Encoder and decoder circuits that encode and decode a series of data words to/from a series of code words. The data words include L symbols. The code words include M symbols, where M is larger than L. A set of tightly coupled M links to convey respective symbols in each of the series of code words. The code words are selected such that between every two consecutive code words in a series of code words, an equal number of transitions from low to high and high to low occur on a subset of the M-links.

Semiconductor memory is an important part of modern electronics. Like other silicon technology, memory has been growing in density and performance. This growth in density and performance has so far generally followed Moore's law, i.e., the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years. The increase in signaling speed of memory interfaces are also strongly linked to Moore's law.
The signaling speed of memory interfaces is limited by the speed at which a given communication channel can transition between different signaling levels, which are used to communicate different symbols. The time required to transition between symbols can vary with symbol patterns, making it difficult to identify symbol boundaries at high data rates. As the symbol boundaries become less clear, inter-symbol-interference becomes a major issue in high-speed memory systems.

Coded differential intersymbol interference reduction


A method and apparatus for reducing the effects of dielectric absorption to a loop filter capacitor utilized in a dual-mode open-loop modulator having a transmit and receive communication frequency. The modulator incorporating a phase lock loop having means for maintaining a substantially constant voltage across the loop filter capacitor irrespective of the communication frequency implemented.

The present invention is generally related to modulation systems. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a dual-mode open-loop modulator for a local oscillator capable of transmitting and receiving a communication signal.
The present invention includes modulation systems and techniques that balance four factors in radio design: cost, performance, current consumption, and size. Generally, improvement to any one of the parameters usually results in a detriment to at least one the remaining three. Obtaining the best design requires determining the best mix of these four factors.
One of the first decisions encountered in a new design is to decide which modulation technique to utilize. There are many approaches to choose from, ranging from ordinary amplitude modulation (AM) to more sophisticated and complex quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Based on research and experimentation with most of these techniques over the years, it is acknowledged that frequency shift keying (FSK) offers one of the best overall combinations related to cost, performance and low complexity.
FSK is easy to demodulate and utilizes a common limiter-discriminator circuit for demodulation. This demodulation technique has been around for 20 years and is easy to obtain, is inexpensive and works very well.
One major technical difficulty with utilizing FSK is encountered during the design of the modulator. Many wireless devices incorporate a frequency synthesizer to stabilize the frequency of the signal being transmitted by the unit. The synthesizer is xe2x80x9clockedxe2x80x9d to a stable crystal reference frequency. As a result, the output frequency is very stable over time and temperature. However, in an FSK modulated system, the object is to instantaneously vary the output frequency to convey information. Therefore, the FSK modulator must address two opposing design objectives. The FSK modulator must be able to vary its output frequency to convey information and, simultaneously maintain a very stable average center frequency over the course of the modulation period.
The following sequence of events commonly occur within the modulator circuit. See FIG. 1. Initially, a switch, e.g., a single pole single throw (SPST), is closed. This action causes the voltage control oscillator (VCO) output to lock to a frequency of Nxc3x97 (reference frequency). If a modulation voltage were to be fed into the loop filter at this point in time, the phase lock loop (PLL) would attempt to counteract the modulation voltage variations in an effort to maintain a constant output frequency. This inherently corrective characteristic of the PLL renders the circuit impractical as a modulator. However, if the switch is opened and the modulation voltage is then summed in at that moment, the VCO output frequency will vary as a function of the modulation signal without the corrective actions of the PLL being implemented.
The key factor to making this approach successful is timing. The moment the switch is opened, the voltage impressed across the loop filter (and VCO) begins to decay and drop to 0 volts. This sag translates into an undesirable frequency error (drift). However, if the open-loop period is kept short, i.e., less than a few milliseconds, then the VCO frequency drift can be kept to a minimum. Careful selection of the components for the loop filter in addition to a short open-loop period can produce frequency drift of less than 10 KHz in a few millisecond period.
To further reduce the cost of radios, direct modulation architecture can also be employed. This architecture utilizes a single local oscillator (LO) for both transmit and receive communication functions in the radio. See FIG. 2.
Note that the LO output is split to serve as both the transmitter signal source and as the first down-convert oscillator for the receiver. Radio design according to the present invention operates over a frequency range of 2.400 to 2.480 GHz and an intermediate frequency (IF) of 112.3 MHz. During a typical transmit period, the LO would be tuned to 2.44 GHz. Modulation would then be impressed onto the LO using the above mentioned open-loop technique. During the receive period, the LO can be tuned down by 112.3 MHz to provide an offset LO for the receiver. The incoming received signal (at the same frequency as the previously transmitted signal) is down-converted to an IF of 112.3 MHz and is then demodulated. The circuit used to tune and modulate the LO is shown in FIG. 3.
The transmission frequency chosen for implementation is based on many factors; such factors include: technology, capacity, reliability, government regulations, etc. In some instances, it may be preferable for a radio designer to utilize a frequency within the radio circuitry that is different than the frequency chosen for final transmission. In such cases, the radio designer may opt to work with an internal circuit frequency that is more manageable and easier to work with than perhaps an extremely high frequency selected for external transmission. In such cases, the internal circuit frequency can be adjusted prior to its external transmission by frequency doubling, halving or frequency heterodyning.
At the beginning of the transmit period, the synthesizer is in normal operating mode and the VCO is locked to a predetermined channel frequency. At a prescribed moment, the output of the synthesizer goes into a tri-state or high-impedance mode. This will effectively xe2x80x9copenxe2x80x9d the continuous loop and modulation is then applied to the VCO. After modulation has occurred, the transmit period is completed and the synthesizer re-tunes the VCO down by 112.3 MHz where it serves as the first LO in the receiver. The continuous loop is then xe2x80x9cclosedxe2x80x9d and will remain closed during the receive period.
A low-side LO injection may also be used wherein the local oscillator frequency is always tuned below the incoming frequency by 112.3 MHz. The VCO is designed so that an increase in tuning voltage results in an increase in output frequency. Therefore, the tuning voltage during the receive period will always be lower than the tuning voltage during the transmit period.
However, the use of multiple frequencies is susceptible to various problems. One such problem affects circuit capacitors in the loop filter and is known as xe2x80x9cdielectric absorption.xe2x80x9d Dielectric absorption produces an undesired xe2x80x9cmemoryxe2x80x9d effect in the capacitors of the loop filter. For example, a typical VCO may be tuned to approximately 1 V during the receive period. The receive period can extend to many milliseconds. During the receive period, the loop filter capacitor(s) are xe2x80x9csoakingxe2x80x9d at 1 V. During the transmit period, the VCO is re-tuned to a different voltage, i.e., 2 V. The re-tuning requires approximately 250 microseconds to complete. However, the moment the continuous phase lock loop is opened so that modulation can be applied, the voltage across the capacitor(s), i.e., C1 and C2, tends to fall to the previous xe2x80x9csoakedxe2x80x9d voltage level of 1 V. The loop is open at this point and no correction can be made to bring the tune voltage back to the appropriate value of 2 V. Moreover, correction is not desirable at this time because modulation is occurring. The voltage droop across the capacitor(s) is passed onto the VCO where it translates into frequency drift of the transmit signal. The drift can be severe, e.g., some capacitors have a high dielectric absorption and the resulting frequency drift falls outside the receiver""s passband within 100 microseconds.
There are capacitors available that exhibit very low levels of dielectric absorption. Utilizing these capacitors will reduce the voltage droop, and the resulting frequency drift, to manageable levels. However, these capacitors are in leaded form and are larger than desirable.
The present invention provides an effective way to reduce the effect of dielectric absorption in a dual-mode modulator utilizing different frequencies for transmitting and receiving communication signals.
Accordingly, an embodiment of the present invention is a method of providing an open-loop modulated carrier frequency to a local oscillator utilizing a receive mode and a transmit mode for signal communication. The method provides a phase lock loop comprising a synthesizer, a loop filter having a voltage across a capacitor, an op-amp circuit, a voltage control oscillator having an input voltage, and a modulator. The components of the phase lock loop are operably coupled together to form a continuous loop. The phase lock loop is capable of stabilizing a center frequency for cooperating with a transmit frequency, a receive frequency and an intermediate frequency. A tuning voltage applied to a voltage control oscillator determines the communication mode of the voltage control oscillator, i.e., transmit or receive. The transmission mode requires the phase lock loop to be opened. Modulation is impressed upon the center frequency for transmitting information. Independent of the communication mode, the voltage across the capacitor of the loop filter is maintained substantially constant. The substantially constant voltage across the capacitor reduces the adverse effect of dielectric absorption upon the capacitor, thus reducing frequency drift to the transmit frequency during open-loop modulation.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a dual-mode open-loop modulator for a local oscillator utilizing a transmit mode and a receive mode communication frequency. The dual-mode open-loop modulator comprises a synthesizer for stabilizing a reference frequency. The synthesizer being operably responsive to the communication frequency mode. A loop filter having a voltage across a capacitor is operably connected to the output of the synthesizer. An op-amp circuit includes a first and second input and an output wherein the first input of the op-amp is operably responsive to the loop filter voltage. The second input of the op-amp is operably responsive to an offset voltage and the output of the op-amp circuit. A modulator circuit includes a voltage control oscillator having an input and an output. The input of the voltage control oscillator is operably responsive to a tuning voltage, the output of the op-amp circuit and a modulator. The output of the voltage control oscillator is operably connected to the synthesizer and the local oscillator. The loop filter voltage is maintained substantially constant during either communication frequency mode wherein the substantially constant loop filter voltage minimizes dielectric absorption of the loop filter capacitor, thus reducing frequency drift of the reference frequency during open-loop modulation.
A further aspect of the present invention includes an offset voltage applied to the second input of the op-amp circuit wherein the offset voltage is responsive to the communication mode of the modulator.
Another further aspect to the present invention is directed to the offset voltage applied during the transmit mode being substantially equal to the difference in tuning voltages respectively applied to the voltage control oscillator during the transmit mode and the receive mode.
Yet another further aspect of the present invention is directed to the offset voltage being correlated to a frequency offset substantially equal to a first intermediate frequency of the phase lock loop.
An object of the present invention is directed to alleviating the adverse effects of dielectric absorption in a dual-mode open-loop modulator utilizing a capacitor within its loop filter.
Other advantages and aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

