A retainer for use with a ball and socket joint includes a first portion that is adapted to be connected to a ball stud of a ball and socket joint and a second portion that is adapted to be engaged by a socket of the ball and socket joint. An intermediate portion connects the first and second portions together. A wear indicator is supported on one of the first and second portions. The wear indicator is adapted to be engaged by a portion of the ball and socket joint when a predetermined amount of wear has occurred within the ball and socket joint and to generate a signal in response to such engagement.

This invention relates in general to ball joints, such as are commonly used in vehicular steering and suspension applications to transmit force between a steering mechanism and a steered wheel of a vehicle. In particular, this invention relates to a device that generates an externally perceptible indication when a predetermined amount of wear has occurred within a ball joint and additionally provides a positive retainer for preventing accidental separation of the components of the ball joint as a result of such wear.
Ball joints are well known structures that are used in a variety of mechanical linkages. For example, ball joints are commonly used in vehicular steering and suspension assemblies to transmit force between a steering mechanism and a steered wheel of a vehicle. A typical ball joint includes a ball stud that is received within in a lubricated socket. The ball stud includes a spherically-shaped head portion having an elongated shaft portion extending therefrom. The spherically-shaped head portion of the ball stud is received within and cooperates with a corresponding spherically-shaped recess formed in the socket. This arrangement positively connects the ball stud to the socket so as to permit forces to be transmitted therethrough, but also allows the ball stud to pivot in any direction relative to the socket.
It has been found that after a period of use, the cooperating portions of the ball stud and the socket of the ball joint will experience wear. Such wear can create undesirable looseness between the ball stud and the socket of the ball joint, resulting in the generation of noise and misalignment between the ball stud and the socket. In extreme cases, such wear can contribute to or cause the accidental separation of the ball stud from the socket, resulting in a total failure of the ball joint. Unfortunately, because the spherically-shaped head portion of the ball stud is received within the corresponding spherically-shaped recess formed in the socket, it is often difficult to determine how much wear has occurred within the ball joint without removing the ball joint from its application and disassembling the ball stud and the socket for inspection. Such removal and disassembly is time consuming and expensive. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a device that generates an externally perceptible indication when a predetermined amount of wear has occurred within the ball joint and additionally provides a positive retainer for preventing accidental separation of the components of the ball joint as a result of such wear.

Retainer for preventing accidental ball joint separation


A device for measuring fluid flow rates over a wide range of flow rates. The invention is particularly adapted for use in micro-fluidic systems including fluids administration to a body of a patient. The device operates by producing characteristics variations in the fluid, or pulses, that are subsequently sensed by more than one detector spaced apart from the point of creation of the mark to derive a flow rate. Each pulse comprises a small fluid volume, whose characteristics are different from the mean characteristics of the fluid, such as by composition variations created by electrochemical means, such as by electrolysis of a solvent, electrolysis of a dissolved species, or electrodialysis of a dissolved ionic species, or a thermal variation created by focused electromagnetic radiation. The device comprises at least two detectors (also sometimes referred to as sensors) to improve the accuracy of the measurement in varying flow rates, to compensate for errors resulting from the drift of the pulses in the fluid, to compensate for varying or unstable flow rates, and to establish a positive signal for sub-range flow. A method of measuring fluid flow rate is proposed where measurements comprising data of one mark from at least two sensor readings plus one other time event are combined to determine the reported flow rate.

Several mass-flow meters operate by producing characteristics variations in the fluid, or pulses, that are subsequently detected downstream from the point of creation to derive a flow rate. Mass-flow-meters which utilize this arrangement are generally referred to as Pulse Time-Of-Flight flow meters.
One such approach described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,532,811 to Miller, Jr. et al. applies a thermal pulse to a stream of fluid and has a single downstream heat sensor to sense the thermal pulse. The transit time between the heating element and the heat sensor determines flow velocity. The Miller thermal pulse technique is effective over a wide range of fluid temperatures, because the unheated fluid is used as a reference. The downstream sensor detects thermal pulses, i.e. envelopes of fluid traveling through the flow conduit that are warmer than the unheated fluid. Therefore, the thermal pulse technique is advantageously insensitive to changes in ambient temperature.
A major disadvantage of Miller's approach is measurement error associated with the transfer of heat to and from the fluid, and the transient time it takes the mark to integrate into the developed flow profile. Because the flow rate of the fluid at the edge of the flight conduit it less than the flow rate at the center of the conduit, the mark does not reach its equilibrium flow rate until its average position has moved to the center of the flow conduit. This rate of equilibration is associated with the thermal masses, thermal conductivities, heat-transfer coefficients of the heating element, sensor and fluid, and the viscosity and density of the fluid (i.e. Reynolds number), and must be accounted for when calculating flow rates. Since the delay is related to the properties of the fluid, the flow meter inconveniently must be recalibrated for different types and concentrations of fluids. Miller's approach assumes the flow rate from two time events associates with two identified positions of the mark as it conveys downstream with the flow, from which a single velocity of the mark can be derived and therefore a single flow rate can be derived per each mark detected. Miller's approach therefore can not extract additional information which is essential for deriving a more accurate determination of the flow rate. For instance, Miller's approach can not derive if the detected instant was during stable, accelerating, or decelerating speed. Such information could be beneficial to analyze the flow rate nature and to improve the conclusion of the average flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,412 to Jerman, et al. improves upon Miller's approach by providing at least two spaced apart sensors located along the flow conduit, downstream from the thermal marking position and the flow velocity is derived from the transient time it takes the pulse to travel between two sensors. The advantage of Jerman's approach is that it overcomes most of the fluid properties affects which degraded the accuracy in Miller's approach.
One significant drawback with the Jerman and Miller approaches is that it is inconvenient to have multiple detectors spaced downstream from the thermal marking position. Because it is preferred to use optical detection to note the arrival of the mark, it can become prohibitively expensive to use multiple detectors, as each additional diode and detector combination adds costs, and will require multiple alignments and calibrations of the optical components. As in Miller's approach Jerman's approach derives the flow rate from two time events for each mark and therefore has limited capacity of accurately concluding the average flow.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,675 to Mosier et al and continuation in part U.S. Pat. No. 7,225,683 to Harnett et al disclose a device for measuring over a wide range of flow rates which operates by marking the fluid by producing compositional variations in the fluid, or pulses, that are subsequently detected downstream from the marking position to derive a flow rate. Each pulse, comprising a small fluid volume, whose composition is different from the mean composition of the fluid, can be created by electrochemical means, such as by electrolysis of a solvent, electrolysis of a dissolved species, or electrodialysis of a dissolved ionic species. Measurements of the conductivity of the fluid can be used to detect the arrival time of the pulses, from which the fluid flow rate can be determined. A pair of spaced apart electrodes can be used to produce the electrochemical pulse mark.
The above listed prior art approaches suggest manufacturing techniques in a silicon chip made by micro-etching a silicon substrate and film deposition techniques i.e. using semiconductor micromachining technology.
Several patents disclose means for extending the dynamic range of the flow sensor U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,412 to Jerman, et al. discloses a flow sensor where velocity is measured in two portions of the channel, the portions having different cross-sectional areas, thereby providing different flow velocities. The narrower channel portion is used for measuring low flows, and the wide channel portion is used for measuring higher flows. This combines the dynamic ranges of the two portions, thereby substantially increasing the overall dynamic range of flow meter. Mosier and Harnett respectively disclose a three electrode configuration in which multiple pulse generators are spaced at unequal distances from the sense electrodes: the smaller in distance serves for measuring lower flow rates and the larger in distance serves to measure higher flow rates. This configuration advantageously increases the potential dynamic range of the sensor chip, but it disadvantageously requires the user to choose a write electrode (and its associated range) before use, and still only uses two time events to calculate the flight time of the marker.
It is a common practice in water metering applications and industrial flow metering applications to extend the dynamic range of the measurable flow rates by installing two or more flow meters, having a different dynamic range, in parallel. Preferably said water meters have a slight overlap in their dynamic range. At least one valve is set in the system to direct the flow to the lower flow range meter when the flow is not exceeding that range.
Prior art Time-Of-Flight techniques suffer from the following main disadvantages that effect the measurement accuracy and will be described herein:
In the prior art approaches it is assumed that if no pulse has been detected by the sensor then there is no flow (or zero flow). This approach can be referred to as negative detection. The disadvantage of negative detection is that it cannot differentiate lack of performance (such as out of measurable range flow rates) or malfunction of the meter where the pulse had not been detected for other reasons rather than zero flow (i.e. false negative detection). In other words, as some times referred to in this art, the meters in the prior art cannot differentiate between false-negative and true-negative. The reliability and accuracy of sensing zero flow is in several applications as significant or even more important than the accurate reading of real flow. For example in medical drug delivery applications it will be extremely important to prevent a situation where drug is being administered when it shouldn't or where it can not be monitored. In another drug delivery example a reliable (preferably positive) sensing of zero flow is important for detecting occlusion of the administration device or kink in the tube set of the delivery system etc. Mistakes in reading zero flow may result in serious error leading to hazardous situations or even a cause of death.
Also, prior art TOF MFM cannot distinguish between air bubbles and zero flow and therefore may introduce errors due to the presence of bubbles, or any other substantial change in the properties of the fluid. Another disadvantage of the prior art is that errors caused by diffusion (fading) of the pulse (mark) in the flow are ignored. The marker, be it thermal or composition variation, disposed in the flow has a tendency to diffuse and haze in the fluid. This tendency become significant at very low flows where the linear diffusion rates are competitive with the actual flow rate. The diffusion rate depends on the fluid properties and needs to be calibrated in currently disclosed methods. None of the known prior art Time-of-Flight flow meters provides a solution to the significant error that diffusion will cause at very low flows.
Another disadvantage of Time-Of-Flight measurement techniques proposed in the prior art is that they are sensitive to errors caused by sharp variations in the flow. The prior art techniques disclose means for calculating the flow based on two time events recorded for each mark. These time events may be the time of introducing the mark to the flow and the time that the mark reached a first sensor (Miller, Harnett, Mosier). Alternatively the two time events are proposed to be the time that the mark was detected by a first sensor and the time that the mark was detected by a second sensor spaced apart from the first sensor along the flight conduit (Jerman). The flow rate is calculated as an average flow rate over the transient time between two events, which may translate into significant errors if the flow is experiencing rate changes or if the base flow is low relative to noises (vibration) in the flow. Yet in various settings the flow may experience sharp variations in rate, which will affect the accuracy of the reading. For example if the meter is located in proximity with a pulsating pump the reading can give a wrong average if the measuring cycle is similar in length to numerous pulsation cycles. Another example of sharply varying flow is a drug delivery tube set where impacts on a relatively flexible tube set create pressure waves in the flow leading to vibrations in the flow rate. In another example of unstable flow, a pump is activated for a very short on-cycle and returns to an off cycle immediately thereafter, creating a sharp flow pulse which does not have a momentary stable flow. Therefore any attempt to conclude an average of the flow rates from two time events will most likely result in extreme errors.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide means for improving the accuracy of prior art Time-Of-Flight mass flow metering techniques by correcting for the diffusion rates of the pulse at very low flows.
It is another object of the present invention to provide improvement to prior art Time-Of-Flight mass flow metering techniques by reducing errors due to varying flow by calculating flow rates from at least three time events of the mark.
It is another object of the present invention to provide improvement to prior art Time-Of-Flight mass flow metering techniques by reducing errors due to diffusion by incorporating data from at least three time events. Such an improvement can include the use of an algorithm that incorporates at least a first derivative of the flow rate. The multiple readings of a mark support an algorithm incorporating a complex model of fluid flow, in order to fit the equations of flow.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide means for positively detecting zero flow.
It is another object of the present invention to detect air bubbles and eliminate flow reading errors due to the presence of air bubbles.
It is yet another object of the present invention to integrate other sensors and devices with the meter platform including sensors for measuring or monitoring temperature, pressure, pH, free oxygen, viscosity, G-shock.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide means for detecting viscosity of the fluid and variation in viscosity, and correct flow measurement errors.
It is another object of the present invention to provide means to detect fluid base conductivity and variations in the fluid base conductivity and provide indications of the fluid properties. In particular in medical application to alarm if there's suspect that the wrong fluid is administered to a patient.

