A novel shock mounting is disclosed for ultra-hard crystalline materials. When used as a drill bit, the crystalline materials last much longer as cutting elements when mounted according to the present invention.

In the past, industrial diamond and other hard materials such as cubic zirconium or carborundum have been used in various cutting operations where extreme hardness is required. Although such materials represent excellent surfaces for cutting or abrading, certain problems in durability have been encountered due primarily to thermal shock and cracking because of compressional forces.
Applicant has recognized that the parameters which control the durability of the cutting edges of ultra-hard crystalline materials can be modified and controlled by varying the mounting structures used to retain these crystalline materials in their cutting positions. Prior to applicant's invention, the cutting elements were held in place by one of two means. The first entailed the mere crimping of metal prongs about the crystalline surface. The second comprised the brazing of the crystalline materials in a stainless steel mounting.
Unfortunately, both standard prior art mounting techniques provided little to aid in the durability of the crystalline cutting surface. In each case, there was nothing to dissipate the tremendous shear and compressional forces which the cutting element is designed to encounter. Furthermore, the cutting element can suffer from thermal shock as neither mounting systems could be characterized as good thermal conductors. During grinding operations, the crystalline elements experience very high thermal conditions due to the frictional contact between the cutting surface and the material to be cut or ground.
When used as a drill bit, once the crystal was mounted, the orientation of the cutting surface would remain constant and fixed over the life of the drill bit itself. The present invention has also recognized the desirability for being able to design a mounting which would allow for a change in orientation so that as the cutting surface becomes worn in one plane, it can be rotated to display a second plane as the cutting surface.
Diamond, zirconium and carborundum (sapphire or ruby) cutting elements, for example, have also been used in making microtome knife blades. The blades, presenting an ultra-hard and ultra-sharp surface, have been used by the medical profession in performing biopsies where very thin layers of tissue must be cut accurately in the performance of pathological tests. Prior to the present invention, microtome blades were prepared by cutting a diamond or cubic zirconium stone along the major axis forming a knife blade. The stone was then mounted, resulting in misalignment of the blade axis to the microtome knife blade body. By employing the mounting of the present invention, alignment of the blade to the mounting is insured.
Similarly, these crystalline materials have been used to produce scribing tools, useful in scoring such things as semiconductor wafers. Prior art scribing tools have been made by sharpening crystalline bodies to a sharp point before mounting in an appropriate holder which resulted in misalignment of the scribe point to the holder body.

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The invention provides a motion prediction method. First, a plurality of motion vector predictors is obtained to be included in a candidate set for motion prediction of a current unit of a current frame. Whether the current frame is a non-reference frame which is not referred to by other frames for motion prediction is then determined. When the current frame is not the non-reference frame, any motion vector predictor corresponding to a previously coded frame is removed from the candidate set, and a motion vector of the current unit is predicted according to the motion vector predictors of the candidate set.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to video processing, and more particularly to motion prediction and encoding of video data.
2. Description of the Related Art
The new upcoming H.264 compression standard can provide good video quality at substantially lower bit rates than previous standards by adopting features such as sub-pixel accuracy and multiple-referencing. The video compression process can be generally divided into 5 parts which include: inter-prediction/intra-prediction, transform/inverse-transform, quantization/inverse-quantization, loop filter, and entropy encoding. H.264 is used in various applications such as Blu-ray Discs, DVB broadcasting services, direct-broadcast satellite television services, cable television services, and real-time videoconferencing.
A video datastream comprises a plurality of frames, and each frame is divided into a plurality of coding units (e.g. macroblocks or extended macroblocks) to be respectively processed by a video encoder. Each coding unit can be segmented into quad-tree partitions, and a leaf coding unit is called a prediction unit. A prediction unit can be further segmented into quad-tree partitions, and each partition is assigned with a motion parameter. In order to reduce the cost of transmitting enormous amount of motion parameters, a motion vector predictor (MVP) is calculated for each partition by referencing to adjacent coded blocks, coding efficiency can thus be improved as the motion of the adjacent blocks tends to have high spatial correlation. Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram illustrates adjacent blocks of a current unit 112. A current frame 102 comprises a current unit 112 and a plurality of candidate units A, B, C, and D neighboring to the current unit 112. The candidate unit A is on a left side of the current unit 112, the candidate unit B is on an upper side of the current unit 112, the candidate unit C is in line with an upper-right direction of the current unit 112, and the candidate unit A is in line with an upper-left direction of the current unit 112. Generally, an MVP of a current unit 112 is determined by comparing the motion vectors of the candidate units A, B, and C, and selecting a medium motion vector to be the MVP of the current unit 112. When the candidate unit C does not exist, the motion vectors of the candidate units A, B, and D are compared to each other to select a medium motion vector, and the medium motion vector is determined to be the MVP of the current unit 112.
With slight amendment to the above motion vector prediction method, motion vector competition (MVC) is also provided for motion prediction. According to MVC, more motion vectors are included in a candidate set for motion prediction of a current unit to improved accuracy of motion prediction. For example, the candidate set may comprise motion vectors of adjacent blocks of the current unit 112, as well as a motion vector of a collocated unit 114 which has the same location in a reference frame 104 as that of the current unit 112 in the current frame 102. Rate-distortion optimization (RDO) is used to select a final motion vector predictor for the current unit from the candidate set. The motion vector of the current unit is predicted according to the final motion vector predictor. An index of the final motion vector predictor selected from the candidate set is sent as prediction information to signal video decoders which motion vector predictor is chosen for the current unit.
Referring to FIG. 2, a flowchart of a motion prediction method 200 is shown. First, motion vectors of a plurality of candidate units corresponding to a current unit are obtained to include in a candidate set (step 202). The motion vectors in the candidate set are then compared to each other. When the motion vectors are not equal to each other (step 204), a motion vector predictor is selected from the candidate set (step 206), and a motion vector of the current unit is predicted according to motion vector predictor (step 208). Finally, prediction information about the selected motion vector predictor is generated and then sent in the bitstream (step 210). When the motion vectors in the candidate set are equal to each other (step 204), a motion vector of the current unit is predicted according to any of the motion vectors in the candidate set (step 212), and no prediction information about the motion vector predictor is generated and sent in the bitstream.
A parsing error in decoding the bitstream may occur due to incorrect decoding. When a parsing error occurred in syntax parsing during video decoding, all consequent video processing will be failed until a next synchronization symbol is detected. The parsing error may be propagated if inter-frame entropy coding is allowed, an example of inter-frame entropy coding is using motion vectors of previous frame as a motion vector predictor of a current frame to achieve coding gain improvement. Synchronization symbols such as the frame start code used to re-initialize frames may not stop the parsing error propagation. The above mentioned motion vector competition method may also induce parsing error propagation. According to the motion vector competition method 200 of FIG. 2, when the motion vectors in the candidate set are equal to each other, prediction information signaling the motion vector predictor is not sent in the bitstream. When the prediction information about the motion vector predictor is omitted, the data amount of the coded video bitstream sent to the video decoder is reduced. If the video decoder fails to detect intended omission of the prediction information and mistakes a subsequent segment of the coded video datastream as the prediction information, subsequent data in the coded video datastream will be erroneously decoded and this parsing error would propagate.
A parsing error in decoding of a prior frame may lead to a parsing error in decoding of a plurality of succeeding frames, is referred to as parsing error propagation. When a first succeeding frame takes the prior frame as a reference frame, encoding of the first succeeding frame uses coded information of the prior frame. If a parsing error occurs in decoding of the prior frame, because decoding of the first succeeding frame requires decoded information of the prior frame, the parsing error propagates to decoding of the first succeeding frame. When a second succeeding frame takes the first succeeding frame as a reference frame, the parsing error also propagates to decoding of the second succeeding frame. Thus, parsing error propagation will seriously impact decoding of a video datastream.

