The object is to provide a bone conduction device and its tympanum, wherein the bone conduction device can be efficiently mounted without generating a dead space in a case having a limited installation space such as a cellular phone's case having a large display screen. A magnetic sound converter device has an outer magnetic structure wherein a voice coil (3) is mounted on a center magnetic pole (2) of a yoke (1) and a magnet (4) is arranged on the outer side of the voice coil (3). The yoke (1) and the center magnetic pole (2) thereof are vertically long, the magnet (4) is arranged on the short side edge parts on the both sides of the yoke, and a tympanum fixing part (6) is arranged on the outer side of each magnet (4) on a magnet arrangement axis.

As a conventional bone conduction device, one shown in FIG. 8 has been known in the art. A bone conduction speaker of such a conventional bone conduction device has a construction in which: provided is a yoke 51 provided with a center magnetic pole 52, on which pole 52 a voice coil 56 is wound and mounted thereon; the yoke extends in four directions to form four extension parts, disposed on opposite two ones 53, 53 of which parts are magnets 55, 55, wherein the remaining two ones of the extension parts carry tympanum fixing parts 54, 54 disposed upright on these parts; and, the tympanum 57 is fixedly mounted on each of the tympanum fixing parts 54, 54 (Japanese Patent No. 2967777).
On the other hand, a bone conduction speaker shown in FIG. 9 comprises: a cylindrical case 61 provided with a tympanum 62 in its upper surface; a cylindrical magnet 63 fitted in the cylindrical case 61 to extend along an inner surface of the case 61; a yoke 65, which is provided with a center magnetic pole 64 in its center and fitted in a lower part of the case 61; and, a voice coil 66 disposed so as to circumscribe the center magnetic pole 64 of the yoke 65 (Japanese Patent application Laid-Open No.: Sho 57-10114 gazette).
Another bone conduction speaker shown in FIG. 10 is known, wherein: provided in opposite sides of a yoke 70 are a pair of branched legs 71, 71 each of which is fitted in each of voice coils 72, 72; a magnet 73 is disposed between the voice coils 72, 72; and, a tympanum 75 is disposed on the magnet 73 through a plate 74 (Japanese Patent application Laid-Open No.: 2001-313989 gazette). This is one in which two pieces of the voice coils 72 are disposed, so that this one generally larger in size than the above-described one.
In recent years, the bone conduction speaker described above has been used in a condition in which the bone conduction speaker is incorporated in a cellular phone. Under such circumstances, since a need exists in the latest cellular phone for increasing in area size a display screen in a front surface of the cellular phone as large as possible, a space available for installation of a speaker in the cellular phone is limited only to a laterally elongated space positioned over the display screen.
However, in case of the conventional type of bone conduction speaker described above, any one of the speakers has an aspect ratio of approximately 1:1 to assume a circle-like form. Due to this, it is necessary for the speaker to be a scaled-down one, a diameter of which is smaller in length than a shorter side of a laterally elongated installation space appearing in an upper part of a case of a cellular phone. This leads to a shortage in output power of the bone conduction speaker. In order to use a large-sized bone conduction speaker which is capable of providing a sufficient amount of output power in use, it is necessary to scale-up the case of the bone conduction speaker in size. In this case, however, there is a fear that a considerable loss in space occurs in the cellular phone.
The above description is also true in the case of a bone conduction microphone, which must be incorporated in a limited installation space.    Patent document 1: Japanese Patent No.: 2967777;    Patent document 2: Japanese Patent application Laid-Open No.: Sho 57-10114 gazette; and    Patent document 3: Japanese Patent application Laid-Open No.: 2001-313989 gazette.

Bone conduction device and tympanum thereof


A middle layer (22) having partitioned cavities (28) is sandwiched between an imperforate sheet (24) and an optional perforate sheet (26) to form a low resistance acoustic liner (22). A preferred method of manufacture of the low resistance acoustic liner (20) uses aspects of the buried septum technique including placing an uncured imperforate septum (36) between a support layer (32) and a partitioned cavity middle layer (22), pressing the middle layer into the imperforate sheet (24) and through the support layer (32), curing the imperforate septum 36 to form the imperforate sheet (24), removing the support layer (32), and attaching a perforate sheet (26) of roughly at least 15% open area to the top side of the middle layer. A preferred embodiment of inner and outer linings (47), (49) is provided. Each lining includes a combination of annuluses of absorptive and/or low resistance liners (51), (53). A first arrangement of engine acoustic linings includes alternating sections of absorptive liner with low resistance acoustic liner, one after the other. The low resistance acoustic liner scatters low mode order noise into a range of noise orders, including both high and low mode order modes. The absorptive liner absorbs the high mode order noise and dissipates it as heat. A second arrangement of acoustic linings includes a splitter (70) having a portion formed of low resistance liner (72).

Aircraft engine noise is a significant problem in high population areas and other noise controlled environments. Attempts currently focus on lining the aircraft engine nacelle and surrounding engine areas with acoustic liners to reduce the amount of noise radiating to the community.
As background information regarding general engine acoustic theory, there exists a linearized wave equation that describes the acoustic pressure distributions present in an airflow duct. This wave equation has a general solution given by a superposition (i.e., discrete summation) of eigenfunctions. Eigenfunctions vary with the boundary conditions at the duct wall, i.e., the wall's impedance. There are an infinite number of such eigenfunctions, each with an associated eigenvalue, that are referred to as the "modes of propagation", or "modes" for short. In general, low order modes have eigenvalues that are low in absolute value. High order modes have eigenvalues that are high in absolute value. Typical low mode order values for aircraft engine noise are 0 to 5, though the range will change depending on frequency, duct size, etc. Typical high mode order values for aircraft engine noise are 8 to 15, though, these will also vary.
As used in the discussions below, the term "low mode order noise" is meant to describe noise waves that are represented mathematically by relatively low absolute value eigenvalues with respect to the range of noise modes present in a given application. When viewed physically, the order of mode corresponds generally to the angle of wave propagation in the duct relative to the duct walls. As shown in FIG. 1, engine noise wavefronts 12 propagate along the duct 13 at various angles .theta. relative to the duct walls 14. If the angle is zero, the wave is said to be a fundamental wave 15, i.e., .theta.=.theta..sub.f =0. Fundamental waves have wavefronts that travel in the axial direction of the duct and have a uniform pressure distribution at any particular duct cross-section.
In addition to fundamental waves, there are non-fundamental noise wavefronts which reflect back and forth between the duct walls as the wavefronts travel along the duct. These non-fundamental wavefronts create a non-uniform pressure distribution across the duct cross-section. The non-fundamental waves are generally classified according to their angular directions relative to the duct walls. Low order modes of noise propagation have wavefronts 16 oriented at small angles as measured relative to the duct walls, i.e., .theta.=.theta..sub.1.ltoreq. approximately 30 degrees. High order modes of noise propagation have wavefronts 17 oriented at relatively larger angles as measured from the duct walls, i.e., .theta.=.theta..sub.h.gtoreq. approximately 60 degrees. A wide range of noise frequencies exists for each mode order, low or high. For further discussion of theoretical considerations, see Aeroacoustics of Flight Vehicles, by Harvey H. Hubbard, published for the Acoustical Society of America through the American Institute of Physics, 1995. See also, Theoretical Acoustics, by Philip M. Morse et al., McGraw-Hill Book Company, dated 1968.
In a given aircraft application, an engine will generate both high and low mode order noise. Current design practice focuses on reducing this noise through the use of absorptive acoustic liners. Absorptive liners are known in various configurations, including the use of a honeycomb core sandwiched between an imperforate sheet and a perforate sheet having a small amount of open surface area. This particular combination is sometimes referred to as a single degree of freedom absorptive acoustic liner.
Absorptive liners are successful because pressure waves cause air to pass into and out of the openings of the perforate sheet and to experience a sufficient amount of friction, or resistance, which is dissipated as heat energy. The overall impedance of an acoustic liner is a complex number, given by a real part, the resistance, and an imaginary part, the reactance. Resistance relates to the liner's ability to dissipate noise energy as heat. Reactance relates to the liner's tendency to react noise energy back onto itself. Absorptive liners provide moderate resistance and low reactance for high mode order noise waves.
FIG. 2 illustrates the theoretical effect of using absorptive liners for a hypothetical case. A given total noise energy 18 is initially comprised of a combination of one low and one high mode order noise 19, 21, each having equal energy. Starting at the beginning of the duct at position 0, the total noise energy 18 encounters an absorptive liner that quickly reduces the high mode order noise 21 and more slowly reduces the low mode order noise 19. Since high mode order noise attenuates quickly in the duct, only a relatively short duct length is needed to dissipate most of the high mode order noise present. In FIGS. 2 and 3, the vertical axis is logarithmic. A change of about -3 dB, for example, refers to a reduction in noise energy of about half. The horizontal axis is normalized to be dimensionless. The exact values of the information shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 will vary according to the characteristics of a particular application, and in general there will be energy in more than two modes.
As is evident by FIG. 2, absorptive liners are very effective for absorbing high mode order noise 21, but are inefficient for reducing low mode order noise 19, i.e., those noise wavefronts traveling along the duct at a low angular displacement relative to the duct walls. Propagating at low angles, these low order modes strike the absorptive liners fewer times in a given length of duct. Therefore, to reduce all of the low mode order noise requires a greater length of acoustic lining than is typically possible in the space-limited regions of aircraft engines. Noise reduction from use of absorptive liners is thus practically limited to higher mode order noise.
Thus, a need exists for an acoustic liner, or arrangement of liners, that effectively reduces both high and low mode order noise. The present invention is directed to fulfilling this need.

