A transistor comprises semiconductor material that is generally L-shaped or generally mirror L-shaped in at least one straight-line vertical cross-section thereby having an elevationally-extending stem and a base extending horizontally from a lateral side of the stem above a bottom of the stem. The semiconductor material of the stem comprises an upper source/drain region and a channel region there-below. The transistor comprises at least one of (a) and (b), where (a): the semiconductor material of the stem comprises a lower source/drain region below the channel region, and (b): the semiconductor material of the base comprises a lower source/drain region. A gate is operatively laterally adjacent the channel region of the stem. Other embodiments are disclosed, including arrays of memory cells individually comprising a capacitor and an elevationally-extending transistor. Methods are disclosed.

Memory is one type of integrated circuitry, and is used in computer systems for storing data. Memory may be fabricated in one or more arrays of individual memory cells. Memory cells may be written to, or read from, using digitlines (which may also be referred to as bit lines, data lines, sense lines, or data/sense lines) and wordlines (which may also be referred to as access lines). The digitlines may conductively interconnect memory cells along columns of the array, and the wordlines may conductively interconnect memory cells along rows of the array. Each memory cell may be uniquely addressed through the combination of a digitline and a wordline.
Memory cells may be volatile or non-volatile. Non-volatile memory cells can store data for extended periods of time including when the computer is turned off. Volatile memory dissipates and therefore requires being refreshed/rewritten, in many instances multiple times per second. Regardless, memory cells are configured to retain or store memory in at least two different selectable states. In a binary system, the states are considered as either a "0" or a "1". In other systems, at least some individual memory cells may be configured to store more than two levels or states of information.
A capacitor is one type of electronic component that may be used in a memory cell. A capacitor has two electrical conductors separated by electrically insulating material. Energy as an electric field may be electrostatically stored within such material. Depending on composition of the insulator material, that stored field will be volatile or non-volatile. For example, a capacitor insulator material including only SiO2 will be volatile. One type of non-volatile capacitor is a ferroelectric capacitor which has ferroelectric material as at least part of the insulating material. Ferroelectric materials are characterized by having two stable polarized states and thereby can comprise programmable material of a capacitor and/or memory cell. The polarization state of the ferroelectric material can be changed by application of suitable programming voltages, and remains after removal of the programming voltage (at least for a time). Each polarization state has a different charge-stored capacitance from the other, and which ideally can be used to write (i.e., store) and read a memory state without reversing the polarization state until such is desired to be reversed. Less desirable, in some memory having ferroelectric capacitors the act of reading the memory state can reverse the polarization. Accordingly, upon determining the polarization state, a re-write of the memory cell is conducted to put the memory cell into the pre-read state immediately after its determination. Regardless, a memory cell incorporating a ferroelectric capacitor ideally is non-volatile due to the bi-stable characteristics of the ferroelectric material that forms a part of the capacitor. Other programmable materials may be used as a capacitor insulator to render capacitors non-volatile.
A field effect transistor is another type of electronic component that may be used in a memory cell. These transistors comprise a pair of conductive source/drain regions having a semiconductive channel region there-between. A conductive gate is adjacent the channel region and separated there-from by a thin gate insulator. Application of a suitable voltage to the gate allows current to flow from one of the source/drain regions to the other through the channel region. When the voltage is removed from the gate, current is largely prevented from flowing through the channel region. Field effect transistors may also include additional structure, for example a reversibly programmable charge-storage region as part of the gate construction between the gate insulator and the conductive gate. Regardless, the gate insulator may be programmable, for example being ferroelectric.

Transistors, arrays of transistors, arrays of memory cells individually comprising a capacitor and an elevationally-extending transistor, and methods of forming an array of transistors


Passive fibre-optic enclosure comprising, a) one or more fibre-optic functional units of a telecommunication network, optically connectable, via an optical fibre, with a central network unit, for receiving telecommunication signals for one or more subscribers via the optical fibre from the central network unit, characterized in that the enclosure further comprises, on the inside of the enclosure, b) transceiving means, which is operable to generate first optical signals using electrical energy, which is operable to receive optical response signals from the central network unit, which is optically connectable to the optical fibre such that the first optical signals can be transmitted by the optical fibre to the central network unit, and such that optical response signals can be transmitted by the optical fibre from the central network unit to the transceiving means.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to fibre-optic enclosures in general, and to a method of unlocking a door of such an enclosure.
Background
Fibre-optic networks are progressively used for transmitting data. Telecommunication companies use fibre-optic networks to transmit optical voice and data signals via optical fibres between a central network unit, e.g. a central office, and telecommunication customers, sometimes called subscribers. Larger fibre-optic networks comprise so-called splitters, which split optical signals in one incoming fibre into optical signals propagating in a plurality of outgoing fibres. In order to protect splitters against the environment, vandalism or other unauthorized access, splitters are often accommodated in fibre-optic enclosures. Such enclosures can be, for example, fibre-optic splice cabinets, splitter cabinets, street cabinets, or manholes, but also splice closures for only one or a few splitters. Such enclosures are normally locked to prevent unauthorized access, but when service or maintenance is to be performed on the splitters or the fibres optically connected to them, the enclosures must be unlocked in order to allow a person physical access to the interior of the enclosures. Physical access to the interior of an enclosure should only be allowed to authorized persons. Before a person, e.g. a service technician, can open the enclosure, he must be authenticated, so that only authorized persons can open the enclosure. For that purpose, many enclosures are equipped with a mechanical lock, and authorized service persons have a corresponding mechanical key that can unlock the lock and thereby allows opening the enclosure.
More sophisticated solutions are known, though. In the European Patent EP 2220625 B1, for example, an access point of a telecommunication network is described. The access point may be, e.g., a base station, an amplifier or a receiver station. Before opening the access point, a service technician communicates with a central network server using a notification device, e.g. a mobile phone. The central network server can authenticate the technician via a SIM card of his notification device. The international patent publication WO2007/131006 A2 describes a remote monitoring system comprising an electronic module inside a telecommunication enclosure. In certain embodiments, the electronic module can communicate with a remote communication device, e.g. a transponder or a handheld device, and receive authorization information from it. An electronic lock may use access information, sent by a transponder, to allow unlocking of the lock. Also, the access information may be sent to a central security system to check if accesses were authorized.
In traditional, copper-based telecommunication networks, electrical energy is available virtually everywhere, because it is needed to operate many components of the network. Enclosures in copper-based networks can therefore use the abundant electrical energy to perform authentication when a service technician requires access to the enclosure. In fibre-optic enclosures, however, electrical energy is normally not required to operate equipment inside an enclosure. Most equipment, like fibre-optic splitters, splices, connectors and fibres, for example, are passive elements, i.e. they do not require electrical energy to operate. For this reason, many fibre-optic enclosures are "passive" enclosures, i.e. they are not permanently provided with electrical energy by an external energy source. Passive enclosures are normally not equipped with an internal energy source, e.g. a battery, either, because maintenance and replacement of the battery requires service resources and is therefore costly. For these reasons, in passive fibre-optic enclosures no electrical energy is available for establishing a two-way communication for performing an authentication process, and they cannot store authentication information for a longer time. It is, however, desirable to authenticate a person before denying or allowing him access to the interior of a passive enclosure. The present disclosure seeks to address this problem.

Fibre-optic enclosure having transceiving means operable to generate and receive optical signals


A RAID system that uses non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) to greatly reduce the chance of loss of data due to an AC power failure. This RAID system has two write modes. In a normal write mode, a host computer receives a write confirmation once an array controller receives data from the host computer. In a safe write mode, however, the array controller copies to NVRAM all data received from the host computer for writing to disk drives. In this safe write mode, the array controller sends the write confirmation to the host computer only after storing the data in NVRAM. To switch appropriately between the normal and safe write modes, the array controller polls a power-out flag provided by a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) to determine whether there has been an AC power failure. The array controller switches between the two write modes depending on the status of the power-out flag.

