A method and apparatus may be employed for maintaining cooling efficiency during air mover failure. An electrical enclosure may include a heat-generating thermal load, multiple air movers configured to remove heat from the thermal load, and a backward-airflow reducing device configured to reduce the amount of air that can be drawn backwards through one of the air movers if that air mover fails. The backward-airflow reducing device may be a valve configured to open while the air mover if functioning and to close when the air mover is not functioning.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cooling electronic enclosures and, more particularly, to the use of air movers to cool electronic enclosures.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic enclosures may contain many different electronic devices that are designed to operate within certain temperature ranges. However, when operating, each electronic device may generate heat. If enough heat is generated within the enclosure to cause any of the enclosed electronic devices to operate outside of their operational temperature range, problems may occur. For example, in some cases, increased temperature may cause a system to malfunction or behave erroneously. Sometimes, increased heat may even damage the electronic devices or components within the enclosure.
In order to reduce heat-related problems, many electronic enclosures include cooling devices. One simple example of a cooling device is a passive heat sink that radiates heat from a device into the surrounding air. A passive heat sink is simply a piece of metal attached to a component in such a way that the component transfers heat to the heat sink. By increasing the surface area from which heat can be radiated, heat sinks increase the amount of heat that can be transferred from a component to the surrounding air. Some heat sinks have fins, which further increase the surface area and allow even more heat to be radiated away. In some systems, passive heat sinks may be all that is needed to ensure proper cooling. For example, convection will cause heated air to rise higher than cooler air, so in some cases, hotter air will naturally be circulated away from the heat-generating component while cooler air is constantly being circulated towards the component. In other systems though, factors such as the size of the enclosure or the orientation of the device within the enclosure may limit the beneficial effects of convection. In such situations, other cooling devices may be needed to prevent heat-related problems.
One problem with systems that simply radiate heat is that the heat may accumulate inside an area in the enclosure. For example, convection may no longer assist in cooling if all of the air in an area becomes equally heated. One situation where this might arise is if a heat-generating component is located near the top of an enclosure. The top component may quickly lose any benefits of convection due to the accumulation of heated air in the top of the enclosure. Another situation where this might arise occurs when many devices are mounted in close proximity in an enclosure. Each device""s ability to radiate heat away from itself may be limited if the surrounding air has already been heated by the other components.
In order to alleviate problems that arise when heat accumulates, many systems incorporate devices that can move already-heated air away from an area and draw less-heated air into the area. Air movers such as fans and blowers (e.g., centrifugal fans) are popular cooling devices because they are capable of moving heated air away from and/or cooler air towards areas where heat-related problems may arise. By regularly moving heated air away from or cooler air over a component, the component""s ability to radiate heat is better maintained. For example, air movers may move either warmer or cooler air to another section of an enclosure, move heated air from inside an enclosure to the outside of the enclosure, or move cooler air from outside an enclosure to the inside of the enclosure. In many enclosures, several air movers may be used to move the proper volume of air necessary to reduce heat-related problems to an acceptable level. Additional air movers may also be included to provide redundancy, so that if an air mover fails, one of the redundant air movers can be used as a replacement.
Various embodiments of a method and apparatus for maintaining cooling efficiency during air mover failure are disclosed. In some embodiments, an electrical enclosure includes a heat-generating thermal load, multiple air movers configured to remove heat from the thermal load, and a backward-airflow reducing device configured to reduce the amount of air that can be drawn backwards through an air channel if an air mover fails. When functioning, each air mover is configured to draw air into an intake and to expel air from an exhaust so that the air within an air channel moves in a forward direction. The air movers remove heat from the thermal load by moving cooler air across the thermal load, allowing the thermal load to transfer heat to the air. In one embodiment, some of the air movers may be configured to blow air across the thermal load. In another embodiment, the air movers may instead draw air across the thermal load. The thermal load may, in some embodiments, comprise one or more disk drives.
The backward-airflow reducing device may be coupled to the exhaust side of the air mover in some embodiments. In other embodiments, the backward-airflow reducing device may instead be coupled to the intake side of the air mover. In still other embodiments, the backward-airflow reducing device may be coupled elsewhere within the enclosure. While the air mover is functioning, the backward-airflow reducing device may be configured to allow air to be drawn into the intake and expelled from the exhaust of the air mover.
In some embodiments, the backward-airflow reducing device may include a valve. In one embodiment, the valve may be configured to open in response to air being expelled from the exhaust when the air mover is functioning. In another embodiment, the valve may be configured to open in response to the air being drawn into the intake when the air mover is functioning. The electrical enclosure may, in one embodiment, include an electronic circuit configured to sense whether the air mover has failed and to generate a signal that causes the valve to close if the air mover has failed. In one embodiment, the valve may be configured to close in response to a drop or a reversal in air pressure that occurs when the air mover fails. In other embodiments, the valve may include a spring configured to open the valve if the air mover is functioning and/or to close the valve if the air mover is not functioning. In one embodiment, the valve may close due to gravity.
In other embodiments, a method for maintaining cooling efficiency in an electrical enclosure during air mover failure is disclosed. The method includes heating a portion of the electrical enclosure, operating multiple air movers within the enclosure to cool the heated portion of the enclosure by moving air across it, detecting whether one of the air movers has failed, and, if one of the air movers has failed, reducing the amount of air that can be drawn backwards through an air channel. In some embodiments, the enclosure may be heated by one or more disk drives. Operating the air movers may include blowing air or drawing air across the heated portion of the enclosure. A backward-airflow reducing device may reduce the amount of air that can be drawn backwards through an air channel. Detecting whether one of the air movers has failed may, in some embodiments, include passively sensing whether an air mover is functioning or not. For example, passively sensing may include responding to a drop or reversal in air pressure or responding to gravity or a combination of gravity and air pressure change or other means.
Thus, an air mover may be configured for use in an electrical enclosure. The air mover may include an intake configured to draw air into the air mover, an exhaust configured to expel air out of the air mover, and a backward-airflow reducing device configured to reduce the amount of air that can be drawn backwards through the air mover if the air mover fails.

Maintaining cooling efficiency during air mover failure


A sublimation furnace has a first endless conveyor belt extending along a first axis through the furnace, with a chamber extending above and along that first conveyor belt. Vacuum trays placed on the first belt have products abutting sublimation images to be transferred to the product as the trays pass through the furnace. The furnace has a first sidewall with a slot extending along the sidewall and along the first conveyor belt. A second endless conveyor belt extends along but offset from the first axis. A plurality of vacuum pumps are connected to the second conveyor belt and move with that belt, with each pump connected by a hose passing through the slot during use of the furnace to a different vacuum tray on the first conveyor in order to evacuate the vacuum trays and press the images against the product for sublimation transfer.

The present invention relates to method and apparatus for sublimation transfer using a long, tunnel furnace.
Sublimation transfer requires pressing a sublimation transfer image against a surface while heating the surface and image to a temperature high enough to cause the sublimation transfer image to sublimate and transfer to the surface. One approach to achieve this sublimation transfer is to have pressing devices shaped to conform to the product shape press the sublimation transfer image against the product while heating the product and image. Arrangements for transferring images to a coffee mug are described U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,921 to Christensen and U.S. Pat. No. 5,944,931 to Cranford. These patents place the assembled pressing device, image and product in an oven and remove them after each sublimation transfer occurs. These one-at-a-time approaches are inefficient for handling large numbers of products because the time to load, unload, heat and cool each product is extensive and hence the accompanying cost is high. There is thus a need for an improved sublimation transfer process and apparatus.
Another approach to achieve this transfer is have sublimation transfer images held against the product surface by stretching elastomeric sheets to press the images against the product surface. The assembly is heated in a furnace, causing the images to transfer to the product surface under pressure provided by stretching the elastomeric sheets around the products to cause sufficient pressure for sublimation transfer. The elastomeric sheets and transfer process are as generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,002,931 to Wang et al. Sublimation transfer has used a mesh belt conveyor to move products along a long tunnel. These assemblies may be placed in the bottom of an oven or furnace, or they may be placed on an endless, moving conveyor belt that passes through a furnace to achieve the heating and sublimation transfer. But the wrapping of stretched material does not conform to the configuration of rapidly changing surfaces and each product is individually wrapped. This approach is thus inefficient for handling large numbers of products because the time to load, unload, heat and cool each product is extensive and hence the accompanying cost is high. There is thus a need for an improved sublimation transfer process and apparatus.
Vacuum has been used to draw flexible membranes against a surface in order to apply the pressure for sublimation transfer, with U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,814,831 and 7,810,583 describing such systems. But the vacuum systems use single trays that are immovable or reciprocate into or out of a heating chamber, limiting the use of the apparatus and quantities of resulting imaged products. There thus remains a need for an improved method and apparatus to efficiently apply sublimation images to products.