Aircraft engine acoustic liner and method of making same


A medical device is provided and includes a thermal ablation catheter and a deployable cage assembly for use in thermal ablation therapy. The deployable cage assembly includes a plurality of arms, each of which has a pair of opposed ends attached to the thermal ablation catheter. Each of the arms is movable from a relaxed configuration to a deployed configuration. When relaxed, the arms are substantially proximate to the thermal ablation catheter. When deployed, the arms cooperate with each other to form an open structure which extends radially outward from the thermal ablation catheter. The thermal ablation device also includes a distensible bladder that serves as an endocervical seal.

Millions of women suffer from excessive menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia). A commonly used therapy to treat menorrhagia involves inserting a balloon catheter or a distensible bladder into the uterus, filling the balloon with a thermally conductive fluid, and then heating the fluid to thermally ablate the endometrial lining of the uterus. Although thermal balloon therapy is effective for treating menorrhagia in women who have a smooth uterine lining, such balloon therapy is not recommended for women who have uterine conditions such as myomas, polyps, or irregular uterine shapes, etc.
Accordingly, there is a need for a therapy that involves the use of thermal ablation for treating menorrhagia in women who have benign uterine pathology.


A system and method are disclosed for estimating a number of unique users (e.g., the number of unique users accessing a website, etc.). In one aspect, one or more transactions occurring during a time frame and a plurality of unauthenticated unique identification records associated with the transactions are identified. The time frame is segmented into disjoint time intervals, and a respective bit pattern is determined for each of the unauthenticated unique identification records. A set of churn patterns is determined based on the bit patterns, and a number of expected unauthenticated unique identification records is determined based on the bit patterns and the churn patterns. A number of unique users is estimated based on the size of the set of churn patterns and the number of expected unauthenticated unique identification records.

When users log into a site (e.g. employing an authenticated unique identifier such as a username), it is easy to track respective users from multiple devices, browsers, applications, etc., in order to obtain count of unique users visiting the site. On the other hand, if a user is not logged-in to a site, an unauthenticated unique identifier, such as a cookie (e.g., small piece of data sent from a website and stored in a user's web browser), can be used as a surrogate to keep track of and count users. However, simply counting number of distinct cookies can greatly over or under count actual number of unique users. For example, a cookie can expire or a user can choose to delete the cookie, resulting in another cookie being generated. In another example, a user can block cookies completely such that no cookie will be generated for the user. In a further example, different devices, browsers, and/or applications can have different cookies resulting in multiple cookies being generated for the same user. Consequently, count of unique users associated with unauthenticated unique identifiers can be over or under counted.

Statistical model for estimating unique users from unauthenticated cookies


A peer-to-peer control system for a circuit board production line includes multiple processing stations, each of which has an adjustable width conveyor. Control means are provided at each station for controlling the width of the conveyor, receiving board width data signals from an adjacent upstream processing station, and passing the board width data signal, in turn, to an adjacent downstream processing station. A data signal communication network directly connects the controller of each of the processing stations, such as a programmable logic controller, to the controllers of adjacent upstream and downstream stations. Data signals corresponding to the width of circuit boards to be processed by the circuit board production line progress downstream through the line in tandem with circuit boards of that width. The width of conveyors associated with the individual stations can be changed from time to time without emptying the entire production line, and without the need for a master host computer control system keeping track of the width and location of boards in the production line and the width of the conveyors of the various processing stations. Distributed control, relying on the controllers of an upstream station to signal directly to an adjacent downstream station the need for a conveyor width change, provides increased production line flexibility with decreased control system complexity.

In multi-station production lines, circuit boards are fed from one station to another, each station performing an operation on the circuit board, for example, applying or reading a bar code sticker on the board, populating the board with circuit elements, soldering the board, inspecting the board, etc. Each of the stations has a conveyor extending longitudinally from a receiving end to a location within the station at which the aforesaid operation is performed, and then to a discharge end. The conveyor forms a slot having a lateral width corresponding to the width of the circuit board. The circuit board is passed from the discharge end of the conveyor of one station to the receiving end of the conveyor of an adjacent downstream station. Thus, each station is downstream of those which previously acted on the circuit board, and is upstream of those which will act on the circuit board subsequently.
Advanced manufacturing techniques call for circuit board assembly lines to be adapted to handle circuit boards of varying widths. Thus, the conveyors of the individual processing stations should have an adjustable lateral width.
Existing automated systems provide a controller, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), on each processing station to control various functions of the conveyor, including its lateral width. Each PLC is connected via a computer network to a master host computer. The host computer receives circuit board width information, for example, from a bar code reader, scanning circuit boards as they are fed to the production line. Additional bar code readers or other suitable means are required to track the location of each board as it proceeds through the production line. The host computer also tracks the width of each conveyor. When a board is processed which requires the conveyor at a given processing station to change width, the host computer must recognize the need to change width by linking the board with the location tracking information it receives. Upon recognizing a need to change conveyor width at a given processing station, the host computer sends a command to that station to actuate a conveyor width control mechanism. A signal is then passed to the host computer indicating that a width change has been completed. The host computer then sends another signal to the adjacent upstream processing station that the circuit board in question may be passed downstream. This control architecture is disadvantageousIy complex and computing-intensive. The complexity of the control architecture tends to increase production costs and the frequency and seriousness of control system failures.
Other known circuit board production line control systems having less complex computer control architecture, can only undergo width changes when the production line is completely empty of circuit boards. Thus, typically, only a single circuit board type or model can be processed in any period of time. To change conveyor width, the production line is allowed to empty and all production stations are then changed over simultaneously. This involves considerable production inefficiency, as all upstream processing stations must be idled while circuit boards of a previous model are conveyed through the last downstream processing station. Similarly, after width changeover, downstream processing stations sit idle awaiting the arrival of the new circuit boards.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a computer control system for a circuit board production line which allows automated conveyor width changeover of the individual processing stations of the production line, without the need for the complex control architecture based on a master host computer, and without requiting that the entire production line be emptied of circuit boards to permit conveyor width changes. Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following disclosure of the invention and detailed description of certain preferred embodiments.

Circuit board assembly system and method


An object of the present invention is to provide a preventive and/or therapeutic agent for radiation damage that has a novel mechanism of action and can prevent and alleviate a wide range of symptoms of radiation damage for which no therapeutic measures have been available so far, and moreover, is highly safe to humans. A preventive and/or therapeutic agent for radiation damage comprising a compound represented by the following formula (I) such as 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) or a salt thereof as an active ingredient can be used to improve the survival rate, improve body weight reduction, and alleviate hematopoietic disorder:

