A stick handle for an ice hockey stick having a longitudinal central axis, an upper end and a lower end, the lower end being situated adjacent to the blade of the stick. The handle comprises a core part and at least one cover plate fixed to the core part. The core part has a substantially rectangular cross-section and at least one recess formed therein in at least one side of the core part. The cover plate is situated on the side of the core part wherein the recess is formed such that at least one closed cavity is formed in the handle.

The invention concerns a stick handle for an ice hockey stick or for a stick intended for a game of similar type. The handle comprises an oblong core part of a substantially rectangular section as well as at least one oblong cover plate fitted on at least one side of the core part and/or a coating band or a coating that surrounds the handle substantially.
In the game of ice hockey, the stick is subjected to very high strains, and, therefore, it has been an aim to make the handle of the ice hockey stick as strong and durable as possible. Traditionally the handles of ice hockey sticks were made of wood so that the handle was made of solid wood and formed as one piece. From this the stick handle was developed further, and, in an attempt to achieve high strength, handles were also produced that were made of a number of wood veneers glued together, of laminated wood board, or equivalent. Later, the stick handle started being coated with a laminate, in particular with fiberglass laminate, which was either glued onto the handle face or wound directly onto the wooden handle. In order to make the laminate adhere to the handle better, very shallow grooves were formed into the face of a smooth handle, which grooves were filled with the coating, such as fiberglass laminate, during the coating process.
A second important and desirable property of ice hockey sticks is to have the weight of the handle be as low as possible while, nevertheless, not reducing the strength. In an attempt to achieve low weight, stick handles were made hollow and tubular, and materials that were used included, for example, aluminum or some high-strength composite material suitable for the purpose. In some cases, this hollow handle was further filled with a foamy material, such as polyurethane or equivalent. Also in the cases of wooden handles, a weight as low as possible was aimed at, in which case the wooden handle was made of several parts so that an oblong cavity space remained in the handle. One such handle of an ice hockey stick has been described in, for example, Canadian Patent No. 1,180,728.

Stick handle for an ice hockey stick or for a stick intended for a game of similar type


A reflection type liquid crystal display device comprises a pair of substrates having electrodes, a light scattering type liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrates, a reflection layer disposed over a rear surface of the light scattering type liquid crystal layer, and a light absorbing layer disposed over a rear surface of the reflection layer for absorbing a light passed through the reflection layer. The light scattering type liquid crystal layer changes into a scattering state or a transparent state in accordance with a change in a voltage level between the electrodes, and transmits 60% or more of incident light irrespective of the change in the voltage level between the electrodes. The reflection layer has a reflectivity within a range of 10 to 50% for reflecting a forward scattered light passed through the light scattering type liquid crystal layer.

The present invention relates to a reflection type liquid crystal display device to be used in ornaments, clocks, electronic calculators, radios, small-sized mobile devices or displays. More particularly, the present invention relates to an especially bright reflection type liquid crystal display device which can convert an incident light partially into an electric power.
In the prior art, there is a display method which makes use of not a polarizing plate, but the light scattering properties of a liquid crystal, as represented by the phase transition mode or the polymer scattering mode. This light scattering mode causes no absorption loss of light by the polarizing plate but can make effective use of the light to make a bright display.
As the polymer scattering mode, for example, here is known a structure in which liquid crystal droplets are arranged in polymers, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,047 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,900. However, these techniques adopt the droplet structure so that they fail to make the low-voltage drive and the sufficient scattering intensity compatible and the low-voltage drive and the sufficient transparency compatible. There is also known a structure in which the liquid crystals form a continuous layer having polymer materials distributed in a three-dimensional network structure, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 198725/1989.
FIG. 6 shows an example of the prior art, in which the black-and-white display is falsely made by a liquid crystal layer 3 using those light scattering mode.
As shown in FIG. 6A, the liquid crystal layer 3 is sandwiched between electrodes 2a and 2b on glass substrates 1a and 1b, and a reflection layer 4 is mounted on a substrate 7 below the liquid crystal layer 3. The reflection layer 4 is made of a metallic film of aluminum or silver having a high surface reflectivity. In this conventional example, when no voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 3 (that is, when OFF), the forward scatter in the liquid crystal layer 3 is reflected backward by the reflection layer 4 so that the white brightness increases to look white (or opaque) When the voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 3 (that is, when ON), the light scattering action in the liquid crystal layer 3 disappears so that the display is transparent to look falsely black. According to this method, the reflection layer has a mirror surface of high reflectivity so that the regularly reflected light dazzles the eyes of the observer, when the voltage is applied (or when ON). Thus, there arises a problem that the contrast between ON and OFF is degraded.
For solving the dazzling problem, on the other hand, it is possible to conceive a structure in which an absorption layer is provided in place of the reflection layer 4, as shown in FIG. 6B. Below the liquid crystal layer 3 sandwiched between the transparent electrodes 2a and 2b on the glass substrates 1a and 1b, there is mounted a light absorbing layer 5 on the substrate 7. The light absorbing layer 5 contains carbon or the like. According to this conventional example, when the voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 3 (or when ON), the light scattering action in the liquid crystal layer 3 disappears to establish a transparent display. As a result, the incident light is absorbed by the light absorbing layer to make a black appearance so that this sufficient black compensates the defect of the structure in FIG. 6A. When OFF, however, the backward scatter of the incident light in the liquid crystal layer 3 is too insufficient to keep the white brightness so that the white ground is dark. This also causes the problem that the contrast between ON and OFF is degraded.
For raising the white brightness, on the other hand, it is also possible to conceive a method by which the liquid crystal layer is thickened to increase the backward scatter in a polymer dispersed liquid crystal thereby to reduce the transmittance. However, this thickened polymer dispersed liquid crystal causes other problems that the responsibility is deteriorated and that the drive voltage is raised. This fails to satisfy the serious restricting condition of the low-voltage drive, as required for the use in clocks or mobile devices.
As means for coloring the light scattering mode, on the other hand, there is proposed a method by which a light absorbing plate for emitting a specific color is arranged on the light absorbing layer 5 in FIG. 6B. According to this method, however, the light absorbing plate at the back is seen through at the scattering time, too. This is not substantially different from the color of the light absorbing plate, as appearing at the transparent time, so that the visibility is poor. Thus, the method is defective in that it cannot make a full-color display by spatially mixing the basic color units of red, blue and green.
Here will be described an example of the construction of a small-sized mobile electronic device in which are packaged a reflection type LCD using the polarization plate of the prior art and a photovolatic element. FIG. 9 shows an appearance of a card-type electronic calculator. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 23 designates a display portion having the conventional reflection type LCD packaged therein; numeral 20 shows a solar cell portion; numeral 21 shows an input key portion; and numeral 22 shows a case. On the other hand, FIG. 10 shows an appearance of a digital wrist watch. In FIG. 10, numeral 23 designates a display portion having the conventional reflection type LCD packaged therein; numeral 20 shows a solar cell portion; and numeral 22 shows a case.
The following defects accompany the constructions of the small-sized mobile electronic devices in which are packaged the reflection type LCD using the conventional polarization plate and the photovolatic element. In the case of the card type electronic calculator of FIG. 9, for example, if the area of the display portion is enlarged to read the display easily, the area to be given to the solar cell portion is reduced to make the electric power insufficient for operating the card type electronic calculator. If the area of the key input portion is likewise enlarged to facilitate the inputting operation, the area to be given to the solar cell portion is reduced to make the electric power insufficient for operating the card type electronic calculator. Thus, it is preferable for the design for sufficing the intrinsic function of the card type electronic calculator that the area of the solar cell portion is as small as possible.
In the case of the digital wrist watch of FIG. 10, on the other hand, if the area of the display portion is enlarged to facilitate the reading of the display, the area to be given to the solar cell portion is reduced so that a sufficient electric power cannot be achieved for operating the digital wrist watch. Moreover, the presence of the large and blackish solar cell in the surface panel of the digital wrist watch makes the design rustic so that the fashion or an important factor of the watch is so poor as to degrade its commercial value.
In order to solve this problem, there is conceivable a method by which the reflection type LCD and the solar cell are overlapped. This method can be exemplified by mounting the solar cell on the back of the reflection type LCD. In the TN or STN mode having the construction of FIG. 8, however, the aluminum plate is used as the reflection plate but can hardly be expected for use in the transparent mode. When the reflection plate is made semitransparent, it is the current practice to vacuum-evaporate the aluminum thinly. Because of the absorption of aluminum, however, the transmittance is about 20% at most. As a result, the light, as could pass through the reflection type LCD and go into the solar cell at the back, is reduced to as low as 5% of the value for the absence of the reflection type LCD. On the other hand, the brightness of the reflection type LCD is about one half of that of the usual case where the aluminum reflection plate is used. As a result, the brightness of the reflection type LCD is so dark as to provide a poorly visible display. Moreover, the electric power, as generated by the solar cell, is as low as 5% of the value for the absence of the reflection type LCD so that it cannot operate the small-sized mobile electronic device normally.
In the pseudo black-and-white display reflection type liquid crystal display device using the light scattering type liquid crystal of the prior art, as described hereinbefore, when a reflection plate of high reflectivity is used, it dazzles the observer's eyes with the regular reflection, when the voltage is applied (ON). As a result, there arises a problem that the black display is hard to make so that the visibility is too poor to give aclearcontrast. When the reflectionplateis replacedbythelight absorbing layer so as to make the black display, on the other hand, the white brightness by the backward scatter cannot be achieved, when no voltage is applied (OFF). This raises another problem that the display is too dark white to give a clear contrast. In addition, there exists no means for making the sufficient contrast and brightness compatible for the color display.
Moreover, it is difficult to provide a reflection type LCD of high power generating efficiency, which is freed from reductions in the brightness and visibility of the reflection type LCD using the conventional polarization plate even when the reflection type LCD and the solar cell are overlapped.

