A mask support frame for supporting a mask is provided. The frame is configured to secure both ends of a mask and apply tension to the mask in a first direction. The frame includes a frame main body defining an opening for exposing a patterned opening area of the mask and an end tensioner coupled to the frame main body, and configured to apply tension to one of both ends of the mask in a second direction crossing the first direction.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a mask support frame and a mask assembly including the mask. More particularly, the present disclosure relates generally to a frame for supporting a mask for depositing an organic emission layer.
2. Discussion of the Related Technology
Display devices are widely used to display images in electronic devices. Recently, organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays have become popular.
Unlike a liquid crystal display (LCD), the OLED has the characteristic of self-emission and does not require an extra light source, so the thickness and weight of the display device can be reduced. The OLED exhibits high quality characteristics such as low power consumption, high luminance, and a high response speed.
In order to manufacture the OLED display, an electrode with a particular pattern, an organic emission layer, and the like are formed, and a deposition method using a mask assembly may be employed.
In further detail, the organic light emitting display includes pixels arrayed in a matrix form. For forming pixels, an organic light emitting diode that has an anode electrode and a cathode electrode is formed, with organic emission layer emitting light such as red, green, or blue, etc., for each pixel between the electrodes. Organic materials forming the organic emission layer are very vulnerable to moisture, oxygen, etc., such that they are isolated from moisture during a process of forming the organic emission layer and after forming the organic emission layer. Therefore, it is difficult to form patterns of organic light emitting material by using a general photolithography process. Therefore, the organic emission layer is formed by using a mask having patterned openings for allowing deposition materials to pass therethrough. When in use, the mask is attached to and supported by a mask support frame.
The above information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the described technology and therefore it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Mask support frame and mask assembly having the same


An image recording method includes: jetting light curable ink on a recording medium by a recording head of an inkjet type; irradiating light from a light source toward the recording medium; and curing the light curable ink to form an image, wherein at least one of light intensity of the light source and light curability of the light curable ink is adjusted so as to make viscosity increase rate of the light curable ink not less than 20% after the light source irradiates the light directly toward the light curable ink for a first predetermined time period; and light intensity at a jetted surface of the recording head is adjusted so as to make the viscosity increase rate of the light curable ink from 5% to 30% after light having the light intensity at the jetted surface is irradiated toward the light curable ink for a second predetermined time period.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an image recording method and an image recording device, in particular, an image recording method and an image recording device which form an image with the use of light curable ink.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image recording device which records an image by jetting ink such as an inkjet printer and the like, jet openings for jetting ink to a recording medium are arranged at one side (jetting side) of recording heads. In order to recover from clogging at the jet openings due to, for example, increase of ink viscosity, ink fixing, air bubbles and dust generated in a fluid path to the jet openings and the like, various types of maintenance are performed to the recording heads. As the maintenance, for example, wipe for removing dust or the liked adhering on the jetting side, vacuum for vacuuming and removing the air bubbles stagnating in the fluid path together with the ink with a cap member covering the jetted surface of the recording head, dummy jetting for jetting ink from the jet openings toward the cap member and the like can be cited. By executing these types of maintenance, it is possible to form a high quality image for a long time period.
In recent years, an inkjet printer which performs image formation with the use of light curable ink has been developed. With the use of light curable ink, after the image formation, light irradiation cures the light curable ink, and thereby it is possible to make a formed image hard to disappear for a long time period. This is very whether-resistant and thereby it is effective when a formed image is placed outdoor or the like (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Publication (Unexamined) No. Tokukai-Hei 6-344544).
Here, when light curable ink is used, because of its light curability, the ink can easily have influence from faint light (leaked light) dispersed from a light source. In particular, if the leaked light reaches the jetted surface, there is a possibility of-making the light curable ink located at the jetted surface and the jet openings have high viscosity and further cured. Therefore, in order to form a high quality image for a long time period, it is necessary to increase frequency of the maintenance. However, if the frequency of maintenance is increased, consumed ink for the dummy jetting and maintenance hours are increased, and thereby, it is not possible to perform image formation effectively.

Image recording method and image recording device


A method of making and recycling a golf ball is disclosed. The method may include processing a used golf ball to make the materials of the used golf ball reusable in a new golf ball. As a result, the disclosed method may decrease the waste of disposing of used golf balls and the costs associated with acquiring and/or processing new materials. The method of recycling a golf ball may generally include pulverizing used golf balls into particles. The used golf balls may be made of materials having different densities. The particles may be placed in a liquid that causes the particles of different materials to float to different levels based on the densities of the materials. At least a portion of the particles may be melted and injected into a sandwich mold to create a new golf ball.

The present invention relates generally to a method of making and recycling a golf ball.
The game of golf is an increasingly popular sport at both amateur and professional levels. A wide range of technologies related to the manufacture and design of golf balls are known in the art. Such technologies have resulted in golf balls with a variety of play characteristics. For example, some golf balls have a better flight performance than other golf balls. Some golf balls with a good flight performance do not have a good feel when hit with a golf club. While materials have advanced to increase the performance of golf balls, the materials are not always easy to recycle. Thus, to help manage costs and reduce damage to the environment, it would be advantageous to reuse a golf ball to make a new golf ball.

Method of making and recycling a golf ball


A simple yet versatile non-contact optical inspection instrument and method are described for measuring the height and width of defects and contaminants on a magnetic disk surface. The instrument includes a sensor which produces an illumination beam that is modulated and then focused normally on the disk surface as a spot. The illumination spot is Doppler shifted due to the movement of the disk and the diffusely reflected light is interfered with a reference beam produced by the sensor's illumination optics. The sensor uses two collection optics channels which simultaneously detect both the specular reflected light and the diffuse scattered light produced by the disk surface. The phase shift of the specular reflected light and that of the diffusely scattered light are measured. The output signals from the sensors are processed to estimate the size and type of the defects. Another aspect of the present invention includes a demodulator which increases the frequency of an FM signal. Pulses representing the zero-crossings of the signal are generated and filtered to provide a voltage that is proportional to the frequency of the FM signal. Because the pulse train has a frequency that is significantly greater than the input frequency, a low-pass filter with both a high cut-off frequency and a gradual roll-off in frequency response may thus be used to optimize the output or demodulated signal in terms of increased bandwidth or faster response and more linear group delay.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of defect detection in disk storage systems, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for providing the profile of defects on the surface of a magnetic disk.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a significant quality control problem associated with surface imperfections on magnetic disks. This typically occurs, for example, on nickel-plated aluminum substrates used in the manufacture of thin-film magnetic media, but may be a problem with respect to any area where a smooth surface is desired. Typical surface defects include pits, dirt, dust, oil, stains, fingerprints and the like. Defects on the surface of rigid magnetic media are often a result of an impingement onto the surface or a tearing of material away from the surface.
These types of defects can be very large scratches or gouges on the surface or very small (5 .mu.m and smaller) tears or pricks on the surface. The large surface defects, because of their size and scattering properties, are readily distinguishable through sophisticated data processing performed on light reflected from the surface of the medium under test by an inspection apparatus which includes a light source directed at the disk. Small surface defects (5 .mu.m and smaller) have not been so readily detectable, and even when detected, have been difficult to identify and classify.
For example, the systems described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,794,264 and 4,794,265, entitled "Surface Defect Detection And Confirmation System And Method" and "Surface Pit Detection System And Method", respectively issued to Quackenbos, describe systems for detecting pits on a smooth surface by irradiating an area of the surface. Two sensors separately detect radiation scattered from the surface. One sensor detects radiation scattered in a near-specular region (40-100 milliradians or 2.29-5.73 degrees), while a second sensor detects radiation scattered in a far-specular region (greater than 100 milliradians or 5.73 degrees). The near-specular signal is normalized with respect to the far-specular signal to indicate a pit. However, the '264 and '265 devices lack any means for distinguishing between a surface depression, i. e., a pit, and a surface protrusion, i. e., a bump. The '264 and '265 references also make the assumption that surface depressions or "pits" do not have far-specular reflection patterns, which has proved to be a limiting and problematic assumption. Moreover, the Quackenbos devices lack any means for determining the heights or depths of defects or contaminants, such as bumps, pits and scratches.
Another example of existing defect detection systems include brightfield interferometric systems. In such interferometric systems, light of a particular frequency is reflected off a disk and collected in the near-specular region. The reflected light is then interfered with a reference beam to produce an interference pattern. Although such brightfield interferometric systems can readily detect large surface defects, they cannot easily detect small surface defects. To increase the sensitivity of such brightfield interferometric systems, the size of the illumination spot which is focused on the surface must be decreased. More of the illuminating wavefront is therefore perturbed by the surface defect. This results in less throughput, due to a small diameter illumination spot, but also requires the use of a focus servo to keep the illumination spot in focus. Small illumination spots are formed with large numerical apertures which in turn produce little depth-of-focus.
Thus, there is a need in the magnetic disk drive industry for a non-contact optical inspection instrument which is capable of detecting and providing the profile of defects on the surfaces of polished magnetic disk substrates. This instrument must be sensitive, fast and inexpensive and must be capable of detecting surface defects and estimating the size of these defects. This instrument must also be able to distinguish between various kinds of defects such as bumps, pits and scratches and also between these defects and surface contaminants such as particles and stains. The instrument should also be able to determine the heights and depths of these contaminants or defects while simultaneously providing high sensitivity and throughput.
In optical systems, electro-optic modulators or acousto-optic modulators are typically used in establishing an optical communication link. The information signal is typically impressed electro-optically as an amplitude modulation on a laser beam. Alternatively, the information signal is impressed acousto-optically as a frequency modulation on the laser beam. The signal is subsequently recovered by an optical detector which includes a demodulator.
One common class of Frequency Modulation (FM) demodulators operates by detecting the zero-crossings of the input signal, providing a precise pulse at each zero crossing, and then low-pass filtering these pulses to obtain a voltage that is proportional to the frequency of the input signal. This method is suitable in situations where the modulation frequency is far lower than the carrier frequency, such as in commercial FM receivers, where the carrier frequency is typically 100 MHz and where the maximum frequency modulation or deviation is only about +/-30 KHz. However, if these conventional detectors are used in systems where the modulation frequency is rapidly changing, such as in interferometer systems, the response of the low-pass filter must be very steep. This is necessary to accommodate the high modulation frequency while blocking the undesirable signal energy at the zero-crossing frequency. In addition to being costly, such steep low-pass filters exhibit undesirable phase and group delay variations in the pass-band, making them unsuitable for many applications. For example, in imaging applications, in which rapidly changing spatial surface characteristics are detected as rapidly varying electrical frequency, such group delay variations will cause small objects or sharp edges in large objects to appear to be slightly displaced in position, causing an aberration on the resulting image.
Accordingly, there is a need in the technology for a demodulator which can accommodate high modulation frequencies while blocking undesirable signal energy at the zero-crossing frequency of the modulated signal. The demodulator must also exhibit minimal phase and group delay variations in the pass-band.