Multi-sensor mass flow meter along with method for accomplishing same


The present invention relates to an extraction and brewing machine having a tank, a fan assembly, a base aerator, an extractor head, and an extraction assembly. The extraction assembly has a container for being submerged in liquid held within the tank, and an extraction aerator. The container is comprised of a dome and a filter. The dome defines an interior region for vigorous mixing of air, compost and water. The filter can be a mesh bag. The extraction aerator can have openings near the bottom of the bag. The flow of air though the filter causes a current of liquid, air and microorganisms to exit the chamber. The base aerator aerates all the liquid in the tank. The microorganisms in the tea continue to grow and multiply in the tank after extraction from the chamber, and no particles pass the filter that could jam a spray nozzle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an extraction and brewing machine, and more particularly to a machine having an aeration container where particles or microorganisms can be extracted through a filter into a larger aeration tank.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of fertilizers is well understood to aid in the growth of plants. Chemical fertilizers in particular are extensively used today. Chemical fertilizers are used residentially in applications such as residential lawns, flower gardens and vegetable gardens. Examples of commercial use of chemical fertilizers include golf courses and farms. While chemical fertilizers may work well for their intended purposes, there are some drawbacks associated with their applications. Overuse of chemical fertilizers can be harmful to exposed areas, as evidenced by patches of "burnt" lawns. Further, children and pets should stay clear of treated areas until after the chemical fertilizer has been worked into the soil. This commonly occurs during a rainfall. Runoff of excess chemical fertilizers can further cause damage the overall ecosystem.
Organic compost has long been known to be an excellent fertilizer and soil conditioner. When properly tended to, compost comprises many beneficial microbial organisms, or microorganisms. Among the many beneficial microorganisms are bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. Benefits of using organic compost include aiding in the natural biological process in soil to make nutrients and water available to root systems of plants. Further, the microorganisms in the organic compost can help protect plants from disease causing organisms, improve nutrient retention and water retention of the soil, reduce or eliminate harmful pesticides, and decompose harmful toxins. Use of organic compost to cover widespread areas is impractical, as the amount of area that can be treated with the compost is limited based on the amount of compost. The economics of obtaining and spreading large quantities of compost effectively further limits its practicality.
Many attempts have been made to extract and/or grow the beneficial microorganisms found in the compost. The process generally comprises the steps of extracting beneficial microorganisms from compost and/or aerobically growing the microorganisms in water or other liquid. A solution made of water and microorganisms is called compost tea, or simply tea. The process of growing the tea is called tea brewing. The tea can be applied to the soil in place of and/or in addition to chemical fertilizers. A goal of applying microorganisms to the soil is to enhance the soil, not necessarily to replace the need for chemical fertilizers. In this regard, the microorganisms are useful in making the chemical nutrients available to the plants. One common method of application of the tea utilizes spray nozzles to mist the tea over a selected area. Compost having certain characteristics and quantities of organisms can be used to brew tea with specific characteristics or quantities of specified microorganisms. A benefit of using tea is that the beneficial microorganisms can be applied to a large area. Another benefit of using compost tea is that the tea is not harmful to children and pets, and that use of the treated area can resume quickly without waiting for a rainfall.
Some extraction machines utilize mechanical mixers used to mix the compost in water. While the mechanical mixers are efficient at mixing the compost and water, the mixers also can harm or destroy the microorganisms in the compost. Further, the more vigorous the mixing, the greater the potential damage to the microorganisms. Still further, in a non-aerated mechanically mixed environment, the oxygen demands of the microorganisms can quickly deplete the available dissolved oxygen in the liquid. Non-beneficial or harmful microorganisms could then proliferate under the anaerobic conditions.
Sometimes the compost is mixed with the tea in a single large aeration tank. In such a situation, the tea must be strained or filtered before use to prevent the tea from jamming the nozzles of a sprayer machine. One drawback of filtering the tea after it is brewed is that filtering the tea may filter out many or most of the beneficial microorganisms.
A system exists comprising an aerated tank with a filter supported within the tank. One such system is sold under the name Bobolator. In this system, the microorganisms that escape through the filter can grow in the tea. However, the filter used in this system is partially open directly to the atmosphere. A large percent of the air exiting the filter therefore passes directly to the atmosphere without first passing through the filter into the larger tank. The air that passes directly to the atmosphere does little to aid in the extraction of microorganisms through the filter. Accordingly, only a limited quantity of microorganisms passes through the filter and into the tank.
Other systems have been designed having a bag filled with compost that is submergible in a tank. One such system is sold under the name Simplici-tea. In this system, the bag is free to move anywhere in the tank. Further, there is no active process for specifically aerating the bag or drawing air through the bag. Therefore a limited amount of the air may pass through the bag, and the extraction rate can be less than optimal.
Many systems use plastic components, which can be easily scratched. It is difficult to clean scratched plastic components, and microorganisms can remain in the scratches. Anaerobic conditions can develop in the scratches, and non-beneficial or harmful microorganisms can proliferate under anaerobic conditions.
Thus there exists a need for an improved tea extractor and brewer that solves these and other problems.


