A method of controlling a touch input of a terminal is provided. The method includes determining, when a touch input is sensed, a touch position, and setting a partial area of a touch panel including the determined touch position as an effective touch area of the touch panel. The method may further include determining, when the touch input is sensed, whether the touch input is a pen touch input, and sensing the touch input through a touch panel for sensing a user touch and an Electro Magnetic Resonance (EMR) panel for sensing the pen touch input, wherein the touch position is determined when the touch input is a pen touch sensed through the EMR panel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for controlling a touch input of a terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method that can simultaneously process a pen input and a touch input in a device that can use a finger and a pen touch.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, recent terminals include a touch panel and perform an operation control and a data input of the terminal through the touch panel. In this case, the touch panel generally uses a capacitive type or a resistive type that senses a user's finger touch. In this case, when inputting data using a device using the touch panel, a keypad (Korean alphabet, English, numeral) for inputting data is displayed, and when touching a character area on the keypad, a method of recognizing a touch position of a terminal and determining input data is used.
However, when using the touch panel, if the keypad is not used, a finger should be used and thus a character and a picture cannot be finely input. Therefore, devices using a pen for finely performing a cursive script input or a drawing input such as a line have been developed. For example, Electro Magnetic Resonance (EMR) technology of the Wacom company senses a pen input through a resonance between a Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) and an EMR exclusive pen by adding an EMR sensor pad under a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). In the following description, the touch panel is a panel that senses a finger touch, and an EM panel is a panel that senses a pen touch.
When the two touch methods are simultaneously provided, an unintended interference may occur by a touch of a pen and a hand. That is, when a pen touch method through an EMR pen and a C-type (capacitive) touch method that senses a finger are used, an unintended touch input may occur by a touch of a hand that holds a pen.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an unintended interference in a terminal using a touch input method according to the related art.
Referring to FIG. 1, when a user holds an EMR pen and performs an input action to a terminal, an unintended interference 120 is generated by a finger/palm holding a pen 110. Here, an input may be writing, drawing, a screen touch, and a gesture using a pen. In this case, when a meaningless touch input 120 generated by a hand holding the pen is sensed as an input, the terminal may perform an erroneous input or an erroneous operation. Further, in a terminal of the related art, when a pen input is performed, it is difficult to dispose an icon in a right/left lower end area, which is a portion in which a palm frequently contacts. That is, when a pen is used, an icon is randomly pressed, and thus a problem that an erroneous operation (conversion to another screen) occurs exists.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method for excluding an unintended touch input.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention,

Method and apparatus for controlling touch input of terminal


A communication apparatus that communicates with an information processing apparatus includes a switching unit for switching between an invalid state and a valid state of an access point in the communication apparatus and a setting unit for setting, for the communication apparatus based on information acquired from the information processing apparatus to which the communication apparatus is connected via the access point in the valid state, a communication mode in which the communication apparatus can communicate with the information processing apparatus using a first connection method. The switching unit does not bring the access point into the valid state when the communication apparatus is connected to the information processing apparatus using a second connection method and is able to bring the access point into the valid state when the communication apparatus is not connected to the information processing apparatus using the second connection method.

Field
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a communication apparatus, a control method, and a computer readable medium.
Description of the Related Art
Communication apparatuses capable of establishing communication using a plurality of connection methods such as Universal Serial Bus (USB) (registered trademark) connection and wireless connection have been known. For such a communication apparatus, a communication mode in which a connection to an information processing apparatus is made using one of these connection methods is set. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-359623 discloses a communication apparatus capable of receiving communication information from an information processing apparatus and automatically setting a communication mode on the basis of the communication information.
However, for example, in a case where the connection method of such a communication apparatus is determined in advance, there is no need to set a communication mode. At that time, before setting a communication mode, the communication apparatus is often connected to an information processing apparatus using the connection method determined in advance.

Communication apparatus, control method, and computer readable medium


Motor Drive Control Device configured to properly start up various types of motors under operating conditions where motor operations are performed in a wide range of temperature and power supply voltage, includes output drive controllers that supply PWM drive output signals to an output pre-driver in such a manner as to minimize the error between a current instruction signal and a current detection digital signal. In response to a detected induced voltage generated from a voltage detector upon startup of a motor, an initial acceleration controller supplies initial acceleration output signals specifying a conducting phase for initial acceleration of the motor to the output drive controllers. The initial acceleration controller, the output drive controllers, and an output driver make a conducting phase change and perform a PWM drive to provide the initial acceleration of the motor.

The present invention relates to a motor drive control device that drives a three-phase DC motor. The present invention also relates to a method of operating the motor drive control device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technology effective for properly starting up various types of motors under operating conditions where motor operations are performed in a wide range of temperature and power supply voltage.
A brushless three-phase DC motor is used as a spindle motor for rotating a magnetic disk of a hard disk drive (HDD). The spindle motor rotates the magnetic disk at a high speed, positions a read/write magnetic head close to the surface of the rotating magnetic disk, and moves the magnetic head in the radial direction of the magnetic disk to write information on the magnetic disk and read the information written on the magnetic disk.
When a brushless three-phase DC motor was subjected to drive control in the past, a Hall element was used to detect the positional relationship between a rotor (rotating part) and a stator (stationary part). Reverse motor rotation was prevented by determining an appropriate conduction start phase by selecting it from three coil phases in accordance with the detected positional relationship. However, when a rotor position detector based on the Hall element was incorporated in the motor, it was difficult to reduce the size of the motor. Hence, a sensorless DC motor was frequently used for the hard disk drive. If the positional relationship between the rotor and the stator is not properly determined at the beginning of rotation, such a sensorless DC motor may cause the rotor to rotate in a reverse direction.
A conduction start phase determination method described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-275387 sequentially supplies a short pulse current in a forward direction and in a reverse direction to the extent that a rotor does not respond to the field coil of each phase of a brushless motor, combines a voltage induced during a forward-direction supply with a voltage induced during a reverse-direction supply, which are both developed in a non-conducting phase, determines the polarity of the combined induced voltage, and determines a conduction start phase in accordance with the determined polarity. The induced voltage is a voltage that is induced on a field coil of a stator by the magnetic field lines of a magnet for the rotor in accordance with the positional relationship between the rotor's magnet and the stator's field coil. Currents flowing to the field coils of two out of three phases are sequentially alternated between forward direction and reverse direction to compare the resulting induced voltages. This makes it possible to determine which of the field coils of the two phases is closer to a pole of the rotor's magnet and determine whether the pole is an S-pole or an N-pole. Meanwhile, the reverse voltage (back electromotive voltage) of the motor is a voltage that is developed across a field coil of the stator in proportion to a revolving speed when the rotor's magnet rotates in a magnetic field of the stator's field coil. The reverse voltage of the motor is essentially different from the induced voltage of the motor.
FIG. 13 in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-115599 and the description given with reference to this figure deal with motor startup control that includes a sequence of initial rotor position identification and conducting phase determination by a three-phase sense, motor drive by conduction, rotor movement verification by a three-phase sense, motor drive by conduction, rotor movement verification by a three-phase sense, and motor drive by conduction. The three-phase sense is accomplished by supplying a short pulse current in the forward direction and in the reverse direction to the extent that the rotor does not respond, subjecting an induced voltage developed in the remaining non-conducting phase to analog-to-digital conversion, and adding up the results of analog-to-digital conversion with an integrating register.
In the first three-phase sense for identifying an initial rotor position, the polarity of an induced voltage in each non-conducting phase of a total of three phases is determined to determine the conduction start phase in accordance with the determined polarities of the induced voltages in the three phases. When the motor is driven by initial conduction, the field coils of two phases that are determined as a conduction start phase by the first three-phase sense is energized for a relatively short predetermined period of time to subject the motor to a first initial acceleration. The second and third three-phase sense operations are performed to check for the reversal of polarity of an induced voltage concerning the next detection phase, which is determined from the conduction start phase.
FIG. 3 in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-113506 and the description given with reference to this figure deal with a motor startup method that reduces the time required for motor startup by preventing the generation of noise during motor startup, which is determined by the sum of a three-phase sense detection period for initial acceleration described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-115599 and a conduction period for motor drive. In other words, the polarity of an induced voltage in each non-conducting phase of a total of three phases is determined by one three-phase sense operation, as is the case with the description given in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-115599, and the conduction start phase is determined in accordance with the determined polarity of the induced voltage in each of the three phases. In subsequent PWM drive for conduction for motor drive, the induced voltage developed in a non-conducting phase is detected so that the conducting phase is changed in response to the detection of the peak of the induced voltage. Even after the conducting phase is changed, the peak of the induced voltage developed in a non-conducting phase during motor drive is continuously detected. The detected peak is then used to time a phase change for the purpose of accelerating the motor.

