A rod extractor for ground drill rods having a drill rod (20) with a plurality of rod threads (23) at its upper portion, about which an extraction collar (30) with internal threads rotates slidably with said rod threads. A guide sleeve (51) having a sleeve opening is attached perpendicular to a ground plate (50) which rests on a ground surface. Said rod travels through said sleeve opening into the ground, upon which an extraction tool (40) rotates said collar about said rod resulting in downward travel of said collar in relation to said rod and sleeve until said collar contacts said sleeve. Further rotation of said collar results in upward force upon said rod, extracting it from the ground.

When soil is placed during the construction process at a location where a future structure shall reside, it is common engineering practice to test the soil for compaction and moisture content. The compaction (relative density) and moisture content is verified to ensure adequate and sustainable bearing capacity for whatever structure will be built on it.
Many test methods have been created and utilized to determine compaction and moisture at a construction site, but one of the most accurate, quickest and common methods has become the use of a field nuclear density gauge. The nuclear gauge method starts by pounding a rod (typically around ¾ inches in diameter) into the ground approximately twelve inches. After the rod has been pounded into the ground, the operator has a tool that clamps onto the top of the rod. With manual twisting and pulling motions, the operator retracts the rod from the ground. The remaining hole is used as an encasement for the nuclear gauges source probe, which is inserted into the hole to run the test.
Current rod extractors typically consist of a simple two-handed tool that latches onto the top of the rod, allowing the rod to be manually twisted and pulled up at the same time. This process is relatively non-strenuous when sands or granular soils are encountered, but more clayey soils, especially lean or fat clays, exert much more sidewall force and friction upon the rod, making it very strenuous and sometime dangerous to manually retract the rod from the ground. Many times the force and effort required to withdraw the rod is so high that a weaker operator will be unable to remove the pin.
When pounded fully into the ground, the top of current rods, where the tool latches on, is approximately 5 inches above the surface of the ground. Many safety regulations require that heavy lifting be done with the knees, not the back. But with current rod extraction methods, the use of the knees would not provide near the upward or torsion force required to remove the pin. The only way to provide adequate force to remove current rods is with the use of the back and arms, which unfortunately has resulted in many back injuries.
One current method offered by a few manufacturers to alleviate the effort required to remove the rod is a lengthened rod rising to about chest height. The rod is encased with a heavy collar that travels up and down the rod. A circular stationary disc is secured on top of the rod. The operator slides the hammer quickly up the rod's shaft, impacting the hammer into the upper disc. The upward impacting forces pound the rod out of the ground. This method is used for nuclear gauge tests as well as other soil tests that require the insertion of a rod or probe into the ground. This method is relatively effective for the extraction phase, but the weight of the equipment is substantially more and more effort is required to carry the heavier equipment from test location to test location. No other system is currently in use that provides mechanical advantage during rod extraction from the ground. Typically operators are required to carry the equipment by hand; therefore any rod extraction system must be relatively lightweight and compact. Because of the hammering action upon the rod, typically with a 5-pound hammer, as well as other factors inherent to construction sites, the extraction systems must also be very durable.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,931,236 to CEE, L.L.C. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,263 to Kejr are soil-sampling systems with a soil probe that incorporate a screw mechanism providing movement for soil penetration or separation. These inventions provide for advantages in soil sampling and provide no mechanical advantage to remove a pin, under sidewall and friction resistance, from the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,392 to Clements provides mechanical advantage in retracting a soil probe with the use of a jacking mechanism, but this type of system would be bulky and heavy, and as with the previously mentioned upward hammer system, would require additional provisions and effort if it were to be transported and carried by an operator to numerous nuclear density tests. The incorporation of moving parts would also affect its durability.


A first booster circuit and a second booster circuit include input capacitors, reactors, diodes, switch elements, and output capacitors, and are arranged to be symmetric to each other on a positive side and a negative side. The reactors are magnetically coupled to each other. With such configuration, the switch elements are on/off controlled simultaneously based on terminal voltages of the input capacitors and the output capacitors.

Patent Document 1 mentioned below is an example of a power supply apparatus that boosts DC voltage by switching in conventional techniques. The power supply apparatus ("power supply system" in the patent document) comprises a first power supply, a voltage converter that converts voltage outputted from the first power supply, a second power supply to which the voltage from the converter is applied, an electric load system that receives voltage from at least one of the voltage converter and the second power supply, and a controller that controls the voltage converter so that when the system is shifted from a first state that output current from the voltage converter is lower than a current value during an ordinary operation to a second state that the output current is recovered, the output voltage from the voltage converter is maintained high at least during a predetermined period.
In the power supply system, an auxiliary system that is comprised of the voltage converter and the load system connected to the first power supply serving as a main power supply and the second power supply is configured. When voltage supplied from the first power supply to the voltage converter is decreased and the output current from the voltage converter is a low current value and then becomes the current value during the ordinary operation, the second power supply is charged by voltage from the voltage converter that is higher than ordinary one. The power supply system has an advantage that the charge amount of the auxiliary system is recovered earlier with a simple configuration.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-333835


Isolated oligonucleotides capable of down-regulating H19 mRNA in cancer cells are disclosed, as well as pharmaceutical compositions that include the oligonucleotides and methods of treatment of cancer using them. Methods of treating cancer comprising administering agents capable of downregulating H19 mRNA in combination with an additional anti-cancer treatment are further disclosed.

H19 was the first human imprinted non protein-coding gene to be identified showing expression of only the maternal allele. It is also imprinted in mice. H19 was mapped on the short arm of the human chromosome 11, band 15.5, homologous to a region of murine chromosome 7. It belongs to a group of genes that very likely does not code for a protein product. H19 gene is abundantly expressed in embryogenesis but is shut off in most tissues after birth. However, studies of various tumors have demonstrated a re-expression or an over-expression of the H19 gene when compared to healthy tissues. Moreover in cancers of different etiologies and lineages, aberrant expression in allelic pattern was observed in some cases. While H19 shows mono-allelic expression in most tissues throughout development, with the exception of germ cells at certain stages of maturation, and in extra-villous trophoblasts, bi-allelic expression of this gene, referred as "relaxation of imprinting" or "loss of imprinting" (LOI), have been found in an increasing number of cancers, for example, hepatocellular carcinoma, liver neoplasms of albumin SV40 T antigen-transgenic rats, lung adenocarcinoma, esophageal, ovarian, rhabdomyosarcoma, cervical, bladder, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, colorectal, uterus and in testicular germ cell tumors. Today nearly 30 types of cancers show dysregulated expression of H19 gene as compared to healthy tissues, with or without LOI. For a recent review see Matouk et al (Matouk et al, 2005, Gene Ther Mol Biol).
It was also shown that H19 over-expression of ectopic origin conferred a proliferative advantage for breast epithelial cells in a soft agar assay and in several combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice (Lottin et al, 2002, Oncogene 21, 1625-1631). In tumors formed by the injection of cells of a choriocarcinoma-derived cell line (JEG-3), and a bladder carcinoma cell line (T24P), the H19 level is very high when compared to the level of H19 in cells prior to injection [Rachmilewitz et al, 1995, Oncogene 11, 863-870].
Moreover, certain known carcinogens upregulate the expression of the H19 gene. A dramatic elevation of H19 RNA levels was detected in the airway epithelium of smokers without LOI [Kaplan et al, 2003, Cancer Res 63, 1475-1482]. BBN (a known carcinogen of the bladder) also induces the expression of H19 gene in the rat model of bladder cancer [Ariel et al, 2004, Mol Carcinog 41, 69-76]. Likewise, Diethylnitrosamine (a known carcinogen of the liver) induces the expression of H19 in a mice model of hepatocellular carcinoma [Graveel et al, 2001, Oncogene 20, 2704-2712]. All of these observations and others contradict the initial proposal that H19 is a tumor suppressor gene.
Comparing patterns of gene expression in two homogeneous cell populations that only differ in the presence or absence of H19 RNA have identified plenty of downstream effectors of H19 RNA, among these are group of genes that were previously reported to play crucial roles in some aspects of the tumorigenic process. H19 RNA presence may enhance the invasive, migratory and angiogenic capacity of the cell by up regulating genes that function in those pathways, and could thus contribute at least to the initial steps of the metastatic cascade. Additional studies highlight H19's potential role in promoting cancer progression and tumor metastasis by being a responsive gene to HGF/SF.
The specific expression of H19 gene in cancer cells has prompted its use in clinical applications for diagnosing cancer. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,273 to the present inventors teaches the use of H19 gene as a tumor specific marker.
PCT Pub. No. WO 1995/24503 teaches the detection of malignancies and their grading with a H19 gene probe by in-situ hybridization useful for detecting the presence or absence of malignancy in pediatric Wilms' Tumor.
PCT Pub. No. WO 2004/031359 teaches down-regulation of H19 for treating diseases associated with angiogenesis, such as cancer. However, down-regulation of H19 was not demonstrated, nor were specific and efficacious siRNA agents capable of down-regulating H19 taught or suggested. PCT Pub. No. 2007/007317 published Jan. 18, 2007 further teaches use of certain specific siRNA agents (corresponding to SEQ ID NOS:1-4 of the present invention) for treating cancer as well as use of such anti H19 agents as part of combination therapies for treating cancer.
A publication by Berteaux et al. (2005) discloses two specific siRNA molecules targeted to H19, which arrest in vitro growth of breast cancer cells.
Additional species of siRNA intended for silencing H19 are now also available from commercial sources, including Invitrogen, Dharmacon and Qiagen. The efficacy of such commercially available H19 siRNA sequences is putative and their utility remains to be established. Certain commercially available molecules correspond to SEQ ID NOs: 14-25 of the present application.
There is a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have, effective methods and compositions for down-regulating H19 for cancer treatment.

