In order to detect a position alignment state between an apparatus and an eye to be inspected in a working distance direction with high precision at a high speed in the apparatus side, an ophthalmologic apparatus is disclosed. The position alignment state between the eye to be inspected and the apparatus in the working distance direction is detected by evaluating a contrast of an index image that is obtained as a reflection image of an index projected onto an anterior ocular segment, and a contrast of the index image is evaluated using a ratio or a difference between pixel numbers of the index image in at least two or more gray scale values.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmologic apparatus and a method thereof.
Description of the Related Art
In the related art, in an ophthalmologic photographing apparatus represented as a non-mydriatic fundus camera, photographing is performed such that an operator performs precise position alignment, between an apparatus and an eye to be inspected in horizontal and vertical directions and a working distance (back and forth) direction while viewing an observation image captured by an image pickup element. This precise position alignment in horizontal and vertical directions and the working distance (back and forth) direction is performed such that an index projected onto an anterior ocular segment of the eye to be inspected is captured by the image pickup element, and the alignment is performed with reference to the captured index image.
Here, focusing on position alignment, in the working distance direction, JP S62-34530 A discloses a fact that, when the working distance between the apparatus and the eye to be inspected is appropriately positioned, a contrast of the index image is maximized. Meanwhile, when the working distance between the apparatus and the eye to be inspected is not appropriately positioned, a contrast of the index image decreases. An operator completes the position alignment in the working distance direction by manipulating the apparatus back and forth such that the contrast of the index image is maximized.
Recently, there has proposed an ophthalmologic photographing apparatus in which a position alignment state between the apparatus and the eye to be inspected in horizontal and vertical directions and a working distance (back and forth) direction is detected in an apparatus side as disclosed in JP 3569026 B1.
As a first problem, in the ophthalmologic photographing apparatus disclosed in JP 3569026 B1, when the position alignment state between the apparatus and the eye to be inspected in horizontal and vertical directions and a working distance (back and forth) direction is not accurately detected in the apparatus side, a flare from a cornea or a lens occasionally enters a photographing image. In addition, as a second problem, since a time for which the eye to be inspected can maintain a fixation state is significantly short, it is necessary to detect the position alignment state between the apparatus and the eye to be inspected in horizontal and vertical directions and working distance (back and forth) direction at a high speed.
In order to address the two problems described above, in the apparatus side, it is necessary to detect the position alignment state between the apparatus and the eye to be inspected in horizontal and vertical directions and a working distance direction with high precision at a high speed.

Ophthalmologic apparatus and method thereof


Systems and methods for scalable video coding using special inter-layer prediction modes (called telescopic modes) are provided. These modes facilitate accelerated operation of encoders with improved coding efficiency.

New digital video coding techniques, which are directed to general improvements in coding efficiency, have a number of new structural characteristics. Specifically, an important new characteristic is scalability. In scalable coding, an original or source signal is represented using two or more hierarchically structured bitstreams. The hierarchical structure implies that decoding of a given bitstream depends on the availability of some or all other bitstreams that are lower in the hierarchy. Each bitstream, together with the bitstreams it depends on, offers a representation of the original signal at a particular temporal, quality (i.e., in terms of Signal-to-Noise Ratio, SNR), or spatial resolution.
It is understood that term 'scalable' does not refer to magnitude or scale in terms of numbers, but rather to the ability of the encoding technique to offer a set of different bitstreams corresponding to representations of the original or source signal at different 'scales' of resolutions or other qualities in general. The ITU-T H.264 Annex G specification, which is referred to as Scalable Video Coding (SVC), is an example of a video coding standard that offers video coding scalability in all of temporal, quality, or spatial dimensions. SVC is an extension of the H.264 standard (also known as Advanced Video Coding or AVC). An example of an earlier standard, which also offered all three types of scalability, is ISO MPEG-2 (also published as ITU-T H.262). ITU G.729.1 (also known as G.729EV) is an example of a standard offering scalable audio coding. Scalable video coding techniques which are specifically designed for interactive video communication applications such as videoconferencing are described in commonly assigned International patent application PCT/US06/0288365.
The concept of scalability was introduced in video and audio coding as a solution to distribution problems in streaming and broadcasting, and with a view to allow a given communication system to operate with varying access networks (e.g., clients connected with different bandwidths), network conditions (e.g., bandwidth fluctuation), and client devices (e.g., a personal computer that uses a large monitor vs. a handheld device with a much smaller screen).
Commonly assigned International patent application PCT/US06/028365 describes the design of a new type of server called the Scalable Video Communication Server (SVCS). SVCS can advantageously use scalable coded video for high-quality and low-delay video communication, and has a complexity, which is significantly reduced compared to traditional switching or transcoding Multipoint Control Units (MCUs). Similarly, commonly assigned International patent application PCT/US06/62569 describes a Compositing Scalable Video Coding Server (CSVCS), which has the same benefits as an SVCS but produces a single coded output bit stream. International patent application PCT/US07/80089 describes a Multicast Scalable Video Coding Server (MSVCS), which has the same benefits as an SVCS but utilizes available multicast communication channels. For convenience in the following description, the three different types of servers (SVCS, CSVCS, and MSVCS) will be commonly referred to as an SVCS, unless otherwise stated.
The scalable video coding design and the SVCS architecture can be used in further advantageous ways, which are described, for example, in commonly assigned International patent applications PCT/US06/028367, PCT/US06/027368, PCT/US06/061815, PCT/US07/062357, and PCT/US07/063335. These applications describe use of scalable coding techniques and SVCS architectures for effective trunking between servers, reduced jitter buffer delay, error resilience and random access, "thinning" of scalable video bitstreams to improve coding efficiency with reduced packet loss, and rate control, respectively. Further, commonly assigned International patent application PCT/US07/65554 describes techniques for transcoding between scalable video coding formats and other formats.
The hierarchical coding process in a typical scalable video coding system follows a pyramidal design. A first base layer is constructed using a baseline encoding technique, suitable for single-layer coding. In the case of SVC, the base layer is encoded using H.264 AVC. Encoding the base layer in this way has the benefit that the lowest scalability layer is backwards compatible with systems that are able to process only non-scalable video. Additional layers (referred to as enhancement layers) are constructed by further encoding of the difference between the original signal and the decoded output of a lower layer. The process is similar to successive approximation of the original signal.
Each additional enhancement layer improves the fidelity of the coded signal in one of three possible fidelity dimensions: temporal, quality (or SNR), or spatial. Temporal enhancement, when added to the base layer, provides a representation of the signal with a higher number of pictures or frames per second (fps). In quality scalability neither the spatial nor the temporal resolution is changed; rather, the residual coding error is further encoded with finer quantization. Since finer quantization will result in a higher SNR, this form of scalability is often referred to as SNR scalability. SNR scalability is further subdivided into Coarse Grain and Fine Grain Scalability (CGS and FGS, respectively). Their difference is that in the latter case, an embedded coding scheme is used to encode the residual coding error, thus allowing improvement of the lower layer SNR even if only a fraction of the enhancement layer is used in the decoding process. The more bits from the FGS layer are available, the better the improvement of the lower layer's SNR. For this reason the technique is also referred to as "progressive refinement." In CGS, the entire enhancement layer normally has to be available during the decoding process. Finally, spatial enhancement provides a representation of the signal at a higher spatial resolution (e.g., CIF vs. QCIF). It is noted that in order to construct the residual coding error, i.e., the difference between the original and the decoded output of the lower layer, the output of the lower layer has to be upsampled to the resolution of the original.
High coding efficiency in video coding is achieved by the utilization of effective models for predicting picture content, coupled with appropriate transformation of the resulting prediction errors (e.g., using the discrete cosine transform or integer approximations), quantization, and entropy coding of the resulting quantization levels and side information produced by the prediction and coding process. A simple mechanism for producing multiple representations of a given video signal would be to create two or more separate encodings of corresponding subsets of the original signal. This technique is typically referred to as simulcasting. Scalable video coding achieves further coding gains compared with simulcasting by using lower layers as prediction references for the encoding of higher layers. This inter-layer prediction exploits the inherent redundancy that exists across the three dimensions of a video signal. In a scalable video encoder, lower layer data is thus made available via additional prediction mode options. These additional options give the encoder more flexibility in its task of minimizing the distortion of the coded video signal while maintaining a given bit budget. At the same time, it is noted that the additional options can make the encoding task more complex as more possibilities may be examined.
An important feature of SVC is that single-loop decoding is used. This is achieved by limiting the encoder to use for inter-layer prediction only lower layer data that are available directly by parsing the bitstream. In other words, a decoder decoding a higher layer does not have to fully decode a lower layer (i.e., reconstruct the actual pixels) but instead needs only to parse the lower layer's bitstream data. This significantly reduces the computational requirements of decoders, and is a significant improvement compared to earlier scalable coding designs such as the one used in MPEG-2.
Even with single-loop decoding, however, the encoder's task in scalable coding is computationally demanding, as for every macroblock (MB) or macroblock partition of every layer it has to arrive at a decision in terms of the prediction mode, motion vector(s), and quantizer setting. The computational demand is even more pronounced in real-time applications such as videoconferencing, where pictures have to be processed within a given amount of time and with very little delay.
Consideration is now being given to improving scalable video coding systems so that computationally efficient encoding can be performed. In particular, attention is being directed to improving coding efficiency by appropriate signaling of prediction modes in the coded video signal.

