A method of processing first and second record packets of real-time information includes computing for each packet a deadline interval and ordering processing of the packets according to the respective deadline intervals. A single-chip integrated circuit has a processor circuit and embedded electronic instructions forming an egress packet control establishing an egress scheduling list structure and operations in the processor circuit that extract a packet deadline intervals, place packets in the egress scheduling list according to deadline intervals; and embed a decoder that decodes the packets according to a priority depending to their deadline intervals.

The Internet has long been usable for Internet file transfers and e-mail by packet switched communication. A different technology called circuit switched communication is used in the PSTN (public switched telephone network) wherein a circuit is dedicated to each phone call regardless of whether the circuit is being communicated over in silent periods. Packet switched networks do not dedicate a channel, thereby sharing a pipe or channel among many communications and their users. Packets may vary in their length, and have a header for source information, destination information, number of bits in the packet, how many items, priority information, and security information. A packet of data often traverses several nodes as it goes across the network in "hops." In a stream of data, the packets representative thereof may, and often do, take different paths through the network to get the destination. The packets arrive out of order sometimes. The packets are not only merely delayed relative to the source, but also have delay jitter. Delay jitter is variability in packet delay, or variation in timing of packets relative to each other due to buffering within nodes in the same routing path, and differing delays and/or numbers of hops in different routing paths. Packets may even be actually lost and never reach their destination. Delay jitter is a packet-to-packet concept for the present purposes, and jitter of bits within a given packet is a less emphasized subject herein.
Voice over Packet (VOP) and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) are sensitive to delay jitter to an extent qualitatively more important than for text data files for example. Delay jitter produces interruptions, clicks, pops, hisses and blurring of the sound and/or images as perceived by the user, unless the delay jitter problem can be ameliorated or obviated. Packets that are not literally lost, but are substantially delayed when received, may have to be discarded at the destination nonetheless because they have lost their usefulness at the receiving end. Thus, packets that are discarded, as well as those that are literally lost, are all called "lost packets" herein except where a more specific distinction is made explicit or is plain from the context.
The user can rarely tolerate as much as half a second (500 milliseconds) of delay, and even then may avoid using VOP if its quality is perceptibly inferior to other readily available and albeit more expensive transmission alternatives. Such avoidance may occur with delays of 250 milliseconds or even less, while Internet phone technology hitherto may have suffered from end-to-end delays of as much as 600 milliseconds or more.
Hitherto, one approach has stored the arriving packets in a buffer, but if the buffer is too short, packets are lost. If the buffer is too long, it contributes to delay.
VOP quality requires low lost packet ratio measured in a relatively short time window interval (length of oral utterance for instance, with each packet representing a compressed few centiseconds of speech). By contrast, text file reception can reorder packets during a relatively much longer window interval of reception of text and readying it for printing, viewing, editing, or other use. Voice can be multiplexed along with other data on a packet network inexpensively over long distances and internationally, at low expense compared with circuit-switched PSTN charges.
A Transport Control Protocol (TCP) sometimes used in connection with the IP (Internet Protocol) can provide for packet tags, detection of lost and out-of-order packets by examination of the packet tags and retransmission of the lost packets from the source. TCP is useful for maintaining transmission quality of e-mail and other non-real-time data. However, the delay inherent in the request-for-retransmission process currently may reduce the usefulness of TCP and other ARQ (automatic retransmission request) approaches as a means of enhancing VOP communications.
RTP (Real Time Transport Protocol) and RTCP (RTP Control Protocol) add time stamps and sequence numbers to the packets, augmenting the operations of the network protocol such as IP.
For real-time communication some solution to the problem of packet loss is imperative, and the packet loss problem is exacerbated in heavily-loaded packet networks. Also, even a lightly-loaded packet network with a packet loss ratio of 0.1% perhaps, still requires some mechanism to deal with the circumstances of late and lost packets.
A conventional speech compression process has a portion that samples, digitizes and buffers speech in a frame buffer in frame intervals (e.g. 20 milliseconds), or frames, and another portion that compresses the sampled digitized speech from one of the frames while more speech is being added to the buffer. If the speech is sampled at 8 kiloHertz, then each 20 millisecond example frame has 160 analog speech samples (8.times.20). If an 8-bit analog to digital converter (ADC) is used, then 1280 bits (160.times.8) result as the digitized form of the sampled speech in that 20 millisecond frame. Next the compression process converts the 1280 bits to fewer bits carrying the same or almost the same speech information. Suppose the process provides 8:1 compression. Then 1280/8 bits, or 160 bits of compressed or coded speech result from compression. The compressed speech is then put in the format of a packet, thus called packetized, by a packetizer process.
For every frame of compressed speech in a packet, loss of that packet means loss of each frame in that packet. There then arises the problem how to create 160 bits or more of lost compressed speech. Reduction of packet loss and late packet handling strategy are very important challenges in advancing VOP technology.
Telephony represents a duplex channel. In the case of packet telephony one side (the ingress side) receives voice or digitized voice (PCM data) and produces packets by using any of several compression processes. This ingress side is almost completely 'synchronous'. Voice is changed into frames. The size of the frames for a given data compression process is fixed. Thus the appearance of frames in the system is both clock-like, and fully predictable. The time of execution of a task that compacts the "PCM data" frames into packets (the frame tasks) is known. The appearance of the packets on the output is both predictable as well as quasi-periodic.
On the other side (the egress side) of packet telephony the packets are converted to PCM frames, which (frames) are added to output buffers for each channel. The packets arrive at rate for which only the average if known. This average depends on the process used and thus on the frame size to be produced. The data from the output buffer is output at a constant rate. If not replenished in time, the data will run out at some 10 msec boundary.
Each packet may be considerably off 'its' ideal position in the timeline. Since the density of arrival of packets is only known statistically, the egress side becomes essentially asynchronous. Yet each packet must meet its deadline or be thrown away.

Circular time differencing add/subtract delta to TMAX on sign, MSB


A liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device in which the effective power of driving pulses for acceleration is optimized to improve response characteristics of optical transmittance, a method of driving the apparatus, and a camera including the apparatus. The liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device according to the present invention includes a driving-pulse generating circuit (16) for generating driving pulses having pulsed voltages, a liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting unit (12) for changing the optical transmittance of a liquid crystal according to pulse shapes of the driving pulses, and a microcomputer (19) for controlling frequencies and duty ratios of the driving pulses. The microcomputer (19) exercises control so that the driving-pulse generating circuit (16) generates driving pulses including driving pulses for acceleration, having a pulse shape with a first frequency and a first duty ratio, and driving pulses for dimming, having a pulse shape with a second frequency that is different from the first frequency and a second duty ratio that is different from the first duty ratio.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device that controls the amount of transmitting light, and to an apparatus for driving the liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device. The present invention also relates to a camera in which the liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device is used as a diaphragm.
2. Background Art
In cameras such as video cameras with built-in cameras, electronic still cameras, and still cameras, diaphragms are provided so that aperture values can be changed.
FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an optical system of a conventional camera.
Referring to FIG. 8, light coming from a point 101 of a target becomes parallel beams 111 through a lens 102, and the parallel beams are partially blocked by a dual-blade diaphragm 103 and remaining beams 112 are transmitted, forming an image on an imaging surface of an imaging device 105 through a lens 104. The amount of light that transmits through the two-blade diaphragm 103 is adjusted by changing the area of a diaphragm aperture 107 by moving the blades of the two-blade diaphragm 103 by a driving apparatus 106.
The method described above, in which the amount of light that reaches the imaging device 105 from the target is adjusted by partially blocking light coming from the target by the diaphragm, causes diffraction at the edges of the blades, allowing diffracted light 113 to also reach the imaging device 105. The diffracted light 113 reaches a point that is different from the focus of the main light 112, causing degradation in resolution. The degree of degradation in resolution due to the diffraction is determined by the ratio between the amount of the light 112 that transmits through the diaphragm aperture 107 and the amount of the diffracted light 113 that diffracts at the edges of the diaphragm aperture 107, and it therefore becomes larger as the size of the camera is reduced and the size of the diaphragm is reduced accordingly. Thus, this problem is significant considering the recent miniaturization of cameras.
In order to overcome the problem, as an alternative to a blade diaphragm, a liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device that employs liquid crystal has been proposed. The liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device is disposed in place of a blade diaphragm. Since the optical transmittance is substantially uniform over the entire surface on which light is incident, and the optical transmittance can be controlled continuously, the liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device allows adjustment of the amount of light without causing degradation in resolution due to diffraction. That is, the aperture value can be adjusted.
In the liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device, in order to achieve quick response in changing the optical transmittance, a voltage that is higher (or lower) than a target voltage for achieving a specified optical transmittance (a driving voltage for acceleration) is applied to a liquid crystal for a short period. By supplying a certain electric power by the driving voltage for acceleration, a large driving force is exerted on the liquid-crystal molecules in the process of changing the orientation of the liquid crystal.
When the driving voltage for acceleration is applied by pulses, the pulses must be applied for an optimal time in order to achieve optimal response characteristics. For that purpose, the resolution increases as the frequency of the pulses becomes higher, allowing delicate control of the time of application.
However, since the liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device is electrically a capacitor having the liquid crystal held between electrodes, a large amount of power is consumed at pulse edges if the frequency is high. In order to reduce power consumption, it is possible to reduce the current by disposing a resistor in series with the liquid crystal held between the electrodes. However, according to this method, a low-pass filter is formed by the liquid crystal and the capacitor, causing degradation in the response characteristics of the liquid crystal. Thus, from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption, the frequency of the pulses is preferably as low as possible.
As described above, the frequency of the pulses of the driving voltage for acceleration must satisfy contradicting requirements.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device and a liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting method that allow delicate control of a driving power for acceleration.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a camera in which the liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device is used as a diaphragm to avoid degradation in resolution due to diffraction.

Liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device, method of driving liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device, and camera including the liquid-crystal light-amount adjusting device


The invention relates to a method for determining device criticality in a computer system comprising the steps of building a component hierarchy graph using computer configuration information; labeling the nodes of component hierarchy graph with redundancy attribute; traversing the component hierarchy graph; and determining whether the device loses an access path by inspecting the redundancy attributes within the component hierarchy graph. Furthermore, one of a plurality of severity levels is assigned to each identified affected resource based on predetermined criteria. The severity levels include a low severity level, a medium severity level, and a high severity level. Each severity level represents degree of impact to the computer system if functionality of the identified affected resource became unavailable.

Computer servers are utilized in a variety of applications. Systems, such as server systems executing purchase transactions for an Internet-based merchant, usually have a high-availability design. Such high availability systems are designed to be running and available at all times. Thus, the need for powering down and rebooting these systems for any reason for example maintenance, upgrades, system crashes, troubleshooting, etc., has to be avoided as much as possible. Typically, these systems have a plurality of expansion slots, wherein a card is coupled to the slot. Mass storage devices and network adapters are examples of components that may be connected via such cards. Generally, one or more further devices may be coupled to the card via cables.
To maintain high-availability, online card operation capability has been integrated into high availability computer systems. The online hot plug operation capability enables a user and/or a system administrator to perform online hot plug operations without powering down and rebooting these systems. Examples of online card operations include adding a card to the system by coupling it to a slot, replacing an existing card that is coupled to a slot with another card, and removing a card from the system by uncoupling it from a slot while the system is running. These online hot plug operations generally require that particular drivers for the card be suspended and that the power to the slot(s) of interest be shut-off before a card can be added, replaced, or removed. Generally, slot power control and drivers may facilitate these online card operations. In some systems, several slot power domains are configured, wherein slots in each slot power domain share a common power line. If an online card operation is performed on any slot in a slot power domain, then all the slots in the slot power domain may lose power, increasing the complexity of performing the online card operation.
Before such an online hot plug operation, typically a resource analysis is performed on the computer systems. The resource analysis may also be useful when groups of cards are taken offline in a single operation such as when an entire chassis of cards is removed from the computer system while the system is running. The resource analysis may also be referred to as a "critical resource analysis" (CRA). The CRA may analyze and report the impact of powering down each slot associated with any card that is involved in any attempted online hot plug operation example, adding, replacing, or removing card(s). This may require identifying affected resources of the system. Conventionally, the identified affected resources are assigned a low severity level or warning level and a high severity level or critical level. If the identified affected resources are essential for system operation, they are assigned the critical level. This indicates that if the slot(s) is powered down causing the unavailability of the functionality of the card(s) coupled to it, the system likely will crash or enter an unhealthy/failed state. The user is generally prevented from performing the online card operation if an identified affected resource is assigned the critical level so that the system keeps running to maintain the desired system availability level. The manner of determination of whether an identified affected resource is "essential for system operation" may vary among different systems. If the identified affected resources are not essential for system operation, they are assigned the warning level. This indicates that if the slot(s) is powered down causing the unavailability of the functionality of the card(s) coupled to it, the system likely will not crash or enter an unhealthy/failed state.
In general, CRA performs a series of checks to conclude if the card and/or slot and the resources/devices associated with it are essential to system operation. The CRA functionality is intended to keep the system running and avoid inadvertent reboots as well as prevent the system from getting into an unhealthy state.

Method and system to determine device criticality for hot-plugging in computer configurations

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A portable and collapsible blind including a flexible cover mounted on a support structure having a plurality of side walls and a top; wherein at least one side wall includes first and second opposite edges, and the opposite edges cooperatively defining a window; an elongated member extending across the opposite edges; and a selective fastener joined to one edge and adjustably joined to the strap, the fastener selectively being fixedly joinable to the elongated member.

Hunters, photographers, bird watchers, etc. often desire or have a need to remain hidden from view of wildlife they are observing or pursuing. Although permanent blinds or shelters have been used for this purpose, the lack of adjustability of the structures is a significant disadvantage.
The blinds are often placed on rough terrain. The manufacturer does not know whether the occupant will be looking up a hill or down in a valley from inside the blind. The manufacturer does not know the height of the occupant's chair or if they are even using one. Moreover, the blind may be placed on ground so rough that the blind rests at an angle. All these factors impact the proper location of the window(s). That is, the location of the occupant's eyes inside the blind and the area to be observed outside the blind need to be in a direct line passing through the window.
In the past, windows have been made large, which has an additional drawback. Game can generally see in the window that the occupant looks out. For the occupant to be truly hidden, the window gap needs to be able to remain small, while in position for observation.
Game typically moves on game trails. The game tends to follow a known path and crosses expected locations. Not all of these locations are ideal for shooting either a camera or a weapon. The hunter may not need or want windows in locations from which the game is unreachable. In some locations, the game may come from any direction and other times not. However, present blinds lack the ability to laterally enlarge or shrink the window such that it can circumscribe the blind or only provide one small peak hole.
An example of the shortcomings in the prior art can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,680, which describes a ground tent having four sides and a top, with a plurality of poles having a spring-biased foot subassembly supporting a fabric cover. Such a structure is not practical for use as a blind and it is time-consuming to set up when needed. This tent does not have a variable slot for observation of game through which the hunter may extend a rifle and shoot the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,105,505 describes a portable and collapsible tent having four walls, a floor and a dome ceiling. This structure is not suitable for use as a blind. This tent does not have a variable slot for observation of game through which the hunter may extend a rifle and shoot the game.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,026,312 and 3,941,140 describes a foldable free-standing tent having end walls, a floor and side walls which slope upwardly to a peak. This structure is cumbersome to set up and is not suitable as a blind. This tent does not have a variable slot for observation of game through which the hunter may extend a rifle and shoot the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,235 describes a portable shelter which is sphere-shaped and requires several supporting poles or rods. It is cumbersome to set up and take down and would not be suitable for use as a blind in the field. This portable shelter does not have a variable slot for observation of game through which the hunter may extend a rifle and shoot the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,809 describes a van tent, i.e., a tent-like extension for attachment to the rear of a van. This structure is useful as a shelter for workmen who require easy access to their van for tools and materials and who do not desire to go out into the elements while working. This structure is not at all suitable as a temporary blind in the field because it requires a van to support it. This tent does not have a variable slot for observation of game through which the hunter may extend a rifle and shoot the game.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,338 describes a portable blind including an integral fabric forming four walls and top in what is typically referred as a pop-up construction. This blind has four resilient and flexible legs. The blind has at least one window including a flap movable between an open and a closed position. The blind also has a door that may be moved between an open and a closed position. This blind does not have a variable slot for observation of game through which the hunter may extend a rifle and shoot the game.
There has not heretofore been provided a light-weight, portable, easily collapsible blind or shelter having the combined features of the present invention. What is needed is a portable blind designed for easy set-up with variable windows that may be adjusted to the desired height at the bottom edge and desired height at the upper edge, thus allowing the window itself to be vertically moved to a preferred location with adjustability of the size of the window gap. Desirably, the window should be adapted to circumscribe the blind and be openable in any select portions thereof, while allowing other portions to remain closed.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A system provides for direct transfer of data from one mass storage device, such as a hard disk drive, to another storage device, through an EIDE controller. Data from one disk drive, on one of the primary or secondary EIDE channels, is routed through the EIDE controller, to another disk drive on the other EIDE channel. The EIDE controller employs a pair of multiplexers and block move buses that allow data to be selectively routed between the primary and secondary EIDE channels. The processor in a host PC need only initialize the transfer with a few commands. Thereafter, the EIDE controller performs all block data transfers between the hard disk drives, without additional processor involvement.