Motor drive control device and operating method thereof


The invention provides an inexpensive and small-sized light-receiving module having high performance, including a light receiving part consisting of a photodiode or a photodiode and an amplifier, and a mechanism for coupling an optical fiber end to the light receiving part; wherein the light receiving part is electrically shielded by a conductive member having openings to interrupt outside noise, and both the light receiving part and conductive member are shielded by a resin mold for integration.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light-receiving module which receives light signals in optical fiber transmissions. In particular, the invention achieves an improvement of inexpensive resin-molded package elements, and it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a resin-molded package having a structure by which the light receiving part is protected from external noise.
2. Prior Art
In a light-receiving module of a prior art, a receiving photodiode (PD module: as shown in FIG. 1) was housed and shielded in an expensive metallic casing.
A description is given of a light-receiving module of a prior art. In a PD module 15 in FIG. 1, a PD chip 17 is fixed at the middle of the upper surface of a metallic disk stem 16. A metallic cap 18 is fixed on the stem 16. A metallic cylindrical lens holder 19 is welded to the stem 16 so that it encloses a cap 18. Also, a conical type ferrule holder 20 is fixed on the lens holder 19.
A metallic ferrule 22 is fixed at the tip end of an optical fiber 21. The ferrule 22 is inserted into a top hole of the ferrule holder 20, and fixed therein. The tip ends of the optical fiber and ferrule are polished to be slant so that no reflected returning light enters an LD.
The PD module 15 is accommodated in a metallic casing consisting of a metallic stem 16, metallic lens holder 19 and metallic ferrule holder 20. The light receiving part is likely to be influenced by peripheral noise since the impedance thereof is high and the signal current thereof is small. However, since the light receiving part is covered by a metallic can, it is possible to be electrically shielded from peripheral noise.
An amplification circuit which amplifies the light current connects the PD module. This is also accommodated in a metallic casing and is designed to be resistant to noise. FIG. 2 shows an example of such a light receiving circuit. A wiring pattern is depicted on an epoxy circuit substrate 30. The lead pins of the PD 15 housed in a metallic can in FIG. 1 is inserted into a wiring pattern 32 of the substrate 30 and soldered therein. An amplification circuit 31 connected the wiring pattern 32 is also an element covered by a metallic casing. The metallic casing is connected to a ground terminal on the circuit substrate. A wire 33 extending from an amplification circuit 31 enclosed by a metallic casing is connected to an output circuit and a power source.
Since, in the light receiving part, the signal current is low and the amplification is high, the light receiving part is apt to receive noise. As regards the prior art light-receiving module, the PD module, drive circuit, and amplification circuit are individually housed in separate casings. Therefore, even though the light-receiving module receives light in an external surrounding where noise exists, there is almost no influence where external noise reaches and is mixed with weak receiving signals.
Where the PD module in FIG. 1 is used, there is no invasion of external noise into the PD (light receiving part) circuit. However, there are a considerable number of elements and parts. It is necessary for wires to be printed on a printed substrate 30. The amplification circuit 31 enclosed by a metallic casing is soldered thereto, and a pin of the PD module housed in a metallic can in FIG. 1 is further soldered thereto. As described above, amplification circuit elements housed in independent metallic cans are required, and printed substrates are also required. That is, the number of components is increased, thereby causing an increase in the production cost.
There are still further problems even in the module in FIG. 1, one of which is that the stem face and the optical fiber direction are vertical, and the other of which is that of light propagating in space over a considerable distance in a package. Therefore, a lens 26 is also required. The PD module is large-sized, and the light-receiving module in which an amplification part is incorporated will become large-sized as shown in FIG. 2. The size of the light-receiving module will inevitably increase.
Further, since expensive metallic packages are used for PD and circuits such as an amplification circuit, production cost is increased. Insofar that an expensive and large-sized light-receiving module is used, light transmission cannot extend to general household use. It is essential that light-receiving modules are small-sized and inexpensive in order to allow extensive use of light transmission to include general household use. If individual components are housed in expensive metallic packages, low cost construction is difficult. Further, in view of making them small-sized, it is preferable that the PD and amplifier (AMP) are not separate from each other.
Recently, an attempt has been made to achieve a small-sized and inexpensive product by mounting a waveguide (or optical fiber), PD chip and AMP chip on one substrate. A PD and amplifier are mounted on one substrate, and light is caused to propagate in parallel on the substrate. Since a waveguide or an optical fiber, and a PD and an amplifier are mounted on a planar substrate, this is called xe2x80x9cplanar mountingxe2x80x9d. The example is illustrated in FIG. 3 (Plan view) and FIG. 4 (Cross-sectional view). A light waveguide 44 is formed on an Si bench 42, and a PD 47 is placed on the termination end, and an amplifier (AMP) 48 chip is provided on the same substrate 42.
The termination end of an optical fiber 49 is connected to the end of the light waveguide 44. Light propagating through the optical fiber 49 is input from the light waveguide 44 to the waveguide-type light-receiving layer of the PD 47. That is, the light is converted to photocurrents. The photocurrents are immediately amplified by the amplifier 48. Since light signals of the PD are directly amplified beforehand without routing in any unnecessary wiring, the light signals have high resistance against noise.
Since the waveguide or optical fiber, PD and amplifier are placed on one substrate, the optical receiving module can be small-sized and lightweight. Since the chips themselves are small, they can be disposed adjacent to each other, whereby the elements can be made further small-sized. The number of packages (casings) is also reduced one, and the cost thereof can be decreased. If a ceramic package is employed with a reduced number of packages, the hermeticity can be improved. However, the cost is not reduced. One of the most inexpensive packages is a commonly available resin mold. Therefore, it is highly advantageous to employ a resin mold package in order to reduce the production cost.
In such a pattern where the receiving signal light of the PD is intense (that is, a short-range transmission), it will cause almost no problem. However, as the receiving signals become weak due to long-range transmission, the problem of noise occurs. If only a resin mold is employed, there is no shielding effect against external noise. Since the input impedance is high with a high amplification ratio noise is likely to be detected despite the light receiving part consisting of a PD and an amplifier. That is, the light receiving part is of a structure that is liable to be affected by noise, and sufficient reception cannot be obtained with respect to weak signals since noise is not shielded. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an inexpensive and small-sized light-receiving module which resolves such problems, and protect the light receiving part thereof from external noise.
A light-receiving module according to the invention has an optical fiber or a light waveguide, a light receiving element PD and an amplifier (AMP), wherein the light receiving part is covered by a conductive material having openings through which resin can pass, for example, a metallic plate, metallic meshed member, metallic porous plate having a plurality of pores, and the light receiving part, metallic meshed member and metallic porous plate are covered and molded by resin, and all of these are integrated as one unit.
In the invention, the light receiving part is covered by a conductive material having openings through which resin passes, for example, folded metallic plate, porous metallic plate, and metallic meshed member, thereby electrically shielding the light receiving part from the outside. That is, the light receiving part is electrically shielded from external intensive electric waves by the open folded metallic plate, metallic meshed member, or porous metallic plate. The light receiving part is electrically shielded by the open folded metallic plate, metallic meshed member, or porous metallic plate because the light receiving part is densely covered by a molding material invading the interior through the openings (pores). Although mere shielding may be made sufficient by putting a metallic cap over the light receiving part, if the light receiving part is shielded by a metallic cap, no resin can be inserted into the light receiving part in the process of molding, wherein the light receiving part cannot be molded by resin. In the invention, the light receiving part is covered by a metallic plate having openings, wherein fluid resin is inserted from the outside into the light receiving part through the openings and is solidified therein. That is, fluid resin is supplied, and the light receiving part is electrically shielded by a metallic plate having openings, a meshed member, or porous metallic plate to mold the light receiving part. While large numbers of openings and openings large in diameter facilitate the insertion of resin into the interior, oversized pores reduce the ability to shield electric waves. Therefore, the number of pores, and the size thereof are adequately determined by the viscosity of fluid resin and the noise level. While it is preferable that the light receiving part is covered by a metallic part in the case of a ceramic package, the ceramic package is costly. The elements of the invention are packaged by a mold type package specifically to reduce the production cost. Also, in order to prevent external noise from entering, it is strongly recommended that the light receiving part be shielded by placing the PD and AMP (amplifier) as close together as possible. The mold type enables an equivalent outer form of the package to the prior art packages to be made while shielding the PD and AMP in the closest position.
Where the PD and AMP (amplifier) are integrated in the light-receiving module as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, they can be made smaller-sized than separated PD and AMP as in FIGS. 1 and 2. For example, even though the PD and AMP are integrated and constructed as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it is costly if a ceramic package is used. However, since a resin-molded package is employed in the invention, without the use of any ceramic package, the cost of the package is reduced. Further enhanced from the states shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, external noise is prevented from permeating by covering the light receiving part with a metallic plate having openings, a metallic meshed member or porous metallic plate. There are two modes in coupling with optical fibers, one of which is a waveguide type (a) in which a light waveguide is formed on a substrate, and the other a V-grooved type (b) in which an optical fiber ribbon is fixed in a V-shaped groove. The invention is applicable to any one of these types.
(a) Waveguide type (FIGS. 5 and 6) . . . A PD chip 47 and an amplifier chip 48 are provided on a substrate 42 in parallel. A light waveguide 44 is provided on the substrate 42. The end face of the optical fiber 49 is connected to the starting end of the light waveguide 44, and the PD 47 is coupled to the termination end of the light waveguide 44. The PD 47 and amplifier 48 are covered by a porous metallic plate (herein, a meshed member 53) in order to prevent from permeation of external noise.
(b) V-grooved type (FIGS. 7 and 8) . . . A PD chip 47 and an amplifier chip 48 are provided on a substrate 42 in parallel. A V-shaped groove 45 is provided on the substrate 42. The ribbon 46 which is obtained by unsheathing the optical fiber 49 is fixed in the V-shaped groove 46. The PD 47 is coupled to the termination end of the ribbon 46. The PD 47 and AMP 48 are covered y a porous metallic plate (herein, a meshed member) to prevent from permeation of external noise.
The present invention may be applicable to either (a) or (b). In the invention, an optical fiber or a light waveguide, PD and AMP are fixed on the same substrate. And further, they are resin-molded to cover the light receiving part by a porous metallic plate. Therefore, the invention can provide a small-sized and inexpensive light-receiving module having high reliability.
The feature of the invention resides is that the light receiving part is electrically shielded by a conductive body having open portions and is resin-molded. The feature of a light-receiving module according to the invention is that the light receiving part is covered by a metallic meshed member, a porous metallic plate, or a metallic plate, etc., whereby external electric waves can be divert d so as not to enter the light receiving part as noise. Since the noise level is low, the reception is heightened. Further, the light-receiving module being planar mounting type facilitates its production. Also, small-size can be achieved since a planar mounting type optical fiber and light receiving part are secured the same substrate. Still further, since a light-receiving module according to the invention is of a resin-mold type, production cost can be reduced. In line with prevailing optical transmission networks, a low cost module Is essential. That is, by the invention, a noise-suppressed and small-sized light-receiving module having high performance can be industrially mass-produced at a low production cost.

