A composite storage tank may include a wall structure including at least three regions including an inner region, an outer region, and at least one permeation barrier. Another region may be optionally incorporated for venting potential permeation of fluids. The at least one permeation barrier and/or the venting layer may be strategically positioned between the inner region and the outer region to reduce or at least partially prevent fluid permeation of the inner region or the outer region. A vehicle may include such a composite storage tank. Methods of forming a composite fluid storage tank may include forming an inner composite region, applying a permeation barrier to an outer surface of the inner composite region, forming an outer composite region, and curing the inner composite region and the outer composite region with the permeation barrier to form the composite fluid storage tank.

Fiber-reinforced composite materials provide relatively lightweight and high strength structures that are implemented in a variety of industries, including automotive, military, and aerospace applications. Composite materials may be used to form containers (e.g., tanks, storage containers, etc.). The containers may be used to transport liquid or gaseous materials such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, natural gas, etc. Some small molecule gasses, such as hydrogen, may permeate the composite materials and escape the containers. The volatile nature of many fuels such as hydrogen and oxygen may result in dangerous situations if the fuel escapes the containers and collect in significant quantities. For example, if ignited, the fuels could cause damage to the structure or vehicle to which the container is attached or to the occupants of such. In aerospace applications, damage to the vehicle may result in the occupants or equipment being transported being destroyed or becoming stranded and requiring a second vehicle to be sent to retrieve or rescue the equipment and/or occupants.
Some composite containers utilize a liner that may reduce the occurrence of small molecule gases escaping from the containers. The liners define an innermost layer of the container over which the composite layers are formed. However, typical liners are generally metal liners of sufficient thickness to be formed and welded. These liners are expensive to build and add undesirable weight to the tanks. Other thin liners have been used at the inner surface of the tank but tend to be susceptible to disbond due to coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatches or damage due to tooling extraction, tank access, etc. As such these liners may still not provide a reliable containment of the gases in the containers, especially where the gases are stored over relatively long periods of time. Furthermore, the liner at the inner surface may complicate production and/or functionality of the container, as it may be difficult to support any internal structure within the container, such as inner slosh baffles, stiffeners, or port hardware; without compromising the integrity of the liner.

Composite structures, composite storage tanks, vehicles including such composite storage tanks, and related systems and methods


A graphical user interface for a computer system with attached processor devices transfers input control for a pointing device on a principal computer display to native display devices and interfaces on attached devices whenever the system senses that a display cursor has moved to the edge of a display in the direction of the attached device.

The invention relates to a graphical user interface for use in a computer or data processing system which includes a principal display and one or more attached devices with secondary displays which are movable with respect to the first display. More specifically the invention relates to a graphical interface which permits a user to seamlessly control information display on multiple display devices with a single pointing device.


The invention relates to a semiconductor component comprising a buried temporarily n-doped area (9), which is effective only in the event of turn-off from the conducting to the blocking state of the semiconductor component and prevents chopping of the tail current in order thus to improve the turn-off softness. Said temporarily effective area is created by implantation of K centers (10).

When a semiconductor component is turned off from its conducting state to its blocking state, as is known firstly a space charge zone forms proceeding from the reverse-biased pn junction, the voltage present at the semiconductor component being taken up in said space charge zone. If the semiconductor component is a diode, by way of example, then the space charge zone propagates proceeding from the pn junction of the diode in the direction of the cathode. In the "back part" of the diode, that is to say in the area before the cathode, part of the originally stored charge is then initially still present, but is reduced with increasing propagation of the space charge zone in the subsequent period. During this subsequent period during which the space charge zone propagates further, a so-called "tail current" flows, which is chopped only when the space charge zone arrives at the highly doped zone upstream of the cathode, that is to say at an nn+ junction. Once the space charge zone abuts on said nn+ junction this leads to chopping of the tail current. This sudden current chopping results in excessive voltage increases on account of the inductance and oscillations present in the electric circuit.
One example of this is shown in FIG. 6 for a 3.3 kV diode. At an instant of approximately t=3E-6 s after the turn-off of the diode, the tail current iT is chopped, which results in oscillations of the current i (A) still flowing overall between anode and cathode. Owing to the high di/dt gradient, this chopping of the tail current also generates voltage spikes, which are extremely undesirable since they may lead to the destruction of the component. It is necessary, therefore, as far as possible to avoid current chopping on account of the space charge zone abutting on nn+ junctions in the event of the turn-off of a semiconductor component.
The above facts and measures undertaken previously with regard to these facts will be explained below with reference to FIGS. 7a and 7b, in which the doping profile for acceptors NA and for donors ND is plotted using solid lines and the profile of the electric field E that results from said doping profile is plotted using dashed lines as a function of the depth w of the semiconductor component. For the electric field E, a distinction is made here between a static field E(stat) and a dynamic case E(dyn) occurring particularly when the polarity is turned off. The width or depth of the weakly doped base zone, which essentially takes up the voltage, is indicated by WB. The highest field strength, achieved in the static case, is Ec.
FIG. 7A reveals the p-doping of the anode zone, the n−-type doping of the voltage taking-up region and the n+-type doping of the highly conducting zone before the cathode. The curve E(dyn) indicates the situation in which the space charge zone abuts on the highly doped n+-type zone when the component is turned off. The chopping of the reverse current as shown in FIG. 6 occurs in the event of this abutting. The curve E(stat) for the static case is situated considerably higher since the phenomena explained with reference to FIG. 6 do not occur here.
The voltages that can be taken up respectively in the static case and dynamic case correspond to the areas beneath the curves E(stat) and E(dyn), that is to say the field strength E(w) integrated over the width w.
To summarize, it emerges, then, that a component having the doping profile shown in FIG. 7A has a relatively high static blocking capability and a relatively low dynamic blocking capability, the dynamic blocking capability being the voltage at which reverse current chopping occurs.
One possibility for increasing the dynamic blocking capability might consist in making the width of the voltage taking-up region, that is to say the width wB of the n−-doped region, so large that the electric field does not reach the nn+ junction, that is to say the width wB, at the highest voltage with respect to which the component is commutated. In the case of components having a high blocking capability for an area of use of greater than 2 kV, however, the doping must be chosen to be low enough to achieve a sufficient stability against cosmic radiation. Such a low doping permits the gradient of the electric field to become small, however, and leads to a large extent of the space charge zone. Moreover, a large width of the voltage taking-up region, also called central zone, leads to high on-state and/or switching losses. In this case, said on-state and/or switching losses increase approximately proportionally to the magnitude of wB. Therefore, it is not possible to choose the most suitable values from standpoints of the blocking capability for the width wB.
As is known, there are IGBTs or thyristors which have a more highly n-doped layer as a so-called field stopping area or "buffer" before a p-conducting collector zone or anodal emitter zone. Such a field stopping area can be produced by proton irradiation from the collector or anode side and subsequent annealing (in this respect, cf. "13 kV Rectifiers: Studies on Diodes and Asymetric Thyristors", Proceedings ISPSD 2003, pp. 122-125).
The situation manifested in a component comprising such a field stopping zone is illustrated for the case of a diode in FIG. 7B. As can be gathered from said FIG. 7B, the field stopping zone leads to a higher gradient of the electric field strength E on account of its increased doping. The area beneath the curve E(dyn) thus becomes considerably larger than in the case of a component without a field stopping zone. That is to say that the space charge zone abuts on the nn+ junction only at a higher voltage or—for the case where the field stopping zone is sufficiently highly doped—does not abut at all on the nn+ junction. In the dynamic case, therefore, the semiconductor component configured in this way can block higher voltages.
One disadvantage of a field stopping zone, the depth of which is indicated by WBuf in FIG. 7B, is that the area beneath the curve E(stat) is significantly smaller than in the case of a semiconductor component without a field stopping zone according to FIG. 7A because the zone behind the field stopping zone or between the latter and the highly doped n+-type zone can contribute scarcely or not at all to taking up the electric field.
A semiconductor component in which a curve E(dyn) according to FIG. 7B is applicable in the dynamic case, while the profile of the curve of E(stat) from FIG. 7A is maintained in the static case, would be inherently desirable. This condition is apparently not met by existing semiconductor components.
When a silicon body is irradiated with high-energy electrons or with H+ or He++ atomic nuclei (ions), in the silicon a series of different centers Z arise in the area between the valance band V and the conduction band L of silicon, as is illustrated schematically in FIG. 8. Some of these centers are used as recombination centers. Irradiation with H+ ions, that is to say proton irradiation, also gives rise to a center which acts as a fixed donor and can be used for example for producing a field stopping zone, such as for the field stopping zone "Buffer" in FIG. 7B.
Apart from the fixed donor assigned to the proton irradiation, the irradiation with e.g. protons, He++ nuclei carbon atoms or electrons and subsequent annealing at a temperature of more than 220° C. give rise specifically to the centers Z shown in FIG. 8, namely double vacancies VV or E (230 K) at −0.24 eV, −0.43 eV and +0.19 eV and a center made up of an association of an oxygen atom with a vacancy, namely a center OV or E (90 K) at an energy level of −0.17 eV, these centers acting as recombination centers.
The so-called K center (COVV), which is described as an association of a carbon atom, an oxygen atom and two vacancies, also arises in all types of irradiation with a subsequent annealing process, that is to say in the event of irradiation with high-energy electrons, with H+ nuclei, He++ nuclei or carbon ions. This center is only very weakly effective as a recombination center. It lies at an energy level of +0.355 eV and is also designated by H (195 K).
The K center COVV has been known hitherto primarily owing to its disturbing properties. Thus, DE 187 09 652 A1, for example, reports that a homogeneous distribution arises at K centers after an electron irradiation. These K centers act as a temporary donor: they are positively charged directly after current flow. This charge state lasts a few 100 ns to a few μs depending on the temperature. At this time in which the K centers are effective, the effective basic doping of the semiconductor body doped with them is temporarily raised. On account of such an increased basic doping, a semiconductor component undergoes transition far below its static reverse voltage to an avalanche breakdown. Such a breakdown triggers a high-frequency oscillation, the dynamic IMPATT oscillation. Said IMPATT oscillation disappears after a few microseconds, the semiconductor component generally not being destroyed, however.
It is necessary to avoid an IMPATT oscillation on account of the strong electromagnetic interference emission. For this reason, the permissible number of K centers is limited in the case of the power diode described in DE 197 09 652 A1. This means that electron irradiation can be employed without causing disturbing oscillations.
The publication "Analysis of Dynamic Impatt Oscillations caused by Radiation Induced Deep Centers" Proceedings ISPSD 2003, explains how it is possible to demonstrate the doping effect of K centers by the production of a local profile of defects in the implantation of He++ nuclei. The disturbing IMPATT oscillations are likewise used in the process. FIG. 9 shows a profile of the various centers after a helium implantation and annealing in the region of 350° C. It can clearly be seen from FIG. 9 that the COVV centers exceed the OV and VV centers in the concentration K (cm−3).
In the above publication, the He++ nuclei are implanted from the anode side. Therefore, the distance from the anode is plotted on the abscissa of FIG. 9. However, this publication, too, refers to the disturbing influence of the K centers, which should be avoided as far as possible.
Consequently, the prior art gives the person skilled in the art the clear instruction that the occurrence of K centers should be prevented as far as possible in semiconductor components owing to their disturbing influence.

