Apparatus, methods and computer program products operate an electronic device to generate downlink allocation information and uplink allocation to be signaled to other electronic devices operative in a wireless communications system; and to operate radio apparatus to signal the downlink allocation information and uplink allocation information in a control channel, wherein the downlink allocation information is signaled in a downlink allocation portion of the control channel and the uplink allocation information is signaled in an uplink allocation portion of the control channel. In a variant, apparatus, methods and computer program products operate an electronic device to receive downlink and uplink allocation information signaled in a control channel by a wireless communications system; and to search for downlink allocation information in the downlink allocation portion and uplink allocation information in the uplink allocation portion.

Various abbreviations found in the specification are defined as follows:
3GPP third generation partnership project
LTE long term evolution
OFDMA orthogonal frequency division multiple access
UTRA universal territory radio access
UE user equipment
Node-B base station
eNB evolved Node-B
DL downlink (Node B to UE)
UL uplink (UE to Node B)
MCS modulation and coding scheme
SC-FDMA single carrier, frequency division multiple access
CCH control channel
CRC cyclic redundancy check
MBMS multimedia broadcast and multicast service
A proposed communication system known as evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN, also referred to as UTRAN-LTE or as 3.9G/LTE) is currently under discussion within the 3GPP. The current working assumption is that the DL access technique will be OFDMA, and the UL technique will be SC-FDMA.
Currently, a control channel concept for separately coding the resource allocation signaling is under discussion. At a 3GPP RAN1 meeting (RAN1#47, Riga, Nov. 6-10, 2006) it was decided to use the following assumptions for the control channel for DL control signaling (see TSG-RAN WG1 #47, R1-063580, "Way forward on downlink L1/L2 control signaling"):
downlink control signaling is located in the first n OFDM symbols of a sub-frame;
n<3;
data transmission in the downlink can, at the earliest, begin at the same OFDM symbol as the control signaling ends;
multiple control channels are used;
each control channel is convolutionally coded;
a UE monitors a number of control channels;
one control channel carries information for one MAC ID;
at least two formats (MCS) for control signaling is supported; and
the power setting of each control channel is determined by the Node-B.
Reference may also be had, for example, to TSG-RAN WG1 #47, R1-063147, "Downlink L1/L2 control signaling".
Further, in LTE the multiplexing of MBMS may occur in several different ways. IN one technique unicast services (normal cellular operation) and MBMS are multiplexed in the time domain (TDM). The MBMS transmissions are such that the content is the same in multiple cells. That means that there would be certain sub-frames where there would be no cell-specific shared DL channel. Most of the DL resources in the sub-frame would be used to transmit MBMS data common to many cells. There would, however, be a cell-specific control channel transmitted even in MBMS sub-frames, and this control channel would possibly signal UL assignments and Ack/Nacks for UL transmission. For this reason, it is possible that cell-specific control channels in MBMS sub-frames may be smaller than in unicast sub-frames.
Of particular interest to the exemplary embodiments of this invention that are described below is the encoding structure of the control channel.

Apparatus, method and computer program product providing dynamic sharing of resources between uplink and downlink allocations for separately coded users


A printer having a paper discharge mechanism which reliably prevents recording paper after completion of the printing operation from being pulled back inside the printer. The printer includes a paper feed roller 62 located on the upstream side of the printing position 83 along the horizontal paper transportation path of the printer. A paper cutting mechanism 67 is located downstream from the printing position. A pressure roller 66 presses the recording paper against a discharge roller 65 from the top side of the paper transportation path. A reversing-prevention lever 80 is disposed coaxially and freely rotatably to the pressure roller 66. The center of gravity of the reversing-prevention lever 80 is downstream from the axis of rotation 66e of the pressure roller 66, and the weight of the reversing-prevention lever 80 causes the reversing-prevention lever 80 to contact the top of the discharged paper 10. If the trailing end of the cut and discharged paper 100, which rests on top of the leading end of the roll paper 10, moves with the leading end of the roll paper 10 when the roll paper 10 is pulled back inside the printer after cutting, the trailing end of the discharged paper 100 contacts the reversing-prevention lever 80 and is thus prevented from being pulled back inside the printer.

1. Field of Technology
The present invention relates to a paper discharge mechanism for a printer that prevents recording paper discharged by a discharge roller from being pulled back into the printer by the discharge roller, and relates more particularly to a printer paper discharge mechanism that is suitable for use in a roll paper printer arranged to print on roll paper and then cut and discharge the printed paper.
2. Description of Related Art
Roll paper printers typically have a paper cutting mechanism and a discharge roller disposed downstream from the printing position where the print head is located. After printing, the printed paper tape is then cut to a certain length, and the cut length of paper is then discharged by the discharge roller. After discharging the paper, the paper tape is wound back inside the printer in order to position the leading end of the paper for the next printing operation. Roll paper printers having this type of paper cutting mechanism are taught, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2002-346976 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. 2003-118187.
To assure that the cut off end of the recording paper is completely discharged from the printer, the paper discharge operation continues until the trailing end of the cut paper passes the discharge roller. As a result, the leading end of the paper roll left after cutting off the printed end also extends a specific distance on the discharge side of the nipping portion of the discharge roller. If multiple discharged slips have accumulated in the discharge area, or if the paper is discharged at an angle, the leading end of the roll paper delivered downstream from the discharge roller may be inserted below one or more pieces of discharged paper. This can result in the discharged paper resting on top of the exposed leading end of the roll paper coming with the leading end of the paper tape when the paper is then pulled back inside the paper transportation path, resulting in the discharged paper being nipped and pulled by the discharge roller back into the transportation path. The discharged paper may thus be pulled by the reversing discharge roller back inside the printer when the roll paper is reversed for repositioning for the next printing operation.
Furthermore, thus pulling discharged paper back inside the printer can cause a paper jam.
While sensors can be used to detect the leading end of the paper tape that is pulled back into the printer, the sensor is unable to find the leading edge if the leading edge of the paper is overlapped by the discharged paper that is also pulled back inside. The leading end of the paper therefore cannot be correctly positioned for the next printing operation.

Paper discharge mechanism for a printer, and a printer


In a method and system for processing a photographic image having lightness values, L*, representing one of the colorimetric values of an original scene, the photographic image is transformed. The transformed image has a gamma as a function of CIE 1976 L*, which includes a dark region having a rising slope, a light region having a falling slope, and a plateau region having a slope constantly within 5 percent of a maximum value in said plateau region. The rising slope is at least twice as large as the absolute value of the falling slope. The plateau region is between 10 L* and 30 L* wide. Gamma is a derivative of visually perceived reproduced CIE 1976 L* versus scene CIE 1976 L*. Gamma has a maximum slope between 1.5 and 2.0.

