A system is disclosed including an AC sensor for providing an AC sensor signal based upon AC on AC lines, a DC sensor for providing a DC sensor signal based upon DC, and a fault detector for providing a fault indicating signal based upon a difference between the AC sensor signal and the DC sensor signal.

The present invention relates to the detection of faults in electrical circuits and, more particularly, to the detection of faults in circuits which have both AC and DC sections.
Detection of faults in electrical and/or electronic circuits is becoming increasingly important in many applications, especially in those applications where faults can have severe results. For example, failure to detect a fault in the electrical power generation equipment on board aircraft may result in more complex and expensive power generation systems and damage to the electrical utilization loads on board the aircraft. It is advantageous, therefore, to detect faults whether they occur in the electrical power generation apparatus itself or in other elements of the electrical system.
The electrical power generation system of an aircraft typically includes an alternator or generator driven by a prime mover such as an engine of an aircraft. The output of the generator or alternator is connected through a rectifying bridge in order to convert the AC supplied by the generator or alternator into DC. This DC can be used directly by the DC loads of the aircraft and can also be inverted into constant frequency AC for supply to the aircraft's AC loads. One of the most common faults in electrical power generation equipment of this type is a short of one of the diodes in the AC to DC converter. A shorted diode in the AC to DC converter can introduce AC onto the DC load bus resulting in damage to the DC loads. A shorted diode can also result in high phase currents from the generator or alternator which can potentially cause further damage to the AC to DC converter, low line-to-line AC voltage, and a high DC ripple voltage to the DC to AC inverter which can cause the inverter to produce harmonics requiring heavy and expensive harmonic filters. These consequences make it necessary to detect and disconnect a rectifier bridge with a shorted diode in as short a time as possible. Preferably, the sensing circuit should react in less time than the switching time of the switch which disconnects the converter from the DC bus in response to the sensing circuit.
Measuring the output of the converter alone may be insufficient in order to detect a fault in the converter. For example, a shorted diode in the converter may result either in relatively little change in the magnitude of the DC output from the converter or in a decrease in DC current which could have resulted from changing load conditions instead of a fault in the AC to DC converter. Therefore, it is necessary to sense parameters involved in the conversion of AC into DC which will provide a useful indication of a fault in a converter.


Aspects of the disclosure provide for increasing the capacity of ternary content addressable memories (TCAMs). For example, one aspect provides a method for adding rules to a TCAM, wherein the TCAM comprises multiple configurable banks. According to this method, a range of candidate banks in which the proposed rule may be stored is identified based on a priority of the proposed rule, and one of the candidate banks is selected for storing the proposed rule based on a width of the proposed rule and widths of the candidate banks. Another aspect provides a method for deleting one or more rules from a TCAM comprising multiple configurable banks. According to this method, once the rule is deleted, the bank from which it was deleted may be reduced in width, and therefore increased in capacity. For example, wider rules stored in this bank may be relocated to other banks using the method for adding rules to a TCAM.

A Ternary Content Addressable Memory ("TCAM") is a type of computer memory used in certain high speed searching applications, such as routing information through a network. It is designed such that it receives a data word (e.g., a key in a packet header) and performs parallel matches of that word against every entry in the TCAM in a single clock cycle. Each TCAM entry can store a flow rule comprising a key, an action, and a priority.
TCAMs are often used in network routers. In many routers, the TCAMs may be organized into banks, each of which comprises a set of TCAM entries. The banks may have variable widths, where the width is inversely proportional to a capacity of the bank. For example, a bank may support 1000 entries of 72 bits, 512 entries of 144 bits, or 256 entries of 288 bits. An incoming packet is matched against all entries in all banks. If the packet matches multiple TCAM entries in a bank, the entry of lowest index (e.g., highest priority) is selected and its action is applied to the packet. If the packet matches multiple entries from multiple TCAM banks, the entry of lowest index in the bank of lowest index is selection and its action is applied to the packet.
TCAMs have been widely used in routers, switches, and network security appliances of high speed networks to implement packet flow rules, e.g., access control list ("ACL") call rules. They may be used for various applications, including packet filtering, forwarding, traffic load balancing and shaping.

Increasing capacity in router forwarding tables


A composition and method for releasing a bio-active agent or a drug within a biological environment in a controlled manner is disclosed. The composition is a dual phase polymeric agentxe2x80x94delivery composition comprising a continuous biocompatible gel phase, a discontinuous particulate phase comprising defined microparticles and an agent to be delivered. A microparticle containing a bio-active agent is releasably entrained within a biocompatible polymeric gel matrix. The bioactive agent release may be contained in the microparticle phase alone or in both the microparticles and the gel matrix. The release of the agent is prolonged over a period of time, and the delivery may be modulated and/or controlled. In addition, a second agent may be loaded in some of the microparticles and/or the gel matrix.

The present invention is drawn toward a bioactive agent delivering system that allows for the prolonged and controlled release of a bioactive agent within an in vitro or in vivo environment. More specifically, the present invention comprises a biodegradable gel matrix and a microparticle system wherein the microparticle is embedded in the biodegradable gel matrix, from which the bioactive agent is released in a controlled manner. The bioactive agent may be located within the microparticle only, or within both the microparticle and the gel matrix.
Many biologically active macro-molecules such as peptides/proteins and DNA, effective for gene therapy and a variety of therapeutic applications, have become commercially available through advances in recombinant DNA and other technologies. However, these molecules are limited to parenteral administration due to their susceptibility to degradation in the gastrointestinal tract. Treatment for chronic illnesses or indications may require multiple injections per day over many days, or months. Patient compliance is usually poor. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to develop a system for the delivery of bioactive agents or drugs, in particular, polypeptide or protein drugs, at a controlled rate over a sustained period of time without the above mentioned problems. This system would help to optimize the therapeutic efficacy, minimize the side effects, and thereby improve patient compliance.
Attempts to maintain a steady level of medication using biodegradable polymers have recently attracted considerable attention. These polymers are biodegradable and do not require retrieval after the medication is exhausted. Therefore, they can be fabricated into microspheres, microcapsules or nanospheres with the drug encapsulated within. Various micro-encapsulation techniques incorporating a bio-active agent into a microparticle carrier are taught in the art, e.g. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,652,441; 5,100,669; 4,438,253 and 5,665,428.
However, burst release of the drug is often observed immediately after administration of the microparticle delivery system. Release of the agent from a microparticle delivery system comprises an initial burst release from the surface of the device. Much higher than normal therapeutic levels of medication in the blood resulting from the burst effect of a microparticle system can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, delirium and, sometimes, death. Similar situations can occur when the polymer matrix is catastrophically eroded. Moreover, microparticle dosage forms are not retrievable should an adverse effect occur.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a bio-active agent delivery system that reduces the xe2x80x9cburst releasexe2x80x9d problem by incorporating the microparticle in a biocompatible, environmentally sensitive polymeric gel matrix. As such, the polymer gel would act as a secondary release barrier for the bio-active agent, reducing the effect of burst release. The microparticle-polymer gel bio-agent delivery system of the present invention provides better control of bio-active agent delivery than either the microparticles or the polymeric gel alone would. In addition, since the microparticles are entrapped and localized, retrieval of the microparticel-gel system, if needed, is relatively easy.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dosage form that comprises a drug containing microparticle delivery system, which is suspended in a gelling solution. Upon administration within the body of a human or other warm-blooded animal the gel sets forming a depot and entrapping therein the drug-containing microparticles.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a controlled drug delivery system for the parenteral administration of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, protein and peptide drugs, and oligo-nucleotides over an extended period.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a drug delivery system that reduces the xe2x80x9cburstxe2x80x9d effect associated with microparticle delivery systems, improves the bioavailability and duration of action.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dosage form that can suspend the microparticles effectively and prevent plugging of hypodermic needles during administration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a dosage form that localizes the microparticles in a gel depot that is easy to identify and retrieve should surgical removal become necessary or prescribed.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a bio-active agent delivery system that localizes and protects the bio-active agent containing microparticles from enzyme degradation.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a bio-active agent delivery system that enables the practioner to modulate release of the bio-active agent into the biological environment.
A further object of this invention is to provide a drug delivery system for the parenteral administration of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, peptide and protein drugs, hormones, genes, oligonucleotides and anti-cancer agents.
These and other objects may be accomplished through a bio-active agent delivery system that combines two bio-active agent delivery technologies, namely, microparticle delivery and polymeric gel delivery. The agent delivery system of the present invention comprises a gel matrix and a microparticle system wherein the microparticle system is embedded in the gel matrix. One or more agents to be delivered may be located in the microparticle alone or both in the microparticle and the gel matrix. The microparticle-gel delivery system of the present invention can release the agent over a prolonged period of time, at a relatively constant rate. The release profile of the system can be modified by altering the microparticle and/or the gel composition. The gel solution is surface active and slightly more viscous than normal saline. Therefore, it can be a wetting agent and, at the same time, an excellent suspending agent for microparticles. This suspension can be injected smoothly without clogging while using a relatively small-gauge needle. After injection, the gel sets and localizes the microparticle suspended in it. The agent encapsulated in the microparticle must be released from the microparticle before traveling through the gel matrix and entering the biological system. Therefore, the immediate release, or the burst, associated with microparticle delivery systems can be reduced and modulated. Since the release rates of the agent from these two systems can be quite different, embedding microparticles in the gel phase offers additional modulation and economical use of the agent. The benefits include higher bioavailability and longer duration of action than either system when used alone. Moreover, the combined system can improve the safety of microparticle dosage form. Since the microparticles are localized by the gel they can be surgically retrieved should one decide to terminate the medication delivery for any reason.
Artificial or natural microparticles including microcapsules, microspheres, and nanospheres contain the bio-active agent to be delivered to the body. Any bio-active agent having the ability to be contained and released by these microparticles may be used. The microparticles are then incorporated into a biocompatible polymeric gel that is capable of releasing the microparticles and/or bioactive material within the biological environment, in a controlled manner.
Additional objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following summary and detailed description of the various embodiments making up this invention.

