A television receiver includes at least two tuner units that respectively connect to multidirectional antennas respectively capable of electrically switching a directivity of a receiving radio wave and that select a television broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user. The television receiver further includes an optimum direction updating section (optimum direction updating process). Thereby, when a tuner unit currently being not used is present, an optimum receive direction of the multidirectional antenna on a channel other than a channel selected in a tuner unit currently being in use is serially updated by using the tuner unit currently being not in use. Consequently, it is possible to provide the television receiver that is capable of performing the channel selection always in the optimum receive direction of the multidirectional antenna and channel selection operation quickly or in a reduced period of time in the event of the channel selection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a television receiver connected to a multidirectional antenna, and a television receiving method.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an antenna to be connected to a television receiver, a multidirectional antenna capable of electrically switching the directivity of a radio wave received by being controlled in accordance with a predetermined standard is well-known (such an antenna is commonly called a "smart antenna"). With such a multidirectional antenna used, there is executed a process in which, in the event of, for example, initialization or initial setup, while the directivity directions of the multidirectional antenna are sequentially switched, all azimuthal directions are searched. As a consequence, an optimum receive direction is set into the multidirectional antenna, and the optimum receive direction corresponding to the channel is stored into a channel table. As such, in the event of channel selection, an optimum receive direction corresponding to a selected channel is acquired from a channel table.
Further, a receiver including multiple antennas also is well-known. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-157340 ("Patent Publication 1," herebelow) discloses a television broadcast receiver that includes two antennas, in which an optimum antenna is selected. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-332991 ("Patent Publication 2," herebelow) discloses a milli-wave band transmitter that includes multiple antennas, in which the receive direction of a receive antenna is controlled corresponding to the receive state. Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-155381 ("Patent Publication 3," herebelow) discloses a radar device the changes the receive direction in units of each column of an antenna element.
The optimum receive direction of the multidirectional antenna can change with, for example, weather. Especially, in the case of a channel having a low reception sensitivity, the optimum receive direction of the multidirectional antenna corresponding to the channel does not always remain unchanged. More specifically, in the case of old data stored in the channel table, there is a probability that the data does not match an optimum receive direction of an actual (present) multidirectional antenna. Hence, among other requirement, there arise a requirement that latest optimum receive directions of the multidirectional antenna is always set.
To satisfy such a requirement, various approaches can be considered. For example, one approach may be such that, in the event of channel selection, it is determined whether a good or desired signal can be acquired even in the optimum receive direction of the multidirectional antenna, of which data is stored in the channel table. As a consequence, in the event that the desired signal cannot be acquired, the all azimuthal directions are searched while the directivity direction of the multidirectional antenna is being serially switched, thereby to set the current optical receive direction is set into the multidirectional antenna.
Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-42157 ("Patent Publication 4," herebelow) discloses a broadcast receiver that determines the receive direction of an antenna in each event of channel selection by a user.
According to the approach, however, there is a probability that a period of time is necessary to search for the optimum receive direction, thereby causing a delay in channel selection.
As such, a receiver developed to attempt resolution of the problem is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-42162 ("Patent Publication 5," herebelow). According to the receiver, an antenna switchable among 16 receive directions is used. First, two signal-receivable directions are detected through an omnidirectional searching process. Then, a searching process is executed from among three directions between two of the directions, and an optimum receive direction is determined, thereby making it possible to reduce the period of time necessary for the antenna direction searching process.
Nevertheless, however, while, as compared to the case of the omnidirectional search, the period of time necessary for the direction searching process is reduced, there is no difference from the fact that the searching process is executed to seek for the optimum receive direction. As such, there still remains the probability of causing a delay in the operation of channel selection.
Such a problem can similarly takes place even with a television receiver of the type including at least two systems of tuner units that are respectively connected to multidirectional antennas capable of electrically switching the directivity of a receive radio wave and that select and receive a television broadcast signal corresponding to a channel selected by a user. However, the cases where the multiple systems are used are limited to, for example, a case where two-screen outputting is performed, an other system other than image output systems is used for external outputting, and a case where a competitive-channel broadcast program is recorded, but the systems are not always used. As such, in order to overcome the above-described problem, it is now considered to effectively utilize the tuner unit of the system not in use.

Television receiver and television receiving method


A circuit board with conductive wiring which is precisely shaped and sized includes a two-part conductive element, namely a first conductive wiring layer and a second conductive wiring layer, a first cover film and a second cover film. The first conductive wiring layer and the second conductive wiring layer are in direct contact to each other. A projection of the first conductive wiring layer and a projection of the second conductive wiring layer along a direction perpendicular to the circuit board overlap with each other. The first and the second cover films wrap the first and the second conductive wiring layers, respectively.

Circuit boards are widely used in various kinds of electronic devices. The circuit board may have a thick copper layer, which can provide an improved conductivity between electronic elements. However, a copper substrate needs to be etched for a long time to form the thick copper layer, which may also cause the copper substrate to be etched laterally. Thus, a line space and a line width of the thick copper layer need to be increased. However, the circuit board with a large line space and a large line width is not desirable. Improvement in the art is preferred.

HongQiSheng Precision Electronics (QinHuangDao) Co., Ltd.


A heddle shaft is formed of shaft rods which have hollow ends containing inserts fixedly positioned therein and lateral supports which include projections that respectively extend into recesses in the inserts. Clamping screws, which can extend through the shaft rods, apply a compressive force to clamp the projections in place and create detachable corner connections between the shaft rods and the lateral supports.

The invention relates to a heddle shaft having detachable corner connections. More specifically, the invention relates to a heddle shaft wherein the shaft rods include hollow sections into whose hollow space, at each corner connection, a projection extending laterally from the lateral support fits in a plug-like fashion and is clamped by a clamping means.
Heddle shafts usually consist of four basic elements, namely two support rods and two lateral supports connected to the support rods. The point of connection of the support rods with the lateral supports is referred to as a corner connection. In the case of so-called sliderless heddle shafts, when a new warp is to be drawn in, the entire shaft packet is removed from the loom and brought into the drawing-in room. In order to remove the heddles and to draw in new heddles, one of the two lateral supports is usually disconnected. It is obvious that a corner connection wherein the lateral supports can be quickly and easily detached from the shaft rod, and which can be just as quickly reconnected, is advantageous for weaving, because in most cases a lateral support must be removed to draw in new warp threads. In addition, the mounted lateral support must be positioned very precisely in relation to the support rods. If this is not done, disturbances will occur in the weaving operation, causing considerable costs.
Many constructions are in use that meet both requirements. One of the most successful and simplest constructions is disclosed in DE 33 08 371. This construction is based essentially on a projection of the lateral support being braced in the hollow space of the shaft rod by means of a pressure screw. Similar designs operating with the same principle of a pressure screw are found in EP 0 189 216, EP 0 328 953 and DE 40 38 384.
A further construction, though not quite so easy to handle, uses a draw-screw and a wedge which is clamped directly or indirectly in the hollow space of the shaft rod. Such constructions are disclosed in GB 925 562, SU 288 681, JP H3-55865 and CH 404 580. Also proposed have been elements which are movable around a pivot for bracing in the hollow space of the shaft rod, e.g., in EP 0 502 383. JGM H2-132 681 discloses a U-shaped element that is used for clamping a projection of a lateral support, once again by means of a pressure screw.
All of these designs (and there are still more than those listed) have in common that a bracing in the hollow space of the shaft rod occurs which considerably stresses the lateral walls of the shaft rods. Since compared to this prestressing the operating tensions created by the upward and downward motion of the heddle shafts are relatively low, such constructions can be used without a problem up to medium rotational speeds. But the continuously increasing rotational speeds of the loom increase the operating tensions so much that, although no overload breakages occur, fatigue fractures occur fairly quickly. The insertion of elastic parts does not provide a solution, because the level of stress is not reduced by doing so; rather, if anything, it only results in a somewhat reduced fracture frequency. The reinforcement by means of a box-type insert, used in DE 40 38 384, is no longer sufficient at very high rotational speeds either. Only EP 0 189 216 in FIGS. 4 and 5 shows a projection that does not impact the lateral walls of the shaft rod with the initial tension of the clamping screw. On the other hand, the projection of the lateral support that fits into the shaft rod is subjected to strain with these forces. It is also known that it is out of the question to mount a thread with sufficient diameter in the projection of the lateral support for the forces required nowadays. Furthermore, the shaft rod is weakened too much by the slot needed for the screw. Thus, although these are the proper rudiments of a solution to the problem, the proposed design is not realizable in practice.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to create a detachable corner connection for a weaving frame which is able to absorb the bracing and/or prestressing forces which occur during assembling as well as the stresses occurring during operation, and which also allows simple detachment and simple remounting.


Apparatuses and methods for facilitating participation in a gaming activity. A reel configuration of a plurality of reels is presented, where each of the reels includes one or more associated gaming symbols. The presentation of the gaming symbols is modified on the plurality of reels, such as by spinning the reels or otherwise changing which symbols are presented on the reels. A replacement reel is presented, to supersede or otherwise supplant at least one of the gaming symbols of the reel configuration. Results of the gaming activity are established using the gaming symbols of the plurality of reels and the replacement reel. The result is thereby based on a resulting presentation of symbols that includes both the symbols of the primary reel configuration and the symbol(s) of the replacement reel(s).