A multistage variable valve lift apparatus includes: a camshaft; a plurality of cams slidably provided on the camshaft and each including a cam base with a guide projection and a cam lobe; a solenoid unit that includes an operating rod with a guide slot into which the guide projection is selectively inserted; and a valve opening/closing portion that comes into selective contact any one of the plurality of cams.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a multistage valve variable valve lift apparatus, a multistage variable valve lift system, and an engine including the same, and more particularly, to a multistage valve variable valve lift apparatus, which is capable of implementing a plurality of valve lift modes, and an engine including the same.
2. Description of Related Art
An internal combustion engine makes power by drawing fuel and air into a combustion chamber and burning the fuel and the air. Intake valves are actuated by a camshaft in order to intake the air, and the air is drawn into the combustion chamber while the intake valves are open. In addition, exhaust valves are operated by the camshaft, and a combustion gas is expelled from the combustion chamber while the exhaust valves are open.
However, an optimal operation of the intake valves and the exhaust valves depends on the rotational speed of the engine. That is, an appropriate lift or valve opening/closing time depends on the rotational speed of the engine. As such, in order to implement the appropriate valve operation depending on the rotational speed of the engine, research has been undertaken on a variable valve lift (VVL) apparatus in which cams driving the valves is designed to have a plurality of shapes or the valves operate at different lifts according to the number of rotations of the engine.
The information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Multistage variable valve lift apparatus, system and engine


A method for color imaging using a photosensor array having multiple rows of charge-coupled-device cells. The exposure times for each color channel are adjusted to provide improved signal-to-noise. The overall cycle time is determined by the channel having the weakest signal. A sufficient number of shift pulses are added to ensure that the weakest signal can still result in a full scale output. Once the total number of shift pulses per cycle is determined, the exposure times for the remaining channels are determined as a fraction of the weakest signal's required exposure (if possible). Each row has a separate transfer gate control input. The timing of the transfer gate pulses is then determined, preferably centering the exposure times to reduce color misregistration.

Copiers, facsimile machines and image scanners convert visual images into an electronic form suitable for printing, storage, transmission, or other computer and electronic uses. A system typically includes a light source, an array of photosensors, and electronics for converting analog photosensor outputs into digital data. Light is reflected off of an opaque image medium or light is transmitted through a transparent image medium and focused onto the photosensors. Color devices may have multiple light sources, each with a different band of wavelengths, or broad spectrum light may be split into multiple bands by a color separator, or filters may be employed.
For color imaging, a common configuration for the photosensors is three or more linear rows of CCD elements. In a typical arrangement, one row receives light in a band of red wavelengths, one row receives light in a band of blue wavelengths, and one row receives light in a band of green wavelengths. Typically, all of the CCD rows are exposed for a fixed period of time, after which the charges are transferred in parallel to analog shift registers. The charges are then serially shifted bucket brigade style to charge detectors. The charge detectors provide a voltage, the resulting voltage is amplified, and the resulting amplifier output voltages are converted into digital data streams by analog-to-digital converters (ADC).
Each of the elements in each light measurement channel (CCD, amplifier, ADC) has a finite range. Ideally, for maximum signal-to-noise, each element operates over its full range. That is, for the maximum expected light intensity at the CCD, the CCD almost saturates, the amplifier almost saturates, and the resulting ADC output is almost the maximum digital value. Similarly, ideally, for the minimum expected light intensity at the CCD, the CCD, the amplifier output and the ADC output are all their opposite operating extremes relative to the values at the maximum light condition. In general, light intensity and CCD sensitivity may vary from system to system and may vary within a system over time. In addition, the maximum and minimum light intensities at the CCD may be different for one color band than for another color band. In addition, the maximum and minimum light intensities at the CCD may depend on whether the light is reflected from an opaque image or transmitted through a transparent image. Therefore, there is a general need for adjustment of various parameters in each light measurement channel to maximize the signal-to-noise. Potential areas of adjustment include light intensity, CCD exposure time, and amplifier gain.
There have been numerous approaches to adjustment of the various parameters. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,231(Bushaw et al), a course exposure adjustment is provided by an ability to double the exposure time, and a fine adjustment is provided by adjusting the lamp intensity. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,739 (Tachiuchi et al), CCD exposure time is adjusted by varying the frequency of the shift clock. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,658 (Ishizaki), the exposure time is made approximately constant for a range of image contrast by terminating exposure early if certain conditions are met. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,207 (Degi et al and in European Patent Application EP 0 401 567 A2 (Nagano), the shift clock is a fixed frequency, the time required to shift and convert all the charges is less than the CCD exposure time, and the CCD exposure time is adjusted by varying the number of shift pulses after the last valid charge has been converted.
There is a need for further improvement in adjustment for maximum signal-to-noise. In particular, there is a need for independent adjustment for each color in a color imaging device to maximize the signal-to-noise for each color.

Method for improving the signal-to-noise ratio of a CCD sensor in a color imaging device


Methods are provided for robust and cost effective techniques to fabricate a semiconductor device having double-sided hemispherical silicon grain (HSG) electrodes for container capacitors. In an embodiment, this is accomplished by forming a layer of hemispherical silicon grain (HSG) polysilicon over interior surfaces of a polysilicon layer of a container formed in a substrate. An oxide cap may be formed on the top portion of the container.

Continuing advances in miniaturization and densification of integrated circuits have led to smaller areas available for devices such as transistors and capacitors. For example, in semiconductor manufacturing of a memory array for a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), each memory cell comprises a capacitor and a transistor. With shrinkage of the cell size, maintaining a sufficient amount of cell charge storage capacitance becomes a challenge in DRAM.
To increase capacitance, the semiconductor industry has moved from planar capacitor structures (e.g., "parallel plate capacitors") to vertical capacitor structures known as "container capacitors". Several techniques have been developed to fabricate such capacitors. One such technique includes fabricating a cup-shaped bottom electrode defining an interior surface and an exterior surface formed on a substrate. A recess between adjacent bottom electrodes is formed in the insulating layer to expose a portion of the electrodes' exterior surfaces. A capacitor dielectric and then a top electrode are deposited over the interior of the cup-shaped bottom electrode and the interior of the recess. Such a double-sided bottom electrode provides additional capacitance.
Conventionally, the bottom electrode of the double-sided electrode is formed of N-type hemispherical silicon grain (HSG). Using a double-sided HSG bottom electrode provides a higher surface area for increased capacitance. Current techniques to form the double-sided HSG bottom electrode include a selective HSG process and a combo HSG process. The selective HSG process requires selectively growing the HSG on the interior container surface and this results in an outside smooth and inside rough HSG electrode.
Poor selectivity of HSG growth results in HSG outgrowth on the exterior electrode surface, and this can cause cell-to-cell shorts, requiring the space between containers to be enlarged. The combo HSG process requires etching back the substrate using a hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution to expose a portion of the bottom electrodes outer surface. However, while etching back the substrate using the HF solution any pinholes present in the bottom electrode can cause locally preferential overetch and generate sinkholes and stringer problems in the substrate material. Further, the cell dielectric leakage increases due to the formation of high electric fields around sharp points due to a higher surface roughness of the HSG formed on the interior surface of the container. This results in a lower capacitance in the cell. Furthermore, current process flow to form the dual-sided HSG container exposes the formed HSG electrodes on a wafer surface to HSG floaters falling on the wafer and conductive surface defects that can cause cell-to-cell short.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a technique to form double-sided HSG electrodes that overcomes the above-described problems.

Methods of fabricating double-sided hemispherical silicon grain electrodes and capacitor modules


A screen, typically for use as a wardrobe or closet door, is disclosed. The screen has a flexible member mountable within a frame, one or more of the corners of the frame being provided with cam arrangements for varying the length of the frame in order to vary the tension in the sheet member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to screens, and more particularly to screens of the kind which are used to visually separate one living/office etc, area from another, However, the present invention may be utilised in relation to other environments and products.
2. Description of the Related Art
A known construction of screen comprises a relatively flexible panel of material, typically hardboard, which is provided with a surrounding frame by which it gains rigidity. Such screens can typically be used in a domestic environment as doors for a wardrobe or closet. Such a screen may also comprise a mirror as the relatively flexible panel.
One disadvantage of such a known construction is that it is relatively difficult to transport in its assembled condition, and if it is transported in its assembled condition then there is the disadvantage that all its individual components require transit packaging and arrangements. thus creating increased costs in respect of time, material and transportation.
The present invention is concerned with providing a screen which has a construction which will overcome or minimise the above discussed disadvantages, whilst at the same time providing versatility of design and relatively low cost of manufacture plus adaptability to multifunctional use.
Although the invention has so far been discussed in terms of a product known as a screen, that terms is intended to cover any construction according to the present invention which could be used for other purposes than the ones already discussed.
According to the present invention a screen comprises a sheet member which is capable of being rolled up, in combination with at least two frame members which are adapted to be located in a periphery of the laminar member when it is in an unrolled condition, each of the at least two frame members having associated with its end or ends a mechanism whereby the two frame members may be connected together, the said mechanism being characterised by including a cam arrangement by which the relative positions of the at least two frame members may be adjusted to thereby vary the tension in the laminar member.
Typically, the sheet member would comprise a roll known type of fabric such as might be used to construct a window blind.


