A composite high-frequency component is designed to occupy a smaller area and a smaller volume when mounted in an apparatus, can be located in the apparatus with improved flexibility, and is able to operate without an impedance matching circuit. The composite high-frequency component includes a multilayer substrate, diodes constituting a high-frequency switch component, and a circuit base. External terminals for connection to a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit and an antenna, external terminals for control and an external terminal for connection to ground potential are formed on an outer surface of the multilayer substrate. Strip lines and capacitors constituting the high-frequency switch and strip lines and capacitors constituting a low-pass filter circuit are formed in the multilayer substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to composite high-frequency components and, more particularly, to a composite high-frequency component formed by connecting a high-frequency component such as a high-frequency switch component and a filter component.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 10, a high-frequency switch component is used to selectively establish a connection between a transmitting circuit TX and an antenna ANT and a connection between a receiving circuit RX and the antenna ANT.
Referring to FIG. 11, a high-frequency switch component 1 is connected to an antenna ANT, to a transmitting circuit TX and to a receiving circuit RX. The anode of a diode D1 is connected to the transmitting circuit TX through a capacitor C1. The anode of the diode D1 is also connected to ground potential through a series circuit of a distributed constant line L1 and a capacitor C2. If the wavelength of a transmitted signal from the transmitting circuit TX is .lambda., the line length of the distributed constant line L1 is set to .lambda./4 or less. A control terminal Vc1 is connected to a point of connection between the distributed constant line L1 and the capacitor C2. A control circuit for switching the high-frequency switch component 1 is connected to the control terminal Vc1. The cathode of the diode D1 is connected to the antenna ANT through a capacitor C3. A series circuit of a distributed constant line L2 and a capacitor C4 is connected in parallel with the diode D1 (between the anode and the cathode).
To the capacitor C3 connected to the antenna ANT, the receiving circuit RX is connected through a series circuit of a distributed constant line L3 and a capacitor C5. The line length of the distributed constant line L3 is also set to .lambda./4 or less, as in the case of the distributed constant line L1. The anode of a diode D2 is connected to a point of connection between the distributed constant line L2 and the capacitor C5. The cathode of the diode D2 is connected to ground potential through a capacitor C6. A control terminal Vc2 is connected to a point of connection between the diode D2 and the capacitor C6. The control circuit for switching the high-frequency switch component 1 is connected to the control terminal Vc2 as well as to the terminal Vc1.
To perform transmitting by using the thus-arranged high-frequency switch component 1, a positive bias voltage is applied to the control terminal Vc1 while a negative bias voltage is applied to the control terminal Vc2. These voltages act as forward bias voltages on the diodes D1 and D2 to turn on diodes D1 and D2. At this time, DC components are blocked by the capacitors C1 to C6 and the voltages supplied to the control voltages Vc1 and Vc2 are applied only to the circuits which include the diodes D1 and D2. Accordingly, the distributed constant line L3 is grounded by the diode D2 and resonates at a transmitting frequency, so that the impedance thereof becomes substantially infinitely large. Therefore, substantially no transmitted signal from the transmitting circuit TX is transmitted to the receiving circuit RX. The transmitted signal is transmitted to the antenna ANT via the capacitor C1, the diode D1 and the capacitor C3. Since the distributed constant circuit L1 is grounded through the capacitor C2, it resonates at the transmitting frequency, so that the impedance thereof becomes substantially infinitely large. The transmitted signal is thereby prevented from leaking to ground.
On the other hand, at the time of receiving, a negative bias voltage is applied to the control terminal Vc1 while a positive bias voltage is applied to the control terminal Vc2. These voltages act as reverse bias voltages on the diodes D1 and D2 to turn off diodes D1 and D2, so that a received signal from the antenna ANT is transmitted to the receiving circuit RX via the capacitor C3, the distributed constant line L3 and the capacitor C5, and is not substantially transmitted to the transmitting circuit TX.
As described above, the high-frequency switch component 1 can switch transmitted and received signals by controlling the bias voltages applied to the control terminals Vc1 and Vc2.
The series circuit of the distributed constant line L2 and the capacitor C4 is used to reduce the insertion loss and reflection loss by increasing the impedance at the point of connection between the diode D1 and the distributed constant line L2 when the diode D1 is off by forming a parallel resonant circuit. It resonates by the combined electrostatic capacitance of the diode D1 in the off state and the capacitor C4 and the inductance component of the distributed constant line L2, at the frequency of the received signal.
Conventionally, a composite high-frequency component is made by connecting a filter component to the above-described high-frequency switch component. However, the high-frequency component and the filter component are designed and manufactured separately from each other. Therefore, the area and the volume occupied by these components on a circuit board are large, so that the flexibility of the circuit arrangement is reduced.
It is also necessary to newly add an impedance matching circuit to the high-frequency component and the filter component for the purpose of impedance matching between the high-frequency component and the filter component.
Further, additional design time is required for designing the impedance matching circuit.


A NAND flash memory device includes a high voltage switch and a bulk voltage supplying circuit. The high voltage switch is configured to transfer a word line voltage to selected word lines of selected memory cells. The bulk voltage supplying circuit is configured to provide a negative voltage to a bulk region of the high voltage switch in response to an operation mode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, to a NAND flash memory device.
2. Description of Related Art
Recent rapid developments in the semiconductor field have resulted in electric appliances being lighter, thinner and smaller. Accordingly, demand for a single power source and low operational power is increasing with respect to semiconductor memory devices used inside electric appliances. However, some types of semiconductor memory devices, such as a flash memory device, use a voltage higher than the power voltage to program a memory cell or to verify a programmed memory cell. This higher voltage, which may be generated through a high voltage generating circuit, is supplied to word lines during programming and erasing operations.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a high voltage switch and a cell string structure of a conventional NAND flash memory device. Referring to FIG. 1, a ground selection transistor GST, memory cells MC0˜MC31, and a string selection transistor SST are connected in series to form one cell string. The ground selection transistor GST is connected to a common source line CSL, and the string selection transistor SST is connected to a bit line BL. Gates of the memory cells MC0˜MC31 are connected to a high voltage switch 10. A string selection line SSL is connected to a gate of the string selection transistor SST, and a ground selection line GSL is connected to a gate of the ground selection transistor GST. When a block is selected, a word line driver (not shown) provides selection signals SS, S0˜S31 and GS having corresponding voltages to the lines SSL, WL0˜WL31 and GSL, respectively, through the high voltage switch 10.
The high voltage switch 10 consists of high voltage transistors HVTR0˜HVTR33, each of which is capable of enduring a high voltage. Sources of the high voltage transistors HVTR0˜HVTR33 are connected to the ground selection line GSL (HVTR0), the word lines WL0˜WL31 (HVTR1˜HVTR32) and the string selection line SSL (HVTR33), respectively. Drains of the high voltage transistors HVTR0˜HVTR33 are connected to the selection signals GS (HVTR0), S0˜S31 (HVTR1˜HVTR32) and SS (HVTR33), respectively. Gates of the high voltage transistors HVTR0˜HVTR33 in the switch 10 are connected in common to a block selection line BLKSEL. When a block is selected, the high voltage switch 10 is turned on and then transmits the selection signals (or their voltages) GS, S0˜S31 and SS to corresponding lines GSL, WL0˜WL31 and SSL, respectively. When a block is not selected, the block selection line BLKSEL is set to have a low level of 0V, so that the high voltage switch 10 is turned off.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a high voltage transistor in a conventional high voltage switch, as illustrated in FIG. 1.
Although one high voltage transistor HVTRi is illustrated in FIG. 2, it is understood that the remaining high voltage transistors are configured the same as illustrated in FIG. 2. The high voltage transistor HVTRi is formed on a P-type substrate 20 as its bulk, and not on a pocket P-well where memory cells are formed. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a gate voltage VG, a source voltage Vs, a drain voltage Vd, and a bulk voltage Vss are supplied to corresponding terminals, respectively.
The gate oxide layer of the high voltage transistor HVTRi is relatively thick, so that insulation break-down and junction break-down do not occur due to high voltages applied to the high voltage transistor HVTRi. Further, the P-type substrate 20 is lightly-doped and used as a bulk of the high voltage transistor HVTRi. This means that a voltage supplied to the high voltage transistor HVTRi cannot differ from a voltage supplied to the P-type substrate 20. For this reason, the bulk of the high voltage transistor HVTRi is biased with a voltage (e.g., 0V) identical to that applied to the P-type substrate 20. In a conventional NAND flash memory, an erase verification operation is made to check whether threshold voltages of erased memory cells are shifted to an erase state, with 0V supplied to word lines.
A negative voltage must be applied to word lines in order to narrow a threshold voltage distribution of an erase state and/or to program memory cells, so that a threshold voltage is less than 0V. However, it is difficult to sufficiently apply a negative voltage to the word lines via high voltage transistors that are structured as illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, assuming that a ground voltage is applied to terminal Vss and a negative high voltage is supplied to terminal Vd, a PN junction between an N+ impurity region 21 (or a drain of high voltage transistor HVTRi connected to a word line) and a P-type substrate 20 (or P+ impurity region 22) are forward biased. Accordingly, it is difficult to transfer a sufficiently low negative voltage to the word lines.


