A wireless communication system is described which includes a transmitter operable to transmit a transmitted signal, the transmitter having one or more transmitting antennae, a receiver operable to receive a received signal, the receiver having one or more receiving antennae, wherein lattice reduction is used in obtaining, at the receiver, an estimate of the transmitted signal based on the received signal, characterized in that the lattice reduction utilizes a lattice reduction matrix, a decomposed representation of which is transmitted between the transmitter and the receiver.

Wireless communication systems are widely known in which a base station (BS) communicates with multiple subscriber stations (SSs) or mobile stations (MSs) within range of the BS. The terms subscriber station (SS) and mobile station (MS) may be considered interchangeable for the purposes of this specification, and both SSs and MSs may be referred to generically as users or user stations. Also, whilst the terms subscriber station (SS) and mobile station (MS) may be used interchangeably, the term "mobile" in particular should not be construed to necessarily imply that the user station (etc) must always be movable. In many cases it will be movable (e.g. a mobile handset). However, wireless communication systems (and the present invention) can also operate where the SS/user/user station is fixed in position at a particular location.
The area covered by one BS is called a cell and typically, many base stations (BSs) are provided in appropriate locations so as to cover a wide geographical area more or less seamlessly with adjacent cells. Each BS divides its available bandwidth, i.e. frequency and time resources, into individual resource allocations for the users. There is a constant need to increase the capacity of such systems in order to accommodate more users and/or more data-intensive services.
OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) is one known technique for transmitting data in a wireless communication system. An OFDM-based communications scheme divides data symbols to be transmitted among a large number of subcarriers (also called frequency fingers), hence the term frequency division multiplexing. By carrying only a small amount of data on each subcarrier, the bit rate per subcarrier is kept low and hence inter-symbol interference is reduced. Data is modulated onto a subcarrier by adjusting its phase, amplitude, or both phase and amplitude.
The "orthogonal" part of the name OFDM refers to the fact that the spacings of the subcarriers are specially chosen so as to be orthogonal, in a mathematical sense, to the other subcarriers. This means that they are arranged along the frequency axis such that the sidebands of adjacent subcarriers are allowed to overlap but can still be received without inter-subcarrier interference. In mathematical terms, the sinusoidal waveforms of each subcarrier are called eigenfunctions of a linear channel, with the peak of each sinusoid coinciding with a null of every other sinusoid. This can be achieved by making the subcarrier spacing a multiple of the reciprocal of the symbol period.
When individual subcarriers or sets of subcarriers are assigned to different users of the wireless communication system, the result is a multi-access system referred to as OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). The term OFDM as used in the art is often intended to include OFDMA. The two terms may therefore be considered interchangeable for the purposes of the present explanation. By assigning distinct frequency/time resources to each user in a cell, OFDMA can substantially avoid interference among the users within a cell.
A further modification of the basic OFDM scheme is called MIMO-OFDM, where MIMO stands for multiple-input multiple-output. This type of scheme employs multiple antennae at the transmitter and/or at the user receiver (often at both) to enhance the data capacity achievable between the BS and each user station. For example, a 2×2 MIMO configuration contains two antennae at the transmitter and two antennae at the receiver; a 4×4 MIMO configuration contains four antennae at the transmitter and four antennae at the receiver. There is no need for the transmitter and receiver to employ the same number of antennae. Typically, a base station in a wireless communication system will be equipped with many more antennae in comparison with a mobile station (such as, for example, a mobile handset), owing to differences in power, cost and size limitations.
The term MIMO channel is used to describe the frequency (or equivalently time delay) response of the radio link between a transmitter and a receiver. The so-called MIMO channel (or "channel") contains all the sub-carriers, and covers the whole bandwidth of transmission. A MIMO channel contains many individual radio links. The number of these individual radio links, which may be individually referred to as single-input single-output (SISO) channels (also called sub-channels), is Nt×Nr, where Nt is the number of antennae at the transmitter and Nr is the number of antennae at the receiver. For example, a 3×2 MIMO arrangement contains 6 links, hence it has 6 SISO channels.
Considering the simplified 3×2 MIMO system schematically represented in FIG. 1, it can be seen that antenna R0 of receiver R receives transmissions from each of the transmitter antennae T0, T1 and T2 of transmitter T. Similarly, receiver antenna R1 receives transmissions from transmitter antennae T0, T1 and T2. Therefore, the signal received at the receiver comprises (or is made up of) some combination of the transmissions (i.e. of the SISO channels) from the transmitter antennae. In general, SISO channels can be combined in various ways to transmit one or more data streams to the receiver.
FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a more generalized MIMO system. In FIG. 2, a transmitter transmits signals utilizing Nt transmitting antennae, and a receiver receives the signals from the transmitter utilizing Nr receiving antennae. In order to create a mathematical model of the characteristics of the overall MIMO channel, it is necessary to represent the individual SISO channels between the transmitter and receiver. As shown in FIG. 2, the individual SISO channels are represented by H0,0 to HNr-1, Nt-1, and as suggested in the Figure, these form terms of a matrix commonly called the channel matrix or channel response matrix H. "H0,0" represents the channel characteristics (for example, channel frequency response) for transmitting signals from the transmitting antenna 0 to the receiving antenna 0. Similarly, "HNr-1, Nt-1" represents the channel characteristics for transmitting signals from the transmitting antenna Nt−1 to the receiving antenna Nr−1, and so on.
In FIG. 2, the symbols x0 to xNt-1, which represent the signal elements transmitted using the transmitting antennae 0 to Nt−1, together form a transmitted signal vector x (i.e. x=(x0, x1, x2, . . . , xNT-1)T). Likewise, the received signals elements y0 to yNr-1 received by receiving antennae 0 to Nr−1 together form a received signal vector y (i.e. y=(y0, y1, y2, . . . , yNr-1)T). The relationship between the vectors y and x may be modelled by the following basic mathematical MIMO system equation:y=Hx+n  (I)where H is the channel matrix described above and n is a vector representing noise. Noise elements n0 to nNr-1 are illustrated in FIG. 2 and represent noise in the respective received signal elements y0 to yNr-1. Hence, the noise vector n is given by n=(n0, n1, n2, . . . , nNr-1)T. It is generally assumed for the purposes of the model given by equation (I) that the noise represented by vector n is Gaussian white noise with zero mean and variance σ2.
The channel matrix H has a rank which is the number of linearly independent rows or columns thereof. When some of the rows or columns are linearly dependent, this indicates (and represents) correlation between individual subchannels (i.e. correlation between individual SISO channels) in the MIMO channel, and the channel matrix is said to be "rank deficient". When there is correlation between sub-channels, conventional receivers tend to perform poorly and the MIMO channel is incapable of providing the maximum data throughput.
It should be noted that, despite the name "multiple-input multiple-output", MIMO systems can operate even if one of the transmitter and the receiver has only one antenna (i.e. even if Nt=1 or Nr=1). In fact, MIMO systems might technically be said to operate even where the transmitter and the receiver both have only one antenna (i.e. where Nt=Nr=1), although this situation might be considered to constitute a special case because, in the mathematical model of the equation (I), the MIMO channel would then be represented by a scalar h rather than matrix H.
MIMO transmission schemes may be described as "non-adaptive" and "adaptive". In the non-adaptive case, the transmitter does not have any knowledge of the channel properties and this limits performance, as it cannot take account of changes in conditions (channel profile). Adaptive schemes rely on the feedback of information (channel-state information or CSI) from the receiver to the transmitter, allowing modification of the transmitted signal to account for changing conditions and to maximise data throughput. The present invention is concerned, at least primarily, with these adaptive MIMO schemes.
The feedback just described is important, in particular, in FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) systems, where uplink transmissions (i.e. transmissions from user station to base station) and downlink transmissions (vice-versa) employ two different carrier frequencies. Because of the frequency change, the uplink and downlink channels are different and CSI needs to be fed back in order to provide an adaptive scheme.
Aspects of the present invention could potentially find application in both downlink (i.e. transmissions from base station(s) acting as transmitter(s) to user(s) acting as receiver(s)) and uplink (i.e. transmissions from user(s) acting as transmitter(s) to base station(s) acting as a receiver(s)). However, at least in relation to certain embodiments, it is envisaged that the invention may be used to realise particular improvements in downlink transmissions. Therefore, whilst no limitation should be implied as to whether the invention may be applied to uplink or downlink transmissions, the invention will be described primarily with respect to downlink transmissions.
FIG. 3 is a diagram representing a MIMO system similar to that shown in FIG. 1, but more generalised. MIMO system 1 comprises a transmitter 2 which comprises a plurality of transmitting antennae (0), (1), . . . , (N1−1) and a receiver 3 which comprises a plurality of receiving antennae (0), (1), . . . , (Nr−1). The transmitter 2 transmits symbols 0, 1, . . . , Nt−1 using the Nt transmitting antennae. The symbols can be created from one data stream, referred to as vertical encoding, or different data streams, referred to as horizontal encoding. In addition, each transmitted symbol corresponds to, for example, one-bit data if the modulation method is binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), or corresponds to two-bit data if the modulation method is quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK). These concepts will be familiar to those skilled in the art. The receiver 3 receives the signals transmitted from the transmitting device 2 using the Nr receiving antennae, and it comprises a signal regeneration unit 4 which regenerates the transmitted symbols from the signals received.
As indicated by the arrows in FIG. 3, the signals transmitted from a plurality of the transmitting antennae are received by a plurality of receiving antennae, giving rise to Nt×Nr possible subchannels in total. In other words, the signals transmitted from the transmitting antenna (0) are received by receiving antennae (0) through (Nr−1), the signals transmitted from the transmitting antenna (1) are received by receiving antennae (0) through (Nr−1), etc. The characteristics of the subchannel which propagates the signals from the i-th transmitting antenna to the j-th receiving antenna are expressed as "Hji" and form one component term of the Nr×Nt channel matrix H. Those skilled in the art will recognise that if no signal is transmitted from a particular transmitting antenna i to a particular receiving antenna j, then the component Hji representing that sub-channel in the channel matrix H would be zero.
By way of further background explanation, a MIMO-OFDM transmitter and a MIMO-OFDM receiver will be briefly outlined with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 respectively. In the OFDM transmitter schematically shown in FIG. 4, high-speed binary data is encoded (convolutional code is an example), interleaved, and modulated (using a modulation scheme such as BPSK, QPSK, 64QAM, and the like). Independent channel encoders may be used for each transmitting antenna. Subsequently, the data is converted into parallel low-speed modulated data streams which are fed to N sub-carriers. The output from each encoder is carried separately on a plurality of sub-carriers. The modulated signals are frequency-division multiplexed by N-point Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) and the guard interval is added. The resulting OFDM signal is converted into an analog signal by a D/A converter and is upconverted into RF band and transmitted over the air.
At the MIMO-OFDM receiver schematically shown in FIG. 5, the received signals from the Nr receiver antennae are filtered by a band pass filter (BPF), and then down-converted to a lower frequency. The down-converted signal is sampled by A/D converter (namely, converted into a digital signal), and the guard interval is removed before the sampled data is fed to the N-point Fast Fourier Transformer (FFT). After Fourier transformation is performed on each of the signals received through the Nr receiver antennae, they are fed to the MIMO signal processing unit 11. The MIMO signal processing unit 11 comprises the signal regeneration unit 4 (as shown in FIG. 3) which performs processing (discussed further below) to compensate for the channel characteristics.
The discussion above of the transmitter (FIG. 4) and receiver (FIG. 5) is given by way of summary explanation only. Those skilled in the art will be generally familiar with such devices and the principles involved in their operation. It should also be noted that the above explanation has considered the case of a single transmitter sending MIMO signals to a single receiver, but of course a practical MIMO wireless communication system may be much more elaborate than this, providing many mutually-adjacent cells in each of which a base station transmits over respective MIMO channels to multiple user stations simultaneously.
Referring again to the basic MIMO system model represented by the equation (I) above, it will be recalled that when some of the rows or columns of the channel matrix H are linearly dependent (i.e. when the channel matrix H is rank deficient), this indicates that there is correlation between sub-channels. It will also be recalled that, where such correlation exists, conventional receivers tend to perform poorly.
A technique known as Lattice Reduction (LR) has been proposed for providing significant performance improvements in correlated MIMO channels. MIMO systems which utilise lattice reduction may be referred to as LR-MIMO systems. In mathematics generally, the goal of lattice reduction is, given a set of basis vectors for a lattice, to find a basis with short, nearly orthogonal vectors. For example, FIG. 6 gives a diagrammatic example of lattice reduction in two dimensions. In FIG. 6, the vectors a1 and a2 are the given basis vectors for the lattice represented by the vertices (i.e. the dots). The vectors b1 and b2 are nearly orthogonal basis vectors obtained using lattice reduction.
In the context of MIMO wireless communication systems having correlated MIMO channels, the purpose of lattice reduction is to transform the channel matrix H into a form where the rows and columns are more nearly orthogonal (i.e. so that the rows and columns are, in effect, more nearly linearly independent). Doing this helps to minimise the detrimental effects of correlation mentioned above. The matrix by which this transformation of the channel matrix H is affected is generally called the Lattice Reduction Matrix P.
In many practical implementations of MIMO wireless communication systems, the user station may be, for example, a mobile handset, and may therefore have limited resources in terms of power, data processing/computational capacity and data transmission/reception capacity. Certainly, the power, processing and transmission/reception resources in mobile handsets and the like are generally much more limited than the power, processing and transmission/reception resources of a base station (BS). This is a significant impediment to, and significantly increases costs associated with, practical implementations of LR-MIMO systems.
The impediment created by the limited resources of a user station compared with a base station (BS) is particularly significant in relation to the burden placed on the data processing and transmission/reception resources of the user station, and especially where the user station is a mobile station (e.g. a mobile handset), although it may often also be significant where the user station is of a fixed position type. Aspects of the present invention may go at least some way to helping address this problem.
Also, the limited resources of a user station make it difficult, or at least less preferable, to calculate the lattice reduction matrix P at the receiver. It would therefore be desirable to calculate the lattice reduction matrix at the transmitter and to transmit the Lattice Reduction Matrix P from the transmitter to the receiver. However, this would be in addition to the signal x which needs to be transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver. Therefore, the need to transmit the Lattice Reduction Matrix P imposes an additional burden on the transmission resources of the system. Aspects of the present invention may at least help to reduce this additional transmission burden as well.


