A semiconductor wafer polishing device is capable of improving controllability of a residual layer thickness and improving a production ability. The semiconductor wafer polishing device performs polishing of an interlayer insulation layer on a semiconductor wafer by performing divided polishing for the interlayer insulation layer by means of a platen, measuring a layer thickness of the interlayer insulation layer during a polishing process by the platen, and performing final polishing depending upon a result of measurement.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor wafer polishing device and a polishing method thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to a polishing method of an interlayer insulation layer in a fabrication process of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, when an interlayer insulation layer is deposited on an active element, such as metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor or so forth, or a Al wiring after patterning thereof, uneven pattern similar to patterns of the active element, Al wiring or so forth should appear on a surface of the interlayer insulation layer. Such uneven pattern on the surface of the semiconductor can affect for precision of machining dimension in a formation process of an upper layer wiring in the semiconductor, particularly in lithographic process.
On the other hand, in the recent years, increasing of density of wiring pitch or development of multilayer wiring, it has been inherent to planarize the semiconductor substrate. For example, it has been becoming difficult to satisfy a demanded level of flatness of the surface of the interlayer insulation layer as required in the semiconductor device fabrication process by the conventional method for planarizing recessed portion of the surface of the interlayer insulation layer by fluidized coat layer, such as spion glass or the like.
Therefore, a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) performing planarization of the surface of the interlayer insulation layer by polishing chemical mechanically is currently used.
While the chemical mechanical polishing method has higher performance than the conventional planarization method in terms of ability of planarization, the chemical mechanical polishing method is slightly low in controllability. Primary reason why the chemical mechanical polishing has lower controllability, is huge deposition amount or polishing amount.
For example, when a shape having a step (wiring) of 1 .mu.m is planarized by the chemical mechanical polishing method with leaving an insulation layer in a thickness of 1 .mu.m on the wiring, the insulation layer is deposited on the wiring in a thickness of 2.5 to 3 .mu.m and then the insulation layer on the wiring is removed by chemical mechanical polishing method in the extent of 1.5 to 2 .mu.m. For leaving the insulation layer in a thickness of 1 .mu.m on the wiring, process steps of deposition in a thickness of 3 .mu.m and thereafter polishing in a thickness of 2 .mu.m have to be performed. Accordingly, influence of deposition and influence of polishing are caused in combination. Assuming that a fluctuation range in respective process steps of deposition and polishing is 10 percents, a fluctuation in the extent of 0.5 .mu.m is caused.
On the other hand, as a reason why fluctuation factor is significant in the chemical mechanical polishing method, an abrasion pad used in the chemical mechanical polishing method is constantly subject secular change, difference of the individual polishing pad is significant, and degradation of the polishing pads can be different depending upon pattern layout on the surface of the semiconductor wafer. The significant fluctuation makes control difficult.
FIG. 8 is a longitudinal section of a basic construction of the conventional polishing device. On an upper surface of a platen 1 as a rotary body, an abrasive pad 11 is attached. Above the platen 1, a carrier 3 for holding the semiconductor wafer 15 under pressure is provided. Since the carrier 3 is directly connected to the spindle mechanism 14, it can be driven for rotation.
Accordingly, polishing is performed by setting the semiconductor wafer 15 on the carrier 3 orienting a surface to be polished by the semiconductor wafer 15 toward the abrasive pad 11. Then, the carrier 3 is lowered onto the platen 1 in rotation to apply a load to perform polishing by driving the carrier 3 to rotate in the same direction as that of the platen 1 with supplying an abrasive on the abrasive pad 11 from a nozzle 13. In practical polishing device, such basic units are constructed in various layout.
Particular example of the polishing device is shown in FIGS. 9 to 11. The polishing device shown in FIG. 9 is constructed with the platen 1, the carrier 3, a washing platen 16, a head block 2, a loader portion 6, an unloader portion 7, a loader portion 4 and a layer thickness measuring mechanism 5. One carrier 3 is provided for one platen 1 for polishing and one platen 16 for washing. This device has most basic construction.
The polishing device shown in FIG. 10 is constructed with the platen 1, the carrier 3, the head block 2, the loader 6, the unloader 7, a load cup 4, the layer thickness measuring mechanism 5, a shaft 17, and a handling arm 18. Two carriers 3a and 3b are provided for one platen 1 for polishing to slightly improve production ability.
The polishing device shown in FIG. 11 is constructed with platens 1d to 1f, the carriers 3a to 3d, the head block 2 and the load cup 4(4a). For three platens 1d to 1f for polishing, four carriers 3a to 3d are arranged with equal angular interval of 90 degrees. In this case, one semiconductor wafer can be dividingly polished between the polishing platens 1d to 1f. Also, three semiconductor wafers can be processed simultaneously in parallel to improve production ability.
Including the devices set forth above, there are various constructions of polishing devices having one or two carriers 3 for each of a plurality of platens 1 and dividing between a plurality of platens 1 by stepwise motion of the carrier 3. These polishing devices have constructions modified from the basic construction having one carrier for one platen for improving throughput.
There is unstable factor in chemical mechanical polishing method as set forth above. for example, instability occurs by the polishing device using the layer thickness measuring mechanism 5 which located in a region outside of a polishing portion of the unloader portion as a measure therefor. As such polishing devices, the devices shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are present.
After polishing, remaining layer thickness is measured after completion of polishing by the layer thickness measuring mechanism 5 arranged in the vicinity of the unloader 7 to stop polishing when the remaining layer thickness is out of a predetermined standard range. In the alternative, if the remaining layer thickness is out of a predetermined standard range, an offset from the predetermined polishing amount is calculated from an actually measured value to reflect in a polishing period of the semiconductor wafer after measurement.
In the conventional polishing device set forth above, there is a low probability that the first pilot wafer will fall within the standard, oxide layer thickness of the semiconductor wafers without polishing measuring all wafers, followed by feedback in connection with secular change of polishing rate the feedback has a delay of one or two runs resulting in difficulty in achieving high control the oxide layer thickness after polishing.
On the other hand, when measurement for all of polished semiconductor wafer is performed with the construction improving throughput as multi-head or multi-table, a problem is encountered in that the throughput is determined by the layer thickness measuring mechanism. Accordingly, measurement of only part of the semiconductor wafer can be performed per each run.
In the nature, it is ideal to measure the residual layer thickness of the insulation layer on the semiconductor wafer within the device. However, in particularly the semiconductor wafer with pattern, it is not possible to perform polishing with measuring the residual layer thickness. Accordingly, it has been desired to achieve both of improvement of controllability of the residual layer and production ability.

Semiconductor wafer polishing device and polishing method thereof


A new source distinguishing video system which exploits differences between video material originated from different video sources (such as from film or from a video camera). Method and apparatus exploits these different characteristics in an advanced receiver such that video quality can be significantly improved. The invention has a wide variety of applications including design of an improved NTSC system, an improved freeze-frame system, an extended definition television (EDTV) system and a high definition television (HDTV) system, for example.

This invention relates to new methods and apparatus for advanced video systems, including advanced television systems.
The original monochrome television broadcasting standard for the United States was set in 1941 by the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC). The color television standard was established in 1953 by the NTSC in a manner compatible with the monochrome standard. This NTSC standard calls for 525 lines interlaced at 30 frames/second, with each frame represented by two interlaced fields at a rate of 60 fields/second, and an overall channel bandwidth of 6 MHz. More than 15% of the transmission time is reserved for blanking (retrace time) to allow the display to be scanned in synchronism with the camera.
In the NTSC system, each frame is scanned or decomposed into two related fields, one field is raster scanned along the odd number lines and then the second field is scanned along the even number lines. This field information is broadcast and the receiver displays the fields in an interlaced manner.
Various types of program material can be broadcast under the NTSC standard. Conventional moving picture films are a common source of program material For viewing these films in theatres, 24 film frames (scenes) are used in one second; to avoid flicker, however, each film frame is shown twice. It is therefore necessary to convert 24 frames per second film to the NTSC video rate of 60 fields/second, such as by the known 2:3 pull-down method. In this method, one film frame is converted to two fields (one odd field and one even field) and the next (second) film frame is converted to three fields (one odd field, one even field, and one odd field). The next (third) film frame is converted to two fields (one even field and one odd field), and the next (fourth) film frame is converted to three fields (one even field, one odd field, and one even field). The process continues in this manner, creating 6 sets of 10 fields for every set of 24 film frames, thus converting the film into the 60 fields per second rate required by NTSC. SECAM and PAL, two other standards used in various parts of the world including Europe, operate at 50 fields per second and normally employ a known 24/50 conversion technique for converting film to video.
In the case of program material not recorded on film, the conventional camera scans the odd field and then the even field 30 times per second, thus creating the 60 fields per second rate required by NTSC; SECAM and
scan the two fields at 25 times per second, thus creating 50 fields per second.