Gaming devices such as slot machines have been in use in the U.S. for over a century. Notwithstanding the similarity of the symbols and reels associated with the slot machines of both today and yesteryear, modern day slot machine implementations are markedly different than their mechanical ancestors. This dramatic implementation disparity results primarily from the advent of computers and video capabilities. These additional capabilities provide for a greater range of implementation possibilities for the creative and innovative games devised by their creators. While a primary motivator for people to play gaming devices may be the chance to win monetary or other prizes (in the case of legalized gambling), the intrigue and excitement of playing these newly created machines plays a significant role in luring gaming participants to these gaming devices. It is therefore important in the gaming industry that gaming innovations be rolled out to the participating public.
Conventionally, participation in standard slot machines involves initiating rotation or "spinning" of multiple reels, and allowing the machine to randomly stop the reel rotation to reveal symbols on one or more paylines. If the symbols on that payline(s) correspond to a predetermined symbol combination, the participant wins an amount corresponding to the particular symbol combination. For multi-lined paylines, a coin or other token may be played for any one or more of the available paylines, and each of the paylines may provide a winning payout. A pay table may inform players of the winning symbol combinations for that machine, and what each symbol combination pays based on the number of coins allocated for the spin.
It is a continual effort in the gaming industry develop ways to attract and captivate players in playing gaming machines, such as slot games. One such manner of stimulating interest and heightening excitement has been through the use of "bonus" events. Bonus events or other secondary gaming activities are used to attract players and maintain player interest at a gaming machine. A bonus game is typically an additional gaming activity that is enabled by a bonus-qualifying event from an underlying or primary gaming activity. Generally, a predetermined symbol, combination of symbols, or other predetermined event in an underlying or primary game may result in the player being awarded one or more bonus games. Often the bonus event has a much higher probability of winning, thereby instilling a great interest by players in being awarded bonus events.
Existing gaming activities employ special symbols, such as wild symbols or multipliers, to increase the excitement by providing the appearance of an increased chance of winning. Generally, wild symbols or other special symbols are provided as part of the physical or virtual (i.e. electronic/video) reel strip, and consequently simply represent another symbol on the reel strip. While this has appeal, s limited in its ability to provide an element of suspense or anticipation.
The present invention addresses such shortcomings of the prior art, in either or both standard and bonus modes of play. The present invention provides gaming participants with an exciting, visually appealing manner of presenting auxiliary symbols in an otherwise fixed symbol set, and can be applied across a nearly limitless variety of gaming activities.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Replacement reel gaming device and method


A conveyor device for the conveying workpieces, specifically circuit boards. The conveyor device is equipped with a primary and secondary conveyance for conveying the workpiece along a first or second partial path of the conveyance path. Workpieces are fed to the first partial path via the second partial path. Separators operate along the first partial path to separate one workpiece from a trailing workpiece. The Separators feature at least one spacer which can be moved and displaced by a control. After the workpiece passes the starting position, the spacer switches into an active mode, in which it is placed behind the workpiece and tracks it, thereby forming a minimum spacing between the workpiece and the trailing workpiece, and upon reaching the ending position, the spacer switches into an inactive mode, in which the spacer returns to the starting position.

Conveyor devices of the stated kind are used for different purposes and in different industries. For example, conveyor devices are used within a manufacturing line to convey workplaces from one processing station to another processing station. The conveyance path in a particular conveyor device in this activity is subdivided into partial paths, to which conveyance means are assigned, in order to convey a workplace in the conveyance direction along the partial path.
Conveyor devices of the stated kind are known from the state-of-the-art technology and first of ail feature primary conveyance means for workplace conveyance along a first partial path of the conveyance path. Furthermore, these conveyance devices feature secondary conveyance means for workpiece conveyance along a second partial path of the conveyance path. In this arrangement, the second partial path is positioned upstream, specifically immediately upstream, of the first partial path of the conveyance path in the conveyance direction, in order to feed workpieces to the first partial path. In this connection the expression "immediately upstream" is understood to mean that no additional partial path with conveyance means for workpiece conveyance is arranged between the first and second partial paths of the conveyance path.
However, the known conveyance devices of the stated kind present the inherent disadvantage that a deviation in the conveyance speeds of workpiece conveyance in the primary and secondary conveyance means will mean that either the geometric spacing between the workpieces in the conveyance direction becomes unreasonably large, or the workpieces may collide with each other and be damaged, especially in the transition region between first and second partial path. In this respect the known conveyance devices of the stated kind present the disadvantage of a lower workplace conveyance rate or the disadvantage of a high rejection rate for workpieces. The disadvantages mentioned result in loss of economical operation of a corresponding conveyance device.
One known solution to the problems is specified by the introduction of temporary storage for workpieces (buffer) to which workpieces are fed from the conveyance path if there is any danger that any spacing between workpieces lined up along the conveyance path will fall below the minimum, which could threaten collisions among them. The workpieces located in the workpiece temporary storage are fed to the conveyance path at a later time.
Furthermore, designs are known for more accurately synchronizing the partial paths with respect to their conveyance speed or combining them into one large conveyance path or to reduce the number of conveyance means.

Conveyor device for the conveyance of workpieces, specifically of circuit boards, in the conveyance direction along a conveyance path


Provided is a speech processing apparatus including a word string estimation unit that estimates a word string equivalent to input speech among word strings included in dictionary data, and a calculation unit that calculates, for an element part constituting the word string estimated by the word string estimation unit, a certainty factor in which a content of the element part is equivalent to a content of a corresponding part in the input speech.

A technology for mechanically recognizing speech uttered by a user is actively studied nowadays. The user's speech can be recognized in a local terminal or by a server over a network. In one example, the local terminal stores dictionary data, estimates a word string equivalent to input speech from the dictionary data, and calculates a certainty factor in which the estimated word string is equivalent to the input speech. Patent Literature 1 discloses recognition of a word and calculation of certainty factor (score) for input speech using dictionary data.

Speech processing apparatus, information processing apparatus, speech processing method, and information processing method


