable as it disturbs the movement of a stage carrying the substrate table.
As an alternative, substrate clamping based on capillary force has been developed for clamping rigid substrates such as semiconductor wafers. Systems and methods for capillary clamping are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,705,010 B2, 9,460,954 B2, 8,436,324 B2, 8,991,330 B2, 8,514,370 B2. The methods and systems described in these documents enable accurately positioning substrates during exposure, as well as accommodating for a heat load provided on the substrate by the exposure radiation, typically by heat transfer from the substrate to the support.
Disadvantages of capillary clamping relate to a relatively high complexity of the methods and systems. Also, the time required to clamp a substrate to the support may be an issue. Further, scaling to substrates of different dimensions is also not a simple straightforward issue, but at least to some degree may require modification and/or redesign of the arrangements.
US 2004/0248420 A1 describes yet another type of clamping, directed to supporting flexible substrates during manufacture of display panels. The flexible substrate is supported by a temporary substrate via a buffer layer and an adhesive layer formed by an adhesive tape, a liquid adhesive, or an organic film. Alternatively, the adhesive layer can be realized by an electrostatic force. The arrangement proposed by US 2004/0248420 A1 is associated with certain complexity, e.g. regarding the requirements of the buffer layer.
Other systems where a wafer is temporary bonded to a support are, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,541,264 B2, US 2014/0106137 A1, JP 2005-072496 A and US 2004/0192012 A.
It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a method and/or a system for clamping rigid substrates for applications having high requirements regarding surface flatness of the clamped substrate, overcoming or at least alleviating one or more of the disadvantages mentioned above.

Methods and systems for clamping a substrate

Abstract: The method comprises providing a support comprising a first surface defining a plane; applying adhesive material on at least portions of the first surface; and placing the substrate onto the adhesive material, wherein the adhesive material forms a plurality of support locations supporting the substrate. Preferably the adhesive material is cured at least partly during the application of a substantially uniformly distributed force to the substrate in the direction of the support.

Abstract: The arrangements comprise a support comprising a first surface, for supporting the substrate via adhesive material, whereby the first surface defines a plane. Preferably it also comprises an arrangement for providing electromagnetic radiation, thermal energy, and/or a chemical substance to the adhesive material, and an arrangement for providing a substantially uniformly distributed force to the substrate in the direction of the support.


The invention is an apparatus and a process for treating biomass bearing material including municipal solid waste (MSW). The apparatus includes a reaction vessel held at an angle and configured for rotation and steam injection, with helically arranged internal flights, a self-aligning door closure, and a swing-away door assembly. It also includes a novel structure for shredding biomass bearing material attached to the edges of the flights. This structure is a number of projecting tooth like points and paddles.

Handling solid waste is an increasingly difficult problem in the industrialized nations. Sixty-one percent of the United States' solid waste is dependent on disposal in landfills. However, nationwide the number of solid waste landfills is falling as the landfills fill to capacity and close, while new landfills cannot be opened due to regulations. The national average for solid waste disposal fees has increased by about 400 percent since 1985. Such fees, called tipping fees, can be expected to raise an average of seven percent per year. In addition, the number of solid waste transfer stations has increased due to the closure of many landfills and the permitting of larger solid waste landfills.
These and other issues pertaining to the environmental impact that landfills will have in the future have prompted solid waste managers to seek methods to reduce volumes and disposal costs of municipal solid waste (MSW). Some experts contend that there is no waste volume problem, but there exists a sorting and recycling problem.
There have been a number of patents for treating and/or reprocessing MSW. These often involve some form of heat and pressure, and often a reaction vessel that may rotate. Although MSW varies in composition, there is a certain norm to its content. Other forms of waste have a biological, fiber, or cellulosic component, and can be processed in the same process that works for MSW or other biomass bearing material. These include sewer sludge, industrial waste streams, industrial byproducts, agricultural waste and byproducts, food processing waste and byproducts, and other sources. Cellulosic material represents approximately seventy percent of the bulk of typical MSW. Other terms for this fraction of MSW have been used, including putricible, organic, and biomass. These terms are considered interchangeable and it is to be understood that the use of the term "biomass bearing material" in this application encompasses MSW as well as all the waste or byproduct streams listed above.
The putrescible, biomass, organic, or cellulosic fraction of biomass bearing material includes all portions that are organic, which could eventually decay in a landfill and the decay could eventually lead to the production of methane gas and leachate. If this cellulosic material can be separated into reusable products, much of the pollution resulting from the disposal of organic bearing waste will be alleviated. Products that can be made from the cellulosic fraction of biomass bearing material include loose or palletized fuel or feedstock for gasification, bio refineries and conversion into ethanol and other chemicals and fuels. The biomass bearing fraction of MSW could also serve as a source of hydrogen and other liquid, elemental or gaseous products achieved through gasification or other thermal processes, including hydrolysis.
Once the cellulosic material is removed, the biomass bearing material is much reduced in volume and other recoverable fractions of the waste stream can be recovered. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals, plastics, and textiles can represent an additional fifteen percent of the remaining biomass bearing material.
There are processes available that can recover each of these materials and send them to their respective market. If the cellulosic and recoverable waste streams are removed from biomass bearing material, the volume of such waste streams going to landfills is typically less than fifteen percent of the original amount. This reduction in volume reduces hauling costs, landfill space requirements. Removal of the cellulosic portion of biomass bearing material also accomplishes this reduction while reducing effluents, including methane and leachate. Further, if the cellulosic portion is removed from the biomass bearing material, the remaining fraction of inorganic waste could be disposed of in waste sites reserved for construction or other inorganic waste, which is space that is often less regulated and therefore less expensive.
Many prior art reaction vessels for treating biomass bearing material utilize fairly high-pressure steam in order to cook and soften the cellulosic fibers of the biomass bearing material. This presents a problem because high-pressure steam vessels require significant licensing and inspection regimes, and must be built to withstand higher pressure. If the reaction vessel can achieve adequate softening, pulverization, and separation of cellulosic fibers while utilizing low pressures, the vessel could be lighter, less expensive to construct and operate. A lower pressure reaction vessel that achieves adequate softening, pulverization, and separation of cellulosic fibers is thus needed.
What is also needed is a reaction vessel that incorporates condensation of gaseous affluent steam from the reaction vessel. This condenses steam from the vessel, and also reduces or eliminates unpleasant gas emissions from the vessel.
There is also a need in the industry to provide a vessel and processing system that results in a product with fairly low moisture content, provides a sterilization effect upon the biomass bearing material, imparts a chemical change to the biomass bearing material and imparts beneficial handling, flow, and chemical characteristics to the product of processing in the reaction vessel, which thus converts the biomass from a waste into a feedstock for subsequent processes. Additionally, the non biomass fractions can benefit by removing labels from containers, fracturing glass for possible later separation from the waste stream, compacting and agglomerating plastics, and compacting ferrous and non-ferrous materials.