A vacuum servo unit is provided with an actuator for controlling the distance between the engaging portion of a first input member with a reaction disc and an air pressure valve seat in response to a driving force. The vacuum servo unit further includes a rubber member disposed between the first input member and a movable core. The rubber member is deformable in response to the relative movement of the first input member and the movable member forming a part of the actuator. When the actuator is inactive, an axial space is formed between the reaction member and the first input member and between the first input member and a second input member.

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 with respect to Japanese Application No. 2000-163095, filed on May 31, 2000, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.
This invention generally relates to vehicle brake systems. More particularly, the present invention pertains to a vacuum servo unit used in an automobile brake system.
A known vacuum servo unit for an automobile is disclosed in a Japanese patent application published as Toku-Kai 2000-108880. The vacuum servo unit described in this application is accommodated with a solenoid actuator. An input member disposed in the vacuum servo unit is divided into a front portion and a rear portion. The front portion of the input member is adapted to contact a reaction member, while the rear portion of the input member is movable back and forth relative to the front portion. An elastic member is disposed between the front portion of the input member and a solenoid plunger (movable core), and is elastically deformable by relative movement of the front portion of the input member and the plunger. The aforementioned vacuum servo unit is self-operated by balancing the reaction force from the reaction member and the attraction force of the solenoid plunger. Accordingly, the vacuum servo unit is actuated to control a braking force continuously in response to the vehicle running condition even when the self-operation is performed.
In the above-described known vacuum servo unit, a continuous control of the entire output range of the vacuum servo unit is required. Therefore, the electric current consumption by the solenoid actuator may be increased, thus requiring an increase in the size of the solenoid actuator. In addition, the known vacuum servo unit needs to be relatively complex in structure to carry out fine output control such as inter-vehicle distance control to maintain a safe distance between automobiles.
In light of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a vacuum servo unit that is capable of carrying out carry an appropriate brake control corresponding to the situation.
A need exists for a vacuum servo unit which is capable of being self-operated for braking control without requiring the same amount of electric current consumption.
A need also exists for a vacuum servo unit which is capable of being self-operated for braking control while at the same time possessing a solenoid actuator of reduced size compared to the known unit.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a vacuum servo unit includes a housing, a movable wall, a power piston, an input member, an output member, a reaction member, a valve seat, an actuator and a force transmitting member. The movable wall is disposed in the housing for dividing the interior of the housing into at least to a front chamber and a rear chamber. The power piston is connected to the movable wall and is movable with the movable wall. The input member is disposed in the power piston and is movable in the forward and rearward directions by an input force relative to the power piston. The input member further has a front portion and a rear portion, with the rear portion of the input being movable in the forward and rearward directions with respect to the front portion. The output member is operatively connected to the power piston for outputting a forwarding force of the power piston in response to the movement of the movable wall. The reaction member is disposed between the input and the output member for transmitting a reaction force to the input member corresponding to an output force generated by the output member. The reaction member is engageable with an engaging portion of the front portion of the input member. The valve seat is movable in the forward and rearward directions in response to the movement of the input member. The actuator has a movable member that moves the front portion of the input member and the valve seat, and an actuating member. The actuating member serves for moving the movable member to control the distance between the engaging portion of the front portion and the valve seat in response to a driving force. The force transmitting member is disposed between the front portion of the input member and the movable member of the actuator and is deformable in response to relative movement of the front portion and the movable member. The vacuum servo unit can also be constructed to include a first axial space between the reaction member and the front portion and a second axial space formed between the front portion and the rear portion of the input member when the actuator is inactive.
In the vacuum servo unit of the present invention, xe2x80x9cjumping operationxe2x80x9d is performed until the condition arises in which a reaction force is transmitted to the input member corresponding to the output force generated by the output member. The output force generated by the xe2x80x9cjumping operationxe2x80x9d is called the output force by the jumping operation. When the actuator is inactive during a normal brake operation, the total amount of a clearance between the reaction member and the front portion of the input member and a clearance between the front portion of the input member and the rear portion of the input member is a clearance to perform the jumping operation. On the other hand, when the actuator is active, only the clearance between the reaction member and the front portion of the input member becomes the clearance to perform the jumping operation.
The force transmitting member can be disposed between the front portion of the input member and the movable member without an axial space between the front portion and the movable member. When the actuator is active, the force transmitting member is deformed by the rearward biasing force of the front portion of the input member and the biasing force of the movable member of the actuator after the reaction member is in contact with the front portion of the input member. The valve seat engaged with the movable member of the actuator is movable in the forward direction corresponding to the deformation resistance of the force transmitting member to introduce air into the rear chamber of the housing. Therefore, the valve seat is continuously movable corresponding to the forward movement of the movable member of the actuator.
With the present invention, the vacuum servo unit is designed so that the output force of the jumping operation by self operation of the actuator is smaller than the output force of the jumping operation by the normal braking operation by the driver. Therefore, a fine control of the output force and a sensitive braking operation such as an inter-vehicle distance control can be carried out by the vacuum servo unit of the present invention.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the front portion of the input member is retracted in the rearward direction relative to the power piston by the reaction member when the actuator is active. In this case, it is favorable that the retracted distance of the front portion relative to the power piston is limited to a predetermined value.
When the front portion of the input member is retracted by the reaction member, the retracted distance of the front portion relative to the power piston is controlled to be less than the predetermined value. When the driving force by the actuator reaches the predetermined value which is the maximum driving force or less than that, the retraction of the front portion of the front member relative to the power piston is stopped, wherein the driving force supplied to the force transmitting member is not increased any more. Therefore, the vacuum servo unit of the present invention can generate the maximum output force when the driving force generated by the actuator is the predetermined value or larger.
The self operation of the actuator according to the vacuum servo unit of the present invention is continuously performed within a small output force corresponding to the driving force generated by the movable member of the actuator. Further, compared with self operation to continuously control the entire output range of the vacuum servo unit, the electric current consumption by the vacuum servo unit of the present invention is decreased. Further, the maximum output force can be generated when the driving force by the actuator is the predetermined value or larger. Thus, the vacuum servo unit of the present invention can be appropriately utilized for an emergency braking assist which requires the maximum output force.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that an axial space be provided between the front portion of the input member and the force transmitting member or between the force transmitting member and the movable member. The output force of the jumping operation with the actuator being active thus becomes larger than that with the normal braking operation by the driver.


An operating unit constituting a stent delivery system is provided with a first rotary roller having a first gear and a second rotary roller having a second gear. The first gear is meshed with a first tooth portion of a rack member and the second gear is meshed with a second tooth portion of the rack member. The first gear is formed to have a large diameter relative to the second gear and at the time of releasing a stent, after positioning a distal end of an outer tube body close to the stent through the rack member with the rotation of the first rotary roller of the operating unit, it is possible to move the outer tube body toward a proximal side at a lower speed than that in the previous state with the rotation of the second rotary roller.

Conventionally, there have been cases where a stent, which is formed in the shape of a hollow cylinder having a multiplicity of openings in its side wall from a metallic wire or the like, to be expanded in a lumen of a living body, such as a blood vessel, bile duct, trachea, esophagus and urethra, is used for improvement of a stenosed part or an obstructed part generated in the lumen of the living body.
In connection with the case of a self-expandable stent in which the stent itself has a self-expanding function, for example, there has been known a stent delivery system in which the stent is delivered into a lumen of a living body in the state of being compressed and contained in a gap between an inner tube and an outer tube, and then the outer tube is retracted proximally so as to release the stent, whereby the stent is put indwelling in a desired part in the lumen.
As disclosed in JP-T-2007-504897, for example, the above-mentioned stent delivery system has an operating mechanism for moving the outer tube in an axial direction relative to the inner tube. In the operating mechanism, a gear rack is meshed with a gear of a rotatable wheel, and the outer tube is configured to be connected to an end portion of the gear rack. With the wheel rotated in a predetermined direction, the gear rack is advanced and retracted in the axial direction so as to move the outer tube relative to the inner tube, whereby the stent is released to the exterior of the outer tube.


A process for producing an optically active .gamma.-butyrolactone derivative represented by formula (II): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group; and * indicates an asymmetric carbon atom, is disclosed, comprising enantioselectively hydrogenating a .gamma.-keto acid or an ester thereof represented by formula (I): ##STR2## wherein R.sup.1 and * are as defined above; and R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, in the presence of an optically active ruthenium-phosphine complex. The compounds (I) can be obtained at high optical purity through simple operations and a reduced number of steps.

