A display device comprising a display panel including a plurality of pixels configured to write a first image data signal corresponding to a corresponding frame for a first frame and emits light according to driving current depending on a second image data signal corresponding to a previous frame is disclosed. In one aspect, the first frame includes a reset period of resetting data voltage according to the second image data signal, a compensating period of compensating threshold voltages of driving transistors of the pixels, a data writing period of transferring scan signals corresponding to the pixels in sequence, writing the first image data signal, and a light emitting period of simultaneously emitting light according to the second image data signal, wherein the data writing period and the light emitting period frame are overlap each other.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a display device and a driving method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Recently, display panels have been commercialized with increased size and reduced weight, and a stable driving method to display an accurate and clear image with high-integration and high-precision for displaying a 3D stereoscopic image.
Particularly, a display device including a large-sized display panel or a high-speed frame driving for driving of the 3D stereoscopic image is required, but since respective periods for initialization of data voltage, compensation of threshold voltage of a driving transistor, writing of data, and light emission are not sufficiently ensured by the high-speed driving mode, it is difficult to display images having accurate luminance.
Further, in order to solve the problem, research and development for a pixel circuit structure, a driving mode, and luminance compensation have been conducted, but since the pixel circuit structure is complicated and power consumption increases according to the luminance compensation or the driving mode, adverse effects on production costs and uniformity of luminance may occur.
Generally, in display devices have a pixel circuit with five to eight transistors and two to three capacitors. In addition, a power supply wire for applying reference voltage or initial voltage of the capacitor may need to be additionally ensured in order to store the data voltage for one frame. In these display devices, the production yield of the display devices is decreased and ensuring an aperture ratio is difficult due to the complicated structure of the pixel circuit and the additional power supply wire of the display device. Further, in previous display devices, where the voltage is not stably and smoothly supplied through the power supply wire, screen uniformity of the display image of the display panel deteriorates.
Accordingly, a display device and a driving method thereof, which improves aspects such as simplification of pixel circuits and wirings, a simple displacement of layouts, ensuring for a sufficient period of each driving process, and ensuring for a manufacturing yield and an aperture ratio of the display panel, are required.

Display device and driving method thereof


Some embodiments of the present disclosure include a water collecting fence for collecting, storing, and dispensing rain water. The fence may include a plurality of water containing fence sections, each section being connected to at least one adjacent section by a connector hose. Each section may include a water containing shell. The shell may have an interior defined by a top surface, a bottom surface, a pair of panel sides, and a pair of side surfaces; a fill hole and a vent hole each positioned on the top surface; a post extending downwardly from the shell, the post configured to secure the shell into a ground surface; a lower orifice proximate to the bottom surface; a lower plug or a hose attachment configured to engage with the lower orifice. At least one of the sections may be configured to engage with a gutter downspout from a building.

The embodiments herein relate generally to water conservation and storage devices, and more particularly, to a connected fence for collecting, storing, and dispersing rain water.
Water shortages and droughts have been striking many areas of the country and the world recently. Conventional conservation techniques include limiting the use of water, but many conservation techniques do not include a sufficient way to collect, store, and use rain water.
Additionally, many people desire to have fences surrounding their yard or a portion of their yard. Traditionally, many fences are made from wood, which depletes the tree population.
Therefore, what is needed is a fence that is configured to collect, store, and disperse water, potentially storing thousands of gallons of water a year.

Connected fence for collecting rain water


A nasally administrable composition having a physiologically active peptide dispersed homogeneously in and adsorbed homogeneously onto a unique carrier. The composition contains an effective amount of physiologically active peptide dispersed homogeneously in and adsorbed homogeneously onto a mucosa protecting and/or tissue repairing agent, e.g., gefarnate, aceglutamide aluminum, sucralfate, L-glutamine, sofalcone, teprenone, plaunotol, rebamipide, aldioxa, cetraxate or troxipide.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nasally administrable composition containing a physiologically active peptide, and, more particularly, to a nasally administrable composition containing a physiologically active peptide such as peptide hormone, physiologically active protein, enzymatic protein and so on with a unique carrier, which is highly absorbable into the body via nasal route.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Physiologically active peptides such as calcitonin, insulin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), human growth hormone (HGH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and derivatives thereof are polymers which are extensively employed in clinical practice for various medical usage owing to their specific physiological activity.
The physiologically active peptides, however, can little be absorbed intact from the mucous membrane of the intestine because of either being likely to be decomposed with proteases existing in the digestive system or being high in molecular weight and polarity. Hence, the administration method has been limited to injection. However, injection cannot be said to be preferable because it causes pain in patients. In particular, when injection is to be repeated at constant intervals, the patients have to suffer from the pain every time, which may often become too severe to endure. Under the circumstances, there has been strong demand for more simple and convenient means for administering physiologically active peptides, that is, administration via a non-injection route to enable patients to administer the drug by themselves.
As one example of preparations for such non-injection administration, an aerosol in the form of a suspension has been developed for nasal inhalation of calcitonin, in which a fluorinated hydrocarbon is used as a spouting agent. As another means for nasal administration, a spray has been proposed as a nasally administrable liquid preparation, which is a preparation in which calcitonin is formulated with a surface-active agent as an absorption promoter. Furthermore, recently, there have been proposed some nasally administrable powdery preparations with improved absorbability, which are prepared by adsorbing calcitonin onto a polysaccharide such as celluloses. These various techniques for nasal administration, which have recently been actively developed, are said to be in principle superior as a means for administering such physiologically active peptides as unlikely to be administered orally. Since venous plexus develops at the lamina propria mucosae of the nasal cavity, physiologically active peptides, when administered nasally, can be absorbed through the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity into the circulatory system of the body; however, nasally administrable preparations so far proposed cannot be sufficient because of poor absorbability of physiologically active peptides or local irritability, so that they are not commercially available yet.
The inventor of the present invention has actively been studying about carriers for nasal administration of physiologically active peptides such as insulin, calcitonin, parathyroid hormone (PTH), human growth hormone (HGH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and so on, and has proposed nasally administrable compositions using a polyvalence metal compound such as hydroxyapatite and calcium carbonate as the carrier, finding that water-insoluble substances which are soluble under acidic condition, other than high molecular weight compounds such as polysaccharide celluloses so far studied, can be an desirable carrier for use in nasally administrable physiologically active peptide compositions.

