A composition and a method of using the composition for removal and prevention of broad spectrum foodborne microbial contamination in meat products. The method uses quaternary ammonium compounds for inhibiting attachment of and removing a broad spectrum of foodborne microbial contamination from poultry and meat products. The method uses quaternary ammonium compounds for inhibiting attachment of and removing Escherichia coli O157:H7 contamination from meat and poultry products. One of the treatment methods is spraying quaternary ammonium compounds on the poultry and meat products to prevent broad spectrum foodborne microbial contamination. The treatment methods can contact the meat products with the quaternary ammonium compounds for less than 10 minutes and still obtain significant reduction of viable foodborne microorganisms. New formulations of quaternary ammonium compounds combined with glycerin and/or ethyl alcohol provides a concentrated formulation for industrial use and a more viscous formulation for use in spraying methods.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a composition and a method of using the composition for removal and prevention of broad spectrum microbial contamination in meat products. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of using quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) for inhibiting attachment of and removing a broad spectrum of microbial contamination from poultry and meat products. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of using QAC for inhibiting attachment of and removing pathogenic toxin-producing Escherichia contamination, such as Escherichia coli O157:H7, from meat and poultry products. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved treatment method of spraying QAC on the poultry and meat products to prevent broad spectrum microbial contamination. The present invention also relates to new formulations of QAC including solubility and viscosity enhancing agents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prevention of foodborne illness by microbiological contamination is of major concern to the poultry and meat processing industry, regulatory agencies, and consumers. A recent report from the Food Safety & Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (Federal Register, Feb. 3, 1995) estimates that over 2 million cases of foodborne illnesses are produced annually by microbial contamination in the United States, with an associated cost of over $1 billion. In their efforts to provide a product completely free of microbial contamination, poultry and meat processors have encountered major difficulties in removing these microorganisms that adhere or attach vigorously to poultry and meat tissues intended as food products. If contaminating microorganisms do not attach to the surface of the food, they can be easily rinsed off. However, the microorganisms that become strongly attached cannot be removed by rinsing and are quite resistant to removal by chemical or physical means.
Salmonella typhimurium contamination has been of special concern to the poultry processing industry because the organism is often present on live birds. Poultry processors have had great difficulty in removing microorganisms such as S. typhimurium, that attach or adhere to poultry tissues. A variety of chemical and physical approaches have been suggested for use during poultry processing to eliminate S. typhimurium contamination of carcasses and minimize cross-contamination among carcasses. Trisodium phosphate (TSP) has been utilized in poultry processing for suppressing S. typhimurium; however, studies report conflicting results on the efficacy of TSP against Salmonella.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,983 discloses a method for removing or preventing Salmonella contamination of meat products by treating with an effective amount of an aqueous solution of a QAC. Specifically, quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants, such as alkylpyridinium, particularly cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) and cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) were effective in removing S. typhimurium from poultry. This patent, however, does not disclose that QAC are effective in treating meat products against any other genus of microorganisms than Salmonella.
However, foodborne illnesses caused by other pathogenic and spoilage bacteria than Salmonella have increasingly become a problem for poultry and meat processors. A list of these bacteria with the products in which they have been identified is presented in Table 1:
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ INCIDENCE OF PATHOGENIC AND SPOILAGE BACTERIA Patho- Spoil- Microorganism Poultry Beef Pork gen age ______________________________________ Aeromonas hydrophila X X X X Arcobacter butzleri X X X Bacillus cereus X X X X Campylobacter jejuni X X X X Escherichia coli O157:H7 X X X X Listeria monocytogenes X X X X Salmonella typhimurium X X X X Staphylococcus aureus X X X X ______________________________________
Among these contaminating microorganisms listed in the table, Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a special concern to the meat and poultry industry because of its virulence, severity of the illness produced, and associated mortality. E. coli O157:H7 produces strong "shiga-like" toxins that lead to blood clotting abnormalities, kidney failure (hemolytic uremic syndrome), and death. Even if recovery from the acute illness is complete, 15-30% of infected people with hemolytic uremic syndrome will have evidence of chronic kidney disease. The risks associated with contamination with E. coli O157:H7 are compounded by its reported resistance to antibiotics. In 1993, between 8,000-16,000 cases of foodborne illness were produced by E. coli O157:H7 with an estimated cost of between 0.2 and 0.5 billion dollars.
Listeria monocytogenes has been found in meat, vegetables, and various milk products; and may cause sepsis, meningitis, and disseminated abscesses. L. monocytogenes is a cold tolerant microorganism capable of growing under refrigeration. In 1993, about 1,700 cases of foodborne illness were produced by L. monocytogenes with an estimated cost of between 0.1 and 0.2 billion dollars.
Another microorganism of concern in the food industry is Aeromonas hydrophila which causes spoilage in the food and meat processing industry and which reduces the shelf life of these products.
Presently, there is no known bactericidal compound which is effective at preventing and removing contamination in poultry and meat products against a broad spectrum of gram positive, gram negative, aerobic, facultative anaerobic, and microaerophilic microorganisms. The present inventors have discovered that QAC are effective against a broad spectrum of different microorganisms which produce foodborne illnesses. This sensitivity of a broad spectrum of pathogenic microorganisms could not have been predicted by the disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,983 disclosing the sensitivity of only Salmonella to QAC.
Sensitivity of a microorganism against a particular antimicrobial agent is not predictive of the sensitivity of other microorganisms to the same agent. It has been believed that antiseptics or germicides have a continuous spectrum of activity but the relative susceptibilities of different microorganisms must be considered. For example, the germicide, hexachlorophene is primarily effective against Gram positive microorganisms, and cationic antiseptics are not effective against sporulating organisms. Some Gram negative microorganisms, such as Pseudomonas cepacia, have been known to grow in solutions of the drug, benzalkonium chloride. Other bacteria have been known to be capable of growing in 70% ethanol (Harvey, S. C., Antimicrobial Drugs in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Ed., Mack Publishing Co., pp. 1163-1241 1990).
In regard to the treatment of meat products, it has been reported that Listeria is more resistant to the action of TSP than Salmonella or E. coli (Somers, E. B. et al., Int. J. Food Microbiol., 22:269-276, 1994). Further, (Breen et al., J. Food Sciences, 60:1991-1996, 1995) demonstrated that TSP is much less effective in inhibiting Salmonella growth than it is in detaching this organism.
Most importantly, however, is the discovery that QAC are effective against E. coli O157:H7 in suspension in liquids, and attached to meat products as well as inhibiting the attachment of this bacteria to meat products. It has been reported that E. coli O157:H7 shows resistance towards broad spectrum antimicrobial agents, such as tetracycline, streptomycin, sulfisoxazole (Kim et al., J. Infect. Dis., 170:1606-1609, 1994) and oxytetracycline (Ciosek et al., Med. Weter. 40:335,338:1984), whereas these same agents are very active against regular non-toxin-producing strains of E. coli.
It cannot be predicted that different antimicrobial agents or biocides will penetrate a given microorganism in the same manner as it will another microorganism. The degree of glycocalyx formation by a given species of attached bacteria, the presence of a lipopolysaccharide- and phospholipid-containing cell envelope in gram negative bacteria, the presence of lipoprotein as in most enteric bacteria and Pseudomonas, and the presence of porin protein channels, for example in E. coli and Salmonella, are examples of bacterial characteristics which may play a role in the effectiveness of an antimicrobial agent against a particular microorganism (Fulton et al., Structure in Medical Microbiology, 3rd Ed., pp. 37-54, 1991).
In summary, there is evidence that the activity of a given antimicrobial agent against a particular microorganism cannot be inferred by its activity against other microorganisms, but rather can only be determined under conditions of use. This is especially true for microorganisms which are attached to surfaces as in the case of contamination of food. The present inventors have shown that bacteria suspended in liquids are generally more susceptible to antimicrobial agents than the same bacteria attached to surfaces. As a result of increasing numbers of illnesses caused by foodborne pathogenic microorganisms, the poultry and meat processing industries now require more effective processes for the removal and prevention of a broader spectrum of microorganisms, and particularly for toxin-producing Escherichia, such as E. coli O157:H7, which are known to cause serious human diseases as a result of food contamination.