A dexterous robotic apparatus includes an asymmetrical hand mechanism including only two finger components: a first independent finger and a second independent finger, and a respective first finger motor and a respective second finger motor disposed in the hand mechanism, wherein the hand mechanism is characterized by only two continuous degrees of freedom.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention are in the field of robotics. More particularly, embodiments of the invention pertain to a dexterous robotic apparatus, associated methods, and applications thereof and, most particularly, to a two-finger, dexterous robotic hand, associated methods, and applications thereof.
2. Related Art
Grasping and dexterous manipulation rank among the principal grand challenges in robotics. Proposed solutions typically involve complex robot hands that take inspiration from the human hand, often with nine or more independent degrees of freedom.
Engineers have endeavored to replicate the human hand since at least 202 BC, at first only aesthetically, and later with increasing functionality. For a good part of this time, efforts were focused only on prosthetic devices, but starting in the late 1960's concurrent advancements in electronics, computers, and robotics opened the door for research into dexterous hands for robots as well. The competence of the human hand is one of the central evolutionary advantages that humans possess, thus restoring this functionality for amputees and furthering these capabilities in robots are important goals.
One of the central challenges for both prosthetic and robot hands is to achieve dexterous manipulation; i.e., the movement of a grasped object within the workspace of the hand. Since robot hands are not subject to the many design constraints of prosthetics (weight, size, power, controllable degrees of freedom) they have served as the primary platform for grasping and dexterous manipulation research. Greater than one hundred different robot hand designs have been proposed by researchers in the last forty years. While great strides have been made in grasping, the achievement of human-level manipulation by robots has remained elusive.
Dexterous manipulation is a task-centric concept, meaning that a hand can be classified as dexterous through the demonstration of certain in-hand manipulations of an object. Enumerating these requisite manipulation tasks is, however, a topic of some uncertainty. The two prevailing metrics for evaluating robotic dexterous manipulation are:                1. Demonstrations from among several basic classes of in-hand movements, most recently separated into six specific classes for robots: regrasping, in-grasp manipulation, finger gaiting, finger pivoting/tracking, rolling, and sliding.        2. Demonstration of a sufficiently broad set of real world manipulation tasks that are typically some combination of those proposed in the Activities of Daily Living (M. P. Lawton, E. M. Brody, Assessment of older people: self-maintaining and instrumental activities of daily living, The Gerontologist 9, 179-186, 1969), Cutkosky's taxonomy of manufacturing grasps (M. R. Cutkosky, On grasp choice, grasp models, and the design of hands for manufacturing tasks, IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation 5, 269-279, 1989), the DARPA ARM-H project announcement challenge tasks (DARPA-BAA-10-29, Autonomous Robotic Manipulation Hardware Track (ARM-H), 2010), or other examples contrived to illustrate the capabilities of a particular hand.
In 1984, while describing the famous Utah/MIT dexterous robot hand, Jacobsen et al. (S. C. Jacobsen, J. E. Wood, D. R. Knutti, K. B. Biggers, The Utah/MIT dexterous hand: work in progress, IJRR 3, 21-50, 1984) articulated the viewpoint which had been, and which has remained, the longstanding sentiment of researchers in the field: "The natural manipulation system found in humans is complex. . . . It should be expected that the construction of an artificial counterpart will also include significant complexity." The human hand has 22 degrees of freedom (DOF) and as a result many proposed robot hands have been designed with a similar level of complexity. For those robot hands that do not adhere to anthropomorphism so strictly, designs are typically based on the work of Salisbury (M. T. Mason, J. K. Salisbury Jr., Robot Hands and the Mechanics of Manipulation (The MIT Press, Cambridge, 1985), who found that under certain conditions a minimum of three fingers and nine DOF are needed to satisfactorily perform arbitrary manipulations.