Nucleic acid agents for downregulating H19, and methods of using same

Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem


Dual wavelength monolithically integrated VCSELs and a method of fabrication for emitting a short wavelength light and a long wavelength light including a first mirror stack lattice matched to the surface of a substrate. A short wavelength VCSEL is fabricated and masked during the formation of a long wavelength VCSEL. Each VCSEL further including mirror pairs in a AlAs/AlGaAs material system, an active region lattice matched to a surface of the first mirror stack, and a second mirror stack lattice matched to a surface of the active region and capable of emitting either a short wavelength light or a long wavelength light, dependent upon design parameters. Electrical contacts are coupled to the active regions of the monolithically integrated short wavelength VCSEL and the long wavelength VCSEL. The dual wavelength monolithically integrated VCSELs fabricated as a semiconductor laser chip capable of read/write applications for both CDs and DVDs.

The rapid advancement of multimedia applications require a system that stores more information more compactly, and is easier to use and handle. Thus, digital video disc (DVD) technology offers this high density format advantage. DVD technology is based on a new generation of a compact disc format which provides for increased storage capacity and performance, especially for video and multimedia applications.
Compact disc (CD) technology is aggressively becoming the global standard for music, entertainment and computer software. Although extremely popular, CD technology has yet been able to provide high density formats. A compact disc (CD) can typically only store approximately five minutes worth of analog image information, and a larger size laser disc of 11.8 inches can store approximately sixty minutes of analog image information. Accordingly, while the movie/entertainment and computer industries want to pursue high density formats, such as that found in DVD technology, of concern is the maintenance of CD compatibility due to its appearance throughout the industry.
As the industry introduces this new digital technology, an increasingly important consideration is compatibility with the previous formats. Great effort has gone into making the DVD system, such as DVD-ROM, backward compatible. Backward compatibility includes the ability to play the existing CD format on a DVD system, while keeping in mind that there exist quite a few physical differences between a DVD system and a CD system. For instance, a DVD format disc has a pit length of 0.4 .mu.m and a track pitch of 0.74 .mu.m, almost half that of a CD format disc. In addition, the typical DVD substrate is 0.6 mm, in comparison to a typical CD substrate of 1.2 mm. The DVD laser wavelength is either 635 nm or 650 nm, and the DVD numerical aperture (NA) of the focal lens is 0.6, while the CD laser wavelength is typically 780 nm, and the CD NA of the focal lens is 0.45. These different parameters between DVDs and CDs lead to different laser requirements for read/write applications.
Several approaches have been proposed to solve the DVD backward compatibility issue. Among the solutions are an integrated two-lens switching system which consists of two lenses, one for CD, and the other for DVD, and a dual focus pickup system in which a single lens is used to achieve focus for both CD and DVD systems. With the integrated two-lens switching system, two lenses, one for the CD and the other for the DVD, are switched by rotating the lenses horizontally to read signals for each disc. With the dual-focus pickup system, a single lens can achieve focus for both the CD and the DVD without being realigned, and read the signals, due to the adoption of a hologram lens.
The two-lens system and the dual-focus lens system are complicated and difficult to make. Another technique is to use an LCD shutter to alter the characteristics of the laser used in reading the discs. The LCD shutter pickup is less complicated than the two-lens and dual-focus formats, resulting in a smaller, more reliable pickup. In this instance, the pickup is built using a 635 nm red laser. The LCD shutter changes the numerical aperture of the lens, producing a narrower beam, resulting in a longer focal distance of 1.2 mm into CDs, or a wider beam, resulting in a shorter focal distance of 0.6 mm into DVDs. This allows reading the two different formats with one pickup.
Although the LCD shutter pickup is an improvement to either the two-lens pickup system or the dual-focus lens pickup system, it is not an efficient use of the laser output power because the shutter blocks a significant amount of the laser power to narrow the beam width. In many instances, power efficiency is very important, such as in laptop computer applications. In addition the LCD shutter pickup requires extra circuitry to control the LCD shutter.
In general, longer wavelength lasers, such as 780 nm lasers, are widely used in low density compact disc (CD) read and write applications. This next generation of high density DVDs will require shorter wavelength lasers, such as 650 m or lower for read and write applications.
As previously described, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) can potentially be utilized for these read and write applications and are capable of operating at a specific wavelength dependent upon the material system utilized in the fabrication process. In general, VCSELs include a first distributed Bragg reflector (DBR), also referred to as a mirror stack, formed on top of a substrate by semiconductor manufacturing techniques, an active region formed on top of the first mirror stack, and a second mirror stack formed on top of the active region. The VCSEL is driven by current forced through the active region, typically achieved by providing a first contact on the reverse side of the substrate and a second contact on top of the second mirror stack.
It would be highly advantageous to remedy the foregoing backward compatibility challenge and the deficiencies inherent in the prior art. Thus it is highly desirable and an object of the present invention to provide for a reading head, or optical pickup module, that incorporates both a short and a longer wavelength device. Accordingly, proposed is a low cost semiconductor chip that includes dual wavelength monolithically integrated VCSELs of different wavelengths, thereby capable of being utilized to read and write information to and from both CDs and DVDs, thus fulfilling the requirements of backward compatibility.
Another object of the invention is to provide a reliable semiconductor laser chip that incorporates a longer wavelength VCSEL, more particularly one emitting light of approximately 780 nm and a short wavelength VCSEL, more particularly one emitting light of approximately 635 to 650 nm, thereby capable of being utilized with both CDs and DVDs.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide for efficient active regions and mirror stacks for use in a semiconductor chip that includes dual wavelength monolithically integrated VCSELs.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide for a method of fabricating dual wavelength monolithically integrated vertical cavity surface emitting lasers that includes both a longer wavelength VCSEL and a shorter wavelength VCSEL for use with both CDs and DVDs.
Yet another object of the invention is to reduce the complexity, thus cost, of monolithically integrating a long wavelength VCSEL and a shorter wavelength VCSEL.

Dual wavelength monolithically integrated vertical cavity surface emitting lasers and method of fabrication


A method and system for login authentication is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: sending, by a first client, a first login request to a login server and receiving a mapping relationship between original characters and post-mapping characters returned by the login server according to the first login request; and sending, by a second client, a second login request to the login server according to the mapping relationship, with the second login request including post-mapping information corresponding to user information determined according to the mapping relationship. The solution in the present invention is to realize joint login by two clients, such that even if one of the clients is infected with a computer virus, no particular user information can be obtained through the infected client. Thus, the security of login authentication and the security of user information can be improved.

With the rapid development of science and technology, more and more services can be provided to people. In order to effectively and securely utilize a corresponding service, a user is usually required to log onto a relevant server, and be authenticated by the server. After the user passes the authentication, normal login of the user can be realized, and the user can utilize the corresponding service. Among the current methods for login authentication, one of the methods is: receiving input of a user's a username and password through a computer used by the user; and at the same time, receiving input of an authentication code; and sending the inputted username, password, and authentication code to a service-providing system server to authenticate the user's identity. In such an application method, if the user's computer has been invaded by a virus or a Trojan program, and the virus or Trojan program performs key logging on the user's computer, when the user inputs the username, password, authentication code and so on, the username and password of the user will be acquired easily by the virus and Trojan program. Thus security cannot be assured. Even if various security means are employed to strengthen the security of the user's computer, the environment in which the user inputs the username and password is the same computer device as the virus or Trojan program. Since the viruses or Trojan programs are also upgrading all the time, theoretically, it is still possible that security means may be cracked by a virus or Trojan program at a higher technology level, and the username and password of the user be finally obtained by the virus or Trojan program, leading compromised security.

Method and system of login authentication

TENCENT TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) COMPANY LIMITED


A light emitting diode driving device and light system are provided. The light emitting diode driving device drives a light source by a received alternating current voltage. The light emitting diode driving device includes a rectifier, a feedback unit, a protection unit, a switch unit, a timing unit, and a control unit. The rectifier is electrically coupled to an alternating current voltage source and the light source for providing the alternating current voltage to the light source. The feedback unit is used to detect a loading state and generate a feedback signal according the loading state for outputting the feedback signal. The protection unit is used to receive the feedback signal and compare the feedback signal with a reference voltage built in the protection unit for outputting a switch signal. The switch unit is used to receive the switch signal and connect or disconnect the alternating current voltage source and the light source. Therefore, the protection unit can avoid a burnout due to an exceeding current of the light source.