A method and apparatus for producing direct reduced iron using a melter-gasifier and two reduction reactors. In the first reduction reactor, iron ore is prereduced using a reducing gas from a melter-gasifier. This prereduced iron ore is fed into the melter-gasifier to produce pig iron. A secondary reducing gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide is withdrawn from the first reduction reactor and is reacted with water to produce carbon dioxide which is subsequently removed to produce a tertiary reducing gas that is used in the second reduction reactor to produce direct reduced iron from iron ore.

Direct reduction plants for producing direct reduced iron, known as DRI (sponge iron) or hot briquetted iron (prereduced materials useful as feedstocks for iron and steelmaking), currently produce such products by contacting a reducing gas, composed principally of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, at temperatures in the range from about 750.degree. C. to about 1050.degree. C., with a bed of particulate iron-containing material in the form of lumps or pellets. Examples of such processes are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,749,386; 3,764,123; 3,816,101 4,336,063; 4,428,072; 4,556,417; 5,078,787; 4,046,557; 4,002,422 and 4,375,983.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,487 to Hauk et al. to produce direct reduced iron in a reduction reactor fed with top gas effluent from a first reaction reactor attached to a melter-gasifier. The invention of the '487 patent addresses the problems which arise when a reducing gas having a high content of carbon monoxide is heated in a heat exchanger type direct fired heater due to carburization and metal dusting of the heater pipes. More particularly, the '487 patent teaches to withdraw the oxidants in the top gas effluent from the first reactor and to utilize this modified gas in a second reduction reactor comprised in a recycle loop of the reducing gas. The recycle loop comprises the reactor; a cooler/scrubber; a CO.sub.2 removal unit; a gas heater to heat the gas to a temperature between 200.degree. C. and 500.degree. C.; and a partial combustion chamber to heat the gas to a temperature between 750.degree. C. to 850.degree. C., required to carry out the reduction reactions. Alternative embodiments of the invention comprise addition of inhibitors, for example: SO.sub.2, H.sub.2 S, NH.sub.3, (CN).sub.2, NO.sub.2 or Cl.sub.2, individually or in combination, to the reducing gas prior to be heated in heater thus making it possible to increase the temperature of the gas in the heater and decreasing the consumption of oxygen in the partial combustion stage.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,244 to Rose et al. to modify the composition of a reducing gas produced in a natural gas-stream reformer so as to obtain a higher content of hydrogen in the reducing gas. This patent teaches that reducing iron ores with a gas mainly composed of hydrogen increases the rate of reduction and increases the economy of the regeneration of the recirculating gases. There is no teaching or suggestion in this patent as to the utilization of a reducing gas effluent from a first reduction reactor or solving the problems posed by iron ores having a high swelling index when reduced with carbon monoxide.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,654 to Frederick et al. is directed to a process for producing a reducing gas for a direct reduction or blast furnace which comprises partially oxidizing oil and/or coal in the presence of air to produce a gas stream containing hydrogen and nitrogen together with other gases, treating the gas stream to remove essentially all gases other than hydrogen and utilizing said hydrogen for reducing iron ores. This patent however does not teach or suggest to have a combination of a melter-gasifier and a first reduction reactor and a shifter for modifying the reducing gas composition to be utilized in a second reduction reactor. No suggestion is made in this patent about the problems encountered in reducing iron ores with a high swelling index when reacted with carbon monoxide.

Apparatus for producing direct reduced iron utilizing a reducing gas with a high content of carbon monoxide


A method for scanning a partially functional chip. The method may include applying a failed core map to the partially functional chip, bypassing at least one failed core scan chain, based on contents of the failed core map. The method may also include performing comparisons of scan status information to the failed core map and inhibiting movement of scan data of at least one failed core, based on results of the comparisons.