System and method for scalable video coding using telescopic mode flags


Improved thermoplastic polymer blend compositions comprising an isotactic polypropylene component and an alpha-olefin and propylene copolymer component, said copolymer comprising crystallizable alpha-olefin sequences. In a preferred embodiment, improved thermoplastic polymer blends are provided comprising from about 35% to about 85% isotactic polypropylene and from about 30% to about 70% of an ethylene and propylene copolymer, wherein said copolymer comprises isotactically crystallizable propylene sequences and is predominately propylene. The resultant blends manifest unexpected compatibility characteristics, increased tensile strength, and improved process characteristics, e.g., a single melting point.

Although blends of isotactic polypropylene and ethylene propylene rubber are well known in the prior art, prior art Ziegler-Natta catalyst systems could only produce ethylene propylene rubber compositions with greater than 30% by weight ethylene at practical, economic polymerization conditions. There exists a need for polymeric materials which have advantageous processing characteristics while still providing suitable end properties to articles formed therefrom, e.g., tensile and impact strength. Copolymers and blends of polymers have been developed to try and meet the above needs. U.S. Pat. No. 3,882,197 to Fritz et al. describes blends of stereoregular propylene/alpha-olefin copolymers, stereoregular propylene, and ethylene copolymer rubbers. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,949 Chi-Kai Shih, assigned to E I DuPont, shows the synthesis of blend compositions containing isotactic polypropylene and copolymers of propylene and an alpha-olefin, containing between 6–20 carbon atoms, which have improved elongation and tensile strength over either the copolymer or isotactic polypropylene. Copolymers of propylene and alpha-olefin are described wherein the alpha-olefin is hexene, octene or dodecene. However, the copolymer is made with a heterogeneous titanium catalyst which makes copolymers which are non-uniform in compositional distribution and typically broad in molecular weight distribution. Compositional distribution is a property of copolymers where there exists statistically significant intermolecular or intramolecular difference in the composition of the polymer. Methods for measuring compositional distribution are described later. The presence of intramolecular compositional distribution is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,949 by the use of the term "block" in the description of the polymer where the copolymer is described as having "sequences of different alpha-olefin content." Within the context of the invention described above the term sequences describes a number of olefin monomer residues catenated together by chemical bonds and obtained by a polymerization procedure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,872, A.C.L. Su improved on the properties of the blends described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,949 by using another heterogeneous catalyst system. However, the properties and compositions of the copolymer with respect to either the nature and type of monomers (alpha-olefin containing 6–20 carbon atoms) or the blocky heterogeneous intra/inter molecular distribution of the alpha-olefin in the polymer have not been resolved since the catalysts used for these polymerization of propylene and alpha-olefin are expected to form copolymers which have statistically significant intermolecular and intramolecular compositional differences.
In two successive publications in the journal of Macromolecules, 1989, V22, pages 3851–3866, J. W. Collette of E. I. DuPont has described blends of isotactic polypropylene and partially atactic polypropylene which have desirable tensile elongation properties. However, the partially atactic propylene has a broad molecular weight distribution as shown in FIG. 8 of the first publication. The partially atactic polypropylene is also composed of several fractions, which differ in the level of tacticity of the propylene units as shown by the differences in the solubility in different solvents. This is shown by the corresponding physical decomposition of the blend which is separated by extraction with different solvents to yield individual components of uniform solubility characteristics as shown in Table IV of the above publications.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,853,969 and 3,378,606, E. G. Kontos discloses the formation of in situ blends of isotactic polypropylene and "stereo block" copolymers of propylene and another olefin of 2 to 12 carbon atoms, including ethylene and hexene. The copolymers of this invention are necessarily heterogeneous in intermolecular and intramolecular composition distribution. This is demonstrated by the synthesis procedures of these copolymers which involve sequential injection of monomer mixtures of different compositions to synthesize polymeric portions of analogously different compositions. In addition, FIG. 1 of both patents shows that the "stereo block" character, which is intra or intermolecular compositional differences in the context of the description of the present invention, is essential to the benefit of the tensile and elongation properties of the blend. In situ blends of isotactic polypropylene and compositionally uniform random ethylene propylene copolymers have poor properties. Moreover, all of these compositions either do not meet all of the desired properties for various applications, and/or involve costly and burdensome process steps to achieve the desired results.
Similar results are anticipated by R. Holzer and K. Mehnert in U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,992 assigned to Hercules wherein the authors disclose that the addition of a stereoblock copolymer of ethylene and propylene to isotactic polypropylene leads to improved mechanical properties of the blend compared to isotactic polypropylene alone. However, these benefits are described only for the stereoblock copolymers of ethylene and propylene. The synthesis of the these copolymers is designed around polymerization conditions where the polymer chains are generated in different compositions of ethylene and propylene achieved by changing, with time, the monomer concentrations in the reactor. This is shown in examples 1 and 2. The stereoblock character of the polymer is graphically shown in the molecular description (column 2, line 65) and contrasted with the undesirable random copolymer (column 2, line 60). The presence of stereoblock character in these polymers is shown by the high melting point of these polymers, which is much greater than the melting point of the second polymer component in the present invention, shown in Table 1, as well as the poor solubility of these hetero block materials, as a function of the ethylene wt % of the material as shown in Table 3.
It would be desirable to produce a blend of a crystalline polymer, hereinafter referred to as the "first polymer component," and a crystallizable polymer, hereinafter referred to as the "second polymer component", having advantageous processing characteristics while still providing end products made from the blend composition having the desired properties, i.e., increased tensile strength, elongation, and overall toughness. The first polymer component (abbreviated as "FPC" in the Tables below) and the second polymer component (abbreviated as "SPC" in the Tables below). Indeed, there is a need for an entirely polyolefin composition which is thermally stable, heat resistant, light resistant and generally suitable for thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) applications which has advantageous processing characteristics. Such an entirely polyolefin composition would be most beneficial if the combination of the first polymer component and the second polymer component were significantly different in mechanical properties than the compositionally weighted average of the corresponding properties of first polymer component and second polymer component alone. We anticipate, while not meant to be limited thereby, that the potency of the second polymer component may be increased if it only consists of one or two polyolefin copolymers material defined by uniform intramolecular and intermolecular composition and microstructure.
The term "crystalline," as used herein for first polymer component, characterizes those polymers which possess high degrees of inter- and intra-molecular order, and which melt higher than 110° C. and preferably higher than 115° C. and have a heat of fusion of at least 75 J/g, as determined by DSC analysis. And, the term "crystallizable," as used herein for second polymer component, describes those polymers or sequences which are mainly amorphous in the undeformed state, but upon stretching or annealing, crystallization occurs. Crystallization may also occur in the presence of the crystalline polymer such as first polymer component. These polymers have a melting point of less than 105° C. or preferably less than 100° C. and a heat of fusion of less than 75 J/g as determined by DSC.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Alpha-olefin/propylene copolymers and their use


A spline forming die is made up of: upper and lower ring-shaped holders; and rollers vertically rotatably retained between the upper and lower holders and projected from a circumferential end of a holder. Using this spline forming die, splines having a stable precision in a spline-forming direction are formed by a press load due to the rotation of the rollers without the metal stock being subject to shearing friction. Further, a large module of splines can also be formed by setting the diameter of each of the rollers to a large size.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spline forming die to be used in forming splines by forging.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, a ring-shaped die 1 of the type shown in FIG. 6 has been used in forming splines. A multiplicity of teeth 3 each having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to that of a spline are formed around the circumferential edge of a forming land 2 inside the ring-shaped die 1, and splines having a predetermined shape are formed by inserting a metal stock, which constitutes a shaft, into the forming land 2 by forging, and drawing (extruding) the metal stock by surface pressure and shearing friction due to the teeth 3.
However, in the case of the conventional die 1, a number of problems, such as wear and galling, occur in the teeth 3 at all times owing to shearing friction which works on a spline-forming portion of the metal stock while splines are being formed on the metal stock by the teeth 3. To avoid such problems, it has been necessary to take full account of the complicated surface treatment of the teeth 3 or the surface roughness of the metal stock.
Not only does complicated frictional behavior occurs unsteadily, but also the nonuniformity of the inner portions or the dimensions of individual metal stocks causes the frictional behavior to vary further complicatedly, so that unstable characteristics or dimensional errors occur in products.
In addition, it has been difficult to form large-module splines because of the limitation of plastic deformation due to the friction of the metal stock.