Personal computers ("PCs") typically employ multiple components, such as: (i) a processor for processing commands, (ii) a memory array for temporarily storing data, (iii) input devices such as keyboards and mice for inputting user commands, (iv) output devices such as visual display devices and printers for providing an output of visual data to users, and (v) mass storage devices such as hard and floppy disk drives for permanently storing data. The components are intercoupled by a bus. A basic input/output system ("BIOS") and operating system ("OS") generally control basic operation of the processor, the other components, and their interaction therebetween via the bus. Upon such a platform, the PC can perform various software applications, such as word processing, spreadsheet, database and other applications.
As software applications become longer and more complex, the PC must provide increased speed and performance so that the applications can run efficiently and without undue delays. Since the various computer components communicate through and share the bus, and since no two components can seize the bus concurrently, the bus has caused delays. As more components are attached to the bus, a propagation delay through the bus increases as the components coordinate to use the bus. More importantly, the bus becomes a bottleneck as the need for greater amounts of data to transfer along the bus exceed the capacity, or bandwidth, of the bus. "Bandwidth" typically refers to the number of bits per unit time that can be transferred along the bus.
One solution to the bottleneck caused by the bus, and thereby a solution to need for faster PCs, has been to create multiple bus hierarchies. Under such hierarchies, two or more buses are employed in the PC. Typically, a local or processor bus couples the processor and the memory array. An expansion or input/output ("I/O") bus couples the input/output devices and mass storage devices, such as hard drives. The processor and I/O buses communicate with each other via a bus interface or controller coupled therebetween.
The processor bus has a high bandwidth and thus is able to rapidly transfer data between the processor and the memory array. The I/O bus performs slower data transfers, such as writing data to, or reading data from, a disk drive, transferring data to a video or printer card for outputting data to a display device or printer, or other operations involving input and output devices ("peripheral devices"). When the processor requires data from, e.g., the hard drive, the processor issues a command to an I/O controller, which in turn, communicates to the hard drive to read the requested data. When the hard drive outputs the data to the I/O controller, the I/O controller notifies the processor that the requested data is now available. Thereafter, the processor receives the data, via the I/O and processor buses, to perform operations on the data or write it to the memory array. Such a transfer of data, however, requires the active intervention of the processor to transfer the data between the hard drive and the memory array. Since the processor is involved with transferring data, it cannot perform other tasks, which ultimately slows the PC's performance.
To improve the PC's speed, direct memory access ("DMA") techniques arose that allowed large volumes of data to be moved without significant processor intervention. When the processor desires to read or write a block of data, it issues a command to a DMA module, with at least the following information: (1) whether a read or write is requested, (2) an address of the device on the I/O bus involved in the transfer (e.g., the hard disk drive), (3) a starting location or address in the memory array to read data from or write data to, and (4) a number of words or bytes to be read or written. The processor then identifies an address to write data to or read data from on the hard disk. Thereafter, the processor is free to perform other tasks.
Concurrently, the DMA module issues the appropriate read and write commands and addresses to transfer an entire block of data, one word at a time, directly from the memory array to the hard disk, or vise versa, without further involving the processor. Whenever possible, the DMA module exchanges data along the slower I/O bus, allowing the processor to freely use the processor bus. When the data transfer is complete, the DMA module sends an interrupt signal to the processor indicating that the transfer is complete. The processor typically then ensures that all data was transferred successfully. Thus, the processor is involved only at the beginning and end of the data transfer. The processor, however, still must be involved during the DMA transfer. If data from one hard disk is to be transferred to another hard disk, the data must first be transferred to the memory array under one DMA transfer. Thereafter, the data must be transferred from the memory array to the second hard disk under a second DMA transfer. The processor would thus be involved at least four times during such a transfer between hard disk drives. Such involvement by the processor necessarily slows the performance of the PC.
To further speed performance of the PC, computer designers have attempted to increase the performance of the hard disk drives, which perform considerably slower than the processor. As is known, hard disk drives and other I/O devices require an interface or controller to permit communication between the processor and the I/O device. To help speed performance of the hard disk drive, and therefore provide improved PC performance, a hard disk drive interface, known as the Integrated Drive and Electronics ("IDE") interface was developed. The IDE interface transfers data from a hard disk to a bus at a maximum rate of 5 megabytes per second, which is faster than previous disk drive interfaces. Nevertheless, if large amounts of data are to be transferred, e.g., from a hard disk drive to a tape drive, the 5 megabyte rate will slow a PC computer and require most of the memory array and bus bandwidth to perform such a transfer.
To help improve PC performance, particularly when data is exchanged under such a disk drive to tape drive transfer (typically as a back-up system for data archival purposes), one known system expedited this transfer using the IDE interface. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,877, a data archival device allowed data to be written to a tape drive coupled to an IDE interface, while data was read from a disk drive coupled to the interface. A software routine managed access to the tape drive, as well as controlled the tape drive to seize the IDE interface only during periods when information was being communicated over the interface. Such a system, however, required certain routines, buffers, and control electronics, within the tape drive, which can be expensive and limited for use with the tape drive. The disclosed system is unavailable for transferring data between hard drives. Additionally, the system still requires data from the disk drive to be transferred first to the memory array, and then to the tape drive, thereby requiring processor intervention, memory in the array and bus bandwidth.
While the system disclosed in the '877 patent had certain limitations, such as requiring certain control electronics in the tape drive, it nevertheless was adaptable for use with the standard IDE interface. The IDE interface provided enhanced PC performance, but it still was considerably slower than the speed of most processors. Additionally, the IDE interface could accommodate only two drives. Users soon required not only a hard disk drive and a tape drive, but also two or more hard disk drives and other storage devices, such as compact disk, read-only memory ("CD-ROM") drives, and so on. Many of these devices could transfer data at a rate much greater than the 5 megabytes per second limitation of the IDE interface.
Recently, enhanced IDE ("EIDE") has become available, which allows up to four devices to be connected thereto, two devices coupled along a primary IDE interface or bus, and two coupled along a secondary IDE bus. Each bus can operate at a maximum rate of 16 megabytes per second, or possibly greater. The EIDE interface also allows for large DMA data transfers. Under such DMA transfers, the EIDE interface seizes the I/O bus and operates as a "bus master," functioning like the processor, to thereby allow large blocks of data to be transferred to and from the hard disk drive to the memory array without processor intervention.
The details on DMA transfers performed by EIDE controllers is described in detail in Small Form Factors Committee document SFF-8038i. In general, under such a DMA transfer, the processor stores a physical region descriptor ("PRD") table in the memory array that includes one or more PRDs. The PRDs describe one or more areas of memory in the memory array used in the DMA data transfer. Under a "scatter/gather" mechanism, large blocks of data can be scattered to various locations in the memory array (each identified by a separate PRD), and then gathered again for transfer back to a hard disk drive.
While the EIDE interface provides improved DMA transfers between a hard disk drive and the memory array, the CPU, nevertheless, must be employed to create the multiple PRD entries in the PRD table. Moreover, if a transfer from one hard disk drive to another were required, the processor would be involved twice during the transfer, once during transfer from the first drive to the memory array, and then from the memory array to the second drive. Such a data transfer between hard disk drives would necessarily tax not only the I/O bus, but also the processor bus to which the memory array is coupled. Moreover, large amounts of memory in the main memory array are required for large data transfers.

Method for transferring data directly between the first and second data storage devices without transferring data to the memory array or over the input-output bus


A composition for of controlling scale formation and deposition and corrosion in aqueous systems is described wherein a treatment solution of a substoichiometric amount of a composition comprising a scale/corrosion inhibitor in combination with a substituted alkylpolycarboxylate is employed. The scale/corrosion inhibitor can be a phosphonate such as hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid, 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid, hydroxyphosphonoacetic acids, amino phosphonates; terpolymers, copolymers and homopolymers of acrylic acid, maleic acid, epoxysuccinic acids such as polyepoxysuccinic acid or mixtures thereof. The substituted alkylpolycarboxylates are compounds of the general structure: R--X.sub.m --Y.sub.n wherein R is a hydrocarbon functionality having 4 to 18 carbons; X, when present, is --NH--, --NY.sup.1 --, --N-->O, --N--OC--Y.sup.1, --O-- or --S--; n is greater than or equal to 1; m=O or 1; and Y and Y.sup.1 each independently represent a substituted or nonsubstituted carboxylic acid functionality such that said alkylpolycarboxylate has at least 2 carboxylic acid functional groups.