Reflection type liquid crystal display device for converting incident light into electric power


An electrical fuse and a method for forming the same are provided. The electrical fuse includes a dielectric layer over a shallow trench isolation region and a contact plug extending from a top surface of the dielectric layer to the shallow trench isolation region, wherein the contact plug comprises a middle portion substantially narrower than the two end portions. The contact plug forms a fuse element. The electrical fuse further includes two metal lines in a metallization layer on the dielectric layer, wherein each of the two metal lines is connected to different ones of the end portions of the contact plug.

In the semiconductor industry, fuse elements are widely used in integrated circuits for a variety of purposes, such as improving manufacturing yield or customizing a generic integrated circuit. For example, by replacing defective circuits on a chip with duplicate or redundant circuits on the same chip, manufacturing yields can be significantly increased. A fuse disconnected by a laser beam is referred to as a laser fuse, while a fuse disconnected by passing an electrical current, or blowing, is referred to as an electrical fuse, or e-fuse. By selectively blowing fuses within an integrated circuit, which has multiple potential uses, a generic integrated circuit design may be economically manufactured and adapted to a variety of customer uses.
Typically, fuses are incorporated in the design of the integrated circuit, wherein the fuses are selectively blown, for example, by passing an electrical current of a sufficient magnitude to cause electromigration or melting, thereby creating a more resistive path or an open circuit. Alternatively, a current that is weaker than the current required to entirely blow the fuse can be applied in order to degrade the fuse, thus increasing a resistance through the fuse. The process of selectively blowing or degrading fuses is often referred to as "programming".
Laser fuses are widely used. However, they suffer scalability problems. A certain size is desired for accurate blowing, thus the laser fuses cannot be scaled proportionately with other devices. For the reason, electrical fuses are preferred for small-scale integrated circuits.
A commonly used electrical fuse is shown in FIG. 1. The fuse element is a polysilicon line 2 connected to metal lines 6 through vias 4. Polysilicon line 2 is doped to lower resistivity. A programming current causes heating in polysilicon line 2, and thus an open circuit is formed. This structure may suffer reliability problems, since the resistivity of polysilicon line 2 is determined by the doping concentration, and may vary from process to process. The program voltage and program time vary accordingly.
FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of another electrical fuse, which includes a polysilicon plate 12 connected to metal lines 16 and 18 through tungsten contact plugs 14a and 14b, respectively. Tungsten plug 14a has a relatively small cross-sectional area compared to contact plug 14b, and is used as a fuse element. When a program current passes from one metal line to another metal line, tungsten plug 14a is blown by a high current density. This embodiment suffers scalability problems. To ensure that via 14a is blown while via 14b remains intact, via 14b has to have a significantly greater cross-sectional area, for example, about five times greater, than that of via 14a. The entire fuse structure thus occupies a relatively great chip area.
FIG. 2B illustrates a variation of the fuse structure shown in FIG. 2A, wherein tungsten plugs 14a and 14b are replaced by a rectangular-shaped tungsten contact 19, which acts as a fuse element. A polysilicon plate 12 under the tungsten contact 19 is primarily used for landing the contact 19 and not for carrying fusing current.
A possible problem for the structure is that after the contact 19 is blown by heat and an open circuit forms, remaining heat may cause silicidation of tungsten with polysilicon plate 12, and a low resistivity path of silicide reconnects the disconnected parts. The reconnection may be in the form of shorting or degrading (with a relatively high resistive, but not completely open, path).
Therefore, there is the need for a highly reliable, scalable electrical fuse, particularly for integrated circuits fabricated using 90 nm technology and below.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd.


Methods and designs for increasing interconnect areas for interconnect bumps are disclosed. An interconnect bump may be formed on a substrate such that the interconnect bump extends beyond a contact pad onto a substrate. An interconnect bump may be formed on a larger contact pad, the bump having a large diameter.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/321,060, filed Dec. 17, 2002 now abandoned.
The thermal conditions to which most electronic devices are subjected may adversely affect those components made out of alternative materials. For example, polymeric ferroelectric random access memory (PFRAM) devices exposed to temperatures of approximately 140 degrees Celsius (° C.) have significantly decreased performance. For example, a process that exposed a PFRAM to 100° C. for 2 hours followed by a ramp up to 125° C. for 7 minutes caused a thirty percent reduction of cells in the device that retained their contents.
Typically, packaging of electronic components such as microprocessors and other integrated circuits involves high temperatures, especially at the formation of the first level of interconnection. The first level of interconnection is where the integrated circuit is mounted onto the printed circuit board (PCB) so as to allow the integrated circuit to be electrically coupled to the PCB. Some examples of current approaches to the first level of interconnects include wire bonding, which has a typical temperature range of about 140° C. to >200° C., and anisotropic conductive films, which have a typical temperature of 180° C.
Thermo-mechanical stressing, caused in part by these high temperatures, may cause first and second level interconnects to fail. The high temperatures may also lead to inter-laminar dielectric, also referred to as inter-layer dielectric (ILD) cracking.