Method for the broad spectrum prevention and removal of microbial contamination of poultry and meat products by quaternary ammonium compounds


A method, system, server architecture and/or tangible medium upgrade and award admittance of events to an event customer, preferably via a data communication network. The method includes, for example, receiving a communication from the event customer, the communication including a request to obtain admittance to at least one event, the communication also including an identifier associated with the event customer, admitting the event customer at the point of sale system after verification of the request, and updating a database indicating that the request was processed. The method also includes determining first predetermined criteria associated with the event indicative of at least one other event customer not attending the event, releasing an allocation associated with the at least one other event customer, and notifying at least another of the event customers to perform the upgrade and/or reallocation.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,052,629 to Leatherman et al. (Leatherman), incorporated herein by reference, is directed to an Internet capable browser dispenser architecture. As shown in prior art FIG. 1 (FIG. 1 of Leatherman), the system of Leatherman includes a plurality of fuel dispensers 12, each having at least two fueling positions and acting as a point of sale (POS) interface. Connected to the fuel dispensers 12 is a main service station store 16, a local server 18, a convenience store 20, a number of restaurants 22, and a car wash 24, as well as other remote servers 26 via the Internet. Basically, the system of Leatherman provides gas station customers with access to a server on a local network and remote sites via the Internet. With this arrangement, the gas station customers may purchase services at the POS dispensers and be subject to advertisements transmitted thereto. However, while Leatherman discusses purchasing items at a gas station, it makes no disclosure of effectively provisioning and/or performing transactions in the entertainment and/or ticketing industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,045 to Kagan et al. (Kagen), incorporated herein by reference, relates to an interactive game system. As depicted in prior art FIG. 2 (FIG. 1 of Kagen), the interactive game system 610 of Kagen includes three playing devices 612, 614, and 616, which communicate via a wireless local area network. Communication is effected utilizing short-range radio, infrared, or ultra-sonic signals. As shown in prior art FIG. 3 (FIG. 2 of Kagen), each playing device includes a processor 718, an interface 720, a transmitter 722, a receiver 724 and a display 726. Using these components, a player's actions are transmitted to and received by another player's playing device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,920 to Shur et al. (Shur), incorporated herein by reference, relates to a sports team organizer. In prior art FIG. 4 (FIG. 1 of Shur), a portable computing device for organizing a sports team includes an input device 812, a processor 814, a memory 816, a number of stored programs 818, and an output device 820. With these elements, the organizing system allows a team roster, a starting lineup, and a number of drills to be generated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,795 to Stanton (Stanton), incorporated herein by reference, relates to portable computerized pari-mutuel sports entertainment system. In prior art FIG. 5 (FIG. 1 of Stanton), the system includes a computer 911 and conductor 916, a video cassette recorder 912 with video tape 917, a television set 913, keypads 914, and printers 915. The computer 911 operates as a main computing server, and includes a motherboard 920, a memory card 921, and a number of graphics and other serial cards 922, 923, and 924. With this system, bets are entered from remote locations with keypads 914 and stored in computer 911. After a race, winnings are collected at the cashiers' windows (keypads 914).
The above cited patents are relevant from the perspective that wireless devices are gaining more popularity in today's society.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,207 to Walker et al. (Walker), incorporated herein by reference, relates to a method and apparatus for a cryptographically assisted commercial network system designed to facilitate buyer-driven conditional purchase offers. In prior art FIG. 6 (FIG. 1 of Walker), the system includes seller interfaces 300, central controller 200, and buyer node 400. A number of modems 350 and 450 facilitate connection to central controller 200. Using these components, a buyer communicates a binding purchase offer to a number of sellers. In response, the sellers have the option to accept a purchase offer and thus bind the corresponding buyer to a contract. Nevertheless, Walker makes no mention of allowing redemption of the purchases at a point of sale location upon identification or verification of the purchaser or of the purchase.
FIGS. 7-9 show a prior art radio frequency (RF) transmission system 100, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,819,172, incorporated herein by reference, for transmitting information from one of a plurality of originating processors A-N to at least one of a plurality of destination processors (A-N) which may be transported during operation. The system 100 includes at least one gateway switch 150 that stores information received from one of the at least one originating processor prior to transmission of the information to the at least one destination processor; a RF information transmission network 130 for transmitting stored information received from one of the at least one gateway switch 150 by RF transmission to at least one destination processor; and at least one interface switch 162 that connects a gateway switch 150 to the RF transmission network 100 and transmits stored information received from one of the at least one gateway switch 150 to the RF information transmission network 100.
The information is transmitted to a receiving interface switch by the electronic mail system in response to an address of the receiving interface switch which has been added to the information originated by the originating processor by either the originating processor or gateway switch 14. The information is transmitted from the receiving interface switch to the RF information transmission network 130 with an address of the destination processor to receive the information which has been added by either the originating processor, a gateway switch or the receiving interface switch.
More particularly, FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of the connection between a plurality of gateway switches with mailboxes 150 in different electronic mail systems to the RF information transmission network 160. Multiple gateway switches with mailboxes 150 from a single electronic mail system 1-N may be connected to each interface switch 162 instead of the connection of a single gateway switch with a mailbox to a single interface switch as illustrated. A plurality of interface switches 162 connect information transmitted from at least one electronic mail system as illustrated in FIG. 7. Optionally, a plurality of electronic mail systems 1-N are connected to a data input port of the RF information transmission system which is preferably hub switch 116. The dotted line communication paths 163 illustrate optional information transmissions in which information from a plurality of different electronic mail systems is concentrated at a single interface switch 304. The dotted line communication paths 161 illustrate connections to additional gateway switches with mailboxes 150 within electronic mail systems 1-N.
The interface switches 162 function as a security check to determine that information transmissions originating from a gateway switch with mailbox 150 represent transmissions which should be coupled to a hub switch 116 of the RF information transmission network 160. The security check is performed by the interface switch 162 comparing the identification number of the RF receiver 119 which has been added by either an originating processor A-N or a gateway switch with mailboxes 150 with permissible identification numbers or the interface switch performing the addition of the identification number.
The interface switch 162 also removes information added by the electronic mail system 1-N to the information originated by the originating processor A-N from the stored information received from one of the gateway switches 14, and adds information used by the RF information transmission network 130 during transmission of the information originated at the originating processor to a RF receiver 119 in the RF information transmission network 130 which receives the information and transfers it to the destination processor A-N. Additionally, the interface switch 162 encodes data, which is required to format the display of the cathode ray tube (CRT) of the destination processor for the electronic mail system to which the destination processor is connected, in the form of a character or characters which are decoded by either the RF receiver 119 or the destination processor A-N. This information is added in decoded form back to the information which is processed by the destination processor with a format of the electronic mail system to which the destination processor A-N is connected.
The interface switches 162 also function to store information which has been stored by at least one gateway switch 150 that is received from a plurality of originating processors, and assemble the information from a plurality of originating processors into a packet having a predetermined format and transmit the packet to the hub switch 116 within the RF information transmission network 160. The hub switch is the preferable node in the RF information transmission network to which communications from the gateway switches 150 should be transmitted as a consequence of it having jurisdiction over both local access and transport area (LATA) switches 150 and the local switches 112 in the RF information transmission network, which results in lesser network overhead.
The hub switch 116 receives the packet from the receiving interface switch 162 and disassembles the packet into information from the plurality of originating processors. The originating processors are either within a single electronic mail system such as system 1, or from a plurality of electronic mail systems, such as systems 1-N, or from outside of any electronic mail system from at least one additional processor 312 which is connected directly to interface switch 162 to originate information to be transmitted to a destination processor A-N in an electronic mail system as described below. The RF information transmission network 130 transmits the disassembled information from the hub switch 116, including the identification number of the RF receiver 119 transferring information, to the destination processor A-N to a local switch 112 storing the file identified by the identification number and any destination of the RF receiver in the RF information transmission network to which the information and identification number is to be transmitted by the RF information transmission network, and adds any destination of the RF receiver to the information. The RF information transmission network, in response to any added destination, transmits the information and identification number to the destination for RF broadcast to the RF receiver 119 for transfer to the destination processor A-N.
The information is transmitted to a receiving interface switch 162 from one or more gateway switches 150 by one or more electronic mail systems 1-N in response to an address of the receiving interface switch which has been added to the information originated by the originating processor by either the originating processor or gateway switch. The information is transmitted from the receiving interface switch 162 to the RF information transmission network with an address of the destination processor, such as a name of a user of the destination processor A-N, to receive the information which has been added by either the originating processor A-N, a gateway switch 150 or the receiving interface switch 304.
Preferably, the address of the receiving interface switch is a code word, such as "TF-MOBOX", which is recognized throughout the electronic mail system when appended to information as directing the information to be transmitted to the interface switch 304. The address of the destination processor is preferably the identification number of the RF receiver 119 within the RF information transmission network 160. The address of the receiving interface switch may be added to the information originated by the originating processor, by a gateway switch 150 or by the originating processor A-N. The address of the receiving interface switch 162 may be added to the information by matching an identification of the destination processor A-N which may be the name of the individual utilizing the processor or some other information to add an address of an interface switch such as the aforementioned "TF-MOBOX" stored with the matched identification of the destination processor to the information as the address of the receiving interface switch.
Alternatively, the originating processor may be used to add the address of the receiving interface switch 150 by inputting the address of the receiving interface switch (TF-MOBOX) along with an identification of the destination processor A-N (name of recipient using the processor).
The originating processor A-N may also add the address of the receiving interface switch 162 by matching an identification of the destination processor (name of the user of the processor) with a stored identification of a destination processor and adding an address of the interface switch (TF-MOBOX) stored with the matched identification of the destination processor to the information as the address of the receiving interface switch.
The identification number may be added to the information originated by the originating processor or, alternatively, maybe added by the originating processor by matching an identification of the destination processor (the name of the user of the processor) with a stored identification of a destination processor (the authorized user of the destination processor) and adding an identification number stored with the matched identification of the destination processor to the information as the identification number of the RF receiver 119. Alternatively, the aforementioned matching process may be performed by either the gateway switch 150 or the interface switch 304. The additional processors 312 originates information from outside of any electronic mail system.
Processors 312 provide an address of at least one destination processor in an electronic mail system, such as the name of the user, to receive information transmitted by the RF information transmission system 160, or an identification number of the RF receiver 119 receiving information and transferring the information to the destination processor. The interface switch 162 which receives the information from each processor 312 adds information used by the RF information transmission network 130 during transmission of the information to the RF receiver 119 receiving the information in the same manner as described above with respect to the interface switch 304.
Processors 312 are only required to have a telephone modem and support programming to format information for RF transmission to a destination processor A-N within any one of one or more electronic mail systems 1-N. The processors 312 are not required to have the necessary electronic mail system software present in originating processors A-N or interconnections with an electronic mail system. As a result of the connection to the interface switch 304, information originating from the additional processors 312 may be transmitted by RF transmission to a destination processor A-N within any one or a plurality of electronic mail systems with the user of the processor 312, the processor 312 or the interface switch 162 only having to supply an identification number of the receiver 119 to input information into the RF information transmission system 130 for RF transmission to a destination processor.
The difference between originating information by one of the additional processors 312 outside of any electronic mail system and originating information by one of the processors within one of the electronic mail systems is that the direct connection of the additional processor to the interface switch 162 eliminates the requirement for the adding of an address of the interface switch 162 which is required by the electronic mail systems to forward the information to the interface switch where necessary formatting of the information to be compatible with the RF information transmission system is performed. The interface switch 162 packetizes information originating from the additional processors 312 in the same manner as described above with respect to information originating from within an electronic mail system.
Information from within an electronic mail system and originating from additional processors 312 outside of the electronic mail system may be formatted into the same packets which are forwarded to the hub switch 116. Additionally, interface switch 162 may be connected only to the additional processors 312 to provide an interface only for processors outside of any electronic mail system to destination processors A-N within one or more electronic mail systems 1-N. The only information which is necessary to be inputted by the additional processors 312 is the address of the destination processor (user of the processor). The addition of the identification number of the receiver 119 may be added by matching of an identification of the destination processor with stored destination processors within the additional processor 312, or the interface switch 162 with an identification number of the receiver 119 stored with an identification of a destination processor A-N used as an identification of the destination processor upon a match having been made.
Prior art FIGS. 7-9, however, do not generally relate to, for example, providing an integrated or combination real time and polled electronic messaging system, method and/or a computer readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for enabling e-mail messages and/or other data messages and/or services to be transmitted and/or received via a wireless communications device on either a real time and/or polled basis
In recent years, technological advance and consumer demand together have made wireless messaging and related services (e.g., eLinkSM provided by Motient Corporation, Reston, Va.) increasingly popular. These services allow users to, for example, send and receive e-mail messages, as well as provide other messaging services such as paging and faxing. Such e-mail messages are generally received on either a polled or real time basis, where the user has to select the preferred delivery method.
In a polled delivery scheme, the user's existing Internet e-mail account is "extended" via a wireless communications device. For example, in the case of eLinkSM, messages are retrieved from, for example, a Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) or Internet Messaging Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) server and forwarded to a user's wireless device. Using a wireless device, users can access their Internet mailbox either automatically by, for example, setting one or more times at which they wish to receive their messages, or manually by, for example, clicking a "Get Messages" or similar icon. Other ways of accessing the mailbox are also optionally possible. In a real time delivery scheme, user's are generally provided a new, unique e-mail address, which obviously provides the user with an e-mail account that is separate from their desktop e-mail account. For example, in the case of eLinkSM, user's are provided a unique e-mail address having the form <username>@2way.net. Other message forms and/or domain names may also optionally be utilized. Such wireless schemes also generally allow users to respond to e-mails in a way such that they appear as though they are originated from the user's e-mail system residing on their desktop PC.
Accordingly, the above prior art is cited as background, none of which relates to the reallocating and/or reprovisionsing and/or upgrading and/or rewarding of tickets at events or other goods and services as described in connection with the detailed description below.