A dental implant for holding a dental prosthesis in place, after implantation within a hole drilled in bone, includes an upper surface, a generally cylindrical portion with a plurality of longitudinal shallow grooves, and an apical portion. The shallow circumferential grooves permit bone to grow entirely therein, so that the entire exposed surface of the implant has bone adhered thereto. The apical portion has a continuous truncoconical surface for diffusing the stresses into the bone. The head and uppermost portion of the cylinder have a smooth metal surface to retard the attachment of bone after implantation, while the remaining portion of the implant has either a roughened metal surface or a bioactive coating, such as hydroxylapatite, fluorapatite, or a bioactive carbon for the purpose of promoting the attachment of bone. A cap, having an outward expanding truncoconical head, is attached to the implant before implantation and left in place during a healing process to keep the upper portion of the implant free of tissues and ready for the attachment of a prosthesis.

Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a dental implants used to form root analogues for the attachment of dental prostheses, and more particularly, to such a dental implant having no externally threaded surfaces, particularly configured for use in areas of relatively low bone density.
2. Background Information
Cylindrical dental implants have been in use since 1976, with several different designs being incorporated into dental therapy. A dental implant is used where there are missing teeth, to act as a root analogue supporting a dental prosthetic device fitting on top of the implant. Such an implant typically has an internal threaded hole, extending inward from a hexagonally shaped surface portion, to be used for the attachment of a dental prosthetic device. The prosthesis is then screwed onto the implant, with an intermediate portion of the prosthesis engaging the hexagonal portion of the implant to prevent rotation. The implant includes a generally cylindrical portion extending from the surface portion to an apical portion at the opposite end.
Some dental implants have helically threaded exterior cylindrical surfaces and are normally inserted in dense bone areas such as the front jaw. These implants are literally screwed into properly sized holes drilled into the bone. Other dental implants are generally cylindrical shaped, without threads, and are placed into holes previously drilled into the bone. These non-threaded implants have surface designs adapted for the attachment to new bone growth. Conventional non-threaded cylindrical implants have openings extending through their apical portions for the intended purpose of permitting a space to accommodate new bone growth. However, recent research has shown that new bone growth does not predictably fill these openings. For example, the article by M. S. Block, I. M. Finger, M. G. Fontenot, and J. N. Kent, entitled "Loaded Hydroxylapatite and Grit-Blasted Titanium Implants in Dogs", in The International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants, Volume 4, pages 219 through 25, clearly shows that new bone does not completely fill these openings.
Chemical coatings and textured surfaces are also used to promote the attachment of bone to the implant. The Block et al article evaluated the response of canine mandibular bone to loaded hydroxylapatite coated and grit blasted titanium dental implants, and concluded that while soft tissue pocket depths were not statistically different, and crestal bone loss was not significantly different, the hydroxylapatite coated implants had a statistically significant greater amount of bone contacting their axial and apical surfaces. The implants used in this study included cylindrical axial portions with apical portions having cross drilled radial holes extending therethrough, and hemispherical apical ends.
One important function of the dental implant is the transmission of forces, generated by chewing actions on the prosthesis, into forces applied to the bone surrounding the implant, at stress levels compatible with the growth and maintenance of health bone tissue. Such stresses stimulate the surrounding bone, and, in accordance to Wolff's Law, if bone is not stimulated it will atrophy, whereas, if bone is over stimulated it will resorb in a process in which the calcified matrix dissolves away, lowering the density of the bone.

Dental implant with a longitudinally grooved cylindrical surface


A screen-type wind abatement system is provided for protecting openings, such as window and door openings, in buildings and other structures. Both openable and non-openable systems are disclosed. A openable system includes a first frame member anchored to the structure wall, a second frame member pivotally connected to the first frame member and having a screen mounting portion for receiving an edge of a screen and a retainer, and a snap-lock mechanism for removably connecting the first and second frame members, whereby the screen is sandwiched between the second frame and the retainer in covering relation with a window or door opening. The assembly is of heavy-duty construction to resist high impact forces caused by hurricane force winds and accompanying flying debris. The snap-lock mechanism allows for quick and simple installation and removal the second frame member. A fixed system is disclosed for non-openable installations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a screen-type storm barrier system for covering openings such as windows and doors. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heavy-duty screen assembly that is resistant to hurricane force winds and associated flying debris, burglars and vandals.
2. Description of Related Art
Over the past 20 years the United States has experienced numerous weather-related disasters each of which caused in excess of $1 billion in damages. In 2004, the State of Florida was subjected to direct hits from multiple hurricanes the combined effect of which resulted in damages of approximately 20 billion dollars.
In addition, population growth along the coastline of the United States has resulted in an increased risk to life and property from hurricane related damage. There are approximately 40 million permanent residents along the hurricane-prone coastline of the United States, with areas such as Texas, Florida, and the Carolinas, where hurricanes frequently strike, experiencing rapid population growth. Furthermore, many coastal areas experience substantial but temporary population increases from holiday, weekend, and vacation visitors during hurricane season.
Homes, buildings, and other structures, suffer substantial damage when storm generated winds carrying windborne debris penetrate the structures through window and door openings. Hurricane shutters have long been used as barriers to protect window and door openings from the effects of storm generated winds. Equipping homes and other buildings with hurricane protection in the form of storm shutters is one of the most prudent actions one can take to protect life and property.
Accordingly, the background art reveals a number of storm shutters and other devices designed for permanent or removable installation on homes and buildings. Conventional storm shutters typically consist of corrugated metal panels affixed to the outside of a given structure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,536, issued to Becker, discloses a shutter structure having overlapping corrugated panels. U.S. Pat. No. 4,333,271, issued to DePaolo et al., discloses a hurricane panel system for covering windows and doors wherein a plurality of corrugated metal panels are arranged in overlapping relationship to provide a protective structure. U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,716, issued to Caplan, discloses a storm shutter system comprising a combination of individual, interlocking modular elements. U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,903, issued to Astrizky, discloses a hurricane shutter comprising a pair of normally open doors that are swingable to a closed position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,911,660, issued to Watson, discloses a storm panel comprising a plurality of interlocking tiles interlocked together by a plurality of dovetail joints.
A significant disadvantage with conventional storm shutter panels is that installation is difficult and time consuming. In addition, installing panels over all of the window openings prevents light from entering the structure thereby darkening the interior. Accordingly, if power is lost, as often happens during severe storms, the occupants of the structure find themselves in total darkness.
A number of references disclosed in the background art reveal attempts to provide storm shutters that provide sufficient impact resistance while allowing light to enter to building. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,430, issued to Rowland, discloses a removable storm shield comprising transparent convex panels. U.S. Pat. No. 5,996,292, issued to Hill et al., discloses a perforated shutter system wherein at least one panel is formed of corrugations. U.S. Pat. No. 3,358,408, issued to Cooper et al., discloses an insulated light transmitting panel construction having corrugations in the side edges thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,261, issued to Seaquist, discloses a removable translucent storm shutter consisting of a ½″ thick polycarbonate sheet in an aluminum channel frame. U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,233, issued to Gower, discloses hurricane shutters formed of transparent, double-skinned panels that are strengthened by rods extending through the end channels. U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,921, issued to Kostrzecha, discloses a storm shutter wherein a plurality of corrugated shatter-resistant and transparent plastic sheets fastened to the structure using a mounting mechanism and fasteners inserted through key-way slots.
The present inventor has contributed to the field of screen-type wind abatement systems for windows and doors. U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,949, issued to Guthrie (the present inventor), discloses a screen system for covering openings such as windows and doors includes a frame having a screen-mounting portion for receiving an edge of a screen and a retainer bar. The screen is sandwiched between the frame and the retainer bar and the assembly is of heavy-duty constriction to resist high impact forces caused by hurricane force winds and accompanying flying debris. The retainer bar and frame can include one or more barbs to assist in capturing the screen and resisting forces. The retainer bar is also designed to pivot during assembly to tightly draw the screen across the opening in the frame. U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,949, is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The prior art, however, fails to disclose a screen-type wind abatement system having both the strength to protect window and door openings from high winds and wind-borne debris, while also being easy to install and remove, as well as being aesthetically pleasing. Accordingly, there exists a need for a screen-type wind abatement system capable of withstanding hurricane force winds while also being light-weight and easy to install and remove.

Screen-type storm barrier and wind abatement system


Biometric monitoring devices, including various technologies that may be implemented in such devices, are discussed herein. Additionally, techniques for utilizing altimeters in biometric monitoring devices are provided. Such techniques may, in some implementations, involve recalibrating a biometric monitoring device altimeter based on location data; using altimeter data as an aid to gesture recognition; and/or using altimeter data to manage an airplane mode of a biometric monitoring device.