Method and apparatus for correcting the effect of dielectric absorption in an open-loop modulator circuit


The adaptive system and method for ultrasound sensing comprises re-evaluating over time the detection threshold for predetermined sensing positions along the scanning direction to cope for the static target and environment changes at the sensing positions. The method includes comparing the measured echo value at each sensing position to a reference echo value corresponding to the same sensing position, and to iteratively determine a new reference value whenever the echo value is greater than the reference echo value and that the difference between the measured echo value and the reference echo value is lower than a detection assurance factor. The use of the adaptive ultrasound sensing system and method allows locating the sensor at different location without requiring a new calibration thereof, since the sensor learns the clutter dynamically and the detection thresholds are being built accordingly without being dependent on the environment in which the sensor is located.

Automatic doors are in widespread use in various applications, such as elevators, buses, and trains. Considerations of personal safety require that doors are not to be closed when there is a danger that a person might be impacted thereby. While not compromising safety considerations, considerations of efficiency dictate that doors must be closed as promptly and quickly as possible. At the same time it is important that sensors, causing doors to close or alarming security systems to operate, should enable small changes in the environment and fixed patterns existence.
There exist various techniques and apparatus for sensing the existence of a person and his accouterments within a predefined zone and consequently operating an automatic door.
The following U.S. patents exemplify the state of the art:
No.TitleDateInventor(s)2,826,753Object DetectorsApr. 13, 1954Chapin4,029,176Doorway Safety DeviceJun. 14, 1977Gerald4,590,410Object SensingMay 20, 1986JonssonApparatus4,779,240Ultrasonic SensorOct. 18, 1988Dorr et al.System4,976,337Proximity DetectionDec. 11,TrettSystems19905,001,557Method of, andMar. 19, 1991BegleApparatus for,Controlling the Positionof an AutomaticallyOperated Door5,149,921Self Correcting InfraredSep. 22,PicadoIntrusion Detection1992System5,276,391Door Mounted SafetyJan. 4, 1994JonssonApparatus5,337,289Phased-Array UltrasonicAug. 9, 1994Fasching etSurface Contoural.Mapping System andMethod for SolidsHoppers and the Like5,412,297Monitored RadioMay 2nd, 1995Clark et al.Frequency Door EdgeSensor5,420,430Detection Systems forMay 30, 1995TrettDetecting Obstructionsin DoorwaysRE 33,668Detection Device HavingAug. 20, 1991GrayEnergy TransmittersLocated at VerticallySpaced Apart PointsAlong Movable DoorsRE 30,719Doorway Safety DeviceAug. 25, 1981Gerald
U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,297 teaches a tactile obstruction detector, while U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,590,410 and 5,276,391 concern optical detectors. Tactile detectors are prone to suffer from a high degree of tear and ware and thus have a very low reliability. Furthermore they require physical contact and more specifically that a minimum force be applied thereon to be tripped, which makes them unsuitable for many applications. Optical sensors are sensitive to lighting conditions and do not function under daylight. Moreover, they do not allow differentiating between objects at a close proximity since such differentiation requires a measurement capability in the magnitude of the speed of light for small divergences. U.S. Pat. No. 2,826,753, relates to object detection in a confined environment and not to door opening or closing, for example.
U.S. Pat. Nos. RE 30,719, and 4,029,176 describe acoustic energy-based detectors.
Other distance and direction measuring apparatuses are described in the following U.S. patents:
No.TitleDateInventor(s)5,319,611Method ofJun. 7, 1994KorbaDetermining RangeData in a Time-of-Flight Ranging System5,339,075Vehicular CollisionAug. 16, 1994Abst et al.Avoidance Apparatus5,341,344Obstacle-DetectionAug. 23, 1994O' Brien et al.System5,373,482Distance MeasuringDec. 13,GauthierSystem Arranged to1994Limit False Indicationsof DistanceMeasurements5,450,057Stereophonic WarningSep. 12,WatanabeApparatus19955,467,072Phased Array BasedNov. 14,MichaelRadar System For1995Vehicular CollisionAvoidance6,344,642Door ControlFeb. 5,Agam et al.Apparatus2002
A common problem with ultrasonic sensors from the prior art is that they do not allow covering a volume where the signal fades and varies along the path and differentiating a legitimate clutter signal from a penetration signal.
Indeed, when dealing with ultrasonic sensors or other ultrasonic devices, one has to consider the "picture" the device see, i.e. the volume that the device can detect. This volume of course, is measured in terms of electrical voltage, and will be referred to herein as the "clutter".
The clutter of a sensor includes echoes received from objects located within the sensor's beam. These objects may include static objects, which the sensor always detects, and therefore should ignore, and dynamic objects, which the sensor detects periodically when they enter its beam. Those dynamic objects are considered relevant targets and should be detected by the sensor.
A drawback of sensing methods and apparatuses from the prior art is that they do not allow discriminating between static objects and relevant targets to be detected.

Device and method for adaptive ultrasound sensing


A toner is composed of toner particles which contain at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a release agent. As to particle size distribution and particle number distribution of the toner particles, a volume average particle size of the toner particles is set to be 3.0 μm to 6.0 μm, and a content of 5.0 μm or smaller toner particles is set to be 40% by number while a content of 8.0 μm or larger toner particles is set to be less than 2% by volume. Furthermore, an amount of the release agent in toner particle surface is set to be 0.7% by weight or more and 1.8% by weight or less. And furthermore, the release agent is a petroleum-based release agent.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a toner, a two-component developer, a developing device, and an image forming apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A toner is used to visualize a latent image in various image forming processes, and one known example thereof is an electrophotographic image forming process.
An electrophotographic image forming apparatus has been widely used as copiers so far, and in recent days, also as printers, facsimile machines, and the like equipment along with spread of computers since the electrophotographic image forming apparatus operates excellently as output units for computer images created by computers. In a general electrophotographic image forming apparatus, a desired image is formed on a recording medium through a charging step, an exposing step, a developing step, a transferring step, a fixing step, and a cleaning step. In the charging step, a photosensitive layer on a surface of a photoreceptor drum is homogeneously charged. In the exposing step, the charged surface of the photoreceptor is irradiated with signal light corresponding to an original image so that an electrostatic latent image is formed. In the developing step, an electrophotographic toner (hereinafter referred to simply as "toner") is supplied to the electrostatic latent image on the surface of the photoreceptor drum so that the electrostatic latent image is formed into a visualized image. In the transferring step, the visualized image on the surface of the photoreceptor is transferred onto a recording medium such as paper or OHP sheet. In the fixing step, the visualized image is fixed onto the recording medium by heat, pressure, etc. In the cleaning step, a toner and other matters remaining on the surface of the photoreceptor from which the visualized image has been transferred, are removed by a cleaning blade, and the surface of the photoreceptor is thus cleaned. Note that the visualized image may be transferred onto the recording medium by way of an intermediate transfer medium.
In recent years, there has been a tendency to make a toner particle smaller in order to meet the demand of higher image quality. However, there arises a problem of fog caused on a non-image part and in particular, the fog generated after toner replenishment is problematic. This problem of fog caused on a non-image part arises due to a fact that the smaller diameter of toner particles increases a charge amount in bulk while a charge amount on each toner particle (especially a charge amount on a small toner particle) is so small that the charge on the toner particle is not sufficiently controlled, which makes charge amount distribution unstable. In order to improve such instability of the charge amount distribution, the following methods have been proposed.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 7-199520 (1995) discloses a technique of mixing at least two groups of toner particles that are different in average particle size and each contain at least one internal additive (magnetic powder, charge control agent, and lubricant) of which particles are different in size from group to group, to thereby minimize a difference in charge amount among particles depending on their sizes, which difference is attributable to an increase in breadth of toner particle size distribution, thus allowing for stable image quality having no fog on the non-image part.
Japanese Unexamined Parent Publication JP-A 9-114127 (1997) discloses a technique of balancing high image quality with developability (proper density with fog prevention) by setting specific conditions on a volume average particle size, a content of color material, and a weight of a toner to be developed, with the respect to the toner having a volume average particle size of 3.0 μm to 9.0 μm, and in order to form a higher-quality image, it discloses setting of the particle size distribution to D50P/D84P≦1.45 or 1.25≦Dn50/Dn25≦1.50.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2005-234410 discloses, in a toner containing at least a polyester resin, a colorant, a release agent, hydrophobic silica and titanium oxide, a technique of dispersing a wax component into the resin to be island shaped; setting quantity of wax present in the vicinity of toner particle surface to 2% by weight to 10% by weight of all the components contained in the toner which figure is a measurement value according to the all-reflection infrared spectroscopy; setting the volume average particle size (Dv) of the toner to 4.0 μm to 6.0 μm; and setting the shape factor SF-1 of the toner particles to 140 to 200, to thereby maintain favorable fluidity of the toner and form a high-quality image having no fog.
In the invention disclosed in JP-A 7-199520, the size difference between smaller particles and larger particles of the charge control agent in the particle size distribution is effective for the long-term charging stability while it is difficult to sufficiently charge the toner of small particles immediately after toner replenishment.
In the invention disclosed in JP-A 9-114127, the particle size distribution is set to D50P/D84P≦1.45 or 1.25≦Dn50/Dn25≦1.50. In a condition with such particle size distribution, a content of fine toner particles having a volume average particle size of 4 μm or less is not sufficient and it is therefore impossible to form an image having sufficiently high definition and high resolution.
In the invention disclosed in JP-A 2005-234410, the quantity of wax present in the vicinity of toner particle surface is high, to be specific, 2% by weight to 10% by weight of all the components contained in the toner, leading to lower fluidity and incapability of controlling charge on each toner particle, with the result that the fog cannot be suppressed on the non-image part. Moreover, only the volume average particle size is specified, and it is therefore not possible to obtain an image having sufficiently high definition and high resolution. In the region where SF-1 is large, a transferring property is a major issue.

