A method for real-time data acquisition and presentation of force, position, load, pressures, and movement within a subterranean well pumping system, such as an oil well. Data is gathered using sensors attached to a surface level pump drive and wellhead system. Well structural data and well production data are combined therewith to generate a real-time display of down-hole well operation, including animated graphics of the pump operation, including pump movement, rod and tubing stretch, fluid movement, gas compression, system forces, and fluid pressures. Liquid levels are tested using an acoustic liquid level instrument, and incorporated to improve well performance analysis.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to monitoring the operation and performance of sucker rod pumped wells. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems that employ dynamometers, acoustic level measuring devices, and pressure sensors in conjunction with a computer to monitor in real-time, record, and display a wide range of information about various operational parameters in oil and gas wells that employ a sucker rod pump.
Description of the Related Art
Most wells utilize a pumping system to extract oil, gas, and water from subterranean well boreholes. The pumping system typically comprises a surface mounted reciprocating drive unit coupled to a submerged pump by a long steel rod, referred to as a sucker-rod. The submerged pump consists of a chamber, plunger, and a pair of check valves arranged to draw fluids into the chamber and lift fluids to the surface on each upstroke of the plunger. Since wells range in depths to many thousand feet, the forces and pressures involved in the pumping operation are substantial. The costs of drilling, assembling, and servicing such wells are also substantial. Costs are only offset by efficient production of oil and gas products from the well. Thus, the careful attention given by operators to efficient and reliable operation of sucker-rod pumped wells over many decades of experience can be readily appreciated.
Well operators can directly access and monitor surface mounted well equipment performance. One technique is the use of a dynamometer that determines the position and forces on the sucker-rod at the surface level. Wells employ a wellhead assembly to seal the well fluids within a surface plumbing system. The reciprocating rod enters the wellhead assembly through a sliding seal, which requires that the rod be terminated at the surface level by a polished portion, commonly referred to as a polished rod. The surface dynamometer output has traditionally been a dynagraph that provides a two dimensional plot of force versus position of the polished rod, generally referred to as a "surface card". However, many of the critical pumping components are installed deep into the well's borehole, referred to as "down-hole", where direct monitoring is not economically practical. Since failure of a system component down-hole can have catastrophic implications both in terms of repair costs and lost production, well operators have long sought equipment and techniques for assessing down-hole operation and performance. Experienced operators can, to a limited degree, extrapolate from trends in surface card plots over time to infer potential problems occurring down-hole, although this approach remains substantially subjective.
An important advancement in the area of down-hole performance analysis was contributed by S. G. Gibbs when he deduced that down-hole forces and movements could be accurately estimated based on structural information about the well equipment and surface forces and movement of the polished rod. Essentially, Gibbs modeled the sucker rod as a transmission line using a viscous damped wave equation in the form of boundary conditions to a set of differential equations. Gibbs' teachings were initially presented in U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,409 to Gibbs, issued Sep. 26, 1967, for METHOD OF DETERMINING SUCKER ROD PUMP PERFORMANCE, which was directed to a process for determining the down-hole performance of a pumping oil well by measuring data at the surface. The size, length and weight of the sucker rod string are determined and the load and displacement of the polished rod as a function of time are recorded. From that data it is possible to construct a load versus displacement curve for the sucker rod string at any selected depth in the well. Thus, Gibbs presents a technique for generating a pump level dynagraph, referred to as a "pump card", according to surface measurements.
Further advancements in equipment and techniques for gathering and processing surface data and generating down-hole data have been contributed by McCoy et al., and are presented in a series of patents. The use of an accelerometer and strain gauge in a polished rod transducer to implement a surface dynamometer have been taught. The accelerometer advancements are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,482 to McCoy et al., issued Apr. 11, 1995, for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING PUMPING ROD POSITION AND OTHER ASPECTS OF A PUMPING SYSTEM BY USE OF AN ACCELEROMETER, which teaches that an accelerometer is mounted on the pumping system unit to move in conjunction with the polished rod. An output signal from the accelerometer is digitized and provided to a portable computer. The computer processes the digitized accelerometer signal to integrate it to first produce a velocity data set and second produce a position data set. Operations are carried out to process the signal and produce a position trace with stroke markers to indicate positions of the rod during its cyclical operation.
The McCoy et al. advancements in the use of a strain gauge in a surface dynamometer are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,058 to McCoy et al, issued Nov. 7, 1995, for METHOD OF USING A POLISHED ROD TRANSDUCER, which teaches that a transducer is attached to the polished rod to measure deformation, i.e., the change in diameter or circumference of the rod to determine change in rod loading. The transducer includes strain gauges, which produce output signals proportional to the change in the diameter or circumference of the rod, which occurs due to changes in load on the rod. The transducer may also include an accelerometer. The change in load on the polished rod over a pump cycle is used in conjunction with data produced by the accelerometer to calculate a down-hole pump card according to the teachings of in the prior art cited herein. The pump card showing change in pump load is adjusted to reflect absolute rod load by determining an appropriate offset. Various ways to determine the offset are available. Since the pump plunger load is zero on the down stroke when the upper check valve, called the traveling valve, is open, the value necessary to correct the calculated minimum pump value to a zero load condition may be used as the offset. The offset can also be estimated by either a calculation of the rod weight, a predetermined rod weight measurement or an estimated load value by the operator.
A typical well is produced by drilling a borehole and installing a well casing. A tubing string is lowered into the well casing, and the well fluids are pumped to the surface through the tubing string. Thus, there exists an annular space between the casing and the tubing. The well fluids are present in this space, and it is useful to know the liquid level of the well fluids to better understand well operations and to improve accuracy of certain measurements and calculations. In this regard, McCoy et al. have also provided further advancements in the art of measuring well casing and tubing liquid levels. These teachings are presented in U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,399 to McCoy et al., issued May 26, 1992, for DATA PROCESSING AND DISPLAY FOR ECHO SOUNDING DATA, which is directed to an echo sounding system with a acoustic gun which is mounted to the wellhead of a borehole casing. The acoustic gun produces an acoustic pulse that is transmitted down the casing or tubing. The acoustic pulse produces reflections when it strikes the tubing collars and the surface of the fluid. A microphone detects the reflections to produce a return signal. This signal is digitized and stored. The digitized signal is processed to detect the rate of the collar reflections, downhole markers and other structures in the well, and the stored signal is narrowband filtered with a pass band filter centered at the rate of receipt of the collars. The data signal is further processed to determine the time of occurrence of the acoustic pulse and the liquid surface reflection. Each cycle of the narrowband filtered signal corresponds to one collar reflection. In this signal, each cycle is counted, and extrapolation used when necessary to produce a collar count extending from the surface to the liquid surface. This is multiplied by the average joint length to produce the depth to the liquid surface.
As will be appreciated upon review of the aforementioned prior art and discussion, the process of monitoring well performance involves a visit to the well site by a technician for the operator, connection of the test sensors to the well's surface equipment, operation of the well, gathering data, reviewing prior production information, processing the data, and then analyzing the results. This is a highly technical process, and it requires a high degree of skill and knowledge to study a surface card, pump card, and liquid level data to develop a sense of the down-hole function and the overall performance of the well and pumping system. These efforts are essentially directed to determining how the well is performing in terms of the volume of well fluids produced in view of the pumping system's capabilities, and also determining if there are any performance irregularities developing that suggest a reliability issue or potential catastrophic failure event.
A discrepancy in the volume of fluids being produced is generally identified by a mismatch between the volume increase in the local storage tank over time, and the theoretical displacement of the pump based on pumping speed, stroke length and plunger diameter, and other physical and performance factors. There can be a number of reasons for such a mismatch. The petroleum formation reservoir may be providing insufficient liquid to fill the pump. Or, there may be a mechanical failure of the rod string, tubing string, a valve leakage, plunger slippage, inadequate design, improper pump system operation, and so forth. All of these factors can lead to a reduction in the volumetric efficiency of the pumping system. Further, since the well produces raw well fluids that contain oil, gas, water and solid minerals, there may be interference with expected operation of the pump. The pump inlet may be clogged, the valves may be partially blocked or restricted in movement. There may be excess gas in the pump chamber, creating a gas-locked condition.
With regards to the question of performance irregularities and potential failure of the pumping system, this issue is always present in the operator's mind and more prominently when the mean time between failures for a certain well has been less than expected. Although the tools available to the operators for analysis of dynamometer records have improved over the decades, as was mentioned in the foregoing discussion, these tools generally still focus on providing numerical results that the operator must interpret to obtain the desired information. Furthermore, this type of subjective analysis requires significant experience and is confusing and inaccurate as far as establishing how the pump is actually operating and the cause of unusual results. A major difficulty is created by the dynamic loads that are dependent on pumping speed and cause oscillations of the surface loads that are not directly caused by pump operation.
It is noteworthy that the availability of battery powered laptop computers outfitted with integrated circuits for analog to digital conversion and advanced analysis software has been instrumental in providing the benefits of digital dynamometer analysis technology to well operators. McCoy et al. working in conjunction with Echometer Co. in Wichita Falls, Tex., provide such a system, referred to as Total Well Management ("TWM"), which embodies much of the aforementioned prior art teachings. In the TWM system, acquired data consists of digitized load and acceleration samples measured at the polished rod during an extended period of time to ensure that the operation of the pump has stabilized. This data is expected to be representative of the normal operation of the pump. Processing of the surface data to generate the corresponding pump dynamometer cards is undertaken after acquisition of several strokes has been completed. The surface cards and pump cards can then be studied to analyze system performance. Additional structural and performance information may be presented together with the surface and pump dynagraphs.
FIG. 1 is a computer display output from the prior art Echometer TWM analysis software, and this figure shows the results of detailed calculations for a specific pump stroke that gives an analysis of the pump operation and the loads experienced at the surface. Note that the information presented in FIG. 1 is not produced in real-time at the time that the dynamometer measurements are taken. Rather, raw data is taken during the test, and then is later processed to generate to output of the display in FIG. 1. Pump displacement in this example is computed at 119.5 bbl/day based on the current pumping speed of 8.411 strokes per minute. The effective plunger stroke is 54.2 inches that corresponds to 62.65% of the total plunger stroke of 86.5 inches. Since the surface stroke is 100 inches there are 13.5 inches of stroke loss due to rod and tubing stretch. The shape of the pump dynagraph (bottom curve trace in FIG. 1) indicates that the pump barrel is filled with a mixture of liquid and gas at an initial pressure of 130.1 psi. The gas is compressed during the down stroke to a pressure that exceeds the pump discharge pressure at which point the traveling valve opens as indicated by the vertical dashed line. The minimum pump load is calculated as a negative 470 lbs, which shows that the bottom rods are loaded in compression. The polished rod power is computed as 6.3 HP from the area enclosed by the surface dynamometer card while the power expended at the pump equals 4.8 HP. The energy losses correspond to frictional forces between rods and fluids and rods and tubing. Additional analysis of the rod loading (not shown in this figure but presented in a detailed performance report) indicates that the rod string is loaded to 52% of the allowable loading, the pumping unit beam is loaded to 50% of its capacity and the gearbox is operating at 55% of maximum torque rating, and the prime mover is not overloaded.
Even though the prior art TWM system provides a substantial amount of technical information on well performance, it still requires a high degree of experience to interpret and analyze the numerical and graphical information in order to arrive at reasonable conclusions as to whether the pumping system is operating as intended and at the desired rate in an efficient manner. It also provides an after-the-fact analysis of a previously run test operation before the data presented in FIG. 1 can be presented to the user. Thus, is can be appreciated that there is a need in the art for a system and method for use in the sucker-rod pumped oil and gas well industry that further assists operators in calculating, analyzing, and outputting data while the sucker rod pump is in use, and providing a real-time representation of the facility function both at surface level and down hole.

