Dealuminizing cast iron by contacting it with free-flowing flux particles having a solid silica core and a molten silica shell wherein said flux comprises silica and about 1% to about 5% calcium fluoride.

Automobile scrap is used in many foundries as a source of iron for cast iron. With the increasing use of aluminum in automobiles, the aluminum level in the automobile scrap is significantly higher than in years past. Moreover, it has been found that the addition of aluminum to a coupla charge may reduce coke consumption and silicon loss as well as increase the melt temperature and reduce the sulfur content of the molten cast iron produced therefrom. This iron contains higher then normal deleterious amounts of aluminum. Regardless of the source of aluminum, the aluminum level in molten cast iron may easily reach a level where harmful effects are experienced. For example, the literature indicates that aluminum concentrations greater than 0.01% by weight may cause pinholes in the castings. In addition to the pinholes, the presence of aluminum causes excess dross formation due to continuous oxidation of aluminum to aluminum oxide which all too often becomes entrapped in the melt which, in turn, introduces inclusions in the castings. Moreover, excess dross formation creates metal handling problems and increases the metal loss.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to oxidize the aluminum by bubbling air and/or oxygen through the melt or by using a high velocity lance positioned above the melt surface and projecting the oxygen/air onto the surface. Moreover, solid reagents such as iron ore, ferric oxide, sodium sulfate, or manganese oxide have also been used to oxidize the aluminum. Unfortunately, such oxidizing agents also react with any carbon and silicon present in the melt and thereby reduce their concentrations. The sodium sulfate additionally contaminates the melt with sulfur and produces sodium vapor. Chlorine and molten manganese chloride flux have also been reported as candidates for removing aluminum without affecting the silicon and carbon content of the melt. Chlorine unfortunately produces a considerable amount of iron chloride fume which causes a pollution problem. Dolomitic limestone additions have also been proposed, but this results in oxidation of carbon, absorption of heat from the melt incident to the decomposition of the carbonates, and formation of considerable MgO and CaO dust aggravated by the formation of CO.sub.2 gas. Manganese metal containing some nitrogen has been proposed, but is ineffective in reducing aluminum content below 0.01%. Finally, our copending U.S. patent application U.S. Ser. No. 941,287 filed Sep. 4, 1992, and now U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,673, filed concurrently herewith and assigned to the assignee of the present application, describes a process wherein the metallic contaminants react with droplets of molten SiO.sub.2 --CaF.sub.2. In that technique, bubbling nitrogen aggressively through the iron is used to break the molten SiO.sub.2 --CaF.sub.2 pool into small droplets and mix them into the iron for reaction with the undesirable metallics (e.g., aluminum).
The present invention significantly improves our earlier process by providing solid particles having the liquid flux on the surface thereof which significantly accelerates dealuminization while significantly suppressing splashing or expelling of molten metal from the reactor.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved process for dealuminizing molten cast iron and removing any other metallic contaminants susceptible to silica oxidation which process utilizes a molten SiO.sub.2 -based flux disposed on the surface of substantially free-flowing particles of solid SiO.sub.2 which carry the flux into the molten iron for highly effective reaction with the aluminum et al therein. This and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the detailed description thereof which follows.
The present invention contemplates an improved process for removing aluminum from molten cast iron, which process is simple, pollution-free, quick, does not deplete the molten cast iron of its carbon, enriches the iron with silicon, suppresses iron expulsion from the reactor, and provides highly reactive particles of controlled size which are significantly smaller and hence more reactive than the droplets which were characteristic of our earlier work, U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,673. In this regard, relatively large particles of SiO.sub.2 are coated with molten SiO.sub.2 --CaF.sub.2 such that the particles do not become agglomerated and serve as carriers for carrying the molten flux into the iron melt.
While the present invention is most particularly applicable to the removal of aluminum, other silica-oxidizable metals (e.g., certain Periodic Table Group IIIA, IVA and VA metals such as cerium) are also removed by the process of this invention. The present invention contemplates a method for substantially dealuminizing aluminum-containing cast iron, wherein: the iron is heated to a temperature sufficient to keep it molten throughout the period of treatment; a mass of solid, free-flowing flux particles comprising SiO.sub.2 and about 1% to about 5% by weight calcium fluoride is disposed atop the molten iron and heated by the underlying melt to melt a small portion of the flux. Once heated, the particles remain free-flowing and each comprise a core of solid silica having a molten silica shell clinging thereto and encapsulating the core. The molten shell comprises at least about 35% by weight calcium fluoride. The molten iron and flux are stirred together in such a manner as to cause the liquid-coated particles to react with the aluminum (i.e., to form aluminum oxide) and release silicon into the melt. The dealuminizing reaction is as follows: EQU 3 SiO.sub.2 +4 Al.fwdarw.2 Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 +3 Si
A side reaction between the silica and calcium fluoride yields a small amount of calcia and silicon tetrafluoride.
In a preferred embodiment, an excess amount of the particles are floated atop the iron melt and act as a blanket for suppressing expulsion of metal from the reactor incident to the vigorous stirring thereof. In this regard, stirring is such as to cause the lower portion of the particle blanket to mix intimately with the iron while the upper portion serves to provide fresh particles to the lower circulating portion as well as to suppress the molten metal being expelled from the reactor due to the mixing for better reaction therewith. The particles preferably have a mean diameter of about 0.25 to about 2 millimeters. Smaller particles have a higher tendency to agglomerate, while larger particles are more difficult to disperse in the molten iron. Most preferably, the particles will have a mean diameter of about 1 millimeter as this size is most readily stirred into the molten iron. The molten shell around the solid core wets and adheres to these relatively large SiO.sub.2 particles sufficiently that it does not coalesce with the shells on adjacent particles. Hence, the molten flux wetted particles act essentially as solid particles, remain essentially free-flowing and serve to control the size of the molten silica reactant contacting the melt. In this regard, maintaining a solid core of silica wetted with a molten shell thereover produces a reactive surface area which is much higher than heretofore found possible by dropletizing a pool of molten silica by aggressively bubbling N.sub.2 through the metal. The higher surface area provided by the liquid coated solid core accelerates and simplifies the aluminum removal process.
The molten shell comprises a relatively small portion of the particle and depends on the CaF.sub.2 content and the temperature of the flux. Hence for example, at 5% by weight CaF.sub.2 and 1550.degree. C. the liquid content will be about 15.2% by weight whereas at 2.5% CaF and 1450.degree. C. the liquid content will be about 5.9% by weight and the balance being the solid core particles. The aluminum oxide formed by the dealuminization reaction dissolves in the molten SiO.sub.2 --CaF.sub.2 flux shell. Treatment continues for a sufficient time for the aluminum content thereof to drop to an acceptable level which is preferably below about 0.01% by weight.
The flux generally consists essentially of silicon dioxide and about 1% to about 5% by weight CaF.sub.2, and preferably about 2.5% by weight CaF.sub.2 and the balance SiO.sub.2. Above about 5% CaF.sub.2 the flux loses its free-flowing, powdery character and becomes viscous and "gloppy" as the particles begin to agglomerate. Below about 1% by weight CaF.sub.2 there is insufficient molten SiO.sub.2 formed to be effective.
The flux is floated as a blanket of free-flowing particles atop the iron. The iron is vigorously stirred so as to cause the lower portion of the blanket contiguous the iron to intimately mix with the iron and react with the contaminants (e.g., aluminum) therein. The upper portion of the blanket does not directly mix and react with the iron, but rather serves to suppress splashing of the iron from the reactor and provide fresh make-up particles for the lower portion. The molten iron is preferably stirred by bubbling nitrogen up from the bottom thereof through porous ceramic plugs which are placed in the floor of the reaction vessel. Other known stirring techniques capable of mixing the silica particles into the molten iron are also acceptable.

Process for dealuminizing molten cast iron


An apparatus and method for interfacing a processor to one or more co-processors provides a dual ported memory to be used as a message passing buffer between the processor and the co-processors. Both the processor and co-processors can connect asynchronously to the dual ported memory. Control logic monitors activity by the processor to alert the co-processors of communications by the processor written to the memory and otherwise allows the processor and co-processors to think they are interfacing directly with one another.