Nasally administrable compositions containing physiologically active peptides


In an oil-sealed bearing assembly in the bearing section of a mud motor, in which a mandrel is rotatably disposed within a cylindrical housing, a cylindrical sleeve is disposed coaxially and rotatably around the mandrel, with the sleeve being non-rotatably mounted to an inner surface of the housing, thereby forming an annular piston chamber forming part of a generally annular oil reservoir. The sleeve provides radial support to the mandrel along the length of the piston chamber by virtue of the flexural stiffness of the sleeve. The mandrel rotates within the sleeve, with a radial bearing being provided between the sleeve and the mandrel. An annular piston is axially movable within the piston chamber in response to variations in the volume of oil in the reservoir. The piston slides within the piston chamber without rotation relative to either the housing or the sleeve.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to bearing assemblies for mud motors used in drilling of oil, gas, and water wells. More particularly, the invention relates to pressure compensation systems for oil-sealed bearing assemblies.
2. Background of the Technology
In drilling a wellbore into the earth, such as for the recovery of hydrocarbons or minerals from a subsurface formation, it is conventional practice to connect a drill bit onto the lower end of an assembly of drill pipe sections connected end-to-end (commonly referred to as a "drill string"), and then rotate the drill string so that the drill bit progresses downward into the earth to create the desired wellbore. In conventional vertical wellbore drilling operations, the drill string and bit are rotated by means of either a "rotary table" or a "top drive" associated with a drilling rig erected at the ground surface over the wellbore (or, in offshore drilling operations, on a seabed-supported drilling platform or a suitably adapted floating vessel).
During the drilling process, a drilling fluid (also commonly referred to in the industry as "drilling mud", or simply "mud") is pumped under pressure downward from the surface through the drill string, out the drill bit into the wellbore, and then upward back to the surface through the annular space between the drill string and the wellbore. The drilling fluid, which may be water-based or oil-based, is typically viscous to enhance its ability to carry wellbore cuttings to the surface. The drilling fluid can perform various other valuable functions, including enhancement of drill bit performance (e.g., by ejection of fluid under pressure through ports in the drill bit, creating mud jets that blast into and weaken the underlying formation in advance of the drill bit), drill bit cooling, and formation of a protective cake on the wellbore wall (to stabilize and seal the wellbore wall).
Particularly since the mid-1980s, it has become increasingly common and desirable in the oil and gas industry to use "directional drilling" techniques to drill horizontal and other non-vertical wellbores, to facilitate more efficient access to and production from larger regions of subsurface hydrocarbon-bearing formations than would be possible using only vertical wellbores. In directional drilling, specialized drill string components and "bottomhole assemblies" (BHAs) are used to induce, monitor, and control deviations in the path of the drill bit, so as to produce a wellbore of desired non-vertical configuration.
Directional drilling is typically carried out using a "downhole motor" (alternatively referred to as a "mud motor") incorporated into the drill string immediately above the drill bit. A typical mud motor includes several primary components, as follows (in order, starting from the top of the motor assembly):                a top sub adapted to facilitate connection to the lower end of a drill string ("sub" being the common general term in the oil and gas industry for any small or secondary drill string component);        a power section comprising a positive displacement motor of well-known type, with a helically-vaned rotor eccentrically rotatable within a stator section;        a drive shaft enclosed within a drive shaft housing, with the upper end of the drive shaft being operably connected to the rotor of the power section; and        a bearing section comprising a cylindrical mandrel coaxially and rotatably disposed within a cylindrical housing, with an upper end coupled to the lower end of the drive shaft, and a lower end adapted for connection to a drill bit.The mandrel is rotated by the drive shaft, which rotates in response to the flow of drilling fluid under pressure through the power section. The mandrel rotates relative to the cylindrical housing, which is connected to the drill string.
In drilling processes using a mud motor, drilling fluid is circulated under pressure through the drill string and back up to the surface as in conventional drilling methods. However, the pressurized drilling fluid exiting the lower end of the drill pipe is diverted through the power section of the mud motor to generate power to rotate the drill bit.
The bearing section must permit relative rotation between the mandrel and the housing, while also transferring axial thrust loads between the mandrel and the housing. Axial thrust loads arise in two drilling operational modes: "on-bottom" loading, and "off-bottom" loading. On-bottom loading corresponds to the operational mode during which the drill bit is boring into a subsurface formation under vertical load from the weight of the drill string, which in turn is in compression; in other words, the drill bit is on the bottom of the wellbore. Off-bottom loading corresponds to operational modes during which the drill bit is raised off the bottom of the wellbore and the drill string is in tension (i.e., when the bit is off the bottom of the wellbore and is hanging from the drill string, such as when the drill string is being "tripped" out of the wellbore, or when the wellbore is being reamed in the uphole direction). This condition occurs, for instance, when the drill string is being pulled out of the wellbore, putting the drill string into tension due to the weight of drill string components. Tension loads across the bearing section housing and mandrel are also induced when circulating drilling fluid with the drill bit off bottom, due to the pressure drop across the drill bit and bearing assembly
Accordingly, the bearing section of a mud motor must be capable of withstanding thrust loads in both axial directions, with the mandrel rotating inside the housing. A mud motor bearing section may be configured with one or more bearings that resist on-bottom thrust loads only, with another one or more bearings that resist off-bottom thrust loads only. Alternatively, one or more bi-directional thrust bearings may be used to resist both on-bottom and off-bottom loads. A typical thrust bearing assembly comprises bearings (usually but not necessarily roller bearings contained within a bearing cage) disposed within an annular bearing containment chamber.
Bearings contained in the bearing section of a mud motor may be either oil-lubricated or mud-lubricated. In an oil-sealed bearing assembly, the bearings are located within an oil-filled reservoir in an annular region between the mandrel and the housing, with the reservoir being defined by the inner surfaces of the housing and the outer surface of the mandrel, and by sealing elements at each end of the reservoir. Because of the relative rotation between the mandrel and the housing, these sealing elements must include rotary seals.
Mud motor bearing sections also include multiple radial bearings to maintain coaxial alignment between the mandrel and the bearing housing. In an oil-sealed assembly, the radial bearings can be provided in the form of bushings disposed in an annular space between the inner surface of the housing and the outer surface of the mandrel. It is desirable to maximize radial support for the mandrel in order to maximize the mandrel's resistance to flexural stresses induced when drilling non-straight wellbores.
An oil-sealed bearing assembly must incorporate pressure compensation means, whereby the volume of the annular oil reservoir is automatically adjusted to compensate for changes in oil volume due to temperature changes. In addition, certain types of elastomeric rotary seals (such as KALSI SEALS®) are designed to slowly pump oil underneath the seal interface, and this causes a gradual reduction in oil volume which also must be compensated for. For optimum performance of the rotary seal, it is ideal for the sealing surface of the mandrel to be as wear-resistant as possible, while having a very fine surface finish.
A common method of providing pressure compensation in an oil-sealed bearing assembly uses an annularly-configured piston disposed within an annular region (or "piston chamber") between the housing and mandrel. The outer diameter (O.D.) of the piston is sealed against the inner bore of the housing (by means of one or more sliding seals, such as O-rings), and also may incorporate anti-rotation seals to ensure that the piston does not rotate relative to the housing. The inner diameter (I.D.) of the piston is sealed against the mandrel by means of a rotary seal, which rotates relative to the mandrel during operation, and also slides axially along the mandrel as the piston moves. The rotary seal and sliding seals associated with the piston thus define the upper end of the oil reservoir within the bearing assembly.
A sufficient length of the mandrel below the piston's initial position must remain uninterrupted to accommodate the piston travel that will occur as oil volume varies over time (whether due to temperature change or oil loss). The housing bore must be similarly uninterrupted along this length, forming a cylindrical oil reservoir. The uppermost radial support is thus located at a point below the oil reservoir. Therefore, a significant length of the mandrel in a conventional oil-sealed mud motor bearing section is not radially supported.
Alternatively, radial support for the mandrel may be provided to some extent by the pressure-compensating piston itself. However, the length of radial support is limited to the length of the piston (which desirably should be minimized), and the mandrel will still be unsupported along the length of the oil reservoir (said length of which will be greatest when the oil reservoir is full and the piston is at its uppermost position).
For optimum performance of the rotary seal, it is ideal for the sealing surface of the mandrel to be as wear-resistant as possible, with a very fine surface finish. This is typically provided through the use of a surface treatment such as an abrasion-resistant, diamond-ground coating. To accommodate axial translation of the piston within the piston chamber, the surface treatment of the mandrel needs to be provided over a length corresponding to at least the range of travel of the piston's rotary seal, and preferably the full length of the piston chamber.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a pressure compensation system for oil-sealed mud motor bearing assemblies that provides radial support for the portion of the mandrel corresponding to the stroke of the pressure-compensating piston. Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to these needs.

Pressure compensation system for an oil-sealed mud motor bearing assembly


An adiabatic power generation method and apparatus includes at least one combusting device to combust any suitable fuel and an oxygen-containing gas to produce hot high pressure combustion gases. Also includes modified present art combustors, wind and solar energy sources. A portion of the expanded gases, or ambient air is mixed with the combustion gases to form a mixture of gases as working fluid that is fed to a work-producing device.

State of the art engines have thermal efficiencies in the range of 30 to 40%. This is due to heat lost by system cooling, friction of moving parts and energy lost in exhaust gases. In order to meet atmospheric emission standards additional energy is used to condition exhaust gases for reducing the toxicity.
Most engines use the internal combustion process. Steam engines use external combustion. Gas turbines operate with pressurized gases at very high temperatures. The turbines have a very high power to weight ratio but are not good for partial loads; they are very costly because of high temperatures and speeds of operation. Jet engines use gas turbines for propulsion. Turbofan engines are more efficient due to pick up of heat from the shell of the jet engine. Engines operate with increasing entropy due to irreversible heat transfer processes during operation of cooling systems, exhaust systems and accessories. Some engines internally provide power from gas turbines with exhaust gases to drive air compressors to increase the density of combustion air and to increase the mass of Oxygen in the air introduced into the engine for increased power output. Operating at higher altitudes aspirating engines produce less power. All engines require special considerations for materials used for internals subjected to high temperatures and pressures. Bearing and other moving parts are subject to short term high temperature yield stresses, short term ultimate yield, rupture strength, creep strength, relaxation strength, high temperature endurance limit, thermal expansion, corrosion and failures due to fatigue and natural frequencies of operation.
The primary object of this invention is to substantially reduce the cost of manufacture and operation of an energy-producing system with less impact on the environment. Specifically the following objects are cited:                a. Conserve energy of fuel combustion, compressed air and unburned fuel instead of discharging it through coolants and high temperature exhausts;        b. Conserve energy remaining in expanded gases issuing from a work-producing zone by circulating expanded gases in a closed loop with gaseous combustion products exhausted;        c. Maximize combustion of fuel and preferably obtain complete combustion with reduced flame temperature, so products of combustion contain only traces of Hydrocarbons and Carbon Monoxide and Oxides of Nitrogen;        d. Eliminate or minimize the need for treating exhaust gases for toxicity and noise.        e. Operate present art combustors with modifications to function as more efficient adiabatic power systems.        f. Use wind energy and/or solar energy to provide compressed air, including heated compressed air, with or without combustion or other uses in the invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An automated memory management or garbage collection routine uses a first garbage collection routine to perform garbage collection on new objects, and a second garbage collection routine to perform garbage collection on old objects. The two garbage collection routines are operated concurrently, with each routine separately marking objects to be reclaimed. The second routine may operate in a background mode by traversing a tree of objects from a copy of memory, while the first routine may operate on actual memory.