Toner, two-component developer, developing device, and image forming apparatus


Disclosed are high frequency-active blends comprising (a) copolymers of ethylene and maleic anhydride or its functional equivalents and (b) ethylene copolymers with polar comonomers such as ethylene/vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene/alkyl(meth)acrylate copolymers and ethylene/(meth)acrylate/carbon monoxide terpolymers; and films, powders, multilayer structures, and articles prepared therefrom.

High frequency (HF) welding is useful in flexible packaging, flexible bag production, textile lamination, and in producing automotive components such as headliners and sunvisors. HF welding is an alternative to heat-bonding methods for adhering a film to a substrate such as the film itself, another film, or a textile fabric. HF welding involves heating only a HF-active component or HF-active layer of a structure such as a multilayer film sufficiently to soften that component. The selective heating is accomplished by treatment with high frequency radiation. In contrast, heat-bonding methods require transferring heat through an entire structure to soften a bonding layer or component in the structure. In each case, the softened layer or component subsequently bonds the film structure to a substrate.
HF welding can be advantageous over heat-bonding methods. First, HF welding can bond a film in a fraction of the time required for heat-bonding methods. Second, HF welding is less likely to degrade thermally sensitive material, such as oriented films and thermally sensitive dyes. Third, bonding complex shapes is possible using HF welding.
Flexible polyvinyl chloride (f-PVC) has been used in HF-active films due to its HF sealing capability, vapor and gas barrier properties, and flexibility. Films of f-PVC typically include a plasticizer, typically a phthalate plasticizer, to enhance film flexibility. The plasticizer can migrate out of the polymer over time, decreasing film flexibility and potentially contaminating materials in contact with the film. A desire for long-term flexibility and concern about the environmental impact of halogenated polymers, such as f-PVC, make it desirable to have another HF-active polymer as an alternative to f-PVC.
Olefin/acrylate copolymers and olefin/vinyl ester copolymers demonstrate HF activity when they contain greater than about 12 weight percent of a polar comonomer such as alkyl acrylate or vinyl ester. Such a high level of polar comonomer reduces a polymer's crystalline melting point (Tm) below 100° C., and generally below 90° C. Polymers having such a low Tm are not suitable for use in many articles where a film must maintain physical integrity through multiple exposures to temperatures around, and particularly above, 100° C. Examples of such articles include many textiles, such as clothing articles, which are subject to repeated washing and drying cycles. Additional examples of such articles include sun visors for automotive interiors. Olefin/acrylate and olefin/vinyl ester copolymers also tend to have a lower dielectric loss factor (DLF) than f-PVC. A lower DLF means more HF energy is necessary to weld the copolymers with HF than needed for f-PVC. Addition of HF-active fillers can help increase the DLF of a copolymer film, but may do so at the expense of physical properties such as tensile strength.
Commercially cost effective HF-active film-forming polymer compositions and HF-active films that have long-term flexibility and Tm greater than 90° C. are desirable as alternatives to f-PVC compositions and films. Preferably, the polymer compositions and films are also essentially halogen-free.
PCT Patent Application publication WO2002/102898 discloses a blend of 20 to 80 percent, by weight, of a low weight-average molecular weight copolyester with a carboxyl-containing polyolefin that has a dielectric loss (DLF) factor of 0.05 or more at 27 MHz and 23° C. This composition is reported to be HF-active.
It can be desirable to replace f-PVC with a HF-weldable composition that can remain flexible without the inclusion of a plasticizer, and which is compatible with the environment.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Toughened thermoplastic polyamide compositions


In order to perform balloon ablation and spot ablation by one ablation catheter without exchanging an ablation catheter body at the time of treatment by catheter ablation, an ablation catheter with a balloon is provided with a catheter shaft, a balloon which is mounted to the front end side in the longitudinal direction of the catheter shaft, a lumen which communicates with the balloon from the end face on the back end side in the abovementioned longitudinal direction, an in-balloon electrode and an in-balloon temperature sensor which are disposed in the balloon, and a front end electrode and a front end temperature sensor which are mounted in a front end region including the end face on the front end side in the abovementioned longitudinal direction.

Catheter ablation is an arrhythmia treatment method of inserting an ablation catheter into a cardiac chamber and applying heat between an electrode at a tip portion of the catheter and a counter electrode plate to ablate a myocardial tissue. The catheter ablation is conducted mainly for treatment of tachyarrhythmias such as a paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, an atrial tachycardia, an atrial flutter, and a paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia and is a technique of diagnosing a pathogenetic mechanism and a trigger region of an arrhythmia in a cardiac electrophysiological study, thereafter making an electrode of an ablation catheter reach the trigger region of the arrhythmia from the interior of a cardiac chamber, and repeating an operation of applying the electrode to a causative myocardial tissue in the region and heating the tissue at 50 to 65° C. for approximately 60 seconds.
Many of the ablation catheters currently in use have a metallic electrode at a tip portion of the catheter, and each of such catheters generally adopts a technique of bringing the metallic electrode into contact with a myocardial tissue in a dotted manner and forming an ablation line while moving the electrode little by little to isolate the trigger region of the arrhythmia (Patent Literature 1).
However, the ablation catheter having the metallic electrode requires several dozen times of repeated ablations to form the ablation line and isolate the trigger region of the arrhythmia and thus causes problems of a prolonged operation and a heavy burden imposed on a patient. Also, since the small metallic electrode needs to be brought into contact with the target region of the myocardial tissue accurately to form the ablation line with the ablation catheter, a physician requires an advanced technique to manipulate the ablation catheter. Further, since the myocardial tissue is ablated in the dotted manner, an insufficient ablation line with spaces between the ablated regions may be formed, in which case the trigger region of the arrhythmia cannot be isolated completely, which may cause recurrence of the arrhythmia.
To solve the above problems, an ablation catheter with a balloon having a balloon at the tip portion of a catheter shaft has been developed recently, and an ablation catheter system with a balloon including a radio-frequency generator and a balloon surface temperature uniforming device has been reported (Patent Literature 2 and 3).
The ablation catheter system with a balloon is a system of inflating a balloon fixed to the tip side of a catheter shaft by a liquid for heating and heating the liquid for heating by a radio-frequency current supplied from a radio-frequency generator to ablate the entire myocardial tissue contacting the surface of the balloon (hereinafter referred to as balloon ablation).

Ablation catheter with balloon and ablation catheter system with balloon


A vortex flowmeter which is capable of measuring flow speed and flow rate both rapidly and precisely. The vortex flowmeter is composed of a ring-type bluff body situated in a pipe as a vortex shedder. The ring is bevelled at an acute angle at the inner and outer edges of the ring and the vortex shedding frequencies generated by the ring can be transformed to flow speeds and flow rates. The geometrical parameters G/W and D/W of the ring are G/W=0.50 to 0.53 and D/W=5.03 to 10.63, where G denotes the gap width between the outer edge of the ring and the pipe wall, W denotes the width of the ring, and D denotes the mean diameter of the ring. After these vortex shedding frequencies are nondimensionalized, they show a relationship with the Reynolds Numbers. The optimal streamwise location for installation of a pressure sensor is in the region of X/W=2.25 to 2.84, where X denotes the axial distance from the leading surface of the ring frontal surface. The vortex shedding frequencies of the ring can be obtained from the wall pressure measurement. In addition, the present invention also provides a method that uses the vortex flowmeter to measure flow speed and flow rate.

