A PDU session status information element (IE) is used to bi-directionally synchronize the state of a multi-access (MA) Protocol data unit (PDU) session between UE and NW. In the downlink, the PDU session status IE is included in a 5GMM message sent from NW to UE over an access type, and it indicates the user plane resources are NOT established at NW side on the access type the 5GMM message is sent over. For MA PDU sessions having user plane resources established in the UE side only on the access type the 5GMM message is sent over, the UE performs a local release of those MA PDU sessions. For MA PDU sessions having user plane resources established in the UE side on both access types, the UE performs a local release on the user plane resources on the access type the 5GMM message is sent over.

The wireless communications network has grown exponentially over the years. A Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system offers high peak data rates, low latency, improved system capacity, and low operating cost resulting from simplified network architecture. LTE systems, also known as the 4G system, also provide seamless integration to older wireless network, such as GSM, CDMA and Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). In LTE systems, an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) includes a plurality of evolved Node-Bs (eNodeBs or eNBs) communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, referred to as user equipments (UEs). The 3rd generation partner project (3GPP) network normally includes a hybrid of 2G/3G/4G systems. The Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) board, has decided to focus the future NGMN activities on defining the end-to-end requirements for 5G new radio (NR) systems.
In 5G/NR, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session defines the association between the UE and the data network that provides a PDU connectivity service. The PDU session establishment is a parallel procedure of PDN connection (bearer) procedure in 4G/LTE. Each PDU session is identified by a PDU session ID (PSI), and may include multiple QoS flows and QoS rules. Each PDU session can be established via a 5G Access Network (e.g., a 3GPP radio access network (RAN), or a non-3GPP RAN). The network/UE can initiate different PDU session procedures, e.g., PDU session establishment, PDU session modification, and PDU session release.
Operators are seeking ways to balance data traffic between mobile cellular networks and non-3GPP access in a way that is transparent to users and reduces mobile network congestion. In 5GS, UEs that can be simultaneously connected to both 3GPP access and non-3GPP access (using 3GPP NAS signalling), thus the 5GS is able to take advantage of these multiple accesses to improve the user experience, optimize the traffic distribution across various accesses. Accordingly, 3GPP introduced Multi-Access (MA) PDU session in 5GS. A MA PDU session uses one 3GPP access network or one non-3GPP access network at a time, or simultaneously one 3GPP access network and one non-3GPP access network. In addition, the UE and network can support Access Traffic Steering Switching and Splitting (ATSSS) functionalities to distribute traffic over 3GPP access and non-3GPP access for the established MA PDU session.
There are three possible states of an active MA PDU session. The three states includes a first state of MA PDU with 3GPP access, a second state of MA PDU with non-3GPP access, and a third state of MA PDU with both 3GPP and non-3GPP access. A PDU session status information element (IE) is used to bi-directionally synchronize the state of PDU session context between UE and network on a specific access type. Since an SA PDU session exists only on one access type, the "PDU session status IE" sent over one access type (i.e., 3GPP access or non-3GPP access) can be clearly used to indicate the active (or not-inactive)/inactive status of the corresponding PDU sessions over the access type. However, the network and UE handling upon receipt of the "PDU session status IE" for MA PDU sessions is not defined.
A solution is sought.

Multi-access PDU session state synchronization between UE and network


As a movie/television show, etc. is being watched, a viewer is able to purchase items viewed during a presentation. A viewer may stop the presentation either to purchase merchandise or services or alternatively, save items for later in a “virtual group shopping mall.” A voice or written message may be added to allow more content to be placed with each saved item. A group may be identified and given access to the virtual shopping mall. This enables members of the group, such as friends, to see shopping preferences of others in a group. Further, shopping lists may be generated for group members based upon items placed in the virtual mall, thereby enabling a list of “must haves” for the group. Purchases may be made using M-commerce or a potential purchaser may be directed to a store having a product or service desired for purchase.

With the advent of fairly recent changes in media outlets enabled by the Internet, mobile video phones, video personal digital assistants (PDAs), smartphones and digital video discs (DVDs), in particular, represent avenues for a paradigm, shift underway in advertising and provide an "on-line" focus. Advertising on the Internet is increasing annually while siphoning advertising sales from traditional media such as print newspapers. Currently, one metric for determining the effectiveness of Internet advertising involves counting the number of daily visitors received at a site. However, this method gives an indirect measure of how many times a particular advertisement is viewed. This perhaps accounts for why Internet ads account for less than a tenth of the revenues and profits associated with advertising using both print and on-line ads.
Along with a shift in advertising methods, media in general has undergone a transformation. For instance, a greater percentage of revenue in recent years for motion pictures can be accounted for in DVD and movie-on-demand sales such as pay-per-view as compared with revenues generated at the box office. Often, ads of some type are included with DVDs and movie-on-demand broadcasts. These ads may be little more than a focused display of a vehicle used or a watch or article of clothing worn by an actor us the movie proceeds. However, the value of that advertising on those forums is indeterminate since generally, only a limited number of ads for products can be practically featured. Further, there is no direct way of accounting for sales attributable to this form of advertising.
A need exists to improve the effectiveness of Internet (e.g., Web) advertising while taking advantage of the proliferation of fairly new technologies and devices that have Internet access. A need also exists, to improve the ability to measure the effectiveness of Internet advertising.
Applicable reference numerals have been carried forward.


A lithographic projection apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes a radiation system for providing a beam of radiation and a substrate holder for supporting a substrate to be placed in a beam path of the beam of radiation. The substrate holder includes a plurality of first protrusions, the distal ends thereof defining a first contact surface for contacting the substrate, and a plurality of second protrusions, the distal ends thereof defining a second contact surface for supporting the substrate. The second protrusions are arranged for preventing sticking of the substrate to the first contact surface during release of a clamping pressure so that (1) the substrate contacts the first and second contact surfaces when the substrate is clamped against the substrate holder, and (2) the substrate is supported by the second contact surface and distanced from the first contact surface when the substrate is not clamped.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lithographic projection apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a substrate support for a lithographic projection apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to achieve good image definition and layer overlay the irradiated surface of a substrate should be kept as flat and as stationary as possible during exposure of the substrate. Known lithographic apparatus addresses these demands using the substrate holder hereabove specified, on which a substrate can be placed so that its backside is in contact with the protrusions, all of which lie in a well-defined plane. For example, by connecting aperture(s) in the substrate holder to a vacuum generating device, the backside of the substrate can be clamped securely against the protrusions. The use of protrusions in this manner ensures that only a fraction of the area of the backside is actually pressed against a solid surface; in this way, the distorting effect of any particulate contamination on the backside of the wafer is minimized, since such contamination will most probably be situated in the empty spaces between protrusions rather than being pressed against the top surface of a protrusion.
Also, in this way, substantially every protrusion contacts the substrate, thus defining one single plane of support that is perfectly level and orientable into required directions. This also poses a problem since there remains a relatively large contact surface of the protrusions physically in contact with the substrate. This may introduce a binding force, in the art known as "sticking", between the top faces of the protrusions of the substrate holder and the backside of substrate. In practice, this means that once a substrate is clamped to the substrate holder and brought into position for a photolithographic irradiation process, releasing the substrate from the substrate holder can take a substantial amount of time causing costly delay in the availability of the machine for a next photolithographic routine. It even may cause jamming of the ejection mechanisms present to release the substrate from the substrate holder.

Lithographic apparatus, device manufacturing method, and device manufactured thereby


A portable stand for securely supporting an object or infant above a vehicle seat is presented. The stand is adjustable for use on an angled or flat surface. The stand securely engages the gap in a vehicle seat, thereby providing a stable support surface for an object. The stand is easily collapsible for storage.

Infants need frequent diaper changing when out in public or during travel. It is often inconvenient and undesirable to use public restroom changing tables because of privacy, health, and/or wait concerns. Outdoor alternatives may be as undesirable. A stroller may not provide a flat surface. The ground may be hard and uncomfortable for the infant. Outdoor weather may be unpleasant.
Thus, parents often change their infant's diaper in their vehicle. For example, parents may change an infant in the cargo area of a SUV or on the floor of a van. However, even with a blanket or pad the floor can be a hard surface and the infant may accidentally roll. Smaller vehicles may require that the parent stand outside the car. This is undesirable in inclement weather or when the caretaker desires privacy.
Changing an infant directly on the seat of the car has drawbacks. Because most car seats are angled, there is a risk that the infant will roll into the crevice made by the seat and seat-back. The infant can also easily fall off the front of the seat and risk injury. The angled seat surface requires the infant to lie over bumps and increases the risk that waste will get on the car seat. Further, many families own vehicles that provide limiting seating or space for changing an infant.
It is therefore desirable to have a portable stand that can fit over the bumps and angle of a car's angled seat surface to provide a level space for safely changing an infant. Further, it is desirable to configure such a stand with an adaptable design for use on a level surface in a variety of settings.