Semiconductor component comprising a temporary field stopping area, and method for the production thereof


A portable shower stall is disclosed. The present invention is designed to utilize a conventional trailer receiving hitch by providing a portable bathing apparatus, otherwise similar in nature to those commonly suspended from overhanging objects, designed to be secured directly to a standard receiver hitch. A main frame, of a generally linearly elongated, rectangular, upstanding, L-shaped configuration slidably engage and fittingly secures inside of the square channel of a conventional receiver hitch typically found on a motor vehicle, such as a truck or camper, via a frictional fit. A trailer receiving hitch connecting means connects the present invention to the trailer hitch via locking means. A water container holding hook or similar device is located on the end of the vertical member, opposite the horizontal member. The water container holding hook is used to releasably secure a water container above the user's head. A valve is used to facilitate controlled release of the water from the water container. A circular, shower curtain supporting member, of a circular, wire-type configuration, is designed to slidably engage vertically along the vertical member while the circular, shower curtain supporting member remains positioned in a horizontal plane. Linear, vertical adjustment of the circular, shower curtain supporting member along the vertical member is accomplished via a vertical adjustment means. A shower curtain is slidably secured to the circular, shower curtain supporting member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to portable showering devices, and, more particularly, to portable shower stall.
2. Description of the Related Art
Camping, hunting and other outdoor activities continue to be among today's most popular leisure activities. The people who enjoy these activities possess a variety of devices that are intended to provide many of the conveniences that they have become accustomed to at home. Portable stoves, inflatable mattresses, and even portable generators that make available a variety of appliances are among the devices commonly found at campsites across the nation.
Many campgrounds are equipped with plumbing at centrally located community bathhouses so that people can obtain water for drinking and cooking purposes. However, in situations where people are camping in the truest sense of the term, i.e., out in the wilderness, or where a campground is not equipped with plumbing, they are forced to carry their own supply of water.
In these situations, many people make use of portable, solar heated shower devices in which a clear bag, filled with water and having a shower nozzle attached thereto, is suspended from a tree or other overhanging object.
This type of device usually includes a curtain that surrounds the user, forming a shower stall, allowing him or her to bathe privately therein.
In the previous art, numerous devices are disclosed to assist in outdoor showering. U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,116, issued in the name of Hulsey describes a collapsible shower stall inside the camper.
Several patents describe collapsible, portable, and lightweight shower stalls. These include U.S. Pat. No. 5,544,369, issued in the name of Roberts, U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,992 issued in the name of Patterson et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,363 issued in the name of Troiano, U.S. Pat. No. D 339,860 issued in the name of Hildebrand, U.S. Pat. No. D 323,208 issued in the name of Guinther and U.S. Pat. No. D 244,135 issued in the name of Banks U.S. Pat. No. 1,960,969 issued in the name of Duncan discloses a collapsible shower curtain bracket and attachment for the stall.
U.S. Pat. No. D 385,618 issued in the name of Weinacker, describes the ornamental design of a portable shower head.
While these devices may be effective in providing a means by which to bathe where there is no modern plumbing, they do suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks. First, the devices are often burdensome, inconvenient and even dangerous to secure to the overhanging structure, such as a tree. Second, a tree with a sufficiently sturdy and configured branches may not be near the camp site, thus necessitating long walks from the camp site to shower. Third, the device is difficult to quickly pack and unpack. Fourth, the device cannot be easily stored in a small volume when not in use. Fifth, the device is difficult to assemble.
Accordingly, there is a need for a solid, structurally stable showering apparatus for providing a means by which one can bathe in a safe, convenient, manner in situations where there are no modern showering apparatuses and where there are no overhanging structures to utilize.
Many, if not most, campers drive vehicles such as pickup trucks, sports utility vehicles or automobiles that are equipped with a standard receiver hitch, consisting of a square channel into which a variety of different ball-type or other hitch attachments can be inserted and secured.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an apparatus and method which overcomes the problems cited above by utilizing a standard trailer receiving hitch to secure and support the showering device.


A switch and speed control assembly for use in a wet/dry utility vacuum or blower is disclosed. The switch and speed control assembly provides a single rotary control actuator for turning the vacuum or blower on and off, for infinitely varying the speed of the motor, and for providing a momentary boost control. The switch and speed control assembly includes a thumb wheel fitted to the shaft of a voltage varying potentiometer, a snap action switch in operable relation to the exterior edge of the thumb wheel, and a compression spring contained beneath the thumb wheel. As the thumb wheel is rotated in an increasing "on" direction, the contacts of the snap action switch are closed, allowing electric current to flow to the motor of the wet/dry utility vacuum or blower. The voltage levels in the motor, and correspondingly the speed of the motor, are controlled by varying the potentiometer voltage through rotation applied to the thumb wheel. During boost operating conditions, the thumb wheel engages the compression spring such that when the force engaging the momentary boost condition abates, the thumb wheel returns to a normal operating condition. Additional features incorporated in the switch and speed control assembly include: mechanical stops for both the "Off" and "High On" modes; a static guard to protect the electrical components and the user from static discharges; fastener free mounting within wet/dry utility vacuum or blower housings; a configuration designed to prevent mechanical loads present on the thumb wheel from being transferred to the potentiometer shaft and other electrical components, such as the switch; and internal wire routing designed to minimize inductive influences between the wires.

While it is known to provide a thumb wheel type control for variable speed adjustment of the vacuum or blower motor during operation, prior art wet/dry utility vacuums and blowers typically provide separate toggle type switches for turning the unit on and off. Operation of these switches requires the user to reposition the hand, making it inconvenient.
Additionally, the use of current thumb wheel controls often involves directly mounting the thumb wheel to the shaft of a potentiometer that is used to vary the speed control. Such a mounting traditionally requires the potentiometer to absorb the force of impacts and thumb (or finger) pressure, often resulting in a shortened operating life and premature fracture. It is known to protect the potentiometer from such forces by including additional moving parts such as slide mechanisms or gearing that isolate the potentiometer from the thumb wheel. However, such additional parts add to the switch assembly complexity and increase manufacturing costs.
It is further known to eliminate the separate on/off toggle switch and provide a potentiometer with a built-in switch feature, so as to activate current flow through the potentiometer upon rotation of the potentiometer shaft by a thumb wheel as described above. However, the built-in switches present on potentiometers do not meet the high current requirements for wet/dry utility vacuums or blowers.
The present invention is directed to minimizing or eliminating these drawbacks.