Light-receiving module for optical fiber transmission with mesh shielding conductor


An apparatus and method are described herein which help prevent particles and other contaminants that are generated when an edge of a glass sheet is processed from contaminating or damaging the glass sheet. The apparatus includes an encapsulation device and a processing device. The encapsulation device is capable of supporting two surfaces of a glass sheet. And, the processing device is capable of processing (e.g., cutting, scribing, grinding or polishing) the edge that is adjacent to the supported two surfaces of the glass sheet which are located on a first side of the encapsulation device. The encapsulation device is also capable of substantially preventing particles and other contaminants that are generated when the processing device processes the edge of the glass sheet from reaching the two surfaces of the glass sheet which are located on a second side of the encapsulation device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing an edge of a glass sheet. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for cutting, scribing, grinding or polishing an edge of a glass sheet that can be used in a flat panel display.
2. Description of Related Art
Processing glass sheets that require a high quality surface finish like the ones used in flat panel displays, typically involves cutting the glass sheet into a desired shape and then grinding and/or polishing the edges of the cut glass sheet to remove any sharp corners. Today the grinding and polishing steps are usually carried out on an apparatus known as a double edger or double edging machine. Such double edging machines are known and available from Bando Kiko Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Fukuyama Co., and Glass Machinery Engineering.
During the grinding and polishing of the edges of a glass sheet using a double edging machine, the glass sheet is typically sandwiched between two neoprene or rubber belts. The belts contact both surfaces of the glass sheet and cooperate to hold the glass sheet in place while the edges of the glass sheet are ground or polished by an abrasive grinding wheel. The belts also transport the glass sheet through a feeding section of the machine, a grinding or polishing section of the machine, and an end section of the machine.
This method of gripping, processing and conveying a glass sheet using a double edging machine has several disadvantages. First, the particles generated during edge finishing can be a major source of contamination on the surfaces of the glass sheet. Thus, the glass sheet requires extensive washing and drying at the end of the finishing process to clean and wash off the generated particles. Of course, the additional steps of washing and drying at the end of the finishing process impacts the original cost for the finishing line and increases the cost of manufacturing. Secondly, the particles and chips caught between the belts and the glass sheet can severely damage the surfaces of the glass sheet. Sometimes this damage can be the cause of a break source during subsequent processing steps and result in poor process yields due to a reduced number of selects that can be shipped to a customer.
To address these concerns, the surfaces of the glass sheet are currently protected by a plastic film to help prevent damage and contamination. But, if the source of contamination can be eliminated/minimized, then the plastic film is not needed and that would reduce the cost and complexity of the finishing process. Minimizing surface scratches would also help the glass manufacturer meet the customer's stringent demands and challenging specifications. Moreover, minimizing the generated particle levels would reduce the load on the washing equipment downstream. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and method that helps prevent particles and other contaminants that are generated during edge finishing from contaminating or damaging the two surfaces of a glass sheet. This need and other needs are satisfied by the apparatus and method of the present invention.

Apparatus and method for grinding and/or polishing an edge of a glass sheet


A device retrieves information associated with personal inventory from a personal inventory database, and provides for display of an input personal inventory option, a search personal inventory option, and a search loaned personal inventory option based on the retrieved personal inventory information. The device further receives selection of one of the input personal inventory option, the search personal inventory option, or the search loaned personal inventory option, and receives information associated with a new personal inventory item when the input personal inventory option is selected. The device also provides for display of search personal inventory information when the search personal inventory option is selection, and provides for display of search loaned personal inventory information when the search loaned personal inventory option is selected.

Today, there are desktop-based databases that store information associated with digital video discs (DVDs), compact discs (CDs), books, video games, etc. For example, one desktop application permits users to create visual on-screen representations of their personal collections of books, CDs, movies and video games. The desktop application also displays images of the items on virtual shelves and pulls information from online databases to display detailed product descriptions.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


An improvement to a collapsible stanchion on a railcar for supporting semi-trailers thereon. The improvement consists of a linkage which is activated by the pulling of a handle away from the stanchion during the operation of raising it from a resting position to an upright position. The linkage exerts a force on a diagonal support member of the stanchion to urge it into a position where the stanchion's locking mechanism may be engaged to lock the stanchion in an upright position.

The intermodal transport of semi-trailers on ocean going barges and flatbed railcars is well known in the prior art. One known method of attaching or "tying down" semi-trailers for transport on railcars utilizes a collapsible stanchion having a "fifth wheel" mounted thereon which mimics the connection point on the rear of a typical on-road tractor. This apparatus operates as illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3.
FIG. 1 shows stanchion 40 in a collapsed position about to be pulled erect. The erection is accomplished using an operable hook 12 pivotally mounted to the rear of a terminal tractor 10. Tractor 10 is positioned over stanchion 40 and hook 12 is pivoted down into engagement with an opening (not shown) defined in vertical strut 42 of stanchion 40. FIG. 1 shows hook 12 lowered and engaged in the opening.
In FIG. 2, stanchion 40 has been pulled partially erect by the forward motion of tractor 10. The four main parts of stanchion 40 are now exposed. Stanchion 40 is comprised of vertical strut 42, which will bear the weight of semi trailer 8 when erect; diagonal strut lower portion 46, which is fixed to railcar deck 18 by a pinned connection; a shorter diagonal strut upper portion 44, which is pivotally mounted to both vertical strut 42 and diagonal strut lower portion 46; and top plate 48, which will bear the weight of semi trailer 8 and lock onto the kingpin of trailer 8 to keep trailer 8 and railcar 18 together during travel over the railway.
FIG. 3 shows stanchion 40 in its fully erect position. Stanchion 40 is locked in this position by diagonal strut 45 formed by upper diagonal strut portion 44 and lower diagonal strut portion 46. When fully erect, the joint between upper diagonal strut portion 44 and lower diagonal strut portion 46 is locked against rotation and will remain locked until an abutting plate on terminal tractor 10 is backed against release trigger 14 shown in FIG. 3. Through suitable linkage, the backward motion of tractor 10 against release trigger 14 will unlatch the joint of diagonal strut 45, simultaneously releasing the kingpin and permitting the collapse of stanchion 40 back into the position of FIG. 1.
While the collapsible stanchion as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 is operable, it suffers from a serious design flaw. To be locked into place, the upper and lower portions 46 and 44 respectively of diagonal strut 45 must be moved slightly beyond their straight line position as defined by the end fastening pins of the two portions 46 and 44, and the center pivot pin all having their centers in one straight line. The reason for this is that a hard stop of high strength is provided to prevent folding of the strut in the wrong direction. By latching the strut slightly over center (i.e., wherein the diagonal strut is beyond its straight line position), any longitudinal compressive force imparted to the diagonal strut by, for example, switching impacts to the car, or slack action when traveling in a train, will force the strut to fold slightly against its hard stop instead of placing the load on the latching mechanism, thereby freeing the latch mechanism from having to bear these very high forces.
Because no amount of statically applied pull on the ends of diagonal strut 45, even up to the breaking strength of diagonal strut 45 could cause this over center alignment to occur, the instructions usually given to operators simply advises that to lock diagonal strut 45 the motion of vertical strut 42 must be rapid enough that diagonal strut 45, because of inertia, will "snap", that is, travel beyond the straight line condition, and lock into place at the over center position.
This is shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4(a) shows strut 45 before upper portion 44 and lower portion 46 are situated in a straight line. Spring operated latch 50, mounted on upper portion 44, is just touching fixed catch 52, mounted on lower portion 46. FIG. 4(b) shows strut 45 closer to its straight-line position. Note that that the closer strut 45 gets to its straight line position, the lesser is the force exerted to move it further into its straight line position. For example, in the position shown in FIG. 4(b) a tension of 250# will only produce a force of about 23# operating to straighten the strut. FIG. 4(c) shows strut 45 in a completely straight position, but with latch 52 no yet engaged. Finally, FIG. 4(d) shows strut 45 moved past the straight position by approximately 3/16″ at 54. At this position, latch 52 is forced into position by springs 51 and stanchion 1 will remain safely erect.
Unfortunately the conditions under which the portion of diagonal strut 46 and 44 will lock into place are seldom, if ever, well defined, and no method exists for assuring the speed necessary to bring about the desired locked up condition. The variables affecting this operation (weather, temperature, cleanliness or lack thereof, lubrication, fit and condition of parts, initial manufacturing tolerances and wear, to name the most obvious) are so varied and variable that the perfect tractor speed on one day might fail the next. Regrettably, the drivers who must load trailers cannot know or control any of the variables except for tractor speed, and in trying to assure lockup of the stanchion, have a tendency to pull harder on stanchion 40 than may be necessary to bring about the locked condition. This can result in failure of the stanchion, and, if the car and the stanchion are made strong enough to resist the resulting forces, damage to the tractor can result. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improvement to this design in which the two portions of diagonal strut 45 become locked under conditions that are better defined, can be inspected in service and which do not require the "snapping" of the portions into place.
With the need for high speed pull-ups of the stanchion eliminated from the tractor operating protocol, a maximum speed during pull-up can be imposed (either by the driver or through some form of automatic control) and the hitch and tractor failures mentioned above can be reduced or eliminated.