A method for removing inorganic foreign matters from the surface of a substrate made of silicon or glass or the surface of an inorganic coating formed on the surface of the substrate, which includes applying a light beam in a wavelength range which makes the light absorption coefficient of at least one of a material of the substrate, a material of the inorganic coating and the inorganic foreign matters be at least 0.01/cm, to the surface of the substrate or to the surface of the inorganic coating in an application amount of at least 10 J/cm2 in an oxygen- or ozone-containing atmosphere, and exposing the surface of the substrate or the surface of the inorganic coating having a negative surface potential to an acidic solution having a pH ≦6.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for removing inorganic foreign matters strongly attached to the surface of a substrate made of silicon or glass to be used as a silicon wafer, a photomask substrate or a photomask blank, the surface of a glass substrate for a template to be used for nanoimprinting, the surface of a substrate made of glass to be used as a substrate for various display devices, or the surface of an inorganic coating formed on the surface of such a substrate.
2. Discussion of Background
Heretofore, in a process for producing an integrated circuit, photolithography process which comprises reduction projection of a circuit pattern on a mask onto a wafer by using an exposure device to form an integrated circuit on the wafer has been widely utilized. Along with high integration and high functionality of integrated circuits, microsizing of an integrated circuit is in progress, and an exposure device is required to form an image of a circuit pattern with very small dimensions on a wafer with a long focal depth, and blue shift of the exposure light source is in progress. The exposure light source has been advanced from the conventional g-line (wavelength: 436 nm), i-line (wavelength: 365 nm) or KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm), and now an ArF excimer laser (wavelength: 193 nm) is being used. Further, in order to be prepared for a future integrated circuit where the line width of a circuit pattern will be at most 50 nm, use of a F2 laser (wavelength: 157 nm) or EUV light (extreme ultraviolet light: wavelength: about 13 nm) as the exposure light source is promising.
Along with microsizing of the dimensions of an integrated circuit, the allowable size of foreign matters on a mask or a wafer has been increasingly small. For example, according to ITRS (International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors), 2005, foreign matters allowable on a wafer to be used for production of a 32 nm half-pitch DRAM (random access memory) or in a resist coated on the wafer, are required to be such that "the density of foreign matters with a size of 20 nm is at most 0.01 foreign matter/cm2", and in the case of a mask, it is required that no foreign matters with sizes of 26 nm or lager are present on the mask. Further, as a method of forming very small irregular patterns, nanoimprinting has been proposed and actively studied in addition to lithography. Since a 1x mask (template) is employed in nanoimprinting, it is required to reduce foreign matters with smaller sizes to the similar density, as compared with the requirement regarding foreign matters on the mask substrate for lithography. The required size of the foreign matters is smaller by about 30 nm than that in the case of a 80 nm half-pitch DRAM, and thus a method for effectively removing such very small foreign matters from the surface of a substrate made of silicon or glass to be used as a wafer or a mask, is required.
Further, in the case of a mask, the surface roughness is preferably as small as possible for the purpose of suppressing light scattering on the surface along with blue shift of the exposure light source. For example, in the case of a substrate for a reflective mask to be used for EUV lithography, a surface roughness (RMS) of at most 1.5 Å is required. Therefore, in the case of a substrate to be used as a mask, it is required to effectively remove the above very small foreign matters while the increase of the surface roughness is suppressed as far as possible.
As a method for removing foreign matters from a substrate made of silicon or glass, so-called lift-off process is commonly employed, i.e. a method of exposing the substrate surface to a chemical solution such as an acid or an alkali to carry out wet etching of the substrate surface in a very small amount to remove the foreign matters. For example, as proposed in Patent Document 1, the surface of a quartz glass substrate is exposed to hydrofluoric acid to carry out wet etching of the substrate surface, so that the distance between the substrate surface and foreign matters (e.g. inorganic foreign matters derived from colloidal silica glass or an alumina powder used for abrasion) attached to the substrate surface is extended to such an extent (at least about 5 to 10 Å) that the adhesion force (mainly Van der Waals force) will no more work out, whereby the foreign matters can be removed from the substrate surface. After the exposure to such a chemical solution, the substrate surface is rinsed with e.g. deionized water to replace the chemical solution with the deionized water, followed by drying. Further, in the case of a substrate to be used as a silicon wafer, Patent Document 2 for example proposes to remove foreign matters attached to the wafer surface by lift-off process in the same manner as above, by exposing the surface of the substrate to an aqueous solution containing hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen peroxide to oxidize silicon on the surface into silicon oxide utilizing oxidizing power of a hydrogen peroxide solution, and wet etching the resulting silicon oxide with hydrofluoric acid.
Here, in view of removal of foreign matters attached to a substrate by lift-off process, presence of electrical repulsive force between the foreign matters and the substrate is preferred. Namely, the foreign matters and the substrate surface preferably have the surface potential of the same sign. Further, in a case where the foreign matters and the substrate surface have the surface potential of the same sign, the absolute value of the difference in the surface potential between the foreign matters and the substrate is preferably as large as possible, whereby greater electrical repulsive force will be obtained.
The surface potential of most of substances (such as SiO2, Si3N4 and organic substances) which can be foreign matters present on a substrate material or a substrate greatly depends on the pH of the liquid to which the surface is exposed. The surface potential is substantially 0 or slightly positive in the presence of a strong acid such as hydrofluoric acid i.e. in a region of pH=3 to 4, and the surface potential is negative in a weakly-acidic to alkaline region (3 to 4<pH). However, there are some exceptions. For example, the surface potential of Si has not have great pH dependence, and the surface potential is stably negative in a wide region of from acidic to alkaline (pH=3 to 11).
However, in a case where an acidic solution having a pH<7 is used as a chemical solution for the lift-off process, pH of the chemical solution is close to the equipotential, the surface potential of the substrate and the foreign matters is substantially 0 and accordingly substantially no electrical repulsive force is obtained. Thus, not only removal of the foreign matters from the substrate is difficult, but also the foreign matters suspended in the chemical solution, after once removed from the substrate, are likely to be attached to the substrate again.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2002-131889
Patent Document 2: JP-A-3-120719

Method for removing foreign matter from substrate surface


The present invention relates to a solar panel that is cooled without using power, and more particularly, to a solar panel which is cooled without using power and which is naturally cooled by means of ascending air heated in a passage provided in a cooling plate so as to maintain the temperature of the solar panel suitable for the efficient generation of power without requiring a separate power source. For this purpose, the solar panel of the present invention includes: a cell panel including solar cells for converting solar energy into electric energy; and a cooling plate directly or indirectly contacting the back surface of the cell panel so as to transfer heat, the cooling plate having a cooling-air passage which is formed so as to extend vertically within the cooling plate, and the upper and lower ends of which are in contact with the outside air.

In accordance with increased interest in alternative energy and clean energy, demand for photovoltaic power generation to generate electric power by utilizing sunlight as a renewable energy source is greatly increasing.
In general, a photovoltaic power generation apparatus directly converts sunlight into electric energy to be used in the form of electric power by including a solar panel integrated with a plurality of solar cells to convert sunlight into electricity, a battery to accumulate the generated electricity, and a power transformer to transform current/voltage of the accumulated power.
In such a photovoltaic power generation apparatus, the power generation efficiency of the solar panel is most important factor. The power generation efficiency of the solar panel is proportional to the amount of sunlight incident upon the solar panel. That is, efficient power generation may be achieved during long, sunny days, and the solar panel is perpendicular to the incidence direction of sunlight. Another important factor having great influence on the power generation efficiency of the solar panel is temperature. As ambient temperature increases, the power generation efficiency of the solar panel is greatly decreased.
For this reason, in the summer season exhibiting superior conditions in terms of sunshine amount and incidence angle of sunlight, degradation in power generation efficiency occurs and, as such, it may be difficult to achieve sufficient power generation. This also hinders effective utilization of photovoltaic power generation in areas superior in terms of other conditions, such as equatorial areas and desert areas.
In order to avoid degradation in power generation efficiency under the above-mentioned high-temperature conditions, it is necessary to cool the solar panel. However, conventional cooling devices consume energy in order to perform driving for cooling and, as such, there is a problem in that increase in power generation efficiency is hindered.


An integrated circuit memory with clock-controlled memory access includes at least one data connection to input/output data, a memory cell array including memory cells to store data, a clock generator circuit to generate a clock signal, a memory circuit to store data, a control circuit to control storage of data in the memory circuit and to control output of data from the memory circuit. The memory circuit is connected to the memory cell array and to the at least one data connection. During read access to the memory cells, first and second data supplied to the memory circuit from the memory cell array are buffer-stored in the memory circuit upon first and second edges of the clock signal. The first and second data are output from the memory circuit and supplied to the at least one data connection upon third and fourth edges of the clock signal.

An integrated circuit memory, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) semiconductor memory, generally comprises a plurality of memory cell arrays or memory banks in which memory cells are arranged in matrix fashion along word lines and bit lines. Access to a memory cell involves an address associated with the memory cell being first of all applied to the integrated circuit memory. A word line driver is then used to feed a control voltage onto the word line to which the addressed memory cell is connected. In the case of a DRAM store, this turns on a selection transistor for the addressed memory cell, so that a storage capacitor in the memory cell is conductively connected to the bit line connected to the memory cell. The bit line can be used to store data in the addressed memory cell or to read data from the addressed memory cell on the basis of write or read access.