Garbage collection is a memory management process for reclaiming unused memory locations within a computer system. When an application no longer accesses or references an object, the memory location allocated to the object may be identified and reclaimed, to be used for other objects.
Garbage collection is a tool that frees a programmer or application developer from having to manually release objects when those objects are no longer needed, which may otherwise consume a significant amount of programmer design effort.
The performance of a system may be affected by the performance of a garbage collection routine. In some instances, a garbage collection routine may cause other applications or threads to pause while a garbage collection operation takes place. In some cases, such pauses may be noticeable and distracting to a user.
When garbage collection operates concurrently with other applications, the more processing and resources a garbage collection routine uses, other applications have fewer resources to perform other tasks.


A switched-capacitor ripple-smoothing filter includes a first pair of capacitors. The filter is configured such that either capacitor in the first pair may be reset and have a terminal coupled to a first input port and such that the remaining capacitor in the first pair is isolated from the first input port and has the terminal coupled to a first output port while the other capacitor is being charged. The filter further includes a second pair of capacitors, the filter being configured such that either capacitor in the second pair may be reset and have a terminal coupled to a second input port and such that the remaining capacitor in the second pair is isolated from the second input port and has the terminal coupled to a second output port while the other capacitor in the second pair is being charged. Advantageously, the filter is configured such that the capacitors in the first and second pair are reset responsive to the assertion of a single reset signal.

Phase-locked loops (PLLs) are often used as clock regenerators or frequency synthesizers in digital systems. PLLs have a wide variety of applications in areas such as communication devices and other types of digital electronics. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional PLL 100. PLL 100 functions to maintain a clock output 110 in phase alignment with a reference clock 120. The clock output is fed back through a loop divider 130 to form feedback signal 105 and compared with the reference clock in a phase detector 140. Based upon this comparison, the phase detector adjust the pulse widths of an up signal and a down signal 145 (denoted as UP/DN) based upon whether the clock output lags or leads in phase with respect to the reference clock. A charge pump 150 receives the up and down signals and changes the capacitively-stored charge in a loop filter 160 accordingly.
FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified view of the functional relationship between the charge pump and the loop filter. The charge pump acts as a current switch to either sink or source a current I from a capacitor C in the loop filter using current sources I1 and I2. Should the up signal be pulsed before the down signal, the current switch couples a terminal S1 to the loop filter so that the current I from source I1 charges the capacitor. As a result, the voltage across this capacitor increases. When the down signal is subsequently pulsed, the current switch decouples from terminal S1 such that the raised voltage is held until the next up/down pulse cycle. As seen in FIG. 1, this raised voltage will then drive a voltage-controlled oscillator 170 to increase the frequency of the clock output to reduce the phase lag that prompted the pulsing of the up signal. Referring again to FIG. 2, should the down signal be pulsed before the up signal, the current switch couples the loop filter to a terminal S2 so that the current I from source I2 is sourced from the capacitor in the loop filter. As a result, the voltage across the capacitor decreases. When the up signal is subsequently pulsed, the current switch decouples from terminal S2 so that the decreased voltage is maintained across the capacitor. Referring back to FIG. 1, this reduced voltage will cause the VCO to reduce the clock output frequency, thereby reducing the phase lead that prompted the pulsing of the down signal. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the FIG. 2 is a simplified view of the loop filter operation in that a loop filter will actually have two input nodes: a positive input node and a negative input node that are charged in a complementary fashion with respect to a common-mode voltage.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that PLL 100 may be configured for either a single-ended or a differential (double-ended) operation. As illustrated, PLL 100 is shown in a single-ended embodiment. However, a differential embodiment provides greater resistance to noise through its well-known common-mode rejection properties. In a differential operation, the up and down signal would each have a positive and a negative component, wherein the positive and negative components are displaced in a complementary fashion from a common-mode voltage.
Although the preceding PLL operation has had wide application, the up and down signals are inherently "bursty" in that they cannot have a duration longer than the output clock period. The abrupt changes in the up and down signals lead to "ripples" in the control voltage provided by the loop filter, thereby causing jitter in the clock output. Referring now to FIG. 3, an alternative PLL topology known as a sample-reset loop filter 300 is shown that addresses this jitter problem. This alternative PLL topology may also be denoted as a switched-capacitor frequency synthesizer. As discussed with respect to PLL 100, sample-reset loop filter includes a phase detector 140 that compares the phases of a reference clock 120 to a feedback signal 105 to generate the up and down control signals. Similarly, the feedback signal is a divided version of an output clock 110 as provided by a loop divider 130. However, instead of a VCO, a current-controlled oscillator (CCO) 310 responds to a control current 315 to adjust the frequency of the output clock. To produce the control current, a loop filter 320 includes an integration path 330 and a feed-forward path 340. The feed-forward path, which may also be denoted as a switched-capacitor ripple-smoothing filter, filters the charge provided by a charge pump B and the integrating path filters the charge provided by a charge pump A. Charge pumps A and B respond to the pulse widths of the up and down signals to alter a capacitively-stored voltage within each loop filter path as discussed analogously with respect to PLL 100. Each path includes a transconductance stage (not illustrated) that converts the respective voltages to a current. The currents from the paths are then combined to produce the control current 315 that drives the CCO. Because the capacitively-stored voltage in the proportional path 340 must be reset each sampling period with respect to the up and down pulses, a double sampling architecture may be used within the feed-forward path to provide a smoother control current that induces less jitter in the output clock. In addition, the reset circuitry is simplified in a double sampling architecture.
Although a sample-reset loop filter having a double sampling architecture in the switched-capacitor ripple-smoothing filter advantageously reduces output clock jitter, it suffers from a number of disadvantages. In particular, the design of the switched-capacitor ripple-smoothing filter is cumbersome, requiring a latency offset cancellation stage and numerous control signals. Because a latency offset cancellation stage requires delay to address the offset, ripple is worsened.
Thus, there is a need in the art for improved switched-capacitor ripple-smoothing filter designs.

Switched capacitor ripple-smoothing filter


A viewfinder to be used with a photographing apparatus or a camcorder to monitor an image being photographed. The viewfinder has a viewfinder body disposed to be drawn inside of the photographing apparatus body and to be drawn out of the photographing apparatus body, a compressing spring to press the viewfinder body to draw the viewfinder body outside of the photographing apparatus body, a locking unit to secure the viewfinder body within the photographing apparatus body, and an unlocking member to unlock the locking unit. Therefore, if the locking unit is unlocked, the viewfinder body is drawn out from a camcorder body by a restoration force of the compressing spring. On the other hand, when a user presses the viewfinder body against the photographing apparatus body, the viewfinder body is drawn into the photographing apparatus body. Thus, the appearance of the photographing apparatus is more appealing to the eye, and storage and handling of the photographing apparatus is easier.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a viewfinder of a photographing apparatus, and more particularly to a viewfinder of a photographing apparatus that allows a user to monitor a photographing image or a reproducing image when photographing an object or reproducing the photographed image using a photographing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A photographing apparatus is a device to photograph an object. As the example of the photographing apparatus, there is an apparatus that can only take photographs, like a manual or an automatic camera, and an apparatus that can record and reproduce images such as a camcorder or a digital camera.
A camcorder (also called a video camera) photographs the object and records it as image data on a videotape, and it is used generally to record and/or reproduce the image. Generally, the camcorder includes a viewfinder to monitor the status of the recording image or the reproducing image, when a user records an image or reproduces the image.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a viewfinder of a conventional camcorder.
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional camcorder 10 includes a camcorder body 11 having a photographing unit (not shown) to photograph an image and a reproducing unit (not shown) to reproduce the photographed image, and a view finder 12 formed on an outer part of the camcorder body 11 to allow the user to monitor the photographing or the reproducing image. The viewfinder 12 can be separated from the camcorder body 11, and is protruded from the camcorder body 11. In addition, the viewfinder 12 can be manually rotated 70°˜90° to an upper part of the camcorder body 11 as indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 1.
However, since the viewfinder of the conventional camcorder with the above construction is mounted on the camcorder body as being protruded, there is a problem that the handling and the storing of the product are inconvenient. In addition, when the camcorder is designed, it is difficult to design the appearance of the camcorder as simple and appealing, because the construction of the viewfinder should be considered.

Viewfinder of photographing apparatus and camcorder having the same


A telescopic feed beam for a rock drill includes a lower beam and an upper beam arranged to move with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction. The cross section of the lower beam is such that there is a groove-like open space at the bottom of the lower beam and a transfer cylinder between the lower beam and the upper beam is mounted in the groove.