User operated switch and speed control device for a wet/dry vacuum


A method for joining components of thermostatic systems and thermal relays for low-voltage circuit breakers, the components being constituted by at least one bimetallic element constituted by a lamina with a first face and a second face and at least one connection element that has a substantially flat end part with a third face and a fourth face, its particularity consisting of the fact that it comprises the steps that consist in:—overlapping and coupling the end part of the first face of the bimetallic element with respect to the third face of the end part of the connection element;—subjecting the end part of the second face of the bimetallic element to the welding action of laser means to provide a weld between the bimetallic element and the connection element.

The present invention relates to components for thermostatic units (of the kind used in thermostatic systems with a bimetallic element for environments or technical systems or in thermal protection relays for low-voltage circuit breakers), particularly to bimetallic elements and their connections to other components of said thermostatic units, and to a method for producing them. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for joining the bimetallic elements to other components of the thermostatic units by means of a laser welding process.
In low-voltage circuit breakers in the current art, the bimetallic element can generally be joined to the other components of thermostatic units, for example braids or terminal connection elements of a thermostat or the moving contacts of a circuit breaker, by mechanical coupling or by braze welding.
The mechanical joining of said bimetallic elements is performed traditionally by using rivets, nails, pressure-based systems or similar joining systems. Although this method provides an efficient joining system, it has drawbacks. In particular, electrical conductivity proximate to the contact points is not ideal and can vary among parts. Furthermore, the mechanical joining operation still requires a larger number of parts (for example rivets or nails) than strictly required for the functionality of the thermostatic unit, thus introducing complications in the assembly process and entailing in any case an increase in production costs.
As an alternative to mechanical coupling, the bimetallic element and the other components of the thermostatic units can be joined by virtue of conventional braze welding processes. These methods do not entail the drawbacks noted above, but entail other different ones, linked to the considerable application of heat required by this technology. As is known, the application of heat is a critical element in the welding of bimetallic elements, since it can entail structural variations of said bimetallic element. Accordingly, its performance is reduced, and therefore the number of substandard parts increases and in any case the behavior is uneven among parts.
It is evident, from what has been described above, that the current art needs to have components of thermostatic units that have a uniform behavior and can be manufactured efficiently. It is also evident that the current art needs to have an efficient method for joining components of thermostatic systems and thermal relays for low-voltage circuit breakers and particularly for joining bimetallic elements to the other components of the corresponding thermostatic units.
The aim of the present invention is to provide components of thermostatic units that can be manufactured efficiently and have a uniform behavior.

Components of thermostatic units and laser welding method for producing the components


Pipe-in-pipe composite tubular structure having between layers a hardenable filling material associating the layers to enhance the structure mechanical performance mostly in collapse. Prior to harden the filling material, the composite tubular structure can be longitudinally deployable between a folded configuration and a deployed configuration, and has a radial dimension increasing between the folded configuration and the deployed configuration. Such structure is well fitted to be used in oil-well downhole structure and casings or underwater pipeline/flowline.

New methods for installation of tubular structures in well have recently been introduced like mono-diameter/mono-bore casing systems but have reduced mechanical performances, mostly in collapse resistance.
The patent application U.S. Ser. No. 10/416,772 of the applicant, offers a solution to improve the collapse resistance, but at the expense of substantial complications in the installation and without taking advantage of the complete steel section.
In addition, for well casing and for pipeline/flowline installations, a continuous tubular member is constructed by joining straight lengths of pipe on location.
An alternative solution is by winding the continuous tubular member on spools to allow to store the pipes in continuous length. This solution allows pipe transportation of continuous length saving assembling time on location.
However, beyond a certain pipe diameter, the dimensions of the necessary spool to store the pipe become prohibitive, as well as the necessary equipment for its unwinding. For instance, on offshore laying vessels, the size of the spool is such that it has to be part of the vessel and the pipe must be wound from a shore construction site close to the laying location. In well casing, the road size constraints and the requirements to locate big size spool on rigs make this solution less attractive if not impossible.
The patent U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,703 of Rike and al offers a solution to reduce the spool size by flattening the tubular lengthwise to reduce the spool diameter. The patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,702 of the applicant offers also a longitudinal folding of the tubular which also reduces its radial dimensions making easier to lower it into the well. However, these two solutions have the drawback of reducing the collapse resistance of the tubular.
During the installation of an underwater pipeline/flowline in deepwater, another problem comes from the angle of departure from the floating vessel of the line which is practically vertical and of the bending imposed to the line at the seafloor touch down. A common solution to this problem is to use the J-lay method, which has the disadvantage to reduce the laying speed by having to assemble section of pipe horizontally and then tilting it to be added to the vertical laying pipeline/flowline.


An apparatus for presenting a time-variant information element in a vehicle, which has a steering wheel (1602), comprises one or more remotely and individually controllable tactile pads (1620), which produce a tactile sensation in response to a respective pad output signal, which is produced by a controller (CTRL). The tactile pads are positioned or adapted to be positioned on the steering wheel (1602) or proximate to it, such that they can be touched by at least one hand (1610,1612) of the vehicle driver while driving the vehicle. The apparatus further comprises means for determining the time-variant information element to be presented and for applying the determined time-variant information element to the controller and means for encoding the determined time-variant information element by the controller into temporal variations of the one or more pad output signals.

Today's cars or other vehicles produce large amounts of vehicle-related information. A prime example of such information is the vehicle's speed. Vehicle speed information is normally displayed by a speedometer, which is a visual instrument. A problem with visual instruments is that they prevent, at least temporarily, the driver from focusing their eyes on the road, when the driver needs to read the speed information. Attempts to solve this problem have been based on constant-speed controllers, speed limiters and aural alert systems, all of which exhibit certain problems. For instance, the constant-speed controllers keeps the vehicle speed constant even when the driver falls asleep. Speed limiters prevent the driver from exceeding the preset speed even in cases where this might be desirable to avoid an accident. Aural alert systems are susceptible of being deactivated as the driver may find such systems too distracting.

Techniques for presenting vehicle-related information


A display panel and a display device are provided in the present disclosure. The display panel includes drive circuits and pixel circuits, where the drive circuits provide control signals for the pixel circuits, the pixel circuits provide drive currents for light-emitting elements of the display panel, and the drive circuits include a first drive circuit and a second drive circuit; and further includes signal line groups. The signal line groups include a first signal line group and a second signal line group. Along the second direction, a width of the first drive circuit is W1, a width of the second drive circuit is W2, a total width of the M0 signal lines in the first signal line group is D1, a total width of the N0 signal lines in the second signal line group is D2, W2>W1, D2>D1, and D2/W2>D1/W1.

The frame region of the existing display device includes a peripheral drive circuit for providing drive signals for pixel units in the display region. In the display device, a plurality of pixel units is arranged in the display region, and each pixel unit includes a pixel circuit. All pixel circuits are electrically connected to the peripheral drive circuit at the frame region respectively, and the peripheral drive circuit provides the pixel circuits with scan control signals and light-emitting control signals, thereby controlling the pixel circuits to provide drive currents for light-emitting elements. However, the existing drive circuit may occupy a relatively large space, such that it is difficult to reduce the frame width of the display device.

XIAMEN TIANMA DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


An organic light-emitting device that achieves highly efficient emission and low-voltage operation is provided. The organic light-emitting device contains a 9H-xanthen-9-one derivative.

An organic light-emitting device is a device that includes an anode, a cathode, and an organic compound layer interposed between the anode and the cathode. Holes and electrons injected from the respective electrodes of the organic light-emitting device are recombined in the organic compound layer to generate excitons and light is emitted as the excitons return to their ground state. The organic light-emitting device is also called an organic electroluminescent device or organic EL device. Recent years have seen remarkable advances in the field of organic light-emitting devices. Organic light-emitting devices offer low driving voltage, various emission wavelengths, rapid response, and small thickness and are light-weight.
Phosphorescence-emitting devices are a type of device that includes an organic compound layer containing a phosphorescence-emitting material, with triplet excitons contributing to emission. Creation of novel organic compounds has been actively pursued to provide high-performance phosphorescence-emitting devices.
PTL 1 discloses a compound 1 used as a host material of a phosphorescence-emitting device. The compound 1 is a xanthone derivative having carbazolyl groups.

Since the excited triplet (T1) energy of this compound is low, this material is not suitable as a host material of an emission layer of a blue or green phosphorescence-emitting device or as a material for forming a carrier transport layer.


Systems, methods, and media for wireless radio frequency lesioning are provided. In some embodiments, a system for wireless radio frequency comprises: a wireless radiofrequency device, comprising: a receiving coil, a plurality of capacitors coupled in parallel to the receiving coil, a first electrode, and a second electrode, wherein a capacitor of the plurality of capacitors is connected between the first electrode and the second electrode, and wherein capacitances of the plurality of capacitors cause the receiving coil to pair with a transmitter at an operating frequency; a transmitter comprising at least one transmitting coil; and a radiofrequency generator configured to apply a radiofrequency signal at the operating signal to the transmitter.