Bioactive agent delivering system comprised of microparticles within a biodegradable to improve release profiles


Two voltage pumps, or a single voltage pump having two pump circuits, are given wherein one pump, or pump circuit, produces a normal pumped voltage and the other pump, or pump circuit, produces an intermediate pumped voltage which is less than the normal pumped voltage but still greater than the supply voltage. The intermediate pumped voltage may be used quite effectively for signals such as Bias, EQ, ISO, or at any other point on the die that needs a pumped voltage that is not as high as the voltage that the access devices require. The bus used to route the pumped voltage may be split to enable both the pumped voltage and the intermediate pumped voltage to be routed without requiring an additional bus or changes to existing masks. Methods of operating multiple voltage pumps and supplying a full pumped voltage and an intermediate pumped voltage are also given.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to voltage pumps and, more particularly, to voltage pumps and methods of operating voltage pumps used in memory devices.
2. Description of the Background
Pump circuits are commonly used to create voltages that are more positive or more negative than available supply voltages. Two types of voltage pumps that are commonly used in memory devices, such as Dynamic Random Access Memories (DRAM), are a Vcc pump which generates a boosted word line voltage and a Vbb pump which generates a negative substrate bias voltage. The Vcc pump is built primarily from nMos transistors while the Vbb pump is built from pMos transistors.
The operation of a voltage pump will now be explained with reference to a simple voltage pump circuit illustrated in FIG. 1. For this positive voltage pump circuit, consider that for one phase of a pump cycle the clock signal CLK is high. During this phase, node A is at ground potential and node B is clamped to source voltage Vcc minus Vth, which is the voltage drop across transistor M1. The charge stored in capacitor C1 is given by the following equation:
Q1=C1(Vccxe2x88x92Vth)coulombs
During the second phase, the clock CLK will transition low, which brings node A high. As node A rises to the source voltage Vcc, node B begins to rise above Vcc minus Vth, shutting off transistor M1. At the same time, as node B rises one Vth above Vload, transistor M2 begins to conduct. The charge from capacitor C1 is transferred through transistor M2 and shared with capacitor Cload. That action effectively pumps charge into the capacitor Cload and ultimately raises the output voltage Vout. During subsequent clock cycles, the voltage pump continues to deliver charge to the capacitor Cload until the voltage Vout equals the peak voltage occurring at node B. A simple negative voltage pump could be built from the circuit of FIG. 1 by substituting pMos transistors for the two nMos transistors shown and moving their respective gate connections.
As supply voltage drops, charge pump efficiency decreases dramatically. When supply voltage drops to approximately 1.8 volts, efficiency of the charge pumps drops to around 15 percent. That means it takes six mA of supply voltage (Vcc) current to supply one mA of pumped voltage (Vccp) current. Additionally, more array signals need to be boosted above the supply voltage to maintain desired array performance. Examples of signals which require boosting include the signal used to bias the bit lines (Bias), to equilibrate the sense amplifiers (EQ), and to isolate the sense amplifiers (ISO), which are signals well known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
For large parts, such as a memory having 256 megabits of storage, boosting all of those signals to Vccp approaches 8 mA of Iccp current, or 40 mA of Vcc current. That demand requires the use of much larger voltage pumps or more voltage pumps. Also, a wider bus is needed to carry the greater current demanded. Providing larger pumps or more pumps, as well as wider distribution buses, takes up valuable space. Additionally, different conditions place different demands on the boosted voltage Vccp. For example, during test modes, or refresh, there may be a much greater demand for the boosted voltage then during normal operation. Sizing voltage pumps to deliver the necessary increased voltage for these special situations results in inefficient operation of the voltage pump during normal operation. Accordingly, the need exists for a voltage pump which can deliver the necessary pumped voltages while at the same time maintaining a high degree of efficiency.
The present invention solves the problems found in the prior art by providing two voltage pumps, or a single voltage pump having two pump circuits, with one pump or pump circuit having as its target value the normal pumped voltage Vccp and the other pump or pump circuit having as its target value an intermediate pumped voltage which is less than Vccp but still greater than the supply voltage Vcc. That intermediate pumped voltage may be referred to as Vcca.
With the intermediate pumped voltage Vcca at, for example, 0.8 volts above the supply voltage Vcc, or little more than an n-channel Vt above Vcc, the intermediate pumped voltage may be used quite effectively for Bias, EQ, ISO, or at any other point on the die that needs a pumped voltage, but not a pumped voltage as high as the 1.5-1.8 volts above Vcc that the access devices require. With the intermediate pumped voltage Vcca at about 0.8 volts above the supply voltage Vcc, pump efficiency returns to over 30 percent. By its very nature, less current is needed as the voltage delta is lower. On a part such as a 256 megabit design, an overall 10 percent of operating Vcc current will be saved. Additionally, fewer charge pumps will be needed. Bus size difference is very little, as the existing Vccp bus is cut into two buses at different potentials; one portion of the split bus being at the full pumped voltage Vccp while the other portion of the split bus is at the intermediate pumped voltage Vcca. Those advantages and benefits, and others, will become apparent from the Description of the Preferred Embodiments hereinbelow.


A hand-portable position locating radio has a geolocation (e.g. GPS) receiver providing local position and timing information from geolocation means (e.g. GPS or IRIDIUM satellites) and a local transceiver for sending local position and other information to a communication system (e.g., an IRIDIUM or MILSAT satellite). A data processor coupled to the local transceiver and receiver controls operation of the device, including storing local position information and separating signals broadcast by the communication system into those intended or not intended for the device. The radio prepares an emergency access message which it sends to the satellite communication system in a manner to insure rapid detection of the emergency signal and allocation of a clear channel and time slot for further communication.

There is an ongoing need for portable radios, especially hand-portable radios, that allow a user to communicate with an airborne or satellite transceivers, where the communication includes information on the location of the user. While such radios have many uses, they are especially important in emergencies or other situations where knowledge of the location of the radio by third persons is important.
Emergency and search and rescue radio location systems are known in the art. In one prior art arrangement known as the SARSAT System, an emergency radio transmitter continuously broadcasts a beacon signal at 406 MHz. The beacon signal is picked up and recorded by a SARSAT satellite moving in low earth orbit. Later on in its orbit, the SARSAT satellite passes over a command and control base station to which it downloads the recorded signals picked up from continuous transmitter.
The Doppler shift of recorded signal as it approached, crossed over and receded from the beacon transmitter is analyzed in the base station and the zero Doppler time determined. By knowing the orbital location of the SARSAT satellite at the zero Doppler time, a line of position of the beacon transmitter is found. After several passes an approximate slant range and approximate position of the beacon transmitter on the earth's surface can be determined. The approximate position is then communicated to a rescue unit which then commences a local area search. This approach has a number of weaknesses well known in the art. For example, the position of the emergency beacon transmitter is known only approximately and there is a substantial time lag between initiation of the emergency transmitter and the local position determination.
In another prior art emergency rescue system, a mobile emergency radio sends a signal directly to a local rescue unit to allow the local rescue unit to home in on the position of the emergency radio. While such units are effective, they suffer from a number of limitations well known in the art, as for example, the rescue unit must be within range of the radio (typically line of sight) before any indication of the presence of radio can be obtained, the rescue unit must carry direction finding equipment in order to home in on the radio, and considerable time may be required to locate the emergency radio.
In a third prior art emergency rescue system, a standard marine radio transceiver is coupled to a LORAN or OMEGA or satellite geolocation receiver provided with a speech synthesizer. When an emergency switch on the system is activated, the normal transceiver functions are disabled and it transmits a synthesized speech "Mayday" voice call and synthesized voice stating the latitude and longitude, on the emergency channel. Other information about the vessel or emergency may also be rendered in voice by the speech synthesizer and transmitted at the same time. A provision is made so that the emergency transmitter can be disabled remotely by a signal sent to the unit. A difficulty with this system is that it has very limited range, announces the position of the emergency unit in plain language by voice, takes a substantial time to communicate the position of the emergency unit and can be disabled by a remote signal.
Thus, there continues to be a need for an improved radio suitable for communication, especially one that automatically provides accurate information on its local position, and that communicates with a global communication network.


A medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging method and system subdivide the transmit aperture into two or more subapertures, each subaperture having at least four adjacent transducer elements. The subapertures are phased differently with respect to one another to selectively reduce either fundamental components or harmonic components of echoes from tissue. These techniques can be used to improve contrast agent harmonic imaging as well as tissue harmonic imaging, depending upon the phase shift selected.

I. This invention generally relates to ultrasound imaging systems. In particular, the invention relates to improved systems and methods for imaging using harmonic frequency signals.
Ultrasound imaging systems generate and transmit ultrasound signals. The systems typically have several imaging modes, such as B-mode, color flow, and spectral Doppler.
The transmitted ultrasound signals have optimal characteristics set in response to the selected mode. The characteristics include frequency and bandwidth. As an example, B-mode imaging uses transmitted signals with a wide bandwidth and high frequency. As another example, color flow imaging uses transmitted signals with narrow bandwidth and lower frequency as compared to B-mode imaging.
Another type of imaging is harmonic imaging. Harmonic imaging is generally associated with imaging tissue or contrast agents at harmonic frequencies.
Typically, the transmitted ultrasound signal is a burst of sinusoidal waves associated with rectangular or sinusoidal transmit waveforms applied to the transducer. The transmitted signal has a center frequency within the 1 to 15 MHz range. The ultrasound signal propagates through a body. The ultrasound signal reflects off structures within the body, such as tissue boundaries. Some of the reflected signals, or echo signals, propagate back towards the transducer.
As the transmit signal propagates through and scatters within the body, additional frequency components are generated, such as at harmonics of the transmit frequency. These additional frequency components continue to propagate through and reflect off structures in the body. Echo signals having the same frequencies as the transmit signal and echo signals associated with the additional frequency components impinge on the transducer. The additional frequency components are caused by non-linear effects, such as non-linear propagation.
The harmonic signals may also be generated by ultrasound contrast agents. The contrast agents are typically gas or fluid filled micro-spheres which resonate at ultrasound frequencies. The contrast agents are infected in the blood stream and carried to various locations in the body. When insonified, harmonic echo signals are generated due to resonance within the contrast agents.
The echo signals are received, processed and detected by the ultrasound system. For harmonic imaging, energies associated with fundamental or transmit frequencies are removed by receive filtering. Thus, echo signals resulting from non-linear propagation and reflection are detected by the ultrasound system. However, the transmitted burst may include significant energy at the harmonic frequencies. The transmitted energy masks the non-linear response of the body and interferes with the harmonic signals from any contrast agents.
To improve harmonic imaging, it is known to reduce the energy at the harmonic in the transmit burst. The energy at the harmonic is reduced by generating a Gaussian envelope, complex sinusoidal waveform for each channel of a transducer. However, transmit beamformers capable of generating such a complex waveform require expensive components.
The present invention is directed to further improvements that enhance the imaging of the non-linear response of a body.
II. The present invention relates to medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging systems, and in particular to transmit techniques that selectively suppress fundamental or harmonic energy in the backscattered signal.
Previous methods used to reject the fundamental signal component in tissue harmonic imaging are classical filtering and two-pulse methods. In the two-pulse method (Chapman U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,277, Hwang U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,819), two pulses are transmitted in sequence, the second being substantially identical to the first but inverted. The received signals are then added at some point in the receive signal path prior to amplitude detection. The result is a reduction in the level of the fundamental component of the signal and an increase in the second harmonic component.
Previous methods used to reject the tissue harmonic signal component in contrast agent imaging include waveform pre-distortion. In waveform pre-distortion, a second harmonic component is included in the signal that is launched from the transducer in order to cancel the tissue harmonic signal. Such an approach requires the functional form of the transmit signal to be dependent upon the transmit power level, the transmit aperture, and other parameters. In addition, the waveform pre-distortion method only suppresses the tissue harmonic signal over a limited range.

Medical ultrasonic diagnostic imaging method and apparatus


A process for the preparation of oriented, ceramic oxides from a bilayer structure of a polycrystalline superconducting ceramic oxide and a second ceramic oxide material having a lower melting point than the superconducting ceramic oxide. The process comprises the steps of preparing a substrate, depositing the superconducting ceramic oxide and second ceramic oxide in alternate layers, and heat treating the resulting composite structure to obtain an oriented structure whereby the c-axes of the unit cells of the crystallites are predominantly normal to the surface of the substrate.

A. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to oriented, polycrystalline, high-temperature superconducting ceramic oxides and, more particularly, to a process for preparing such superconductors from bilayer structures.
B. Description of Related Art
Superconductors are materials that, at sufficiently low temperatures and for sufficiently weak magnetic fields, have zero electrical resistivity. Absent electrical resistivity and the heat such resistivity creates, it would theoretically be possible for a superconductor to carry very large currents. As the current carried by a superconductor increases, however, a stronger and stronger magnetic field is self-generated until the critical magnetic field, above which the superconductor reverts to a normal conducting state with commensurate resistivity, is exceeded. Thus, there is a limit, the critical current density, to the amount of current a superconductor can carry.
High-temperature superconductors (those which superconduct above 77 Kelvin) are structurally related to the crystallographic family known as perovskites, ceramics that have a distinct atomic arrangement and that are found as common natural materials. Both natural and synthetic perovskites exhibit a wide range of electrical properties. One such property in the perovskites which are superconducting, the critical current density, is of great importance in the practical application of high-temperature superconductors.
Although the new, high-temperature superconductors have potential use at temperatures much higher than the extremely low temperatures required for superconduction by their older counterparts, they are inferior in other ways. Specifically, unlike older superconductors, the new, high-temperature superconductors lose their superconductivity under relatively small loads when polycrystalline and, consequently, are unable to carry sufficient current for practical applications. Researchers are now attempting to develop high-temperature superconductors having sufficiently high critical current densities for use in practical applications; no matter how high the critical temperature of a superconductor, it is practically useless unless able to support a useful flow of electric current.
A new, promising, high-temperature superconducting material is, for instance, the ceramic oxide YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-x (0<x<0.5). This material is designated the "123 superconductor" because the atomic ratios of Y:Ba:Cu are approximately 1:2:3. The 123 superconductor normally is a highly twinned orthorhombic phase, which is believed responsible for superconduction, and is closely related to a tetragonal, nonsuperconducting phase (YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.6). The only significant difference between the nonsuperconducting, oxygen-deficient phase and the superconducting phase is the presence in the superconducting phase of Cu--O--Cu chains along the b-axis direction on the a-c faces of the unit cell.
The 123 superconductor, like many of the new, high-temperature superconductors, is anisotropic meaning that crystals of the material conduct current better in one direction than in other directions. Some high-temperature superconductors can carry current thirty times more readily in one direction than in another direction. Because superconductivity is inhomogeneous on an atomic scale and localized to specific layers, current in the 123 superconductor flows poorly in one direction (the vertical direction, or c-axis of the unit cell, where c is the longest unit cell dimension) and easily in two directions (the a-b plane). In a polycrystalline material, the structure consists of an assembly of small, individual crystallites, whose relative orientation to each other may vary. Thus, orientation of the individual crystals in a bulk sample (as opposed to a single crystal) of the polycrystalline material is critical in determining the electrical properties.
Moreover, additional metallurgical characteristics of the various phases and their interfaces (such as phase boundaries, grain boundaries, defects, and impurities) may limit the current-carrying capacity. For example, grains tend to line up randomly in bulk materials and current has a difficult time flowing through randomly oriented grains. J. Mannhart, P. Chaudhari, D. Dimos., C. C. Tsuei & T. R. Mc Guire, Critical Currents in [001]Grains and Across Their Tilt Boundaries in YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7 Films, Phys Rev. Lett. 61 2476 (1988). Impurities (such as the carbonates which form easily in Ba-containing compounds) lying between grains in bulk samples also make it harder for current to pass from grain to grain, which lowers the critical current density. Again, the growth orientation of the crystals in a polycrystalline material is important.
With proper, preferred orientation or texture of the crystals, a superconductor such as the 123 superconductor develops a path or track through its internal structure along which electrons are free to pass. The preferred orientation or texture has been shown for very thin films, those less than 1 micrometer thick, to have the c-axis perpendicular to the film surface. Such an orientation produces high critical current. Thus, the metallurgical formation of the material directly affects critical current density. Normally, when a thick 123 superconductor coating is deposited on a substrate material, as by plasma spraying, and is given a conventional heat treatment, the crystals form a random polycrystalline array.
For reasons discussed above, high critical current density can be obtained in the 123 superconductor only when there is a continuous current path along the base plane of the unit cell. Thus, a necessary condition to attain a high critical current density in polycrystalline superconducting ceramic oxides such as the 123 superconductor is to achieve the proper orientation in such materials. Specifically, the 123 superconductor must have an orientation in which the c-axis of the unit cell is oriented normal to the substrate material (and to the plane of the superconductor film). This condition is necessary but not sufficient to achieve high critical current density. It is also required that the remaining boundaries between grains have no greater misfit than is described by semi-coherent theory (i.e., there must be a significant fraction of coherent boundaries) and that the boundaries be free of impurities, inclusions, and all other foreign matter that hinders the super current transport.
A number of processes have been developed to produce oriented superconducting ceramic oxides like the 123 superconductor. One method consists of introducing an additive, Ag.sub.2 O, in powder form to the 123 superconductor ceramic oxide powder during processing. A modest increase in the critical current density by a factor of up to five is obtained. The increase is attributed to an increase in the orientation or texture (grain alignment) of the polycrystalline samples. M. K. Malik, V. D. Nair, A. R. Biswas & R. V. Raghavan, Texture Formation and Enhanced Critical Current in YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7, Appl. Phys. Lett. 52 (18), 1525-27 (May 2, 1988).
In another method, oriented thin films of 123 superconductors, with crystallites having the c-axis of the unit cell normal to the plane of the superconductor film, have been produced by sputtering and evaporation onto substrates such as SrTiO.sub.3 and MgO. P. Chaudhari, R. H. Koch, R. B. Laibowitz, T. R. Mc Guire & R. J. Gambino, Critical Current Measurements in Epitaxial Films of YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7-X Compound, Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 2684 (1987); D. S. Yee, R. J. Gambino, M. Chisholm, J. J. Cuomo, P. Madakson & J. Karasinski, Critical Current and Texture Relationships in YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7 Thin Films, AIP Conf. Proc. No. 165, at 132 (J. M. E. Harper, R. J. Colton & L. C. Feldman eds. 1988) (from Topical Conference on Thin Film Processing and Characterization of High T.sub.c Superconductors, Anaheim, Calif., Nov. 8, 1987). The polycrystalline substrates which are typically used in plasma spray deposition processes, however, do not afford the possibility of such epitaxial growth.
In fact, the substrate or base layer must be carefully matched with the superconductor in existing thin film applications. Ideally, the substrate's crystalline structure should be identical to that of the superconductor so that the thin film can be deposited with a minimum of flaws and dislocations. Moreover, when the substrate interdiffuses with the superconductor during the annealing phase of processing, the superconductivity may degrade. Degradation may result because superconductors are very sensitive to an influx of foreign atoms. For example, interdiffusion can completely destroy superconductivity if the substrate contains even just a few percent silicon.
Melt-textured growth, or directional spherulitic growth, processing represents still another method available to achieve orientation. Conventional processing of ceramic oxide superconductors includes a sintering step in which the superconductor is fired at relatively low temperatures (about 700.degree. C. for the 123 superconductor) to sinter individual grains together. The sintered material exhibits a somewhat porous, fine-grained, and randomly oriented microstructure.
Using melt-textured growth, in contrast, the superconductor is melted at very high temperatures (about 1050.degree.-1200.degree. C. for the 123 superconductor) and slowly cooled to obtain directional solidification. The resulting material consists of long, needle-like crystals and grains that are preferentially aligned in roughly the same direction. The material is also more dense and shows enhanced decomposition of unwanted impurities relative to the sintered material. These considerable microstructural changes, caused by the melt-textured growth process, are reflected in a significantly increased critical current density. S. Jin, T. H. Tiefel, R. C. Sherwood, M. E. Davis, R. B. van Dover, G. W. Kammlott, R. A. Fastnacht & H. D. Keith, High Critical Currents in Y-Ba-Cu-O Superconductors, Appl. Phys. Lett. 52(24), 2074-76 (June 13, 1988).
The melt-textured growth process produces large grain growth and induces significant (near 100%) densification. Such properties tend to cause microcracking during the processing step of cooling, because the material cannot absorb the stress of the change in crystalline structure as YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.6 converts into YBa.sub.2 Cu.sub.3 O.sub.7. Problems also arise in the final processing step: oxygenation is made more difficult by the dense microstructure. Both of these undesirable features limit the critical current density possible and adversely affect other properties as well.
One known heat treatment, described herein as the "pinch-off" procedure (zone melting of a film through a restriction), is of importance because it allows polycrystalline or amorphous films to recrystallize as single crystal (monocrystalline) films. H. A. Atwater, H. I. Smith & M. W. Geis, Orientation Selection by Zone-Melting Silicon Films Through Planar Constrictions, Appl. Phys. Lett. 41 (8), 747-49 (Oct. 15, 1982); H. I. Smith, M. W. Geis, C. V. Thompson & H. A. Atwater, Silicon-On-Insulator by Graphoepitaxy and Zone-Melting Recrystallization of Patterned Films, J. Crystal Growth 63, 527-46 (1983). This procedure is best explained by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Initially, the polycrystalline material, shown deposited on substrate 10 has relatively fine grains 12. By etching the material, using standard techniques (e.g., chemical, ion milling, and the like), gates 14 are formed. A narrow annealing (or "hot") zone 16 then is moved along the film surface (from left to right in the figures) and the annealing temperature is adjusted so the grains of the polyscrystalline film grow (while in the annealing zone) into larger grains 18; the etched gates are formed so that the width of the gate opening or pinch-off zone 20 is slightly smaller than the grain size obtained during annealing.
The region with the larger growing grains is moved along the film surface along with the annealing zone. The gates restrict the number of grains, however, that grow and propagate along with the annealing zone. Thus, only a few (but larger) grains will propagate as the annealing zone passes the first gate. Fewer and fewer (larger and larger) grains propagate as the annealing zone passes subsequent gates until, finally, only a single (large) grain grows. The result is a single crystal film, 22. Thus, the heat treatment applied is seen to have a marked effect on the metallurgical formation of the material and, hence, on the critical current density.
To overcome the shortcomings of existing processes, a new process for preparing oriented, polycrystalline, superconducting ceramic oxides--and specifically the 123 superconductor--is provided. An object of this invention is to provide a process by which superconductor coatings having significantly improved critical current densities can be made. A related object is to improve the c-axis orientation of the material.
Another object is to provide the improved orientation without incorporating foreign additives such as Ag.sub.2 O during the process. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a texturing process which is not a sensitive function of the cooling rate and which does not interfere with required processing steps such as oxygenation. It is a further object to transform amorphous or random polycrystalline films on polycrystalline substrates into oriented films (either polycrystalline or monocrystalline) while, at the same time, preventing microcracking.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a process of making oriented superconducting materials having high critical current densities which is independent of the substrate material and its crystal orientation or texture.
Still another object is to provide an oriented, superconducting coating which can itself act as a base layer to facilitate the deposition of another oriented, high-temperature, superconducting oxide by conventional methods and which will prevent contamination of the new superconducting overlayer by providing a barrier to interaction with the underlying substrate as well as by matching the composition of the oriented base layer to that of the overlayer.

Method of preparing oriented, polycrystalline superconducting ceramic oxides


Input moving pictures are encoded with motion-compensated prediction. Detected first is an mount of codes generated for each encoded picture of the input moving pictures. Detected next is an average quantization scale factor of quantization scale factors used for quantizing the pictures of the input moving pictures when encoded. Also detected is picture characteristics of at least the input moving pictures. Complexity of each picture is calculated in response to the mount of codes generated for each picture, the average quantization scale factor and the picture characteristics. An amount of codes to be allocated to a present picture to be encoded is decided in response to the mount of codes generated for each picture, picture characteristics and the complexity of each picture, for obtaining a quantization scale factor for the present picture.