Interconnection designs and materials having improved strength and fatigue life


In a switching circuit, low insertion loss and enough isolation can be ensured at a desired frequency at the same time. An inductor is externally connected in parallel with the path between the drain and source of each of field-effect transistors built in a switching integrated circuit, and the inductor and the OFF capacitance of the field-effect transistor are made to generate parallel resonance. At this time, by suitably adjusting the inductance, low insertion loss and enough isolation are ensured at a desired frequency at the same time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a switching circuit, and more particularly to an improvement of a switching circuit which is preferably used for switching an input/output of a high frequency signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, mobile communication systems such as a mobile telephone system, a pocket telephone, and so on, have been developed as a business on a large scale. On the other hand, shortage of communication circuits is becoming more and more serious in city areas, and various mobile communication systems are coming into practical use in various countries. Not only analog communication systems but also digital communication systems are often adopted as these communication systems, and, as for a communication frequency band, a submicrowave band is used which is on the higher frequency side than that in current mobile communication systems.
Semiconductor field-effect transistors (FETS) are often used in a signal processing portion of a portable terminal in such a communication system which transmits and receives signals of a submicrowave band. Particularly, in the case of a portable terminal in which portability is regarded as important, it is regarded as important to develop a monolithic microwave IC (hereinafter abbreviated to `MMIC`) using a GaAs-FET, by which the portable terminal can be made small in size, low in driving voltage and low in power consumption. Particularly, a high-frequency switching device for switching a high-frequency signal in a portable terminal is becoming a key device.
In most mobile communication systems which have come into use, digital systems are adopted as mentioned above. Of those digital systems, a TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) system is often used. In this TDMA system, a communication band is divided by a predetermined time unit, and the divisional time sections are distributed to transmission, reception and another circuit. In the terminal side, therefore, in order to prevent transmission and reception from being conducted simultaneously, a switching circuit is often used for switching an antenna terminal between a transmission portion (Tx) and a reception portion (Rx).
An example of such a communication terminal device is shown in FIG. 1. When there is much loss of a transmission signal W1 or a reception signal W2 in this switching circuit SW, the quality of the signal deteriorates correspondingly. To avoid this deterioration, it is necessary to increase the signal power correspondingly to the loss. It is therefore preferable to make the loss in the switching circuit SW as small as possible.
In addition, there is a possibility that devices of the reception portion 3 are broken if a transmission signal W1 leaks by a large quantity to the reception side. In addition, if the isolation between the transmission portion 4 and the reception portion 3 is insufficient, signals may be distorted. It is therefore necessary to provide enough isolation between the transmission portion 3 and the reception portion 4. Since superior high-frequency characteristic and high speed switching are thus required of the switching circuit SW, GaAs-FETs are often used as switching devices.
When an FET is used as a switching device, a gate bias which is much higher than a pinch-off voltage of the FET is applied to the gate of the FET so as to make the impedance low between the drain and source to thereby control the FET to be into an ON state. On the contrary, a gate bias which is much lower than the pinch-off voltage of the FET is applied to the gate so as to make the impedance high between the drain and source to thereby control the FET to be into an OFF state.
In the case of a GaAs-FET available on the market recently, the FET can approximate a resistance component connected between the drain and source in an ON state while the FET can approximate a capacitance component connected between the drain and source in an OFF state. Then the resistance value and capacitance value of the FET can be regarded as several [.OMEGA./mm] and several hundred [fF/mm] per gate width (Wg) of the FET, respectively. For example, the resistance R.sub.on is 2 [.OMEGA./mm], and the capacitance C.sub.off is 300 [fF/mm].
When a submicrowave signal is switched by use of such an FET singly, enough isolation cannot be provided if loss is restrained sufficiently. On the other hand, if enough isolation is ensured, loss is increased. That is, in order to realize a sufficiently small insertion loss, it is necessary to increase the gate width of the FET to some extent so as to reduce the ON-resistance, but on the other hand the capacitance between the drain and source at the time of OFF is increased when the gate width is increased, so that there is a fear that the isolation deteriorates.
Therefore, when a microwave signal is switched, often an FET1 is disposed in a series position with respect to a signal path, and an FET2 is disposed in a shunt position between the signal path and the ground, as shown in FIG. 2A. For example, when a signal band is 2 [GHz], insertion loss of 1 [dB] or less and isolation of 20 [dB] or more can be easily ensured by a switching circuit constituted by a GaAs-FET disposed in such a series position and a GaAs-FET disposed in such a shunt position.
When an FET is disposed in a shunt position as shown in FIG. 2A, the shunt FET is connected to the ground, so that the potential in each of the drain region and the source region of the FET is 0 [V] in DC so long as the FET is not separated in view of DC by a capacitor or the like as shown in FIG. 2B. Generally speaking, in order to turn a GaAs-FET off sufficiently, it is necessary to apply negative gate bias to the drain region and the source region.
Therefore, a negative power supply is required to control the FET. However, if such a switching circuit is used as a terminal of a cellular communication or a portable telephone as mentioned above, the negative power supply needs a DC-DC converter, and so on, disadvantageously in cost, size and power consumption. Therefore, a device using no negative power supply is being performed upon a GaAs monolithic microwave IC (hereinafter abbreviated to `MMIC`) at present.
In the case of this IC, a capacitance is provided between a shunt FET and the ground in a chip, and an FET in a switching circuit is isolated from the ground in view of DC. However, in this case, the capacitance provided for DC cut is considerably large in size in a submicrowave region. It is therefore disadvantageous in producing an inexpensive IC.
In the case of a switching circuit for switching a signal among several places by means of FETs, such as an SPDT (Single Pole Dual Throw) switching circuit, there is a problem that insertion loss cannot be reduced to a certain value or less even if the size of isolation is ignored.
This will be described in an SPDT switching circuit in FIG. 3. For example, the signal path between RF1 and RF2 is in an ON state (that is, an FET1 is in an ON state and an FET2 is in an OFF state), a signal passing the signal path between RF1 and RF2 leaks through an OFF capacitance Cds of the FET2 which is in an OFF state, so that the insertion loss deteriorates.
Therefore, in the case where the gate width of the FET1 is made to be equal to that of the FET2, even if their gate widths are increased to reduce ON resistance of one FET which is in an ON state so as to reduce the signal loss of the FET which is in an ON state, the OFF capacitance Cds of the other FET which is in an OFF state increases to thereby increase the signal leaking from the FET in an OFF state, so that the insertion loss is not reduced beyond a certain value.
Therefore, in the switching circuit for switching a signal among a plurality of directions by use of FETs as shown in FIG. 3 (other than an SPST (Single Pole Single Throw) switching device which is an ON/OFF switch, there is a limit also in reducing insertion loss.

Switching circuit at high frequency with low insertion loss


A command requesting creation of a backup file and issued by a client-side deduplication library is received. Upon creating the file, a first flag is set on the file indicating that the file should be automatically retention locked after a cooling off period has elapsed. During the cooling off period, a command requesting that the file be opened for writes is received. The first flag is cleared to exclude the file from being automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed. A second flag is set on the file indicating that writes to the file are in progress. A command requesting that the file be closed, the writes to the backup file thereby being complete, is received. The second flag is cleared. The first flag is reset to allow the file to be automatically retention locked after the cooling off period has elapsed.

A retention lock on a file prevents, for a duration of the lock, the file from being deleted or modified—whether maliciously or accidentally. Options for automatic retention locking can sometimes be found in data protection or backup systems. For example, a data protection system may be configured such that upon completion of a backup all files in the backup are automatically retention locked. With automatic retention locking, an administrator does not have to manually retention lock each individual file included in a backup.
Automatic retention locking is typically designed to be triggered after a preconfigured delay expires following a write to the file. The delay is measured from the modified timestamp (mtime) of the file. The mtime indicates the last time the contents of a file were modified. For example, as new writes are made to a backup file during a backup using distributed file system protocols such as Network File System (NFS) and Common Internet File System (CIFS), the modified timestamp is updated.
Some data protection systems provide for deduplicated storage. A deduplicated storage system can reduce the amount of redundant data that is stored. For example, if a determination is made that a piece of file data has already been stored, the file data is not again stored. Instead, a reference is generated that points to the already stored file data. The deduplication process during a backup can require a lengthy amount of time—especially in cases involving large files to backup. The deduplication processing may be such that the modified timestamp is not regularly or frequently updated throughout the backup operation. In some cases, the deduplication processing time exceeds the delay at which the automatic retention lock is triggered. When this occurs, the backup file becomes locked even though the backup has not yet completed. This leads to a number of the problems one of which is the inability to clean up the broken backup file as retention locked files cannot be deleted until their retention duration expires.
There is a need for improved systems and techniques for handling automatic retention locking in deduplicated backup storage systems.
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions.

Efficient mechanism to perform auto retention locking of files ingested via distributed segment processing in deduplication backup servers


A lancet device uses a planar blade that implements an incision in the skin of a patient using a slicing action. There is a blade support arm pivotably secured within a hollow housing. The pivot connection between the blade support arm and the housing is formed by a pivot pin which extends from the housing and is positioned in a slot receptacle formed on the blade support arm. The pivot pin is free to reciprocally move within the slot receptacle as the blade support arm pivot about the pivot pin. The rotation of the blade support arm about the pivot pin is implemented by a bias spring. The path traversed by the blade support arm as it pivots is controlled by a groove located on the interior surface of the housing which engages a projection that extends from the blade support arm. As such, when the support arm pivots from a first position to a second position, the projection on the blade support arm traverses the groove in the housing. The action of the projection of the blade support arm following the groove in the housing causes the slot receptacle on the blade support arm to reciprocate. Consequently, the blade is caused to reciprocate within the housing as it rotates with the blade support arm, wherein the blade exits the housing, implements an incision and is again retracted into the housing traversing a "tear drop" shaped path.

