According to an example aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna array for a transmit-array antenna system with a fixed feed antenna, comprising an inner radiating surface for receiving a first signal from the fixed feed antenna, an outer radiating surface for emitting a second signal from the antenna array and a platform for electric connection of Radio Frequency, RF, components disposed between the inner and outer radiating surfaces, the platform having a phase shifter for operatively connecting the inner and outer radiating surfaces.

An antenna array comprises multiple antennas for transmission or reception of radio waves. In an antenna array multiple antennas are connected and arranged such that the antennas are used in cooperation to basically work as a single transmitter or receiver at a time. In general, antenna arrays may be used to achieve higher gains, by exploiting a narrower beam of radio waves compared to transmitting or receiving with a single antenna. Antenna arrays may also be used, for example, to improve reliability by utilizing two or more wireless communication channels with different characteristics, and to mitigate interference coming from certain directions.
In the field of wireless communications beamforming generally refers to directing transmission or reception of radio signals using an antenna array. Direction of transmission or reception may be controlled by modifying the phase and amplitude of a signal at each antenna to increase the performance of transmission or reception for a single data signal.
Exploitation of millimetre waves is one aspect considered for improving the performance of wireless communication systems, because it enables the use of additional frequency spectrum. The use of higher frequencies makes building of antenna arrays comprising more antennas feasible as well, which can be used to enhance achievable gain. The achievable gain depends, at least partly, on the used antenna array. In some applications it is also desirable to have a large beam steering angle range. There is therefore a need for a module for an antenna system which enables high gains and large beam steering angles.

Phased array antenna system with a fixed feed antenna


A bumper assembly of a mobile robot includes a sliding member which is installed to be movable in front and rear directions with respect to a robot body, a first elastic member which is coupled to the sliding member and presses the sliding member in the front direction, a first sensor which senses a movement of the sliding member when the sliding member moves in the rear direction, a front plate which is disposed at a front side of the sliding member, rotatably coupled to the sliding member, and moves integrally with the sliding member when the sliding member moves in the front and rear directions, and a second sensor which senses a rotation of the front plate when the front plate rotates.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bumper assembly of a mobile robot, and more particularly, to a bumper assembly of a mobile robot capable of accurately sensing a broadside collision as well as a head-on collision when the mobile robot collides with an obstacle.
2. Description of Related Art
A mobile robot refers to a robot that may run autonomously and perform specific tasks, and there are a cleaning robot, a monitoring robot, and the like in accordance with tasks to be performed. The mobile robot generally has a function capable of autonomously performing assigned tasks, for example, cleaning work or monitoring work.
When describing a cleaning mobile robot as an example, the cleaning mobile robot autonomously moves in a predetermined cleaning zone such as a house or an office, and sucks dust or foreign substances. To this end, in addition to a configuration of a general vacuum cleaner that sucks dust or foreign substances, the mobile robot includes a moving device which allows a robot to move, a plurality of sensing sensors that senses obstacles so that the robot may run without colliding with various obstacles in the cleaning zone, a battery which supplies electric power, a microprocessor which controls the entire apparatus, and the like.
Particularly, the mobile robot uses a plurality of sensing sensors to identify a distance to various types of obstacles, for example, obstacles such as furniture, and walls, which are installed in the cleaning zone, and cleans the cleaning zone while running without colliding with the obstacles using identified information. Therefore, a capability of sensing obstacles is very important in order for the mobile robot to perform given tasks while autonomously running. That is, it is essential that the mobile robot has a function of recognizing positions of obstacles at the periphery of the mobile robot so as to allow the mobile robot to move without colliding with the obstacles, and immediately sensing a collision when the mobile robot collides with the obstacle so as to change a moving route.
As a method of sensing whether a mobile robot collides with an obstacle, there is a method of providing sensors on an inner circumferential surface of a bumper of the mobile robot and allowing the sensors to sense a collision with the obstacle. However, the sensors are disposed at a predetermined interval along the inner circumferential surface of the bumper, and thus, there is a problem in that the collision may not be sensed when a portion where the sensor is not attached collides with the obstacle. As another method of sensing a collision with the obstacle, there is a method of configuring a bumper of a mobile robot to be movable in front and rear directions with respect to a robot body, and allowing a sensor to sense a movement of the bumper when the mobile robot collides with the obstacle and then the bumper is pushed in the rear direction. However, this method may sense a head-on collision well, but there is a problem in that this method may not sense a broadside collision.


Disclosed are embodiments that provide digital data communication between a single-pair Ethernet and a multi-pair Ethernet. Some embodiments include a single-pair Ethernet interface that is configured to operate in at least two modes. In a first mode, the single-pair Ethernet interface operates in a conventional manner. In a second mode, alternate pin configurations are employed to provide a low-cost interoperability between a single-pair Ethernet interface and a multi-pair Ethernet interface. For example, in the second mode, the single-pair Ethernet receives, via a first receive data pin, from a first transmit data pin of the multi-pair Ethernet interface, a data signal, and receives, via a second receive data pin, from a second transmit data pin of the multi-pair Ethernet interface, a second data signal.

Today a variety of proprietary standards are used in industrial networks. In particular, the process industry utilizes a network channel that can include a single-pair of conductors included in a cable of up to 1000 m meters, as an illustrative example. Industrial environments can impose severe restrictions on electrical characteristics used for signaling over such channels, such as limiting power dissipation, for example, due to the presence of an explosive environment. Standards are under development to support 10 Mb/s signaling using an Ethernet-like scheme but providing support for long conductor runs (e.g., up to 1000 m of single-pair cable, as an illustrative example). One proposal includes specification of a new physical (PHY) layer, e.g. media type (cable) but builds upon many years of standard Ethernet component and standards evolution, and relies on Ethernet layers 2 to 7, e.g. MAC, switch, etc.
The 10 Mb/s speed is a very big increase on the speeds typically used today in the process industry—but is less than the speeds in common use today in many Local Area Networks, which have long since moved on from 10 Mb/s and 100 Mb/s to 1 Gb/s and even 2.5 Gb/s and 10 Gb/s. A single-pair standard, once ratified, is expected to be widely adopted in the industry.

Single-pair to multi-pair ethernet converter

Analog Devices International Unlimited Company


A simulated cigarette having an elongated hollow cylinder and having a cavity there within, with a cylindrical wick disposed in the cavity, the wick having a radial clearance and longitudinal clearance with respect to the cavity for allowing the wick to freely slide along a longitudinal direction of the cavity. The simulated cigarette having a fan assembly disposed in the cavity adjacent wick and in an alternate embodiment having a flexible filter affixed to an end of the hollow cylinder.

A simulated cigarette is a therapeutic tool that provides an alternative to tobacco cigarettes. A simulated cigarette can provide a user, typically a person that desires to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes, a healthier solution than smoking cigarettes, that is configured with similar features of an actual cigarette. The simulated cigarette dispenses natural aromas for a user to smell through the nose or inhale air through the simulated cigarette into the user's mouth or lungs.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The invention comprises the steps of storing immersed or smothered raw material of soy beans including hulls in a storage chamber provided at the front part of a cylinder barrel, subsequently passing the stored raw material of soybeans through screens furnished at the front end of the cylinder barrel by driving a piston, and urging to press it out, thereby to manufacture a milk of the soy beans of the raw material being extremely refined. At this time, the screens are 60 to 500 meshes, and the pressure is 8.0 to 55.0 MPa.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing products of soymilk, an apparatus of manufacturing the same, and in particular to a method enabling to process all of raw material of soybeans into soybean processed foods such as soymilk or bean curds, that is, products of soymilk without creating lees of bean curds, and an apparatus used to reducing this method to practice.
2. Related Art
While manufacturing soymilk and bean curds, lees of bean curd are much created. Parts of much created lees of bean curd are used as forage or manure, otherwise least parts are used to food materials. Containing much water content and plenty of nutriments, the lees of bean curd are soon corrupted and are almost dealt with as industrial waste. Dealing with as the industrial waste, environmental problems occur, and it is not desirable in view of food problems to waste the lees of bean curd containing much nutriments. For these reasons, effective use thereof has been taken as a theme. There have accordingly been several proposals for decreasing the amount of creating the lees of bean curd during manufacturing soymilk and bean curds, or bringing it to zero. For instance, Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2000-60473 discloses a method of pulverizing the raw material of soy beans by a grinding apparatus to take in fibrous content into products of bean curds for discharging no lees of bean curd. Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 299443/1999 shows a method of adding enzyme to the lees of bean curd, causing reaction of enzyme while carrying out mechanically fine pulverization to take in fibrous content into products of bean curds for discharging no lees of bean curd. Further, Japanese Patent Laid open No. 89197/1996 shows a method of adding ferment when immersing the raw material of soy beans for lowering creation of the lees of bean curd. In addition, Japanese Patent Laid Open No. 2000-102357 discloses a method of subjecting a suspension containing all grains of soybeans to a wet jet mill, and causing the suspension to collide one another and/or to a wall face at pressure of more than 100 MPa and/or rate of flow of more than 200 m/sec so as to extremely refine all the bean contents, thereby to take in fibrous content into products of bean curds for discharging no lees of bean curd.
According to the above proposed or disclosed methods of manufacturing products of soymilk, effects are obtained as they are, but themes or problems to be settled are not a few. For example, in the invention disclosed in Laid Open No. 2000-60473, although depending on the grinding apparatus, the lees of bean curd of large grains exist in the manufactured soymilk, and there is a theme that the lees of bean curd must be filtrated after all for feeling soft to the tongue. The inventions of No. 299443/1999 and No. 89197/1996 are involved with problems of taking a long time for reacting enzyme and needing a technique of high level for processing the enzyme. Further, since the invention of No. 2000-102357 applies the raw material of soy beans to the wet jet mill, it is necessary to pulverize grain diameters in the suspension containing all grains of soy beans to be less than 300 to 500 μm, so that an operating process is complicated.