The present invention relates to a vortex flowmeter, and in particular to a vortex flowmeter that is capable of measuring flow speed and flow rate both rapidly and precisely.
While the vortex flowmeters available commercially are designed with strut-type vortex shedders, [refer to H. V. Mangin, Tappi, 58(5), 65(1975); T. J. S. Brain and R. W. W. Scott, J. Phys. E: Sci, Instrum., 15, 967(1982); and C. L. Smith, Chemical Engineering, 85, 155(1978)] researchers in this area are aware that a possible design of the vortex flowmeters is to consider the axisymmetric-type bluff bodies as vortex shedders. A pioneering work along this direction is due to Takamoto and Komiya (refer to Takamoto, M. and Komiya, K. "A Vortex Ring Shedding Flowmeter", Bulletin National Research Lab. Metrology, Vol.32, pp.125-134, 1983) who studied the phenomenon of vortex shedding of a ring situated in a free flow and in a circular pipe respectively. They found that for certain sizes of rings situated in the pipe, the quality of the vortex shedding signal obtained can be superior to that obtained behind the strut-type bluff body. They further suggested that a ring-type vortex flowmeter can be designed with a hot-wire of 10 .mu.m in diameter spanning between the inner edge of the ring to sense the periodic velocity fluctuations.
Cousins et al. [refer to T. Cousins, A. J. T. Hayward, and R. Scott, Flow Measurement FLOMEKO, the 5th International IMEKO-Conference on Flow Measurement FLOMEKO, VDI BERICHTE 768, 151 (1989)] proposed a design for a vortex flowmeter that has two rings in tandem arrangement. They compared four types of ring models, based on a number of criteria to evaluate the quality of the velocity signal measured. The vortex shedding frequency was reduced from the velocity signals obtained by a hot-wire probe situated in the flow field.
Miau and Liu [refer to Miau, J. J. and Liu, T. W. "Vortex Flowmeter Designed with Wall Pressure Measurement", Rev. Sci. Instrument 61(10), pp.2676-2681, 1990] proposed a disk-type bluff body as the vortex shedder. They found that the vortex shedding frequency was measureable in the wake of the disk for the geometrical blockage ratio of the disk up to 29.2%. Based on the characteristic velocity and length scales they suggested, the vortex shedding frequencies corresponding to different sizes of disks can be non-dimensionalized into a unified relation. In addition, they pointed out that the advantage of using the axisymmetric vortex shedder is that the vortex shedding frequency can be obtained by wall pressure measurement thus, avoiding the complications involved in the installation of a sensor into the vortex shedder or in the flow field.
The present invention concentrates on the ring-type bluff bodies as the vortex shedders and is somewhat different from the previous studies, that is, the studies suggested by Takamoto and Komiya and Cousins et al. [refer to T. Cousins, A. J. T. Hayward, and R. Scott, Flow Measurement FLOMEKO, the 5th International IMEKO-Conference on Flow Measurement FLOMEKO, VDI BERICHTE 768, 151 (1989)]. The sizes of rings interested in the present work fall in the regime that the process of periodic vortex shedding behind the ring is strongly influenced by the presence of the wall. The interaction between the wake flow of the ring and the presence of the wall is expected to induce wall pressure fluctuations significantly. Thus, similar to Miau and Liu [refer to Miau, J. J. and Liu, T. W. "Vortex Flowmeter Designed with Wall Pressure Measurement", Rev. Sci. Instrument 61(10), pp.2676-2681, 1990], vortex shedding frequency can be obtained with a pressure sensor situated on the wall of the pipe.

Ring type vortex flowmeter and method for measuring flow speed and flow rate using said ring type vortex flowmeter


A method for determining a DNA or RNA sequence, comprising determining the paring or separating energy between each base pair of the DNA or a double-stranded RNA/DNA hybrid corresponding to the DNA or RNA sequence to be determined, and comparing said energy with predetermined values.

The present invention relates to a fast method for the determination of a sequence of a nucleic acid, DNA or RNA, which is useful, in particular, for the sequencing of an unknown DNA or RNA or alternatively for the detection of a specific DNA or RNA sequence for diagnosis.
DNA sequencing is a major objective of molecular biology, and is at the heart of the human genome sequencing project.
Furthermore, demonstration of the presence of a specific DNA sequence in a physiological sample constitutes, at the present time, the major line of development of diagnostic methods. After the immunological technique, attention is now being turned to diagnostic methods that demonstrate modifications of the DNA itself in order to prevent, in particular, antibiotic resistance (see Nature, 1992, 358, p. 591), genetic abnormalities, the risks of cancer associated with genetic modifications and viral infections, for example infections associated with HIV or with hepatitis viruses.
These diagnostic methods comprise, at the present time, the so-called "direct hybridization" methods, which will detect the presence of this sequence by direct hybridization of a probe with the sample. The method is cumbersome and imprecise, in particular because it necessitates a detection by gel and exposure on light-sensitive film or radioactive counting.
Methods employing an amplification, in particular the PCR method, which, before the demonstration of the sequence by hybridization, will first amplify the corresponding portion of the DNA using, for example, primers and a polymerase, are excessively sensitive to contamination.
These methods have, in addition, the drawback of being indirect recognition systems, because the desired sequence is recognized only via the use of A probe.

Fast DNA sequence determination method by measuring energy of base pairing or unpairing of nucleic acid sequences and use thereof in sequencing and diagnostics

Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique


A system for generating a confidence value for at least one state in the interior of a vehicle, comprising an imaging unit configured to capture at least one image of the interior of the vehicle, and a processing unit comprising a convolutional neural network, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive the at least one image from the imaging unit and to input the at least one image into the convolution-al neural network, wherein the convolutional neural network is configured to generate a respective likelihood value for each of a plurality of states in the interior of the vehicle with the likelihood value for a respective state indicating the likelihood that the respective state is present in the interior of the vehicle, and wherein the processing unit is further configured to generate a confidence value for at least one of the plurality of states in the interior of the vehicle from the likelihood values generated by the convolutional neural network.

Different levels of vehicle automation require different levels of driver awareness.
As long as vehicles are not fully automated and able to handle all traffic conditions, a human driver is still required to be able to take back the control.
The response time might be different based on the automation level, reaching from a few seconds to several minutes. In order to assess the driver awareness level vehicles are equipped with different sensors, for example, sensors inside the seats to detect the presence of a person in the seat, sensors in the steering wheel to detect if a hand is at the steering wheel and driver facing cameras analyzing the head and eye movements or eye lit closure rates.
However, all of the above systems have limitations and can be error prone, or ambiguous in the output. For example, pressure sensors in the seats might not correctly distinguish a person in the seat from an object, steering wheel sensors cannot distinguish, for example, the contact of a hand or knee, and might be misled by other objects, e.g., a can of soda taped to the steering wheel can be recognized as a hand. Driver facing cameras are limited in field of view and the availability of the system depends on the orientation of the face and the visibility, for example, of the eyes or other facial feature points.
Fusing the information of one or more of these sensors allows to increase the confidence level of the driver state estimation.
Automotive grade time-of-flight camera sensors monitoring the interior of a vehicle, e.g. for hand gesture control systems, are available on the market since 2015. The sensor provides distance information, i.e. a depth map, and amplitude measurements for an array of pixels. With such sensor data it is possible, for example, to localize a human hand in 3D space, including the hand centroid, the position and orientation of the fingers, as well as the 3D trajectory of such positions, for example the history of previous positions. In addition, one can derive a 3D velocity vector for characteristic points on the hand or a 3D pointing vector along the index finger.
However, the same sensor can be used for many different applications. Beyond the detection of open space hand gestures, this information can be used, for example, for advanced proximity sensing within the field of view of the sensor, e.g. hands close to the display or other control elements, hands on steering wheel, etc., and in particular to monitor a state of persons in the vehicle.
If the sensor's field of view, for example, covers the area of the front seats of a vehicle including the driver and/or passenger, fully or partially, it is possible to extend the feature range from hand detection and tracking to other body parts such as head and shoulder, arms, torso, legs, etc.
One prominent example is the estimation of a head pose, i.e., 3D position and orientation, for example to predict where the person is looking at.
Several methods exist to extract, for example, a 3D skeleton of a human body model based on 3D imagery or point cloud data.
The model can combine the measured data with constraints of the human anatomy to stabilize the pose estimation results in the presence of noisy input data.
Such a model can be fitted to the data in frame-by-frame basis (single time step) or tracked over multiple frames (time series) to allow for some temporal smoothing of the results.
The relative location of body parts, e.g. hands, with respect to vehicle parts, e.g. steering wheel, can be used to implement features like hands on steering wheel detection.
In addition the data can be used to estimate the size (or weight) of a person in the seat or the distance of the person to an airbag.
Full body pose estimation methods typically require a significant amount of processing power to achieve high performance at real-time frame rates and are not suitable for low-cost embedded platforms.