System and method for reallocating and/or upgrading and/or selling tickets, other event admittance means, goods and/or services


An apparatus for detecting particulate and a correction method of the apparatus for detecting particulate matter that detects particulate matter within a gas to be measured are provided. The correction method corrects the individual differences inevitably occurring during the manufacturing process of particulate matter detection sensors. The apparatus for detecting particulate matter includes an applied voltage correction means. The applied voltage correction means applies correction information acquired by the correction method to detection control.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting particulate matter and a correction method of apparatus for detecting particulate matter that is, for example, used in an exhaust gas purification system of a vehicle internal combustion engine. The apparatus for detecting particulate matter detects the particulate matter present in measured gas.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a diesel engine of an automobile and the like, a diesel particulate filter (hereinafter referred to accordingly as "DPF") is provided on an exhaust gas path. The DPF collects environmental pollutants included in exhaust gas, particularly particulate matter (PM) mainly composed of soot particles and soluble organic fractions (SOF). The DPF is made of a porous ceramic having excellent heat resistance. The DPF captures the PM as a result of the exhaust gas passing through a partition wall having numerous fine pores.
When the amount of collected PM exceeds an allowable amount, the DPF becomes clogged. Negative pressure may increase. Alternatively, the amount of PM escaping through the DPF may increase. Therefore, collection capability is required to be recovered by a regeneration process of the DPF being periodically performed.
In general, the regeneration timing of the DPF is determined by the detection of increase in differential pressure at both ends of the DPF caused by increase in the amount of collected PM. Therefore, a differential pressure sensor is provided that detects the difference in pressure upstream and downstream from the DPF.
The DPF is regenerated by high-temperature exhaust gas being introduced into the DPF through heating using a heater or by post-injection, and the PM being removed by burning.
On the other hand, a PM detection sensor is also proposed that directly detects the PM in the exhaust gas, for example, in JP-A-S59-197847 and JP-A-2008-502892. The PM detection sensor is, for example, provided downstream from the DPF and measures the amount of PM escaping through the DPF. Therefore, the PM detection sensor can be used in an on-board diagnosis (OBD) device to monitor an operating state of the DPF or to detect abnormalities (such as cracks and damage).
Furthermore, use of the PM detection sensor in place of the differential pressure sensor to determine the regeneration timing of the DPF is also being discussed. In this instance, the PM detection sensor is provided upstream from the DPF and measures the amount of PM entering the DPF.
JP-A-S59-197847 discloses an electrical-resistance-type smoke sensor. The smoke sensor is configured such that a pair of comb-shape electrodes is formed on a front surface of a substrate having insulating properties, and a heating element is formed on a back surface of or within the substrate. This type of smoke sensor takes advantage of smoke (particulate carbon) having conductivity, and detects electrical resistance generated when smoke accumulates between the electrodes that serve as a detecting section. Heat-resistant insulating material is used as substrate material. Noble metal such as platinum, silver or the like is used as electrode material. A pair of electrodes is formed by screen-printing noble metal paste on a front surface of a plate-shaped substrate.
On a back surface of the substrate, a heating element is formed at the opposite of the electrode. The detecting section is heated to a desired temperature such as from 400° C. to 1000° C., thereby burning away the deposited smoke. Then, inter-electrode resistance is measured. As a result, detection capability of the sensor is restored.
JP-A-2008-502892 discloses a method for controlling deposition of soot on a sensor. In this method, a high voltage is applied between sensing electrodes. An electric field is generated between the electrodes. The PM passing near the sensing electrodes is attracted by electrostatic attractive force generated by the electric field. Collection of PM is promoted. The collected PM is accumulated between the sensing electrodes. As a result of measurement of the electrical resistance between the sensing electrodes that changes depending on the amount of accumulated PM, the amount of accumulated PM is measured.
The electrical characteristics used to detect the PM within a gas to be measured is not limited to the electrical resistance that changes depending on the amount of PM accumulated between the sensing electrodes. Various electrical characteristics, such as capacitance or changes in current accompanying electrochemical reaction, can also be used.
JP-A-2010-32488 discloses an apparatus for detecting particulate matter that uses resistance, inductance, capacitance, and impedance as the electrical characteristics. The apparatus for detecting particulate matter includes a plate-shaped first electrode, a second electrode, a power supply for dust collection, a pair of measuring electrodes, a characteristic measuring means, and a means for calculating amount of particulate matter. One surface of the first electrode is covered by a dielectric (referred to as an inter-electrode dielectric). The second electrode forms a pair with the first electrode. The power supply for dust collection applies voltage. The pair of measuring electrodes is disposed on the surface of the inter-electrode dielectric such as to oppose each other. The second electrode is disposed on the side of the one surface of the first electrode with a space therebetween. A gas containing PM flows through this space. Electricity is discharged as a result of voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode. The characteristic measuring means measures the electrical characteristics between the pair of measuring electrodes. The means for calculating amount of particulate matter determines the amount of PM collected on the surface of the inter-electrode dielectric, based on the amount of change in electrical characteristics measured by the characteristic measuring means.
On the other hand, JP-A-2010-54432 discloses a sensor detecting an amount of carbon. The amount of carbon detection sensor includes at least a proton conductor, an electrode pair, and a power supply. The proton conductor is composed of a solid electrolyte having proton conductivity. The electrode pair is composed of a measuring electrode and a reference electrode formed on the surface of the proton conductor. The power supply applies a predetermined current or voltage between the electrode pair. The measuring electrode is disposed on the opposite side of the gas to be measured and the reference electrode is isolated from the gas to be measured. As a result of measurement of the changes in current or voltage flowing by electrochemical reaction with the PM within the gas to be measured on the surface of the measuring electrode, the amount of PM is detected.
In general, sensors, such as PM detection sensors and oxygen detection sensors, are fixed to a flow path of the gas to be measured, via a housing. For example, in JP-A-2009-97868, a detecting element placed within the gas to be measured is protected by being covered by a substantially cylindrical cover body having a predetermined hole.
However, in an actual manufacturing process, it is difficult to match the direction of the detecting element of the sensor element with the direction of the inlet for gas to be measured provided in each cover body when assembling the sensor element and the cover body to the housing, for each sensor. When the direction of the sensor element is matched with the direction of the cover body for each sensor, work efficiency becomes extremely poor. Manufacturing costs of the particulate matter detection sensor increases.
On the other hand, when the particulate matter detection sensor is assembled with no regard for the direction of the sensor element and the direction of the cover body, work efficiency improves. However, the direction of the detecting element and the direction of the inlet for gas to be measured provided in the cover body vary. The flow of gas to be measured that is introduced into the cover body differs with each sensor. As a result, individual differences in output in relation to the collecting performance of particulate matter contained within the gas to be measured in the detecting element and the amount of accumulated particulate matter become greater. Reliability as a sensor significantly decreases.
In some instances, a plurality of electrodes for collecting may be disposed within a single sensor element. The collection electrode collects the PM using electrostatic attractive force by applying an electric field to the PM to be detected. In addition to the collection electrodes, a sensing electrode for detecting electrical characteristics may be provided. In these instances, variations inevitably occur in the actual distance between electrodes. The variations in inter-electrode distance cause variations in field strength generated between the electrodes. The amount of PM collected in the detecting element changes, and individual differences in detection results occur.
The distance between electrodes that have been actually manufactured can be measured by image processing or the like. However, it is very difficult to reduce the variations in output results through classification of each sensor element into ranks based on the distribution of inter-electrode distance within a manufacturing lot or the like. Cost effectiveness is also poor.
Moreover, a method is also known in which the sensor element is provided with a through hole. The electrodes for collecting are set above and below the through hole. As a result of an electric field being generated between the collection electrodes, the PM is collected. However, even in this method, ensuring the distance between electrodes is difficult. Individual differences occur in the field strength that is actually generated. Variations in output results occur.