Radio frequency lesioning (RFL) has been used to treat a variety of diseases by ablating tissue, such as cancer or pain-signaling nerve tissue. RFL of nerve tissue, for example, is a common procedure used to treat several different pain syndromes afflicting millions of patients per year.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a RFL system that can be used for ablating nerve tissue. A conventional RF nerve lesioning treatment can include inserting a percutaneous electrode 102 to the target nerve tissue in a subject 104, and a placing a grounding pad 108 on the arm or leg of subject 104. A radio frequency generator 106 can be used to apply an RF signal to electrode 102, and an RF current 110 flows between electrode 102 and grounding pad 108.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a portion of the conventional radio frequency lesioning system of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, a tip of electrode 102 is inserted near a nerve 202. RF current 110 is strongest around the tip of electrode 102 and generates heat 204, which causes protein denaturation and cell death, blocking nerve 202 from sending pain signals to the brain. However, nerve 202 often regenerates from the lesioning and the pain returns, necessitating repeated procedures (e.g., two to six times per year) to maintain pain relief. Due to the necessity of inserting a wired electrode (e.g., electrode 102) each RF nerve ablation treatment using conventional RFL must be performed in a clinical setting by a skilled professional (e.g., an anesthesiologist). Accordingly, repeated procedures are costly to perform, increase the risk of the subject experiencing complications, and often leads to the subject experiencing significant pain at some point between treatments when pain starts to return but a procedure cannot be immediately scheduled.
An implantable tissue-lesioning device that is powered wirelessly or with an implantable battery would provide an alternative approach that would avoid repeated percutaneous procedures. Using such a device, a patient could undergo one initial procedure to implant the device in or near the target tissue, then wirelessly receive lesioning treatments as needed. However, while wirelessly powered implantable devices have been proposed in the past, each has drawbacks that would limit its effectiveness for use in tissue-lesioning. For example, one proposed device is made of stainless steel or ferrite rods, and an external energy transmitting coil is used to apply an alternating magnetic field to induce eddy currents in the ferromagnetic rods, which heats the implant and adjacent tissue. An alternative proposal was implant a thermosensitive ferrite rod with a metallic ring coating, where the ferrite material was used to concentrate the magnetic field, which then induced current in the metallic rings heating the implant and the adjacent tissue. In such a device, when the implant temperature reached the Curie-point of the material, the magnetic flux density in the ferrite rod and the ring current decreased, allowing the implant to self-regulate temperature near the Curie-point. In both of these devices, however, the magnetic field was generated by an energy-transmitting coil wrapped around the patient's body, and the necessary excitation voltage to perform radio frequency lesioning would be excessively high. For example, coil voltages up to 30 kilovolts (kV) would be required to produce sufficient magnetic field strength for heating up such implants to perform wireless radio frequency lesioning, which may cause damage to tissue that is not being targeted, and may create significant amounts of waste heat from the high coil voltage. While one system used a transmitting coil made of copper tubing to allow circulating water coolant to carry away heat generated by the high-voltage coil, this system would not address the potential damage caused by the high coil voltage. Instead, use of such systems would require protective equipment, such as a bulky Faraday shield to avoid undesired temperature rise in superficial tissue caused by the strong electric field (e.g., on the order of 2 kV/centimeter (cm)). The high coil voltage would also pose other serious safety issues (e.g., risk of electrocution), and increases the manufacturing cost of any such system due to the expense associated with high-voltage RF drivers, isolation systems, and circulating water coolant systems.
An alternative implantable heater powered by the magnetic field generated by the RF coil in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system has also proposed. However, the receiver temperature rise was less than 13 degrees Celsius (° C.), which would not be sufficient to lesion target tissue, and using an MRI machine for lesioning tissue would be a very costly, as MRI machines are expensive to maintain, and any other uses would have to compete for time with in high value imaging procedures. None of these systems offers a promising solution to provide wireless radio frequency lesioning.
Accordingly, systems, methods, and media for wireless radio frequency lesioning are desirable.


The present invention provides a head-mount image display apparatus which is maximumly reduced in size so as to arrange eyepiece optical systems in limited spaces such that the eyepiece optical systems do not touch the user's nose. The head-mount image display apparatus comprises LCD for displaying images for left and right eyes, eyepiece optical systems for guiding the images for left and right eyes displayed on the LCD to left and right eyeballs, body of the display apparatus for supporting the LCDs and the eyepiece optical systems for the left and right eyes such that the LCD and the eyepiece optical system for the right eyepiece is arranged at a predetermined distance from the LCD and the eyepiece optical system for the left eye, wherein corners of the eyepiece optical systems, at least which face a user's nose, are each provided with a chamfered portion planed off so as not to touch the user's nose.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a head-mount image display apparatus which a user wears on the head to see images.
2. Description of the Related Art
The head-mount image display apparatus used for watching images generally comprises a left image display element for displaying an image to be guided to a left eye, a left eyepiece optical system for guiding the left image to the left eye of the user, a right image display element for displaying an image to be guided to a right eye, and a right eyepiece optical system for guiding the right image to the right eye of the user. Various head-mount image display apparatuses are known, among which are: an apparatus having a pupil distance adjusting system and a diopter adjusting system (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publications 5-196898 and 6-123852), an apparatus having a see-through system (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication 5-268547), an apparatus for improving the image display (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication 6-133253), and an apparatus reduced in size (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication 6-334942).
To decrease the size of a head-mount image display apparatus, the optical guide path for image viewing may be shortened. If the optical guide path is shortened, however, some of the image display elements are located near to the user's nose when the user wears the head-mount apparatus. Suppose either eyepiece optical system has at least three optical faces, e.g. a first face facing the eyeball and having a transmission effect, a second face having a reflection effect and having a rear reflecting mirror, and a third face facing an image display element and having the transmission effect. Then, one corner of the eyepiece optical system is so near to the user's nose as to touch the nose in some mounting conditions. As a result, the user feels uncomfortable while wearing the apparatus.
With the conventional method, in order to solve this problem, the eyepiece optical system may be arranged such that the components of the apparatus do not touch the nose of the people whose pupil distance and positional relationship of eyes and nose fall within a predetermined range of normal distribution. If the eyepiece optical system is so designed, however, the head-mount image display apparatus cannot be maximumly reduced in size and thus cannot be compact. Therefore, the conventional apparatus wherein the eyepiece optical system has a part located too near the user's nose when the user wears the apparatus cannot have its size decreased and give the user a comfortable feeling.
In the case where the eyepiece optical system comprises two prisms joined together, the prisms cannot easily be situated with desired precision (.+-.0.1 mm, for example) after the eyepiece optical system is assembled, unless the strict size management is achieved when the prisms are joined.
In order to accomplish the size management of the prisms, it is necessary to provide to at least two planes as reference planes of the size management for each prism. However, when the eyepiece optical system comprises two prisms, a reference plane of the size management is not provided to the prisms in the conventional head-mount image display apparatus. Therefore, the two joined prisms may shift along the joining face, and the eyepiece optical system cannot attain a predetermined precision. The image guided through such an eyepiece optical system may be deformed and difficult to see.

Ergonomic head-mounted image display apparatus


Vision systems including a swappable camera and methods of making and using the swappable camera are disclosed. The swappable camera can include an alignment indicator storing alignment data representative of an array-housing alignment of a sensor array relative to a camera housing. The swappable camera can have a desired sensor array position. A region of interest that is concentric with the desired sensor array position can be determined using the alignment data and an image can be acquired using only pixels of the sensor array that are located within the region of interest.