Blood samples are drawn routinely from patients for use in numerous types of blood tests. The blood needed for many tests is conventionally drawn by creating a small incision in the patient's skin. Typically, such incisions are made on the patient's fingertip, however, with such patients as neonates or persons with poor circulation, the incision can be made in alternate areas such as the foot, arm, leg, etc. Typically, the device used to create the needed incision in the patient is a mechanical lancet device. Such lancet devices conventionally employ a cutting blade spring loaded within a housing. The housing is placed against a patient's skin and the blade is released. The potential energy stored within the spring bias of the blade then causes the blade to exit the housing and to create the needed incision in the patient's skin. The advantages of such mechanical lancet devices is that uniform incisions can be made providing good control over the location, depth and sterility of the incision. Furthermore, such mechanical lancet devices often prevent the patient from seeing the often unsettling scene of his or her skin actually being cut.
In the development of the art for mechanical lancet devices, many different designs have been created. The most modern of the designs typically are disposable, having retractable blades and other operations that prevent their reuse after a single incision has been made. Another common feature to many prior art lancet devices is that they made incisions using a plunge cut, that is the cutting blade is plunged through the skin traveling perpendicular to the skin and the size of the incision matches the size of the cutting blade. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,730 issued on Jul. 28, 1992 to Biro, entitled DISPOSABLE RETRACTABLE FINGER STICK DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MAKING THE SAME and assigned to International Technidyne Corporation the assignee herein, a sharp blade on a pivot arm is spring biased to move out of and then reenter a housing via an orifice in the housing to incise a patient's skin. Although, the blade is positioned on a pivot arm the blade is directed into the skin of the patient relatively perpendicular to the surface of the skin. The shape of the blade helps the blade enter the skin and make the needed incision.
Lancet devices that create plunge cut are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 3,760,809 to Cambell, Jr. entitled SURGICAL LANCET HAVING CASING and U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,541 to Burns entitled AUTOMATIC RETRACTABLE LANCET ASSEMBLY. In both references, the blades are plunged into the skin at an angle substantially perpendicular to the skin. When creating an incision for obtaining a blood sample, it is desirable to create a fairly deep cut so that a good blood flow will result from the incision. However, when using certain prior art lancet devices of the type that utilize a downward thrust to provide a cut pointed blades are typically used to facilitate the cut. Pointed blades create a V-shaped incision down through the skin of the patient. Consequently, the widest region of the incision is on the surface of the skin, while the narrowest region of the incision coincides the deepest point of the incision. Since the narrowest point of the cut is also the deepest point of the cut, a relatively deep incision must be made to ensure enough capillaries are severed to achieve the necessary bleeding.
Another disadvantage associated with plunge cut lancet devices is that they are painful. As will be recognized by any person skilled in the art, a plunge incision is more traumatic than an incision made by a scalpel slice. As such, there is less pain associated with a slice incision than with a plunge incision. Slice incisions as indicated are less intrusive and heal more readily. Additionally, incisions produced by the above-noted prior art devices are made by a downward thrust into the skin. As such, there may be a problem of excessive force being applied to the skin, which can cause skin tissue surrounding the incision to be damaged. Generally, only a small amount of downward force is required to make the incision. However, when the operator actuates the device, his hand may exert an additional, and often excessive, downward force. Thus, the guillotine-like, vertical thrust of the blade, coupled with excessive downward force exerted by the operator may cause damage to the skin and cause skin tissue juices to mix with blood, thereby producing improper blood samples. In general, most plunge type lancet devices depend on spring force for incision and retraction and are often unreliable in the accuracy and repeatability of the depth of the cut due to the wide range of skin toughness encountered in normal populations.
In the prior art, slice action devices are typically used to implement incisions which permit the observation of the bleeding times, wherein bleeding time is defined as the time between implementing the incision and the moment when the bleeding stops. Such slice action devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,817 to Reno, entitled DEVICE FOR MAKING PRECISE INCISIONS FOR BLEEDING TIME TESTING AND THE LIKE and U.S. Pat. No. 4,157,086 to Maiorano et al. entitled APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING A STANDARDIZED SKIN INCISION. In both references, blades are causes to slice across a patient's skin causing a elongated incision. The disadvantages of the Maiorano and Reno references is that they both create cuts that are much longer than they are deep. As such, the resulting cut is inappropriate for use on a fingertip or other body part with a small surface area. Furthermore, both the Maiorano and Reno references disclose reusable devices which presents a sterility problem and a hazard of contamination to patients.
The "APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING A STANDARDIZED SKIN INCISION" disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,189, and issued to Michael Mintz, and assigned to the assignee herein shows a slice action cutter that creates a rectangular incision. The Mintz patent includes a housing having an internal hollow and a base containing an elongated slot. The internal hollow contains a moveable pivot arm having a blade extending form one end. The pivotal movement of the pivot arm is controlled by a cam having three distinct shaped sections. The cam controls the path of the cutting edge as it implements the incision. As the pivot arm follows the cam, the three distinctly shaped regions of the cam cause the cutting blade to exit the housing, create the incision and return into the housing, respectively. The incision created is rectilinear thereby creating an optimal incision for a bleed time test. The cut provided is implemented by the blade first depending from the slot and plunging into the skin and then traversing the skin and then retracting from the skin back into the housing.
It is, therefore, an objective of the present invention to provide a disposable, single-use lancet that utilizes a slicing action, wherein a short deep incision can be affected on a patient's fingertip or another body part with a reduction in both trauma and pain incurred in the patient as a result of the incision.


A soft metal and a decorative article of wristwatch are produced by forming, on the surface of a soft metal article (2), a hard layer (3, 13) containing zirconium and molybdenum, or containing zirconium, molybdenum and further an additive element constituted of at least one or more elements selected from niobium, tantalum, and titanium. It is preferable that the content of molybdenum constituting the hard layer (3, 13) is about 30 to 75 wt %, or that the content of molybdenum is about 25 to 65 wt % and the total content of the additive elements is about 25 wt % or less.

Since soft metals including stainless steel, iron base alloy, titanium, titanium alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, brass, copper, copper alloy, magnesium, and magnesium alloy are light in weight and inexpensive, these metals are worked into a wide variety of components for use in various fields. Examples of a soft metal article formed by processing the soft metals include decorative articles of wristwatch, such as a wristwatch case, wristwatch bezel, wristwatch case back, wristwatch band, clasp, crown, and so forth.
Meanwhile, the soft metals are inferior in terms of abrasion resistance because the surface hardness thereof is as low as not more than Hv=200 of Vickers hardness, thereby rendering the surface thereof susceptible to scratches. Further, softer metals such as iron base alloy, except stainless steel, titanium, and titanium alloy, aluminum, aluminum alloy, brass, copper, copper alloy, magnesium, magnesium alloy and so forth, have a property susceptible to corrosion because of their poor corrosion resistance. Accordingly, with the aim of improving the abrasion resistance and corrosion resistance of the soft metals used as the constituent material of soft metal articles, attempts have so far been made to apply various surface hardening treatments for hardening the surface of the soft metal articles to the surface thereof.
As methods of hardening the surface of the soft metal, there are generally available a method of forming a film coating the surface thereof, and a method of hardening the soft metal itself.
Examples of the method of forming a film on the surface of the soft metal include processes such as wet electroplating, ion plating, and so forth. As the wet electroplating, there are in widespread use nickel electroplating, nickel-phosphorus alloy electroplating, nickel-palladium alloy electroplating and so forth, however, an electroplating film formed by any of the processes described is soft and has not reached such a condition as to eliminate the risk of scratches being caused by impacts.
On the other hand, as the ion plating, there are cited processes of forming a film such as a hard carbon film, titanium nitride film, and so froth. However, since it is difficult to directly coat the soft metal, such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, brass, copper, copper alloy and so forth, with the hard carbon film, there is the need for forming the hard carbon film with an intermediate layer made of silicon, germanium, titanium and so forth, interposed therebetween. As a result, there exist more interfaces in this case due to the presence of the intermediate layer than in the case of directly coating the soft metal, resulting in a tendency that the hard carbon film is prone to peeling to that extent. Further, the titanium nitride film has poor adhesion property against the soft metal due to its high internal stress, so that the titanium nitride film has a property to be prone to peeling. Thus, with the ion plating, there has not been completely solved a problem that, whichever film is formed, the film is prone to peeling. Furthermore, there exists another problem that once the film, which is so important, is peeled, part of the soft metal itself is exposed, so that initiation of corrosion starts from that part, thereby rendering the soft metal unfit for use in the soft metal article.
As methods of directly hardening the soft metal itself, there have been known ion implantation, ion nitriding, gas nitriding, carburizing, and so forth. However, with any of those methods, since many hours are required in application of a hardening treatment, a soft metal article cannot be efficiently produced. In addition, with the use of any of those methods, grain coarsening of the soft metal results because of high temperature needed for the hardening treatment, thereby involving the risk of occurrence of surface roughness. For example, upon application of a gas nitriding to a soft metal article after applying a mirror surface polishing thereto, there occurs surface roughness of 200 to 300 μm due to the grain coarsening of the soft metal article after the gas nitriding, thereby causing a mirror surface to disappear, whereupon it becomes impossible to restore a mirror surface condition which has existed prior to the application of the gas nitriding even if a polishing is applied thereto thereafter, so that quality will be considerably impaired in terms of decorativeness of the external appearance. Especially for decorative articles of wristwatch, in particular, for decorative articles of wristwatch such as a wristwatch case, wristwatch bezel, wristwatch case back, and so forth, the quality in terms of decorativeness of the external appearance is an important element, and therefore deterioration in the quality in terms of decorativeness of the external appearance is a serious problem.
On the other hand, there is a case where those decorative articles of wristwatch are produced of an insulating material such as resin, ceramics, or the like besides the typical soft metals, and it is needless to say that the quality in terms of decorativeness of the external appearance is important also in this case so long as they are decorative articles of wristwatch. Accordingly, it is important that the surface of even decorative article of wristwatch produced of an insulating material is rendered insusceptible to scratches by enhancing abrasion resistance and is improved in the quality of decorativeness in terms of the external appearance by improving corrosion resistance so as to provide a high-class feeling to the external appearance of, especially a wristwatch, to be produced.
The invention has been developed to solve the problems described above, and it is an object of the invention to provide a soft metal and a method of producing the same, and a decorative article of wristwatch and a method of producing the same, wherein the surface thereof is rendered insusceptible to scratches by enhancing abrasion resistance and initiation of corrosion is prevented by improving corrosion resistance so as to provide excellent durability and a high-class feeling to the external appearance.

Soft metal and method for preparation thereof, and exterior part of watch and method for preparation thereof


An MIA containing file-system information is updated and a recording/reproduction block 53 records Main MIA containing the updated information in block B″1 in a free area on a recording medium. In addition, Main G1, Res.G1, Main G2, Res.G2 and G3, which form a group of files each serving as an object of group management, are recorded in block B″2. Furthermore, Res.MIA containing a backup of the file-system information is recorded in block B″3. By recording information in this way, the recording area of the recording medium can be used effectively. The present invention can be applied to an information-recording/reproduction apparatus for recording information serving as an object of the group management on the recording medium.