A well-known problem in electrical systems is the possibility of electrical power outages. Some electrical systems use batteries for additional power back up.
An example of a system that can use a battery for back up in case of a power outage is a RAID system. RAID stands for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks. RAID systems have two or more disk drives that cooperate to increase performance and fault tolerance. Typically, RAID systems include a host computer, an array controller, and disk drives. The array controller serves as an interface between the host computer and the disk drives connected to the array controller. The host computer writes data to and reads data from any of the disk drives via the array controller.
When, for example, the host computer needs to write data to disk drives, the array controller receives that data from the host computer and stores the data in a disk RAM (Random Access Memory). The array controller then takes this data from the disk RAM and writes it to a single disk drive, or even to multiple disk drives.
The entire RAID system is powered by a main power supply. Since that power supply can fail, a RAID system may have a battery for back up to power the RAID system while the main power supply is down. An example of a battery back up is a UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply).
Generally, during normal operation, a host computer will, for instance, write streams of data to the array controller for storing the data on disk drives. The array controller, having received a data stream, acknowledges receipt thereof to the host computer by sending a "COMMAND COMPLETE" message to the host computer. However, typically, instead of immediately writing the data to the disk drives, initially the array controller stores the data stream in disk RAM. A disk drive to which data is to be written may be busy storing other data sent to it previously. Consequently, data in disk RAM may be held there by the array controller until a particular disk drive is available for being written to. Later, when a disk drive is available, the array controller takes the data from the disk RAM to distribute it appropriately to disk drives.
Some RAID systems notify the host computer of a write having been completed only once the data actually has been written to a disk drive. This delayed confirmation of writes avoids the possibility that a host computer may record a write transaction as having been completed, which actually was never completed. The write transaction may never have been completed, because a power failure (or even a UPS failure) occurred while the array controller was writing the data to the disk drive or, for example, the disk drive was writing the data to a disk.
The following paragraphs illustrate the problem that a power outage can create for a database that relies on a RAID system. For instance, an accounting system may use several databases that are stored on disk drives. One database may contain a parts inventory. Another database may contain customer records. A third database may contain invoices.
An accounting application computer program stored on the host computer could use these databases as follows. A customer orders a part, and the part is shipped to the customer. Then the accounting system database needs to update the parts inventory, the customer records, and the invoice databases to reflect the changes. Consequently, the application program sends data reflective of a change in inventory to the array controller for storage on the disk drives, so that the inventory database reflects that there is one less part available, because the part was shipped to the customer. Similarly, the application program would write data to the array controller for updating the customer records database showing that the customer now owes an increased amount, i.e., the increase would be the cost for the parts shipped to the customer. Finally, the application program would direct the host computer to send data to the array controller reflecting that an invoice has been sent to a customer, if that actually had occurred.
However, a power failure may have occurred between the actual time that the customer records were updated and the parts inventory database was updated, i.e., parts inventory data was written to the disk drives and stored by the disk drives, and the time that the invoices databases would have been updated. The data to be written to the invoices database may have been in disk RAM at the time that the power failure occurred and consequently be lost. Sometime later, when the power to the RAID system is re-established, the application program may find that the invoices database had not been updated and may therefore cause shipping twice the invoice to the customer.
To avoid loss of data, some RAID systems back up the disk RAM with a battery all of the time, in addition to using a UPS. Backing up disk RAM with a battery permits the array controller to complete transactions which would otherwise be interrupted by a power outage, once the UPS fails without warning, as further explained below. However, backing up disk RAM with a battery can be expensive. Disk RAMs typically have four to eight megabytes storage capability. After a power failure occurs, continuously powering such disk RAMs with a separate battery for all reads and writes of data can require a significant size battery, depending on the length of time for which the back-up battery power is required.
A UPS can notify a system that power has shut down and that power is available from the UPS only for a finite amount of time. That finite time is a function of the size of the battery of the UPS. However, the time estimate provided by the UPS may be incorrect. Consequently, the UPS may run out of power before the estimated time provided by the UPS. So, data being written to disk drives may be lost without additional battery back-up for the disk RAM, because when the UPS fails, the array controller may have been writing data to the disk drives. But, as stated above, back-up batteries for disk RAM can be expensive.


A video clip is processed by selecting a plurality of video frames of the video clip. A plurality of the pixels of the selected video frames are modified to form modified video frames. The modification to each of the plurality of the pixels is based on the intensity of the pixel, a change in the intensity of the pixel from the corresponding pixel in at least one related video frame, and the intensity of the corresponding pixel. A second video clip is formed that comprises the modified video clips.

Digital video involves the sensing of light rays emitted from objects within a scene by an image sensor, such as a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. Individual images captured by the image sensor form video frames of a video clip. Each video frame is formed of thousands of individual pixels defined by color and intensity data generated by the image sensor.
Difficulties arise when attempting to capture video images under low light conditions. Often, the images are underexposed as a result of not exposing the image sensor to sufficient amounts of light. The small amount of light being sensed by the image sensor produces a low image signal (i.e., video frames having pixels with low intensities). Unlike during good light conditions where the image signal is strong (high pixel intensities), the noise of the image sensor under low light conditions becomes relatively large compared to the low image signal. As a result, the underexposed images generally have low signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). Such low SNR images are generally low quality images that often appear grainy.
Underexposure may be corrected by increasing the size of the image sensor, but sensor cost increases with size.
Underexposure can also be somewhat corrected by exposing the image sensor for a longer period, for example, by using a lower shutter speed. The longer exposure time allows the sensor to capture more light and, thus, increase the image signal. However, lower shutter speeds often result the blurring of images in the video frames caused by the movement of the camera while capturing a scene of still objects, or capturing moving objects within the scene.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.