Many of optically active lactone derivatives represented by formula (II): ##STR3## wherein R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or a substituted or unsubstituted phenyl group; and * indicates an asymmetric carbon atom, are important per se as various insect pheromones or perfumes. Known processes for synthesizing these compounds include (1) a process starting with naturally occurring optically active substances (see Agric. Biol. Chem., Vol. 51, p. 635 (1987)), (2) a process comprising reduction of .gamma.-keto acids by using yeast (see Appl. Microbiol., Vol. 11, p. 389 (1963)), and (3) a process comprising optical resolution of racemates (see JP-A-55-43053, the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application").
With respect to process (3), it is known that racemic .gamma.-butyrolactone is obtained by, for example, hydrogenating maleic acid and/or maleic anhydride in the presence of a ruthenium catalyst, such as a phosphonium chloride, primary to tertiary phosphine hydrochloride or quaternary phosphoniumhydrochloride of ruthenium (see JP-A-2-200680).
Process (1) using a naturally occurring substance as a starting material involves many steps and complicated operations. Process (2) using microorganisms has not yet succeeded to achieve a high optical purity. Process (3) is disadvantageous in that an equivalent amount of an optically active compound is required and that a resolution efficiency reached is poor.
Hence, it has been demanded to establish a process for synthesizing a desired optically active .gamma.-butyrolactone derivative at a higher optical purity through a reduced number of steps.

Process for producing optically active .gamma.-butyrolactone derivatives


A method and apparatus for handling trust in an IP Multimedia Subsystem network. A node in the IP Multimedia Subsystem network receives a Session Initiation Protocol message from a remote node. The message includes an indicator indicating the level of trust of a communication sent from the remote node to the IP Multimedia Subsystem node. The node can then apply a security policy to the message, the security policy being determined by the indicator.

IP Multimedia services provide a dynamic combination of voice, video, messaging, data, etc. within the same session. By growing the number of basic applications and the media that it is possible to combine, the number of services offered to the end users will grow, and the inter-personal communication experience will be enriched. This will lead to a new generation of personalised, rich multimedia communication services.
IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is the technology defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to provide IP Multimedia services over mobile communication networks (3GPP TS 22.228, TS 23.228, TS 24.229, TS 29.228, TS 29.229, TS 29.328 and TS 29.329 Releases 5 to 8). IMS provides key features to enrich the end-user person-to-person communication experience through the use of standardised IMS Service Enablers, which facilitate new rich person-to-person (client-to-client) communication services as well as person-to-content (client-to-server) services over IP-based networks. The IMS makes use of the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to set up and control calls or sessions between user terminals (or user terminals and application servers). The Session Description Protocol (SDP), carried by SIP signalling, is used to describe and negotiate the media components of the session. Whilst SIP was created as a user-to-user protocol, IMS allows operators and service providers to control user access to services and to charge users accordingly. The integration of an IP Multimedia Subsystem into a 3G mobile communications system is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1.
IMS Authentication and Key Agreement (AKA) is used to establish shared keys between a User Equipment (UE) 101 such as a mobile telephone, and a Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) 102 in an IMS network 103. This allows signals sent between the UE 101 and the IMS network 103 to be securely encrypted by using an IP-sec tunnel with pre-shared keys. The P-CSCF 101 may be located either in a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), as illustrated in FIG. 2, or in a Home PLMN, as illustrated in FIG. 3. The Home PLMN 201 is a network in which a UE 202 is registered, and the Visited PLMN 203 is a network to which the UE 202 may be attached. A Serving-Session Control Function (S-CSCF) 204 is located in the Home PLMN 201, and controls authentication and authorization of the UE 202 when the UE joins the network, see, for example, TS 33.203.
It is envisaged that IMS will not only apply to 3GPP IMS networks but to non-3GPP IMS networks such as Telecoms & Internet converged Services & Protocols for Advanced Networks (ETSI TISPAN) and PacketCable, see, for example ETSI ES 282 007 and PKT-SP-23.228-I02-061013. However, TISPAN and PacketCable deployments of IMS do not only use IMS AKA, as used by 3GPP IMS networks. Authorising a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) or an IP Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM) in a TISPAN or PacketCable terminal to access a 3GPP IMS network is, in certain scenarios, an obstacle for these access technologies. TISPAN and PacketCable have introduced other security solutions as HTTP Digest for SIP, Network Attachment Subsystem (NASS)-IMS bundled authentication, and Transport Layer Security (TLS). However, these security mechanisms offer a lower level of security that IMS AKA.
It is desirable for 3GPP IMS networks to be capable of inter-working with TISPAN and PacketCable networks, to improve the options available to users of the networks. In order to allow this, the S-CSCF in an IMS network must be able to handle and support inter-working between different access technologies. This would allow terminals using different access technologies to communicate with each other.
In addition to IMS networks being accessible using different access technologies, such as 3GPP, TISPAN, and PacketCable, IMS networks may also be accessible using interconnect technologies such as PSTN inter connect (see, for example, 3GPP TS 23.002), IMS interconnect (see, for example, 3GPP TS 23.228), and Internet Interconnect. Note that: Internet Interconnect is not a specified protocol or system, and tends to be based on proprietary implementations. These allow terminals accessing a non-IMS network to access IMS services from an IMS network.
The different types of network and access technologies expose an IMS network to signalling from terminals or network nodes from different networks, that may have different trust levels to other nodes within the same IMS network. This is a particular problem for IMS interconnect, as it is not possible for an interconnecting network to have any knowledge about different trust levels used in another network with which it is interconnected. The interconnecting network will therefore treat all incoming traffic equally.
In current IMS networks, there is only one trust domain accorded to signalling, and so a message is either trusted or it is not trusted. If a SIP Request used to establish a session is not trusted, then an asserted user identity, P-Asserted-Id (see RFC3325), contained in the SIP Request is removed from the SIP Request before being forwarded to the non-trusted domain. The IMS network operator must either accept the lower level of security used e.g. early IMS security (see TR33.978) or HTTP Digest (see RFC2617), or not accept it and remove any asserted information from the request.
IMS provides very strong security, but as interoperability with other access technologies and networks increases then the security applied to IMS communications may be lowered. This leads to an increased risk of unsolicited communications to each IMS user, which is unsatisfactory. It can also reduce the likelihood of IMS being adopted for services requiring a strong security architecture, such as IPTV where media streams may be encrypted to individual users or groups of users.

Handling trust in an IP multimedia subsystem communication network


A new and distinct cultivar of New Guinea Impatiens plant named ‘Fisupnic Burgy’, and particularly characterized by the combined features of brilliant purple flower color; large, round, butterfly-shaped or slightly cupped flowers; deep green foliage, elliptically shaped leaves; tall, round plant habit, with the flowers borne above the foliage; medium (mid season) beginning of flowering; and well suited both for outdoor planting and for flowering pots.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens hawkeri, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 'Fisupnic Burgy'.
'Fisupnic Burgy' is a product of a planned breeding program and originated from a hybridization made by the inventor, Birgit C. Hofmann, in a controlled breeding program in Hillscheid, Germany, in the summer of 2000.
The female parent was the variety 'Fisimp 284' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,694), with uniform, purple flowers, deep green foliage, and medium sized, round, dense plant habit.
The male parent was the variety 'Harmony Purple'(unpatented), which is characterized by round, fairly large, red-purple colored flowers, dark green foliage and compact plant habit.
'Fisupnic Burgy' was discovered and selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross by the inventor in April 2001 in a green-house in Galdar, Gran Canaria, Spain.
The first act of asexual reproduction of 'Fisupnic Burgy' was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in July 2001 in a controlled environment in Galdar, Spain, by, or under the supervision of the inventor.
Horticultural examination of plants grown from these cuttings initiated in the spring of 2002 in Hillscheid, Germany, and continuing thereafter, has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for 'Fisupnic Burgy' are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction. The new cultivar reproduces true to type.
'Fisupnic Burgy' has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity and day length, without, however, any variation in genotype. The following observations, measurements, and comparisons describe plants grown in Hillscheid, Federal Republic of Germany, under green house conditions which approximate those generally used in commercial practice.


An electrode cuff includes a first elongate portion and a second elongate portion. The first elongate portion is configured to removably contact a length of a nerve while the second elongate portion extends outwardly at an angle relative to a first side edge of the first elongate portion to at least partially wrap about the nerve. The electrode cuff includes a first series of electrodes that is spaced apart longitudinally along the first elongate portion. A width of the second elongate portion is sized to fit between adjacent branches extending from a nerve.

A forced contraction of a muscle can be caused via electrical stimulation of a nerve that innervates the muscle. Typically, a power source is coupled to the nerve via an electrical stimulation lead that is, in turn, coupled to the nerve. For example, a distal end of an electrical stimulation lead is formed as a cuff that can be secured about the nerve to orient an electrically conductive portion of the lead in direct contact with the nerve. However, in many instances, the location in which a particular nerve resides presents significant challenges in maneuvering the distal conductive portion of the electrical lead into a target position relative to the nerve and in securing the distal conductive portion in the target position.


[Object] To optimize a content output process by caching a source of content in an appropriate format.

Nowadays, systems in which a server provides content in response to a request from a client have been widespread, such as the World Wide Web (WWW) that provides documents of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). With regard to such systems, shortening of time necessary to provide content for a client (specifically, shortening of time between transmission of a request from the client and output of content in the client) is a long-standing problem. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes a technology of caching content in a web server in order to efficiently use caches even if access to web services or memory resources is limited.

