In general, the disclosure describes techniques for lockless management of immutable objects by multi-threaded processes. A device comprising a processor may implement the techniques, where the processor execute a multi-threaded process including a producer thread and a consumer thread. The producer thread may instantiate an immutable object, and provide, to the consumer thread, a reference to the immutable object. The producer thread may also increment a reference counter to indicate that the reference has been provided to the consumer thread, where the reference counter is local to the producer thread and inaccessible to the at least two consumer threads. The producer thread may receive, from the consumer thread, a notification that the consumer thread has finished processing the immutable object, and decrement, responsive to receiving the notification, the reference counter. The producer thread may then delete, based on the reference counter, the immutable object.

Packet-based networks, such as the Internet, communicate data by dividing the data into small blocks called packets, which are individually routed across the network from a source device to a destination device. Routing devices within the network, such as routers, maintain routing information that describes routes for the network. Such devices may use the routing information to generate forwarding information, which is used by the routing devices to relay packet flows through the network and, more particularly, to relay packet flows to a next hop. When receiving an incoming packet, the router examines information within the packet to identify the destination for the packet. Based on the destination, the router forwards the packet in accordance with the forwarding information.
Computer networks, such as the Internet, may include distributed sets of routers that exchange routing information according to a defined routing protocol. Border Gateway Protocol (BGP), the Intermediate System to Intermediate System (IS-IS) Protocol, and the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) Protocol are representative examples of defined routing protocols. When two routers initially connect, the routers exchange routing information and generate forwarding information from the exchanged routing information. Particularly, the two routers initiate a routing communication "session" via which they exchange routing information using routing protocol messages according to the defined routing protocol. The routers continue to communicate via the routing protocol to incrementally update the routing information and, in turn, update their forwarding information in accordance with changes to a topology of the network indicated in the updated routing information. For example, the routers may send update messages to advertise newly available routes or to inform other routers that some routes are no longer available.
An autonomous system (AS) is a collection of networks under a single administrative domain. Collections of interconnected autonomous systems, such as the internet, use BGP to route data packets between and within autonomous systems based on addressing information within the data packets. A routing protocol route advertisement, such as a BGP UPDATE message, may be used to advertise one or more routes for network prefixes reachable via the network.
A routing domain, such as a BGP network, may include one or more routers, route reflectors, nodes, and endpoint devices (e.g., servers, printers, and computers). Some of the routers within the routing domain may be grouped together into redundant clusters. Each router within the routing domain typically forwards data packets according to routes stored at the router and the destination address of the data packets. Route reflectors, such as BGP route reflectors, peer with other routers to receive and advertise routes but typically do not forward packets.

Lockless management of immutable objects by multi-threaded processes using multiple counters


Monolithic, tandem, photonic cells include at least a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer, wherein each semiconductor layer includes an n-type region, a p-type region, and a given band-gap energy. Formed within each semiconductor layer is a sting of electrically connected photonic sub-cells. By carefully selecting the numbers of photonic sub-cells in the first and second layer photonic sub-cell string(s), and by carefully selecting the manner in which the sub-cells in a first and second layer photonic sub-cell string(s) are electrically connected, each of the first and second layer sub-cell strings may be made to achieve one or more substantially identical electrical characteristics.

In general, semiconductor-based photonic devices, such as photovoltaic cells (PV cells) and light emitting diodes (LEDs), include a junction formed between p-type and an n-type conductivity regions in a semiconductor body. In the case of PV cells, these regions generate a voltage potential and/or a current across the junction when electron-hole pairs are created in the semiconductor body in response to impinging photons on the photovoltaic cell. When a load is connected between the p-type and an n-type conductivity regions, an electric current will flow, thus producing power. In the case of LEDs, these p-type and an n-type conductivity regions generate or emit photons when sufficient voltage is applied across the junction to cause a recombination of electrons and holes.
PV cells come in two basic forms, solar photovoltaic (SPV) cells and thermovoltaic (TPV) cells. The principle operational difference between SPV cells and TPV cells relates to the energy level that photons impinging on the PV cell must have in order to generate a voltage potential and/or current. For example, SPV cells typically produce electrical energy when exposed to photons having relatively high energy levels (roughly corresponding to or occurring in the visible spectrum light). In contrast, TPV cells typically produce electrical energy when exposed to photons having relatively low energy levels (roughly corresponding to or occurring in the infrared spectrum of light).
In order to provide useful power, individual PV cells, are typically electrically and physically connected or grouped together to provide appropriate current and voltage levels. When a number of individual PV cells are electrically and physically grouped together into a single PV device the resulting PV device is often referred to as a PV cell, while the individual PV cells that make up the device are referred to as PV sub-cells. Additionally, groups of PV cells may be connected together and packaged into a scaled unit that is commonly referred to as a PV module.
PV sub-cells are typically physically connected or positioned with respect to one another in a PV cell either in strings, stacks, or in combinations of strings and/or stacks. A PV sub-cell string typically comprises two or more PV sub-cells arranged side-by-side, in line, in a horizontal string. A PV sub-cell string may be composed of a number of individual, discrete PV sub-cells connected together to form the string. Alternatively, a PV sub-cell string may be composed of a number of PV sub-cells, each of which are formed or grown as a part of a single, monolithic, crystalline structure. When each of the PV cells in a PV sub-cell string is formed or grown as a part of a single, monolithic, crystalline structure, the PV sub-cell string is typically referred to as monolithic interconnected module (MIM).
A PV sub-cell stack typically comprises two or more PV sub-cells vertically arranged one on top of the other. The PV sub-cell stack may be composed of a number of individual, discrete PV sub-cells physically bonded together to form the stack. Alternatively, the PV sub-cell stack may be composed of a number of PV sub-cells, each of which is formed together in a tandem, multi-band-gap, monolithic stack.
In addition to the various ways in which PV sub-cells are physically connected or positioned with respect to one another in a PV cell, there are also a number of ways in which PV sub-cells may be electrically connected to one another in a PV cell. PV sub-cells are typically electrically connected to one another in a PV cell either in a series type electrical connection, a parallel type electrical connection, or some combination of series and parallel type electrical connections. In a series type electrical connection, each n-type or p-type conductivity region in a PV sub-cell is connected either to an opposite n-type or p-type conductivity region in another PV sub-cell or to an output terminal or bus bar. Alternatively, in a parallel type electrical connection, each like conductivity regions in a PV sub-cell is connected to the same like conductivity region in another PV sub-cell or to an output terminal or bus bar.
The particular connection used in a PV cell to electrically connect the various PV sub-cells determines or dictates the electrical characteristics of the PV cell. For example, when each of the PV sub-cells in a PV cell are electrically connected in series, the overall voltage of the PV cell will be equal to the sum of the voltages of the PV sub-cells in the PV cell, while the overall current of the PV cell will be limited to the current value of the PV sub-cell that produces the lowest current. In contrast, when each PV sub-cells in a PV cell are electrically connected in parallel, the overall current of the in a PV cell will be equal to the sum of the individual currents of the PV sub-cells in the PV cell, while the overall voltage of the PV cell will be limited to some intermediate voltage value that is between the highest voltage value achieved by any one of the parallel connected PV sub-cells and the lowest voltage achieved by any one of the parallel connected PV sub-cells. In the case where each of the parallel connected PV sub-cells achieve a common voltage, the overall voltage achieved by the PV cell will be equal to that common voltage.
Because of the typically small voltages by each PV sub-cell in a PV sub-cell string, PV sub-cell strings are more commonly connected in series to achieve a PV cell string having a relatively high operating voltage. These high voltage PV cells offer a number of significant to advantages over low voltage PV cells, such as reduced power losses and increased overall operating voltages.
Another factor that is typically considered in designing and manufacturing PV cells is the photon absorbing capabilities of the PV-sub-cells in a PV cell. As is known, a particular PV sub-cell will absorb, and convert to electrical energy, photons with energy levels greater than a band-gap energy of the particular semiconductor material used to fabricate the PV sub-cell. When a given PV sub-cell is exposed to a radiant energy source that produces photons having a wide range of energy levels, such as the sun, only those photons having energy levels greater than or equal a band-gap energy of the given PV sub-cell will make a contribution to the electrical energy output from the cell. Conversely, those photons from the radiant energy source having energy levels less than the band-gap energy of the given PV sub-cell will make no contribution to the electrical energy output from the given PV sub-cell. As such, the energy contained in the photons having energy levels less than the band-gap energy of the given PV sub-cell is wasted.
One way in which this wasted energy can be recovered is to combine a number of PV sub-cells, each having a different band-gap energy, together in a stack of PV sub-cells. By designing the PV sub-cell stack to include PV sub-cells having different band-gap energies, photons having an energy level that is not absorbed and converted to electrical energy by one PV sub-cell in the stack may be absorbed and converted to electrical energy by another PV sub-cell in the stack.
These stacks of PV sub-cells may be composed of individual discrete PV sub-cells that are mechanically bonded together into a single stack. Unfortunately, mechanically bonding PV sub-cells together in this manner has a number of drawbacks, such as added complexity of manufacturing and concurrent increased cost to manufacture each stack of PV sub-cells. A number of MIM cells, each having a different band-gap, may also be bonded together in a single stack. Again, these mechanically bonded MIM cells share the same problems as those discussed with respect to mechanically bonded PV sub-cells.
In an alternative to physically bonding a number of PV sup-cells, a similar, but more desirable result may be achieved by producing a single monolithic tandem PV cell having multiple p-n junctions and multiple band-gaps, layered on top of the other. Layered in this manner, each set of p-n junctions may be considered to define a single, separate PV sub-cell in a vertical stack of PV sub-cells, called a PV sub-cell stack. Once arranged or fabricated in this manner, each of the individual PV sub-cells in the PV sub-cell stack are then electrically interconnected to one another in a single vertical string of serially connected PV sub-cells, where the serial connection between the PV sub-cells in the PV sub-cell stack is achieved using tunnel junctions formed between vertically adjacent PV sub-cells in the PV sub-cell stack. Unfortunately, serially interconnecting the PV sub-cells in the PV sub-cell stack in this manner limits the overall output voltage of the PV sub-cell stack to the sum of the output voltages of the PV sub-cells in the stack. As PV sub-cell stacks of this type have typically only included two PV sub-cells, the overall output voltage achieved by the PV sub-cell stack has been limited to the sum of the output voltages achieved by two PV sub-cells.
While PV sub-cell stacks of this type have proven to be highly effective, reaching efficiencies upwards of 30%, there are still a number of drawbacks and limitations associated with their manufacture and operation. For example, in order to achieve appropriate output voltages using PV sub-cell stacks, such as those just describe, it has been necessary to form physical and electrical connections between a number of these PV sub-cell stacks. Unfortunately, forming these physical and electrical connections between numbers of discrete PV sub-cell stacks adds manufacturing complexity and, thus increased manufacturing cost to the production of PV cells employing these PV sub-cell stacks. Additionally, since each of the PV sub-cells in a given PV sub-cell stack are in essence "hard-wired" in series to the other PV sub-cells in the PV sub-cell stack, the electrically interconnections that may be achieved by any PV cells employing these "hard-wired" PV-sub-cell stacks is greatly limited.
LED devices are typically constructed as either individual, discrete LED cells having a single p-n or n-p junction, or as a number of individual, discrete LED cells that are mechanically and electrically connected. The frequency of the photons (color of the light) that will be emitted by an LED is determined or dictated by the particular band-gap energy of the semiconductor material that forms the LED. For example, an LED cell that is formed of a semiconductor material having a band-gap energy of between 1.8-2.2 eV will produce a red-yellow light, an LED cell that is formed of a semiconductor material having a bang-gap energy of between 2.2-2.4 will produce a red-yellow light, and all LED cell that is formed of a semiconductor material having a bang-gap energy of between 2.4-2.6 eV will produce a blue light.
To produce an LED device that will emit light of a selected color, the device may be formed of one or more discrete LED cells, each LED being formed of a semiconductor material having an appropriate band-gap energy to produce the given color. Alternative, a number of sets of discrete LED cells, each emitting light of different color, may be situated in close proximity to one another, side-by-side, in the LED device, such that the colors produced by each of the individual LED cells will combine to produce the selected color. For example, a set of LED cells may include a red light producing LED, a blue light producing LED, and a green light producing LED. By increasing or decreasing the current supplied by each separate LED cell, and thus increasing the intensity of light produced by the LED cell, an appropriate blend of colors may be achieved by the LED device to produce a variety of perceived colors. One drawback associated with these LED devices employing three different color producing cells arranged "side-by-side," is that the surface areas of these type of cells necessarily consume more surface area than a typical single color producing LED cell. As such, it is difficult to produce these types of cells in high densities. Another drawback associated with these types of cells in the complexity in electrical interconnects and the control circuitry that is used to control these devices. For example, it is typically necessary to have a separate pair of biasing terminals for each of the three different color producing cells.
It is against this backdrop the present invention has been developed.