An aluminum alloy sheet contains 0.1% to 0.4% by mass of Cu, 0.5% to 1.5% by mass of Mg, 0.5% to 1.5% by mass of Mn, 0.2% to 0.7% by mass of Fe, and 0.1% to 0.3% by mass of Si. The number density of Al—Mn—Fe—Si-based intermetallic compound having a maximum length of 8 to 15 μm per unit area is 179 grains/mm2 or less. An oxide film having an average thickness of 30 nm or less is formed on the surface of the aluminum alloy sheet. The arithmetic average roughness Ra of the surface of the aluminum alloy sheet is 0.30 to 0.45 μm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aluminum alloy sheet that is particularly suitable for, for example, DI cans and bottle cans and that causes no longitudinal streaks when subjected to severe necking.
2. Description of the Related Art
Aluminum alloy sheets are widely used as the materials for containers such as a variety of beverage cans in terms of, for example, formability, corrosion resistance, and strength. Aluminum alloy sheets are subjected to, for example, drawing and ironing (hereinafter referred to as "DI process") to form alumina cans for containers (hereinafter referred to as "DI cans"). DI cans having various shapes have been increasingly developed with the increasing need for such cans.
An aluminum alloy often used for DI cans is Al—Mn-based 3004 alloy (JIS 4000). The composition of the alloy is adjusted to provide desired properties. The alloy is processed into an aluminum alloy sheet having a predetermined thickness through the steps of casting, homogenization, hot rolling, cold rolling, annealing, and final cold rolling.
The aluminum alloy sheet thus produced is subjected to a can shaping process such as cupping and DI process to form a body portion. The body portion is then necked so that an end opening has a smaller diameter than the body portion, thus producing a DI can as shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional DI can having a stepped neck.
In FIG. 2, a DI can 11 has a body portion 12, a neck portion 13 formed at a predetermined position of the body portion 12, and an opening 14 at the end of the neck portion 13. This DI can 11 is integrally formed as a two-piece DI can by DI process. The bottom of the body portion 12 on the opposite side of the opening 14 is formed continuously with the body portion 12.
The degree of reduction R2 in the diameter D4 of the opening 14 relative to the diameter D3 of the body portion 12 (hereinafter referred to as "degree of diameter reduction") is represented by the formula R2=[(D3−D4)/D3]×100%. For the DI can 11, the opening 14 at the end of the neck portion 13 has a smaller diameter than the body portion 12.
In the current mainstream of DI can manufacturing, the top of a DI can is processed by multistage die necking to form an end opening having a smaller diameter. Accordingly, the DI process has been performed to a severer degree of processing.
In DI can manufacturing, an aluminum alloy sheet is subjected to the DI process with, for example, a die. In this process, the sheet subjected to ironing, which is a relatively severe process, may decrease partially in surface smoothness depending on the lubrication conditions between the die and the sheet, namely the conditions of the contact portions of the die and the sheet and the conditions of the lubricant applied to the sheet by a lubricator. Roughness and dust may then occur at the contact portions of the aluminum alloy sheet and the die. This may result in a poor appearance due to fine streaks extending in the ironing direction on the outer surface of a DI can (hereinafter referred to as "longitudinal streaks").
The main factors responsible for such longitudinal streaks occurring on the outer surface of a DI can include the surface roughness of the aluminum alloy sheet and the size and number density per unit area of intermetallic compound. The longitudinal streaks also occur on the outer surface of a DI can when the type or amount of lubricant applied to the aluminum alloy sheet is unsuitable at a pressing step in the DI can manufacturing. In addition, the occurrence of the longitudinal streaks is affected by the material properties, surface lubricity, and seizure resistance of the portion of the sheet brought into contact with the die.
The following techniques have been proposed to inhibit such longitudinal streaks from occurring on the outer surfaces of DI cans.
(1) Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 64-68439, for example, proposes an aluminum alloy sheet for cans which has a composition adjusted to suitably control the diameter and distribution of intermetallic compounds and the surface properties of the sheet, thereby inhibiting longitudinal streaks.
According to this publication, the aluminum alloy sheet has significantly high resistance to longitudinal streaks, and can therefore inhibit them effectively even under poor lubrication conditions in cup shaping.
(2) Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 4-214845, for example, proposes a method for producing an aluminum alloy sheet having a finer microstructure by adjusting its composition and optimizing the production conditions.
According to this publication, the resultant aluminum alloy sheet has high strength and formability, excellent ironability and formability (necking and flanging) after coating and printing (baking), and excellent properties against Luder's lines occurring on the sidewall of a drawn cup before ironing and constriction at a corner of the cup.
(3) Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-100629, for example, proposes an aluminum alloy sheet for cans which has a composition adjusted to have predetermined surface roughness and is coated with a lubricant having proper viscosity and insulation resistance by electrostatic application.
According to this publication, the aluminum alloy sheet has high formability and proper lubricity to inhibit longitudinal streaks from occurring on the outer surfaces of DI cans without lubrication by a lubricator, which needs complicated maintenance.
The known techniques disclosed in the above publications are applied to DI cans having a wide body portion relative to an end opening (with a degree of diameter reduction of 9% or less, namely (D3−D4)/D3×100% in FIG. 2).
On the other hand, there is a growing need for bottle-shaped cans (hereinafter referred to as "bottle cans") produced by the same method as for producing DI cans and having a body portion, an opening, and a screw cap. Such bottle cans are exemplified by a bottle can 1 shown in FIG. 1. This DI can 1 has a body portion 2, a neck portion formed 3 at a predetermined position of the body portion 2, and an opening 4 at the end of the neck portion 3. The body portion 2, the neck portion 3, and the bottom of the DI can 1 are integrally formed by DI process as a two-piece DI can. The periphery of the opening 4 is threaded to form a screw portion for cap attachment. The bottom of the body portion 2 on the opposite side of the opening 4 is formed continuously with the body portion 2.
The degree of reduction R1 in the diameter D2 of the opening 4 relative to the diameter D1 of the body portion 2 (degree of diameter reduction) is represented by the formula R1=[(D1−D2)/D1]×100%.
For the bottle can 1, the opening 4 at the end of the neck portion 3 has a much smaller diameter than the body portion 2, namely a degree of diameter reduction R1 of 30% or more. Accordingly, the bottle can 1 is subjected to DI process to a much severer degree of processing than conventional DI cans as shown in FIG. 2.
If longitudinal streaks occur on the outer surface of a bottle can at an ironing step in the bottle can manufacturing process, and the diameter of an end opening thereof is reduced to some extent at a necking step following the ironing step, the longitudinal streaks concentrate on relatively narrow areas of the outer surface of the bottle can. In particular, generally, a bottle can has a high degree of reduction in the diameter of its top opening, namely 30% or more, in the necking step. The longitudinal streaks are therefore emphasized with significantly developed irregularities after the necking step even if they are slight and nearly invisible before the necking step.
Thus longitudinal streaks occur on the outer surfaces of bottle cans after necking more readily than on the outer surfaces of conventional DI cans, which have relatively low degrees of diameter reduction.
In addition, the top end of a bottle can is threaded to form a helical groove for cap attachment, is curled outward, and is hermetically sealed with a cap. Longitudinal streaks occurring at the curled end result in higher surface roughness which decreases the hermeticity between the can and the cap. As a result, the contents sealed in the bottle can leak more readily.
Thus aluminum alloy sheets capable of sufficiently inhibiting longitudinal streaks have been strongly demanded for severer processes such as DI process, necking, and curling in bottle can manufacturing.
In bottle can manufacturing, a can produced by DI process is washed and treated by chemical conversion coating, such as chromating, for higher corrosion resistance.
Subsequently, the outer surface of the can is coated with a paint containing a base resin, such as epoxy resin, polyester resin, and acrylic resin, and a crosslinking agent to form a basecoat and a clear coat with a thickness of about 5 to 10 μm.
On the other hand, the inner surface of the can is coated with a solvent-based paint, such as epoxy-phenol paint, epoxy-urea paint, and vinyl organosol paint, or a water-based paint containing acrylic-modified epoxy resin by spraying. The applied paint is baked in an oven to form a coating with a diameter of about 3 to 5 μm.
The can with the inner and outer coatings is necked to a high degree of diameter reduction, and is threaded to form a bottle can.
The inner and outer surfaces of the can are subjected to different processes in the above steps.
The outer surface of the can is brought into direct contact with a die. In the ironing step, particularly, the thickness of the can is reduced by a tapered portion of the die. As a result, intermetallic compounds inside the aluminum alloy are exposed at the surface of the can, and therefore come into contact with the die.
On the other hand, the inner surface of the can is not brought into contact with the die, but is drawn along the surface of a punch in the ironing step. The intermetallic compounds inside the aluminum alloy sheet are therefore not exposed at the inner surface of the can. The conditions of the inner surface are associated with intermetallic compounds exposed at the surface of the aluminum alloy sheet from the beginning.
If, particularly, the inner coating of the can is defective, the contents come into direct contact with the aluminum alloy. The contact may cause the dissolution or corrosion of the aluminum alloy and thus leak the contents after a long period of time. In general, evaluation parameters typified by enamel rate value (ERV) are employed to evaluate the inner coating of bottle cans for defects.
In the evaluation of the inner coating of a bottle can for defects by ERV, for example, the ERV is determined by filling the can with a solution containing physiological saline and a surfactant, supplying the can with a predetermined direct voltage between the solution and the outer surface of the can, and measuring the current flowing between them with an ammeter. ERV increases with increasing number of coating defects at the inner surface of the bottle can. The present inventors have estimated the number of coating defects by measuring the ERV of the inner surface of the bottle can, and have studied ERV for sufficiently few coating defects at the inner surface of the bottle can. The studies show that the inner coating of the bottle can requires an ERV of 10 mA or less when the can contains an acidic, highly corrosive solution containing chloride ions.
The present inventors have also studied in detail the relationship between longitudinal streaks occurring on the outer surface of the bottle can and coating defects occurring on the inner surface of the bottle can. The results show that, if the ERV exceeds 10 mA, coating defects often occur on the inner surface of the bottle can even with no visible longitudinal streaks occurring on the outer surface of the bottle can.

Aluminum alloy sheet, method for producing the same, and aluminum alloy container


An apparatus for simultaneously distributing catalyst particles across the full diameter of catalyst bed with a single rotor is disclosed. The bed has substantially uniform high density by forming a multiplicity of annular rings of catalyst concentric with the vessel or bed center. Such action is achieved without varying rotor speed by deflecting catalyst from a feed hopper into a plurality of arcuate sectors or portions of different radial lengths on a rotating disk-like member. Preferably, each arcuate portion has a volume proportional to one of the annular areas of the bed within the cross-sectional area of the vessel. The desired volume is formed by the radial length of the arcuate sector, its included angle on the disk, and the height of the vanes separating adjacent sectors. The volume is maintained by flow of catalyst into the sectors at a rate to maintain such volumes full at the constant speed of rotation of the disk-like member so that each annular ring is simultaneously formed across the bed with minimum overlap.