Computer networks, in general, interconnect multiple computer systems for the purpose of sharing information and facilitating communications. Computer networks include private networks which interconnect computers within a particular enterprise, such as an intranet, and public networks, which interconnect one or more of the computers of enterprises, public institutions and/or private individuals. One exemplary public network is the Internet. The Internet is a packet switched network which utilizes the Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ("TCP/IP") suite to communicate data.
Networking computers together generally increases efficiency and reduces wasted resources. These advantages are spurring significant growth in the number of computers/user being connected by networks and the volume of data they are exchanging. This growth is, in turn, spurring advances in network technologies to handle the increased demand being placed on these network infrastructures.
This is evident on the Internet where each day more and more users connect to the Internet adding to the millions of existing users already communicating and exchanging data via this public infrastructure. Further, new applications for the network, such as streaming video, telephony services, real time interactive content, instant messaging, and peer to peer communications continue to be developed in addition to the exponential growth in the user of traditional network applications, such as the world wide web and electronic mail. This growth is placing an incredible strain on the Internet infrastructure that causes network traffic to slow and hardware to overload. In particular, some of these new applications for the network are dependent upon the quality of service ("QoS") of the network and cannot tolerate arbitrary reductions in throughput. For example, traffic interruptions in a voice telephony application may result in garbled or delayed communications which may not be tolerable to the users of such an application.
A way to solve these resultant network traffic jams is to increase the speed of the network and increase its bandwidth. Another solution is to retrofit the existing infrastructure to use new technologies, such as optical fiber interconnections, which substantially increases network throughput and bandwidth.
Unfortunately, a network, and in particular the Internet, is not simply a collection of interconnections. Other devices, such as routers, switches, hubs, and cache servers, form an integral part of the network infrastructure and play important roles in its performance. Upgrading the interconnections of the network without also upgrading the hardware which makes all of those interconnections function, will only serve to move the bottlenecks but not eliminate them. Further, hardware devices, which seek to enhance the network, such as content delivery devices or security devices, must similarly be upgraded so as not to degrade any overall enhancements to the network infrastructure.
While network technologies continue to advance, some of these technologies advance at a quicker pace than others. Where these technologies interface, it is often necessary to adapt the slower evolving technology to keep up with the faster evolving technology. In such a case, advances in optical networking technologies are far exceeding advances in the technologies to enhance the communications being carried by the network.
In particular, many network enhancement applications, such as security applications or content delivery applications, require the interception and processing of data from the network in order to perform their function. By default then, these devices become a choke point through which all the data of the network must pass. Therefore, this interception and processing device needs to operate at or beyond the wire speed, i.e. the operating throughput of the network, or the device becomes a bottle neck. In most cases, where the device cannot keep pace with the network, any benefits of the application will be outweighed by the degradation caused in network throughput. Unfortunately, optical networking technologies are increasing wire speeds beyond the current capabilities of packet processing technology.
Accordingly, there is a need for a way to cost effectively adapt existing packet processing technologies so as not to degrade network performance.

Apparatus and method for interconnecting a processor to co-processors using a shared memory as the communication interface


An arc discharge headlamp capsule having arc tube, wedge, retainer, forward connector rod, insulating sleeve, RF ring, and base is disclosed. The wedge is formed to mate with an end of the arc tube, and be compressed along its exterior by the retainer. The wedge and retainer are sonically welded. The compressed wedge then gently, but firmly holds the arc tube. The thermal conduction from the arc tube is additionally consistent from lamp to lamp. The arc discharge headlamp capsule held by the wedge and retainer structure yields a lamp tube securely, and precisely held with even pressure.

Small volume arc discharge lamps are now being developed for use as vehicle headlamps. These lamps offer long service lives, with high electrical efficiency. Moreover, these lamps have small optical sources, and can therefore provide overall improved headlamp optics. The enclosed volume of these lamps is roughly that of a pea, so the whole lamp may be conveniently formed initially from a small diameter quartz tube. Since the light source is small, the reflector optics may be made correspondingly small. The difficulty is then that the arc must be precisely located in the reflector. The lamp, when ignited, becomes quite hot, and therefore needs support by materials that can withstand the high operation temperature. Metals and ceramics have been used to support the arc tube, since these materials can easily withstand the high temperatures. Unfortunately, these materials are hard, and precise coupling of the arc tube with the metal or ceramic support structure can result in strain between the arc tube and the support. Since the practical manufacture of arc tubes, and metal or ceramic support structures normally results in some dimensional variation of the parts, some manufactured lamp tubes will have high contact, and stress, while others will have low contact and stress. The coupling stress is made worse by the thermal expansion and contraction of the components as the lamp is turned on and off. Arc tube fracture is then the final result in a portion of arc tubes pinched in metal support structures. There is then a need for an arc discharge headlamp capsule that can withstand the temperatures of operation, and still precisely locate the arc tube without excessive stress the arc tube.
A related problem concerns the energy management of the arc tube. The physics of the arc process is carefully designed for a particular operation temperature. Where thermal conduction from the arc tube differs, for example where the support structure has a low or high amount of contact with the arc tube, heat builds up, or is lost too quickly from the arc tube. The physics of the arc changes, thereby affecting the lamp optics, life and color. There is then a need for a support structure that from one arc tube to the next forms a consistent thermal contact.
Related prior patents include the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,612 issued to Hiroki Sasaki et al on Mar. 29, 1988 for a High Pressure Metal Vapor Discharge Lamp shows a double ended lamp capsule with leads welded to support wires. One support wire extends through a insulating sleeve and then, in parallel with the second wire, extend through a seal area of an enclosing capsule. Sasaki is generally concerned with an insulated preheater.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,373 issued to Lee W. Otto et al on Jun. 28, 1988 for a Automotive Headlamp shows a double ended filamented lamp capsule positioned in an automobile headlamp reflector. Otto shows generally how a double ended lamp capsule may be weleded and aligned axially as part of a headlamp.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,758 issued to John M. Davenport et al on Jul. 16, 1991 for a Precision Tubulation for Self Mounting Lamp shows an arc discharge axially aligned on a headlamp capsule.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,439 issued to Friedich Hoffmann et al on Jul. 30, 1991 for a Car Headlight Lamp and Method of Manufacturing Same shows a double ended arc discharge lamp capsule held in a metal reflector or shield. The reflector includes spring tabs that press against the lamp tube to properly position the shield.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,904 issued to Walter J. Kosmatka on Aug. 13, 1991 for a Mount for Miniature Arc Lamp shows a double ended arc discharge tube, axially mounted in a headlamp. One end of the tube is captured in a threaded structure including O-rings. The forward lead is ducted away from the capsule base to pass through the reflector body for exterior electrical connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,658 issued to Dirk Van Pijkeren on Sep. 24, 1991 for a an Electric High-Pressure Discharge Lamp for Use as a Motor Vehicle Headlamp shows a double ended arc discharge tube. The length of one end is pinched between two metal arms. The arms are supported on a bush that is in turn connected to a tube and holder body.
U.S Pat. No. 5,059,855 issued to Shinichi Irisawa et al on Oct. 22, 1991 for a Discharge Lamp Base Construction shows a double ended arc discharge tube welded by its leads at each end. The forward lead extends back through an insulating sleeve to a base. The leads are otherwise ducted through the body of the base.


A reflective active variable lens includes an upper electrode, a lower electrode disposed in parallel to the upper electrode, a deformation part disposed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, a reflective part disposed on the upper electrode, and a support part disposed to surround the deformation part. Here, the deformation part and the support part are connected to each other to provide a single structure, the deformation part is expanded from an initial shape when an electric field is formed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the expanded deformation part is contracted when the electric field is removed and restored to the initial shape.

The present disclosure herein relates to a reflective active variable lens and a method of fabricating the same.
In recent years, as display technologies on the basis of digital technologies for a camera, a mobile terminal, a projector, and a television has developed, high definition screens and miniaturization on related optical systems are demanded. Also, as miniaturization and convenience of optical lens systems are emphasized to acquire a high-definition image, researches for miniaturization and convenience have been actively processed.
In particular, as a high-definition image sensor is mounted to a camera module that is mounted to the mobile terminal, importance of miniaturization and functions such as a variable focal point and optical zoom have been further emphasized. In general, an actuator is used in a current mobile phone camera module to realize a variable focal point and an optical zoom function. An automatic zoom actuator serves to automatically adjust a focal point by adjusting a position of a lens. The automatic zoom actuator generally uses a voice coil motor (VCM) method and a piezo-method. The VCM method is a driving method using a current flowing through a coil and an electromagnetic force generated by a magnet. The VCM method is limited in electromagnetic wave generation and degree of precision. The piezo-method is a driving method using friction between stator and rotator. The piezo-method has a short life time due to friction and expensive costs. Also, a step motor is generally used for a method of performing an optical zoom function. This method has a limitation in terms of complex mechanism and friction and noise of a gear part because a rotating driving unit rotates a lead screw to move a movable part in a linear manner. As described above, most of typical technologies are difficult in manufacturing with low costs due to a complex structure and have a limitation in miniaturization.
In general, a typical technology of a reflective focus variable lens uses a gas or fluid pressure or an electromagnetic force. A technology using a gas or fluid pressure is difficult in miniaturization or arraying because an additional pressure regulator is necessary, and expensive in manufacturing costs because a manufacturing process and a structure are complex.

