A spring-loaded ball contact device having a housing, a spring disposed in the housing, a moveable plunger disposed in the housing that contacts the spring, a freely moveable ball contact disposed at an end of the plunger, and a lubricant stored within the housing for lubricating the ball contact. A rotary connector using the spring-loaded ball contact devices has first and second printed wiring boards that rotate relative to each other that are electrically interconnected using a plurality of spring-loaded ball contact devices disposed on the first printed wiring board. The spring-loaded ball contact devices are used to transfer electrical signals or power to conductive contacts formed on the second printed wiring board.

The present invention relates to rotary connectors, and more particularly, to an improved spring-loaded rotary connector using spring loaded rotating ball contacts.
In prior ball-based spring-loaded rotary connectors developed by the assignee of the present invention, the connectors have only provided zero-, one- or two-degree-of-freedom motion, which results in relatively large wear-out of certain components of the connectors. This causes a loss of the contact between the contacts of the connector and a flat flexible printed wiring board to which the contacts mates.
For a connector with a bump- or dimple-type contact located between two flat flexible printed circuits, such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,294, entitled "Brushless Rotary Connector", for example, which patent is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, relatively tight tolerances in the distance between two flat flexible printed circuits and in the size of the bumps or dimples are required. For a connector with one-degree-of-freedom motion along an axial direction of its contacts, such as is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/724,591, filed Sep. 30, 1996, entitled "Spring Loaded Contact Device and Rotary Connector", for example, also assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the connector uses spring-loaded plungers having round shaped heads.
It has been found that misalignment (tilt angle) and variation in the compression distance for each plunger, which causes the change in the spring restoring force applied in the plunger, occur during the installation process for the connector disclosed in the above-cited patent application. These two conditions can result in relatively large variations in the friction forces exerted in the connector during operation because the contacts are not free to move in directions perpendicular to the axis of the plunger.
For a connector having two-degree-of-freedom motion in directions parallel to the surface of the flat flexible printed circuits (such as in connectors using bearing balls), the relatively tight tolerances in the distance between two flat flexible printed circuits and in the size of the bearing balls are required. U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,664 issued Nov. 19, 1996 entitled "Ball Contact Rotary Connector", assigned to the assignee of the present invention describes this type of connector. In addition, to ensure full contact between the connectors and the flat flexible printed circuits in a vibration environment, an adequate spring load applied in the plunger or smaller tolerance for the connectors with bump-, dimple- or ball-bearing-type is required. The more severe in vibration environment, the higher spring load or smaller tolerance is necessary, which results in higher friction force applied in the plunger's tip or connectors.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide for an improved spring-loaded rotary connector using spring-loaded rotating ball contacts.


A method for repulping a wet strength paper is disclosed. Wet strength paper, which contains a wet strength resin, is agitated in water to form an aqueous slurry. An effective amount of a composition that contains a dry mixture of a persulfate and a base in the range of 90:10 to 10:90 is added either before or during agitation, and the slurry heated to produce pulp product for paper manufacture. The persulfate/base combination is capable of breaking down the wet strength resin and adjusting or maintaining the pH at a predetermined level without additional chemical treatment.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to paper reprocessing, and more particularly to the repulping of wet strength broke.
2. Background
Broke is waste or off-spec paper which is to be recycled. It is generally more desirable to recycle the broke by a process called repulping, than it is to merely dispose of the broke as waste paper.
In the repulping process, the cellulose fibers which make up the broke are sufficiently separated from the broke to make them usable for manufacturing paper. Repulping wet strength broke is difficult because such broke contains a wet strength resin (such as a polyamide-epichlorhydrin resin) added during paper production to enhance the strength of the paper produced so that the paper does not fall apart when used under wet conditions. The wet strength resin binds the cellulose fibers together, forming a water impervious coating, which impedes the repulping process goal of separating the cellulose fibers. Paper towels, tissues, food wrappings, and other paper products are typically treated with wet strength resins to prevent their deterioration when used under wet conditions. Typically, paper treated with wet strength resins will retain at least 15% of the paper's dry strength when wet. Paper without wet strength resin generally retains only 2-7% of its dry strength when wet.
Oxidation facilitates the break down of the wet strength resin to permit separation of the cellulose fibers. Traditionally, hypochlorite, particularly sodium hypochlorite, has been used by paper mills in the repulping of wet strength broke to oxidize the wet strength resin to facilitate fiber separation. When so used, hypochlorite oxidizes the wet strength resins within a narrow, carefully maintained pH range and within a temperature range of from about 122.degree. F. (50.degree. C.) to 150.8.degree. F. (66.degree. C.). After broke has been successfully repulped, an antichlor is added to neutralize the remaining chlorine.
Environmental issues have been raised concerning the use of hypochlorite for repulping. These concerns relate to the formation of organic halides which are adsorbed by the pulp, chloroform emission, and the problem of adding toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons to the effluent stream. For these reasons, non-halogen containing compounds, such as persulfates have been used to oxidize wet strength resin during the repulping process.

Persulfate mixtures for repulping wet strength paper


A fast algorithm is presented which allows for substantially simultaneous acquisition, analysis, and display of a wavefront centroid image, referred to as online aberrometry. A method embodiment involves determination of an average, or most frequently occurring, wavefront aberration over a selected time interval, e.g., 20 sec. Online pupil diameter measurement allows analysis of wavefront aberration as a function of changing pupil size. A wavefront measuring apparatus is disclosed that supports online aberrometry.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to the field of image processing, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for the simultaneous measurement, analysis, and display of ocular wavefront information referred to herein as "online" aberrometry.
2. Description of Related Art
There are few technologies that have not been touched by the science of image processing. Advancing development in most fields typically gives rise to process automation where the ability to quickly and accurately detect structures in camera images becomes increasingly important. One area targeted by the embodiments of the instant invention is wavefront aberration measurements of the human eye, although the techniques set forth herein below will find much wider application directed to the detection of structure in images.
The field of ophthalmology concerned with vision correction through refractive surgery, or the use of lens components on or in the eye, has experienced the relatively recent development of aberrometers. These devices allow practitioners to explore the meaning of vision quality and to appreciate that it is not limited merely to visual acuity. Aberrometers which incorporate wavefront sensors can provide information about vision defects that, upon correction, may not only provide visual acuity at the theoretical limit but also better vision, perhaps even customized vision, under a panoply of viewing conditions.
One of the most conventional and well developed forms of ocular wavefront sensing relies on the Hartmann-Shack principle. A Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor typically includes a microlens array that images various portions of a distorted wavefront exiting the eye onto a CCD detector/camera. The image produced by the microlens array comprises an array of small dots of light that are slightly displaced from reference locations of the light dot image from an unaberrated wavefront. The aberrated dot displacements are related to the localized slopes of the wavefront exiting the eye's pupil. Zernike polynomials (or other mathematical forms) can be derived from these displacements, which are then used to characterize virtually all of the eye's aberrations. The ability to make accurate wavefront calculations is critically dependent upon the true determination of the center location of each dot in the wavefront image. This aspect of the wavefront analysis process is known as centroid detection.
Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensors, and other well-known types such as Tscherning, for example, typically measure single images of centroids or, at best, a very small number of images over a short time interval. The eye, however, is a dynamic system with rapidly varying wavefront changes. The time needed for centroid detection has been the primary culprit hindering real-time measurements with repetition rates greater than a few images per second. A system known in the wavefront art as WASCA has demonstrated a repetition rate of about 7 Hz for the 30-second record of a wavefront. However, the wavefront images must first be recorded, saved, and subsequently evaluated. A single wavefront image requires about 400 Kb of computer memory. Moreover, aberration measurements (e.g., sphere, cylinder/axis, and higher order aberrations) cannot be displayed online, i.e., substantially simultaneously with the wavefront measurement and calculation. Nor is it possible to acquire and save pupil images and centroid images substantially simultaneously, making it virtually impossible to evaluate the influence of eye movement on changes in the wavefront. These illustrations represent some of the exemplary development issues in the field of ocular wavefront measurement addressed by the embodiments of the instant invention.