Method of manufacturing products of soymilk and apparatus of manufacturing the same


There is disclosed a multi-carrier transceiver system for use in echo cancellation. The transceiver system is arranged to generate from input data a multicarrier transmit signal comprising a plurality of multi-carrier data blocks. The transceiver system also has a multi-carrier signal receiver responsive to an input multi-carrier receive signal received from a remote signal transmitter. An echo canceller is arranged to generate from a pair of multi-carrier data blocks (u) a set of frequency-domain echo parameters for use in generating an echo signal, to generate the echo signal using the frequency-domain echo parameters, and to input the echo signal to the multi-carrier signal receiver for use in generating an echo-cancelled receive signal from the input receive signal and the echo signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for echo cancellation in communications systems employing multi-carrier data modulation.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Modern telecommunications systems typically employ duplex data transmission in which data is simultaneously transmitted in opposite directions between transceivers of the telecommunications system using data channels having overlapping frequency bands. Any imperfections in the transceivers means that, in a given transceiver, data signals transmitted by the transceiver may be permitted to leak into, and interfere with, signals received by the transceiver thereby degrading the quality of those received signals.
For example, in a common telephone handset a transmit signal representing voice data from a microphone is typically input to a hybrid transformer for subsequent transmission to a remote telephone handset. The transformer will typically allow most of the transmit signal to be transmitted to the remote telephone via a duplex transmission line. However, imperfections in the hybrid transformer will often cause some of the transmit signal to leak through the transformer, into the receiver of the handset and subsequently into the earpiece of the handset thereby interfering with the receive signal. As a result, while speaking into the handset, a person may well hear an "echo" of their own voice in the handset earpiece.
This is just one manifestation of signal "echo" in data transceivers, and in telephones it is an irritation at the very least. However, in other data transmission systems, such as modems, echo signals may present a major obstacle to efficient duplex data transmission causing serious corruption of received data.
Echo cancellation techniques have been developed in an attempt to mitigate the problems caused by echo signals. Typically, echo cancellation involves emulating an echo signal and subsequently subtracting that emulated signal from received signals in which an echo signal (which the emulated echo signal is intended to emulate) may exist. Thus, if echo emulation is exact, subtraction of the emulated echo from the received signal will result in a fully echo-free or echo-cancelled received signal.
The transceiver of a duplex telecommunications system may be regarded as providing an "echo path" from the transmitter part of the transceiver to the receiver part via e.g. the hybrid transformer thereof. By considering the "echo path" to define a filter with a frequency response or transfer function relating its input (i.e. the leaked transmit signal) to its output (i.e. the echo signal) one can attempt to emulate the echo signal by building a filter which emulates the frequency response or transfer function of the echo path. By passing a portion of a given transmit signal through the emulating filter an echo emulation may be produced substantially contemporaneously with the creation of the echo being emulated such that both derive from the same transmit signal.
Echo cancellers typically employ this technique, and their efficacy is sensitively dependent upon their ability to efficiently and accurately generate filter parameters ("echo parameters") for the echo-emulating filter. The generating of echo parameters is usually performed solely in the time-domain by emulating e.g. the echo path impulse response, with echo signal emulation subsequently employing Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters to apply those echo parameters.
However, echo cancellation in purely the time-domain is computationally complex and relatively inefficient with echo parameter calculations requiring computationally expensive convolution calculations. Consequently, to avoid some of the deficiencies inherent in full time-domain echo emulation, techniques have been developed in which some echo parameter calculation is performed in the frequency domain with the consequence that computational complexity is reduced (note that a convolution in the time-domain is equivalent to a relatively simple multiplication in the frequency-domain). However, these techniques still require at least some echo parameter generation in the time-domain. In frequency-domain echo cancellation, one may obtain echo parameters merely by sampling the spectrum of the echo path rather than having to sample the response of the echo path which is relatively more computationally intensive.

Apparatus and method for echo-cancellation


A swing away or pivotable mailbox support includes a lower post anchored in the ground and pivotally connected to an upper post having a horizontally projecting mailbox support arm. The upper post is pivotally movable in response to horizontal loads applied to the support arm. Adjacent connecting ends of the posts have aligned centrally located mounting bores for receipt of a mounting shaft. A bearing and detent assembly is mounted to the connecting ends of the posts to provide support and relative rotational movement between detent-engaged stable rotational positions. A kit including a bearing and detent assembly and a shaft is also provided for converting a stationary mailbox support to a swing away or pivotable support in accordance with the invention.

The invention relates to mailbox support apparatus and, more particularly, to a roadside mailbox support arrangement wherein the mailbox support arm assembly pivots about a vertical axis and swings away from loads as may be applied by snow plowing or vandals. The invention also relates to a kit for conversion of a stationary mailbox support to include a swing away or pivotable mailbox support arm assembly. The kit includes the hardware required for conversion of a wood post system.


Methods and systems for taking measurements related to subterranean formations. The methods and systems provide robust, reliable first arrival data for component signals of interest, which may be used to estimate formation slowness, characterize formation slowness zones, or act as an input to other processes. The methods and systems are capable of automatically providing good first arrival data based on signals received without any human interaction, and without setting or changing any parameters.

The generation and recording of borehole acoustic waves is a key measurement employed in oilfield borehole logging. Many borehole tools and methods are currently available for taking acoustic measurements. Some tools include a single source of sonic waves and two or more receivers, however, most of the tools now include two or more acoustic sources and many receivers arranged in an array. While the currently available acoustic tools are useful in providing a large range of information regarding the surrounding formation and the borehole parameters, a primary use of acoustic borehole measurements is the estimation of compressional wave and shear wave formation slowness.
Compressional wave formation slowness is typically estimated using travel times acquired via a first motion detection process. In the case of a single source, two receiver tool suggested by the prior art, formation slowness is estimated by subtracting the arrival times between two receivers and dividing by the inter-receiver spacing. This estimate, however, is subject to inaccuracies due to tool tilt, borehole washouts, bed boundary effects, etc. Additional acoustic sources and receivers and more robust methods such as STC (Slowness-Time-Coherency analysis) and semblance processing, among others, have been used to reduce the inaccuracies introduced by such environmental effects.
Semblance processing can produce very accurate slowness values for a subterranean formation, but it is quite expensive. Semblance processing generally requires the acquisition (and, if processing takes place at the well site, communication uphole) of "long" waveforms. The speed of a logging operation is often hindered by the time it takes to gather long waveform segments and telemeter all the data from the downhole position to surface equipment.
While semblance processing provides reliable slowness estimates, it requires significant computer resources and the acquisition of long waveforms. Many well developers, however, are primarily interested in compressional slowness values. Therefore, recording just the first break of the compressional wave could be enough to obtain compressional slowness very quickly. The first arrival signals may then be used to generate formation slowness estimates. However, current methods of detecting first arrival signals of interest do not result in useful results without a skilled operator monitoring and changing dozens of parameters as the logging tool traverses a borehole. The necessity of changing parameters is typically a result of variations in the formation. Highly skilled operators with the expertise necessary to adjust the logging collection parameters and processing techniques are very expensive. Many logging applications would benefit from a reliable, less expensive logging technique, especially a logging method that reduces or eliminates the number of parameters that must be adjusted during a logging operation.
The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing the effects of, one or more of the problems outlined above.

Methods and systems for detecting arrivals of interest


A method for calculating available power of a battery includes steps of calculating an equivalent charge resistance at a current charge current, a current SOC (state of charge), and a current battery temperature using predetermined equivalent charge resistance data, calculating an effective no-load charge voltage at the current charge current, the current SOC, and the current battery temperature using predetermined effective no-load charge voltage data, calculating a maximum charge current based on the equivalent charge resistance, the effective no-load charge voltage, and a predetermined maximum charge voltage, and calculating available charge power based on the maximum charge current, the predetermined maximum charge voltage, and a predetermined battery maximum current. A system for executing the method is also disclosed.

Generally, in order to use a battery as a power source, it is necessary to be aware of available power of the battery under a specific condition. In particular, in a hybrid electric vehicle that uses the battery as one of its power sources, it is important to exactly predict a maximum available power of the battery. However, the available power of the battery changes according to a state of charge (SOC), a battery temperature, and aging of the battery. Therefore, it is difficult to exactly know the available power of the battery.
A battery control unit for a hybrid electric vehicle generally determines available charge power and available discharge power in real time, and sends the determined available power information to a hybrid electric vehicle control unit (HCU), in order to maximally use the battery. In the past, the available battery power has generally been calculated using a condition of maximum electric power transmission. As an example, in a steady state, battery power can be calculated by the following equation.
                              P          max                =                                            R              e                                                  I              t              2                                =                                    R              e                        ×                                          (                                  Voc                                      r                    +                                          R                      e                                                                      )                            2                                                          [        Equation        ]
where Re is an equivalent resistance of a battery, Voc is an effective no-load voltage of the battery, and r is a resistance of a load.
In the above equation, if the equivalent resistance of the battery is equal to the resistance of the battery (i.e., r=Re), a maximum power (i.e., Pmax=Voc2/4Re) is transmitted to the load. That is, a maximum power can be used when the equivalent resistance of the battery is equal to the resistance of the battery from the condition of the maximum power transmission. However, in the above method to calculate the maximum available power, battery operating voltage is not considered, and the resistance of the load must be known to calculate the maximum power. Therefore, it is quite difficult to use such a method for a hybrid electric vehicle.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art that is already known to a person skilled in the art.