The present invention relates to an information-recording/reproduction apparatus, an information-recording/reproduction method adopted by the information-recording/reproduction apparatus, a program implementing the information-recording/reproduction method and a program-storing medium for storing the program.
A technology for recording files onto a recording medium having a large recording capacity has been becoming popular.
In the mean time, a variety of formats has been proposed as formats in which files are to be recorded onto the recording medium having a large recording capacity.
An example of the formats is a UDF (Universal Disc Format) used in a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc). For more information on this format, refer to non-patent reference 1: Universal Disk Format Specification, Revision 2.01, Mar. 15, 2000, Optical Storage Technology Association
The UDF cited above provides a structure in which a large number of files may be recorded on a recording medium at scattered locations. In addition, pieces of information indicating locations of the files are stored in a nesting state. Thus, in order to eventually acquire a desired file, accesses to a large number of addresses must be made. Therefore, in an operation to reproduce information such as a moving picture from a recording medium in such a recording state, it is feared that correct reproduction timings can no longer be assured. As a result, the UDF raises a problem that the moving picture cannot be reproduced smoothly.
In addition, if a file is updated or added with a large number of files already recorded at scattered locations on a recording medium, for example, the locations of the files get more scattered. Thus, in order to acquire a desired file, accesses to a large number of addresses must be made. As a result, the UDF raises a problem that correct reproduction timings can no longer be assured and the recording area of the recording medium can no longer be used with a high degree of efficiency.
On top of that, if the recording medium has a defective sector or the like existing in an area for recording file-system information or other data, the information on the recording medium can no longer be recovered due to the fact that a large number of files are recorded at scattered locations. Thus, it is feared that the use of a large-capacity recording medium itself entails a big risk.

Information-recording/reproduction apparatus, information-recording/reproduction methods, program-storing medium and programs


Disclosed are a battery package and a method for charging and discharging secondary batteries including nickel hydrogen batteries by refreshing and suppressing inactivity of the batteries. More concretely, battery package (101) comprises a group of batteries having a plurality of connected secondary batteries, each forming a unit battery, a plurality of sensors for detecting a temperature and a voltage, a display device for displaying a condition of the group of batteries, a switch for controlling charge and discharge of the group of batteries, and an operational control circuit (4) for generating a signal based on signals input from the plurality of sensors to make the display device display the condition of the group of batteries and to activate the switch, wherein the battery package (101) is provided with refreshing demand display device (13) for displaying a need to initiate a refreshing charge and discharge, and it uses the method of carrying out the refreshing charge and discharge automatically when a recovery voltage of the secondary batteries does not exceed a predetermined voltage after a lapse of a predetermined time from a moment when the secondary batteries come to a final discharge voltage. This invention can thus carry out the refreshing charge and discharge even for secondary batteries that become inactive after having been left unused for a long time.

The remarkable progress in the technology of electronics in recent years has made possible downsizing and weight reduction of many electronic apparatuses, and it has resulted in a rapid advancement of cordless and portable operation of the apparatuses. With the advancement of these apparatuses, there is an increased demand for small and lightweight batteries (i.e., storage batteries, or secondary batteries) of high energy density, useful as power supplies for the electronic apparatuses. These batteries have been used as power supplies of numerous products including power sources of electric tools, backup power supplies, and the like. Nickel cadmium battery is one kind of these batteries (i.e., secondary batteries) that have been hitherto used widely as the power supplies. However, because of the increase in demand of high capacity, and worldwide concern of environmental problems, nickel hydrogen batteries have been developed recently as new products to replace the nickel cadmium batteries, and they are now spreading widely into the market.
In a battery package comprising any of these secondary batteries, however, there was a tendency in the past that a battery voltage decreases due to self-discharge and the like of the battery if it is left unused for a long period of time, in addition to a problem that a capacity of the battery decreases because the battery becomes inactive during repeated recharges and discharges, which eventually makes the battery unable to maintain a sufficient capacity. A cause of the inactivity of the battery is that the repeated recharges and discharges cause reduction of oxide in a positive electrode, and oxidization of hydroxide in a negative electrode. To clear the inactivity resulted from the above causes, the battery needs refreshing charge and discharge.
A number of methods were contrived to carry out the refreshing charge and discharge. To cite a few examples, one method is to give a display, which indicates a need to carry out a refreshing discharge by counting a number of recharges or discharges, and another method proposed is to increase the number to be counted according to a temperature of the battery and decreases a number of recharges before initiating the refreshing process since the battery tends to enhance the memory effect when the battery temperature is high (refer to an Unexamined Japanese Patent Application, Publication No. 2001-126776).
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a battery package, prepared for the purpose of describing an example of such conventional methods of displaying a capacity of secondary battery used for the refreshing charge and discharge. In FIG. 3, packaged battery 101 (or, a battery package) used for the method of displaying a capacity comprises: secondary battery 103 of a type a dischargeable capacity of which decreases due to the memory effect as recharge and discharge are repeated; remaining capacity display device 113 for displaying a remaining capacity of the battery package by lighting up a corresponding number of indicator lamps among a plurality of them, or by using a liquid crystal display and the like; current detection circuit 114 for detecting a charging current and a discharge current of the battery; temperature sensor 104 placed in contact with secondary battery 103 for detecting a temperature of secondary battery 103; switch 106 composed of a semiconductor switching element such as an FET or a transistor, and connected between secondary battery 103 and output terminal 105; control circuit 107 for computing the remaining capacity and a timing of refreshing, in addition to controlling the switch 106; refreshing circuit 108 for discharging secondary battery 103 nearly completely to cancel the memory effect of the secondary battery 103; and refreshing display device 109 for displaying the refreshing operation.
Temperature sensor 104 in packaged battery 101 detects a temperature of secondary battery 103, and inputs a temperature signal to control circuit 107. Switch 106 is controlled by control circuit 107 in a manner that it turns on when secondary battery 103 needs charging, and it turns off when secondary battery 103 is fully charged to prevent overcharging of the secondary battery 103. In addition, switch 106 is controlled also by control circuit 107 in a manner to turn on when secondary battery 103 is discharged, but it is turned off again when secondary battery 103 is completely discharged to prevent the secondary battery 103 from being over-discharged.
Control circuit 107 is provided with counter 110 for counting a number of recharges of secondary battery 103, as well as operational circuit 111. Operational circuit 111 computes a timing to initiate a refreshing operation by comparing a counted value of counter 110 with a preset value, controls switch 106 by detecting a charging condition and discharging condition of secondary battery 103, and computing a remaining capacity from a charging current and a discharging current. Counter 110 counts the number of recharges by adding one to the counted value whenever recharging is made, and resets the counted value to zero when the secondary battery 103 is refreshed. Counter 110 also checks the charging condition by detecting a change in voltage across output terminals 105, when a charger (not show in the figure) is connected for charging secondary battery 103. Current detection circuit 114 is connected between secondary battery 103 and one of output terminals 105, and a voltage produced at both ends of this current detection circuit 114 is used to detect a charging current as well as a discharging current. Operational circuit 111 compares the number of recharges of packaged battery 101, or the counted value of counter 110, with the preset value, and informs of a timing of the refreshing operation when the counted value becomes equal to or exceeds the preset value. However, operational circuit 111 is controlled according to a program so that it determines the timing of refreshing operation after correcting the counted value of counter 110 based on the battery temperature, instead of comparing the counted value directly with the preset value, since the secondary battery 103 generally has a tendency of enhancing the memory effect when its temperature rises, and losing the memory effect when the temperature falls.
During the refreshing discharge in which the secondary battery is discharged from the fully charged condition to a final discharge voltage, the conventional method of this kind for displaying a capacity of the secondary battery comprises the steps of computing a full-charge capacity according to an integrated value of discharge current, correcting a remaining capacity by using the computed full-charge capacity, and further correcting the remaining capacity thereafter by using the counted value. Additionally, this method comprises the steps of counting a number of recharges of the secondary battery, and displaying a need of refreshing operation when the counted number of recharges reaches a predetermined number. The method further comprises the steps of detecting a battery temperature, and reducing the number of recharges to be counted before initiating a refreshing operation of the secondary battery.
In this method of counting a number of recharges, however, there was a drawback in which a need for the refreshing charge and discharge is not displayed when the battery become inactive as a result of it having been left unused for a long period of time, since the refreshing charge and discharged is programmed to be carried out according to the number of recharges or discharges, irrespective of the actual charge and discharge condition of the battery. To put it more concretely, consider an example of charge and discharge system which is designed to carried out a refreshing charge and discharge every after 50 times of recharging and discharging. After the battery has undergone 25 times of recharging and discharging process, for instance, it is still due to normal recharge and discharge without being subjected to another refreshing charge and discharge even if it is left unused for a long time without being recharged or discharged and becomes inactive, because the number of recharge counts has not reached 50 times. This is a problem to be resolved, since a resulting increase in an internal resistance of the battery due to enhancement of the memory effect and inactive condition of the battery makes it not capable of discharging a sufficiently large current, and prevents it from being used effectively.
The present invention was contrived to solve the above problems in the conventional method of carrying out the refreshing charge and discharge of the secondary battery contained in the battery package. It is thus an object of this invention to provide a technique which makes refreshing charge and discharge possible even for the secondary battery that has been left unused for a long time and become inactive, and to make the secondary battery effectively useful.