Recent consumer interest in personal health has led to a variety of personal health monitoring devices being offered on the market. Such devices, until recently, tended to be complicated to use and were typically designed for use with one activity, e.g., bicycle trip computers.
Recent advances in sensor, electronics, and power source miniaturization have allowed the size of personal health monitoring devices, also referred to herein as "biometric tracking" or "biometric monitoring" devices, to be offered in extremely small sizes that were previously impractical. For example, the Fitbit Ultra is a biometric monitoring device that is approximately 2″ long, 0.75″ wide, and 0.5″ deep; it has a pixelated display, battery, sensors, wireless communications capability, power source, and interface button, as well as an integrated clip for attaching the device to a pocket or other portion of clothing, packaged within this small volume.
Discussed herein are various embodiments of biometric monitoring devices and technologies that may be used therein (and in other devices, in some instances, not necessarily providing biometric tracking functionality).

Fitness monitoring device with altimeter and gesture recognition


Anti-corrosion solutions and processes useful for refrigeration processes are proposed. Heteropoly complex anions of transitional metal elements can be added to an absorption solution which includes aqueous ammonia, alkali metal hydroxide and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxide, optionally in combination with transition metal compounds or compounds of the metallic elements of Groups IIIa to VIa of the Periodic Table of Elements to minimize corrosion of systems within which the solution is used.

Aqueous solutions of ammonia are useful as absorbent fluids in a variety of systems, such as absorption refrigeration machines, air conditioning systems, absorption heat pumps, reactifiers, and the like. Many of these systems also include heat exchangers. These systems typically operate under anaerobic conditions at temperatures of up to 450° F. Typically such solutions include ammonia in an amount ranging from about 1 to about 50 weight percent, based on the total weight of the solution.
Aqueous solutions of alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxides, such as solutions of calcium-hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, cesium hydroxide and the like and mixtures thereof, are also used in absorbent fluids, for example in absorption cooling machines, chillers, and heat pumps. Typically such solutions include alkali metal and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxide in an amount ranging from about 20 to about 80 weight percent, based on the total weight of the solution.
Although these and other types of absorption solutions can be advantageous, aqueous ammonia, alkali metal hydroxides and/or alkaline-earth metal hydroxides can be corrosive toward the materials used to construct the machines. Such materials can include mild and stainless steel for containment components and copper or copper-nickel alloys for tube bundles (typically for machines in which alkali metal hydroxide and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxide solutions are used), among others.
In addition to the surface damage caused by corrosion, the corrosion reaction evolves hydrogen gas as a byproduct. Incondensibles in the form of atoms or ions can easily enter and diffuse into metals, resulting in the degradation of their mechanical properties under certain conditions.
The severity of corrosion can vary depending upon factors such as temperatures of the system, concentration of ammonia, alkali metal hydroxide and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxide in the absorption solution, metals used in the construction of the unit, the presence of air, and the like. For example, during use, the internal temperature of such machines can be high, typically up to about 450° F. and higher, depending on the type of the absorption cycle, which can increase the corrosive effect of the solution. As noted above, corrosion can generate significant amounts of hydrogen during machine operation, which can adversely impact the performance of the machine.
Various additives, such as lithium chromate, lithium nitrate, and lithium molybdate, have been proposed as corrosion inhibitors in absorption solutions. However, lithium chromate can raise environmental concerns, and its use is being phased out. Further, the level of chromate and its oxidation state must be carefully maintained. Chromate acts as an oxidant. Thus typically large quantities of chromate are added initially and must be replaced periodically to maintain the desired level of corrosion inhibition. If too little chromate is used, then it does not properly passivate the whole metal surface and pitting can result.
Lithium nitrate can potentially evolve ammonia, which can cause stress corrosion cracking of copper based alloys such as heat exchanger tubes. Lithium molybdate exhibits only limited solubility in ammonium, alkali metal hydroxide and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxide solutions. In addition, lithium molybdate is metastable in aqueous ammonium, alkali metal hydroxide, and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxide solutions. Thus it can be difficult to maintain in aqueous ammonia, alkali metal hydroxide, and/or alkaline earth metal hydroxide solutions and to maintain a constant concentration of molybdate ions in solution.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,578 reports the use of silicon compounds, in particular sodium silicate, as inhibitors for aqueous ammonium solutions. However, at a certain critical ammonium concentration, the effectiveness of such silicon compounds is diminished. Further, such silicon compounds can have limited solubility in an aqueous medium.
Pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/882,771, filed Jun. 26, 1997, titled "Corrosion Inhibiting Solutions for Refrigeration Systems," is directed to the use of heteropoly complex anions of transitional elements as corrosion inhibition additives. Refrigeration absorption formulations which included heteropoly complex anions as a component exhibited improved corrosion inhibition properties and low generation of hydrogen gas that is evolved due to the corrosion reaction of alkali halide solutions with the materials of construction of the refrigeration machine. Pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/896,110, filed Jul. 17, 1997, titled "Corrosion Inhibiting Solutions for Refrigeration Systems," is directed to the use of halide compounds of metallic elements of group Va, and demonstrated that alkali halide formulations containing these elements offer improved corrosion protection and low hydrogen as compared to conventional corrosion inhibitors.

Corrosion inhibiting solutions for absorption systems


An attenuated phase shift reticle, or photomask, includes radiation blocking regions that are subdivided, by cut lines, into discrete, spaced apart sections with dimensions (e.g., surface area, etc.) that are configured to minimize or eliminate the buildup of electrostatic energy by the radiation blocking regions and/or the discharge of electrostatic energy from the radiation blocking regions and the damage that may be caused by such electrostatic discharge. The reticle may be configured to prevent radiation from passing through the cut lines between adjacent sections of a subdivided radiation blocking region. Methods for designing, fabricating, and using such masks are also disclosed, as are methods for subdividing the radiation blocking regions of previously fabricated reticles of previously existing designs.

Reticles are masks that are used to control the portions of a material (e.g., an unexposed, undeveloped photoresist) that may be exposed to electromagnetic radiation (e.g., light). In semiconductor device fabrication processes, most of the extremely small features are defined in part by use of reticles, with a large number of different reticles corresponding to different fabrication levels, or elevations, of the semiconductor device.
The reticles that are used in semiconductor device fabrication processes typically include a quartz substrate upon which a radiation blocking layer is fabricated. The light blocking layer includes an opaque, or non-transmissive, material, such as chromium. Attenuated phase shifting reticles may also include one or more layers of partially transmissive, phase shifting materials, such as molybdenum silicide ("MoSi") or chromium oxide ("CrO"), that phase shift radiation transmitted therethrough (e.g., by 180°). By phase shifting the radiation, diffraction of the radiation may be reduced, improving the resolution of the reticle.
When the reticle is used, radiation is directed through the reticle onto a layer of unexposed, undeveloped photoresist that has been applied to a substrate, such as a semiconductor wafer, which transfers the pattern defined by the light blocking layer and any partially transmissive regions to the layer of unexposed, undeveloped photoresist. The areas of the layer of photoresist that are exposed to radiation passing through the transparent areas and partially transmissive areas of the reticle are typically smaller than the corresponding transparent areas of the reticle. In some cases, the exposed areas of the photoresist have lateral dimensions that are one-fourth the sizes of their corresponding lateral dimensions of the transparent areas of the reticle.
Despite the seemingly increased tolerance that these differences in dimensions may impart to a reticle during its fabrication and use, when a reticle is used in semiconductor device fabrication processes, even very slight damage to the reticle and the presence of very small contaminant particles on transparent and partially transmissive attenuation regions of the reticle may cause imperfections in a photoresist. These imperfections are, of course, transferred to a semiconductor device during its fabrication, and may affect the performance and reliability of the semiconductor device and, ultimately, reduce semiconductor device yields.
One of the prevalent causes of the attraction of contaminants to reticles is the collection of electrostatic energy. The discharge of collected electrostatic energy, or "electrostatic discharge" or "ESD," is also known to cause damage to the light blocking layers of reticles. ESD is particularly prevalent at the typically tapered corners 27 of attenuation regions 26, as shown in FIG. 1. Although a number of measures have been developed in an attempt to reduce the amount of electrostatic energy to which reticles may be exposed, they are still exposed to some electrostatic energy, which, over time, is collected by reticle features (e.g., metallic light blocking layers).

Reticles with subdivided blocking regions


Embodiments of a reactive shaped charge, a reactive liner, and a method for penetrating a target are generally described herein. The reactive shaped charge comprises a reactive liner having a matrix of reactive metal particles in a hydrocarbon fuel, a high explosive, and an inner barrier separating the reactive liner from the high explosive. The hydrocarbon fuel fills the interstitial spacing between the reactive metal particles, and the matrix is tightly packed or compresses to exhibit a solid like property.