Method and system for calculating available power of a battery


The present invention is directed to 5' regulatory regions of an Arabidopsis oleosin gene. The 5' regulatory regions, when operably linked to either the coding sequence of a heterologous gene or a sequence complementary to a native plant gene, direct expression of the coding sequence or complementary sequence in a plant seed. The regulatory regions are useful in expression cassettes and expression vectors for the transformation of plants. Also provided are methods of modulating the levels of a heterologous gene such as a fatty acid synthesis or lipid metabolism gene by transforming a plant with the subject expression cassettes and expression vectors.

Seed oil content has traditionally been modified by plant breeding. The use of recombinant DNA technology to alter seed oil composition can accelerate this process and in some cases alter seed oils in a way that cannot be accomplished by breeding alone. The oil composition of Brassica has been significantly altered by modifying the expression of a number of lipid metabolism genes. Such manipulations of seed oil composition have focused on altering the proportion of endogenous component fatty acids. For example, antisense repression of the .DELTA.12-desaturase gene in transgenic rapeseed has resulted in an increase in oleic acid of up to 83%. Topfer et al. 1995 Science 268:681-686.
There have been some successful attempts at modifying the composition of seed oil in transgenic plants by introducing new genes that allow the production of a fatty acid that the host plants were not previously capable of synthesizing. Van de Loo, et al. (1995 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 92:6743-6747) have been able to introduce a .DELTA.12-hydroxylase gene into transgenic tobacco, resulting in the introduction of a novel fatty acid, ricinoleic acid, into its seed oil. The reported accumulation was modest from plants carrying constructs in which transcription of the hydroxylase gene was under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. Similarly, tobacco plants have been engineered to produce low levels of petroselinic acid by expression of an acyl-ACP desaturase from coriander (Cahoon et al. 1992 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 89:11184-11188).
The long chain fatty acids (C18 and larger), have significant economic value both as nutritionally and medically important foods and as industrial commodities (Ohlrogge, J. B. 1994 Plant Physiol. 104:821-826). Linoleic (18:2 .DELTA.9,12) and .alpha.-linolenic acid (18:3 .DELTA.9,12,15) are essential fatty acids found in many seed oils. The levels of these fatty-acids have been manipulated in oil seed crops through breeding and biotechnology (Ohlrogge, et al. 1991 Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1082:1-26; Topfer et al. 1995 Science 268:681-686). Additionally, the production of novel fatty acids in seed oils can be of considerable use in both human health and industrial applications.
Consumption of plant oils rich in .gamma.-linolenic acid (GLA) (18:3 .DELTA.6,9,12) is thought to alleviate hypercholesterolemia and other related clinical disorders which correlate with susceptibility to coronary heart disease (Brenner R. R. 1976 Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 83:85-101). The therapeutic benefits of dietary GLA may result from its role as a precursor to prostaglandin synthesis (Weete, J. D. 1980 in Lipid Biochemistry of Fungi and Other Organisms, eds. Plenum Press, New York, pp. 59-62). Linoleic acid(18:2) (LA) is transformed into gamma linolenic acid (18:3) (GLA) by the enzyme .DELTA.6-desaturase.
Few seed oils contain GLA despite high contents of the precursor linoleic acid. This is due to the absence of .DELTA.6-desaturase activity in most plants. For example, only borage (Borago officinalis), evening primrose (Oenothera biennis), and currants (Ribes nigrum) produce appreciable amounts of linolenic acid. Of these three species, only Oenothera and Borage are cultivated as a commercial source for GLA. It would be beneficial if agronomic seed oils could be engineered to produce GLA in significant quantities by introducing a heterologous .DELTA.6-desaturase gene. It would also be beneficial if other expression products associated with fatty acid synthesis and lipid metabolism could be produced in plants at high enough levels so that commercial production of a particular expression product becomes feasible.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,552,306, a cyanobacterial .DELTA..sup.6 -desaturase gene has been recently isolated. Expression of this cyanobacterial gene in transgenic tobacco resulted in significant but low level GLA accumulation. (Reddy et al. 1996 Nature Biotech. 14:639-642). Applicant's copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08,366,779, discloses a .DELTA.6-desaturase gene isolated from the plant Borago officinalis and its expression in tobacco under the control of the CaMV 35S promoter. Such expression resulted in significant but low level GLA and octadecatetraenoic acid (ODTA or OTA) accumulation in seeds. Thus, a need exists for a promoter which functions in plants and which consistently directs high level expression of lipid metabolism genes in transgenic plant seeds.
Oleosins are abundant seed proteins associated with the phospholipid monolayer membrane of oil bodies. The first oleosin gene, L3, was cloned from maize by selecting clones whose in vitro translated products were recognized by an anti-L3 antibody (Vance et al. 1987 J. Biol. Chem. 262:11275-11279). Subsequently, different isoforms of oleosin genes from such different species as Brassica, soybean, carrot, pine, and Arabidopsis have been cloned (Huang, A. H. C., 1992, Ann. Reviews Plant Phys. and Plant Mol. Biol. 43:177-200; Kirik et al., 1996 Plant Mol. Biol. 31:413-417; Van Rooijen et al., 1992 Plant Mol. Biol. 18:1177-1179; Zou et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 31:429-433. Oleosin protein sequences predicted from these genes are highly conserved, especially for the central hydrophobic domain. All of these oleosins have the characteristic feature of three distinctive domains. An amphipathic domain of 40-60 amino acids is present at the N-terminus; a totally hydrophobic domain of 68-74 amino acids is located at the center; and an amphipathic .alpha.-helical domain of 33-40 amino acids is situated at the C-terminus (Huang, A. H. C. 1992).
The present invention provides 5' regulatory sequences from an oleosin gene which direct high level expression of lipid metabolism genes in transgenic plants. In accordance with the present invention, chimeric constructs comprising an oleosin 5' regulatory region operably linked to coding sequence for a lipid metabolism gene such as a .DELTA.6-desaturase gene are provided. Transgenic plants comprising the subject chimeric constructs produce levels of GLA approaching the level found in those few plant species which naturally produce GLA such as evening primrose (Oenothera biennis).

Oleosin 5' regulatory region for the modification of plant seed lipid composition


An electrosurgical electrode assembly and method utilizing the same are disclosed capable of controlling or limiting the current per arc in real-time during an electrosurgical procedure. The conductive electrosurgical electrode is configured for being connected to an electrosurgical generator system and has a non-conductive, porous ceramic coating that “pinches” or splits the arc current generated by the electrosurgical generator system into the smaller diameter pores of the coating, effectively keeping the same current and voltage, but creating several smaller diameter arcs from one larger diameter arc. This has the effect of separating the arc current, effectively increasing the current frequency, resulting in a finer cut or other surgical effect. That is, the non-conductive, porous ceramic coating enables a low frequency current to achieve surgical results indicative of a high frequency current, while minimizing or preventing thermal damage to adjacent tissue.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed to electrosurgery and, in particular, to an electrosurgical electrode having a non-conductive porous ceramic coating for controlling the amount of current per arc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Tissue heating is proportional to the square of the amount of current being generated through the tissue and tissue vaporization is, in turn, generally proportional to current. Vaporization of tissue is proportional to the amount of energy in an arc. This energy, in combination with the Cathode Fall Voltage, derives the power for vaporization. Thermal spread is dependent on the amount of heat generated within the tissue and is dependent on tissue resistivity and the arc energy squared. As can be appreciated, by not controlling the thermal spread the depth of ablation is difficult to predict and control.
Therefore, during electrosurgery, an increase or decrease in the amount of current provides a different tissue effect. This phenomenon is due to a variable referred to as the crest factor (CF). The crest factor can be calculated using the formula: CF=VPEAK/VRMS, where VPEAK is the positive peak of the waveform and VRMS is the RMS value of the waveform. The crest factor can also be calculated using the formula: CF=[(1−D)/D]1/2, where D is the duty cycle of the waveform and is defined as D=T1/(T1+T2).
Based on the above formulas, it is evident that when operating an electrosurgical generator system in either the "cut", "blend" or "coagulate" mode, the range of the crest factor varies from one mode to another. For example, the "cutting" mode typically entails generating an uninterrupted sinusoidal waveform in the frequency range of 100 kHz to 4 MHz with a crest factor in the range of 1.4 to 2.0. The "blend" mode typically entails generating an uninterrupted cut waveform with a duty cycle in the range of 25% to 75% and a crest factor in the range of 2.0 to 5.0. The "coagulate" mode typically entails generating an uninterrupted waveform with a duty cycle of approximately 10% or less and a crest factor in the range of 5.0 to 12.0. For the purposes herein, "coagulation" is defined as a process of desiccating tissue wherein the tissue cells are ruptured and dried. "Vessel sealing" is defined as the process of liquefying the collagen in the tissue so that it reforms into a fused mass with significantly-reduced demarcation between the opposing tissue structures (opposing walls of the lumen). Coagulation of small vessels is usually sufficient to permanently close them. Larger vessels need to be sealed to assure permanent closure.
An increase in the crest factor results in more current per arc at a given power setting. Further, since tissue heating is proportional to the amount of current through the tissue squared and tissue vaporization is proportional to the amount of current being generated through the tissue, a doubling of current per arc results in four times as much tissue heating and twice the amount of tissue vaporization when an electrode connected to the electrosurgical generator system contacts the tissue. Known electrodes cannot control or limit the current per arc to achieve a particular surgical effect, e.g., a fine cut. Accordingly, such electrodes do not have the ability to manipulate or control the proportion of tissue vaporization to tissue heating, in order to achieve more controllable and desirable surgical effects.
Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide an electrosurgical electrode capable of controlling or limiting the current per arc for controlling the both tissue heating and tissue vaporization.