The present technology relates to vision systems, and more specifically, to a vision system with a swappable camera.
In a vision system with a swappable camera, in many situations, it is important that the camera remains aligned at a target when the camera is swapped for a replacement camera. In other words, the optical axis of a camera relative to the mounting points ought to be pointed precisely and repeatedly from camera to camera. It is known that the camera housing for a swappable camera can be reproducibly oriented within a vision system by way of a mounting system (i.e., the camera housing can be reproducibly pointed in the same direction upon swapping). It is also known that the lenses of a camera can be reproducibly oriented relative to the camera housing by way of the design of the camera housing even at a high manufacturing rate (i.e., the lenses can be positioned relative to the camera housing such that the image projection is reproducibly located within the camera housing). However, these steps are not sufficient unless one can also reproducibly align an image sensor chip or sensor array therein relative to the camera housing and lenses, and this needs to be done at a reasonable cost when manufacturing at a high rate of speed and in volume. Presently, there are several strategies for overcoming this difficulty in alignment, but each of the existing strategies has significant shortcomings.
One option known in the art is careful physical alignment during manufacture. At the time of manufacturing, a user can physically align a sensor assembly within a camera housing to compensate for any stack-up tolerance from the sensor chip, or other misalignments. However, this careful physical alignment slows the manufacturing process, and therefore increases the cost associated with manufacturing.
A second option known in the art is to mount the camera to an external correction stage and manually compensate for any tolerance variations in the camera. This requires additional time for the user during the camera swapping process. Also, the external correction stage is an additional expense to the overall system.
A third option known in the art is to accept the inherent variations from a high-speed manufacturing process and design a system having a camera field-of-view that is large enough to allow for sensor tolerances and a system that functions based on finding a reference object and fixturing tools to the location of the object. However, in systems where reference objects are not available, this sort of a system is not capable of proper alignment.
Finally, a fourth option known in the art is to do application-level calibration and do all computations using "real-world" coordinates. See, for example, Tsai, R. Y., "A Versatile Camera Calibration Technique for High-Accuracy 3D Machine Vision Metrology Using Off-the-Shelf TV Cameras and Lenses", IEEE Journal of Robotics and Automation, Vol. RA-3, No. 4, August 1987. However, this option has significant computational demands that increase the cost and time to set up.
Therefore, what is needed is a vision system with a swappable camera where the swappable camera can be manufactured at a high rate of speed and at low cost, thus enabling use of cameras that are not perfectly aligned.

Vision system with swappable camera having an alignment indicator, and methods of making and using the same


A self-dispersible bipyridine-based metal complex includes a bipyridine-based ligand and a metal, and an ink composition including the metal complex. The bipyridine-based metal complex may be self-dispersed without requiring a dispersing agent and may be used as a colorant per se. Furthermore, the metal complex, when binding with a common colorant, may produce various colors and exhibit enhanced durability including light resistance. In addition, the metal complex includes a hydrophilic group-containing ligand coordinating with the metal, in addition to the bipyridine-based ligand, and thus, has a bulky structure. Therefore, dispersion stability is enhanced by a self-dispersion system based on a steric hindrance due to the bulky structure of the metal complex and an electrostatic repulsive force between the charged metal and the hydrophilic group-containing ligand, thus enhancing a long-term storage stability.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-dispersible bipyridine-based metal complex and an ink composition comprising the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bipyridine-based metal complex that may be efficiently dispersed even in the absence of a dispersing agent, and an ink composition comprising the same, wherein the ink composition has a desirable coloring property, durability, and dispersion stability.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, colorants produce their specific colors by selectively absorbing or reflecting visible light, and are classified into dyes and pigments.
Dyes are substances that are used to color subject matters such as fibers, leathers, furs, and papers, and have considerable fastness to daylight washing, friction, and the like. Pigments are particles having color materials and are adhered to the surfaces of subject matters by physical means such as adhesion, instead of directly coloring the surfaces of the subject matters, producing their specific colors.
Dyes are used as colorants for foods, medicines, cosmetics, and ink-jet inks, in addition to the above-described fibers, leathers, furs, and papers. Pigments are used in paints, printing inks, plastic coloration, rubber coloration, furniture making, textile printing, paper making, ceramics, and the like.
Colors produced by these colorants are determined by which wavelength of visible light ranging from 3,000 to 7,000  the color material particles reflect or transmit. Based on such characteristics, colorants may be classified into two types, depending on molecular structures: organic colorants and inorganic colorants. Although coloration mechanisms are not clearly elucidated, for organic colorants, coloration is carried out by a cycle of light absorption, transmission, and emission through conjugation of double bonds. For inorganic colorants, when a ligand coordinating with a metal absorbs light, a ligand-metal complex is changed from an excited energy state to a ground energy state, thus emitting light, which produces colors.
Generally, organic colorants have wide coloring ranges and produce bright and clear colors, but have ineffective light resistance, such as decoloration or discoloration. On the other hand, inorganic colorants have excellent durability, including light resistance, but also have problems such as narrow coloring ranges and simple color types.
Hereto, various compound colorants have been known. Pigment metal complexes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,971,739, 3,987,023, 4,077,953, 4,152,324, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-152044. These patents disclose a method for preparing an azo compound-metal complex by a coordination bond and a covalent bond.
According to this method, however, there are restrictions in that a specific functional group of an azo group is required, and coexistence of functional groups for the coordination bond and the covalent bond requires appropriate spacing between the coordination bond and the covalent bond when the functional groups react with the metal. In addition, the above-disclosed complexes have an unsatisfactory durability and coloring property. Thus, there is a need for improvements.

Self-dispersible bipyridine-based metal complex and ink composition comprising the same


Methods, systems, and apparatus for initializing a dimensioning system based on a location of a vehicle carrying an object to be dimensioned. An example method disclosed herein includes receiving, from a location system, location data indicating a location of a vehicle carrying an object; responsive to the location data indicating that the vehicle is approaching an imaging area, initializing, using a logic circuit, a sensor to be primed for capturing data representative of the object; receiving, from a motion detector carried by the vehicle, motion data indicating a speed of the vehicle; and triggering, using the logic circuitry, the sensor to capture data representative of the object at a sample rate based on the speed of the vehicle.

Transportation and logistics systems include planning operations that improve efficiency and accuracy of certain delivery services. For example, when a plurality of objects (e.g., packages) are going to be loaded into a container (e.g., delivery trucks), a transportation and logistics system may determine which objects are to be transported via which container and how the objects are to be loaded into the containers. Such systems are better able to execute the planning operations by gaining knowledge of one or more dimensions of the objects to be transported.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments disclosed herein.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments disclosed herein so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

Methods and apparatus for initializing object dimensioning systems


A method for adaptively filtering a video signal prior to encoding is provided. The method initiates with calculating a local gradient indicative of a region type. Then, a weight factor is determined based upon the local gradient. Next, the weight factor is applied to a difference signal according to the region type. A computer readable media, an integrated circuit and a system for processing an image data signal are also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to video processing and more particularly to a method and apparatus for pre-processing a video signal prior to encoding to improve a codec's efficiency while simultaneously reducing the effects of noise present in the video signal being encoded.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transmission of video data has become more popular as network bandwidth has increased to handle the bandwidth required for video data having an acceptable quality level. Video data requires a high bandwidth, i.e., many bytes of information per second. Therefore, video compression or video coding technology reduces the bandwidth requirements prior to transmission of the video data. However, the compression of the video data may negatively impact the image quality when the compressed video data is decompressed for presentation. For example, block based video compression schemes, such as Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) coding standard, suffer from blocking artifacts which become visible at the boundaries between blocks of a frame of the video image.
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a video coding system. Video capture device 100 captures image data. The image data is then compressed according to a compression standard through encoder 102. The compressed image data is then transmitted over network 104 to decoder 106. Decoder 106 may include post-processing block 108, which is configured to compensate for blocky artifacts. The decompressed image data that has been post processed is then presented on display monitor 110. Alternatively, placement of the processing block configured to compensate for blocky artifacts may be within encoder 102. Here, DCT domain filter 112 is included within encoder 102 to reduce blocky artifacts introduced during compression operations.
Thus, post-processing block 108 includes the capability to offset blocky artifacts, e.g., low pass filters applied to the spatial domain attempt to compensate for the artifacts introduced through the compression standard. However, one shortcoming with current post-processing steps is their computational complexity, which requires about 30-50% of the total computational power needed in the decoder, not to mention the dedication of compute cycles for post-processing functions. It should be appreciated that this type of power drain is unacceptably high for mobile terminals, i.e., battery enabled consumer electronics, such as terminals incorporating thin film transistors (TFT) technology, super-twisted nematic (STN), and mobile digital-thin film diode (MD-TFD). Another shortcoming of the low pass filters currently being used is that the amount of time for the filtering operation may cause a noticeable delay in the presentation of the image. This delay is especially noticeable with respect to portable electronic computing systems due to the limited resources of the embedded systems controlling these devices.
The current in-loop filtering represented through FIG. 1 is not capable of effectively handling noise introduced into the encoder loop from the input device in addition to smoothing blocky artifacts. Furthermore, since the noise from the input device tends to be random, the motion tracker of the encoder is fooled into following noise rather than the actual signal. For example, the motion tracker may take a signal at time t and then finds a location where the difference is close to 0. Thereafter, the motion tracker outputs a motion vector and the difference. However, random noise causes the difference to become the difference between the signal and the noise rather than the difference between the true motion. Thus, if the motion vector is dominant, then everything becomes influenced by noise rather than the actual signal.
As a result, there is a need to solve the problems of the prior art to provide a method and system for reducing input device generated noise from a video signal prior to the video signal being received by the encoder.


Method for assigning a priority mechanism to a least one group of TLV-objects (TLVO1-TLVO3) for data exchange between a transmitting and receiving entity, for storing data on, and/or for reading data from a storage medium by assigning a structure (ST) for TLV-objects in the transmitting and receiving entity; and/or on the storage medium.