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method of encoding moving picture signals. Particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and a method of encoding moving picture signals with code amount control for real time variable-bit rate encoding.
Moving picture Experts Group (MPEG)-2 has been established as the international standards for encoding moving picture signals, such as, TV signals.
MPEG-2 offers motion-compensated prediction and transform encoding as its two technical features.
Motion-Compensated Prediction: A frame of moving picture is divided into 16xc3x9716 blocks called macroblocks. For each macroblock, a motion amount called a motion vector is detected between the present picture frame to be coded and a reference frame which comes before or after the present picture frame on the time base by a predetermined number of frames. An encoded picture is generated on the basis of the reference frame and the motion vector.
Transform Encoding: A picture frame or a predictive error signal generated by motion-compensated prediction is compressed by Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) as an orthogonal transforming technique.
Motion-compensated prediction in MPEG-2 generates moving pictures of three types; I-pictures (intra-coded pictures), P-pictures (predictive-coded pictures) and B-pictures (bidirectionally predictive-coded pictures).
I-pictures are subjected to DCT as they are, on the other hand, for P- and B-pictures, predictive error signals are subjected to DCT, for generating DCT coefficients.
The DCT coefficients are quantized with a quantization scale factor under code amount control.
The quantized DCT coefficients are encoded by variable-length encoding, with auxiliary data, such as, motion vectors, to generate a bit stream which will be an output coded data via buffer.
A quantization scale factor is determined by code amount control according to the amount of bit stream passing through the buffer.
The quantized DCT coefficients are further subjected to de-quantization and Inverse-DCT (IDCT) for local decoding, and stored in a frame memory per macroblock for motion-compensated prediction.
The amount of codes (bit rate) generated for each predetermined period in MPEG-2 is not constant due to variable-length encoding.
In order to overcome this problem, MPEG-2 has offered techniques of quantization scale factor adjustments per macroblock for achieving constant bit rate.
MPEG-2 Test Model 5 has proposed a technique of constant bit rate control for generating a constant amount of codes per Group of Pictures (GOP), for achieving constant transfer rate.
This technique, however, allocates almost the same amount of codes over the entire portions of a moving picture sequence. The constant amount code allocation causes deterioration of images due to insufficient code allocation to images of complex scenes which have a lot of data, on the other hand, unnecessary code amount allocation to images of plain scenes which have a few data.
This technique is, therefore, not a suitable bit rate control method for DVD-Video having a variable-transfer rate control function, for instance.
A technique of variable-bit rate control overcomes the problem of constant bit rate control for DVD-Videos, and is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined-Patent Publication No. 1994(6)-141298.
In this technique, an input moving picture is subjected to temporal (first) encoding with a fixed quantization scale factor, and the amount of generated codes is counted per specific period of time. A target transfer rate for each portion, such as, a frame, of the input moving picture is set on the basis of the counted code amount so that the amount of codes of the entire input moving picture becomes a specific value.
The input moving picture is then subjected to actual (second) encoding with bit rate adjustments so that a bit rate for each portion of the input moving picture becomes the target transfer rate.
This variable-bit rate control, however, requires two time-encoding, that is, temporal and actual encoding, thus not achieving real time control. The two time-encoding is called two pass-encoding hereinafter.
Contrary to such two pass-encoding, one pass (time)-encoding with variable-bit rate control has been introduced by Japanese Unexamined-Patent Publication No. 1998(10)-164577 for almost real time moving picture encoding.
This technique obtains picture complexity calculated by multiplying the amount of codes encoded so far and an average quantization scale factor for each picture. The ratio of the present picture complexity to average past picture complexity is used for deciding a target code amount or target quantization scale factor for variable-bit rate control.
Another technique of one pass-encoding with variable-bit rate control is disclosed in Unexamined-Patent Publication No. 1998(10)-302396.
This technique examines difficulty in encoding per predetermined period for obtaining a temporal code amount to be allocated for each predetermined period with reference to a standard encoding difficulty and code amount to be allocated.
The temporal code amount to be allocated is changed to an actual code amount to be allocated by comparing a code amount to be allocated Bav which is given by encoding with a fixed code amount to be allocated bav decided under actual storage capacity of a storage medium and a total actual code amount Bgen encoded so far; and allowing a code amount to be allocated equal to or larger than bav when Bavxe2x80x94bav is positive, thus achieving recording of a certain length of moving picture on a storage medium so that a total code amount generated for the certain length of moving picture is smaller than the storage capacity of the storage medium.
This one pass-encoding with variable-bit rate control also has the following disadvantages:
In this technique, the present picture complexity is obtained by temporarily encoding the present picture which will be encoded from now on or the picture complexity of the picture encoded just before and of the same picture-type is used as the present picture complexity without temporal encoding.
The one pass-encoding thus causes delay in encoding if it is temporal encoding and requires a bulk of circuitry.
Moreover, even though without such temporal encoding, when picture complexity varies on pictures, in other words, scene change occurs just before the present picture to be encoded, the picture complexity decided just before (the same picture-type) used as the present picture complexity would be different from actual picture complexity. This causes improper code amount allocation.
Different from the two pass-encoding, the one passencoding executes bit rate control without detecting how picture complexity varies for an input moving picture sequence.
This technique thus executes encoding under assumption that overall change in picture complexity of an input moving picture sequence is similar to that of average picture complexity of typical pictures.
This also causes improper code amount allocation, for example, for a moving picture sequence with monotonic increase in picture complexity (for example, the former part of the moving picture sequence is constituted by simple scenes easy for encoding and the latter part gradually complex scenes hard for encoding).
Code amounts to be allocated for such latter part go beyond a target code amount. Using-up of an excess code amount to be allocated (the total of differences between a target code amount and each generated code amount) for the simple scenes easy for encoding abruptly decreases code amounts to be allocated to cause picture degradation for, particularly, complex scenes hard for encoding, compared to encoding with fixed bit rate control.
On the other hand, for a moving picture sequence with the former part of complex scenes hard for encoding and the latter part of scenes having average picture complexity, code amounts are allocated for the latter part with reference to the picture complexity of the former part.
This causes allocation of extremely small amounts of code to the latter part of average scenes with picture degradation, thus results in amount of codes generated for the moving picture sequence extremely smaller than a target code amount, with ineffective usage of a storage medium.
This technique is capable of allocation of code amounts in which, when an allocated code amount is smaller than a predetermined code amount to be allocated bav decided on the basis of actual storage capacity of a storage medium, after this, code amount allocation beyond bav is made possible.
This achieves improvement in subjective picture quality for a moving picture sequence with the former part of simple scenes easy for encoding and the latter part of complex scenes hard for encoding.
Contrary to this, for a moving picture sequence with the former part of complex scenes hard for encoding and the latter part of simple scenes easy for encoding, improvement in subjective picture quality for the former part is impossible and an excess amount of codes is generated for the latter part when encoding is complete, with ineffective usage of a storage medium.
A purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method of one pass-encoding with variable-bit rate control for achieving real-time encoding and effective code amount allocation with short delay in processing and small scale of circuitry.
Another purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method of one pass-encoding with variable-bit rate control for achieving high picture quality of a moving picture sequence with monotonic increase in picture complexity, which is higher than that by encoding with fixed bit rate control, and also achieving effective code amount allocation.
Still another purpose of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method of one pass-encoding with variable-bit rate control for achieving effective code amount allocation over the entire moving picture sequence for high picture quality.
The present invention provides an apparatus for encoding input moving pictures with motion-compensated prediction. The apparatus includes: a code amount detector to detect an amount of codes generated for each encoded picture of the input moving pictures; a factor detector to detect an average quantization scale factor of quantization scale factors used for quantizing the pictures of the input moving pictures when encoded; a characteristics detector to detect picture characteristics of at least the input moving pictures; a calculator, responsive to the amount of codes generated for each picture, the average quantization scale factor and the picture characteristics, to calculate complexity of each picture; and a controller responsive to the amount of codes generated for each picture, picture characteristics and the complexity of each picture, to decide an amount of codes to be allocated to a present picture to be encoded, for obtaining a quantization scale factor for the present picture.
Furthermore, the present invention provides an apparatus for encoding input moving pictures with motion-compensated prediction. The apparatus includes: a code amount detector to detect an amount of codes generated for each encoded picture of the input moving pictures; a factor detector to detect an average quantization scale factor of quantization scale factors used for quantizing the pictures of the input moving pictures when encoded; a characteristics detector to detect picture characteristics of at least the input moving pictures; a calculator, responsive to the generated amount of codes and the average quantization scale factor, to calculate complexity of each encoded picture and a present picture to be encoded; a code amount decider to decide a target code amount for a predetermined period, based on the generated amount of codes; and a controller, responsive to the generated amount of codes generated, picture characteristics, complexity of the picture, and target code amount, to decide an amount of codes to be allocated to a present picture to be encoded, for obtaining a quantization scale factor for the present picture.
Moreover, the present invention provides an apparatus for encoding input moving pictures with motion-compensated prediction. The apparatus includes: a code amount detector to detect an amount of codes generated for each encoded picture of the input moving pictures; a factor detector to detect an average quantization scale factor of quantization scale factors used for quantizing the pictures of the input moving pictures when encoded; an amount setter to set a target code amount based on a recording time for recording the input moving pictures; a margin setter to set a margin of the generated amount of codes based on the recording time, the margin being modified based on a difference between the generated amount of codes and the target average code amount; and a controller to decide a code amount to be allocated for a predetermined period by adding the margin and the target average code amount, and obtaining a quantization scale factor for a present picture to be coded based on the code amount to be allocated, the present picture being encoded by using the obtained quantization scale factor when larger than a minimum quantization scale factor set based on the target average code amount.
Furthermore, the present invention provides a method of encoding input moving pictures with motion-compensated prediction. An amount of codes generated for each encoded picture of the input moving pictures is detected. An average quantization scale factor of quantization scale factors used for quantizing the pictures of the input moving pictures when encoded is detected. Picture characteristics of at least the input moving pictures is detected. Complexity of each picture is calculated in response to the amount of codes generated for each picture, the average quantization scale factor and the picture characteristics. An amount of codes to be allocated to a present picture to be encoded is decided in response to the amount of codes generated for each picture, picture characteristics and the complexity of each picture, for obtaining a quantization scale factor for the present picture.
Moreover, the present invention provides a method of encoding input moving pictures with motion-compensated prediction. An mount of codes generated for each encoded picture of the input moving pictures is detected. An average quantization scale factor of quantization scale factors used for quantizing the pictures of the input moving pictures when encoded is detected. Picture characteristics of at least the input moving pictures is detected. Complexity of each encoded picture and a present picture to be encoded are calculated in response to the generated amount of codes and the average quantization scale factor. A target code amount for a predetermined period is decided, based on the generated amount of codes. An amount of codes to be allocated to a present picture to be encoded is decided, in response to the generated amount of codes generated, picture characteristics, complexity of the picture, and target code amount, for obtaining a quantization scale factor for the present picture.
Moreover, the present invention provides a method of encoding input moving pictures with motion-compensated prediction. An amount of codes generated for each encoded picture of the input moving pictures is detected. An average quantization scale factor of quantization scale factors used for quantizing the pictures of the input moving pictures when encoded is detected. A target code amount is set based on a recording time for recording the input moving pictures. A margin of the generated amount of codes is set based on the recording time. The margin is modified based on a difference between the generated amount of codes and the target average code amount. A code amount to be allocated is, decided for a predetermined period by adding the margin and the target average code amount. A quantization scale factor for a present picture to be coded is obtained based on the code amount to be allocated. The present picture is encoded by using the obtained quantization scale factor when larger than a minimum quantization scale factor set based on the target average code amount.