Apparatus for detecting particulate matter and correction method of apparatus for detecting particulate matter


An optical transmitter that determines and controls the extinction ratio of an optical signal by modulating the duty cycle of the optical signal. The transmitter obtains a signal from the monitor circuit that represents optical power emitted by the electro-optic transducer during normal conditions in which the duty cycle of the optical signal is between a bias high and bias low modulation condition. The transmitter also obtains a signal from the monitor circuit that represents optical power emitted during the bias high modulation condition in which the time at the optical high power level in the eye diagram is greater. Also, the transmitter obtains a signal that represents optical power emitted by the electro-optic transducer during the bias low modulation condition in which the time at the optical low power level in the eye diagram is greater. Based on these signals, the transmitter then derives the extinction ratio.

1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical transmitters and receivers. More specifically, the present invention relates to mechanisms for automatically determining the extinction ratio of an optical signal using duty cycle modulation of the optical signal.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Computing and networking technology have transformed our world. As the amount of information communicated over networks has increased, high speed transmission has become ever more critical. Many high speed data transmission networks rely on optical transceivers and similar devices for facilitating transmission and reception of digital data embodied in the form of optical signals over optical fibers. Optical networks are thus found in a wide variety of high speed applications ranging from as modest as a small Local Area Network (LAN) to as grandiose as the backbone of the Internet.
Typically, data transmission in such networks is implemented by way of an optical transmitter (also referred to as an electro-optic transducer), such as a laser or Light Emitting Diode (LED). The electro-optic transducer emits light when current is passed through it, the intensity of the emitted light being a function of the current magnitude. Data reception is generally implemented by way of an optical receiver (also referred to as an optoelectronic transducer), an example of which is a photodiode. The optoelectronic transducer receives light and generates a current, the magnitude of the generated current being a function of the intensity of the received light.
Information is conveyed over an optical fiber by transmitting different optical intensities on the fiber. Generally speaking, a relatively high optical power is transmitted onto the optical fiber to assert a logical high onto the fiber. A relatively low optical power is transmitted onto the optical fiber to assert a logical low. The high optical power is obtained by asserting a higher current to the laser. The low optical power is obtained by asserting a lower current to the laser. The laser is not turned off because it takes significant time to saturate a laser to the point where it begins to lase if starting from a laser that is off. In fact, if the current through the laser were to drop below a certain threshold current, it can take much longer to transition to the high optical intensity. In high data rate applications, this could cause significant jitter and possible degradation of the signal. Accordingly, even the low current that enables the low optical intensity should be kept above the threshold current of the laser. If this constraint is met, the laser can transition quickly from the high optical level to the low optical level, and vice versa.
An additional constraint to the high and low optical levels is referred to as the "extinction ratio". The extinction ratio is the ratio of the high optical power level to the low optical power level. The optical high and low power levels are obtained by modulating the current between the higher and lower currents. Typical extinction ratio values range from perhaps 6 dB to 12 dB, with higher levels generally being better but more costly in terms of power requirements.
However, maintaining of a proper extinction ratio is more complex than simply statically determining an appropriate high optical level and an appropriate low optical level, and keeping with that level. Varying temperatures have a profound effect upon the extinction ratio. FIG. 3 illustrates approximate laser current versus optical power curves for several different temperatures including 0, 25 and 70 degrees Celsius. The threshold temperature for 0, 25 and 70 degrees Celsius are illustrated as TTH0, TTH25 and TTH70. The difference in the curves for varying temperatures is exaggerated to illustrate the principles of temperature dependency in the curve. Each laser will have slightly different curves shapes and temperatures dependencies. However, regardless of the laser, the laser tends not to emit significant optical power if the supplied current is below the threshold current. In addition, for all lasers, as temperature rises, threshold current increases and the slope of the curve in the linear region above the threshold current (i.e., the slope efficiency) reduces.
FIG. 3 also shows the low optical level PLOW25 for 25 degrees Celsius and the corresponding current ILOW25 needed to attain that low power level at 25 degrees Celsius, and a high optical level PHIGH25 also for 25 degrees Celsius and the corresponding current IHIGH25 needed to attain that high power level at 25 degrees Celsius.
As temperature rises, the threshold current needed for the laser to transmit any significant degree of optical power rises. In addition, the slope of the curve in the linear region above the threshold current becomes less steep. This means that if the temperature were to fall or rise, the optical power emitted by the laser given a constant current will also change. Accordingly, in order to maintain a proper extinction ratio, the extinction ratio is periodically checked and adjusted if needed. This allows the optical transmitter or transceiver to operate under wide-ranging temperature conditions without introducing inordinate amounts of jitter into the transmitted signal, and while maintaining a roughly constant extinction ratio.
The subject matter, claimed herein is not limited to embodiments that solve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such as those described above. Rather, this background is only provided to illustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments described herein may be practiced.

Extinction ratio determination using duty cycle modulation


A data communication network for DiffServ communications includes a customized Java socket factory added to clients connected to a data communication network having a DiffServ-enabled edge router. When an application running on a client system wishes to make a remote procedure call to a remote server system on another network, it makes a call to an RMI stub which invokes an RMI transport layer having the custom socket factory to generate a socket used in the RMI call. The custom socket factory detects when a high priority RMI call is being made and can determine the identity of the calling procedure as well. The socket factory makes a side channel communication to the edge router to provide this information to the edge router, which then makes use of this data when performing DiffServ classification for packets transmitted during the course of the call.