Reflective active variable lens and method of fabricating the same

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A layer according to one embodiment of the present invention may exhibit a first number of electron states in a low-level electron energy range in a conduction band, and exhibit a second number of electron states in a high-level electron energy range higher than the low-level electron energy level in the conduction band,                wherein localized states may exist between the low-level electron energy range and the high-level electron energy level.

In recent years, with the development of smart device and artificial intelligence computer technologies, demands for higher performance devices having high performance and multifunctionality have rapidly increased.
However, the binary element fabrication technology that has lead the existing semiconductor industry is expected to reach the limit in technical, economic and principal terms due to continuous ultra-miniaturization and high integration. In other words, development methods based on the down-scaling of conventional MOSFETs have difficulties in the down-scaling technology itself, approaches based on down-scaling are considered to have a fundamental limitation.
To overcome this limitation, studies on multilevel elements have been conducted. Multilevel elements that have been previously studied include single-electron transistors (SETs) and resonant-tunneling transistors (RTTs). In the case of single-electron transistors (SETs) and resonant-tunneling transistors (RTTs), multilevel characteristics are mainly observed only at a very low temperature, complicated fabrication processes are required, and integration for circuit implementation is difficult, which makes it difficult to realize the technology.
Accordingly, the present inventors have invented a layer which exhibits excellent multilevel characteristics while being formed through an easy and simple process, a multilevel element comprising the layer, a method for fabricating a multilevel element, and a method for driving a multilevel element.

Layer, multilevel element, method for fabricating multilevel element, and method for driving multilevel element

IUCF-HYU (INDUSTRY-UNIVERSITY COOPERATION FOUNDATION HANYANG UNIVERSITY)


A die-level process monitor (DLPM) provides a means for independently determining whether an IC malfunction is a result of the design or the manufacturing processing and further for gathering data on specific process parameters. The DLPM senses parameter variations that result from manufacturing process drift and outputs a measure of the process parameter. The DLPM will typically sense the mismatch of process parameters between two or more test devices as a measure of process variation between a like pair of production devices. The DLPM may be used as a diagnostic tool to determine why an IC failed to perform within specification or to gather statistics on measured process parameters for a given foundry or process.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to process monitors for semiconductor fabrication and more specifically to a die-level process monitor (DLPM).
2. Description of the Related Art
Variations of device parameters such as transistor threshold voltage, resistance, capacitance, inductance, transconductance, and output conductance are certain to occur due to the complexity of semiconductor processing, involving energy, temperature, pressure and concentration gradients as well as geometrical and cleanliness requirements. In spite of strictly governed foundries, semiconductor processing inevitably yields a distribution of parameter values. Resulting parameter variations will affect the performance and functionality of an integrated circuit (IC). For example, typical IC designs require neighboring transistors to be virtually identical to operate properly. A slight difference in parameters in both active and passive devices reflects as an undesired output that may have critical consequences. Process monitoring is currently performed at the wafer level to verify that semiconductor processing-related parameters are within specified design limits.
Fabless companies are by definition circuit design companies that outsource the semiconductor processing to a separate manufacturing company (foundry). A foundry supplies the fabless companies with a process design kit (PDK) containing parameter values relative to their process. Fabless companies design circuits with the acceptance that the supplied PDK describes the process parameters and relative fluctuations accurately.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the fabless company sends a design file 10, which is the circuit layout 12 of an IC 13, on a disk or via the internet to the foundry. The foundry incorporates the circuit layout to create a 'photoshot' 14. The photoshot 14 commonly consists of the fabless company's IC 13 as well as the foundry's own 'test structures' 16. The test structure 16 is placed down one side of the rectangular photoshot area. The photoshot 14 is placed repeatedly on a large round wafer 18. The test structures 16 are placed in the area of the wafer that will be consumed during the dicing process, known as the 'scribe lines' 20. The wafers are diced along the scribe lines into 'die' 22. The test structures 16 are destroyed and not a part of the final die 22.
The foundry's test structure designs consume large areas of the silicon wafer, require many area-consuming pads for I/O, require external equipment including a probe station, controllable/programmable voltage supply, current meter, ohm meter, volt meter, etc. to perform I/O, and are destroyed and rendered useless during the dicing process. Conventional test structures require external equipment to ramp the input voltage for a duration of time while measuring out the resultant current over time. The data is fed into a computer to compute the values for each device and the differences between two devices. A foundry may designate an entire wafer or specific die sites for testing and not destroy the test structures, however, these die cannot be shipped out as product to customers and are devoted for test only. Furthermore, the composition of the test structures is only known to the foundry's process engineers and thus useless to the fabless company.
It is common for the parameter fluctuations inherent to processing to cause the die not to function as designed. A customer that is supplied only with the die, does not have a means of independently determining whether the malfunction is a result of the customer's design or the foundry's manufacturing process nor can the customer gather data that may be useful for redesigning the chip, providing feedback to the manufacturer, or designing new chips.


A method to preferentially wait for fresh data from a primary source to become available in a system where there is also an older set of data from a secondary source. The method includes receiving a data request that is to be displayed and determining if the data from the primary source is available. If the primary source is not available, a dynamic threshold value is tested to detect if a wait time for access to the primary source is exceeded. If the wait time for access to the primary source is exceeded, then older data from the secondary source instead of the primary source is acquired. The dynamic threshold includes an elapsed time since receipt of the request as measured from a receipt time of a prior request.

User interfaces, including graphical user interfaces (GUI), can fail to be responsive to user inputs when the underlying data is not available for display to the user when such data is requested. This is especially true of a system where all of the underlying data required for display to the user resides in a centralized data store and multiple services need access to read and modify the data. Also, if the system is configured such that the GUI data model for the user interface display data is designed such that only one service at a time can access the data model, then immediate access is even more inhibited. Ideally, when the user accesses a page of data, such as a web page, on the GUI, immediate access and generation of that page using the data stored in the data model is expected. However, if other services are using the data model, the GUI may need to wait until those services have finished accessing the data model before the GUI can access the data model. This sometimes results in delays in retrieving data that make a GUI seem slow and result in a poor user experience. Thus, a need exists for a scheme that provides a solution that balances the need for a responsive GUI with the need to report accurate data.

Caching mechanism to improve user interface responsiveness


A dual function mounting bracket is affixed to a hydroformed roof side rail to allow the connecting brackets to be located at the same position as previously known despite the use of a hydroformed roof side rail frame member that has a substantially different shape and configuration. The dual function mounting bracket has a first mounting surface projecting upwardly from a second mounting surface to provide support for a grab handle connecting bracket. The second mounting surface provides support for the connecting bracket of a side curtain air bag. The second mounting surface is also configured with a pair of side tabs and a front tab for welding the mounting bracket to a hydroformed roof side rail. The grab handle spans between the mounting bracket and a spaced apart sole function mounting bracket. A bead between the first and second mounting surfaces on the dual function mounting bracket provides stiffness.