Catalytic reactor vessels having one or more fixed catalyst beds are now commonly filled by using a catalyst distributor. Such a technique is known as Catalyst Oriented Packing (frequently referred to as COP loading) and is particularly useful to produce uniformity in the permeability and overall density of the catalyst bed. In current catalytic processing, catalyst particles are generally manufactured by extrusion in the form of cylindrical rods of 1/32" to 1/4" diameter. The rods are then broken into lengths having a diameter to length ratio of about 1 to 4. Such extrudates are typically formed of alumna, silica-alumna or synthetic or natural zeolitic materials and are substantially less expensive to produce then spherical catalyst. However, such extrudate particles have a high angle of repose; the angle at which a free-standing pile of material is stable. Consequently, they are difficult to distribute evenly over a large diameter cylindrical vessel. Further, due to differences in size of such particles, as well as chipping and breaking during both manufacture and loading into a process reactor, they tend to "classify" or separate if the bed is filled by gravity alone from a central point in the vessel.
The primary purpose of COP loading is to minimize void spaces and consequently local "hot spots" which can occur during exothermic reactions of hydrocarbons with the catalyst particles. Additionally, increased packed density of the solid particulate material, catalyst particles, improves the flow distribution of reactants within the vessel. Further, increased bed density limits settling of the bed when the reactor is brought on stream and subjected to hydraulic forces by fluid flow through the reactor. In general, the amount of catalyst can be increased several percent in an existing vessel. Conversely, several percent less reactor volume is required for the same amount of catalyst in a new vessel.
In general, previously known catalyst oriented-loading apparatus included a distributor disk having a uniform diameter and a plurality of radial blades or fin members of uniform radial length equally spaced from each other circumferentially. Such blades or fins on top of the rotating disk randomly fling catalyst from the edge of the disk with catalyst thrown different radial distances depending upon the radial portion of the blade acting on the particle. In general, the distributor is either a cone shaped member or a flat circular plate. Since the distance the catalyst is thrown is proportional only to the disk speed, the speed of the distributor must be varied in order to distribute catalyst at different radial distances across the entire cross-sectional area of the bed by flinging catalyst from the edge of the disk. Where the disk is a flat plate having vanes formed thereon, a few holes are formed in the plate so that some of the catalyst particles fall directly downwardly through the rotating member toward the center of the reactor vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,273, Uhl, is directed to apparatus for loading a catalyst bed with a radial distributor having a single conical surface. The only method of distributing catalyst across the full bed diameter is to increase and decrease the speed of the rotating disk. A particular disadvantage of a conical surface is that, depending on the angle of the cone, speed does not greatly vary the width of the catalyst ring that can be cast from its edge. Accordingly, the utility of such disks is generally limited to small diameter vessels.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,868, Johnson, et al., discloses a flat disk having vanes and a plurality of slots or holes through which some of the catalyst may fall near the center of the bed; the remainder of the catalyst is thrown toward the vessel side. This system also requires variation is the speed of the rotating disk to load catalyst so that it covers the entire level of a catalyst reactor bed.
A particular disadvantage of such prior flat disk arrangements lies in the fact that at a given speed the catalyst is thrown by a few fins or radial ribs into a circular or annular mound which tends to classify catalyst particles falling on it. The larger particles roll to the bottom and outside of the mound while the smaller particles stop on the mound itself. While to a certain extent, these difficulties are alleviated by varying the speed of the rotating disk, slowing disk speed significantly increases the loading time for the reactor bed, because loading rate is in general proportional to such speed. On the other hand, high speed of such a disk having only a few fins or vanes results in catalyst flying off the disk without sufficient residence time for the fins to contact and control the radial throw distance of the particles. Additionally, it is difficult to control disk speed to achieve a desired variations in radial throw distance because the interior of the vessel above such a bed is usually too full of dust to permit the operator to actually see the catalyst bed from the loader. Accordingly, it is necessary to determine the probable level of distribution by the number of drums of catalyst that have been loaded at a given bed level. Such a procedure is time-consuming and not necessarily accurate enough to permit level filling of the bed. In fact, it is general practice to fill the bed at the outer edge higher than necessary (say 6 to 12 inches); and then by slowing the speed of the distributor disk, the height of the center of the bed is filled to a level above that at the outer edge by a similar amount. The speed is alternately increased and decreased up the reactor as the depth of the bed or beds is increased throughout the reactor. The problem is further aggravated where the vessel contains several separate beds, each supported by a separate support "screen" forming "vessel internals" so that the lower beds must be filled through accessways in the center of the overlying bed support. Visual inspection is thus made more difficult.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,829, Loutaty, et al., discloses a distributor for catalyst particles in a reactor or grain storage in a silo. The distributor includes flexible straps pivotally supported by hooks along the length of a drive shaft. The straps may be formed of reinforced rubber and are either of equal length or progressively longer away from the feed hopper discharge. The examples indicate the system to be satisfactory for filling a model of a reactor vessel 60 cm (about 2 feet) in diameter. It appears that the active lengths of the rotating straps vary in diameter with the speed of the drive shaft and their interaction with falling catalyst particles. Efficient loading of vessels with each of the above-noted arrangements has been limited to relatively small diameter reactors, for reasons noted above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,707, Farnham, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, discloses a method and apparatus for uniformly filling a reactor vessel at each level with an even distribution of catalyst particles from the center of the vessel to its outer wall by using a plurality of axially spaced disks of differing diameters rotated at the same speed by a single drive shaft. Desirably, three conical disks are sued with the largest diameter nearest the supply hopper feed tube. The upper disks include a central opening to permit catalyst to be fed to each of the lower disks. Because the disks are of different diameters, each spreads catalyst to a different area around the vessel with the drive shaft rotating at constant speed. Each disk includes vanes equally spaced circumferentially from each other to fling or cast catalyst into three bands. Such a system is quite satisfactory for delivery of catalyst to vessels of smaller diameter and deep beds, where adequate "head" room is available at the top of the vessel or the internal bed supports above each of several beds. However, the method is also limited to laying down only a few annular rings simultaneously, without changing rotor speed.
Federal Republic of Germany Patent 2,703,329 issued March, 1978 disclosed another particle loading system using axially spaced multiple disks rotated by a common drive shaft. The mode of operation is similar to the above-noted Farnham patent.
West German patent application 1,457,867 filed Dec. 29, 1964 (laid open Aug. 12, 1971) discloses a fertilizer spreader which includes three stepped disks of different diameters. Each disk includes curved vanes of differing lengths. Alternatively, a single disk includes six segments, each having a radially tapered diameter with three different curved slinger vanes. The three vanes of each disk or segment have different curvatures and slopes to further assure overlap of the bands of fertilizer laid down simultaneously. The longer vanes in either form have a higher angle to the vertical axis of the disk and smaller curvature in the plane of the disk than the other two sets of vanes. The shortest vanes correspondingly have a lower angle to vertical and a larger radius of curvature in the disk plane. The intermediate length vanes are likewise intermediate the vertical angle and radius of curvature of the other two vanes. Each vane, whether on a single disk or on three disks, begins at a different radial distance from the axis of the disk. This also assures the desired coaxial overlap of the three bands of fertilizer laid down on the earth's surface as the spreader moves transverse to the axis of rotation of the disk, particularly in additional passes of the distribution over the same surface area. Because the area covered during any transverse of the distributor must overlap any annular ring that might be laid down, there is no teaching or suggestion that the disk area between the vanes be proportional to the area of the distributed fertilizer. Accordingly, there is no disclosure or suggestion of laying down concentric bands of catalyst with minimum overlap in a closed vessel without changing speeds of the disk and without transverse movement of the disk.

Apparatus for uniformly loading particulate material into cylindrical beds


A 3D modeling device performs repeatedly a step of cutting a subsidiary material layer formed of a subsidiary material and cutting a modeling material layer formed of a modeling material. The 3D modeling device comprises at least one of a subsidiary material supplying device which discharges the subsidiary material drop by drop from an outlet positioned apart from a region in which the subsidiary material is to be applied at a predetermined distance, and a modeling material supplying device which discharges the modeling material drop by drop from an output positioned apart from a region in which the modeling material is to be applied at a predetermined distance. Since the material can be applied with high precision, a high-quality 3D molded object is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a 3D modeling device and a 3D modeling method and more particularly, it relates to a 3D modeling device and a 3D modeling method which makes a 3D object by depositing a subsidiary material layer formed of a subsidiary material and a modeling material layer formed of a modeling material.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, when a desired 3D object is made of a modeling material such as a resin, the modeling material is applied linearly from a nozzle as shown in FIG. 1A or a large amount of modeling material is applied at the same time as shown in FIG. 2A.
When a 3D object such as an almost triangle-shaped wall shown in FIG. 1B is made by a conventional linear application method in which a modeling material is applied from a nozzle linearly, for example, since the modeling material is applied from the nozzle linearly while the tip end of the nozzle is considerably close to a worktable (refer to a view shown in FIG. 1A), the nozzle could be damaged because it comes in touch with the worktable.
In addition, according to the conventional linear application method, ends of the linearly applied modeling material protrude from a predetermined region in which the modeling material is to be applied (a part shown by a hatching in FIG. 1C is the protruded part), so that the modeling material is wasted.
Meanwhile, according to a conventional pouring application method in which a large amount of modeling material is applied at the same time, since the large-volume modeling material is solidified at the same time, expansion and contraction at the time of the solidification considerably affect a 3D object to cause warpage in the completed 3D object (refer to FIG. 2B). As a result, the quality of the completed 3D object deteriorates.

3D modeling device and 3D modeling method for supplying material with high precision


Method and system for user authentication using one or more unique ID's associated with one or more electronic devices connected in a communication network, more specifically in short range radio communication network. the method comprising the steps of polling and detection of a short range wireless electronic device within a short range radio communication network, establishing a connection between such short range wireless electronic device with a centralized server, authenticating the short range wireless device ID, requesting further the user to feed a pre-determined authentication code, verifying the fed authentication code with corresponding entries in the database of the central server, establishing an encrypted channel if authentication code found in such database, receiving a user authentication certificate from the wireless electronic device.