Remote procedure calls (RPCs) are widely used in data communications, particularly in layer 5 of OSI architecture-type systems. An RPC is a request conforming to a protocol that a program can use to request a service from a program on another computer on the network. The client program making the request includes an API which receives calls to remote procedures from other parts of the program and passes them to a runtime program in the client. The runtime program in the client knows the format for addressing the remote server and relays the procedure request accordingly.
Generally speaking, remote method invocations (RMIs) are RPCs which are written in the Java programming language. Unlike their RPC counterparts, RMIs are object-oriented and can pass objects along with the RMI requests, as well as receive objects as results. Thus, RMIs are more appropriate for distributed object-oriented systems where communication between objects at different addresses on one or more networks is needed. In a typical RMI application, a server application creates a number of remote objects (remote to the client systems), makes references to those objects accessible via a registry, and allows clients to invoke methods on those remote objects. An application on a client system gets references to these remote server objects and invokes their methods. In this scheme, RMI is the way in which the client and server communicate with respect to these invoked methods. Like RPC, these layers are generally located between the transport and application layers.
Differentiated service (DiffServ) enabled networks have become more popular in recent years. DiffServ is a network service mechanism that classifies network traffic into a number of differentiated service classes and controls the network traffic so that certain classes get precedence or service quality. The preference relationships are defined by service level agreements (SLAs) among and between network applications and service providers. For example, one SLA can provide that certain classes of traffic between two networks, such as important business applications, should be prioritized over other classes of traffic, such as web surfing, between the networks. As another example, an SLA can specify that a certain class of traffic from a first network to a second network should be prioritized over a certain class of traffic from the first network to a third network. DiffServ-enabled devices in a network use six-bit Differentiated Services Code Point (DSCP) labels included in IP packet headers to know how to forward the packet.
Related to the concept of DiffServ is that of edge routers. An edge router is a device for forwarding data between two networks to which it is connected. Edge routers are used to classify data flows of a DiffServ network by comparing packets in such flows with relevant SLA information stored in the router. The edge router receives packets bound for a DiffServ network and a quality of service (QoS) classifier within the edge router and applies DSCP labels according to the SLA specification. If a packet belongs to a flow with a high priority, it receives a DSCP corresponding to that high priority; if the packet belongs to a flow with a low priority, it receives a DSCP corresponding to that low priority.
The packet is then delivered to an external network for eventual transmission to its ultimate destination according to the DSCP requirements. If the DiffServ network becomes congested, the packets labeled with high priority DSCPs are more likely to successfully reach their destinations; packets labeled with low priority DSCPs might only receive best effort service. This helps to guarantee a better quality of service for higher priority flows.
RMI calls may be hard to detect by QoS classifiers in edge routers; thus, an RMI which should be given a high priority DSCP might not be properly classified, resulting in a failure in QoS requirements. This is because QoS classifiers usually screen packets in accordance with a five-tuple that includes a socket port number. RMI flows generally do not always use well-known port numbers. This creates a problem because priority levels which should be accorded to RMIs may then be usurped by other applications that can more easily be screened for DiffServ classification and transmission.

Method and apparatus for classifying Java remote method invocation transport traffic


The present disclosure relates to a radio wave receiving system. The system includes an antenna that is operable for receiving a received signal. The received signal contains information. The radio wave receiving system also includes a reference signal generator that is operable for generating a reference signal. In addition, a selective output device is included that is operable for selectively outputting the received signal and the reference signal to a transmission path. The system also includes an information acquiring device that is operable for generating a signal component indicating a signal level difference between the received signal and the reference signal. The information acquiring device is further operable for acquiring the information from the signal component.

Radio wave receiving systems have been developed for a variety of uses. For instance, radio wave receiving systems have been developed for the transmission of images. In conventional systems, an antenna receives image information contained on a "received signal." The information is acquired by converting the received signal into an intermediate wave, amplifying the intermediate wave, and then detecting the image information (see Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 07-191151A2 or the like).
Under certain conditions, these conventional systems may not acquire accurate information via the radio waves. For instance, signal noise may detrimentally affect the receiving system's ability to acquire information. Specifically, if the signal level of the noise is greater than the signal level of the received signal, then the information contained in the received signal is less likely to be acquired properly. This problem is especially apparent in passive systems that receive radio waves radiated from a target region.
Furthermore, temperature fluctuations may detrimentally affect the ability of the receiving system to acquire information. Specifically, if the temperature of the receiving system fluctuates, signal levels may, in turn, fluctuate. Accordingly, these signal level fluctuations may detrimentally affect the receiving system's ability to accurately acquire information.

Radio wave receiving system, imaging system and radio wave receiving method


A method comprising rotating a rotor to expel, radially, a mixture of grain and material other than grain (MOG) from the rotor and past a rotor cage encircling the rotor; causing an air flow in a substantially arcuate channel defined by the rotor cage, a first cover assembly covering a substantial portion of the rotor cage, and a passive sieve, to entrain a first portion of the MOG; capturing a first portion of the grain with the first cover assembly and plural vanes located along the length and on the interior surface of the first cover assembly, the captured grain sliding by gravity along the vanes to the passive sieve, the captured grain comprising threshed and unthreshed portions; enabling the passage of the captured grain through the passive sieve and into a second channel within which a grain conveying assembly is disposed; conveying with the grain conveying assembly the passed, unthreshed portion rearwardly; and conveying with the grain conveying assembly the passed, threshed portion forwardly.

A combine harvester is provided with many systems that provide a multitude of functionality, including threshing, separating, and cleaning. Within conventional cleaning systems, oscillating sieve assemblies in conjunction with air flow remove chaff and other residue from the threshed grain, which gravitates through the bottom sieve assembly to an oscillating clean grain pan. The clean grain pan, in turn, directs the clean grain to a discharge auger that elevates the grain to an onboard storage bin. A second oscillating pan directs materials other than grain and unthreshed grain over the edge of the bottom sieve assembly to a different discharge outlet for recirculation back through the threshing, separating and cleaning apparatus to extract the previously unthreshed grain.

Combine cleaning system without a shaking sieve


A web offset print unit includes a first plate cylinder, a first blanket cylinder selectively in contact with the first plate cylinder, a second blanket cylinder, the web passing between the first and second blanket cylinders, the second blanket cylinder and first blanket cylinder being selectively disengageable from the web in a throw-off position to permit the web to pass between the first and second blanket cylinders, and a second plate cylinder selectively engageable with the second blanket cylinder. A single drive motor drives the first plate cylinder, first blanket cylinder, second blanket cylinder and second plate cylinder when the first and second blanket cylinders engage the web and the single drive motor rotates the first and second plate cylinders when the first and second blanket cylinders are in the throw-off position. Autoplating during the throw-off position thus is possible.

The present invention relates generally to printing presses and more specifically to web offset printing presses having removable sleeve-shaped blankets.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,346 describes for example a printing press with two blanket cylinders separable from each other to permit a blanket throw off.
In such presses, the blankets are offset from a vertical from each other, and in order to pass the web through the blankets when the blankets are offset, lead rolls or air bars are necessary to properly guide the web through the blankets. These guides can mark the printed product and also alter registration of the web between two printing print units, causes deteriorated print quality.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,678,485, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a counterpoise and lift mechanism to permit a blanket cylinder to be cantilevered to permit a sleeve-shaped blanket to be slid on and off the cylinder body.
Semi-automatic or fully automatic plating (autoplating) mechanisms are known which permit plates to be attached to the plate cylinder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,495,805 for example is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The plate cylinder should be driven to permit such autoplating.

Print unit with single motor drive permitting autoplating


An image conversion apparatus to perform a motion compensation and a motion compensation method. The image conversion apparatus includes a first buffer, a second buffer, and a third buffer that store sequentially incoming video fields in sequence, a motion estimator that estimates a motion vector between a first field stored in the first buffer and a third field stored in the third buffer, a motion compensator that compensates for a motion between the first field and the third field using the motion vector output from the motion estimator and thereby outputs an interpolated field, an output unit that outputs at least one of the interpolated fields output from the motion compensator and a second field stored in the second buffer, and a field selector that selects a field to be output from the output unit according to a film mode of the sequentially incoming video fields.