A vehicle (12) including a control system (18) is used for controlling vehicle attitude or angular velocity (38). The processor (24) is coupled to a star sensor or tracker (22) and a memory (30) that may include a star catalog (32), and an exclusion list (36). The exclusion list (36), a list of stars to be temporarily excluded from consideration when determining attitude or angular velocity or relative alignment of star sensors or trackers, is calculated on board. Such a calculation prevents the necessity for a costly, periodic, ground calculation and upload of such data. By manipulating the star catalog, or sub-catalogs derived from said catalog, based upon the exclusion list (36), measurements of such excluded stars are prevented from corrupting the attitude or angular velocity or alignment estimates formulated on board. The system uses multiple stayout zones for excluding stars from the exclusion list. A central exclusion zone excludes all stars while a second or more exclusion zones allow some stars to be used in the attitude determination

The present invention relates generally to attitude or angular velocity or sensor alignment estimate adjustment for a vehicle, and more particularly, to algorithms involving attitude or angular velocity or sensor alignment determination, using star position measurements and using multiple exclusion zones.
Satellites and other vehicles are in widespread use for various purposes including scientific research and communications. Many scientific and communications missions, however, cannot be accurately fulfilled without consistently monitoring and controlling the 3-axis attitude and angular velocity of the vehicle. In many applications, the vehicle must be oriented to transmit signals in particular directions or to receive signals from specifically located sources. Furthermore, in such a situation, the vehicle angular velocity must be such so as to maintain the desired orientation, over time. Without accurate control over vehicle 3-axis attitude and angular velocity, the transmission or reception of such signals is hindered and at times impossible.
Such control requires systems for 3-axis attitude and angular velocity determination, which generally include one or more star trackers and a 3-axis gyroscope. During normal operation, star trackers or star sensors provide attitude-related information and the 3-axis gyroscope is needed to provide angular velocity information. As there are inherent, and time-varying, errors from star trackers, star sensors, and gyros, it is often necessary to constantly estimate such errors, in order to compensate for them. One common method of doing so is to correlate star tracker or sensor position measurements of stars with known positions of the same stars, as listed in a star catalog, or database. Discrepancies between the measured and predicted positions allow direct estimation of tracker error, and indirect estimation of gyro error. Knowing such errors allows estimation of attitude or angular velocity, or refinement of existing estimates. Furthermore, if there are multiple star trackers or star sensors on-board, such correlations allow determination of the alignment of such trackers or sensors, with respect to each other; such determination yields greater accuracy in future attitude and angular velocity estimates.
Stellar Inertial Attitude Determination (SIAD) algorithms employ a carefully designed star catalog or database for selection and identification of stars tracked by star trackers or star sensors. The current known art in star selection for star trackers mainly concentrates on generating star catalogs with certain properties. Typically, one method of locating entries in a star catalog that correspond to stars in a tracker field of view (FOV) uses a standard binary search that is sorted by declination only. This method is not very efficient because it involves searching through hundreds of entries to find the stars that are located within the FOV.
Various other methods involve generation of multiple overlapping sub-catalogs that contain stars for a specific FOV in the sky. At any point in time, the stars within a star tracker's FOV will reside in one or more of these sub-catalogs. Each star catalog entry that is represented in a FOV sub-catalog has been determined, using on-board processing, to be in the tracker FOV.
In a SIAD algorithm, the entries corresponding to stars intruded by bright objects such as planets, asteroids, or comets, need to be excluded from the star catalog or sub-catalog, i.e., excluded from consideration by the algorithm. This is so that bright objects are not mistaken for stars, or the light from the objects does not corrupt the measurements made by the star sensor. Traditional object-based catalog entry exclusion is performed on the ground. These stars intruded by planets or other bright objects are excluded from a revised copy of the on-board star catalog. The revised star catalog is then uploaded to the spacecraft control processor (SCP). The uploading is time-consuming and may easily be interrupted. This may cause delays in the proper attitude determination or errors in the on-board version of the catalog.
Traditionally, there is only one stayout zone for each object in the exclusion algorithm. All the stars inside the stayout zone are excluded from the star catalog so that the bright planet/object will not be mistaken as a star during attitude determination. The exclusion zones may be excessively large and over-inclusive. The number of stars excluded may be such that attitude determination performance may be reduced.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a system that decreases the number of excluded stars to improve the performance of the attitude determination system.

Multiple stayout zones for ground-based bright object exclusion


A stringed musical instrument may include various features, including any of a soundboard designed for efficient production of acoustic tone, a removable cover for easy access to the instrument's interior, a tailpiece mounted to receive and tension strings, one or more transducers to record and amplify musical tones, a dampening device that further improves operation of the transducers, a detachable thumbrest, an overbrace to strengthen supporting cross members that embody openings, and a rigid overlay that may be placed over an original fretted fingerboard to create a fretless surface for the strings to contact.

The recorded history of stringed musical instrument construction includes many designs claiming to influence tone production, including devices to record and/or transducer natural acoustic tones into an electronic signal for amplification. The soundboard can be the principal tone producing member of most stringed musical instruments, and many designs for soundboard construction are recorded, such as Taylor in U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,770.
Most prior art designs for fretted instruments depict a single circular soundhole in the instrument's body, or soundbox. Kaman, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,034 records a guitar soundboard with two circular soundholes positioned on either side of a fingerboard.
It is often necessary to perform repairs and modifications within the body, or soundbox of a stringed musical instrument. Wechter, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,217 records a removable panel located in the tailblock.
Most recorded designs for stringed instruments employ tuning devices (tuners) mounted onto a peghead, and fretted instruments often show geared tuners being used for tensioning the strings. One example of geared tuners being attached to a stringed instrument body is documented by Schneider in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,480.
Proelsdorfer's U.S. Pat. No. 2,304,597, records secondary tuning devices mounted onto a tailpiece for a bowed instrument. Primary tensioning of the strings is performed by tuners attached on the end of a traditional peghead. Secondary tuning devices are designed as a pivoted bell lever controlled by a downward pushing rod. Unlike geared tuners, which provide continuous tensioning of an attached string, pivoted bell lever designs can provide only a limited range of tension to a string, and are thus typically suitable only as secondary tuners for the "final tuning of the string".
Electro-magnetic transducers produce a wide variety of amplified tones according to the design of each such transducer. Having modular or interchangeable electro-magnetic transducers offers a musician the ability to create a wide variety of tonal qualities from a single stringed musical instrument. Allen, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,777, recorded designs for an electric guitar that includes interchangeable electro-magnetic transducers. Donnell, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,614,688, records interchangeable electro-magnetic transducers for acoustic stringed musical instruments.
Many examples of prior art record the use of microphones mounted onto or within a musical instrument for the purpose of recording acoustic tone. De Byl, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,886, employs a single column of foam to mount two separate microphone elements within an acoustic guitar. De Byl defines no clear location of the microphone elements within the soundbox of the stringed musical instrument, except to note that they receive acoustical energy from opposite sides of a foam column. Donnell, in U.S. U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,292 records transducers that mount multiple microphone elements on to separate flexible mounting arms of approximately equal length.
De Byl, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,886, also employs the foam column for the purpose of dampening acoustic musical energy in order to control electronic feedback.

Acoustic musical instrument with transducers


An operating device used in a game machine for playing a television game includes a main body portion and first and second grip portions protruding from one side of the main body portion. A first operating unit is mounted on one end of the main body portion and a second operating unit is mounted on the opposite end of the main body portion. The first and second operating units are each provided with at least one signal input element operable to generate a signal. A third operating unit and a fourth operating unit are mounted to the main body portion adjacent the first and second grip portions. Each of the third and fourth operating units has at least one signal input element operable to generate a signal. When the first and second grip portions are gripped, the third and fourth operating units can be manipulated by the thumb of the hand gripping the first or second grip portion, respectively. The operating device further includes a vibration imparting mechanism for imparting vibrations to the user's hands.