The light emitting diode (called LED) was invented in 1960. The LED was commercialized until 1998 from the red light LED, the green light LED and the blue light LED. The LED has functions of less power consumption and fast switch. The LED is applied in indicating area, for example, the traffic signal and the flat-panel display. The LED is applied in a new area after the LED is being a backlight in high-level cellphone.
Presently, the LED is applied in many areas, for example, the remote control, the motor vehicle, the lighting system, and the outdoor large display etc. Besides, the LED is being a potential product of the display due to its high color saturation, fast switch, no mercury and long life so that the LED can be applied in the display light source and the back light.
Please prefer to FIG. 4, it is a schematic block diagram showing a circuit of a conventional lighting system. The lighting system 400 comprises a driving device 406 and a light source 408. The lighting system 400 receives an alternating current voltage supplied by the alternating current voltage source 402 through the rectifier 404. The driving device 406 comprises a switch unit 412, a feedback unit 416, a control unit 418, a timing synchronous unit 420 and an illumination control device 422.
The timing synchronous unit 420 transfers the alternating current voltage into a timing synchronous signal. The control unit 418 is electrically coupled to the timing synchronous unit 420 for outputting an adjustment signal to the switch unit 412 according to a timing of the timing synchronous signal. The switch unit 412 is electrically coupled between the rectifier 404 and the light source 408. The switch unit 412 decides to supply the alternating current voltage to the light source 408 or not according to a state (i.e. high logic level or low logic level) of the adjustment signal when the switch unit 412 receives the adjustment signal. Therefore, the light source 408 will be enabled. The feedback unit 416 is electrically coupled between the light source 408 and the control unit 418 for detecting a loading state (for example, a current value of the light source 408) of the light source 408 and outputting a feedback signal to the control unit 418 according to detecting result.
A predetermined illumination value is obtained from the illumination control device 422 after the feedback signal is received by the control unit 418. Users according to the user's requirement can adjust the predetermined illumination value. Then, the control unit 418 compares the feedback signal with the predetermined illumination value for reference of width of the adjustment signal.

Light emitting diode driving device and light system


A thermal quenching installation making use of induction heating. This installation has induction heater means comprising a stationary induction coil, handling means to cause the element to pass through said coil, and cooling means, preferably a shower, disposed downstream from the coil.

In the automotive industry, certain components of the suspension system need to be capable of withstanding repeated stresses during their lifetime. When designing such a component, various treatments are specified for increasing its ability to withstand fatigue. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of such treatments and consequently in order to evaluate the lifetime of the component, standardized stressing cycles are defined which consist in applying a succession of deformations to said components until it breaks. At present, it is desired to be able to guarantee that no breakage can appear under 100,000 cycles. The calculations performed in developing such components show that certain portions of the components are more likely to break than others, and in particular the bends. It is thus mainly these portions which need to be treated in order to guarantee the ability to withstand at least 100,000 cycles. For example, the ability to withstand fatigue of an anti-roll bar is evaluated by subjecting the two ends of the bar to opposing displacement cycles and counting the number of cycles up to breakage. Analogous tests can be defined for evaluating the ability to withstand fatigue of an active half-bar or of any other element of comparable shape. The problem of determining ability to withstand fatigue with such elements is becoming ever more critical, mainly because of two trends:                vehicles are becoming heavier because of the increasing amount of on-board electronic equipment and increasing engine size; and        manufacturers are tending to define stabilizing bars of longitudinal axis that is offset very little from axes passing through the centers of the wheels; under such conditions, stabilizing bars are shorter and for a given wheel travel, the amplitude of the displacements of the ends of the bar increases as do the stress levels to which the bar is subjected.
In addition, for 4-wheel drive vehicles, the amount of deflection at the ends of the stabilizing bar is even greater because of the desire to enable the vehicle to negotiate obstacles.
Also, weight reduction due to the use of a tubular bar leads (compared to a solid bar and for identical amplitude of movement) to an increase of strain.
One of the treatments for increasing the resistance to fatigue of a stabilizing bar or an analogous component consists in applying thermal quenching thereto. Depending on the methods used, such quenching is performed either after or before the bar has been shaped, i.e. after or before bending operations. Several techniques are known.
A first method consists in applying austenizing treatment to the bar in an oven, then in bending it while hot and while taking care to ensure that the temperature of the bar remains high enough for the steel to remain in the austenitic range. The bar is then quenched as a whole by being immersed in a liquid. It is accepted that this method of hot-bending followed by overall quenching does not enable highly-stressed bars to be produced. It is applicable only to making solid stabilizer bars.
Another method consists in cold-bending a solid bar, in heating it by conduction by placing its two ends between the electrodes of conduction heater equipment, and then in quenching. Quenching the bar leads to a martensitic transformation to the core of the bar, providing the steel was caused to be completely austenitic during the conduction heating stage. That method is slow and expensive.
Several attempts have been made to perform cold-bending followed by quenching that consist in causing an inductor and a shower to move along the component. Such a method has been found to be extremely slow and difficult to perform because of the electrical losses that occur in the flexible connection powering the moving inductor.
Hollow anti-roll bars are also known, i.e. bars made from a tube, and preferably of varying wall thickness so as to have greater thickness in the bends or other regions that are subjected to high levels of stress. The bar is bent while cold and is subsequently subjected to austenizing treatment in an oven having a controlled atmosphere, followed by quenching. The tubular bar is subsequently subjected to annealing treatment for one hour at 200° C. and it is then shot-blasted internally, the shot being injected by means of a nozzle. In that method, the bar is quenched throughout, thereby making it more difficult to forge its ends since forging then needs to be performed hot.

Induction quenching installation, in particular for fabricating suspension components


A power management apparatus includes a storage unit to store power rate levels corresponding to a plurality of power rates, and store display information corresponding to the power rate levels, a communication unit to receive power rates for each hour of each day from a power provider, a controller to confirm power rate levels corresponding to power rates for each hour of each day, and confirm display information for each power rate level, and a control panel unit to display the power rates for each hour of each day according to individual power rate levels, the displayed power rate levels being displayed as different types of display information. The power management apparatus allows the user to intuitively recognize the current power rate and the current power rate level, and predicts the future power rates and the future power rate level, such that it can establish an optimum power use schedule.

1. Field
Embodiments relate to a power management system for informing a user of power rates transferred from a power provider, and a method for displaying the power rates.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of Information Technology (IT), the number of household appliances powered by electricity is rapidly increasing, in turn leading to increasing power consumption. In order to satisfy such increased power demand, the number of power plants is rapidly increasing. However, as can be seen from a power demand pattern, peak capacity is not reached during most days of the year, that is to say, power plants only operate at full capacity during a few days out of the year.
A status in which a high power demand is required for a short time is called peak load. During periods of peak load, electricity costs the most to generate and deliver, and therefore power providers raise the power rate charged to consumers during periods of peak load. Construction costs for adding an additional power plant to the grid are extremely high and maintenance costs for power plants constructed to maintain peak load for a short period are considerable.
Recently, numerous developers are conducting intensive research into a demand management method for temporarily restricting power consumption by limiting peak load without constructing such additional power plants. For the aforementioned purposes, demand management is a focus of attention, and a great deal of research is focused upon an advanced demand management format for demand response (DR).
DR is a system for intelligently managing energy consumption depending upon variation in power rates. For example, the consumer may temporarily stop an air-conditioner so as to reduce power consumption when power rates are high.
By means of the DR, a power-supply source can alter user power consumption to achieve load balancing and can restrict user power consumption to periods when demand is low, thereby reducing the user's overall energy expenditure.
Therefore, an energy management system (EMS) to which DR is applied has been developed. The EMS receives current power rate information from the power provider, displays the current power rate information on a display, and turns an electric device on or off on the basis of the current power rate information.
The EMS displays only the current power rates, such that the user has difficulty in recognizing a level of the current power rates. In addition, the EMS is unable to predict the future power rates and the degree of variation in power rate levels, such that it has difficulty in effectively driving an electric device on the basis of power rates.

Power management system and method for controlling the same


A medical pill intended for human or animal consumption includes an RF ID tag in or on the pill. The tag will respond to a nearby reader, the tag itself being without a battery or other constant power supply, capturing power from the reader's transmitted signal and storing a portion of that power in a power supply. An antenna for the RF ID tag may be integral with the tag or it may be transferred to the pill using conductive materials in the pill's coating, filler or binding agents, embedded within the pill, or printed onto the pill. If separate from the tag the antenna is electromagnetically coupled to the tag which has a small onboard antenna. The RF ID tag of each pill has data that are transmitted when the tag is interrogated by a signal from a reader. Incorporation of an ingestable ID tag is possible because of the tag's very small size compatible with ingestion and because the tag can contain an antenna within the pill that allows the tag to be read at a substantial distance. Several different methods for deactivating the RF ID tag after ingestion or use of the pill are disclosed. Medicaments other than oral pills can also have the ID tags.