It has long been recognized that the rendition of people is one of the most important aspects of color rendition. Consequently, a significant amount of research has been done in the field of the optimum color and tone reproduction of skin tones (D. L. MacAdam, Proc. I. R. E., 42, 1954, 166; R. W. G, Hunt, I. T. Pitt, L. M. Winter, "The Preferred Reproduction of Blue Sky, Green Grass and Caucasian Skin in Colour Photography", J. Photogr. Science 22, 144, 1974; M. Yamamoto, Y-H Lim, X. Wei, M. Inui, H. Kobayashi, "On the Preferred Flesh Colour in Japan, China and South Korea", The Imaging Science Journal, 51, 163, 2003). This literature indicates that preferences for the rendition of skin tones may differ by geographic region, ethnic and cultural background and skin type. (Also see the discussion of light and dark skin tones in U.S. Pat. No. 6,396,599 B1, to Patton et. al., entitled "Method and Apparatus for Modifying Portions of an Image in Accordance with Colorimetric Parameters (hereafter "Patton").
Traditionally preferences were addressed by offering different films and sometimes different photographic papers for different geographic markets. Examples are Kodak Professional Portra films and Kodak Ultima 100, a professional film marketed in India. With the advent of digital capture and digital photofinishing it has become possible to address these preferences by customizing a suitable set of image processing parameters.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,381, to Keelan et. al., entitled "Customizing a Digital Camera based on Demographic Factors" describes a digital camera customized for skin color and redeye based on demographic factors. Regional customization can be implemented at camera manufacturing, as part of the camera firmware, or by providing different camera menus by region. Regional optimization of skin tone reproduction is performed using region-specific matrix coefficients to convert camera RGB values to Standard CCIR 709 primaries.
U.S. Published Patent Application 2003/0202194 A1, filed by Torigoe, entitled "Image Processing Apparatus and Information Processing Apparatus, and Method Therefore", (hereafter "Torigoe") addresses geographic preferences in relation to digital mini labs. Torigoe describes a color managed photofinishing system with multiple input and output devices, referred to as a color conversion apparatus. A storage unit contains output profiles for multiple geographic regions. Two different methods of implementing regional preferences are disclosed. In the first case, the operator accesses a user interface, which displays a triangle with 3 different names of regions, for example, America, Europe, and Asia. A preference anywhere inside the triangle can be selected, and the system will generate the appropriate output by blending the stored regional output profiles. The second method of customizing the output is to select preferences for the reproduction of important memory colors, for example, skin, sky, and foliage, and neutral colors. The user interface has a slider that lets the user select the degree of modification between the standard rendition and the preferred rendition. Color and tone manipulations include selective hue rotations and saturation adjustments of skin tones and brightness and color balance adjustments by region. Torigoe focuses on selective manipulations of the color and brightness of skin tones without special considerations regarding overall tone reproduction or smoothness of skin tone reproduction.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,633,410 B1, to Narushima, entitled "Printer for Printing Visually Equivalent Images Relative to Displayed Images" (hereafter "Narushima") addresses geographic preferences in relation to photofinishing kiosks. Narushima discloses a color-managed printing system, which contains a processing section for "desirable reproduction". This module addresses the observation that the preferred reproduction of common memory colors such as skin, foliage, and blue sky may not be the same as accurate calorimetric reproduction, both in terms of color specification as well as tone scale and image structure characteristics. Narushima describes a method for determining the preferred reproduction of various objects by using a judging method that may involve studying the flesh color of a large number of people. These preferences are addressed by selective color manipulations in an approximately perceptually uniform color space, e.g. CIELAB. Schematic diagrams of selectively shifting and or contracting colors in CIELAB are shown. The system allows variable selection and processing methods to determine if a color has to be moved. Such methods may include pattern recognition or analyzing the image to find if data are in a predetermined range. More global manipulations of color are also possible. Narushima teaches that the sequence of processing and the image processing parameters in the desired reproduction section can be customized for the intended user at the time of shipment.
Patton describes a system where the customer and/or lab can manually or automatically select the desired skin tone characteristics. Skin tones are selectively identified in scanned images based on at least one calorimetric parameter. The skin tones are then automatically modified towards the preferred position, which can be different depending on whether a dark or a light skin tone was identified. Different modifications for dark and light skin tones in a single image are possible. Skin tone modifications are achieved by color and/or density balance shifts, but preferably by employing a 3D LUT, which selectively modifies skin tones. While Patton identifies contrast of the face as one of the parameters that can be customized, the issue of implementing a global tone reproduction curve optimized for the rendition of people with a wide range of skin tones is not addressed. Likewise, no considerations are given towards obtaining a good texture of skin in the reproduction.
Other inventions use face detection algorithms to treat images containing people differently from scenic pictures without people. One example is given by U.S. Published Patent Application No. US2003/0035578 A1, filed by Dupin and Luo, entitled "Method for Processing Digital Image to Adjust Brightness", hereafter "Dupin") which describes a method for obtaining improved lightness balance for images containing skin or faces. The image is initially balanced using known scene balance methods, followed by an analysis to detect skin colored pixels that creates a skin probability map using an adaptive thresholding method derived from the gradient of the skin probability map. From the detected skin pixels, a brightness adjustment is calculated from the center weighted average of the skin colored pixels and predetermined constants for typical skin pixel brightness values and general algorithm tuning. Dupin does not teach or offer any direction concerning use or adjustment of the algorithm for regional or cultural preferences for skin brightness levels.
The above approaches have the shortcoming of ignoring the importance of structure and texture in skin tone reproduction. The relationship between the visually perceived densities of objects in an image scene reproduction compared to those in the original scene is a critical aspect of image reproduction. Traditionally, conventional silver-halide based photographic systems have produce a well known non-linear, "S"-shaped relationship between the viewed print density (in the case of a print system) vs. scene exposure, such as shown by "The Reproduction of Colour" by Dr. R. W. G. Hunt, Fountain Press, England, Fourth ed., (hereafter "Hunt"), see p. 54. While this type of curve may provide "snappy" reproductions of certain types of scenes, it tends to create a harsh look of peoples faces. With the advent of digital imaging it is possible to create preferred tonal reproductions from any capture source, e.g., photographic films, digital cameras, on a large collection of output media and devices, e.g., photographic, thermal or inkjet paper and any type of electronic display devices, e.g., television, computer displays, personal picture viewing devices and electronic paper.
As a general rule, a smooth appearance of skin tones is preferred. The appropriate texture of skin tones can be achieved using sophisticated image processing algorithms, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Published Patent Application No. US2003/0223622 A1, filed by Simon et al., entitled "Method and System for Enhancing Portrait Images". The approach is complex and processing intensive.
A smooth appearance of skin tones can also be accomplished by much simpler means of selecting an appropriate tone reproduction for a particular situation. U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,339, to Buhr et al., entitled "Color Image Reproduction of Scenes with Color Enhancement and Preferential Tone Mapping"; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,036, to Buhr et al., entitled "Color Image Reproduction of Scenes with Preferential Tone Mapping" disclose use of a family of tone reproduction curves optimized for skin tone reproduction. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,339, viewed densities on the print were defined as a function of the densities of the original scene. Limits were provided for the slope of this curve, in particular at medium scene densities, which are representative of skin tones and mid-gray tones. These slope limits are lower than what is currently used in most color reproduction systems. While such low slopes provide a smooth appearance of skin tones, it has been determined that the image, including the face, often looks too flat, with shadows having a tendency to look gray and relatively harsh transitions towards highlights.
It is well known to those skilled in the art that the perception of color includes other important attributes in addition to lightness, as addressed by the tone reproduction curve. Attributes that are frequently used in connection with perceptually uniform color spaces are lightness, chroma or saturation, and hue. Preferences for skin tone reproduction can be expressed in those terms, in particular using the CIELAB system (Yamamoto and K. Töpfer, R. E. Cookingham, "The Quantitative Aspects of Color Rendering for Memory Colors", Proceedings of IS&T's 2000 PICS Conference, Portland, Oreg., p. 94.). Individual and regional preferences for lightness, hue and saturation can be addressed by applying overall color and density shifts to the image or by selectively shifting certain regions of color space, e.g., important memory colors, such as skin tones. This approach is disclosed in Torigoe, Narushima, and EP 1139653 A2, filed by Buhr et al., entitled "Color Image Reproduction of Scenes with Preferential Color Mapping".
These approaches of selective color manipulations of skin tones ignore the wider issue of the preferred rendition of people, which also includes hair reproduction and reproduction of whites. White reproduction is important for rendering the background of eyes, teeth and for retaining good detail in clothing. Moreover, they tend ignore the importance of a smooth texture and overall appearance of human faces in image reproductions of people.
It would thus be desirable to provide methods and systems, which have an improved smooth rendering of skin tones and an improved rendering of people overall.

Tonescales for geographically localized digital rendition of people


A bird feeder which comprises a seed container, a cover, a seed tray below the seed container to receive seeds therefrom, and a shield which is secured to the seed container, the shield being spaced above said seed tray a distance sized to restrict access of certain sized birds to the seed tray.

The practise of feeding birds, particularly during winter months, is well established and practised in many different countries. Typically, bird feeders are utilized to entice birds to feed thereat. Many people enjoy the sight of birds feeding and try to attract different types of birds. Some birds, particularly song birds, are considered very desirable.
However, there are certain other birds, typically some of the larger birds, which are not considered desirable. These birds will typically consume a lot of feed and many are not considered attractive. Typical of such birds would be pigeons, starlings, grackles, etc. However, the problem of excluding such birds remains.


A charging system for a mobile device includes a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter includes (a) a first interface to a power source; (b) a second interface to the receiver; (c) a polarity detection circuit for detecting polarities of the; and (d) first and second switches controlled by the polarity detection circuit, wherein each switch selectively connects a terminal of the first interface to a terminal of the second interface. The receiver includes: (a) a first interface; (b) a second interface coupled to a device to be charged; and (c) a connection circuit between a terminal of the first interface and a terminal of the second interface, wherein the connection circuit is conductive when the voltage across these terminals is of a first polarity, and a second polarity otherwise.