Battery pack and method of charging and discharging the same

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A portable laparoscope is disclosed. In implementations, the portable laparoscope includes a housing and an elongated tube coupled to the housing. A lighting source and a camera are disposed proximate to an end of the elongated tube opposite the housing. The camera is configured to capture an image in a viewing area that is illuminated by light provided by the lighting source. The portable laparoscope includes an image display apparatus configured to display the images acquired by the camera and/or to transmit the images to a remote display device. The housing may be configured to hold and position an insufflator.

Medical professionals employ laparoscopes to perform minimally invasive surgery on a patient's abdominal cavity for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Generally, laparoscopes comprise an instrument configured to pass through a small incision (e.g., in the abdominal wall) and capture images (e.g., video) of areas within a patient. The captured images are normally displayed by large monitors that are positioned proximate to the laparoscopic procedure area (e.g., suspended from the ceiling of the operating room around the operating table). During use, laparoscopes require a myriad of associated equipment, such as power sources, insufflators and so on, which are coupled to the laparoscope via a wiring/tube harness, and so forth. Consequently, laparoscopes are confined to use in dedicated surgical environments, such as a laparoscopic operating room in a hospital.

The Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska


A facet joint replacement implant may have a posterior stabilization surface designed to restrict posterior motion of a vertebra with respect to an adjacent, inferior vertebra. The facet joint replacement implant replaces the natural articular surface of one of the vertebrae, and articulates with a natural articular surface or with an articular surface of a second implant on the other vertebra. The posterior stabilization surface may be on a posterior flange of a superior facet joint implant, which extends posteriorly of a corresponding inferior facet joint implant. The inferior facet joint implant has an abutment surface that abuts the posterior stabilization surface as the superior vertebra begins to move posteriorly with respect to the inferior vertebra, thereby limiting the posterior motion.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to orthopedic medicine, and more precisely, to systems and methods for restricting relative motion between vertebrae.
2. The Relevant Technology
Many people experience back pain. Back pain is not only uncomfortable, but can be particularly debilitating. Many people who wish to participate in sports, manual labor, or even sedentary employment are unable to do so because of pains that arise from motion of or pressure on the spinal column. Such pains are often caused by traumatic, inflammatory, metabolic, synovial, neoplastic and degenerative disorders of the spine.
In order to alleviate such injuries and pains, spinal fusion techniques have been used for many years to essentially lock two vertebrae together. More recently, artificial discs have been used to replace natural intervertebral discs to correct disc pathologies, while still permitting the adjacent vertebrae to move with respect to each other. Various implants have also been proposed for the partial or complete replacement of vertebral facet joints to alleviate discomfort associated with diseased or atrophied articular processes, while still permitting intervertebral motion.
It has been discovered that excessive anterior/posterior motion between adjacent vertebrae can damage the associated intervertebral disc (i.e., "slip" the disc). Diseased or damaged spinal segments may be especially vulnerable to such damage to the intervertebral disc. Unfortunately, known spinal implants that permit some form of relative motion between the vertebrae generally do not sufficiently restrict the action of shear forces on the vertebrae.

Apparatus and method for posterior vertebral stabilization


In view of accurately determine a valid range of data to be synchronized to the system clock, conforming to actual environments of mounting and connection, the semiconductor device of the present invention is configured as acquiring flight times of clock signal(s) and a data strobe signal, transmitted to or from a double-data-rate memory, making use of reflected waves on transmission path, and as determining a valid range of data to be synchronized with a system clock based on thus-acquired flight times of the clock signal(s) and the data strobe signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a signal processing method, and in particular those preferably adoptable to a semiconductor device having an interface relevant to a double-data-rate (DDR) synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM).
2. Description of the Related Art
In circuit design of memory controller corresponded to DDR-SDRAM, DDR2-SDRAM and so forth, particular difficulties reside in a section allowing an internal flipflop to capture read data output from a memory, and a section taking part in synchronizing an output from the flipflop with a system clock. In determination of a valid range of data to be synchronized, it is important to calculate a round-trip delay which represents a length of time ranging from output of a clock from a memory controller, via travel through a memory (SDRAM), up to return of the clock as a data strobe signal DQS back to the memory controller. A timing design therefor, however, needs simulation and verification with an accuracy of several tens to several hundreds of picoseconds, and therefore needs an extremely long time for delay design of the memory controller and timing design of printed circuit board (PCB).
Memory element connected to the memory controller, quantity and types of DIMM modules, constitutional materials and number of layers of the printed circuit board are far from being unconditionally determined. Moreover, recent trends in DDR-SDRAM and DDR2-SDRAM are characterized by increased data rate evolving from DDR200, 266, 333 to 400, and from DDR2 400, 533 to 667. It is therefore difficult to simulate and verify every feasible memory-mounted configurations, over the entire regions covering all variations in the manufacturing and temperature conditions.
As for the memory controller for DDR-SDRAM, there has been proposed a method of adjusting timing by providing a capacitance corresponded to a memory element on a line simulating an actual PCB transmission path (printed wiring), actually reading the memory based on a dummy reading cycle, measuring the response waveform, and adjusting the phase of the data strobe signal DQS (see Patent Document 1, for example).
Patent Document 2 describes a technique of suppressing reflection of signals on a transmission line, ascribable to discontinuity or mismatching of characteristic impedance, and associated ringing.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-78547
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-183422
The method described in Patent Document 1 adds a PCB line simulating an actual transmission path, and provides only a load capacitance as the load. The load capacitance connected via the transmission path is, therefore, largely restricted depending on which of a directly-coupled DRAM or a DTMM module is used, quantity of DRAM, rank of the DIMM module, number of components of the DIMM module and so forth, so that disagreement of as much as several tens to several thousands of picoseconds in delay may occur between such simulative transmission path simply having the load only and the actual transmission path.
The method is also disadvantageous in that it does not use an actual data strobe signal or a clock signal, and therefore does not conform to a geometry of an actual transmission path, so that flight times of the data strobe signal and the clock signal cannot be measured. Adoption of the dummy read cycle load undesirably complicates the design of the memory controller-related components, and actual circuit operation cannot be bested unless the memory is connected.

Semiconductor device and signal processing method for synchronizing data with a data strobe signal


A data analysis device 10 comprises: a frequency analysis unit 11 that performs frequency analysis, under a predetermined condition, on each piece of a plurality of training data pieces including a plurality of class training data pieces some of which have been assigned a label indicating the data class; a cluster analysis unit 12 that clusters the frequency analyzed training data pieces into a number of classes of frequency analyzed training data; a computation unit 13 that computes, on the basis of the clusters, the degree to which frequency analyzed training data pieces assigned the same label are not included in the same cluster; and a selection unit 14 that selects, as a clustering model for assigning a label to a training data piece, clustering results according to the cluster analysis unit 12 when the smallest degree was computed, from among the plurality of computed degrees.

A technology for automatically detecting an anomaly in a device to be observed such as a sensor on the basis of vibration data captured by a sensor or the like is in demand. Note that the vibration data corresponds to, for example, data that varies with time.
In general, data captured by such a sensor tends to become long time-series data. In order to, for example, extract useful information from such long time-series data and detect an anomaly, knowledge about fields such as statistical analysis and machine learning is required. It is also required that various manipulations be repeatedly performed on data.
In addition, for analysis of such vibration data, it is known that frequency analysis of vibration data with, for example, a fast Fourier transform (FFT) is effective.
For example, it is highly likely that an administrator of a device can determine whether the device is in a normal state or abnormal state by examining captured vibration data. This raises the possibility of enabling automatic detection of the abnormal state of the device with machine learning performed to allow the administrator's task of determining the state to be automated by a detection model.
However, the machine learning requires assignment of either a "normal" label or an "abnormal" label to a large number of pieces of vibration data. That is, performing the machine learning brings about the problem of the need to perform a costly labeling task.
Further, it is expected that performing the frequency analysis on the large number of pieces of vibration data will bring about an increase in accuracy of the detection model. However, simply performing the frequency analysis still makes it difficult to extract useful information from long time-series data such as data captured by a sensor and find a useful analysis condition.
Patent Literature 1 discloses an image processing device including a computation unit that scans each region having a predetermined size in each frame constituting a moving image to compute a degree of importance for each region, and a clustering unit that clusters the regions on the basis of the degrees of importance to generate at least one region cluster.
Further, Patent Literature 2 discloses a data processing system including a learning means that builds a model through learning of a relation between a supervised label assigned to at least one region on an learning image and an image represented in the region. The data processing system disclosed in Patent Literature 2 includes a detecting means that receives an detection image different from the learning image as an input and detects respective regions containing an object on the basis of the model from an detection image subjected to a predetermined image processing and an detection image not subjected to the image processing.
Further, Patent Literature 3 discloses a process anomaly diagnosis device capable of narrowing down, in advance, a region where a threshold that separates data into normal data and abnormal data is located to ensure that, even in the worst case, the threshold is set in a region where the threshold is possibly located and clustering the normal data and the abnormal data with high reliability.
Further, Patent Literature 4 discloses an evaluation method that allows a reduction in arithmetic processing load applied when a diagnosis is performed on whether any anomaly occurs in mechanical equipment including one or a plurality of sliding members and achieves increases in speed and reliability of a diagnosis task. In the evaluation method disclosed in Patent Literature 4, measured frequency spectrum data is generated from sounds or vibrations occurred from the mechanical equipment.
The use of the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 2 allows the costly labeling task to be efficiently performed. Further, the use of any one of the technologies disclosed in Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 3 to 4 allows useful information to be extracted from long time-series data such as data captured by a sensor and further allows a useful analysis condition to be found.