Radiation damage is a generic term for physical damage or injury caused in organisms by exposure to radiation such as X-ray and gamma ray. As a cause of radiation damage, irradiation, radioactive contamination, and the like are known. Radiation damage occurs as early radiation damage (acute radiation damage), which is radiation damage accompanied by acute phase symptoms that develops right after or within several months of exposure to radiation, or delayed radiation damage (late radiation damage), which is radiation damage that develops several years to several decades after exposure to radiation.
The higher the cell division activity, the higher the sensitivity of the cell to radiation, and the cell renewal system including, for example, hematopoietic organs is most susceptible to radiation. For example, in early radiation damage, exposure to 1 Gy (gray) or more causes symptoms called radiation sickness, which involves symptoms similar to hangover such as nausea, vomiting, and general malaise, in some people. Exposure to 1.5 Gy or more affects hematopoietic cells, which are most susceptible, and the cessation of leucocyte and platelet supply results in increased hemorrhage and reduced immunocompetence, and in severe cases individuals die within about 30 to 60 days. Also, in the skin, in which epithelial basal cells are highly susceptible, by exposure to 3 Gy or more, hair loss and temporary erythema occur, and by exposure to 7 to 8 Gy, blister forms, and by exposure to 10 Gy or more, ulcer is observed. By exposure to 5 Gy or more of radiation, stem cells in the small intestine are killed, leading to the cessation of absorptive cell supply. As a consequence, individuals develop diarrhea due to reduced absorption capacity, or bacterial infection, and in severe cases, die within 20 days. Exposure to an extremely high radiation dose of 15 Gy or more affects the central nerve, causing disturbed consciousness and symptoms of shock. The effect on the central nerve appears quickly, killing most of the irradiated individuals within five days. Meanwhile, in delayed radiation damage, the incidence rates of various types of malignant tumors including leukemia, radiation cataract, and the like are increased.
Currently, as a preventive measure against radiation exposure, prevention of uptake of radioactive substances generated under unusual circumstances such as accidents by, for example, administration of a stable isotope or a chelating agent corresponding to the radioactive substance, is mainly provided to thereby minimize the internal exposure. However, there is no preventive drug for inhibiting, for example, the development of cancer in those who are exposed to radiation on a daily basis such as cabin attendants and radiology technicians. Moreover, no preventive drug for inhibiting side effects in the patients undergoing cancer radiotherapy, who are exposed to a large dose of radiation, has been established yet. Further, as prevention of side effects of radiotherapy, administration of Shi Quan Da Bu Tang, a Chinese traditional medicine, is also known; however, this is not common. The former is intended to minimize radiation exposure per se by preventing the uptake of radioactive substances generated, whereas the latter is intended to inhibit the development of symptoms caused by radiation to which individuals are exposed. As a therapeutic method for radiation exposure, administration of a hematopoiesis-promoting cytokine and bone marrow transplantation are known. These methods are therapeutic methods for bone marrow suppression, which is one of the symptoms of radiation damage caused by the radioactive substances accumulated in the body, or by direct irradiation. Since bone marrow cells are rendered incapable of undergoing normal cell division by radiation damage, cytokines such as G-CSF are administered to the remaining normal cells to promote proliferation and differentiation of blood cells. In severer cases, transplantation of bone marrow cells may be performed.
In addition, as a preventive and/or therapeutic agent for radiation damage, nitroprusside (see Patent Document 1), lactoferrin (see Patent Document 2), 6,10,14,18-tetramethyl-5,9,13,17-nonadecatetraen-2-one (see Patent Document 3), a pyrazolone derivative (see Patent Document 4), the growth factors SCF, IL3, GM-CSF, and IL6 (see Patent Document 5), (±)-N,N′-propylenedinicotinamide (see Patent Document 6), 13-oxygermylpropionic acid (see Patent Document 7), β-lapachone (see Patent Document 8), a phosphorus derivative of alkaloid (see Patent Document 9), and α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-L-ascorbic acid (see Patent Document 10) have been proposed.
Meanwhile, 5-ALA is known as an intermediate of the tetrapyrrole biosynthetic pathway, which is widely present in animals, plants, and fungi. Normally, 5-ALA is biosynthesized by 5-aminolevulinate synthetase from succinyl CoA and glycine. Photodynamic therapy using 5-ALA (hereinbelow, may also be referred to as "ALA-PDT") is also developed, which is attracting attention as a less invasive therapeutic method that can maintain QOL, and for example, a diagnostic and/or therapeutic agent for tumor prepared with ALA and the like has been reported. Further, 5-ALA is also known to be useful as a preventive or improving agent or a therapeutic agent for adult diseases, cancer, and male infertility (see for example, Patent Documents 11 to 13).

Prophylactic and/or therapeutic agent for radiation damage

Abstract: (wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or an acyl group; and R2 represents a hydrogen atom, a linear or branched alkyl group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group, or an aralkyl group).


A head-tracking system includes a georeferenced head tracker (GHT) configured to provide georeferenced head position data, and a platform-referenced head-tracker (PRHT) configured to provide platform-referenced head position data. A controller is coupled with the GHT and the PRHT, and configured to be coupled with an avionic system configured to provide georeferenced aircraft position data. The controller includes a processor configured to access the georeferenced head position data, compare a current drift error of the GHT with a predetermined error threshold. When the current drift error is below the threshold, the processor transmits a signal indicative of the georeferenced head position data being a current georeferenced head position data. When the current drift exceeds the threshold, the processor access the georeferenced aircraft position-data, generates update data based on the platform-referenced head position data and the georeferenced aircraft position data, and updates the GHT at a known instant in time.

Embodiments of the inventive concepts disclosed herein are generally directed to head-tracking systems and methods for providing georeferenced head position and/or orientation data.
Head worn displays (HWDs) with head-tracking systems are used in a variety of aircraft and ground vehicle applications to provide situational awareness information to pilots or other users. Georeferenced head-tracking determines the position and/or orientation of the head relative to the Earth, which enables display of symbology and imagery superimposed over the view of the scene. The potential improvement in situation awareness that can be provided by an augmented vision system is largely dependent on the accuracy and responsiveness of the head-tracking subsystems.
Georeferenced head-tracking is an important and challenging head-tracking function in head-worn display systems. Systems in the past have used a two-step approach, using a platform referenced head-tracking system whose output is mathematically combined with the position and orientation of the platform to compute an estimate of the head position and orientation referenced to the Earth. This approach is subject to accumulation of errors and time delay (latency) from the multiple sources, which degrades the accuracy and responsiveness of the output.
The accuracy, update rate, latency and jitter requirements for head-tracking systems for flight deck applications are challenging. Some existing solutions rely on various combinations of magnetic, optical and inertial tracker subsystems to attempt to meet these requirements. In spite of years of investment and effort, the performance of existing head-tracking systems is still in need of improvement.


Apparatus in accordance with the subject invention maintains an exponentially decayed histogram of the counts of new pixels for each active channel, together with a running count of time and number of acquisitions. At regular intervals determined by a maximum time or by a minimum number of acquisitions it computes a new threshold for each active channel. This threshold will theoretically produce “N” nominally unusual waveforms per second where N is defined by a user “sensitivity” control. The raw histogram is smoothed to provide a stable “tail” of small probabilities. Once a threshold has been determined, subsequent waveforms with more than this number of new pixels are re-examined to determine the number of “really new” pixels. “Really new” pixels are defined as those that are not adjacent to pixels remaining from earlier acquisitions. Only those waveforms that have more “really new” pixels than a specified fraction of the basic threshold are reported as anomalies.

In analog oscilloscopes employing cathode ray tubes (CRTs) for display, variable brightness of the screen display communicates useful information about the activity of the signal being observed. As an analog oscilloscope generates vertical excursions during a horizontal sweep interval to provide a real-time picture of the signal activity at the probe tip, it inherently tends to vary the brightness of the display as an inverse function of the slope of the line it produces. This occurs because the cathode electron gun of the CRT generates a constant supply of electrons that depends on the setting of a "brightness" control, and the length of the trajectory covered in a unit of time is minimally determined by the x-axis distance associated with any particular sweep speed, but is increased by any and all y-axis excursions. And a y-axis excursion can be a large multiple of the corresponding x-axis distance, so the constant available electron beam energy appears to be reduced by a large factor as it is spread over this much longer distance. Thus, analog oscilloscopes inherently vary the brightness of the line they draw as an inverse function of the slope of that line.
Another even more highly desired feature of an analog oscilloscope or a digital oscilloscope with a high waveform throughput, is the ability to detect an intermittent signal anomaly that occurs in an otherwise repetitive signal. Older digital oscilloscopes, with low "live time" make observing intermittent signal activity improbable, at least in the absence of special trigger modes designed to detect certain classes of intermittent signal activity. Analog oscilloscopes will show a faint trace indicating the presence of this intermittent anomalous signal behavior. Of course, if the signal becomes too intermittent, the trace will be so faint in brightness that it may be missed entirely by the oscilloscope operator.
In a simple digital oscilloscope having only a single bit (on/off) of intensity information per pixel, operated with its persistence decay feature turned off (i.e., infinite persistence), will display rare or unusual waveforms with the same intensity as highly repetitive ones, i.e., "on". In contrast, digital oscilloscopes with multi-bit raster memories can provide variable intensity (or variable color) displays to allow a visual distinction to be made between rare and repetitive waveforms. However, unless the persistence feature is turned off, these oscilloscopes may not illuminate truly rare events with enough intensity for a long enough period of time to allow the operator to notice, much less analyze, the intermittent activity.
Current oscilloscope products from assignee corporation, Tektronix, provide a means whereby the operator can distinguish between the most recent individual waveform acquisitions and older waveforms acquired previously. The Tektronix TDS3000 oscilloscope defines and detects unusual waveforms it acquires in a way that allows the definition of an unusual waveform to be controlled by the operator while the detection of the waveforms is then automatically performed by the oscilloscope. U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,758 (Sullivan, et al.), entitled Detection of Unusual Waveforms, assigned to the same assignee as the subject invention, discloses the manner in which such unusual waveforms are detected. Specifically, it detects unusual waveforms by counting the number of new pixels that are drawn on its screen display, and generating an alert signal if the number of new pixels exceeds a threshold value. That is, the number of "new" pixels that unusual or anomalous waveforms affect automatically distinguish them from normal, highly repetitive, waveforms. "New" pixels can be defined to mean those pixels that have never been previously touched by any waveform since the beginning of the present acquisition series, or those which have not been affected for some interval of time as measured by the decay of values stored in a raster memory. User input can affect the definition of unusual waveforms by affecting the definition of "new" pixels (i.e., threshold value) and by affecting the decay rate applied to the values stored in the raster memory.
While the system of U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,758 performs well, what is needed is a system that determines the threshold and updates it dynamically, and in a post-detection mechanism also discards unusual waveforms that are due to noise rather than a significant anomaly.

Method and apparatus for computing thresholds for identification of waveform anomalies


An optical modulator and a 3D image acquisition apparatus including an optical modulator are provided. The optical modulator is disposed in a multiple quantum well including a plurality of quantum wells and a plurality of quantum barriers, and includes at least one carrier block disposed in the multiple quantum well restricting the carrier movement between the multiple quantum wells.