1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to charging circuits for charging batteries in portable devices.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
There are two categories of wireless chargers for portable devices. In this regard, the term "wireless charger" refers to a charger that does not connect to the device to be charged through a charging cable. In one category, which is referred to herein as "direct contact chargers", a charger or charging station ("charge base") transfers energy through direct contacts to the device being charged. In the other category, which is referred to herein as "inductive chargers", a charger transfers energy over an electromagnetic field that couples the charger to the portable device being charged. Typically, an inductive charger is provided in the form of a charge base, and energy is transferred by inductive coupling from the electromagnetic field generated by the charge base to an electrical circuit, which in turns charges the batteries of the portable device.
An inductive charger typically has an induction coil which creates an alternating electromagnetic field from within the charge base. A second induction coil, provided in the portable device, takes power from the electromagnetic field and converts it into an electrical current to charge the battery. The two induction coils in proximity effectively form an electrical transformer. This form of induction charging has many disadvantages not present in direct contact charging. For example, relative to direct contact chargers, inductive chargers have a lower efficiency and increased resistive heating. As energy that is lost turns into heat, an inductive charger can get quite warm during charging. An increase in temperature unduly increases stress to the battery, so that batteries that are charged in this manner may not last as long, as compared to batteries charged on a mat or through a regular plug-in charger. The heat buildup, which occurs only during charging, represents a low efficiency that depends significantly on the relative position of the two inductively coupled coils. Implementations that use lower frequencies or older drive technologies charge more slowly and generate more heat. Unlike direct contact chargers, inductive chargers include drive electronics and coils, thus increasing complexity and manufacturing costs. Another disadvantage is a public health concern that the alternating electromagnetic field (˜5 W, at radio frequencies in the 80-300 kHz range) is typically used very close to the human body. Some charge bases transmit at 915 MHz, which is the frequency that is used for food heating in microwave ovens.
There are many ways to implement direct contact charging. One way uses point-to-point electrodes, such as those used in home cordless telephones. One disadvantage of point-to-point electrodes is device alignment (i.e., the charge base and the device being charged are required to be placed precisely aligned in position and in correct polarities). Another way uses multiple-point to strips, such as used in the Wildcharge system. The disadvantage is the device to be charged has to have multiple electrodes arranged in a small circle, which is usually provided at the weight center of the device to be charged to prevent tilting. If the device is tilted, electrical contact is lost and charging fails. Another disadvantage results from misaligned positions between the charge base and the device being charged (e.g., when two electrodes fall between two adjacent electrode strips).


A spread illuminating apparatus is provided which includes: a light conductor plate having a light inlet surface and two major surfaces; a light source unit disposed at the light inlet surface of the light conductor plate; and a light diffuser pattern disposed at the lower major surfaces of the two major surfaces of the light conductor plate, wherein the light source unit includes first and second white light sources which have respective different light emitting principles, are arranged in the width direction of the light conductor plate with their respective ends set close to one another, and which can be turned on and off independently of each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spread illuminating apparatus of side light type for use as a lighting means for a liquid crystal display device, and particularly to a spread illuminating apparatus suitable for use as a lighting means for a color liquid crystal display device for a compact mobile terminal, such as a mobile telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently, a spread illuminating apparatus of side light type in which a white light emitting diode (LED) as a primary light source is disposed at a side face (light inlet surface) of a light conductor plate is extensively used as a lighting means for a liquid crystal display (LCD) device with a relatively small display area for a compact mobile terminal, such as a mobile telephone. Such the white LED generally includes in combination a semiconductor light emitting element to emit a blue light and a fluorescent substance to absorb a blue light and emit a yellow light, whereby a spectrum distribution to produce a white light is developed (the white LED is referred to as "B+Y type LED").
Recently, a mobile terminal, such as a mobile telephone, increases its application and now functions as a video terminal to watch television programs, and a color LDC device for such the terminal is desired to present a high picture quality. The light emitted by the aforementioned B+Y type LED, however, is poor in a red spectral component and therefore is not perfectly suited for a video terminal to show television movies or the like which requires high color rending properties.
Under the circumstances described above, when high color rendering properties are required, an LED is used which includes in combination a semiconductor light emitting element to emit a blue light, a fluorescent substance to absorb a blue light and emit a red light, and another fluorescent substance to absorb a blue light and emit a light of a color other than red (for example, a yellow or green color), thereby realizing a spectrum distribution to produce a white light with enhanced color rendering properties (such the white LED is referred to as "B+RX type LED", where "X" may be, for example, "Y" for yellow or "G" for green) as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-244021.
The B+RX type LED, however, is inevitably deteriorated in visibility and conversion efficiency due to the increase of the red spectral component or achieves a smaller light beam than the B+Y type LED due to the increase of the fluorescent substance to absorb the blue light emitted from the semiconductor light emitting element.
The color rendering properties have been enhanced, for example, by employing a combination of a plurality of LEDs which incorporate respective semiconductor light emitting elements adapted to emit lights of respective different colors (typically, red, green and blue colors) as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-319514, or by employing an LED which includes such the respective semiconductor light emitting elements in one package (LED package) as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-183124 (the plurality of LEDs and the LED package are referred collectively as "RGB type LED" as appropriate). Such the RGB type LED emits a green light having a low luminance efficiency and therefore, like the B+RX type LED, achieves a smaller light beam than the B+Y type LED. And, furthermore, a power supply circuit is needed for each of the plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements, thus inviting a dimensional increase of the device.
The above-described LEDs of different types are adapted to emit white lights based on different light emitting principles and accordingly have different light emitting properties. Under such the circumstances, a spread illuminating apparatus is disclosed which incorporates a light source having the different types of white LEDs with the different light emitting principles in order to properly balance the luminance efficiency and the color rendering properties (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-203326).
Since a color LCD device for a mobile terminal, such as a mobile telephone, has a variety of usages in various environments, the properties of the light source have to be optimally controlled according to the usages and environments. For example, for reading characters in electronic mails, the color rendering properties do not necessarily have to be high, and the luminance efficiency receives priority. On the other hand, for watching pictures in the dark environments, the color rendering properties are important while a high brightness is not necessarily required. And, for use in the light environments, a high brightness is desired.
In the spread illuminating apparatus disclosed in, for example, the aforementioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-203326 where an illuminating light having specific properties is produced by simply turning on the different types of LEDs on a selective basis, it is difficult to achieve a decent brightness distribution across all lighting modes: specifically, the LEDs are all turned on at the same time, the LEDs are selectively turned on and off, and the like.

Spread illuminating apparatus and display device incorporating same


The chip bonding apparatus used in a chip bonding method includes a heating unit for heating an anisotropic conductive film at a first temperature; an attachment unit for attaching an integrated circuit chip to the anisotropic conductive film; a stage on which a substrate is seated; a chip transport unit for moving and aligning the integrated circuit chip that is attached to the anisotropic conductive film on the substrate; and a bonding head arranged above the stage to bond the integrated circuit chip that is attached to the anisotropic conductive film onto the substrate through thermo-compression of the integrated circuit chip onto the substrate at a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature.

Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a chip bonding apparatus and a chip bonding method.
Discussion of the Background
An organic light emitting display device is a type of self-luminous display device, and has been recognized as a next-generation display device since it has certain advantages, such as a wide viewing angle, superior contrast, and high response speed.
An organic light emitting display device may include a display panel displaying an image. The display panel may include organic light emitting elements, a driving circuit unit for driving the organic light emitting elements, an integrated circuit chip for transferring signals to the driving circuit, and a flexible printed circuit board for transferring the signals to an integrated circuit chip.
Typically, the integrated circuit chip and the flexible printed circuit board are electrically connected to metal wires that are arranged on a pad portion of a substrate included in the display panel through an anisotropic conductive film that includes conductive balls. A thin insulator surrounds the conductive ball in the anisotropic conductive film. The anisotropic conductive film is arranged between the integrated circuit chip and the pad portion and between the flexible printed circuit board and the substrate. The thin insulator may be broken by a thermo-compression process using a bonding head as the integrated circuit chip and the flexible printed circuit board are connected to the metal wires arranged on the pad portion of the substrate through the conductive ball.
However, since the temperature of the bonding head is high during the thermo-compression process, flexural deformation may occur on the integrated circuit chip that is pressed by the bonding head due to the high-temperature heat. Such flexural deformation of the integrated circuit chip may cause bumps that are arranged below the integrated circuit chip to come in partial contact with the anisotropic conductive film. In this case, reliability for the electrical connection between the integrated circuit chip and the metal wires arranged on the pad portion of the substrate through the anisotropic conductive film may be deteriorated.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Chip bonding apparatus and chip bonding method


A time-of-flight (ToF) camera is configured to illuminate a subject with IR light. For each sensor of a sensor array, camera space coordinates of a locus of the subject are determined based on the measured IR light. The camera space coordinates include a phase difference between emitted IR light and reflected IR light. A plurality of candidate positions of the locus of the subject are determined in world space based on the camera space coordinates. Each candidate position corresponds to a different phase wrapping of the phase difference. A phase wrapping is determined based on performing a searching algorithm on the different candidate positions. A depth value for the sensor is calculated based on the phase difference and the phase wrapping determined from performing the searching algorithm. A matrix of pixels is outputted from the camera. Each pixel of the matrix includes a depth value.