A testing strategy known as "partial good" is increasingly used by integrated circuit (chip) manufacturers in an attempt to increase yields of complex integrated circuits. Partial good methodologies include testing individual sections of chip circuitry, marking them as functional or non-functional (failed), and isolating the non-functional sections to prevent them from interfering with the operation of the functional sections.
Scan latch chains are often used to facilitate access to latches within individual sections of circuitry (cores), and are used to initialize, test, and debug both individual cores as well as the entire chip. Each core typically has a scan chain that includes latches useful for performing functions within the core.
In a partial good strategy, failing circuit elements within a core may require that the core, including its scan latches, be disabled, and that core's section of the scan chain be bypassed. The subsequent bypassing (shortening) of the overall chip scan chain may cause operational difficulties for both the hardware and software external to the chip which manages the chip scan activity.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Scan chain processing in a partially functional chip

International Business Machines Corporation


A system and method which allows for a more direct form of presenting useful information to a mobile handset user is disclosed. More specifically a method to dedicate a transmission period of the MAC protocol when certain pre-formatted information is transmitted to all users on a network.

Old media got left behind in the race to go online, in part because the prospects for advertising, traditionally the major revenue generator for newspapers, magazines and television, seemed unclear on the Internet. Then online advertising took off, and old media are still playing catch-up. Now, with the next iteration of the Internet, the mobile Web, spreading around the world, publishers and other content providers are trying to keep up, lest they get in late on another advertising bonanza.
A survey, conducted by TNS Media and Entertainment in the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, found that 76 percent of cell phone owners in those countries now have access to the Web from mobile devices. The researchers, who polled about 1,000 people in each country, found that more than a third of those with mobile Web access used such services. The Web-using population ranged from 34 percent in France to 54 percent in Britain. Even if these estimates are not quite right, mobile marketing could be a big thing, simply because the numbers are enormous. Some oft-repeated measures: Around one billion mobile phones will be sold around the world this year. Globally, there are more cell phones than PCs.
In advertising terms, however, the mobile phone remains very much the third screen, behind television and the PC. Outside of Asia, where mobile advertising has grown rapidly in markets like Japan, activity is still dominated by "text and response" campaigns that ask users to send text messages for more information on a product, or to enter a contest, for example.
Thus mobile phone handsets do already make information such as news, sports, weather and other information available. Usually this is done by virtue of an integrated web browser. Sometimes the service provider will provide special web pages, formatted especially for viewing on the small handset screen. The phone is usually programmed to view these specially formatted web pages first, by defaulting to a mobile home page with menu choices for each category. This requires the user to select and download desired information. This is often a tedious and slow process and it is one reason many users have been reluctant to take advantage of data services on handsets.
The following disclosure will describe a method of making such information available to all users simultaneously and without requiring user interaction of web pages because the information is pre-loaded to each user as part of the over the air interface or MAC layer.


A method, system and computer program product for forecasting a storage requirement of a database management system (DBMS). The storage-related operations (e.g., create, delete, update) of the applications connected to the DBMS are monitored. The impact on the storage usage of the DBMS based on these storage-related operations performed by the applications is monitored. Furthermore, the applications are categorized into groups of applications based on the monitored storage-related operations. A mathematical model is then built to forecast the storage requirement of the DBMS based on the monitored impact on the storage usage of the DBMS by the monitored storage-related operations of the applications and the categorization of the applications. The storage requirement of the DBMS is then forecasted based on the built mathematical model. In this manner, the storage requirements of the DBMS may be accurately predicted to ensure that there is available storage thereby preventing performance degradation.

A database management system (DBMS) maintains and manages the data stored in databases. Management includes storing, deleting, retrieving and updating the data. Typically, data stored in a database includes plain values (e.g., numbers and alphanumeric strings) and complex objects, such as images, documents and spatial data. The DBMS typically is hosted by a server, which may be referred to as a "database server," that is accessible by a plurality of client systems (or simply referred to as "clients") via a network.
Currently, there is an inordinate amount of data to be stored by the database management system, due in part, to the exponential increase of data provided from various sources. With this huge amount of data to be stored, it becomes a challenging task for the database administrator for planning the storage requirements of the database management system as the database administrator needs to take into consideration the operational impact along with the budget implications it would pose on an organization.
Accurately predicting the storage requirements of the database management system is important to ensure that there is available storage or else risk performance degradation, or at worst, failure of the database management system.
Unfortunately, there is not currently a means for accurately predicting the storage requirements of the database management system.

Predicting storage requirements of a database management system based on application behavior and behavior of database queries


According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a plasma processing apparatus for performing plasma processing on a substrate in a processing container, the plasma processing apparatus comprising: an upper electrode; a power feeding rod; a gas diffusion plate having a plurality of ejection holes and disposed below the upper electrode; a gas introduction member; an insulation introduction member; a plurality of gas supply paths; and a confluence provided directly below a connection between the upper electrode and the power feeding rod, and configured to cause the processing gas from the gas supply paths to merge, wherein the processing gas after merging in the confluence flows in a space that is formed above the gas diffusion plate and communicating with the ejection holes.

Patent Document 1 discloses a plasma processing apparatus, which includes a lower electrode also serving as a stage and an upper electrode facing the lower electrode and also serving as a gas shower head for supplying a processing gas to the lower electrode. In the apparatus, a voltage is applied across the lower electrode and the upper electrode so as to change the processing gas into plasma, so that a substrate on the stage is processed by the plasma. Patent Document 1 also describes that an electrode rod for supplying high-frequency power is connected to the central portion of the upper electrode, and a processing gas supply pipe is connected to the upper electrode at an eccentric position of the upper electrode.

Plasma processing apparatus and plasma processing method


A high power lithium-ion secondary battery having an increased capacity and capable of maintaining high discharge voltage and repeating charging/discharging high current. A lithium-ion secondary battery having an electrode group formed by laminating or winding a negative electrode layer and a positive electrode layer so as to interpose a separator made of synthetic resin, the negative electrode layer containing a material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium-ion, and the positive electrode layer including a lithium-containing metallic oxide; and a non-aqueous electrolyte containing lithium salt, where the electrode group is immersed. The positive electrode material unit contains a fluorinated lithium-containing metallic oxide as a main material, and the separator possesses a hydrophilic group. Further, the positive electrode material preferably contains a main material including LiNixCoyMnzO2, where 0.6≦x<1, 0<y≦0.2, 0<z≦0.2, and x+y+z=1.

A lithium-ion secondary battery having a negative electrode layer formed with a material capable of intercalating/deintercalating lithium-ion is able to suppress deposition of dendrite more effectively compared to a lithium-ion secondary battery having a negative electrode layer formed with metallic lithium. Therefore, the former lithium-ion secondary battery has the advantage of providing an increased capacity and energy density while improving the safety by preventing electrical short circuit.
While there is demand for a further increase in capacity of the lithium-ion battery, the flatness of discharge voltage and a high output of a lithium-ion secondary battery have been also in demand in recent years. Under such a circumstance, various attempts have been made. Examples of the attempts include: to increase the capacity of a positive electrode metallic lithium oxide composite and a negative electrode material themselves, which are electro chemical reactants; to increase the planer dimension of an electrode at the designing stage, and to increase the amount of reactant by thinning a separator. (Refer to the below patent documents 1 to 5)
[Patent Bibliography 1]
    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-213014[Patent Bibliography 2]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-113907[Patent Bibliography 3]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-210325[Patent Bibliography 4]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-192896[Patent Bibliography 5]    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-11688


A coaxial cable comprises a dielectric for covering a core wire, a conductor layer disposed around the dielectric, a housing disposed around the conductor layer. The housing and conductor layer at the processed end part of this coaxial cable is removed, a prescribed length of an exposed dielectric is removed from the end and the core wire inside is connected to the electrode of a circuit substrate. In this case, a shielding material is disposed in the vicinity of the dielectric in such a way as to cover the exposed dielectric, and this shielding material is connected to a common electrode formed on a substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the structure of the end of a coaxial cable used to transmit RF signals.
2. Description of the Related Art
In RF signal transmission, in an interface circuit, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, the circuit substrate 101 on the driver side (for example, the computer on the server side) and the circuit substrate 102 on the receiver side (for example; a number of personal computers) are connected to a coaxial cable 105 via connectors 103 and 104. In this case, on the transmission route including the circuit substrate 101 on the driver side and the coaxial cable 105, it is ideal that the output impedance of the circuit device 106 on the driver side, the impedance of the pattern part 107 of the circuit substrate, the impedance of a connector 103, the impedance of the coaxial cable 105, the impedance of the processed end part 108 and the like all are the same. This also applies to the receiver side.
This is because if the impedances of such parts differ, a transmission signal is reflected at a part where two impedances are not matched causing its waveform to be distorted etc. Therefore, it is necessary to match impedances, especially in RF signal transmission (for example, the transmission of a signal of 1 GHz or more).
However, FIG. 2 discloses prior art in which the fluctuations of the characteristic impedance of the processed end part of a coaxial cable 117 are suppressed and the impedance is matched with the characteristic impedance of the circuit substrate. In this coaxial cable 117, an inner conductor 112 projected from the tip of an insulator 111 constitutes a signal terminal, and an outer conductor 115 is connected to a grounding terminal 113 via a drain line 116. The grounding terminal 113 is exposed at the end part 114a of an incorporated and molded cover material. Furthermore, the grounding terminal 113 and a circuit substrate, which is not shown in FIG. 2, are connected by pressing the grounding terminal 113 against the grounding electrode of the circuit substrate (for example, see Patent reference 1).
Another prior art reference, FIG. 3 discloses a coaxial cable 121 used for a semiconductor device inspection device. This semiconductor device inspection device comprises a probe core wire 122 at the tip of the coaxial cable 121, for touching the electrode of a semiconductor device, which is not shown in FIG. 3, and transmitting/receiving an inspection signal, and an insulating tube 123 through which the probe core wire 122 is inserted and can be moved. The probe core wire 122 is covered by an insulator 124 and its circumference is covered with an outer conductor (shielding material) 125. Between the outer conductor 125 and insulating tube 123, there is a fixed substrate 126 and a conductor 127. Furthermore, the semiconductor device inspection device comprises a spring for pressing this coaxial cable 121 in such a way that the probe core wire 122 can touch the electrode of the semiconductor, which is not shown in FIG. 3 (for example, see Patent reference 2).
Patent reference 1: Japanese Patent No. 2002-203618
Patent reference 2: Japanese Patent No. S63-317784
However in the technology set forth in Patent reference 1, since the exposed insulator 111 of the processed end part is not shielded by an outer conductor 115, the characteristic impedance of the coaxial cable 117 increases and varies. Because the characteristic impedance (Z) of a coaxial cable generally depends on the inductance (L) and the capacitance (C) per unit length of the cable (Z≅√L/C), a prescribed characteristic impedance value cannot be obtained if the insulator 111 of the processed end part is not shielded by the outer conductor 115.
In the technology set forth in Patent reference 2, since the specific structure of the processed end part is not clear and the exposed insulator 124 is not shielded although the insulating tube 123 and outer conductor 125 are grounded when pressing the insulating tube 123 to the grounding electrode of the circuit substrate, the impedance cannot be improved.