Method and apparatus for detecting defects on a disk using interferometric analysis on reflected light


A modular surgical patient positioner unit consists of three perforated plastic boards arranged for interconnection together and for attachment to a hospital O.R. table. Two outer boards of similar length and width and a central board of similar width and greater length are employed. When employed with regular-sized patients, the three boards are arranged such that the widths thereof are in alignment. When employed with bariatric patients, the longer central board is rotated perpendicular the other two boards, to provide added width to support the bariatric patient.

Single and multi-piece patient positioner units in the form of an elongated plastic plate or board having a plurality of peg holes for receiving patient positioning pegs are currently used to support a patient during hip procedures.
The plastic board is generally co-extensive with the hospital O.R. table and is removably secured to the side rails thereof by means of clamps. Since bariatric patients of large body sizes require a larger positioner unit, several larger-sized patient positioner units must be kept in storage to accommodate the bariatric patients.
It would be both cost and space savings beneficial to provide a single patient positioner unit having facility to support both regular size surgical patients along with such bariatric patients.
One purpose of the instant invention is to provide a modular patient positioner unit having facility for supporting regular-sized as well as bariatric patients with only minor adjustments to the positioner unit.


The invention discloses a phosphorus-doped tubular carbon nitride micro-nano material and application thereof in waste gas treatment. Melamine is partially hydrolyzed into cyanuric acid through a phosphorous acid-assisted hydrothermal method to form a melamine-cyanuric acid super molecular precursor; the center of the precursor starts to be pyrolyzed under heating calcination, and thus phosphorus-doped tubular carbon nitride is obtained; the phosphorus-doped tubular carbon nitride and sodium borohydride are mixed and subjected to low-temperature calcination in an inert gas atmosphere, and defect-modified phosphorus-doped tubular carbon nitride is obtained. The defect-modified phosphorus-doped tubular carbon nitride micro-nano material has a good photocatalytic effect on catalytic degradation of waste gas; besides, the production raw materials are abundant and easy to obtain, and the phosphorus-doped tubular carbon nitride micro-nano material is good in stability and recyclable and has application prospects in waste gas treatment.

With the rapid increase in the number of cars in recent years, the massive emissions of automobile exhausts have caused a series of environmental problems such as smog and acid rain, which have damaged the ecological environment and seriously endangered human health.
Semiconductor photocatalysis is a promising technology with a wide range of applications in environmental restoration, solar energy conversion and energy supply. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has been a hot research topic since its discovery because of its unique electronic properties and a suitable band gap. However, the existing technology makes the catalytic efficiency of carbon nitride low, therefore, finding a new method for high-performance carbon nitride is required.

Phosphorus-doped tubular carbon nitride micro-nano material and application thereof in catalytic treatment of exhaust gas


An area-efficient balun and a method for signal processing using such a balun. One example balun generally includes a winding and a clamping circuit. The winding is formed by a coiled trace including a first portion having a first trace width and a second portion having a second trace width, the second trace width being narrower than the first trace width. The clamping circuit has a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the clamping circuit being coupled to the first portion of the coiled trace.

A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations that can support communication for a number of mobile stations. A mobile station (MS) may communicate with a base station (BS) via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the mobile station, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the mobile station to the base station. A base station may transmit data and control information on the downlink to a mobile station and/or may receive data and control information on the uplink from the mobile station.
The base station and/or mobile station may include a transmitter, which may include an amplifier (e.g., a drive amplifier) and a balun. A balun, in general, joins a balanced line (with two conductors and equal currents in opposite directions) to an unbalanced line (with one conductor and a ground). The balun may be used, for example, to convert a differential signal to a single-ended signal, or vice versa.


A telecommunication fiber optic cable for gas pipeline application has a built-in leakage detecting device. The cable has an optical core including a number of telecommunication optical fibers, an outer jacket covering the optical core, and one or more gas leakage detector optical fibers. One or more gas leakage detector optical fibers are enclosed within the outer jacket. Preferably, the cable has a linearly extending rod reinforcing system having strength rods that force the cable to bend in a preferential bending place. Preferably, the leakage detector optical fibers are located at, or close to, a plane that is substantially orthogonal to the preferential bending plane and passing through the cable neutral axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telecommunication optical cable to be installed in gas pipelines or the like and in particular an optical cable provided with a built-in leakage-detecting optical device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Demand for higher bandwidth communications to end-users is growing. In this scenario, fiber optics is one of the most effective ways to deliver high bandwidth and fast speed, but fiber optics is rather expensive and difficult to be provided to end users. Typically, fiber optic cables are provided to end-users by burying the cables underground. However, installation of fiber optic cable underground is disruptive to neighborhoods and office areas because public streets and private properties are excavated to some degree. In addition, before excavating streets and properties, right-of-way contracts usually have to be negotiated, thereby wasting time and money. A further possible installation method consists in installing fiber optic cables in existing infrastructures, such as water pipes, sewage tubes and gas pipelines.
In particular situations, installing a fiber optical cable through existing gas pipelines can be very profitable under both the economical and practical point of view. It has been proved that the installation of optical cables through gas pipelines requires specific arrangements and changes in the existing gas pipelines, mainly consisting in the step of mounting input/output proper flanges for allowing the cable to be entered within, or extracted from, the pipeline.
An optical cable that is designed for being installed within a gas pipeline or the like should be provided with special characteristics and features. First, a similar cable should resist to radial pressure forces that are exerted by the fluid (gas) within the pipeline. As it is known, the typical tubes for transporting gas are pressurized up to about 70+100 bar, the pipes reaching the end user are pressurized at about 100+300 mbar and the intermediate distribution pipes are pressurized at 4+18 bar. The radial force resistance of an optical cable is generally obtained thanks to a proper sizing of the cable structure and thanks to a high filling of internal cavities that is obtained by applying jelly and other filling substances.
Second, a similar cable should resist to chemical attacks by the gas. In order to provide such a feature, it is known that a polyethylene-based protective jacket is suitable for the purpose.
Third, a similar cable should resist to gas longitudinal propagation in case of rupture of the external cable jacket. Also in this case, the resistance to gas longitudinal propagation is provided by jelly and other filling substances.
Fourth, a similar cable should resist to gas permeation both radially towards the inside of the cable and out of it. A rather high gas-proofing feature is obtained by a high-thickness high-density polythene outer jacket matched with a longitudinally applied metal tape having overlapping and welded/thermally-sealed edges, or alternatively with an extruded metal tube. The metal barrier complies with two main tasks. From one side, it does not allow that any hydrogen, possibly contained in the natural gas, comes into contact with the optical fibers resulting in a decreasing of the glass transmitting properties. From the other side, it does not allow that the natural gas, in case of entry within the cable, could permeate towards the external ambient where the cable is installed outside the gas pipeline.
Fifth, a similar cable should resist to abrasion and scoring against the walls of the pipelines. In this respect, a HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) sheath provides a low friction coefficient.
The Applicant has tackled the problem of realizing a telecommunication optical cable designed for being installed in gas pipelines or the like that, in addition to the above characteristics, is provided with a built-in gas leakage detecting device.
H.-D. Leppert et al., "Experience from the Field Installation of Optical Fiber Cables in Metro Gas Pipelines", Proceedings of the 50th International Wire & Cable Symposium, pp. 747-752, describes in a detailed form a cable for installation through gas pipelines and specially developed I/O ports. It is also mentioned in the paper that the installation of an optical fiber cable inside the gas pipeline offers the additional possibility of implementing a leakage detection system. According to such a contribution, any fiber within the gas pipeline can be used for this application at no additional costs. The cable described in this document has the optical fibers enclosed in buffer tubes arranged around a central element. The buffer tubes are surrounded by a copolymer-coated aluminium tape and a high-density polyethylene sheath. The Applicant observes that, in this cable, the sensitivity of the optical fibers to leakages is poor, due to the various insulating layers provided around them.
EP-0 978 715 B1 discloses a device having at least one multimode fiber optic cable for laser light and a device to measure the propagation time and intensity of the backscattered light, to determine localized temperature anomalies along the cable. At least one single-mode optical fiber cable for message transfer forms a sheated composite arrangement with a compression and tensile resistant element. The cable is laid in the pipe with pressure-tight entry and exit guide connections. EP-0 978 715B1 also discloses a method for installing a fiber bundle cable arrangement for incorporation in the device and a unit for installing the fiber bundle cable arrangement.
DE-195 09 129 A1 concerns a method and device for checking and monitoring the state of tubes, containers, pipelines or the like for conveying liquid or gaseous fluid having temperatures which differ from that of the immediate environment. According to the DE-1 95 09 129 A1, the ambient temperature distribution is determined at least over sections along and/or about the periphery of the tubes, containers, pipelines or the like and/or in the area of the ground adjacent the tubes, containers, pipelines or the like, but outside the fluid-containing space which the latter surround. The ambient temperature distribution is determined by means of a distributed elongate temperature sensor, in particular a fiber-optic sensor cable for distributed temperature measurement. The detection of a local anomaly in the temperature distribution is indicative of a leak. The location, direction of diffusion and extent of the leak can be determined from the temperature distribution at each anomaly point or at each varying point of the anomaly. DE-195 09 129 A1 does not disclose a telecommunication optical cable with built-in leakage detecting device.
St. Groβwig et al., "Distributed fiber optical temperature sensing technique—a variable tool for monitoring tasks", proceedings of the 8th International Symposium on temperature and thermal measurements in Industry and Science 19-21 Jun. 2001, pp 9-17, discloses fundamentals of the distributed fiber optical temperature sensing technique which is based on the RAMAN effect and the so-called Optical Time Domain Reflectometry (OTDR). The article describes applications of the distributed fiber optical temperature sensing method. As far as the leakage detection along high-pressure gas pipelines is concerned, it is mentioned that sensor fibers can also be integrated into telecommunication cables. However, the article does not disclose any cable structure that could be used for detecting leakages.

