A microconduit network structure and methods for making the same. One aspect of the invention relates to a microconduit network structure, including: a solid or semi-solid matrix having at least one interconnected web of filaments formed within the matrix; and wherein at least one interconnected web of filaments having diameters of about 10 nm to about 1 mm.

From U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,057 "The term "electrospun fibers" is recognized by those having ordinary skill in the art and includes those fibers produced by the processes of U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,258 to Simm and U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,650 to Guignard. The processes provide methods to produce fibers from either a molten polymer or a polymer in a solution that is drawn within an electrostatic field obtaining fine fibers of 2 to 5 microns."
Electrospun fiber mats have been used in the manufacture of contact lenses (U.S. Pat. No. 7,563,396), as porous scaffold media for cell and tissue growth (U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,623; U.S. Pat. No. 7,235,295; U.S. Pat. No. 7,531,503), as sensors and biosensors with high surface area (U.S. Pat. No. 7,264,762; U.S. Pat. No. 7,485,591), as field emitting electrodes (U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,622), as porous and coating materials for implanted medical devices (U.S. Pat. No. 6,885,956; U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,166; U.S. Pat. No. 6,889,374; U.S. Pat. No. 7,115,220; U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,272; U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,416,559 and 7,413,575), as static dissipating media (U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,664), filters (U.S. Pat. No. 6,743,273; U.S. Pat. No. 6,858,057; U.S. Pat. No. 6,924,028; U.S. Pat. No. 7,008,465; U.S. Pat. No. 7,070,640; U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,712; U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,715; U.S. Pat. No. 7,179,317; U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,434; U.S. Pat. No. 7,220,271; U.S. Pat. No. 7,290,672; U.S. Pat. No. 7,270,693; U.S. Pat. No. 7,316,723; U.S. Pat. No. 7,318,852; U.S. Pat. No. 7,318,853), biodegradable absorbents (U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,765; U.S. Pat. No. 7,309,948), separators for batteries (U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,251), as electrodes for batteries and fuel cells (U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,944), as reinforcements (U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,333; U.S. Pat. No. 7,244,116), as membranes (U.S. Pat. No. 6,800,155; U.S. Pat. No. 7,109,136), and as catalyst beds (U.S. Pat. No. 6,916,758).
There are US Patents also involve polymer templating processes. U.S. Pat. No. 7,229,944 by Shao-Horn et al. describes how interconnected electrospun polymer fibers are used as a template for carbon fibers through graphitization processes, and how catalytic particles deposited into the nanofibers subsequently grow to desirable sizes. The patent does not describe the use of electrospun fibers as templates for a structure with low yet continuous porosity.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,482,287 by Khatri et al. describes a templating process in which a polymer nanofiber is coated with a sol-gel ceramic precursor. The polymer fiber is then removed and the result is a ceramic fiber of controlled diameter. The fibers so formed have no porosity, nor is interconnection a key feature of the polymer template. The resulting process could not be used to form microconduit networks due to the lack of interconnection and the apparent compacting of the void formed by removing the polymer.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,449,165 by Dai et al. describes a templating process for chromatographic columns in which structures having controlled micro- and meso-porosity are formed by templating particles. These pores are interconnected and the structure is mechanically robust; however, the porosity is not minimized while maintaining interconnection. Thus, the mechanical properties are not optimal. For chromatography applications, the required pore volume is usually not minimized, in order to reduce the overall size of the column.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,419,772 by Watkins et al. describes a templating process involving block copolymers. However, a fully interconnected structure would require a porosity in easily in excess of 20 vol % due to the features of ordered block copolymer geometry. U.S. Pat. No. 7,190,049 discloses a similar method for producing arrays of nanocylinders. These arrays do not involve extensive interconnection between individual cylinders. U.S. Pat. No. 7,189,435 describes a similar process in combination with lithographic techniques. The porosity in such a structure would not be homogeneously distributed. The resultant inhomogeneity would typically lead to inferior mechanical properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,345,002 by Schaper disclosed a method for replicating polymer microstructures. All such replication and transfer methods (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,849,558) involve surface topography only, and cannot be used to product a fully three-dimensional network of embedded pores. U.S. Pat. No. 7,186,355 by Swager describes compositions involving nanoscopic pathways. These pathways are not hollow and, though they can conduct ions or electrons, cannot transport nanoparticles, nor could they transport fluids rapidly.
There are patents involving photonic crystals and/or ordered nanopore arrays. These involve templating with close packed polymer structures (needed to create the regular array) and therefore involve a much higher level of porosity. U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,724 (in addition to numerous other patents and publications, for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,649,083) disclose methods for creating porous structures using colloids as templates. Colloidal templates usually produce non-interconnected pores unless the porosity is greatly in excess of 20 vol %. The sparse, interconnected, highly branched network templates formed by electrospun fibers are not stable geometries for known colloidal materials. The same distinctions apply with respect to numerous patents involving lyotropic liquid crystalline materials used during templating processes.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,176,874 discloses the use of solid free-form fabrication techniques such as Stereolithography (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), ballistic particle manufacturing (BPM), fusion deposition modeling (FDM), and three dimensional printing (3DP). to form vascular templates having a the characteristics of electrospun fiber templates. These techniques are limited in the spatial resolution of structures that may be produced in a practical time period, and would generally be unsuitable for continuous production of microconduit network structures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,895 describes a method of using a porous but mechanically strong template for the purpose of growing hone. The porosity is explicitly stated to be from 20% to 50% (by volume), the porosity is gradually replaced by living tissue, thereby aiding in the long-term retention of mechanical properties, and the strength and stiffness of the system are specified in terms of exceeding an absolute threshold, rather than being near optimal.
Despite the wide variety of patents cited above, there is no known patent or publicly available literature that describes any embodiment below, compatible with high-speed mass production, for fabricating a microconduit network structure, that is, a series of highly interconnected pores or channels in which the total volume fraction occupied by pores is on the order of 10% or less. The low porosity of the microconduit network structure combined with the small diameter of the pores provides for significant benefits in the mechanical properties of porous structures while permitting the rapid transport or circulation of fluids within the structure.
It is to be understood that the foregoing is exemplary and explanatory only and are not to be viewed as being restrictive of the invention, as claimed. Further advantages of this invention will be apparent after a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments, which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings and in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not to be viewed as being restrictive of the invention, as claimed. Further advantages of this invention will be apparent alter a review of the following detailed description of the disclosed embodiments, which are illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawings and in the appended claims.

Apparatus for manufacturing microconduit networks formed by electrospinning techniques

The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Navy


Described are apparatuses, systems, and methods for treating exhaust. The described apparatus and systems typically include a catalytic device for converting aqueous urea to ammonia. The catalytic device may include a pyrolysis catalyst and a hydrolysis catalyst for converting aqueous urea to ammonia. The catalytic device typically includes an upstream face that is positioned at an angle relative to exhaust flow when the device is positioned in a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system.

The field of the invention relates to exhaust aftertreatment devices for internal combustion engines. In particular, the field of the invention relates to selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems for internal combustion engine exhaust including those suitable for use in industrial processes and in mobile and stationary diesel, natural gas, and other engine applications.
Exhaust from internal combustions engines typically includes oxidized nitrogen gases such as nitrogen oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O), which collectively are referred to as "NOx." Because NOx can be an environmental hazard, systems have been developed to remove NOx from exhaust by selective catalytic reduction (SCR).
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxides (NOx) using a reducing agent is known in industrial processes as well as in stationary diesel engine applications. Ammonia is a commonly used reducing agent in SCR systems. NOx reacts with ammonia and is catalytically reduced by a SCR to nitrogen gas (N2) with water as a by-product. This reaction may be represented generally as follows:NOx+NH3→N2+H2OThis reaction may be catalyzed by catalysts referred to as "SCR catalysts."
Because ammonia is a hazardous substance, typically ammonia is not directly introduced into SCR systems. Rather, ammonia is generated in situ by introducing a less hazardous, ammonia-generating source into the SCR system. One common ammonia-generating source is aqueous urea. In the SCR system, aqueous urea is injected into the exhaust gas flow stream upstream of the SCR. Water in the droplets from the injection solution evaporate leaving urea, which decomposes in heat (i.e., pyrolyzes) to isocyanic acid and ammonia. In water, isocyanic acid then hydrolyzes to create ammonia and carbon dioxide. These reactions may be represented generally as follows:CO(NH2)2+heat→HNCO+NH3 HNCO+H2O→NH3+CO2 These reactions may be catalyzed by catalysts referred to as "pyrolysis catalysts" and "hydrolysis catalysts," respectively. The ammonia thus formed may react and reduce NOx in a SCR reaction.
The use of SCR catalysts for mobile applications is problematic. One obstacle is that mobile applications are relatively small in size. This makes it difficult to inject a urea solution into exhaust upstream of an SCR catalyst and decompose and hydrolyze the urea solution completely to ammonia prior to the exhaust arriving at the SCR catalyst (and achieve a high enough ratio of ammonia to NOx). At low diesel engine exhaust temperatures and high gas flow velocities (e.g., about 20 meters per second), a distance of several meters (i.e., a time of 0.1 to 0.3 seconds) between the injector and the SCR catalyst is required for the aqueous urea solution spray to vaporize, for urea to decompose and hydrolyze into ammonia and carbon dioxide, and for the ammonia to become practical uniformly distributed across the flow front before entering the catalyst. Although various solutions to this problem have been suggested, (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,928,807; 6,361,754; and 6,203,770; and U.S. published application No. 2006/0115402), these solutions involve generating ammonia outside of the SCR system and introducing the ammonia directly into the exhaust stream. In these systems, if the SCR catalyst is not pre-heated prior to introduction of this ammonia, the ammonia will pass through the SCR catalyst and foul the air. Therefore, there is a need for improved SCR systems that are suitable for mobile applications.