Motion prediction method and video encoding method


The present invention provides a semiconductor device packaging assembly and method for manufacturing the assembly. Preferably, the method of the present invention is used to assemble a plurality of semiconductor chips, such that the throughput of assembly can be enhanced, by providing a bottom frame matrix including a plurality of bottom frame units, each of which unit includes a bottom supporting portion and a bottom frame portion; providing a bridge frame including a plurality of bridge frame units, each of which unit includes a bridge frame portion and a plurality of conducting bars; placing each of the semiconductor chips on each of the bottom supporting portions, respectively; and bonding each bottom frame unit and each bridge frame unit together, wherein, the conducting bars extending from each bridge frame portion toward corresponding chips are electrically coupled to bonding areas of the corresponding chips.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device packaging assembly and method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, relates to a method for assembling a plurality of semiconductor chips at a time, and the semiconductor chip assemblies formed by the method. By using the method provided in the present invention, the throughput of assembling semiconductor devices can be significantly enhanced.
The xe2x80x9cassemblyxe2x80x9d of a semiconductor device package mentioned in the present invention particularly refers to the procedure of electrically coupling bonding areas, such as bonding pads, of the main surface of a chip to the leadframe, during the process of semiconductor device packaging after the manufacturing of the semiconductor chip.
A conventional assembly of a semiconductor device, please refer to FIG. 1A showing the common packaging assembly of a single semiconductor chip, employs the wire bonding method. A plurality of metal wires 11 are bonded between the bonding areas 101 of the chip 100 and the leadframe 102, for providing the electrical conduction therein. Since the exemplary packaging assembly illustrated in FIG. 1A is directed to that of a single semiconductor transistor (in fact, it is the packaging assembly of a power MOSFET), some pins (e.g., PINs 1-3) are connected together and electrically coupled to an electrode (i.e., the drain electrode) of the chip via wires 11. As for PIN 4, this pin is connected to another electrode (i.e., the gate electrode) of the chip via a wire.
There are many drawbacks in the conventional semiconductor device packaging assembly as shown in FIG. 1A, especially in the aspect of manufacturing efficiency. To improve the manufacturing throughput in mass production, conventional technologies adopt the following approaches. Referring to FIG. 1B, a plurality of semiconductor chips are assembled by using a single row of leadframe strip 12. The leadframe strip 12 comprises many repeated units of leadframes 102. The fine architecture of the leadframe 102 is not shown in FIG. 1B; however, it can be referred to the leadframe 102 in FIG. 1A. Many chips 100 to be assembled are respectively placed on the leadframes 102 and then, the above-mentioned wire bonding method is applied to those chips to electrically connect each of the bonding pads 101 to the corresponding leadframe via wires 11. Generally speaking, the method shown in FIG. 1B is the one-dimensional extension of the single chip packaging assembly shown in FIG. 1A, so that the assembly can be easily adapted to the processing on a production line. In addition, the single row of leadframe strip 12 uses equally spaced sprocket holes 103 consecutively appearing on two edges of the strip 12, to enhance the alignment or reeling of the leadframe strip 12. The production efficiency is therefore improved.
To further improve the production efficiency, referring to FIG. 1C, the conventional technique extends the one-dimensional, single row leadframe strip of FIG. 1B to a two-dimensional, planar leadframe matrix for use in the assembly of many semiconductor chips. However, as shown in FIG. 1C, conventional technique still utilizes the wire bonding method to bond wires 11 between each chip 100 and the corresponding leadframe 102.
Although the above techniques of the semiconductor device packaging assembly, somehow, are gradually improved in the aspect of production efficiency, the effects of improvement on throughput are actually quite limited and there are still many disadvantages left to be overcome in the prior art. The major reason for the disadvantages is due to the constraint set by the wire bonding method. Specifically, as clearly shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, all assembly methods involve the step of bonding a plurality of wires 11 between the leadframes 102 and the bonding areas 101 of the chips. As a result, despite the methods of the single row leadframe strip and planar leadframe matrix, which deal with the semiconductor device packaging assembly in a xe2x80x9cmulti-taskingxe2x80x9d manner, the improvement of production throughput is not significant. Besides, conventional techniques unquestionably will engage all the drawbacks of the wire bonding method, such as bad utilization rate of the whole chip area, poor thermal dissipation of the package, complicated manufacturing processes, low production efficiency and unstability of the package.
There is, thus, a need to provide a highly efficient semiconductor device packaging assembly and method for manufacturing the same, which can assemble a plurality of semiconductor chips at the same time. Such assembly and method can significantly increase the production throughput and also solve the problems caused by the wire bonding method. This invention addresses the need.
An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device packaging assembly and method of manufacturing the same, which have simplified manufacturing processes and also can significantly increase the production throughput.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor device packaging assembly and method of manufacturing the same, which can efficiently utilize the chip area, and dissipate the heat effectively. The manufacturing processes of the assembly are easy and the stability of the assembly is good.
According to a semiconductor device packaging assembly method of the present invention, which can be used for assembling a plurality of semiconductor chips at a time, the method can enhance the production throughput of the assembly. Said method comprises the steps of: providing a row of a bottom frame strip having a plurality of bottom frame units, each bottom frame unit including a bottom supporting portion and a bottom frame portion; providing a row of a bridge frame strip having a plurality of bridge frame units, each bridge frame unit including a bridge frame portion and a plurality of conducting bars; placing each of the chips on each of the bottom supporting portions, respectively, and attaching the opposite surface of the main surface of each chip to the respective bottom supporting portion; and bonding each bottom frame unit and each bridge frame unit together, wherein, each of the conducting bars extending from each bridge frame portion toward the chip is electrically coupled to the corresponding bonding area of the chip.
According to another semiconductor device packaging assembly method of the present invention, which can be used for assembling a plurality of semiconductor chips at a time, the method can enhance the production throughput of the assembly. Said method comprises the steps of: providing a bottom frame matrix having a plurality of bottom frame units, each bottom frame unit including: a bottom supporting portion and a bottom frame portion; providing a bridge frame matrix having a plurality of bridge frame units, each bridge frame unit including: a bridge frame portion and a plurality of conducting bars; placing each of the chips on each of the bottom supporting portions, respectively, and attaching the opposite surface of the main surface of each chip to the respective bottom supporting portion; and bonding each bottom frame unit and each bridge frame unit together, wherein, each of the conducting bars extending from each bridge frame portion toward the chip is electrically coupled to the corresponding bonding area of the chip.
Because the above semiconductor device packaging assembly methods employ bridge frame units having conducting bars for providing the electrical connection between the leadframes and the chips, rather than employing the wire bonding approach, the manufacturing processes in the present invention are no longer complicated and time-consuming. While assembling a plurality of semiconductor chips at a time, the present invention can significantly increase the throughput of assembly and achieve a much better effect than the conventional wire bonding technique.
Furthermore, because the present invention does not use wire bonding, the utilization of the chip area is maximized, and the stability of the packaging is enhanced. Meanwhile, due to the larger bonding areas by using conducting bars rather than bonding wires, the present invention accomplishes a packaging assembly having better thermal properties.


The invention is a field device with an input unit comprising a first number of switch elements in order to generate first input signals and a second number of magnetically actuatable sensor elements assigned to the switch elements in order to generate second input signals which are OR-linked to the first input signals. Each switch element is assigned to at least two sensor elements, which are arranged and connected such that the respective second input signal is output only when at least two specified sensor elements assigned to a switch element are activated.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to field device with an input unit.
Background of the Invention
The present invention is a field device with an input unit, with the input unit comprising a first number of switch elements to generate first input signals and a second number of sensor elements, allocated to the switch elements and allowing magnetic actuation, to generate second input signals, with the second input signals being OR-linked to the first input signals.
Such field devices with input units are known from prior art, for example from DE 37 34 494, which describes a control device secured against explosion, in which one group of data input/scanning sites is allocated to a group of sensors that are aligned to the scanning sites and can be magnetically actuated. In this arrangement known from prior art one input key is respectively allocated to a magnetically actuated sensor and placed directly underneath it. When it is now necessary to enter data at an input unit arranged at the control device, which is arranged in a housing secured against explosion, this can occur via a permanent magnet using its magnetically operating sensors, which can be actuated. In this arrangement known from prior art it is relevant that the keys and the sensors allocated to the keys show a minimum distance, which is selected such that it is not shorter than the interfering distance of the sensors. The interfering distance is understood in the present application as the distance between two sensors at which any differentiation of entries made to these two sensors cannot be clearly distinguished.
Alternative options for actuating input units of field devices of prior art include, for example, a capacitive input, such as the ones used for modern smartphones and tablet PCs or the scanning of a field for infrared radiation. Capacitive inputs are however very limited at the distance, at which actuation occurs, and the scanning of fields for infrared radiation is very expensive with regards to calculation in embedded systems, as typically used in field devices. Both systems cannot be used here, or only to a limited extent. Furthermore, systems operating with infrared radiation are very susceptible to malfunction due to soiling.
FIG. 3 shows an input unit 1 for a field device known from prior art. The input unit 1 comprises four switch elements S1 to S4 arranged in a gap, with respectively a sensor element H1 to H4 being allocated thereto. The switch elements S1 to S4 and the allocated sensor elements H1 to H4 are electrically switched parallel such that respectively by actuating a switch element S1 to S4 or a sensor element H1 to H4 allocated to the switch element an input signal E1 to E4 can be issued. For example the first switch element S1 and the first sensor element H1 are switched parallel such that both an actuation of the first switch element S1 embodied as a sensor as well as an excitation of the first sensor element H1, embodied as a first Hall sensor, is possible generating the first input signal E1. For reasons of simplification, technically necessary pull-up resistors are not shown for the input signals E1 to E4. However they are functionally required and will be provided accordingly by one trained in the art.
The objective of the present invention is to improve a field device with an input unit such that a higher precision of input is yielded and a further miniaturization of the input unit is possible.
This objective is attained in a field device with the features disclosed herein below.


This invention is a device for transforming the energy of water waves into useable energy. The device comprises two or more floats, structural members connecting the floats, a means for transferring torque, and one or more generators.