1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to a motion compensation, and more particularly, to performing a motion compensation to prevent a motion-induced distortion from occurring during 3:2 pull down and 2:2 pull down.
2. Description of the Related Art
As large-sized display devices such as plasma display panels (PDP) and liquid crystal display (LCD) devices are coming into increasing use in recent years, many users are able to enjoy movies at home through the large-sized display devices as if they are in movie theaters.
Film projected at movie theaters runs at 24 or 25 frames per second. The created frames are stored in films and are displayed on a screen in a progressive scan method. The progressive scan method refers to a method that displays a single scene on a screen in a single time in the unit of frame.
Most display devices currently used adopt an interlaced scan method which is in contrast to the progressive scan method. The interlaced scan method divides a single scene into at least two fields and displays the divided fields on a screen in sequence. Such display devices process and display images in different ways according to their respective transmission standards. For example, according to the national television system committee (NTSC), the display device processes an image with 60 fields per second, and according to the phase alternation line (PAL) or sequential couleur a memoire (SECAM), the display device processes an image with 50 fields per second.
If the film is reproduced on an interlaced display device, a user suffers from a rapid moving of images due to the difference in the number of frames displayed per second. Accordingly, in order to reproduce the film through the interlaced display device, the display device has to increase the number of fields using an image conversion apparatus such as telecine (which is a compound word of "television" and "cinema").
More specifically, in order to display a film on an NTSC display device, 24 frames per second have to be increased to 60 fields, and in order to display a film on a PAL or SECAM display device, 25 frames per second have to be increased to 50 fields. These operations are referred to as 3:2 pull down and 2:2 pull down. Meanwhile, in order to display a pull down image format on a progressive display device, an inverse telecine process is required.
FIGS. 1A and 1B are views illustrating a conventional image format conversion method.
In FIGS. 1A and 1B, T1 denotes a top field of a frame 1 and B1 denotes a bottom field of the frame 1, T2 denotes a top field of frame 2 and B2 denotes a bottom field of the frame 2, T3 denotes a top field of a frame 3 and B3 denotes a bottom field of the frame 3, and T4 denotes a top field of a frame 4 and B4 denotes a bottom field of the frame 4.
Referring to FIG. 1A, 5 fields are obtained from 2 frames such that 60 fields are obtained from 24 frames per second. More specifically, 3 fields are obtained from each of the frame 1 and the frame 3, and 2 fields are obtained from each of the frame 2 and frame 4. Herein, either the top field or the bottom field is repeated such that 3 fields can be obtained from one frame of a film.
The video fields obtained by performing the 3:2 pull down are converted into progressive frames using an inverse telecine process. More specifically, the top field T1 and the bottom field B1 are combined to create 3 frames, the top field T2 and the bottom field B2 are combined to create 2 frames, the top field T3 and the bottom field B3 are combined to create 3 fields, and the top field T4 and the bottom field B4 are combined to create 2 fields.
Referring to FIG. 1B, 2 fields are obtained from 1 frame such that 50 fields are obtained from 25 frames per second. That is, a top field and a bottom field are obtained from each frame. The video fields obtained by performing the 2:2 pull down are converted to progressive frames using an inverse telecine process. That is, the top field and the bottom field are combined to create two frames.
According to the image format conversion method as described above, two or three frames have the same motion phase. For example, the frames T1+B1, B2+T2, B3+T3, and T4+B4 have the same motion phase.
When the progressive frames generated using the inverse telecine process are displayed on a screen, two or three frames are repeatedly displayed on the screen, which causes a motion judder. In order to prevent the motion judder, a motion compensation is performed. The motion compensation estimates a motion based on adjacent images and creates an intermediate image. The motion compensation is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,919, titled "Motion-compensated Field Rate Conversion".
However, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,919, since the motion compensation is performed with respect to all of the incoming fields during the 3:2 pull down, a motion estimation error-induced distortion, such as halo, block effect, and false matching, is likely to occur. Also, a fall-back detection circuit to perform a motion refinement for the more accurate motion detection is additionally required.

Image conversion apparatus to perform motion compensation and method thereof


A cover plate for use in a cabin air compressor is a generally cylindrical body with 19 holes extending through the body and an inner bore defining an inner diameter centered on a center axis. The body has a thickness in a dimension measured perpendicular to the central axis. The inner diameter is 14.840 inches (37.693 centimeters) plus/minus .005 inch (0.013 centimeter). A diffusor housing, a cabin air compressor and a method of replacing a cover plate are also disclosed.

Air compressors are utilized in multiple applications on standard aircraft.
One such application is providing pressurized air to a passenger cabin or other pressurized compartment on the aircraft. Air compressors performing this function are typically referred to as "cabin air compressors."
It is often desirable for the volume of air passing through the cabin air compressor to be controlled. Thus, a diffuser may be provided with variable vanes to implement this control. The variable vanes may be driven by a drive ring moving relative to a diffuser.
A cover plate may be associated with the drive ring and rotating within a channel in the diffuser housing. In the past, this cover plate has sometimes binded during movement.


The object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device, which has a high protective capability against an excessive voltage applied from the outside. The device is provided, in its analog switch 30, with a P type dummy transistor 11 whose drain terminal is connected to a P type diffusion layer in the outside of a P type transfer gate 4 and whose gate and source terminals are connected to a power supply potential, and an N type dummy transistor 12 whose drain terminal is connected to an N type diffusion layer in the outside of an N type transfer gate 5 and whose gate and source terminals are connected to a ground potential, and when an excessive voltage is applied from the outside, an excessive current is made to flow through the P type and N type dummy transistors 11 and 12 to the power supply potential or the ground potential.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit, and more particularly to a transfer gate which uses an insulated gate electric field effect transistor (referred to as a MOS transistor, hereinafter).
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing one constitutional example of a conventional semiconductor device.
Referring to FIG. 1, this conventional semiconductor device is composed of an analog switch 130, which is for transmitting an analog signal from an input pad to an output pad, and a protective circuit 20, which is for protecting the analog switch 130. A signal input from an analog signal 9 is transmitted through the analog switch 130 and the protective circuit 20 to a bonding pad 1, a signal input from the bonding pad 1 is transmitted through the protective circuit 20 and the analog switch 130 to the analog signal 9, and so on. In the analog switch 130, there are provided side by side a P type transfer gate 4 and an N type transfer gate 5, to whose gate terminals reverse phase control signals 10 are input by inverters 6a and 6b respectively. In the protective circuit 20, there are provided a P type protective transistor 2, with its source and gate terminals connected to a power supply potential 7 and its drain terminal connected to the bonding pad 1, and an N type protective transistor 3, with its source and gate terminals connected to a ground potential and its drain terminal connected to the bonding pad 1.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a layout example of the analog switch 130 shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3(a) is a section view taken along the line C-C' of the analog switch 130 shown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3(b) is a section view taken along the line D-D' of the analog switch 130 shown in FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 2, the bonding pad 1 is connected through a second layer metallic wiring 101-1 and first layer metallic wirings 102-1 and 102-4 to the N type diffusion layers 104-1 and 104-3 of the N type transfer gate 5 and to the P type diffusion layers 103-2 and 103-4 of the P type transfer gate 4. Thereby, the bonding pad 1 and the analog switch 130 are interconnected.
Herein, an N type diffusion layer 104-2 in the internal side of the N type transfer gate 5 and a P type diffusion layer 103-3 in the internal side of the P type transfer gate 4 are connected through a first layer metallic wiring 102-7 to an internal circuit.
Furthermore, in order to prevent latching up, the N type transfer gate 5 is surrounded by a P type diffusion layer 103-1, which is connected to a ground potential (Vss) 8. Also, the P type transfer gate 4 is surrounded by an N type diffusion layer 104-4, which is connected to the power supply potential (Vdd) 7.
The operation of the analog switch thus constructed will be described below.
When a control signal 10 is at a low level, the P type transfer gate 4 and the N type transfer gate 5 are both made to be non-conductive, and thus the outside and the inside of the chip are electrically shielded from each other.
When a control signal 10 is at a high level, the P type transfer gate 4 and the N type transfer gate 5 are both made to be conductive, and thus a signal having an optional potential between the ground potential 8 and the power supply potential 7 is transmitted from the external bonding pad 1 to the internal analog signal 9, or from the internal analog signal 9 to the external bonding pad 1.
Next, the operation of the protective circuit 20 for preventing the breakdown of the transistor, which constitutes the analog switch 130, will be described. This breakdown occurs when an excessive voltage of static electricity and so on is applied from the outside.
When a positive excessive voltage is applied to the ground from the outside, first a breakdown occurs in the N type diffusion layer in the gate terminal side of the drain terminal of the N type protective transistor 3 and thus a current is made to flow to a P type well. A breakdown voltage in this case will be referred to as BVDS.
Then, by lowering of the voltage caused by the current which has flown into the P type well, the N type diffusion layer of the source terminal and a diode is formed by the P type well are forward biased, a parasitic NPN type bipolar transistor is formed by the drain terminal, the P type well and the source terminal is made to be in an operation state (referred to as a snapback operation state, hereinafter), and an excessive current coming from the outside is made to flow to the ground.
After the snapback operation state has been realized, a potential for the drain terminal of the N type protective transistor 3 is fixed at a value lower than that of the breakdown voltage of the N type diffusion layer, which has been connected to the bonding pad 1 of the N type transfer gate 5, and thereby the analog switch 130 is prevented from being broken down.
When a negative excessive voltage is applied to the ground from the outside, the drain diffusion layers of the N type protective transistor 3 are forward biased, a current is made to flow to the ground through the P type well, and thereby the analog switch 130 is prevented from being broken down.
When a positive excessive voltage is applied to the power source from the outside, the drain diffusion layers of the P type protective transistor 2 are forward biased, a current is made to flow to the power source through an N type well, and thereby the analog switch 130 is prevented from being broken down.
Also, when a negative excessive voltage is applied to the power source from the outside, first a breakdown occurs in the P type diffusion layer in the gate terminal side of the drain terminal of the P type protective transistor 2, and thus a current is made to flow to the N type well.
Then, by lowering of the voltage caused by the current which has flown into the N type well, the P type diffusion layer of the source terminal and a diode is formed by the N type well are forward biased, a parasitic PNP type bipolar transistor is formed by the drain terminal, the N type well and the source terminal are made to be in a snapback operatation state and thus an excessive current coming from the outside is made to flow to the power source.
After the snapback operation state has been realized, a potential for the drain terminal of the P type protective transistor is fixed at a value lower than that of the breakdown voltage of the P type diffusion layer, which has been connected to the bonding pad 1 of the P type transfer gate 4, and thereby the analog switch is prevented from being broken down.
FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing another constitutional example of a conventional semiconductor device.
Referring to FIG. 4, the conventional semiconductor device of this example is composed of a NOR type output circuit 140, and a protective circuit 20, which is for protecting the NOR type output circuit 140. A signal input from a data signal 18 is transmitted through the NOR type output circuit 140 and the protective circuit 20 to a bonding pad 1, a signal input from the bonding pad 1 is transmitted through the protective circuit 20 and the NOR type output circuit 140 to the data signal 18, and so on. In the NOR type output circuit 140, there are provided a P type transistor 13 and an N type transistor 16, which are connected to a control signal 17, and P type transistor 14 and an N type transistor 15, which are connected to the data signal 18. In the protective circuit 20, there are provided a P type protective transistor 2 with its source and gate terminals connected to a power supply potential 7 and its drain terminal connected to the bonding pad 1, and an N type protective transistor 3 with its source and gate terminals connected to a ground potential and its drain terminal connected to the bonding pad 1.
FIG. 5 is a view showing the layout example of a NOR type outout circuit shown in FIG. 4.
Referring to FIG. 5, a P type diffusion layer 103-4 in the drain part of a vertically placed P type transistor is connected to the pad through a first layer metallic wiring 102-1, a contact C2 between first and second layer metallic wirings and a second layer metallic wiring 101-1.
As in the case of the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 2, because of corner parts formed in the diffusion layers, an excessive current flows to the corner parts in a concentrated manner when an excessive voltage is applied from the outside, and consequently the diffusion layers are destroyed.
The application of a positive excessive voltage to the ground, including the N type transfer gate 5, will be described in detail below.
The drain terminal of the N type protective transistor 3 and the N type diffusion layer of the N type transfer gate 5 are almost at the same potential, because these are interconnected by a low resistant metallic wiring.
For the N type diffusion layer of the N type transfer gate 5, a breakdown occurs in its field oxidized film end. A breakdown voltage in this case will be referred to as BVJ.
Herein, BVJ depends on the layout of the analog switch.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a breakdown voltage for the semiconductor device shown in FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 6, a BVJ 1 is a breakdown voltage when the diffusion layer end of a certain side does not intersect that of another side as in the case of the N type diffusion layer 104-2 shown in FIG. 2. A BVJ 2 is a breakdown voltage when the diffusion layer end of a certain side intersects that of another diffusion layer as in the case of the N type diffusion layers 104-1 and 104-3. A BVDS is a breakdown voltage for the N type protective transistor 3.
In the N type diffusion layers 104-1 and 104-3, a breakdown occurs in the corner parts of the diffusion layers before the diffusion layer edges, because electric fields concentrate therein. Consequently, the BVJ 2 is lower than the BVJ 1, which is a breakdown voltage when there are no corner parts in the diffusion layers.
As shown in FIG. 6, when the BVJ 2 for the N type diffusion layer of the N type transfer gate is lower than the BVDS for the N type protective transistor, if an excessive voltage is applied from the outside, a breakdown occurs in the corner part of the N type diffusion layer of the N type transfer gate before the N type protective transistor functions as a protective transistor, and since currents concentrate in the narrow corner part of the diffusion layer, the diffusion layer is destroyed.
The foregoing description was for the case when a positive excessive voltage was applied to the ground. It should be understood, however, that when a negative excessive voltage is applied to the power source, by replacing the N type diffusion layer of the N type transfer gate 5 and the N type protective transistor 3, described above, respectively with the P type diffusion layer of the P type transfer gate 4 and the P type protective transistor 2, the P type diffusion layer of the P type is destroyed by the excessive voltage.
As apparent from the foregoing, there was a problem inherent in the conventional semiconductor device. Specifically, when an excessive voltage was applied from the outside, there was a possibility of a breakdown in the device, caused by a voltage lower than a breakdown voltage in the protective transistor.