Online wavefront measurement and display


An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of photosensitive members; at least one retaining member configured to temporarily retain remaining developer remaining on a corresponding photosensitive member; a belt arranged opposite to the plurality of photosensitive members; a cleaning device configured to collect developer on the belt; a remaining developer collecting unit configured to cause the remaining developer retained by the retaining member to be transferred onto the belt via the photosensitive member and thereafter to be collected by the cleaning device; and a plurality of developing devices each including a development chamber in which is provided a developing roller for supplying developer to the corresponding photosensitive member, and a developer storage chamber arranged above the development chamber and configured to store developer. Each development device includes a circulation mechanism configured to circulate developer between the development chamber and the developer storage chamber.

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus equipped with a plurality of photosensitive members, and a belt arranged opposite to these photosensitive members.
An image forming apparatus such as a color laser printer is generally known, which comprises a plurality of development devices each storing different color toner, a plurality of photosensitive drums each of which is supplied with toner from the corresponding development devices via a developing roller, and a belt arranged opposite to the plurality of photosensitive drums. In this image forming apparatus, a recording sheet is conveyed on the belt and passes through the plurality of photosensitive drums, during which different color toner retained on the surfaces of the respective photosensitive drums is continuously transferred onto the recording sheet so that color printing is performed on the recording sheet.
To perform high quality image forming in this kind of image forming apparatus, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2000-29365 discloses an image forming apparatus which comprises drum cleaners each slidingly contacting with a corresponding photosensitive drum to collect excess toner adhered on the photosensitive drum, a belt cleaner slidingly contacting with a belt to collect excess toner adhered on the belt, and a controller configured to reverse the polarity of a voltage applied to each drum cleaner at a predetermined timing. According to this image forming apparatus, the controller causes the voltage applied to the drum cleaner to be reversed between plus and minus at the predetermined timing, so that toner retained on the drum cleaner moves onto the photosensitive drum and is then transferred from the photosensitive drum onto the belt. Toner on the belt is finally collected by the belt cleaner.
In this conventional image forming apparatus, however, when toner retained on the drum cleaner is collected by the belt cleaner via the photosensitive drum and the belt with the use of potential difference between the electric charge of toner and the voltage applied to the drum cleaner, toner transferred from the upstream-most photosensitive drum onto the belt passes between the belt and three other photosensitive drums arranged downstream from the upstream-most one. Therefore, during the passage of toner; for example, when toner transferred from the upstream-most photosensitive drum onto the belt passes through a second and a third photosensitive drum, if the electric charge of toner becomes higher due to an electric discharge phenomenon that occurs by the potential difference for moving toner, toner is repulsed to each other and when the toner passes through downstream-side photosensitive drums, the toner moves onto these photosensitive drums such as a fourth photosensitive drum in particular.
In this instance, if the drum cleaner for the fourth photosensitive drum retains a large amount of toner, different color toner that has moved onto the fourth photosensitive drum is moved by the rotation of the photosensitive drum without being collected by the drum cleaner, and then the toner moves onto a developing roller and further to a development device, so that different color toner is mixed in the development device. Further, in this instance, if the different color toner accumulates at one place around the developing roller that is accommodated in the development device, the accumulating different color toner is supplied to the photosensitive drum, so that a quality of a produced image severely deteriorates.
This is particularly serious if the development device is of a type where a developer storage chamber for storing toner is arranged above a development chamber in which is provided the developing roller, because different color toner is apt to accumulate around the developing roller.
In view of the foregoing drawbacks of the prior art, the present invention seeks to provide an image forming apparatus, which is capable of distributing different color toner (developer) mixed within the development device, so as to prevent deterioration of the quality of produced images.

Image forming apparatus having a remaining developer circulation mechanism


Here is disclosed a garment a device and a method for reducing the risk of bone fracture of a human or animal subject due to impact forces on a vulnerable region having a bone part, e.g. the greater trochanter near the skin surface, there being a soft tissue region proximate to the vulnerable region lacking a bone part near the skin surface. The garment comprises at least one protective device shaped in accordance with anatomical features of the vulnerable region and the soft tissue region so that the impact energy is shunted for the vulnerable region to the soft tissue region, where such energy may be safely dissipated and mounting means for removable mounting the at least one protective device on the subject in a manner permitting the shunting of impact energy from the vulnerable region to the soft tissue region. The protective device is shaped for partly or totally surrounding the vulnerable region and has a thickness establishing a protective free space that will not transfer energy above the vulnerable region and comprises a soft and elastic material having a suitable elasticity and hardness, so that in the case of a fall the impact force will partly compress the device against the soft tissue region and as the elastic material rigidifies during its compression, it will gradually transfer the energy to the surrounding soft tissue, whereby a substantial portion of the impact energy is absorbed and retransmitted to the soft tissue region. The garment provides a lightweight, soft and less bulky protective device which is comfortable for the wearer and which maintain a stable form and which still makes it possible to transmit sufficient impact energy to the soft tissue region surrounding a vulnerable region.