The standardization body 3GPP TSG SA1, which is responsible for the definition of general MMS service aspects (see 3GPP TS 22.140, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS); Service Aspects; Stage 1 (Release 5)), has approved new requirements for (automatic) bearer selection in MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). According to these requirements, an MMS-capable UE (=User Equipment: e.g., a mobile phone) shall be able to automatically select a bearer from a list of different sets of Interface to Core Network and Bearer parameters stored in the USIM (UMTS Subscriber Identity Module) based on their order of precedence. When automatic selection of bearers is disabled, the user shall be able to select a bearer manually from the Interface to Core Network and Bearer parameters. Furthermore, it is also desirable that the switch to a less preferred bearer, in case the most preferred is not available, takes place without any user intervention. Network operators and users will benefit from the usage of the most suitable bearer for the delivery and submission of Multimedia Messages. Currently, in the 3GPP USIM specification TS 31.102, there is no way to express any order of precedence with the storage of Interface to Core Network and Bearer parameters and, thus, the new standardization requirements cannot be met.
The present invention aims to bring a solution to the above-described problem. It preferably defines two alternative, advantageous mechanisms to prioritize a list of TLV objects, and two corresponding mechanisms for automatic bearer selection from the MMS Interface to Core Network and Bearer parameters based on their order of precedence.
Nowadays, in mobile networks like GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), SMS (Short message Service) is used to send and receive short messages between mobile terminals. Currently, a new messaging service, the so-called MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is being standardized. Contrary to SMS, MMS messages may contain multimedia elements such as, for example, text, image, audio or video.
MMS is a peer-to-peer messaging service between two MMS User Agents which are both connected to an MMS Relay/Server. The User Agent resides either on a mobile phone, such as a UMTS-UE (User Equipment) or a GSM-MS (Mobile Station), on an external device, such as a notebook/laptop, connected to a mobile phone, or even on a PC. It is preferable an application layer function that provides the user with the ability to view, compose and handle the Multimedia Messages (=MMs); for example, the submitting and receiving of MMs. The MMS Relay/Server is a network entity responsible for the storage and handling of incoming and outgoing messages and for the transfer of messages between different messaging systems. In general terms, there is a data exchange between such a transmitting and receiving entity.
Mobile communication services such as the 2nd generation (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications)) and the 3rd generation, (e.g., UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service) preferably use well-defined smart cards in addition to mobile phones. Plugged into a mobile phone, these smart cards enable a user to use the mobile communication service he/she has subscribed to. Moreover, user preferences and settings as well as a user's personal information can be stored on such smart cards. In GSM these cards are called SIM (Subscriber Identity Module). In UMTS one distinguishes between the physical card which is called UICC (Universal IC Card; IC: Integrated Circuit) and its logical functionality, the USIM (UMTS Subscriber Identity Module).
An Elementary File for MMS Connectivity Parameters (=EFMMSCP) is defined on the USIM. This EF (Elementary File) contains values for Multimedia Messaging Connectivity Parameters, which can be used by the ME for user assistance in preparation of connecting to the network for the MMS purpose. The EFMMSCP is present, when the MMS service in the USIM service table is "available." This EFMMSCP is shown in FIG. 1.
The EFMMSCP is an transparent file (for example, on a storage medium like a smart card), where the MMS connectivity parameters are stored in sequential order. To make searching and reading out of the parameters easier, the parameters are stored by making use of the so-called, constructed TLV (Tag, Length, Value) object structure. The MMS Connectivity Parameters consist of MMS implementation, which indicates the used implementation (e.g., WAP), the MMS Relay/Server address, a set of Interface to Core Network and Bearer Information including access point for the core network (e.g., GGSN) and required bearer information elements (e.g., Bearer, Address, Type of address, Speed, Call type, Authentication type, Authentication id, Authentication password) and a set of Gateway Information (e.g., Address, Type of address, Port, Service, Authentication type, Authentication id and Authentication password). All this information is coded according to the guideline provided in 3GPP TS 23.140 (see 3GPP TS 23.140, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS); Functional description; stage 2 (Release 5)).

Method for assigning a priority mechanism to at least one group of TLV-objects


A method of dynamically allocating usage of a shared resource between user A and user B includes the steps of establishing an initial allocation percentage for user B for using the shared resource and establishing a threshold allocation percentage for user B. The allocation percentage is modified for user B based on the availability of the shared resource to user A. If the shared resource is unavailable to user A, the allocation percentage for user B is decreased. If the shared resource is available to user A, the allocation percentage for user B is increased. Usage of the shared resource by user B is allocated in accordance with the modified allocation percentage provided that the modified allocation percentage is less than a pre-set threshold level. The method is particularly useful in dynamically allocating telephone calls into call centers.

In a many business situations, a particular finite resource may be shared by multiple users. Call centers, for example, are one area where usage can be shared among multiple users. Take for instance the scenario where there are two call centers (A and B) fielding telephone calls. Both call centers are populated with a finite number of agents and can thus handle only a certain volume of calls. Call centers A and B may experience drastically different usage patterns at any given time. For example, at a particular time, call center A may have a surplus of available agents while at the same time, call center B may have reached its maximum capacity. Calls that are directed to call center B may not go through because all available resources (i.e., agents) are currently being used.
In situations like the one described above, it is advantageous to divert a portion of the call traffic that would otherwise go to call center B to call center A. In this regard, the excess capacity at call center A is utilized to field calls from a portion of the calls originally directed to call center B. Of course, only a certain number of calls can be diverted to call center A without overloading call center A's excess capacity.
Various solutions have been proposed and used to route customers to various call centers. One proposed solution is a carrier-based network routing scheme which uses a fixed or static allocation percentage to define how calls are allocated among several call centers. In the above scenario, for example, call center B may divert 20% of its calls to call center A. The problem with this approach is that static percentage allocations cannot take into account variances such as agent availability, call handling times, and call volume changes. For example, setting an allocation percentage too low will leave excess agents at call center A, therefore not maximizing the resources that are available at a given time. Conversely, setting an allocation percentage too high will swamp call center A, thereby blocking callers from reaching call center A. Of course, these problems could be remedied to a certain extent by manually reprogramming the allocation percentage but this would require near constant monitoring and time-consuming reprogramming.
Private networking routing solutions have also been used to balance call loads among a variety of call centers. Many Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) vendors provide overflow routing between their own ACD systems. When one particular ACD approaches its maximum capacity, calls are redirected to another ACD that has a lighter call load. While private network routing systems does provide some advantages over the above-mentioned static allocation percentage approach, private network routing solutions suffer from a number of drawbacks. First, these systems require the use of the same ACD and routing software at each location. Second, a significant amount of hardware is needed to implement the private network solution. Finally, when call overflowing is implemented in private network routing solutions, twice as many resources are consumed for each overflowed call.
More recently, software-based telephony integration systems have been employed to create a virtual call center enterprise. One such system is CISCO's Intelligent Contact Management (ICM) Software. ICM uses an open, distributed software architecture that manages voice and data distribution across enterprise. The software processes a combination of customer and contact center data by using user-defined routing scripts that reflect a company's business rules. The ICM software is then able to route each contact to the optimum resource anywhere in the enterprise. While software-based solutions like CISCO's ICM provide a robust solution to allocate calls efficiently within an enterprise, they are extremely expensive to deploy. Implementation of such systems can cost well over $1,000,000 leaving such systems suitable for only the largest of call centers.
There thus is a need for a relatively low cost, robust system that is able to dynamically allocate calls among a plurality of call centers. The system preferably requires little in the way of hardware to implement. In addition, the system would advantageously not require manual reprogramming in order to respond to changing load conditions at one or more call centers. The method could also apply to other non-call center situations where a finite resource is shared among multiple users.

Method of dynamically allocating usage of a shared resource


A method, system, and computer program product for processing a transaction between a client and an application server asynchronously in a distributed transaction processing environment having at least one transaction queue manager. An application request is received from a client to initiate a transaction. The request is placed in a transaction request queue by the transaction queue manager. The request is processed at the application server asynchronously relative to the receipt of the request. A response to the request is determined, and the response is placed in a transaction response queue for retrieval by the client.