Semiconductor device with high voltage protection


A method and apparatus for cleaning toner and/or other contaminant particles from a moving surface to be cleaned in an electrostatographic apparatus includes a cleaning blade, such as a wiper blade or a scraper blade, that engages the surface to be cleaned at a first location to remove the particles from the surface. A dust seal blade is provided that extends toward the surface in a second direction generally opposite to the first direction, which corresponds to the direction of motion of the surface to be cleaned, and is of a length and supported so as to be able to contact the surface to be cleaned at a second location upstream of the first location. The cleaning blade, the dust seal blade and the surface to be cleaned form a cavity for containing contaminant particles to assist in operation of the cleaning blade apparatus.

Blade cleaners have been used extensively in electrostatographic copiers and printers as a method of removing untransferred toner particles, carrier particles and other foreign matter such as paper dust, lint and fibers from the surface of an organic or inorganic photoconductor drum or a web.
Blade cleaners have also been applied with other type of cleaners such as magnetic brush and conductive brush cleaners as a method to remove contaminants from a detone roller. Detone rollers are used to remove contaminants from the brushes. In these applications, the cleaning blade does not contact the photosensitive surface. There are still other applications requiring a blade in contact with the surface to be cleaned in which such contact occurs downstream of brush cleaning methods.
Blade cleaners have also been applied to clean other surfaces which are not photosensitive such as an intermediate transfer roller or web, transfer rollers and transport webs in process color copiers or printers.
Cleaning blades come in either scraper or wiper configuration as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The scraper blade 1 is the most widely used configuration and it is mounted to make an inclination angle, .alpha., of 10.degree. to 35.degree. with a tangent line passing through the contact point as shown in FIG. 1. The wiper blade 2 is mounted to make an inclination angle .beta. of 60.degree. to 85.degree. as shown in FIG. 2.
Cleaning blades are mounted with some engagement or interference "d" of its free end with the surface to be cleaned with sufficient force to enable cleaning. The cleaning blade force is usually within a range of 10 to 80 g/cm, wherein "cm" represents length in centimeters in the cross-track direction. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the blades are shown in the undeformed shape.
Polyurethane has been the preferred material used for blade cleaning due to its toughness, resiliency and wear resistant properties. This blade material requires a small amount of solid (dry) lubrication on its edge, which contacts the surface to be cleaned, to reduce drag and prevent bonding of the interacting surfaces. Zinc stearate, Teflon.TM., Kynar.TM. and other dry lubricants have been used in blade cleaning in prior art. Untransferred toner "fines"; i.e., fine particles, provide lubrication to the blade during normal printing operations.
The cleaning method which is most used in current practice for the detone roller is that of a scraper blade made out of steel or phosphorus bronze as shown in one of the brush cleaner configurations in FIG. 3.
In the above applications, dusting inside the cleaner is particularly high during cleaning cycles where high levels of toner mass laydown are on the surfaces to be cleaned. Dusting emanates from the interface between the surface contaminated with charged toner particles and the blade edge. Containment of air borne toner particles is highly desirable in order to minimize the likelihood of leaks that will generate machine contamination. To prevent dusting from leaking out of the blade cleaner housing, the cleaner requires good overall sealing. Foam or brush seals, 3, at the front and back ends of the blade and an upstream sealing blade, 4, are among the methods used to prevent dust from leaking out. These sealing components are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
When the scraper blade is made out of steel, it usually has residual magnetism. This residual magnetism on the blade material causes magnetized carrier particles to be attracted to the blade edge. Magnetized carrier particles will be attracted to a ferromagnetic blade, even if it has no residual magnetism. A metallic blade will also form an extremely small nip which may result in higher wear and heat, especially when magnetized particles are trapped at its edge, with the consequent degradation in cleaning performance. The above method, using a magnetic stainless steel blade, when loaded with magnetic carrier particles will become ineffective as a cleaner quite rapidly.
Metallic blades have also been shown to reduce the drag on the surface to be cleaned thus requiring less lubrication than the polyurethane blades.
Metallic blades have shown comparable or higher expected life than polyurethane blades in the absence of carrier particles, but they have not been used to clean photosensitive or scratch-sensitive surfaces due to higher wear on these surfaces. Furthermore, when metallic blades are used, the surfaces to be cleaned require special surface treatments (Martin hard coats, chromium plating) to increase their wear resistance. These special surface treatments increase the cost of the parts. Polyurethane blades do not require such special surface treatments.
Carrier particles can also affect the performance of polyurethane blades if trapped in front of the cleaning edge due to excessive wear of the cleaning surface. In general, polyurethane blades have shown longer lives than steel blades in the presence of carrier particles.
Other types of contamination that can quickly degrade the cleaning blade performance, irrespective of the blade material, are paper dust and paper fibers and lint. As these contaminants are fed to the blade edge, they will build up under the edge and will weaken the sealing contact that the blade edge makes with the surface to be cleaned. The end result is cleaning failure in the form of toner bands or streaks.