Hip Fracture Epidemiology
According to prior art document U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,290 fractures of the proximal femur are a major source of mortality and morbidity among the elderly. Approximately 250,000 hip fractures occur in the United States annually. Nearly 33 percent of women and more than 17 percent of men will experience a hip fracture if they live to age 90. Among patients who are functionally independent prior to a hip fracture, 15 to 25 percent remain in long-term care settings for more than a year afterward. Another 25 to 35 percent are dependent on others for their mobility. More than half of those that survive hip fracture never recover normal function. Moreover, the average mortality associated with hip fracture in elderly patients is approximately 20 percent in the first year.
The public health impact of hip fractures is also staggering. Surveys in the United Kingdom have shown that at any one time about 50 percent of acute orthopaedic beds are occupied by hip fracture patients. In the U.S., the average length of hospital stay for hip fracture patient is three weeks, longer than for any other diagnosis. The annual costs associated with the acute and chronic care of hip fracture patients in the United States is estimated to exceed $7 billion. The problem can only be expected to worsen with projected increases in the average age of the world population, leading some to suggest the possibility of a nearly three-fold rise in the total number of hip fractures by the middle of the next century.
Over 90 percent of all hip fractures are caused by falls. However, the majority of falls in the elderly result in only minor injury, with one to three percent causing hip fracture. Surveys among elderly fallers have shown the following factors increase the risk for suffering a hip fracture in a fall (in order of importance): 1) impacting on the hip or side of the leg (which increases the risk of fracture by over 20-fold), 2) having a tall, slender body habitus, 3) falling with a high initial potential energy (which depends on both body mass and the height of the fall), and finally 4) possessing low bone density in the proximal femur. These results suggest the risk for hip fracture in a fall is dominated by the severity of the fall as opposed to the density and strength of the proximal femur. To reduce the incidence of hip fractures, hip fracture prevention strategies must therefore either reduce the incidence of falls, or protect the femur in the event of a fall. The former strategy may be accomplished by restricting mobility, although this carries associated medical risks and impairs personal autonomy and quality of life. It might also be accomplished through exercise programs in the elderly populations at greatest risk for falling, although no study to date has proven the effectiveness of such an approach. In any case, it seems unrealistic to expect the complete elimination of falls among the elderly, given the often multiple factors (cardiac, neural, musculoskeletal) and random causes of falls. It therefore appears that the most reliable method for reducing hip fracture incidence is to protect the femur during the impact stage of the fall. This essentially requires lowering the impact force applied to the femur to a value below its fracture threshold.
Hip fracture refers to fracture of the proximal end of the femur, which is the strongest, heaviest, and longest bone in the body, accounting for approximately one-fourth of total body height. The proximal end of the femur consists of a head, neck, and greater and lesser trochanters. The neck of the femur connects the spherical head to the shaft. It is limited laterally by the greater trochanter, a large, somewhat rectangular lateral projection from the neck and shaft, which provides an insertion site for several muscles of the gluteus region. The greater trochanter lies laterally, just beneath a relatively thin layer of skin and adipose tissue (fat), and can be easily palpated on the lateral side of the thigh. Since it is the most lateral point of the hip region, the greater trochanter is the site which comes into contact with a hard surface when one lies on one's side, and the site where the majority of impact force is applied when one falls sideways onto the hip. Consequently, falls to the side resulting in impact to the greater trochanter carry a high risk for hip fracture.
In contrast to the minimal amount of soft tissue covering the greater trochanter, a considerable quantity of soft tissue exists in the posterior gluteal (buttock) and anterior thigh regions adjacent to the greater trochanter. Upon impact to these regions, this soft tissue is able to absorb significant energy, and lower the impact forces applied to the underlying skeletal structures. Gluteal soft tissues include the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscles, as well as the considerable layer of fat overlying the buttock. The most significant anterior thigh soft tissues are the quadriceps muscles, which include the three vastus muscles and the rectus femoris muscle.
Experimentally, when the elderly cadaveric femur is loaded in a configuration simulating a fall on the hip, the average force required to fracture it is 2040N [Lotz J C and Hayes W C, J Bone Joint Surg [Am], 72-A:689-700, 1990]. The corresponding average energy absorbed by the bone up to fracture is 25 J. At standing height, the potential energy of the body can be well over 20 times this amount. Previous research suggests the force applied to the femur at impact from an average sideways fall to the hip is about 6 kN, over three times the mean fracture force (Robinovitch, S N, Hayes, W C, McMahon, T A, J Biomech Eng, 113: 366-374, 1991). It therefore appears that to avoid hip fracture during a fall, one or more of the following must occur: 1) direct impact to the lateral aspect of the hip must be avoided, 2) the impact site must extend outside the hip region, or 3) significant energy must be absorbed by alternative mechanisms such as contraction of the thigh muscles during descent, breaking the fall with an outstretched hand, or deformation of both the floor and the soft tissue overlying the impact sight.
Similar to hip fracture, fracture of other bones such as the tibia, radius, and ulna occurs when the force applied to the bone exceeds that required to initiate fracture. Often such a situation arises when the impact energy is high, and contact occurs to a small area directly overlying the fracturing bony structure. In such circumstances, the impact energy cannot be absorbed and/or dissipated through a large area, and high local stresses are applied to the underlying bone.
Prior Art Protective Devices
Several protective garments have been developed with the aim of preventing hip fractures. All of these devices attempt to reduce fracture incidence by reducing the impact force applied to the femur during a fall on the hip.
A device is proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,290 and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,128. This solution is based on the use of shear-thickening material which is disposed in at least one protective device which is shaped in accordance with the anatomical features of the vulnerable region and the soft tissue region. This device utilizes the shear thickening behaviour of the material and its inherent ability to stiffen with a sudden impact to shunt a substantial portion of the impact energy from the vulnerable region to the soft tissue region where such energy may be safety dissipated. Moreover, the prior art documents disclose mounting means for removable mounting the protective device on the subject in such away as to permit the shunting of impact energy from the vulnerable region to the soft tissue region.
Even though the prior art technology provides a solution overcoming the above problems there would be problems associated with such protective devices. This problem is primarily due to the use of shear-thickening material which makes the device heavy and which requires the shear-thickening material to be encased in encapsulations that are able to maintain a stable form in order for the force shunting properties to be consistent and durable in wear and washing. Moreover there is a risk of shear-thickening material leaking from the encapsulations, i.e. in or after washing, due to its fluid properties.
Prior art technology also discloses garments comprising protective devices or shells based on a shunting principle, consisting of or incorporating rigid materials, i.e. in a curved or dome shaped form. However, such rigid devices have been seen to affect wearer acceptability in a negative way and a soft protective device is more comfortable to the wearer than a hard inflexible device, i.e. when sleeping on the side.
Furthermore, soft cushion or pad type products also exists, i.e. consisting of 8-18 mm thick polymeric foam material cut to i.e. a circular or oval shape, simply overlying the entire hip region. Such energy absorbing and/or dissipating materials or structures placed directly over the greater trochanter and surrounding area (Ferber, U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,301; Galton, U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,994; Kolb, U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,834; Kolsky, U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,998; Wortberg, U.S. Pat. No. 4,573,216) have the major drawback that they cover the greater trochanter and proximal femoral diaphysis, and thus transmit considerably load to these regions during impact to the hip. As described previously, these regions of the femur, and in particular the greater trochanter, extend furthest laterally of all bony components of the hip region, and are protected by a minimum of overlying soft tissue. They thus represent the regions of lowest compliance within the total protected area, and subsequently, during impact to the protective garment, the majority of impact force is transmitted to the femur.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,195,809 discloses a generally elliptical first base portion with a raised portion superimposed thereon. The raised portion is provided in the form of an open annulus having an inverted U-form. Such a product is an improvement compared to generic foam pads in a plate format as far as force attenuation goes. However, still the greater trochanter is impacted through forces directed through the base portion material.
Such prior art soft pad devices tend to cover a large area of the hip region, including the greater trochanter region, be non-breathable and thus warm to wear, and therefore attempts have been made to increase breathability and reduce heat i.e. by providing a plurality of smaller holes on the device surface area. Other commercially available soft pad devices have a small circular hole in the pad centre (diameter approx. 2-2.5 cm), according to the manufacturers instructions to enable that the wearer or caregiver can check with a finger if the device is positioned correctly, centred around the greater trochanter.
As previously mentioned, such soft pad devices are by large energy absorbing and have the drawback that they still transmit a substantial portion of the energy directly to the greater trochanter, as they directly overlie the greater trochanter. Thus, they have to be relatively thick in order to be somewhat efficient, which makes them bulky when worn and warm to wear which again leads to lower wearer acceptability.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a solution to the above problems by providing a garment, a device and a method for reducing the risk of bone fracture which would comprise a lightweight soft and protective device which is comfortable and less warm for the wearer and which maintain a stable form and which makes it possible to shunt, absorb and retransmit a substantial part of the impact energy to the soft tissue region surrounding a vulnerable region.

Garment protection device and method for reducing the risk of bone fracture


Process to use water, methyl alcohol, and baking soda to make hydrogen and oxygen to increase fuel mileage on gasoline, diesel and LP gas engines using the process generally known as “Electrolysis” with many modifications. A device and method for producing hydrogen and oxygen gases from Water Solutions and simultaneously using the gases produced to supplement fuels used to operate the vehicle or engine. The solution used in the Electrolytic container is water and sodium bicarbonate. The hydrogen and oxygen—producing device is powered by as many as 5,500 amperes, generator or alternator, using the vehicle engine alternator or generator to produce the current to power the electrolytic cell. The electrolytic container is kept at a constant solution level. The water solution temperature may be controlled by either a low-pressure air conditioning line, a water-cooling line with a thermostatic control valve, on-off temperature control switch or water-cooling fins. The electrolytic cell is equipped with means to control the energy load, water level, gas flow and presenting the hydrogen and oxygen into the combustion chamber of the vehicle and or the engine.

The state of the current art of producing hydrogen gaseous fuels to use with the fossil fuels that will greatly increase your present fuel mileage has mainly been by nuclear reactors, electrolysis that uses more current than the value of the hydrogen gases that are produced. It is not financially practical to build hydrogen-refueling stations in the country using the present state of the current art methods to produce hydrogen to alleviate the current oil crisis. Shortcomings that are present: The gaseous fuel introduction being overly complicated, heavy fuel containers, expensive metal hydrides, not having practical and economical sources of gaseous fuel available to use in combination with or to replace fossil fuel, not being able to produce a sufficient volume of gaseous fuel from water using D.C. current to power the electrolytic container while operating the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,600 has several problems. Being the way the fuel is entered into the piston combustion chamber. The gases were put in with the gasoline fuel into the injectors. It is found to be beneficial to use the vacuum created by the pistons to pull the extra fuel, gases, into the engine, leaving the present carburetion system intact. The Butterfly valve in the manifold air intake governs the amount of extra fuel pulled in to supplement the amount of fuel from the present carburetion system. This method increases the fuel mileage and also gives a tremendous power increase. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,513,600 [Teves invention] was made to operate a Wisconsin engine under no load, other than the Generator or Alternator, for only 12 minutes and the engine cut off.
Some patents using hydrogen fuel had many faults that were not appreciated by the vehicle owners. Several used heavy steel containers to hold the hydrogen gas (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,508,084; 3,983,882). Others did not produce enough hydrogen to make an appreciable difference in performance and increase the fuel mileage. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,814; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,696; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,458,412). Another invention U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,181 uses metal hydrides which are very expensive, complicated, takes a great amount of time and equipment. Another invention (U.S. Pat. No. 4,763,610) uses a gas generator using sodium hydroxide—which is very expensive when used to produce large volumes of hydrogen gases. There is a noticeable increase in pollutants. Not many of these inventions produce enough hydrogen gas to make a very sizeable increase in the fuel mileage. They were not very acceptable to the average general public. The hybrid hydrogen-gasoline electric cars on the markets are not very well accepted by the public for many reasons. Almost all of them have to purchase their hydrogen, which does not last for many miles, and there is very little hope that the hydrogen will become readily available and inexpensive at many places in the country and world. This invention uses water, baking soda, and methyl alcohol to keep the water from freezing, all of which are inexpensive and available. This invention will be available to be installed on any vehicle, new or old, at an inexpensive cost.


