Methods and apparatus are described herein emulating, by one or more servers on behalf of a mobile computing device, a cloud-based virtual machine. The cloud-based virtual machine may include a virtualized hardware component that provides, as virtual hardware input for a software application executing on the cloud-based virtual machine, either “genuine” virtual hardware input or “simulated” virtual hardware input. Genuine virtual hardware input may be based on an actual hardware signal received from a hardware component of the mobile computing device that corresponds to the virtualized hardware component. Simulated virtual hardware input may be generated independently of any hardware signal associated with the hardware component. Output of the software application may be interactively streamed to the mobile computing device.

Some application services provide the ability to interactively "stream" mobile software applications (more simply "applications" or "apps") to mobile devices such as smart phones, tablet computers, vehicle computing systems, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches), etc. This allows a user to operate the application, e.g., for a trial period, without actually installing the application locally on the mobile device. In some instances, application streaming may be accomplished by installing the application on a virtual machine operated by one or more servers (e.g., collectively forming a so-called "cloud"). One or more input/output ("I/O") streams may be established between the virtual machine and the mobile device. The one or more I/O streams may provide various modalities of input data received at the mobile device to the virtual machine, and likewise may provide various modalities of output data generated by the application from the virtual machine to the mobile device.
Some applications may depend on input provided by hardware components (or provided by device drivers associated therewith) that are relatively unique to mobile devices, such as position coordinate sensors (e.g., global positioning system, or "GPS"), cellular communication interfaces, accelerometers (e.g., to control gameplay), cameras, and so forth. However, for a variety of reasons these signals may be unavailable and/or incompatible with the software application. For example, a camera may be disabled due to insufficient battery level, a fingerprint sensor may be unavailable because of damage to the sensor, a user may disable GPS functionality on his or her phone for privacy reasons, or a user may be located in a geographic location that fails to satisfy one or more geographic criteria imposed by the application. Additionally or alternatively, and again for a variety of reasons, users may wish to alter or otherwise replace signals provided by hardware components of their mobile devices.

Selective simulation of virtualized hardware inputs


An apparatus for sealing a liquid container includes a sealing member with an integral spout. A stirring member is rotatably connected to the sealing member, and a removable spout top is constructed and arranged to seal the spout.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for stirring paint or other liquids in containers as well as for pouring or transferring liquids from a source container to another container, such as a paint roller tray. While this invention is described in a preferred environment involving paint, it will be recognized that the invention is useful with many other types of liquids and in other environments such as, but not limited to, fruit juice containers.
Paint is typically sold to consumers in one gallon and one quart cylindrical metal cans. These cans have a substantially completely open top and a removable lid.
It is common to mix paint in such cans by stirring with a stick or an electric drill or by having it premixed by automatic shaking machinery at a paint retailer. These prior art methods of mixing are less than satisfactory, messy and inconvenient.
In addition, paint cans are typically filled to the brim, and thus stirring or dipping a brush usually causes an overflow of the paint into the lid engagement groove and down the side of the paint can. Paint in the groove then dries, thereby preventing effective resealing of the paint can. As a result, the paint within the can will dry during storage and, until it is dry, will spill if the paint can is knocked over. Similarly, wet paint in the groove will act as an adhesive to make removal of the lid difficult, sometimes resulting in excessive force being required to open the can such that the lid and groove are deformed.
Another drawback of the prior art practices involves the circular shape of paint cans and associated lid engagement grooves. In these configurations, pouring of the paint from circular cans to other containers, such as paint roller trays, is uncontrollable when the container is full and often results in spillage.
Thus, there presently exists a need for an integrated apparatus that provides liquid container sealing, stirring and pouring functions. The apparatus should be readily usable with conventional liquid containers, such as paint cans. Preferably, the liquid and any particulates within the container can be thoroughly mixed without any additional tools, accessories or outside power sources. Wastage by spilling should be obviated and prevented. Preferably, liquid can be poured without dripping from a source container to an auxiliary container for further storage or immediate application. Excessive bonding of the lid to the container should also be avoided. The device should be reusable from one container to another.

Apparatus for sealing a liquid container


The present invention relates to a method of diagnosing if a subject which has suffered from an acute myocardial infarction is also suffering from a pre-existing myocardial dysfunction, the method comprising a) determining the amount of a natriuretic peptide in a sample of the subject; b) determining the amount of a cardiac troponin in a sample of the subject; c) calculating the ratio (natriuretic peptide/cardiac troponin); and d) diagnosing if the elevated natriuretic peptide level is related to a preexisting myocardial dysfunction or if the elevated level is caused by the acute myocardial infarction, based on the ratio calculated in step c). The method allows determining whether the individual has suffered from a myocardial dysfunction, in particular heart failure, before the myocardial infarction has occurred.

An aim of modern medicine is to provide personalized or individualized treatment regimens. Those are treatment regimens which take into account a patient's individual needs or risks. Personalized or individual treatment regimens shall be even taken into account for emergency measures where it is required to decide on potential treatment regimens within short periods of time. Heart diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western hemisphere. The diseases can remain asymptomatic for long periods of time. However, they may have severe consequences once an acute cardiovascular event, such as myocardial infarction, as a cause of the cardiovascular disease occurs.
Heart failure is a condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to fill with or pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body. Even with the best therapy, heart failure is associated with an annual mortality of about 10%. Heart failure is a chronic disease; it can, inter alia, occur either following an acute cardiovascular event (like myocardial infarction), or it can occur, e.g., as a consequence of inflammatory or degenerative changes in myocardial tissue. Heart failure patients are classified according to the NYHA system in classes I, II, III and IV. A patient having heart failure will not be able to fully restore his health without receiving a therapeutic treatment.
Myocardial dysfunction is a general term, describing several pathological states of the heart muscle (myocard). A myocardial dysfunction may be a temporary pathological state (caused by, e.g., ischemia, toxic substances, and alcohol), contrary to heart failure. Myocardial dysfunction may disappear after removing the underlying cause. A symptomless myocardial dysfunction may, however, also develop into heart failure (which has to be treated in a therapy). A myocardial dysfunction may, however, also be a heart failure, a chronic heart failure, even a severe chronic heart failure.
Myocardial dysfunction and heart failure often remain undiagnosed, particularly when the condition is considered "mild." The conventional diagnostic techniques for heart failure are based on the well known vascular volume stress marker NT-proBNP, a natriuretic peptide. However, the diagnosis of heart failure under some medical circumstances based on NT-proBNP appears to be incorrect for a significant number of patients but not all (e.g., Beck 2004, Canadian Journal of Cardiology 20: 1245-1248; Tsuchida 2004, Journal of Cardiology, 44:1-11). However, especially patients which suffer from heart failure would urgently need a supportive therapy of the heart failure. On the other hand, as a consequence of an incorrect diagnosis of heart failure, many patients will receive a treatment regimen which is insufficient or which may have even adverse side effects.
Patients having heart failure may also develop an acute cardiac disorder, in general an acute coronary syndrome. ACS covers the states of unstable angina pectoris UAP and acute myocardial infarction MI.
MI is classified as belonging to coronary heart diseases CHD and is preceded by other events also classified as belonging to CHD, like unstable angina pectoris UAP. Symptomatic for UAP is chest pain which is relieved by sublingual administration of nitroglycerine. UAP is caused by a partial occlusion of the coronary vessels leading to hypoxemia and myocardial ischemia. In case the occlusion is too severe or total, a myocardial necrosis (which is the pathological state underlying myocardial infarction) results. MI may occur without obvious symptoms, i.e., the subject does not show any discomfort, and the MI is not preceded by stable or unstable angina pectoris.
UAP, however, is a symptomatic event preceding MI. A CHD in a subject may also occur symptomless, i.e., the subject may not feel uncomfortable and exhibit any signs of CHD like shortness of breath, chest pain or others known to the person skilled in the art. The subject, however, may be pathological and suffer from a malfunction of his coronary vessels which may result in a MI and/or congestive heart failure CHF, meaning the heart does not have the capacity to perform as required in order to ensure the necessary provision of blood to the subject's body. This may result in severe complications, one example of which is cardiac death.
Patients suffering from symptoms of an acute cardiovascular event (e.g., myocardial infarction) such as chest pain are currently subjected to a cardiac troponin based diagnosis, generally troponin T or troponin I. To this end, troponin T/I levels of the patients are determined. If the amount of troponin T in the blood is elevated, i.e., above 0.1 ng/ml, an acute cardiovascular event is assumed and the patent is treated accordingly.
However, by exclusively measuring natriuretic peptides, the information obtained does not allow to assess if a myocardial dysfunction already existed prior to the acute myocardial infarction.
An acute myocardial infarction is caused by an occlusion of a heart coronary vessel, resulting in the death of a region of various size of the heart muscle tissue. The death of the myocard causes an elevation of troponin T (a heart-specific molecule) or troponin I, which can be detected in serum/plasma. Furthermore, the death of the myocard is connected with a loss of the pump function of the heart, resulting in an elevated level of natriuretic peptides.
The level of troponin T- and also troponin I- and the natriuretic peptides, in particular NT-proBNP, starts to raise about 4-6 hours after a myocardial infarction. Patients consulting their physician after that time, have an elevated level of the peptides.
With respect to the value of the natriuretic peptides, in particular NT-proBNP, it cannot be assessed if                a) the elevated level of the peptide is a consequence of the acute MI, or if        b) the elevated NT-proBNP value already existed prior to the MI, or if        c) the value is caused by both the degeneration of the cardial function by the MI and the pre-existing myocardial dysfunction. It would be desirable to have means and methods permitting to differentiate between the topics laid out beforehand.
The technical problem underlying the present invention can be seen as the provision of means and methods for complying with the aforementioned needs. The technical problem is solved by the embodiments characterized in the claims and herein below.