A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate, a second substrate disposed to face the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, a first optical compensation plate fixed to the first substrate, a second optical compensation plate disposed at a side of the first substrate or the second substrate, and a pivot mechanism supporting the second optical compensation plate to be pivotable around an optical axis of light passing through the first substrate and the second substrate.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device such as a liquid crystal light valve and an electronic apparatus such as a liquid crystal projector having the liquid crystal device.
2. Related Art
In order to improve the use efficient of incident light, micro lens arrays or micro lens array plates may be used together with liquid crystal devices. In such a case, since light to be vertically incident on a liquid crystal layer is collected by the micro lens array, the light has its direction changed and is made incident on the liquid crystal layer at an angle. When the light is incident on the liquid crystal layer at an angle, the light becomes out of phase, whereby the contrast and viewing angle of the liquid crystal device decrease.
For this reason, in liquid crystal devices having micro lens arrays, optical phase difference compensating elements are used. For example, in a liquid crystal projector disclosed in JP-A-2002-131750, as the optical phase difference compensating element, a film formed of an organic material is used. In JP-A-2002-14345, a discotic liquid crystal is used as the optical phase difference compensating element. In JP-A-2004-151252, a structural birefringence body formed of an inorganic material is disclosed. In the above-described technology, a phase difference of light that causes rays of light to be out of phase with each other is compensated by using such optical phase difference compensating elements, and thereby a decrease in the contrast is prevented and the viewing angle is widened.
When a compensation process is performed by using two or more optical phase difference compensating elements, an angle between the optical phase difference compensating elements is determined on the basis of characteristics of the liquid crystal. For example, when a TN (Twisted Nematic) mode is used, since the light is twisted by 90° by the liquid crystal layer, the optical phase difference compensating elements disposed in an incident side and an emitting side are arranged so as to form an angle of 90° therebetween. Accordingly, when the optical phase difference compensating elements are arranged, high precision is required for setting the angle therebetween. However, since many of the optical phase difference compensating elements having a film-like shape are arranged by being attached, it is very difficult to attain high precision for the arrangement. Furthermore, since there may be a case where attachment at a predetermined angle is not applicable, there is a technical problem in terms of operation efficiency or costs.

Liquid crystal device and electronic apparatus


A semiconductor device including a vertical gate and a method for manufacturing the same are disclosed, which prevent a floating body phenomenon, thereby increasing a cell threshold voltage and reducing leakage current, resulting in improved refresh properties of the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of pillar patterns, including first pillar patterns arranged along a first direction and second pillar patterns arranged along a second direction, formed over a semiconductor substrate; a gate extending in the first direction, arranged along sidewalls of the first pillar patterns, and configured to couple the first pillar patterns; a junction region formed in an upper portion of the pillar patterns; and a conductive line arranged along the sidewalls of the first pillar patterns and provided in a region disposed below the junction region and over the gate.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a semiconductor device including a vertical gate and a method for manufacturing the same.
As the integration degree of a semiconductor device increases, the channel length of a transistor gradually decreases. However, the reduction in channel length of the transistor may result in a Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL) phenomenon, a hot carrier effect, and other short channel effects, such as punch-through. In order to solve such problems, a variety of methods have been proposed, including for example, a method for reducing the depth of a junction region, a method for increasing channel length by forming a recess in the channel region of a transistor, and the like.
However, as the integration density of a semiconductor memory device, and more particularly, of a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), approaches Gigabits, it is necessary to manufacture a smaller-sized transistor. That is, a transistor of a gigabyte DRAM device requires a cell area of 8F2 or less (F: minimum feature size), and a cell area of about 4F2. Therefore, although the channel length may be scaled using a planar transistor in which a gate electrode is formed over a semiconductor substrate and a junction region is formed at both sides of the gate electrode, it is difficult to satisfy these size requirements. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a vertical channel transistor structure has recently been proposed.
However, a vertical channel transistor structure according to the related art causes a floating body effect in which a body is electrically separated from the silicon substrate by a source/drain junction region located at a lower end of a vertical gate as the line width of the device is reduced. If the floating body effect occurs, the cell threshold voltage of the transistor is lowered by a hole over the body, which results in deterioration of the refresh properties of the semiconductor device.

Semiconductor device having a gate and a conductive line in a pillar pattern


A sheath may be folded inside-out to cover a core-form and form an in-ear device therewith. A settable compound is injected between the spacing formed between core-from and sheath to allow in-situ fitting. The sheath is of variable thickness, having lower thickness portions and augmented thickness portions to direct flow and settling of settable compound during in-situ fitting.

The term in-ear device (IED) includes active devices, either of a hearing protection nature, or of a hearing aid nature, in which some or all of the batteries and other components are mounted behind the ear, or remotely, in a box that communicates with the IED unit by means of a sound-tube, or by wires. As such, IEDs include powered, active devices in which a microphone, speaker, and all the associated sound-processing circuitry and components, including a battery, are contained within the in-ear unit. IEDs may also be passive, i.e. not powered, and some simply amount to a plug in the ear. More sophisticated passive IEDs may include acoustic chambers and filters, for passing or attenuating selected frequencies.
Regardless of the active or passive nature of IEDs, it is recognized that the performance of all IEDs is highly dependent upon the fit of the IED in the ear. If the IED is a poor fit, excess or undesired sound may simply by-pass the IED, causing the wearer to hear undesired sounds. The tendency therefore is for the IED to be too tight, which leads to poor wearer-comfort, whereby the wearer tends not to keep the IED in for long periods.
Recent trends in hearing aid IEDs seek to overcome the traditional problems with fit by providing multi-channel sound transmission or by eliminating feedback. Such techniques may be useful for improving quality of sound and reducing feedback. However, since the shapes of the ears of different wearers are not the same, the efficacy of such techniques may not necessarily be consistent from one wearer to another. Further, such techniques may require frequent readjustment of the IED in different hearing environments. Accordingly, it is advantageous to custom fit an IED to the ear of the wearer, on an in-situ basis, to minimize such difficulties.
A variety of techniques and means may be used for custom fitting an IED to ear of the wearer. Such techniques and means include manufacturing the IED directly within the ear of the wearer, use of a deformable stretchable sheath to cover the IED and match the contour of the wearer's ear, or use of molds. These techniques and means are well known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,055 issued to Lebisch et al. on Aug. 4, 1989 discloses an apparatus for manufacturing an IED directly in the ear of a hearing-impaired person with a deformable envelope or sheath being pulled over a die or over a shell or over an overlayed over-shell. However, this rather long and tedious process requires many steps of assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,333,622 and No. 5,131,411 issued to Casali et al. on Aug. 2, 1994 and on Jul. 21, 1992 respectively disclose a custom-molded IED, i.e. an ear plug, that can be used for selecting pre-sized earplugs or as a cast for creating a mold for earplugs or hearing aids. This earplug is not appropriate for custom fitting in-situ of an ear canal of an individual.
Canadian patent application No. 2,302,962/A1 of McIntosh et al. filed on Mar. 23, 2000 and laid open on Sep. 26, 2000 discloses a hearing apparatus adapted to be inflated in-situ using an inflation-medium. The apparatus includes a core portion that is generally covered by a separate sheath. The proper installation of the sheath requires extensive delicate care, especially when bonding the far end of the sheath to the core using the far-seal-means without obstructing the acoustic tube.
In light of the foregoing, it would be advantageous to have an IED that allows for facilitated in-situ fitting. Accordingly, it would be useful to have a means, such as a stretchable sheath, that may be easily employed with an IED to allow simple in-situ custom fitting of the IED in the wearer.