The lateral position of a web or fabric edge 11 in a paper machine is determined using an ultrasonic sensor. The ultrasonic sensor has a detector head 42, with an air channel system which opens to the vicinity of the head for forming an air knife which prevents accumulation of dirt on the head. The protective cover 35 has an air guide 43 extending further than the detector head 42, with air flowing thereabove from inside the protective cover 35 through an opening 36. The end component is on top of the protective cover allowing air to flow from the opening between the air guide and the end component to a detent, which turns the direction of the air flow. This provides efficient cleaning without disturbing, however, the operation of the ultrasonic sensor.

The invention relates to a method utilizing ultrasound for determining the lateral position of a web or fabric edge in a paper machine. The invention also relates to a corresponding apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,877 describes an ultrasonic sensor for determining the web edge position which comprises a U-shape housing. The upper branch of the sensor housing accommodates an ultrasonic transmitter and the lower branch an ultrasonic receiver. The ultrasonic sensor is placed near the web such that the web travels through the gap between the branches. Depending on the position of the web edge, the power received by the ultrasonic receiver varies, based on which the ultrasonic sensor controller determines the edge position relative to the sensor housing. The proposed ultrasonic sensor must be positioned very near to the edge, which makes it vulnerable to damage. In addition, the web must remain accurately in place in the vertical direction, which reduces the positioning options of the sensor housing. Due to its construction and position, the sensor housing also soils easily, and its cleaning is difficult. Furthermore, the proposed ultrasonic sensor cannot be located in humid or hot conditions, which are common in a web-producing paper machine.
Due to demanding conditions, optical sensors, which are based on a photoelectric trip device, are today used in paper machines. In practice, the reflection of light directed to the fabric is detected by adjacent receivers, based on which the position of the edge can be determined. This position information is then used for example for guiding and holding the fabric in a desired position in the cross machine direction of a paper machine. The accuracy of optical sensors, however, is often insufficient. In addition, web moisture or fabric impurities affect the performance of optical sensors, which complicates the control of the apparatus and causes errors. In order to achieve sufficient accuracy, it is necessary to use several sensors, which require separate signal processing equipment for determining the position information with sufficient accuracy. This increases the purchase and operating costs of the apparatus. At the same time, using optical sensors at the so-called wet end of a paper machine is impossible. Optical sensors must also be positioned near the web or fabric, which leads to their soiling and even to damaging.

Method and apparatus for determining the lateral position of a web or fabric edge in a former


According to one embodiment, a management circuit for a portable device includes an input terminal, a first step-up converter, a first step-down converter, and a second step-down converter. The input terminal is coupled to receive a supply voltage from a power supply. The first step-up converter, coupled to the input terminal, selectively converts the supply voltage to a boosted voltage. The first step-down converter, coupled to the first step-up converter, selectively provides a first output power voltage to a first radio frequency (RF) module. The second step-down converter, coupled to the first step-up converter, selectively provides a second output power voltage to a second radio frequency (RF) module. The first step-up converter performs the conversion of the supply voltage when the supply voltage is under a threshold voltage.

1. Technical Field
The disclosure relates in general to power integrated circuit, and more particularly to a system power integrated circuit and system power architecture for portable devices, management circuit, power supply arrangement, and portable apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile devices, such as a smart phone or a tablet computer, now become indispensable to many people. The mobile devices are very versatility but the use of their functionality may lead to a large amount of power consumption and energy capacity of the energy source, e.g. battery, for powering the devices is very limited. In particular, the mobile devices include telecommunication modules such as 2G, 3G, or 4G, that are very energy consuming and sensitive to the power level of the energy source. As such, power control and management in the mobile devices become critical.

System power integrated circuit and architecture, management circuit, power supply arrangement, and portable apparatus


A seat component positioning structure includes a component of a conveyance seat; a floor having a positioning hole; and a locate pin provided in the component. The component is positioned by inserting the locate pin through the positioning hole in the floor. The locate pin includes a distal-side large diameter portion, a base-side large diameter portion, and a small diameter portion disposed between the distal-side large diameter portion and the base-side large diameter portion. When the component is fixed to the floor, a portion of the base-side large diameter portion faces a peripheral surface around the positioning hole in the floor. A resin layer is provided on a surface of the portion of the base-side large diameter portion, the portion facing the peripheral surface around the positioning hole in the floor when the component is fixed to the floor.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a seat component positioning structure for a seat provided in a conveyance such as a vehicle, an airplane, a ship, or a train.
2. Description of Related Art
When a seat, a seat back, or the like is fixed to a floor of a vehicle body, first, the seat, the seat back, or the like is temporarily installed on the floor in a state in which bolt insertion holes, which are provided in a pair of seat legs or a pair of seat back lower frames that supports the seat, the seat back, or the like, are aligned with corresponding bolt holes in the floor. Next, in a state in which the seat, the seat back, or the like is temporarily installed, bolts are screwed into the bolt holes in the floor via the bolt insertion holes. Thus, the seat legs or the seat back lower frames are fixed to the floor. In most cases, the weights of front and rear portions of the seat or the seat back are not well-balanced. Therefore, when the seat or the seat back is temporarily installed, it is difficult for the seat or the seat back to maintain an appropriate posture by itself. Accordingly, an operator needs to perform an operation of fixing the seat or the seat back while supporting the seat or the seat back with his or her hand. This inevitably leads to a decrease in workability. In view of the above, in a technology described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-91093, a locate pin having a rib portion is provided in each of a pair of seat legs, and the locate pin is inserted through a positioning hole in a floor. After the locate pin is inserted through the positioning hole in the floor, the rib portion of the locate pin engages with a peripheral edge around the positioning hole in the floor, and thus, a seat is easily maintained in an appropriate posture.
In the technology described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-91093, the seat legs or the seat back lower frames can be fitted to the floor with high workability. However, when the seat is vibrated, for example, during traveling of a vehicle after the seat legs or the seat back lower frames are fixed by screwing bolts, the side surface of each locate pin may contact the surface of the peripheral edge around the corresponding positioning hole in the floor, and thus, noise may be caused.


Apparatus for straightening elongate material, such as wire, has a rotary member which includes an internal passage through which the material is passed. Guide means in the rotary member guide the material through the passage and include deflection means for deflecting, and thus flexing, the material as it passes through the rotary member. The deflection means is so shaped as to cause the path taken by the material to have a first, curved portion which is directed away from the axis followed by a second portion, which is substantially parallel with the axis of rotation or is less tightly curved as the first portion, both portions being spaced from said axis of rotation, and preferably preceding a third curved portion which is substantially the same radius of curvature as the first curved portion and which directs the wire back towards said axis of rotation. This arrangement allows for a greater degree of flexing of the wire for any given extent of radial displacement from the axis of rotation and thus improves the effectiveness of the straightening apparatus. The straightening apparatus can be used in a wire bending machine which incorporates a bending head situated downstream of the straightening apparatus.

Wire straightening apparatus is used to straighten wire, supplied in a rolled or coiled stock, before the wire is bent into a desired shape by the bending head of a bending machine
The removal of the twist enables the bending head to bend the wire in a predetermined plane, and thus allows the shape of the final bent wire product to be controlled.
One example of wire straightening apparatus is discussed in UK Patent No. 2185921 (Benton), and comprises a pair of counter rotating spinners, each having a respective set of rollers between which the wire is fed. The rollers deflect the wire, as it travels through the spinners, and this deflection straightens the wire.
However, wire fed through such apparatus can still have some residual twist, which can result in the creation of a deformed product. In addition, the amount of deflection undergone by the wire as it passes through the spinners can be such that the straightening apparatus causes wearing or work hardening of the wire.