A pure water tank reduces stress to be applied to the tank when pure water in the tank freezes, to thereby prevent the deformation or breakage of the tank without thickening the wall of the tank. The tank has inner side-walls to define a pure water zone. On the outer side of the inner side-walls, an antifreeze zone is defined. The antifreeze zone holds antifreeze having a freezing point lower than a lowest temperature of a service temperature range of the tank. The density of the antifreeze increases as the temperature thereof decreases. The width of the antifreeze zone is set to satisfy D≧α loge(H)+d0, where H is the height of the antifreeze zone.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pure water tank for a fuel cell system.
2. Description of the Related Art
A fuel cell system uses pure water to humidify fuel gas and oxidizing gas supplied to a fuel cell stack. Pure water in a pure water tank for the fuel cell system freezes in a case where a vehicle equipped with the fuel cell system is parked for a long time in cold climates.
To improve the starting ability of the fuel cell system, the pure water in the pure water tank must be thawed as quickly as possible. To thaw the pure water, one related art divides the pure water tank into a large main tank and a small supplementary tank and heats the main tank with warmed coolant and the supplementary tank with a heater.


A method for operating at least one first computer entity with an operating system of a second computer entity includes: detecting and registering a set of initialization data and driver files stored in the first entity computer entity, copying the driver files into the files of the second operating system, adapting each of the files, and reading and adapting the initialization data, for the second operating system, injecting the initialization data into initialization structures of the second operating system, making the media containing the second operating system available to the first computer, initializing the first computer entity with the second operating system, the initialization structures being used by the second operating system to initialize and operate the device controller of the at least one bootable device, and the device controller controlling access to the media that stores computer files of the second operating system to follow the initialization of the first computer entity with the second operating system.

With reference to FIG. 1, the object of the present invention is more particularly to be able to boot at least one first computer (A) using the operating system (OS) of a second computer (B), for example in order to network a plurality of 'slave' terminals or even in case of partial failure of the operating system of the first computer (A), in case of partial failure of one of its peripherals such as its hard disk and for retrieving data from it, or in order to be able to use a single "logical" operating system instance (or operating system image) to operate the different computers using completely heterogeneous hardware.
To be able to boot the first computer (A) with the operating system of the second computer (B), the first computer (A) must be equipped with peripherals (Network Interface Controller (NIC), Hard Disk Drive (HDD), etc) which allows it access to the operating system of the second computer (B), either through a copy of the media containing the operating system files, or a direct connection or an indirect connection.
To perform this operation, it is commonly thought that it would suffice to recover the drivers from the first computer (A) and store them into the second computer (B).
But this is not enough with modern Operating Systems that use internal structures initialised when the devices are detected and then further used to operate said devices without re-detecting them. In order to detect the devices, the operating system component in charge with devices detection and configuration (e.g. Plug'N'Play manager) must be up and running. This component is usually up and running very late in the boot process of the operating system because it relies on a lot of resources provided by said operating system. The component in charge with device detection and initialisation then cannot detect and initialise the boot device controller used to boot the operating system (this problem is commonly known as "chicken and egg problem" in the Information Technology world). Boot device controllers are usually detected and initialised when the operating system is (first) installed. Modern operating systems are usually designed to be installed on a specific computer hardware. Then, moving an operating system already installed to some other kind of hardware is usually not possible because the boot device controllers are not the same and the operating system installed for being used with a specific type of boot device controller cannot be used with another type of boot device controller.
Older operating systems such as MS-DOS® were able to be transferred from one hardware platform to another, because the hardware platforms were fully compatible with personal computer (PC) hardware, whose specifications were publicly available. They were able to use the same sets of instructions to be operated. Some sets of instructions, inherited from these old days, are still usable in modern personal computers (for instance VGA or VESA for graphic adapters, or ATA/IDE for disk drive controllers). The computers are also using standards (actual or de facto) such as PCI bus.
The modern computers, especially the ones still called "PC compatibles", are still using some of these compatible instructions sets to begin the boot process of the operating system (even a modern one). In particular, they rely on standard BIOS or firmware mechanisms to operate the video, disk drives and keyboard during the very first step of the boot process.
But the modern operating systems need to be able to free themselves from the firmware/BIOS mechanisms used to operate the various devices and components of the computer, in order to be less limited, to be faster, to be truly multitask, to be more efficient etc. Then, the modern operating systems need to operate (control) directly the devices and controllers using device drivers especially developed for a particular operating system to operate a particular device or controller. For instance a modern PC computer will boot using at first a BIOS based video instructions (character mode and then VESA compatible mode) that all the computers of the PC compatible type can use and then, as soon as possible, the operating system will load and initialise a very specific driver for a very specific video controller actually in the computer. This video adapter, though it can be operated through a set of compatible instructions (PC-type or TTY-type character instructions, VESA instructions, etc.), has the best results and performances when using the driver specific for it. For instance, VESA mode cannot be used to display images in 1024*768 with 24 millions of colours per pixel.
A modern computer is often booted off a hard disk drive. A modern PC computer will boot using at first BIOS based disk drive instructions (interruption int13h) that all the computers of the IBM-PC compatible type can use and then, as soon as possible, the operating system will load and initialise the very driver for the very disk drive controller actually in the computer. This makes disk access faster, and makes it possible to use the complete space of the disk drive when the BIOS or firmware may be able to assign only the beginning of it. Using BIOS based instructions, some PC-compatible computers can access only the first 4 GigaBytes of any hard disk drive, when modern computers are commonly using disk drives larger than 40 GB.
However, the operating system can use only one kind of disk drive controller. If some hard disk drive is moved to a computer that uses another kind of hard disk drive controller, even if both controllers can be operated through compatible instruction sets, the operating system on the disk drive will be loaded as long as the compatible set of instructions are used.
When the operating system needs to use the set of instructions specific to a disk drive controller, the operation will fail however if the disk drive controller is not one that the operating system can operate, because the controller does not "understand" the set of instructions that the operating system is able to use to read and write data on the boot disk drive.
Furthermore, modern computers are using chained device controllers and devices and the operating system must be aware of the chain to be able to operate a specific device. For instance, the disk drive controllers in modern computers of the classes IBM-PC™ compatible or Apple Macintosh™ are usually using the PCI Bus interface. The chain then comprises at least PCI Bus controller-PCI interface-Disk Drive controller-Disk drive. The operating system must not only know how to operate each controller, device or interface, but also how this chain is constructed and how each device interacts with the adjacent ones. For instance, the operating system must know in which PCI slot a specific controller is connected. The data related to the chain itself are stored in some internal structures used by the operating system. In MS-Windows™ systems, some of these structures are stored in the system registry. These structures are created and initialised when the device or controller is detected and installed. The structures related to boot devices are initialised when the operating system is installed. The installation procedure of modern operating system usually comprises the loading of a minimal set of components that can use the compatible sets of instructions to operate the computer and that can then load and execute the component in charge of detecting the boot devices and initialising the related structures. When this is done, the computer is rebooted, and the actual operating system is loaded and executed. It is then able of using the suitable specific set of instructions to operate the device controller for the boot device (i.e. to read and load files that contain the rest of the operating system components). Then, the component of the operating system in charge with devices detection and initialisation can be loaded and executed and the rest of the devices that are not required for booting (for instance sound cards, USB controllers etc.) can then be detected and initialised.
One recent evolution of modern operating systems is that they may be able to be completely booted over the network, without requiring the use of a disk drive or a disk drive controller in the computer they operate. Some sets of instructions like the PXE instructions set (defined in PXE specifications), can be used to handle the first part of the boot process (the one that usually relies on BIOS or firmware). From then on, the boot device controller used by the operating system is the Network Interface Controller (NIC). Interestingly, there is no set of compatible instructions for NICs like there are for Video Controllers (VESA for instance) or for IDE Disk Drive controllers (the IDE disk drives can be operated through the eight first instructions of Western Digital's WD1003 Disk Drive controller). PXE is a layer above the network card itself, but PXE instructions set could not be used efficiently to operate a modern NIC in a modern operating system. PXE has been designed only to provide "early steps" boot capabilities to NICs. PXE works at the BIOS level.
Recently, some techniques have been used to allow moving an operating system made for a specific hardware platform to another hardware platform. Several techniques have been implemented to use the compatible set of instructions existing in some devices or device controllers.
Microsoft® Sysprep tool for instance can "prepare" an existing Windows® operating system to be moved to some "unknown hardware platforms" (unknown meaning "currently unknown to the operating system to be moved"). Yet, this tool requires the user to manually provide the drivers and related files for the disk drive controller to be used in the various unknown hardware platforms. Windows® can then be booted on each kind of platform, with a set of minimal capabilities very similar to what the installation procedure would have created if said installation procedure had been run on said hardware platform. Furthermore, the result of deploying an original operating system to various hardware platforms using Sysprep creates as many different logical instances of the operating system as there are hardware platforms. In other words one cannot directly move an operating system previously moved using Sysprep from one platform to another one currently unknown. Furthermore, Sysprep can handle only Windows® operating systems when they are booted using Disk Drive Controllers. It cannot be used with Network Booted Windows® systems.
Another technique makes it possible to build a logical instance of an operating system (a set of files that comprises an operating system and its configuration) that can operate heterogeneous hardware platforms. This technique makes it possible for Windows to boot "unknown hardware platforms" using ATA/IDE compatible mode. Obviously, this technique is restricted to systems that are booted off IDE disk drives. This technique requires that an IDE disk drive is successively moved (or cloned) from one hardware platform to another, and after being moved (or cloned) the IDE disk drive must be used to boot the hardware platform. The operating system can then boot and detect the hardware in the platform it runs on, including the specific disk drive controller in said platform. The operating system must then be configured again to be able to use compatible IDE mode before it is moved to another hardware platform. This technique is used, for instance, in UbiBoot technology of the applicant and also described in Microsoft Knowledge base article #314082
Some operating systems like Linux use "probing". They embed a plurality of drivers for boot devices (and other devices) and at boot time, the operating system probes the hardware and if a device that is supported is detected (i.e. the device and the driver for this device are present respectively in the computer and in the operating system), then the device can be used. In that sense, this is similar to Sysprep when it is wished to move a system disk from one platform to another. If the disk drive controller that is detected in the "unknown platform" is not in the list of the disk drive controllers that the operating system can operate, the system will not finish its boot process. Linux operating systems often embed drivers that can use compatible set of instructions for boot device controllers using a standard (such as ATA/IDE) to be operated.
SCSI device controllers do not have a standardized compatible instructions set. The SCSI device controllers use standard SCSI instructions set to operate SCSI devices, but the controllers themselves can only be used through "proprietary" instructions sets (Proprietary instructions-SCSI Controller-SCSI Standard Instructions-SCSI devices). Thus, the techniques described above cannot be used to move an operating system using only one specific type of SCSI controller as its boot device controller to another hardware platform using another type of SCSI controller.
Similarly, none of the techniques mentioned above can be used to move an operating system booted off a network server from one hardware platform using one type of network interface controller to another platform using another type of network interface controller.