System and method for generating a confidence value for at least one state in the interior of a vehicle


A FLASH memory is used in data storage and is further stored with a logical-to-physical address mapping table and a write protection mapping table. The write protection mapping table shows the write protection statuses of the different logical addresses. In accordance with logical addresses issued via a dynamic capacity management command from a host, a controller of the data storage device modifies the logical-to-physical address mapping table to break the logical-to-physical mapping relationship of the issued logical addresses. Further, the controller asserts a flag, corresponding to the issued logical addresses, in the write protection mapping table, to a write protected mode. According to a change in the amount of write-protected flags of the write protection mapping table, the controller adjusts an end-of-life judgment value of the FLASH memory and thereby a lifespan of the FLASH memory is prolonged.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to data storage devices, and in particular, relates to FLASH memory control methods.
Description of the Related Art
A FLASH memory is a general non-volatile storage device that is electrically erased and programmed.
A NAND FLASH, for example, is primarily used in memory cards, USB FLASH devices, solid-state drives, and so on. In a multi-chip package, a NAND FLASH and a controller chip may be packaged into a single package as an eMMC (embedded MultiMediaCard).
In a NAND FLASH, the storage array comprises a plurality of blocks and each block comprises a plurality of pages. Some blocks are allocated to be data blocks, and, the blocks waiting for allocation may be spare blocks. Depending on usage situations, some of the storage space may be damaged. The damaged blocks should not be utilized anymore. Thus, the available number of spare blocks may decrease. When the total amount of spare blocks is less than a threshold amount, the FLASH memory should be tagged as: End-of-Life. If tagged, no more write operations is allowed and the FLASH memory is switched to a read-only mode.
It is an important topic in the field to prolong the lifespan of a FLASH memory for normal read/write operations.

Flash storage device and control method for flash memory


A semiconductor memory device includes a stack of word lines and insulating patterns. Cell pillars extend vertically through the stack of word lines and insulating patterns with memory cells being formed at the junctions of the cell pillars and the word lines. A ratio of the thickness of the word lines to the thickness of immediately neighboring insulating patterns is different at different locations along one or more of the cell pillars. Related methods of manufacturing and systems are also disclosed.

Semiconductor devices have been more highly integrated in order to provide high performance and low cost thereof. In particular, the integration density of semiconductor devices directly influences the costs of the semiconductor devices. The integration degree of a conventional two-dimensional (2D) memory device is mainly determined by an area that a unit memory cell occupies. Therefore, the integration density of the conventional 2D memory device is greatly affected by the level of a technique for forming fine patterns.
Three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor devices including three-dimensionally arranged memory cells address the above limitations of two-dimensional memory devices. Manufacturing techniques and products that are capable of reducing bit cost and realizing reliable products are desired for successful mass production of the 3D semiconductor devices.

Semiconductor device, systems and methods of manufacture


A luminaire with reflector of negative focal length is disclosed, which comprises a light source and a luminaire screen having a reflector of negative focal length, a side screen and a plate; wherein the reflector of negative focal length is capable of reflecting the upward-incident rays emitted from the light source; and the side screen is capable of reflecting the sideward-incident rays emitted from the light source and the reflected rays of the reflector; and the plate being disposed at the lower portion of the luminaire screen beneath the light source has a plurality of micro-structures arranged thereon and is capable of accepting the rays of the downward incident area along with both the reflected rays of the reflector and the side screen so as to diffuse the same for discharging. By the luminaire screen of the invention, the rays emitting from the light source of the luminaire are reflected and directed to a preferred discharging area so as to enable the rays to be discharged out of the luminaire by large angles for reducing glare.

Before the invention of the light bulb, illuminating the world after the sun went down was a messy, arduous, hazardous task. It took a bunch of candles or torches to fully light up a good-sized room, and oil lamps, while fairly effective, tended to leave a residue of soot on anything in their general vicinity. With the invention of light bulb along and as the science of electricity really got going in the mid 1800s, the easy-to-use lighting technology was such an improvement over the old ways that the world never looked back.
Currently, the application of illuminating device can be categorized into two fields. One of which is the construction industry, that includes all sorts of lighting systems adapted for private housing units, commercial buildings, and public transportation systems like highway and railway, and so on, so as to achieve objects of comfort, beautification, and safety; another filed is the commercial goods, that includes all sorts of light source adapted for auto lamps, indoor lightings and consumer electronics, etc. As in the Year 2000, the largest demand for illuminating devices lays in the United State of American. Generally, the demand for illuminating devices is growing in a rapid path following the growth of global economy. Nevertheless, as the environmental awareness also grows with the global economy, it is in great demand to have green lighting systems for enhancing environmental protection and energy conservation.
Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a cross-section of a lighting system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,645, entitled "LED LIGHTING SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING WHIT LIGHT". As seen in FIG. 1, the white lighting system 1 has at least three light-emitting diodes (LEDs) 11 for providing visible light at pre-selected wavelengths. In operation, the white lighting system 1 is provided with at least one fourth light-emitting diode 12 which, emits visible light in a further wavelength region, the maximum of the spectral emission of the fourth light-emitting diode 12 lying in the further wavelength region from 575 to 605 nm. Moreover, the screen 13 is provided on a side facing the LEDs 11, 12 with reflection means 14 which diffusely reflect white light so as to effectively blend the light of the LEDs 11, 12. However, the luminaire structure as disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,645 has low luminaire efficacy since it can not guide and scatter the rays emitted from the light source such that the referring lighting system 1 can not control the distribution of luminous intensity, not to mention the enhancement of luminance efficacy of a source of light while glare still can not be avoid.
In view of the abovementioned shortcomings, it is require to have an improved illuminating device with high luminaire efficacy for the sake of environmental conservation and also capable of reducing glare.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


An improvement is proposed in an electrostatic chuck having a chuck head comprising an electrode layer sandwiched between a backing insulating layer and a frontal insulating layer, which comes into contact with a work piece when the electrostatic chuck is working, by which the electrostatic chuck can exhibit a large electrostatic attractive force by increasing the voltage applied between the electrodes without the problem of dielectric breakdown in the insulating layer and a leak current occurring on the surface of the work piece. The improvement can be obtained by forming the frontal insulating layer in a two-layered structure consisting of a high-dielectric layer made from a material having a dielectric constant of at least 50 at a temperature of 20.degree. C. and a frequency of 1 MHz and a high-resistivity layer made from a material having a volume resistivity of at least 1.times.10.sup.12 ohm.cm at 20.degree. C., the high-dielectric layer being interposed between the electrode layer and the high-resistivity layer.

The present invention relates to an improved electrostatic chuck or, more particularly, to an improved electrostatic chuck capable of exhibiting a greatly enhanced attractive force to a work piece without a disadvantage of leak currents or dielectric break-down even when the voltage applied to the electrodes is increased.
It is a trend in recent years that the manufacturing process of various kinds of semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display units and the like in the electronic industry involves an increasing number of steps undertaken heretofore in a wet process which, however, are continuously being replaced with steps of a dry process such as the CVD process, sputtering, ion plating and the like in view of the good adaptability to automatization of the process as well as a decrease in the problem of environmental pollution unavoidably caused by the waste liquids used in a wet process. In most of these dry-process treatments of work pieces such as semiconductor silicon wafers, the work piece is worked in a vacuum chamber. In view of the increasing size of the work pieces such as semiconductor silicon wafers, glass plates and the like and the increasing fineness of working on these work pieces as in the patterning works in the manufacture of LSIs to obtain a greatly increased density of circuit integration, it is an essential requirement that the work piece in the vacuum chamber is positioned or transferred with extremely high precision under holding by a precision chucking means.
A traditional chucking means to hold and transfer a work piece is a so-called vacuum chuck in which the work piece is attracted to a chuck head having perforations connected to a suction means such as a vacuum pump to produce a pressure difference between the surfaces of the work piece. As is readily understood from the above mentioned principle, vacuum chucks cannot be used inside of a vacuum chamber because no pressure difference can be produced thereby between the surfaces of a work piece. Although a vacuum chuck can be used under a non-vacuum condition, in addition, vacuum chucks have an inherent problem as a chucking means of a work piece for which extremely high precision is required in working because the attractive force to the work piece is localized at the sucking perforations and not distributed evenly over the whole surface of the chuck head so that a localized stress is caused in the work piece. Accordingly, vacuum chucks cannot be used in a fine working process in the manufacture of electronic devices.
In view of the above described unavoidable problems, vacuum chucks as a means to hold and transfer a work piece are under continuous replacement in recent years with so-called electrostatic chucks, in which the attractive force to the work piece is produced by the static electricity accumulated in the electrodes of the chuck head. By utilizing the feature of electrostatic chucks that the attractive force can be increased as desired by increasing the voltage applied between the electrodes, a study is now under way to use an electrostatic chuck with an object of flatness correction of work pieces such as silicon wafers and glass plates as a substrate of electronic devices, for which an extremely high flatness of the surface is required.
Needless to say, correction of the flatness of a work piece can be effected only by applying a very high attractive force to the work piece. As is known, the electrostatic attractive force f of an electrostatic chuck is given by the equation EQU f=A.multidot..epsilon.(E/t).sup.2,
in which f is the electrostatic force, A is a constant, .epsilon. is the dielectric constant of the insulating material interposed between the work piece and the electrodes, E is the voltage applied between the electrodes and t is the thickness of the insulating layer interposed between the work piece and the electrodes. As is shown by this equation, the electrostatic force f can be increased by increasing the applied voltage E, by decreasing the thickness t of the insulating layer and by using an insulating material having an as high as possible dielectric constant .epsilon.. It is, however, not always possible to satisfy all of these requirements simultaneously. For example, insulating materials having a high dielectric constant generally have a relatively low volume resistivity so that satisfactory insulation can be obtained only by increasing the thickness t of the insulating layer since otherwise a leak current is caused through the work piece or between the fine circuits thereon eventually leading to a damage to the device or circuit under application of a sufficiently high voltage E to cancel the advantage obtained by the use of a highly dielectric material.
A remedial measure in this regard is proposed in Japanese Patent Kokai 62-94953 according to which the insulating material to form the insulating layer is blended with fine particles of a material having a high dielectric constant though with a relatively low volume resistivity such as titanium dioxide, lead titanate and the like dispersed therein. Such a composite insulating material is not always quite satisfactory because, when the content of the highly dielectric material is increased, the withstand voltage of the insulating layer as a whole is greatly decreased so that the device or the circuit on the work piece attracted to the chuck head is sometimes damaged by the electric discharge caused by the dielectric breakdown or leak current on the surface of the chuck head.