The invention relates to a telescopic feed beam for a rock drill, the feed beam comprising a lower beam and an upper beam arranged on top of each other and parallel with each other in the longitudinal direction, whereby the rock drill is arranged to be installed movably in the upper beam in its longitudinal direction and a transfer cylinder is arranged to act between the upper beam and the lower beam to move the upper and the lower beam with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction.
Rock drilling devices are frequently used in various drilling situations. Thus it is sometimes necessary to drill short holes in confined spaces and longer holes when space permits. This cannot be done by using conventional feed beams, for which reason different drilling devices are normally used for various purposes. Sometimes it is, however, necessary to use the same drilling device for drilling holes in different conditions. For this purpose, various telescopic beams have been developed where the feed beam is formed by two feed beam sections that move with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction, i.e. an upper beam, along which the rock drill moves, and a lower beam. In this case, the upper beam and the lower beam are typically coupled by means of slide rails and slide pads to move with respect to each other in the longitudinal direction. When drilling takes place in confined spaces, the feed beam sections are arranged to overlap to as great an extent as possible to achieve as short a total length as possible. On the other hand, when longer holes are drilled, the feed beam sections are moved with respect to each other to achieve as long a feed beam as possible. In that case, longer drill rods are naturally employed in the drilling. As the drillings proceeds, the drill rod penetrates into rock, in which case the length of the feed beam is first shortened typically by moving the farther feed beam section in the drilling direction. After this feed beam section has moved onto the top of the other feed beam section so that the feed beam is at its shortest, the rock drill is moved along the feed beam section to allow the utilization of the whole drill rod length. A pressure medium operated transfer cylinder is rather commonly used to provide the movement between the feed beams, the cylinder being coupled between the feed beam sections so that when the piston of the transfer cylinder is moved with respect to the cylinder, the feed beam sections move with respect to each other. Such a solution is known from Finnish patent no. 97253, for instance.
Prior art feed beam solutions involve various practical problems; for example, it is difficult to carry out servicing because of the confined space available in the feed beams. Furthermore, if the transfer cylinder is installed in the space between the feed beam sections to protect it from dirt and mechanical stress and the feed beam is installed at the end of the boom of a rock drilling device, it may not be that easy to service and, if necessary, to repair or replace the transfer cylinder. Nowadays, in particular, more attention is paid to the quickness and ease of service to minimize losses in the productive time of a rock drilling device. It is thus necessary to find new solutions for achieving this.


The present invention relates to systems and methods for a implementing an optimized power conservation communication protocol, wherein the communication link is flexible and the power consumption characteristics are optimized. One facet of the system's flexibility relates to the system's ability to negotiate device control roles associated with a polling communication link. Also, once the device control roles are in place and the communication link is established, the system selectively implements a number of polling protocols for a multitude of applications that need a low power consumption. In some embodiments the system maintains a communication link with a reduced frequency polling protocol. This type of communication link maintains efficient power consumption characteristics, as well as, connection times that are faster than establishing a communication link between disconnected devices.

There are a wide range of systems for establishing and maintaining short range wireless communication links. Many of these systems require a line of sight link, do not support two way communication, do not provide low power consumption characteristics, or flexible connection topologies. Two examples of short range wireless communication protocols are Bluetooth and low-end radio.
As the Bluetooth specification matures, there are a greater number of wireless devices implementing Bluetooth as a standard feature. However, the power consumption requirements and implementation costs make it prohibitive to implement in a host of wireless devices that have low power capacity. Nokia Research Center has developed a radio technology, called low-end radio, which is based on the Bluetooth Specification and may utilize at least the analog parts of the Bluetooth radio, to provide wireless communication links between devices that have limited power resources. The low-end radio protocol enables significant power and cost reductions over Bluetooth wireless devices and accommodates devices having limited power resources.
Low-end radio is discussed in International Publication Number WO 02/073893. The low-end radio protocol enables devices with low power consumption requirements to communicate wirelessly over a certain frequency band. Unlike Bluetooth, low-end radio does not implement a frequency hopping routine or a transmission slot system. This results in a simpler, less complex system than a standard Bluetooth implementation. The low-end radio protocol divides the communication frequency band into a multitude of communication channels.
A device with low-end radio protocol provides more efficient power savings when compared with the standard Bluetooth devices. However, additional power savings would enable low-end radio applications to become even more diverse and widespread. One possible method for reducing power consumption involves implementing low-end radio with Carrier Sensing Multiple Access and collision avoidance.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/224,768, entitled "Carrier Sensing Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance Scheme Optimized For A Priori Known Carrier Usage For Low Duty Systems," (CSMA with collision avoidance) describes systems and methods for a communication system implementing a short range wireless communication link between user devices. The communication system provides a low power solution utilizing an optimized combination of carrier sensing and frequency division multiple access to avoid collisions. The optimization described in that patent application implements a random mean zero value offset appended to a device's transmission frames, when transmissions are sensed on a transmission channel. The offset increases the probability that a first advertising device will recognize another device's transmissions (i.e., determine that a channel is busy) and avoid simultaneous transmissions that result in transmission collisions. Upon recognizing another device's transmissions, the first device may shift its transmission frame to avoid transmission collisions between devices. Consequently, through efficient management of device transmissions, fewer retransmissions are necessary and power consumption is reduced. The carrier sensing communication links may be implemented in either a StandAlone LowRate system, or in a device with a pre-existing Bluetooth implementation.
The Bluetooth specification also has a low-power operating mode that attempts to minimize power consumption. A Bluetooth piconet includes a master and anywhere from one to seven active slaves communicating. Bluetooth implements a frequency hopping system derived from the master's Bluetooth clock signal and the device address. Generally, the hop rate in a normal connection is 1600 hops/s. Transmissions are conducted during specified time slots that are determined according to a predetermined hopping scheme, (e.g., the duration of a time slot is 625 μs). According to the Bluetooth protocol, a Master device may start transmitting only in even-numbered slots, whereas the slave devices may transmit in odd-numbered slots. The data packets may occupy 1, 3 or 5 slots. The whole packet is always transmitted in the same channel. The master polls one slave at the time. Each slave transmits a response message back to the master after receiving the poll. The active slave devices recognize their packets by processing a 3-bit active member addresses in the packet header. Further interaction between a master and a slave depends upon which of three types of master/slave communication links is established.
There are three different communication link types that a master and active slaves in the Bluetooth low power mode may establish: Synchronous Connection-Oriented (SCO) link, Extended Synchronous Connection-Oriented (eSCO) link, and Asynchronous Connection-Less (ACL) link. Synchronous links establish point-to-point links between a master and a single slave in the piconet. A master can manage up to three SCO links by using reserved slots at regular intervals. In SCO links, packets are never retransmitted, whereas eSCO links may have an additional retransmission window after the reserved transmission slots. An ACL link may be a point-to-multi-point link between a master and all of the slaves participating on the piconet. A master can establish an ACL link on a per-slot basis to any slave, in transmission slots not reserved for the synchronous links.
The Bluetooth ACL link implements a system where slaves may enter a sleep state for a predetermined length of time. For example, the Bluetooth protocol implements a low power mode (sniff mode) for slaves which participate on ACL links. Sniff mode reduces the number of the time slots in which the master can start transmission to a specific slave. The master can start transmission only in specified time slots, called sniff slots, which are spaced regularly within a time interval (Tsniff). The slave in sniff mode starts listening for sniff slots after a predetermined delay (Dsniff).
Fifteen packet types are defined for data links, for different link types, data, error handling and length. Additionally, there are 5 common packets for control purposes and connection establishment. Each synchronous (voice) channel supports a 64 kb/s data rate in each direction, whereas the asynchronous channel can support a maximum data rate of 723.2 kb/s asymmetric (and still up to 57.6 kb/s in the return direction), or 433.9 kb/s symmetric.
Despite the improved power consumption characteristics associated with implementing low-end radio and Bluetooth's low power mode in coordination with CSMA with collision avoidance, these protocols do not satisfy the power requirements of a multitude of wireless devices and applications with low power requirements.