Populations grow exponentially, world economies are expanding, demand for energy is escalating, and fossil fuels are running out. Political tensions regarding hydrocarbons are increasing to say the least. Greenhouse effects and global warming trends have become more evident. In light of these issues the U.S. Department of Energy has placed Renewable Energies as a focal point to their programs.
When one looks across an open ocean and views the large rolling waves the energy is glaringly obvious. However, when one thinks of how that energy could be extracted they are immediately discouraged by the randomness of wave heights, randomness of wavelengths, and randomness of wave frequencies. Water is 800 times as dense as air and carries far more energy. Winds travel for hundreds of miles and beautifully store and compact their energy into waves. The magnitude of energy in ocean waves is fairly easy to comprehend. The difficult part is envisioning how organized and consistent energy can be extracted from what appears to be chaos. The invention herein solves this greatest challenge and more.
To be cost effective and viable, a wave energy transformation device must be strong and robust to survive punishing ocean environments. To be reliable it must be simple in design, avoid sophisticated components, and have any critical components protected from the harsh oceanic environment. Simplicity in design also ensures low capital investment, low operating costs, and low maintenance costs. An energy transformation device should also demonstrate mass interconnectivity and not require individual mooring systems. Ideally, these devices should float and either be capable of withstanding storm events or be towed away when the largest of storms arise.
Upon review of similar patents one will find that most have addressed only a few of the challenging design requirements mentioned above. Without addressing all of them an energy transformation device cannot produce power cost effectively. The novel invention presented herein overcomes all of the above challenges. Particular features not found in prior inventions make this invention considerably more viable.


A circuit generates a test signal useful in verifying the actual delay values of individual delay stages in a digital delay line. In general, the cumulative delay of the delay line defines a window in time having its zero point anchored to the beginning of the delay line. Successive delay stages correspond to successive time bins within the overall time window. The test signal shifts at a known, linear rate in time with respect to a reference signal, which is used to initiate a test cycle. The reference signal synchronizes sampling of the test signal to the beginning of the time window. Samples of the test signal are taken at sample points determined by the actual time delays in the successive delay stages. The observed distribution of test signal edges across the time window may be used to determine the actual delay intervals of the delay line.

Timing circuits take on a broad range of forms and implementations, with their variety stemming from the sheer range of applications in which timing functions are required. High-resolution timing or precise frequency control applications in particular impose special design challenges, and may tax available circuit technologies when pushed beyond a given level of timing precision.
Oftentimes, the design challenge extends beyond constructing a timing circuit capable of high-resolution timing into the design of test circuits capable of characterizing and verifying performance and accuracy of the timing circuit at hand. If the timing circuit of interest is meant to measure small increments of time, say, for example, billionths or even trillionths of a second, verifying its operation poses decidedly non-trivial challenges. Factoring in the economic constraints placed on all but the most esoteric products only exacerbates the design problem.
One particular type of timing circuit is based on a digital delay line. A delay line generally comprises a circuit device that imparts a fixed or sometimes variable delay to an input waveform. Thus, a signal transition in an input waveform manifests itself on the delay line output some desired delay interval later in time.
Delay line based timing applications exploit a particular delay line implementation, in which the delay function between input and output is realized by successively connecting a chain of digital gates, each one having a characteristic delay interval, which may be the intrinsic propagation delay of the gate itself. Thus, a signal transition input to the delay line sequentially shifts or propagates through the series of interconnected gates. Each gate or delay stage is offset in time from the beginning of the delay line based on the accumulated delay between it and the first delay stage in the chain.
Each delay stage may be tapped, i.e., the stage output signal may be brought out. A propagating signal transition appears sequentially on these taps at time intervals determined by the delay interval of the corresponding delay stages. Thus, the tap signals correspond to sequential time offsets relative to the beginning of the delay line, and may be used to time certain events with a timing precision that is fundamentally limited only by the lower limits on delay stage propagation delay.
Because the time measurement precision of a delay line may approach the intrinsic propagation delay of a single electronic gate or like logic element, verifying that one or more of the delay stages meet desired time interval requirements poses significant challenges. However, in many applications where confirmation of timing accuracy is required or desirable, such as in safety critical applications, it is nonetheless necessary to devise a measurement and verification system capable of testing the timing of delay stages within a delay line.
Preferably, such a test system is flexible enough to accommodate testing over a range of required time resolutions. Further, the test system should be reliable, accurate, and inexpensive enough to include as part of the timing device that incorporates the delay line timing circuit. In this manner, the test circuit may be included within the device, thereby allowing the overall system to calibrate and self-test its delay line circuit or circuits.
The present invention is an apparatus and method for calibrating and testing a digital delay line formed as a sequence of delay stages. A timing circuit generates a test signal that shifts in time with a precise and stable relationship to a reference signal. Sampling the test signal at time intervals based on the successive delay stages comprising the delay line in synchronization with the reference signal reveals whether individual delay stages in the delay line impart the expected or required delay intervals. Thus, the timing circuit may be used to characterize actual delay line, with the characterization information used as, for example, delay line calibration data.
Preferably, the test and reference signals are generated based on controlling a frequency offset between two frequency generators, which may be implemented as precision oscillators. A phase lock loop (PLL) or other control circuit maintains a constant frequency difference between the two oscillators. One of the two oscillators is set at a desired frequency, and the control circuit offsets the frequency of the second oscillator by the desired frequency difference.
As phase is the integral of frequency, maintaining the two oscillators at a constant frequency difference forces the two oscillator output signals to have a linearly changing phase offset, which repeatedly cycles through 360 degrees of phase offset at a rate determined by the difference frequency. Because phase shift in the frequency domain translates into time offset in the time domain, the linearly changing phase relationship causes one of the oscillator signals to shift in time relative to the other signal. The magnitude of the frequency difference between the two oscillators determines the relative time shift between the reference and test signals per cycle.
Thus, by setting the frequency difference appropriately, the second oscillator signal may be made to shift a very slight and precisely controlled amount with each cycle of the first oscillator signal. This time shift may, within the control limits of the oscillators and control circuit, be made arbitrarily small. More particularly, the resolution of the time shift depends on the ability to maintain a slight frequency difference between two oscillators, rather than depending on logic circuits operating at speeds high enough to generate time increments small enough for verifying the already tight timing of the delay line.
Dividing the frequency of the first oscillator signal to create the reference signal provides a slower signal that may be used for synchronizing the start of the delay line to the test signal. Because the reference signal is derived from the first oscillator, the relative phase of the test signal changes with each cycle of the reference signal. In this manner, the test signal shifts through a plurality of time offsets relative to the beginning time of the delay line over repeated cycles of the reference signal.
Each delay stage of the delay line represents a delay interval or time bin, with the overall delay line representing a time window. By tracking the phase offset between the oscillator signals, a test protocol may be devised that runs for a determined number of reference signal cycles, such that a test signal edge is distributed at known time intervals across the time window represented by the delay line. The test signal is recorded or sampled at discrete sample points at sample times determined by the delay stages in the delay line for each cycle of the reference signal.
Because the distribution interval of test signal edges across the time window is known, the controlling system may determine the approximate width of the time bins represented by the delay stages by counting the number of test signal edges that fall within each bin. If the time interval between accumulated test signal edges is small in comparison to the nominal or expected width the delay stage time bins, the width of the bins may be estimated with good accuracy. The time interval between the accumulated test signal edges is a function of test signal frequency relative to the difference frequency between the first and second oscillators, and the resolution with which the phase offset between the two oscillator signals is tracked.
Phase tracking may use a phase clock, which may be a digital counter with a count resolution chosen to provide the desired test signal edge interval. The phase counter clock is preferably derived from the same oscillator signal used to derive the reference signal. If the phase counter is configured with the proper count modulus or rollover value with respect to the reference signal, it may be incremented a fixed number of counts per reference signal, while still hitting every possible count value over a number of rollover cycles. This allows the reference signal, which drives test signal sampling, to cycle at a lower rate than the phase clocking rate, which may be advantageous in terms of lessening system-processing overhead.

System and method for delay line testing


It is an object of the present invention to provide an immunochromatography method capable of measuring a sample in a low concentration range and a high concentration range by setting the measurable range of the sample much wider than the conventional measurable range. The present invention provides an immunochromatography method, which comprises: spreading a test substance, a first labeling substance modified with a first binding substance that binds to the test substance, and a second labeling substance modified with the first binding substance that binds to the test substance, which are in a mixed state, on an insoluble carrier; and capturing the test substance, the first labeling substance, and/or the second labeling substance at a reaction site on the insoluble carrier having a substance having ability to bind to the first binding substance that binds to the test substance, so as to detect the test substance, wherein the first labeling substance is a labeling substance that causes an amplification reaction, and the second labeling substance is a labeling substance that does not substantially influence on the amplification reaction.