Method and apparatus for long furnace sublimation transfer


An ion inlet for a mass spectrometer is disclosed comprising a housing having a sampling orifice and an atmospheric pressure orifice. One or more gas outlets are provided in the housing. Gas is drawn through the sampling orifice by a pump so that the gas exits via the one or more gas outlets.

The present invention relates to an ion inlet for a mass spectrometer. The preferred embodiment relates to apparatus and methods for improving the sampling efficiency of ions in mass spectrometers.
Mass spectrometers often contain different regions or chambers which are at different levels of vacuum. For example, an instrument may have a quadrupole mass filter which resides in a chamber at a pressure of approx. 1×10−5 mbar and which is followed by a collision cell at a pressure of approx. 1×10−3 to 1×10−2 mbar. The collision cell may, in turn, be followed by a Time of Flight mass analyser operating at a pressure of <1×10−6 mbar. These pressures are often achieved by the use of one or more roughing pumps and one or more turbomolecular pumps. Typically, the roughing pump provides the pumping for the source inlet as well as backing the turbomolecular pump(s).
Mass spectrometers can be used with various different source inlet types. The ions are often formed and introduced into the mass spectrometer at atmospheric pressure via a sampling orifice which is located close to the point of ionisation.
The total gas load on the mass spectrometer is defined by the atmospheric pressure orifice. In order to capture the maximum number of ions and therefore maximise the sensitivity of the mass spectrometer, the atmospheric pressure orifice is often located as close as possible to the point of ion formation. In most cases, the atmospheric pressure orifice and the sampling orifice are the same item. These orifices are generally manufactured to be as thin as possible, typically 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm (although thinner and thicker are both known), so as to minimise loss of ion transmission as ions pass through the orifice. The thicker the orifice the more likely it is that some ions will strike the walls of the orifice as they pass through and be lost.
Reducing the size of an orifice (i.e. reducing the diameter of a circular hole or increasing the length of a tube) reduces the gas flow through it, which in turn reduces the quantity of vacuum pumping required to achieve the pressures as described above. However, in the case where the sampling orifice and the atmospheric pressure orifice are the same item, reducing the size of the orifice reduces the volume over which the orifice can sample effectively i.e. ions must pass close to the sampling orifice in order to be drawn in to and through the orifice. Therefore, reducing this orifice size can lead to a significant decrease in the number of ions sampled which reduces the sensitivity of the mass spectrometer. In addition, a smaller diameter orifice is more likely to suffer from a loss of sensitivity over time as contaminants build up on the orifice surface.
It is known that curtain gas can be used to improve the robustness of a sampling orifice. However, the use of a curtain gas often reduces the abundance of ions in the volume in front of the sampling orifice and therefore reduces sensitivity. This is particularly evident as the size of the sampling orifice is reduced.
It is known to have a small atmospheric pressure orifice spatially removed from the ion and gas flow and have a larger sampling orifice in order to improve the long term robustness of the mass spectrometer. However, the total gas flow into the ion sampling orifice is determined by the gas flow into the smaller atmospheric pressure orifice. Due to the larger diameter of the ion sampling orifice, the gas flow velocity into the ion sampling orifice is much lower than at the atmospheric pressure orifice. Therefore, the ability of the atmospheric pressure orifice to capture ions from a high velocity gas flow is reduced.
In addition, in some cases the point of ion formation cannot be located close to the mass spectrometer and so ions must be transferred to the sampling region of the mass spectrometer in order to maximise the ion capture efficiency.
It is desired to provide an improved mass spectrometer and method of mass spectrometry.


This article insulates the toes and feet of a cross-country (Nordic) skier when it is secured in position atop the forward part of the ski boot by strap means and by the clamping effect of the bail of the ski binding on the tongue section of the article. The article consists of two fabric components, an upper and a lower, attached at their front and lateral edges. They are shaped and dimensioned to fit over the forward part of the boot upper and to contain a pad of insulation between them. The tongue section is an extension of the two components beyond the toe end of the boot upper; it contains no insulation. A first strap, attached to the insulator, extends over the insulator and beneath the boot sole to hold the insulator in position against the boot upper. A second strap extends around the heel of the skier's boot and also serves to hold the insulator in position.

This invention relates to insulative apparel for the foot and more specifically to an insulator to be detachably secured atop the forward portion of the boot of a cross-country (Nordic) snow skier to provide added protection to the toes and foot from cold air and snow.
The motions of a skier's foot during cross-country skiing are such that they require a flexible boot, the toe of which is attached to the ski's midpoint by means of a binding as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4. The common pin binding 8 includes a bail 9 which securely clamps an extension 7 of the sole of the boot 6 into the binding 8 and thus onto the ski 10. The binding 8 also has metal pins 11 (see FIG. 4) which fit into holes in the underside of the sole extension 7 to help hold the boot in position.
The cross-country ski boot which meets the above requirement of flexibility is often necessarily deficient in built-in insulation. Many cross-country skiers suffer extreme discomfort and even frostbite of the toes when wearing well-made lined boots and thick socks. The toes and other extremities are especially susceptible to chilling because of physiological mechanisms which reduce circulation to them in order to conserve heat for more vital body organs.
The inclusion of multiple layers of socks between the foot and the boot has the limitation that it seriously restricts toe movement, and further reduces blood circulation to the toes. Thus, adding more layers of socks may result in colder toes. The substitution of a layer of thin plastic socks may reduce heat loss through evaporative cooling; but, considerable amounts of undissipated perspiration from sustained exercise is uncomfortable and disconcerting to many people.
A sound approach to the problem of maintaining the warmth of the feet and toes is that of the addition of insulation onto the exterior of the boot. Such a means does not have the disadvantages mentioned above, namely restriction of toe movement or retention of perspiration. Furthermore, this approach offers versatility; the insulation may be easily applied or removed as necessary.
Previously devised foot muffs, over-boots, and shoe protectors do not seem appropriate for the purpose of insulating the toes of a cross-country skier while accommodating the structural requirements of the present day ski boot and binding. Particularly inappropriate for the stated purpose is the inclusion of soles in the garment. These could interfere with fitting the boot in the binding 8, alignment of binding pins 11 with holes in the boot sole extension 7, etc. Furthermore, the installation over the ski boot of an overgarment with soles requires the removal of the boot 6 from the binding 8. Reinstallation of the boot in the binding usually requires removal of snow from the binding and boot sole prior to realignment of the holes in the boot sole extension 7 with the binding pins 11. These operations are obviously an inconvenience to the skier.
Accordingly, the object of my invention is the provision of a conveniently attachable and detachable durable insulator specifically designed to insulate the toes and foot while accommodating the structural requirements of a cross-country ski boot and binding. Further objects will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description thereof.


Disclosed herein is a data edition supporting method in an information processing system having a computer, interactive terminals and a clock. The method comprises the steps of finding from the clock the time at which a data item was edited; of storing the obtained time in relation to its corresponding data item; of checking to see whether, during data editing by use of an interactive terminal, the data editing time comes before or after a certain time; and of determining the type of editing in accordance with the results of the judgment made in the preceding step.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for supporting data editing in a computer environment and, more particularly, to a method and a system adapted to generate a collection of mutually associated data such as software specifications while maintaining the consistency of such data.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art editing methods of this kind have been characterized by their ability to allow or refuse their users to gain access to given files, and to allow the accepted users to merely reference or update particular data therein. This function is discussed illustratively in "Standard UNIX Handbook," by Richard Gauthier (Japanese translation from ASCII Publications, 1982).
Some of these systems also have had a function of inhibiting partial update of the data edited by a particular editor. This function is described illustratively in "OFIS/POL-EV Grammar/Operation Manual" for Hatachi Creative Workstation 2050 (Hitachi, Ltd., 1985). This technique involves inhibiting all users from updating certain designated portions of the data.
There are cases where a plurality of users edit a collection of mutually associated data such as software specifications. In such cases, the first prior art function mentioned above has a problem. That is, data can only be protected in units of files even when mutually associated data exist in a plurality of files. The second prior art function cited above also has a problem. Partial data in each file may be selectively protected, but the protection extends to all users. It is impossible to protect the data depending on the type or qualifications of the user.
Conventionally, the type of allowable access was changed (e.g., data update inhibited) only when a user so designated. Once the access type was set, it was inherited unless and until it was changed by the user. Thus it was impossible to provide such forms of editing supporting as inhibiting the updating of the finalized portions of specifications whenever such finalizing occurred or inhibiting the alteration of only the associated portions of data whenever such association took place.