NT-proBNP/troponin ratio for assessing myocardial dysfunction


According to the invention, a method for changing a display based at least in part on a gaze point of a user on the display is disclosed. The method may include receiving information identifying a location of the gaze point of the user on the display. The method may also include, based at least in part on the location of the gaze point, causing a virtual camera perspective to change, thereby causing content on the display associated with the virtual camera to change.

The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for determining components for gaze provoked interactions and in particular, to systems and methods for performing gaze provoked interactions.
Detection of a user's gaze direction by an eye tracking device has enabled a new generation of computer input. As accuracy of eye tracking devices has improved, it is now possible to determine with good accuracy a point on a computer display at which a user is looking. This information can be used to drive a computer in whole, or at least in part.
There are specific advantages in combining gaze input with a physical or more traditional input such as a mouse, keyboard, touchpad, touchscreen, voice, or the like. This allows for a faster and more natural feeling interaction with a computer, as a user's gaze is usually a precursor to an action being performed on the computer. For example, a user will look at an icon before clicking it with a computer mouse. Knowing in advance the possibility of an action being performed advantageous for programs running on a computer.
However, there exist problems for implementing user-input schemes which take advantage of this additional gaze information. For example, different computer programs and on-screen components behave differently. It may therefore be beneficial to tailor gaze interaction as dependent upon the context within which a user is interacting with a computer program.
Further, the type of interaction with the computer program or on-screen component potentially caused by a gaze interaction must be described or otherwise made known to the user. It provides a great advantage to a user if a gaze based interaction is enhanced or otherwise improved over a traditional interaction. In other words, to merely mimic a known and/or previously existing interaction by starting an interaction with a gaze of a user's eyes might may not be as advantageous as a faster, more intuitive, and/or enhanced interaction.
Embodiments of the present invention provides solutions to these and other problems.

Component determination and gaze provoked interaction


Air suspension system with a compressed air container of an air suspension system for a motor vehicle with a vehicle frame and a vehicle body, comprising a number of elastic air springs which are connected to the reservoir, whereby the air springs and the reservoir are to be considered as compressed air containers, characterized by the fact that at least one compressed air container is located inside a cavity formed by at least one vehicle part which is independent of the air suspension system strictly speaking.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an air suspension system of a motor vehicle with air shocks or air springs with a compressed air container for a vehicle with a vehicle frame and a vehicle superstructure, comprising a number of elastic air springs which are connected to the reservoir, whereby the air springs and the reservoir are to be considered compressed air containers.
2. Background Information
Such an air suspension system is disclosed, for example, in German Patent No. 36 09 396. The supplemental volume or the compressed air container for the air springs corresponding to the wheels is located in a container which has a very massive construction, like that which is customarily used in trucks and other utility vehicles. Although in utility vehicles, there is a sufficient amount of space available to install such a system, space is at considerably more of a premium in passenger vehicles. The small spaces which are available, e.g. in the engine compartment, leave barely enough room even for the installation of an air reservoir. The wheel wells are already occupied by the shock absorbers and tires with wide treads which are increasingly common. But a compressed air container is essential for the operation of an air suspension system. Supplemental reservoirs, as disclosed in a number of publications, make it possible to advantageously affect the suspension rate or to minimize the pump output, so that the use of a supplemental reservoir is desirable, in spite of the space problems it entails, as indicated above.

Air suspension system of a motor vehicle with air shocks or air spring with a compressed air container in the air suspension system


The present invention is notably directed to a microfluidic chip (1, 1a) comprising: a flow path (22) defined by a hydrophilic surface; a liquid input (24, 24a, 24b) on one side of the flow path; at least one electrical circuit (62), hereafter DEP circuit, comprising at least one pair of dielectrophoretic electrodes (E21, E22), hereafter DEP electrodes, wherein: each of the DEP electrodes extends transverse to the flow path; and the DEP circuit is configured to generate a dielectrophoretic force, hereafter DEP force, at the level of the DEP electrodes. The chip may further include one or more electroosmotic circuits. The present invention is further directed to methods of operation of such a microfluidic chip.

Microfluidics generally refers to microfabricated devices, which are used for pumping, sampling, mixing, analyzing and dosing liquids. Prominent features thereof originate from the peculiar behavior that liquids exhibit at the micrometer length scale. Flow of liquids in microfluidics is typically laminar. Volumes well below one nanoliter can be reached by fabricating structures with lateral dimensions in the micrometer range. Reactions that are limited at large scales (by diffusion of reactants) can be accelerated. Finally, parallel streams of liquids can possibly be accurately and reproducibly controlled, allowing for chemical reactions and gradients to be made at liquid/liquid and liquid/solid interfaces. Microfluidics are accordingly used for various applications in life sciences. Microfluidic devices are commonly called microfluidic chips.
Microfluidic-based bioassays require passing a liquid sample inside a microfluidic flow path. The flow conditions (volume passing and flow rate) are important as they impact the outcome of the assay. While several methods and devices for flowing liquids inside microfluidic flow paths have been developed, these methods either lack flexibility or operate with a limited type of samples and flow conditions.
For instance, a number of microfluidic devices enabling capillary-driven flows (CDFs) have been developed. In a related field, some microfluidic devices enabling electroosmotic (EO) flows have been developed. For example, an EO microfluidic device may comprise a microchannel defined between glass walls and comprising opposite electroosmotic electrodes, provided at two ends of the microchannel, see e.g., "A Planar Electroosmotic Micropump" Chen, C and Santiago, J. G., J. Microelectromechanical Systems, 2002, 11, 672-683. In such a device, glass acquires a negative surface charge upon contact with an aqueous solution (resulting in electric double layer). In the EO flow, mobile ions in the diffuse counter-ion layer of the electric double layer are driven by an externally applied electrical field. These moving ions drag along bulk liquid through viscous force interaction.
Besides, the fabrication of microfluidic chips using semiconductor wafers such as Si wafers seems attractive: one may expect to benefit from a range of existing processes, as continuously developed in the past decades for integrated circuits, to obtain accurate microfluidic structures. However, contrary to what is done in semiconductor wafer processing, microfluidics generally have deep structures, i.e., around a few micrometer, up to 20 micrometers or even deeper. In many cases, 5 micrometers is already considered as a small depth in microfluidic applications because such a small depth can generate a large hydraulic resistance on a liquid and can block or become clogged with microbeads and particles, such a small depth can also be incompatible with samples containing cells. As a result, existing semiconductor wafer processes are challenged by, if not incompatible with the requirements needed for microfluidic chip fabrication both in terms of manufacturing processes and cost of fabrication.
In many microfluidic applications, metallic patterns are desirable, e.g., for performing electrochemistry and electro-based detection of analytes, for electrical separation of analytes, or for moving liquids using electro-osmotic flow (EOF), performing dielectrophoresis (DEP), etc. Thick resists (e.g. SU-8) are sometimes used to directly form sidewalls of deep structures.

Microfluidic chip with dielectrophoretic electrodes extending in hydrophilic flow path

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and apparatus for making U-shaped retaining wall members includes a combination of an extrusion die station, a calibration station, a heavy duty puller such as a tire puller and a travelling saw. The calibration station includes a series of calibration blocks which are spaced apart in an increasing fashion and controllably cooled to subject the extruded product exiting the extruding station to a controlled temperature gradient to prevent thermal shock.

Retaining wall members, such as planks, cross-bars and anchors, bulkheads and the like are well known in the prior art. These retaining wall members are often used to retain the embankments along a roadway or waterway.
Retaining wall members have also found use in the prior art to contain toxic wastes. For example, a toxic waste containment site may be surrounded by retaining wall members to prevent toxic materials from leaching out into the environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,315 to Wickberg discloses a polymeric retaining wall member having interlocking means along its edges. These interlocking means make the retaining wall member universally mateable with like members so as to form a locked wall.
With reference to FIG. 1, the retaining wall member described in the above-mentioned patent is generally designated by the reference numeral 10 and is seen to include a center section 1 and a pair of outer sections or side walls 3. Each outer section extends upwardly from the center section and forms an obtuse angle therewith.
Each outer section 3 terminates in an interlocking portion 5. The interlocking portion 5 includes a pair of flanged legs 7 and 9. The flanged leg 7 terminates in a T-shaped end 11 with the flanged leg 9 terminating in a L-shaped end 13. As described in the aforementioned patent, the interlocking means 5 permit the wall member 10 to be used in interlocking fashion with other wall members.
The Wickberg patent discloses that an extrusion process can be used to form the retaining wall members. This patent is totally silent as to what type of an extrusion process can be used. In addition, the Wickberg patent offers no guidance concerning what process parameters or variables may be critical in forming the retaining wall members. The inventor is unaware of any prior art technique that has been successfully used to form the Wickberg retaining wall members. Thus, a need has developed to be able to make the retaining wall member of FIG. 1, particularly in an economical and efficient form.
In response to this need, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for the manufacture of the retaining wall member of the type disclosed above. The present invention overcomes the prior art problem of being unable to manufacture the retaining wall member. The invention also makes the retaining wall member to precise dimensions and shape.