The invention provides a light-emitting diode grain structure with multiple contact points, including a P-type electrode, a conductive base plate, a light-emitting semiconductor layer, a plurality of ohmic contact metal points, a mesh-structured connection conductive layer, a connection point conductive layer, and an N-type electrode pad electrically connected to the connection point conductive layer. The plurality of ohmic contact metal points is arranged on an N-type semiconductor layer in a spreading manner, and is contacted with the N-type semiconductor layer. No ohmic contact is formed between the connection conductive layer and the N-type semiconductor layer. Accordingly, the metal points and the connection conductive layer can disperse a current, reduce a shading area, and improve the luminous efficiency and component reliability; and uniform light emission from a surface facilitates the light distribution uniformity of an original light source and exciting light after phosphor is coated.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a vertical light-emitting diode 1 can emit high-efficiency axial light which is very suitable for applications requiring high working current and high illuminance. A general structural design of the vertical light-emitting diode 1 has the following characteristics. An electrode pad 2 is located above the light-emitting diode 1 and is used for wire bonding, and usually a thicker gold wire is used to facilitate passing of a high current. Furthermore, a reference line 3 (Finger) that allows a current to flow vertically to a semiconductor and horizontally through a metal is located above the light-emitting diode 1 in the shape of a finger. If more reference lines 3 are set on the light-emitting diode 1, current dispersion is better, but a shading area would be also increased.
When the electrode pad 2 is formed in a center of the light-emitting diode 1, optical current dispersion is achieved, which can not only improve the luminous efficiency, but also have good heat dissipation. However, the vertical light-emitting diode 1 fails under the following situations: (1) Emitted light is excessively concentrated on the electrode pad 2 and the reference line 3 in a non-uniform manner, which will cause local hot spots so that the light-emitting diode 1 is easy to fail. (2) When a wire is bonded on the electrode pad 2 on a surface of the light-emitting diode 1, there is a risk of damaging a PN junction of the light-emitting diode 1, resulting in a decrease in yield and reliability.
Therefore, the U.S. Pat. No. 8,319,250 B2 provides a multi-conducting pillar technology. In order to make an N-type electrode serve as a bottom electrode and extend to form a plurality of side-wall-insulated vertical conductive pillars passing through a
P-type semiconductor layer and a quantum well layer and entering an N-type semiconductor layer, a working current is uniformly dispersed in the N-type semiconductor layer, and a P-type electrode is arranged on a side edge for being used by wire bonding of a package procedure. This design can achieve the best dispersion of the working current via the multiple conductive pillars, and the wire bonding of the packaging procedure will not impact a light-emitting semiconductor layer either, thereby improving the failure mode of the foregoing vertical light-emitting diode 1. However, this structure contains a large number of precise conductive pillars, the diameter of which is usually 20 to 30 μm and the inner cylindrical walls of which are coated with an extremely thin insulation material. A cylindrical center layer is deposited with a highly conductive metal. This structure is fine but fragile, the process is complicated, the cost is high, process conditions are narrow, and failed products are not easy to be detected. The most serious is that when an external stress is extremely high (such as a physical contact with a surface, a deformation stress of the packaging procedure, and the like), the conductive pillars will have micro-cracks, causing an immediate failure of components or a long-term reliability problem. In addition, the design of the plurality of conductive pillars is better for nitride monocrystal optoelectronic semiconductors. For phosphide and arsenide single crystal optoelectronic semiconductors, their chemical properties are relatively unstable and require a lower defect density, so that it is more difficult to make the plurality of conductive pillars, and there is a risk of increasing the defect density. Therefore, this design is not applicable.

Light-emitting diode grain structure with multiple contact points


The present invention relates to a method of configuring parameters used to transmit packets of data between a data processing and/or transfer terminal, such as a computer or the like, for example, and a radiocommunication network, using a radiocommunication device, in particular a mobile station with an autonomous power supply.

The field of the invention is that of transmission of data by radio, in particular in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) network, and in relation to the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) standard, and consists in a method of dynamic configuration of the parameters used for this kind of transmission.
In GPRS or GSM applications, mobile stations and like radiocommunication devices can be used as modems or as analog interface and transfer devices to transmit data between a radiocommunication network to which said devices can connect and a data processing unit or terminal, such as a computer, in particular a personal computer, which is either isolated or networked with other computers.
In such applications, after completing an uplink transmission sequence, for example, the device may end up waiting for a return downlink transmission, a confirmation, or some other message from the network.
A similar situation can arise if the radiocommunication device is in the phase of searching for a connection to a suitable network, and in particular its own network, as described in the document EP-A-0 603 050 in particular.
The conditions applying to, and the execution of, this active waiting state, and in particular the listening and verification operations carried out by the radiocommunication device, either continuously or repetitively, at regular or irregular intervals, are defined by discontinuous reception (DRX) parameters imposed by the network and using the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI).
These parameters, the value or the state of which must be set to define how the device listens to the network, include in particular the "SPLIT-PG-CYCLE" parameter (period of search or packet call waiting messages), the "SPLIT on CCCH" indicator (indicating the DRX method used: GSM or GPRS), and the "non DRX timer" parameter (existence or non-existence of a continuous listening state and, where applicable, duration of that state after a data transmission phase).
The values of the parameters previously cited are set by the radiocommunication device, in accordance with the GPRS standard, during GPRS attachment or GPRS location procedures, and once and for all for a given application.
The configuration of the DRX parameters is the result of a compromise between the effective or required autonomy of the radiocommunication device (with autonomous power supply) and the degree of responsiveness necessary or required of the device in terms of call and search requests and/or a downlink transfer.
A different and specific compromise can be defined for each GPRS application. In some cases, the responsiveness factor takes priority over the autonomy factor, whereas in other cases the autonomy factor is more decisive than the responsiveness factor.
Consequently, applications installed on a computer or like terminal and using a GPRS medium cannot at present carry out any modification of said DRX parameters.
Now there may be a requirement to provide the possibility of reconfiguring the DRX parameters after their original configuration, for example because of an intentional or unintentional modification of the priorities of the factors previously cited that are relevant, or a change in transmission conditions, to which only the terminal or the computer may be sensitive.

Method of configuring parameters for data packet transmission

Abstract: The method is characterized in that it consists in authorizing dynamic configuration by the transfer and/or processing terminal of parameters defining a discontinuous reception mode of said radiocommunication device when in a standby mode, after static setting of said parameters by said device, as a function of the autonomy of said device, the responsiveness required of said device, and transmission requirements of said terminal.


This sliding track for optical apparatus provides a system for mounting and easily moving lens cells and/or other portions of an optical apparatus that are co-axially arranged with respect to an optical axis of the apparatus along said optical axis while maintaining axial alignment. It does so by positioning the lens cells on two linear precision rods placed parallel to the optical axis of the lens cells and optical apparatus. Low-friction plastic inserts are mounted to or in the moving lens cells so that they support said cells on the parallel rods and provide a low friction sliding contact that does not require lubrication. Low-friction plastic holding pads are mounted via springs to the moving cells and are biased against the opposite side of the parallel rods so as to hold the moving cells firmly in position against the parallel rods, but without hampering the cells from sliding smoothly along the rods. The outer diameter of the widest point of each lens cell is equal, with centrally located coaxial lens or lenses. Thus, when each lens cell is placed in position against the two parallel rods, their respective lenses are coaxial.

1. Field of the Invention
My invention pertains to the field of optical apparatus. More particularly, the invention pertains to means for simply and easily achieving a coaxial alignment of lens cells on an optical apparatus of a device, and for smoothly and easily moving lens cells and/or other portions of an optical apparatus along said optical axis while maintaining coaxial alignment.
2. Description of Related Art
There are numerous systems for alignment and aligned movement of portions of an optical apparatus along the optical axis of the apparatus. Some examples of systems related to this purpose can be seen in the following U.S. patents:                U.S. Pat. No. 3,060,801 issued to Boughton in 1962 for a "Stereomicroscope Variable Focus Mounting."        U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,029 issued to Peck et al. in 1965 for a "Linear Zoom Optical System."        U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,991 issued to Seedhouse in 1968 for a "Mounting Mechanism for Zoom Type of Optical Systems for a Stereomicroscope."        U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,202 issued to Boughton in 1970 for a "Lens Carriage for Continuously Variable Magnification Stereomicroscopes."        U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,480 issued to Szabo in 1977 for a "Photocomposition Escapement Drive System."        U.S. Pat. No. 4,397,544 issued to Yajima et al. in 1983 for an "Optical Apparatus for Changing Magnification or Reduction Rates."        U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,296 issued to Tsuchiya in 1987 for a "Magnification Changing Mechanism of a Microscope."        U.S. Pat. No. 4,690,519 issued to Clark et al. in 1987 for a "Zoom Microscope Having a Crank and Linkage System."        U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,993 issued to Akitake in 1991 for a "Zoom Mechanism for Zoom Lens."        U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,473 issued to Kawamura et al. in 1993 for a "Lens Barrel."        U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,210 issued to Devenyi in 1996 for a "Permanent Magnetic Suspension with Roller Guides."        U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,442 issued to Parks in 1997 for a "Microscope Lens Guide System."        U.S. Pat. No. 6,507,705 issued to Kaxha in 2003 for a "Guiding Mechanism for Moving Parts in Zoom Lens."However, there is a continuing need for robust systems that provide means for easily mounting and moving lens cells and/or other portions of an optical apparatus along an optical axis.


A method for controlling a drivetrain (1) in a motor vehicle is disclosed, in particular in an off-road vehicle with a drive unit (2), a multi-group transmission (4) and an output. The multi-group transmission (4) comprises at least an automatic gearbox (8) and a subsequent range transfer box (9) which may be switched by means of switching elements (24, 25). On changing the ratio in the range transfer box (9), a synchronisation of the switching element (24 or 25), for switching in the range transfer box (9), is carried out by means of a controller of switching elements in the automatic gearbox (8).