A lined shaped charge generates an enormous amount of pressure by detonation of an explosive to drive a liner to penetrate a target. In conventional shaped charges, the residual liner material perforates a target's protective barrier and enters a confined target space. Because many conventional shaped charges use inert liner material, the residual liner material deposits only a small amount of energy, in the form of heat and pressure, before exiting the target. Conventional penetrating warheads require allocation of substantial warhead mass to survive an impact with a target and to perforate a protective target barrier to enable detonation of energetic materials within the target space.
Thus, what are needed are reactive shaped charges that are capable of perforating protective target barriers followed by signification energy release inside the confined target space. What are also needed are reactive liners suitable for use in shaped charges, and warheads that maximize the allocation of payload mass to the energetic verses inert material components.

Reactive shaped charge, reactive liner, and method for target penetration using a reactive shaped charge


A sport boot having an external upper for protection against external damage, an assembly insole and an outer sole, and comprising an internal tightening system comprising two tightening quarters each having a lower end and being attached to said external upper only by that lower end. Internal lacing is arranged in the instep area. The external upper has a closed structure and with an opening only at its upper end and comprises external lacing for tightening the upper on the foot. The internal tightening system is substantially independent of the upper, a tongue element being provided beneath, but without physical connection to, the internal tightening system, and being attached to the upper at the front end of the boot and at a distance from the internal tightening quarters, so as to enable the tongue element to act as a lever for loosening the internal lacing.

Traditionally, mountain, ski-touring, telemark, or other boots are strong, have high uppers, and are made of thick leather, in order to ensure good position-maintenance of the foot and ankle over all types of terrain, in particular fallen rocks and slopes, and good control of the sliding element when using ski, telemark, snowboard, and other skis.
These boots nevertheless have the disadvantage of being heavy, and fairly uncomfortable, and are difficult to lace around the foot because of the rigidity of the material used.
In addition, conventional practice, more specifically for glacier hiking, includes the use of so-called plastic shell boots, that is, boots in which the upper is made of a rigid synthetic material. These boots further comprise an inner, normally removable sock designed to ensure comfort of the foot inside the boot.
In this case, the foot is held by the sock by means of the deformation of the shell, which exerts stress on the sock.
Beside the difficulty of deforming the plastic shell in order to obtain the desired tightening effect, this type of boot also has the disadvantage that relative motion of the sock in relation to the shell can only the prevented, except by deforming the shell very forcefully on the sock and, thus generating strong pressures on the foot and causing discomfort.
Conventional practice, as revealed, for example, in Patent No. FR 2 678 487, encompasses manufacture of a walking boot comprising, inside an external upper, a foot-tightening device designed to hold the foot in place inside the boot independently of the external upper, which functions to protect against external conditions.
In this boot, the external upper is fitted on the top of the foot with a longitudinal opening extending from the ankle to the end of the foot, this opening being closed either by a zipper closure or by self-gripping means.
This boot does in fact clearly improve position-maintenance of the foot and inner comfort.
However, the longitudinal opening of the exterior upper on the top of the foot impairs the water-tightness of the boot as a whole.
These conventional boots also prove disadvantageous because they allow little proprioceptive sensation by the foot, as a result of the rigidity of the materials used for the upper.


A integrated circuit driving unit for a LCD device includes a base film having first and second regions; first and second input lines on the base film; first and second output lines on the base film; first and second input pads at a boundary of the base film connected to one end of each of the first and second input lines, respectively; first and second output pads at a boundary of the base film connected to one end of each of the first and second output lines; first and second input terminals in the first and second regions of the base film connected to the other end of each of the first and second input lines, respectively; and first and second output terminals in the first and second regions of the base film connected to the other end of each of the first and second output lines, respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, and more particularly to a driving integrated circuit (IC) unit for an LCD device.
2. Description of the Related Art
LCD devices having small size, lightweight, and low power consumption may solve problems related to cathode ray tube (CRT) devices. Accordingly, LCD devices have been a subject of recent research. The LCD device is a non-emissive display device including a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between array and color filter substrates. Of the different types of known LCD devices, active matrix LCD (AM-LCD) devices, which have thin film transistors and pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix pattern, are the subject of significant research and development because of their high resolution and superiority in displaying moving images.
The LCD device comprises an LCD module having a driving circuit unit and a backlight unit.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional LCD module.
In FIG. 1, a conventional LCD module 2 includes a liquid crystal display panel 10, a backlight unit 30, and a driver unit 50. The liquid crystal display panel 10 includes an upper substrate 12, also referred to as a color filter substrate, and a lower substrate 14, also referred to as an array substrate. A liquid crystal layer 15 is interposed between the upper and lower substrates 12 and 14 and a thin film transistor (TFT) "T", to which a driving signal is applied from the driver unit 50, is formed on the lower substrate 14. The TFT "T" has a gate electrodes 16, source and drain electrodes 18 and 20, connected to a gate line, a data line (not shown) and a pixel electrode 22 applying a voltage to the liquid crystal layer 15, respectively. On the other hand, the driver unit 50 has a printed circuit board (PCB) 53 and a driving IC unit 54 including a driving IC 52.
Generally, the driving IC unit 54 is attached to the liquid crystal display panel 10 using an anisotropic conductive film. In conventional or low resolution type LCDs, the PCB having the driving IC can be easily attached to the liquid crystal display panel by a heat seal connector (HSC) because the driving IC does not have many leads. However, as the resolution of liquid crystal display panels increase, a driving IC has many leads and becomes harder to attach to the PCB. For example, a liquid crystal display panel having 600×800 pixels in super video graphics adapter (SVGA) requires 600×800×3 sub pixels, also known as dots, to display colors. All of the sub pixels need to be connected to the driving IC through a separate lead wire.
To solve the above-mentioned problems, a tape automated bonding (TAB) has been suggested. A TAB type driving IC is easily attached to a high resolution liquid crystal display by loading the TAB type driving IC onto a tape carrier. As shown in FIG. 1, the TAB type driving IC is loaded onto a tape carrier package (TCP) and is mainly used within the driving IC unit 54. Recently, a chip on flexible printed circuit (COF) type driving IC has been researched. Since the COF type driving IC is loaded on a more flexible film than in the TCP type driving IC, the thickness of the COF type driving IC unit is reduced so that a fine pad pitch may be formed.
FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic plan view showing a relationship between a driving IC and an LCD panel of a conventional LCD module.
In FIG. 2, gate and source electrodes 16 and 18 of the LCD module 2 are connected to gate and data lines 17 and 19, respectively. In a pixel region defmed by the gate and data lines 17 and 19, red (R), green (G), and blue (B) sub pixels are sequentially disposed to compose one pixel "P".
The driving IC 52 functions as an interface between the LCD panel 10 and the driving unit. The driving IC 52 includes a gate driving IC 52a and a source driving IC 52b. The gate driving IC 52a is disposed at each of the right and left sides of the LCD panel 10 and turns a TFT "T" on or off by sequentially applying a driving voltage to the gate line 17. The source driving IC 52b is disposed at each of the top and bottom of the LCD panel 10 and applies a signal voltage to the data line 19 and transfer a data voltage to a liquid crystal layer through the TFT turned on.
The LCD module 2 is driven by alternating current (AC) to prevent direct current (DC) from weakening the liquid crystal layer the LCD. The AC driving method also prevents a degradation of display quality (e.g., flicker) due to a pixel voltage variation according to a field and a residual image that occurs when a still image is displayed for a long time. For the AC driving method, a line inversion driving method is mainly used. In the line inversion driving method, positive (+) signals are applied to the data lines when one gate line is turned on and negative (−) signals are applied to the data lines when the next gate line is turned on.
At the ends of the gate and data lines 17 and 19, gate and data pads (not shown) are formed, respectively. A plurality of output pads corresponding to the gate and data pads are formed in the driving IC 52.
FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic plan view of a conventional driving IC unit of a COF type for a LCD device.
In FIG. 3, the driving IC unit 54 includes a base film 58 and a plurality of input lines 68 and output lines 70 are formed on the base film 58 along a first direction. At one end of each input line 68 and each output line 70 near a boundary of the base film 58, input pads 64 and output pads 66 are disposed, respectively. At the other end of each input line 68 and each output line 70, in a middle of the base film 58, input terminals 60 and output terminals 62 are disposed, respectively. The input pad 64 is connected to a PCB (not shown) and an input signal is transferred from the PCB to the input pad 64. The output pad 66 is connected to gate or data pads of an LCD panel as illustrated in FIG. 2. Furthermore, a driving IC 56 connected to the input and output terminals 60 and 62 is formed on the base film 58.
Generally, since the resolution of an LCD module is determined by a number of gate and data lines, a compact LCD module of high resolution can be realized by forming a driving IC having a fine pad pitch. The minimum pad pitches of TCP type and COF type driving ICs are within a range of about 70 to about 75 micrometers and about 50 micrometers, respectively. Since the COF type driving IC is thinner than that of the TCP type, the distance between pads may be reduced due to a taper angle present in the COF type driving IC.
FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a line IV—IV of FIG. 3. A base film and a driving IC are not shown for convenience of explanation. Since an output terminal has a size corresponding to an output pad, the pitch between output terminals may be referred as a pad pitch.
In FIG. 4, the pad pitch "pp" may be expressed as follows.1pp(50 μm)=2a(30 μm)+d(20 μm)
where "a" is a half width of the output terminal 62 and "d" is a distance between output terminals 62.
The degree of pad pitch may be measured by calculating the number of the output lines per inch (2.54 cm=25400 μm) capable of being designed using one pad pitch "pp". Since the number of output lines corresponding to one pad pitch "pp" is one, the number of output lines per inch is 508. (25400 μm/50 μm=508 EA/inch) Since one pixel is composed of three sub pixels, the number of output terminals per inch corresponds to a maximum of 170 pixels/inch. (508/3=170)
It is difficult to form LCD devices having a display of 200 pixels per inch (PPI) while employing COF type driving IC units according to the single bank method, where source driving ICs are disposed at only one side of the LCD panel. Even though the pixel pitch of the 200 PPI LCD device is calculated as 42 μm, the pad pitch, being narrower than the pixel pitch (e.g., less than 40 μm), is conventionally difficult to fabricate.
Since clock frequency increases as operating speed and resolution increases, driving ICs having corresponding clock frequencies for ultra high resolution LCD devices (e.g., over quadruple extended graphics adapter (QXGA) having 2048×1536 pixels) are not easily fabricated according to the single bank method. To improve the problems associated with the single bank method, a double bank method has been suggested. In the double bank method, data driving IC units are disposed at both sides of the LCD panel.
FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic plan view showing an LCD module of a conventional double bank method.
In FIG. 5, the LCD module of the conventional double bank method processes signals at driving IC units 72 of both sides so that high speed driving can be achieved at high resolution. However, as the area of the driving IC units 72 increases and processes of the driving IC and module become complex, the LCD device driven according to the double bank method is not easily made compactly is associated with high fabrication costs.