Procedure for booting a first computer using the operating system of a second computer

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A toilet bowl ventilation system exhausts air in and around the toilet bowl to an area adjacent to the room in which the toilet is located. The toilet bowl ventilation system includes an odor exhaust system which is configured to be installed within the interior cavity of a toilet. The odor exhaust system includes a fan positioned within a housing. The system further includes a controller that regulates power to the fan. Upon activation, the system is operable to transport air from in and around the toilet bowl, through the housing, and to an area adjacent to the room in which the toilet is located (e.g. outdoors).

The disclosure relates to the field of restroom ventilation devices, and specifically to those devices coupled with or proximate to a toilet bowl.
Within the field of restroom ventilation devices, a distinct need exists for an apparatus which may efficiently exhaust the unpleasant odors and air which normally emanate from around a toilet, especially during and after use, thereby enhancing user comfort.
Numerous systems are known for exhausting air from a restroom. Systems which are mounted within a wall or ceiling are the most common. However, these known systems suffer from significant inefficiencies. Chief among those inefficiencies is the excessive room volume from which wall and ceiling-mounted systems must ventilate. Although the primary volume of concern exists at or near the toilet itself, wall and ceiling-mounted systems must draw air from the entire room, including the area occupying the space at and near the toilet.
Because of the large volume of air that known systems need to ventilate to be effective, known restroom ventilation systems fail to efficiently remove all air containing foul odors and thereby allow foul odors to linger or permeate the room. In order to be effective, traditional restroom ventilation systems require the ventilation of large quantities of air. To ventilate an effective amount of air to remove offensive odors rapidly, the speed and size of the room fan must be significant. Even then, the opportunities for pressure loss and air-flow resistance naturally increase with the size of the room such that the inefficiencies associated with ventilating large restrooms, including commercial restrooms, may be significantly multiplied over those existing in an average-sized residential restroom.
Moreover, removing air from the room does not prevent the user from being exposed to unpleasant smells or prevent users in adjacent stalls from being exposed to unpleasant smells emitted around a toilet associated with another user. Moreover, existing restroom ventilation systems are not energy efficient, because they increase the amount of conditioned air that needs to be supplied to the restroom by heating, ventilating, and cooling systems. Furthermore, because of the large room size and small air draw, the time to remove unpleasant odors from the toilet area may overlap between users, exposing a subsequent user to a prior user's odors.
A problem with filter-based ventilation systems that attempt to filter pungent air from around the toilet by recirculating air through a filter and back to the surrounding area is that the installation of a filter-based ventilation system generally requires mounting additional components to the toilet or seat. Adding additional components creates difficulty when users attempt to clean the inner portions of the components or any toilet surface proximate to the components because mounting additional components often creates small, hard to reach spaces for cleaning. Cleaning the toilet and seat is especially important in preventing the spread of germs and disease and in maintaining a clean appearance. Moreover, filter-based systems fail to effectively eliminate odors. Filters, such as those made from activated charcoal for example, are usually only able to remove up to 70% of the odors found in the air. The filters also become saturated over time, which results in a reduction in efficiency. Consequently, filters require replacement at the end of their useful lives, which increases the cost and time required to maintain the system.
A toilet ventilation system that is efficient, effective, and easy to clean is needed.


A duplexer includes a transmitting filter including serial resonators and parallel resonators connected in a ladder configuration, and a receiving filter. A resonator of the serial resonators and the parallel resonators in the transmitting filter that is arranged closest to a common terminal of the transmitting filter and the transmitting filter includes a surface acoustic wave resonator, and at least one resonator excluding the resonator that is arranged closest to the common terminal includes a film bulk acoustic wave resonator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to duplexers and, in particular, to a duplexer for use in a mobile telephone system, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
A duplexer for separating transmission and reception signals in a mobile radio wave band is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-504756. As illustrated in a circuit diagram of FIG. 7, the disclosed duplexer includes a receiving filter 1, arranged in a reception path RX, which operates using a surface acoustic wave (SAW) and a transmitting filter 2, arranged in a transmission path TX, which operates using a bulk acoustic wave (BAW).
Since a BAW piezoelectric resonator, which is inferior to a SAW resonator in secondary non-linear characteristics, is used in the transmitting filter of the duplexer, a significant amount of intermodulation distortion (IMD) is generated.


The present invention is to a projected laser beam in a method for aligning a golf ball prior to hitting it with a golf club and a method for determining the proper feet position of a golfer prior to that golfer's hitting the golf ball. The laser beam is used to project a linearly extending light path across the ball. The laser has suitable optical means to also project a second light beam parallel to the first linearly extending light path and horizontally displaced therefrom. Additionally, the laser assembly includes a third light path that intersects the first and second light paths. The golfer may position his/her feet on either side of the intersecting light path. The laser is manually manipulated so that the first path of light is aligned in the direction of the pin at the end of the fairway.

The present invention relates to a method and indicator, and relates more particularly to a laser indicator which is to be employed in golf training and in assisting in aiming the ball in the direction of the pin.
In playing the game of golf, a golf player must take a proper position so that the ball can be hit into each of a series of nine or eighteen holes in sequence, employing the fewest possible strokes. However, it is not easy for a novice to select the proper stance for the player's feet to ensure the best possible hit if the ball in the pre-selected direction towards the pin.

Method for employing light from a laser generator beam to assist in aiming a golf ball and apparatus therefor


An improved electronic imaging device is provided that utilizes redundant sensor elements for defect compensation. In addition, the signal generated from the redundant sensor elements is used to improve the signal to noise response of the electronic imaging device. In an electronic color imaging device, the need for total redundancy of sensor elements is obviated by using a single luminance array of sensor elements to provide defect correction data for defective sensor elements located in red, green and blue arrays.

The invention relates in general to electronic imaging devices that are capable of compensating for defective sensor elements contained therein.
Electronic imaging devices having an array of sensor elements that convert incident scene light to electrical signals are utilized in a variety of products. For example, linear electronic imaging devices, which include a plurality of sensor elements configured in a line, are commonly used in scanning devices, such as facsimile machines, to scan an original document on a line-by-line basis in order to generate electrical signals that correspond to the image of the original document. The electrical signals can then be used to reproduce the image of the original document in either hard copy or electronic form.
It is desirable to reproduce the image of the original document with a high degree of resolution. Thus, the electronic imaging device employed to scan the document should preferably have a large number of sensor elements. It is difficult and expensive, however, to produce high resolution electronic imaging devices without defective sensor elements. Present manufacturing methods form of a large number of electronic imaging devices on a semiconductor wafer and then use a sorting process to identify those devices on the wafer that do not have sensor element defects. The percentage yield of good devices, however, generally decreases with increasing resolution, as higher resolution devices necessarily require a greater surface area which increases the chance that a defect in the wafer will fall within the structure of a particular device. A great deal of effort and material is wasted if the percentage yield of good devices from each wafer is low.
One approach to increasing the yield of devices that can be utilized is to provide redundant sensor elements within the structure of the electronic imaging device to compensate for defective sensor elements. U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,713 issued to Besson et al., for example, discloses a photovoltaic diode detection device that includes two diode arrays. Each of the diode arrays includes defective diode elements. A programmed memory is used to control two switches to accomplish a winding or serpentine readout of the arrays, wherein the signals from only the good diode elements in each of the arrays are readout. A disadvantage of this approach, particularly in a color scanning system having separate red, green and blue arrays of sensor elements, is that total redundancy of sensor elements is required.
It is an object of the invention to provide an improved electronic imaging device that utilizes redundant sensor elements to provide defect compensation for defective sensor elements, and to provide an improvement in the overall response of the electronic imaging device. It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved electronic imaging device that does not require total redundancy of all sensor elements in a color scanning system.