The tremendous developments in the fields of the communications have enabled global connectivity and instant delivery of requisite information to users. Mobile, Internet, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), WAP services provide users with unending and unlimited information at the touch of a button. These services are provided through various service providers or require explicit pulling of information by the user from the network. However, the number and type of services provided by individual service providers is limited. Further, such services come at an expense and require considerable network bandwidth. Moreover, reception and transmission of information over such networks is suspect amongst common users and is considered insecure.
Hence there is a need for a system and method to deliver useful information through an inexpensive and secure means of communication. Further there is a need for a system and method that should be able to accurately identify each user and deliver customised information which may be used for further processing.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one skilled in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present invention. The novel and inventive features believed characteristics of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as preferred modes of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


An image signal format detection apparatus and method. The image signal format detection apparatus includes a first summed absolute difference (SAD) value calculation unit for calculating, from a previous field, a current field, and a next field of a time-consecutive image signal, a first SAD value with reference to pixel values of the current field and the previous field. A second SAD value calculation unit calculates a second SAD value with reference to pixel values of the current field and the next field. A pattern generation unit generates a detection pattern based on a result of a comparison of the first and second SAD values,; and a pattern analysis unit stores the detection pattern by field, compares the stored detection pattern of a series of fields with a predetermined verification pattern, and determines whether the image signal is an image signal produced in 2:2 pull-down. The apparatus detects an image signal produced in 2:2 pull-down by using the SAD values between fields, and can be applied to a deinterlacing device or the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image signal format detection apparatus and method, and more particularly, to an image signal format detection apparatus and method capable of detecting images converted from progressive format images to interlace format images by an application of a 2:2 pull-down algorithm.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, an image display device employs either an interlace scan mode or a progressive scan mode. The interlace scan mode is used for general TVs and the like, and includes a division of one image frame into two fields and a display of the fields on a screen one after the other, in order, when displaying one image. At this time, the two fields are referred to as a top field and bottom field, an upper field and lower field, an odd field or even field, and so on. On the other hand, the progressive scan or non-interlace scan mode is used for computer monitors, digital TVs, and so on, and includes a display of an entire frame image, all at once, by dealing with one image frame, as a frame unit, e.g., film being displayed on a screen.
For example, in case of 480-line National Television System Committee (NTSC) interlace scan mode (precisely, 487 valid lines in 525 lines), one frame is divided into two 240-line fields for display, and the divided 240-line fields, as noted above, are displayed on a screen one after the other every 1/60 seconds (480/60 i). On the other hand, the progressive scan mode completely displays the entire frame image, e.g., a 480-line image, all at once every 1/60 seconds (480/60 p). Accordingly, a progressive format image based on the progressive scan mode has a better image quality compared to an interlace format image.
One of the typical video formats that is closely related to such a progressive scan mode is a DVD movie formatted for display on an analog television and initially produced on film, since the original sources for almost all DVD movie titles released in recent years are produced on film first. Movies are produced at 24 frames per second, differently from NTSC TV programs. In the case of a DVD movie, it is, of course, possible to directly manufacture a DVD including the original images of 24 frames, as in an original film movie. However, since a majority of image display devices, such as general analog televisions, at present adopt the interlace scan mode, it is more practical to produce DVD movie titles in the interlace scan mode.
Accordingly, a process is required for converting a 24-frame progressive film into 60-field interlace images, which is typically referred to as a 3:2 pull-down or a "telecine." The 3:2 pull-down process is a process that converts two 24 Hz frames into five 60 Hz fields, producing three fields repeatedly from the first frame and two fields from the second frame.
Meanwhile, 30-frame-per-second progressive format images are typically used for advertisement broadcasts, music videos, or the like, for which a 2:2 pull-down, similar to the 3:2 pull-down, is used. That is, the 2:2 pull-down refers to a process for converting 30-frame progressive format film into 60-field interlace format images.
FIG. 1 illustrates the 2:2 pull-down. In FIG. 1, images produced in the 30-frame-per-second progressive format are converted into the 60 Hz interlace format by dividing each frame into two fields. For example, a Frame 1 is converted into two fields T1 and B1, and a Frame 2 into two fields T2 and B2, and so on.
However, as it has become more necessary to exchange data among devices using different scan modes as the use of image display devices employing the progressive scan mode increases, an interlaced-to-progressive conversion (IPC) method becomes necessary to convert the interlace scan mode into the progressive scan mode. During such an IPC process, if it is known that a currently input image is a 2:2 pull-down-converted image, a complete progressive format image before the 2:2 pull-down can be easily obtained merely by combining interlace format fields. Accordingly, before implementing the IPC method, it becomes necessary to detect whether a field to be interpolated is for a previously 2:2 pull-down converted image.
Conventional systems mainly use the 3:2 pull-down, and conventional technologies have been disclosed, especially, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,071 entitled "Film To Video Format Detection For Digital Television" for methods for detecting such 3:2 pull-down format images. However, few or no technologies have been known to detect 2:2 pull-down format images through a relatively simple structure. Therefore, an image signal format detection apparatus and method is desired to detect the 2:2 pull-down format through a relatively simple structure.

Image signal format detection apparatus and method


A timepiece including a timepiece movement and sunrise and sunset indicating device that take account of the date and geolocation of the user, the device including a first device for receiving the current date, a second device for receiving a geolocation signal, and a disc bearing a representation of the sun, arranged to be capable of pivoting about an axis passing through the centre of the disc. The sunrise and sunset indicating device include a movable horizon arranged to move above the disc and to indicate the position of the sun with respect to the horizon.

The duration of the day is the time comprised, each day, from the moment when the upper limb of the sun appears above the horizon in the east, at sunrise, until it disappears below the horizon in the west, at sunset. Whatever the time, there is always one half of the earth's surface which is illuminated by the sun, and another half which is in darkness.
Generally, the length of day varies throughout the year and also depends on latitude. This variation is caused by the tilt of the axis of rotation of the earth on itself with respect to the ecliptic plane. This tilt by definition corresponds to the latitude of the tropics which is ±23° 27′. As is well known, the length of day is shortest at the December Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, and at the June Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere. At the equinoxes, the length of day and night are equal everywhere on earth.
Most watches with a sunrise and sunset display offer a display suitable for the temperate regions, but this display is not compatible with the position of the sun with respect to the horizon from the tropical or equatorial regions.

Timepiece capable of indicating the position of the sun with respect to the horizon anywhere in the world