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/919,800, filed Aug. 17, 2004.
The invention concerns authentication and tracking of medical pills (including pills that dissolve under the tongue or under the skin), or external medications such as skin patches, or implantable medicaments (all sometimes referred to herein as biomedical dosage units), using an embedded or attached radio frequency identification (RF ID) tag which is very small in size, on the order of about one millimeter, with no onboard battery or other constant power supply.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,699 describes a radio frequency identification (RF ID) tag sufficiently small to be incorporated very small within objects, even paper money. The RF ID tag includes an onboard antenna, preferably part of the same integrated circuit platform with the tag electronics. The tag acts is a transponder using the power of an interrogating signal to collect and store energy for use in transmitting a responding signal which is preferably unique to the particular tag.
The above described U.S. Pat. No. 6,480,699 mentions a number of applications for the miniature RF ID tag, which may be less than 1 mm in plane dimensions, and may be less than 0.5 mm in thickness.
In the pharmaceutical industry, there is a need for a system to accurately track pills (or other biomedical dosage units), not necessarily by a code unique to each individual pill, but by a code applied to each different type of pill. A corollary is to authenticate pills to prevent counterfeiting helping grey-market importing and other measures taken in the market place to sidestep marketing path intended by the proprietary manufacturer. Going even further, each batch of a certain pharmaceutical pill could advantageously have a unique identifier, so that the batch could be tracked electronically from manufacture until retail sale or even beyond, and each individual pill can even carry a unique identifier different from all other similar pills, useful for counting pills, in or out of a container.
There is a need to track, trace and authenticate pharmaceuticals which are in easily counterfeited, diverted and otherwise alterable forms such as pills, tablets, capsules, implantable medicaments, skin patches and other unit dosages. On Feb. 25, 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a final rule entitled, "Bar Code Label Requirements for Human Drug Products and Biological Products". Their objective was to improve patient safety in the hospital setting by reducing medication errors. The means to their objective was to require "bar codes" on most prescription drugs and on certain over-the-counter drugs. Bar codes are symbols consisting of parallel lines and spaces and are commonly seen on most consumer goods. In retail settings, bar codes identify the specific product and allow software to link the product to price and other sales-and inventory-related information. FDA's bar code rules uses bar codes to address an important public health concern—medication errors associated with drug products. Concurrent with this was an FDA mandate to curtail the number of counterfeit drugs by also using bar code technology. Bar coding is however, highly inaccurate, subject to humidity, and climate conditions, unable to be utilized if out of the line of sight to the reader and unable to effectively be useful on single unit dosages. Replacement of bar coding with RF ID in medical applications is not new, but the use of a small and powerful enough, all-in-one tag on or within the pill, capsule, tablet or dosage is exclusive to this invention and meets both FDA objectives.
It is an object of this invention to provide a system which makes such authentication and tracking of medical pills possible, efficient and cost effective.


In a voice pitch normalization device equipped in a voice recognition device VRAp for recognizing an incoming command voice Sva uttered by any speaker, and used to normalize the incoming command voice to be in an optimal pitch for voice recognition, a target voice generator produces a target voice signal by changing the incoming command voice Svd on the basis of a predetermined degree. A probability calculator calculates a probability indicating a degree of coincidence among the target voice signal and a plurality of words in sample data. A voice pitch changer repeatedly changes the target voice signal in voice pitch until a maximum probability becomes a predetermined probability or greater.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to voice recognition devices capable of recognizing human voice no matter who is the speaker, e.g., a low-pitched man, a high-pitched woman or a child, and more specifically, to a device for normalizing voice pitch on the basis of a previously-provided sample voice pitch.
2. Description of the Background Art
Recently, with the progression of digital signal processing technology and LSI of higher performance capabilities and lower price, voice recognition technology became popular with consumer electronic products. The voice recognition technology also improves such products in operability. Such voice recognition device principally works to recognize human voice by converting an incoming command voice into a digital voice signal, and then referring to a voice dictionary for sample voice data previously prepared for comparison. Therefore, for easy comparison, the voice recognition device often requests a user to produce a sound for commanding in a specific manner, or to register the user voice in advance, for example.
The issue herein is specifying a user in the voice recognition device equipped in the consumer electric product badly impairs its usability and thus product value. To get around such problem, the voice recognition device is expected to recognize human voices varied in pitch and speed, no matter who is the speaker. However, as already described, the conventional voice recognition device refers to the voice dictionary for comparison with an incoming command voice. Therefore, if the incoming command voice is differed in pitch or speed to a large extent from the sample in the voice dictionary, the voice recognition device fails to correctly perform voice recognition.
FIG. 7 shows a voice recognition device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.9-325798 (97-325798) for the betterment. A voice recognition device VRAc includes a voice input part 111, voice speed calculation part 112, voice speed change rate determination part 113, voice speed change part 114, and voice recognition part 115.
A sound, or voice produced by a user is taken into the voice input part 111, and is captured as a command voice thereby. The captured command voice is A/D converted into a digital voice signal. The voice speed calculation part 112 receives thus produced digital voice signal, and based thereon, calculates the user's voice speed. The voice speed change rate determination part 113 compares thus calculated voice speed with a reference voice speed, and then determines a speed change rate to compensate for the speed gap therebetween. By referring thereto, the voice speed change part 114 changes the voice speed. Then, the voice recognition part 115 performs voice recognition with respect to the voice-speed-changed voice signal.
Described next is the operation of the voice recognition device VRAc. The user sound is captured as command voice together with background noise by the voice input part 111 via a microphone and an amplifier equipped therein, and then an analog signal including the command voice and the background noise is subjected to A/D conversion by an equipped A/D converter. From the voice included in thus obtained digital voice signal, the voice speed calculation part 112 extracts a sound unit which corresponds to the command voice, and calculates the voice speed for the sound unit based on the time taken for the user to produce or utter the sound.
Here, assuming that the time taken to utter the sound unit (hereinafter, "one-sound unit utterance time" is Ts, and a reference time for utterance of the sound unit (hereinafter, "one-sound unit reference time") is Th. Based thereon, the voice speed change rate determination part 113 determines a speed change rate α by comparing 1/Ts and 1/Th with each other, which denote a one-sound unit utterance speed and a one-sound unit reference speed, respectively. The speed change rate a is calculated by the following equation (1).α=Ts/Th  (1)
The equation (1) tells, when the one-sound unit utterance time Ts is shorter than the one-sound unit reference time Th, i.e., when an incoming sound voice speed is faster than that workable by the voice recognition device VRAc, the speed change rate α is smaller than 1. If this is the case, the incoming command voice should be decreased in speed. Conversely, when the one-sound unit utterance time Ts is longer than the one-sound unit reference time Th, i.e., the incoming command voice speed is slower, the speed change rate a becomes greater than 1. In such case, the incoming command voice should be increased in speed.
In the voice recognition device VRAc, the voice speed change part 114 refers to the speed change rate a to keep the command voice signal constant in speed, and produces a speed-changed command voice signal. The voice recognition part 115 performs voice recognition with respect to the speed-changed command voice signal, and outputs a result obtained thereby.
Such speed change can be easily done under the recent digital technology. For example, in order to decrease the speed of voice, the voice signal is added with several vowel waveforms having correlation with the sound unit included in the command voice. To increase the speed of voice, on the other hand, such vowel waveform is decimated from the command voice signal for several times.
This is a technique for changing the voice speed without affecting the pitch of the command voice. That is, this technique is effective for voice recognition in the case that the user speaks faster or slower than the dictionary voice.
The above-described conventional voice recognition device VRAc works well for voice recognition when the user voice speed is differed to a large extent from the one-sound unit reference speed 1/Th. However, this is not applicable if the user's voice is differently pitched compared with a reference pitch.
In detail, although the voice recognition device VRAc can manage with various types of speakers varied in frequency range, i.e., a low-pitched man, a high-pitched woman or a child, voice recognition to be achieved thereby is not satisfactory.
For the fast speaker speaking at a high speed, it is possible to ask him/her to speak moderately, but it is impossible to speak in a different voice pitch. Note that the speaker's voice pitch is essentially determined by his/her throat especially in shape and size. Since the speaker cannot change his/her throat in shape or size by his/her intention, the voice pitch cannot be changed by his/her intention, as well.
For realizing a voice recognition of various voices with different pitches, the voice recognition device VRAc shall store a great number of sample voice data groups each correspond to different speakers such as a man, a woman, or a child speaking in different pitch. Further, the voice recognition device VRAc shall select one group among those great number of sample voice data groups, according to the incoming command voice.
In order to avoid such nuisance, it seems effective to process the incoming command voice to a pitch optimal for voice recognition. However, since incoming command voices vary greatly in pitch according to the speaker, it is substantially impossible to process the incoming command voice to a desired pitch at one dash. Even in the desired pitch, the correct voice recognition cannot be secured because the content of incoming command voice or a speaking manner may spoil the voice recognition result. As known from this, the pitch considered optimal for voice recognition in terms of voice recognition device or sample voice data is not necessarily optimal.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a device for normalizing voice pitch to a level considered optimal for voice recognition.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Device for normalizing voice pitch for voice recognition

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The invention relates to a sealing arrangement for a shutter release and film transport control element of a photographic camera, having an outer watertight body which has an opening for receiving the shutter release and film transport control element using which a rotational film transport and a transversal shutter release movement can be transmitted to corresponding control elements of a camera arranged inside said body, where a single one-piece sealing element is provided for transmitting the shutter release and film transport movement, by which sealing element the opening can be sealed watertight.

Conventional designs for moving components of this type usually have an O-shaped sealing ring arranged in the wall of a body enclosing the camera in order to keep out sand and moisture, with the shank of one of the operating elements being passed through the sealing ring opening. Due to the geometry of the sealing ring however, only a small contact surface at the body wall and at the shaft is achieved, and is not sufficient for reliable sealing against water under pressure.
An improved sealing arrangement is known from DE 29 43 003 C2 in which the contact surface of the seal is substantially enlarged. To do so, a sleeve arranged in a stepped hole of a body enclosing the camera and firmly connected to the step is used. Inside the sleeve, a shank of an operating control element is guided and has an area with a reduced diameter. An elastic and L-shaped material is firmly connected to this shank in that area. The enlarged contact surface results from the wide-area contact of the L-shaped material by its long leg with the shank and additionally by its short leg with the end face of the sleeve. To retain the ease of movement of the operating element, however, the sleeve is made of Teflon, which has a low friction resistance.
The drawback of such designs is that the contact surfaces, i.e. the two sealing surfaces themselves for transmitting the rotational or translational movement from the outside operating elements to those of the camera arranged inside the casing, are exposed to water.
An improvement in respect of this feature is known from DE-AS 15 97 274, which describes a pressure-proof body for a camera in which the shank of the release is covered by a gaiter-like covering and affixed to the camera casing. However, a seal of this type is not suitable for rotating operating elements, for example film transport devices.