Among physiologically active substances or environmental pollutants such as natural products, toxins, hormones or agricultural chemicals, numerous substances act in ultratrace amounts. Accordingly, instrumental analytical methods capable of performing high-sensitivity analysis have conventionally been widely used for qualitative and quantitative measurement of these substances. However, instrumental analytical methods are poor in specificity, require excessive time for analysis including pretreatment of samples, and comprise complicated operations. Thus, instrumental analytical methods are inconvenient for the purpose of rapid and convenient measurements that have been required in recent years. Meanwhile, immunoassays are highly specific and much easier in terms of operation than instrumental analytical methods. Therefore, immunoassays have gradually spread in the field of measurement of physiologically active substances and environmental pollutants. However, conventional immunoassays such as enzyme immunoassays using 96-well plates and latex agglutination assays do not always provide satisfactory rapidness and convenience for measurement or detection sensitivity.
Another need expected to be enabled is as follows. Achievement of higher sensitivity of tests that currently use relatively invasive samples such as swabs and blood makes it possible to detect very small amounts of analytes contained in relatively low-invasive samples such as snot, gargle water, and urine. Thus, it can be anticipated to develop a test method which has less burden on patients.
In recent years, a test kit (hereinafter referred to as an immunochromatography kit), in which an immunochromatography method (hereinafter also referred to as an immunochromatography or an immunochromato method) is used, has been used more often in examination of infections that require particularly rapid diagnosis. According to the spread of these kits, patients with infections can be identified by a rapid and convenient method, and subsequent diagnosis and therapy can be conducted immediately and accurately. For example, in an immunochromatography method using the sandwich method, a labeled second antibody capable of specifically binding to an analytical target (for example, an antigen) and a sample solution which may possibly contain the analytical target are spread on an insoluble thin-membrane support (for example, a glass fiber membrane, a nylon membrane, cellulose membrane, etc.) on which a first antibody capable of specifically binding to the analytical target has been immobilized in a specific region. As a result, an immune complex with the analytical target is formed in the region of the insoluble thin-membrane support on which the first antibody has been immobilized. The analytical target can be measured by detecting a signal such as the color development or coloring of a labeling substance. The labeling substance to be used herein may be, for example, a protein including an enzyme, colored latex particles, metal colloids, or carbon particles.
The immunochromatography method requires neither massive facilities nor instruments for determination and measurement. Furthermore, the immunochromatography method is simple in operation, and thus, measurement results are obtained only by adding dropwise a sample solution which may possibly contain an analytical target and then leaving it at rest for approximately 5 to 15 minutes. Thus, since the immunochromatography method promptly gives measurement results, this technique is widely used as a convenient, rapid, and highly specific method for determination and measurement in many scenarios, such as for clinical examination in hospitals and in assays in laboratories.
With regards physiologically active substances or environmental pollutants such as natural products, toxins, hormone or agricultural chemicals, and further samples in an initial phase of being infected with virus infection, many substances exert their effects in ultratrace amounts that are undetectable by conventional common immunochromatography methods. Therefore, there are demands for development of rapid, convenient, and highly sensitive immunochromatography methods for such substances.
On the other hand, by applying the principle of such an immunochromatography method, using a reader for optically measuring the optical density of a detection site, the presence of a test substance can be qualitatively confirmed, or such a test substance can also be quantified. As with the Cobas h232 series of Roche Diagnostics, there may also be a case in which the blood concentration of a protein known as a myocardial marker is promptly measured for approximately 15 minutes by quantifying it according to the immunochromatography method.
However, conventionally, the measurable range of the conventional immunochromato method using a gold colloid, a colored latex or the like as a labeling substance has been limited with regard to the low concentration range of a test substance due to the limitation of the absorbance per gold colloid particle or colored latex particle. Moreover, in order to solve the aforementioned problem, if the signal of gold colloid is amplified with silver ions, for example, the problem regarding low concentration range can be solved. However, the following problems would often occur (JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2009-098139). That is, even if the amount of silver is increased, shield area is not changed so much, and thus, the absorbance in a high concentration range gets saturated. Further, if a large amount of gold colloid is used in order to ensure a measurable range in a low concentration range, a problem regarding false-positive results would be created by a non-specifically adsorbed gold colloid labeling substance, for example, together with the amplification of the signal. Thus, if the amount of the labeling substance is reduced to a level at which false-positive results are not obtained, there may be a case in which a phenomenon whereby an antigen becomes negative in an ultrahigh concentration range is observed due to what is called a prozone phenomenon.
The achievement of high sensitivity according to an enzyme method or a silver amplification method has been previously known (Japanese Patent No. 3309977; JP Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2002-202307). However, there have been no systems capable of ensuring a wide sufficient measurable range from a low concentration range to a high concentration range.


A data processor according to the present invention plays back video and audio from a data stream including video data and audio data, each of which is provided with time information representing its presentation time. The processor includes: a stream acquiring section for acquiring a first data stream and a second data stream continuously; an inserting section for inserting boundary-setting dummy data between the data streams; an analyzing section, which detects the dummy data and associates identification information with the video and audio data of each data stream; a control section for controlling the respective output timings of video data and audio data by reference to the time information of the video data and the time information of the audio data that are associated with the same piece of identification information; and an output section.