Hydroformed tubular frame members are now being utilized in the production of automotive frames. The hydroforming process starts with a standard tubular stock member that is placed into a form or die shaped to correspond to the particular member to be formed. A liquid is then introduced into the interior of the tubular stock and pressurized until the tubular stock expands to assume the shape defined by the configured form. The expanded and re-shaped tubular stock now has a substantially different shape. By forming cutouts and other access openings into the re-shaped tubular member, spot-welding electrodes can gain access to opposing adjacent sides to create a weld bond between juxtaposed members. In this manner, a frame, as an example, for an automobile can be created using in large part hydroformed tubular members.
The closed section of a hydroformed frame member can increase the strength of the automotive frame. Thus, the use of hydroformed members is highly desirable in the production of the frame for the roof. The use of hydroformed members as the roof side rail, for example, can improve roof strength as compared to previously used spot-welded, stamped open frame sections, such as is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2. The hydroformed roof side rails will have constant peripheries, which is a limitation to the change of the cross-section of the roof side rail in either size or geometry. The limited ability to change cross-section creates a challenge in the mounting of the grab handle and the curtain air bag as the hydroformed roof side rail does not provide the same mounting surfaces for attachment of the grab handle and the curtain air bag as does the stamped and welded conventional roof side rail structure.
The grab handle has become a standard feature of passenger vehicles, particularly in sport utility vehicles and pick-up trucks, while the curtain side air bag has become a popular option that is frequently selected in the purchase of an automobile. Grab handles are typically attached directly to the roof side rail, while the curtain side air bags are also attached to the roof side rail at a location near to the grab handle attachment, through respective brackets, as is reflected in FIG. 1 of the drawings. Traditional known roof rail structure is formed from two stamped components that are welded together to form the roof side rail. The outer panel is designed to incorporate the grab handle support, while the inner panel is designed to mount the air bag bracket at the desired location, see FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The hydroformed roof side rail cannot directly provide the surfaces for mounting the grab handle and curtain air bag brackets because of the constraint of length of line in the formation of the hydroformed roof side rail member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,364,343, granted to Gary Slota, et al on Apr. 2, 2002, discloses a bracket that is connectable to a roof side rail to mount the side curtain air bag and the grab handle at the same location. The grab handle is simply screwed to the bracket through connectors. The side curtain air bag is supported by the bracket beneath the grab handle. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,421, issued to Thomas Blake, et al on May 18, 2004, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,100,939, issued to Thomas Blake, et al on Sep. 5, 2006, teach a bracket that is affixed to the roof side rail to be utilized in mounting a side curtain air bag and the grab handle at the same location. In the Blake patents, the grab handle is attached through mounting brackets mounted on the air curtain bracket.
A bracket attached to the stamped, conventional roof side rail for housing a side curtain air bag has one side of the grab handle connected to the remote end of the bracket in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2004/0256843, published on Dec. 23, 2004. In U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/005220, published on Mar. 8, 2007, a module containing the side curtain air bag, the grab handle and cover plates is fastened to the roof side rail to provide a common mounting structure for both the side curtain air bag and the grab handle.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a mounting bracket that can accommodate the structure shortcomings of a hydroformed roof side rail to supply the mounting surfaces that would correspond to the conventional mounting surfaces of traditional stamped and welded roof side rails for the mounting of the grab handle and the side curtain air bag at the conventional locations with the curtain air bag being offset from the mounts for the grab handle.

Combination grab handle and airbag bracket


A chain drive with at least two sprocket wheels provided with teeth having an evolvent spline, and a toothed chain that engages therewith, especially for a vehicle propulsion system, which toothed chain includes individual rows of link plates that have openings, wherein the link plates are movably connected with each other by rocker pieces penetrating the openings and have chain teeth. The chain drive is characterized in that the tooth flanks of at least one tooth of least one of the sprocket wheels are designed differently.

Such toothed chains are used at several locations in the vehicle propulsion system, for example in all-wheel power divider transmissions, front transverse-mounted transmissions for bridging the axial distance to the differential, as drive chains of a hydraulic auxiliary aggregate within the transmission, as a valve train control chain of an internal combustion engine, or as a drive chain for other auxiliary aggregates of the vehicle (coolant pump, lubricant pump, air-conditioning system compressor, hybrid additional motor, brake booster, etc.). As is generally known, a distinction is drawn between toothed chains, bushed roller chains and roller chains. The invention relates to a chain drive with a toothed chain, wherein the sprocket wheels are provided with an involute spline. The teeth of the drive chain engage in the gaps between the teeth of the sprocket wheels to create a positive, non-slip connection between the drive chain and respective sprocket wheel for transmitting torque.
When using a plate-link chain as the toothed chain that runs at a fixed ratio between two gears, structure-borne noise is introduced into the system from the impact impulse of the link plates on the tooth flanks of the gears that has a negative acoustic effect. The tooth engagement frequencies arising from this impact impulse exist at every speed. The speed of the system only determines the frequency which increases with the speed at which the chain or chain drive rotates.
It is known to optimize the acoustic properties of a chain drive with a toothed chain and sprocket wheels e.g. by randomizing the plate lengths. Furthermore, the acoustics can be optimized by using two parallel toothed chains that run offset from each other by one-half plate link.
In DE 43 16 877 A1, it is already known to design the drive chain of a chain drive such that the sequential engagement of the chain links in the sprocket wheels is irregular to interfere with the monotone note of the impact impulse so that the sound of the chain drive becomes increasingly random. The known methods described as state-of-the-art in this document generate an irregular chain link impact frequency for example by an irregular pitch of the sprocket wheel teeth or drive chain links, or by unevenly designing the engagement flanks of the drive chain teeth in the drive chain. The goal of these measures is to achieve random chain meshing. The above described measures can be summarized by the term "slight randomness." It has been revealed that measures in which slight randomness is used are comparatively involved and hence expensive to produce. Another known measure described in the above-cited document uses a drive chain composed of a plurality of individual chains that run parallel with each other, and the associated sprocket wheels are rotated at a predetermined angle in relation to each other. The phases of the impact frequencies of the different individual chains are thereby offset in relation to each other, and the masses simultaneously contacting the divided gears are reduced. This solution is also very involved to construct and produce and is hence comparatively expensive.

LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG


A circuit configuration for limiting the cutoff voltage occurring in controlling a servomotor (M) by means of width-modulated DC pulses comprises a power transistor (T2) which, via a capacitor (C) is connected through for a short time when a cutoff voltage appears thus limiting the cutoff voltage. Subsequently the transistor (T2) presents a high impedance. As a result a short-circuiting of the servomotor (M) will be prevented in the phase in which a spring force resets the servomotor into its zero position.

This invention relates to the clamping circuitry of a servomotor i.e., to a circuit configuration for limiting the cutoff voltage occurring in controlling a servomotor by means of width-modulated DC pulses.
As is known, overvoltages, caused by the discharge of the energy stored in an inductive load, appear upon cutoff of inductive loads or of partially inductive loads, including electric motors. In DC networks, it is possible to limit the overvoltage by means of a free-wheel diode connected in parallel with the load and acted upon by the DC voltage in the nonconducting direction. However, this measure does not work for a DC motor which also is to be operated as a generator or to be reset unrestrictedly by a mechanical force.
The present invention relates to an electric servomotor for the throttle valve of an automotive vehicle engine. Such a servomotor, for exampled is used for controlling or regulating the drive performance of an engine in conjunction with a traction slip control system. The servomotor is preferably switched on and off via a power transistor, control being effected by width-modulated current pulses. A clamping circuit is needed for the servomotor in order to protect the final stage transistor against overvoltages which are generated when the motor is turned off or when the final stage transistor becomes non-conductive during width-modulated pulse control.
However, cutoff voltage limitation by means of a free-wheel diode cannot be used when the servomotor acts against a tension spring and is to be reset by the spring force into the zero position as quickly as possible. Short-circuiting of the winding of the servomotor via such a free-wheel diode would counteract the return motion of the motor and consequently obstruct a quick resetting of the throttle valve by means of the spring force or a quick position control of the throttle valve.

Circuit configuration for limiting the cutoff voltage on a servomotor


A data encoding method. First, a data array comprising a plurality of elements is stored in a memory. The number of elements unequal to a predetermined value is counted while elements of the array are stored in the memory. Then, a control module reads elements from the data array, and determines whether the number of read elements unequal to the predetermined value is equal to the counted number. When the number of read elements unequal to the predetermined value is equal to the counted number, the control module stops reading elements from the data array.