This invention relates to an operating device used in a game machine employing a display device for, for example, a television receiver. More particularly, it relates to an operating device controlling the operation of rotating a display character displayed on a display screen, continuously changing its speed of movement or deforming the display character.
Heretofore, a game machine employing a television receiver has a main body portion connected to the television receiver used as a display device, and an operating device connected to this main body portion of the game machine over a connection cable for controlling the display character displayed on the display screen of the television receiver.
The main body portion of the game machine has enclosed therein a disc driving unit for reproducing an optical disc as a recording medium carrying a recorded game program and a picture processing device for displaying the display character along with a background scene on the screen of the television receiver in accordance with the game program recorded on the optical disc.
Plural operating buttons are arranged in the operating device connected to the main body portion of the game machine. The user operates these operating buttons provided on the operating device for entering to the picture processing device the command information concerning the movement of the display character displayed on the display screen of the television receiver for controlling the direction of movement of the display character in accordance with the command information for carrying out the game.
The operating device used in this sort of the game machine is used by being gripped with hand or finger. That is, such operating device is used which has, on its one side, a direction command operating unit including a cross-shaped or circular direction command operating button and which also has, on its other side, a function setting unit including plural function setting/executing buttons for setting or executing the operating functions of the display characters. The direction command operator includes four switches arranged at right angles to one another and having operating units adapted for being contacted with or moved away from associated contacts. These switches are selectively turned on and off by the cross-shaped or circular direction command operating buttons for moving the display characters. For example, the display character is moved in a direction along which is arrayed the one of the four switches that has been turned on. The function setting/executing unit has switches arranged in association with the plural function setting/executing buttons. By turning on the switch associated with the function setting/executing button, the function of the display character allocated to the button is set or the function proper to the display character is executed.
Since the direction command operating unit of the operating device simply affords a command signal for moving the display character in a direction along which is arrayed the one of the four switches arranged at right angle to each other, the operating unit cannot issue the command information of rotating the display character as it is advanced, or of changing the line of sight of the display character. The result is that difficulties are encountered in constructing the game program employing a display character performing variegated movements.
On the other hand, since the switches making up the direction command operating unit merely issue the command information of controlling the movement of the display character by being turned on and off by actuation of the direction command operating buttons, the display character performs intermittent movements, while being unable to perform a series of continuous movements.
Thus, such an operating device has been proposed having an operating unit to which can be entered a command signal enabling the display character to be moved as it rotates or as it changes its speed or enabling the display character to change its form or configuration.
An operating device of this type has been disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 7-88252.
However, if a large number of operating units are provided in the operating device, it becomes difficult to smoothly select the operating units.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


When a write operation to change the pixel into one of the first gray level and the second gray level is stopped before completion of the write operation, and when a write section executes a write operation to change the pixel into another of the first gray level and the second gray level, the write section executes the write operation by voltage application to change the pixel into the other gray level the same number of times of voltage application as the number of times of voltage application in the write operation that has been stopped.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to devices for controlling an electro-optic device, methods for controlling an electro-optic device, electro-optic devices, and electronic apparatuses.
2. Related Art
As display devices that display an image, electrophoretic display devices that use micro capsules are known. Among such display devices, an active matrix type display device includes a plurality of row electrodes extending in a row direction, a plurality of column electrodes extending in a column direction, and drive circuits provided respectively at intersections of the plural row electrodes and the plural column electrodes for driving microcapsules. When a voltage is applied across the row electrode and the column electrode, a potential difference is generated between an electrode installed on the drive circuit and another electrode provided opposite the electrode with the microcapsules interposed between them. As the potential difference is generated between the opposing electrodes with the microcapsules interposed between them, white particles and black particles in the microcapsules move according to the electric field generated by the potential difference. As the optical reflection property changes due to the change in the distribution of white particles and black particles in each microcapsule changes, an image would be displayed.
In some of such electrophoretic display devices, there is a type in which image rewriting, when changing a display by the active matrix method, may be performed over a plurality of frames. However, if the image rewriting starts on the full screen when performing the image rewriting over a plurality of frames, new writing cannot be performed until the current writing is completed. Accordingly, when adding or deleting an image, the next writing would be started only after the current image writing is completed. Such an operation would take time, and therefore pose a problem in terms of operability.
In order to solve such a problem, a method of performing the writing through performing pipeline processing in units of a partial region has been proposed (see, for example, JP-A-2009-251615). According to the method described in JP-A-2009-251615, an image is written on the screen in two partial regions which do not overlap each other, at different timings. Accordingly, even if the writing of a partial region where writing has started first is not completed, the writing of the other partial region where writing is to be started later can be started. As a result, the display speed can be improved, compared with a case where the same method is not adopted.
In the method described in JP-A-2009-251615, however, if the partial regions overlap in part, the writing of the partial region where writing is to be started later has to wait until the writing of the partial region where writing has started first ends. For this reason, it takes time until the display is completed.
In this respect, it may be conceivable to start the next writing before completing the current writing to shorten the time for completing the display. However, for example, if the writing operation to change the gray level of pixels to white starts during the write operation to change the gray level of pixels to black, a deviation occurs between the number of times of voltage application to change the pixels to black and the number of times of voltage application to change the pixels to white, whereby the pixels are quickly deteriorated.

Device for controlling electro-optic device including write section that executes first and second write operations during which different voltages are applied to pixels, method for controlling electro-optic device electro-optic device, and electronic apparatus


The present disclosure is directed to methods of treating patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), with and without Type 2 diabetes, with an SGLT2 inhibitor, such as dapagliflozin. The methods disclosed herein can reduce the risk of a composite outcome of a first episode of worsening heart failure (hospitalization for heart failure or an urgent heart failure visit) or death from cardiovascular causes. Each of the three components of this composite outcome can also be reduced, as well as the total number of heart failure hospitalizations and deaths from cardiovascular causes. SGLT2 inhibitors, such as dapagliflozin, can also reduce a worsening of heart failure symptoms. The methods disclosed herein can also improve heart failure symptoms, health status, and quality of life.

Heart failure (HF) is a life-threatening medical condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood sufficiently to sustain the organs of the body. HF affects approximately 64 million people worldwide (half of whom have a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)) and the prevalence and incidence of HF continues to increase globally. (Cannie D. E. et al., European Cardiology Review 14(2):89-96 (2019)). HF is a chronic and degenerative disease where half of the patients will die within five years of diagnosis (Mamas, M. A. et al., European Journal of Heart Failure 19:1095-1104 (2017)). HF is the leading cause of hospitalization for those over the age of 65 and represents a significant clinical and economic burden (Azad, N. et al., Journal of Geriatric Cardiology 11:329-337 (2014)).
The current standard of care treatment paradigm for HF includes the simultaneous administration of one or more of the following classes of drugs, e.g., angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II-receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor agents like mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonists (MRAs), angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs), digoxin, diuretics, heart pump medication, selective sinus node inhibitors, blood vessel dilators, and calcium channel blockers (unless the patient has systolic heart failure). Even with the best possible treatment, however, the five-year survival rate for HF is worse than for most cancers. (Braunwald, E. et al., Lancet 385:812-824 (2015)). Morbidity and mortality for patients with HF remain high, and patient outcomes need improvement. Additional methods of treating patients with HF, and especially HFrEF, are needed to reduce cardiovascular mortality, reduce heart failure events and the worsening of HF symptoms, and improve patient outcomes by slowing disease progression.
Sodium-glucose co-transporter type 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a class of glucose-lowering agents that improve glycemic control with a low risk of hypoglycemia, independent of insulin secretion, providing a reduction in blood pressure, body weight, and levels of uric acid (Inzucchi et al., Diabetes & Vascular Dis Res. 12(2):90-100 (2015)). SGLT2 inhibitors decrease renal glucose reabsorption, thereby increasing urinary glucose excretion (Id.). In addition, SGLT2 inhibitors decrease vascular stiffness and improve endothelial function.
Dapagliflozin is a potent, highly selective and orally active inhibitor of human renal SGLT2 which effectively lowers HbA1c with a low risk of inducing hypoglycemia. Dapagliflozin treatment has been shown to reduce weight, systolic blood pressure, blood uric acid, albuminuria, and improve arterial compliance—all conditions which are associated with increased CV risk (Shigiyama et al., Cardiovasc Diabetol 16:84 (2017)). The chemical structure of dapagliflozin is:

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to methods of treating patients with HFrEF, including those with or without Type 2 diabetes (T2D), with an SGLT2 inhibitor, e.g., dapagliflozin.

Methods of treating heart failure with reduced ejection fraction


A double-sided grating divider acts as a light switch where the upper and lower grating dividers are arranged to accommodate a relative lateral shift therebetween of about one-fourth of the period of the diffraction grating elements and where the critical refraction angles of the grating dividers are more than about 43.6°. Lateral shift may be achieved by various devices including MEMS and metal couplers having a known/calibrated thermal coefficient of expansion over a temperature range of interest.