Memory with clock-controlled memory access and method of operating the same


A line light source system includes a line light source formed by a number of linearly arranged light emitting elements. A pair of cylindrical lenses converges the light bundles emitted from the respective light emitting elements in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the light emitting elements are arranged, and a pinhole array limits the angle of divergence of the light bundles emitted from the respective light emitting elements with respect to the optical axis of the cylindrical lenses in a direction parallel to the direction in which the light emitting elements are arranged.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a line light source system which can be used, for instance, a light source system for irradiating a line-like area of an image recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been known systems in which a photoconductive member such as a selenium plate (comprising an a-Se layer sensitive to X-rays) is employed as an electrostatic recording medium (sometimes referred to as "a solid sensor") in order to reduce the amount of the radiation to which the examinee is exposed, the electrostatic recording medium is exposed to radiation such as X-rays carrying thereon a radiation image, thereby causing the electrostatic recording medium to store latent image charges representing the radiation image, and then the latent image or radiation image information representing the radiation image represented by the latent image charges is read by causing a laser beam to scan the electrostatic recording medium and detecting the electric current generated in the electrostatic recording medium upon exposure to the laser beam by flat electrodes or stripe electrodes. See, for instance, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,176,275, 5,440,146 and 5,510,626 and "A Method of Electronic Readout of Electrophotographic and Electroradiographic Image"; Journal of Applied Photographic Engineering Volume 4, Number 4, Fall 1978, pp. 178 to 182.
We, this applicant, have proposed an electrostatic recording medium comprising a first conductive layer permeable to recording radiation, a recording photoconductive layer which exhibits conductivity upon exposure to the recording radiation, a charge transfer layer which behaves like a substantially insulating material to a charge in the same polarity as that in which the first conductive layer is charged and behaves like a substantially conductive material to a charge in the polarity opposite to that in which the first conductive layer is charged, a reading photoconductive layer which exhibits conductivity upon exposure to reading light and a second electrode layer permeable to the reading light which are superposed one on another in this order is used, and a read-out apparatus for reading radiation image information from the electrostatic recording medium on which the radiation image information has been recorded. See, for instance, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-105297.
In the read-out apparatus disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-105297, an electrostatic latent image recorded on the electrostatic image recording medium is read by causing reading light to two-dimensionally scan the electrostatic recording medium. The light source systems outputting the reading light include, for instance, a spot beam projecting means which causes a spot beam, e.g., a laser beam, to scan the electrostatic recording medium in both the main scanning and sub-scanning directions, and a line beam projecting means which causes a line beam extending in the main scanning direction to scan the electrostatic recording medium only in the sub-scanning direction. The line beam may be emitted from a line light source comprising, for instance, a number of linearly arranged light emitting elements.
As the line light source system, there has been known that in which a number of LED's are arranged in an array as disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-290228. LED's are high in light output efficiency for given input energy and are low in cost as compared with lasers or the like. When the line light source system of an LED array is employed, light emitted from the LED's is linearly focused on the electrostatic recording medium to project a line beam thereonto by, for instance, a cylindrical lens disposed in parallel to the row of the LED's (the direction in which the LED's are arranged), and the line beam is caused to scan the electrostatic recording medium in the sub-scanning direction.
An example 200 of the reading light source system comprising a line beam projecting means will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A and 8B. FIG. 8A is a side view showing the reading light source system 200 of this example as seen in Y-direction and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along an X-Y plane. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the reading light source system 200 comprises a line light source 101 comprising a plurality of linearly arranged surface-emitting LED chips 101a, 101b, 101c . . . , a slit plate 102 having a slit 102a extending in the longitudinal direction of the line light source 101 and a pair of cylindrical lenses 104 and 105 (an optical means) which image reading light L passing through the slit 102a on an electrostatic recording medium 10 disposed on a glass base 6. The slit plate 102 limits the angle of divergence in the Y-direction of the reading light L as output from the line light source 101. That is, the reading light emitted from the LED chips 101a, 101b, 101c . . . is shaped by the slit plate 102 and converged in the Y-direction by the cylindrical lenses 104 and 105, and then projected onto the electrostatic recording medium 10. Since the reading light emitted from each of the LED chips 101a, 101b, 101c . . . is not converged in Z-direction in which the LED chips 101a, 101b, 101c . . . are arranged (the longitudinal direction of the line beam projecting means), the reading light L irradiates a line-like area of the electrostatic recording medium 10.
However, the conventional reading light source is disadvantageous in that since the angle of divergence of the reading light L is not limited in the direction of the row of the light emitting elements (the longitudinal direction of the line beam projecting means), the line reading light beam L includes therein a plurality of light bundles which are focused on different points when converged in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the line beam projecting means by the optical means. Accordingly, in the line beam on the image recording medium, light bundles in focus and light bundles out of focus mingle with each other. Light bundles out of focus increase flares and enlarge the width of the line light beam.
Why the line reading light beam L includes therein a plurality of light bundles which are focused on different points when converged in the direction perpendicular to the row of the light emitting elements by the optical means will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, hereinbelow.
FIG. 9B is a plan view showing an example of the line light source system and FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A—A in FIG. 9B. The structure of this example is substantially the same as that shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. Accordingly, the elements analogous to those shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B are given the same reference numerals and will not be described here.
As shown by broken lines T1, T2 . . . in FIG. 9B, the light bundles L1, L2, L3 . . . comes to be focused by the cylindrical lenses 104 and 105 on a point nearer to the cylindrical lenses in a plane parallel to the row of the LED chips as the distance from the axis of light emission of each of the LED chips 101a, 101b, 101c . . . increases.
Further, there has been a problem that the line reading light beam projected onto the image recording medium is not uniform in its intensity in the longitudinal direction of the line beam projecting means. That is, in a middle portion of the line reading light beam projected on the image recording medium, the intensity of the line light beam is higher since light bundles emitted from a larger number of light emitting elements are superimposed in the middle portion. Since light bundles emitted from a smaller number of light emitting elements are superimposed towards the ends of the line reading light beam, the intensity of the line light beam becomes lower towards the ends of the line reading light beam.
Further, a part of the reading light emitted from light emitting elements disposed near the ends of the line light source is reflected by the casing of the line light source, which increases flares and deteriorates the sharpness of the image information read out.


An electronic device includes a wearing portion to be worn by a subject and a sensor unit that includes a sensor configured to detect a pulse wave of the subject. The sensor unit includes a displacement portion configured to contact a measured part of the subject and to be displaced in accordance with the pulse wave of the subject when the wearing portion is worn by the subject.

Conventionally, measurement of blood components and blood fluidity have been conducted as a means for estimating a state of health of a subject (user). Such measurements use blood collected from the subject. Electronic devices for measuring biological information from a wrist or other measured part of a subject are also known. For example, an electronic device that measures a subject's pulse when worn on the subject's wrist is known.

Electronic device for detecting a pulse wave of a subject


Compounds of the general formula (7): ##STR1## wherein X is a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group, Y is a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group and at least one of X and Y is a hydroxyl group and Z is a hydroxyl group or a methylol (--CH.sub.2 OH) group, have anti-fungal activity, especially against organisms selected from Candida spp. and the athlete's foot/ringworm organisms Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum audonii. Compounds in which Z is a methylol (--CH.sub.2 OH) group are claimed per se.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the anti-fungal use of certain steroids.
2. Description of the Prior Art
UK Patent 2161380 B (National Research Development Corporation) describes the anti-fungal, especially anti-candida use of, bile acids and derivatives thereof, collectively having the formula ##STR2## wherein each of X, Y and Z independently represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group or a derivative thereof which is a conjugate formed between the carboxyl group and the NH.sub.2 group of an amino acid, and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
It has been a problem to find alternative anti-fungal compounds having improved therapeutic action against various fungi invasive to the human body.


Under a low load condition, a produced torque is small and a synthetic current command I* with respect to an armature of a servomotor is small so that a magnitude in a negative direction of a reactive current command Id* determined by Id*=−|I*|·sin θ is small. As a result, under the low load condition, the synthetic current flowing through the armature can be small, and generation of wasteful heat can be suppressed. Further, under a high load condition, because a q-axis current Iq that produces the torque is large, voltage saturation is liable to occur. However, at the same time, the overall current command I* is large under the high load condition, and Id* is large in the negative direction. Therefore, a large reactive current Id can be flowed in the negative direction, and voltage saturation under the high load condition can be effectively prevented.

Conventionally, in order to prevent occurrences of voltage saturations in AC servomotors, the following measures have been taken. That is, a negative d-axis current Id is supplied to an armature to which a dq conversion has been performed, while a d-axis direction is defined as a direction of field flux (refer to, for example, Patent Document 1). In an AC servomotor, a q-axis current Iq corresponds to an active current which is supplied in order to generate rotation torque, whereas Id corresponds to a reactive current which does not contribute to the generation of the rotation torque. However, because the current Id is supplied, an influence caused by back electromotive force produced in an armature can be reduced, and thus, a larger active current Iq can be supplied. As a result, current and torque control operations can be carried out stably.
This fact is well represented in FIG. 2 and FIG. 9 of Patent Document 1. These drawings indicate that an armature voltage is divided into 2 orthogonal voltage components, namely, a d-axis voltage Vd and a q-axis voltage Vq. A total vector summation between Vd and Vq is equivalent to a synthetic voltage in the armature. A circle shown in the drawing represents a link voltage, and this link voltage defines an upper limit value of the armature voltage. As a consequence, a desirable armature voltage is generated in accordance with the indication of this drawing as long as a tip portion of an armature voltage vector is present within the link voltage circle. Conversely, if the tip portion of the armature voltage vector is derived outside the link voltage circle, then the desirable voltage is not produced, and the desirable q-axis current Iq for generating the toque cannot be supplied (namely, so-called voltage saturation).
Next, in the respective drawings, back electromotive force E corresponds to a vector of a +q-axis direction, and concretely speaking, is expressed by such an equation E=ω·Φ which is well known in a synchronous type AC servomotor. In this equation, ω shows a rotation angular velocity of the motor, and Φ indicates synthetic magnetic flux which is intersected with an armature winging. The following description is made under such an assumption that ω≧0 and Φ≧0 are established, unless a specific comment is made. As previously described, since the back electromotive force E is directly proportional to ω, this back electromotive force E becomes larger during high-speed rotation. In FIG. 9, when the back electromotive vector E is increased, a tip portion of this vector is approached to the circumference of the link voltage circle, so that a large current Iq cannot be supplied. This reason is because, if Iq is increased, then a drive voltage vector of a +q-axis direction (same direction as E) is prolonged, so that the tip portion of the armature voltage vector is derived from the link voltage circle, and therefore, a voltage saturation occurs. The drive voltage vector is expressed as R·Iq in this drawing.
However, in this case, as shown in FIG. 2, if a reactive current Id (≦0) is supplied, then the difficulty is solved. This reason is given as follows. That is, by supplying Id, such a canceling voltage vector−ω·L·|Id|(−q-axis direction) can be generated which is directed opposite to the back electromotive vector E. Since this canceling voltage vector of the −q-axis direction is added, even when the above-mentioned drive voltage vector R·Iq of the +q-axis direction is prolonged, a tip portion of an armature voltage vector functioning as a summation of those vectors can be held within the link voltage circle. As a consequence, in accordance with this method, the large current Iq can be continuously supplied even during the high-speed rotation, and thus, large torque (∝Iq) can be stably generated.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-9-84400 (pages 2 to 4, FIGS. 2 and 9)

Servomotor current control method and servomotor


An adsorption vessel comprising a packed bed region of adsorbent particles contiguously arranged, comprising a perforated adsorbent particles, a gas separation process using the perforated adsorbent particles, and methods for making the perforated adsorbent particles. The perforated adsorbent particles each comprise an adsorbent material where the perforated adsorbent particles each have at least 10 channels extending through the particle. The equivalent diameter of the channels may range from 0.05 mm to 1.5 mm, and the void fraction of the channels may range from 0.05 to 0.5.