Hydrocarbon well performance monitoring system


In a rechargeable battery set, an average voltage is computed from average voltage drop produced by the sum of internal resistances of each battery cell. A calculated internal resistance of each battery cell is then computed from a measured voltage of each battery cell and the average voltage. Finally, the measured voltage of each battery cell is calibrated according to the calculated internal resistance and a calibrated voltage of each battery cell may be computed. In such way, the calibrated voltage of each battery cell is much closer to a real voltage of the battery cell, which provides a battery control unit more precise information when charging/discharging the battery cells.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a voltage calibration method for a rechargeable battery set, and particularly, to a voltage calibration method that calibrates the measured voltage of each battery cell via reducing the effect of internal resistance of each battery cell.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To supply sufficient voltage for equipments, a rechargeable battery set is usually composed of many battery cells serially connected with one another. Such combination of battery cells may well serve as the power source for notebooks, medical equipments, or equipments with high power consumption. Generally, the serially connected battery cells should be balanced in voltage as for the design of the rechargeable battery set. It is, however, highly possible that each battery cell may have different measured voltage detected by the control unit inside the rechargeable battery set, which is mainly caused by resistances from the wiring between the battery cells and the nickel rods attached to the battery cells at the ends of the battery set. Some techniques have been used in the prior art to balance the voltage of each battery cell inside the rechargeable battery set. These techniques substantially include two major types: cell voltage balance and cell capacity balance. Nevertheless, such voltage balance techniques are incapable of dealing with the internal resistances caused by the wiring and the nickel rods.
For example, in a rechargeable battery set having many battery cells serially connected with one another, the internal resistance of each battery cell may alter due to the layout of the battery cells. Secondly, the battery cells at the ends of the battery set commonly have higher internal resistances with respect to other battery cells because of the nickel rods. As with the influence of the internal resistances, the control unit may mistakenly determine the rechargeable battery set to be fully charged in charging process but the battery cells are actually far from fully charged. The control unit may also mistakenly learn that the battery set is already out of power in discharging process, while the battery cells do still have some power. This just make the rechargeable battery set provide less than its specified capacity, and incorrect charging/discharging process also seriously damages the life of the battery set.


In an image reading device having a plurality of photoelectric conversion elements formed in one or more rows on an IC chip and a conductor layer having openings formed therein for limiting light striking the photoelectric conversion elements, a conductor having substantially the same width as the conductor layer is formed in the area extending from the photoelectric conversion element located at each end of the IC chip to the chip edge. This arrangement helps make light shield conditions nearly equal for the photoelectric conversion element located at an end of the IC chip and for the other photoelectric conversion elements.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image reading device, such as an image sensor, that converts optical information to an electric signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As FIG. 8 shows, an image reading device is composed of IC chips K1, K2, . . . , Km, each having photoelectric conversion elements formed thereon, arranged in a row and mounted on a printed circuit board (not shown). The IC chips K1, K2, . . . , Km sequentially output photoelectric conversion signals, which are then converted by an A/D converter 100 into a digital signal, which is then fed out via an output terminal 200. Conventionally, as the IC chips K1, K2, . . . , Km, IC chips of an identical configuration are used.
Within each IC chip, as the photoelectric conversion elements, a plurality of photodiodes PD1, PD2, . . . , PDn are formed in a row. FIGS. 9A and 9B are a top view and a sectional view, respectively, schematically showing such an IC chip. Here, a P-type substrate 21 serves as the anodes of the photodiodes PD1, PD2, . . . , PDn, and N-type regions 22 serve as the cathodes of the photodiodes PD1, PD2, . . . , PDn. On an insulating film 24, a metal conductor 25, such as one made of aluminum, is formed as a light shield film, with openings W left in positions corresponding to the N-type regions 22.
The conductor width W1 between two adjacent photodiodes is determined according to the resolution of the device as a whole. Moreover, to make the characteristics of the individual elements as uniform as possible, an identical pattern is formed repeatedly. As a result, the conductor width W2 on the chip edge 30 side of the photodiodes PD1 and PDn located at both ends of the IC chip is equal to about one half of the conductor width W1 between two adjacent photodiodes.
Furthermore, conventionally, to prevent short-circuiting between the substrate 21 and the conductor 25 during scribing, no conductor, even including the conductor 25 serving as the light shield film, is formed in the areas covering a predetermined distance W3, defined in design rules, from the chip edges 30.
Accordingly, conventionally, as the resolution of the device becomes higher, the conductor width W2 secured on the chip edge 30 side of the photodiodes PD1 and PDn located at both ends becomes narrower. This makes it more likely that unwanted light leaks in these photodiodes PD1 and PDn obliquely from above and through the sides of the IC chip as compared with the other photodiodes.
As described above, light shield conditions differ between for the photodiodes located at both ends and for the other photodiodes, and therefore, even if uniform light is shone on all the photodiodes, the cathode voltages of the photodiodes at both ends are usually significantly lower than the cathode voltages of the other photodiodes. This causes great variations among the signal levels obtained from the individual photodiodes.

Image reading device with reduced variations among signal levels


Aircraft cargo lock assemblies are capable of positionally restraining movement of a cargo load pallet in both vertical and horizontal planes relative to the cargo deck of the aircraft. According to certain embodiments, the lock assemblies will include an actuator case and a restraint element which comprises at least one restraint plate and restraint detent, the restraint element being connected to the actuator case for pivotal movements between locked and released conditions relative to an edge of a cargo load pallet positioned on a cargo deck of an aircraft so as to positionally restrain the cargo load pallet against movement in both vertical and horizontal planes relative to the cargo deck. An actuator assembly is operably connected to the restraint element for moving the restraint element between the locked and released conditions thereof.

As is well known, cargo aircraft are configured to carry palletized cargo loads that are positionally locked to the cargo deck of the aircraft. The reliable positional locking of the cargo load pallets to the cargo deck during aerial transport is significantly important to safe aircraft operations as any shift in the cargo load within the aircraft's cargo compartment could adversely affect the aircraft's center of gravity that could in turn adversely (or even catastrophically) affect the aircraft's flight characteristics.
Various pallet locks are therefore known and employed in the art as exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,182,608, 4,349,168 and 4,498,823 as well as US Published Patent Application No. 2003/0334367 (the entire content of each being expressly incorporated hereinto by reference). In this regard, some pallet locks employ manually activated mechanisms such as shear pins which are used to lock the detent in its operational condition to avoid inadvertent detent movement. Such manually activated mechanisms thereby demand that the aircraft's loadmaster operate each lock individually. Other aircraft are known which employ remotely controlled lock units operated from the loadmaster's control panel. Some known lock mechanisms are not however capable of being fully retracted below the cargo deck thereby providing obstacles in the working volume of the cargo space when not in use.
It would therefore be desirable if cargo load pallets could be positionally locked relative to the aircraft cargo deck to restrain pallet movement in both vertical and horizontal directions and also be fully retractable so as to avoid being an obstacle in the cargo space. It is towards providing such a need that the embodiments disclosed herein are directed.