Pave Automation Design and Development Limited


A film feeder (FF1) feeds a film (1), a first drive (20) rotates a work (W), a second drive (30) moves the work (W) relative to the film (1), a shoe set handler (40) handles the shoe set (2) to press the film (1) against the work (W), and a deterioration delayer (C) is configured to delay an abrasivity deterioration of the film (1).

The present invention relates to a lapping apparatus and a lapping method, and in particular, to a lapping apparatus and a lapping method using a lapping abrasive film hereafter called "lapping film" or "film") as a tool.
Recent spreads of need to high-precision work have called attention to a succeeded ultra finish using a lapping film.
For ultra finish, an abrasive face of a lapping film is pressed on a work with a pushing shoe at the back, and the work is rotated and oscillated to be lapped, as in Japanese Patent Application Laying-Open Publication No. 7-237116.


An information signal is recorded on a recording medium along tracks on the recording medium. Time code data is added to the information signal before the information signal is recorded on the recording medium. A data piece is provided in the time code data added to the information signal. The data piece represents a relation between frames related to the information signal and the tracks on the recording medium.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of recording time code data. This invention also relates to an apparatus for recording time code data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Time-information representing data of a given code is referred to as time code data or time code information. In some VTR's (video tape recorders), time code data is periodically added to or superimposed on a video signal, and the time-code-added video signal is recorded on a magnetic tape. Generally, time code data is used as an indication of absolute time related to each frame represented by a video signal. The time code data can also be used in recognizing absolute positions of segments of the video signal on the magnetic tape. Furthermore, the time code data can be used as a reference for providing synchronization when video signals reproduced from different magnetic tapes are edited into a single video signal.
Different words or different states of time code data are assigned to respective frames represented by a video signal. The time code data is incremented by "1" each time a frame represented by the video signal is replaced by a next frame. Accordingly, the time code data indicates an order number of every frame related to the video signal.
A known helical-scan digital VTR is able to record a digital signal on a magnetic tape at a data rate of 14.1 Mbps. During the recording of the digital signal, 60 slant tracks are formed on the magnetic tape per second. The known digital VTR can reproduce a digital signal from a magnetic tape at a data rate of 14.1 Mbps or a data rate smaller than 14.1 Mbps. For example, either a data rate of 4.6 Mbps or a data rate of 2 Mbps is set as the smaller data rate. It should be noted that the reproduction of a digital signal at a data rate of 4.6 Mbps corresponds to 1/3-speed playback while the reproduction at 2 Mbps corresponds to 1/7-speed playback.
In conceivable digital broadcasting, a source digital signal of video information and audio information has a bit rate of 4.6 Mbps, and the source digital signal is compressed into a second digital signal having a bit rate of 13.8 Mbps before the second digital signal is broadcasted. In this case, a program represented by the source digital signal is transmitted in one third of a normal time. It is assumed that the received second digital signal has been recorded by a digital VTR. When the second digital signal is reproduced at a speed equal to one third of the recording speed, the source digital signal which has a bit rate of 4.6 Mbps is properly recovered.
As previously explained, in the known digital VTR, during the recording of a digital video signal, 60 slant tracks are formed on a magnetic tape per second. In the case where a digital video signal to be recorded has a frame frequency of 30 Hz, every frame represented by the digital video signal is assigned to a pair of two neighboring tracks. In this case, time code data representing a same value (a same number) corresponds to two neighboring tracks. During high-speed playback, it is possible to search for desired absolute time, that is, the position of a desired 1-frame-corresponding segment of the digital video signal on the magnetic tape, by referring to the reproduced time code data.
It is assumed that a source digital video signal with a frame frequency of 30 Hz is compressed into a second digital video signal having three times the original bit rate, and the second digital video signal is recorded by the known digital VTR. In this case, three frames represented by the source digital video signal are assigned to two tracks, and hence time code data representing a same value (a same number) does not correspond to two neighboring tracks. Thus, during high-speed playback, it tends to be difficult to search for the position of a desired 1-frame-corresponding segment of the second digital video signal on the magnetic tape by referring to the reproduced time code data in the normal way.