A device and method is provided for breaking up undesirable patterns in vector error diffusion when the sum of inputs is near fraction values of the total input range. In the method, the value of the sum is calculated modulo the maximum input value. The mod value tendency to produce limit cycles is then determined for multiple planes in a manner similar to that for an individual plane. The threshold process for the vector calculation can then be modified to break up the cycles that occur in the combinations of the multiple colors. Typically, the largest of the individual plane modifications and the vector sum mod value is used for threshold modification. At least two different types of threshold modifications are possible: (1) random or psuedo-random noise address to the threshold; and (2) non-contiguous regions of threshold.

The exemplary embodiments generally relate to marking and imaging devices, architecture and document services, and specifically relate to vector error diffusion.
There are many methods of rendering gray images on an output device. One such example is error diffusion. Error diffusion can render complex images that contain a mixture of text and picture reasonably well. The utilization of error diffusion eliminates the need to have image segmentation to separate the text from the picture so that the picture aspect of the document can be screened and the text aspect of the document can be threshold.
Related error diffusion is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,809,177 issued Sep. 15, 1998 to Metcalfe et al. FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a typical error diffusion binarization system. In Step S1 of this process, the video signal for pixel X is modified to include the accumulated error diffused to this pixel from previous threshold processes. The modified video signal value X is compared at Step S2 with the value 128, assuming a video range between 0 and 255. If Step S2 determines that the modified video signal value X is greater than or equal to 128, the process proceeds to Step S4 wherein a value is output to indicate the tuning ON of pixel X. The process then proceeds to calculate the error associated with the threshold process at Step S6 wherein this error, Y, is calculate as being X-255.
On the other hand, if Step S2 determines that the modified video signal value X is less than 128, a signal is output at Step S3 indicating that the pixel X is to be turned OFF. The process then proceeds to Step S5 wherein the error, Y, is calculated as being equal to the value X.
The error calculated in either Steps S5 or S6 is multiplied by weighting coefficients and distributed to downstream pixels in Step S7. Thus, the error from the threshold process is diffused to adjacent pixels.
Related approaches to error diffusion include noise methods, alternating weights, and deterministic bit flipping. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,521,989 and 5,809,177 describe adding noise to the threshold so that it can be filtered by a scalar error diffuser to make its contribution to the output pixels predominantly high frequency or blue noise. Alternating weights is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,608,700 issued Aug. 19, 2003 to Mantell, which distributes fractional weighted portions of an error to selected subsequent pixels. Deterministic bit flipping is described in A. Magrath and M. Sandler, "A Sigma-Delta Modulator Topology with High Linearity," IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems, Jun. 9-12, 1997, Hong Kong. Deterministic Bit Flipping is applied to error diffusion in N. Damera-Venkata, IEEE Transactions of Image Processing, Vol. 10, No. 1, January 2001, and its advantages are discussed in T. Chang and J. Allebach, "Memory Efficient Error Diffusion," IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, Vol. 12, No. 11, November 2003.

Threshold modification for limit cycle removal in vector error diffusion


The present disclosure relates to a flavored jerky product and a method of preparing a flavored jerky product. The method comprises applying a curing agent to an external skin surface and/or an exposed muscle surface of a meat source, curing the meat source with the curing agent, and drying, cold smoking, and drying both the external skin surface and the meat source. The meat source is then chilled, the external skin surface is removed, and the meat source is sliced and/or segmented into a meat portion. The meat portion is marinated in a marinade solution, and then dried, cold smoked and dried to attain a water activity between about 0.7 and about 0.9 to produce the flavored jerky product.

Jerky is a type of preserved meat product that has been cured and dried to prevent spoilage. Modern production of jerky can be separated into two categories: jerky produced from whole meat and sliced into strips, and jerky produced from meat that has been ground and pulverized into a smaller product. In each case, the meat is typically trimmed of fat and marinated in a curing solution that contains water, seasonings, sugars, and curing agents such as salt and sodium nitrate. Salt is used to dehydrate the meat, and the sodium nitrate helps to retain the color of the meat and reduce rancidity. After curing, the meat is then typically smoked at high temperatures and dried to reach a final moisture content. Ground meat typically includes an additional process step of extruding the meat into a desired shape prior to smoking and drying.
Known meat jerky products have a limited shelf life before the flavor becomes less desirable, is thick and/or opaque, and/or suffers from a tough or chewy texture.
Currently, there is a need in the art for a new process for manufacturing jerky that stabilizes and extends shelf life, enhances flavor, increases visual appeal, improves tenderness or texture, and simplifies the manufacturing process.

Cold smoked meat product and method of making same


A turbine airfoil assembly has an airfoil with an inner wall, an outer wall, a leading edge and a trailing edge. The airfoil has one or more chambers extending in a substantially chordwise direction of the airfoil. An insert has a plurality of impingement holes, and the insert is configured to be inserted within one of the chambers. The insert is configured to cool the airfoil via the plurality of impingement holes. A chambering element is attached only to the insert, the chambering element is configured to provide an increased cooling gas pressure inside a boundary area defined by the chambering element relative to an area outside the boundary area. A gap exists between the inner wall of the airfoil and the chambering element, and the gap allows cooling gas to exit the boundary area and enter the area outside the boundary area.

The invention described herein relates generally to a turbine airfoil assembly. More specifically, the invention relates to a turbine airfoil assembly configured for improved cooling performance.
Turbine airfoil assemblies direct gaseous flow passing through rotor assemblies within a gas turbine. For example, a stator vane assembly may include one or more stator vane airfoils extending radially between an inner and an outer platform. The temperature of core gas flow passing the stator vane airfoil typically requires cooling within the stator vane, and this cooling helps to increase stator vane life.
In many gas turbines, some components must be cooled to extend operating life. Cooling air at a lower temperature and higher pressure than the core gas is typically introduced into an internal cavity of a stator vane, where it absorbs thermal energy. The cooling air subsequently exits the vane via apertures in the vane walls, transporting the thermal energy away from the vane. The pressure difference across the vane walls and the flow rate at which the cooling air exits the vane is important, particularly along the leading edge where temperatures may be elevated. In the past, internal vane structures have been defined by first establishing the minimum acceptable pressure difference at any point along the leading edge (internal versus external pressure), and subsequently manipulating the internal vane structure along the entire leading edge such that the minimal allowable pressure difference is present along the entire leading edge. The problem with this approach is that core gas flow pressure gradients along the leading edge of a vane may have one or more small regions (i.e., "spikes") at a pressure considerably higher than the rest of the gradient along the leading edge. This is particularly true for those stator vanes disposed aft of rotor assemblies, where relative motion between rotor blades and stator vanes can significantly influence the core gas flow profile. Increasing the minimum allowable pressure to accommodate the spikes consumes an excessive amount of cooling air.
Prior approaches have modified the internal vane structure, but this approach does not permit customization. Turbines may be installed in a wide variety of locations (e.g., hot, cold, dry, humid, etc.) and the same turbine in a very cold and humid environment may experience a very different core gas flow pressure gradient than a turbine installed in a hot and dry environment.


An air mattress includes an inflatable compartment having a length and width, when inflated, sufficient to support a human body; an internal, generally horizontal wall located between the top and bottom of the compartment and connected to and horizontally restraining the sides of the compartment; at least one internal, generally vertical member connected to and restraining the relative vertical movement of the top and bottom of the compartment; and wherein one of the internal, generally vertical member and the internal, generally horizontal wall possesses an opening that permits at least a portion of the other structure to pass therethrough without interruption.