A semiconductor memory device may include a semiconductor substrate, a first unit memory device on the substrate, and a second unit memory device on the substrate. The first unit memory device may be configured to receive first through Nth data bits and/or to provide first through Nth data bits to an external device in response to a command signal, an address signal, and a clock signal, and in response to a first chip selection signal. The second unit memory device may be configured to receive (N+1)th through 2Nth data bits and/or to provide (N+1)th through 2Nth data bits to an external device in response to the command signal, the address signal, and the clock signal, and in response to a second chip selection signal. Related methods are also discussed.

As data communication technologies have developed, rapid graphics processing capabilities have become more important for electronic products. For efficiency of a memory device, only a relatively small amount of data requiring high-speed processing is stored in a graphics memory, and most of the data is stored in a main memory. One high-speed data processing technique is to increase I/O bandwidth.
Recently, multi-chip package (MCP) technologies have been used to achieve high storage densities. For example, an MCP technology may implement a memory device having a 64-bit architecture using two memory chips having a 32-bit architecture.
Conventionally, two individual unit memory chips may be mounted on one package frame, and pads where an identical signal is provided to the two individual unit memory chips from an external device may be wire-bonded to each other.
Korean Patent No. 10-0422469 discloses a memory device capable of controlling storage density by packaging two or more non-separate unit memory chips formed on a wafer as a group. The memory device disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0422469 does not cut a scribe line between the unit memory chips but uses the scribe line as a connection path between the unit memory chips. The disclosure of Korean Patent No. 10-0422469 is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

Semiconductor memory devices having controllable input/output bit architectures


A method, system, and computer program product provides advanced and fine-grained transaction administration features, along with interoperability between transactional software architectures and business entities. A method of administering recovering transactions comprises the steps of operating a transaction processing system, and attempting recovery of a plurality of transactions in the transaction processing system after a failure of the transaction processing system by determining a recovery action to be taken for each of the plurality of transactions individually.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, method, and computer program product for providing advanced and fine-grained transaction administration features, along with interoperability between transactional software architectures and business entities.
2. Description of the Related Art
Distributed systems have become a standard architecture for the implementation of databases, Web servers, application servers, etc. Accesses that are made to the data stored in such systems are known as transactions. Transactions that modify data stored in server systems present certain challenges in the operations of a distributed server system. Many commercial transaction-processing systems use the two-phase commit protocol, which requires a series of messages to be exchanged between a transaction manager or coordinator and the resource managers that are defined by a voting process.
Regardless of the claimed reliability of a system, failure of the system is always a possibility. For the transaction processing to function properly in the face of a failure, the coordinator must log information to a non-volatile store (typically disk) that can be used to recover a coordinator failure. A recovering transaction is one that is reconstructed as a result of a previous failure in the processing of a transaction. In conventional systems, there is little administrative functionality for recovering transactions in the field and the little there is can only be applied at a global level to all recovering transactions. In particular, conventional systems provide little capability to monitor and administratively act on recovering transactions as well as receive notifications for related events.
Currently the only existing recovery feature of any sort is that provided by the BEA® WEBLOGIC® system, which allows for the complete abandonment of recovery after a given period of time. This period of time applies to all recovering transactions and defaults to 24 hours, which is inflexible, inappropriate and even dangerous in some situations.
As administrators grow more knowledgeable, a need arises for advanced and fine-grained transaction administration features, along with the need for interoperability between transactional software architectures and business entities.

Advanced fine-grained administration of recovering transactions


The present invention relates to a tractor trailer power system for powering a hydraulic liftgate and other components in the trailer so the tractor engine does not have to run to maintain the battery charge of the trailer batteries.

This invention relates to a tractor trailer power system and especially to a trailer power system which is independent from the tractor and main engine for operating the trailer liftgate and other power components to prevent tractor idling.
Auxiliary power units are commonly provided for auxiliary cooling, heating and power to trucks having semi-trailers and they are especially common with cross-country truckers. Trucks used for long hauls are generally equipped with a sleeper compartment located in a truck cab to provide a convenient place for a trucker to sleep. The truck has a main engine which typically has a heating system including a heater in the cab of the truck as well as an air-conditioning system for the truck cab. However, when the trucker parks a truck to rest or sleep, the heater or air-conditioning in the sleeper requires the continuous running of the truck's engine. It is inefficient to run the truck's engine to merely provide heating and air-conditioning and is more efficient to use auxiliary power units which usually have a small auxiliary engine to provide power for heating or cooling.
Large tractor trailer trucks have large trailers connected to a fifth wheel of the truck and commonly have a liftgate which is hydraulically operated for loading and unloading the truck. Truck trailers of this type also frequently carry a pallet mover for moving heavy loaded pallets into and out of the trailer. These pallet movers are electrically powered through batteries which are typically re-charged from a 110 volt AC source.
The trailer hydraulic liftgates are driven by hydraulic fluid powered by an electric motor driven hydraulic pump which in turn is powered by liftgate batteries. The liftgate batteries are charged from the main engine of the truck. When a trailer is disconnected from the truck or tractor and left in place without the truck, there is no truck engine to power the alternator for recharging the liftgate batteries. The trailer then generally sits idle until the tractor returns so that the liftgate can be operated and the truck unloaded or loaded. This can provide for a great deal of lost time in the loading and unloading the trailer. Currently, tractors must have their engines running to charge the trailer batteries.
The present invention is directed towards an auxiliary power source which can continuous recharge the liftgate batteries so the tractor engine can be turned off. The present auxiliary power source can also provide a handy power reeled cable for attaching to the pallet lifters and movers so that the trailer can be fully operational for loading and unloading without the truck engine running.
In the past, there have been numerous auxiliary power systems for trucks including U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,678 to Mellum et al. for an auxiliary power unit for a truck having a cab and a sleeper to provide auxiliary power for auxiliary air conditioning and heating without having to keep the main truck engine running. In the Kennedy U.S. patent application Publication No. 2002/0056993 an integrated conventional air conditioning system for trucks has an auxiliary power source to drive the compressor when the main engine is not operated. In the Gear U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,649 an auxiliary air conditioning, heating and engine warming system for trucks includes a small lightweight auxiliary power plant which includes an engine, an electrical alternator, water pump, air conditioning compressor, and heat exchanger mounted on the tractor or truck for providing auxiliary power for the electrical system when the truck engine is not running. In the Willis U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,901 a compact auxiliary power system for heavy duty diesel engines and methods is provided while the Whittaker U.S. patent application Publication No. 2003/0070849 provides an auxiliary power unit for vehicles. The Wurtele U.S. Pat. No. 7,245,033 is an auxiliary heating and air conditioning unit for diesel powered transport vehicles while the Nijjar et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,170 is an auxiliary power system for trucks and other heavy duty vehicles. The Eckstein et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,448,157 is an auxiliary power unit for vehicles.
These prior art auxiliary power units are typically mounted on the truck for providing power to the truck for driving the heating and air conditioning systems without leaving the truck's main engine running. Auxiliary power units have also been utilized in emergency vehicles for providing emergency power. Typically, these vehicles obtain their power from the main engine of the vehicle. Currently, the main engine needs to be idling to keep the auxiliary batteries charged.
The present invention on the other hand is directed towards a separate auxiliary power supply for the tractor trailer to keep the trailer operational for loading and unloading when the truck is disconnected from the trailer. It also prevents idling the tractor engine which typically consumes one gallon per hour while the auxiliary power unit consumes 0.1 gallon per hour and only runs when the batteries are low and shuts off when they are charged.


A take-off element (10) for the gentle treatment of thread and for simple handling comprises two parts (11, 12), wherein at least one of said parts is arranged so as to be adjustable in longitudinal direction relative to the other. Whereas one of the parts 11 has a longitudinal slit for receiving a thread, the other part is provided with a head (34) extending on one side away from the shaft (35), the head being movable from the outside to the thread-receiving opening (26) in order to close the opening and away therefrom in order to clear the opening. The head (34) has an oblique surface (37) which is disposed to close the thread-receiving opening (26). The new take-off element (10) does not have a hook and thus does not exhibit any problem regarding process reliability. Its part (12) has a robust slider head, thus avoiding potential deformations on the head. Considering process reliability, the take-off element (10) permits a perfect insertion and removal of the comb thread (25) of a knit fabric.

The invention relates to a take-off element for a take-off comb for a knitting machine or loop-forming machine.
In a knitting machine or loop-forming machine the stitches must be pulled off the needles after the stitch-forming operation. Frequently, a take-off comb is used for the start of the knit fabric. This comb is disposed to grasp the first row of stitches and pull them away from the knitting site in a controlled manner.
Such a take-off comb has been known, for example, from DE 10 2006 005 384 A. This comb comprises take-off elements that are held in a base body and are oriented parallel to each other, whereby said elements are provided with a head at their ends. This head acts as a hook. A slider is accommodated in the take-off element so as to be movable in longitudinal direction. This slider has a sharp end pointing at the head, which end can be pushed toward the head and away therefrom in order to close or open a thread-enclosing space.
A similar take-off element is known from EP 0 477 484 B1. In this case the take-off element provided with a head accommodates a slider that has a finger-like extension. The take-off element is provided with an opening that is diagonally oriented to the longitudinal direction and is delimited on parallel flanks, whereby the finger-like extension may extend through said opening in order to close or clear a thread-enclosing space.
The same literature reference also discloses a thread-take-off element that uses a hook supported in the thread take-off element for thread enclosure. This hook is provided on a slider. The hook tip may be pushed in or out of the thread-receiving space.
Furthermore, such an arrangement has been known from DE 40 03 667 C2. Again, a slider supported in the take-off element and being provided on the end side with a hook is used for grasping and releasing the thread.
When such take-off combs and take-off elements are used, neither the threads nor the take-off elements are to be subjected to excessive stress or even damage.