A network packet may be forwarded by reading a table containing a plurality of flags to determine which of the plurality of flags is set or cleared and performing an operation on the packet to decapsulate or encapsulate the packet in accordance with values of the flags.

This invention relates to forwarding network packets between network domains.
Packets are routed through a series of router devices, each of which stores and forwards packets on its way from a source to a destination. For example, a packet may start out as an Internet packet, be forwarded over an ATM (asynchronous transfer mode path) and then back to Ethernet onto a corporate network to its final intended recipient. As the network passes through these network domains, various header encapsulations may be added to or removed from the packet. Some connections use point-to-point protocol (PPP) whereas others use multiprotocol label switching MPLS, layer to tunneling protocol LTTP, ATM and so forth.

Multiprotocol decapsulation/encapsulation control structure and packet protocol conversion method


There is disclosed a cleat or spike receptacle for an athletic shoe, particularly for a track shoe. The cleat receptacle comprises a cylinder, an integral annular plate, and ribs which extend upward from the annular plate and define openings through which the plastic spike plate material flows during formation of the outsole spike plate. The annular plate has a plurality of slots through which the plastic material also flows during the spike plate formation. The holes and slots of the three-dimensional shape cleat receptacle, through which the plastic spike plate material flows, provide an additional bond of the cleat receptacle to the outsole spike plate. In addition, more plastic spike plate material is below the annular plate of the cleat receptacle resulting in greater holding strength for the attached spikes. Either a detachable cleat, or an integrally formed cleat, is carried by the cylinder of the cleat receptacle.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to shoe soles for athletic shoes. More specifically, but without restriction to the particular use which is shown and described, this invention relates to an athletic shoe sole having permanent or detachable traction members, such as, cleats or spikes which improve the performance of the athletic shoe on natural and manmade surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art
Depending on the sport, a variety of traction members, such as, cleats or spikes are used in different orientations in order to improve the traction of the athletic shoe. The cleats or spikes can be integrally formed with the sole of the shoe, or, alternatively, the cleats can be replaceable. Replaceable cleats generally have a threaded screw attachment that engages with a mating threaded cleat receptacle which is embedded within the spike plate of the shoe outsole during formation of the spike plate. Conventional cleat receptacles consist of an internally threaded cylinder having an integral annular plate circumscribing the exterior of the cylinder. During the formation of the spike plate, plastic material, such as, nylon or other suitable synthetic material, flows around the plurality of cleat receptacles positioned on the spike plate. Upon hardening, the cleat receptacles are held in place by the hardened plastic of the spike plate and the annular plate on the cleat receptacles. The annular plate serves as an anchor and prevents the cleat receptacle from being pulled out of the spike plate.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,361,971 to Bowerman discloses a conventional cleat receptacle, having an annular plate, embedded in the spike plate. The annular plate is a flat circular ring that extends perpendicular to the cylinder portion of the receptacle. However, with a flat circular ring, during use of the athletic shoe, there is a tendency for bending of the annular plate which reduces the integrity of the receptacle plate in the outsole. In addition, with the conventional cleat receptacle, the cylinder portion of the receptacle focuses pin pressure on the foot during use instead of dissipating it within the spike plate.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,506,801 to MacNeill shows a shoe sole with detachable spikes. The detachable spikes are inserted into a spike receptacle. The spike receptacle consists of a threaded cylinder and an integral flat annular flange. The flat annular flange is integral with the threaded cylinder and holds the threaded cylinder within the molded shoe outsole. Again, with this flat annular flange, there is a tendency for bending of the flange during use of the shoe.


A gate valve includes a valve main body having a gate valve body attached to a valve rod; a movement operation mechanism that moves the valve rod in a direction along an axis of the rod up to a position where the gate valve body stops up a flow passage port used for carrying in and out objects; a rotating motion mechanism for rotating the valve rod, which has been moved to that position, by a predetermined angle; and a horizontal drive gear for moving the valve body in a direction orthogonal to the direction of movement of the valve rod to seal the flow passage port.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gate valve, particularly to a non-rubbing gate valve that is employed for opening and closing, e.g. for carrying in and out objects to be treated, such as semiconductor wafers and liquid crystal substrates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A gate valve of this kind is employed in a semiconductor-manufacturing field, liquid crystal-manufacturing field or similar field. For example, it is used as a partition of a load lock chamber, transfer chamber or reactor of a CVD apparatus. In a semiconductor-manufacturing apparatus, cleanliness is required, and thus the generation of particles or the like has to be particularly suppressed. In a gate valve for a semiconductor-manufacturing apparatus, a valve-side seat surface is rubbed against a flow passage-side valve seat surface, and the generation of particles or dust may be increased. Therefore, countermeasures for preventing the rubbing between the valve-side seat surface and the flow passage-side valve seat surface are generally taken.
As a countermeasure, in a gate valve for a semiconductor-manufacturing apparatus, a valve body is integrally provided with a valve rod, and a cam or link is provided at the valve rod to attempt to make the valve body non-rubbing. Particularly, upon the actuation of such a gate valve, first, the valve rod is moved in a direction along its axis to move the valve body to the same height level as the flow passage port, and then, the valve body is swayed together with the valve rod using a cam or link to close the valve.
To be specific, a known two-cylinder structure comprises a cylinder that moves a valve rod in a direction along its axis and another cylinder that moves the valve body in a direction orthogonal to the valve rod to close the valve. Meanwhile, a one-cylinder structure is also known, in which a cylinder moves a valve rod in its axial direction and then, by means of a cam or link incorporated in a valve body, moves the valve body in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the valve rod to close valve.
Of these, there has been proposed, as a gate valve of the latter one-cylinder structure, the gate valve having a structure in which a valve body is moved toward a flow passage, i.e. in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of a valve rod, by means of a piston and a cam or link that are incorporated in the valve body (Japanese Patent No. 3323459, for example).
The prior art gate valve is provided with a displacement mechanism that displaces a valve disk formed in a valve box for opening and closing a flow passage, in a direction substantially orthogonal to the axis of a valve rod. The displacement mechanism comprises a box that is fixedly attached to an end of the valve rod, a displacement member provided to be displaceable within the box, a connection member that is connected to the valve disk and a pin member that is engaged in a long hole formed in the displacement member. Upon actuation, the valve disk is moved in a direction perpendicular to the valve rod and toward the flow passage by the action of a cam of the displacement mechanism.
In a gate valve having the former two-cylinder structure, a valve body is moved in a direction orthogonal to a valve rod, thereby attaining sealing from a direction orthogonal to the flow passage. However, the structure assumes complexity due to the existence of increased number of cylinder structure to thereby elevate the cost, which is problematic.
In the gate valve having the latter one-cylinder structure, a cam or link is incorporated in the valve body to enable the valve body to be rotated in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the valve rod. Therefore, when the valve body is to be rotated after the valve rod is moved in a direction for closing the valve, the rotation movement assumes a circular arc movement. This applies force to an O-ring, which is provided at the valve body for sealing, in a direction to cause distortion of the O-ring, which is problematic. Meanwhile, in the course of rotation of the valve body for opening the valve, force is applied to the O-ring in a direction causing distortion thereof in the same manner as in the case of closing the valve. Particularly when the valve is kept in a closed state over a long period of time, O-ring is adhered to the valve seat surface in some cases. In such cases, greater force that causes distortion is applied to the O-ring, resulting in possible dropout of the O-ring. As described above, the prior art gate valves fail to achieve a target object to provide non-rubbing gate valves, and great distortion force is applied to the O-ring upon either opening or closing the valve. Thus, particles are readily generated, the product service life becomes short, and there is a possibility of the O-ring being dropped out.
Meanwhile, in a gate valve of the Japanese Patent No. 3323459, a box is provided outside a displacement mechanism on purpose. Accordingly, the structure of the displacement mechanism tends to be complex and large in size.
The present invention has been developed in order to solve the conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gate valve in which a sealed portion is not rubbed upon opening and closing of the valve, and distortion or dropout of a seal member is not caused to make it possible to suppress generation of particles or dusts and reliably maintain the sealing property over a long period of time even when opening and closing operations of the valve is repeatedly carried out.