Voltage-matched, monolithic, multi-band-gap devices


A surgical driver for use with an implant, having a shaft with proximal and distal ends and an attachment piece with proximal and distal ends. The surgical driver including a coupling arrangement that couples the shaft and the attachment piece relative to one another. The coupling arrangement includes a recess formed at the proximal end of the attachment piece and has at least one retaining member for reversibly engaging the shaft. The coupling arrangement is adapted to accommodate interaction between the surgical driver and an implant so that variable-axis torque on the implant is minimized.

An intervertebral disc is a pad of cartilage-type material situated between spinal bones. Each disc serves as a connector, spacer, and shock absorber for the spine. A soft, jelly-like center is contained by outer layers of fibrous tissue. Healthy discs facilitate normal turning and bending. Trauma or injury to the spine can cause discs to tear, bulge, herniate, and even rupture. This can be quite painful, as the soft center of the disc leaks, putting pressure on the adjacent nerve roots and spinal cord.
A damaged disc can cause nerve dysfunction and debilitating pain in the back, legs and arms. Typical treatments that provide relief and allow patients to function again include back braces, medical treatment, physical therapy and/or surgery to remove the disc.
A conventional surgical solution removes the injured or degenerated disc and promotes new bone growth in the space to fuse the adjacent vertebrae. Such surgery can be highly invasive and may require two relatively large incisions. A first incision may be made in the front of the body so that the damaged disc can be removed. The second incision may then be made in the back so that, for example, connecting rods and anchor screws can be attached to the vertebrae to stabilize them long enough for the new bone to grow. This type of surgery typically results in recovery periods that can extend as long as six months.
For the purpose of achieving long term stability in a segment of injured spine, a fusion (the joining together of two or more bones via a continuous bridge of incorporated bone) may be performed. Interbody fusion, wherein the disc is partially excised and bone placed within the space previously occupied by the excised disc material (between adjacent vertebrae), is one typical type of fusion. Interbody fusion is performed for the purpose of restoring a more "normal" spatial relationship, and to provide for stability; short term by mechanical support, and long term by the permanent growth of bone from vertebra to vertebra.
For fusion to occur within the disc space, in certain procedures, it is necessary to prepare the vertebrae to be fused by penetrating, or cutting into, the hardened outside cortical plates of bone (the endplates) to allow an interposed bone graft to come into direct contact with the more vascular cancellous (spongy) bone, and to thereby stimulate the body to heal this induced, but controlled, "injury" by both bone production and "creeping substitutions" of the graft to create a continuous segment of bone between the opposed vertebral surfaces.
Following the removal of a damaged disc, if an implant, such as a bone graft, is not placed in the intervertebral space, collapse may occur, which may result in damage to the nerves; or the space may fill with scar tissue and eventually lead to a reherniation. However, the use of bone to fill the space is sometimes suboptimal because bone obtained from the patient requires additional surgery and is of limited availability, and if obtained from another source, lacks living bone cells, carries a risk of infection, and also is limited in supply. Furthermore, regardless of the source of the bone, it may have marginal biomechanical characteristics and may lack means to either stabilize itself against dislodgement or to stabilize the adjacent vertebrae.
There have been extensive attempts to develop an acceptable disc prosthesis (an artificial disc). Such devices would be used to replace a damaged disc, to restore the height of the interspace, and to restore the normal motion of that spinal joint. Examples include a flexible disc implant, a flexible disc replacement with file-like surface projections to discourage dislocation, and a bladder-like disc replacement with two opposed stud-like projections. Although such devices are placed within the intervertebral space following the removal of a damaged disc, they may result in eventual fusion or fixation of the spine.
Related to disc prosthetics are those devices used to replace essentially wholly removed vertebrae (e.g., corpectomy devices). Such removal is generally necessitated by extensive vertebral fractures, or tumors, and is not associated with the treatment of disc disease. Due to the removal of the entire vertebra, intervertebral disc-replacements are not feasible. Therefore, these implants perform as temporary structural members mechanically replacing the removed vertebrae (not removed disc), and do not intrinsically participate in supplying osteogenic material to achieve cross vertebrae bony fusion. Typically, use of these devices will be accompanied by further surgery consisting of a bone fusion procedure using the conventional techniques.
Similarly, other devices are designed to be placed within the vertebral interspace following the removal of a damaged disc, and seeking to eliminate further motion at that location. One such device is contained in U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,269 issued to Bagby, which describes an implantable device and instrumentation. The method employed is as follows: a hole is bored transversely across the joint, a hollow metal basket of larger diameter than the hole is impacted into the hole, and the hollow metal basket is filled with the bone debris generated by the drilling.
Implants such as those disclosed in the Bagby patent were impacted against resistance to achieve vertebral distraction, and were, therefore, susceptible to forceful dislodgement by the tendency of the two distracted vertebrae to return to their original positions, squeezing out the device. Conversely, the next generation of devices approved by the FDA and sold commercially were threaded cylinders, usually referred to as "cages". These cages typically are manufactured from biocompatible metals, such as titanium. These implants, are typically screwed into place. Because no unscrewing force exists between the vertebrae, compression alone cannot dislodge the implant. The implant is, therefore, more stable.
Spinal implants having threaded cages facilitate a less traumatic insertion into the intervertebral space. Such devices can be securely screwed into place, and often possess highly specialized locking threads to make accidental dislodgement impossible. Because of the proximity of the spinal cord, spinal nerves, and blood vessels, any implant dislodgement might have catastrophic consequences.
An implantation procedure involves numerous steps. According to one method of implantation, these steps may include the presurgical measurement of the vertebrae, selection of an appropriate implant size, and determination of a desired distraction of the vertebrae in order to achieve a desired alignment of the spine. A discectomy or partial discectomy also may be performed, removing part or all of the disc. Alternatively, no disc material need be removed. Incisions and retractions are performed to expose the injured area of the spinal column. A distractor is then inserted and impacted into the intervertebral space. After distraction, a surgical tube is positioned over the implant area. Once a hole is drilled, various other steps are performed in order to tap (i.e., produce threads in) the adjacent vertebrae, for threading of the implant into the hole. It should be noted that these steps are merely a representative example of what may occur during an implantation surgery and individual steps may be altered or omitted, the order of the steps may vary and additional steps may be included in the process.
One exemplary implantation device that is currently in use is sold under the trade name BAK™ INTERBODY FUSION SYSTEM by Zimmer Spine Inc. (Minneapolis, Minn.). In this technique and apparatus, a hollow cage, about an inch long, is implanted through a small incision into the disc space between two vertebrae. The surgical invasion is highly reduced from the previous methods and patients recover much faster. In this method, the disc need not be removed entirely, but rather may be drilled out in two bilateral bores. An implant is placed in each bore space between the adjacent vertebrae to stabilize the spine. Morselized bone is harvested from the patient and packed inside the implant. Over time, new bone will fill the inside and outside of the implants and fuse the vertebrae. The degenerated disc need not be removed completely, because the bored out disc does not block the formation of new bone between two opposite sites on the adjacent vertebrae.
FIG. 1 shows a prior art surgical implant driver 300 having a handle 366 and a shaft 350. An implant 390 is attached to the distal end of the shaft 350 by means of a threaded portion 353. A protruding central area 362 on the distal end of the shaft 350 mates with a groove 364 of the implant 390 to ensure that the implant is not unscrewed from the threaded portion 353 when the driver is rotated.
As shown in FIG. 2, once a disc 400 and adjacent vertebrae 410 have been prepared for the implant 390, the shaft 350 of the driver is placed in a guide tube 140 that previously has been positioned in the appropriate location in the surgical area. After the implant 390 has traversed the surgical tube 140 and contacted the opening of the bore, the shaft 350 is rotated to align the threads 392 of the implant 390 with the threads cut into the vertebrae 410 as part of the implantation process. Further rotation of the shaft 350 screws the implant 390 into the bore until a desired depth has been reached. As shown in FIG. 3, the shaft 350 is detached from the implant 390 and the guide tube 140 is removed from its position in the surgical area, leaving the implant 390 in a predetermined intervertebral position. Because such implants often are installed in pairs, a similar procedure typically will be performed on the other side of the spine.
Although FIGS. 2-3 demonstrate a posterior implantation in the lumbar spine, spinal implants may be installed from other approaches. Furthermore, the implantation procedure may also be performed anteriorly or as a laparoscopic procedure.
Metal cages, although strong, are largely radiopaque. Because of this, the ability to detect fusion through diagnostic methodologies, such as x-rays, is greatly reduced with such devices. Radiolucent cages, made from polymers such as polyether ether ketone (i.e. PEEK), solve this problem. However, because such cages may not be as strong as those made of titatnium, there is an increased risk of fracture during implantation or removal, in the event that excessive torque loads are exerted on the implant. Accordingly, a need exists for a surgical driver that is better able to manage and direct these torque loads, in order to minimize the risk of implant fracture.
Because, in certain circumstances, significant force (e.g., torque) may be exerted on the implant during surgery, it is possible for implants to become deformed or break. In addition, such deformation or breakage will make the implantation or removal of the damaged implant difficult. As noted above, these challenges are exacerbated when radiolucent implants are used, because of their potentially reduced load bearing capacities as compared to titanium inserts. Common reasons for breakage may include misalignment of the implant, insufficient preparation of the implant hole, and/or improper connection to the surgical driver. For example, misalignments of the implant, relative to the implant bore and/or the driver may result in variable-axis forces being applied to the implant. Moreover, these conditions sometimes are difficult to detect and/or fully appreciate during surgery. Thus, because human operators will at times apply such variable-axis forces to the implant through a rigid surgical driver, such occurrences heretofore have not been completely eliminated. Accordingly, there exists a need to provide a surgical implant driver that will minimize the transmission of such variable-axis forces to the implant.