Electrosurgical electrode having a non-conductive porous ceramic coating


Optimum antenna-like exciters for heating earth media which may be used to recover hydrocarbons. A high frequency power supply is connected to an exciter emplaced in the subsurface formation which radiates high frequency power. The exciters include one or more conducting cylinders which make up monopole and dipole antenna-like apparatus. Substantially uniform heating of the subsurface formation is provided thus suppressing excessive heating of edge and power input regions. The equal distribution of electric fields eliminates intense electric fields which would normally exist thus mitigating excessively heated regions and providing substantially uniform heating of the subsurface formation.

Many sections of the earth which are contaminated with hazardous materials lie in layers, often 10 or more feet below the surface and are some are 10 to 50 feet thick. The contaminants are often volatiles such as gasoline, and semi-volatiles, such as jet fuel. It is known that such fuels and other such contaminants pose known or possible health hazards. Conventional remediation means, such as incineration or low temperature volatilization in an on-site retort, require excavation, which becomes prohibitively expensive if layers of uncontaminated overburden must be removed. In addition, the costs of transport and incineration itself, as well as site restoration, are quite high.
One proven in situ method of recovering hydrocarbons and similar thermally responsive constituents is to heat the contaminated soil to increase the vapor pressure and to remove such vapors by means of a drying atmosphere such as a steam sweep. Such methods are currently being tested wherein the necessary short-wave-band frequency apparatus heats from the surface down. If semi-volatiles and high boilers are to be removed, a steam sweep at a high temperature is preferable, and this can be realized by evaporating the moisture in the soil to provide an autogenous steam sweep, or by further heating to further increase the vapor pressure, thereby assuring almost complete recovery of the contaminants. However, the efficiency of such existing technology is reduced by the necessity of heating uncontaminated layers of overburden.
Petroleum-rich formations exist from which constituents can be effectively recovered if selectively heated, especially to temperatures at which the free water and much of the water-of-crystallization can be removed. Systems have been successfully developed and tested which employ rows of electrodes emplaced from mined galleries which, when excited by electromagnetic energy, uniformly heat such formations. Radiating antenna-like structures also have been proposed which might selectively heat such deposits. However, such antenna-like heating approaches have encountered problems, and to date few if any successful tests employing antenna-like structures have been reported.
Electromagnetic or radio frequency (RF) heating of earth media or reservoirs containing hydrocarbons or noxious volatile wastes has been the subject of some investigation over the last 10 to 20 years. The objective has been to heat the deposit to assist in the removal of valuable minerals such as oil, or noxious materials such as solvents and liquid fuels. In situ electromagnetic heating technology which has been disclosed to date falls into two major categories: A) bound-wave heating (either low or high frequency), and B) radiated wave heating (high frequency only).
Bound-wave heating structures are those in which the wave is largely contained within a specified volume and is not permitted to radiate significant amounts of energy. The original purpose of radiated wave structures (antenna), on the other hand, was to radiate waves into a lossless dielectric, such as air. Examples of the bound-wave approach appear in U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 30,738, and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,140,180, 4,144,935 4,499,585, 4,498,535 and 4,670,634. The successful application of the bound-wave process using the high frequency version is discussed in "Development of the IIT Research Institute RF Heating Process for In Situ Shale/Tar Fuel Extraction--An Overview", presented at the Fourteenth Oil Shale Symposium, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado, April 1981 by R. D. Carlson, et al. The successful use of a high frequency version of the bound-wave heating to decontaminate hazardous waste spills appears in "Radio Frequency Enhanced In Situ Decontamination of Soils Contaminated with Halogenated Hydrocarbons", presented in the proceedings of the Twelfth Annual Research Symposium, U.S. EPA, April 21-22, 1986, U.S. EPA Publication No. EPA/600/9-86/022 by H. Dev.
Direct application of radiated wave technology to heating lossy media such as soil has not achieved the same degree of success as bound-wave methods. Examples of direct application of antenna technology, intended for radiation in lossless media such as air, to heating lossy media appear in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,301,865, 4,140,179, 4,457,365, 4,135,579, 4,196,329, 4,487,257, 4,508,168, 4,513,815, 4,408,754, 4,638,863, 2,757,738, 4,228,851, 3,170,519, and 4,705,108.
The lack of reported success in using the radiated wave approach in conductive earth media (as opposed to air) may be attributed to several possibilities. One possibility is that far field radiated wave technology, which was originally developed for radiation into lossless media such as air, has been incorrectly adapted for media which are highly conducting by comparison. Another possibility originates in the misconception that hydrocarbon material can be selectively heated to high temperatures, regardless of the soil matrix, even though such material is both finely divided and widely dispersed in the matrix. Such a misconception may have led to impractical equipment and negative results. An example of a radiating antenna structure designed to recover hydrocarbons (either contaminants or fuels) embedded in loss earth is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,819.
A primary difficulty in directly applying the radiating antenna concept to lossy media is the nature of the very intense fields near the antenna. Such intense fields are of little concern in conventional radiating antennas operated in air, unless extremely high powered pulses are applied. In earth, such intense fields create hot spots which eventually lead to thermal breakdown of the soil. Published literature such as "Electromagnetic Field of an Insulated Antenna in a Conducting or Dielectric Media" by R. W. P. King, et al., IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. MTT-31, No. 7, Jul. 1983, as well as results of computer programs, demonstrate that very intense and highly localized fields appear near the ends of dipole antennas and at the power input points (feed points), especially near sharp corners typically associated with such antenna designs. A consequence of disregarding the impact of such intense local fields at the feed point is that the earth medium may swell or melt, making it impossible to withdraw the fairly expensive antenna equipment, as has been known to occur in oil shale deposits. Examples of proposed technology to combat this particular problem, appear in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,553,592, 4,576,231, and 4,660,636. In contrast, the heating near the electrodes in bound-wave heating of oil shale deposits is far more uniform, and causes much less swelling of the earth so that the electrodes may be easily extracted.
A further example of the use of the bound-wave approach to decontaminate hazardous waste spills is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,670,634. An example of a radiating antenna structure embedded in lossy earth designed to recover hydrocarbons (either contaminants or fuels) is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,819.
It has been contemplated in the prior art that more extensive radiative heating of the soil can be achieved using the radiating wave technique on account of the differences in dielectric properties of moist and dry soil. As the embedded antenna heats the soil in its immediate vicinity, moisture is boiled out, creating a steam sweep for use in flushing contaminants or hydrocarbons. This leaves the soil in the vicinity dry. The dielectric properties of such dry soil more closely approximates that of a lossless medium like air, and thus wave energy can be radiated through the dry soil to a greater distance with less attenuation than would be the case for moist soil. A significant problem, however, lies in achieving a uniform heating pattern for this purpose. Hot spots develop at certain locations around the exciters, while other locations remain moist. There is a need in the field to develop an apparatus which heats more uniformly and which mitigates the effects of these hot spots.
Yet another difficulty in directly applying the radiating antenna concept to lossy media is in determining how many exciter elements to use, and how closely to space them.
The development of an apparatus for selectively heating a subsurface layer, which does not need to be emplaced from mined galleries, would offer a more cost-effective removal of contaminants in layers substantially beneath the surface of the earth. It would also permit more cost-effective recovery of petroleum deposits which exist beneath an overburden and which require heating to over 100.degree. C.
What is further needed is an apparatus having means for suppressing intense fields and excessive heating near the edges and power input points of the exciters.
There is a further need for an apparatus which can selectively heat a thin subsurface layer, without excessive loss of energy into uninteresting layers above and below.
Finally, there is need for an apparatus in which the exciters are spaced appropriately closely to achieve uniform heating throughout the formation.

Optimum antenna-like exciters for heating earth media to recover thermally responsive constituents


A test image has a black bias on a white background. The black bias is a line set at about 45 degrees to the scan lines of a scanner. Boundary points of the scanned bias are found. A regression line is calculated from the positions of the boundary points. Differences in the positions of adjacent boundary points, together with the slope reciprocal of the regression line, are used to determine error values. The error values are compared with a gate value to determine if there are any occurrences of scan line misalignment.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides a method for determining if an image from a scanner has occurrences of scan line misalignments. More particularly, a software method enabling a program to determine if an image from a scanner has occurrences of scan line misalignments is disclosed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Scanners are popular computer peripherals that are used to digitize documents or pictures so that they may be stored on a computer. To ensure a high quality of these scanned images, manufacturers strive to increase the resolution of the images, and to make their colors more brilliant. But a key factor affecting the quality of scanned images is the stability of the scanning module. If the stability of the scanning module is insufficient, the images from a scanner may have misalignments or entire deletions of scan lines in the image.
Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art method to determine if there are any occurrences of scan line deletions in an image 10. The test is performed after the scanner has been completely manufactured, and involves the scanning of the test image 10. Testing personnel then analyze the results. As shown in FIG. 1, if a missed scan line 12 is observed by the testing personnel, the scanner is returned to the factory for adjustments. This visual method to determine if a scanner misses scan lines is both time consuming and relatively inaccurate.
Please refer to FIG. 2. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of another prior art method that uses a scanned test image 20 to determine if a scanner misses scan lines. The test image 20 is produced by the scanner to be tested by scanning a test picture. Each grid element, such as 24 or 26 in FIG. 2, represents a gray-scale value of a scanned test image pixel from the scanner after scanning the test picture, which has an axis of symmetry at 45 degrees. The range of the gray-scale values are from 0 to 255. The smaller the gray-scale values are, the darker the corresponding image pixels are. The larger the gray-scale values are, the brighter the corresponding image pixels are. The region 28 represents an image region after scanning the test picture, and its pixel values are almost all less than 30.
In this prior art, a search is performed within the scanned test image 20 to find the positions of the boundary points of the test image 20, and then pixel values within the boundary points are tested against diagonally adjacent pixel values. For example, I(X, Y) represents the pixel value of the test image 20 at the Xth column and the Yth line. A simple program is used to compare the pixel value I(i) of a point (X, Y) and the pixel value I(i+1) of another point (X−1, Y+1). If the difference between I(i) and I(i+1) is too large, then it is assumed that a scan line 22 is missing between the lines (Y) and (Y+1).
Hence, the prior art compares two adjacent lines and determines if the scanned test image 20 conforms to the expected 45 degree symmetry of the test picture. The minimum unit required to determine if a scan line has been skipped is one pixel. This is not accurate enough to satisfy the requirements of a high-end scanner.