The gearbox lock mechanism for a post bole auger has a collar coupled to a lower end of a right angle gearbox, the collar rotatable upon operation of the gearbox. The collar comprises a semi-circular outer edge and a fiat side. A male-threaded nipple extends from the collar and threads onto the auger shaft. A lock bar is coupled to the gearbox and acts as a positive lock to lock the collar in place for removal of the shaft from the gearbox. The lock bar is rotatable from a locked position whereby the lock bar is aligned with and contactable with the flat side of the outer edge of the collar, to an unlocked position whereby the lock bar does not contact the flat side of the outer edge of the collar.

A post hole digger attaches to the standard three point hitch of the tractor is powered by the tractor's power take-off (PTO). The digger comprises an auger without protrusions or other extending parts above the fighting of the auger, to reduce the possibility of a user becoming ensnared during use of the digger.
A gearbox translates rotation from the PTO shaft to the auger. In a traditional post hole digger, the auger's shaft attaches to the gearbox via a cross bolt that extends perpendicularly through the shaft. The cross bolt has the disadvantage of protruding from the shaft, and causing potential harm to a user. The digger of the present disclosure removes this disadvantage by providing a threaded fitting between the shaft and the gearbox. However, a threaded fitting on the rotating shaft provides an additional challenge When the auger needs to be removed from the gearbox.
The gearbox lock mechanism of the present disclosure comprises a collar coupled to a lower end of the gearbox, the collar rotatable upon operation of the gearbox. The collar comprises a semi-circular outer edge and a flat side. A male-threaded nipple extends from the collar and threads into the auger shaft. A lock bar is coupled to the gearbox and acts as a positive lock to lock the collar in place for removal of the shaft from the gearbox. The lock bar is rotatable from a locked position whereby the lock bar is aligned with and contactable with the flat side of the outer edge of the collar, to an unlocked position whereby the lock bar does not contact the flat side of the outer edge of the collar.
For purposes of summarizing the invention, certain aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention have been described herein. It is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any one particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.


An internal combustion engine (1010 or 2000) is provided. The internal combustion engine includes a housing (1013 or 1068) and a piston assembly (6, 1012, and 2038) disposed in the housing. The piston assembly is substantially stationary relative to the housing. A cylinder (1, 1014, and 2040) is movably disposed within the housing. A combustion chamber (20, 1033, and 2064) is disposed between the piston assembly and the cylinder.

As is well known in the art, an internal combustion engine is a machine for converting heat energy into mechanical work. In an internal combustion engine, a fuel-air mixture that has been introduced into a combustion chamber is compressed as a piston slides within the chamber. A high voltage for ignition is applied to a spark plug installed in the combustion chamber to generate an electric spark to ignite the fuel-air mixture. The resulting combustion pushes the piston downwardly within the chamber, thereby producing a force that is convertible to a rotary output.
Such internal combustion engines have a variety of problems. First, because of the multitude of moving parts, such engines are costly to assemble. Further, because of the moving parts, such engines are subjected to a shortened useful life due to frictional wear between the moving parts. Further still, because of the multiple parts, such engines are heavy. Further yet, previously developed internal combustion engines do not sufficiently harness all available energy contained in exhaust gases prior to discharge of the exhaust gases to the environment, thereby decreasing efficiency. Additionally, previously developed engines base the opening of a waste gate valve on back pressure alone, and not upon a power setting of the engine or the RPM of the engine, thereby decreasing the effectiveness of the waste gate valve. Further still, previously developed internal combustion engines do not direct injected fuel upon the exhaust valves, thereby leading to premature failure of the exhaust valve and/or increased cost expended in designing and cooling the exhaust valve. In addition, previously developed internal combustion engines do not permit the locating of a spark plug or injector in the pistons of the engine, thereby limiting the placement of these devices to potentially less desirable locations.
Thus, there exists a need for an internal combustion engine that not only produces a high power-to-weight ratio, but is also economical to manufacture, has a high degree of reliability, has fewer moving parts than the reciprocating engines currently available, and is efficient.