Recently, thanks to development of digital technologies, data, representing some content such as video like moving picture or still picture or music, can now be encoded and stored as an encoded data stream on a storage medium such as an optical disk or a hard disk. According to an MPEG standard such as ISO 11172 or ISO 13818, for example, audio is encoded as an audio encoded stream and video is encoded as a video encoded stream. Thereafter, data packets storing respective encoded data are arranged time-sequentially and multiplexed together, thereby making up an encoded data stream. Such multiplexing processing to make an encoded stream is called "system encoding". A system-encoded multiplexed data stream (i.e., a system stream) is transmitted along a single transmission line on a data packet basis, and then processed by a player. As a result, video and audio are played back.
Portions (a) through (d) of FIG. 1 show the data structure of a data stream 10. A player sequentially breaks down the data stream 10 shown in portion (a) of FIG. 1 into the data structures shown in portions (b) and (a) and outputs video and audio in the form shown in portion (d).
Portion (a) of FIG. 1 shows the data structure of the data stream 10, which may be an MPEG-2 transport stream, for example.
The data stream 10 is made up of video packets Vn (where n=1, 2, . . . ) and audio packets An (where n=1, 2, . . . ) that are multiplexed together. Each of those packets is comprised of a packet header and a payload that follows the packet header. Video-related data is stored in the payload of a video packet, while audio-related data is stored in the payload of an audio packet.
Portion (b) of FIG. 1 shows the data structure of a packetized elementary stream (PES) 11. The PES 11 is made by collecting the payload data of respective packets that form the data stream 10. The PES 11 is composed of a plurality of PES packets, each of which is comprised of a PES header and a PES payload.
Portion (c) of FIG. 1 shows the format of a video/audio elementary stream (ES). The video ES 12v includes a plurality of data units, each consisting of a picture header, picture data and a presentation time stamp VPTS defining the presentation time of the picture. Each set of picture data represents a single frame/field of picture either by itself or in combination with the picture data to be decoded earlier and/or later than itself. Likewise, the audio ES 12a also includes a plurality of data units, each consisting of a header, audio frame data and a presentation time stamp APTS defining the output timing of the audio frame. The presentation time stamp APTS, VPTS is data of 33 bits according to the MPEG-2 standard and stored in an area (Presentation_Time_Stamp) of the header (i.e., PES-H shown in portion (b) of FIG. 1) of the PES packet.
Portion (d) of FIG. 1 shows the video pictures and audio frames to be output. Each of the video pictures 13-1 and 13-2 is a single picture and represented by the picture data stored in its associated video ES 12v. The presentation time of each picture is designated by the presentation time stamp VPTS in its associated video ES 12v. By switching pictures to present in accordance with that information, moving pictures are presented on the screen of a video player. The output timing of each audio frame is designated by the presentation time stamp APTS in its associated audio ES 12a. By outputting each audio frame in accordance with that information, audio is output through a loudspeaker.
FIG. 2 shows the arrangement of functional blocks in a conventional player 120 that can play back the data stream 10 shown in portion (a) of FIG. 1. The player 120 acquires respective packets of the data stream 10, decodes it to the video and audio elementary streams based on the packets acquired, and then outputs the reproduced video pictures and audio frames.
Now consider what processing needs to be done by the player 120 to read two data streams No. 1 and No. 2 back to back and to play back the video pictures and audio frames of each data stream. Each of these data streams has the data structure shown in portion (a) of FIG. 1. When a stream reading section 1201 reads these data streams back to back, a single data stream is transmitted into the player 120. Thus, in the following description, a data portion of this single data stream corresponding to. Data Stream No. 1 will be referred to herein as a "first interval", while another data portion thereof corresponding to Data Stream No. 2 will be referred to herein as a "second interval". Also, the point where the streams to play switch each other will be referred to herein as a "boundary". The boundary is the end point of the first interval and the start point of the second interval.
In a data stream, audio and video packets are multiplexed together. The audio and video packets to play back at the same time are arranged in series and transmitted as a data stream. Accordingly, if reading a data stream is stopped, then just the audio or the video may be present even though the audio and video should be played back synchronously with each other. As a result, one of the audio and video may have relatively short playback duration and the other relatively long playback duration. This phenomenon will occur in a portion of the boundary near the end point of the first interval described above. If such a data stream is decoded, then the video may have been played fully but the audio may be partially missing, or the audio may have been reproduced fully but the video may be partially missing, in the vicinity of the end point of the first interval (e.g., one second before the presentation end time of the first interval). In addition, since reading is started halfway even at the start point of the second interval, audio may be missing for a while after the video has started being played back or video may be missing for a while after the audio has started being reproduced.
Particularly if the video and audio of the first and second intervals are played back continuously, then audio and video, which belong to mutually different intervals before and after the boundary and which should not be played back synchronously with each other, happen to be played back at the same time. That is why the player 120 inserts a dummy packet in switching the objects to read. FIG. 3(a) shows a dummy packet 1304 inserted between the first and second intervals. A dummy packet inserting section 1202 inserts the dummy packet 1304 into the end of a data stream 1302 and then combines a data stream 1303 with the data stream 1302. In this manner, a data stream 1301, which can be divided into the first and second intervals at the dummy packet 1304, can be obtained.
The data stream 1302 for the first interval, dummy packet 1304, and data stream 1303 for the second interval are continuously supplied to a stream splitting section 1203. On receiving the data stream 1302 for the first interval, the stream splitting section 1203 separates audio packets (such as A11) and video packets (such as V11, V12, V13) from the stream 1302 and then sequentially stores them in a first audio input buffer 1205 and a first video input buffer 1212 while decoding them to the audio ES and video ES (i.e., while performing system decoding).
When the stream splitting section 1203 detects the dummy packet 1304, a first switch 1204 is turned, thereby connecting the stream splitting section 1203 to a second audio input buffer 1206. At the same time, a second switch 1211 is also turned, thereby connecting the stream splitting section 1203 to a second video input buffer 1213.
Thereafter, the stream splitting section 1203 separates audio packets (such as A21) and video packets (such as V21, V22, V23) from the data stream 1303 for the second interval and then sequentially stores them in the second audio input buffer 1206 and the second video input buffer 1213 while decoding them to the audio ES and video ES (i.e., while performing system decoding).
An audio decoding section 1208: reads the audio ES from the first audio input buffer 1205 by way of a third switch 1207, decodes it (i.e., performs elementary decoding), and then sends out resultant audio frame data to an audio output buffer 1209. An audio output section 1210 reads out the decoded audio frame data from the audio output buffer 1209 and outputs it.
Meanwhile, a video decoding section 1215 reads the video stream from the first video input buffer 1212 by way of a fourth switch 1214, decodes it (i.e., performs elementary decoding), and then sends out resultant video picture data to a video output buffer 1216. A video output section 1217 reads out the decoded video picture data from the video output buffer 1216 and outputs it.
The audio decoding section 1208 and video decoding section 1215 are controlled by an AV synchronization control section 1218 so as to start and stop decoding at designated timings. The audio output section 1210 and video output section 1217 are also controlled by the AV synchronization control section 1218 so as to start and stop outputting at designated timings.
When the respective video and audio packets have been read from the first interval, the third and fourth switches 1207 and 1214 are turned so as to connect the second audio input buffer 1206 to the audio decoding section 1208 and the second video input buffer 1213 to the video decoding section 1215, respectively. Thereafter, the same decoding and output processing is carried out just as described above.
FIG. 3(b) shows the timing relation between the respective presentation times of the audio and video streams 1305 and 1306 for the first interval and the audio and video streams 1307 and 1308 for the second interval. Each of these streams is supposed to be the elementary stream (ES) shown in portion (c) of FIG. 1. The presentation times of the audio frames and video pictures forming these streams are defined by the presentation time stamps APTS and VPTS as shown in portion (c) of FIG. 1.
As can be seen from FIG. 3(b), the presentation end time Ta of the audio stream 1305 does not agree with the presentation end time Tb of the video stream 1306 in the first interval. It can also be seen that the presentation start time Tc of the audio stream 1307 does not agree with the presentation start time Td of the video stream 1308 in the second interval, either.
A player that can play back a moving picture continuously before and after a skip point is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-36941, for example. This player will be referred to herein as a "first conventional example". Hereinafter, it will be described how to play back the video streams 1306 and 1308 shown in FIG. 3(b) continuously by using such a player.
As shown in FIG. 3(b), in the interval between the times Ta and Tb just before the boundary, the audio stream 1305 is missing. That is why the audio decoding section 1208 once stops decoding after having decoded the audio stream for the first interval. Next, the audio stream 1307 for the second interval is input from the second audio input buffer 1206 to the audio decoding section 1208.
In a part of the second interval between the times Tc and Td, the video stream 1308 is missing. That is why the portion of the audio stream between the times Tc and Td is not decoded but discarded. This discarding processing is carried out by the audio decoding section 1208 that shifts the reading address on the second input buffer 1206 to an address where a portion of data corresponding to the interval between the times Tc and Td is stored. This discarding processing can be done in a much shorter time than the processing of decoding the audio stream. Thus, the audio decoding section 1208 waits for the AV synchronization control section 1218 to instruct it to restart decoding the audio stream from the time Td on. Meanwhile, before the audio decoding section 1208 enters the standby state of waiting for the instruction to restart decoding from the time Td on, the video decoding section 1215 decodes and outputs the video stream up to the time Tb of the first interval.
Suppose the rest of the video stream from the post-boundary time Td on has been stored in the second video input buffer 1213 when the video stream has been decoded up to the time Tb. In that case, the video decoding section 1215 starts decoding the rest of the video stream from the time Td on immediately after having decoded the video stream up to the time Tb. As a result, the video up to the time Tb and the video from the time Td on are played back continuously. When the video stream restarts being decoded at the time Td, the AV synchronization control section 1218 activates the audio decoding section 1208 that has been in the standby mode, thereby making the decoding section 1208 start to decode the audio stream 1307 at the time Td. In this manner, the video streams can be played back continuously and the audio and video can be output synchronously with each other across the boundary.
Optionally, video can also be played back continuously across the boundary even by the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-281458 or Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 10-164512. For example, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-281458, a portion of the audio stream in the interval between the times Tc and Td shown in FIG. 3(b) is discarded by using presentation time stamps added to the audio streams 1305 and 1307, thereby realizing continuous playback across the boundary. It should be noted that by using the presentation time stamps, if a video stream is missing with respect to an audio stream, then a portion of the audio stream may be discarded. As a result, the load of processing the audio stream unnecessarily can be saved and the streams of the second interval can be read quickly. Consequently, the video can be played back continuously before and after the boundary.
According to the conventional technique, video can be played back continuously across the boundary but the video may sometimes be out of sync with audio. This problem will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b).
FIG. 4(a) shows a data stream 1401 for which three intervals are defined by two boundaries. The data stream 1401 includes two dummy packets No. 1 and No. 2. Dummy Packet No. 1 is inserted after an audio packet A11 of the data stream 1402 for the first interval. Thereafter, the data stream 1403 for the second interval is read out. Subsequently, Dummy Packet No. 2 is inserted after the last video packet V22 of the data stream 1403. And then the data stream 1404 for the third interval is read out.
It should be noted that only video packets V21 and V22 are included in the second interval and there is no audio packets there in this case. This means that a short interval corresponding to just several video frames at most is defined as the second interval and that there are no audio packets, which are long enough to be a decodable audio frame, within the data stream 1403 for that interval. Such an interval is generated when a data stream recorded in compliance with the MPEG-2 standard is edited with temporally very short intervals specified.
FIG. 4(b) shows the timing relation between the respective presentation times of audio and video streams 1405 and 1406 for the first interval, a video stream 1407 for the second interval, and audio and video streams 1408 and 1409 for the third interval. In FIG. 4(b), each stream is also supposed to be a stream that has been decoded down to the level of elementary stream (ES) shown in portion (c) of FIG. 1.
First, it will be described how to play back video. Before and after Boundary No. 1, picture data up to the video packet V11 of the first interval is stored in the first video input buffer 1212 and picture data of the video packets V21 and V22 of the second interval is stored in the second video input buffer 1213. Every data will be decoded sequentially after that to play back video continuously. Subsequently, after Boundary No. 2, the storage location of the video stream for the third interval is switched into the first video input buffer 1212 again. Data is decoded under a similar control to Boundary No. 1 and video is output continuously.
Next, audio reproducing processing will be described. First, at a time Ta, the audio decoding section 1208 once stops decoding and the storage location of the audio stream is changed from the first audio input buffer 1205 into the second audio input buffer 1206. Next, the data stream of the third interval is read out from the storage medium 121 and the audio stream of the third interval is stored in the second audio input buffer 1206.
The conventional player uses presentation time stamps to decode an audio stream and reproduce audio. If the presentation time stamp provided for the video stream 1407 for the second interval and the presentation time stamp provided for the video stream 1409 for the third interval simply increase (particularly when the values of the presentation time stamps increase monotonically in the interval between the times Tc and Tf), then the processing can be advanced smoothly. The audio decoding section 1208 and audio output section 1210 may stand by until the video decoding section 1215 and video output section 1217 finish their processing at the time Tf. Then, the audio decoding section 1208 and audio output section 1210 may start processing at the time Tf and output audio synchronously with the video.
However, the presentation time stamps provided for the data streams of the respective intervals is not regulated among the streams. That is why it is impossible to determine in advance, or predict, the magnitudes of the presentation time stamp values of the respective intervals. Accordingly, if the playback is controlled in accordance with the presentation time stamps, data that should not be discarded may be lost by mistake and other inconveniences may be caused, thus interfering with desired continuous playback. For example, supposing the value APTS_f of the presentation time stamp of the audio frame to be output at the time Tf is smaller than the value VPTS_c of the presentation time stamp of the video picture to be output at the time Tc, then the conventional player discards the audio stream for the third interval before or while the video of the second interval is played back. Particularly when APTS_f is much smaller than VPTS_c, a huge quantity of data of the audio stream of the third interval is discarded. In that case, even after the video of the third interval has started to be played back, no audio will be output at all.
Also, if the value APTS_f of the presentation time stamp at the time Tf is equal to or greater than the value VPTS_c of the presentation time stamp of the top video picture of the second interval and equal to or less than the value VPTS_d of the presentation time stamp of the last video picture, then the audio of the third interval, which should start being reproduced at the time Tf, starts being reproduced while the video of the second interval is being played back.
An object of the present invention is to play back audio and video synchronously with each other, with no time lag allowed between them, in playing a plurality of data streams continuously.