Telecommunication optical cable for gas pipeline applications having built-in leakage detecting device


An expandable ablation electrode is provided on a catheter constructed to access the heart. When the electrode is introduced to the heart, it is small and suitably flexible to maneuver through the torturous path. However, when the catheter is in place in the heart, the electrode is expansible in diameter to a substantially larger dimension, and is relatively rigid, enabling a large conductive surface to press against the heart tissue with the desired contact pressure. When RF energy is then applied to the electrode it produces a burn lesion of desired large size and depth. This overcomes the limitations to size that have been encountered using conventional rigid electrodes.

The present invention relates to heart ablation catheters.
Electrophysiological catheters apply radio frequency energy to produce burn lesions at selected points in the heart to correct arrhythmias. By destroying the cells that constitute defective conductive pathways, the arrhythmias are stopped. Typically, rigid electrodes, of ring form either partially or totally surrounding the catheter shaft, are used, though it is desirable at times to produce larger lesions than can be produced with such electrodes. By using a larger electrode, one could apply higher power, and by spreading the current at conventional current intensity over a larger area, the larger lesion can be produced. The diameter of such conventional electrodes, however, has been limited by the size of access hole that can be tolerated in the artery. Also, the length of these electrodes has been limited by the need to maintain maneuverability for the catheter to pass through tight curves in proceeding through the arterial system and into the heart.

Heart ablation catheter with expandable electrode and method of coupling energy to an electrode on a catheter shaft


A heat-sensitive document capable of providing multiple colors comprising a support having at least one surface bearing a first coating comprising a substantially colorless, chromogenic composition which is capable of producing a first color, a second coating covering a portion of the first coating, the second coating being an opaque coating, comprising an opacifying agent and a hydrophobic, polymeric binding agent, and a localized third coating covering at least a portion of said second coating comprising a substantially colorless, heat-activatable chromogenic composition capable of producing a second color, preferably under the application of heat. The opaque coating is "dual-functional", since it both enhances multicolor image quality and acts as a primer for adhering the localized chromogenic coating composition.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,063 to Chang et al., the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a multicolor heat sensitive verification system which can be used to prevent unauthorized or fraudulent reproduction of documents which can be reproduced by a color copier, such as cash register receipts, checks, pharmaceutical prescriptions, sweepstakes tickets, and the like. The heat sensitive multicolor system can also be used to selectively highlight desired portions of shipping labels, ATM receipts, promotional coupons, cash register receipts by application of thermal printers.
One form of multicolored heat-sensitive document is prepared by applying one or more localized heat-sensitive coatings over a fully coated substrate which had been coated with a heat-sensitive chromogenic coating. Application of heat to such coatings, for example, by the heated stylus of a thermal printer, results in different colors where the heat has been applied. However, difficulties have been experienced with such multicolor heat-sensitive documents because the underlying color can still be seen through the color of the overlying, localized coating resulting in reduced image quality of the color of the overlying coating.

Multicolor chromogenic system having improved image quality


A method for Procedure Transaction Identity (PTI) exception handling on protocol data unit (PDU) session modification and establishment procedure is proposed. If a UE receives a PDU SESSION MODIFICATION COMMAND message in which the PTI value is an assigned value that does not match any PTI in use, the UE stays in the current 5GSM state and sends a 5GSM STATUS message including 5GSM cause #47 “PTI mismatch”, and the network will send another COMMAND message with the correct PTI value. If the UE receives a PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT ACCEPT or REJECT message in which the PTI value is an assigned value that does not match any PTI in use, the UE responds with a 5GSM STATUS message including 5GSM cause #47 “PTI mismatch”, and the network will send another ACCEPT or REJECT message with the correct PTI value.

The wireless communications network has grown exponentially over the years. A Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system offers high peak data rates, low latency, improved system capacity, and low operating cost resulting from simplified network architecture. LTE systems, also known as the 4G system, also provide seamless integration to older wireless network, such as GSM, CDMA and Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). In LTE systems, an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) includes a plurality of evolved Node-Bs (eNodeBs or eNBs) communicating with a plurality of mobile stations, referred to as user equipments (UEs). The 3rd generation partner project (3GPP) network normally includes a hybrid of 2G/3G/4G systems. With the optimization of the network design, many improvements have developed over the evolution of various standards. The Next Generation Mobile Network (NGMN) board, has decided to focus the future NGMN activities on defining the end-to-end requirements for 5G new radio (NR) systems.
In 5G/NR, a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session defines the association between the UE and the data network that provides a PDU connectivity service. Each PDU session is identified by a PDU session ID (PSI), and may include multiple QoS flows and QoS rules. The PDU session establishment is a parallel procedure of PDN connection (bearer) procedure in 4G/LTE. In 4G/LTE, a Procedure Transaction Identity (PTI) is an identity that is allocated by the UE for UE-requested bearer resource activation, modification, and deactivation procedures. Similarly, PTI is also used as an identity that is allocated by the UE for the UE-requested PDU session establishment, modification, and release procedure in 5G/NR.
In case the UE receives a PDU SESSION MODIFICATION COMMAND message in which the PTI value is an assigned value that does not match any PTI in use, the UE behavior is undefined. For example, the UE can respond to the network with a PDU SESSION MODIFICATION COMMAND REJECT message. However, it is not defined whether the network will resend the command message, or whether the UE shall stay in the current 5GSM state? Or back to active state? As a result, it creates a lot of issues by responding with the PDU SESSION MODIFICATION COMMAND REJECT message. The same issues will also happen in the PDU SESSION ESTABLISHMENT procedure and in 4G LTE systems.
A solution is sought.

Enhanced procedure transaction ID handling


A method for providing recommendations to users includes obtaining stored data structure triples and actual ratings associated with the data structure triples; training a machine learning model using the stored data structure triples and associated actual ratings, wherein training the machine learning model includes generating user, product, and review representations based on the stored data structure triples and their associated ratings; predicting, by the machine learning model, ratings using the generated user, product, and review representations; and making recommendations based on the predicted ratings.