The present invention relates to non-cryogenic separation of gas mixtures by adsorption.
Gas separation by adsorption is well-known. The literature is replete with descriptions of gas separation by adsorption.
The effect of adsorption particles on mass transport and flow resistance must be considered in the design of adsorption units and processes. The constraints of particle size on adsorption are well-known: diffusional mass transport is favored in small particles while large particles reduce flow resistance through the adsorption bed thereby reducing pressure drop through the adsorption bed. As a result, the particle size must be selected to balance these conflicting objectives.
Industry desires adsorption particles that provide improved diffusional mass transport while decreasing the pressure drop in the adsorption bed.


A tire sensor device comprising sensor modules 20A to 20D, each comprising a sensor, a communication module having a communication function and a power regenerating circuit, and an antenna; and a base station comprising an internal communication device for communication with the sensor modules 20A to 20D, an information processing device for processing tire information signals from the sensor modules, an external communication device for communicating with a car control device 40 on the car body side and a power source. The sensor modules 20A to 20D and the base station 30 are arranged in the tire and constitute an intra-tire LAN. Tire information signals transmitted from the sensor modules 20A to 20D are processed by the base station 30 and transmitted to the car control device 40 so that appropriate tire information can be obtained and the size and power consumption of the sensor device can be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire sensor device which collects and processes information from sensors mounted in a tire and transmits the processed information to the car body side and to a tire information transmission method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, there has been implemented a tire air pressure monitoring device which detects the inside pressure of a tire by mounting a pressure sensor device for detecting the pressure of a gas filled in the tire on a surface facing a tire cavity area of a wheel and transmits the detected information to the car body side so as to inform a driver of the inside pressure of the tire. FIG. 8(a) is a block diagram showing the constitution of a tire pressure sensor tag 80 which is the pressure sensor device of the prior art. This tire pressure sensor tag 80 comprises an air pressure sensor 81 for detecting the inside pressure of the tire, an analog amplifier 82 for amplifying a tire inside pressure signal detected by the air pressure sensor 81, a processing circuit 83 for processing a pressure signal indicative of the inside pressure of the tire based on a signal from the above analog amplifier 82, a transmitter 85 for modifying a carrier based on a pressure signal detected by the above air pressure sensor 81 and processed by the processing circuit 83 and transmitting the modified carrier to the unshown car body side from an antenna 84, and a battery 86 for supplying power for driving these devices. The above air pressure sensor 81 is composed of a diaphragm made of an elastic material such as silicon rubber, mounted on a substrate 87 as shown in FIG. 8(b), and the above analog amplifier 82, processing circuit 83, transmitter 83 and antenna 84 are also formed on the above substrate 87. The battery 86 such as a button type battery is mounted on the substrate 87 separately from the above constituent elements (refer to patent document 1, for example).
However, as the above battery drive type tire pressure sensor tag 80 comprises the transmitter 85 for transmitting the above tire pressure information to the car body side in addition to the analog amplifier 82 and the processing circuit 83, the service life of the battery is short and therefore the above tire pressure sensor tag 80 must be exchanged regularly.
Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 9, there is known a tire sensor device 90 which comprises an RF transponder for responding to a carrier signal (query signal) from a call unit 90F in the tire 1 to collect data on the inside pressure of the tire. Since this tire sensor device 90 comprises an interface circuit 93 for rectifying a received RF signal and supplying power to other circuits such as a clock circuit 91 as a signal processing circuit, a sequencer circuit 92 and an unshown drive circuit and uses the above RF signal which is a query signal as an electric energy source for transmitting a digital signal regarding tire pressure data measured by an on-chip pressure sensor 90P, it does not require a battery and can detect the inside pressure of the tire stably for a long time. In the above tire sensor device 90, an on-board oscillator (not shown) installed in a transmission circuit 94 operates to transmit data on the inside pressure of the tire measured by the on-chip pressure sensor 90P to the car body side from an antenna 95 only when it receives the query signal (refer to patent document 2, for example).
Meanwhile, to enhance the running stability of an automobile, it is desired that the conditions of the running tire should be estimated accurately and fed back to car control. It is considered that this information makes possible the advanced control of an ABS brake and a car attitude control device making use of the ABS brake to further enhance safety.
As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), there is proposed a tire sensor device 100 which comprises sensors such as a pressure sensor 103, a temperature sensor 104 and a revolution sensor 105 all of which are installed in the tire and mounted on the substrate 102 of a housing 101, a driver 106 for driving these sensors and an on-board power source 107 to collect a plurality of tire data and transmit them to the car body side. When this tire sensor device 100 receives a query signal from a remote interrogator 100F installed on the car body side, it activates the sensors 103 to 105 to detect tire data such as tire pressure and tire temperature, digitizes the detected tire data, transmits these data to the central processing device 108a of a transponder 108 installed in the housing 101 to process them, and transmits the processed data to a car control device 100S on the car body side from an antenna 109. Thereby, various tire data can be obtained with the single tire sensor device 100 (refer to patent document 3, for example).    Patent document 1: JP-A 2003-347811    Patent document 2: JP-B 2002-511355    Patent document 3: JP-B 11-504585

Tire sensor device and tire information transmission method


Materials and compositions for making triglyceride controls, calibrators and standards are described. The materials are mono- and di- and tri- glycerides of medium length fatty acids mixed into compositions of human serum or other protein solutions to form stable, miscible solutions suitable for use as controls, calibrators and standards in clinical chemistry for measurement and quality control in assays for triglycerides. The materials described have been used as vehicles for oil-soluble, water-insoluble pharmaceuticals and as facial emollient oils for cosmetics, and as such are safe, functional, stable, rancid-resistant and very inexpensive compared with pure materials synthesized or described previously.

The measurement of triglycerides in clinical chemistry is important as an indicator of the presence of pancreatic disease, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery occlusive disease, etc. In the clinical laboratory, in order to have confidence in these measurements a quality control system needs to be in place. Controls, calibrators, and standards are integral components of this quality control system and well known to those in the clinical chemistry field ( see pg 430, Textbook of Clinical Chemistry, by N. W. Tietz, W. B. Saunders Co., 1986). There is considerable literature on the use of triglycerides for controls, calibrators, and standards. These triglycerides include those extracted from egg yolk, purified olive oil (triolein) or others isolated from animal or human blood. However, there are inherent difficulties in using these materials in multiconstituent controls, calibrators or standards such as:
1. They are unstable to freeze-thaw processing. PA1 2. They can precipitate, and this precipitation can concomitantly affect other analytes such as calcium and phosphate. PA1 3. They tend to become easily and quickly contaminated by microbes, such contamination adversely affecting the products in which they are used. PA1 4. They are usually poorly characterized mixtures causing reproducibility problems. PA1 5. Their assayed values are not stable and continue to rise over time. PA1 6. Some are too insoluble in protein solutions to be useful (controls, calibrators, or standards commonly contain triglyceride levels as high as 400 mg/dl).
Some clinical chemistry control manufacturers attempt to circumvent these difficulties by substituting glycerol for the triglyceride to mimic the chemistry of the true triglyceride. This approach has met with limited success because the hydrolysis step which is essential in certain assays is eliminated, and, for some assays requiring measurement of hydrolyzed fatty acids, glycerol is totally unsuitable.
Manufacturers could theoretically use synthetic triglyceride analogs such as, 2,3-dimercaptopropan-1-ol tributyrate, beta-naphthyl laurate, beta-naphthyl myristate, phenyl laurate and sorbitan esters, methylumbelliferone- and N-methylindoxyl myristate as components in controls, calibrators, or standards, but these materials are vastly too expensive and/or insoluble in a protein matrix to be practically useful. Normally, aqueous insoluble triglycerides are insufficiently soluble to be practically used in clinical controls. They can sometimes be made soluble by the use of a surfactant, but the surfactant often adversely affects other constituents, e.g. enzymes.
This invention relates to the new and innovative use of existing material as substitutes for human, animal or egg yolk triglycerides in multiconstituent clinical chemistry controls, calibrators, standards and related preparations. The substitute materials include medium carbon length (e.g. C.sub.8, C.sub.10, C.sub.18) fatty acids esterified to glycerol to form mono- and di-glyceride mixtures, which are currently commercially used as vehicles for water-insoluble, oil-soluble pharmaceuticals and as emollient oils for facial creams and cosmetics. They are sufficiently soluble in protein solutions and yield stable triglyceride measurements on standing, without extraneous additional stabilizers required in other preparations. Similar materials which can also be used include, but are not limited to, glycerol tripropionate, and glyceryl tributrate. The use of these materials has avoided the problems of freeze-thaw instability, precipitation, microbial contamination, and poor characterization (and hence reproducibility) which are encountered with the previous materials. These new materials also are much less expensive to use than the previous materials and methods, thus making them practical for use in the manufacture of the multiconstituent clinical control materials. The invention covers not only the identification of the material but also techniques for its use.