A time-of-flight (ToF) camera may determine a distance between a subject and the ToF camera based on the known speed of light by measuring the time-of-flight of a light signal between the camera and the subject. For example, the light signal may be modulated in amplitude temporally to illuminate the subject. The back-reflected light signal may be acquired by a sensor array of the ToF camera and the amplitude of the back-reflected light signal may be evaluated to determine a phase difference. The distance that the light signal travels from the source to the subject may be determined based on the phase difference ϕ as given by Equation 1, where d is the distance, f is the modulation frequency, and c is the speed of light.ϕ=4πdfc  Equation 1

Phase wrapping determination for time-of-flight camera


The present invention provides a frequency tuning/DC offset canceling circuit for continuous-time analog filter with time division, the frequency tuning/DC offset canceling circuit including: a frequency tuning/DC offset canceling unit for performing frequency tuning by comparing an output voltage with a reference voltage when a frequency tuning control signal is inputted, and canceling a DC offset after terminating the frequency tuning when a DC offset canceling control signal is inputted; and a control signal generator for generating the frequency tuning control signal and the DC offset canceling control signal based on a reference clock in time division.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a frequency tuning/direct current(DC) offset canceling circuit for continuous-time analog filter with time division, which can tune a cut-off frequency and cancel a DC offset component of a radio frequency(RF) system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, the most typical structure for implementing an Radio Frequency system includes a super-heterodyne receiver structure and a direct-conversion receiver structure.
The super-heterodyne receiver is a receiver which performs a signal processing on a baseband by converting an RF signal into an IF frequency and re-converting the resultant frequency into a baseband. The direct-conversion receiver performs a signal processing on a baseband directly without going through an IF frequency.
The direct-conversion receiver has effects of cost reduction, power consumption reduction, entire area reduction due to less uses of analog circuits, whereas it has problems of DC offset, flicker noise, I/O mismatch, and so on.
In particular, noises or offset components of a DC domain are required to be removed because the components cause severe distortion on signals.
Aside from this, when an analog filter in an RF system uses a continuous-time analog filter like an active-RC filter, its cut-off frequency is varied depending on changes of processes, voltages, temperatures, and so on.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an integrator-type frequency tuning circuit of differential signaling in a conventional continuous-time analog filter, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a DC offset canceling circuit of the conventional continuous-time analog filter.
As shown in FIG. 1, an integrator-type frequency tuning circuit of the conventional continuous-time analog filter includes a tuning integrator 11, a comparator 12, and a control signal generator 13.
The tuning integrator 11 includes an operational amplifier used in filters, and frequency characteristics are determined by fixed resistors and variable capacitors. In this case, the variable capacitors include switches controlled by a control signal, and N-bit capacitor array connected to the switches. An integral operation time of the tuning integrator 11 is controlled by a reference clock applied from an outside.
The comparator 12 differentially compares a reference voltage with an output voltage of the integrator per operation period and transfers the resultant voltage to the control signal generator 13.
In this case, when an output voltage difference of the tuning integrator 11 is higher than a reference voltage difference, an output of the comparator 12 becomes "1". Contrary to this, when an output voltage difference of the tuning integrator 11 is lower than a reference voltage difference, an output of the comparator 12 becomes "0."
The connection of the capacitor array is controlled by the control signal of the control signal generator 13, thereby determining a size of the variable capacitor.
The frequency tuning circuit may correspond to just one embodiment of the present invention. An active-RC filter may be implemented by using an active-RC type integrator, and a Gm-C filter may be implemented by using a Gm-G type integrator.
A method for acquiring a time constant (RC or gm/C) most closely approximate to the reference voltage within a predetermined period may use a monolithic scheme or a Successive Approximation Register (SAR) scheme.
As shown in FIG. 2, a conventional DC offset canceling circuit of a continuous-time analog filter may use a method for generating a high-pass pole through feedback connection of a signal direction of a primary integrator.
A transfer function of the DC offset canceling circuit of the conventional continuous-time analog filter for generating a high-pass pole through the feedback connection of the signal direction of the primary integrator is defined by equation (1) below.
                              H                                (            s            )                          =                                            V              out                                      V              IN                                =                                    K              1                                                                                H                  1                                                                  (                  s                  )                                                            1                +                                                      K                    2                                                                                H                      1                                                                                (                      s                      )                                                                                H                      2                                                                                (                      s                      )                                                                                (        1        )
Herein, H1 denotes a transfer function of a filter, K1, and K2 denote gains of a filter and a feedback path, and H2(s) denotes a transfer function of the feedback path.
In general, the gain of the filter may be represented by "1" in a DC domain, and since it is assumed that the transfer function of the feedback path shows a low-pass characteristic and the gain of the feedback path is "1", a transfer function in the DC domain may be defined by equation (2) below.
                              H                                (            0            )                          =                              1                          1              +                                                H                  2                                                                  (                  0                  )                                                              =                                    1                              1                -                                                                            ω                      _                                        p                                    s                                                      =                          s                              s                -                                                      ω                    _                                    p                                                                                (        2        )
Therefore, a high-pass cut-off frequency in a DC domain becomes ω p of being a low-pass pole of H2(s).
As described above, the continuous-time analog filter used in an RF system is required to be provided with a frequency tuning circuit in order to compensate for frequency change. Aside from this, an RF system is required to be provided with a DC offset canceling circuit in order to cancel noises or offsets of a DC domain.

Frequency tuning and direct current offset canceling circuit for continuous-time analog filter with time divided


A communications system includes a processor and associated memory containing information identifying dialing authorizations for a plurality of Personal Identification Numbers thereby a user to enter a personal identification number to receive access to authorized connections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications equipment and, more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for restricting dialing authorization in communications terminal equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
In telecommunications systems, an Applications Connectivity Link, ACL interface, is provided for controlling performance features in communications networks such as, for example, private communications networks, the coupling of communications systems and in particular, private branch exchanges having data processing apparatus. In a use of such an application interface, ACL, a private communication system, such as, for example, the HICOM 300 manufactured by Siemens Corporation is connected with a data processing apparatus via a V.24 interface, or alternatively via an ISDN base interface (SO). The application interface ACL is preferably realized in an operations and maintenance unit of a communication system. In the HICOM 300 system, it is an integrated operations and maintenance server which controls the communications exchange according to a defined protocol with defined messages. This may be for example, the MSV1. The information embedded in messages corresponds to the switch-oriented instructions and event messages of the communication system. As a connecting element between the data processing installation and the communication system, a program structure is provided in this system that is suited for the execution of switching-oriented instructions and for generating switching-oriented event messages. For example, this is a program structure that is controlled by a data processing installation and supports connection setups. Connection control is influenced by the switching-oriented instructions and the current switching-oriented state of connections is indicated by switching-oriented event messages.
In private communication networks, for certain communication terminal devices connected to the communications system, such as, for example, conference rooms, no fixed allocation to subscribers or persons is provided. Communication terminal devices of this type should be able to be used by the widest variety of persons with varying individual dialing authorizations. Restricted dialing authorizations may also be used. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following summary and detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the claimed invention. One object of the present invention is the construction of a communication system with flexible person-specific dialing authorizations for connected communication terminal devices.

Method and apparatus for restricting dialing authorization in communication devices


A sheet metal factory processing system includes a production management apparatus which generates a processing schedule based on a manufacturing designation. The processing schedule is managed in each unit of material sheets. The sheet metal factory processing system also includes a sheet metal factory processing installation which is mutually connected to the production management apparatus through a communication network to execute the processing schedule received from the production management apparatus.

In a conventional sheet metal factory processing system comprising a production management apparatus and a sheet metal factory processing installation, the production management apparatus produces a production designation, and the sheet metal factory processing installation put a processing schedule into effect based on the production designation.
In some of the conventional sheet metal factory processing systems of this kind, when the production management apparatus produces the production designation, the production management apparatus also produces a processing schedule including the nesting processing of the parts data and CAM processing, the production designation including the processing schedule is transferred from the production management apparatus to the sheet metal factory processing installation, and the sheet metal factory processing installation put a schedule into effect in accordance with the production designation and in accordance with an executable processing schedule.
In some of the conventional sheet metal factory processing systems of this kind, the production management apparatus only produces the production designation, the production designation is transferred from the production management apparatus to the sheet metal factory processing installation, the sheet metal factory processing installation produce the processing schedule including the nesting processing of the parts data and CAM processing, and the sheet metal factory processing installation put a schedule in accordance with the processing schedule (for example, see Patent Literature 1).
[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-10491 Publication


An infrared imager includes an array of capacitance sensors that operate at room temperature. Each infrared capacitance sensor includes a deflectable first plate which expands due to absorbed thermal radiation relative to a non-deflectable second plate. In one embodiment each infrared capacitance sensor is composed of a bi-material strip which changes the position of one plate of a sensing capacitor in response to temperature changes due to absorbed incident thermal radiation. The bi-material strip is composed of two materials with a large difference in thermal expansion coefficients and an amorphans silicon a corbide layer.