Method and system for editing data by limiting current operations in accordance with previous operations


A counter-gravity metal casting apparatus (10) comprises a reservoir (14) having a casting chamber (46) therein. An electro-magnetic pump (66) is accommodated in the chamber (b 46) and is responsive to input voltage for pumping molten metal from the chamber (46) into an above-situated distribution vessel (78) and mold (12). The chamber 46) is enclosed by cover (40) and supplied with inert gas (60) for purging the space (62) above the metal or outside atmospheric contaminated gases. A feed back controller (98) is also provided for continuously measuring the actual pressure of the pumped metal of the casting cycle and then controlling the output of the pump (66) to conform the actual metal pressure with an ideal reference metal pressure versus casting cycle time schedule.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to counter-gravity casting apparatus for casting molten metal against gravity from a furnace into an above-situated casting mold.
2. Description Of Related Prior Art
Casting systems are known in which molten metal is delivered against gravity from a furnace into an above-situated casting mold for casting metal articles. Such systems are particularly useful for casting thin-sectioned articles as the metal is able to be delivered slowly and tranquilly under very low pressure (e.g., less than 10 psi) assuring development of the very thin sections of the casting.
Some of these systems deliver the metal by pressurizing the furnace with air or other gases to develop a differential pressure between the furnace and the mold, which differential pressure forces the metal from the furnace into the mold. Examples of such systems include those disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,842,893 to Booth, granted Oct. 22, 1974; 3,844,331 to Py et al, granted Oct. 29, 1974; 3,961,662 to Balevski et al, granted Jun. 8, 1976; 4,585,050 to Merrien et al, granted Apr. 29, 1986; 4,741,381 to Nishida et al, granted May 3, 1988 and 4,860,820 to Pereira, granted Aug. 29, 1989.
Such systems, however, are difficult to precisely control because the entire metal supply is under pressure. Any desired rapid changes in metal flow into the mold are countered by the momentum of the remaining pressurized supply.
Other systems are known to employ an electromagnetic pump in leu of air pressure for pumping the metal from the furnace into the mold. Examples of such systems are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,213,494 to Carbonnel, granted Jul. 22, 1980; 4,714,102 to Koya, granted Dec. 22, 1987; and 4,967,827 to Campbell, granted Nov. 6, 1990. This type of system has an advantage over the pneumatic systems in that only the portion of the metal being pumped is under pressure, as opposed to the entire metal supply. As a result, rapid changes in metal flow are able to be made to the pumped metal and are not countered by the momentum of the remaining supply, as with the pneumatic system.
It is important to the making of high quality, defect-free castings that the casting conditions be precisely controlled. This includes both the cleanliness of the metal and also the manner in which it is delivered into the mold.
With most all of the systems known to employ an electromagnetic pump, the pump is accommodated in an open well of the casting furnace thereby exposing the metal in the furnace to the external atmosphere. This, of course, causes the metal to oxidize and, when casting aluminum, causes the aluminum to pick up or dissolve hydrogen into the melt. If such contaminated metal is delivered into the mold, the oxide and hydrogen impurities will form oxide inclusions and porosity defects within the resultant casting.
The open well also allows for a tremendous amount of heat to be lost from the melt. Supplying additional heat to the melt to compensate for the loss, however, is problematic in that it further adds to the contamination of the metal and further varies the metal viscosity. The additional contamination is attributable to aluminum's affinity for hydrogen increasing with increasing temperature so as to dissolve more hydrogen in solution as the metal temperature rises. The converse, however, is also true such that the hydrogen comes out of solution in the form of bubbles as the metal solidifies in the mold. The varying viscosity results from the temperature of the metal in the mold being nonuniform. Consequently, the characteristic output of the pump is disturbed, as its predictable output is dependent on consistent metal viscosity. Overheating the metal thus makes controlling the flow of metal into the mold much more difficult.
One system is known to employ a cover over the well to lessen heat loss and is disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,827. The cover, however, does not protect the metal from contamination from the outside atmosphere as the environment within the space between the cover and the metal is not taught as being any different from that of the outside atmosphere. Thus, contamination of the metal still occurs as if there were no cover.
As mentioned, the other aspect to producing good castings is to precisely control the rate at which the metal is delivered into the mold. Filling the mold too fast leaves the very thin sections of the mold cavity unfilled, whereas filling too slowly produces porosity defects in the casting caused by uncontrolled solidification.
For each mold configuration, there exists an ideal manner in which the mold should be filled in order to produce the best possible casting. This can be expressed in terms of the ideal pressure of the pumped metal versus the casting cycle time. If the actual pumped metal pressure were controlled according to this idea schedule, then the best possible results would be achieved.
Systems known heretofore have been unable to control the metal flow according to such a schedule and thus produce less than the best possible castings. With one known system, the output of the pump is simply controlled as a matter of time. This system operates on the presumption that the output of the pump is characteristically related to the input voltage applied to the pump which, to a certain extent, it is. Such a control system, however, fails to take into consideration changing metal temperature (and viscosity), pump wear variations in characteristic outputs among different pumps, and variation in starting metal level among different casting cycles. All of these factors affect the relationship between the input voltage and associated output of the pump.
Another system is known to provide induction level sensors around the mold for detecting and monitoring the metal level throughout the casting cycle. This information is then used to make necessary corrections to the input voltage to the pump in order to conform the actual metal level with an ideal metal level versus casting cycle time schedule.
Such a control system, however, does not permit metal objects to be present in the mold during casting, such as is required when casting in place metal cylinder liners within a cylinder block of an internal combustion engine. Any metal objects present in the mold interfere with the operation of the sensors, making such a control system commercially impractical.
Another known system controls the fill by monitoring the temperature of the metal in different positions in the mold. It then adjusts pump output to conform actual conditions with an ideal metal temperature versus casting cycle time schedule. This system is disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,494. Such a system, however, requires the mold to be fitted with numerous temperature sensors, which adds to the time, cost and complexity of making molds and castings.
Thus, the systems known heretofore are insufficient for controlling the operation of an electromagnetic pump in such a way so as to precisely counter-gravity fill a mold according to an ideal metal pressure versus casting cycle time schedule.

Apparatus for the countergravity casting of metals


A system of pacing data between a network and an end node is described. The system determines a threshold bandwidth based on the receiving capabilities of a client device. A control circuit monitors the flow of data and adjusts latencies between packets of data to stay within the threshold bandwidth. By maintaining the flow of data within the threshold bandwidth, the need for flow control signals and large buffers is minimized.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to transferring information through a network. More particularly, the present invention relates to pacing information between end nodes and a network.
2. Description of Related Art
Modern network devices transfer information using a protocol such as an ethernet or an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocol. A network transfers information from a first end or source of information, e.g. a server or an end node, to a second end or destination e.g.la second server or second end node. In recent years, it has become common to use giga-switches to couple large numbers of end nodes to a bank of servers. Many of these end nodes are coupled to the giga-switch through multiplexers.
Using multiplexers to couple end nodes to a giga-switch results in significant fluctuations in the quantity of data transferred between the switch and the end node. For example, when multiple workstations serving as end nodes simultaneously uplink information, the uplink may be overloaded. Thus, large buffers are used to store data that may be suddenly uploaded to avoid overloading the uplink.
At an opposite end, information is downloaded from the switch to the end node. The data flow from the switch through the multiplexer to the end node may be significantly higher than the end node can handle at a particular point in time. Thus, the network also includes a buffer to buffer received packets of data for transfer to the end node.
One method of xe2x80x9cthrottling dataxe2x80x9d or controlling data flow to the client device uses in-band flow control. Flow control uses the transmission of flow control, data xe2x80x9conxe2x80x9d and data xe2x80x9coffxe2x80x9d signals to switch off data flow from a source device. The transmission of on and off signals to a receiving device such as an end node, requires additional control circuitry, and is inefficient because it uses buffers to temporarily store data in the network while the off signal stops the flow of data until data within the buffer is consumed.
The large buffers used to cache data flow between transmission of flow control signals uses significant hardware resources and increases the complexity and expense of the network system. Thus, a method of transferring data through a network using smaller buffers is desirable.
A method and apparatus for pacing packets of data for transfer through a network is described. Prior to transmitting the data, a bandwidth is negotiated between an end node and the network or a policy manager. The negotiated bandwidth determines the transmission rate of packets between the switch and the end node. Packet transmissions are scheduled according to the negotiated transmission rate. In one embodiment of the invention, the system adjusts the latency between packets to conform to the negotiated bandwidth.

End node pacing for QOS and bandwidth management


The present invention relates to catalysts suitable for hydrogenating aromatics and olefins in hydrocarbon feedstocks boiling between about 125.degree. C. and about 625.degree. C. as well as the process for carrying out the hydrogenation. The catalysts consist of one or more Group VIII noble metal(s) on a support wherein the support is a Y-type zeolite prepared by contacting a starting Y-type zeolite having a unit cell size less than about 24.65, preferably less than about 24.4 angstroms, a silica to alumina molar ratio greater than about 5, preferably by greater than about 25 and an alkali metal content of less than about 0.30, preferably less than about 0.15 percent (basis metal) with one or more aqueous solution(s) comprising alkali(ne-earth) metal ions under conditions sufficient to provide a final alkali metal content (measured in terms of gram equivalent weight per gram of zeolite) of at least about 1.5 times greater than the alkali metal content (measured in terms of gram equivalent weight per gram of zeolite) of the starting zeolite. Preferred Group VIII metals are platinum and palladium and sodium is a preferred alkali(ne-earth) metal.