The invention relates to a method and devices for reducing multimedia data compression/encoding time, and in particular, to methods and devices for avoiding access to zero values in a frequency domain region.
With the improvement of signal detection and processing techniques, still images, video, and audio data can be preserved, processed, transmitted in electronic formats (especially in digital formats) in high fidelity. Generally, multimedia files are quite large, thus requiring compression before storage and transmission. Accordingly, compressed multimedia data must be decompressed before display. Compression of multidimensional image data (such as 2-dimensional images and/or time-domain changes) is particularly resource consumptive. Hence, compressing image data with high efficiency and low cost has become a significant issue.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart of conventional image compression (data compression), such as Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) compression. As shown in FIG. 1, a motion image data M (such as a movie or an animation) may be treated as a series of static pictures A1, A2, A3, A5, and others, displayed sequentially to simulate motion. To achieve a high compression ratio, compression of the video data comprises detecting differences between the static pictures (intra-coding) in step 10, and encoding frames (inter-coding) in step 12.
There may be little difference between frames of a video clip simulating continuous motion. For example, sequential display of the pictures A1, A2, and A3 in FIG. 1 simulates motion of an object Oj moving against background Bk, wherein there is no perceptible difference in the pictures A1, A2, and A3 except the object Oj. In step 10, a motion detection operation may be performed to detect differences between frames. For example, that object Oj in FIG. 1 moves and background Bk is still may be recognized by detecting the pictures A1 and A2. Additionally, vector V12 is derived to represent the movement direction and distance of traveled by the object Oj. Put simply, the object Oj in the picture A1 is moved along with the vector V12 (known as motion compensation) to yield a predicted image P2 (not shown in FIG. 1) to simulate the picture A2. Predicted the picture P2 is, however, only a prediction of the picture A2, and may not precisely match the picture A2. For example, reflected areas of light on the object Oj may differ between the pictures A1 and A2. The difference between the predicted image P2 and the picture A2 is assumed to be imperceptible, and the picture A2 is subtracted by the predicted image P2 to yield difference image D12. Thus, the frame comprising the picture A2 may be generated by motion compensating the picture A1 and adding the difference image D12 to the compensated picture A1. Thus, the picture A1, vector V12, and image D12 can represent the pictures A1 and A2. Image D12 may comprise little data as long as the difference between the predicted image P2 and the picture A2 is small, facilitating a high compression ratio of the pictures A1 and A2.
Similarly, the picture A3 in FIG. 1 may be presented utilizing the picture A2, vector V23, and image D23. The picture A1, images D12, D23, vector V12, and V23 simulate a portion of video M comprising the pictures A1, A2, and A3, whereby compressing the portion of video M accordingly. The video M may comprise completely irrelevant portions. For example, the pictures A4 and A5 simulate motion of other objects moving in another background, so the picture A3 may be quite different from the picture A4. Motion detection is applied to the pictures A4 and A5 instead of A3 and A4 to compress the portion of video M comprising the pictures A4 and A5 in step 10.
After intra-encoding in step 10, pictures, such as the pictures A1 and A4 in FIG. 1, and difference images, such as the image D12, D23, and D45 are respectively encoded/compressed in step 12 to enhance compression ratio. The detailed procedures of step 12 are shown in FIG. 2. When compressed, a pictures A, such as the pictures A1, A4, the images D12, or D23, is first fragmented into blocks B each comprising pixels Bij. 2-dimensional frequency domain transformation, such as Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT), is applied to each block B to generate array C comprising elements Cij representing frequency values of block B. Elements Qij generated from quantization of the elements Cij comprise quantized array Q which is a frequency domain array. The elements Qij of the 2-dimensional array Q are rearranged to an one-dimensional array S in a specific order, this procedure is known as a sequential scan. Run-length encoding is applied to the array S to generate another array R. Huffman encoding is applied to array R to generate array H, and compression of the picture A is complete.
In step 12, because a block B comprises a small portion of the picture A, pixels Bij therein may have approximately the same value. After a block B has been transformed to frequency domain and quantized, most high frequency elements Cij and Qij have a zero value (or have an approximately zero value). In other words, arrays C and Q are sparse arrays. Elements Sk of the array S, each representing a Qij, may also comprise a plurality of zero values. Zero values between non-zero elements Sk are encoded to shorten the length thereof during the run-length encoding of array S to shorten the length thereof. For example, in a case wherein 10 zero values exist between non-zero elements Si and Sj, element Sj may be encoded to represent and replace the actual 10 zero values. Thus, the length of the array R generated by run-length encoding the array S is shortened. The length of the array H is further shortened after Huffman encoding of the array R. A plurality of the arrays R generated from compressing all blocks B comprise compressed multimedia data, the result of compressing the picture A.
When compressing a still image (such as JPEG compression), step 12 may be performed directly to omit step 10.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of conventional image compression/decompression circuits. The processing circuit 300 compresses/encodes image data and comprises a central processing unit (CPU) 302, a memory access module 304, a dynamic estimation module 306, a frequency domain transformation/quantization module 308, a scan control module 310, and an internal memory 312 (such as random access memories). The CPU 302 controls all operations of the processing circuit 300. The Memory access module 304 is capable of direct memory access (DMA) and enables the processing circuit 300 to access an external storage 350 directly, for example, to import a compression source therefrom. The dynamic estimation module 306 may perform dynamic estimation in step 10. The frequency domain transformation/quantization module 308 may perform frequency domain transformation and quantization in step 12. The internal memory 312 temporarily stores data processed by the processing circuit 300.
For example, when the processing circuit 300 compressing (encoding) image data, the frequency domain transformation/quantization module 308 transforms and quantizes blocks B of each frame to generate the 2-dimensional array Q, and elements Qij therein are written into the internal memory 312 and then read by the scan control module 310 when a sequential scan is performed to generate the array S. The subsequent steps are then performed accordingly.
Thus, the processing circuit 300 frequently accesses the internal memory 312. One video clip may comprise a plurality of pictures A which correspond to a plurality of arrays Q representing blocks B thereof. Elements Qij are stored to the internal memory 312 when the processing circuit 300 compresses image data and are read therefrom during a sequential scan. As previously described, an array Q may be a sparse array most elements Qij of which are zero values, so that the length of the array S may be reduced by run-length encoding. The array R records the number of instances of zero pixel values rather than the actual pixels with a zero value, without taking advantage of the properties of the sparse array. It is time consuming, however, to process and access the elements Qij one by one when the processing circuit 300 performs sequential scanning. Thus image compression is time consuming, and the cost is still high if processing circuit 300 is provided with higher bandwidth internal memory to increase the rate of compression.


Tags, such as XML tags, are inserted into email to separate email content from signature blocks, privacy notices and confidentiality notices, and to separate original email messages from replies and replies from further replies. The tags are detected by a system that renders email as speech, such as voice command platform or network-based virtual assistant or message center. For example, the system can detect the signature block or privacy notice tags and not render the signature block or privacy notice as speech. The system can render an original email message in one voice mode and the reply in a different voice mode. The tags can be inserted to identify a voice memo in which a user responds to a particular portion of an email message. Preferably, an email server that receives and stored the email message inserts the tags into the email. Alternatively, the tags could be inserted by an email client application. The tags are detected by an email parser, which can be incorporated into the system rendering email as speech, or, alternatively implemented in a separate logical entity.

This invention relates to methods for rendering email messages as voice or speech sound. This invention further relates to the field of network-based computer systems that render email and/or Internet web page content as voice, such systems being embodied in various forms including, but not limited to, voice command platforms, internet-based virtual assistants and interactive voice response systems. The invention can also be embodied as an improvement to an email client application.
Email has emerged over the last decade or so as a convenient and extremely widely used medium for communication. Email messages can be created and displayed on computing devices having an appropriate email application, such as Microsoft Outlook. Email applications are available for desk-top computing devices as well as for portable computing devices, e.g., personal digital assistants, so called "hand-held computers", lap-top computers and web-equipped cellular telephones. Thanks to advances in satellite, RF, and other wireless communications technologies, it is now possible to both send and receive email messages on portable computing devices virtually anywhere in the continental Unites States.
As the capability for sending and receiving email message has migrated onto smaller, more lightweight portable devices, such as cellular telephones, the technology has emerged to render email content as voice. Systems for rendering email content as voice are now described in the patent literature. See, for example, Cooper et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,654. This patent describes a network-based server that functions as a "virtual assistant" system. The system includes a virtual assistant server built on a Windows NT telephony server platform that includes a human interface that may be a voice user interface. The virtual assistant server allows a user to use a voice interactive device, such as a telephone, to access and update information, including voice messages, email messages, intranet or internet content, perform scheduling tasks, and still other functions. The entire content of the '654 patent is incorporated by reference herein.
The Virtual Assistant in the '654 patent includes speech recognition software for recognizing speech input from the user and a text to speech converter for rendering text information (such as text from a web document or an email message) into speech, thereby allowing a user to access their email and have it read to them instead of viewing it on a display.
Other patents of interest include U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,359, which is directed to a system that allows a user to access a network communication node that includes a voice response system having a text to speech converter and speech recognition engine. The user accesses the communication node from a variety of communication devices, including telephones. U.S. Pat. No. 6,115,686 is directed to a text to speech converter that converts documents in a Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) format to speech. The '686 patent recognizes that most of the electronic texts available from the World Wide Web are formatted according to the HTML standard. Unlike other electronic texts, HTML "source" documents, from which content text is displayed, contain embedded textual tags. Generating speech from an electronic originating text intended for visual display presents certain challenges for the TTS converter designers. For example, information is present not only from the content of the text itself but also from the manner in which the text is presented, i.e., by capitalization, bolding, italics, listing, etc. Formatting and typesetting codes of a text normally cannot be pronounced. Punctuation marks, which themselves are not spoken, provide information regarding the text. In addition, the pronunciation of text strings, i.e., sequences of one or more characters, is subject to the context in which text is used. The '686 patent attempts to solve this problem and provide a better user experience in rendering Web content as speech. Lee et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,877 is directed to a system and method for providing access to a unified message store logically storing computer telephony messages, and is further provided to illustrate the current state of the art. The entire content of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,661,877, 6,539,359 and 6,115,686 is incorporated by reference herein.
The present inventors have appreciated that the user's experience when receiving or responding to email messages as voice is less than optimal when prior art approaches are used, particularly in comparison to the user experience when the email messages are represented graphically as text on a display. The present invention provides techniques and methods for improving the user experience, through the use of tags (e.g., newly defined XML tags) or other analogous software devices that are inserted into the email content. The tags can be inserted by a client email application that generates the email message, or more preferably, by an email server that receives and stores the email. The tags are then detected by the system rendering email content as speech. Numerous ways in which the tags can be used to benefit the user experience are described in further detail below in the detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention.