Data analysis device, data analysis method and data analysis program


In a flat knitting machine equipped with a manually movable handlebar (11) which is oriented parallel to a needle bed, the eccentrically mounted handlebar (11) is connected to a pivoting lever (15) which is the carrier of an armature (19) for a stationarily arranged electromagnet which can be excited via a control device and which, in the excited state, keeps the handlebar in an end position. The arrangement is such that, when the handlebar (11) is struck from above, the magnetic coupling can be released and it is also thereby possible to switch off the machine drive by hand in the quickest way possible.

The invention relates to a flat knitting machine having a device serving for switching on, accelerating and switching off the carriage drive and possessing a manually movable handlebar which is oriented parallel to a needle bed and which is mounted eccentrically at its ends and can be pivoted between a lower and an upper end position and fixed at least in the upper end position.
Flat knitting machines with handlebars of the type mentioned are known, for example from German Offenlegungsschrift 3,705,125 of the Applicant. In addition to the problem of a sensitive control of the carriage drive by such a handlebar, there is the requirement of a rapid cut-off of the carriage drive also by hand. The last-mentioned requirement is not satisfied to a sufficient extent in the hitherto known handlebars, because the mechanical end-position interlocks used act with a time delay. The object on which the invention is based is, therefore, to design a flat knitting machine of the type mentioned in the introduction, in such a way that the carriage drive can also be cut off abruptly by means of the handlebar.

Flat knitting machine stop motion assembly


A method of manufacturing an inkjet head includes laminating a first separation film on a substrate and laminating a second separation film on the first separation film. A lower structure having a pressure chamber storing ink and an ink ejecting nozzle is formed independently of the substrate. An upper structure having an actuator changing the pressure of the pressure chamber to eject ink is formed on the second separation film with a liquid or vapor phase method. Grooves are formed in the upper structure extending from an upper surface of the upper structure to an interface between the first separation film and the second separation film. A separation liquid applied to the interface at a region exposed by the grooves separates the first and second separation films to release the upper structure from the substrate. The upper structure and the lower structure are then joined together.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to methods for manufacturing an inkjet head that ejects ink.
2. Related Art
As inkjet heads used for inkjet printers, piezoelectric type inkjet heads and bubble type (thermal type) inkjet heads are known. These inkjet heads are provided with a pressure chamber that stores ink, and structured to push out and eject ink, by an actuator in the case of the piezoelectric type inkjet head, and by a bubble that is generated by boiling a solvent in the case of the bubble type inkjet head.
Pressure chambers of the inkjet heads, for example, in the piezoelectric type and bubble type inkjet heads, are generally formed in a silicon substrate (silicon wafer) by a semiconductor process. Reasons for forming pressure chambers in a silicon substrate are because silicon substrates (silicon wafers) are relatively readily processed, and therefore pressure chambers can be accurately fabricated. For another reason, in the bubble type inkjet head in particular, heaters can be readily formed on a silicon substrate, and the silicon substrate has sufficient heat resistance to tolerate heating by the heaters.
It is important to lower the defect rate caused by foreign matters and defects and improve the yield in order to lower the manufacturing cost in a semiconductor process that uses such silicon substrates (silicon wafers) as described above. The yield is greatly influenced by the chip size. When a desired number of nozzles is to be secured in a chip for inkjet head (hereafter also referred to as a head chip), which is an element for forming the inkjet head, the head chip becomes relatively large, compared to an IC chip, and therefore it is essentially difficult to improve the yield.
For example, an inkjet head with the currently highest dot density is provided with 600 dpi (at a nozzle pitch of 42.3 μm), and the size of a single chip composing this inkjet head is substantially large, compared to an IC chip. Accordingly, the number of head chips that may be obtained from a single silicon substrate (silicon wafer) is fewer, compared to that of IC chips. Therefore, in order to secure a greater number of non-defective head chips, it is necessary to improve the yield to a level higher than that of IC chips.
As described above, for example, in a piezoelectric type inkjet head, pressure chambers alone are formed in a silicon wafer, and other components such as actuators having piezoelectric thin films composed of PZT or the like are laminated on the silicon wafer, thereby assembling the inkjet head. This manufacturing method has been in the mainstream of assembling inkjet heads. However, this manufacturing method has a problem in the accuracy in processing components other than pressure chambers, and therefore its ability in achieving higher integration is limited.
In this regard, a manufacturing method by MEMS (micro electro mechanical systems), in which actuators and wirings to be connected to the actuators are directly formed on a substrate, has been developed in recent years. According to this manufacturing method, actuators and wirings are formed on a substrate, and then the same substrate is processed to form pressure chambers. Further, the substrate is divided into individual pieces (diced) depending on the requirements, whereby head chips that are components of inkjet heads are manufactured (see, for example, Japanese laid-open patent application JP-A-2004-6722).
In such a manufacturing method, when forming a piezoelectric thin film (piezoelectric film) composed of PZT or the like by a vapor phase method or a liquid phase method, the annealing temperature for crystallization may reach, for example, about 600° C. Therefore, the substrate is required to have a heat resistance at least at 600° C. or higher. Accordingly, the use of silicon (a silicon wafer) as a substrate is very practical, because there is no problem in terms of heat resistance, and the aforementioned advantage in which pressure chambers can be readily and highly accurately formed can be maintained.
However, this manufacturing method requires additional steps of forming actuators and wirings to be connected to the actuators on a silicon substrate, compared to the method in related art in which pressure chambers alone are formed from a silicon substrate, such that the processing on the silicon substrate is prolonged, and defects that may be caused by foreign matters and deficiencies would likely occur. As a result, the number of non-defective head chips that can be obtained from a single silicon substrate (silicon wafer) is not very high, in other words, a sufficient yield cannot be achieved. Therefore, non-defective head chips cannot be secured sufficiently in absolute quantity, as described above, and a reduction in the manufacturing cost has substantially been prevented.


Disclosed is a wind speed sensor based on a flexible inductor and a silicon-based inductor, which relates to a MEMS device and belongs to the field of measurement and testing technologies. The wind speed sensor is a double-layer inductor structure composed of a flexible inductor and a silicon-based inductor. A metal layer of the flexible inductor and a metal layer of the silicon-based inductor face to each other and form, between them, an air cavity sufficient for mutual induction of electromotance. A contact block constituting a measuring port is deposited in the metal layer of the silicon-based inductor. The present invention has a light structure, and implements wind speed detection based on the Bernoulli effect and the coil mutual inductance effect.

Wind speed measurement, which is closely related to people's lives, is widely used in various fields, such as industrial construction, agricultural production, aerospace, transportation, tourism, weather forecasting and environmental protection. In the early days, the measurement of wind speed was mainly realized by mechanical wind cups and wind vanes. In recent years, wind speed sensors, which are based on the principle of ultrasound and Doppler's Principle, have appeared. However, in general, due to their large sizes and high costs, these wind speed sensors cannot meet the application requirements of miniaturization and low power consumption in the Internet of Things technology.
Neil Bernoulli proposed the "Bernoulli's Principle" in 1726. This is the basic principle of hydraulics before the continuum theory equation of fluid mechanics is established, the essence of which is the fluid mechanical energy conservation, namely: kinetic energy+gravitational potential energy+pressure potential energy=constant. Bernoulli's Principle is often expressed as a formula called Bernoulli's Equation: p+1/2ρv2+ρgh=C, where p is the pressure at a certain point in the fluid, v is the fluid velocity at that point, ρ is the fluid density, g is the gravitational acceleration, h is the height of the point, and C is a constant. According to Bernoulli's Principle, we can get an important inference: when flowing at a constant height, the higher the fluid velocity, the lower the pressure.
The phenomenon of mutual inductance is widely used in circuits, in which energy or signals can be transferred from one coil to another. The basic principle of mutual inductance is magnetic coupling. If two coils are approaching to each other, part of the magnetic flux generated by the current in the first coil will link with the second coil, and the change of the current in the first coil will lead to the change of its magnetic flux linked with the second coil, thereby generating an induced electromotance in the second coil. The magnitude of the coefficient of mutual inductance depends on the geometries, sizes, relative position, respective turns of the two coils and the magnetic permeability of the medium around them.
This application aims to implement a wind speed sensor having a light structure and low loss based on the Bernoulli effect and the coil mutual inductance effect.