Reciprocating internal combustion engine


The invention involves a control circuit for a switch unit of a clocked power supply circuit, the switch unit being designed to effect input-side excitation of a resonant transformer arrangement, and comprises an input for receiving an auxiliary signal from the resonant transformer arrangement. The invention also includes a resonance converter that enables independent control of frequency and turn-on moments, or duty cycle, and thus enables a particularly efficient operation of the resonance converter, and a particularly precise regulation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a control circuit for a switch unit of a clocked power supply circuit as well as to a resonance converter, specifically to a regulated resonance converter.
2. Description of Prior Art
In a multitude of applications, it is required to generate an output voltage or an output current because of an input-side energy source, it typically being required to regulate the output voltage, the output current or the output power.
Solutions which are current today in terms of operating regulated power supply units are flyback converters with galvanic separation, or galvanic isolation. What is disadvantageous is the high level of power dissipation of conventional transformers which arises here, as well as the structural height of conventional electromagnetic transformers, which is several millimeters and is a factor of interference for small powers of up to about 100 Watts, but in particular up to 10 Watts. These disadvantages may be remedied by employing higher-cost planar transformers or integrated magnetic devices (so-called integrated magnetics), by means of which the structural height of such power supplies may indeed be reduced, but the efficiency factor can be influenced to a lesser extent, however, in particular with very small powers of up to 10 Watts. Common flyback converter solutions, however, are advantageous in that output voltage regulation of a precision of about 10% may be achieved by a so-called primary current regulation in that only the switch current (primary current) is observed and used for regulating the output voltage and/or the output current. Please see DE 10143016A1 for details.
A remedy having the goal of reducing the structural height and improving the efficiency factor may be provided by a resonance converter using a piezo transformer. With appropriate dimensioning, said resonance converter has a high efficiency factor of 97% to 99% and can be limited to a structural height of 1 to 5 mm in the entire power range of up to 100 Watts, whereas conventional transformers have structural heights of between 7 mm and 15 mm in this power range. Integrated magnetics may achieve smaller structural heights, for example between about 3 mm and 10 mm, but the efficiency factor of the magnetic transformers mostly does not exceed 90% for powers below 10 Watts. In addition, the technological basic expense for constructing integrated magnetics in the power range below about 50 Watts is clearly too high in comparison with a discretely structured circuit.
The mechanical dimensions of the footprint of the piezotrafo (PT) are dependent on the frequency and may be reduced to values of between 10 mm and 40 mm in the power range mentioned if an expedient frequency range is selected for such applications (e.g. 25 to 500 kHz).
If a half-bride topology or a push-pull topology is used for such a resonance converter, regulation of the output voltage mostly is possible only by feeding back the voltage via a galvanically separating optocoupler or by another galvanically separating device when a primary-action resonant circuit having oscillations is used between an input-side magnetic choke coil and the input capacitance of the piezo transformer (PT).
One has known of various solutions wherein phase shifts between a load quantity (load current) and a voltage quantity of the switch unit in resonance converters are utilized for regulating the output voltage, the output power or the output current.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,214 proposes to detect the voltage present across a switch unit, for example in a resonant half-bridge or bridge converter, and to compare the phase position of turning on or off, or switching on or off, this voltage with the phase position of the load alternating current. A phase difference is determined from a comparison of a zero crossing of the load current, which is detected by a sense resistor either in the switch unit or in the load circuit, and the switching signal of the switch voltage (to close or to open the switch). The phase difference is compared with a target phase and fed back, via a regulator, to a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) which controls the switch unit. Such a load circuit may operate with low or high Q, so that the phase difference reflects the power supplied to the load.
Mostly, however, regulation is used with low Q of the load circuit, so that the load circuit does not represent a sinusoidal current source in every case, but may also represent a different periodic alternating source. However, a disadvantage of this configuration is that even though the power present at a load fed with alternating current may be regulated via this phase shaft and/or phase difference, the load-circuit elements L and C must be known with a relatively high level of precision for a certain power to be set. If, however, the value of L is not known, the power cannot be adjusted in an exact manner.
In accordance with DE 696 04 896 T2, the phase position of the output voltage of a piezo transformer (piezoelectric converter) is compared to the phase position of its input voltage so as to set (adjust, or regulate) a predetermined value of the phase position that will guarantee optimum efficiency of the converter (luminosity of a cold cathode tube) and, at the same time, constant output power (luminosity) of the converter, which is maintained irrespective of input voltage fluctuations. However, the input voltage range is limited, and the transformation ratio, or transmission ratio, of the converter causes an upward transformation. Therefore, what needs to be detected in addition to the phase signal between input voltage and output voltage is the output current so as to maintain the output power of the load connected (cold cathode tube) at a constant level. Thus, two feedback circuits are required which also do not achieve galvanic separation between input and output.
In accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,969, a load alternating current is again detected, and the phase position thereof is compared with the voltage present at the switch unit so as to operate, via a regulator (integrator), a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) for controlling the switch unit (drive circuit) in a closed loop. Use is made of an input-side boost converter which causes signal matching toward the input, so that the output power is maintained at a constant level and/or so that different loads can be operated within a wide range of load resistances and input voltages. However, in addition to a phase detector, which compares the phase between a switch voltage and a load current, a rectifying circuit is also used, which resistively loads the tapping of the load (sense resistor), and which would thus corrupt the signal of the load circuit if one wanted to couple out, or extract, or tap, this phase signal from the piezo transformer itself. Therefore, one cannot achieve galvanic separation between the load and the input without using an additional optocoupler or another galvanically separating coupling circuit, which is also not required in the application set forth in the document mentioned.
Similarly, in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,755 B1, a phase comparison between an input voltage curve of a PT and the input current curve (possibly using a load compensation circuit for correcting the phase curve of the input current of the PT by means of the load current at the output of the PT in the load) forms the signal for driving a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) via a low-pass filter. The output load current is detected, in addition, to generate a burst-mode pulse width modulation (burst-mode PWM), which maintains this current at a constant level. Regulating the oscillator frequency via the phase comparison servers to drive the PT in an optimum manner and at a high level of efficiency. The phase position between the input voltage and the input current of the PT is always regulated to a maximum. The pulse width modulation (PWM) has a lower frequency, and it either connects the VCO through to the output, or it switches it off so as to thus maintain the output current at a constant level on average.
In a further solution in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,139, a phase difference between a target signal (e.g. a signal of a capacitive current as a phase-related input voltage mapping) and the current present at the input of the PT is used for driving a VCO, wherein subsequently, the duty cycle of the signal is generated via the evaluation of the output voltage by means of an error comparator. Thus, the VCO is generally driven by a phase difference between the input voltage and the input current or between the input voltage and the output current. The output voltage or the output current, on the other hand, are used to set the associated duty cycle of the driver circuit. However, by doing this, a current from the transformation network of the PT is not included in the regulation, so that a galvanic separation of this circuit without galvanically separating feedback elements is not possible, since a output quantity, or variable, is always required for regulation (frequency and duty cycle). Galvanic separation is not envisaged in the solution mentioned. As regards the galvanic separation, the same applies as with the solution in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,348,755 B1.
A similar solution is shown in EP 0 782 374, wherein a phase difference between the input voltage and the output voltage serves to control a VCO, and wherein the output current sets the duty cycle via a pulse width generation. This circuit is also not suitable for galvanic separation without feeding-back elements from the output to the input.
In another solution as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,239,558 B1, an alternating output current present at the load, or a current flowing through the load is detected, and the detected signal is rectified so as to operate a regulator via the comparison with a reference signal.
Another configuration of the prior art has used the detection of the load current of the load network, and has compared its phase position with the switching signal present at the switch unit, for example with the phase position of the turn-off moment, or turn-off instant (Yan Yin; Zane: "Digital Controller design for electronic ballasts with phase control", PESC 2004, Vol. 3, pp 1855ff, 20-25 Jun. 2004, Aachen, proceedings).
In addition, there are solutions for detecting the voltage present at the load, and/or of the current flowing through the load, wherein a phase difference as compared with the voltage signal present at the converter input is formed from one of these signals so as to control or to regulate the power, the voltage or the current present at the load. In accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,968, a signal which is proportional to the alternating output voltage is fed back and is compared to the phase of the switching signal of a driving VCO. Optionally, a rectified signal which is proportional to the output voltage is detected and is used for regulating the output voltage or power in addition to the fed-back phase signal.
All of these configurations have in common that only a current or a voltage of the load network is compared with a voltage quantity or a turn-on and/or turn-off quantity of the switch unit, which may be observed at the switch unit.
Thus, previous solutions have made use of a phase shift between a quantity, or variable, of the switch unit and a magnitude of the load current in the load network as a basis of regulating the load. This configuration, however, entails major disadvantages. On the one hand, in a load resonant circuit of low Q in the normal load operation, or nominal load operation, a distortion of the ohmic load current by a dynamic non-linear load (for example CCFL, FL, HID lamps) as compared with the parallel capacitive current (for example a heating circuit capacitor) renders such a regulation via such a phase shift too imprecise, so that another solution in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,214 has often been selected instead. With light applications (fluorescent lamps), galvanic separation between the load and the source is not required in most cases, so that a feedback need not be effected via an insulating transformer. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,214 would also be applicable with a galvanically separating transformer arranged toward the load, since what is dealt with is an alternating current load, and since a symmetrical half-bridge circuit forms the switch unit. For direct current loads connected downstream from a rectifier bridge with a buffer capacitor, this circuit might react no longer to dynamic changes to the load in such a manner that it is known, by means of the phase position determined, whether only a dynamic load current for loading the buffer capacitance flows via the rectifier, or whether the load has increased permanently. In this case, the output voltage is not so easy to regulate in a dynamic manner.
In addition, the submitted contribution for the IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics of Sep. 7, 2004 entitled "Digital Controller Design for Electronic Ballast with Phase Control" describes a transformational detection of the load current (i.e. a detection performed by a transformer). It is suggested to compare the zero crossing of this load current with the zero crossing of only the active current in the load with regard to their phase shift, and thus to set a constant level of power at the load by means of a constant phase difference thus detected. However, what is disadvantageous is that it is necessary to generate the load current from an additional device which acts as a transformer and is not already included in the load circuit.
In accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,968, in addition, a signal directly detected from the output voltage is rectified, if need be, which gives rise to a power loading at the output. Said power loading is acceptable only with upward-transforming applications so as to keep respective losses within certain limits. With downward-transforming applications, however, a loading at the auxiliary output by a resistive load or a rectification is problematic, since one would have to keep the voltage at a correspondingly low level to realize low-loss tapping. Consequently, however, the signal-to-noise ratio is too small to be able to evaluate the auxiliary signal in a reliable manner. In addition, however, the phase signal which has been coupled out from an auxiliary tapping of a piezo transformer is compared only with a phase signal of the driver circuit (turn-on moment or turn-off moment) so as to achieve a phase regulation. For this purpose, in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,968, an adapted phase rotation across, for example, an RC network is used so as to couple the frequency of the oscillator of the driver circuit of a piezo converter to the frequency of the piezo transformer by means of a phase linking. At the same time, however, the turn-on time is fixedly set (to about 40%) so as to achieve a zero-voltage switching (ZVS) across a sufficiently large load range. If, however, the input voltage is also changed on a large scale, the publication mentioned offers no satisfying solution. Even though a PLL function is used, the turn-on point is suboptimal in the solution presented when a load change in the broad range is added to by a major change of the input voltage. In addition, it is not possible to detect, via the phase signal of the output or of the auxiliary output which has thus been generated, whether zero-voltage switching (ZVS) is still possible, or whether, for example with a small load and a high input voltage, the relative turn-on time approaches zero, so that continuous operation is no longer possible, and so that one would have to switch to burst mode.
It is also desirable to use the phase signal of an auxiliary tapping—the phase signal being proportional to the output voltage or having a fixed mathematical relationship therewith—not only in a PLL loop for an alternating current load so as to set an approximately constant output current or a constant power, but to obtain, also at direct current loads operated by a rectifier at the output of a piezo transformer, a statement, which is independent of the input voltage, about the magnitude of the load by evaluating a suitable phase angle.
If, as is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,866,968, however, the moment of switching the switch unit of the converter is compared with the phase position of the output signal (for example of the output voltage), one will obtain a transformation behavior which is dependent on the input voltage and is set to a maximally transferable power and to an optimum efficiency factor of the piezo transformer. In many cases, however, the transformation behavior desired, for example in the over-resonant frequency range, is one which indeed signifies a slightly smaller efficiency factor, but does not entail any increased losses and thus enables the output voltage to be regulated by means of a frequency change without requiring, with smaller loads than the nominal load of the piezo transformer, a burst mode control, which signifies additional oscillation-buildup losses and increased buffer capacitance at the output.
In addition, one method of the load detection which is independent of the input voltage is applicable only if one can unambiguously detect the load current in the switch unit, with regard to its phase position, in its relation to the phase position of the resistive and reactive portions, respectively, of the currents and/or voltages present at the load, so that currents which are superimposed at the input side or at the load network side do not corrupt the zero crossing of the load current which is detected, for example, in the switch unit of a converter, or so that it becomes possible to unambiguously determine and correct this corruption.
In a half-bridge circuit, an input-side corruption of the load current detection in terms of its phase position is impossible whenever at least one of the switches exhibits a parallel capacitance which is shorted in the turn-on interval, and whenever the load current—in the event that such a switch is turned on—flows exclusively through this switch rather than through further parallel or serial reactive elements which are inserted in the load circuit and which otherwise would dissipate some of the load current in parallel with the switch. However, should such reactive elements be present, a correction of the phase position of the load current detected in at least one switch is necessary, so that one may infer from this the resulting phase position of the load, only part of which is detected accurately in the switch.
So far, there have been no fundamental technical solutions and suggestions for this which enable operation of various topologies of a load resonance converter using one and the same control principle.
In addition, systematic detection of further resonance networks of a resonance converter by means of a control circuit, in addition to the load resonance network, is a task which has not been solved to date, which represents its influence on the regulation and control behavior, for example when a phase difference is to be evaluated as a regulated or controlled variable. In addition, there has so far been no useful technical solution to using a load circuit at the same time for supplying the control circuit when no additional auxiliary tappings are to be provided for supplying the control power and when, at the same time, the load current is not to be corrupted by such an auxiliary current supply with regard to its detection in terms of amplitude and phase position.
Furthermore, there has so far been no technical solution to detecting a variable proportional to the output voltage, in a manner in which it is galvanically separate from the output, such that it is neither electrically connected to a potential of the output voltage nor to a potential of the input voltage at the same time, but may be evaluated at any electrical potential desired, so that the two input electrodes may be guided via a voltage supply circuit, connected upstream from the piezo transformer, for supplying the control circuit, rather than also having to be connected, for example, at the reference potential of the control circuit, which is required for evaluating this auxiliary voltage proportional to an output voltage, the detection being irrespective of whether the output voltage is a pure alternating voltage or a trapezoid or oblong alternating voltage which acts toward the load via a rectifying circuit, and the amplitude of which corresponds to the direct load voltage.
In addition, the detection of the input voltage of power-transmitting converters mostly is implemented by an ohmic resistive divider which requires two highly resistive divider resistors and thus requires an additional terminal at a control IC or an additional terminal at an analog discrete evaluation circuit. Therefore, it is desirable to detect the input voltage indirectly via other signals and variables from the switch unit or the load circuit.
In summary, it may thus be stated that galvanically separated regulation of the output voltage is achieved only at great expense in conventional voltage supply circuits.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Control circuit for a switch unit of a clocked power supply circuit, and resonance converter