Sealing arrangement for shutter release and film transport control in a photographic camera


Disclosed is a peripheral device, comprising a sensor to trip when in proximity to a host device, and a transmitter coupled to the sensor to transmit a bind request to a host device. Further described is a method of binding the peripheral device to a host device.

Wireless technology is widely used to enable communication from and between electronic devices. Wireless connectivity allows greater mobility, convenience, and ease of use for many users. Many low-cost PC peripherals, such as keyboard and mice use one-way transmitters in the peripheral in order to reduce cost, as two-way connectivity is more expensive.
In order to allow devices to be co-located the radio frequency band is split into multiple channels; this allows multiple devices to be in the same physical space, but requires that each wireless host PC know which channel an "attached" wireless peripheral is using so that for example, a first user's keyboard does not accidentally send keystrokes to a second user's computer.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional wireless system having a peripheral device with a one-way transmitter. Conventional system 100 includes a host system 110 having a host bind button 120, and a transmit-only wireless peripheral 130 having a peripheral bind button 140. In the conventional system 100, to create a "virtual cable" connection between the conventional transmit-only wireless peripheral 130 and the wireless host 110 (in one embodiment a personal computer) the user must press a button 140 on the wireless peripheral 130 and a button 120 on or attached to the wireless host 110. The conventional wireless peripheral 130 then transmits a special pairing message on its chosen channel. The wireless host 110 scans all channels to find the pairing message from the peripheral 130 in order to determine which channel the transmitter is using. In one example of the conventional system 100, the button is attached to the wireless host 110 by a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a serial port, a ps2 connector, or an IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port. In another example, the button 120 on the wireless host might have to be pressed before the button 140 on the wireless peripheral. If the peripheral device fails to bind because the channel is busy, then the user just repeats the bind procedure.
The conventional pairing button method assumes that no other devices will be in the special pairing mode at the same time. Disadvantages of the conventional pairing button method include that the buttons required for this method add cost to the wireless host and the wireless peripheral. The buttons are usually placed out of the way so that they are not accidentally pressed, but this may cause customer frustration if the user cannot find the buttons when the user desires to pair the devices. In an exemplary conventional wireless keyboard device (a Micro Innovations 27 MHz keyboard) the bind button is hidden on the back of the keyboard under a leg and is so small that a pen or other sharp object is required to press the button
It would be desirable to have a solution that allows a simple binding method for one-way wireless transmitters.


A heat exchanger comprises a bundle of tubes opening at the bottom into a fluid header extending transversely and secured through a pair of side support structures to an upper fluid header. Each side support structure extends along a flank of the tube bundle, and has a lower portion in the form of a fastening lug formed with fastening holes for securing to the lower header at different levels, so that heat exchangers of different lengths can be made using the same headers and side support structure. This fastening lug is offset away from the flank of the tube bundle so as to accommodate a header having a length longer than the width of the tube bundle, and baffles are cut out in the fastening lug so that they can be bent towards the tube bundle where appropriate in order to form a barrier to the passage of air between the tubes and the lug if a fastening position other than that furthest away from the lower end of the support structure is chosen.

It is known to use the same fluid headers and the same cooling fins for radiators having different cooling capacities. These radiators differ from each other in the length of their tubes, and therefore in the length of their side support structures. Current practice is therefore to provide a range of sizes of side support structures.

Heat exchanger, in particular a vehicle radiator, and a side support structure for such a heat exchanger


There is provided a semiconductor switch apparatus that can handle a wide range of input voltages. The switch apparatus includes a main switch that is provided between a first terminal and a second terminal, and a switch controller that, to turn on the main switch, supplies the same gate-source voltage to the main switch irrespective of a direction of a current flowing through the main switch. To turn on the main switch, the switch controller supplies the gate-source voltage that is determined based on at least one of a voltage of the first terminal and a voltage of the second terminal to a gate of the main switch.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a switch apparatus and a test apparatus.
2. Related Art
A semiconductor switch such as a field-effect transistor (FET) may be used as a switch apparatus that is configured to switch whether an electrical signal is allowed to be transmitted or blocked from being transmitted as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-244694.
However, such a semiconductor switch can only be used when the electrical signal has a narrow range of voltages. In particular, while the semiconductor switch allows the electrical signal to be transmitted, increasing the voltage of the input signal in the positive direction causes an increase in the difference between the gate voltage and the voltage of the input signal, which may cause the semiconductor switch to start blocking the electrical signal from being transmitted. Likewise, while the semiconductor switch blocks the electrical signal from being transmitted, increasing the voltage of the input signal in the negative direction causes a decrease in the difference between the gate voltage and the voltage of the input signal, which may cause the semiconductor switch to start allowing the electrical signal to be transmitted. If an offset voltage is applied to the gate electrode according to the voltage of the electrical signal for the purpose of widening the range of the voltages of the electrical signal, the gate-source voltage may vary depending on the direction of the current flowing through the semiconductor switch. As discussed above, there were difficulties in enlarging the range of voltages of the electrical signal that is controlled to be transmitted or not by the semiconductor switch while achieving symmetrical characteristics for the on resistance irrespective of the direction of the current.


Methods and systems for constructing multi-sector antenna for packet-by-packet transmission. The transmission of each packet can be performed by a different antenna sector. The system can consist of a plurality of various antenna types: flat panel, parabolic dish, slotted, omni, planar, micro-strip, Yagi, beam-forming, adaptive, and electro-mechanical moveable. The direction of transmission is selected responsive to the direction in which the best signal reception was received. Switching logic is coupling the out going transmission signal to selected ones from the plurality of the antenna sectors. The antenna design in this invention is aimed at increasing the gain and minimizing the interfering signals with respect large number of users who are concurrently and continuously tracking and communicating with their access points, and consequently, increasing the bit rate of each transmission and the aggregate capacity of the wireless system.