Although the composition of the present invention has general applicability to any given system where corrosion and/or the formation and deposition of scale is a potential problem, the invention will be discussed in detail as it concerns circulating cooling water systems. The present invention relates to a composition having enhanced scale and corrosion inhibiting properties in aqueous systems. In industrial cooling systems, water such as from rivers, lakes, ponds, etc., is employed as the cooling media for heat exchangers. Such natural waters contain large amounts of suspended material such as silt, clay and organic wastes. The cooling water circulating through a heat exchanger is typically circulated through a cooling tower, spray pond or evaporative systems prior to discharge or reuse. In such systems, cooling is achieved by evaporating a portion of the water passing through the system. Because of the evaporation which takes place during cooling, suspended materials in the water become concentrated. Fouling materials from the feedwater or as a result of the evaporative concentration can settle in locations of low flow rates and cause corrosion and inefficient heat transfer. Agglomerating agents such as polyacrylamides and polyacrylates have been used to agglomerate fine particles of mud and silt into a loose floc for removal. However, these flocs tend to settle in cooling tower basins and frequent cleaning is necessary to remove the settled flocs from the tower basins.
The water employed in industrial cooling water systems also often contains dissolved salts such as calcium, magnesium, etc., which can lead to scale and sludge deposits. One of the most common scale deposits in circulating aqueous cooling systems is calcium carbonate. It normally results from the breakdown of calcium bicarbonate, a naturally occurring soluble salt. Calcium carbonate has a relatively low solubility and its solubility decreases with increasing temperature and pH. Thus, the rate of calcium carbonate deposition increases with increasing pH and temperature.
Deposit control agents such as phosphates, phosphonates, polymaleic acids and polyacrylates are often used to inhibit calcium carbonate scale formation in industrial cooling water systems. The use of polyacrylates or polymaleic acids alone is not effective at high calcium concentrations because undesirable polyacrylate- or polymaleate-calcium adducts are formed reducing efficacy. Although phosphonates are very efficient at controlling calcium carbonate scale formation, they can produce insoluble phosphonate-calcium complexes or calcium phosphate scale upon degradation.
Preventing the corrosion and scaling of industrial heat transfer equipment is essential to the efficient and economical operation of a cooling water system. Excessive corrosion of metallic surfaces can cause the premature failure of process equipment requiring down time for the replacement or repair of the equipment. Additionally, the buildup of corrosion products on heat transfer surfaces impedes water flow and reduces heat transfer efficiency thereby limiting production or requiring down time for cleaning. Reductions in efficiency will also result from scaling deposits which retard heat transfer and hinder water flow.
Scale can also cause rapid localized corrosion and subsequent penetration of metallic surfaces through the formation of differential oxygen concentration cells. The localized corrosion resulting from differential oxygen cells originating from deposits is commonly referred to as "under deposit corrosion".
The treatment of industrial waters to inhibit scale formation with polyepoxysuccinic acid (hereinafter PESA) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,962 incorporated herein by reference. The general formula for PESA is: ##STR1## wherein n ranges from about 2 to 50, preferably 2 to 25; M is hydrogen or a water soluble cation such as Na.sup.+, NH.sub.4.sup.+ or K.sup.+ and R is hydrogen, C1-C4 alkyl or C1-C4 substituted alkyl (preferably R is hydrogen). PESA is known to be an effective inhibitor for scale control.
Other materials that are employed to inhibit scale formation and/or corrosion include phosphate type inhibitors such as hydroxyethylidene diphosphonic acid (HEDP), 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (PBTC), hydroxyphosphonoacetic acid, amino phosphonates; terpolymers, copolymers and homopolymers of acrylic acids, maleic acids; and blends thereof.

Composition for controlling scale formation in aqueous systems


A lens barrel including a telescopic cylinder accommodated within a fixed cylinder and lenses, the lens barrel having lens retaining frames and a lens driving device which drives the telescopic cylinder between a collapsed position and an extended position, wherein the lens barrel further includes a retractable lens that is retracted into the fixed cylinder through an opening in a wall of the fixed cylinder when the telescopic cylinder is in the extended position, a retractable lens retaining frame therefor and an impact preventing member, and wherein if the lenses are in the extended position and an external impact is received by the lens barrel, the impact preventing member abuts against one of the lens retaining frames to prevent the lens retaining frames from moving to the collapsed state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel that collapses, stores lens groups therein when not in use, and extends the lens groups to predetermined positions when photographing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lens barrel, a camera, and a portable information terminal apparatus including a lens barrel suitable for a zoom lens unit that can change the focal distance by relatively moving a plurality of lens groups.
2. Discussion of the Background
With improvement in high performance of a photographing lens such as a zoom lens unit that is capable of changing the focal distance and in downsizing according to the user's demand as to an image pickup apparatus such as a digital camera, there are increasing types of image pickup apparatus employing a so-called collapsing photographing lens unit in which lens cylinders are stored within a body of the image pickup apparatus when photographing is not carried out. Furthermore, since not only simple reduction in dimensions, but also further reduction in thickness of the image pickup apparatus are also demanded, it is now important to reduce the thickness of the lens barrel portion in a collapsed state to the minimum limit.
As a technology to cope with the demand for reduction in thickness of the image pickup apparatus, a collapsible construction has been used, in which the lens cylinders are stored into the body of the image pickup apparatus when the photographing is not carried out and in which a part of the lenses is evacuated from an optical axis of the lenses in photographing, when the lens cylinders are collapsed and stored. Such a technology is disclosed, for example, in JP-A 2003-315861 and in JP-A 2003-149723. According to the structures disclosed in these Japanese unexamined patent application publications, since a part of the lenses is evacuated from the optical axis when the lens cylinders are stored, the dimension of the entire lenses in a direction of the optical axis can be reduced in the collapsed state, so that the thickness of the image pickup apparatus can be reduced.
However, in the structures disclosed in JP-A 2003-315861 and JP-A 2003-149723, the position of the lens evacuated from the optical axis is substantially within that lens cylinder which has the maximum outer diameter. Therefore, the lens cylinders contribute to reduction in thickness of the image pickup apparatus when the lenses are stored, but the outer diameter of the lens barrel increases. When compared with a case where the lens is not evacuated from the optical axis, since the outer diameter of the lens cylinders increase, the dimensions of the lens cylinders, in particular, the dimensions of the lens cylinders as viewed in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis increase. As a result, there arises a problem that the dimensions of the image pickup apparatus, in particular, the dimension as viewed from a front side of the image pickup apparatus increases.
On the other hand, in a lens barrel in which some of the lenses are evacuated from the optical axis when the lens barrel is stored, if an external impact is applied to the lens barrel as in a case of unintentional drop of a camera, a portable information terminal, or the like including the lens barrel, or collision of the camera, the portable information terminal, or the like against another object, a lens frame of the lens barrel at an object side is forced into a collapsed state when the lens to be evacuated is on the optical axis. This causes a specific problem of making the retractable lens retaining frame subject to damage.

Lens barrel, camera and portable information terminal


The present invention relates to a semiconductor device including a high withstand voltage MOS transistor and a manufacturing method thereof. The semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a MOS transistor in which a second-conductivity type source region is formed on a first-conductivity type semiconductor region, an offset drain region is interconnected to a second-conductivity type drain region and has a concentration lower than an impurity concentration of a drain region, the offset drain region is composed of a portion that does not overlap a first-conductivity type semiconductor region and a portion that overlaps part of the surface of the first-conductivity type semiconductor region and a gate electrode is formed on the surface extending from a channel region between the source region and the offset drain region to part of the offset drain region through a gate insulating film.