Electronic imaging device with defect correction


A process for reducing residual tensile stresses in high nickel-chromium alloy nozzle safe-end welds of pressurized water reactor nuclear pressure vessels such as are found at the reactor vessel inlet and outlet nozzles and the pressurizes surge, spray, safety and relief nozzles. The process involves the application of radial compression on the outside surface of the nozzle's safe-end and/or connecting coolant piping, to reduce the outside diameter at the mid-point of the piping element to which the load is applied to between about 0.2% and about 3%. The radially compressive load applied by this process is imparted using a mechanical device that can be employed at the vessel manufacturer's facility or at a nuclear power plant after welding of the nozzle safe-end to the coolant piping or before either after plant commissioning of operation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a process for removing the residual tensile welding stresses in the inner layer of a weld metal and heat affected zone that joins two dissimilar metals and more particularly for removing tensile residual stresses in a circumferential weld that joins a pressurized water reactor pressure vessel nozzle and a safe-end that are butt-welded to each other end to end.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When piping is butt-welded together by means of a circumferential weld, significant residual tensile welding stresses are produced in the weld metal and in the heat-affected zone of the piping. These tensile stresses tend to enhance stress corrosion cracking in the weld region and the resulting crack propagation in the weld metal and in the heat-affected zone of such piping.
Stress corrosion cracking in stainless steal piping has been a serious drawback in boiling water reactor (BWR) plants in the United States and elsewhere in the world. Mitigating remedies have included hydrogen addition to the water flowing through the pipes, the use of the improved welding techniques and the use of better materials in the preparation of the steel piping. However, the occurrence of cracks have not been fully eliminated in the BWR plants.
Induction heating stress improvement (IHSI) is one method currently being used to improve residual welding stresses in piping welds. IHSI is a thermal process requiring precise time and temperature controls. While suitable for simple pipe to pipe welds it has potential concerns of successful applications to multi-metal nozzle to safe-end welds with complex configurations.
O'Donnell et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,071 describes a mechanical stress improvement process for reducing the tensile residual welding stresses in the weld metal, heat-affected zone and in the adjacent base metal of stainless steel piping for BWRs where the piping is butt-welded together end to end with a circumferential weld. The process introduces compressive stresses in the weld metal, heat-affected zone and adjacent base metal by permanently reducing the diameter of the adjacent pipe(s).
The permanent reduction in diameter required by the O'Donell et al. process has to be at least 0.2% but less than 1% and preferably in the range of about 0.2% to about 0.8%. The compressive stresses were imposed on the weld metal, heat-affected zone and on the adjacent base metal using split steel rings that were forced together by peripheral flange bolts.
U.S. Pat. No. 4, 683,014 describes an improvement in the mechanical stress improvement process wherein the radial load is applied inwardly on a section of at least one of the piping elements away from the weld such that the distance from the midplane of the section of the piping element upon which the radial load is applied to the weld midplane is equal to about 2 to about 12 times the thickness of the piping element upon which the radial load is applied. The distance from the edge of the section of the piping element upon which the radial load is applied that is adjacent to the weld to the weld midplane is at least equal to about one-half of the thickness of the piping element upon which the load is applied. The amount of radial load applied is sufficient to permanently reduce the outside diameter at the midplane of this section of the piping element in the range of about 0.2% to about 2.0%.
Stress corrosion cracking has more recently been observed in the nozzle ends of pressurized water reactor nuclear steam supply system primary components, such as the reactor vessel inlet and outlet nozzles and the pressurizer surge line, spray, safety and relief nozzles. While a significant cause of the weld cracks in pressurized water reactors may be similar to that identified in BWRs i.e. post weld residual tensile stresses, the geometry of the nozzles and safe-ends are much different than are found in boiling water reactors. The nozzles on the boiling and pressurized water reactor pressure vessels are forged from low alloy carbon steel and are connected to the stainless steel coolant piping through a high nickel-chromium alloy intermediate coupling known as a safe-end. The pressure vessel nozzle and the safe-end are butt-welded together, end to end, with a high nickel-chromium alloy weld material. The thicknesses of the PWR safe-ends are much greater and their lengths generally shorter than the BWR safe-ends. The geometry of the nozzles and the short lengths of the thicker safe-ends do not readily lend themselves to the mechanical stress improvement process taught by either U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,683,014 and 4,612,071 for relieving the stresses on the nozzle to safe-end weld.
Application of structural weld overlay reinforcement on the external surface of the nozzle-end and weldment is being considered as a remedy against initiated or potential primary water stress corrosion cracking. However, the process would have a high cost and radiation exposure and require an extended outage time.
Removal of an inside layer of the susceptible weld material and deposition of a less susceptible high nickel chromium alloy weld metal is offered either as a repair of existing cracks or as a preventative measure to mitigate primary water stress corrosion cracking potential. This process requires access to the inside of the pressure vessel nozzle in a dry condition. This repair process will also have a high cost and radiation exposure and requires an extended outage time.
Shot peening is a process that produces a thin surface layer where the material is under compression. The presence of the surface compression would prevent the initiation of primary water stress corrosion cracking. It is evident however, that any such induced compression would not stop the propagation of existing cracks that extend beyond the depth of the compressive layer. Also the long-term behavior of the thin compressive layer following operational thermal cycles is not known.
Accordingly, a new weld repair process is desired that can be applied to relieve the stresses in the nozzle to safe-end welds in a pressurized water reactor steam supply system.
Furthermore, such a process is desired that will relieve the tensile stresses on the inner surface of such welds and permanently introduce compressive forces in such welds, which extend outward from the inner weld surface.
Additionally, such a process is desired that can be performed relatively quickly, during a plant outage to minimize radiation exposure.

AEA Technology Engineering Services, Inc.


A bipolar transistor of the multi-emitter type which is provided with a large number of emitter diffusion layers formed in the two-dimensionally arranged state on a base diffusion layer of a substrate, a large number of emitter electrode films formed respectively correspondingly on the emitter diffusion layers, a base electrode film formed on the base diffusion layer, and a collector electrode film formed on the substrate, and the transistor is further provided with a wiring film commonly connected to the large number of emitter electrode films except at least one of the emitter electrode films.

The present invention relates to a bipolar transistor of the multi-emitter type, and more particularly to a bipolar transistor suitable for use for detection of a load current flowing in a load when the transistor performs by itself on/off control of current conduction to the load.
When on/off control of current conduction to a load is performed by a bipolar transistor, it is desirable that the transistor is arranged so that the transistor is protected from a thermal breakdown due to and overload current. Therefore, conventionally, such a bipolar transistor has been designed so as to have a circuit arrangement as shown in FIG. 1. That is, in FIG. 1, a bipolar transistor 1 is so arranged as to be turned on/off on the basis of the control output of a base control circuit 2. A load 3 is supplied with a current from a power source terminal 4 according to the transistor 1. Further, a current detection resistor 5 is provided in a current conduction path to the load 3, a current detection circuit 6 is provided for detecting a current flowing in the load 3 (and hence a collector current Ic of the transistor 1) by sampling a voltage across the resistor 5. The base control circuit 2 turns off the transistor 1 in the condition where the current detected by the current detection circuit 6 exceeds a predetermined upper limit value Imax, so that the collector current Ic of the transistor 1 is prevented from exceeding the upper limit value I.sub.max.
In such a configuration, the amount of heat generating in the resistor 5 increases corresponding to the load current Ic flowing in the transistor 1 and, therefore, not only a power loss in the resistor 5 increases but there is a possibility that the whole arrangement becomes large-scaled because it is necessary to use a large-scaled resistor having a large power capacity as the resistor 5. That is, for example, when the rated value of the load current Ic is 10 A and the value of the resistor 5 is 0.01 ohm, a voltage drop across the resistor 5 is 0.1 V and, accordingly, the resistor 5 is required to have a power capacity of 1 W at the lowest.

Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho


The present invention relates to a computer and a method of monitoring wind resistance changes. The computer comprises a wind resistance change monitoring device, the device comprising: one or more first temperature sensors, located at one or more positions inside the computer where an actual ambient temperature can be monitored, and configured to sense one or more ambient temperatures as first temperature; one or more heaters, located at the front end of a cooling duct of the computer, and configured to work at a rated power; one or more second temperature sensors, located corresponding to the one or more heaters, and configured to sense one or more temperatures of the one or more heaters as second temperature; and a control module configured to determine whether the wind resistance of the computer has changed or not based on a comparison of the relationship between the first and second temperature with the relationship between a predetermined ambient temperature and a predetermined heater temperature.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the computer and communication field, and more particularly, to a computer and a method of monitoring wind resistance changes for a computer.
2. Description of Prior Art
Currently most computers radiate heat in an air-cooled manner. Changes of a system wind resistance will affect the system heat radiation, reducing the system reliability.
It is necessary for dust-proof computers with a configuration of dustproof screen to monitor dust on the dustproof screen so as to remind a user to wash the dustproof screen in time.
A prior art solution is to measure an airflow which actually passes through the dustproof screen, compare it with a predetermined normal airflow which should pass through a dustproof screen without dust, and make an alarm when the measured airflow has decreased to a certain value.
However, this solution is complex, and requires monitoring wind speeds at multiple locations. Thus, its cost is high. Further, for different structures, locations where the wind speeds are monitored should be different, so it is not adapted to systems with fan speed adjusting function.
Therefore, there is a need for a method of monitoring the wind resistance of a computer, so as to monitor effects of operation environments on the reliability of operations of the computer, such as heat radiation.

Computer and method of monitoring wind resistance changes


The present invention is directed to a novel method for creating a display for a valuable item. On one example, the method includes the steps of selecting an item to be display, selecting a base material to create a display, creating a three dimensional map of the item to be displayed, and milling the base using an instruction program to create a cavity within the base that is configured and adapted to receive the valuable item. The present invention is also directed to a novel base display for displaying an item of value.

Displays for items of value are currently used in both commercial and private settings. In the commercial setting, merchandisers of items of value, including for example, jewelers, desire displays upon which to show their merchandise. For example, the display of gemstones is an important part of merchandising. Considerations important to the display of such a valuable item includes the position of the gem on the display, the attractiveness of the display itself, the ability to label the display, lighting of the item and the display, shape and size of the display base, and others. When displaying a valuable item as merchandise, a seller must be able to control and adjust the various display parameters when making decisions in how to display their items. Because of the competitive nature of the business environment, displays play an important role in showcasing the merchandise with the potential to increase the likelihood of purchase.
In the private settings, the display of valuable items may take an important role to individuals, whether they are displaying a prized gem or other collectible. The display provides an important tool to showcase an item, and depending on its configuration may add to the aesthetics of the item displayed. Many of the same considerations discussed above are applicable to displays in private settings.
Current displays and methods of making displays are limited in their ability to showcase items. For example, one common display used in both commercial and private settings for the display of a precious gem is the pillow box. The pillow box is typically a box in which some type of supporting material is placed. The supporting material may be lined with a soft cloth such as felt, linen, or silk. The supporting material may have a slit or indentation to insert a portion of the gem. In this fashion, a user may display their gem. Despite this common method of displaying items, the pillow box has a number of drawbacks. First, the pillow box is not particularly capable of displaying items at a preselected depth or angle. Second, the pillow box does not increase the light hitting the item displayed and in many cases obstructs it. In addition, numerous other drawbacks are encountered when using pillow boxes to display gems, including but not limited to, cost, durability, attractiveness, customizability, and others.
Some attempts to overcome these drawbacks have been attempted. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,858 to Gagliardi discusses an improved display box comprising a lighting source. The display box is a pillow box that includes a lighting source placed in the bottom of the box that shines light on the display item when the box is opened.
Another patent directed to displays, and in particular jewelry displays, is U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,459 to Solitt et al. Solitt et al. discloses a display device that includes a base with an upright frame with light means mounted on the frame and a magnifying means mounted on the frame. Solitt et al. also discloses the use of mirrors to reflect light and enhance viewing of the display item.
Current display bases and methods of making displays, however, are inadequate in that they do not allow for a unique or customized setting for the displayed item. This is particularly true with respect to items that have non-symetrical geometric configurations. Most of the displays in use today provide generic means of supporting the display item, i.e., they are not adapted to receive the unique shape or configuration of the item to be displayed.
One attempt to customize displays involves the creation of a base using wax castings and hand carved base materials. This attempted solution involves the wax casting of the item to be displayed. The wax cast is then used to shape a display to receive the unique geometric configuration of the item. As one can imagine, this process is extremely time consuming, subject to error, and expensive. In addition, the wax model process requires the item to be in direct contact with one or more types of compounds that may damage or harm the valuable item.
Accordingly, a simple, partially or fully automated system for the creation of the display of valuable items is needed.

Base display for an item of value and methods of making same


A fusing roller regenerating apparatus of a fusing device in an image forming apparatus includes a coating unit coating a fusing roller using a dip coating method to form a regenerated coating layer to a predetermined thickness, and a heating unit including a heating body spaced apart from a surface of the fusing roller by a predetermined distance to harden the regenerated coating layer formed on the fusing roller by the coating unit. A method of regenerating the fusing roller includes injecting a coating liquid into the coating liquid tub through a coating liquid injection portion to form the regenerated coating layer to the predetermined thickness by rotating the fusing roller after the injection of the coating liquid, hardening the regenerated coating layer using the heating body, and discharging a remaining portion of the coating liquid through the coating liquid discharging portion after the hardening of the regenerated coating layer. The fusing roller regenerating apparatus in the image forming apparatus and a method thereof are capable of regenerating a new outer silicone coating layer of the fusing roller when an old outer silicone coating layer is contaminated, damaged or worn out, thereby reducing maintenance costs and waste of resources that are caused by a replacement of the expensive fusing device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fusing device in an image forming apparatus, such as a laser beam printer, a multi-function machine, a photocopier, or the like, and more particularly, to an apparatus for and a method of regenerating an outer coating layer of a fusing roller of a fusing device in an image forming apparatus when the outer coating layer is contaminated, damaged, or worn out.
2. Description of the Related Art
A general image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic developing method, such as a photocopier, a laser beam printer or the like, prints a desired image on a sheet of paper by the following processes, i.e., by electric charging, light exposure, developing, transferring, and fusing operations. The electric charging operation is to electrically charge a surface of a photosensitive drum by rotating an electrostatic charging roller disposed adjacent to the photosensitive drum. The light exposure operation is to scan the surface of the photosensitive drum with a laser beam projected from a laser scanning unit (LSU) to thus form an electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photosensitive drum. The developing operation is to develop the electrostatic latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum to a toner image of a powdery state, i.e., a visible image, by supplying toner to the surface of the photosensitive drum. The transferring operation is to transfer the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum to a recording medium i.e., to the paper passing between the photosensitive drum and a transferring roller being in contact with the photosensitive drum with a predetermined pressure, while a predetermined transferring voltage is supplied to the transferring roller and the photosensitive drum. In the fusing operation, a fusing device including a fusing roller heats the paper with the toner image being transferred thereon, fuses the toner image of the powdery state to a liquid state, and settles down the toner image onto the paper.
Generally employed as a heating source of the fusing device is a halogen lamp. The halogen lamp is disposed inside the fusing roller and a fusing backup roller to heat surfaces of the fusing roller and the fusing backup roller to a predetermined temperature with a radiant heat, thereby fusing the toner image onto the paper.
FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of a fusing device 10 of a general electrophotographing image forming apparatus.
The fusing device 10 includes a fusing roller 1 that has a first metal core 4 shaped in a cylinder and a first heater 3a. A surface of the first metal core 4 is coated with a silicone rubber having an anti-adhesiveness to form a silicone coating layer 5. The first heater 3a is disposed in a center of the first metal core 4 and uses a halogen lamp, thereby generating radiant heat inside the first metal core 4. Accordingly, the first metal core 4 is heated by the radiant heat from the first heater 3a.
Under the fusing roller 1 is disposed a fusing backup roller 2 that includes a second metal core 15 shaped in a cylinder, and a second heater 3b disposed in a center of the second metal core 15 and using a halogen lamp. The fusing backup roller 2 is resiliently supported by a spring (not shown) so that it presses a sheet of printing paper 11 passing between the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2 toward the fusing roller 1 with a predetermined pressure.
Also, under the fusing backup roller 2 is disposed an agent supplier 8 formed of Teflon to supply an agent 7 having a function of releasing the printing paper 1. Also, a blade 9 is disposed under the fusing backup roller 2 to evenly supply the agent 7 to the fusing backup roller 2.
Accordingly, while the printing paper 11 passes between the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2, the toner image 14 formed on the printing paper 1 in a powdery state is subjected to a predetermined pressure and a predetermined heat. Due to the pressure and the heat applied on the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2, the toner image 14 is fused onto the printing paper 11 at a nip 12 formed between the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2.
Each of the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2 is provided with a thermistor 6 and a thermostat (not shown) respectively disposed at a side thereof. The thermistor 6 is for detecting surface temperatures of the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2 in an electrical signal form, and the thermostat blocks a power from being supplied to a heating unit, such as the first or second heater 3a, 4b, when the surface temperatures of the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2 exceed a given threshold.
The thermistor 6 detects the surface temperatures of the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2 and transmits the detected result (temperature) to a controller of the image forming apparatus. The controller regulates a power supply to the first and the second heaters 3a and 3b according to the detected temperature, thereby maintaining the surface temperatures of the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2 within a given range.
The thermostat also functions as an overheat preventing unit to protect the fusing roller, the fusing backup roller 2 and their neighboring components in a case that the thermistor 6 and the controller fail to regulate the surface temperature of the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2.
However, in the conventional fusing device 10 as described above, since the toner image 14 is fused onto the printing paper 11 due to the heat and the pressure applied on the fusing roller 1 and the fusing backup roller 2, if the fusing operation repeats for a long time, the coating layer 5 of the fusing roller 1 fusing the toner image onto the printing paper 11 is contaminated with the toner image 14 and thus an image quality deteriorates.
In order to prevent the image quality deterioration caused by the contamination of the coating layer 5, conventional methods have been suggested. One method is for coating the coating layer 5 of the fusing roller 1 with anti-adhesive oil to improve an anti-adhesiveness of the coating layer 5 and simultaneously projecting visible light or infrared light onto the coating layer 5 to dissolve a contaminated material into a low molecular oxide, such as dioxide carbon, water, or the like, and thus remove the contaminated material. The other method suggests a cleaning device of the fusing roller 1 to clean the fusing roller 1 in a standby mode for a predetermined time and coat the coating layer of the fusing roller with the anti-adhesive oil, thereby preventing the image quality deterioration. The former method is disclosed in Japanese Publication No. H12-347526, and the latter one is disclosed in Japanese Publication No. H13-125417.
The above cleaning devices may remove contaminants from the fusing roller 1 by cleaning the coating layer 5 of the fusing roller 1, but the cleaning devices cannot remove the contaminants when the coating layer 5 deteriorates, and thus the fusing roller 1 is damaged due to a long time use. In this case, it is inevitable that the fusing device 1 has to be entirely replaced with a new one to maintain the image quality.
As described above, since a life span of the conventional fusing device depends on the coating layer of the fusing roller, when the coating layer is damaged, the fusing device has to be replaced with a new one even when components other than the coating layer operate in a normal condition. Accordingly, there occur problems of waste of resources and increased maintenance costs.