The need for relatively non-aromatic liquid hydrocarbons boiling in the range of about 125.degree. C. to about 625.degree. C. (e.g., aviation turbine fuels, diesel fuels, flashed distillates, solvents, medicinal and other white oils) continues to increase. These products usually, or at least often, contain relatively high percentages of olefins and monocyclic and polycyclic aromatics so that further hydrogenation is desirable to produce higher valued products. The presence of aromatics in diesel fuels may contribute to air pollution. The hydrofinishing of these types of hydrocarbons to reduce unsaturates is becoming ever more important commercially.
Diesel fuels, which typically have a boiling range between about 200.degree. C. to about 360.degree. C., are under ever increasing environmental pressure to have their aromatics levels decreased. The presence of aromatics in diesel fuel can also significantly reduce the quality of the fuel. The accepted measure of diesel fuel quality is the Cetane Number ("C.N.") which is directly related to the types of molecules that are found in the fuel. Running a diesel engine on a lower cetane fuel than it was designed for will upset the combustion process due to a longer ignition delay period. This will result in poorer cold starting performance and higher levels of noise, smoke and legislated emissions. The cetane number of molecules within a class (e.g., normal paraffins) increases with the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. Molecular classes may be ranked in terms of their cetane number for a specific carbon number; normal paraffins have the highest cetane number followed by normal olefins, isoparaffins and lastly by monocyclic naphthenes. Aromatic molecules have the lowest cetane number. For example, naphthalene has a C.N. of about -15; tetrahydronaphthalene (tetralin) has a C.N. of about 7; decahydronaphthalene (decalin) has a C.N. of 48; butylcyclohexane has a C.N. of about 50; and decane has a C.N. of 76. Thus, a process which would saturate the aromatics in diesel fuel and also convert the resulting saturates to acyclics without significant hydrocracking would improve the quality of the diesel fuel with regard to environmental quality as well as efficiency.
The hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons, particularly aromatic hydrocarbons, to corresponding saturated hydrocarbons using a catalyst comprising platinum and/or palladium supported on alumina is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,053. An improvement over this catalyst can be found in European Patent Application no. 303,332, published Feb. 15, 1989, wherein as a support is utilized a Y-type of zeolite which has been modified to have a higher silica to alumina ratio and a smaller unit cell size than an unmodified zeolite Y. Similar modified Y-type zeolites are known to be used in hydrocracking operations. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,401,556, issued Aug. 30, 1983. The problem in utilizing the modified Y-type zeolite as in European No. 303,332, is that some hydrocracking activity is present which can hydrocrack the hydrocarbon feedstocks being hydrofinished, resulting in a reduced liquid yield.
A primary object of this invention is to provide a catalyst and process for hydrogenating petroleum fractions containing aromatics as well as olefins while concomitantly minimizing hydrocracking.
Another object of this invention is to provide a catalyst and process for hydrogenating the aromatics and olefins in diesel fuel stocks, converting the saturated aromatics at least in part to acyclic hydrocarbons while concomitantly minimizing hydrocracking thereby increasing the cetane number of the diesel fuel stock.
Another object of this invention is to provide a catalyst for the second stage of a low pressure two stage process wherein a sulfur- and nitrogen-containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbon feedstock is hydrotreated in the first stage, the product of the first stage is separated from the gaseous phase and passed to a second stage wherein it is hydrogenated to reduce the aromatics and olefins, producing additional acyclic hydrocarbons therefrom with minimum hydrocracking, resulting in a product with an increased cetane number.


A method for automatically identifying the range of useful digital values to be displayed on a display medium and providing an appropriate gray scale transfer to optimize the diagnostic value of the final displayed image. One or more gray scale transfer functions corresponding to desired display media, one or more sets of experimentally determined constants, and one or more sets of algorithms are stored in a computer memory. A smoothed histogram and its histogram integral are constructed representing the frequency of occurrence of the digital values stored in the data bank. A low point and an edge point are identified from the histogram and integral, and based on the type of radiographic examination selected, are used with appropriate constants and algorithms to calculate a maximum and minimum value. Values lower than the minimum are replaced with the minimum, and values higher than the maximum are replaced by the maximum. The new range of values are mapped using the appropriate gray scale transfer function to a set of values displayed on the display medium.

There exists significant activity in the development of digital x-ray image data capture systems. In such systems direct conversion to an electrical signal of the incident radiation is obtained using a plurality of sensors in an array. The sensor output is almost invariably immediately converted to a digital signal and further processed and stored in a databank for use in the eventual display of the data as a radiogram. U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,066 issued to Lee et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,101 issued to Hughes et al describe typical such sensor arrays and their contents are incorporated herein by reference. Even though several different technologies are being utilized, the output data is quite similar.
A major advantage of digital data detection systems is the wide dynamic range of signal capture. Display media, such as radiographic film or Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays, on the other hand, have a substantially more limited dynamic range. A typical digital x-ray capture system can have a useful dynamic detection range of greater than a 1,000:1. However, the useful image data is generally limited to a dynamic range of less than 100:1. There is, therefore, need to determine and select the optimal limited range of useful data for diagnostic display, and then properly display such range on the available display medium.
This problem which reduces to a need for a method whereby the exposure sensor output is mapped onto the display device density transfer function has been addressed by the art in numerous ways. Typically the sensor output is digitized and a histogram of the frequency of occurrence of digital values representing detected exposure is constructed. Following construction of the histogram, cutoff points eliminating values under selected minimum occurrence for both ends of the scale are determined and the digital values in the remaining range are mapped onto the display transfer function. These steps are rather fundamental and intuitive. What is significant and the subject of continuing research is the specific selection process for the two cutoff points and the manner in which the remaining density values are actually mapped on the transfer function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,164,993 issued Nov. 17, 1992 to Capozzi et al. together with U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,046,118 issued to Ajewole et al. and 4,868,651 issued to Chou et al. are believed to represent the current state of the art in explaining and solving the problems associated with such displays.
The currently available solutions do not adequately address the problem of adapting the digital value mapping to a particular type of both patient and examination. For example, a different portion of the data generated by the radiation sensors is of interest in displaying a radiogram depending on whether the radiogram is one of an extremity or a chest cavity, whether the patient is thin or obese, and what is the area desired to be displayed with maximum diagnostic efficiency. There is, therefore, still need for a system which addresses these problems and which with simple operator input automatically maps the available data in a way as to optimize the display medium density range for a particular set of examination type, patient characteristics and display medium capabilities.
It is an object of this invention to provide a method for automatically identifying the range of useful digital values to be used for diagnostic display, and to provide an appropriate gray scale transfer to optimize the diagnostic value of the final displayed image, either hard or soft copy.

Image data processing for digital x-ray detectors

deceased, Emily J. Schwenker, legal representative


The present invention discloses a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) and a manufacturing method thereof. The HEMT device includes: a substrate, a first gallium nitride (GaN) layer; a P-type GaN layer, a second GaN layer, a barrier layer, a gate, a source, and a drain. The first GaN layer is formed on the substrate, and has a stepped contour from a cross-section view. The P-type GaN layer is formed on an upper step surface of the stepped contour, and has a vertical sidewall. The second GaN layer is formed on the P-type GaN layer. The barrier layer is formed on the second GaN layer. two dimensional electron gas regions are formed at junctions between the barrier layer and the first and second GaN layers. The gate is formed on an outer side of the vertical sidewall.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) and a manufacturing method thereof; particularly, it relates to an enhanced mode HEMT with a vertical channel and manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a schematic cross-section view and an energy band diagram of a prior art high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) 100. As shown in FIG. 1A, the HEMT 100 includes a substrate 11, a gallium nitride (GaN) layer 12, an aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) layer 14, a gate 15, a source 16, and a drain 17. A two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) 18 is formed at a junction between the GaN layer 12 and the AlGaN layer 14, and the 2DEG 18 is electrically connected to the source 16 and the drain 17. As shown in FIG. 1B, the Fermi level Efs of the GaN layer 12 and the Fermi level Efb of the AlGaN layer 14 are at the same level. The conduction level, i.e., the lowest level of the conduction band, Ecs of the GaN layer 12 and Ecb of the AlGaN layer 14, and the valence level, i.e., the highest level of the valence band, Evs of the GaN layer 12 and Evb of the AlGaN layer 14, are bended at the junction between the GaN layer 12 and the AlGaN layer 14, such that electrons are trapped in the electron well 18a. These trapped electrons can reduce Coulomb scattering to increase the electron mobility in the 2DEG 18, such that the operation speed of the HEMI 100 is faster than a conventional semiconductor device at ON state.
However, the HEMT 100 is a depletion mode device, i.e., the gate voltage of the HEMI 100 is negative during normal operations. In practical applications, it is not convenient to adopt and operate a depletion mode device, especially in high frequency applications. A positive gate voltage of an HEMT during normal operations can decrease the complexity of the circuitry and the manufacturing cost.
FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross-section view of another prior art HEMI 200 which provides a positive gate voltage in a normal operation to solve the aforementioned problem. Referring to FIG. 2, a part of an AlGaN layer 24 beneath a gate 25 of the HEMI 200 is relatively thinner, such that a piezoelectric effect between the part of the AlGaN layer 24 beneath the gate 25 and a GaN layer 22 is different from that between the other part of the AlGaN layer 24 and the GaN layer 22, and no 2DEG 28 is formed at a junction between the part of the AlGaN layer 24 beneath the gate 25 and the GaN layer 22 initially. The two separated 2DEGs 28 become one continuous area by applying a predetermined positive voltage on the gate 25. Therefore, the HEMT 200 is normally OFF, and a gate voltage which is applied to the gate 25 of the HEMT 200 is positive during normal operations.
Even though the prior art HEMT 200 has a positive normal operation voltage, it is not easy to embody the HEMT 200 because it requires controlling the thickness of the AlGaN layer 24, which is difficult, and the normal operation voltage of the HEMT 200 cannot be stabilized at a positive constant level. Besides, the prior art HEMT 200 has another drawback of a relatively higher gate leakage current than the other prior art HEMTs.
In view of above, the present invention proposes an enhanced mode HEMT having a vertical channel and a manufacturing method thereof, to overcome the drawbacks in the prior art so that the HEMT may have a broader application range.