Controlling hands with nine or more DOF can be a difficult task, as evidenced by the large body of work that exists in grasp algorithm research. Some recent work has put forth the view that human-level grasping and manipulation can perhaps be achieved with fewer DOF and fewer actuators by taking advantage of synergies between actuators, and underactuation in mechanical design. Several reported underactuated hands have had success grasping a wide variety of objects with four DOF or fewer, but relatively little progress has been made in the area of dexterous manipulation. Table 1 compares the reported performance of some of the most well known robot hands in order to illuminate the state of the art in robotic dexterous manipulation. Table I compares the reported performance of some of the most well known robot hands in the literature in order to illuminate the state of the art in robotic dexterous manipulation. Among the many robot hands that have been proposed in the literature, the focus of their accompanying publications has often been on the design, manufacturing, and control strategies that are implemented in the given prototype. Relatively few papers present quantitative performance data, and often, terms like dexterous manipulation are used liberally or are simply assumed without explicit demonstration. Furthermore, most all of these robot hands are singular prototypes produced for research purposes and cannot be obtained for further testing. Therefore, in Table I, the columns indicating achieved grasps and manipulations were inferred where possible if they could not be found specifically reported.
TABLE 1COMPARISON OF ROBOTIC HANDS.BasicNo. ofNo. DOFNo. ofGraspsmanipulationsHandImageFingersat JointsActuatorsachievedachieved*Real-world dexterous manipulation achievementsJamHand 22 2†precision and1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6Operating tweezers, depressing apower graspssyringe, writing with a pen, opening a lock with akey, cracking an egg, assembling two LEGOsin-hand, using chopsticksBarrettHand (29) 37 4precision andunreportedsome manipulation capabilitiespower graspsassumed but not specifically shownDEKA Luke Arm 5un-un-precision and2pouring a grasped measuring cup,(42-44)reportedreportedpower graspsoperating finger nail clippers, pluking a grape,pouring water, more capabilities assumedDLR Hit Hand II (45) 51515human-likeunreportedmanipulation capabilitiesgraspingassumed but not specifically shownassumedGifu Hand (46) 51616human-likeunreportedmanipulation capabilities assumed butgraspingnot specifically shownassumedHarada Hand (47) 514 5precision and2operating wire culters, depressing triggerpower graspson a grasped hand drill, more capabilitiesassumedHigh Speed Hand 38 5precision and1, 2, 5knotting a flexible rope, dribbling a ball,(48-54)power graspsspinning a thin rod between fingers,operating tweezers, folding clothKITECH Hand (55) 41616precision and2, 5rolling and reorienting various objectspower graspsMeka H2 Hand (56) 412 5precision andunreportedmanipulation capabilities assumed butpower graspsnot specifically shownRobonaut2 Hand  51218precision andunreportedflipping switches, pressing buttons, rotating(57-59)power graspsknobs, handling cloth, operating an air flow meter,operating a hand held drill, operating a portablex-ray device, more capabilities assumedSARAH (32, 60-61) 310 2precision andnoneno manipulation capabilities demonstrated orpower graspsdemonstratedassumedSchunk SDH (62) 37 7precision andunreportedsome manipulation capabilities assumed butpower graspsnot specifically shownSDM Hand (31, 63-64) 48 1precision andnoneno manipulation capabilities demonstrated orpower graspsdemonstratedassumedShadow Hand  52020 orhuman-likeunreportedmanipulation capabilities assumed but not(65-67) 40‡graspingspecifically shownassumedSRI Hand (30) 413 5§precision and1, 2turning on a flashlight, more capabilitiespower graspsassumedStanford/JPL 3910precision and1, 2, 4, 5pivoting, rolling and reorienting graspedSalisbury Handpower graspsobjects, more capabilities assumed(23, 68)Utah/MIT Dexterous 41632human-likeunreportedmanipulation capabilities assumed butHand (21, 69)graspingnot specifically shownassumed*inferred where possible: 1) regrasping, 2)in-grasp manipulation, 3) finger gaiting, 4) pivoting, 5) rolling, 6) sliding;†plus two 3-position values;‡20 motors or 40 air muscles;§plus separately controlled brakes at each joint
In view of the aforementioned disadvantages, shortcomings, and problems known in the art, the inventors have recognized the benefits and advantages of, as well as the solutions provided by a dexterous robotic hand and associated methods as embodied herein, and dexterous, robotic grasping/gripping/releasing systems incorporating the embodied dexterous robotic hand and associated methods.

Robotic apparatus, method, and applications