Catalytic devices for converting urea to ammonia


According to one embodiment, a method for processing one or more X-ray images includes: receiving at least one image of the one or more X-ray images, the one or more X-ray images being of an assembly extending along a plane; based on the at least one image, autonomously determining a respective displacement value for each of portions of the assembly with respect to one or more directions of the plane, each of the displacement values being determined relative to a respective actual value; storing the displacement values; and applying a rule to the stored displacement values, the rule being for determining a defect status of the assembly.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to image inspection systems and methods, and more particularly to an X-ray inspection system using tomosynthesis imaging techniques.
An image system may be used to inspect assemblies such as printed circuit boards (PCBs). PCBs may have connectors such as ball grid arrays (BGA) or column grid arrays (CGA). Examples of such connectors include the NeXLev® high-density parallel board connectors commercially available from Amphenol Corp. of Wallingford, Conn. These connectors are increasingly being used in PCB applications because they allow electronic design engineers to relocate high pin count devices onto a mezzanine or module card to simplify board routing without compromising system performance. Currently, there are about fourteen different types of high-density parallel board (i.e., NeXLev®-like) connectors in the PCB industry.
A PCB on which a BGA is present may be inspected for defects. Pins on a BGA may be deemed defective when solder does not reflow properly (or correctly) during manufacturing and/or where the solder reflow process is similarly deficient or otherwise insufficient. As a result, defects such as bridges and ball-and-socket-type opens may be present. The presence of such defects at or on any one pin will generally result in the failure of an entire connector on a multi-connector board.
The inspection of high-density parallel board connectors, such as the NeXLev® connectors, may involve several difficulties. At least some of these difficulties are related to: the impacts of the reflow process on the connectors; obscuration and associated artifacts produced by the connector blade; often subtle differences between non-defective (or acceptable) and defective (or unacceptable) solder balls; and the staggered positioning of solder balls in some BGAs.

X-ray inspection of solder reflow in high-density printed circuit board applications


Disclosed is a distributed battery management system of managing a plurality of battery modules, including: slave controllers have a daisy chain structure in which the slave controllers are connected from a bottom-level slave controller up to a top-level slave controller in series, sequentially transfer control information received from the outside from the top-level slave controller up to the bottom-level slave controller, sense information on the battery modules in response to the transferred control information, sequentially transfer the sensed sensing information from the bottom-level slave controller up to the top-level slave controller, and transmit the sensing information transferred to the top-level slave controller to the outside; and a master controller which transmits the control information to the top-level slave controller among the slave controllers and manages the battery modules by using the sensing information received from the top-level slave controller.

A distributed battery management system means a system of monitoring voltages and temperatures of a plurality of battery modules and performing a control function of the battery modules such as cell balancing.
The distributed battery management system may be divided into a master controller, a block controller, and a slave controller. The slave controller monitors information such as a cell voltage and a temperature for each battery module to transfer the monitored information to the block controller, and the block controller transfers data for the battery module which is transferred from the slave controllers corresponding to a block of the block controller to the master controller.
The master controller receives and processes the information of the respective battery modules transferred through the block controller and controls the respective slave controllers through the block controller.
The distributed battery management system senses the battery voltage and temperature for each battery module in the slave controller through the distributed structure of a master and slaves.
That is, in a distributed battery management system in the related art, a separate slave controller is required for each battery module, and a block controller managing the slave controllers for each block is required.
However, in the case of the distributed battery management system in the related art, there are problems in that a microcontroller in which data communication and memory functions are implemented is required for each slave controller, and manufacturing costs increase by using the block controller for transferring only information between the slave controller and the master controller.
Meanwhile, the slave controllers may be connected to each other by wire harnesses. However, when the slave controllers are connected to each other by the wire harnesses, there is a problem in that it is vulnerable to noise generated inside or outside. Particularly, in the case of hybrid vehicles or electric vehicles, the generation of noise may cause a problem. In the case of the hybrid vehicles or the electric vehicles, a motor or an inverter is required, and communication problems may be caused between the slave controllers by the noise generated in the motor or the inverter.
Particularly, when managing a high-voltage battery module, a distributed battery management system and a method for a distributed battery management which have high noise robustness for prevention of accidents are required.

Distributed battery management system and method for distributed battery management


The disclosed embodiments generally relate to non-destructive evaluation methods. In an embodiment, a method for non-destructive evaluation of a aerospace component includes positioning a first plurality of sensors in the region of interest, positioning a second plurality of sensors in the region of interest, inducing a vibration in the region of interest using the first plurality of sensors and receiving a resonance frequency spectra using the second plurality of sensors, and comparing the received resonance frequency spectra against a reference spectra to determine the presence of an anomaly in the region of interest.

Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) methods refer to a class of methods that can be used to inspect objects for defects. NDE methods are often used to inspect materials for defects, such as structural anomalies, inclusions, cracks, etc. However, many conventional NDE methods often provide incomplete or otherwise inadequate inspections. This is especially true in aerospace components, where manufacturing integrity and lifecycle monitoring are critical to the safe and effective operation of such components.
It would therefore be desirable to provide NDE methods for use with aerospace components that may be used to monitor manufacturing processes and to monitor the components during their lifecycle. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

Non-destructive evaluation methods for aerospace components


A device for monitoring around a vehicle capable of detecting objects present around the vehicle based on an image captured by at least one infrared camera member provided with the vehicle. The device includes a binary object extraction unit which subjects a gray scale image of the image captured by the infrared camera member to a binary thresholding method, and extracts a binary object from the gray scale image; a gray scale object extraction unit which extracts a gray scale object, a range of the gray scale object including the binary object, from the gray scale image based on change in luminance of the gray scale image, and a pedestrian determination unit which sets a search area in an area including the gray scale object, and recognizes a pedestrian in the gray scale image based on a luminance variance in the search area.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for monitoring around a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device for monitoring around a vehicle in which target extraction is carried out by subjecting an image captured by an infrared camera device to a binary thresholding method.
2. Description of Related Art
Devices for monitoring around a vehicle have been proposed in which objects that may collide with the vehicle, such as pedestrians, are extracted from a picture around the vehicle captured by an infrared camera, and such information is supplied to a driver of the vehicle. In these devices, the probability that the vehicle will hit an object, such as a pedestrian, is calculated based on the relative distance between the vehicle and the object, and the relative speed of the vehicle.
An example of such devices for monitoring around a vehicle which extracts an object, which may collide with the vehicle, from an image around the vehicle captured by an infrared camera is as follows. That is, in the device, the captured infrared image is subjected to a binary (2-level) thresholding process, and an area to which bright (white) portions are concentrated is searched for. Then, it is determined whether the area is a head portion of a pedestrian by using the aspect ratio (ratio of length to width) and the sufficiency rate of the area, and further calculating the distance between the vehicle and the area using the actual surface area and the position of the center of gravity in the image. If the area of the head portion of a pedestrian is determined, an area which forms the body of the pedestrian is determined by calculating the height of the pedestrian in the image based on the distance between the area determined to be the head portion and the camera, and an average height of an adult. These areas are displayed to be distinguished from the other regions of the image. In this manner, the position of the entire body of the pedestrian in the infrared image is determined, and this information is displayed for the driver so as to effectively assist the vision of the driver (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. Hei 11-328364, for example).
However, using the thresholding method, only the head portion, a part of the head portion, or the entire or only an upper half or a lower half of the body, of a pedestrian may be extracted from an infrared image, depending on the effects of a hat or clothing the pedestrian is wearing, or of the environment surrounding the pedestrian, and thus the shape of the pedestrian obtained by the binary thresholding method becomes ambiguous. Also, when a vehicle is running, due to the influence in change in the shape of a road ahead, or the pitting of the vehicle, the height of a pedestrian, from a child to an adult, is generally detected to be different from his/her real height.
Accordingly, since the barycentric coordinates of targeted objects, such as pedestrians, in the picture cannot be fixed with respect to the distance, there is a possibility that the pedestrians cannot be stably extracted if the extraction is carried out based only on the shape of the pedestrians as in the above-mentioned conventional device.
Also, there are other types of conventional devices in which portions of high temperature in a picture around the vehicle captured by a pair of right and left stereo-cameras are recognized as objects, and the distance between the vehicle and the objects is calculated by obtaining the parallax of the objects so that targeting objects which may interfere with the running course of the vehicle can be detected based on a moving direction and a position of the objects, and an alarm can be output (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application, First Publication No. 2001-6096, for example).
As mentioned above, if the extraction is carried out based only on the shape of the object as in the above-mentioned conventional device using the thresholding method, the shape of the targeting object becomes ambiguous due to the influence of a hat or clothing the targeting object (i.e., pedestrians, etc.) is wearing, and the environment surrounding the pedestrian. Also, when a vehicle is running, the height of a pedestrian is generally detected to be different from his/her real height due to the influence of change in the shape of a road ahead, or the pitting of the vehicle, and the barycentric coordinates of the target in the picture cannot be fixed with respect to the distance. Accordingly, it is difficult to stably carry out the extraction of only pedestrians.
For the reasons explained above, methods have been proposed in which only objects that are likely to be pedestrians are extracted by calculating the size of the objects in real space based on a gray scale image, and determining the positional relationship of the objects, images of which have been subjected to the thresholding method, or in which structures on the road and vehicles are extracted from objects subjected to the thresholding method, and they are recognized as objects other than pedestrians so as to be removed from the objects for which an alarm is necessary. However, using the above methods, when a vehicle is running in the rain, for instance, since objects are affected by the rain and the amount of infrared rays is changed, there is a problem that extraction of pedestrians cannot be stably carried out.
That is, in a typical environment, since the temperature of heat-retaining objects, which do not generate heat by themselves but retain heat which was externally applied, such as signboards, walls, and telegraph poles, decreases due to rain, it becomes difficult to detect them using an infrared camera (i.e., they tend not to appear in an infrared picture). Also, although heat generating objects which generate heat by themselves, such as vending machines, can be detected using an infrared camera, portions that emit infrared rays and can be detected are significantly decreased in the rain, and there is a tendency for an accurate determination of the shape thereof to become difficult.
Also, as for a pedestrian, although portions that are exposed to the outside (e.g., head) may be detected, portions of the pedestrian that are covered by the clothing may not be detected using an infrared camera depending on the degree to which the clothing is wet. That is, the situation around a vehicle differs even at the same point of a place depending on the weather, and the shape of all objects in a gray scale image detected by an infrared camera varies. Accordingly, there is a danger in the conventional methods that the extraction of only pedestrians from the image cannot be stably performed.
Moreover, when it is raining, the shape of objects in the image tends to become ambiguous since rain drops attach to the surface of the lens of a camera, and this makes the determination of the shape of the objects even more difficult.