Method and apparatus for recording time code data


A hydraulically powered tractor adapted for advancement through a borehole including an elongate body, aft and forward gripper assemblies, and a valve control assembly housed within the elongate body. The aft and forward gripper assemblies are adapted for selective engagement with the inner surface of the borehole. The valve control assembly includes a gripper control valve for directing pressurized fluid to the aft and forward gripper assemblies. The valve control assembly also includes a propulsion control valve for directing fluid to an aft or forward power chamber for advancing the body relative to the actuated gripper assembly. Aft and forward mechanically actuated valves may be provided for controlling the position of the gripper control valve by detecting and signaling when the body has completed an advancement stroke relative to an actuated gripper assembly. Aft and forward sequence valves may be provided for controlling the propulsion control valve by detecting when the gripper assemblies become fully actuated. Furthermore, a pressure relief valve is preferably provided along an input supply line for limiting the pressure of the fluid entering the valve control assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tractors for moving equipment within passages and, more particularly, to a hydraulically powered tractor having an improved valve system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The art of moving equipment through vertical, inclined, and horizontal passages plays an important role in many industries, such as the petroleum, mining, and communications industries. In the petroleum industry, for example, it is often necessary to move drilling, intervention, well completion, and other forms of equipment through boreholes drilled into the earth.
One method for moving equipment through a borehole is to use rotary drilling equipment. In traditional rotary drilling, vertical and inclined boreholes are commonly drilled by the attachment of a rotary drill bit and/or other equipment (collectively, the "Bottom Hole Assembly" or BHA) to the end of a rigid drill string. The drill string is typically constructed of a series of connected links of drill pipe that extend between ground surface equipment and the BHA. A passage is drilled as the drill string and drill bit are together lowered into the earth. A drilling fluid, such as drilling mud, is pumped from the ground surface equipment through an interior flow channel of the drill string to the drill bit. The drilling fluid is used to cool and lubricate the bit, as well as for removing debris and rock chips from the borehole. The drilling fluid returns to the surface, carrying the cuttings and debris, through the annular space between the outer surface of the drill pipe and the inner surface of the borehole. As the drill string is lowered or raised within the borehole, it is necessary to continually add or remove links of drill pipe at the surface, at significant time and cost.
Another method of moving equipment within a borehole involves the use of downhole tools commonly referred to as "tractors." A tractor is capable of gripping onto the borehole and thrusting both itself and other equipment through it. A self-propelled tractor of this type may be used for pushing and pulling adjoining equipment through inclined or horizontal boreholes. Tractors can be attached to rigid drill strings or may be used in conjunction with coiled tubing equipment.
Coiled tubing equipment generally includes a non-rigid, compliant tube, referred to herein simply as "coiled tubing," through which operating fluid is delivered to the tractor. The operating fluid can provide hydraulic power to propel the tractor and the equipment and, in drilling applications, to lubricate the drill bit. In such systems, the operating fluid may also provide the power necessary for enabling the tractor to grip the inner surface of the borehole. In comparison to rotary equipment, the use of coiled tubing in conjunction with a tractor is generally less expensive, easier to use, less time consuming to employ, and provides more control of speed and downhole loads. In addition, due to its greater compliance and flexibility, the coiled tubing permits the tractor to negotiate sharper turns in the borehole than rotary equipment.
Due to their versatility, self-propelled tractors may be used in a wide variety of applications. For example, a tractor may be used for well completion and production work for producing oil from an oil well, pipeline installation and maintenance, laying and movement of communication lines, well logging activities, washing and acidizing of sands and solids, retrieval of tools and debris, and the like. One type of tractor comprises an elongate body securable to the lower end of a drill string. The body may include one or more joined shafts attached to a control assembly housing or valve system.
Tractors generally include at least one anchor or gripper assembly adapted to grip the inner surface of the borehole. When the gripper assembly is actuated, hydraulic power from operating fluid may be used to propel the body axially through the borehole. The gripper assembly is longitudinally movably engaged with the tractor body, so that the body and drill string can move axially through the borehole while the gripper assembly is anchored to the inner surface of the passage. Several embodiments of a fluid-actuated gripper assembly are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,464,003 to Bloom et al. In one highly effective embodiment, the gripper assembly includes a plurality of flexible toes that expand radially outward by the interaction of ramps and rollers to engage, and thereby grip, the inner surface of the passage.
Tractors are commonly configured with two or more sets of gripper assemblies, which provide the ability to have at least one gripper anchored to the borehole at all times. This configuration permits the tractor to move in a substantially continuous manner within the passage. Forward longitudinal motion (unless otherwise indicated, the terms "longitudinal" and "axial" are herein used interchangeably and refer to the longitudinal axis of the tractor body) is achieved by powering the tractor body forward with respect to an actuated first gripper assembly (a "power stroke" with respect to the first gripper assembly), and simultaneously moving a retracted second gripper assembly forward with respect to the tractor body (a "reset stroke" of the second gripper assembly). At or near the completion of the power stroke with respect to the first gripper assembly, the second gripper assembly is actuated and the first gripper assembly is retracted. Then, the tractor body is powered forward while the second gripper assembly is actuated (a power stroke with respect to the second gripper assembly), and the retracted first gripper assembly executes a reset stroke. At or near the completion of these respective strokes, the first gripper assembly is actuated and the second gripper assembly is retracted. The cycle is then repeated. Thus, each gripper assembly operates in a cycle of actuation, power stroke, retraction, and reset stroke, resulting in longitudinal motion of the tractor.
A number of highly effective tractor designs utilizing this configuration are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,606 to Moore et al., which discloses several embodiments of a tractor known as the "Puller-Thruster Downhole Tool;" U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,031 to Beaufort et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,347,674 to Bloom et al., which discloses an "Electrically Sequenced Tractor" ("EST").
As discussed above, the power required for actuating the gripper assemblies, longitudinally thrusting the tractor body during power strokes, and longitudinally resetting the gripper assemblies during reset strokes may be provided by pressurized operating fluid delivered to the tractor via the drill string. Typically, one or more flow control devices, such as valves, are provided within the tractor body for distributing the operating fluid to the tractor's gripper assemblies, thrust chambers, and reset chambers.
Some types of tractors, including several embodiments of the Puller-Thruster Downhole Tool, are entirely hydraulically powered. Pressure-responsive valves typically shuttle between various positions based upon the pressure of the operating fluid in various locations of the tractor. In one configuration, a pressure-responsive valve may take the form of a spool valve that is exposed on both ends to different fluid chambers or passages. As a result, the valve position depends on the differential pressure between the fluid chambers. Fluid having a higher pressure in a first chamber exerts a greater force on the valve than fluid having a lower pressure in a second chamber, forcing the valve to one extreme position. The valve moves to another extreme position when the pressure in the second chamber is greater than the pressure in the first chamber. Another type of pressure-responsive valve takes the form of a spring-biased spool valve having at least one end exposed to fluid. The fluid pressure force is directed opposite to the spring biasing force, so that the valve is opened or closed only when the fluid pressure exceeds a threshold value.
In other configurations, tractors may be provided with one or more valves that are controlled by electrical signals sent from a control system at the surface or even on the tractor itself. For example, the aforementioned EST includes both electrically controlled valves and pressure-responsive valves. The electrically controlled valves are controlled by electrical control signals sent from a controller housed within the tractor body. For drilling operations, the EST may be preferred over all-hydraulic tractors because electrical control of the valves permits very precise control over important drilling parameters, such as speed, position, and thrust.
In contrast, all-hydraulic tractors, including several embodiments of the Puller-Thruster Downhole Tool, are generally preferred for so-called "intervention" operations. As used herein, the term "intervention" refers to re-entry into a previously drilled well for the purpose of improving well production, to thereby improve fuel production rates. As wells age, the rate at which fuel can be extracted therefrom diminishes for several reasons. This necessitates the "intervention" of many different types of tools. Hydraulic tractors are generally preferred over electrically controlled tractors for intervention operations because hydraulic tractors are less expensive to operate and intervention operations do not require precise control of speed or position.
Tractors used in combination with coiled tubing equipment are particularly useful for intervention operations because, in many cases, the wells were originally drilled with rotary drilling equipment capable of drilling very deep holes. It is more expensive to bring back the rotary equipment than it is to bring in a coiled tubing unit. However, in many situations, the coiled tubing unit may not be capable of reaching extended distances within the borehole without the aid of a tractor. The tractor is particularly useful for reaching locations within inclined or horizontal boreholes.
Those skilled in the art appreciate that tractors of the type generally described above may be exposed to a wide variety of different conditions. For example, depending on the particular application, the pressure, weight, and density of the operating fluid may vary significantly. Furthermore, the shape and angle of the borehole may vary. In addition, the weight of the equipment that the tractor must pull and/or push will differ with the particular application.


The present invention is a complete self-contained portable blind used to conceal a hunter, nature photographer, or nature watcher. The blind is configured such that it fits within an easily carried storage container.

The present invention relates to a completely self-contained portable concealment facility used in outdoor activity and more particularly, to a blind used in rifle or bow hunting, nature photography, or nature watching.
In hunting, nature photograph, and nature watching, concealment has always been a major concern. Although blinds have been employed in the past as a method for concealment, conventional blinds presently in use are often cumbersome to carry and difficult to assemble. Conventional blinds often have a support frame constructed of aluminum rods which are both inflexible and unadjustable. Such poles are extremely unwieldy when carried through the woods and often do not provide a completely rigid support when assembled. In addition, the conventional blinds presently used require elaborate assembly procedures which are time consuming and take away from the desired activity such as hunting, nature photography, or nature watching.
Accordingly, the present invention has been designed to be completely self-contained, portable, and easily and quickly assembled and disassembled.