This invention relates generally to air mattresses and more particularly to an improved air mattress that reduces the amount of polyvinylchloride necessary to manufacture the mattress.
Almost all current air mattress use polyvinylchloride ("PVC") or thermoplastic polyurethanes ("TPU") as the primary or exclusive materials for manufacture. These materials are widely available, adaptable to many forms of use, and provide the stable and flexible structure necessary for these mattresses. However, greater attention has been recently focused on the potential environmental pitfalls of both PVC and TPU. In particular, concerns revolve around the plasticizers that must be used with PVC in order to make the material flexible. These plasticizers may leach out of the PVC sheets used to produce air mattresses and have been connected to significant potential health hazards. In addition, PVC, and to a lesser extent TPU, takes hundreds of years to degrade in landfills.
Other drawbacks to the use of these materials include cost and weight. These are petroleum-based products and, therefore, the cost associated with these materials can vary greatly with fluctuations in the price of oil. Furthermore, the weight of these materials can present issues for the manufacturer in shipping the products and for the consumer in carrying the mattress.
Therefore, it would be desirable to produce an air mattress capable of reduced usage of PVC and TPU while maintaining the same performance characteristics of current mattresses.
Standard mattresses, and in particular, "pillowtop" designs, tend to utilize a basic structure that involves top and bottom horizontal layers of vinyl that are separated by one or more internal, horizontal layers of vinyl on the interior of the mattress. These internal layers serve to restrain the sides of the mattress when the mattress is loaded. These layers can also serve to isolate the mattress into separate upper and lower chambers, if desired. These mattress also utilize multiple, vertically-oriented members or "beams" that traverse the interior of the mattress from side to side. These beams serve to provide vertical support to the mattress and help prevent "bowing" of the mattress during loading.
In these standard mattresses, it is obviously necessary to secure the beams to the exterior layers of vinyl. However, in mattresses utilizing an internal horizontal layer, it is necessary to actually utilize two sets of beams—one above and one below the internal horizontal layer, and to secure, by sonic welding, for example, each beam to the internal horizontal layer and, as appropriate, either the top or bottom external layer of the mattress. This structure results in a large number of seam points, requiring extensive labor on such mattresses.
Therefore, it would be desirable to produce an air mattress having an internal structure capable of restraining the external surfaces of the mattress from bowing while reducing the number of seam points and, consequently, the amount of labor involved in manufacturing such mattresses.
Finally, higher end versions of these standard mattresses utilize a flocked material on the upper, exterior (or sleeping) surface of the mattress. These flocked surfaces are intended to enhance the aesthetic appeal and comfort of the mattress by providing a somewhat softer, non-vinyl surface for the user to rest upon. These surfaces are almost universally made of very fine polyester fibers that are flocked to the upper vinyl layer of the mattress. Flocking is a process that involves applying an adhesive to the surface to be flocked and ionizing the surface, typically by applying an electric field to the surface. The ionized surface attracts the flocking material to the surface in a relatively even layer where the material is then secured to the surface by the adhesive.
While the flocked polyester material does provide a somewhat softer feel to the mattress, it is not an ideal sleeping surface. In particular, the flocked polyester surface does not "breathe" as the user lies on the surface. This feature can lead to moisture, in the form of the user's own perspiration and other natural secretions, collecting on the flocked surface. This collected surface moisture, especially when combined with the elevated surface temperatures resulting from the user's body heat, produces ideal conditions for rapid bacterial growth on the mattress surface. An alternative to polyester flocking is laminating a woven material to the top surface of the mattress. While this approach does produce a more breathable surface, it is also adds significant expense to the overall manufacturing process.
Therefore, it would be desirable to produce an air mattress having a sleeping surface that provides the preferred aesthetic appeal and comfort of a flocked surface while providing an impediment to bacterial growth and avoiding a significant increase in the cost to produce the mattress.


A system for reproducing a subtitle from an optical recording medium and a method thereof. The system reconfigures a subtitle menu during reproducing data from an optical disc and selects the reconfigured menu in order to play the optical disc. The method includes selecting a play menu from the optical recording medium to be played, reconfiguring and storing menu execution information, and executing the play menu previously reconfigured whenever playing the previously played optical disc or a newly played optical disc. Once a setup menu is reconfigured before or during playing of the disc. the previously configured menu is applied when the optical disc is played again or a new optical disc is played.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for reproducing a subtitle in accordance with a user's preference from an optical recording medium, and more particularly, to a method of and a system selecting a user's preference for a subtitle from a subtitle menu during reproducing data from a first optical recording medium, storing the user's preference for the subtitle, and reproducing data from a second optical recording medium in accordance with the user's preference which has been set-up during reproducing data from the first optical recording medium by reconfiguring the subtitle menu of the second optical recording medium in response to the stored user's preference for the subtitle of the first optical record medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Digital Video Disc (DVD) is a storage medium having a diameter of 12 cm and a thickness of 1.2 mm, which are the same as those of a Compact Disc (CD). However, data capacity of the DVD is 7 times greater than that of the CD which stores approximately 688 MB of data, which can be played for about 74 minutes. Even though DVDs have the same diameter and thickness as CDs, the data capacity of DVDs ranges from 4.7 GB to 17 GB depending on the number of layers forming the DVD.
Since DVDs have a capacity large enough to adopt MPEG-2 compression, which places priority on video quality, it can provide excellent quality video, unlike CDs adopting MPEG-1, which maximizes compression at the expense of the video quality.
In addition, the DVDs store various data including audio data, multilingual caption data and various other set-up data.
A set-up menu provides the user to select the user's preference for the audio data, the multilingual caption data, and the various setup data. The respective audio data and multilingual caption data are reproduced from the DVD in accordance with the user's preference. The user selects the user's preference through an interactive interface that enables the user to select what the user wants among the respective audio data, multilingual caption data and the other set-up data. The multilingual caption data includes up to 32 languages. Multilingual voice caption data provides up to 8 languages. The audio data includes channel data corresponding to 6 speakers such as front right/left, rear right/left, central and low sound speakers. The set-up menu for the other set-up data includes a multistory function, a multi-angle function, and a parental guide function. The multistory function allows the user to select any one of categorized movies. The multi-angle function provides the user with scenes shot at different angles. The parental guide function prevents unauthorized users from viewing scenes.
The set-up menu provided by the DVD includes a subtitle menu for setting the kind of the language and the caption. The subtitle menu helps the user to select the kind of the language and the caption, and the optical recording medium is reproduced in languages of different countries in response to the user's selection. However, it is very disadvantageous and inconvenient that the user's preference should be set-up in the subtitle menu whenever a new optical recording medium is loaded and reproduced.

Method of and apparatus for selecting subtitles from an optical recording medium


The present invention relates to a process for producing a multicoat paint system, in which. (1) an optionally pigmented basecoat is applied to a substrate surface, PA1 (2) a polymer film is formed from the basecoat film applied in stage (1), PA1 (3) one or more further coating films are applied optionally thereto, PA1 (4) then a nonaqueous topcoat is applied which comprises PA1 (5) the coating films are baked together, where in that [Sic] the polyacrylate resin comprises secondary OH groups.. A) a hydroxy-functional polyacrylate resin, PA2 B) as crosslinking agent tris(alkoxycarbonylamino)triazine and PA2 C) optionally further crosslinking agents, such as blocked isocyanates, which are different from the tris(alkoxycarbonylamino)triazine, and/or amino resins,. and subsequently

The above-described basecoat/clearcoat process is employed in particular for producing multicoat paint systems, especially metallic finishes on car bodies (cf. e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 3,639,147 and EP-A-38 127).
Using the basecoat/clearcoat process it is possible to produce finishes which, in comparison to one-coat topcoat systems, feature an improved rendering of the effect and feature the possibility of producing paint systems with bright and cleaner shades.
The basecoat applied first in stage (1), depending on the nature, amount and spatial orientation of the pigments employed, determines the shade and, if appropriate, the effect (e.g. metallic or pearlescent effect) of the paint system.
In stage (2) of the process, in an evaporation phase, at least some of the organic solvents and/or of the water is removed from the basecoat film applied in stage (1). Atop this pre-dried but unbaked basecoat film there is applied, in stage (3), a nonaqueous transparent topcoat (wet-on-wet technique) and then, in stage (4), basecoat film and topcoat film are baked together.
The transparent topcoat applied in stage (3) imparts gloss and fullness to the two-coat paint system and protects the pigmented paint film applied in stage (1) against chemical and physical attack.
Using the process under discussion it is possible to obtain high-quality two-coat paint systems only when the transparent topcoat applied in stage (3) does not interfere with the basecoat applied in stages (1) and (2) in such a way that there is impairment of the optical effect (e.g. clouding). On the other hand, the composition of the transparent topcoat must be such that it adheres well to the basecoat film following the baking process conducted in stage (4). Further important properties which the transparent topcoat film obtained after the baking process must have are high transparency, good gloss and good mechanical properties, such as hardness, scratch resistance and elasticity. The transparent topcoat film obtained after the baking process is required not least to have high resistance to climatic effects (e.g. temperature fluctuations, moisture in the form of water vapor, rain, dew, attack by radiation etc.) and to attack by acids or other chemicals, such as organic solvents, for example.
Furthermore, the transparent topcoats applied in stage (3) should have a very low content of organic solvents, and good stability on storage.
JP-A-2-242867 describes a basecoat/clearcoat process in stage (3) of which nonaqueous transparent topcoats are applied which comprise (A) a hydroxyl-containing synthetic resin, (B) an amino resin and (C) a blocked polyisocyanate, where components (B) and (C) are to be selected such that the temperature at which a chemical reaction ensues between (A) and (C) is not more than 20.degree. C. below and not more than 50.degree. C. above the temperature at which a chemical reaction ensues between (A) and (B).
Blocking agents specified for preparing component (C) are: volatile compounds of low molecular mass containing active hydrogen atoms, such as methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, hexanol, cyclohexanol, benzyl alcohol, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether and other aliphatic or aromatic monoalcohols, dimethyl- or diethylaminoethanol and other hydroxyl-containing tertiary amines, acetone oxime, methyl ethyl ketone oxime and other oximes, acetylacetone, acetoacetates, malonates and other compounds containing active methylene groups, .epsilon.-caprolactam and other lactams, and phenol. Blocking agents preferably employed are aliphatic monoalcohols, oximes and caprolactams.
The transparent topcoats described in JP-A-2-242867 give rise to paint systems which, especially in terms of their resistance to organic solvents and acids, gloss, transparency and resistance to yellowing, are to be improved.
DE-B-26 39 491 describes nonaqueous coating materials which comprise a hydroxyl-containing polyester resin and/or alkyd resin, hexamethylene diisocyanate blocked with an alkyl acetoacetate and/or 2,2,4 trimethylhexamethylene [sic] diisocyanate blocked with an alkyl acetoacetate, and an amino resin. These coating materials can also be employed as transparent topcoats in the sector of automotive finishing. The finishes obtained with these coating systems, especially when heightened baking temperatures and/or prolonged baking times are employed, undergo yellowing and are to be improved especially in terms of their resistance to acids and organic solvents and in terms of their scratch resistance.
The properties of the coating materials can be improved by the use of specific crosslinking agents. Mention should be made here in particular of the tris(alkoxycarbonylamino)triazines and derivatives thereof that are known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,084,541, 4,939,213, 5,288,865, 4,710,542 and from the EP Applications 0565774, 0541966, 0604922 and EP-B 0245700. Coating materials of this kind feature an especially good chemical resistance, which is evident in particular in the good results of outdoor weathering in Jacksonville, Fla. The tight crosslinking of such formulations, however, has the disadvantage of increased sensitivity toward moisture stresses, which is manifested in blushing of the coating films after such stresses.