In recent years, markets of displays are rapidly expanding as personal computers and home television receivers are becoming larger in size. At present, in the field of displays, cathode-ray tubes are most popular displays because they are excellent in visibility, such as high-definition, high-intensity, a wide angle of view and high contrast. On the other hand, as displays are becoming larger in size, such larger displays need larger areas and this increase of area receives a remarkable attention. Therefore, in addition to liquid-crystal displays and projector displays, flat panel displays such as organic electroluminescence displays that can decrease their thickness much more have been so far expected as next-generation displays instead of the cathode-ray tubes. In accordance therewith, also in the fields of semiconductors, a demand for a high withstand voltage process that can form high withstand voltage driving ICs, e.g. high withstand voltage display driver ICs is increasing.
AMOS transistor having a conventional structure, for example, has a so-called symmetrical arrangement in which second-conductivity type source region and drain region are formed on a first-conductivity type semiconductor well region serving as a back-gate region and a gate electrode is formed on the surface of the semiconductor well region between the source region and the drain region through a gate insulating film, although not shown. In such MOS transistor, as the gate length decreases, a resistance component in the channel region decreases so that the MOS transistor can operate at higher speeds. In the MOS transistor having the above-mentioned structure, however, if the gate length decreases in order to increase operation speed, then when a drain voltage increases, a depletion layer from the drain region reaches the source region to cause a breakdown and hence a withstand voltage cannot be obtained.
Accordingly, as the high withstand voltage MOS transistor, there has been so far developed an offset drain type lateral operation MOS transistor in which a source-drain withstand voltage can increase, i.e. a transistor called an LD (lateral diffused) MOS transistor. FIG. 8 shows an example of an offset drain type high withstand voltage MOS transistor. This example is applied to an n-channel MOS transistor. This high withstand voltage MOS transistor 18 has a structure in which an offset drain region 20 formed of a lightly-doped n− semiconductor region is fabricated into a p-type semiconductor well region 6 that serves as a back-gate electrode. Specifically, after an n-type epitaxial layer 5 had been epitaxially deposited on a first-conductivity type, e.g. p-type silicon semiconductor substrate 2 through a second-conductivity type n-type buried layer 4, an element separation region e.g. element forming region separated by a field insulating layer 3 formed by selective oxidation (so-called LOCOS) is formed. A p-type semiconductor well region 6 is formed within this element forming region to oppose the surface such that it may contact with the n-type buried layer 4. An n semiconductor region having an impurity concentration lower than that of a drain region 8D, e.g. so-called off-set drain region 20 is formed within this p-type semiconductor well region 6. Then, a heavily-doped n+ source region 8S is formed within the p-type semiconductor well region 6 and a heavily-doped n+ drain region 8D is formed distant from the gate within the offset drain region 20. A gate electrode 10 is formed on the surface of a channel region 8C formed of the p-type semiconductor well region 6 between the source region 8S and the off set drain region 20 through an insulating gate film 9. A source electrode 11S and a drain electrode 11D are interconnected to the source electrode 8S and the drain electrode 8D, respectively. Reference numeral 12 denotes an insulating film made of a suitable material such as SiO2. The high withstand voltage MOS transistor is constructed in this manner. In the offset drain type high withstand voltage MOS transistor 18, an electric field can be relaxed and a withstand voltage can be increased by expanding a depletion layer generated by applying a drain voltage to the side of the offset drain region 20 formed of the lightly-doped n− semiconductor region. In the high withstand voltage MOS transistor 18 shown in FIG. 8, another process for forming the offset drain region 20 should be added.
On the other hand, there has been proposed an offset drain type high withstand voltage MOS transistor having a structure that can be manufactured with the existing processes without addition of processes when the offset drain type high withstand voltage MOS transistor is applied to a CMOS transistor. FIG. 7A shows a fundamental structure of an offset drain type high withstand voltage MOS transistor that can be manufactured with the existing processes of the CMOS transistor.
This high withstand voltage MOS transistor 1 is formed within an element separation region, e.g. an element forming region separated by a field insulating layer 3 formed by selective oxidation (so-called LOCOS) after an n-type epitaxial layer 5 had been epitaxially deposited on a first-conductivity type, e.g. p-type silicon semiconductor substrate 2 through a second-conductivity type, e.g. n-type buried layer 4. Specifically, a p-type semiconductor well region 6 serving as a back-gate region and an n− semiconductor region having a concentration lower than an impurity concentration of the drain region, i.e. so-called offset drain region 7 are formed within this element forming region to oppose the surface such that they may contact with the n-type buried layer 4. A p-type element forming layer beneath the field insulating layer 3, i.e. so-called channel stopper layer 19 is formed with the same process at the same time the p-type well region 6 is formed. A heavily-doped n+ source region 8S is formed within the p-type semiconductor well region 6 and a heavily-doped n+ drain region 8D is formed distant from the gate within the n− semiconductor region 7 that is the offset drain region. Then, a gate electrode 10 is formed on a surface extending from a channel 8c formed of the P-type semiconductor well region to a part of the n− semiconductor region 7 that is the offset drain region. A source electrode 11S and a drain electrode 11D are respectively interconnected to the source region 8S and the drain region 8D. Reference numeral 12 denotes an insulating film made of a suitable material such as SiO2. The high withstand voltage MOS transistor 1 is constructed in this manner.
In this high withstand voltage MOS transistor 1, similarly as described above, when a reverse bias is applied between the source electrode 11S and the drain electrode 11D, the depletion layer expands from a pn junction between the p-type semiconductor well region 6 and the offset drain region (also referred to as a "drift region") formed of the n− semiconductor region to the n− semiconductor region 7. The electric field is relaxed by using the expansion of the depletion layer toward the n semiconductor region 7, whereby the withstand voltage of the MOS transistor can be maintained.
When the above-mentioned high withstand voltage MOS transistor 1 is applied to the CMOS transistor, the above-described offset drain region 7 comprising one second-conductivity type channel MOS transistor is formed at the same time a semiconductor well region serving as a back-gate region in the other first-conductivity type channel MOS transistor formed in other region, not shown, is formed. Specifically, when the high withstand voltage MOS transistor 1 is formed as one n-channel MOS transistor comprising the CMOS transistor, the offset drain region 7 formed of the lightly-doped n semiconductor region interconnected to the n+ drain region 8D is formed at the same time in the process in which the n-type semiconductor well region serving as the back-gate of the other p-channel MOS transistor comprising the CMOS transistor is formed. Consequently, it is possible to manufacture the CMOS transistor including the offset drain type high withstand voltage MOS transistor with the number of the existing processes.
In the above-mentioned high withstand voltage MOS transistor 1, since one process serves both as the process for forming the element separation layer (p-type channel stopper layer) 19 and the process for forming the p-type semiconductor well region 6, after the n-type epitaxial layer 5 had been epitaxially deposited and the field insulating layer 3 had been formed as shown in FIG. 7B, the element separation layer 19 and the p-type semiconductor well region 6 are formed at the same time. Specifically, after the field insulating layer 3 had been formed, a photoresist mask 14 having an opening 14a across a part of the field insulating layer 3 and an opening 14b located on the field insulating layer 3 is formed by patterning a positive type photoresist film, for example, and the p-type semiconductor well region 6 and the element separation layer (p-type channel stopper layer) 19 are formed by implanting ions of p-type impurities, e.g. ions of boron 15 through this photoresist mask 14. Having considered the case in which the element separation layer 19 is formed, ion implantation conditions are designed in such a manner that the impurity concentration may reach a peak 15 on the surface (accordingly, the depth position) of the n-type epitaxial layer 5 beneath the field insulating layer 3. In the positive type photoresist mask 14, the end portions of the opening portions 14a, 14b are formed like tapered end portions as illustrated in order to prevent interference of light required when the photoresist film is exposed thereto.
In the above-mentioned high withstand voltage MOS transistor 1, the field insulating layer 3 has a film thickness of approximately 800 nm, for example, and energy for implanting ions is approximately 360 keV. The film thickness of the photoresist mask 14 should increase as energy for implanting ions increases as described above, and the photoresist mask needs a film thickness of about 2.4 μm. One process can serve both as one process and the other process by optimizing the process conditions as described above.
However, there arises a serious problem that the threshold voltage Vth becomes larger than a designed value and is fluctuated as energy for implanting ions increases. Specifically, when energy for implanting ions is large as shown in FIG. 7B, the impurity ions 16 are caused to go through the photoresist mask 14 at the opening end portions (tapered end portions) of the photoresist mask 14 in the element forming region side so that the impurity concentration peak 15 moves near the surface of the n-type epitaxial layer 5 along the angle of the tapered opening end portion of the photoresist mask 14, thereby resulting in a heavily-doped impurity region 17 (see FIG. 7A) that exerts a serious influence upon the threshold voltage Vth.

Semiconductor device and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract: Thus, there can be obtained an offset drain type MOS transistor having a stable threshold voltage Vth and a low ON-state resistance.


A mount for adjusting an optical component, comprises a support for the optical component that is pivotable only about a single axis and which is resiliently urged in one direction about the single axis, and a pair of adjusting cams movable towards and away from each other in contact with the support alternatively to pivot the support about the single axis in a reverse direction which is opposite to the one direction and to allow the support to be return-urged in the one direction.

Many devices include optical components which must be adjusted accurately in order to function as intended. For this reason, the optical components are often provided with adjustable mounts.
One of the main problems in prior art mounts for adjusting optical components is that the mounts cannot be easily adjusted to a precise position. This problem is discussed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,301 issued Nov. 14, 1989.

Mount for adjusting an optical component


A lens care container comprising a container cup and a cap that is removably attachable to the container cup to cover an opening in the container cup. The cap includes a top panel and a coupling hub. The top panel includes a pressure-release vent positioned within a deflection region. The coupling hub defines an interior gas vent path. A volume of gas generated from cleaning solution within the cup passes into the interior gas vent path to disengage a lens holder seal from a cap pressure-release vent, allowing the gas to exit through the cap pressure-release vent.

Contact lens containers of various styles and functionality are utilized for storing, cleaning and/or disinfecting contact lenses. In some lens containment and care systems a hydrogen peroxide based lens care solution is used, wherein the contact lenses to be cleaned and/or disinfected are deposited in contact with the hydrogen peroxide solution for a certain period of time, in order that cleaning and/or disinfecting of the contact lenses can take place to a satisfactory extent. The contact lens containers utilized in such lens care systems typically comprise closable baskets, which open to receive the contact lenses to be cleaned and dose to retain the lenses during treatment. The baskets are typically part of a contact lens holder component, which in turn can be connected to the cap of a contact lens container, for example via a stem or rib. Before the cap is placed onto the container cup, the container cup is dosed to a prescribed fill level with a hydrogen peroxide lens care solution. A catalyst tablet, for example catalase which gives delayed release of catalase, can be added to the container cup before or after adding the hydrogen peroxide solution. Finally, the contact lens holder containing the lenses to be treated is immersed into the hydrogen peroxide solution in the container cup, and the container is dosed by screwing the cap onto the container cup.
The closure of the cap on the container cup may form a water-tight seal, to prevent leakage of the cleaning solution. The contact lenses are allowed to remain immersed in the solution for a period of time sufficient to complete the specified cleaning and/or disinfecting process. The oxygen produced from decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in the cleaning solution typically must be allowed to discharge from the container in some manner. Attempts to provide oxygen discharge exist, for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,389 and U.S. Pat. No. 8,757,367.
Continued improvements to lens care systems for cleaning, disinfecting and storing contact lenses are desired. It is to the provision of improved lens care systems that the present invention is primarily directed.

Pressure-venting container for disinfection and storage of contact lenses


Printing groups are each comprised of at least two cooperating cylinders, each of which is mounted in a bearing unit that radially displaces its associated cylinder. At least one of these bearing units is provided with an actuator which is controlled, or regulated by a control unit. An inking unit, which encompasses at least one ink application roller, is provided for each printing group. At least one of the cylinders of the printing group, and an ink application roller of the associated inking unit can optionally be placed against each other. A dampening unit, comprising at least one dampening fluid application roller, is also provided. At least one of the cylinders of the printing group and a dampening fluid application roller of the dampening unit are also optionally placed against each other. The at least one actuator for the bearing unit is remotely controlled and is embodied either as a hydraulic actuator or as a pneumatic actuator.