This invention relates to room temperature capacitance sensor, and more particularly to a low-cost manufacturable infrared imager that operates at room temperature and has substantially improved performance approaching the theoretical background limited performance limit.
Instruments for the measurement of infrared (IR) radiation are becoming increasingly important for a variety of commercial and non-commercial applications. Research into the development of uncooled sensors with response throughout the infrared spectrum has been particularly important due to the limitation on the operation of cooling systems. Uncooled infrared sensors would have important applications for space-based remote-sensing of thermal sources, night vision, target identification, thermal mapping, event detection, motion detection, and others. The limitations of the performance of the existing uncooled sensors often are the primary constraints to the performance of infrared imaging systems for many applications. As a result, there has been considerable investment in the development of uncooled infrared sensors.
A broad assortment of infrared detectors has been developed over the last 40 years. In most cases, they may be classified as either quantum or thermal detectors, depending upon whether the incoming radiation is converted to excitations which are collected, or is converted to heat and detected through changes in temperature. In general, a quantum detector which operates at detector temperatures Td is usually superior to a thermal detector at the same temperatures for infrared frequencies in which hv greater than  greater than kBTd, where h is Planck""s constant and kB is Boltzmann""s constant. However, for infrared frequencies in which hv less than  less than kBTd, thermal detectors represent the only functional technology. The operation of quantum detectors is limited by the availability of efficient photon conversion mechanisms, while the operation of thermal detectors is limited by the availability of sensitive thermometers. Only thermal infrared sensors operate in the mid-to-far infrared range (xcex greater than 10 xcexcm) at room temperature.
The pneumatic infrared detector, which was originally developed by Golay, is classified as a thermal detector. Golay""s detector consists of a small cavity filled with gas at room temperature. The cavity is separated from the surroundings by a window and a thin, flexible membrane. The membrane is coated on one side with a thin metallic film, which has significant absorption throughout the infrared spectrum whenever the sheet resistance of the film is approximately half of the impedance of free space. The trapped gas in the Golay cell is heated by contact with the membrane and expanded thermally, which forces the membrane to deflect outward. This deflection is usually detected with optical or capacitive displacement transducers. At present, these detectors are bulky, fragle, difficult to fabricate, and expensive. Nevertheless, they have been widely used, primarily because of their improvement in sensitivity over all other room-temperature detectors in the mid-to-far infrared range. Attempts to miniaturize the Golay cell for incorporation into focal plane arrays have been unsuccessful because of scaling laws which relate the sensitivity of conventional displacement transducers and their active area. The need for focal-plane arrays of uncooled detectors stimulated the development of pyroelectric detector arrays, the best of which are 5-10 times less sensitive than the Golay cell.
Current state-of-the-art uncooled IR focal plane arrays use many different thermal detection mechanisms such a bolometric (sensor resistance is modulated by temperature), pyroelectric (dielectric constant is modulated by temperature), and thermoelectric effects. As discussed above, thermo-mechanical effects have been explored using modifications of the Golay cell. The performance of IR imagers based on these technologies is limited compared with imagers based on direct photon conversion, such as PtSi detectors operated 77 K, and also is considerably worse than the theoretical background limited performance. In all approaches, the fundamental limits to the performance are controlled by the ability to thermally isolate the detector from its surroundings, the detector sensitivity to a change in temperature, and the introduction of extraneous noise sources. One of the reasons for degraded performance is the parasitic thermal resistance paths inherent in the supporting structures of the sensing elements. Another reason is the electronic noise present in the readout scanning circuitry.
With the above considerations in mind, the present invention is based on the development of an IR capacitance structure that deflects the position of a plate in response to temperature changes.
The present invention provides a high-performance infrared imager that operates at room temperature. More specifically, this invention uses an infrared (IR) capacitance structure to sense changes in temperature. Thermal energy deforms the structure of the present invention resulting in a deflection that determines a capacitance which is then sensed.
The present invention provides an infrared capacitance sensor composed of a bi-material strip which changes the position of one plate of a sensing capacitor in response to temperature changes due to absorbed incident thermal radiation. The physical structure of this capacitance sensor provides high thermal radiation resistance and high thermal sensitivity by utilizing a bi-material strip composed of two materials with a large difference in thermal expansion coefficients (e.g., Si3N4 and Al) mechanically supported by a long strip of material with high thermal resistance (e.g., Si3N4)
Additional embodiments within the scope of this invention are also possible. These embodiments are extensions of the basic IR capacitance structure and include (1) a bridge structure with a bi-material element for increased structural stability, (2) a bridge structure without a bi-material element, relying only on the thermal expansion and the xe2x80x9cbeam buckling conceptxe2x80x9d in which the two ends of the structure are pinned for increased process simplicity, and (3) variations where the support arms may be parallel or co-linear with the bi-material element.
Another aspect of this invention is the design and operation of a readout multiplexer for a focal plane imager made up of an array of these capacitance sensors.
Another aspect of this invention is the use of a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit to reduce the 1/f noise and dc offset of the pixel amplifiers.
Another aspect of this invention is the use of 2xc3x97over-sampling for both the reference and signal samples in the CDS readout circuit so that the mechanical resonant frequency of the capacitance sensor is at the Nyquist frequency of the samples.
Another aspect of this invention is that the readout method does not remove the signal which is stored as a change in capacitance.
The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Infrared imager using room temperature capacitance sensor


The present invention provides a surface-treating agent which improves heat resistance, adhesiveness to resin and solder wettability. The surface-treating agent for metal contains a tetrazole derivative represented by the following formula and/or a salt thereof,

Triazoles and derivatives thereof are well-known agents to prevent discoloration of copper and copper alloys. Such compounds, arranged for use in electronic materials, include an acidic solution to prevent copper discoloration proposed by the present applicants, which contains 5-methyl-1H-benzotriazole, 5,6-dimethyl-1H-benzotriazole, or 2-mercaptopyrimidine (Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Publication No. H04-160173)). Although the compounds have excellent moisture resistance and effectively prevent copper discoloration during storage of treated products, they are susceptible to heat, which is problematic in that copper is oxidized by heating and this results in the oxide film peeling. The present applicants solved this problem in the application of Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent No. 3373356), which is a solution to prevent copper discoloration obtained by adding a metal more noble than copper, or a salt thereof, to a solution of a heterocyclic compound containing nitrogen and/or sulfur in the molecule and acting as an inhibitor of copper. However, this surface-treating agent, though avoiding the peeling of the oxidized film, does not prevent copper oxidation upon heating.
Substances to suppress copper oxidation during heating and to improve solder wettability include, for instance, a benzimidazole modified at the 2-position (Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent No. 2575242), Patent Document 4 (Japanese Patent No. 2686168)), or an imidazole derivative (Patent Document 5 (Japanese Patent Publication No. H04-206681), Patent Document 6 (Japanese Patent Publication No. H07-243053)). However, these involve thick films of several tenths of microns to several microns, which have therefore low adhesiveness to resins. To solve this problem, Non-Patent Document 1 (Journal of Technical Disclosure No. 2003-502332) suggests a mercaptobenzoxazole derivative and a mercaptobenzothiazole derivative as a surface-treating agent.
Surface-treating agents containing a tetrazole compound have also been proposed. For instance, Patent Document 7 (Japanese Patent No. 3141145) proposes a tetrazole-based compound, Patent Document 8 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-282033) proposes a surface treating agent comprising a tetrazole-based compound and a thiadiazole-based compound, Patent Document 9 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-3283) proposes roughening a copper surface by a surface-treating agent containing hydrogen peroxide, mineral acid, tetrazole compound, silver ion, and halogen ion, in order to increase the adhesiveness to resins. The present applicants have proposed a surface-treating agent containing a tetrazole compound and a halogen compound (Patent Document 10 (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-290346)).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. H04-160173
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent No. 3373356
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent No. 2575242
Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent No. 2686168
Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Publication No. H04-206681
Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Publication No. H07-243053
Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent No. 3141145
Patent Document 8: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-282033
Patent Document 9: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-3283
Patent Document 10: Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-290346
Non-Patent Document 1: Journal of Technical Disclosure No. 2003-502332

Abstract: wherein R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or an alkyl group or an aryl group, etc., which each have a carbon number of not more than 10, and a group having a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an amino group or a mercapto group added thereto, or represent an amino group, a mercapto group, a hydroxyl group or a carboxyl group; and R3 represents a bond or an alkylene group, etc., which each have a carbon number of not more than 10, and a group having a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an amino group, a mercapto group, an azo group (—N═N—), a sulfide group (—S—), or a disulfide group (—S—S—) added thereto, or represents an azo group, a sulfide group, or disulfide group, and may contain a metal or metal compound.