It is known that diffraction-based grating dividers can be constructed using materials of different diffraction indices and certain critical geometries. For example, a grating divider may comprise a periodic pattern of geometrically regular ridges and grooves in a substrate of fused SiO2. The ridges and grooves exhibit geometric characteristics including a period "p", a height "h" of the ridges, and a fill factor "r" which is the ratio of the width of the ridges to the period. Through selection of these parameters, it is possible to determine the degree to which light of various orders are transmitted and/or are trapped within the substrate. For example, a grating having a refraction angle in excess of the 43.6° critical angle for the SiO2 air interface will trap±first order refraction component light. Details of a relevant grating divider can be found in the co-pending application Ser. No. 12/638,334 filed Dec. 15, 2009 and assigned to the assignees of this application, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Optical device using laterally-shiftable diffraction gratings

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

The Trustees of The University of Pennsylvania


In a waveguide type photodetector for receiving and detecting a light guided thereinto, a groove is formed in a semiconductor substrate, a waveguide layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a light absorbing layer for absorbing a light propagated through a waveguide in the waveguide layer is formed on the waveguide layer. The waveguide is formed as a three-dimensional waveguide formed in the waveguide layer due to the presense of the groove. The three-dimensional waveguide is maintained also under the light absorbing layer since the refractive index of a portion layered on the groove formed in the substrate is made large than that of portions other than this portion layered above the groove.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photodetector of a waveguide type suitable for use in an optical integration circuit and the like, a method of fabricating such a photodetector and an optical communication system wherein such a photodetector is used for receiving a signal light.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 1 shows a prior art waveguide type photodetector wherein a waveguide structure and a light detecting unit are combined (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,360,246). In FIG. 1, an undoped (.phi.-) Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y As first clad layer 102 having a thickness of 0.5 .mu.m-1 .mu.m, an undoped Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As waveguide layer 103 having a relatively large thickness of 2 .mu.m-5 .mu.m and an n-type GaAs active or light absorbing layer 104 having a thickness of 0.1 .mu.m-1 .mu.m are successively layered on a semi-insulating GaAs substrate 101. Here, the relation between the mole fractions x and y is set to x<y in order to make the refractive index of the first clad layer 102 smaller than that of the waveguide layer 103.
The n-type GaAs light absorbing layer 104 is formed in an island shape on the .phi.-Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As waveguide layer 103 by using a selective etching of GaAs and AlGaAs to expose the surface of the .phi.-Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As waveguide layer 103. Further, an insulating material 105 is formed in a stripe shape on the .phi.-Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As waveguide layer 103 to form a three-dimensional waveguide 110. The refractive index of the insulating material 105 such as a silicon dioxide should be larger than that of air. Thus, the equivalent refractive index is made different between the waveguide 110 and portions other than the waveguide 110 to achieve a light confinement in a lateral direction in the waveguide layer 103.
The operation of this device will be described. A signal light 114 enters an end surface 112 of the device and is propagated through the waveguide layer 103. The propagated light is confined by the .phi.-Al.sub.y Ga.sub.1-y As first clad layer 102 acting as a lower clad layer and the insulating material 105 acting as an upper clad layer and reaches the n-GaAs layer 104 at a position indicated by an A--A' line. The refractive index of the n-GaAs layer 104 is larger than that of the waveguide layer 103, and therefore, the propagated light leaks out from the waveguide 110 to the n-GaAs layer 104. The leaking light is absorbed by the n-GaAs layer 104, and electrons and holes are generated therein. The light detecting unit in this prior art device has a field effect transistor (FET) structure including a source electrode 106, a drain electrode 107 and a gate electrode 108. The former two electrodes 106 and 107 are respectively ohmic electrodes while the latter one electrode 108 is a Schottky electrode. Therefore, the electrons are taken out by the ohmic electrodes 106 and 107 formed on the light absorbing layer 104, and the light detection is thus performed. The holes are taken out by the gate electrode 108. The gate electrode 108 functions to generate a depletion layer in the light absorbing layer 104 and thus controls a dark current and a drain current.
In the prior art device, however, the photon energy E.sub.s of the input signal light 114 or propagated light must be in the following range since the light 114 is to be propagated through the .phi.-Al.sub.x Ga.sub.1-x As waveguide layer 103: EQU 1.42<E.sub.s <1.42+1.247x(eV).
When the calculaton is performed by substituting the numerals of x disclosed in the above USP into this formula and the photon energy E.sub.s is converted to the wavelength, the wavelength is found to be in a range between 0.64 .mu.m and 0.87 .mu.m. If a mode calculation of the waveguide 110 is conducted on the basis of this wavelength range, the waveguide 110 turns out to have a multi-mode. The propagated light will have a higher order mode and its speed will be slow when the waveguide has a multi-mode. As a result, compared an electric signal output from the photodetector with an input signal thereinto, the output signal has a wave shape with a dull rise. Further, an S/N ratio is lowered.
Furthermore, it is difficult to make the thickness of the mixed crystal uniform, and the lateral confinement of the three-dimensional waveguide 110 is weak since this confinemnet is performed only by utilizing the difference in the refractive index between the insulating material 105 and the air. Moreover, the absorption edge of the waveguide 110 is dull since the waveguide 110 is formed using the mixed crystal, and therefore, the wavelength of the input signal light 114 should be considerably longer than the absorption edge.
The width of the absorption layer 104 should be less than or at most a little larger than that of the waveguide 110 for the propagated light must be three-dimensionally guided with a little expansion also under the light detecting portion. Therefore, a fine working process should be used when the device is fabricated.

Waveguide type photodetector and a method of fabricating the same


An adjustable tape-positioning apparatus is adapted to position a tape on a chip carrier maker. The tape is moved along a straight path on the chip carrier maker and has a straight first side and a straight second side which are opposite and parallel to each other. The apparatus includes a stationary frame, and a movable abutment member mounted movably on the frame and having a vertical surface formed with a straight positioning slot which is adapted to receive slidably the first side of the tape therein and which is defined by a straight, vertical bottom wall. The bottom wall is adapted to be disposed parallel to the second side of the tape and is adapted to abut against the first side of the tape. A guide unit is disposed on the frame for guiding the abutment member to move on the frame in an adjusting direction that is transverse to the tape. An adjustment bolt is journalled operatively on the frame so as to rotate on the frame, thereby moving the abutment member on the frame in the adjusting direction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a chip carrier maker for manufacturing a row of interconnected chip carriers, more particularly to an adjustable tape-positioning apparatus for a chip carrier maker.
2. Description of the Related Art
In this art, a chip carrier maker is designed to make a row of interconnected chip carriers shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, which are integrally formed with each other to form a tape 1 that is made of a thermoplastic material. Each of the chip carriers has a square recess 11 for accommodating a chip (not shown) therein, and several holes 12.
Referring to FIG. 2, in the conventional chip carrier maker 2, a tape 21 is fed from a tape supply unit 22 along a straight path on the maker 2 and is then machined in several machining units which include a heating unit 23 for heating the tape 21, a press unit 24 for pressing the tape 21 to form recesses therein, and a punching unit 25 for punching the tape 21 to form holes therethrough. Subsequently, the tape 21 is moved by a gripping unit 26 to a winding unit 27 in which the tape 21 is wound.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the tape 1 has a straight first side 1A and a straight second side 1B which are opposite and parallel to each other.
To make chip carriers of different widths, a conventional adjustable tape-positioning apparatus shown in FIG. 3 is provided on the maker 2. Referring to FIG. 3, the conventional adjustable tape-positioning includes a stationary frame 31 and a generally T-shaped abutment member 32. The frame 31 has a vertical plate 310, a horizontal plate 312 with a slide slot 313 that is formed therethrough and that extends in a direction transverse to the tape, and two parallel vertical side plates 314 formed with aligned notches 315 through which the tape extends. The abutment member 32 includes an L-shaped sliding element 320, an adjustment bolt 321 extending through the sliding element 320 and the slot 313 to engage a nut 322, and a horizontal abutment plate 323 which is connected fixedly to an upper end of the sliding element 320 and which has a straight positioning slot 324 formed in a vertical side surface thereof. The abutment plate 323 extends into the notches 315 of the frame 31 so as to confine the first side 1A of the tape 1 (see FIG. 1A and 1B) within the slot 324, thereby preventing vertical movement of the first side 1A of the tape. Although the abutment member 32 can be moved on the frame 31 in a direction transverse to the tape, the sliding element 320 and the abutment plate 323 can rotate about the adjustment bolt 321 and cannot position accurately the tape at a desired location. In other words, after the abutment member 32 is adjusted, the abutment plate 323 may deflect from the straight path along which the tape is moved on the maker 2 (see FIG. 2). Under this case, the tape cannot move smoothly on the maker 2 (see FIG. 2) due to the fact that the sides 1A, 1B of the tape deflect from each other. As a result, when the tape is machined on the maker 2 (see FIG. 2), the recesses 11 and the holes 12 cannot be formed in predetermined positions in the tape.

Adjustable tape-positioning apparatus for a chip carrier maker


According to one embodiment, a device state estimation apparatus includes a detector and an operating state estimator. The detector detects devices in the ON operating state, based on a comparison between a calculated one of a first characteristic of a current or power harmonic in a power feed line and a reference one of the first characteristic which has been predetermined for at least one device. The operating state estimator extracts at least one set of the second characteristics from plural sets of second characteristics associated with harmonic, which have been predetermined. Each set of the second characteristics is for operating states of each of the devices. The one set of the second characteristics is for operating states of the device in the ON operating state which is detected by the detector. The operating state estimator estimates the operating state of the device based on the similarity between the extracted one of the second characteristics and a calculated one of the second characteristics obtained from the current or power harmonic.

Art that separately measures the operating state of electrical devices, including inverters, used in the home and the like, that, rather than installing measuring instruments in each electrical device, non-invasively estimates the operating state of each electrical device, based on a measurement on the lead-in power line from a utility pole to the home has been proposed.
When estimating the operating state of each electrical device, if a plurality of home appliances is simultaneously operating, the number of combinations in the estimation becomes extremely large, and the amount of operation time and amount of memory capacity used in the operation processing might increase. Additionally, because the number of combinations in the operation processing becomes extremely large, erroneous detection might more frequently occur.