Driving integrated circuit unit for a liquid crystal display device


Pneumatic tire, the belt of which is reinforced by a multilayer laminate comprising at least one multiaxially drawn thermoplastic polymer film, such as for example a biaxially drawn PET film, placed between and in contact with two layers of rubber composition, such as natural rubber. Preferably, the thermoplastic polymer film has, irrespective of the tensile direction considered, a tensile modulus E which is greater than 500 MPa, a maximum tensile stress σmax which is greater than 80 MPa, and an elongation at break Ar greater than 40%. The above thermoplastic polymer film, placed between two layers of diene rubber compositions, can especially be used in the belt of pneumatic tires as a perforation-resistant protective film.

A pneumatic tire having a radial carcass reinforcement comprises, in a known manner, a tread, two inextensible beads, two flexible sidewalls joining the beads to the tread and a rigid crown reinforcement or "belt" placed circumferentially between the carcass reinforcement and the tread.
The tire belt generally consists of superposed rubber plies which may contain metal or textile reinforcing threads, generally arranged parallel to one another within a given ply.
In particular, this belt may comprise one or more crown plies known as "protective" plies, in general located beneath the tread, the role of which protective plies is to protect the rest of the belt from external attack, tearing or other perforations. This is for example the general case in the belts of tires for heavy vehicles or civil engineering vehicles.
These protective plies must be sufficiently flexible and deformable so as, on the one hand, to follow as closely as possible the shape of the obstacle on which the belt bears during rolling and, on the other hand, to prevent the penetration of foreign bodies radially towards the inside of said belt. To meet such criteria requires the use, in these protective layers, of reinforcing threads in the form of cords having a high elasticity and a high fracture energy.
Steel cords known as "strand cords", also described as high elongation cords (HE cords) are normally used, these being assembled by the known technique of stranding and consisting of a plurality of metal strands twisted together in a helix, each strand comprising several steel wires which are also wound together in a helix.
Such elastic strand cords have been described in a large number of patents or patent applications, in particular to reinforce protective crown plies of tires for industrial vehicles such as heavy or civil engineering vehicles (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,843,583, U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,636, WO 2004/003287 (or US 2005/0183808), WO 2004/033789 or U.S. Pat. No. 7,089,726, WO 2005/014925 or US 2006/0179813).
However, these protective crown plies reinforced with metal strand cords have a certain number of drawbacks.
Firstly, these strand cords are relatively expensive, this being so on two counts: firstly, they are prepared in two steps, namely by the prior manufacture of the strands followed by assembly by twisting these strands, and, secondly, they generally require their wires to have a high twist (i.e. a very short helix pitch), this twist being essential in order to give them the desired elasticity but leading to low manufacturing rates. This drawback of course has repercussions on the cost of the tires themselves.
Other known drawbacks of these metal cords are their sensitivity to corrosion, their weight and their relatively large size (outside diameter).

Pneumatic tire, the belt of which is reinforced by a thermoplastic polymer film

COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN


Graphics processing systems may render multiple views of a scene (e.g. a sequence of frames) in a tile-based manner. Groups of views may be rendered together such that tiles from a group of views are rendered in an interspersed order such that at least one tile from each of the views in the group is rendered before any of the views of the scene in the group are fully rendered. In this way similar tiles from different views within a group may be rendered sequentially. If a particular rendered tile is similar to the next tile to be rendered then data stored in a cache for rendering the particular tile is likely to be useful for rendering the next tile. Therefore, when rendering the next tile less data needs to be fetched from the system memory which can significantly improve the efficiency of the graphics processing system.

Graphics processing systems are used to render images of scenes in a computer system. An application, such as a game application, sends data describing objects in a scene to a graphics processing system, and the graphics processing system can operate to render an image of the scene from a particular viewpoint. The scene may be a three-dimensional (3D) scene, and objects within the scene may be described by primitives which have a position in the 3D scene and which can be textured and/or shaded to thereby apply appearance features, such as colour and lighting effects, to the primitive in the rendered image.
FIG. 1 shows some elements of a graphics processing system 100 which may be used to render an image of a 3D scene. The graphics processing system 100 comprises a graphics processing unit (GPU) 102 and two portions of memory 1041 and 1042. It is noted that the two portions of memory 1041 and 1042 may, or may not, be parts of the same physical memory, and both memories 1041 and 1042 are often situated "off-chip", i.e. not on the same chip as the GPU 102, and as such may be referred to as "system memory". Communication between the memories (1041 and 1042) and the GPU 102 may take place over a conventional communications bus in the system 100, as is known in the art.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, the graphics processing system 100 is a tile-based deferred rendering system. The system 100 is "tile-based" in the sense that the rendering space of the system 100 is divided into a plurality of tiles which can be processed by the rendering unit 108 separately. The system 100 is a "deferred rendering system" in the sense that hidden surface removal is performed on a primitive fragment prior to performing texturing and/or shading on the primitive fragment in order to render the scene. However, it is noted that in other examples, graphics processing systems may be non tile-based and/or not deferred rendering systems. The GPU 102 comprises a tiling unit 106 and a rendering unit 108, wherein the rendering unit 108 comprises a hidden surface removal (HSR) module 110, a texturing/shading module 112 and pixel processing logic 113. The graphics processing system 100 is arranged such that sequences of primitives for images provided by an application are received at the tiling unit 106. The tiling unit 106 may perform functions such as clipping and culling to remove primitives which do not fall into a visible view. The tiling unit 106 may also transform the primitives into the rendering space for an image of the scene.
The tiling unit 106 determines display lists for tiles of images of the scene, wherein the display list for a tile indicates which of the primitives are relevant for rendering the tile. For example the display list for a tile indicates which primitives are present within that tile of the rendering space of the graphics processing system 100. The display lists and primitive data (e.g. the transformed primitive data which has been transformed into the rendering space for the image) are outputted from the tiling unit 106 and stored in the memory 1041. The rendering unit 108 fetches the display list for a tile and then fetches the primitive data relevant to that tile from the memory 1041 as indicated by the display list for the tile. The HSR module 112 performs hidden surface removal to thereby remove fragments of primitives which are hidden in the scene. The remaining fragments are passed to the texturing/shading module 114 which performs texturing and/or shading on the fragments to determine pixel values of a rendered image. The pixel processing logic 113 may process the pixel values, e.g. to apply compression or filtering to them, before passing the pixel values to the memory 1042 for storage in a frame buffer 114. The texturing/shading module 112 can fetch texture data from the memory 1041 in order to apply texturing to the fragments. The rendering unit 108 is configured to process each of the tiles of an image and when a whole image has been rendered and stored in the frame buffer 114 of the memory 1042, the image can be outputted from the graphics processing system 100 and, for example, may be displayed on a display. The rendering unit 108 may then render tiles of another image.