High electron mobility transistor and manufacturing method thereof


The claimed subject matter provides systems and/or methods that facilitate generating an inference about events that may not have yet been observed. Open-world modeling can be used to take a history of observation so as to understand trends over time in the revelation of previously unseen events, and to make inferences with subsets of data that new unseen events will be seen. Thus, inaccuracies associated with predictions generated from incomplete data sets can be mitigated. To yield such predictions, open-world submodels and closed-world submodels that do not allow for previously unseen events can be combined via a model mixture methodology, which fuses inferences from the open- and close-world models.

Technological advances in computer hardware, software and networking have lead to efficient, cost effective computing systems (e.g., desktop computers, laptops, handhelds, cellular telephones, servers, etc) that can provide inferences about future activities and/or occurrences. These systems continue to evolve into more reliable, robust and user-friendly systems. Oftentimes, pervasive computing applications that provide inferences about future activities can utilize data about the past; thus, such applications can be limited by their reliance on the limits of a current data set.
In a traditional closed-world approach to learning from data, current data points in a current data set can be considered as the basis for inferences. For example, a closed-world system designed to predict probability distribution over a person's current destination while the person is traveling, based on such observations of the time of day of the travel, and on the progression of the current trip, is conventionally limited to considering prior locations seen to be visited in a log of tours. Limitations in a database can have several sources. For instance, data collection can be costly in many research and application projects. Further, a lack of ongoing embedded sensing (which can be especially prevalent during early prototyping efforts) can mitigate an amount of time during which data can be collected. Also, privacy concerns may lead to access to only small windows of data. Moreover, even always-on monitoring systems can be associated with incompleteness as previously unobserved data can continue to be observed. According to an example, a person's destinations can be logged for an extended period of time, yet the person can continue to visit places that she has not been observed to have visited before. These previously unobserved places can be locations that the person did not visit during monitoring, yet had traveled to prior to such monitoring. Additionally or alternatively, the traveler may have never before visited these previously unobserved places. Thus, conventional techniques that generate predictions about a user's current or future activity can yield inaccurate results.

Method and apparatus for generating an inference about a destination of a trip using a combination of open-world modeling and closed world modeling


A locking apparatus is provided that relates to a fastener and is used to solve a problem that time and labor are consumed and installation efficiency is low in a locking process of an existing locking apparatus. The locking apparatus is configured to lock a first module and a second module, and includes a locking body that is installed on the first module and a locking piece that is installed on the second module. The locking body includes a housing and a rotating block disposed inside the housing, where the rotating block is connected to a handle that drives the rotating block to rotate out of or into the housing, and the locking piece has a notch that accommodates the rotating block. The present invention is used to implement locking between modules.

A conventional wireless site includes units such as an antenna, a radio frequency unit, a baseband unit, and a power supply, and an integration level of each unit module is not high and a volume of each unit module is relatively large. When a site is designed and deployed, each unit module needs to be separately installed. Therefore, more space resources may be occupied and an installation process needs to consume more labor and time.
At present, an adaptive antenna system (AAS) platform product developed by an operator integrates each unit module of the conventional wireless site, so that the wireless site becomes miniaturized, integrated, and intelligent. A typical installation mode of an integrated antenna system is that: a radio frequency module is connected, in a blind-mate manner, to an antenna body by using a connector, and fastened to the antenna body by using a sheet metal mounting kit at the top of the radio frequency module. A fastening manner is to screw screws at four corners of the sheet metal mounting kit into the antenna body. An installation process of the integrated antenna system is that: installation personnel inserts, on the ground, the radio frequency module downward in a vertical direction into the antenna body, then fastens the four corners of the sheet metal mounting kit onto the antenna body by using the screws, and finally lifts an assembled antenna as a whole onto an installation interface for installation.
When the foregoing integrated antenna system is installed, because the radio frequency module and the antenna body are fastened by using screws, operation space of the screws is compact due to a module layout limitation, and an operation must be performed by using a tool. As a result, time and labor are consumed and installation efficiency is low.


Techniques for efficiently allocating ports and bandwidth in a communication system configured to establish interactive, real time communication sessions between endpoints are described. Requests are received at a server, from a requester endpoint device, to initiate an interactive, real time communication voice and/or video session requiring access to an interactive session resource. In an embodiment, the communication system is a contact center and the interactive session resource is an available contact center agent. Pending availability of the interactive session resource, a requester is assigned a place in a queue or otherwise scheduled to receive access to the interactive session resource. In the meantime, a data channel is established between the server and the requester's endpoint device. Resources, which can include an executable program and/or information operative to enable the endpoint device to emulate an active on-hold voice connection period, are downloaded to the endpoint device.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the disclosure relates generally to establishing and maintaining communication sessions between two or more endpoints.
Description of the Related Art
In communication systems configured to establish interactive communication sessions between two or more persons, it is not uncommon for one, some or all of the persons to be placed on "hold" pending the availability of an interactive communication session resource. By way of illustrative example, in a contact center context, a contacting party (e.g. a customer) may use a regular telephone, a smartphone, or a mobile or desktop computer terminal (equipped with a microphone, speakers, user interface and, optionally, a camera) to request an interactive communication session with an agent. In this context, the agent is a requisite interactive communication session resource. If no agent is available to speak with or conduct a video conference call with the contacting party, the contacting party is placed in a queue until an agent does become available.
Web Real-Time Communications (WebRTC) are the result of an ongoing effort to develop industry standards for integrating real-time communications functionality into web clients, such as web browsers, to enable direct interaction with other web clients. This real-time communications functionality is accessible by web developers via standard markup tags, such as those provided by version 5 of the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML5), and client-side scripting Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) such as JavaScript APIs. More information regarding WebRTC may be found in "WebRTC: APIs and RTCWEB Protocols of the HTML5 Real-Time Web," by Alan B. Johnston and Daniel C. Burnett (2012 Digital Codex LLC), which is incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
WebRTC provides built-in capabilities for establishing real-time video, audio, and/or data streams in both point-to-point interactive sessions, as well as multi-party interactive sessions. WebRTC standards have been jointly developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Information on the current state of WebRTC standards can be found at, e.g., http://www.w3c.org and http://www/ietf.org. An example of a communication system configured to employ WebRTC as part of an interactive communication session between two or more parties is the Contact Center.
In contact center implementations of WebRTC, interactive communication session resources (ports, bandwidth reservations, etc.) are frequently negotiated and set up between a contact center server and the endpoint communication terminal used by a contacting party. At some point in the session flow, WebRTC is used to establish an interactive communication session between the contacting party and a contact center agent. The WebRTC ports and connections are established well in advance of the assignment of an agent, however, because a suitable contact center agent is typically not available right away at the time of contact. While the contacting party is waiting for a contact center agent, the contact center system may stream continuous hold music punctuated by periodic estimated wait time updates over the established communication session, as well as queries for information to be supplied by the contacting party, and various other announcements to be audibly reproduced by contacting party's endpoint device.
The thoughtful use of interactive session connections, WebRTC or otherwise, to set up and maintain an interactive conversation with one or more clients, customers, potential customers, investors, and others, can substantially enrich and enhance the experience for all parties concerned. However, as will be appreciated by the contact center "customer on-hold" example discussed above, the resources which must be allocated in order to establish a truly "interactive" communication session between endpoints may go unutilized for substantial periods of time while one of the endpoints is inactive. Since a network administrator must provision a network with sufficient resources to accommodate periods of peak demand, higher costs may be incurred for equipment, software licensing, and/or bandwidth quality of service (QOS) reservations costs than would be the case if these costs were based on actual real-time needs.
A need therefore exists for systems and methods which are able to deliver the same end user experience that can be obtained using a conventional WebRTC session, but with greater efficiency and/or control over the utilization of bandwidth and resources needed at any given instant in time.