Method for making retaining wall members


An integrated circuit, when designed, must adhere to timing constraints while attempting to minimize circuit area. In order to adhere to timing specifications while arriving at a near-optimal circuit surface area, an iterative process is used which selectively increases logic gates sizes by accessing logic gates from a memory stored logic gate library. A circuit representation is read along with timing constraints for circuit paths. Each circuit path in the circuit is processed to find it's actual circuit path delay. A most out-of-specification circuit path (in terms of speed) is chosen in the circuit and a sensitivity calculation is performed for each logic gate in the most out-of-specification circuit path. The logic gate in the circuit path with the maximized sensitivity (sensitivity=.DELTA.speed/.DELTA.area) is increased in size by accessing a larger gate in the library in order to improve speed at the expense of area. The above process continues iteratively until no out-of-specification circuit paths are found.

The design of integrated circuits in a time-efficient and cost-effective manner is critical to the integrated circuit (IC) industry. An integrated circuit needs to be small or have a dense packing density in order to produce more ICs per wafer and maximize profits. Unfortunately, a dense integrated circuit is designed with small transistors. These small transistors have small aspect ratios which result in slow switching speeds and propagation speeds of signals in the dense circuit. Therefore, the area of a circuit is traded off for speed. It is important to use a design process wherein specified or required speed constraints are met while size is not grossly impacted. In addition, this design process should be quick and easy to use.
Most of the methods for attaining speed critical circuits at a minimal circuit surface area use a custom design process. In a custom design process no library-stored gates are used. If a logic gate is required for a design, all of these logic gates are formed with the same default logic gate. For example, all ORs in an initial design are all the same logic gate size, strength, etc.. A program or designer then automatically/manually changes specific sizes of specific transistors along circuits paths in order to arrive at required circuit speeds. Since individual transistors are increased in size (which is the smallest circuit element in the design), a very small area (near optimal area) is achieved while speed constraints are adhered to. The problem is that each gate may be different from all others in that each transistor in the circuit is subject to size changes independent of what gate the transistor belongs to. Therefore, the changing of transistor sizes in a random and non-uniform manner to the gates results in all or many OR gates now being radically different from one another. This makes integration difficult and makes layout a nearly all-manual task. No gates can be stored and read from a library and the speed and efficiency of semi-custom design flow process is lost.
A process and apparatus is needed to improve circuit speed while arriving at a near-optimal area. This process and apparatus needs to be compatibility to a semi-custom design flow which uses library defined gates in order to maintain short time to market, easier layout processing, and efficiency, while attaining the benefits of the optimized speed at an optimal area.

Logic gate size optimization process for an integrated circuit whereby circuit speed is improved while circuit area is optimized


In an internal combustion engine with combustion chambers (CC'S) (538), a fuel injector (FI) comprising an outer shell (628) containing a fuel supply cavity (FSC) (530) having an openable valve (546) for storing fuel, a control body assembly (CBA) (520) within the outer shell (628). A rod (512) extends from FSC through CBA along the length of the outer shell with piston (518) formed thereon. An internal bore (534) extends therethrough from the side of a closed end of rod (512) which is movable into the FSC for carrying fuel from the FSC to the CC. A rod supporting base assembly (562), responsive to a predetermined CC pressure increase causes rod (512) to enter FSC, closing valve (546) to cease fuel from entering FSC and exposing bore (534) to force the pressurized fuel in the FSC down bore into the CC. Concentric open ended cylinders (OEC'S) (510) are positioned between the CBA and the base assembly with alternate OEC'S (514) secured to CBA and the other OEC'S (516) secured to base assembly (562). An E-R mixture between FSC and base assembly becomes solidified between the OEC'S when proper voltage is applied thereacross. The CBA responds to the fluid E-R mixture and a certain CC pressure to enable rod (512) to enter FSC, forcing fuel down rod bore (534) into the CC, and responsive to the solid E-R mixture to stop movement of rod (512), thereby stopping fuel flow down rod bore (534) into CC (538).

Generally, fuel injection systems, both for diesel engines employing glow plugs and gasoline engines employing spark plugs, are well known in the art. However, no prior art devices are known which combine a variably controlled injection of fuel directly past the fuel ignition element, initiation (advance or retard) and duration of fuel injection is electronically computed and controlled in order to determine the output power of the engine.
The known prior art fuel injection systems are substantially stoichiometric in nature in that the fuel is injected in response to a controlled volume of inducted air. Rather, the fuel is injected in a manner to first fill the firing chamber in a substantially uniform mixture of fuel and air, thus allowing subsequent burning of the fuel to be comparatively uncontrolled in that such burning can occur progressively along various different paths within the firing chamber. Thus, these prior art fuel injection systems do not effectively control the burning rate of the fuel but rather permit burning to be initiated by an adiabatic temperature rise which spreads unevenly throughout the firing chamber, thus producing inefficient burning of the fuel and often causing a phenomena commonly known as "knocking" or "pinging" which is presently controlled by fuel additives, many of which have been shown to be environmentally hazardous.
The aforementioned method of mixing fuel and air substantially uniformly in the firing chamber and in the approximately correct proportion so that all of the fuel and all of the oxygen in the firing chamber combine during burning is known, as mentioned above, at least, an approximate stoichiometric mixture. In other words, each molecule of gasoline theoretically will combine with a sufficient number of oxygen molecules so that a minimum of fuel or oxygen remains after burning of the fuel is completed. As indicated above, this stoichiometric mixture of fuel and air is not only extremely difficult to obtain but also does not produce the controlled burning of the fuel required to provide the greatest and most efficient production of power with the least damage to the engine.
Reference is made to page 171 of a publication entitled "Foundations of College Chemistry," 2nd Edition, by Hein, published in 1970 by Dickinson Publishing ComPany of Belmont, California, which states that, "the student . . . should solve each problem by . . . being certain that equations are balanced and mathematical calculations are accurate . . . This section of chemistry, based on weight and mole relationships of chemical formulas and equations, is commonly called stoichiometry."
In prior art gasoline engines employing fuel injection, burning does not begin until the spark occurs, by which time the gasoline has become diffused through the firing chamber and is, in effect, an approximate stoichiometric mixture of gasoline and air (oxygen). The aforementioned will occur even if the advance timing and duration of the fuel injection is controlled electronically.
In prior art diesel engines using fuel injection, the fuel is first injected and then compressed to the point where it self-ignites. By the time the fuel ignites, however, it has become an approximate mixture, even with electronic computation of the fuel injection time duration and amount of advance.
It would make a definite advance in the art to provide an almost completely non-stoichiometric fuel injection system in which the fuel is injected, under the control of an electronically controlled timing system, towards a constantly heated ignition source and therefore is burned substantially uniformly from the beginning to the end of the fuel injection period without first diffusing generally with the air in the firing chamber. The time duration of the fuel injection and the degree of advance can be determined by the electronically controlled timing system of the present invention.
There exists in the prior art one type of fuel injector/ignitor device (an IID), which combines a glow plug (GP) with a compression actuated fuel injector (CAFI), and which is quite compatible with the present invention. This IID is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,678, issued Oct. 20, 1987, Ser. No. 904,378 filed Sept. 8, 1986 by George D. Elliott, the inventor of the present invention, entitled "Fuel Injector", and incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
In this specification a new injector/ignitor device (IID) consisting of a fuel ignition element (FIE) and a CAFI, is shown, described, and claimed and which has structural differences which provide superior performance over any known art and further which can be advantageously utilized in the electronic control circuits of earlier Continuation-in-Part application Ser. No. 07/104,847, and also shown described and claimed by George D. Elliott, in lieu of the IID shown and described in patent application Ser. No. 07/104,847, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,678 dated Oct. 20, 1987 to George D. Elliott. The IID shown and claimed in said patent comprises a rod wIth a fuel passing bore therein and a piston formed thereon and enclosed in a piston cylinder chamber. The entire structure, except the bore, is bathed in an electro-rheological fluid mixture which is normally a fluid but which becomes substantially solid when sufficient voltage is applied thereacross to freeze the piston from further movement in its Piston cylinder chamber. Freezing of the piston's motion stops the flow of fuel into the combustion chamber (CC) since it is the movement of the piston that forces the fuel into the CC.