Rendering views of a scene in a graphics processing unit


A communications system includes a first wireless communications system configured to provide wireless communications over a first frequency band, and a second wireless communications system configured to provide wireless communications using at least a portion of the first frequency band. The system includes an inter-system communications link between the first wireless communications system and the second wireless communications system. The inter-system communications link is used to coordinate the use of the first frequency band. The system further includes an interference reducer configured to reduce interference between the first wireless communications system and the second wireless communications system. Related methods are also disclosed.

Satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods are widely used for radiotelephone communications. Satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods generally employ at least one space-based component, such as one or more satellites, that is/are configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of satellite radiotelephones.
A satellite radiotelephone communications system or method may utilize a single satellite antenna pattern (beam or cell) covering an entire service region served by the system. Alternatively or in combination with the above, in cellular satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods, multiple satellite antenna patterns (beams or cells) are provided, each of which can serve a substantially distinct service region in an overall service region, to collectively provide service to the overall service region. Thus, a cellular architecture similar to that used in conventional terrestrial cellular radiotelephone systems and methods can be implemented in cellular satellite-based systems and methods. The satellite typically communicates with radiotelephones over a bidirectional communications pathway, with radiotelephone communications signals being communicated from the satellite to the radiotelephone over a downlink or forward link (also referred to as forward service link), and from the radiotelephone to the satellite over an uplink or return link (also referred to as return service link). In some cases, such as, for example, in broadcasting, the satellite may communicate information to one or more radioterminals unidirectionally.
The overall design and operation of cellular satellite radiotelephone systems and methods are well known to those having skill in the art, and need not be described further herein. Moreover, as used herein, the term "radiotelephone" includes cellular and/or satellite radiotelephones with or without a multi-line display; Personal Communications System (PCS) terminals that may combine a radiotelephone with data processing, facsimile and/or data communications capabilities; Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) that can include a radio frequency transceiver and/or a pager, Internet/Intranet access, Web browser, organizer, calendar and/or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver; and/or conventional laptop and/or palmtop computers or other appliances, which include a radio frequency transceiver. A radiotelephone also may be referred to herein as a "radioterminal", a "mobile terminal" or simply as a "terminal". As used herein, the term(s) "radioterminal," "radiotelephone," mobile terminal" and/or "terminal" also include(s) any other radiating user device/equipment/source that may have time-varying or fixed geographic coordinates and/or may be portable, transportable, installed in a vehicle (aeronautical, maritime, or land-based) and/or situated and/or configured to operate locally and/or in a distributed fashion over one or more terrestrial and/or extra-terrestrial location(s). Furthermore, as used herein, the term "space-based component" or "space-based system" includes one or more satellites at any orbit (geostationary, substantially geostationary, medium earth orbit, low earth orbit, etc.) and/or one or more other objects and/or platforms (e.g., airplanes, balloons, unmanned vehicles, space crafts, missiles, etc.) that has/have a trajectory above the earth at any altitude.
Terrestrial networks can enhance cellular satellite radiotelephone system availability, efficiency and/or economic viability by terrestrially using/reusing at least some of the frequencies that are allocated to cellular satellite radiotelephone systems. In particular, it is known that it may be difficult for cellular satellite radiotelephone systems to reliably serve densely populated areas, because satellite signals may be blocked by high-rise structures and/or may not penetrate into buildings. As a result, satellite spectrum may be underutilized or unutilized in such areas. The terrestrial use/reuse of at least some of the satellite system frequencies can reduce or eliminate this potential problem.
Moreover, the capacity of an overall hybrid system, comprising space-based (i.e., satellite) and terrestrial communications capability, may be increased by the introduction of terrestrial frequency use/reuse of frequencies authorized for use by the space-based component, since terrestrial frequency use/reuse may be much denser than that of a satellite-only system. In fact, capacity may be enhanced where it may be mostly needed, i.e., in densely populated urban/industrial/commercial areas. As a result, the overall system may become more economically viable, as it may be able to serve more effectively and reliably a larger subscriber base.
One example of terrestrial reuse of satellite frequencies is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,332 to co-inventor Karabinis entitled Satellite Telecommunications Repeaters and Retransmission Methods, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if set forth fully herein. As described therein, satellite telecommunications repeaters are provided which receive, amplify, and locally retransmit the downlink/uplink signal received from a satellite/radioterminal thereby increasing an effective downlink/uplink margin in the vicinity of the satellite telecommunications repeater and allowing an increase in the penetration of uplink and downlink signals into buildings, foliage, transportation vehicles, and other objects which can reduce link margin. Both portable and non-portable repeaters are provided. See the abstract of U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,332.
Satellite radiotelephones for a satellite radiotelephone system or method having a terrestrial communications capability by terrestrially using/reusing at least some of the same satellite frequency band and using substantially the same air interface for both terrestrial and satellite communications may be cost effective and/or aesthetically appealing. Conventional dual band/dual mode radiotelephone alternatives, such as the well known Thuraya, Iridium and/or Globalstar dual mode satellite/terrestrial radiotelephones, duplicate some components (as a result of the different frequency bands and/or air interface protocols between satellite and terrestrial communications), which leads to increased cost, size and/or weight of the radiotelephone. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,560 to co-inventor Karabinis, entitled Satellite System Utilizing a Plurality of Air Interface Standards and Method Employing Same.
Satellite radiotelephone communications systems and methods that may employ terrestrial reuse of satellite frequencies are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,057 to Karabinis, entitled Systems and Methods for Terrestrial Reuse of Cellular Satellite Frequency Spectrum; and Published U.S. Patent Application Nos. US 2003/0054760 to Karabinis, entitled Systems and Methods for Terrestrial Reuse of Cellular Satellite Frequency Spectrum; US 2003/0054761 to Karabinis, entitled Spatial Guardbands for Terrestrial Reuse of Satellite Frequencies; US 2003/0054814 to Karabinis et al., entitled Systems and Methods for Monitoring Terrestrially Reused Satellite Frequencies to Reduce Potential Interference; US 2003/0073436 to Karabinis et al., entitled Additional Systems and Methods for Monitoring Terrestrially Reused Satellite Frequencies to Reduce Potential Interference; US 2003/0054762 to Karabinis, entitled Multi-Band/Multi-Mode Satellite Radiotelephone Communications Systems and Methods; US 2003/0153267 to Karabinis, entitled Wireless Communications Systems and Methods Using Satellite-Linked Remote Terminal Interface Subsystems; US 2003/0224785 to Karabinis, entitled Systems and Methods for Reducing Satellite Feeder Link Bandwidth/Carriers In Cellular Satellite Systems; US 2002/0041575 to Karabinis et al., entitled Coordinated Satellite-Terrestrial Frequency Reuse; US 2002/0090942 to Karabinis et al., entitled Integrated or Autonomous System and Method of Satellite-Terrestrial Frequency Reuse Using Signal Attenuation and/or Blockage, Dynamic Assignment of Frequencies and/or Hysteresis; US 2003/0068978 to Karabinis et al., entitled Space-Based Network Architectures for Satellite Radiotelephone Systems; US 2003/0143949 to Karabinis, entitled Filters for Combined Radiotelephone/GPS Terminals; US 2003/0153308 to Karabinis, entitled Staggered Sectorization for Terrestrial Reuse of Satellite Frequencies; and US 2003/0054815 to Karabinis, entitled Methods and Systems for Modifying Satellite Antenna Cell Patterns In Response to terrestrial Reuse of Satellite Frequencies, all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosures of all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety as if set forth fully herein.
Some satellite radiotelephone systems and methods may employ interference cancellation techniques to allow terrestrial reuse of satellite frequencies. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,057 to Karabinis, cited above, a satellite radiotelephone frequency can be reused terrestrially by a terrestrial network even within the same satellite cell that is using the satellite radiotelephone frequency, using interference cancellation techniques. Moreover, the terrestrial network can use a modified range of satellite band forward link frequencies for transmission, to reduce interference with out-of-band receivers. A modified range of satellite band forward link frequencies that is used by the terrestrial network can include only a subset of the standard satellite band forward link frequencies to provide a guard band, can include power levels that monotonically decrease as a function of increasing frequency and/or can include two or more contiguous slots per frame that are left unoccupied and/or are transmitted at reduced maximum power. Time division duplex operation of the terrestrial network may also be provided over at least a portion of satellite band return frequencies. Full or partial reverse mode operation of the terrestrial network also may be provided, where at least some of the forward link and return link frequencies are interchanged with the conventional satellite forward link and reverse link frequencies. See the Abstract of U.S. Pat. No. 6,684,057.
Other radiotelephone systems and methods can monitor terrestrial reuse of satellite-band frequencies to reduce potential interference. For example, as described in Published U.S. Patent Application No. US 2003/0054814 A1, cited above, radiation by a terrestrial network, and/or satellite radiotelephones that communicate therewith are monitored and controlled, to reduce and preferably prevent intra-system interference and/or interference with other satellite radiotelephone systems. In particular, a satellite radiotelephone system includes a space-based component that is configured to wirelessly communicate with first radiotelephones in a satellite footprint over a satellite radiotelephone frequency band, and a terrestrial network that is configured to wirelessly communicate with second radiotelephones in the satellite footprint over at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band, to thereby terrestrially reuse the at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band. Wireless radiation by the terrestrial network and/or the second radiotelephones at the space-based component is monitored, and the radiation by the terrestrial network and/or the plurality of second radiotelephones is adjusted in response to the monitoring. Intra-system interference and/or interference with other satellite systems thereby may be reduced or prevented. See the Abstract of U.S. Published Patent Application US 2003/0054814 A1.
Finally, additional systems and methods may be used to monitor terrestrially reused satellite frequencies to reduce potential interference. For example, as described in Published U.S. Patent Application No. US 2003/0073436 A1, cited above, a satellite radiotelephone system includes a space-based component, a terrestrial network, a monitor and a controller. The space-based component is configured to wirelessly communicate with radiotelephones in a satellite footprint over a satellite radiotelephone frequency band. The satellite footprint is divided into satellite cells in which subsets of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band are spatially reused in a spatial reuse pattern. The terrestrial network is configured to wirelessly communicate with radiotelephones in the satellite footprint over at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band, to thereby terrestrially reuse the at least some of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band. The monitor is configured to monitor wireless radiation at the space-based component that is produced by the terrestrial network and/or the radiotelephones in satellite cells that adjoin a satellite cell and/or in the satellite cell, in at least part of the subset of the satellite radiotelephone frequency band that is assigned to the satellite cell for space-based component communications. The controller is configured to adjust the radiation by the terrestrial network and/or the radiotelephones, in response to the monitor. See the Abstract of U.S. Published Patent Application U.S. 2003/0073436 A1.