Online shopping allows consumers to directly buy goods and services through a virtual shop and is slowly replacing traditional shopping. In fact, online retailers have become the de-facto providers for some entertainment goods like movies, books and music. As a result, recommendation systems are of high value for both online shoppers (users) and online retailers. For the user, recommender systems quickly find products that the user may be interested in. For the retailers, recommender systems contribute to creating a need to the user by suggesting products that are likely to match preferences of the user.
Traditional recommendation systems make predictions based on previous ratings (collaborative filtering) or based on metadata information of products and profiles of a user's preferences (content-based filtering), or a mix of both (hybrid recommender systems). Furthermore, J. McAuley et al., "Hidden factors and hidden topics: understanding rating dimensions with review text," ACM (2013) have shown that using text in product reviews, written by users, for making rating predictions outperforms well-established methods that belong to either of the collaborative filtering or the content-based filtering categories.

Method and system for combining user, item and review representations for recommender systems


A valve lifter assembly for an engine may include a valve lifter body, a roller pin mounted in the valve lifter body and having a crowned barrel portion, and a substantially cylindrical roller mounted about the crowned barrel portion of the roller pin. The roller may have a crowned outer surface with a cylindrical center portion having a constant outer diameter equal to a roller maximum outer diameter, and oppositely disposed variable outer diameter outer portions extending outwardly from either side of the cylindrical center portion toward corresponding roller ends of the roller with a roller outer diameter decreasing as the variable outer diameter outer portions extend outwardly from the cylindrical center portion. The valve lifter assembly may further include a clip having engagement surfaces that are machined to have complimentary shapes to corresponding engagement surfaces of the valve lifter body.

Internal combustion engines may include poppet valves associated with each combustion chamber and cylinder that open and close at particular times during the combustion cycle to allow a fuel-air mixture to flow into the chamber in an Otto cycle or gasoline engine, to allow air to flow into the chamber in a Diesel cycle engine, or to allow exhaust to flow out of the chamber. In common fuel rail systems, a valve lifter assembly may be configured to drive a push rod and rocker arm to control the position of the corresponding poppet valve. The valve lifter assembly may include lifter body having a pin attached to the valve body, and a roller mounted about the pin and configured to rotate about the pin. The roller may be configured to contact a cam of a cam shaft, which drives the valve lifter assembly up and down to open and close the poppet valve.
For heavy duty applications, the loads on such valve lifter assemblies may be significant, which can cause failure of one or more components of the assembly if the assembly is not constructed robustly. In some cases, the effect that certain loads have on the assembly can be amplified by stress concentrations. For example, in some valve lifter assemblies, stresses can become concentrated at the areas of engagement between the roller and the pin when the valve lifter assembly rotates about its longitudinal axis due to the engine system dynamics and the ends of the roller contact the camming surface of the cam. An amount of rotation of the valve lifter assembly is inevitable and cannot be completely removed from the system. In such cases, the rotational axes of the cam and the roller are not parallel, and the engagement causes shear stresses between the roller and the pin. In addition, the off-center contact between the roller and the cam can cause accelerated wear of their surfaces. These areas of stress concentration can act as the weakest link in an otherwise robust assembly, leading to premature failure of the interfacing components.
Some assemblies have been developed that attempt to reduce stresses in valve lifter and tappet valve assemblies. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,748,359, issued to Bartley et al. ("the '359 patent"), discloses a tappet assembly for a machine that may include a tappet body, a pin fixedly mounted in the tappet body, and a substantially cylindrical roller mounted about the pin. The roller may have a substantially cylindrical outer surface with a circumferential dimension and a width dimension defined by two lateral edges of the roller. The roller may be configured to provide rolling contact between the outer surface of the roller and a cam. The outer surface of the roller may be crowned such that at maximum operational loading conditions of the machine, a footprint of contact pressure from the cam is spread substantially the full width of the outer cylindrical surface of the roller. However, with such designs, the roller may contact the surface of the cam along a point or line of contact when rotation of the tappet assembly occurs, thereby creating stress concentrations in the areas of surface-to-surface contact. In addition, similar point contact and shear stress concentrations may occur at the interfacing surfaces between the roller and the pin. In view of this, a need exists for valve lifter assembly designs that can reduce the amount of rotation of the assembly, and reduce the stresses and wear between mating parts when the valve lifter assembly rotation occurs.

Translating roller lifter design for diesel engines


An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection clamp (61) for I/O terminals (22, 23) of integrated circuits (ICs) (24) comprises an NPN bipolar transistor (25) coupled to an integrated Zener diode (30). Variations in the break-down current-voltage characteristics (311, 312, 313, 314) of multiple prior art ESD clamps (31) in different parts of the same IC chip is avoided by forming the anode (301) of the Zener (30) in the shape of a base-coupled P+ annular ring (75) surrounded by a spaced-apart N+ annular collector ring (70) for the cathode (302) of the Zener (30). Even though an angled implant (51, 86, 98) used to form the N+ annular collector ring (70) causes location dependent variations in the width (531, 532) of the Zener space charge (ZSC) region (691, 692), the improved annular shaped clamp (61) always has a portion that initiates break-down at the design voltage so that variations in the width (531, 532) of the ZSC region (691, 692) do not cause significant variations in the clamp's current-voltage characteristics (611, 612, 613, 614).

Modern integrated circuits (ICs) are at risk of damage due to electrostatic discharge (ESD) events. This is especially true of ICs that use field effect transistors (FETs), especially metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs), or simply MOS transistors or devices. Although the term "MOS" properly refers to a device having a metal gate electrode and an oxide gate insulator, that term is also used to refer to any semiconductor device that includes a conductive gate electrode (whether metal or not) that is positioned over a gate insulator (whether oxide or other dielectric material) which, in turn, is positioned over a semiconductor surface. Accordingly, the terms metal-oxide-semiconductor and the abbreviations "MOS" and "MOSFET" are used herein even though such devices may not employ just metals or oxides but combinations of conductive materials, e.g., alloys, silicides, doped semiconductors, etc., instead of simple metals, and insulating materials other than silicon oxides (e.g., nitrides, oxy-nitrides, other oxides, mixtures of dielectric materials, organic dielectrics, etc.). Thus, as used hereon the terms MOS and MOSFET are intended to include these and other variations.
A typical MOS transistor includes a gate as a control electrode and spaced-apart source and drain regions between which a current can flow. A control voltage applied to the gate adjusts the flow of current through a controllable conductive channel between the source and drain. Because the gate dielectric on most MOSFETS is relatively thin, it can be easily damaged if excess voltage appears on the gate terminal. It is well known that electrostatic discharge from handling MOS ICs is a source of such excess voltage. Accordingly, it is commonplace to provide an ESD clamp (voltage limiting device) across the input and/or other terminals of such MOSFETS and IC's employing MOSFETS. FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of circuit 20 wherein ESD clamp 21 is placed between input-output (I/O) terminal 22 and ground or common terminal 23 of an IC to protect other devices on the chip, that is, "circuit core" 24 coupled to the I/O and common terminals 22, 23. FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating internal components of ESD clamp 21, utilizing bipolar transistor 25, having emitter 26, collector 27, base 28, resistance 29 and Zener diode 30 having terminals 301, 302. When the voltage across terminals 22, 23 rises beyond a predetermined limit, Zener diode 30 turns on, thereby switching bipolar transistor 25 into conduction and clamping the voltage across terminals 22, 23 at a level below that capable of damaging circuit core 24.
FIG. 3 shows simplified cross-sectional view 32 of ESD clamp 31 implementing ESD clamp 21 of FIGS. 1-2 in semiconductor substrate 37, according to the prior art. FIG. 4 shows simplified plan view 33 of ESD clamp 31 of FIG. 3. FIGS. 3 and 4 should be considered together. ESD clamp 31 comprises N-type buried layer (NBL) 34 above which lies P-type layer or region 36. P-well region 38 extends from surface 35 into P region 36. N-type sinkers 40 extend from surface 35 to make ohmic electrical contact to NBL 34. N+ regions 42 make ohmic contact to N-type sinkers 40. P+ regions 43 and 45 make ohmic contact to P-well 38. P-well 38 serves as the base of transistor 25 (see FIG. 2). N+ region 44 serves as the emitter of transistor 25. P+ region 45 serves as anode 301 of Zener diode 30 (see FIG. 2) whose cathode 302 is provided by N-type sinker 40 and N+ contact 42. Zener space charge region (abbreviated as "ZSC") 39 is located between P+ region 45, and N-sinker 40 with N+ contact 42. Anode terminal 22 of ESD clamp 31 is coupled to N+ region 42 and cathode terminal 23 of ESD clamp 31 is coupled to N+ region 44.
While such prior art devices are widely used as ESD clamps, they suffer from a number of limitations. Typical limitations are illustrated, for example, in FIG. 5. FIG. 5 shows plot 46 of the current (in milli-amps) between terminals 22, 23 of ESD clamp 31 as a function of the voltage (in volts) across terminals 22, 23 for nominally identical clamps, 311, 312, 313, 314, etc., (collectively 31) located in different regions and orientations of the same IC, and fabricated at the same time using the same mask set. ESD clamps 31 are intended to clamp the terminal voltage at about 10-12 volts. However, it is observed that some of the ESD clamps (e.g., ESD 311, 312) turn on at about 10-11 volts while others on the same chip (e.g., 314) do not turn on until the terminal voltage reaches 17-19 volts. This is observed even though ESD clamps 311, 312, 313, 314, etc., are manufactured at the same time using the same mask set on the same substrate, and would be expected to exhibit nearly identical properties no matter where they are located on the IC chip. This variability is undesirable since it exposes some I/O terminals and their associated circuit cores to significantly larger ESD voltages than other parts of the overall IC.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need to provide improved ESD clamps, especially ESD clamps that operate at more consistent voltages independent of their location in a particular IC. Further, it is desirable that the improved ESD clamps be obtainable without significant modification of the manufacturing process used for forming the clamps and their associated circuit core of the IC. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.