Data processing device and data processing method

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.


An improved ECL circuit in which reference voltages have been eliminated is provided. The base of the reference switching transistor which is usually connected to a reference voltage is instead connected to the emitter of an emitter follower transistor coupled to the input switching transistor. The need for a reference voltage is thus eliminated because the emitter of such emitter follower transistor, and thus the base of the reference switching transistor, will be at the opposite level of the input to the base of the input switching transistor.

This invention relates to emitter-coupled logic (ECL) circuits.
In a standard ECL circuit as shown in FIG. 1, two switching transistors 12 and 14 are connected at their emitters with the base of switching transistor 14 being connected to a reference voltage. The base of switching transistor 12 is connected to an input voltage. The connected emitters are connected to a current source transistor 24 which provides the current to the two switching transistors. The collectors of emitter-coupled transistors 12, 14 are connected via resistances to a power supply V.sub.cc. An output is obtained at the collector of each switching transistor upon application of an input voltage with one transistor providing a non-inverting output, and the other providing an inverting output. Each output is connected to an emitter follower transistor which isolates the switching transistor's collector from the output. The emitter of each emitter follower is the output and is also connected to a current source transistor.
The reference voltage is referenced to the V.sub.cc supply and is normally generated at a single spot in an ECL integrated circuit and supplied throughout the whole chip via a bus line. Thus, the reference level has a high capacitance associated with it due to the extent of bus routing required. Additionally, the use of a reference voltage requires more power for the circuit.
The V.sub.cc supply voltage can vary due to noise, particularly due to noise generated by a large number of outputs changing states at the same time. Because of the capacitance associated with the reference voltage lines, the reference voltage is slow to respond to noise on the V.sub.cc power supply line. Thus, during dynamic operation of the chip, malfunctions or oscillations can occur due to the V.sub.cc noise.
In addition, because of the noise present on the reference voltage line, the high and low levels used must be sufficiently far apart to provide a margin for such noise. This results in a large voltage swing and thus a slow switching time.
One solution to some of the problems of a reference voltage is shown in an article appearing in the February, 1977 issue of IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, entitled "Improved Feedback ECL Gate with Low Delay-Power Product for the Subnanosecond Region," authored by Hans-Martin Rein and Roland Ranfft which shows an ECL gate without a reference voltage (the "Rein circuit"). The base of the transistor usually connected to a reference voltage is instead coupled to the collector of the input switching transistor. The circuit shown, however, does not include the emitter follower transistors found in an ECL circuit. The Rein circuit is not suitable to drive capacitive loads because of the slow response time due to the collector resistance, R2, limiting the current which can charge a load capacitance.
The need for the reference voltage in the Rein circuit is eliminated by utilizing feedback from the collector of the input transistor to provide the reference voltage level. When the input is low, the input transistor is off and its collector is thus hgh, resulting in a high reference voltage. When the input changes to a high state, the input transistor turns on, simultaneously pulling its collector, and thus the reference voltage, low. Thus, the input will exceed the reference voltage and the transistor will switch states. A drawback, however, is that the high level of the output is reduced due to a voltage drop from current flowing through the collector resistor to the base of the reference transistor. This voltage drop is not present where a reference voltage is used and there is no such connection to the collector resistor. The voltage drop is increased by current flowing into a connected load. The lower high-level voltage makes the circuit more susceptible to noise and thus less reliable.
Noise is even a greater problem where two-level operation of ECL gates is used. In two-level operation, a first level of circuits operate between a logic low and high of given voltages. The second-level circuits operate between different low and high voltages.
An understanding of two-level circuits may be aided by considering the operation of an AND gate in two-level circuits. An AND gate would indicate a logic high only if both inputs were high, and otherwise would indicate a logic low. In two-level operation, the same rules apply except that the logic high of one input is at a different level than the logic high of the other input. Additionally, logic outputs are provided at each voltage level.
Two-level operation requires two reference voltage levels. Thus the problems discussed above for a single reference voltage are doubled. In addition, only two voltage levels are practical with a standard five-volt supply because of the need to provide sufficient separation between the high and low of each level to avoid noise problems.

ECL gate circuit having internally generated reference voltages


A cover fabric for a power transmission belt, the fabric woven from warp yarns and weft yarns; the warp yarns and weft yarns each plied from a first filament yarn and a second filament yarn; the first filament yarn comprising higher tensile strength fibers than the second filament yarn; and the fabric woven in a modified twill pattern. A toothed belt with the cover fabric on the teeth, oriented on a bias, with the fabric having a bias angle less than 90°.

This invention relates generally to toothed power transmission belts, more particularly to the use of bias woven two-component nonstretch fabric for the tooth covering for toothed belts, and specifically to a bias-oriented woven fabric for a tooth cover fabric wherein the warp and weft are blended aramid/nylon yarns, and the weave is a modified plain weave.
Toothed belts are used widely in automotive engine timing drives, and in various industrial power transmission applications. Toothed belts generally include an elastomeric body with a series of protruding teeth which mesh with matching grooved pulleys or sprockets. A tensile member is embedded in the belt body to restrict stretching and maintain tooth pitch. A tooth cover or jacket is provided to strengthen the teeth and provide abrasion resistance. The jacket is usually based on a cover fabric coated with one or more treatments such as adhesive dips, calendered coatings, and laminated layers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,343,666 discloses a toothed belt with a tooth jacket made from a piece of fabric, which is wrapped circumferentially around the cylindrical mold body to form the jacket of the individual belts. The fabric may be square woven, biased, stress-relieved or stretchable. Preferably, the elongation of the fabric should be at least 60% to insure that the fabric will completely conform to the shape of the grooves, without undue strain or rupture.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,519,590 discloses bias-cut-fabric covered power transmission belts wherein warp and weft threads are disposed between 90 and 180° included angle and disposed between 47.5 and 75° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt. Belts such as V-belts are described wherein the entire rubber core of the belt is covered with fabric.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,632,665 and 4,514,179 disclose tooth covering that is preferably a balanced cloth fabric consisting of nontextured warp and weft yarns preferably bias-cut so that the warp and weft yarns each make an angle of between 30 and 60 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis of the belt. Each yarn is made up of many filaments. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the cover consists of a wear-resistant fabric in which the warp and weft yarns are nylon and which is a "non-stretch" fabric. Also disclosed is a preforming method for making toothed belts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,883 discloses a V-belt suitable for clutching applications with a textile component employing any suitable or conventional type of textile material including weaves of warp and weft threads at any desirable angle of any natural or synthetic variety. In a preferred embodiment the fabric is a nylon/cotton blend bias-fabric weave with warp at an angle of 100 to 130° to the weft, and both oriented in a direction of about 57°±7° to the direction of travel or longitudinal direction of the belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,909,720 discloses a tooth cover may be of any desired configuration, including conventional weave with warp and weft and including cut on a bias, and using any of a laundry list of materials. The cloth canvas layers may be cloth made by plain weaving, twill weaving, satin weaving, or the like, using threads formed from cotton, polyamide fiber, polyethylene terephthalate fiber, or aramid fiber. The preferred embodiment utilizes nylon-66 woven stretch fabric. The only embodiment in the examples uses a single ply cotton canvas layer treated with an RFL solution.
U.S. Pat. Publ. No. 2009/0227406 A1 discloses a tooth cover may be of any desired configuration, including conventional weave with warp and weft and including cut on a bias, and using any of a laundry list of materials. The preferred embodiment disclosed, and the only embodiment in the examples, utilizes tooth fabric of nylon-66 woven fabric laminated with polyethylene film on the external tooth surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,427 discloses a method of making and treating bias cut fabric suitable for V-belt covers and hose reinforcing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,832,210 discloses a method of preparing bias cut fabric related to helically cutting strips of bias fabric from a length of tubular fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,530 discloses a method for producing continuous, spliceless bias fabric wherein warp and weft threads are disposed between 90 and 150° included angle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,323 discloses a slitting method and apparatus for making bias fabric.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,419 discloses tentering apparatus and a related method.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,235 discloses a method and weaving machine for continuously making bias-bound fabric applicable to engineering fabrics based on flat yarns.
U.S. Pat. Publ. No. 2010/0275764 discloses a woven fabric from yarns used in the manufacture of ballistic projectile or puncture resistant articles.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,605,014 and 4,343,666 also disclose methods of making toothed power transmission belts including various tooth preform methods.
It is not known or suggested to use a bias-oriented woven fabric for a belt tooth cover fabric wherein the warp and weft are blended aramid/nylon yarns and the weave is a modified plain weave or a modified twill weave or a modified satin weave.