Apparatus for attaching semi-trailers to railcars


In a client-cache-server system, the weight value of a first object which is maintained in the cache and linked to a second object maintained in the server is determined. Based on the weight value, a decision is made as to whether prefetching is necessary. If the decision indicates that prefetching is necessary, the second object is prefetched from the server to refresh the cache. A further decision is made as to whether update enquiry is necessary based on the weight value. If the further decision indicates that update enquiry is necessary, a message is sent to the server for inquiring whether the first object has been updated in the server. If the server responds with a reply that indicates that the first object has been updated, the second object is prefetched from the server to refresh the cache.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to cache refresh, and more specifically to a technique for predictably refreshing a cache by prefetching information from a server before that information is actually requested by a client.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a client seeks to obtain information from servers in a communications network, it is desirable to provide a cache that maintains copies of that information so that multiple requests for the same information can be obtained at the cache, eliminating the need to repeatedly transmit that information across the network. Communication bandwidth used between clients and servers can be reduced. One problem in the art is that information requested a second time by the same client, or by a second client after a first client has already requested that information can change at the server between the time it is first requested and the time it is requested again. In such instances, the information transmitted from the cache is inaccurate.
"Design and Implementation of Interactive Prefetching System on WWW", Ken-ici Chinen, et al., Computer Software Vol. 15, No. 2, pages 48–61, March 1998, describes a prefetching technique in which an object requested by a client is analyzed to detect hyperlinks and a preselected number of objects specified by the detected hyperlinks is prefetched from the server according to the order in which their requests have occurred.
Japanese Patent Publication 2000-148573 discloses a prefetching tool which uses keywords to extract hyperlink tags contained in HTML files retrieved from the WWW server. The keywords are set by users at a client device to indicate personal preferences and stored in the memory in a desired order of appearances. A list of URLs are stored in memory for indicating target objects to be prefetched. The prefetch tool makes a search through the URL list for detecting a corresponding keyword, and if there is one, prefetches an object specified by the hyperlink of the detected keyword. The order of prefetching is determined by the number of keywords used and the number of client's accesses to the hyperlinks.
In Japanese Patent Publication 1999-120069, a number of predetermined URLs are used to select a target object. This publication further discloses a prefetching operation that is performed based on keywords.
The prefetching technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication 1999-149405 involves selecting URLs that are frequently used by clients from a list of frequently accessed hyperlinks.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,701 discloses a cache refreshing method and system in which the prefetching performance is evaluated by using the theory of probability to calculate frequencies with which client requests occur and objects are updated.
However, one shortcoming of the prior art techniques is that there is a substantial number of instances in which the cache is repeatedly refreshed with the same information. Repeated wasteful actions would unnecessarily increase the communication bandwidth between the cache and the server and lead to an increase in system resources of proxy servers and Web servers.
Another shortcoming of the prior art, particularly, the keyword-based prefetching technique, is that difficulty would be encountered when identifying the keyword that best fits the need of the user since a single keyword may be linked to a number of objects of different contents. Further, the order of the keywords cannot objectively be determined and keywords are likely to be selected based on users' experiences. Thus, hyperlinks that are likely to be accessed by users cannot accurately be predicted from keywords.
A further shortcoming of the prior art, particularly, the prior art that is based on request frequency and update intervals, is that target objects can be selected only from the history of users' requests. Prefetching cannot be performed for objects whose records for requests are not available. Usually, the response time of a cache that users would feel tends to be aggravated by user's requests for information of the type that cannot be cached or the type that have never been cached. Generally, there are few instances in which objects once loaded is requested again. Therefore, user's feeling for cache response would be significantly improved if objects yet to be loaded are fetched in advance of possible user's request.
A still further shortcoming of the prior art is that due to the need to analyze loaded object data for selecting a target object in response to a request from a user, a substantial amount of time is taken from the instant the request is received to the instant the target object is selected.

Method of prefetching reference objects using weight values of referrer objects


In windshield crack repair it is necessary to move a repair tool alongside a crack and manipulate a resin injection head to remain in close proximity to the crack at all times. A three cupped tool is disclosed which exhibits here before unavailable lateral and longitudinal stability even when one of the cups becomes unadhered to the windshield. The tool comprises an elongate frame having an upright injection head attachment means on one end; an upright frame height adjustment means on the other opposite end; and, a central portion having three suction cups, each having an upright axis, and each oriented for attachment to the windshield. In a preferred aspect of this tool the axis of a suction cup closest to the injection head generally is in alignment with an elongate axis of the elongate frame and the upright axis of the other two cups are offset similar amounts from the axis of the elongate frame. This arrangement facilitates visibility and manipulation of the injection head along a crack in a windshield.

U.S. Pat. Des. 350,684, issued to R. A. Campfield disclosed a windshield repair tool used to hold and position a resin injection head along the length of a crack in a windshield. One problem with this tool is that lateral stability with a single large suction cup mandated the use of two laterally spaced pressure adjustment bolts on one end of the frame in order to maintain the opposite end holding the injection head generally perpendicular to the windshield. In this tool the suction cup may be conveniently held beneath the palm of one's hand and moved along the crack. It is convenient to follow a sharply turning crack. Another problem with this single suction cup tool is it is not possible to maintain sufficient downward pressure to inject resin into the tightly closed portion of a crack. However, it is inconvenient to equally adjust two bolts over varying slopes as the tool is moved along the crack in the windshield.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,018 disclosed a repair tool utilizing two perpendicularly disclosed arms. One of the arms has suction cups on opposite end portions. The other arm is adapted to hold an injection head on one end and a single pressure adjustment bolt on the other opposite end portion. Utilization of two suction cups provided sufficient lateral stability to enable pressure to be conveniently adjusted with a single bolt thereby simplifying use. One problem with this design however, was longitudinal instability. Another problem is that the large separation between the cups, and the close proximity of the injection head to the cups usually mandates that in use one straddle the crack being repaired. It is not possible to follow a crack which turns toward the tool when the widely separated suction cups are adjacent to the crack on the same side of the crack. If a suction cup is moved over the crack suction is lost. Loss of suction in one of the two cups when moving over a crack or chip could cause the injection head to separate from the crack. What is worse is that if the suction cup lubricant penetrates the crack, then it is not possible for the resin to properly bond in the crack.
Additionally, widely separated suction cups mandates a greater distance between those cups and the injection head. This greater distance is required to follow a bending crack in a windshield without passing the suction cup over the crack. A greater distance between the injection head and the suction cups means less leverage and a smaller possible downward force on the injection head. This greater distance also mandates greater downward pressure exerted by the adjusting bolt to maintain comparable downward pressure on the crack by the injection head. If this tool is used with its suction cups straddling the crack then the force exerted by the single bolt is exerted on the injected crack causing it to separate. This separation causes air pockets to form in the crack resulting in an unsatisfactory bond.
On a typical crack which runs along closely beside the edge of a windshield before terminating at the edge, the inventor has found that it was advantageous to use the single cup tool on the portion of the crack at the edge of the window, and that it was advantageous to use the dual suction cup tool on the portion of the crack terminating in the central portion of the windshield. On the portion of the crack terminating in the central portion of the windshield it was advantageous to use the dual suction cup tool because with the dual suction cup tool more pressure could be exerted on the injection head. This greater pressure was needed in order to inject the tightly closed portion of the crack. On the portion of the crack terminating at the edge of the windshield, the dual suction cup tool could not typically be used either because there was insufficient room between the windshield edge and the crack to position the crack between the dual suction cups; or alternatively, the crack turned too sharply for use of this tool. What is needed is a better tool, one which can exert greater injection head pressure, follow a sharply turning crack, and seat wholly on a single side of the crack so that it could follow the crack all the way to the edge of the windshield.