Electronic controller for compression-actuated fuel injector system


A moving robot includes a main body, a drive assembly moving the main body, and a cleaner head performing cleaning on a cleaning area in which the main body is positioned, wherein the drive assembly includes a main wheel, a motor generating a driving force, a gear box connected to the main wheel and the motor and transferring the driving force from the motor to the main wheel, and a leg member disposed on a shaft connecting the main wheel and the gear box and providing thrust independently of the main wheel.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a moving robot and a control method thereof, and particularly, to a moving robot capable of overcoming a wheel arrest phenomenon and a control method thereof.
2. Background
In general, robots have been developed for industrial purposes and have been in charge of part of factory automation. Recently, robot-applied fields have further extended to develop medical robots or aerospace robots, and home robots that may be used in general houses have also been made.
A typical example of a home robot is a robot cleaner, which may be a home appliance that cleans by sucking ambient dust or foreign objects, while traveling in a predetermined area. Such a robot cleaner may include a generally rechargeable battery and have an obstacle sensor capable of avoiding an obstacle during traveling so that the robot cleaner may perform cleaning while traveling.
Recently, beyond performing cleaning while robot cleaners are simply autonomously traveling in a cleaning area, research into utilization of robot cleaners in various fields such as healthcare, smart home, remote control, and the like, has been actively conducted. When a robot cleaner performs autonomous traveling in a cleaning area, the robot may meet various obstacles present in the cleaning area, and thus, an algorithm for avoiding such obstacles when performing autonomous traveling and cleaning operation may be required.
However, when a bottom surface of the cleaning area is not even, if all surface portions which are not even are recognized as obstacles, a cleaning range may be reduced, and thus, a recognition reference related to an obstacle may not be set too strictly. Thus, when the robot cleaner passes through a portion of the bottom surface without recognizing an uneven portion of the bottom surface as an obstacle, at least one of a plurality of wheels may not come into contact with the bottom surface, generating idle rotation, making it impossible for the robot cleaner to normally travel.
Also, when at least one of the plurality of wheels of the robot cleaner is completely arrested, the arrested state of the wheel may not be released only by an output from a motor. Thus, a robot cleaner that solves an idle rotation phenomenon and a complete arrest phenomenon of the wheel that may occur when the robot cleaner passes on bottom surfaces of various conditions and a control method thereof may be required. That is, a robot cleaner which may avoid the idle rotation phenomenon or complete arrest phenomenon and a control method thereof may be required.
Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0065134 discloses a cleaning robot capable of detecting a stuck state such as a state in which the cleaning robot is caught (catching phenomenon) or lifted (lifting phenomenon) or an object stuck phenomenon, and the like, at the time of traveling. However, the related art cleaning robot may not be able to solve the catching, lifting or object-stuck phenomenon, and may require a sub-wheel installed to correspond to a main wheel and a separate motor moving the sub-wheel in the stuck state. Thus, manufacturing cost of a robot may be increased to install the sub-wheel and the motor for moving a position of the sub-wheel, and since separate electric power is required to be supplied to the separate motor to move the sub-wheel, efficiency of power consumed in the robot may be reduced.
The addition of the sub-wheel may increase a weight of the robot body, causing user inconvenience. Also, when the related art robot overpasses an obstacle, only power transmitted to the sub-wheel may be used and idle-rotation may still occur in the main wheel. The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.


A process for forming a barrier metal layer and a metal layer on the surface of a contact hole formed on a semiconductor substrate. A titanium and a first titanium nitride layers are sequentially deposited on the surface of the contact hole and annealed, and thereafter, a second titanium nitride layer is deposited on the first titanium nitride layer and annealed, to thereby form a barrier metal layer. A first aluminum layer alloyed with silicon and copper of a given quantity, and a second aluminum layer alloyed with copper of a given quantity, are sequentially deposited on the barrier metal layer, and thereafter performed, the annealing process is performed. A third aluminum layer alloyed with copper of a given quantity is deposited on the second aluminum layer and annealed, to thereby form a metal layer. Accordingly, a leakage current is considerably reduced due to preventions of a silicon extraction phenomenon and an aluminum spike phenomenon, and a contact resistance is reduced and a step coverage is improved by effectively burying the contact hole through the above process, to thereby obtain a reliable semiconductor device.

The present invention relates to a method for fabricating a semiconductor device, and particularly to a method for forming a barrier metal layer and a metal layer on the surface of a contact hole formed on a semiconductor device.
Conventionally, a known method called "sputtering" is used for depositing metal on the surface of the contact hole formed on the semiconductor substrate so as to form the metal layer. In this case, however, a step coverage around the contact hole becomes worse, resulting in increase of a contact resistance.
A proposed process to solve the foregoing problem is to deposit aluminum on the surface of the contact hole and thereafter anneal the semiconductor device, or deposit aluminum while heating the semiconductor substrate. Accordingly, the contact resistance is reduced by burying the contact hole in the manner of the above process. Silicon component is, however, extracted from the semiconductor substrate and stacked in a lower portion of the contact hole, so that a contact area between the metal layer and a diffusion layer under the contact hole layers is reduced.
To prevent the silicon extraction phenomenon stated above, a distribution layer which is aluminum alloyed with copper of about 0.5% is formed. Accordingly, the silicon extraction phenomenon can be considerably reduced by not supplying silicon component to the aluminum. However, since the silicon component is not included in the aluminum, silicon component contained in the substrate is rapidly melted into the aluminum until the silicon component reaches a critical melting point, forming the void in the portion where the silicon component of the substrate flows out into the aluminum, and the aluminum flows into the void formed in the substrate, thereby causing aluminum spiking at the portion where the silicon component is missing, which increases a leakage current.

Method for fabricating a semiconductor device


This invention is directed to a rangefinding system which includes a light beam source, a plurality of light receiving elements disposed to receive an image light spot reflected from a target object existing in any one of a group of distance zones in such manner that the image light spot is projected on one or more of the light receiving elements, the light receiving elements being adapted to produce a combination of outputs, the contents of which vary depending on the distance between the target object and the rangefinding system the invention also includes a logic circuit for producing signals indicating the distance zone in which the target object exists, the signal generated in response to the combination of outputs, so that the space occupied by the light receiving elements can be advantageously decreased and the precision of rangefinding can be improved.

The present invention relates to a rangefinder in which trigonometric rangefinding is utilized.
Such a rangefinder comprises a light source S for projecting a light beam on a target object existing in any one of distance zones .alpha., .beta., .gamma. or .delta. as shown in FIG. 1. A plurality of light receiving elements R.sub.A, R.sub.B, R.sub.C and R.sub.D, (such as photo sensitive diodes), are provided, each of which is assigned to the normal distance zones A, B, C and D and are placed at positions apart from said light source S. The respective distances therebetween are defined by the principle of trigonometric rangefinding to enable the light receiving elements to receive an image light spot reflected from the target object Q and to thereby enable said light receiving elements to produce signals indicative of the distance between the target object and the rangefinder.
Such a rangefinder is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,003.
In the conventional rangefinders of this type, the light receiving elements and processing circuit for processing the signal fed therefrom are arranged in such manner that an image light spot reflected from the target object is projected on only one of the light receiving elements at a time to produce signals indicative of one of the distance zones .alpha. through .delta..
However, in practice, the image light spot is apt to be formed over two or three light receiving elements by the effect of the spreading of the projected light beam caused by lens aberration and the spreading of image light spot caused by the image forming lens disposed in front of the light receiving elements. These defects are particularly noticeable when the target object exists on or near the border line between the two adjacent normal distance zones.
When the defects described above occur, the conventional rangefinder can not detect the distance zones accurately. In order to obviate such troubles, it has been suggested that either the length of respective distance zones assigned to corresponding light receiving elements be enlarged or the base length between the light source and the light receiving elements be extended. In the former case, however, the rangefinding precision becomes poor and in the latter case, the rangefinding device becomes large in size and occupies a large space.
To the contrary, it is required that a rangefinder should be made not only as small as possible but also be made to precisely detect the distance zones when it is installed in a camera.
In order not only to minimize the size of the rangefinder but to precisely detect distance zones, the use of an extremely fine light beam and highly precise optical system has been proposed; however, such a light source and optical system are expensive.


A two part ring for sealing a shaft against solid, liquid or gas leakage is disclosed. The outer part is a stiffening ring which has a circular projection as its inside diameter surface. The inner part is a lip ring having a circular, concentric slot in its back end face. The projection fits into the slot to concentrically mate the lip and stiffening rings.

The invention relates to a shaft sealing ring consisting of a stiffening ring having a circular projection as its inside diameter surface which extends toward the sealed-off medium, and a lip ring of an elastically resilient material which has a circular slot in its back end face. The slot matches the projection's profile and the projection fits into the slot when these two rings are concentrically mated in operative form as the shaft sealing ring.
The general design of a similar shaft sealing ring is known from DE-GM 74 41 828. However, the profile of the stiffening ring as well as the profile of the lip ring are so complex that the manufacturing costs are undesirably increased. In addition, slight dimensional deviations of the adjacent engaging surfaces of these two parts result in inaccuracies in the assembly and lead to a change of the contact pressures of the sealing lip against the surface of the sealed shaft. The sealing effect is impaired thereby which is undesirable.