Fusing roller regenerating apparatus in image forming apparatus and method thereof


A method includes allocating a first entry in a global completion table (GCT) on a processor, responsive to a first instruction group being dispatched, where the first entry corresponds to the first instruction group. A data value applicable to the first instruction group is identified. An offset value applicable to the first instruction group is calculated by subtracting, from the data value, a base value previously written to a second entry of the GCT for a second instruction group. The offset value is written in the first entry of the GCT in lieu of the data value.

The present invention relates to global completion tables and, more specifically, to an offset-based mechanism for data storage in global completion tables.
In some computer systems, global completion tables are sometimes included for organizing instructions. As computer instructions flow through a machine, the global completion table, residing on a processor of the machine, groups and reorders the instructions as needed. After instructions are dispatched and grouped for execution, the instructions go through various operations before being completed. During this stage, the instruction groups are tracked through the global completion table. Space in the global completion table is allocated when an instruction group is dispatched, at which time information about the group is written to the global completion table, and that information is removed after a flush (i.e., rollback) or completion of the instruction group.

Offset-based mechanism for storage in global completion tables

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A device for recording information on an optical disc so as to improve the recording quality of the information when a recording operation has just started. The recording device includes a luminous element radiating a light for recording information on the optical disc; a radiation intensity controller constantly controlling an intensity of radiation of the light radiated by the luminous element; a constant outputting unit providing a constant energy to the luminous element; a selector selectively selecting one of the outputs of the intensity of radiation controller and the constant outputting unit; wherein, the selector selects the output from the constant outputting unit during a predetermined duration from a starting time of recording the information on the optical disc, and selects the output from the intensity of radiation controller afterward.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for recording information on an optical disc, and in particular, to a device and method of recording information on an optical disc while controlling an intensity of radiation of a light beam radiating on the optical disc so as to record the information.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional device for recording information on an optical disc, an intensity of radiation of a light beam radiating on an optical disc is fed back to maintain the intensity of the radiation of the light beam as constant regardless of a temperature variation and the like.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the conventional device for recording information on the optical disc. In FIG. 1, an intensity of the radiation of a light beam (laser) radiating on the optical disc is fed back to maintain the intensity of the radiation of the light beam as constant. That is, the intensity of radiation of a laser radiated from a laser luminous element 59 is monitored by a laser output monitoring unit 54, a subtractor 55 compares a monitoring value output from the laser output monitoring unit 54 with a reference value outputted form a reference voltage generator 53, and the laser driver 58 controls an outputted driving current to conform with the two values and thereby maintain the intensity of radiation of the laser radiated from the laser luminous element 59 as constant.
Also, in the conventional recording device shown in FIG. 2, a reference voltage generator 53 outputs a reference value and the feedback loop is started through self operation, thereby starting the recording (writing) operation for the optical disc, if the recording signal output from a recording signal generator 51 is varied from a low (L) level to a high (H) level.
However, a predetermined time is required until the intensity of radiation of the light beam (laser) reaches the reference value after operating the feedback loop, since a response delay occurs in the feedback loop in the related art. That is, the intensity of radiation of the laser is still at a value smaller than the reference value just after the recording has started, because the feedback loop has just begun operating. So, the recording of the information is initially performed with an intensity of radiation of the light beam smaller than the reference value until the intensity of radiation of the light beam rises from the initial value to the reference value during the predetermined time. Specially, the intensity of radiation of the light beam is smaller than that intended for recording the information when the recording operation has just started.
Accordingly, there is a drawback in that the intensity of radiation of a light beam radiating on an optical disc does not reach the necessary intensity of radiation, resulting in the recording of information which is inferior in quality by producing errors in the recording of the information or non-recording of the information (non-recording areas).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Device and method of recording information on an optical disc


In a method for repairing a memory component, data retention times of regular memory cells are determined. Weak regular memory cells having a data retention time that is shorter than a predetermined limit value are determined. A device is programmed in such a manner that a write or read access to the weak regular memory cell is simultaneously also effected for a redundant memory cell in order to jointly read from, or write to, the weak regular memory cell and the redundant memory cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for repairing and operating a memory component and to a memory component, which methods and memory component make it possible to extend refresh times.
2. Description of the Related Art
The reduction of the linear dimensions of memory components, in particular DRAM elements (DRAM=Dynamic Random Access Memory), is reaching physical and economic limits. The ever more extensive reduction of the dimensions of the memory cells and their features requires a very high technical outlay that is continuing to rise. One example is the introduction of dielectrics having a very high dielectric constant as the dielectric of the storage capacitor.
The extreme technological outlay is already offsetting a considerable portion of the cost advantage that results from reducing the linear dimensions (shrink). It is customary for the introduction of a DRAM shrink to be associated with an increase of 10% to 15% in the technology costs, while the cost advantage associated with the shrink is typically in the region of 20% to 30%.
Up until now, the capacitance of the capacitor in a DRAM cell has essentially been kept constant from one generation to the next, no more than approximately 50 to 100 individual memory cells on a single DRAM element having to be repaired. This repair operation is effected by replacing the defective regular memory cells with redundant memory cells. However, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to develop cost-effective DRAM technologies which require only 50 to 100 randomly distributed memory cells to be repaired per chip.
In this case, it is primarily defective memory cells which are replaced. Memory cells which have a short circuit or whose data retention time falls below a first predetermined limit value and is thus unacceptably short are defective.
Memory cells which are not defective but whose data retention time is below a second predetermined limit value are referred to below as weak cells. In this case, the number of weak cells is just as dependent on the requirements imposed on the memory cells and the predetermined limit value as it is on the technology. As described above, each shrink increases the number of weak cells.
The higher the proportion of weak cells in the total number of memory cells of a DRAM element or else of an individual memory block on a DRAM element, the more complicated the repair operation becomes. In particular, the number of weak cells on redundant word lines also increases. The risk or likelihood, when repairing or replacing a defective or weak memory cell on a regular word line, of good memory cells on the regular word line that is to be replaced simultaneously being replaced with weak memory cells on the redundant word line consequently increases. The result is that the number of redundant word lines required and thus the chip area required and the production costs increase more than proportionally.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,054 B1 describes a memory architecture having an array of twin memory cells, two memory cells respectively being simultaneously connected to a sense amplifier via a respective bit line.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,714,476 B2 describes a DRAM array that can be operated, in an individual-cell operating mode, as an array of individual cells and, in a twin-cell operating mode, as an array of twin cells. Although there is a high storage capacity in the individual-cell operating mode, it has the disadvantages described above. Although these disadvantages are diminished in the twin-cell operating mode, it is necessary to double the chip area in order to achieve the same storage capacity.