The invention relates to cellular communications systems. In order to enhance an efficiency of a cellular communications system a file in electronic form with fragments of a digital geographical map of the vicinity is preliminarily introduced into a control center of a cellular communications system, the map comprising coordinates and characteristics of base stations, arranged in cells and geographical coordinates of the borders of the cells, wherein in the process of radio communications, data on the location of a corresponding mobile station for communication therewith are determined with the aid of a receiver of a satellite location determination system, which receiver is built in a mobile station, and are transmitted through a base station to the control center of the cellular communications system, and the file of a fragment of the digital geographical map is transmitted from the control center of the cellular communications system through a corresponding base station to a mobile station, the map comprising coordinates and characteristics of the base station of that cell where this mobile station is, coordinates and characteristics of base stations of neighboring cells with coordinates of their borders, then a comparison of current data of its location and the coordinates of cell borders is carried out in the mobile station.

The methods of cellular communications are known and based on three principles:                repeated usage of frequencies in cells;        provision of continuity of communication when a mobile subscriber moves from one cell to another one ("handover");        continuous determination of a location of a mobile subscriber in an area of cellular communications (see, e.g. Asha Mehrotra, Cellular Radio. Analog and Digital Systems. Artech House, Inc. 1994. 460 p.).
The diagram of organization of cellular communications on the basis of the above principles is shown in FIG. 1, their combination creates a technological basis of cellular communications for providing services for subscribers. FIG. 2 illustrates a general skeleton diagram of a cellular communications system (see, e.g. Williams C. Y. Lee. Mobile Cellular Telecommunications. Analog and Digital System. Second Edition. McGraw-Hill, Inc. 1995, 664 p.).
The subscriber via his mobile station (MS), transmits messages to other mobile subscribers or subscribers of a fixed communication network (PSTN) via a base station (BTS), a controller (BSC) being series coupled with the base station, and a mobile switching Center (MSC) being coupled with a visitor location register (VLR) tracking a movement of the subscriber, as well as with a home location register (HLC) in which one are contained all necessary data on subscribers who have concluded contracts with an operator of a network and received a subscriber-identity module (SIM-card) of a given operator. An operation of the network is controlled with an operations-and-maintenance Center—OMC.
In the structural block-diagram of FIG. 2 is accomplished a determination of a location of the mobile subscriber (MS) within the limits of "an area of determination of location" (Location Area) which comprises a base station controller (BSC) and all base stations (BTS) being coupled to the controller. Within the limits of Local Area may be identified a cell or a cell sector within which is located MS, for example, to provide for a mobile station a delivery of incoming message from a subscriber of PSTN or from other mobile station of the cellular communications system. Herewith, an accuracy of the determination of the location of MS depends on dimensions of the cell, and it may constitute from few hundreds of meters up to tens of kilometres.
The cellular communications system for active mobile stations being registered in VLR, should continuously determine the location, through control and signalling channels being transmitted jointly with traffic channels through network interfaces (A-bis, A, M and others), for physical implementation of which ones is necessary to use radio-relay, wire or optical fiber transmission lines. For example, in order to control communication processes (including connection of MS, handover, a transmission of messages, transmission power control), in GSM cellular communications network from one up to two time slots (TS) which are contained in a time frame (TDMA-frame) being formed on one of 124 frequency channels. (see, e.g. Siegmund M. Rede, Mathias K. Weber, Malcolm W. Oliphant. An Introduction to GSM. Artech House, Inc. 1995, 379 p). Thus, from 12.5 up to 25 percent of a network resource are not used for a traffic transmission.
Moreover, tendencies of developing services of new generations of cellular communications—the third (3G) and the forth (4G) ones, as well as ones of currently active cellular communications systems of 2,5 generation, provide for wide introduction of new kinds of services associated with a location of subscribers. (see, e.g, Juha Korhenen. Introduction to 3G Mobile Communications. Second Edition. Artech House, Inc. 2003, 544 p.)
To such services relate, for example, navigation services, services of an extreme aid, a tourist guide, safeguarding of goods when transporting etc. The realization of these services is possible if to enhance the accuracy of the determination of location of mobile stations which is achieved with an additional complexity of the cellular communications system on the whole, due to increasing hardware and software costs of cellular communications, due to including new elements, for example, Line measurement units (LMU) of A-type being switched via a radio interface to base stations or LMU of B-type being switched via a radio interface to base stations or LMU of B-type being switched to the base station controller (BSC) via the network A-bis interface, as well as due to Mobile Location Centres (MLC). One of the lasts—SLMC (Serving MLC)—serves requests for the determination of location, realizes a final calculation of coordinates and an accuracy of an obtained result, the other—GMLC (Gateway MLS) performs functions of supporting clients. (see, e.g., ETSI TS 101723 (GSM 02.71): "Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+); Location Services (LCS); Service Description; Stage 1." ETSI TS 122-71 (3GPP TS 22.071): "Digital Telecommunications System (Phase 2+) (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Location Services (LCS); Service Description, Stage 1").
The skeleton diagram of the cellular communications network with supporting the functions of determining the location on the basis of the additional measurement units is shown in FIG. 3 and is accepted for GSM—standards and practically coincides with an analogues diagram of new generation of cellular communications—3 G (UMTS).
Methods of determining the location of MS in accordance with the skeleton diagram of FIG. 3 are known in the art and are based on data of the cellular communications network, the closest known technique is a method of a cell identification (Cell ID) for which is not required a determination of a signal level or its delay since this is an intrinsic property of cellular communications networks. As main methods of determining the location of MS for GSM cellular communications networks are selected as follows: Cell ID-TA (Timing Advance), TOA (Time Of Arrival), E-OTD (Enhanced Observed Time Difference). (see, e.g. ETSI TS.101 724 (3GPP TS 03.71): Digital Cellular Telecommunications System (Phase 2+), Location Services (LCS), Functional Description—Stage 2).
Selection of a method of determining the location is defined by a kind of a radio-access network. In case of UMTS (UTRAN) are recommended methods Cell ID-TA and OT DOA (Observed Time Difference Of Arrival). (See, e.g., ETSI TS 125 395 (3PGG TS 25.395): "Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Stage 2, Functional Description on UE Positioning in UTRAN").
The abovementioned methods of determining the location of MS on the basis of a cellular communications network require for their realization an installation of additional hardware and software, for their introduction into a cellular communications network is necessary to dedicate additional connecting lines.
Moreover, the abovementioned methods of determining the location of MS on the basis of a cellular communications network do not change general principles of network composing being presented in FIG. 1. The accuracy of determining the location of MS in these methods constitutes few hundreds of meters.
Methods of determining a location of a subscriber are know on a basis of a mobile station when MS determines a location independently of an network operator. To the methods of determining a location on the basis of MS relate GPS-methods or A-GPS (Assisted GPS)-methods, in the last for obtaining coordinates of MS are used data from additional (assisted) transmitters of signals of GPS being mounted on a ground in an area of a cellular communications network.
GPS—global satellite positioning system—was developed and is used by USA Ministry of Defence for providing terrestrial objects throughout the world with accurate information on a location, speed and current time. Orbital groupment comprises 28 satellites, at least, 24 satellites are activated constantly. Analogous tasks are decided by Russian Global satellite positioning system GLONASS. European global satellite positioning system GALLILEO is in progress of development (see, e.g., U. A. Soloviev. Satellite navigation system—M.; Ecotrends, 2000, 270 p.). (.A. .     .-M;  , 2000, 270 c.). The accuracy of determining a location with help of GSM may constitute about ten meters. The accuracy of determining a location is increased when using A-GPS and may constitute few tens of centimetres.
When determining a location of MS with usage of GPS or A-GPS the mobile station with built-in GPS-receiver transmits its coordinates via base stations (BTS) and a controller (BSC) to operation-and-maintenance Center (OMC) through channels of short message service (SMS) or through other channels, in particular, through channels of a subsystem of a packet data transmission (GPRS).
However, in these known methods of determining the location on the basis of global satellite systems the cellular communications network and the system GPS (GLONASS et al.) operate independently of each other. In cellular communications systems for a transmiission of messages, for provision of continuity of communications ("handover"), for repeated usage of frequencies in the network or codes in cells, as well as for controlling operation modes of base and mobile stations, the data from global satellite positioning system are not used. Therefore the communication channels are downloaded, additional hardware and software are used, and the accuracy of determining the location is limited to "a cell", which dimensions may constitute from few hundreds of meters up to tens of kilometres.