A marker inserting part 2 adds a sync signal is added to an input image signal 1 in its available area, then a signal processing part 4 performs signal processing on a yet-to-be processed image signal 3 added with the sync signal, and a marker detecting part 6 detects the sync signal from a processed image signal 5. Based on the sync signal added to the input image signal 1 and the sync signal detected from the processed signal 5, displacement detecting part 7 detects displacements of pixels or lines of the processed image signal 5 and generates displacement information 8 accordingly, and an image sync correcting part 9 corrects displacements of pixels or lines of the processed image signal 5, based on the displacement information 8.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image signal sync detector for detecting spatial and temporal displacements of pixels, lines or frames of image signals before and after signal processing such as their digital compression or expansion.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Signal processing such as digital compression and expansion of an image signal is preceded by its conversion to digital form when it is an analog signal, whereas when the processed image signal needs to be provided in analog form, the processing of the image signal is followed by its conversion to analog form. In this course of operation there is a possibility that images of input and output signals are displaced relative to each other.
When the input and output image signals are both digital signals, too, filtering or like signal processing may sometimes cause similar spatial and temporal displacements of the output image from the input signal.
As a solution to this problem, it is customary in the prior art to add sync signals to the image signal outside the available image area. However, such an approach does not sufficiently meet the above-mentioned problem of spatial and temporal displacements of an image by signal processing.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing, by way of example, waveforms of sync signals for synchronization of image signals in the conventional television signal depicted, for instance, in xe2x80x9cTelevision Image Information Engineering Handbook,xe2x80x9d edited by Institute of Television Engineers of Japan, page 93, FIG. 3.28, Nov., 30, 1990. The conventional TV signal contains, for image synchronization, horizontal and vertical sync signals inserted in areas different from the video signal area as shown. The insertion of such sync signals in areas outside the available image area does not completely exclude the possibility of spatial and temporal displacements of images between input and output image signals nor does it guarantee that the output video signal is not out of registration with the input signal; furthermore, no means is available for detecting and correcting the displacements of the image.
Incidentally, there is disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Gazette No. 79946/98 an image signal sync detector of the type that adds sync signals to the image signal outside the available image area as mentioned above; besides associated descriptions are given in Japanese Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Gazettes Nos. 205156/96 and 109781/92.
Moreover, the recent advanced digital signal processing power has allowed multi-dimensional digital signal processing in the time domain as well as in the space domain, and consequently the displacements of an image before and after signal processing becomes a serious issue. In broadcasting which is particularly likely to involve multi-stage signal processing, spatial and temporal displacements of an image will cause a fatal problem.
With such a conventional method for the synchronization of image signals as described above, displacements of the output image signal relative to the input image signal cannot be detected by the sync signal added to the outside of the available image area of the image signal; hence, the prior art cannot sufficiently deal with the problem of image displacements resulting from image signal processing. The reason for this is that the possibility of the output image signal being displaced relative to the input image signal cannot completely be prevented using the sync signal added to the outside of the available area of the image signal.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an image signal sync detector which detects spatial and temporal displacements of pixels, lines or frames of image signals resulting from digital signal processing such as coding and decoding of them and, if necessary, corrects the displacements.
In an image signal sync detector according to a first aspect of the present invention: a marker inserting part adds a sync signal to an image signal to be subjected to signal processing (hereinafter referred to as a yet-to-be processed image signal) in its available area; a marker detecting part detects the sync signal from a processed image signal; and a displacement detecting part detects the displacement of the processed image signal, based on the sync signal added in the marker inserting part and said sync signal detected in the marker detecting part.
The above image signal sync detector permits accurate detection of displacements of pixels or lines of the image signal which are caused by such digital signal processing as image signal coding and decoding.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part adds a signal having edges in one or both of horizontal and vertical directions, as the sync signal, to the yet-to-be processed image signal in its available area.
This permits accurate detection of displacements of an image in one or both of horizontal and vertical directions.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, each frame number is multiplexed in the sync signal which the marker inserting part adds to the yet-to-be processed image signal.
This makes it possible to specify the current frame number by extracting it from the detected sync signal; in the case of a moving picture, its displacements can be detected in time as well.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part adds plural lines to the yet-to-be processed image signal.
With this scheme, even if the marker detecting part fails to detect the sync signal using one line, it can detect the sync signal using another line, allowing more accurate synchronization control.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part inserts blank lines before and/or after the line with the sync signal inserted therein.
This permits more accurate extraction of the sync signal from the processed image signal.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, marker inserting part stops the addition of the sync signal to the yet-to-be processed image signal upon detection of the sync signal from the processed image signal in the marker detecting part.
This inhibits the addition of the sync signal to the image signal after the detection of the sync signal in the marker detecting part, permitting the removal of the sync signal from the available image area of the image signal.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part stops the addition of the sync signal to the yet-to-be processed image signal when displacement information, which is obtained at the time of detecting the sync signal from the processed image signal in the marker detecting part, remains unchanged over plural rounds of detection.
This permits more accurate detection of the sync signal, and provides more accurate information for removing the sync signal from the available area of the image signal.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the marker detecting part detects the sync signal by performing pattern matching between signals in a candidate area and a sync signal pattern of the same pattern as that of the sync signal.
This allows ease in detecting the sync signal in the marker detecting part.
In the image signal sync detector according to the first aspect of the present invention, the marker detecting part detects the sync signal by performing pattern matching between binarized versions of signals in a candidate area and a binarized version of a sync signal pattern of the same pattern as that of said sync signal.
This permits substantial reduction of the computational complexity for the pattern matching without causing a significant decrease in the accuracy of the sync signal detection.
In an image signal sync detector according to a second aspect of the present invention, an image sync correcting part corrects the displacement of the processed image signal through utilization of the displacement information detected in the displacement detecting part based on the sync signal added in the marker inserting part and the sync signal detected in the marker detecting part.
This permits correction of displacements of pixels or lines of the image signal caused by digital signal processing.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part adds a signal having edges in one or both of horizontal and vertical directions, as the sync signal, to the yet-to-be processed image signal.
This permits accurate detection of displacements of an image in one or both of horizontal and vertical directions.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, each frame number is multiplexed in the sync signal which the marker inserting part adds to the yet-to-be processed image signal.
This makes it possible to specify the current frame number by extracting it from the detected sync signal; in the case of a moving picture, its displacements can be detected in the time domain as well.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part adds plural identical sync signals to the yet-to-be processed image signal in its available area.
With this scheme, even if the marker detecting part fails to detect the sync signal using one line, it can detect the sync signal using another line, allowing more accurate synchronization control.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part inserts blank lines before and/or after the line with the sync signal inserted therein.
This permits more accurate extraction of the sync signal from the processed image signal.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part stops the addition of the sync signal to the yet-to-be processed image signal upon detection of the sync signal from the processed image signal in the marker detecting part.
This inhibits the addition of the sync signal to the image signal after the detection of the sync signal in the marker detecting part, permitting the removal of the sync signal from the available image area of the image signal.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the marker inserting part stops the addition of the sync signal to the yet-to-be processed image signal when displacement information, which is obtained at the time of detecting the sync signal from the processed image signal in the marker detecting part, remains unchanged over plural rounds of detection.
This permits more accurate detection of the sync signal, and provides more accurate information for removing the sync signal from the available area of the image signal.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the marker detecting part detects the sync signal from the processed image signal by performing pattern matching between signals in a candidate area and a sync signal pattern of the same pattern as that of the sync signal.
This allows ease in detecting the sync signal in the marker detecting part.
In the image signal sync detector according to the second aspect of the present invention, the marker detecting part detects the sync signal from the processed image signal by performing pattern matching between binarized versions of signals in a candidate area and a binarized version of a sync signal pattern of the same pattern as that of the sync signal.
This permits substantial reduction of the computational complexity for the pattern matching without causing a significant decrease in the accuracy of the sync signal detection.


A battery coupling assembly (1) for a portable device comprising a housing (2) with associated battery terminal engagement connectors (3, 4) for electrically engaging terminals of a supplying battery. The connectors allow electrical power to be supplied to the device and continuously electrically engage terminals of a replacement battery during removal and replacement of the supplying battery.

Battery powered electrical and electronic devices have the advantage of portability. However, when the battery supplying electrical power requires replacing the device usually becomes inoperable during removal of the battery and insertion of a replacement battery. This can be inconvenient, for example, if the device is a mobile phone or pager as the replacement of a battery may result in a premature termination of an important business transaction or loss of a paged message.
To overcome the above problem, temporary storage elements such as switched capacitors have been inserted into the power backup circuitry of portable electronic devices. These capacitors have an associated switch which, upon the removal of the battery, will automatically connect the capacitor to the electronic circuitry of the device. The replacement battery can then be inserted without the device becoming inoperable by the temporary loss of power. However, the switched capacitors or other similar storage elements can increase the cost and size of the portable device which is undesirable especially for portable devices such as pagers and mobile phones.


The present invention embodies a novel method and apparatus for lifting and handling glass packs, glass sheets, plates, mirrors, and other large rectangular objects. The invention includes a sling assembly having a main sling and a built-in backup sling. If the main sling breaks, the backup sling will support the weight of the object being lifted. The backup sling is retained adjacent the main sling by a plurality of loops located along the length of the sling. The sling system also includes shoes which are located under the object during lifting, between the sling and the edges of the object. Upright ears are located on either end of the shoes for retaining the object on a flat upper surface and for preventing contact between the sling and the edges of the object. The sling system also includes caps for protecting the sling from the upper edges of the object.

Glass and mirror sheets or plates have traditionally been transported in wooden crates padded with materials such as paper or polystyrene foam. A layer of padding is put in the bottom of the crate, the sheets of glass are stacked on top of the padding, then a second layer of padding is put on top of the glass, and the top of the crate is nailed on. This system provides good protection for the glass sheets during handling, but is wasteful of materials and manpower.
In light of this, it has become more common for glass sheets to be shipped without wooden crates or padding in units known as glass packs. A glass pack consists of a stack of glass sheets or mirrors held together as a single unit by strapping or the like. The glass sheets are held tightly together so that the unit may be treated as a single thick plate of glass. A glass pack does not include additional padding or packaging around the edges. Thus, the glass pack must be handled carefully so that the edges of the glass sheets are protected from chipping and cracking during handling. It is also necessary to protect the lifting equipment and personnel from the sharp edges of the glass.
In the prior art, it has been common to use web slings, typically of nylon or polyester, for lifting and handling glass packs. However, this is often done with the web in direct contact with the glass edges. This results in cutting and premature wear of the slings, possibly culminating in failure of a sling during lifting of a glass pack. Such an occurrence can result in breakage of the glass and possible injury to personnel.
Consequently, from an examination of the prior art, it is apparent that a need exists for a sling system which enables the safe and effective handling of glass packs, glass sheets, or similar objects. The system must protect the glass from damage, and also be durable, reliable, and easy to use. The present invention overcomes the shortcomings associated with the prior art handling devices, and provides a substantial advance in the art.

Sling system and method for handling sheets or plates


A display apparatus, a power supply apparatus and a power supply method are provided. The display apparatus display apparatus includes: a signal receiving unit which receives an image signal; a signal processing unit which processes the image signal; a display unit which displays an image based on the image signal processed by the signal processing unit; and a power supply unit which receives AC power and supplies operation power to the display unit. The power supply unit includes a discharging circuit part which includes a discharging element which discharges the power supply unit to remove a residual voltage from the power supply unit when the AC power is suspended, the discharging circuit part preventing the discharging element from consuming power when the AC power is input. It is possible to minimize wasteful power consumption caused by a discharging element provided to guarantee user's safety against a residual voltage.