Complementary zener triggered bipolar ESD protection


A solenoid valve includes a housing including a channel, a single-acting through hole, a double-acting through hole, a spring biased spool in the channel, a lateral outlet communicating with the double-acting through hole, and a hole element passing through an edge of the channel to communicate with both the double-acting through hole and the channel; a switch on the housing and including an axial tunnel, a shaft in the tunnel, a lateral single-acting hole communicating with the tunnel, a double-acting hole communicating with the tunnel, and a linking hole perpendicular to the tunnel but not communicating therewith; a pilot valve on the switch; a base at a bottom of the housing, and a spring biased check valve at a lower opening of the housing and the base, the check valve communicating with the single-acting through hole.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to solenoid valves and more particularly to such a solenoid valve including a check valve in a housing so that gas may flow to air chambers and spaces respectively without lubrication oil and water accumulation, and the valve can be opened or closed manually in response to insufficient gas or power off.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional solenoid valve shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is characterized in the following. In a fail-safe mode a pilot solenoid valve 53 is electrically powered to open a port 531. Next, a compressed air source 5 supplies compressed air to the pilot solenoid valve 53 via a path 513, a switch 55, and compress a spool 5100 accordingly. The compressed air source 5 further supplies compressed air to an air chamber 611 of a pneumatic cylinder 6 via a first port 515 and an independent check valve 612 attached to the cylinder 6. Further, air in the air chamber 611 flows to a hole element 510 in a body 51 via a 1B port 64 and an air inlet 512. Furthermore, air flows to a first space 67 in the pneumatic cylinder 6 via a second port 516 and a 1C port 65. And in turn, two pistons 62 are pushed toward two adjacent second spaces 68 respectively. As such, a pinion 69 in the pneumatic cylinder 6 rotates counterclockwise to open the valve.
Compressed lubricated air may flow to the pneumatic cylinder 6 via the air chamber 611 first before the air flow to the first space 67 and the second space 68 and due to the density, the lubricated oil and moisture may accumulate in the air chamber 611 which result the insufficient lubrication to both the first space 67 and the second space 68 and make the space of the air chamber 611 decreased. In the event of air failure, insufficient air volume may be supplied from the air chamber 611. As a result, operation may be malfunctioned. Thus, the need for improvement still exists.


A recording method for an optical disk drive is implemented as follows. First, at least one of the level of the focusing error signal, the level of the tracking error signal, a wobble synchronization pattern loss, the error rate of demodulating a wobble signal and the frequency of buffer under-run occurrence is detected. If at least one detected value exceeds the preset value, the recording will be ceased. Then, the rotation speed of the optical disk drive is decreased, and the recording is resumed with the decreased rotation speed.

(A) Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a recording, or so-called burning, method and an apparatus for an optical disk drive, and more especially to a recording method and an apparatus capable of decreasing the rotation speed for an optical disk drive.
(B) Description of the Related Art
The recording speed, e.g., 4× or 8×, of an optical disk drive mainly depends on the type of the optical disk, and optical disks of different types have different time codes. If the quality of the optical disk or optical disk drive is worse intrinsically, the recording efficiency and quality will be affected, especially for mass recording, and thus inferior recording quality will become more obvious.
An inferior servo signal of an optical disk drive, e.g., defocusing, or buffer under-run caused by that the data transmission speed from a host is slower than the recording speed, may give rise to the interruption of recording. After refocusing or complementing the data to the buffer, the recording will be reconnected and resumed. Because the recording speed before and after the interruption is not changed, the interruption and reconnection may occur repeatedly. Such unceasing recording interruption and reconnection seriously affect the recording speed, and even result in the degradation of the recording quality so that the readability of the optical disk will become worse.
U.S. Pat. Application No. 2002/0172106 A1, "Apparatus for and Method of Controlling Writing of Data When Error Occurs in an Optical Drive," reveals a method of dealing with a recording interruption employed after the recording is interrupted. However, the method cannot prevent the occurrence of interruption. In addition, if an optical disk is of inferior quality, the recording quality of the optical disk cannot be improved further.

Recording method and apparatus for optical disk drive


A main engine electric start system for gas turbine propelled aircraft that employs a low-power AC electrical power system to serve as an independent grid to control the functions of induction-type dynamoelectric machines coupled to the main propulsion engines and APU as a starter or generator.

Modern aircraft secondary power systems are becoming large with increasing demands for electric power and large power for starting the prime propulsion engines. These aircraft have a gas turbine powered auxiliary power unit (APU) on board to provide electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic power for operating systems aboard the aircraft when the propulsion engines are shut down as well as to provide power for starting the propulsion engines. Typically, pneumatic power, provided by a load compressor within the APU, has been used to start the propulsion engines. The load compressor has also been used to provide compressed air for the environmental control system (ECS) aboard the aircraft before and after the propulsion engines are started.
The main engine start (MES) requires much more compressed air from the APU than the ECS load. Since the load compressor is used for both the MES mode and the ECS mode, the APU is sized well above the needs by the MES requirement. The APU is thus oversized for the ECS mode and it is heavier, more costly and less efficient than if it were sized to match the ECS load alone. The heavier APU and its support structure detract from the aircraft fuel load or payload. The excess APU weight therefore shortens the range of the aircraft or reduces its payload.
A co-pending application having the same inventorship and owned by the assignee of this application, describes a combined power start system using pneumatic power combined with concurrent APU electric power, hydraulic power, or both electric and hydraulic power to start the main propulsion engines. This approach results in sizing the APU pneumatic system more consistently with both MES and ECS need, avoiding excess weight that would otherwise result from over-sizing the pneumatic portion of the ECU.
When the APU electric power is used to supplement or replace pneumatic power for MES, it has been usual practice to rectify alternating current (AC) power generated by the APU generator or starter/generator to direct current (DC) power, and then convert the rectified DC power back to AC power at a preferred frequency that is suited to the rest of the aircraft electrical power system. For constant frequency aeronautical electrical power systems, 400 Hz is generally preferred.
A problem with this approach is that much power must be converted, and since electrical conversion equipment is of limited efficiency, significant power conversion loss occurs and this power loss generates heat that must be dissipated. Excess power must be generated to cover the power loss and excess equipment must be provided to dissipate the resulting heat. These factors lead to increased system weight and cost that negatively impact the economics, payload and range of the aircraft.


A connecting system for metal component and CMC components, a turbine blade retaining system and rotating component retaining system are provided. The connecting system includes a retaining pin, a metal foam bushing, a first aperture disposed in the metal component, and a second aperture disposed in the ceramic matrix composite component. The first aperture and the second aperture are configured to form a through-hole when the metal component and the ceramic matrix composite component are engaged. The retaining pin and the metal foam bushing are operably arranged within the through-hole to connect the metal component and the ceramic matrix composite component.

Ceramic matrix composites (CMC's) offer high material temperature capability. In the gas turbine field, however, CMC components often require attachment to, or engagement with, lower temperature metallic gas turbine components. Problems associated with the attachment of known silicon carbide CMC's to metallic components include wear, oxidation (due to ionic transfer with metal), stress concentration (from clamping loads), transition to thick section fabrication, and fiber damage in creating holes in the CMC's.
Therefore, a connecting system for metal components and CMC components, a turbine blade retaining system and rotating component retaining system that do not suffer from the above drawbacks is desirable in the art.