A semiconductor memory device includes memory array, first and second rows of sense amplifiers and selector. The memory array has first and second ports. The first and second rows of sense amplifiers are associated with the first and second ports, respectively. Responsive to a port selection signal, the selector selects the first or second port, through which burst data should be transferred, and couples the first or second row of sense amplifiers, associated with the port selected, to a data input or output circuit. If the selector has selected the first port, the device performs a refresh operation on the array using the second row of sense amplifiers while transferring the burst data through the first port. If the selector has selected the second port, the device performs the refresh operation on the array using the first row of sense amplifiers while transferring the burst data through the second port.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating an array 200 of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) cells 100, each including two transistors 110a and 101b and one capacitor 102, and its peripheral circuits for a known semiconductor memory device. In each of the memory cells 100 shown in FIG. 2, the first transistor 110a has its gate, drain and source connected to first word line WL1a, first bit line BL1a and storage node SN, respectively. The second transistor 101b has its gate, drain and source connected to second word line WL1b, second bit line BL1b and storage node SN, respectively. One of the two electrodes of the capacitor 102 is connected to the storage node SN, while the other electrode thereof is used as a cell plate.
Thus, each memory cell 100 includes two transistors 101a and 101b that are independently controllable with respect to one capacitor 102. Accordingly, the same memory cell 100 can be accessed through two different ports, i.e., a port including the first word line WL1a, first transistor 101a and first bit line BL1a and a port including the second word line WL1b, second transistor 101b and second bit line BL1b. In other words, a memory cell 100 of this type realizes interleaved access.
A memory cell 100 of this type will be herein called a xe2x80x9c2Tr1C memory cellxe2x80x9d. Also, the port accessing a memory cell 100 by way of the first transistor 101a will be herein called an xe2x80x9cA-portxe2x80x9d while the port accessing the same memory cell 100 by way of the second transistor 101b will be herein called a xe2x80x9cB-portxe2x80x9d.
A synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) using normal memory cells, each including one transistor and one capacitor, has multiple banks and can transfer input or output data continuously by performing an interleaved operation between or among those banks. However, where multiple memory cells belonging to the same bank should be accessed successively, the SDRAM needs a precharge/equalize interval. Accordingly, the transfer of data should be stopped for this interval.
On the other hand, a semiconductor memory device including the 2Tr1C memory cells 100 performs a burst mode operation using one of the two ports while the other port is in standby mode. Accordingly, the device can perform a precharge operation using the latter port. In addition, if a command is input in view of the length of burst data and the latency of data transferred, then the device can consecutively input or output data to/from even multiple memory cells belonging to the same bank.
FIG. 6 is a timing diagram illustrating how the semiconductor memory device including the 2Tr1C memory cells 100 reads out burst data. Suppose this memory device inputs addresses by a non-multiplexer method and has a latency of 2, a random-access cycle number of 4 and a burst length of 4. In the example illustrated in FIG. 6, the first and second types of word lines activated are identified by WLa and WLb, respectively.
As shown in FIG. 6, a read command RD is input at a time T1. In response, the first word line WL1a, for example, is activated and data is read out through the A-port including the first bit lines BL1a, BL3a, BL5a and so on. As a result, data bits Da0 through Da3 are output consecutively between times T3 and T7.
At a time T5 when a next command can be input, a read command RD is input again. In response, the second word line WL1b, for example, is activated and data is read out through the B-port including the second bit lines BL1b, BL3b, BL5b and so on. As a result, data bits Db0 through Db3 are output consecutively between times T7 and T11.
The second bit lines BL1b and so on, included in the B-port, are precharged and equalized while the data is read out through the A-port. Accordingly, as soon as the burst data has been read out through the A-port, the data can be read out through the B-port. In this manner, data can be transferred continuously.
Thus, while the memory device is precharging using one of the ports, the device can access the memory cells 100 through the other port. As a result, this memory device requires no apparent precharge interval and can perform read and write operations at a high speed.
Even a semiconductor memory device with these two ports also needs a refresh operation. Normally, the refresh operation should be performed while no memory cells are accessed (i.e., no data is read out or written from/on any memory cells). Thus, it has been necessary to design a system with the refresh timings taken into account or to suspend the data input/output operation for the refresh interval. As a result, the system might have had its configuration overly complicated. Furthermore, the refresh operation might also prevent the user from taking full advantage of the performance a chip originally has.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to enable a semiconductor memory device to transfer data continuously without stopping its read or write operation for the purpose of refreshing.
Specifically, a semiconductor memory device according to the present invention includes memory array, first and second rows of sense amplifiers and selector. The memory array has first and second ports. The first and second rows are associated with the first and second ports, respectively. Responsive to a port selection signal, the selector selects the first or second port to transfer burst data therethrough, and couples the first or second row, associated with the port selected, to a data input or output circuit. If the selector has selected the first port, the device performs a refresh operation on the memory array using the second row while transferring the burst data through the first port. On the other hand, if the selector has selected the second port, the device performs the refresh operation on the memory array using the first row while transferring the burst data through the second port.
According to the present invention, while the memory device is transferring burst data through one of the two ports, the device can perform a refresh operation using the other port. Thus, there is no need to stop the data transfer for the refreshing purposes and the burst data can be transferred continuously at a high speed.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the memory device preferably further includes a command generator for generating the port selection signal on receiving a read or write command. Then, every time the memory device receives a read or write command, the device can transfer the burst data through one of the two ports that has just gone through the refresh operation.
In this particular embodiment, the memory device preferably further includes a refresh timer and a refresh control circuit. The refresh timer preferably outputs a refresh request signal. On receiving the read or write command, the command generator preferably generates a command detection signal. In response to the refresh request signal and the command detection signal, the refresh control circuit preferably generates a refresh command to refresh the memory array. Then, there is no need to control the refresh timings externally.
Specifically, the refresh control circuit preferably includes means for setting a refresh enabled interval and a refresh controller. The setting means generates a refresh enable signal, indicating an interval during which the refresh operation is enabled, in response to the command detection signal. The refresh controller generates the refresh command in response to the refresh enable signal and the refresh request signal. Then, no refresh commands will be generated in an interval in which the refresh operation is disabled.
In this case, the memory device preferably transfers the burst data of a predetermined burst length through either the first or second port selected on receiving the read or write command.
More specifically, the setting means preferably includes a counter and a decoder. Preferably, the counter is reset responsive to the command detection signal, counts the number of clock pulses applied to control the operation of the semiconductor memory device and outputs the number as a count. When the count reaches a predetermined value, the decoder preferably asserts and outputs the refresh enable signal. In such an embodiment, it is possible to control the refresh timing appropriately and synchronously with a clock pulse.
In still another embodiment, the refresh control circuit preferably further includes a latch that latches the refresh request signal and then outputs it to the refresh controller. The output of the latch is preferably cleared in response to the refresh command.
In yet another embodiment, the memory array preferably includes a plurality of memory cells and first and second groups of bit lines. Each of the memory cells preferably includes a capacitor for storing data thereon and first and second transistors. The first and second transistors preferably have their source connected to one electrode of the capacitor. Each said bit line of the first group preferably couples drains of the first transistors, included in associated ones of the memory cells, to the first row of sense amplifiers. Each said bit line of the second group preferably couples drains of the second transistors, included in associated ones of the memory cells, to the second row of sense amplifiers.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


System and methods for synchronizing interactions between mono-mode applications, different modes of a multi-modal application, and devices having different UI modalities. In one aspect, a multi-modal shell coordinates multiple mode processes (i.e. modalities) of the same application or multiple applications through API calls, whereby each mode process registers its active commands and the corresponding actions in each of the registered modalities. The multi-modal shell comprises a registry that is implemented with a command-to-action table. With the execution of a registered command, each of the corresponding actions are triggered to update each mode process accordingly, and possible update the registry to support new commands based on the change in state of the dialog or application. In another aspect, separate applications (with UI of different modalities) are coordinated via threads (e.g., applets) connected by socket connections (or virtual socket connections implemented differently). Any command in one mode triggers the corresponding thread to communicate the action to the thread of the other application. This second thread modifies accordingly the state of the second process mode. The threads are updated or replaced by new threads.

The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for synchronizing interactions between multi-modal user interfaces (UI) and applications and, more particularly, to system and methods for managing information exchanges between mono-mode applications having different modalities and between different modes of a multi-modal application.
The computing world is presently evolving towards an era where billions of interconnected pervasive clients communicate with powerful information servers. Indeed, the coming millennium will be characterized by the availability of multiple information devices that make ubiquitous information access an accepted fact of life. The evolution of the computer world towards billions of pervasive devices interconnected via the Internet, wireless networks or spontaneous networks (such as Bluetooth and Jini) will revolutionize the principles underlying man-machine interaction. This evolution will mean that soon, personal information devices will offer ubiquitous access, bringing with them the ability to create, manipulate and exchange any information anywhere and anytime using interaction modalities most suited to the user's current needs and abilities. Such devices will include familiar access devices such as conventional telephones, cell phone, smart phone, pocket organizers, PDAs and PCs, which vary widely in the interface peripherals they use to communicate with the user. At the same time, as this evolution progresses, users will demand a consistent look, sound and feel in the user experience provided by these various information devices.
The increasing availability of information, along with the rise in the computational power available to each user to manipulate this information, brings with it a concomitant need to increase the bandwidth of man-machine communication. Users will come to demand multi-modal interaction in order to maximize their interaction with information devices in hands-free, eyes-free environments. In addition, the availability of a plethora of information devices will encourage multiple parallel interactions with electronic information akin to what users expect today in the world of traditional human-intermediated information interchange. Realizing these goals will require fundamental changes in the user interface, lacking this, users will be unable to access, act on, and transform information independently of the access device.
Information being manipulated via such devices might be located on the local device or accessible from a remote server via the network using open, interoperable protocols and standards. Usage of such open standards also leads to a seamless integration across multiple networks and multiple information sources such as an individual's personal information, corporate information available on private networks, and public information accessible via the global Internet. This availability of a unified information source will define productivity applications and tools of the future. Indeed, users will increasingly interact with electronic information, as opposed to interacting with platform-specific software applications as is currently done in the world of the desktop PC.
Information-centric computing carried out over a plethora of multi-modal information devices will be essentially conversational in nature and will foster an explosion of conversational devices and applications. This trend towards pervasive computing goes hand-in-hand with the miniaturization of the devices and the dramatic increases in their capabilities.
With the pervasiveness of computing causing information appliances to merge into the users environment, the user's mental model of these devices is likely to undergo a drastic shift. Today, users regard computing as an activity that is performed at a single device like the PC. As information appliances abound, user interaction with these multiple devices needs to be grounded on a different set of abstractions. The most intuitive and effective user model for such interaction will be based on what users are already familiar with in today's world of human-intermediated information interchange, where information transactions are modeled as a conversation amongst the various participants in the conversation. It is to be noted that the term "conversation" is used to mean more than speech interaction. Indeed, the term "conversation" is used to encompass all forms of information interchange, where such interchange is typically embodied by one participant posing a request that is fulfilled by one or more participants in the conversational interchange.
Because such conversational interactions will include devices with varying I/O capabilities, ranging from the ubiquitous telephone characterized by speech-only access to personal organizers with limited visual displays, traditional GUI-based desktop PC clients will be at a significant disadvantage; the user interface presented by such software maps poorly if at all to the more varied and constrained interaction environments presented by information appliances. Moreover, pervasive clients are more often deployed in mobile environments where hands-free or eyes-free interactions are desirable. Accordingly, conversational computing will become indispensable in the near future. Conversational computing is inherently multi-modal and often expected to be distributed over a network.
Thus, conversational computing also defines an inflection point in personal information processing and is likely to lead to a revolution in all aspects of computing more significant than what was observed in the transition from mainframe based computing to graphical workstations in the mid-1980's.
The ability to access information via a multiplicity of appliances, each designed to suit the user's specific needs and abilities at any given time, necessarily means that these interactions will exploit all available input and output modalities to maximize the bandwidth of man-machine communication.
Accordingly, a system and method that provides coordinated, synchronized, multi-modal user interaction for user interfaces that work across these multiplicity of information appliances is highly desirable. Indeed, such a system and method should allow a user to interact in parallel with the same information via a multiplicity of appliances and user interfaces, with a unified, synchronized view of information across the various appliances that the user deploys to interact with information.