The present invention provides a manufacturing method for an integrated circuit and a corresponding integrated circuit. The integrated circuit comprises a plurality of first devices, each first device including a charge storage layer and a control electrode comprising a plurality of layers; and a plurality of second devices coupled to at least one of the plurality of first devices, each second device including a control electrode comprising at least one layer different from said plurality of layers.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method for an integrated circuit including different types of gate stacks, a corresponding intermediate integrated circuit structure and a corresponding integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Non-volatile semiconductor memories are nowadays used in a broad variety of electronic devices such as cellular telephones, digital cameras, personal digital assistants, mobile computing devices, non-mobile computing devices and many other electronic devices.
Electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROMs) and flash memories are the mainly used non-volatile semiconductor memories.
EEPROMs and flash memories utilize a charge storage region, namely floating gate region or charge trapping region, that is positioned above and insulated from a channel region in a semiconductor substrate. A control gate is provided over and insulated from the floating gate. The floating gate can store charges and can therefore be programmed/erased between two states, i.e., binary "1" and binary "0". Recently, also multi-level non-volatile memory cells have been developed.
As charge storage stacks in non-volatile memories, nowadays SONOS (silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon) and TANOS (tantal nitride-aluminum oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon) stacks are frequently used. In these stacks, the silicon nitride layer serves as charge storage layer.
In so-called NAND flash memories, NAND strings of non-volatile memory cells are connected in series. One end of such NAND strings is connected to a common bitline and a common source line by respective select transistors having select gates which are different from the charge storage gate stacks of the memory cells.
With increasing integration smaller than 60 nm it becomes more and more a challenging task to have a robust process flow wherein the manufacture of the charge storage stacks, the select gate stacks and the peripheral transistor gate stacks can be easily integrated in the manufacturing steps of the memory.
In the Figures, identical reference signs denote equivalent or functionally equivalent components.

Integrated circuit including different types of gate stacks, corresponding intermediate integrated circuit structure and corresponding integrated circuit


A thermal insulating composition containing an organic solvent of low thermal conductivity and a gelling agent hydratable in the solvent is useful for controlling heat transfer from a production tubing or transfer pipe in a wellbore to a surrounding annuli and/or the environment. Further, the composition is capable of reducing convection flow velocity within the annulus surrounding production tubing or a transfer pipe.

Undesired heat loss from production tubing as well as uncontrolled heat transfer to outer annuli can be detrimental to the mechanical integrity of outer annuli, because productivity losses from the well due to deposition of paraffin and asphaltene materials, accelerate the formation of gas hydrates, and destabilize the permafrost in arctic type regions. The successful use of wellbore insulation fluids in the past several years has demonstrated that such fluids, added either into annulus or riser, can effectively reduce undesired heat loss.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,270 discloses non-crosslinked insulating fluids which are easy to blend and pump into the annulus. Such fluids, when added either into an annulus or riser, effectively reduce undesired heat loss from the production tubing, or heat transfer to outer annuli.
Water-superabsorbent polymers are disclosed for use in gelled fluids as thermal insulating fluids in U.S. Patent Publication No. 20040059054. Such gelled fluids exhibited an inherently low thermal conductivity and the requisite viscosity. The fluid viscosity was generated by mixing the requisite amount, typically between from 0.1 to 10 weight percent, of polysaccharide into a brine system which may optionally contain a glycol, such as propylene glycol and a viscosifying polymer, such as carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar. The resulting fluid, which are easy to blend and pump at the rig site, reduces the heat loss from a hot annulus to a cold annulus by reducing the fluid thermal convection caused by the temperature differential between the high temperature environment of the inner annulus and low temperature environment of the outer annuli. Fluid thermal convection, which accounts for the major portion of the heat transfer, is dependent on the fluid viscosity and mobility of the solvent, such as a water-polyol mixture.
Alternative materials which are more effective in the retention of heat have been sought. Such materials are needed in order to improve the intrinsic thermal conductivity of the solvent system of insulation fluids.

Thermal insulation compositions containing organic solvent and gelling agent and methods of using the same


An analog-to-digital conversion system and method provide selectable data formats for each converted digital result value. Each digital result is stored in a register or table word. Information from a host processor is used to select a desired data format. In one embodiment the address range used to read the digital result serves to select the appropriate data format option, which may be, for example, left-justified or right-justified data, and signed or unsigned data. In another embodiment, one or more command words from the processor are used to select the desired data format.

The present invention has utility in applications requiring the conversion of an analog signal into a digital signal, for example for computer sensing of analog information in an automotive control system. To further illustrate, in an automotive engine control system, a microcomputer requires analog signal information from various transducers to be converted into digital signal information before it can be processed by the microcomputer. Examples of such analog signal information are the outputs of sensors for manifold pressure, oxygen, rotational speed, operator input, battery voltage, anti-knock, etc.
In a typical automotive application, many different analog signals need to be converted. The digital values of the converted analog signals are utilized by the system for many different purposes.
In a A/D converter system comprising a data bus (e.g. of 16 bits) which has a larger width than the converted digital values (e.g. 8 bits), the problem arises as to how to transmit the digital value of fewer bits over the bus of greater bits.
For instance, some applications desire the result right-justified, so that multiple samples can easily be averaged. Other programs desire the result to be left-justified, so that it appears like a 16-bit value in terms of magnitude. Digital signal processing applications often desire left-justified data in two's complement (signed) format with trailing zeros, where the number system is signed, fixed-point fractions. When the A/D conversion is in a closed-loop control application, it is undesirable to burden the application processor software with the task of adjusting the data format.
It is known in the prior art to hard-wire an N-bit bus so as to be left-justified or right-justified. Alternatively, external multiplexers could be used to let the application software choose the desired justification format.
However, known A/D converters typically generate the digital result in a fixed format, either magnitude only, or the two's complement.
There is a significant need to provide an A/D converter system in which the digital results may be read in any of several desired formats, without requiring excessive on-chip or off-chip circuitry.

Automatic A/D converter operation with selectable result format


An assembly is provided comprising a twin I-beam front suspension system and a parallelogram steering linkage operatively coupled to the suspension system. A vehicle incorporating the assembly is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to vehicle steering linkages usable in conjunction with a twin I-beam vehicle suspension system and, more particularly, to a lateral steering linkage usable in conjunction with the twin I-beam vehicle suspension.
For purposes of vehicle handling, it is desirable that vehicle wheel toe changes due to driving conditions be controlled. Ideally, wheel toe changes produced during in-phase wheel motion or ride motion (i.e., during simultaneous up and down motion of both front wheels) should produce no net steer effect in either the right or left directions. Also, it is desirable that wheel toe changes produced during both out-of-phase wheel motion or roll motion (i.e., up and down motion of each separate wheel) produce a net steer effect tending to move the wheels out of the turn direction (a net understeer effect).
Vehicles incorporating a twin I-beam (TIB) suspension system typically employ a steering system which includes an asymmetric steering linkage (for example, a Haltenberger steering linkage, as seen in FIG. 1). One limitation of the Haltenberger steering linkage as used with the TIB suspension is its inability to provide satisfactory wheel toe response curves during both in-phase wheel motion and out-of-phase wheel motion. In a steering system using a Haltenberger linkage, to prevent undesirable wheel toe changes during ride motion, it is necessary to configure the steering geometry so as to minimize or prevent any wheel toe change. However, when the steering geometry is designed to produce zero or minimum toe change during ride motion, the toe changes due to wheel roll motion are adversely affected such that a kinematic roll oversteer effect is produced. This results in a reduction of the contribution made by the steering system to overall vehicle understeer characteristics, thereby degrading the handling characteristics of the vehicle.


A secondary fuel delivery system for delivering a secondary stream of fuel and/or diluent to a secondary combustion zone located in the transition piece of a combustion engine, downstream of the engine primary combustion region is disclosed. The system includes a manifold formed integral to, and surrounding a portion of, the transition piece, a manifold inlet port, and a collection of injection nozzles. A flowsleeve augments fuel/diluent flow velocity and improves the system cooling effectiveness. Passive cooling elements, including effusion cooling holes located within the transition boundary and thermal-stress-dissipating gaps that resist thermal stress accumulation, provide supplemental heat dissipation in key areas. The system delivers a secondary fuel/diluent mixture to a secondary combustion zone located along the length of the transition piece, while reducing the impact of elevated vibration levels found within the transition piece and avoiding the heat dissipation difficulties often associated with traditional vibration reduction methods.