Multi-layered paint spraying, process for achieving same, and a suitable, non-aqueous finishing coat


An integrated circuit or a gate array having a logic gate block functioning in accordance with circuits defined in the interior and data, which circuit includes an analog circuit, a passive electronic element array capable of changing circuit parameters of the analog circuit, an analog switch element capable of switching an analog signal by a digital signal, a variable characteristics analog circuit capable of defining and changing the circuit arrangement and the circuit characteristics, and a digital circuit capable of controlling the defining and the changing of the circuitry.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit having a logic gate block functioning in accordance with circuits defined in the interior thereof and data, or a gate array for applying wirings to a master slice in accordance with the application, and more particularly to an integrated circuit and a gate array improved in efficiency of design of an analog-digital composite electronic circuits.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There has heretofore been widely used a programmable logic device (hereinafter referred to as a "PLD") which is an integrated circuit formed to realize an optional logic circuit near at hand of a user. The PLD of various types are provided for the users.
The application in the interior of the above-described PLD is performed such that various memory elements and various logic elements are selectively connected to one another. As the means (elements) used for programming a logic circuit, N-MOS transistors and P-MOS transistors are used as switching elements. The means selectively connected to one another for programming the logic circuit will hereafter be referred to as Switching Station (S/S) elements.
Applying the integrated circuits to electronic machines and components leads to the many advantages of not only rendering the whole sizes of the electronic machines and components compact but also improved reliability of the electronic machines and components, lowered electric power consumption and so forth. Accordingly, many users utilize the above-described PLD to facilitate the circuit designing of the integrated circuit for widely applying the integrated circuits to the electronic machines and components. Along with this trend, various electronic circuits of the electronic machines and components are selected as the targets for developing and providing the PLD of various types.
In recent years, the digital circuit technique has achieved a great advancement in the respects of the improvement in mounting density of logic devices and the improvement in signal processing speeds. Along with this trend, the electronic circuits and the electronic circuit devices, which have heretofore been using the analog circuit technique, are formed by the digital circuit technique, so that not only the electronic circuits and the electronic circuit devices are rendered compact in size and the electric power consumption is decreased as described above, but also the number of the electronic parts being used can be reduced and the number of corrected portions such as the trimmer can be decreased, thus improving the manufacturing efficiency and improving the reliability of the whole electronic circuits.
Further, it has been realized as a result of the advancement of the size-reducing technique of the integrated circuits that a digital circuit obtained by digitalizing an analogue circuit and a concerned analog circuit formed together with the digital circuit can be formed on one and the same integrated circuit. As the methods of realizing the integrated circuit formed of the above-described analog-digital composite electronic circuit, the following forming methods have been proposed.
1. An integrated circuit (a building-block type standard cell) in which a logical circuit (digital circuit), a memory and an analog circuit are formed to provide macrocells, respectively, and these macrocells are integrated on one chip.
2. An integrated circuit (a multichip-module) in which a logic circuit (digital circuit), a memory and an analog circuit are formed to provide integrated circuit chips independently of one another, and these plurality of integrated circuit chips are mounted onto a polyimide pattern or a silicone substrate having programmable wiring.
3. An integrated circuit (a waferscale integration) in which a system consisting of a logic circuit (a digital circuit), a memory and an analog circuit is integrated on the whole surface of a wafer.
However, the integrated circuit in which an analog-digital composite electronic circuit is integrated on one chip as described above presents the problem that a very long time is required for developing such an integrated circuit as described above, the problem that an enormous cost of development is required, and so forth.
Since the analog signal is the signal having the meaning in the continuously varied value itself (of voltage and current), in controlling this analog signal, a digital signal having the bit number far more than the bit number for a mere on-off control. Accordingly, in the integrated circuit in which the analog-digital composite electronic circuit is integrated on one chip, such a problem is presented that the number of the wirings of the digital signals for controlling the analog signals becomes very large.


A process for producing an optically active aminopolycarboxylic acid, such as S,S-ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid, from a mixture of a diamine, such as ethylenediamine, with fumaric acid using a microorganism having a lyase activity, wherein at least one metal ion selected from the group consisting of an alkaline earth metal, iron, zinc, copper, nickel, aluminum, titanium and manganese is added to the reaction system. According to this process, aminopolycarboxylic acids, such as S,S-ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid, or metal complexes thereof, can be appropriately and efficiently produced while improving the reaction yield.

Mixtures of optical isomers of aminopolycarboxylic acids represented by general formula (II) can be easily synthesized by organic synthetic techniques starting from various amines and maleic acid or fumaric acid. In the case of an optically active amino acid, however, optically active aspartic acid or the like must be used as the starting material in the organic synthesis. For example, it is reported that a mixture of the stereoisomers (S,S-, R,R- and meso-isomers) of a diaminoalkylene-N,N-disuccinic acid, which is a compound having two asymmetric carbon atoms in its molecule, can be chemically synthesized from maleic acid and various diamines (U.S. Pat. No. 3,158,635), while an optical isomer of this compound can be produced from L-aspartic acid and dibromoethane (John A. Neal et al., Inorganic Chem., 7, 2405 (1968)). However, L-aspartic acid and dibromoethane employed as the starting materials in the above process are relatively expensive, which makes it difficult to supply an inexpensive and commonly available optical isomer using said process.
With respect to microbial production, on the other hand, S,S-ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid is isolated from the culture medium of Actinomycetes MG417-CF17A strain as a specific inhibitor of phospholipase C (T. Nishikiori et al., J. Antibiotics, 37, 426 (1984)). However, this microorganism only achieves an extremely low productivity. Thus, this production process is not industrially practical.
In contrast thereto, a novel process for efficiently producing an optically active diaminoalkylene-N,N'-disuccinic acid or the like from fumaric acid and various diamines using the catalytic action of a microorganism has been described (EP-A-0731171). An object of the present invention is to elevate the reaction yield in this process.

Process for producing optically active aminopolycarboxylic acid


A method of stretch wrapping an item with a multilayer, thermoplastic stretch wrap film. The stretch wrap film containing at least three polymeric film layers and comprised of a first layer and a second layer. The first and second layers may comprise a polymer of two or more monomers, wherein a first monomer is ethylene, in a major amount by weight, and a second monomer is an alpha olefin of from about 3 to about 12 carbon atoms, in a minor amount by weight. If the first and second layers are outer layers, they have a cling force to each other of at least about 140 grams/inch. The stretch wrap film also has at least one inner polymeric layer, located between the first and second layers. The inner polymeric layer comprises a low polydispersity polymer having a polydispersity of from about 1 to about 4, a melt index (I.sub.2) of from about 0.5 to about 10 g/10 min, and a melt flow ratio (I.sub.20 /I.sub.2) of from about 12 to about 22. The inner layer(s) comprise(s) from about 5 wt. % to about 40 wt. % of the stretch wrap film so as to produce a film having a maximum stretch of at least 340%, a F-50 dart drop value of at least about 130 g/mil, a machine directional tear resistance of at least about 125 g/mil and a transverse directional tear resistance of at least about 500 g/mil. It is contemplated that additional outer layers may be added such an outer high cling layer or an outer slip layer, as well as additional inner layers.