A fiber optic illumination system with the output spectrum of the arc lamp modified using filters to reduce the magnitude of the spikes in the spectrum such that the resulting output has the desired chromaticity and color rendering index of white light.

The present invention relates to a fiber optic illumination system generally used during medical procedures.
During surgery, illumination is provided to clarify the doctor""s view. It is important for the illumination to have a sufficient light energy at the correct color temperature and color rendering index value. The illumination is typically provided by a lamp situated inside the illuminator with light directed to the surgical site by the use of a fiber bundle.
Halogen lamps have been used in the past for such illuminator systems. They are low cost, but the amount of light is usually less than desired and the color temperature is usually low. Higher end systems using xenon arc lamp provide a more desirable color temperature, which is almost the same as sunlight, and sufficient amount of light. The drawback is that these systems tend to be expensive due to the low intrinsic efficiency of the lamp and the required complex and expensive ballast. Metal halide and mercury lamps are also used for such purposes due to the higher efficiency of the lamps compared to xenon lamps, about 2 to 3 times more efficient, and as a result, provide a lower cost illuminator.
Due to the use of the metal halide and/or mercury inside discharge bulb, the output spectrum contains sharp spectral spikes, which correspond to the characteristics of the materials used. The effect of these spikes changes the characteristics of the output in terms of the color temperature, chromaticity and color rendering index. While filters have been used in metal halide lamp systems to correct the color temperature of the output, the chromaticity and color rendering index are largely neglected.
Accordingly, it is the goal of the present invention to provide an illumination system that includes a color correction system such that the output of the lamps with spikes in their spectra, such as metal halide lamps and mercury lamps, be corrected to provide light output with the desired color temperature, chromaticity, and color rendering index [xe2x80x9cCRIxe2x80x9d] at low cost.
To achieve this goal, the present invention provides a fiber optic illuminator for use at a surgical area to provide sufficient light energy having the desired characteristics of white light in terms of color temperature, chromaticity, and CRI such that the critical features at the surgical site can be clearly viewed. The illuminator comprises a high efficiency arc lamp usually with spikes in the output spectrum and condensing and collecting systems for focusing the light emitted from the arc lamp onto an output bundle of output fibers. In between the arc lamp and the output fiber optic is an optical filtering system such that the output of the arc lamp will be modified to produce an output at the fiber optic with the desired characteristics.

Color correction for fiber optic illumination systems


A method of minimizing contamination of optical components of a laser resonator is disclosed. The resonator components are located in an enclosure, which may contain contaminants including water vapor and organic favor released by the optical components, mounts of the optical components, or the enclosure itself. The enclosure may also contain suspended particulate matter. In order to reduce the level of these contaminants, a purging system extracts gas from the enclosure and passes the gas through a desiccant, an organic vapor trapping material, and a particulate matter filter then returns the extracted gas to the enclosure. The purging system is particularly useful for ultrafast lasers and ultraviolet lasers where the power of the laser radiation increases the probability of destabilizing reactions between laser radiation and contaminants.

Ultrafast lasers are generally regarded as being lasers that deliver output radiation in pulses having a duration of a few hundred femtoseconds or less. One common ultrafast laser is a Ti:sapphire laser, which can be arranged to deliver output radiation at wavelengths between about 700 nanometers (nm) and about 1000 nm. The pulses delivered often have a relatively low energy, for example, tens of millijoules (mJ) to as little as tens of nanojoules (nJ). The short pulse-duration can cause the pulses to have a very high peak power, for example, on the order of gigawatts per square centimeter (GW/cm2) in certain locations in a resonator.
The very high peak powers delivered by such lasers can rapidly cause damage to optical components of the lasers, absent measures to inhibit such damage. Laser damage to optical components may be exacerbated by defects on or in optical surfaces of the components. Accordingly, it is not unusual that at least some portion of the optical components of an ultrafast laser are generated by so-called super-polishing techniques which yield surfaces having a surface smoothness of atomic dimensions, for example, about 4 Ångstrom Units (Å) root-mean-square (RMS) or less. Optical coatings for such super-polished components, reflective coatings in particular, are often deposited by ion-beam sputtering (IBS). IBS is a coating deposition method that can provide coatings having a high degree of chemical perfection and very low defect content. This minimizes absorption and scattering of radiation by the coatings. However, a super-polished, IBS-coated optical component can be as much as about five or more times more expensive than a similar component polished and coated by more conventional methods. Such additional expense can be wasted if the components are later contaminated by particulate matter, condensates, vapors, or the like.
It is not unusual in commercial laser manufacture to assemble lasers in clean-room conditions to minimize particulate deposition on optical components of the lasers. In such a case, it would be usual to place at least the optical resonator of the laser in an enclosure sufficiently sealed to minimize at least ingress of particulate contaminants, and preferably also, ingress of contaminants in gaseous or vapor form. Such an enclosure may be purged, before sealing, with filtered dry nitrogen, dry air or the like.
By implementing one or more above-discussed measures during manufacturing and assembly, an ultrafast laser may be operated for a total as long as several thousand before the performance of the laser becomes significantly diminished by laser damage to one or more optical components thereof. It is believed, however, even if an enclosure could be perfectly hermetically-sealed, damage to optical components may result from contamination of optical components by outgassing products of the optical components, adhesives and the enclosure itself. Outgassing products can be generated while the laser is operating and also while the laser is not operating.
It is believed that the most problematical of the outgassing products are organic vapors, which can be released from material such as adhesives, elastomer seals, and any plastic materials used in the construction of the enclosure. Water vapor may also be released from components of the enclosure or optics therein. The water vapor and the organic vapors can condense directly on surfaces of the optical components. The water vapor and organic vapors together or in combination can react with laser radiation while the laser is operating. Products of the reactions can also condense or be deposited on the optical surfaces. These reaction products may include particulate matter such as carbon particles or soot. Most of these reaction products, if condensed or deposited on the optical surfaces can increase the vulnerability of the optical surfaces to damage by the laser radiation. Even if reaction products were only present within the atmosphere of the enclosure this could still result in unstable operation of the laser.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A mullion framework provides an improved configuration for mounting solid and glass panels, which is effective in mounting panels abutting fixed sills and headers. An improved universal bracket is also provided which allows for panel expansion or contractions due to thermal cycling. The brackets allow for an improved assembly method for installing solid panels underneath headers.

In commercial building constructions, such as office buildings, high rise apartment buildings, hotels, and the like, solid panel members are typically used in conjunction with glass panel units in a curtainwall environment. However, as these planar shaped panels tend to expand and contract due to thermal cycling, needs always exist to accommodate such size variation while maintaining sufficient weatherproofing between the panels. Needs also exist for panels which may be installed easily and reliably by even the least skilled.