Process for making triglyceride controls, calibrators and standards comprising novel triglyceride substitutes


A sound reproducing apparatus and a sound reproducing method are provided. The apparatus includes multiple directional speakers located at different places, an information acquisition unit configured to acquire sensing information of a person to be provided with a reproduced sound, and a processor that determines a position of the person from the acquired sensing information and controls output levels of the multiple directional speakers. The method includes the steps of acquiring sensing information of a person to be provided with a reproduced sound, determining a position of the person from the acquired sensing information, and controlling output levels of the directional speakers. The output levels of the speakers are determined based on the distance from the person.

Directional audio systems, also known as parametric acoustic arrays, have been used in many practical audio applications. The directional audio systems often use ultrasound waves to transmit audio in a directed beam of sound. Ultrasound waves have much smaller wavelengths than regular audible sound and thus the directional audio systems become much more directional than traditional loudspeaker systems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 9,392,389 discloses a system for providing an audio notification containing personal information to a specific person via a directional speaker.
These conventional directional audio systems have been used in exhibitions, galleries, museums, and the like to provide audio information that is audible only to a specific person in a limited area

Sound reproducing apparatus having multiple directional speakers and sound reproducing method


A system is configured to receive, from a user device, a request for content; obtain, based on receiving the request, an identifier for a subscriber associated with the system and a key; encode the identifier and the key to create a unique identifier; store the unique identifier in the request to create a modified request; provide the modified request to a content provider identified by the request; receive, from the content provider, the content and targeted content, the targeted content being associated with the unique identifier and conforming to an attribute of the subscriber; and provide, to the user device, the content and the targeted content.

Service provider networks transport network traffic associated with a variety of services, applications, and content. Such networks transport more and more traffic, between user devices and content providers, which enables the services, applications, and content to be transported by the content providers and/or received by user devices. Content providers, however, may transmit services, applications, and/or content that subscribers, associated with the user devices, cannot use and/or do not desire to receive. In efforts to remedy this, the content providers may provide services, applications, and/or content that are targeted to the subscribers. The service provider networks, however, may not permit the content providers to access information, associated with the subscribers, due to security concerns, such as protecting identities of the subscribers and/or safeguarding confidential information associated with the subscribers. The content providers may, thus, not be able to provided targeted services, applications, and/or content that the subscribers can use and/or that the subscribers desire to receive.

Obtaining targeted services using a unique identification header (UIDH)


A system and method for allowing roaming of a subscriber and password authentication a non-LDAP region. A user signs onto a network access server which in turn connects to the regional LDAP RADIUS server. Password authentication occurs by hashing a transmitted password and comparing it to a clear text password from an LDAP database that has been hashed in the same manner as the transmitted password. When the subscriber is in a non-LDAP region, The password proceeds trough a proxy server to a regional RADIUS server which connects to a non-LDAP server. The non-LDAP server connects to and SMS database and retrieve the clear text password associated with the non-LDFSAP user, hashes it according the same method as the transmitted hashed password and formats the password for comparison in the regional RADIUS server. If the hashed passwords compare, the access is permitted.

Internet connection is typically accomplished by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) signing up an individual who can then sign on to the Internet via connectivity that is provided by the ISP. This typically takes the form of a dial-up modem or other type of Internet connection via the ISP. In the case of a cable internet infrastructure, the connection is via a cable modem. In the case of a digital subscriber line (DSL) internet infrastructure, the connection is via a DSL modem. Thereafter, the user can access the Internet based upon the speed of the connection to the ISP.
A problem occurs when an individual user is no longer present within the region that is covered by the cable or DSL ISP. This occurs when individuals are traveling or "roaming" to an area other than the area where service is provided by the user's ISP.
When using a cellular telephone, this procedure is very commonly encountered by travelers who go from one geographic region to another. Basically travelers are then assigned to a roaming status and their presence within a particular calling area is noted with information subsequently provided to the home network, allowing home network to contact the user who is "roaming."
To solve this problem, currently many users keep a dial-up ISP such as the Microsoft Network to allow them to have access to the Internet when they are away from home. This avoids some of the issues associated with different formats that support dial-up roaming but does not allow, for example, access to the features of a cable internet connection.
Currently, one such protocol that can be used as a directory service to allow people to locate other people on the Internet is called the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol or LDAP. LDAP is a directory service specification that is generally accepted in the Internet. Such a directory service allows people to locate other people or services. Such a directory service is basically a database that can be searched and manipulated in a number of ways to display information about a network and its resources. One such use is to create and manage user accounts including access by registered users to LDAP enabled networks.
Although LDAP service is widely accepted over the Internet, there are many Internet Service Providers who are not LDAP compatible or enabled. These non-LDAP networks may be affiliated with other networks which are LDAP enabled. In such cases it is difficult to verify that a user is authorized to use a non-LDAP network when the user is trying to access the network via dial-up connection. While LDAP does provide a good solution to support and authenticate users who are roaming, for those ISPs who are not LDAP enabled, to upgrade to a standard LDAP architecture requires expensive architectural changes that many ISPs are not inclined to make.
Many such non- LDAP ISPs use different subscriber management systems (generally referred to herein as SMS) with differently formatted databases. If a user is roaming and is attempting to connect to as a subscriber from a non- LDAP region, any subscriber management system in the non- LDAP region would need to be kept in synchronization with an authentication database that exists in centralized LDAP database. To date, there is no efficient access to data for authentication purposes from a non- LDAP region to an LDAP region.
What is therefore required is a system and method for allowing users to roam outside of their home regions and to log on to their respective ISPs via dial-up networking whether the home region is LDAP enabled or not.

System and method for password authentication for non-LDAP regions


A heating element that can be incorporated into a molded foam article closely adjacent to the outer cover sheet without showing any evidence that a heating element is encapsulated within the foam portion of the article and provides essentially the same relatively softness and “feel” that would be obtained if the heating element was not part of the article.

It is well known to have a built-in heating element for providing heat to the body of the occupant of the driver seat and/or the passenger seat of a motor vehicle. The heat is provided by electric current supplied through a conductor having suitable resistivity that ensures the desired amount of heat from the conductor. The conductor, in the form of a resistance wire, is located on a layer of textile or a plastic material to provide a carrier in the form of a planar or flat sheet. The resistance wire is fixed in position on the carrier by stitching means or by an adhesive and, afterwards, positioned between various layers of material to form the heating element which then can be incorporated into a seat. In this regard, the heating element can be sandwiched between a top cover member of leather, fabric or plastic material and the foam rubber core portion or padding of the seat.
Seats provided for vehicles used for material handling, earthmoving, or lawn cutting are normally fabricated utilizing an in-mold forming process to reduce the cost of the seat. This type of process provides a seat having a core made of a plastic foam, such as polyurethane foam, that is bonded to an outer decorative cover sheet or skin during the molding process. In the practice of such process, a properly shaped mold cavity is lined with a thin plastic or fabric skin after which liquid polyurethane is poured onto the skin to form an integral seat cushion or seat back. Various attempts have been made to provide a relatively inexpensive seat of this type that would have a heating element incorporated between the skin of the article and the foam layer. In most cases, such attempts have resulted in the configuration of the heating element and/or the conductor being outlined in the cover sheet and, therefore, not acceptable from an aesthetic standpoint. Obviously, if the heating element could be spaced from the skin a certain distance, maintained in such position, and completely encapsulated in the foam during the molding operation, the "reading" of or outline of the heating element would not be visible to the observer.
There has also been the problem in providing a comfortable "feel" to the buttocks of a seat occupant when seated in a seat assembly having a heating element as a part of the seat structure. Inasmuch as the heating element needs to be positioned relatively close to the outer skin of a seat member and becomes an integral part of the foam structure, it stands to reason that the heating element should be designed and constructed so that it does not take away from the softness and comfort of the seat. In other words, not only should the heating element within the seat not be detectable from an appearance standpoint but, in addition, the heating element should not cause the seat to provide any substantially less comfort when occupied than would be attainable if the heating element was not a part of the seat.