Distributed client/server systems have become a standard architecture for the implementation of databases, web servers, application servers, etc. Accesses that are made to the data stored in such systems are known as transactions. Transactions that modify data stored in server systems present certain challenges in the operations of a distributed server system. Many commercial transaction-processing systems use the two-phase commit protocol, which requires a series of messages to be exchanged between a transaction manager and the resource managers. A transaction can end in two ways: a commit, which is the successful execution of each step in the transaction, or a rollback, which guarantees that none of the steps are executed due to an error in one of those steps.
All transactions share the following properties: atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability (represented by the acronym "ACID"). Atomicity refers to indivisible operations, i.e., operations which will either complete fully, or not at all. Consistency refers to a transaction transitioning persistent data from one consistent state to another. If a failure occurs during processing, the data must be restored to the state it was in prior to the transaction. Isolation refers to transactions not affecting each other. A transaction in progress must be isolated from other transactions. Although several transactions may run concurrently, it should appear to each transaction that all the other concurrent transactions completed before or after it. All concurrent transactions must effectively end in sequential order. If other transactions were allowed to read data that is uncommitted, those transactions could end up with inconsistent data if the transaction is rolled back, or end up waiting unnecessarily if the transaction commits successfully. Durability refers to the persistence of the transaction. Once a transaction has successfully committed, state changes committed by that transaction must be durable and persistent, despite any failures that occur afterwards.
Regardless of the claimed reliability of a system, failure of the system is always a possibility. For the transaction processing system to function properly in the face of a failure, the transaction manager must log information to a non-volatile store that can be used to recover a transaction processing failure. A recovering transaction is one that is reconstructed as a result of a previous failure in the processing of a transaction.


An electron source excellent in the uniformity in current emission distribution is provided certainly and at a low cost.

In recent years, in order to obtain an electron beam having higher brightness and longer operating life than a thermionic cathode, an electron source (hereinafter referred to as a ZrO/W electron source) employing a cathode made of a needle electrode of tungsten single crystal provided with a covering layer comprising zirconium and oxygen has been used (Non-Patent Document 1).
The ZrO/W electron source is one wherein a diffusing source made of zirconium oxide is provided on a needle cathode of tungsten single crystal having an axial orientation being <100> orientation, so that zirconium and oxygen are diffused to form a covering layer (hereinafter referred to as a ZrO covering layer). By this ZrO covering layer, the work function of the (100) crystallographic plane of tungsten single crystal is reduced to a level of from 4.5 eV to 2.8 eV, and only the very small crystallographic facet corresponding to the (100) crystallographic plane formed at the forward end of the cathode becomes an electron emission area, whereby an electron beam having a higher brightness than by a conventional thermionic cathode can be obtained, and yet this electron source has such a characteristic that it has a longer operating life. Further, such an electron source has characteristics such that it is more stable than a cold field emission electron source and is operable even under a low vacuum degree and thus easy to use (Non-Patent Document 2).
As shown in FIG. 1, in the ZrO/W electron source, a needle cathode 1 of tungsten having <100> orientation which emits an electron beam is fixed by e.g. welding to a predetermined position of a tungsten filament 3 provided on conductive terminals 4 fixed to an insulator 5. A zirconium- and oxygen-diffusing source 2 is formed at a portion of the cathode 1. Although not shown in the drawings, the surface of the cathode 1 is covered with a ZrO covering layer.
The cathode 1 is Joule heated by the filament 3 and used usually at a temperature of about 1,800 K. Accordingly, the ZrO covering layer on the surface of the cathode 1 will be lost by evaporation. However, from the diffusing source 2, zirconium and oxygen will diffuse and will be continuously supplied to the surface of the cathode 1, and consequently, the ZrO covering layer will be maintained.
When the ZrO/W electron source is used, the forward end of the cathode 1 is disposed between a suppressor electrode 6 and an extractor electrode 7 (FIG. 2). To the cathode 1, a high voltage negative against the extractor electrode 7 is applied and to the suppressor electrode 6, a negative voltage at a level of a few hundred volts against the cathode 1 is applied to suppress thermionic electrons from the filament 3.
In a CD-SEM or a wafer inspection apparatus to be used at a low accelerating voltage, the ZrO/W electron is source is operated at an angular intensity of from 0.1 to 0.2 mA/sr for such reasons that the probe current is stable and the energy spread can be suppressed.
On the other hand, in an electron beam lithography apparatus, an Auger electron spectroscope, etc., a throughput is of importance, and accordingly, the electron source is operated at a high angular intensity at a level of 0.4 mA/sr. In such an application where a throughput is of importance, operation at a still higher angular intensity is desired, and an operation at an angular intensity as high as 1.0 mA/sr may sometimes be required.
However, with the ZrO/W electron source, (1) during the operation at a high angular intensity, the upper limit of the angular intensity is at a level of 1.0 mA/sr, and (2) at that time, the extraction voltage applied between the cathode and the extractor electrode is high at a level of at least 4 kV, whereby the field intensity at the forward end of the chip will be remarkably high at a level of from 0.4×109 to 1.0×109 V/m, and the failure frequency due to arc discharge tends to be high (Non-Patent Document 3).
In order to solve such problems, the present inventors have previously proposed an electron source provided with a cathode made of a single crystal of tungsten or molybdenum with its surface covered by a covering layer of oxygen and a metal element selected from Groups 2A, 3A and 4A of the Periodic Table, which has a truncated cone shape with a total conical angle of at least 25° and at most 95° with its upper surface being a flat electron emission surface with a diameter of at least 5 μm and at most 200 μm (Patent Document 1).
Non-Patent Document 1: D. Tuggle, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 16, p 1699 (1979)
Non-Patent Document 2: M. J. Fransen, "On the Electron-Optical Properties of the ZrO/W Schottky Electron Emitter", ADVANCES IN IMAGING AND ELECTRON PHYSICS, VOL. III, p 91-166, 1999 by Academic Press.
Non-Patent Document 3: D. W. Tuggle, J. Vac. Sci., Technol. B3(1), p 220 (1985).
Patent Document 1: WO2004/073010A1

Abstract: A process for producing an electron source having an electron emitting portion at one end of a rod, which comprises a step of forming the electron emitting portion by machining, and a step of removing a damaged layer at the surface of the formed electron emitting portion by chemical polishing or electrolytic polishing.


A bi-directional wedge clutch, including: an outer race; first and second inner hubs; a wedge plate, radially located between the outer race and the inner hubs; and an axially displaceable activation hub engaged with the inner hubs and arranged to: for a free-wheel mode, rotate at least one of the inner hubs in a first rotational direction, with respect to the other of the inner hubs, such that the wedge plate is free of contact with the outer race; and for a locking mode, rotate the at least one of the inner hubs in a second rotational direction, opposite the first rotational direction, with respect to the other of the inner hubs, to non-rotatably connect the wedge plate with the outer race and the inner hubs.

To provide a consistent transition from a free-wheel mode to a locking mode in a bi-directional clutch, it is known to maintain some frictional contact between components of the clutch, such as the inner or outer race, and a rotationally displaceable locking element, in order to displace the locking element to initiate a locking mode. The frictional contact results in torque drag between the inner and outer races and subsequent energy dissipation and decrease in efficiency during operation in free-wheel mode.


The present invention relates to a portable stove mounting apparatus used to securely mount a removable portable stove to a planar supporting structure without the use of hand tools. The portable stove mounting apparatus includes a planer base supporting structure wherein connecting devices secure the portable stove and fuel supply to the planer base supporting structure. Insulation is disposed between the connecting devices and the planar supporting structure.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting apparatus for securing a portable stove to a flat, horizontal base material. In particular, this invention relates to a mounting apparatus for safely securing outdoor portable stoves that are commonly used while camping.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Portable stoves for camping and hiking are generally small and light weight. These stoves utilize a butane, propane or white gas for the fuel source, which is contained in a separate tank or bottle. Typically the stove is carried by the camper or hiker in a backpack.
It is generally advantageous to find a flat, level surface to place the stove on. To avoid placing the stove directly on the ground, various stove mounting devices have been previously described. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,323,757 describes a portable mounting apparatus for mounting a stove to a filleting board, which is subsequently secured to a fixture on a motor vehicle or boat that is immediately accessible. Thus, the person who is using this apparatus must have a vehicle or boat immediately accessible. Accordingly, this device is not useful to secure the cooking stove to an apparatus when backpacking or hiking, where the only equipment available to the campers is the equipment carried in their backpack.
To use the commercial stoves while backpacking or hiking, the camper often experiences difficulties in finding a flat, level surface sufficient to use the stove effectively and safely. Hikers, for example, often must cook on rough, uneven rocky ground. This makes cooking extremely difficult because a pot does not remain on the stove. Furthermore, it is dangerous to use the stove on uneven surfaces because it can readily fall over.
During alpine camping and hiking, when the temperature is below freezing, it is usually difficult to find an appropriate surface for the camping stove due to snow and ice on the ground. The camping stove is often placed inside the tent to provide heat as well as a cooking source. The surface inside the tent is frequently uneven, which makes cooking extremely difficult and hazardous. Campers generally must use whatever available resources they have to create a flat, level surface for cooking. Moreover, due to the dangers associated with having an open flame in a tent, the cooking stove should be able to be quickly removed from the tent. Another difficulty associated with using portable stoves during the winter is that the fuel bottle often becomes frozen to the ground when it comes into contact with the snow or ice.
Also known are wire frame supports such as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,798 wherein is disclosed a spider-like structure having at least three legs that support a stove. These devices present the same problems encountered with placing the stove on the ground directly--the tendency of the stove to sink into soft surfaces. The problem is particularly acute in snow or ice conditions, where the metal wire frame conducts heat from the burning stove and causes the frame structure to melt and subsequently sink into the snow or ice.
Thus, there is a need for a convenient apparatus that secures a portable camping stove to a flat, level base surface, which is lightweight and easily transportable in a backpack. There is a further need for an apparatus that securely fastens the stove to the base surface to permit the rapid removal of the connected stove in the event of an emergency.