Information processing device and recording medium

Abstract: [Solution] Provided is an information processing device including: a source acquisition unit configured to acquire a source of content; and a content output unit configured to output the content on the basis of the acquired source. The source includes a source cached by a client, and the cached source includes a source converted into an intermediate format.


An automatic bread producing apparatus includes a member defining a baking chamber having an opening. A movable lid serves to selectively block and unblock the opening of the baking chamber. A bread mold is disposed in the baking chamber. A controller generates a command signal. An added-food feeding device disposed in the lid is operative for feeding added food into the bread mold. The added-food feeding device is automatically activated in response to the command signal generated by the controller.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an automatic bread producing machine or apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,040 discloses an automatic bread making apparatus including a housing and a baking container disposed in the housing. In the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,040, the baking container is provided with an opening and a source of heat. A kneading container is detachably mounted in the baking container. The kneading container can be covered by a lid assembly. A kneading blade is movably disposed in the kneading container. The kneading blade is driven by a motor to provide kneaded dough. The automatic addition of yeast to the kneaded dough is implemented by a yeast charger without manual intervention.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An improved cardiac pacemaker system of the kind that includes an oxygen sensor implantable into a patient's blood stream along with one or two electrical conductors for use in sensing heart beat activity and in selectively applying pacing pulses to the heart muscle. In an embodiment having just one implantable conductor, the oxygen sensor is integrated into the conductor, while in an embodiment having two implantable conductors, the oxygen sensor either is integrated into one of the conductors or is connected between the two conductors, in parallel with the heart muscle. In both cases, the oxygen sensor is selectively used without adversely affecting either heart beat sensing or pacing.

This invention relates generally to implantable cardiac pacemakers and, more particularly, to cardiac pacemakers having oxygen sensors of the kind that determine oxygen content by measuring the blood's reflectivity.
The cardiac pacemaker is perhaps one of the best known electronic marvels of modern medicine, and the implantation of a pacemaker in a patient has become almost a routine operation. The pacemaker pulses the patient's heart muscle continuously over an extended period of time, or in the case of demand pacemakers, monitors the heart muscle's natural operation and provides stimulating pulses only when the heart muscle skips a beat. Pacemakers allow patients with heart problems that otherwise would have been fatal or incapacitating to resume relatively normal lives.
The modern pacemaker is a highly complex device, capable of event sensing, two-way telemetry, and sensing and pacing in either or both of the atrium and the ventricle of the heart muscle. Such pacemakers may be finely tuned by the physician subsequent to implantation, and the parameters adjusted to provide optimum pacing performance.
Despite the sophistication of such pacemakers, a major difference remains between the healthy heart muscle and a paced heart muscle--namely, the response to activity or exercise. Variations in the cardiac stroke volume and systemic vascular resistance occur in the cardiovascular system due to physiological stresses such as exercise, temperature changes, postural changes, emotion, hypoglycemia, Valsalva maneuvers, etc.
To maintain adequate perfusion pressure and cardiac output under these stresses, it is necessary to adjust heart rate. The healthy heart muscle might beat at 60 or fewer beats per minute during repose or sleep, and at 120 or more beats per minute during strenuous exercise, for example. The heart muscle paced by a pacemaker that is non-rate responsive will typically beat at a constant rate of approximately 70 beats per minute.
It will be appreciated that the constantly-paced heart muscle will supply more blood than is needed during sleep, and might even prevent the patient from sleeping restfully. Even more seriously, patients paced at 70 beats per minute experience substantial difficulty in engaging in strenuous activity. Even a moderate level of activity such as walking will cause difficulty in some patients. It is apparent that a demand pacemaker whose rate varies in response to physiological need represents a highly desirable device that will enable patients requiring pacemakers to lead normal, active lives.
Physiologically-responsive cardiac pacing must optimize cardiac rate to the level of metabolic need in the absence of a normal variable cardiac rate. The simplest solution to this problem is atrial tracking pacing, where the patient has a full or partial AV block and a dual chamber pacemaker pulses the ventricle in response to normal cardiac activity sensed in the atrium. However, this technique is not possible in many patients with sinus bradycardia or atrial fibrillation, and so rate-responsive pacing is necessary to mimic the normal variable cardiac rate.
A variety of physiologically-responsive pacing systems have been proposed, which utilize a variety of physiological parameters as the basis for varying cardiac rate. These parameters include blood temperature, various sensed timing signals from the heart muscle, pressure measured within the heart muscle, respiratory rate, nervous system activity, physical activity, and blood chemistry.
Systems responsive to various blood chemistry parameters, such as blood oxygen saturation, are particularly worthwhile and effective. One such oxygen sensor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,538, issued to Said Mortazavi and entitled "Pulsed Light Blood Oxygen Content Sensor System and Method of Using Same," which is incorporated herein by reference. The disclosed sensor includes an optical detector for measuring the mixed venous oxygen content, typically in the heart muscle's right ventricle. A diminution in the mixed venous oxygen content is used to produce a higher paced cardiac rate. The speed of this system is comparable to the time constant of the body, thereby enhancing its effectiveness.
The oxygen sensor disclosed in the prior patent includes a light-emitting diode or LED, positioned within the heart muscle's right ventricle and arranged such that any light it emits is directed at the blood within the ventricle, which reflects the light to an adjacent phototransistor. The amount of light so reflected is inversely related to the blood's oxygen content. The phototransistor is part of a circuit that is connected in parallel with the LED. When an electrical current pulse is supplied to the LED, the circuit begins integrating the resulting phototransistor current. When the integrated voltage reaches a predetermined threshold, the circuit latches and diverts the current pulse from the LED, to terminate its generation of light. The time delay from initiation of the measuring current pulse to latching of the circuit is inversely related to the blood's oxygen content level.
Two techniques for pacing the heart muscle are in common use. One technique, referred to as bipolar pacing, requires the implantation of two conductors. In this technique, the electrode end of one conductor is implanted in contact with the heart muscle while a second conductor is implanted with its electrode end in contact with blood in the heart muscle. Current pulses between these two conductors stimulate the heart muscle. A second technique, referred to as unipolar pacing, requires only a single conductor with its electrode end implanted in contact with the heart muscle. Instead of a second conductor, this technique uses the pacemaker's case, which is electrically connected to the pacemaker's circuitry, to provide an electrical connection to body tissue in the chest. This unipolar approach is subject to certain drawbacks. In this approach, the pacing pulse can stimulate not only the heart muscle, but also muscles in the chest that are located between the implantation site of the pacemaker and the heart muscle. Additionally, when the pacemaker needs to sense heart muscle activity, it also can sense activity of other muscles in the chest. Although not insurmountable, these are undesirable consequences.
Ideally from the standpoint of electrical simplicity, the interface to the oxygen sensor would consist of two conductors that are physically distinct from the two conductors used in bipolar pacing of the heart muscle. However, these four conductors would have to pass together as a single pacing lead through the vein, through the heart valve, and into the right ventricle of the heart muscle. As the number of conductors increases, the thickness and the stiffness of the pacing lead increases proportionally. This increases the difficulty of implanting the pacing lead into the heart muscle as well as the difficulty of the heart valve closing on the thicker pacing lead. Additionally, the pacing lead must connect to the pacemaker through a connector. As is well known in the art, the reliability of an electrical circuit generally will decrease with an increase in the number of connections. It is clearly imperative that a life-supporting device, such as a pacemaker, have as high a degree of reliability as possible. Thus, while it is highly desirable to add the feature of oxygen sensing to a pacemaker system, it would be even more advantageous if this feature could be added without increasing the number of conductors in the pacing lead.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,538, this problem is addressed by committing an additional conductor to the oxygen sensor and by referencing the signals on this conductor to an electrical connection in common with the pacing signal. In a bipolar configuration, this results in a three-conductor implementation, while, in a unipolar configuration, this results in a two-conductor implementation. While accomplishing a goal of a two-conductor pacemaker with oxygen sensing, this implementation relies upon a unipolar approach with its previously-described drawbacks.
Thus, a need exists to provide the performance advantages of physiologically-responsive pacing by using an oxygen sensor but without increasing the number of conductors already required for bipolar or unipolar pacing. Thus, for a bipolar system an interconnection apparatus is needed that can additionally provide oxygen sensing with only two conductors, while for a unipolar system this requirement should be met with only a single conductor. The present invention satisfies these needs.

Cardiac pacemaker having integrated pacing lead and oxygen sensor


A film medium useful in ink jet printing which film comprises a transparent or opaque substrate, having on at least one side therof an annotatable water-in-soluble, water-absorptive and ink-receptive matrix, said matrix comprised of a hydrogel complex and a pigment.