Mobile and wireless communications are exhibiting explosive growth-evident by the continued growth of cellular systems, 802.11-based data communications and the increased demand for broadband-based communications. The Internet's success results from IP architecture's robustness, flexibility, and ability to scale over multiple wired networks. The Internet is in the process of expanding to wireless and ad-hoc networking environments. Wireless environments will be able to support mobility—a feature that is desired by the highly dynamic user community. One of the main constraints limiting the spread of wireless networking is that systems supporting mobile communications have considerably less transmission capacity than wire-based networks. This invention introduces a novel wireless communications and antenna design in order to significantly increase the number of users that systems can support, and increase wireless networks' aggregate transmission capacities.
The field of the invention is antenna system design for wireless data networks, by dividing three-dimensional space into multiple regions or sectors, wherein the antenna system design primarily occupies one sector of the space. Consequently, it is possible to use the same frequency at the same time in non-interfering parts of three-dimensional space. A similar concept of sectoring has been used in cellular-based systems, however this invention uses a different approach by which the sectoring, the specific antenna structure and the channel selection process is done dynamically (packet-by-packet) both in an access point and a mobile device. Energy can then be channeled to the antenna module, which will maximize communication efficiency, and reduce power requirements that are important for mobile users who don't have fixed power sources.
The field of the invention further relates to smart antenna design, e.g.: phased array antennas, SDMA (space division multiple access) antennas, spatial processing antennas, digital beam-forming antennas, ceramic antennas, strip antennas, adaptive antenna systems, flat panel antennas, etc. Smart antenna systems can be characterized as either switched-beam or beam-forming systems, with the following distinctions regarding the choices in transmission strategy:                Switched-beam antenna systems form multiple fixed-beams with heightened sensitivity in predefined directions. These antenna systems detect signal strength, choose from one of several predetermined fixed-beams, and switch from one beam to another as the mobile moves throughout the sector. Instead of shaping the directional antenna pattern with the metallic properties and physical design of a single element (e.g., a sectorized antenna), switched-beam systems combine the outputs of multiple antennas in such a way as to form finely sectorized (directional) beams with more spatial selectivity than can be achieved with conventional, single-element approaches.        Beam-forming antennas have an infinite number of patterns that are adjusted in real-time. Using a variety of signal-processing algorithms, the adaptive system takes advantage of its ability to effectively locate and track various types of signals to dynamically minimize interference and maximize intended signal reception.
Both switched-beam antennas and beam-forming antennas attempt to increase gain and minimize interfering signals according to the location of the individual user. The system and antenna designs in this invention are aimed at increasing gain, reducing power requirements and minimizing interfering signals with respect to a large number of mobile users who are concurrently and continuously tracking and communicating with their respective access points.
In addition to these techniques, smart antennas provide a new method of multiple access to the users, which is known as space division multiple access (SDMA). The SDMA scheme, sometimes referred to as space diversity, uses smart antennas to provide control of space by providing virtual channels in an angle domain. With the use of this approach, simultaneous calls in various different cells can be established at the same carrier frequency. SDMA complements CDMA (code division multiple access) and TDMA (time division multiple access) by increasing the number of users that can access an existing wireless phone or data system by exploiting the spatial characteristics of the channel itself through highly developed implementation of an intelligent antenna system's capabilities for receiving and transmitting.
SDMA antenna systems are used on board various satellite systems. SDMA permits multiple signals of different polarization to simultaneously access the same satellite transponder. Users share a common frequency, but are separated by spatial processing. With SDMA, satellites may achieve signal separation by using beams with horizontal, vertical or circular polarization. This technique allows multiple beams to cover the same earth surface areas. Additionally, the satellite could achieve spatial separation by using separate antennas or a single antenna with multiple beams.
The following is a list of a prior art and background references that are relevant and are used as the foundation of this invention: [T. S. Rappaport, Wireless Communications: Principles & Practice, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, N.J., 1999]; [J. C. Liberti and T. S. Rappaport, Smart Antennas for Wireless Communications: IS-95 and Third-Generation CDMA, Prentice Hall, N.J., USA. 1999, ISBN 0-13-719287-8]; [IEEE 802.11—wireless LAN (local area network)]; [IEEE Std 802.16-2001, Part 16: Air Interface for Fixed Broadband Wireless Access Systems]; [IEEE Std 802.15.1-2002, Part 15.1: Wireless Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs)]. Specific antenna design considerations are taught in [Understanding Antennas for Radar Communications and Avionics (Van Nostrand Reinhold Electrical/Computer Science and Engineering Series) by Benjamin Rulf, Gregory A. Robertshaw (Contributor); 335 pages; Kluwer Academic Publishers; May 1987, ISBN: 0442277725]. Various issues that are related to radio propagation of mobile cellular system are discussed in [Bertoni, H. L., "Radio Propagation for Modern Wireless Systems", Prentice Hall, ISBN 0130263737, 2000].
The two articles [LAL C. GODARA, "Applications of Antenna Arrays to Mobile Communications, Part I: Performance Improvement, Feasibility, and System Considerations," PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE, VOL. 85, NO. 7, JULY 1997, pp. 1031-1060; and LAL C. GODARA, "Applications of Antenna Arrays to Mobile Communications, Part II: Beam-Forming and Direction-of-Arrival Considerations," PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE, VOL. 85, NO. 8, AUGUST 1997, pp. 1195-1245] and the extensive list of references therein covers many of the current antenna designs for mobile communications. The following two articles further cover issues related to smart antennas and space division multiple access: [Martin Cooper and Marc Goldburg, "Intelligent Antennas: Spatial Division Multiple Access," 1996 ANNUAL REVIEW OF COMMUNICATIONS, pp. 999-1002; and M. Cooper, Antennas get Smart, Scientific American, July 2003, pp. 48-55].
Prior Art:
The following examines related patents to this current patent application. The invention describes in ["Direction-agile antenna system for wireless communications," U.S. Pat. No. 6,486,832, Abramov, et al., Nov. 26, 2002] discloses an antenna steered by an electro-mechanical device in the direction that ensures maximal quality of the incoming signal.
The invention described in ["AI antenna driving device and method for controlling the same," U.S. Pat. No. 6,278,405, Ha, et al., Aug. 21, 2001] tries to overcome the limitations of a fixed antenna by using a mechanical antenna steering mechanism to improve reception and transmission.
The invention described in ["Multiple antenna cellular network," U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,071, Chavez, et al., May 30, 2000; "Multiple antenna cellular network," U.S. Pat. No. 6,078,823, Chavez, et al., Jun. 20, 2000] concentrates on cellular communication networks. It proposes a multiple antenna cellular network communicates with a mobile station over a plurality of antennas. The antennas are arranged in a plurality of positions to customize a cell or cells. A transceiver is coupled to the antennas and configured to receive inbound information from the mobile station and transmit outbound information to the mobile station. A processor is coupled to the transceiver and configured to decode the inbound information and to encode the outbound information to communicate with the mobile station. In another embodiment, the antennas are similarly deployed to create a cell or cells. The transmit signal power is continuously modified to improve quality and to move the nulls so that a fixed location user can receive a high quality signal. A cell can be served by multiple antennas overcoming the limitations imposed by conventional cellular systems. Communications are supported through walls, ceilings, floors and buildings to reduce interference, improve performance and improve quality of service.
Exemplary embodiments are provided for use with the Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM) protocol and can be applied to other digital technologies. The invention described in ["Switched directional antenna for automotive radio receivers," U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,469, Miyahara Sep. 10, 2002] proposes a method for improving communications from and to a moving vehicle. It relates, in general, to a mobile radio receiver with reduced distortion and reduced signal fading, and more specifically, to a switched directional antenna utilizing predetermined antenna patterns aligned with the front, hack, left and right sides of a mobile vehicle. A primary source of noise and distortion in radio receivers is derived from multi-path interference. This is a localized effect resulting from interaction between separate signals from a transmitter, which traverse different paths (e.g., via reflections) to reach a receiving antenna. Because of the superposition of several signals (e.g., echoes and direct waves), the signal strength of the received signal changes drastically and may fall below the noise floor. Based upon the differences in path lengths of each received wave, the multi-path distortion or fading may include short—time delayed multi-path interference and/or long—time delayed multi-path interference signals.
A well-known means for reducing multi-path distortion is through use of space-diversity antennas in a radio receiver system. By switching between antenna signals from spaced apart antennas. Specific multi-path events can be avoided if the antenna spacing is enough to insure that both antennas will not experience the same multi-path event at the same time. By using the different antennas placed on the vehicle it is possible to reduce the multi-path effect and improve the communication system performance.
The invention described in ["Multi-sector pivotal antenna system and Method," U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,689, Martek, et al., Oct. 19, 1999] proposes using an omni-directional coverage multi-beam antenna composed of facets or antenna modules that comprise a regular polygon of n sides inscribed in a circle of radius r which defines an adjustable composite conical surface. The antenna modules are independent antenna arrays creating an independent beam. One advantage of such a system is that the radiated wave front associated with such antenna modules is always substantially broadside to the array resulting in limited scan loss effects. Furthermore, the independence of the disclosed antenna modules is important as it allows each module's beam to be either electrically or mechanically steered to affect elevation or directional beam control. The individual antenna modules can be steered to be directed within the area covered by a module to optimize communications capability.


A semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate, and a capacitor provided above the semiconductor substrate, and including a bottom electrode, a top electrode and a dielectric film between the bottom and top electrodes, the bottom electrode including a conductive film selected from a noble metal film and a noble metal oxide film, a metal oxide film having a perovskite structure, provided between the dielectric film and the conductive film, expressed by ABO3, and containing first metal element as B-site element, and a metal film provided between the conductive film and the metal oxide film, and containing second metal element which is B-site element of a metal oxide having a perovskite structure, a decrease of Gibbs free energy when the second metal element forms oxide being larger than that when the first metal element forms oxide, a thickness of the metal oxide film being 5 nm or less.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device. In particular, the present invention relates to a semiconductor device having a capacitor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there have been advanced the research and development of ferroelectric memory (FeRAM: Ferroelectric Random Access Memory) using ferroelectric film as a capacitor dielectric film.
A Pb(ZrXTi1-X)O3 film (PZT film) or an SrBi2Ta2O9 film (SBT film) is given as a typical ferroelectric film used for the ferroelectric memory. PZT is a perovskite compound, and the SBT is a Bi aurivillius phase compound having a pseudo perovskite structure.
If a PZT film is used as the ferroelectric film, a conductive perovskite type metal oxide film, such as an SrRuO3 film (SRO film), is used as the electrode to improve the fatigue characteristic. For example, JPN. PAT. APLLN. KOKAI Publication Nos. 2000-208725 and 2000-260954 disclose a ferroelectric capacitor using a stacked film of SRO film and Pt film as the electrode.
However, it is not easy to form a PZT film of good crystallinity and orientation on the SRO film formed on the Pt film. For this reason, it is difficult to form a capacitor, which is excellent in imprint and retention characteristics and has high reliability. The foregoing problem generally occurs in the combination of conductive perovskite type metal oxide film and noble metal film (or noble metal oxide film) in addition to the combination of SRO film and PT film.
As described above, stacked structure of the conductive perovskite type metal oxide film and the noble metal film (or noble oxide film) is applied to the capacitor electrode. In this case, it is difficult to form the conductive perovskite type metal oxide film having preferable crystallinity. Thus, it is difficult to form a dielectric film, such as PZT film, excellent in crystallinity. As a result, there is the problem of remarkably reducing capacitor characteristics and reliability.

Semiconductor device with perovskite capacitor


The present invention relates to an electronic device having a component-protecting structure that may waterproof and dustproof components exposed to the outside of the electronic device. According to the present disclosure, since the protection cover is pivotably supported by the hinge structure, the protection cover may be prevented from being broken even when the user continuously opens and closes the protection cover.