1. Field
Methods and devices consistent with the exemplary embodiments relate to a display apparatus, a power supply apparatus and a power supply method thereof, and more particularly, to minimizing wasteful power consumption generated in a discharging device which discharges a residual voltage when AC power stops being supplied.
2. Description of the Related Art
A display apparatus such as a TV or the like is equipped with a power supply unit, for example, a switched-mode power supply (SMPS), for supplying operation power. Such a power supply unit converts commercial utility AC power into operation power of different levels required for various components of the display apparatus.
A typical power supply unit includes circuit elements, for example, capacitors used for AC filtering, which are charged with a considerable voltage in normal operation. Accordingly, in order to prevent a user from being electrically shocked by the charged voltage (hereinafter also referred to as "residual voltage"), when the user unplugs a power cord, the power supply unit is provided with a discharging resistor for discharging the residual voltage.
However, in the related art, since such a discharging resistor is constantly connected in the power supply unit, a discharged current may flow through the discharging resistor not only when the discharging resistor protects the user who unplugs the power cord, but also when the AC power is normally supplied to the components of the display apparatus, which may result in wasteful power consumption.
More particularly, the AC power is supplied to the power supply unit even when the display apparatus is in a standby mode to minimize power consumption. Since the display apparatus is not normally operated in the standby mode, a significant amount of power is wasted.
Such wasteful power consumption caused by the discharging resistor may occur in not only the display apparatus but also various forms of electronic devices with the above-mentioned power configuration.

Display apparatus, power supply apparatus and power supply method to minimize wasteful power consumption


The invention provides an organic light emitting diode (OLED), having a substrate, an anode layer of silver or gold, wherein the anode layer is treated with CF4 plasma to enhance the hole injection of the semitransparent anode layer.

One important parameter of an OLED device is the outcoupling efficiency, which is the fraction of the internally emitted photons that actually escape outside. Although conventional bottom LED engineering is rather mature, in general up to 80% of generated light is still unavailable for viewing, due to the losses in waveguiding modes, in the glass, ITO and organic layers and in surface plasmon modes in the metallic cathode.
One method that potentially can enhance the light outcoupling efficiency of an OLED device involves a microcavity structure, in which the organic EL elements are sandwiched between two reflecting mirrors, one of which is semitransparent, to let light escape. In most reported cases, a Quarter Wave Stack (QWS) is used as the semi-transparent reflector. A QWS, however, is a complicated structure and expensive to fabricate. In addition, a separated transparent electrode layer, usually an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), is layered between the QWS and the organic layers, which further complicates the structure.
For active matrix OLED displays, a top emitting structure is preferred because the aperture ratio of the entire device can be significantly increased in this structure compared with that of the bottom emitting OLED structure. In a top emitting OLED, a highly reflective metal reflector is used in the anode structure to reflect the light back toward the cathode. In most reported cases, the reflecting metals have a high work function or are covered with a layer of transparent conductive oxide, e.g., ITO, which acts as carrier injection electrode.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,174 A1 (Tokito) provides a micro-optical resonator type organic electroluminescent device utilizing an organic electroluminescent material high in emission efficiency but broad in emission spectrum width, which a micro-optical resonator is formed by a multi-layered mirror and a metal mirror.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,187 (Xu) relates to an OED with a first microcavity including a first transparent spacer positioned adjacent the diode light output and a first mirror stack positioned on the first spacer to reflect light back into the OED and to define an optical length of the first microcavity. The optical length of the first microcavity emits light of a first spectrum. A second microcavity including a second transparent spacer is positioned adjacent the first microcavity and a second mirror stack positioned on the second spacer to reflect light toward the first microcavity and to define an optical length of the second microcavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,969,475 (Friend) discusses a light-emitting cavity device comprising a pair of mirrors spaced apart to define a resonant cavity; a luminescent layer located in the cavity and a control layer located in the cavity and controllable to adjust the resonance wavelength of the cavity and thereby spectrally redistribute the energy emitted by the luminescent layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,326,224 (Xu) relates to a method of purifying a primary color including providing an organic light emitting diode having a diode light output with a broad spectrum that includes a fraction of the primary color. The device includes a microcavity structure formed in cooperation with the organic light emitting diode to define an optical length of the microcavity structure, such that light emitted from the microcavity structure is the purified primary color.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,406,801 B1 (Tokito) discusses an optical resonator type organic electroluminescent element with a multilayered film mirror, a transparent electrode, an electron hole transportation layer, a luminescent layer configuring an organic layer, and a metallic electrode mirror formed on a glass substrate, which amplifies a specific wavelength (especially, in a range of about 30 nm toward a shorter wavelength side from a luminescence peak wavelength of the organic layer) in luminescence light by a minute optical resonator, which comprises the multilayered film mirror and the metallic electrode mirror.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,840 (Araki) is directed to a micro-optical resonator type organic light-emitting device comprising a substrate, a multi-layered thin film, a transparent electrode, an organic light-emitting layer, and a back electrode disposed on the substrate. If 0-mode resonance wavelength of the organic light-emitting device is expressed by λ0, n-mode resonance wavelength of the organic light-emitting device is expressed by λn (in which n is a positive integer) and reflectivity of the multi-layered thin film against light having a wavelength λ is expressed by Rλ, Rλ0 is 40% or more and Rλ1 or Rλ2 is 30% or less.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,639,250 (Shimoda) discusses a multiple-wavelength light emitting device comprising a light emitting layer for emitting light containing wavelength components to be output, a negative electrode that is positioned at the back surface of the light emitting layer and that transmits at least a portion of the light, reflecting layers positioned at the back surface of the negative electrode, for reflecting light having specific wavelengths, which reflecting layers are stacked in order perpendicularly to the light axis, in correspondence with the wavelengths of the light to be reflected, thus configuring a reflecting layer group. Divisions are made, in the direction perpendicular to the light axis, in any of at least two or more light emission regions that reflect light of different wavelengths. In each light emission region, the distance between the reflecting surface of the reflecting layer on the semi-transparent side and the reflecting surface in the semi-reflecting layer 2 is adjusted so that it becomes a resonating optical path length for the light that is emitted in the light emission region.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,812,637 (Cok) provides a top emitting OLED display, which includes a substrate; a patterned electrode formed above the substrate, defining a plurality of light emitting elements having gaps between the light emitting elements; a layer of OLED material disposed above the patterned electrode; a continuous transparent electrode disposed above the layer of OLED material; and a light-absorbing auxiliary electrode that is thermally and electrically conductive and in electrical and thermal contact with the continuous transparent electrode and located over the gaps between the light emitting elements of the display.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,861,800 (Tyan) discloses a color organic light-emitting display device having an array of pixels divided into at least two different color pixel sets, each color pixel set emitting a different predetermined color light over a common substrate, wherein each pixel in the array includes a metallic bottom-electrode layer disposed over the substrate and a metallic electrode layer spaced from the metallic bottom-electrode layer.
Notwithstanding significant improvements in LED and OLED technology, there exists a need for improved efficiency in light transmissions or outcoupling efficiency.

Metallic anode treated by carbon tetrafluoride plasma for organic light emitting device