In recent years, printers using sprayable inks, such as the ink jet printer, have come into general use. These printers, which employ ink jet heads having small orifices that propel inks in a continuous stream of drops or in minute individual drops on demand, are used in various electronic printing applications. They offer not only high speed but quiet operation without the need for external developing or fixation procedures. Thus, ink jet printing is highly suitable for electronic printing in applications such as computer aided drafting, architectural renditions and seismographic recording.
Although transparent films are available for ink jet applications, they lack the necessary qualities for engineering and its allied applications. In order to realize the full potential of these applications, ink jet films must provide imagery of sufficient density and resolution and a surface suitable for ink and pencil annotation. Ink jet prints may be used as "originals" much like those of hand rendered drawings. In addition, they must be able to serve as "intermediates" suitable for transmissive and/or reflective copying. This latter requirement relates to engineering applications where it is a common practice to use an intermediate as the master to produce many release copies. These copies are then distributed both internally and to manufacturing subcontractors, among others. Changes and additions may be made on the intermediate prior to its use as a master for making copies.
Ink jet systems employed in informational electronic printing are comprised of three components: the printer, the ink and the receptor sheet. The printer controls the size, number and placement of the ink droplets and contains the transport system. The ink provides the colorants which form the image, and the receptor sheet provides the medium which accepts and holds the ink. The quality and archivability of ink jet prints is a function of the total system. However, the composition and interaction of the ink and the receptor material most affect the quality of the imaged product.
Ink compositions which are useful in ink jet recording systems are well known and generally contain water, organic solvents and dyes. There is thus disclosed, for example, in European Patent 0,294,155, an ink jet composition useful in ink jet recording consisting of water based vehicle containing about 30-99% wt. water with the balance made up of high boiling solvents such as glycols, glycol ethers, pyrrolidones and surface active agents. For engineering and allied uses, the inks employed contain preferably acid or direct dyes and are most generally black, though colored inks are sometimes utilized. So called "solid inks" are beginning to be employed and are contemplated in this invention.
Film recording media represent a special problem in ink jet recording because their surfaces are hydrophobic or quasi-hydrophobic. Even when surfaces are treated with special coatings to accept and absorb the inks, it is difficult to obtain the requisite qualities of image density and resolution without incurring offset, smear, bleed or other undesirable properties.
Ink jet printers apply small ink droplets in a selective pattern to form the images. These droplets are absorbed into the coating on the film surface. After initial absorption, the dye continues to spread laterally. Concurrent rapid diffusion into the film matrix is also important to avoid smear and offset. Thus, the ink absorptive qualities of the ink receptive matrix of the film is of paramount importance.
There is considerable literature which describes attempts to provide the optimal receptor sheet. A general approach to the problem of hydrophobic surfaces is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,111, which teaches the use of a surface coating to absorb the ink. In addition, a wide variety of polymers alone or in admixture have been proposed for use as surface coatings; see for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,889,270; 4,555,437; 4,564,560; 4,649,064; and 4,578,285. Multiple coatings have also been employed in trying to overcome the various problems associated with hydrophobic nature of recording media; illustrative of these coatings are U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,804, Japanese Patent No. 01041589 and Japanese Disclosure Numbers 86-86-074879 and 86-41549. Coatings containing inorganic fillers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,481,244, 5,002,825 and 5,013,609.


A method for generating a light emission pattern by illuminating at least one phosphor surface by at least one primary light beam is provided. The method includes: directing the primary light beam only onto a partial surface of the entire illuminatable phosphor surface; and illuminating at least one partial region of said partial surface more intensely than in the case of uniform illumination of the illuminatable phosphor surface.

For generating temporally varying light emission patterns, there is the possibility of writing corresponding light distributions by means of a laser to a conversion colorant spaced apart therefrom ("Remote Phosphor"). The light distribution ("illumination pattern") arising there can be imaged by traditional imaging systems into a far field and there can generate the desired light emission pattern. In this case, in general an illumination pattern set up in a matrix-like fashion is written to a screen and directed during an image set-up or within a predetermined image set-up time by a deflection unit for directing a primary light beam generated by the at least one light source successively onto each pixel. If a pixel is intended to be illuminated, the light source is switched on. If no pixel is intended to be illuminated, the light source is switched off. Alternatively, the light source may also be driven in continuous operation and be used for optional illumination and non-illumination of a diaphragm. For illumination purposes in the case of this method what is disadvantageous is that if only a portion of the possible pixels is illuminated, the total light power emitted thereby also decreases within the predetermined image set-up time.
DE 10 2007 025 330 A1 discloses a projection device including at least two light sources for emitting respective light beams and a projection unit for deflecting the light beams onto a projection surface, wherein at least two of the light sources are aligned such that they emit the light beams at a predefined angle with respect to one another. A further projection device includes at least two light sources for collinearly emitting respective light beams, a deflection system for non-collinearly deflecting the light beams, and a projection unit for deflecting the non-collinear light beams onto a projection surface, wherein the deflection system includes at least one common micro-optical element.
EP 1 351 522 A2 discloses a scanning optical display system which has a small number of parts and is easily miniaturized. The system includes a multiplicity of light sources which emit light having mutually different wavelength ranges, a light combining element for combining the multiplicity of light beams emitted by the light sources, and an optical scanning system which applies the combined light to a scan surface in a scanning fashion. The light combining element is an optical diffraction element.
US 2005/0110954 A1 discloses a light projector including a projection means for projecting an image onto a screen for image representation by the scanning of laser light. The laser light contains a multiplicity of laser beams. The projection unit irradiates a substantially identical position on the screen with the multiplicity of laser beams with a time difference. An image signal assigned at each of the laser beams has a time difference, such that a preceding laser beam is delayed in relation to a succeeding laser beam in order to correspond to the time shift in the irradiation.
US 2006/0044297 A1 discloses an image display device including a light source having a multiplicity of light emitters and an optical projection system, whereby light from the light source is radiated in a scanning fashion in a main scan direction and in a subsidiary scan direction in order to generate an image having a predefined number of pixels on a screen. The scan lines in the main scan direction are formed by the light emitted by each of the light emitters and are controlled in such a way that they are imaged on the screen in a manner superimposed on one another.
In order to generate light emission patterns having temporally varying light distributions ("Adaptive Frontlighting System"; AFS), especially without large moving parts, matrix LED headlights or an HID-AFS (HID=High Intensity Discharge Lamp) with rotating shutter rollers are known. A negative factor here is that in each pixel of the light emission pattern the amount of light kept available or even generated needlessly must suffice to ensure that the maximum possible, desired brightness can always be achieved. In total, therefore, too much potential light power is kept available, which is typically not utilized during operation in practice.

Generating a light emission pattern by illuminating a phosphor surface


Dynamically generating a vocal help prompt in a multimodal application that include detecting a help-triggering event for an input element of a VoiceXML dialog, where the detecting is implemented with a multimodal application operating on a multimodal device supporting multiple modes of interaction including a voice mode and one or more non-voice modes, the multimodal application is operatively coupled to a VoiceXML interpreter, and the multimodal application has no static help text. Dynamically generating a vocal help prompt in a multimodal application according to embodiments of the present invention typically also includes retrieving, by the VoiceXML interpreter from a source of help text, help text for an element of a speech recognition grammar, forming by the VoiceXML interpreter the help text into a vocal help prompt, and presenting by the multimodal application the vocal help prompt through a computer user interface to a user.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatus, and products for dynamically generating a vocal help prompt in a multimodal application.
2. Description Of Related Art
User interaction with applications running on small devices through a keyboard or stylus has become increasingly limited and cumbersome as those devices have become increasingly smaller. In particular, small handheld devices like mobile phones and PDAs serve many functions and contain sufficient processing power to support user interaction through multimodal access, that is, by interaction in non-voice modes as well as voice mode. Devices which support multimodal access combine multiple user input modes or channels in the same interaction allowing a user to interact with the applications on the device simultaneously through multiple input modes or channels. The methods of input include speech recognition, keyboard, touch screen, stylus, mouse, handwriting, and others. Multimodal input often makes using a small device easier.
Multimodal applications are often formed by sets of markup documents served up by web servers for display on multimodal browsers. A 'multimodal browser,' as the term is used in this specification, generally means a web browser capable of receiving multimodal input and interacting with users with multimodal output. Multimodal browsers typically render web pages written in XHTML+Voice ('X+V'). X+V provides a markup language that enables users to interact with an multimodal application often running on a server through spoken dialog in addition to traditional means of input such as keyboard strokes and mouse pointer action. Visual markup tells a multimodal browser what the user interface is look like and how it is to behave when the user types, points, or clicks. Similarly, voice markup tells a multimodal browser what to do when the user speaks to it. For visual markup, the multimodal browser uses a graphics engine; for voice markup, the multimodal browser uses a speech engine. X+V adds spoken interaction to standard web content by integrating XHTML (eXtensible Hypertext Markup Language) and speech recognition vocabularies supported by VoiceXML. For visual markup, X+V includes the XHTML standard. For voice markup, X+V includes a subset of VoiceXML. For synchronizing the VoiceXML elements with corresponding visual interface elements, X+V uses events. XHTML includes voice modules that support speech synthesis, speech dialogs, command and control, and speech grammars. Voice handlers can be attached to XHTML elements and respond to specific events. Voice interaction features are integrated with XHTML and can consequently be used directly within XHTML content.
In addition to X+V, multimodal applications also may be implemented with Speech Application Tags ('SALT'). SALT is a markup language developed by the Salt Forum. Both X+V and SALT are markup languages for creating applications that use voice input/speech recognition and voice output/speech synthesis. Both SALT applications and X+V applications use underlying speech recognition and synthesis technologies or 'speech engines' to do the work of recognizing and generating human speech. As markup languages, both X+V and SALT provide markup-based programming environments for using speech engines in an application's user interface. Both languages have language elements, markup tags, that specify what the speech-recognition engine should listen for and what the synthesis engine should 'say.' Whereas X+V combines XHTML, VoiceXML, and the XML Events standard to create multimodal applications, SALT does not provide a standard visual markup language or eventing model. Rather, it is a low-level set of tags for specifying voice interaction that can be embedded into other environments. In addition to X+V and SALT, multimodal applications may be implemented in Java with a Java speech framework, in C++, for example, and with other technologies and in other environments as well.
Current lightweight voice solutions require a developer to build a grammar and lexicon to limit the potential number of words that an automated speech recognition ('ASR') engine must recognize—as a means for increasing accuracy. Pervasive devices have limited interaction and input modalities due to the form factor of the device, and kiosk devices have limited interaction and input modalities by design. In both cases the use of speaker independent voice recognition is implemented to enhance the user experience and interaction with the device. The state of the art in speaker independent recognition allows for some sophisticated voice applications to be written as long as there is a limited vocabulary associated with each potential voice command. For example, if the user is prompted to speak the name of a city the system can, with a good level of confidence, recognize the name of the city spoken.
Incorporating speech into web application leads users to expect a multimodal application to provide help in voice mode as well as visual mode. Typically in prior art vocal help prompts are hard-coded by programmers at application development time. In VoiceXML, for example, the <catch event="help"> element is an event handler that defines what to do when a user asks for help. Vocal help prompts can be tapered to provide different vocal help prompts on subsequent help requests. And VoiceXML help handlers can be abbreviated, so that the following two VoiceXML elements are equivalent:
<catch event="help">  Please say visa, mastercard, or amex.</catch><help>  Please say visa, mastercard, or amex.</help>
In current art, vocal help prompts are hard-coded by programmers at application development time. Many grammars or grammar elements, however, are dynamically generated rather than hard coded. Grammars for airline schedules containing dates, flight times, destinations, and so on, for example, may change daily or hourly, so that the contents of such grammars are typically generated by automation from data in databases rather than being hard coded by programmers. This makes it very difficult to hard code appropriate vocal help prompts for use in systems that rely on such dynamically-generated grammars.