A sewing section for integrally sewing three members (a front cover member 23 covering a front surface of a seat back, a side cover member 24 covering a side of the seat back, and a ball edge 27 clamped between both the cover members 23 and 24) is comprised of a final sewing portion 26.sub.2 for integrally sewing the front and side cover members 23 and 24 and the ball edge 27 at a location nearer a body portion 27.sub.1 of the ball edge 27, and a temporary sewing portion 26.sub.1 for integrally sewing the front cover member 23 and the ball edge 27 at a location farther from the body portion 27.sub.1 of the ball edge 27. When an air bag is expanded, the final sewing portion 26.sub.2 is broken, and the ball edge 27 is separated from the side cover member 24 and moved in unison with the front cover member 23. Thus, when the air bag used upon side collision of a vehicle and mounted within a seat is deployed, the ball edge in the sewing section 26 is prevented from interfering with the air bag.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an occupant protecting system for protecting an occupant by deploying an air bag from an air bag module disposed within a seat back.
2. Description of the Related Art
An occupant protecting system for use upon side collision of a vehicle is known from Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.6-64491. In the above known system, an air bag module is mounted within a side door or within a seat, so that an air bag is deployed between an occupant and the side door upon side collision of a vehicle to protect the occupant.
When the air bag is mounted within the seat, the expanded air bag is deployed outside, breaking a sewing section of a cover member of the seat. When the sewing section has such a structure that an ornamental ball edge is clamped between a pair of cover members, if the pair of cover members and the ball edge are separated from one another, the ball edge is left to bridge an air bag deployment opening defined between the pair of separated cover members, thereby providing a possibility that the air bag may interfere with the ball edge, so that the smooth deployment of the air bag may be hindered.
The air bag expanded from the air bag module mounted within the seat is deployed outside, breaking the cover member of the seat. For this reason, if the strength distribution of the seat including the cover members is not set appropriately, it is difficult to deploy the air bag in a desired direction.


The image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member, a first motor for driving said image bearing member, a fixing unit which fixes an image transferred from said image bearing member to a recording material onto the recording material and a second motor for driving said fixing unit, wherein said fixing unit is started up by said first motor and then driven by said second motor. Thereby, costs on the second motor for driving the fixing apparatus, which is disposed separately from the first motor for driving the image forming apparatus, can be restrained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus, such as a copier or a printer of forming images onto a recording media and in particular relates to an image forming apparatus having a first motor for driving an image bearing member such as a photosensitive member in particular and a second motor for driving a fixing device.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, in an image forming apparatus such as the electrophotographic type of a printer or the like, some have two elements of driving means as a configuration of driving source of driving each driven portion.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-199610 describes an image forming apparatus having image forming means for forming an unfixed image on recording media; a fixing apparatus for allowing the unfixed image to fix by sandwiching and conveying recording media introduced from the above-described image forming means side with a nip formed by a heating member and a pressing member; first driving means (a first motor) for driving the above-described image forming means; and second driving means (a second motor) for driving the above-described fixing apparatus. And, with controlling the driving speed of the second driving means, tension of the recording media from the image forming means side to the fixing apparatus is controlled not to vary, enabling restraining image disorder suitably and maintaining high-grade image quality. Incidentally, the starting torque necessary for starting the fixing device from a halt state is far larger than a necessary stationary torque at the time when the fixing device rotates stationarily. Accordingly, at the time of designing the apparatus, selection of the second motor in conformity of the starting torque of the fixing device will result in selection of a motor generating a large output. However, a motor generating a large output costs high.

Image forming apparatus with first and second motors


A power semiconductor component (30) with power semiconductor chip stack (14) has a base power semiconductor chip (16) and a power semiconductor chip (17) stacked on the rear side of the base power semiconductor chip (16), a rewiring structure for the electrical coupling of the power semiconductor chips being arranged within the rear side metallization.

The document DE 196 35 582 C1 discloses such a power semiconductor component with a bridge circuit having at least one high-side switch (HSS) and at least one low-side switch (LSS), which component has a first base power semiconductor chip containing a vertical first transistor. A further second power semiconductor chip having a second vertical transistor is mounted on the first base power semiconductor chip so that the conduction paths of the two transistors are connected in series. An arrangement of this type is shown by FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIG. 3 shows a conventional bridge circuit 10 of power semiconductor chips 1 and 2, the base power semiconductor chip 1 being mounted on a heat sink 6 and having a high-side switch HSS. The drain connection 7 of the high-side switch HSS forms the rear side of the base power semiconductor chip 1, which is mounted on the heat sink 6. A further power semiconductor chip 2 is stacked as a low-side switch LSS on the source area at the top side of the base power semiconductor chip 1.
For this purpose, the drain region of the low-side switch LSS is mounted on the source region of the high-side switch HSS and forms the node 4, which can be connected via the external connection 3. The source region of the low-side switch LSS can likewise be contact-connected via the external connection 5 by bonding. The external connections 8 and 9 serve for driving the respective switches HSS and LSS of the bridge circuit.
One realization of the bridge circuit 10 is shown in FIG. 4, in the case of which the bridge circuit 10 is arranged in a housing 11 with external leads as external connections 3 and 5. In this case, the source area SH of the high-side switch HSS situated at the surface of the base power semiconductor chip 1 is larger than the power semiconductor chip 2 stacked on it. As a result, the contact-connection can be effected via the contact area at the node 4 in a simple manner by means of bonding wire 12 to the external lead connection 3. The source area SL of the semiconductor chip 2 is also connected to the other external lead contact 5 from above likewise by means of a bonding wire 13.
What is disadvantageous in the case of this bridge circuit 10 is that the drain connection basic area of the low-side switch LSS, which is realized as a stacked power semiconductor chip 2, is smaller than the source contact area of the high-side switch HSS in the base power semiconductor chip 1. This is associated with the disadvantage that the permissible current consumption of the bridge circuit branch 10 is significantly restricted by the reduced size of the stacked power semiconductor component 2.
Such a bridge circuit with a high-side switch as base chip is disadvantageous especially as, in a bridge circuit of this type, the larger current flow is to be switched through the low-side switch and it is not possible to effect problem-free linking to a thermal sink with a corresponding heat sink for dissipating the heat loss in the known circuit construction.

Power semiconductor component with semiconductor chip stack in a bridge circuit and method for producing the same


(S) A first optical material with a linear index of refraction is distributed as particles in a second optical material with an index of refraction dependent on the incident radiation intensity. Below some threshold intensity level the combination of materials is transparent to incident radiation directed toward a sensitive optical detector. Above this level, high-intensity incident radiation induces a change in refractive index of the second material, and the combination is limiting to incident radiation.

This invention is in the field of optical counter-counter measure systems, and is particularly concerned with those systems which protect sensitive photodetector against counter measures such as high power lasers. These lasers can temporarily or permanently disable optical devices such as infrared detectors, television camera tubes, image intensifiers, and the human eye. Various counter-counter measures have been proposed for use against high-power laser threats, including various shutter devices, interference filters, etc. Unfortunately, most of these measures have one or more shortcomings, such as response time (which must be in the nanosecond range), bandwidth, power handling capability (which may be thousands of optical watts), healing time (after the threat ends), complexity, cost, etc. The instant invention is relatively cheap and easy to construct, has a very short response time, is self-activating and healing, can readily handle high powers, and is broadband. Of these characteristics, bandwidth is now becoming more important, since high-power and wavelength agile lasers are now available and/or are being developed in the optical spectrum from ultraviolet to mid-infrared (200-6000 nm).

Broadband self-activated optical power limiter system and device

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army


A bird feeder is made up of a decorating face plate and a feeding set. The decorating face plate is provided centrally with a through hole. The feeding set is composed of two shells and fastened to the through hole such that the interior of the through hole and the two shells form jointly a receiving space for keeping the feed. The two shells are provided respectively and correspondingly in the lower portion thereof with a feeding port. One of the two shells is furnished with a feed supplying port. The feeding ports of the feeding set are provided respectively with a protective mask fastened thereto. The protective masks are provided respectively in the lower portions thereof with a slot in communication with the receiving space.

There are a variety of bird feeders available in the market today. Most of the conventional bird feeders are generally of a canister-like construction and rectangular in shape. Such conventional bird feeders are provided on the back thereof with a hook for use in hanging the bird feeders in a bird cage or on a support frame such that a bird can have an easy access to the feed through an opening located in the top of the feeder. The feed kept in such conventional bird feeders as described above is often spoiled or decomposed by the climatic elements such as the wind and the rain. In order to find a better way to feed the birds, some manufacturers have designed and disclosed a new bird feeder which comprises an upper housing and a lower housing. The birds have an access to the feed through a plurality of feeding ports located in the lower housing. The feed is put into the lower housing via an opening located at the center of the top of the lower housing. The upper housing of the new bird feeder serves as a protective shield preventing the feed kept in the lower housing from being exposed to the wind and the rain.
Generally speaking, the conventional bird feeders described above are not artistically embellished and are monotonously designed.