1. Field
Apparatus consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to an optical modulator and a 3D image acquisition apparatus including an optical modulator, and more particularly, to an optical modulator generating optical confinement and a 3D image acquisition apparatus including an optical modulator generating optical confinement.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional 3D cameras, comprising conventional image shooting functions, incorporate a measuring function for measuring the distance between a plurality of points on the surface of a subject and the camera. At present, several algorithms are available for measuring the distance between a subject and a 3D camera, among which the Time-of-Flight (TOF) method is widely used. The TOF method incorporates projecting an illumination signal at a subject and measuring the flight time for the illumination reflect from the subject, and arrive back at a receiving unit. The flight time of the illumination signal may be measured by a phase delay. Furthermore, a high-speed optical modulator may be used for an accurate measurement of the phase delay.
The characteristic of transmittance difference of an optical modulator (optical shutter), which is used to obtain the depth information in a 3D camera, is the most important factor in 3D image realization because a bigger transmittance difference enables an improved accuracy and a higher 3D image quality.
Transmittance difference is the difference in the transmittance due to a quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) of a particular wave depending on whether voltage is applied to the optical modulator. When the voltage is not applied to the optical modulator, the optical modulator enters a shutter-open status, and when the voltage is applied to the optical modulator, the transmission-type optical modulator enters a shutter-close status. Therefore, by decreasing the transmissivity when the voltage is not applied or increasing the transmissivity when the voltage is applied, the transmittance difference of the optical modulator may be enhanced. Particularly, decreasing the transmissivity when the voltage is not applied may enhance the quality of the 3D image.

Optical modulator including multiple quantum well and carrier blocks and 3D image acquisition apparatus including the same


A beam control assembly to shape a ribbon beam of ions for ion implantation includes a first bar, second bar, first coil of windings of electrical wire, second coil of windings of electrical wire, first electrical power supply, and second electrical power supply. The first coil is disposed on the first bar. The first coil is the only coil disposed on the first bar. The second bar is disposed opposite the first bar with a gap defined between the first and second bars. The ribbon beam travels between the gap. The second coil is disposed on the second bar. The second coil is the only coil disposed on the second bar. The first electrical power supply is connected to the first coil without being electrically connected to any other coil. The second electrical power supply is connected to the second coil without being electrically connected to any other coil.

1. Field
The present application generally relates to ion implanters, and, more particularly, to a beam control assembly to shape a ribbon beam of ions for ion implantation.
2. Related Art
Ion implanters are used to implant ions in various applications, including semiconductor device fabrication. As depicted in FIG. 1, an ion implanter 100 typically includes an ion source 102 configured to generate the ions, an accelerator 104 configured to accelerate the ions to a desired energy, a beam control assembly 106 configured to shape the ions into a desired pattern, and a target area 108 configured to position the work piece, such as a wafer in semiconductor device fabrication, for ion implantation.
To increase throughput, particularly in semiconductor applications, a ribbon beam of ions is used. In particular, with reference to FIG. 2A, a ribbon beam 202 can be generated and used to implant ion in an area of a work piece, such as a wafer in semiconductor applications. As depicted in FIG. 2A, ribbon beam 202 has a beam width 204 and travels in a beam direction 206.
Various conventional devices and techniques exist for controlling ribbon beam 202. For example, see, U.S. Pat. No. 7,078,713, issued Jul. 18, 2006, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,933,607, issued Aug. 23, 2005, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties for all purposes. These conventional devices and techniques have various shortcomings in shaping a ribbon beam of ions for ion implantation.

Beam control assembly for ribbon beam of ions for ion implantation


An excavating bucket assembly for excavation apparatus that does not use pins to connect teeth to adaptors on the excavation bucket. Each adaptor includes a receiving portion defined therein that is at least partially defined by an abutment wall. Each tooth includes an interference portion. The connection system includes a biasing portion adjacent the abutment wall and a locking portion adjacent the biasing portion. The locking portion includes a locking section and an interference section that engages the interference portion of its respective tooth. The locking section and the interference section are capable of movement relative to one another to thereby couple the tooth to the adaptor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digging buckets for excavation vehicles and equipment such as front-end loaders and, more particularly, to a connection system for connecting replaceable teeth to such digging buckets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Excavating buckets are used extensively in the construction and mining industries. The buckets are used with a variety of different excavating apparatus, such as backhoes, power shovels, front-end loaders, dragline equipment, etc., for digging, loading, etc. Although these buckets have many differences, they are generally formed with a rear wall, side walls, and a bottom wall. The walls cooperatively define an open front and a cavity for gathering earthen material and moving it to a dump site. The bottom edge of the open front is defined by a forward lip of the bottom wall. The lip is intended to engage the ground for collection of the earthen material into the bucket cavity. The lip may be formed to have a linear or arcuate-shaped edge or formed to have a particular configuration (such as V-shaped) to suit the desired operation. Similarly, the front edges of the side walls are also adapted to engage the ground.
Attachments are commonly mounted on the lip and front edges of the side walls to increase the effectiveness and durability of the buckets. These attachments typically include teeth, shrouds and wings. The teeth project forwardly of the lip to disrupt the material for enhanced collection of the material into the cavity. The shrouds are positioned in-between the teeth and are generally provided with an inclined surface to improve the collection of the material into the bucket. The wings are attached to the front edges of the side walls in general proximity with the lips. In any event, the attachments protect the bucket against undue wear. As a result, only the attachments normally need replacement when the front of the bucket becomes worn, thus prolonging the usable life of the larger and more expensive lip and side walls.
Generally, a tooth is attached to the lip with an adaptor. The tooth in turn is attached to the adaptor with a pin. In order to replace the tooth, the pin is knocked out with a large hammer. During this process, the pin is destroyed, which means that a new pin is needed to attach the new tooth to the adaptor. This is a non-desirable cost since pins typically cost in the range of $25.00-$50.00 each.
Furthermore, use of the large hammer to knock the pin out of the tooth-adaptor connection may be dangerous. There is a danger of injury to bodily parts, especially fingers, and also a danger from flying pieces or chips from the pin or other parts, or from dirt, debris, sand, dust, etc. in the connection area.
Another problem with current connection techniques lies in the fact that the interface between the tooth and its associated adaptor is not adequately sealed. Thus, dirt, sand, grit, and abrasives enter the interface between the tooth and adaptor and slowly grinds or wears the two parts. This wear loosens the tightness of the fit, and thus, new teeth may "wiggle" and may be quickly damaged or broken. Due to this wear, it is necessary to relatively frequently replace the adaptor. Currently, a new adaptor is required for every 10-20 teeth that are installed on the associated adaptor. The frequency of the replacement of the adaptor depends on the amount of use, the type of soil, etc.

Excavating bucket with replaceable wedge-locked teeth


A microcomputer includes a ROM storing various instruction codes including an invalidation instruction code for invalidating a content of an instruction decoder. The invalidation instruction code is read from the ROM and decoded in order to produce an invalidation control signal when a predetermined security execution condition is established. Thus, the security of data contained in the instruction decoder is improved by the ability to physically invalidate an operation of the instruction decoder by writing a predetermined value into the instruction decoder or by erasing its content.

An individual identification (IC) card is usually equipped with a single chip microcomputer and featured with multiple functions. Recently, the application field of IC cards is being expanded to the individual employees of a company. In such case, the use of IC cards is limited to time-cards as well as cards for settling food costs in an employee's restaurant in which management of things such as security, etc., is very easy and in which the features of the IC card are not used efficiently.
FIG. 2 shows a general construction of a conventional single chip microcomputer used in such IC card or other control devices.
In FIG. 2, the microcomputer is shown with an instruction decoder (ID-ROM) 1, a ROM 2 for storing instruction codes (PROG-ROM), a program counter 3 and an operation circuit (ALU) 4.
The PROG-ROM 2 stores an application program 2a represented as a collection of instruction codes.
Although it further includes registers and a RAM etc., details thereof are omitted here for simplicity of description.
With such construction, the application program 2a is executed according to the following procedure.
First, an instruction code B at an address A of the PROG-ROM 2 indicated by the program counter 3 is written to instruction decoder 1.
Then, in response to the instruction code B, the instruction decoder 1 decodes a memory content thereat and produces a control signal C for the program counter 3 and a control D for the operation circuit 4, etc.
The operation circuit 4 responds to the control signal D by performing an arithmetic operation such as addition or shifting, a resultant of which being stored in a register (not shown), etc.
The program counter 3 responds to the control signal C to increment the value of address A, i.e., jump to the next address.
By successively processing a series of instruction codes of the application program 2a in this manner, the program is executed.
Thus, various functions of the single chip microcomputer used as an IC card are realized.
Such an IC card is equipped with a single chip microcomputer by which various functions are realized according to the application program.
Up to now, such an IC card has not become as popular as expected in view of its cost as well as security problems.
Among others, the cost problem may be quickly overcome by the economical effect of mass production, if it becomes as popular as other IC cards.
However, with respect to the security problem, such a quick resolution cannot be expected. Therefore, this problem must be solved on a purely technically basis. Particularly, a bank IC card which is expected to be a key for the popularization of IC cards requires a high level of security.
For example, the security level required by such a bank IC card is much higher than that used in the conventional employee's IC card in which coding of communication data and ID checking are both performed by software. This is because of the possibility that a set of instructions contained in a microcomputer according to its architecture, i.e. an instruction set, is understood from a construction of an instruction decoder and memory content thereof add the content of program is understood by reading codes of the application program 2a.
In order to reduce cost of a single chip microcomputer and hence popularize IC cards, some hardware means for realizing high level security has been needed.