Method for determining scan line misalignments


Methods, computer program products, and systems are presented. The methods include, for instance: predicting a reaction by a user that may be caused from receiving social media content. An activity that may be affected by the predicted reaction is consequently predicted. A measure of impact by the social media content on the user performing the activity as predicted is quantified as a performance impact score based on numerous factors including the activity and the reaction predicted. If the performance impact score is within a certain range of threshold, the social media content would be delivered according to a delivery regime associated with the range.

In modern mobile telecommunication environment with prolific telecommunication networks with wide range of membership and activities, users almost always have access to mobile devices and receive social media contents. Because users may have strong emotional reactions to some social media contents, such ubiquitous accesses to mobile devices and instant delivery of social media content at all times may not be desirable when a user is engaged in activities with significant consequences if the performance is impaired.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


In a system and method of estimating and classifying a barcode using heuristic and statistical measures, a classification determination is generated for each of a plurality of estimated barcode digits that correspond to a decoded barcode estimation. The classification determination is selected from one of a first classification determination and a second classification determination. The first classification determinations among a plurality of estimation determinations are aggregated. The aggregated first classification determinations are compared to a first predetermined threshold to determine a validity of the decoded barcode estimation.

Barcodes are widely used to identify and track goods and documents, among other things. A commonly used barcode is a linear barcode, which is a machine-readable representation of data that represents data in the widths and spacing of parallel lines. Different linear barcode formats have emerged over time, with Universal Product Code (UPC) and European Article Number (EAN) being two commonly used barcode formats.
A commonly used UPC code is a UPC-A barcode. A UPC-A barcode is characterized by twelve decimal digits, preceded by a start delimiter and followed by an end delimiter. In the middle of the twelve digit barcode, between the sixth and seventh digits, is a middle delimiter. The start, middle, and end delimiters function to separate the twelve digits into two groups of six digits. The start and end delimiters are characterized by a "101" bit pattern, which may be visualized as two vertical black guard bars with a white space between the bars. The middle delimiter is characterized by a "01010" bit pattern, which may be visualized as a white space, a black vertical guard bar, a white space, a black vertical guard bar, and a white space. Between the start and middle delimiters are six "left" digits, and between the middle and end delimiters are six "right" digits. Each digit is represented by a seven-bit code, with a binary '1' value represented by a vertical black bar and a binary '0' value represented by a vertical white space. The seven-bit code for each digit is represented visually as two bars and two spaces, with each of the bars and spaces having varying widths depending on the digit. To distinguish between "left" digits and "right" digits, a "left" digit seven-bit code is the inverse of a "right" digit seven-bit code. The following table illustrates the seven-bit code values for each barcode digit.
DigitLeft PatternRight Pattern000011011110010100110011100110200100111101100301111011000010401000111011100501100011001110601011111010000701110111000100801101111001000900010111110100
Among the twelve digits of the barcode, the first, or leftmost, digit is a prefix digit, while the last, or rightmost digit, is an error correcting check digit.
A commonly used EAN barcode is an EAN-13 barcode. The EAN-13 barcode is a superset of a UPC-A barcode. The EAN-13 barcode uses thirteen digits broken up into four components: a prefix, which may be two or three digits long; a company number, which may be four to six digits long, an item reference number, which may be two to six digits, and a single checksum digit. EAN-13 barcodes differ from UPC-A barcodes in that the data digits are split into three groups—a first digit, a first group of six digits, and a second group of six digits. The first group of six digits is encoded according to one of two encoding schemes, one of which has even parity and one of which has odd parity, while the second group of six digits is encoded as bitwise complements to the digits of the first group having the odd parity encoding scheme.
Barcodes are commonly read using fixed or mounted barcode scanners, such as those found as part of a point-of-sale system, or using commercial laser-based, handheld barcode readers, which are often attached to a point-of-sale system. However, with the proliferation of handheld and mobile devices, there is a growing interest in leveraging the ability of these devices to read barcodes.

System and method for estimation and classification of barcodes using heuristic and statistical measures


Embodiments for image capture feedback are disclosed. In some embodiments, a computing system may receive a first image from an image capture device and generate a score for the first image. The computing system may generate a recommendation for an action, such that if the image capture device captures a second image after the action is performed, the score for the second image will be better than the score for the first image. The computing system may indicate the recommended action to the user on an output device. Other embodiments may be disclosed and/or claimed.

Skilled photographers bring a great deal of training and expertise to bear on how they select, compose, and capture images. Most owners of image capture devices (ICDs), such as still and video cameras, are not skilled photographers. To compensate, some existing devices allow a user to edit an image after it is captured (e.g., by adjusting the brightness or color properties, cropping the image, airbrushing portions of the image, etc.). However, the successful use of such editing techniques requires training and skill, and may be nearly as or more difficult than developing good photographic techniques. Thus, despite the proliferation of ICDs, high quality images are still rare.


A clothes treating apparatus and a controlling method thereof are disclosed. The clothes treating apparatus includes a housing defining a accommodating space for receiving clothes, an air supplying device for drying air circulating into the accommodating space, a temperature measuring device for measuring the interior temperature of the accommodating space, a preheating unit for raising the temperature of the accommodating space according to the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device, and a controller for controlling the air supplying device and the preheating unit according to the temperature measured by the temperature measuring device.

In recent years, there have been used various kinds of clothes treating apparatus together with washing machines that wash clothes. For example, a drum type drying machine that dries washed clothes, a housing type drying machine that dries clothes while suspending the clothes, and a refresher that supplied dry air to clothes to refresh the clothes have been developed.
Among the clothes treating apparatuses, the refresher or the drying machine mainly heats air through the use of a heater and supplies the heated air to clothes. The heater may be classified as a gas heater that burns gas to heat air or an electric heater that heats air using electric resistance. In recent years, the electric heater has been widely used because the installation of the electric heater is convenient and the structure of the electric heater is simple.
However, when air is heated by the electric heater, high-temperature heat generated from the heater may be directly transmitted to clothes, with the result that the clothes may be damaged, and, furthermore, the interior of the clothes treating apparatus may be destroyed by fire.
Also, since the electric heater uses electricity to heat air, the electricity is excessively consumed to heat the air to a desired temperature, with the result that the maintenance costs of the electric heater are greatly increased.

Clothes treating apparatus and controlling method thereof


This invention relates to new fluorescent chemical entities, especially fluorescent molecules that comprise biocompatible N,N-disubstituted sulfonamide fluorochromes. This invention also relates to the corresponding reactive versions of such molecules. This invention also relates to the corresponding conjugates with moieties such as peptides, proteins, various biomolecules, carbocyclic and heterocyclic compounds, sugars, and their uses thereof.