Combustion engines are machines that convert chemical energy stored in fuel into mechanical energy useful for generating electricity, producing thrust, or otherwise doing work. These engines typically include several cooperative sections that contribute in some way to this energy conversion process. In gas turbine engines, air discharged from a compressor section and fuel introduced from a fuel supply are mixed together and burned in a combustion section. The products of combustion are harnessed and directed through a turbine section, where they expand and turn a central rotor.
A variety of combustor designs exist, with different designs being selected for suitability with a given engine and to achieve desired performance characteristics. One combustor design includes a centralized pilot nozzle and several main fuel injector nozzles, not shown, arranged circumferentially around the pilot nozzle. With that design, the nozzles are arranged to form a pilot flame zone and a mixing region. During operation, the pilot nozzle selectively produces a stable flame which is anchored in the pilot flame zone, while the main nozzles produce a mixed stream of fuel and air in the above-referenced mixing region. The stream of mixed fuel and air flows out of the mixing region, past the pilot flame zone, and into a main combustion zone, where additional combustion occurs. Energy released during combustion is captured by the downstream components to produce electricity or otherwise do work.
The primary air pollutants produced by gas turbines are oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons. For many years now, the typical combustor has included a primary injection system at a front end thereof to introduce fuel into the combustion chamber along with compressed air from compressor section. Typically, the fuel and air are premixed and then introduced into an igniter to produce a flowing combustion stream that travels along a length of the combustion chamber and through the transition piece to the first row of turbine blades. One challenge in such single site injection systems is there is always a balance to be obtained between the combustion temperature and the efficiency of the combustor. The amount of energy released during combustion is a product of many factors, including the temperature at which the combustion takes place, with increases in combustion temperature generally resulting in increased energy release. However, while increasing the combustion temperature can produce increased energy levels, it can also have negative results, including increased production of unwanted emissions, such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx), for which overall levels are directly related to the length of time spent at elevated temperatures. While high temperatures generally provide greater combustion efficiency, the high temperatures also produce higher levels of NOx.
Recently, combustors have been developed that also introduce a secondary fuel into the combustor. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,047,550, 6,192,688, 6,418,725, and 6,868,676, all disclose secondary fuel injection systems for introducing a secondary air/fuel mixture downstream from a primary injection source into the compressed air stream traveling down a length of the combustor. These systems introduce fuel at a later point in the combustion process and reduce at least some NOx levels by shortening the residence time of the added fuel with respect to the primary fuel and by maintaining an overall-lower combustion temperature by adding less fuel at the head end. However, even with these advancements, there remains a need for a secondary fuel supply system specifically designed to address the excessive levels of vibration found in some sections of the engine, like the transition piece. The transition piece can, for example, be a difficult place in which to mount a secondary fuel delivery system, because it is prone to especially-high levels of vibration, and placing known secondary fuel delivery systems there will subject them to forces which, if not addressed, can lead to excessive wear and can cause premature failure. Use of traditional vibration reduction methods, such as increasing component mass to improve stiffness, present additional difficulties when applied to the transition section, because the additional bulk is not only difficult to cool, but it can also interfere with the delicate aerodynamic characteristics of the flow path, leading to overall losses in efficiency and/or performance issues. Therefore, there still remains a need in this field for a fuel delivery system that, in addition to providing a supply of fuel and/or diluent to a secondary combustion region in the transition piece, downstream of a primary combustion zone, also includes features that address elevated levels of vibration, while maintaining sufficient cooling in the area surrounding the secondary combustion zone.


An airbag deployment control system for use in a vehicle to selectively control the deployment of airbag(s) in a driver side and/or passenger side airbag protection system comprising a switch or sensor assembly to detect the position of the driver seat and/or passenger seat within the front seat compartment of the vehicle and a control means to receive signals from the switch or sensor assembly and to activate, deactivate or modify the deployment of the airbag(s) depending upon the position of the driver seat and/or front passenger seat relative to the dashboard of the vehicle.

1. Field of the invention
An airbag deployment control system to detect the position of a driver seat and a passenger seat within the front seat compartment of a vehicle and to selectively control the deployment of the driver side and the passenger side airbags depending upon the position of the seats relative to the dashboard of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Injuries in motor vehicle accidents, especially at high speeds, have been substantially reduced or eliminated by the use of occupant restraint systems. The term occupant includes the driver of a vehicle as well as passengers. Such systems generally include an inflatable airbag normally stored in the steering wheel or dashboard of a vehicle. When the motor vehicle is subjected to a sudden predetermined deceleration, the airbag(s) is/are inflated and deployed automatically in a position to cushion the occupants, restrain their movement and prevent contact with the windshield, steering wheel, instrument panel, dashboard or side door(s).
Unfortunately, problems associated with the deployment of airbags have caused serious concerns. More specifically, the rapid speeds in which airbags must be deployed to cushion the occupants of vehicle s during frontal impact collisions may cause severe neck and/or chest injuries to occupants who are seated in close proximity to the steering wheel column or passenger side dashboard and consequently the airbag deployment region.
The prior art has not directly addressed the problems associated with the relative positions of the seats during the rapid deployment of airbags.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,314 teaches a system for sensing the presence, position and profile of occupants in a passenger seat of a vehicle, as well as for sensing the presence of a rear-facing child seat therein, for use in enabling or disabling a related airbag activator. The sensor system employs sensor-fusion, a process of combining information provided by two or more sensors, each of which "sees" the world in a unique sense. The occupancy sensor samples two detectable properties, a first being a thermal signature and associated motion, and a second is acoustically measured distance and the associated motion. Infrared sensor imputs and an ultrasonic sensor imput are combined in a microprocessor circuit by means of a sensor fusion algorithm to produce an output signal to the airbag controller. The output signal results from preselected confidence weighing for feature parameters generated by the two sensors and upon a fusion process which ultimately makes a decision. The sensor fusion matrix processes the sensor outputs in a decision making operation which includes weighing inputs to guarantee reliability. All sensor outputs, along with calibration data, initial conditions and historical reference data are considered in the process of making a decision of whether or not to deploy the passenger side airbag in a collision.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,505 teaches a rotary device for front seats of a motor vehicle which enables both a driver seat and a front passenger seat to be rotatably capable of taking an ordinary forwardly facing position and a rearwardly facing position. The device includes a first detection switch provided in the driver seat for electrically detecting the position of the driver seat, a second detection switch provided in the passenger seat for electrically detecting the position of the passenger seat, a first rotation control provided in the driver seat for preventing or permitting the operation of a rotation release lever of the driver seat, and a second rotation control provided in the passenger seat for preventing or permitting the operation of the other rotation release lever of the passenger seat. A control system electrically controls the first and the second rotation controls by receiving signals from the first and second detection switches so as to prevent a condition such that the driver seat is in the forwardly facing position but the passenger seat is in the rearwardly facing position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,226 teaches an automatic angle adjusting apparatus for optimally adjusting vehicle equipment to a driver such as a fender mirror, an inner mirror, blowing ports of an air conditioner, a speaker and a meter. Amounts of adjustment of vehicle seat parts are detected by amounts of adjustment detectors and the optimum angles of the vehicle equipments, a height of the driver or an eye position of the driver are calculated based on the detection signals to automatically adjust the vehicle equipments to the optimum angular position. When the height or the eye position of the driver is calculated, the optimum angles are further calculated based on the calculated height or eye position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,329 teaches an image analyzer for analyzing the position of a vehicle driver in a three-dimensional coordinate system. The analyzer comprises a light emitting element for emitting an infrared light on the driver's face portion and an image detector arranged to receive reflected infrared light to generate an optical image of the driver's face portion. A microcomputer includes a memory for storing an electronic image corresponding to the optical image and processes the stored image to determine the position of a facial feature, such as an eye, in a three dimensional coordinate system. Position indicating data is utilized for controlling the-angular position of a rearview mirror, the angular position of a steering wheel, the angular and height positions of a head rest, the direction of air directed from an air conditioner, and the position of data to be displayed on a display means.


A configurable rating system provides the flexibility to define rating tariffs based on any number of input parameters, such as a service identifier, origin number, destination number, event type, or other parameter. At the same time, the configurable rating system simplifies the definition, debugging, and assignment of rating parameters which ultimately determine the calculated usage event rating. The configurable rating system implements a database table driven approach which may replace any number of custom rating functions with a single rating function which determines the appropriate charge amount regardless of the telecommunications product or service.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to telecommunications processing systems. In particular, this invention relates to a flexible and configurable database table driven processing system for determining charge amounts for a diverse array of telecommunications products and services.
2. Related Art
Rapid advances in computer system and telecommunications technology have lead to a vast array of communication services available to the consumer. Such telecommunication services include Internet service, cable television service, cellular phone service, paging service, combined voice and data delivery service, and many other services. Furthermore, most services may be wireless or wireline based.
For each of the many telecommunications products and services, a service provider must determine how to rate the service. Rating is the process through which the service provider determines how much to charge for a telecommunication usage event. For example, when a cellular phone call finishes, a service provider determines how much to charge for the phone call based on many different factors, such as whether the call was a long distance call.
There are many different telecommunications products and services. There are also many different factors which a service provider may want to have influence how much should be charged for each use of a telecommunications service. As a result, there is an immense number of potential combinations of telecommunications services and associated rating functions. Indeed, in the past, service providers had to define, configure, and troubleshoot an extensive array of custom rating functions, assign the rating functions to specific telecommunications products and services, and devote significant time and monetary resources to maintaining and updating the rating functions.
Adding a new rating function often took many days, and sometimes even weeks. At the same time, the telecommunications industry is one which continually improves and evolves its existing products and services, and which frequently introduces new products and services. Accordingly, such delays often limit the introduction, evolution, and improvement of telecommunications products and services.
A need has long existed for an improved rating system for a telecommunications service provider.