Systems and methods for synchronizing multi-modal interactions

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is an apparatus (and method) for charging a battery having a voltage measuring unit for measuring a voltage, a control unit for outputting a charge control signal corresponding to an early charging mode in which the battery is charged until a voltage of the battery rises to a preset cut-off voltage (Vc) and a charge control signal corresponding to a late charging mode in which the battery is charged while lowering a charge power in phases, and a charging unit for providing a charge power corresponding to the charge control signal to the battery, wherein a point of lowering the charge power in phases is associated with a point at which the voltage of the battery reaches the cut-off voltage again by the lowered charge power. Therefore, a voltage level reached at full charge of a battery may be raised in a simple and efficient way.

Recently, the demand for portable electronic products such as notebooks, video cameras, cellular phones or the like is rapidly increasing, and electric vehicles (EV), hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), energy storage batteries, robots, satellites or the like are developed in earnest. Accordingly, a high-performance secondary battery allowing repeated charging/discharging is actively studied.
Secondary batteries commercially used at the present include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries or the like, among which the lithium secondary batteries are in the limelight due to their very low self-discharge ratio, high energy density and free charging/discharging since a memory effect does not substantially occur in comparison to nickel-based secondary batteries.
Such a secondary battery is charged to operate within an operation voltage. An operation voltage of a general lithium secondary battery is in a range of 3.7V to 4.2V. Therefore, when the secondary battery is fully charged, the secondary battery has an open circuit voltage of 4.2V. However, a secondary battery is not always charged under the same condition. In other words, a secondary battery may be charged while being connected to a load or supplying power to a load. For example, a battery loaded on a hybrid electric vehicle may receive a charge power from an engine together with supplying power to a vehicle-driving motor. Like this, if a voltage of a secondary battery is measured while the secondary battery is being connected to a load or charged/discharged, it is impossible to measure an accurate voltage of the secondary battery due to the load effect. As a result, when charging a secondary battery connected to a load, it is difficult to check whether the secondary battery reaches full charge by only measuring a voltage of the secondary battery.
In order to solve this problem, an algorithm for charging a battery based on a state of charge (SOC) has been proposed. When a secondary battery supplies power to a load, a current supplied from the secondary battery to the load is measured, and then the measured currents are added and stored as a total discharge quantity. After that, during a charging process, the secondary battery is not charged based on the voltage of the secondary battery, but fully charged by a charge current supplied as much as the total discharge quantity. However, this technique has problems in that as the number of charging/discharging processes increases, due to the accumulation of SOC measurement errors caused during the charging/discharging processes, it becomes more difficult to reach full charge. Therefore, there is needed a new charging algorithm capable of achieving full charge.

Apparatus and method for charging battery by lowering charge power in phase


A solid-state imaging device including pixels, each pixel having a reset transistor, a selection transistor, an amplification transistor, and a photoelectric conversion unit. The photoelectric conversion unit has a photoelectric conversion film which performs photoelectric conversion, a pixel electrode formed on the surface of the photoelectric conversion film that faces the semiconductor substrate, and a transparent electrode formed on the surface of the photoelectric conversion film that is opposite to the pixel electrode, and the amplitude of a row reset signal applied to the gate of the reset transistor is smaller than at least one of (a) the maximum voltage applied to the drain of the amplification transistor, (b) the maximum voltage applied to the gate of the selection transistor, (c) the power source voltage applied to an inverting amplifier, and (d) the maximum voltage applied to a transparent electrode.

A typical solid-state imaging device has a light receiving unit which adopts an embedded photodiode structure.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 55-120182 discloses a so-called layered solid-state imaging device, in which a photoelectric conversion layer is formed on a control electrode comprised by the solid-state imaging device, and a transparent electrode layer is disposed on the photoelectric conversion layer, and which converts optical information to an electric signal with a favorable SN ratio by applying the effect of a voltage applied to the transparent electrode layer to a control electrode via the photoelectric conversion layer.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.


An optical modulator has an optical input port and an optical output port provided on a same end of a substrate; an optical waveguide pair formed in the substrate and configured to form a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, one end of the optical waveguide pair being connected to the optical input port and the other end of the optical waveguide pair being connected to the optical output port, the optical waveguide pair having a bending part; a groove provided along the optical waveguide pair in the bending part; and a signal electrode that applies a high-frequency electrical signal to the optical waveguide pair, wherein the signal electrode has an expanded section having an increased cross sectional area at a section intersecting the groove.

Generally, in an optical modulator, radio frequency (RF) electrodes and direct current (DC) electrodes are used to apply an electric field to the optical waveguides. A plurality of RF electrodes are provided according to the number of optical waveguides required to generate a multi-level optical signal. A drive signal of several tens of Gbps is input to each of the RF electrodes. On the other hand, a bias voltage is applied to the DC electrodes. The bias voltage is regulated such that the on/off state of the input RF signal corresponds to on and off of the optical signal output from the optical modulator.
For a material of the optical modulator chip, a crystal material such as lithium niobate (LN) having an electro-optic effect is used. Although the optical loss is small in LN optical waveguides, the electro-optic effect is not sufficiently large and accordingly, the length of the electrodes is increased in order to maintain the driving voltage low. For this reason, the length of the modulator chip itself becomes as long as 70 mm to 90 mm. Besides, an input optical fiber and an output optical fiber are connected to either end of the package that accommodates the modulator chip. The total length of the package also increases.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, by bending the entirety of the optical waveguides 111 so as to turn them back on the modulator chip 100, the length of the modulator chip can be shortened to 35 mm to 40 mm. See, for example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2006-47746. With this configuration, the input optical fiber and the output optical fiber are arranged on the same end of the package 300, and the overall length of the package 300 can be shortened.
A turn-back part 110 is formed by bending waveguides designed so as to change the direction of propagation of light by 180 degrees. In order to reduce the chip size, it is desired to decrease the radius of curvature of the bending waveguides; however, the decreasing the radius of curvature of the waveguides may cause the radiation loss of the light travelling through the waveguides to increase.
To prevent the light from escaping toward the outer curve, a low-refractive part 120 such as a groove is provided to the substrate along the outer curve of the bending waveguides in the turn-back part 110.
Meanwhile, RF signals are applied from the RF input terminals to the modulator chip 100 via an interposer 201, and a DC voltage is applied from the DC input terminals to the modulator chip 100 via the relay board 202. In the configuration of FIG. 1 in which the DC input terminals and the RF input terminals are arranged on the same side of the modulator chip 100, the RF signals are supplied to the optical waveguides 111, passing through a space between the group of DC electrodes and the turn-back part 110. Because the space is required between the DC electrodes and the turn-back part 110 in order to introduce the RR electrodes, the length of the DC electrodes becomes short.
As the DC electrodes are shortened, the DC control voltage level increases. Besides, since the DC input terminals and the RF input terminals are adjacent to each other, crosstalk arises between DC signals and the RF signals.

Optical modulator, and optical transceiver module using the same