Microcomputer having a security function for stored data


In a scintillator used for radiation detection, such as an X-ray CT scanner, a scintillation crystal body having a unidirectional phase separation structure is provided which has a light guide function for crosstalk prevention without using partitions. The phase separation structure includes a first crystal phase and a second crystal phase having a refractive index larger than that of the first crystal phase and which have a first principal surface and a second principal surface, these principal surfaces being not located on the same plane, the first principal surface and the second principal surface have portions to which the second crystal phase is exposed, and a portion of the second crystal phase exposed to the first principal surface and a portion of the second crystal phase exposed to the second principal surface are connected to each other.

In an x-ray CT (computed tomography) apparatus used in medical sites and the like, x rays passing through a photographic object are received by scintillators, and photodetectors detect light emitted therefrom. In addition, these detectors are disposed to form a two-dimensional array, and the scintillators are separated from each other by partitions so as not to cause crosstalk of light.
Since having no contribution to the x-ray detection and degrading a spatial resolution, the partitions are each preferably formed as thin as possible. For example, in PTL 1, a technique has been disclosed in which after many scintillator crystals are boned to each other with an adhesive to form a scintillator array, the adhesive is removed by etching, and spaces formed thereby are filled with a titanium oxide powder functioning as a partition material. In this case, according to the above patent literature, the thickness of the partition can be decreased to approximately 1 μm.
Since a related scintillator has no function to guide light therethrough, partitions functioning as a scattering surface and/or a reflection surface are required. However, by the technique disclosed in PTL 1, although the thickness of the partition can be decreased, the partition itself cannot be eliminated. In addition, in a manufacturing process, many steps, for example, from cutting of a scintillator to bonding for partition formation are required.

Scintillator crystal body, method for manufacturing the same, and radiation detector


A chromatography column distribution system (101) comprises a set of first bed support ribs (107) extending radially from a inner, first radial position (R1) near the centre of the plate to a outer radial position nearer to the periphery (109) of the plate and at least one set of intermediate bed support ribs (117, 119) starting at an intermediate radial position (R2, R3) and extending to an outer radial position nearer to the periphery (109) of the plate (101), whereby channels are formed between adjacent bed support ribs (107, 117, 119). The desired local effective channel height is intended to vary in accordance with a predetermined formula from said first radial position (R1) to said outer radial position, and in accordance with the present invention the transverse cross-sectional areas of said ribs (107, 117, 119) or said channels are adapted such that the actual local effective channel height is within 15% of the desired local effective channel height over portions of the distribution system situated between said first radial position (R1) and said outer radial position, wherein the total length of said portions correspond to at least 80% of the distance between said first radial position (R1) and said outer radial position.

In separation procedures, particularly in liquid chromatography, the fluid distribution system is critical to the overall performance, and becomes more so as the cross-section of the chromatographic column increases.
Columns used in liquid chromatography typically comprise a body-forming structure enclosing a porous media through which a carrier liquid flows, with separation taking place by material distribution between the carrier liquid and solid phase of the porous media. Typically, the porous media is enclosed in the column as a packed bed, typically formed by consolidating a suspension of discrete particles. An alternative to the packed bed is the so-called expanded or fluidised bed, where effective porosity and volume of the expanded bed depends on the fluid velocity. The term 'packing' shall be used in the following to describe the porous solid phase in all types of chromatography. The efficiency of the chromatographic separation relies in both modes strongly on the liquid distribution and collection system at the fluid inlet and outlet of the packing.
Ideally, the carrier liquid is uniformly introduced throughout the surface at the top of the packing, flows through the packing at the same linear velocity throughout the packing cross section, and is uniformly removed at the plane defined by the bottom of the packing.
Conventional distribution systems for use in liquid chromatography must address a number of inherent problems that have deleterious effects on the separation efficiency of the column. Among these problems is non-uniform initial fluid distribution at the top of the packing as well as non-uniform fluid collection at the outlet of the packing. The problem of non-uniform initial fluid distribution refers generally to the problem of applying a sample volume simultaneously over the cross-sectional area of the packing. Without a simultaneous introduction of fluid in the plane defined by the top of the packing, it is virtually impossible to achieve uniform flow distribution through the packing.
This will lead to increased dispersion in the chromatographic system by broadening the convective residence time distribution of a tracer substance transported with the fluid throughout the system. The dispersion generated by the liquid distribution system has to be controlled in relation to the amount of dispersion introduced by the chromatographic packing itself by means of diffusion and mixing effects.
Standard fluid distribution systems consist of one central inlet, formed in the end plate of the column, for the mobile phase in combination with a thin distribution channel (gap) behind the filter (woven net or sinter) or bed support at the inlet end of the column and a similar fluid collection system at the outlet end of the column. The filter or bed support is supported by ribs which extend from the inner surface of the end plate to side of the filter or bed support facing the end plate. The ribs extend radially and the spaces between the ribs form distribution channels for distributing the fluid. Each rib has a tapered end section facing the centre of the column and a body of substantially constant width extending from the tapered section to the wall of the column. At given radial positions, the number of ribs doubles in order to maintain the necessary mechanical support of the filter/bed support. In columns, the local effective cross-sectional area for fluid flow in the distribution channels at a radial position r is defined by the depth of the channels h, the width of the channels w and the number of channels. The local effective channel height (i.e. the height at a location at a given radial distance from the centre of the column) for fluid flow in a column is defined as the local height of a corresponding open channel (i.e. a rib-free channel) having the same cross-sectional area for fluid flow as the total cross-sectional area of the channels in the actual column at the same radial distance. Thus, if in a particular column the channel height at a distance R from the column centre was 4 mm and half of the cross-sectional area was occupied by ribs at distance R, then the effective channel height at distance R would be 2 mm. It is considered desirable that the local effective channel height varies linearly from the centre of the column to the column wall in order to give the desired fluid distribution over the filter or bed support. However, in the prior art, no account has made of the effect that the size and number of ribs has on the local effective channel height. This can be seen in FIG. 3 in which the solid line shows the calculated effective channel height (ECH) against radial distance (R) from the centre of the column for a typical prior art column with ribs starting at R=55 mm and R=110 mm, while the dotted line shows the desired linear variation in local effective channel height. At R=55 mm the actual local effective channel height is 3.2 mm while the desired local effective channel height is 3.8 mm, i.e. only 84% of the desired value, and at R=112 mm the actual local effective channel height is 1.4 mm—only 56% of the desired height is 2.5 mm. Clearly, there is a local decrease in the effective channel height, and therefore throttling of the flow in the distribution channels, at the radial positions where the number of ribs doubles. This causes a local pressure increase which has a negative impact on the chromatographic performance.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Chromatography column distribution system


The invention relates to a Penning sputter source which utilizes the Penning gas discharge for producing thin films by sputtering. The invented device guarantees a great productivity and effectiveness of the sputtering process by means for equalizing the magnetic field over the device and by increasing the surface of the active zone of the device. The produced layers are of equal thickness, can be composed of alloys of required composition and produced also on plastic substrates having low thermostability.