From WO 95/24314 A1 a printing unit of this general type is known. Four blanket-to-blanket printing groups are arranged vertically, one above another, and can be moved horizontally relative to one another in the area of their blanket-to-blanket printing points. To accomplish this, the printing groups situated on the same side of the web are each mounted within a shared frame. At least one of the frames can be moved horizontally.
EP 12 64 686 A1 discloses a printing unit with blanket-to-blanket printing groups arranged vertically one above another. The printing group cylinders are mounted in a center frame section, and the two inking units are each mounted in outer frame sections. These outer frame sections can be moved horizontally relative to the center frame section, in order to introduce plate-handling devices into the space between them as needed.
From DE 22 34 089 C3, a web-fed offset rotary printing press is known. A panel section having multiple printing groups can be moved relative to a panel section having the corresponding impression cylinders. The printing group cylinders and the allocated inking units are mounted together as units in this panel section such that they can be moved and/or removed.
In DE 43 27 278 C2 a printing unit having the structural design of a side frame is disclosed, on which transfer and forme cylinders, of a specific circumferential format, are rotatably mounted. Specific modular inking units from various types of inking units can be used as required.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,557,381 A shows a printing unit that can be flexibly equipped for various printing processes and numbers of printing points. In each case, the inking units and the printing group cylinders are arranged one above another in the form of a tower, and as such can be moved toward one another and/or away from one another. Different types and different numbers of printing units and inking units or inking systems can be selectively used in a standard frame.
From EP 02 46 081 A2, a printing unit, having multiple modular units, each containing the printing cylinders of a printing group, and containing units configured as inking units, is known. The inking units are horizontally adjustable relative to the printing cylinders for the purpose of engagement and disengagement, and vertically can be placed in contact with different printing groups, for example with different printing groups of different printing lengths. The modular units that contain the printing cylinders can be interchanged as needed with modular units of other printing lengths.
DE 102 02 385 A1 shows a drive train between the cylinders of a printing group with variable printing lengths. Two intermediate gears are arranged between cylindrical spur gears that do not mesh with one another.
In EP 06 99 524 B1 drive trains for printing units are disclosed. In one embodiment, a paired drive for the printing group cylinders is accomplished with a single motor via enmeshed spur gears.
WO 03/039872 A1 describes printing group cylinders that, in one embodiment, are actuated in pairs by a drive motor. A transmission that couples the two cylinders is enclosed in its own housing.
In DE 195 34 651 A1 a printing group for use in indirect printing, comprised of a three-cylinder system for single-sided printing or a four-cylinder system for double-sided printing on a web of printing substrate, is known. All of the cylinders, or all but one cylinder in the respective cylinder system have a bearing support on one side of each cylinder that has rectilinear, radially displaceable jaws, wherein the opposite, other side of each cylinder is equipped with a fixed bearing support without adjustable jaws. To execute a change in the axial distance to the adjacent cylinder in all but one cylinder, additional operating cylinders that act orthogonally to the movable jaws are provided for displacing the cylinders. Because the axial spacing of the cylinders is adjustable, different printing substrate thicknesses, etc. can be compensated for, and different web widths can be processed. An inclined positioning of the forme cylinder as a diagonal resister adjustment is also possible. All movement processes for the support elements can be implemented using a computing and storage unit, in which the target positions of the relevant mechanisms are stored, and which is connected at its input side to measured-value transducers that scan the positions of the cited mechanisms, and at its output side to drives for positioning these mechanisms. A separately actuated electric motor is provided for each of the cylinders. Each of the forme cylinders is also equipped with an auxiliary drive for an axial displacement that effects its lateral register adjustment.
From EP 03 31 870 A2 a device for mounting a pair of cylinders in a printing press is known. The bearing housings, each of which supports a journal of the cylinder, can be acted upon by an arrangement of pressure medium cylinders with forces that are equal to one another, different from one another, or the same in groups, in order to adjust a distance between the cylinders, wherein the respective direction of action of each of the pressure medium cylinders is the same. With this arrangement of pressure medium cylinders an essentially unidimensional adjustment is therefore possible. The adjustable forces can be adjusted or preselected during machine operation or even prior to the start of machine operation using an adjustment/preselection/control or regulation device. If the device is a controller, a sensor is allocated to this controller, and reports its observations to the controller. The pressure adjusted at the pressure medium cylinders by the controller can be continuously adjusted as needed, for example, to correspond to the press speed of the cylinders or to correspond to the rotational speed of these cylinders within broad limits during operation of the device.
EP 0 941 850 A1 relates to a control device for controlling the printing of one or more material webs in a rotary printing press from a control panel, which device comprises an analysis table configured to hold at least one printed sample for examination. The control device has an interface system between an operator and the individual components of the printing press, with a selection device for selecting all functions of the printing press. A control and monitoring system is provided, which is suitable for transferring selected data to the rotary printing press in order to activate the selected component of the printing press.
In WO 02/081218 A2 individual linear bearings for two transfer cylinders, each mounted in sliding frames, are known, An actuator for the sliding frames can be configured as a cylinder that can be acted upon by pressure medium. In order to define an end position for the adjusting movement extending crosswise to the cylinder plane, an adjustable stop is provided.
From DE 102 44 043 A1 devices for adjusting rollers in a printing press are known. The two ends of a roller that exerts a contact force on an adjacent rotational body are each mounted in a support bearing having a roller socket that is capable of radial travel. Each support bearing has a plurality of actuators that can be acted upon by a pressure medium and themselves act on the roller. A roller that can be adjusted in this manner is also engaged, for example, against a forme cylinder.
From DE 38 25 517 A1 a device for the engagement/disengagement and adjustment of inking unit and/or dampening unit rollers of a printing press is known. A memory-programmable control device automatically controls the position of an inking unit or dampening unit roller in relation to a stationary distribution roller using an input, predetermined contact force. The memory-programmable control device issues a positioning command to an electric actuator. The actuator, which is configured as a direct-current motor, passes the positioning command on to a corrector element. The corrector element is responsible for the mechanical displacement of the inking unit or dampening unit roller. The electric actuator and the corrector element are arranged in a roller socket of the adjustable inking unit or dampening unit roller. With the device known from DE 38 25 517 A1, a remote adjustment of the inking unit or dampening unit roller is possible. Based upon a basic setting for the adjustable inking unit or dampening unit rollers, for various production methods, adjustment values for other settings can be stored in the memory-programmable control device. Therefore, the adjustment values for the inking unit or dampening unit rollers are dependent upon the production method selected. Adjustment values, which are input in advance, for the various settings that correspond to the production method, are determined by the memory-programmable control device using a program.
From WO 03/049946 and WO 2004/028810 A1, methods for operating an inking unit or dampening unit of a printing press are known. In the inking unit or dampening unit at least three rollers or cylinders are provided, which can come into contact with one another in at least two roller strips. At least one of the rollers is mounted in a machine frame so as to be displaceable in relation to the other rollers. The displaceably mounted roller is pressed into the gap between the adjacent rollers with a force that is adjustable in terms of degree and direction, to effect the variable adjustment of the respective contact force.
From DE 36 10 107 A1, a setting device for adjusting the position of a roller is known, and with which, the roller can be engaged against a counter roller, or disengaged from that roller. At each roller end, a roller journal is mounted in a bearing block, resting in a stationary bearing housing. The latter is comprised of a base plate and a guide plate, which extends along the outer end surface of the bearing block. The bearing block has guide jaws that encompass the guide plate, so that the bearing block can be displaced along the guide plate. In the base plate are two hydraulic pistons that act on one side to displace the bearing block in one direction. To shift the bearing block in the other direction, in the upper area of the guide plate an additional hydraulic piston is arranged, which acts on the roller journal. A preferred area of application for adjustment devices of this type is wet pressing or smoothing units in paper machines. Other areas of application include plastic calenders or roller units.

Printing groups comprising at least two cooperating cylinders and radially movable bearing units


A soldering device for plastics adhering includes a handle having two protruded rings and a button assembly, a body having a pivoting portion and a head portion, the body pivotally rotated relative to the handle in a certain angle between the body and the handle, two conducting rods electrically connected to the button assembly, one end of each conducting rod inserted into the body, another end of each conducting rod exposed out from the body, an electrical storage element assembled into the handle and electrically connected to the button assembly and the two conducting rods. Therefore, when a user presses the button assembly, a unit of electricity is delivered to the conducting rod, so that an amount of heat is generated to adhere or repair an article.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a soldering device, and more particularly to a soldering device for plastics adhering.
2. Description of Related Art
In order to manufacture different kinds of electric products and plastic products, people bind several elements with each other to form these products. Therefore, methods for binding elements become an important issue. One of these methods is soldering, which is performed by melting parts of one element and attaching said element to another element via heat energy.
In addition of attaching elements, soldering is also applicable to repair the cracks or holes for plastic products. People used to apply adhesives to repair the cracks on a plastic product in the past; however, the original crack will break easily for a long-term use because of the poor adhesion ability of the adhesives.
A conventional soldering gun comprises a body, a driving mechanism having a clutch, a first connecting bar, a second connecting bar, a sliding blocker and a heating head, one end of the clutch pivotally rotated relative to the body, another end of the clutch connected to one end of the first connecting bar, another end of the first connecting bar pivotally connected to one end of the second connecting bar, another end of the second connecting bar pivotally connected to the sliding blocker which is assembled to the heating head, the driving mechanism further having a spring, a stopping blocker and a rail. Under this arrangement, when a user launches the clutch, the heating head is exposed out of the body because of the driving mechanism so as to offer a safety for the user.
However, the conventional soldering gun has a disadvantage as following.
When the user solders the cracks which are at a corner of a target, the user may twist their wrist for soldering said target in a long period. Therefore, the user will feel uncomfortable because the said twisting leads a pain to the muscle of the user.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional.