A high performance single-pole-double-throw (SPDT) Transmitter/Receiver (T/R) FET switch utilizes a plurality of multi-gate FETs in series to realize low insertion loss, low harmonic distortion and high power handling capabilities. The SPDT switch consists of an antenna port, a transmitter branch coupled to a transmitter port through a plurality of multi-gate FETs in series and a receiver branch coupled to a receiver port through a plurality of multi-gate FETs in series. When a high power signal passes from the transmitter port to the antenna port through the transmitter branch, the receiver branch is required to be shut off electrically to prevent the high power signal from leaking to receiver port. This leakage can degrade the isolation of the switch and cause harmonic distortion. Furthermore, the transmitter branch is required to provide a resistance as small as possible to reduce the power loss when it passes through the transmitter branch to the antenna port. In the receiver branch, two of the gate metals in the multi-gate FETs are fabricated with gate sizes several times larger than the others. Furthermore, a heavily doped cap layer is utilized between the gate fingers in a multi-gate FET to reduce the channel resistance of FET, thereby lowering the insertion loss.

In conventional mobile wireless communication systems, especially Global System for Mobile Communications ("GSM") cellular handsets, the transmit/receive ("T/R") switch applied to the antenna end is capable of handling a high power signal of up to 35 dBm along with low harmonic distortion and low signal loss. The conventional mobile wireless communication systems further use a control voltage to actuate the switching wherein the control voltage is limited by the handset battery voltage, which in most conventional situations is about 3 volts and, in some cases, even less.
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of a conventional single pole double throw ("SPDT") field effect transistor ("FET") switch for a receiver port 2 and a transmitter port 3 connected to an antenna port 1. When the control voltage Vcont1 for a receiver port 8, the receiver channel 8 providing the communication channel between the receiver port 2 and the antenna port 1, is 0.0 volts and the Vcont2 for a transmitter port 3, the transmitter channel 9 providing the communication channel between the transmitter port 3 and the antenna port 1, is 3.0 volts, the FET 5 of the receiver channel 8 is in an OFF state because the voltage drop between the gate G1 and the source S1 of FET 5 (VG1S1=VG1−VS1) in the FET 5 or the voltage drop between the gate G1 and the drain D1 of FET 5 (VG1D1=VG1−D1) in the FET 5 is below FET pinch-off voltage, VP.
While the FET 5 of the receiver channel 8 is in an OFF state, FET 4 of the transmitter channel 9 is in an ON state because the voltage drop between the gate G2 and the source S2 of FET 4 (VG2S2=VG2−VS2) in the FET 4 or the voltage drop between the gate G2 and the source D2 of FET 4 (VG2D2=VG2−VD2) in the FET 4 is above VP of FET 4.
When a high power RF signal passes through the ON-state FET 4 of the transmitter channel 9 to antenna port 1, it is also applied to the OFF-state FET 5 of the receiver channel 8 at the antenna port 1 as well. Due to extremely low resistance loss in FET 4, FET 4 remains in the ON state no matter how high a power is applied. Essentially, the power loss and generation of distortion are related to the change in operational status of FET 5. This can be verified through the simulation of the simplified small-signal equivalent circuit model of FET 5, as shown in FIG. 2.
Assuming that the RF signal is v=Vrf Sin(ωt), the voltage drop at each junction of FET 5 is expressed as below:VG1S1=VGS(DC)+(CGD1/(CGD1+CGS1))v  (1)VG1D1=VGD(DC)−(CGS1/(CGS1+CGS1))v  (2)where VGS(DC) and VGD(DC) are DC voltage drops in each junction in FET 5, respectively. Normally, VGD(DC)=VGS(DC) Vcont1−Vcont2=−3V; CGS1=CGD1 in a symmetrically designed FET 5; Vrf=17.8 V for a 35 dBm RF signal, and VP=−1.0 V which is a conventional pinch-off value in a HEMT design, thenVG1S1=−3+8.9·Sin(ωt)  (3)VG1D1=−3−8.9·Sin(ωt)  (4)
From Equations (3) and (4), it can be seen that VG1S1 is greater than VP, in a certain time period when v is in the positive half cycle, and VG1D1 is greater than VP, in a certain time period when v is in the negative half cycle. Therefore, FET 5 is not able to remain in the OFF state at all times, causing power loss and harmonic distortion.
The capability of power handling in a single FET switch can be estimated based on the drain current vs. gate-source voltage curve as illustrated in FIG. 3. The maximum power transfer without distortion is achieved by keeping FET 5 in OFF state. Hence,Vrf max=|Vcont1−Vcont2−VP|·((CGS1+CGD1)/CGD1)  (5)
So, the maximum power, Prf max, is obtained as demonstrated by Equation (6) below.Prf max=(1/2Z0)((CGS1+CGD1)/CGD1)2(Vcont1−Vcont2−VP)2  (6)where Z0 is the system impedance, normally equal to 50 Ω In a symmetric FET switch, Prfmax is calculated to be 22 dBm, which is much less than the specification for SPDT switches used in conventional cellular handset applications.
As seen from Equation (6), the lowering of the pinch-off voltage and/or the increasing of the control voltage can effectively improve power-handling capability and suppress harmonic distortion. However, the battery used in conventional cellular handset applications, as mentioned above, limits the control voltage. Moreover, the ON-state FET resistance Ron restricts VP. In other words, if the VP is lower, the insertion loss increases. Therefore, the lowering of the pinch-off voltage approach or the increasing of the control voltage approach are not viable candidates to effectively improve power-handling capability and suppress harmonic distortion due to the above-noted constraints.
Another conventional approach to increase power-handling capability is to use a plurality of FETs in series to replace single FET SPDT switches as shown in FIG. 4. As illustrated in FIG. 4, an antenna port 1 is connected to a receiver port 2 and a transmitter port 3 through a receiver channel 6 and a transmitter channel 7, respectively.
The receiver channel 6 includes three in series FETs (61, 62, and 63), each being connected to a control voltage source Vcont1. FET 61 has a source S1 (which is connected to the receiver port 2), a gate G1, and a drain D1. FET 62 has a source S2 (which is connected to the drain D1 of FET 61), a gate G2, and a drain D2. FET 63 has a source S3 (which is connected to the drain D2 of FET 62), a gate G3, and a drain D3 (which is connected to antenna port 1).
Likewise, the transmitter channel 7 includes three in series FET (71, 72, and 73), each being connected to a control voltage source Vcont2. FET 73 has a source S6 (which is connected to the transmitter port 3), a gate G6, and a drain D6. FET 72 has a source S5 (which is connected to the drain D6 of FET 73), a gate G5, and a drain D5. FET 71 has a source S4 (which is connected to the drain D5 of FET 72), a gate G4, and a drain D4 (which is connected to antenna port 1).
As explained above, the maximum transmit power with extremely low harmonic distortion can be derived based on the small signal equivalent circuit in FIG. 5.PRFmax=(9/2Z0)((CGS1+CGD1)/CGD1)2(Vcont1−Vcont2−VP)2  (7)where, assuming all three FETs are identical; i.e., CGS1=CGS2=CGS3=CGS and CGD1=CGD2=CGD3=CGD. Taking the parameters for a single FET, the maximum power PRFmax without distortion in three-FET switch can be calculated as 31.5 dBm according to Equation (7). Compared to the 22 dBm of PRFmax in the single FET switch analysis above, it clearly indicates that more FETs in series can improve power-handling capability of the switch. Thus, the PRFmax for "n" FETs in series can be easily deduced from Equation (7) as follows:PRFmax=(n2/2Z0)((CGS1+CGD1)/CGD1)2(Vcont1−Vcont2−VP)2  (8)The correlation of switch insertion loss in the transmitter branch and FET characteristics is written below.IL−20 log(1+(Ron/2Z0))  (9)RonnLG/(WG(Vcont1−Vcont2−VP))  (10)where IL is the insertion loss in dB, Ron is the total resistance of ON-state FETs in the transmitter branch, WG is the gate width of each FET, and LG is the gate length of each FET.
Equations (8) to (10) indicate that in a traditional SPDT switch, an increase of the number of FETs in series enhances the power handling capability and reduces signal distortion. On the other hand, the more FETs in series leads to a higher insertion loss. In addition, the increase of insertion loss caused by the reduction of VP, as mentioned above, is confirmed through the correlation of Ron and VP, in Equation (10).
Therefore, it is desirable to provide a SPDT switch with improved power-handling capability, low harmonic distortion, and low insertion loss that is not limited by the voltage of the battery being used in the cellular handset application, the pinch-off voltage of the FET used in the SPDT switch or the number of FETs in series in the SPDT switch.

High power, high linearity and low insertion loss single pole double throw transmitter/receiver switch


This document discloses a solution for providing a terminal device with a multi-connectivity service. According to an aspect, a method comprises: determining, autonomously by a terminal device of a wireless communication system, to request for establishment of parallel connections with multiple access nodes; transmitting, by the terminal device, at least one access request to a plurality of access nodes; and receiving, by the terminal device at least one response to the at least one access request from at least one radio access node, wherein the response contains information related to establishment of the parallel connections.