In general, a HMI (Human Machine Interface) device or panel PC means a multifunctional control device (electronic device) in a form of a panel excluding integrated mechanical elements such as a hard disk, a CD driver, a cooling fan, etc. such that the device may be easily used by a field worker.
The HMI device is provided in various forms including a fixed panel form in which the device may be fixed to a panel and a removable panel form in which the operator removes the device from the panel.
The above-mentioned electronic device includes a component such as a USB terminal or a mini USB terminal for connecting a USB. The component is installed in such a way that a portion of the component is exposed outside the device due to an attribute of the component.
The component partially exposed to the outside of the electronic device is susceptible to moisture and dust. Thus, a protection cover is often used to protect the exposed component.
FIG. 1 is a partial side view of a conventional component-protecting cover structure of a electronic device. FIG. 2 is a partial front view of the component-protecting cover structure according to FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the protection cover 2, which protects exposed components such as a terminal of the electronic device 1, is fixed at one end via a fixed screw 4. The protection cover 2 has a groove 3 adjacent to the one end fixed by the fixed screw 4. The groove is defined so as to facilitate folding when opening and closing the cover. The protection cover 2 is opened and closed around the groove 3. A closed state in which the protection cover 2 covers the component in the electronic device 1 is kept by a locking screw 5.
However, since the conventional protection cover 2 is made of plastic material, stress is generated in the groove 3 portion when the cover is repeatedly opened and closed. When the stress limit for the groove 3 is exceeded, the corresponding groove portion is cut off and the protection cover 2 cannot function properly.
Further, when the user repeatedly tightens or loosens the locking screw 5 to use the component, there occurs a problem that a thread or the screw head is worn and lost its function.

Electronic device with component-protecting structure


A method and platform for statistically extracting terms from large sets of documents is described. An importance vector is determined for each document in the set of documents based on importance values for words in each document. A binary document classification tree is formed by clustering the documents into clusters of similar documents based on the importance vector for each document. An infrastructure is built for the set of documents by generalizing the binary document classification tree. The document clusters are determined by dividing the generalized tree of the infrastructure into two parts and cutting away the upper part. Statistically significant individual key words are extracted from the clusters of similar documents. Key words are treated as seeds and terms are extracted by starting from the seeds and extending to their left or right contexts.

Prior-art term extraction methods include structure-based methods and statistically based methods.
In structure-based methods, the terms are extracted from documents based on the structures produced by finite-state automation parsing (e.g., Grefenstette, 1994), full syntactical parsing (e.g., Bourigault, 1993; Jacquemin, 1994; Strzalkowski, 1995) or deep semantic theory & analysis (e.g., Pustejovsky et al., 1993). The difficulties with this method are: i) it renders term extraction dependent on syntactic parsing or semantic analysis, which are generally more difficult problems; and ii) the terms are limited by the selected structures.
In statistically based methods, the terms are extracted statistically from a set of documents (e.g., Frantzi and Ananiadou, 1995; Church and Hanks, 1989; Dunning, 1993). In general, a term may be a word or a word string. In the statistical approach, a term holds two features. One is that it is statistically significant in the documents and the other is that its member words, if having more than one member word, are strongly associated. So, to determine whether a term candidate is a real term, its significance in the documents and the association between its member words must be considered.
As to the significance of a term candidate in the documents, existing methods all generally treat the given documents as a single mixed one, and take the terms extracted from this mixed document as the final result (e.g., Chien et. al., 1998; Schutze, 1998). This type of method implies a stringent requirement that given documents must be similar enough to make all the terms look statistically significant when the documents are all put together. But the given documents may not be very similar, and what is more, very similar documents are not easy to acquire for most domains. If the given documents are not very similar, existing solutions will fail to identify those terms which are only statistically significant in a few of the given documents, but not in the whole document collection.
The deeper reason for this problem is that existing methods don't take into account the infrastructure of the given documents. If the prior-art methods could specify the infrastructure and identify the document clusters from the infrastructure (where document clusters are subsets of the documents whose members are similar in some degree) then even if the given documents are not quite similar, they would not miss the terms hidden in the document clusters.
Thus, prior-art statistical solutions require the documents to be very similar to be effective; if given documents are not very similar, some terms may not be accessible by the statistical solutions.
It would be desirable to have a method in which the given documents need not be very similar. It would further be desirable to obtain a hierarchical classification of the given documents while extracting terms. Also, it would be desirable to be able to access the terms hidden in document clusters within the given document collection.

Method and platform for term extraction from large collection of documents

Agency for Science, Technology and Research


A pass-through connector system is provided that includes a receptacle assembly and a pass-through connector. The receptacle assembly has a mounting ear at least proximate to a mounting end. The mounting ear defines an aperture therethrough that receives a fastener to mount the receptacle assembly to a substrate. A diameter of the aperture of the mounting ear is greater than an outer diameter of the fastener such that a gap is formed between the mounting ear and the fastener. The pass-through connector extends through a window in a panel that at least partially surrounds the substrate. The pass-through connector has a shroud at a plug end that defines an opening to a cavity. The receptacle assembly is floatable radially within the gap relative to the fastener to allow the shroud to guide the receptacle assembly into alignment with the cavity of the pass-through connector during mating.

The subject matter herein relates generally to connector systems that provide a signal path through a panel.
Some known electrical connectors are pass-through connectors that may be used to provide an electrical conductive path through a panel. The panel may be a cover for an electrical device, a machine, or another structure. In an automotive context, the device, machine, or structure may be an engine or a transmission, and the panel may be an engine cover or a transmission cover, respectively. The panel provides protection for the device, machine, structure, and/or the surrounding environment, such as from debris, contaminants, liquids, impact forces, harsh temperatures, or pressures. The panel is typically mounted to (or is otherwise fixed in place relative to) the device, machine, or structure. Yet, sensors and other electrical devices may be located between the panel and the device, machine, or structure. In order to convey signals between the electrical devices within the panel and processors and other devices outside of the panel, conductive paths must be established that extend through an opening in the panel.
To simplify the passage through the panel versus feeding individual wires through one or more openings in the panel, multiple wires from various internal electrical devices may be terminated to a header connector that is mounted within the panel, on or near the device, machine, or structure. A pass-through connector may be configured to extend through the opening in the panel to mate to the header connector which provides the signal paths across the panel. However, the panel is typically separately mounted to the device, machine, or structure than the header connector, which may cause the header connector to be misaligned relative to the opening of the panel. Since the pass-through connector extends through the opening, the pass-through connector may not align correctly with the header connector, which results in a missed or faulty connection, damage to one or both of the connectors, and/or leaks at the opening that may allow the undesired transmission of contaminants, liquids, debris, pressure, heat, and the like, through the panel. In addition, the header connector is located between the panel and the device, machine, or structure, so the pass-through connector mates blindly to the header connector as the pass-through connector is loaded from outside of the panel through the opening. Thus, it is difficult to properly mate the header connector to the pass-through connector to provide signal paths across the panel because it is difficult to align the opening of the panel with the header connector, and it is difficult to blindly connect the pass-through connector to the header connector. A need remains for a pass-through connector system that provides better alignment and sealing between the connectors and the opening in the panel.


A method and apparatus for manufacturing reinforced wall panels and reinforced roof panels and using the pre-manufactured reinforced wall and roof panels in the construction of a building structure at a building site. The reinforced wall and roof panels are molded using a molding medium consisting of two part polyurethane which is mixed with Portland cement. Reinforcing members and exterior weather resistant materials are placed within a mold and the mold is filled with the molding medium by injection or by pouring. The filled mold is then placed within a press to ensure against expansion by internal pressure caused by curing of the molding medium, thus ensuring dimensional accuracy of the finished panel. After hardening of the molding medium, the mold is removed from the press, opened and the finished panel is removed from the mold and is stored until the molding medium has completely cured. The reinforcing members and weather resistant material constitute integral components of the building panel structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wall and roof panels for use in the construction of buildings and to methods and processes for manufacturing wall and roof panels and methods for assembling such wall and roof panels to form building structures. More particularly, the present invention concerns reinforced wall and roof panels having structural members embedded in a polymer/Portland cement matrix for structural integrity and fire resistance and a method for their manufacture at a manufacturing site and a method for their assembly at a construction site to form a building structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of different types of prefabricated building panels have been developed and patented since the early 1930's as indicated by U.S. Pat. No. 2,114,388 of Killion, thus enabling wall structures to be installed in buildings and enabling wall and roof structures, which may be manufactured or fabricated off site, to be transported to a building site and assembled to form a building structure. For the most part, prefabricated or pre-manufactured building panels have been manufactured by assembling a variety of different mechanical components.

Reinforced polymer panel and method for building construction


A process for the manufacture of polyene esters or polyene acids comprises reacting a polyene O,O-dialkylacetal of di(O,O-dialkylacetal) with a vinylketene acetal or analogue thereof in the presence of a Lewis acid, hydrolyzing the reaction mixture depending on the vinylketene acetal used, subsequently cleaving alcohol under strongly basic conditions from the polyene derivative produced at this stage and, where the desired ester or carboxy group is still not present, performing the respective conversion. Certain intermediates in this process form a further aspect of the invention. The final products are primarily carotenoids which can be used appropriately, e.g. as colorants and pigments for foodstuffs, animal products etc.