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerferung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.


A closed loop DC-to-DC converter circuit that includes an open loop DC-to-DC converter circuit configured to provide charge on its output terminal. A voltage-controlled inverse-resistance component is coupled to the output terminal of the open loop DC-to-DC converter circuit, such that the greater the voltage differential across the component, the lower the resistance provided by the component. A feedback system provides a signal to a control terminal of the open-loop DC-to-DC converter circuit that is dependent on the current provided through the voltage-controlled inverse-resistance component. Specifically, the signal provided by the feedback system causes the open loop DC-to-DC converter circuit to generate more current on the output terminal when there is less current passing through the voltage-controlled inverse-resistance component, and less or no current on the output terminal when there is more current passing through the voltage-controlled inverse-resistance component.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic circuitry and, more particularly, to closed loop Direct Current (DC) to DC current converters.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Many typical integrated semiconductor devices operate using standard supply voltages that are set to promote reliability and performance for a given technology. For example, semiconductor circuits typically have access to a relatively low supply voltage (often referred to as VSS) and to a relatively high supply voltage (often referred to as VDD). However, it is often advantageous to provide even higher supply voltages for high voltage devices. For example, a high voltage transistor may be added to the standard Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) process to allow for switching of higher voltages than the standard technology is designed to handle. As an additional example, embedded Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read-Only-Memory (EEPROM) may be added to the standard CMOS technology. EEPROMs typically use higher voltages to program and erase than provided by the standard technology.
Direct Current (DC) to Direct Current (DC) converters (also referred to herein as "DC-to-DC converters") up-convert the supply voltages when higher voltages are needed. There are several conventional DC-to-DC converter types, most of which have high output impedances. Therefore, DC-to-DC converters are typically designed to generate a higher voltage than needed. The output DC voltage of the DC-to-DC converter is thus regulated to a desired voltage by a feedback system. An example of such a DC-to-DC converter is illustrated in FIG. 2 as closed loop DC-to-DC converter 200.
The closed loop DC-to-DC converter 200 includes an open loop DC-to-DC converter 210, an output capacitor 220, and a feedback system 230. The open loop DC-to-DC converter 210 is capable of using the standard high voltage reference VDD to generate an even higher output voltage Vout on its output terminal OUT. If the open loop DC-to-DC converter 210 is operating at maximum power continuously, then its output voltage Vout will be higher than needed. The feedback system 230 enables and disables the open loop DC-to-DC converter 210 as appropriate so that the output voltage Vout is regulated about its desired value.
The feedback system 230 includes a series of two resistors 231 and 232 and a comparator 233. The two resistors 231 and 232 are configured in series between the output terminal OUT and ground so as to voltage divide the output voltage Vout. The negative input terminal of the comparator 233 receives the voltage divided voltage from between the resistors 231 and 232. The positive input terminal of the comparator 233 receives a reference voltage Vref. If the output voltage Vout, is below its desired value, then the reference voltage Vref is greater than the voltage divided voltage. In that case, the comparator 233 enables (or causes to remain enabled) the open loop DC-to-DC converter 210 thereby increasing the output voltage Vout. If the output voltage Vout is above its desired value, then the voltage divided voltage is greater than the reference voltage Vref. In that case, the comparator 233 disables (or causes to remain disabled) the open loop DC-to-DC converter 210 thereby decreasing the output voltage Vout as charge drains through the resistors 231 and 232.
The closed loop DC-to-DC converter 200 requires a reference voltage Vref, which requires additional power and additional layout area on the integrated chips. Furthermore, the resistors 231 and 232 places a load on the DC-to-DC converter 200 since, as previously mentioned, current drains through the resistors 231 and 232 regardless of the output voltage Vout level. DC-to-DC converters typically have low power efficiencies so the current drain on the high supply voltage Vout will be several times greater than the current drain through the resistors 231 and 232.
Accordingly, what would be advantageous would be a DC-to-DC converter that has a regulated closed loop feedback system that does not require a reference voltage and that reduced the load on the output of the DC-to-DC converter.

Closed loop direct current to direct current converter that does not require voltage reference


A system and a method for two-shot molding a crash pad, in which a passenger side air bag (PAB) door region is more flexible than other regions is disclosed. The system includes a first resin supply unit, a second resin supply unit, a temperature sensor mounted on a predetermined position of a mold, adjacent to a target material interface, and a controller for controlling a time at which to supply the second resin into the passenger side air bag region based on a detection signal from the temperature sensor. This system is cost effective and can maintain a uniform interface between different types of materials.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for two-shot molding a crash pad in which a passenger side air bag door region is more flexible than other regions.
2. Description of the Related Art
A crash pad is an interior part, which is disposed in front of a driver's seat and is also called an instrument panel or a dashboard. A crash pad is typically fabricated using a two-shot molding method, in which two types of resins are sequentially poured into a mold, so that a passenger side air bag door ("PAB door") can be more flexible than other regions of the crash pad.
When conventional two-shot molding is used to form a crash pad, a groove is formed by a second resin feed line in the surface of the central portion of the PAB door. In order to improve the aesthetic appearance, a cap or trim piece must be used to conceal the groove. However, the addition of such a cap to the PAB door makes it difficult to reduce the cost of the part.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known to a person skilled in the art.

System and method for two-shot molding crash pad


An implant for repairing a joint between a first bone and a second bone includes a first section constructed of a substantially rigid material and a graft constructed of soft tissue having a first end and a second end. The first section has a first end surface configured for positioning against the first bone. The graft is configured for stabilizing the first section relative to the first bone. A first fastener is configured for mounting to the graft and the first section to anchor the graft to the first section. A second fastener is configured for mounting to the graft and the first bone to anchor the graft to the first bone.