A fuel cell power plant comprises plural fuel cell stacks (10A–10B) capable of generating power independently, and a warm-up circuit (33) which can independently warm up the fuel cell stacks (10A–10C). A controller (14) estimates a required output power of the power plant within a predetermined time from when the vehicle starts running (S121–S127), and determines the number of fuel cell stacks satisfying the required output power (S106). The controller (14) economizes energy required for warm-up of the fuel cell stacks while providing the required output power by warming up only the determined number of fuel cell stacks before the vehicle starts running.

Tokkai 2000-173638 published by the Japanese Patent Office in 2000 discloses a warm-up device for increasing warm-up efficiency when a vehicle fuel cell power plant is started. In this prior art technology, the target power plant has two fuel cell stacks. According to this technique, heated water is first circulated only to one of the fuel cell stacks when the power plant is started. After warm-up of this fuel cell stack is completed, heated water is circulated to the other fuel cell stack.
The driving force required by the vehicle changes with the running conditions or loading conditions. In a fuel cell power plant for vehicles provided with two or more fuel cell stacks, it is preferred from energy efficiency considerations to operate only some fuel cell stacks when the drive force required by the vehicle is small, and to operate all fuel cell stacks when the driving force required by the vehicle increases.

Vehicle fuel cell power plant warm-up control


An axial and rotational alignment system including a casing string having an axial orientation feature and a rotational orientation feature; and a tubing string having an axial and rotational orientation assembly thereon, the assembly including a rotational alignment subassembly having a selectively actuable member that is selectively engagable with the rotational orientation feature.

In the resource recovery industry it is often the case that communication between something on a tubing string, for example, and a casing string, for example. This might be ports for fluid, signals such as electromagnetic (EM) or acoustic signals, etc. Often, operators will use known locations downhole and space out subs to get relevant structures axially aligned. While these help, greater granularity with alignment would be welcomed in the art.

Axial and rotational alignment system and method


The present invention provides bis(hydroxyalkyl)mercaptosuccinates of the formula:

Mercapto functional groups are useful in polymer cross-linking. They can be readily crosslinked using an oxidizing agent or via a free radical reaction to form a disulfide linkage. The disulfide linkage can be reversibly cleaved, for example, by using a reducing agent. Such a reversible crosslinking property has been used to synthesize a wide variety of bioresorbable polymers including hydrogels.
In this regard, mercapto succinic acid and its derivative should offer an attractive way to prepare a wide variety of polymers with sulfur pendant groups for further crosslinking, for example, in bioresorbable and hydrogel materials. They also may find use in applications such as "permanent" type hair treatments or as metal scavengers (say in resolving cadmium or other heavy metal poisoning or in removing cadmium or other heavy metal pollutants from a waste stream or other source).
Accordingly, there is a need for mercapto succinic acids and derivatives that are useful in polymerization.

Abstract: and derivatives thereof, where X1, X2, Z1, Z2, Y1, Y2, Ra, Rb, R1, and R2 are those defined herein. The present invention also provides methods for producing and using the same.


In a curtain assembly with a bracket, a guide apparatus includes a guide with a surface alignment tab and a bracket connector, for removable connection with a bracket, connected with the surface alignment tab. A first exit guide and a second exit guide locate a curtain within an opening front to back while the guide locates the curtain assembly within an opening side to side and front to back.

Accomplishing the task of installing a bracket for a curtain assembly such that the bracket is positioned so as to hold the curtain assembly precisely within an opening is fraught with difficulties. As any person who has attempted this task can tell you, multiple alignment issues present themselves. As used herein, the term "curtain assembly" is used broadly to describe an opening (such as a window for example only and not by limitation) cover system including a shade or curtain movably contained within a holding unit. The shade is wound and unwound on a shade roll within the unit, all as is known in the art. The curtain assembly itself includes a bracket that is typically a separate unit. The bracket is the critical element in the proper installation of a curtain assembly. Inaccurate location of the bracket results in the inaccurate location of the curtain assembly and misplacement of the shade within the opening.
With regard to the deployment of the curtain within the opening, it is a common problem of adjusting the location of the bracket such that the curtain is located a desired distance away from the glass in the opening, for example only. Thus it can be seen that side to side location is important but so also is front to back location.
Currently, there is no easy to use repeatable way to precisely locate a window covering curtain assembly. Unless you are a professional installer, this is a daunting task and the results are often disappointing and costly. Disappointing because the assembly may look right with the curtain up but any slight misalignment is revealed with the shade down. Costly because multiple attempts to locate and correct the location of the assembly causes damage to the opening often requiring professional help to repair.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a device and method for locating a curtain assembly in an opening that is easy to use, inexpensive compared to the cost of repairs and which does not add much to the overall cost of a curtain assembly, that is repeatable and which allows a user to adjust the location of a deployed curtain in multiple directions.
It, therefore, is an object of this invention to provide a guide apparatus and method that ensures accurate, repeatable, and reliable location of a curtain assembly within an opening both side to side and front to back. It is a further object of the invention that the system is easy to use, essentially "fool proof", and that does not add any significant cost to the basic cost of the curtain assembly.


In one embodiment, a method of informing a mainframe that a filesystem storing a plurality of virtual tapes is filled relative to a particular threshold includes returning, responsive to a write request to a virtual tape in the filesystem, a message indicating that the filesystem is filled relative to the particular threshold. The method can also include monitoring a plurality of filesystems for free space remaining on each of the plurality of filesystems. The method can additionally include indicating, in a data structure stored in a memory, a particular filesystem that is filled above the particular threshold. The data structure can be at least one of a table and a list. The method can further include mounting, responsive to a request to mount a particular virtual tape that is on a filesystem indicated in the data structure as being above the particular threshold, the particular virtual tape as read-only.

Systems that employ physical tape drives include a mechanism to notify a host that the physical tape drive is approaching full storage capacity. In such systems, the mechanism to determine that the physical tape drive is approaching its full storage capacity is by a reflector on the tape at a set location near the end of the tape. The system can then detect reflected light from the reflector when the tape reaches the set location and return a signal to the host that the tape is almost out of storage capacity.

Signaling impending out of storage condition from a virtual tape drive


A method establishes a transport layer connection between a first system and a second system. The establishment of the transport layer connection includes identifying a remote direct memory access (RDMA) connection between the first system and the second system. After establishing to transport layer connection, the first and second systems exchange data using the RDMA connection identified in establishing the transport layer connection.

The present invention relates generally to the field of data communication and networking, and more particularly to methods that use Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) to setup high speed out of band data communication connections.
InfiniBand™ and Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) are existing, known, technologies for high speed connectivity between hosts and servers. These technologies are implemented in a networking environment with additional hardware and corresponding software, including drivers and application programming interfaces. This means that using these high-speed technologies requires server programs, applications, and clients to code to specific APIs to exploit them. For example, instead of sockets, User Direct Access Programming Library (UDAPL) would be used to communicate using InfiniBand™.
There is a large existing base of servers, applications, and clients that are coded to the TCP/IP sockets interface for communication. For these programs to exploit high speed interconnects in the current art, significant rewriting of their communications methods would be required. This is a major undertaking and may not even be practical in some cases (for example legacy applications whose source code or coding skill is lost).
The current state of the art for this problem is Sockets Direct Protocol (SDP), which bypasses TCP/IP and provides an alternative protocol stack "underneath" the sockets layer. This allows applications which are coded to the widely adopted Sockets standard to run unmodified, and the SDP stack under the sockets layer handles all the communication. However there also exists a large legacy installed base of firewalls, load balancers, and other technologies that businesses rely on to manage and secure their networks. These technologies rely on the ability to manage TCP/IP setup flows to perform their function. Because SDP dispenses with these flows, these network elements would have to be reinvented for SDP. Additionally, many TCP/IP stacks are mature products with built-in security, quality of service, tracing, auditing, etc. capabilities that would have to be reinvented for SDP.
Because of these limitations, SDP is generally seen as suitable for tightly coupled high performance networking, not for multi-tier business environments with complicated security and quality of service requirements.

Using transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP) to setup high speed out of band data communication connections

International Business Machines Corporation


The application relates to a bilateral hearing assistance system comprising first and second hearing assistance devices a processing unit, which in a NORMAL mode of operation processes an input audio signal based on configurable processing parameters and provides a processed electric stimulation signal. The system further includes one or more stimulation units for—in a TEST mode delivers first and second electric TEST stimulation signals to output units of said first and second devices respectively. The application further relates to a method of fitting a bilateral hearing assistance system to a particular user. The disclosure provides a measure allowing an improved fitting of bilaterally implanted Cochlear Implant users. The system further includes an evaluation unit configured to analyze the recorded physiological response of the user and to provide an objective measure of the user's perception of said TEST stimulation signals.