A connection part for connecting an interconnector is separated from a region having a photoelectric conversion layer formed thereon to improve a strength of the connection pad, thereby provide a solar cell suppressing cracks, breaks, and the like. A solar cell includes a photoelectric conversion layer, an electrode pad formed on the photoelectric conversion layer, an interconnector connected to the electrode pad, a metal thin film formed under the photoelectric conversion layer, a relay terminal being spaced apart from the photoelectric conversion layer and the metal thin film and connected to the metal thin film by connection conductor, and a connection pad formed on the relay terminal.

A silicon crystal-based solar cell employing a silicon substrate and having a pn junction formed on the silicon substrate is currently on the mainstream. As a solar cell capable of achieving a higher photoelectric conversion efficiency than the silicon crystal-based solar cell, there is a solar cell employing a compound semiconductor of a direct-transition type having a greater optical-absorption coefficient. Many of compound semiconductor solar batteries employing a compound semiconductor currently under development is of a multi-junction structure having a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers with a pn junction and each photoelectric conversion layer having different band gap from one another. Therefore, since a sunlight spectrum can be utilized effectively, a higher photoelectric conversion efficiency than the compound semiconductor solar cell having one photoelectric conversion layer can be obtained. Particularly, a solar cell used for an artificial satellite or the like requires a high photoelectric conversion efficiency and reduction in weight. In light of the above, forming a compound semiconductor solar cell having a multi-junction structure on a resin film is considered.
FIG. 10 represents a solar cell string disclosed in WO99/62125 (PTD 1) formed by electrically connecting solar batteries employing a compound semiconductor. Solar batteries 152, 158 have corresponding integral bypass diodes 154, 160 respectively to form a solar cell string by means of an interconnector.
A first interconnector 164 connects a front contact 155 formed on a cascade cell 156 having a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers in solar cell 152 and a front contact 159 in solar cell 158, so that solar cell 152 and solar cell 158 are electrically connected. Second interconnector 165 connects front contact 155 of solar cell 152 and a back contact 163 of solar cell 158, so that solar cell 152 and solar cell 158 are electrically connected. The numerals 153 and 161 indicate front contacts. The numeral 157 indicates a back contact. The numeral 162 indicates a cascade cell having a plurality of photoelectric conversion layers.


A fan blade for a fan impeller is coupled to a front endring and a rear endring. The fan blade includes a first portion, a second portion, a third portion, a leading edge, and a trailing edge. The second portion is positioned on a first side of the first portion. The third portion is positioned on a second side of the first portion. The leading edge defines a leading edge blade angle and the trailing edge defines a trailing edge blade angle. The leading edge blade angle and the trailing edge blade angle are constant within the first portion and the leading edge blade angle and the trailing edge blade angle vary within the second portion and the third portion.

The field of the disclosure relates generally to centrifugal fans, and more specifically, to high efficiency forward curved impeller blades for centrifugal impellers.
Centrifugal fans or blowers are commonly used in the automotive, air handling and ventilation industries for directing large volumes of forced air, over a wide range of pressures, through a variety of air conditioning components. Fan impellers, such as centrifugal fan impellers, are used in a wide variety of applications. Many of these applications utilize a centrifugal impeller with a forward curved blade design, often referred to as a forward curved fan. A forward curved fan wheel has the advantage of being relatively compact in size relative to the volume of air that it can move. In contrast, a centrifugal fan wheel with backward curved blades is typically larger than and rotates at a greater speed, than a comparable forward curved fan. It is for this reason that forward curved fans are used in many residential, commercial, industrial, and automotive applications. Furthermore, at least some known forward curved fans include blade designs that include a constant inner diameter and constant inner and outer blade angles. Such blade profiles may decrease the blade's efficiency because the blades may not uniformly intake air across an entire blade span.

High efficiency forward curved impeller and method for assembling the same


Process for the alkylation of aromatic compounds which comprises contacting an olefin with an aromatic hydro-carbon in the presence of a zeolite and under conventional operating conditions, characterized in that the aromatic hydrocarbon, before the alkylation, is: a) treated to eliminate the oxygen dissolved therein; and/or b) percolated through a fixed bed consisting of particles of alumina modified with silver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process for the alkylation of aromatic compounds.
More specifically, the present invention relates to a process for the alkylation of aromatic compounds, carried out in the presence of a solid catalyst, and a method for increasing the period of the catalytic activity of said catalyst.


A top-emitting OLED display that includes a substrate; an array of OLED light emissive elements formed over the substrate; an encapsulating cover located over the OLED light emissive elements; and a circular light polarizer located between the encapsulating cover and the OLED light emissive elements. The present invention has the advantage that it improves the contrast and robustness of an OLED display by protecting the circular light polarizer from environmental wear and enables the application of additional structures on the top of the encapsulating cover.

Emissive flat-panel display devices are widely used in conjunction with computing devices and in particular with portable devices. These displays are often used in portable devices or in public areas with significant ambient illumination. In these locations, the contrast of the display is of great concern.
In particular, OLED display devices suffer from problems with contrast. It is known to use a circular light polarizer affixed to the surface of the display so that light incident on the display is absorbed by the polarizer, while light emitted by the display is not. This is problematic in that the circular light polarizer is exposed to the environment and is subject to scratching, peeling, moisture, dents, and the like, which reduces its effectiveness and acceptability.
In an attempt to address the problem, WO0210845 A2 entitled "High Durability Circular Polarizer for use with Emissive Displays" published Feb. 7, 2002 describes a high durability circular light polarizer including an unprotected K-type polarizer and a quarter-wavelength retarder and designed for use with an emissive display module such as an organic light emitting diode or a plasma display device. Such devices are expensive and remain subject to environment stress which can degrade their performance. Moreover, placing a circular light polarizer on the surface of the display device inhibits the further integration of other elements such as lenslet arrays and touch screen components over the display.
An additional protective cover may be provided over the circular light polarizer. The LS633 digital camera, sold by Eastman Kodak Company, e.g., employed a polycarbonate cover located over the circular light polarizer to provide environmental protection to the OLED display and circular light polarizer. While such an approach is effective in protecting the display and circular light polarizer, it adds weight, size, and cost to the display. Moreover, modeling and tests done by applicant demonstrate that such a design severely reduces the contrast of the display.
There is a need therefore for an improved OLED display that improves the robustness of the display while maintaining the display contrast.