From prior practice drivetrains of vehicles, in particular off-road vehicles, are known, which comprise a drive engine, a multi-range transmission and a drive output. The incorporation of a multi-range transmission enables several gear speeds to be made available with the fewest possible gear wheel pairings.
In practice, a multi-range transmission consists of a combination of several transmission units, such as a so-termed upstream reduction gear group, a main transmission and a downstream group or range transfer box. To provide good shifting comfort and as many speed shifts as possible, the main transmission is preferably made as an automatic transmission, for example with six forward speeds and one reverse. The combination of such an automatic transmission with a range transfer box downstream therefrom extends the gear-speed sequence of a multi-range transmission consisting of a main transmission and a range transfer box.
As a transmission unit, a range transfer box is characterized in that an input rotation speed of the range transfer box is always converted to "slow". Moreover, it is characteristic of a range transfer box that in the range transfer box a torque increase takes place so that vehicles or off-road vehicles can still be driven even on steep slopes. Owing to the large torque increase, range transfer boxes are always connected downstream from a main transmission, which avoids the transfer of high torques through the main transmission itself.
In practice, range transfer boxes are made as reduction gear systems or compact planetary gear sets. The transmission ratio in a range transfer box is changed by way of shift elements with which the ratio is shifted between a first range ("low") and a second range ("high"). When the first ("low") range is engaged in the range transfer box in combination with the main transmission, this provides the driver with a transmission ratio range that is advantageous for the operation of a vehicle on land with steep slopes at low vehicle speeds.
The second ("high") transmission range of the range transfer box is less affected by losses, so that when driving over normal territory and also at higher driving speeds the second ("high") range is preferably engaged in the range transfer box.
When shifting between the two transmission ranges "low" and "high" of the range transfer box, synchronization of the shift elements of the range transfer box to be engaged for the respective "low" or "high" range desired is necessary, since owing to the large ratio change in the range transfer box between shift elements to be disengaged and ones to be engaged, large differential rotation speeds exist. These speed differences are equalized by suitable synchronization means, which in the range transfer box can either be made as separate components or integrated in the shift elements of the range transfer box. In the latter case, the shift elements are usually made as frictional disk clutches or disk brakes.
This has the disadvantage, however, that range transfer boxes constructed with separate mechanical synchronization means or with frictional shift elements comprise large components and take up a lot of structural space, since they have to be made appropriately robust because of the high stressing of the components during synchronization. Furthermore, separate mechanical synchronization means or frictional shift elements incur high manufacturing costs, and this is uneconomical.
Accordingly, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the drive train of a vehicle with which the transmission ratio of a range transfer box can be changed by way of a more compact and less costly structure.

Method for controlling a drivetrain in a motor vehicle


The invention relates to a method of operating an electric heater having a resistive heating element selectively coupled to an AC power supply by a first pair of contacts of a first relay having opened and closed state conditions and by a second pair of contacts of a second relay having opened and closed state conditions and a switch coupled in parallel to the second pair of contacts. The method includes changing a state condition of one of the first and second relays while maintaining the state condition of the other of the first and second relays; upon the changing of the state condition, shunting the output of the second relay contacts coupled with the resistive heating element to the switch; and changing the state condition of the other of the first and second relays after completion of debounce for the one of the first and second relays.

Dishwashers can include a heater for heating wash liquid for treating dishes according to an automatic cycle of operation. A heater may comprise a resistive heating element and a number of electrical components to couple the resistive heating element to a power supply. For example, a resistive heating element may be selectively coupled to the power supply by electromechanical relays.

Method of operating a heater in a dishwasher


A shift register unit is provided, which includes an input circuit, a first output circuit and a first output signal adjustment circuit. The input circuit is configured for receiving an input signal from an input terminal and controlling an electrical signal of a first node based on the input signal. The first output circuit is configured for outputting a first output signal at a first output terminal of the shift register unit based on a first clock signal under control of the electrical signal of the first node. The first output signal adjustment circuit is configured for providing a first reference signal to the first output terminal under control of the second clock signal so as to decrease an amplitude of the first output signal.

In order to pursue low cost and narrow bezel of a display device, more and more display panel products employ GOA (Gate Driver On Array) technology, that is, a thin film transistor (TFT) gate driving circuit is fabricated directly on the array substrate, which avoids the space occupied by IC bonding and fan-out areas, so that the costs in materials, preparation processes, etc. are reduced and the bezels at two sides of a display panel are narrowed.
Compared with COG (chip on glass) and COF (chip on film) technologies, the GOA technology has unparalleled advantages in narrow bezel application and cost reduction. Currently, it has been widely used in products such as mobile phone, Touch PC and notebook.

Shift register unit, control method thereof, gate driving device, display device

HEFEI XINSHENG OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


A process for the production of a highly unsaturated fatty acid comprising the steps of culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Echinosporangium and capable of synthesizing highly unsaturated fatty acids to produce highly unsaturated fatty acids or a lipid containing highly unsaturated fatty acid, and recovering the highly unsaturated fatty acid; and a process for the production of a lipid containing highly unsaturated fatty acids comprising the steps of culturing a microorganism belonging to the genus Echinosporangium and capable of synthesizing highly unsaturated fatty acids to produce a lipid containing highly unsaturated fatty acids, and recovering the lipid containing highly unsaturated fatty acids.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the production of a fatty acid having a high degree of unsaturation and a lipid containing such unsaturated fatty acids.
2. Description of the Related Art
Processes for the production of fatty acids having a high degree of unsaturation using various microorganisms are known, but a process for the production of fatty acids having a high degree of unsaturation (hereinafter, highly unsaturated fatty acids) by a microorganism belonging to the genus Echinosporangium is not known.

Microbiological process for production of fatty acids having high degree of unsaturation with echinosporangium


A highly integrated radiometer sensor cell includes a base having opposing surfaces with one surface adapted for surface mounting on a board. A radio frequency (RF) feed receives RF signals and at least one MMIC is operatively connected to the RF feed and receives the RF signals from the RF feed. This MMIC can include at least one quadrature hybrid, a low noise amplifier (LNA) connected thereto, and a detector circuit for producing a detected signal for further radiometer processing.

Since radio waves may be considered long wave infrared radiation, a hot body would be expected to radiate microwave energy thermally. To be a good radiator of microwave energy, a body typically must be a good absorber. A good thermal radiator is a "black body." The amount of radiation emitted in the Millimeter Wave (MMW) range is about 108 times smaller than the amount emitted in the infrared range. Current MMW receivers, however, have at least 105 times better noise performance than infrared detectors, and with some temperature contrast, the remaining 103 may be recovered. This makes passive MMW imaging comparable in performance with current infrared systems. This unique characteristic makes MMW radiometers a popular choice for sensing thermal radiation. MMW radiometers have also been used in other applications, for example, remote terrestrial and extra-terrestrial sensing, medical diagnostics and defense applications. MMW electromagnetic radiation windows occur at 35 GHz, 94 GHz, 140 GHz and 220 GHz. The choice of frequency depends on specific applications.
Focal plane arrays are used to form images from the radiation received by a reflector antenna. Millimeter wave (MMW) focal plane array radiometers also have been used in many applications to form images based on thermal sensing of radiated microwave energy. The sensitivity of existing radiometer designs, however, has been limited to about 1 deg K, resulting in poor images.
The operating principles of the radiometers is fully described in the literature. The design of a typical radiometer is based on comparing the level of electromagnetic noise emitted by an unknown source to a reference or stable noise source. This technique and devices were initially proposed by Dicke [R. H. Dicke, "The Measurement of Thermal Radiation at Microwave Frequencies," The Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 17, No. 7, July 1946].
In a Dicke radiometer, the signals from an antenna are sampled and compared with signals from a reference source maintained at a known constant temperature. This overcomes some of the problems of amplifier instability, but in general does not alter effects resulting from imperfect components and thermal gradients.
While other types of radiometric devices have been used with some success, the Dicke (or comparison) type of radiometer has been the most widely used for the study of relatively low level noise-like MMW signals, especially where the noise signals to be examined are often small in comparison to the internally generated noise level within the radiometer receiver. While there are several types of comparison radiometers, one popular type of radiometer for use in the microwave/millimeter wave frequency bands compares an incoming signal to be measured with a standard or calibrated reference noise signal. This type of radiometer compares the amplitude of an unknown noise signal coming from the source to be examined with a known amplitude of a noise signal from a calibration source. This radiometer has been found useful in measuring with considerable accuracy the effective temperature of an unknown source.
In the Dicke or comparison type radiometer, the receiver input is switched between the antenna and a local reference signal noise generator. The detected and amplified receiver output is coupled to a phase-sensing detector operated in synchronism with the input switching. The output signal from such a radiometer receiver is proportionate to the difference between the temperature of the reference signal source and the temperature of the source viewed by the antenna inasmuch as the phase-sensing detector acts to subtract the background or internal noise of the receiver.
A Dicke radiometer uses an RF switch coupled between an antenna and a radiometer receiver, allowing the receiver to alternate between the antenna and a known reference load termination. The receiver output is connected to a synchronous detector that produces an output voltage proportional to a difference between the antenna and the reference temperature. Null balance operation for the Dicke radiometer has been achieved by coupling in noise from a hot noise diode to the antenna port of the RF switch, thereby enabling the matching of temperature from standard reference loads.
The sensitivity of radiometer measurements are also often limited by random gain fluctuations in the RF front end, low frequency noise (1/f), and bias in the detector circuits. Over the last decades many special techniques, including Dicke switching, have been implemented to reduce measurement errors. Many of these proposals have not yielded a solution that allows MMW radiometers to be commercially viable. In addition, the high cost of MMW RF receivers has limited the number of channels in the radiometer, resulting in a requirement to scan both azimuth and elevation to create an image.
Radiometers were traditionally used for space explorations and earth images. Recent advances in radiometer sensitivity are enabling the use of these devices in many applications, such as concealed weapon detection, passive imaging, medical diagnostics and many other applications. The cost of millimeter wave (MMW) radiometer sensors, however, is still relatively high due to manufacturing challenges. In most applications, the sensor is only made up of very few channels. Images are typically created by scanning an antenna sub reflector in one or two dimensions to create a multi-pixel image. Although this technique is widely used, the image frame rate is limited by the mechanical scan rate.
In addition to their high cost, current radiometers typically suffer from large size due to physical restrictions imposed by their feedhorns. The size of the feedhorn is dictated by the wavelength of the RF signal, which is an order of magnitude larger than that of infrared or optical signals.