Non-rubbing gate valve for semiconductor fabrication apparatus


Methods and systems involving a potting process for selectively coating a target surface of a component. An example method may include: (1) dispensing a masking agent into a cavity, wherein the cavity is within a holder; (2) immersing a portion of a component that has a plurality of surfaces into the masking agent, such that at least one portion of a target surface from the plurality of surfaces is not immersed; (3) curing the masking agent such that the masking agent hardens on the portion of the plurality of surfaces of the component immersed in the masking agent; (4) coating the target surface with a coating agent; and (5) separating the masking agent from the portion of the plurality of surfaces of the component immersed in the masking agent.

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Various types of manufacturing processes exist for producing various components. One example of a manufacturing process involves a potting process, where a masking agent covers a component. Additionally, components may be coated using a coating process. An example of a component includes an eyepiece that requires selective coating on one of its surfaces.

Selective coating of a component using a potting process


The automatic performance data programming instrument is constructed to program and record an object part of the automatic performance data by physically playing an input implement such as a keyboard. During the course of the programing operation, the automatic performance data is fed to a sound source for simultaneous tone generation. The volume information contained in the automatic performance data is selectively altered so as to intensify a tone volume of the object part relative to those of the remaining parts, in order to facilitate evaluation of the performance effect associated to the object part.

The present invention relates to an electronic musical instrument having function to program and reproduce an automatic performance data in playback mode.
There has been known an automatic performance data programing instrument operable to program a plurality of performance data corresponding to a plurality of parts such as a rhythm part, a bass part, a chord part and so on. An operator or a user can designate a particular object part to be programed or revised in some type of the conventional automatic performance data programing instrument. In such an instrument, the operator can input a new performance data into the designated object part by playing a keyboard on real time basis while the remaining parts are performed concurrently according to old performance data. In such a type of the automatic performance data programing instrument, the operator can selectively program a performance data of the object part while evaluating a balance or harmony of all the parts.
However, the conventional automatic performance data programing instrument has a drawback that musical tones of the object part is buried in background musical tones of the remaining parts. The user suffers from a difficulty in distinguishing and evaluating a performance effect of the object part.

Automatic performance data programing instrument with selective volume emphasis of new performance


A switch for the switching of communications system signals, with m input ports and n output ports, comprising two or more parallel switch matrices, each of size m×n, combined so that each switch matrix contributes to the available output power at each output port. The failure of one of the switch matrices, or one of the transmission paths therein, will therefore result only in a small reduction in the output power at the relevant output port, rather than complete power loss as would be the case for a conventional switch This fault condition can be detected using a power imbalance detection circuit in the switch matrix combiner. Additionally, the fault condition, having been detected by the power imbalance detection circuit, may be temporarily compensated by an automatic level control system.

The present invention relates to a resilient switch and, more particularly, to a resilient switch for communications systems, wireless communications systems using distributed antennas, and to cellular and radio distribution points.
The use of a switch matrix for wireless communications systems based on distributed antennas is disclosed by Motley et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,256. Motley uses a switch matrix to interconnect a number of base stations on the input ports to a number of distributed antennas on the output ports. The switch matrix allows any combination of inputs to be connected to any combination of outputs so that base stations can be connected to antennas in a very flexible manner. This allows wireless services such as cellular radio to be delivered to users with significant cost savings for network operators. The benefits of using a switched distributed antenna system are outlined for example in a recent paper by Wake and Beacham, Proc. SPIE vol. 5466, 2004.
FIG. 1 shows a switch matrix having an exemplary size of 8×4. The switch matrix comprises of 8 input ports 1 and 4 output ports 2. Each input port is connected to a 1:4 power splitter 3 and each output port is connected to an 8:1 power combiner 4. For each splitter 3, its four outputs are connected to the inputs of the four combiners 4 as shown in FIG. 1 so as to ensure that any input to the switch matrix can be available at any output of the switch matrix. Each connection 5 between a given splitter and a given combiner comprises a single pole single throw switch element 6 and a variable attenuator 7 in series. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates only one switch element 6 and one variable attenuator, but there are 32 switch elements and 32 variable attenuators in total for this size of matrix. The switches can be set to either an "on" state or an "off" state so that any combination of input signals can be routed to any combination of output ports. The variable attenuators can be set to balance the path loss across all paths between input and output.
The switch matrix of FIG. 1 is a single point of failure for a system such as described in Motley et al. If the switch matrix fails, there would be a loss of service between the network operators at one end of the switch matrix and users at the other end. Even if only a single connection 5 in the switch matrix fails, there will be a loss of service.


A color changeable device that has been partially activated. The device comprises a flexible substrate with a first major surface and a second major surface and an interference color generating laminate on the first major surface. The color generating laminate comprises a first layer and a second layer in intimate contact. When the first and second layers are in intimate contact, the laminate generates an interference color. When the first and second layers are not in intimate contact, the laminate does not generate the interference color. The substrate and laminate include a first permanent deformation causing separation of the first and second layers at a first portion of the device while retaining the first and second layers in intimate contact at a second portion of the device. The device is particularly useful for confirming the authenticity of an article without having to remove the color change device from the article.

Interference color generating devices are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,061 issued on Aug. 10, 1987 to Paul Smits et al. discloses a layered tamper evident structure which exhibits an irreversible color change when the layers are separated, thus providing evidence that the structure has been tampered. FIG. 1 is an illustration of such an interference color generating device.
The device 20 of FIG. 1 consists of a layer 10, preferably of a valve or refractory metal, a thin film 12 of a light transmitting material in direct and intimate contact with the layer 10, and an overlying strip 14 of flexible, tensionable translucent or transparent material, e.g. polyethylene. Valve metals, including tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), and titanium (Ti) and refractory metals including tungsten (W), vanadium (V), and molybdenum (Mo), are capable of generating intense colors when covered by a thin film of light transmitting materials. Layer 10 and thin film 12 are capable of generating a color by a light interference and absorption phenomenon that requires direct and intimate contact between layer 10 and thin film 12.
The preferred method of forming the thin film of light transmitting material 12 is anodization carried out in the presence of an adhesion-reducing agent, preferably a fluorine-containing compound. The anodization process forms a thin film 12 made of an oxide of the metal used to form metal layer 10. Ta and Nb are particularly preferred metals because of the wide range of colors accessible with this technique. The metal layer 10 and oxide layer 12 are in such intimate contact that the two layers conform closely with each other at the microscopic level at the interface or structurally merge together at the interface of the two layers 10, 12. Additionally, metal layer 10 and oxide layer 12 are in such direct contact that essentially no other material is between the two layers 10, 12 at the interface and excludes the presence of gas molecules from the air that tend to adhere to the layers once they are separated. The adhesion of the overlying strip 14 to the thin film 12 should be greater than the adhesion between the film 12 to the layer 10.
Referring to prior art device 20 in FIG. 1, white light incident on the structure, indicated by ray A, is partially reflected by the upper surface of the thin film 12 (ray B) and is partially transmitted to be reflected (ray C) by the upper surface of the layer 10. The interference colors generated when rays B and C combine will be weak if the relative intensities of rays B and C differ significantly, but will be intense if the intensities of rays B and C are similar. When highly reflective metals are used for the layer 10, most of the light is reflected at the upper surface of the metal layer and so ray C is much more intense than ray B. Light absorption (indicated by arrow X) takes place at the interface between thin film 12 and the layer 10. This absorption reduces the intensity of ray C and makes the intensities of rays B and C more comparable so that an intense color is generated. The light absorption depends on direct and intimate contact between layer 10 and film 12.
Separation of layer 10 and thin film 12 eliminates the light absorption indicated by ray X. As a result, the intense color originally generated by rays B and C is lost, leaving the gray color of the material 10 generated by ray C. The color generating device 20 is therefore also referred to as a color change device or a color changeable device. The intense color originally formed by rays B and C cannot be regenerated by repositioning film 12 on layer 10, even if the layers are pressed together, because the contact will no longer be direct (gas molecules intervene) and/or intimate (the surfaces will no longer conform closely at the microscopic level). As a result, the substantially irreversible color change acts as evidence that the layers have been separated and consequently that the structure has been disturbed or tampered.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,061 discloses separating layers 10, 12 in the device 20 shown in FIG. 1 by peeling the transparent or translucent material 14 and by puncturing by means of a needle or knife. This separation causes an irreversible color change.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,262, issued on Aug. 4, 1992, to Gary J. Smith et al. discloses an alternative means of separating layer 10, 12 by bending the laminate to small radii of curvature. FIG. 2 illustrates an interference color generating device as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,262. As the device 20 separates from article 22, its overall thickness and stiffness usually prevents it from forming a completely sharp angle, but instead it is bent around a short radius of curvature "r" at the apex of included angle ".alpha.." The concentration of adhesion-reducing agent used in forming the anodized film 12 on metal layer 10 is sufficient to permit color change activation when r and .alpha. are in the range inevitably encountered when peeling the entire device 20 from article 22. To allow separation of thin film 12 from metal layer 10 on bending, U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,262 teaches using concentrations of fluoride in the range of 40-350 ppm during anodization. When the fluoride concentration falls outside this range, the desired separation color change may not occur on bending. In the case of higher concentrations, thin film 12 may fall off prematurely leading to unwanted color change.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,928 issued on Nov. 5, 1991 to Gary J. Smith discloses a process for producing color-change devices incorporating latent indicia, which are initially invisible messages, pattern or designs. Upon separation of layer 10 and thin film 12 the latent message or pattern is made visible to indicate tampering.
The process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,928 for producing color changeable devices incorporating latent indicia includes the following steps: a) preparing a substrate having a very thin sputtered layer of metal; b) applying masking material to certain areas of the metal layer, the masking material comprised of printing inks or conventional uncured resist materials; c) submitting the substrate to a single step anodization process with an electrolyte containing adhesion-reducing agent to produce a color-generating laminate incorporating an anodic film having detachable and non-detachable areas; and d) removing the masking material by washing.
FIG. 3 shows color change device 20 made by the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,062,928. The areas of the device which were covered with the masking material are visually indistinguishable from the uncovered areas when layer 10 and thin film 12 are in intimate contact. Despite this, the difference between the masked areas 12b and uncovered areas 12a is that the adhesive-reducing agent in the electrolyte has weakened the adhesion between layer 10 and thin film 12 in the uncovered areas, but not in the masked areas 12b. As a result, the masked areas 12b are preferential areas with a high bond strength of intimate contact so that layer 10 and thin film 12 will not separate. When peeling or bending takes place, the anodic or oxide thin film 12 is detached from the underlying metal layer 10 in the uncovered areas 12a, but remains attached to the underlying metal layer 10 in the masked areas 12b because of the tenacious adhesion of the anoidic thin film 12 to the metal layer 10 in these areas. Masked areas 12b continue to generate the original intense color, while uncovered areas 12a undergo the color change. As a result, the latent indicia becomes visible to indicate tampering.
Similar labels are commercially available from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, in St. Paul, Minn. as 3M.TM. Optical Thin Film Authenticating Devices. FIG. 4 is an illustration of such a label. Label 20 includes a release liner 24, a layer of adhesive 26, a flexible substrate 16, layer 10, thin film 12 and translucent layer 14.
Although the performance of available interference color generating devices has been impressive, it is desirable to further improve the device by allowing authentication without removing the device from the article .