Usage of GPS is known as a source of timing signals, the source being independent of a cellular network, in cellular communications system with code-division multiple access (CDMA, IS-95) (see, e.g., Jhong Sam Lee, Leonard E. Miller. CDMA System Engineering Handbook. Artech House. 1998, 1228 p.), but and in this case GPS and a cellular communications network are not interconnected.
In respect of a technical essence of the invention the closest prior art is a method of cellular communications being realized in a cellular communications system GSM, wherein the data of the location of GSM mobile station, being obtained in result of receiving signals of the satellite communications system GPS, are used for searching and transmitting alarm signals (see U.S. Pat. No. 6,411,811 B2, Int. Cl. H04Q 7/20, the data of publication is Jun. 25, 2002).
However, despite the fact that when using the known method an assortment of communications network services of GSM are extended, the data of the location of MS being obtained from GSM, are not used for optimization of operation of the cellular communications system that does not result in a reduction of a load in communication channels, so the task of determining a location is solved in a former manner on the basis of resources and an equipment of the cellular communications network (FIG. 1).
In the known method the usage of data from GPS for transmitting alarm signals and providing services being associated with a location of mobile subscribers, does not change a structure of a cellular communications network, its basic principles (FIG. 1) and does not replace separate functions of the cellular communications system.


An apparatus for regulating output voltages is used to regulate and output DC voltages, and can output a plurality of DC voltages through a simple structure. The apparatus for regulating output voltages can handle the current mode, and has the function of overcharge protection. The apparatus for regulating output voltages comprises a voltage conversion and comparison module, an analog to digital conversion module, an accumulation module, a pulse generator, a timing generator, a switch module, and an overcharge protection module. The apparatus for regulating output voltages can regulate a plurality of output voltages to provide stable DC power sources required by electronic devices.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for regulating output voltages and, more particularly, to an apparatus for regulating and outputting DC voltages.
2. Description of Related Art
An electronic device (e.g., a chip) usually requires at least one DC power source. In consideration of the working voltage and power consumption, several DC sources (e.g., 5V, 3.3V, 2.5V and 1.8V) are usually used. Linear regulators and switch regulators are commonly utilized to generate a plurality of DC voltages. The linear regulators are generally used in situations that require more precise voltages without the need of considering the power consumption. The switch regulators, on the other hand, apply to situations that take power consumption into consideration without the need of precise voltages.
In order to give consideration to both the power consumption and precise voltages, a DC to DC converter is adopted to convert a DC voltage to the required DC voltage. The DC to DC converter, however, requires a plurality of inductors and a plurality of control circuits to achieve a plurality of DC voltage outputs, hence resulting in large chip size and increase of cost.
In order to solve the above problems, U.S. Pat. No. 6,204,651 provides a method and apparatus for regulating output voltages of a switch mode regulator. In the proposed method, a representation of the DC output voltage is first compared with a reference voltage to produce a digital stream of comparison data. The comparison is done at a given clock rate such that the digital stream of comparison data is produced at the corresponding clock rate. The digital stream of comparison data is then interpreted to produce a digital stream of charged data and load data. Next, the digital stream of charge data and load data are interpreted to determine, for a given set of clock cycles, a charge signal and a load signal. Charging of an external element (e.g., an inductor) is enabled in accordance with a charge signal for the given set of clock cycles, and discharging of the external elements to a load (e.g., a capacitor) is also enabled in accordance with the load signal for the given set of clock cycles, accomplishing the function of regulating the output voltages.
The above method, however, cannot handle the current mode. Moreover, the problem of overcharge may arise during the charging process.

Apparatus for regulating output voltages with a current conversion module and analog to digital converter


Methods and systems are disclosed for learning a regression decision graph model using a Bayesian model selection approach. In a disclosed aspect, the model structure and/or model parameters can be learned using a greedy search algorithm applied to grow the model so long as the model improves. This approach enables construction of a decision graph having a model structure that includes a plurality of leaves, at least one of which includes a non-trivial linear regression. The resulting model thus can be employed for forecasting, such as for time series data, which can include single or multi-step forecasting.

With the advent of the Internet, and especially electronic commerce ("e-commerce") over the Internet, the use of data analysis tools, has increased. In e-commerce and other Internet and non-Internet applications, databases are generated and maintained that have large amounts of information. Such information can be analyzed, or "mined," to learn additional information regarding customers, users, products, etc.
Data mining (also known as Knowledge Discovery in Databases—KDD) has been defined as "The nontrivial extraction of implicit, previously unknown, and potentially useful information from data." Data mining can employ machine learning, statistical and visualization techniques to discover and present knowledge in a form that is easily comprehensible to humans.
One area relating to decision theory in which there is significant amount of research is decision trees. A decision tree data structure corresponds generally to an acyclic, undirected graph where nodes are connected to other respective nodes via a single path. The graph is acyclic in that there is no path that both emanates from a vertex and returns to the same vertex, where each edge in the path is traversed only once. A probabilistic decision tree is a decision tree that is used to represent a conditional probability distribution for a target variable given some set of predictor variables. As compared to a table, which is another way to represent a conditional probability distribution when all variables are discrete, a tree is generally a more efficient way of storing probabilities because of its ability to represent equality constraints within a conditional probability distribution.
A decision graph is a further generalization of a decision tree. Similar to a decision tree, a decision graph can represent equality constraints in a conditional probability distribution. In contrast to a decision tree, however, non-root nodes in a decision graph can have more than one parent. This characteristics enables a richer set of relationships to be represented by a decision graph than by a decision tree. For example, relationships between a non-root node and multiple parent nodes can be represented in a decision graph by corresponding edges interconnecting the non-root node with its parent nodes.
There are two traditional approaches for constructing statistical models, such as decision trees or decision graphs, namely, a knowledge-based approach and a data-based approach. Using the knowledge-based approach, a person (known as a knowledge engineer) interviews an expert in a given field to obtain the knowledge of the expert about the field of expertise of the expert. The knowledge engineer and expert first determine the distinctions of the world that are important for decision making in the field of the expert. These distinctions correspond to the variables in the domain of interest. For example, if a decision graph is to be used to predict the age of a customer based on the products that customer bought in a store, there would be a variable for "age" and a variable for all relevant products. The knowledge engineer and the expert next determine the structure of the decision graph and the corresponding parameter values that quantify the conditional probability distribution.
In the data-based approach, the knowledge engineer and the expert first determine the variables of the domain. Next, data is accumulated for those variables, and an algorithm is applied that creates one or more decision graphs from this data. The accumulated data comes from real world instances of the domain. That is, real world instances of decision making in a given field.
There has been much research in modeling techniques to facilitate analysis of time series data. One approach relates to the use of neural nets. While neural nets can provide reasonable predictive performance, they tend to be difficult to interpret and computationally expensive to learn. Further neural nets usually are implemented as black boxes, which provided little useful information about interrelationships between variables.
Other approaches for time series analysis include self-exciting threshold autoregressive models (SETAR), as disclosed in Threshold models in Nonlinear Time Series Analysis, Tong H., Springer-Verlag, New York (1983), and adaptive smooth threshold regressive models (ASTAR), as disclosed in Modeling time series by using mars, by Lewis, P., Ray, B., and Stevens, J. In Time series prediction, pp. 297-318, Addison Wesley, New York (1994). Both the SETAR and ASTAR models can be considered piece-wise linear models. When described in terms of a decision tree, the SETAR models are limited to a single split variable. The ASTAR models are obtained by the application of the well-known multiple adaptive regression splines (MARS) system to time-series data.