Configurable rating system for a telecommunications service provider


A method of detecting an outage includes determining at a source of data a quality metric of a link over which data is to be transmitted, modifying the quality metric by a quality metric margin, and declaring an outage event when power required for transmission of a reference signal exceeds power required for transmission of the reference signal determined form the modified quality metric. An apparatus for detecting an outage includes means for determining at a source of data a quality metric of a link over which data is to be transmitted, means for modifying the quality metric by a quality metric margin, means for determining a maximum rate of data in accordance with said modified quality metric, and means for declaring an outage event when power required for transmission of data at the maximum rate of data exceeds maximum allowable transmission power.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to communication systems, and more specifically to a method and an apparatus for estimating a reverse link maximum data rate and for estimating power required for transmission of data at a rate of data in a communication system.
2. Background
Communication systems have been developed to allow transmission of information signals from an origination station to a physically distinct destination station. In transmitting an information signal from the origination station over a communication channel, the information signal is first converted into a form suitable for efficient transmission over the communication channel. Conversion, or modulation, of the information signal involves varying a parameter of a carrier wave in accordance with the information signal in such a way that the spectrum of the resulting modulated carrier wave is confined within the communication channel bandwidth. At the destination station the original information signal is reconstructed from the modulated carrier wave received over the communication channel. In general, such a reconstruction is achieved by using an inverse of the modulation process employed by the origination station.
Modulation also facilitates multiple access, i.e., simultaneous transmission and/or reception, of several signals over a common communication channel. Multiple access communication systems often include a plurality of remote subscriber units requiring intermittent service of relatively short duration rather than continuous access to the common communication channel. Several multiple access techniques are known in the art, such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA). Another type of multiple access technique is a Code Division multiple access (CDMA) spread spectrum system that conforms to the "TIA/EIA/IS-95 Mobile Station-Base Station Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wide-Band Spread Spectrum Cellular System," hereinafter referred to as the IS-95 standard. The use of CDMA techniques in a multiple access communication system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,307, entitled "SPREAD SPECTRUM MULTIPLE-ACCESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING SATELLITE OR TERRESTRIAL REPEATERS," and U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,459, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING WAVEFORMS IN A CDMA CELLULAR TELEPHONE SYSTEM," both assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
A multiple access communication system may be a wireless or wire-line and may carry voice and/or data. An example of a communication system carrying both voice and data is a system in accordance with the IS-95 standard, which specifies transmitting voice and data over the communication channel. A method for transmitting data in code channel frames of fixed size is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,504,773, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THE FORMATTING OF DATA FOR TRANSMISSION," assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In accordance with the IS-95 standard, the data or voice is partitioned into code channel frames that are 20 milliseconds wide with data rates as high as 14.4 kbps. Additional examples of a communication systems carrying both voice and data comprise communication systems conforming to the "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), embodied in a set of documents including Document Nos. 3G TS 25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS 25.213, and 3G TS 25.214 (the W-CDMA standard), or "TR-45.5 Physical Layer Standard for cdma2000 Spread Spectrum Systems" (the IS-2000 standard).
In a multiple access communication system, communications between users are conducted through one or more base stations. A first user on one subscriber station communicates to a second user on a second subscriber station by transmitting data on a reverse link to a base station. The base station receives the data and can route the data to another base station. The data is transmitted on a forward link of the same base station, or the other base station, to the second subscriber station. The forward link refers to transmission from a base station to a subscriber station and the reverse link refers to transmission from a subscriber station to a base station. Likewise, the communication can be conducted between a first user on one mobile subscriber station and a second user on a landline station. A base station receives the data from the user on a reverse link, and routes the data through a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to the second user. In many communication systems, e.g., IS-95, W-CDMA, IS-2000, the forward link and the reverse link are allocated at separate frequencies.
An example of a data only communication system is a High Data Rate (HDR) communication system that conforms to the TIA/EIA/IS-856 industry standard, hereinafter referred to as the IS-856 standard. This HDR system is based on a communication system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,211, entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HIGH RATE PACKET DATA TRANSMISSION," issued Jun. 3, 2003 to Padovani et al., and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. The HDR communication system defines a set of data rates, ranging from 38.4 kbps to 2.4 Mbps, at which an Access Point (AP) may send data to a subscriber station (Access Terminal, AT). Because the AP is analogous to a base station, the terminology with respect to cells and sectors is the same as with respect to voice systems.
In a wireless communication system, maximizing a capacity of the communication system in terms of the number of simultaneous telephone calls that can be handled is extremely important. The capacity in a spread spectrum communication system can be maximized if the transmission power of each subscriber station is controlled such that each transmitted signal arrives at a base station receiver at the same signal level. However, if a signal transmitted by a subscriber station arrives at the base station receiver at a power level that is too low, quality communications cannot be achieved due to interference from the other subscriber stations. On the other hand, if the subscriber station transmitted signal is at a power level that is too high when received at the base station, communication with this particular subscriber station is acceptable but this high power signal acts as interference to other subscriber stations. This interference may adversely affect communications with other subscriber stations. Therefore, each subscriber station needs to transmit the minimum signal level expressed as e.g., a signal-to-noise ratio, that allows transmitted data recovery.
Consequently, the transmission power of each subscriber station within the coverage area of a base station is controlled by the base station to produce the same nominal received signal power or a signal to noise ratio at the base station. In an ideal case, the total signal power received at the base station is equal to the nominal power received from each subscriber station multiplied by the number of subscriber stations transmitting within the coverage area of the base station plus the power received at the base station from subscriber stations in the coverage area of neighboring base stations.
The path loss in the radio channel can be characterized by two separate phenomena: average path loss and fading. The forward link, from the base station to the subscriber station, operates on a different frequency than the reverse link, from the subscriber station to the base station. However, because the forward link and reverse link frequencies are within the same general frequency band, a significant correlation between the average path losses of the two links exists. On the other hand, fading is an independent phenomenon for the forward link and reverse link and varies as a function of time.
In an exemplary CDMA system, each subscriber station estimates the path loss of the forward link based on the total power at the input to the subscriber station. The total power is the sum of the power from all base stations operating on the same frequency assignment as perceived by the subscriber station. From the estimate of the average forward link path loss, the subscriber station sets the transmit level of the reverse link signal. This type of an open loop control is advantageous when there is a correlation between a forward link and a reverse link. Should the reverse link channel for one subscriber station suddenly improve compared to the forward link channel for the same subscriber station due to independent fading of the two channels, the signal as received at the base station from this subscriber station would increase in power. This increase in power causes additional interference to all signals sharing the same frequency assignment. Thus, a rapid response of the subscriber station transmit power to the sudden improvement in the channel would improve system performance. Therefore, it is necessary to have the base station continually contribute to the power control mechanism of the subscriber station. Such a power control mechanism relies on a feedback, also referred to as a closed loop.
Each base station with which the subscriber station is in communication measures the received signal strength from the subscriber station. The measured signal strength is compared to a desired signal strength level for that particular subscriber station. A power adjustment command is generated by each base station and sent to the subscriber station on the forward link. In response to the base station power adjustment command, the subscriber station increases or decreases the subscriber station transmit power by a predetermined amount. By this method, a rapid response to a change in the channel is effected and the average system performance is improved. Note that in a typical cellular system, the base stations are not intimately connected and each base station in the system is unaware of the power level at which the other base stations receive the subscriber station's signal.
When a subscriber station is in communication with more than one base station, power adjustment commands are provided from each base station. The subscriber station acts upon these multiple base station power adjustment commands to avoid transmit power levels that may adversely interfere with other subscriber station communications and yet provide sufficient power to support communication from the subscriber station to at least one of the base stations. This power control mechanism is accomplished by having the subscriber station increase its transmit signal level only if every base station with which the subscriber station is in communication requests an increase in power level. The subscriber station decreases its transmit signal level if any base station with which the subscriber station is in communication requests that the power be decreased. A system for base station and subscriber station power control is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,109 entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING TRANSMISSION POWER IN A CDMA CELLULAR MOBILE TELEPHONE SYSTEM," issued Oct. 8, 1991, assigned to the Assignee of the present invention.
There is a relationship between a transmission power and a rate of data to be transmitted. Communication systems, in general, do not allow an instantaneous change of rate of data. If a transmission channel link condition changes, resulting in a need to change a transmission power and a data rate during the interval when a rate of data cannot be changed, the transmitted data may be erased. Therefore, there is a need in the art to estimate a rate of data that can be transmitted without an erasure under all channel conditions, or alternatively to estimate power required for transmission of data at a rate of data.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for determining an outage in communication systems


A heat transfer roller in a machine for coating, printing, copying or heating a web, has a hollow cylindrical roller core and a metal sleeve for conducting heat to or from an object contacting an outer surface of the roller. A ring-shaped cavity for receiving a heat transfer medium is formed between the cylindrical roller core and the sleeve (15) and extends the length of the roller excluding portions on respective ends. Cartridge heaters are provided for heating the outer wall of the core to further heat the heat transfer medium in the heat pipe cavity. The ring-shaped cavity is divided into sector compartments by longitudinally extending barriers. Wicking material is disposed in respective compartments. The wicking material and flow restriction elements hold a portion of the heat transfer medium in the compartments while also allowing a portion of the heat transfer medium to move circumferentially around the roller to make temperature more consistent across the outer surface of the roller.