Optical imaging is an evolving clinical imaging modality that uses penetrating light rays to create images. Light in the red and near-infrared (NIR) range (600-1200 nm) is used to maximize tissue penetration and minimize absorption from natural biological absorbers such as hemoglobin and water. (Wyatt, Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London B 352:701-706, 1997; Tromberg, et al., Phil. Trans. R. Soc. London B 352:661-667, 1997).
Besides being non-invasive, optical imaging methods offer a number of advantages over other imaging methods: they provide generally high sensitivity, do not require exposure of test subjects or lab personnel to ionizing radiation, can allow for simultaneous use of multiple, distinguishable probes (important in molecular imaging), and offer high temporal and spatial resolution (important in functional imaging and in vivo microscopy, respectively).
In fluorescence imaging, filtered light or a laser with a defined bandwidth is used as a source of excitation light. The excitation light travels through body tissues. When it encounters a reporter molecule (i.e., contrast agent or imaging probe), the excitation light is absorbed. The reporter molecule then emits light that has detectably different properties from the excitation light. The resulting emitted light then can be used to construct an image.
Most optical imaging techniques have relied on the use of organic and inorganic fluorescent molecules as the reporter molecule.
Fluorescent dyes are generally known and used for fluorescence labeling and detection of various biological and non-biological materials by procedures such as fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence immunoassay and flow cytometry. A typical method for labeling such materials with fluorescent dyes is to create a fluorescent complex by means of bonding between suitable groups on the dye molecule and compatible groups on the material to be labeled. In this way, materials such as cells, tissues, amino acids, proteins, antibodies, drugs, hormones, nucleotides, nucleic acids, lipids and polysaccharides and the like may be chemically labeled and detected or quantified, or may be used as fluorescent probes which can bind specifically to target materials and detected by fluorescence detection methods. Brightly fluorescent dyes permit detection or location of the attached materials with great sensitivity.
Certain carbocyanine or polymethine fluorochromes have demonstrated utility as labeling reagents for a variety of biological applications, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,027 to Waggoner (1997); U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,044 to Brush, et al. (1998); U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,310 to Reddington, et al. (1999); U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,003 to Shen, et al. (1999); U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,536 to Leung et al. (1999); U.S. Pat. No. 6,008,373 to Waggoner, et al. (1999); U.S. Pat. No. 6,043,025 to Minden, et al. (2000); U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,134 to Minden, et al. (2000); U.S. Pat. No. 6,130,094 to Waggoner, et al. (2000); U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,445 to Waggoner, et al. (2000); also WO 97/40104, WO 99/51702, WO 01/21624, and EP 1 065 250 A1; U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,008 to Caputo et al. and Tetrahedron Letters 41, 9185-88 (2000); all of the above incorporated by reference.
Comprehensive reviews regarding polymethine dyes have been by written by L. G. S. Brooker, "The Theory of the Photographic Process" Mees Ed., Macmillan, N.Y., (1942), p. 987 and (1966), p. 198; Frances M. Hamer, in "The Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds", Vol 18, "The Cyanine Dyes and Related Compounds", Weissberger, Ed, Wiley Interscience, New York, (1964); G. E. Ficken, "The Chemistry of Synthetic Dyes", Vol 4, K. Venkataraman Ed., Academic Press, New York, (1971), p. 211; A. I. Kiprianov, Usp. Khim., 29, 1336, (1960), 35, 361 (1966), 40, 594 (1971); D. W. Heseltine, "The Theory of the Photographic Process", 4.sup.th edition, James Ed., Macmillan, N.Y., (1977), chapter 8, "Sensitising and Desensitising Dyes"; S. Daehne, Phot. Sci. Eng., 12, 219 (1979); D. J. Fry, "Rodd's Chemistry of Carbon Compounds", "Cyanine Dyes and Related Compounds", Vol. IVb, chapter 15, p. 369 Elsevier, Amsterdam, (1977); Supplement to Vol. IVb, 2.sup.nd Edition (1985), p. 267; H. Zollinger, "Color Chemistry", VCH, Weinheim (1987), chapters 3 and 14; D. M. Sturmer, "The Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds", "Special Topics in Heterocyclic Chemistry", chapter VIII, "Synthesis and Properties of Cyanine and Related Dyes", Weissberger Ed., Wiley, New York, (1977); "The Kirk-Othmer Encyclopaedia of Chemical Technology" Vol 7, p. 782, "Cyanine Dyes", Wiley, New-York, (1993). For many years, polymethine dyes have been very useful as sensitizers in photography, especially in the red and near infrared regions of the spectrum. However, in more recent years, there has been an upsurge of new uses of these dyes in innovative technological areas, such as laser and electro-optic applications, optical recording media, medical, biological and diagnostic. These new applications of polymethine dyes place high demands on the degree of purity required, and the reproducibility of synthetic methods and purification steps is very important.
To be useful as a label, a fluorochrome has to be provided with a suitable side chain containing a functional group. The method and site of introduction of a side chain containing a functional group into the structure for the purpose of conjugation, or binding to another molecule such as a biomolecule (BM), represents the innovative step in the inventions concerning the use of the fluorochrome as a labeling reagent. An approach in the design of polymethine labeling reagents has been to attach the functionalized side arm to one of the heterocyclic moieties (Z1 or Z2), separated by a polymethine linker (PML), of the fluorochrome, of formula (1):Z1-PML-Z2  (1)
Another approach in the design of polymethine labeling reagents has been to attach the functionalized side arm to one of the heterocyclic moieties (for example Z2), separated by a polymethine linker (PML), of the fluorochrome, of formula (1a):Z2-PML-Z2  (1a)See, for instance: J. S. Lindsey, P. A. Brown, and D. A. Siesel, "Visible Light Harvesting in Covalently-Linked Porphyrin-Cyanine Dyes, Tetrahedron, 45, 4845, (1989); R. B. Mujumdar, L. A. Ernst, S. R. Mujumdar, and A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine Dye Labelling Reagents Containing Isothiocyanate Groups", Cytometry, 10, 11 (1989); L. A. Ernst, R. K. Gupta, R. B. Mujumdar, and A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine Dye Labelling Reagents for sulphydryl Groups", Cytometry, 10, 3, (1989); P. L. Southwick P. L., L. A. Ernst, E. W. Tauriello, S. R. Parker, R. B. Mujumdar, S. R. Mujumdar, H. A. Clever, and A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine Dye Labelling Reagents-Carboxymethylindocyanine Succinimidyl Esters", Cytometry 11, 418 (1990); R. B. Mujumdar, L. A. Ernst, Swati R. Mujumdar, C. J. Lewis, and A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine Dye Labelling Reagents: Sulfoindocyanine Succinimidyl Esters", Bioconjugate Chemistry, 4, 105, (1993); A. J. G. Mank, E. J. Molenaar, H. Lingeman, C. Goojer, U. A. Th. Brinkman, and N. H. Velthorst, "Visible Diode Laser Induced Fluorescence Detection in Liquid Chromatography after Precolumn Derivatisation of Thiols", Anal. Chem., 65, 2197, (1993); H. Yu., J. Chao, D. Patek, S. R. Mujumdar, and A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine dye dUTP analogs for enzymatic labelling of DNA Probes", Nucl. Acids Res 22, 3226, (1994); A. J. G. Mank, H. T. C. van der Laan, H. Lingeman, Cees Goojer, U. A. Th. Brinkman, and N. H. Velthorst, "Visible Diode Laser-Induced Fluorescence Detection in Liquid Chromatography after Precolumn Derivatisation of Amines", Anal. Chem., 67, 1742, (1995); S. R. Mujumdar, R. B. Mujumdar, C. M. Grant, and A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine Labelling Reagents: sulfobenzoindocyanine succinimidyl esters", Bioconjugate Chemistry, 7, 356, (1996). Patent Literature: P. L. Southwick, and A. S. Waggoner, "Intermediate for and Fluorescent Cyanine Dyes containing Carboxylic Acid Groups", U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,977, Jan. 1, 1991; A. S. Waggoner, L. A. Ernst, and Mujumdar, R. B., "Method for Labelling and Detecting Materials Employing Arylsulfonate Cyanine Dyes", U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,486, Dec. 7., 1993; A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine Dyes as Labelling Reagents for Detection of Biological and Other Materials by Luminescence Methods", U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,027, May 6, 1996; A. S. Waggoner, and R. B. Mujumdar, "Rigidised Trimethine Cyanine Dyes", WO99/311181; G.-Y. Shen, T. S. Dobashi, "Cyanine Dye Activating Group with Improved Coupling Selectivity"; G. M. Little, R. Raghavachari; N. Narayanan; H. L. Osterman, "Fluorescent Cyanine Dyes", U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,709, Feb. 22, 2000.
The general synthetic strategy necessary to prepare these labeling reagents is as follows. First, a quaternized nitrogen heterocycle Z1 is prepared. Then, this heterocyclic base is reacted with a polymethine linker (PML) that is an electrophilic reagent such as PhNH—(CH═CH)n—CH═NHPh.HCl or RO—(CH═CH)n—CH(OR)2, where Ph is a phenyl ring and R a methyl or ethyl group, to obtain hemicyanines such as, Z1—(CH═CH)n—CH═NHPh or Z1—(CH═CH)n—CH═NAcPh (where Ac is the acetyl radical) or Z1—(CH═CH)n—OR. These intermediates are then reacted with a different quaternary nitrogen heterocycle, Z2. The functionalized side arm is attached either to the first (Z1) or to the second (Z2) quaternized nitrogen heterocycle. The final result is a non-symmetric polymethine labeling reagent, Z1-PML-Z2. Examples of hemicyanine intermediates are described in F. M. Hamer, "Some Unsymmetrical Pentamethincyanine Dyes and their Tetramethin Intermediates", J. Chem. Soc., 32 (1949) and R. B. Mujumdar, L. A. Ernst, Swati R. Mujumdar, C. J. Lewis, and A. S. Waggoner, "Cyanine Dye Labelling Reagents: Sulfoindocyanine Succinimidyl Esters", Bioconjugate Chemistry, 4, 105, (1993).
Polymethine fluorochromes that are efficient and easy to produce as well as suitable for preparing conjugates with biomolecules are desirable.

Biocompatible N, N-disubstituted sulfonamide-containing fluorescent dye labels


An optical recording and reproducing medium has grooves formed thereon along recording tracks, this optical recording and reproducing medium being recorded and/or reproduced with irradiation of light having a predetermined wavelength λ. Since the grooves are composed of a first groove 2 and a second groove 3 shallower than the first groove 2 and the second groove 3 is disposed adjacent to both sides of the first groove 2, a recorded signal can be suppressed from crossing the tracks and a sufficiently large amplitude amount of a push-pull signal can be obtained. Thus, an optical recording and reproducing medium can produce a stable tracking signal and hence a recording density can be increased.