Patients with impaired hearing may be offered the implantation of a stimulating multi-channel electrode array into each cochlea (bilateral implantation), or the combination of a single cochlear implant with a hearing aid in the opposite ear (bimodal system). In both cases, through binaural stimulation the patient may experience both improved speech perception and source localization (relative to unilateral stimulation/hearing). Recent research suggests that patients using bilateral or bimodal systems will receive maximum benefit to binaural hearing if incoming sounds stimulate similar locations along the cochlea in both ears. In the case of bilateral implantation, this means that a sound should stimulate a well matched pair of electrodes (i.e., the responding electrodes in the left and right ear should each stimulate comparable cochlea regions). Research from normal hearing listeners, or electrical stimulation in animal models, suggests that auditory evoked potentials could be used to measure binaural processing. In general terms, three different types of binaural responses have been measured:    1. Binaural interaction component: (cf. e.g. [Dobie & Norton, 1980], [Riedel & Kollmeier, 2006], [Smith and Delgutte, 2008], [He, Brown, & Abbas, 2012], or [Fowler & Horn, 2012]).    2. Auditory steady-state response (cf. e.g. [Maki, Kawase, & Kobayashi, 2009] or [Ishida & Stapells, 2009]).    3. Late evoked potentials (cf. e.g. [Dajani & Picton, 2006], [Massoud et al., 2011], [Ross, Tremblay & Picton, 2007], or [Ross, 2008]).
US2006100672A1 deals with systems and methods for matching pitch information between bilateral cochlear implants in order to maximize a patient's listening experience. The system permits an electrode array of a first cochlear implant to be pitch matched to an electrode array of a second cochlear implant system by utilizing virtual electrodes, which enable cochlear stimulation at a location in between physical electrodes on the electrode array. At least one electrode of the first electrode array is mapped to a virtual electrode of the second electrode array.
US20090254149A1 describes an objective measurement of cochlear implant operation which coordinates the delivery to a patient of an acoustic signal and an electrical signal. The acoustic signal is developed as an acoustic stimulation input to the ear canal of a patient, and the electrical signal is developed as an electrical stimulation input to intracochlear electrodes of a cochlear implant. The evoked response in the patient to the delivered signals is then measured.
In the present context, a bilateral hearing assistance system is intended to comprise a hearing assistance device-pair (first and second hearing assistance devices) adapted for being worn at or in, or partially or fully implanted in the head at, left and right ears of a user, respectively. The hearing assistance device-pair may be lacking the capability of exchanging data between them. Alternatively, the hearing assistance device-pair may be adapted to be able to exchange data between them, 'data' being audio signals, control signals (such as the frequency allocation map), and/or other parameters (such as the relative timing between signal in each ears).

Bilateral hearing assistance system and a method of fitting a bilateral hearing assistance system


A medical device for resecting tissue. The medical device includes a catheter shaft having a proximal portion and two or more distal branch portions. The distal branch portions are moveable between a closed position, and an open position. One or more lumens extend between the proximal portion and through each distal branch portion. An actuation element extends through the lumen of each distal branch portion. A snare loop is connected to each actuation element.

Tissue resection procedures, such as colonoscopy and polypectomy, are carried out by inserting introduction sheaths, such as endoscopes or laparoscopes, into the body of a patient through incisions or natural anatomical openings (e.g., oral, vaginal, and/or anal cavities). Commonly, such devices employ snares, typically designed as loops, for performing tissue resection procedures. However, snares have a tendency to slip off targeted tissue, often requiring repeated efforts to capture the tissue before the resection procedures can be successfully performed. In addition, a typical snare has low stiffness and requires a shallow angle of approach. These properties may reduce operability of the snare during the resection procedure.
Various methods have been developed to improve the functioning of snares. For example, one common approach is to apply a downward force on the snare to improve traction between the snare and the unwanted tissue. This downward force is usually limited due to a lack of stiffness in the snare, which may cause the distal end of the snare to deflect away from the tissue. In order to control this deflection, the downward force may continue to be applied or it may be increased until the tissue is snared. Continued or increased applied force increases the risk of accidentally damaging surrounding tissues, as well as increases the time required to complete a procedure. Further, it may be sometimes difficult to apply the necessary downward forces due to geometric and physical limitations such as shallow angle of approach required by the snare.
Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved snare with better engagement capabilities, thereby allowing consistent capture, excision, and/or removal of unwanted tissue.

Resection device with support mechanism and related methods of use


The proposed approach includes a method and system for managing integrated circuit (IC) design information for multiple data stores. Each data store is split into sections, allowing larger data sets to be compared. Keys are assigned to objects in each data set, in order to determine if objects are added, deleted, or modified between multiple data stores, and also to determine object differences. The user may compare and merge differences between the data stores, using either a graphical or text-based approach. The proposed approach is highly efficient and accurate for large databases. The proposed approach allows the user to easily visualize differences in complex databases and to merge in desired changes easily.

As any data is developed over time, multiple versions of the data are generated (as data files, databases, or data stores), potentially by multiple people, working on separate copies. At various times it is desirable to compare the different versions of the data, and potentially to "merge" the changes made by different edits to each of the versions of the data.
For data in the form of one or more "text" files, such as simple documents, many tools have been developed using various algorithms to identify what changes are made and to provide interfaces to combine the changes. All of these algorithms generally operate by identifying file "regions" that are identical or different. These "regions" generally take the form of one or more lines of the file. Once the differences are identified, merging usually involves simply adding and/or removing lines from the "result" file to better match the source file(s).
In an Integrated Circuit (IC) design environment, the IC data does not generally take the form of simple "text" files, but is instead in the form of "databases," such as one or more binary files, data stores, data libraries, or other types of IC data. The IC data may include (very) large numbers of "objects" of various types with various different "properties." By its nature, as opposed to "text" files, an IC design is often three-dimensional, having multiple layers (for example, metal1, metal2, and metal3), which further increases the number of "objects" that need to be stored. The user generally interacts with such IC data through using graphical design tools. Therefore, an approach is needed for managing such complex data for ICs that goes beyond the standard text file data management.

Comparison and merging of IC design data


Systems and methods for sorting media assets are provided. Playback information for each of a plurality of media assets is received, the playback information representing a percentage of a length of the corresponding media asset that each of a plurality of users previously viewed. Representations of the plurality of media assets are generated. The representations of the plurality of media assets are sorted based on the percentage of the length of the corresponding media asset that each of a plurality of users previously viewed. The sorted representations of the plurality of media assets are generated for display to a first user.

Conventional media systems allow users to access a plethora of media content. Moreover, the expanded storage capabilities offered by DVRs, computer hard drives, and cloud-based systems allow users to store seemingly unlimited amounts of content. Often the amount of content received by a user, and subsequently stored, may become overwhelming. Particularly, the user may not have the time or enthusiasm to review each received media asset to determine whether or not to watch the media asset.

Systems and methods for sorting media assets based on playback information


A pressure sensor comprises a deformable substrate, at least one coil supported by the substrate and responsive to a changing coil drive signal to produce a changing magnetic field, a fluid chamber having a first wall formed by the substrate and a second wall formed by a conductive material and positioned proximate to the at least one coil so that the changing magnetic field produces eddy currents within the conductive material that generate a reflected magnetic field, and at least one magnetic field sensing element configured to detect the reflected magnetic field and produce a signal responsive to a distance between the magnetic field sensing element and the second wall. The substrate is deformable by fluid pressure within the fluid chamber and the deformation of the substrate changes the distance between the magnetic field sensing element and the second wall.

Magnetic field sensors are often used to detect a ferromagnetic target. They often act as sensors to detect motion or position of the target. Such sensors are ubiquitous in many areas of technology including robotics, automotive, manufacturing, etc. For example, a magnetic field sensor may be used to detect when a vehicle's wheel locks up, triggering the vehicle's control processor to engage the anti-lock braking system. In this example, the magnetic field sensor may detect rotation of the wheel. Magnetic field sensors may also detect distance between the magnetic field sensor and an object. Sensors such as these may be used to detect the proximity of the object as it moves toward and away from the magnetic field sensor.
In some applications, if the gap between the sensor and the object being sensed is relatively large, the sensor may not be able to determine a position of the target with great accuracy.