Voice rendering of E-mail with tags for improved user experience


An apparatus including: a photodiode including: a first conductivity substrate; a second conductivity PD-well on the substrate's first surface side; and a first conductivity collection well inside the PD-well; a modulation transistor including: a second conductivity TR-well connected with the PD-well, and a junction depth shallower than that of the PD-well; a first conductivity modulation well inside the TR-well, and connected with the collection well; a second conductivity source inside the modulation well, and including a region contacting the first surface; a gate electrode in a region partially covering the modulation well and enclosing the source; a gate insulation layer between the gate and the first surface; and a second conductivity drain partially sandwiching the gate and opposing the source, and including a region contacting the first surface; and a transfer transistor connected to modulation transistors in pixels between the source and a connected source line.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image capturing apparatus.
2. Related Art
An image capturing substrate configured by arranging, in a matrix, pixels each including an image capturing apparatus is mounted on a mobile phone, for example. The image capturing substrate includes, as types, an image capturing substrate including an image capturing apparatus of CCD (Carrier-Coupled Device) type, and an image capturing substrate including an image capturing apparatus of a MOS type. The CCD-type image capturing substrate is of excellent image quality, and the MOS-type image capturing substrate is less in power consumption and low in process cost. In recent years, proposed is a MOS-type image capturing substrate operating in the mode of threshold voltage modulation, offering both high image quality and low power consumption. The MOS-type image capturing substrate operating in the mode of threshold voltage modulation is described in Japanese Patent No. 3313683.
The image capturing substrate derives an image output by pixels being arranged in a matrix, and by the pixels each being repeatedly in the state of clearance, storage, and reading. In the image capturing substrate described in Japanese Patent No. 3313683, the pixels each include a photodiode for use of storage and a transistor for use of reading (hereinafter, referred to as modulation because it is an operation of indicating an operation of extracting any threshold modulation component by a light-generating carrier).
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the schematic wiring of an image capturing substrate 100 described in Japanese Patent No. 3313683 in which pixels 3 each including a VMIS-type image capturing apparatus 120 being a combination of a photodiode PD and a modulation transistor TM are arranged in a matrix (it is used also as an equivalent circuit diagram indicating the state in which an intense light SL enters into the configuration not including a transfer transistor TS that will be described later). An output from a source section 7 of each of the pixels 3 arranged in the same row is extracted via a source line 66 of shared use. Among the pixels 3 connected to the same source line 66, supplying an ON signal to any one gate line 67 enables reading of only a signal from the source section 7 of any one of the pixels 3 connected to the gate line 67 provided with the ON signal. In this case, the selection of such a pixel 3 is made by applying a potential higher than that of a not-selected ring gate electrode 6a of a not-selected modulation transistor TMa of a not-selected pixel 3a to a ring gate electrode 6 of the modulation transistor TM of the (selected) pixel 3 for reading.
As an ON signal, the output from the source section 7 of the modulation transistor TM applied with a high gate potential will be higher than an output from a not-selected source section 7a of the not-selected modulation transistor TMa applied with a low gate potential. The output from the source section 7 of the selected pixel 3 corresponding to the gate line 67 selected by the ON signal can be derived from a source line 66x.
Herein, as the procedure for signal extraction in FIG. 8, attention is given to the source line 66x. Extracted is a difference, in terms of potential, between the source line 66x that is under the control of the potential coming from the source section 7 of the pixel 3 selected after the storage of light-generating carriers and the source line 66x that is under the control of the potential being an output of the source section 7 of the pixel 3 after the clearance. By extracting such a difference between the potential of the source line 66x after the storage and the potential of the source line 66x after the clearance, any variations among the pixels 3 caused by the characteristics distribution such as threshold value can be cancelled out, thereby being able to extract an image signal with a higher SN ratio.
For such a difference extraction, with the configuration described in Japanese Patent No. 3313683, the gate line 67 selected as shown in FIG. 8 is used for a selection of the pixel 3, and the potential from the source section 7 of the selected pixel 3 is transferred to each of the source lines 66 so that the potential from the source section 7 of the selected pixel 3 is detected. Herein, when an intense light SL enters into a not-selected photodiode PDa of the not-selected pixel 3a leading to the source line 66x, there may be a case of generating a potential higher than the potential from the source section 7 of the selected pixel 3. The reason thereof is considered that the not-selected source section 7a of the not-selected modulation transistor TMa is increased in potential, and by shifting the source potential by application of the potential to the ring gate electrode 6, the resulting potential exceeds the source potential of the selected modulation transistor TM.
In this case, compared with the potential of the source section 7 after the clearance, the potential of the not-selected source section 7a belonging to the not-selected pixel 3a receiving the intense light SL becomes higher. That is, the potential of the source line 66x of the selected pixel 3 is reduced down only to the potential of the not-selected source section 7a of the not-selected pixel 3, being higher than the potential of the source section 7 of the pixel 3 selected after the clearance. Therefore, in this case, no difference can be derived between the potential of the source section 7 of the selected pixel 3 after the storage of the light-generating carriers being outputs from the source section 7 and the potential of the source section 7 after the clearance.
With no difference as such, provided is a difference, in terms of potential, between the source section 7 after the storage of the light-generating carriers and the not-selected source section 7a of the not-selected pixel 3a exposed with the intense light SL, and thus the light intensity seems to be reduced for output, thereby causing a phenomenon called black smear.
To prevent such black smear, as shown in Japanese Patent No. 3720014, there is a technology of forming a pixel using three transistors. However, it means the number of transistors for a pixel is increased to three, and there is thus a problem of reducing the aperture ratio and reducing the light sensitivity.


Techniques are provided for distributing signals in a stackable unit, including a first input connector of two or more input connectors; a second input connector of two or more input connectors, wherein the first input connector is spaced apart from the second input connector, and the first input connector has a particular spatial relationship to the second input connector; a first output connector of two or more output connectors; a second output connector of two or more output connectors, wherein the first output connector is spaced apart from the second output connector, and the first output connector has the same particular spatial relationship to the second output connector; means for communicatively coupling the first input connector and the second output connector; and means for terminating the first output connector.