Various disk-like optical discs that can optically be recorded and/or reproduced have been so far put into practical use as an optical recording and reproducing medium. A read-only optical disc in which embossed pits corresponding to data are formed on a disc substrate in advance, a magneto-optical disc capable of recording data thereon by utilizing a magneto-optical effect and a phase-change type optical disc capable of recording data by utilizing a phase change of a recording film are available as such optical discs.
There have hitherto been proposed read-only optical discs such as a CD (Compact disc), an LD (Laser Disc) and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc)-ROM (Read Only Memory), a DVD+RW or DVD-RW (registered trademarks of optical discs) such as a rewritable type MD (Mini Disc) of a magneto-optical disc in which discrete information patterns or tracking guide grooves, i.e., grooves are formed in advance as preformatted patterns and various kinds of optical recording and reproducing mediums such as MO and MD Data2 (registered trademarks of magneto-optical discs: Sony Corporation) of magneto-optical discs.
Grooves are generally formed along recording tracks in order to carry out mainly tracking servo, and an opening end between the grooves is generally referred to as a "land".
Then, the optical recording and reproducing medium having grooves formed thereon is controlled in tracking servo by a tracking error signal based on a push-pull signal obtained from light that had been reflected and diffracted on the grooves. The push-pull signal can be obtained in such a manner that outputs from a plurality of photo-detectors disposed symmetrically with respect to the center of the track are calculated by predetermined equations after light reflected and diffracted on the grooves had been detected by the photo-detectors.
These optical discs had increased a recording density so far by increasing a reproducing resolution of an optical pickup mounted on a reproducing apparatus, i.e., optical system on which light for reproducing an optical disc becomes incident. Then, the reproducing resolution of the optical pickup had been so far optically realized by shortening a wavelength λ of laser light mainly used to reproduce data or by increasing a numerical aperture NA of an objective lens for focusing laser light on the optical disc.
In various kinds of optical recording mediums such as CD, MD, DVD-ROM, DVD+RW, MD Data2, the wavelengths λ of reproducing laser light, the numerical apertures NA and the track pitches Tp are shown on the following table 1. A study of this table reveals that the wavelength λ of the reproducing laser light was shortened and the numerical aperture NA of the reproducing lens was increased so that the track pitch could be reduced to achieve a high recording density.
TABLE 1LaserNumericalwavelengthapertureTrackλ [nm]NAλ/2NApitch [nm]CD, MD7800.458671600DVD − ROM6500.60542740DVD + RW6500.60542800MD Data26500.52625950
A lower limit of the track pitch is selected in response to a cut-off frequency of the optical pickup of the reproducing apparatus and 2NA/λ. In actual practice, the lower limit of the track pitch is selected in a range of from approximately twice to 3/2 times the track pitch corresponding to 2NA/λ. The reason for this is to obtain a tracking reproducing signal with amplitude large enough to carry out stable tracking servo.
The high recording density optical disc such as DVD+RW and MD Data2 uses the push-pull signal as the tracking reproducing signal in recent years. Under existing circumstances, a push-pull signal amplitude value (Peak-to-Peak value) large enough to carry out stable tracking servo is higher than approximately 0.15.
As FIG. 8, which is a plan view, shows schematically an arrangement of the MD Data2, for example, double spiral grooves of ordinary groove (straight groove) 81 and a wobbling groove 82 are formed in such a manner that a track pitch Tp is 0.95 μm and that a track period Td serving as a period between the grooves is 1.90 μm. Land portions between the two grooves are formed as tracks 83 and 84 and thereby used as recording areas. The push-pull signal amplitude amount is approximately 0.30 to produce a sufficient signal amplitude amount so that the stable tracking servo characteristics can be realized.
In recent years, when a storage capacity of an optical disc further increases or a recording density of an optical disc further increases to miniaturize the optical disc, there has been proposed a so-called land-groove recording system in which recording areas are formed on both of the groove and the land. When the track pitch is 1.00 μm, the push-pull signal amplitude amount is approximately 0.48, and hence the stable tracking servo characteristic can be obtained.
However, when the recording areas are formed on both of the land and the groove, since only the side surface of the groove serves as an area in which data cannot be recorded, if the widths of the land and the groove themselves are reduced, then the side surface of this groove also is reduced in width and hence a cross-talk occurs in the adjacent recording areas. Then, a problem arises, in which the recording density of the optical disc cannot be increased more than a certain recording density.
Accordingly, the track pitch cannot be narrowed more than a certain degree substantially, i.e., a track pitch cannot be made close to a track pitch corresponding to a cut-off frequency that is determined by the wavelength λ of the reproducing laser light and the numerical aperture NA of the optical pickup.
In view of the aforesaid aspect, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical recording and reproducing medium having an arrangement using a land-groove recording system in which a track pitch can be narrowed while suppressing a recorded signal from crossing the tracks of the land portion and the groove portion and which can stably produce a sufficiently large amplitude amount of a push-pull signal, an optical recording and reproducing medium manufacturing master disc for use in manufacturing this optical recording and reproducing medium and an optical recording and reproducing apparatus using this optical recording and reproducing medium.

Optical medium having grooves along recording tracks, and an associated master disc and apparatus


The present invention includes a method, system and apparatus for storing, distributing, and protecting content from unauthorized access. The media includes a writeable area, a read only area and the content stored on the writeable area. A first media validation data containing an encrypted preselected value is stored on the read only area.

Information or content may be stored on a wide variety of media. As the speed and convenience of accessing and copying stored information have increased, the threat of unauthorized coping of the information has increased correspondingly. Various schemes have been employed to protect the stored information from unauthorized access. For instance, the content stored on the media may be encrypted with a secret key, or keys, known only to devices authorized to access the media. A disadvantage of only one key is the inability to revoke the authorization of a particular device, by changing the key, without revoking the authority of all devices to read the media. Some of the disadvantages of using multiple keys include the potentially large burden of transmitting and storing the keys for each particular device.
An alternative method developed to protect content from unauthorized copying uses a media key block (MKB) to authorize copying of the content, as described by a publication from 4C Entity, LLC, entitled "CONTENT PROTECTION FOR RECORDABLE MEDIA SPECIFICATION," Revision 0.94 (Oct. 18, 2000). Authorized devices process the MKB to calculate, as described in part below, a media key allowing an authorized device to copy the content. The MKB method uses a media unique key to bind encrypted content to the media from which it will be played back.
An MKB is formatted as a sequence of contiguous records. Each record begins with a record type field, followed by a record length field. In order to process the MKB, each authorized device receives a set of "n" device keys. The "n" device keys are referred to as Kd_i (i=0, 1, . . . , n−1). For each device key there is an associated column and row value in the MKB, referred to as column value (Cd_i for i=0, 1, . . . , n−1) and row value (Rd_i for i=0, 1, . . . , n−1), respectively. An authorized device will have at most one device key for each column of the MKB. Though, an authorized device may have more than one device key per row.
The device keys and associated row and column values are kept secret. If a set of device keys is compromised, an updated MKB can be released that causes a device with the compromised set of device keys to calculate a different media key than is computed by the remaining compliant devices. In this way, the compromised device keys are "revoked" by the new MKB.
Using its device keys, a device calculates the media key by processing records of the MKB one-by-one from first to last. After processing of the MKB is completed, the device uses the most recently calculated media key value as the final value for the media key. If a device correctly processes an MKB using device keys that are revoked by that MKB, the resulting final media key will have the special value 0H, where H designates a hexadecimal number. This special value will never be an MKB's correct final media key value, and can therefore always be taken as an indication that the device's keys are revoked. If a device calculates this special media key value, it stops the authentication, playback, or recording session in progress, and will not use that media key value in any subsequent calculations.
A properly formatted MKB will have exactly one Verify Media Key Record (VMKR) as its first record. The VMKR may also be referred to as validation data. The VMKR contains the hexadecimal value DEADBEEF encrypted with the correct, final media key. The presence of the VMKR is mandatory, but the use of the VMKR by a device is not mandatory. A device may attempt to decrypt the VMKR using its current media key value during the processing of subsequent Records, checking each time for the hexadecimal value DEADBEEF. If the device successfully decrypts the VMKR, the device has already calculated the correct final media key value, and may therefore stop processing the MKB.
A properly formatted MKB will have exactly one calculate media key record (CMKR). Devices must ignore any CMKRs encountered after the first one in an MKB. The CMKR includes a column field. The column field indicates the associated column value for the device key to be used with this record, as described below. The CMKR also contains encrypted key data in each column corresponding to each of the device key rows. Before processing the CMKR, the device checks that the device has a device key with associated column value Cd_i=column, for some i.
If the device does not have a device key with the associated column value, the device ignores the rest of the CMKR. Otherwise, using the value i from the condition above, the device key and r=Rd_i, c=Cd_i, the device decrypts a media key value from the encrypted key data for row r=Rd_i. The resulting media key value becomes the current media key value.
A properly formatted MKB may have zero or more conditionally calculate media key records (C-CMKR). The C-CMKR contains encrypted conditional data. In the columns, the C-CMKR contains doubly encrypted key data. If decrypted successfully, as described below, the encrypted conditional data contains the hexadecimal value DEADBEEF and the associated column value for the device key to be used with this C-CMKR. Using its current media key value, the device decrypts conditional data from the encrypted conditional data.
Before continuing to process the Record, the device checks that the following conditions are true: the decrypted conditional data contains the hexadecimal value DEADBEEF and the device has a device key with a newly associated column value (i) decrypted from the conditional data. If any of these conditions is false, the device ignores the rest of the C-CMKR. Otherwise, using the value i from the condition above, the current media key value, and r=Rd_i, c=Cd_i, the device decrypts the doubly encrypted key data at the associated column in the C-CMKR. The device then decrypts the result of the first decryption of the doubly encrypted data using the device's i-th device key. The resulting media key becomes the current media key value.
As keys are compromised and revoked, the MKB can become quite large, with a size of several megabytes not being unusual. Since many types of media have limited read-only space, it becomes necessary to store the MKB on writeable areas of the media. Storing the MKB on the writeable area creates a vulnerability of the MKB to direct malicious tampering. In such a direct attack, the intent of the tamperer will likely be to substitute an older MKB for the current MKB stored on the media. In the alternative, the tamperer may substitute a portion of an older MKB for a portion of the current MKB stored on the media. Since the older MKB will still contain keys that are revoked by the current MKB, the substitution will potentially compromise the content protection provided by the current MKB.
Even if the MKB is stored on the readable area of the media, another weakness of the MKB approach is the ability for a man-in-the-middle attack to substitute an older MKB for the current MKB during the attempted processing of the current MKB. In the alternative, the man-in-the-middle attacker may substitute a portion of an older MKB for a portion of the current MKB during the attempted processing of the current MKB. Thus, a man-in-the-middle attack also potentially compromises the content protection provided by the current MKB.
Thus, media without a valid MKB could be read and readers without authorization could read content stored on protected media. In a variation on the MKB approach, a hash value is calculated over the MKB and stored on the read only area of the media. The reader reads the MKB, calculates a hash value of the MKB as read from the media and compares that hash value to the hash value as read from the read only area. Calculating the hash value however imposes an undesirable delay upon the authorization process. Therefore, it is desirable to improve upon the prior art.