Coil actuated pressure sensor and deformable substrate


A compressive encoding-decoding system is provided specifically for the realization of the lossless encoding system having a good efficiency. Herein, input signals are subjected to analog-to-digital conversion to generate a series of linear PCM data. Then, the system generates a series of difference value data, each representing a difference between adjacent samples of the linear PCM data, which are then combined with respect to each frame. Requantization is performed on the difference value data on the basis of a word length. In a first mode, the word length is determined to coincide with a minimum number of bits which are required to represent the difference value data having a maximum absolute value within the difference value data contained in each frame. In a second mode corresponding to word extension, a value of `L` is determined as a unit of bits for partitioning in such a way that an overall length of each frame becomes the shortest when each of the difference value data contained in each frame is subjected to partitioning starting from a LSB thereof by every L bits. In addition, a single bit representing as to whether or not each portion of L bits within each difference value data is a last portion (or last word) is added as a flag to the word length. Herein, one of the modes which provides a shorter length for the frame is selected, so the system produces data of each frame (i.e., bit stream) containing the difference value data requantized based on the word length, and information of the word length as well as information of the selected mode.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to lossless compressive encoding and decoding systems which are capable of accurately regenerating original information which are subjected to compression and expansion, and particularly to compressive encoding and decoding systems which are suited to lossless compressive encoding of audio signals. This application is based on patent application No. Hei 8-332339 filed in Japan, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Prior Art
Conventional computer technolgy frequently uses the lossless compressive encoding for compression of data. As the compressive encoding method, it is possible to employ a variety of methods such as the Haffmann coding method and run-length coding method. Those methods use the apperance probability of the bit pattern as well as the correlation. For this reason, an effect of compression is not so high when the compressive encoding method is applied to the bit pattern which, like audio PCM data, is meaningless in a sense of statics.
By the way, the ADPCM method (where `ADPCM` stands for `Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation`) is kown as the data compression method of audio signals. Using high correlation between adjacent sampling values of audio signals, the above method performs quantization on a difference between an input signal and a predictive value so as to reduce a bit rate.
The aforementioned ADPCM method is designed to perform requantization of a difference value by using 4 bits and 16 levels, for example. In the requantization, the method changes quantization step size thereof in an adaptive manner to follow increments and decrements of the difference value. For this reason, some of the difference values may cause occurrence of a quantization error. In other words, the ADPCM method does not work as the complete lossless coding. In general, losses are classified into two kinds of losses, i.e., a loss corresponding to overload distortion and a loss corresponding to granular distortion. Herein, the loss of the overload distortion occurs when the difference value becomes so big to exceed a range of quantization, while the loss of the granular distortion occurs when the difference value cannot be represented by multiples of the quantization step size multiplied by an integral number.

Differential PCM system with frame word length responsive to magnitude


The explosion attenuating vent cap for storage batteries according to the present invention features an electrolyte drain and baffle design adapted for maximizing return to the battery of any liquid which may enter the vent from vibration, tilting, overheating, overcharge and the like. The vent barrel(s) include a step to assist in closure of the fill openings, and baffles within the vent prevent accumulation of electrolyte within the cap. The arrangement of the entrance to the gas escape passage (leading through an explosion attenuation device such as a disc of microporous polymer) is located on the center lines of the barrel and at the highest possible location within the vent to minimize the intrusion of electrolyte into the attenuation material. This location of the entrance prevents accumulation of electrolyte at that location. Preferably, the vent cap is of the ganged variety, i.e. useful for simultaneously capping three or more fill openings of the battery.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the art of electric storage batteries, for example sealed automotive batteries. More particularly, the invention relates to vent caps for such batteries which provide a flow path for the escape of hydrogen and oxygen formed during the electrochemical reactions which take place in such batteries. Still more specifically, the invention relates to a vent cap which also controls the flow of electrolyte which may enter the vent cap to ensure that it is returned to the battery cells and does not become entrained in the flow of gases passing through the cap or flow through the cap to the gas exhaust port.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Technical Problems
Conventional lead-acid batteries, such as those used for automobiles, generally include a number of cells disposed in a battery housing. Each cell typically includes a plurality of positive and negative battery plates or electrodes, and separators are sandwiched between the plates to prevent shorting and undesirable electron flow during the reactions which take place during manufacture and use of the batteries. The plates and separators are immersed in a liquid electrolyte in the cells, the most common being aqueous sulfuric acid. The positive plate generally is constructed of a lead-alloy grid covered with lead oxide, while the negative plate generally contains lead as the active material, again covering a lead alloy grid.
In most battery constructions the battery housing includes a box-like base containing the cells and is made from a moldable resin. The housing is generally rectangular in horizontal cross-section, the cells being provided by vertical partitions within the housing. A cover is provided for the casing, the cover includes level terminal bushings and a series of fill holes to allow electrolyte to be added to the cells and to permit whatever servicing is required during use of the batteries. To prevent undesirable spillage of electrolyte from the fill holes, most prior batteries have included some sort of filler hole cap. Battery electrolyte spillage can be caused by a number of factors, including vibration or tilting as the vehicle with which this battery is used maneuvers during normal use. Electrolyte escape may also be caused by battery overheating, a problem especially pronounced in recent years with smaller car engines, which tend to run hotter than prior engines.
The electromotive potential of each battery cell is determined by the chemical composition of the electroactive substrates employed in the electrochemical reactions. For lead-acid batteries, such as those described above, the potential is usually about two volts per cell, regardless of cell volume. Vehicles manufactured by original equipment manufactures (OEM's) typically require twelve volt batteries, so most of today's batteries include six cells (6 cells.times.2 volts per cell=12 volts). The size of the housing for the battery is selected for the "envelope" for a particular vehicle, i.e. the physical dimensions defined by the vehicle manufacturer for containment of the battery in the engine compartment.
In addition to preventing spillage of electrolyte from the cells, the battery cover design and the filler caps need to perform an important and different function. This is because gases are liberated from lead-acid batteries during the charge and discharge reactions. Such reactions start at the time the battery is originally charged (called "formation") by the manufacturer or by the retailer or vehicle manufacturer. They also occur during normal operating use of the battery. Factors such as high current charge and discharge conditions, and changes in temperature, can affect the rate at which gas evolution occurs. The gas generation and evolution issues in lead-acid battery construction are particularly important because the gases are hydrogen and oxygen and it is important to vent such gases in a controlled way from the battery to prevent pressure buildups in the housing which could lead to electrolyte leaks, housing failures, or most significantly explosions within the housing. It is also desirable, and well known, to prevent an external flame from entering the battery through gas exhaust ports.
As will soon become apparent, many prior art devices are known for venting gases from battery cells in a manner which allows diffusion of the potentially explosive hydrogen gas. It will also become apparent that prior attempts provide vent caps with a flame or spark blocking material, generally known as an explosion attenuation element. However, it will also be seen that the focus of such prior art caps is on gas venting and the exhaust thereof through an explosion attenuation media.
The two problems previously mentioned, i.e. electrolyte spillage and gas evolution, are really interrelated and equally important in the construction of an effective vent cap system. For example, electrolyte may enter the vent cap through several mechanisms. One mechanism is through vibrational or tilting spray of electrolyte into the cap, and another is through a mechanism frequently referred to as pumping. The latter occurs when gas evolved in the battery bubbles from the cells and carries or forces electrolyte out the fill hole and into the cap. When electrolyte enters the caps of prior designs it may be carried out the exhaust passageway to cause damage to external battery components such as the battery terminals or adjacent engine components.
Original equipment manufacturers are beginning to recognize the importance of the dual function performed by vent caps and have instituted a number of testing specifications designed to ensure electrolyte retention in the cells. One such test involves tilting a battery 35.degree. about the longitudinal center line of the battery. This test is quite severe and could not be passed by a number of the prior art batteries using the vent constructions referred to below.
Early battery covers such as the "Gas Diffusion Device for Storage Batteries" described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,452,066, issued to Murphy on Oct. 26, 1948, used a diffusion member such as sheet asbestos or glass wool over the cells and supported by crossed grating bars. This simple design provided for gas diffusion, but not very effectively and it did not provide for practical electrolyte control.
In Hennen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,280, issued Aug. 3, 1971, a "Multiple Vent Plug Assembly" is described which includes three vent barrels entering three separate compartments, each of which is vented to the atmosphere. Circular baffles and other internal design features obstruct electrolyte from flowing to the vents.
In Hennen, U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,788, issued Dec. 28, 1971 entitled "Venting and Filling Device for Storage Batteries," a vent cap is described which uses an expandable funnel tube to permit filling of the cells with electrolyte, the lower end of the tube being immersed in the electrolyte. In this device, gases flow around the tube, through a tortuous path and through an expandable, porous diffusion material, such as a microporous material. If the gases are ignited outside of the microporous material, the cooling or heat dissipating effect of the microporous material will cause quick flame extinguishing and prevent flame propagation into the battery.
Evjen, et al. describe another system in U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,178, issued Nov. 5, 1974 and entitled "System for Absorption of Explosive Energy by Pressure Mitigation." In this system, a plurality of compressible, closed cell sheets are placed within the battery housing to keep the free space therein as small as possible. Since the volume of space within which explosive gases can accumulate is reduced, a large ratio of expansion is provided to maximize pressure reduction.
Another Hennen patent is U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,188 issued Mar. 27, 1973 for "Filling and Venting Device for a Storage Battery." In this device, a standpipe system ensures that electrolyte is maintained at a proper level in the cells. Gases percolate through a reservoir, forcing electrolyte to adjacent cells, and then are vented to the atmosphere through the hinged cap cover.
Another patent issued to the assignee of the present invention is Hennen's U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,227 entitled "Battery Vent Plug." This ganged plug features downwardly directed barrels for the fill holes and conical or sloping bottoms around drain opening which themselves include a slanted point to facilitate dripping of electrolyte into the cells. Gases follow a tortuous path through a porous diffuser adjacent the gas outlet. Semicircular baffles also surround each opening into the vent cap to facilitate directing electrolyte to the lowermost tip of the drain barrels. The gas pathway through the diffuser is upwardly. In one embodiment an open bottom tube is suspended from the top of the vent cap housing and depends downwardly over and is spaced above the cell vent opening.
Different explosion attenuation devices for single cells are disclosed in Melone, U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,753, issued Oct. 28, 1975 and entitled "Liquid Indicator for a Storage Battery with a Flame Barrier Vent Filter" and Auerbach, U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,437, issued Mar. 16, 1976 entitled "Explosion Proof Venting Device for Electrical Storage Batteries." Both provide tortuous flow paths for gases leaving the battery. The former additionally provides a liquid level indicator, while the latter provides a catalyst in the diffusion material to assist in the recombination of hydrogen and oxygen gases generated within the battery.
Another type of "Electric Storage Battery" is shown in Kitai, U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,205, issued Sep. 26, 1978. A gas cooling chamber separates electrolyte mist from discharged gas, the mist condensing to liquid electrolyte for return to the battery. Gases pass through a labyrinth flow chamber for being discharged through an air diffuser. The labyrinth also includes an electrolyte flow section.
Oxenreider, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,742, issued Jul. 14, 1981 and entitled "Manifold Vented Battery Cover," also illustrates a battery cover employing a labyrinth design formed between two cover components which together form individual chambers for each battery cell, the chambers being interconnected by ports.
Another labyrinth system is disclosed in Ledjeff's U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,423, issued Jul. 19, 1983 and entitled "Closure Device for Lead-Acid Batteries." This device features an activated carbon gas diffusion system which in turn includes a wick for conducting condensed electrolyte back to the battery to replenish the liquid level.
A still further example of an explosion attenuation device is Jensen's U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,508, issued May 8, 1984 for "Reduced Maintenance Explosion Damage Resistant Storage Battery." A honeycomb material fills the space above the battery plates to subdivide the space into a plurality of small spaces and a sheet of catalytic recombination material is located above the honeycomb material to catalyze the reaction of any oxygen and hydrogen reaching that element.
In Greenlee, U.S. Pat. No. 4,463,069, issued Jul. 31, 1984 for "Battery Venting System", a porous flame arrestor is combined with an exhaust port, a combustion chamber and a buffer chamber between the combustion chamber and the arrestor. In Binder, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,154, issued Jun. 14, 1988 for "Battery Explosion Attenuation Material and Method", attenuation is provided by a porous compressible plastic material inserted in the head space of the battery.
Other explosion attenuation vent caps are described in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,916,034, issued Apr. 10, 1990 to Hulsebus, et al. and entitled "Battery Vent Strip." In this device, a vent cap includes a series of barrels with a strip extending transversely to the line of barrels, the strip including a porous explosion attenuation material. A plurality of channels couple the cells to the flame arrestor. Splash guards are provided to reduce electrolyte leakage into the exhaust flow path and the flame arresting material.
While a number of different solutions have been proposed in the aforementioned patents to the technical problems discussed earlier in this section of the specification, optimization has still not been achieved in one vent cap for the numerous problems with which the battery designer is faced--ensuring adequate electrolyte return, condensation, reducing electrolyte in the exhaust flow, pumping of electrolyte through the arrestor and tilting of the battery. All of these can result in electrolyte loss.
An improved vent cap for minimizing the possibility of electrolyte leakage from the battery, inhibiting the introduction of sparks or flame into the battery and efficiently directing gases from the battery is still needed. Such an improved vent cap would represent a substantial advance in this art.