Connecting system for metal components and CMC components, a turbine blade retaining system and a rotating component retaining system


The length of a transmission line delay circuit is halved by inserting a directional coupler in the signal path ahead of the transmission line and either open circuiting or short circuiting the other end of the transmission line. The signal traveling through the directional coupler and through the transmission line is reflected back at the end of the transmission line, and the reflected signal is carried to the coupled output of the directional coupler. Since the signal travels through the transmission line twice, the delay time is doubled. Therefore, for a given delay requirement, the length of transmission line required is only half of the length required for prior art transmission delay lines.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to delay lines and, more particularly, to transmission line delay lines.
2. Description of Related Art
Transmission lines can be used as delay lines in many applications such as, for example, interference cancelling circuits used with radio transmitters and receivers, both fixed and mobile, and as delay lines in radar systems. In addition, such delay lines can also be used as signal storage media for sonar and electronic countermeasures equipment.
Radio transmission towers that simultaneously transmit and receive radio signals create interference in the received signals when the transmitter is transmitting. The method usual used to attenuate this interference is to sample the transmitted signal, invert the signal and add the inverted signal to the received signal to cancel out the interference.
While the interference arises from the coupling of the signal from the transmitting into the receiving antennas at the top of the tower, the circuitry to remove the interference is located at the base of the tower. Thus, the delay time for the signal to propagate from the transmitter up the tower to the transmitting antenna and back down again must be compensated for. Presently the signal delay is realized by passing the output signal from the transmitter through a length of transmission line that is approximately twice the height of the tower before the signal is inverted and added to the receiver input. The practical result is that a relatively large spool of costly cable sits at the base of the tower for each transmitter.
It can be appreciated that a circuit and method that can essentially half the length of cable required for transmission delay lines is highly desirable.


A compact, high-zoom-ratio, high-performance five-group zoom lens having a positive-negative-negative-positive-positive refractive power arrangement. The zoom lens has the ability to focus at close range with minimal movement of the internal lens groups. Each lens group is axially movable, with the second or third lens group available for close-range focusing. The first lens group includes one negative lens element and two positive lens elements. The second lens group includes two negative lens elements and one positive lens element. The third lens group includes one negative lens element and one positive lens element. The fourth lens group includes two positive lens elements and one negative lens element. And, the fifth lens group includes three positive lens elements and two negative lens elements. An aperture stop is disposed imagewise of the third lens group and objectwise of the fifth lens group. The zoom lens preferably satisfies at least one of a number of design conditions.

In recent years, zoom lenses have become popular lenses in imaging devices such as photographic and video cameras. Presently, high-zoom-ratio zoom lenses (i.e., zoom lenses having a zoom ratio greater than three) represent the state of the art and are standard on most advanced lens-shutter cameras and video equipment. The zoom lens for a lens-shutter type camera is most often integrated with the camera body and not readily detachable. Thus, it is useful for such cameras to be compact and lightweight. Not surprisingly, this has resulted in a demand for increasingly compact and lightweight zoom lenses having a high zoom ratio.
However, if the maximum telephoto state focal length is increased to increase the zoom ratio, the overall lens length and lens diameter increases, making the lens non-compact. On the other hand, if the maximum wide-angle state focal length is decreased to increase the zoom ratio, the amount of light at the margins of the field becomes attenuated, i.e., the image irradiance at the edges of the field is diminished due to the "cosine-to-the-fourth" dependence of image irradiance with field angle. Consequently, the marginal ray heights need to be increased to provide a sufficient amount of light at the margins of the field. This requires the lens diameter to be increased, resulting in a non-compact design.
Presently, the conventional zoom lens for a single-lens reflex (SLR) 35 mm camera having a mid-range focal length of about 50 mm is a retro-focus arrangement. An often-used retro-focus arrangement is a four-group construction-type comprising, from objectwise to imagewise, a positive lens group, a negative lens group, a positive lens group, and a positive lens group. Such a zoom lens has several advantages over other designs. For example, in a positive-negative-positive three-group construction-type, it is difficult to achieve a high zoom ratio while maintaining high-quality imaging performance. In fact, the more robust four-lens group construction-type is derived from the three-lens group construction-type by dividing the most imagewise positive lens group in the three-lens group construction-type into two separate and axially movable positive lens groups. This four-lens group construction-type allows the air space between these last two lens groups to be varied, providing for better control of aberrations while zooming.
Another advantage of the above four-lens group construction-type is that the second lens group can have strong negative refractive power, which is needed to keep the Petzval sum in check. Still another advantage is that the refractive power of the individual lens groups can be significantly strengthened to achieve a higher zoom ratio and greater compactness. This is possible because as the refractive power of the first lens group increases, the axial separation between the first and third lens groups can be reduced by increasing the negative refractive power of the second lens group.
Thus, efforts to develop a more compact, high-zoom-ratio zoom lens have been directed towards improving the positive-negative-positive-positive construction-type. In particular, efforts have been directed to shrinking the axial length in the maximum telephoto state, while decreasing the lens diameter in the maximum wide-angle state.
However, this approach has its limits and cannot be applied ad infinitum, mainly for two reasons. The first reason is that for positive-negative-positive-positive construction-type zoom lenses, the aperture stop is generally located objectwise and adjacent the third or fourth lens group. This reduces the ability of the lens elements in the second lens group to perform aberration correction because the ray heights do not vary significantly over the zooming range. Consequently, the number of lens elements needed to correct aberrations increases, which increase costs and prevents compactness from being achieved. Further, aspherical lens elements are usually required to obtain high-quality imaging, which can drastically increase cost. The second reason is that in the continued attempt to achieve compactness, the refractive power of the second lens group needs to be increased, as mentioned above. Eventually, however, this power starts to become disproportionate with respect to the other lens groups, making aberration control very difficult.


The present invention relates generally to the processing of fluids and/or their carriers. Carriers may comprise pipes, tubes and the like or reservoirs for the distribution and/or storage of fluids. In one form, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus that is suitable for use in the treatment of various fluids, such as water, by introducing at least one chemically active metal into the water and its carriers for disinfection of the water in a controlled manner. The invention also relates to a biasing means for displacement of an electrode arrangement to allow for the introduction of ions into a fluid at a controlled or easily monitored rate that is commensurate with the amount of fluid flow.

In the context of the present invention, it is to be taken that the term "fluid" applies to any material that displays liquid-like or gas-like behaviour or physical properties.
The treatment of fluids by disinfection, for example, is an important process enabling the safe and efficient use and/or consumption of these fluids in industrial and domestic environments. For example, the ability to disinfect water for general consumption by animals and/or humans including drinking and recreational use is paramount. An example application of such treated water includes production liquid for the preservation of fresh cut flowers. When treating fluids it is also critical that the flow of the given fluid is determined and/or controlled.
Prior art techniques used for disinfecting fluids, such as for example in Australian Patent 53032/98 (735166), Australian Patent 11859/97 (702918) and Australian Patent 24394/95 (685630), make use of the ability of silver ions to effectively destroy micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses. However, in these prior art systems, the silver that is being introduced into a given fluid requires sophisticated electronic equipment for either monitoring the amount or dose of silver being introduced or monitoring the volumetric flow of fluid to be treated. Moreover, regulatory authorities throughout the world now stipulate their own varying individual maximum levels of silver that may be added to fluids for their treatment. These various regulations make it difficult and expensive to control the amount of silver to be released into a given flow of fluid.
Other prior art systems, such as disclosed in DE 4107708, attempt to accurately monitor fluid flow. These systems require the use of delicate on/off flow switches and are therefore, expensive. Generally, the flow switches of prior art systems are made using glass encased reed switches and magnets of differing types. Reed switches, in particular, are easily cracked and as a result may fail to perform. Furthermore, the circuits required to control these systems often fail especially where corrosion occurs as would be expected when placed in close proximity or contact with the various fluids being treated, in the event of these failures, the prior art systems cannot provide for regulated introduction of sliver into a fluid.
Prior art silver disinfection systems may also have a tendency to cause an overdose of silver into the fluid. Notwithstanding the toxic effects of excessive silver consumption, a further problem associated with silver overdosing has been shown, namely, de-oxygenation. When excessive amounts of silver are introduced into a body of fluid the excess silver will absorb the available free oxygen and may use the absorbed oxygen to destroy anaerobic micro-organisms by the process of oxidation leaving the fluid in a de-oxygenated form. The de-oxygenated fluid then becomes an environment that is conducive to the multiplication and resultant re-infection of micro-organisms. This re-infection is also assisted by the fact that dissolved silver in a relatively short time, plate out to the walls containing the fluid or, being heavy will fall out of suspension removing the active silver from the fluid. Thus, there is a need to maintain a correct balance of silver concentration for successful disinfection.
Prior art systems such as that disclosed in Australian Patent 53032198 (735160) have provided a solution to the problem of plating by producing suspended silver particles instead of silver ions. Such particles are not soluble and cannot plate out and, in turn, as the particles are of pure silver and not silver ions forming silver salts, they may not produce toxic effects in high doses. However, complex circuits are required to produce pure silver particles and this is a disadvantage, particularly when a readily useful and easily accessible means of disinfection is required in the market. Furthermore, the lack of plating displayed by silver particles is a disadvantage when it is desirable to treat the surface or walls of a fluid carrier to produce, for example, a bacteriostatic coating of silver preventing biofilm build up.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus, which ameliorates at least one disadvantage of the prior art arrangements. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus providing for the control or monitoring of the introduction of chemically active forms of metal into a fluid that may flow at a variable rate. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for providing control over the plating out effect of an introduced metal on the walls of a fluid carrier.
Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention. It should not be taken as an admission that any of the material formed part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art on or before the priority date of the claims herein.