Bayesian approach for learning regression decision graph models and regression models for time series analysis


There is provided an image pickup apparatus in which a plurality of pixel areas in which pixels each having a photoelectric conversion unit are arranged two-dimensionally, are arranged on a single semiconductor chip to be adjacent to each other through a predetermined space, and a plurality of microlenses are formed on the plurality of pixels areas and on the predetermined spaces between the plurality of pixel areas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus for picking up an object image.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 1 shows an example of the arrangement of a conventional solid-state image pickup element in which pixels having photoelectric conversion units are arranged two-dimensionally. Referring to FIG. 1, a pixel 101 has a photoelectric conversion unit such as a photodiode. A pixel area 100 for picking up an object image is formed by arranging such pixels two-dimensionally.
A signal from a pixel is output to a vertical signal line 103. A holding capacitor 104 temporarily stores the signal output to the vertical signal line 103. A transfer MOS transistor 105 transfers the signal output to the vertical signal line 103 to the holding capacitor 104. A transfer MOS transistor 106 transfers a signal from the holding capacitor 104 to a horizontal signal line 107.
A vertical scanning circuit 108 performs control to read out signals from pixels on each line to the vertical signal line by sequentially scanning pixels one line at a time in the horizontal direction. A horizontal scanning circuit 109 sequentially reads out signals from the holding capacitor 104 to the horizontal signal line 107 by controlling the transfer MOS transistor 106. A reset MOS transistor 110 resets the horizontal signal line. A constant output current source 107 forms a source follower together with the transistor included in the pixel.
The arrangement of color filters of the conventional solid-state image pickup element will be described below. FIG. 2 shows an example of this arrangement, which includes a first color filter 201 that transmits red light, a second color filter 202 that transmits green light, and a third color filter 203 that transmits blue light. In correspondence with the respective pixels arranged two-dimensionally, the first and second color filters are alternately arranged for odd-numbered columns starting from the first column, and the second and third color filters are alternately arranged for even-numbered columns starting from the second column. The second color filters are arranged so as not be adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction in odd- and even-numbered columns.
In general, as shown in FIG. 3, microlenses corresponding to the respective pixels are used to increase the sensitivity of the solid-state image pickup element. FIG. 3 shows a sectional structure of a unit pixel of the solid-state image pickup element on which microlenses are formed. A unit pixel 300 (corresponding to one pixel 101 in FIG. 1 is comprised of a photoelectric conversion unit 301, insulating layer 302, interconnection layers 303 and 304, light-shielding layer 305, passivation layer 306, planarizing layers 307 and 309, color filter layer 308, and microlens 310. Each microlens has a diameter a and a thickness b. This microlens improves the focusing efficiency of incident light to realize high sensitivity.
A general method of manufacturing a microlens will be described next with reference to FIG. 4. The upper layer of a color filter layer 408 is coated with a transparent resin 409 to planarize the surface. The resultant surface is then coated with a microlens material 410 made of an organic resin. The microlens material is patterned by exposure with a mask. Each pattern has a size a′. The microlens material has a thickness b′. As shown in FIG. 4, spaces 411 for isolating the microlenses are formed by development. The resultant structure is fluidized and solidified by heat treatment, thus forming desired microlenses.
As described above, according to the conventional solid-state image pickup element, a plurality of color filters are arranged in the pixel 101, as shown in FIG. 2.
According to this method, however, in a solid-state image pickup element having 640 (horizontal) pixels×480 (vertical) pixels with a pixel pitch of 10 μm, the focal length of each lens for providing a standard field angle is 8 mm, which is equal to the width across corner of the solid-state image pickup element.
If, therefore, an image pickup apparatus such as a digital camera is to be manufactured by using such solid-state image pickup elements, a reduction in thickness of the apparatus is undesirably limited.
A conventional solid-state image pickup element is available, in which microlenses are formed to respective pixels having photodiodes and formed on a single chip, light from an object is focused onto the photodiodes through the respective microlenses, and output signals from the respective pixels are processed by an image processing unit, thereby forming an image.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing peripheral portions of a photodiode and microlens of a conventional CCD image pickup element. FIG. 6 shows a substrate 21 made of silicon or the like, a photodiode 22 formed on the substrate 21, an oxide layer 29 formed on the substrate 21 on which the photodiode 22 is formed, a three-layer interconnection 23 made of polysilicon, to which a clock signal for transferring charge converted by the photodiode 22 is transmitted, a light-shielding layer 24 made of tungsten or the like, which mainly shields a charge transfer vertical CCD register VCCD formed blow the interconnection 23 against light, a first passivation layer 25 made of SiO2 or the like and a second passivation layer 30 made of an SiON-based material or the like, which protect the photodiode 22 and the like against the open air (O2, H2O) and impurity ions (K+, Na+) and the like, a planarizing layer 26 made of an organic material and serving to reduce recesses/projections on the second passivation layer 30, and a microlens 27 formed on the planarizing layer 26 and serving to focus light from an object onto the photodiode 22.
In the solid-state image pickup element shown in FIG. 5, the photodiode 22 is formed on the substrate 21 by ion implantation or the like, and the three-layer interconnection 23 is formed with a dielectric interlayer. The light-shielding layer 24 is also formed with the dielectric interlayer. In this case, the light-shielding layer 24 is formed so as to cover the interconnection 23 to prevent light from striking the vertical CCD register VCCD. Subsequently, the first passivation layer 25 is formed on the light-shielding layer 24 to protect the photodiode 22 against the open air and moisture. The second passivation layer 30 is then formed on the first passivation layer 25. Since recesses/projections with a level difference of about 7,000 Å are formed on the second passivation layer 30 in accordance with the shape of the light-shielding layer 24, the planarizing layer 26 is formed to reduce the recesses/projections. More specifically, the upper surface of the second passivation layer 30 is coated with an organic material, and the organic material is planarized by reflowing with heat, thereby forming the planarizing layer 26 with a thickness of about 1 μm with respect to a projection of the second passivation layer 30.
The distance between the upper surface of the planarizing layer 26 formed in this manner and the upper surface of the photodiode 22 is about 4 to 6 μm. The microlens 27 is then formed on the planarizing layer 26, thus manufacturing a solid-state image pickup element like the one shown in FIG. 5.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing peripheral portions of a photodiode and microlens of a MOS image pickup element. Referring to FIG. 6, a floating diffusion area 32 is a transfer destination for charge converted by the photodiode 22, a transfer gate 31 controls the transfer of the charge converted by the photodiode 22, and a selective oxide layer 33 is formed for isolation from an adjacent image pickup element.
The same reference numerals as in FIG. 5 denote the same parts in FIG. 6. In this element, a single-layer interconnection 23 is formed, and a light-shielding layer 24 is made of aluminum. The solid-state image pickup element is manufactured by the same procedure as that for the element shown in FIG. 5.
According to the conventional CCD image pickup element, however, the distance from the upper surface of the light-shielding layer to the upper surface of the oxide layer is as large as about 7,000 Å. If, therefore, light is obliquely incident on the microlens, the light is focused on the light-shielding layer instead of the photodiode in some case. If the light is not focused on the photodiode by the microlens, the photosensitivity of the photodiode may deteriorate or light shading may occur.
The conventional MOS image pickup element is larger in pixel size than the CCD image pickup element, and hence allows an increase in the width of one side of a photodiode. Even if, therefore, light is obliquely incident on the microlens, the light is focused on the photodiode. However, with the recent demands for a reduction in the size of pixels of a CMOS sensor, photodiodes smaller in size than conventional ones are being formed. More specifically, the length of each side of a photodiode has been reduced from about 3 μm to 1.5 μm. With a reduction in photodiode size, as in the CCD image pickup element, light is focused on the light-shielding layer by the microlens. This may lead to a deterioration in the photosensitivity of the photodiode and the occurrence of light shading.