Cellular communication systems provide a terminal device (or user equipment, UE, or machine type communication, MTC, device) with a communication connection to a radio access network of base stations or access nodes. A conventional solution is to provide the terminal device with a single radio resource connection to a single base station. Some advanced systems provide the terminal device with the connection through multiple component carriers that may be established between the terminal device and a single base station or between the terminal device and multiple base stations. Such expansion to the use of multiple components carriers has been initiated by the radio access network, e.g. by the serving base station.


A hollow spring includes a steel tube in which the average of surface roughness is smaller than 10 μm across the entire inner surface of the steel tube and/or compressive residual stress is given to the entire inner surface of the steel tube. The hollow spring may be manufactured by a step of polishing the inner surface of the steel tube by flowing a viscoelastic abrasive medium (200) within the tubular member (10), between a first opening (11) and a second opening (12) of the tubular member (10). The abrasive medium (200) may include a viscoelastic base material and a granular abrasive. The inner surface of the steel tube is polished evenly to reduce the surface roughness and/or is given compressive residual stress to increase the fatigue life of the hollow spring.

Hollow springs are being examined upon requests for reduction in weight of vehicles, such as automobiles. As a kind of hollow springs, a hollow stabilizer bar produced by bending a steel tube into a predetermined shape is provided to reduce rolling of the vehicle body in cornering, for example. In recent years, the requirements for weight reduction tend to further increase in the light of energy and resource conservation. The demands for hollow stabilizer bars, instead of solid stabilizers, are further increasing (see PTL 1).
In a hollow spring, the stress at the inner surface of the tube is usually lower than at the outer surface. However, when shot peening is performed for the outer surface to give compressive residual stress, the stress at the outer surface is reduced and the difference in stress between the outer and inner surfaces is reduced. As the wall thickness of the hollow spring is reduced for weight reduction, the aforementioned tendency becomes pronounced, sometimes causing a breakage originating from the inner surface.
Since fatigue breakage generally originates from the surface, reducing the roughness of the surface contributes to reduction in stress concentration and allows to improve the fatigue life. For example, a technique is provided which reduces the surface roughness of the inner surface of a pipe material by blasting an abrasive onto the inner surface (PTL 2), for example.
Furthermore, another technique is provided which performs shot peening for the inner surface of a pipe material to give compressive residual stress to the inner surface, thereby increasing the life and durability of the inner surface (PTL 3).

Hollow spring and manufacturing method thereof


A process for improving the stability to photo-oxidation of a polycyclic aromatic compound having at least two polymorphic forms comprises treating a first polymorph with one or more solvents to obtain the more stable second polymorph and then separating the second polymorph from the solvent.

Organic electroluminescent (EL) devices have been known for over two decades. The stability and performance of the materials used in the devices are limitations that represent barriers to many desirable applications. In simplest form, an organic EL device is comprised of an anode for hole injection, a cathode for electron injection, and an organic medium sandwiched between these electrodes to support charge recombination that yields emission of light. These devices are also commonly referred to as organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs.
The organic layers in these devices are usually composed of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Substituted naphthacenes are one class of fluorescent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons useful in the manufacture of EL devices. The naphthacene known as rubrene, or 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene, is commercially available and can be prepared by reacting 1,1,3-triphenylpropargyl alcohol with thionyl chloride and heating the resulting product in the presence of an organic hindered amine base. Naphthacenes prepared in this manner, must be subjected to extensive purification techniques such as column chromatography, re-crystallization and sublimation to render them free of impurities and of sufficient purity to be useful in EL devices. During the preparation and purification, the materials are exposed to the atmosphere and visible light. Rubrene and other naphthacenes are known to undergo a photo-oxidation reaction in both solution and in the solid state to give endoperoxides as described in for example, Dufraise et. al., Compt.Rend. (1926), 183, 101-105; Z. Physik. Chem (1927), 130, 472-479, Hochstrasser et. al., Trans. Faraday Soc., (1956), 52, 1363-1373, and Santamaria, Tetrahedron Letters (1981), 22(45), 4511-14.
Photo-oxidation is the process wherein a material reacts with atmospheric oxygen in the presence of light to give, in the case of naphthacenes, endoperoxides. The endoperoxides that contaminate rubrene or other naphthacene derivatives give rise to EL devices with unacceptable performance. Even very small amounts of endoperoxides, such as 1% or less, can cause significant problems in these EL devices. Because these naphthacene materials are very prone to photo-oxidation, precautions must be taken to eliminate the formation of the endoperoxides when the naphthacenes are being prepared, purified and stored. During the naphthacene preparation previously described, significant reduction in the formation of endoperoxides can easily be achieved by performing the reaction and purification in the dark or under subdued lighting, or under an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen, or preferably under both reduced lighting and inert atmosphere conditions. In addition, storage of the materials is another concern. Although the materials can be stored and sold in light tight containers free from both oxygen and light, once the container has left the manufacturer and is opened, the material will be exposed to the conditions that cause and accelerate the formation of the endoperoxides.
A solution to the storage of these materials would be to convert the materials into a form that would be less prone to photo-oxidation. Polymorphism is a phenomenon that some materials exhibit, allowing them to exist in different forms, often referred to as polymorphs, and which potentially can have different chemical and physical properties in the solid state. Polymorphism is well known in the pharmaceutical industry where the differences in the properties of polymorphs are utilized to increase the stability of drugs towards heat and humidity. Ideally, conversion of the polycyclic aromatic compound from a photo-oxidative unstable polymorph to a photo-oxidative stable polymorph would solve the storage problem of such materials.
Redkar et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,381; Quallich et. al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,925; Imai et. al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,321; and Horvath in U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,340 describe specific examples and applications of polymorphism in the pharmaceutical industry.
Redkar et. al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,756,381 describes a preparation for polymorphic forms of 9-nitrocamptothecin (9NC). Distinct crystal forms of 9NC are obtained by crystallizing it from different solvent systems and under various conditions, and are further characterized using various analytical methods. For example, a particular crystal form of 9NC is provided which is characterizable as having, by differential scanning calorimetry, an endotherm at between 175.5° C. and 177.2° C., and an exotherm at between 181.7° C. and 183.7° C. Various polymorphs of 9NC were prepared and their solubility was studied in different solvents.
Quallich et. al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,925 describes the two crystalline polymorphic Forms A and B of (2-benzhydryl-1-azo-bicyclo[2.2.2]oct-3-yl)-(5-isopropyl-2-methoxybenzyl)amine citrate monohydrate. The pharmaceutical composition containing at least 1 of these polymorphs has advantageous stability for formulation to treat acute emesis in patients receiving chemotherapy. Citric acid was added to the free base of said compound in iso-propanol and the mixture was stirred until crystallization started. Filtration and granulation gave the anhydrous citrate salt (Form A). This Form A was dissolved in methanol and the solution concentrated to give Form B. Form A of the citrate salt is hygroscopically stable which is advantageous in overcoming pharmaceutical formulations problems due to weight changes. Form B exhibits similar properties but not as pronounced.
Imai et. al., in U.S. Pat. No. 6,140,321 describes four polymorphs of the drug donepezil-HCl for pharmaceutical uses, which are stable against heat and humidity when compared to the previously known form. They are prepared by dissolving the free base in ethanol followed by treatment with diisopropyl ether. The four polymorphs are formed by varying the time before filtration, and are characterized by peaks in their x-ray powder diffraction patterns, and absorption peaks in their infrared absorption spectra.
Horvath in U.S. Pat. No. 6,124,340 describes an invention related to a novel form of the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor fluvastatin, more specifically to a highly crystalline form of sodium fluvastatin, referred to as sodium fluvastatin Form B. The previous form of sodium fluvastatin was very susceptible to degradation below pH 8 and also showed sensitivity to heat and light. Horvath describes several methods for preparing sodium fluvastatin Form B, which has been found to exhibit reduced degradation below pH 8 and also, improved sensitivity towards heat and light.
There is no indication in the art that polycyclic aromatic compounds can be converted to polymorphic forms that are more stable to photo-oxidation for use in the long-term storage of these materials.
The device stability and luminance performance of polycyclic aromatic compounds in EL devices in general, tends to improve when fabricated from materials with high purity and free of endoperoxides. There is a continuing need in the EL industry for new procedures for the preparation of high purity polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons but in particular naphthacene compounds which can be stored for prolonged periods of time with little or no photo-oxidation. Devices fabricated from naphthacenes with small amounts of endoperoxides give poor performing EL devices and limit the applications of these EL devices.
The problem to be solved therefore is to provide a simple process that would significantly reduce or eliminate the propensity of polycyclic aromatic compounds to undergo photo-oxidation. Such a process should yield polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons more robust in their exposure to light and oxygen under storage conditions, significantly reducing the formation of endoperoxides, and thus leading to EL devices that give satisfactory performance.