Steam-heated and induction-heated rollers are used in the paper making, printing, paper, film, and foil converting industries. Some examples are: web heating rollers, drying rollers and drums, laminating rollers, embossing rollers, and cast film extrusion rollers.
Steam-heated rollers are actually pressure vessels, especially at higher temperatures. The internal construction of both steam-heated and induction-heated cores can be quite complex and expensive in order to provide the temperature uniformity needed. In addition, a considerable amount of auxiliary equipment is needed to power or heat the roller.
Hyllberg, U.S. Pat. No. 5,616,263, issued Apr. 1, 1997 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,808, issued Feb. 9, 1999 disclose a ceramic heater roller for use in industrial applications. Hyllberg, U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,070, discloses a ceramic heater roller with a heater layer and a heat regulating layer. Hyllberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,395, discloses a roller in which the ceramic layer is divided into zones for zone heating and wires are used inside the core to connect to the various ceramic heating sections.
There is a basic problem with heated rollers in controlling the heating at the ends of the roller. When the width of a web of paper or other material is smaller than the heated length of the roller, the ends of the roller operate at a higher temperature than the portion covered by the web of paper or other material, which tends to dissipate heat from the covered portion of the roller. The higher temperature at the roller ends causes heat to migrate through the core and into the web area increasing temperature variation across the web. Also, the higher temperature at the ends can accelerate aging of an outer covering, where the outer covering is rubber, for example.
Heat pipe technology has been used to control heat in various kinds of equipment used for space exploration, remote monitoring stations and wherever heat transfer is required. A basic industrial heat pipe roller is disclosed in Noren, U.S. Pat. No. 3,700,028. As reported in Noren, "How Heat Pipes Work," Chemical Engineering, Aug. 19, 1974, acceptance of heat pipes in industry has been slow. Since that time a number of heat pipe constructions have been patented, often for small rollers used in office copiers and printers. Progress has remained slow, however, for industrial and large equipment applications.
The present invention is directed to a heater roller that controls temperature along the length and around the working surface of a cylindrical roller. This roller is advantageous for manufacture and overcomes many of the typical problems cited in the prior art.


A mobile terminal that may reduce a specific absorption rate (SAR) includes a case, a circuit board in the case, a ground in the circuit board, an antenna pattern, and a ground pattern spaced apart from the antenna pattern and made of a material that absorbs electromagnetic waves. The ground pattern is connected to the ground of the circuit board or an auxiliary ground.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal that may reduce a specific absorption rate, and more particularly, to a mobile terminal that may reduce a specific absorption rate and includes an antenna pattern and a ground pattern.
2. Discussion of the Background
Due to the rapid development of communication technology using mobile terminals, the mobile terminal has become popular. Accordingly, the average time spent using a mobile terminal has rapidly increased. Therefore, concern about whether electromagnetic waves radiated from the mobile terminal have a harmful influence on a human body has increased.
A Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) is generally used as a numerical value for indicating the degree of harmful influence on a human body caused by electromagnetic waves radiated from the mobile terminal. The SAR is the electric power absorbed per unit mass of a human body cell, measured in units of W/kg. The SAR of a human body is measured using a device called a human body phantom, which has an electric constant similar to human body tissue, because it is difficult to directly measure a human body. The SAR is represented by the following equation:
  SAR  =            1      2                  (              σ        ρ            )                                  Ei                    2      where σ is the conductivity of a human body phantom, ρ is density, and |Ei|2 is the peak value of a local electric field vector.
The SAR in human body tissue is proportional to the square of electric field strength within the tissue and is determined by parameters of the incident electromagnetic field, such as the frequency, strength, direction, and source of an electromagnetic field, the relative position of a target object, genetic properties of a characteristic tissue of an exposed human body, and the ground effect and exposed environment effect.
Several countries have established and regulate safety standards regarding human body exposure to electromagnetic waves based on the SAR. In order to satisfy SAR standards, various methods of reducing the SAR may be used when manufacturing a mobile terminal.
One such method is to coat Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) paints on the mobile terminal's case. The EMI paints provide an electromagnetic shielding effect by electromagnetically separating the opposite sides of a closed curved surface of a metal body. When EMI paints are coated on the mobile terminal's case, electromagnetic waves generated within the case may not radiate from the mobile terminal. It may also prevent the generation of static electricity and electrification. While this method has an influence on the EMI and electromagnetic susceptibility (EMS) of a terminal, it does not fundamentally decrease the influence of electromagnetic waves radiated from the antenna. Further, in theory, when EMI paints are coated on the mobile terminal, the SAR to the human body may increase by re-reflection generated due to EMI paints.
Another method is to arrange various parts within the mobile terminal in consideration of the SAR. However, re-arrangement of various parts within the mobile terminal in order to reduce the SAR may negatively affect communication quality and/or the external shape of the mobile terminal.

Mobile terminal for reducing specific absorption rate


In a case where a job for executing both one-sided printing and two-sided printing is received, printing is controlled based on whether or not a predetermined type of sheets in which there is an order between the sheets are used for the received job whereby productivity is improved in a case where the predetermined type of sheets are not used for the received job, and a mismatch between content of a page and an order of the sheets does not occur in a case where the predetermined type of sheets is used for the received job.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing apparatus, a control method of the printing apparatus, and a storage medium.
Description of the Related Art
The conventional printing apparatus includes a two-sided conveyance path and executes one-sided printing or two-sided printing. The one-sided printing is a printing method performed by the printing apparatus in which an image is printed on a front surface of a fed sheet and thus printed sheet is discharged. The two-sided printing is a printing method in which an image is printed on a front surface of a fed sheet and subsequently the sheet is conveyed through a two-sided conveyance path, another image is printed on a reverse surface of the sheet, and finally discharged.
The conventional printing apparatus receives a job for executing both of the one-sided printing and the two-sided printing to execute the job, thereby executing the one-sided printing on the sheet to be subjected to the one-sided printing or executing the two-sided printing on the sheet to be subjected to the two-sided printing.
In the above described printing apparatus, in a case where image data contained in the job is printed from a first page in the right order, the sheet to be subjected to the next one-sided printing is not fed until the sheet to be subjected to the two-sided printing passes through the two-sided conveyance path so as not to disorder the pages of the output result. Therefore, a wide distance appears between the sheet to be subjected to the two-sided printing and the sheet to be subjected to the one-sided printing. The wide distance increases a time required for printing pages for the job.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 08-262814 discusses a printing apparatus that prevents the wide distance from appearing between the sheets by conveying the sheets through the two-sided conveyance path even in a case of the sheets to be subjected to the one-sided printing in a similar manner as a case of the sheets to be subjected to the two-sided printing.
Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2010-76418 discusses a method for printing an image on a front surface of a sheet to be subjected to the two-sided printing prior to printing of an image on a sheet to be subjected to the one-sided printing and to be fed before the sheet to be subjected to the two-sided printing. According to Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2010-76418, a distance between the sheet conveyed through the two-sided conveyance path in order to print the image on the reverse surface and the sheet to be subjected to the one-sided printing can be narrowed in printing. By narrowing the distance between the sheets, a time required for printing for the job can be reduced.
However, in a method of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 08-262814, in a case of a job that must execute both of the one-sided printing and the two-sided printing, since the sheet is conveyed through the two-sided conveyance path even if the sheet is the one to be subjected to the one-sided printing, it takes more time in comparison with a case where the sheet to be subjected to the one-sided printing is discharged without being conveyed through the two-sided conveyance path. More specifically, in a case where there are a large number of sheets to be subjected to the one-sided printing in the sheets to be printed by the job, the productivity is remarkably lowered.
On the other hand, in the method of Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2010-76418, the printing can be executed while the lowering of the productivity can be suppressed. However, in a case where the job is executed that uses a plurality of sheets having a predetermined order such as sheets of tabbed paper and pre-numbered sheets, there is a case that the output products cannot follow an original order.

Printing apparatus, control method of printing apparatus, and storage medium


An aspect provides a method, including: activating, using a processor, a touch sensitive surface which comprises at least a bezel portion of a display; accepting, using a processor, user input to the bezel portion of the touch sensitive surface; and controlling, using a processor, an information handling device operatively coupled to the touch sensitive surface in response to touch input in the bezel portion of a display. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Information handling devices ("devices") come in a variety of forms, for example desktop or laptop computing devices, tablet computing devices, smart phones, and the like. Device users are increasingly desirous of relying on touch sensitive surfaces, e.g., a touch screen, to provide inputs, e.g., controlling inputs such as scrolling, or content inputs, such as providing handwriting inputs, etc. to control operations of the device, including multi-media functions of the device.