The approaches described in this section may be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
One approach to distributing an electronic signal in a stackable device is to connect external wires to the each of the stackable devices. A problem with this approach is that the external wires are cumbersome and, in some cases, can lead to hazardous conditions; for example, the wires may present a tripping hazard. Another problem with the use of external wires is that their configuration requires expertise and is prone to error. For example, in many instances, only a limited number of certain devices can be connected together. If more than a preset number of devices are connected together, then the system will not function properly. For example, consider a computer that has limited capability to address memory on hard disk. If a human operator connects too many disk drives together and, thereby, more drive space than is addressable is added, the system will not function as intended. Alternatively, in some systems only a limited number of output devices can be driven by a particular signal output.
A second approach to distributing an electronic signal in a stackable device is to use a bus or a daisy chain. Either a bus or a daisy chain can involve wires that are internal to an encompassing case, but each still requires wires that are external to the stackable devices For example, a bus implemented as a ribbon cable connecting multiple disk drives is external to the disk drives, but internal to a computer case. Since the wires are external to the stackable devices, the approach still suffers the problems of cumbersome wires and expertise being needed to properly connect multiple devices to the bus or daisy chain.
Both of these approaches also suffer in that neither has a manner to simplify configuration, and specifically to simplify the limitation of devices that can be interconnected.
Therefore, given the discussion above, it is clearly desirable to have techniques that overcome the limitations discussed herein.

Distributing an electronic signal in a stackable device


A touch panel includes a detection region that has a non-rectangular periphery shape, and a wiring region that surrounds the periphery of the detection region. In an alternating arrangement portion, of the periphery of the detection region, in which ends of first electrodes and ends of second electrodes are alternately positioned, first ends of the first electrodes and first wirings are electrically connected and second ends of the second electrodes face shield electrodes, or first ends of the second electrodes and second wirings are electrically connected and second ends of the first electrodes face the shield electrodes.

In the related art, touch panels are known that are provided on a display panel that displays text, images, and the like and that function as an interface for receiving user commands. For example, Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2015-510188 describes a touch panel that includes a sensor region, first and second conductor wire regions electrically connected to the sensor region, and a ground wire provided between the first conductor wire region and the second conductor wire region.
With the touch panel of Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2015-510188, a first conductor wire electrically connected to a first electrode of the sensor region is disposed in the first conductor wire region, and a second conductor wire electrically connected to a second electrode of the sensor region is disposed in the second conductor wire region. Accordingly, the ground wire is provided between the first conductor wire and the second conductor wire, and suppresses crosstalk between the first conductor wire and the second conductor wire. Moreover, with the touch panel of Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2015-510188, the ground wire is disposed between the first electrode and the second conductor wire, and between the second electrode and the first conductor wire, and suppresses crosstalk between these constituents.
With the touch panel of Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2015-510188, the periphery shape of the sensor region is rectangular. As such, an end of the first electrode and the first conductor wire are connected on one side of the periphery of the sensor region, and an end of the second electrode and the second conductor wire are connected on another side of the periphery of the sensor region.
However, with a touch panel for which the periphery shape of the sensor region is non-rectangular (for example, circular), a portion (hereinafter "alternating arrangement portion") occurs in which the end of one electrode of the sensor region and the end of the other electrode of the sensor region are alternately positioned. In the alternating arrangement portion, when the ends of the one electrode and the other electrode are respectively connected to corresponding conductor wires, the conductor wire connected to the one electrode and the conductor connected to the other electrode are repeatedly arranged in an alternating manner.
Due to this, when, as in the touch panel of Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2015-510188, the ground wire is provided between the conductor wire connected to the one electrode and the other electrode, the frame of the touch panel becomes wider. Additionally, with the touch panel of Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2015-510188, in order to arrange the ground wire between the electrode and the conductor wire, an insulation layer must be provided in the portion where the ground wire and a connection portion of the conductor wire and the electrode cross. Here, the insulation layer insulates the ground wire from the connection portion.

Shanghai Tianma Micro-Electronics Co., Ltd.


A cable termination housing for terminating a cable to one or more devices includes a bore for receiving a device mating portion, a component portion integrally formed within the housing, the component portion having a fastener that is slidable between a retracted position wherein fastener does not extend into the lug aperture of the cable assembly and an extended position wherein the fastener extends into the lug aperture. Preferably, the fastener is rotatable while in its extended position so as to couple with the device mating portion.