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology


A battery power supply device of the present invention includes a battery pack in which a plurality of battery modules each includes a plurality of cells which are serially connected together both electrically and mechanically, the plurality of battery modules housed in a holder, and the battery power supply device is structured so that a cooling medium flows around each cell and/or each battery module; the battery back is provided with a plurality of vent holes having different aperture areas which are distributed over at least one of inlet and outlet sides of the battery pack such that a cooling medium having a substantially uniform flow rate flows around each cell and/or each battery module.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery power supply device preferably used for an electric vehicle, such as a HEV (Hybrid Electric Vehicle), PEV (Pure Electric Vehicle) or FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle), which uses an electric motor as at least a part of a power source.
2. Description of the Related Art
The electric vehicle, such as a HEV, PEV or FCEV, includes a high voltage battery power supply device for driving an electric motor of the electric vehicle. FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic structure of a conventional battery power supply device.
The conventional battery power supply device shown in FIG. 3 includes a battery pack 2 housed in a case 1. The battery pack 2 includes a plurality of battery modules 3 each provided in the form of a rod and a holder 4 in which the plurality of battery modules 3 are three-dimensionally disposed so as to be parallel to one another. Each battery module 3 includes a plurality of cells 5, which are serially connected together both electrically and mechanically, and is held by end plates 4a provided at both ends of the holder 4 with respect to the parallel battery modules 3. In the battery pack 2, the plurality of battery modules 3 are serially or parallelly connected together electrically. This allows a number of cells 5 to be serially connected together electrically so as to produce a prescribed high voltage.
In this conventional battery power supply device, in order to maintain the performance of the plurality of battery modules 3 parallelly arranged in the holder 4, an increase in temperature of each battery module 3 is required to be suppressed. Therefore, the battery pack 2 is structured such that the air flowing into the holder 4 as a cooling medium flows around each battery module 3 from one end to the other end of each battery module 3. Further, the battery pack 2 includes an inlet duct 6 and an outlet duct 7 respectively provided at both ends of the battery pack 2. A cooling fan 8 is provided in the inlet duct 6. The inlet and outlet ducts 6 and 7 project from the case 1.
Once the cooling fan 8 provided in the inlet duct 6 is activated, the air outside the case 1 is supplied to the battery pack 2 in the case 1 via the inlet duct 6 so as to flow around each battery module 3 in the battery pack 2 from one end to the other end of each battery module 3, thereby cooling each battery module 3. After cooling each battery module 3, the (heated) air is exhausted from the case 1 via the outlet duct 7.
In this conventional battery power supply device, each end plate 4a of the holder 4 included in the battery pack 2 is provided with a plurality of vent holes 4b so as to allow the flow of the air through the battery pack 2. The plurality of vent holes 4b provided in each end plate 4a have the same size and shape and are uniformly distributed over the end plate 4a. A cross-sectional area of the inlet duct 6 is sequentially increased along a direction from an upstream to a downstream direction of the air flow (hereinafter referred to as the "air flow direction"). On the other hand, a cross-sectional area of the outlet duct 7 is sequentially decreased along the air flow direction. The flow velocity of the air is reduced in the vicinity of a wall surface of the inlet and outlet ducts 6 and 7 due to the viscosity of the air.
Therefore, the air flowing into the inlet duct 6 is not distributed over the end plate 4a at a uniform flow velocity, and therefore the air flowing into the holder 4 via the vent holes 4b having the same size and shape is not distributed through the holder 4 at uniform flow velocity. As a result, flow velocity distribution of the air is not uniform in the holder 4, thereby causing the flow rate of the air to be nonuniform.
Specifically, at the center of the cross section of the holder 4 perpendicular to the air flow direction, flow velocity of the air is at its maximum and is sequentially decreased along directions from the center to the right, left, top and bottom. Accordingly, the flow rate of the air for cooling is sequentially decreased along a direction from the center of the cross section, which is perpendicular to the air flow direction, to the periphery, so that battery modules 3 disposed at the periphery sides are less efficiently cooled, whereby the battery modules 3 in the holder 4 are not uniformly cooled.
Further, layouts of the inlet and outlet ducts 6 and 7 are designed such that considerable pressure loss of the air is caused, and therefore the battery modules 3 in the holder 4 are not efficiently and uniformly cooled.
Furthermore, since the cooling fan 8 is provided inside the inlet duct 6, heat is generated by activating the cooling fan 8 with motor M, so that the air flowing into the holder 4 can be heated. As a result, the battery modules 3 in the holder 4 are not efficiently cooled.
Further still, the case 1 includes the battery pack 2 together with various electronic elements (not shown) provided so as to control the battery pack 2. When dew is formed through condensation due to temperature fluctuations and the presence of moisture in the case 1, these electronic elements can be easily rusted, short-circuited or deteriorated.
Any of these problems causes reduction in the performance of the conventional battery pack 2.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Managing memory includes receiving a request for a memory allocation, determining whether the memory allocation is to be maintained when subsequently initializing memory and saving information about the memory allocation to maintain the memory allocation during subsequently initializing memory. Initializing may be performed as part of special reset mode processing. Special reset mode processing may be performed in response to receiving a reset command. The memory may be shared by a plurality of processing units and the reset command may be issued to reset a first processing unit causing reset of the memory and a second processing unit may use a first allocated memory portion that is maintained when initializing the memory as part of processing for the reset command. Saving may include adding an entry to an allocation list associated with the memory, the entry including a location associated with the memory allocation.

1. Technical Field
This application relates to the field of memory management, and more particularly to the field of managing dynamically allocated computer memory.
2. Description of Related Art
Host processor systems may store and retrieve data using a storage device containing a plurality of host interface units (host adapters), disk drives, and disk interface units (disk adapters). Such storage devices are provided, for example, by EMC Corporation of Hopkinton, Mass. and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,206,939 to Yanai et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,778,394 to Galtzur et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,147 to Vishlitzky et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,208 to Ofek. The host systems access the storage device through a plurality of channels provided therewith. Host systems provide data and access control information through the channels of the storage device and the storage device provides data to the host systems also through the channels. The host systems do not address the disk drives of the storage device directly, but rather, access what appears to the host systems as a plurality of logical volumes. The logical volumes may or may nor correspond to the actual disk drives.
The host adapters, disk adapters, and other internal components of the storage device (such as RDF adapters, RA's) may each have their own local processor and operating system. Each request to an internal component of the storage device may be scheduled as a task that is serviced by the operating system of the internal component. In some cases, a task may temporarily need a block of memory for its processing. In those cases, it may be useful for the operating system to be able to dynamically obtain and release blocks of memory for temporary usage by the tasks. Conventionally, the available, unused, memory is maintained in a heap, and an operating system services memory requests by returning a portion of the heap memory to the requesting task. Once the requesting task has used the memory, the task calls a routine to return the memory to the heap.
In some cases, the memory may be shared among multiple processing units. When one of the processing units performs a reset, part of the reset processing includes restoring previously allocated memory to the heap for reallocation. In other words, if a first processing unit performs a reset while a second processing unit is currently using allocated memory portions from the heap, the operations of the second processing unit using the allocated memory portions are interrupted. The allocated memory portions are restored to the heap for reallocation.
It may be desirable to have a special reset mode which preserves the contents of selective portions of allocated memory used so that when a special reset is performed, the contents of the selective portions are preserved.

Generic reallocation function for heap reconstitution in a multi-processor shared memory environment


An apparatus for handling sample tubes is presented. The apparatus comprises a sample tube tray, a sample tube individualizer, a first conveyor, a second conveyor, a sample tube buffer, and a sample tube rack inserter. The sample tube tray stores sample tubes in bulk commodity. The sample tube individualizer sequentially unloads single sample tubes from the sample tube tray and sequentially provides the unloaded sample tubes to the first conveyor. The first conveyor conveys the sample tubes to the sample tube buffer. The sample tube buffer buffers the sample tubes provided by the first conveyor and provides buffered sample tubes to the second conveyor with a predeterminable, constant, sample tube rate. The second conveyor conveys the sample tubes to the sample tube rack inserter. The sample tube rack inserter inserts the sample tubes into a sample tube rack.

The present disclosure generally relates to an apparatus and a method for handling sample tubes and a laboratory system.
Laboratory sample distribution systems are used to distribute samples or specimens such as, for example, blood samples, contained in sample tubes between various different laboratory stations or specimen-processing instruments, such as pre-analytical stations, analytical stations and post-analytical stations.
The sample tubes are typically supplied in a bulk commodity. To achieve an efficient handling, the sample tubes have to be inserted into sample tube racks.
Therefore, there is a need to provide an apparatus and a method for handling sample tubes and a laboratory system that is highly flexible and that offers a high processing performance.

Apparatus and method for handling sample tubes and laboratory system


The present invention provides a liquid crystal alignment agent capable of preventing a decrease in voltage holding ratio (VHR), a liquid crystal display containing such a liquid crystal alignment agent, and a method for manufacturing such a liquid crystal display. Aspects of the present invention include a liquid crystal alignment agent containing at least one polymer selected from a polyamic acid and an imide polymer thereof and at least one difunctional monomer having an anthracene or phenanthrene structure, a liquid crystal display including an alignment film formed on at least one of an active substrate and a counter substrate using the above liquid crystal alignment agent, and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display including the steps of forming an active substrate and forming a counter substrate, at least one of which includes forming an alignment film on the active substrate or the counter substrate using the above liquid crystal alignment agent.

Liquid crystal displays are displays that present a display using a liquid crystal composition. In a typical display mode, the amount of light transmitted is controlled by applying a voltage to a liquid crystal composition sealed between a pair of substrates to change the orientation of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal composition depending on the voltage applied.
Generally, alignment films are formed on surfaces of the substrates to control the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules when no voltage is applied thereto. These alignment films are subjected to an alignment process for aligning the liquid crystal molecules in a predetermined direction.
Among known materials for alignment films are imide-containing polymers synthesized by dehydration and ring closure of a polyamic acid (see PTLs 1 and 2).
Whereas rubbing with a fibrous material has been commonly used as an alignment technique, photoalignment, which is a non-contact process, has increasingly been used as an alternative alignment technique in recent years.
In photoalignment, an alignment film is irradiated with light in a predetermined direction to impart predetermined alignment properties to the surface of the alignment film. As used herein, the term "light" is not limited to visible light, but encompasses ultraviolet radiation (ultraviolet light), i.e., electromagnetic radiation with shorter wavelengths than visible light.
Photoalignment involves the use of, for example, an alignment film material having a side chain containing a photoreactive group (see PTLs 3 to 5). The photoreactive group is, for example, a functional group isomerizable by exposure or a functional group crosslinkable by exposure.
PTLs 3 and 4 disclose that the use of an alignment film containing a polyvinyl compound having a particular chemical structure and a polyimide allows the pretilt angle to be stably maintained. The raw material for the polyvinyl compound is a polyfunctional monomer such as biphenyl dimethacrylate.

Liquid crystal alignment agent, liquid crystal display, and method for manufacturing liquid crystal display