Blade cleaning apparatus with associated dust seal and method of cleaning


A symbol demapping method and apparatus for efficient interference cancellation in a wireless communication system. Decision signal points are generated which include decision signal points based on a modulation scheme and a virtual signal point added to a zero point. A magnitude of a complex value of an input signal is compared with a threshold based on system setting. When the magnitude of the complex value is less than the threshold, the virtual signal point of the zero point is mapped and output as a target decision signal point. When the magnitude of the complex value is greater than or equal to the threshold, one of the decision signal points based on the modulation scheme is mapped and output according to the com0plex value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for efficient interference cancellation in a wireless cellular system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technologies used to provide users with data services in current wireless communication environments are classified into 2.5th or 3rd generation cellular mobile communication technologies such as Code Division Multiple Access 2000 1× Evolution Data Optimized (CDMA2000 1×EVDO), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) and Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service (UMTS) and wireless Local Area Network (LAN) technologies such as an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 wireless LAN and the like.
A distinctive feature of the 3rd generation cellular mobile communication technology for providing a voice service via a circuit network is that packet data services are provided to users for accessing the Internet in a broad-band wireless communication environment.
With the development of mobile communication technologies, various LAN wireless access technologies such as an IEEE 802.16 based wireless LAN and the like are appearing. These technologies do not ensure a mobility level equal to that of a cellular mobile communication system. However, the LAN wireless access technologies are being proposed as an alternative plan for providing a high-speed data service in a wireless environment by replacing a wired communication network such as a cable modem or Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL) with a wireless LAN in a home network environment or a hot spot area such as a public place or school.
When the above-described wireless LAN provides high-speed data service, there are limitations in providing users with public network services due to propagation interference as well as very limited mobility and narrow service coverage.
Thus, efforts for overcoming the limitations are being made at various angles. For example, a large amount of research is being conducted on a mobile Internet technology for making up for the weak points of the cellular mobile communication system and the wireless LAN. Moreover, active research is being conducted on a Wireless Broadband Internet (WiBro) system as a representative example of the mobile Internet technology currently being standardized and developed. The WiBro system can provide high-speed data service using various types of Mobile Stations (MSs) in indoor/outdoor stationary environments and mobile environments at pedestrian speed and medium/low speed (of about 60 Km/h).
On the other hand, active research is being conducted to provide users with various classes of Quality of Service (QoS) in the above-described wireless communication system. A high-speed, high-capacity communication system is required which can process and transmit various types of information such as video data, wireless data, and the like beyond a voice-centric service. Thus, in the wireless communication system, a channel coding scheme proper for increasing system transmission efficiency and improving system performance is essential.
However, inevitable error and information loss may occur due to many factors such as multipath interference, shadowing, propagation attenuation, time variant noise and interference fading in wireless channel environments of the wireless communication systems which are different from wired channel environments. An actual transmitted signal may be significantly distorted due to the information loss. This distortion may be a factor degrading the overall performance of a wireless communication system.
As described above, an interfering signal may be generated in the wireless communication system. The interfering signal significantly affects system performance. For example, a cell edge area can be considered in a system in which a frequency reuse factor is 1. In the cell edge area, there is a signal transmitted from a Base Station (BS), for example, a serving BS, for receiving information from an MS connected thereto and a signal transmitted from a neighbor BS to another user using the same frequency. The signal from the neighbor BS directly interferes with the MS, resulting in the degradation of reception performance of the MS.
Conventionally, a broadband wireless communication system, for example, a cellular Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) based system, employs a frequency reuse factor of 1 in order to improve spectral efficiency and facilitate cell planning. However, in a cell edge overlap area, the MS receives the signal of the serving BS overlapping with the interfering signal of the neighbor BS at similar power levels. Thus, there is a problem in that the link performance of the MS may be significantly degraded due to mutual interference of neighbor BSs.
To overcome this problem, a low code rate and low-order modulation scheme such as Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) is used when a signal is transmitted to an MS located in the cell edge area. For example, Forward Error Correction (FEC) and repetition coding can be simultaneously employed for transmission. However, in this case, there is a problem in that spectral efficiency is excessively lowered.
An alternative method is a technology in which the MS detects a target signal by eliminating an interfering signal received from the neighbor BS using an interference cancellation technique. In this case, the complexity of the MS increases since the signal of the neighbor BS is to be demodulated for the interference cancellation. However, this technology is advantageous in that link performance may be significantly improved without degrading spectral efficiency.
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a receiver using an interference cancellation technique in a conventional wireless communication system.
FIG. 1 illustrates an example of one interfering signal. As illustrated in FIG. 1, there can be provided multiple transmitters 101 and 103, an interference canceller 111, a mixer 113, a channel estimator 115, an equalizer 117, a symbol demapper 119 and a decoder 121.
Referring to FIG. 1, the receiver 110 receives a signal in which a target signal S1 of the transmitter 101, for example, a serving BS, overlaps with an interfering signal S2 of the transmitter 103, for example, a neighbor BS. The receiver 110 first performs channel estimation and equalization on the interfering signal S2 using the interference canceller 111 and then generates signal points on a constellation using a symbol demapper within the interference canceller 111. The symbol demapper indicates an input complex value on a complex plane and generates a predetermined number of signal points.
Then the interference canceller 111 performs multiplication by a channel estimate h2 using the generated signal points and regenerates the interfering signal. The mixer 113 subtracts the interfering signal S2 from the received signal, thereby eliminating the interfering signal S2 from the received signal.
Using a signal obtained by eliminating a component of the interfering signal S2 from the received signal, the receiver 110 performs channel estimation and equalization on the target signal S1 using the channel estimator 115 and the equalizer 117. The symbol demapper 119 and the decoder 121 detect and decode the target signal, thereby demodulating the target signal.
To demodulate an interfering signal in a wireless communication system, for example, an OFDM system, the receiver should know in advance a modulation level of the interfering signal, for example, the presence of the interfering signal and a Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS) level. Moreover, the receiver should be able to perform channel estimation of a signal received from the neighbor BS using a pilot of the transmitter 103, for example, the neighbor BS.
For conventional channel estimation on the interfering signal received from the neighbor BS as described above, the MS can perform the channel estimation only when knowing in advance a pilot pattern of the neighbor BS. That is, an interference cancellation process is performed based on a design of a system-operating scenario when a modulation level of the interfering signal is assumed to be, for example, QPSK. To conventionally detect the presence of the interfering signal, resource allocation information of the neighbor BS should be known in advance. The resource allocation information can be detected after receiving in advance a signalling channel of the neighbor BS and decoding the received signaling channel.
For the above-described channel estimation, the MS should know in advance the pilot pattern and the presence of the interfering signal from the neighbor BS. However, in this case, there is a problem in that the complexity of the MS may increase and the use of the interference cancellation technique may not be facilitated when the signaling channel itself is received.

Apparatus and method for interference cancellation in a wireless communication system


A paper air freshener, that may be folded into a multi-layered freshener, and may have other layers of polymer, or the like, applied thereto, with the concept of layering said freshener after being saturated or having absorbed the fragrance material, at the various layer levels, provides for a more gradual and controlled release of the fragrance to the ambient air during usage. The layers of paper may be laminated, or may be folded integrally from a singular paper structure, and secured together by various connectors, in preparation for its usage and application. The other layer of polymer forming a seal layer, and being debossed to form a well, into which fragrance material may be applied, during the assembly of the paper air freshener.

Paper air fresheners have been in use for many decades. Generally, you can see them suspended from the rear view mirror of an automobile, or applied at other vicinities, for use for refreshing the ambient air of the proximate space. There are many patents upon this type of concept, in the prior art.
Many of these prior art paper fresheners are made of paper, of various thicknesses, and are decorated by printing either by lithographic, offset, flexography, or silkscreen. They are scented with fragrance materials, they are cut, strung, and are packaged into their final form.
Usually, paper air fresheners are less expensive to make than other air freshening devices, and their effectiveness in scenting a small space is tied to various factors including the amount, composition, and endurance of the fragrance materials utilized. Also, the thickness, porosity, chemical nature, absorption characteristics of the paper carrier used, and finally, the surface area, as the surface areas where the fragrance materials are released to the air, are the characteristics of paper air fresheners.
Most paper air fresheners release their fragrance in the first few days at a high rate, and then loose power and effectiveness as the fragrance materials evaporate into the ambient air.
Papers that release slowly also tend to be more dense, and absorb more slowly, and take less of a fragrance load overall. They often print better, however, as they have smoother surfaces, they are generally less effective as small space air fresheners.
Papers that release more readily are more absorbent and can take more of the fragrance load overall. But, they often print worse as the surface is more open and rough, of texture. They are generally more effective as a small space air freshener.

Folded or multi-layered paper air freshener