Existing cable termination systems for connecting a cable to an apparatus, two cables or two feeder cables with a tap are known in the art. A termination system typically includes, at a minimum, a cable or wire preferably having a coupling device, such as a metallic lug, an apparatus preferably having a terminal for connecting to the system, a stud (i.e., a pin type or threaded device inserted into the aperture of the metallic lug), mating devices (i.e., devices that couple to the stud to maintain the stud within the aperture of the metallic lug) and a housing (i.e., a device that encloses the cable/apparatus connection). According to the use of the termination system, it can further comprise a component and the like for making the system suitable for the specified use. For example, the component can be a specific plug, or it can be connected to another device, examples of which include a termination system, a transformer, switch and/or a switchgear.
According to a commonly known termination system, a metallic lug containing an aperture is attached to an end of a cable, which is then inserted into a bore entrance of a housing such that the end of the metallic lug containing the aperture enters the housing first. Typically, the aperture in the lug can be one of two "primary" varieties. The industry standard lug, which is also the oldest lug, contains a ⅝ in. through-aperture which is slightly large enough to allow passage of a threaded stud comprising ⅝ inch, at 11 threads per inch (⅝″-11), which is often used with an elbow and epoxy insulating plug, reducing tap well, connecting plug or a 200A dead break reducing tap plug. With the development of the "operable" products, which often use a 600 ampere-to-200 ampere load break reducing tap plug, it became necessary to marry the load break reducer to the 600 amp elbow. This was accomplished by increasing the standard lug aperture to a 15/16″-9 threaded aperture, which was the smallest thread size that would still allow passage of a ⅝″-11 threaded member. The prepared cable/lug assembly can be inserted into the cable entrance of the elbow, and the load break reducing tap plug could then be threaded into the lug. However, the threading process can create significant field problems.
Typically, a first mating device having a component, for example, a loadbreak reducing tap plug, or a dead break reducing tap plug having a deadbreak interface, etc is inserted into a second bore entrance of the housing. According to a method known in the art, the first mating device can be suitable for use with a device that can be electrically connected to the cable via the second mating device. The connection may incorporate additional components and may be performed in alternative configurations utilizing a variety of methods that are known in the art. The component of the first mating device can either include a stud, which is inserted into the aperture of the metallic lug or a cavity for receiving such a stud.
A second mating device, for example, a terminal affixed to the apparatus (e.g., bushing, transformer, high voltage switch, etc.) is then inserted into a third bore entrance. Similar to the first mating device, the second mating device can also include a stud or a cavity. When the terminal system is assembled, a conductive physical connection can be created between the metallic lug and the first and second mating devices.
If the component of the first mating device comprises a stud and the second mating device comprises a cavity, the stud can be inserted through the aperture of the metallic lug and into the cavity of the second mating device. The stud and metallic lug can engage either via complementing threaded portions or by sliding the bolt into the aperture of the metallic lug, which can result in the component of the first mating device and metallic lug to be electrically connected preferably via the face and sleeve of the lug. If the mating device is a load break tap plug, such as the Load Reducing Tap Plug (LRTP), the aperture of the lug can be threaded, thereby permitting a threading engagement between the lug and the load break reducing tap plug, which is performed initially with everything de-energized. Or, if the mating device is a Reducing Tap Plug (RTP), Reducing Tap Well (RTW) or Connecting Plug (CP), the stud can be slid through the aperture of the metallic lug into the cavity of the mating device to create an electrical connection. The respective first mating device can subsequently threadingly engage the second mating device.
Alternatively, if the component of the first mating device comprises a cavity and the second mating device comprises a stud, the assembly comprising the housing and the first mating device must be properly aligned and placed over the second mating device. However, because the assembly of the housing and the first mating device lacks a stud holding the metallic lug, the housing and the first mating device together, each element must be properly aligned and balanced to ensure proper insertion of the stud through the aperture of the metallic lug and into the cavity of the component of the first mating device. Alternatively, in accordance with the T OP II™ manufactured by Cooper Power Systems, the first mating device can include a threaded member having a threaded exterior as well as a threaded cavity. This threaded member can be threaded into the aperture of the metallic lug. Thereafter, the threaded stud of the second mating device can be inserted into and threadingly engaged with the threaded member.
Typically, the installer of the termination system must manually maneuver a bolt through the component of the first mating device, through the aperture of the metallic lug and into the cavity of the second mating device, and tighten the bolt using an instrument several feet long until the three elements are electrically connected. It is preferable for the instrument to be several feet long to maintain a sufficient distance between the installer and the termination system in order to protect the installer from potential harm. The bolt must be inserted in the proper direction and angle to properly hold the assembly in place, which can become a difficult task at a several feet distance. However, if the first mating device is an LRTP or T OP II™, it is already assembled into the lug aperture, and if the first mating device is an RTW, RTP, CP (Connecting Plug) or an insulating plug, such as a BIP, this tightening procedure would not be performed using a hot stick or a long instrument.
One potential problem that may arise is that if a sleeve of an LRTP or T OP II™ is threaded, it may cross thread with the threading in the metallic lug, thereby failing to create a secure and stable electrical connection. The installer may feel resistance from the cross threading and can assume that the resistance indicates a complete, secure connection. This problem is aggravated by the fact that the installer is performing the task blind, without being able to see the threading. Moreover, the lug, and therefore the thread in the lug, is of rather soft materials (aluminum and copper) and is easily cross-threaded. Additionally, proper alignment of the threads can be very difficult because of the weight of the cable. On top of the fact that the operation cannot be viewed and the weight of the cable, the lineman must force the load break reducing tap plug forward to overcome the rubber interference while trying to engage the thread, creating potential problems. Furthermore, the total thread engagement of the prior art is typically only a maximum of ½ inch, the width of the lug, rather than a more accepted engagement of 1½ times the diameter of the thread. Because of the very short thread length there is no room for a lead-in on the male portion to allow proper alignment.
Alternatively, if a product such as a connecting plug, reducing tap well, reducing tap plug, or insulating plug, which do not thread into the metallic lug is used, the installer must force the mating device into the elbow while simultaneously pushing the elbow onto the bushing or Connecting Plug, potentially creating difficulties during installation.
Another potential problem with the commonly known connectors and methods of connecting an electrical cable to an apparatus is the difficulty in connecting the cable and apparatus via separate components, for example, reducing tap plugs, connecting plugs, reducing tap wells, and the like. Typically, the components are independent from the connector housing and must be inserted into the second bore entrance and is connected to the housing by friction fit. According to whether or not the first mating device comprises a stud, different drawbacks are present.
Some other prior art termination systems utilize a connector housing and a separately molded mating device comprising a component having a threaded stud, such as the LRTP device shown in FIG. 2. The separately molded component includes a component guide portion for guiding and aligning the component into the aperture of the metallic lug, as well as a threaded portion for threadingly engaging the metallic lug, thereby pulling the separately molded mating device further into the second bore of the housing and holding it in position. More specifically, a cable assembly is inserted into the connector housing. Then, while holding the cable assembly in place, the separately molded component is inserted into a bore such that the component guide portion passes through the aperture of the metallic lug of the cable assembly, then the separately molded component is threadingly engaged with the metallic lug. Therefore, the three separate elements, the cable assembly, the housing and the separately molded component, which can be cumbersome and heavy, must be properly positioned and held in that position during this process.
The separately molded component further comprises two threading elements that engage each other, which pull the housing portion further into the second bore of the termination system housing when the threaded portion is prevented from threading any further. An embedded stud within the component then pushes the guide portion, which detaches and is removed. Therefore, in order for this separately molded mating device to be properly inserted within the housing, elements such as the guide and the threaded portion are needed, which renders the device complex with multiple parts that also can increase the cost. Additionally, because the three separate elements must be simultaneously held in position, the process can be cumbersome and difficult. Furthermore, because the separately molded component threadingly engages the metallic lug, the metallic lug necessarily has a threaded aperture, thereby increasing the diameter of the aperture and hence decreasing the amount of metal in the metallic lug surrounding the bolt. The thread is typically large, about 15/16″-9, thereby eliminating a significant section of the current-carrying area between the lug and the mating diameter which is about 1¼ inches. In addition, because the mating device is a separately molded component, it suffers from some of the same problems of the other prior art devices discussed above.
In order to provide a better understanding of the state of the art related to the field of electrical termination systems, discussed below are several references. Although these references serve to provide a perspective as to the state of the related art, they fail to disclose the novel aspects of the present invention as discussed in detail herein and claimed hereafter.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,357 to Luzzi ("Luzzi") discloses a termination system for connecting a high voltage electrical cable to a high voltage electrical terminal. The housing of Luzzi can be generally L-shaped, having a cable receiving leg and a terminal receiving leg, wherein the terminal receiving leg has two bores. A bolt is captivated within the terminal receiving leg, and is operated by an external tool to join or separate a cable inserted in the cable receiving leg to a terminal inserted in a first bore of the terminal receiving leg. Luzzi discloses that the bolt can be within a second bore of the terminal receiving leg and include a cylindrical plug of hard insulating material to prevent the electricity from being conducted outside the connector through the second bore. The plug can be removed prior to tightening or loosening the bolt, and reinserted afterward in order to insulate the connector. Luzzi, however, does not disclose how to connect the termination system to a second device via the second bore, but is directed to an elbow having an insulating plug at the second bore. Furthermore, Luzzi does not provide for safety testing or grounding.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,208 Sankey et al. ("Sankey") discloses a visible break tee connector for electrically connecting a high voltage cable to a terminal, comprising a T-shaped housing, a connecting member and a contact assembly. When installed, the connecting member is electrically connected to the terminal and the high voltage cable. The contact assembly is in electrical contact with the connecting member, providing a ground contact on disconnection. During disconnection, the housing, the connecting member and the contact assembly can be disconnected from the terminal without disconnecting the cable from the connecting member. Sankey, however, does not include a movable piston and therefore does not have loadbreak capabilities for safety testing or a fault close capability for safe grounding of the system. Accordingly, the elbow or cap connected to the opposite side of the first mating device cannot be removed when the cable is live without potentially causing an explosion in the termination system. This can be especially problematic because the termination system can provide a perception that the device does have loadbreak and fault close capabilities. Furthermore, if a cap was the mating part and was successfully removed, there is no safe way to ground the assembly without load break components inside the LRTP.
Sankey also requires unconventional products. For example, Sankey discloses the use of a specialized lug having a groove to house a conductive ring to electrically connect the cable to the connecting member. This also can hinder current flow between the cable and the connecting member, and therefore the terminal. Furthermore, the contact assembly is directly inserted into the housing through a passage, which produces a risk of contaminating the inside bore of the device which can lead to product failure.
Additionally, the prior art devices, because they require separated molded components, can result in an undesirably long stack height after assembly because of the interfaces of each element, such as the interface of the elbow in combination with the interface of the separately molded component.
In light of the prior art discussed herein, it is desirable to provide a simple, safe, easy to install, cable termination system having a reduced stack height suitable for use with devices known in the art.

Multiple bore termination system having an integrally formed component


A method is disclosed for initiating game play on a pay-for-play parlor game, such as a pool table having a playing surface, rails, pockets, a ball holding rack that retains pool balls, and an internal activation-sensing unit. The method includes depositing a game play fee into a remote activation assembly, remotely transmitting an activation signal once the game play fee is deposited, receiving the activation signal at the internal activation-sensing unit, and providing access to the pool balls upon said receiving step. A method is also disclosed for automatically scoring a pool-based game including detecting detectable devices embedded within the pool balls.

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to parlor games, and more particularly to an improved system and method of activating a pay-for-play parlor game, and automatically calculating a score of a pool-based game.
Coin operated pool tables (or pay-for-play pool tables) are widely used for a variety of pool games, such as eight ball, nine ball, snooker, and the like. Typically, a player hits a cue ball with a pool cue in an attempt to knock the cue ball into solidcolored and striped numbered balls. Depending on the rules of the particular pool game, a player "scores" by sinking the appropriate balls into pockets of the pool table.
In order to begin playing a game of pool, a player typically inserts coins into a coin acceptor located on the pool table. Once an amount sufficient to play a game is inserted, a holding rack that retains the colored balls within the pool table is opened, thereby allowing a player to access the balls. The balls are then placed on the playing surface of the pool table in order to begin play.
Typical pay-for-play pool tables only include a coin acceptor, but not a bill acceptor. This is because the use of a bill acceptor requires increased power and space. One of the obstacles to providing power to such bill acceptors is that most pool tables require unobstructed access from all sides of the table for game play. Further, a pool table usually requires a generous amount of floor space surrounding a table for game play. Electrical wires or cabling passing from the pool table to a wall outlet are obtrusive and pose tripping problems.
Additionally, typical pool games are manually scored. Scoring games manually, however, may be inexact due to human error. Further, keeping track of scoring represents one more thing to be cognizant of during a game, and may be distracting to a player.
Thus, a need exists for a system and method of activating a pay-for-play pool table that is more efficient and user-friendly. Further, a need exists for a system and method of automatically scoring a pool game.