A method and apparatus for increasing the capacity of a system that use four transmit antennas and that employs conventional channel coding by performing space-time coding in a particular way. Each of two pairs of symbol sub-streams is space-time coded to form a respective pair of transmit-sequence chains, where at least one of the formed pairs of the transmit-sequence chains is a function of symbols of the respective symbol-sub-stream pair and not a function of the symbols of the other symbol-sub-stream pair. Four transmit sequences—two transmit sequences from each of the two pairs of symbol sub-streams—may be viewed as forming a transmission matrices B or B′ arranged as follows:

This invention relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to wireless communication systems using multiple antennas at the transmitter and one or more antennas at the receiver.
Wireless communication systems that use multiple antennas at the transmitter are commonly referred to as multiple-input systems. Space-time coding can be used in multiple-input systems to reduce the power needed to transmit information at a particular information data rate and still maintain a certain error rate.
Additionally, it is highly advantageous to employ channel coding in order to approach the maximum open loop capacity of a multiple-input system. (An open loop system is one where the channel characteristics are not fed back to the transmitter.) The state-of-the-art channel codes, e.g., turbo codes, trellis codes and the like, are typically spatially one dimensional, i.e., they are designed for only a single transmit antenna. A goal in the wireless communication industry is to employ such codes in a multiple-input system.

Open-loop diversity technique for systems employing multi-transmitter antennas

Abstract: T        1                                                    T        2                                                    T        3                                                    T        4                                                                    Antenna                                                      105                -                1                                                                        Antenna                                                      105                -                2                                                                        Antenna                                                      105                -                3                                                                        Antenna                                                      105                -                4                                                                      [                                                                      b                  1                                                                              b                  1                                                                              -                                      b                    2                    *                                                                                -                                      b                    2                    *                                                                                b                  2                                                                              b                  2                                                                              b                  1                  *                                                                              b                  1                  *                                                                                b                  3                                                                              -                                      b                    3                                                                                -                                      b                    4                    *                                                                                b                  4                  *                                                                                b                  4                                                                              -                                      b                    4                                                                                b                  3                  *                                                                              -                                      b                    3                    *                                                                                ]                                                    or        ,                                                      T        1                                                    T        2                                                    T        3                                                    T        4                                                      Antenna                                              105              -              1                                                            Antenna                                              105              -              2                                                            Antenna                                              105              -              3                                                            Antenna                                              105              -              4                                                        [                                                            b                1                                                                    -                                  b                  2                  *                                                                    0                                      0                                                                          b                2                                                                    b                1                *                                                    0                                      0                                                          0                                      0                                                      b                3                                                                    -                                  b                  4                  *                                                                                0                                      0                                                      b                4                                                                    b                3                *                                                    ]                                ,  respectively, where b1, b2, b3, and b4 are the symbols derived from a respective one of four symbol sub-streams, and b*1, b*2, b*3, and b*4 are, respectively, the complex conjugate of the aforementioned symbols. The rows of the matrix represent the different antennas, while the columns represent different symbol periods.


An acetabular prosthesis generally consists of an acetabular component and an acetabular shell. The acetabular component includes an acetabular articulating component and an acetabular constraining component. The articulating component has a hemispherical or dome shape that defines a hemispherical cavity for receiving a femoral ball of a femoral hip stem. The constraining component has a ring-shape body with extensions for locking the femoral ball in the cavity of the articulating component.

Acetabular prostheses generally consist of two separate components, an acetabular shell or cup and an acetabular insert or liner. The shell has a hemispherical shape and is affixed and embedded into a cavity formed in a natural acetabulum of a patient. The insert has a hemispherical shape to mate with an internal cavity of the shell. A low friction bearing surface is formed along a spherical cavity in the insert and is adapted to articulate with a femoral ball of a hip stem.
The shell is made of a biocompatible metal or metal alloy, and the insert is made of a polymer, such as ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene. Regardless of the materials or geometries, these two components are generally locked together with the shell encompassing the external surface of the insert Once the shell is embedded in bone of the natural acetabulum and the insert has been assembled within the shell, the insert is ready to receive the femoral ball.
Hip prostheses can experience impingement, subluxation, and even dislocation after being implanted in the patient. For instance, the spherical femoral ball of the hip stem can become dislocated from the acetabular component. This dislocation can occur from various reasons, such as trauma to the leg or abnormal twisting of the leg. In some instances, an additional surgical procedure is required to remedy dislocation of a prosthetic hip.
Due to the occurrence of impingement, subluxation, and other problems, it is desirable to have an acetabular insert that inhibits subluxation and dislocation of the femoral ball from the socket. In some designs, the insert is configured to have more than a hemispherical shape. In other words, the insert encloses and captures more than half of the femoral ball within the spherically shaped cavity of the insert itself. In some instances, a locking ring is used to lock the femoral ball into the cavity of the acetabular liner. Prior patents illustrate an effort to design an insert with a spherically shaped cavity to capture the femoral ball using a locking ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,123 entitled "Ball and Joint Socket Bearing for Artificial Joint" to Noiles teaches, in one embodiment, an acetabular shell having two coaxial pin members and an acetabular liner having more than a hemisphere in one plane. The liner is rotatable within a spherical cavity of the shell about the coaxial pin members. In other embodiments, a retaining ring is used in conjunction with the shell and liner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,577 entitled "Variable Position Acetabular Cup" to Bolesky et al. teaches an acetabular prosthesis having a shell, a liner, and an adaptor ring. The shell and liner have a symmetrical shape while the adaptor ring has a non-symmetrical shape. This adaptor can be mounted on the shell in a plurality of positions to change the position of the symmetrical liner after the shell is secured in the acetabulum.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,555 entitled "Acetabular Cup Bearing Liner" to Gray teaches a bearing liner formed with a rim that defines an opening to a concave bearing surface that encompasses more than a hemisphere. A channel is formed at the opening of the cavity to permit elastic deformation of the liner to allow the femoral ball to pass into the cavity. A locking component engages the liner to inhibit elastic deformation and capture the femoral ball.
U.S. patent application publication 2003/0050703 A1 entitled "Acetabular Components That Decrease Risks of Dislocation" to Harris et al. teaches an acetabular assembly having a metal shell, a monopolar acetabular liner, and a constraining ring. The constraining ring is circular in shape and has cutouts similar to that of the liner.
It, therefore, would be advantageous to provide an acetabular prosthesis that provides an increased range of motion with respect to the femoral ball and reduces the occurrence of impingement, subluxation, and dislocation of the femoral ball from the acetabular insert.


A programming method of a semiconductor memory device includes, in an n-th program loop, applying a first program pulse to a first memory cell group, applying a second program pulse to a second memory cell group, and determining first fast cells and first slow cells in the first memory cell group, and in an n+1-th program loop, applying a third program pulse, which is increased by a step voltage from the first program pulse, to the first fast cells in the first memory cell group, and applying a fourth program pulse, which is increased by the step voltage from the second program pulse, to the first slow cells in the first memory cell group and the second memory cell group.

1. Technical Field
Various embodiments relate generally to a semiconductor memory device and a programming method thereof.
2. Related Art
A semiconductor memory device is a storage device that is realized using a semiconductor made from, for example, silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), gallium arsenide (GaAs), or indium phosphide (InP). Semiconductor memory devices can be classified as volatile memory devices or nonvolatile memory devices.
A volatile memory device is unable to retain its stored data when the power is turned off. The volatile memory device includes a static random access memory (SRAM) device, a dynamic RAM (DRAM) device, a synchronous DRAM (SDRAM) device, or the like. A non-volatile memory device can retain its stored data even when powered off. The non-volatile memory device may include a read only memory (ROM) device, a programmable ROM (PROM) device, an electrically programmable ROM (EPROM) device, an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM) device, a flash memory device, a phase-change RAM (PRAM) device, a magnetic RAM (MRAM) device, a resistive RAM (RRAM) device, a ferroelectric RAM (FRAM) device, or the like. A flash memory device may be classified as a NOR type or a NAND type.
The degree of integration of a semiconductor memory device has gradually increased over time. However, with the increased degree of integration of the semiconductor memory device, problems have arisen in the operations of the semiconductor memory device, such as coupling between neighboring cells, a wider threshold voltage distribution width resulting from a program disturb, or increased programming time to reduce the threshold voltage distribution width.

Semiconductor memory device and programming method thereof