The invention relates to a Penning sputter source comprising an anode, a cathode which is separated from the anode and forms a target, an exciting magnet, a system for cooling the target and a screen system which preferably forms the outer housing of the sputter source. The proposed Penning sputter source can be preferably used in the production of semiconductor thin films and assures uniform sputtering with a good effectiveness.
According to the present level of technology in the electronics industry two kinds of vacuum methods are used for producing thin films, namely the vaporizing and sputtering methods.
Up to the beginning of the 1970's the vaporizing methods, particularly the electronbeam vaporizing techniques had a general acceptance. These methods are very effective in producing monolithic semiconductor thin films having a homogenous structure and formed on thermostable substrates. The disadvantage of these methods lies in the great temperature used for vaporization. Different metals have different partial pressures at the temperature of vaporization which renders the production of alloy layers difficult. During the vaporization a great quantity of heat is released; therefore the use of light plastic substrates is limited. The impact of electron beams on the vaporized material results in X-ray radiation and this radiation can spoil the characteristics of the sensitive semiconductor MOS structures.
The sputtering methods are more advantegous in producing alloy layers. A further advantage of these methods is the possibility of producing layers on plastic substrates. The sputtered thin films are of better quality than the vaporized ones and their production technology is preferable in comparison with the vaporization methods.
The first sputtering methods were based on the well-known cathode sputtering effect which occurs in electron tube structures containing diodes or triodes. These methods show a low speed and a low effectiveness of production. Their main advantages are small quantity of released heat, the absence of electron beams and of their associated X-ray radiation, and their great scattering (the sputtered material is scattered in a large beam, therefore good quality step coverages can be made with a uniform thickness of the layer).
New sputtering methods and devices were developed on the basis of field emission for increasing the speed and the effectiveness of the technological processes. The basic idea of these methods and devices is the exploitation of the Penning gas discharge in a vacuum, which by means thereof the effectiveness of the field emission may be sufficiently increased.
According to the Penning methods of plasma generation, a cathode to be sputtered and an anode are situated in a preliminary vacuum space comprising discharge gas, generally noble gas, suitably argon. The anode and the cathode are exposed to a stable magnetic field and connected to a direct current supply unit giving a direct current of a value preferably within the range of 400 and 800 V. In this way, an electric field is generated around the device being situated in the stable magnetic field as mentioned above. The discharge gas, whose atoms thereof are ionized for sputtering the material of the cathode, can be composed also of reactive gases. In this case chemical compounds also can be condensed on the carrier plate, for example, for producing isolating layers. The magnetic field is directed parallel to the surface of the cathode and has a value being greater then a threshold value which depends on the material of the cathode and on other conditions. In a preliminary vacuum within the range of 0.1 and 1 Pa the suitable range of the magnetic field intensity is of 0.01 and 0.025 T (tesla). This magnetic field gives a remarkable increase of the intensity of the field emission.
The anode and the cathode, as mentioned above, are connected to a direct current supply unit giving a potential difference of required value. For generating the magnetic field a permanent magnet or an electromagnet is used. In the magnetic field the electrons move on a spiral trajectory therefore traversing a longer distance than the distance between the cathode and the anode. The probability of the ionization of the atoms in the discharge gas increases with the length of the trajectory of the electrons. In the magnetic field the ionized atoms are impacted onto the surface of the cathode which forms the target. The target is sputtered in this way by the ionized atoms being accelerated by the electric field. The sputtered material is condensed on special substrates and forms a semiconductor thin film.
The optimal conditions of the Penning plasma generator can be obtained by application of magnetic and electric fields perpendicular to each other. The gas discharge also can be initiated in a high vacuum (this is the basic idea of the well-known Penning vacuum meter).
The Penning gas discharge being initiated in the space of a preliminary vacuum assures the flow of a gas discharge current which sometimes has an intensity an order of magnitude greater then the intensity of the same current in absence of the magnetic field. The speed of sputtering depends mainly on the current intensity; therefore the Penning discharge guarantees a speed of sputtering at least one order of magnitude greater then the speed of the afore-known sputtering processes.
The known Penning sputter sources contain a target which is connected as cathode, a cooling system, a field-magnet or exciting magnet, an anode which is separated from the cathode, and a screen system which preferably forms an outer housing of the device. The screen system may be formed for example from copper. The target must be cooled owing to the unavoidable heating effect of the current supplying the sputter source, such that the water cooling is generally used. The magnetic field is generated by a permanent magnet or by an electromagnet which is placed under and/or around the target. The target of the sputter source can be made for example in the form of a circle, a rectangle with broken corners, a racetrack consisting of two parallel direct lines and two half-circles being connected therewith, or even in the form of a triangle with broken corners. The sputtered area of the target forms the so-called active zone where the sputtering ions are impacted. The active zone can be produced from high-priced materials forming a thin upper layer of the target, while the rest of the target represents a support for the active zone.
The Penning sputter sources are available under different names, as S-gun, Planar Plasmatron, Planar Magnetron, Orbitorr etc.
The simplest types of the known Penning sources comprise a plain, generally disc-like target surrounded by a screen system which forms an anode. Under the target a permanent magnet is placed for generating a stable magnetic field. In this simple structure the conditions of plasma generating can be guaranteed only over a small surface area of the target. Therefore the active zone is of extremely limited dimensions. In this device, the distribution of the magnetic field is inhomogenous over the target; therefore the material to be sputtered is utilized unevenly, and the sputtering process remains of limited expansion.
Owing to the afore-mentioned disadvantages, a new-type Penning sputter source was constructed by the Varian Corp. (U.S.). This source is known under the trade name of S-gun and is described in detail by Vance and Hoffmann in "S-gun--a new sputtering system" (Varian Seminar, Palo Alto, 1978). This device is based on the use of a ring-like exciting magnet surrounding a conical target. The lines of the magnetic field are parallel to the conical surface of the target for a greater area then in the devices with a disc-like targets and this provides for an increase of the surface area of the active zone.
The construction of the target in the above device is ingenious. The target has dimensions sufficient to situate it in thermal contact with the surrounding cooling system. When the sputtering current results in an unavoidable thermal expansion of the target the thermal conduction to the cooling system is increased. In this device, the active zone has a greater surface and the conditions of the plasma generator are better then in the afore-known devices. A further new element of the S-gun type source lies in the central situation of the anode in comparison with the active zone.
The magnetic field is utilized in the S-gun type Penning sputter source with a low effectiveness because the exciting magnet is situated relatively far from the active zone. For increasing the intensity of the magnetic field the geometrical dimensions of the device must be increased. The conical form of the target can be a factor causing technological difficulties during its production, particularly in the case when different materials are used for the active zone and for the rest of the target.
All types of the known Penning sputter sources can be characterized by inhomogenous conditions of the plasma generator over the target and therefore by an unequal and disadvantageous erosion of the active zone during the sputtering process.


A furnace comprising a lower radiant section and an upper convection section, the lower section having associated fuel burners; generally vertically extending first tubular structure suspended in the first section; second tubular structure extending generally horizontally relative to the first section and suspending the first tubular structure; and grid structure extending generally horizontally and supporting the second tubular structure; whereby hot combustion gases produced by the burners flow upwardly in the first section and past the first and second tubular structure and the grid structure to the upper convection section; and the second tubular structures and/or the grid structure are cooled by circulation of fluids therein.

This invention relates generally to furnaces, and more particularly to furnaces containing heat transfer tubing in "radiant" lower furnace sections and in "convective" upper furnace sections.
Furnaces, as used in the petroleum and petrochemical industries, usually consist of a radiant section and a convection section. For simplicity in construction and low cost, the convection section is built above the radiant section. The radiant coil, which is used for heating and/or reaction of feed, is typically located in the center of the radiant section. The radiant coil consists of a number of horizontal tubes connected by 180.degree. return bends. In order to keep the horizontal tubes from sagging, tube supports are used at three to four feet intervals.
As furnace capacity increases, higher feed rates and firing are used. Higher firing increases the radiant section temperature, which is detrimental to the tube supports. The lives of tube supports are thereby reduced, and they must be replaced often (every three to seven years). As tube supports deteriorate and collapse, damage to the radiant coil-results. Hence, the radiant coil has to be replaced prematurely. Therefore, the maximum allowable temperature of tube supports becomes a constraint of the capacity.


A piston-cylinder unit for pressure fluids includes a housing bounded by a head piece at each end thereof; a cylinder disposed within the housing; a piston reciprocatingly movable within the cylinder; a pulley having a circumferential outer surface is mounted for rotation about an axis within each of the head pieces; a pull belt is secured to the piston and looped around the outer surface of the pulleys; a power pick-up is attached to the pull belt; a braking device for the pull belt is disposed within the head piece and juxtaposed with at least one of the pulleys and has a shape which is complementary to at least a portion of the circumferential surface of the pulley; and a feed conduit connected to the head piece for feeding the pressure fluid to the braking device.

Rod-less cylinders require a braking device as stopping means. Such a braking device generally requires additional measures to enlarge the outside dimensions of a standard cylinder. However, such a manner of construction, which leads to large outside dimensions, is undesirable for many applications.
An example of a rod-less cylinder is shown in German patent publication C2 32 29 305. In that device the power pick-up surrounds a cylinder housing and has a braking device within the inside thereof. The braking device consists of a pressure body with an angular brake lining which can be brought against a special brake path so that, upon actuating a pressure chamber which is disposed above the brake lining or the pressure body, the pressure body is pressed against the braking surface. At the same time, a support path is created on each one of the polygonal cross sections of the cylinder, and on which paths the power pick-up rests via rollers. Since the power pick-up always moves in conjunction with the piston, the feed line for the pressure fluid must also be constructed movable.
It is thus an object of the present invention to avoid the necessity of a special brake rail together with the respective brake lining and pressure body in addition to the carriage guide, but nevertheless provide an effective brake which, if at all, increases the dimensions of the unit only slightly, and, in addition, can be economically manufactured.
This and other objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing a rod-less cylinder unit having a pull belt which is fastened to the end parts of the piston and is sealed off at each end of the cylinder. The piston-cylinder unit has guide pulleys for the pull-belt which are rotatably mounted on head pieces, a power pick-up fastened to the ends of the pull-belt which is movable parallel to the piston and a braking device for the piston which breaking device can be actuated by a pressure fluid. The braking device is associated with at least one of the pulleys, it is arranged within the head piece and is preferably adapted to the outer shape of the pulley and/or of the pull belt which is supported by the pulley. A feed line for the pressure fluid is connected to the stationary head piece of the unit. In this way one avoids having to arrange special brake rails over the length of the unit, which leads to a considerable increase of the structural height of the unit. It is further advantageous that the pressure fluid is no longer fed to the moving power pick-up but instead to the stationary head piece. Furthermore, the unit can be manufactured at considerably less expense.
The present invention can be constructed in accordance with the above-described basic concept by providing on the corresponding head piece of at least one pulley an intermediate piece on which a braking element is mounted facing the deflected section of the pull belt. The braking device or brake element is controllably actuated by the pressure fluid passing through a feed line in the head piece and through a channel in the wall of the brake element. This embodiment does not require more space than that required by the structural width of the unit determined by the pulley, and it utilizes the available unused space within the inside of the head piece. Preferably, the intermediate piece is rigidly attached to the head piece.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides that the brake element consists of a support section or profile which corresponds in shape to the circumferential path and the cross section of the pull belt. The brake element is surrounded by a tubular body which is closed at its ends. This results in an extremely efficient utilization of the available space and provides the largest possible braking surface.
The present invention further provides a channel for the pressure fluid disposed on the support section or support profile opposite the flexible pull belt. The pressure fluid channel which is open toward the tubular body extends transverse to the axis of rotation of the pulley and preferably, at least in part, around the deflected section of the pull belt. This substantial wrapping of the circumferential outer surface of the pulley leads to the desired largest possible braking surface.
Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for the purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims.