International Business Machines Corporation


Control device for continuously variable transmission (4) with auxiliary transmission having variator (20); hydraulic pressure control circuit (11) having primary pressure solenoid (11b); and transmission ratio controller (12) controlling the transmission ratio of variator (20) by feedback control. The transmission ratio controller (12) has a high limiter control unit (FIG. 5) that, when receiving a high transmission ratio limiting request, performs a high limiter control that limits the transmission ratio to a High limit line. The transmission ratio controller (12) also has a primary pressure lower limit regulation control unit (FIG. 4) that, when operation of the high limiter control is started during a time period when the transmission ratio is present at a High transmission ratio side with respect to the high limit transmission ratio, regulates a decrease of a primary command pressure to the primary pressure solenoid up to a High limiter-operated final target primary lower limit pressure.

There has been known a control device for a continuously variable transmission having a high limiter control function that inhibits shift of a transmission ratio to an upshift side from a certain transmission ratio with the aim of performing speed-change along driver's intention without a complicated shifting operation (for example, Patent Document 1).
In a case of the related art device, however, when issuing a command of a downshift toward a Low-transmission ratio by a high limiter by an operation of a high limit control, although a primary pressure is in a pressure-release direction, a low primary pressure region existing around a primary minimum pressure, where the primary pressure passes through due to the release of the primary pressure, overlaps with a dead region (or a no-reaction region) for a primary pressure solenoid. Further, a shift by the high limiter is a relatively gentle downshift along a shifting line.
In a normal downshift, in order to increase flexibility for execution of a shift control, the dead region of the primary pressure solenoid is used. In principle, the primary pressure is determined so as to balance with a secondary pressure of a required capacity for an input torque. As a scene in which the dead region is used in the normal shift control, it is a downshift Low command with a small input torque or a time of the shift. As this driving scene, it is a coast-down or an extremely low opening degree R/L travel (Road/Load travel) etc.
When explaining each driving scene, during the coast-down, as a belt protection control, the secondary pressure is increased with a torque from a driven side being an input in addition to an input torque from an engine. As a result, the primary pressure balancing with the secondary pressure is increased, then the primary pressure does not enter the dead region.
Regarding the extremely low opening degree R/L travel, although it uses the dead region, since a shift response is slow or dull, by decreasing an F/B gain, hunting does not occur.
Accordingly, in the normal shift control, by identifying the scene, whether the primary pressure enters the dead region or not is detected. And, even in a case where the primary pressure enters the dead region, by decreasing the F/B gain, the hunting is prevented, then the control can be executed without causing a problem.
On the other hand, even during the high limiter operation, it is conceivable that, in the same manner as the normal shift control, even in the case where the primary pressure enters the dead region, the F/B gain is decreased, then the dead region can be used. However, in this case, the following difference arises.
Depending on an operation condition of the high limiter, there is no other choice except to decrease a primary pressure command in a region that is different from an originally intended region, and the dead region is used in an indefinite region depending on the high limiter. That is, unlike the normal shift control, since the scene cannot be identified, even in the case where the primary pressure enters the dead region, the F/B gain cannot be decreased.
Because of this, in a scene in which the primary pressure is further decreased from a vicinity of the solenoid dead region, the primary pressure becomes unstable due to a hydraulic pressure control in the solenoid dead region. Then, in a feedback control of the transmission ratio, due to the fact that the unstable primary pressure is recognized as disturbance, the primary pressure varies up and down and the hunting occurs. As a consequence, as a problem, hunting of the transmission ratio occurs by and according to the hunting of the primary pressure.


The present invention relates to a method for automatic road mapping for heart valve replacement and an examination apparatus for automatic road mapping for heart valve replacement. In order to provide the cardiologist or surgeon with better information during PHV implantation, an examination apparatus for automatic roadmapping for heart valve replacement is provided, that comprises at least one X-ray image acquisition device (10), a calculation unit (18) and a display device (20). The image acquisition device is adapted to acquire (32) at least one X-ray image of a vessel root region of a heart with injected contrast agent and to acquire (46) at least one current fluoroscopy image of the vessel root region with a replacement valve inserted into the vessel. The calculation unit is adapted to identify (34) vessel information data within the at least one acquired image, to model (36) vessel root representation using the vessel information data and to generate (44) a composite image by a combination of the model of the vessel root representation with the at least one fluoroscopy image. The display unit is adapted to display (48) the composite image.

Treatment of heart valve problems or heart valve diseases is becoming more important because of an ageing population. Such diseases, for example aortic stenoses, usually require the replacement of a native heart valve, for example of the aortic valve, which is the most important and thus most critical valve of the human heart. The valve replacement can be done in two different ways, for example. The surgical valve replacement is considered as a "gold standard" treatment. As an alternative, the so-called percutaneous valve replacement is a fairly new intervention that is increasingly applied. Percutaneous valve replacement usually includes transcatheter heart valve implantation. With this method the valve can be placed either through the femoral vessels, vein or arteria (transfemoral) or through the apex of the left ventricle (transapical). Three main basic techniques for percutaneous heart valve (PHV) implantation do exist. First to be mentioned is the antegrade transseptal approach, second the retrograde approach and third the transapical approach. In all these approaches, one of the most critical points is the precise positioning of the usually implantable valve device under fluoroscopy imaging prior to deployment. In particular, the valve should be correctly positioned in line with a native valve commissure and the aortic annulus. To achieve this positioning, a super-aortic angiography (with contrast agent) is performed in order to determine the optimal projection for PHV deployment, showing the annulus profile. For example, a frame is manually selected, stored and subsequently used as pre-implant reference image. For a correct positioning of the valve it is necessary to supply the cardiologist or cardiac surgeon with information about the vessel structure. In Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI), it is known that the cardiologist can be provided with so-called cardiac road mapping. This cardiac road mapping provides the operator with the information about the accurate coronary localization, see, for example, WO 2008/104921 A2. But still, one of the main difficulties the staff carrying out the operation faces during PHV implantation is the accurate positioning of the prosthesis. The manually acquired reference image is only of certain support, because the cardiologist or cardiac surgeon has to connect the information from the reference image with fluoroscopy images taken live during the operation procedure using his imagination. It has shown that this mental process is prone to error and makes the positioning a delicate and tiring operation.