Vent cap with electrolyte drain and explosion attenuation capabilities


A semiconductor device includes an insulated gate electrode pattern formed on a well region. The semiconductor device further includes a sidewall spacer formed on sidewalls of the gate electrode pattern. A source region and a drain region are formed adjacent opposite sides of the gate pattern. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, one of the source or drain regions includes a first-concentration impurity region formed under the sidewall spacer. The semiconductor device further includes a silicide layer formed within the well region wherein at least a part of the silicide layer contacts a portion of the well region to bias the well region. A method of manufacturing the semiconductor device is also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor devices, and, more particularly, to a semiconductor device structure for well biasing to prevent latch-up or soft errors.
2. Description of Related Art
Complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuits such as CMOS static random access memory (SRAM) cells encounter problems such as latch-up or soft errors.
In CMOS circuits, latch-up occurs due to the presence of complementary parasitic bipolar transistor structures. Because n-channel and p-channel devices are in close proximity to one other in CMOS circuits, inadvertent (parasitic) p-n-p-n bipolar structures can be found. As a result, under certain biasing conditions, the p-n-p part of the structure can supply base current to the n-p-n structure, causing a large current to flow. This can cause the circuit to malfunction, or even destroy the circuit itself due to heat caused by high power dissipation. The latch-up phenomenon is triggered by a changing current incidental to fluctuation of power supply voltage, a punch through current at a well boundary, or other similar circumstances. Such triggering currents are established in any one or more of a variety of ways, including terminal overvoltage stress, transient displacement currents, ionizing radiation, or impact ionization by hot electrons.
In addition to the problem of latch-up, if energetic particles from the environment, such as alpha-particles, strike a junction, such as the drain junction, surrounded by a depletion region, electrons and holes will be generated within the underlying body of the semiconductor material and will collect along the boundary of the depletion region. The voltage across the junction will thereby be reduced by the charge perturbation. If the charge perturbation is sufficiently large, the stored logic state may be reversed, causing a so called "soft error." Latch-up and soft errors are both increased by the unstable potential of well stand-by operation at reduced voltage.
A variety of methods for suppressing latch-up and soft error have been proposed. For example, latch-up can be suppressed by providing bias voltages Vss (ground) to the p-well and Vcc (power voltage) to the n-well to set the potentials of the p-well and n-well. One such example is shown in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, a well-tie implant region 18 is formed having the same conductivity type as a well region 16 to bias the well region 16. The well-tie implant region 18 is separated from the source region 20 in the cell. Unfortunately, this method requires a large area within the cell for forming a separated well-tie implant region 18 and separated contacts 28, 30, substantially decreasing packing density of an integrated circuit. Other similar prior art methods such as one disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,300,661, also require a separate portion of the cell area beside the source region for forming a well-tie region, decreasing the packing density. Also, conventional methods are limited due to precision limits inherent in the photolithography process used in forming these fine structures.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to be able to decrease the amount of space required to bias a well region for preventing latch-up and soft error in CMOS circuits, and thereby reduce cell sizes and increase packing density without being limited by the limitations of photolithography technology.

Semiconductor device having a merged region and method of fabrication


Disclosed are various embodiments for determining a foundational media item based at least upon an activity associated with a user. A related media item is identified based upon pre-defined relational metadata associated with the foundational media item. A recommendation is generated for the related media item that authorizes a presentation of the related media item through a user interface generated in a computing device.

Identifying new media items likely to be enjoyed by a user may be difficult. Users typically resort to performing searches for media items based upon a set of search criteria from recent memory. However, the search criteria used may represent an incomplete description of the media preferences for a user. Furthermore, it may be difficult for a user to develop an appreciation for a media item based upon a sample of only a few seconds.

Generating media trials based upon media consumption


Techniques are provided for managing network traffic and alleviating network congestion issues in video conference environments. At a video conference bridge device configured to send and receive communications to an endpoint device in a network, one or more video streams are received from the endpoint participating in a video conference. Each of the video streams is classified as a rate adaptive stream or as a non-rate adaptive stream. For video streams classified as rate adaptive streams, the video streams are assigned to a buffer queue for rate adaptive streams. For video streams classified as non-rate adaptive streams, the video streams are assigned to a buffer queue for non-rate adaptive streams.

In a video conference environment, endpoint devices may send and receive communications (e.g., video streams) to each other via a video conference bridge. The video streams sent by the endpoint devices may be rate adaptive streams or non-rate adaptive streams. Likewise, the endpoint devices themselves may be rate adaptive endpoint devices or non-rate adaptive endpoint devices. Rate adaptive streams utilize adaptive bit rate streaming techniques to adjust the throughput or bit rate of the video streams based on the available bandwidth in a network. For example, rate adaptive endpoint devices may be configured to detect available bandwidth capacities in a network, and based on the available bandwidth, the rate adaptive endpoint devices can adjust the video quality of the rate adaptive streams to ensure proper delivery of the video to endpoint devices in the network. The throughput of non-rate adaptive streams, however, is not configured to be adjusted in response to the available bandwidth in a network.

System and architecture to optimize video traffic over internet protocol networks


An apparatus for controlling actuation of a vehicle occupant restraint system includes a displacement sensor mounted to the vehicle dashboard for sensing the distance between the air bag storage location and the occupant in a seat. An infrared sensor is mounted in the headliner above the occupant. The infrared sensor has a plurality of viewing fields for sensing the location of the occupant relative to the air bag storage location and provides an output indicative of the occupant's location relative to the air bag storage location. A controller determines the distance between the occupant and the air bag storage location from the output of the infrared sensor. The controller is also connected to the displacement sensor. The controller provides an electric enable signal when at least one of the sensors indicates that the occupant is at least a predetermined distance from the air bag storage location.