System and method for efficient port and bandwidth utilization in setting up communication sessions


The invention is directed to an interface circuit for bridging voltage domains. The interface circuit receives an input signal, having a larger voltage domain, and safely provides the signal to an electronic device which has a smaller voltage domain. The interface circuit may include a transistor configured as a source follow so that an output of the transistor follows the input of the transistor. A blocking voltage may be provided at the input of the transistor to provide a voltage bias, blocking a range of input voltages to the transistor. The transistor may also have a blocking voltage at a drain terminal of the transistor, to block any output voltage above the blocking voltage.

As manufacturing techniques improve, electronic devices, such as micro-processors, application specific integrated circuits (ASIC's), and the like, use smaller and smaller voltage domains. Some electronic devices, for example, cannot tolerate a voltage input greater than 2.8V. However, as electronics devices get faster and smaller, the electronic devices may not be able to tolerate voltage inputs greater than 1.8V, 1.2V or even less.
Electronic devices can be damaged when the device receives an input with a voltage that exceeds the tolerance of the electronic device. However, there are instances where an electronic device with a smaller voltage domain may need to interface with another electronic device with a larger voltage domain or receive an input signal which may exceed the tolerance of the device. For example, an electronic device, which can tolerate voltages between 0V and +1.8V may need to receive a signal from another device which may have a much larger voltage range, for example, −7V to +15V.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method for handling large signals in a smaller domain to avoid damaging electronic circuits of the electronic device with the smaller voltage domain.

Interface circuit for bridging voltage domains


The invention relates to a method for cleaning a semiconductor product of particles accumulated on its surface and of metallic and organic contamination. According to the invention, the washing of the semiconductor product is carried out with an acid-water solution with a dilution ratio between 1:10.sup.6 -1:10.sup.3 advantageously between 1:10.sup.5 -1.0.sup.4. Advantageously the employed acid is for instance hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, acetic acid or hydrofluoric acid.

The present invention relates to a method for cleaning semiconductor products of particles attached to the surface of the said product, as well as of metallic, inorganic and organic contamination.
The production of semiconductors such as silicon wafers is normally started with essentially pure silicon material. This material is grown in a pyrometallurgical process into a bar-like single silicon crystal, which is further cut to thin disk-like slices. Two important criteria for silicon wafers, used for instance in circuit building in the electronic industry, are extreme smoothness and purity. Even slight levels of impurities, as well as small irregularities of surface, make the obtained semiconductor product unfit for use. In order to remove impurities from the surface of the semiconductor product, the product is cleaned at various stages of the production process.
The purpose of washing the semiconductor product is to remove impurity particles accumulated on the surface of the wafer, as well as metallic and organic contaminations. Alkaline hydrogen peroxide solutions, the most popular among which is ammonia-hydrogen peroxide-water solution, are very efficient in removing impurity particles from the surface of a semiconductor product. In generally used ammonia-hydrogen peroxide-water solutions, the dilution ratio is for instance 1:1:5, which means that the solution contains one part ammonia and one part hydrogen peroxide per five parts water. However, the operating temperature of this kind of washing solution is about 70.degree. C., which means that the solution must be separately heated in order to make it ready for use. In this type of alkaline solution, some metals--for example iron, zinc and aluminium--tend to accumulate on the surface of the semiconductor product during the washing stage. For removing the said metals, there are generally used hydrochloric acid-hydrogen peroxide-water solutions, but after a washing with these solutions, the surface of the semiconductor product easily attracts particles. Another suggestion is to use weak ammonia-hydrogen peroxide-water solutions, but also after washing with these solutions, metals tend to remain on the surface of the semiconductor product.

Method for cleaning semiconductor products


The nose section for a flying machine according to the invention comprises an enclosure delimiting a nose cone extending along a longitudinal axis (A-A′), the enclosure delimiting a window, and a glass closing the window extending transversely relative to the longitudinal axis (A-A′). The nose section includes an optical sensor, in particular a camera, positioned in the enclosure behind the glass. The enclosure defines a recess, the window covered by the glass being at least partially positioned in the recess.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a nose section for a flying machine, comprising:                a glass closing the window extending transversely relative to the longitudinal axis;        an optical sensor, in particular a camera, positioned in the enclosure behind the glass.
Description of the Related Art
Such a nose section is designed to be mounted on a flying machine comprising a viewing assembly provided with at least one optical measuring sensor, such as an infrared camera. In the case of an airplane, the sensor is for example positioned upstream of the windshield of the cockpit, so as to facilitate piloting of the flying machine.
The camera is capable of viewing the relief situated around and below the flying machine, in particular when the visibility through the windshield of the cockpit is not satisfactory, or when the flying machine is traveling at night.
To that end, the camera is positioned in the nose section of the flying machine, facing a glass in a window emerging axially relative to the axis of the flying machine. The camera is housed in a specific cap strip that protrudes relative to the nose cone of the vehicle, so as to have an adequate field of vision in front of and below the flying machine.
Such a system is called an enhanced vision system.
When the curvature of the nose section is relatively small, it is necessary to provide a cap strip that protrudes significantly above that nose section, in order to have a sufficient viewing angle for the viewing assembly, in particular downward.
Such a protruding cap strip is not, however, fully satisfactory. In fact, in some cases, the cap strip is likely to cause disruptions to the aerodynamic behavior of the nose section. In particular, a separation of the boundary layer occurs downstream from the upper edge of the cap strip, which has an unfavorable impact on the drag of the airplane, as well as on the operation of the anemometric probes fixed on the area of the nose section.
Furthermore, when the flying machine passes through icing conditions, the presence of the protruding cap strip in some cases causes ice to accumulate on the fuselage. This is particularly the case when the electrical heating system of the enhanced viewing system does not work.
Furthermore, the presence of the protruding cap strip increases the noise present in the cockpit.

Nose section for a flying machine and associated flying machine


A communication terminal in which a card antenna module is loaded into a terminal casing including an antenna is operated such that a degree of coupling between a terminal-casing-side antenna and a module-side antenna is minimized and that a module-side antenna has a desired frequency characteristic. The communication terminal includes a terminal casing including a terminal-casing-side antenna, and a card antenna module loaded into the terminal casing. The card antenna module includes a coupling coil which is disposed at a position close to the terminal-casing-side antenna and which is coupled with the terminal-casing-side antenna via a magnetic field, and a module-side antenna which is disposed at a position more distant from the terminal-casing-side antenna than the coupling coil.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to communication terminals and card antenna modules, and particularly to a card antenna module preferably for use in an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system and a communication terminal including the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
RFID systems serving as article management systems are known. In RFID systems, a reader/writer and an RFID tag communicate with each other in a non-contact manner, and information is transmitted between the reader/writer and the RFID tag.
Each of the reader/writer and the RFID tag includes an RFIC chip for processing radio signals and an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals. Certain information is transmitted and received between the antenna of the RFID tag and the antenna of the reader/writer via a magnetic field or an electromagnetic field.
In recent years, there have been some cases where an RFID system is introduced to a communication terminal such as a mobile phone, and the communication terminal is used as a reader/writer or an RFID tag. As a technique of giving an RFID function to a communication terminal, a technique of using a card antenna module is known, as described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-054772 and International Publication No. WO 2007/125948. With this technique, a card antenna module including an antenna and an RFIC chip is inserted into a casing of a communication terminal, and the communication terminal provided with the card antenna module is used as an RFID reader or an RFID tag.
In recent years, casings of communication terminals often include an antenna for an HF-band RFID system, such as FeliCa (registered trademark) and NFC (Near Field Communication). When a casing of a communication terminal includes an antenna for an HF band, particularly when a card antenna module includes an antenna for an HF-band RFID system, the module-side antenna and the terminal-casing-side antenna are coupled with each other via a magnetic field, and the module-side antenna may not operate properly.
In contrast, if a magnetic or metallic flat plate is attached to a card antenna module so that a terminal-casing-side antenna is shielded by the magnetic or metallic flat plate when the module is inserted into the terminal casing, coupling between the module-side antenna and the terminal-casing-side antenna can be reduced. However, if the terminal-casing-side antenna is not completely covered, coupling between the module-side antenna and the terminal-casing-side antenna occurs. Also, a magnetic flat plate or a metallic flat plate having a large area needs to be provided to completely cover the terminal-casing-side antenna. That is, the card antenna module is operated by inserting it into a slot of the terminal casing, but it is difficult to completely shield the terminal-casing-side antenna only by inserting the module into the slot.