Automatic road mapping for heart valve replacement


According to one embodiment, a light source device includes a light source element including a first light emitting element which emits light of a first wavelength and a second light emitting element which emits light of a second wavelength, a first wavelength conversion material which is excited by the light from the first light emitting element to emit light of a third wavelength, and a second wavelength conversion material which is excited by the light from the second light emitting element to emit light of a fourth wavelength, wherein cyan light produced by the light emission of the first light emitting element and magenta light produced by the light emission of the second light emitting element are emitted from the same light emitting surface.

Mobile devices are commercially used. Mobile devices such as smartphones, personal assistant devices, and tablet computers have a highly sophisticated display function. The mobile devices can display a color image. As a method used to display a color image, field sequential drive is known. In this drive method, a single frame period is divided into, for example, three periods of a red display period, green display period, and blue display period (or may be referred to as three fields). Corresponding to the three fields, pixels selected for red display, pixels selected for green display, and pixels selected for blue display are driven.
On the other hand, as a white light source applicable to display devices such as liquid crystal display devices, there is a light emitting device including a blue light emitting diode which emits blue light, ultraviolet light emitting diode which emits ultraviolet light, red phosphor which is excited by the ultraviolet light emitted from the lower surface of the ultraviolet light emitting diode to emit red light, and green phosphor which is excited by the ultraviolet light emitted from the upper surface of the ultraviolet light emitting diode. In such a light emitting device, the blue light emitting diode and the ultraviolet light emitting diode are electrically connected to maintain the balance of the mixture of red light from the red phosphor, green light from the green phosphor, and blue light from the blue light emitting diode. In such a light emitting device which essentially emits white light, the blue light emitting diode and the ultraviolet light emitting diode must emit the light at the same time, and it may cause excessive power consumption.
As another white light source, there is a light emitting device including a red light emitting diode, green light emitting diode, and blue light emitting diode arranged linearly, in which the light from two or more light emitting diodes is mixed in a lightguide plate. However, in such a device, the light does not mix sufficiently in the proximity of the incident surface of the lightguide plate and the color may become vague. Such vague color will deteriorate the display quality of the display device.


Provided is a motion guide device having a scooping portion that is not damaged even when a moving member is moved at high speed.

A motion guide device is mounted in a robot, a machine tool or a semiconductor/liquid crystal manufacturing apparatus and is used to guide linear movement or curvilinear movement of a moving body.
Known as a motion guide device are a linear guide, a ball spline and the like. The linear guide has, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a track rail 31 having ball rolling grooves 31a formed therein, and a moving block 33 mounted on the track rail 31 via a plurality of balls 32 to be slidable along the track rail 31. In the moving block 33, a plurality of loaded ball rolling grooves 32a facing the ball rolling grooves of the track rail 31 and ball return paths 38 in parallel with the loaded ball rolling grooves 32a are formed. To each traveling-directional end of the moving block 33, an end plate 34 is attached. In the end plate 34, a U-shaped direction change path 35 is formed connecting the loaded ball rolling grooves 32a and the ball return paths 38 extending in parallel with each other. These loaded ball rolling groove 32a, ball return path 38 and direction change path 35 constitute a circular ball circulation path.
After rolling in the ball rolling groove 31a of the track rail 31, each ball is scooped up by a scooping portion 37 at the lower end of the end plate 34 and enters the direction change path 35. Then, the ball passes through the ball return path 38 and the opposite-side direction change path 35, and then the ball is pushed by the following ball 32 to enter the ball rolling groove 31a at the scooping portion 37.
In such a motion guide device, when the moving block 33 is moved at high speed, the scooping portion 37 at the lower end of the end plate 34 is sometimes damaged, which is a problem. This damage is caused because when the ball 32 rolls from the direction change path 35 into the ball rolling groove 31a, the ball 32 pushes the scooping portion 37 outward by a centrifugal force or the ball 32 is pushed near the scooping portion 37 toward the outside of the scooping portion 37 by a meandering follow-on ball 32. Besides, when the ball 32 is scooped up from the ball rolling groove 31a, a scooping force is applied to the scooping portion 37.
In order to solve this problem, there has been developed a motion guide device of which a scooping portion is hardly damaged even when the motion guide device is operated at high speed. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the motion guide device as developed has a scooping portion 37 of which a tip end is cut off and a cut surface 37a is a flat surface perpendicular to the ball rolling groove 31a (see patent document 1). According to the invention disclosed in the patent document 1, as the sharp-pointed tie end of the scooping portion 37 is cur off, it is possible to enhance the strength of the scooping portion 37. However, as the cut surface 37a is the flat surface perpendicular to the ball rolling groove 31a, it is difficult to circulate a ball 32 smoothly.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-68880    [Non-Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-246524

Abstract: When seen in an axial direction of a track shaft 1, a direction change path 10 is inclined relative to a contact angle line L1 (line connecting a center C of a ball 3 and a bottom P1 of a ball rolling groove 1a). The direction change path 10 including a scooping portion 17 has a cross section of Gothic arch groove shape formed of two arcs R1 in such a manner that the ball 3 is in contact with the direction change path 10 at two points. The direction change path 10 is twisted in such a manner that a locus 18 of the top of the Gothic arch groove shape approaches the contact angle line L1 at the scooping portion 17.


A cylinder valve comprising a hollow cylinder having a cross-passage, for use as a valve element, preferably in high temperature fluid solid service, to block flow. The cylinder is enclosed in a refractory lined steel body which includes a main flow passage. The valve cylinder can be rotated 90.degree. about its longitudinal axis to either fully open or fully close the flow passage in the extreme cases. It can also function in an intermediate position as a throttling member. Water or other coolant flow may be provided and maintained through the cylinder if hollow, or the cylinder can be solid for small size valves. The refractory in the main flow passage surrounding the cylinder serves the dual purpose of valve seat and as insulation against extreme temperatures.

Heretofore, ball-type valves have been employed in high temperature, medium high pressure processes for isolating blocking solids flow. However, various operational difficulties are associated with such valves including seating of the ball due to differential or thermal expansion differences between the ball and the valve seats. Solids plugging problems due to the restricted throat of the valves had been experienced and is due to change in flow direction through the flow passage of the valves. While the concept of employing water coolant or steam heating by jacketing of the valve body for plug, gate and butterfly valves has been employed for various valves, none of these prior art valves, however, have provided a simple-to-manufacture, economical valve which has special suitability for high temperature fluid solids service.
The various prior art references located relative to the present invention include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,827,266 (Shipley), 3,574,341 (Fehling), 3,698,422 (Freed et al), 3,701,359 (Worley et al), 3,825,030 (Kalsi), 3,901,269 (Henderson), 3,973,585 (Henderson), 3,974,869 (Abe et al), and 3,985,150 (Kindersley).
Worley et al discloses an internally insulated slide valve for throttling and blocking solids flow at high temperatures and high pressures in a fluid solids transfer line. The Henderson patents disclose a jacket block with a hollow housing of heat conductive material (see FIG. 3) which substantially surrounds the body of the fitting (see FIG. 1). A temperature controlling fluid is circulated through chambers in heat transfer relation to the body of the fitting. The Freed et al patent discloses a plug valve for controlling fluid flow therethrough by rotating the plug valve until a port is aligned with lateral passages. These lateral passages are lined with a corrosion resistant liner. Kalsi discloses a plastic-lined valve with a rotatable central fluid conduit for controlling communication between passages. The plastic lining is injection molded into locking engagement with the valve body. Kindersley discloses a ball valve having a changeable tubular insert (made of abrasion-resistant material) situated in the valve for controlling the rates of flow between inlet and outlet bores. Fluid flow throttling also can be accomplished by turning the valve a limited amount. Fehling discloses refractory lining the valve closure which regulates flow of molten metal, while Shipley discloses a metal lining for cooperation with a valve plug. Abe discloses a plug valve supported and sealed in an elastic plastic bearing member which takes up wear and prevents leakage.


A ferroelectric composite includes a core including a ferroelectric material and a skin layer including a carbon structure comprising carbon atoms.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ferroelectric composite, a method of manufacturing the ferroelectric composite and a liquid crystal display ("LCD") apparatus having the ferroelectric composite. More particularly, the present invention relates to a ferroelectric composite capable of improving the response speed and afterimage problems of an LCD apparatus and a method of manufacturing the ferroelectric composite and an LCD apparatus having the ferroelectric composite.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a liquid crystal display ("LCD") apparatus displays images using optical and electrical properties of liquid crystal, such as an anisotropic refractive index, and an anisotropic dielectric constant. The LCD apparatus has characteristics such as lighter weight, lower power consumption, lower driving voltage, etc., in comparison with other types of display apparatuses such as a cathode ray tube ("CRT"), a plasma display panel ("PDP") and so on.
The LCD apparatus includes an LCD panel displaying images and a light source providing the LCD panel with light. The LCD panel includes a thin-film transistor ("TFT") substrate, an opposing substrate and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the TFT substrate and the opposing substrate. Light generated by the light source passes through the liquid crystal layer, and the liquid crystal layer adjusts the transmittance of the light to display an image.
Active research has been conducted on a ferroelectric composite to improve the response speed and afterimage problems of the LCD apparatus. For example, when a liquid crystal composition includes ferroelectric nanoparticles, an effective electric field in a liquid crystal layer is reinforced so that a driving voltage of the LCD apparatus is decreased, and the response speed of the LCD apparatus is improved. Furthermore, when the liquid crystal composition includes a carbon nanotube, carbon-carbon sp2 bonds of the carbon nanotube absorb impurities, such as ions, in the liquid crystal layer, and reduce a rotational viscosity of liquid crystal molecules. Thus, the response speed and the afterimage problems of the LCD apparatus may be improved.
However, when the liquid crystal composition includes ferroelectric nanoparticles, the ferroelectric nanoparticles may cohere with each other or may react with the liquid crystal molecules since the chemical reactivity of the ferroelectric nanoparticles is relatively high.
Furthermore, when the liquid crystal composition includes the carbon nanotube, alignment of the liquid crystal molecules may be hindered since the length of the carbon nanotube is relatively long.