Highly integrated radiometer sensor cell


An endotracheal tube introducer comprising a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end comprising a mouth of greater diameter than an endotracheal tube being inserted into it and an elongated portion connected to, and extending longitudinally away from, the mouth for insertion thereof past the epiglottis, between the vocal cords, into the trachea, the elongated portion comprising at least one guide and reinforcing portion extending longitudinally along the length of the elongated portion away from the proximal end and mouth, and relatively thin pliable side portions or wings extending laterally from the sides of the guide portion, one from each side and overlap one another at least proximate the distal end.

Devices have been provided in the past for assisting to introduce the endotracheal tube past the vocal cords into the trachea. One such device was a "stylette type" introducer. The stylette introducer was of small diameter such as a wire positioned to extend between the vocal cords into the trachea. The endotracheal tube was then placed on the guide wire and advanced over the stylette past the vocal cords. In use, however, it was not always possible to pass the endotracheal tube over the stylette as the endotracheal tube introducer would from time to time get caught on various structures in the pharynx including the opening of the larynx causing trauma to these structures. Additionally, the use of the stylette required the use of two hands to manipulate the endotracheal tube over the stylette when often only one hand was available as the other hand was holding the laryngoscope.
Another proposal provided for a pharyngeal introducer which did not pass between the vocal cords, but sat in the upper pharynx and generally directing the endotracheal tube "towards" the vocal cords and larynx blindly. In use the endotracheal tube was inserted into the pharyngeal introducer and passed inside the introducer whose curvature was designed to guide the endotracheal tube towards the larynx. In use, however, this type of device had a fairly low success rate even in the hands of the most skilled and did not prevent any trauma of the advancing endotracheal tube to the tissue along its way. Furthermore, it cannot be removed when used and thus, the patients mouth continued to be propped open in an exaggerated manner dictated by the diameter of such introducers generally of large diameter.
The endotracheal tube introducer in U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,234 constituted an improvement to the previous devices and referred to a number of devices the particulars of which are incorporated herein by reference. The device in U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,234 while an advance over the prior art, because of its construction still necessitated the use of substantial material at the distal end of the device to surround the endotracheal tube when advancing along the interior of the endotracheal tube introducer. Thus, even if the amount of material at the distal end is wrapped tightly, a substantial amount of material still exists which must be passed between the vocal cords and into the larynx. If such volume of material is packed very tightly, spreading or unwrapping of the material may be difficult as the endotracheal tube is advanced along the interior of the endotracheal tube introducer.
Furthermore, the device in U.S. Pat. No. 4,211,234 is not easily manufactured because of the use of two different types of material which have to be joined and then whose diameter must be minimized by complex wrapping and compression procedures.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved endotracheal tube introducer which minimizes the amount of material and thus, minimizes the amount of material and the diameter of the material at the distal end which must pass between the vocal cords.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a endotracheal tube introducer which is able to control the advancement of the endotracheal tube within the introducer, but employs a minimum amount of material to maintain such control.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide an endotracheal tube introducer of minimal distal cross-sectional area when packed or wrapped for use yet provides minimal resistance to unwrapping or spreading during the advancement of the endotracheal tube through the endotracheal tube introducer thereby resulting in better success rates for intubation.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide such device manufactured from one piece of material (in the preferred form) and which is more easily manufactured.
Further, and other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following Summary of the Invention, Drawings, and Detailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention shown in the drawing.


An engine brake for a supercharged internal combustion engine for driving a motor vehicle is operated such that the working gas compressed during engine braking, prior to the end of the expansion cycle, is drawn at least partially from the working chambers of the engine through at least one throttle valve, with an exhaust turbocharger of the engine having an exhaust turbine with variable turbine geometry. The engine braking power is regulated based upon the travel of the throttle valve and/or an intake cross section of the exhaust turbine as a function of the operating parameters of the internal combustion engine and the vehicle driving speed. Upon issuance of a signal indicating a braking performance requirement from the driver, the required braking power is applied at least preferably through the engine brake.

This application claims the priority of German application 196 37 999.7, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a method for operating an engine brake and to a device for implementing the method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an engine brake operation method for a supercharged internal combustion engine for driving a motor vehicle, in which working gas that is compressed during engine braking, is drawn off prior to the end of the expansion stroke at least partially from the working chambers of the engine through at least one throttle valve, with an exhaust turbocharger of the engine having an exhaust turbine with variable turbine geometry.
DE 39 35 367 A1 describes a method for operating an engine brake for a supercharged internal combustion engine for driving a motor vehicle. Working gas compressed in engine braking operation, prior to termination of the expansion stroke, is extracted at least partially from the working chambers of the internal combustion engine through a throttle valve, with an exhaust line being cut off from the atmosphere and with all of the working gas leaving the working chambers in all operating strokes being fed back in a closed circuit with correspondingly increased pressure to be drawn in once more. In addition, the exhaust turbocharger of the engine has a variable turbine geometry to achieve a boost pressure during engine braking operation that is as high as possible. Additional background subject matter can be found in DE 44 25 956 A1; U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,857; U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,657; and JP 1-60727 (A).
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for operating an engine brake and a device for implementing the method such that engine braking can be achieved with a wider range of application as well as a significant reduction in the wear on the mechanical wheel brakes.
This object has been achieved according to the present invention by a device and method which regulates engine brake power by a regulating device. The device regulates a travel of the throttle valve and/or an intake cross section of the exhaust turbine as a function of operating parameters of the internal combustion engine and of the speed of the vehicle, and the required engine braking power is applied at least preferably through the engine brake by way of the regulator device when there is a signal indicating a braking power requirement by the driver.
One advantage of the method and device according to the invention arises from a predetermined distribution within a certain range or bandwidth of the total braking power between the engine braking power and the mechanical wheel braking power as a result of the throttle valves (exhaust valves and/or decompression valves) regulated variably in terms of valve cross section as a function of the operating parameters of the engine at a corresponding engine rpm.
Another advantage of the present invention arises from a reduction of the influence of temperature on the exhaust system, with the driver employing a corresponding braking power demand to use the variable engine brake.
Still another advantage of the present invention is the ability to time the opening of the valves for the top dead center position of the compression cycle to achieve an increase in engine braking power.
In addition, by virtue of the variably adjustable throttle valve cross section, the volume of air in the engine cylinder which goes through the expansion stroke is determined. Because the ratio between the volume of air leaving the cylinder through the exhaust valves prior to the top dead center position at the end of the compression stroke and the volume of air that remains in the cylinder during the next expansion stroke determines the braking power level, the latter is co-determined by the variable throttle valve cross section directly.
As a result of the high boost obtained during engine braking operation, the charger rpm is at a high level so that, immediately after the braking process, a sufficiently large volume of air is available for firing the engine. Thus, a smoking problem does not occur during the acceleration phase even with the large volume injected.
The present invention achieves maximum engine braking performance by storing the values for the throttle valve travel and the values for the exhaust turbine intake cross section as a function of certain operating parameters of the engine such as rpm, turbine intake pressure, boost air pressure, and ambient temperature for example are stored in an electronic characteristic field. Thereby, these values can be read out from the characteristic field as a function of currently measured engine operating parameters to regulate the engine brake.
The method according to one embodiment of the present invention can be used with particular advantage because the driver during normal driving usually sets the braking power requirement by operating the brake pedal for the mechanical wheel brakes. At this point, the sensor which detects the braking power requirement can also evaluate an intensity (operating speed) for the operation of the mechanical wheel brake possibly in order to provide increased engine braking power immediately.
Another advantage of the present invention is an increase in safety because use of the hand brake during driving activates the maximum possible engine braking power possible with the current operating parameters of the engine. In addition, further redundancy for activating the engine brake can be achieved by using an emergency button.
In the event of deviations from the actual value from the set point that are too great, the present invention detects an error, and the driver is notified by a visual display and/or an acoustic signal that there is an error in the engine braking system and that the vehicle should visit a repair garage. The computer in the engine braking system logs this state. These data can only be deleted at the garage or supplemented by records of the repairs performed.
A considerable reduction in the wear on the mechanical wheel brakes is achieved by the present invention in that, largely independently of the frequency and intensity of the operation of the mechanical wheel brakes by the driver, the total braking power is provided for the most part by the engine brake.
Another advantageous aspect of the present invention protects the valves by minimizing exhaust temperature stress. In addition, by closing the throttle valve in phases, intermediate cooling of the exhaust system can be achieved with relatively high engine braking power. Moreover, the stress imposed by the exhaust temperature can be reduced further if the prevailing rpm conditions permit shifting down to a lower speed.