Communication terminal and card antenna module


Wellbore tubulars including a plurality of selective stimulation ports and methods of utilizing the same. The wellbore tubulars include a tubular body including an external surface and an internal surface that defines a tubular conduit. The wellbore tubulars also include a plurality of selective stimulation ports, and each selective stimulation port includes a SSP conduit and an isolation device that is configured to selectively transition from a closed state to an open state responsive to a shockwave having greater than a threshold shockwave intensity. The methods include methods of stimulating a subterranean formation utilizing the wellbore tubulars. The methods also include methods of re-stimulating the subterranean formation utilizing the wellbore tubulars.

Hydrocarbon wells generally include a wellbore that extends from a surface region and/or that extends within a subterranean formation that includes a reservoir fluid, such as liquid and/or gaseous hydrocarbons. Often, it may be desirable to stimulate the subterranean formation to enhance production of the reservoir fluid therefrom. Stimulation of the subterranean formation may be accomplished in a variety of ways and generally includes supplying a stimulant fluid to the subterranean formation to increase reservoir contact. As an example, the stimulation may include supplying an acid to the subterranean formation to acid-treat the subterranean formation and/or to dissolve at least a portion of the subterranean formation. As another example, the stimulation may include fracturing the subterranean formation, such as by supplying a fracturing fluid, which is pumped at a high pressure, to the subterranean formation. The fracturing fluid may include particulate material, such as a proppant, which may at least partially fill fractures that are generated during the fracturing, thereby facilitating fluid flow within the fractures after supply of the fracturing fluid has ceased.
A variety of systems and/or methods have been developed to facilitate stimulation of subterranean formations, and each of these systems and methods generally has inherent to benefits and drawbacks. These systems and methods often utilize a shape charge perforation gun to create perforations within a casing string that extends within the wellbore, and the stimulant fluid then is provided to the subterranean formation via the perforations. However, such systems suffer from a number of limitations. As an example, the perforations may not be round or may have burrs, which may make it challenging to seal the perforations subsequent to stimulating a given region of the subterranean formation. As another example, the perforations often will erode and/or corrode due to flow of the stimulant fluid, flow of proppant, and/or long-term flow of reservoir fluid therethrough. This may make it challenging to seal the perforations and/or may change fluid flow characteristics therethrough. These challenges may occur early in the life of the hydrocarbon well, such as during and/or after completion thereof, and/or later in the life of the hydrocarbon well, such as after production of the reservoir fluid with the hydrocarbon well and/or during and/or after restimulation of the hydrocarbon well. As yet another example, it may be challenging to precisely locate, size, and/or orient perforations, which are created utilizing the shape charge perforation gun, within the casing string. Thus, there exists a need for improved systems and methods for stimulating a subterranean formation, such as may be facilitated utilizing the wellbore tubulars disclosed herein.


A semiconductor device includes a digital circuit having a scan test mode. The digital circuit includes a first flip-flop forming a part of a scan chain when in the scan test mode, and a first selector provided on an input side of the first flip-flop. The first selector is capable of selecting a first signal when not in the scan test mode, and selecting a second signal that is different from the first signal when in the scan test mode.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device, a physical quantity sensor, an electronic apparatus, and a moving object.
2. Related Art
Currently, physical quantity sensors capable of detecting various physical quantities, such as an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration and a gyro sensor that detects angular velocity, are broadly used in various systems and electronic apparatuses. In recent years, very high reliability is required of various physical quantity sensors as these physical sensors are installed on automobiles. To secure high reliability, it is necessary to detect a failure (defect) of a semiconductor device (IC) that processes an output signal from a sensor element, with a probability of almost 100% in the inspection process. As a technique for efficiently detecting a wiring failure (defect) in a digital circuit included in the semiconductor circuit (IC), a scan test is widely known in which flip-flops included in the digital circuit are scanned, a test pattern generated by an ATPG (auto test pattern generation) tool is serially inputted to the scanned flip-flops (scan chain), then the scan chain is canceled so that the digital circuit operates normally, the scan chain is configured again and a signal taken into the flip-flops in normal operation is serially outputted outside, and the signal is compared with an expected value to determine whether there is a failure or not. In a scan test, a failure detection rate of approximately 90% is easily achieved. However, a certain measure needs to be taken in order to achieve a failure detection rate closer to 100%. For example, the failure detection rate can be made closer to 100% by inserting observation flip-flops into all the nodes where a logical change cannot be detected despite its presence. However, this technique leads to a significant increase in circuit scale due to the insertion of a large number of flip-flops.
Meanwhile, JP-A-11-271401 proposes a technique in which, when a scan test is carried out, the logic state in another combinational circuit is taken into a flip-flop for forming a shift register in a sequential circuit to be a test target. According to this technique, a flip-flop for forming a shift register is used as an observation flip-flop at the time of the scan test, without adding a new flip-flop. Therefore, the failure detection rate can be improved while an increase in circuit scale can be restrained.
However, the technique disclosed in JP-A-11-271401 lacks versatility because a flip-flop used as an observation flip-flop is limited to a flip-flop forming a shift register. Moreover, in the technique of JP-A-11-271401, in addition to a scan selection signal that causes a flip-flop to operate as a scan circuit shift register, a scan mode signal for supplementary observation operation in order to take in the logic state in a combinational circuit to be observed in the test needs to be additionally provided, and the selection logic of the input signal and the control signal of the selector need to be changed between the flip-flop forming the shift register and the other flip-flops. Therefore, the scan test design becomes complicated, leading to design errors.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Semiconductor device, physical quantity sensor, electronic apparatus, and moving object


A heat exchanger including a separating chamber in the form of a prism having a substantially horizontal center axis and axially elongated. The separating chamber having a collecting chamber disposed beneath it has an inlet duct opening in the separating chamber and connected to one wall of the separating chamber, and an outlet duct opening in the separating chamber and connected to a wall of the separating chamber. The outlet duct may be connected to the wall to which the inlet duct is connected or to another wall parallel to the wall to which the inlet duct is connected. The inlet duct is positioned and oriented in such a manner that a stream of gas and particulate material is introduced therethrough into the separating chamber in a direction tangential to a spiral stream of gas and particulate material formed in the separating chamber, and the outlet duct is positioned and oriented in such a manner that a stream of gas is discharged therethrough from the separating chamber in a direction tangential to the spiral stream of gas and particulate material formed in the separating chamber. The collecting chamber is disposed away from the spiral stream of gas and particulate material formed in the separating chamber.

This invention relates to suspension type heat exchangers for effecting drying, preheating, heating and cooling of particulate material, such as cement, alumina, fly ash, etc., incorporated in a gas stream of high temperature, and more particularly it is concerned with an improvement in or relating to the separating chamber of a heat exchanger of the suspension type for separating the particulate material from its carrier gas flow.
One kind of suspension type heat exchanger of the prior art includes a separating chamber of a cylindrical form having a substantially horizontal center axis for separating particulate material from a gas stream, a collecting chamber of a funnel shape located beneath the separating chamber, an inlet duct connected to the separating chamber along the entire length thereof in such a manner that a gas stream is introduced into the separating chamber tangentially of the circumferential surface of the separating chamber, and an outlet duct connected to one end of the separating chamber or two outlet ducts each connected to one of opposite ends of the separating chamber to extend along the center axis of the separating chamber. In the suspension type heat exchanger of the prior art described hereinabove, gas is drawn or induced to flow into the separating chamber along the entire length of the separating chamber, and a spiral stream of gas and particulate material is generated in the whole of the separating chamber. This type of separating chamber has the disadvantage that it is low in the efficiency of collecting particulate material because a portion of the particulate material to be separated from the gas is discharged together with the gas from the separating chamber through the outlet duct or ducts before reaching the inner wall surface of the separating chamber.
Another type of separating chamber of a suspension type heat exchanger of the prior art is in the form of a cyclone. Still another type of separating chamber relies on inertia, collision or gravity for operation. In the separating chamber of the cyclone type, two types of swirling streams, one type being a stream of forced vortex motion and the other type being a stream of semi-free vortex motion, are generated and the two streams interfere with each other, causing a high pressure loss to occur. The discharged gas is formed into a spiral stream in the outlet duct connected to the upper end of the cyclone and flows upwardly in a spiral stream, so that the particulate material in the outlet duct is displaced radially outwardly by centrifugal forces and does not permit heat exchange to take place satisfactorily. The cyclone has a high angle of inclination in its lower portion and consequently the collecting chamber has a large height. Thus, when a suspension type heat exchanger consists of a plurality of stages of heat exchangers or cyclones, the overall height of the heat exchanger assembly becomes very great. In the separating chamber relying on inertia, collision or gravity, particulate material that has been separated from the gas stream is caused to scatter again in the separating chamber as the gas stream changes its direction of movement, causing a reduction in the efficiency of collecting the particulate material separated from its carrier gas.