Apparatus and method of encoding moving picture signal


A semiconductor device including a polycrystalline silicone resistor which has a resistance of 40 k.OMEGA.-800 k.OMEGA. and which is formed by a polycrystalline silicon film having a specific resistivity of 0.01 .OMEGA..cm-0.1 .OMEGA..cm. The resistor having the above resistance, which has previously been difficult to fabricate, can be fabricated with a high accuracy, so it is very useful for several kinds of semiconductor integrated circuits such as bipolar memory.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and more particularly to a semiconductor device with a polycrystalline silicon (hereinafter referred to as poly-Si) resistor having a resistance within a predetermined range.
A resistor employed in a semiconductor integrated circuit device is generally formed in an isolation region for the purpose of reducing parasitic capacitance and for high integration of the device. In the past such resistors have been commonly formed using a poly-Si film, and either have a low resistance as low as several k.OMEGA. or less or a very high resistance as high as several tens G.OMEGA. or more. Examples of such resistors are discussed in Solid. State Electronics, Vol. 20 (1977), pp. 883-889, and in Technical Digest of IEDM (1986), pp. 300-303.
Meanwhile, a resistor for SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) is required to have a resistance of about 40 k.OMEGA.-800 k.OMEGA.. In this case, there are several problems to form the resistor having a resistance of 40 k.OMEGA.-800 k.OMEGA. using the poly-Si film since as mentioned above, the resistor using the poly-Si film has either a low resistance of several k.OMEGA.'s or a very high resistance.
More specifically, in order to form the resistor having a resistance of 40 k.OMEGA.-800 k.OMEGA. using the poly-Si film, required are conditions that (1) the process for forming a resistor is so stable as to provide a desired resistance with a high accuracy, (2) the area required for a resistor is small and (3) the completed resistor has a sufficiently high reliability.

Polycrystalline silicon resistor for use in a semiconductor integrated circuit having a memory device


A weather monitoring, measuring and reporting system which uses unattended, high-resolution digital cameras and laser rangers to both measure and display weather conditions in a local region, such as the region surrounding an airport. Visibility is estimated by processing images in the camera's field of view at known range distances. The light response of the camera is matched to the light response of the human eye. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the camera generates a digital pixel image of range objects; that is, prominent terrain objects such as, buildings, water towers, etc. in the camera's field of view. The digital pixel values of these range objects are stored in system memory at known address locations. The contrast between an average background pixel value in a region adjacent to an object and the average object pixel value is used to determine if the object is visible. Objects in the field of view are sequentially examined until the contrast to an object falls below the established threshold at which point the visibility is reported as extending to the next closest object with a contrast above the threshold. If the contrast for all objects exceeds the threshold, the process stops and the visibility range is reported as unlimited.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for monitoring and reporting weather conditions in a defined region, for example, airport visibility and ceiling conditions. More particularly, it relates to a method and apparatus which provides accurate, representative, and timely condition and surveillance reports without the need for human intervention. This invention has particular application to the monitoring and reporting of airport weather, and will be explained in that context here. However it will be appreciated that the invention is generally applicable to monitoring and reporting visibility, cloud ceiling, and related weather conditions generally in a defined region.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The ability of the human eye to see objects through the atmosphere is limited by the presence of airborne particles, such as moisture, ice, sand, dust, and the like. Both reflective loss and absorptive loss can cause a reduction in visibility. Reflective losses are a function of scatter coefficients and absorptive losses are a function of extinction coefficients. There have been a number of proposals in the prior art for estimating visibility, usually in a context of airport visibility. In general, these prior art systems, including the FAA's Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS), measure the transmission of a light source through the atmosphere. This approach is generally limited to sampling only small areas and extrapolating a visibility report for a larger region on the basis of these samples.
The FAA requires accurate visual weather observation of climatic conditions affecting flight operations at thousands of airfields within the National Airspace System (NAS) Systems like the Automated Surface Observation System (ASOS) report wind, ceiling, barometric pressure, dew point, and existing temperature within overall geographic areas to FAA Flight Service stations and other users. These systems, however, often do not provide the current and accurate visibility and cloud height conditions that determine the arrival/departure envelope of a specific airport's active runway(s) especially during operationally significant weather changes. To meet this requirement within the NAS today, contract observation personnel report on airport specific visibility, ceiling, and weather condition changes.
The use of contract observers is costly, and their natural attrition requires continuous training of new observers--with associated delays in filling vacancies. ASOS data is non-representative when weather is rapidly changing, which not only poses a problem in and of itself, but also creates a need for contract observers to compensate for this non-representative condition report. Finally, the unique demands of remote airfields and their lack of timely information pose a severe problem for these locations.

Apparatus and method for monitoring and reporting weather conditions

Cambridge Management Advanced Systems Corporation


The system provides an IP network card that comprises a redundancy configuration register; an interface; and redundancy mapping logic. The redundancy configuration register stores card configuration data. The interface receives slot active signals from other cards. The redundancy mapping logic is communicatively coupled to the register and interface. The logic maps a packet to a slot having an active card based on the data in the register, an address in the packet, and received slot active signals.

Networks, such as local area networks (i.e., LANs) and wide area networks (i.e., WANs, e.g., the Internet), enable a plurality of nodes to communicate with each other. Nodes can include computers, servers, storage devices, mobile devices, PDAs, wireless telephones, etc. Networks can include the nodes themselves, a connecting medium (wired, wireless and/or a combination of wired and wireless), and network switching systems such as routers, hubs and/or switches.
Networks can be arranged in a variety of topologies or combinations of topologies. Typical topologies include a bus topology, a ring topology, a star topology, and combinations such as a star bus topology (also referred to as a tree topology). In a bus topology, all nodes are communicatively coupled to a bus or backbone. Networks that use a bus topology, such as Ethernet, are generally easy to set up and maintain.
In a ring topology, the nodes are communicatively coupled in a closed loop structure. Accordingly, each node is communicatively coupled to only two other nodes. Networks using a ring topology can be hard to install and maintain. However, ring topologies can enable high-speed communication over large distances.
In a star topology, all nodes are communicatively coupled to a hub. The hub enables communication between nodes by passing data received from one node to a second node. Networks using a star topology are relatively easy to set up and maintain and are therefore very common.
A star bus topology is a combination of star and bus topologies. Generally, groups of networks using star topologies are interconnected for communication using a bus topology. This type of topology is also very common for networks.
As many networks use a star topology or star bus topology, network switching systems are extremely important network devices. For example, if a component of a hub fails or the hub itself fails, a portion or the entire network that uses the hub could become disabled. There are three different types of hubs including a passive hub, an intelligent hub, and a switching hub. A passive hub simply retransmits data received from a node to all other nodes. Intelligent hubs operate similarly to passive hubs but also enable monitoring of data transmitted over the network. Switching hubs (also referred to as switches) only retransmit data received from one node to a specified destination node in an address of the packet of the data (unless the data is designated as multicast). Accordingly, switching hubs enable increased bandwidth on a network compared to other types hubs by only transmitting data to specified destination nodes.
Network switching systems such as switches use line cards to receive data from nodes and retransmit received data to other nodes. Line cards are printed circuit boards (PCBs) that provide receiving/transmitting ports that are communicatively coupled to nodes and to a backplane of the switch. In general, for each node on a network, a switch has two line cards: one that is active and one that is a backup (also referred to as a hot-standby line card). If the active line card fails, the backup line card takes over thereby preventing a failure of the network. However, conventional line card switchovers are done by network software in the switch. Therefore, switchovers can take several seconds leading to the possible loss of large amounts of data, especially in high bandwidth networks.
Accordingly, a new IP network card backup system and method are needed that overcome the disadvantages mentioned above.