In a method of spatial encoding in magnetic resonance experiments, encoding kernels are imposed into the magnetization signal during the excitation or re-focussing process using a transmit array coil. Separate transmit array coil elements are provided so that in a particular phase encode direction, z in this case, they can be driven to produce partially orthogonal B1 fields, Tt(r), that exhibit a Fourier phase distribution given byTt(r)=T0ei(ktTz)=T0ei(tΔkzz).The NMR signal, Sm(kn), received by a coil array element m of the M receive coils, during application of a pulse sequence for the n-th phase encoding step in k-space is then given bySm(kn)=∫drρ′(r)ei(kn·r)Cm(r)such thatρ′(r)=ρ(r)Tt(r)=ρ(r)T0ei(tΔkzz)                where kn is the nth spatial encoding k-space trajectory for the spatial dimension r, Cm(r) is the receive coil sensitivity, and ρ′(r) represents the magnetization spatial distribution arising from the spin density spatial distribution ρ(r), the pulse sequence and the transmit array excitation/re-focussing phase profile. It is clear that using an appropriately driven transmit array capable of producing the tth phase encode term, gradient phase encode steps may be eliminated.

Fast Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Chemical Shift Imaging (CSI) require both high signal to noise ratio (SNR) as well as fast data acquisition. These fast imaging techniques are critical in imaging moving parts of the body such as cardiac imaging, one of the largest growing applications of MRI. The development of partially parallel imaging (PPA) methods such as SENSE and SMASH have made it possible to collect image data 2–3 times faster than before when combined with an optimized phased array coil. A new area is to apply these reduced phase encode methods to CSI which traditionally has been plagued by long acquisition times.
The speed up factors currently available are typically 2 or 3. The demand for faster imaging is so great that the ability to produce speed up factors of 5 or 6 would be huge.
There are also applications where movement is such a problem that faster acquisitions are still not able to produce acceptable results, such as kinetic knee studies. In these cases, the fact that B0 field gradients are used at all makes some applications inconceivable. If we could not only increase the speed up factor of PPA, but also collect data without the use of spatial encoding gradients, the applications would be limitless.
According to present technology, the NMR signal, Sm(kn), received by a coil array element m of the M receive coils, during application of a pulse sequence for the n-th phase encoding step in k-space is given bySm(kn)=∫drρ(r)ei(kn·r)Cm(r),
where kn is the nth spatial encoding k-space trajectory for the spatial dimension r, Cm(r) is the receive coil sensitivity, and ρ(r) represents the magnetization spatial distribution arising from the spin density spatial distribution, the pulse sequence and the transmit excitation profile. This is the standard form of the Fourier transform relating the time domain or k-space signal Sm(kn) to the frequency domain of spatial signal ρ(r). Traditionally in MRI, the encoding function or kernel f(k,r) of this transformation is the exponential function, that is,ƒ(kn,r)=ei(kn·r),where, Sm(kn)=∫drρ(r)ƒ(kn,r)Cm(r)
The k-space trajectory is generated with magnetic field gradients in the x, y or z directions. For 2D imaging, only two orthogonal directions are used with the third direction used for slice selection. Without loss of generality, suppose that for a y-z image, the phase encoding is taken to be in the z-direction. Then after Fourier transformation in the frequency encode direction (y), the above equation in this hybrid space becomes,Sm(y,kn)=∫dzρ(y,z)ei(nΔkzz)Cm(r),
where Δkz is the separation between k-space lines relating to the Field-Of-View (FOV) of the image, n ε[0,N] where N defines the resolution in the phase encode dimension (z).
If k-space is incompletely sampled by skipping phase encode lines, effectively increasing Δkz, then image reconstruction will result in wrapping or fold-over artifacts due to a smaller FOV in the phase encode dimension.
It is well known that if the M-array coil sensitivities are partially orthogonal in the phase encode direction, then the missing phase encode lines can be recovered with proper combination of the resulting wrapped images in the time domain using a technique known as SMASH D. K. Sodickson, W. J. Manning, Simultaneous Acquisition of Spatial Harmonics (SMASH): Fast Imaging with Radiofrequency Coil Arrays, Magn. Reson. Med. 38:591–603 (1997), or unwrapped in the image domain using a technique known as SENSE K. P. Pruessmann, M. Weiger, M. B. Scheidegger, P. Boesiger, SENSE: Sensitivity Encoding for Fast MRI, Magn. Reson. Med. 42:952–962 (1999), using this orthogonal knowledge of the coil sensitivities. The term partially orthogonal is used in the context that the coil sensitivities Cm, at wrapping pixel locations partially differ in their magnitude and/or phase distributions from each other along the phase encode direction.
One example of this would be box functions spanning different spatial locations in the phase encode direction (magnitude partial orthogonality). Another example would be traditional birdcage-field and spiral birdcage fields in which case the transverse B1 phase gives rise to orthogonal B1 in the phase encode direction (phase partial orthogonality).
The SMASH version is explained in the time domain as follows. Suppose, the M-receive coil sensitivities Cm(r) for m ε[0,M], are partially orthogonal in the phase encode direction, z, such thatCm(km,r)=C0ei(kmRz)=C0ei(mΔkzz).
In this simplified case, each receive coil is capable of producing a different order-m of the k-space lines. That is, the coil sensitivity function can be included into the Fourier transform kernel, such thatƒC(kp,r)=ei(kn·r)Cm(kmR,r),Sm(kp)=∫drρ(r)ƒC(kp,r)
For every acquired phase encode line n (n ε N), the p=n+m phase encode line can also be generated without actually acquiring the p-phase encode line of data. Purposely making the missing phase encode lines the p-phase encode lines, all of k-space can be filled in for a reconstructed image with no wrapping artefact. Because the N+M lines are achieved with only N-applications of the pulse sequence, a time saving is achieved by the factor 1/R, where R=M is called the reduction factor. What this also means is that for mε[0,M], M phase encoding steps can be achieved without the use of any gradient phase encoding steps (n=0).
The SENSE version is explained in the image domain as follows. Suppose every Rth phase encode step is skipped producing M-array images with R-fold wrapping. This means that R-pixels along the phase encode direction are superimposed onto one in the wrapped images. For the m-array coil element, the pth pixel value (Smp) is given by the sum of the wrapped pixels each weighted by the m-array coil element sensitivity at the wrapped pixel location, q. This is given by
            S      p      m        =                  ∑                  q          =          1                R                                    s          q                                  C          q          m                      ,
or in matrix form,S=sC.
Here S is an M×1 vector, s is a 1×R vector and C is an R×M matrix. The true (unwrapped) pixel values, sq, can be obtained by solving for s.
As mentioned above, with current 4–8 channel receiver MRI systems, the present solutions can only achieve 2–3 fold speed-up factors and also still use B0 field gradient encoding.

Magnetic resonance experiments by spatial encoding using the RF transmission coil


A rotating leno forming device includes a leno disk (3) that has leno thread guides (5) therein and that itself forms a part of the rotor (2) of an electromagnetic drive arrangement. In order to achieve a very compact bearing support arrangement, shield the moving parts against external contamination, and provide for the detection of the rotational position of the leno disk, the leno device further includes a roller or ball bearing (6) of which the outer bearing race (6A) is rigidly connected to the leno disk (3), and of which the inner bearing race (6B) is rigidly connected to a centering holder (9) that is rigidly connected to a housing (8) of the leno device. Permanent magnets (7) are arranged around the circumference of the rotor (2) and cooperate with an electromagnetic stator (11) secured in the housing (8). A position sensor system (10) includes at least one signal emitter (13) mounted on the rotor (2) and a plurality of signal receivers or sensors (14) mounted on the housing (8).

German Patent 44 05 776 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,039 (Haeussler et al.) discloses a rotational leno selvage forming device having a rotationally driven leno disk that forms the rotor of an electric motor to provide a direct electromagnetic drive for the leno disk. The leno disk has two thread guides arranged symmetrically relative to the center axis of the leno disk, whereby two leno threads respectively supplied from two leno thread spools are respectively guided through the two thread guides. The rotation of the leno disk opens and closes a leno shed for leno-binding the weft threads along the edge of the woven web.
With regard to the arrangement of the leno device, the above mentioned German Patent suggests that it is advantageous to arrange the leno disk with its rotation axis parallel to the weft insertion direction, and with the leno disk spaced away from the if binding point of the web at a necessary minimum distance. The electric motor, of which the leno disk forms the rotor, is for example an electrically actuatable servo motor or stepper motor or the like, that operates according to generally known principles using a radial magnetic flux. The motor windings are carried by the stator while magnets are arranged on the outer circumference of the rotor in a respective partial circular manner. The stator of the motor is received in a housing-like carrier member, which forms a holder for connecting the leno device to the loom.
While the known leno device disclosed in the above mentioned German and U.S. Patent references has been found to be very effective for achieving its stated objects, it has additionally been found to be desirable to provide an improved bearing support for the leno disk forming the rotor of the motor, to provide an improved enclosure whereby the bearing support arrangement and the overall drive is enclosed or shielded from external contaminants such as thread clippings, fly lint and the like, and to provide a system for accurately sensing and measuring the respective angular position of the leno disk at all times. The above mentioned German and U.S. Patent references do not disclose the specific details of the bearing support arrangement for the leno disk and for determining its rotational or angular position, especially in the case of applications in which the leno device is operated with the leno disk rotating in reversing opposite directions.