Methods for repairing and for operating a memory component


A method for providing an increased expression of at least one of telomerase, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF1), CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), and an immune regulatory factor of a stem cell in a subject is provided. The method comprises simultaneously or separately administering to the subject an effective amount of (a) a phthalide and (b) a stem cell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for providing an increased expression of at least one of telomerase, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF1), CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), and an immune regulatory factor of a stem cell in a subject, and relates to a method for treating motor neuron degenerative diseases and/or delaying the onset of motor neuron degenerative diseases.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
A neuron, also known as a nerve cell, is one of the structural and functional units of the nervous system of an organism. Neurons can transmit messages to other cells by chemical and electrical signals. Neurons can vary in shape and size, and the diameters of neurons may range from about 4 μm to about 100 μm. The structure of a neuron can be roughly divided into three parts: a cell body, dendrites, and an axon, wherein the dendrites can transmit signals into the cell body, and the axon can transmit signals out from the cell body.
Neurons can be classified into three types depending on their functions and signal transmission directions: sensory neurons, motor neurons and interneurons, wherein a motor neuron is a nerve cell controlling the body activities of an organism. In general, motor neurons in the brain are known as upper motor neurons, while motor neurons in the brain stem and the spinal cord are known as lower motor neurons. Malfunctions caused by the degeneration of motor neurons may result in motor neuron degenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, myasthenia, muscular atrophy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, multiple-system atrophy, spinal muscular dystrophy, etc. Patients suffering from the aforesaid motor neuron degenerative diseases will gradually show symptoms such as muscle weakness, atrophy, trembling, cramping rigidity, which may lead to difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, respiratory failure, etc.
The real cause of motor neuron degenerative diseases is still uncertain to date. However, research has shown that the possible causes of the diseases include neuronal death caused by over expression of autophagy stimulated by the accumulation of superoxide anions, autoimmune disorder, excessive neuronal excitation (e.g., excessive accumulation of glutamates), excessive oxidation of neuron, heredity, etc. Medicines presently used in clinic to treat motor neuron degenerative diseases include glutamate antagonists such as Riluzole, antioxidants such as vitamin E, neurotrophic factors, immune modulators, etc. However, the aforesaid medicines usually do not have significant therapeutic effects or may only lengthen the life of the patients for 3 to 6 months.
In addition, researches have found that a stem cell can differentiate into a neural cell, which brings hope for the treatment of nervous system diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, stroke, brain injury, and spinal cord injury. For example, researches have found that a stem cell can pass through the blood brain barrier via intravenous injection (i.e., intravenous transplantation) to alleviate neurodegeneration caused by aging and can repair and reconstruct the damaged cerebrovascular to maintain the normalization and/or youthfulness of cranial nerves. Furthermore, researches revealed that the stem cell therapy has shown evident treating efficacy on the patients with brain atrophy and Alzheimer's disease. However, the aforementioned researches also showed that the stem cell therapy does not have significant therapeutic effect on motor neuron degenerative diseases or may only provide a limited effect, such as prolonging the longevity of the mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to about 140 days (see "Garbuzova-Davis et al., Human umbilical cord blood treatment in a mouse model of ALS: optimization of cell dose, 2008," which is entirely incorporated hereinto by reference). Therefore, there is still a need for an approach to treat motor neuron degenerative diseases and/or delay the onset of motor neuron degenerative diseases.
The inventors of the present invention found that a combined use of a phthalide and a stem cell in a subject can increase the expression of telomerase, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF1), CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4), and an immune regulatory factor of a stem cell (such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 8 (IL-8)) of the stem cell in the subject. A combination of a phthalide and a stem cell can provides an effect on treating motor neuron degenerative diseases and/or delaying the onset of motor neuron degenerative diseases.

Method for providing an increased expression of telomerase, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, stromal cell-derived factor-1, CXC chemokine receptor 4, and/or immune regulatory factor of stem cell


A two-piece ostomy appliance comprising a pouch component and a faceplate component. The faceplate component has disposed thereon a dual-state, bistable coupling ring with a latching member for sealingly engaging the periphery of an opening in the pouch component. The coupling ring has an annular base defining a central opening and a contact face thereon surrounding the central opening. An annular collar extends from the base and a bistable latching member is joined to the collar along an annular hinge line, the latching member providing a contact surface and being pivotable about said hinge line. The latching member pivots about the hinge line between a stable, substantially untensioned first state wherein the latching member projects generally axially away from the collar and a stable, tensioned second state wherein the latching member extends in a reverse direction towards the annular base with said contact face of the latching member being positioned for tight engagement with the annular base's contact face or with the annular periphery of the pouch component clamped between the base and the latching member.

Current two-piece ostomy couplings generally require axial compressive forces to secure a pouch ring onto a faceplate ring. Typically, an element of the pouch ring stretches or deforms as it is applied over the faceplate ring bringing such surfaces into leakproof contact. For a more detailed description of such two-piece ostomy appliances, reference may be had to co-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,610,676, 4,610,677 and 4,419,100.
Recent interest has been shown in providing "flushable" ostomy appliances which are formed of materials, or combinations of materials, capable of dissolving or dispersing when the appliance is discarded into a flush toilet or water closet. Reference may be had to U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,772,279, 4,868,024 and 4,917,689 as illustrative of such flushable ostomy appliances. While the pouches of conventional two-piece systems might seem appropriate candidates for flushable construction, a major disadvantage is that the pouch coupling rings of such two-piece appliances are commonly formed of tough, durable, and semi-rigid polymers such as polyethylene which are incapable of dissolving or dispersing in water and would therefore present a risk of clogging and possibly damaging toilets and sewer systems. Another disadvantage encountered when using a flushable pouch with a two-piece appliance is that a flushable pouch usually has at least one water soluble layer which may have edges exposed to fluids passing through the pouch's stoma-receiving opening and such exposure may result in premature structural failure of the pouch component.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a bistable coupling ring which has a latching member on the faceplate component such that the latching member releasably engages the edge portion of the pouch's stoma-receiving opening. Since the bistable coupling ring of the faceplate directly engages the film of the pouch about the stoma-receiving opening, the pouch component does not require a semi-rigid ring or flange which could prevent the pouch from being easily disposable in a toilet bowl or water closet. Furthermore, the bistable coupling ring of the present invention provides a fluid tight seal and latching interconnection with the pouch, thereby protecting exterior water soluble layers of the pouch from contact with body fluids which may flow through the pouch's stoma-receiving opening.
The present invention provides a faceplate for a two-piece collection system comprising a thin, flexible adhesive pad for adhesive attachment to a skin surface, a coupling ring formed of flexible, semi-rigid polymeric material, and attachment means for joining the coupling ring to the flexible pad. The coupling ring has an annular base defining a central opening and a contact face thereon surrounding said opening. An annular collar extends from the base adjacent to and concentric with said opening. A bistable annular latching member is joined to the collar along an annular hinge line, said latching member providing a contact surface and being pivotable about the hinge line between a stable, substantially untensioned first state wherein the latching member projects generally axially away from the collar and a stable, tensioned second state wherein the latching member extends reversely towards the base with the contact surface of said latching member positioned for tight engagement with the base's contact face. When the latching member is in its first state, the coupling ring may be inserted into the opening of the pouch component and, thereafter, the latching member can be shifted to its second state so that the pouch component is clamped between the contact surface of the latching member and the contact face of the base. In such second state, the latching member forcefully engages the interior of the pouch component so as to produce a fluid-tight interlock between the parts. Therefore, the pouch component does not require a coupling ring or flange which could interfere with effective disposal of the pouch, and the coupling ring engages the interior of the pouch component so as to shield the exterior layers of the pouch component which may be water soluble.
Other features, advantages, and objects will become apparent from the specification and drawings.

Two-piece ostomy appliance with faceplate bistable coupling ring


Black-and-white elements, such as radiographic films, can be processed in roomlight because the developing composition includes a particulate opacifying agent, such as carbon black. Processing is carried out by processing the exposed element using a two-stage process in the same processing container. In the first stage, development is initiated with an opaque developing composition having a pH of from about 10 to about 12.5, and comprising an appropriate black-and-white developing agent in a concentration of from about 0.1 to about 0.5 mol/l, opacifying agent, and a sulfite at from about 0.1 to about 0.7 mol/l. After an appropriate time, a fixing agent (other than a sulfite) is introduced into the processing container to begin simultaneous development and fixing. The entire process in quite rapid, that is less than 90 seconds.