Reusing frequencies of a fixed and/or mobile communications system


A method of making a loaf of crustless, sliced bread from a rectangular prismatic loaf of bread, the method comprising: decrusting the bread by moving the loaf of broad longitudinally past cutting blades to remove the crust from four sides of the loaf of bread; slicing the crustless bread by moving the loaf transversely past a plurality of blades to slice the loaf; and packaging the loaf by moving the loaf longitudinally to a packaging station.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for making bread, and in particular to methods and apparatus for making loaves of crustless, sliced bread.
Many people do not like the appearance or flavor of the crust that forms on bread as it bakes. Thus, the crust is often trimmed from the individual slices of bread when making sandwiches, French toast, or canapés etc. While the production of bread in a modem bakery is highly efficient, the production of a loaf of crustless, sliced bread presents a number of technical difficulties. The crust is important to the integrity of the loaf, and after the crust is removed, the loaf is more difficult to handle and process. Similarly, once after the bread is sliced, it is difficult to handle and keep aligned for further handling and processing.

Method and apparatus for making loaves crustless, sliced bread


A method and an apparatus for determining switching delay times of power semiconductor switch components in parallel connected half bridge legs in which two or more power semiconductor switches are controlled in parallel. The method includes providing a gate control signal to gate drivers of the parallel connected power semiconductor switch components, determining collector to emitter voltages of the parallel connected power semiconductor switch components, and determining separate delay times for each of the parallel connected power semiconductor switch components based on the time instant of the gate control signal and the determined collector to emitter voltages or time derivatives of the determined collector to emitter voltages.

Power semiconductor components are used typically in applications in which high currents and voltages are switched. An example of a device employing power semiconductor components as switches is an inverter. In a voltage source inverter a positive or a negative voltage is connected to a load using power semiconductors. In some occasions, power semiconductors are connected in parallel such that the components are operated simultaneously and the components share a common load current. Components may be paralleled, for example, if the current rating of a single component would not be high enough for the load current.
In parallel operation of power transistors, such as IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistor), the difference in switching delay times causes current imbalance between the parallel legs. In case of parallel connected half bridge legs, such as shown in FIG. 1, the current difference Δi=i1−i2 depends on the voltage UDC, the inductance between the phases L12=L1+L2 and the switching time difference Δt as shown in equation (1). The ideal switches of FIG. 1 are controlled complementarily and the Δt denotes the time difference between the instants when the half bridge middle points change the state from UDC+ to UDC− or vice versa.
                              Δ                                                              i                =                              Δ                                                                                tU              DC                                            L            12                                              (        1        )
With actual devices, the properties of the used power semiconductors may dominate the Δt, particularly if components from different vendors are used simultaneously. For IGBT components the switching delay times are defined in IEC 60747-9: "Semiconductor devices—Discrete devices Part 9: Insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs)", 2007. According to the definition turn-on delay td-on is defined to be the time period from the instant when gate to emitter voltage UGE exceeds 10% of its full value to the time instant when the collector current IC has risen to 10% of its nominal value. Turn-off delaytd-off is defined as the time period from the time instant when the gate voltage drops to 90% of its full value to the time instant when the collector current drops to 90% of its nominal value.
The primary quantity defining the conduction state of IGBT is the collector current. The component is clearly in the conduction state when the current is flowing through the component, and on the other hand, when the collector current is not flowing, the component is in the blocking state.
It is known to compensate for the switching delays and one solution is presented in document Álvarez R, "Characterization of New Press-Pack IGBTs and Automated Delay Time Compensation of Parallel Connected IGBTs", Dissertation Technische Universität Dresden (2011). In the solution, the delay time is calculated by using the parasitic inductance of a power module or component as di/dt sensing element. By measuring the voltage over the parasitic inductance, which is in series with the component, it is possible to determine the switching delay times in few nanoseconds time resolution.
However, the measurement of voltage over the parasitic inductance requires measurement electronics with high-speed components, such as comparators and isolators, in every IGBT module increasing the costs and complexity of the measurement.

Determining and compensating power transistor delay in parallel half bridge legs


A virtual monitor controller includes a data storage device coupled to receive and output data; an instruction storage device coupled to receive and output instructions; a status storage device coupled to receive and output status data; and a mode storage device coupled to receive and output mode data. The virtual monitor controller is included in a debugger/monitor controller. A debugger/monitor system comprises a host system; the debugger/monitor controller; and a digital processor. Preferably, the controller is coupled between the processor and IC logic. A method of operating a virtual monitor comprises the steps of intercepting an instruction fetch from a microprocessor; downloading instructions from a host computer; and operating the microprocessor with the instructions. Preferably, the instructions are sequentially downloaded.

As integrated circuits evolve, their complexity and density are increasing. Testing of these integrated circuits and the corresponding firmware is becoming more difficult. To complicate matters, some regions of logic on the integrated circuit are functionally more complex than surrounding logic regions. A microprocessor or a microcontroller embedded in the integrated circuit is an example of a complex logic region.
Access to the data, address or control signals of the embedded device allow the user to attach an analyzer to trace the paths of the embedded device for testing purposes. However, the user may not have access to the signals. Without access to these signals, the user has no way of determining how the embedded device is functioning during testing.
One technique for testing and debugging the firmware and the embedded device, and for testing the other regions of logic contained in the integrated circuit is known as a monitor program. The monitor program monitors the embedded device software. The monitor program, linked with the embedded device software, is located in the integrated circuit's memory, such as read-only memory (ROM). A universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) or equivalent circuitry is typically required for communication between the integrated circuit and user test hardware. The communication is typically provided over a serial interface, e.g. RS232.
Many disadvantages exist in using a monitor program. The monitor program requires the integrated circuit's memory, either for data or programs; has to be linked with the embedded device software; is usually hard-coded and thus cannot be easily modified; the serial interface is inherently slow compared to other communication speeds; usually cannot detect complicated "bugs"; and is capable of only debugging the embedded device software. In particular, the amount of memory required for a monitor program can be about 1K-2K. This adds a cost to the product that customers are not willing to pay.
Another technique provides an in-circuit emulator (ICE) in the integrated circuit. The ICE duplicates and imitates behavior of the integrated circuit by executing software coded for the integrated circuit. An ICE monitor external to the integrated circuit generates ICE test signals that are output to the integrated circuit. In response, the ICE monitor receives signals from the ICE for evaluation.
The use of the ICE is not without several disadvantages. The ICE can require extra circuitry on the integrated circuit, and must be functionally designed into the logic of the integrated circuit. As a consequence, design time and cost, and chip area increase. Moreover, external communication to the ICE is conventionally achieved through a set of dedicated ICE pins. However, the pins of an integrated circuit are becoming more of a premium as density and complexity increase, making dedicated ICE pins infeasible.
In light of the above discussion, there exists a need for a debug capability for firmware of an embedded device that minimizes cost. The present invention meets this need.

Virtual monitor debugging method and apparatus