Bias tooth fabric and toothed power transmission belt


A data processing device having a shutter opening and closing mechanism which operates within a path along which a minidisk MD moves to open a shutter only when it is necessary to open the shutter of the MD. A change-over mechanism for diverting the drive force for loading cassettes to the shutter opening and closing mechanism. A recording medium pushing mechanism is arranged to stop a recording medium from being taken out of the magazine to the carrier when there is a recording medium in the carrier. A recording medium take-in/eject mechanism able to reduce the space occupied, and a carrier mechanism which improves the working efficiency during assembly. This makes it possible to provide a data processing device with improved operating properties.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a data processing apparatus which carries out a predetermined processing operation on data recorded on a recording medium, for example, the recording or playing of data.
2. Description of Related Art
Compact disks (simply referred to as CDs hereinbelow) are widely known as recording media on which data is recorded. Recent years have seen the spread of so-called changing apparatuses configured in such a way that a plurality of media are stored in a storage section known as a magazine, a player equipped with such a magazine is stored inside the trunk of an automobile, and a console known as a control unit is placed near the driving seat in such a way as to allow any desired CD among those in the trunk to be selected and played back from the driving seat.
Meanwhile, recent years have seen proposals for mini disks (referred to as MDs hereinbelow) in a magneto-optical recording format, these being recording media in which the data-recording disk is stored in a cassette for protective purposes. An MD is not only able to play back recorded data, but is also able to record new data and to record by rewriting data which has already been recorded.
Conventional changing apparatuses of this type have had the following problems. First, when an MD is used as the recording medium, a shutter is provided on the cassette to provide access to the disk-shaped recording medium contained in the cassette, and an opening and closing mechanism for the shutter is positioned inside the carrier inside the apparatus. An opening and closing mechanism of this type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication HEI 5-174478, which has a configuration in which the shutter is opened in response to movement of the cassette inserted in the apparatus into the carrier. In other words, the shutter opening and closing mechanism is always present in the path along which the cassette moves and the cassette is therefore not able to pass beyond the carrier and move towards the back. This means that the magazine storing the cassettes cannot be positioned to the back of the carrier, which diminishes the freedom of design.
Further, in apparatuses of the prior art, the loading roller for transporting recording media inserted in the apparatus, and the shutter opening and closing mechanism have each been powered from separate power sources. In other words, changing apparatuses of the prior art have had at least two power sources, which complicates their construction.
Further, the shutter opening timing is synchronized with the insertion of the cassette into the carrier, and the shutter of a cassette in the carrier is therefore continually open. When a cassette is in the carrier, therefore, dust and dirt penetrate the cassette and contaminate the disk-shaped recording medium.
Further, the storage areas in the magazines in these apparatuses are built to extend upward in a perpendicular direction, and pushing mechanisms, which push the recording media to the carrier, are provided, one for each of the storage areas. A recording medium can be taken from the magazine to the carrier by operating a pushing mechanism and turning the loading roller.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional pushing mechanism equipped with a pushing lever 3. The magazine 14 is positioned inside the changing apparatus with its opening portion 140 close to the loading roller 13. A pushing lever 3 is provided with freedom to rotate about a shaft 3c to the back of the magazine 14, and it has a pushing portion 3a, for pushing the edge of a disk-shaped recording medium D, formed at one of its tips and a pushed portion 3b, which is pushed by the tip of a push operation member 4 described hereinbelow, formed at the other of its tips.
In the past, a pushing member drive mechanism has been provided on the frame supporting the loading roller 13 as the mechanism by which such a pushing mechanism is driven. This mechanism is provided with a push operation member 4 which is able to slide towards the magazine 14 as shown in FIG. 1. When the push operation member 4 slides towards the magazine 14, the tip pushes the pushed portion 3b of the pushing lever 3. This causes the pushing lever 3 to rotate in the clockwise direction in the figure, and the pushing portion 3a pushes the disk D towards the loading roller 13.
The above-mentioned pushing member drive mechanism may use an independent power source, but ones which use the loading roller 13 power source to prevent the construction of the mechanism from becoming too large and complicated are already known, being disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication HEI 3-230364.
In such changing apparatuses, the insertion slot and one of the storage areas in the magazine 14, normally the uppermost storage area, are positioned in the same plane when a cassette is inserted or removed via the insertion slot in the apparatus. Adopting such an arrangement makes it possible to achieve a straight line path for the transport of the cassette from the insertion slot to the magazine and to shorten the storage time when the cassette is stored in the highest storage area of the magazine.
When a cassette in the carrier is ejected outside the apparatus from the insertion slot using such a pushing member drive mechanism operated by the same drive motor as the loading roller 13, the operation of ejecting the cassette from the carrier and the operation of the pushing member drive mechanism occur at the same time.
Consequently, the loading roller 13 not only ejects cassettes in the carrier 12 from the insertion slot, but also cassettes which have been removed from the magazine 14, without leaving them in the carrier.
Mechanisms such as the one shown in Japanese Utility Model Application HEI 4-82016 are also known as mechanisms for ejecting recording media from a magazine. Conversely, mechanisms such as the one disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application HEI 4-82017 are known as mechanisms for taking in media. However, this is an inefficient use of space, since the take-in mechanism and the eject mechanism are provided separately in the stacker.
Further, because these mechanisms which are provided in the changing apparatus, which is to say the cassette loading mechanism, the shutter opening and closing mechanism, and the pushing member drive mechanism, are fitted above the carrier, there is an extremely large number of parts to be fitted and a consequent requirement for precise assembly work during assembly. This demands high-level assembly skills and has involved tedious assembly work and reduced efficiency in assembly.

Cartridge carrier assembly for loading and ejecting cartridges


A sheet metal workpiece is deformed by embossing or shearing over a patterned die plate, by placing the workpiece on the die plate, a slab of rubber or other elastomer on the workpiece, and passing between spaced parallel driven rollers.. A characteristic of the invention is the use of load rollers adjacent and on each side of the lower roller to support a carriage which itself supports the die plate so that the resilient forces imposed by the rubber do not curve the carriage and die plate.

The processes for the forming of sheet metal currently include the brake press forming of fold lines (or folding about fold lines with a folding machine), roll forming, or pressing either between two dies, one of which is male and the other female, or alternatively, pressing with a female die and rubber contained in a container to function as a semi-fluid and effect the pressing.
Roll forming and brake pressing is usually limited to the formation of constant cross-sectional shape articles, although it is known to have serrated or otherwise formed rollers on roll forming machines for effecting transverse as well as longitudinal deformation of the workpiece. Simple serrated rollers are relatively inexpensive, but rollers having more complex patterns thereon, for example, to provide a checker-plate effect, are very expensive and for this reason are not commonly used. As indicated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,280,359 TRUDELL and 2,966,873 HOFFMAN, it is known to press sheet metal against rubber in a large press, but many practical problems are encountered because of the huge presses required. For example, to press a two meter by one meter sheet of metal to a checker-plate configuration utilising the rubber male die technique would require a press of approximately 12000 ton capacity, a very large slab of rubber, and a container for containing the rubber around its edges when it functions as a semi-fluid during the pressing operation.
In the U.S. Pat. No. 2,528,540 OLDOFREDI there are described and illustrated two methods of ornamenting sheet metal, one of which incorporates a slab of rubber in a press and the other a rubber coated roller. The press arrangement is subject to the abovementioned disability of high pressure requirement, and experiments conducted by the inventor herein have established that a rubber covered roller is subject to the very serious disability that the peripheral length of the rubber greatly increases when high pressure applied against a workpiece reduces the radial thickness of the rubber at that point.
The closest prior art known to the inventor is the abandoned Australian application No. 43127/64 in the name of John Lysaght (Australia) Limited, wherein one embodiment suggested the use of a die sheet on which was placed a workpiece and a slab of cushioning material, the "sandwich" being passed between driven rollers, and supported front and rear on idler rollers of respective roll cases. Experiments have indicated that this process is suitable for embossing. thin sheet metal workpieces. It does not appear to be suitable for embossing or shearing thick metal workpieces (say above 0.040 inches or 1 mm. thickness), since the bending loads applied to a relatively unsupported die plate and carriage by the elastomer in front of and to the rear of the nip of the rollers impose such a heavy load that, either the die plate and carriage will bend, or the die plate and carriage will be of such size and weight that only low production rates will be achieved.
The main object of this invention is to provide a simple process and machine for the forming of sheet metal wherein transverse as well as longitudinal deformations may be effected, not only in very thin sheet metal, but in metal of a thickness which is useful for a wide range of applications, for example, in thicknesses greater than 0.020 inches or 0.5 mm.