System and method for network card switchovers in an IP network


An adjustable valve stem apparatus 10 adapted for use in an injection molding equipment or device comprises a cylindrical body 12 comprising internally threaded fixed portion 14 and moveable portion 16 threadably mounted on a double-ended screw 30. The fixed and moveable portions 14,16 are relatively oppositely threaded with threads of essentially equal pitch. Moveable portion 16 has a means 26 for removably mounting a valve stem 28 which communicates with a mold cavity. The double-ended screw 30 has a socket 38 formed in its top portion for adjusting the moveable portion 16 relative to the fixed portion 14 thereby correspondingly axially displacing the valve stem 28 from a first to second position relative to the workpiece. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus 10 may be adjusted from the outside of the injection molding equipment, where equipment uptime is critical to the operation.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,051 is directed to a flow control device wherein a micro-axial adjustment of a valve needle which controls fluid flow through a nozzle is employed to compensate for changes in the working liquid viscosity. The valve length adjustment is achieved with a travel adjustment screw so as to either narrow or widen a gap between the valve and the valve seat thus creating commensurate adjustments in the fluid flow. The patent does not, however, teach or suggest a means of changing the valve at the machine when the valve is worn or is otherwise in need of replacement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,163 is directed to a stem travel limiting apparatus wherein an internally threaded annular collar is engaged with a threaded stem. A locking ring is positioned over the collar so that it can exert a force over the collar sufficient to partially close the gap and to force the threads of the stem and collar into distortion. The patent does not teach a means of repositioning or replacing the stem at the equipment when the valve is worn or is otherwise in need of replacement.

Adjustable valve stem apparatus for valve gated injection molding devices


Systems and methods of orienting a vision impaired user with a musical instrument and systems and methods of directing the vision impaired user to tune the musical instrument are disclosed. A method of orienting includes directing the user to play a note on the musical instrument, determining the note and a corresponding location on the musical instrument, the corresponding location being a portion of the musical instrument that generates the note, determining a difference between the corresponding location and a target location, the target location representing at least a portion of a positioning necessary for the user to play the musical instrument, generating one or more non-visual directions based on the difference, and providing the one or more non-visual directions to the user. The one or more non-visual directions direct the user to the target location.

Blind and vision impaired persons currently have limited options with respect to guidance for holding a musical instrument, orienting a musical instrument in a correct manner, tuning a musical instrument, and/or the like. More specifically, blind and vision impaired persons have to rely on another person to tell them whether they are appropriately holding and/or oriented with a particular musical instrument, or rely on their other senses, such as touch and hearing. For instruments where several components feel the same and may have very similar sounds (e.g., a piano or the like), this can be increasingly difficult. In addition, many devices used to tune an instrument provide a visual indicator as to whether a node generated by the instrument is flat or sharp, which cannot be adequately used by blind and vision impaired persons.
Accordingly, a need exists for systems and methods that provide guidance a vision impaired person to appropriately direct the person to the musical instrument, orient the person with the musical instrument, and/or tune the musical instrument.

Systems and methods for recognizing musical instruments and providing blind assistive tuning and orienting of musical instruments

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.


An apparatus and a method for making high resolution frequency adjustments in a multistage frequency synthesizer. The initial stage of the frequency synthesizer is a conventional phase lock loop connected to a dynamically variable frequency divider. There are one or more intermediate stages that consist of the forward portion of a phase locked loop with feedback through a fixed frequency divider and connected to a dynamically variable frequency divider. The final stage consists of the forward portion of a phase locked loop with feedback through a fixed frequency divider and connected to another fixed frequency divider. By varying the constant of division in the variable frequency dividers in the circuit, fine frequency adjustments can be made very rapidly. The precision of the adjustments depends on the relative values of the frequency dividers and the number of intermediate stages in the system.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved method for frequency generation and in particular to an apparatus and a method for adjusting the generated frequency. Still more particularly, the present invention provides an apparatus and a method for high resolution frequency adjustment using a multistage frequency synthesized.
2. Description of the Related Art
A phase locked loop (PLL) is a very interesting integrated circuit that blends analog and digital techniques. Although the basic design of a PLL has been known for decades, the circuit only became a practical building block in integrated circuit form where the cost has become affordable and the design has become more reliable.
The PLL contains a phase detector, an amplifier, a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), and a feedback loop that allows the output frequency to be a replication of the input signal with noise removed or a multiple of the frequency of the input signal. PLLs have been used for demodulation of FM signals, for tone decoding, for frequency generation, for generation of xe2x80x9ccleanxe2x80x9d signals, and for pulse synchronization, to name but a few of the applications. Because the output frequency is a multiple of the input frequency, it is difficult to make fine frequency adjustments using such a frequency synthesizer.
A non-uniform memory access (NUMA) computer system is a multiple processor architecture where there is a single memory address space but where memory is separated into xe2x80x9cclosexe2x80x9d banks of memory and xe2x80x9cdistantxe2x80x9d banks of memory. Access is xe2x80x9cnon-uniformxe2x80x9d because the access times for the close banks of memory directly associated with the node that contains the CPU are much faster than the access times for distant memory banks at other nodes in the system. A distinct advantage of a NUMA architecture is that it scales well, in the sense that adding more nodes and processors to the system does not create bottlenecks that degrade performance in the same way as other parallel architectures.
One problem with NUMA architectures is to keep the nodes synchronized. Transactions are often labeled with time stamps that are generated by the time of day at each node in the system. Since these nodes have independent clocks, even though they are initialized at precisely the same time, they will eventually drift apart and require re-synchronization. It is important to have precise time stamps with as little xe2x80x9ccycle slippagexe2x80x9d as possible between the nodes.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a frequency synthesizer that is capable of rapid, high resolution frequency adjustments.
An apparatus and a method is presented for making high resolution frequency adjustments in a multistage frequency synthesizer. The initial stage of the frequency synthesizer is a conventional phase lock loop connected to a dynamically variable frequency divider.
There are one or more intermediate stages that consist of the forward portion of a phase locked loop with feedback through a fixed frequency divider and connected to a dynamically variable frequency divider. The final stage consists of the forward portion of a phase locked loop with feedback through a fixed frequency divider and connected to another fixed frequency divider.
By varying the constant of division in the variable frequency dividers in the circuit, fine frequency adjustments can be made very rapidly. The precision of the adjustments depends on the relative values of the frequency dividers and the number of intermediate stages in the system.

Apparatus and method for high resolution frequency adjustment in a multistage frequency synthesizer

International Business Machines Corporation


A dual-mode photographic printer which can be used to make both two-dimensional and three-dimensional photographs having two print material cassettes which separately supply 2D and 3D print materials. An easel is transported to one of the cassettes to pick up a section of print material according to the printing mode. The same easel moves the print material to different locations for 3D printing. A chemical processor is included in the printer so that photo-processing is part of the on-line printing process.

In lenticular-type three dimensional (3D) photography, the basic process involves taking a plurality of two-dimensional (2D) views from a number of horizontally-spaced vantage points, and compressing these 2D views onto each of the lenticules of a lenticular screen to form a 3D composite image of the scene. The lenticular screen is a sheet of transparent material with the front side embossed with an array of cylindrical lenses, and with the back side coated with a photosensitive emulsion or with the back side attached to a photographic film or paper. If the back side of the lenticular screen is coated with a photosensitive emulsion, usually it is also coated with an additional white coating which serves as a reflective layer and, at the same time, as a protective backing. The 2D views captured by a camera are recorded on a photographic film on a plurality of frames.
The basic process of producing a lenticular 3D photograph from a set of 2D frames has been discussed in detail in a number of books and patent disclosures. For example, L. Dudley in "Applied Optics and Optical Engineering" (R. Kingslake, 1965), discusses a printing method where the lenticular screen is transported intermittently so that each of the 2D images recorded on film is exposed at a different angle. T. Okoshi, in "Three-Dimensional Imaging Techniques" (1978), discusses the use of several projectors to expose a plurality of2D images onto the photographic emulsion. U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,562 (Lo et al.) discloses a scanning method for exposing a number of 2D images at different projection angles. U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,210 (Lo et al.) discloses a method of filling the film area underlying the lenticules by using a plurality of projection lenses. U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,950 (Fritsch) discloses a dual-stage 3D photographic printer in which the examination of the images on film and the projection of images onto the print material are carried out in two separate mechanical stages to allow for the time difference between the two parts of a printing process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,069 (Lam) discloses the printing of a machine-readable code on the film at the time of picture taking to indicate the focusing distance.
The basic process in 3D printing involves the projection of a plurality of images in a set of negatives recorded on film, through a projection lens, onto the lenticular print material at different projection angles. In order to accomplish the projections at different angles, a 3D photographic printer must transport at least two of three important elements (the negatives, the projection lens and the print material) to different positions to produce a 3D photograph. By contrast, all of the above-mentioned elements can be stationary throughout a 2D printing process.
In both 2D and 3D printing, the color and density of a negative must be examined, either automatically by an analyzing means or visually by an operator, so that the exposure time and the setting of color filters in the lamphouse can be determined prior to printing.
In 3D printing, because the plurality of images in a set of negatives must be projected onto a single piece of print material to produce a composite 3D photograph, it is required that these images be properly aligned. Thus, it is advantageous to acquire all these images and channel the data to the computer which locates the relative positions of the images for image alignment. In contrast, image alignment is not necessary in 2D printing because only one image is projected onto the print material to produce a 2D photograph.
Presently, one must use a dedicated 2D printer to make 2D prints and use a dedicated 3D printer to make 3D pits. It would be desirable to have a dual-mode printer which can be used to make both 2D and 3D pits, thereby saving time, money, and space. It is to the provision of such a dual-mode printer that the present invention is primarily directed.