A silicon carbide-based device contact and contact fabrication method employ a layer of poly-silicon on a SiC substrate, with the contact's metal layer deposited on top of the poly-silicon. Both Schottky and ohmic contacts can be formed. The poly-silicon layer can be continuous or patterned, and can be undoped or doped to be n-type or p-type. The present contact and method provide excellent contact adhesion, and can be employed with a number of different device types, to provide electrical contacts for Schottky diodes, pn diodes, and transistors, for example.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of discrete power device and integrated circuit (IC) contacts, and particularly to contacts for use on silicon carbide (SiC) substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electrical contacts are used to enable electrical signals to be conveyed into and out of a semiconductor device. Such contacts include a metal layer. When the voltage across and the current through the metal-semiconductor junction has a linear current-voltage (I–V) relationship, the contact is referred to as an "ohmic" contact. When the contact's I–V relationship has the characteristics of a forward-biased diode, the contact is referred to as a Schottky contact.
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a semiconductor material which is becoming increasingly popular, particularly for high power applications. Ohmic contacts to n-type SiC are conventionally provided using a metal layer of nickel (Ni), while aluminum/titanium (Al/Ti), Ti, or Al/Ni are generally used with p-type SiC. Schottky contacts are conventionally provided with Ni or Ti or others for n-type or p-type SiC.
Unfortunately, contacts for SiC-based devices present certain difficulties, particularly with respect to ohmic contacts. Conventional ohmic contacts on SiC as described above require a high temperature (>1050° C.) annealing step to obtain low specific contact resistance (a parameter related to a contact's resistance versus its area). This annealing step can cause the formation of a carbon-rich interface between the SiC substrate and the metal, which can result in poor adhesion for the metal, and degraded device reliability. In addition, the high temperature at which the annealing process is performed may cause other device parameters to be degraded, such as the channel mobility for MOS-gate based devices.

Silicon carbide-based device contact and contact fabrication method


The Cellular GPRS system includes a cellular-based Glucometer (CBG) for blood glucose monitoring, a pedometer for exertion measurement, combined with user-entered dietary or other diabetes-relevant information. Data from all inputs is transmitted over a cellular network, using a GPRS or other wireless link. The data is preferably stored in the device prior to being transmitted wirelessly over the cellular airway to a central computer server. The remote computer server will evaluate the data received and respond with a data packet (making recommendations on further glucose measurement, exercise, diet, insulin requirements or other).

In managing diabetes, it is well known that wellness is related to glucose level, and that blood glucose level is affected by exertion level (calories consumed) and diet. The calories consumed are related to the speed and force of movement and the mass of the subject. Walking uphill consumes more calories than downhill, or on a level, and running consumes more per unit time than walking. Existing pedometers do not account for vertical vs. horizontal acceleration, and require a particular orientation to differentiate these two axes to thereby determine steps taken and calorie expended (when the weight of the subject is known). This makes them difficult to use, and affects the accuracy of the results (if they are oriented wrongly and this is not detected).
Existing glucometers (which determines blood glucose level) and pedometers do not interact so as to correlate results from the glucometer with calories expended (based on the pedometer results). Such correlation can be used effectively to adjust the actions the subject takes, i.e., a low glucose level can be the result of exertion, and the subject could be instructed to reduce activity level rather than consuming carbohydrates.
One design of existing glucometers employs glucose dehydrogenase to generate electrons on a strip covered with blood, and the change in voltage across the strip is measured over time to determine glucose concentration. Resistance across the strip drops over time due to the chemistry of the strip and the increase in the product of the enzyme-catalyzed reaction. Measurement of the corresponding voltage drop is correlated with known blood glucose concentrations to determine the subject's blood glucose concentration.
The disadvantages of such glucometers include that they are noise sensitive, as voltage is calculated directly from the current flow. Noise-resistant designs are thus desirable.
There is also a need to measure exertion levels of the subject, then readily transmit data from glucometers and exertion measurement devices (e.g., pedometers) to a monitor, who can determine what instructions to provide the patient to maintain blood glucose at optimal levels. The transmission medium should be inexpensive and widely used, to avoid added costs.

Cellular GPRS-communication linked glucometer—pedometer


Methods, data processing systems and program products provide delayed generation and encoding of data transmissions by storing a reference to a message to be transmitted as an entry in a transmission request queue. After establishing a communication connection between a host data processor and the portable data processor, the message corresponding to the entry in the transmission request queue is generated, encoded and then transmitted to the host data processor over the communication connection. If user input is received which requests that information resident in the data processor be modified, the data processor determines if the information associated with the modification request includes information contained in a message associated with an entry in the transmission request queue. If the information associated with the modification request includes information contained in a message associated with an entry in the transmission request queue then a copy of the information associated with the modification request is created. A copy is created to provide a version of the unmodified information for use in generating the message associated with the entry in the transmission request queue and to provide a version of the information for modification by the user.

Increases in processing capability and decreases in cost of personal computers have led to the proliferation of personal computers in all aspects of society, including schools, homes and businesses. Nowhere has this proliferation of personal computers been more prevalent than in the increased use of portable computers. In recent years, decreasing power requirements and the availability of small, high-performance microprocessors has led to a dramatic increase in the use of portable data processors such as a laptop computers, notebook computers, and personal data assistants such as the Apple Newton.RTM., U.S. Robotic Pilot.RTM. or the Sharp Wizard.RTM.. Additionally, an ever increasing number of users are developing and utilizing application specific portable data processors which are custom designed to carry out a specific task, such as, for example, electronically tracking inventory, parcels or the like.
Although the use of advanced microprocessors and low-power electronics have significantly enhanced the processing capabilities achievable by today's portable data processors, it is still often desirable that the portable unit be capable of accessing a remotely located host computer or network. Such remote access is typically established via a communications interface at each data processor that transmits or receives information.
Numerous portable data processing scenarios are designed to take advantage of such remote accessing capability, such as laptop computers configured for access to the Internet or a shared filing system, and systems which use multiple portable data processors to collect and transmit information from remote locations to a shared, centralized database. Moreover, tradeoffs between the size of a portable data processor, its processing capability, and its cost may limit the processing capabilities of a portable data processor. In such instances, remote access to a host computer or network may be desirable or even essential as a method of augmenting the processing capabilities of the portable data processor. Thus, for example, many hand-held portable data processors access applications which are resident on a remote host data processor, and thus intermittent access to the remote host is essential for proper use of the hand-held processor.
As discussed above, however, many portable data processors, including most hand-held processors, have only limited power and space available. In particular, portable data processors have limited memory due to physical constraints of portability. Such machines are "memory constrained" in the sense that insufficient memory is often available on the machine to store all the applications, objects, or other information that may be desirable while simultaneously running the desired number of applications. These memory constraints are compounded when such a portable data processor is only intermittently connected to the host computer or network, as the limited memory must also be used to transmit messages to the host computer that are generated while the portable unit is disconnected from the host. In fact, when such a memory constrained portable data processor experiences prolonged periods of usage while disconnected from the network, it is possible that the stored messages for transmission to a host processor may require nearly all the available memory and, therefore, limit the operability of the portable data processor until such time as the network connection is reestablished and the messages are delivered and removed from memory. Such occurrences are particularly problematic in object-oriented systems, as a single object can be comprised of references to the data of numerous other objects, and hence transmission of a single object can require transmission of numerous other objects which must be stored until the network connection is reestablished.
Efforts to overcome the above-described problems that may arise in memory constrained portable data processors generally have focused on improving the hardware capabilities of the portable unit, so as to provide additional memory and thereby alleviate the problem. However, such improvements have not solved the problem as more powerful software applications and expanding requirements for remote processing capability have generally out paced the advances in hardware capabilities. Moreover, less attention has been paid to more efficiently using the memory that is available at the portable unit to provide increased performance in memory constrained environments. Accordingly, there is a need to more efficiently utilize the available memory in portable data processors which only intermittently access a remote host or network.

Methods, system and computer program products for delayed message generation and encoding in an intermittently connected data communication system

International Business Machines Corporation


Coding issues that create runtime memory leaks, for example in programs coded in a platform-independent programming language such as Java™, can be isolated at the program code line level. An allocation trace that retains, in active memory, a unique object identifier for each of a plurality of objects instantiated during program execution and an address in the active memory where each object is stored can be created. Memory leak candidates can be identified by directly examining contents of the active memory to identify one or more data structures that are increasing in size over time. The allocation trace can be combined with the identified memory leak candidates to generate information about at least one identified leaking object.