A device for face-down, prone respiration comprising a head support made of resilient material having a facial cavity conformable to the contours of a person's face, a plenum cavity in fluid communication with the person's face, a substantially L-shaped support base removably engaged to the head support, a horizontal member of the base engaged underneath the head support and a vertical member of the base engaged to an end of the head support proximate to the facial cavity and in fluid communication with the plenum cavity, the vertical member having at least one air pump intake pathway and at least one exhalation discharge pathway integral to the base whereby air pumped through at least one air pump intake pathway creates a plenum in plenum cavity which is inhaled by person and air exhaled by person is discharged back into plenum cavity and out the at least one exhalation discharge pathway.

The present invention relates to a head rest for supporting the head of a user while sleeping and providing a positive air pressure (plenum) environment for respiration.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a method of respiratory ventilation used primarily in the treatment of sleep apnea, for which it was first developed. CPAP ventilation is also commonly used for critically ill patients in hospital with respiratory failure, and in newborn infants (neonates). In these patients, CPAP ventilation can prevent the need for endotracheal intubation, or allow earlier extubation. Sometimes patients with neuromuscular diseases use this variety of ventilation as well. Often people with brain injury need these machines, as well as speech therapy to try to compensate for impaired use of the body, including the airway passages.
The CPAP machine was initially used mainly by patients for the treatment of sleep apnea at home, but now is in widespread use across intensive care units as a form of ventilation. Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway becomes narrow as the muscles relax naturally during sleep. This reduces oxygen in the blood and causes arousal from sleep. The CPAP machine stops this phenomenon by delivering a stream of compressed air via a hose to a nasal pillow, nose mask or full-face mask, splinting the airway (keeping it open under air pressure) so that unobstructed breathing becomes possible, reducing and/or preventing apneas and hypopneas. It is the air pressure, and not the movement of the air, that prevents the apneas.
The CPAP machine blows air at a prescribed pressure (also called the titrated pressure). The necessary pressure is usually determined by a sleep physician after review of a study supervised by a sleep technician during an overnight study (polysomnography) in a sleep laboratory. The titrated pressure is the pressure of air at which most (if not all) apneas and hypopneas have been prevented, and it is usually measured in centimetres of water (cm H2O). The pressure required by most patients with sleep apnea ranges between 6 and 14 cm H2O. A typical CPAP machine can deliver pressures between 4 and 20 cm H2O. More specialized units can deliver pressures up to 25 or 30 cm H2O.
CPAP treatment can be highly effective in treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. For some patients, the improvement in the quality of sleep and quality of life due to CPAP treatment will be noticed after a single night's use. Often, the patient's sleep partner also benefits from markedly improved sleep quality, due to the amelioration of the patient's loud snoring. Given that sleep apnea is a chronic health issue, ongoing care is needed to maintain CPAP therapy.
A CPAP system commonly comprises a flow generator (CPAP machine) which provides the airflow, an interface (nasal or full face mask, nasal pillows, or less commonly a lip-seal mouthpiece) which provides the connection to the user's airway, and a hose which connects the flow generator (sometimes via an in-line humidifier) to the interface. Less commonly, CPAP systems may include a humidifier to add moisture to low humidity air. A heated water chamber can also be employed to increase user comfort by eliminating the dryness of the compressed air. The temperature can usually be adjusted or turned off to act as a passive humidifier if desired. In general, a heated humidifier is either integrated into the unit or has a separate power source (i.e. plug).
A ramp may be used to temporarily lower the pressure if the user does not immediately sleep. The pressure gradually rises to the prescribed level over a period of time that can be adjusted by the patient and/or the DME provider. Some devices are equipped with an exhalation pressure relief feature which causes a short drop in pressure during exhalation to reduce the effort required.
Most modern devices include data logging records for basic compliance info or detailed event logging, allowing the sleep physician (or patient) to download and analyze data recorded by the machine to verify treatment effectiveness.
Prospective CPAP candidates are often reluctant to use this therapy, since the nose mask and hose to the machine look uncomfortable and clumsy, and the airflow required for some patients can be vigorous. Some patients will develop nasal congestion while others may experience rhinitis or a runny nose. Some patients adjust to the treatment within a few weeks, others struggle for longer periods, and some discontinue treatment entirely.
CPAP manufacturers frequently offer different models at different price ranges, and CPAP masks have many different sizes and shapes, so that some users need to try several masks before finding a good fit. These different machines may not be comfortable for all users. Where the mask contacts the skin must be free from dirt and excess chemicals (such as skin oils). Shaving before mask-fitting may be necessary. These nuisances, as well as others, also prevent users from sleeping in the prone position.


Motion-vector deriving processing using inter-view shift prediction according to the related art makes processing for determining a reference position complicated. In a sequence parameter set, it is not possible to independently set an ON/OFF flag of a texture extension tool and an ON/OFF flag of a depth extension tool. Additionally, even in a case in which only one of an intra SDC wedge segmentation flag IntraSdcWedgeFlag and an intra contour segmentation flag IntraContourFlag is 1, depth_intra_mode_flag for selecting one of the wedge segmentation mode and the contour segmentation mode is unnecessarily decoded.

As multiple-viewpoint image coding technologies, a disparity predictive coding method and a decoding method associated with this coding method have been proposed. In the disparity predictive coding method, the amount of information is reduced by predicting a disparity between multiple viewpoint images when coding the multiple viewpoint images. A vector representing a disparity between viewpoint images is called a displacement vector. A displacement vector is a two-dimensional vector having an element in the horizontal direction (x component) and an element in the vertical direction (y component), and is calculated for each block, which is one of regions divided from one image. To obtain multiple viewpoint images, cameras disposed for individual viewpoints are usually utilized. In multiple-viewpoint coding, each viewpoint image is coded as an individual layer of multiple layers. A coding method for a video image constituted by multiple layers is generally called scalable coding or hierarchy coding. In scalable coding, high-efficiency coding is implemented by performing inter-layer prediction. A layer which is not subjected to inter-layer prediction but serves as a base is called a base layer, and the other layers are called enhancement layers. Scalable coding in which layers are constituted by viewpoint images is called view scalable coding. In scalable coding, a base layer is also called a base view, while an enhancement layer is also called a non-base view. In view scalable coding, scalable coding in which layers are constituted by texture layers (image layers) and depth layers (distance image layers) is called three-dimensional scalable coding.
Apart from view scalable coding, other examples of scalable coding are spatial scalable coding (processing a low-resolution picture as a base layer and a high-resolution picture as an enhancement layer) and SNR scalable coding (processing a low image-quality picture as a base layer and a high-resolution picture as an enhancement layer). In scalable coding, a base layer picture, for example, may be used as a reference picture when coding an enhancement layer picture.
In HEVC, a technique for reusing prediction information concerning processed blocks, which is called a merge mode, is known. In the merge mode, from a merge candidate list in which merge candidates are constructed as elements, an element specified by a merge index (merge_index) is selected as a prediction parameter, thereby deriving a prediction parameter of a prediction unit.
As a technology for using a motion vector of a different layer (different view) from a target layer for predicting a motion vector of the target layer, inter-layer motion prediction (inter-view motion prediction) is known. In inter-layer motion prediction, motion prediction is performed by referring to a motion vector of a picture having a viewpoint different from that of a target picture. NPL 1 discloses inter-view prediction (IV prediction) and inter-view shift prediction (IVShift prediction) for determining a reference position for inter-layer motion prediction. In inter-view prediction (IV prediction), reference is made to a motion vector at a position determined by adding a displacement equal to a disparity vector to the center position of a target layer. Inter-view shift prediction (IVShift prediction), reference is made to a motion vector at a position determined by adding a displacement equal to a disparity vector which has been adjusted by the size of a target block to the center position of a target layer.
NPL 1 also discloses the following technology. In a sequence parameter set (SPS), an ON/OFF flag of a texture extension tool for such as residual prediction, and an ON/OFF flag of a depth extension tool for such as wedgelet segmentation prediction and contour segmentation prediction are defined, and the ON/OFF flags are sequentially decoded and coded by using a loop variable.

Image decoding apparatus, image coding apparatus, and prediction-vector deriving device

Abstract: A prediction-vector deriving device derives the coordinates of a reference block of an inter-view merge candidate IV from the sum of the top-left coordinates of a target block, half the size of the target block, and a disparity vector of the target block which is converted into the integer precision. In this case, the value of the sum is normalized to a multiple of 8 or a multiple of 16. The prediction-vector deriving device derives the coordinates of a reference block of an inter-view shift merge candidate IVShift from the sum of the top-left coordinates of a target block, the size of the target block, a predetermined constant of 0 to 4, and a disparity vector of the target block which is converted into the integer precision. In this case, the value of the sum is normalized to a multiple of 8 or a multiple of 16. Then, from the motion vectors positioned at the derived coordinates of the reference blocks, the prediction-vector deriving device derives a motion vector of the inter-view merge candidate IV and a motion vector of the inter-view shift merge candidate IVShift.