Process for photo-oxidative stability improvements


In a liquid cartridge including a bottomed-box type container having a liquid supply port connectable to a flowing path communicating with a recording head at its bottom, a lid member for sealing an opening portion of the container body, and a communication unit which communicates data on liquid housed in the liquid cartridge with a recording apparatus by radio, an antenna portion connecting to the communication unit is formed on an upper surface of the container body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid cartridge storing liquid such as ink therein and supplies the liquid to a liquid ejection apparatus. Particularly, the invention relates to an ink cartridge suitable for an ink jet recording apparatus, and more specifically to an ink cartridge which transmits data on ink stored in a container to a recording apparatus side by radio communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
As disclosed in JP-A-2002-1991 (corresponding to US Patent Application No. US2002/0030710A1), an ink cartridge which transmits data on ink stored therein to a recording apparatus by radio communication has been proposed.
On the other hand, in a recording apparatus in which an ink cartridge is removably mounted on a carriage including a recording head, the ink cartridge reciprocates during a recording operation, while it receives limitation of radio output from a viewpoint of electromagnetic radiation. Therefore, for such the ink cartridge, to secure the sure communication is a practically large problem.
In order to solve such the problem, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,527, an ink cartridge has been disclosed, which receives radio electric power irradiated from a recording apparatus, converts the radio electric power into working electric power to operate a liquid amount sensor and a memory, and converts the data of the liquid amount sensor and the memory into radio signals thereby to transmit the radio signals to the recording apparatus by a link unit. However, its specific structure is not clear.


A process for forming and/or modifying dielectric films on semiconductor substrates is disclosed. According to the present invention, a semiconductor wafer is exposed to a process gas containing a reactive component. The temperature to which the semiconductor wafer is heated and the partial pressure of the reactive component are selected so that, sometime during the process, diffusion of the reactive components occurs through the dielectric film to the film/semiconductor substrate interface. Further, diffusion also occurs of semiconductor atoms through the dielectric film to an exterior surface of the film. The process of the present invention has been found well suited to forming and/or modifying very thin dielectric films, such as films having a thickness of less than 8 nm.

In general, an integrated circuit refers to an electrical circuit contained on a single monolithic chip containing active and passive circuit elements. Integrated circuits are fabricated by diffusing and growing or depositing successive layers of various materials in a preselected pattern on a substrate. The materials can include semiconductive materials such as silicon, conductive materials such as metals, and dielectric materials such as silicon dioxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, silicon nitride and the like. Of particular significance, the various materials contained in integrated circuit chips are used to form almost all of the ordinary electronic circuit elements, such as resistors, capacitors, diodes, and transistors.
Integrated circuits are used in great quantities in electronic devices, such as digital computers, because of their small size, low power consumption, and high reliability. The complexity of integrated circuits range from simple logic gates and memory units to large arrays capable of complete video, audio and print data processing. Presently, however, there is a demand for integrated circuit chips to accomplish more tasks in a smaller space while having even lower operating voltage requirements.
As stated above, integrated circuit chips are manufactured by successively growing or depositing layers of different materials on a substrate. Typically, the substrate is made from a thin slice or wafer of silicon. The active and passive components of the integrated circuit are then built on top of the substrate. The components of the integrated circuit can include layers of different conductive materials such as metals and semiconductive materials surrounded by dielectric insulator materials. In attempting to improve integrated circuit chips, attention has been focused upon reducing the thickness of the layers while improving performance.
For instance, one area of circuit chip technology needing improvement is in the growth or deposition of insulator or dielectric materials used in the chips. Such an insulator material should have a very high resistivity, and sustainability of subsequent process steps and materials used in chip manufacturing. The dielectric insulator materials are incorporated into integrated circuits in order to reduce power dissipation when the circuit is in use.
Thin dielectric layers are being used routinely in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices for applications such as gates, capacitor dielectrics, besides various other uses. The most prevalent dielectric used in semiconductor devices is silicon dioxide, which can be grown through the reaction of oxygen and silicon at high temperature. Alternatively, water (H2O) can be reacted with silicon at high temperature to form silicon dioxide.
In the past, silicon dioxide layers have been grown in conventional batch furnaces and in rapid thermal processing systems. The use of rapid thermal processing systems offers the advantages of short time high temperature processing which provides process advantages over using conventional furnaces.
For instance, in the past, one particular method for forming and/or modifying a dielectric film on a semiconductor surface included the following steps:
a) exposing the semiconductor to a process gas comprising at least one reactive component at a predetermined first concentration C1 or partial pressure P1 to react with the semiconductor atoms. and/or molecules of the dielectric film while heating said semiconductor to form and/or modify said film or parts of it,
b) heating said semiconductor and/or said dielectric film to a first temperature T1 such that said reactive component and/or parts of it may diffuse through said dielectric film and/or into a surface region of said semiconductor to form said film on the surface of said semiconductor and/or to increase said film in thickness by reaction nearby a first interface between said semiconductor and said dielectric film, said reaction involves said reactive component and/or parts of it, semiconductor atoms and/or molecules from the dielectric film.
Such a method is known in the art and described e.g. by B. E. Deal and A. S. Grove in J. Appl. Phys. 36 (1965) 3770. Other references that discuss the formation of dielectric layers include U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,149; U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,143; U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,052; U.S. Pat. No. 5,904,523; U.S. Pat. No. 5,726,087 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,218,720 which are all incorporated herein by reference.
As described above, in order to produce advanced, fast acting devices, a need currently exists for producing dielectric layers having a minimal thickness. Controlled stoichiometry, a small concentration of structural defects and dangling bonds in bulk and at the interface of the dielectric layer and very small interface roughness of the adjacent interfaces are also required for optimization of dielectric layers in semiconductor devices. As the thickness of such dielectric layers decreases, however, significant difficulties arise in being able to properly and repeatedly create and/or modify thin layers, such as layers having a thickness of less than about 8 nm.
In fact, even conventional 30 second to 120 second heating cycles conducted in rapid thermal processing chambers that are used to produce dielectric layers according to the Deal and Grove model referenced above become too long to provide control sufficient to meet some of the requirements that are currently being specified.
Thus, a need currently exists for a repeatable process for producing and/or modifying thin dielectric layers that have improved electrical properties.

Method of forming and/or modifying a dielectric film on a semiconductor surface


According to certain embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a wireless communication system control apparatus and method to determine available wireless communication channels locally and remotely, and for sending a probe signal to a remote wireless communication control apparatus location on a determined available communication channel. A confirmation message is received from the remote wireless communication apparatus location to verify the establishment of the viable communication path.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a wireless communication system control apparatus and method. The invention more particularly relates to such an apparatus and method which efficiently and effectively establishes desired wireless system communication paths to help alleviate system bandwidth allocation constraints and maintain communications resiliency.
2. Background Art
The background of the invention described in this section is not intended to describe prior art, and no admission is made as to whether or not the background art legally constitutes prior art.
Wireless network systems have been employed for a variety of applications. For example, industrial process control information, and other monitoring systems employing strategically located radio frequency transceivers to provide for a communication network. For example, reference may be made to the following publications, reports, briefings and tutorials for a variety of different wireless techniques, which have been contemplated, and which are incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein:                1) "Clutter Rejection Approaches for Active Sonar Using Coherent, Non-Gaussian Statistics," U.S. Navy Journal of Underwater Acoustics (UNCLASSIFIED), January 1997.        2) "Signal Analysis Applications of Nonlinear Dynamics and Higher Order Statistics," presented at SPIE's 1993 International Symposium on Optics, Imaging, and Instrumentation—Conference 2037 Chaos/Nonlinear Dynamics—Methods and Commercialization, 1116 July 1993, San Diego, Calif., USA [with J. J. Feeney].        3) Network Working Group RFC 1058        4) Routing Information Protocol C. Hedrick June 1988        5) Network Working Group RFC 1131        6) OSPF Version 2 J. Moy July 1991        7) Network Working Group RFC 1349 Type of Service in the Internet Protocol Suite. P. Almquist July 1992        8) Internet Draft, Obosoletes RFC 1075 Distance Vector Multicast Routing Protocol T. Pusateri September 1999 (Expires March 2000)        9) TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1 The Protocols W. Richard Stevens Addison-Wesley December 1993        10) CDMA Systems Engineering Handbook Jhong Sam Lee, Leonard E. Miller Artech House Publishers 998        11) OSPF, Anatomy of an Internet Routing Protocol John T. Moy Addison-Wesley, 1998 ISBN: 0-201-63472-4        12) OSPF, Complete Implementation John T. Moy Addison-Wesley, 2001 ISBN: 0-201-30966-1        13) Understanding the Linux Kernel Daniel P. Bovet and Marco Cesati O'Reilly & Associates, 2001 ISBN: 0-596-00002-2        14) LINUX IP Stacks, Commentary Stephan T. Satchell and H. B. J. Clifford The Coriolis Group, 2000 ISBN: 1-57610-470-2        15) "RF Spectrum Monitoring Techniques -EW 101," (Jan. 18, 2000), Cubic Defense, Inc. Proprietary.        16) "MSSI UWB Measurements and Analysis Report", Neptune Sciences, Inc., (August 1998) Raytheon Proprietary, [with Doug Thompson].        17) "UWB RF Pulse Detection in Geolocation Applications," Neptune Sciences, Inc. (Dec. 1, 1998) Raytheon Proprietary.        18) "RF/TOA/TDOA and Clock Synchronization," Neptune Sciences, Inc. (Jan. 28, 1998) Raytheon Proprietary.        19) "Final Phase I Concept Report for the Small Unit Operations (SUO) Situation Awareness System (SAS)," CDS Contract No. MDA972-97-C-0049 for DARPA, (Dec. 17, 1997).        20) "Radio Frequency Propagation Effects in Urban Environments," CDS IRAD Reports #9607 and #9609, Jul. 10, 1997.        21) "Minimum Detectable Signals from UTE Events (U)," SAIC final report prepared under Contract No. N00014        22) 0241 [August 1992 Mod], June 1993 [with J. J. Feeney and R. L. Kelley [SECRET/NOFORN].        23) OFDM for Wireless Multimedia Communications, van Nee, Richard, (British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data) (Artech House universal personal communications)
As a result of the rapidly increasing use of wireless technology, there are fewer and fewer communication channels available. Thus, RF spectrum acquisition is becoming more of a problem for wireless technology applications and subsequent national economic growth.