There is provided an apparatus for decreasing an inrush current which comprises a power system including a transformer, and a superconducting fault current limiter electrically connected to the transformer. A resistance value of the superconducting fault current limiter is calculated by using a variation of the inrush current and a variation of the voltage drop of the power system according to a value of insertion resistance. In the apparatus for decreasing the inrush current, the optimal resistance value considering both the decrease rate of the inrush current and the voltage drop by the insertion of the superconducting fault current limiter is decided as the resistance value of the superconducting fault current limiter. Accordingly, the power system is efficiently operated depending on the characteristics of the power system in which the superconducting fault current limiter is installed.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus for decreasing an inrush current generated when power is put into a transformer, by using a superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL), and a method for deciding the optimal insertion resistance.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for optimally decreasing an inrush current of a transformer by deciding the optimal insertion resistance of an SFCL by using the inrush current and voltage before the SFCL is inserted, and a method for deciding the optimal insertion resistance.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In a transformer which is widely used as a key device of electric installation in an industry and at home, an inrush current is generated by the hysteresis characteristic of an iron core within the transformer at the moment when power is put into the transformer.
The inrush current is most influenced by residual magnetic flux which remains in the iron core when turning on and off the power of the transformer. In generally, at the point in time when the power is input, the inrush current increases as the phase of a voltage waveform is close to zero degree and the residual magnetic flux density is greater.
Since the inrush current has rich high harmonics and is from a few to several tens times a normal current in intensity as the case may be, it has seriously adverse effects on the power system, such as malfunction of a protective relay, damage of a transformer, shortening of a transformer life, and the like.
To solve the aforementioned problems, the prior art uses a method for delaying in time for inputting power applied to a transformer by each phase (hereinafter, referred to as a "first method") and a method for increasing impedance by using a pre-insertion reactor (hereinafter, referred to as a "second method"). An example of the second method is disclosed in detail in Korean Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-62938.
However, in the aforementioned conventional first method, whenever power is put into a transformer, setting a proper delay time needs to be always controlled. Moreover, since a speed at which the inrush current decreases is not fast, the power installation is insufficiently protected at the beginning when the inrush current is generated.
Further, in the conventional second method, since the pre-insertion reactor is connected to or separated from a transformer by switching operation, a switching device has an over-voltage. Moreover, when the switching device is used for a long time, it ages to cause a problem regarding reliability of the power system.
Consequently, there has been a demand for a new method which fast decreases the inrush current and needs no special controlling or switching operation when the connection to a transformer is completed.

Apparatus for decreasing inrush current using SFCL and method for deciding optimal insertion resistance

SUNGKYUNKWAN University Foundation for Corporate Collaboration


A suction assisted ablation device having a support surface, suction elements disposed adjacent the support surface, at least one electrode and at least one suction conduit is provided. The device may further include fluid openings, which allow fluid to irrigate target tissue and aid in ablation. A method for ablating tissue using suction is also provided.

The action of the heart is known to depend on electrical signals within the heart tissue. Occasionally, these electrical signals do not function properly. Ablation of cardiac conduction pathways in the region of tissue where the signals are malfunctioning has been found to eliminate such faulty signals. Ablation is also used therapeutically with other organ tissue, such as the liver, prostate and uterus. Ablation may also be used in treatment of disorders such as tumors, cancers or undesirable growth.
Currently, electrophysiology (EP) ablation devices generally have one or more electrodes at their tips. These devices may be used for both diagnosis and therapy. In one instance, electrodes at the tips of EP ablation devices allow the physician to measure electrical signals along the surface of the heart. This is called mapping. When necessary, in another instance, the physician can also ablate certain tissues using, typically, radio frequency (RF) energy conducted to one or more ablation electrodes.
Sometimes ablation is necessary only at discrete positions along the tissue, is the case, for example, when ablating accessory pathways, such as in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome or AV nodal reentrant tachycardias. At other times, however, ablation is desired along a line, called linear ablation. This is the case for atrial fibrillation, where the aim is to reduce the total mass of electrically connected atrial tissue below a threshold believed to be critical for sustaining multiple reentry wavelets. Linear lesions are created between electrically non-conductive anatomic landmarks to reduce the contiguous atrial mass.
Linear ablation is currently accomplished in one of several ways. One way is to position the tip portion of the ablation device so that an ablation electrode is located at one end of the target site. Then energy is applied to the electrode to ablate the tissue adjacent to the electrode. The tip portion of the electrode is then slid along the tissue to a new position and then the ablation process is repeated. This is sometimes referred to as the burn-drag-burn technique. This technique is time-consuming (which is not good for the patient) and requires multiple accurate placements of the electrode (which may be difficult for the physician). Furthermore, even if the ablation process creates a continuously linear line along the top surface of the target tissue, it is not assured that the tissue is continuously and completely ablated through further layers of the target tissue (i.e. it is not assured that transmurality is achieved.)
A second way of accomplishing linear ablation is to use an ablation device having a series of spaced-apart band or coil electrodes which, after the electrode portion of the ablation device has been properly positioned, are energized simultaneously or one at a time to create the desired lesion. If the electrodes are close enough together the lesions run together sufficiently to create a continuous linear lesion. While this technique eliminates some of the problems associated with the burn-drag-burn technique, some repositioning of the ablation device may be required to create an adequately long lesion. In addition, it may be difficult to obtain adequate tissue contact pressure for each electrode in a multi-electrode ablation device. Also, the use of multiple electrodes to create the linear lesion tends to make the tip portion more expensive to make, more bulky and may cause the tip portion to be stiffer than with a single electrodes.
Another ablation-related problem results from the delivery of RF energy to muscular tissue, such as the heart. Ablation of such tissue using conventional ablation devices has a tendency to char or burn the blood or tissue with which the electrodes are in contact if the temperatures exceed a certain threshold (for example, greater than 50° C.). This increases the difficulty of the ablation process because it is necessary to clean the tip portion after a series of burns. Moreover, overheating the blood in the vicinity of the target site can desiccate the blood and can cause overburning.
It would be desirable to have an ablation device which is easy to position in relation to the target tissue and which stays stable in position in relation to the target tissue.
It would further be desirable to have an ablation device which, when positioned, is capable of easily creating a linear, transmural lesion.
It would further be desirable to have an ablation device that is able to monitor tissue temperature in order to avoid burning the tissue.

Suction stabilized epicardial ablation devices


A Kelvin test fixture for electrically contacting miniature, two terminal, leadless, electrical components assures the creation of good contact between the test fixture and the component to be tested by providing for the insertion of the component to be tested directly into the test fixture in a manner which creates a wiping action between the conductors of the test fixture and the terminals of the component to be tested. The test fixture attaches to appropriate parameter test equipment such as an RLC test bridge. The fixture has a small stable capacitance which may be deducted from the measured parameters by appropriate mathematical manipulations to yield the actual electrical parameters of the component under test.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of test fixtures for electrically contacting electrical components in order to measure the electrical parameters of the components.
2. Prior Art
The prior art is replete with component parameter test equipment designed for testing electrical components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors and so forth. These component testers include, or will accommodate, many types of contact fixtures designed for holding the flexible leads of leaded components. Some of these component holders feature automatic component insertion and removal while others are designed for rapid insertion and removal of the components by the operator.
Some of this test equipment employs Kelvin testing. In Kelvin testing, each lead of the component to be tested makes contact with two contacts of the test bridge. The test bridge provides a drive signal to the component under test through a first one of these contacts. A sensing signal is provided to the bridge through the second of these contacts. The sensing contacts of the bridge are connected to high impedance circuits within the bridge so that they draw very little current thereby minimizing the effect of any contact resistance on the signal transmitted from the component to the test circuitry of the bridge. Contact resistance between the drive signal contacts of the bridge and the leads of the component under test produce a minimal effect on the parameter values measured by the bridge because the contact resistance and inductance of these contacts is not included within the test loop of the bridge.
Despite the high degree of sophistication of test equipment for leaded components, the testing of miniature, leadless components has been a haphazard, jury-rigged affair. Among the known techniques for the testing of miniature leadless components is the use of alligator clips for contacting the individual terminals of the device to be tested. Such a procedure is tedious, time consuming and of questionable accuracy, especially when components as small as 1/16 of an inch (.about.1.59 millimeters) long by 1/32 of an inch (.about.0.79 millimeter) square are to be tested. It is extremely difficult to make good temporary contact to such small components for performing incoming inspection tests to assure that they meet their specifications.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,971,618 and 4,075,556 each disclose a test fixture designed for testing miniature leadless components. These systems fail to assure the creation of reliable contact between the test fixture and the component to be tested and thus fail to assure that inaccuracies will not be introduced into the measurements.
Inaccurate testing of such miniature components is a substantial problem because these components are often incorporated in high reliability circuits such as hybrid heart pacemaker units, ground falt interruptor circuits and other similar systems where system failure can cause the immediate death of the wearer or severe injury or death to the user of the system.
An improved system for testing these miniature components is needed in order that measurement accuracy may be assured with a consequent increase in the yield of assembled systems and an increase in the reliability of such systems.