A method is described for control of a CVT automatic transmission (1) in which a sensed main pressure (p_hd_act) and a sensed contact pressure (p_s2_act) of a secondary pulley (7) are entered as signals in an electronic transmission control (8). For diagnosis of an error in the sensing of the main pressure (p_hd_act) and/or of the contact pressure (p_s2_act) of the secondary pulley (7) their actual values or comparison variable (|p_hd_act-p_hd_nom|, |p_s2_act-p_s2_nom|) formed therefrom are compared with applicable threshold values (p_hd_min, pd_phd_regdiff, p_s2_min, pd_ps2_regdiff) associated with a range of plausible pressure values.

According to the type defined in more detail in the preamble of Claim 1, the invention concerns a method of controlling a CVT automatic transmission in which an electronic transmission control comprises a main pressure and a contact pressure of a secondary pulley.
Modern automatic transmissions work with an electronic transmission control (EGS) by means of which can be met criteria relevant to information an safety. The electronic transmission control which as a rule communicates with an engine control unit from the transmission motor and side of the vehicle. From the input signal and stored data such as gear shift characteristic lines for gears, tuning parameters for pressure calculation, engine engagement and time steps, the same as regulators and diagnosis parameters, the electronic transmission control calculates the correct gear and optimum pressure curves for gear shifts by means of adequate program modules.
To ensure a correct operation of the automatic transmission, great importance is attached to the reliability of the input signals, since otherwise there is chosen a shifting program not adapted to the operation situation which under circumstances can result in damage to the transmission and dangerous situation in the operation.
In CVT automatic transmissions, together with the rotational speeds of the primary pulley and secondary pulley of the variator, the main pressure and the contact pressure of the secondary pulley which is decisive for the variator""s capability of torque transmission, especially constitute important input variables on which the correctness of the transmission control essentially depends.
DE 196 50 218 A1 discloses a method for monitoring the orderly operation of two rotational speed sensors associated with the primary and secondary cone pulley pairs wherein brief failure of the rotation speeds can also be detected and react thereto with adequate flexibility. This is obtained by the fact that in the presence of a stationary state during travel, a ratio of the variator is determined from the rotational speed signals of the primary and secondary pulleys and the ratio is coordinated with a first characteristic field, the characteristic field having a range of admissible and a range of non-admissible ratios. An error is detected when the ratio is in a non-admissible range and with the detection of the error the contact pressure level of the variator is raised in a first step and if the presence of the error persists, an emergency drive program is activated in a second step.
While with the method known already, a monitoring of the signals delivered by the rotational speed sensors is possible, the verification of the signals issued by the pressure sensors to the electronic transmission control is unsatisfactory.
In the practice, two sensors are provided for pressure monitoring, namely, one sensor after a main-pressure supply pump and one sensor on the secondary pulley or hydraulic chamber thereof.
When the sensors or the current regulators thereof are defective, erroneous pressure values are issued. The same applies when a failure occurs in the pressure preparation, e.g. in case of a mechanical defect in the transmission. Even though in that case, the pressure values can lie outside a tolerance range, the sensing of the electronic transmission control is not detected as defect so that an incorrect adaption is effected in that case.
The problem, on which this invention is based, is to make available a method for control of a CVT automatic transmission in which an electronic transmission control comprises a main pressure and a contact pressure of a secondary pulley, the pressure values being verified as to plausibility.
The inventive method offers the advantage that in the sensing of the main pressure and of the contact pressure of the secondary pulley of the variator failures can be reliably detected so that further processing of non-plausible pressure values can be prevented.
Since for reasons of consumption an objective of the control of the CVT automatic transmission consists in keeping the pressure level as high as needed but as low as possible, the inventive method makes it possible to implement a transmission control optimated in terms of consumption and with which is prevented a pressure availability too high on account of an error in the pressure sensing.
Besides, it is possible with the inventive method advantageously to ensure that seriously erroneous pressure values cannot lead to any control of the CVT automatic transmission that can damage the automatic transmission or impair the stability of the vehicle.

Method of controlling a CVT automatic transmission


A semiconductor device includes memory cells, each of which is a dynamic storage device, a memory cell array where the memory cells in a predetermined number are arranged in a matrix, the memory cells being connected to intersections of orthogonal word lines and bit lines; first sense amplifying circuits for amplifying electric potentials of the bit lines; main bit lines arranged in parallel to the bit lines; a memory block array formed such that a plurality of memory blocks including switching circuits share the main bit lines, the switching circuits controlling conductivity between outputs of the first sense amplifying circuits and the main bit lines; first selecting means for selecting the word lines and the first sense amplifying circuits belonging to at least one memory block of the plurality of memory blocks; second selecting means for selecting the switching circuits belonging to one memory block of the plurality of memory blocks; a control signal generating circuit for controlling the second selecting means. The semiconductor device includes a program circuit for programmably selecting either one of: acquiring addresses that specify positions of the memory cells as addresses for rows at a first timing; and acquiring addresses that specify positions of the memory cells as addresses for columns at a second timing that is different from the first timing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device using a dynamic RAM (hereinafter, referred to as "DRAM"). In particular, the present invention relates to a technique that is characterized by means for easily setting an optimal page length and data input/output width in accordance with a system to which the DRAM is applied and is effective for achieving low power consumption and high speed for the DRAM.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, DRAMs are utilized in the form of a macrocell so as to be mounted on one semiconductor substrate together with a microprocessor or an ASIC (application specific IC, hereinafter referred to as "logic").
When the DRAM is mounted on a semiconductor substrate together with a microprocessor or a logic, the constraints caused by the number of pins of the DRAM can be eliminated, unlike the case where the DRAM is attached externally. Therefore, the data width for data input and output can be extended, and the data transfer rate between the DRAM and the logic can increase significantly. In addition, the DRAM and the logic can be connected over a short distance by metal wiring, so that the parasitic capacitance of input/output wiring can decrease significantly. Thus, low power consumption can be achieved.
The basic operation of the DRAM includes the first operation period, the second operation period, and the third operation period. In the first operation (hereinafter, referred to as "RAS cycle"), the data of memory cells in a specified area is read by activating a sense amplifier and is stored. In the second operation (hereinafter, referred to as "CAS cycle"), the data stored in the sense amplifier is divided by a predetermined unit, and is output to the outside sequentially, or the data input from the outside is written in the sense amplifier. In the third operation (hereinafter, referred to as "precharge cycle"), a precharge state is set for a next operation cycle.
As an independent DRAM product for practical use, DRAMs of various specifications such as a fast page mode DRAM, an EDO DRAM, and a synchronous DRAM are used commonly. All of these DRAMs are configured based on the basic operations described above, and also a DRAM macrocell mounted with other components on a semiconductor substrate is configured based on any one of these specifications.
Furthermore, in the DRAM macrocell mounted with other components, the storage capacity or the data width for input and output is changed in accordance with the specification of the semiconductor device to which the DRAM macrocell is applied and the product use for each predetermined unit.
The semiconductor devices provided with the DRAMs are used in various fields, and the performance required for the DRAM is varied with the use. For example, in the case where the DRAM is used in a system that processes image data for graphics, a high speed clock of 100 MHz or more is required to increase the data transfer rate. For this reason, wide page length and high speed in the data transfer rate are required in a page mode or a mode comparable thereto.
Furthermore, in the case where the DRAM is used in a system of portable equipment or consumer products, the DRAM is used generally in a random access mode using a clock frequency of about several tens MHz or an access mode using a relatively short page length. Thus, low power consumption is required rather than the high speed data transfer rate.
The page operation of the DRAM is an operation to read (or write) the data in the sense amplifier activated in the first operation period for each predetermined unit sequentially in the second operation period. Therefore, the page length can be larger as the activated area is larger. On the other hand, the power consumption of the DRAM depends significantly on the area of the activated memory cells and the number of the activated sense amplifiers, so that the power consumption can be smaller as the activated area is smaller.
In the conventional semiconductor device using the DRAM, the area of the memory cells and the number of the sense amplifiers to be activated in the first operation period are fixed. Moreover, since the DRAM is supposed to be mounted in semiconductor devices for various uses, the page length is as relatively long as that of an independent DRAM product, in order to avoid constraints in the functions. Therefore, the DRAM has extra functions that are not required for portable equipment or consumer products, which place importance on low power consumption, and the low power consumption is not sufficiently achieved.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Systems and methods are disclosed for providing personalized estimates of bioheat transfer through a patient's body or a portion of a patient's body. One method includes receiving a patient-specific vascular model of a patient's anatomy, including at least one vessel of the patient; receiving a patient-specific tissue model including at least a portion of tissue of the patient's anatomy; receiving an estimate of heat content of the portion of tissue of the patient-specific tissue model or tissue surrounding the portion of tissue; determining an estimate of heat distribution of the portion of tissue of the patient-specific tissue model or tissue surrounding the portion of tissue based on the vascular model, the tissue model, or the received estimate of heat content; and output the determined estimate of heat distribution to a storage medium or user display.