Rotating leno selvage device with direct electromagnetic drive to a leno disk


An enhanced video special effects system architecture is based on deinterlacing (16) incoming fields of interlaced video and processing the deinterlaced video through video special effects operations (18, 30), each of which benefits from operating on a progressive scan video signal rather than an interlaced video signal.

This invention relates to television special effects, and more particularly to an improved architecture for a television special effects generator.
A video image is usually recorded or displayed by sweeping an electron beam horizontally across the face of a camera tube or a picture tube a number of times, from top to bottom, before a vertical retrace is accomplished and the procedure is repeated. The pattern of lines on the face of a camera or picture tube is called a "raster". If the image is created by horizontal lines that are immediately adjacent each other and incrementing downward monotonically, it is known as progressive raster scanning or non-interlaced video.
However, to reduce the bandwidth required for the transmission of the image data while preserving as much resolution as possible, commercial television standards make use of a technique known as "interlace scanning". In this approach, a complete frame of video with full resolution is made of two consecutive fields, each with half as many lines, such that the lines of one field fall between those of the other field. One of these two fields contains, in effect, all of the odd lines of a normal frame of video, while the other contains all of the even lines. The two interlaced fields create an image with an effective sampling rate that is twice that of each field separately, and therefore for a given bandwidth the vertical resolution is doubled relative to each of them separately.
Effective as they are at conserving bandwidth while preserving resolution, interlaced television video signals present a number of problems in modern digital television special effects equipment. A variety of video special effects can cause apparent motion that creates a problem in connection with interlaced video. These include synthetic light reflections, adding borders, defocus effects, key glow generation and mosaic tiling. In each of these operations, apparent motion is introduced into the video image and this apparent motion shows up as undesirable artifacts if the interlaced fields are operated on independently of each other.
Higher quality video special effects systems attempt to use the information from two or more fields to create output images and thus produce images that utilize the full resolution capability of the interlace standard. To avoid distortions produced by motion or apparent motion, these systems adaptively switch between full frame and single field operation, depending on whether motion is detected locally on a pixel by pixel basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,732 to Bennett et al for a "System for Spatially Transforming Images", hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a video special effects system that includes a deinterlace filter (1332, FIGS. 13 and 18). This filter includes motion detection on a pixel-by-pixel basis that is used to determine the content of an output frame. Motion is detected by comparing a pixel's Y, I and Q values in a most recent field with the values two fields earlier. If these values differ by more than a threshold amount, a motion signal is generated. In the absence of this motion signal, in generating a deinterlaced frame output, the same pixel on the next line will have its value determined by the next most recent field of interlaced video. However, in the presence of this motion signal, the value of the same pixel on the next line is based on the average of the pixels above and below it in the most recent field. Thus, this deinterlace filter produces a progressive scan frame of video in a manner that adaptively filters out field-to-field motion.
In the architecture described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,472,732, the deinterlaced output of the deinterlace filter is filtered and then used immediately in an interpolation process that produces an interlaced output again.

Progressive scan architecture for video special effects


A compressor includes an air cooled lubricant temperature regulator and an engine for providing motive force to the compressor. A first, electric-driven, self-priming pump provides a supply of lubricant to the compressor prior to starting the engine and for a predetermined period of time after the engine is operating. The first pump is flow connected in fluid receiving relation with a lubricant reservoir. A first electronic controller means directs compressor operations, including directing operation of the first pump. A second electronic controller, external to the first controller means, directs operation of the first pump after engine operation. A second, compressor-driven, self-priming pump provides a primary lubricant pumping function during engine operation at predetermined run speeds. A valve means is flow connected intermediate the discharge of the first pump and the discharge of the second pump for preventing lubricant cross flow between the first and second pumps during simultaneous operation thereof. The first pump preprimes the second pump to facilitate the self-priming duty of the second pump.

This invention generally relates to compressors, and more particularly to a self-contained lubricating oil system for a portable, diesel-driven, microprocessor-based, centrifugal compressor.
Portable compressors operate in diverse geographic regions which have environmental conditions ranging from arctic conditions to desert conditions. Portable compressor lubrication systems must function in such diverse geographic regions to permit efficient compressor operations. While present portable compressor lubrication systems may have operated with some degree of success in these diverse geographic regions, these lubrication systems are replete with a multiplicity of deficiencies and shortcomings which have detracted from their usefulness. For example, present lubrication systems do not effectively pre-lubricate the compressor system prior to compressor loading, do not constantly monitor system oil pressure at a plurality of fluid points to predict and analyze compressor system malfunctions, and do not effectively preprime main system oil pumps to reduce oil pump wear.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present portable compressors. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an alternative directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.

Self contained lubricating oil system for a centrifugal compressor


A roof window pane for automobiles possesses, on the face towards the passenger compartment, a grating-type pattern of a material which impedes the passage of radiation, especially a baking finish. The grating-type pattern consists of superimposed gratings and has a moire structure.

Panes of the above described type are known and are used for various purposes. From DE-OS 19 51 616, a glass pane of this type is known, wherein the pattern preferably consists of an opaque or semitransparent baking finish having a light transmittance of 0 to 40%. The fragments constituting the grating pattern, which may be square, rectangular, circular or elliptical, are said to have a length of 0.1 to about 20 mm, and the spacing or gap between the small fragments is to be 0.1 to 10 mm. The fragments may be in contact with one another, resulting in a hole grating. The glass panes having patterns of this type are intended for use as antidazzle panes or as heat protective panes, and are used, for example, also in automobiles.
From DE-AS 23 61 669, a dazzle-reducing window of the initially named type is also known, preferably for automobiles. In this known window, on the surface of the glass pane provided with the pattern, a frame-like solid strip of the opaque material is provided along its edge, by which the edges of the window frame are to be concealed from view. For the case where the glass panes are glued to the window frame, the solid frame-like edge strip serves also as a protection against ultraviolet radiation, which otherwise would lead to embrittlement of the adhesive.
In DE 27 13 892 C2, a glass pane with a pattern in the form of dots on one of its faces is described, the dots being applied in such a distribution that the sum of the surface regions of the opaque dots covers 10 to 30% of the glass surface, the size of the dots being so chosen that from 12 to 20 dots per centimeter lie in each direction. A pane of this type is intended to be used predominantly in a sports hall or games hall as a viewing wall.
EP 0 120 781 describes a glass pane of the initially named type, particularly suitable for a glass roof of an automobile. For this intended application, the pattern of opaque baking finish is to be sufficiently dense for the light transmission and accordingly the total energy transmission to be less than 30% and preferably less than 15%.
The known patterns consist of grating-like or screen-like structures, in which the individual fragments of the coating which impedes or attenuates the passage of radiation and the radiation-transmitting holes each have a constant size and are uniformly and homogeneously distributed over the entire pattern and over the entire glass surface. In specific cases, in which the light transmission is to vary from a high value to a low value, or vice versa, within the grating-like structures, grating structures are used, in which the individual fragments of the layer, or radiation-transmitting holes as the case may be in the layer, become smaller or larger by steps in one direction, whereas in the direction transversely to this they each have a constant size. Such structures are employed, especially, in dazzle-reducing filter bands in the upper region of windscreens and in the transition region between the opaque decorative frame and the fully transparent viewing area of automobile glass panes.
It has been found that the human eye is especially sensitive to uniform structures of this type and that, if the grating structure is viewed critically, as for example occurs in the production inspection of the glass panes, even very small defects are evident. If, for example, therefore a single small fragment of the grating is missing on a glass pane printed with such a uniform grating, or if only one single hole of the hole grating is closed, this leads as a rule to this defect being evident on inspection and the glass pane consequently having to be rejected.
Irregularities in the printed grating become all the more readily visible to the human eye, the higher the degree of cover of the glass pane is. In specific cases, the printed glass panes must have a very low transmission of less than about 30%, namely for example in the case where such glass panes are used as automobile roof windows. In this case, the panes are printed as a rule with an opaque, black baking finish. In other cases, for example for use in ambulance vehicles, the requirement exists that the lateral panes shall be made non-transparent when viewed from the outside by printing with an opaque, white paint, but shall permit sufficient vision in the opposite direction. If this effect is to be achieved with a surface-covering print, a high reflection is obtained on the outer face of the glass pane, by which any slight deformations or surface irregularities of the pane are emphasized. If, instead, the printing is carried out with a uniform grating print, then once again the aforementioned difficulty arises that very small defects in the grating print are easily recognizable by the eye in reflection or in transmission.

Glazing pane with reduced light transmittance and method of manufacturing same