During a surgical procedure, tissue is either intentionally or accidentally displaced, torn, or fractured to create a pathway to a desired operation site. In doing so, this tissue is damaged to a point where it may not function properly. After the intended surgical procedure or implantation is performed at the operation site, the skin incision is approximated. Currently, however, the other tissue like the muscles, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, bones, etc. which were damaged to create the pathway are not necessarily repaired or reconstructed. For example, following spinal surgery, a frequent complication is late instability where there is shearing antero-posteriorly or superior inferiorly due to excess motion because the ligaments have been damaged during surgical exposure. This complication may lead to degenerative disc disease and lower back pain.
Various methods and devices have been disclosed for repairing tissue. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,425,919 issued to Lambrecht discloses a disc herniation constraining device for implantation into the disc. The constraining device includes a fastener, a barrier, and a support member connecting the fastener and barrier. The barrier closes a defect in the annulus of the disc, while the fastener supports the position of the barrier. The barrier is placed between the annulus and the nucleus of the disc. The barrier may include a sealant and an enlarger.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,625 issued to Cauthen discloses a collapsible patch which is inserted through a surgical incision or rupture of the annulus. The patch is positioned within the subannular space. The patch expands to bridge the incision or rupture thereby occluding the aperture from the interior of the disc and preventing migration of nucleus pulposus.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,679,889 issued to West, Jr. et al discloses a method and apparatus of repairing the anterior cruciate ligament. The device enables the surgeon to independently apply a desired tensile load onto individual strands of a multiple-stranded soft tissue graft. The device is equipped with structure for fastening or otherwise attaching the device to a patient's limb during the conditioning and pre-tensioning procedure.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,699,286 issued to Sklar discloses methods and apparatus of making repairs with graft ligaments. The method for graft ligament reconstruction includes harvesting a graft ligament consisting entirely of soft tissue. The graft ligament is compacted through compression so as to significantly reduce the cross-sectional area and increase the density of the collagen material of the graft ligament. The compressed graft ligament is deployed within the human body.
Various methods and devices have been disclosed for inserting an implant within the body. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,438 issued to Stone discloses a mesh skirt to anchor a prosthetic intervertebral disc. The implant includes a dry, porous, volume matrix of biocompatible and bioabsorbable fibers which may be interspersed with glyscosaminoglycan molecules. The matrix is adapted to have an outer surface contour substantially the same as that of a natural intervertebral disc. A mesh member extends from the lateral surface of the implant. After implantation, the mesh member may be sutured to adjacent tissue to anchor the disc in place. The mesh member may function in this capacity until sufficient tissue ingrowth occurs to provide that function.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,531 issued to Trieu discloses a spinal implant which is anchored using a device having an elongated anchoring body, such as an anchoring rod, and at least one securing member attached to the anchoring rod. The anchoring body or rod is configured to anchor, hold, or otherwise retain a spinal implant. The securing members are spaced apart along the length of the anchoring rod and may define a region for disposing an implant therebetween. The anchoring rod has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is securable to an adjacent vertebra.
Once tissue has been repaired or an implant has been inserted within the body, the repaired region and surrounding tissue may be stabilized to enhance healing. U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,585 issued to Lange discloses a spine stabilization system including a flexible member attachable to a portion of the spinal column. The member includes components that are oriented and function similar to the natural fiber orientation of the anterior longitudinal ligament and annulus tissue. The use of components resist loading applied by extension and rotation of the spine, while the flexibility of the member does not subject it to the compressive loading of the spinal column segment to which it is attached.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,293,949 issued to Justis et al. discloses a device for stabilizing the spinal column. The device includes a longitudinal member sized to span a distance between at least two vertebral bodies and being at least partially formed of a shape-memory material exhibiting pseudoelastic characteristics at about human body temperature. The longitudinal member is reformed from an initial configuration to a different configuration in response to the imposition of stress caused by relative displacement between the vertebral bodies, and recovers toward the initial configuration when the stress is removed to thereby provide flexible stabilization to the spinal column.
There exists a need for devices and methods for repairing, reconstructing, augmenting, and securing tissue or an implant during surgery and "on the way out" after surgery has been performed at an intended operation site. Upon completion of the intended surgery, tissue may be compressed to other tissue or an implant to improve healing. Hard tissue, for example, may require rigid fixation while soft tissue to require flexible fixation. The repair, reconstruction, and augmentation of tissue and the securing of implants "on the way out" of the body after performing a surgical procedure creates a stabilized and enhanced healing environment

Devices and methods for stabilizing tissue and implants


There is a need for solutions that classification solutions in hierarchical prediction domains. This need can be addressed by, for example, performing one or more online machine learning, co-occurrence analysis machine learning, structured fusion machine learning, and unstructured fusion machine learning. In one example, structured predictions inputs are processed in accordance with an online machine learning analysis to generate structurally hierarchical predictions and in accordance with a co-occurrence analysis machine learning analysis to generate structurally non-hierarchical predictions. Then, the structurally hierarchical predictions and the structurally non-hierarchical predictions in accordance with processed by a structured fusion model to generate structure-based predictions. Afterward, the structure-based predictions and non-structure-based predictions are processed in accordance with an unstructured fusion model to generate one or more unstructured-fused predictions.

Various embodiments of the present invention address technical challenges related to performing classification in hierarchical prediction domains. Existing classification systems are ill-suited to efficiently and reliably perform classification in hierarchical prediction domains. Various embodiments of the present invention address the shortcomings of the noted existing classification systems and disclose various techniques for efficiently and reliably performing classification in hierarchical prediction domains.

Classification in hierarchical prediction domains


Apparatus and method for sub-ambient cooling using thermoelectric element dynamics in conjunction with pulsed electrical power and selectively enabled thermal coupling to the cold sink. In one form, Peltier devices are dynamically enabled using pulses of electrical power while the thermal path between the cold side of the Peltier device and the cold sink is selectively switched in relative synchronism between conductive states responsive to the dynamics of the Peltier device temperatures. Switched coupling of the thermal connection between the cold sink and the Peltier device materially improves efficiency by decoupling Joule heating and conductive heat transfer losses otherwise conveyed from the Peltier device. Preferable implementations utilizes MEMS to accomplish the selective thermal switching, whereby sub-ambient cooling capacity is increased by parallel operation of multiple Peltier devices and MEMS switches.

Sub-ambient cooling is conventionally accomplished through gas/liquid vapor compression based refrigeration cycles using Freon type refrigerants to implement the heat transfers. Such refrigeration systems are used extensively for cooling human residences, foods, and vehicles. Sub-ambient cooling is also often used with major electronic systems such as mainframe computers. Though vapor compression cooling can be very efficient, it does require significant moving hardware, including at a minimum, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, and related coolant transfer plumbing. As a result of the complexity and associated high cost, vapor compression cooling has not found material acceptance in small cooling applications, for example personal computers.
The fact that CMOS logic can operate materially faster as the temperature decreases has been well known for at least ten years. For example, if CMOS logic devices are operated at -50.degree. C., the performance is improved by 50 percent over room ambient temperature operation. Liquid nitrogen operating temperatures, in the range of -196.degree. C., have shown 200 percent performance improvements. Similar benefits have shown to accrue for integrated circuit wiring, where metal wiring resistances decrease by a factor of 2 for integrated circuits operated at -50.degree. C. in comparison to room ambient operation. This improvement rivals the recent technological breakthrough of using copper wiring in integrated circuits to reduce interconnect resistance and thereby effectively increase the operating frequencies attainable. Thus, sub-ambient operation of integrated circuit logic devices, such as field effect transistors, as well as the interconnect wiring can materially improve the integrated circuit performance, leaving the question of how to accomplish such cooling in the confines of an ever decreasing size and materially shrinking cost environment.
Thermoelectric cooling is one alternative that has found some usage given the compact size of the prevalently used Peltier devices. Peltier device thermoelectric cooling is also very reliable in that the cooling is totally solid state. The key negative aspect of thermoelectric cooling is the inefficiency, wherein a Peltier device cooling system efficiency is commonly only in the range of 20 percent for a relatively nominal temperature drop between the cold sink and the ambient. For example to cool at the rate of one watt at a sub-ambient temperature of 0.degree. C. the Peltier cooling system must be powered with 5 watts. As the amount of heat to be transferred increases, the total power to be dissipated into the ambient mandates large convection devices and high output power supply circuits. Therefore, Peltier device thermoelectric cooling has not been considered a broadly applicable technology for improving integrated circuit performance.
To understand how the present invention improves thermoelectric cooling efficiency it is necessary to understand why Peltier device thermoelectric cooling is inefficient. A Peltier device is fabricated from semiconductor material such as bismuth telluride or lead telluride. Though new materials are now being evaluated in various universities, they have yet to reach fruition. The commonly used Peltier materials exhibit very high electrical conductivity and relatively low thermal conductivity, in contrast to normal metals which have both high electrical and thermal conductivity. In operation the Peltier devices transport electrons from a cold sink, at temperature T.sub.cold, to a hot sink, at temperature T.sub.hot, in response to an electric field formed across the Peltier device. However, there are other mechanisms affecting Peltier device efficiency, which mechanisms degrade the net transport of the heat energy from the cold sink to the hot sink.
FIG. 1 schematically depicts a conventional Peltier type thermoelectric element (TE) 1 with DC power supply 2 created the electric field across TE 1 while at a load current 3. The desired heat transfer is from cold sink 4, at temperature T.sub.cold, to hot sink 6, at temperature T.sub.hot. As indicated in the equation of FIG. 1, the net heat energy transported is composed of three elements, the first representing the Peltier effect (thermoelectric) contribution, the second defining negative Joule heating effects, and the third defining negative conductivity effects. The thermoelectric component is composed of the Seebeck coefficient, the temperature of operation (T.sub.cold) and the current being applied. The Joule heating component reflects that roughly half the Joule heating goes to the cold sink and remainder to the hot sink. Lastly, the negative component attributable to thermal conduction represents the heat flow through the Peltier device, as defined by the thermal conductivity of the Peltier device, from the hot sink to the cold sink. See equation (1). EQU q=.alpha.T.sub.cold I-1/2I.sup.2 R-K.DELTA.T (1)
Since the thermoelectric component of the heat transport increases in direct proportion to the current, while the Joule heating increases in proportion to the square of the current, and the thermal conduction is in direct proportion to the hot sink to cold sink temperature difference, the equation clearly reflects how quickly the Peltier device becomes inefficient.
Equation (2) defines a coefficient of performance for the Peltier device. The coefficient is the ratio of the net heat energy transported at low temperature to the power consumed in the Peltier device. For a typical bismuth telluride material Peltier device, the coefficient of performance is less than 0.3. ##EQU1## Note that the numerator of equation (2) represents the net cooling capability of the Peltier device. The denominator of equation (2) represents the total energy provided by external power source 2. The individual elements of the numerator were described earlier. The first term in the denominator is the total Joule heating, while the second term is the heat energy transport work done by the Peltier device in moving energy from the T.sub.cold sink to the T.sub.hot sink. Based upon this relationship, the maximum coefficient of performance possible in the configuration of FIG. 1 is given by equation (3). ##EQU2##
The parameter .gamma. can be expressed in terms of the Seebeck coefficient .alpha., electrical conductivity .sigma. and thermal conductivity .lambda. as set forth in equation (4). ##EQU3##
Note that the first factor in equation (3) is the Carnot efficiency, which is the maximum efficiency possible for any heat pump operating between two temperature sinks T.sub.cold and T.sub.hot. The second factor represents the non-ideal thermoelectric cooling, which can also be characterized by a figure of merit ZT. Note that .pi..sub.max .fwdarw.(T.sub.cold /.DELTA.T) as .gamma..fwdarw..infin..
To date it has been very difficult to develop a thermoelectric material which yields high values of ZT. The prevalent materials for thermoelectric coolers have been bismuth telluride (Bi.sub.2 Te.sub.3) and lead tellurium (PbTe). These materials have ZT values of approximately 0.3 at room temperature. Recent work at universities has shown that ZT values approaching 1 may be possible in lead tellurium quantum wells and multilattices. However, even with these materials, the thermoelectric cooling is not competitive with mechanical vapor compression cooling systems.
Another constraint of Peltier device cooling is the limited temperature excursion below ambient attainable. That limitation arises from the fact that temperature span is constrained by efficiency, a parameter which degrades quickly as the temperature differential increases. The maximum temperature differential possible T.sub.max is given by equation (5). EQU .DELTA.T.sub.max =1/2ZT.sup.2.sub.cold (5)
For bismuth telluride having a ZT of approximately 0.3, T.sub.max is 45.degree. K at 300.degree. K.
Thus, there are a number of very fundamental constraints on efficiency and differential temperature that limit the use of conventional thermoelectric elements for sub-ambient cooling applications.