The human body has a refined homeostatic mechanism for maintaining constant body temperature, but it nevertheless may be sensitive to external temperature. Some temperature changes may affect the whole body and cause conditions that may be potentially life-threatening, for example, hypothermia, hyperthermia, heat stroke, and/or heat exhaustion. These conditions may be treated through a variety of methods, for example, rewarming, fluid ingestion, immersion in warm/cool water, or by more advanced mechanisms. Other temperature changes may be applied focally as therapeutics, for example, applying radiofrequency (RF) ablation or cryoablation to treat cancer or to treat atrial fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia. In these cases, extreme temperatures may be used to deliberately damage pathological tissue while trying to preserve surrounding healthy tissue. However, heat transfer in the human body may be complex and difficult to predict since heat transfer may be contingent on a variety of factors including, for example, heat diffusion through multiple different materials (e.g., tissue, fluid, bone), the convection of the vascular system, and/or temperatures external to the body. In addition, individuals' bodies may vary in their abilities to adjust or regulate temperatures, which may cause people to vary in how prone they are to heat-related illness or how sensitive they are to treatment.
Thus, a desire exists for understanding bioheat transfer specific to an individual. For example, a desire exists to model bioheat (e.g., heat transfer or heat distribution) in an individual's entire body and/or in isolated organs and body parts. Furthermore, a desire exists to evaluate effectiveness of temperature-related treatments.
The foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Systems and methods for providing personalized estimates of bioheat transfer


The invention provides an antifouling structure that excels in antifouling performance and durability, dispenses with maintenance work, poses no toxicity problem, and is easily handled. The antifouling structure is in a flexible thin sheet, and comprises a copper alloy and an insulating material layer. The copper alloy has a Be content of 0.2 to 2.8% by weight. The insulating layer material, for instance, is made of at least one of methyl methacrylate-modified natural rubber, nitrile rubber and chlorinated rubber. This rubber is dissolved in a suitable solvent for primer or other treatment, coated on the required surface area of the copper alloy layer, and dried to obtain an insulating material layer having a given thickness. The antifouling structure is bonded to the inner wall of a water intake pipe to form a three-layer structure made up of iron, insulating material and beryllium-copper, thereby inhibiting deposition of marine organisms and enabling the function of inhibiting marine deposits to be maintained due to the continued liberation of copper or beryllium ions.

The present invention relates to an antifouling structure and method effective to inhibit deposition of marine organisms such as barnacles, blue mussels and seaweed.
Offshore structures in contact with seawater are always exposed to contamination by marine organisms, resulting in damage to appearance or malfunction. For instance, ships suffer a driving force drop when many forms of oceanic organisms are deposited onto their bottoms, etc., and thermoelectric power plants are forced to stop operation when various forms of oceanic organisms are built up on their seawater intake pits, because a serious problem arises in connection with the circulation of a seawater serving as a cooling medium.
Among scores of techniques for inhibiting marine deposits studied so far in the art, there is typically now available a method for protecting an offshore structure against contamination, in which the surface of that structure in contact with seawater is coated with a coating material containing cuprous oxide or organotin.
A grave problem with this conventional method, however, is that the coating material has a service life as short as one year, since even when applied in a thick layer, it is likely to peel away. Accordingly, is needed troublesome maintenance work is necessary in which the coating material must be renewed per year.
Another method is disclosed in JP-A-60-209505 that is directed to a member for inhibiting marine deposits, which comprises copper or a copper (e.g., Cu-Ni) alloy. However, this method is found to be less than satisfactory in terms of corrosion resistance and antifouling effect.
Our years of study have now revealed that the application of a beryllium-copper alloy to an offshore structure achieves a much-more excellent antifouling effect. The reason would be that beryllium and copper ions interact synergistically, producing a great effect on inhibiting oceanic organisms from having access to the offshore structure and preventing their propagation. In other words, we have now found that the beryllium-copper alloy has a combined effect both on inhibiting marine deposits and on the continued liberation of copper ions.
A main object of the invention is to provide an antifouling structure that excels in antifouling properties and durability, dispenses with maintenance work, offers no toxicity problem, and is easy to handle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for fixing an antifouling structure to an application member, which enables the antifouling structure to be well fixed to the application member, excel in antifouling properties and durability, dispense with maintenance work, and present no toxicity problem.
A further object of the invention is to provide a structure for preventing deposition of organisms, which is well fixed to an application (or associated )member, excels in antifouling properties and durability, dispenses with maintenance work, and offers no toxicity problem.


A method for deploying an operating system onto a client system includes, with the client system, receiving a bootloader image from an external device in response to a request for the bootloader image and installing the bootloader. The installed bootloader is configured to provide a streaming function from the client system to both a client repository of the client system and a remote data repository and selectively redirect requests for a block of data to one of: the client repository and the remote data repository. The method further includes, with the client system, during operation of a function of the operating system, making a request for a data block of the operating system, the data block including the function, and receiving the data block from one of: the client repository and the remote repository based on availability information.

Aspects of the present invention relate in general to computer operating systems, and more particularly, to methods for deploying those operating systems. Deploying an operating system to a computer is usually achieved by transferring an operating system image to a local disk of the computer on which the operating system is to be installed. The operating system image may be transferred either through a network or an attached local device. When using a network, the operating system image is transferred to the computer using a network boot capability such as peer exchange (PXE). A boot loader is then used to initialize the environment such that the necessary part of the operating system can be loaded into the main memory of the computer. Alternatively, the computer may boot from an attached device such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) storage device. Both the boot loader and the operating system image are transferred from the storage device to the local hard disk of the computer. The operating system, once running, enables itself such that it can access the unread parts of the operating system image that have been transferred to the local disk.


A printing cylinder holding apparatus for a printing machine, includes a pair of bearing holding members arranged on one of a pair of frames which rotatably support a printing cylinder via a pair of bearing members, respectively. One of the frames has a first opening for allowing a cylindrical printing member to be put on and out of the printing cylinder. The bearing holding members are movable between a holding position wherein the bearing holding members hold one of the bearing members and an unholding position wherein the bearing holding members release the one of the bearing members to form a second opening which is associated with the first opening for allowing the cylindrical printing member to be put in and out of the printing cylinder.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for holding a printing cylinder for a printing machine. More specifically, the invention relates to a printing cylinder holding apparatus for a printing machine wherein a cylindrical printing member such as a cylindrical blanket of a blanket cylinder is detachably mounted on the outer periphery of a printing cylinder, the printing member being slidable on the outer periphery of the printing cylinder in axial directions to be put in and out thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-336004 discloses a blanket cylinder as a printing cylinder for offset press. On the outer periphery of the blanket cylinder, a cylindrical blanket is detachably mounted. The cylindrical blanket is slidable on the outer periphery of the printing cylinder in axial directions to be put on and out thereof.
The blanket cylinder has a pair of shaft portions on both ends thereof. The shaft portions are rotatably supported on a pair of bearing members which are respectively mounted in a pair of frames arranged on both sides of the printing cylinder. In this printing cylinder supporting arrangement, it is required for one of the frames to have an opening for allowing the cylindrical blanket to be put on and out of the blanket cylinder, the both ends of which are supported on the frames.
FIG. 1 shows a conventional printing cylinder holding apparatus. A cylindrical blanket 3 is detachably mounted on the outer periphery of a blanket cylinder 1 so that the cylindrical blanket 3 is slidable on the outer periphery of the blanket cylinder 1 in the axial directions to be put on and out thereof. The cylindrical blanket 3 is provided with a pair of shaft portions 5 and 7 on both ends thereof. The shaft portions 5 and 7 are rotatably supported on right and left side frames 15 and 13 via bearing members 11 and 9, respectively.
The outer diameter of each of the shaft portions 5 and 7 is smaller than that of the blanket cylinder 1. The bearing member 9 for the shaft portion 5 is directly supported on the side frame 13. On the other hand, the bearing member 11 for the shaft portion 7 is supported on the side frame 15 via a sleeve 17 detachably mounted in an opening 19 which is formed in the side frame 15 for allowing the cylindrical blanket 3 to be put on and out of the blanket cylinder 1.
The outer diameter of the bearing member 11 is smaller than that of the blanket cylinder 1, and the inner diameter of the sleeve 17 is smaller than that of the blanket cylinder 1. The outer diameter of the sleeve 17 and the inner diameter of the opening 19 are greater than the outer diameter of the cylindrical blanket 3. The opening 19 is so formed that the its central axis coincide with the rotational axis of the blanket cylinder 1.
The sleeve 17 is provided with a handle 21 for manual operation. When the sleeve 17 is drawn out of the opening 19 by manually operating the handle 21, the opening 19 is open so that the cylindrical blanket 3 can be put on and out of the blanket cylinder 1 through the opening 19 in axial directions.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-191007 discloses another type of a printing cylinder holding apparatus. This printing cylinder holding apparatus has a door assembly which is riseably mounted on a frame for opening and closing an opening. On this door assembly, a pair of half-shaped clamping members which are associated with each other for holding a bearing member are movably mounted.
In this printing cylinder holding apparatus, after the clamping members are moved at a loose position by means of a hydraulic cylinder to release the bearing member, when the door assembly is risen by means of another hydraulic cylinder to open the opening, then the cylindrical blanket can be put on and out of the blanket cylinder through the opening in axial directions.
In the conventional printing cylinder holding apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, when the sleeve 17 is intended to be put in the opening 19 again, the blanket cylinder 1 is supported on a single frame 13, so that the axis of the bearing member 11 is shifted from the center of the opening 19 so as to distort the annular space between the outer periphery of the bearing member 11 for the shaft potion 7 and the inner periphery of the opening 19. As a result, it is difficult to put the sleeve 17 in the distorted annular space. It is more difficult to do it when decreasing the gaps between the inner periphery of the sleeve 17 and the outer periphery of the bearing member 11 and between the outer periphery of the sleeve 17 and the inner periphery of the opening 19 in order to precisely support the blanket cylinder. Therefore, it is difficult to easily exchange the cylindrical blanket 3 while precisely supporting the blanket cylinder 1. In addition, it is required to secure a space in which the removed sleeve 17 is stored.
In the printing cylinder holding apparatus as shown in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-191007, the clamping members are movably mounted on the door assembly. However, when the axis of the blanket cylinder is shifted from the central axis of the opening, it is difficult to smoothly hold the bearing member of the blanket cylinder again due to the fitting type holding structure of the bearing member.
In addition, this printing cylinder holding apparatus has a quadruplet structure comprising a door, clamping members, a bearing housing and a bearing member. Therefore, the structure is complicated, the door assembly is movable with respect to the frame, the clamping members are movable with respect to the door assembly, and gaps of at least several-hundredths millimeters are required between each movable members. Therefore, due to plays between the respective movable members, it is difficult to precisely support the blanket cylinder and to precisely rearrange the printing cylinder holding portion after the printing member is detached. It is also difficult to maintain the required accuracy for the printing cylinder holding apparatus, since shape error such as out-of-roundness of each members, dimensional error and assembly error are integrated to reduce the supporting and rearranging accuracy of the blanket cylinder.