A superconductor device comprises a Schottky barrier region S.sub.B for selectively passing injected carriers and a collector barrier region L.sub.B for selectively blocking leakage carriers. The Schottky barrier region is formed in a low permittivity region .epsilon..sub.L between the first operating region (B) made of superconductor material and the second operating region (C) made of either semiconductor material or metallic material. A resonance region R is formed in the low permittivity region .epsilon..sub.L.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a superconductor device. In particular, the superconductor device has an operating region made of superconductor material and an operating region made of either semiconductor or metallic material.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A superconductor transistor has been known as a superconductor device having a three-terminal structure (including a device comprising a single element and a device comprising an integrated circuit). The superconductor transistor comprises a semiconductor bipolar transistor having a base region made of superconductor material. In a semiconductor bipolar transistor, the resistance of the base region is critical in determining an operation speed, power consumption, and heat generation. Reduced resistance in the base region will achieve a faster operation speed, reduced power consumption, and lower heat generation. In order to achieve the above, superconductor material is employed for a base region in a superconductor transistor so as to solve technical problems.
As a typical emitter-base structure for a superconductor transistor, a Normal metal Insulator Superconductor (NIS) stacked structure has been known, and a great deal of studies have been made in this direction. In the NIS stacked structure, metallic material, insulator material, and superconductor material are successively stacked, thereby constituting an emitter region, a tunneling barrier region, and a base region, respectively. The collector region of a superconductor transistor employing the NIS stacked structure is made of semiconductor material. This semiconductor material also serves as a substrate of the superconductor transistor.
The base region may be made of BaKBiO-associated superconductor material. Because BaKBiO-associated superconductor material can be formed into a film (hereinafter referred to as a BaKBiO film) at a relatively low temperature, the semiconductor collector region (a semiconductor substrate), on which a BaKBiO film is formed, is not thermally damaged. That is, the use of BaKBiO-associated superconductor material enables a stacked structure using semiconductor material.
The semiconductor collector region may be made of an SrTiO.sub.3 crystal substrate (a single crystal substrate) doped with Nb. An SrTiO.sub.3 crystal substrate has a perovskite crystal structure, which is similar to the crystal structure of BaKBiO-associated superconductor material, and a crystal lattice interval ("a" axial length) of an SrTiO.sub.3 crystal substrate is approximate to the crystal lattice interval ("a" axial length) of BaKBiO-associated superconductor material. Thus, it is possible to form a BaKBio film on the surface of an SrTiO.sub.3 crystal substrate.
In the superconductor transistor employing the foregoing NIS stacked structure, a Schottky barrier region is formed on the collector region side between the base region (BaKBio-associated superconductor) and the collector region (a SrTiO.sub.3 crystal substrate), starting at the phase boundary between the two regions. Based on the carriers injected from the emitter region, carriers are transmitted from the base region to the collector region, passing through the Schottky barrier region. Further, based on the carriers injected from the base region to the collector region, collector current accordingly flows. A transmission efficiency of the carriers from the base region to the collector region can be effectively increased by setting a lower and shorter barrier in the Schottky barrier region.
In the above superconductor transistor, however, in cases where a lower and shorter barrier is set in a Schottky barrier region for the purpose of increasing a transmission efficiency, increased number of carriers leak from the base region to the collector region, passing through the Schottky barrier region. As a result, current-voltage characteristics are degraded in a superconductor transistor as leakage current is added to the base-collector current.


A method and apparatus are described for providing an activation signal based on a received radio frequency (RTF) signal. The apparatus includes an RF receiver configured to admit a received RF signal in a given frequency band and a converter configured to convert the admitted RF signal to a proportional signal. The apparatus also includes a low power comparator that has a first and second input and an output. A biasing and offset compensation circuit is configured to bias the proportional signal higher by an offset midrange voltage and bias the second input to an offset compensated voltage based on an offset between the inputs of the comparator. The comparator is configured to receive the biased proportional signal at the first input and produce the activation signal at the output when a voltage difference between the biased proportional signal and the offset compensated voltage exceeds a comparison voltage threshold.

This description relates to radio frequency (RF) activated devices. More particularly, the description relates to providing an activation signal based on a received RF signal.
A variety of RF receivers have been proposed to activate electronic devices. Conventional RF receivers typically require some kind of amplification to amplify the received signal for processing. Without amplification, the signal is too weak to process, or the distance from which signals can be received is severely limited. Amplification, however, results in a substantial and constant current drain on a battery power supply. Consequently, a problem with conventional RF receivers is that, due to the power demands, periodic battery replacement is required.

Method and system for providing an activation signal based on a received RF signal


A heat-sensitive infrared-light image sensor is provided with an array of reference cells and video cells. During a setup (initialization) mode, video offset values are produced as representative of deviations of video samples from the video cells and stored in a memory. First reference offset values are produced as representative of deviations of reference samples from the reference cells and a first average value representing an average of the first reference offset values is derived and stored into a first register. During an operational mode, second reference offset values are produced as representative of deviations of reference samples from the reference cells, and a second average value representing an average of the second reference offset values is derived and stored into a second register. The first and second average values are read from the first and second registers and an amount of drift of operational characteristics of the image sensor from initial characteristics of the image sensor is determined from the read average values. The video offset values are read from the memory and modified with the determined amount of drift. Temperature-dependent drift components of video samples from the video cells are canceled out with the modified video offset values.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to infrared-light sensors and more specifically to a heat-sensitive infrared-light image sensor formed by an array of infrared-light sensitive cells where the individual output levels of the cells tend to vary with temperature. The present invention is concerned with an apparatus and method for compensating for the temperature-dependent drift components of the individual cells of the image sensor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Infrared-light image sensors of the heat-sensitive type comprise a matrix array of infrared-light cells each being formed by a switching transistor and a thermoelectrical conversion element fabricated in a bolometer structure using titanium. The cells are scanned to produce a video signal as a sequence of video samples. Because of the inherent thermal sensitivity, the intensity of each video sample varies with the temperature of the device and this temperature increases with time in such a manner that a device temperature variation of 1.degree. C., for example, corresponds to a 500.degree. C. temperature variation on the surface of a radiant object. In addition, there exists sensitivity variability due to varying thermal coefficients and varying resistance values from cell to cell. Such variability is known as fixed pattern noise (FPN) and can be easily canceled by DC-level offsets obtained from the image sensor when it is maintained at a predetermined low temperature and shielded from radiation. However, due to the temperature-related variation of the heat-sensitive image sensor, the DC-level offset values are not valid for canceling the variability when the image sensor is in actual use.

Heat-sensitive infrared-light image sensor with circuitry for canceling temperature-dependent drift components