Thermoelectric cooling with dynamic switching to isolate heat transport mechanisms

International Business Machines Corporation


A temporary support for a mine roof is mounted on a mobile roof bolter, and includes a main support frame pivotably connected to the bolter, a main support beam and a ground contacting beam, both extending along the same axis in front of the main support frame, and connected to each other and to the main support frame by a scissors pivot joint and a leveling pivot joint, respectively. When the scissors pivot joint opens and closes, the main support beam and ground contact beam raise and lower with respect to each other and with respect to the ground. A cross beam is mounted on the main support beam and transverse to the axis thereof, and raises and lowers in the same plane with respect to the mine face, to contact and support the mine roof. For a high lift version, the scissors pivot joint is telescopically extendable.

This invention relates generally to a device for temporarily supporting a mine roof, and more particularly to a temporary roof support device that is mounted on a mobile roof bolter. Temporary roof supports must be capable of being elevated to support a mine roof, and collapsed to a narrow height for easy transport in a mine. Also, temporary roof supports must be capable of being elevated over a wide range of vertical heights, for instance between 60 inches for a standard height version, and up to 96 inches for a high lift version. Prior art devices require bulky equipment mounted on the front of the roof bolter, in order to provide sufficient support strength, resulting in a mobile unit that is front-heavy, and one that lacks a desirable collapsibility and transportability. The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in prior art temporary roof support devices. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide alternatives directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, suitable alternatives are provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

High lift temporary roof support for mines


An adjustment system for a seat including at least one foot adapted to be mounted to the seat, and a slideway having a longitudinal slot configured to receive the foot in a sliding manner. The foot has an expandable mechanism with locking members having symmetric and opposed action relative to a central longitudinal plane. The slideway has a plurality of locking portions. The expandable mechanism has a first position in which the locking members are oriented with a first transverse width such that the expandable mechanism can be introduced into and extracted from the slot. The mechanism has a second position where the locking members have a second transverse width such that a locking member is engaged to a locking portion, thereby immobilizing the foot relative to the slideway. And, the expandable mechanism has an intermediate position where the locking members have a third transverse width such that the locking members are disengaged from the locking portions to permit longitudinal displacement of the foot relative to the slideway, and such that the locking members are retained within the slot.

The invention proposes a system for adjusting the longitudinal position of a subassembly, especially a seat, on the horizontal floor of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle and for blocking the same in adjusted position.
The invention relates more particularly to a system for outfitting the interior of a motor vehicle of the xe2x80x9cone-compartmentxe2x80x9d type, which must embody flexible outfitting capabilities, and especially great modularity, with regard to both the number of removable seats or subassemblies provided in the passenger compartment, and the number of positions that these subassemblies can occupy.
According to a first known design, it has already been suggested that a plurality of series of fastening points be provided on the vehicle floor, each of which series, preferably having four fastening points for the four feet of the seat or of the subassembly, determines a mounting and fixing position.
A system for increasing the modularity of the outfitting of the passenger compartment has already been suggested. Such a system is described and illustrated in, for example, European Patent Application A 0615879, wherein the horizontal floor of the passenger compartment is equipped with at least two parallel rails or slideways which accommodate, in longitudinal sliding manner, guide members in the form of slides, also called shuttles, which guide the longitudinal displacements of the seat and which make it possible to ensure locking of the seat in adjusted longitudinal position, the seat having substantially vertical orienting feet whose lower ends contain means of known design for fastening the seat to the slides or shuttles.
This embodiment permits the modularity to be increased and also permits the longitudinal position of a seat to be adjusted while conserving its orientation and fastening, by shifting the slides.
However, this design relies on using as many pairs of slides or shuttles as correspond to the number of seats to be mounted and, if it is not desired that the slides be visible in the passenger compartment, they must be fitted in the bottom of slideways embedded in the floor, thus making it difficult to fasten a seat to the upper faces of the slides, in that these are not visible and are masked by brush-like means which partly block the central longitudinal slot of the rail-shaped slideway.
The objective of the invention is to propose a new design of an adjustment system of the type mentioned hereinabove, which design permits these disadvantages to be remedied.
Toward this objective, the invention proposes a system characterized in that the lower end of at least one of the feet is equipped with a movable expandable mechanism controlled between:
a first position, defined as engagement or disengagement position, in which two mechanism-locking members with symmetric and opposed action relative to a central longitudinal plane are in inwardly retracted position, in which their transverse width permits vertical introduction or extraction of the mechanism in the slideway via a central longitudinal slot thereof, bounded by two longitudinal and parallel upper rims of the slideway;
and a second extreme position, defined as locking position, in which each of the two locking members is extended transversely outward to face an internal portion of one of the upper rims of the slot, with which they cooperate in fastening, thus vertically and longitudinally immobilizing the foot relative to the slideway; while passing through at least one intermediate position, defined as adjustment position, in which each of the two locking members is extended transversely outward to face the said internal portion of one of the upper rims of the slot, thus vertically retaining the foot relative to the slideway and permitting longitudinal displacements of the foot relative to the slideway.
According to other characteristics of the invention:
the two locking members are two locking levers, each of which is mounted to pivot, in the vicinity of its lower end, around a longitudinal hinge pin, which is supported by the foot and the active upper part of which has a profile complementary to the profile of the internal portion of a rim of the slot of the slideway which faces it;
the upper face of the upper end of each lever is formed into a hook, which cooperates with the lower fastening face of the said internal portion;
the lower fastening face of the said internal portion is provided with a series of longitudinally distributed notches, each of which constitutes a locking catch capable of accommodating the lower hook-shaped end of a locking lever;
the locking levers are biased resiliently toward their extreme locking position;
the lower ends of the two levers are mounted pivotably around a single lower longitudinal pivot which is mounted to slide in a lower central vertical opening and on which there acts a first maneuvering member, and the mechanism has two maneuvering rods, with symmetric and opposed action, each of which is pivoted at its upper end around a single upper longitudinal pivot which is mounted to slide in an upper central vertical opening and on which there acts a second maneuvering member, and each of which is pivoted at its lower end on a locking lever, near the upper end of the latter.
the subassembly is a motor vehicle seat.

System for adjusting the longitudinal position and maintaining therein a motor vehicle seat


An electric motor can include a stator including a plurality of air-gap wound coils supported by a yoke, and a rotor including a permanent magnet array. The air-gap wound coils can be impregnated with a resin containing a plurality of particles, such as ceramic nanoparticles or iron particles. A corresponding control system for an electric motor can include a boost converter, and a reconfigurable multilevel inverter.

Electrical machines convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, or vice versa, and typically consist of a rotor and a stator. The rotor is generally a moving component that can rotate relative to the stator to generate useful force. In conventional arrangements, magnetic fields formed between the rotor and stator interact to generate torque on a rotor shaft, which can be used to drive mechanical devices.
There is a growing interest in applying electric motors to transportation applications such as electric vehicles and airplanes. An important concern for these type of applications (and others) is reducing weight and material use, while still obtaining efficient operation and appropriate overall performance. Further, for motor vehicle applications a motor capable of producing constant power across a wide speed range is often needed.