Method and apparatus for processing fluids


Apparatus and methods are disclosed for adjusting phase of data signals to compensate for phase-offset variations between devices during normal operation. The phase of data signals are adjusted individually in each transmit data unit and receive data unit across multiple data slices with a common set of phase vector clock signals and a corresponding clock cycle count signal. The transmission of signal information between a first device (such as a memory controller) and a second device (such as a memory component) occurs without errors even when the accumulated delays between the first device and second device change by a half symbol time interval or more during operation of the system. The apparatus reduces the circuitry required, such as phase-lock-loops, for individually adjusting the phase of each transmit data unit and receive data unit across multiple data slices, which in turn results in reduction in complexity and cost of the system.

Integrated circuits connect to and communicate with each other, typically using a bus with address, data and control signals. Today's complex digital circuits contain storage devices, finite-state machines, and other such structures that control the movement of information by various clocking methods. Transferred signals must be properly synchronized or linked so that information from a transmit point is properly communicated to and received by a receive point in a circuit.
The term "signal" refers to a stream of information communicated between two points within a system. For a digital signal, this information consists of a series of "symbols," with each symbol driven for an interval of time. In digital applications, the symbols are generally referred to as "bits" in which values are represented by "zero" and "one" symbols, although other symbol sets are possible. The values commonly used to represent the zero and one symbols are voltage levels, although other variations are possible.
In some cases, a signal will be given more than one name (using an index notation), with each index value representing the signal value present at a particular point on a wire. The two or more signal names on a wire represent the same information, with one signal value being a time-shifted version of the other. The time-shifting is the result of the propagation of voltage and current waveforms on a physical wire. Using two or more signal names for the same signal information allows for easy accounting of the resulting propagation delays.
The term "wire" refers to the physical interconnection medium which connects two or more points within a system, and which serves as the conduit for the stream of information (the signal) communicated between the points. For example, but without limitation, a wire can be a copper wire, a metal (eg., copper) trace on a printed circuit board, or a fiber optic cable. A "bus" is a wire or a set of wires. These wires are collected together because they may share the same physical topology, or because they have related timing behavior, or for some other reason. The assignment of wires into a bus is often a notational convenience. The terms "line," "connection" and "interconnect" mean either a bus, wire or set of wires as appropriate to the context in which those terms are used.
The term "signal set" refers to one or more signals. Whenever a signal or signal set is described herein as being coupled to or attached to a device or component, it is to be understood that the device or component is coupled to a wire, set of wires or bus that carries the signal.
The mapping of a signal onto a physical wire involves tradeoffs related to system speed. The use of one physical wire per signal (single-ended signaling) uses fewer wires. The use of two physical wires per signal (differential signaling) permits shorter bit intervals. The mapping of signals onto physical wires can also involve optimization related to system resources. Two different signals can share the same wire (i.e., they are multiplexed) to minimize the number of physical wires. Typically, this must be done so that the potential timing conflicts that result are acceptable (in terms of system performance, for instance). The interval of time during which a bit or symbol is transmitted or received at a particular point on a wire or at a device interface is the "symbol time interval," "bit time," "bit time interval," "bit window," or "bit eye." These time interval terms for transmitting and receiving are used interchangeably. Usually, the bit interval for transmit signals must be greater than or equal to the bit interval for receive signals.
In FIG. 1, a bus 20 interconnects a memory controller 22 and memory components (MEMS) 24. Physically, the bus 20 comprises traces on a printed circuit board or wiring board, wires or cables and connectors. Each of these devices 22, 24 has a bus output driver or transmitter circuit 30 that interfaces with the bus 20 to drive data signals onto the bus to send data to other integrated circuits. Each of these devices also has a receiver. In particular, the bus output drivers 30 in the memory controller 22 and MEMS 24 are used to transmit data over the bus 20. The bus 20 transmits signals at a rate that is a function of many factors such as the system clock speed, the bus length, the amount of current that the output drivers can drive, the supply voltages, the spacing and width of the wires or traces making up the bus, and the physical layout of the bus itself. Clock, or control, signals serve the purpose of marking the passage of time, thereby controlling the transfer of information from one storage location to another. The memory controller 22 is connected to a central processing unit (CPU) 40 and other system components 50, such as a graphics control unit, over bus 45.
As signals pass over a bus and through device interfaces, the signals experience propagation delays. Propagation delays are affected by variables such as temperature, supply voltage and process parameters (which determine physical characteristics of the devices sending and receiving the signals). For example, at a low operating temperature with a high supply voltage, signals may be transmitted with a relatively short delay. Alternatively, at a low supply voltage and high operating temperature, a significantly longer delay may be experienced by transmitted signals.
Variations in the process parameters, which result in variations in the performance of otherwise identical devices, cause devices either on a single bus, or devices on parallel buses to experience different signal propagation delays. The load on each bus, which depends on the number of devices connected to the bus, may also affect signal propagation. In sum, the phase relationships between transmitted and received signals, are affected by numerous factors, some of which may change during the operation of a system. Small changes in propagation delays can result in data transfer errors, especially in systems with very high bit (or more generally, symbol) transfer rates, and thus very short bit (or symbol) times. In order to account for actual propagation delays, it is desirable, especially in systems with very high bit (or symbol) transfer rates (e.g., without limitation, 250 Mb/s or higher) to synchronize signal transmitters and receivers, to account for actual propagation delays. The present invention provides systems and methods for dynamically synchronizing signal transmitters and receivers, even when the variations in propagation delays caused by temperature, voltage, process and loading variations exceed an average symbol time interval. Normally, a variation in propagation delay of even a half symbol time interval will cause a memory system or data transfer system to fail, because movement of a half symbol time will cause the data sample point to move from the center of the data eye to the edge of the data eye. Change in the propagation delay of more than a half symbol time will, in conventional prior art systems, cause the wrong symbol to be sampled by the receiving device. In the present invention, such changes in propagation delay are automatically "calibrated out" by the use of dynamic propagation delay calibration apparatus and methods.

Phase adjustment apparatus and method for a memory device signaling system


Various embodiments of the present invention are related to integrated circuits for processing data at a microcontroller interface. The microcontroller interfaces to a memory. The method is employed to process input data provided by the microcontroller during a memory write operation, or input data extracted from the memory during a memory read operation, respectively. A write/read control is used to indicate the memory write or read operation, and a logic address is translated to at least one physical address in the memory. The write/read control and the logic address are further employed to determine a data process mode. In various data processing modes, the input data are processed according to at least one of a plurality of data processing methods to result in processed data in different data formats. Data in different formats may be stored in various regions of the memory.

A. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the field of integrated circuit, and more particularly, to systems, devices and methods of programming a data path of a microcontroller by selecting at least one of a plurality of data processing modes to process (e.g., encrypt, decrypt, format, etc.) data in the data path.
B. Background of the Invention
A microcontroller is normally a single integrated circuit comprising a central processing unit (CPU) core, memory, and input/output (I/O) peripherals. The CPU core ranges from simple 3-bit processors to complex 22-bit or 54-bit processors. A commonly used 8051-compatible microcontroller is based on an 8-bit CPU core. The I/O peripherals are used to interface the microcontroller with standard I/O devices, such as sensors and liquid crystal displays (LCD), and serial communication interfaces are normally used in the I/O peripherals. The memory in the microcontroller includes non-volatile random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) for storing data and programs, respectively. The microcontroller architecture may vary to include more CPU cores, memory or I/O functions for various applications.
A secure microcontroller is used for applications that involve trusted operations on valuable assets in an insecure environment where a thief or hacker may gain access to processor cores, memory devices or I/O peripherals that are used to communicate and process sensitive data. This sensitive data may include account numbers, access codes, financial transactions/balances, rights management, metering (e.g., energy, units), program algorithms and other information. The secure microcontroller uses non-volatile RAM, e.g., a flash memory, rather than ROM for program storage, and additional enhanced security features are employed to avoid unauthorized accesses. To date, the secure microcontroller has been applied in a wide range of security-critical applications such as electronic banking, commercial transactions, and pay-TV access control, or any application that requires the protection of proprietary software and methods.
Since programs and data may be stored in an external memory of the secure microcontroller, data security and data integrity are two distinct threats that the external memory of a secure microcontroller should address. The first threat is sensitive information disclosure (i.e., data security) where confidential data is revealed and weakness in a program is exposed. The second threat is modification of application behavior (i.e., data integrity) which involves programs and data being modified in the external memory and results in a data integrity issue.
The secure microcontroller is designed to offer a level of security to data stored in the external memory. For instance, physical security is established against probing, and one example is the use of an anti-tampering enclosure. This solution may be expensive and does not cover new attack methods based on fault injection from power supply glitch, light, synchronous or asynchronous laser, or radioactive particles. The security features may also comprise memory encryption where data and addresses stored in the memory are encrypted or decrypted during the data exchanging process. As a result, the physical security perimeter can be limited to the microcontroller while the external memory and their communication buses can remain exposed physically.
Data integrity control is implemented for the programs and data stored in the external memory. Data integrity control is used to detect any willing or unwilling corruption between what was sent for writing to the memory by the microcontroller and what was stored in the memory. FIG. 1 illustrates a secure microcontroller 102 interfacing with an external memory 104 where the aforementioned data security and data integrity concerns are considered. The secure microcontroller 102 comprises a CPU core 106, an encryption and integrity protection block 108, a memory controller 110, a key storage 112 and buses for data, addresses and keys. Methods for integrity check, data encryption or data decryption are incorporated in the encryption and integrity protection block 108. During memory write or read cycles, the block 108 encrypts data from the CPU core 106 to payload data for storing in the memory 104, or decrypts payload data from the memory 104 to data subsequently received by the CPU core 106, respectively.