Method and apparatus for verifying the integrity of a media key block


An improved clamping stand includes a clamp clamping the leaf of a desk and composed of an upper clamping plate and a lower clamping plate which are connected by a bolt and a pair of adjustable threaded rods with a C-shaped guard plate engaged therebetween, a pair of identical cushions respectively disposed on the inner surface of the upper and lower clamping plate for preventing the surfaces of the leaf from damaged and a tubular upright having a lower end connected to a top of the upper clamping plate and an upper end capable of supporting a LCD screen, a document board and/or a book tray which is supported by a pair of clamping stands synchronously, wherein the pair of threaded rods can adjust the oblique angle of the tubular upright.

The present invention relates to the stationery and more particularly to an improved clamping stand which is clamped onto the leaf of a desk and provides more stable and a beautiful outlook.
A clamping stand clamped the leaf of a desk can support many things such as a table lamp, a document board, a LCD screen, and/or a book tray, etc. FIG. 1 shows a prior art clamping stand 10 which comprises a U-shaped clamping plate 11, an upright 12 centrally projected upward from the top of a clamping plate 11, a protrudent screw hole 13 centrally projected downward from the underside of the clamping plate 11, a threaded shank 14 engaged into the protrudent screw hole 13 which is fastened by rotating a T-shaped handle 142. The clamping stand 10 further has a pad 141 disposed between the underside of the leaf and the clamping plate 11. However, this type of clamping plate 11 always damages the upper surface of the leaf 15 and the shank 14 in addition to the T-shaped handle always expose out under the leaf 15 that brings inconvenience and non-beautification to the people. Further, if the clamping plate 11 is fastened too tight, the upper surface of the leaf 15 shall be damaged. Otherwise, it may be breakaway.


Provided is a liquid crystal display device. The liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate configured to face each other, a liquid crystal layer positioned between the first and second substrates, a first alignment film positioned between the liquid crystal layer and the first substrate, and a second alignment film positioned between the liquid crystal layer and the second substrate. Here, at least one of the first alignment film and the second alignment film includes a double layer of an alignment base film that is aligned so as to have a pretilt angle and an alignment control film that has polymerized mesogen.

A liquid crystal display device as one kind of flat panel display device has been widely used due to advantages such as reduction in thickness and weight and lower power consumption compared to other flat panel display devices.
An alignment film in the liquid crystal display device has been introduced so that liquid crystal molecules within a liquid crystal layer are arranged to have a specific pretilt angle. However, the alignment film that is currently being used is difficult to give sufficient anchoring force to the liquid crystal molecules, and thereby may be an obstacle factor to improving response speed and display quality.

Liquid crystal display with an alignment control layer containing polymerized mesogen and a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display

Industry-University Cooperation Foundation Hanyang University


A method for reducing written-in high frequency repeatable run out track mis-registration of a hard disk is described. The method includes adjusting the excitation frequencies away from mechanical modes to provide desired rotating speed of a servo track writer. The mechanical modes are relative to said hard disk drive. The method further includes adjusting excitation levels to provide desired DC gain level associated with a motor controller of the servo track writer, wherein instances of the written-in high frequency repeatable run out track mis-registration are reduced.

Hard disk drives are used in almost all computer system operations, and recently even in consumer electronic devices such as digital cameras, video recorders, and audio (MP3) players. In fact, most computing systems are not operational without some type of hard disk drive to store the most basic computing information such as the boot operation, the operating system, the applications, and the like. In general, the hard disk drive is a device which may or may not be removable, but without which the computing system will generally not operate.
The basic hard disk drive model was established approximately 50 years ago. The hard drive model includes a plurality of storage disks or hard disks vertically aligned about a central core that can spin at a wide range of standard rotational speeds depending on the computing application in which the hard disk drive is being used. Commonly, the central core is comprised, in part, of a spindle motor for providing rotation of the hard disks at a defined rotational speed. A plurality of magnetic read/write transducer heads, commonly one read/write transducer head per surface of a disk, where a head reads data from and writes data to a surface of a disk, are mounted on actuator arms.
Data is formatted as written magnetic transitions (information bits) on data tracks evenly spaced at known intervals across the disk. An actuator arm is utilized to reach out over the disk to or from a location on the disk where information is stored. The complete assembly at the extreme of the actuator arm, e.g., the suspension and magnetic read/write transducer head, is known as a head gimbal assembly (HGA).
In operation, pluralities of hard disks are rotated at a set speed via a spindle motor assembly having a central drive hub. Additionally, there are channels or tracks evenly spaced at known intervals across the disks. When a request for a read of a specific portion or track is received, the hard disk drive aligns a head, via the actuator arm, over the specific track location and the head reads the information from the disk. In the same manner, when a request for a write of a specific portion or track is received, the hard disk drive aligns a head, via the actuator arm, over the specific track location and the head writes the information to the disk.
To enable the read/write head to be properly oriented above the target track, there is disposed on the hard disk information that provides for correctly directing the read/write head to the specific track location. Each track is divided into a number of data sectors and servo sectors. The data sectors are used to contain user data and the servo sectors contain the information for properly locating the read/write head. Due to advances in electronic and manufacturing technologies, there has been a constant increase in the areal density of a hard disk, and while providing an increase in the amount of data that can be stored upon a hard disk, those advancements have proportionally decreased the physical size of the sectors and the tracks therewithin. As track size decreases, there is an increased possibility of data read and/or data write errors which can be caused by track misreading, track mis-registration, mis-alignment of the read/write head, and/or other errors that can cause a read/write error and/or failure. Accordingly, it is becoming more critical to the proper operation or the read/write head to have the information for directing the read/write head precisely and correctly disposed upon the hard disk.
Particularly, prior to hard disk drive assembly, there is a process of servo track writing (STW) in which a manufacturer of a hard disk drive disposes upon the hard disk the positioning information used to locate the read/write head over a given track of the hard disk.
In servo track writing, there are inherent problems in assuring proper (servo track writing) STW. For example, high-frequency repeatable run out (RRO) track mis-registration (TMR) harmonics are present, which can be a major performance detractor to the programming or servo writing to the hard disk. A primary cause of the high-frequency RRO TMR harmonics is the forcing mechanism driven by motor excitation during STW. Another primary cause of the high-frequency RRO TMR harmonics is the associated mechanical system modes having natural frequencies that approximate the excitation frequencies. This results in the written-in RRO TMR that is induced during the STW manufacturing process.
One solution to reduce the written-in RRO TMR was to utilize a written-in servo feed forward method. In this particular method, prerecorded servo RRO feed forward information is utilized and which is written during the STW process on a dedicated servo disc or on servos angularly spaced. The written feed forward information is then read from a servo sector and then used to compensate head positioning for the next servo sector.
This solution is not without certain shortcomings. One such shortcoming of using the servo feed forward method is the significant amount of time that is required during the hard disk drive STW manufacturing process. Another shortcoming is the requirement of additional space on the hard disk that is utilized to store the RRO feed forward information, which can detrimentally affect the storage capacity of the hard disk. Yet another shortcoming is the requirement of additional product speed servo overhead timing in order to read the RRO feed forward information at each servo sector.
Another solution to reduce the written-in RRO TMR is to pre-write or print the servo information onto the hard disk prior to placing the disk(s) into the disk-spindle assembly. The servo information can include RRO feed forward cancellation values. This pre-writing or printing is similar to techniques utilized in the manufacturing of compact discs, e.g., CDs, or digital versatile discs, e.g., DVDs.
This solution is also not without certain shortcomings. One shortcoming is the additional time that is required to accomplish the disk drive servo track writing manufacturing process, which can inherently reduce yield per fix time. Another shortcoming is the requirement of additional disk space to store the RRO feed forward information, which can have a detrimental affect on disk storage capacity. Yet another shortcoming is the requirement of additional product speed servo overhead timing in order to read the RRO feed forward information at each servo sector. Still another shortcoming is that the thermal condition during manufacturing may differ from that of the user. This could cause improper calibration of the correct information because of disk deformation and/or environmental conditions, e.g., temperature. In this particular situation, the servo may utilize incorrect values to correct the target RRO harmonics.
Yet another solution to reduce the written-in RRO TMR is to redesign the actuator or spindle related components for reducing dynamic interaction between the mechanical components of the hard disk drive and the STW (servo track writer) during the servo track writing process.
However, this solution is also not without shortcomings. One shortcoming is the significant time that is required to accomplish the redesigning of the actuator or spindle related components. This can also negatively impact manufacturing tooling which is directly related to product development costs.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and system for servo track writing (STW) which reduces high amplitude RRO TMR harmonics while utilizing existing hard disk drive mechanical designs and hard disk drive manufacturing line tooling.

Method and system for optimizing servo track writing motor current profile to reduce written-in high-frequency repeatable runout track mis-registration

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.