Method of making a heater element for a seat assembly


A semiconductor memory device has a command decoder responsive to a plurality of commands to set the semiconductor memory device to a normal mode, for generating control signals corresponding to the commands, respectively, and a row address prelatch circuit for holding a row address except for a bank address input together with a precharge command, and outputting the row address to a row address latch circuit, when the semiconductor memory device is in a test mode. The row address latch circuit holds the row address output from the row address prelatch circuit in synchronism with a control signal which is generated when an active command is input. The column address latch circuit holds the column address which has already been input when the active command is input, in synchronism with a control signal which is generated when either a read command or a write command is input.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly to a semiconductor memory device having a test circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, semiconductor memory devices have been required to be able to write and read data at higher rates because of faster processing operation of CPUs to be associated therewith and also required to have not only a faster operating clock speed but also a shorter time consumed after a certain command is input until a next command can be input.
An example of such a time consumed after a certain command is input until a next command can be input is a time tRCD consumed after an active command (hereinafter referred to as "ACT command") used in SDRAMs (Synchronous DRAMs) until a read command (hereinafter referred to as "READ command") for reading data or a write command (hereinafter referred to as "WRITE command") for writing data can be input.
Generally, when semiconductor memory devices are completed as products, they are subject to a test (hereinafter referred to as "tRCD test") for determining whether they operate normally or not. In the tRCD test, ACT command is input to a semiconductor memory device, and after elapse of a tRCD time from the input of ACT command, READ command or WRITE command is input to the semiconductor memory device.
Furthermore, semiconductor memory devices available in recent years incorporate a redundancy technology for the purpose of increasing the yield of semiconductor memory devices. According to the redundancy technology, if a memory cell in a semiconductor memory device under a test is judged as a defective cell, it is replaced with a normal memory cell (hereinafter referred to as "redundant cell") which is provided in advance in the semiconductor memory device.
The tRCD test is usually conducted on semiconductor memory devices when they are completed as products. If many semiconductor memory devices as completed products tend to be judged as defective memory devices in the tRCD test, then it is preferable to conduct a tRCD test on wafers to remove defective chips therefrom. According to the tRCD test thus conducted on wafers, since defective chips are removed from the tested wafers, semiconductor memory devices manufactured from those wafers are less liable to be judged as defective memory devices in a tRCD test which will be conducted on the semiconductor memory devices as completed products.
Usually, memory testing devices used for testing wafers are primarily designed to have a function to measure more chips simultaneously and also to have as many fail memories as possible for storing defect information used for replacing defective cells with redundant cells for the purpose of shortening a test time required to test wafers. However, many such memory testing devices are not constructed to operate at a high clock speed on account of cost limitations.
Consequently, recent semiconductor memory devices with a short time tRCD cannot be inspected in a tRCD test directly using a clock that can be supplied from the memory testing device.
In an attempt to solve the above problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 312397/1999, for example, discloses a semiconductor memory device which generates a high-speed timing signal using two clocks that are out of phase with each other. When the semiconductor memory device is tested, the input timings of ACT command and READ command or WRITE command are shortened using the high-speed timing signal thus generated. The disclosed semiconductor memory device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the conventional semiconductor memory device, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a portion of the conventional semiconductor memory device which is used in a tRCD test. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the conventional semiconductor memory device comprises an SDRAM having a plurality of banks in a memory cell array for storing data.
As shown in FIG. 1, the semiconductor memory device comprises memory cell array 111 of a plurality of memory cells for storing data, sense amplifier 112 for reading data stored in memory cells, row decoder 113 and column decoder 114 for decoding address signals to access memory cells for writing data therein and reading data therefrom, write buffer 115 for temporarily holding data to be written in memory cells, read buffer 116 for temporarily holding data read from memory cells, row address latch circuit 117 for temporarily holding row addresses to be supplied to row decoder 113, column address latch circuit 118 for temporarily holding column addresses to be supplied to column decoder 114, timing generator 119 for generating a timing signal for operating the semiconductor memory device at a predetermined timing, using clocks CLK1 and CLK2 supplied from an external source, command decoder 120 for decoding a plurality of control commands which are input from the external source for setting the semiconductor memory device to various operation modes, and control circuit 121 for controlling the writing of data into memory cell array 111 and the reading of data from memory cell array 111 according to output signals from timing generator 119 and command decoder 120.
Clocks CLK1 and CLK2, control commands (RASB, CASB, WEB, CSB), and address signals ADD are received by a plurality of input buffers 1221 through 1223 which comprise receivers. Write data to be written into memory cell array 111 are supplied through input/output buffer 123 to write buffer 115, and read data read from memory cell array 111 are output through read buffer 116 and input/output buffer 123 to an external source.
Commands for setting the semiconductor memory device to various operation modes, i.e., ACT command, READ command, WRITE command, and PRE command to be described later on, are input by setting control commands RASB, CASB, WEB and CSB supplied from the external source to predetermined combinations of "high", "low" levels. Commands which will be described below that are input to the semiconductor memory device refer to corresponding combinations of control commands RASB, CASB, WEB and CSB.
For reading data from memory cell array 111 or writing data in memory cell array 111, a precharge command (hereinafter referred to as "PRE command") is input to the semiconductor memory device for inactivating a memory cell bank to be accessed at first or all memory banks. Predetermined codes are also input as address signals ADD to the semiconductor memory device. PRE command is input for predetermined time interval tRP.
Then, ACT command is input to the semiconductor memory device for activating a row control system. A row bank address and a row address are input as address signals ADD to the semiconductor memory device.
After elapse of predetermined time interval tRCD, READ command or WRITE command is input to the semiconductor memory device. A column bank address and a column address are input as address signals ADD to the semiconductor memory device.
If WRITE command is input to the semiconductor memory device, then data supplied through input/output buffer 123 to write buffer 115 are written in selected memory cells. If READ command is input to the semiconductor memory device, then data in selected memory cells are read by sense amplifier 112, and output through read buffer 116 and input/output buffer 123. PRE command, ACT command, and READ command (or WRITE command) are introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the pulses of the timing signal which is generated by timing generator 19. The row bank address and the row address are introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the timing of ACT command when it is introduced into the semiconductor memory device. The column bank address and the column address are introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the timing of READ command (or WRITE command) when it is introduced into the semiconductor memory device.
When a tRCD test is conducted on the semiconductor memory device shown in FIG. 1, clocks CLK1 and CLK2 supplied from a memory testing device are received by the receivers of input buffer 1221 and supplied to timing generator 119, as shown in FIG. 2. In timing generator 119, differentiating circuits 130 and 131 generate pulse signals ICLK1 and ICLK2 having a predetermined pulse duration from clocks CLK1 and CLK2, and supply generated pulse signals ICLK1 and ICLK2 to OR gate 132.
OR gate 132 generates timing signal ICLK3 from pulse signals ICLK1 and ICLK2. Timing signal ICLK3 comprises a pulse signal having pulses of a predetermined pulse duration which are synchronous with the positive-going edges of clocks CLK1 and CLK2.
The memory testing device supplies control commands RASB, CASB, WEB and CSB to the receivers of input buffer 1222, which supply them to command decoder 120. Command decoder 120 generate control signals EXAL and RWCMD corresponding to commands set by control commands RASB, CASB, WEB and CSB, in synchronism with timing signal ICLK3 supplied from OR gate 132. Control signal EXAL is output when ACT command is input, and control signal RWCMD is output when READ command (or WRITE command) is input.
The memory testing device supplies address signals ADD to the receiver of input buffer 1223, which divides address signals ADD into selection signals BA0 and BA1 for selecting bank 0 or bank 1 and low-order address signal IADDxy, and outputs selection signals BA0 and BA1 and low-order address signal IADDxy.
Selection signals BA0 and BA1 and control signal EXAL output from command decoder 120 are input to AND gates 133 and 134. Output signals EXALT0 and EXALT1 produced by AND gates 133 and 134 and low-order address signal IADDxy output from the receiver of input buffer 1223 are supplied to row address latch circuit 117. Row address latch circuit 117 outputs row address XADD0x for selected bank 0 or row address XADD1x for selected bank 1.
Selection signals BA0 and BA1 and control signal RWCMD output from command decoder 120 are input to AND gates 135 and 136. Output signals RWCMD0 and RWCMD1 produced by AND gates 135 and 136 and low-order address signal IADDxy output from the receiver of input buffer 1223 are supplied to column address latch circuit 118. Column address latch circuit 118 outputs column address YADD0y for selected bank 0 or column address YADD1y for selected bank 1. "x" and "y" in IADDxy, XADD0x and YADD0y, etc. indicate that these address signals comprise a plurality of bits.
Operation of the conventional semiconductor memory device constructed as shown in FIG. 2 in a tRCD test will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 of the accompanying drawings.
For conducting a tRCD test on the conventional semiconductor memory device, PRE command is input to the semiconductor memory device using control commands RASB, CASB, WEB and CSB, and predetermined codes (bank address PREBA_0, address PREADD_0) are input as address signals ADD to the semiconductor memory device. These signals are introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the positive-going edge of the first pulse of timing signal ICLK3.
Then, ACT command is input to the semiconductor memory device, and row bank address XBA_1 and row address XADD_1 are input as address signals ADD to the semiconductor memory device. These signals are introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the positive-going edge of the second pulse of timing signal ICLK3.
Thereafter, READ (or WRITE) command is input to the semiconductor memory device, and column bank address YBA_1 and column address YADD_1 are input as address signals ADD to the semiconductor memory device. These signals are introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the positive-going edge of the third pulse of timing signal ICLK3. Command decoder 120 outputs control signal EXAL at the input timing of ACT command, and outputs control signal RWCMD at the input timing of READ (or WRITE) command.
In FIG. 3, bank 0 is selected by row bank address XBA_1 and column bank address YBA_1 which are input from the external source. Since selection signal BA0 goes high at this time, AND gates 133 and 135 output pulse signals EXALT0 and RWCMD0, respectively. Row address latch circuit 117 outputs row address IXADD0_1, and column address latch circuit 118 outputs column address IYADD0_1.
With the conventional semiconductor memory device, ACT command is introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the positive-going edge of the first pulse of timing signal ICLK3 after PRE command has been input, i.e., the second pulse of clock CLK1, and READ (or WRITE) command is introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with the positive-going edge of the third pulse of timing signal ICLK3, i.e., the first pulse of clock CLK2.
Inasmuch as many memory testing devices for testing wafers are not constructed to operate at a high clock speed, the time (period) from the positive-going edge of any pulse to the positive-going edge of a next pulse, and the time (pulse duration) from the positive-going edge of a pulse to the negative-going edge of that pulse are limited. However, since there is no time limitation on two different pulse signals supplied to different terminals, there is no limitation on the time (phase difference) from the positive-going edge of a pulse of clock CLK1 to the positive-going edge of a pulse of clock CLK2, so that the time can be shortened.
Therefore, if pulse signals are input from the input terminals for clocks CLK1 and CLK2 at the timing of tRCD required for a semiconductor memory device to be tested, then it is possible to conduct a tRCD test on a semiconductor memory device having a short tRCD.
However, the process of shortening tRCD of the conventional semiconductor memory device using two clocks CLK1 and CLK2 that are out of phase with each other poses the following problems:
In an SDRAM, a memory cell designated by a row address and a column address can be accessed by introducing the row address (i.e., a bank address including the row address) at the same timing as ACT command and also introducing the column address at the same timing as READ (or WRITE) address.
Address signals ADD are introduced into the semiconductor memory device in synchronism with timing signal ICLK3. However, as shown in FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawings, address signals ADD cannot be introduced properly unless address signals ADD are decided at a predetermined time before the positive-going edges of pulses of timing signal ICLK3. FIG. 4 illustrates the input timings of clock CLK1, clock CLK2, timing signal ICLK3, and address signal ADD.
In FIG. 4, tS1 represents a time (setup time for a row address) required after a row address is determined until timing signal CLK3 has a positive-going edge, and tH1 a row address holding time (holding time for a column address) required from a positive-going edge of timing signal ICLK3 for reading timing signal ICLK3.
Similarly, tS2 represents a time (setup time for a column address) required after a column address is determined until timing signal CLK3 has a positive-going edge, and tH2 a column address holding time (holding time for a column address) required from a positive-going edge of timing signal ICLK3 for reading timing signal ICLK3. In FIG. 4, tL1 represents a time after the end of holding of a row address until a column address is determined.
Times tS1, tH1, tS2 and tH2 shown in FIG. 4 need to have respective predetermined lengths in order to operate the SDRAM normally. tRCD is equal to the sum of times tH1, tL1 and tS2.
Because many memory testing devices for testing wafers are not constructed to operate at a high clock speed, transition time tT of a positive-going edge or negative-going edge of a pulse signal that can be output from the memory testing devices tends to be long. Therefore, times tS1, tH1, tS2 and tH2 are liable to be long, and time tL1 may need to be of a certain length depending on the performance of the memory testing device used.
Though the semiconductor memory device arranged as shown in FIG. 2 makes it possible to shorten the time required after ACT command is input until READ (or WRITE) command is input, tRCD may not be shortened because times tS1, tH1, tL1, tS2 and tH2 have to be of respective predetermined lengths.
For example, if times tH1, tL1 and tS2 are limited to tH1=5 ns, tL1=5 ns, and tS2=5 ns due to the performance of the memory testing device, then tRCD cannot be set to a value less than 15 ns. This tRCD value is not sufficiently short for the performance of the memory testing device for measuring shorter tRCD of DRAMs.