The use of thermoplastic stretch wrap films for the overwrap packaging of goods, and in particular, the unitizing of palleted loads is a commercially significant application of polymer film, including generically, polyethylene. Overwrapping a plurality of articles to provide a unitized load can be achieved by a variety of techniques. In one procedure, the load to be wrapped is positioned upon a platform, or turntable, which is made to rotate and, in so doing, to take up stretch wrap film supplied from a continuous roll. Braking tension is applied to the film roll so that the film is continuously subjected to a stretching, or tensioning, force as it wraps around the rotating load in overlapping layers. Generally, the stretch wrap film is supplied from a vertically arranged roll positioned adjacent to the rotating pallet load. Rotational speeds of from about 5 to 50 revolutions per minute are common. At the completion of the overwrap operation, the turntable is completely stopped and the film is cut and attached to an underlying layer of film employing tack sealing, adhesive tape, spray adhesives, etc. Depending upon the width of the stretch wrap roll, the load being overwrapped can be shrouded in the film while the vertically arranged film roll remains in a fixed position. Alternatively, the film roll, for example, in the case of relatively narrow film widths and relatively wide pallet loads, can be made to move in a vertical direction as the load is being overwrapped whereby a spiral wrapping effect is achieved on the packaged goods.
Another wrapping method finding acceptance in industry today is that of hand wrapping. In this method, the film is again arranged on a roll, however, it is hand held by the operator who walks around the goods to be wrapped, applying the film to the goods. The roll of film so used may be installed on a hand-held wrapping tool for ease of use by the operator.
Some of the properties desired of a good stretch wrap film are as follows: good cling or cohesion properties, high puncture resistance, high tear resistance in the transverse direction, good machine direction tear resistance, good transparency, low haze, low stress relaxation with time, high resistance to transverse tear especially when under machine direction tension, producible in thin gauges, low specific gravity and thus high yield in area per pound, good tensile toughness, high machine direction ultimate tensile strength, high machine direction ultimate elongation, and low modulus of elasticity.
Physical properties which are particularly significant for the successful use of thermoplastic films in stretch wrap applications include their puncture resistance, their elongation characteristics, their toughness and their resistance to tearing while under tension. In general, tensile toughness is measured as an area under a stress-strain curve developed for a thermoplastic film and it may be considered as the tensile energy absorbed, expressed in units of ft. lbs./cu. in. to elongate a film to break under tensile load. In turn, this toughness characteristic is a function of the capacity of such films to elongate. The process of stretching the film decreases that capacity. Accordingly, the stretch wrap process will decrease the toughness of the film while it is in its stretched condition as an overwrap as compared to its unstretched form. Generally this loss of toughness is proportional to the amount of stretch imparted to the film as it is overwrapping a load of goods.
Currently, different grades of stretch wrap films are commonly marketed for different end uses according to overall film properties. For example, certain stretch wrap films having superior properties for load retention are characterized by requiring a higher force to stretch the film. However, such load retention films generally have poor puncture characteristics at such stretch conditions. On the other hand, certain stretch wrap films having superior puncture resistance properties have low load retention properties.
A need exists to develop superior stretch wrap films characterized by having good cling properties, excellent maximum stretch, relatively low force required to stretch the film, good tear directional resistance relative to the machine direction tear, and excellent puncture resistance. Such films could be used in a variety of end applications where puncture tear hazards exist on loads that require low load retention to contain the load.


The present invention is directed to a microstructure film comprising an area of microstructures and two edge areas, wherein the height of the highest part in the edge areas exceeds the height of the highest point in the microstructures, preferably by about 1 μm to about 1 mm. The application also describes how such a film may be manufactured.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,930,818 describes how microstructures, such as microcups, may be prepared using an embossing process. The embossing process may be carried out roll to roll using an embossing assembly comprising a rotating drum. There are many advantages of using such a roll to roll process, such as low cost and high yield.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,930,818 also describes how the microcups may be filled with a display fluid which becomes an essential part of a display device.


A resource manager application performs a search for managed resources (e.g., hosts, adapters, databases, host devices, etc.) associated with a storage area network. Results of the search are displayed in a first display region of a display screen. Based on selection of a particular managed resource by a user from the first display region, the resource manager populates a second display region of the display screen with corresponding additional managed resource information. The user further selects one of multiple view mode options to view different types of corresponding additional managed resource information in the second display region.

The rapid expansion of information service and data processing industries has created a need to manage and store large amounts of data. As an example, financial service companies such as banks, mutual fund companies or the like often operate complex data processing systems that require access to many hundreds of gigabytes or even terabytes of data and corresponding files stored in remotely located, high capacity data storage systems. Typically, data processing systems retrieve and store the data and files from the data storage systems over a network.
Data storage system developers have responded to these needs for increased capacity by integrating high capacity data storage systems, data communications devices and computer systems into networks referred to as "storage networks" or "storage area networks" (SANs.) In general, a storage area network is a collection of data storage systems that are networked with a number of host computer systems. The host computers of the storage area network operate as servers that access data stored in the data storage systems on behalf of client computers that request data from the servers.
Storage area networks are typically managed based on use of software management applications running on a corresponding network manager control station (e.g., a computer workstation) coupled to the storage area network. Conventional storage area network management applications (i.e., certain software applications) provide conventional Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) that enable network managers to graphically manage, control and configure various types of hardware and software resources associated with a corresponding managed storage area network. One conventional network management storage application generates a graphical user interface utilized by a network manager to graphically select, interact with, and manage local or remote devices and associated software processes associated with the storage area network.
Based on use of a graphical user interface in combination with an input device such as a hand operated mouse and corresponding pointer displayed on a viewing screen, a network manager is able to manage hardware and software entities such as file systems, databases, storage devices, peripherals, network data communications devices, etc., associated with the storage area network. Typically, in such network management applications, the network manager selects a displayed icon representing a corresponding managed resource in the network and applies management commands to carry out intended management functions such as viewing hardware and software settings associated with the corresponding selected managed resource.
As noted above, a storage area network may include a number of hardware devices such as host computers, servers, data communication devices (e.g., switches, routers, etc.), network attached storage devices, proxy devices, firewall devices, and so forth that are coupled amongst each other via physical cables, circuitry, etc. Certain conventional network management applications are designed to provide a network manager with information concerning how these network resources are interrelated. For example, in one application, a network manager may select one or more icons (e.g., folders of information identifying host computers, servers, volumes, storage devices, etc.) from a hierarchical tree to display managed resources associated with a particular storage system. Based on viewing information in the hierarchical tree and/or a table of information generated based on selection of an entry in the hierarchical tree of SAN resources, the network manager can view and modify configuration settings of a corresponding managed storage area network.
In an application separate from the conventional network management applications discussed above, Microsoft™ develops software to search for files stored in a file system. Such software is often deployed on personal computers. According to one Microsoft™ application, a user can display an expandable tree of icons representing folders, sub-folders, and files stored locally or remotely over a network. The user selects a search function option while viewing the expandable tree to retrieve a list of files in the expandable having particular properties. For example, a user can perform a search in a directory or folder to find any files having a ".doc" extension. After performing the search for the files, the application displays the search results such as a list of ".doc" files to the user. The user is then able to select the files for viewing in a corresponding application suitable for viewing the selected file.

Methods and apparatus for displaying storage resources


A sideband bus setting system in which multiple target devices (ICs) are communicably connected to a master device through a bus so as to set data to ICs mounted on an electronic device. The target device is provided with a target domain ID identifying a target domain-which is a subgroup of multiple target devices, and the master device is provided with the same target domain ID as that provided for the target device. The master device receives the target domain ID from the target device, and performs data-setting process to the target device when the target domain ID received from the target device coincides with the target domain ID provided for the master device. According to the above feature, the failure of the bus (for example, the failure of a sideband multiplexer) can be detected in advance, thereby preventing overlooking the improper data-setting operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sideband bus setting system used for setting an integrated circuit (IC) which is mounted on an electronic device, or for reading out the state of the IC.
More particularly, the present invention has been made to configure the circuit to avoid that an improper setting of the IC or an improper readout of the state of the IC is performed by a sideband bus such as the Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2c) bus or the Two Wire Interface (TWI) due to an abnormal path.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the size of a computer such as a server has increased, the types and the number of ICs which are mounted on a unit of the computer have increased. Accordingly, it has become difficult to implement a consistent setting of all ICs through a main processor by using a main data path, and many ICs have a port for a sideband bus to perform the setting through a path different from the data path before the main processor starts access.
As standards of such sideband bus, the I2C which was proposed by Philips Semiconductors or the TWI (two-wire serial interface), which is a generalized standard of the I2C, is often used. The I2C operates in half-duplex and multi-dropped connection at a low speed from 100 KHz to 400 KHz, and is controlled by only two signal lines named SDA (serial data) and SCL (serial clock).
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of systems which are connected via the I2C bus. According to the I2C standard, a plurality of master devices can exist. However, generally, it is configured that a plurality of target devices 3 are connected to a master device 1 through I2C bus 4, as shown in FIG. 1. A unique device address has to be set to each of the target devices 3.
The setting of the device address depends on the ICs (or target devices). Some ICs have a fixed address and an address of some ICs can be arbitrarily set through an external pin, and the setting of the device address is performed depending on each target device or according to the specification of each target device.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, digits in a target device 3 indicate a device address in binary digit, in which the lower two digits (part indicated by boldface) indicate bits that can be arbitrarily set through an external pin 5. For example, #00 and #01 in the target device 3 are similar devices and the upper five digits out of seven digits are fixed. In the case of #00 of the target device 3, by connecting two address setting external pins to GNDs, the lower two bits is set to "00". In the case of #01 of the target device 3, by connecting one address setting external pin to GND and another address setting external pin to VDD, the lower two bits is set to "01". In the case of #30 of the target device 3, all of the seven bit addresses are fixed and any bits of the seven bit addresses cannot be arbitrarily set through external pins.
"The I2C-Bus Specification Version 2.1" is an example of the specifications of the sideband bus.
As described above, it is possible to connect 128 devices (two raised to seventh power) to an I2C bus according to the protocol. However, if the target device actually has only two bits for the address setting external pins, for example as shown in FIG. 1, there is a limitation that the number of target devices 3 coupled to the master device 1 through the sideband bus 4 is equal to or smaller than four (two raised to second power).

Sideband bus setting system and method thereof