There is provided a bias arrangement for an amplifier adapted to amplify a varying input signal, the arrangement comprising a control circuit arranged to adaptively vary a bias current to the amplifier in dependence on an envelope of the varying input signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to amplifiers having a biased current input and arranged to amplify a varying input signal. The invention is particularly but not exclusively concerned with transconductance amplifiers in envelope tracking architectures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Frequency domain duplex (FDD) systems include transceivers that have a transmitter and a receiver which operate at different carrier frequencies. A simple exemplary architecture of such an FDD system is illustrated in FIG. 1. A transceiver includes a transmitter block 6 which receives an input signal on line 2 to be transmitted by an antenna 18. A receiver block 8 receives signals that are detected at the antenna 18 and delivers them on signal line 4. The output of the transmitter 6 is delivered to a duplex filter 14 on line 10. The received signal from the antenna 18 is delivered from the duplex filter 14 on a line 12 to the receiver 8. The antenna 18 is connected to the duplex filter 14 via a line 16.
In such an FDD system it is essential that energy from the transmitter does not block the receiver. This may occur because the duplex filter on the output of the transmitter has only limited attenuation. Any noise present at the receiver frequency on the transmitter output due to noise from the transmitter has the potential to cause receiver blocking.
The transmitter circuitry 6 typically includes a transconductance amplifier. A transconductance amplifier generates a current which is proportional to its input voltage. Any noise present at the receiver frequency on the transmitter output due to noise from a transconductance amplifier in the transmitter has the potential to cause the above-mentioned receiver blocking. Any such noise must preferably not be allowed to exceed a low level while the power consumption of the transconductance amplifier is minimised. Thus efficient, low noise, high linearity transconductance amplifiers are required in FDD systems.
A typical transconductance amplifier uses a class A or continuous bias scheme that is independent of the input signal level. In a transmitter incorporating an envelope tracking modulated power supply, a typical transconductance amplifier uses a class A or continuous bias scheme that is independent of the modulation envelope.
With such a bias scheme, the transconductance amplifier consumes the same power and generates the same noise at the signal troughs as it does at the signal peaks.
It is an aim of the invention to control an amplifier, such as a transconductance amplifier, to reduce generated noise and/or reduce consumed power.

Adaptive biasing scheme for an amplifier


The valve seat includes an iron-based sintered alloy subjected to oxidation treatment, which is obtained by subjecting an iron-based sintered alloy including: 4 mass % to 15 mass % of Co particles; and hard particles each containing at least one compound of an intermetallic compound, a carbide, a silicide, a nitride, or a boride that has one or more kinds of elements selected from group 4a to 6a elements in a periodic table, and having a hardness of from 600 HV to 1,600 HV to oxidation treatment, and which has an oxide mainly including triiron tetraoxide (Fe3O4) and cobalt oxide (CoO) formed on a surface and in an interior of the iron-based sintered alloy. The iron-based sintered alloy subjected to oxidation treatment has an area ratio of the oxide of from 5% to 25% in a cross section thereof in a state prior to installation on the cylinder head.

A valve seat is a part that serves as a seat of an air valve or an exhaust valve, the part being connected to the valve and needed for maintaining air-tightness of a combustion chamber.
A valve seat is required to have, for example, the following functions: (1) a function of maintaining air-tightness in order to prevent leakage of compressed gas or combustion gas into a manifold; (2) a heat-conducting function for allowing heat in the valve to escape toward the cylinder head; (3) sufficient strength to withstand impact on the valve during seating; and (4) a wear-resistance function minimizing wear even in high-heat and high-load environments.
Additional required characteristics of the valve seat include: (5) lacking aggressiveness to an associated valve; (6) having a reasonable cost; and (7) being easy to scrape during processing.
An iron-based sintered alloy therefore is used in the valve seat so as to satisfy the functions and characteristics stated above.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a valve seat in which an oxide formed mainly of triiron tetraoxide is formed on a surface and in an interior of an iron-based sintered alloy through oxidation treatment, and an area ratio of the oxide formed mainly of triiron tetraoxide is from 5% to 20% in a cross section of the iron-based sintered alloy in a state prior to installation on a cylinder head.


Disclosed are impact modified graft copolymer compositions comprising (A) from 10 to 90% of a graft copolymer of a propylene polymer material having graft polymerized thereto one or more vinyl monomer(s), (B) from 90 to 10% of at least one broad molecular weight distribution propylene polymer material, and (C) from 2 to 40% of at least one rubber component, wherein (A)+(B)+(C) is 100%, and filled compositions thereof. The compositions are useful as stand-alone structural materials.

Graft copolymers formed by polymerizing monomers at active grafting sites on a polymer backbone constitute an interesting class of polymer hybrids because, although a single chemical species, they nevertheless are capable of displaying properties characteristic of the graft polymer as well as of the backbone polymer, rather than a simple averaging of the properties of the component polymers. When compared to physical blends of polymers, graft copolymers, owing to the intersegment chemical bonds therein, usually exhibit a finer heterophasic morphology in which the domain size of the dispersed phase is stable and may be smaller by about an order of magnitude. Moreover, the adhesion between phases is better. Physical blends of immiscible polymers, e.g., polypropylene and polystyrene, require the inclusion of a compatibilizer, e.g , a block copolymer suitably chosen, which can alleviate to some degree the problem associated with the high interfacial tension and poor adhesion between the immiscible polymers in the blend. Physical blends of polypropylene and polystyrene containing minor amounts of a styrenic block copolymer rubber as a compatibilizer for the polymers in the blend are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,187.
Structural plastics based on a "chemical" blend of propylene and polymerizable monomer(s), i.e., based on a graft copolymer of a polymerizable monomer(s) on a backbone of propylene polymer material, would fill a need in the art because of the benefits accruing from the fine domain structure in the graft copolymers and also because the necessary adhesion between the propylene polymer and polymerizable monomer phases would derive from the chemical bonds in the graft copolymer per se rather than depend on the action of an external agent, i.e., a compatibilizer. However, until now, the uses suggested for these graft copolymers have been limited chiefly to compatibilizers for immiscible polymer systems and components of gum plastic compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,314,904 describes forming a "gum plastic" by making a graft copolymer of styrene on polyethylene or polypropylene, and, in particular, a graft interpolymer of styrene, acrylonitrile, and polyethylene or polypropylene, and blending the graft copolymer with certain selected compatible rubbery materials. The grafted styrene or styrene-acrylonitrile content of the graft copolymer is 75-95%, preferably 85-95%, and more preferably 90-95%. Hence the graft copolymer is predominantly bound styrene or bound styrene-acrylonitrile, and in the copolymers made from polypropylene the polypropylene is only a minor component and present as a dispersed phase. Thus the properties of the bound styrene or styrene-acrylonitrile predominate. The graft copolymer is made by subjecting the polyolefin to high-energy ionizing radiation, and then contacting the irradiated polyolefin with styrene or with styrene and acrylonitrile.
However, for use as stand-alone structural plastics having the desirable properties of propylene polymers, e.g., excellent chemical resistance, good moisture resistance, etc., graft copolymers of a polymerizable monomer(s) on a backbone of a propylene polymer material must exhibit a heterophasic morphology in which the propylene polymer is the continuous phase. This requires that the polymerizable monomer(s) content of the graft copolymer not exceed about 65 percent by weight, while, at the same time, being high enough to improve the stiffness of the propylene polymer to the required degree.
The advantages of graft copolymers of a polymerizable monomer(s) on a propylene polymer backbone over physical blends of the polymers as stand-alone structural plastics could be better utilized if a means were found for imparting a better balance of properties to the graft copolymers.
Various compositions have been obtained in an attempt to achieve a better balance of properties. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,558 discloses a graft copolymer based rigid thermoplastic composition of (a) from 60 to 95%, by weight, a graft copolymer of a styrenic polymer grafted onto a propylene polymer material backbone and (b) from 5 to 40%, by weight, of a rubber component comprising (i) from 20 to 100%, by weight, of (i) at least one monoalkenyl aromatic hydrocarbon-conjugated diene block copolymer, (ii) at least one block copolymer which is a hydrogenated copolymer of (i), or (iii) a mixture of at least one (i) with at least one (ii); and (2) 0 to 80%, by weight, of an olefin copolymer rubber, i.e. EPM or EPDM. U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,974 discloses blends which exhibits improved melt strength comprising a polyolefin and a graft copolymer consisting of a non-polar polyolefin trunk and at least 80% of a monomer of a methacrylic ester and less than 20% of an acrylic or styrenic monomer wherein from 0.2 to 10% of the total formulation (polyolefin plus graft copolymer) is a chemically grafted acrylic polymer or copolymer. In U.S. Ser. No. 07/860,864, pending filed Mar. 31, 1992, there is disclosed thermoplastic compositions comprising (a) a propylene polymer material grafted with polymerizable monomer(s) of a rigid polymer(s) having a Tg greater than 80.degree. C., (b) a propylene polymer material grafted with a polymerizable monomer(s) of a soft polymer(s) having a Tg of less than 20.degree. C., and optionally (c) at least one other rubber modifier.
However, while a better balance of properties is obtained there is still a trade off between stiffness and impact. In other words, as the impact increases the modulus decreases.
Thus, impact modified graft copolymer blends or compositions having improved impact/stiffness balance without a substantial loss in modulus is desired.

Impact modified graft copolymer compositions containing broad molecular weight distribution polypropylene


A new and distinct Senecio plant named ‘AMICU1907’ which is characterized by a compact and upright growth habit, a glaucous blue-green stem, glaucous blue-green foliage, narrowly oblanceolate and falcate foliage, semi-terete to terete foliage with an obvious longitudinal channel running the length of the leaf, and the stability of these characteristics from generation to generation.