Piston cylinder unit for pressure fluids


A method for forming a vertical transistor (10) begins by providing a substrate (12). A conductive layer (16) is formed overlying the substrate (12). A first current electrode (26), a second current electrode (30), and a channel region (28) are each formed via one of either selective growth, epitaxial growth, in-situ doping, and/or ion implantation. A gate electrode or control electrode (34) is formed laterally adjacent the channel region (28). A selective/epitaxial growth step is used to connect the conductive layer (16) to the control electrode (34) and forms a control electrode interconnect which is reliable and free from electrical short circuits to the current electrodes (26 and 30). The transistor (10) may be vertically stacked to form compact inverter circuits.

Planar transistors are often used to fabricate integrated circuits. A planar transistor has a diffused source electrode and a diffused drain electrode separated by a channel region. Overlying the channel region is a gate electrode that is separated from the channel region by a gate oxide. Planar transistors, although used and useful in many integrated circuit applications, are substrate area intensive. In other words, planar transistors consume a large amount of substrate surface area per transistor. In addition, with integrated circuit geometries decreasing into sub-micron ranges, planar transistors have various disadvantages. At smaller geometries and thinner gate oxide thicknesses, well documented problems such as hot carrier injection, leakage currents, isolation, short channel behavior, and channel length variations are major problems in planar transistors.
To overcome some of the disadvantages described above for planar transistors, elevated source and drain transistors, lightly doped drain (LDD) transistors, and other improvements were developed. Although the improvements reduced some of the disadvantages listed above, the improvements had some undesirable characteristics. The primary undesirable characteristic is the fact that the improved transistors were, in most cases, as area intensive or more area intensive than the planar transistor.
Various approaches have been used to try to reduce transistor surface area and increase transistor packing density while at the same time reducing some of the adverse effects described above. The surrounding gate transistor (SGT) was developed wherein a spacer gate and planar diffusions are used to form a transistor having a vertical current flow (i.e. a vertically directed channel region). The SGT reduced some of the disadvantages that affect planar transistors and reduced surface area due to a vertically positioned spacer gate.
Topography problems and the geometry of the SGT usually result in source contacts, drain contacts, and gate contacts which are difficult to achieve and are difficult to consistently produce using sub-micron technology. The contact to the spacer gate is very difficult to manufacture due to the fact that the spacer gate is contacted from the top. Spacers have a small top-down surface area and are difficult to contact from the top. In addition, the source and drain must not be electrically short circuited when contacting the spacer gate. Therefore, the gate contact for the SGT is extremely alignment and etch critical. In addition, doping of source regions, drain regions, and channel regions via implants can be difficult due to transistor geometry and may require special processing.
Other vertical transistors are known in the art. These transistors typically require trench processing or polysilicon-grown gate dielectrics. Both trench processing and polysilicon-grown gate dielectrics are undesirable in most cases, primarily due to reliability constraints.
In order to further increase circuit density and manufacturing reliability, vertical transistors structures and processes must improve.

Vertical transistor having an underlying gate electrode contact


A method for administering performance of a contract over a data network includes storing a lien waiver and receiving an application for payment over the data network from a contract participant based on performance under the contract. The stored lien waiver is retrieved and sent to the participant via the data network upon approval of the application for payment. The at least one data tag may be included in the lien waiver prior to storing the lien waiver.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of contract administration. More particularly, the present invention relates to efficiently administering a construction contract over a commonly accessible data network.
2. Background Information
Administration of a construction contract is a difficult and time consuming task. Typically, the efficiency with which a contract is administered means the difference between a profitable and unprofitable contract performance, especially from the point of view of the general contractor.
The traditional roles involved in procurement and construction of building and other structures include the owner, the architect, the general contractor and the subcontractor. The architect creates the design of the building or structure through a separate contract with the owner. The design and specification of the project are necessarily quite detailed to enable competing entities to accurately prepare estimates for performing the work and to assure the integrity of the finished structure with respect to the conceptualization. The architect will also normally act as a liaison between the owner and the general contractor, assuring that the project is proceeding and payments are made according to the contract. The architect is also responsible for approving any change orders that are submitted for review by the general contractor over the course of the project.
The general contractor is typically selected by the owner and/or architect through a competitive bidding process based on the detailed design of the project. Each prospective general contractor elicits bids or proposals from subcontractors specializing in areas of contract performance, such as site preparation, plumbing, electrical, masonry, roofing and the like. The general contractor prepares its bid or proposal generally using the subcontractors' estimates, together with its administrative overhead and a percentage markup. Typically, the proposal includes an itemized list or schedule of tasks to be accomplished in furtherance of the project, known as line items. The subcontractors likewise prepare their estimates, based on the design documents provided by the architect, by determining materials and labor needed to accomplish the tasks specific to their respective specialties. The subcontractors also factor in their administrative overhead and percentage markup, and provide their proposed schedule in the form of line items. The subcontractor line items do not generally match the general contractor line items, although each of the subcontractor line items must fit within a line item proposed by the general contractor. Possibly, all of a particular subcontractor's proposed labor, materials, overhead and markup may fall within a single line item of the general contractor.
The owner and/or architect awards the contract to the most desirable general contractor, based on any number of factors. For example, the award may be based solely on the lowest bid of a qualified general contractor. Alternatively, the award decision may include consideration of a weighted combination of factors, including price, experience, references, time availability, or any other factor deemed significant by the owner and/or architect. The selected general contractor then enters a contract with the owner and/or architect, essentially committing the general contractor to the proposed price and schedule. The general contractor in turn contracts with each of its subcontractors to commit them to their respective prices and schedules.
As work on the project under the contract proceeds, periodic payments are made to the general contractor and the subcontractors. The progress of the project and the corresponding payments are closely tracked to assure that the owner is not paying for work that has not yet been performed (unless the owner has agreed to allow the general contractor to "frontload" progress payments, as discussed below) and that the general contractor and the subcontractors are being paid for work that has been performed. Tracking the progress is complicated by the fact that dozens of subcontractors, whose activities are coordinated by the general contractor, are performing integrated tasks at various stages of completion. Each request for payment, each change order request, each payment, and their effects on the status of the overall project presents a significant accounting challenge. Further, contracts often provide for retainage, which is a predetermined percentage of payments held back or retained by the owner until the project has been completed to its satisfaction. Therefore, the amount of payments likewise needs to be accurately tracked to protect the agreed upon retainage amount.
Also, various criteria may need to be met before entering a contract or subcontract, or before making payment to a contractor or subcontractor for completed work. For example, a general contractor may not retain a subcontract who is unable to produce an appropriate insurance certificate or requisite license, for example. Also, a final payment may be withheld unless the general contractor and/or subcontractors provide a lien waiver, indicating that no mechanic's liens will be filed against the property once the requested amount of payment is receive. Likewise, proof of various incurred costs may be required, such as a payroll certificate, indicating payment of employees.
Computer programs have been developed to assist owners, architects and/or general contractors track progress and status of construction projects. However, these programs rely on conventional submission of payment requests and require manual data entry in order to function properly. There currently is no efficient way in which the various contracting parties can efficiently communicate and exchange data relating to the status of contract performance, submission and approval of payment requests, submission and approval of change orders, and the like.
The present invention overcomes the problems associated with the prior art, as described below.

Administering contracts over data network


A method of reducing image helical scanning; artifacts in computed tomography imaging systems divides 360.degree. of projection data into two half scans. Separate weighting functions are applied to the two half scans and they are reconstructed to an image per conventional reconstruction methods. The weighting functions provide effective interpolation and extrapolation of the half scan data to a slice plane centered in the projection data. In one embodiment, the weighting functions are feathered with a cubic function to remove weighting induced image artifacts.