Wind speed sensor based on a flexible inductor and a silicon-based inductor


A joint therapy system and method is shown for proving thermal therapy and joint stability in dual modes of operation. In some embodiments, a treatment system is shown utilizing an orthopedic support for supporting a joint region and having one or more of temperature control capabilities, compression capabilities, and bracing capabilities that may, for example, be used to reduce recover time, limit edema, and protect joints from improper movement while healing from orthopedic surgeries.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method of and system for joint therapy and stabilization and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a treatment system utilizing an orthopedic support for supporting a joint region such as, for example, a knee and having one or more of temperature control capabilities, compression capabilities, and bracing capabilities.
2. History of Related Art
It is common in the sports medicine industry to utilize orthopedic supports for various body parts subject to injury. The most common support areas include the knees, elbows, wrists, shoulders, backs, and ankles. Often injuries to these areas of the body can be treated by the utilization of the appropriate orthopedic support. In the event of surgery, rehabilitation is sometimes augmented by the utilization of such supports.
The design of orthopedic supports has changed considerably over the past two decades. The types of material used as well as the fastening and hinging mechanisms associated with orthopedic supports have been the subject of considerable study and improvement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,264 to Miller, teaches a knee brace having an interior tibial shell and an interior femoral shell which are closely configured to the shape of the lower leg and thigh respectively and which are joined by a frame in the form of a pair of polycentric hinge joints. U.S. Pat. No. 4,856,501 to Castill et. al. teaches a knee brace having adjustable width frame pivoted to cuffs. The brace as set forth therein includes first and second frame members disposed on opposite sides of the joint to be supported, and first and second hinge members disposed substantially adjacent to the joint and connected to the frame members to pivot the frame members about the joint.
There is a need in the art for a treatment system utilizing an orthopedic support for a joint region that provides a new level of flexibility and customizability along with one or more of temperature control capabilities, compression capabilities, and bracing capabilities that may, for example, be used to reduce recover time, limit edema, and protect knees from improper movement while healing from orthopedic surgeries.

Method of and system for joint therapy and stabilization


A spread spectrum communication system, which can detect the synchronization of the spread code surely even when the carrier-to-noise ratio is low, and can detect the boundary of the data. Wherein two types of spread code S20, S21 are transmitted from a transmitter 21 as an initial synchronizing signal based on a predetermined transmission pattern, and two types of spread code are respectively detected at a receiver 22. The predetermined transmission pattern is detected based on the detected two spread codes. Therefore, the spread code is detected several times at the receiver, and the synchronization of the spread code can be detected surely even when the carrier-to-noise ratio is low. Further, the boundary of the data can be detected by the predetermined transmission pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a spread spectrum communication system, and its receiver and transmitter, and more particularly, is suitable to a portable telephone device, etc. of a spread spectrum communication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, in a spread spectrum communication system, the Pseudo Noise code (PN code) transmitted from a transmitter is detected by a receiver, so that the PN code used for the spread spectrum is synchronous between the transmitter and the receiver.
Here, such a spread spectrum communication system will be described with reference to FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, in a transmitter 2 of the spread spectrum communication system 1, information data S1 as a transmission data is inputted to an information modulating part 3. The information modulating part 3 performs the primary modulation such as the frequency modulation or the phase modulation on a predetermined carrier wave by using the information data S1. The obtained transmitting signal S2 is outputted to a multiplier 4. PN code S3 generated at a PN code generator 5 has been inputted in the multiplier 4, and the multiplier 4 multiplies the transmitting signal S2 by the PN code S3 so as to spread the spectrum of the transmitting signal S2.
The transmitting signal S4 which is a spread spectrum signal is inputted to a frequency converting part 6 where it is frequency-converted into a signal having a high frequency, and then it is amplified by a radio frequency (RF) amplifying part 7 to be irradiated through an antenna 8 as a transmitting signal S5.
Meanwhile, in a receiver 9, the transmitting signal S5 transmitted from the transmitter 2 is received at an antenna 10, and is inputted to a RF amplifying part 11. The RF amplifying part 11 amplifies the receiving signal to output it to a frequency converting part 12. The frequency converting part 12 frequency-converts the receiving signal of a high frequency into the receiving signal S6 of a low frequency to output it to a multiplier 13 and a PN detecting part 14.
The PN detecting part 14 detects the PN code from the receiving signal S6, and outputs timing signal S7 for initializing the PN code to a PN generator 15. The PN generator 15 generates PN code S8 at a proper timing based on the timing signal S7 to output it to the multiplier 13. The PN code S8 is multiplied by the receiving signal S6 by the multiplier 13, so that the spread spectrum receiving signal S6 is inverse-spread. The inverse-spread receiving signal S9 is inputted to an information demodulating part 16 where it is demodulated by performing the reverse processing to that done in the information modulating part 3 at a transmission side and is outputted as an information data S10.
In the spread spectrum communication system 1, generally, if the spread rate is made high, the jamming-resistance is improved, and it makes it possible to communicate surely even when a carrier-to-noise ratio C/N is low. However, if the spread ratio is made high, the length of PN code used in PN code detection at a reception side (referred to as detection code length. Note that the detection code length does not always correspond to the period of PN code.) becomes long.
However, if the detection code length is lengthened, the construction of the matched filter becomes complicated as in the case of using a matched filter as the PN detecting part 14, and there occurs the necessity of a standard oscillator of high accuracy. On the contrary, if the detection code length is shortened, the PN code can not be detected at a reception side when the carrier-to-noise ratio C/N is low, and there occurs the problem that the detection accuracy (i.e., reliability) becomes low.
As a method for solving the problems, there is a method for realizing the improvement of detection accuracy, the simplification of circuit construction, and the relief of frequency accuracy, by transmitting repeatedly the comparatively short PN code before the data transmission, and detecting the PN code several times at a reception side.
Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the case where the PN code is transmitted five times repeatedly before the data transmission will be explained based on the above method. In this case, the opportunities of detecting PN code exists five times at a reception side, and it is assumed that the synchronization of PN code can be detected if two detections can be performed among five opportunities of detection. As a case corresponding to this condition, there are two cases for example, one is the case where first and second PN codes are detected and the rest of the codes are not detected, and other is the case where second and third PN codes are detected and the rest of the codes are not detected.
In both cases, since the PN detecting part can not know where does the detected PN code ranks, it can not be specified how far the head of the data is apart from the start point of the detection. Therefore, the start code representing the head of the data is needed to be inputted in the data in this method. In this way, this method can solve the above problem, but the redundant code which is the start code is needed to be added and there still have a insufficient point as a solution.

Spread spectrum communication system and its transmitter and receiver


A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Warm Yoigloo’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and mounding plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform and freely flowering habit; duplex-type inflorescences with obovate-shaped ray florets; orange bronze-colored ray florets; and natural season flowering about September 17th in the Northern Hemisphere.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, commercially grown as a perennial garden Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name 'Warm Yoigloo'.
The objective of the breeding program is to create new perennial garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive florets colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in December, 2000, in Salinas, Calif. of a proprietary seedling selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number 95-L464005, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Mei Kyo, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in October, 2001. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence color and good form and substance.
Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in Alva, Fla. in January, 2002. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.


A mounting platform assembly for attaching a "heel-less" type of binding to a ski may comprise a toe platform having a top surface and a bottom surface and having a plurality of holes extending therethrough for receiving a plurality of platform screws. The toe platform also includes at least two threaded holes therein for receiving at least two mounting screws of the binding. The toe platform is attached to the ski by the platform screws, whereas the toe piece of the "heel-less" binding is attached to the toe platform by the mounting screws. A heel platform may be mounted to the ski at a position rearward from the toe platform by heel platform screws.

Telemark skiing is often thought of as a cross between downhill skiing and cross-country skiing. Like cross-country skiing, the heel of a telemark boot is not secured to the ski, i.e., it is a "heel-less" binding. However, the toe piece of a telemark binding generally provides a more secure attachment of the toe of the boot to the ski than does a cross-country ski binding. Also, the ski boots for telemark skiing are generally heavier than those used for cross-country skiing. Consequently, a telemark ski, boot, and binding outfit generally provides superior control over a cross-country outfit, albeit not to the same degree as does an alpine (commonly referred to as "downhill") ski, boot, and binding assembly.
One problem associated with telemark ski bindings is that the mounting screws that secure the toe piece to the ski tend to work loose over time. If the mounting screws are not kept securely tightened, the holes in the ski will tend to become enlarged, preventing further tightening of the binding mounting screws. Worse yet, the holes may fail during actual skiing, causing the binding to detach from the ski. Besides being a significant inconvenience, the detaching binding may cause personal injury to the skier.
In an effort to ameliorate this problem, some skiers install threaded inserts into their skis. The mounting screws of the binding are then secured to the threaded inserts. While such threaded inserts provide a more secure attachment of binding to ski, the binding may still pull loose from the ski when subjected to heavy loads of the type that may be imposed by an accidental fall or by expert or "extreme" telemark skiers.

Mounting platform for "heel-less" type ski bindings and method for using the same