Wireless communication system control apparatus and method


In implementations of vector-based glyph style transfer, a style transfer system transfers a modification of a modified glyph to an additional glyph. The system identifies the modification by comparing the modified glyph to a corresponding unmodified glyph. In one or more implementations, this includes identifying similar segments of the additional glyph based on a style transfer policy, which defines conditions for transferring the modification to the additional glyph. The system transfers the modification to the additional glyph by mapping the modification to the similar segments.

Text is one of the most important tools available to digital artists and marketers because it can simultaneously convey a message and propagate a theme or a brand. For example, digital artists commonly dedicate a significant amount of effort to designing glyphs that are visually similar in a way that accentuates the theme or the brand in text represented by the glyphs. Typically, this effort involves the artist manually modifying several existing glyphs to have a common style and then using the modified glyphs to stylize text. The style could be a shape or geometry, a color or color pattern, a texture or shading, or any combination of these examples. In this manner, the substance of the text may convey a message and the style of the text can propagate the theme or brand.
Conventional systems for glyph style transfer use neural networks such as a generative adversarial network to propagate a style from an image of one glyph to images of other glyphs. In particular, the generative adversarial network is implemented by a computing device that receives and exposes the network to several training images of glyphs having a style. The network outputs images of additional glyphs based on features learned from the training images. These additional glyphs are generated by a generator of the generative adversarial network to have the style of the glyphs depicted in the training images.
These conventional systems for glyph style transfer require multiple training examples of glyphs having a modification to generate output images of additional glyphs having the modification. In addition to requiring multiple training examples, conventional systems that use neural networks require training images having a raster format because of the spatial relationship of pixels in raster images. Thus, conventional systems cannot use vector graphics to transfer glyph style. Since fonts typically need to be generated at high resolution for most practical applications, these conventional techniques have limited value in many scenarios.
Furthermore, generative adversarial network systems are a computationally expensive means of glyph style transfer and, as a result, the time required generate output images of glyphs having a transferred style is substantial. The substantial time delay associated with conventional systems is frustrating to digital artists. For example, a digital artist may have to wait to have access to the system, and then wait as the system is trained for the artist's needs, and then wait minutes for the trained system to generate the output images for the artist.
Consider an example in which a portion of text represented by glyphs is modified to have two specific features per glyph. In this example, the glyphs could be generated by a generative adversarial network trained using several images of glyphs having the two specific features. If it was desirable to represent the portion of text by glyphs modified to have only one of the two specific features, however, then additional training samples would be required and the network would need to process the additional training samples. Thus, not only are conventional systems inflexible but they are also inefficient and computationally expensive, such as when new training images must be used to train the generative adversarial network for different styles.


A system of independently oriented sighting devices includes a first sighting device (120) and a second sighting device (110). Upon aligning a line of sight of the first sighting device (12) with a target object (130), the first sighting device transmits a reference signal over a communications link (140). The second sighting device (110) determines its orientation in space relative to the orientation of the first sighting device (120) from characteristics of the reference signal. Thus, absolute coordinates of the target object (130) need not be known by the second sighting device (110) nor is it required that they be transmitted by the first sighting device (120). The user (115) of the second sighting device is directed to rotate the second sighting device (110) towards the target object (130) via feedback through guidance indicators located in a viewing port (250) thereof.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention most directly relates to alignment of two or more directional devices, and more particularly, to alignment of sighting devices. The invention further relates specifically to dynamically aligning sighting devices to allow two or more users to easily locate a common target object through independently translated viewing ports.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sighting devices, particularly optical sighting devices, are used in many applications and are varied in configuration. Common optical sighting devices include, but are by no means limited to, binoculars, telescopes, rifle and other weapon sights, and surveying equipment. A user might sight through an optical device, generally, to (a) magnify or otherwise improve viewing of a target in the visual field and/or (b) to align an attached piece of equipment (e.g., rifle, survey tool, etc.) with a target.
In certain sighting applications, situations arise in which two or more users working together need to share information about target location so that both may view the same scene. For example, a bird watcher may wish to convey the location of a bird to a second bird watcher so that they both can focus quickly on the same bird. As a further example, one party equipped with a wide field optical device may wish to guide a second party equipped with a high power, narrow field optical sight towards a target object. Sighting applications in which it is desirable to share information between users also include tree and geologic identification, ship and terrain spotting at sea, aircraft spotting and identification, and military targeting, such as when a spotter with one optical device guides a second person equipped with an optically sighted weapon towards a specified target.
Communication between sighting device users is often in the form of haphazard directional descriptions, such as, "Two o'clock, a few degrees above the horizon," or, "A little below the top branch of the tall forked tree." Previous solutions to this shortcoming have included providing internal compass and declinometer readings in the displays of prior art sighting devices. Through such a display, users may communicate direction using precise numbers to co-ordinate their targeting. Other devices of the prior art have implemented detection of rotation via gyroscopically stabilized platforms, thereby subsequently conveying directional information to a remote user. This latter method, however, requires an initial coordinate alignment step to synchronize the two devices, which may preclude certain spontaneous operations.
An effort to overcome some of the shortcomings addressed above, while demonstrating other shortcomings, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,344 issued to Taniguchi. The reference discloses an observing apparatus for simultaneous viewing of an object by two different users. A first operator locates a target through a first telescope and depresses a detection switch when the target is adequately framed in his field of view. An arithmetic control unit, upon notification that the detection switch has been activated, determines the distance from the first telescope to the target as well as a set of coordinates of the target. The coordinates are subsequently transmitted over a cable to a second telescope under the control of a second operator. At the second telescope, an arithmetic control unit activates indicators in the viewing field of the second operator, which specify to the second operator a direction of rotation through which the second telescope must be rotated in order for the target to be framed in the field of view of the second telescope.
While the visual feedback provided to the second operator directing her towards the location of the target ameliorates verbal direction commands such as those discussed above, several deficiencies of the Taniguchi system limit its range of applicability. First, the referenced system utilizes an absolute frame of reference, i.e., both telescopes are configured, via rotational encoders, to locate a point in a previously established coordinate system. Establishing the coordinate system is an involved process, as disclosed in the reference, involving calibrating both telescope platforms on a previously designated calibration target. Ironically, both operators must locate the same calibration target in their respective fields of view, which is the target location problem alleviated by the present invention. The Taniguchi system, though, first requires that the telescopes be collocated for a first calibration measurement prior to moving the second telescope to a remote location, where the second operator must once again locate the calibration target and make a second calibration measurement. The two telescopes then remain fixed in their respective locations for the duration of ordinary viewing operations, as the invention does not provide a means to dynamically recalibrate if one or the other user relocates.
A further shortcoming of the Taniguchi system lies in its means for determining the absolute bearing in the chosen coordinate system. The embodiments disclosed by the reference utilize rotational encoders on respective, fixed tripods of equal length. The tripod serves to fix the telescopes within the coordinate system and provides a non-rotating reference base for the rotational encoders. It should be apparent to the skilled observer that such a system severely restricts the movement of its users.
However, rotational encoders are not the only means by which absolute bearing may be determined. Other bearing sensors include magnetic compasses, which are known to be affected indeterminately by local magnetic disturbances, such as metal objects and electronic equipment. Rotational accelerometers are also capable of providing an absolute bearing, but are subject to drift. Neither of these devices can provide consistent reliable accuracy for aligning optical systems having magnification.
Certain military and camera devices utilize an instrument or weapon that is slaved to automatically move in response to adjustments in a remote optical sight. The mechanically slaved techniques of the prior art often rely on fixed spatial relationships and pre-alignment to solve the problem of common targeting. While duplicating, or even translating, the movement of one device through pointing movements of another device is both well-known and useful, the technique can be limiting in other sighting applications. For example, in certain applications, users should be allowed to aim their respective sighting equipment freely and independently of the aim of other sighting devices, until such time as one user wishes to direct another to view a common target object. At that time, communicating alignment information between users is warranted. Even then, a user may wish to ignore the sightings of other users and continue aiming his own equipment independently, a option that would not be possible in systems practicing the mechanical slaving techniques of the prior art.
In light of the shortcomings of the prior art, there is an apparent need for sighting devices that are operable to communicate alignment between two or more passively aimed devices.

System and method for aligning multiple sighting devices