Device state estimation apparatus, device power consumption estimation apparatus, and program


In a computer system, an architecture is disclosed for optimizing aspects of data movement operations by performing functions such as memory allocation and notification on hardware rather than software. In this environment, the claimed invention is a method and apparatus for ensuring the integrity of data movement operations from virtual memory. The invention monitors and detects Translation Lookaside Buffer (“TLB”) purges, a hardware-based operation whose occurrence signals that virtual-to-physical mapping has changed. Responsive to detection of a TLB purge during the set up or execution of a data movement operation, the claimed invention aborts the operation, and then enqueues corresponding completion status information to notify processors of the event.

Data movement is an important "core" function of systems, incorporated into many standard, regularly-used system operations such as messaging, data copying or clearing memory to zero. Data movement in systems typically involves three general steps. First, memory is allocated to enable the movement of the data. Second, the data movement itself is performed. Third, the system notifies appropriate components, such as processors or processor agents, that the data movement has completed successfully and processing can continue based on the new location of the data.
In systems of the current art, the first and third steps (memory allocation and notification) are typically performed by software, while the second step (data movement) is performed by hardware. The data movement hardware typically includes a message/copy state machine, an expensive hardware component whose operations are pivotal to enabling the data movement.
The software operations for the first and third steps of data movement (memory allocation and notification) inevitably require several machine cycles to complete. The software is typically found in microkernels loaded onto memory nodes that are local to the processor issuing the request requiring a data movement operation. It would thus be highly advantageous to be able to perform these first and third steps on hardware, obviating the need to refer to microkernel software, thereby speeding up the processing time to execute a data movement operation.
It will be appreciated, however, that hardware-driven data movement operations must also ensure the integrity of virtual-to-physical memory mapping while the operation is in progress. In a more software-driven data movement environment, this function would normally be performed by the processor hardware. There is therefore a need for a non-processor hardware-oriented mechanism to ensure the integrity of such mapping as part of hardware-driven data movement operations.

Virtual memory address translation control by TLB purge monitoring

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A power supply system, includes a power supplying unit supplying a DC power; a DC/DC converter having a plurality of phase processing units separating the DC power supplied from the power supplying unit into a plurality of phase currents to process the plurality of phase currents, with which the DC/DC converter converts the DC power into individual power supplies in a plurality of different voltages; and a controller sensing phase currents of the phase processing units and controlling the power supplying unit so as to interrupt a power supply from the power supplying unit where a voltage corresponding to any one of the phase currents is higher than a predetermined reference voltage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a power supply system and a method of controlling the same, and more particularly, to a power supply system having a power supplying unit supplying direct current (DC) power, and a DC/DC converter having a plurality of phase processing units with which the DC/DC converter converts the DC power supplied from the power supplying unit into a plurality of individual powers at different voltages, as needed for each component of a computer system, the plurality of phase processing units separating direct current supplied from the power supply system into a plurality of phase currents to process the plurality of phase currents.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, electronic or electric apparatuses require a DC power supplying unit to convert a commercial AC power into a DC voltage which is used to allow the electronic or electric apparatuses to operate. As the DC power supplying unit, a switching mode power supply (SMPS) system, being small in size, and being light in weight and having a high efficiency, has been mainly used.
In a conventional computer system, the DC power supplied from the power supply system is supplied to each component of the computer system installed within a motherboard thereof. Further, the DC power supplied from the power supply system is limited to DC voltages of, for example, 5V, 3.3V and 12V; for this reason, to adaptively generate voltage levels, as needed, for respective components provided within the motherboard such as a central processing unit (CPU), a chipset, a memory, etc., a DC/DC converter is provided within the motherboard. The DC/DC converter is supplied with a DC voltage applied from the power supply system and reduces the DC voltage from the power supply system to an appropriate level of the DC voltage.
As shown in FIG. 1, a DC/DC converter 120 is designed so as to meet wattage needed for each component. For example, in a case of a computer system employing a CPU of a Pentium-IV, the CPU needs a maximum power of about 90W (1.5V, 60A). Further, the computer system is supplied with a voltage level converted by the DC/DC converter 120 having a plurality of phase processing units 122, 124 and 126. Since a general DC/DC converter 120 is limited to a maximum current of 20 A, the DC/DC converter 120 having three phase processing units 122, 124 and 126 is used, wherein each phase processing unit 122, 124 and 126 is designed so that the maximum phase current flowing therein is 20 A. Further, the DC power is separated into three phases by the DC/DC converter 120 and adequate voltages thereof are supplied to the CPU as the loading unit 140 (see FIG. 1).
When at least one of the three phase processing units 122, 124 and 126 in the power supply system is damaged, a current distribution cannot be made equally. However, in a conventional power supply system, the computer system cannot immediately recognize such a trouble even where the current distribution is not uniform and the CPU has continuously operated. The continuous operation results in applying extra stress to other undamaged phase processing units, thereby causing trouble in an operation of the computer system.

DC/DC Converter with input and output current sensing and over current protection capable of interrupting the input power supply


A traffic light monitoring system includes a vehicle. The vehicle includes an imaging sensor configured to capture images, one or more processors, one or more memory modules, and machine readable instructions stored in the one or more memory modules that cause the vehicle to perform at least the following when executed by the one or more processors: identify a traffic light based on the images, determine a first transition time when a first light of a traffic light turns off and a second light of the traffic light turns on based on the images, determine a second transition time when the second light of the traffic light turns off and a third light of the traffic light turns on based on the images, and transmit information about the first transition time and the second transition time to an edge computing device.

Traffic lights control the flow of traffic on roads. In many instances, drivers of vehicles have limited information about when the light of a traffic light will change. For example, drivers of vehicles may not know in advance when a green light is going to change to yellow or when a yellow light is going to change to red, etc. In this regard, a driver of a vehicle close to an intersection may need to press a brake abruptly when the driver sees the traffic light changing from green to yellow. Accordingly, a traffic light monitoring system that provides information about upcoming traffic light changes is needed.

Systems and methods for monitoring traffic lights using imaging sensors of vehicles


In a tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus capable of selective operation with a relatively large or small-sized cassette containing a respective pair of rotatable reels having a relatively large or small center-to-center distance, respectively; a cassette holder is movable between a cassette receiving and discharging position and a loading position and can receive a selected one of the large and small-sized cassettes when in the receiving and discharging position and can convey the selected cassette to the loading position; a pair of reel bases are movable relative to each other for varying the center-to-center distance therebetween; a reel base adjusting device is selectively driven in first or second modes for respectively moving the reel bases to first or second positions wherein the center-to-center distance therebetween is suitable for engagement with the reels of a large or small-sized cassette; a detector detects the size of a cassette received in the holder and assumes different conditions when detecting the large and small-sized cassettes, respectively; and a drive member is movable with the holder at least part of the way from the receiving and discharging position toward the loading position and is responsive to the condition of the detector for selectively driving the reel base adjusting device in the first and second modes, respectively, so as to dispose the reel bases in positions suitable for the size cassette being conveyed by the holder to the loading position.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus in which tape cassettes of different sizes can be selectively employed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a known tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus capable of selectively employing tape cassettes of different sizes, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,337, having a common assignee herewith, a cassette holder is movable between a cassette receiving and discharging position, where it can receive a selected one of relatively large-sized and small-sized cassettes, and a loading position to which the selected cassette is conveyed by the holder. The known tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus has a pair of reel bases movable relative to each other for varying the center-to-center distance therebetween, and a reel base adjusting device including a dedicated motor, that is, a motor employed only for varying the center-to-center distance between the reel bases, and which is selectively driven for moving the reel bases to positions in which the reel bases are engageable with the reels of a relatively large-sized cassette conveyed by the holder to the loading position, or to positions in which the reel bases are engageable with the reels of a relatively small-sized cassette conveyed to the loading position. Further, in the known apparatus, the size of a tape cassette inserted in the cassette holder at the cassette receiving and discharging position is detected and operation of the motor of the reel base adjusting device is controlled in response to such detection for ensuring that the center-to-center distance between the reel bases will correspond to that between the reels of the inserted tape cassette for engagement of the reel bases with such reels when the tape cassette is conveyed to the loading position.
However, the reel base adjusting device including a dedicated motor for driving the same when changing the distance between the reel bases is undesirably complicated in construction, and hence is expensive to produce. In this respect, it will be appreciated that the motor for driving the reel base adjusting device is in addition to the motor that is conventionally provided for effecting movements of the cassette holder between its cassette receiving and discharging position and loading position.

Cassette loading device for accommodating cassettes of different sizes in a tape cassette recording and/or reproducing apparatus


A decoding scheme for a dual string DAC which reduces the size of the decoding logic while also reducing the number of switches between the two strings of resistors and also eliminating the need for Op-amps between the coarse and fine resistor strings. The present invention provides a decoding circuit to select adjacent pairs of taps 24 of the coarse resistor string 12 using simple decoding blocks 36. In one embodiment of the present invention, a 14 bit decoder is constructed with a course decoding logic of four 3-bit decoders, two levels of switches, an add-one circuit, a multiplexer, and a small amount of overflow logic. An advantage of the present invention is reduced area and power needed to implement the decoding logic for a decoder having only two levels of switches between the coarse and fine resistor strings.