An apparatus for supplying scraper pigs, e.g., to material supply pipelines, which has within a housing at least one feeder or supply magazine which has at least two chambers, each chamber being able to hold one pig. The apparatus also has at least one drive which serves to drive the at least one feeder, and at least one pig inlet and at least one pig outlet.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying pipeline scrapers, commonly referred to as pigs, and to a material supply system incorporating such an apparatus.
A device of this type is disclosed, for example, in German Patent No. DE 4,210,659. If such devices are to be used, for example, in multiple station distribution systems, it is disadvantageous that these devices are not able to supply a large number of pigs within a short period of time.


The snow remover has a cooling fan for directing cooling air to an engine, and an air cleaner. The air cleaner has an air intake for drawing in outside air. The cooling fan and the air intake of the air cleaner is housed within the engine cover. Cooling air is changed to warm air by the cooling of the engine body, and this warm air is guided towards the air intake of the air cleaner by a guide duct.

A known snow remover in which an engine mounted on the machine body or an air cleaner provided to the engine side is covered by a cover, and snow is removed by driving the engine is described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 64-21108 (JP-A-64-21108), for example.
In the snow remover described in JP-A-64-21108, as the engine is operated, outside air (atmosphere) is guided in from outside the cover, and the air thus guided inside is drawn into an air cleaner. The drawn-in air is guided from the air cleaner to a carburetor, and the guided air is mixed with fuel and guided into a combustion chamber.
In this snow remover, the air cleaner is covered by a cover, and the air cleaner thereby draws in the air inside the cover. Since snow does not penetrate under the cover, snow can be prevented from being drawn into the air cleaner when the air under the cover is drawn in by the air cleaner.
However, a snow remover is usually operated in a cold-climate environment where the outside air is cold. Cold outside air therefore penetrates under the cover and is drawn into the air cleaner. Moisture in the incoming air can freeze when cold air is drawn in from the air cleaner.
The freezing of moisture in the indrawn air is referred to as icing. Icing reduces the ability of the engine to start.
A snow remover is therefore needed that can increase the starting ability of the engine by preventing icing.


A random number generating method for an electronic device including a plurality of unit circuits each first and second logic circuits, each logic circuit having a same shape and being formed through a same fabrication process, and an amplifier circuit for forming a binary signal by amplifying a noise superposed on the differential voltage of threshold voltages of the first and the second logic circuits; and a signal variation detecting circuit for forming an output signal in response to a variation in any of a plurality of binary signals outputted from the plurality of unit circuits, wherein a plurality of binary signals outputted from the signal variation detecting circuit are combined to generate a random number.

Recently, networks and IT technique are rapidly spread all over the world, which requires security technique such as the encryption technique and the authentication technique. As one element of these techniques, random numbers are often used. Currently, random number generating circuits based on several types of basic principles have come into practical use. "Toshiba Review" Vol. 58.8 (2003) (first prior art) is an example of ultra-small-size true random number generating circuit for sophisticated information security. Moreover, JP-A-2003-173254 (second prior art) discloses a random number generating circuit using an ambiguous output obtained by turning power supply of an RS flip-flop ON/OFF.

Random number generating method and semiconductor integrated circuit device


An apparatus and method for controlling voltage sharing between a set of switching components can include applying power from a current source with a positive lead and a negative lead, closing the set of switching components to connect power from the current source to an electrical load, detecting a set of voltage values for the set of switching components, and controlling a current limiting function of at least one of the set of switching components.

Electrical power distribution systems manage the allocation of power from energy sources to electrical loads that consume distributed electrical power. In aircraft, gas turbine engines for propulsion of the aircraft typically provide mechanical energy that ultimately powers a number of different accessories such as generators, starter/generators, permanent magnet alternators (PMA), fuel pumps, and hydraulic pumps, e.g., equipment for functions needed on an aircraft other than propulsion. For example, contemporary aircraft need electrical power for electrical loads related to avionics, motors, and other electric equipment.
Over time, aircraft electrical power source voltages have increased. Aircraft with 14- and 28-volt direct current (VDC) electrical power systems have given way to aircraft with electrical power systems operating at 115 volts alternative current (VAC) and 230 VAC. Presently, aircraft can include one or more electrical power sources that operate at voltages including plus 270 VDC, minus 270 VDC, or a combination thereof. For example, a current wide-body twin-engine commercial jet liner uses an electrical system that is a hybrid voltage system that includes sub-systems operating at voltages of 230 VAC, 115 VAC, 28 VDC along with a bipolar, high voltage, direct current subsystem that includes plus and minus 270 VDC sources.

System and method for limting currents in a power distribution system


An image forming apparatus, including a frame, a cartridge attachable to the frame and including a first on-cartridge electrode and a second on-cartridge electrode, a first electrode protruding from the frame toward the cartridge to contact the first on-cartridge electrode when the cartridge is attached to the frame, and a second electrode protruding from the frame toward the cartridge to contact the second on-cartridge electrode when the cartridge is attached to the frame, is provided. The second electrode is on an upstream side of the first electrode with regard to an attaching direction and in a position to be passed through by the first on-cartridge electrode when the cartridge is moved. When the cartridge is detached from the frame, a tip of the second electrode is closer to the frame than a tip of the first electrode with regard to a facing direction of the cartridge and the frame.

1. Technical Field
An aspect of the present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an electrode, which contacts a mating electrode provided on a cartridge.
2. Related Art
An image forming apparatus having a cartridge, which is detachably attached to a frame, and a plurality of electrodes, which protrude from the frame toward the cartridge, is conventionally known. The electrodes may be arranged in an upstream position and a downstream position along an attaching direction to attach the cartridge to the frame and contact on-cartridge mating electrodes, which are arranged on the cartridge, when the cartridge is correctly attached to the frame. The electrode arranged in the upstream position may be passed over by some of non-mating on-cartridge electrodes when the cartridge is being attached to or detached from the frame.