Ferroelectric composite, method of manufacturing the same and liquid crystal display apparatus having the ferroelectric composite


A two-speed automatic planetary transmission, including a sun gear, dual planet gears, a planet carrier, a ring gear, a band-type brake ring, and a locking ring. The locking ring is disposed between the outer surface of the ring gear and the inner surface of the annular lug boss, and the inner surface of the locking ring is fixedly connected to the outer surface of the ring gear. Part of the outer surface of the locking ring contacts with the inner surface of the annular lug boss, and another part thereof is sheathed with the band-type brake ring. One end of the band-type brake ring is a fixed end, and is fixedly connected to a transmission shell; and another one is an unfixed end which is connected to a gear shifting actuator.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a two-speed automatic planetary transmission.
Description of the Related Art
Existing transmission used for electric vehicles include single-speed reducer, two-speed manual transmission (MT), two-speed automatic transmission (AT), and two-speed automatic mechanical transmission (AMT). All of these have shortcomings.
For example, the single-speed reducer has a fixed speed ratio, as a result, the maximum gradeability, the highest speed, and the optimal work efficiency of an electric motor cannot be achieved synchronously. Therefore, it is proposed to use two-speed transmission. However, the two-speed manual transmission needs manual operation, while the two-speed automatic transmission involves at least an oil pump and a clutch, which increases the size and weight of the transmission, as well as the production cost; besides, the power interruption is prone to appear during the shifting.


A straddle-type vehicle seat includes: a saddle-type seat main body which is provided above a vehicle body in one of a three-wheel straddle-type vehicle and a four-wheel straddle-type vehicle and which is straddled by a driver; and an angle adjustment mechanism which adjusts an angle of the saddle-type seat main body with respect to the vehicle body in accordance with a signal from a detection unit that detects a traveling state of the straddle-type vehicle when the straddle-type vehicle is turning.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a straddle-type vehicle seat and a straddle-type vehicle.
2. Related Art
An all terrain vehicle (ATV) is a vehicle for traveling on rough roads such as on sand or mud, and may also be referred to as a straddle-type vehicle, an all terrain traveling vehicle, a buggy, or the like. The ATV typically includes a pair of left and right front wheels and/or a pair of left and right rear wheels and is configured as a four-wheel or three-wheel straddle-type vehicle.
For example, a straddle-type vehicle described in Patent Literature 1 (JP-A-2008-68818) includes foot boards on which the feet of a rider are placed at lower parts of both left and right sides of a saddle-type seating seat that is straddled by the rider. In addition, footrests on which soles of the rider are rested are provided on the foot boards.

Straddle-type vehicle seat and straddle-type vehicle


A multiple compartment storage body for a refuse collection vehicle includes a floor, a roof, a plurality of walls and a partition. The plurality of walls extend between the floor and the roof and include a front wall, a rear wall, and side walls between the front wall and the rear wall. The roof, floor and walls define an interior storage space. The walls define a discharge opening. The partition extends from the front wall towards the rear wall and is positioned between the floor and the roof to divide the interior storage space into an upper compartment having a volume and a lower compartment having a volume. The partition is vertically movable so as to increase the volume of one of the upper and lower compartments in communication with the discharge opening.

The present invention relates to refuse vehicles for collecting and transporting garbage and recyclable materials from residences or other commercial establishments to a central disposal point such as a dump, incinerator, or recycling facility. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multiple compartment storage body having an upper compartment and a lower compartment separated by a vertically movable partition which permits the volume of either the upper or lower compartment in communication with a discharge opening to be increased for easier unloading of the refuse material.
In recent years, communities and states have developed programs for the segregation and collection of recyclable materials to minimize the consumption of natural resources and the exhaustion of landfills. In several states and communities, recycling programs have been mandated. However, vehicles intended to collect and haul waste or garbage are generally not suitable for collecting and hauling recyclable materials. Waste collecting and hauling devices and vehicles typically include a single volume or compartment in which all collected materials are stored and transported. As a result, the collected materials are co-mingled with one another in one large single compartment which is unloaded at a central disposal site.
In contrast to general garbage, recyclable commodities are preferably segregated and contained within different compartments. For example, depending upon local recycling facilities, it is often acceptable to co-mingle glass, plastic and aluminum recyclable commodities with each other. However, these three commodities must be segregated from paper and newsprint. As a result, special vehicles having multiple compartments are required for collecting recyclable commodities. Because the amount of each commodity may vary from day to day or from site to site, it is also advantageous to provide compartments which have adjustable volumes to provide variable capacities for containing the commodities. Although the multiple compartments allow different commodities to be separated, compartmentalization also reduces the storage volume of the storage body. In addition, because of the increased number of walls and corners within the individual compartments, less material may be compacted and contained within the interior volume of the storage body. As a result, multiple compartment storage bodies designed for the collection and segregation of recyclable materials are not economical and well suited for the collection of unrecyclable garbage which does not need to be segregated. Consequently, communities may be required to own and operate separate vehicles, a single compartment garbage truck for the sole collection of garbage from one locality and a multiple compartment vehicle for the collection of recyclables and refuse from a different locality. Maintaining and operating separate vehicles for these different functions is costly.
As refuse is filled within each compartment of multiple compartment vehicles, the refuse tends to become compacted. Moreover, to increase the mass of materials which may be carried and transported within the storage body, refuse vehicles typically include rams or compactors for further compacting the refuse within the individual compartments. As the number of compartments within the storage body increase, the need for further compacting the refuse material also increases. Compaction of the refuse materials permits larger amounts of refuse material to be contained within the storage body, thereby reducing the number of trips and the total cost associated with collecting the refuse. However, compaction of the refuse material within the storage body also makes unloading the refuse from the vehicle more difficult. As a result, compacted refuse within the storage body must be loosened and uncompacted so that the material may be dumped or pushed from the storage body. Loosening the compacted refuse or recyclable material requires additional time and tools and increases the cost of operating the refuse collection vehicle.
Unloading the compacted refuse from the storage body is further complicated in storage bodies having hopper discharge openings which narrow towards the opening. Because these discharge openings are generally funnel shaped, compacted refuse material within the storage body actually becomes more compacted as the material approaches the opening. As a result, storage bodies utilizing hopper-shaped discharge openings as part of the floor of the storage body are especially difficult to unload.

Multi-compartmentalized dumping body with movable floor


The screw has a conventional threaded body, and a tapered leading end for easy entry to a tapped hole. A projection extends radially from the tapered end portion and when the longitudinal center lines of the screw and hole are misaligned, makes first contact with the threads on the tapped hole. As the screw is turned, the projection follows the tapped threads of the hole to bring the machine screw into alignment. When the projection tracks the internal hole threads, the positional relationship between the projection and the first screw thread brings the starting point of the first screw thread into contact with the starting point of the first thread at the entrance of the tapped hole.

This invention relates generally to a fastener of the screw type used in conventional applications to hold structural elements or components in position relative to each other and more particularly, to a self-aligning threaded screw which reduces the danger of cross-threading when the screw is inserted into a mating tapped hole or threaded nut. Generally, there is no difficulty in starting a threaded machine screw in a tapped hole or nut when the two mating parts meet with the longitudinal axes in alignment. However, when the screw meets the entrance to the tapped hole with a mis-alignment between the longitudinal axes, the person directing the screw begins a process, perhaps even subconsciously, of "jiggling" the screw to start the threading process. A grossly mis-aligned screw quickly informs the person of the unacceptable condition and adjustment is made. However, a slight mis-alignment can easily allow the start of an engagement between the threads which results in cross-threading, wherein the threads on the screw or in the tapped hole or both are damaged. In severe cases, the hole may need retapping and the screw may have to be discarded. Thus, losses, especially in mass production with highly repetitive operations, can be worthy of attention both in terms of lost time and direct material costs.
What is needed is a screw fastener which performs the conventional functions of such machine type fasteners and minimizes or eliminates the loss and waste associated with mis-alignment and cross-threading.