High frequency electric motor, control system, and method of manufacture

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN


Compounds of formula (I)                 wherein the groups are as defined in the description are disclosed.The compounds of formula (I) are endowed with reversible inhibiting activity of carnitine palmitoyl-transferase and are useful in the preparation of medicaments useful in the pathologies related to a hyperactivity of carnitine polymitoyl-transferase, such as hyperglycemia, diabetes and pathologies related thereto, heart failure, ischemia.

To date, hypoglycaemic therapy is based on the use of drugs having different mechanism of action (Arch. Intern. Med., 1977, 157, 1802-1817).
Insulin and its analogous represent the most used therapy, recurring to the direct hypoglycaemic action of this hormone.
Other compounds act indirectly by stimulating insulin release (sulphonylureas). A different target of hypoglycaemic drugs is represented by the reduction of glucose intestinal absorption through the inhibition of intestinal glucosidases, or by reducing insulin resistance.
Hyperglycaemia is also treated with gluconeogenesis inhibitors, such as biguanides.
Some works have also stressed out the relationship between gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation.
The membrane bound long-chain acylcarnitine transferases, also known as carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT), are widely represented in organs and subcellular organelles (Bieber, L. L. 1988 Ann. Rev. Biochem. 57: 261-83). The well-established role of this category of enzymes is the transport of activated long-chain fatty acids through mitochondrial membranes. In this context, the outer mitochondrial membrane CPT I catalyzes the formation of long.-chain acylcarnitines that are transported across the mitochondrial membrane by a specific carrier, and reconverted into long-chain acyl-coenzyme A esters of CPT II, which resides in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Long-chain acyl-CoAs are then oxidised to acetyl-coenzyme A, which activates a key gluconeogenetic enzyme: pyruvate carboxylase.
Other works report that diabetic patients have high blood levels of fatty acids, whose liver oxidative fate gives rise to an increase of acetyl-coenzyme A, ATP and NADH. High availability of these compounds maximally stimulates gluconeogenesis, which is in part responsible of the elevated glucose blood levels in diabetic patients. CPT inhibition indirectly reduces the extent of liver gluconeogenesis, and hence blood glucose levels.
CPT inhibitors have been disclosed in J. Med. Chem., 1995, 38(18), 3448-50 and in the corresponding European patent application EP 0 574 355 as potential derivatives with hypoglycaemic activity.
Aminocarnitines N-acylated with —COR residue, wherein R is an aliphatic residue with 1 to 19 carbon atoms are disclosed in WO85/04396 useful for investigating the role of transferases in the body, in particular the specificity of carnitine acyltransferase.
Emeriamine and its analogues are disclosed in EP 0 127 098 and J. Med. Chem. 1987, 30, 1485-1463.
Notwithstanding the mechanism of activity above outlined, to date, drugs inhibiting CPT capable to effectively counteracts hyperglycaemia do not exist. For some products, such as tetradecyl glycidic acid, or etomoxir, myocardial hypertrophy have been evidenced as side effects (Life Sci., 1989, 44, 1897-1906).

Compounds having reversible inhibiting activity of carnitine palmitoyl-transferase

Sigma-Tau Industrie Farmaceutiche Riunite S.p.A.


A display apparatus permitting high resolution and a large number of gray-scale levels and causing indiscernible flicker has been disclosed. One frame is divided into or composed of j subframes, and light is produced according to a luminance level predetermined subframe by subframe in order to express intermediate gray-scale of a picture. Emphasis is put on the fact that display to be performed during each subframe within one frame can be controlled independently. An interlaced-scanning display is carried out during k subframes associated with low-order weighted bits out of j subframes, and a noninterlaced-scanning display is carried out during the other j-k subframes associated with high-order weighted bits. The ratio of an addressing scan time to a subframe associated with a small weight is large, and the ratio of an addressing scan time to a whole frame is very large. If the addressing scan time can be reduced as mentioned above, a great effect would be exerted. Moreover, the luminance levels to be determined in relation to the subframes during which interlaced-scanning display is carried out are so low that the influence of the reduction on a whole picture is limited.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display method and apparatus in which a display unit composed of a plurality of display cells each having the capability of a memory is employed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a display method and plasma display panel (PDP) apparatus in which an AC type PDP capable of expressing multilevel gray-scale at high resolution is employed
2. Description of the Related Art
The present invention relates to a display apparatus for displaying data by producing light at cells after writing the data to be displayed at the locations of the cells, wherein one frame is divided into a plurality of subframes associated with different luminance levels, and subframes during which light is produced are combined in order to achieve gray-scale display. This approach has been employed in a wide range of flat-panel display apparatuses. A typical example is a PDP apparatus. A description will follow taking an AC type PDP apparatus as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this type of display apparatus. For example, the present invention can also be adapted to a display apparatus in which a liquid-crystal display panel is used in combination with a light source whose on and off states are controllable in order to achieve a gray-scale display.
In an AC type PDP, each subframe is subdivided into a reset period, an addressing period, and a sustaining period. Gray-scale display is achieved by associating bits of display data with the subframes, and changing the lengths of the sustaining periods within the subframes according to weights imposed on the bits. In recent years, a PDP apparatus has been required, like other types of display apparatuses, to offer high resolution and high display quality. To ensure a high display quality, it is necessary to increase the number of display gray-scale levels and raise the frame frequency. Moreover, the number of scanning lines must be increased in order to improve resolution. In an AC type PDP apparatus, a subframe approach is adopted for controlling gray-scale. To increase the number of gray-scale levels, it is necessary to increase the number of subframes. Increases in resolution and in number of display gray-scale levels cause the frame frequency to decrease. To increase the number of scanning lines and the number of subframes without any decrease in frame frequency, it is necessary to shorten one subframe and reduce the time required for each addressing scan. However, when an addressing period is shortened, the margin of operation is reduced. It is therefore difficult to reduce time under the current situation.
As a method for solving the foregoing problem a method in which interlaced-scanning is adopted for an addressing scan, and the number of addressing scans (display lines) to be carried out during all subframes is halved, has been adopted in the past. However, when the known interlaced-scanning addressing scan is adopted, occurrence of flicker in a display picture becomes a problem. Occurrence of flicker becomes a significant problem especially when both lines and characters are displayed in the same manner as they are on a display screen of a computer. Flicker is alleviated by shortening a frame. For the aforesaid reasons, there is a difficulty in shortening the frame Tf.

Display method for intermediate gray scale and display apparatus for expressing intermediate gray scale


A display device includes a plurality of pixel cells divided into at least a first pixel cell group and a second pixel cell group; a first data line electrically connected to the pixel cells in the first pixel cell group, and a second data line electrically connected to the pixel cells in the second pixel cell group; and a gate driver driving at least one of the pixel cells in the first pixel cell group concurrently with at least one of the pixel cells in the second pixel cell group.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device, and more particularly, to a pixel cell in a display device and a method for driving the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, various flat panel displays having relatively lighter and less spacious than cathode ray tubes (CRT) have been developed. Examples of such flat panel displays include a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and a light emitting display (LED).
In particular, the LCD device includes a thin film transistor substrate, a color filter substrate, and a liquid crystal layer. The thin film transistor substrate includes a plurality of liquid crystal cells arranged in respective regions defined by a plurality of data lines and a plurality of gate lines. A plurality of thin film transistors serving as switching elements are formed in the respective liquid crystal cells. The color filter substrate includes a color filter layer. Then, the liquid crystal layer is formed between the thin film transistor substrate and the color filter substrate.
The LCD device displays color images using light transmitted through the thin film transistor substrate and the color filter substrate. In this respect, a color realization ratio of the LCD device may be lowered due to the characteristics of color filter. To solve the problem of the low color realization ratio of the LCD device, a field sequential color (hereinafter referred to as an FSC) LCD device has been proposed.
FIG. 1 illustrates an operation of a FSC LCD device according to the related art. As shown in FIG. 1, in the related art FSC LCD device, one frame period, or frame, is divided into three sub frames by time division. Red(R), green(G) and blue(B) colors are mixed in each of the sub frames to display color images. For example, when one frame of the related art FSC LCD device is time-divided into the three sub frames, red(R) light of the first sub frame, green(G) light of the second sub frame, and blue(B) light of the third sub frame are color-mixed at a predetermined ratio to display color images.
With the recent trend of large-size display devices, the number of gate lines increases. Accordingly, a driving time for each gate line decreases. Specifically, the display device necessarily drives all gate lines during a preset time period during one frame. As the number of gate lines increases, a scan time for each gate line decreases. Thus, a turn-on time of a thin film transistor connected to each gate line decreases in accordance with the decrease in the scan time of the gate lines.
Due to the short scan time, the related art FSC LCD device can hardly charge a sufficient voltage at each gate line. To solve this problem, the size of the thin film transistor has been increased. However, design rules restrict the size of the thin film transistor.

Display device and method for driving the same