Vehicle occupant restraint systems having an actuatable restraining device are well known in the art. One particular type of actuatable restraining device includes an inflatable air bag mounted to inflate within the occupant compartment of the vehicle. The air bag has an associated, electrically actuatable igniter, referred to as a squib.
Such occupant restraint systems further include a crash sensor for sensing the occurrence of a vehicle crash condition and for providing an electrical signal indicative of the crash condition. When the crash sensor indicates that the vehicle is in a crash condition, an electric current of sufficient magnitude and duration is passed through the squib for the purpose of igniting the squib. The squib, when ignited, ignites a combustible gas generating composition and/or pierces a container of pressurized gas operatively coupled to the air bag, which results in inflation of the air bag.
Even if a vehicle is equipped with an air bag restraint system, it is not always desirable to inflate the air bag every time a crash condition occurs. Crash conditions are classified as either non-deployment crash conditions or deployment crash conditions. Non-deployment crash conditions are those for which the occupant seat belt alone provide adequate protection of the occupant. Deployment crash conditions are those for which deployment of the air bag is required to protect the occupant adequately. U.S. Pat. No. 5,073,860 provides an air bag restraint system including a crash detection arrangement that distinguishes between deployment and non-deployment crash conditions and controls deployment of the air bag in response to the determined type of vehicle crash condition.
Even if a vehicle is equipped with an air bag restraint system and a deployment crash condition occurs, it is still not desirable to deploy the air bag if certain occupant related conditions exist. Specifically, it is not desirable to deploy the air bag if an occupant is absent from a seat location associated with that air bag. Also, if an inanimate object is on the seat, it is not desirable to deploy the air bag during a vehicle deployment crash condition.
Moreover, it is desirable to control deployment of the air bag upon the occurrence of a deployment crash condition as a function of the occupant's position on the vehicle seat. It is desirable to control the inflation profile of the air bag and the timing of deployment dependent upon the occupant's position so as to maximize protection afforded by the air bag. If the air bag is capable of being aimed, it is desirable that the direction of deployment be controlled in response to the occupant's position. If the vehicle is equipped with a plurality of separately deployable air bags for each occupant, it is desirable that the control of the air bag deployments, e.g., which air bags are deployed and the timing of their deployment, be controlled in response to the sensed position of the occupant. If an occupant is completely out of position, it may be desirable that the air bag not be deployed at all. An occupant being out of position means that the occupant is not seated "properly" so that deployment of the air bag would enhance protection of the occupant during a deployment crash condition.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 682,908, filed Apr. 9, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,243, discloses an air bag restraint system having sensors located in an occupant seat of the vehicle. These sensors detect whether an object in the seat is an inanimate or animate object. The system further determines whether an occupant is properly positioned in the seat. The air bag is deployed upon the occurrence of a vehicle deployment crash condition only if an animate occupant is determined to be present in the seat and if the occupant is properly positioned so that deployment of the air bag would enhance protection of the occupant.

Method and apparatus for detecting an out of position occupant


Approaches to enable a computing device, such as a phone or tablet computer, to apply electronic image stabilization (EIS) and optical image stabilization (OIS) across their respective ranges of effectiveness. The computing device may include a gyroscope that produces data about the orientation or movement of the device and a filter that filters the orientation data and conveys the filtered data to either the OIS system or the EIS system, depending on the amplitude of the excursion. The filter conveys excursions of a first range of amplitude to be corrected by the OIS system and conveys excursions of a second range of amplitude (the portion that is uncorrected by the OIS) to be corrected by the EIS system.

People are increasingly relying on computing devices, such as mobile phones, electronic readers (e-readers) and tablet computers to access a wide variety of functions and information. These types of devices often include one or more cameras capable of capturing images. Conventionally, a user needs to touch a graphical element displayed on the touch screen interface to activate the camera, snap the picture, and so on. However, due the small size of such devices, touching the display screen and/or holding the camera in one's hand while capturing an image (or video) may cause the device to move or shake, thereby shifting or distorting the captured images. For example, when capturing still images, such movements or shaking may introduce blur into the image. Similarly, when capturing video (i.e., sequence of images), the shaking and movement of the hand may cause frame-to-frame jitter, making the video appear jumpy and difficult to view for the user.


This invention discloses a process for synthesizing a hairy polymer particle which comprises the steps of (1) polymerizing a vinyl aromatic monomer by emulsion polymerization in an aqueous medium to produce core particles, (2) recovering the core particles from the aqueous medium, (3) dispersing the core particles in an organic solvent, (4) adding an organo-lithium compound to the dried core particles in the organic solvent to produce the hairless core initiator, and (5) utilizing the hairless core initiator to initiate the anionic polymerization of a conjugated diolefin monomer in an organic solvent to produce a solution of the hairy polymer particles. The hairy polymer nanoparticles can then be recovered from the organic solvent. These hairy polymer particles are comprised of (1) a core which is comprised of a polymer of a vinyl aromatic monomer and (2) hairs which are polymer chains of a conjugated diolefin monomer, wherein the hairs are covalently bonded to the core. The core is typically spherical in shape, has a diameter of less than 1000 nm, and is comprised of a crosslinked polymer of a vinyl aromatic monomer. The hairy polymer particles of this invention are useful as fillers in rubber compositions used in making articles of manufacture, such as tires, hoses, power transmission belts, windshield wiper blades, and the like.

Particles of various types are commonly incorporated into rubber compositions as fillers. For instance fillers are typically included in the rubber compositions utilized in manufacturing tires, hoses, belts, windshield wiper blades, floor mats, and other rubber products. The fillers are chosen to enhance certain physical characteristics of the rubber composition. The use of carbon black, silica, and crosslinked polymers as fillers, is well known in the art of rubber compounding. The addition of fillers tends to improve the physical properties of the polymer matrices to which they are added. Some specific physical properties that are improved by the addition of fillers are tensile strength and abrasion resistance. For instance, the inclusion of fillers in tire tread rubber compounds is critical to attain required strength and tread wear characteristics.
The use of rigid polymer particles to enhance the properties of rubbery materials has been explored by numerous researchers. Early work by Kraus et al, "Dynamic Properties of a Model Reinforced Elastomer. Styrene-Butadiene Reinforced with Polystyrene" in Macromolecules, Vol. 3, Issue 1, pages 92-96 (1970) studied the properties of 40 nm polystyrene particles reinforced SBR rubber. Morton et al also examined similar systems in the article titled "Mechanism of Reinforcement of Elastomers by Polymeric Fillers" in Advanced Chemistry Series, No. 99, pages 490-509 (1971). Recently, Cai et al reported in the Journal of Materials Science, 34, pages 4719-4726 (1999) that crosslinked polystyrene particles in polysulfide rubber gave improved modulus, fracture strength and elongation at break. However, in all these studies, the particles had limited interaction at the interface between the particles and matrix which resulted in physical properties that were only marginally improved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,891 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,488 to Obrecht disclose the use of crosslinked polybutadiene and crosslinked styrene-butadiene copolymers, respectively, as fillers. The purported benefits of the inclusion of these crosslinked rubber particles in rubber formulations is lower hysteresis while the polybutadiene gels also impart improved abrasion resistance and styrene-butadiene copolymer gels offer improve wet traction characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,364, U.S. Pat. No. 6,207,757, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,534 to Obrecht et al disclose a rubber composition comprising a crosslinked elastomer particle and a non-crosslinked elastomer. The crosslinked elastomeric particles are functionalized to impart unique surface reactivity for improved coupling with the non-crosslinked host elastomer as well as the subsequent ability to employ coupling agents other than the conventional sulfur-bridged bis-alkoxy silanes. The benefits of these gels in tire tread compositions are reported to be lower hysteresis, improved abrasion resistance, and improved wet traction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,747,095 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,653,404 to Konno et al disclose a rubber composition comprising as essential components a crosslinked polymer particle and a non-crosslinked rubber component. The rubber composition may be used to obtain a vulcanized rubber. The crosslinked polymer particles are intended for use as filler to provide a rubber composition having good processability and handling performance as well as improved tensile strength and wear resistance when vulcanized. However, it has been found that the particles disclosed in the Konno et al. application tend to soften at higher service temperatures. The effectiveness of the particles as reinforcing fillers is therefore decreased.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,437,050 to Krom et al disclosed a polymer nanoparticle composition wherein the core is a poly(alkenylbenzene) and the surface layer includes a poly(conjugated diene). The particle is a star polymer with all the diblock copolymer chains attached to one crosslinking center. An article from Fetter and Bi titled "Synthesis and Properties of Block Copolymers 3. Polystyrene Polydiene Star Block Copolymers" in Macromolecules, Vol. 9, Issue 5, pages 732-742 (1976) also studied and reported on the identical system. These particles do not have well-defined center particles. The polystyrene domains are formed from phase separation of diblock copolymers. It lacks dimension stability at higher service temperature above the glass transition temperature of polystyrene.
Nanoparticles are currently receiving significant interest as fillers in rubber compositions. Such combinations often provide dimensions and physical properties that differ from those of the bulk material. The use of nanoparticles as fillers is thought to be advantageous because the discrete particles may be more easily and better dispersed in the polymer matrix. The higher surface to volume ratio of the nanoparticles provides a better opportunity for chemical and physical interactions with the polymer matrix.