Parentage: 'AMICU1907' is a seedling selection resulting from the controlled pollination of an unnamed Senecio kleiniiformis plant (not patented), the seed parent, with an unnamed Curio ficoides plant (not patented), the pollen parent. The crossing was made by the inventor in the spring of 2018 at a commercial greenhouse in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands. In the autumn of 2018, one seedling resulting from the crossing was observed to exhibit unique growth and foliage characteristics and was isolated for further evaluation in order to confirm the distinctness and stability of the characteristics first observed. Upon confirmation of distinctness and stability, 'AMICU1907' was selected for commercialization.
Asexual Reproduction: Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar 'AMICU1907', by way of rooting leaf cuttings, was first initiated in the winter of 2018 at the inventor's commercial greenhouse in Heerhugowaard, the Netherlands. Through four subsequent generations, the unique features of this cultivar have proven to be stable and true to type.


A blueberry harvester comprising a platform mountable behind an agricultural tractor. The platform has a post near the harvesting side thereof with a jib-boom crane mounted on that post. There is also provided a blueberry picking head having riggings connected to the jib-boom crane and a pair of conveyors connected to the picking head for conveying the blueberries withdrawn from blueberry plants, from the picking head to a region over the platform. A hinged frame is pivotally mounted on the post, and connected to the conveyors for supporting the conveyors. The hinged frame with the conveyors supported thereon are movable from a harvesting position alongside the harvesting side of the tractor to a stowed position over the platform near the harvesting side. The jib-boom crane is movable with the picking head suspended thereto from a position along the harvesting side of the tractor, to a space over the platform between the stowed position of the conveyors and the harvested side of the platform. The blueberry harvester of the present invention is thereby safely transportable on public roads from one field of blueberries to another. Other aspects of the blueberry harvester of the present invention comprise human-like movements of the tines during the fruit withdrawing motions, and an extensive contact of the picking trays with a rotary brush inside the picking head for effectively cleaning the trays between each fruit withdrawing passes.

Harvesting of blueberries is usually done from mid-August to early September, depending upon the location of the field and the weather conditions at that time. Typical growers may harvest fields ranging in size from 25 acres to 250 acres. Therefore, the harvesting of these fields must sometimes be done within a 2-3 weeks period.
When the cropland is relatively large, the harvesting task is too tedious to be done manually, or to be done by workers using manual implements. Therefore, there is a significant demand for self-propelled, efficient mechanical harvesters. A number of self-propelled apparatus for harvesting blueberries is available commercially. These machines, however, are not all very efficient, and in general, each type has inherent operational limitations.
One type of machine of the prior art is described in Canadian Patent no. 523,354 to L. C. Getsinger, April 1956. The machine has a drum, and a number of combs spaced apart at regular angular intervals and across the surface of the drum. The drum rotates against the direction of the travel of the machine such that the fingers of the combs intersect with berry plants and rake the fruits from these plants.
The combs are arranged to follow a cam groove so that the fingers withdraw within the surface of the drum at predetermined locations on the circumference of their course to facilitate the release of fruits onto a slide and into an exit conveyor.
Other similar self-propelled machines using articulated fingers mounted on a drum or along a chain moving against the direction of travel of the apparatus are described in the following documents:
Canadian Patent: 948,858 to G. L. Gray, June 1974; PA1 Canadian Patent: 961,275 to C. G. Burton, January 1975; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,376,260 to A. M. Lobdell, May, 1945; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,696,706 to L. C. Getsinger, December 1954; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,605 to E. O. Heleen, March 1957; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 2,795,099 to L. C. Getsinger, June 1957; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,630 to G. L. Gray et al. November 1971; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,447 to C. G. Burton, March 1972; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,406 to Grant et al., July 1972; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,204 to M. H. Kuryluk, February 1979. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,369,944 to O. Robichaud, December 1994; PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,450,716 to L. Gidge, September 1995;
Another type of blueberry harvesting machinery available commercially is adapted to be mounted on a farm tractor, and is popular amongst Eastern Canada blueberry growers. The main characteristic of this machine is that the tines are mounted on a hollow drum and are adapted to discharge berries onto a conveyor mounted in the center of the drum. This machine is described in Canadian Patents no. 1,249,727 and 1,318,135, both to joint inventors D. R. Bragg and L. H. Weatherbee, and are dated February 1989 and May 1993 respectively. Another invention relating to this latter type of machine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,403 to Collins et al., December 1994.
The apparatus of the prior art are known to have several limitations disfavouring their acceptance by commercial growers. For examples, the mechanisms to withdraw the tines inside the drum and to convey berries are mechanically complex, and therefore the purchase cost of one of these machines is sometimes considered prohibitive by small and medium size growers. The efficiency of these machines is often curtailed by the clogging of the fingers in each comb with leaves, twigs and squashed berries. The installation of the machines on a farm tractor is intensive work which is better done by the harvester's manufacturer himself. The installation of the machines on a farm tractor is more or less a permanent installation wherein the farm tractor is unavailable for doing other work during the blueberry harvest period. And finally, the gatherings of these machines are known to contain much leaves and debris. All these factors have contributed to the development of a market demand for better harvesting apparatus.


Methods used with a thermal imager in capturing a primary thermal image of an object or scene and then associating it, as desired, with any of a multitude of information relating to the object or scene. The related information can be associated with the primary thermal image in the field after the image is captured. The related information can pertain to further detail regarding the object, the surroundings of the scene, and/or surroundings of the location of the scene, which when associated with the primary thermal image, collectively represents a form of asset information card for the image.

Thermal imaging cameras have long been used in many settings to measure temperature profiles and analyze thermal variations and differences of one or more objects in a scene. To that end, such profiles can be used in comparing the different temperatures of the objects at any given time, or conversely, can be used in comparing these temperatures or thermal variations and differences over a period of time. For example, infrared cameras are frequently used in industrial applications as part of preventative maintenance programs and for building sciences and diagnostics inspections These types of programs often typically rely on periodic inspections of the assets of a plant, facility, or structure to discover likely failures before they occur or monitor and document ongoing performance For example, in an industrial setting, plant personnel often develop survey routes in order to routinely gather temperature data on the identified equipment. As is known, similar examples exist in other applications for building sciences as well.
In an industrial setting example, after collecting a thermal baseline image for each piece of equipment along a route, a person (such as a thermographer, an inspector, a building performance professional, an electrician, a technician, etc.) can then identify changes in thermal characteristics over the course of several inspections by comparing later thermal images of the equipment with the baseline image or other prior images. Changes in thermal characteristics can in some cases indicate the imminent failure of a part, thus allowing the person to schedule maintenance or replacement prior to failure.
In a simple case, a person can visually compare thermal images captured at different times to determine changes in thermal characteristics over the time period. However, only so much information can be gleaned solely from thermal images. To aid in the analysis, whether with respect to a most recent image captured (or in comparing such image to images previously captured), infrared imaging cameras have been configured to allow operators to add notes or annotations to an image. These annotations are generally created as audio or text files, and can be subsequently saved to the image in order to provide supplementary information which is difficult to ascertain from the image alone.
However, issues have been encountered to date in adding these annotations to the image. In particular, some cameras only enable for annotations to be added at the time the thermal image is saved (with limited ability for later modification), while other cameras enable annotations to be added after the image is saved. As such, it is not uncommon to find operators of these cameras further carrying a notebook to jot down their impressions of the scene in the field. In turn, the operator waits until later to combine these impressions into a single file which can then be stored with the saved image of the scene. Unfortunately, this process is time-consuming and invites error, because what is observed and noted in the field may not be fully recalled, even with the use of such notebook. Further, the operator may not be able to remember the particular image that the annotations correspond to, inviting further potential error. However, at present, adding annotations in this fashion is one of the few ways to create some record as to what is observed in the field as it relates to a captured image.
A further difficulty faced by people in analyzing thermal images is their visual clarity, as the images are often less sharp and more complex as compared to visible-light images, for example. To aid with visual comparison of such images, some infrared imaging cameras have been designed to allow the operator to capture a visible-light image of the scene using a separate visible-light camera built into the infrared imaging camera. In some cases, such cameras allow a user to view the visible-light image side-by-side with the infrared image. In other cases, such cameras enable infrared and visible-light images to be provided in overlapping or blended relationship to each other. Such features enable the operator to have a visible-light image reference for an infrared image, thus making inspection of the infrared image somewhat easier.
However, one difficulty in using visible-light images (or even further infrared images) for complementary detail is that the images are often captured and stored separately from the initially-captured infrared image. As such, grouping such images together is left to be done with separate software once the operator has returned from the field. This again contributes delay to the process. However, even more unfortunate is that the method of grouping such images is rather antiquated, with the images typically grouped by electronic folder. This method of grouping is far from dynamic, and as such, often limits the ease and breadth of subsequent analysis.
Embodiments of the invention are provided to address the above-described limitations.

Visual image annotation, tagging of infrared images, and infrared image linking