Roentgen discovered X-radiation by the inadvertent exposure of a silver halide photographic element. In 1913, Eastman Kodak Company introduced its first product specifically intended to be exposed by X-radiation (X-rays). Silver halide radiographic films account for the overwhelming majority of medical diagnostic images. It was recognized almost immediately that the high energy ionizing X-rays are potentially harmful, and ways were sought to avoid high levels of patient exposure. Radiographic films provide viewable silver images upon imagewise exposure followed by rapid access processing.
One approach, still in wide-spread use is to coat the silver halide emulsions useful in radiographic films on both sides of the film support. Thus, the number of X-rays that can be absorbed and used for imaging are doubled, providing higher sensitivity. Dual-coated radiographic films are sold by Eastman Kodak Company as DUPLITIZED films. Films that rely entirely upon X-radiation absorption for image capture are referred to in the art as "direct" radiographic films while those that rely on intensifying screen light emission are referred to as "indirect" radiographic films. Because the silver halide emulsions are used to capture the X-rays directly, the coating coverages of such emulsions are generally higher than in other radiographic elements. A typical coverage is about 5 g of silver/m.sup.2 per side of DUPLITIZED films, and twice that amount for single-side coated films.
Other radiographic films are considered "indirect" because they are used in combination with phosphor-containing X-ray intensifying screens that absorb the X-rays, and then emit light that exposes the silver halide grains in the emulsion layers.
In addition to the two broad categories noted above, there is a third category of radiographic films, most commonly used for dental intra-oral diagnostic imaging and hereafter referred to as dental films. Intra-oral dental imaging presents obvious barriers to the use of intensifying screens. Thus, dental films utilize the coated silver halide to absorb X-rays, and are therefore a form of "direct" radiographic films.
There are other applications for direct radiographic films, such as in various industrial applications where X-rays are captured in imaging, but intensifying screens cannot be used for some reason.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,977 (Zietlow) describes dental films having improved characteristics and containing certain tabular grain silver halide emulsions. No spectral sensitization is used in such dental films, but in order to avoid fogging the films with inadvertent light exposure, the emulsions contain what is identified as a "desensitizer" that reduces emulsion sensitivity to light. Conventional processing solutions and conditions are described for these dental films.
Other desensitizing compounds for radiographic films are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,630,744 (Thiers et al) for reducing film sensitivity to roomlight and UV radiation. Conventional processing of these films is also described.
It is the prevailing practice to process direct radiographic films for more than 3 minutes because of higher silver coverage. Such processes typically include black-and-white development, fixing, washing and drying. Films processed in this manner are then ready for viewing.
Photographic developing solutions containing a silver halide developing agent are well known in the photographic art for reducing silver halide grains containing a latent image to yield a developed photographic image. Many useful developing agents are known in the art, with hydroquinone and similar dihydroxybenzene compounds and ascorbic acid (and derivatives) being some of the most common. Such solutions generally contain other components such as sulfites as antioxidants, buffers, antifoggants, halides and hardeners. A workable pH for such solutions is usually in the range of from about 10 to about 11, depending upon the developing agent and other solution components.
Fixing solutions for radiographic films are also well known and include one or more fixing agents, of which thiosulfates are most common. Such solutions also generally include sulfites as antioxidants, and hardeners (such as aluminum salts), and a buffer (such as acetate), and have a functional pH range of from about 4 to about 5.5.
"Monobath" solutions are also known in the art of photographic chemical processing. Such solutions generally require long processing times and contain chemical components common to black-and-white developing and fixing solutions. They also typically have an alkaline pH and contain a sulfite.
Double-coated indirect radiographic elements described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,150 (Dickerson et al) contain certain microcrystalline particulate dyes that reduce "crossover". These elements are designed for use with intensifying screens. Crossover occurs when some light emitted by the screen passes through the film support and exposes silver halide grains on the opposite side, resulting in reduced image sharpness. The noted particulate dyes absorb unwanted actinic radiation, but are decolorized during conventional processing. Thus, a pH 10 developing solution is described for its conventional use as well as to decolorize the dyes within 90 seconds. Conventional fixing and washing follow.
Using conventional processing technology, such particulate dyes that allow roomlight handling would be rendered ineffective, since the development step is carried out at high pH in the presence of a sulfite. Thus, in a conventional multi-step process, the processed films cannot be handled in roomlight between the developing and fixing steps. Conventional "monobath" solutions do not allow for sufficient development since both exposed and unexposed silver halide is indiscriminately removed by the fixing agents, especially at the long processing times employed with these solutions.
Direct radiographic films, including dental films, thus have some sensitivity to roomlight and UV as well as X-rays, and therefore care must be taken to avoid inadvertent room-light exposure before and during processing. There has been a desire for radiographic films that are less sensitive to roomlight, and that can be handled and processed without the need for a darkroom or other special conditions. Such films would have a number of useful applications, such as dental and industrial imaging. However, conventional processing solutions and methods cannot be used to provide suitable radiographic images in such films.
Copending U.S. Ser. No. 08/956,305, filed Oct. 22, 1997, describes the use of separate developing and fixing compositions for processing roomlight handleable films, including radiographic dental films in sequential processing steps. While those compositions represent an advance in the art, they must be separately balanced in pH in relation to each other so that the light protecting dyes and desensitizers are not deactivated prematurely.
Using current processing technology, the dyes that allow roomlight handling would be rendered ineffective, since the development step is carried out at a high pH in the presence of sulfite ions. Thus, in a conventional multi-step process, the films could be handled in roomlight between the development and fixing steps. Conventional monobath processing solutions do not allow for sufficient development, since exposed and unexposed silver halide is indiscriminately removed by fixing agents, especially at the long processing times employed using those solutions.
In U.S. Ser. No. 08/970,869, filed Nov. 14, 1997, by Fitterman et al, processing of roomlight handleable photographic elements is described whereby two-stage processing (development and development/fixing) is carried out in a single light and fluid-tight processing container. Thus, while the elements can be handled in roomlight, they must be processed in the dark.
Therefore, a technology is needed whereby the noted black-and-white photographic elements can be both handled and processed in roomlight.

Opaque developing composition and its use to process roomlight handleable black-and-white photographic elements


The present invention provides a thermoplastic elastomer composition having high thermal resistance. It comprises a thermoplastic graft copolymer of which main chain is constituted by a polymer having a glass transition temperature of 10.degree. C. or blow and side chain is constituted by an aromatic oligomer having a flow temperature of 100.degree. C. or above, and an olefinic polymer.

The thermoplastic elastomers (hereinafter abbreviated as TPE) which are industrially used at present can be roughly divided into two types: TPE comprising a block copolymer composed of soft segments and hard segments and TPE, called elastomer alloy, comprising a partially crosslinked rubber and a plastic phase-separated therefrom. As the former type, there are known, for instance, the block copolymers called polyester elastomers consisting of an aliphatic polyether portion such as polytetramethylene glycol and a polyester portion such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, and the block copolymers called polyamide elastomers consisting of an aliphatic polyether portion and a polyamide portion such as polydodecanolactum. As the latter type, there are known, for example, the elastomer alloys comprising a dynamically vulcanized alloy of polypropylene and an ethylenepropylene-diene terpolymer.
Also, European Patent Laid-Open No. 0287233 discloses a polymer solution for coating using a copolymer having an aromatic polyester as branch polymer, namely a copolymer having an aromatic polymer covalently bonded to an acrylic resin or polyester resin, said polymer solution being characterized by being capable of forming a coat with high hardness. However, this European patent is silent on thermoplastic resins and TPE.
It is to be noted that with TPE's comprising a block copolymer composed of soft and hard segments, it is merely possible to obtain relatively hard elastomer having a Shore hardness (D scale) of about 40 or greater. Also, these TPE's take a large compression set and are not so high in thermal resistance.
On the other hand, the elastomer alloys, although capable of forming the soft elastomers having a Shore Scale A hardness of about 30, are rather poor in thermal resistance.
The object of the present invention is to provide a resin composition useful as a thermoplastic elastomer with excellent thermal resistance.


The present invention relates to a method for protecting an engine from short circuiting and wire failure of a fan clutch, and a device thereof wherein the method for protecting an engine comprises: a step of sensing the temperature of a coolant if a fan rotates at a set minimum rpm by the short circuiting and wire failure of a fan clutch; a step of comparing the sensed coolant temperature and a set danger temperature; and a step of defaulting if the sensed coolant temperature is lower than the set danger temperature and reducing the engine rpm if the sensed coolant temperature is equal to or higher than the set danger temperature according to a result of the comparison such that overheating of the engine can be prevented. The engine rpm is gradually lowered so as to protect the engine at a first stage if the fan operates at the minimum rpm due to the cable short cut and failure of the fan clutch, and the engine is forcedly stopped so as to protect the engine at a second stage if the overheating of the coolant is serious, thereby ensuring durability of the engine.

As shown in FIG. 1, a fan clutch is generally configured such that a cooling fan is driven by a drive method according to a hardware structure of the fan clutch when a wiring of the fan clutch is short-circuited.
However, this type fan clutch entails a problem in that when the wiring of the fan clutch is short-circuited to cause the cooling fan to be rotated at a minimum RPM, the temperature of a cooling water rises sharply in an engine cooling system in response to the rotation of the cooling fan, thereby causing a great damage to the engine.

Method for protecting engine from short circuiting and wire failure of fan clutch, and device thereof