A new variety of Hybrid Tea rose suitable for garden decoration, having flowers of light red/deep pink coloration.

This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of Hybrid Tea Rose. The varietal denomination of the new variety is 1 Wekfrag.` The plant is bushy and upright growing and may be cultivated for outdoor garden decoration. It was bred in Harbor City, Calif., and has an unknown seed parent and as its pollen parent the variety known as `Dolly Parton` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,608).


A method for providing a fast and reliable start-up of a fuel cell system. The method uses a stack voltage response to a load to assess if hydrogen and oxygen are being sufficiently distributed to all of the fuel cells by coupling an auxiliary load to the fuel cell stack until a predetermined minimum cell voltage has been reached or a first predetermined time period has elapsed. The method then determines whether a minimum cell voltage has dropped to a first predetermined voltage and, if so, reduces the maximum power allowed to be below the first predetermined voltage value, determines whether the minimum cell voltage in the stack is below a second predetermined voltage, or determines whether the minimum cell voltage drop rate is greater than a predetermined voltage drop rate. If none of these conditions are met, the method returns to loading the stack with system components.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method for providing fast and reliable fuel cell system start-ups and, more particularly, to a method for providing fast and reliable fuel cell system start-ups that includes coupling an auxiliary load to the fuel cell stack at start-up until a predetermined minimum cell voltage has been reached by a fuel cell in the stack or a predetermined period of time has elapsed.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Hydrogen is a very attractive fuel because it is clean and can be used to efficiently produce electricity in a fuel cell. A hydrogen fuel cell is an electro-chemical device that includes an anode and a cathode with an electrolyte therebetween. The anode receives hydrogen gas and the cathode receives oxygen or air. The hydrogen gas is dissociated in the anode to generate free protons and electrons. The protons pass through the electrolyte to the cathode. The protons react with the oxygen and the electrons in the cathode to generate water. The electrons from the anode cannot pass through the electrolyte, and thus are directed through a load to perform work before being sent to the cathode.
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are a popular fuel cell for vehicles. The PEMFC generally includes a solid polymer-electrolyte proton-conducting membrane, such as a perfluorosulfonic acid membrane. The anode and cathode typically include finely divided catalytic particles, usually platinum (Pt), supported on carbon particles and mixed with an ionomer. The catalytic mixture is deposited on opposing sides of the membrane. The combination of the anode catalytic mixture, the cathode catalytic mixture and the membrane define a membrane electrode assembly (MEA).
Several fuel cells are typically combined in a fuel cell stack to generate the desired power. For the automotive fuel cell stack mentioned above, the stack may include two hundred or more fuel cells. The fuel cell stack receives a cathode reactant gas, typically a flow of air forced through the stack by a compressor. Not all of the oxygen is consumed by the stack and some of the air is output as a cathode exhaust gas that may include water as a stack by-product. The fuel cell stack also receives an anode hydrogen reactant gas that flows into the anode side of the stack.
A fuel cell stack typically includes a series of bipolar plates positioned between the several MEAs in the stack, where the bipolar plates and the MEAs are positioned between two end plates. The bipolar plates include an anode side and a cathode side for adjacent fuel cells in the stack. Anode gas flow channels are provided on the anode side of the bipolar plates that allow the anode reactant gas to flow to the respective MEA. Cathode gas flow channels are provided on the cathode side of the bipolar plates that allow the cathode reactant gas to flow to the respective MEA. One end plate includes anode gas flow channels, and the other end plate includes cathode gas flow channels. The bipolar plates and end plates are made of a conductive material, such as stainless steel or a conductive composite. The end plates conduct the electricity generated by the fuel cells out of the stack. The bipolar plates also include flow channels through which a cooling fluid flows.
It has been proposed in the art to provide stack order switching or anode flow-shifting in a fuel cell system that employs split stacks. Particularly, valves and plumbing in the system are provided so that the anode exhaust gas exiting a first sub-stack is sent to the anode side of a second sub-stack, and the anode exhaust gas exiting the second sub-stack is sent to the anode side of the first sub-stack in a cyclical manner.
When a fuel cell system is shut down, un-reacted hydrogen gas remains in the anode side of the fuel cell stack. This hydrogen gas is able to diffuse through or cross over the membrane and react with the oxygen in the cathode side. As the hydrogen gas diffuses to the cathode side, the total pressure on the anode side of the stack is reduced below ambient pressure. This pressure differential draws air from ambient into the anode side of the stack. When the air enters the anode side of the stack it generates a hydrogen/air front that creates a short circuit in the anode side, resulting in a lateral flow of hydrogen ions from the hydrogen flooded portion of the anode side to the air-flooded portion of the anode side. This high ion current combined with the high lateral ionic resistance of the membrane produces a significant lateral potential drop (˜0.5 V) across the membrane. This produces a local high potential between the cathode side opposite the air-filled portion of the anode side and adjacent to the electrolyte that drives rapid carbon corrosion, and causes the carbon layer to get thinner. This decreases the support for the catalyst particles, which decreases the performance of the fuel cell.
At the next system start-up, assuming enough time has gone by, both the cathode and anode flow channels are generally filled with air. When hydrogen is introduced into the anode flow channels at system start-up, the hydrogen pushes out the air in the anode flow channels also creating a hydrogen/air front that travels through the anode flow channels. The hydrogen/air front causes a catalytic reaction along the length of the membrane in each fuel cell as the front moves that, in combination with the reaction across the membrane, creates a high electric voltage potential. This combined electric voltage potential is high enough to severely degrade the catalyst and the carbon particles on which the catalyst is formed, reducing the life of the MEAs in the fuel cell stack. Particularly, the reaction created by the hydrogen/air front in combination with the normal fuel cell reaction is orders of magnitude greater than only the fuel cell reaction across the membrane. For example, it has been shown that without addressing the degradation effects of the hydrogen-air front at system start-up, it only takes about 100 shutdown and start-up cycles to destroy the fuel cell stack in this manner.
It has been proposed in the art to reduce the degradation effect of the hydrogen/air front at system start-up by forcing hydrogen through the anode flow channels as quickly as possible so as to reduce the time that the degradation occurs. It has also been suggested to introduce hydrogen into the anode flow channels at a slow rate to provide active mixing of the air and hydrogen to eliminate the hydrogen/air front. It has also been proposed in the art to cool the fuel cell before removing the hydrogen from the anode flow channels. However, all of these solutions have not reduced the hydrogen/air degradation enough to provide a desired lifetime of the fuel cell stack. Particularly, moving the hydrogen/air front quickly does not completely eliminate the degradation of the catalyst, and requires over-sized piping and other components to rapidly purge the air from the anode flow channels. Introducing the hydrogen slowly at start-up has the disadvantage of requiring a recirculation pump that takes several minutes to completely remove the air from the anode flow channels. Further, requiring precise control of the amount of hydrogen into the anode flow channels is difficult to implement.
It has also been proposed in the art to provide a load across the fuel cell stack, such as a resistor, to reduce the electric potential generated by the hydrogen/air front. However, an extremely low resistance load will require electrical components with a high power rating. Also, flow and balancing between cells in a fuel cell stack can result in corrosion to the cell anodes. Furthermore, in most embodiments, a resistor is typically not sufficient on its own to minimize carbon corrosion.
The ideal fuel cell system start-up method purely from a speed and reliability perspective would be to flow hydrogen at a very high flow rate through the split stacks in parallel and then out of the anode exhaust. Reliability is a function of cell voltage, and those cells at system start-up that included significant air in the anode flow channels could cause a very low, possibly negative, cell voltage. The flow rate would be high enough that any water blocking the anode flow fields will be forced out of the stack. Also, any start-up degradation from the hydrogen/air front would be low because the front speed would be so fast. However, a problem exists in that the anode exhaust may have a relatively high concentration of hydrogen, possibly causing a combustible mixture. Such high anode flow rates would therefore require additional system components, such as combustors, accumulators, etc., resulting in a complex system.
It has been proposed in the art to fill the anode manifold with hydrogen at system start-up, and then evenly flow hydrogen gas through the anode flow channels. However, it has been shown that this type of purge does not alone provide even hydrogen flow through the cells, so additional actions may be needed. This is a result of air still existing in the hydrogen flow channels, especially at cold start.

Method for fast and reliable fuel cell system start-ups