1. Field
The present invention relates to a novel process for manufacturing polyene esters and acids from acetalized polyene aldehydes via an acid-catalyzed condensation reaction with vinylketene acetals.
2. Description
Lewis acid-catalyzed additions of .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated ethers (enol ethers) to acetals have been known for a long time and date back to the work of Muller-Cunradi and Pieroh (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,165,962). Hoaglin and Hirsch [J.A.C.S. 71: 3468 (1949)] investigated this reaction further and broadened the possible applications, which Isler et al. likewise did in the 1950's with respect to the synthesis of .beta.-carotene, crocetin dialdehyde, lycopene as well as .beta.-apocarotenoids [see Helv. Chim. Acta, 39: 249 et seq. and 463 et seq. (1956), ibid., 42: 854 et seq. (1959) as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,827,481 and 2,827,482]. Later, Mukaiyama [Angew. Chem., 89: 858 et seq. (1977) and Org. Reactions, 28: 203 et seq. (1982)] extended the reaction by using the readily accessible trimethylsilyl enol ethers.
The first Lewis acid-catalyzed condensations of 1-alkoxy-1,3-dienes (dienol ethers) with .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated acetals were reported by Nazarov and Krasnaya [J. Gen. Chem. USSR, 28: 2477 et seq. (1958)] and by Makin [Pure & Appl. Chem., 47: 173 et seq. (1976), J.
Gen. Chem. USSR, 31: 3096 et seq. (1961) and 32: 3112 et seq. (1962)]. Here, the coupling of the acetal to the dienol ether takes place as far as can be seen exclusively at its .gamma.-position with the formation of a chain-lengthened .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated acetal, which, however, in competition with the first acetal reacts with further dienol ether to form a further, chain-lengthened .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated acetal etc. [telomer formation; see also Chemla et al., Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr., 130: 200 et seq. (1993)]. For this reason such a condensation has been found unworkable for synthetic purposes, especially for the synthesis of apocarotenoids [Isler et al., Adv. Org. Chem., 4: 115 et seq. (1963)].
Not only 1-alkoxy-1,3-dienes, but also trimethylsilyloxydienes [of the type CH.sub.2 .dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH--OSi(CH.sub.3).sub.3 ] can be condensed with acetals in the presence of Lewis acid catalysts, as disclosed by Mukaiyama et al. in Chem. Lett. 1975, 319 et seq. In this coupling too the attack takes place exclusively at the terminal (.gamma.-) carbon atom of the diene system in order to form ".gamma.-products" [see Mukaiyama et al., Bull. Chem. Soc. Jap, 50: 1161 et seq. (1977) and Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) 36,645/1977]. In contrast to the reaction with 1-alkoxy-1,3-dienes, in the case of the reaction of trimethylsilyloxydienes with acetals there is formed an aldehyde which does not react further with the diene (no telomer formation). By using this method Mukaiyama et al. were able to synthesize vitamin A [see Kokai, 36,645/1977, Chem. Lett. 1975, 1201 et seq. and Bull. Chem. Soc. Japan, 51: 2077 et seq. (1978)] and workers from Rhone-Poulenc developed new routes to carotenoids and vitamin A (see DOS 2,701,489 and A.E.C. Societe de Chimie Organique et Biologique No. 7824350).
Silylated vinylketene acetals [of the type CH.sub.2 .dbd.CH--CH.dbd.C-(Oalkyl)(OSi(CH.sub.3).sub.3)] can also react with acetals in a manner analogous to the aforementioned trimethylsilyloxydienes [see Tetr. Lett., 20: 3209 et seq. (1979) and Chimia, 34: 265 et seq. (1980)]. As evident from, among others, Tetr. Lett., 22: 2833 et seq. (1981), ibid. 26: 397 et seq. (1985), DOS 3,244,273 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,308, the known reactions always formed not readily separable mixtures of the two possible .gamma.- and .alpha.-coupling products [".gamma.-products" . . . CH(Oalkyl.sup.1)--CH.sub.2 --CH.dbd.CH--COOalkyl.sup.2 ; ".alpha.-products" . . . CH(Oalkyl.sup.1)--C(CH.sub.3)(CH=CH.sub.2)--COOalkyl.sup.2 ], rendering this reaction--at best marginally usable for synthetic purposes in the carotenoid field. This reaction would be interesting and useful only if complete .gamma.-selectivity could be achieved, for example for the synthesis of polyenes, namely apoesters, crocetin esters etc.; because by elimination of the alcohol alkyl.sup.1 OH from the .gamma.-product it is possible to form, if desired, a further (conjugated) double bond with the formation of the product . . . CH.dbd.CH--CH.dbd.CH--COOalkyl.sup.2. Thus, such polyenes could be produced without employing the Wittig or Horner reaction hitherto used for this purpose.

Process for manufacturing polyene esters and acids


The invention provides a process for fabricating a coil device which process comprises the steps of making an air-core coil 4 and fitting the air-core coil 4 around a core 1. The first step makes an air-core coil 4 comprising a plurality of unit coil portions 41, 42 arranged axially of the coil and each having one or a plurality of turns of conductor, each pair of unit coil portions adjacent to each other axially of the coil being different from each other in inner peripheral length. The fitting step fits the air-core coil 4 around the core 1 while at least partly forcing the unit coil portions 42 of small inner peripheral length inwardly of the unit coil portions 41 of great inner peripheral length by compressing the coil 4 axially thereof. The process realizes a high space factor without using a rectangular or trapezoidal conductor, and can be automated.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for fabricating coil devices to be provided in rectifier circuits, noise eliminating circuits, resonance circuits, etc., for use in various AC devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
The present applicant has proposed the process shown in FIGS. 13, (a), (b) for fabricating such coil devices (see the publication of JP-A No. 2000-277337). According to this fabrication process, a coil device as shown in FIG. 13(b) is fabricated by inserting one side portion of an air-core coil 8 into the center hole 70 of a C-shaped core 7 through a gap portion 71 thereof as shown in FIG. 13(a) and fitting the coil 8 around the core 7.
With this fabrication process, the air-core coil 8 separated from the core 7 is made, and the coil 8 is thereafter fitted around the core 7 to complete the coil device. The process is therefore simplified by eliminating the need to wind a wire around the core 7 and making the air-core coil 8 automatically.
In fabricating the above coil device, a rectangular conductor or trapezoidal conductor can be used as the conductor of the air-core coil in order to increase the ratio of the sectional area of the turns of conductor 9 passing through the center hole 70 of the core 7, to the total area of the center hole 70, i.e., the space factor of the conductor 9. When having the same cross sectional area as a round conductor, the rectangular conductor and trapezoidal conductor have a short side which is smaller than the diameter of the round conductor, so that an increased number of turns of conductor can then be accommodated in the center hole 70 of the core 7, hence a higher space factor. However, the rectangular or trapezoidal conductor has the problem of being more expensive than the round conductor.
Another process for fabricating a coil device of higher space factor is known which comprises winding a conductor 9 around a core 7 in the order indicated by the numerals of 1 to 13 in FIG. 14(a), and thereafter winding the conductor 9 around the core 7 in the order indicated by the numerals of 14 to 23 in FIG. 14(b) so as to provide one coil layer on the outer peripheral side of the core 7 and two coil layers on the inner peripheral side of the core 7. An increased number of turns of conductor can then be accommodated in the center hole 70 of the core 7 to result in a higher space factor.
The conduct 9 is nevertheless difficult to wind around the core 7 automatically and must be wound manually, which involves the problem of low production efficiency.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a process for fabricating a coil device which process can be practiced automatically and achieves a high space factor without using a rectangular or trapezoidal conductor.


Disclosed is an optical and/or microelectronics hermetic package which includes a member for absorbing hydrogen from the internal package ambient. The member includes a first layer which forms a hydride and, formed thereover, a second layer which forms solvated hydrogen upon exposure to molecular hydrogen in the package. The second layer acts as a one way valve for transporting hydrogen to the first layer which locks up the hydrogen.

Hydrogen is a common cause of damage and failure of optical and microelectronic components and circuits. For example, titanium/platinum/gold metallization used in a wide variety of optical and microelectronics packages and hybrid circuits is susceptible to attack. This damage can be significant especially when the components are in an hermetic package, since the packaging material and packaged components can emit hydrogen over a period of time. Hydrogen from the package material can ultimately amount to 1-3 percent of the total pressure inside the package. The problem is particularly troublesome in the area of submarine lightwave systems where the packages cannot be easily repaired or replaced.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a structure within a package which will reduce or eliminate gaseous hydrogen from the package interior.

Structure for absorption of hydrogen in a package


The present invention concerns an improvement in securing a tire stem assembly. Specifically, a rubber packing piece, washer and securing nut-containing rubber packing piece are employed in this assembly, which cause the tire stem to bind tightly to the hub when the inner tube is inflated. The merit is that air cannot escape quickly from the space between the stem and the hub when the inner tube of a tire is punctured by a sharp object, thereby allowing the motor-driven vehicle to continue to operate.

The present invention concerns an improvement in securing a tire stem assembly, and the merit of said invention is that, when the inner tube of a tire is punctured by a sharp object, air cannot escape readily through the space between the stem and the hub, allowing the motor-driven vehicle to continue to operate.
As shown in the figures pertaining to the assembly design of conventional stems, the contact between the stem and the hub is through a washer. Therefore, when the inner tube is punctured by a sharp object, air escapes quickly through the joining area between the stem and the hub, causing the motor-driven vehicle to be inoperable immediately.
The specific objective of the present invention is to prevented air from escaping quickly from the space between the stem and the hub when the inner tube of a tire is punctured by a sharp object, thereby allowing the motor-driven vehicle to continue to operate. Furthermore, the present invention provides the following merits:
(a) The assembly pertaining to the present invention can be used in tires for motor-driven vehicles, including trucks. PA0 (b) Air cannot escape quickly from the joining area between the stem and the hub when the inner tube is punctured by a sharp object, and only a small amount of air can escape through the puncture point, which effect is very minimal. PA0 (c) Driving safety can be improved.

No. 24, Alley 46, Lane 32, Sec. 2, Charng Rong Road