Currently available Java™-based enterprise servers can typically include several thousand technical components that generate hundreds of thousands (or even larger numbers) of data records. Each of the components and data records is capable of generating or storing data. Java™ (available from Oracle Corporation of Redwood City, Calif.) and other platform-independent programming languages (referred to throughout this disclosure with the generic term "platform-independent programming language") generally do not require manual management of every bit of application memory. A process referred to as garbage collection generally includes functionality that removes from system memory objects that are no longer needed. Effective garbage collection in a platform-independent programming language aids memory management by eliminating unwanted data, also called garbage. However, currently available garbage collection programs do not address all memory problems. For example, memory leaks in a platform-independent programming language can be difficult to find, detect, and eliminate. In other words, it is not always clear, particularly during runtime, which objects are no longer needed. Memory leaks can result from design and implementation errors (for example, a reference to an object being retained beyond the useful life of the object). Thus, currently available garbage collection approaches can only detect and eliminate typical heap management problems, but are little help in finding memory leaks. Memory leaks can be harmful, because eventually they can lead to a crash of the virtual machine within which platform-independent programming language code executes.
Existing tools, such as allocation traces and heap dumps, do not generally allow identification of the statements where those objects are allocated that contribute to the memory leak. Determining which combination of object creation and data structure manipulation causes a leak is a task that can require a thorough understanding of the code. Unfortunately, memory leaks are often detected long after the code was written, which can lead to challenges in understanding what parts of the code are the likely sources of a problematic object reference. Even with well-understood code, however, the task of identifying a memory leak can be tedious, and can require significant effort and potentially collaboration among several people (e.g. the developer, a software testing team, end users experiencing the memory leaks, etc.). For at least these reasons, memory leaks often take several months to rectify.
Co-pending and co-owned U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0029822A1 describes approaches to identifying statements in a program coded using a platform-independent programming language that allocate objects in a manner that could contribute to a memory leak. An allocation trace and a heap dump are created, and the heap dump is used to identify which data structures are leaking. The allocation trace records where objects are allocated. The information on the leaking data structures extracted from the heap dump is combined with the allocation information produced by the allocation trace. An algorithm can identify objects that are part of the leaking data structure and locations in the platform-independent programming language where the identified objects are allocated in the code.

Tracking of program objects during request processing


A communication apparatus includes a generation unit that generates the first I signal and the first Q signal as signals that allow a carrier wave to undergo frequency shift keying with predetermined modulated data and inputs the first I signal and the first Q signal to a quadrature modulation unit. A first demodulation unit and the first decoding unit demodulate and decode first data that undergoes amplitude shift keying and is transmitted from the wireless tag. A second demodulation unit and the second decoding unit demodulate and decode second data that undergoes frequency shift keying from a wireless signal output from the wireless tag. A comparison unit compares the second data and the modulated data to each other. The processor executes, when matching between the second data and the modulated data is confirmed by the comparison unit, data processing on the first data.

If a wireless tag is at a position where communication ranges of a plurality of readers having the same transmission frequency band overlap each other, it is not possible to identify which of transmitted signals from the plurality of readers a reflected wave from the wireless tag is related.
In order to solve this problem, it is conceivable to devise data transmission on the wireless tag side so that the reader can identify a reader to which data is transmitted. However, in this method, a function required for the wireless tag advances, and a configuration of the wireless tag becomes complicated.
Therefore, it is desired that transmitted data from a wireless tag that is directed to another reader can be prevented from being erroneously received without making a configuration of the wireless tag complicated.

Communication apparatus and communication method


The present disclose provides a mobile terminal, including a terminal body having a front surface and a rear surface, a front display unit disposed on the front surface and configured to output visual information thereon, and a rear input unit disposed on the rear surface and configured to be manipulated to input a control command, wherein the rear input unit includes a frame installed on a case of the terminal body to be manipulated in a pressing manner, and having a mounting portion, and a rear display mounted onto the mounting portion, and configured to output visual information toward the rear surface, the visual information being related to an event generated in the mobile terminal.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This specification relates to a mobile terminal having a user input unit by which a control command is input.
2. Background of the Disclosure
Mobile terminals are electronic devices which are portable and have at least one of voice and telephone call functions, information input and/or output functions, a data storage function and the like.
As it becomes multifunctional, the mobile terminal can be allowed to capture still images or moving images, play music or video files, play games, receive broadcast and the like, so as to be implemented as an integrated multimedia player.
Many efforts are undergoing to support and enhance various functions as such multimedia player in view of hardware or software improvements. As one example, a user interface environment is provided in order for users to easily and conveniently perform a voice (audio) recording or retrieve or select a voice (audio) file.
Furthermore, as a mobile terminal is considered as a personal belonging for expressing one's own personality, various design forms are required. The design forms include structural changes and improvements for the user to more conveniently use the mobile terminal. As one of the structural changes and improvements, a user input unit may be taken into account.
For example, a user input unit may be implemented as a touch screen on a front surface of a mobile terminal or a separate key to receive a user input. However, the touch screen has a drawback in that an object to be manipulated is obscured by a finger or a stylus pen. In order to obviate the drawback, if a key is provided on a front or side surface of a terminal body, it may interfere with a slim size and a simple design of the terminal. Hence, a user input unit of a new structure to overcome those drawbacks may be considered.


A device for the internal protection of domestic ovens comprised of a folding box. The box (3) has four walls, that is a bottom wall, two side walls (5 and 6) and the rear wall (7), and a non-spill flange (8) which forms the lower part of the front wall. Preferably the invention applies to electric household appliances.

Dealing with the interior of domestic ovens remains a major problem in most kitchens, despite certain devices used by manufacturers, such as cleaning by pyrolysis which requires a considerable expenditure of energy, catalytic elements on the walls, which rapidly deteriorate, or for conventional ovens, the use of chemical degreasing agents with numerous drawbacks; progressive damage to the walls due to corrosion arising from acids, the risk of burns and intoxication, bad odors, etc.
The state of the art can be defined by the following documents.
Swiss CH-A-477.195 provides an electric rotisserie which comprises disposable metallic sheets covering the side walls with permanent magnets.
The provided protection is highly insufficiently because only the side walls of the oven are protected. The bottom of the oven, which is the least accessible, or at the lower level, where the cooking liquids collect, the walls are absent and only insufficiently partially protect the oven. Moreover, the use of magnets for the securement is both costly and not to be recommended in an oven for cooking foodstuffs, all the more so when heating is by electrical resistance, which can give rise to parasitic currents of magnetic origin.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,158,782 and Belgian 904.275 relate to devices for the internal protection of ovens. These latter, contrary to the above document in the prior art, provide devices each having a parallelepipedal shape, whose front wall has been eliminated to permit the insertion of foodstuffs into the oven with each protective device, itself being inserted in the oven.
The protection is very good with these protective devices; nevertheless, too great a confinement of the food-stuffs can lead to bad cooking of the latter.

Disposable device for the internal protection of domestic ovens

Hameau de la Chaliere, Chemin du Belvedere


Compounds having a certain benzoxazine ring system and their precursors are disclosed which are useful for enhancing synaptic responses mediated by AMPA receptors. Also disclosed are methods for preparing such compounds, and methods for their use in treating subjects suffering from impaired nervous or intellectual functioning due to deficiencies in the number of excitatory synapses or in the number of AMPA receptors. The invention compounds can also be used for the treatment of non-impaired subjects for enhancing performance in sensory-motor and cognitive tasks which depend on brain networks utilizing AMPA receptors and for improving memory encoding.

The release of glutamate at synapses at many sites in mammalian forebrain stimulates two classes of postsynaptic receptors. These classes are usually referred to as AMPA/quisqualate and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors. AMPA/quisqualate receptors mediate a voltage independent fast excitatory post-synaptic current (the fast epsc) whereas NMDA receptors generate a voltage-dependent, slow excitatory current. Studies carried out in slices of hippocampus or cortex indicate that the AMPA receptor-mediated fast epsc is by far the dominant component at most glutamatergic synapses under most circumstances.
AMPA receptors are not evenly distributed across the brain but instead are largely restricted to telencephalon and cerebellum. These receptors are found in high concentrations in the superficial layers of neocortex, in each of the major synaptic zones of hippocampus, and in the striatal complex, as reported by Monaghan et al., in Brain Research 324:160-164 (1984). Studies in animals and humans indicate that these structures organize complex perceptual-motor processes and provide the substrates for higher-order behaviors. Thus, AMPA receptors mediate transmission in those brain networks responsible for a host of cognitive activities.
For the reasons set forth above, drugs that enhance the functioning of AMPA receptors offer significant benefits for intellectual performance. Such drugs should also facilitate memory encoding. Experimental studies, such as those reported by Arai and Lynch, Brain Research, 598:173-184 (1992), indicate that increasing the size of AMPA receptor-mediated synaptic response(s) enhances the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP). LTP is a stable increase in the strength of synaptic contacts that follows repetitive physiological activity of a type known to occur in the brain during learning. Compounds that enhance the functioning of AMPA-type glutamate receptors facilitate the induction of LTP and the acquisition of learned tasks as measured by a number of paradigms. Granger et al., Synapse 15:326-329 (1993); Staubli et al., PNAS 91:777-781 (1994); Arai et al., Brain Res. 638:343-346 (1994); Staubli et al., PNAS 91:11158-1162 (1994); Shors et al., Neurosci. Let. 186:153-156 (1995); Larson et al., J. Neurosci. 15:8023-8030 (1995); Granger et al., Synapse 22:332-337 (1996); Arai, et al., JPET 278:627-638 (1996); Lynch et al., Internat. Clin. Psychopharm. 11:13-19 (1996); Lynch et al., Exp. Neurology 145:89-92 (1997); Ingvar et al., Exp. Neurology 146:553-559 (1997); and International Patent Application Publication No. WO 94/02475.
There is a considerable body of evidence showing that LTP is the substrate of memory. For example, compounds that block LTP interfere with memory formation in animals, and certain drugs that disrupt learning in humans antagonize the stabilization of LTP, as reported by del Cerro and Lynch, Neuroscience 49:1-6 (1992). A possible prototype for a compound that selectively facilitates the AMPA receptor was disclosed by Ito et al., J. Physiol. 424:533-543 (1990). These authors found that the nootropic drug aniracetam (N-anisoyl-2-pyrrolidinone) increases currents mediated by brain AMPA receptors expressed in Xenopus oocytes without affecting responses by .gamma.-aminobutyric acid (GABA), kainic acid (KA), or NMDA receptors. Infusion of aniracetam into slices of hippocampus was also shown to substantially increase the size of fast synaptic potentials without altering resting membrane properties. It has since been confirmed that aniracetam enhances synaptic responses at several sites in hippocampus, and that it has no effect on NMDA-receptor mediated potentials. See, for example, Staubli et al., in Psychobiology 18:377-381 (1990) and Xiao et al., Hippocampus 1:373-380 (1991). Aniracetam has also been found to have an extremely rapid onset and washout, and can be applied repeatedly with no apparent lasting effects; these are valuable traits for behaviorally-relevant drugs. Unfortunately, the peripheral administration of aniracetam is not likely to influence brain receptors. The drug works only at high concentrations (.about.1.0 mM) and Guenzi and Zanetti, J. Chromatogr. 530:397-406 (1990) report that about 80% of the drug is converted to anisoyl-GABA following peripheral administration in humans. The metabolite, anisoyl-GABA, has been found to have only weak aniracetam-like effects.
Accordingly, there is a need to identify new compounds for use in enhancing synaptic responses, and particularly for treating or alleviating conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, schizophreniform behavior, and other psychotic conditions, drug-dependencies such as addictions to drugs of abuse, and for enhancing memory and other cognitive functions. Such compounds are described below.