Printing cylinder holding apparatus for printing machine


A failure detection apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes failure detecting means (S22-S30) for detecting abnormality of fresh air quantity detecting means (air flow sensor) based on the result of comparison between a fresh air quantity detected by the fresh air quantity detecting means (air flow sensor) and a fresh air quantity reference value set by fresh air quantity reference value setting means (S20), and exhaust flow rate adjusting means. The fresh air quantity reference value setting means sets the reference value (S16) in accordance with not only the operating state (engine speed Ne, fuel injection quantity Qf, etc.) of the engine but also a target adjustment amount (target throttle valve opening) set for the exhaust flow rate adjusting means by target adjustment setting means (S12, S14).

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a failure detection apparatus for an internal combustion engine, and more particularly, to techniques enabling reliable detection of abnormality in an air flow sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in order to prevent harmful exhaust gas from being emitted from an engine mounted on a motor vehicle, various control means are used to improve exhaust gas characteristics. These control means operate based on information supplied from various sensors and the like, to improve the exhaust gas characteristics.
If any of the sensors etc. falls, however, the exhaust gas characteristics may possibly be deteriorated, and accordingly, there has been a demand for reliable detection of failure of such sensors etc. Recently, vehicles equipped with an on-board diagnostic system (OBD etc.) have been developed and put to practical use, with a view to further improving the exhaust gas characteristics.
Information from the various sensors etc., especially, information from an air flow sensor (AFS) is used for many purposes including the control of an after-treatment device, EGR or exhaust gas recirculation, etc., and failure of the air flow sensor greatly affects the exhaust gas characteristics. Accordingly, diagnosis of the air flow sensor is of especial importance.
Thus, an apparatus has been proposed in which, when the rotation speed of the engine is lower than or equal to a predetermined value and at the same time an intake air quantity detected by the air flow sensor is higher than or equal to a predetermined value, for example, the air flow sensor is judged to be abnormal (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H10-018897, for example).
In such diagnosis of the air flow sensor, failure of the sensor is usually determined by comparing a reference value set in advance based on operating conditions, such as engine speed, fuel injection quantity, engine torque, throttle opening (throttle valve opening), manifold air pressure, etc., with an output value from the air flow sensor.
However, in the case where the flow rate of exhaust gas is adjusted by an exhaust flow control valve arranged in the intake or exhaust system to promote purification of the exhaust gas or where EGR gas is introduced into the intake system while the exhaust flow rate is adjusted, the quantity of fresh air varies depending on the opening of the exhaust flow control valve or EGR valve, giving rise to a problem that failure of the air flow sensor cannot be determined with accuracy.
To solve the problem, the diagnosis of the air flow sensor may be suspended while the opening of the exhaust flow control valve or EGR valve varies, for example. In the apparatus disclosed in the aforementioned publication, for example, the diagnosis of the air flow sensor as to abnormality is prohibited when the engine is in a cold state in which the engine is supplied with bypass air.
Such suspension of the diagnosis is, however, not desirable because it leads to a substantial reduction in the period for diagnosing the air flow sensor.

Failure detection apparatus for an internal combustion engine

Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation


An aircraft ejection seat which seeks the upward vertical direction to ene safe ejection from inverted aircraft at low altitude. An attitude control processor processes signals from three-axis attitude sensors and controls servo valves which regulate the flow of hydraulic fluid to hydraulic actuators connected to a spherical rocket motor mounted on a two axis gimbal system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to aircraft ejection seats. More particularly, the present invention relates to an aircraft ejection seat which seeks the upward vertical direction to enable safe ejection from inverted aircraft at low altitude.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art ejection seats are pitch stabilized but do not have steering or guidance capability. Inverted low level ejections often result in pilot fatality when the seat is rocketed into the ground.

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for automatically identifying and installing missing packages during an instrumented build. One of the methods includes intercepting, by a source code analysis system, a call from a build system that references a file system path. If the file system path does not exist on the build system, a search is performed to identify a source code package having a filename in the file system path, and the source code package is installed on the build system. After installing the source code package on the build system, the intercepted call is executed.

This specification relates to static analysis of computer software source code.
Static analysis refers to techniques for analyzing computer software source code without executing the source code as a computer software program.
Source code is typically maintained by developers in a code base of source code using a version control system. Version control systems generally maintain multiple revisions of the source code in the code base, each revision being referred to as a snapshot. Each snapshot is a representation of the source code of the code base as the source code existed at a particular point in time. A snapshot may be thought of as including all the source code as of a particular point in time, although all the source code need not be explicitly stored for every snapshot.
Static analysis results can be used for a variety of practical applications, which include attributing source code contributions and generating data about large scale trends in code bases. Attributing source code contributions means attributing changes introduced by a snapshot to a particular developer entity responsible for committing the snapshot. A developer entity can be a single developer or a group of multiple developers. Each developer is typically a human, although a developer can also be a software program, e.g., a "robot," that writes source code. For example, a developer entity can be a lone developer, developers on a team, developers within a department of an organization, or any other appropriate group of developers. Static analysis systems can compute sophisticated metrics of source code contributions and present visualizations of such information. For example, a static analysis system can generate a lines-of-code graph that illustrates net lines of code contributed to a code base during a particular time period.
Source code in a code base is typically compiled in a build environment by a build system. The build environment can include an operating system; a file system; executable files, e.g., build scripts and utilities, interpreters, compilers, or source code generators; environment variables, e.g., variables that indicate a path to file system directories that contain source code files or executable files; and other configuration files for building source code in the code base.
Accurate source code analysis of source code in a software project often requires a static analysis system to instrument a build system used to build the software project. Instrumenting the build system allows the static analysis system to perform an instrumented build of the software project, during which the static analysis system can trace the build process by intercepting calls by the build system to compilers.
There are a variety of reasons that performing an instrumented build for software project can result in more accurate analysis of source code in the project. As one example, tracing a build process allows the static analysis system to identify precisely the source code that is built for the software project without having to emulate the actions of the build system. A variety of build system mechanisms make this information difficult to obtain without tracing the build. For example, build system preprocessors can make arbitrary textual substitutions in existing source code files before a compiler is called. Preprocessors can also generate temporary source code files that are compiled and then deleted by the build system when compilation is complete. In addition, some build utilities, e.g., the "make" utility on Linux and Unix operating systems, can be programmed to copy source code files from one place to another during the build process. For example, a build utility can copy a file from one location to another for compilation because another source code file may include or depend on the copied file. The copied file may then be deleted by the build system after compilation is complete. Furthermore, source code generators can generate source code at build time that does not exist before the build process is started. In all of these situations, merely having read access to the source code files in a file system is insufficient for a static analysis system to extract all the source code that is actually built by a build system.
While performing instrumented builds for software projects can result in more accurate analysis of source code, the need to perform the build at all is a scalability bottleneck for large-scale static analysis systems. This is mostly because some manual configuration and labor is usually required to set up the build environment, identify build commands, and launch build scripts. Project documentation may specify, in a human-readable way, what dependencies and build commands are required. However, automatically analyzing and understanding such natural language instructions is not feasible with current NLP technology. Such manual configurations are unsuitable for a static analysis system that seeks to build thousands or tens of thousands of software projects automatically. The problem becomes even worse for static analysis systems that compare properties of multiple snapshots to compute static analysis results. In these cases, the static analysis system needs to perform instrumented builds for many, possibly thousands, of individual snapshots of a single software project. Manually configuring all of these builds across thousands of software projects is simply not feasible for a scalable static analysis system.

Automatically building software projects