A composition that is useful in the preparation of radiation curable coatings is provided. The composition comprises the reaction product of an epoxy component and an acid component comprised of an ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid or reactive derivative thereof, reacted in the presence of, or post-reaction blended with, a polyamide based on a polymerized fatty acid. The polyamide preferably has a number average molecular weight of less than about 10,000 g/mole. Also provided is a polymerizable composition comprised of the composition comprised of the reaction product, the polyamide, and a reactive diluent. A method of coating a substrate is also provided which comprises applying to a substrate a composition comprised of the reaction product and the polyamide and exposing said composition to radiation to cure said composition.

The use of acrylate resins to formulate radiation curable coatings and printing inks is discussed generally in Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, vol. 11, pp. 204-205 (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. N.Y., N.Y., 1988). It is disclosed that low molecular weight acrylates, including monoacrylates, are required to adjust the viscosity of the coating which is applied as a liquid, usually without solvent.


A filter for detecting changes in skin color. The filter includes a filter material capable of filtering a frequency range and configured to orthogonalize an overall red response and an overall blue response in response to a spectral power distribution of a given light condition. The overall red response is based on a first plurality of spectral responses for a first human perceived chromatic channel used primarily for detecting blood oxygenation in a human. The overall blue response is based on a second plurality of spectral responses for a second human perceived chromatic channel used primarily for detecting blood volume.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to the field of assisted visual perception. Specifically, the present invention provides for a filter, such as a notch filter, that orthogonalizes signals detecting blood oxygen concentration and blood volume through a skin of a human.
2. The Relevant Technology
Color changes in human skin are widely believed to signal emotions such as anger, arousal, fear, and fatigue in humans and all other higher primates. Other similar color changes are indicative of various medical conditions such as hypoxia, cyanosis, jaundice, and also various vasospastic disorders. Recent evidence suggests that the human eye is specially tuned to detect subtle changes in skin color that correspond to changes in blood volume (e.g., signaling anger or some other altered emotional state) and oxygenation of hemoglobin (e.g., signaling jaundice or some other illness). While these changes in color are visible to the unassisted eye, perception of them is in fact severely damped due to a particular range of the visible light spectrum in which the reflectance spectrums of changes in blood volume and oxygenation of hemoglobin is erratic.

Apparatus and method for orthogonalizing signals detecting blood oxygenation and blood volume


A mobile communication method according to the present invention includes: notifying, from a network node (200, 300) to a mobile station (100), a communication service provided by a target radio access technology in which the mobile station (100) is to be in idle mode; storing, at the mobile station (100), the communication service notified by the network node (200, 300); and starting, at the mobile station (100), a connection procedure on the basis of the stored communication service.

Conventional mobile communication systems provide voice communications, TV telephone communications and the like with stringent delay requirements by using circuit switching (CS) while providing data communications and the like with loose delay requirements by using packet switching (PS).
Meanwhile, when a new radio access technology (RAT) is introduced to a mobile communication system, the stability of the mobile communication system is given the top priority, and it is therefore general to use the new RAT to provide not various types of communication service but only limited types of communication service at an early stage of the introduction.
For example, assume that the LTE (Long Term Evolution) system is introduced as a new RAT to an area in which communication, service is provided by using the UMTS (Universal Mobile Terrestrial System) as a RAT, the LTE system enabling communications which are more efficient and faster than those by the UMTS. In this case, considering that the LTE system is a mobile communication system using PS only, a conceivable introduction scenario is to provide communication service restricted to data communications at the early stage of the introduction, and to provide communication service, such as voice communications, with stringent delay requirements after the operation of the mobile communication system is stabilized (see Non-patent Document 1).
Next, referring to FIG. 7, an example of a method of providing communication service at an early stage of the introduction of the LTE system is described.
Here, a mobile station in an idle mode in the UMTS needs to perform the procedure shown in FIG. 7 in the UMTS, switch to the LTE system, and then start data communications in the LTE system, for example.
This is because the LTE system can provide more efficient and faster communications than the UMTS can. A concrete example of the method of providing communication service is described below with reference to FIG. 7.
As shown in FIG. 12, in Step 1, the mobile station transmits a "RRC Connection Request" for requesting a setup of a RRC connection, to a radio controller apparatus.
In Step 2, the radio controller apparatus transmits a "Radio Link Setup Request" for requesting a setup of a radio link, to a radio base station.
In Step 3, the radio base station performs a setup of the radio link in accordance with the "Radio Link Setup Request", and then transmits a "Radio Link Setup Response" for reporting the completion of the setup of the radio link, to the radio controller apparatus.
In Step 4, the radio controller apparatus transmits a "RRC Connection Setup" for performing a setup of the RRC connection, to the mobile station.
In Step 5, the mobile station performs a setup of the RRC connection in accordance with the "RRC Connection Setup", and then transmits a "RRC Connection Setup Complete" for reporting the completion of the setup of the RRC connection, to the radio controller apparatus.
In Step 6, the mobile station transmits a "Service Request" to a mobile exchange station through the radio controller apparatus.
In Step 7, the radio controller apparatus transmits the "Service Request" received from the mobile station, to the mobile exchange station.
In Step 8, the mobile exchange station transmits a "Security Mode Command" to the radio controller apparatus, so as to perform a security-related setup.
In Step 9, the radio controller apparatus transmits the "Security Mode Command" to the mobile station, so as to perform the security-related setup.
In Step 10, the mobile station transmits a "Security Mode Complete" for notifying a setup of a security-related parameter and the completion of the setup, to the radio controller apparatus.
In Step 11, the radio controller apparatus transmits the "Security Mode Complete" for notifying the completion of the setup of the security-related parameter, to the mobile exchange station.
In Step 12, the mobile station transmits an "Active PDP Context Request" for requesting a setup of a PDP context, to the mobile exchange station through the radio controller apparatus.
In Step 13, the radio controller apparatus transmits the "Active PDP Context Request" received from the mobile station, to the mobile exchange station.
In Step 14, the mobile exchange station transmits a "RAB Assignment Request" for requesting a setup of a radio access bearer (RAB), to the radio controller apparatus.
In Step 15, the radio controller apparatus determines whether or not to perform Inter-RAT handover to the LTE system, on the basis of information on the RAB whose setup is requested by the received "RAB Assignment Request".
In Step 16, when determining to perform Inter-RAT handover to the LTE system, the radio controller apparatus transmits a "RAB Assignment Response" for reporting that the RAB whose setup is requested is not to be set up, to the mobile exchange station.
Moreover, when determining to perform Inter-RAT handover to the LTE system, in Step 17, the radio controller apparatus transmits a "Relocation Required" for requesting Inter-RAT handover to the LTE system, to the mobile exchange station.
In Step 18, the mobile exchange station transmits a "Relocation Command" for instructing Inter-RAT handover to the LTE system, to the radio controller apparatus.
In Step 19, the radio controller apparatus transmits a "Handover from UTRAN Command" for instruct to perform Inter-RAT handover to the LTE system, to the mobile station.
In Step 20, the mobile station changes the radio access technology of a target for connection to the LTE system, and then starts data communications in the LTE system.
By contrast, assume that a mobile station in an idle mode in the LTE system requests to start voice communications. In this case, since the LTE system does not provide any voice communication service bearer, the mobile station needs to be instructed to perform Inter-RAT handover to the UMTS at a stage for a setup of a voice service bearer in a procedure for a call setup in the LTE system, and to start voice communications in the UMTS.
Non-patent Document 1: 3GPP TR25.913 V7.3.0, "Technical specification group radio access network; Requirement for Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA) Release 7.5"
However, the above-described conventional mobile communication system has the following problems.
Specifically, in the conventional mobile communication system, if a RAT in which the mobile station is in an idle mode does not provide communication service requested by the mobile station, or if there is a different RAT capable of providing the communication service more efficiently than the RAT being used provides, the mobile station is instructed to perform handover to the different RAT in a quite late stage in a connection setup procedure (after reaching Step 18 in the example of FIG. 12). This increases processing load on each access node of the RATs, and increases connection delay occurring between a calling operation by a user and completion of establishing a User-plane (U-plane).

Mobile communication method, mobile exchange station, radio base station and mobile station