Benzoxazine compounds for enhancing synaptic response


A fitting has a threaded insert to be tightened within a housing bore. A first lock ring has an anti-rotation structure on an outer peripheral surface to interfit with anti-rotation structure in a housing. The first lock ring has a face extending generally perpendicular to an axis of the insert, with anti-rotation structure included on the first face. A second lock ring has anti-rotation structure on a face which extends perpendicular to an axis of the threaded insert. The anti-rotation structure on the faces of the first and second lock ring interfit to resist relative rotation of the two. An assembly is also disclosed.

This application relates to a fitting.
Various type fittings are known and are utilized to connect components together. One type fitting includes a threaded insert driven into a threaded bore in a housing. A ring may be deployed after torqueing of the fitting into the housing. The ring has serrations on an outer periphery which interfit with serrations in the housing bore.
The ring locks the insert against tightening or loosening as it can no longer rotate. However, maintenance of such fittings is complicated.

Fitting with dual serrated locking rings


An image treatment apparatus comprising: an input device for inputting image data; a setting circuit serving as a reference when the image data is quantized in accordance with the image data input by the input device; a quantizing circuit for quantizing the image data; and a device for outputting an image in accordance with the result of treatment performed by the quantizing circuit, wherein the quantizing circuit performs the quantization by correcting the error between the image data input by the input device and the image output by the outputting device.

1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to an image treatment method and apparatus for treating images by digital signals. More particularly, the present invention relates to an image treatment method and apparatus for expressing half-tone images in a pseudo-manner by performing a quantization treatment of input data.
2. Related Background Art
Hitherto, apparatuses of the type described above such as laser beam printers (LBP) and ink jet type of printers employing a binary recording method in which recording dots are treated to be "whether printed or not" have been known. When a copying treatment of images of half-tone density such as photographs or half-tone dot original documents is performed with a copying machine which employs the above-described binary recording method, a method is employed in which a treatment for expressing a half-tone in a pseudo-manner is used, the read-out half-tone image data being treated using an image treatment circuit thereof is performed.
As an example of the method of treatment of the above-described type of pseudo-half-tone treatment, there is, at present, a so-called "dither method" which is the method widely used.
This dither method has an advantage that the above described type of pseudo-half-tone processing can be performed with a low cost since the structure of the hardware thereof is simple. However, this method raises the following problems:
1 In a case where the original document is a dot image such as a print, the quality of the image deteriorates due to generation of periodical fringes (moire) in the copied image. PA0 2 In a case where the original document contains line drawings and/or characters, sufficient reproductivity of the lines cannot be obtained, and thereby the quality of the image deteriorates.
There is a method of overcoming problem 1 by performing a smoothing treatment (spatial filtering treatment) upon the read-out half-tone image data. Furthermore, there is a method of overcoming problem 2 by performing an edge exaggerating treatment. However, with the above-described methods, it is difficult to obtain images exhibiting a sufficient productivity upon all of various images such as photographs, dot images, line drawings, and characters. Furthermore, the size of the circuit for performing the above-described treatment is larger. Therefore, the original advantages of the dither method can deteriorate.
To improve on this, as an example of a pseudo-half-tone treatment, there is a so-called "error diffusion method" which has recently attracted public attention.
This error diffusion method is a method in which the error in the density, which is generated when the input image data is binarized, between that of the input (not yet binarized) image data and that of the output (binarized) image data is diffused to the peripheral picture elements whereby the density can be secured. This method was published in "An Adaptive Algorithm for Spatial Grey Scale "SID. 75 Digest" literature by R. W. Floyd and L. Steinberg.
This error diffusion method exhibits a rather improved gradating performance and resolution with respect to the above-described dither method. On the other hand, this method raises problems that a specific fringe pattern can be generated in a portion where the density of the image is uniform, and/or granular noise can appear due to generation of dots in a diffused manner in highlight portions of the image.
In order to overcome these problems, a variety of methods have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,876,610, 4,878,125 and 5,008,95, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 192,601.
Furthermore, a method is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,958,236, wherein generation of lines at the boundary portions of the images is prevented when the image is divided into a plurality of regions and the thus-divided regions are each quantization-treated in the error diffusion method.
On the other hand, when an original image is read and it is binarized by the error diffusion method so as to be output by a printer, there is a problem that there is a blank area in which no dot is printed as shown in FIG. 15 if the density of the original image is in a low level. Furthermore, in the region next to such blank region, dots are, as shown in FIG. 15, printed successively. As described above, the reproduced image output after treatment using the error diffusion method raises the problem that excessive deterioration in the quality of image is generated in the highlight portion in which the density of the image is in a low level.

Image treatment method and apparatus with error dispersion and controllable quantization


A laparoscopic instrument assembly includes a rigid sleeve and a plurality of laparoscopic instrument shafts inserted inside the sleeve. The sleeve has an outer diameter smaller than an inner diameter of a laparoscopic cannula, whereby a distal end portion of the instrument assembly may be inserted into a patient's abdomen through the laparoscopic cannula during a laparoscopic procedure. A plurality of surgical tips are operatively connected to respective ones of the shafts at distal ends thereof, while an actuator component is connected to the shafts at a proximal end of the sleeve for independently actuating the operative tips.

This invention relates to a laparoscopic instrument assembly. This invention also relates to a method for use in laparoscopic surgery.
Laparoscopy involves the piercing of the abdominal wall and the insertion of a tubular port member or laparoscopic cannula through the perforation. Various instruments may be inserted through the tubular member to perform surgical operations inside the abdomen.
Generally, upon the disposition of the first cannula or trocar sleeve so that it traverses the abdominal wall, the abdominal cavity is pressurized to distend the abdominal wall and provide a safety region between the wall and the body organs inside the cavity. Moreover, several perforations are made. One perforation receives a laparoscope which enables visual monitoring of organs and surgical activities inside the abdominal cavity. Other perforations serve for the insertion of different surgical instruments.
Laparoscopic surgery provides several advantages over conventional incision-based surgery. The laparoscopic perforations, in being substantially smaller than the incisions made during conventional operations, are less traumatic to the patient and provide for an accelerated recovery and convalescence. Hospital stays are minimized. Concomitantly, laparoscopic surgery is less time consuming and less expensive than conventional surgery for correcting the same problems.
Generally, laparoscopic surgery is performed with rigid instruments, the distal end portions of which are inserted into the patient's abdominal cavity through one or more tubular port members inserted in perforations formed in the abdominal wall. To enable the different laparoscopic surgical instruments to reach different locations within the abdominal cavity, the tubular cannulas are tilted or pivoted.
In a more recent development, the distal terminal portions of some laparoscopes are flexible and bendable under control of the surgeon by the manipulation of actuator members outside the patient. As in endoscopic surgery, surgical instruments such as biopsy forceps, graspers, trocars, suction devices, irrigators, scissors, cautery devices, staplers, suture applicators and clamps, may be inserted through one or more longitudinal channels in the laparoscopes or endoscopes. These instruments are at least partially flexible to enable them to flex with the bending type motions of the laparoscopes or endoscopes in which they are inserted.
It frequently occurs during laparoscopic surgery that an additional instrument is temporarily required. Inserting this extra instrument involves either temporarily removing one of the other instruments or forming another perforation with a trocar.