This invention relates to computed tomography using helical scanning. More specifically, the invention relates to an image reconstruction method for reducing image artifacts that result from acquiring tomographic projection data in a helical scan.
As used herein, computed tomography shall refer to both tomography using "transmission imaging" that is, detecting radiation transmitted through the body being imaged, and "emission imaging", detecting radiation emitted from the body being imaged, e.g., such as that being emitted by radiopharmaceutical isotopes.
In a transmission imaging computed tomography system, an x-ray source is collimated to form a fan bean with a defined fan beam angle. The fan beam is orientated to lie within the x-y plane of a Cartesian coordinate system, termed the "imaging plane", and to be transmitted through an imaged object to an x-ray detector array orientated within the imaging plane. The detector array is comprised of detector elements which each measure the intensity of transmitted radiation along a ray projected from: the x-ray source to that particular detector element. The detector elements can be organized along an arc each to intercept x-rays from the x-ray source along a different ray of the fan beam. The intensity of the transmitted radiation is dependent on the attenuation of the x-ray beam along the ray by the imaged object.
The x-ray source and detector array may be rotated on a gantry within the imaging plane, around the imaged object, so that the fan beam intercepts the imaged object at different angles. At each angle, a projection is acquired comprised of the intensity signals front each of detector elements. The gantry is then rotated to a new angle and the process is repeated to collect a number of projections at different angles to form a tomographic projection set.
The acquired tomographic projection set is typically stored in numerical form for computer processing to "reconstruct" a slice image according reconstruction algorithms known in the art. The reconstructed slice images may be displayed on a conventional CRT tube or may be converted to a film record by means of a computer controlled camera.
In either emission or transmission computed tomography the detector array may be rectilinear rather than arcuate.
A typical computed tomographic study entails the imaging of a series of slices of an imaged object with the slices displaced incrementally along a z-axis perpendicular to the x and y axes, so as to provide a third spatial dimension of information. A radiologist may visualize this third dimension by viewing the slice images in order of position along the z-axis, or the numerical data comprising the set of reconstructed slices may be compiled by computer programs to produce shaded, perspective representations of the imaged object in three dimensions.
As the resolving power of computed tomography methods increases, additional slices are required in the z-dimension. The time and expense of a tomographic study increases with the number of slices required. Also, longer scan times increase the discomfort to the patient who must remain nearly motionless to preserve the fidelity of the tomographic reconstructions. Accordingly, there is considerable interest in reducing the time required to obtain a slice series.
The time required to collect the data for a series of slices depends in part on four components: a) the time required to accelerate the gantry to scanning speed, b) the time required to obtain a complete tomographic projection set, c) the time required to decelerate the gantry and d) the time required to reposition the patient in the z-axis for the next slice. Reducing the time required to obtain a full slice series may be accomplished by reducing the time required to complete any of these four steps.
The time required for acceleration and deceleration of the gantry may be avoided in tomographic systems that use slip rings rather than cables to communicate with the gantry. The slip rings permit continuous rotation of the discussed are equipped with slip rings or the equivalent to permit continuous rotation of over 360.degree..
The time required to acquire the tomographic data set is more difficult to reduce. Present CT scanners require on the order of one to two seconds to acquire the projection set for one slice. This scan time may be reduced by rotating the gantry at a faster speed. A higher gantry speed, in general, will reduce the signal-to-noise ratio of the acquired data by the square root of the factor of rotational rate increase. This may be overcome to some extent in transmission tomography devices by increasing the radiation output of the x-ray tube, but is subject to the power limits of such devices.
A reduction in patient repositioning time may be accomplished by translating the patient in the z-axis synchronously with the rotation of the gantry. The combination of constant patient translation along the z-axis during the rotation of the gantry and acquisition of projection data has been termed "helical scanning" and refers to the apparent path of a point on the gantry with respect to a reference point on the imaged body. As used herein, "helical scanning" shall refer generally to the use of continuous translation of the patient or imaged object during the acquisition of tomographic imaging data, and "constant z-axis scanning" shall refer to the acquisition of the tomographic data set without translation of the patient or imaged object during the acquisition period.
Continuous translation of the imaged object during scanning shortens the total scanning time required for the acquisition of a given number of slices by eliminating the length of time normally required for repositioning the patient between scans. However, helical scanning introduces certain errors with regard to the data in the acquired tomographic projection sets. The mathematics of tomographic reconstruction assumes that the tomographic projection set is acquired along a constant z-axis slice plane. The helical scan path clearly deviates from this condition and this deviation results in image artifacts in the reconstructed slice image if there is any significant change in the object in the z-axis. The severity of the image artifacts depends generally on the "helix offset" in the projection data, measured as the difference between the table locations of the scanned data and the z axis value of the desired slice plane. Errors resulting from helical scanning will be referred to collectively as "skew" errors.
Several methods have been used to reduce skew errors in helical scanning. A first approach disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,630,202 issued Dec. 16, 1986, reduces the pitch of the helical scan and then averages the projection data of consecutive 360.degree. tomographic projection sets. The effect is equivalent to using a detector array with a larger width along the z axis, which also moves less in the z direction during a rotation of the gantry, i.e. with a lesser scanning pitch. Skew errors are reduced using this method, but at the expense of additional scanning time necessitated by the lower scanning pitch. Thus, this method reduces, to some extent, the advantages to be gained by helical scanning.
Skew errors at the ends of the tomographic projection set may be reduced in conjunction with this approach by changing the weighting of the last and first projections of the consecutive 360.degree. tomographic projection sets in the "averaging" process to give greater weight to the projection closest to the slice plane.
A second approach disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,929 issued Dec. 6, 1988, also applies weighting to the projections of combined, consecutive 360.degree. tomographic projection sets, but the weighting is a function of the helical offset of each projection at the given gantry angle. This approach of interpolating over 720.degree. generally increases partial volume artifacts. Partial volume artifacts are image artifacts arising when certain volume elements of the imaged object contribute to only some of the projections of the projection set.
A third approach described in copending U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 07/430,372, entitled: "Computerized Tomographic Image Reconstruction Method for Helical Scanning" and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, uses a half-scanning technique to reduce the table motion during the acquisition of each slice. Projection data is acquired over 360.degree. plus twice the fan beam angle of gantry rotation and interpolated to a slice plane. The reduced gantry motion corresponds to reduced table motion and hence certain helical scanning artifacts are reduced.

Extrapolative reconstruction method for helical scanning


A method for controlling the operation of at least one hydraulic component of a work vehicle may generally include storing, with a computing device, a first electro-hydraulic setting and a second electro-hydraulic setting for the hydraulic component. The first electro-hydraulic setting may be associated with at least one of a pre-defined speed setting or a pre-defined sensitivity setting. The second electro-hydraulic setting may be associated with at least one of an operator-defined speed setting or an operator-defined sensitivity setting. In addition, the method includes receiving an input associated with an operator's selection of the first electro-hydraulic setting or the second hydraulic setting and controlling the operation of the hydraulic component in accordance with the first electro-hydraulic setting or the second electro-hydraulic setting based on the operator's selection.

Conventional work vehicles generally include various hydraulic components. For example, a skid steer loader typically includes a hydrostatic drive unit having one or more hydraulic pumps and motors for controlling the rotational speed and/or direction of the wheels of the loader. In addition, skid steer loaders typically include one or more hydraulic cylinders for adjusting the position of an implement coupled to loader arms of the loader. For instance, a lift cylinder(s) may be provided for raising and lowering the implement relative to the ground and a tilt cylinder(s) may be provided for tilting or pivoting the implement relative to the ground.
To provide for variation in the control of the various hydraulic components, work vehicles are often provided with several manufacturer-defined electro-hydraulic (EH) settings (e.g., a high, medium and low setting). In such instances, the EH settings are fixed or otherwise permanent and, thus, may not be changed by the operator. As a result, operators lack the ability to customize the vehicle's EH settings in order to adapt the operation of the hydraulic components to the manner of operation desired by the operator. Moreover, the current methodologies for selecting one of the manufacturer-defined EH settings are often cumbersome and time-intensive for the operator, thereby increasing vehicle downtime when an operator desires to switch between two of the settings.
Accordingly, a system and method that allows for a plurality of different EH settings, including manufacture-defined settings and operator-customized settings, to be stored within the memory of a work vehicle's controller and subsequently accessed/selected by an operator in a quick and effective manner would be welcomed in the technology.

System and method for controlling hydraulic components of a work vehicle based on stored electro-hydraulic settings


A new cultivar of Ilex×meserveae, ‘Hach 1’, characterized by upright, erect and narrow plant habit, its foliage that is greyed purple to brown in color in winter, and its lack of fruit production (male selection).

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Ilex×meserveae and will be referred to hereafter by its cultivar name, 'Hach 1'. 'Hach 1' is a new cultivar of blue holly grown for use as a landscape plant.
The new cultivar arose from a cross made by the Inventor in Barmstedt, Germany in spring of 1999 between 'Heckenpracht' (not patented) as the female parent and 'Blue Prince' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 3,517) as the male parent. The Inventor selected 'Hach 1' as a single unique plant amongst the seedlings that resulted from the above cross in spring of 2002.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor using softwood stem cuttings in summer of 2002 in Barmstedt, Germany. Asexual propagation by softwood stem cuttings has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.