A two stage cascaded converter converts a digital word into a corresponding analog voltage. The first stage includes a series string, or ladder of resistors coupled across two supply voltages for dividing the voltage into a number of incremental voltages. The first resistor string resolves higher order bits of the digital input or control word and the second resistor string resolves lower order bits. The first stage resistor string is coupled to the second stage, typically also a resistor string, by a plurality of switches and buffer amplifiers. Such arrangements are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,543,560 and 3,997,892, incorporated herein by reference. Generally, buffer amplifiers have offset voltages associated therewith and require trimming in order to obtain satisfactory conversion accuracy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,892 to Susset, shows a two-stage cascaded converter wherein the first stage includes a resistor-string to produce a first voltage corresponding to a set of higher-order input bits. The second converter stage is another resistor-string arranged to produce a second voltage corresponding to a set of lower-order bits. The voltage across a selected resistor of the first stage is applied to the ends of the resistor string of the second stage, so that the latter stage produces an output effectively interpolating the selected first-stage segment voltage in accordance with the lower-order bits.
Converters such as shown by Susset have an important advantage in that they are inherently capable of monotonic performance. However, the Susset converter is practical only for use in relatively low-resolution applications. This is because the selector switch system used to make connection to the resistor string would become prohibitively large and complex for a high-resolution monolithic converter such as one capable of resolving a 14-16-bit input word. For example, the first stage of such a converter typically would have a 256-R resistor string. The complexity of the switch selector system for such a resistor string especially results from the fact that it must be able to select any pair of adjacent voltage taps of the string to produce the segment voltage for the second stage converter.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,560 to Holloway, a new selector switch tree structure was provided for accessing the voltage tap points of a resistor string having 256 resistors. This tree structure made it possible to use common control lines for most of the two sets of switches on opposite sides of the resistor string, and leading respectively to alternate voltage taps of the resistor string. The selection of adjacent pairs of taps is thereby effected with a minimum of additional circuitry required to control the two sets of switches. However, this improvement to Susset requires that the voltage of every resistor tap pass through four series-connect switches. It also required the use of operational amplifiers (Op-Amps) which introduces problems with linearity. The use of op-amps is particularly troublesome when the voltage outputs of the first stage have alternating polarity that is then applied to the second resistor string.

Decoding scheme for a dual resistor string DAC


A processing gas diffusing and supplying unit includes a supporting portion having an opening, a plate including gas supply holes, an internal space, between the supporting portion and the plate, communicating with the opening, and a cover part installed within the internal space and connected to the opening. The cover part includes a shielding portion which is disposed within the internal space and has a surface facing the opening, a side wall which holds the shielding portion, and a through hole formed at the side wall and communicating with the opening and the internal space. At least a portion of the gas supply holes is located right below the cover part and a height of the internal space is equal to or greater than 8 mm.

A substrate processing apparatus typically includes a processing chamber that accommodates a wafer for a semiconductor device (hereinafter simply referred to as "wafer") as a substrate, and a shower head provided in an upper portion of the processing chamber. In such a substrate processing apparatus, a processing gas is supplied into a processing space within the processing chamber through a plurality of gas holes of the shower head, and the wafer is subjected to plasma processing by means of plasma generated from the processing gas in the processing space.
FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view showing a structure of a shower head included in a conventional substrate apparatus.
A shower head 70 includes a ceiling electrode plate 71 made of a conductive material, an electrode plate holder 72 for holding the ceiling electrode plate 71, and an internal space 73 provided within the electrode plate holder 72. One end of a gas introducing pipe 74 through which a processing gas is introduced into the internal space 73 is connected to the internal space 73. In addition, a plurality of gas supplying holes 75 and 76 which penetrates through the ceiling electrode plate 71 to allow the internal space 73 to communicate with a processing chamber (not shown) is formed in the ceiling electrode plate 71. In the shower head 70, the processing gas introduced into the internal space 73 through the gas introducing pipe 74 is supplied into a processing space through the gas holes 75 and 76.
However, in such a shower head 70, since the processing gas in the internal space 73 is injected from the gas introducing pipe 74 in the downward direction of the figure, the amount of processing gas passing through the gas hole 75 located immediately below the gas introducing pipe 74 is relatively large while the amount of processing gas passing through the gas holes 76 is relatively small. In this case, since the processing gas cannot be uniformly supplied through the gas holes 75 and 76 into the processing space, plasma generated from the processing gas cannot be uniformly distributed on a wafer. On this account, a surface of the wafer may not be subjected to uniform plasma processing, and as a result, it becomes difficult to secure in-plane uniformity of the plasma processing.
In this connection, there has been proposed a substrate processing apparatus provided with a shower head having buffer plates arranged within its internal space.(see, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. H-11-054440) In such a shower head, the buffer plate 77 is disposed to face an opening of the gas introducing pipe 74 in the internal space 73 (see FIG. 8). The buffer plate serves to diffuse the processing gas injected from the gas introducing pipe 74 in the internal space 73 in a horizontal direction of the figure while preventing the processing gas from directly flowing through the gas hole 75. This prevents the amount of processing gas passing through the gas hole 75 from extremely increasing and allows the processing gas to be uniformly supplied through the gas holes 75 and 76 into the processing space.
However, there is a case where the thickness (in the vertical direction of the figure) of the shower head 70 is limited and the height of the internal space 73 cannot be sufficiently secured. In this case, the buffer plate 77 is disposed within the internal space 73 and the internal space 73 is divided into an upper space and a lower space. However, the height of both of the upper and lower spaces is extremely lowered, it becomes difficult to increase a conductance with regard to a horizontal flow (diffusion) of the processing gas. As a result, since the processing gas in the internal space 73 cannot be sufficiently diffused in the horizontal direction, the processing gas cannot be uniformly supplied into the processing space, thereby still making it difficult to secure in-plane uniformity of plasma processing for the wafer.

Cover part, process gas diffusing and supplying unit, and substrate processing apparatus


A system and method is provided for minimizing the degradation of a fuel cell after shutdown by forcing remaining air out of a fuel cell system. Upon fuel cell shutdown, the flow of air to the cathode of the fuel cell can be kept at a low rate. The flow of cathode exhaust gases along an exhaust conduit is substantially restricted while the pressure of the supply air supplied is increased. As a result, the pressure of the cathode exhaust gases in the exhaust conduit increases. The voltage of the fuel cell can be to deplete the oxygen in the supply air. The pressure of the supply air is decreased to a pressure lower than the pressure of the cathode exhaust gas in the exhaust conduit such that the cathode exhaust gas flows backward through the system to push out any remaining air.

Fuels cells produce electricity by converting reactants (e.g., fuel and an oxidizing agent) through electrochemical reactions. In recent times, fuel cells have grown in popularity as an attractive alternative to the internal combustion engine because they generate little or no pollutants. One type of fuel cell is a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. PEM fuel cells have an ion exchange membrane, partially comprised of a solid electrolyte, disposed between an anode and a cathode. To produce electricity through an electrochemical reaction, hydrogen is supplied to the anode and air is supplied to the cathode. An electrochemical reaction between the hydrogen and the oxygen in the air produces an electrical current.
When a fuel cell system is shutdown, generation of electrical current by the fuel cell is no longer required. The electrical circuit is opened, thereby relieving the cell of an electrical load. However, upon and during shut-down of the cell, the presence of air on the cathode along with hydrogen fuel remaining on the anode can cause unacceptable anode and cathode potentials, resulting in corrosion in the catalyst and the catalyst assembly support and consequent degradation of the fuel cell and its performance.
Moreover, even after the fuel cell system is shutdown, there are still opportunities for air to enter the cathode of the fuel cell, thereby subjecting the fuel cell to harm. As an example, air flow into the fuel cell system can be induced by the wind. Wind can push air into the system inlet and through the deactivated compressor. Ultimately, such air can travel through the system to the cathode, thereby exposing the cathode to an oxidizing agent.
Another way in which air can flow into the fuel cell system after shutdown is buoyancy-driven air flow. Cathode exhaust gas (mainly composed of nitrogen (N2) and little or no oxygen (O2)) remaining in the fuel cell system at shutdown is warmer and lighter than ambient air. Thus, there is a general tendency for the cathode exhaust gas to rise, which, in a typical fuel cell configuration, results in the cathode exhaust gas travelling backward (i.e., upward) through the system toward the highest point of the system (i.e., the air inlet). Consequently, ambient air can be drawn in through the outlet of the system (e.g., an exhaust pipe in a vehicle application) by a stack effect. Such ambient air can also travel backward through the system to the fuel cell, exposing the cathode to air.
Thus, there is a need for systems and methods that can minimize such concerns.

System and method for minimizing fuel cell degradation after shutdown