A template for guiding the placement of a fixation device during a surgical procedure. The template comprises:. (a) a body portion; and PA1 (b) at least one guide disposed in a predetermined spacial relationship to the body portion;. wherein the template is configured such that at least a portion of the template may be aligned within the vagina of a patient such that the guide may be employed to direct the placement of a fixation device or other medical instrument through at least a portion of the tissue adjacent the vagina. A surgical method employing this template is also provided, along with an urethral sling used in conjunction with one embodiment of the template.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed towards a surgical template for use in gynecological procedures, as well as surgical methods employing this template. More particularly, the present invention provides apparatus and methods for ensuring proper placement of a fixation device during gynecological procedures, such as procedures for the correction of female stress urinary incontinence. An urethral sling which may be used in conjunction with the template is also provided.
2. Description of Related Art
Female stress urinary incontinence (SUI), defined as the unintentional loss of urine, can be a socially unacceptable problem for many women. Most often, the incontinence occurs during coughing, sneezing, or physical activity in women afflicted with this problem. While effective surgical treatment for this condition has existed for nearly 50 years, the procedures typically involve major abdominal surgery with accompanying post-operative limitations lasting six to eight weeks. Because of the nature of these surgical procedures, many women simply resort to diaper-like incontinence pads, or simply avoid any activities which result in the unintentional loss of urine.
In the normal resting state, the external pressure exerted on the collapsible urethra by the surrounding musculature is greater than the pressure exerted on the bladder, and therefore continence is maintained. During moments of coughing, sneezing, or physical activities, greater pressure will be exerted on the dome of a filled bladder. In women not afflicted with stress incontinence, a corresponding increase in the external pressure on the urethra acts to prevent the unwanted loss of urine from the bladder. Sufferers of SUI, however, aren't so fortunate.
Stress urinary incontinence is generally caused by two anatomic etiologies: intrinsic sphincter deficiency ("ISD"); and a loss of support of the periurethral tissue at the urethra-vesicular junction ("UVJ"--the region where the urethra enters the bladder). The latter situation (also known as hypermobile bladder neck) often occurs after childbirth, and is caused by a separation of the connective tissue which secures the periurethral tissue to the underside of the pubic bone. When this occurs, the UVJ will sag into the vagina, thereby reducing the pressure which can be exerted on the urethra during moments of stress. Diagnosis of any sagging of the UVJ can be easily determined by inserting the tip of a cotton swab into the urethra until it reaches the UVJ. The patient is then asked to bear down as if urinating, and loss of the UVJ support is readily identified by the upward movement of the wooden end of the cotton swab. In this test, the external urethral meatus acts as a fulcrum for the tip of the swab, and the elevation of the opposite end indicates the downward descent of the UVJ. U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,144 provides an alternative device which may be utilized to readily measure the angle of the UVJ in a similar manner.
ISD, on the other hand, is a functional problem in that the detrusor muscle (also known as the urethral sphincter) does not respond to sudden increases in intra-abdominal pressure. ISD can be caused by muscular withering with age, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, or prior incontinence surgery, all of which are related to a compromised blood supply to the detrusor muscle surrounding the urethra.
It is estimated that 10% of all incontinence is attributable to ISD, and the incidence of ISD is likely to increase as the population ages. For both types of stress urinary incontinence, however, various types of surgical procedures have been developed which often provide relief.
Various "urethropexy" procedures (often referred to as retropubic bladder neck suspension) fix or secure a portion of the tissue adjacent the patient's urethra (also referred to as the periurethral tissue) relative to a structure within the patient's body by means of a fixation device. The first urethropexy procedure for eliminating SUI caused by a sagging urethra was developed in 1948 by Drs. Marshall, Marchetti, and Krantz, and generally involves the fixation of the periurethral tissue at the UVJ on either side of the urethra (MMK procedure). Fixation in the MMK procedure, also known as abdominal culposuspension, is accomplished by suturing the periurethral fascia at the UVJ on either side of the urethra to the periosteum of the pubic bone. The procedure essentially alters the angular relationship between the urethra and bladder by elevating the UVJ, and therefore preventing the sagging of the UVJ when downward pressure is applied to the region by various stresses. The MMK procedure has been perfected by others over the years, however the essential principles have remained the same. Unfortunately, prior to Applicant's work, MMK procedures could only be performed via a large abdominal incision (referred to as an "open" procedure).
In 1955 Burch developed the urethropexy procedure of affixing the periurethral fascia bilaterally to Cooper's ligament, rather than the periosteum of the pubic bone, thereby resulting in a technically easier procedure because of the previous difficulties in passing a needle through the periosteum of the pubic bone. Although the Burch procedure has been performed laparoscopically, the five-year failure rate for the open Burch procedure is approximately 80%. A laparoscopic Burch procedure can be even more problematic since it is extremely difficult and time-consuming to tie sutures laparoscopically. Both the MMK and Burch procedures are referred to as retropubic suspensions.
Alternatively, needle suspension procedures such as those of Pereyra (West. J. Surg., 67: 223, 1959), Stamey (Surg., Gynec. & Obst., 136: 547, 1973), Raz (Urology, 17: 82, 1981), Gittes (J Urol., 138: 568, 1987) and Benderev (J. UroL, 152: 2316, 1994) have been developed for the correction of hypermobile bladder neck. In most of these procedures, a long needle having a suture attached thereto is passed into the abdominal cavity, through the space of Retzius, and through a portion of the periurethral tissue. Several bites of periurethral tissue are usually taken, and anterior fixation of the suture is accomplished by either securing the suture to the rectus fascia or by securing the suture to a bone anchor in the anterior pubis (as in the Benderev procedure). The needle and accompanying suture may or may not enter the vagina, depending upon the procedure and type of needle employed. Multiple passes of the needle through the periurethral tissue are usually employed, and the suture is usually weaved through the periurethral tissue in a helical pattern (or any of a variety of other patterns).
Although needle suspension procedures are often much quicker and simpler than the retropubic MMK and Burch procedures, the long-term failure rate is significantly higher. The gynecological procedures of MMK, Burch and others have proven to be the most effective. This is reputedly due to the lack of retropubic dissection in the needle suspension procedures and the subsequently absent post-operative fixative scarring in the space of Retzius. Scarring of the urethra and periurethral fascia to the undercarriage of the pubic bone also aid in fixation of all of the involved tissues during the MMK and Burch procedures, thereby assisting in the prevention of incontinence. Although these problems could perhaps be rectified by dissection of the space or Retzius during needle suspension procedures in order to promote the growth of fixative scar tissue in this region, such dissection is not always practical when one is attempting to minimize the invasiveness of the procedure by performing a needle suspension.
Failure also occurs because of suture pull-out, which is often caused by the surgeon's failure to take a sufficient bite of periurethral tissue when passing the needle therethrough. Needle suspensions are usually blind procedures which require the passing of long needles through the rectus fascia to the periurethral fascia utilizing a cystoscope or by using the underside of the pubic bone as a guide for the needle. A finger pressed against the vaginal wall may also be used to guide the passing of the needle into the vagina. Although these urological procedures avoid the 10-centimeter midline or Pfannenstiel incision and its' required three-day or longer hospital stay in the open procedures, it is often difficult for the surgeon to locate the proper location in the periurethral tissue through which the sutures should be passed. More significantly, the long needle may inadvertently pass into the bladder or the ureters despite transurethral endoscopic vision. Thus, the inappropriate or nonspecific placement of periurethral sutures contributes to the long-term failure rate of needle suspensions, and can also be directly responsible for interoperative and post-operative complications.
Recently, a modified version of the MMK procedure has been developed which utilizes bone anchors secured directly to the pubic bone on either side of the symphysis for fixation of the UVJ. The apparatus for performing this modified MMK procedure are sold by Mitek Surgical Products, Inc. of Norwood, Mass., and a number of U.S. patents concern these products (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,207,679, 5,217,486 and 4,899,743). In the Mitek-MMK procedure, a Pfannenstiel incision must be made in the abdomen in order to provide access to the space of Retzius. The space of Retzius is in actuality a "potential" space in that it contains various connective tissues and fats which must be dissected in order to provide sufficient access to this region. In fact, this connective tissue, particularly the areolar adventitial tissue, generally breaks down after vaginal delivery of a child, and this breaking down of the connective tissue often contributes to the onset of SUI in many women.
Once the space of Retzius has been dissected in the Mitek-MMK procedure, small anchors are secured in the pubic bone on either side of the pubic symphysis. Each of the bone anchors has a suture attached thereto, and these sutures are threaded through the periurethral tissue on either side of the urethra. The sutures are then tied off in the abdomen so that the periurethral tissue is pulled upward, which in turn restores the angle of the urethra at the UVJ, thereby restoring the urethra to its proper location. While the Mitek-MMK procedure is highly effective, it is a lengthy and complicated procedure which can generally only be performed by highly-skilled surgeons.
More recent advances in needle suspension procedures include those developed by Theodore Benderev and marketed by Vesica Medical, Inc. of San Clemente, Calif. This procedure is discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,544,664 and 5,582,188, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. The Benderev procedure differs from most other needle suspensions in that, like the Mitek-MMK procedure, a bone anchor may be used to attach the fixation device (in this case a suture) to the pubic bone. Unlike the Mitek-MMK, however, the bone anchors are secured to the anterior pubis (the topside of the pubic bone), thereby providing a minimally-invasive procedure. In the Benderev procedure, however, the suture extending from the anchor is once again passed blindly from the abdominal cavity into the vagina, thereby complicating proper suture placement.
In all of the above procedures, the fixation device (i.e., the suture) remains permanently within the patient. Scar tissue, however, will form about the fixation device, thereby reattaching a portion of the periurethral tissue directly to the supporting structure (e.g., the pubic bone). When the incontinence is caused by ISD or when the support tissues in the bladder neck area are irreparably damaged, however, the above-described procedures are not the recommended treatment. In these circumstances, a urethral sling procedure (also known as a pubovaginal or suburethral sling procedure) may be employed. In the "sling procedure", a urethral sling comprising a strip of flexible material acts as the fixation device. One end of the sling is typically sutured to the anterior rectus fascia, and the other end is then slung beneath the urethra and likewise sutured to the anterior rectus fascia. In this manner, incontinence is corrected due to the elevation of the UVJ and the compression of the urethra against the symphysis pubis. Similarly to the bladder neck suspension procedures, proper placement of the sling through the periurethral tissue is critical to the success of this procedure, and therefore the incisions in the periurethral tissue through which the sling passes must be precisely located.
The present invention provides a surgical template which may be employed to direct proper placement of a fixation device during a gynecological procedure. The template of the present invention may be employed, with slight modifications to its configuration, in any gynecological procedure wherein a fixation device is connected to a portion of the tissue adjacent the vagina (preferably the periurethral tissue), including bladder neck suspensions (both retropubic and needle suspensions), as well as vaginal sling procedures. In addition, the template of the present invention may be employed in both traditional open procedures as well as recently-developed laparoscopic procedures. By way of example, the template of the present invention may be employed in the MMK, Burch, needle suspension (including Benderev) and sling procedures described above.

Surgical template and surgical method employing same