Turbocharged engine having engine compression braking control


A method for forming a gate dielectric for an integrated circuit device. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the method includes forming an initial oxynitride layer upon a substrate material, the oxynitride layer having an initial physical thickness. The initial oxynitride layer is then subjected to a plasma nitridation, the plasma nitridation resulting in final oxynitride layer having a final physical thickness.

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor processing and, more particularly, to improved techniques for fabricating gate dielectrics.
As integrated circuits have become smaller and more densely packed, so have the dielectric layers of devices such as field effect transistors and capacitors. With the arrival of ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integrated circuit) technology and gate dielectrics of less than 15 angstroms (Å) in thickness, the of the dielectric material is of in importance.
Nitrogen doping, particularly Remote Plasma Nitridation (RPN), is a known technique for increasing the dielectric constant (and hence the unit capacitance) of silicon oxide dielectrics. An increased dielectric constant, ε, helps in reducing the amount of leakage current experienced as compared to an undoped silicon dioxide layer having the same capacitance. However, there are several associated drawbacks with conventional methods of plasma nitridation used in conjunction with gate thicknesses around 15 Å or less. First, a relatively strong concentration of nitrogen (2.0×1015/cm2 or greater) introduced into an oxide layer by RPN causes additional growth of the layer. This may result in unacceptable gate dielectric thicknesses where it desired to maintain the physical thickness around 15–20 Å. In addition, the direct nitridation of a silicon oxide layer typically results in a non-uniform distribution of nitrogen atoms therewithin. As a result, the uneven growth of film at the interface during nitridation affects the overall uniformity of the film thickness.
Although additional unwanted growth of the gate dielectric maybe curtailed by decreasing the concentration of the nitrogen atoms introduced during the plasma nitridation process, this comes at the expense of a lower dielectric constant and, thus, a higher leakage current per unit capacitance. A need, therefore, exists for an improved process for plasma nitridation which results in a higher nitrogen concentration in the dielectric, but does not substantially increase the dielectric thickness or sacrifice the Uniformity of film thickness.

International Business Machines Corporation


A database methodology that concerns the mapping of any arbitrary object into a plurality of regions, enabling the assignment of multiple region-specific attributes thereto and facilitating the concurrent, graphical presentation of any assigned attributes. Attribute storage, manipulation, and presentation are driven by the individual regions and characteristics of the object.

Traditionally, patients suffering from pain (e.g., chronic pain) have been limited to verbal characterizations and/or simple hand-rendered drawings to identify such critical information as the location, the nature, and the severity of their pain. Of course, such characterizations can vary in as many ways as there are people to convey such information. Thus, consistent assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of like conditions have been historically problematic.
Unfortunately, the introduction of computers and other digital devices to this area has not lessened the burden on the patient. Moreover, the qualitative value of information from these devices has not substantively improved. Specifically, such computers and other digital devices function similarly to traditional pen and paper. The user, whether patient or physician, is presented an outline, for example, of the human body, and is then asked to draw, circle, or otherwise indicate the pain-afflicted bodily regions. To this end, reference is made to FIG. 1, which represents but one example of such a user-interface for these conventional systems.
It is acknowledged that known "electronic" systems offer some improved functionality. In particular, data entry from one patient to another is inherently harmonized, as the patients are constrained by a limited number of options in characterizing his/her pain. Moreover, data storage is improved, as the visual images can be readily transmitted as well as stored on long-term and/or transportable storage media.
However, in the context of these known systems, supplied data is typically accepted at a pixel-level basis. Because the resolution of the representations (FIG. 1) must typically be great, the size of each data input is significant. Accordingly, for any measurable number of patients, a considerable amount of storage space is required, thus adversely affecting a practitioner's ability to establish a statistically relevant database. Further yet, searches or comparisons of such data can be hindered by the significant quantity of data that can exist (and must be managed) for a given representation.
For purposes of spinal cord stimulation (SCS), or the controlled application of specific electrical energy to certain spinal nervous tissue to manage the transmission of specialized pain signals through such tissue, it is recognized that some conventional systems correlate pixel-level "pain" data to predetermined "dermatome" regions for purposes of presentation. For purposes of explanation, pain representations 102 drawn on a graphical image of a human figure (e.g., FIG. 1) are converted to correspond to specific dermatomes 102′ of FIG. 2.
Dermatomes are recognized exterior regions of the human body that are respectively associated with certain spinal nerve roots at particular longitudinal spinal positions. Particularly, the head and neck regions are associated with C2-C8; the back regions extends from C2-S3; the central diaphragm is associated with spinal nerve roots between C3 and C5; the upper extremities are correspond to C5 and T1; the thoracic wall extends from T1 to T11; the peripheral diaphragm is between T6 and T11; the abdominal wall is associated with T6-L1; lower extremities are located from L2 to S2; and the perineum from L4 to S4. By example, to address chronic pain sensations that commonly focus on the lower back and lower extremities, a specific energy field can usually be applied to a region between bony level T8 and T10. Correlating "free-form" pain representations 102 to specific dermatomes 102′ is intended to assist a practitioner in identifying a longitudinal, vertebral position (i.e., afflicted nervous tissue) that would likely benefit from an application of therapeutic treatment. As can be seen, however, such correlation is not always accurate. As is common practice, the dermatome-related data is neither stored nor otherwise manipulated in this form but rather is generated when needed.
Another negative characteristic of conventional systems is the limited amount (and quality) of pain-related information recorded and considered. In particular, indicating pain relative to a human representation (e.g., FIG. 1) simply provides relative location information. Any pain characteristics are limited to an intensity value, which is entered through a textual-based, numeric input mechanism 100.
Consequently, a need exists for a database system that enables an object, whether predisposed to regional division or not, to be mapped into a plurality of regions, each region being capable of capturing region-specific and/or object-specific data. With such system, users can consistently and reliably enter information attributable to any given region. Using regionally-consistent, similar objects, this system would enable data for any given object to be compared, universally modified, and/or otherwise manipulated among a plurality of sources.
A further need exists for a database system to graphically present, in a concurrent form, potentially multifarious attributes of any one region.

System for regional data association and presentation and method for the same


A high-side boosted gate drive circuit is disclosed. In a particular example, an output driver is described, comprising a switching device configured to selectively conduct current in response to a charge being present at a control terminal for a duty cycle, a charging device configured to deliver charge to the control terminal based on the first duty cycle, a charge control device configured to selectively couple the charging device to deliver charge to the control terminal and to selectively decouple the charging device from the control terminal to charge the charging device, and a discharge control device configured to remove charge from the control terminal.

Class D amplifiers are popular for signal amplification due to their high efficiency at full power, reduced need for heat sinking, and smaller quiescent currents. Traditional low-voltage (i.e., less than 5V) class D architectures use an n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) field-effect transistor (FET) on a low side and a p-channel MOS (PMOS) FET on a high side.
NMOS FETs are appealing to use on the high side of the class D amplifier due to their lower drain-source resistance (RDSon) and higher switching speeds, but they require the gate voltage to be higher than the supply voltage. Such a gate voltage is typically provided by bootstrap circuits, which are often used to provide the floating power supply for the high-side switch gate drive. However, bootstrapping in an integrated circuit (IC) often requires extra pins on the IC and components external to the integrated circuit, which raises complexity and cost. Bootstrapping may also be limited by the frequent charging time requirements that conflict with the gate drive operation, especially under varying duty cycle conditions. If the bootstrap capacitor is not adequately charged, the high-side gate drive may even be completely starved of energy and be, therefore, unable to turn on.