Methods to improve optimization of compilation are presented. In one embodiment, a method includes identifying one or more optimization speculations with respect to a code region and speculatively performing transformation on an intermediate representation of the code region in accordance with an optimization speculation. The method includes generating an advice message corresponding to the optimization speculation and displaying the advice message if the optimization speculation results in an improved compilation result.

Development of multi-threaded application remains a challenging task.
A compiler may present a model in which a programmer writes serial code, thus avoiding the complexities of parallel programming. A compiler may be able to transform code to execute in a parallelized and vectorized manner. For example, the compiler extracts the parallel/vector semantics out of the code and transforms the code.
However, a compiler can only transform the code if the compiler is able to validate that parallel execution would yield the same result as the serial execution. In many cases, a programmer's choice of programming language construct adds unnecessary serial restrictions and results in loops that cannot be optimized.

Speculative compilation to generate advice messages


One embodiment provides a method, including: receiving, at an electronic device, a request to play media content; accessing, using a processor of the electronic device, a list of user devices; identifying, using the processor, user specific contextual data associated with the list of user devices; selecting, using the processor, a user device from the list of user devices based on the user specific contextual data; and playing, with the user device selected, the media content. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Electronic devices, e.g., a media player, a smart television, a laptop or tablet computing device, a smart phone, combinations thereof, etc., herein "devices," are capable of responding to user inputs to perform actions, e.g., command actions such as playing media files. In an environment where more than one media playback device may be selected, users are often faced with a task of selecting form a list of devices.
For example, a user that wants to select media content on one device, e.g., a tablet computing device, and thereafter wishes to play back the media content on another device, e.g., a television set, must select the television set as a target device, e.g., from a listing of possible target devices on the tablet computing device. If only the television set is available, i.e., the list includes only the television, or if the television and the tablet computing device are uniquely paired with one another, the playback device may be selected automatically. However, if more than one device is capable of playback, e.g., a television and a laptop computer, a user often must manually select the device from a list of devices.

Contextual based selection among multiple devices for content playback


The present invention relates to a pumping device (110) and a cosmetic bottle using the same. More specifically the present invention relates to a pumping device (110) in which an inserting bar (132) is formed in a upper cap (130) of a nozzle (136) and the nozzle (136) is moved forward and backward according to a pumping operation so that an opening of the nozzle is kept from being clogged by hardening of the gel-type contents.

Generally, a pumping device installed in a cosmetic bottle serves to pump gel-type contents contained the cosmetic bottle to outside in small amount. In FIG. 1, a pumping device and a cosmetic bottle using the same according to the prior art are shown.
As shown FIG. 1, in the main body (1) of the cosmetic bottle, is the gel-type contents (2) contained, and the pumping device is connected to the upper of the main body (1) of the bottle. The pumping device is connected to the main body (1) of the bottle by a supporting body (3). And a cylinder (4) is coupled in the supporting body (3). A suction pipe (5) is connected to the bottom of the cylinder (4) and extends to the inner of the main body (1), and an open-close bar (6) is provided in the cylinder (4). A piston (7) is interposed between the cylinder (4) and the open-close bar (6) and is supported by a spring (8), and a transferring pipe (9) is coupled to the upper of the piston (7) and a cap (10). A suction valve (11) is coupled to the bottom of the open-close bar (6) so that the connecting path between the cylinder (4) and the suction pipe (5) is blocked. Also a pumping valve (12) is coupled to the upper of the transferring pipe (9) such that the connecting path between the nozzle (13) and the transferring pipe (9) which are formed on the cap (10) is blocked.
The pumping device having above constitution operates as follow. First, when the cap (10) is pressed, the transferring pipe (10) and the piston (7) are descended so that a gap is formed between the piston (7) and the open-close bar (6), thus the gel-type contents in the cylinder (4) can be moved through the gap. That is, because the pressure of the inner of the cylinder (4) according to the descending of the piston (7) the contents contained in the cylinder (4) pushes the pumping valve (12) so that they are pumped outside through the nozzle (13) formed in the cap (10).
When the pressing against the cap (10) is disappeared after the contents being pumped, the piston (7) is ascended by the elastic force of the spring (8). Accordingly, the pressure in the cylinder (7) is decreased, thus the contents (2) contained in the main body (1) of the bottle is entered into the cylinder (4) following to the suction pipe (5) while the edge of the suction valve (11) is risen.
The pumping device in prior art above-mentioned has problem as follow. As shown FIG. 1, the gel-type contents are filled in the suction pipe (5), the inner of the cylinder (4), the inner of the transferring pipe (9) and the inner of the nozzle (13) as well as the main body (1) of the bottle. However, in many cases, the contents (14) at the tip of the nozzle (13) are hardened or deteriorated because they are always contacted to the air in outside. Accordingly, the nozzle (13) may be clogged by the hardened contents or the reliability of the products may be suffered from the deteriorated contents (14).

Pumping device and cosmetic spray having the same


A multiplexed address and data bus system provides a minimum pin count with byte enable and burst address counter support. The partitioning of the address bus includes separate byte enables to indicate specifically which bytes of the word are being accessed, and two independent address lines which can function as a counter to support the burst refill. Both block reads or single datum transfers are handled similarly: a single addressing phase with multiple data phases; and all addresses in the memory system; are derived directly from the same pins regardless of whether it is a block read or not. The system allows for low cost packaging while maintaining a variety of system capabilities.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to digital systems and microprocessors, and more particularly to multiplexed address/data bus schemes for digital systems that minimize pin count.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
Microprocessors have wide spread applications in the electronics industry. Manufacturers have reduced the cost of microprocessors by providing low-cost packaging, and one way of providing low-cost packaging is by reducing the number of pins needed to connect the microprocessor to external circuitry.
One commonly known method of reducing pin count involves the use of time multiplexed address and data buses. In such a bus scheme, the same set of pins is used to carry address information in one phase of the transaction, and data information in another phase. Typically, an electrical component such as a microprocessor which uses such a bus structure also includes a control signal, ALE, to allow the bus to be demultiplexed externally.
However, for a number of reasons, more than just the address of the transfer is needed when performing a bus operation. In the least, the size of the transfer must be provided; for example, to differentiate between writing a byte, halfword, or fullword at a given address.
There are a number of traditional approaches to this problem. One approach is to encode the size of the transfer on dedicated pins and let external logic decode the bytes of the bus which are involved in the transfer. The other method is to have the processor decode the size of the transfer and provide dedicated byte strobes. The advantage to this approach is that these strobes can be directly used in the memory control system without external logic as required in the other approach. The disadvantage of this approach is that four pins are required for the byte strobes.
An additional complication may occur with microprocessors if it is desired to process certain types of reads of a plurality of adjacent words. For example, it may be desirable to read four adjacent four byte words. For many microprocessors, the order of the words in such quad reads is always the same; for example, word 0 of the block followed by word 1 followed by word 2 and ending with word 3.
When this type of read occurs, the memory system must respond with the appropriate four words in the correct order. Thus, the word within block address lines at the memory must function as counter. When this is done externally with an external counter, additional chips are required. Moreover, if this is done on a typical multiplexed bus, a net loss of performance occurs since a block read required four addressing phases for four data phases.
Although multiplexed buses have been available in previous microprocessors, such microprocessors do not include a burst address counter or byte enables. It is desirable for cost and performance to provide a minimum pin count multiplexed address/data bus microprocessor system with byte enable and burst address counter support.

Minimum pin-count multiplexed address/data bus with byte enable and burst address counter support microprocessor transmitting byte enable signals on multiplexed address/data bus having burst address counter for supporting signal datum and burst transfer